Role Of Registered Nurses In Ambulatory Care Setting

Role Of Registered Nurses In Ambulatory Care Setting The primary purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of Lewins change theory in introduction of modified role of Registered Nurses in ambulatory care. In particular, discussion will focus on role change from coordinating role to clinical role while utilising Lewins theory of transitional change. BACKGROUND Lewins theory of change was implemented to bring innovations in traditional roles of nurses at ambulatory care by introducing an ambulatory care nursing conceptual framework adopted by AAACN/ANA in 1998. Three main roles were introduced, clinical role, professional role and organization/system role. Nurses capacity buildings by professional and clinical education, empowerment and role and assignment modifications were key strategies to achieve this change. CONCLUSION: The change process is greatly enhanced by the application of a logical process through the identification of a problem, development of an implementation plan and clear monitoring and evaluation at all stages. The choice of a suitable change model/theory aided the course of development of role of ambulatory care RNs, which was visibly noted in the project with use of Lewins (1951) theory of transitional change. Developing the role of Registered Nurses in ambulatory care setting: A change management project AIMS: The primary purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of change process implementation in lieu of Lewins theory of transitional change to implement new roles of RNs in ambulatory care setting. INTRODUCTION: The concept of change may simply be defined as to make or become different (Mc Leod and Hanks, 1982, p. 72). Change is an inevitable phenomenon of the universe. For evolutionary purpose as well nothing remains constant. Change brings new life and energy in the existing systems which otherwise can be redundant over period of time. Baulcomb (2003) said that planned change represents an intentional attempt to improve operational and managerial effectiveness. The transition of changing from one practice to another is never easy. The literature stresses that the effective management of change includes empowering the people involved in the change and not utilizing an autocratic or top-down approach (Crotty 1996, Baileff 2000). However, it has been a common observation that usually change projects are forced from higher management to the employees which many time results either in unsuccessful project outcome or dissatisfaction of the employees. Ulrich, et al (2002) said that two thirds of quality projects fail because of the prevailing culture and the resistance of the people to change. (p. 211). Therefore, any successful change project requires honest commitment from leadership which leads the team with courage and motivation. Schifalacqua and Costello (2009) said: It is important that management practices are aligned to support and reinforce the change, such as clinical systems, staffing, and rewards. The changing of systems and structures are vital to lasting change. (p. 27). Todays healthcare is very different from what it was a just a decade ago. It has taken a shape of an industry/business which is growing at an incredible speed. This fast paced growth keeps the healthcare managers on toe to meet the challenges of rapidly changing world around them. Ferrara-Love (1997) said: Health care is not immune from the impact of change, and is still in its infancy of downsizing, mergers, and corporate buyoutsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The changes health care is experiencing are not unique, but are reflective of changes in society. (p. 12). This can explicitly be seen today where everyone wants to have cost containment due to which institutional level changes are made at a rapid pace. Healthcare industry is not an exclusion from this change phenomenon, which many times put the employees at stress that may affect their work performance as well. Factors that can affect change also include: the attitudes of people, lack of perceived support during the change process, worker reluctance or resistance to change, lack of consideration of attitudes and beliefs of staff, fear, anxiety, uncertainty and loss of control (Crotty 1996, Telles 1996, Willmot 1998, Baileff 2000, Carney 2000, Tingle 2002). Any change process requires utilization of resources in terms of human, finance, and material; hence the change process needs frequent monitoring and evaluation for its applicability and effectiveness. Schifalacqua and Costello (2009) said the transition of moving from one practice change to another is never easy, and the people side of change is a dominant aspect that needs to be incorporated into the overall implementation plan. (p. 27). This can be seen in daily routines as people get accustomed to the practices over a period of time and usually it is difficult to change the practice which they ingrain in their daily lives. Hence, the successful change implementation depends upon the communication and shared values between the team members responsible for the change. Therefore, one should not expect a successful change to be implemented overnight. This requires thorough planning, critical thinking and engagement of relevant stakeholders which requires energy, dedication, time commitment and mutual respect between two parties that is the change agent and the client. Smith-Bla and Bradle (1999) said: Although health care organizational change is a constant phenomenon, little is understood as to how staff experiences this change. Unsuccessful change efforts have suggested the possible important relationship between understanding staffs experience and improved results. (p.340) This is a vital consideration to be taken into account by change management leaders as healthcare is growing at an incredible pace; the demand and supply ratio needs to be balanced by implementing innovative change strategies which should be cost effective as well as user friendly. If the clients input is not considered then the leaders might not be able to have a successful outcome from a change process which they might desire. BACKGROUND: The subject of change is not new. Poggenpoel (1992) affirms that change may lead to real innovation, providing abundant opportunities for creating a better way forward. This is particularly true in healthcare setting. Todays evidence based medicine and evidence based nursing practices primarily bring innovation and change in the field of health sciences which ultimately help in improving quality of life whether of patients in specific or society in general. However, the process of leading successful change requires effective communication, wide participation, facilitation and manipulating different interests towards the agreed goal (McLaren and Ross, 2000). Successful change cannot be a one man show and needs team effort which cannot occur without effective communication between team members who need to work with mutual understanding towards shared vision. The ambulatory clinics are an integral part of any hospital; clinics are the bridge between the hospital and the community, and are utilized as a pre-hospitalization center. Null and Bonser (1997) stressed: The outpatient /ambulatory services can be a vital stage in many patient journeys. It may be a patients only place in the hospital setting where they visit on continuous basis. So far this has been a department staffed by nurses who have no proficiency in any clinical specialty. Hence, they gain experience in several and expertise in none. (p. 325). The affirmation above was very true for staff nurses working at ambulatory care setting in my organization. Role of Registered Nurses (RNs) at ambulatory clinics had been a real discussion at my organization due to a general perception that there is no active clinical role of registered nurses in clinics thus they are underutilized. In addition due to cost containment projects, highly paid employees efficiency was also closely monitored therefore registered nurses being highly paid among other staff categories were objected for being underutilized at outpatient clinics. Out of 215 staff in ambulatory care setting, 75 (34.8%) are RNs who cover all the specialties. These registered nurses have gone through general nursing training in their graduating school of nursing. They develop clinic based competencies during their competency based orientation conducted in the unit within first three months of their job. This on-job training is supervised by Clinical Nurse Instructor (CNI) and Cli nical Nurse Specialist (CNS) of ambulatory care services. Haas (1998) said: Ambulatory care nursing is a unique realm of nursing practice. It is characterized by rapid, focused assessments of patients, long-term nurse/patient/family relationships, and teaching and translating prescriptions for care into doable activities for patients and their caregivers. (p. 16). However, at my institution this role was limited to initial assessment and giving some very basic education to patient like on diet and medication. While reflecting the factual nursing roles and practices at ambulatory care services of our setting in the light of definition by AAACN/ANA, a big room for improvement and innovation was seen to re-conceptualize RNs roles and practices. The existing roles and responsibilities carried out by clinic RNs were much more general than the efficient clinical roles which they should have been playing. It was now the responsibility of nursing management of ambulatory care services to relook at the roles and re-assign tasks so that the true need of registered nurses and their proper utilization could be justified. Literature search on RNs roles in outpatient clinics revealed that internationally there are RN-managed clinics, telephone medicated care by RNs, specialty based nurse educators, practitioner, consultants, and clinical nurse experts such as pre-operative nurse, oncology nurse, wound specialist nurse etc (Hamner, 2005). American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN, 1995) categorized roles of ambulatory care nurses as clinical, management, educational, and researcher roles. DISCUSSION: The goal of the management plan was to address the issue of strengthening the role of registered nurses at ambulatory care services, to justify their need in outpatient services; Lewins three stage model was chosen to introduce the change in RNs role. Lewins model has intuitive appeal and became an enduring influence because it was taken up as one of the foundation stones of the organizational development (OD) movement during the 1960s-1980s (Burnes 2000, Cummings Worley 2001).The reason behind choosing Lewins change theory was its easy and simple implementation and efficacy in bringing modification in existing practices by analyzing driving forces, restraining forces, and by targeting new innovations and implementation. The literature supports the effective use of said theory in various organizational change management projects (Mrayyan et al, 2007; Huber, 2006; Marquisand Huston, 2005). Fetherston et.al (2009) emphasized the importance of major change and endorsed that: Where a major change is implemented, models such as Lewins (1951) model of unfreezing, changing and refreezing can be a useful guide (p. 2586). As the alteration of RNs role at ambulatory clinic was a significant major change Lewins model proved to be a useful and effective guide for system modification. The system perspective of the Kurt Lewins theory suggests that the process of change occurs in three stages: unfreezing, moving and refreezing. For change to occur, a motivational factor should arise in order to break the ice. Baulcomb (2003) states that This theory places emphasis on the driving and resisting forces associated with any change, and to achieve success the importance lies with ensuring that driving forces outweigh resisting forcesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦The intention is to reach a state of equilibrium. (p. 277). Green (1983) stated within every change situation forces exist either to push the system toward changing (pro-change forces), or push it away from changing (anti-change forces). (p.1623). Pro-change forces act to alter the status quo and are considered important aspects of change motivation. Anti-change forces, on the other hand, work toward maintaining equilibrium and are usually manifested as habits, rituals or policies. Unfreezing occurs when the driving forces (pro-change) become stronger than the restraining forces (anti-change). Stage 1: The unfreezing phase-becoming motivated to change: Schifalacqua and Costello (2009) said: Communication is vital to any change process. If the change is on the unit level, a question-and-answer format on the impact on patient care and/or the caregivers is very effective. (p.29). The key to this phase was to answer following questions: What is the problem which needs to be addresses by the change management project? Who needs to be involved in the change process? What will be the post change benefits to the organization? What would be the likely cost of the change? Huber (2006) asserted that the first stage is cognitive exposure to the change idea, diagnosis of the problem, and work to generate alternative solutions. (p.811). Discussion with the in charge nurse and staff nurses of ambulatory care services was held in which desired change and of role modification was highlighted. Majority was in consensus of the need of this change as they were also dissatisfied due to peoples perception of their role and lack of clinical utilization of them in their workplace. It was also shared that changing the nurses role would be potentially stressful for those taking the new role as well as for those with whom they work. Fetherston et.al (2009) stated that: When change is managed in systematic steps with adequate evaluation and communication throughout the process, it is more likely to result in successful outcomes. (p. 2582) From a broader perspective there was an impulsion for developing RNs to meet the need of multispecialty tasks at outpatient setting, with a need to demonstrate the effectiveness of any new roles created. This multispecialty tasking required RNs to gain competency in multispecialty. Miller, Flynn, Umadac (1998) said: Competency is the assessment of the employees ability to perform the skills and tasks of his or her position as defined in his or her job description. A competent staff member has the knowledge, skills, ability, and behaviors to perform required tasks correctly. (p. 10). Hence, in order to evaluate the competence of ambulatory care RNs baseline knowledge and practice assessment was done for 40 RNs to assess their insight related to clinical, professional and system roles in ambulatory work setting (please refer appendix A). Audit results showed only 41% involvement of nurses in clinical related knowledge and patient care tasks. Cork, A (2005) said: When examining the introduction of competencies in relation to force-field analysis it can be seen that one of the main drivers would be an improvement in nurses practice and a defined level of achieved competence for individual nurses. In addition, the projected benefit to patient care, through the acquisition and application of knowledge, would be a major driver. (p.40) The audit proved to be very useful in identifying gaps in the required standards of nursing knowledge and practice of RNs working in the clinic setting. Hence, it ultimately helped in planning and implementing educational strategies to overcome the identified gaps. Stage 2: The moving phase-change- what needs to be changed? Once mutual agreement for a desire for role modification was obtained, ambulatory care nursing conceptual framework by Haas, S.A. (2006) was searched from literature (please refer appendix B). The framework was liked by higher authorities and approved to be incorporated and introduced in the ambulatory care nursing model. Flannigan (1995) states, If you can define an ideal culture in terms of your strategy and leadership, particularly how the culture would be different from the way it is currently, then you have the basis for changing the culture. (p. 60). In order to gain shared vision for proposed changed culture the model was introduced to all ambulatory services RNs to obtain their feedback and open discussions were held through meetings with nursing management, ambulatory care nurses and medical colleagues. On this occasion, information concerning the change was provided through a discussion and presentation of research findings regarding development of outpatient nurses specialty based practices. Indeed, this increased knowledge about specialty based roles created dissatisfaction with the current system. Tross and Cavanagh (1996) claim that dissatisfaction with the status quo is the most influential factor in the initiation of change. However, rather than being an education issue, four nurses argued that it was an experiential issue and subsequently suggested that it may cause the difficulties in implementing specialty based roles. Being mindful of the normative re-educative strategy that was employed in the change process, provi sion was made to appreciate the resistors feelings. Nevertheless, it was asserted that if nurses did not have the theoretical knowledge, which underpins the specialty skills, they would be unlikely to be competent practically in this area (Reece and Walker, 1997). Accordingly, the resistors argument was diluted by providing them with abundant amounts of evidence to support the introduction of the project. A consensus was then reached and actions were prioritized for the change initiative in specialty based training. Smale (1998) highlights the benefits of actively involving staff that are closest to the problems, by explaining that they are closest to the solution. Consequently, Rigorous training sessions were arranged for nurses for clinical concepts such as triage, health assessments, specialty based diseases and case presentations, specialty based skills assistance, patient and family education and counseling techniques etc. Applicability of RN roles taken from the framework: Within pre-admission assessment, the aim was to develop the RN role so that s/he could get the patients medical history, and perform pre-consultation assessment accordingly. Nurse-led pre-admission assessment has shown to be effective and safe (Whiteley et al. 1997). The issue of developing advanced assessment skills was resolved through special courses by clinical nurse specialist. There is an evidence to suggest that developing the role of the nurse specialist or practitioner can increase the continuity of care whilst still maintaining clinical standards; examples include nurse-led rheumatology follow-up (Hill 1997) and breast care follow-up (Earnshaw 1997). Such a development not only enhanced stability but also free up consultants time within their clinic to see patients with more complex needs and to potentially increase the number of new patients that could be seen. A group of seven senior RNs was formed from different sections of ambulatory care, to be included in a review of ambulatory care related policies, protocols and work instructions. This group was also trained for supervisory skills to cater evening shifts and weekends in absence of head nurses of respective units. This role proved to be productive and satisfactory for nurses as well. Stage3: The refreezing phase-making the change permanent: The introduction of role changes were well appreciated by the consultants, management and RNs. Enhanced patient safety, patients and nurses satisfaction and most of all effective time utilization was evident. To fix these changes, slight modification in RNs job descriptions (JDs) was done to introduce these role aspects in their JDs. Furthermore, their schedules and assignments were fixed for three months period and then rotations were pre-planned. In this instance, Lewins (1951) force-field analysis also served as an assessment of the driving and restraining forces that impacted on the implementation of this change process. Driving forces facilitate change because they push employees in the desired direction (Kritsonis, 2004). These were RNs motivation and enthusiasm, pressure from higher management and doctors acceptance, patients safety and satisfaction. There was little resistance to change in first three months of the project. Those whoclosely working with RNs in out-patient setting were supportive of the project and worked with the team for achievement of goals. In fact, the slower than anticipated development meant that key stakeholders such as consultants did not feel threatened by the pace of the change. Evaluation: The outcome of the strategies through implementation of conceptual framework as a change agent was assessed through measurement audits. Audit of the nurses practices was carried out concurrently, while the patients experiences were being surveyed. The literature contends that change is not consolidated without continuous monitoring and observation (Smale, 1998). Furthermore, Dale (1994) asserts that internal auditing, scrutiny of records and objective observation help discover what is currently taking place. An audit tool was developed with 19 criteria, 80% nurses were evaluated on conceptual framework through this audit tool, 74.2% compliance was observed for knowledge and new role implementation. 50% of ambulatory nurses were trained for health assessment, performing health assessment of patients with clinical emergencies as a daily clinical task. 100% patients with clinical emergencies were identified by RNs of assigned clinics and received timely interventions and transfer to appropriate care facilities. 80% patients received education on disease, treatment plan and lifestyle modification from nurse educators in specialty based clinics. Other gains were safe and complex patient care delivery, evident by no clinical errors and incidences in that period. Increased patient satisfaction indicated by no clinical complaints reported by patients. Consequently nurses satisfaction was largely enhanced, assessed by subjective verbalization of nurses in open forums and meetings. Formal surveys for nurses and patient satisfaction need to be conducted to evaluate objectivity of these outcomes. CONCLUSION: The change process was greatly enhanced by the application of a logical process through the identification of a problem, development of an implementation plan and clear monitoring and evaluation at all stages. Furthermore, the selection of an appropriate change model aided this process, something clearly demonstrated in this project with use of Lewins (1951) theory of transitional change. It also discovered some very hopeful aspects with regard to professional development and team working. However, it was also experienced that change is not easy, sometimes filled with unwary troubles and sometimes intimidating. 3,304

How Does the Public Sector Work? Essay -- Public Management

If you don't understand how the public sector is supposed to work, how can you ensure that it is working? An easy definition of public administration is, â€Å"the implementation of government policies† (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2010), or, â€Å"the implementation of public policy† (Infoplease.com, 1997). While policies and procedures seem to be continuously up for debate, it should be noted that, an informed public are the only sure-fire way to ensure that the public sector stays on track with meeting the needs of its constituents. People, as a whole, tend to appreciate good leaders. â€Å"It is the task of a leader to connect people with purpose† (Blunt, 2007). Why does this help us in the public sector? To paraphrase J.D. Straussman, leaders must have a vision, â€Å"establish direction† with regards to that vision, â€Å"align people by creating an environment of cooperation†, and â€Å"motivate and inspire members of the organization† (Straussman, pg. 4). Generally, public sector's have not yet embraced the positive aspects of what leadership skills can bring to their organizations. One wonders, what is so wrong with vision or inspiring and motivating people? Motivating employees should be one of most important aspects of leadership in the public sector. Motivated employees often show higher productivity levels than others. Often confused with leadership is the role of management in an organization. First tier management skills are highly coveted within the public sector. These skills are planning, organizing, directing and controlling (Reh, 2009) and are mostly built in to any and all management models in the public sector itself. Second tier management skills build on the leadership skills mentioned above, such as, motivation, training ... ...illsPyramid.htm Becketts, K. (2010). Four major functions of public administration: an overview. Retrieved from https://elearning.riosalado.edu/content/pad/pad101/pad101_INTER_0000_v5/PDFs/L2_Content.pdf American Society of Public Administration, . (2006). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.aspanet.org/scriptcontent/index_codeofethics.cfm Bai, M. (2010, December 16). Is ‘triangulation’ just another word for the politics of the possible?. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/17/us/politics/17bai.html?partner=rss&emc=rss Goble, K. (2010, December 17). Top state issues for 2011 revealed. Retrieved from http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2010/Dec10/121310/121710-05.shtml Americans for Fair Taxation, . (2010). Frequently asked questions - answers. Retrieved from http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_faq_answers How Does the Public Sector Work? Essay -- Public Management If you don't understand how the public sector is supposed to work, how can you ensure that it is working? An easy definition of public administration is, â€Å"the implementation of government policies† (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2010), or, â€Å"the implementation of public policy† (Infoplease.com, 1997). While policies and procedures seem to be continuously up for debate, it should be noted that, an informed public are the only sure-fire way to ensure that the public sector stays on track with meeting the needs of its constituents. People, as a whole, tend to appreciate good leaders. â€Å"It is the task of a leader to connect people with purpose† (Blunt, 2007). Why does this help us in the public sector? To paraphrase J.D. Straussman, leaders must have a vision, â€Å"establish direction† with regards to that vision, â€Å"align people by creating an environment of cooperation†, and â€Å"motivate and inspire members of the organization† (Straussman, pg. 4). Generally, public sector's have not yet embraced the positive aspects of what leadership skills can bring to their organizations. One wonders, what is so wrong with vision or inspiring and motivating people? Motivating employees should be one of most important aspects of leadership in the public sector. Motivated employees often show higher productivity levels than others. Often confused with leadership is the role of management in an organization. First tier management skills are highly coveted within the public sector. These skills are planning, organizing, directing and controlling (Reh, 2009) and are mostly built in to any and all management models in the public sector itself. Second tier management skills build on the leadership skills mentioned above, such as, motivation, training ... ...illsPyramid.htm Becketts, K. (2010). Four major functions of public administration: an overview. Retrieved from https://elearning.riosalado.edu/content/pad/pad101/pad101_INTER_0000_v5/PDFs/L2_Content.pdf American Society of Public Administration, . (2006). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.aspanet.org/scriptcontent/index_codeofethics.cfm Bai, M. (2010, December 16). Is ‘triangulation’ just another word for the politics of the possible?. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/17/us/politics/17bai.html?partner=rss&emc=rss Goble, K. (2010, December 17). Top state issues for 2011 revealed. Retrieved from http://www.landlinemag.com/todays_news/Daily/2010/Dec10/121310/121710-05.shtml Americans for Fair Taxation, . (2010). Frequently asked questions - answers. Retrieved from http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_faq_answers

Management and Organizational Structure of Goddard Catering

Management and Organizational structure of Goddard Catering Group Ltd. Bottling water company Mission Statement Your Health is our Concern Your thirst is ours to quench Vision Statement To be the number one consumer choice for purified drinking water in St. Lucia and other territories. About the Company Paradise Water, formally known as Paradise Springs is a private limited company, subsidiary of Goddard catering group St. Lucia Ltd and was established in 1988. The company is located at the Hewanorra International Airport, and is a leading supplier of bottled water in St Lucia, and currently holds the most modern water plant on the island.From the initial stage of blowing up the bottles for distribution of water to sales and marketing of the product Paradise Water aggressively promotes its product both locally and regionally in countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, and Grenada, and is continuing to expand at a rapid rate. Paradise Water is endorsed by the St Lucia Bureau of Standard s and carries the approval seal on every bottle produced. The company began as a spring water bottling company in 1988 providing drinking water to local retail outlets island wide. They began operations with 12 employees which included 1 sales person, a general manager and an operations supervisor.As the years progressed and the company’s sales volume increased the number of employees increased to 87 by 1994. The organizational structure now included an HR Assistant, Operations Manager, and Financial Controller. In that same year the company and all of St Lucia suffered massive losses as a result of the damage caused by Tropical Storm Debby on September 10th. The company’s water source was completely destroyed forcing them to rethink their product strategy. The decision was then taken to transform the company from bottling spring water, to a water purification plant hence the name change.Organizational Structure Organizational Structure The company follows a functional structure with horizontal linkage. In this organization the employees report to their department managers and theses managers report to the general manager. A cross functional information system is used to routinely exchange information about problems, opportunities, activities within the company. Departmental managers along with the General Manager are the ones making decisions regarding the company. Each department also has project teams responsible for handling mini tasks within their department. Changes over the past 20yearsOver the past 20 years the company has seen some major changes to its product; the switch from bottling purified water to purified water. The increase in the 500ml bottle size to 600ml The introduction of the 3 gallon bottle and hand pump Increase in the number of staff and the introduction of new managerial post such as accounts and human resources. The Product Paradise Water is available in a variety of bottle sizes which are 600ml, 1. 5L, 5L, as well as 3 and 5 gallon sizes. Rigorous testing standards are employed in order to ensure that the water quality meets the highest international standards.Paradise water also provides free coolers to customers who sign up to receive 10 or more 5 gallon bottles of water per week. They also provide the option of rental of the coolers if the criteria for receiving the free cooler cannot be met. Description of Competitors Paradise water manufactures branded water for TEMPO, Coconut Bay, BARON Foods and GL Food Market. Paradise Water holds 40% of the market share however its main competitors are Blue Waters and Crystal Clear Water. Blue Waters is a Trinidad based company with a distribution center in the north of the island.Blue waters also provides customers with similir services as Paradise water which includes 1. 5L, 5L, and 5 gallon bottles of water. They also provide 650ml, 400ml and 8L bottles of water which are not manufactured by Paradise Water. Blue waters currently hold 25% of the market share. Another competitor is Crystal Clear purified water which also holds 25% of the market. Crystal Clear water is a new commer to the market however the company is slowly making strides to improve its product and gaining them a ? of the market providing consumers with cheaper prices for larger sizes of water.The remaining 10% is shared among smaller water companies. Pricing Paradise Water| | Blue Waters| | Crystal Clear Water| Product| Price| | Product| Price| | Product| Price| 600ml| $ 2. 00 | | 400ml| $ 0. 99 | | 355ml| $ 0. 99 | 1. 5L| $ 3. 00 | | 650ml| $ 2. 50 | | 650ml| $ 2. 50 | 5L| $ 6. 00 | | 1. 5L| $ 3. 00 | | 1. 5L| $ 3. 00 | 3 Gal| $ 15. 00 | | 5L| $ 7. 00 | | 2liter pk (2 2liter bottles)| $ 5. 00 | 5 Gal| $ 20. 00 | | 8L| $ 10. 0 | | | | | | | 5 Gal| $ 25. 00 | | | | Paradise water provides a competitive pricing advantage on its products showing a lower price for most of its products except that of the 1. 5L which is sold at the same price for all the companies. Org anizational Culture Responsibility to Customers Paradise Water strives to provide the best quality water and the highest quality of customer service to its customers. After the passing of Hurricane Tomas in 2010 the company has realized a tremendous increase in the demand for bottled water as people are more health conscious.Paradise water has a rigiourous filtration system to ensure that all impurities are removed from the water, the filtration system is as follows: Responsibility to employees The company recognises that the company’s success depends on the corporation and contribution of all its employees therefore, the company aims to provide all employees a safe working environment, ensuring that competitive terms and conditions of service ar provided to these employees and encouraging employees to get involved in the planning and direction of work.The company also promotes employee development through scholarships for employees wishing to further their education. Employe es also receive one free 5 gallon of water a week as an inccentive. Social Responsibility Social Responsibility is high on the list of priorities of Paradise Water. The company seeks to conduct business as a responsible corporate member of society, observing the laws of the country and seeking to improve the quality of life for all St Lucians through education, health, sports and culture.The company believes in the true meaning of community living and makes every effort to enhance the quality of life for as many people as possible. The company sees giving back to the community as a way of saying thank you to all St Lucians. Paradise Water is the sponsor of * District 6 school sports meets * The official sponsor of high jump champion Levern Spencer’s 2012 olympic campaign – All customers purchasing the specially labeled Levern Spencer bottles of water will be contributing to the sponsorship of Ms.Spencer’s trip to the 2012 olympic campaigh as proceeds from the pu rchase of any size of Paradise Water go towards Levern's 2012 Olympic campaign. * the official water of Pinehill funwalk * the company also sponsors many other local youth groups and activities Awards: The company has received numerous awards throughout its existance these include: * 2008 -2011 Ministry of Social Transformation – Outstanding Contributions to St Lucia sports * 2008 St. Lucia Amateur Swimming Association – Sponsor of the Year * 2012 St Lucia Manufacturers Association: Platinum Award for Implementation of Standards and Best Practices -Gold award for Social Responsibility -Gold award for Leadership Business Strategy Paradise water strives to go beyond what its competitors are offering as far as a product line and the price of their product. This has been achieved for the last five years and the company plans to continue to do so by continually developing new product ideas along with ways to make its production aspect run more efficiently. The research team currently is developing a new product line: flavored water with all natural ingredients.This new product will increase the company’s revenue by 10%. The company plans to extend its geographic market to include St. Vincent and Trinidad . The bottle design team has finished a 5 liter design that will be fitted to a water dispensing unit. These units will be rented to office buildings and houses for a very low cost per month. Product Strategy Paradise Water hopes to begin testing flavored water to see how the public would respond to this new product line In addition to it’s current line of products, the company will be adding a new product to it’s line which is in its final stages of designing.That is an improved 5 liter bottle with a water dispenser unit that will be rented to office buildings and available for sell to the home user. Price Strategy Paradise Water keeps their products reasonably priced so as to maintain its competitive advantage, keep loyal custom ers and attract new customers. Promotion Strategy Paradise Water Sales and marketing team conducting a hydration class at the OPSR expo2012. The company seeks to promote its products through sponsorship of various community activities.The company also uses radio and tevevision advertisments to promote its product. Its current campaign being the raise the bar campaign – sponsorship of Levern Spencers journey to the Olympics. Distribution Strategy In addition to its effective distribution of water to all supermarkets on the island and convenience stores; Paradise Water undertakes extensive home and office delivery of bottles and coolers for Monday to Friday. This ensures that customers receive the service befitting their top quality product. Company’s S. W. O. T Analysis StrengthsParadise water is the leading retailer of purified water on the island Products prices are the lowests among competitors Weakness Production of bottled water is dependant on clean running water from the water company, should a disaster occur and the water system is damaged or a drought, then production would be at a stand still. Opportunities Distribute to over 55 communities within the region Place paradise water and water dispensers in local grade schools. We plan to donate the dispensers and stock and provide the schools with free water for a year. ThreatsThere is the constant fear another company trying to sell a better product will steal our loyal customers away. If the public percives Paradise Water as nothing but tap water rather than purified water they may opt to puchase a different brand of water. Bibliography Cozier, M. (2012, June 8). General Manager, Paradise Springs. (S. Christophe, Interviewer) http://www. entrepreneur. com. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. entrepreneur. com. Paradise Water. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://slupsl. net Williams, C. (2011-2012). MGMT. In C. Williams, MGMT4th Ed. South-Western Cengage Learning.

Vocabulary and Quiz for ESL Customer Service