The Balanced Scorecard & the Financial Perspective Essay

The Balanced Scorecard & the Financial Perspective - Essay Example In today’s time whether it be a for-profit-organization or a not-for-profit organization, has to develop various strategic business models in order to manage and sustain their organization. Similarly, the rehabilitation centre got into strategic planning long ago. There had been various consultants who provided counseling to the centre on implementation of proper strategic business models for the smooth functioning of the organization. The centre tried to adapt these strategic business model based on the inputs provided by various consultants but the implementation of such models were very difficult for the centre since they were into rendering different types of services and these services were done not for profit. The management was unable to push down the strategic plan to the lower levels, from where it has to be started, hence the centre couldn’t never avail the desired outcomes. After years of pushing and pulling into the implementation of strategic business model s, the management finally appointed a Director of strategic planning, who in turn after thorough scanning and exploration of various levels of strategic planning process decided to utilize the concept of Balanced Scorecard. The main objective of implementation was to align each area within the center itself with the overall strategic plan. This concept was similar to breaking down of big activities into smaller parts so that even difficult task can be completed in time (Kazmi, 2002). The mission and vision statement of the organization was to become â€Å"a leader in providing and assessing desired services to people with disabilities†. The implementation of Balance scorecard was difficult at initial stages but as the top level management understood the importance and effectiveness of Balance scorecard, implementation became bit easier at later stages though the outcome measurement for many areas remained a difficult task as the customers at the center are people with develop mental disabilities. Analysis The main purpose of a balance scorecard is that it helps an organization to adhere to it mission and vision statement while aligning all its activities to one direction. A Balance Scorecard has four perspectives namely the learning and growth perspective, internal business process perspective, customer perspective and the financial perspective. Based on these four perspectives it can be viewed the organization from these four broad perspectives. The four perspective of the Cattaraugus County rehabilitation Centre has been discussed below: Customer Perspective: In the customer perspective the main goal is to amend the quality of services provided to the customer by the center. It has again two aspects to it, first, by providing better services through narrowing down the gap of unfulfilled services like allowing various supports to families of the individuals with disabilities, by improving the access facilities to customer for the services etc. Secondly, by giving the families and individual maximum independence and recognition for e.g. by providing various opportunities to the individuals in their community, helping them to develop various skill like sustaining relationships, developing various skills in them, providing them with opportunities to work , by working on plans based on the feedback provided by the customers etc. Financial perspective: The main objective of any organization is maximize profit through increased

The Question of Reality (Metaphysics) Assignment

The Question of Reality (Metaphysics) - Assignment Example Indeed, many religions resort to the concept of faith in arguing that their particular version of reality is the accurate and true version. Through an examination of cosmogony and determinism, this essay explores my personal understanding of the nature of reality; namely, I believe that the origin of the universe cannot be explained through merely physical phenomenon and that we are ultimately living in a universe subject to determinism. This personal conception of the nature of reality suffers from many of the same problems that religion does, namely that it cannot unarguably be proven through the scientific method and rational discourse; nevertheless, through reason and understanding, I believe that this is the most accurate interpretation into the question of reality. With Edwin Hubble’s 1929 discovery of a red shift in the universe the theory that the universe was expanding emerged and slowly took hold in the scientific community. (Coles 2001) By the time of discovery of cosmic background radiation occurred in 1965 by Arno Penzias and Robert Woodrow Wilson at the Crawford Hill location of Bell Telephone Laboratories, the majority of scientific thought recognized that what humanity understands as the universe originally emanated from a big bang type explosion that has seen expanded, and continues to expand, into what we know as the universe today. For many individuals, this constitutes the ultimate nature of reality, but I believe that this doesn’t go far enough in explaining existence. While most scientific research acknowledges there was a big bang type explosion (Dodelson 2003), I believe that there must have been an impulse that originally started the universe. I lack the scientific background required to speak on a complex and s ophisticated level on the subject, yet I believe knowledge of the ultimate reality is not a question that can be articulated through contemporary linguistic or scientific devices.  

DBS one of largest organisations in financial sector of Asia

DBS one of largest organisations in financial sector of Asia DBS was established in 1968 as the development bank of Singapore. Since then, DBS has transformed into a successful financial services institution, offering a comprehensive range of innovative products. In Singapore, the bank occupies market-dominant positions in consumer banking, treasury and markets, asset management, securities brokerage, equity and debt fund-raising. Going internationally, the bank has a regional network with more than 200 branches and over 1,000 ATMs across 50 cities. DBS primary operations are in Singapore and Hong Kong, two of Asias best regulated markets, which contributed 65% and 19% of net profit in 2008 respectively. The bank operates two brands in Singapore DBS and POSB. POSB is a well-loved mass market franchise that currently has a customer base of over 3.2 million Singaporeans. As one of the leading banks in Asia, DBS gains a massive global workforce of 14,000 staffs, representing over 30 nationalities. The bank announced S$6031 million of operating income in 2008. DBS philosophy is to empowering, educating and engaging our staff so as to build a high performance organization renowned for its good customer service and innovative business solutions. Because of a massive amplitude and complexity in operation as an international largest organization, and striving for an adequate-content report, it is ineffective to investigate whole aspects of DBS in the effort of implementing Knowledge Management. Instead, this report will specify in exploring the DBSs concept and its basic approaches to fundamentals of Knowledge Management. Key content will focus on identifying Knowledge Management process, building Knowledge Management System, Mechanism and Technology, ultimately Infrastructure. Challenges and benefits gained from implementation process are also mentioned in the report as well as recommendation and analysis. Throughout years of operation, DBS now understands the depth and significance of Knowledge Management. In its development journey, DBS learnt that this conception must be essentially seen as a vitally critical point, an innovative strategy towards a sustainability business model rather than a diverse and complex risk. That right and visional direction are now put primarily on one of the long-term goals of the organization. Moreover, DBS business is in banking and finance industry where multiplicity of information and knowledge is created and updated every hour, the need of Knowledge Management becomes critically essential than ever. To start with, DBS sees official meetings as an approaching mechanism for knowledge discovery. As the nature of the business, the need for valuable information which then converted to knowledge is critical for the bank. This knowledge is defined and explored by neither the interaction between people in the organization nor just simply synthesized from previous data. For instance, there is always a meeting in Sales Department which also has a presence of Branch Manager every Monday morning to revise previous works and orient sales activities for the week. More significantly, Board of Directors and Management committee also arrange official meetings 4 times every quarter to undertake a careful overview of decision making in various levels and aspects of the organization. Telephone conversation is also applied in the process of knowledge discovery. However it is stated that not preferable as DBS values face to face conversation where information can be transferred and conveyed in a full meaning of ways. To enhance Knowledge discovery, DBS also invested in technology. One exemplary approach is the development of DBS database. This is an organized collection of data for people within the organization However, accessibility in sensitive information may not be exposed to every employee. A very useful and beneficial application of DBSs database is its customer databases. In order to promote loans, risk management, and further observation, DBSs customer database is constructed to record contact, credit, and personal information such as salary, current financial situation. This database is well designed to specifically and easily create, store, search and retrieve contents which has a great impact in knowledge discovery process. DBS is also aware of the Knowledge Capture and Share process. Practically, the organization promote on the job training under DBS Management Associate Programme. This is an experience-based development offered to new employees. Along the route, they will acquire the most possibility and chances to decide their career path when experimental learning is gained across different type of roles. By doing this, DBS ensures that organizational knowledge is able to be conveyed and captured. Furthermore, to utilize the strength of technology in the process of knowledge capture and sharing, DBS invested warily in computer-based communication. Each employee in the organization practically has their own computer which is well connected to the rest of the company. Instant message, email, chatroom is promoted in a rigorous manner within the organization to enhance the creation of social network and information exchange. Significantly, the organization also has its own server where only people within the company can access. This server is well managed and developed for human interaction and database warehouse. In DBS, direction of knowledge is also well conveyed. Each employee knows warily the structure of the organization, specifically in their department. By that meaning, the relationship and relative ranks of parts and positions are well determined. Thus, employee would be guided by following the instruction or direction from the top wherever task uncertainty is encountered. Moreover, to promote routine process, DBS sets up organizational policies and work standards for safety, health in workplace. A more particular enhancement in Knowledge Application in regard of routine process is the implementation of Enterprise-wide Core Credit Risk Policy. This establishes the principles and policies followed by the entire organization to conduct banking and financial activities and operation under specified credit risk management. Significantly, Knowledge Infrastructure is insightfully aware and constructed by DBS from the early stage. Building up adequate and efficient database within the organization, keeping track with customer information and applying thoroughly technology into workplace are remarkable efforts and practices of DBS to utilize the strength of knowledge. Strong organizational culture is achieved in DBS where every employee is well perceived of the organization values. Orientation is made wherever a new employee joins the group to ensure they get awareness of DBSs pathway as a world class regional bank, renowned for quality, added value, and innovative service at affordable cost to customers and their ways of doing things. Following the orientation, specific goals and standards of behavior are also clearly stated to lead and guide organizational members to pursue appropriate actions. More remarkably, although promoting a well-built internal culture, DBS acquires good awareness of a phenomenon, Groupthink which is easily implied from strong culture. They understand this incident can result in a reduction of innovative capacity within the organization. In regard of this issue, DBS introduces guidelines, organizational campaign and building feedback centre in order to encourage its employees to strive for creativity and challenges. Organizational culture  is an idea in the field of  organizational studies  and  management  which describes the psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values (personal and cultural values) of an organization. It has been defined as the specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other and with  stakeholders  outside the organization.[1] This definition continues to explain  organizational values, also known as beliefs and ideas about what kinds of goals members of an organization should pursue and ideas about the appropriate kinds or standards of behavior organisational members should use to achieve these goals. From organisational values develop organizational norms, guidelines, or expectations that prescribe appropriate kinds of behavior by employees in particular situations and control the behavior of organisational members towards one another.[1] Where culture is strong-people do things because they believe it is the right thing to do-there is a risk of another phenomenon,  Groupthink. this is a state where people, even if they have different ideas, do not challenge organizational thinking, and therefore there is a reduced capacity for innovative thoughts It is also growing its own talent.   We are now in the process of developing talent programme at the each level, much like Exxon Mobils or Citis talent programme. You have a rigorous focus, you find the right people, you give them development opportunities, and you give them training opportunities, said Gupta.   He said DBS is looking for people to staff what he calls a Policy Desk. They will draft policies in areas like decision-making and organisation structure.   Other new initiatives include a Customer Experience Council to improve service, and an Innovation Council to promote a standard way of thinking. CNA /ls http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DBS_Bank http://www.dbs.com/dbsgroup/about/default.aspx http://www.sgx.com/wps/portal/marketplace/mp-en/listed_companies_info/corporate_info DBS management programme http://www.dbs.com/careers/graduates/Pages/default.aspx

A Doll’s House by Henrik Isben Essay -- English Literature Essays

A Doll’s House by Henrik Isben A Doll’s House by Henrik Isben is about a young woman and her life. The main characters name is Nora Helmer. She is married to a bank manager named Trovald. In the early years of their marriage just after their first child Trovald becomes ill. Doctors say that he will not live unless he goes abroad immediately. Nora takes it upon herself and borrows two hundred and fifty pounds from a money leader named Krogstad. She was dishonest with Trovald and said her father gave it to her. It was illegal because she forged her dying fathers signature on the document. Nora Helmer in a A Doll’s House is a women ahead of her time. In order to protect her children from a false life, she inflicts tragedy upon herself by leaving every thing she has by walking away. She puts herself in this tragic situation by not being honest. Nora lies to herself and the ones she cares about. Before she leaves her life is not her own person she is carrying on life as a role. Making others happy, instea d of herself. As the play goes on, Nora seems to transform from her delicate little character into something much more. At the end of act one, Krogstad goes to Nora for the recollection of the money she had borrowed from him. "You don’t mean that you will tell my husband that I owe you money?" (21). Since Nora was wrong in doing so socially, she could not tell Torvald or anyone else about her problem. Not only would that affect their social standard but also Torvald's ego, which inevitably would happen anyway. After Krogstad threatens to expose Nora for forging her father's signature, she realizes that no matter what she does Torvald was going to know the truth. The flaw within this patriarchal framework becomes apparent when Nora discovers that she has no legitimate name of her own. She can use neither her married name nor her maiden name to borrow money. She finds that she cannot appropriate her father's name. In other words, as a married woman she has neither authority nor identity. Pani c begins to set in and she begins to feel helpless because she has no power to do anything about the situation. In act two Nora continues to act as she is supposed to, as a perfect housewife. She confides in her friend Mrs. Linde about her problem with Krogstad for the first time, which shows that she is starting to break free from Torvald and think for herself. Knowing th... ... all my very own" (62) ? By walking out she takes a position equal to her husband and brakes society's expectations. When we learn that the representation for Nora was intelligent and ambitious everything falls in to place. There is no need to wonder about motivation or changes of character sudden disclosure. The story A Doll’s House is believable. It stands for every marriage where equality never took place. Many women knew their social status and lived as they were meant to, but for the few that realized there was more to the world then the sheltered life they were living, broke free. Nora was one of the women who knew her place and acted accordingly until she saw that her name had no real value. She was not looked at as an individual, but she was seen as her father's daughter or her husband's wife. The turning point for her decision to break free from this world and start her own life is very believable. She comes to see that her marriage isn't real. Nora no longer loves her husband and knows that he does not truly love her as well. She knows that there is so much more to discover in the world to understand, and until she does she will not allow another man to control her life.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the HPV Vaccine in Adolescent Girls: An Ethical Essay

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) are a group of more than 40 types of viruses that infect the genital areas, throats (recurrent respiratory papillomatosis), and mouths of males and females and is the number one most common sexually transmitted disease (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2009). It is spread by genital contact. It is most easily spread by vaginal and anal sex, but also through oral sex and even just genital-to-genital (skin-to-skin). In 90% of people that contract HPV, their own immune system clears it up within two years, most never even developing any symptoms from it (CDC, 2009). Out of the many types of HPV types, most end up causing warts on one of the above-mentioned areas, while a certain few are known to cause cervical cancer. Lockwood-Rayermann & McIntyre (2009) state that â€Å"[t]he most common oncogenic/high-risk virus types worldwide and in the United States are Types 16, 18, 31, 45, and 52; 11% of invasive cervical cancers in the United States are caused by Types 16 and 18 (55% by Type 16 and 22% by type 18). HPV Types 31, 45, and 52 comprise another 8% of all cases.† Cervical cancer is usually not detected until it is quite advanced, which is why women should get screened for cervical cancer regularly. There is also another precaution women can take. The Food and Drug Administration approved the very first vaccine to prevent cervical cancer by the types of HPV that cause it in June of 2006 (Thomas, 2008). This vaccine, being new, and therein little is known about its long term effects, has caused ethical debates about the use of it, particularly in adolescent girls. Thomas (2008) mentions that the CDC recommended, by a unanimous vote, that girls aged 11 to 12 years old receive this new HPV vaccine. This may seem  young, but in order for the vaccine to be effective, it must be administered before a person has been exposed to HPV, which happens during sexual encounters. Since few girls are sexually active at this age, most of whom haven’t gone through puberty yet, this is an ideal age to have them be vaccinated (Thomas, 2008). Thomas (2008) also goes on to say that this vaccine has been administered to 11,000 girls around the world with no serious side effects. Their ages ranged from 9 to 26 years old. This vaccine is given by a series of three shots over the course of six months and it’s important that they get all three to be effective, since little is known about the effectiveness of people who only receive one or two (2008). But is it ethical for a girl as young as nine years old to be receiving such an invasive procedure in order to avoid a sexually transmitted disease? After all, what nine year old is even thinking about sex and STDs? That is why this issue is one that is left for the parents to decide, and opinions are unsurprisingly mixed. One of the main arguments against vaccinating young girls with the HPV vaccine is cost. Thomas (2008) lists the total cost of this vaccine, for all three shots, as around three hundred dollars, relatively inexpensive considering the detrimental consequences of contracting one of the types that are known to cause cancer. There is another issue to take into consideration, though, when accounting for the price of this vaccination; the effects for protection are only estimated to be four or five years (2008). If a young girl were to be vaccinated at nine years old, and again at ages twelve, sixteen, and twenty, you are looking at close to one thousand dollars in total. How are parents with poor health insurance coverage or none at all supposed to protect their daughters for this virus that can cause cervical cancer? A parent can also anticipate losing a day’s pay to take their child to the doctor’s office or the clinic on three different occasions to receive all three shots. Because of the cost, and the limited duration of effectiveness, a lot of women decide not to get vaccinated and not to vaccinate their daughters, hoping that a better, longer lasting, and less expensive alternative will â€Å"arrive on the pharmaceutical market† at some point in the near future (2008). Another popular argument against HPV vaccination is that some parents view it as a green light for their daughters to behave promiscuously (Thomas, 2008). Much like condom distribution at high schools, there are those that view HPV vaccination as another way to promote, and cause a rise in irresponsible sexual behavior (2008). Thomas (2008) goes on to describe a conservative political group called the Traditional Values Coalition and how they have publicly denounced the HPV vaccine and claim that genital warts, cervical cancer, etc. are not a national health concern, and â€Å"that HPV can be prevented through abstinence and marital fidelity.† This group attributes â€Å"monetary gain† by pharmaceutical companies as a motive for the mandate for HPV vaccination. Like most every ethical or moral dilemma going on in this country, this issue rests in the parents’ religious and personal beliefs. Studies have shown that despite abstinence programs, teenagers still engage in sex, proving that something as insignificant as a vaccine is not going to encourage kids to have sex—they are having it anyway. Thomas (2008) cited a study that showed that 90% of teens are using condoms when they engage in sexual intercourse, but condoms alone cannot protect you from HPV, making the vaccine all that more important for young girls to receive. If a parents cannot set aside their religious and personal beliefs long enough to acknowledge that this vaccine has the potential to save their daughter’s life, then they may require a lot more than just education. Each year 6.2 million new cases of HPV come about and currently, 20 million people in this country are infected with HPV. The vaccine that is available has the potential to save 70% of the people it would otherwise infect from cervical cancer in young women (Thomas, 2008). â€Å"In 2008, an estimated 11,070 women in the United States will be diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 3, 870 women will die from the disease† (Lockwood-Raverrmann &McIntyre, 2009). Lockwood-Raverrmann & McIntyre (2009) go on to explain that the prevalence of HPV in peaks in women in their early twenties, and also go on to say that even younger women, i.e. teenagers, are more susceptible to the virus. They describe one possible explanation for this is because in younger women, it â€Å"could be the changing histology of the cervix following the commencement of puberty.† They go to say that â€Å"during this period of time, large populations of cells are undergoing maturation and are more  suscep tible to the development of an HPV infection† (2009). With all of this statistical data, it is confusing to think that some little girl’s parent’s are prepared to deprive her of a vaccine that could potentially save her life should the opportunity arise and she chooses to have sex. Again, said girl wouldn’t even have to have vaginal intercourse to contract Type 16 HPV, which would years later cause cervical cancer in which she could quite realistically die from. It is a frustrating and infuriating thought—that this girl could die because of her parent’s ignorance and/or their undyin

Professional Abilities Essay

There are several organizations for each professional for example: teachers, social workers, accountants and business owners just to name a few. Then there are sororities and fraternities which consist of all of these professionals in one melting pot. The professional organization which I will describe in the paper is the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). As an employee in a Child Care Facility being apart of this organization can help improve my career if I choose to become the director in a few months. The following paragraph describes the history of the organization and what it has done for the early childhood program. As a mother of 5 with 4 attending school in the public school system this organization is in the public eye and moving forward with efforts to improve the early childhood system and help teachers, parents and congress to understand how important our children’s education should be to us. I can join this organization and help to change laws that can have an impact for not only my children but also grandchildren, nieces, nephews and the children that attend my Childcare facility my eyes could be open to new information, meeting people from all aspects of life at the national meetings and even go to Washington DC to help influence them to increase the funding, or make changes to existing policies regarding early childhood education. NAEYC’s mission is to serve and act on behalf of the needs, rights and well-being of all young children with primary focus on the provision of educational and developmental services and resources. National Association for the Education of Young Children has become the nation’s premier organization for early childhood professionals—setting research-based standards and providing resources to improve early childhood program quality, enhance the professional development and working conditions of program staff, and to help families learn about and understand the need for high quality early childhood education. Through position statements, work with other organizations, and its national voluntary accreditation system, NAEYC has been the leader in promoting excellence in early childhood education for all young children from birth through age 8. NAEYC’s roots extend to the 1920s when professional researchers and educators began organizing nursery schools for young children. Concerned about the quality of the proliferating programs, Patty Smith Hill identified a multidisciplinary group of 25 individuals, among them Arnold Gesell, Lois Meek (Stolz), and Abigail Eliot, to consider the need for a new association. A public conference was held in Washington, DC in 1926. By 1929, the group was organized as the National Association for Nursery Education (NANE) and had published its first book—Minimum Essentials for Nursery Education. In 1964, NANE was reorganized as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Also that year, the federal Head Start program was launched, focusing public attention on preschool education. In the early 1980s, concern about the quality of early childhood services available to the burgeoning numbers of families seeking child care and preschool programs for their young children led NAEYC to begin planning a national voluntary accreditation system for early childhood programs. NAEYC’s work in developing position statements and setting standards for different aspects of early childhood education continued throughout the 1990s. The National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development focuses attention on improving the quality of preparation and ongoing professional development for teachers of young children by providing a place to learn from researchers about new developments and evaluations of pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, and teacher education. By its 75th anniversary in 2001, the association was engaged in a project to reinvent its accreditation system (scheduled to be fully implemented in 2006). Funding provided by a variety of contributors has been instrumental to the success of this effort. In addition, a comprehensive restructuring of its affiliate groups (most of which successfully re-affiliated in 2004) had also been launched. Interest Forums were established as a membership benefit in 2001 to encourage communities of learning on issues related to the NAEYC mission. Funding provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation enabled NAEYC to establish the Supporting Teachers, Strengthening Families project to prevent child abuse and promote children’s healthy social development by helping teachers better communicate with families on difficult issues. The Association also adopted standards for professional preparation associate degree programs in early childhood education and launched plans to develop an accreditation system for these institutions. This effort has been generously supported by a number of contributors. The results of earlier efforts to build the Association’s policy presence are clearly visible in 2004. Affiliates and members receive training, technical assistance and resources to help them improve the capacity of their efforts to promote good public policies and investments in affordable, high quality early childhood education programs. NAEYC is recognized as a leading voice in Congress and in state capitols on what is needed to help improve early childhood programs and services for all young children and their families, ranging from child care and Head Start, to early elementary grade reading programs and appropriate assessment. Early childhood educators look to NAEYC for journals, books, and other resources that combine a solid research base and information and features that make them highly accessible and useful for practitioners, teacher educators, and policy makers. NAEYC Conferences continue to be the meetings that just can’t be missed, serving a critical convening function for the early childhood profession and providing a valuable professional development opportunity. Approaching its 80th anniversary, NAEYC is proud of its traditions, but also looks to the future. The Association is committed to becoming an ever more high performing inclusive organization that invites all individuals, families, communities and organizations to work together to improve the lives of all young children. They offer an Associate Degree Accreditation Program too many Universities that have programs in Early Childhood to make sure they are preparing their students for their career. They also offer Early Childhood professionals resources to improve their practice through training and professional development. After reading all the above information we should all be apart of this type of organization that cares greatly for the education system that our child (ren) participate in on a daily basis.