Macroeconomics In Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Macroeconomics In Healthcare - Essay Example It is estimated that the global community currently provides roughly $2 billion per year to health in the poorest countries. For the poorest economies, spending does appear to make a difference. Gro Harlem Bruntland, Director General of the World Health Organization, believes that â€Å"health has a central role in the world economy. Yet, few finance officials and development economists have so far explored the potential importance of health investment as an instrument for reducing poverty† (Ivinson551). Improved health is potentially advantageous to poor economies. Increased life expectancy can lead to increased productivity and economic stability for many poor families, assuming that opportunities for work and education are readily available. However, in some of the poorest economies, opportunity for increased income from work is very limited. In some areas, basic infrastructure such as roads, utilities and means for production does not exist. Often political corruption prev ents those who are healthy and physically able to work for many years from realizing their true income potential. Even relocation to areas with more work opportunities are difficult with limited income and few safe roads. In those areas, it is a combination of increased spending on health care, increased development of infrastructure and acitivities which remove or reduce corruption that must take place simultaneously for the poorest economies to benefit overall. Improved health care alone will not bring about much change in economic conditions.

Business Analysis of Honeywell International

Business Analysis of Honeywell International Honeywell International is a Fortune 100 global diversified technology and manufacturing leader with revenues to the tune of $30.9 billion. The company has four strategic business units, namely Aerospace, Access and Control Solutions (ACS), Transportation Systems, and Specialty Materials. Honeywell employs about 123,000 employees in more than 123 countries of which over 10,000 are employed in India. The organizational structure of Honeywell India is illustrated in ) This thesis aims to formulate a design and implementation plan for a formalized onboarding program for two of the Strategic Business Units (SBUs) of Access and Control Solutions (ACS) namely: Honeywell Security Group (HSG) and ADI. Honeywell Security Group (HSG) Honeywell Security is an international supplier and distributor of electronic security systems and solutions. Honeywell Security is a business unit of Honeywell International, $34 billion diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. (Honeywell, 2010) Honeywell Security has an extraordinary range of solutions across intrusion detection, Video surveillance, access control technologies Home net systems and invests over $50 million a year in research and development. It has its engineering centers of excellence in the U.S., Canada, China, Korea, India, Scotland and France and leverages technologies that are developed elsewhere in Honeywell and brings them to the security business. Honeywell Security South Asia operations spans across Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and other South Asian countries with HQ in India. Headquartered at Gurgaon, Honeywell Security has sales offices in Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata catering to all four corners of the country. An exponentially growing business unit of Honeywell International, Honeywell Security caters to all electronic security needs for Industrial, Government, Defense, Transportation, Commercial, Retail, Hotel, Hospital, Corporate Buildings, IT, ITES, Banking and also the Residential market. Lines of Business Video Systems Products range from basic camera systems to fully integrated systems capable of working on LAN and over internet. Access Control Systems Single door applications to integrated enterprise level access control systems. Integrated Security Systems Use of access control, alarm monitoring, video badging, digital video, CCTV, visitor management and perimeter intrusion detection on vindicator platform to provide a comprehensive security management solution integrated with process control, building management control and other enterprise level systems. Intrusion Detection Systems Intrusion detection products ranging from the simplest door contact to the central station receiver. Home Systems Sophisticated end to end technology solutions for comfortable, secure informed living. In India, HSG employs about 61 employees constituting of about 33 sales employees ADI ADI is a $1.8 billion leading distribution business encompassing security, fire, sound and low voltage products, with over 219 branches across North America, Europe, Mid-East Africa. ADI globally represents more than 700 leading vendors and is a global distributor for more than 80,000 products. ADI also partners with customers by providing business tools, products and services they need to enhance their capabilities and grow their business. (Honeywell, 2010) Beginning 2006, ADI launched its distribution business in Asia with first three branches in India at Gurgaon, Bangalore Mumbai. ADI also has a team of sales professionals in New Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Jaipur, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Cochin and Hyderabad. ADIs goal in India is to build a successful distribution model to satisfy the burgeoning need for quality and cost-effective security, fire, sound and other low-voltage electronic products in the rapidly growing Indian economy. ADI in India represents over 40 leading industry brands in 7 product categories; over 2000 products and offers its customers a one stop shop value proposition at convenient branch locations, with multiple brands, local stocking, competitive pricing, training technical support and customer business centre all under one roof. In India, ADI employs about 120 employees constituting of about 82 sales employees. Lines of Business CCTV Fixed Cameras, Speed Dome Cameras, Digital Video Recorders (DVR), Monitors, Lens, Accessories. Intrusion Alarm Wired Wireless Control Panels, Keypads, PIR, Panic Switch, Magnetic Contacts, Gas-leak detectors, Sounders, Sensors, Speech Dialers, Accessories. Home Automation Video Door Phones, Multi-apartment solutions, Home Systems, Accessories. Access Control Single Multi-door Controllers, Readers, Cards, Locking devices, Accessories. Fire Alarm Conventional Addressable Control panels, Sensors Detectors, Call points, Notification Appliances, Initiation Devices, Accessories. Sound Speakers, Amplifiers, Microphones, Intelligent PA Systems, Professional Audio, Accessories. Chapter 8: Problem Statement The time taken for a sales employee currently to become productive, that is, start contributing effectively to the business at HSG and ADI divisions is about 6 months to a year. This problem has been even more consistent in ADI since its entry into the Indian market in 2006. This has a direct impact on productivity and revenue generation. Productivity is defined by an employees achievement of their key result areas (KRA) with a primary focus on target revenue achievement. Retention of employees is another concern especially at ADI. The attrition level is 13% at HSG and 31% at ADI year-to-date (YTD). This Management Research Report aims to understand the key reasons for attrition in the two divisions and the delays in productivity. Chapter 9: Hypothesis According to a study conducted by the Aberdeen Group, 90% new hires make their decision about whether to stay in the company within 6 months of joining. Inspite of this only 88% of companies have onboarding programs of duration less than 6 months (Refer to ). Another research reveals that over 50% of new hire sales people leave voluntarily or are terminated before they even become productive. The above statistics indicate the correlation between a formalized onboarding program and the productivity of an employee thereby leading to the hypothesis that investing in a formalized onboarding program and other engagement initiatives improves productivity and retention of an employee and increases revenues. It is a cost that needs to be incurred by a company so that the employees become productive assets by generating steady revenue streams on a regular basis. Chapter 10: Approach and Methodology Approach This project is approached through a combination of primary and secondary researches. The primary research piece includes interviews with the business leaders, sales employees and human resource managers. The intent is to analyze the problem from the business, employees and the process owners perspective. The secondary research was conducted via published reports and white papers about onboarding best practices. Once the results of the research were tabulated, an onboarding framework was designed based on the gaps identified between the current and desired state. A cost-benefit analysis is also conducted to estimate the effectiveness of the onboarding program. Lastly, through the use of Six Sigma tools, a Failure Modes and Effects Analyses (FMEA) study is undertaken for the proposed onboarding framework to identify, prioritize and mitigate potential risks associated with the program. At the end, some priority action points are suggested for the implementation of the program. Research Methodology Two questionnaires were rolled out for the research based on the initial inputs from the Human Resources team, namely for the business leaders and the sales employees. The questionnaires were sent to heads of the two SBUs and based on their availability, they were interviewed. The questionnaire for the business heads was designed with the intent of identifying the core issues in processes which might impede employee productivity (for example, recruitment policy, onboarding/training employees, performance evaluation or engagement) and to understand the desired state of a productive employee from the business leaders perspective. The second questionnaire was sent to a few of the sales employees at both of the SBUs. The sample employees selected for the interviews consisted of new sales employees who were about 6 months old in the organization. The others included some who have been with Honeywell for over a year. The intent of the interview was to identify the key challenges faced by the new employees in getting adequately oriented to the business. The secondary research was conducted with the intent of understanding onboarding best practices. Some of the published reports and white papers consulted were taken from Corporate Leadership Council (CLC), Aberdeen Group, Kaiser Associates, Bersin Associates and Gallup Consulting. Chapter 11: Analysis Employee Profile at ADI Figure Employee break-up by function in ADI Figure Sales v/s Non-sales employee mix As displayed in Figure 14 and 15, the sales function forms a major portion of the employee population in Honeywell ADI. Understanding that ADI is in the distribution business and the presence of numerous players, both organized and unorganized, makes the market extremely competitive and explains the sales driven nature of the organization. Figure Total work experience of employees in ADI Sales Division The division employs more skilled employees than fresh graduates (Figure 16). The maximum sales employee work force has a total work experience between 2-4 years Figure Work Experience in ADI Sales Division (in months) ADI has a fairly new workforce; most employees have spent only about 6 months in the organization (Figure 17). This signifies that there is a high turnover in the ADI and people are being hired more frequently. Additionally, the loyalty of ADI employees seems to diminish over the years spent in the organization. Figure ADI Sales Employee Industry Experience Profile Most sales employees have a background in security or IT. This implies that Honeywell aims to recruit as many people with a background in Security, although due to a lack of available skilled talent, they prefer to recruit from the IT industry, followed by distribution (Figure 18). A need for technical knowledge is the reason for IT and security taking precedence over distribution. Other industries include telecommunications, computer hardware, FMCG, chemicals, dish television providers etc. Employee Profile at HSG Figure Employee break-up by function in HSG Figure Employee break up Sales v/s Non Sales: HSG As displayed in Figure 19 and 20, just like the ADI division, the sales function too forms a major portion of the employee population in the HSG division as well. Figure Total work experience of employees in HSG Sales Division The division employs more skilled employees than fresh graduates (Figure 21). The maximum sales employee work force has a total work experience between 2-4 years. However this variation is less in HSG as compared to ADI. Figure Work Experience in HSG Sales Division (in month) Figure Composition of employees by tenure in organization Comparative view HSG vs. ADI While experienced in the industry, HSG has a workforce new to Honeywell; most employees have spent only about six months in the organization (Figure 22). However a comparative look at the composition of employees by tenure in the organization (Figure 23), suggests that there are a greater number of employees hired at a faster rate in ADI than HSG. In ADI. 37% of the employee population has spent six or less than six months in the organization as compared to 27% in HSG. Also there are a greater number of older employees in HSG than ADI. This suggests that employee retention is better in HSG than in ADI for employees who spend more than 36 months in the organization. Figure Sales Employee Industry Profile: HSG Most sales employees have a background in IT or Security. This implies that Honeywell aims to recruit as many people with a background in Security, although due to a lack of available skilled talent, they prefer to recruit from the IT industry, followed by System Integration. A need for technical knowledge is the reason for IT and Security taking precedence over System Integration. (Figure 24) Interview Results Interviews with Business Leaders: Challenges and Findings (Please refer to and for the details of the interview) This section summarizes the key findings from the interviews conducted with the business leaders of the ADI (Harish Vellat) and HSG (Anil Mehra) Divisions respectively. ADI: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ To enable the sales employee to have an intelligent conversation with the customer. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Meet both product and category wise targets à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ To get a good knowledge about both Honeywell and competitor products à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Understand the customer and preempt his expectations. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Clearly state objectives and desired outcomes of the onboarding program to the employees HSG: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Low awareness about the industry and hence lack of relevant talent. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lack of a formalized onboarding/ training schedule à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Challenge to administer employees based in remote locations à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ No formalized feedback process to gauge the effectiveness of the onboarding program à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ To bring the employees on board at the earliest Interviews with New Sales Employees: Findings ADI à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Most respondents have relevant work experience. A lot of them have worked in the profile of a System Integrator. Previous employers: Godrej, Vodaphone, Voltas, Sony Ericsson. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The aggressive fast paced nature of work is a challenge. The product portfolios that the employees were handling at Honeywell are much larger as compared to their previous roles where it was much smaller. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Employees sense a lack of in-depth knowledge about the products. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lack of clarity of role/ processes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Control measures implemented in case of lack of clarity: Technical team, branch manager, colleagues. Most employees said that they prefer contacting their immediate colleagues first due to easy reach. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Other employees supported the idea of having a buddy/mentorship system in place since it would serve as a platform for potential employees to take on higher roles HSG à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Induction winded up too fast. Too much information in very little time à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lack of clear understanding of the business models. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ People based in remote locations face a problem in reaching out to their RMs directly à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Changing the mindset of people to open up to a niche product/market à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Lack of clarity on processes especially order and collection processes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Products are priced at par/high priced compared to competitors and the challenges are in justifying the product to them. Ideal versus Current State of New employee productivity at Honeywell Current State: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Time to Productivity Currently it takes about 6 months to a year for an employee to reach productivity à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Selling Skills Employees selling skills is currently based on their previous work experience. They lack selling skills specific to Honeywell and the distribution model. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Industry/ company knowledge Employees come from similar industries and have a fair understanding of the industry. However they lack the understanding of the impact of their contribution to Honeywell objectives. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Product Knowledge Employees do not feel confident about their understanding of the products as they think the product trainings wind up too fast and the product portfolio is large. A few respondents also felt that Honeywell products are priced at par or higher than a few competitors and they find it challenging to justify the product to the customers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Learning internal processes (order, booking, preparing bill of quantities etc.) Employees do not feel comfortable with the processes and utilize previous work experience to comply with processes à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Build relationships with various functions (commercial, marketing, technical, supply chain etc.) Lack of interaction with marketing team, inadequate technical support à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Engagement in day to day selling activities (prospecting/ meeting customer) Employees selling skills is currently based on their previous work experience. Lack of clarity on everyday process which increases follow ups with managers/colleagues. Ideal State: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Time to Productivity Desired state would be to reduce the time to productivity to 3-4 months à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Selling skills Employees should be able to make an intelligent conversation with the customer. They should possess employee good prospecting skills and should continuously communicate with the customers by asking questions, listening to them and collecting the information and thereby draw an action plan to approach the same. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Industry/ company knowledge Productive employees should possess a thorough knowledge of the various products offered not only by Honeywell but also the competitors. These employees should be able to connect individual objectives to Honeywell objectives. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Product knowledge The employees should have a deep understanding of the products. They should be able to bring out the strengths of each product to the customer to justify the price and add value. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Learning internal processes (order, booking, preparing bill of quantities etc.) A productive employee should adhere to all internal processes from the start to the closure of an account; customer evaluation, payment, order taking, billing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Build relationships with various functions (commercial, marketing, technical, supply chain etc.) A productive employee needs to work in coherence with other functional teams to get better market information and tune the companys environment to market conditions (competitor moves, changing market trends, forecasting demand) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Engagement in day to day selling activities (prospecting/ meeting customer) A productive employee consistently follows up with the customer, is extremely responsive to customer demands and prepares a plan of action from themselves. Summary of Ideal versus Current State Figure Summary of Ideal versus Current State The current state of Actual versus Target Sales achievement and Bonus Payouts is summarized below. Actual versus Target Sales and Gross Margin Achievement Market Share Total Market Size ($) 349,000,000    Market Share ADI% 5%    ADI Annual Revenue ($) 17,450,000 Total market size ($) times market share of ADI (%) ADI Gross Margin ($) 13% Actual Gross Margin for ADI Employee Targets # Total Sales Employees in ADI 82    # New employees (not rated) 32    Revenue Target per employee per day (Rs.) 80,000    Revenue Target per employee per day ($) 1818 (1 USD = Rs. 44) # working days 231 52 weeks times 5 working days per week minus 21 paid days off + 8 national holidays Annual Revenue Target per employee ($) 420,000 Sales target per employee per day times # of working days Annual Revenue Target for ADI (all employees) 34,440,000 Annual Sales target per employee times # total sales employees in ADI    Revenue Gross Margin Description Targets Weights in Sales Incentive Program 75% 25%    Target per employee per day ($) 1818 N/A Gross margin for ADI is 20% Annual target per employee ($) 420,000 N/A Annual target per employee times # of working days Annual target for the ADI division 34,440,000 20% Annual target per employee times # total sales employees in ADI Actual versus Target Mismatch Actual as a % of Target 51% 65.00%    Weighted (Actual as % of Target) 38% 16% 75%:25% weight to Revenue: Gross Margin in SIP Figure Target Sales Achievement Figure 29 shows the actual versus target achievement by the sales employees at the ADI division. The total market size as mentioned before for the Electronic Security Market is USD 349 million. ADI accounts for about 5% of the total market share and its gross margin for FY2010 was recorded at 13%. There were 82 sales employees as of June 2010 of which 32 were new (less than 6 months old) and were not rated for performance. The Key Results Area (KRA) set for each sales employee includes Billing of Rs.80,000 (USD 1818) per day and meet weekly targets. For details of the all the KRAs please refer to . Assuming an employee has 5 working days in a week and there are 52 weeks in a year of which there are 21 paid leaves and 8 national holidays, the total number of working days is 231. The annual revenue per target is thus USD 420,000. For a typical sales employee at ADI the sales incentive program is split between individual revenue target achievement and ADIs gross margin target achievemen t. The gross margin target for ADI was set at 20%. The Individual revenue and gross margin SIP components are split in the ratio of 75:25. Knowing the divisions annual revenue achievement in FY2010 was USD 17.45 million and the target revenue is USD 34.44 million, we can infer that the actual revenue as a percentage of target revenue was only 51%. Additionally the actual versus target gross margin achievement is calculated as 65% (13%/20%). Assigning the respective weights based on the SIP, the actual as a percentage of target achievement is 38% and 16% for the revenue and gross margin components respectively. These figures clearly suggest that the division is way behind achievements of its targets. A closer look at Figure 30 also supports the possible reasons for this mismatch. Bonus Payouts Bonus Payout (Actual versus Target) Payout % of target payout Planned       Performance at 75% of target 50%    Performance at 100% of target 100%    Performance at 130% of target 200%    Actual bonus payout       What % of target was bonus paid out Actual 100%    # Sales employees who exceeded target performance (bonus payout >100%) 25 Honeywell Performance Development (HPD) 9 block rating (1,2,4) # New employees who were not rated 32    Potential population at risk 25 # total sales employees in ADI (# of new employees not rated + # sales employees who were paid bonus) Potential attrition rate 30%    Current attrition rate 31% YTD Figure Bonus Payouts Figure 30 illustrates the actual bonuses that were paid out in FY2010 to the ADI sales employees. The sales incentive policy distinguishes the payout at different levels of performance as follows: Figure : Sales Incentive Policy Performance Levels Performance Target Achievement % Payout (% of target payout) Threshold 75% 50% Target 100% 100% Maximum 130% 200% Based on the limited data available, the number of employees who exceeded their performance and got a bonus payout of greater than 100% was estimated based on the performance ratings. Honeywell follows a 9-block performance rating matrix called the Honeywell Performance Development (HPD). The matrix is based on two parameters: results and behaviors with three rating scales namely: Exceeds Honeywell Standards, At Honeywell Standards and Below Honeywell Standards. Additionally, the base salary to incentive is pay mix is in the ratio 65:35. Refer to for the matrix. Based on the matrix, ratings 1, 2 and 4 signify exceeds standards ratings in one of the two parameters at least or both. There were 25 employees who received an HPD rating 1, 2 or 4, while the number of employees who were not rated since they were new is 32 in number. This means that the remaining 25 employees form part of the potential employees who are the risk of leaving the organization. This accounts for an attrition ra te of around 30%. As per the data provided by the Human Resources team as well, the attrition rate was indicated as 31% YTD.

Diversity Essay -- essays research papers

Diversity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  America’s workforce is continuously changing. Businesses today hire and retain culturally diverse employees to compete in the globalize market. Companies are developing ways to tap into and capitalize upon the talents of their workforces. They are discovering how to value the diversity of their workforces and the potential that diversity brings in flexibility, ingenuity and problem solving are helping them achieve their goals. Diversity can be differences in age, gender, ethnicity, and religion. Having such a diverse workforce can be very challenging. (1) Today’s workforce is very diverse in respect to age. Before, corporate America consisted of workers ranging from twenty one up to late thirties to early forties. Now, we see people in their mid to late fifties going back to work. This trend has both advantages and disadvantages. One advantage of an older employee over a younger employee is his ability to use his years of experience in situations where a younger employee lacks experience. Another advantage for an older employee is his built relationship with existing customers. The disadvantage of an older employee over a younger employee is his inability to quickly adapt to his changing environment. Younger employees are more â€Å"hungry† compared to their older counter parts. Their hunger is fired by their goal to quickly move up the corporate ladder. (2) Gender also poses a challenge in the work force. Today, more and more women are entering the workforce. As such, the working environment has greatly changed. Companies make sure that sexual harassment does not happen. Men are expected to carefully say things without offending the opposite sex. The same rule also applies to women. Sexual harassment includes requests for sexual favors, sexual advances or other sexual conduct when (a) submission is either explicitly or implicitly a condition affecting academic or employment decisions; or (b) the behavior is sufficiently severe or pervasive as to create an intimidating, hostile or repugnant environment; or (c) the behavior persists despite objection by the person to whom the conduct is directed. Companies considers such behavior, whether physical or verbal, to be a breach of its standards of conduct. It will seek to prevent such incidents and will investigate and take corrective actions for violations of this policy. There are two types of... ...Filipina, he had spent some time in the Philippines a few years back.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (4) Religion plays an important part on an individual’s behavior. Being part of the same religious group can mean belongingness. For example, in a work place environment, if the four out of the six team members were Jewish, they would be closer to each other since they were all of the same faith. This closeness will result in openness among the four members which would improve productivity. However, such action could also have a negative effect. The other two members would feel excluded. They would also not be likely included in the other four members’ decisions which would mean that communication would not flow across the whole group, but only with in sub-groups. It would also lead to misunderstanding and poor performance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In summary, most workplaces are becoming increasingly diverse as people from different genders, races, cultures, ethnic origins, and lifestyles find themselves working together. The key to making diversity work is management. Knowing what they are and understanding what effects (positive or negative) they have on the organization is very important to the success of the company.

Developing Effective Communication in Health & Social Care

P3 – Explain factors that may influence communication and interpersonal interactions in Health & Social Care environments. Factors that may influence communication and interpersonal interactions in a Health & Social Care environment are things such as; Setting- this is the place that you are in. To be able to communicate with someone correctly, you will need to make sure that it has all of the right things. Noise level is important because if it is too noisy then you will not be able to hear the person speak and both of you will need to shout when your speaking instead of just talking normally.Lighting is also important in where you are, this is because if it too dark then the opposite person will not be able to see you and you will not be able to see them and good eye contact is needed (if possible) in order to communicate properly and if it is dark then this will be hard. Having enough space in a room is also important as you will not want it to be small as personal space is essential and being very close to someone you hardly know could be quite awkward and tense.You shouldn’t be too close to each other, however you shouldn’t be too far from each other either as it’ll be hard to hear and speak properly. Time- time means that you should not be in the room with the service user for too long; also you should not be in there for a small period of time either. You should spend a decent amount in the room with the service user, making sure that you have covered everything and haven’t missed out anything and also making sure that the service user has told you everything you need to know; in order to help them to resolve their problem(s).Also if you keep mentioning about the time that you have left to speak to the service user then they might get annoyed and feel that you are more worried about the time than about their problems. Also rushing the service user would mean that they’ll have to speak quicker and they will not be able to explain themselves properly. There are also barriers; these are things that occur while communicating with someone. The type of communication that you have with someone will be very different for example; a difficult communication may be something that is hard to solve/ something that will take long to solve.A complex communication is when there is man parts to the story and it may be very confusing and hard to understand. The last example I will use is a sensitive communicationmay occur when someone close to that person has passed away or when someone is ill etc. P4 – Explain strategies used in Health and Social Care environments to overcome barriers to effective communication and interpersonal interactions. Language needs/preferences could be a barrier for example; if someone is trying to talk to you but you can’t understand them as they are speaking to you in a different language.This would be a barrier because if you cannot communicate with this person eff ectively then they will not be able to explain their issue/problem or just to talk to you and you will not be able to communicate back and respond to them. Strategy – You could try and overcome this problem by getting another worker to come in and translate what they’re saying in your preferred language/method; in some cases the service user may bring a family member/friend who may be able to translate for you as well.Sensory impairment is when you may not be able to view, smell, sense or say things. Therefore, coming across someone like this may affect your communication with each other. Strategy – So you should ask the person that they have come along with (if possible) to help you or you should look at their personal details and notes in order to see what their preferred language/method of communication is. Disability is also another barrier to communication, this may affect the way you talk to them as they may have difficulty moving their arms, speaking or d oing anything.Strategy – Someone with a disability will also mean that you will have to pay full attention to what they are doing and you should insure that you follow the rules and regulations so that nothing bad happens. For example; someone with dementia will need full support as they forget things and may wonder off on their own or with a stranger without realising. Personality may affect the way you communicate with each other as the person may be very aggressive and loud so you will not be able to talk to them without them shouting or suddenly becoming annoyed.Strategy – When dealing with people, you should always check their notes beforehand; this is because you will then know what type of person you are dealing with and also you will then know how to deal with this person, how to approach him/her and how to speak to them. Self-esteem Is how confident someone is in themselves, this is an important thing when communicating with someone in Health and Social Care a s the level of self-esteem can affect how quickly they recover.Strategy – Raising their level of self-esteem by making them feel at ease will make it easier for  them to recover. Anxiety is when you feel nervous or anxious about something, this is a barrier because if the service user gets nervous then they won’t speak and this will be a problem because there will be silence and the problems that the service user has will not be resolved as they will not be speaking; making it hard for the person trying to help them. Strategy – The way that you could overcome this could be to try and make the person feel at ease so that they are not nervous.You could do this by saying ‘I am here to help' or ‘I know this is hard but I will try and help you get through it'. This may make the service user feel comfortable and make them feel that they are able to talk to you; as you are there to help them. Depression is something that people get when they are under str ess. This can be a barrier to communication as the person with Depression may not want to speak or they might be too upset to explain how they feel; even though they are in need of help.This can make their situation worse because they are not letting anyone help them; however this is not their fault. Strategy – Trying to help someone with depression can be very hard; depending how bad they are. Doing activities with someone who is suffering with depression may be one strategy as they will have their mind on something else, rather than their problems. Aggression can affect the communication between two people or a group etc. This is because the person trying to help the service user will/may likely find it hard to deal with and speak to someone who is very aggressive.The aggressive person could be very angry at what is going on in their life so they will take it out on the person who is trying to help them; they may not necessarily mean what they say or do but shouting and sho wing aggressive behaviour could be the way that they deal with everything. Strategy – A way to try and deal with an aggressive person is to not fight back. If you argue back with them thenthey will argue back and it will not make anything better and the reason they are there is to get help.The reason they could be aggressive is because of something that has happened so asking them questions could get it all out of them so that you are aware of their situation. Submissiveness is someone who will just agree and go along with whatever someone is saying to them. This is a barrier because they will not actually say what they feel and they will not disagree with anything that is being said so they may be agreeing to something that they might not even want.Strategy- A way to get past an aggressive person  is to not take anything they say personally as they are just saying horrible things because of the bad situation that they are in. You should also TALK back to them instead of ar guing. Assumptions are bad in Health and Social Care; this is because if you just assume what the person is saying then you aren’t exactly listening to them because you are already thinking of a way to respond to them; without knowing if it is what they are actually saying. This is bad because the service user will obviously not get the help and support that they need.Strategy – You can get past this by actually listening to the person you are talking to properly so that you don't just assume what they're going to say. By listening, you will hear what the person is saying and you will also be able to come up with a way to solve their problem/issue etc. Value & belief systems can affect the level of communication that you have with someone. The values and beliefs that someone has can have a huge effect on the relationship you have with the service user.For example; if a Christian councillor came across a gay service user who needed help with him and his husbands marriag e, and the councillor didn’t want to speak or associate themselves with this person as it doesn’t say anything about gay marriage in the bible then this would cause big problems as the service user will not get any help and the person in need of help may feel very angry and he might even feel quite upset as the councillor is discriminating against him & gay, lesbian and bisexual people and also being homophobic.Strategy – The easiest way to get over something like this is to get a new job because if you don't agree with gay marriage then this will defiantly affect you as you will may come across 2 gay people that want to get married and discriminating against them because you don't agree with gay marriage will cause problems. Jargon is a type of slang, if the service user speaks like this when seizing help then they may not be able to get the help that they require as the person trying to help then will not understand them; meaning that they will not know what t he problem is.However, overcoming this issue could be to ask someone to translate if possible or to use a method of communication that you both understand. Strategy – Ways to get past this issue would be things such as; translators, other workers to help you out, their family/friend could help you etc. Cultural variations are differences between you and someone else, for example if someone comes to you who are from Poland and you are from the UK then there will be many differences between the two of you.These differences should not affect you in a huge way as you should be able to use many methods of communication; preferably the one that they prefer. One difference between the both of you may be the language or preferred method of communication, this will cause problems when communicating as you may not be able to understand them and they may not understand you. Strategy – A few ways to overcome this may be things like translators, sign language, written, body languag e, oral etc.Use & abuse of power is a barrier is because when you are trying to solve or help a situation that someone is going through then you will both need to give ideas, not just one of you. If only one of you is talking then the other person may have ideas that they cannot share and this would be a barrier as both people need to speak in order to share ideas and solve problems that you both agree with. Strategy – You should make sure that you are both speaking; not just one of you.Making sure that you are both talking is important, to do this you will need to make sure that you are asking questions and not just constantly talking to them because they might switch off and look like they're listening when in fact they are just bored. Effects of alcohol/drugs can mean that someone is not in their right state of mind; this means that they will not necessarily be making sense and they might also not know what they are saying. The problem with this is that the service user wi ll not be getting any help because they will not be in the right state to be serious and to be willing to sort out their problems.Strategy – Someone who comes in to speak to you about their issues could have a drink problem or a drug addiction. Ways to deal with this is to send them to Rehab so that they can try and get back on track; instead of getting worse. Whether it is an alcoholic or adrug addict, you should always take their needs into action as they could be desperate to turn their lives around before its to late. Regular check ups and phone calls will be a good idea as you can then see how the person is getting on and if they are getting the help that they require. Developing effective communication in Health & Social Care Unit 1: Developing effective communication in Health & social care Task 1 intro:Communication is at the heart of any relationship, be it familial, business, romantic, or friendly. While there have been significant advances in how we understand body language and other forms of communication, verbal communication continues to be the most important aspect of our interaction with other people. It’s important to understand both the benefits and shortcomings of this most basic communication. One-to-one communication plays a very important part in almost everyone's life. This type of communication occurs most often in face-to-face conversations and in telephone speech skills.Conversation consists of talk about various matters of common interest to both of the people involved. Conversations, unlike many other types of communication are usually not planned or rehearsed beforehand. Group communication refers to the communication between a group of people and another group of people or within the group itself. A group is normally considered as a collect ion of people that number 3 or more. This type of communication is very helpful when you need to get across the same message to more than 1 person.For example if you are a manager who is announcing a change in hours for employees shifts, then you would gather everyone together. That way it is quicker and saves you time. Also it is helpful when you want to discuss something with your team mates or business. Group debates and discussions are very popular. Formal communication is the type of communication used for important topics, usually in the arenas of business, government, diplomatic matters, scientific matters, lectures by teachers, certain types of speeches at colleges, or in seminars.It is speech which is meant to impress and to give weight and authority to the person speaking and to the subject being spoken about. It is polite speech, and uses polite language, whether in verbal or written form. Examples would be the president's inaugural speech, letters between ambassadors or consuls, an address by a college president to the school, the presentation of a scientific paper or theory at a symposium or seminar. Even in written form, a letter of resignation from a post one hold.Formal communication assumes, usually, a vertical relationship between people in that situation. Someone is the person above, in authority, and someone is the person below, dependent to some extent on that person, in that situation. Informal communication is more on a peer level. It is everyday speech, the kind of speech where you don't have to worry too much about how you couch something, because you and the other person know each other well enough not to take things wrongly. It may be concerned with important matters, but it is not on an authoritative level.It may be two people who enjoy argumentation going at it about some specific topic, or friends planning an outing, or working together on a project and talking through what and how to do it. Forms of communication ‘Verbal' m eans ‘spoken'. So, verbal communication is the messages you send with words. It's what you actually say. Non-verbal communication is the messages you send with your body. Some people call it your body language. For example: Facial expressions – smiling, frowning, raising eyebrows, eye contact Gestures – waving your hand, pointing your finger, crossing your arms Posture – the way you stand or sit.Touch – being caring you would put you hand on ones shoulder to show you care. Silence – could be a sign of anger, upset, nervousness etc. Reflective listening – nodding your head to show you understand, eye contact. Non-verbal communication also includes the tone and pitch of your voice. So, verbal communication is the words. But non-verbal communication is how you say the words. Technological communication – Text messaging, E-mail, Msn, etc. Technological aids – People who are deaf blind use many different methods of communicati on.The method chosen will depend upon the amount of sight and hearing the individual has the cause of deaf blindness and how long the person has had a sensory impairment. – Braille is for someone unable to see text well enough to read it, braille can be used to label objects and give access to books. Objects designed especially for blind and deaf blind people may already be labeled in braille. – British sign language is a visual means of communicating using gestures, facial expression, and body language.Sign Language is used mainly by people who are Deaf or have hearing impairments. Within Britain the most common form of Sign Language is called British Sign Language. British Sign Language has its own grammatical structure and syntax, as a language it is not dependent nor is it strongly related to spoken English. British Sign Language is the preferred language of between 50,000 – 70,000 people within the UK. – Communication symbols could be anything from à ¢â‚¬Å"ladies toilets sign† to â€Å"road signs†. Here are some images of communication symbols.

Class conflict in A Streetcar Named Desire Essay

Class conflict is represented throughout the play, A Streetcar Named Desire in various ways through characters, symbols, ideas and language. Characters such as Blanche, Stella, Mitch and Stanley are used throughout the text to represent the upper and lower classes, as well as the conflict between the two classes. Symbols, ideas and language help to define the different classes as well as helping to represent the conflict between classes. The language (dialogue) of the characters, symbolic use of names, animal imagery and colour (clothes) and the ideas of cultural capital help to define what the lower and upper classes are. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams was written in 1947. The story takes place in New Orleans, and can be read as being during any year between May and September. The story revolves around Blanche Dubois and her conflict with Stanley Kowalski. Blanche’s character represents the old aristocratic south and the upper class of the play through her manner and cultural capital (her education and sophisticated dialogue). She’s cultivated and bound by heritage (Belle Reve) and tradition. The upper class is associated with intellectual strength. Stanley represents the new industrial south and the lower class of the play through his job at the steel mill, use of slang and his ignorance. His society is based on force and ingenuity. The lower class is associated with physical strength. From the beginning, the conflict between the two classes is prominent. The working class is predatory and survives and triumphs with two elements, which the upper class lacks, vitality and strength. The conflict of class is evident and we see how Blanche and the old south are fragile, and it’s only a matter of time before Stanley, the new south crushes it’s opposition. Class conflict is effectively represented through clothes and the symbolic use of colour and animal imagery. The conflict becomes evident during the first scene when we first meet Blanche and Stanley. Blanche is dressed in her white proper clothing (â€Å"†¦She is daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and ear-rings of pearl, white gloves and hat†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Scene One), whilst Stanley is dressed in dirty denim work clothes (â€Å"†¦roughly dressed in blue denim work clothes†¦ carries his bowling jacket†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Scene One). Blanche is often dressed in white, pale, timid  colours, whereas Stanley is dressed in bright bold colours. Stanley’s bright colours overpowers Blanche’s pale colours. Blanche is symbolised as the aristocratic moth and Stanley the common cave man. The symbol of colour helps the reader construct the inevitable doom of the fragile upper class (Blanche) by the strong lower class (Stanley). These symbols of colour and animal imagery related to each character, helps reinforce the conflict between the Old South (upper class) and the New South (lower class). The language (dialogue) of each character and symbolic use of names help in constructing ideas of class conflict in this play. Blanche speaks in a quiet, refined voice and uses sophisticated language (â€Å"†¦- Only Poe! Only Mr Edgar Allan Poe! – could do it justice!† Scene One, Blanche). This constructs Blanche to be fragile and vulnerable, with the cultural capital of sophistication. Blanche uses her speech on a high level, searching for values and reflecting education in her manner. Stanley yells and hollers and uses unsophisticated language. (â€Å"[Bellowing]: Hey, there! Stella, Baby!† Scene One, Stanley) Stanley’s speech is often dotted with exclamations and short, to the point sentences. Stanley uses his speech to express his wants, likes and dislikes. This further constructs Stanley as loud and strong. Blanche is shown to be singing throughout the text, which in turn aggravates Stanley. This further shows the conflict between the two charact ers through language (dialogue). The use of names in this play helps in constructing the separate classes. The names Blanche Dubois and Stanley Kowalski help construct different representations of class. The name Blanche means white and creates the irony of Blanche not being as white and pure as her name represents. In contrast the name Stanley offers no specific meaning in relation to meaning in the play. Secondly the name Dubois sounds aristocratic, with a possible proud heritage, whereas the name Kowalski sounds more modern. A Dubois speaks softly and flittingly, as the name is pronounced, whereas a Kowalski speaks loudly and brutally as the name is said. Kowalski’s enjoy loud, rowdy poker parties, whilst Dubois’s wince and prefer teas, cocktail parties and luncheons. The names of these two characters help in constructing the conflict between the two classes. The dialogue of Blanche and Stanley and the symbolic use of names help to construct class conflict in the play, A Streetcar Named Desire. Stella represents the old south being converted by the new south. Blanche fights for Stella to come back and be part of the old south again, accusing Stella of being blinded by desire for Stanley (â€Å"What you are talking about is brutal desire – just – Desire!† Scene Four, Blanche). Elysian fields is described as having an atmosphere of decay. This scenery is contrasted to the image of white pillars at Belle Reve. This contrast is to highlight the difference in the world Stella has chosen (lower class lifestyle), and the world she was brought up in (upper class lifestyle). Colour is used by Stanley to keep Stella part of the new south. (â€Å"†¦You showed me the snapshot of the place with the columns. I pulled you down of them columns and how you loved it, having them coloured lights going!† Scene Eight, Stanley). The class conflict between Blanche and Stanley is evident, through them trying to convert Stella. The idea of cultural capital is important when discussing class in the text. Blanche, Stella and Mitch possess an aspect of cultural capital. Blanche and Stella have cultural capital through their education, manner and heritage. Mitch is seen to be in between the old and new south. He holds his own cultural capital, enjoying the finer things of life, like poetry and music. We see how Mitch feels at ease when he is with Blanche, because of his love for the arts. Blanche, Stella and Mitch are also quite polite and have that air of gentility. Alternately Stanley is the only ‘main’ character to be without cultural capital. He has no manners and is rough and tough (â€Å"Mr Kowalski is too busy making a pig of himself†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Scene eight, Stella). He doesn’t value tradition or gentility. He values alcohol, violence and desire. Through cultural capital we see the conflict between the classes and their values. The use of language in the play works effectively to define between the two classes. The lower class is associated with slang, whilst the upper class is associated with sophisticated language. The symbolic use of names, animal imagery and colour are important in also contrasting between the two classes. Finally the idea of cultural capital works in highlighting the class conflicts between the upper class or old south and the lower class or  new south. In A Streetcar Named Desire the conflict of class is evident and we see how Blanche, the aristocratic south is fragile, and it’s only a matter of time before Stanley, the industrial south destroys every shred of Blanche, the old south.