A report based on an international HRM case study Essay - 1

A report based on an international HRM case study - Essay Example Therefore, the senior management team has asked the human resource manager to undertake a thorough assessment of the prevailing scenario in the US as well as in the Scandinavian nations in terms of cultural values, recruitment and training along with payment and reward. Thus, the paper intends to make the required analysis along with providing the senior management a recommendation regarding the most appropriate location for establishing the manufacturing unit among the US or a Scandinavian nation. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Managing human resource efficiently has become a key element in the modern day business context. Organisations nowadays are providing significant consideration towards recognising the prevailing context of a foreign nation before commencing their business operations. In this context, understanding cultural aspects of a foreign country is imperative to ascertain that diversity management aspect can be maintained by the company efficiently in future. Wit h due consideration to this notion, an electronics manufacturing company has endeavoured to establish its manufacturing unit in either the United States of America or in a Scandinavian nation. ... 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Cultural Values 5 Recruitment and Training 8 Payment and Reward 11 Recommendations and Conclusion 14 References 16 Introduction An electronics company that produces electronic goods for the mobile phone industry intends to set up a manufacturing unit either in the United States of America or in any of the Scandinavian countries. Scandinavia comprises five nations namely, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark and Finland. The purpose of this report is to analyse the human resource policies and practices of these countries in order to make the due changes in the intended manufacturing unit. Recruitment and managing of local employees are among the key responsibilities bestowed upon the human resource manager of the organisation. Thus, a thorough assessment of the existing scenarios in these two societies is a pertinent initiative to proceed appropriately. The various aspects to be considered while making such analysis are the cultural values, the recruit ment and training practices of the countries, the payment and rewards system followed by the countries. Values concerning the societies and its importance among the citizens are to be evaluated critically in order to align the work culture of the planned manufacturing unit. The recruitment and training being one of the most important human resource aspects to be followed by a company, the practices pertaining to them are to be adopted by the manufacturing unit in order to run successfully and in compliance with the surrounding. The recruitment and training practices or trends followed by the business units in a country are also of great importance in order to

The Concept of Ethics in Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Concept of Ethics in Business - Assignment Example Decision making involves a course of action that is taken towards the attainment of certain goals in a given organization (Amos et al 2008). There are different concepts which affect the organization’s decision-making process and these are ethics, leadership, service, and character. 1. Basically, the term ethics is primarily concerned with distinguishing between what is good and bad. Special attention is focused on issues of morality and professional conduct in an organization where honesty and integrity are regarded as the guiding principles (Rossouw 2004). The value system shared in an organization defines its ethics and it should not be compromised for financial purposes as this will discredit the organization. 2. Leadership is defined as the ability of an individual person to influence the efforts of the other members of the organization to follow a particular course of action that is concerned with the attainment of set goals. Amos et al (2008) concur that leadership is concerned with inspiring, motivating, envisioning, promoting learning as well as team building so that the objectives of an organization are achieved. 3. A service is an offering which is intangible and can be exchanged for monetary value or equivalent. For instance, a taxi ride or banking facilities are all examples of services which are intangible. Good services to the customers are advantageous in that they positively contribute to the organization as a whole through increased profitability from more sales since the customers are satisfied. 4. A character can be described as an attribute in a particular person that helps distinguish that person from the other. People, as well as other products, are not homogenous and they have different features that make them different from the others. In an organization, the management must try to establish the character of the employees so as to be better positioned when it comes to decision making.

Biopure Case Study Essay Example for Free

Biopure Case Study Essay The key issue is to determine when Oxyglobin should be introduced to the market without jeopardizing Hemopure’s potential and how it should be marketed. In addressing the issue, the following were considered: a sensitivity analysis for potential consumption of different price series, associated revenues and costs, and gross profit from different distribution methods. It is recommended that Biopure: 1. Introduce Oxyglobin immediately at a price of $100 to veterinarians. 2. Have an independent sales force distribute the product to maximize profits. 3. Advertise Oxyglobin in both veterinarian journals and trade shows. 4. Establish a successful brand to launch Hemopure in the future. 5. Oxyglobin should be advertised Based on other Massachusetts companies’ initiatives that have not gotten FDA approval in the last few years, it is safe to assume that it is a possibility not to get the approval or to be given the approval rather late as it happened to Baxter. Further, the potential dip in the stock price if Hemopure were rejected can be avoided if the company acts quickly and takes advantage of a market that currently has no competition: the animal blood substitute market. Obtaining market share is critical now that Biopure’s Oxyglobin has been approved. Biopure has a chance to be the first player to enter this market and recover its research and development costs within two years. Even when Biopure was primarily focused on developing a human blood substitute, the opportunistic development and later approval of Oxyglobin, an animal blood substitute, is a valuable opportunity that has to be considered. Exhibits A and B place potential demand (1995) at 3.9 million units for noncritical cases and 0.35 million units for critical ones. Further, Exhibit C shows the probability of consumption in units after factoring in the probability that veterinarians and pet owners would try Oxyglobin at different price series. The table shows that at $100 a unit, Oxyglobin would be used in 81% of critical cases and in 28% of noncritical cases. Hemopure, the human blood substitute, was only about to enter the third phase of the FDA clinical trials. Only because Oxyglobin and Hemopure are almost identical in physical properties and appearance, it does not mean that they cannot be priced differently. There are currently different medical products and services for humans and animals that are differently priced. Exhibit 8 from the case shows that very few veterinarian procedures are priced over $100. In contrast, a human blood transfusion is priced above $1500 without insurance according to the Houston Memorial Hospital. Hemopure’s market consists of people who lose blood in large quantities like in accidents, gunshots. And and aging population (double of what it is today by 2030) in need of Red Blood Cells to treat certain conditions like chronic anemia and acute blood loss. Launching Oxyglobin at a low price would not necessarily create an unrealistic price expectation for Hemopure because human health care is far more expensive than animal care. Additionally, the emerging and growing necessity for blood substitutes will yield great demand in the following years which will translate to higher selling prices for Biopure, all things equal. Despite the fact that Baxter International launched the first human blood substitute, HemAssist (presumably priced between $600 and $800), Baxter International’s and Northfield Laboratories’ blood substitutes rely on outdated human blood as a source of hemoglobin which is more expensive than Biopure’s raw materials (bovine blood) at $1.50 a unit. Moreover, their products need to be frozen until used, while Biopure’s products are shelf-stable at room temperature. This makes Biopure’s products more advantageous because buyers can save money on refrigeration costs as the company makes a higher profit because of their raw material’s lower price. In terms of production, Biopure has capacity to produce only one product at a time, namely, an annual capacity of 300,000 units of Oxyglobin or 150,000 units of Hemopure or some linear combination of the two. On the other hand, Baxter has a production capacity of 1,000,000 Northfield’s capacity is at 10,000 units per year, which is considerably less than Biopure. According to Exhibit D, potential demand for Oxyglobin alone priced at $100 is 1.3 million. Biopure does not have any competition but cannot supply that level of output presently, which would potentially raise prices as demand skyrockets once the product is introduced in the market. Biopure conducted two surveys that showed customers’ willingness to try the product at a higher price depends on the gravity of the emergency. Exhibit E shows that by selling the product at $100 a unit, $137 million can be generated in revenue, which is more than the revenue that can be obtained when selling it at any other price. This has to do with the probability of consumption and its correlation to the gravity of pets situations in general. Veterinarians have expressed their frustration with current animal blood distribution. Biopure has two options distribution options: National-Regional-Local and Independent Sales Force. Comparing distribution costs from Exhibits F and G, it is clear that going for the independent sales force approach Biopure can more than reduce costs by half. Distributing the product (at $100 a unit) with the NRL option would cost around $41 million as opposed to $18 million with independent sales distribution. Exhibits H and I show that the highest gross profit attainable is $120 million when using an independent sales force and pricing Oxyglobin at $100 a unit for veterinarians. These and all exhibits show that Biopure should launch Oxyglobin immediately and recoup the $200 million developing costs in only two years.

Quality of the Sustainability Report of British Land

Quality of the Sustainability Report of British Land The British Land Company is a brand of property development and investment company, which is one of largest companies in the  United Kingdom. It focuses on managing, financing and developing prime commercial property. British Land was formed in 1856. Over the years, company has purchased land and then resold it to customers who wanted to buy it. Nowadays, British Land owns a lean team of 242 people which is based in the UK and Western Europe. The company manages more or less  £14 billion portfolio of office and retail properties. Moreover, company is listed on the  London Stock Exchange  and is a constituent of the  FTSE 100 Index  and has been a founding member of the  European Public Real Estate Association. Their objective is to deliver long-term and sustainable total returns to our shareholders As a company, British Land committed to achieve corporate social responsibility objectives by working hard to ensure that structure, customer propositions and investment programmes are sustainable in society, economic and environment. These activities from April 2013 to March 2014 were described in Corporate Responsibility Full Data Report 2014. As such, the quality of sustainability report will be analysed in the following. The quality of corporate responsibility report 2014 of British Land can be evaluated based on principles of guidelines published by Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).The GRI lists six principles to assess sustainability report which is of sufficient quality. They are balance, comparability, accuracy, timeliness, clarity and reliability.Six principles will be defined first and then look at information from British Land’s report and then evaluate quality of these principles in practice. Balance To produce a high quality sustainability report, not only it represents the true performance of an organisation, but also endless positive public relations. Balanced report means reflect positive and negative aspects of the organization’s performance to enable a reasoned assessment of overall performance. X A good way to demonstrate balanced reporting is to clearly state how the organization performed regarding measurable achievements set in the previous year.Stakeholders can review those successful targets or if more work.In the corporate responsibility report 2014, British Land reported progress against its three years strategy across all sustainability areas of the business. As we can see, company reported that they had successfully reduced 36% less carbon emissions than the 2009 baseline in the report. Additionally, British Land has saved  £6.9 million energy cost for occupiers since 2009 and achieved 93% of waste diverted from landfill at our properties and 83% on development. X Overall, they got improvement against 2009 and achieved lots of targets in different areas including economic, environment and social. Although British Land has met the greater of their targets in different areas, stakeholders can find out that British Land’s report put negative things about their performance. Take greenhouse gas emissions as an example, the production process discharged6,953 tonnes CO2e during 2014 which was 300 tonnes higher than the previous year. It was balanced that the report discloses both favorable and unfavorable information and results on a year-to-year basis. This style of report increased transparency and accountability towards stakeholders or other parties. Comparability Issues and information should be selected, compiled, and reported consistently. X This principle means that reported information should be presented in a consistent manner that enables stakeholders to analyse the performance of the organisation over time or against other organisations. First of all, the sustainability report and the information contained within can be compared on a year-to-year basis. It showed that the data of British Land from 2011 to 2014. Stakeholders can compare the performance with different years so as to make decisions. Moreover, British Land increased comparability by means of using the same benchmarks to analyse performance year on year. Take tons of waste as an example, company used these total numbers as well as ratios (waste per unit of production) for analytical comparison. Also, company used kWh as metrics to compare its carbon emissions relate to energy consumption with different years or other organisations. Additionally, company provided and explained different factors in the report such as differences in organizational size, geographic influences, and other limitations that may affect the relative performance of an organization. These will help stakeholders understand the factors that may contribute to differences in performance between organizations. Furthermore, the report used generally accepted protocols for compiling, measuring, and presenting information. The report has utilized where the GRI Technical Protocol is explicit on the metric to be used for an Indicator such as carbon footprint, days per employee, staff covered and waste, etc. If any metrics were not mentioned by the GRI, British Land used metrics that are generally adopted by other organisations in their industry. Business in the Community has coordinated the corporate responsibility (CR) index as the UK’s leading benchmarking tool for responsible business. X Accuracy The information contained must be highly accurateso as to produce a high quality sustainability report. Therefore, stakeholders can measure the performance of an organisation with confidence. Data accuracy requires building stringent and robust data collection processes, such as internal quality assurance procedures. The best way to ensure data quality is to have quality assurance built into the data collection process. In the sustainability report 2014 of British Land, there was enough information about process to assure the data collection. The company had Independent assurance which evaluated the design of the key structures, systems, processes and controls for managing recording and reporting the selected information. X For example, five data sites which was selected on the basis of their inherent risk and materiality to the group were visited to understand the key processes and controls for reporting site performance data to the group corporate responsibility team. An alternative way is to commission an external third party to verify or assure data accuracy. The third party is experienced in sustainability reporting and data. In the report, it showed that selected key performance data was assured by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) which is one of big accounting firms over the world. For example, the accounting firm assured that data of carbon strategy was accurate, reliable and objective with no significant omissions that could affect stakeholders to make decision on British Land’s performance. X Finally, British Land has invited wider stakeholders to review their data collection processes and to provide feedback if any data inaccuracies have occurred. In 2014, stakeholders participated in the review and consultation of the different legislative and consumer aspects. Timeliness If a sustainability report to be useful to stakeholders, it should clearly state the time period covered by the data and to be consistent. Based on a regular timetable, the release date of the sustainability report should be predicted whether it is annual or biannual. Therefore, stakeholders can assess progress and make informed decisions on the organization’s performance. British Land has been reporting year on year on its sustainability performance since 2002. The company has accumulated many sustainability reports, which can all be downloaded and are available in multiple languages. The sustainability reports are published in April of every year, which makes it predictable to stakeholders and allows them to integrate British Land into their decision making process in a timely manner. Clarity According to the GRI, a high quality sustainability report should be written in a manner that is easily understandable, accessible and usable to its range of stakeholders. British Land used lots of visual charts, pictures, tables, infographic, diagrams and other aids tomake its content accessible and information easilyunderstandable. The company increased the attractiveness by using of its report by providing several formats such as on the web, as a PDF report or ebook. However, British Land is a property developmentand investment companies. As such, there are a series of professional terms such that need to be illustrated in its sustainability report. British Land has not published a useful glossary of professional terms. They can create on its sustainabilitywebsites for some references so as to makes its sustainability report easily understandable to its stakeholders, Reliability To producea high quality sustainability report, the information and contents disclosed can be traced to its sources, checked and examined by stakeholders or other parties. Stakeholders should be able to find evidence to establish the veracity in the sustainability report. British Land elected PwC as an independent 3rd party assurer to assess their sustainability report. However, PwC made a conclusion that they planned and performed the engagement to obtain limited assurance about whether the selected information is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. Also, PwC concluded British Land’s declared GRI application level of B+ was not fairly stated in accordance with the reporting criteria. To increase reliability, PwC did not get enough reference of all original sources of data and information used in the report. They just provided a guidance section giving information behind calculations used by the company. The reliability of this sustainability report was not sufficient. Although another big accounting firm KPMG produced anindependent assurance report, minor recommended updates were made to the British Land’s procedures in relation to the risk of bribery and corruption in December 2013. British Land did not get audit opinion that increased stakeholder confidence that the data and assertions in thesustainabilityreport can be relied on to make informed decisions. Conclusion To conclude, the quality the of sustainability report 2014 of British Land is up to standard. Especially for comparability and clarity, the report showed that information and comparisons are both meaningful overtime and it clearly explained the reasons and implications of collected information through visual charts, pictures, tables. However, there’s stillroom for improvement in the report. The Directors of the British Land engaged PwC provided limited assurance on the information described in full data report for the year ended 31 March 2014. To increase reliability and accuracy of the report, company can invite NGOs to review their data collection processes and to provide comments where they think data inaccuracies have occurred. Having more assurances increase stakeholder confidence that the data and assertions in sustainabilityreport can be relied on to make decisions. Furthermore, company can provide other popular formats such as software application in order to increase the attractiveness and use of its report. The sustainability reports as mobile apps can be published that are readable on smartphone and tablets. Stakeholders or businesses can increasingly incorporate tablets into day to day activities such as meetings and sustainability reporting apps must beubiquitous. The advantages of these apps over traditional formats are its highly interactive nature, the ability to easily review the report through buttons, and its visual beauty.

Technology’s Detrimental Effects on Communication Essay -- Communicati

Recent advancements in technology, especially social networking, have severely hindered the communication skills of today’s society by promoting edited, impersonal and staged communication. Today’s society places a high value on websites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter; so much so, that it is startling when someone does not own a profile on a social network. The dependency on technological communication continues to reduce the ability of today’s generation to read body language, facial expressions, and to clearly vocalize what is important to them. Technology has changed drastically in the past 50 years, and continues to grow and morph every day. Today’s youth and adolescents are seen with their heads down, texting on their cell phones, instead of looking up and conversing with the people around them. While individually, each of the components of a social networking website may seem useful and necessary, the sum of them is drastically diminishing the ability of society to function and communicate in the absence of this technology. Websites such as Facebook and Twitter allow users to update their profiles at any moment, 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and now even from the very phone they use to text. These updates are all-encompassing and can range from life changing: â€Å"I Just found out I'm pregnant!† To the mindless minutiae of ‘I just ate a sandwich.† Social Networking sites have become to go-to-website for anything you’d want to do online. Through these sites, you can contact your frien ds and family, play games, take quizzes, get help with homework, and even cruise the dating scene through ‘applications’ on some websites. Since social networking sites can replace event invitations, purchased video games, conversatio... ...eir friends and family, and to hold conversation in general. Speaking and communication skills are all affected by the constant use and abuse of networking sites, and of technology in general. English and Sexton say it in the simplest words conceivable â€Å"Every hour that is spent on a social networking web site is another hour spent alone† (1) Works Cited Baca, Jimmy Santiago. â€Å"Becoming a Poet.† Reading Our World: Conversations in Context. Ed. Robert P Yagelski. 2nd ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2010. 387-393. Print English, Marlanda, and Sexton, Jennifer. "Counterpoint: Social Networking Websites Isolate People and put them at Risk of Predation.† EBSCOhost. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. Online. Tannen, Deborah. â€Å"Sex, Lies, and Conversation.† Reading Our World: Conversations in Context. Ed. Robert P Yagelski. 2nd ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2010. 330-335. Print Technology’s Detrimental Effects on Communication Essay -- Communicati Recent advancements in technology, especially social networking, have severely hindered the communication skills of today’s society by promoting edited, impersonal and staged communication. Today’s society places a high value on websites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter; so much so, that it is startling when someone does not own a profile on a social network. The dependency on technological communication continues to reduce the ability of today’s generation to read body language, facial expressions, and to clearly vocalize what is important to them. Technology has changed drastically in the past 50 years, and continues to grow and morph every day. Today’s youth and adolescents are seen with their heads down, texting on their cell phones, instead of looking up and conversing with the people around them. While individually, each of the components of a social networking website may seem useful and necessary, the sum of them is drastically diminishing the ability of society to function and communicate in the absence of this technology. Websites such as Facebook and Twitter allow users to update their profiles at any moment, 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and now even from the very phone they use to text. These updates are all-encompassing and can range from life changing: â€Å"I Just found out I'm pregnant!† To the mindless minutiae of ‘I just ate a sandwich.† Social Networking sites have become to go-to-website for anything you’d want to do online. Through these sites, you can contact your frien ds and family, play games, take quizzes, get help with homework, and even cruise the dating scene through ‘applications’ on some websites. Since social networking sites can replace event invitations, purchased video games, conversatio... ...eir friends and family, and to hold conversation in general. Speaking and communication skills are all affected by the constant use and abuse of networking sites, and of technology in general. English and Sexton say it in the simplest words conceivable â€Å"Every hour that is spent on a social networking web site is another hour spent alone† (1) Works Cited Baca, Jimmy Santiago. â€Å"Becoming a Poet.† Reading Our World: Conversations in Context. Ed. Robert P Yagelski. 2nd ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2010. 387-393. Print English, Marlanda, and Sexton, Jennifer. "Counterpoint: Social Networking Websites Isolate People and put them at Risk of Predation.† EBSCOhost. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. Online. Tannen, Deborah. â€Å"Sex, Lies, and Conversation.† Reading Our World: Conversations in Context. Ed. Robert P Yagelski. 2nd ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2010. 330-335. Print

Preference Reversal And Expert :: essays research papers

Subjects in gambling tasks that involve both choice and pricing show a pattern of responses known as preference reversal. That is, although subjects in a choice condition generally will give higher preference ratings to “safe';, high-probability/low-payoff, bets than to “longshot';, low-probability/high-payoff, bets, when they are asked in a pricing condition to generate an amount of money that they would accept to avoid the gamble altogether they tend to give higher values for longshots over safer bets. Tversky, Slovic, and Kahneman (1990) demonstrate that among the several possible actions that subjects could be taking to produce this pattern, the critical factor appears to be the overpricing of the longshot bets. If subjects are actually offered a monetary figure (hypothetically) by the experimenter to replace the gamble, they will accept this figure even though it is lower than the figure that they generated in the pricing condition. Tversky et al. (1990) further show ed that this overpricing is largely due to a phenomena known as scale compatibility, which involves certain biases when the response required by the subject is in the same units as the factors influencing the decision. Since the payoffs of the bets and the buy-out prices assigned to them are both monetary values, this leads people to give greater weight to the payoff value of the bets when asked to price them (a situation of compatibility) than when asked to choose between them (a situation of non-compatibility).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The development of expertise in avoiding preference reversal, then, would have to involve the circumvention of the compatibility effect. One possible way in which this could occur would involve subjects consistently selecting either payoff or probability as the critical factor in both choice and pricing conditions. By adopting a strategy of maximizing the chance of any payoff in both the choice and pricing condition and giving that option the higher rating on both scales, preference reversal would be avoided. Conversely, considering only the greatest potential for gain in each condition would have the same effect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This strategy, however, would be susceptible to preference reversals in the other direction. In the first case of maximizing the chance of payoff, the safe bet (H) would be favored over the longshot (L) and the pricing would also favor the safe bet (Ch) over the longshot (Cl) (i.e. Ch Cl). Yet when any amount of money (X) is offered at a %100 probability, that option would be selected over both H and L.

Crohn’s Disease: a Patient Education Plan

Sarah is a bright, energetic 18-year-old high school senior. She leads a very active life playing soccer and lacrosse for her high school and excels academically. Recently, Sarah has been losing weight and has been less energetic. For the past few months she has been experiencing abdominal pain, cramping, and diarrhea. Her lack of energy has begun to show by recently missed practices and declining grades. Sarah's parents were concerned about their daughter's health so they brought her to the doctor's in which she was recently diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Sarah lives with both parents and two younger brothers in suburban Maryland. It is noted that Sarah's maternal grandmother had irritable bowel syndrome. Sarah is planning on going to college in the fall and will need a large amount of education on nutrition, medications, and symptoms of the disease so that she can manage the disease independently. Sarah states that she learns best by reading. Crohn's disease is a chronic disorder that causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, usually the colon, although it can be found anywhere in the digestive tract. There is no proven cause of Crohn's disease but according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease's (2006), â€Å"the most popular theory is that the body's immune system reacts abnormally mistaking bacteria, foods and other substances for being foreign† (Crohn's Disease, para 5), the intestines become inflamed and swell and ulcers form leading to diarrhea and gastrointestinal bleeding. Other symptoms associated with Crohn's disease include abdominal pain and cramping, bloody stools, ulcers, fever, reduced appetite and weight loss, arthritis, and skin problems. A diagnoses of Crohn's disease to an active 18year old girl can be devastating. At 18, girls are usually concerned with their image and outward appearance. Sarah would also be concerned about her independence and quality of life. Fitting in with her peers and feeling â€Å"normal† are a big concern. She may be concerned about having intimate relationships in the future or going out to eat with friends. There is no known cure for Crohn's disease so Sarah needs to focus on the things she can do to control the symptoms and educe the time between flare ups. There is obviously a lot of emotional stress that can go along with Crohn's disease. A young girl, trying to have a social life may find it difficult to go out in public for fear of having an attack of gas , pain or diarrhea, and not be near a bathroom. Knowing where the public bathrooms are before you go out can reduce anxiety. Special dietary needs may be restrictive when going out with friends. Figuring out the trigger foods and avoiding them is necessary. If surgery is needed, this can impact her self image. Talking with a doctor about possible surgical procedures may be helpful. Sarah will also have to be monitored for depression, which is common when living with a chronic disease. Sarah will need education on how manage her disease independently. Besides medication, there are many other things Sarah can do to manage her disease and improve her quality of life. Sarah will need to be taught about her nutritional needs. She should limit dairy products. Often people with Crohn's are lactose intolerant. Sarah should eat low fat foods. Fattier foods can worsen diarrhea. Drink plenty of liquids avoiding caffeine and alcohol. Eat small meals. Take a multivitamin. She should also pay attention to and avoid the foods that cause gastrointestinal upset. In addition to her dietary needs, Sarah needs to manage stress. Avoiding stressful situations or using exercise or yoga to reduce stress may help prevent flare-ups. Other educational needs for Sarah include teaching about the possibility of surgery if or when the medications and diet modifications cannot control the symptoms any longer. As stated on the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America website (2009), â€Å"Two-thirds to three quarters of patients with Crohn's disease will require surgery at some point in their lives† (About Crohn's Disease, para 24). Sarah will be provided with informational handouts and videos along with a list of website resources such as www. ucandcrohns. org and www. ccfa. org/kidsteens. Counseling will be provided for emotional support. Sarah's family will also be educated and taught how to provide support and acceptance. Sarah may believe her life will be very different but with education and support, she should be able to live a relatively normal life. Diagnoses with a chronic disease at any age is difficult. For Sarah, educational on how to best manage Crohn's disease and prevent flare-ups will decrease stress and help her live a normal life. Follow-up doctor appointments for medication management and updated disease information is important so she has current treatment options. Ongoing emotional support and guidance are needed to maintain a healthy attitude and lifestyle. References American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. (2008). Crohn's Disease. Retrieved June 12, 2010 from http://www.fascrs.org/patients/conditions/crohns_disease/ Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. (2009). Retrieved June 12, 2010 from http://www.ccfa.org/info/about/crohns Mayo Clinic. (2009). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved June 12, 2010 from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/crohns-disease/DS00104 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2006). Retrieved June 12, 2010 from http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/crohns/ University of Maryland Medical Center. (2010). Crohn's Disease. Retrieved June 13, 2010 from http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/crohns-disease-000043.htm