Higher education Essay Example for Free

Higher education Essay †¢Assignment # 2 – Comprehensive Case: â€Å"Muffler Magic† Read the â€Å"Muffler Magic† case and write a four-to-five (4-5) page report that answers the following: 1. Specify three (3) recommendations about the functions of recruiting, selection, and training that you think Ron Brown should be addressing with his HR manager now. Currently youre allowing your HR to hire employees without carefully screening each and every candidate, checking their references and work ethic due to such a high demand of staff. Envitably, youre higher mediocre applicants for more than mediocre pay and at the risk of your name and overall profitability. Being able to answer minimal questions shouldnt be enough to be hired as a technician and questions such as what do you think the problem is if a 2001 Camery is overheating? What would you do? should not be enough to secure a position within the company. Muffler Magic offers a range of products and services and engine issues is merely one of the many situations an employee may come across. How do these types of generic questions answer if your applicant is able to fulfill the requirements for muffler replacements, oil changes, and brake jobs? Obviously, from looking at the handful of situational mishaps youve described your HR department is merely hiring whoever walks into the office and in return youre given inaccurate and potentially life threatening break jobs and repairs out of the companies pocket. This is not acceptable and it is no wonder why the company isnt profiting. One of the reasons behinds why you dont necessarily want to adapt or change some crucial points within the company is the money. If you broke down one instance where there was an error made by one of your associates, take the engine for instance a new engine can cost any consumer somewhere in the ballpark of $2,000 to $4,000*not including the benefits or any extra perks. Now lets say that one of these errors happened in every single store then youre looking at $50,000+ worth of mistakes coming out of Magic Mufflers pocket (keep in mind that estimated figure is from 1 mistake). With that type of money, I would imagine you could hire and appropriately train quite a few applicants that would be worth your time and money. I would recommend changing your recruiting, selecting and training standards immediately. Starting with the recruiting aspect of Magic Muffler. Instead of allowing the applicants come  to you, why dont we go above and beyond and seek the preferred applicant. We can still advertise through local newspapers and internet, but we really should be seeking out those employees that have some kind of responsibility and potential retainability. The one major thing I didnt see in the recruiting process youre currently using is zoning in on what type of candidate are you looking forin terms of education level and experience level based upon the types of work they will be working on. One of the huge factors to remember is Presently, vehicles use high-tech computers and complex electronic systems to monitor the performance of the vehicle. A strong sense of understanding concerning the operation of a vehicle, including how each device interacts, as well as the ability to deal with electronic diagnostic equipment and digital reference manuals is key to the success of a technician(http://www. careeroverview. com/auto-mechanic-careers. html) Therefore, Magic Muffler is in need of a qualified individual that is capable of working with UTD automotive machinery and possible situations that could arise. Therefore Magic Muffler should be spending their money recruiting individuals that have successfully completed a vocational training program in automotive service technology(ie:Automotive Youth Education Service (AYES)). For a more advanced position they will need ,in addition to vocational training, stoma kind of Postsecondary automotive technician training whether through a prior company, community college or technical college. Finally other qualifications you should be focused on while recruiting is the ability to diagnose the source of a problem quickly and accurately, good reasoning ability and a thorough knowledge of automobiles, strong communication and analytical skills and good reading, mathematics, and computer skills to study technical manuals with the drive to continuously keep up with new technology and learn new service and repair procedures and specifications. To find these types of applicants I would recommend some type of college recruiting; starting with on campus recruiting and then continuing the recuriting process with an onsite visit. Continuing with the selection process, I think its quite obvious that we should be focusing on a Personality Profile Analysis, which applicants can perform online and follow this up with a PPA(200 HRM BOOK). If you chose not to go that route you can always focus on tests of cognitive abilities (more specifically aptitude testing and motor/physical abilities). If these tests pan out then we should go forward with a background check/reference check. This may seem to be an overwhelming process, but finding the perfect candidates is essential to low turnover rates and high satisfaction level across the board. The next step is to select the applicants that you are satisfied with their performance on the tests, interview and background check. After applicants are chosen and hired, we need to start with an orientation of the company and its overall goals and next is training. Although OTJ training does offer a lot to the employee it is not enough for these types of positions. Considering car technology is constantly advancing there needs to a need to continuously further your mechanics knowledge. As a responsible employer you should send your experienced automotive service technicians to manufacturer training centers to learn to repair new models or to receive special training in the repair of components, such as electronic fuel injection or air-conditioners and even beginner mechanics who show potential may be sent to manufacturer-sponsored technician training programs to upgrade or maintain employees skills. There are of course crucial training necessary, which cannot be offered OTJ and that is electronics training. This is vital because electrical components, or a series of related components, account for nearly all malfunctions in modern vehicles. As the employee continues to thrive the company should offer additional training for possible certifications or advancement opportunities. For example: the ASE certification has become a standard credential for automotive service technicians. While not mandatory for work in automotive service, certification is common for all experienced technicians in large, urban areas. Certification is available in eight different areas of automotive service, such as electrical systems, engine repair, brake systems, suspension and steering, and heating and air-conditioning. For certification in each area, technicians must have at least 2 years of experience and pass the examination. Completion of an automotive training program in high school, vocational or trade school, or community or junior college may be substituted for 1 year of experience. For ASE certification as a Master Automobile Technician, technicians must pass all eight examinations. *http://www. ehow. com/facts_4830630_cost-car-engine-replacement. html 2. Write three (3) questions for a structured interview form that Ron Brown’s service center managers can use to interview experienced technicians. (Note: do not list possible answers. ) As I had said previously asking generic questions are not going to offer you the results in which most employers desire. There are a couple of things that should be kept in mind when creating these questions such as; which type of questions would be more effective in displaying the qualities Muffler Magic desires? Considering HR already has a lot to do with the hiring process, I think the appropriate form of interview would be a structured situational interview. After analyzing the positions and rating the jobs main duties, we would need to create questions reflecting such duties and daily knowledge to perform them. Three questions I would use to test the waters would be: What training(classroom or on the job), have you had with engine, transmission or brake diagnostic equipment? Identify the diagnostic program and was it computer and software based? Have you worked with engine, transmission or brake diagnostic equipment computer and software? What was the diagnostic program and what was your involvement? What experience, knowledge, and skill do you have with air brake systems, anti lock, and heavy-duty truck suspensions? Relate your experience and describe your skills working with school bus, heavy-duty trucks, light duty pick-up truck, and van bodies/Relate your experience and describe your skills working with heavy and medium-duty diesel and gasoline-powered engines and light-duty pick-up truck and van engines. (www. msbo. org/library/HumanRes/Interview/Mech. doc).

radio-imaging effectiveness :: essays research papers

Radiation can be used in both diagnosis and therapeutic manners. The radiation emitted from radioisotopes can destroy tissue and in the therapeutic use: the destruction of cancerous and other dangerous tissues. And with diagnosis the gamma particle pass through the body tissues with minimal damage to a gamma camera. To evaluate the effectiveness of PET, SPECT, MRI and X-rays, we first need some basic knowledge on how each of them work. PET stands for positron emission tomography and works by an instrument collecting radiation emitted from a radioisotope injected the patient’ body. The strengths of emission are recorded by a gamma camera, which has a series of scintillation crystals, each connected to a photomultiplier tube. The crystals convert the gamma rays, emitted from the patient, to photons of light, and the photomultiplier tubes convert and amplify the photons to electrical signals. These electrical signals are then processed by a computer to generate images. The table is then moved, and the process is repeated, resulting in a series of thin slice images of the body over the region of interest (e.g. brain, breast, liver). These thin slice images can be assembled into a three dimensional representation of the patient's body Nowadays, PET scanning devices are most often used in conjunction with CT scanners, so that a more accurate image can be observed by the doctor for easier diagnosis of diseases or disorders. SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) works in a way much the same to PET. But the radioactive substances used in SPECT (Xenon-133, Technetium-99, Iodine-123) have longer decay times than those used in PET, and emit single instead of double gamma rays MRI has a more complex principle for its function; it works by creating a magnetic field so strong that the hydrogen protons in the body are forced into alignment with the magnetic field. Short bursts of radio waves are sent from the scanner into your body. The radio waves knock the protons from their position. When the burst of radio waves stops, the protons go back into position. They realign back to being in parallel with the magnetic field. As the protons realign, in a process known as relaxation, they emit tiny radio signals. A receiving device in the scanner detects these signals. The type of tissue can be interpreted from the strength of the signal emitted. Most of the hydrogen atoms in the body are in water molecules.

Paul Levy Essay

How would you describe the situation Levy inherited at the BIDMC? What challenges did he face? Why did previous turnaround efforts fail? (4 points) Two unique corporate cultures, Beth Israel Hospital and Deaconess Hospital merged in 1996 to become Beth Israel Deaconess (BID). To compete with Partners, BID and a few other hospitals combined forces and formed Care Group Systems (CGS). Lacking leadership commitment, BID was in chaos and consistently posted operating losses in millions of dollars per year. Additionally, although advised on numerous occasions, BID was inept in implementing restructuring plans and consequently had excessive employee turnover, which resulted in poor patient care. Succinct and expert advice to reorganize BID was never implemented. Although BID would agree to change, execution was postponed or disregarded due to the myriad level of management and bureaucratic processes within each department, which appeared to function independently of one another. Unable to move forward, management was locked in mental prisons. Groupthink was common practice for making essential business decisions, which resulted in escalation of commitment in continuing past practices and refusal to accept recommended changes. BID could be referred to as egocentric as the organization maintained the status quo. As President and CEO, Levy was expected to create a rapid turnaround of the deteriorating financial condition of the hospital. He was also expected to stop the several year trend of flawed implementation of restructuring recommendations. Furthermore, he was working under intense scrutiny and pressure from many officials, including the Attorney General’s Office of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the BID Board of Directors (BOD) and the Board of Directors of the BID parent company, CGS. How did Levy get started in his new job? What were his objectives and what did he accomplish 1) prior to his first day of work? 2) on his first day? 3) during his first week? (4 points) Before Levy accepted the position, he made conditions for his employment. These conditions included that he be hired before the Hunter Group Report was released, that the BOD be considerably reduced in size and that the BOD stay out of the day-to-day operations of the hospital. Even as he talked to the search team, he knew the responsibilities and his own abilities. Levy wanted to be hired prior to the Hunter report so that he could use the report in ways that he thought would be best. The second condition was to shrink the BOD from a 44-member group to a more-manageable group of 18 members, which was accomplished just a few months after Levy’s appointment as CEO. The third condition of employment, that the BOD remain out of the day-to-day operations, showed that he believed in a chain of command. Levy clearly communicated any meeting between board members and staff required prior approval. On his first day, he sent every employee of the hospital a memo that included: †¢ A promise of an open administration †¢ A warning that the hospital had been given this one last chance for a turnaround †¢ A promise to post the findings and recommendations of the Hunter Consulting Group †¢ Encouragement to employees to read and make comments regarding the report †¢ A promise that changes would be implemented and measured †¢ Warning of an unavoidable elimination of several hundred staff positions in the hospital †¢ A promise that the staff reductions would be carried out as humanely possible and people would be treated with dignity and respect †¢ His expectation of successful turnaround of BID because of the employees, their commitment, their strong sense of teamwork, and their ability to succeed In his message, Levy also conveyed that: †¢ He considered all staff (not just key players) to be team members †¢ All team members must share a common goal of carrying out the mission †¢ There is a sense of urgency †¢ The Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts had legitimate authority and control over the future of BID †¢ Staff would be held  accountable for their actions †¢ Levy would be open, honest and inclusive with information, even in the case of bad news †¢ High quality care was essential to BID’s future †¢ Together, the BID team could show the world success Levy created a sense of reality for employees whom previously had been told half-truths, lies or nothing about the serious nature of BID’s problems. In doing so, Levy gained â€Å"buy-in† from employees grateful that problems were being clearly identified by effective leadership. Also on his first day, Levy shared his message with local news agencies, which accomplished among other things letting the community know that he considered â€Å"buy-in† from the staff critical to success. According to his daily calendar, Levy spent much of his first week meeting with BID staff. What (if anything) was distinctive about the way Levy went about formulating, announcing and implementing the recovery plan? How did he overcome resistance? (3 points) Levy’s practice of speaking with staff likely induced his ability to gather as much information as possible regarding the current mood and culture. This information was needed to develop and implement a plan. Initially, his recovery plan had to include huge cost-saving initiatives. He had already set the stage for a massive lay-off by posting the Hunter Report for all employees to read. Therefore, it was relatively easy for him to fire/permanently lay-off 150 people by the end of the month. After all, he was only doing what the experts recommended. Who could argue with that? At the same time, purchasing controls were implemented in an effort to reduce costs. The next week, he rolled out additional strategic efforts. His plan was three-fold: regain a reputation for quality patient care and maintain an academic status; adopt some of the recommendations of the Hunter Group Report, implementing change; and, analyze why previous restructure plans failed and why this new one would work. Another of Levy’s implementation  plans was to promise low and deliver high. In other words, he knew the importance of meeting deadlines and plans by being conservative and not over-estimating. This practice is often referred to as â€Å"sand-bagging† and believed to be a useful tool. Levy’s intent was not to be deceitful; rather, it is a way of keeping forward momentum by delivering good news. How did Levy tackle the problem of the BIDMC’s â€Å"curious inability to decide?† (3 points) It was not until Levy came in and talked with the doctors and staff, really listening to each other’s problems and concerns that change could happen. Levy realized that the culture of BID played a significant role in the organization. People reacted and performed their jobs considering how they had performed their jobs in the past. The current structure and hierarchy defined who the chiefs were and the importance of their roles. They were caught up in this psychic prison. Levy had to help them overcome it by making sure they realized that they were not wrong and that they just needed to be open to change. Levy tried to get to the underside of the human emotions for these chiefs and let them see the benefit of changes. He made sure to give credit but also expected results and acceptance of the new strategic plan. While there is no indication as to which personnel were fired/laid-off, it was clear to the remaining staff that Levy was in charge and that â€Å"slackers† wou ld not be tolerated. This is a powerful motivator (albeit via fear) to eliminate resistance. Also prior to Levy, it seemed that committee meetings often resulted in groupthink. Levy knew that the chiefs were usually involved in those meetings, and that there was now a tremendous need to see results from those meetings. In the past, no one spoke up at meetings. Many participants kept quiet instead of actually saying what they thought. Staff members were afraid to rock the boat. Once Levy came on board, many decisions and changes were implemented via steering committees instead of from the chiefs. This was a significant change in the hierarchical structure. No longer did all decisions and ideas come straight down from the boss in the tower. This change allowed staff members to get involved and present ideas. Ultimately,  it would be staff members whom had a key role in the implementation of turnaround plans. This â€Å"empowerment† of the staff led them to have less resistance toward change. In describing his leadership style, Levy speaks of the CEO as teacher. How has he defined that role? Why has he chosen to focus on it? What skills does it require? (3 points) Levy’s leadership style is a strategic facilitator, through developing employee ownership by illuminating the nature of the problem and seeking their involvement in finding solutions. Levy believed it essential to build a core management team that is in accord with the plan, mission and values and who are willing to assume risk in embracing change. The CEO role is to support the management team and remove those who are obstructionists. The byproduct is improved decision-making and accountability. He uses peer pressure as an accountability tool so there is public acknowledgment of responsibility for specific tasks. By redirecting comments from naysayers, Levy places the onus on others to provide a solution for problems. Additionally, Levy understands the dynamics of each meeting and what can and cannot be accomplished in each. Levy used a human resources view in assessing various situations. He leveraged this framework while making a majority of his decisions. He valued feedback from his employees and kept them abreast of pertinent information, which resulted in efficient and satisfied employees. Levy accomplished this literally by roaming the hospital with the intent on knowing the staff in person. He would engage in conversations seeking suggestions for change in their occupational area and reassured skeptics that his plan for change would be successful. Levy’s efforts to include everyone in the day-to-day progress as well as helping employees find answers to their problems, made the work more satisfying to his employees. What did members of your team learn from completing this case? How might members of your team use this information in their current or  future jobs?

Mother Tongue By Amy Tan - 1553 Words

Adelina Belecciu (Professor’s Name) ENG101 (Date) â€Å"Mother Tongue† Response Essay In the essay â€Å"Mother Tongue,† Amy Tan emphasizes the idea that the language we are taught in childhood plays an important role in our lives. She writes about the profound effect language has on her life and how she is inspired by her mother’s â€Å"impeccable broken English† to become a writer (317). Tan describes her mother as an educated person who can read sophisticated and technical literature written in English with ease. However, Tan’s mother is often left feeling frustrated and alienated when communicating with others because of her speaking style, which belies her comprehension of the English language (317). Throughout her formative years, Tan discovers a disheartening pattern in regard to her mother’s dialogue with speakers of conventional American English; legitimate problems and requests that her mother is expressing are often not taken seriously or even worse, they are unapologetically ignored. In particular, Tan recalls a situation where her mother’s request is treated sympathetically and acted upon only after Tan ­Ã‚ ­who sounds more American than her mother ­Ã‚ ­ speaks on her behalf; â€Å"...we had assurances the CAT scan would be found...and apologies for any suffering my mother had gone through for a most regrettable mistake† (317). Tan reveals feeling â€Å"ashamed† of her mother’s English and she is troubled by the prevailing perception that the language spoken at home mustShow MoreRelatedMother Tongue, by Amy Tan819 Words   |  4 Pages Despite growing up amidst a language deemed as â€Å"broken† and â€Å"fractured†, Amy Tan’s love for language allowed her to embrace the variations of English that surrounded her. In her short essay â€Å"Mother Tongue†, Tan discusses the internal conflict she had with the English learned from her mother to that of the English in her education. Sharing her experiences as an adolescent posing to be her mother for respect, Tan develops a frustration at the difficulty of not being taken seriously due to one’s inabilityRead MoreMother Tongue By Amy Tan1306 Words   |  6 Pages Mother Tongue is a story that describes how Amy Tan’s mother was treated unfairly because of her â€Å"broken English†. As the second generation of Chinese immigrants, Tan faces more problems than her peers do. Her mom, who speaks â€Å"limited† English, needs T an to be her â€Å"translator† in order to communicate with the native English speakers. Tan has felt ashamed of her mother â€Å"broken† language at first. She then contemplates her background affected her life and her study. However, she changes her thoughtRead MoreMother Tongue By Amy Tan883 Words   |  4 PagesIn Amy Tan’s essay â€Å"Mother Tongue,† it is obvious that language plays an enormous role in our life. Language can influence and give us an insight into another culture different from our own. Amy Tan discusses the many ways in which the language she was taught and native to was important and powerful throughout her life. Language can be defined in various forms, but I hold and acknowledge Amy Tan’s explanation: â€Å"Language can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth.† I canRead MoreMother Tongue By Amy Tan1375 Words   |  6 Pagestrade. And I use them all-all the Englishes I grew up with.† -Amy Tan, Mother Tongue Language is what allows humans to be creative. Creative in the way we express ourselves, creative in the way we put our ideas forward, creative in the way we correspond with each other and in the way we can touch each other’s lives. It is truly a gift that the other species of our world do not possess, at least not to the extent that humans do! Amy Tan is an American writer and her works probe the Chinese-AmericanRead MoreMother Tongue By Amy Tan1290 Words   |  6 Pageslanguage is a difficult and demanding task. In â€Å"Mother Tongue†, Amy Tan expresses the limitations caused by the use of imperfect English in society and her struggles to revitalize it into her life and her writing. Through the use of several rhetorical strategies such as expanding on her own credibility with the use of ethos, appealing to the audience’s emotions using pathos, stating statistics using logos and providing an example of repetition, Tan successfully manages to prove her point on the struggleRead MoreMother Tongue By Amy Tan967 Words   |  4 PagesIn â€Å"Mother Tongue†, Amy Tan describes the several different kinds of English her that she speaks. It is an interesting concept to think about the fact that more than one variation of a single language exist. After reading â€Å"Mother Tongue† I began l ooking at my own life and seeing if I could recognize the different variation of English that I have come in contact with. After some serious thought, I realized that I have not only come into contact with many different kinds of English, but I speak manyRead MoreAnalysis Of Mother Tongue By Amy Tan913 Words   |  4 Pages Analysis of Mother Tongue by Amy Tan In the narrative essay, â€Å"Mother Tongue† by Amy Tan, the author sets out the story between her mother, whose English is her second language, and Tan herself can speak native English very well. The essay covers the tonal shift of Amy Tan s psychological change, from grudge to understanding. Although she begins the essay saying, I am not a scholar of English or literature. I cannot give you much more than personal opinions on theRead MoreAmy Tan s Mother Tongue1060 Words   |  5 Pagesupon me for my inability to speak English properly. However, in the essay â€Å"Mother Tongue†, the author Amy Tan gives a different, a more optimistic outlook on the various forms of English that immigrants speak as they adapt to the American culture. Using simple language to develop her argument, she casually communicates to the audience rather than informing, which helps the audience understand what is being presented. Tan’s mother plays an important role in her outlook of l anguage because she helps herRead MoreAnalysis Of Mother Tongue By Amy Tan1048 Words   |  5 PagesTwo Worlds - One Story In â€Å"Mother Tongue,† Amy Tan reflects on her childhood to describe how her mother contributed to her understanding of language. Tan encounters numerous situations when she feels like she is judged based on how her mother spoke â€Å"broken† English. Nevertheless, she overcame her teachers’ opinion that she should focus on math and sciences and became a writer. I have a similar experience because I have lived in a different country for a long time, and I speak a different languageRead MoreAmy Tan s Mother Tongue992 Words   |  4 PagesIn the essay â€Å"Mother Tongue† Amy Tan, the author, gives a different, a more upbeat outlook on the various forms of English that immigrants speak as they adapt to the American culture. Using simple language to develop her argument, she casually communicates to the audience rather than informing which helps the audience understand what is being presented at ease. Her mother plays an important role in her outlook of la nguage, because she helps her realize that language not only allows one to be a part