The Buchanan Report And The Monderman Thesis

The statement is false. This is a tricky question! Although the Buchanan Report and the Monderman thesis do offer visions of how to manage traffic they also offer us two competing visions of social order. The Buchanan Report is underpinned by a social order which privileges the segregation of humans and motors through an array of measures in urban design and the regulation of the conduct of both drivers and pedestrians. This social order emphasises the value of a social environment delivering the conditions for individual mobility and car acquisition as a valued mark of success. The Monderman thesis stresses a social order where involvement and cooperation emerges from an individual capable of negotiating with others a shared use of public space. In this shared space approach, people are not segregated from traffic. You're right. Although Goffman's view of the centrality of interaction is visible in Monderman's approach to negotiating ‘shared space', Chapter 7 argues that, as Foucault shows, social order tends to be specified by experts within particular historical discursive frameworks. Although both Buchanan and Monderman were important in their own right, their ideas were developed and taken up within particular contexts that ‘authorised' their development (made their ideas seems appropriate and fitting to the needs of the time). Foucault claims that expert discourses, established by those with power and authority, are often disputed by competing expert discourses. Buchanan's ideas have dominated for a long period. Monderman's are perhaps gathering force and challenging those of centralised planning and direction. Foucault's view of how the authority to order social life is bound up with scientific knowledge is demonstrated in the discourses and practices of both Buchanan and Monderman.

National Health Service in the United Kingdom Essay

The National Health Service (NHS) was formed in the UK on July 5 1949. Its formation was part of the nationalization drive that epitomized post World War II UK which witnessed the establishment of the welfare state and the drive towards production of goods and services for public use instead of profit for private investors and owners. (Yergin and Stanislaw, 1998)[1] Thus reflecting the political economic philosophy of the time, the establishment of a free for all health delivery system within a country outside the Eastern socialist/communist block of nations was quite extraordinary as other systems of health care in most western economies had adopted the insurance system – i.e. pay for health care when healthy and use the care when ill.   Prior to the nationalization of health care under the NHS, health care providers like voluntary hospitals, municipal hospitals (that also provided mental health services), entrepreneurial cottage hospitals and specialist hospitals were already in existence. Local authorities also had departments responsible for health care services like midwifery and child welfare and also had authority to provide health care under the Poor Law. The NHS thus did not commence on a clean slate as these already existing health care establishments were inherited under the NHS. Also, health care for workers was covered under the Lloyd George’s National Insurance Act of 1911, though this did not extend to the families of workers. (Rivett, 1998)[2] Though the role of the general practitioner (GP) had been envisaged as crucial in providing non-specialised primary health care covering areas and activities like home visits and attending to patients in GP surgeries, prenatal and antenatal care, child welfare, venereal diseases, and industrial medicine, the reality of pre-NHS health care in the UK was very far from the realization of these ideals. According to Rivett (n.d.) the NHS in the UK was founded on the following principles: â€Å"The service was financed almost 100% from central taxation.   The rich therefore paid more than the poor for comparable benefits †¦ Everyone was eligible for care, even people temporarily resident or visiting the country.   Anybody could be referred to any hospital, local or more distant. Care was entirely free at the point of use, although prescription charges and dental charges were subsequently introduced Organisation was based upon 14 Regional Hospital Boards that funded and oversaw local hospital management committees.   The teaching hospitals were directly responsible to the Ministry of Health for they served the nation, not the locality.†[3] The NHS has three main interacting parties who have diverse stakes, responsibilities, and expectations in the running of the health service – those who need health care, the skilled personnel who deliver health care, and those responsible for raising money and ensuring that the money is spent properly on the NHS. (Rivett 1998)[4] Undoubtedly, the formation of the NHS has had an immense impact on health care delivery in the UK. For instance, life expectancy for females has risen from 71 years in the pre-NHS era to 80 years under the NHS. Life expectancy for males has also risen from 66 years in the pre-NHS era to 75 years under the NHS. Infant mortality rate (i.e. babies under 1 year old) has decreased from 34 per thousand to six per thousand. (Secretary of State for Health, 2000)[5] In spite of the altruistic principles upon which the NHS was founded, it has faced significant challenges of which finance is perhaps one of the most paramount. Rosenberg (1987) has for instance argued that the â€Å"implementation of developments has often been slower in the UK than in other countries. Partly this has been due to innate conservatism, but mainly it has been the result of financial restrictions.†[6] The former prime minister of the UK, Tony Blair, summarized the problems faced by the NHS as follows: â€Å"†¦ the NHS retains, in its essential values, huge public support. But over twenty years, it has struggled. Its funding has not kept pace with the healthcare systems of comparable countries. Its systems of working are often little changed from the time it was founded, when in the meantime virtually every other service we can think of has changed fundamentally. So urgent was the need for extra money for the NHS that many of the failures of the system were masked or considered secondary.†[7] Despite the apparent inability of the public purse to fund a free for all health delivery system under the NHS, government policy in the UK is firmly set against any form of payment of healthcare by workers as done in other western countries like France and Germany. Leaving healthcare in the hands of the market as in the United States has also been decidedly kicked against. (Secretary of State for Health, 2000) The UK government’s stance may be seen more as a decision of political expediency rather than an economic one, as the issue of free healthcare is a highly charged political debate that is top on the agenda not only of the ruling Labor government but also of the opposition Conservative Party. (BBC News 2004) On both sides of the political divide, it is highly improbable that privatisation of healthcare would be an option. Consequently, the future of the NHS, it appears, would not be based on the recommendations of health professionals and administrators, but rather the manifestos of political parties.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Though inadequate public funding has been the pivotal problem faced by the NHS, it is bedevilled with other problems that affect the ability of the system to deliver a proper service for the demands of the 21st century.   One such problem is the waiting times for care in accident and emergencies (A&E), GP surgery appointments and operations. In 2000, it was expected that by 2005 patients would have a maximum of 48 hours waiting time for a GP appointment, three months maximum for an outpatients appointment, six months maximum for an operation and the halving of A&E waiting times. (Secretary of State for Health, 2000) By 2007 however, these targets were far from a reality. A 2004 survey found that patients in England and Scotland had to wait for up to eight months for a cataract operation, eleven months for a hip operation, twelve months for a knee replacement, five months to repair a slipped disc, and five months for a hernia repair. (BBC News, 2004) Injection of more funds in health care in the NHS has been viewed by some health care professionals as inadequate to solve the problems of waiting times. A senior surgeon in the NHS is reported to have said that: â€Å"The government is increasing capacity by investing money but I’m concerned as a surgeon that the arrangements are not in the patient’s best interest. The individual patient may get their operation done quicker by the NHS funding treatment in the private sector but it will be with a different surgeon from the one they saw in the clinic.†[8] Though by December 2007, there had been significant reductions in the waiting times for inpatient and outpatient appointments, the problem delays in the NHS continues to persist. For example, 91.3% of patients in England waited for under 13 weeks for an inpatient appointment and 8.3% waited for over 13 weeks for an inpatient appointment. Also, 95.6% of patients waited for under 8 weeks for an outpatients appointment by December 2007. (Department of Health, 2008)[9] Evidently, lack of requisite skilled health workers has had an immense impact on the problems of long waiting times in the NHS. Funding the NHS from the public purse however presents problems of recruitment as remuneration has not been enticing enough for health care professionals and for potential training of needed skilled professionals from the communities. As stated earlier, the nationalization drive in post World War II UK precipitated the establishment of the NHS. Thus, centralized administration at the national level is a typical hallmark of the NHS. Over centralization has been identified as one of the major problems facing the management of the 21st century NHS. (Secretary of State for Health, 2000) Administration of a health service built for the population and health needs of the mid-20th century UK is still used for the needs of a country that has witnessed seismic growth in its population and especially in the size of its immigrant populations. Consequently, the organizational growth and modernization of the NHS has not kept pace with both population growth and modern organizational and administrative principles. The NHS today could be seen as a colossal, amorphous entity that that seriously needs a structural overhaul. The Secretary of State for Health (2000) also identifies the following as problematic within the current constitution of the NHS – â€Å"a lack of national standards†, â€Å"old-fashioned demarcations between staff and barriers between services† and â€Å"a lack of clear incentives and levers to improve performance†. (p.10) Thus the need overhaul the organizational structure of the NHS should affect the staff incentives and performance levels and effective communication and networking between the different health services within the NHS. Bibliography and References: BBC News, May 27 2004. ‘NHS Waiting Time Underestimated’. Retrieved February 14 2008 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3749801.stm Department of Health. February 1 2008, ‘Statistical Press Notice: NHS Inpatient and Outpatient Waiting Times Figures’. Government News Network, Retrieved February 14 2008 from http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=349539&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=True Rivett, G. (1998). From Cradle to Grave: Fifty Years of the NHS. London: King’s Fund Publishing Rivett, Geoffrey (n.d.) ‘National Health Service History’ http://www.nhshistory.net/shorthistory.htm Secretary of State for Health (2000). The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment, A Plan for Reform. London: HMSO (Cm 4818-I) Rosenberg, C. (1987) The Care of Strangers: The Rise of America’s Hospital System. New York: Basic Books Timmins, N. (1995) The Five Giants: A Biography of the Welfare State. London: HarperCollins Yergin, D. and Stanislaw, J. (1998) The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World’s Economy. New York: Touchstone [1] Yergin, D. and Stanislaw, J. (1998) The Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World’s Economy. New York: Touchstone [2] Rivett, G. (1998). From Cradle to Grave: Fifty Years of the NHS. London: King’s Fund Publishing [3] Rivett, G. (n.d.) ‘National Health Service History’. Retrieved February 14 2008 from http://www.nhshistory.net/shorthistory.htm [4] Rivett, G. (1998). From Cradle to Grave: Fifty Years of the NHS. London: King’s Fund Publishing [5] Secretary of State for Health (2000). The NHS Plan: A Plan for Investment, A Plan for Reform. London: HMSO (Cm 4818-I) [6] Rosenberg, C. (1987) The Care of Strangers: The Rise of America’s Hospital System. New York: Basic Books, p.7. [7] Secretary of State for Health (2000) op cit p.8 [8] BBC News, May 27 2004. ‘NHS Waiting Time Underestimated’. Retrieved February 14 2008 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3749801.stm [9] Department of Health. February 1 2008, ‘Statistical Press Notice: NHS Inpatient and Outpatient Waiting Times Figures’. Government News Network, Retrieved February 14 2008 from http://www.gnn.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=349539&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=True

Leading a Multicultural Team through a Change Process Essay

Leading a Multicultural Team through a Change Process - Essay Example The company – The firm has invested millions of dollars in the development of the project. Even though information regarding the amount of money the firm has invested is not available to me right now I can assume the firm spent millions of dollars developing this drug due to the fact that the average cost of creating a new drug is approximately $862 million (Adams & Brantner, 2006). Shareholders – Successful completion of the project will positively impact the price of the common stocks of the company. If the project fails the money spend on the project will become a sunk cost. A sunk cost is a cost that cannot be changed by any present or future decision (Weygandt, Kieso, & Kimmel, 2002). If the project becomes a sunk cost the firm will lose its entire investment which will have the effect of deteriorating the price of the common stocks of the company. Diabetes patients – Diabetes is a serious disease that affects 230 million people worldwide (Medicalnewstoday, 2006). This new drug will improve the quality of living of these patients. John - a 43-year-old African American, man, born in Bowie, Maryland Julie - a 51-year-old Chinese-American woman, born in the District of Columbia Jinsoo - a 27-year-old South Korean man who immigrated from Seoul Tom - a 63-year-old white American, born in Los Angeles, California, who recently moved to Maryland Darius - a 32-year-old Iranian man whose parents brought him to the United States when he was six years old Harpreet - a 30-year-old Indian woman who immigrated 10 years ago ... d to Maryland Darius - a 32-year-old Iranian man whose parents brought him to the United States when he was six years old Harpreet - a 30-year-old Indian woman who immigrated 10 years ago Issues The work team faces a variety of issues that are affecting its performance. For starters the team is very mad that its former leader was fired. They do not know that their leader was fired due to the unethical action of taking bribes from vendors. During the early stages of my tenure with the team I have to accept that there is going to be resistance to change from the team. Resistance to change is a very bad occurrence because it slows down the innovation process. Another problem with the team is a lack of teamwork. The team is also suffering from cultural conflict. It seems as if the personal agenda of each member has become more important than the project itself. Darius and Tom have been in conflict over how to approach the design of a critical piece of the product. There is low morale amo ng some of the team members. John and Julie are so disillusioned that they are job hunting. Losing these two members is not an option for the company since they hold key technical skills that are needed to successfully complete the project. The productivity of Jinsoo has decrease due to the conflict that exists among the team members. Tom, the oldest team member, believes he is been discriminated due to his advance age. Another issue is that Darious and Harpreet were added to the team just three months ago. Their entrance completely changed the composition of the team. Currently the newly formed group is in the storming stage of group development. The storming stage is a period of high emotionality and tension among group members (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 2003). A final issue that the

Foundation of European Union Law (Sovereignty of Parliamnent) Essay

Foundation of European Union Law (Sovereignty of Parliamnent) - Essay Example When it joined the European Community, many of the sovereign rights were transferred to the Union. The treaties of European Community and European Union do not have a specific legal base, require or order supremacy of Community Law, but some articles of Community Law clearly imply supremacy. For some specific articles and areas of its treaties and policies, the European Community required transfer or limiting of the sovereignty rights of its Member States to the Community. Some legal matters were completely controlled by the states themselves were no more under their control. (Cuthbert. pp 36-37. 2003) The sources of European Community law, which are its treaties, do not contain any mention of any relationship or prioritizing between the European Union and the national laws. For Monists states this was not a problem as for them all law is equal. One such Monist State is the France where there was no discrimination between the European Community law and the national law. As long as the procedures of constitution are followed, the national courts can make use of the international treaties. On the other hand, for a dualist state like UK there is difference between the national law and international law. For such countries, the national courts cannot apply the international law and treaty but only through domestic legislation. (Cuthbert. pp 36-37. 2003) For the EC treaty to be applied it has to be first made a part of the domestic law. In United Kingdom the EC treaty was incorporated by the European Communities Act 1972 especially ss 2 and 3. The incorporation still does not mean that the issue of prioritizing has been resolved. (Cuthbert. pp 36-37. 2003) The parliamentary sovereignty is the long-established formulation according to which the parliament has the right to make or unmake any law and power to do anything than to bind itself for the future. In case there is a clash between a present and a past custom then the present one has

Market Orientation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Market Orientation - Essay Example Several fundamentals of modern business and marketing practices date back to the ancient Greeks, the Phoenicians, and the Venetian traders. The term "marketing concept" was presented first in the1700s by Adam Smith, the Father of Modern Economics. He said that the customer should be made the focus of a business. According to Kohli and Jaworski (1990), the marketing concept is a business philosophy, whereas the term market orientation refers to the actual implementation of the marketing concept. Market orientation involves the production of goods vigilantly researched and designed to appeal to customers. Product orientation, on the other hand refers to the culture where the product is designed and produced without any market research and thus it is unclear whether the product would appeal and satisfy the customer or not. Proponents of Market orientation believe that the customer is the king and so it is important to continually assess and satisfy the changing needs and wants of the customer (Slater and Narver 1994). What does he prefer What product size is most beneficial to him From where does he make his purchases Does he buy in bulk To answer these questions organizations need timely marketing information systems, market research, decision support systems and diffusion of such market intelligence at all levels in the organization (Kohli and Jaworski 1990) Based on extensive interviews with managers and execut... Market Orientation Matrix2 Market orientation is a concept with two major components: (1) customer-focus and (2) competitor-focus. This conceptualization leads to four distinct strategic types. In an ideal world, firms should seek to understand both customers and competitors but resource constraints may lead to trade offs. However, much before a business starts to gather competitive intelligence it must conduct a SWOT analysis for itself. It must know where exactly does it stand in the market. Customer Preoccupied: are firms that stress on gathering customer focused intelligence at the expense of competitor information. According to Von Hippel (1986) a customer oriented approach is important, but focusing on competitors is more important when markets are growing as they serve as 'reference points for later adopters'. Marketing Warriors are firms that focus their attention to who their competitors are, what they are doing, and what do they plan to do. Such firms try to identify their own strengths and weaknesses in order to stay ahead of competition. This may be suitable when demand is predictable and there are few powerful customers. Strategically Integrated: are those firms that assign equal importance to customer and competitor intelligence. According to Day & Wensley a focus largely on either customer or competitors can lead to 'a partial and biased picture of reality.' Therefore a balance between these two is the most appropriate option. Strategically inept: are firms that fail to adapt to the changing market environment and focus only on internal operations, technological advances etc. Since external analysis is an imperative part of strategic planning, failure to do so can be

Human resource management ( HRM in spain) Essay

Human resource management ( HRM in spain) - Essay Example For instance, Anglo-Saxons consider management ability depending on interpersonal skills, while the French consider the most intellectual individuals as the best managers. On the other hand, Germans argue that good management is a function of formal authority (Valle, Martin, and Romero, 2001:249). In this regard therefore, it is evident that organizations all over the world are adopting global practices, but in many cases, they do so in nation-specific ways. Based on the General Motors case study in Spain, this paper seeks to provide a report on the international human resource management in Spain. The report covers the institutional context that influence human resource practices in that country, essentially focusing on the laws, employer organizations, trade unions, training an education system, and other relevant issues (Ferner, Quintanilla, and Varul, M.Z. 2001:116). Moreover, the report covers the current human resource management trend in the country based on relevant case stud ies. Overview of Spain Based on Hofstede analysis, Spain ranks high in uncertainty avoidance and low in masculinity score. This results from the Spaniards feelings concerning career security, rules, and regulation. The Spanish history in relation to human resource management traces back to the second half of the twentieth century. It is not after the death of General Franco and the subsequent collapse of his regime did the economy of Spain come into focus. The Spaniards looked upon their leader to lead then to democracy and the European Union. In those times, only a fraction of the labor market had employment. According to statistics, the levels of unemployment reached record highs in 1965, skyrocketing to about 38.5% (Perllow and Weeks, 2002:347). In the 80’s however, the levels reduced by about 5% to stand at 33.5%. Comparing these levels to other European states, Spain had the lowest level of employed women, accounting for only 18% of the entire women population in the cou ntry. Italy had an average of 25% and between 30% and 40% in northern Europe. PESTLE Analysis of Spain Political Spain adapts a kingdom type of state. The country has a constitutional monarchy primarily based on parliament democracy. Moreover, power is highly decentralized, with autonomous communities having a high legislative level. Furthermore, the country enjoys a fiscal and executive autonomy. After the restoration of political democracy in 1975 following the death of General Franco, the country has generally displayed stable leadership and democracy (Combs and Luthans, 2007:111). Economical The Spanish economy was already recording significant recovery by 2004 from the financial crisis, recording a 2.4% growth. This was 2% higher than the previous year and 7% higher than the recorded levels in 2002. According to statistics, the highest unemployment record in recent times was that of 2000, but dropped to about 10.8% in 2004. Additionally, overall employment rate grew by 1.6%, wi th unemployment levels dropping by 3.5%. Spain seeks to promote employment in line with the European Union Directives. Nonetheless, the European Union directive merely present a framework for guiding human resource practices, but does not offer maximum protection to the equality and rights of employees in the work place (Lam, Chen and Schaubroeck, 2002:907). The local legislation that currently exist act as the

Problematizing the Use and Learning of a Second Language Essay

Problematizing the Use and Learning of a Second Language - Essay Example The quest for education has attracted international students to foreign countries. Both undergraduate and graduate international students are, for example, enrolling in the United States universities in large numbers. The students, however, encounter several challenges as they strive for academic excellence and adapting to the new society. They even find it hard to socialize with the local students because of inadequacies in language proficiency and other related factors. In spite of the challenges, the students are of benefit to the learning communities both at the national and state levels. They introduce new cultures and bring about financial gains to American institutions. It is a fact that the English language is prevalent in various countries all over the world, but the level of understanding on how to use it differs. Several countries in Africa and Asia have embraced the English language. I believe that English is the most learned language in schools. I think that governments and institutions interested in enhancing their quality of learning cannot understate the value of English. Drawing examples from Chinese students, Qian, presents a comprehensive study of the teaching methods that can improve their oral English. He notes that China has given attention to the learning of oral English in colleges (Qian 2204). I think that in spite of China’s rampant economic growth, they still have to depend on the language when sourcing for foreigner investors. I fail to understand how China’s growth can continue if they can fail to embrace the language. By teaching English to their children and students in colleges, they provide grounds for their f uture growth. Qian, a lecturer at the department of English in Zhenjiang Watercraft College, argues that â€Å"it is true in China that thousands of students cannot speak fluent English although they have learned it for several years† (2204).  Ã‚