Virtual Teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Virtual Teams - Essay Example And within this culture it is necessary for each individual to take his won developmental path, which is actually the core of the functioning of virtual organizations. Virtual Teams have become an integral part of many organizations because of all increase in corporate restructuring, competition, and globalization. A virtual team is also defined as one that conducts its work almost entirely through electronic technology. Virtual team members, who are normally isolated both geologically and organizationally, hardly ever meet face to face while relying on technology for task-related communication (Matthews-Joy & Gladstone, 2000). Because communication is often seen as the most important factor in coordinating work among team members, effective communication is vital for virtual teams. However, "in virtual teams, separated by geographical distance, the process of developing a shared understanding is more challenging" (Ancona & Caldwell, 1992). In particular, such teams must address three challenges to accomplish their goals. The first challenge is compensating for the lack of face-to-face interaction. When meeting in person, team members can depend upon voice levels, smiles, and raised eyebrows to determine whether they are being understood; however, virtual teams do not have these nonverbal cues and can fail without communication strategies to manage the lack of face-to-face communication or silence. Because research continues to support the findings of Mehrabian that communication is predominately nonverbal, virtual team members lack one of the primary elements for generating shared understanding. Even in the best videoconferencing, facial expressions can be difficult to pick up if the transmission is poor, if someone is off camera, or when the mute button is pressed. Therefore, it is essential for individuals who are about to become part of a virtual teaming experience to be sensitized to the importance of this barrier and how it may be addressed. Second Challenge A second communication challenge for virtual teams is building relationships. Successful teams are founded on a relationship of trust, and relationships are easier to build face to face. Virtual teams are confronted with the challenge of establishing trusting working relationships through technological interaction alone. Virtual team leaders need to pay close attention to the first interactions team members have with each other to support the creation of positive interpersonal relationships. People who are being prepared for participation in virtual teams need to be taught methods of increasing the likelihood of getting off on the right foot with each other. Third Challenge A third challenge is accessing and leveraging the unique knowledge of each member to successfully achieve the team's goal. While a team is working on a project, usually the project is like a puzzle, and each team member is responsible to work on an assigned piece of the project. The team must develop a system for sharing information so that nothing relevant to solving the problem is lost. What some team members may consider the most insignificant piece of information may prove to be critical to the final solution. Whereas

Information Needs by Position, Function and Role Essay

Information Needs by Position, Function and Role - Essay Example Certainly, having an appropriate organizational model in place is a precondition for long stint success (Pugh, 1990). This is because of its ability to identify and address the innumerable business and human realities of the corporation in question. An organization is a three layer system where at the bottom the organization’s material flows (activities of the first kind). Decision makers, managers of the organization are at the top. The middle layer receives information from the bottom, processes it and presents it to the decision makers. Decisions made in the top layer influence the bottom layer activities. For organization mangers to make qualitative decisions, they need to receive qualitative information on time (Pugh, 1990). This will result in the delivery of decisions to the bottom layer on time. Qualitative realization is attained if these information flow procedures are ensured by the middle layer. The two fundamental requirements of an organizational structure includ e division of labor into distinct tasks and coordination of that labor. This is such that the workers are able to accomplish the company’s goals. ... It may choose to cluster these utilities together under the department of marketing. Bigger establishments may organize so much of these undertakings that they isolate sales into a department different than the other functions (Pugh, 1990). Hence, qualitative information is required on the customer’s needs as well as the company’s performance in the market. The company should have information on how to establish market niche. The other information needed is the need for competitor intelligence. The company should be equipped with strategies to beat the competitor. Roles Once a corporation has proven how functions are convened, then functions must be allocated to the people who have the capability to perform them. Many establishments make roles to execute these functions. Companies should have information on ranks with job explanations that will assist employees to know the range, function and parameters of their roles. This will create a system of accountability and rel iability between all the people working in an organization (Pugh, 1990). In corporations big enough to have several people in a branch, roles aid in making sure that each person is taking care of central functions without replication or desertion of tasks. For instance, in a finance division, they might have a controller, accounts payroll person and an accounts collections person. All these people form part of a crew with an inclusive job to manage the firm's cash flows. However, every one of them has a set of duties that boost efficiency and ensure the assiduousness of the team. Information needs associated with organizational roles include information on training programs and motivation strategies for the employees. There is a need for

Gastrointestinal Cancer Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gastrointestinal Cancer - Term Paper Example Helicobacter pylori are infective organisms which have been linked with the gastric cancer. Colorectal cancer is associated with genetic mutations as well low fibre diets and diets which lack essential vitamins. Gastrointestinal Cancer Cancer is uncontrolled and abnormal growth of a tissue destroying the adjacent tissues also. Sometimes the cancer metastasize which means the spread of cancerous cells from one part of the body to other part of the body through blood or lymph fluid. These properties of cancer make it more dangerous than benign tumours because benign tumours do not attack the nearby tissue and thus do not destroy them and benign tumours do not metastasize. Cancer cells have self sufficiency in growth, self replicative, insensitive to antigrowth signals and avoid apoptosis. Gastrointestinal system is a complex system which breaks and digests the ingested food mechanically and with the help of enzymes. Cancer can occur in gastrointestinal system too like esophageal cancer , gastric cancer, liver cancer, gall bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, colon cancer and anal cancer. Esophageal cancer is condition in which the cells of esophagus start reproducing abnormally in uncontrolled way which destroys the esophagus. The cancer in esophagus mostly occurs in epithelial cells which lines the surface of esophagus. There are two types of esophageal cancer: squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. The squamous cell carcinoma mostly occurs in those populations which excessively consume alcohol, tobacco and hot tea. Adenocarcinoma is that cancer of esophagus which occurs in higher socioeconomic class, or in population with obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Generally squamous cell carcinoma occurs due to the irritation in esophageal squamous epithelium. The risk factors for the development of squamous cell carcinoma are tobacco, alcohol, high starch and low fibres diet, achalasia and a few more. Excessive tobacco use is can cause esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. If a person smoke cigarette or use smokeless tobacco products the effect of tobacco causing squamous cell carcinoma remain the same. Chronic alcohol use is also cause of development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The quitting of use of tobacco and alcohol decrease the risk of development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Unbalance diet is also increase the risk of development of squamous cell carcinoma. Diet rich in starch and having low quantity of fibres aid in development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma occurs in patient with previous achalasia. Chronic irritants of the esophagus, Plummer-vinson syndrome increase the risk of squamous cell carcinoma. Adenocarcinoma occurs in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and Barrette’s disease history. Barrette’s disease is the metaplasia of epithelial cells of esophagus. Metaplasia is the reversible change of cells which are replaced by another type of adult cells. In Barrette’s disease normal stratified squamous epithelium of distal esophagus is replaced by coloumnar epithelium containing goblet cells. The development of adenocarcinoma from Barrette’s esophagus is a long process which takes years to occur. The degree at which change in the cells occurs is responsible for development of

Strategic planning of the business organization of Zara Essay

Strategic planning of the business organization of Zara - Essay Example This study looks into the Luxury brand Zara that aims at delivering the latest fashion to the consumers in an affordable cheap price. Other than the business goals, the organization aims at contributing towards the development of the overall society. The organization has a strong vision of maintaining corporate social responsibility for the uplift of the society. The commitment towards the environment has a strong impact both on the customer satisfaction. The organization dedicates to conserve energy by the maintenance of eco friendly shops and producing fewer wastes in the process of production. As the organization has to deal with products from the animal origin, the organization takes in to consideration that the raw materials does not come from the sacrifice of the animals and they only originate from animals which are raised in the food farms. In matters of corporate objective, Zara fashion aims at being the global leader in the fashion industry, among the stiff rising competiti on. Zara fashion tripled its size between the period of 1996 and 2000 and the overall profitability of the organization increased at a mammoth rate in between 2001 and 2007. The production process of the organization takes place at a fast pace and the organization launches almost 11,000 items each year. In the year 2010, the organization had accounted sales figure of 8,088 million dollars which speaks volume about the success. At present the organization has its presence in almost 77countries of the world and is efficiently catering to the needs of the fashion conscious people round the world. The company adheres to organizational policies and various strategies which have contributed to the overall success of Zara (Gallaugher, 2008). 3.1 Environmental Analysis In order to study the success factor and the strategies of Zara fashion, the study of the environmental analysis is undertaken to critically highlight the environmental conditions under which the organization operates and to identify the favorable factors and the obstacles which the organizations encounters in carrying out the day to day operations (Lynch, 2009). As the organization is based in Spain and operates largely in the European Union, so the PESTLE analysis is carried out with respect to Spain with a focus on the European Union. Political factors in Spain: The Spanish government maintains the flexible policies for the overall operation of the fashion industry. As the most of the fashion houses thrives on the export of their product, the government maintains policies so that the export of the fashion goods can take place without posing much hindrance to the fashion makers. Because of the leniency of the trade policies maintained by the Spanish government , the fashion makers Zara did not faced any difficult or restriction form the government in carrying out their day to day operations. The political stability within the country also has an influential role in the success of the organization deal ing with the fashion products. The market of Zara was further influenced by the liberalization of the world

Leadership and People Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership and People Management - Assignment Example His action of consulting each member of the team is very crucial to mention. Every aspects of business operation such as financial, sales, human relations and maintenance operations are considered towards formulating a solution. This leads each involved to participate and form part in the decision making. In financial concerns, he was able to think of the cost and consult for figures that can contribute greatly to the existing alternatives on hand. In sales and human relations, he was able to consider the side of customers and employees respectively. His action leads to a group discussion about the issue that gave everyone a chance to voice their comments and suggestion as far as their responsibility is concerned. The consensus of each member results to output that can be consider and use in the decision making process. This will further combine their opinions and mindset in order to come up with a common decision for all. On the other hand, the ineffective actions of Bud will include of his coming late in the set meeting. Though a reason is provided for his action, a misinterpretation in line with the urgency and value of meeting is possible. He is able to create a discussion among members but no define goals is set for each responsibility. Organization of tasks in order to create a common decision is missing. The opinions, suggestions and comments from the group do not reflect goal setting towards achieving the task. His degree of initiating structure is inadequate, with regards to organizing and delegating responsibility to team members. The establishment of procedures, work timetable, and expected output from members is not evident. The degree of consideration on the other hand is given more emphasis by Mr. Bud. The environment became very warmth and full of support that lead each member to eye the effect on their own area of responsibility only. The focus towards the real issue receives little attention against other concerns that Bud and other member finds more interest, the office party and lunch meeting for instance. The idea of Bud of reaching a decision at a later time and seeking a consultant for the said issue is a result of poor focus on the task to be accomplished. The enthusiasm he shows is not sufficient to lead his members to formulate and come up with a right decision. There is no eagerness on his side to accomplish what is viable even when the time seems to be early. In order for the meeting to be successful, various points should be concerned about and done. Foremost is the setting of the meeting environment and work ethic, Bud should give the meeting schedule of high importance that a crucial decision needs to take place, and that his punctuality should be observed on the set schedule. In this connection, the rest of the team will be aware of the significance of the situation and this will entice goal setting and increase drive to accomplish them. As far as every aspect of the operation is concern, every detail should be considered in the process of decision making. In terms of financial issue, Bud should foresight every figure that will count. The decision to be developed should have that capability to deal with possible implications in the future and the cost benefit analysis should be given emphasis. Customers being regarded as the

Theory to Practice Essay Example for Free

Theory to Practice Essay The two parties involved never had a valid written contract. In the scenario, the parties negotiated for a period of 90 days and 3 days before the deadline set in the original negotiation contract they reached a verbal distribution agreement. In the original negotiation contract, it states that there would be no distribution contract unless it was in writing. When the BTT manager sent the e-mail to Chou, he mentioned the terms of a distribution agreement, but it does not make the email a contract due to the fact that neither party signed it. Only an oral agreement was reached. Without a legally binding draft and both parties signatures no contract exists. Though the contract was in process even the details had been identified, however; it fell through the cracks because of the management change at BTT. Initially, BTT paid Chou $25,000 for exclusive negotiation rights to his board game for a 90-day period and held meetings where details were discussed and agreed upon. This lead Chou to believe they were serious about finalizing an agreement on a distribution contract. Chou received an e-mail with the details of the contract, however; nowhere on the e-mail did it note that it was in-fact a contract. Chou received a fax from BTT requesting a draft for a distribution agreement contract. Chou immediately responded and then did not hear back from BTT for several months. New management at BTT took over and made the decision to inform Chou that they are no longer interested. Since the contract was not drafted within the original 90-day period, the new management was not obligated to distribute the board game, and therefore, had every right to turn Chou away instead of  honoring the oral contract. However, the statute of frauds also constitutes the e-mail as a sign document. â€Å"Case 6.3 Stevens v. Public is a great example of the court awarding the contract since the e-mails contained the name at the end of each message that signaled the author’s intent to validate its contents,† (Melvin, 2011, p. 152). The fact that both parties were communicating by email did not have an impact on my analysis of the situation. In the paperless world that has evolved, electronic communication is just as effective as paper communication. This e-mail shows an agreement by both parties on the key terms of the distribution agreement made in the meeting. Even though the e-mail never stated the word â€Å"contract,† this e-mail still shows an acknowledged contract of terms between BTT and Chou. Using the Mailbox rule, this e-mail had a name at the bottom of the page is considered a signature on an electronic document (Melvin, 2011, p. 137). Under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), the statute of frauds applies to any contract for the sale of goods for $500 or more, and any lease transaction for goods amounting to $1,000 or more (Melvin, 2011, p. 151). Chou received the $25,000 under the negotiation agreement, which should be considered under the sale of goods of the Strat game. Under UCC laws, the statue of fraud applies when a contract cannot be fulfilled within one year’s time. Under these stipulations, the statute would apply. However, there is one element required to meet this stipulation, and that is the signature of the party in the contract. The e-mail from BTT shows the acknowledged agreement between the two parties with a name at the bottom of the e-mail showing an electronic signature from the company. The issue of Chou being misled by the money, verbal agreement, and the e-mail could also be used in this scenario. BTT cannot avoid this contract with the doctrine of mistake because there was no unilateral mistake in the scenario (Melvin, 2011, p. 141). A mistake is defined under contract law as â€Å"The belief that is not in accord with the facts.† They have not done anything to indicate there were any mistakes on the agreements with Chou. Chou may have a unilateral mistake because his  90-days were up in just three days. He managed to get an oral agreement with BTT in a timely manner. Before Chou could type up their agreement, a BTT manager sent him the e-mail that stating the agreed information, he made the mistake of thinking this was the contract from BTT. Assuming arguendo that the e-mail constituted an agreement between BTT and Chou, both parties were in agreement to the terms of the distribution agreement even though it was only verbal. The verbal agreement was done within the 90-day period as specified by the negotiation agreement. Also, BTT gave a check for $25,000 for the exclusive negotiating rights shows that BTT intended to reach a contract with Chou. Both parties had been actively participating several months as if the agreement were in active status. Finally, BTT had also sent Chou a fax asking him to send them a draft of a contract for the distribution agreements. BTT has stated they are no longer interested in distributing Chou’s new strategy game, Strat. By BTT making this decision, they are breach of contract with Chou. Chou could be entitled to sue BTT in an attempt to recover damages. Remedies at law would constitute compensatory damages against BTT. Some of the claims that might be legitimate to this case are: 1. Breach of contract- There are some cases where the breach is not material, sometimes referred to as partial breach, where the nonbreaching party may not be relieved from performing. However, the nonbreaching party may still recover damages related to the breach from the breaching party (Melvin, 2011, p.168 ). 2. Compensatory damages- Cover a broad spectrum of losses for recovery of actual damages suffered by the nonbreaching party. These damages are an attempt to put the nonbreaching party in the same position she would have been in if the other party had performed as agreed. This includes such sums as out-of-pocket damages and even potential profits that would have been earned if performance had occurred (Melvin, 2011,p.171). 3. Injunctive relief- A court order to refrain from performing a particular act is known as injunctive relief (Melvin, 2011, p.173). 4. Promissory estoppel- Theory allowing for the recovery of damages by the relying party if the promisee actually relied on the promise and the promisees reliance was reasonably foreseeable to the promisor (Melvin,  2011, p.143). 5. Consequential damages- Consequential damages compensate the nonbreaching party for foreseeable indirect losses not covered by compensatory damages. An aggrieved party is entitled to recover consequential damages if the damages are caused by unique and foreseeable circumstances beyond the contract itself. In order to recover consequential damages, the damages must flow from the breach (i.e., the damages were a consequence of the breach) (Melvin, 2011, p.171). 6. Restitution- Restitution is a remedy designed to prevent unjust enrichment of one party in an agreement. In the event that one party is in the process of performing the contract and the other party commits a material breach, the nonbreaching party is entitled to rescind (cancel) the contract and receive fair market value for any services rendered (Melvin, 2011, p.172). 7. Liquidated damages- Liquidated damages are damages that the parties agree to ahead of time. In some cases it may be very difficult to determine actual damages, so parties may agree at the time of the contract that a breach would result in a fixed damage amount. Liquidated damages provisions are commonly used in license agreements (such as a software-user’s license) whereby the parties agree (Melvin, 2011, p.172). 8. specific performance- Specific performance is a remedy whereby a court orders the breaching party to render the promised performance by ordering the party to take a specific action. This remedy is only available when the subject matter of the contract is sufficiently unique so that money damages are inadequate. 17 Therefore, specific performance is rarely available in a sale of goods case unless the goods are rare (such as a coin collection) or distinctive (such as a sculpture) where the buyer cannot reasonably be expected to locate the goods anywhere else (Melvin, 2011, p.172). 9. Reformation- When the parties have imperfectly expressed their agreement and this imperfection results in a dispute, a court may change the contract by rewriting it to conform to the parties’ actual intentions. This contract modification is called reformation (Melvin, 2011, p.173). Technically a breach of contract only exists if BTT sent the e-mail within the 90 day period. If the e-mail was not sent within the 90 day period there is a possibility that the stipulations in the negotiation agreement will cause trouble for Chous case. However, BTT did eventually send the e-mail  which I believe will hold up in court, and give Chou the remedies he needs and deserves. There are many rules that one must follow to make a contract a legal document. Whether a document is written or an oral agreement, these must be followed exact. People whether they are business owners or not, face issues with contract on a daily basis. This is why there are laws in place to protect them and punish them when fraud occurs. References Melvin, S. P. (2011). The Legal Environment of Business: A Managerial Approach: Theory to Practice. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Helping Nursing Students to plan and understand their career

Helping Nursing Students to plan and understand their career Introduction This paper provides critical information aimed to help Nursing Students to plan out their career and have a better understanding of Reflection Nursing in the health care industry. The paper is separated into two different parts. As a nurse, individuals are exposed to several number of employment positions during the working life. The paper consists of two specific areas related to the industry. The success of a nursing career depends on gaining experience, skills and competencies to climb the ladder with different roles at higher and higher levels (Turner, 2007). Therefore, the first part of the paper provides the reader with a Career Development plan along with an analysis of the main skills and attributes requires for a nurse to have in them. The second part of the paper focuses n Reflection Nursing, discussing the aspects of this practice, including the importance of it, even though it is a criticized area in the health industry itself. This paper will focus on the technicalities behind starting off a Nursing Career and also, discuss aspects of the industry that involves constant reflections, critical thinking and analysis. Part A A Nursing Career Plan According to Dan Thomas (1994), you must manage your career like a business. In order to pursue in nursing, a career plan is an essential tool for professional development, job satisfaction and illustrates commitment to your discipline. The career as a nurse is a rewarding career with plenty of room for advancement and development (Zehr, 2010). My long term goal to achieve is to be a nurse who leads an entire ward of a health institute. However, to get there, I need to have a strong foundation. Therefore, within the coming 3 years, through hard work and continuing education, I would like to become a registered nurse and start working in an established health institute. The main attribute that attracted me towards this career is because being a nurse requires you to be intimately involved with another human being (Turner, 2007). I once read that Nursing affords the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. You can earn good money, but you can also make a difference (Hugg, 2005, cited in Turner 2007). This was the main aspect that drove me towards a nursing career in general. This career requires you to be involved in peoples most important life moments, such as birth, death or even surgery (Turner, 2007). Along with this, in the nursing career, there are always chances for more advancement and diverse ranges of specialty. In order to reach my goal to be a nurse in a leadership role, there are few processes I have to go through. The first is to pursue my Bachelors Degree of Science in Nursing. As an undergraduate, I would be able to study and familiarize with areas such as medical technology, patient care procedures, math, anatomy and biology, along with any specialized areas I might consider in the future, such as surgical nursing, obstetrics nursing, etc (Jeffress, 2003). The completing of a nursing degree takes a minimum of 2 years. While pursuing my nursing degree, I want to join an internship program at a hospital. This would be a chance for me to earn while learning. By joining an internship program, I will be able to demonstrate the understanding and competence in technical skills and procedures related to my specialty while being provided with an opportunity to apply sound clinical judgment and critical thinking throughout the process in the management of patient care (Lee Memorial, 2011). In short, I will be able to gain a knowledge base and skill set needed to transition to competence in clinical nursing practice. After the completion of my 2 year degree program, the biggest step I need to take is to pass the national licensing test in order to earn my Registered Nurse Credentials. This test would be where my theoretical and practical skills will be tested in order to ensure that I have the required qualifications to become a Practical Nurse. Passing this test would set the path to the starting off of my nursing career. Most new nurses begin their careers in emergency rooms, ambulatory care units, and general hospitals (Jeffress, 2003). Hence following the passing of the licensing exam, I would apply to work as an emergency room nurse, starting off my practical career. From here onwards, I would work my way up the ladder, to reach my long term goal, pursuing my continuing education along the way. While this would by plan for the coming three years, I plan to stay active in my career development throughout my whole career in order to stay successful. This is because many nurses careers burnout or stagnates with time without considering long-term strategies (Turner, 2007). Skills Attributes needed for a Nursing Career Nursing is a service profession (Turner, 2007) which requires me to have a combination of several skills. Nursing career is an integral part of the healthcare profession which calls for skill, hard work and devotion. While there are several skills required to be in a nurse, there are certain skills that takes priority which are: Professionally Competent knowledge based skills and ability to answer questions feasibly Developed Interpersonal Skills communication and observational skills Emotional Skills be able to deal with emotionally charged situations and ability to offer advice Being professionally competent is defined as the knowledge and skills of the nurse to make decisions and prioritize care, and includes competence in relation to physical or technical aspect of care (McCormack McCance, 2010). As a nurse I need to be organized and be effective in multitasking. While taking care of patients, nurses interact a lot with them, sometimes more than the doctors themselves. So, in order to answer any question the patient or their family might have, I would need to have a deep knowledge and understanding of the conditions of the patients (NHS Careers, 2011). A strong background in Science is required to understand most aspect of this area since it helps me understand better what is wrong with the patients. Since nurses are responsible for recording patients information such as the medical history accurately, it is important for a nurse to be intuitive to ask the right questions without missing out any critical part. Along with working with patients, a nurse ha s to work with different kinds of machines and medications during work (College Crunch, 2009). In order to work with these tools harmoniously, a nurse requires being fluent in math. Being familiar with math includes being fluent with both the standard and metric system of measurement, specifically while dealing with medications (College Crunch, 2009). According to Calman (2006), patients describe competent nursing practice as a combination of technical care and nursing knowledge, but it is only when technical care is assumed that interpersonal attributes become the more important indicators of quality nursing care. Another main kill that is required for nurses to have is a well developed set of interpersonal skills. As a nurse, I would have to work with doctors, patients and a team of other nurses communicating with them in a very fast paced environment (College Crunch, 2009). Poor interpersonal communication by a nurse can be profound and often increases the vulnerability experienced by patients. As a nurse, its crucial to be a good at listening as well as talking. With the patients, this is important to make them and their loved ones feel secure leaving their care in your hands and this skill proves important with doctors and your peer because without communicating with them, carrying out the task of patient care will be impossible. Nurses also have to be constantly alert to changes in patients conditions and the implications in terms of care (NSH Careers, 2011). They have to be able to spot anything out of the ordinary or basically anything that doesnt seem right. These changes need to be co mmunicated back to the doctors clearly and concisely in order to ensure the patients well being. With poor interpersonal skills, barriers might occur in this communication process which might include misunderstandings and even lack of information provided to certain parties involved in this communication process. In healthcare, these are errors that might lead to grave problems. Effective communication requires a combination of good verbal and non-verbal skills (McCormack McCance, 2010). Therefore, as a nurse, I would have to be able to understand gestures and facial expressions of my patients, peers as well as doctors, especially during an emergency. Emotional skills can be considered as the next main attribute a nurse is required to have. Empathy and compassion are foundation of nursing care (Turner, 2007). As a nurse, I would be able to see people at their worst days and also at their best. This involves me to have developed traits such as caring, understanding, being non-judgmental and have a strong ability to empathize with the patients from all the walks of life (College Crunch, 2009). At times of crises, a nurse is required to play a key part in helping patients and their loved ones come through these crises and manage distress within a very distressed environment. This requires very strong emotional stability in a person. Since I plan to start off my career from an emergency room, this skill set needs to be extra strong in me. This is because in the emergency room of a hospital, nurses have to deal with people who are very sick, disabled, or experiencing any number of physical, mental and emotional issues and even major ac cidents (College Crunch, 2009). In an environment as such, I would have to be emotionally strong enough to provide the patients with the help they require without letting the situation affect my judgment or quality of work. In order to gather emotional skills, I would have to learn take care of myself in order to be balanced enough to provide care to other since I will encounter difficult staff members, angry physicians, non-cooperating patients and disgruntled family members as well (Turner, 2007). With these skills and many others put in consideration, I will be able to achieve my goal into becoming a successful registered nurse. Part B In the nursing practice, reflection is a process of reviewing an experience of practice in order to describe, analyze and evaluate and so inform leaning from practice (Bulman, 2004). Reflection is undoubtedly an important concept, which has succeeded in stimulating debate and investigation, and influencing nursing education around the world (Bulman, 2004). This process involves focusing on how the individuals interact with their colleagues and with the environment to obtain a clearer picture of their own behavior (Nursing Times, 2004). Reflective thinking highlights the intermingling of practitioners feelings and emotions, and acknowledges this interrelationship with actions as well as the importance of intellectual thinking thus providing a vehicle for legitimizing professional knowledge that develops from the realities of practice and challenges more traditional form of knowing (Bulman, 2004). The process of reflection in nursing aims to develop professional actions that are aligned with personal beliefs and values. Current thinking in nursing advocates the need for nurses to be educated in ways that develop their autonomy, critical thinking, sensitivity to others and their open-mindedness (Reed Ground, 1997). Nursing is a practice discipline and effective preparation of nursing requires that we are able to care competently for our clients and continue to develop our skills and knowledge over a professional lifetime. They are responsible for providing care to the best of their ability to patients and their families (Turner, 2007). In order to achieve this, it is vital for nurses to focus on their knowledge, skills and behavior to ensure that they are able to meet the demands made on them by this commitment. According to Fitzgerald (1994), nurses develop competence through a process of critical reflection on experience; they examine their work and the contribution their nu rsing and nursing generally makes socially. She also states that in turn, nurses also consider the effect social forces have upon themselves and their work. Through the process of reflection, nurses are able to gain a heightened awareness of the variety of factors that shape their practice resulting in informed practice (Bowden, 2003). Grasping the idea that reflection is a combination of thinking, emotion and commitment to action is not an easy one. (Bulman, 2004). The process of achieving reflection in a field such as nursing can be seen as a challenge. These skills required to achieve reflection was stated by Atkins Murphy (1993) as self-awareness, description, critical analysis, synthesis and evaluation. But while the competent nurse just beginning to utilize the reflective practice is unlikely to be able to use all of these, this stems in part from the limitations of the level of performance which may be efficient and complex but is based on deliberate planning (Benner, 1984). Reflective practice is part of the requirement for nurses constantly to update professional skills. As a nurse, professional competency is a vital attribute to ensure efficiency in their daily works. Using reflective practice, portfolio offers considerable opportunity for reflection on ongoing development. Annual reviews of their self and skills allow nurses to identify their own strengths and areas of opportunity for future development (Nurse Times, 2004). Reflectio n on personal attitudes, feelings and values as well as reflection on life and educational experience is a critical process in nursing education; it is a critical process in becoming a nurse (Lundy Janes, 2009). However, there are some cases where it has been identified that reflections of the nurses as taken-for-granted assumptions that rarely acknowledge that doing as a nurse is more important than thinking or reflecting (Bowden, 2003). For reflection to be really meaningful, it must being with a shared overall aim to achieve effective learning and positive experience. Nurses face ethical dilemmas, and both professions are characterized by specific moral discourses and practiced. In nursing, it is importance to practice a professional identity and practice of personal behavior bound up with notions of moral agency: empathy, compassion, understanding. It is imperative that self-reflection be developed early in the educational experience and continued in nursing practice (Lundy Janes, 2009). Reflective practice potentially provides a way to justify the importance of practice and recognizes the interrelationship between theoretical and practical knowledge, embracing the intermingling of thin king, emotion and action (Bulman, 2004). This appeals to nurses especially because it they are able to identify with this aspect of reflective thinking since it provides a justification for practice knowledge. Peden MacAlpine (2005) discusses the importance of design, evaluation and outcomes of a reflective practice intervention that can be used to train critical care nurses on how to incorporate family intervention into their nursing practice. The befits and problems of reflective practice are many and most beneficial aspects include improvement of professionalism and better ability to tackle similar situation leading to professional development through experience in nursing (Oxbridge, 2011). Reflection practicing relates to a nurses experience and learning from the experience, helping them to change their attitude towards critical care especially in family and enhanced their communication and ability to build proper relationships with families bringing in a new way of understanding family stress or appreciating family values. Reflection helps nurses face practical problems encountered related to role integration, professional autonomy, legal and consent issues, non-medical prescribing and role evaluation. Considering the benefits of changing nursing attitudes and developing professionalism through reflective practice, many researchers have emphasized the need to use reflective practice as a training method within nursing education (Oxbridge, 2011). Guidelines could be developed according to the theoretical framework of reflective practice and can give a new direction nursing education. Reflective thinking has become a popular word in nursing education worldwide, but its meaning and effective use remains debatable because of lack of clarity in its meaning (Mackintosh, 1998). Donald Schà ¶n (1983) suggested that the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in a process of continuous learning was one of the defining characteristics of professional practice. Nurses should consider the ways in which they interact and communicate with their colleagues. Communication as discussed in Part A of this paper is a vital attribute to a nurse in the face paced environment they work in. And using reflective practicing in order to harmoniously communicate with the peers help create a more efficient working environment along with developing their personal skills as well. They should aim to become self-aware, self-directing and in touch with their environment (Nursing Times, 2004) rather than depending on their peers to carry out certain works during their daily work. This allows the nurses to provide efficient service to the clients/patients more feasibly through reflective thinking. It allows the nurses to think out of the box rather than stick to traditional meth ods and moving forward in their career themselves. This goal can be achieved by making full use of the opportunities available to them via the feedback using the impact on patients, their families, colleagues and the organization as a whole (Nursing Times, 2004). Hospitals over the millennium have developed relinquishing their role as the recognized hub of care delivery, while delivery of health care services at home, at work, at play, in schools and churches, online with the World Wide Web through the internet, and on the telephone continues to increase. In order to stay on course with these developments, nurses have been challenged to re-conceptualize their roles within the complex and changing medical contexts (Forde, McPhee, McCahon Patrick, 2006). Reflective Practicing can be used as a feasible tool against such as discriminatory practices. This tool can be used as a framework for professional development by analyzing the current, past and future actions of the individuals to avoid going against the strong ethical codes set for nurses. Evaluations along with alternatives to similar situations can be provided using reflective practice to ensure that problems do not arise in behavior of professionals (Oxbridge, 2011). While there are no set rules to developing a reflective framework, with experience an efficient framework can be developed incorporating not only reflections on actions but ethical, political and broader social issues that develop for a given experience (Bowden, 2003). This helps bring together a reflective solution that works for an organization in whole, ensuring more efficient processing of daily works within the organization. Comments that reflective practice is regarded by many authors as particular importance to continuing professional excellence which has lead to an almost unquestioned element in professionalism; the room to excellence is through reflection (Forde, McPhee, McCahon Patrick, 2006). Reflection in nursing leads to the individuals in developing their skills in leadership and provide stability to deal with difficulties and complexities within a stressing environment such as a hospital. As discussed above, there is enough educational research and theory that advocates the importance and effectiveness of learning through reflective practicing (Bulman, 2004). Through constant questioning, we see more clearly just who we really are, and what remarkable resources we have access to. We will also see more clearly, what is really facing us, and we will become more capable of accepting and responding to change (Ferguson, 2010). Conclusion In conclusion, the Nursing Career is clearly a career with chances for development and allows individuals to continue their education as they progress through their career. During their career, nurses needs to develop extensive skills during their daily basis and also use their intelligence to climb up the ladder in their career. With long-term planning and reflective practicing in hand, it is obvious that one could become very successful in the a career such as nursing.