Kelly’s Assignment in Japan Case Answers

Kelly’s Assignment in Japan Title: Solutions to Kelly’s Assignment in Japan Case Study Module Title and Number: Managing Across Borders MGT 3203 Date : January 28, 2013 Word Count : 1650 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTERPAGE Introduction3 Culture Shock Stages Reflection†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 3 Assessment of Clashes5 Successful International Assignments 5 Suggestions to Remedy the Situation6 Conclusion7 REFERENCES8 APPENDICES Appendix 1 10 Appendix 2 11 Appendix 3 13 INTRODUCTION The American and Japanese cultures have been compared in a general context for their contrasting values.In addition, the two cultures have been described as ‘‘polar extremes’’ by Barnlund (1975) as stated by (Khan et al. 2009) , pointing to Japanese being reserved and formal whereas the American being self-asserti ve and informal. When accepting assignments in foreign countries as expatriates, cultural differences are important to consider. More importantly, cross-cultural management is a matter an expatriate should be prepared for and which the company should give importance to. In this case, Kelly an American employee, who is a programme manager working in the US accepted an assignment in Tokyo, Japan.She had little time to decide but she accepted the offer and the family moved to Tokyo. This report starts with explaining the stages of culture shock the family experienced. The report then summarizes the cultural clashes that took place in the case which were a result of cultural differences and lack of orientation, preparation and training. After that, the report highlights the factors Kelly should have considered before accepting the offer and gives recommendations on how the company should have offered this international assignment.Finally, suggestions of what can be done to remedy the si tuation are proposed. CULTURE SHOCK STAGES REFLECTION (Answer to Second Question) Culture Shock as defined by the oxford dictionary is â€Å"the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone when they are suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes†. Culture Shock occurs in four main stages, which are clearly illustrated by Oberg’s U-Curve model (Refer to Appendix 1).Black and Mendenhall (1991) point out that it is the most commonly used model; therefore, it is utilized to analyze the culture shock stages Kelly and her family went through as follows: Stage One: The honeymoon stage is when individuals feel positive when being in a different culture. This took place when the family arrived and spent the weekend looking at the city. It was a holiday and positive feeling phase. This stage is also reflected on Kelly’s first day at work and her Husband’s first day setting up their new life in Japan. Their encouragement to be come acquainted is a reflection of the honeymoon stage.According to Uwaje (2009) the person in this stage can be described as interested, curious and open-minded. Stage Two: The crises stage occurs â€Å"when cultural differences result in problems at work, home and in daily living† (Deresky, 2011). This stage started to take place at the second working day when Kelly felt irritated by the Japanese because she did not receive the presentations. Moreover, all family members were experiencing this stage as feelings of rejection to the life style in Japan arose. In this case, the associations linked to the crises stage can be divided into two kinds.The first is work and school related, seeing that all family members are experiencing problems related to their professional lives. Likewise, language was a difficulty since differences in language may present a huge barrier as noted by Uwaje (2009). Language was an obstacle to Kelly’s children adjusting at school, Joe getting a job and Kelly communication complications. The second was home and daily life related. This included entertainment facilities (TV, Parks), social life, and even basics of life (food, language). A negative atmosphere was the feeling the family was experiencing.It is known that many individuals do not bypass this stage. Moreover, McFarland (2006) reported that 40% of expatriates fail to complete their abroad assignment. In this case, the crises stage lasted for 4 months. Kelly then realized that she had to make a decision between rejecting or accepting the assignment. Kelly and her family are experiencing a phase between the second and third stages of the cultural shock. Stage Three and Four: The Adjustment and Biculturalism stages are when individuals start to comprehend the new culture then accept and respect the cultural variations.Kelly is deciding on whether to adjust or not. If the family continues then they would move to the third stage. However, if they leave then they would not reach the third and fourth stages. ASSESSMENT OF CLASHES (Answer to First Question) Being in a different culture may result in clashes because peoples’ expectations, interpretations and values differ. In this case, many clashes occurred during the early culture shock stages with the Japanese but not the American or German team members whom values are similar to Kelly’s (Refer to Appendix 2 A and B).The clashes are linked to the differences between the American and Japanese national cultures. Therefore, Hofstede’s and Trompenaar’s frameworks are deployed to evaluate the clashes (Refer to Table Appendix 3) since these frameworks provide an excellent basis for understanding cultural differences (Higgs, 1994). These clashes can be seen when Kelly requested for separate presentations from every team member. This revealed the Japanese collective, high context and masculine culture and how different it is from the American culture.Moreover, the Americans an d Germans ,being affective cultures, accepted to talk about their achievements and families whereas the Japanese did not as they were more neutral and formal. In addition, Japan is known for its power distance culture where formalities especially with clients and employees who are of higher-level is a must. Adding to that, getting direct to business is accepted in the US due to its universalistic culture but not in Japan’s particulistic culture. The culture in Japan is also high context seeing that rejecting Kelly’s proposal was done in a nonverbal and implicit communication manner.The cultural clashes were also a result of unexpected living space, demographics and qualifications creating many conflicts. It can also be argued that if a Japanese colleague joined Kelly’s meeting with the client, a better negotiation outcome may have been a result. This is because understanding the client’s culture plays a crucial role in the negotiation process (Deresky, 20 11). Clashes were also related to the leisure aspect of life. In short, many cultural clashes due to both cultures different values arose throughout the case. SUCCESSFUL INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS Answer to Third Question) In this case both Kelly, and the company should have considered key factors to insure a successful international assignment as explained below: Employee Kelly should have given the decision more thought and time and should have asked for training. Moreover, she should have insured that there is a position for her husband and asked about the kids’ school while she was in the US. For instance, setting a video conference with the school’s management and class teachers could have been a way of knowing the atmosphere she will put her children in.Furthermore, a circulation of the team members CVs and setting a video conference with the team was necessary to avoid any misunderstandings regarding the team members’ demographics and qualifications. In ad dition, she should have planned for her life when they come back from Japan. Kelly should have asked about her position when she comes back and should have put her house on rent. Company Kelly was offered a tempting compensation package and her technical skills were considered when selecting her, but many key factors were not taken into consideration in the selection and training phases of this assignment.An expatriate selection must consider key success factors including, technical and management skills, one’s personality, emotional intelligence, adaptability and language (Parboteeah and Cullen, 2011). Moreover, training must consider several factors including employee orientation, concerned individuals orientation and perceptual and cultural toughness (Mndenhall and Oddou, 1985). The company should also follow up with the employee while they are in the foreign company and insure that repatriation is well planned (McFarland, 2006).In short, the company should have followed a n IHRM model to select, prepare and train Kelly and the concerned individuals minimizing failure risk. SUGGESTIONS TO REMEDY THE SITUATION (Answer to Forth Question) Kelly has two options; she can return to the US or continue her assignment in Japan. If Kelly chooses to return then she is taking the risk of loosing her job knowing that her husband already resigned and they sold their house. Therefore, Kelly may be in a better situation if she chooses to continue. She can look at her assignment in Japan as an opportunity that enhances her career path.Her management issues can be tackled, especially that she is now aware of the cultural differences. Kelly must request from the company to follow up with her and provide her and the team with comprehensive cross-cultural management training to avoid clashes and misunderstandings between team members, especially in the encoding and decoding of the communication process between the team members (Kwar, 2012). In terms of her husband, he wou ld be searching for a job whether in Japan or the US. The advantage of being in Japan is that his wife’s job is secure and the company indicated that they would support his job search.With regards to the children, the parents can explain to them the benefits of living in Japan. Inviting the children’s classmates may assist in overcoming the social discomfort the children are experiencing at school. The issues of the after school life can be resolved by subscribing with an American TV programs provider allowing them to watch the US programs. Moreover, the family can use a video calling system to interact with their family and friends and can arrange regular visits to the US. In short, taking corrective actions to support the success of the assignment is how to remedy the situation. CONCLUSIONAccepting an international assignment means agreeing to deal with a different culture from the employee’s home one. The selection, preparation and training of a potential exp atriate are key factors that reflect on the success of the international assignment. Failure to implement these factors may result in clashes in culture and the employee may not bypass the crises stage of the culture shock stages resulting is failure to achieve the company’s and employee’s goals. REFERENCES Black, S. and Mendenhall, M. , (1991). The U-Curve Adjustment Hypothesis Revisited: A Review and Theoretical Framework (June 1991).Journal of International Business Studies, Vol. 22, Issue 2, pp. 225-247, 1991. Available at: http://ssrn. com/abstract=1805455 or http://dx. doi. org/10. 1057/palgrave. jibs. 8490301, viewed on 20th , December, 2012. Deresky, H. (2011). International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures (7th Edition) Pearson Higgs, M. (1994),†Global HR Management and Cross-cultural Issues†, Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, Vol. 1 Iss: 3 pp. 23 – 28, Available at: http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/eb008379 , viewed on 20th , December 2012. Kawar, T. (2012). Cross-cultural Differences in Management', International Journal Of Business ; Social Science, 3, 6, pp. 105-111, Business Source Complete. Available at: http://mdx. summon. serialssolutions. com/search? s. q=Kawar%2C+T. +(2012). +'Cross-cultural+Differences+in+Management , viewed on 7th , January, 2013. Khan, M. ; Naumann, E. ; Bateman, R. and Haverila M. , (2009),†Cross-cultural comparison of customer satisfaction research: USA vs Japan†, Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 21 Iss: 3 pp. 376 – 396, Permanent link to this document: http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/13555850910973856 , viewed on 20th , December 2012.McFarland, J. (2006). ‘CULTURE SHOCK', Benefits Canada, 30, 1, p. 31, Business Source Complete. Available at: http://mdx. summon. serialssolutions. com/search? s. q=CULTURE+SHOCK+McFarland%2C+ , viewed on 20th , December 2012. Mendenhall, M, & Oddou, G 1985, ‘The Dimensions of E xpatriate Acculturation: A Review', Academy Of Management Review, 10, 1, pp. 39-47, Business Source Complete. Available at: http://mdx. summon. serialssolutions. com/search? s. q=The+Dimensions+of+Expatriate+Acculturation, viewed on 20th,January, 2013. Parboteeah K. & Cullen J. (2011) – Strategic International Management. 5th ed) Canada, Nelson Education, Ltd Vesa Peltokorpi (2008). Cross-cultural adjustment of expatriates in Japan, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19:9, 1588-1606. http://dx. doi. org/10. 1080/09585190802294903, viewed 20 December 2012. Uwaje, A. , (2009). Culture shock, Re-Integration and Re-Entry culture shock – Managing Cultural Differences. Munich Business School Thesis. Available at: http://www. munich-business-school. de/intercultural/index. php/Culture_shock,_Re-Integration_and_Re-Entry_culture_shock_-_Managing_Cultural_Differences , viewed on 20th , December 2012. Website: http://oxforddictionaries. om/definition/english/ culture Website:http://oxforddictionaries. com/definition/english/culture%2Bshock? q=culture+shock Website:http://www. britishgermanassociation. org/special. php? pageno=20 Website: http://geert-hofstede. com/united-states. html Website: http://www. munich-business-school. de/intercultural/index. php/Image:Stages_of_culture_shock. jpg APPENDICES Appendix 1 Figure of Culture Shock Stages Source: http://www. munich-business-school. de/intercultural/index. php/Image:Stages_of_culture_shock. jpg Appendix 2 Figure A: Comparison of USA and Japan Hofstede’s Value Dimensions Source: http://geert-hofstede. com/united-states. tml Figure B: Comparison of USA and Germany Hofstede’s Value Dimensions Source: http://geert-hofstede. com/united-states. html Appendix 3 Illustration of Hofstede’s , and Trompenaars’s frameworks with regards to comparing the American and Japanese national cultures. (Deresky, 2011) and (Parboteeah and Cullen , 2011). The table demonstrates the dimensions each research tested. It then states the scores or levels the USA and Japan were given and explains the clash or conflict that took place in Kelly’s Assignment Dimension | USA: Score and Description| Japan: Score and Description| Clash | Hofstede’s Model of National Culture |Power Distance â€Å"Individuals in societies are not equal†| Score: 40Hierarchy is for convenience as the manager or boss is accessible. S/he depends on employees’ expertise. Moreover, communication is informal. | Score: 54 Japan is a mildly hierarchical society compared to other Asian cultures. | Kelly being informal with the Japanese Client was not acceptable. This is seen when she asked for his name, was close to him in terms of distance and patted him on the back. Kelly being friendly with the client creating an embarrassing atmosphere. | Individualism/Collectivism â€Å"I† or â€Å"We†| Score: 91 Individual achievement is seen ideal.Moreover, as America ns do business with strangers so often, they tend not to be shy to approach people in the business world in order to obtain information. They are expected to take initiatives. | Scores: 46 Group decision making is perceived as best. Japanese society is a collectivist one where they work as a group and even decide as a group. | The Japanese employees did not feel motivated when Kelly asked them to present their ideas individually because they come from a culture where consensus plays a major role when making decisions.Kelly comes from an individualistic culture where achievement is all about â€Å"me† and presenting one’s own ideas is an opportunity to achieve recognition. The Japanese culture is collective and they work in groups unlike America’s culture which is more individualistic. | Masculinity / Femininity| Score: 62Americans believe that a person should strive to be the best and find it acceptable to talk about one’s achievements. | Score: 95Japan i s known to be one of the most masculine societies worldwide. | It is difficult for the Japanese to accept a female boss.The team didn’t expect Kelly, the new boss, to me a female. The Japanese addressed their work to Peter instead of Kelly. This is due to either Kelly being a female in a masculine culture or because Kelly asked peter to intervene and they took it sensitively. The client did not direct his questions to Kelly might be because Japan’s culture is masculine. | Uncertainty Avoidance  Ã‚  Ã‚  | Score: 46 Americans accept the unknown meaning the society accepts: Innovation, new ideas and new practices. | Score: 92 Japan score is one of the highest worldwide. It is difficult to see changes in their culture. Opportunity: For Kelly as an American, it’s easier to adjust to a new culture than others who score high in uncertainty avoidance. This includes the Japanese ideas at work, food and lifestyle. | Long-term Orientation | Score: 29 USA is a short-term oriented culture. Americans value quick results at work. | Score: 80 Japan is a long-term oriented culture. Long-term returns are more important than short-term returns). | This dimension may have not been taken into consideration when Kelly finalized the report and may have been a reason on why the proposal was rejected. | 7 d Cultural Dimensions Model by Trompenaars|Universalism versus Particularism| US is high in applying rules and systems | Japan is low and deals with others based on personal relationships| Kelly wanted to present directly instead of first building a relationship with the client. However , getting direct to business in the US business world is accepted due to its universalistic culture but not in Japan due to its particulistic culture. | Neutral versus Affective â€Å"Express emotions even in business†| 54 US medium| 98 Japan very high and consider expressing feelings at work unprofessional| Kelly created an awkward situation when she asked the Japanese a bout their families.The result of being informal with them was opposite to lightning up the atmosphere which is what Kelly was trying to do. | Specific versus Diffuse â€Å"separate work from personal issues and relationships and more open and direct†| 77 US is highly specific| 57 Japan medium| The outing after work wasn’t accepted by Kelly as she comes from a highly specific culture| Achievement versus Ascription| 97 Status is based on achievement| 53 Status is based on class, age, gender etc. Kelly is not seen as having the authority by the Japanese because of her gender| Past , Present, Future or mixture| US is future oriented which implies that change is beneficial | Not applicable to the case| | Control of versus Nature| Not applicable to the case| Not applicable to the case| | Individualism| 77| 6| Mentioned in Hofstede Dimensions| High verses Low Context| US is low| Japan is High| The Japanese did not inform Kelly that they prefer to do work in groups, they did not give previous notice about the presentation delay.They did not speak about the way they prefer to work and used body language more than word expressions. The client had little eye contact with Kelly and was not frank with her regarding his opinion on whether they will accept the proposal or not. The client’s nonverbal communication through lowering his

Equity Theory of Motivation Essay

As the cliche goes, no man is an island. Everything man does is influenced by other men and his environment. Be it in school or at work, the reason why people persevere lies on the desire to achieve a certain goal. Hence, motivation is essential to keep the drive of doing things passionately and effectively. However, the enthusiasm to sustain the dream and keep the motivation alive can be tampered by life’s uncertainties. Given the unique characteristics that each student possess, the amount of effort exerted by an average student does not always equal the amount of effort exerted by an outlier in class, yet the results are the same or sometimes exceeded by the outlier. Perhaps there are instances when studying overnight and not studying at all yielded the same result. These situations affect the level of motivation a student harness when studying. The feeling of unfairness affects how he/she will prepare for the next exam. In the workplace setting, motivation is likewise an i mportant factor to increase productivity. For example, an employee who worked overtime to get the job well done vis-a-vis an employee who slacked off and produced a mediocre output both received the same salary and the same praises from their boss. The hardworking employee might feel wronged upon seeing how his extra effort was overlooked. To give justice to the unfairness he feels, he opts to mimic the other employee, thus also producing a mediocre output. The equity theory of motivation, developed by workplace and behavioral psychologist John Stacey Adams in 1963, is grounded on the concept that employees tend to seek equity or balance in the amount of input they give to their job or relationship with their bosses, and the output they receive. The inputs referred in this theory include college degree, hard work, effort, committment, ability, adaptability, determination, flexibility, skill, loyalty, tolerance, enthusiasm, trust in superiors, support from colleages, personal sacrifi ce and the like. On the other hand, outputs come in the form of financial benefits like salary, bonuses, and perks, and also intangible benefits such as recognition from superiors, praises, responsibility, job security, good reputation, sense of achievement, personal growth and the like. When an employee’s inputs outweigh his or her outputs, he or she becomes demotivated and unhappy. To achieve equity, the behavioral response is to balance out the input-output equation by asking for an increase in the output side, or  simply diminishing his or her input. The state of equity lie on the perception of an employee in relation to another employee’s input and output ratio, which shows that employee motivation is subjective nature. However, an employer or manager’s role of keeping employees motivated should not be deterred by this notion. Instead, understanding the sources of employee dissatisfaction and demotivation can help managers address the issues surrounding t he workplace to allow for a more productive and work-conducive environment. The equity theory is more commonly known as the social comparison theory or the inequity theory since an employee compares his input-output ratio with another employee’s input-output ratio to determine equity, and an employee who feels inequity or unfairness reduces this through his behavior and attitude towards work. The â€Å"exchange relationship† between work and compensation in comparison with a colleage draws forth discernment of what is fair and unfair. To grasp the intuition behind the theory, four objects must be present which include the person, whose aim is to reduce whatever inequity feeling he or she has; the comparison to other, which pertains to the benchmark person from whom equity and inequity is determined; the inputs and the outputs. According to the theory, a person first compares inputs and outputs with a comparison other, then determines if there is inequity or unequal input/output ratio between himself/herself and comparison other. Basically, the theory assumes that an individual addresses his/her inequity feeling after comparison to others, and remains at the level where equity is achieved. Several ways a person does in reaching equity include altering his/her inputs, altering his/her outputs, distorting his inputs and outputs cognitively, finding a new job, or changing the person of comparison. (Gogia, 2010) In line with this, Huseman, Hattfield and Miles (1987) dissected the equity theory into four basic ideas. First, the notion of fairness is conceived through comparing an individual’s input and outcomes ratio with others. The other does not necessarily require a colleage, because it can also be his/her old self. Comparing the amount of effort exerted and the amount of salary received to a colleage’s or an old job facilitates the judgment of what is fair to an individual. Second, if the compared ratios are not equal, then there is inequity. The two kinds of  inequity are underpayment inequity and overpayment inequity. Underpayment inequity happens when an individual deems that his/her ratio is smaller than others, or in other words, his great effort mismatches with the benefit received as compared to another employee. On the contrary, overpayment inequity occurs when a big compensation is received from the little effort exerted, as compared to other coworkers. Third, the greater the difference in inequity, the greater tension and distress the individual feels. The different attitudes people have toward life’s unfairness in general brought about the three kinds of equity-sensitive people namely the benevolents, the equity sensitives and the entitleds, with the benevolents being the most tolerant of underrewards, and the entitleds having the most preference of over-rewards. The equity sensitives just want their ratio to be the same with others, but the entitleds believe that the world owes them, so it is just rig htful for them to receive more. Forth, the more intense feeling of tension brought about by inequity, the harder an individual will work to restore equity. This is just like how a more oppressed victim is more thirsty he is to seek justice, if not revenge. The ways in achieving equity varies from person to person. Upon experiencing the feeling of unfairness, the assumption of this theory is that employees will find ways to reduce inequity. The two most typical ways are through behavioral options and cognitive options, where the latter is used more often used since it is both less riskier and easier to do than the former. For behavioral options, the employees change their input to match outcomes like slacking off or leaving work early, changing outcomes to match input by asking for an increase, or perpetrating a crime like theft or fraud, persuading others to change inputs by complaining to superiors, and withdrawal through tardiness, absenteeism or quitting the job. As for the cogni tive options, the employee distorts his own inputs or outcomes by underestimating his own performance so that the inputs will match the output; distort the inputs or outcomes of others by thinking that others earn more because they probably deserve it; change the comparison others by choosing a different benchmark for them to feel better. (â€Å"Motivation theories†, 2009) Applying this theory in the government office place gives a clearer understanding as to why in general, government employeees are unmotivated and unhappy with their jobs. Perhaps they have once tried to work dilligently, but only end up with having the same  across-the-board incentive as fellow workers who do not work as hard as them. Hence, the Aquino administration came up with the performance-based incentive system to allow a fair compensation to those who deserve to be rewarded. By altering the outcome through a performance-based bonus, government employees try to match their performance to the amount of bonus they wish to receive. Motivation Theories. (2009, April 26). Why Do Employees Take More Initiatives to Improve Their Performance After Co-developing Performance Measures? A Field Study (Groen, Wouters & Wilderom, 2012)  Usually, people work more conscientiously when their performances are being monitored, be it in school, at work, or even in playing games. Knowing how grades, scores or output are obtained help an individual’s goal setting and invoke the determination and commitment to achieve the said goal. What more if the employees themselves determine how they are to be rated? Having an opinion and first hand experience in developing performance measure criteria make employees not only feel valued, but also feel a sense of fairness because they know that the criteria they set are attainable and reasonable. Groen, Wouters and Wilderom (2012) conducted a field study to investigate why employees perform better when they are involved in developing peformance measures. The study used the theory of planned behavior, which states that beliefs predict how individuals behave or plan to behave. Gathering data from meetings, interviews, company information data, quantitative questionnaire and first-hand experience in the field in a beverage manufacturing company, bottling line employees were found to be more motivated, have more initiative, and more positively affected by social pressure when they were involved in developing performance measures. The  variables examined in the study included attitude towards the job, social pressure from coworkers, capability from personal skills. All these variables were found to positively and significantly influence an employee’s intiative towards his job, thus increasing his productivity. The study showed that productivity and initative of the employ ees who were aware and had a say on performance measurement criteria improved the departments’ overall performance. 7. Models of Performance-Measurement Use in Local Governments: Understanding Budgeting, Communication, and Lasting Effects (Melkers & Willoghby, 2005) Since performance measurement has been emphasized in various literatures, the importance of having them adopted and implemented is no longer debatable. Performance measurement schemes help in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the organization, and it also serves as an objective basis of planning the budget to be used to fund government projects. The study of Melkers and Willoghby (2005) paid close attention to the usefulness of performance-based information on the operations of the local government in the US, communication, and budgetary decisions. The pervasiveness of performance measurement implementation in the US was also studied through the results obtained from a national survey of city and count y administrators and budgeters of nearly 300 governments. Multiple regression analysis was implemented to find out whether dependent variables budget effects, communication effects and lasting effects index were individually affected by independent variables community characteristics, respondent characteristics, organizational culturea and performance measurement characteristics. The results showed that although the use of performance indicators was pervasive, the respondents were apathetic with regards to the effectiveness of these performance measurements for budgetary concerns and operational processes within the government unit. Promoting the Utilization of Performance Measures in Public Organizations: An Empirical Study of Factors Affecting Adoption and Implementation (Julnes & Holzner, 2001) It is true that performance measurements are vital for making informed decisions. Both public and private firms need to be guided on a set of parameters that help them determine where they have done well and what areas need improvement. If the government departments are serious  in improving their service to the public, then coming up with a set of criteria and implementing these evaluation criteria would be essential in determining where to start the change. Despite recognizing the importance of having performance measures, there are several issues that impede the development and usage of a performance measurement scheme. The empirical study by Julnes and Holzner (2001) examined the factors that hamper the utilization of performance measurement in public organizations in the US. A sample of state and local governmen t employees were drawn from the Government Financial Officers Association, International City/County Management Association of College and University Business Officers obtained from GASB. A total of 934 questionnaires were sent to state and local government employees across the nation in 1997. The variables used in the survey included adoption and implementation for the dependent variable, and external requirements, internal requirements, internal interest groups, external interest groups, attitudes, risk taking, information, resources, goal orientation, percent unionized, government type and position. Using ordinary least square mulitple-regression analyses, the results of the study revealed that output measures were developed for various programs, but efficiency measures and outcome measures were less developed. Looking at the performance measure usage, the researchers found out that efficiency and outcome measures were less used for strategic planning, resource allocation, progra m management, monitoring and evaluation, reporting to internal management, electec officials, citizens or media. Aside from these, the researchers’ findings showed that internal requirements, external requirements, goal orientation and access to information positively and significantly affect the adoption of performance measures, while external interest groups and internal requirements positively affect implementation of performance measures, but unionization negatively affect implementation. Overall, the policy of using performance measures would more likely be adopted if it were an internal requirement wherein top management commits to the effort of evaluating government programs. On the contrary, external requirement would not automatically merit the implementation of performance measures since factors such as organizations’ ability, politician’s support, sufficient resources and commitment to the purpose were lacking if not missing. The study suggests that p ublic administrators be aware that  performance measure is a two-step process namely adoption and implementation, wherein factors affecting adoption include mostly rational and technocratic theory, while actual implementation are determined by political and cultural factors. (Julnes & Holzner, 2001) The Use of Performance Measurement Systems in the Public Sector: Effects on Performance (Spekle & Verbeeten, 2013) Performance measurement information are collected and used in various ways such as strategic planning, budgeting, and employee bonus planning. The immense benefits of measuring performance outweighs the costs of collecting such data, which is why most government agencies have already instilled in their system a peformance measurement mechanism for reference. In the study of Spekle and Verbeeten (2013), the researchers explored whether the pefromance measurement system actually improves or deters organizational performance. They also introduced the concept of contractibility, which means clear goals, undistorted pefromance metrics, managers’ knowledge and control of the transformation process. Public sector organizations that have high contractibility were expected to be better than those organizations with low contractibilty in terms of performance. The test was d one through a survey of 101 public sector organizations in the US. The results showed that contractibility influences the way incentive-oriented use of the performance measurement system and performance. More interestingly, the researchers concluded that usign the performance measurement system for incentive purposes negatively influences organizational performance, unless contractibility is high. Disregarding contractibility, performance measurement system tends to enhance performance. Hence, the effect of the performance measurement system in public sector organizations are greatly affected by the level of contractibility and managers’ usage of the system. Determinants of Incentive Intensity in Group-Based Rewards (Zenger & Marshall, 2000) Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in the Public Sector: A Study in Malaysia. Economic Incentives and the Choice of State Government Accounting Practices (Ingram, 1984)

A Report on Accounts Receivable on Marysville General...

As the Chief Financial Officer of Marysville General Hospital, I have informed the hospital board members, that the accounts receivable has quickly approached the 100th day mark. The accounts receivable had crept from the 70-80 day range within the past few months, which is greater than the average of 55 days. There are many factors that could be a potential reason as to why the hospital accounts receivable days are rising, however, collectively the board members will create a plan of action that will bring the accounts receivable days back in line. It will take cooperation from everyone including the board members, medical staff, clinical departments, health information management, business office, and many others. Therefore, each of these departments will be involved in devising a solution to reduce the accounts receivable crisis. Before the proposal for a development plan for reducing accounts receivable, the following departments are requested to submit a current report showing the status of their departments. The departments are: admissions; registrations; chart documentation; charge capture; claims processing; payment posting; secondary billing and patient follow-up. All of these reports will provide further insight as to how each of the departments has performed, and contributed to the increase of accounts receivable. Additionally, in reviewing these documents, the hospital will analyze the collection data from the finance department, comparing the past,

Want to Know More About How to Write Essays about Yourself?

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The Electronic Health Record - 1453 Words

1. Title 2. The electronic health record is the electronic version of a patients’ medical chart (Centers for Medicare Medicaid Services, 2012). The information included in the electronic health record is the patient’s demographics and clinical health information, medical history, list of health problems, progress notes, medications, vital signs, laboratory and radiology reports, and physician orders. The purpose of the electronic health record is to prevent medical errors and improve care delivery to provide a safer patient environment (McGonigle Mastrian, 2015). 3. EHRs has been known to be a problem for some physicians or healthcare providers despite of the advantages. Because of this system physicians are forced to perform some time-consuming tasks that could be assigned to someone with lesser qualification, which creates more work for the physicians. Physicians described poor Electronic Health Record (EHR) usability that did not match clinical workflows, time-consuming data entry, interference with face-to-face patient care, and overwhelming numbers of electronic messages and alerts (Friedberg, Crosson, Tutty). Another issue that was reported is that there are a lot of electronic alerts and people also could potentially misuse the template-based notes which is pre-formatted and computer generated. 4. The use of Electronic Health Record can be very dangerous to patient care and safety when wrongly document as information stored in the system are considered to beShow MoreRelatedElectronic Health Record : Electronic Healthcare Record1257 Words   |  6 PagesElectronic Health Record An Electronic Health Record (also known as EHR) is an official health record for a patient that is stored with multiple facilities and agencies. The main purpose of this electronic system is to improve efficiency, quality of care, and reduce costs. How can one system possibly do all these improvements to health records? Well let’s break it down to simpler terms. It will improve efficiency for individuals seeking healthcare from a different facility in the future. There willRead MoreElectronic Of The Electronic Health Records Essay1456 Words   |  6 PagesOver the past few years, we have notice a significant change in the workflow of a healthcare organization. This change is caused by the technological advancements of Health Information Technology (HIT). One of the many technological advancements of HIT is the Electronic Health Record (EHR). Electronic health records are a patient’s paper chart in a digital format. It always contains real time information and can be easily accessible. With EHR put into act, it has the ability to electronically viewRead MoreElectronic Medical Records And Electronic Health Records935 Words   |  4 Pageslived longer. For example, the use of the computer has evolved in health care. Medical Professionals use the computer for their daily operations. As a result of the use of the computer, the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Electronic Health Records (EHR) were created. In 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which included the HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health) Act. HITECH instructed the Centers for Medicare Medicaid ServicesRead MoreThe Electronic Health Record1534 Words   |  7 PagesThe Electronic Health Record Introduction In the modern world technology is everywhere and it affects everyone’s daily life. People are constantly attached to cell phones, laptops, and other electronics, which all have affected how people live their lives. Technology is also a large part of the healthcare system today. There are many electronics and technologies that are used in health care, such as electronic health record, medication bar code scanning, electronic documentation, telenursing, andRead MoreElectronic Health Record1954 Words   |  8 PagesAbstract Electronic health records (EHR) is more and more being utilized in organizations offering healthcare to enhance the quality and safety of care. Understanding the advantages and disadvantaging of EHR is essential in the nursing profession as nurses would learn its strengths and weaknesses. This would help the nursing profession know how to deal with the weak areas of the system. The topic on advantages and disadvantages of EHR has been widely researched on with different researchers comingRead MoreThe Electronic Health Records911 Words   |  4 PagesBeing able to tell about the roots of where the Electronic Health Records come from the paper will now look at the benefits of the system. The Electronic Health Records areis defined as, â€Å"electronic version of a patientspatient’s medical history, that is maintained by the provider over time, and may include all of the key administrative clinical data relevant to that persons care under a particular provider, including demog raphics, progress notes, problems, medications, vital signs, past medicalRead MoreElectronic Health Records3123 Words   |  13 PagesElectronic Health Records: The Role of Electronic Health Records and Health Information Exchange in the Delivery of Quality Healthcare R Arku Community College of Allegheny County Health Information Technology, Cohort 5 Tutor January 14,2011 Contents Abstract 3 Introduction 4 Quality Definition 6 Data Collection Challenges 7 Electronic Records and its influence on quality 9 Data Infrastructure – Performance Measurement Foundation 11 Quality Measurements and Data ExtractionRead MoreThe Electronic Health Records1146 Words   |  5 Pageshealthcare providers with funding for implementing healthcare information technology, electronic health records, protecting patient’s health information, and provides patients with greater access and control over their protected health information. Derived from the Health Insurance Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) that provides funding and incentives for the implementation of electronic health records. Title IV of division B of the ARRA is considered part of the HITECH Act. ItRead MoreElectronic Health Record And Electronic Medical Record ( Emr )2228 Words   |  9 Pagestransition. Electronic health record and electronic medical record (EMR) are often used interchangeably within the health care industry, but they actually mean different things in the regulatory arena. An EHR refers to an aggregate of a patient’s EMR data that is generated over time by various institutions and can be shared among them. An institution can use EHR technology only if it has an EMR system that is capable of interoperating with other EMR systems. The start up cost for electronic medicalRead MoreBenefits Of Electronic Health Records1313 Words   |  6 Pagesproviders who reported that the electronic health records are readily available at the point of care is 94% and the percentage of the providers who stated that the electronic health records showed the clinical benefits is 88%. The percentage of the physicians who reported that the electronic health records enable them to provide the enhanced care to the patients is 75% (Jamoom, Patel, King, Furukawa, 2012). According to the authors, the use of electronic health records also aided in enhancing the risk

General Theory of Employment and Money †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the General Theory of Employment and Money. Answer: Introduction: According to the investment theory, if there is rise in interest rate, then the aggregate private investment level will tend to rise (Friedman 2017). Considering the given scenario, where US and Australia is indulged in investment, if there is expected rise in return in US deposits, then more people from Australia will investment in the US banks. With rise in the investment flow from Australia to US market, there will be enhanced demand scenario in front of the US dollar and on the other hand demand of the Australian dollar will subsequently fall (Keynes 2016). With lower demand of the Australian dollar exchange rate of the country will eventually get depreciated. Thus if there is future expectation that interest rate paid on US deposits will increase, then it will depreciate the Australian exchange rate. Highlights the exchange rate framework. From the above figure it can be seen that initial equilibrium between the AUD and USD takes place at point 1, where the dollar rate of return is R$. Now, if there is expectation regarding the rise in the dollar return from the US deposits, then it will force the expected return curve to move upward (marked with the blue expected return curve). Hypothetically if it is assumed that new equilibrium takes place at point 2, then it will enhance the exchange rate on behalf of the US. Contrary to this, exchange rate of the AUD will subsequently fall from its initial point (Point 2017). Thus, to conclude it can be said that if there is expected rise in interest rate paid on US deposits, then it will depreciate the Australian dollar. Decrease in money supply cause differently to the economy on different period. For instance if there is decrease in exogenous money supply then it would reduce the money velocity and will lead to appreciation of USD compared to the other currency (Haberler 2017). Considering the given scenario of money supply if there is decrease in money supply in the US, then it would cause differently on different scenario. Appreciation of the money supply will reduce the export of the US goods in Australian economy and in long run it would hamper the US exchange depreciating the USD/AUD exchange rate. With reduced money supply, however, in long run the scenario will be different. For instance if there is appreciation in the exchange rate through exogenous decrease in the US money supply, then US regulatory agency will consider the monetary reformation (Bahmani and Saha 2015). Government of US would increase the money supply through monetary reformation policy. Increase in money supply will influe nce the aggregate demand and in addition it will reduce the interest rate. Through reduction in the interest rate in long run economy of US will adjust the exchange rate with Australian economy which will enhance the bilateral trade. On the other hand Australian money market will take contractionary monetary plan that can help the economy to withstand higher investment from US economy. It can be seen that if there is permanent decrease in US money supply, then it would lead the money supply curve downward causing change in equilibrium from 1 to 2. From the second panel of the figure 2, it can be seen that money supply in US economy will increase in long run and in short run it will lower than the US real money supply requirement. On the other hand decreased exogenous money supply will lead to fall in the exchange rate of USD/AUD. Interest rate of the US economy will fall and through fall in the interest rate of the US economy, investors will invest in more amount in the Australian economy (Serrano and Summa 2015). This rise in investment in the Australian economy will appreciate the countrys economy while it would deteriorate the trade for the Australia too. Thus, if there is reduction in the exogenous money supply in US economy, then it would reduce the trade balance for both the countries while enhancing the exchange rate higher for the Australia and US too. On t he other hand money market of the US will suffer from reduced liquidity while Australian money market will face boom in liquidity in short run, however, in long run it both the economies will take monetary policies to gauge the situation. General theory of interest rate and inflation highlights that, if there is rise in interest rate in one trade participating nation, then it will lead to depreciation of exchange rate of another countrys exchange rate (Grauwe 2018). However, if there is rise in exchange rate in one trade participating nation and the other appreciates then it can be seen that the government of the other trade participating nation has been able to signaling the investors that there will be expected exchange rate appreciation of the countrys currency. In turn it later lead to appreciation of the spot exchange rate of the country that helps it to have better trade situation. Considering the case of Australia and US, it can be seen that long are those days gone, when Australian policy makers used to mechanistically follow the US Fed principles (Chung 2018). Australian now being driving on its economic growth for last 27 years, it is strong enough in front of small Fed hikes like mentioned in the given question (McCombie and Thirlwall 2016). Contrary to this US economy has been recently ailing from the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, which caused a crippling blow to the economy (Tenreyro and Thwaites 2016). Interest rate of the US economy during those days were lowest among all developed nations that allowed it to face currency depreciation and the economy was tremendous turmoil. However, contrary to this, Australian economy is stable enough since last three decades that has provided it much needed strength to withstand against ailing USD. According to the (Haberler 2017), appreciating the AUD is essential for the countrys regulatory authority in order to hold the rebalancing mining investment and in addition to this cost of borrowing can be affordable with the appreciated AUD. Thus, though there has been rise in the interest rate in US, Australian dollar yet has been appreciated. Reference: Bahmani-Oskooee, M. and Saha, S., 2015. On the relation between stock prices and exchange rates: a review article.Journal of Economic Studies,42(4), pp.707-732. Chung, F. (2018).What the US rate rise means for Australia. [online] NewsComAu. Available at: https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/what-the-us-rate-rise-means-for-australia/news-story/f5377d654039b5a14457f6df561e6e1b [Accessed 8 Apr. 2018]. De Grauwe, P., 2018. Economics of monetary union. Oxford university press. Friedman, M., 2017. Quantity theory of money.The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, pp.1-31. Haberler, G., 2017.Prosperity and depression: A theoretical analysis of cyclical movements. Routledge. Keynes, J.M., 2016.General theory of employment, interest and money. Atlantic Publishers Dist. McCombie, J. and Thirlwall, A.P., 2016.Economic growth and the balance-of-payments constraint. Springer. Pigou, A., 2017.The economics of welfare. Routledge. Serrano, F. and Summa, R., 2015. MundellFleming without the LM curve: the exogenous interest rate in an open economy. Review of Keynesian Economics,3(2), pp.248-268. Tenreyro, S. and Thwaites, G., 2016. Pushing on a string: US monetary policy is less powerful in recessions.American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics,8(4), pp.43-74.

The Governments Response to Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda free essay sample

A political creative writing paper on Osama Bin Laden/Al-Qaeda written from the point of view of a fictitious governmental agency. The following paper is a fictitious response to Osama Bin Ladens terrorist arguments, which describes and justifies the actions a government would have to undertake to combat terrorists. Osama Bin Laden and his terrorist Al-Qaeda organization have committed a number of atrocities in recent years, culminating in the horrific attacks of September 11th 2001. They continue to postulate justifications for their actions, and present arguments in support of their continuing jihad, or `holy war` against the non-Islamic West, and the United States of America in particular. Following the recent Al-Qaeda terrorist activity, this Government has resolved both to address the terrorists arguments and explain the number of wide-ranging actions and initiatives that have been implemented in order to combat this grave terrorist threat.