ITM501, Management Information Systems & Business Strategy, Mod 3 Case Essay

ITM501, Management Information Systems & Business Strategy, Mod 3 Case Assignment - Essay Example Many years ago there were vaccines discovered that prevented these two illnesses. Children before that were very ill when they got these diseases. Many of them died. After the vaccine was discovered and children were inoculated, both diseases virtually went away. However, later on parents decided not to get these vaccines because they did not trust them and both diseases began to come back and then were spread to others one at a time in daycares. That is the way a virus gets around in a computer group also. Not too long ago, as an example, a friend who takes care of a computer system in a hospital noticed a virus warning that kept moving around. Eventually it was everywhere. It was nearly impossible to get rid of. It got in through a computer that someone forgot to load the virus software on and that nurse had been out on the web. It was a very expensive mistake. The connection between a companys computer and home users is the same as my touching your hand and you passing me a virus. If you had flu shot and not got the virus, you would not have passed it to me. Virus software, of course, affects network security but so does malware (infoworld.com). Many IT specialists say that these are now worse than the Trojans were and are. Malware sends in search mechanisms that get deep into the computer information and pull out personal things like all your employees security information or the companys security information. These are set up, not by hackers but by people that are out there to make a profit on your information and it only takes visiting the web at the wrong site or downloading the wrong file. This is truly dangerous to your organization and to any of your employees that may be working from their own PCs at home. In todays world, we are all touched by computers and like keeping personal and important information that is in paper form secure, so is it

Psychology - Consciousness Essay Example for Free

Psychology Consciousness Essay Education in its general sense is a form of learning in which the knowledge, skills, and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training, or research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of others, but may also be autodidactic. [1] Any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational. the word education is derived from the Latin educatio (A breeding, a bringing up, a rearing) from educo (I educate, I train) which is related to the homonym educo (I lead forth, I take out; I raise up, I erect) from e- (from, out of) and duco (I lead, I conduct). PSYCHOLOGY It is the study of Psyche. Psyche it mean mind or soul as it appear in human. It is the totality of the human mind, conscious, and unconscious. The basic meaning of the Greek word psyche was life in the sense of breath, formed from the verb psyche derived meanings included spirit, soul, ghost, and ultimately self in the sense of conscious personality or psyche I AM GROWING AS PERSON Like all children, when I was growing up all I ever wanted to do was to be big. I always kept a close eye on my role models (my parents) and always tried to do anything they did. The skills I learn and the attitude I acquired from a young age would be of immense help to me in my later years. From the age of five, the memories I have are those of following my father around the yard watching feeding animals. My father would sometimes give me a small jar / container that I could help him feed the animal and although the job I did was insignificant and most likely not done properly, i always got a sense of pride and satisfaction in my work. In my teenage years my role around the house had changed. My father was no longer around and my mother had the pressure of providing for my younger brother and myself. During school holidays I was responsible for looking after my brother and keeping the amused at the same time, not an easy task at all. During this time I had also managed to get casual employment. Although the money I earn was not significant but it was enough for me to pay for my hobbies and ease some pressure off my mother. Now as an adult I have a steady job. I have never seen myself as a victim from anyone because all the good and bad experiences of my younger years it have helped me become a successful and determined person. The support that I received and continue to receive from my family was also a major drive for me to want to succeed as well. I think that everyones life is always full of good and bad experiences. The key is to appreciate the good and find a way of turning a negative situation into a positive. For example, when my father was no longer around it could have been seen to be a negative situation. However, learning to look after my brother and earning a little pocket money was perhaps the best and most useful experiences I had. In humans, growing up can be physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological. This means that a person becomes more mature as a result of changes in behavior, actions and thoughts that are experienced in the process of growing up. An individual’s character and personality are seen as very vital as they grow up. While growing up, there are many challenges that a person may come across, and the opportunities to become a good person are always there. Due to our uniqueness, we tend to express our beliefs, convictions, and thoughts differently. One very important attribute in relation to growing up is the physical development. Though physical development may not necessarily translate in to growing up, growing up is closely related to physical maturity. An individual is considered to grow up when they display good character and responsible behavior. The process of growing up is always accompanied by a certain level of transformation in an individual, where transformation either makes one a better person or a bad person. At some stage in our lives, we are expected to be changed through the process of growing up. The expectations of the others from us assist in cultivating our actions and behavior that show that we are grown up or we are growing up. An individual who practice self control and display good behavior is a good example of a person who is growing up. These attributes define a grown up person and if a person displays these attributes, the person can be said to be growing up towards the right direction. Discipline is very essential in achieving human fulfillment . Since a person who is growing up seeks this fulfillment, there is no doubt that the only way a person can achieve fulfillment is through discipline.

Exploring The Role Transition Student To Qualified Nurse Nursing Essay

Exploring The Role Transition Student To Qualified Nurse Nursing Essay In this essay the author will explore the role transition from student nurse to qualified member of staff and discuss in brief some roles and responsibilities of the newly qualified nurse (NQN). Focus will be placed on delegation and administration of Patient Group Directions (PGDs) as two responsibilities of the NQN who is both a delegator and a dispenser of medicines. Delegation can be challenging for NQNs as it involves entrusting designated tasks to non-qualified member of staff while still retaining professional accountability. Administration of PGDs will be discussed as well as group protocol arrangements for medicines administration has become over the last few years valuable to nurses, especially those working in settings where immunisation programmes and family planning services are delivered. Roles of the newly qualified nurse Critical discussion (400 words) Contemporary nursing has changed considerably in terms of its roles and responsibilities. A big turnaround came with the change in the European Working Time Directive which reduced drastically the working hours of junior doctors, leading to Registered Nurses (RNs) extending their roles and undertaking tasks traditionally carried out by medical professionals (McKenna et al, 2004; Kessler et al, 2010). In order to meet patient needs and to fill the gaps left by those nurses, Healthcare Assistants (HCAs) were then expected to start extending their skills and assume delivery of care that was previously the domain of registered staff (Kessler et al, 2010, Griffiths and Robinson, 2010). This was a positive step for modernising nursing careers with nurses now working across boundaries and with the creation of new specialist roles (DH, 2006a), but naturally it decreased at the same time engagement in direct patient care (Kessler et al, 2010). Registered nurses (RN) in the United Kingdom are expected to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to meet Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) standards, which aim at guiding and supporting them in the delivery of high quality care. Nurses are expected to delegate, lead and supervise other nurses and healthcare professionals and have therefore to gain and develop analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills (NMC, 2010) both during their training and throughout their nursing career. Even with development of the RN role If nursings original professional identity is to be uphold, it essential that NQNs enter the profession sensitive to its core values and roles, even while trying to advance practice (Harmer, 2010). Rationale for role choice (200 words) The author chose the role of delegation both Role 1 Delegation (700 words) RN are expected to organise and supervise the work of HCAs and the ability to delegate effectively is central to their success (Curtis and Nicholl, 2004) The NMC Code of Conduct (2008b) stresses that RN must delegate effectively and establish that anyone they delegated to is able to carry out their instructions. In addition it states that nurses must confirm that the outcome of the delegated tasks meet required standards and that anyone they are responsible for, is supervised and supported. The employer is in turn the one responsible for ensuring that HCAs have sufficient training and education to competently undertake the aspects of care which a RN is expected to delegate to them (NMC, 2008a). The NMC fails however to give a reasoned justification as to why the RN is still accountable for the delegated tasks if the employer is the one responsible for confirming competency or if indeed the RN is expected to confirm this her/himself how she/he is expected to effectively gain knowledge of the education, training and qualifications of all HCAs they work with in clinical practice (including bank staff). Both the RCN and the DH have sought in the past further clarification from the NMC as far as delegation and accountability are concerned as the advice provided by the body has been regarded as confusing (Harrison, 2007) HCAs education and training is not mandatory and standardised in terms of content, assessment and accreditation (Griffiths and Robinson, 2010) and therefore there is no default quality assurance on their competencies so caution and uncertainty is to be expected from the RN when delegating work as she/he could see her/his registration put at stake for any error in judgement (Kessler et al, 2010. This is because although the HCA retains responsibility in their actions carrying out the delegated task, the RN is ultimately accountable (NMC, 2004, RCN, 2006a) to their regulatory and professional body. Accountability is a key element of professional practice and it is intimately linked with delegation. RNs are professionally accountable to the NMC for any actions and omissions in their practice and must be able to justify their decisions. Failure to comply with the code may bring their fitness to practice into question and jeopardize their registration (NMC, 2008b). RNs are also accountable to both civil and criminal law, their employer (NMC, 2009, Dimond, 2008) and on a moral dimension, to themselves (Dimond, 2008). If tasks are matched successfully against HCAs skills and knowledge though, delegation can result in improved productivity and efficiency as this makes best use of available human resources. In some cases if the clinical area is particularly understaffed, delegation becomes a necessity, rather than an option. Effective delegation can potentially enable RNs to focus on doing fewer tasks well, rather than many talks inadequately (Curtis and Nicholl, 2004) and can create a more motivated and co-operative team (Eaton, 2009). On the other hand studies suggest that excessive task delegation can lead to feelings of frustration as nurses end up having less contact with patients than they originally hoped for. Accountability issues can also lead to increased levels of stress (Takase et al, 2005). Research has found that in order to comply with the code of conduct nurses can spend large amounts of time inducting, training and supervising HCAs (McKenna et al, 2004) on tasks that HCAs were theoretically undertaking to alleviate nurses workload (Kessler et al, 2010). Demands of supervision can also compromise the time NQN should be devoting to consolidate and develop their clinical skills (Griffiths and Robinson, 2010). Paradoxically, literature suggests that experienced HCAs frequently act as unofficial mentors to NQN and are seen as a significant source of formal and informal knowledge and guidance to less experiences members of staff (Griffiths and Robinson, 2010, Kessler et al, 2010). The process of delegation assumes inevitably a hierarchical command structure (Curtis and Nicholl, 2004) which could easily pose challenges for NQN, whom in real terms are expected to supervise and be accountable for HCAs who may be considerably more experienced. Role 2 PGD (700 words) PGDs provide a legal mechanism to administer and/or supply medicines to patients by a specific range of health care professionals, without the need of consultation with a doctor or a dentist (NPC, 2009). A PGD is written instruction for the supply or administration of a licensed medicine(s) in a specifically identified clinical scenario that is not aimed at a specific patient, but rather at any patient that meets the criteria established on that PGD. The PGD must be written up at a local level by a multidisciplinary team including a doctor, a pharmacist and a representative of any professional group expected to dispense under the PGD. For a PGD to be valid it must be signed by a doctor or a dentist and a senior pharmacist, ideally the ones involved in developing the direction. It must also be authorised by the PCT or NHS trust which will use it (MHRA, 2010a). PGDs can only be administered by registered healthcare professionals such as nurses, midwifes, health visitors, paramedics, radiographers, etc. Each PGD must however, list individually the names of the registered professionals allowed to dispense under the direction. A senior individual in each profession should assume the responsibility to ensure that all designated dispensers in the PGD are fully competent, registered and trained professionals. (DH, 2006b). A PGD can act as a direction to a nurse to supply and/or administer prescription-only medication to patients that meet the criteria, based on the nurses assessment of their needs and without needed to refer to a doctor for an individual prescription (RCN, 2006b) The supply and administration of medicines under a PGD should be reserved for specific circumstances where it is advantageous for patient care, it does not compromise patient safety and is consistent with professional accountability (MHRA, 2010a, NPC, 2009, DH, 2006b), as the nurse must always act within their own expertise and competence (DH, 2006b). PGDs are a convenient way of recognising nurses ability to use medication to the benefit of the patient and any registered professional dispensing medication under the terms of a PGD should act in accordance with the NMC Code of Conduct and the NMC Standards for Medicines Management (RCN, 2006b). The legislation requires that every PGD must contain key information: the place where the PGD will be used (eg. primary or acute care), the date the directive comes into force and the date it expires (it is recommended good practice that PGDs should be reviewed every two years), a description of the medicine to which the PGD applies (both the name and the purpose of the medication should be included, eg. analgesic or oral contraceptive), class of the healthcare professional able to supply/administer the medication (the PGD should clearly state which of the professional groups can use but each individual can only do so if she/he is named individually), the signature of a doctor/dentist and a pharmacist (only approved prescribers as doctors/dentists), signature by a representative of an appropriate health organisation (eg. chief executive of a trust), the clinical condition to which the PGD applies to (a description of the problem a patient must present with in order to receive medicat ion under the directive), a description of patients that are to be excluded from treatment under the PGD (detailed guidance on which circumstances a patient should be excluded and provided with an individual prescription, eg. complex medical condition or a specific medical problem), a description of when further advice should be sought from a doctor/dentist and when to arrange for referrals (a patient might meet the criteria set on the directive but depending on which specifics they present, further advice might still be needed from a medical professional), details of the appropriate dosage, maximum total dosage, quantity, pharmaceutical form and strength, route, frequency of administration, minimum and maximum period over which the medication should be administrated and the legal status of the drug should all be specified (this ensures that the correct medicine is given in the right dose for the appropriate length of time), relevant warnings including potential adverse reactions (a s with any medicines it is essential to be aware of any contra-indications of potential adverse effects), details of any follow-up action and under which circumstances (a patient might need to be seen again in order to detect if the medication had the desired effect) and finally a statement of records to be kept for audit purposes (the directive must specify which records need to be kept, eg. as a minimum full patient details and full information regarding the drugs that has been administrated) (MHRA, 2010a, NPC, 2009, RCN, 2006b) PGDs cannot be used in independent and public sector care homes or independent sector schools that provide healthcare services outside the NHS. (MHRA, 2010b) PGDs can only be used in the NHS and other services funded by the NHS but provided by the private, voluntary or charitable sector. Certain non-NHS organisations such as independent hospitals, agencies and clinics registered under the Care Standards Act 2000, prisons healthcare services and police services, and defence medical services can however use PGDs for the sale, supply and/or administration of medicines (NPC, 2009) NQN registered with the NMC and on the live register are allowed to administer medication under a PGD, providing they are one of the named dispensers on the directive. However, because robust clinical judgement is necessary to assess the patient prior to administration, a more experienced member of the nursing team is likely to be named over a NQN. Both the RCN and NMC offer no specific recommendations for the administration (or not) of medicines under a PGD, by a NQN. There are also no specific national training programmes for PGD, however individual organisations must ensure that any professional administering medication under a PGD is competent to do so (DH, 2006b) Conclusion (300 words) The role of the RN has expanded considerably over the last years. NQN now enter the profession expected to assume roles of leadership, delegation and supervision very shortly afterwards being students nurses and working with alongside and under the protection of their mentors. As soon as they gain their pin number and join the NMC register a whole new raft of expectations is placed upon them. Many NQN however reportedly feel unprepared and overwhelmed by their new responsibilities, making the period of transition very stressful rather than exciting and truly enjoyable. Delegation is a fundamental skill every RN and NQN must gain and develop in order to be able to manage their workload effectively in clinical practice. Delegating as a NQN can be challenging as often the recipient of the task is a more experienced member of the team, for whom she/he is still yet professionally accountable. Medicines administration is another responsibility of the RN. PGDs have become increasingly impor tant tools for nurses working in clinical settings delivering immunisation, working in travel clinics and family planning services. With many NQN now opting to join community services, PGDs become increasingly relevant to them.

Dress and Food During World War II :: essays research papers

Quite a range of fashion shifts occurred during and after World War II. Some of the major changes included: an increasing shift to casual dress, less elaborate fashions, and the disappearance of knickers. Short pants began to be worn as summer attire, and American boys stop wearing knee socks and long stockings. Short hairstyles become popular for boys in America after the War. Anything using vast amounts of cloth or thought unnecessary were not allowed, such as: leg-of-mutton sleeves, aprons, overskirts, decorative trim, patch pockets and petticoats. Men’s suits consisted of two-piece suits—a jacket and pants without cuffs, although before 1942 they consisted of four pieces—two pairs of pants, a vest and a double-breasted jacket. (Feldman)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The war, bringing on many civilian shortages, substitution became a way of life stateside, affecting daily life. Even though, powder, eye makeup and lipsticks were considered necessary for persevering wartime spirits, some ingredients were no longer available. Military and civilian provisions included the same manpower, facilities and fibers. The government wanted to conserve materials to prevent shortages and also keep the prices up, without harming standing industries. Private citizens had to adjust any new clothing to the conditions with very few exceptions. These were not the only changes being made. There were changes in the food supplies also. The Nazis made the living conditions in the Warsaw Ghetto as terrible as possible. There were curfews, and guards were put on duty at all times near the walls to make sure no Jews escaped from the ghetto. Many Jews suffered from unemployment and diseases. A typhus epidemic, which killed many Jews, broke out about a year after the ghetto was created. Due to low food rationing, many Jews starved to death. Some chose to kill themselves because they could not stand the physical and emotional pain anymore. From the moment that the Jews were isolated from the Polish society and were surrounded by a fence, their food distribution was entirely controlled by the Germans. A strict food rationing was in effect. A working person was given food rationing that was sufficient barely for one person. In order to feed the sick and the old, they were put on the list of the producing people and their relatives had to cover for them by working even longer hours and producing a larger quota. The quantity of allocated food was insufficient and many basic food items were non existent in the ghetto.

Body language Essay

I wasn’t too sure on what to wear when I performed my interaction. From previous research into communication I am aware that this can affect the quality of communication. For example dark and gloomy clothes sometimes can indicate you being in bad mood and could prevent clients approaching you. However if you were to wear bright and colourful clothes then it would give the impression that you are happy and friendly and easier to approach. I decided to go for clothes in the middle of bright and dark, however I am still unsure whether this had an effect on the communication shown. At the end of my interaction I gave a member of the group my questionnaire to fill in about the interaction (appendix 1). I wanted to make sure that I gained some feedback from interaction to see whether I was effective in achieving my purpose. I structured that questionnaire very simply, and clear so the child would have no problem in being able to fill it in. the child who I asked to complete my questionnaire filled it all in, and they ticked YES for every box. This would indicate to me that my interaction was a success on the basis of that it was fun, exciting, and there was nothing too bad that affected them in the interaction. This would show that I was successful in achieving my purpose, which to me is a great accomplishment. I got some feedback from this pupil on the questionnaire which was very interesting and useful, however I wanted to make sure that I had an assessment sheet filled in about me to look more specifically at my skills that I demonstrated, what was good about them, what was bad and also to see if I achieved my purpose. Therefore I gave Mrs Paterson, an observation sheet about me to fill in (appendix 2) you can see from the sheet that Mrs Paterson rated me highly on most of the skills. However there were a few points which she had to make. PERSONAL IMPROVEMENTS AND ACTION PLAN One of my main problems that occurred during this interaction was that I found it very hard to observe the type of communication, group layout which was going on as well as performing my own personal communication skills within the group. I think that if I was going to do the interaction again I would probably video record it therefore I could go back and see what I did wrong but also what type of communication skills and patterns occurred. This would be a very effective way in which I could evaluate myself critically in order to create a more efficient action plan. I expressed before about how I felt very nervous and intimidated by the interaction. I think that this could be improved by practice, and just making sure that I remain as calm as I possibly can. Being aware of my body language too is essential too. I also feel that to improve the quality of the interaction I would need to find out ways in which I could include other group members, which were lacking in joining in. I am not entirely sure on a method which I could choose to help me learn this other than teacher training, and obviously this is not possible. However what would be possible is to talk to some teachers, to find out information about how to make clients feel valued and belonged within the group more than what I know already. I gave the observation sheet to Mrs Paterson to write about my interaction. Mrs Paterson did rate me slightly lower on a couple of issues. These were really useful to me in aiding me to create a realistic action plan. For example she quoted: Tone of voice – at times she found it difficult to calm her voice down, due to nervousness. Â  Appropriate responsiveness and calmness – again Leanne found it hard at times to remain calm, however it did improve towards the end. I completely agree with the comments that Mrs Paterson made about my poor communication. I knew that I was finding it hard to calm down and make my voice and body language relaxed during the interaction. I did feel that I made an improvement towards the end whilst I got into the activity more. This is definitely something I need to work on and improve for further interactions such as this. I am going to make a conscious effort to improve on the poor things about my interaction, because it is vital that I can be effective whilst communicating. Im going to make sure that when I’m in an interaction such as this I am going to try and calm myself down before I enter the group interaction. There were so many things that I have become aware or further whilst doing this interaction. And again I feel that it is essential for me to be trained, or get more experience in interacting within a group. For me to improve my interaction I would need to study my assessment sheet to look at where I went wrong, and how I could improve it to make sure that a next interaction is I’m proved and that I have learnt from my poor communication. CONCLUSION This experience has been a very large learning experience for me. Before this I had learnt about all the different types of effective communication, however I never actually knew how incredibly difficult it is to put them into practice. There is so much for and health and care social worker to remember when interacting with their clients. I think that it takes a very talented person to be good at their job within this area. I enjoyed my interaction with the group so much, and I have already decided to go back in the future, to try my group interaction to perhaps try out my action plan. What made this experienced even more enjoyable is the fact that the children relished the activity as much as what I did. When I went to go after my interaction I was actually disappointed on how quickly the time had gone. The children who I was working with seemed to have formed a bond with me and were also upset to see me go too. I think that I was very successful in achieving my purpose of the interaction, and this was reflected through not only the effective communication skills I demonstrated but also that of the amount of enjoyment we all experienced. This has certainly given me a lot to contemplate on, I have learn a lot about myself, as well as how imperative effective communication is in this type of setting. Another thing, which I think has been a vital learning point, is the fact that health and social care workers give so much to their clients. Teachers need to make sure that they are demonstrating communication skills the whole time, but also to leave their own personal or emotional problems at home, because it can effective the relationships between them and the clients. This must be extremely hard to do. I would imagine that this job is very satisfying.

A Journey from HRM to SHRM Essay

The radical change taking place in the workplace and the work force has led to the dramatic evolution of traditional human resource management to strategic human resource management. The days of the strictly administrative human resource function are over. HR management must now be considered a critical strategic partner and must contribute to the overall objectives of the company. Strategic HR management is characterized by focusing more on strategic rather than operational issues. However, the administrative work must still be done efficiently. Strategic HR management involves making the function of managing people the most important priority in the organization, and integrating all human resource programs and policies within the framework of a company’s strategy. Strategic HR management recognizes that all decisions on finance, marketing, operations or technology are made by an organization’s people. Strategic HR management involves the development of a consistent, aligned collection of practices, programs, and policies to facilitate the achievement of the organization’s objectives. It considers the implications of corporate strategy for all HR systems within an organization by translating company objectives into specific people management systems. The most important consideration of strategic HR management is that there is no one best way to manage people. Therefore, the specific approach and processes will vary from organization to organization. It may even vary in an organization with clearly defined business units or functional areas. However, all HR programs and policies must be consistent and must therefore be integrated within a larger framework, leading to the facilitation of the organization’s vision and its objectives. Human resource management has been traditionally defined as the set of philosophies, processes and procedures a firm uses for the following four basic tasks: †¢ Managing the entry and exit process. The HR function has normally been responsible for recruiting people the organization would need in the future. Therefore, manpower forecasts are made and a corresponding plan is made. HR managers have also been involved in the exit or separation process. This is normally done by retirement or by having the employee fired. †¢ Managing the growth and development process. There are traditional HR tasks such as orientation or socialization, training and development, and performance appraisal. Processes are also designed so that employees understand the overall scope and direction of the organization. †¢ Managing the reward and recognition process. Rewards come through the administration of compensation and benefits, and recognition comes in the form of promotion, job assignments and rotation. However, the process of rewards and recognition includes the countermeasures of demotions and disciplinary action. Performance appraisal is also a critical input into the reward and recognition system. †¢ Managing the overall organization climate. In the highly competitive and rapidly changing business environment of today, it is necessary to foster a climate that challenges employees to better levels of performance. Of course, the organizational climate is not a variable to be managed or designed. However, it is necessary for all the organization’s processes and procedures, from its compliance with the law to its new strategic initiatives, to be aligned. In the shift from traditional HR to strategic HR, there are a number of issues which HR practitioners must contend with. The first is whether the main responsibility for people management programs should rest with staff specialists in the corporate HR department or with the line managers who are the ones most in contact with the workers. Traditional HR assumes the role of handling transactions as they arise. These may involve compliance with changing laws, rectifying problems between supervisors and subordinates, recruiting and screening applicants for current needs and basically responding to events after these happen. Strategic HR is much more transformational and realizes that the success for any initiative form growth, adaptation, or change within the organization are dependent upon the employees who utilize any change in technology or produce any changes in the organization’s product or service. HR, therefore, plays a transformational role by assisting the organization in identifying and meeting the larger challenges it faces in its external environment by ensuring that the internal mechanisms that facilitate change are in place. Traditional HR departments must, therefore, rethink, redefine and re-evaluate their roles. HR managers must learn to operate their departments more like a business. Businesses must have clear strategies, outcomes, products, services and structures to attain specific objectives which are aligned to the corporate objectives. HR practitioners must answer the following questions: †¢What is the HR strategy? Strategy defines how a business positions itself and allocates resources to products to deliver value to customers. An HR strategy articulates the purposes of HR within the firm, the deliverables or outcomes from HR work, and the services delivered by the HR department. †¢What are the products or services of HR? Many typologies of HR work exist to describe types of HR processes. The new HR typologies will identify new HR products or services required to meet changing business needs. Many of these new products will ensure the flow of intellectual capital and knowledge within a firm, while others will ensure the development of a new generation of leaders within a firm. †¢How should HR be organized to ensure that the strategy is executed? Increasingly, organizations are being defined less by structure and more by how capabilities are acquired and developed. The tremendous growth of outsourcing is clear evidence of this development. As HR functions articulate clear strategies, products or services, they identify the organizational choices that ensure that capabilities, even across organizational boundaries, meet strategic goals. It is clear that human resource management must operate strategically. The central idea behind strategic HR management is that all initiatives involving how people are managed need to be aligned with and in support of the organization’s overall strategy. No organization can expect to be successful if it has people management systems that are at odds with its vision. As a prerequisite for understanding how to strategically manage human resources, it is necessary to understand the process of strategic management.