Basic Classroom Technology Every Teacher Needs

Essay on Literature Review Nurse Retention - 1377 Words

With the ongoing changes in the healthcare field, nursing workforce retention presents itself as one of the greatest challenges facing healthcare systems today. According to the American Nursing Association, nursing turnover is a multi-faceted issue which impacts the financial stability of the facility, the quality of patient care and has a direct affect on the other members of the nursing staff (ANA, 2014). The cost to replace a nurse in a healthcare facility ranges between $62,100 to $67,100 (ANA, 2014). The rising problem with nursing retention will intensify the nursing shortage, which has been projected to affect the entire nation, not just isolated areas of the country, gradually increasing in its scope from 2009 to 2030 (Rosseter,†¦show more content†¦The researchers surveyed 3186 nurses on staff at 56 hospitals; 52 academic hospitals and 4 non-academic hospitals. The researchers compared the results of the nurses’ surveys with information about the location of the hospital (rural or urban), the hospital environment (managerial support, good relationships among team members, the nurses’ involvement in decision-making), the nurses’ educational levels, and the staffing (nurse:patient ratio). The researchers also interviewed nurse managers and leaders to evaluate their input on nurse retention and nursing shortages in a qualitative portion of the study. In the article â€Å"Effective strategies for nurse retention in acute hospitals: A mixed method study†, the researchers state â€Å"the results show that nurse staffing and the quality of the nurse practice environment (i.e. managerial support of nursing care, good relations between doctors and nurses, nurse participation in decision-making and organizational priorities on quality of care) are signiï ¬ cantly associated with intention-to-leave the hospital† (Van den Heede et al., 2013, p. 192). This association is related with increase nurse satisfaction with environment and staffing is related to decreased intention to leave the hospital, or an inverse relationship. These researchers also shed light on the fact that Magnet hospitals have far better nurse retention and nurse satisfaction. Thus, focusing on and achieving a Magnet status can be an effectiveShow MoreRelatedTransformational Leadership1196 Words   |  5 Pagestheir strengths and skills and uses them (Roussel Swansburg, 2009). Literature Review Literature Review #1 A comprehensive literature review was conducted on transformational leadership styles. According to Thyer (2003), transformational leadership may help reduce the nursing shortage (Thyer, 2003). Nurses who are being managed under a transactional style do not want to stay in the profession according to Thyer (2003). Nurses want to be involved with the decision making on their units because thisRead MoreCritical Appraisal Of The Literature Essay1339 Words   |  6 PagesAppraisal of the Literature Search Methods The databases of EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature with full text were used to identify evidence-based research concerning the issue of nurse faculty shortage and strategies for dealing with the problem. Identifying keywords selected for the search were nurse faculty shortage, nurse faculty, nurse faculty shortage solutions, and global nurse faculty shortage. Published articles chosen for review fell betweenRead MoreResearch Critique, Part 1: Hospital Nurse Staffing and Patient Mortality, Nurse Burnout, and Job Dissatisfaction798 Words   |  4 PagesResearch Critique, Part 1: Hospital Nurse Staffing and Patient Mortality, Nurse Burnout, and Job Dissatisfaction Grand Canyon University: NRS-433V 06-04-2016 PROBLEM STATEMENT: The broad research problem leading to this study is the belief that nursing shortage in facilities leads to patient safety issues. The review of available literature on this topic shows strong evidence that lower nurse staffing levels in hospitals are associated with worse patient outcomes. Some of these outcomes includeRead MoreRecruitment And Retention Of Nurses1404 Words   |  6 PagesRecruitment and Retention in Nursing As the forthcoming nursing shortage threatens the United States, organizations must be knowledgeable in the recruitment and retention of nurses. The challenge facing health care organizations will be to retain sufficient numbers of nurses to provide safe, efficient, quality of care to patients. Also, organizations will look to recruit and attract quality nurses to fill vacancies left open by staff who left the profession due to burning out. Turnover in NursingRead MoreNursing and The Organizational Culture of Human Resource Management1495 Words   |  6 Pagesorganizations. Nurses play a pivotal role in the health care profession and make up the majority of healthcare workers in a hospital setting. However, there is a nursing shortage globally that is expected to increase as nurses from the baby boom era are set to retire. This is where human resource management and organizational culture come into play. There have been prior studies that have linked organizational culture to t he decrease in nurse turnover rate and the increase of nurse retention. It is importantRead MoreNursing Retention Through Residency Programs971 Words   |  4 PagesNursing Retention through Residency Programs: A Literature Review Shannon G. Stone, MSN, RN, CCRN, SCRN Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing In partial fulfillment of the requirements of NURS6330 Evidence Based Inquiry I Jeannette Crenshaw, DNP, RN, LCCE, FACCE, IBCLC, NEA-BC, FAAN September 27, 2015 Nursing Retention through Residency Programs: A Literature Review A great cause for concern in today’s healthcare system is the shortage of nurses. The shortageRead MoreThes Theory Of Structural Empowerment1699 Words   |  7 Pagesto retain nurses. One strategy for nurse retention is, encouraging nurses to get certified, according to research studies. The population affected by nurse certification is the nurse, the patient, and the organization. Organizations need to invest into getting nurses certified in their specialty area. Research proves that certified nurses’ self-perception is a sense of empowerment. The Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice will be utilized to guide the change to practice. A literature search wasRead MoreNurse-to-Patient Ratio1723 Words   |  7 PagesRUNNING HEAD: Nurse-to-Patient Ratios A Literature Review: Nurse-to-Patient Ratios and Their Relationships with Other Variables Since the times when Florence Nightingale took care of patients, there has been a question about what factors affect patient care. One of these factors, nurse-to-patient ratios, has gotten significant publicity over the last several years due to a change in legislation in California. This increase in publicity has sparked many researchers interest to further evaluateRead MoreThe Factors Affecting The Work Environment On Health Worker Shortages And Improving Access And Quality Of Health Services1347 Words   |  6 PagesLiterature Review In the recent years, there has been viable evidence that shows that other factors in the work environment may also be strong push factors for retention (Burns, Bradley and Weiner, 2012, pg.445). The factors that contribute to forcing workers to leave the public sector include: workload and staff shortages are contributing to burnout, high absenteeism, stress, depression, low morale, and de-motivation (Burns, Bradley and Weiner, 2012, pg.445). It is also shown that poor workingRead MoreThe Case Study by Bally and Nemeck907 Words   |  4 PagesThough Bally and Nemcek are both concerned about high attrition rates in registered nurses and seek ways to increase retention rates and decrease the rate of turnovers, the factors which they consider critical in addressing the shortage of nurses by increasing rates of retention are vastly different. Nemcek is concerned with the internal emotional states and experiences of registered nurses and the impact that has on the nurses experiences wit h respect to job satisfaction and life satisfaction-two

You Suck A Love Story Chapter 2~3 Free Essays

Chapter Two The Last Poop â€Å"So that was it?† â€Å"Yep.† â€Å"Never again?† â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"Not ever?† â€Å"Nope. We will write a custom essay sample on You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 2~3 or any similar topic only for you Order Now † â€Å"I feel like I should save them or something.† â€Å"Would you just flush and come out of there.† Chapter Three I am Poor and My Cat Is Huge Jody walked a step or two behind Tommy, just watching him, as they made their way up Third Street toward Market. She was watching his reaction to his new senses, giving him some room to look around, whispering hints about what he was experiencing. She’d gone through this herself only a couple of months ago, and she’d done it without a guide. â€Å"I can see the heat coming off the streetlamps,† Tommy said, looking up and spinning as he walked. â€Å"Every window in every building is a different color.† â€Å"Try to just look at one thing at a time, Tommy. Don’t let it overwhelm you.† Jody was waiting for him to comment on the aura that each person was giving off. Not a heat aura, more of a life force. So far they’d only seen healthy red and pink ones – not what she was looking for. â€Å"What’s that noise, like running water?† Tommy asked. â€Å"That’s the sewers running under the street. All that stuff will fade after a while – you’ll still hear it, but you won’t notice it unless you focus.† â€Å"It’s like a thousand people are talking in my head.† He looked around at the few pedestrians who were out on the street. â€Å"Televisions and radios, too,† Jody said. â€Å"Try to focus on one thing, let the rest fall back.† Tommy stopped, looked up at an apartment window four floors up. â€Å"There’s a guy up there having phone sex.† â€Å"Figures you’d zero in on that,† Jody said. She focused on the window. Yes, she could hear the guy panting and giving instructions to someone on the phone. Evidently he felt the caller was a dirty little slut and therefore needed to apply varieties of hot salsa to her body. Jody tried to hear the voice on the other end of the phone, but it was too faint – the guy must have been wearing a headset. â€Å"What a freak,† Tommy said. â€Å"Shhhh,† Jody said. â€Å"Tommy, close your eyes and listen. Forget the salsa guy. Don’t look.† Tommy closed his eyes and stood in the middle of the sidewalk. â€Å"What?† Jody leaned against a â€Å"No Parking† sign and smiled. â€Å"What’s just to the right of you?† â€Å"How do I know? I was looking up.† â€Å"I know. Focus. Listen. Two feet from your right hand, what is it?† â€Å"This is dumb.† â€Å"Just listen. Listen to the shape of the sound coming from your right.† â€Å"Okay.† Tommy squinted, showing he was concentrating. A couple of androgynous students dressed in black with severe hair, probably from the Academy of Art on the next block, walked by and barely gave them a look until Tommy said, â€Å"I can hear a box. A rectangle.† â€Å"Acid noob,† said one of the students, who sounded like it might be a guy. â€Å"I remember my first trip,† said the other, who was probably a girl. â€Å"I wandered into the men’s room at the Metreon and thought I was in a Marcel Duchamp installation.† Jody waited for them to pass then asked, â€Å"Yes, a rectangle, solid, hollow, what?† She was a little giddy now, bouncing on the balls of her feet. This was better than buying shoes. â€Å"It’s hollow.† Tommy tilted his head. â€Å"It’s a newspaper machine.† He opened his eyes, looked at the newspaper box, then at Jody, his face lit up like a toddler who has just discovered chocolate for the first time. She ran into his arms and kissed him. â€Å"I have so much to show you.† â€Å"Why didn’t you tell me?† Tommy asked. â€Å"How could I? Do you have words for what you’re hearing? For what you’re seeing?† Tommy let her go and looked around, took a deep breath through his nose, as if checking the bouquet of a wine. â€Å"No. I don’t know how to say these things.† â€Å"See, that’s why I had to share this with you.† Tommy nodded, but looked a little forlorn. â€Å"This part is good. But the other part†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What other part?† â€Å"The foul, dead, blood-drinking part. I’m still starving.† â€Å"Don’t whine, Tommy. Nobody likes a whiner.† â€Å"Hungry,† he said. She knew how he felt, she was feeling some of it herself, but she didn’t know how to solve the feeding problem. Tommy had always been her go-to blood guy; now they were going to have to hunt. She could do it, she had done it, but she didn’t want to do it. â€Å"Come on, we’ll figure this out. Don’t pout. Let’s go watch people on Market Street. You’ll like it.† She took his hand and dragged him up the street toward Market, where rivers of tourists, shoppers, and freaks were flowing up and down the streets and sidewalks. Rivers of blood. â€Å"Everyone smells like whiz and feet,† Tommy said, standing on the sidewalk in front of a Walgreens drugstore. It was still early in the evening and the convention crowd from the hotels was flowing down the sidewalks like a great migrating herd, looking for dinner or a watering hole. Out on the edges, hustlers, homeless, and hangers-on worked their angles, playing the secret path of eye contact to the pocket, while the herd defended itself by paying rapt attention to their companions, their cell phones, or a spot on the sidewalk twelve feet ahead. â€Å"Feet and pee,† Tommy continued. â€Å"You get used to it,† Jody said. â€Å"Is there a clean pair of underwear anywhere on this street?† Tommy shouted. â€Å"You people are disgusting!† â€Å"Would you settle down,† Jody said. â€Å"People are looking. They think you’re crazy.† â€Å"Which makes me different, how?† She looked up the street – for the three blocks she could see there were about three people per block shouting at passersby, wild-eyed and angry, and obviously bat shit. She nodded. He had a point, but then she snatched his shirt collar and pulled his ear down to lip level. â€Å"The difference is that you aren’t living anymore and it’s not a good idea to attract attention to yourself.† â€Å"Which is why you chose to wear that delightful ensemble from the skank-wear collection at Hoes-N-Thangs?† â€Å"You said you liked it.† Jody had become a little more provocative in her dress since becoming a vampire – but she saw it more as an expression of confidence, not a means to attract attention. Was it a predator thing? A power thing? â€Å"I did – do like it, but every guy who passes is staring at your cleavage. I can hear their heartbeats go up. Did you have to turn to mist to get into those jeans? You did, didn’t you?† A tap on Tommy’s shoulder. A young man in a white, short-sleeved dress shirt and a black tie had sidled up to him, holding out a pamphlet. â€Å"You sound troubled, brother. Maybe this will help.† The pamphlet proclaimed rejoice! on the cover in big green letters. Jody covered her mouth and turned away so the guy wouldn’t see her giggling. â€Å"What?!† Tommy said, turning on the guy. â€Å"What? What? What? Can’t you see I’m trying to discuss my girlfriend’s – uh – well, those.† Tommy gestured to Jody’s shoulder, which was now where those had just been. â€Å"Show him, Jody,† Tommy said. Jody shook her head and started to walk away, her shoulders shaking with laughter. â€Å"There’s a message here,† said the tie guy. â€Å"It can bring you comfort – and joy.† â€Å"Yeah, well, I was trying to show you some examples of that, but there she goes with them.† â€Å"But this is a joy that goes beyond physical – â€Å" â€Å"Yeah, like you’d know,† Tommy said, cupping his nose and mouth as if covering a sneeze. â€Å"Listen, I’d love to discuss this with you, buddy, but right now you have to GO HOME AND WASH YOUR ASS! You smell like you’re smuggling a stockyard back there!† Tommy turned and strode after Jody, leaving the tie guy blushing and crumpling his pamphlet. â€Å"It’s not funny,† Tommy said. Jody was trying so hard not to laugh, she snorted. â€Å"Yes, it is.† â€Å"Can’t they see we’re damned? You’d think they could tell. At least you. We are damned, aren’t we? » â€Å"No idea,† Jody said. She hadn’t really thought about it. â€Å"Didn’t cover that in your advanced vampire course with the old guy?† â€Å"Forgot to ask.† â€Å"No problem,† Tommy said, with no effort at all to suppress sarcasm. â€Å"Minor detail. Anything else you might have forgotten to ask?† â€Å"I thought I’d have more time, for follow-up,† Jody said. â€Å"I didn’t realize that the man I love was going to bronze us that first night.† â€Å"Yeah – well – okay. Sorry.† â€Å"Where’s the trust?† Jody said. â€Å"You killed me,† Tommy said. â€Å"Oh, there you go again.† â€Å"Please, folks. I need a dollar,† said a voice from the left. Jody looked down to see a guy sitting against the granite wall of a closed bank. He was dirty beyond age or race, sort of grimy to the point of shine, and on his lap was an enormous long-haired cat. There was a cup on the sidewalk in front of him and beside it a hand-printed sign that read I AM POOR AND MY CAT IS HUGE. Tommy, who was still fairly new to the city and hadn’t learned to look past this sort of thing, stopped and started digging in his pocket. â€Å"That is sure a huge cat.† â€Å"Yeah, he eats a lot. It’s all I can do to keep him fed.† Jody nudged Tommy, trying to get him back into the pedestrian flow. She liked that he was a nice guy, but it could really be irritating sometimes. Especially when she was trying to teach him the profundities of being a creature of the night. â€Å"Mostly fur, though, right?† Tommy asked. â€Å"Mister, this cat weighs thirty-five pounds.† Tommy whistled and handed the guy a dollar. â€Å"Can I touch him?† â€Å"Sure,† the guy said. â€Å"He doesn’t care.† Tommy knelt down and poked the cat gently, then looked up at Jody. â€Å"This is a huge cat.† She smiled. â€Å"Huge. Let’s go.† â€Å"Touch him,† Tommy said. â€Å"No thanks.† â€Å"So,† Tommy said to the cat guy, â€Å"why don’t you give him to a shelter or something?† â€Å"Then how am I supposed to make a living?† â€Å"You could print up a sign that says ‘I’m poor and I lost my huge cat’? That would work on me.† â€Å"You may not be the best sample,† said the cat guy. â€Å"Look,† Tommy said, standing now and digging into his pocket. â€Å"I’ll buy the cat. I’ll give you, uh, forty – â€Å" The cat guy shook his head. â€Å"Sixty – â€Å" Furious head shaking†¦ Tommy untangled bills from a wad he’d pulled out of his pocket, â€Å"One hundred – â€Å" â€Å"No.† â€Å"And thirty†¦ two – â€Å" â€Å"No.† â€Å"And thirty-seven cents.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"And a paper clip.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"That’s a great offer,† Tommy insisted. â€Å"That’s like four bucks a pound!† â€Å"No.† â€Å"Well screw you, then,† Tommy said. â€Å"I don’t feel sorry for you and your huge cat.† â€Å"You can’t have your dollar back.† â€Å"Fine!† Tommy said. â€Å"Fine!† said the cat guy. Tommy took Jody by the arm and started to walk away. â€Å"That’s a huge cat,† he said. â€Å"Why were you trying to buy it? We’re not supposed to have pets in the loft.† â€Å"Duh,† Tommy said. â€Å"Dinner.† â€Å"Yuck.† â€Å"It’s a stopgap,† Tommy said. â€Å"You know that the Masai of Kenya drink the blood of their cattle with no apparent ill effect to the cow.† â€Å"Well, I’m sure it violates our lease if we get a cow.† â€Å"That’s it.† â€Å"What’s it?† â€Å"A lease.† Tommy swung her around and brought her back to the cat guy. â€Å"I want to rent the cat,† Tommy said. â€Å"You could use a break and I want to show the huge cat to my aunt who is an invalid and can’t come down here.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"One night. One hundred and thirty-two dollars and thirty-seven cents.† The cat guy raised an eyebrow, the grime over that eye cracked a little. â€Å"One fifty.† â€Å"I don’t have one fifty, you know that.† â€Å"Then I want to see the redhead’s hooters.† Tommy looked at Jody, then back at the cat guy, then back at Jody. â€Å"No,† Jody said calmly. â€Å"No,† Tommy said indignantly. â€Å"How dare you suggest it?† â€Å"One hooter,† countered the cat guy. Tommy looked at Jody. She gave him the wide, green-eyed expression that she would have described as I will slap you so far into next week that it will take a team of surgeons just to get Wednesday out of your ass. â€Å"No way,† Tommy said. â€Å"The redhead’s hooters are not on the table.† He grinned, looked back at Jody, then looked away, really fast. The cat guy shrugged. â€Å"I’ll need some kind of security deposit, like your driver’s license – â€Å" â€Å"Sure,† Tommy said. â€Å"And a credit card.† â€Å"No,† Jody said, pulling her jacket closed and zipping it up to her neck. â€Å"Nothing kinky,† said the cat guy. â€Å"I’ll know.† â€Å"Going to show him to my aunt, and I’ll have him back tomorrow, this time.† â€Å"Deal,† said the cat guy. â€Å"His name is Chet.† â€Å"You first,† Tommy said. They stood in the great room of their loft on either side of the futon, where the huge cat, a crossbreed between a Persian, a dust mop, and possibly a water buffalo, was actively shedding. Tommy had decided that he was going to be very cool about the whole blood-drinking thing, despite the fact that he was so amped he felt as if he could run up and down the walls. In fact, he wasn’t sure that he couldn’t run up and down the walls, that was part of what was freaking him out. Still, since coming to San Francisco a couple of months ago, he had spent entirely too much time overreacting, and he wasn’t going to do it now – not in front of his girlfriend. Not at all, if he could help it. â€Å"You should go first,† Jody said. â€Å"You’ve never fed before.† â€Å"But you gave the old vampire some of your blood,† Tommy said. â€Å"You need it.† It was true, she had given the vampire her blood to help heal him from the damage Tommy and his friends had caused by blowing up his yacht and so forth, but he hoped she would say no again. â€Å"No, no, no, after you,† Jody said, with a very bad French accent. â€Å"I insist.† â€Å"Well, if you insist.† Tommy leapt to the futon and bent over the huge cat. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to go about this, but he could see the healthy red life aura around Chet, and he could hear his little kitty heart pounding. There was a crackling noise inside of his head, like someone was popping bubble wrap in his ear canal, and then there was pressure on the roof of his mouth, painful pressure, and more crackling. He felt something give and two sharp points poking his lower lip. He pushed back from the cat and grinned at Jody, who yelped and jumped back a step. â€Å"Fangth,† Tommy said. â€Å"Yes, I can see that,† Jody said. â€Å"Why’d you jump? Do they look thupid?† â€Å"You startled me, is all,† Jody said, looking away from him like he was an arc welder or a total eclipse and full eye contact might blind her. She waved him on. â€Å"Go, go, go. Be careful. Not too hard.† â€Å"Right,† Tommy said. He grinned again and she shied away. Tommy turned back, braced the cat, who seemed much less freaked by this process than the two vampires in the room, and bit. â€Å"Thuppt, thuppt, ack!† Tommy stood up and started brushing at his tongue to remove cat hair. â€Å"Yuck!† â€Å"Hold still,† Jody said, going to him and brushing the loose, damp cat hair away from his face. She went to the kitchen counter and came back with a glass of water and a paper towel, which she used to wipe at Tommy’s tongue. â€Å"Just use the water to rinse. Don’t swallow it. You won’t be able to keep it down.† â€Å"I’m not going to thwollow it, my mouf is full of cat hair.† Once he had rinsed, Jody picked the last of the hairs from his mouth, and in doing so, she pricked one of her fingers on Tommy’s right fang. â€Å"Ouch.† She pulled her finger away and put it in her mouth. â€Å"Oh, jeez,† Tommy said. He pulled her finger out of her mouth and put it in his. His eyes rolled back in his head and he moaned through his nose. â€Å"Oh, I don’t think so,† Jody said. She grabbed his hand and bit into his forearm, attaching herself to him like a remora to a shark. Tommy growled, flipped her around, and threw her facedown on the futon, his arm still in her mouth. She flipped her hair to the side and he sank his teeth into her neck. She screamed, but the shriek was muted, bubbling out on Tommy’s bloody forearm. Chet, the huge cat, hissed and bolted across the room, through the bedroom door, to wedge himself under the bed, as the sounds of straining leather, tearing denim, and screaming predators filled the loft. The irony, that it sounded like a huge catfight, was completely lost on the huge cat. How to cite You Suck: A Love Story Chapter 2~3, Essay examples

Information Technology Of Knowledge Management - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about Information technology for knowledge management. Answer: Introduction Strategic information systems are becoming an integral part of the organizational strategies. Currently, organizations are implementing SIS for aligning the business strategies with various organizational information systems. It helps in supporting the present strategies of the business and also helps in assisting the change in the business structure as well as strategies (Altaf and Khalil 2016). SIS facilitates the senior management group to make appropriate strategic decisions by accurately channelizing valuable information. Organizations have become aware of the benefits of SIS, and their current focus is on utilizing the functionalities of SIS to resolve the existing inefficiencies in the business processes (Altameem, Aldrees and Alsaeed 2014). SIS efficiently utilizes information for enhancing operational efficiencies of the strategic business units as well as departments. This literature review describes the services and products that are offered by the organization. It focuses on the structure of Woolworths. It discusses the existing processes of Woolworths and identifies the gap in the processes. This literature review discusses specific issues that can be resolved by the new system. It explains IS strategy and briefly outlines the various difficulties that Woolworths can face while implementing the IS strategy. It also provides suggestions for overcoming the difficulties. The following literature review critically analyses the main causes responsible for the IS project failures and recommends remedies for preventing project failures. Discussion Woolworths is known as the largest supermarket chains in Australia. It operates 995 stores in the country, and it has 11500 employees across its distribution centres, support offices and stores (Woolworthsgroup.com.au 2018). Its main focus is on giving superior range, value, convenience and services to the customers. It ensures best quality services and products to the consumers. Woolworths is one of the innovative retailers in Australia which allows customers to buy the products from the store as well as the online app. Woolworths- Structure, Services and Products a) Organizational Structure: The hierarchical structure of Woolworths has divided the entire organization into various levels such as operation or first level, tactical or second level and the strategic or the top management level. The informational needs of the various levels are different. Operation level requires daily operational information for executing regular activities. The tactical level of the organization needs information for achieving short-term objectives of the organization. The highest level of the organization needs information for making strategic decisions. b) Products and services: Woolworths mainly sells groceries. It provides fresh fruits and vegetables to the customers. It offers best quality dairy products to its customers. Woolworths offers various household products, products for infants as well as health products. It has different sections that also sell beauty products, clothes, pet supplies, stationery items and magazines. It is a supermarket chain that provides all kinds of products that are needed by the consumers. For improving customer experience, it has developed its app for facilitating the customers to buy online and save time. Functionality and Operations a) Woolworths- current processes: The various processes of Woolworths focus on inventory management, customer service management and financial accounting methods. Organizational change management process is considered to be one of its main processes. The purchasing process of the supermarket chain is centralized, and the inventory levels of the company are reported by the frontline managers. Based on the level of inventory the order placing is done by the managers to its suppliers. The inventory process monitors and manages the inventory based on the FIFO technique. The core focus of senior executive processes of Woolworths is on improving its customer experience by providing quality products and controlling business procedures (com.au 2018). The accounting or finance process of Woolworths constitutes the methods for handling sales data, financial data and payroll. The marketing and sales processes are part of the main processes of the supermarket chain. b) Gap Identification: The increase of competition in the market is responsible for slowing down the market growth of the Woolworths retail chain (com.au 2018). Lack of innovative marketing strategies has affected its productivity and sales. Woolworths offers products at a higher price as compared to its competitors. The traditional management techniques followed by the top management team of Woolworths led to the development of improper pricing strategy. The ineffective business models and strategies affected the business growth and caused a fall in its share price. The low morale of its employees has a negative impact on the organizational performance. Lack of strategic information systems has prevented the organization to align its business strategies with the IS and affected its present working procedure as well. c) Specific issues or problems that will be fixed by the new system: The gaps in the marketing strategies of Woolworths can be resolved by implementing the new system or SIS. It will help in solving issues related to fallen share price and low employee morale. Woolworths will be able to achieve competitive advantages and strategic goals by implementing the new system. The new system will help in improving business performance by lowering product price and satisfying the customers. Woolworths will be able to improve its market position by implementing the new system. d) Criteria for proving that the proposed or new system meets its requirements: One major criterion is the new system performance. Verification and validation of the system is essential for proving whether the new system meets the requirements or not. System verification and validation methods can be utilized for checking whether the system requirements are met or not. Software and hardware functioning of the proposed system are one of the main criteria for proving that the proposed system is meeting its requirements. The operational requirements of the customers need to be met and this is another main criterion (Bajdor and Grabara 2014). System testing and evaluation can be performed for understanding the performance of the system. System throughput along with system reliability forms the main criteria for proving whether the new system meets its requirements or not (Cassidy 2016). The other criteria include vendor support, documentation quality and system scalability. Information Systems Strategy Alignment of IS structure and organizational strategies are supported by IS strategies (Amrollahi, Ghapanchi and Talaei-Khoei 2014). Woolworths supermarket chains need this strategy for the purpose of supporting its current IS structure for making sure that the valuable information of the current systems is utilized accurately for achieving the business goals. IS strategies play a major role in synchronizing the existing technology platforms of Woolworths with its IS (Whittington 2014). Competitive advantages can be achieved by Woolworths by carrying out integration between IS and organizational strategies (Sakas, Vlachos and Nasiopoulos 2014). IS strategy helps in identifying informational needs at the different organizational levels and gives insight into the business issues (Pearlson, Saunders and Galletta 2016). Organizations get proper direction and new business development opportunities by implementing IS strategies . The above discussed benefits clarify why Woolworths requires IS strategy to be incorporated into its organizational strategy. Woolworths will be able to improve its operational efficiency and productivity by integrating the IS and organizational strategy (Argenziano, Severinov and Squintani 2016). IS strategy can help Woolworths to enhance its customer experience and relations. IS strategy will help in enhancing customer experience by improving the internal processes (Peppard and Ward 2016). The top management team will get access to the strategic information and make correct decisions regarding strategic approaches and procedures. Woolworths will be able to improve its products and strategies by implementing information system strategy that will facilitate in optimally utilizing strategic information. Difficulties in developing IS Strategy a) Human challenges: Employees of Woolworths might lack technical skills and competencies. Some of them might not be ready to support the implementation of IS strategy. Absence of employees belonging to technical domains can cause difficulty in IS strategy development. Problems in developing IS strategy can take place due to communication gap in the organization. b) Management challenges: The top management team might lack the understanding of the benefits of implementing IS strategy. They might not support the development of IS strategy. This can act as a barrier to implementing IS strategy (Boonstra 2013). Internal communication gaps can also cause difficulty in implementing IS strategy. c) Technical and time-related issues: Technical issues such as system failure can affect the IS strategy implementation process (Liu and Wang 2014). Woolworths might face serious problems in migrating to the new system from its existing system. Extension of the intermediate processes and plans can stop the IS implementation. Solutions provided for the above discussed difficulties: a) Solution for overcoming human challenges: Technical training sessions can be held for enhancing the technical skills and knowledge of the existing employees. Hiring staffs with technical experience can help in the successful implementation of IS strategy in Woolworths. Regular group discussions must be held for improving employee coordination. b) Solution for overcoming management challenges: The advantages of implementing IS strategy must be explained to the top management team for getting their approval and support. Attractive presentation must be prepared for demonstrating the role and need of IS strategy in the organization and removing the internal communication gaps. c) Solution for overcoming technical issues: Regular maintenance of the current IS and appropriate determination of the technical specifications can help in resolving the technical difficulties. Effective plans can be scheduled for accomplishing the tasks of implementing IS strategy without delay or failure. Information System Failures a) Problems or issues that might arise within the IS projects: System failures are considered to be the main problem that might arise within IS projects. If the top management is unable to define the project goals and support the implementation of IS strategy then it can lead to the failure of IS projects (Cecez-Kecmanovic, Kautz and Abrahall 2014). Unclear responsibilities and communication gaps can lead to the failure of IS projects. Improper determination of technical specifications is also responsible for the IS project failure (Rainer et al. 2013). Software crisis due to irregular maintenance of the system can lead to low productivity and harm IS projects (Petter, DeLone and McLean 2013). Sometimes the management team is unaware of the need of IS projects that can act as a barrier in the success of the IS projects. When the project budget and schedule are not properly designed then it can harm the IS projects (Mir and Pinnington 2014). Improper alignment of business strategies w ith the IS of the organization, and the changing dynamic environment of the business can also create problems within IS project. b) Recommendations for solving the above mentioned problems i) System failures can be prevented by properly defining the IS project objectives. Regular group discussions and meetings can be held before starting with the project work for clarifying the need of the IS project and gaining the support of the management team. Decision making process must be participative for clarifying the responsibilities of the staffs. ii) The system can be regularly maintained by IT specialists and technical staffs for avoiding the issue of software crisis. iii) Technical competencies of the employees can be enhanced through training programs. Competent staffs will be able to prepare accurate project schedule, project budget and properly align the business needs with the IS of the organization. Dynamic staffs can be hired for adjusting with the changing needs of the market. Conclusion It can be seen from the above literature review that strategic information systems can help Woolworths to achieve competitive advantages and enhance its operational efficiency. This supermarket chain can enhance its productivity by implementing IS strategy. The above discussion has shown that IS strategy will enable Woolworths to align the business strategies with the current IS structure. The current processes of Woolworths include customer service, marketing, inventory, sales and accounting process. It has been found out that the gap in the current processes of Woolworths has decreased its market growth. Lack of innovative marketing strategies can be overcome by the new system. According to this literature review, system performance is one of the main criteria for proving that the new system has met the requirements. Woolworths can face certain challenges such as lack of technical staffs, lack of top management support and technical issues while implementing IS strategy. Technical training, effective communication and proper identification of technical specifications are suggested for overcoming these problems. 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