Business Strategy and Competitive Environment of Minor League Baseball Team

Baseball is probably one of the most famous sports in the United States, along with basketball. It is very prominent and well-played in different parts of the United States, and is rapidly spreading throughout the world. It is even considered as United States’ national pastime. Minor Leagues pertain to professional baseball teams that play on levels lower than that of the minor leagues and teams in the minor league usually is an affiliate member of a major league baseball team. Competitors of Sports Baseball as a form of entertainment has a number of stiff competitors.There is the media with all of its forms — television, movies and internet. There are also an increasing attendance in theme parks, amusement parks and even carnivals. Baseball’s tickets would also be an additional expense to a household’s budget. All the more that’s people may be dragged away from enjoying the actual game. Movies never go out of fashion because there will always be so mething new for the audience. The themes of movies are well-thought of. There are various genres that would definitely fit any individual’s taste and preference.For every craving of the people, the media will innovate something to fulfill these cravings. Television, a long temptation for youngsters and competition to other forms of entertainment, still gets much attention from the populace. Television offers a wide array of shows for all genders of different ages. With the cable channels and other features and programs in television, most people would rather stay at home watching television instead of going out to watch sports games or even engage themselves in playing sports. Theme parks and amusement parks also offer a lot of fun, especially for the family.All of these things are stiff competitions for the baseball industry or for sports industry in general. The Birmingham Barons, a minor league baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama is the focus of this paper. The mino r league baseball team, Birmingham Barons, is one of the most recognized baseball teams in the United States. The history of the team will be traced back in 1885 where it was played by many during the early years of baseball. Nearly two-thirds of Barons’ fans attend the games with family members. The typical fan is a college-educated and in an upper to middle income (Birmingham Barons, LLC, 2007).During 1990s Hispanic population in Alabama increased for more than 210%, almost 27% of which are in the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area which the leading U. S. center for the Hispanic population growth and business development (Shattuck, 2005). Birmingham, Alabama also has lots of museums; Arlington Home, Alabama Museum of Health Sciences, Southern Museum of Flight, Bessemer Hall of History, Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, and the Birmingham Museum of Art, the largest museum in the location, are just some to name. A number of festivals are also found in Birmingham, wh ich features music, films, regional heritage.Future Objectives With these competitive environment of baseball in Birmingham that may be pulling the audience away from the game, the management of the said minor league baseball team should innovate ways to attract not only the Whites, but also the Hispanic masses especially now that there is a rapid growth of Hispanic population in Birmingham, Alabama. The management could consider developing a more easy to recall jingle or song, that whenever played in radio stations and television, will cling more to the minds of the people.The Birmingham Barons could also be more visible, not only to the popular masses, but also to those in small towns. Through this, more and more people could know the team and they would be more psyched to see them play. Visibility in advertisements and community work could also help in making them known. Advertisements are a seemingly sure, yet expensive way, of making the team closer to the people’s heart . Birmingham Barons has existed since 1885, thus their advertisement need not be that expensive. What they need is mass promotion.To know which of the media is most effective for the advertisement, the management may conduct Audience Needs Analysis. This is a survey to determine the medium preferred or most used by the people. For example, they tuned in more often to radio than on televisions. Or most of the people have radio sets than television. Once the management was able to determine the medium preferred by people, they would know where they could put more advertisement about their league. They may also target community radio stations, community television networks, and community newspapers.These media are not run through sponsorship and thus may accept advertisements and announcements for free. In addition, it caters to the community especially to the grassroots therefore reaching a large number of people. Another strategy to get the attention of people especially the youngste rs would be a visit to the places far away from the main office of the team. They could reach out for the out-of-school youth and for those who cannot go to their free games. These people are probably not that exposed to the game and to the team as well and thus did a little or no effort at all to go and watch the live games.They may also strengthen their fan clubs that will be of great help in promoting their teams and the baseball. The Birmingham Barons could also have school and campus tours. They could visit different primary and secondary schools, introduce their teams to the students, and promote baseball games. In these ways, they will be more visible and exposed to these young people who might have interest with sports. And perhaps for those who don’t have any interest, it would be a start to develop even a little love for sports.In terms of the number of games which saturated the people, they could have what is so-called Special Game. In here, they may go against the usual happenings in their games. For example, they will have guests from the show business in this specific date of game, a famous actor or actress perhaps. Current Strategies To attract more audience, the management of the Birmingham Barons and the whole minor baseball league offer discounts for the early buyers of tickets, for wholesale buyers of tickets and for long-time customers.These steps encourage baseball fanatics to reserve tickets earlier and these also heighten the loyalty of the audiences to the baseball team. The team and managements give small gifts and thank you tokens to their fans for their loyalty. They actually give souvenirs and give-aways after the games. The team do play games at 11:00 am designed for school children. Schools get a heavily discounted game and meal ticket for the game and since they start at 11:00 they still get back to the school before 3:00.They also have youth clinics where children come to the park on Sundays and learn from our players. Th e Barons created a â€Å"Home Run† for the Community Donation Program wherein they give tickets to the non-profit organizations. The non-profit organizations then use the tickets as silent auction items or door prizes and the proceeds were donated. Another community based activity of the Barons is their tie-up with the Pull-A-Part â€Å"Pulling against Child Abuse† promotion where they gave donation to a Children’s Hospital (Birmingham Barons, LLC, 2007).As of now, Barons have what they call Sponsorship/Marketing Kit which includes scoreboard, yearbook, radio and stadium advertising. They call for business advertisements during their games through these advertisement mediums. These have become attractive for advertisers because their captive audiences are people of middle to upper classes. As a minor league baseball team, they already have a capability of collecting funds through these sponsorships and that enables them to reach out to the masses. Assumptions an d CapabilitiesThe Birmingham Barons are already getting a big income through sponsorships and tickets sales. Most probably, their income will not actually be affected by giving extra discounts for the long time customers, early and wholesale ticket buyers, and most especially to young fans, Latino or Hispanic fans who may be driven away by other forms of entertainment the Birmingham is rich for. Birmingham Barons has already a good business strategy – they have that Marketing and Sponsorship kits which includes radio advertising, and they also have their official website.This has already enabled them to captive a large number of audiences. In addition, they are also involved in community services and an example is that â€Å"Home Run† for the Community Donation Program. The thing they must have some changes is about their target audience. Baseball should not be just for those who have money and can afford to buy tickets, but for other members of the society also. Baseb all is a game for kids as what Barons General Manager Jonathan Nelson said during their tie up with Pull-A-Part (Birmingham Barons, LLC).That’s why I also believe it should be promoted especially to young generation of fans. Baseball is not also for whites, but for everyone. Thus, it is also good to promote this with others like the Hispanic or Latino. And it is good to know that Birmingham Barons is offering a family-oriented entertainment through this sport. There are really many factors to be considered and studied carefully before acting or making decision especially in business and its environment. The key point is to focus on the goal and what is really needed.But the goal is not just to increase the income of sports but must be beyond it. They must also aim to promote the love and patronize for sports. Just think what will happen if the young people of today’s generation will lose interest to sports. And with the Birmingham Barons existence and fame for more or less one hundred years, I know they can make it to the people’s heart to once again gain their attentions and affections for sport. References Birmingham Barons, LLC. (2007). Birmingham Barons. Retrieved November 9, 2007, from http://www.barons. com/marketing/Barons07-MediaKit. pdf Birmingham Barons, LLC. (2007). â€Å"Home Run† for the Community Support Program. Retrieved November 9, 2007, from http://www. barons. com/thebarons/ communitysupport. shtml Birmingham Barons, LLC. (October 2, 2007). Home Runs Help Prevent Child Abuse. Retrieved November 9, 2007, from http://www. barons. com/nm/publish/barons705. shtml Shattuck, Michael. (2005). Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area Population Diversity Summary. Retrieved November 9, 2007, from mhrc. dopm. uab. edu/ resources_new/Birmingham

A Monster Cannot Be Created Essay

Do Humans have freewill or are they products of their environment? Everyone is different, everyone lives a different life, which factor cause a person to be the way they are nature or nurture? In Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein human nature causes Victor Frankenstein to become the real monster of the novel.  First of all let’s start out by analyzing Victor’s childhood. Victor came from a renowned family in Geneva. â€Å"I am by birth a Genevese, and my family is one of the most distinguished of that republic† (page 17). Also along with this he was born into a family full of love, in fact he was given almost all of the attention and love from his parents. â€Å"Much as they were attached to each other, they seemed to draw inexhaustible stores of affection from a very mine of love to bestow them upon me.† (page 19). So Nurture can not be held responsible for Victor’s monstrous persona, it must be because of nature. This shows that people have a predetermined personality, but this also shows certain parts of person’s personality can be reveled and or amplified due to changes in their environment. An example of this would be Alphonse Frankenstein’s disapproval of Victor’s scientific interests. Consequently forcing Victor into solitude, and revealing his obsessive tendencies. This is because Victor feels the need to measure the onward race for achievement against the yardstick of benefit to the human community. As a result of this human nature causes Victor to become a monster. Various factors influenced the development of Victor Frankenstein. For example, Victors unsupervised reading and education. This illustrates Victor’s natural obsession for knowledge. This shows the value of the human fulfillment of the pursuit of knowledge, and the importance of individual creative effort. Another example would be the immoral desertion of his creation. This shows that Victor cares little about anyone else’s interests and wellbeing. This is because Victor is extremely narcissistic and fails to assume responsibility for his relationship with others. Another case in point is the actual creation of a living human being. This shows that Victor has an innate passion for pushing the envelope of modern sciences. This helps illustrate the value of the need to measure the onward race for achievement against the yardstick of benefit to the human community. As a result Victor has a fascination for bending the laws of human nature. It seems a part of Victor’s personality goes into his creation. If you look closely at the novel you can see that there is a direct link between Victor Frankenstein and his monster, almost as if the two are doubles. For example, all of the murders Victor’s creation commits, could it be that Victor actually wants these people to be killed? Could Victor’s creation actually be another other side of him, much like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? â€Å"I considered the being whom I had cast among mankind, and endowed with the will and power to effect purposes of horror, such as the deed which he had now done, nearly in the light of my own vampire, my own spirit let loose from the grave, and forced to destroy all that was dear to me.† (page 61) Look at people that were murdered, Henry Clerval, Victor’s closest friend since childhood. He is Victors intellectual opposite, and quite possibly his rival for success. William, the more charming and spirited sibling, â€Å"when he smiles [William] two little dimples appear on each cheek, which are rosy with health. He has already had one or two little wives†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (page 56).  And what else could explain Victor’s judgment for not protecting Elizabeth from the monster. Victor is entirely aware that the monster will only kill the people close to him, and he is clearly warned that the monster will be with him on his wedding night, â€Å"It is well. I go; but remember, I shall be with you on your wedding-night.† (page 153 ). Does he tell Elizabeth, does he tell anyone what he knows? Absolutely not. The only time he tells anyone about his monster and its correlation with the murders is after everyone is already murdered. Coincidence? Some might argue that Victor’s creation is the real monster in the story because of free will. This is a valid argument but not necessarily true. Yes, it’s true that the monster had free will and that it was his decision to murder those people, but you have to understand the position the monster was in. He was abandoned by Victor as soon as he was created, and he was looked at as a hideous beast by anyone who laid eyes upon him. He was not given an equal opportunity to find acceptance among people because of his appearance, not because of his actions. An example of this is when he tries to save a young girl from drowning. He rescues the young girl, but as soon as someone else sees what is happening he automatically assumes that he is trying to murder the young girl. â€Å"The whole village was mused; some fled, some attacked me, until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped to the open country, and fearfully took refuge in a low hovel, quite bare, and making a wretched appearance after the palaces I had beheld in the village.† (page 91). What people forget is that the monster was created by Victor which is not a natural occurrence; therefore the rules of nature do not apply to him. The monster is the way he is because of how Victor created him. The only difference between the two is that the creation was not accepted in his environment, thus bringing out a hidden persona.  A monster can not just be created; a monster comes from within the creator, and in the end Victor’s creation becomes his death. â€Å"Blasted as thou wert, my agony was still superior to thine; for the bitter sting of remorse will not cease to rankle in my wounds until death shall close them for ever.† (page 205).

Auditing and Reporting of Business Performance Coursework

Auditing and Reporting of Business Performance - Coursework Example The Internal Auditing System need to follow a structured model within the organization's business framework that enables the business data to be fetched from various data sources such that they can be mapped with the Strategic Business Objectives within the auditing framework. Given that the strategic objectives of every business would be different, an empirical analysis pertaining to an industrial sector in general may not be completely useful to every company in that Industry. However, Organizations can definitely get the direction on the methodology that can lead to successful implementation of an Internal Auditing system which in turn can help in mapping the internal systems & processes of the organization with the strategic business objectives. This research is an attempt to establish such an empirical generalization pertaining to the modern practices in auditing and improvement of Business Performance (Hewitt, Bill. 2008. pp50; Pollieri, Maria. 2007. pp26-30; Boerner, Hank. 200 7. pp41-43; James, Mick. 2008. pp27-28) While an external auditor can add value to the internal auditing system of an organization, the actual contributions would be tangible from the internal auditing team only. ... This is because the reports being put forward to the executive management would be effectively modelled and consolidated by an internal team possessing in depth knowledge of the business system of the organization. Given the role & positioning of Internal Auditors, they are best placed to analyze and build these analytical models and generate audit reports that shall help the executive management to take timely proactive steps in order to protect the current competitive advantages as well as form new competitive advantages of the organization in new market segments, locations or countries. These models deliver intelligently analyzed reports pertaining to business performance and hence are commonly known as "Business Performance Management (BPM)" that is supported by the "Business Activity Monitoring (BAM)" systems. A BAM system has the potential to enable a business towards partial or full automation of business modelling & reporting thus ensuring better Process Efficiency, enhanced Employee Productivity, enhanced Customer satisfaction & retention, Transparency, Accuracy & Security of Business Information, improved compliance to Statutory Requirements & Regulations, and finally protection of Business & enhancement of Bottom Lines. The BPM practice essentially changes the way a business operates thus making it more structured, disciplined, informed and well aligned towards the business goals. Such a system unleashes a number of secrets of correlations and analysis pertaining to the business dynamics delivered with excellent levels of accuracy. The Internal Auditors are informed with accurate and consistent data from a tightly integrated and controlled system. (Landry, Steven. P, 2008. p218; April, Carolyn A. and Margulius David L. 2002. pp27) Table of

Alternate Finance Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

Alternate Finance Program - Essay Example The AFP program, in Ontario, also aims at procuring private sector involvement in the Design, Build, Finance and long term Facilities Management (FM) of these new public projects. The AFP process introduced the concept of post construction operation of buildings, to the building industry, an area where they hitherto had no significant expertise. A salient difference between the UK model and the AFP in Ontario is a contractual prerequisite for buildings to be accredited in accordance with the parameters set out in the LEED set of guidelines, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. These are a set of target driven design standards for producing "Green" or sustainable buildings. There is a swelling trend of looking at the outsourcing of non-core activities by a facilities management as an expert service provider. In this research, we would look at the hard facilities management; this expertise is discussed and provides credibility throughout this research as a fast emerging and strategic partnership role for FM professionals in building design development. The research details the existing roles and responsibilities of FM professionals and shows how they now must be merged into the design, build, finance areas along with their involvement in post construction process. My focus throughout the paper remains that the role of the FM practitioner must be that of a strategic partner to the construction consortium as their experience and expertise in managing the operation and maintenance of buildings is a necessity for successful AFP procurement and post construction execution. Last but not the least, this research involves resource material references, web articles, professional journals and interviews with industry professionals to support the hypothesis that FM Professionals are strategic to successful AFP projects. OUTLINE Chapter 1 Introduction U can add more definations if u think there is a requirement Chapter 2 Literature Review a) The role of facility management in alternative finance program design b) Sustainability and Maintenance in AFP c) LEED Accreditation, Energy and environmental issues Chapter 3 Situational analysis of Ontario It needs to be fixed Chapter 4 Methodology Why have you chosen this method of research Data analysis And add what I asked u to Chapter 5 Conclusion and recommendations Bibliography Questionnaires (whatever you have concluded from the questionnaire will go to data analysis.) Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION Would just suggest if u could add few quotes..it although have manysee for yourself Traditionally, Construction Companies never get involved at an operational level post warranty and the idea of long term responsibility for their product was sometimes new and unknown territory where they had little or no expertise. PPP arrangements are being embraced by different governments around the world, to promote collaboration between public and private sector. The ventures, which are financed and operated, through a partnership of government and involves one or may be more private sectors are referred as Public Private Partnership (PPP). "Any collaboration between public bodies, such as local authorities or central government, and private companies tends to be referred to a public-private partnership (PPP)." BBC (2003) Another definition by Pearce (n d.) will explain it further: "PPP exists where the public and private sector work together in a long term partnership to deliver a common

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 15

Business law - Essay Example Negligence is when anyone doesn’t take the necessary measures to avoid any mishap which any sensible person on the other hand would take and such irresponsible actions can lead to negligence lawsuit. Same has happened in the given case study i.e. Sunny Cruises plc v Yogesh. In this scenario Yogesh has every right to obtain legal services to get compensation against sunny Cruises. As Sunny Cruises invited Yogesh for a five day visit and they were obligated to give good services to him as it was their duty of care (Bussani & Palmer, 2003). Almost a similar case happened back in 1932 which were decided by the House of Lords. The facts of this care were that a customer named Mrs. Donoghue went into a cafe in Scotland with her friend and ordered a ginger-beer, while drinking she saw a snail’s body in the bear. Due to it she suffered severe gastroenteritis. She sued the beer company for this incident. Although the beer company said that they were not under any contract of sale with Mrs. Donoghue and were not liable for this incident as it was not even intentional but the House of Lords decided in favor of Mrs. Donoghue and she got the complete compensation. (Patten, 2012) The above mentioned case defines that negligence is a legal concept and one can be proven guilty for being negligent. Negligent acts are unintentional but are cause of reckless behavior. As in our case when Sunny Cruises invited Yogesh they were responsible for his well-being and not just his but also the other people who were present on the cruise as they can be used as witnesses. Negligence law suit has four main components and we can put Yogesh’s situation in those four criteria to prove that he is most likely to get the compensation for the physical and financial harm being caused by Sunny Cruise: The first one is that the defender had a duty toward the plaintiff. As mentioned in the case study that Sunny Cruise invited Yogesh then yes it was their duty to

The effect of EDPA and FDPA on students' final examination results Article

The effect of EDPA and FDPA on students' final examination results (You can change this) - Article Example school or college, to score well in the examination, students are now taking the help of private tuitions, specialized coaching centers as well as in modern times some software as well which are designed to evaluate the answers of the students based on their study materials and helping them to figure out where they stands before the examination. Topic of Discussion:The main question of this paper is how important is additional drill or technology for the better results in the examination. At the same time the paper is also give a comparative study of two offline technology namely EDPA and FDP and analyze based on a survey which one is better for the students. The school and college level exams bring a big pressure for the students as well as their parents also. The research has shown that the pressure of examination or weight of scoring high marks in examination always generate some anxietymind and in the heart of the student. To overcome those there are number of new theories in the present education system. Mainly the technology has changed the way students used to prepare themselves for studies and examination. The current trend of education is more or less based on one common idea and that is the last mistake is the best teacher of the student. From the early part of 1990s, the â€Å"constructivist revolution† as mentioned by Mayer (2004) has brought new conceptions of learning and the demand for life-long learning is omnipresent. To prepare students for better future as well as making them well equipped with the future corporate challenges, various educational institutes are now changing their tactics from vocational training to supervisor-oriented approach and discovery learning approach. In both of these approaches, the main focus is on active as well as experiential learning as a base of practical learning mode. The detail about school setting or the teaching process is a key behind better results. According to Kirschner et.al (2006) unguided or minimum

CAse fOr AnALYsis The New Haven Initiative Article

CAse fOr AnALYsis The New Haven Initiative - Article Example The problem solving approach adapted by Burton was successful. However, it resulted to a conflict among the employees and the management. The source of conflict was the shift of the decision-making role from the supervisors to the individual employees. Due to the shift, supervisors felt that they were losing prestige and seniority. Moreover, some employees felt that they were given responsibilities that were not theirs. This made them to rebel against the approach thus resulting to the conflict. To get workers cooperation and full management support, Burton could have taken several measures. He could not have assumed that self-management team would be appealing to everyone. Instead, he could have taken an initiative of educating the employees on the benefits they could obtain from a self-managed team. Moreover, he could have undertaken a research to identify some of the possible negative impacts of self-managed teams and possible solutions to those impacts. This could have made the management to gain confidence on the approach and thus give him their full

Features Of The Childhood Cognitive Development Assignment

Features Of The Childhood Cognitive Development - Assignment Example Constructivists gain knowledge by operating gadgets to discover their properties. The organization is an inborn tendency to combine and integrate available schemes into coherent systems or bodies of knowledge. Intelligence in Piaget’s theory is a basic life function that enables an organism to adapt to its environment. Assimilation is the process of interpreting new experiences by incorporating them into existing schemes. Schemes are organized patterns of thoughts or actions that one constructs to interpret some aspects of one’s experience (Shaffer and Kipp 215). According to Piaget, adaptation is the condition in which an individual interacts with, embraces and live by his or her socio-physical and cognitive environment. An individual gets used to his or her environmental aspects regardless of their nature. Assimilation and accommodation concepts complement each other. While assimilation allows for embracement of one’s environment, accommodation requires an individual to accept and appreciate whatever the environment brings forth, including other humans and animals (Shaffer and Kipp 224). Piaget defined intelligence as a basic function of life that enables any organism or human to adapt and fit into his or its immediate environment. Most people would refer to the term as humans’ ability to perceive and comprehend information for use in cognitive development; and manage daily lives of a socio-physical environment. Sensorimotor stage is the first major period in Piaget’s stage theory, lasting approximately 2 years from birth. According to Piaget, during this stage children are not yet able to comprehend their world and must entirely rely on others especially their mothers to think on their behalf. Piaget asserts that imitation is the purest example of assimilation.

Emergency Operations Plan Essay Example for Free

Emergency Operations Plan Essay Brownsville Texas is located in approximately 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and it is vulnerable to a major hurricane like Hurricane Katrina that devastated much of Louisiana in 2005. During Hurricane Katrina many of the things when wrong because emergency leaders were because, emergency managers were not prepared for the after mass of the hurricane. It is important for a city to have a structured Emergency Operations Plan in place in the event of a major hurricane. This will help make emergency operations run smooth and emergency managers make important decisions. Hurricanes are measured in Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. This gives the hurricane a rating of 1 to 5 based on its sustained wind speed (NOAA, 2013). The rating is also based on the amount of damage a hurricane can create once it makes land fall. For example â€Å"any storm that reaches a sustained wind speed of 74-95 miles per hour (mph) is considered a category 1 hurricane† (NOAA, 2013). Any hurricane that reaches a sustained wind speed of 111-129 mph is category 3 hurricane and it falls in a major hurricane category. Category 3 hurricanes and higher are considered the most dangerous and have the potential to create the most damage (NOAA, 2013). 1.Purpose of the plan The purpose of this plan is to establish an Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) that will provide guild lines and procedures for emergency managers in the event of a major hurricane in the South Texas area. The Emergency Operations Plan will show the vulnerabilities of the City of Brownsville, major concerns that city managers have, contact information for local hospitals, Fire Department, Police Station and it will also help emergency managers coordinate operations with local, State and Federal Agencies. It will also indicate the location of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the Unified Command Center. The EOC leader or manager will have complete command and control of all emergency operation, before, during and after the hurricane has made landfall in the city of Brownsville. The EOC will be the primary base of operations throughout the disaster. This means that all emergency operations will be coordinated through the EOC and all emergency managers and team leaders will report to the EOC, as soon as they arrive on scene and before any operations start. The EOP will establish a chain of command that will be followed by all agencies and private organizations  involved in emergency operations. This will include all local, State and Federal agencies assisting or participating in the EOP. The EOP will also indicate the locations of the primary and secondary EOC. The secondary location for the EOC will be used in the event that they primary location of the EOC is damaged during the hurricane and can no longer be safely used to conduct emergency operations. The EOP will also indicate who will participate in the emergency operations and what role they will have throughout emergency operations, before, during and after the hurricane. This will help emergency managers better utilize the resources that will be available to them. This will also help emergency managers plan and execute emergency operations in a safe and protective manner. The goal of the emergency plan is to provide as much information as possible to the community before the hurricane makes land fall. During and after the hurricane mission is to save as many lives as possible. This will be done through conducting emergency operations, providing medical care to the injured and by establishing temporary shelters to people that have had to evacuate their homes. 2.Situation Brownsville, Texas is located in South Texas and is a city that is approximately 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. The cities or communities along the Gulf of Mexico coast line are vulnerable to a potential hurricane during hurricane season. Hurricane season normally starts on June 1st and ends on November 30th (Brownsville Herald, 2014). This is the time when tropical storms form out in the Gulf of Mexico. But not all storms that form are considered hurricanes. When a storm becomes a hurricane, they are considered very dangerous storms because they have the potential cause a lot of damage. This EOP is designed to be put into action in the event of a category 3 hurricane or higher threatens the city of Brownsville. A category 3 hurricane can bring rains that can last for a long period of time. This can cause floods in certain parts of the city, the high winds are also a major concern because â€Å"framed homes may incur major damage or removal of roof decking and gable ends (NOAA, 2013). These high winds can also break trees that can cause roads to be blocked for long periods of time. A category 3 or higher hurricane can also affect the electricity and running water in the city. This means that people in many communities  throughout the city can be left without running water or electricity for days. 3.Assumptions Assuming a category 4 hurricane in enroute to the Gulf of Mexico coast and it will directly affect the city of Brownsville, emergency managers have a plan in place to start warning the community of the threat the 4 hurricane poses. This is done by using the media and providing up to date information on the status of the hurricane. At least five days before the hurricane makes land fall emergency managers need to start providing the community with up to date information on the hurricane. This will include strength of the hurricane and the potential damage it will create. Emergency managers should make plans to conduct emergency operations for at least 24 to 48 hours after the hurricane makes land fall. This will include the first responder’s response time and evacuation operations if they are needed. Evacuating people from the local hospitals is a priority. At least five days before the hurricane makes landfall hospitals should need to contact and make arrangements for the hosp itals to be evacuated (DSHS.TX, 2013). 4.Concept of Operations The concept of emergency operations plan is to create a unified response to the threat of a category 4 hurricane. The will be done by creating establishing a chain of command that all agencies and private organizations can follow. The EOP will keep the community informed of any changes or any important information that they will need before, during and after the hurricane. The EOP will also establish a Unified Command Center where different agencies can work together with one common goal. The goal is to save and protect as many people as possible from the threat of hurricane. This can be done by providing early warning of the hurricane and establishing a chain of command. This is will also help emergency managers effectively us all the resources that they have at their disposal. The EOP will also establish a list of agencies and organizations that will be involved in the emergency planning and any operations during the disaster. 5.Organization and Assignment of Responsibilities The Brownsville Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security will be  the lead agency in charge of all emergency operations (OEMHS). OEMHS is responsible for planning and efforts to mitigate the effects of, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and disasters whether natural or man-made (COB, 2011). The local, State and Federal agencies and private organizations that will be involved in the EOP will be: A.Brownsville Police Department B.Cameron County Sherriff’s Office C.Brownsville Public Works Department D.Texas Department of Public Safety E.Brownsville Fire Department F.United States Border Patrol G.United States Coast Guard H.Texas Army National Guard I.American Red Cross J.Local Hospitals K.Private Businesses These agencies are considered first responders and will play a very important role in the EOP. Each of these agencies will have specific mission and will provide assistance to the community as it is needed. The assistance can be anything from helping people evacuate from their home to assisting in the city evacuation route. Each agency will have a representative at the Unified Command Center. This means that all operations and assignments will be given to the first responders from the Unified Command Center. A.Brownsville Police Department The Brownsville Police Department will maintain a command post at the Brownsville Police Department. Their representative will coordinate any and all operations through the Unified Command Center. The Brownsville Police Department will also assist in closing street or roads that are considered dangerous or that might possibly flood. They will also maintain public order and ensure that the public stays away from areas that are considered dangerous. They will also enforce any curfews that are order by emergency managers. B.Cameron County Sherriff’s Office The Cameron County Sherriff’s Office will assist the Brownsville Police Department in enforcing road closers and any curfews that are set in place. They will also maintain a command post at the Sheriff’s Office. They will also maintain a command center at the Sherriff’s Office. This will help coordinate emergency operations and asses the needs of their officers. They will also assist in the evacuation of any people that are need of assistance. The Sherriff’s Office will also help identify disabled and elderly people that might need to be evacuated before or after the hurricane has made landfall. C.Brownsville Public Works Department Brownsville Public Works Department will in charge of placing closer sign around the city streets that have been identified as flood areas. They will also place signs on the highway that will identify the emergency evacuation routes. The Public Works Department will also be in charge of evaluating the damage to the roads and street in Brownsville after the hurricane has passed (COB, 2001). This will help emergency managers identify the streets that can be used during emergency operations and will also identify the streets that need to be fixed during recovery operations. They are also in charge of clearing the city’s drainage system. Clearing the drainage pipes is very important task, because it will help clear the water from some of the flooded areas. This will also help speed up the recovery operations around the city. They will also maintain an agency representative at the Unified Command Center to help coordinate any emergency operations within their agency. D.Texas Depart ment of Public Safety The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will in charge of all evacuation routes (TXDOT, 2014). They will coordinate with city managers and establish an evacuation route 72 to 60 hours before the hurricane makes landfall (TXDPS, 2013). DPS will also coordinate with the city’s public works and coordinate the road closers along the highway. This will limit the access to the evacuation route to only controlled entry points. This will help DPS maintain control of the traffic coming in and out of the evacuation route. DPS will also coordinate with other law enforcement agencies in the area and will assign specific duties in regards to the evacuation routes. DPS will set of refueling station for vehicles that need gas along the  evacuation route. DPS will also have a representative at the Unified Command Center. They will also set up a command center at their main office, this will help them coordinate and support their operations. E.Brownsville Fire Department The Brownsville Fire Department (BFD) will play a very important role in any and all emergency operations. The BFD is highly training and equipped to handle any emergency. They have boats and breaching equipment that could be used to get people out of flooded areas. The BFD will also help establish a triage center that will help evaluate any injuries and help prioritize any medical emergencies. The will maintain personal in the Unified Command Center and will help coordinate with emergency operations from their main office. They will also assist as a liaison between the local hospitals in the immediate area. This will help evacuate the injured and facilitate operations in the triage center. F.United States Border Patrol The United States Border Patrol will maintain a show of force during all emergency operations in the Brownsville area. They will assist DPS with any and all evacuation operations and they will help enforce road closers throughout the city. This will establish a base of operations at their local Border Patrol Station and will respond to any emergency that might arise. The Border Patrol will also maintain a law enforcement presence in the city and the surrounding areas. The Border Patrol has the capability to respond to any emergency and can sustain law enforcement and emergency operations before, during and after the hurricane makes landfall. G.United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard will assist in the evacuation of people in the immediate and mandatory areas. They will also help supply small boats that the emergency responders can get into flooded areas. The Coast Guard will also maintain a representative at the Unified Command Center. H.Texas Army National Guard In the event that the Texas Army National Guard is needed, the Brownsville Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security will make a formal  request to the Governor’s Office. The Texas Army National Guard will be notified of their activation at least 72 hours before the hurricane makes landfall (TXDPS, 2013). The Texas Army National Guard will assist agencies evacuate people if needed. They will not assist in any enforcement operations as per State law. After the hurricane makes landfall they will assist in rescue operations and they will set up food and water distribution sites. Any medical personal will report to the triage center, they will then help treat and evaluate the injured. The Texas Army National Guard will coordinate with the Fire and Police Departments and will assist them in any rescue operations that they are needed in. The Texas Army National Guard can provide assistance with personal, equipment and air support. I.American Red Cross The American Red Cross and provide assistance in many different ways during a major emergency. In the event of a hurricane or any major disaster American Red Cross will be in charge of establishing shelters around the city of Brownsville. They will also register and keep track of the number of people at a shelter at any given time. They will also be in charge of distributing food, cloth and personal items to the people that need them. They will assist emergency managers set up food distribution locations throughout the city for emergency responders. They will provide assistance to people that been separated from their family members. This will help reunite families that have been separated during rescue or evacuation operations. J.Local Hospitals Brownsville has two main hospitals that will need to be kept informed of the statue of the hurricane. In the event of a category 4 hurricane the hospitals will shut down and will only take in emergency patients. This would be patients that need immediate medical attention or that have life threating injuries that need to be attended too. The two hospitals in the city of Brownsville are: †¢Valley Regional Medical Center is located at 100A E. Alton Gloor Bvd, Brownsville, Texas. †¢Valley Baptist Medical Center Brownsville is located at 1040 West Jefferson Brownsville, Texas K.Private Businesses In the event of a major disaster the Brownsville Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security will make arrangements with local businesses to coordinate supplies and equipment that might be needed during a hurricane. The business will provide food, water and any equipment that might be needed by first responders, for example pumps, generators and shovels. The OEMHS’s finance department will keep track of all the equipment and supplies that are received are ordered and received by private businesses. This will help keep track of what is being used and what supplies are needed. Any special equipment that needs to be ordered or requested will be done by the OEMHS’s finance department. This will help keep track of the money that is being spent. 6.Administration and logistics The Brownsville Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security will coordinate all emergency operations in the City of Brownsville. The Unified Command Center will have a team of representatives of each agency that are involved in emergency operations as well as representatives from the State and Federal government. The will get continuous updates of the situation and will make decisions on any issues. They will also provide logistical support to all emergency operations as it is needed. This means that they as they receive information or requests for any equipment or support the OEMHS will address this situation and take action. 7.Plan development and maintenance The OEMHS is responsible for developing the EOP in coordination with the agencies that will be involved in the plan. This means that the OEMHS will meet with the different agencies that will participate in the plan and address any issues they might have with the EOP. It is the responsibility of the OEMHS to keep the EOC updated. Every year there are changes to roads, hazards and other things that might affect emergency operations. It is the responsibility of the OEMHS to maintain the plan and to ensure that it is up to date. It is the responsibility of the OEMHS to coordinate training with the agencies involved. The OEMHS should also coordinate ensure that the city managers that will in charge of the EOP be certified and maintain their certification through FEMA. 8.Authorities The authorities that will be in charge of all emergency operations will be the Brownsville Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. The OEMHS is responsible to address any and all jurisdictional issues that an agency might have. This EOC is designed to be used during a major hurricane but it is flexible and can be used for any other kind of disaster. Communications Communications is a very important part of the EOP. In the event of a major hurricane or any other kind of disaster, communications will play a very big part in emergency operations. During emergency operation all agencies involved will use TXLAW 1, as the primary radio frequency. This will ensure that all agency managers and team leader are able to communicate with the EOP. All agency dispatchers and agency managers will monitor TXLAW 1 throughout emergency operations. This will continue until all emergency operations have stopped or the agency in no longer participating in any emergency operations. If an agency does not have radios with the TXLAW1 frequency, the OEMHS will provide radios to the agency command post and team leaders during emergency operations. Radios will be provided to private organizations like the Red Cross that will set up staging areas, establish shelters and coordinate distributions site. Team leaders and managers will remain in contact with the Unified Command Center all times. In conclusion the EOP will establish guideline that emergency managers can follow. This will help them set up a structured chain of command and establish emergency operations in the event of a major disaster or hurricane. This plan is flexible and can be changed or modified as it is required for any disaster. It is very important the OEMHS provides continu es training and maintain the EOP up to date. This will ensure that emergency operations are conducted in a safe and productive manner. References Reagan, M., (2014, April 10) Early hurricane outlook predicts light season. The Brownsville Herald. Retrieved from

Social Work Practice Essay Example for Free

Social Work Practice Essay THE SUMMARY: The article of Erlinda A. Cordero, Direct Practice in Social Work: An Overview, discuss the social work being a dynamic profession and how its practice should be ready in facing the paradigm shift. The author gave historical background on social work practice before 1970 and how these practices evolve due to varied problems and situations that arise from time to time. Also, she talks on how a state of the art practice should be administered in practicing social work where she emphasizes that for an advance direct practice, such as clinical practice, one is expected to be a holder of Master of Science in Social Work degree. The author gave a quick discussion on the philosophy of direct practice and how the instrumental values evolved and eventually became the principles or guidelines to the practice of social work. The length of the author’s discussion involves the role of social workers in direct practice and the helping process. Towards the end of her article, she discourse the implication of the roles and the helping process of social work both in education and practice. At the end part, she tackles the issues and the emerging trends in social work. Look more:  social process theories essay THE REACTION: Reading the article makes me realize the rapid evolution of social work practice due to the changing events and situations and how the author wanted the social work practitioners to adapt in this change by narrowing the gap between academe and practice. Although I am not a Bachelor of Social Work degree holder I came to appreciate the importance of both social work as a profession and the social workers as the implementing person. My current work challenges me to understand the underlying principles, processes and policies in the field of social work. I think it is my responsibility to deliver quality services to my clients, and to do that, I should equipped myself with the knowledge pertaining to the practice of social work profession. I have a full understanding of the author’s points on her article, and somewhat I agree that this paradigm shift is really a big thing to the profession for it calls for acting various roles at the same time, in facing clients with multi-problems. The demand for having a generalist  perspective is deemed necessary to address this change. I would like deal on the last part of the article that talks on the issues and emerging trends. First point is on her statement â€Å"direct practice in social work demands much from both the practitioners in the field and the social work educators preparing the future professional social workers,† which I understand is very important since a cycle of exchanging ideas and experiences foster additional knowledge to the educators to give to their students who will eventually be a social worker in the field. Direct practice however involves the provision of services to clients (individuals, couples, families and groups) through casework and group work where I think and is not very sure if academe social workers had really a chance of doing this. By this, I think it is important that a registered social worker be allowed to do clinical social work practice. Second point is on her statement â€Å"the diversity of problems and situations require not only the knowledge, skills and attitude to acquire competencies for practice for practice but equally the genuine motivation and commitment to the profession,† which is very true, for motivation and commitment speaks on the passion and the reason on the question, â€Å"why are you doing t his?† For my case, I think the commitment and motivation is there but the knowledge, skills and attitude in social work is something I need to work on. Only now that I realize that the reasons why I took public administration and nursing are basically a combination of the reason why I am engaging myself in the social work profession. That is to be in a helping profession. Lastly, I want to react on her statement â€Å"like most professions in the human service arena, social work is undergoing a shift from the â€Å"disease paradigm† to the strength perspective.† Due to the demand on levelling with the current change and development, social workers should not be tied on the reason they chose the profession because of its need but basically because of the reason that they have this â€Å"spark†, a spark that fuels them to be a committed and competent social worker. For me, I acknowledge the need for social workers today, the workers that will help the sectors of children, women, PWDs, poor, older persons, etc. to be socially capable of restoring, maintaining, improving and developing their lives but I also acknowledge that to be the best social worker, one should evaluate and understand the reason why they are in the profession and how ready they are to be of service to these clients. I am so honoured to be exposed in this profession and I really admire social workers who can help change clients’ lives. I know for myself that eventually I will be one of the best social worker, committed and competent to deliver social services. This is my goal, and somehow having the decision of taking this course is a step closer to achieving this goal. APRIL KATE K. AMADA