Veterans
Essays

The federal government's basic procurement or acquisition process involves an agency identifying the goods and services it needs also known as the agency's requirements, determining the most appropriate method for purchasing these items, and carrying out the acquisition. Although this process is simple in theory, any given procurement can be complex, involving a multitude of decisions and actions

Interview with Specialist Six Alan West, U.S. Army Vietnam Veteran

¶ … close scrutiny of books; journal articles, and materials from internet sources on caring leadership, employee bereavement, and connections(s) between them, in six (6) key areas.

healthcare system has many advantages and disadvantages which are most revealing when compared to the other health care systems of the world. An analysis between the U.S. healthcare system and a government run…

¶ … Fiction vs. Nonfiction, but both with an agenda -- the "Niebelungenleid" and the History of the Florentine People

Quality Improvement at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center

Managing Diversity Diversity is a fact of American and International business and is a broader, more complex issue than one might initially believe. This paper will address the breadth and complexity of Diversity by reviewing: the nature of Diversity; legally protected classes within the United States; aspects of Diversity that fall outside the scope of U. S. legal protections; the benefits of Diversity for employers; the differences/challenges presented by Diversity for employers; general business adjustments/accommodations for Diversity; and suggested specific business adjustments/accommodations for Diversity. Though this paper cannot exhaustively address all aspects of Diversity, it is hoped that a review of all those aspects will give a good overview of modern businesses' Diversity issues and possible solutions. The nature of Diversity is shown to be much broader than the classes legally protected by U.S. Law; it also includes global issues created by international business and classes, such as our four generations of American workers, extending far beyond the narrow confines of U.S. law. As we have seen from our sources, there are many benefits for companies embracing Diversity, not only in "doing the right thing" but also in basic business advantages of greater employee skills, attraction for consumers and greater profitability. Despite these advantages, Diversity exposes businesses to differences/challenges, such as the attitude of some businesspeople; societal prejudice; different attitudes of different cultures; the apparent tendency of business to inadequately honor international cultural differences; prejudice against Middle-Eastern workers in view of 09/11; challenges when women & minorities are not proportionately represented in upper management; and challenges presented by the different traits and expectations of our four generations of American workers. In order to meet those differences/challenges, most sources seem to agree on general business adjustments/accommodations for Diversity, such as: recognition of Diversity; recognizing the need for Diversity Training; establishing a "corporate culture" embracing Diversity and inclusion through communication, clear policy and insistence on Diversity; Diversity coaching; a clear plan for company-wide Diversity, with the company acting as a "moderator" of those values; training involving a "top-to-bottom" approach in which Diversity values start with the CEO and move down and throughout the company. Finally, some sources have offered propositions, simple plans and very complex plans for Diversity programs, all of which seem to agree with the general principles that the positive embrace of Diversity must come from the highest reaches of a company, move down through company channels and spread throughout the company for the greatest success.

Very recently, beginning in 1995 the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) began a series of progressive reforms. The reform has included a substantive list of functional and fundamental changes, including everything from facility improvements to eligibility requirement expansion. The VHA has also adopted a list of changes that includes staffing and response time for mental health screenings for returning soldiers. These changes look good on paper as the VHA has stressed a rapid response time for initial screening that is a VHA policy standard, i.e. 14 days from the initial request for a mental health screening an individual is supposed to be evaluated. Given the nature of the last decade of war and the growing awareness of the mental health challenges that are being faced by countless returning soldiers this would seem a good thing, yet the actual reporting and records system is often delaying these initial screenings significantly, as is staffing issues. According to one reporter even though the VHA reported that 95% of all returning soldiers were being seen in that time frame further inquiry noted that this is simply not the case and the numbers are actually misleading. Upon further investigation the number was actually 49 percent and the average time for the rest of the soldiers was actually 50 days (Mcclatchy, 2012). This number is not in the least acceptable as studies have shown that screening delays in mental health situations create a reduction in the desire of the patient to continue with treatment. According to Mcclatchy (2012) the problem is a poor tracking and records keeping system and staffing shortages that challenge agencies to see patients in a timely manner. This is despite staffing increases of 46 percent between 2005 and 2010.

This paper focuses on US military's policies related to recruitment and selection, performance management, compensation and personnel development. For each area, the strengths and weaknesses of the organization are identified. What is doing well? Where are the opportunities? At the end of each section, at least one recommendation is provided for ways in which this organization could improve or change its strategies.

Increased government spending is a form of fiscal stimulus, so every dollar of new government spending has a multiplied impact on aggregate demand. How much of a boost the economy gets depends on the value of the…