The relationship marketing

The relationship marketing Introduction Relationship marketing has become a widely applied and recognised way in which the hotel industry has been able to sell itself to guests. Prior to the start of the essay, the definition of relationship marketing must be addressed. Kotler et al. (2007) defines relationship marketing as the process in which the construction, cultivation and strengthening of strong value laden relationships with customers and other stakeholders occur. Another way relationship marketing can be defined is as with Dwyer et al. (1987, p. 12) both business marketing and consumer marketing benefit from attention to conditions that foster relational bonds leading to reliable repeat purchase. With this in mind, the idea that relationship marketing is a marketing strategy used in the context of the hotel industry for increased benefits both financial and otherwise via repeated purchases will be applied to within the scope of this essay. Recent shifts from the traditional side of transactional marketing to the inception of relationship marketing in recent times has seen a softer approach rather than a dominant approach to making sales transactions, and thus increases the relevance of the application of relationship marketing to the hotel industry. (Gummesson, 1999) While there are many perceptions as well as views to the notion of relationship marketing, this essay intends to focus on the advantages as well as the drawbacks of relationship marketing within the hotel industry, recommendations as well as propositions with regards its future directions will too be discussed with relevance to the question. Pros of Relationship Marketing Customer Loyalty A significant benefit that can be derived from successful relationship marketing (RM) in a business is the development of loyalty in customers. Hennig-Thurau, Gwinner Gremler (2002) mentioned that customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth recommendations are usually the two outcomes of effective RM. Furthermore, it is further emphasised by Reynold Beatty (1999) that RM can provide exclusive benefits for customers, consequently reducing competition from other businesses that offer the same product which can thus assist in the achievement of consumer loyalty. Oliver (1997) defines loyalty as a close bonding between the consumer and the seller which results in frequent purchase of a certain product or service from the same supplier, despite the influence from other competitors which has the potential to evoke switching behaviour in consumers. The concept of customer loyalty has long been regarded as an important aspect of the integral operations occurring in organisations nowadays, as companies are becoming increasingly aware of the rewards to be reaped in the form of superior financial performance in the long run. This is further supported by Dowling Uncles (1997) purporting that loyal customers are more likely to spend additionally and often make favourable recommendations to other potential customers. In addition, McMullan Gilmore (2008) noted that greater knowledge and understanding of customer loyalty may allow companies to align their management strategies to meet the different needs of its customers in a more effective manner and hence, resulting in a more profitable business. Therefore, many hotels in todays world have implemented their own customer relationship management (CRM) system in order to offer their customers a unique and satisfying experience by accurately identifying the various needs of customers. Lo, Stalcup Lee (2010) stated that the concept of CRM has evolved over the past decades into a strategy employed by many organisations to integrate the different aspects present in the company, so that a greater understanding of their customers can be attained and ultimately, resulting in a long-term profitable relationship between the customers and themselves. However, it is crucial for hotels not to overlook other areas that are closely related to the concept of customer loyalty, instead of just merely focusing on the establishment of an effective CRM system. Customer loyalty is often linked to other service management concepts such as customer satisfaction and customer centricity. Businesses including the hotel industry should be mindful and take into consideration these other concepts that might affect the development of customer loyalty the ultimate aim of successful RM. It is also critical for hotels to recognise the obstacles impeding them from instilling loyalty in customers. One of the more noteworthy obstacles includes unresolved areas of dissatisfaction in consumers which, if left unattended, can result in dropping sales and profitability (McMullan Gilmore 2008). Therefore, a two-way communication becomes all the more essential for businesses to understand what customers want and knowing how to deal with dissatisfaction Lastly, managers should always assess the pros and cons of a loyalty program before implementing them, so that resources get measured and managed. Focus on Customer Retention Another advantage derived from relationship marketing is the increased profitability that stems from the retention as opposed to capturing new customers. Firstly, customer retention can be defined as the ability of a firms offer for a customer to purchase or patronage its product over a specific time period. (Shajahan, S, 2004. p.109) This occurs when, in the context of this essay, a hotel adopts a customer management orientation where it seeks to apply RM to retain its customers. Customer retention reduces marketing costs and as such benefits the hotel financially. This means that hotels need to spend potentially less money to attract customers they have lost as a result of the defection of its existing ones. This was exemplified in a study showing increase in profit by 25% to 125% in a company when it retained 5% more of its customers. (Reichheld, F Sasser, WE, 1990) This can be done by the hotel developing a customer retention strategy and thus focussing its energies on particular customers in which they would like to retain. This is as not all customers are worth the additional effort as well as cost to retain, certain customers are with more important with regards to their perceived value to the company as well as potential for development in the future (Buttle F, 2009). In the context of a hotel for example, a hotel might want to centre its attention on the higher spending, more affluent members of its clientele, as they represent more profits for the c ompany as compared to the ordinary spending customer that patronises the hotel. With these measures and understanding of customer retention in place, hotels can reap increased profits as an advantage of relationship marketing. Word-of-mouth (WOM) Advertising As mentioned earlier in this paper, one of the desired outcomes of successful RM is the positive word-of-mouth recommendations by satisfied customers. WOM has been regarded as a powerful tool of communication which can influence consumers purchasing behaviour and judgements (John 1994). Sweeney, Soutar Mazzarol (2008) further elaborated that WOM behaviour plays an influential role in promotion and it is very important especially in businesses that provide services such as hotels. Zeithaml (1981) reinstated that WOM creates significant impacts in service organisations because the intangibility of service made it impossible for consumers to pre-trial the product before purchasing it. Hence, it is paramount that hotel operators are aware that WOM behaviour can affect them to a large extent. Though significant repercussions may prove to be an issue if negative words about the company were to spread around, operators of hotels should be forewarned of the positives that WOM marketing can provide for them. For instance, WOM can reduce geographical boundaries that used to exist in traditional marketing, especially true with the increased affluence of internet in our modern society today. This is supported by Trusov, Bucklin Pauwels (2009) stating that the use of Internet can provide many various platforms and avenues for users to share their views and opinions with one another. In addition, it also serves as an advertising channel which can lower costs and ensure that consumers receive the message in the shortest possible time. Costs Savings for Businesses As most organisations face difficulties in nurturing and maintaining long-term relationships with their customers (1999), the advancement of information technology (IT) has significantly improved efficiency and decreased the costs associated with RM. For customers, RM through the use of IT will ensure a better understanding and better fit for marketing efforts (Xu, Yen, Lin Chou 2002). For hotels, RM through the use of IT means moving from general market segmentation to a more definitive segmentation while enhancing the level of intimacy between the hotel and her guests (Gummesson 1994). Barlow (1992) concurs that generally, guests desires to be communicated with on a one-on-one basis. Based on past data collected through the use of information systems and property management systems, hotels are able to utilise sequential data in RM (Grà ¶nroos 1995). Berry (1995) perceives that the use of IT in customer RM will facilitate information exchange, allow possible tracking of buying patterns, and the personalisation of service experience. This translates into cost-savings for the hotel for their marketing efforts. Understanding the Market Relationship marketing can be taken advantage to narrow the demand gap for accommodation rooms caused by seasonality of tourism demand. As mentioned by Butler (2001), seasonality in tourism exacerbates problems relating to capital access, retention of skilled labour and the under-utilisation of resources such as hotel rooms. Generally, the two main causes of seasonality in tourism has been identified as natural causes and institutionalised causes (Hartmann 1986). Weather conditions can often lead to the seasonality of demand in tourism (Kozak Rimmington 2000). As such, the ski industry has a large turnover rate of employees and often, ski resorts are vacant during the summer (Ismert Petrick 2004). Based on the geographical environment that it is in, hotels can actually sell nature tourism to potential guests during the off peak seasons. By having leisure activities at the destination, it creates a compelling justification for travellers to stay over. This form of marketing would be best communicated via the use of relationship marketing as hotels will have a better understand of guests preferences. Similarly, hotels can utilise existing guest records to target those that do not have work obligations for instance, and those that they deem as potential guests. During the low-peak seasons, hotels can make use of that as a selling advantage. A different group of guests may be attracted as a result of marketing the hotel to be quiet and peaceful. For example, by creating special packages that addresses accessibility issues, and includes a wide variety of leisure options and accommodation standards for the elderly, the hotel is able to tap on the retired greying population and boost room occupancy rates even during these periods. Cons of Relationship Marketing Importance of Recognising Cultural Differences One of the disadvantages of RM, and especially so for global hotel businesses, is that cultural differences are not being recognized when a single approach is being implemented for different societies. Culture must be first defined in this essay as an integrated system of learned behaviour patterns that are distinguishing characteristics of the members of any given society (Czinkota, MR Ronkainen, IA, 2007 p.54) This would mean that different cultures adopt different mindsets on various issues, attitudes and feelings. In the context of this essay this means various cultures respond differently with respect to RM in hotels. For example, Chinese tourists attach great significance to ritualistic behaviour such as a smile, greeting or a hand-shake as part of a service orientated experience which represents respect and importance of the guests. In the UK, however, ritual greetings by hotel employees are rare; furthermore interactions with guests from Chinese cultures are inclined to be h indered by language barriers. (Wang,Y. Vela,MR. Tyler, K.2008) This means that tourists from a Chinese culture would be affected in ways that guests from for example, a western culture would not be. Hotels therefore are faced with the constant challenge of providing a positive service experience for a variety of visitors with different expectations and needs. It is also noted that RM in the Chinese cultural setting is approached in a different manner than how it is done in western cultures. In the former, it is custom to establish kuan-hsi (networking/relationship) first followed by the business dealing. However in western cultures, a closer relationship is fostered only after the business dealing, with the view of acquiring further business opportunities. (Gilbert, DTsao, J,2000) In the hotels context this would mean that international hotel chains such as Starwood would have to deal with local suppliers or partners in different ways with regards to business dealings. A deal in China would not be approached in the same way as a deal in New York, lest offending or putting off potential suppliers. Hence the challenges faced by global hotel brands in RM with regards to different cultures. Involvement of High Costs for Training and Software Because of the different approaches to RM and a need to recognise these different cultural elements, hotel employees are required to undergo a stringent training process. As Zelkowitz (2005) advocates, the high costs related to relationship marketing generally spawns from the recruitment and training of staff. Thus, it contributes to the additional costs of the hotel. Furthermore, managing relationships have now been rarely limited to just the customer and the business, but also relationships with other stakeholders such as agencies and other suppliers which have different levels of integration and ways of operating. As a result of these complexities identified, many hotels are utilising integrated RM software to simplify their business operations process and effectively manage these multiple relationships. As such, this technology acquisition contributes to ongoing operating costs for the hotel and can be viewed as a form of maintenance (Little Marandi 2003). Counter Productivity of Relationship Marketing While trying to meet the needs of existing loyal guests, RM may have an adverse impact on customer loyalty. Sending unsolicited promotional materials such as mass customised emails to guests may risk jeopardising the relationship the hotel has with the guest (Brown Muchira 2004; Prasad, Ramamurthy Naidu 2001). At the same time, RM can result in guests being bombarded with promotional messages from various hotels that they have previously lived in. Bowie and Buttle (2004) believe that customer loyalty can only be dedicated to a small number of brands. Thus, overloading of information via marketing might be counterproductive and will eventually result in less benefits for both the hotel and the customers (Jayachandran, Sharma, Kaufman Raman 2005). Although RM might be able to anticipate guests needs and wants by accessing sequential records in the information system, it is important to remember that individual guests may not always desire for the same product and service even when b eing at the same property (Bowie Buttle 2004). Negligence of Existing Customers RM can be detrimental to any business if used in an improper manner. For instance, certain hotels may tend to use RM or tailor their strategies toward acquiring new markets whilst at the same time, lesser emphasis is placed on managing existing guest relationships. As previously established, the cost of attaining a new customer is five to six times more than retaining a loyal guest (Ndubisi, Malhotra Wah 2009), meaning some hotels suffer from the leaky bucket syndrome as they seem more interested in attracting new customers rather than retaining existing ones (Dowling Uncles 1997; Gummesson 1994). Limitations and Recommendations It has been widely accepted that the main objectives of relationship marketing and management is to establish long lasting relationships between the hotel and its guests through the increase in consumer knowledge and also establishing a two way relationship which is mutual and beneficial for both parties (Llamas-Alonso, Jimenez-Zarco, Martinez-Ruiz Dawson, 2009). The aforementioned points suggest that sound relationship management can lead to several benefits that increase the value of the hotel, provide competitive advantages, and enhance its competitive market positioning, which is then translated to the improvement in the hotels financial performance (Ryals, 2005; Boulding, Staelin, Ehret, Johnston, 2005). However, evidence also points out that effective relationship marketing requires heavy investment in information and communication technologies (ICTs) and also much effort in order to maintain these long-term relationships (Little Marandi 2003). Henceforth, this section aims t o explore existing limitations pertinent in the implementation of a relationship marketing strategy in hotels and subsequently, propose recommendations to address some of these issues identified. A plethora of research have been done in the area of CRM and they all seem to concur that the CRM framework no longer refers to just relationships between the business and the consumer, but also other organisations and parties interconnected within the framework, one where Gummesson (2004) has termed as a complex network of relationships. Several authors continue to expound on this, stating that these relationships frequently involve different mechanisms of governance, instruments of authority and control, levels of integration, and purposes which thus contributes to this complexity (Achrol Kotler, 1999; Rindfleisch Moorman, 2001), making CRM difficult to implement successfully. According to the Gartner Group ( 2002) and authors Srinivasan Moorman (2005), this complexity also mean certain aspects have not been addressed and thus constitutes to one of the reasons why a high percentage of CRM projects have failed and not liven up to the expectations of it. Hence, it is now understoo d that while these challenges are difficult to address, overcoming the complexity is integral for relationship marketing strategies to be successful within any hotel business. The multidimensional nature of relationship marketing entails proper foundations be established by the hotel management before the implementation of any CRM strategies. It is therefore recommended that the strategic objectives to be achieved by implementing CRM be defined clearly in the early in the planning stages. This ensures that it is clearly aligned to the overall hotel objectives and will thus be able to contribute strongly to hotel operations. As managing multiple relationships become more complex, it is also recommended that a performance management tool specifically catered toward CRM should be established in order to evaluate the success of the CRM strategy. This proposal builds upon the works of Sin, Tse Yim (2005), which proposes a potential tool for measuring performances in relationship marketing, defining the concept as a multidimensional construct consisting of four broad areas strategy, people, technology and processes. Therefore, this approach of recognising other dimensions will enable the hotel to take on a more holistic approach toward relationship marketing and CRM. Furthermore, with technology being increasingly relied on in managing these relationships, these evaluative tools will be able to measure the success of these information systems to ensure it delivers its intended outcomes. As mentioned earlier in this paper, relationship marketing not only refer to creating strong and long-lasting relationships with hotel guests, but also extends to other stakeholders such as suppliers and potential and existing employees (Christopher, Payne Ballatyne, 1991). Employees play a decisive role in managing relationships with guests since they become partners and co-producers in the customer experience (Llamas-Alonso et al., 2009). While most CRM strategies have tended to focus on guest satisfaction, guest loyalty and other areas relation to customer attitudes toward the hotel brand, it is then recommended that equal emphasis be placed on managing employee relationships and suppliers alike in order to increase the probability of successfully delivering the intended outcomes of the overall relationship marketing strategy. Benefits of Recommendations The development of measurement systems will allow hotel managers to anticipate how CRM will work and determine the way CRM will influence the achievement of the hotels strategic objectives. By designing and implementing a balanced, complex, and multi-dimensional measurement system, hotels will then be able to anticipate the future ability of CRM to achieve its objectives through a predictive performance measurement system or establish the level of real success achieved by CRM through an evaluative performance measurement system (Llamas-Alonso et al., 2009). Additionally, the implementation of evaluative measures in hotels will be able to provide important information to key decision-makers, allowing them to determine whether their efforts are on track with the overall relationship marketing strategy. Also, it will help managers to understand whether their programs are succeeding or failing by signalling potential managerial problems when the performance indicators are not able to track in the desired function (Llamas-Alonso et al., 2009). Above all, these measures will encourage hotel managers to take initiative and be accountable, at the same time, clarifying the process for the expectations and requirements of policy makers. The implementation of Performance Management and Control Systems (PMCS) with a predictive orientation will essentially help to minimise the risks of decision making and pave the way for hotel strategies to be executed, consequently improving the return on investments associated with the implementation of relationship marketing programs (Argyres, 1999). Furthermore, as Llamas-Alonso et al. (2009) purports, comparing the predictive and achieved objectives in the hotel will be able to establish the divergences between the expected results and the achieved results, thus improving efficiency and efficacy of the relationship marketing strategy as well. Conclusion After a thorough analysis of the relationship marketing concept within the of hotel industry, it is evident that relationship marketing if utilised appropriately, can lead to significant potential benefits for the hotel business. Such benefits include positive word of mouth recommendations to future customers as a direct result of customer loyalty, greater cost savings for business, increasing occupancy rate during off-seasons and also, customer retention all of which translates into higher profits and improving the overall functionality of the hotel. Despite the benefits gained, relationship marketing can also present several drawbacks to hotel operators. In todays world, globalisation has allowed the interactions between people of different ethnicity and cultural practice to take place more frequently. This means that understanding different cultures and learning to deal with different people becomes all the more relevant and could potentially sap large amount of time and effort. In addition to this, the costs required to establish a CRM system and training employees to be proficient in it can be exorbitant. It should be noted however, that these are investments that need to be made in order for relationship marketing to be implemented successfully and thus entail proper planning and objectives setting. Furthermore, the multidimensional nature of relationship marketing means hotels face much complexity. Hence, it is imperative that performance measures with an evaluative focus should be utilised in order to ensure the success of a relationship marketing strategy. It was also noted in this paper that relationships with suppliers and especially employees need to be managed as well, since the latter contribute to delivering the overall guest satisfaction. The adoption of a relationship marketing approach involves a great challenge for the firm, since it means a different way of understanding the marketing strategy, the market and the approach to the guest. Above all, hotel businesses need to be able to communicate this strategy to its staff, and ensure that the relationship marketing strategy is fully embraced and the organisation fully aligned to it in order for the business to face the multitude of challenges for the future. List of References Achrol, R. S. Kotler, P. 1999, Marketing in the network economy [special issue], Journal of Marketing, vol. 63, pp. 146-163. Argyres, N. S. 1999, The impact of information technology on coordination: Evidence from the b-stealth bomber, Organisation Science, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 162. 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Managerial delegation within nursing practice

Managerial delegation within nursing practice PREPARATION FOR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE Part 1 The following assignment will discuss the importance of managerial delegation in practice. The learning outcomes I shall cover in this essay are to critically analyse the concepts of professional and inter-professional collaboration. I shall also demonstrate accountability and responsibility in managing the delivery of care. I shall also critically reflect upon my own strengths and weaknesses in relation to leadership qualities, management skills, communication skills and evidence based practice. All those aspects will be examined on the basis of a scenario. The scenario concerns a patient called Betty, who was due in for admission by police escort and I asked a qualified member of staff to undertake the admission. However it became apparent that the patient was drunk upon arrival for admission. I felt inexperienced to deal with this and I recognised the need to resort to policy, legal, ethical and safety issues surrounding my delegation and decision-making before the admission could proceed. I discovered that there was no policy in respect of admittance of a drunken patient. For that reason I recognised the need to seek guidance from more experienced team members as patient safety was a concern. The good part of this experience was that I felt supported by more experienced staff members. After discussions, I felt that the admission was manageable and would not cause any safety issues in respect of patient care. I changed my decision and asked the qualified staff member to orientate the patient to the ward. Rather than asking the nursing assistant who I felt did not have the theoretical knowledge of substance misuse or appropriate skills to deal competently with the situation on this occasion. I could have refused the admission due to lack of policy guidance and if the situation arose again, I would judge the situation on its risk to patient safety and care. This scenario shows that during the course of a workday, a nurse makes decisions of many kinds, these are not trivial decisions; they involve a patient’s well-being, so it is important that as a nurse my decisions are good ones. I believe my PDP has helped me identify weaknesses as learning needs, enabling me to address these areas during practice, gaining more skills and benefiting my nursing career, patients and prospective employers. Some nurses criticise PDP’s for negatively highlighting areas of poor performance (Wilson et al 2009), others believe they positively acknowledge the nurses strengths and constructively recognise areas of improveme nt (Evans 2003). Policy changes and changes in nursing practice (The NHS Plan 2000, National Service Framework for Older People 1999, Making A Difference 1999, NMC 2002) means the nurses role has changed. The nurse needs to delegate tasks to enable all the daily tasks to be completed. Actually the above scenario contains aspects of leadership, management and delegation. It would therefore be important to examine those aspects and look at the differences between them. In a transformational style, one identifies a problem, and works collaboratively with other staff to find a solution. There is an element of unpredictability as well, which empowers the nurse for the future (Faugier et al 2002). Leadership goes also with authority, influence and power (Jooste, 2004). Influence plays a more important role as a leader should be able to motivate, negotiate, and persuade instead of simply wielding power. This influence is to model by example, to build caring relationships, and mentor by instruction (Jooste, 2004). Leadership goes also along with management, but confusion prevails about these two notions (Marquis et al 2009). The differences lie in the roles of the leader and a manager as made clear by (Hughes et al 2006) in the following distinctions: â€Å"managers administer, leaders innovate; managers maintain, leaders develop; managers control, leaders inspire; managers have a short-term view, leaders have a long-term view; managers ask how and when , leaders ask what and why; managers initiate, leaders originate; managers accept the status quo, leaders challenge it.† Managerial delegation is one aspect nurses have to very careful about. As a matter of fact, delegation is the turning over of both authority and responsibility for doing work duties to a subordinate, but additionally explaining the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of a selected job, whilst leaving the ‘how’ up to the subordinates (Coburn et al 2006). It is â€Å"is the process by which you (the delegator) allocate clinical or non-clinical treatment or care to a competent person (the delegate). You will remain responsible for the overall management of the service user, and accountable for your decision to delegate. You will not be accountable for the decisions and actions of the delegate† (Wales (NLIAH), 2010). This brings about a new level of professional decision-making and the nurse as a person with managerial skills and deleg ation (Thomas et al 2009). As part of my management placement I would learn of my managerial and delegation duties for the day during handover when I would identify what tasks needed doing. Following this I would check the ward diary and the doctor’s book to see what tasks I needed to delegate to ensure that all the patients were cared for safely. Evidence suggests, many student nurses and newly qualified nurses feel unskilled at delegation due to limited educational training and inexperience in the work place (Johnson et al 2006). On placement I felt ill prepared to delegate to staff members for these reasons, however I recognised that the best way to develop this skill would be through experiential learning. Delegation is a skill, which (Johnson et al 2006) argues is better acquired through experiential learning than lectures. (Kolb 1984) describes the experiential learning cycle as experience, reflection, generalising and planning. (Simon et al 2009) and (Parsons 2009) argue that delegation should not be purely experiential as research suggests educational sessions have resulted in knowledge and confidence for decision-making (Conger 1993). Making a Difference (DOH 1999) supports both views, as do I. I found it hard to determine what can and should be delegated in case I compromised patient care. I over came this by using a theoretical framework alongside experiential learning. I critically analysed two frameworks. The first being the Four Rights of Delegation: Right task, Right person, Right communication and Right feedback (Hansten et al 2004). The second model was (Conger’s 1993); it is called delegation Decision-making Model, which addresses three areas, task analysis, problem identification and selecting the right team member for the job. However I rejected Conger’s model, as I perceived it as being flawed for the fact that it does not include feedback. Each time a task was delegated the staff member was asked to give feedback, so when they had completed their task, a written record documenting what had occurred, this way I could be sure that the patient had received the care needed. This written record can be confirmation that the task delegated has been started and finish to the instruction which I had delegated to the delegate. Any difficulties during the task which the delegate acknowledges can be further examined and future recommendations can be put in place for future practice (Warner 2008). To delegate successfully the student nurse needs to develop an understanding of team members’ job descriptions, job expectations and skills training; otherwise patient care could suffer (Thomas et al 2009). Nurses must be very careful when delegating someone, and they have to keep in mind that there are accountable. Perhaps the best way to understand this issue would be to quote from the (Nursing and Midwifery Council 2008) on what it says about the delegator’s accountability: â€Å"If the nurse or midwife is delegating care to another professional, health care support staff, carer or relative, they must delegate effectively and are accountable for the appropriateness of the delegation. The Code requires that nurses and midwives must: establish that anyone they delegate to be able to carry out their instructions; confirm that the outcome of any delega ted task meets required standards and make sure that everyone they are responsible for is supervised and supported (Tomey et al 2009). I reflected upon the above experiences via self-reflection, peer and clinical supervision with my mentor. I decided that communicating more effectively to staff members was crucial to my ability to delegate better. I believed that my good communication skills were invaluable to me when learning how to delegate. (Parkman et al 2004) states that â€Å"effective communication is a fundamental asset to successful delegation†. Evidence has shown that good communication skills by the student nurse will enable them to be more successful in delegating resulting in higher levels of job satisfaction as it empowers all team members (Parsons et al 2009). Using (Gibbs Reflective Cycle 1988) to reflect and evaluate my delegation experiences and in turns the quality of care provided for patients has helped me to become more self aware in my actions. (Cook 20 01) states that â€Å"when the student nurse becomes aware of these things, it impacts positively on the quality of care, therapeutic communication and relationship with the patient† (Cook 2000). I have learnt that there are barriers to reflection. (Newell et al 2008) and (Jones et al 2008), criticize the idea of reflection arguing that it is a flawed process due to an inaccurate recall of memory and hindsight bias. (Richardson et al 2002) argues that it theorise actions in hindsight therefore devaluing the skill of responding intuitively to a patient. As such this could affect the quality of care given to the patient. But as with everything new challenges will always occur. One such challenge which can occur on a daily basis is when one of my delegation requests is contested due to a conflict of personalities. These conflicts of personalities can be shown in many ways such as ageism and gender. The older delegatee can sometimes show a condescending demeanour and display a pa tronizing superior attitude and a reticent to taking tasks from a younger newly qualified nurse. It is hard for the newly qualified nurse to point out any mistakes to someone older with many years of experience (Nursing Times 2011). Equally it is difficult when allocating a task to a member of staff who resents being told what to do by the opposite sex. When these barriers occur it is of great value for me to reflect on my practical and theoretical skills learned. With these skills learned, I know I have the confidence to meet any challenges and incidences which I can expect to meet on a daily basis. In general, as a newly qualified nurse giving delegation tasks, the nurse has to display strength in his/her personality (Doyle et al 2006). Any frailty within the newly qualified nurse’s character will soon be exposed by the delegate and advantages can be taken. Such advantages could include taking short cuts in the tasks delegated, or giving the task to someone else without fir stly notifying the delegator. In conclusion I feel I have grown personally, professionally and evidence of this can be seen through the achievement of NMC (2002) outcome competencies, PPS, witness statements, portfolio, profile, reflection, peer and clinical supervision. I feel that I have faced up to this challenging task and whilst learning to some degree through trial and error, I feel have succeeded in gaining delegation skills, because I have combined communication skills, theory and practice, with safe practice as my priority. Part 2 PREPARATION FOR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE Part Two Drug Management For part two, I will be using a personal development plan (PDP). By using my personal development plan coupled with the smarter framework I will have a greater chance to envisage my personal development plan. The SMARTER framework will be used in order to judge the components of my goals. See: Appendix 1 I shall focus on one part of my PDP, which I feel less confident in and that is my medication administration skills, coupled with my NHS trust’s policy on their Principles of Safe Administration of Medicines. I shall suggest ways in which I can overcome problems I have in this area. My strengths and weaknesses can be seen in appendix 5. See: Appendix 5 Some nurses criticise PDP’s for negatively highlighting areas of poor performance (Wilson 2002), others believe they positively acknowledge the nurses strengths and constructively recognise areas of improvement (Evans 2003). I believe my PDP has helped me identify weaknesses as learning needs, enabling me to address these areas during practice, gaining more skills and benefiting my nursing career, patients and prospective employer. The contents of my PDP include the prioritisation of 5 key areas for improvement, which I feel I need further knowledge and learning about, these areas are: Drug Management, IT, administration, Chairing meetings and infection control. I have set a 3 months goal in order to improve my knowledge and understanding of these areas of deficit. The way for me to achieve my goals could include such ways as Reading professional journals like British Medical Journal, Nursing standard and Nursing times, couching by IPT members, shadowing and learning form the professionals, ward resources and using the hospitals own nursing library. For an outline of my PDP please see: Appendix 2 As well as a PDP it is important that I maintain a reflective Diary, noting important events relevant for further investigation. See: Appendix 3 I have always been apprehensive when the time comes to administer the medication. I had read and heard so many bad incidents in the press and TV when fatalities had occurred due to incorrect medication being administered. Because of these fears, I have always tried to include within my PDP any incidents or information concerning the administration of medications. I am aware that each NHS trust has their own policies on the safe administration of medications. While researching the policies of my local trust, I came upon the following policies which I feel will be beneficial to improving my knowledge on the safe administration of drugs. Registered nurses in exercising their professional accountability in the safe administration of drugs must comply with the 10 R’s as listed in the trusts drugs Policy (East London NHS) See: Appendix 4 A prescribed medicine is the most frequently provided treatment for patients in the NHS and although standards for medicines prescribing, dispensing and administration are high in this country, mistakes do occur (DoH, 2004). There has been growing awareness of the causes of medicines incidents. The publication of ‘An Organisation with a Memory’ (DoH, 2000) demonstrated the government’s commitment to improving the safety of patient care with the clear aim to reduce the number of incidents of serious medicines incidents by 40 %, (Courtenay et al 2009). As a result of these facts and the government initiatives it is essential that the Trust has a supportive and clear process to improve the practice of the administration of medicines. In their review of Medicines Management, the Healthcare Commissions (State of Healthcare 2007) reported that trusts need appropriate controls to ensure that medicines-related risks are minimised (Healthcare Commission 2007). The report f rom the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), ‘Safety in doses: medicines safety incidents in the NHS’ (NPSA, 2007) outlining seven key actions for trusts to implement to improve patient safety and improve staff skills and competencies. The Nurse and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards for Medicine Management (NMC, 2007) encourage the immediate reporting of incidents. In order for registered nurses to keep their registration the NMC has compiled a test called (Prep) post registration education and practice. In order for nurses to achieve success in this test they must show that they have completed 35 hours of learning in relationship to the area of practice for every 3 years. The newly registered nurse must keep a (PPP) personal professional profile which will record their ongoing learning achievements (NMC) 2. The purpose of a (PPP) is so that the nurse can have a record of their achievements and it can be a source of reference. TheNursingandMidwiferyCouncil,thenursinggoverningbody,expectsall Nursesto:acknowledgeanylimitsofpersonalknowledge, skills and take steps to remedy any relevant deficits to meet the needs of patients (NMC scope of Professional Practice). AspartoftheNMCrequirementsforregistration,allnursesarerequiredtokeepa Professionalportfolio.Thisrecordslearningandskillacquisitionandintegrationof thisprofessionaldevelopmentintopractice.InspectionofthisportfoliodocumentcanberequestedbytheNMCatanytime,asthisprovidesevidenceofmeetingprofessionalstandards. Having set my learning need as drug management, within 6 months I shall do all I can to achieve proficiency in the administration of drugs. I am fully aware of the complexities of drug administration such as, the 10 R’s which I mentioned above, new medications coming on stream, old drugs being disused or superseded and contraindicated where certain combinations of medication is not advisable, the list can go on and on. As a nurse managing drugs I know there is no room for guessing when drugs are concerned, I know the only way is the right way when lives are at risk. 1

english :: essays research papers

Guidone 1 Throughout time Shakespeare has influenced society in many ways. He has been a great inspiration to literature, plays, painters, movies and language. Many of his plays and poems have been required as a part of liberal education. His idea’s on such subjects as heroism, romantic love, and the nature of tragedy have shaped the attitudes of millions of people and influenced their thinking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shakespeare contributed greatly to the English speaking language. Many phrases and words from Shakespeare’s poems and plays have become apart of our everyday speech. Millions of people that use his words or phrases are unaware they are created by him. Some common words he has invented are assassination, bump, eventful, and disgraceful conduct. Shakespeare introduced almost 3,000 words into the Oxford English Dictionary. There are over 1700 common words of Shakespeare origin in our everyday vocabulary. The most rapid growth of vocabulary in the recorded history of language was the period of Shakespeare. Due to his inventiveness and creative word play he has had the greatest impact on our daily vocabulary. Many people quote Shakespeare almost everyday without knowing it. If a person doesn’t understand my argument and the one party state’s â€Å"It’s Greek to me†, or if someone has ever â€Å"Refused to budge an inch†, they a re quoting excerpts of Shakespeare. Many people re-sight lines from Shakespeare’s plays without even reading them. One of the most famous lines is â€Å"To be or not to be.† He experimented with all sorts of words and phrases to create vivid pictures in the mind. Shakespeare helped shape many English speaking countries. He often invented and changed words around. Some of Shakespeare’s words may be confusing or unfamiliar to Guidone 2 many of the modern readers. However, many of the words he had employed are no longer being used.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since Shakespeare’s death he has influenced every generation of writers, painters and still has some impact on contemporary plays. Many rhetoric devices were used in his work, that writers are often using now. Some familiar ones are alliteration, which is the same sound being repeated in a line or group of lines and repetition, which is when something repeats itself. He often used a lot of imagery, which many writers found useful. With imagery writers were able to create excitement. Shakespeare’s Macbeth was one of the famous and brilliant examples of imagery. There are many paintings from Macbeth that have been done by some of the best artist.

Native American Schooling Essay -- essays research papers

Native Schooling For many years Native American people have been discriminated against in the United States as well as in the Public School system. Beginning with the common-school movement of the 1830s and 1840s, which attempted to stop the flow toward a more diverse society, the school systems have continued to be geared exclusively toward WASPS (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants). Native Americans have been forced to abandon their culture and conform to our â€Å"American† ways (Rothenberg, 1998, pp. 258-259.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thomas L. McKenney focused on deculturalizing the children through public schooling (Spring, 1997, p. 16). McKenney served as superintendent of Indian trade for fourteen years. After that office was abolished in 1823, he was appointed as the first head of the Office of Indian affairs. His idea was that a person could â€Å"civilize† the Native American children in schools when they were away from their parents. He tried to force assimilation on these Native American children. He wanted them to convert to Christianity, and adopt the WASP’s beliefs and morals. In 1827 McKenney wrote to the Secretary of War, James Barbour stating that, â€Å"children, who only needed to be protected from evil . . . and under the conditions of isolation and education Indians could be civilized in one generation (Spring, 1997, p.18).†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Missionaries were sent to the tribes to spread the word of Christianity under the Civilization Act. Today the act of sending in missionaries would be viewed as a violation of the First Amendment. The amendment states that there shall be no governmental support of any religion. In that time though they were still beginning their school day with a reading from the Protestant Bible (Spring, 1997, p. 18). The Presbyterian and Congregationalist churches brought into existence the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) in 1810. Their mission was worldwide and they sent missionaries abroad as well as the Native American tribes. According to Spring, the missionaries viewed the Native Americans as foreign â€Å"heathen.† A powerful example of the path to deculturalization was Reverend James Ramsey’s visit to a Choctaw school in 1846. As quoted in the Spring text, Ramsey stated, â€Å"`I showed them [on a map] that the people who speak t he English language, and who occupied so small a part of ... ... p. 103), which encouraged Indian involvement in the school systems. This required a separate local committee to represent the population if the majority of the school board was not Native American. This committee was given control over all Native American education programs affiliated with the United States Government. The ideals of this act were expanded upon in 1988 with the Tribally Controlled Schools Act. This act provided for grants to be given directly to tribes to fund the operation of their schools. With these positive modifications equality is in the possible, but distant future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Native Americans have been oppressed for hundreds of years since the their land was taken from them. The United States Government simply expects the Native American’s to assimilate to our society. Their culture and tribal ways have been stolen without a second thought. The government should provide some sort of retribution for these people. Perhaps Native American culture should be taught in our schools as well as American culture. Hopefully, someday everything will be equal in the world as well as in the public school system no matter what the person’s heritage.

Comparing Ulysses by Lord Tennyson and My Last Duchess by Robert Essay

Comparing Ulysses by Lord Tennyson and My Last Duchess by Robert Browning. â€Å"Ulysses† was written by Lord Tennyson and is a poem about a mythical Greek character and is a dramatic monologue. Another poem that is a dramatic monologue is â€Å"My Last Duchess†, by Robert Browning. Both poems are similar, for example they are both structured similarly, and are both different, one difference being their subject. In this essay I will compare the two poems, focusing on form, and how language helps to build up subject matter. Ulysses is a Greek mythical character, and was famous for being a pirate, ransacking villages and being a warrior. In Greek literature, Ulysses just seemed to disappear after he got home, and Tennyson decided to write about Ulysses and his thoughts after ‘retiring’ from fighting. The poem is written in verse, and seems to be either a dramatic monologue or monologue interior. It is hard to know which one, as a dramatic monologue must have a listener (other than the audience. Ulysses is talking to someone, his dead soldiers, but as they are deceased it is difficult to decide if they count as a listener to the poem. â€Å"My Last Duchess† by Robert Browning was written in the same era as â€Å"Ulysses† and is written in Verse. This poem is different to â€Å"Ulysses† as this poem is about a fictional character which is created by Browning. This is a Dramatic Monologue, as the duke (the character created by Browning) is talking to the servant of the father of a possible bride. To create the effect of speech, Browning uses Iambic Pentameter, which helps to imitate the rhythm of conversational speech, and enjambment frequently. The use of language to present the subject matter is important for both poets. I... ...is displeasure from his wife and why, almost acting as a warning to his next wife. So a poem about the â€Å"Last Duchess† is actually a poem about the Duke’s likes and dislikes, which again helps to subtly build up the self centred nature of the character without revealing too much and loosing the readers’ interest. Both poems are similar and different in many different ways. The most obvious similarity to both poems is their form, but if we look deeper into the poem we see that their content and their characters are very similar. However, some differences still remain in the poem. The main subject matter for both poems is death, but the two poems have different feelings towards death. For the Duke, it is something ordered and controlled by him, but for Ulysses, even though he has encountered death within his life so much he cannot accept that he will die.

Ethical Issues Affecting Each Component of the Marketing Mix Essay

Ethical Issues Affecting Each Component of the Marketing Mix Ethical issues in businesses among other related issues like conflicts or success revolves around relationships. In today’s business world, it has become inevitable to built strong and effectives between all the key players in businesses. Key player in this case include shareholders, investors, customers, suppliers and managers who are responsible for the development of strategies aimed at attaining success (Carroll et al 403). The board of directors in every business has the mandate of giving direction and oversight making sure that the business does not stray from its course and remains relevant in achieving its objectives in a socially acceptable, legally acceptable and ethical manner. In many instances of unethical business conduct, there exists a certain degree of compliancy and knowing corporation which acts to perpetuate the acceptance of such conduct. Importantly, most ethical issues come into existence due t o conflicts in belief patterns and value conflicts regarding what is wrong or what is right. This occurs because ethical standards are a derivative of deeply-rooted personal believes and societal morals which may not be universally agreed upon. Ethical issues exist in all functional areas of the businesses including; finance, accounting, production, marketing, operations and even management. They involve practices like product safety, human resource management, plant safety, business practices and environmental problems among others (Carroll et al 412). The elements of the marketing mix are important aspects of the business which can be evaluated in the light of ethical issues. Marketing mix encompasses all the major areas of decision making affecting the marketing process and when carefully blended, desirable results for the organization are obtained. Marketing mix is important for all businesses as it shapes the function of marketing in both non-profit making and profit making organizations. As marketing managers make decisions about the overall process of marketing, they have to consider the specific elements of the marketing mix which include price, promotion, product and place and in other instances they are even supposed to consider the sub-elements in each element in order to satisfy the wants and needs of the customers. Marketing mix holds a special place in businesses in that it is the hub identifying the best and suitable marketing strategy. Its purpose is balancing all the elements in order to come up with an ideal mix of all the controllable  variables. As the markets demands change, the marketing mix also has to be changed in a manner which allows alignment with the goals and objectives of the organization. The external environment therefore plays a critical role in necessitating alterations and other changes in the marketing mix. One of the most fluctuating variables of the external environment is the customer; whose preferences and tastes change swiftly among other factors like brand loyalty (Stone 51). Given the importance of the marketing mix and the fact that all important aspects of the business revolves around it, it becomes a rather sensitive area in ensuring that regardless of the ambitions of the business, the management does not go overboard to affect its relationships with the oth er stakeholders who have any form of interest in the business (Tittle 12). Ethical issues usually arise when some of these relationships are affected or the moral fiber as defined by law or the society in which this business exists is coarsened. This means that the business has a responsibility of providing the society with good made adhering to all ethical issues and also of high quality. In looking closely at all the elements of the marketing mix and how ethical issues can affect them, it is important to point out that the essence of the businesses is not only to maximize profits but also to take care of consumers of the products, the employees and the environment. The product, which is one of the elements of the marketing mix, is a sensitive component with regard to ethical issues (Swarbrooke and Horner 30). The whole product life cycle is vulnerable to ethical issue right from the development to its elimination. Ethical issues may arise from product packaging. Since businesses survival depends on attracting and retaining customers, some businesses use p ackages which do not actually represent what they are offering. This may be in terms of underweight packaging or the use of colorful packages which do not really depict what’s inside. Ethical issues may also arise from the product testing especially for products like medication which must have many guidelines. Testing products on people is unethical and is prohibited by most societies. Cases of selling of banned goods are also many and this also involves the crossing of many ethical lines. It is highly recommended to ensure that all products entering the market are safe. Although â€Å"safe† in this case is subject to diverse interpretation, it is recommended that businesses disclose all the known harmful effect of product. This also touches on the  sensitive issue of genetically modified products which must be clearly labeled to warn the buyers. A very good example of ethical issues arising from particular products was coke’s crisis of 1999 to 2001. In this case, ethical dimensions were explored when people fell ill after consuming this soft drink. Much controversy also surrounded this case because school children fell ill after consuming this drink as the company had signed school contracts as a means of promoting the drink among the school children. The company took responsibility and recalled over 5 million cans under recommendation from the Belgium Ministry of Health. This ethical issues also touches on possible ethical issues which might arise in promotion as another factor in marketing mix. Pricing, which is one of the most regulated areas in marketing, has many possible unethical practices which might even not include illegality. There is price discrimination; transfer pricing, legal prohibitions, predatory pricing, and government price-fixing among other factors which might draw attention of ethical issues as far as ethical issues are concerned. There should be valid reasons governing the increase of prices of products to avoid taking advantage of the customer. The subjective and emotional nature of pricing avails many avenues of misunderstanding between the buyer and seller which might cause ethical problems. Common issues of this nature involve failure to disclose the actual price of the product and price fixing. Other acts pertaining pricing include dumping which is the selling of goods at a loss with the aim of increasing market share but do away with competitors and bid rigging. A case which was well explored was that of Ryanair which is an airline company. This company was faced by much controversy due to their pricing and advertising. Bodies like Advertising Standards Authority claimed that this airline company did not advertise the actual prices it was charging. Further criticism was raised because of the fact that, they were charging very low prices with the intent of spoiling the market opportunities for other players and resulted to great losses in the 2008/2009 financial year even for British airways. Although many of these companies claimed that it was due to increased fuel prices, Ryanair was the root cause because it did not hike the prices accordingly. Promotion employs different strategies like mass selling, personal selling and sales promotion to ensure the target market is informed of the existence of this product and the benefits if  using such product (Fraedrich et al 24). Since it involves modes of persuasive communication and the fact that it involves visibility advertising, it is frequently criticized part in marketing. One true fact about advertising is the fact that the earliest use of advertising was based on genuine reasons and practices which had no ethical issues. Currently however, many issues are coming up which has forced governments and other bodies to introduce regulations to avoid misleading of customers. The content in the promotions must meet high standards of advertisement maintaining truth and honesty. Honesty issues were well explored in the early 1950s when the advertisement of tobacco came under much criticism as it was being alleged in advertisements that is promotes health (Carroll et al 5). This of c ourse was found to be untrue and laws were set regarding false advertising. This is a very good example of unethical conduct which arose due to promotion and attracted a lot of attention from the press and government. It therefore became paramount that all the promoters tell the truth about their products to avoid offence against morality and also the law. Advertisements especially those which will be seen by children must not contain aspects of sex, violence or profanity as they might cross many ethical lines. Still in promotion, it is considered ethically inappropriate and illegal to promote products through negative advertising strategies such as attack advertising. Adverts should not directly attack the disadvantages of the competitor’s goods but should focus on advantages of their own. With advent of the internet, other forms of advertisement have also emerged some of which are considered unethical in nature. These include spam advertisements among other pop up windows which are unsolicited. Direct mail may also infringe on personal rights and therefore cross some ethical lines. The last element of the market mix to be considered is place. Place in this case covers many aspects leading to availing the product to the target market (Shimizu 13). Any product or service is of no value to the customer if it is not available at the right time and place. Ethical issues in the place element arise due to conflicts in the intermediaries of the distribution channel. The relationships in the channel of distribution cause much ethics related issues and these are brought mainly by power imbalance in these relationships. Ethical issues may come in as a result of listing fees which may be hiked and provide a discrepancy between the operations of  large suppliers and small suppliers. Corruption also comes in as a relevant ethical issue which can come in to the supply chain. Violation of the workers’ rights and the use of child labor and other practices like production in sweat shops or ignoring the safety, health or environmental standards can present an ethical problem in the element of place. Sweatshops have been a subject to much controversy in global business ethics. Examples of large corporations which have been implicated in this issue include Reebok, Gap and Nike. Wal-Mart’s case however has been much publicized where employees have been overworked or forced to work for extra hours without pay. Although Wal-Mart has been constantly denying this, there is mounting evidence especially from cases filed in 2005 which suggest that according to the company policy overtime should not be paid. The 1996 Wal-Mart Lee collection was also publicized when it was found that, many of these clothes were made in Honduras in sweatshops with worker laboring for up to 20 hours per day. Discrepancies in pricing of the same item from one place to another are also other forms of unethical acts arising in the element of place. At such a time when there is heightened capitalization of the economy, ethical issues have become critical and the consumer can no longer be ignored. All decisions regarding marketing planning must therefore uphold high ethical standards. Unethical corporate have the capability of inflicting much suffering to investors, employees and consumers. Works Cited Carroll, Archie, and Buchholtz, Ann. Business and Society: Ethics and Stakeholder Management. Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2008. Fraedrich, John, Ferrell O. C., Linda Ferrell. Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases. Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2009 Shimizu, Koichi. Advertising Theory and Strategies.16th ed, Souseisha Book Company: 2009. Stone, Phil. Make marketing work for you: boost your profits with proven marketing techniques. Small business. Oxford: How to Books Ltd, 2001. Swarbrooke, John, and Horner, Susan. Consumer behavior in tourism. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007 Tittle, Peg. Ethical issues in business: inquiries, cases, and readings. New York: Broadview Press, 2000.

Baldrige Award Recipient

One of the 1995 Manufacturing Award Recipients of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award was Corning Incorporated. The April 8th 2008 issue of Forbes. com published an article titled, â€Å"Out of the Gate: Corning Inches Up† which is the article that I am reviewing for this assignment. Some of the main points of the article included that Corning shares were going up suggesting that the strong demand for their liquid crystal display glass panels contributed to this rise.It was mentioned that the Corning stock was upgraded from â€Å"neutral† to â€Å"outperform. † The New York based company is noted to be the world’s largest maker of LCD glass used in flat-screen televisions and computers. Since television sales are healthiest in U. S, China, Japan, Europe and Russia, these countries are said to be contributing the most to that growth. The article noted while broader stock markets are on the decline, Corning is continuing to rise. I found this article interesting for various reasons.While many people may see a successful company as one that makes a profit on a regular basis, the qualities of this company which may get ignored or are unknown to some, created the opportunities within that continues to challenge its employees to perform their best and the end result is a successful company, not the other way around. Corning encourages creativity in its employees and thus creating its own success by the quality of the company’s foundation and principles.Due to some of the reasons a company receives attention and awards such as the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, is that the company’s practices awards those within that in turn strengthen the company. For example, this company awards and encourages employees with creativity and future vision, thus currently they are in the lead in the area of liquid crystal display glass panels. Corning didn’t hop on the bandwagon mid-stream, they were entrepreneurs in th is area.When members of their team suggested this would be something worth developing years ago, those members were listened to and it has paid off and is continuing to pay off for Corning. While many in the public may see Corning as making profits at a time when few are, it was actually a more committed decision of conducting research into this long before others and then having time to refine their products when others just begin to recognize the value of this product.The author just stated the facts in this article of Corning’s stocks, so therefore was very objective in all of his/her (author’s name not given) points. The article was uninfluenced by any emotion by the author. However, knowing more about this company than this article, to me the end product shows that whether or not one sees it as such, valuing, motivating and encouraging one’s employees can be time worthwhile in the end for a company.Any awards a company gets are always partly due to its empl oyees, so the more a company can communicate and demonstrate this to their employees, the more motivated employees seem to be to add to the success of their company (ies). Reference Out of the Gate: Corning Inches Up. (2008, April 08). Retrieved April 22, 2008, from http://www. forbes. com/feeds/ap/2008/04/08/ap4866495. html