Saturday, May 23, 2020

Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives Explained

A verbal  is a word derived from a  verb  that functions in a sentence as a  noun  or  modifier  rather than as a verb. In other words, a verbal  is a verb that acts like a different part of speech. Verbals include  infinitives,  gerunds  (also known as  -ing  forms), and  participles  (also known as  -ing  forms  and  -en  forms). A word group based on a verbal is called a  verbal phrase. Each of these verbals is often part of a phrase, which includes related modifiers, objects, and  complements. What Are Participles? A participle is a verb form that can be used as an adjective to modify nouns and pronouns, as in this example: The children, crying and exhausted, were guided out of the collapsed house. Crying is a present participle, formed by adding -ing to the present form of the verb (cry). Exhausted is a past participle, formed by adding -ed to the present form of the verb (exhaust). Both participles modify the subject, children. All present participles end in -ing. The past participles of all regular verbs end in -ed. Irregular verbs, however, have various past participle endings—for instance, thrown,  ridden, built, and gone. A participial phrase is made up of a participle and its modifiers. A participle may be followed by an object, an adverb, a prepositional phrase, an adverb clause, or any combination of these. For example, in the following sentence the participial phrase consists of a present participle (holding), an object (the torch), and an adverb (steadily): Holding the torch steadily, Jenny approached the monster. In the next sentence, the participial phrase consists of a present participle (making), an object (a great ring), and a prepositional phrase (of white light): Jenny waved the torch over her head, making a great ring of white light. What Are Gerunds? A gerund is a verb form ending in -ing that functions in a sentence as a noun. Although both the present participle and the gerund are formed by adding -ing to a verb, the participle does the job of an adjective while the gerund does the job of a noun. Compare the verbals in these two sentences: The children, crying and exhausted, were guided out of the collapsed house.Crying will not get you anywhere. Whereas the participle crying modifies the subject in the first sentence, the gerund crying is the subject of the second sentence. What Are Infinitives? An infinitive is a verb form—often preceded by the  particle  to—that can function as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. Compare the verbals in these two sentences: I dont like crying in public unless Im getting paid for it.I dont like to cry in public unless Im getting paid for it. In the first sentence, the gerund crying serves as the direct object. In the second sentence, the infinitive to cry performs the same function. Exercise: Identifying Verbals For each of the following sentences, decide if the word or phrase in italics is a participle, a gerund, or an infinitive. The childrens singing and laughing woke me up.Jenny likes to dance in the rain.There are many ways of breaking a heart.A broken heart will mend over time.Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city. — George BurnsI believe that laughing is the best calorie burner.I dont want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying. — Woody AllenI dont want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying. — Woody AllenIt is not enough to succeed. Others must fail. —Gore VidalSucceeding is not enough. Others must fail. Answer Key Gerund: In this sentence, the words  singing  and  laughing function as nouns, making them gerunds.Infinitive: You can tell that  to dance  is an infinitive because to precedes the word dance.  Gerund: The verbal  breaking  serves as a noun. It is also the object of the preposition  of.(Past) participle: Implied in this sentence is the verbal phrase, that  has been  preceding the verbal,  broken, making it a past participle, which indicates something that happened and was completed in the past.(Present) participles:  Loving and caring  are actions that are occurring in the present, making these verbals present participles.Gerund:  Laughing  is a noun making it a gerund.Infinitives: The verbal to achieve, in both cases, is an infinitive because its a verb preceded by  to.Gerund:  Dying  is used as a noun in the sentence.Infinitive:  To succeed  is an infinitive—a verb preceded by  to.Gerund:  Succeeding  is a noun here; indeed, it is the subject of the first sentence, making it a gerund.

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Analysis Of Inclusive Leadership And Organizational Culture

Analysis of Inclusive Leadership A corporation in the United States began a major expansion project, moving into the international markets of Germany, Iran, Singapore, and Greece. My participation in this initiative centralized on leading the Inclusive Leadership Team (ILT), whose task included investigating the suitability of the inclusive leadership model for this effort. To facilitate the appropriate incorporation of inclusive leadership in this global effort, I led the ILT in determining the application of inclusive leadership for the reinforcement of the organizational culture. The ILT established the fitness of inclusive leadership for facilitating the development of a global organization by scrutinizing the attributes of inclusive†¦show more content†¦These traits in turn, generate an attitude of value amongst team members (Carmeli et al., 2010). One example of this effect occurred in a cardiac care facility in New England (Fitzpatrick, 2004). In this setting, the inc lusive leadership style showed positive results when several care units shared one director, changing the care environment from strictly departmental dynamics, to one where patient care was the focus (Fitzpatrick, 2004). The nurses gained mutual respect for specialized skills, and a team mentality grew as a result. By adopting this leadership model, the management took a more global view, and abandoned the â€Å"us/them† thinking, preferring the â€Å"we† philosophy (Fitzpatrick, 2004). By its name, inclusive leadership relies on all who are part of the team, capitalizing on mutual relationships that benefit both the leader and the team member (Hollander, 2012). Accomplishing goals with those on the team, rather than merely giving assignments presents a fundamental contrast between inclusive leadership and top-down configurations (Hollander, 2012). The comradery established between the leader and team member encourages a two-way relationship based on respect, responsiveness, responsibility, and recognition (Hollander, 2012). Effective leadership comes with the leader’s attention directed toward the needs and interests of the team

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Pakistan’s Banking Sector Current Situation And Critical Issues Free Essays

string(113) " banking system in Pakistan today is that the depositors are not getting adequate return on their bank deposits\." Pakistan’s banking sector reforms which were initiated in the early 1990s have transformed the sector into an efficient, sound and strong banking system. The most recent comprehensive assessment carried out jointly by the World Bank and the IMF in 2004 came to the following conclusion: â€Å" for reaching reforms have resulted in a more efficient and competitive financial system In particular, the predominantly state-owned banking system has been transformed into one that is predominantly under the control of the private sector. The legislative framework and the State Bank of Pakistan’s supervisory capacity have been improved substantially. We will write a custom essay sample on Pakistan’s Banking Sector Current Situation And Critical Issues or any similar topic only for you Order Now As a result, the financial sector is sounder and exhibits an increased resilience to shocks. † The major changes that have occurred in the banking sector during the last decade or so can be summarized as follows: a) 80 percent of the banking assets are held by the private sector banks and the privatization of nationalized commercial banks has brought about a culture of professionalism and service orientation in place of bureaucracy and apathy. ) The banks that were losing money due to inefficiencies, waste and limited product range have become highly profitable business. These profits are, however, being used to strengthen the capital base of the banks rather than paying out to the shareholders. The minimum capital requirements have been raised from Rs. 500 million to Rs. 6 billion over an extended period in a phased manner. The consolidation of the banking sector into fewer but stronger banks will lead to better management of risk. c) The banks that were burdened with the non-performing and defaulted loans have cleared up their balance sheets in an open transparent, cross-the-board manner. Contrary to the popular myth the main beneficiaries of the wirite-offs of the old outstanding and unrecoverable loans have been from almost 25 percent to 6. 7 percent by Dec. 2005. Small individual borrowers the ratio of non-performing loans of the Commercial Banks to total advances has declined. d) The quality of new assets has improved as stringent measures are taken to appraise new loans, and assure the underlying securities. Online Credit Information Bureau reports provide updated information to the banks about the credit history and track record of the borrowers. Loan approvals on political considerations have become passe. Non-performing loans account for less than 3 percent of all new loans disbursed since 1997. e) The human resources base of the banks has been substantially upgraded by the adoption of the principles of merit and performance throughout the industry. Recruitment is done through a highly competitive process and promotions and compensation are linked to training, skills and high performance. The banks now routinely employ MBAs, M. Coms, Chartered Accountants, IT graduates, economists and other highly educated persons rather than Clerical and Non Clerical Workers. The banking industry has become the preferred choice of profession among the young graduates. f) Banking Technology that was almost non-existent in Pakistan until a few years ago is revolutionizing the customer services and access on-line banking, Internet banking, ATMs, mobile phone banking and other modes of delivery have made it possible to provide convenience to the customers while reducing the transaction costs to the banks. Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Smart Cards etc. are a thriving and expanding business in Pakistan. Once the RTGS is put in place the payment system in Pakistan. Would enter a new phase of modernization. ) Competition among the banks has forced them to move away from the traditional limited product range of credit to the government and the public sector enterprises, trade financing, big name corporate loans, and credit to multinationals to an ever-expanding menu of products and services. The borrower base of the banks has expanded four fold in the last six years as the banks have diversified into agriculture, SMEs, Consumers financing, mortgages, etc. The middle class that could not afford to buy cars or apartments as they did not have the financial strength for cash purchases are the biggest beneficiaries of these new products and services. ) Along with strong regulation, supervision and enforcement capacity of the State Bank of Pakistan a number of measures have been taken to put best corporate governance practices in the banking system. ‘Fit and proper’ criteria have been prescribed for the Chief Executives, members of the Boards of Directors, and top management positions. Accounting and audit standards have been brought to the International Accounting Standards (IAS) and the International Audit Codes. External audit firms are rated according to their performance and track record and those falling short of the acceptable standards are debarred from auditing the banks. These practices were put in place in Pakistan long before the scandals of Enercon, World Call and Pramalat had shaken the corporate world. i) The foreign exchange market that was highly regulated through a system of direct exchange controls over suppliers and users of foreign exchange has been liberalized and all purchases and sales take place through an active and vibrant inter-bank exchange market. All restrictions have been removed with full current account convertibility and partial capital account convertibility. Foreign investors can now bring in and take back their capital, remit profits, dividends and fees without any prior removal and directly through their banks. Similarly, foreign portfolio investors can also enter and exit the market at their own discretion. The main lesson learnt from the last decade suggest that financial sector functions effectively and efficiently only if the macroeconomics situation is favorable and stable. The need to maintain macroeconomic stability will thus remain paramount in the years to come. The agenda for further reforms in the financial sector is still quite formidable and the challenges to spread the benefits of financial liberalization among the middle and low income households and small and medium farms and enterprises are still enormous. There are several areas of dissatisfaction with the banking sector that need to be addressed. The most serious complaint against the banking system in Pakistan today is that the depositors are not getting adequate return on their bank deposits. You read "Pakistan’s Banking Sector Current Situation And Critical Issues" in category "Papers" The difference between the monthly weighted average rates of lending and deposits is taken as an indicator of the spreads earned by the banks. It is true that these spreads have widened in the recent months land this phenomenon has caused resentment among those whose only source of income is their returns from bank deposits. But it is important to examine the facts and their form judgments The monthly comparisons are meaningless because PLS deposit rates are changed every six months, while the lending rates are continuously adjusting because they are automatically linked to T-bills or KIBOR rates. During the last eight months the weighted average deposit rate has risen from 1. 6 percent in July – Feb, 2005 to 3. 9 percent in July – Feb, 2006. This trend reflects that the return on the new deposits mobilized is much higher than what the average rate indicates. The old deposits are earning much lower rate because they were lodged at the time when the overall structure of interest rates had come down significantly. This lag is adjustment between the deposit and lending rates is due to the costs incurred by the depositor in shifting deposits from one bank to the other. The additional deposits mobilized in the last twelve months amounted to Rs. 382 billion i. e. a growth rate of 16. 8 percent. This growth rate took place despite deceleration in the volume of Resident Foreign deposit accounts. So if the deposit rates were unattractive then this high growth rate in deposits mobilized by the banks appears to be puzzling. The reason for this high growth is that the fresh deposits were fetching an average return of 6. 2 percent in March, 2006 compared to 3. 5 percent in July, 2005 – rise of 270 basis points in nine months. In the coming months the average rate is likely to move further upwards bringing them to positive real interest rates. Why have the profits of the banks risen so sharply in the last few years? There are several reasons that need to be understood: First, the drag of non-performing loans has been eased considerably reducing the need for setting aside the provisions for loan losses. As these provisions were made at the expense of the profits the banks are now reaping the benefits of building up substantial provisions and taking the hit on their profits in the past. Second, the corporate income tax rate on banks’ profits has gradually come down from 58 percent to 38 percent saving on their tax deductions. These savings not only get translated in to higher profits but also act as incentives for better performance because the tax rate no longer acts as a penalty. Third, the diversification of the banks assets into new and so far underserved segments such as agriculture, mortgage, auto, SMEs, Consumer and Credit Cards have raised their net interest margins. As competition has become quite tough in the corporate segment the margins on corporate loans have been squeezed considerably. But the spreads earned in these new segments are quite attractive. Thus a large part of the profits originate from lending to these underserved segments of the population. This is a Win- Win situation as small farmers, small businesses and middle class consumers, who had so far been denied access to bank credit, are able to get financing the banks are able to earn higher spreads. Fourth, there has been a shift in the maturing profile of both the banks’ deposits and banks’ loans. Half of the total deposits are now placed for short term duration earning negligible rates of return compared to the past where the distribution of deposits were concentrated in medium to long duration earning much higher returns. On the assets side, more of the bank loans are being disbursed for fixed investment purposes. These have long maturity structure and pay higher interest rates in double digits. This shift in the composition of deposits and advances has helped earn the banks a higher spread boosting their profitability. As the majority of the banks are operating in the private sector they will remain guided by the bottom line considerations i. e. the profits. Consolidation and market competition will act as a deterrent on abnormal profits but it is the responsibility of the regulator to ensure that these profits are not made by taking excessive risk with the depositors’ money or by banks indulging in collusive practices. The regulator has to ensure that the access to credit is further broadened and small farming households, small and medium businesses and middle classes are able to meet their legitimate credit needs. At the same time the regulator has to take stringent action against those banks found guilty of anti-competitive or collusive practices. Another popular indictment against the banking sector is that they are financing speculative activities such as stock market trading, real estate, commodities, auto etc. The facts do not support this indictment. Direct and indirect exposure by banks in stock market equities has been limited to 20 percent of their capital i. e. the maximum amount all the banks can collectively provide for this activity is only 40 billion. The outstanding stock of bank advances in March, 2006 stood at Rs. 2063 billion. Thus the bank credit allocated for stock market equity trading is less than 2 percent of the total advances of the banking system. If we further assume that some amounts are diverted from consumer loans or corporate loans also the exposure of the banks may double to as much as 4 percent but the securities and collaterals against the diverted loans may not necessarily be the scrips themselves. Real estate financing by banks is restricted to mortgage loans only and the purchase of plots cannot be financed by the banks. Mortgage loans can be disbursed in installments after physical verification of the various phases of construction. The total disbursements of loans for mortgage amounted to Rs. 11. 4 billion in FY 05. Commodity financing and its prevailing rates are not attractive for the borrowers as there has been net retirement of commodity loans in the first nine months of the current fiscal year. The regulatory environment for the banks to indulge in lending for speculative purposes is not very propitious. The State Bank of Pakistan supervisors are not only vigilant in their on-site inspection but they monitor the banks on a continuous basis and can detect irregularities and violations fairly quickly. The more deterrent effect of strong oversight by the supervisors is enough to discourage such activities. The penalties imposed by the supervisors on recalcitrant banks are quite severe. How to cite Pakistan’s Banking Sector Current Situation And Critical Issues, Papers

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management free essay sample

A magnet hospital is considered to be one where nursing provides excellent patient care, where nurses have a high level of job satisfaction, and where there is a low staff nurse turnover rate. This paper will discuss how nursing leaders and managers obtain magnet designation. Nursing leaders and managers play an important role in attaining magnet designation and take different approaches in order to achieve such status. Obtaining magnet status is essential and highly recognized in the nursing practice today. Nurses play a vital role in patients’ and families’ overall experience and are the primary source of care and support during the most vulnerable times in an individuals’ life. At magnet hospitals, nurses are attentive and knowledgeable, spending more time at patients bedsides providing compassionate and upmost quality of care. Managers are constantly striving to maintain quality service and patient care through the use of patient surveys in order to plan short and long term objectives in order to take appropriate actions. With the use of patient surveys, managers are able to inform their staff on areas for improvement or where to keep up the good work. Managers provide direction and motivation to their nursing unit in order to carry out desired actions and are focused on making sure that their staff are following the correct policies and procedures in order to maintain a safe workplace. Leadership in nursing maintains proper policies and procedures, but the main focus is on influencing staff to accomplish goals. Nurse leaders inspire others to work together in quest of a shared goal, for instance, improved patient care. The nurse leader is a critical thinker, sets goals, uses effective communication, and recognizes the emotional needs of others (Roskoski, 2012). Nurse leaders carry out any changes that are to be made that have been implemented by management. Scottsdale Healthcare is an organization of magnet status and is continuously striving to find ways in which to improve patient satisfaction and quality of care. As of October 2011, Scottsdale Healthcare implemented bedside report in order increase patient satisfaction providing the patient and family knowledge in regards to their condition and plan of care in order to set goals for the patients recovery and gives them the ability to ask questions. Prior to bedside report taking effect, management gathered all employees from the unit going over what is to be expected and how bedside report was not only taking effect on our unit alone, but hospital wide. Nursing leaders knew that they had a situation at hand due to the fact that nursing staff was so comfortable in giving report at the nurses station and did not want to wake the patient or deal with a family member, but they remained positive and encouraged staff that this would dramatically change our satisfaction scores. In maintaining patient satisfaction scores, the hospital would qualify for reimbursement from Medicare. The nurse leaders were the one’s who made the transition a smooth process, as the managers just informed staff how things were going to be. The nurse leaders give others the ability to understand the vision, informing those of why they are being asked to do things, and how it relates to the bigger picture (The difference between leadership and management, 2012). In order to maintain magnet status, managers and nurse leaders must work together in order to meet the necessary requirements. With implementing bedside report, not only have patient satisfaction scores increased, the rapport between patient and nurse and quality of care has increased as well. Organizations such as Scottsdale Healthcare are recognized for treating their employees with respect and encourage educational growth in offering tuition reimbursement. With upholding magnet status, organizations are able to keep their employees when given the ability to offer such programs. This writer has been an employee at Scottsdale Healthcare for five years now and has seen many changes take effect on the unit implemented by the nurse manager striving to increase patient satisfaction. Changes that have occurred on the unit consist of edside reporting, hourly rounding, and updated white boards for patient information, just to name a few. Within the past couple of months, patient satisfaction scores have decreased and management is not happy. The nurse managers have informed staff that if hourly rounding, bedside reporting, and updating white boards are not being completed employees will be reprimanded. The nurse managers have been going into patient rooms asking the patients if their nurse has been performing the tasks as listed above, and take it upon themselves to tell the patient that if these tasks are not being performed, then the nurse could possibly be terminated. With all the negative feedback from the managers, nurses are becoming burned out. The nurse managers want to see an increase in outcomes, but drive to do so is lacking from constant negative feedback. At the last staff meeting, we were informed that if patient outcomes did not increase, then we need to start looking for employment because there are other individuals out there that would love to have our position. On the other hand, the nurse leaders acknowledge the irritation of decreased satisfaction scores, but go above and beyond to build up morale for a positive change. Those who take the time to listen to others and incorporate ways to improve issues on the unit are considered as participatory leaders. This leadership style includes the leader and one or more employees in the decision making process (Leadership Styles, 2010). As a team, the nurse leader and employees will be able to come up with a plan on ways to improve patient satisfaction, with the nurse leader having the final say. All in all, managers and nurse leaders ultimately have the same goal; it is just the difference in approaches and how one handles stress. A nurse leader wants to provide assistance in any way possible, they are creative and remain positive, whereas, nurse managers will stay completely focused on improving situations and are more controlling not providing any assistance. This writer believes that she is a better leader than manager. Participatory leadership is this writers way of dealing with situations at hand. Effective communication and taking into consideration the feelings of others along with providing a helping hand whenever in need is of upmost importance to this writer. A way that patient satisfaction scores could increase on the unit that this writer works on is if the managers took a different approach in how they speak to their staff creating a different vibe on the floor rather than biting your tongue every time you see their face. However, it is very possible that due to the clientele we provide care to, a lot of them suffer addiction problems and often times request more medications than what we are able to give. These unhappy patients are more than likely the ones who return the patient satisfaction surveys, therefore, resulting in poor satisfaction scores. Leadership and management play an important role in the nursing process, but their focus is different depending on the situation. Nurse managers and leaders strive for doing the right thing and doing things right. With the dramatic and rapid changes in healthcare today, possessing critical thinking, active listening, and coping skills are essential in the nursing workforce. Together, leaders and managers need to imagine the future and lead the way to a productive and well-organized unit with satisfied employees in order to maintain magnet status.