An investigation of the role of SIS in The (Especially, In A Rural Part Of Our Planet)expand Health Servicing

Introduction Strategic information systems are concerned with aligning information systems with a firm’s business strategy to achieve competitive advantage (Arvidsson, Holmstrom & Lyytinen, 2014). Strategic alignment between information systems and the business involves a timely and appropriate fit between the business strategy, processes, and infrastructure and the IT infrastructure, strategy, and processes to achieve harmony in the management of information systems and the business (Gerow, Thatcher & Grover, 2014). Through such alignment, the performance of a business is positively affected (Yayla & Hu, 2012). The overarching argument for this is that firms perform well when IT resources including knowledge assets, managerial and technical IT skills and physical IT infrastructure elements are aligned with the business strategy, and when suitable structures are employed in effectively managing the IT resources and supervising their deployment (Coltman et al., 2015). This alignment is ever important in the current environment where new information technologies continue to fundamentally alter conventional business strategies by allowing firms to function across the boundaries of function, time, and distance by leveraging these technologies (Bharadwaj et al., 2013). This report discusses the role of strategic information systems in expanding the health service in rural areas. Specifically, it focuses on the implementation of a telemedicine program for managing diabetes for patients in rural areas by a hospital in an urban centre. The investigation focuses on the planning and the implementation of this technological solution by considering the perspectives of different stakeholders. The report starts by discussing literature on telemedicine in diabetes management. Telemedicine and Diabetes Management The management of diabetes and its associated complications is quite costly. Targeted glycaemic control is necessary for minimising the complications of this chronic condition. Conversely, less than 70% of individuals with diabetes are attaining targeted glycaemic control, showing that effective management of the disease continues to be a challenge (Fatehi et al., 2014a). Patients in rural areas are unable to attain targeted glycaemic control partly because of poor access to specialised healthcare providers. Because of the increasing need for quality healthcare and the declining availability of clinicians, information and communications technologies have demonstrated the potential for improving access to healthcare services and reducing the costs of delivering healthcare (Fatehi et al., 2014a). Telemedicine involves providing health and medical services remotely using ICT. Telemedicine facilitates the expansion of healthcare by bridging the physical gap between consumers and healthcare providers thus reducing costs. Synchronous telemedicine entails consumers and healthcare providers interacting in real time by relying on communication technologies. For instance, video conferencing, where there is exchange of image and voice in real time, is increasingly becoming popular in telemedicine in the delivery of various healthcare and clinical services at a distance (Fatehi et al., 2014b). Verhoeven et al. (2010) systematically reviewed asynchronous and synchronous teleconsultations in diabetes and reported that these offer a reliable, cost-effective, and feasible solution for the delivery of diabetes care. Video conferencing is used in collaborative goal setting, nutrition counselling, self-management training, and diabetes education for patients (Siriwardena et al., 2012). According to Faruque et al. (2016), telemedicine is helpful in the provision of care t o individuals with diabetes especially those in rural areas who are unable to travel to healthcare facilities due to large distances. Therefore, telemedicine, especially teleconference, is a technological solution for managing diabetes for individuals in rural areas who are underserved by specialists. The next section explains the methodology used to obtain stakeholders’ views on the adoption and use of teleconferencing for diabetes management. Methodology This report collected data using interviews to understand the implementation of telemedicine for expanding access to healthcare services for people with diabetes in rural areas. The report included the views of various perspectives including patients, healthcare providers at the hospital, and in the rural areas to understand the adoption and implementation of this information system. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with these stakeholders in locations and time that were convenient for the stakeholders. The interview was based on the interview schedule found in Appendix 1. These interviews were digitally recorded followed by verbatim transcription. After transcription, the interviews were analysed using coding (Vaismoradi et al., 2016). The coding led to the identification of various thematic categories including the strategic intent of adoption of telemedicine, benefits of telemedicine, and challenges during implementation as explained in the section below. Findings and discussion Strategic intent of implementation of telemedicine The telemedicine intervention was adopted by the hospital after it was discovered that some of the patients from the rural areas were not coming for the follow- up appointments to get information on ongoing management of their diabetes. An endocrinologist at the hospital stated that: I noticed that some of my patients were not coming for their appointments†¦ I looked at their records and realised that they were unable to do so because they came from rural areas. Therefore, we had to find a way of ensuring they got the much-needed information and support to manage diabetes at home The hospital identified the need for providing cost-effective care for their diabetes patients in rural areas who were unable to access specialised care in their communities. The hospital considered the adoption of telemedicine as a way of providing quality care while minimising unnecessary patient admissions due to diabetes complications. Thus, this was a critical component of the hospital’s strategic intent. According to Coltman et al. (2015), having a strategic intent involves the allocation of resources and engaging in activities to assist in achieving their objectives. In line with this, the stakeholders at the hospital had to consider how the telemedicine program will improve access to healthcare for patients with diabetes in a cost-effective manner. The CEO of the hospital said that: We recognised that the telemedicine would provide us with an opportunity for providing the required care to our patients†¦ However, we had to consider the overhead costs to set-up the telemedicine infrastructure both on our side and the rural side. Additional funding was required for this initiative. The implication of this is that the hospital had to set aside funds for the telemedicine infrastructure and this entailed working with managers from the finance and IT departments. The manager from the IT department determined the costs of using telemedicine intervention in terms of initial costs and ongoing upgrades to achieve a sustainable system. The IT manager identified a cost-effective technological solution provider for the information systems that was required for the provision of diabetes care and support to patients from rural areas. The manager from the finance department and the CEO worked together in determining how to get the funding for this initiative. The initiative was funded using funds from the hospital’s contingency budget. Furthermore, the CEO of the hospital had to talk with administrators and nurses, and pharmacists in the rural areas to participate in the project as they critical to its success. This is captured in this statement â€Å"we realised th at we needed professionals on the ground to provide some aspects of the care. We approached healthcare providers to get their buy-in into this initiative’’ (hospital’s CEO). Therefore, the strategic intent of the hospital in the implementation and use of video-conferencing in reaching individuals with diabetes in rural areas and providing them with the necessary care reflects a strategic alignment between IT and business, particularly, strategy execution. Specifically, the hospital adopted a strategy execution alignment where the business strategy influenced the IT infrastructure, but this was constrained by the business infrastructure (Gerow et al., 2014). In other words, the hospital’s business strategy was to provide quality care in a cost-effective way to individuals with diabetes in rural areas. In turn, this strategy influenced the IT infrastructure in terms of the kind of technological solution required to meet the business strategy. Therefore, the hospital ended up selecting videoconferencing as the appropriate IT infrastructure. However, this was constrained by the hospital’s business infrastructure in terms of skills and processe s in the provision of diabetes care and support to individuals in rural areas. The telemedicine initiative involved using interactive video-conferencing between a multidisciplinary diabetes care team from the hospital and the patients in the rural homes. The multidisciplinary team consisted of diabetes specialists including diabetes education experts, nurses, endocrinologist, and ophthalmologist who provided personalised care to diabetes patients based on their clinical status. The patients were provided with tablets that allowed them to engage in video conferences with the multidisciplinary team on a daily basis. The patients shared with the specialists about their psychological, emotional, and physical health during the interactive video conferences. Furthermore, the patients’ health data including glucose levels, blood pressure, and weight were automatically captured by the tablets and transmitted on a daily basis to the clinicians. The outcomes of the consultation between the specialists and the patient were then communicated to the physician in the rural area to facilitate care coordination. According to a local physician, â€Å"the implementation of this initiative required a change in how care was delivered to individuals with diabetes†¦the hospital’s care team got in touch with me and communicated their daily consultations with patients to ensure that I was prepared to provide the necessary care at the local level†. This approach to the implementation of video-conferencing reflects strategic information systems planning to achieve alignment between the business and IT. In particular, this planning was characterised by the identification of the required IT applications together with the necessary change management, resources, and infrastructure for implementing the technological solution (Maharaj & Brown, 2015).Benefits of telemedicineThe diabetes specialists were positive on the potentiality of video-conferencing in enhancing and expanding access to diabetes services to individuals in rural areas to prom ote self-management of the disease. A diabetes education expert said that: This technology increased my ability to provide education on exercise and diet modifications to my patients by talking to them via the video-conference, and this has empowered our patients to manage their diabetes in their homes. Patients were enthusiastic that the telemedicine would support the clinical needs even though they had no or limited experiencing in using video-conferencing. Some of the patients stated that: I didn’t have experience when it comes to telemedicine. But, I knew that it would be benefit me by providingwith ongoing support and information for diabetes management at home (patient 1) I had never used video conference before, but it provided me a way to talk with the physician and get timely advice and guidance on managing my diabetes (patient 2) In recognition of the limited experience that patients had in video-conferencing, the hospital’s IT department together with the external technological solution provider offered the required training. According to the IT manager at the technological solution provider: We collaborated with the hospital’s IT department in sending out individuals to provide training to the patients. The patients were taught on how to use the video conference system and provided with the necessary equipment. The stakeholders highlighted the benefits of video-conferencing for diabetes management for the patients in the rural areas. The statements below capture some of the stakeholders’ perspectives. During the video-conferences, we used the daily clinical status reports of the patient, and we were able to discuss appropriate interventions to implement with the patient. This benefitted the patients because they got personalised interventions, information, and support (Hospital endocrinologist). I got e-prescriptions from the healthcare team, and when the patients picked their medications, I talked to them about complying with their medications. By collaboratively working with the healthcare team, the quality of care of patients improved in terms of medication compliance (Rural Pharmacist) The use of video conference has contributed to preventing unavoidable admissions for diabetes for these patients. The daily support and education they got from us has improved care coordination and connections between the patients and us to minimise the use of emergency departments (Hospital ophthalmologist) A few months after the implementation of this project, we had seen a reduction in the admission of patients with diabetes in our area (Rural physician) I had problems before in controlling my diabetes because I did not have access to the kind of doctors who provide the necessary care†¦ but this changed with the daily video conferences (Patient 3) I am satisfied with information and guidance I get from the consultations with the doctors each day in managing my diabetes. I no longer need to travel to the hospital to get the care I need (Patient 4) The stakeholders’ perspectives highlight the impact of teleconferencing on the delivery of healthcare services to diabetes patients in rural areas. These perspectives have received support in literature. For instance, patient satisfaction is highlighted in the study by Fatehi et al. (2015) in an assessment of patient satisfaction levels with remote consultations for diabetes via video conference in a virtual outreach clinic using a cross-sectional survey. The results revealed that the patients were generally satisfied with remote consultation as they had no problem with building rapport with the clinical specialists over video conferences (Fatehi et al., 2015). Furthermore, the positive impact of telemedicine on the management of diabetes has been shown in the literature. Specifically, Huang and colleagues (2015) carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials on the impacts of telecare intervention on glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes. I t was demonstrated that patient monitoring by telecare demonstrated significant improvement in glycaemic control in comparison with patients monitored by routine follow-up (Huang et al., 2015). Weinstock et al. (2011) also found that improvement in glycaemic control related to telemedicine was sustained over a period of five years among medically underserved patients with diabetes. In their randomized controlled trial, Steventon et al. (2014) discovered that telemedicine led to modest improvements in glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes over 12 months. Self-management as a critical aspect of diabetes management in telemedicine has been investigated by Young et al.(2014) who focused on the effect of person-centred health behaviour coaching model delivered through telehealth with patients with diabetes living in underserved, rural communities was assessed. The results showed that the interventions led to significantly higher scores in self-efficacy, which supported self-management of the disease (Young et al., 2014). According to Steventon et al. (2014), the greater self-care and oversight related to telemedicine might lead to fewer unplanned hospital admissions.Challenges during implementationImplementation of the technological solution was accompanied by some challenges. One of the major challenge identified by the stakeholders was unanticipated technical issues. This is explained by the IT manager at the hospital: Sometimes the video conferences failed because of a drop in the internet connection. This meant that the encounter could not take place. When this occurred, communication occurred via cell phones to address important issues. The technical issues had a negative impact on the interactions between the patients and diabetes care team. According to the endocrinologist, Sometimes in the middle of the video-conference, the connection dropped. I could wait till past the time I had allocated for that specific consultation. Mostly, by the time the connection was up again, I would be consulting with a different patient at the hospital, and I missed my encounter with the patient in the rural area. In those cases, I worked with the rural nurses via a cell phone to communicate important information about the patient. Technical difficulties in teleconference are due to problems with accessing broadband in rural areas, which is still lagging behind urban areas. Patients’ homes might lack high-speed cable internet that has more bandwidth capabilities and a highly reliable signal, and this causes connection problems during video conferencing (Batsis, Pletcher & Stahl, 2017). Schulz et al. (2014) reported in their study that 25% of all video conferences consultations experienced a drop in internet connection. Consequently, it is suggested that unanticipated technical issues with implementing teleconferencing should be anticipated and this highlights the importance of providing strong IT support with ongoing updates in protocols for patients in rural areas (Slusser et al., 2016). Another challenge reported was issues with reimbursements. This was identified by the finance manager at the urban hospital. She said that: I had problems with suitable billing of encounters between the patients and the doctors and capturing this. Sometimes, I billed an encounter, but the insurer failed to pay or took longer to do so. I had to go through convincing them [insurers] that the consultation actually occurred by talking with the patient and pharmacists or nurses in the rural areas for confirmation. One of the patients also talked about this issue by stating that, â€Å"after talking with the doctors on the video conference they tell you to pick up the drugs at your pharmacy and when you get there, you are told there are problems with your insurer in terms of payment. I had to call my insurer to follow up and address this issue’’ (patient 5). According to Batsis et al. (2017), low reimbursement is a problem for the lasting sustainability of telemedicine systems in a fee-for-service model. This problem is due to limitations that are placed on the type of telemedicine covered by health insurers. Conclusion In conclusion, this report has focused on the strategic information systems in expanding the health service in rural areas. This has been achieved by examining the implementation of video-conferencing between individuals with diabetes and diabetes specialists in the provision of diabetes care to patients in rural areas. This report has highlighted how the hospital ensured alignment between its business strategy of providing cost-effective diabetes care to individuals with diabetes in rural areas and the use of the video-conferencing as its IT infrastructure. The hospital had to plan for its strategic information systems by identifying the appropriate IT infrastructure, processes, and changes to how care was delivered to the targeted population in rural areas. The analysis revealed how the implementation of video-conferencing addressed the interests of the different stakeholders including the hospital, diabetes specialist care team from the hospital, the patients, and healthcare pro viders at the local level. Thus, the implementation of this technological solution was beneficial to all the stakeholders. Overall, this report highlights how strategic information systems are vital in the expansion of health service in rural areas. References Arvidsson, V., Holmstrom, J., & Lyytinen, K. (2014). Information systems use as strategy practice: a multidimensional view of strategic information system implementation and use. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 23, 45-61. Batsis, J., Pletcher, S., & Stahl, J. (2017). Telemedicine and primary care obesity management in rural areas-innovative approach for older adultsBMC Geriatrics, 1-9. Bharadwaj, A., El Sawy, O., Pavlou, P., & Venkatraman, N. (2013). Digital business strategy: toward a next generation of insights. MIS Quarterly, 37(2), 471-82. Coltman, T., Talon, P., Sharma, R., & Queiroz, M. (2015) Strategic IT alignment: twenty-five years on, Journal of Information Technology, 1-10. Faruque, L., Wiebe, N., Ehteshami-Afshar, A., Liu, Y., Dianati-Maleki, N., Hemmelgarn, B., Manns, B., & Tonelli, M. (2016). Effect of telemedicine on gylcated haemoglobin in diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. CMAJ, 1-25. Fatehi, F., Armfield, N., Dimitrijevic, M., & Gray, L. (2014b). Clinical applications of videoconferencing: a scoping review of the literature for the period 2002-2012. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 20(7), 377-83. Fatehi, F., Martin-Khan, M., Gray, L., & Russell, A. (2014a). Design of a randomized, non-inferiority trial to evaluate the reliability of videoconferencing for remote consultations of diabetes. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 1-7. Fatehi, F., Martin-Khan, M., Smith, A., Russell, A., & Gray, L. (2015). Patient satisfaction with video teleconsultation in a virtual diabetes outreach clinic. Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics, 17(1), 1-6. Gerow, J., Thatcher, J., & Grower, V (2014). Six types of IT-business strategic alignment: an investigation of the constructs and their measurement. European Journal of Information Systems, 1-27. Huang, Z., Tao, H., Meng, Q., & Jing, L. (2015). Effects of telecare intervention on glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. European Journal of Endocrinology, 172, R93-R101. Maharaj, S., & Brown, I. (2015). The impact of shared domain knowledge on strategic information systems planning and alignment. South African Journal of Information Management, 17(1), 1-12. Schulz, T., Richards, M., Gasko, H., Lohrey, J., Hibbert, M., & Biggs, B. (2014). Telehealth: experience of the first 120 consultations delivered from a new refugee telehealth clinic. Internal Medicine Journal, 44(10), 981-5. Siriwardena, L., Wickramasinghe, W., Perera, K., Marasinghe, R., Katulanda, P., & Hewpathirana, R. (2012). A review of telemedicine interventions in diabetes care. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 18(3), 164-68. Slusser, W., Whitley, M., Izadpanah, N., Kim, S., & Ponturo, D. (2016). Multidisciplinary paediatric obesity clinic via telemedicine with thin the Los Angeles metropolitan area: lessons learned. Clinical Paediatrics, 55(3), 251-9. Steventon, A., Barsley, M., Doll, H., Tuckey, E., & Newman, P. (2014). Effect of telehealth on glycaemic control: analysis of patients with type 2 diabetes in the Whole Systems Demonstrator cluster randomized trial. BMC Health Services Research, 1-12. Vaismoradi, M., Jones, J., Turunen, H., & Snelgrove, S. (2016). Theme development in qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 6(5), 100-110. Verhoeven, F., Tanja-Dijkstra, K., Nijland, N., Eysenbach, G., & Van Gemert-Pijnen, L. (2010). Asynchronous and synchronous teleconsultation for diabetes care: a systematic review. Journal of Diabetes and Science Technology, 4(3), pp.66-84. Weinstock, R., Teresi, J., Goland, R., Izquierdo, R., Palmas, W., Eimicke, J., Ebner, S., & Shea, S. (2011). Glycaemic control and health disparities in older ethnically diverse underserved adults with diabetes: five year results from the Informatics for Diabetes Education and Telemedicine (IDETel) study. Diabetes Care, 34, 274-9. Yayla, A., & Hu, Q. (2012). The impact of IT-business strategic alignment on firm performance in a developing country setting: exploring moderating roles of environmental uncertainty and strategic orientation. European Journal of Information Systems, 21(4), 373-87. Young, H., Miyamoto, S., Ward, D., Dharmar, M., Tang-Feldman, Y., & Berglund, L. (2014). Sustained effects of a nurse coaching intervention via telehealth to improve health behaviour change in diabetes. Telemedicine and E-Health, 828-34. Appendix 1: Interview Schedule Please explain why the hospital decided to implement videoconferencing in providing diabetes care to individuals in rural areas What was involved in the planning for the implementation of the technological solution Did the hospital work with external stakeholders in the implementation process How did the implementation of the technological solution affect the aims of the hospital and its specialist clinicians How has the use of videoconference affected your (patient) access to diabetes care Were there any challenges that were experienced during this processIf so, which ones To obtain answers to these questions and/or get a Custom Essay for you research, feel free to reach out to us and place an order today.

Anything

What are the key event, trends and turning points which you think will be occurring over the next 5 years? Ampang Jaya Municipal council has a very bright vision which Is to make the Ampang Jaya Municipality prosperous and harmonious by 2015. The vision was created suitable as the function of MPAJ itself which is to serve the community within the Ampang Jaya area.In order to realize and achieve the vision, Ampang jaya Municipal Council were very struggling to adapt with and move along with the advancement of technology to ensure a very strategic town planning an be well use. Besides that, Ampang Jaya Municipal council also develops Its creativity and innovative sense so that it will contribute towards the achievement of world class organization that may facilitate the customers demand especially the residents in the Ampang Jaya area.Proudly, Ampang Jaya Munucipal Council shows lot of their effort by combining their strength as a prestigious organization with the vision stated as a dr ive to make sure Ampang Jaya Municipal Council will move forwards and Improve its accountability integrity and transparency towards a strategic town planning in the next five years ahead. SWOT ANALYSIS OF MPAJ Swot analysis Is an analytical method which is used to Identify and categorise significant internal strength and weaknesses and external sucha s opportunities and threats factors faced either in a particular arena, such as an organisation.It provides Information that Is helpful In matching the firms' resources and capabilities to the competitive environment in which it operates and is therefore an important contribution to the strategic planning process. It Is used as a dynamic part of the management and business development process. Strength of MPAJ Ampang Jaya Municipal Council Is an organization that provides services to the esident along Ampnag Jaya area. The organization plays crucial roles to ensure that all the resident living well with all the Important Infrastructure and transportation available.Firstly, the strength of Ampang Jay Municipal Council is it focuses on the environment. It means that, the organization was fully taken responsible to ensure that the environments within Ampang Jaya area are well organized and preserved. MPAJ had launch campaign to create awareness with the Involvement of public in gotong-royong every month and the Planning unit department adopt systemauc approach in designing a landscape in Ampang Jaya.No one shall diminish the environment of the area, As example, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council are held responsible to ensure there is company that will loaded up the garbage throw by the residents so that the area will be clean. This Is parallel with the maln function of MpaJ which is to serve the publics and manage the Ampang Jaya territories. Next is, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council Provide variety of facilities and services and act as an 1 OF3 enTorcement Doay wltnln tne area.I ne scope ana responsl I t D II les 0T tne pr ovide a good surroundings and environment to the the Ampang Jaya residents. Through all the budgets given by the government, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council shall play it roles as good as they should be. MPAJ enhance their role by providing and build various infrastructures, services and e-services. As example, MPAJ are held the accountability to facilitate the area with a well organize hospital facilities, transportations, food court, mosque and public bath and many more.This is regards as MPAJ strength because of their role to facilitate the area are goes well acting up as the enforcement body that will be respected by many publics. As example, MPAJ may rite a compound letter to the premises of food courts if the premises were not following the exact procedures in opening the premises such as cleanliness. Weaknesses of MPAJ Along with much strength that exists within the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council, the organization also has it weaknesses. First, the weaknesses of the MPAJ is , th e staff of the organization were lack of quality measurement.It happens and can be seen when the quality of services offered is not in line with the vision of MPAJ. The vision of MPAJ is to make the area harmonious and integrated by 2015 but still, there are oopholes in the organization where some staff was not giving all the cooperation to help achieving the vision stated. This can be prove by an articles written in a newspaper where the residents of Taman Teratai ask MPAJ to take urgent action against badly cracked and collapsed drain walls that lead to soil erosion.Regards to these matters, MPAH should take an immediate action to supervise, monitor and ensure that all the residents in the area are being take care of. This had shows the commitment stated by the organization are not well spreading within the organization. Besides, many issues had been arising regarding MPAJ. This issues arise had tarnished the MPAJ's image and reputation especially when it indicates that the staff are lacking in the integrity values. Bureaucratic in nature lead to discipline problem, unaccountability and corruption issues within the organizations.As example, the most hottest issues pertaining MPAJ of the year is the cases of former MPAJ enforcement director Capt (R) Abdul Kudus Ahmad was sentenced to 11 years and 10 months Jail and RM370,OOO fine for accepting bribes totaling RM59,OOO. This is the strongest weakness of MPAJ that had tarnished its reputation. Opportunities of MPAJ As a public organization, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council able to take and grabs many opportunities that came ahead of the organization. This opportunities came, thanks to the globalization that created many chance for the MPAJ to improves its lack and maintain it's prosperous.First, the opportunities that came beneath MPAJ organization is the growth of the technologies where the advancement of technologies lead to better productivity and efficiency of the MPAJ function. As example through the advancem ent of technology many technological devices has been adopted to provide an excellent services to the Ampang Jaya residents. As example, is the usage of modern machine conducted by expertise to beautify the town can be very useful tools for MPAJ.I nreats to M Every organization has threats that make the organization to be alert more with the surroundings. The threats that have been surrounds by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council is the mentalities of the citizen around the Ampang Jaya area itself. The demands of the citizens are sometimes beyond the limit that can be reach and realize by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council. The demands from the citizens are above the MPAJ expectations. As example, are the high citizens' expectations that emand everything to be settled within MPAJ authorities.It is an alarm that chain the public organization where the organization cannot fully fulfilled the demand. Besides that is the migration of the citizens into the Ampang Jaya area. This migration c reat more surplus and induce to the overpopulation problems thata later on creating more social issues and conflicts. It in hard to monitor the overcrowded and the possibilities to prevent and maintains its peace is more complicated. The illegal activities may take place and it will be difficult to combat the crime as overcrowded made it hard to settle things up.Tthe Ampang Jaya area is not abig area and nowadays it still can afford its population but in the future, the effects of globalization may trigger more the mirgation and create overpopulations. This later on will require the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council to provide more facilities, transportation and others accomodation but yet, the problem is it may surpass the limits of Ampang Jaya Municipal Council to cope with all the demands. MPAJ's Stakeholder Basically, stakeholders are an individual, group, organization that directly or indirectly get involve with the MPAJ activities.The Amppang Jaya Municipal council's takeholders i s consist of state government such as Office of the State Secretary and Office of State Treasury, federal government such as Housing and Local Government, Department of Public Service, MPAJ themselves which includes members of the council. Besides that is the customer that act as the important stakeholders which is residents, visitors, tourists, government agencies and private, residential owner or business premises. The non organizational organization also acts as the stakeholders of the Ampang Jaya Municipal council together with the Business Community and Concession Company.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology in Film Essay

Industrial-Organizational (I/O) psychology is the study of human behavior at work and it is concerned with the development of and application of scientific principles to the workplace (Spector, 2008). In this field of I/O psychology there are many topics that outlined how individuals will perform at work and how successful they will be. Some of these topics are as fallows Goal setting, Selection, Employee Motivation, Job satisfaction, Emotions at work, Burnout, and Occupational Stress. In the film, 12 Angry Men (Rose et al., 1957) shows various topics of I/O psychology that are concerned with the 12 jurors in their workplace and their decision-making. In this paper I will explain how the film, 12 Angry Men (Rose et al., 1957) explains several topics of I/O psychology on how they are applied in the workplace. I will begin by given a short synopsis of the film and then explain five different I/O psychology topics that were portrayed in the film. The I/O psychology topics that I will discuss are as fallows, goal setting, job satisfaction, emotions at work, occupational stress, and finally group think Movie Sypnosis The film, 12 Angry Men (Rose et al., 1957) is a classic movie about 12 white men deciding the sentence of a 18 year old kid who has allegedly committed murder in the first degree by stabbing and killing his father to death. The movie begins showing the different jurors walking into the courtroom at different times. The presiding judge over the courtroom delivers the decision to the jurors that they must decide if the kid is guilty or not. If the kid were to be found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt he will be sent to the electric chair. Fallowing in the film the jurors are sent to deliberate the fate of the kid. They enter the room in what was said to be the hottest day of the summer, but everyone is in laughter and ready to make their decision. At the first deliberation everyone votes guilty except for one man his reason as to why he didn’t cast his vote as guilty was because he couldn’t decide that fast over the life of a kid. The man is Henry Fonda the main protagonist of the movie, juror number 8 the only juror who wanted to give the kid a chance because a reasonable doubt. The movie continues with argument from other jurors wanting to convict the kid to the electric chair because they thought he was guilty. But as the discussion heats up Juror 8 keeps convincing everyone to a reasonable doubt that the kid is not guilty. As other jurors began to turn their decisions the emotions in this workplace escalate and so does the stress. The group must come together and reach a verdict but with dissatisfied jurors and little motivation how could they? In the end of the movie the final verdict is reach and those who were fast-acting decision making jurors cast their vote as not guilty. I/O Topics Goal Setting Goal setting is a theory of motivation and it says that â€Å"people’s behavior are motivated by their internal intentions, objectives or goals† (Spector, 2008 p.207). According to the theory it explains that goals are what a person consciously wants to attain and the things that they are going to do to get it. These goals can be specific or general, for example being able to run a marathon is a specific goal but being able to run is a general goal for someone. Also some goals are not meant for everyone ones goal should be able to be attained, some goals that effective for a orientation might not be necessary from the other. Locke and Henne (1986) said that there were four ways in which goals affect behavior. First the goals need to direct attention and action to behaviors the person believes will achieve the goal. Second, the goals mobilize effort in that the person will try harder. Third, goals increase persistence and this will result in more time spent on behaviors necessary for goal achievement. And finally goals can motivate the search for effective strategies to attain them. For every goal that is desire by an individual in order to be effective goals also need to fallow four more principles. One of the four principles is that goals must be specific and not vague because one can easily get tangled the objective. Second, goals need to be committed and have a sense of ownership to an individual because they are more likely to attain the goal. Third, feedback needs to be given by employer or organization on how an employee is doing. Finally goals need to be difficult because it will result in better performance and the person will work harder to achieve it (Spector, 2008). In 12 Angry Men, we see the goal setting of the different jurors. In the second scene of the movie when all the jurors entered the deliberation room the juror 1, the Foreman was the leader of voting he organized everyone around the table and the goal was to vote on the sentence of guilty and not guilty. Juror 1, main goal was to get the other jurors votes he committed his goal by asking a showing of hands to those who thought the kid was guilty or not guilty. All the jurors goal was to reach a verdict based their vote of guilty or not, everyone was entitled to their own opinion since the goal was committed to them and the feedback that they receive from their decision was given by the other jurors. Once the first vote was cast to show that all 11 other jurors found the kid to be guilty except for juror 8. Here we see the entitlement of the goal of juror 8 his goal was to reach a decision and he decided of not guilty. The feedback was received from the other jurors when all of them started to get loud and grumpy because his decision differ from theirs. The film demonstrated the topic of goal setting to be use correctly because in the film at the first voting everyone agreed but one person. But as the film progress the juror’s vote and their final goal began to shift when several factors were put on the table that the kid might not be guilty after all. I/O psychologists explained that the goals needed to be specific and committed, well in the film the juror’s goals was their own opinion to guilty or not and why was. The decision was not easy and many jurors where dissatisfied and their well being was not optimal because it was very hot that afternoon. Using the principles of goal setting could of helped the jurors reached a conclusion rather quickly than they did; if they had all agreed when Juror 8 was explaining as to why the kid might not be guilty because a reasonable doubt. Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction is how people feel about their jobs, and there are two ways of looking job satisfaction global and facet approach. According to Spector (2008), the global approach treats job satisfaction as a single, overall feeling toward the job. But the facet approach say that satisfaction focus on different aspects of the job such as pay, supervision, coworkers, communication, benefits, and promotion. Many people express their level of their satisfaction by showing up everyday to work and being on time, also based on the facet approach it can be explain to their pay, some people got to work because they like the people they work with, or are wanting a promotion, and other factors. Staw and Cohen-Charash (2005) identified other factors that lead to job satisfaction; the factors are personality, gender, and age. These factors contribute to a person overall satisfaction because their personality can link for them to be negativity affectivity, and their locus of control. You would want some one that is not negative and have an internal focus of control to experience the best job satisfaction. Also someone who is young is more likely to experience negative job satisfaction than someone who is old and has moved up in the career ladder within the company. A study has proved that gender has shown to not influence job satisfaction (Witt & Nye, 1992). Job satisfaction in the movie is that of Juror 8 because he could not convict the kid because he was not yet satisfied with the decision of the other jurors. Its reason was that there was a reasonable doubt to not convict the kid to murder, meaning he wasn’t going to decide that rather quickly. Also other example of job satisfaction was how negative Juror 3 was and Juror 10 when the other jurors began to change their vote. They tried to convince themselves and the others without looking at the possibility of a reasonable doubt. These Jurors were very dissatisfied with the other juror’s decision of turning their vote. The movie demonstrated job satisfaction to be done correctly it seemed, as the cast were to be conform of people who would experience higher levels of job satisfaction than others. It was done correctly because some of the jurors like number 3,7, and 10 showed higher levels of dissatisfaction because of their negativity to evaluate the facts and evidence of a reasonable doubt given by the other jurors. The principles of job satisfaction like their focus of control being able to have internal and controlling their decisions rather than relying in powerful facts that the kid was guilty because of the eye witnesses could have lead them to a easier decision. And they will all have experience better well being without getting so angry and dissatisfied. But we can see at the end that the I/O principles were apply and those who were dissatisfied became satisfied whenever they changed their vote of guilty to not guilty because they looked away from their negativity. Also it gave all the jurors a sense of satisfaction for finding a kid that presumably that was guilty to not guilty and saving his life. Emotions at work Emotions are explained by Spector (2008) to be an important component of life, and providing not only resources to acquire the necessities of life but a sense of purpose and social contacts as well. Also accomplishment is a type of feeling that will provide people with positive feelings such as pride, joy. But a heated argument in the workplace can result in feelings of anger and annoyance toward the supervisors or the organization in general. People who experience positive and reinforcing emotions at work will perform well in their job duties. Brief and Weiss (2002) said that stressful and aversive emotions at work can produce negative emotions states and moods. In the film 12 Angry Men, juror 10 and juror 3 showed the most emotions mostly negative while juror 8 showed positive emotions while looking for a reasonable doubt that the kid might not be guilty of stabbing his father. Juror 10 said â€Å" the kid lives in the slum, is had a bad record in the past for knife fighting, his no good kid that’s why his guilty† (Rose, R. 1957). This juror was very much showing his emotions and most of them seem to be negative that’s why he experience the most dissatisfaction and he had to kept wiping his nose every time he spoke very angrily regarding the matter. Juror 3 wanted to punch Juror 8 because they had difference of opinions and Juror 6 wanted to fight juror 3 because he didn’t shut up. The movie seems to cover up all the emotions that these state appointed juror showed while they were delivering the verdict. It’s a very hard decision to make and when people differ in opinion some of the jurors got really excited and the temper escalated. The topic of emotions at work was demonstrated corrected because in I/O psychology they are concerned in how people behave at work either positively or negatively (Spector, 2008). It was very well expressed the amount of anger juror 3, and juror 10 had towards the other jurors that gradually change their votes too not guilty. The characters needed to apply positive emotions and deep surface acting to experience less negative emotions towards the matter that they were discussing. If they had better moods and emotions they will had experience more positive reinforcement in their jobs as jurors. Because positive emotions in the workplace result in better performance in the case of the juror will be the decision-making and more satisfaction for their jobs. But the movie is not called 12 Angry Men for nothing, so that’s why many of the jurors expressed negative emotions. Occupational Stress Occupational stress is a state of being that has experienced by almost everyone. Occupational stress starts with a job stressor, which is a condition at work that requires and adaptive response (Spector, 2008). It is then fallowed by a job strain, which is a reaction to the job stressor. Some of these job stressors identified by Spector (2008), are role ambiguity, role conflict, workload, Social stressor and control. In role ambiguity and employee is uncertain about what their job functions and responsibilities are. In role conflict the employee people experience negative demands at work and outside work (extrarole and intrarole). In intrarole are too many demands a job is asking of their employee, extrarole occurs when demands from work and nonwork domains become overwhelming. Workload is the amount of work an employee is ask to complete in a certain time, as to a social stressor is stressful incidents concerning other people often can lead to incivility. Finally control the extent in which employees can make decisions about work. With regards to the film an example that depicts occupational stress is the overwhelming decision of whether the kid was guilty or not. A stressful situation is when at the beginning of the voting juror 8 decides that the kid is not guilty he puts himself in a stressful situation because his peers do no agree with him and he has to prove to them why he doesn’t think that the kid is guilty. He experiences a lot of role conflict within his job because now all the other 11 jurors are making a lot of demands as to why his decisions is what it is. This is called in the movie intrarole situation because since all the jurors are against his decision to decide that there is a reasonable doubt for the kid not being guilty. The movie shows that occupational stress is a major part of being a juror because since everyone is bound to have their own opinion they can all differ from one another. This stress leads to job stressor that can cause some of the jurors to get burnout in the process, just like juror 7 change his vote to not guilty because he wanted to leave without any reason. The I/O topic of occupational stress in the job as a juror is utilize correctly in the movie because it apply to several principles of this topic like role conflict cause intrarole to juror 8 since he was with almost all the weight on his shoulders and the most stress to explain to the other jurors his decision and he also had a social stressor given by the other jurors difference of opinions. Juror 8 was almost assaulted in the movie because he didn’t agree with the rest ultimately he had control of his own decisions and why it lead to the whole jury changing their vote to not guilty. It lead to an overall better decision and more satisfaction even though there was a lot of stress and tension among the jurors. Group-Think Groupthink is a phenomenon that can occur when groups make decisions that individual members know are poor decisions. According to Janis (1972) groupthink is more likely to occur in cohesive groups with strong leaders. Because social pressures to maintain a certain level of conformity and harmony takes over good decision-making. But that’s not the end we cant always think that every time there is group the phenomenon of groupthink is likely to occurs there are some things we can do to avoid it explained by Janis (1972). The first thing leaders should be impartial moderators rather than attempting to gain control. Second, group members should evaluate decision alternatives and seek for information that can support or refute their decision. But this is not all to help with this problem sometimes is suggested that large groups to be divided into smaller groups where people can decide better among some critical issues within a organization which eventually can lead to the correct decision. A good example of groupthink in the movie is when juror 8 decides to cast his votes as not guilty while the other eleven members thought the accuser was guilty. In this case we see that groupthink being evolve as one of the jurors exclaims as to why he would decide that the kid was innocent and he insisted that juror 8 had ignore all the evidence. Juror 8 said, â€Å" I am not saying he didn’t do it, but there is a possibility that he didn’t, I have a reasonable doubt† (Rose, R. 1957). Juror 8 decisions to go against the other jurors vote is thought by him to be right while the other eleven jurors knew their decision was the right one. He thought that the decision for all eleven members to cast their vote as guilty was wrong and he wanted an explanation as to why they thought the kid was guilty. The movie demonstrated the topic being use incorrectly because the group did not wanted to agree with the other juror that thought the group decision was wrong. The leader being juror 1 didn’t sit impartial to the decision while he let some others like juror 2 and 10 control the decisions of the whole group of jurors. Also the other jury members did not evaluated their decision to cast their vote as guilty to either supported or refuted it they just kind of went what the leaders were voting. The topic would had been shown more effectively in the movie if the group of jurors had divided in to two groups and both evaluated different sides of evidence and then presented each other and make a vote from there. Rather I was open where a few that stood strong in their decisions where fallow by those who didn’t. Also another big issue is that there was no diversity among the groups it was an all white jury with no women or anything that was different. Maybe if the director would have added a women or a person of color into the group to have another point of view from a different background the decision might have been better received at first. Conclusion In the world that we live today there are many jobs and different principles of I/O psychology that can be apply to a specific job. It is not easy dealing with the demanding qualifications some jobs require and with the certain things an employee needs to put up with. As depicted in the film 12 Angry Men, being a juror in a specific trial can take a toll on the jurors, but in this film we saw that the jury had a clear and identifiable goal that was to reach a verdict concerning the life of 18-year-old kid. The juror satisfaction of this state appointed job might not always be the best at the beginning because of their different attitudes, but I can be very rewarding to save a persons life in the end. Emotions are a key thing jurors face when facing a hard decisions but always being positive and staying clear of the objective can help with the decision. But at the same time with emotions can bring a lot of stress for this occupation a juror must be able to face it and control and look into the bigger perspective. In the end we use groupthink to make decision being diverse will help an reach decisions rather quickly but sometimes it will not work out that way for those power hungry individuals. There will be no more rewarding job then going home knowing that you did the right thing and helped society. References Rose, R. (writer), Lumet, S. (director), Fonda, H. (writer). (1957). 12 Angry men. [Motion Picture]. United States: Orion-Nova Productions Spector, P. E. (2008). Industrial and Organizational Behavior, 5th Edition. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Techno-Optimism is pervasive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Techno-Optimism is pervasive - Essay Example Techno – optimism is universal despite presence of numerous and serious shortcomings as well as consequences of past technologies. For instance, the introduction of computers has been instrumental in transforming the world and easing various computer related processes thereby, increasing production and improving human life. However, the 1956 project by IBM to design the world’s supercomputer IBM 7030 was a big failure (ITs biggest project failures, 2015, p 1). The computer also known as Stretch, could handle half million instructions every second, and was thus regarded as the fastest. This technology was a failure since it could only reach 30- 40 times faster than the system it was intended to replace. Therefore, Stretch could not meet its intended target of being 100 times faster than the target system. Due to the failure, IBM was forced to lower the value of Stretch from the initially planned value of $ 13.5million to $7.8million (ITs biggest project failures, 2015, p 1). This selling price was below total production cost thus, forcing the company to halt production of Stretch with only nine having been built. Despite the failure, society is still optimistic with the invention and believes that additional or more advanced technology will in future offer satisfactory solutions. For instance, one of the Stretch team members; Fran Allen acknowledged that the entire process led to development of various technologies which, have assisted in shaping of the computer building industry (ITs biggest project failures, 2015, p 1). However, this is in disregard to the production loses incurred as well as the time and energy used in the entire process. Therefore, I believe that the idea of technology advancement is a noble notion which, is critical in shaping and making life relatively easier and stress free on earth. However, being too much optimistic is dangerous since it comes with severe consequences and shortcomings. These include

Nature of Logic and Perception Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nature of Logic and Perception - Essay Example Whether mental blocks interfere in critical thinking and its influence on nature of logic and perception is crucial in understanding human behavior. Thinking is most important in relation to life as we grow we start thinking more, and thus, we change our future ability to think. Ancient Greek, the Roman rhetoricians, medieval thinkers, the renaissance thinkers, the British empiricists, and even twentieth-century thinkers encourage us to think and ponder deep into the intricacies of open, unfolding, and marvelous arena of the mind. Following the words of Socrates, "Know thyself," Plato thought that we are born with ideas and with the pure power of the mind and innate ideas we could achieve divinity. "Descartes echoes Anselm-"I think, therefore I am"-and challenged our pride by telling us that "it is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well." (Kirby & Goodpaster, 1999, p. 2). As thinking cannot be useful unless it is communicated through the media of language, images, art, scientific formula, and mathematics, thinking is defined as "the activity of the brain that can potentially be communicated." (Kirby & G oodpaster, 1999, p 5). At the same time, there are unexpressed thinking that is stored in the brain and we use it often before speaking or acting. Writing and talking are the best media for expressing our thinking process as "our thoughts can resound and rebound with new shape and vigor from the thoughts of others" and "our ideas can intermingle, cross-fertilize, and become the seeds for whole new species of thoughts." (Kirby & Goodpaster, 1999). It implies that, we should use our mind and head rationally and constructively to become successful humans. Our thinking process is influenced by our upbringing, and it shapes our fears, our self-concept, and our emotions. At the same time our psychological world is shaped by our exposure to cultural and genetic forces, which often negatively influence and hinder our sound thinking process. Our self-concept, the way we view ourselves, also blocks critical and creative thinking. Self-concept includes not only intelligence and attractiveness, but our liking for home, friends, religion, state, country, values, possession, sports, and so on, which my influence our ego-defense mechanisms, self-serving biases, and individual identity. Ego-defenses, the psychological coping strategies, comprising denial, projection, and rationalization also impact on our thinking process. Critical thinking requires that when analyzing and assessing thinking we should take into account that human thought is rational and selective and it is impossible to understand any person, event, or phenomenon from different an gles simultaneously. The word "logic" covers a range of related concerns all bearing upon the question of rational justification and explanation and it is the study of correct reasoning and its foundations. Humans identify things using ideas, meanings, and thought -- some sense of what is relevant, what supports a belief, what should we assume, what we know, what is implied, what contradicts, and what should we believe, and vice-versa -- and this intellectual

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Economics - Essay Example The fiscal expansion which came about as a result of World War 11 led to the end of that period of contraction. As some parts of the world are recovering from what has been described by many as the Great Recession, the debate is on as to whether or not the world went through a depression or a recession. Indeed there are some similarities with the Great Depression of the 1930’s but the official authorities have not characterised it as such. This paper defines recession and depression and explains the differences between them. It also looks at similarities and or differences leading up to the Great Recession which was triggered by the volatility in the stock market and a credit crunch in 2007, and those of the Great Depression which lasted from 1929 to 1933 and extended into the 1940’s. Definitions The Business Cycle Dating Committee (BCDC) at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) defines a recession as a time when business activity is at its peak and therefore starts falling until it reaches its lowest level (â€Å"bottom out†) –a trough (Recession n.d.). A recession normally lasts for a year and is part of a regular business cycle which involves contractions (recession) and expansions. However, there are others which have lasted for up to two years. An example is the Japan’s economic slowdown in Japan in the 1990’s which lasted for 2 years to March 1999 can be considered as a recession since the largest peak to trough decline in GDP during that period was 3.4%. A depression on the other hand represents a slowdown in economic activity where GDP falls by more than 10% (Recession n.d.). It is characterised by rising unemployment, a sustained long term downturn in the economy and normally last for more than three years. The great depression which lasted from 1929 to 1933 and which was prolonged well into the early 1940’s with the â€Å"double-dip† is a prime example of a depression. During this perio d real GDP fell by 30% which is above the 10% benchmark. Unemployment levels soared to never before seen levels and a large number of families and single persons were losing there homes. Thousands of business closed there doors while others downsized. Differences between a recession and a depression The Economist (2009) quotes Saul Eslake, the Chief Economist at ANZ Bank as saying that the difference between a recession and a depression is more than just size and duration as noted in the definitions above. Eslake indicates that the cause of the downturn is also of importance (qtd. in The Economist, 2009). Eslake went on to state that a recession usually results from tight monetary policies while a depression is the result of a â€Å"bursting asset credit bubble†, a sharp decline in credit (contraction) and a fall in the general price level (The Economist 2009). Eslake further stated that during the Great Depression prices fell by approximately 25% and nominal GDP shrank by al most 50%. A depression Eslake suggested does not have to be as severe as in the 1930’s. They can either be mild or severe. Additionally, Eslake (qtd. in Economist 2009) indicates that the economic downturns (slumps) which followed on the heels of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the ones which characterised the Asian crises were not depression. The reason Eslake states is that inflation increased sharply. Eslake also suggested that the downturn in the e

Interrogating the Museum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interrogating the Museum - Essay Example It is â€Å"is fashioned after the many cabinets of curiosities housed among princely palaces that originated throughout Europe during the 1500s. Ours follows this tradition with a stimulating mixture of books, games, costumes, and other hands-on activities for the entire family (Denver Art Museum). Perhaps the extra effort that was undertaken by the curator of the museum was consistent with its mission not just to house art works but rather to â€Å"enrich the lives of present and future generations through the acquisition, presentation, and preservation of works of art† which explains why the â€Å"unusual† presentation of the art works. The Bernadette Berger Discovery Library contains a mixture of artworks, artifacts, books and other printed artistic materials that it would be difficult to classify the discovery library as a mere museum or study area because it is a combination of both and even more because it encourages the visitors toward a self-discovery of the a rea. In addition, the discovery library in Denver Art Museum is also constantly rearranged to invite its visitors for a return. The moment visitors enter the library, they would notice unusually sized furniture where books, artifacts and artworks are nicely tucked on the walls and cabinets which includes an 18th century doll house, an Egyptian mummy case and several Greek vases. What is unusual with the framing of the artworks there is that some are contained in drawers that the visitors can roll out to see them which includes Egyptian jewelry. What is interesting in the discovery library were the artworks that early Native Americans would have which includes ceramics, basketries and even photos and paintings of the old American West. They are also constantly being rearranged but in general, the place could simulate a comfortable home with oversize furniture and air conditioned. It is also one of the very few museums where there are computers that we could use. Equally interesting, and perhaps the visionary approach of its curator is that there were no staff present when I visited the place and we were just left alone. It was not to neglect us visitors but it was more of encouraging us to explore what is in the library and to encourage that, staff presence were removed. And it was effective because I became engaged with the discovery center. The Bernadette Berger Discovery Library was opened between 1997 and 1999 which was deliberately created as a â€Å"themed† library and used the term â€Å"discovery library† for it to send a message to its visitors that they are welcome not to mention to become more comfortable with the place that would induce them to stay longer. The set up of presenting the books and artworks in the Discovery Library was intended to break the pattern where visitors see a museum with a permanent set up or presentation where they would only visit once not to mention that the visit would be a bore because they remain standing that they could only spend for minimum amount of time (Williams 160). Personally, this is the most interesting part of the museum because it is inviting, relaxing and engaging unlike in other places in other museum where there are no activities that all I have to do is stare at the artwork or listen to the explanation of the curator where I have been standing all along. With this kind of set up, the guests visit

Arthur Kinoy, People's Lawyer Did he Succeed in Combining Law & Essay

Arthur Kinoy, People's Lawyer Did he Succeed in Combining Law & Conscience - Essay Example And he was quite active in behalf f the Southern civil-rights movement f the 1960s. Together with partners William and Michael Kunstler, he helped form what they called the "people's KKK." In fact, his book Rights on Trial, a memoir f his exciting and turbulent career, is subtitled The Odyssey f a People's Lawyer. Kinoy argued before the Supreme Court six times, winning five f those appeals. The case he considered most significant was United States v. United States District Court, in which the Nixon Administration tried to defend Justice Department wiretapping f antiwar protesters without a warrant, on the grounds that the President had the "inherent power" to ignore individual constitutional rights if he thought national security was at stake. Kinoy helped establish the now-extinct Citizen's Party, and ran on its ticket for a New Jersey State Senate seat in 1981. He didn't come close to winning, but says the campaign was a successful organizing tool. Kinoy believed people's movements had made a lethal tactical error by not talking about "the conspiracy f the power elite" to eviscerate the Constitution. Whether in the courtroom or in a debate, Kinoy was a feisty and brilliant thinker who was as relentless as he was ingenious. Most f his autobiography makes it appear that he went through his life as lawyer never pretending to e objective, never less than totally convinced about the justness f the causes he represented and the innocence f his clients. That posture, however, gives rise to some other questions. Most f Kinoy's important cases - Dennis v. United States, the White Panthers case, the Julian and Anna Rosenberg case, the Adam Clayton Powell case, the Chicago Seven case - involved some f the most significant political events f this country's 20th century history. The causes represented some f the most serious rifts in the democracy f the United States. Given Kinoy's frank admission that he was not detached from the causes in which he was involved, one might wonder how good the lawyering is when the lawyer and the client are equally passionate about the political cause that gives rise to the case. How clearly can a passionately involved lawyer describe the workings f the judicial system when the judges and opposing layers are by definition part f a conspiracy against justice and truth Kinoy indeed dealt with some troublesome players - Roy Cohn f the McCarthy era, Judge Julius Hoffman in the Chicago Seven case and Judge Harold Medina in the Dennis case - but he also presented many cases to the Supreme Court and to other tribunals, and even he finds it hard to write off all his judges and opponents as enemies in the class struggle. So the book wavers between condemnation f a legal system that is a stocked deck and an enthusiasm for the judicial process that ultimately led to the vindication f Kinoy's clients (and position) in the Chicago Seven case f in the Adam Clayton Powell case. There is apparently no such wavering about the lawyering that stems from deep commitment to the "cause". It is passing strange that with all those high intensity cases, not once does Kinoy reflect on the legal tactics his side used. Perhaps that is asking too much,

Brown v. board of eduction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Brown v. board of eduction - Essay Example All of the other cases that are cited show that the courts were aware that there were many people in society pressuring the legal system about â€Å"separate versus equal†. This goes against the desired code of the 14th Amendment. Finally Justice Warren and other judges realized that Negros deserved to gain education and the other case decisions could not give good reasons why blacks should continue to be segregated. The right to education is deserved for everyone regardless of their race and color. What Justice Warren is saying is that there have been many changes in society since the 1800s. It no longer made sense with a society that was developing for blacks to continue to be segregated in schools. Without having equal protections for education, they would always be thought as second class citizens. This court in Brown v. Board of Education did an excellent job of using education as a reason to finally begin the process of ending racial

1981 Springbok Tour Essay Example for Free

1981 Springbok Tour Essay Focus Question: What was the background to the 1981 Springbok Tour of New Zealand? For 56 days in July, August and September 1981, New Zealanders were divided against each other in the largest civil disturbance seen since the 1951 waterfront dispute. More than 150,000 people took part in over 200 demonstrations in 28 centres, and 1500 were charged with offences stemming from these protests. To some observers it might seem inconceivable that the cause of this unrest was the visit to New Zealand of the South African rugby team (the Springboks). Although not a major sport on a global scale, rugby has established itself not only as New Zealand’s number one sport but as a vital component in this country’s national identity. In many ways the playing of rugby took a back seat in 1981, and the sport suffered in the following years as players and supporters came to terms with the fallout from the tour. Some commentators have described this event as the moment when New Zealand lost its innocence as a country and as being a watershed in our view of ourselves as a country and people. See more: Distinguish between problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping Essay Usefulness of evidence to focusing question: This is useful because it shows me evidence on what New Zealanders thought on about rugby. It shows that rugby sport is a background to New Zealanders because it’s their number 1 sport. This is part of a useful website, www.nzhistory.net.nz. Source reliability: This source is reliable because this source is that its not something someone has said or someone has typed that was from the 1981 springbok tour. It is basic facts.

Market Analysis for Male Condom Product

Market Analysis for Male Condom Product Introduction This report aims to explore the possible business opportunity of condom manufacturing of a Novelty Condom (Lolly), with particular emphasis on the public and private sector markets for the male condom. In considering the market for male condoms in South Africa, it is prudent to separate the discussion into public sector and private sector markets, and within these markets to consider procurement, distribution and sale of the products. Executive Summary Market / Industry/ Description (Makro) South African condom manufacturers are not competitive in the global market. This has led to their reliance on the governments condom procurement contract, which they are awarded on a preferential basis. It is as yet unclear whether government will continue to show preference to local manufacturers. If it does, this may further negatively impact the manufacturers competitiveness, and limit their market to the local public sector. If government decides to award future contracts to the most competitive bidders, some local manufacturers may go out of business. Socio Cultural There is no other product on the market apart from condoms that gives dual protection against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, as well as protection against unplanned pregnancy. In South Africa, the burden of STIs and HIV is enormous. The Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA), (source: www.actuarialsociety.org.za) has developed a demographic and AIDS model (latest ASSA 2003) that makes use of data from several sources to project the potential course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the demographic impact that it is having. According to the latest version of the model, some 5.4 million South Africans were infected with HIV in mid-2006. The has escalated to 5, 934, 183 in 2007 (source: Quantec Database and ECSSEC Analysis, 2009). The model further indicates that prevalence is higher for women in the 15-34 age groups, while it is higher for men in the older ages. Furthermore, the ASSA model predicts that the number of people infected will continue to rise, to exceed 6 million by 2015. Accumulated AIDS deaths will be close to 5.4 million by the same year. In terms of incidence, i.e. the number of new infections occurring, the 15-24 year age group, and particularly women, contributes the highest numbers of new infections. Biology, gender roles, sexual norms and inequalities in access to resources and decision-making power put women and girls at greater risk of infection. Many women have insufficient information about sexual and reproductive health and do not understand the risks associated with their own or their partners sexual behaviour. Many of those who do recognise their vulnerability are powerless to protect themselves. Other STIs also take their toll. In South Africa, the prevalence of STIs is estimated to range from 5% to over 30% in various population sub-groups and localities depending on the type of STI (source: ASSA and Quantec Database). It is important to note that, in addition to the disease and disability STIs themselves cause, they also increase the risk of acquiring HIV during intercourse as a result of inflammation and ulceration. Male condoms are widely available in South Africa, both through public sector condom distribution programmes as well as for sale through retail outlets. The range of products available in the private sector is broad, catering for various user sizes, as well as other novel user preferences such as taste, colour and texture (Our target market: Novel Condom User). The availability of female condoms is much more limited. And finally, although this is a practice and not a product, male circumcision has recently received a lot of attention as research has shown that the practice can reduce the risk of HIV transmission. Although this method cannot be used on its own to prevent HIV transmission, there are concerns in some quarters that miscommunication about the link between male circumcision and HIV transmission could potentially result in the practice being used as a substitute for condom use. Adapted from: Outlook, May 2006 Economic Employment potential Condom manufacturing is both capital and labour intensive. In particular, the sampling and testing of batches of condoms, which is a critical component of the manufacturing process, is facilitated by hand. In Thailand, which is one of the worlds leading exporters of condoms, it has been found that young women are best suited to this work as it is repetitive, precise and requires a high degree of speed and dexterity. The incumbent local manufacturers employ an average of 100 people. A new condom manufacturing facility could thus potentially provide employment for up to 100 semi-skilled young women.The following inputs are required to set up a male condom manufacturing facility. Legal In South Africa there are no compulsory regulations governing the manufacturing and testing of condoms. The Department of Health, as the primary purchaser of locally manufactured condoms, acts as an indirect regulator of the industry by requiring that all public sector male condoms be designed and manufactured according to technical specifications set by the World Health Organisation. These specifications include design, performance and packaging requirements, as well as general requirements that specify the safety of constituent materials and other characteristics, such as shelf life. In addition public sector condoms, irrespective of whether they are made locally or imported from overseas, need to be tested to the same quality standards and approved by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). Outside of the public sector, manufacturers may apply to the SABS for a â€Å"standardization mark† to illustrate that their product complies with the SABS requirements. Compliance with the standard is however voluntary and not compulsory. Technological Political Competitor Review The South African condom manufacturing industry is an oligopoly made up of four companies, whose main customer is the Department of Health. The manufacturing facilities operate at or below their total production capacity, and further capacity will be created by the end of 2007. This points to a saturated industry that would not welcome a new entrant. Table 5 below is a summary of the operations of the four manufacturers. Table 3: Local manufacturers of male condoms Company Rrt Medcon Zalatex Karex Wupro Date established 2001 1990 2001 1999 Location Kwazulu-Natal Gauteng Mpumalanga Kwazulu-Natal Products manufactured Male condom Male condom Examination gloves Surgical gloves Male condom Male condom Linen savers Diapers Choice condom (pieces per year) 63,750 000 38,250 000 72,250 000 38,250 000 Own brand condom (pieces per year) Viva (â€Å"small Positions African Skin (â€Å"very small quantities†) Carex (1,200 000) Socially marketed condoms (pieces per year) Lovers Plus Trust (10,000 000) Export (pieces per year) Carex (1,000 000) Ad hoc Total manufacturing capacity (pieces per year) 180,000 000 72,000 000 150,000 000 40,000 000 Employees 106 110 160 60 Competing products: There are currently no other products that have been developed for men to protect against STIs, HIV and pregnancy. The male condom remains the primary prevention tool for men. Newer forms of male condoms include synthetic non-latex condoms made from materials such as polyurethane and styrene ethylene butylene styrene (SEBS), which have a longer shelf life, can be used with oil-based lubricants, and can be used by men who have latex sensitivity/allergy. These products are however not readily available in South Africa. Foreign manufacturers In addition to competition from other local manufacturers, foreign manufacturers of male condoms are also important role-players in the South African market. A review of data from the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) of all the foreign manufactured condoms available in South Africa shows that India, China and Malaysia are the key competing countries. Table 7 below illustrates the share of the total Rand value of imported condoms for the key competing countries. Table 5: Percentage share of imports by country 2006 Country Rand value of imports % of total imports China 21,045 189 35.94 Malaysia 13,948 863 23.82 India 5,192 677 8.87 Source: SA Customs Excise The key competitive advantages of the foreign manufacturers include: * Proximity to raw material (natural rubber latex) * Competitive labour costs * Output typically greater that 450 million pieces per year, so can benefit from economies of scale. Product Price Expected margins: A manufacturer in the industry can expect to realise profit margins between 5% and 20% (General Manager, Karex). Below is an illustration of the estimated revenues for Karex. Table 4: Case study Karex Condom type Number of pieces sold Selling price (R/piece) Revenue Choice 72,250 000 R0.20 R14,659 525 Lovers Plus + Trust 10,000 000 R0.50 R5,000 000 Carex (export) 1,000 000 R0.90 R900 000 Carex (retail) 1,200 000 R1,00 R1,200 000 Total revenue R21,759 525 Given that all male latex condoms are essentially similar in terms of their manufacturing process, it stands to reason that volumes are a major determinant of the margins that a manufacturer can realise. Therefore in the current market, a manufacturer would need to have Government as a client in order for their operation to be viable. Table 2: Average price charged per 3-pack of condoms Condom Brand Average price per 3-pack Lovers Plus R7.20 Trust R5.33 Durex R24.99 Lifestyle R9.95 Distribution Promotion Company Image /Brand Suppliers Management Skills and Resources Larry Davin CEO – PHD in Nothing Khuthele Bovu Director – PHD in business science marketing and Finance ECT ECT Core Competencies SWOT Analysis The above analysis should enable us to determine what variables will have an effect on the success or failure of the business. Potential Internal strengths and weaknesses have been looked at as well as external opportunities and threats. Ansoff Market Matrix Key Issues and New Opportunities. 5 Points to be determined from the Ansoff Matrix MARKETING OBJECTIVES (Must be SMART) PMS objectives Marketing objectives Objectives from new opportunities and key issues. 3.3.1 Male condom manufacturing A new entrant into the male condom manufacturing industry in South Africa would face a saturated industry in which a handful of companies operate. Furthermore a new entrant would need to compete with foreign manufacturers who are able to achieve cost-competitiveness through scale, cheaper labour and ready access to raw material. As government is the most significant customer in the market, failure to secure a contract with the DoH would jeopardise the viability of any operation. In addition, the requirement for a manufacturer to demonstrate existing capacity would mean setting up a facility at risk, with no certainty of securing the major customer. In the retail environment, the manufacturer would need to compete with well established brands such as Durex and Lifestyle. South Africa is a net importer of male and female condoms. Import s from the three primary source countries of latex condoms are shown in the table below. South Africa also imports from other countries such as the UK, Thailand, Germany and Korea. Table 9: Imports to South Africa of rubber sheath contraceptives (Rand value) Import source 2004 2005 2006 Total imports 79,023,113 59,044,723 58,556,392 China 43,002,818 29,602,084 21,045,189 Malaysia 16,101,512 12,468,383 13,948,863 India 2,606,106 6,604,586 5,192,677 Source: SA Customs Excise The Rand value of exports of condoms from South Africa is very small in comparison. Local manufacturers export primarily to other African countries. Table 10: South African exports of rubber sheath contraceptives (Rand value) Export market 2004 2005 2006 Total exports 1,826,715 2,789,604 3,111,135 Mozambique 1,456,616 1,379,926 1,646,028 Malawi 0 666 940,000 Angola 12,085 995,291 360,514 Congo 0 104,244 145,826 Source: SA Customs Excise It is important to note that these s do not only reflect the value of South African manufactured condom exports, but also those foreign manufactured condoms that are packaged in South Africa and then exported. Possible reasons for the poor export performance of South African manufacturers are discussed earlier in this report. It remains to be seen whether local manufacturers will become more competitive in the future, or whether the proposed preferential procurement of local condoms by the DoH and the degree of protection that provides to local manufacturers will further jeopardise the success of local condom products in the global market. Table 9: Inputs required – male condom factory Input required Components Infrastructure Land Construction and civil works Machinery Automatic dipping line High voltage dry electronic testing machine Condom foil sealing machine Automatic burst tester Electrolyte water test machine Tensile tester Length measuring gauge Miscellaneous condom testing laboratory equipment Other equipment and accessories Motor vehicles Generator Office equipment and accessories Materials Rubber latex Lubricant Packaging material Human resources Factory labour Management team: must have financial, production and marketing know-how. Target Market Identification Segmentation South African Market for Condoms In South Africa public sector condoms constitute the bulk of the condoms available. In 2006 approximately 428 million male condoms were distributed through public sector channels, against 36 million units sold in retail outlets. Source: Society for Family Health, 2007 With a crippled economy forcing millions of cash-strapped Americans to entertain themselves at home, its not surprising that one particular product is seeing a sales increase — condoms. (Source: www.usatoday.com). While car purchases plummeted and designer clothes mostly stayed on the racks, sales of condoms in the U.S. rose 5% in the fourth quarter of 2008, and 6% in January vs. the same time periods the previous year. (Source: The Nielsen Co). South Africans could not be outdone by their American counterparts. According to the research conducted by the IOL (www.iol.co.za), it has also been a boom time for South Africas leading condom manufacturers, with sales up 55 percent on last year. â€Å"There has been a 50-percent increase in sales, which is probably a combination of marketing activities together with the Aids message finally filtering through to consumers, said Dave Glass, general manager of Adcock, which distributes the Lifestyles and up-market Contempo brand condoms. Competitor Durex SA reported a 35-percent growth in its condom sales in the same period, according to its spokesperson J Giles. While a three-pack of Contempo condoms will cost anywhere from about R20 to R27, Glass said increased sales in the lower-priced Lifestyles brand (about R10 for 3) may have been a sign that people were willing to pay for protection in the wake of last years recall of government condoms. Government, through the Department of Health, is the key role-player in the public sector. Private sector condoms are those that are available at commercial prices from retail outlets as well as those sold at subsidized prices through social marketing programmes. The dominance of the public sector market is likely to continue into the future, given the priority and resources that government has made available towards the fight against HIV/AIDS, and also considering that the targeted end-user (mainly Black youth) generally cannot afford to pay retail prices for condoms. If a new manufacturer is to enter the South African condom market, five segments of the market will need to be assessed to determine which hold the greatest potential for future sales. Positioning and strategy Key ingredients for success The most critical ingredient for the success of a new condom manufacturer is securing the Department of Health contract. Without this, none of the other potential market segments would be sufficient to render the operation viable. innovation is important (novelty), so that a good quality product is developed which can be sold at a reasonable price. In addition, generating demand for the product is important, so substantial effort will need to be devoted to creating and promoting the appropriate marketing message for the product. Other factors that will contribute to a successful operation are: A project management team to ensure sound operations, marketing and financial control. Close co-operation with national and international organisations working in the area of reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention. Furthermore, a manufacturer who is bidding for a portion of the government contract needs to show existing production capacity. This will require considerable set-up costs to be incurred, without the certainty of securing the major client. POSITIONING STRATEGY Government HIV prevention is the backbone of governments National HIV AIDS and STI Strategic Plan for South Africa 2007-2011. The primary aims of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) are to: Reduce the rate of new infections by 50% by 2011. Reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS by expanding treatment, care and support to 80% of all HIV positive people and their families by 2011. An important intervention to reduce the rate of new infections is the distribution of male and female condoms. The Department of Health (DoH) is responsible for the management of quality control and related logistics for public sector condoms. Male and female condoms are distributed free of charge to various sites. The distribution of male condoms includes hospitals and clinics as primary distribution sites, with secondary distribution extending to non-governmental organisations, workplaces, and other locations. Female condoms are distributed to selected sites and require one-on-one counselling on their use. Governments male condom distribution pattern and the projected future distribution are illustrated in the table below. The DoH procures condoms through a tender process. The current two year contract, which started in October 2005, has been extended and will expire in February 2008. The Department currently procures male condoms from all four of the local manufacturers as well as from foreign manufacturers. Table 1: Government male condom suppliers Contractor % allocated Type Unit price per 200 pieces (R) Maximum contract quantities ( ‘000 p/a) Karex 17% Local 40.58 72 250 Wupro 9% Local 43.03 38 250 rrtMedcon 15% Local 47.31 63 750 Zalatex 9% Local 41.01 38 250 Equity Distributor 17% Imported (China) 39.58 72 250 Khusela 17% Imported (Malaysia) 39.58 72 250 Supex International 16% Imported (China) 40.00 68 000 Source: Department of Health, July 2007 In the current contract, all four local manufacturers were allocated a portion of the contract, despite a wide variation between the lowest and highest prices, and despite the fact that all the locally manufactured condoms were more expensive than the imported product. Discussions with National Treasury and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) give conflicting views of how future tenders will be adjudicated. In Treasurys view, future tenders should be more stringently governed by cost-competitiveness, where the price per unit is limited to a specified range which is benchmarked against international prices. The DTI however believes that preference should be given to local manufacturers, in particular small and medium sized companies (value of assets less than R200 million). Discussions are on-going between the DoH, Treasury and the DTI. It is unlikely, though, that an agreement will be finalised before the awarding of the government condom tender in the first quarter of 2008, a nd the current preferential treatment of South African manufacturers will remain. A new manufacturer will need to show existing manufacturing capability, although there will be no minimum level of capacity that be required. The South African non-governmental organisation (NGO) sector is not a significant segment in the condom market, as many of the organisations active in the HIV/AIDS and reproductive health space form part of governments condom distribution channel and do not themselves procure condoms directly from suppliers. An important exception to this rule is the Society for Family Health (SFH), the South African affiliate of the international NGO network, Population Services International (PSI). PSI was founded in 1970 in Washington DC, with the intention to improve reproductive health using commercial marketing strategies. With programs in malaria, reproductive health, child survival and HIV, PSI promotes products, services and healthy behaviour that enable low-income and vulnerable people to lead healthier lives. PSI has a presence in over 60 countries around the world. In South Africa, PSI concentrates on issues related to HIV/AIDS. The organisation, through SFH, uses social marketing to motivate behaviour change with respect to consistent condom use, HIV testing, and other safer behaviours. SFH promotes consistent condom use through its own two male condom brands, Lovers Plus and Trust. The organisation procures 24 million male condoms per year from local and foreign suppliers. In addition, SFH obtains free female condoms from the DoH, which are then marketed under the Care brand and sold at retail outlets. SFH sells approximately 6000 female condoms per month. SFH also assists the DoH with the distribution of its free condoms. The organisation distributes approximately 8 million public sector male condoms per month in Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal and the Western Cape. Retail The retail sector accounts for 7.8% of the male condom market in South Africa. Male condoms are widely available for sale in retail outlets. The most widely available condoms are the socially marketed brands, Lovers Plus and Trust. A study carried out by PSI in November 2006 looking at coverage of Lovers Plus and Trust condoms in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg found that most areas of the three cities met the minimum standards for coverage, where coverage was defined as the number of geographically defined areas where at least 30% of outlets stock Lovers Plus and Trust. These outlets included traditional outlets such as pharmacies, top-end retailers and general dealers, as well as non-traditional outlets such as garage forecourts, hair salons and shebeens. Approximately 36 million male condoms are sold in South Africa per year, with approximately 70% of those sales being of Lovers Plus and Trust condoms. (Senior Marketing Manager, SFH). The balance of the sales is made up by Durex, Lifestyle, Contempo, and various other locally manufactured and imported condoms. Corporate The corporate sector in South Africa has woken up to the reality of the HIV epidemic. Many companies have HIV awareness and management programmes for their employees. However, although corporate HIV programmes include condom distribution as a key element, the majority of companies distribute free government condoms to their employees. A snap survey of 10 corporate members of the South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (SABCOHA) found that all but one company, Chevron South Africa, distribute free Government male condoms to their employees. The companies indicated that they saw no need to buy condoms directly from suppliers when free public sector condoms were easily available. The companies do not normally distribute female condoms. Some have bought female condoms in the past for training purposes. Export South Africas export of male condoms to date has been erratic, and local manufacturers have found it difficult to find a market for their products. The global condom market is dominated by low-cost manufacturers from Thailand, Malaysia, India and China, who are located in close proximity to natural rubber latex plantations. Local manufacturers have not been able to compete. Although all four of the local manufacturers have at some point exported their product, particularly to Mozambique, Malawi, Angola and Congo Brazzaville, at present only Karex exports condoms, about 1 million pieces per year, to Congo Brazzaville. Market Mix Strategy Target Market Strategies Global market for condoms The global condom market is estimated to be worth $3 billion, (source: www.marketresearch.com). The public sector is an important market segment globally, with between 6 and 9 billion male condom units consumed by that segment annually Though the prevention of pregnancy is still an important function of condoms, the driving force for growth is the prevention of STIs, in particular HIV/AIDS. Given the rapid spread of HIV in China, India and recently South Africa (in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa), and the large sizes of their respective populations, it is expected that annual public sector demand for condoms, both male and female, will reach 19 billion units by 2015. (Source: Female Health Company, 2007).

Opening Day :: essays research papers

The sun shines radiantly upon the towering stadium at the corners of Michigan and Trumball. Spring has arrived and erased the dreary, grey weather of winter. The old dilapidated stadium will come to life in a couple of hours to mark the beginning of an anticipated season.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brringg! The bell signals the end of class and I anxiously wait for my mother to arrive. I find myself impatiently glancing at the clock every two minutes; finally the car pulls up. I jump into the back seat and throw off my heavy backpack. As my mom pulls away, the same old raspy voice can be heard over the radio. I try to block out the blaring AM station, but the word â€Å"opening day† grabs my attention. The weatherman forecasts a sunny day with a cool breeze. A smile erupts on my face, which my mom can’t help but notice through the reflection of the rearview mirror.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I arrive home and hurriedly run up the steps. Stacks of baseball cards and other memorabilia blanket the floor beneath me. I throw off my grade school uniform and find my clothes nicely folded on top of the dresser. I slip on a pair of jeans, but can’t figure out which shirt to wear. I take a seat on my bed and slowly contemplate which Tiger’s T-shirt I should wear. Looking at them brings back memories of past visits to Tiger games. I begin to reminisce, however my daydreaming is short-lived and terminated by the ringing chimes that signal the arrival of my other fifth-grade friends. I quickly grab any shirt and put on my broken-in baseball cap while running downstairs. My friends and I load the car and we pull away from my house. At last we’re on our way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We arrive at the stadium among a frenzy of other fans. As I step out of the car, my body shakes with a chilling flash of excitement. I rub down the goose bumps that graze my arms and nervously reach into my pocket to find my ticket. It’s still there, but a light film of sweat still covers my palms. Even though we are a few blocks from the stadium, a buzz penetrates the air. Judging by the deafening cheers of the crowd, we know the game has already started. As I glance at the shaking stadium during each wild wave of applause, my steps increase ever so slightly in anticipation.