Welfare and Poverty in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Welfare and Poverty in America - Essay Example This is because of the particular socio political situation exists in that country. For an understanding of the welfare measures and poverty in America, we have to discuss the history of America from its existence. America was a land of large animals. Human beings entered this land for hunting these animals. The first people reached North America did not realized that they had crossed into a new continent. They had been following hunting entertainment which their ancestors had for thousands of years, along the Siberian coast and then across the land bridge. It takes thousands of years for North Americans to construct a new land which is now known as United States. Evidence of early life in North America continues to be found. Little of it, however, can be reliably dated before 12,000 B.C.; a recent discovery of a hunting lookout in northern Alaska, for example, may date from almost that time. So too may the finely crafted spear points and items found near Clovis, New Mexico. It is believed that life was established in North and South America prior to 10,000 BC. Slowly people started agricultural practices in this land. The Native Americans started cultivating corn, squash and beans in 8,000 BC in Central Mexico. Slowly this had spread to northern parts. Adenans are said to be the first Native American group. They construct shelter around 600 BC. Of late these Adenans were replaced by various groups called Hopewellians. There centre of activities were around Southern Ohio. These groups are considered to be traders and exchanged tools and materials in wide range of area. By A D 500, These Hopewellians disappeared and appeared Mississippians. They had expertise in hunting, foraging, trading, and agriculture for their food and supplies. Influenced by the thriving societies to the south, they evolved into complex hierarchical

Yoani Sanchez and the Power of Internet Blogging Research Paper

Yoani Sanchez and the Power of Internet Blogging - Research Paper Example Due process has often been denied on many instances, and, as a result, many feel that Cuban laws are unethical and oppressive. Despite all these, Cubans have lacked a voice to fight for them. Many have been afraid to come out in the open and oppose the constant oppression and violation of human rights by the government. People have feared the consequences of opposing the violations against their rights because those who speak out against such oppression are mostly the ones who suffer the most since the government does not want to be opposed or criticized (Sweig 47). Yoani Maria Sanchez Cordero has been acting as a voice for the voiceless in Cuba. She has been standing up for the rights of the many oppressed Cubans who have been afraid to question the current regime over the common human rights violations. Sanchez has been using the internet as her main tool in fighting the oppression being netted out by the government. This paper will critically analyze the power of internet blogging as used by Yoani Sanchez in creating a window into the harsh realities of oppression that have been facing the people of Cuba. Yoani Maria Sanchez Cordero is a renowned Cuban blogger with international recognition and global awards for her efforts in criticizing the current rot in the Cuban government. Sanchez has been lauded for the creation of Generation Y. She has been using her words as a voice for the oppressed. Sanchez has been using the internet to inform the rest of the world about the sad state of affairs in Cuba. She has been instrumental in informing the international community about the injustices and arbitrary punishments that have been facing the people of Cuba (Henken 1). Her aim of exposing these injustices via the internet has been to let the world see what innocent Cubans have to go through every single day of their

John K.Kennedy`s commitment to peace and disarmament before and during Essay

John K.Kennedy`s commitment to peace and disarmament before and during his presidency - Essay Example He was a committed person as then he was a senator and was addressing an audience where President Johnson was one of them. His dream of peaceful world was a forfeited one. In the address J.F Kennedy said people thought peace was impossible to achievable, it was unreal, but he said was dangerous and defeatist belief which leads to a conclusion that war is inevitable that mankind is doomed and that they are gripped by forces which we cannot control. He said this kind of view needed not to accept. J.F.Kennedy encouraged focus on more practical and attainable peace based on a sudden revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions on series of concrete actions and effective agreements which are in the interests of all concerned. He said that United States and its allies, and the Soviet and its allies had a mutually deep interest in a just and genuine peace and in halting the arms race. Agreements that the end was in the interest of the Soviet Union was well as the United States and even the most hostile nations could be relied upon to accept and keep those treaty obligation, which were in their interest. He encouraged perseverance in the search for peace in the hope that constructive changes within the communist bloc might bring within reach solutions which seemed beyond. He said United States to conduct its affairs in such a way that it became in the communist interest to agree on a genuine peace. Above all, while defending its own vital interests, nuclear power should avert the confrontations which could bring an adversary to a choice of either a humiliating retreat or nuclear war. To adopt the kind of course in... It is clear from the above that John F.Kennedy `s fight for a world free of arms and peaceful is well evident. He had put his life on the line just because of his desire to have A world free of arms. His fight for America out of Vietnam can be sighted as one of the reasons that his enemies had no option other than to have him assassinated. His speeches had always indicated clearly his desire and purpose for his political ambitions.He died having partially fulfilled his dream but it lives with and it needs attention. He was the youngest American president ever and a born twentieth century but his legacy lives on. His outstanding charisma and resolve of what he thought made the most coveted president in the United States ever ruled. He was a challenge and his enemies had no option left than having him assassinated.

Service Quality Dimensions That Affect Customer Satisfaction Commerce Essay

Service Quality Dimensions That Affect Customer Satisfaction Commerce Essay The objective of this chapter is to formulate the research question and develop the conceptual framework for the study. A detailed overview of how the research was conducted, the operationalisation of the variables, hypothesis formulation and the research methodology used which covers data collection methods used, sample selection and method used for data analysis are discussed. 3.2 Research Question Based on the review of literature and the research problem, the following question has been formulated in order to determine the relationship that exists between the various dimensions of customer expectation and the service quality by the insurance companies for motor insurance policy holders. It is important to understand this relationship as it would enable the companies in the insurance sector to improve their service quality and to match and to exceed customer expectations and create a knowledge base in order to stay ahead in the market. The following research questions were derived from the research problem and the review of the literature. What are the Service Quality Dimensions that affect customer satisfaction in the Motor Insurance industry in Sri Lanka? What is the extent to which customers are satisfied with the services received from the Motor Insurance Industry? What are the gaps between customer Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction of Motor Insurance policy holders? 3.3 Conceptual Framework Service Quality Dimensions Dependant Variable Independent Variables [Source: Developed by the Researcher] 3.3.1 Rationalization of the conceptual framework Conceptual framework was replicated based on Zeithaml, Parasuraman Berry (1991), to test this study in the Motor Insurance Industry in Sri Lanka. On the detailed literature review, the research identified five factors that impact value delivery to customer of Motor Insurance services. These five service quality dimensions of SERVQUAL Model by Parasuraman and Berry et el (1985), have been derived as independent variables. These variables fall under Service providers Perspective in the conceptual framework. The dependent variable was identified as Customer satisfaction. The gaps in quality of service will be identified by using these five dimensions. This is the gap between the Customers expectation and experience of the Motor Insurance service delivery, which will subsequently have an impact on customer satisfaction. Rust Oliver (1994) and the Nordic Model (Gronoos, 1992) too emphasizes the importance of meaning of the gap between expectations and the experience in service industry. Hence all these have been included in the conceptual framework. 3.3.2 Definitions for Variables Tangibles Modern Equipment and Technology, Visually appealing physical facilities neat appearing employees and agents, visually appealing materials associated with services. Appearance of physical facilities, equipment personnel and communication material (Parasurman et.al,1998 and 1990). Reliability Keeping promises when promises to do something by a certain time , offering products and services of utmost quality, issuing contracts with clear, transparent and non ambiguous terms, settling customers claims with no unnecessary delays, ,showing sincere interest when solving customers problems, offering services right the first time without unnecessarily discomforting customers, providing services within the specified contract time limits, issuing error free bills, statements, receipts, contracts, claims and other documents. Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately (Parasurman et.al,1998 and 1990). Responsiveness telling customers exactly when the services will be performed, doing their best to give prompt service to customers, always willing to help customers, never being too busy to respond to customers requests . Willing to help customer and provide prompt service (Parasurman et.al,1998 and 1990). Assurance Customers feeling safe in their transactions, behavior instilling confidence in customers, being consistently courteous with customers, having employees and agents with the necessary knowledge to give professional services to customers. Knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence (Competence, courtesy, creditability and security of the service), (Parasurman et.al,1998 and 1990). Empathy Giving customers individual services, operating hours convenient to all customers, giving customers personal attention, having the customers best interest at heart, understanding the specific needs of customers. Caring, individualized attention the firm provides its customers (Access to organizations representatives, communication and understanding the customer), (Parasurman et.al,1998 and 1990). As presented in the above conceptual model, the independent variable of dimensions of service quality will be studied. Price is also a relevant variable. However, the focus of this study is on service quality attributes and therefore is not within the scope of this study. Theoretical research has presented several different service quality definitions. However, Parasuraman et al. (1985) definition of service quality, which has been used in many industry studies before, was adopted. Service quality is defined as the degree of discrepancy between customers normative expectations for the service and their perceptions of the service performance. The SERVQUAL model developed by Parasuraman et al.(1998), is therefore used for this study. Hypotheses Formulation Hypothesis is a testable speculative statement delineating the relations between all the elements of a theory (Page Meyer, 2000). The development of hypothesis was categorized into two sections based on insurance companies customers. Accordingly five hypotheses were developed. The source for all hypothesis development was based on the conceptual framework. Furthermore, the hypotheses based on insurance companies were primarily related to the importance of each expectation. The hypotheses developed for customers were based on the service quality of obtaining Motor insurance policies. When developing hypothesis, Literature review under section 2.18, according to the study carried out in Greece and Kenya by Rand, (2006), it was proved that there is a relationship between service quality dimensions and expected and experienced service quality by the customers in the insurance industry. 3.5 Hypothesis Rationalization Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Reliability dimension in motor insurance According to Parasuraman et al (1985) Reliability dimension measures the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. As per the research carried out by Rand (2006) , it says that the Reliability has a huge impact on the service quality in service industry. Especially in a industry like Motor insurance it has a huge effect. Consumers satisfaction choice of service provider and service quality evaluation are influenced by the expectations of the consumer, (Trinh et al.2000). As mentioned above in the research carried out in Kenyan Insurance industry by Rand (2006), it is noted that most of the researchers (Rand, 2006; Trinh, 2000) have identified that Reliable service always has a positive impact on the service quality provided by the company. Therefore it is worthy to investigate the relationship among Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Reliability dimension in motor insurance. It could be hypothesized that, H 1 0 There is no relationship between Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Reliability dimension in motor insurance H 1 There is a relationship between Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Reliability dimension in motor insurance Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Responsiveness dimension in motor insurance The Dimension Responsiveness explains about willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. Responsiveness factor significantly has a positive effect on Customer satisfaction. Quality service provision, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty has recently been emerging as important parameters for both researchers and practitioners in turkey. This has been proved through a research carried by Yale University in Turkey (2009) on Service Quality in healthcare. This research was also based on the service quality. To provide superior service quality responsiveness is a very important factor since service providers should always willing to help customers. Especially in an industry such as insurance it is a very decisive factor since the customer is expecting a prompt action for their problems. So responsiveness factor effectively contributes to reduce the gaps between the Expected Experienced Service quality by the motor insurance policy holders. Therefore it is worthy to identify the relationship between the Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Responsiveness dimension in motor insurance. So it could be hypothesized that, H 2 0 There is no relationship between Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Responsiveness dimension in motor insurance H 2 There is a relationship between Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Responsiveness dimension in motor insurance Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Assurance dimension in motor insurance Assurance dimension is all about, the knowledge, competence, and courtesy of service employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence. Ducker (1991) defines service quality as What the customer gets out and is willing to pay for rather than what the supplier (of the service) puts in? Hence, service quality is often conceptualized as the comparison of service expectations with actual performance perception (Bloemer, Ruyter et al. 1999; Kara, Lonial et al. 2007). Service science literature often relies on SERVUQAL as an instrument to measure quality of service provided. SERVQUAL scale was developed based on a marketing perspective with the support of the Marketing Science Institute (Parasuraman, Zeithaml et al. 1986). It is very important to keep the assurance on the agreement made the company to their customers. Specially in the insurance industry, it is crucial factor to offer the assurance of the services provided. Therefore it is worthy to identify the relationship betwee n the Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Assurance dimension in motor insurance. So it could be hypothesized that, H 3 0 There is no relationship between Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Assurance dimension in motor insurance H 3 There is a relationship between Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Assurance dimension in motor insurance Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Empathy dimension in motor insurance Empathy dimension is about caring individualized attention provided to customers. According to the expectancy disconfirmation model, customers satisfaction is a function between his/her service performance perception and expectation (Pizam and Ellis, 1999), and illustrated as Satisfaction=f (Perception-Expectation). It is very important to offer individual attention to the customers specially in the service industry. Trustworthiness is one of the critical factors in any industry for the customers. Empathy factor defines that. Keeping the customer complaints and criticisms is very important in the motor insurance industry as the competition is very high. If the organization looses one policyholder that may affect the organization immensely. Therefore it is worthy to identify the relationship between the Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Empathy dimension in motor insurance. So it could be hypothesized that, H 4 0 There is no relationship between Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Empathy dimension in motor insurance H 4 There is a relationship between Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Empathy dimension in motor insurance Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Tangibility dimension in motor insurance Tangibility is all about appearance of physical facilities, equipment, ambience, personnel and communication materials. The rewards to firms that establish a loyal customer base have been well documented (Armstrong and Symonds, 1991: Heskett et al. 1994: Reichheld amd Sesser, 1990). In general, increased loyalty leads to lower cost of servicing the firms customers, reduced marketing expenditure, increased business from the existing customer base and greater profits. The internal appearance and the facilities is also affecting the service quality. It in turn helps the company to retain their customer and reduce the unnecessary costs such as saving costs. Therefore it is worthy to identify the relationship between the Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Tangibility dimension in motor insurance. So it could be hypothesized that, H 5 0 There is no relationship between Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Tangibility dimension in motor insurance H 5 There is a relationship between Expected Experienced Service Quality in relation to Tangibility dimension in motor insurance 3.6 Operationalization Based on the SERVQUAL scale and using five service quality dimensions. Concepts Variable Indicator Measure Reliability Price/Premium Reasonable Premium rates In order to evaluate customer expectation and experience , a 5 point scale was used. To measure customer perception the rating scale , for 1 Not important and 5 Very Important . And to measure customer experience the rating scale, for 1 Not Experienced at all , to 5 Experienced at a high level Product Range Range of products offered, to suit individual requirements Physical Access Availability and convenience of facilities and branch network Electronic access Availability of Telephone and online facilities Service delivery Level of service as expected/promised Responsiveness Waiting time Average time taken to process a claim after an accident In order to obtain data on average time spent with the Insurance providing company to get an service rating scale from 1 to 5 was used . for 1 Not Experienced at all , to 5 Experienced at a high level . In order to evaluate customer expectation and experience , a 5 point likert scale was used. Level of responsiveness of the Insurance staff Time taken to respond to an issue Assurance Stability The guarantee of safety when making a claim In order to evaluate customer expectation and experience, a 5 point likert scale was used. Safety of the investment Making the actual cost Convenience to the holder Confidentiality Maintenance of confidentiality Product Knowledge The knowledge of the product/features by the staff members Empathy Benefits Special benefits and features for the customer In order to evaluate customer expectation and experience, a 5 point likert scale was used. Attention Personal attention to customers and recognizing regular customers Caring Helping customers in a pleasant and caring manner Approachability Easy to approach staff members Tangibles Environment Pleasant ambiance inside the company In order to evaluate customer expectation and experience, a 5 point likert scale was used. Facilities Facilities provided to the policy holders Parking Availability of adequate parking at the Insurance company Number of repair centers in Sri Lanka Directional signs and information Availability of adequate instructions and directions of counters and procedures and easy directions when filling forma and other documents Appearance of Staff members Staff members are dresses appropriately Layout Convenient layout of the company interior Customer Satisfaction Level Satisfaction Level of satisfaction of the insurance company in relation to each service quality dimension A 5 point likert scale was used to measure the likelihood of these indicators ranging from Very Likely to Highly Unlikely. In Order to measure the time length of the relationship the respondent has with the Insurance provider , 5 time slots were presented where by the respondent could select his/her most relevant time slot. Study was carried out to ascertain the validity and Reliability of the Questionnaire. This was done as the instrument to use collected data was not tested previously. 3.7 Research Methodology The Research methodology is the way research is conducted. Research methodology refers to the theory of how research should be undertaken (Saunders, et al 2005). The first step of the study is to assess the service quality gaps in relation to the customer expectations and experience among five leading Insurance Companies which deals with Motor insurance in Sri Lanka and with each of the five SERVQUAL dimensions. This study helps to determine the average service quality gap score (between customers expectations and experience) for each service quality dimensions and how it affects the overall customer satisfaction. The second step each Insurance companys gap scores for each service quality dimensions. This is to examine the differences within each insurance company when providing services to the customers and to compare the differences of the overall satisfaction of customers in each insurance company. Stage three measured the level of satisfaction of the customers and the fourth stage examines the relationship between the expected and experienced service quality gaps by the customers for each dimensions. The final Stage integrates the data obtained from the five insurance companies and conclusions were prepared in accordance to the findings. Based on research problem, preliminary data was the main source of data used in this research. Consistent with the deductive research method, data collection through questionnaires has been a long proven method to collect valid and reliable data (Page Meyer, 2000). The deductive method refers to the use of a theory to generate prepositions or hypothesis that can be tested. Thus, the research method has been chosen for this study is based on deductive method. 3.7.1 Method of Data Collection In this study the primary data was collected through a self completion questionnaire from customers of the selected five Insurance companies. The study followed the Quantitative method to gather and analyze the data. The secondary data was collected from secondary source such Government publications (IBSL Annual Report 2010 Central Bank Annual Report 2010), Company Annual reports and from other publications. 3.7.2 Selection of Sample For the purpose of gathering data on customer expectation and customer experience, a total number of 250 questionnaires were distributed, from which a total of 224 valid Reponses were received and selected for data analysis. Individuals within a sample are chosen by chance rather than by the researcher or by being self-selected (Page and Meyer, 2000). A simple random sampling technique was used for this study, so that each unit of the population will have a known and equal chance of being selected. The sample was spread across Motor insurance policy holders of Five different Motor insurance providing companies in Sri Lanka. A brief description of selected five companies are given below, Aviva NDB Insurance PLCPLC Aviva NDB Insurance PLCtook wing as a leading player within Sri Lankas insurance landscape in the late 1980s. Over the years, the Companys good governance practices, ethics and innovation have helped it to soar to new heights. The dynamism and creativity of the Aviva NDB Family has been the engine of its evolution into a superior entity in the insurance and financial services sector. The Company has recorded a Consolidated Revenue of Rs. 7, 265 million with an impressive growth rate of 23.7% over the previous year. The Revenue reported for the current year includes Rs. 171.2 million being the gross-up of tax withheld at source on Government Securities. Excluding this, the growth for 2010 stands at 20.8%. Union Assurance PLC Union Assurance is a composite insurer transacting both Life and General business including personal insurance, in operation since 1987. A Public Quoted Company, UA entered the insurance arena at the time the private sector was permitted to set up in insurance, following the enactment of the Control of Insurance (Amendment) Act No. 42 of 1986. Committed to pursuing the highest standards of service and security, UA is backed by the corporate might of blue chip companies John Keells and Carson Cumberbatch. UAs reinsurers are world leaders, chosen for their dependability and total security. In short, they are the best in the business. The companys paid up capital as at 31 December 2009 is Rs 250 million and net asset base, Rs 1.6 billion, also indicates the companys  Ã‚   financial stability and strength, and places it firmly at the apex off private insurance service providers in Sri Lanka. Asian Alliance Insurance PLC Within a very short time period, Asian Alliance Insurance PLC has achieved what every company yearns for; it has touched the hearts of its customers with outstanding levels of professionalism and service. Asian Alliance commenced operations in December 1999 with 50 employees. Today the company has grown from strength to strength to become one of Sri Lankas leading players in the insurance industry. The company caters to an ever-growing client base that consists of corporate and individual clients. The secret behind the Asian Alliance Insurance success story lies in its ability to offer tailor-made insurance solutions to its customers. Sri Lanka Insurance Cooperation Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation which was established in 1962 as a State Owned Corporation was converted to a Limited Liability Company for a brief period of 6 years and was re-instilled in the state sector on the 4th June 2011, further strengthening the Corporation as the strongest and the largest Insurer in the Country. Sri Lanka Insurance is now backed by government protection and service excellence on par with the best in the private sector. At present Sri Lanka Insurance has over 120 Branches Island with an unparalleled assets base under management of over Rs.64.8 billion with a Life fund of over Rs.39 billion and over one million policies in force. The Motor Insurance Department has branched off into unrelated areas such as Theft only, Fire Only, Fire and Theft, 3rd Party Fire and Theft and Act only; once again, offering covers aimed at satisfying their clientele to a maximum. Ceylinco Insurance PLC From a solid and innovative start in 1939, Ceylinco Insurance Company Limited has faced numerous changes and challenges and has successfully weathered them all. Registered as Ceylinco Insurance Company Limited in 1987 and commenced business on the 14th of January 1988, in the spheres of Life and General Insurance, we have grown from strength to strength. Today, they have become the leading insurance company in Sri Lanka, with the largest network of branches and agents in the insurance industry. Their goals include becoming the leading provider of protection and financial security in Sri Lanka and in select international markets. 3.7.3 Structure of the Questionnaire Part one of the questionnaire focuses on demographic features of the respondents. Part two focuses on the dimensions. Questions from 1.14 entail in Reliability dimension and thereafter, based on Operationalisation, 10 questions focus on Responsiveness dimension 16 questions represents the Assurance dimension and 9 questions on Empathy dimension. Final dimension which is Tangibility has 10 questions. Each dimension has 2 columns to rate expected and experienced using a likert scale of 1.5, not important at all being No.1 and Very important being No.05. For the study, questionnaire was designed in accordance with the research objectives. The Questionnaire is based on the five SERVQUAL dimensions presented by Parasuraman et al (1985) and the Gap 5 which is also known as the Customer gap (the gap between customer expectation and experience) of the SERVQUAL mo del presented by Parasuraman et al (1985) , modified and tailored to specific service quality requirements of the Motor Insurance industry. Table 2: Structure of the Questionnaire Questionnaire Variables Measurement Items Section 1 Personal details Section 2 Measure Service quality perceptions of five insurance companies in general from individuals Section 3 Measure Service Quality dimensions separately to find out Expected Experienced service quality by each customer. 3.1 Reliability 3.2 Responsiveness 3.3- Assurance 3.4 Empathy 3.5 -Tangibility 3.7.4 Method of Data Analysis The Data was collected through a Questionnaire. The study was carried out using Descriptive statistics as well as Inferential Statistics. Under Inferential statistics an ANOVA analysis and paired sample two test were carried out. Descriptive Statistics Descriptive statistics  are used to describe the main features of a collection of  data  quantitatively. Inferential Statistics Inferential statistics are used to draw inferences about a  population  from a  sample. T-Test This test is used to compare the means of two samples (or treatments), even if they have different numbers of replicates. ANOVA test The Analysis Of Variance, popularly known as the ANOVA test, can be used in cases where there are more than two groups. The following methods have been used to analyze the data obtained from the study. Gap technique The gap technique will be used to analyze and identify the service quality gaps between expectation and experience of customers. Comparative Analysis A comparative analysis will be conducted in relation to the gap technique between the five Insurance companies using graphs and tables. Relationship Analysis Under Inferential Statistic analysis paired sample two test will be conducted to analyze the relationship between Expected service Quality and Experienced Service Quality by the customers. 3.7.5 Pilot Study Pilot study was carried out to ascertain the reliability and validity of the questionnaire. The instrument used to gather data in a research should be valid and reliable (Page Meyer, 2000). 3.8 Summary The purpose of this chapter was to explain and formulate the research questions and to provide a conceptual framework. The research question was formulated and thereafter the conceptual framework was designed using Service Quality as the independent variable and Customer Satisfaction being the dependent variable. Thereafter, the operationalization for the study was designed in accordance with the features/qualities of motor insurance industry. Given this, the methodology for the researcher was presented which included methods of data collection, selection of the sample, the questionnaire design and the methods of data analysis. Finally the limitations of the study were mentioned.

Affordable Health Care: A Review of the 2010 HealthCare Reform Bill Es

After months of substantial and aggressive deliberation around the United States, particularly in Washington, the HealthCare Reform of 2010 also known as the Affordable Care Act, was passed with a filibuster favorable to Democrats and signed into office on March 23rd by President Barrack Obama. Though it is intricately detailed, the ideal purposes as promised by those who promoted it are to provide inexpensive and uncomplicated health insurance to citizens along with enhanced coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, beneficial prescription drug provisions and changes to tax credits. Essentially, the law incorporates the positive aspects of today’s health care system and repairs the areas due for improvements. Over the first ten years of its enforcement in office, this reform is intended to expand coverage to over 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured and estimates a 130 billion dollar reduction in nationwide deficit. Each provision of the law was proposed to occur over a four year period with some of its ten titles such as the FDA’s authorization to approve generic versions of certain drugs ensuing immediately while others including the expansion of Medicaid eligibility for the poverty stricken taking effect in early 2014. Many are concerned it is futile and will only further damage a fragile American economy but to many the introduction of the Affordable Care Act is perfectly timed to mend a broken health system in a struggling society. Conceivably the industry most affected by the passage of the bill is insurance agencies. As of September 23rd 2010, according to the government’s website, whitehouse.gov, all insurers are required to pay the entire fees of advised precautionary medical services such as mammogra... ...g News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News - CBS News. 23 Mar. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. . 2. "Preventive Care under the Affordable Care Act | HealthCare.gov." Home | HealthCare.gov. 23 Sept. 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . 3. "Top 10 Pros & Cons - Health Care Reform - ProCon.org." Health Care Reform ProCon.org. 01 Sept. 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . 4. "Health Bill a Milestone -- or a Mistake? - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 22 Mar. 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. .

Managing Overtime Worked in the Workplace

In the following report, I will be give illustrations and possible solutions for an overburdening problem that exists in the U.S. Postal service Operations throughout the country. Overtime is an age-old problem that has gone long overdue without someone or a group paying serious attention to correcting this problem. The United States Postal Service is a large organization with many facets of operations; I will be concentrating on what we call the Field Operation or Area Office. This is where the public comes into personal contact with the Postal Service either by way of the individual letter carrier (mailman) or the window clerk who assists with business transacted at the post office. Every community across America has a Post Office. We are one of the most visible employers in the world. The U.S. Postal Service employs approximately 750 thousand diverse people. Many different cultures and nationalities come together to combine as an efficient workforce that gets the job done. The pay is moderate, so it would be pretty difficult to become independently wealthy working for the Postal Service. But, there are some employees that believe if they work, as much overtime as possible, maybe they can become rich. Unfortunately, this poses a daily obstacle to overcome for most managers in the U.S. Postal Service. The U.S. Postal Service is a production driven outfit therefore; everything is based on production verses cost ratio. The average workday for a postal employee is eight hours. It does not take a genius to figure out that the longer it takes to do the job, the more money is made. So, the employee that desires more money would be motivated to take longer to complete his or her assigned task(s). Historically, the Postal Service has been plagued with managers that were not diligent in doing their jobs with regard to overtime management. Because of this clusters of employees became accustomed to a Carte Blanche style of working. Employees were in effect managing the overtime and work production. During my career as a letter carrier, I completed my assigned tasks within my eight-hour shift working overtime only when deemed necessary by my manger. When I became a manager, I expected everyone who worked for me to have the same work ethics that I had. If this was not case, I attempted to force them to work as hard as I did. I later found out that this was not a good management approach. In fact, this was the easiest way to harvest disgruntle employees. Here was my dilemma; I was the new young manager who expected an honest day†s work, for an honest day's pay, paired with a staff that had been allowed to do whatever they wanted for the past ten years. The office of my first management assignment had 90 percent of the employees working an average of 10-16 hours of overtime per week. My performance as a manager as well as well as the production performance for our office was based on the amount of manpower hours used to deliver the total volume of mail. I will present information about the systems put in place that worked as a check and balance format. These systems enabled me to demonstrate to my employees that my requests were not unfair or unreasonable. I will discuss the areas that the employees were able to assist in helping to aleve the excessive use of overtime. I will also discuss in detail areas that contributed to the excessive use of overtime that did not involve my employees. With implementation of the new systems, my office has reduced its overtime to 14 percent.    While controlling overtime may seem as easy as just making an announcement â€Å"that no one is allowed to work overtime†; this is very far from true in the U.S. Postal Service area offices. There are many variables that come into play, the first of which is staffing. In order to do a good job; the office must be properly staffed. We have percentage breakdowns that factor in amounts of carrier routes; amounts of deliveries per zip code that derives to an employee complement. Each office has a number that satisfies their complement. If for any reason a particular office is operating under their complement that makes the task a more difficult. Any office can be fine one week and short the next, due to retirement, injuries, or details to name a few. If any of the aforementioned were to occur a manager could request replacement for these employees, whether they will be granted or not is another story. Then we have the day-in day-out mystery of who will call in on sick leave. Having any of these instances to take place in a given day can simply cripple an operation. If we take a carrier operation anywhere in the world that has 35 city carrier routes and 4 carriers call in sick on a Monday, that manager now has to scramble to get coverage for those four vacant routes. It is not like other organizations where your work can carry over by one day; the mail must be delivered daily without exception. This makes it difficult to get the work done in an eight–hour day for the remaining employees. The first thing the manager must do is to telephone four employees who would normally have the day off and ask them to come in and work their day off. Bare in mind that the U.S. Postal Service has something called an Overtime Desired List, a voluntary list of employees who wish to work overtime on assignments. When the manager telephones employees to come in on their day off, he must first call those on the Overtime Desired List. If the manager does not get four employees from the list, he may then exercise the option to call employees not on the Overtime Desired List. The only alternative to this situation is to have employees already present complete their assignments and pitch in to help deliver the vacant assignments. The advantage of this situation is that it allows you to minimize your overtime usage for the day. If the manager was able to get four employees from the Overtime Desired List to come he has automatically used 32 hours of overtime for that day. By having employees already present work additional hours, you are able to use far less overtime for that day. This is an area I feel managers need to stress to their bosses so that all efforts are exhausted in hiring more employees for offices to operate under their complement. The earlier mentioned example could have been avoided had that office been properly staffed. A fully complemented office would have unassigned employees who would have been given those assignments for the day avoiding the need for overtime. In order to be a successful office you must be fully complemented. When I was finally able to get my office fully complemented my overtime was reduced by 10% – 30% as shown in the graph below. The U.S. Postal Service has another formula that we use to gauge an employee†s production. There is a standard based on demonstrated ability. We can not hold Carrier A to Carrier B†s standards. This formula is for sorting letters and flats (magazines, newspapers, etc.). The formula allows 1 hour to sort 2 feet of letter mail. This is 2 linear feet, 2 linear feet equals 454 pieces of letter mail or 230 pieces of flat mail. So in order to standardize an employee the manager must count out 2 feet of mail, letters or flats, and calculate the amount of time it takes the employee to sort this mail. The average carrier has no problem at all meeting this quota, but there are those who attempt to outsmart their managers. If the manager is not focused on them during the sorting period there are those carriers who have the tendency to leave their areas to socialize among their coworkers, or â€Å"slow sort† their mail. The longer it takes a carrier to sort his mail, the longer it takes that carrier to get out of the office on the street to deliver this mail, making this same carrier late in returning from his assignment guaranteeing this carrier overtime for the day. You multiply this by several carriers in one office daily and you come up with an unaccountable amount of overtime usage as a manager. This affects your production numbers for the office as a whole. This where a manager has to jump in and approach the individual carriers immediately. As a manager I that this has happen to, I have approached the individual and asked some very basic questions to make certain that there are no health or personal issues going on with the carrier affecting their productivity. If nothing out of the ordinary exists, I point out that they are not meeting their productivity quota and make certain suggestions to assist them in meeting their quota. There are those times when you are challenged as a manager to verify your findings. When those situations arise, I go out and measure, with the carrier present, the actual number of feet of mail for them to sort and time them sorting this mail. Once you demonstrate to your employees that you are only expecting from them what is minimally required, and that you will hold them accountable for just that you run into this type of problem less and less. Another major contributor to overtime usage is the actual mail flow itself. Most days this is not a problem, but when it is a problem it is usually a big problem. In Northern Virginia we have two mail distribution centers, one in Merrifield and one in Dulles. For the Falls Church Post Offices, we receive our mail from Merrifield. Each morning we receive 3 dispatches of mail from 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. When these dispatches are on time everything runs smoothly, but when these dispatches are late an office goes from running smoothly to being hectic. One of the main reasons for a delayed dispatch is the mechanical failure of a mail-processing machine in Merrifield. In preparing itself for the new millenium, the U.S. Postal Service Distribution Centers are equipped with high-tech automated mail processing machines that do the job of ten employees sorting mail. In the event of a mechanical failure, one of our dispatches can be delayed by 1 – 2 hours. This 1 – 2 hour delay is passed along to my operation in 1 – 2 hours of down time for my carriers while they are waiting for their mail to deliver. That equals approximately 1 –2 hours of unforeseen overtime per employee that day. As demonstrated in the graph below this is a large usage of overtime for an entire office when calculated. The combination of mail volume and properly scheduled mail dispatches is critical in minimizing overtime. In closing, I would suggest that as we approach a new millenium the U.S. Postal Service would be better served by doing away with some of the older ways of thinking. The Overtime Desired List should be dismantled. This forces managers to go outside of the employees already present for work as a first solution to a vacant assignment list. To me this encourages overtime usage. I would also suggest for offices receiving mail dispatches late at least 3 times a week to move their scheduled time for mail receipt back and bring their carriers in a little later to accommodate for the dispatch schedules. For example if an office has consistently been receiving their dispatches an hour late, instead of having the carriers report to work at 6:30 a.m. they would move the carriers reporting times up to 7:30 a.m. instead eliminating that hour of downtime per person that they are losing.

Osama Bin Laden’s Strategy Essay

What were Osama bin Laden’s intended strategies in response to the â€Å"Arab Spring and why did he consider it a formidable event?† In response to the revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protest (both non-violent and violent) throughout the Arab world, Osama Bin Laden wanted to reevaluate how Al-Qaida as a whole conducted their operations within the Muslim world. Osama Bin Laden viewed Al Qaeda’s in ability to attract followers as a weakness, â€Å"He believed that a media campaign should be launched to incite people who have not yet revolted and exhort them to rebel against the rulers†, (Lahoud et al. 2012, 3). By avoiding joining political parties and focusing on combat operations, for example in Afghanistan the Taliban were â€Å"weakening† the United States which had a negative effect on the United States ability to assist leaders in the Muslim world with combating the Arab Spring, (Lahoud et al. 2012, 3). Osama Bin Laden viewed the Arab s pring, which was sweeping across the Muslim World causing riots and protest as a time filled with great opportunity because of the effect it was having on Governments such as Tunisia and Egypt. â€Å"At the time he was writing, the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt, Zein al-`Abidin bin `Ali and Husni Mubarak had fallen. Bin Laden was convinced that their fall was bound to trigger a domino effect, and â€Å"the fall of the remaining tyrants in the region was inevitable†, (Lahoud et al. 2012, 48). Explain Osama bin Laden’s relationship with regional jihadi groups at the time of his death. Senior Al Qaeda leadership held mixed feelings in regards to how to deal with regional jihadi groups. These regional groups were likely attracted to Al Qaeda after its much successful attack on September 11, 2009. While some Al Qaeda leadership felt that regional Jihadis should not be accepted into Al Qaeda, other leadership felt that only be including regional insurgents could Al Qaeda grow it’s numbers. â€Å"Bin Laden represented a third position, as he wanted to maintain communication, through his own pen or that of his inner circle, with â€Å"brothers† everywhere, to urge restraint and provide advice, without granting them formal unity with al-Qa`ida†, (Lahoud et al. 2012, 11- 12). Explain how King and Taylor describe the radicalization process for the purposes of their study, and why their study focused on the radicalization of â€Å"homegrown† jihadists. King and Taylor describe the radicalization process as one, which requires more than point of view to  understand. This is why King and Taylor conducted analysis of all five radicalization models at one time in order to understand the process of radicalization. By comparing each method King and Taylor were able to note similarities and difference amongst the methods. The study focused on â€Å"homegrown Jihadists† because of the current threat towards the west as a result of radical ideology produced by terrorist organization such as Al Qaeda, (King and Taylor, 2011). Why do King and Taylor take the position that basing counter-terrorism or counter-radicalization strategies on models that have not been empirically validated can be misleading and risky? In addition, why do King and Taylor take the position that the narrative promoted by jihadists is amenable to empirical research? King and Taylor believe the understanding and process of radicalization cannot be narrowed down to one method because the reason behind one individuals path towards terrorism may differ from another, (King and Taylor 2011, 616). Also, King and Taylor believe insurgents use propaganda to their benefit. For example, by leading Muslims to believe the West is attacking not only Muslim countries but also Islam itself they are able to instill into Muslim that they must defend their fellow Muslim brothers and sisters. This is one method that is used in describing the early stages of the Radicalization, as described by the NYPD, (King and Taylor 2011, 617). What conclusions do King and Taylor reach, regarding their study of radicalization of homegrown jihadists and what recommendations do they make regarding future research? At the conclusion of their research, King and Taylor decided that each method provided important information in regards to their own respected method. â€Å"When brought together, however, the commonalities and discrepancies between these models offered even greater insights, which may be used as a guiding framework for future research concerning homegrown jihadi radicalization†, (King and Taylor 2011, 617). The conclusion primarily focused on three factors which King and Taylor label as â€Å"contributing factors† to the radicalization process, reaction to group relative deprivation, management of identities and lastly personality characteristics, (King and Taylor 2011, 617-618). Along with these three factors King and Taylor suggest further research also focused on the internet and how it leads to ra dicalization and also the Jihadi narrative and its ability to influence homegrown jihadists, (King and Taylor 2011, 618)