Huddle investigation Essay Example

Huddle investigation Essay 1. That the larger the huddle, the smaller the amount of heat lost. That is, an organism (test tube) on its own will lose more heat than if it were huddled in a group. In an experiment using test tubes, this will be supported by data which shows that a test tube by itself will lose more heat in the same amount of time than if it were in a huddle.2. The temperature loss should decrease proportionally as the size of the huddle grows.3. Also, the organism (test tube) in the centre of the huddle will lose less heat than an organism or test tube on the outside of the huddle.The reasoning behind this hypothesis is that as the huddle group grows in size, the amount of exposed surface area will be reduced per test tube. Although in practice not every test tube is exposed, theoretically, this is a way of comparing huddles.Also, in a huddle of many organisms, or test tubes, if there is a centre test tube which is not exposed, it will be warmer than those on the periphery of the huddle. This hy pothesis can be supported by data collected in the experiment by measuring the temperature of the centre of the huddle and the periphery of the huddle. The centre will be warmer because it has no surface area exposed to the outside.Huddling is a behavioural adaptation to the cold climate. Huddling (in the case of penguins) is when a group of penguins stand closely together, nestling, in an attempt to reduce heat loss collectively as a group. This idea is effective because as a group, the penguins have lesser surface area exposed to the cold per penguin. Thousands of penguins have been seen in the Antarctic nestling together. It is can be said that huddling together is the most vital adaptation of penguins to survive the breeding season, when the males are incubating the eggs and do not go out to find food, a source of energy.PLANNING BIndependent variable: the size of the huddleDependent variable: the amount of heat lost as a huddleControlled variables:- the type of test tubes- thic kness of the test tube glass- size of test tubes- the same test tubes were used- source of hot water- use of hot water, not any other substance- amount of hot water in each test tube- same thermometer- controlled environment thus the room temperature should be the same- the experiment was conducted away from windows, to minimise chance of sunlight adding heat to the huddle- amount of time allowed for each experimentApparatus:10 identical test tubes2 rubber bands2 thermometersA stopwatchA test tube rackHot water (from a tap)Materials to record dataMethod:In this experiment the temperatures of different huddles were measured. A test tube is used to represent one penguin.For means of comparison, an experiment was conducted where single test tube stood alone. Then we also used groups of 7 and 10 test tubes, to represent the increasing size of the huddle.Safety note: be mindful of the hot water.Measurements of the circumference of the huddle were also taken, to measure the surface area e xposed.The 1-test tube (solo penguin) experimentApparatus:1 test tube1 thermometerA stopwatchA test tube rackHot waterMaterials to record dataMethod1. We filled the test tube so that it has 22 mls of hot water. We did not use boiling water because the glass of the test tube may break.2. We placed the test tube in the rack, so that we were not holding it and transferring heat.3. We measured the initial starting temperature, and took measurements every minute for 6 minutes. The thermometer was held so that it was not touching the bottom of the test tube, to avoid measuring the temperature of the test tube rather than the water. The water temperature is wanted, because we are measuring the heat loss from the water, which would be the body of the organism. The test tube perhaps can be seen as the skin or fur of the organism. Also, glass retains heat.4. Repeat this experiment to obtain a more accurate overall result. We repeated this experiment 4 times. In consideration of time restraint s, there can be 2 of these experiments conducted simultaneously if there are 2 people involved.5. The circumference and length of the test tube was measured, so that a rough estimate of the surface area exposed can be measured.The 7-test tube huddle experimentApparatus:7 identical test tubes2 rubber bands2 thermometersA stopwatchHot waterMaterials to record dataMethod:1. We first bound the 7 test tubes together, to form a huddle. Identical test tubes are used so that a direct comparison can be made between the inside and the outside of the huddle with regard to heat loss. A test tube made of a thinner glass would lose heat more rapidly than a thick test tube.2. With 7 test tubes, a flower pattern was formed. The two rubber bands held the test tubes together. In this experiment, there was no props needed to keep the huddle standing, the huddle was self-standing. We also did not want to introduce a beaker to hold the huddle together, because this could act as insulation against heat l oss.3. Then we filled the test tubes with hot water from the tap, minimising the time taken. Each test tube was filled to approximately the same level. It would have taken too long to measure out 22 mls for each test tube the water in the first test tube would have lost a significant amount of heat by the time the 7th test tube was filled.4. As soon as all test tubes were filled, the initial temperature of the inner test tube and an outer test tube was taken (it does not matter which outer test tube is measured). Again, care was taken so that the water temperature was measured, not the test tube glass temperature.5. Measurements of temperature (of both the inner and an outer test tube) were taken every minute, for 6 minutes.6. This experiment was repeated 4 times.7. Again, with time restraints, 2 of these experiments can be conducted simultaneously, simply by doubling the apparatus needed.8. The circumference of the huddle and the length of a test tube was measured, so that later c alculations of the surface area could be worked out.The 10-test tube huddle experimentApparatus:10 identical test tubes2 rubber bands2 thermometersA stopwatchHot waterMaterials to record dataMethod:1. The 10 identical test tubes were bound together by the two rubber bands. Again, identical test tubes are used so that direct comparisons of between test tubes within the huddle can be made.2. In the experiment of the 10 test tubes, the formation illustrated below was formed.3. In this case, the test tubes were also self-standing, so no other apparatus was needed to prop the huddle.4. Steps 3 to 8 of the 7-test tube huddle experiment can be applied in the same way for this 10-test tube huddle experiment.To measure the circumference of a huddle1. To measure the circumference of a huddle, to place a string around the entire huddle and measure the string would be inaccurate. To gain a more accurate measurement, the string should trace the test tubes on the periphery, as shown below.2. The string is then marked, and measured against a ruler.RESULTSResults from the 1-test tube experiment (solo penguin)Temperature (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C) of the 1 Test Tube HuddleTime (mins)Trial 1Trial 2Trial 3Trial 4040.040.043.045.0139.039.042.043.0237.538.540.542.0336.038.039.540.0435.036.538.539.0534.7535.538.038.0634.034.537.037.0Results from the 7-test tube huddle experimentTemperature (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C) of the 7 Test Tube HuddleTrial 1Trial 2Trial 3Trial 4Time (mins)Inner Test TubeOuter Test TubeInner Test TubeOuter Test TubeInner Test TubeOuter Test TubeInner Test TubeOuter Test Tube043.042.042.042.044.044.048.046.0142.041.041.041.054.044.048.045.0243.041.042.540.544.543.048.045.0343.041.042.040.044.042.047.044.0442.040.542.039.043.041.046.043.0541.040.041.039.043.041.045.541.5640.539.040.538.542.040.045.041.0Results from the 10-test tube experimentTemperature (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C) of the 10 Test Tube HuddleTrial 1Trial 2Trial 3Trial 4Time (mins)Inner TTOuter TTInner TTOuter TTInner TTOuter TTIn ner TTOuter TT046.044.046.044.049.048.048.046.0145.543.045.044.049.047.048.045.0245.043.045.044.048.046.047.044.0345.042.044.042.047.545.546.543.0444.041.044.042.047.045.046.542.5543.040.544.041.546.044.046.041.5642.039.543.040.545.543.046.041.0Physical Measurements of the huddleTable showing the physical measurements of the huddle and the test tubes1-test tube7-test tube huddle10-test tube huddleCircumference (cm)6.924.531.6Length of test tube (cm)15.0DATA PROCESSING AND PRESENTATIONChange in temperature in the experimentsTable showing the change in temperature (Initial temperature Final temperature)Temperature (à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C)Trial 1Trial 2Trial 3Trial 4Average1-test tube huddle6.05.56.08.06.3757 test-tube huddle INNER test tube2.51.52.03.02.2507 test tube huddle OUTER test tube3.03.54.05.03.87510 test-tube huddle INNER test tube4.03.03.52.03.12510 test tube huddle OUTER test tube4.53.55.05.04.500The variations in starting temperature in this case were ignored, as it was the i nitial temperature minus the final temperature calculated, thus the change was measured.It can be seen that the average change in the 1-test tube experiments were vastly different to those obtained in the other experiments. However this figure may be distorted by the result of Trial 4. If we look at the individual results from Trials 1 to 3, they are comparable with the results from the outer test tubes of the 10-test tube huddle. In this way, they do not look so atypical. The result obtained from Trial 4 must be an anomaly in the results.To more easily interpret the averages as shown in bold type in the table above, a bar chart can be drawn.From the chart, the distinct differences in heat loss can be seen, and two hypotheses are supported: the single test tube alone lost the most heat on average, and the inner test tubes lost less heat than the outer test tubes. However as shown by the overall taller columns for the 10-huddle, the increasing size of the huddle does not necessarily mean the lower the heat loss.The amount of heat lost by the single test tube (6.375à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C) was almost 3 times as great as the amount lost by the test tube at the centre of the 7-huddle (2.250à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C). The average amount of heat lost by an outer test tube of the 10-huddle was still significantly lower than that of the single test tube. Even if the anomaly of Trial 4 is taken out, the average is 5.833à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C, which is still considerably lower than 6.375à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C.The difference between the inner and outer test tubes of the 7 and 10-huddles is on average 1.5à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C (the difference between the inner and outer test tube of the 7-huddle was 1.625à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C, and the difference between the inner and outer test tube of the 10-huddle was 1.375à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C). This clearly supports the hypothesis that the inner test tube loses less heat than an outer test tube because of the lack of surface area exposed to the external environment.The fact that the 10-huddles over all lost more heat in the same amount of time than the 7-huddles is surprising, because assuming the more test tubes in a huddle, the more heat there is to share between the test tubes. However, if we perhaps look at the theory that radiation is transferred from hot to cold (so that the colder are warmed by the hotter), the size of the 10-huddle may be hindering its ability to collectively retain heat. Perhaps the overall greater surface area can be seen as the cause of the overall greater heat loss in the 10-huddle than in the 7-huddle.Below is a table showing the exposed surface area in each of the huddles.Table comparing the surface area exposed in the different huddles in the experiment1-test tube7-test tube huddle10 test tube huddleOverall surface area exposed (circumference x length of the test tube) cm2103.5367.5474.0Surface area per test tube (theoretically) cm2103.552.547.4The graph below compares the differences in exposed surface area.A greater exposed surface area woul d mean that more heat is being lost at one time from a single source. Perhaps it can be concluded that despite the increased amount of heat contained in the huddle (more test tubes means more hot water thus more energy altogether), the increase in exposed surface area counterbalances this heat, and thus the huddle is losing more heat than it is retaining collectively. The heat from the inner test tubes would be passing out more heat to the outer test tubes, to maintain the same temperature.Perhaps in theory, the 10-huddle should lose less heat because of the lower surface area per test tube figure (the surface area exposed per test tube for the 7-huddle is 52.5 cm2; 10-huddle, 47.4 cm2). However the discussion in the paragraph above gives a reason why this figure is misleading if one is to use this to judge the efficiency of a huddle in retaining heat.In real life, it would be difficult to say that the greater the huddle, the greater the surface area, thus the greater the inefficien cy in heat retention. Penguins prove this there huddles of thousands of penguins seen in the Antarctic region during breeding season. If smaller groups are more efficient, then surely the penguins would break up into smaller huddles as a survival mechanism.CONCLUSIONThe results from this series of experiments supports two hypotheses: that a single test tube will lose more heat per test tube than a test tube in a huddle, and that in a huddle, the inner test tube will lose less heat than an outer test tube. The single test tube on average lost 6.375à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C, whereas the other test tubes only lost 2.250-4.500à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C. The differences between the inner and outer test tubes within the huddles was at least 1.375à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C, as in the case of the 10-huddle. The difference between the inner and outer test tube of the 7-huddle was 1.625à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C.The hypothesis that the greater the size of the huddle, the lower the heat loss per test tube is not supported by the data collecte d. The validity of heat loss per test tube comparison is maintained by the measuring of temperatures of the individual test tubes, not by measuring the overall temperature of the huddle. The data showed that the 10-huddle per test tube lost overall more heat than the 7-huddle, both in the cases of the inner (the inner 10-huddle test tube lost 0.875à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C more heat than the inner 7-huddle test tube) and outer test tubes (the outer 10-huddle test tube lost 0.625à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½C more heat than the outer 7-huddle test tube).It can be concluded huddling has an effect on heat loss, in that a huddle will lose less heat than a single test tube (or organism, as applied in real life). However, according to the experiment, it seems that the greater the size of the huddle, the greater the heat loss, although it is not as great as the heat loss experienced by the single test tube. This is odd, because in real-life, experiences of penguins would tells us that the greater the size of the huddl e, the lower the loss of heat per penguin (test tube). It can also be concluded that huddling is most beneficial to the animal in the centre, as they experience less heat loss than an animal on the periphery of the huddle. Thus, huddling has a significant effect on heat loss.EVALUATIONEvaluation of method:A weakness in the method is that the volume of water for the 7-huddle and 10-huddle experiments differed every time it was performed. As mentioned in the Method, it would have been impractical to measure out exactly 22 mls for each test tube, because by the time the 7th or 10th test tube was filled, the first test tube would have lost a considerable amount of heat while standing. The volume of water for each experiment was measured, and between the 7-huddles, there was only a difference of 4 mls, and between the 10-huddles, there was a difference of 5 mls.We have to take note of the fact that glass absorbs and retains heat, and so the heat loss we are attempting to measure may not be completely accurate. However, if we draw parallels between the test tube and skin of the animal, this may be accurate because the animal would retain the heat in its fur/feathers, thus not all the heat would be lost to the external environment. The heat loss in the water can be paralleled with the core temperature of the animal.I did not take into account the area exposed at the top of the test tubes, or at the bottom of the test tube because these would have been too difficult to measure. The meniscus of the water would prove difficult to measure, as would the curve of the bottom of the test tube. Furthermore, heat lost from the top would not be through glass (there is on glass at the top of the test tube). The bottom of the test tube is also thicker than the sides. Thus, heat lost from both these gaps would not be the same as heat lost from the sides. In order to keep the experiment consistent, these were ignored as part of the calculation for surface area.Time restrictions mus t also be considered. Although the time the temperatures were measured over was fairly small (6 minutes), there were still palpable differences between the experiments, and the hypotheses could be supported with the data collected. The differences were not so small it was difficult to establish whether or not there was a pattern. However if the experiment was conducted over an even longer period of time (perhaps 10 minutes), the patterns may be even more distinct. Perhaps in the long run the 10-huddle may have performed better than the 7-huddle in heat loss.The temperature could also only be measured to 1 decimal place, but my partner and I decided to round up to the nearest half or whole number. This way, interpretation is clearer and reading the thermometer can be done with ease.

Free Essays on Crow Dog

â€Å"Civilize Them with a Stick† Times were very rough for the Native American Indians during the early 1900’s. Author Mary Crow Dog; a native American, tried to paint a vivid picture of some of the trials and tribulations that she underwent or heard about while she attended boarding school. Ms. Crow Dog tries to help readers better understand what she and many generations of Native Americans endured while attending St. Francis boarding school; which is located in South Dakota. She clearly stated that her mother and grandmother were not exempt from the harsh punishments given by the boarding school. Some of the same things that were going on at the school when Crow Dog was attending happened when her mother and grandmother attended the school, sometimes they were even worse. In the selection Civilize them with a Stick by Mary Crow Dog, she writes about a group of people who feel they have the right to tell others what to do. The oppressors in her story believe their ways to be superior and do not care how to achieve the end result, as long as it is achieved. The Catholic nuns in the story believe themselves to be qualified to rule over and change the Native Americans sent to their school. Mary Crow Dog writes Wesley 2 about her experiences in a Catholic school. She explains how religion was forced down her throat in an attempt to socialize Indians into an Anglo way of life. However, Crow Dog did everything she could do to not fall into the Anglo way of life. Ms. Crow Dog stated that presently the school is run by the B.I.A. (Bureau of Indian Affairs). While on the other hand when she was attending the school the more strict church ran it. She plainly stated that they were quickly beaten if they failed their Devotions or if they prayed the wrong way. She also goes on to say that they were treated like dogs, but instead she considered herself as a wild cat that couldn’t be tamed. Crow Dog was very rebellious as a c... Free Essays on Crow Dog Free Essays on Crow Dog â€Å"Civilize Them with a Stick† Times were very rough for the Native American Indians during the early 1900’s. Author Mary Crow Dog; a native American, tried to paint a vivid picture of some of the trials and tribulations that she underwent or heard about while she attended boarding school. Ms. Crow Dog tries to help readers better understand what she and many generations of Native Americans endured while attending St. Francis boarding school; which is located in South Dakota. She clearly stated that her mother and grandmother were not exempt from the harsh punishments given by the boarding school. Some of the same things that were going on at the school when Crow Dog was attending happened when her mother and grandmother attended the school, sometimes they were even worse. In the selection Civilize them with a Stick by Mary Crow Dog, she writes about a group of people who feel they have the right to tell others what to do. The oppressors in her story believe their ways to be superior and do not care how to achieve the end result, as long as it is achieved. The Catholic nuns in the story believe themselves to be qualified to rule over and change the Native Americans sent to their school. Mary Crow Dog writes Wesley 2 about her experiences in a Catholic school. She explains how religion was forced down her throat in an attempt to socialize Indians into an Anglo way of life. However, Crow Dog did everything she could do to not fall into the Anglo way of life. Ms. Crow Dog stated that presently the school is run by the B.I.A. (Bureau of Indian Affairs). While on the other hand when she was attending the school the more strict church ran it. She plainly stated that they were quickly beaten if they failed their Devotions or if they prayed the wrong way. She also goes on to say that they were treated like dogs, but instead she considered herself as a wild cat that couldn’t be tamed. Crow Dog was very rebellious as a c...

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Banking and the political situation in Bahrain Essay

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However, they still own the source and get to innovate around that standard more quickly. (http://www.ameinfo.com/40724.html) Uncertainty about the market of e-Books hinged on a number of factors. One of the major impediments to adoption of E-Books was on-screen readability. Anti-aliasing technology had been developed by both Adobe (Cool Type) and Microsoft (Clear Type), improving text resolution by up to 300% e-Book resolution, however, was still not close to matching the quality of paper. So far the place of e-Books was similar or higher than that of print books, constraining demand. In addition, dedicated e-Books reading devices had been relatively expensive, costing a minimum of $250. Finally, the selection of e-Books was still quite limited and e-Books formatted for one device could generally not be used on another. Depending upon their assumptions about pricing and standards, analysts had different perspectives on the potential of the market. After the well publicised battle between VHS and Beta formats in the VCR industry, both produces and consumers were wary of standards war. No consumer wanted to be stuck with the equivalent of Betamax CVR, an orphan product with no tapes to play on it. Likewise, producers did not to be on the losing end of a standards war. It was unclear how standards in the e-Book market would evolve. While Microsoft had changed head on into the consumer it is wondered whether Adobe should instead focus elsewhere. Other segments, such as professional and technical users, while similar than the general consumer market, seemed to place more value on what e-Books had to offer and were leading in their adoption. In addition, Adobes superior graphics capability was more highly valued by the professional market. Adobe can win the standards war by creating alliances with other software companies. A good company is Google. Relative market caps show Adobe at $24 billion, Google at $148 billion and Microsoft at $296 billion. Google needs something like Adobe and Microsoft does not have the same perspective. This could be a strategic relationship to help Adobe win formats/standards war against Microsoft. Adobe may already own the market for electronic documents thanks to PDF, but the company knows that Microsoft has a habit of showing up late to a party and stealing the crown. In turn Adobe is beta testing a new project it calls â€Å"mars† which is an answer to Microsofts new XPS format. (http://www.inforules.com/summaries.htm) Negotiations over standardization and interconnection and standardization are critical once a network has been launched Adobe can explore seven key assets that show its ability to successfully wage a standards war. These are; intellectual property rights, control over an installed base of users, ability to innovate, manufacturing abilities, first mover advantages, strength in complements and brand name reputation. The standard wars are especially bitter and crucial to business success in markets with string network effects that cause consumers to play high value on compatibility. (http://www.inforules.com/summaries.htm) Pre-emption is one of the two crucial market place tactics that Adobe can use in its standards battle. The logic of pre-emption is straight forward: build an early lead so positive feedback works for you and against your rival. The same principle implies in markets with learning by doing: the first firm to gain significant experience will have lower costs and can pull even further ahead. (Shapiro, Varian 1999) Expectations management is the second by tactic in standard wars. Expectations are a major factor in consumer decisions about whether or not to purchase a new technology. Just as incumbents will vary to knock down the viability of new technologies that emerge, so will those very entrants strive to establish credibility. (Shapiro, Varian 1999) Reference: Carlo Shapiro, Hal R. Varian. Information Rules. A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy. Retrieved from http://www.ameinfo.com/40724.html on 5th March 2008 Carlo Shapiro, Hal R. Varian. The Arts of Standard Wars, California Management Review, Vol.41, No.2 1999. http://www.inforules.com/summaries.htm http://www.business.ualberta.ca/mlounsbury/ORG658/readings/standard%20wars.pdf

Change and Culture Essay

A merger is the combining of two or more corporate entities to create one new organization with one licensure and one provider number for reimbursement purposes (Lielber & McConnell, 2008). Mergers occur for the following reasons; a desire to increase size to gain clout for negotiations with managed care providers, the desire to penetrate new markets to attract additional customers, the need for improved efficiencies resulting from centralized administrative practices, and the desire to express overall value of promoting readily available comprehensive care (Lielber & McConnell, 2008). Mergers occur on a daily. Mergers are a type of horizontal integration. Horizontal integration combines two or more corporations together through mergers and acquisitions (Borkowski, 2005). Horizontal integration increases the merged organization market base (Cai & Obara, 2009). Competition plays a huge role in business. In each industry, organizations compete against one another to get a foothold in the market. Competition can be beneficial and detrimental to the success of organizations. Competition benefits organizations in that it keeps organizations current on the latest trends in technology and equipment. It can be detrimental in that it can cause organizations to take shortcuts in procedures that can be harmful to patients and consumers. Competition can cause management to only focus on being number one and maintaining that spot at whatever cost. Customers are left holding the bag when and suffer when organizations focus solely on competition instead of focusing meeting the needs of the customer. Some organizations and industries strive on competition. Their goal is to be the best in their field and industry. In the health care industry, competition can be beneficial if organizations maintain their focus on providing quality patient care. This paper will focus on the effects of merging a healthcare organization with a competitor. Discussions will focus on the impact the sale will have on the culture of the new organization, what I can do as a middle manager to ensure the combined staff will work together to provide quality care without taking on a competitive stance, and describing what the organization will look like in terms of systems and shape. I will begin by looking at the organization in terms of systems and shape. Description of the Organization When merging organizations, the systems and shape of the organization will change to reflect the combining of the organizations. When merging organizations you have to create a perfect blend of the two organizations to create the new organizations. The best qualities of the organizations need to be combined to make the new organization a success. The goal of a merger is to â€Å"achieve mutual benefits through synergies of mission, strategies, operations, and ultimately competitive and financial position† (Kaufman & Grube, p. 46, 2009). The new organization will combine the best assets of both organizations. Services not previously offered at one or the other organization will be offered at the new organization as a result of the change. The new inpatient and outpatient services offered will increase our patient base. Although we will be offering new services, we will also have to eliminate some services offered that are not used on a consistent basis. We will have to make cuts that will help sustain the new organization. We will also make cuts to staff. When combining organizations, some departments will have to be downsized and combined to meet the needs of the new organizations. The new organization will be structured in a way that we provide efficient quality care to our patients. Providing Quality Care â€Å"Mergers require a significant commitment on the part of leadership to understanding and addressing the challenges and potential risks inherent in such an undertaking—to both the acquiring entity and the acquired/partner-seeking organization† (Kaufman & Grube, p. 46, 2009). We have to work to find a balance between providing the new inpatient and outpatient services, while maintaining quality care. Management has to review the strengths and weaknesses of both organizations and apply the strengths to the new organization. As a middle manager, it is my job to ensure that the combined staff works well together. It is my job to listen to any concerns that staff may have about the merger and answer their questions to the best of my ability. I think the key to getting the combined staff to work together without taking a competitive stance is communication. To eliminate the competitive stance, I would hold a meeting with the new staff and give them an opportunity to discuss their concerns about working together. I would also have training seminars to make sure everyone is working to the best of their abilities and providing quality care. By realizing that there will be some minor hiccups caused the by the change, I am better prepared to handle the problems. When implementing a change to any aspect of the daily functioning of an organization it is important to realize that there will be some degree of uncertainty with the effectiveness of the change. This degree of uncertainty will be caused by the newness of the change and getting use to retiring the old operating standard (Hauptman & Tyre, 1992). It is important to face these uncertainties head-on in order to implement the change successfully. The competitive stance is caused by the degree of uncertainty, employees are unsure of how the merger will affect their job. They are afraid that the new staff will come in and take pushing them out of the way. I have to ensure the staff that we are a team and that we are all working toward the same goal of providing quality care to our patients. Providing quality care is the goal of the healthcare organization, the needs of the patients has to come first. Although healthcare organizations are a business and it is important that the business aspects of the organization are met, patient care is the main goal of healthcare organizations. The focus has to be on what is best for the patient, not how much business or publicity the organization will receive from being competitive. The merger will change every aspect of the organization; it is my job to bring unity to the new organization. The Culture of the New Organization The sale will have a huge impact on the new combined organization. Changes have to be implemented to support the new organization. Staffing and budget cuts have to be made in order to make the merger a success. The new organization has to combine the best aspects of both organizations to fill the void of what each organization was lacking. The new organization will focus on providing efficient quality services to their patients. The new organization will provide a competitive edge to the organization while maintaining quality care. The new organization will provide more services to patients that each organization could not previously provide. The combined organization will be able to create a stronger brand and reach more people. The new organization will be able to reach a larger patient base. More revenue will be gained by combining both organizations. The new organization will be able to provide care to more people in the community and surrounding communities. Conclusion In conclusion combining health care organizations will affect a larger number of people. Mergers require a commitment from both the acquiring organization and the acquired organization to work together to mutual benefits. Each organization enters into the merger to receive benefits they were not able to receive by themselves. Whether it is for financial reasons or to gain a competitive advantage, mergers are necessary for healthcare organizations to survive in today’s industry. â€Å"The healthcare industry has started to experience a musical chair situation. When the music stops, certain hospitals are going to find themselves without a chair† (Kaufman & Grube, p. 50, 2009). The hospitals without chairs have to merge in order to stay in the game. When merging, it is important to analyze the risks and benefits to ensure the success of the merger. To ensure success, the merger has to be mutually beneficial for all parties involved.

University Study Skills

Students need to make a number of adjustments when starting university. Critically discuss some of these adjustments in terms of skills brought with them, and new skills that must be developed. Draw on relevant SSK12 material in your essay. ————————————————- In this essay it will be argued that even though students may bring with them such skills as competence in writing secondary school essays and reports, good comprehension and grammar and motivation to succeed with them to university, there are other skills they will need to develop as well as refine those they already possess.The main skills which any new student will need to develop in order to succeed at university are critical thinking, which also includes critical reading, reflective thinking, learning independently and adjusting to the concept of the university culture which has its own languages and behaviours. Ne w students are likely to experience a cultural clash as university possesses its own culture, and sub-cultures. Adjustments will have to be made with students needing to develop bicultural habits. As Kolb asserts, students entering higher education will have to engage in ‘learning how to learn’ (Kolb 1981).The lead-up to the first study period, as well as the first study period itself, of a student’s beginning in university can be a massive culture shock. Some students may develop the feeling of uncertainty as to whether they have made the right choice about pursuing higher education and whether they are even likely to succeed. This can be observed by reading some of the student comments on the SSK12 Facebook page during the first weeks of the first study period. In other cases we may see students that take on a particular discipline and after a period of time find that they no longer have a desire to pursue that discipline.There may be few opportunities for stud ents in these positions to change disciplines. This is primarily due to the fact each discipline has its own sub-culture within the greater university culture. As Kolb has discussed, there are many faculties within the university, each have their own conventions that are unique to themselves such as language, values, ideas and norms (Kolb 1981). This impending transition may be too much for a student who has already had to become acculturated and has potentially experienced a culture shock.The average individual can be affected by several cultures, for example and not necessarily restricted to, culture of family, culture of the workplace and culture of religion. The culture of university is but one of the cultures that can make a big impact on the individual. Students are faced with a new workload that may come with a pace of instruction that is probably faster and more intense than what they may be used to. There is a potential to feel overwhelmed at first and ways to overcome this may be to develop habits of early preparation, prioritising and time management.There is an expectation that students need to be self-motivated and independent. There will be some guidance available but the general expectation is that the individual should know their own deadlines and the amount of study that is required. This may take some adjustment for individuals as they may be reeling from the cultural demands that university has already begun to place upon them. If they are studying more than one subject in their first study period they will have already potentially experienced the distinction in sub-cultures.For example, Ballard and Clanchy have noted that each sub-culture will have its own language and values and the new student will have to navigate themselves through an unsteady transition between cultures (Ballard and Clanchy 1988). Individuals also need to develop critical thinking as it is a cornerstone of university studies. Warren contends that critical thinking is n ecessary to university studies as an individual cannot â€Å"process information, form reasoned opinions, evaluate beliefs, construct positions, or articulate a thesis without the use of critical thinking† (Warren 1995, 4).I can support this through my own experience as critical thinking has been an important component of my university studies to date. One may see, however, that some individuals may have difficulties bringing themselves around to this mode of thinking as critical thinking involves developing an impersonal approach and attempting to put aside any biases that the individual may possess about particular subjects. Critical thinking may also involve critical reading and this may also be a foreign concept to the new student.One needs to get into the habit of identifying theses in readings rather than just ‘reading’ – ‘sorting the wheat from the chaff’, as it were. Once the thesis has been identified the argument then needs to be ana lysed and criticised. Any evidence within the reading needs to be assessed. Any conclusions reached need to be examined as well as whether they are supported by evidence. Any other alternatives also need to be considered. In short, the individual will need to read more widely than what they may be used to and in a more analytical fashion. Reflective thinking is another skill that students must develop as it is a valuable tool.Reflection is integral to learning and assists in critical thinking as it starts with being self-critical in order to learn and improve. As Marshall and Rowland assert, ‘thinking about your own thinking, or metacognition, will give you insights into how you go about your learning, and is important if you want to change or adapt study behaviours’ (Marshall and Rowland 2006 9). Warren further asserts that ‘critical thinking is necessary to learning. One cannot process information, form reasoned opinions, evaluate beliefs, construct positions, o r articulate a thesis without the use of critical thinking.As such, the critical self is integral to learning itself’ (Warren 1995). Reflective thinking makes the individual ask themselves what may be working, what is not working and what may require improvement. Some students may already bring a form of this skill with them to university. I can support this through my personal experience in this area. I served in the police force for thirty years and the procedure in the police force was to conduct ‘debriefs’ of incidents that we were involved in. The police debrief was always framed in the format of discussing what went well and what could be done better.Every individual involved in that particular incident was expected to contribute. The expectation was that this process would lead to constant improvement in performance. It is a very similar process to reflection within university learning. One method of reflective thinking that students may learn a great deal from is through the keeping of a reflective journal, also known as a learning log. Pavlovich asserts that reflective journals are an invaluable aid in the development of self-awareness and inner leadership (Pavlovich 2007).The use of a reflective journal aids in developing the individual as a critical thinker as the very nature of its use forces the user to be critical of themselves and lead to change and improvement. Students will also need to develop the skill of speaking and writing in academic English. This is part of the acculturation to the university culture of which language is a major part. Students will have to learn very quickly to become bicultural. In their written work they will have to learn to avoid contractions and develop the passive voice over the active voice.Academic English is specific whereas informal English, that the student may be used, to is rather vague. Academic English is also often structured in a cautious manner whereas informal English is often stru ctured in a more definite manner. Using my own personal experience to add support to this, I thought I had a reasonable grasp of formal English having come from the police force where, for example, great care goes into compilation of files for the prosecutors to proceed with, but I have also had to make adjustments and become bicultural through working on my own understanding and application of academic English.The new student may bring skills with them to university but they will be confronted with the need to refine these skills and indeed develop new skills in order to survive at university. Skills that will need to be developed will include the need for critical and reflective thinking, critical reading and adjustment to independent learning. Students will also have to become acculturated to university which possesses its own culture and sub-cultures which are separate to what they may be used to. REFERENCES Avruch, Kevin. 2002. Culture and Conflict Resolution.Washington: United States Institute of Peace Press. Ballard, Brigid, and John Clanchy. 1988. Literacy in the university: An ‘anthropological’ approach. In Literacy by Degrees, ed G. Taylor, et al. , 7-23. Milton Keynes: The Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press. Beasley, Colin. 2012. Communicating at University. Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia. Bizzell, Patricia. 1986. What Happens When Basic Writers Come to College? College Composition and Communication. 37(3). Grant, Barbara. 1997.Disciplining Students: the construction of student subjectivities. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 18(1): 101-114. Hobson, Julia. 1996. â€Å"Concepts of the self: Different ways of knowing about the self†. SSK12 lecture transcript. Ed. Lorraine Marshall. Perth: Murdoch University. Kolb, David A. 1981. â€Å"Learning styles and disciplinary differences. † In The Modern American College. Ed. A. W. Chickerine & Associates, 232-235 and 251-252. S an Francisco: Jossey Bass. Marshall, Lorraine, and Frances Rowland. 2006. A guide to learning independently. th ed. Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia. Pavlovich, Kathryn. 2007. The development of reflective practice through student journals. Higher Education Research and Development 26 (3): 281-295. Samovar, Larry A. , and Richard E. Porter. 2004. Communication Between Cultures. 5th ed. Belmont, California: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Vivekananda, Kitty, and Penny Shores. 1996. Uni is Easier When You Know How: Success Stories, Study Secrets, Strategies. Sydney: Hale and Iremonger. Warren, Karen. 1995. ‘The critical self’. Perth: Murdoch University.