How To Meet Deadlines When Youre Tired Of Missing Them

How To Meet Deadlines When Youre Tired Of Missing Them Every creative professional  knows how to dread deadlines. However, we could often use some help knowing how to meet deadlines. This means having enough discipline not to push back deadlines. Its something thats easy to do when were under crunch time. However, it isnt a solution.  Push your deadlines back enough times, and soon enough, you wont have a content marketing strategy  left to  execute. Content must be created, and it must be delivered on time. Your audience craves it. Your boss demands it. Your job literally depends on it. And with the right processes and work habits in place, youll hit every deadline, every time. Best of all, this isnt as hard to pull off as you might think. Let us show you how to conquer your fear of deadlines and be more productive than ever. 1. Start By Asking When, Not What "What do you want done?" is usually the first  question that gets asked when planning a project. After some discussion, you usually find out when the project  needs to be finished. However, sometimes a better opening question is "When do we want this done?" Start by setting your deadline first. Then, work backward to figure out how much you can realistically accomplish between today and your deadline. Why don't #marketing projects start with #deadlines first, then requirements?People don’t like deadlines because they make them feel constrained and tied down. If you can master your  deadlines by outlining and planning realistically what you can do, in a set timeframe, meeting deadlines will no longer be a burden on you or your company. Think MVP (Minimum Viable Product) You may have heard of the concept of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Essentially, this means building the  bare minimum  you need to  include in your product to make it a useful solution to a problem. From there, you can enhance and optimize it after you ship it. Shipping is a common  term used in agile project management  that developers use when they're ready to push new code to production. However, you can apply this same mindset to content creation too.  You can do this and meet your deadlines by understanding the minimum essentials you need in your project to make it successful initially, understanding you can improve your project and processes as you move forward. Aim To Ship, Not For Perfection Seth Godin has a lot of awesome things to say about this- shooting for completing projects  quickly instead of shooting for perfection. Write down your deadline. You'll publish on this date whether it's perfect or not. Gather everyone's ideas on your project. Share those ideas in a way everyone can see, and ask them to take a look. After they look or even miss their due date of looking, that's it. No more updates. Draft a blueprint of the project from those rough ideas. Get final approval for your project blueprint from the big wigs in your company. Ask the folks with sign-off authority a simple question: "If I deliver what you approved, on budget and on time, will you ship it?" Don't move forward until you get your yes. Seth says, "Once you get your yes, go away and build your project, thrash-free. Ship on time, because that's what a linchpin does." While some of that relates to office bureaucracy, you get the idea. Start with a deadline, then give yourself permission to ship on time- no excuses. 2. Create A  List Of  What Needs To Get Done (And  When) Setting and maintaining timeline and project goals is arguably one of the most  challenging parts of being a project manager. Whether you're a one-person  operation or have a large team, keeping all these tasks on track and moving forward takes some attention to detail. Recommended Reading from Neil Patel: The 6 Types Of Social Media Content That Will Give You The Greatest Value At , we once realized that we were running into this problem. Every Monday, the marketing team gets together to go over the last week's analytics, our plans for the upcoming week, and everyone's deadlines. The plan is simple: Learn from the projects you went through last week, asking yourself three simple questions: What went well? What could we improve? What should we stop doing? Prioritize the projects that  you must get done this week.  Give everyone one goal to complete by the end of the week, no matter what. Review everything you're working toward as a team to understand who is the lead on certain projects, and who is in supporting roles. This is helpful because everyone knows the amount of work expected from them, giving them their chance to speak up if they think it's too much or too little, which helps  everyone understand exactly how they'll contribute to meeting your collective deadlines. Plan how you'll work together as a team to keep each other accountable for meeting your deadlines. Meet daily to talk through  progress and roadblocks that may prevent you from shipping, and figure out a solution. 3. Set Smaller Deadlines Within Your Large Deadline Each week, we put out two blog posts on our blog, among other  templates and projects. Using 's task templates is a huge life saver for us, especially since our  team is spread out across  a few  different locations. We have a set list of what needs to be done each week, and we rely on checklists  built using task templates to help everyone working on the project know the steps they need to complete in order to help us publish our content on time. Use these tips to break down your bigger deadlines into smaller ones: Look at the big picture and draw a road map of exactly what you need to do. Separate tasks based on who needs to complete them. Create an outline labeling what needs to be done and by when. Ask yourself what needs to be done in order? What can be done whenever? Delegate tasks based on who needs to do what, and then fill the gaps with tasks that can be done whenever. We use task templates in to manage all of this.  Here's an example of what these look like: 4. Build In Buffer Time Write down all the tasks you need done and when you need them done by. Then, give each of these due dates a day or two of buffer room before they are actually due so you don't set yourself up for failure. This allows time  to make needed changes, or even finish your work ahead of schedule. Seth Godin  has some great ideas about how to build in buffer time: "Write it down instead. Hand it to someone else. Publicize it. Associate it with an external reward or punishment. If you don't make the deadline, your friend gives the $20 you loaned her to a cause you disagree with..." Deadlines give you the opportunity to beat the rush. Handing in work just a little bit early is a sure-fire way to tell a positive story and get the attention you seek. 5. Remember  You Only Have So Much Room On Your Plate This is one of those  pieces  of  advice where it’s a â€Å"do as I say and not as I do†. Many of us on our team struggle with this daily. We want to help everyone, do more, and be busy. So we will have to work on this one together. Everyone has 24 hours in a day; there are limitations to what can be done and what can be done well. You know your strengths and weaknesses, look at what is on your plate for the week and go from there. Make it a point to write a mock schedule of everything you'd like to finish for the week. Do this weekly on Sunday night or Monday morning. Schedule  in any meetings you have, and appointments or reasons you won't be in the office, and make sure you leave time for sleep (seriously). Recommended Reading:  What To Do On The Weekend To Increase Your Productivity On Monday Nathan, our content marketing lead, literally plans out what he'll do each day to keep himself on task. It helps him learn how much time certain projects really take to help him use his time even more efficiently for future projects. This will help  you know  exactly how much free time you have in the day and week,   while keeping you accountable for meeting  your personal deadlines, and helping you improve your time management skills. This way,  when someone comes to you with a new project or idea, you can look at your schedule and realistically know if you can fit one more thing on your plate or not. This way, you  save yourself the stress and hassle of overdoing it. Here's how to do it yourself: Value all your time: Know that you have 24 hours every day, just like everyone else (even Beyoncà ¨). Hopping onto Facebook, texting, or a mindless zone out adds up. The average Facebook user spends 17 minutes on Facebook a day. That’s 4 and a half days a year. Imagine how much you could get done in that extra time. Focus on your work: While zoning out can distract from work, it’s a proven fact that daydreaming can actually put off the desire for future rewards because you envisioned success but did nothing to achieve it. Being actionable help you achieve your goals. Big game talk and day dreaming don't. End procrastination: Start easy. Break it down. Be nice to yourself. Get a good why. Be mindful. 6. Don’t Be Afraid To Delegate Tasks The wonderful part about being on a team  is that you have help. Sometimes as marketers, we've been conditioned to take on projects without much help  because counting on people means leaving your success  up to others. It’s great that we have the passion  to do a lot, but it can be our downfall. When you delegate tasks, it gives you more time to focus on other projects. It also gets new eyes on the other projects and helps you work  quicker. The Muse  came up with a great list to help with delegating tasks: Decide what to delegate: Once you decide to ask for help, pick the projects  you need help with. You want to focus on your own strengths and weaknesses to choose  what tasks would be better delegated. Pick the right people:  Just like you chose which tasks aren't right for your skill set, pick  your team members who'll be rock stars at those tasks. If you need something edited, think about who the grammar wiz is on your team. Need something figured out with math? Find someone who is better with numbers, and so on. It can be hard to trust new people with a job, but ultimately, you have to do what is best for the project and the timeline. Communicate clearly: When you delegate tasks, sit down with your team and clearly spell out what you would like from each person. Getting everyone together may seem like a hassle, but in the long run, it will save you time and headaches. Check in, but don’t be overbearing: You handed off your tasks.  Now you have to trust that your team are professionals and that they will take care of their tasks. It’s easy to want to check every three minutes to make sure everything is getting done, but you need to trust your team, check in sparingly, and then let them continue with their work as well. Give credit where credit is due: The project is done, your team worked hard and now you are ready to ship it. Make sure to acknowledge their hard work. They jumped in to help you out, don't take that for granted. 7. Don't Be Afraid To Ask For Clarification, Either Your company expects  you to be a self-starter and to take on new projects. These are great qualities to have, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ask for clarification on your projects before you get started. It'll save you time. One of the biggest time sucks is not knowing what is asked of you.Save time in the long run by clarifying the expected outcome of your projects: Admit you're unsure  and get the clarification you need. Ask open questions- this makes it easier to get more from people than "yes" or "no" answers, they are more likely to give you more detail of exactly what you are looking for if you ask open follow up questions. Ask for specific examples of outcomes to envision what your project will  look like. Know the goal of the project. Focus on your audience's needs instead  of just producing content because you can. Just because it's some of your best work doesn't mean that was what was being asked of you. Make sure to stay on task. Repeat what your team lead just told you to make sure you understand what they really mean. 8. Work During Your Most Productive Hours Emails, phone calls, instant messages- with all these distractions, sometimes typical works hours may not be your most productive  time of the day.  When  you are  constantly being interrupted, it's hard to put your head down and really work. Many time-saving tricks say â€Å"put your phone away† or â€Å"log out of your email†. Well, I don’t know about you, but when I turn off my e-mail and phone, I get anxiety. I feel like I'm going to miss something or someone needs me to take care of something, and I’m not getting my jobs done. This constant worry is just as much of a distraction  (if not more) as checking my email every hour. So instead of turning off my life, I just schedule the things I really need to focus on at night. It's then when  I feel more awake and focused, and I can crank out blog posts or other projects faster, with  typically fewer  distractions. Maybe you're a morning person. Get up early, reward yourself with a cup of your favorite coffee, and put your head down and tackle your biggest project for the day.  Vice versa if you're a night owl. You know yourself. Use your most productive hours  to your advantage, and you'll be amazed by how much more you conquer  in your day. Recommended Reading:  How To Write More Content To Increase Your Blogging Schedule 9.  Work Toward Your Goals Every Day Resist the urge to work on easier projects. Motivate yourself, maybe a mirror pep talk and then work toward your big picture goals  at least a little bit every day. In the long run, you'll be so much happier when your plate becomes full again, and you're already ahead of the 8 ball. Re-motivate yourself everyday. Make time for yourself. The more â€Å"you time† you get, the more refreshed and prepared you'll be to get your work  done- and to meet your deadlines. When you decide to take on a task each day, set aside 25  minutes to work on just that. Turn off as many distractions as you can. Then you can go back to â€Å"you time†. This is  what some call the Pomodoro technique, a time-saving process  to help you focus on accomplishing  your work: If you’re starting to feel demotivated, one of the best ways to get your energy back is to get on with your work. Make a checklist of what needs to be done for the day. In Evernote, you can make an easy checklist with just a push of a button. Using Evernote to keep checklists is easy because they are accessible 24/7 from my phone, laptop, or iPad. Here's how to make the most of this feature: Prioritize all of your ideas in an Evernote document. Make a list of tasks you need to complete today, tomorrow, and for the week. When you don't get a task done, make sure to put it at the top of the list for the next day. Attack the hardest tasks first. While it may seem easier to do the little things first, it would be too easy to keep pushing the big tasks off. This also defeats the purpose of trying to hit your deadline. Don't have your phone on you? We're  also a big fan of Post-It notes. Write everything you need to finish for the day on a Post-It note. Stick it to your desk. Using this as a constant reminder will help keep you motivated. There is just something so satisfying about taking pen to paper and checking things off your to-do list. It’s a lot like working out- it’s hard to get started, but it will get easier and easier. 10. Learn From Mistakes Did you miss one of these steps? Take on too much? Make it  a point to remember that for the future. If you are consistently following all of these steps, missing one will not set you back horribly, but if you start getting too far behind, that is when your deadlines start to suffer, and you'll feel like you're constantly playing catch up. It's easy to feel like your latest mistake is the end of the world. I feel you, I am there about five times a day. But this is human nature; we were not built to be perfect. Mistakes help us grow and make us better. So use these mistakes and learn from them. Recommended Reading:  How To Unlock Quality Content From Your Low-Performing Posts It’s just like my mom said, you are allowed to be sad or frustrated, but make sure you pick up and move on. You are not a tree, you are not stuck.  You can  pick yourself up and try again. 11. Never Push Deadlines When researching this post, we read so many posts that  included sections with sub-headings like, â€Å"Be Sure To Hit The Second Deadline†. What was the point of writing the post in the first place if it  ends with,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Oh it’s okay, you missed your deadline but just make sure you hit the extended deadline†? It's understandable that sometimes things happen that derail productivity. However, sometimes you just need to work faster  or set more attainable deadlines. It's really as simple as that. Now You Know How To Hit Due Dates Every Time Hitting deadlines isn't easy. However, nothing worth doing is easy. These tips and tactics can make getting things done on time much easier though. How do you plan to hit your deadlines from now on? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Why Men Should Consider Becoming a Nurse

Why Men Should Consider Becoming a Nurse Nurses have always been in high demand. That’s as true today as it always was, and the number and scope of nursing jobs is expanding every day. Nurses are more critical to the health care process then ever, and there is currently a shortage of qualified nurses! (And a shortage of primary care physicians†¦ so nurses are even more in constant demand!) As health care demands continue to increase- along with costs- nursing will become even more crucial. In the past, a career in nursing hasn’t been on the radars of many professional men, as it is a career more traditionally filled by women. But really, why not even consider an entire booming career path, one with opportunity for great compensation, job security, and other benefits that might increase your quality of life?Here are some good reasons why men should roll up the sleeves of their scrubs and get involved.Why not?Would you tell your kid to overlook an entire in-demand and lucrative, rewarding career path just b ecause it’s traditionally been a field for one gender or the other? Of course not. So why would you overlook it? The biggest obstacle you’d have to clear as a dude entering the profession would be your own gender stereotypes. Nursing is a highly valued and very sturdy career choice. Why let tired gender stereotypes keep this work only for the ladies?If you’re reading this and considering nursing, congrats! You’re already over that hump! If you can be mentored and trained by highly competent women in a highly technical and demanding field, then you’re good to go.Show you’re an enlightened guy and join this under-appreciated field. Then join an organization like the American Assembly of Men in Nursing for extra support while you break into your new career.You can specialize.Whatever picture you have in your head for what a nurse’s job is like, you’re probably wrong. But probably you also didn’t realize just how wide the op tions are for specialization in the field. Try any number of fields, such as anesthesia, flight, emergency, trauma nursing. Even middle management, nursing education, nurse practitioner work, oncology, psychiatry, pediatrics, and administration.Find your interest, claim your niche, and pursue whichever part of this wide-ranging profession that interests you. Don’t get us wrong- you of course will have to start with the basics and build a solid foundation. But once you do, you have the freedom (and opportunity!) to make it your own.You will likely be well-compensated.Like in most professions, male nurses tend to out-earn female nurses.Hey, this might not be fair, but it’s true. Right out of the gate, you’re more likely to be compensated (more) fairly for your time and work. It’s a consistent and reliable career choice wherein you have a financial leg up. Just be sure once you get hired, you start fighting for fair pay for your female colleagues. After all, they’re just as qualified and overworked as you will be.

Structural members in concrete bridges and highway Essay

Structural members in concrete bridges and highway - Essay Example CORE MEMBERS There are many elements that have to be understood before the structure of any structure like a bridge or a whole highway can be comprehended. Engineering laws are always based on key elements. Some key elements of both the structures will be explained quite extensively along with the types of bridges which have these elements present in them. Some of those key elements are: Beam This element in the bridge is the horizontal structure which withstands vertical weight known as bending for example gravitational load or load due to wind. Beams in bridges can either be made of reinforced concrete, steel or wood. Any type of beam can be categorized by their profiling. Some of the examples of beams are I-Beam, T-Beam and box beam. Column Column is known to be the vertical structure designed for carrying lateral weight. It is one of the most important components of the bridge. This is the first portion of any bridge that has to be built. The horizontal weights like slabs and bea ms are placed once the column has been constructed. Foundation Foundation is the lowest layer of support of a structure. It can either be deep or shallow. This is usually the first part of the design when the project is being planned. The phases or implementation will be later discussed in the report. The foundation is the component of the structure which holds the columns on which the beams lie. Therefore it can easily be said that a solid foundation, which has holding capability is the one which is best for any kind of bridge, otherwise the structure can be massively damaged causing human and financial loss. Types of Bridges There are various types of bridges that have been developed over the period of time, when the human brain has... It is evident from the study that there are many elements that have to be understood before the structure of any structure like a bridge or a whole highway can be comprehended. Engineering laws are always based on key elements. Some key elements of both the structures will be explained quite extensively along with the types of bridges which have these elements present in them. Various steps are under-taken for the completion of both, the bridge and a highway alike. A construction company has to set up its goals and designs even before the first brick is laid. The construction steps are explained in detail in this section of the paper. This paper will render light over some of the examples of successful as well as some disastrous bridge/highway designs. This report can be concluded by describing an analogy in which a bridge/highway is created between two factious towns. The amount of length saved to the community of the two people can be somehow converted in the time saved travelling in their cars on the route when the bridge was not present. It can be safely said that more time of their lives will be saved by this then their actual lives. Such an impact has been brought upon by this simple everyday invention, about which we don’t think about while travelling. A road/highway/bridge has evolved the way man travels. Long journeys which were earlier not possible without aircrafts or boats are now been travelled due the connection made by this smart structural invention by mankind.

Discussion Board Assignment 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Discussion Board Assignment 3 - Essay Example At times denying them their rights to knowledge of the workplace or leading others to treat them badly (Huotari and Iivonen, 56). It can be reduced through the placing of an elaborate conflict resolution procedure by the organizations management. The organization should also welcome members of the labor organizations to teach their employees about their rights and responsibilities while they are working in the organization. Another way to deal with this problem will be to administering strict punishments to those found abusing their positions by bullying employees (Belasen, 78). If all the above are taken efforts are taken into consideration, the bullying would reduce, and the organization will experience all the profitability associated with highly motivated employees who do their work without fear of being bullied. In conclusion, core principals are important to solve organizational mistrust. It is important to focus on the four core principles that ensure there is harmony in the organization that include integrity, result-oriented culture, intent and focusing on the capabilities of the individual. The four principals focus on the aspects that create trust, which is very crucial in the

Social Work Analysis

Social Work Analysis My setting is a small rural Church of England Voluntary Controlled primary school with approximately 75 children and approximately 12 teaching staff including the head and teaching assistants. The staff work, on a part and full time basis. There are 3 mixed ability and mixed age classes. Class 1 consists of reception, year 1 and half of year 2 children. It is interesting to note that the half of year 2 children are all boys. Class 2 is the other half of year 2, year 3 and half of year 4, again mainly boys. Class 3 consists of the rest of year 4, 5 and 6. This is an old village school with modern additions. There are two separate play areas including hard surface and grass areas and play equipment. In 2009 education league tables my setting was in the top third. The setting performed below national average in 2008 for year 6 Standard Attainment Tests (SATS) however in 2009 we were slightly above the national average. In 2009 30.8% of year 6 children were identified as having special needs, from a class of 13. (bbc.co.uk. Accessed 22 Id April 2010) In the last OFSTED report 2007 the setting achieved an overall score of 2- Good. The major feeder for the setting is the local pre-school. I view my own role in the setting is to enable and support each child. It is of key importance that I, as it is for all practitioners to I view my own role in the setting is to enable and support each child. It is key importance that I, as it is for all practitioners to identify any need of a child be it physical or emotional or in way affects the holistic well being of the child. All early years staff are committed to putting children first: the welfare of the child is paramount (Children Act 1989). (Hobart and Frankel 2003:123) All barriers to a childs growth and life chances must be addressed. If a child has a need that may not be fully met by the practitioners alone within the setting the lead practitioner must be informed to alert and call in the team of outside agencies to meet with the parents and practitioners in the setting to provide the best service to meet the needs of that child. This is in line with the Governments vision of integrated front-line delivery of services to improve future outcomes of children and their families. (It is crucial for practitioners to act as facilitators. To meet the needs of a child the role of a practitioner is to first identify the need and if necessary share the information with other specialists and other outside agencies to aid the process of better outcomes for that child. Individual Learning Plans and Common Assessment Forms are useful tools for collaborative working. Communication is the key to executing strategies and building positive working relationships. It is a vital role of my practice to develop and maintain relations to the other organisations. Relationships develop and change over time. It is through critical reflection and analysis that practitioners can think and improve their practice. There are many different ways that the Setting communicates with the different groups. There are different levels of formality and speed required. For example in a child safeguarding situation, urgent action may need to be taken. Action could be initiated by a means of a telephone call followed by written statements. Other forms of communication include minuted meetings, for example parents and a Local Educational Authority and Practitioner meet to discuss an Action Plan for an individual child. Written reports form the core of an Individual Learning Plan for a child with additional needs. Other reports include OFSTED Action Plans agreed with the Head Practitioner and the Governors. For example member A of the Behavioural Support Team called a meeting with the Head Practitioner and the two named Practitioner supporting a child with challenging behaviour. The reason for the meeting was to discuss the effectiveness of the latest action plan that they had created for a child in class 1. The Head Practitioner had received the plan of new strategies but had not shared the information with the other practitioners therefore the new methods of dealing with certain behaviour had not been implemented due to the lack of communication between members at the Setting. On reflection of this critical incident, I wonder why the childs parents were had not invited to the meeting to share their views on how best to support their child in the Setting. This is an example of top-down management. In my role as an Early Years Works I need full access to the information necessary for individually supporting each child otherwise Every Child Matters will not work. The power is most definitely with the specialist to instruct the setting to carry out a plan of action with different support mechanisms. This is as a direct result for government inclusion policy, but the practitioner cannot implement the plan if the setting does not have an open or transparent communication policy. It is probably a weakness in management skills and a lack of democratic leadership skills that the lead practitioner does not share information. Alternatively this could be as a result of an overloading of responsibilities on one Head Practitioner. Thirdly the Head Practitioner may not trust the confidentiality of the staff. In his book, The Reflective Practitioner, Donald Schon talks about the benefits of reflection. (infed.org Last Accessed 16th April 2010) This allows practitioners to explore the interactive processes which have impact on practice and outcomes of children, their families and their community. Through reflection practitioners may gauge the effectiveness of action taken at the Setting. Through reflection practitioners may focus and think about their own values and beliefs. Reflection is an important tool to evaluate and improve ones practice. The process allows a deeper understanding of the impact of practice on a childs development. Knowledge gained from the whole procedure should shape practice and the sharing of information and experiences with other practitioner will raise issues for discussion which will ultimately benefit both practitioners and children. This method should lead to improved practice and greater understanding of issues in the setting. I have critically reflected on improving the communication links between the practitioner and behavioral unit. One way round this, could be for the behavioural team to feel sufficiently confident to send the information directly to the Early Years Practitioner who is working directly with the child. There may be an issue of power or positioning. Possibly the behavioral team perceive themselves as professional elite and recognise the Head Practitioner as equal in professional status Another member of the behavioural support team, older, wiser and more experienced, took a different approach regarding the same child. Met with behavioural support worker B regarding child possibly on the Autistic Spectrum. He asked for feedback on the childs behaviour and well being. He specifically asked if the child was happy and engaging with the other children. He asked my opinion on what I thought would be the best strategy in supporting learning as he said you have built up a relationship with the child and he understood that I worked closely with the child on a day to day basis. (Reflective Journal November 2009) On reflection the practitioners including myself, would have been in a better position to comment if more information had been made available to me, in preparation to the meeting. I would like to have been fully informed and kept up to date with the latest information as I was one of the named persons for that child. This made the meeting a waste of time as I was unable to comment on how the child had responded to the new board and methods as I had not created the new teaching resources. The Head Practitioner had received the previous report and recommendation from the behavioural unit but this information was not shared with any of the other practitioners. Consequently no action had been taken by the practitioners supporting the child. (Reflective Journal October 2009) My ability to reflect on failures and successes in the use of different communication styles between professionals will enable me to ask for information in order to do my job. So reflection is an important process which aids professional development and practice. The aim is to include and enable all children using specific plans for inclusion. A practitioner professional duty is to use critical thinking and critical action as a tool to improve life chances and promote a healthy quality of life for individual children. This will bring the government policy of Every Child Matters into reality within my Setting. The Government recognises the crucial role of parents, carers and families in improving outcomes for children and young people and the need to provide support for parents, carers and families in order for them to do so. The Government also recognises the important role of the local community. (Last Accessed 30-04-10 at bbc. co. uk) Through joined up working and positive partnerships, the needs and holistic wellbeing of every child should be met to realise the Governments vision of Every Child Matters. The issues involving power and position of practitioner are complex. The flow of power has a direct effect on how a child and their family are supported. Power itself is a very tricky idea. Finding out where the power is involves at least two manoeuvres. First, we ask ourselves: who is in a position to influence or control the lives of whom? Secondly, we ask ourselves: in whose interests is this influence or control exerted? (Walmsley et al 1997:131-132) The question of power and status has a direct effect on relationships. Those who are at a similar level of position may be more inclined to share information, than with a person that they perceive to have a lower social status. Unequal power in relationships and partnerships may have an immense impact on the processes needed for joined up working and could directly affect the outcome for children. It is important to understand the relationship between personal and social construction. The flow of power is a two-directional process. Each persons actions are influenced by their values and beliefs. These actions effect children, families and the wider community. Their values and beliefs are affected by the community in which they live, so these values are shaped by social structure. Our social identity may change depending on experiences, relationships and social interactions. (Wabsley 1997:235-237) Different practitioners have different views on their role. Beliefs of others may differ from the beliefs of self. For example other peer practitioners do not believe that it is also their responsibility to support and interact heavily with parents and family. They are happy to deal with other education professionals but they see parents as an obstacle to their work. There are also parents who do not wish to engage with practitioner. There are numerous reasons as to why parents and carers may not work effectively with the Setting. The barriers may be physical or concerning difficulties in communication. (Hobert and Frankel 2003:136) For example a lack of time for developing relationships or if they have the opinion that the practitioners are interfering or making judgements on the way they live; or had a poor educational experience and may feel intimidated by the educational environment. They may also not understand the value of engaging with the Setting. The Government policy aims to bring about change with emphasis on empowerment and community development. This needs good partnerships between families, practitioners and the groups in the wider community. This is not possible if all the practitioners do not share the same vision or if parents do not want to participate in partnerships with the Setting. Some parents are hard to reach and it can be problematic in deciding the best course of action. A practitioner needs to attempt to engage with parents whilst maintaining a professional distance. Parents and family are crucial members of the team around the child. For all of a childs needs to be met all groups that can provide a service to benefit the child must participate and work together towards a common goal. 13Values are therefore linked to wider ideas which are woven into the social fabric and are often mixed and contradictory. We therefore need to expose and examine our own assumptions as professional workers. (Lea 2010 Including and Enabling professional practice and inclusion notes) The Government provide the Schools, National Health Service, Police and other agencies to support the family. The Government also conduct research to develop social policies to regulate and shape childrens lives to ultimately improve each childs social outcome. Policies and frameworks for example, the Early Years Foundation stage and Every Child Matters are designed to guide Setting, Social Workers and other Health Professional to give every child a fairer chance in life. Communication is an important step to try to improve the chances and opportunities of all children. If a setting fails to communicate effectively with an agency there have been extreme consequences for the child and family. Three children a week are dying of abuse or neglect at the hands of parents or guardians,. including some already on the child protection register. Last Accessed 2nd May 2010 at dailymail.co.uk There may be an impact on the child due to domestic violence. Practitioners need to be vigilant and in tune with the childs usual behaviour to notice differences in the attitude, health and well being of the child. 15 The Setting is the core of the diagram. Setting practitioners spend the most time with children and families and in a position to have the closest relationships. The next group have less time in contact with the child, but have regular input for the support of the children in the setting. They are a part of the local community as well as the setting. The third including OFSTED and LEA professionals are called in by the school specialists may have intensive time with a limited number of children on a 1:1 basis. The fourth include Emergency services and the wider community groups. The motivation for community contact is to be proud and social cohesion. Finally the Government has overarching policies and how they resource and affect children families and the Setting. The long-term outcomes may include children engaged with their community and this may lead to a sense of belonging and an increase in health, positive behaviour and well being. inter-professional and inter-agency working has a huge positive impact on the welfare of children. Government funding, resources and how practitioners support children impact on their self-esteem, progression and multiple issues concerning their life chances. It is the practitioners responsibility to ensure that the resources always get through to the individual child Early Year practitioners are agents of change. They have the responsibility to ensure high quality early year provision. Their duty to meet the Early Year Foundation Stage involves the aim to constantly improve practice and work in partnership with parents and the wider community. The building of supportive relationships with children requires listening effectively to their voice and all the voices of other groups and organisations that interact with the Setting and can influence the childs life chances Through reflection in action and reflection on action a practitioner may use experiences to aid professional development and meet the expectations of the Government. The EYFS process is designed to take down the barriers between professions. The team around the child should have shared values and aims in terms of the outcome of the child and family and consequently the community bought together by the government initiative. The EYPS will allow a better understanding of how the different groups collaborate and this should improve every childs life chances. (ECM para) This builds on the core aims of Every Child Matters which was designed to give a fairer chance to all children. Be Healthy, economic independence. The long-term Government vision is to narrow the gap between the children who achieve and those who do not by providing services to children and their families which is focused on the following five outcomes. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Being healthy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Staying safe à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Enjoying and achieving à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Making a positive contribution à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Economic well-being (Pugh and Duffy 2006:10) The children from certain groups such as looked after children, traveller children, children with disability and the Gifted and Talented are often considered to be vulnerable to not having all their needs met. The development of Childrens services aims to integrate health, social and educational teams. For true integration to a team and take collective responsibility of the child. The sharing of information is often crucial to position resources to best meet the needs of children. This encourages the development of good quality partnerships should lead to improved services for the child and their family. This is politically driven, and if the government changed will there be the priority on the funding and focus of EYFS and ECM. Political opinions It is the governments aim to have EYPs in all Childrens Centres offering early years provision by 2010 and in every full day care setting by 2015. (Childrens Workforce Development Council Introduction and information guide:5) The Labour government has focussed on child poverty using many initiatives. These include Family Tax Credits and Sure Start provision. These are part of a concerted programme created because it was identified that your start in the early years is directly related to your life chances. It has been recognised that the quality of parental skills is of importance. Research suggests that the level of education of practitioners has a direct effect on the outcome of the children in their care. This is why the Government is up skilling the Early Years Workforce and promoting good parenting skills. There is research evidence of the benefits of good attachment for a childs whole development. The process of critical self reflection allows for the improvement of my own performance and the performance of my Setting. Every team member needs to jointly reflect on the ways that we can improve out communication and management of our links with the multiple agencies and the wider community. As a team this should be a part of our continual professional development. Word Count 3131

Washington Mutual Bank: Case for Consumer Rights

McKell v. Washington Mutual Bank (2006) is a case for consumer rights highlighting the prerogative of the consumers to ‘buy at the right price.’   In this case, the consumers were not buying goods and services.   Rather, the market consisted of real property; and one of the stakeholders – Washington Mutual, Inc. – was overstating the prices of â€Å"underwriting, tax services, and wire transfer fees in conjunction with home loans.† [1]   Washington Mutual Bank had overcharged the buyers for these services – alleged the plaintiffs (few of the buyers) – when the actual prices that the bank had paid to service providers for the self same services were less. The defendants (Washington Mutual) were simply making a profit on the services they had bought off different providers and selling to other members of society that needed them at the time.   Is this kind of profit making unlawful? – From the viewpoint of consumers, it may very well be unlawful, seeing that all consumers want to pay the ‘best prices.’   However, if the consumers were to stop using the services of Washington Mutual Bank, they would possibly have to visit various service providers for underwriting, tax services, and wire transfers, and still come to the defendants for home loans. In the integrative business of Washington Mutual, everything is taken care of.   In view of this, it was decided by a trial court in California that the complaint made by the plaintiffs must be dismissed on the grounds that there had been no written agreement between the parties to state that Washington Mutual, Inc. cannot charge in excess of the prices that it pays to the service providers.   The case went into appeal.   It is going to continue being considered; in fact, the California Court of Appeal has agreed with a part of the plaintiff’s complaint and agreed to review this consumer case further.[2] The main reason why the McKell v. Washington Mutual Bank case has still not been shut is that consumers feel deceived when they are told that they are being charged simply the prices of the services bought, when in fact the sellers have overcharged.   Although profit making is not considered illegal, in this case the consumers feel cheated because they had been informed by Washington Mutual that they were being charged the prices of certain services that cost a certain amount. As it turned out, the prices charged included a huge markup, while the consumers continued to believe that they were paying the ‘right prices.’   The plaintiffs failed to produce all necessary documents to support their allegations.   Nevertheless, the fact that Washington Mutual had failed to mention to the consumers that a service fee was being added for the services in question – has landed the bank in hot water.   Moreover, by charging a price that is higher than the market price, the bank is responsible for going against â€Å"Congress’s stated intent to protect consumers from unnecessarily high settlement charges.†[3]   Indeed, this is the strongest argument to keep the McKell v. Washington Mutual case going in the near future. Washington Mutual Bank may be charged with near-monopolistic practices in the coming days, although it has not been determined whether the bank’s competitors are charging markups that are vastly dissimilar.   Assuming that the competitors of the bank are charging much less than Washington Mutual, the justice system may very well decide that Washington Mutual must pay the legal charges of unfair competition. Seeing that both federal and state laws demur near-monopolistic practices, that is, charging prices that are much higher than those at the market equilibrium – the Californian courts may eventually end up with a strong hand protecting the interests of the consumer and charging Washington Mutual Bank much more than it charged its consumers through allegedly â€Å"unfair† practices.[4] Works Cited McKell v. Washington Mutual: IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, SECOND APPELLATE COURT, DIVISION ONE. 2006. 4 June 2007. . McKell v. Washington Mutual-Class Action Defense Cases: Defense Motion To Dismiss Class Action Improperly Granted As To Breach of Contract And UCL Claims Based On Federal RESPA Violations California Court Holds. Class Action Defense Blog. 2007. 4 June 2007 . [1] â€Å"McKell v. Washington Mutual-Class Action Defense Cases: Defense Motion To Dismiss Class Action Improperly Granted As To Breach of Contract And UCL Claims Based On Federal RESPA Violations California Court Holds,† Class Action Defense Blog, 2007, 4 June 2007 . [2] â€Å"McKell v. Washington Mutual: IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, SECOND APPELLATE COURT, DIVISION ONE,† 2006, 4 June 2007, . [3] â€Å"McKell v. Washington Mutual-Class Action Defense Cases.† [4] Ibid.

Bar Code Medication Administration Free Essay Example, 6250 words

However, technology always seems to have an answer for most of the problems that human beings experience. Development of a Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA) system is a major revolution that aims at improving administration of medication through minimizing human errors. The system focuses on improving patient safety and decreasing errors in administration of medication (Cohen, 2007). The BCMA system is a change that all healthcare facilities need to adopt in order to improve administration of medication and prevent several adverse outcomes and costs that are associated with poor administration of medication. The main purpose of this project is to improve accuracy of medication procedures, prevent errors, and generate patient medication records online for administrative purposes. The system will reduce the number of errors resulting from administration of medication and improve patient safety by automating the medication process and verifying medication administration process ors. This will help nurses and caregivers to make appropriate decisions when administering medication to patients. Goals of the BCMA system include minimizing costs associated with errors in medication administration, increasing accuracy of medication administration processes and building trust among patients and hospitals. Implementing this project will have a huge impact on healthcare institutions, patients, their families and the wider community. We will write a custom essay sample on Bar Code Medication Administration or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Hospitals and other healthcare facilities, for instance will reduce avoid the unnecessary costs that come from errors in medication administration. The hospitals will also build a reputation of being effective in their service delivery thereby building a good rapport with their clients. The system will also make work easier for caregivers in hospitals by limiting chances of human errors and assisting in effective decision-making (Goundrey-Smith, 2013). Patients, on the other hand, will benefit from better service delivery and improved outcomes from their medication process (Gooder, 2011). The system will help develop trust among patients and provide them with hope of recovery due to efficient administration of medication. The BCMA system will also have a good impact on the relationship between hospitals and the wider community. The community will strengthen the bond between hospitals and other community members because there will be minimal issues o f abrasion such as poor administration of medication to patients. The wider community will have more trust in the hospitals.