Human resource management

Use of human resource management to create a competitive advantage

Human resource management is the process of controlling and coordinating the workforce in a firm in a bid to streamline their efforts towards achievement of the firm’s goals. Human resource is the firm’s most important asset as it controls and coordinates the other inanimate assets. The company’s human resource executive can manipulate their workforce and hence gain an advantage over the other firms in the market (Barney and Patrick, 2003, 243). This can be achieved only if the human resource department executives put into consideration a number of factors as explained below.

The most important thing in gaining a competitive advantage over other firms is adding the company’s value and maximizing on its resources. The human resource executives can achieve this by cutting on their extraneous expenditure to increase the net revenue that accrues to the company. Some of the unnecessary workforce should be laid off to increase on revenue (Barnet and Patrick, 2003, 354). The Human resource managers should also identify and nurture the rare characteristics and qualities among the workforce. This creates uniqueness in the firm and places it above competing firms. The firm should also develop characteristics among the workforce that are not easily imitable by other firms. This ensures that the company is exceptional and unique to other firms even in the market. The blend of the three measures places the firm ahead of other firms.

HEA: Long term and residential care

Working mechanisms of hospices

Hospices are special kind of healthcare facilities that offers palliative care services to patients who mainly suffer from terminal illnesses. Hospices do not only attend to the patient’s physiological health but also to their emotional and spiritual needs (Joanne, 200, 69). Hospices in most countries are constructed as a charity project to cater for the needs of the disadvantaged and the terminally ill persons in the society.

Hospices are mainly located near other healthcare facilities. They are located this close to enable emergency utilization of the other medical care facilities where need is. They offer both in-patient and out-patient services to the patients. They also offer home-based care to the weakly patients. Hospices mainly depend on donations for finances (Joanne, 2007, 72). Some hospices are run by the government and hence receive a funding from the annual budgets. Hospices mainly face financial problems due to the nature of the clients. This depicts a major management problem.

Palliative care is a specialized scope of healthcare that involves and focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering in patients. Palliative medicine is administered to the patients who are undergoing treatment. Palliative care encompasses; the physical, spiritual and emotional concerns of the patient (Joanne, 2007, 72). The approach involves medical practitioners from different arenas.

BUS: Business strategy and policy

The MacDonald’s and Wendy’s are both chain fast food restaurants. Before visiting the two restaurants I was of the stereotype that their strategies and level of service is similar. However, I found this to be totally different on visiting their premises during business hours. Despite the two selling similar sized burgers with an identical taste and have a similar cost, there is a slight but notable disparity between the two fast food giants (Kottler and Keller, 2004, 375). The two in a bid to attract more customers have differentiated themselves in terms of the service delivery to their customers. Each of them has strived to achieve unique service delivery criteria with an aim of luring more customers.

Works cited

Barney, J. On becoming a strategic partner. New York: Springer LTD. 2003.

Joanne, L. palliative care: sick to death and not going to take it anymore. Berkeley: University of California Press. 2007.

Kottler, P and Keller, K. marketing management. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Pearson. 2004.