Swot Analysis And Porters Five Forces Information Technology Essay

Swot Analysis And Porters Five Forces Information Technology Essay Walgreens pharmacies have integrated intellectual technology into every facet of its operation. The ability to develop, implement, and analyze the effects of the IT has significantly increased pharmacy efficiency. The companys core strategies include key objectives to provide innovative IT within its business operations that place them as the industry leader. The IT transformation is not just about cutting costs but utilizing this intelligence to become the value added community destination for quality healthcare. The pharmacys many processes utilize IT to fill prescriptions, bill third party payers, maintain patient profiles, document clinical services, manage supply chain, multichannel communications, and other supportive services. The integrated platform improves productivity and performance of the organization by streamlining workflow. The pharmacy manager can utilize the key performance indicators (KPIs) to effectively manage departmental functions and improve processes. The pharmacy staff utilizes the IT to improve customer service and satisfaction. Walgreens strategy is to operate as the leader within the industry. The initiative to transform community pharmacy is dependent upon its innovative IT development. The shift from the payer and provider to the consumer directed healthcare system will change the community pharmacies model. The IT system will support the necessary tools needed to redefine the role of community pharmacy. The prioritizing of company strategy focused IT systems will further support the business objectives. The future of the IT department will be to become less dependent on consultants to provide expertise rather than investing in the training and promotion of present company talent. There will be a shift from customized software solutions for applications and the utilization of packaged options when pertinent. The assessment of the IT operating model will determine if global delivery options will be needed to support the companies twenty-four hour capabilities. Strengths Over 7,500 integrated locations to provide services 72 percent of all Americans live within five miles of a Walgreens 18 percent of the market share IT innovator IT focused strategies Multichannel communications Weaknesses Dependence on outside IT consultants Development of customized IT solutions Lacking development of global and/or off shore IT staff Opportunities Changing IT operating model Wifi hot spots Wireless network Integration of healthcare units Threats Recession limits on new IT development and costly implementation Highly trained IT personnel Highly efficient packaged software Figure 1: SWOT Analysis of Intellectual Technology. The core strategies of Walgreens are focused on IT. There is a great deal of support from management to provide innovative transformations that will increase efficiencies and improve customer service. There are over 7,500 integrated locations compromising eighteen percent of the market providing these services to the consumer (Standard Poors, 2011). The many opportunities to interface with the consumer have given Walgreens the leading market position as the most convenient community drug store. The multiple channels include: brick and mortar store, telephone, website, e-mail, mobile phone, texting, and social networking media. The dependence on outside IT consultants posses a potential risk of the under development of Walgreens staff and increased costs to the company. The utilization of customized IT solutions increases costs for development and continued support. The cost savings that could be realized by either off shore or global IT staff have not been utilized. The changing of the IT operating model has the ability to create innovative opportunities that could increase their market share. The offerings of Wifi hotspots and wireless internet connections have the potential to capture more consumers through this on-line interaction. The IT integration of all health care units serves to increase efficiency and performance for the business. Several threats of the Walgreens IT system create potential risks to their market share. The recession poses constraints on the research and development of new IT solutions and innovations. The networks of highly trained IT people have the potential to offer their expertise to the rival competition. The increase in the development of packaged software options offers a more efficient and less costly system to maintain. The competitive environment of the industry exhibits significant power to control Walgreens share of the market with its most significant rival, CVS. The ability to gain market share could be greatly dependent upon the extent of innovative IT that either company may integrate within their operations. The ability to utilize this IT to conduct a more efficient business operation and exert its leverage on the market can determine its level of control. Walgreens has positioned its company as the market leader of innovative technology by offering cost effective solutions that provide value added services to the consumer. Walgreens ability to operate as an IT strategy focused operation is key to exhibiting a competitive advantage within the market. The ability to gain a further market advantage would be dependent upon innovation that would continue to differentiate Walgreens from the competition and establish its individual Brand identity. Walgreens has utilized its company IT focused stra tegies to introduce national programs (immunizations, diabetes testing, blood pressure monitoring, ect.) to change the community pharmacy and the role of the pharmacist. This leverage within the industry has enabled them to build substantial barriers that competitors must overcome.

Temperature and Gas

Looking for a Gas Gas is everywhere. There is something called the atmosphere. That's a big layer of gas that surrounds the Earth. Gases are random groups of atoms. In  solids,  atoms  and molecules are compact and close together. Liquids  have atoms that are spread out a little more. Gases are really spread out and the atoms and molecules are full of energy. They are bouncing around constantly. Gases can fill a container of any size or shape. It doesn't even matter how big the container is. The molecules still  spread out  to fill the whole space equally.That is one of their  physical  characteristics. Think about a balloon. No matter what shape you make the balloon, it will be evenly filled with the gas molecules. The molecules are spread equally throughout the entire balloon. Liquids can only fill the bottom of the container, while gases can fill it entirely. The shape of liquids is really dependent on the force of  gravity, while gases are light enough to have a little more freedom to move. Compressing Gases Gases hold huge amounts of  energy, and their molecules are spread out as much as possible.With very little pressure, when compared to liquids and solids, those molecules can be  compressed. It happens all of the time. Combinations of pressure and decreasing temperature force gases into tubes that we use every day. You might see compressed air in a spray bottle or feel the carbon dioxide rush out of a can of soda. Those are both examples of gas forced into a smaller space than it would want, and the gas escapes the first chance it gets. The gas molecules move from an area of high pressure to one of low pressure.What is the kinetic-molecular theory? The kinetic-molecular theory states: 1) All matter is composed of very small particles called atoms,ions or molecules. 2) All of these small particles are in constant motion, even at the coldest temperature whether vibratory or translatory. 3)The kinetic energy of the particles is a meas ure of temprature. The greater the number of impacts the greater will be the pressure and vice-versa. 4) These particles collide but the total energy remains same. PropertiesThe Link Between  P  and  nThe pressure of a gas results from collisions between the gas particles and the walls of the container. Each time a gas particle hits the wall, it exerts a force on the wall. An increase in the number of gas particles in the container increases the frequency of collisions with the walls and therefore the pressure of the gas. Amontons' Law (PT)The last postulate of the kinetic molecular theory states that the average kinetic energy of a gas particle depends only on the temperature of the gas.Thus, the average kinetic energy of the gas particles increases as the gas becomes warmer. Because the mass of these particles is constant, their kinetic energy can only increase if the average velocity of the particles increases. The faster these particles are moving when they hit the wall, t he greater the force they exert on the wall. Since the force per collision becomes larger as the temperature increases, the pressure of the gas must increase as well. Boyle's Law (P  = 1/v)Gases can be compressed because most of the volume of a gas is empty space.If we compress a gas without changing its temperature, the average kinetic energy of the gas particles stays the same. There is no change in the speed with which the particles move, but the container is smaller. Thus, the particles travel from one end of the container to the other in a shorter period of time. This means that they hit the walls more often. Any increase in the frequency of collisions with the walls must lead to an increase in the pressure of the gas. Thus, the pressure of a gas becomes larger as the volume of the gas becomes smaller.Charles' Law (V  Ã‚  T)The average kinetic energy of the particles in a gas is proportional to the temperature of the gas. Because the mass of these particles is constant, the particles must move faster as the gas becomes warmer. If they move faster, the particles will exert a greater force on the container each time they hit the walls, which leads to an increase in the pressure of the gas. If the walls of the container are flexible, it will expand until the pressure of the gas once more balances the pressure of the atmosphere.The volume of the gas therefore becomes larger as the temperature of the gas increases. Avogadro's Hypothesis (V  Ã‚  N)As the number of gas particles increases, the frequency of collisions with the walls of the container must increase. This, in turn, leads to an increase in the pressure of the gas. Flexible containers, such as a balloon, will expand until the pressure of the gas inside the balloon once again balances the pressure of the gas outside. Thus, the volume of the gas is proportional to the number of gas particles. Dalton's Law of Partial Pressures (Pt  =  P1  +  P2  +  P3  + †¦ Imagine what would hap pen if six ball bearings of a different size were added to the  molecular dynamics simulator. The total pressure would increase because there would be more collisions with the walls of the container. But the pressure due to the collisions between the original ball bearings and the walls of the container would remain the same. There is so much empty space in the container that each type of ball bearing hits the walls of the container as often in the mixture as it did when there was only one kind of ball bearing on the glass plate.The total number of collisions with the wall in this mixture is therefore equal to the sum of the collisions that would occur when each size of ball bearing is present by itself. In other words, the total pressure of a mixture of gases is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the individual gases. Graham's law of effusion  can be demonstrated with the apparatus in the figure below. A thick-walled filter flask is evacuated with a vacuum pump. A syr inge is filled with 25 mL of gas and the time required for the gas to escape through the syringe needle into the evacuated filter flask is measured with a stop watch.

James Jarvis Essay

In Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country there is two protagonists, Reverend Stephen Kumalo, and James Jarvis. Both characters play significant roles to the story but James Jarvis’ situation is noteworthy and inspirational. James is an influential, dynamic character because his opinion dramatically changes upon reading his son’s manuscript. A series of events influences James to shift his mindset into the mindset of his son. An analysis on James Jarvis’ changing mindset reveals that his son’s manuscript, realizing his shortcomings, and Reverend Kumalo are all things that cause him to change drastically. When James’ son, Arthur, dies he visits Arthur’s home and finds his incomplete manuscript. When reading his writings, James finds that his son would have risked anything to help other people, and ended up doing just that. Although James is hurt by the fact that Arthur writes about his parents in a negative way â€Å"..But of South Africa I learned nothing at all.† (207), James takes the criticism and improves from it by continuing his son’s battle. James discovers that his son researches tremendously on the problems of their society, and was seeking help in the development of the social structure in South Africa. Arthur’s house contains hundreds of books and â€Å"†¦between the books there were four pictures, of Christ crucified, and Abraham Lincoln, and the white gabled house of Vergelegen, and a painting of leafless willows by a river in a wintry veld.† (176) From these pictures of Jesus, Lincoln, the gabled hose, and the leafless will ow discloses the symbolism that Arthur admires. Jesus and Lincoln were men of action; they showed love for their friends, and at the same time, their enemies. These two men suffered and died for their beliefs, the same way Arthur did. A water willow represents freedom, therefore, it can be concluded that the painting of the leafless willows represents a loss of freedom for the blacks in South Africa and how Arthur wants to gain their freedom back and help them get equal rights. When his son is shot and killed, James gets to finally know and understand him and his values. â€Å"Jarvis filled his pipe slowly, and listened to the tale of his, to this tale of a stranger† (172). James reads his sons speeches and understands his country’s segregation, relieving him of his ignorance. This comparison enables James to better understand his son and realize how concerned and devoted Arthur was for a change in humanity. After James discovers his son’s views, James starts to realize his shortcomings, and realizes that the problems of others and not only of his own. James begins to help the minority. Since his son’s death and the acquaintance of Stephen, James donates 1000 pounds to the African boy’s club. Jarvis is not just giving the money as a gift; instead he gives the money to the club because he knew the club would improve the country’s condition. Using his son’s views again, James decides to do something about Kumalo’s village, which is falling apart. He sends milk for the children, an agricultural expert, and builds a church for Ndotsheni. James builds the church because the current church in Ndotsheni is old. James and Stephen both live in the farming areas of South Africa, share the love for the same land, and what is in their lives. They each have a son of whom they consider a stranger but after they lose their sons, they begin to understand them. They both learn the problems in South Africa through their sons, and after realization, they both try to do something to improve the social, and racial differences which plague Johannesburg. Both men are strong but James Jarvis has to be the strongest for his ability to take his son’s death the way he does. Instead of being an irate, cruel, sorrowful man; he picks up where his son left off. It’s realistic that James can be forgiving to Stephen even though he is the father of Absalom, the boy who killed Arthur Jarvis. James Jarvis reacts this way because he doesn’t want anyone else to experience the same thing that happened to him; instead he wants to fix the problem before it occurs again. When his son is shot and killed, James finally gets to know and understand him and his values. â€Å"Jarvis filled his pipe slowly, and listened to the tale of his son, to this tale of a stranger† (172). He reads his sons speeches and understands his country’s segregation, relieving him of his ignorance. James Jarvis was a dynamic character that changes throughout the novel. The representation shows how South African problems educated James Jarvis, and turned him into an understanding, and influential man. If Arthur Jarvis had never been killed, James Jarvis would’ve not been educated by his son’s writings or by Stephen Kumalo.

Freedom for Women in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte...

Freedom for Women in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin are two feminist works in which liberation is the overlying theme. Both of the main characters achieve freedom from their husbands oppression in these short stories; however, freedom is only achieved through insanity in The Yellow Wallpaper and death in The Story of an Hour. The women in these stories are viewed as very powerful, as they do whatever it takes to free themselves from the oppressive holds of their husbands. Their strength proves these two short stories very influential works of feminism. Oppression is chief†¦show more content†¦Louise is informed that her husband has been killed in accident, and due to a heart disorder, the news is broken to her very carefully. The reader acknowledges that Brently was oppressive by her reaction to the news of his death. Instead of reacting with melancholy feelings, she expresses her joy for her fallen husband. Chopin writes, ?She did not stop to ask if it were not a monstrous joy that held her. A clear and exalted perception enabled her to dismiss the suggestion as trivial? (par 12). Louise knows that she should feel upset about her ?dead? husband; however she cannot help to feel relieved that the oppression has ended and that she can finally behave in the manner in which she chooses. It is soon discovered that Brently did not actually die in an accident, which causes the Louise to die. Oppression plays a large role in comprehending the theme of liberation in both ?The Yellow Wallpaper? and ?The Story of an Hour.? On ly after the main characters break the oppressive hold that their husbands have over them are they able to gain true liberation, supporting it as a theme pertinent to both stories. Both the female main characters express throughout the stories how they want to be free; unfortunately their freedom is not gained in a normal manner, but through insanity and death. Through the isolation imposed by her husband, Gilman?s narrator begins to go mad,Show MoreRelatedThe Oppression of Wives in Chopins The Story of an Hour and Gillmans The Yellow Wallpaper961 Words   |  4 Pageslead to the demise of their wives. In â€Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin and â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gillman the husband’s insistence upon control, leaves their wives longing for the freedom of simple expression. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† illustrates how the husband is the controlling figure in the marriage. The two short stories also expose how the oppression put on them by their husband leaves the women unfulfilled and unhappy with their lives. Read MoreThe Cult Of Domesticity By Charlotte Perkins Gilman And Kate Chopin Essay972 Words   |  4 Pagesleaders and breadwinners, while women were the homemakers and domesticates. Since women were considered physically weaker yet morally superior to men, they were best suited to the domestic sphere (Hughes). It is against this backdrop that Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Kate Chopin write â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper† (1892) and â€Å"The Story of an Hour† (1894), respectively. Each story is an allegory that spotlights female oppression by patriarchal authority and the struggles of women to attain liberty from this