With reference to the NMC Professional Code of Conduct (2008) how should a nurse act in order to promote and maintain a client’s dignity Essay Example

With reference to the NMC Professional Code of Conduct (2008) how should a nurse act in order to promote and maintain a client’s dignity? Essay 34 year old Mary White is in your care. She has limited mobility which means that she is unable to walk without assistance. Her chronic and life limiting condition has recently led to a problem with eating and drinking and now Mary is unable to feed herself (although she can take food from a spoon and drink from a beaker) and requires total assistance in this activity. Whilst her body has deteriorated and her speech is limited Mary White’s cognitive function is intact although she is tearful and depressed. It is meal time and you are preparing to attend to Mary White’s nutritional needs. Objectives: †¢ Define the concept of dignity and discuss the importance of dignity in nursing care †¢ Discuss how the Code of Professional Conduct (NMC 2008) will guide your actions †¢ What are the issues that need to be considered when helping a patient to eat and drink †¢ What skills would you need to use to encourage Mary to eat and drink †¢ Reflect on how your understanding of dignity in health care may affect your future practice We will write a custom essay sample on With reference to the NMC Professional Code of Conduct (2008) how should a nurse act in order to promote and maintain a client’s dignity? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on With reference to the NMC Professional Code of Conduct (2008) how should a nurse act in order to promote and maintain a client’s dignity? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on With reference to the NMC Professional Code of Conduct (2008) how should a nurse act in order to promote and maintain a client’s dignity? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Essay: Nurses play an important role in the healthcare industry. It is required of them to take care of difficult and uncooperative patients. Their services are invaluable in the domain of palliative care as well. But in recent years, from being a humanitarian service, nursing has grown into a specialized branch of healthcare industry. The profession of Nursing has undergone several changes over the last few decades. From being an ad hoc service, it has now become a separate field of study in its own right. As a result of growing expectations, new standards of accountability have also been developed and enforced. This is true here in the UK and much of the developed world (Tortora, 2005). This essay will deal with Scenario Two, namely that of patient Mary. By referring to the recently constituted Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Professional Code of Conduct this essay will layout the dos and don’ts for a Nurse in the hypothetical scenario of caring for patient Mary. The Code of Conduct is a comprehensive document that outlines the core responsibilities of Nurses in the United Kingdom. Each aspect of nursing is neatly organized under a separate heading with two further levels of relevant subheadings. The first principle to be followed is stated as â€Å"Make the care of people your first concern, treating them as individuals and respecting their dignity†. Here, the key concept is ‘dignity’. In fact, it would not be far fetched to state that ‘dignity’ is at the centre of all nursing activity. In the case of Mary, since she is immobile and has limited speaking ability, it is quite easy to forget that she is a full human being. A testament to her complete humanness is her fully functioning cognition. While Mary might not be able to articulate what she wants or what she feels, she can feel pain, hurt, anger, disappointment, happiness, etc. In other words, the entire gamut of human emotion is accessible to her f unctioning brain, although recognition of this fact might escape a casual observer at first (Marieb, 2005). As a Nurse adhering to the principles set forth in the Code of Conduct, I would first let Mary know that I treat her on par with any other human being. While taking complete care of a bed ridden patient can at times get tedious and monotonous, I would find ways of circumventing these. The best way of avoiding the monotony associated with nursing a bed ridden patient is by developing a personal bond with her. In the case of Mary, I will express through my words, gestures and general demeanour that I really care about her health and well being. Since Mary’s cognitive functions are fully alright, she can hear and understand what I am speaking to her. As any good nurse will do, I will attempt to win over her confidence and trust through my words and actions. A pedagogic approach would be unsuitable in the case of Mary, as her health condition is not frequently encountered in nursing practice. A more flexible and pragmatic approach would be more suitable. For example, a NMC president Nancy Kirkland says, â€Å"Rather than be prescriptive in the Code and set out pages and pages of rules that might be inappropriate and might not arise in different circumstances, we felt it would be better to use this other approach which allows the profession to use their professional judgement, relevant to the situation they are in† (www.nmc-uk.org, 2008). Considering the fact that Mary cannot verbally communicate her likes and dislikes, it is imperative that I understand what and when she likes to eat. As the broader Code of Conduct document spells out, collaborating with Mary would entail making arrangements to meet her language and communication needs. Moreover, I must share information with her in a way she can understand and the information that she seeks about her health is also duly provided her. The limited mobility available to Mary would allow her to nod in approval or disapproval of the food I am feeding her. Before I make preparations for her meal, I would intimate her of the items I have chosen for her meal. I would observe her subtle reaction and understand what she is trying to communicate. It is important that I do not force her to do something she does not want too. While the food chosen by me might adhere to the recommendations made by the nutritionist, I can still exercise discretion in tailoring it to Maryâ⠂¬â„¢s preferences. As the Code of Conduct documents indicate, â€Å"Patients who have had a stroke may have difficulty in communicating. Nurses need to be alert to this, particularly if these patients are being treated fro and unrelated conditions as their communication need could be overlooked†. (www.nmc-uk.org, 2008) There are issues of practical convenience that need to be considered in feeding Mary. I will make sure that she is comfortably seated and that she assumes a suitable posture for eating food. I would observe if Mary is able to masticate the spoon fed morsel of food. If she has difficulty in chewing the intake properly, then I might resort to a semi-solid meal – one which could be easily swallowed. There are other such contingencies that could arise in the process of feeding Mary. But all times, I would adhere to the recommendations of the nutritionist and all times avoid those food items that had invoked allergic reactions in Mary in the past. It is also important to remember that Mary is showing signs of depression. Depressed patients will not generally have a healthy appetite. Their general lack of interest in life would mean that they are disinterested in food as well. There have been a few cases of injudicious action by nurses in the last few years. There are functional laws within the jurisdiction of theUnited Kingdomthat provide legal recourse to hospitalized patients who are provided negligent or inappropriate care by nurses. The following passage, taken from The Journal, dated November 25, 2005 illustrates this point: â€Å"A midwife from South Tyneside Hospital is facing a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing, charged with not giving appropriate care to two patients between September and October 2003. Siew Seng Bradwell, 51, fromSouth Shieldswill appear before the council on Monday for the four-day hearing. A spokeswoman for the NMC said yesterday: ‘There are eight charges, all relating to failing to listen to the patient and giving unnecessary intervention’† (The Journal, 2005). This story is particularly relevant to the case of Mary, as she has difficulty in communicating due to her limited speech. As a nurse attending the ailing Mary, I would be eager to find out why she is tearful most of the time and showing signs of depression. To some degree, the chronic and early decline of her health is a contributing factor behind this. But Mary is only 34 years of age and she might not be mentally prepared for her bearing this burden. What she needs at this stage is not just nutritional inputs but also spiritual ones. Using the services of a psychological counsellor is an option that I would definitely use, for when Mary comes out of her Depression, her appetite for food will also return to normal. In addition to availing the services of a professional psychologist, I would also apply basic psychotherapeutic principles that are inculcated in every nurse. Hence, the scope of services that a nurse can offer is very wide ranging. Helen Keleher makes some valid observations in the introduction to her book titled Community Nursing Practice: Theory, Skills and Issues, where she states â€Å"Understanding the social basis of health is essential for effective nursing practice in the community because health is much more complex than merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The philosophy of community nursing embraces and promotes the social model of health, which provides a framework for community practice. The social foundations of health include the social context in which people live, work and play, as well as a wide range of social, economic, cultural, environmental and political factors that influence the health of every person and population group. Collectively these are known as the determinants of health† (Keleher, 2007) The case of Mary should also be approached from the aforementioned perspective. As a nursing professional, I am expected to go beyond the text book rules and guidelines. I would try to understand the determinants of Mary’s health before arriving at concrete solutions for her. Many of the health determinants are not easy to quantify, for they are subjective assessments (Jones Symon, 2000). As a result, the process I adopt to gather Mary’s health determinants should go beyond merely pedagogic ones to include subjective and intuitive assessments. The Environment of Care advice sheet is useful here, as it lays out precautions and actions to be taken in contingency situations. As Mary has shown signs of depression, it is not far fetched to think that she may think of suicide. It is a moot point that she has limited mobility, which would thwart any attempts at suicide. The likely issue is not so much the probability of suicide as the very thought of it. I will have to make sure that the environment in which Mary lives is free of dangerous objects. If Mary is be to cared at her home and not at the controlled environment of a hospital, then the task of making the surroundings safe becomes more challenging. As the detailed document pertaining to environment of care states,

Management Information System Essays

Management Information System Essays Management Information System Essay Management Information System Essay Faculty of Business, Economics and Public Policy University of Brunei Darussalam Negara Brunei Darussalam Semester II (2011/2012) Module Title: Management Information System (BB5107) Coursework: How can IS/IT help my Organization? A coursework submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Business Administration (MBA) Name| Hj Mohd Shril Hj Matsawali| Registration No. | 11M0030| Programme| Master of Business Administration| Lecturer| Dr Hj Mohammad Nabil Almunawarah| Deadline| 15th April 2012| - Abstract This research approaches the issues on role of Information System and how it help organizations, with the aim of finding some conditions that make the organizational context able to manage the change process needed to really get the potential benefits of these technologies. This paper will further explain the process, types, benefits and how to ensure effective implementation of information system. Introduction In any business organization, data is the most important thing. Different type of information is produced from data. When the amount of data is large, it becomes more difficult to process this data manually. In order to get quick results and timely information, an Information System is used in almost all organizations. Information Systems (IS) development raises many important challenges to organizations. Nowadays, depending on the type of organization, to some extent business processes are supported by some kind of IS. It is not unusual to have in some organizations information and procedures islands lacking from a desirable integrated access to information. Managers are increasingly recognizing the competitive and strategic value of information systems. It has been considered that information is the most valuable assets in any organization apart from its personnel, financial capital, plant and equipment because it describes these physical resources and the environment in which they exist. Owning and upgrading their information system is now not an option in this technology-driven era; it is a requirement because organization that use an up-to-date information system to gather, assimilate, and evaluate internal as well as external information are gaining competitive advantage over other firms. What is an organisation? Organization is a social  unit  of people, systematically  structured and managed to meet a  need  or to pursue collective  goals on a  continuing  basis ( businessdictionary. com). An organization is a stable, formal social structure that takes resources from the environment and processes them to produce outputs. (http://phaariz. files. wordpress. com/2010/03/laudon-feature-3. pdf) They are also bureaucracies with clear-cut divisions of labor and specialization and arrange these specialists in a hierarchical manner in which everyone is accountable to someone and authority is limited to specific actions governed by abstract rules or procedures that must abide by laws. The organization is devoted to the principle of efficiency: maximizing output using limited inputs. Other features of organizations include business processes, organizational culture, organizational politics, surrounding environments, structure, goals, constituencies, and leadership styles. Organization is also considered to be an information entity (Lucas H. R. Jr (1994). This means that organization collect and assemble data from number of sources. Data is considered by scholar to be streams of raw facts representing events occurring in organizations or the physical environment before they have been organized and arranged into a form people can understand and use which is usually called information. Information is data that have been shaped into a form that is meaningful and useful to humans. The information however was viewed as an unfortunate, costly by product of doing business – simply â€Å"red-tape† (Laudon K. C, Laudon J. P. 1995). Thus, all of these features surrounding the organization must be acquired and analyzed and this affects the kinds of information systems used by organizations. How organization work traditionally before IS It is important to first understand how organization operates traditionally way before information system is introduced before it can show and compare how information system improve and help organisation. Under the old paradigm, the firm was governed by a relatively rigid functional structure inhibits cross-functional information flows. One of the other key problems identified in conventional organisation is working in silos. Silos are organisational units where there is a breakdown in communication, co-operation and co-ordination with both internal and external parties. In a paper quoting a 2003 Survey on Leadership Challenges by the American Management Association, Florence Stone notes that: â€Å".. getting people who have different agendas to work together is amongst the biggest obstacles facing business today† (Stone, 2004, p 11 cited at Fenwick et al p. ). In a recent paper Conrad Guelke notes that â€Å". organisational parochialism is characterised by a lack of co-operation between [and within] agencies. In a corporate environment where decision-making is being increasingly â€Å"unbundled†, and business unit fiscal performance is the priority, the values of teamwork and co-operation are often neglected† (Guelke, 2005, p 749 cited at Fenwick et al 2009 p. 3). Most organisations and organ isational units will have some silo characteristics at any given time. But silos become problematic when they are develop to a point that good performance suffers. The challenge is to indentify silos that are problematic or that threaten to become so, and to identify and take remedial steps. One of the ways to overcome this problem is by the setting up an information system in the organisation. What is Information System? An information system is a set of organized procedures that, when executed, provides information to support the organization (Lucas H. C. Jr 1994). According to Laudon K. C. et al. 1995), an information system is a set of interrelated components that sense, communicate, analyze, and display information for the purpose of enhancing perception, understanding, control and creative ability. Alter S. (1991) however argued that information system is a combination of work practices, information, people, and information technologies organized to accomplish goals in an organization. Information systems (IS) are sets of components that are organ ized in a way that supports the execution of some function(s) (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering IEEE, 1990 cited at Obeng S. 010). Nickerson (2000) does not limit the components to being only technical – such as computers and code – but sees that the people, the processes, and the information are also parts of an information system. Therefore it can be said that an information system is a system that provides management and other personnel within an organization with up-to-date information regarding the organizations performance; for example, current inventory and sales. Thus, it is important to understand the relationship or role of information ystem in any organization and how it would directly help them. An IS system isnt just a collection of hardware and software, its much more than that, its a tool. This tool can be used in a number of ways, and the value of it really depends on how a business opts to utilize it (Goessl L. 2008). Information systems are rarely innovative or out of the box business solutions. However manager will not be able to design new systems successfully or understand existing systems without understanding your own business organization. Relationship of Information System with Organization All businesses share one common asset, regardless of the type of business. It does not matter if they manufacture goods or provide services. It is a vital part of any business entity, whether a sole proprietorship or a multinational corporation. That common asset is information. The amount of information in organizations is heavily increasing and it has become vitally important to efficiently manage and share information inside the organization (Anna, 2009 cited at Obeng S. 2010). Information enables us to determine the need to create new products and services. Information tells us to move into new markets or to withdraw from other markets. Without information, the goods do not get made, the orders are not placed, the materials are not procured, the shipments are not delivered, the customers are not billed, and the business cannot survive. Information is considered to be the lifeblood of any organization (http://wiki. answers. com). It has far lesser impact when presented only as raw data. On the other hand damaged or lost data due to unorganized can cause disruptions in normal business activities leading to financial losses, law suits, etc. Companies have to be shifted in adopting new technology in order to remain competitive in a continuously developing business environment. This is where information systems (IS) come into play. In other words in order to maximize the value of information, it must be captured, analyzed, quantified, compiled, manipulated, made accessible, and shared through an information system (IS). It must be designed, developed, administered, and maintained which suits organizational needs and requirement. Information systems are organizational subsystems that perform ork related to information (Lucas H. C. Jr (1994) p. 52) Companies and other organizations are investing great sums in introducing information systems in the organization hoping to be able to make business more efficient and information sharing smoothly (Anna, 2009 cited at Obeng S. 2010). A sophisticated computer information system enables companies to monitor employees, to keep managers and employees informed, to coordinate activitie s among divisions, or even to sell their products to customers via the internet. Moreover, in the era of information technology like this, information has become valuable organizational asset just like human resources and inventories. Furthermore, a good information system can facilitate direct communication between firm and suppliers, manufacturers, dealers, and marketers. Together, they can create a value chain as though they were in one organization (Axos 2008). Information systems, which comprise hardware, software, data, applications, communication and people, help an organization to better manage and secure its critical corporate, customer and employee data. Information systems also improve integration and work processes and organization can gain continuous benefits. An information system can be a mainframe, mid-range or network computer concept that allows distributed processing for a group of users accessing the same software application. These systems provide management with control over their data, with various tools to extract data or view data structures and records. The role of an information system is to foster a data management environment that is robust and can be expanded according to an organizations strategic plan for information processing. An information system also satisfies diverse information needs in an organization Roles of Information System in an Organization One reason information system plays such an important role in organization and affect so many people is the soaring power and the decline on cost of computer technology. Organization nowadays can use powerful communication networks to access different locations around the world and coordinate activities across time and space. These networks are transforming the shape and the form of business enterprises. This report will not look into detail on the network used, instead will be focusing on the role and the capability of information system which required the organization to redesign, transform structure, scope of operations, reporting and control mechanisms, work practices, work flows, products and services (Lo P. 2005) Information system can flatten organizations which mean it can reduce number of employees and management levels. In other words, organization can reshape and retrench employee who is in redundancy and no longer need some of the positions. Thus, it reduces the number of levels in an organization by providing managers with information to supervise larger numbers of workers and by giving lower-level employees more decision-making authority. Team members can collaborate closely even from distance locations which means that the management span of control also been broadened. This means managers can manage and control more workers spread over greater distances. Through information system it is now possible to separate work from location and they can organize globally while working locally by the usage of e-mail, internet, and video conferencing. According to Laudon K. C. ; Laudon J. P. 2000, it can link people, assets and ideas to create and distribute products and services without being limited to traditional organizational boundaries or physical location and hence enabling different companies to join together to provide goods and services without physical linkage. It can also help to reorganize work flows and processes and have been progressively replacing manual work procedures with automated work procedures. It allows organization to cut costs significantly through displacing paper and manual routine as well as improving customer service. Redesigned workflows can also facilitate organization efficiency and can enable new organizational structures, products and services. Information system can increase flexibility to both small and large organizations by increasing their ability to respond to changes in the marketplace and to take advantage of new opportunities. It enables transactions such as payments and purchase orders to be exchanges electronically among different companies, thereby reducing the cost of obtaining products and services from outside the firm. Organization can share business data, catalogues or mail messages through such systems. It can create new relationships between organization, its customers and suppliers because information system automates the flow of information across organizational boundaries (Laudon K. C. ; Laudon J. P. (2000). Information System concepts Laudon K. C. ; Laudon J. P. (1995) p. 6 stated three common activities in an information system produce the information organizations need for making decisions, controlling operations, analyzing problems and creating new products or services. Input is the raw data from the world around us (Laudon K. C. et al (1995) p. 2). In other word input captures or collects raw data from within the organization or from its external environment. For example, Customers information, organization’s products and services, internal operations, competitors and all the external data on the economy, markets etc. Processing entails converting this raw data into a useful form which means that computers are used to store data and then manipulate, rearrange, and an alyze this data according to a set of instructions called a program or software. The result of processing on the other hand is called output. Output entails displaying information to users which means that it transfers the processed information to the people or activities where it will be used. For example, many organizations would want their information to be disseminated and shared to the external parties which include the public, stockholders, government and etc. Types of Information Systems in organization Information systems must be sufficiently flexible to meet the needs of users at different levels in an organization. Facilitating the input, processing and output as mentioned earlier requires the use of several different types of information system. Thus, there are different types of information system used in organization. These include transaction processing systems, management information systems, decision support systems and executive information systems. Transaction Processing Systems (TPS) Transaction processing systems help production workers to process transactions. Transaction means an event surrounding the production, distribution, sale and transportation of goods and services (Laudon K. C. et al 1995), cash deposits, payroll, credit decisions and the flow of material in the factory (Laudon K. C. ; Laudon J. P. 1995). The powerful feature of TPS is their ability to record routine and well-structured processes (Rowley J. 1996). It also helps to record sales, inventory or financial data. For example if an item were sold, the transaction processing system would ensure that the sale was posted in the sales journal and later when the invoice is raised to the accounts receivable file and to the inventory records. Output would be a printed list of detailed monthly statements for customers or a screen display of the stock levels of items in stock. Management Information System (MIS) Management information systems support managers in making decisions and to produce meaningful reports for managerial use (Rowley J. 1996). The purpose of this system is to help the business firm integrate new knowledge into the business and help organization control the flow of paperwork (Laudon K. C. ; Laudon J. P. 1995). MIS are suitable to use in decision making situations where the information requirements can be gathered and access in advance and the need for information occurs regularly. The highly structured information provided by these systems allows managers to evaluate an organizations performance by comparing current with previous outputs chris-kimble. com/Courses/World_Med_MBA/Types-of-Information-System. html. An example might be the decision to change the price of a given product. In order to make such a decision it is useful to have data on production costs, existing profitability of the product, past sales of that and other products, and the effect that a previous price rise had on sales, as well as data concerning the prices of comparable products from competitors. Decision Support Systems (DSS) Decision support systems help managers monitor, control, organize work, (Laudon K. C. et al 1995) decision making, and administrative activities (Laudon K. C. Laudon J. P. 1995). It is an information system that assists managers with unique, non-recurring strategic decisions that are relatively unstructured (Rowley J. 1996). According to Keen and Morton 1978, the systems support non-routine decision making (as cited in Laudon K. C. Laudon J. P. 1995, p. 13). A decision support system must be very flexible freetutes. com/systemanalysis/types-of-information-system. html It typically provides periodic reports rather than instant information on operations. It is therefore tend to support tactical and strategic decision making in situations where the risk associated with any error is high and a mistake can have serious consequences. These systems are often used to analyze existing structured information and allow managers to project the potential effects of their decisions into the future. An example is a relocation control system that reports on the total moving, house hunting, and home financing costs for employees in all company divisions, noting wherever actual costs exceed budgets. Executive Information Systems (EIS) Executive information systems are designed to assist top-level executives in the acquisition and use of the information that is necessary to support them in their top management of the organization (Rowley J. 1996). In other words it helps them to tackle and address key strategic issues and long term need, both in the firm and in the external environment. Executive Information System are designed to be operated directly by executives without the need for intermediaries and easily tailored to the preferences of the individual using them chris-kimble. com/Courses/World_Med_MBA/Types-of-Information-System. html. EIS support them by providing them quick access to detail and investigation of a problem once the problem or opportunity has been identified. Output on the screen often uses a mixture of graphics and tables. Benefits of using Information Systems Organization practicing pervasive as information systems has a wide range of significant benefits. They often view these as assets and a means to gain a competitive lead in their respective industry. There are number of benefits that organization could gain are as stated below: Enhance jobs Implementing Information Systems can make jobs more efficient in terms of releasing employees to do other important tasks. It is no longer for staff needed to spend valuable time sorting through statistics, data and other pertinent information because the system has ability to gather it for them. Information System provides a cost-effective way to conduct transactions, significantly cutting down the time involved in processing. Differentiation Information System provides the ability to strategically define organization in a way that makes the business stand out from the competition. Information systems can be integrated in such a way where customers can be offered something no one else provides. With a unique design that makes your business appealing to do business with, you can easily increase your customer base. Decision Making Information systems allow the vital element of providing real-time information. In todays competitive environment, a manager needs to make rapid decisions and to do this effectively and they need the most up to date information available to assist them. Properly designing their IS to custom fit the needs will enable them to accomplish this. Communication Information systems possess ways to effectively and efficiently share information. Automated communication is a time and resource saver and can add tremendous value to business. With the help of information system, communication can become cheaper, quicker, and more efficient. Organization can now communicate with anyone around the globe by simply text messaging them or sending them an email for an almost instantaneous response. The internet has also opened up face to face direct communication from different parts of the world thanks to the helps of video conferencing. Globalization   IS has not only brought the world closer together, but it has allowed the worlds economy to become a single interdependent system. This means that organization can not only share information quickly and efficiently, but they can also bring down barriers of linguistic and geographic boundaries. The world has developed into a global village due to the help of information system allowing countries from different continent who are not only separated by distance but also by language to shares ideas and information with each other. Increasing Revenues IS used technology to generate revenue, for example by making information products available through computer systems (Lucas H. C. Jr 1994). There is an abundance of financial databases and services to which one can subscribe. It is possible to obtain hundreds of types of data about companies and their financial conditions. The Internet is the main source to advertise your products. Information system on the other hand has also helped to computerize the business process thus streamlining businesses to make them extremely cost effective money making machines. This in turn increases productivity which ultimately gives rise to profits that means better pay and less strenuous working conditions. Reducing Costs -One of the main benefits of implementing IS/IT in organizations has been cost savings. For instance, organization has automated clerical tasks to reduce costs. Insurance companies and banks on the other hand generate products that are really information; bills, notices, renewals, and so on represent output, products that must be printed and distributed to customers. These systems have resulted in elimination of existing positions, whereas others have reduced the number of additional employees needed in the future. Taking Ernst Young for example, the company has successfully reduced its office space by 2 million square feet by allowing their employees to work from home. bukisa. om/articles/20243_the-importance-of-information-system#ixzz1rMCWg2Uz Improving Quality One reason to use IS/IT is to improve the quality of output: computer aided design is a good example. An engineer or draftsman uses a computer terminal to create engineering drawings. He or she stores the drawing on a computer file; it can be recalled later for easy modification. A system like this will also plot a drawing copy; changes are redrawn in minutes. The system reduces m uch of the time of design work and has dramatically reduced the need for draftsman. Another example is through the usage of electronic data interchange (EDI) which connects firms to each other electronically. A typical application is order entry and acknowledgement. The use of EDI contributes to quality by reducing the opportunity for errors since data are entered only once. An information system offers a litany of benefits that help to make the process of managing information easier. Central access, easy back up, central distribution of information, easy record keeping, easy tax preparation, as well as easy customer trait identification blurtit. com/q8104822. html More and more people are working from their homes nowadays. Information technology has become so sophisticated it allows people to choose to work from home. Teleconferencing and video conferencing enable employees to beam in whenever needed How to ensure effective implementation of IS in organization When manager has decided to change processes along with software, they must create a phased in approach to their organizations changes in order to make the change successful. Usually the push towards a new software system is backed by a need to change business from the current way of doing things. Organization will become more efficient, to reduce paper usage, to provide better audit trail, to better market and care for a customer base and/or many other reasons. In order to implement change it is better to use conversion strategies in which to implement new system they cannot just simply forget the old system completely, it must done simultaneously so that change would become more effective. This is because if there is anything happen to the new system, the old system can still be easily retrieved. Changing too many things at once may overwhelm organizations staff. In addition, unless it is a very large company with a dedicated project team, it is very likely that they will not have the resources to properly supervise and implement both new software and new process. It is essential to really understand the full functionality of the system until it is implemented and are utilizing it for a period of time. Manager in organization will make better process decisions after going through the nuts and bolts pieces of the conversion and can now focus on all the bells and whistles the software offers. Organization need to provide sufficient training. It also allows staff to brainstorm with one another as they are getting used to the softwares functionality. It is vital to follow up training after implementation of the system, even if it is only a brief overview. Doing so, will allow manager to realize the full benefits of their system. It will also give organization updated information on the system. It is vital to involve the right people in the organization. It is also important to identify a champion in each key area of the organization that can ensure the success of the implementation. The champions do not necessarily need to be management, or supervisors. In fact, a trusted peer that is dedicated to the project may be able to better connect to the staff on the level of their daily duties (as well as provide excellent feedback regarding implementation details during the project). No matter what approach is being used by organization, implementing new software can definitely be a busy and stressful. Using these tips will assist more or less assist organization to a successful implementation. Conclusion In conclusion, it is surprising facts that there are many more companies still do not use information system in their organization. Information system enables companies to react, respond, cater, store, retrieve, disseminate, and control their new valuable asset that is information. In the years to come, a good information system within a company will be no longer an option; it will become a compulsory in determining success and to gain competitive advantage. Implementing a new system typically comes with a large price tag, but if business requirements and processes are properly and accurately identified, the payoffs can be big. Investing in information systems keeps a business competitive and helps an organization carry the ability to maintain visible status in the global economy. Without IS, a business will more than likely fall rapidly behind. The benefits of integrating technology within an organization can truly be limitless depending on the level of creativity, strategic planning and innovation in the decision making processes. REFERENCES Alter S. 1991, Information Systems: A Management Perspective, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company Inc. Axos 2008, The Importance of Information System bukisa. om/articles/20243_the-importance-of-information-system Fenwick T. et al. 2009, Reducing the Impact of Organizational Silos in Resilience, Resilient Organisations Research Report – 2009/01. resorgs. org. nz/pubs/Silos. pdf Laudon K. C. Laudon J. P. 1995, Essentials of Management Information System, Prentice Hall Inc. ________________________ 2000, Management Information Systems, Prentice Hall, New Jersey bonissen. de/ib/summaries/Business%20Informatics%20(2-3). PDF Laudon K. C. et al 1995, Information Technology: Concepts and Issues, Boyd Fraser Publishing Company. Lo. P 2005, The Information System Revolution peter-lo. com/Teaching/M7011/L01. pdf Lucas H. C. Jr 1994, Information Systems Concepts for Management, 5th Edition, Mitchell McGraw Hill Rowley J. 1996, The Basics of Information Systems, 2nd Edition, Library Association Publishing Obeng S. 2010 Information System and Its Importance in Organizations: Case Study of LA General Hospital modernghana. com/blogs/270543/31/information-system-and-its-importance-in-organizat. html Benefits of Information System accessed from: mallbusinessbible. org/advan_disadvan_informationtechnology. html helium. com/items/1703037-the-benefits-and-challenges-of-using-information-systems-in-business basicsofcomputer. com/is_information_system_development_process. htm Types of Information System accessed from: ehow. com/list_6117086_types-information-systems-business-organization. html basicsofcomputer. com/information_system_in_an_organization. htm freetutes. com/systemanalysis/types-of-information-syste m. html ocstoc. com/docs/53534622/Types-of-Information-System docstoc. com/docs/94523820/Types-of-IS chris-kimble. com/Courses/World_Med_MBA/Types-of-Information-System. html What is Organization Accessed from: http://phaariz. files. wordpress. com/2010/03/laudon-feature-3. pdf helium. com/items/853154-maximizing-information-systems-to-gain-a-competitive-advantage businessdictionary. com/definition/organization. html#ixzz1qhG5iYu7 http://wiki. answers. com/Q/Why_do_organizations_need_information_systems

Maritime Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Maritime Policy - Essay Example According to the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), flags of convenience can be defined as: ‘where beneficial ownership and control of a vessel is found to lay elsewhere than in the country of the flag the vessel is flying’ (ITF, 2007, Pg.1). There are two main modes of registering shipping vessels: closed and open registers. Closed registers are the conventional form whereby the ship owners and the majority of crew emanate from the registering country. Open registers or ‘flags of convenience’ are however those registrations, which are open to any nationality subject to the registering country’s regulations that are often very relaxed to attract as many ship-owners as possible. Open registers are further subdivided into two more categories: Open National Registers and Open International Registers. Under Open National Registers, the ships are obliged to follow the trading regulations of the flag-state encompassing employment and tax guidelines. In Open International Registers, the ships are less stringently regulated enjoying tax exemptions on their profits, easy employment terms for their international crews, lax company regulations and relaxed safety standard enforcement (O’Keefe, 2002, p. 4). Although flag states are required to ensure that ships registered in their domain follow the requisite international laws in addition to administrative control, technical and social issues, however most of those licensing the flag of convenience (FOC) rarely bother to monitor the operations of the vessels. The United Nations has blamed these states for exacerbating marine accidents and compromising maritime security and safety (Gianni, 2008). According to the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (UNICPOLOS) in Gianni (2008), ‘many shipping accidents and resulting loss of life and marine pollution are not the result of

The Bedrock of our Lives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Bedrock of our Lives - Essay Example Indeed, in the fast-paced movement of the modern world, we need family to keep us grounded and give us a place to call home. First of all, our family has been with us from the start and has seen us through our development in life. Before we could get started in our careers, before we become successful people in whatever fields of endeavour we explore, before we meet all our friends, our family was there to guide us through the early stages of our life. That means that they accept us no matter what, despite our shortcomings. We all have heard stories of young people who left their homes to rebel against their parents, blaming them for some imagine grievance, and believing that they can make it in the world. Some of them fare well, earning money and establishing themselves in a good career. Some, however, find themselves involved in all sorts of vices and moving in the wrong crowd. Either way, at some point in their lives, they will find themselves drawn back home – a place of f amiliarity and safety, a place that has accepted them for who they are. The truth is that family reminds us of a more innocent time in our lives, it takes us back to our childhood when things were so much simpler and safer. The second point that I make when I say that family is most important is that a large part of a person’s emotional state is determined by whether or not he or she has a happy family. It is easy to take our families for granted when we are successful, when we are surrounded by friends, when we immerse ourselves in other preoccupations. The truth of the matter is, however, when we lose our families or when family relationships break up, it is one of the biggest causes of depression and even suicide. In an important study conducted by Jerry Jacobs and Joseph Teicher entitled â€Å"Broken Homes and Social Isolation in Attempted Suicides of Adolescents† (1967) it was found that that after looking at the life-histories of patients who had attempted to com mit suicide and comparing it to the life-histories of those who had not committed suicide, a great proportion of those in the former group come from broken homes or had unhappy family relationships. So you see, this means that while it is easy to take family relationships for granted when our family is stable and whole, when the links that bind are broken, it causes a great sense of personal devastation – indeed, to the point that it can drive one to commit suicide. It is clear therefore, that more than any other thing, family is the most important thing in life. Thirdly, our families have our back, no matter what. That is the power of relationships within the family. One may have plenty of friends to spend good times with, but how many people will stick by your side during the bad times? If, in the middle of the night, you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of being arrested and thrown to prison, chances are, the first person you would call is a family member. That i s because of the absolute certainty we have that our family is going to be there not only in the good times but also in the bad. They cheer for us when we are at our best, and give us steady and unconditional comfort when we are at our worst. They say that life is a competition: we are constantly competing with other people for a variety of things, be it a job promotion, academic honors, winning affection from the opposite sex. Some people, therefore, will want to bring you down in order to get ahead. Our families, however, are our safe haven from the mini-olympiads playing out in the

Block Versus Traditional Scheduling Essay Example for Free

Block Versus Traditional Scheduling Essay This is a proposal to the study to investigate the affect of school scheduling on the student body. The short introduction will establish a purpose to view the students’ reaction to the block or traditional class schedule as the cornerstone of their success in their learning endeavor. Such study will promise to learn what has to be done to improve the student morale and to increase their effectiveness as learners, that is which specific scheduling type is instrumental in doing so. Since this is just a proposal to the study, and no actual study has been done, the readers will find no actual data sets yet. Introduction Intensive or short-term classes, also known as block scheduling have risen out of search for alternative ways to the traditional scheduling. Such classes are presented in segregated units and might have a different construction from a high school to college. Students might be exposed to six specific classes, two hours each for the duration of a quarter with another set of six classes following the next quarter. Daniels (2000) and Queen (2000) presented a study in which she objectified the contrast between block and traditional schedules. She confirmed that block scheduling became common on high school and college levels during the last decade. Post high school institutions explain infiltration of the block scheduling by incoming in a large numbers of non-traditional students. To serve such students better and to adapt to their schedules, the post secondary institutions initiated time-shortened courses, however more intensive, fitting two sets of class load in one semester. Per Daniels’ research, half of surveyed post secondary institutions have been using some sort of block scheduling (also see Stodden, Galloway, L. , Stodden, 2003). In the surveyed institutions the block schedule did not have a unified formation, either. Some moved to so-called quarter hours in which each student would take several classes for each quarter (three months) four quarters a year including a summer session(s). Other institutions provided scheduling that formed even more intensive course load. Marric College in Sacramento, California, in particular has students enroll into two courses lasting six weeks. Each class would last four hours and be offered once a week. Justification of study Such tendency became widespread and included many Nation’s high schools. Many educators Mcleskey Welle (2000) expressed a concern that a lack of uniformity among the schools and at times controversial findings might jeopardize the quality of instructional delivery. Some evidence suggests that the instruction must me at least 10 to 12 weeks short and presented a few times during the week in order to provide some significant impact on learning. It does appear that high school and postsecondary institutions are more concerned of quantity of classes being offered rather than the quality of the instruction. After all, the argument that acceleration of the course load provides mode intense study opportunity is limited in that there is not enough time to study the subject matter deeper. Purpose There is no doubt that such diversity of schedule types in many different schools does not benefit uniformity of the instruction (Jenkins, Queen Algozzine, 2002). The very fact that different schools, even within the same district, may exercise different type of scheduling appears to be disturbing. Despite the fact that a number of researchers offered study-type investigations into the dilemma, it is still very difficult to find the concrete results based on two high schools within the same school district: one with block scheduling and another with traditional. Even when found there was no study available to test the students’ comfort level and presence or absence of stress when subjected to either block or traditional scheduling. Hence, the purpose of this study is to attempt to derive more narrow and directed conclusions with the following Null Hypothesis: HO: Participants did not experience any stress level or discomfort when subjected to one quarter of block scheduling HA: Participants experienced significant (p. 5) manifestation of discomfort and/or stress when exposed to block scheduling. To provide the quantitative opportunity, this researcher suggests devising a scale that would quantify the participants’ stress reaction to the stimuli. For example: 1 – No physiological/biological/psychological symptoms experienced during or after one block of classes is given. 2 – Some symptoms are experienced but do not produce any noticeable symptoms. 3 – Symptoms cause some psychological or physical manifestations that can be observed and recorded (non-natural posture, felt awkwardness, feeling/being clumsy, to some degree irritated). 4 – Extreme nervousness, body perspiration, observable irritation presentation, failing classes, cutting classes, feeling ill often. Definition of Theoretical Constructs and Research Design The research will measure levels of stress during and/or after attending classes in the students in block scheduling versus the students in traditional scheduling. There are plenty of stated theories under the guise of stress research, however, this researcher found none that would examine the psychological state of students in and under block schedule versus their peers who are in the traditional scheduling. 1) degree of the schedule control/pressure on the students 2) degree and specific direction of initial reaction of students. 3) the degree of the school homeostatic reaction in its attempt to maintain status quo Negative attitude toward scheduling can be viewed as following states-of-being: a) self-pity b) helplessness c) low self-afficacy d) irritation 5) increased clumsiness The degree of school control/pressure can be quantified on nominal scale: 1 – feel no pressure/stress. Like classes and attend them with pleasure. Feel free to manifest my creativity. Am aware that every of my creative ideas are manifested in the productive process of my education. 2 – freedoms of creativity somewhat limited. There is a limited time to express myself. Some of my ideas/concepts are not heard/considered. Small degree of the schedule influence on my life outside the school is felt at times (more homework). 3 – feel pressure from the higher pressure of scheduling. My ideas/concepts are not considered most of the times. Feeling that sharing my ideas can lead me in to trouble. Feeling not important to the school (or my class). Feeling not appreciated. 4 – feel constant (daily) pressure from the scheduling. Feeling being controlled (puppet-like state) by the scheduling. No ideas are being considered (or no time at all to share). Feel invisible. Perceive the message from teachers, â€Å"You are the small nut in the big mechanism. You must do your part consistently and efficiently, without aberration. † Feeling trapped, depressed, and unhappy. Missing days of school due to â€Å"illness. † The degree of initial reaction to the scheduling type can be quantified as follows. A – Absence of any stress. Study duties seem easy and comfortable to perform. No anger or any negative feelings toward the teachers. B – Minimum stress level. Most days are comfortable and pleasant. Occasional and minimum negative reaction toward the teachers. C – Moderate stress. Three out of five school days are not comfortable and are stressful. Being critical to the teachers. Often complaining and/or expressing negative feelings to other students. Fear of negative opinion of the teachers. D – Daily stress. Not comfortable performing schoolwork. Feeling of constantly being watched. Covert and at times overt feelings of hostility toward teachers. Strong urge to become instrumental in changing things around or drop out. Complain with open hostility. The degree of the organizational homeostatic reaction in its attempt to maintain status quo can be quantified as follows (in case if the participants answered 3/4 or C/D in previous scales): i) No events occur. Nothing to make stressed situation more stressful. ii) Some events do occur. All events, however, are under control and none are long-lasting. iii) Events that occur are unpleasant and might be somewhat threatening in nature. Most bear unpleasant conversations/explanations with teachers. Most â€Å"fire† can be put down but require some effort. Some have the potential to become cause for administrative actions and other sanctions. iv) Events are very serious in nature. Most are felt like the cause of a complete failure or even drop out. May have the potential of causing disturbance in classes. Very difficult for the â€Å"fire† to be put down and requires a significant amount of effort. v) Events result in separation from the school: suspension. This researcher proposes to use p . 05 as the probability value. He will solicit two randomly selected groups with 30 students in each: one would be under the current block schedule and another under traditional one within the same school. Mitchel Jolley (2004) suggested an effective randomizer that might work well in this scenario. The fact that two very different by nature of business schedules should cause different reactions from students and will contribute to more complete understanding of the schedule affect on the student body. The survey (pre-test) will be administered to all 60 participants in both groups. The data will be tabulated to form the initial quantity (starting point) from which this researcher will operate. The purpose of the survey is to find out (to quantify) the initial psychological state of each student in two groups. The same survey will be administered in the midterm (six weeks later) and at the conclusion of 12-week research period. Data will ve compared, contrasted, and tabulated. Contributions This researcher believes that this study will provide a new and fresh approach to the study of scheduling influence on the students. If allowed to experiment the school’s administration will have an opportunity to learn how each type of scheduling will affect students and to develop the student body with the least amount and manifestation of stress and with the highest possible morale and study ethics. As the result, the study productivity will increase and the quality of the learning will improve 100 fold. References Daniel, E. L. (2000). A Review of Time-Shortened Courses across Disciplines. College Student Journal, 34(2), 298. Retrieved May 15, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5001760249 Jenkins, E. , Queen, A. , Algozzine, B. (2002). To Block or Not to Block: Thats Not the Question. The Journal of Educational Research, 95(4), 196+. Retrieved May 15, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5000642089 Mitchell, M. L. , Jolley, J. M. (2007). Research design explained (6th ed. ). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Queen, J. A. (2000). Block Scheduling Revisited. Phi Delta Kappan, 82(3), 214. Retrieved May 15, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5001115634 Stodden, R. A. , Galloway, L. , Stodden, N. J. (2003). Secondary School Curricula Issues: Impact on Postsecondary Students with Disabilities. Exceptional Children, 70(1), 9+. Retrieved May 15, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5002033905 Weller, D. R. , Mcleskey, J. (2000). Block Scheduling and Inclusion in a High School. Remedial and Special Education, 21(4), 209. Retrieved May 15, 2007, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5001073229

Identity Changes in The Count of Monte Cristo :: The Count of Monte Cristo

Identity Changes in The Count of Monte Cristo The Count of Monte Cristo is a very sourceful book with characters creating different and new identities. Fernand changes to Count de Morcerf during the time of Dantes' imprisonment, Mercedes changes to Countess de Morcerf after her marriage to Fernand, Cadderouse changes to M. Pilletin, Benedetto changes to Andrea Cavalcanti to disguise and murders Cadderouse, and last but certaintly not least Edmund Dantes with the various identity changes. Even though these characters names are just being changed or in Dantes' case, changing their names, this still means creating various identities. In every identity change, there is a different name or "alias" as some people call it, and with every name comes a different identity. Dantes had to create a different personality to go with each new character to keep himself disguised. Just like anyone else who may be popular, people feel the need to change their identities for many different reasons, some more commonly used than others. People who ch ange their identities may feel the need to change their identity, because it lets you be someone different, it's unique, it defines who you really are or who you want to be, it allows you to hide or get away from yourself and others, and many other reasons. For these reasons or at least some of them, I feel that Dantes, the main character of this book creates a new identity so many times. The main reason I believe that he changed his identity so many times was to hide himself Edmund Dantes from the people he confronted. As I stated before, Edmund Dantes created these different identities to hide from the other characters that he confronted in the book. He confronted many people whom he had confronted in the past. Appearing as Dantes would have probably caused more conflict between him and those characters. For example: I believe the first identity change came after he escaped from prison and found the treasure. Dantes had disguised himself into the priest Abbe Busconi. He had an encounter with Fernand earlier in the book (p. 88-89) and did not want him to recognize that he was Edmund Dantes, the man who was once engaged to Mercedes. Therefore, I feel that he was hiding himself from Fernand as disguising himself as a priest at this time and could have believed that Fernand would confess to him about being involved with the conspiracy of getting Dantes locked up. Identity Changes in The Count of Monte Cristo :: The Count of Monte Cristo Identity Changes in The Count of Monte Cristo The Count of Monte Cristo is a very sourceful book with characters creating different and new identities. Fernand changes to Count de Morcerf during the time of Dantes' imprisonment, Mercedes changes to Countess de Morcerf after her marriage to Fernand, Cadderouse changes to M. Pilletin, Benedetto changes to Andrea Cavalcanti to disguise and murders Cadderouse, and last but certaintly not least Edmund Dantes with the various identity changes. Even though these characters names are just being changed or in Dantes' case, changing their names, this still means creating various identities. In every identity change, there is a different name or "alias" as some people call it, and with every name comes a different identity. Dantes had to create a different personality to go with each new character to keep himself disguised. Just like anyone else who may be popular, people feel the need to change their identities for many different reasons, some more commonly used than others. People who ch ange their identities may feel the need to change their identity, because it lets you be someone different, it's unique, it defines who you really are or who you want to be, it allows you to hide or get away from yourself and others, and many other reasons. For these reasons or at least some of them, I feel that Dantes, the main character of this book creates a new identity so many times. The main reason I believe that he changed his identity so many times was to hide himself Edmund Dantes from the people he confronted. As I stated before, Edmund Dantes created these different identities to hide from the other characters that he confronted in the book. He confronted many people whom he had confronted in the past. Appearing as Dantes would have probably caused more conflict between him and those characters. For example: I believe the first identity change came after he escaped from prison and found the treasure. Dantes had disguised himself into the priest Abbe Busconi. He had an encounter with Fernand earlier in the book (p. 88-89) and did not want him to recognize that he was Edmund Dantes, the man who was once engaged to Mercedes. Therefore, I feel that he was hiding himself from Fernand as disguising himself as a priest at this time and could have believed that Fernand would confess to him about being involved with the conspiracy of getting Dantes locked up.

John Lewis Christmas Marketing Campaign Essay

This year’s advert, entitled â€Å"The Journey†, hopes to do as well if not better than its predecessor. The ? 6 million campaign created by Adam+EveDDB tells the story of a snowman who travels across rivers, mountains, roads and cities to get the perfect gift for the snowwoman who stands with him in the garden. * The advert could’ve been seen on channel 4 just before Christmas and then it was easily accessible on internet(facebook, youtube, etc). John Lewis also was running a snowman hunt, with six snowmen figures hidden around stores. If customers find them all they could win a price, including a  £10,000 holiday, Sony laptop, spa days and gift hampers. John Lewis has also run social media activity including competitions to win a holiday to New Zealand, where the ad was filmed, and for a family to get their garden ‘snowed up’ for Christmas day. John Lewis hopes to make a â€Å"confident statement† in its Christmas marketing this year through its TV, press, outdoor and in-store activity as well as the Annual, a glossy print title that brings together its Editions magazine and Christmas catalogue into one publication for the first time. The Twitter campaign uses the hashtag #snowmanjourney to track its experiential campaign that is photographing the snowman in different towns around the country. John Lewis has also press released many articles regarding their Christmas advert, in store sales, and competitions. John Lewis P&R department has also write a book that tells the story of the snowman and his journey which is also part of the high profile Christmas campaign, short afterwards the book became one of the most selling books for children. John Lewis has attributed a lift in its crafts offering to its Christmas ad campaign. Items on sale include a ‘Knit Your Own Snowman’. * The campaign was created to persuade more and more customers to come in the store and buy gifts for their loved ones during Christmas time. John Lewis’s advert also delivered strong Christmas, and warm feeling to the viewers so they are also creating the brand. They want to tell and insert John Lewis’s brand in many people’s life. Craig Inglis the Marketing Director at John Lewis said â€Å"the campaigns are not just an investment in making people feel Christmassy, they have commercial effectiveness at eart. † Adverts starring the character proved a big hit – with more than three million views on YouTube. * The target market were people who had families, people who lad loved ones, relatives, and people who had someone one special in their lives, because Christmas it is all about spending time with the loved ones, giving them gifts and have a great time. Also they targeted at other organ ization’s customers for example Marks&Spencer, Boots, etc. Also people who wanted to their bedrooms as they had big sales in their home department. Sales figures Sales for the retailer are up 7. 6% year on year for the week ending 17 November with a strong performance in electrical and home technology driving the growth with a 22. 2% jump in sales. In the five weeks over Christmas John Lewis recorded a 44. 3 per cent rise in its ‘Click and Collect’ service, which allows shoppers to buy products online and then collect them from one of the group’s Waitrose supermarkets, compared with figures from 2011. Total web sales reached ? 684. 8 million in the five weeks to 29 December. Electrical and home technology sales were up by 30. 9 per cent on 2011 with tablets being the retailer’s star festive performer. Fashion and beauty sales rose 10. 4 per cent with home products increasing by 6. 2 per cent. In the last full week before Christmas John Lewis posted sales of ? 157. 8 million, a rise of 26. 5 per cent from last year. A record ? 31. 7 million was then taken on 27 December, the start of the retailer’s clearance sale. Conclusion Overall I think the Christmas campaign has been extremely successful. The reason why I am saying this is because comparing the sales figure from last year and this year they achieved a record this year by stepping over the ? 150 million revenue. Also looking at the promotional mix they have done pretty well again, as we have new products which are the snowman book and the snowman toys, sales offers in their stores at certain products. Their PR department did very well as they came with articles just before launching the advert letting people know when and where will they be able to see the advert. The personal selling was great as well as when going to the check out they would ask the customers if they found everything they need and also if they would be interested in buying the snowman book, etc. Direct marketing was great as well as there was a twitter account where you could fallow the snowman’s adventure, and competitions on Facebook and in store. An improvement I would say it would be that maybe the customers where interested in more sales promotions and more direct marketing would convince customers to buy more products and come to John Lewis more often. Although the Advert did cost a huge amount of money that is nothing compared to the ? 157. 8 million revenue they made last year. Another reason why I think that the campaign was successful was that the advert they made has been voted as the year’s most favourite TV advert. And finally the last reason why I am sure that the campaign was extremely successful was that none of the directors of John Lewis expected a record breaker sales figure.