Author: chris

Increase of the Market Share

Porter’s Generic Strategies

Porter’s generic strategies encompass various techniques that assist commercial organizations in acquiring a competitive advantage over their opponents in the business environment. These approaches include cost leadership, differentiation, and the focus strategy. Based on an evaluation of Guajilote Cooperativo Forestal located in Honduras, these business mechanisms are effective in increasing the market share of a corporation. For instance, in terms of the cost leadership strategies, reduction of the operational costs in this company will be useful in increasing its returns. Additionally, the management of Guajilote should reduce the prices of the products by providing various quantities to customers in order to satisfy the needs of the targeted market segment, in addition to increasing the market share of the corporation. Use of other techniques such as competent logistics components and acquisition of significant capital to execute chief proceedings within the company will also provide a low cost foundation that is in accordance with the elements of the cost leadership strategy.

Additionally, in order to attain a competitive advantage over other participants in the wood trade, Guajilote should consider components of the differentiation strategy. To start with, it is essential for the managerial team to conduct an all-inclusive research program aimed at identifying the needs of the targeted market segments as well as trends that may alter characteristics of the market. Additionally, this will be useful in identification of strategies to execute promotion activities effectively. Likewise, use of innovations in production, sales, and marketing departments will enable the provision of quality products and services to the market segments. These developments supervised by the management of Guajilote should encompass educational programs aimed at enlightening the general population about the benefits of the company’s commodities. The focus strategy is also a constituent of the Porter’s generic strategies useful in expanding the proceedings of Guajilote Company. This involves the identification of a niche market. For example, in wood-related trade, it is essential for the administration of Guajilote to shape a particular market segment based on its ability to satisfy the needs of customers within this category.

Sustainability of Resources and Capabilities

Guajilote is a company, which deals with the sale of various wood products. Accordingly, the corporation relies on the natural environment for its raw materials. For instance, one of its leading brands is the mahogany, which is a hardwood obtained from certain geological zones of the world. For this reason, acquiring consistency in the provision of these wood products to the niche market may be difficult due to the alteration of climatic conditions that influence the growth of the trees. Furthermore, the rate of growth of these natural resources is lower than the acquisition of the commodities through deforestation. Consequently, the management of this company ought to implement a strategic plan that promotes environmental conservation as a way of counteracting the deforestation actions used to obtain raw materials for its production department. Likewise, its capabilities to satisfy the needs of the targeted market segment are a crucial aspect that requires managerial expertise. The supervisors in different departments such as the production, sales, and marketing subdivisions should formulate and execute a practical strategic plan that enhances these capacities.

McKinsey Matrix

The McKinsey matrix encompasses quantifiable criteria regarding commercial attractiveness and effectiveness. In terms of industry attractiveness, various influential forces that affect the market operations are part of the matrix. In this case study, the growth rate and size of the targeted market segment are essential in increasing the returns of the corporation. For this reason, the management should select a niche market of reasonable size with a high growth rate with reference to its capacity to attain customer satisfaction. Moreover, identification of significant   macro-environmental factors through the PEST analysis scheme is essential in the recognition of business opportunities in the international setting. This provides increased proceeds and a competitive advantage to Guajilote. Accordingly, the market share of the company is bound to increase significantly.

With respect to the strength of the business unit, the administration of Guajilote should conduct detailed research activities in order to identify the current trends in the market as a technique of increasing its market share and competitive advantage. They should also expand the distribution channels with the main intent of enhancing the accessibility of their products by the targeted customers. Furthermore, increasing the production capacity of the corporation will be essential in augmenting its market share, competitive advantage, and overall proceeds. Likewise, since the strength of the company is quantifiable in terms of the impact of its proceedings in the selected market segment, the administrators of the firm should calculate their returns in relation to the operational expansion of similar corporations established in the region. Incorporation of these strategies will not only enable the administration of Guajilote to increase its competitive advantage over other participants in the market, but it will also augment the market share of the company. For this reason, formulating a practical strategic plan for this company should include numerous influential factors in the internal and external market environments.

 

Generalist and Specialist HR Functions

Steven Cesare and Thornton Coleen (1993) identify some differences between specialists and generalists in an organization setting. Specialists have more in-depth knowledge of an issue, as they focus on a specific discipline in their training. Thus, they are professionals who are more concerned with increasing their knowledge and developing their skills. They get much pride from the recognition they get from their peers who specialize in their area of interest. Conversely, generalists have wider scope of knowledge. They seek to cover many issues at once instead of focusing on a definite area of knowledge. They are more interested in their development within their organization as they seek to advance to various levels. Therefore, they tend to be more committed and loyal to their employers than they are to any professional body.

Bartram et al. (2013) note that specialists and generalists have different priorities. They aim for different results and this can sometimes lead to conflicts. While generalists are concerned with the improvement of productivity, which is an internal organizational concern, the specialists are focus on the external as well as the internal factors that will affect the performance of the company. Thus, for instance, they will take measures that will reduce the company’s legal liability, which might end up compromising its performance. Generalists and specialists differ in their sources of motivation and business operation. Specialists often handle a few projects at the same time, and they do so intensely. They depend on tangible information to enable them make decisions, and they have a high regard for independence when making decisions. On the other hand, generalists can handle many projects at the same time, and they require minimal information and evidence when making decisions.

Specialists are seen as more superior compared to the generalists. Cesare and Coleen (1993) highlight the importance of their professional development and skill acquisition. They posit that specialists are more valuable to the company as they enable it to retain its competitive advantage. Organizations spend a lot of money to recruit and orient specialists. This shows that employers think that that the specialists are valuable to the company. It is important for the companies to create an enabling environment for the specialists, as this will lead to their retention. The companies should provide flexible work schedules and they should give the specialists a chance to work independently and to make decisions that will lead to the progress of the company. They should have access to adequate office resources, as this will improve their performance. The ability to communicate with the level executives directly and the organizational support that the specialists receive for their advancement in education further point to their superiority. Many organizations are not in a position to provide such incentives to other employees and they reserve them for those specializing in different issues (Cesare & Coleen, 1993).

Persistent legalism in organizations has increased the role of specialists in human resource functions. Specialists have become more important as organizations continue facing many legal issues (Bartram et al., 2013). Some situations in human resource require the intervention of specialists. People working in some industries are mistreated in some ways by their employers and they do not have any channels of communication. Specialists know the kind of people to engage in dialog and action to change such situations. Generalists do not have adequate skills and expertise to handle and resolve legal matters. This factor places the specialists in a superior position compared to the generalists. However, Bartram et al. (2013) note that some situations have continued to strengthen the role of generalists. For instance, generalists are able to deal with some internal human resource situations, which do not necessarily require legal expertise. They can effect changes in the company that will reduce and discontinue practices such as bullying.

Cesare and Coleen (1993) seem to advocate for the employment of generalists as they consider them more flexible and less demanding to organizations. The generalists are loyal and committed to their companies, and their employers can have more confidence in them. They are willing to follow the rules and they recognize organizational bureaucracy, hence, they are less likely to make major changes in the company, which will change business operations and the work culture drastically. The authors point out to the increased need of the specialists to advance in their professional development by acquiring skills, which means that the organization has to accommodate their needs. Many organizations may not be able to do this, and this may hinder them from employing specialists.

Bartram et al. (2013) do not take any position and they do not seem to support generalists or specialists. They instead highlight the importance of both human resource functions to deal with emerging situations in the company. Although they recognize the importance and value of specialists in organizations, especially when dealing with legal issues, they are also quick to point out the changing role of the generalist in the company. They note that some trends in industrial relations are contradictory in the sense that they have changed the role and function of human resource personnel. The HR personnel are currently dealing with more diverse issues than they used to, and this has increased the significance of generalists in organizations.

 

 

 

 

References:

Bartram, T., Cooke, L. F., & Malcolm Rimmer Editors. (2013). Editors note: Specialists versus generalist managerial roles in HRM. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 51 (4), 389-391

Cesare, S. J., & Coleen, T. (1993). Human resource management and the specialist/generalist issue. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 8 (3), 31-43

 

 

Week 7 Assignment 2 Submission

Information management is an inclusive discipline that encompasses various concepts. This subject matter involves the collection and organization of crucial data from different sources. Subsequently, the relevant parties distribute the repackaged information to several addressees depending on their influence in the operations of the company or the content of the conveyed message. This aspect of management in the business setting is a crucial element that affects other departments in a commercial enterprise. This is because the information collected and evaluated through techniques of information management relates to influential forces that may result in the expansion or collapse of a business institution. Owing to its benefits, commercial organizations have adopted various information management concepts as an approach of increasing their market share.

One of these concepts involves environmental management. Through the discipline of information management, a business institution can use its managerial functions to develop, execute, and supervise an all-inclusive environmental policy that governs the operations of the corporation. Through this concept, the environmental management system is a vital technological framework that has enabled various departments and organizations to supervise its environmental operations (Pick, 2005). Additionally, objectives related to this facet are achievable through this management concept. The employees in such organizations also acquire relevant information regarding the essence of increasing their environmental performance. This makes it easy to modify organizational proceedings through the trade assessment system. For example, use of efficient responses to address customer needs aid in monitoring the environmental programs in the institution.

Based on this argument, it is apparent that information systems and technologies are useful in attaining the set objectives in a commercial institution. This is because of the essence of these systems in managing the proceedings in various departments through the records of such activities as production, distribution, sales, and marketing. Commercial enterprises use various information systems to collect, evaluate, and store crucial data regarding the business operations in a corporation. For instance, in the human resource subdivision, the managerial team can use a relevant information system to monitor the performance of the employees. This is because of the records containing crucial information, which is a constituent of the information management system in the business setting (Blecker & Friedrich, 2007). Through this technological framework, absenteeism in the workplace reduces owing to the comprehensive records and the straightforward supervisory process.

Furthermore, the sales and distribution sub sectors utilize information management systems to monitor the progress of various projects. This is a vital technique that not only encourages the human resources to improve their performance at the individual, departmental, and organizational level but it also results in effective implementation of the formulated strategic plan. These programs also aid in monitoring the quantity of sales within a specific period. This is useful in identifying the strengths and opportunities that can aid in physical and procedural expansion of the corporation (Galliers & Leidner, 2003). Additionally, it is possible to recognize weaknesses and threats that may adversely affect the operations of the company. For this reason, it is difficult to conduct crucial proceedings in a commercial enterprise without incorporating several information management systems that facilitate the supervision of major projects in various departments.

In the modern world, there are various improvements in the information systems and technologies, which are vital in the effective execution of certain strategic plans in commercial organizations. Consequently, communication, collaboration, and partnership occur with minimal difficulties owing to the benefits of these advancements in the information and technological facets. To start with, the internet is a wide platform that facilitates the formulation and implementation of various plans and approaches. The automation of major processes within a commercial organization is useful in enhancing communication among the human resources and the customers (Lan, 2005). For instance, customers from all regions of the globe can access essential information regarding a company in addition to purchasing various products through this technological framework. Existing and potential business partners can also comprehend the operations within a commercial enterprise before signing the required accords. These managerial functions may occur without physical interactions.

Likewise, the advancements in this technological framework regarding information management systems have enhanced commercial transactions among individuals, organizations, and nationalized agencies. This is because of the possibility of applying for business tenders as well as executing other procurement proceedings from any geological region of the globe. For example, various government bureaus use e-procurement systems to advertise and offer tenders to companies or individuals. In addition, these technological systems facilitate monetary transactions from one bank account into another without considering geological boundaries as a hindrance to these trade activities (Chaffey & Wood, 2005). This is a major improvement since such transactions were impossible to conduct due to the lack of an effective system that suppresses such barriers as geological boundaries. Consequently, the costs involved in executing these trade activities are lower in terms of monetary expenditures, time, and labor. Accordingly, systems such as e-commerce have modified the international commercial environment through various frameworks within the discipline of information management.

 

References

Blecker, T., & Friedrich, G. (2007). Mass customization information systems in business. Hershey: Information Science Reference.

Chaffey, D., & Wood, S. (2005). Business information management: Improving performance using information systems. Harlow, England: Prentice Hall/Financial Times.

Galliers, R., & Leidner, D. E. (2003). Strategic information management: Challenges and strategies in managing information systems. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Lan, Y. (2005). Global information society: Operating information systems in a dynamic global business environment. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Pub.

Pick, J. B. (2005). Geographic information systems in business. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Pub.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lens Project

Splash Mountain is a Disney attraction based on the film Song of the South. The ride is based on Brier Rabbit, who leaves his humble home to look for his laughing place but has to run away from Brier Fox and Brier Bear, who want to eat him up. All the characters and the songs in the attraction are from this 1946 film According to Bakhtin “Carnival brings together, unifies, weds together, and combines the sacred with the profane, the lofty with the low, the great with the insignificant the wise with the stupid” (251). Bakhtin gives a coalescence description of the carnival setting elegance, which through analyzing, can be used as a lens to understand a carnival atmosphere in Disney vacation experience of the splash water mountain. The main point about a carnival atmosphere is the togetherness of people irrespective of their social differences, which Disney aims to achieve through its vacation attractions such as Splash Mountain that provides a different kind of environment and joyous experiences.

The attraction involves people getting aboard log boats that take one through caves, swamps, bayous and some drops, and towards the climax, 52 foot drop where the rabbit falls into the patch The riders, who are the spectators, are not subdivided as all come together in the attraction. According to Bakhtin, “Carnival is a pageant without footlights and without a division into performers and spectators. In carnival everyone is an active participant, everyone communes in the carnival act. Carnival is not contemplated, and, strictly speaking, not even performed; its participants live in it, they live by its laws as long as those laws are in effect; that is, they live a carnivalistic life,” (250). Disney has been able to achieve this through ensuring that the experience feels real and the spectators literary live in the mountain. From this attraction, people, irrespective of age, color of skin, or culture, are put together on log boats to go through an experience where none of these factors are considered, hence, every body feels equal, which according to Bakhtin, it is the carnival mood (251), where people put side their differences to embrace togetherness.

Carnivalistic life allows all people to interact; those who have statuses are de-crowned while those who are despised are crowned. This is demonstrated within the part where Disney does not recognize the status of its customers, rather, they are treated the same in the mountain experience, where those with a status come together with those who do not have one in the log boats. However, it is important to note that Bakhtin argues that “And he who is crowned is the antipode of a real king, a slave or a jester; this act, as it were, opens and sanctifies the inside-out world of carnival” (Bakhtin 252). That is what happens in the carnival society where we have crowning and de-crowning rituals. This is exemplary of carnival, which is termed as a place for strengthening relationships across all people who on a normal occasion were alienated from each other due to unbreakable hierarchical barriers. In the Disney attraction, de-crowning and crowning is not emphasized as Disney seeks to bring people together but their status is not considered, neither do they use any kind of language that suggest satire on its customers, rather, people only come together. However, people who might not meet in the society due to hierarchical social barriers can meet here and have an enjoyable moment. This is the main ideas of a carnival, where people do not have a chance of meeting in their daily lives come together to interact.

In Splash Mountain, the spectators are in a strange feeling where they are put in suspense by the music that is played, and a strange feeling that detach them from their usual activities. This creates a new environment in which all the riders reveal another side of human nature, where they show expressions of fear, which is shown by the pictures taken of them during the ride. According to Bakhtin, ”Eccentricity is a special category of the carnival sense of the world, organically connected with the category of familiar contact; it permits –in concretely sensuous form – the latent sides of human nature to reveal and express themselves” (Bakhtin 251). This has been emphasized in the attraction where passengers traveling in the log are able to detach themselves from what they are used to, and thus let out a carnival mood. This allows them to relate freely with each other regardless of any restrictions since it is a new environment where the person next to you does not matter who he or she is. Songs such as ‘How Do You Do’, which are sung by frogs and geese among other animals are not meant for a specific clientele, but instead, can relate to all the riders regardless of their social class, age, and education among other differences. This way, Disney is able to make the riders forget their problems and focus on one agenda, which helps achieve a carnival mood.

Although in a carnival environment all are supposed to be equal, the splash mountain does not prove this where the main story is about the brier rabbit that is running away from the brier fox and the brier bear, since this indicates two types of classes, where the rabbit is the hunted by the predators. According to Bakhtin, “In the carnival, social hierarchies of everyday life—their solemnities and pieties and etiquettes, as well as all ready-made truths—are profaned and overturned by normally suppressed voices and energies. Thus, fools become wise, kings become beggars; opposites are mingled fact and fantasy, heaven and hell” (254). For the passengers, this quote holds true, while the story does not since the rabbit and the predators do not come together in harmony as Bakhnit suggests when he says that opposite facts are mingled. In the story, the Fox traps the Rabbit, although rabbit outsmarts him and manages to escape after tricking him, this is not supposed to exist in a carnival as all are supposed to come together harmoniously. The two characters, the fox and the bear are the opposite of the rabbit, and when they are not in harmony, it illustrates an anti-carnival environment, as well as the fight between the fox and the bear with the alligator.

A carnival entails that the foolish will become wise while beggars become kings. This happens in the ride, where Fox and Bear think that they are wiser than Rabbit but instead they are tricked by Rabbit, as he tells them to throw him down the briar patch, but this is where the rabbit was born and raised. He knew he would be able to survive in the patch, and he managed to trick the fox and the bear. At the end, the fox and the bear are in the position the rabbit was when they have to fight off a hungry alligator from eating them, just as rabbit had to trick them to survive. This would serve to teach the fox and the bear how it feels to be in the shoes of the rabbit. It also served to illustrate the point that beggars would become kings and vice verse, since the fox and the bear were now begging for their life through fighting the alligator. As the log drops to mimic the Rabbit’s fall, in the patch, the passengers’ are splashed with water, which acts to make the journey real. the fox and bear then have to fight off the alligator which provides a lesson to the passengers, as they learned to look at the world from another person’s view, and hence a feeling of togetherness was achieved, which is a depiction of a carnival atmosphere. This experience makes all the people aboard equal for they have to behave in the same way.

From the Splash Mountain, one can assume a carnival environment implies just people being together and it does not matter who sat in which log, since people who are closely related may want to share the same log other than with others. This is to mean that if people closely related sat together, as long as they are in the same place, it remains to be carnival, and not sitting in a mixed way, in the log remains carnival. The attraction uses rhetoric techniques such as repeated words in the music to convince people more, and making the experience look real such as the log boats falling in the patch to illustrate the rabbit falling, which has been used to modify the perception of the people towards the rabbit and the characters involved in the story.

Bakhtin put emphasis on the conditions, which should be fulfilled for the carnivalistic life to occur. He alleges that it all begins with the change of people’s mindsets about specific ideologies. People should free themselves from social hierarchies’ bondage; abandon their cultures’ cocoons, which hinder them from discovering their inner ability, which is essential in understanding each other (251). The Disney works succeed in the implementation of profanation-diluted sense alongside parody presentation. The splash mountain attraction brings out a unique life experience that puts people’s feet in other people’s shoes, which foster understanding to sow a seed of love for all humankind. People from all kinds of social classes come together in a way that makes them forget their social background and interact without any discrimination, regardless of the differences among people, which has made it possible for Disney to achieve a carnival atmosphere. Moreover, the choices they make, such as the music and the theme are well incorporated to fit all finds of people. Through the Bakhnit article on carnival and carnivalesque, one can easily understand how Disney has been able to achieve a carnival mood in their vacation attractions.

 

 

 

 

Work Cited:

Bakhtin, Mikhail. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture. New York, NY: Prentice Hall. 1998. Print.

 

Ever since I was a teenager I have always been driven by the need to be of service to my community. A need to always be of service to my colleagues has always been a core value imparted in my religious upbringing. In retrospect, various leading elites in recent time have always been recognized for their traits of always placing the needs of others before themselves. In addition, few can argue on the rather intrinsic reward or feeling one gets from playing a proactive role in structuring societal domains. This is the reason why I opted for Social Work as my career of choice at an arguably early age. Having successfully completed my secondary education, I was faced with a dilemma on which university to attend. I eventually came to the decision of applying to Rutgers Newark. This decision was not informed by what the university can do for me rather the influence I will have as a student in the institution. In addition, I also feel that Rutgers Newark will provide me with the necessary skill-set to serve as a Social Worker in any setting I will be assigned to.

My present education background is probably my greatest asset to the institution and future career environment. In retrospect I have always ensured that I maintain good grades with the hope of joining a reputable tertiary institution such as Rutgers. My choice to always strive for excellence in academics plus an insatiable need to constantly yearn for knowledge are suites all my previous teachers say set me out as an outstanding individual. Being a student in Rutgers Newark then means an adept, industrious and bright individual will be a viable addition to a student body that portrays an image of good scholarly values. Few can argue that Rutgers pegs its reputation on being an institution that provides quality education and training to its students. In retrospect, they have structured their institutional domain to only accepting individuals who have done well in secondary level. Therefore, academic excellence as a prerequisite in Rutgers Newark is a trait I believe I will comfortably achieve. Eventually, I believe the training I will receive from Rutgers will allow me to serve as an ably qualified Social Worker.

Rutgers like any conventional social setting also provides an avenue to showcase both scholar and non-scholar attributes. In addition, I have always believed that the mark of a successful Social Worker is being an all-rounded individual; balancing norms of both educational and non-educational activities. I have therefore involved myself in various co-curricular activities during my secondary school sojourn. I am an adept soccer player and chaired my school’s drama club. If accepted to Rutgers, I hope to enroll as a player in the institution’s soccer team. Again, my acting skills may also serve as an added advantage to the institution’s drama and theatre programs. In addition, I perceive Social Work as an occupation that requires an all-rounded individual who will then be of more value in his/her work environment. The fact that Rutgers Newark provides both curricular and co-curricular electives makes it a viable choice to achieving the aforementioned goal.

From the time I joined secondary education, I have always believed that as a student, one should peg their mindset on understanding what they can do for an institution as opposed to what they expect the institution to do for them. I view an educational institution as a venue characterized by cultural and ethnic diversity. Therefore, my role in such a venue should be to mark out a plan on how my actions will positively impact any individual I interact with. My choice to always stick to the aforementioned notion has always set me apart as a great addition to all institutions I have attended thus far. In addition, I believe that this mind-set will also transcend to my career after I complete my course. I have always aimed at ensuring my achievements as an individual are reflected through the success of any institution I attend and eventually hope that it will be reflected in my work ethic. In retrospect, I expect my presence in Rutgers Newark to be an experience where I impart my attributes and social values to every individual I meet. I do believe that many other universities may mould me into a good Social Worker through having me as a student within their fraternities. However, I feel my influence and career growth will be greatest within Rutgers Newark University.

 

Business Module 2 SLP

How does personality type affect my career and effectiveness at my job?

Work and careers constitute very important activities in life, since most of the adults spend most of their time working.  Despite the era of flexible workers and career mobility, the majority of individuals stick to the job sector that they first select (Lounsbury et al., 2003). In this case, most of the people find it difficult to choose careers that they are comfortable with, ending up having regrets. The relationship between personality and choice of career has high implication for most of the employers with the hopes of having an understanding of their occupational fitness. Personality traits influence the likelihood of success or failure in a career choice; therefore, it is essential to understand an individual’s personality.   For instance, with reference to a management career, the understanding of the strengths and weaknesses, as well as  true value  is essential  in finding ways to pick up to excellent positions, whilst managing weaknesses.

The results of the test indicate that I have a moderate preference of Extraversion over Introversion (44%), marginal or no preference of Sensing over Intuition (1%), moderate preference of Feeling over thinking (50%) and a slight preference of Perceiving over Judging (22%). The analysis of the results indicates that I am able to absorb extremely complex theoretical materials essential for managerial supreme strategies.  Management requires the essence of future orientation, with the ability to see the bigger global picture. The moderate preference of feelings over thinking is essential in handling other employees and colleagues. In addition, the presence of strong insights and intuition in my personality is essential, as they trust implicitly.   Extroverts have successful careers in the field of actual selling of products and not developing them. Sensors are essential when it comes to practical, real world tasks as well as putting structures and guidelines in place.

The intuitive character is essential in detecting patterns, which link many different sets of data together hence, sensing future opportunities. The intuitive personalities are best in career choices that require strategic thinking, such as managerial careers. As a feeler, I tend to find it easier to deal with different situations requiring higher emotional interlect essential at the human resources department.  However, this does not mean that the logical skills are inferior, but it is simply strength when choosing a career especially at the human resource department. One of the weaknesses is my logical and practical personality. This makes it difficult in handling some situations that require more emotional person.  My personality has a great impact on motivation to pursue my career. For example, in the management career, moderate preferences of feeling personality are critical in understanding what other employees are going through making it easier to interact with people of different personalities (Seibert & Kraimer, 2001).

To increase strengths and build up weaknesses, it is important for me to fully, understand my personality and how it affects my career. This is because without understanding of personality it is easier to make mistakes with higher risks of failing to work in an environment with more individuals. Furthermore, it will help in the cultivation of a holistic personality with more judging preference, which is essential in planning. With the judging preference, it is easier to plan and live a decisive life essential in any career choice. Understanding my weaknesses will also aid in finding new possibilities, whilst weighing of the human consequences of acting on each possibility. Finding ways to deal with personality weaknesses could open doors to wider career possibilities.

 

 

References

Lounsbury, J. W., Loveland, J. M., Sundstrom, E. D., Gibson, L. W., Drost, A. W., & Hamrick, F. L. (2003). An investigation of personality traits in relation to career satisfaction. Journal of Career Assessment, 11(3), 287-307.

Seibert, S. E., & Kraimer, M. L. (2001). The five-factor model of personality and career success. Journal of vocational behavior, 58(1), 1-21.

Apple Company

Introduction

Apple Company revolutionized the field of personal computers in 1970s with its Apple II and Macintosh computer. The company strives to bring the best computing experience to professionals, students, educators, and all other consumers around the world. Apple Company achieves these visions through innovative and creative hardware, software, and internet.

The field of computing is crowded and very competitive. However, despite these factors, Apple continues to enjoy tremendous growth both in revenue and clientele base both in the domestic and international market. This paper seeks to examine the global status, management, strategic planning, and marketing trends that favor Apple in the face of stiff competition in the field of computing. The paper will further present the SWOT analysis of Apple Company with a view of making meaningful projections.

History of Apple

The origin of Apple dates back to 1976 when Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs hatched the idea in their twenties in Cupertino, California. Steve Wozniak, a talented engineer, helped with the idea of assembling computers (Linzmayer and Owen 2). The two later sold their possessions to start a small assembly in a garage where they supplied early computers housed in boxes. Steve Jobs always had the vision of creating a large company, and as a result, hired Mike Markkula, a former marketing manager for Intel Corporation and Fairchild Semiconductors. Mike Markkula bought about a third of the company and assisted Steve Jobs with the business plans.

The release of Apple III to the market targeted breaking the dominance IBM had on the computing market. However, taking Apple III to the market without proper testing made most of the units to prove defective. This further prompted the discontinuation of its sales in 1984. Despite this unfavorable turn of events, Apple Company moved on, releasing more software, opening European offices, and even releasing the hard disk. In 1982, Apple was the first company to reach $1 billion in its annual sales (Linzmayer and Owen 5). However, challenges were coming from the rival computing company, IBM. This forced Apple to introduce the Lisa computers that did not serve the sole purpose of breaking the competition offered by IBM. The Apple Company’s success took a down turn and the value of the shares reduced significantly. This scenario forced Jobs to hire John Sculley, a former president of Pepsi-Cola. This was upon realization that Apple Company needed proper marketing strategies.

Several events followed that led to the exit of Steve Jobs and the subsequent formation of NeXT corporate. However, Apple continued under the leadership of Sculley. NeXT Corporation offered stiff competition to Sculley, but Apple later acquired the company, and this saw the return of Steve Jobs to Apple. Around 1988, Apple had many branches in USA, Europe, and Pacific. However, as the case with many technology companies, Apple was never free from the cases of copyright infringement. With stiff competition, cases of copyright infringement involved companies such as Xerox, Microsoft, and Hewlett-Packard (Linzmayer and Owen 24). After losing the lawsuits, the ambitious Apple planners focused ahead. However, in 1990s the major concern for Apple was not the technological inventions but able and consistent management teams.

Apple suffered from lack of proper management until the return of Steve Jobs in 1997. The sweeping changes that included the closing of plants, reducing the number of workers, and discontinuation of licenses that favored cloning all brought the Apple Company back to line of fame and profitability. However, as the founder of Apple, Steve Jobs wanted to paint his masterpiece. In 1998, Jobs led the invention of iMAC, the most colorful and smart technology that revived the image of Apple Company (Linzmayer and Owen 30). The production of iPhones and iPads followed. Currently, the company has several subsidiaries in Ireland, U.K., Japan, and Netherlands among other notable branches. The principal competitors are Compaq, Dell, IBM, and Sun Microsystems.

Apple Global Operations

Apple Corporation is a multinational company that makes and creates electronics, software, and personal computers in more than 363 stores worldwide. The Apple Company has worldwide sales of about $ 16 billion. Though the company’s initial focus was on computers, it later shifted to the numerous consumer electronics (Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson 23). Presently, the company sells iPod, iPhone, and iPad. There are also other software and operating systems such as Mac OS, iTunes, and iLife among others. Apart from the products and the existence of worldwide stores, the Apple Company’s vision statement reflects it worldwide perspective. The key aspects such as innovation, focus, collaboration, and excellence mark the vision statement of the company. There are several key strategies employed by Apple Company in achieving its global dominance. This paper will examine each strategy in detail.

Branding Strategy

Branding refers to name, tag, symbol or design, or such suitable combinations that serves to identify the goods or services of one seller from the others. Branding not only allows the loyal customers to identify the products but also allows the potential customers to identify the company as the sole provider of the service in question (Maha 17). Apple Company has established itself as a company with various brands that reaffirms the originality, guarantee, and trust that meets the expectations of the consumers. Apple uses several brands to compete in very highly competitive markets of personal computing and electronics market. In the line of personal computing, Apple uses Macintosh and its related software while in the line of electronics, Apple uses a variety of products such as iPhone and iPads. The company also deals in computing devices, movies, and the distribution of TV contents. Moreover, Apple offers competition to Google in the field of marketing through Apps and iAd network. Currently, the Apple Company enjoys revenues larger to those of notable players in the electronics market such as Nokia, Samsung, and Sony among others.

Brand Awareness

Brand awareness refers to the extent at which the consumers know the existence and the key features of the product. Brand awareness entails more factors such as brand recognition and recall. Brand recognition refers to the ability of consumers to associate a particular product with its rightful manufacturer (Maha 17). Brand recognition exhibits itself when a customer can easily associate iPhone with Apple and not Samsung. Similarly, brand recall refers to the extent at which a customer is capable of recalling the given brand when presented with a logo.

 

Importance of Branding to Apple

Generally, branding helps companies to deliver clear messages to consumers, foster company’s credibility, and offer emotional connection with the customers. It also motivates buyers, and boosts customer loyalty. Proper analysis of Apple branding strategy reveals a pattern where the company targets the customer’s emotions (Maha 18). Apple capitalizes on the lifestyle, imagination, freedom, innovation, passion, and hopes of the customers among other useful emotional dimensions. Moreover, Apple relies on simplicity, ease of use, and customer-driven product designs among other humanistic aspects of marketing.

Brand Equity

Most companies create brand equity through memorable, easy, and reliable brand names. The creation of Brand equity can also be through mass marketing of the desired products. Brand equity is thus positive if the consumers are willing to pay more for the identified brand over other competitive brands. Apple has high brand awareness, which has led to high sales and greater marketing (Maha 19). Better brand equity also ensures that the Apple customers pay better prices for its products in comparison to those of other manufactures. Apple has also managed to create the rare sense of communal existence among its consumers. This promotes the sales of its key products among the loyal customers.

 

Benefits of Branding to Apple

Apple derives from its branding techniques several benefits. These benefits include emotional appeal, familiarity, premium price, and image. What follows is the elaboration on these factors to unveil the marketing strategies of Apple.

The first aspect is emotional appeal. This factor helps firms in targeting customer’s emotions with their product names (Maha 20). A strong and recognizable name will serve to shorten the customer’s decision-making process, as customers will not hesitate to choose the company’s product over other available brands since they can recognize what that brand stands for. Apple Company manufactures technological devices and the name of each device allows the customer to identify the relevance and usability of the product (Maha 21). The best example is the iPod touch that readily tells the customer that they can manipulate the device through touch screen technology.

The second factor is ability to memorize and be familiar with the firm’s products. Most brands help the firms to create good reputation and will. Apple customers will easily refer to the company using its name because they are familiar with the name through desirable products. The ability to remember any item comes from the strong logo, color, and design among others. Familiarity also has the effect of attracting other customers who may not be familiar with the firm’s product (Maha 23). Most loyal customers will refer their fellows to the brands. This serves to boost the clientele base for the company.

Other benefits of branding that Apple enjoys include the premium price, the extension of loyalty to new products, retention of customers, low marketing expenses arising from already known features, greater company equity in matters of selling shares and borrowing, and lower risks during sales.

Apple’s Target Market

The market target for Apple Company varies fairly from kids to adults. Firstly, teenagers constitute a significant portion of Apple’s market. Teenagers use the various products such as iPods for several intentions. These reasons include socializing with friends, playing music, face book, twitter, gaming applications among others. Additionally, college students also constitute Apple’s target market (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson 36). The students use Apple’s portable products such as iPads, MacBooks, and iPhones to execute their academic endeavors. The other groups that constitute Apple’s target market are the business people. This category of customers uses the same devices as college students but with the purpose of communication and completing useful tasks at their various workplaces.

Children and adults also form part of Apple’s market target. The iPods and iPads are easy to use and children can easily navigate through in gaming and learning. Similarly, most parents can download learning applications and offer the much-needed academic help to their young ones. The last group is the adults (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson 38). This category uses iPhones for their daily needs such as making phone calls, photography, driving directions, internet connections, and documentation.

Management of Apple Company

Around August 2011, Steve jobs left the company on grounds of ill health. This move saw the elevation of Tim Cook to the position of the CEO. Currently, Eddy Cue is the vice president while Craig Federighi is his vice (Linzmayer and Owen 16). Jonathan Ive serves as the senior vice president in design, Peter Oppenheimer is the chief financial officer, and Dan Riccio still holds the hardware engineering. Other vice presidents include Philip Schiller (worldwide marketing), Bruce Sewell (general counsel), and Jeff Williams (operations). Management has played a key role in the expansion of the Apple Company in the past. Much of the activities that led to the elevation of Apple to its present global status rest entirely with Steve Jobs; it is thus imperative that the current teams be evaluated based on the global challenges that face Apple company.

The key feature that guaranteed Apple’s success was the objective of simplicity. The current president, Tim Cook seems geared to this very goal. This key feature seems to set Apple apart from other companies. Similarly, there are several acquisitions within the Apple’s circle and most critics seem to point at a radical departure from Steve Jobs tradition of buying fewer companies. However, Cook confirms that the companies acquired are crucial and have intellectual property values (Linzmayer and Owen 34). This is evident from the July 2012 acquisition of AuthenTech. There was much speculation about the relevance of fingerprint readers, however, with the launch of Touch ID, the speculations died off. This clearly points to the fact that most tactical acquisitions are important for keeping the innovation and technology on the edge against competitors.

Several other acquisitions will guarantee the future of Apple as a technology company. The grouping of these acquisitions is in several groups. The first category involves mapping. In an attempt to mature its mapping services has acquired WiFiSlam. This young company provides mobile application that locates mobile users through Wi-Fi signals. This acquisition enabled Apple to produce iBeacon in iOS7 with its indoor positioning system. In July 2013, Apple bought Locationary Company, BroadMap, HopStop, and Embark for similar strategic and technological reasons.

Other than mapping, Apple acquires company with data management capabilities. In August 2013, Apple acquired Matcha.tv. The Matcha application could synchronize data from several servers and give a comprehensive view and customers can easily pick on the best program to watch. This acquisition was online with Apple’s TV plan. Apple has also bought Cue and Topsy among other acquisitions.

 

Strategic and Tactical Planning: Apple Company

The Apple Company faces competition from several other key players in the computing and electronics industry as a whole. The presence of Tim Cook alongside the other vice presidents should deliver the best items to the loyal Apple customers (Adams, Lashinsky 22). The leadership of Jobs was marked with simplicity, customer-driven innovation, and proper marketing. However, the global market structure is changing and Cook is adapting to ensure that Apple retains its relevance.

Apple: Marketing Approaches

The target market for Apple consists of children, teenagers, college students, professionals, and adults. In analyzing the market approaches for Apple, this discourse will consider two options: STP and 4P marketing processes (Thomas and David 500). The STP process consists of three strategies namely, segmentation, targeting, and positioning. Segmentation involves dividing the market into sub groups with its unique product requirement. Segmentation depends on the age, gender, education, regions, or lifestyle. Similarly, targeting depends on an already segmented market (Thomas and David 502). Once the market segments, the company decides on the segments to target with proper resources. Lastly, positioning, involves positioning a product in that market. Apple has positioned several products as premium brands and this perception covers all other products.

The 4P process, however, involves product, price, promotion, and place. Firstly, the product factor involves the goods and services that a firm offers. Apple Company offers a variety of products. Initially, the customers considered Apple’s products expensive, yet, Apple continued to expand its product base and marketing gaining loyalty at the end (Thomas and David 503). Presently, Apple competes favorably in not only the computing world, but also in other areas of electronics dominated by rival companies.

Secondly, the price factor is crucial to the success of a company. Apple sets the prices of its products high. The strategy seems to revolve around making the great product first, then allowing the price to come afterwards (Maha 4). The price of iPhone is high in comparison to the tablets from rival companies like Samsung. This is true despite the equivalence in the internal features.

The third factor is the promotion. Apple carries the simplicity of design of its products to the advertising field. The advertisements by Apple are simple, recognizable, persuasive, and memorable (Maha 6). This feature enables Apple to spend less in advertising than other rival companies such as Dell and Microsoft.

The last factor is place. This refers to the location, distribution, and other methods of getting the products to the customers (Maha 12). Apple uses online stores, physical outlets, and major retail points. Other than building company owned stores, Apple places its products in every electronic outlet all around the world.

Financial Position before and after Expansion

Apple Company started with the little capital amounting to $1,300 contributed by Jobs and Wozniak. In 1977, the total sales had reached $1 million (Apple Press Info 1). The upward trend continued and in 1982, the sales had reached almost $1 billion. In the year 2012, the company currently has net revenue of $ 156 billion and a profit of $ 41 billion. The financial statement in appendix one illustrates the financial position of Apple for the years 2013 and 2012.

 

Company SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis involves analyzing the company’s internal and external environment with a view of identifying key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (Maha 6). Apple has several strengths. Firstly, Apple has a better position as producer of superior and innovative technology products both in the computing and electronics market. Secondly, Apple stands out as one of the original producers of different hardware for most of their machines. Thirdly, Apple has high quality products that meet customer requirements (Thomas and David 520). Fourthly, Apple has adequate research in technologies that enable the production of excellent products. Lastly, the existence of loyal customers who pay high prices for better quality is an asset for the company.

However, there are several weaknesses as well. Increase in competition, poor promotion for Apple TV, restriction of phones to single operators, low prices paid to musicians, negative effects of high premium prices, unfriendly proprietary practices on their software present clear areas of weaknesses (Thomas and David 522). In addition to the strengths and weaknesses, there are also opportunities for Apple. These opportunities include constant demand for electronics, desire for carbon free products, possibilities of joint ventures, room for international expansion, existence of market gaps, fostering compatibility with Windows among other notable areas. However, some threats are worth considering. These include high competition, low switching costs among consumers, trade barriers, loss of customers from high premium prices, and global economic downturn.

Conclusion

Apple Company is richly innovative, technologically on edge. Moreover, the operations in the company cover diverse fields such as engineering, programming, marketing, supply chain management among other notable fields. These key areas make the company attractive to any potential employee.

  Works Cited

Adams, Lashinsky. Inside Apple: how Americas most admired and secretive company really works. New York:  Business Plus, 2012. Print.

Apple Press Info. “Apple Reports Fourth Quarter Results,” 2013. Web. 18 February, 2014.

Hitt, M., Ireland, R., and Hoskisson, R. Strategic management: competitiveness and globalization (concepts and cases). New York: Thomson South-Western, 2012. Print.

Linzmayer, Owen, Linzmayer, W. Apple confidential 2.0: the definitive history of the world’s most colorful company. New York:  No Starch Press, 2004. Print.

Maha, H. A study on the marketing strategies of Apple Inc. New York: University of Wales, 2012. Print.

Thomas, Wheelen and David, Hunger. Strategic Management and Business Policy: towards global sustainability. New York: Pearson, 2012. Print.

 

 

Appendices

Appendix 1. Apple Reports Fourth Quarter Results, September, 2013

Source: Apple Press Info, Apple Reports Fourth Quarter Results, September, 2013

 

 

Water

Water is part of a finite resource calling for conservation of the resource for the survival of living things on earth. Estimates of water resources indicated that the earth’s surface is covered with seventy five percent of water. More than ninety eight percent of the water is salty and the remaining percentage is pure water mainly in glaciers and groundwater. Life on earth heavily depends on water resources. Hydrologists argue that the human population is ever rising hence putting pressure on water resources.

Water systems are complex and impacting on the day to day climate changes. It is the high time for the human beings to be concerned with water conservation (Chin, 2012). Causes of water pollution in the modern context are; sewage, wastewater, marine dumping, industrial waste, radioactive waste, improper farming activities, deforestation, leakages in the underground storage, oil pollution, global warming, eutrophication and atmosphere deposition among others (Soll, 2013).

Water conservation can be facilitated by empowering human beings in taking responsive measures in protecting the limited water resources (Soll, 2013). Conservation of water can be facilitated by simple social activities like turning off taps to conserve running water, avoiding throwing litter in water, using household products that are environmentally friendly, technology, practicing responsible farming activities and afforestation among other ways (Linsley et al., 2002). Finding fresh water is becoming a difficult task with time; hydrologists indicate that most nations are using technology in increasing fresh water and at the same time in reducing water pollution (Chin, 2012).

Technologies are engaged in maintaining the ecosystem in good shape as a way of improving the sustainability of living things in the world. In the modern era, the rate of water withdrawal and pollution is alarming. The global climate change is a reality with hydrologists arguing that the human activities contribute significantly to the degradation of the resource.

References

Chin, D. A. (2012). Water-Resources Engineering. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Linsley, R. et al. (2002). Water Resources Engineering. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.

Soll, D. (2013). Empire of Water: An Environmental and Political History of the New York City Water Supply. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.

 

 

 

 

The Balanced Scorecard & the Financial Perspective

Introduction

CattCounty ReHab (Cattaraugus County ReHabilitation Center) is a not for profit making organization, the organization did a noble job incorporating a Balanced Score Card (BSC) in the strategic planning process. This is including the customer perspective, financial perspective, learning and growth perspective and in internal process perspective. CattCounty ReHab serves distinct constituencies targeting patients with development disabilities, patients with physical disabilities, injured persons, patients with autism and other patients of different ages suffering from different disabilities; this paper focus at the BSC financial perspective in CattCounty ReHab and its shortcomings, successes and the endeavor.

Analysis

BSC was developed by Harvard Business School through David P. Norton and Robert S. Kaplan. BSC works as a process framework in evaluating the effectiveness of organizations in pursuing the vision and mission of the organization. BSC paradigm focus at four major factors in internal processes, financial position, innovations and customers in defining the performance of the organization (Martello et al., 2008).

CattCounty ReHab as a not for profit making organization did not consider profits as one of the organizational drivers. CattCounty ReHab in this context considered factors that are additional such as, a service to customers and stakeholders, fostering on organizational culture in improving the organization, adapting to the changes, facilitating a clear understanding of internal management and in seeking full support of the stakeholders, employees and the target customers (Kaplan & Norton, 2001). CattCounty ReHab implemented BSC in reviewing the operations of the organization and incorporating the findings in improving the service delivery through long term strategic planning.

CattCounty ReHab is also affected by other factors that influence the general management of the organization. CattCounty ReHab does not focus heavily on profitability and funding as long as the organization has funds to serve the target market. Implementation of the BSC called for participation of all the stakeholders; mainly employees and customers (Martello et al., 2008). Involvement of the players in enforcing the BSC was influential in achieving the vision of the program. In so doing, overall participation encouraged functional units to take part in the focus of the project (Kaplan, 2001). The operations of CattCounty ReHab were scrutinized along the BSC perspectives.

Financial stability of the CattCounty ReHab was evaluated by reviewing the financial management of the organization. The review is part of the strategic plan (Wheelen & Hunger, 2008). The review also reflected on sources of additional income, funding and revenues. The review also reflected on freeing up additional funds that were used by the department managers in carrying out the day to day activities (Martello et al., 2008). The success of BSC in CattCounty ReHab was highly influenced by the empowerment of the stakeholders who were participants in the discretionary funds.

The case study did not touch on long term endowment or giving in gifts or bequests as part of the financial pursuit; the BSC generated customer goals that were diversified. The BSC suggested notification of the general public on available services within the facility; the BSC also recommended increasing some of the team members to carry out public relations as part of the CattCounty ReHab outreach. BSC also suggested constant improvements of the service delivery. CattCounty ReHab implemented an information delivery system that was comprehensive. CattCounty ReHab also studied and measured timeliness of the customer service. CattCounty ReHab reinforced and measured compliance with the existing regulatory environment. CattCounty ReHab also facilitated the safety of the stakeholders. The public relations were implemented with the main aim of generating long term advantages for the future and existing customers (Martello et al., 2008).

CattCounty ReHab also reviewed investments in the technology, workforce and the environment. Investment on human capital focused on employee recognition programs, employee core competencies and other modalities of appreciating the contributions of the human capital in the organization (Martello et al., 2008). CattCounty ReHab also focused on implementation and utilization of technology. The work environment was reviewed for better communication skills and corporate values.

CattCounty ReHab also focused at modernizing morale boosters among the employees, the current system only focused at pay as the main motivation incentive. CattCounty ReHab introduced programs such as the employee of the month recognition among other nonmonetary benefits.

Learning and growth in CattCounty ReHab was attached to the commitment of the organization in serving the target market. Learning and growth within the facility focus at long-term planning of the organization, which is influenced by the commitment of the organization in meeting at the desired objectives (Martello et al., 2008). BSC recommended commitment to change as one of the key drivers of competitive edge. A significant number of the stakeholders were involved monitoring, information gathering and in implementation in realizing the vision of the organization.

Conclusion

BSC in CattCounty ReHab was useful in meeting objectives of the organization; in the sense that the implementation of the BSC went beyond the profit to meeting the exact needs of the stakeholders, customers, entity purpose and employees among others. BSC is influential in not for profit making organizations and has many applications (Martello et al., 2008).

The BSC framework was flexible and had diverse applicability; this set the right performance benchmark for CattCounty ReHab. The adaptation of the BSC in not for profit making organization was excellent in this case study. The staff members of CattCounty ReHab were involved in the BSC process, which made implementation processes easy. All stakeholders felt involved in the management of the facility. The organization became more committed in the service delivery and provided a higher profile in the community served.

 

References

Kaplan, R. (2001). Strategic Performance Measurement and Management in Nonprofit Organizations. Nonprofit Management and Leadership , 353 – 370.

Kaplan, R. & Norton, D. (2001). Transforming the Balanced Scorecard From Performance Measurement to Strategic Management: Part I. Accounting Horizons , 87 – 104.

Martello, M. et al. (2008). Implementing A Balanced Scorecard In A Not-For-Profit Organization. Journal of Business & Economics Research , 67-80.

Wheelen, T. L. & Hunger, J. D. (2008). Concepts in Strategic Management and Business Policy. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

 

 

 

 

 

Healthcare Coder/Biller Interview

What are your daily roles and responsibilities as a medical biller?

I perform many administrative duties daily. Some of the work I do include registering the patients and checking them in and out, prepare any claims received and transmitting them to the necessary agencies, following up on the claims and handling collections, and dealing with any rejected claims. I also ensure that the institution complies with the coding and billing regulations.

What are some of the challenges you encounter at your work

We face many problems in the course of our daily operations. Perhaps the worst is billing errors, which can happen when one has had a long day at work. In some cases, patients end up receiving the wrong bills. This causes many problems for us. Some patients are polite and they enquire about the charges, which we then correct after reviewing. Others are rude and they may end up bring more problems when they raise complaints to the management without our knowledge.

Which organizations or institutions do you often interact with?

I interact with different individuals and groups. Other than the patients and the health staff at the institution, I also interact with both private and government insurers as well as the institution’s legal team.

How are healthcare charging and pricing processes different from those in other industries?

The healthcare industry is complex and the charging and pricing process differ depending on a myriad of factors. The current changes in legislation have affected costs and charges. The private and the government sector often use different pricing processes. The private sector is interested in making a profit and this means that the coverage if often expensive. The government is not interested in making profits but it has limited options. Unlike other industries, the healthcare sector cannot realize significant reductions in cost because of adopting technology. Physicians can only see an individual patient, which means they end up spending the same time they used to. In addition, patients require more tests before making diagnosis and prescribing treatments. This is despite of the increase in the number of medical innovations made. Thus, despite the technological advancement realized, the healthcare setting remains largely traditional in its approach (Marcinko, 2011).

Do you communicate often with insurance provides

Yes. The institution receives many patients and many of them have insurance. I have to make sure that the institution gets reimbursement for all the cases we receive. This involves a lot of communication with different insurance providers.

Do you often use private of government insurers?

We often use both. Patients have different preferences and abilities. Therefore, we have to accommodate all their desires.

What processes do you go through to satisfy the reimbursement requirements?

The process begins with pre-registration, which involves colleting the patient’s insurance information. We have to talk to the insurance company at this stage to get authorization. The insurance company provides the patients coverage information and any other benefits. We do all the paperwork concerning the information we have gathered about the patients’ health and sends it to the insurer. We have to work with the finance department to determine the total charges and the cost that will be covered by the insurance. We have to be accurate, especially when updating documentation, as this will be sent to the insurer. We collect the patients chart and scan it before merging it with the electronic medical records. This process may involve different people depending on the institution. One person may be responsible for the scanning while another is responsible for the coding of the diagnosis. We then send a statement to the patient showing all the billing details, including all the treatments and procedures involved. We review the insurer’s requirement to ensure that the bill is not rejected. We then submit the bill to the insurance company.

How do private and government insurers and payers impact actual reimbursement

Reimbursement depends on the provider. Private insurers mostly use fee-for service but some of them reimburse on a case-by-case basis. The government usually applies a fixed fee for Medicare and Medicaid health programs. Physicians may prefer the private insurers because they can get more money compared to the government. In addition, most people prefer private insurers (Ridic et al., 2012)

Do insurers deny your claims? How often do they do so, and what do you do when that happens?

Yes, this tends to be common, mostly because the patients do not understand what their insurance coverage offers. Contrary to popular opinion, billers do have a cordial working relationship with insurers. Sometimes, the difference between rejection of claims and getting reimbursements depends on the billing statement made to the insurer. This can make all the difference, as the insurers need the patient’s information to determine whether they will pay. Sometime, denials are not justified and this compels us to appeal the case

How have the recent changes in health insurance affected you and how are you able to keep up with the changes?

Working in my profession requires a person to be a keen reader and to keep updated. Support from the institution where one is working is important. My employers support us by ensuring that we go to conferences and any seminars related to our work. In addition, we get newsletters, which contain all health related news. We work with the insurers and we get various insurance related publications. This is in addition to keeping up with all government news relating to the healthcare industry. We have to be flexible in our approach, as this will ensure that we are able to adapt to the necessary changes and implement them in our system. The recent changes in the affordable healthcare act have affected the entire healthcare industry and health insurance providers. Employers are changing their insurance packages to be able to meet the costs (Marvin, 2012). In addition, some services are now offered freely and some costs have reduced. This has required us to review our knowledge of billing. In addition, the matter is further complicated by the fact that not everyone has implemented the necessary changes.

 

References:

Marcinko, E. D. (2011). Recognizing the differences between healthcare and other industries. Retrieved from http://medicalexecutivepost.com/2011/01/19/recognizing-the-differences-between-healthcare-and-other-industries/

Marvin, B. (2012). Succeeding in an evolving industry – a look at the most influential trends in healthcare payments. Retrieved from http://www.hbma.org/news/public-news/n_succeeding-in-an-evolving-industry-a-look-at-the-most-influential-trends-in-healthcare-payments

Rodoc. G., Gleason, S., & Ridic, O. (2012). Comparisons of health care systems in the United States, Germany and Canada. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3633404/