Friday, May 22, 2020

Brokered Convention - Definition

A brokered convention occurs when none of the presidential candidates enters their party’s national convention having won enough delegates during the primaries and caucuses to secure the nomination. As a result, none of the candidates are able to win the nomination on the first ballot, a rare event in modern political history that forces delegates and party elite to engage in convention-floor jockeying for votes and multiple rounds of balloting to reach a nomination. A brokered convention is different from an â€Å"open convention,† in which none of the delegates are pledged to a particular candidate. Pledged delegates are those that are assigned to a specific candidate based on the outcome of a states primary or caucus. In the 2016 Republican presidential contest, 1,237 delegates are needed to secure the nomination. Brokered Convention History Brokered conventions have become rare since the 1800s and early 1900s. In fact, no presidential nomination has gone beyond the first round of balloting since 1952. Since then presumed presidential nominees secure enough delegates for the nomination months before the party conventions. Nomination conventions of the past were lively and unscripted, where party bosses negotiated for votes on the floor. Those in the modern era have become humdrum and anticlimactic, as the nominee has already been chosen through the lengthy primary and caucus process. According to the late New York Times columnist William Safire, writing in Safire’s Political Dictionary, brokered conventions of the past were â€Å"dominated by factional party leaders and favorite sons, who dealt directly or through ‘neutral leaders’† or power brokers. â€Å"As the state primary or caucus system has taken over, the outcome has become rarely in doubt,† according to Safire. â€Å" †¦ The convention then becomes more of a coronation, much like what usually happens when an incumbent president is a candidate for renomination.† Why Brokered Conventions Are Rare One of the most significant developments of the 20th century helped to make brokered conventions a rarity: television. Delegates and party bosses did want to expose viewers to the ugly machinations and brutal horse-trading of the nomination process. â€Å"It is no coincidence that brokered conventions ended after networks began to televise them,† political scientists G. Terry Madonna and Michael Young wrote in 2007. The 1952 Republican National Convention, though settled on the first ballot when Dwight Eisenhower beat Robert Taft, â€Å"appalled thousands who watched it on TV. Since that time, both parties try mightily to orchestrate their convention as a political love feast - lest they antagonize viewers who will be voters in November,† according to Madonna and Young. Most Recent Republican Brokered Conventions For Republicans, the most recent brokered convention was in 1948, which also happened to be the first televised national convention. The top contenders were New York Gov.  Thomas Dewey, U.S. Sen. Robert A. Taft of Ohio, and former Minnesota Gov. Harold Stassen. Dewey failed to win enough votes to win the nomination in the first round of balloting, getting 434 votes to Tafts 224 and Stassens 157. Dewey inched closer in the second round with 515 votes, but his opponents tried to create a bloc of votes against him. They failed, and on the third ballot, both Taft and Stassen withdrew from the contest, giving Dewey all 1,094 delegate votes. He later lost to Harry S. Truman. Republicans came close to having another brokered convention in 1976, when President Gerald Ford only narrowly won the nomination over Ronald Reagan on the first ballot. Most Recent Democratic Brokered Conventions For Democrats, the most recent brokered convention was in 1952, when Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson won the nomination in three rounds of balloting. His closest rivals were U.S. Sen. Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee and U.S. Sen. Richard B. Russell of Georgia. Stevenson went on to lose the general election that year to Eisenhower. Democrats came close to having another brokered convention, though, in 1984, when Vice President Walter Mondale needed the votes of super delegates to beat Gary Hart at the convention. Longest Brokered Convention The most ballots cast in a brokered convention was in 1924, when it took 103 rounds of voting for Democrats to nominate John Davis, according to Madonna and Young. He later lost the presidential contest to Calvin Coolidge.

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Comparison of Mr. Wickhams and Elizabeths Attitude...

Comparison of Mr. Wickhams and Elizabeths Attitude Towards Marriage in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice The novel, Pride and Prejudice revolves around a mother of five daughters, Mrs. Bennet, whose sole purpose is to marry off her daughters to suitable men. Her eldest, Jane, is her most prized daughter. Mrs. Bennet is assured that Janes beauty and meticulous manners will win her a prized husband. In the end Mrs. Bennet succeeds in marrying her to a husband and in addition she gets Lydia and Elizabeth married too; Jane to Mr Bingley, Lydia to Mr. Wickham and Elizabeth to Mr. Darcy. Pride and Prejudice is an enduringly popular 19th century novel written by the English author Jane Austen. The†¦show more content†¦Also that he had no money of his own too. Finally Mr. Wickham decides to run away with Lydia, which eventually turns out to be a good thing for Mr. Wickham. The Bennetts thought that they would get bad name now and that they would never get Janeor any of their daughters for that matter, to marry a man of great fortune. No man would want to marry a woman who has a family with a bad reputation. This is when Darcy comes in and helps out by finding both Lydia and Mr. Wickham. He pays Mr. Wickham ten thousand pounds to marry Lydia. But Mr. Bennet thinks Mr. Wickham is a fool to take Lydia with a farthing less than ten thousand pounds. In the end this saves the Bennet family from a bad reputation and shame. Mr. Wickham ends up marrying Lydia. So all in all it seems that Mr. Wickham was generally looking for a woman with money enough to live with and have an ordinary life with the exception that he had taken a liking to Elizabeth when he arrived in to Meryton. Elizabeth a woman looking for romance and love takes a liking towards Mr. Wickham when she meets him at his arrival to Meryton, but she knows that they can not be together for it would be a hard life with Mr. Wickham as an officer in the regiments. Then Elizabeth is cautioned by Charlotte toShow MoreRelatedPride And Prejudice By Jane Austen1423 Words   |  6 PagesAusten uses Pride and Prejudice as a means to express her views on marriage, without being didactic. She frequently satirises views which oppose her own. Austen was a believer that men and women should be more equal. This view was also shared by feminist activist Mary Wollstonecraft, who had once said, â€Å"virtue can only flourish among equal†. However, Wollstonecraft disliked the social hierarchy, whereas Austen respected it and thought whoever was at the â€Å"top†, deserved to be there. Austen believedRead More The Importance of Jane Austens Letters in Pride and Prejudice3360 Words   |  14 PagesThe Importance of Jane Austens Letters in Pride and Prejudice In Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice letters are used to indicate a change in direction of the plot or to form narrative crisis points. Jane Austen successfully weaves her letters into the natural narrative of the dialogue and description. It is suggested that Jane Austen developed her epistolary mode of writing from many other 18th Century authors such as Samuel Richardson, whose novels are written completely Read MoreDecisions Made by Women in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen2538 Words   |  11 Pagesby Women in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife This opening paragraph of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin has become one of the most famous sentences in English literature. It states that the novel will explore the theme of marriage. Jane Austen lived in an opinionated world and this is reflected in her novel. In Pride and Prejudice no secret is

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Marketing Analysis Mayo Clinic Free Essays

Marketing Analysis: Mayo Clinic December 14, 2012 Marketing Analysis: Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic: is in the business of providing patient care through their many different Clinics and hospitals. They are ranked number two as one of the top twenty hospitals for heart and heart surgery per the Forbes list of top hospitals, and they ranked seventy one out of one hundred in the top one hundred places to work (Forbes, 2012). The Mayo Clinics are a not-for-profit hospital and teaching center that is renown throughout the world. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Analysis: Mayo Clinic or any similar topic only for you Order Now They became known as the hospital that treats the diseases no other facility or physician want to treat. They have over thirty eight hundred physicians and scientist as well as over fifty thousand Allied health care workers on their payroll. They also have thirty six hundred medical residents, fellows and students through their medical schools. Their slogan is â€Å"We strive to turn the impossible into the possible† (Mayo Clinic Annual Report, 2011). â€Å"The Mayo Clinic cared for more than one million patients at its campuses in Minnesota, Florida, Arizona and Mayo Clinic Health System, a network of clinics, hospitals and health care facilities serving more than seventy communities in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin† (Mayo Clinic Annual Report, 2011, pg. 7, para4). From their beginning in 1863, William Worrall Mayo insisted on standards that would be considered innovative for the time. And as the demand for their services increased, they formed a team of doctors and researchers and became â€Å"the first private integrated group practice. † Initially this practice of teamwork among doctors was viewed as unconventional, but soon patients realized the advantages of the pooled resources, having doctors and scientist under the same roof with knowledge and skills, patients and student came from around the world to learn and be treated (Dickson, 2012). Mayo Clinic over one hundred years ago made it clear through its mission and vision that the patients’ interests would not be served well if doctors were competing with each other. William Mayo emphasized that making a commitment to the patient; doctors must make a commitment to each other: â€Å"Continuing interest by every member of the staff in the professional progress of every other member,† would be vital to nourishing the organization’s future. Patients are the Mayo Clinic’s first priority and they do not base care on a patient’s ability to pay. Most of the staff is not even aware of a patient’s status, which allows them to give the patients the best care possible without having to worry about being paid (Mayo Clinic, nd). The Mayo Clinic has some fierce competition, such as Johns Hopkins Hospital. Johns Hopkins is an institution with a mission to† improve the health of our community and the world by setting the standard of excellence in patient care. † They also advertise with commercials on television, radio, and in the newspaper. They have internet Social media marketing in place and through their multi-media relations staff, they are able to pierce the market of patients within the United States and abroad. (Johns Hopkins Hospital, nd). The services they offer are comparable to The Mayo Clinic and both are rated in the top 25 best hospitals to work for by HealthExecNews. com. However, Johns Hopkins did not make the top 100 list for Forbes. The four â€Å"P’s† (Product, Place, Price, Promotion) Product Brand – Mayo Clinic; the name alone is known as a leader in the medical field for their dedicated physicians, scientists and allied health staff that work together as a team to put the needs of the patient first, known as â€Å"The Mayo Effect. † There are three main hospitals and several clinics that offer medical treatments and services as well as training, residencies and fellows for medical professions (Mayo Annual Report, 2011). Product features – Patient satisfaction and quality care given to patients are some of the main reasons that patients choose the Mayo Clinic. Known as the place to go for specializing in treating complex illnesses, patients can receive uninhibited care, regardless of ability to pay (Mayo Clinic, nd). Packaging – The Mayo Clinic is well known throughout the world for their research as well as their teaching facilities for medical professions. In addition, they partner with many facilities to serve communities in five states, while maintaining three main Hospital facilities in Minnesota, Arizona, and Florida (Mayo Clinic, nd). Product lines – They have several, mainly books and CD’s on health and wellness. They also have a customer base of over 900,000 people for their Mayo Clinic Health Letter and Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource subscriptions, which are mailed monthly with a quarterly special report as part of the subscription. Having tested the market for potential internet subscriptions in 2007, they found many were not interested, but in 2008 the test showed there was more interest in that option (Fletcher, 2010). Place Channels of distribution – Most referrals are from word of mouth; people recommending the organization because of a good experience they had. Media: Mayo utilized the local media by offering their physicians the opportunity to share their expertise with the community through bi-monthly consumer health segments (Weiss, 2009) Internet: Mayo can be found on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Linkedin, and their new patient blog; Sharing MayoClinic (Weiss, 2009). Advertising: Mayo utilizes media through stories and partnerships with the local news as well as sponsoring health events. They do not use mass media advertising and they rely on their reputation (Weiss, 2009). Physician referrals: come from around the world, because Mayo has a reputation of caring for patients others may not want the challenge of caring for or they do not know how to (Weiss, 2009). Physical distribution – Services are administered through care givers and physicians during visits to either the hospital or office visits. The â€Å"Mayo Effect† uses strategies to achieve their goals and mission â€Å"with collaboration, expertise and compassionate commitment to the health and happiness of their patients† (Mayo Annual Report, 2011). Retailing choices – Patients have several choices to receive services, through the hospital, a clinic visit, and now the minute clinic. Mayo has two Minute clinics’ that are a walk-in center and are used to assess and treat minor conditions, and monitor chronic conditions of patients and no appointment is required. The wait time is usually less than 15 minutes. (Keckley, Ph. D. , P. H. , 2008). Inventory decisions – The minute clinics are a new way to see patients that may have less urgent needs such as; sore throat, pink eye, minor cuts and burns, or chronic diseases that may need monitoring. The clinics offer walk-in services to anyone, and they have the ability to look up patient records through Electronic medical records (EMR) leaving no paper record needing to be stored. Centers are being staffed by nurse practitioner and physician assistants with assistance of proprietary technology designed to help diagnose and treat non-serious medical conditions. These centers are now being seen in many pharmacy chain stores and even places like Wal-Mart and Target. Jumping on the band wagon so to speak, Mayo clinic sees the Minute Clinics as a source of patient referrals for their physicians as some patients that come for treatment will be referred to a Mayo Clinic doctor if there is a need for follow up or if their presenting condition needs more treatment then the Minute Clinic can provide (Keckley, Ph. D. , P. H. , 2008). Price Cost-based pricing – Most health care is based on a health insurance system making payments based on a third party payer system, so the price for care is usually set by entities outside of the doctor-patient relationship. Because of this system, providers do not need to compete for patients based on money prices. Medicare sets prices and national policies for health care services, while health insurance companies negotiate with providers for services and they offer incentives to reduce costs and reduce performing unnecessary procedures (Nelson, 2009). Value-based pricing – In comparison, Mayo is a high cost provider when compared to other Minnesota providers, and many insurance providers list Mayo in the bottom of their tiered health plans, based on cost not quality. Mayo may need to charge more to private pay patients to cover the shortfalls from uncompensated care and public payers (Medicare and Medicaid). â€Å"Because public payments rarely cover the cost of care, providers must charge private payers higher rates if they expect to stay in business† (Nelson, 2009,para 15). As we enter into new reforms being designed to cut costs and improve quality care the current system is about to change and we can only hope for the better. Competition-based pricing – The Mayo Clinic is able to keep costs down, because they pay their physicians a salary and not on a fee for services like many other health care organizations do. Being a center for excellence, they rank higher in quality of care than other organizations which gives them an advantage when negotiating with insurance companies on the price for services. Because they have an integrated approach, they perform less unnecessary procedures than other organizations, which will keep a patients overall cost down (Nelson, 2009). Promotion Communication plans – Mayo Clinic is on the cutting edge by initiating an electronic database which allows interaction with other physicians and shared information through an affiliation agreement and e-consultants. With changes coming in the health care delivery system, and payers, Mayo is aggressively expanding their affiliation with other providers. Being known as a center for excellence, they are often called to give a consultation on difficult cases. Becoming an affiliate of the Mayo Clinic gives the provider the ability to use their name in advertising as well as consult with the Mayo Physicians. The goal of Mayo Clinic is â€Å"to be the leader in efforts to get hospitals and physician groups to work together more effectively to improve quality and lower costs† (Graham, 2012). Public relations – Being a pioneer and leading the way is not new for the Mayo Clinic, being one of the first to initiate a Facebook web page that people can write on its wall and share all types of content, is a way of communicating and gaining customers. People are using the site to share stories about their own or a family members experience with the Mayo Clinic. These stories are than shared and â€Å"liked† making this a form of word of mouth. Many will visit the site which also offers information and short videos on different subjects, as well as health support issues. They also have Podcasts that are offered at the iTunes store, and it once reached 29th in the Top 100 (Rollyson, 2008). Advertising – Mayo has not spent a lot of money on advertising and relies on reputation to bring in the patients. However, when they opened the Florida clinic in 2008, patients were not banging down the doors so to speak and they realized they needed to do something to attract the patients (Weiss, 2009). They rely on word of mouth and have taken initiatives that bring awareness to the organization. Having a Facebook page, Twitter, YouTube, Podcasts, local television health segments that allow people to call with concerns or ask questions, monthly new magazine and by sponsoring community health events. Employees are also a source of advertising, many are happy to share the Mayo philosophy (â€Å"the needs of the patient come first†) with others. Sales and selling activity – Being a not for profit organization, they are more concerned with quality as this will bring quantity. The Mayo clinic offers advertising ads and sponsorships in their e-newsletters and magazines as well as community events that promote health awareness. However, their financial goals take a backseat to their mission, which is to focus on the patients and meeting the needs of the patient first. Making themselves present on social media sites as well as sponsoring community events that promote health awareness, they are able to draw attention to their name. Having a strong reputation for quality care and their desire to put the patients’ needs before the need for payment, sets a standard that many organizations could learn from. Overall the Mayo Clinic system and philosophy sets a standard that is in a class of its own. Gaining a reputation that has lasted over a hundred years as one of the best organizations to be a patient of or to work for says a lot for the way they are doing business. Offering other facilities and organizations the opportunity to be affiliated with the Mayo system will continue to bring awareness to the brand and promote their way of helping people, while bring the medical profession together working as a team. Reference: Dickson, F. (2012, May 5). The Mayo Mystique. Marketing Health Services. Retrieved From: http://www. marketingpower. com/ResourceLibrary/MarketingHealthServices/Pages/2012/Spring%202012/The-Mayo-Mystique. aspx Fletcher, H. ( 2010, August). Truth in Advertising. North American Publishing Company. Retrieved from: http://www. targetmarketingmag. com/article/mayo-clinic-puts-straightforward-direct-mail-creative-test/1 Forbes. (2012, July 17). Still the One: Cleveland Clinic Retains Top Spot On US News World Report Heart Hospital Rankings. Forbes. comLLC. Retrieved from: http://www. forbes. com/sites/larryhusten/2012/07/17/still-the-one-cleveland-clinic-retains-top-spot-on-us-news-world-report-heart-hospital-rankings/ Graham, J. , (2012, Aug. 24). Mayo Clinic Seeks to Extend it Reach with Series of Affiliations Around the Country. Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved from: http://www. kaiserhealthnews. org/Stories/2012/August/24/Mayo-Clinic-Extends-Reach. aspx Hathaway M. , Seltman, K. (2001, Winter). International Market Research at the Mayo Clinic. Marketing Health Services. How to cite Marketing Analysis: Mayo Clinic, Papers