Category: Free-Essay

Discussion 3
Political considerations, economic concerns, and cultural requirements are the primary drivers behind government interference in commercial transactions.
It is possible that the government would intervene for political reasons like wanting to protect domestic industry from competition from other countries, or it might want to protect jobs in the country by imposing restrictions on imported goods and services. Both of these reasons fall under the category of political reasons. One illustration of this would be the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on goods imported from China.
The government may choose to intervene in the economy for a variety of economic reasons, including the desire to stimulate the home economy through the provision of subsidies or tax breaks to domestic enterprises or through the imposition of tariffs on foreign goods(Kawamori,2021). A good illustration of this would be the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union, which offers financial assistance to farmers in the member states of the EU.
It is possible that the government would intervene for cultural reasons, such as trying to preserve traditional culture by shielding certain industries or items, or by preventing certain imported goods from entering the country. One illustration of this would be the import quotas placed on rice by Japan. These quotas are put in place to safeguard the country’s centuries-old rice growing economy.
In certain circumstances, I believe it is appropriate for governments to become involved in trade disputes. The arguments that I think have the most weight are the ones that have to do with maintaining economic stability and safeguarding cultural values. The intervention of the government can assist safeguard particular industries against unfair competition, which can lead to lower pricing in these commodities. Consumers can profit from this, as lower prices can be passed on to them.

The main component of public health is finance, which directly affects individuals’ and society’s physical, mental, and social well-being.
Reasons
Financial stress leads to physical health problems like diabetes and hypertension.
Financial insecurity causes mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
Inadequate finance causes social inequality, thus making an individual not to access basic needs.
Bibliographic Information:
Purnell, J. Q. (2015). Financial health is public health. In L. Choi, D. Erickson, K. Griffin, A. Levere, & E. Seidman (Eds.), What It’s Worth: Strengthening the Financial Futures of Families, Communities, and the Nation (pp. 163-171). Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
Quote:
“The link between health and financial well-being is both direct and indirect, and it is important for health professionals to understand the dynamics of health and wealth in order to work with their patients in a holistic way” (Purnell, 2015, p. 166).
Paraphrase and In-Text Citation:
Health professionals should understand the relationship between health and financial well-being to provide comprehensive patient care (Purnell, 2015).
Explanation of quote selection and connection:
This statement emphasizes the importance of understanding how health and wealth are connected to provide all-inclusive patient care. By doing this, the practitioners can create a complete approach to care that considers the numerous factors that affect health, like adequate medical care, financial stability, and affordable housing. Understanding this can make professionals make good decisions when it comes to preventing, diagnosing, and the treatments of diseases and conditions.
Topic
Health and wealth
Thesis: wealth is an essential factor in achieving a good health
Reasons
With wealth, one can feel a sense of security, thus reduction of anxiety and stress, which are essential factors of physical and mental health.
With wealth, an individual can access better healthcare to seek the needed medical attention.
Wealth gives the stability to get healthier foods and resources like the gym for fitness classes.
Bibliographic Information
Clay, R. A. (2001). Wealth secures health. Monitor on Psychology, 32(9), 78.
Quote
“The advantages of wealth are clear: Wealth improves health by improving access to health care and reducing the stresses of poverty.” (Clay, 2001, p. 78).
Paraphrased Quote
Clay (2001)states that when it comes to an individual’s health, wealth has a more considerable advantage as it reduces the stresses caused by poverty, and we can access better health care.
Explanation:
The quote explains how wealth is essential to the health of an individual. It relates to my social issue since it gives information on how wealth can provide individuals with the financial ability to access healthcare services that I initially could not afford.
Topic: health and wealth
Thesis:
The gap between health and wealth concerns issues that have to be addressed to ensure there is a healthier society with equity.
Reasons:
Individuals with poor health experience a low-quality life, resulting in a decrease in their earnings and life opportunities.
Health inequality always creates a cycle of poverty, therefore, leading to further disparities in getting better healthcare services and quality of life.
People who have more wealth always manage to get better health services, which then leads them to have better and healthy lifestyles.
Quote
“The wealthier a society, the better its citizens’ health—at least until the society passes a certain level of affluence.” (Sapolsky, 2018, p. 63)
Paraphrased Quote
According to Sapolsky (2018), there is a more significant relationship between the health of the society and the health of its citizens, atleast until a certain level of prosperity is reached.
Explanation:
The quote explains the relationship between health and wealth and how their correlation can be implicated. This we can see as other countries with a high level of prosperity still maintain thir large portions of the population that face health disparities. This highlights the differences between the rich and the poor and how the same disparities affect the entire population’s health.

Critical Analysis Essay: ‘Please Don’t Come Back’: Using Virtual Care to Prevent Readmissions
In the article “‘Please Don’t Come Back’: Using Virtual Care to Prevent Readmissions,” written by Manjot Sandila and Omouyi Omoike, and published on the Healthy Debate website on 28th November 2022, the authors justify how the digitization of healthcare services will significantly reduce the rate of patient readmission in hospitals. The article’s main argument is that readmission cases in Canada continue to rise because of the inequality in access to quality health care. They believe that it would not be the case if marginalized communities (poor and those in remote areas) were allocated equal resources such as reliable internet connection, which would allow them to make use of telehealth services to help monitor their health progress virtually (Sandila & Omoike, 2022). The article was motivated by the readmission of one of Sandila’s patient, Tim, who had undergone successful open-heart surgery, but in just a month, he was back at the hospital with his breastbone incision open and oozing. Tim lived in remote Northern Ontario (an underserved community), which, according to Sandila & Omouyi (2022), might have contributed to his not receiving adequate aftercare services due to limited access to such healthcare services. The article successfully makes the case that without the healthcare delivery systems in Canada adopting telehealth to help ease access to healthcare services, the readmission challenge will continue to disrupt clinical outcomes.

The article starts with a case study of Tim, a remote Northern Ontario resident who is back at the hospital within one month of a successful surgery due to rupturing the incision. This case backs up the statistics that patients from poor communities are at a higher risk of readmission compared to those from wealthy neighborhoods by about 14 percent. This statistic clearly informs the state of inequality in healthcare access within Canada. The authors suggest adopting virtual care to help ease this problem because they believe it will ‘improve the patient-health-care provider experience’. The few cases where virtual care was adopted have shown promising results, i.e., in the “Integrated Care” and the “Virtual Recovery After Surgery” programs. However, in order for the virtual care program to take shape, there must be concerted efforts from the government and all healthcare stakeholders. This program was also not short of concerns since some believe it would create further inequities in health care given that most rural areas need to be equipped to adopt telehealth fully, hence the need to ensure remote areas have access to a reliable internet connection. In order for readmission rates to successfully reduce nationwide, the initiatives should be adopted in every part of Canada as such will allow Canadians to feel valued by the system (Sandila & Omoike, 2022).

First off, the author’s organization of their argument was on point. This is because they start with a case study that presents as the background of the research question from a personal perspective. This instance evokes both ethos and pathos. The author (Sandila) is the nurse who cared for Tim and saw him recover fully, and to see him back in such a short time for the same issue must be heartbreaking for her because her goal is to help patients improve. Therefore, we feel emotions of empathy for the situation as she struggles to understand what could have gone wrong (pathos). In terms of ethos, we find her credibility as a nurse who understands the gaps in health care, thus making a plausible argument to help solve the readmission issue. Afterward, she uses logos by providing statistics that show how the government loses billions of dollars a year to cater for readmission cases within a month and also shows the margin of readmission rates between rural and urban residents. This also evokes pathos since the situation is discouraging and calls for urgent attention. Then, they make a case for virtual care by stating how it would help patients and healthcare providers (logos). They then show how most Canadians prefer virtually engaging with their doctors through proven statistics while stating the successful programs that have reduced readmission by employing virtual care to back their argument to show logic and credibility.

The authors also don’t shy from criticism and include a counterargument which they rebut effectively. When critics warn of a widened gap in equitable access to health care, the authors counter it with a solution that involves the government investing in reliable internet connection so that no one is locked out of the benefits of telehealth. So yes, the article effectively met the needs of its audience (health care stakeholders and government), who are called to action to help improve the health care system through virtual care in order to counter the readmission challenge.
It is evident that readmission poses a major gap in health, and virtual care might be the answer. Since patients require aftercare as much as the treatment, it is best to check in with healthcare providers frequently to improve clinical outcomes. The article argues that telehealth offers such convenience for both parties; therefore, healthcare stakeholders should foresee a virtual system to allow healthcare progress.

ARAMCO Versas SABIC

Aramco is a wholly government-owned organization in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The company was established in 1933 and currently acts as the primary source of revenue in the country. In addition, Aramco company deals with exploring, processing, refining, and distributing gas and petroleum products. Saudi Aramco company supplies its oil products within the country and across the world. Furthermore, the company is the world’s largest petroleum industry satisfying 10% of petroleum users in the globe. The company has employed more than 45,000 laborers improving the country’s sustainability through youth employment.

To sustain its production process, the company has established many power plants that keep the oil extraction and processing fast. Additionally, Aramco has established pipeline systems as the primary source of oil transportation to decrease transportation costs. Currently, the company can produce up to 9 million barrels daily. The company’s products include diesel, crude oil, gasoline, LPG, butane, and propane.

SABIC

SABIC company was founded by royal decree, just like Aramco oil company. The company was established in 1976 to use oil byproducts to manufacture polymers, fertilizers, and chemicals. The company is also a multinational company distributing its products in over 50 countries. SABIC’s headquarter is in Riyadh, the capital city and the most populated city in Saudi Arabia. In addition, the company has four divisions, namely specialist, minerals, agricultural fertilizers, and petrochemicals.
The relationship between SABIC and Aramco company is the joint manufacture of petrochemicals and the fact that Aramco has a 70% share in the industry. In addition, the company has employed over 30,000 crew and assets of up to 290 billion SAR. In the petrochemical industry, the company is ranked fourth globally in sales volume. Considering the size in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, SABIC is ranked second among public companies.

SCM management issues

Supply chain management involves managing data, finances, and distribution of products, from securing the resources to distributing the final product in the market. Some principles that govern SCM include improving inventory visibility, diversifying supplies, creating new distribution channels, improving data analysis, ensuring faster adaptability, and maintaining a stable demand and supply.

Issues in SABIC

SABIC company utilizes the world’s supply chain making it have many suppliers around the globe. In addition, the company has initiated supplier lifecycle management (SLM), a supplier portal. The supplier portal is used as a registration platform by members that wish to supply or partner with the company. Moreover, the suppliers can use the portal to make an order, pay, and oversee the distribution process to their location. In addition, the portal allows distributors to see the forecast, purchase policy, inventory, feedback, bids, code of conduct, and all other relevant information. However, the company needs help with time management since the process involves many steps.

In addition, the purchase of the company’s products has been affected by the dangerous nature of the chemicals. The countries have set high-security measures to observe the products imported and used. Furthermore, the sales are low in such countries because they have set a limit on the amount imported. In return, the restrictions have caused a rise in pricing due to the high taxation on chemical products. On the logistics, SABIC is highly vulnerable to the dangers of an explosion that might lead to chemical exposure in the environment. However, the company has set up security measures to reduce the chances of such dangers by partnering with some safety systems. The systems include the Chemical Road Transport Safety System, Chemical Distribution Institute, and Safety and Quality Assessment for Sustainability. Therefore, the cost rises for many logistical partners who find it hard to deliver the company’s products due to its safety measures.

Similarly, the information system relies entirely on the IT system, making it highly vulnerable. The dangers are mainly caused by system shutdowns, software crashes, and cyber-attacks which lead to information loss or leaks. In cases of information leaks, the relationship between the company and its suppliers is weakened, lowering sales. Additionally, the company has a sound system of quality surveillance to ensure customer satisfaction. However, slight contamination will interrupt the quality due to the delicate nature of chemicals. In such instances, the quality assurance authorities significantly fined the company and might be temporarily banned as investigations commence.
Many of the company’s plants have the challenge of frequent bottlenecks causing manufacturing delays. In return, products take long to reach the consumer, affecting customer loyalty. In addition, SABIC customers need help with things like wrong quantity, lost orders, and contaminated products.

Issues in Aramco

Just as SABIC, Aramco supplies its products across the globe. The company also has a supplier portal known as Supplier Network Collaboration. The portal allows the suppliers to access agreements, terms and conditions, inventory tracing, POs, analysis, and approved suppliers. The portal ensures that the company and its suppliers control the distribution of products, finance, and analytical data. However, Aramco suppliers do not need to register to be allowed access. Furthermore, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia requires all international companies to establish iktva to increase their procurement. Therefore, the suppliers with minimum requirements of the iktva procurement needs cannot secure contracts in the company.

Another challenge to suppliers is the delays in payment. The reason for payment delays is that Aramco only uses SAR, Euro, Japanese Yen and UDS to issue payments. Therefore, suppliers that use local currencies have a major problem in processing their payments to their respective currencies. Since the company established iktva, its sales have gone up due to international companies depending on the company increasing. However, the purchasing cycle is affected with the long procedure involved. The long procedures are established to make sure iktva is used appropriately. Aramco uses four logistical methods when dealing with its suppliers. However, suppliers have issues finding a suitable candidate to represent the company. A Saudi citizen can only submit logistical issues, hence, the challenge. Furthermore, the company has fifteen ships that are used to transport crude oil across the red sea. In addition, the company established the world’s longest Trans-Arabian pipeline transport system. The pipeline was 1,212 km long and went all through the Arabian gulf. Aramco established the piping system to minimize the cost of transportation via land. In addition, the use of tracks was risky due to terrorist attacks and the explosion of the fuel. Therefore, the pipeline system was fast and efficient because the pipes were installed underground.

Additionally, the company had a logistics team that controlled the distribution, negotiated contracts, and operated cargo terminals. However, the company has issues regarding transport, where they are forced to use the Suez Canal. The issues arise from the political wrangles in Iran and the fight between Yemen and Somali pirates. The use of the Suez Canal is a disadvantage to the company, for it is long and consumes much time. Since the company uses the SNC system to communicate with suppliers, it faces data leaks due to cyber attacks or human errors. Therefore, both the suppliers and the company are vulnerable to threats issued by cybercriminals. In addition, the company has a history of system shutdowns due to a virus installed in the PCs known as the Shamoon virus. As a result, 30,000 workstations had to stop production for one week as repair commenced.

Aramco company does a great job of maintaining product quality. The company employees are responsible for filing a complaint when they receive poor-quality resources. Even though the government has its own quality organization to examine suppliers, the company uses the employees to limit the number of qualified suppliers. The reason that the government fully owns Aramco is affected by politics. Therefore, its customers must have a good political relationship with the country to partner with Aramco company as supplier. As a result, some customers are forced to look for other conventional fuel companies. However, the consumers of Aramco products are advantaged to get quality and cheap oil products.

Impacts of information technology on SCM

Technology is the major cause of the two companies’ fast, reliable, cheap, surplus, and quality production. Due to technology, both companies can easily differentiate the company production systems. Therefore, the time used to produce and supply is short as roles are assigned to different individuals with certain technological expertise. In addition, the use of SLM in SABIC and SNC in Aramco has enabled the two companies to easily track, make payments, control shipments, and receive orders from other suppliers. Therefore, the systems have ensured that goods reach their destination safely and in time.

In addition, the use of pipe technology has assisted Aramco company to safely transport its oil products within the gulf region. Furthermore, the piping system has reduced the cost of production since it uses shortcuts hence, shortening the distance. Moreover, the SNC communication technology has enabled Aramco to maximize production and reduce the cost incurred in production due to accurate data prediction reducing waste.

Similarly, the use of information technology (IT) has come in aid of providing accurate statistics that enable SABIC produce timely and quality products. Therefore, both companies have benefitted in satisfying their consumers by maintaining consistency in production and supply. Furthermore, both companies have several plants that help to produce surplus products in the market. Therefore, the company uses PCs to monitor the production of all plants and combine the results under one file. The advantage of combining data of all plants is enabling the company to evaluate their efficiency in production.

Furthermore, both companies have installed CCTV cameras to monitor the workers’ performance and maintain security. The cameras have enabled the companies to minimize laxity in production since the employees are aware of the surveillance systems. Therefore, the production process is smooth and has massive results in increasing product supply. Another importance of technology is ensuring that companies get real-time data anytime they need access. In addition, the managers are able to communicate orders to employees through the installed speakers without having to go down to the plants. Therefore, managers save time of movement from one plant to the other.

Due to the distance, the companies can easily issue or receive payments from the company’s suppliers. Therefore, the number of suppliers and customers has increased for companies allowing the online transaction. After the transactions, the companies install microchips in the products to enable them and the suppliers to track the distribution process till the consumer receives the product. In addition, before the use of technology to analyze data, both companies used a lot of time in decision-making. However, after the companies initiated modern data technology, decision-making is fast because the computers do the calculations and provide accurate statistics within seconds.
Recommendations
Although the two companies are doing great in terms of production and sales, they need to make improvements to increase sustainability. For Aramco, it needs to diversify its currency such as SABIC company. This will help increase the number of sales by inviting suppliers who use local currencies. Furthermore, the company should set political boundaries so that it will not affect Aramco company’s consumers from countries with political issues with Saudi Arabia. In addition, SABIC company needs to implement the use of iktva such as Aramco. Using iktva will enable SABIC to sign contracts with qualified suppliers, increasing customer experience and loyalty through satisfaction.

Additionally, SABIC should eliminate third parties in the distribution of its products. Third parties delay the distribution process and require payment of their services causing an increase in the price of the products. Therefore, it will be advisable for the company to distribute the products independently. Finally, the companies should train logistics representatives to represent logistical data to the suppliers properly. In addition, both companies should update their security measures and train employees to prevent human error and cyber-attacks.

IS IT ILLEGAL TO OWN A FERRET?

It is in human nature to have friends and, more so, best friends. This makes life interesting and easy. Sometimes we find this companionship and friendship from owning pets. Ferrets are sociable, entertaining, playful, cuddly and fun to own if you consider owning a pet. However, if you are in some states, such as California, Hawaii, Washington D.C., and New York City, it is illegal to own a ferret as a pet. It is, therefore, important to seek information that is up to date from the local government before settling on owning a ferret.

Ferrets have a life span of about 10 years, with studies showing that the oldest ferret has a lifespan of 14 years. This gives us the average estimate of a ferret’s lifespan between 6 to 8 years, making them one of the long-term commitment pets to own. Therefore, you should be well equipped with information before owning a ferret as a pet. You will need to know some useful information before owning a ferret.

1. MAINTENANCE OF A FERRET.

Owning a ferret can literally be compared to having a toddler. Ferrets are pets that are of high maintenance and need more care than most other pets. It is highly advised that you take your ferret to the veterinarian once a year for its annual checkups. Any ferret that is below 3 years needs blood tests run to ensure that its blood sugars, blood pressure are normal and to ensure that the liver of the ferret is functioning normally.

After 5 years, your ferret is supposed to have at least two checkups a year. These checkups are done in order to ensure that your ferret has not developed any disease since ferrets are prone and highly susceptible to diseases such as insulinoma, epizootic catarrhal, and heart disease, among others. 

You should also make sure you trim the nails of your ferret frequently since they tend to grow sharp and long and this may cause injury. Having a regular ear cleaning schedule for your ferret is very crucial since they tend to get severely waxy.

2. EXERCISE

Ferrets love napping, studies show that ferrets sleep for about 20 hours in a day, but they are also very active and playful when awake. If you are a fan of physical exercise, this is the go-to pet. In between its naps, the ferret is playful and it enjoys running. They also love playing with toys and skidding on the floor. You should have a routine that allows your ferret outside the cage because if they are enclosed on most days, they tend to overeat. This then causes obesity in the ferret which makes it highly susceptible to diseases. The playful and curious nature of ferrets makes them easy to exercise.

3. COMPANIONSHIP

If you are considering owning a ferret, most veterinaries advise getting two ferrets. Studies show that ferrets crave companionship and friendship because of their social behavior. However, if you get two ferrets at once, you need to study how compatible they are with each other before leaving them alone. Since they may tend to compete and fight for resources, it is highly advised that you ensure they have an equal amount of food, toys, and space. They are, however, better if you own them in pairs rather than owning one. To prevent the mating of the ferrets you own, you should desex them. This helps in sexual cohesion between them.

4. HOUSING

In most cases, ferrets are confined in a cage. Ferrets are caged because of their curious and inquisitive nature. They should not be uncaged when unsupervised since they tend to wander into random places as they try to explore and chew on objects they come across. The cage restricts their movement. The cage of a ferret should be well ventilated and it should have enough room for the ferret to stretch, play and walk in when it is not napping. You should consider the playful trait of a ferret when modeling the cage and you should therefore consider installing tunnels, clothes dryer hoses and cardboard boxes. This caters for their love for crawling and also teaches them how to play nib instead of playing rough.

5. TRAINING 

Ferrets are easy to toilet train. If you want to own a ferret, I know you would not be glad to collect litter after it every time you let it out of the cage. This would be tiresome and make the thought of owning a pet one you would not entertain. However, the ferret is intelligent and you can easily teach them how to use the toilet or a litter box. They also enjoy playing games that involve solving puzzles; therefore, you should highly consider training them and providing them with puzzle games.

6. FEEDING

Despite being domesticated for over 2500 years, ferrets are considered half-wild. Wild ferrets survive by hunting for rats and other rodents in the wild. Therefore, ferrets are considered carnivores. A meal you give your ferret should contain high amounts of protein, low amounts of carbohydrates and a moderate amount of fats. These nutrients are easily found in cat feeds since cats feed from an almost similar diet composition to ferrets. They need the best quality nutrients since they have a simple gut bacterium and a short GI tract. Some ignorant breeders may advice you to feed your ferret with raw meat but you should avoid this because raw meat contains salmonella bacteria which may lead to vomiting, and diarrhea and even result in death of your ferret. You should avoid feeding your ferret with plant material since ferrets, like cats, are referred to as obligate carnivores. You should also make sure that you provide your ferret with fresh water, supposedly in heavy troughs, to avoid accidental spill of the water by the ferret as it is running around in the cage. This water should be changed frequently.

7. MUSKY ODOUR 

Do you want to own a ferret, but you hate odor? Ferrets have a mild, musky odor. This odor originates from the oil in their skin. The scent is from the scent glands which each ferret has at the base of the tail, this is also common in pets such as dogs and cats. Most breeders have these glands surgically removed to be able to, market them however, they still have a musky smell. If you are sensitive to smell, you should consider this before owning a ferret.

8. LEGAL ISSUES

Ferrets are considered half-wild despite having been domesticated over 2500 years ago. Ferrets are cute and adorable but they are also very aggressive and cunning. They tend to bite as their form of defending themselves. In some states, such as California, Hawaii, Washington D.C. and New York City, ferrets are illegal. If you had, however, owned a ferret while living in other states where ferrets are legal, veterinary services can be provided, but it is hard to find a ferret veterinarian since there are no licenses for ferrets in these states. Ferrets were legally banned from these states since it is believed that once they run away, they can only survive for a maximum of three days since they cannot fend for themselves, thus starving and posing a danger to other wild animals because of their colonizing nature.

9. INBREEDING

Most breeders vote for inbreeding since most of the desirable traits of the ferrets are passed on to the next family lineage. However, ferrets are highly susceptible to diseases, and inbreeding of ferrets may be a key factor that would lead to the development of diseases in the ferrets. These diseases include insulinoma, which is a pancreatic tumor that may affect ferrets below 1 year old. When choosing the facility from which you will get your ferret, you should highly consider the facilities that don’t inbreed. However, most breeders and veterinaries advise aspiring and potential ferret owners to set aside finances for cancer and heart diseases since ferrets are prone to cancer and heart diseases. 

10. HAIRBALLS

Ferrets are just like cats. They tend to shed a lot of their fur. They tend to ingest this fur as they are glooming. You should brush your ferret frequently to prevent it from ingesting its fur.

Conclusion

In conclusion, pets should be small, easy to handle, playful, easy to feed, and trainable. Ferrets are all of these qualities and more. Despite them being considered illegal in some states, they are legal in most states. Who wants a pet that cannot be caged and needs to be under supervision 24 hours a day? No one. A ferret can be caged; you only need to supervise it when you have uncaged for playtime. All you need to do is ensure that your ferret is well-fed and it has its toys in its cage. Can it really get better? If the question you have is, is owning a ferret legal? The answer is yes, it is legal in most states. 

Demand and Supply in the Market
A competitive market is one where many buyers and sellers of a particular good, none of them has an advantage over the others, and market prices reflect the economic laws of supply and demand.
One type of market that is only partially competitive is an oligopoly which refers to markets with few competitors. In an oligopoly, few companies in a specific industry have a considerably large share in that industry’s total sales or output. Compared to perfect competition, these companies don’t face perfect price pressures because they can work to set prices that are higher than what would be expected based on their costs. The existence of oligopolies means increased potential for firms to earn excess profits over what would be possible under perfect competition.

The primary purpose of an oligopoly is to explain price formation in markets for goods and services where many firms interact directly, such as airlines, brewers, public utilities, and healthcare systems. In these markets, there are very few producers; but the number of sales is relatively small, so market prices usually don’t vary much from one firm to another. However, a firm might have a significant excess over its marginal cost of production to earn higher profits than when operating in perfect competition. Price formation in oligopolies is explained by industry-wide profit maximization by a subset of firms.
A demand schedule refers to a table or a graph that shows the various quantities of a good that consumers would be willing and able to purchase at different prices. The demand curve is a graphic representation of the relationship between market price and quantity demanded, also referred to as the demand schedule, which shows the total amount of all goods or services buyers in a given market would purchase at different prices during a given period. The downward-sloping demand curve reflects the law of demand, which states that when the price of a good falls, people will want to buy more. According to this law, buyers will buy less at every higher price.

The demand schedule and the demand curve are related through the law of demand. The demand schedule tells us how many units of the good we would be willing to buy at a special price, while the demand curve shows how much we would buy at different prices. For example, suppose there was an increase in the price of cars. In that case, while there will be fewer buyers of cars, given the existing supply and opportunity cost or factors that influence the decision-making process regarding buying cars, people will purchase more if the price is low (Habas, 2020). The slope of a demand curve can also be used to predict the behavior in terms of the quantity purchased.

A price change will lead to a movement along the demand curve, while a change in consumer tastes will lead to a shift in the demand curve. This can be done by taking the derivative of the demand curve at a particular price and calculating how many units will be purchased based on this special price. A price change is represented by movement along the same demand curve. When the price of a good or service increases, people will choose to buy less of that good or service. For example, if you are given a salary increase and are currently buying two cars per year, you may be willing to switch to buying one car only.
Therefore, this kind of price change will cause a movement (shift) along your original demand curve. A change in consumers’ tastes will cause a movement (shift) along the same demand curve. For example, suppose a new product is introduced, and it has higher interest rates than the existing one. In that case, it can be concluded that people will switch to buying the new product instead of the old one because of its superior features.

Organizational design is how a business organizes its assets, such as its employees, products, processes, and technology, to meet its objectives. It involves laying out a system of roles and responsibilities inside a company, determining how those roles and responsibilities should interact and how decisions should be made, and outlining how the company should be divided into teams and departments.

Organizational structure

A company’s organizational structure is the formal framework within which its functions are segmented, controlled, and coordinated. Structures, roles, and procedures for coordinating the numerous tasks performed by the many departments and units of an organization are all laid out in this document. Also included are descriptions of firm hierarchy and decision-making procedures.

Organizational chart

An organizational chart is a graphical representation of a company’s internal structure. It depicts an organization’s structure, down to the individual roles and departments and the relationships between them. It also shows which jobs have the most discretion and ability to make choices and who is accountable to whom.

Question 2
1. Achievement-Oriented Culture: The values of performance, quality, and accomplishment are highly valued in this organization’s culture. Staff employees are recognized and acknowledged for their efforts to achieve the organization’s stated objectives. This sort of culture is best effective for a research and development firm that relies only on the creativity of its employees when there is a clearly defined and specific goal that must be met. It is least effective in situations that call for creativity and cooperation because people may be too focused on their achievements to work together to achieve a common goal. Individuals capable of innovation and collaboration are not afraid to try something new, are receptive to other people’s perspectives, and are prepared to work together to reach a shared objective. It’s possible that people’s willingness to try new things, take chances, and work together decreases when their attention is only on their achievements. It may lead to stagnation, as members stop thinking beyond the box and contributing to the group’s success. When people are just concerned with their advancement, they may overlook the group’s requirements, which may cause friction within the team and slow them down even more.

2. Team-Oriented Culture: In this business environment, teamwork, collaboration, and cooperation are valued highly. The program places a premium on teamwork, with participants being urged to collaborate to reach a common goal. A research and development firm that relies on the inventiveness of its personnel would benefit most from a culture that encourages this kind of thinking when there is a need to evaluate multiple solutions to a problem and when creativity and fresh ideas are necessary. Cooperation is most effective when there are several interconnected tasks to be completed; when there is just one clear goal, it might be counterproductive if the process is slowed down. Cooperation is most effective when there are several interconnected tasks to be completed; when there is just one clear goal, it might be counterproductive if the process is slowed down. Teamwork and smooth operations rely heavily on mutual assistance. Cooperation may be perceived as an impediment when a single, well-defined aim is to be attained. Instead of working together to finish the task, they may waste time arguing about the best approach. The team’s decision-making process may drag out if its members focus on working together rather than taking the initiative. While cooperation is vital to any team’s success, it may be more beneficial to prioritize speed and decisiveness when there is a clear goal.

3. Innovative Culture: As a result of the company’s emphasis on innovation and risk-taking, workers are encouraged to try new things and think critically and creatively. The corporation’s importance in creating novel ideas and methods means that workers who come up with novel solutions are rewarded handsomely. A research and development firm that relies on the innovativeness of its personnel would benefit greatly from the kind of culture described here when a new culture of innovation has to be created, and new solutions to difficulties need to be explored. Due to its emphasis on taking risks and coming up with novel ideas, it is least effective when there is a single, well-defined goal that has to be accomplished quickly. It is because using this method might generate unnecessary delays.

Question 3

• Establish a feeling of urgency. It’s important to help businesses see the value in transitioning to new ways of working and the benefits that may come from doing so. To develop a feeling of urgency among their staff, businesses must be aware of the threats and possibilities posed by external events or changes in the market.
• Create a coalition that will serve as a guide: To implement change successfully, businesses and other organizations must form a team of influential leaders. This group has to have the competence and authority to effect positive change in the world.
• Develop a perspective: A clear vision of the state in which an organization hopes to find itself is essential. It is crucial to share this vision with all stakeholders to create a shared understanding and commitment to the transformative process.
• Share the direction being taken: Organizations must ensure that all of their stakeholders understand the shift and are prepared to commit to it via clear and consistent communication of the organization’s vision and objectives.
• Involve and empower your staff: Organizations should do all in their power to provide workers with the authority and skills they need to assume responsibility for the transformation of the business.
• Short-term victories should be planned for and created: Organizations should set short-term objectives that can be fulfilled in a short period to create a sense of achievement and momentum.
•  Improve upon existing things while bringing forth more shifts: It’s important to celebrate a company’s successes and use the lessons learnt to fuel further growth. It is crucial for maintaining the transformation and ensuring the improvements will last.

Ciara Riley Wilson is one of the four stars of Netflix’s Freeridge. Riley’s acting dreams sparked at a young age, but in her native Portland, Oregon, acting opportunities were limited. After spending most of her young life as a competitive dancer, Ciara, aged 11, and her parents moved to LA to kickstart her acting career. 

Ciara told Portland Tribune: “It definitely was a career move. Growing up I always wanted to be a performer. It’s always been in my blood. I’ve done radio voice overs and commercials, theater, and acting camps, and I’ve decided this is something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. My parents helped me take steps working toward it.”

Ciara is an Asian-American actress passionate about spreading diversity on screen. 

Ciara Riley Wilson was born on 26th March 2001 to Nanette and Jay Wilson. She told Everly Mag that she is Filipino, English, German, and Russian. 

Nanette’s parents and Ciara’s maternal grandparents – Hernan Leones Guiang and Josefina Espino – were born in the Philippines. They relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to foster Hernan’s medical career before settling in Portland, Oregon, where they raised Nanette and her sister, Jennine. 

Nanette and Jay met in America and started a family. They raised Ciara alongside her brother. 

Filipino said it’s important for her to represent Asian Americans on screen, considering she didn’t grow up seeing actors of her ethnicity. She said:

“For me growing up, there wasn’t anybody that I could see on screen that I saw myself in and especially sharing a teen story. I think it’s really important. And I’m really glad that I got this opportunity to share my experience.”

Ciara insisted that her character’s name in Quantum Leap, Leah Valencia, reflect Ciara’s ethnicity. She continued:

“There’s not a lot of roles that come your way, especially ones that are looking for Filipinos or Asians. It’s a lot of just ethnically ambiguous or any ethnicity and so it was really, really cool that I got to read and when I saw the breakdown and said Asian American, I was like, ‘Yes. this is my role.’”

Medicare Payment Policies

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMSs) published a final policy on July 2022, updating Medicare payment policies and subsequent rates for skilled and proficient nursing centers. This was done under the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF-PPS) for the financial year 2022-2023. During this period, the CMS approved almost a 2.7% increase in Medicare payments for Skilled Nursing Facilities. Medicare is a splendid policy that pays for nearly 19% of all long-term care expenditures within approximately 33 days of a hospital stay. The program also covers critical rehabilitation care services when a person or patient is discharged from a healthcare facility.

Resident Room Capacity

Center for Medicare and Medicaid Service memorandum, documented as QSO-22-19-NH, encompasses recommendations associated with patient room capacity. Indeed, the CMS memorandum has highlighted the benefits aligned with minimizing the number of residents in every facility room, considering the lessons and guidelines comprehended during the coronavirus era. The primary goal is to prevent infections and guarantee home-like settings for the patient, thereby upholding their rights to privacy. Understanding that infection control is paramount in a facility’s work to mitigate disease outbreaks is pivotal. Notably, single-occupancy rooms reduce the probability of contracting and transmitting infectious ailments and provide our patients with a home-like environment and privacy.

Recommendations

There is a need to conduct a comprehensive financial analysis based on the 2.7% upsurge in Medicare payments to predict the 2023 and 2024 revenues. It is imperative to ask if the updated Medicare rates would be adequate to offset the renovation costs. Besides, the facility must explore and consider options of converting some of its rooms to single occupancy cubicles are a primary goal to foster an individual-based facility, the cost of renovation and warrant privacy.
Cultural and Workforce Management Factors
Several cultural and workforce management factors affect our healthcare facility’s operations and service delivery. Some of these factors include;

Cultural Awareness and Recognition

Our healthcare facility seeks to foster equity and inclusivity in care service provision. Competent healthcare professionals advocate for high-quality health equality, inclusion and diversity in daily operations and service care delivery. Familiarity with cultural diversities has the power and privilege to make our facility more collaborative and compassionate. There is a need for every person, including healthcare professionals and stakeholders, to extend the promotion and creation of equity, inclusion and diversity throughout the workplace. This will enable healthcare professionals to handle different patients with various health complications effectively with discriminating them against their culture, ethnicity, color or gender.

Positive Working Environment

This is another prominent factor affecting our healthcare facility. The facility deals with effective work culture by hiring competent and devoted professionals and encourage their retention trough timely training programs. Most nurses and healthcare specialists work in well-ventilated rooms to care for different patients with chronic disorders. A positive working environment encourages team collaboration, cooperation and coordination in care service delivery. It also fosters sound clinical decision-making processes for improved care, reduced hospital readmission and enhanced patient outcomes.

Recommendations

The healthcare facility must embrace equity, inclusion and diversity as the primary value when dealing with patients from different cultural settings. Implementing an efficient communication channel and ensuring every voice is heard and given the utmost respect will be imperative. There is a need to implement cultural proficiency training programs to incorporate diversity, inclusion and sensitivity subjects. To take care of discriminatory matters, it will be pivotal to partner with service providers for special populations such as LGBT elders and Sage as core advocates.

Leadership, Management, and Supervision in Higher Education

Higher education institutions worldwide face an ever-increasing set of challenges to their organizational structure, leadership, and management. With challenges ranging from the need to provide quality education and services, to the pressure of limited financial resources, to an ever-changing group of stakeholders and their demands, university leaders must be vigilant and strategic in their decision-making. Furthermore, their decisions often have a broader impact on their community. In the wake of the heated debate over Confederate statues and memorials on college campuses, it is essential for university leaders to understand how to effectively involve and engage stakeholders when making decisions about such statues (McRoy, 2009). In this essay, we will analyze the situations presented in two case articles involving the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and the University of Rhode Island (URI), both of which faced the challenge of removing a Confederate statue from their respective campuses. This article explores how two universities, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and the University of Rhode Island (URI), successfully navigated the challenge of removing a Confederate statue from their respective campuses. The article aims to provide insight into these universities’ leadership, management, and supervision strategies to tackle this challenging and highly charged issue. Through a detailed analysis of the case studies of UNC and URI, this article will examine the various strategies employed by the leadership teams, including the role of public relations, stakeholder management, and communication. Ultimately, this article will demonstrate how higher education institutions can successfully navigate complex and contentious issues through effective leadership and management practices.

Making difficult decisions, which may be unpopular with stakeholders across campus, is one of the jobs that a leader must undertake (Butler, 2014). One of the leaders in the two case studies given confronted the difficulty of sustainability, while the other faced the challenge of retaining a sense of cultural integrity. These two examples show that they handled communication exceptionally differently. The University of Rhode Island’s vice provost collaborated with stakeholders across campus to develop a shared understanding and generate buy-in and financial support for his vision. At the same time, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s new vice chancellor picked with what appeared to be complacency and a lack of openness. Despite his lack of intention to create such an impression, due to his unwillingness to be open about his opinion on the matter of taking down the statue, as well as his silence on what his stance was concerning the issue, his constituency groups felt that he was attempting to keep something hidden (Vasquez, 2020).

When viewing the news or reading a newspaper, it is evident that the issue of Confederate statues is a delicate one for many, if not all, individuals. Both parties to this issue have their perspectives, and an easy answer is not available. Kevin Guskiewicz, the newly appointed vice-chancellor, was asked about his contribution to removing the 8-foot Confederate soldier statue from the University of North Carolina campus (Vasquez, 2020).

At UNC, Chancellor Guskiewicz proposed the “Silent Sam” deal to address the Confederate statue on campus. Under the proposed deal, the statue would be removed and placed off-campus. The deal required the approval of the UNC Board of Governors and the North Carolina Historical Commission. Guskiewicz took the initiative to involve and engage appropriate stakeholders in decision-making (Bauer, 2021). He consulted with the student body, faculty, alumni, the Board of Governors, and the Historical Commission. This enabled him to gain input from various perspectives and opinions and ultimately develop a solution acceptable to all involved parties.

At URI, Vice Provost Peter Gistelinck proposed a similar solution to the University’s Confederate statue. The statue was removed from campus and placed in an off-campus location. However, Gistelinck took a different approach to involving and engaging stakeholders. Rather than consulting with the University’s governing body, he directly engaged the student body, faculty, and alumni. This enabled him to gain input from various perspectives and opinions and ultimately develop a solution acceptable to all involved parties.

One possible option for removing the monument off campus is to move it to a museum. This would allow the University to maintain ownership of the statue while also providing an educational opportunity to visitors. This solution would benefit the University, allowing them to preserve the statue’s history and provide an educational opportunity to visitors (Romo, 2018). It would also allow the University to avoid the potential risks associated with removing the statue from campus.
When making decisions about Confederate statues, it is crucial for university leaders to consider the potential risks associated with their decisions. Removal of the statue could lead to an increase in tensions and conflict on campus, which could potentially lead to violence or vandalism. Additionally, it could lead to a loss of public support for the University, as well as a loss of financial resources. Therefore, university leaders must consider the risks associated with their decisions and develop strategies to mitigate them.

At UNC, newly appointed Vice-Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz faced the challenge of removing a Confederate statue called “Silent Sam” from the campus. Guskiewicz faced numerous challenges in making a decision, mainly due to the University’s financial constraints. A significant risk he faced was the potential loss of student enrollment due to the uncertainty of the statue’s eventual fate. Also of concern was the potential for property damage or personal injury due to protests on and around campus. In making his decision, Guskiewicz consulted with various campus stakeholders, from faculty and administrators to campus legal counsel, student leaders and University police officers.
In the end, he decided to go with a plan wherein the statue would be removed from campus and stored for at least one year. Guskiewicz also decided to allot $2.5 million for increased safety measures, such as additional security personnel for the area around the statue and additional funds for the preservation of the statue (Bates & Masters, 2019). In response to the removal of “Silent Sam”, student enrollment and overall public opinion of the University stayed relatively stable.

At the University of Rhode Island, Vice Provost Peter Gistelinck faced a similar challenge in making the decision to remove a large Confederate statue from campus. In deciding how to proceed, he determined that in order to prioritize the safety and security of the campus community and protect the University’s financial resources, the statue needed to be removed quickly and quietly (White, 2018). As such, Gistelinck decided to enter into a deal with the Robert E. Lee Institute, transferring the statue to their care in exchange for the University’s seven-figure rights to the statue (Marmon, 2019).
Vice Chancellor Guskiewicz and Vice Provost Gistelinck faced a myriad of risks and challenges in deciding to remove the statue from each of their campuses. Their decisions both demonstrate the need for university leaders to understand their institutions’ financial limitations, be pro-active in engaging with a variety of stakeholders, and be able to assess and mitigate potential risks that arise effectively. In both instances, Guskiewicz and Gistelinck opted for solutions that resulted in positive outcomes, demonstrating the value of taking a strategic and comprehensive approach to problems that require higher education leadership and management.

Ultimately, the actions taken by Kevin Guskiewicz and Peter Gistelinck serve as powerful examples of how university leaders must be prepared to make difficult decisions, even in the face of financial constraints and widespread community opposition. The strategies they each applied in evaluating, mitigating, and addressing the risk associated with their decisions is a valuable lessons for other university leaders. Furthermore, the level of stakeholder engagement involved in both cases demonstrates the importance of involving all potential stakeholders in the decision-making process in order to ensure the greatest chance of a successful outcome.

There are distinctions and similarities in the context of leadership, particularly in managing change and conflict in these two institutions. At UNC, Chancellor Guskiewicz took the initiative to involve and engage appropriate stakeholders in the decision-making process. He consulted with the student body, faculty, alumni, the Board of Governors, and the Historical Commission. At URI, Vice Provost Gistelinck took a different approach to involving and engaging stakeholders. Rather than consulting with the University’s governing body, he directly engaged the student body, faculty, and alumni. Both leaders were able to gain input from various perspectives and opinions and ultimately develop a solution acceptable to all involved parties. However, the approaches taken by the two leaders were different in terms of how they involved and engaged stakeholders in the decision-making process.

In conclusion, university leaders must understand how to effectively involve and engage stakeholders when deciding on Confederate statues and memorials on college campuses. Chancellor Guskiewicz and Vice Provost Gistelinck took different approaches to involve and engage stakeholders in the decision-making process. However, both leaders were able to gain input from various perspectives and opinions and ultimately develop a solution acceptable to all involved parties. Overall, both articles demonstrate how effective leadership, management, and supervision can be used to navigate challenging situations in higher education successfully. The articles also highlight the importance of engaging in dialogue with stakeholders and listening to the opinions of the broader campus community. Furthermore, the articles emphasize the need to create a clear framework and strategic plan to guide the decision-making process. Additionally, the university leaders could mitigate the risks associated with the decisions that were made, which was beneficial to both the University and the stakeholders. Therefore, it is essential for university leaders to understand the importance of stakeholder engagement and the potential risks associated with decisions made regarding Confederate statues and memorials.