Action Learning Review Free Essays

The Longwall department is responsible for the majority of coal production at the mine and hence, revenue for the business. The management group in this department consist of five staff members, with the Superintendent as the senior person reporting to the Mine Manager. As Technical Services Manager I am a member of the senior management team for the mine, and a peer to the Mine Manager. We will write a custom essay sample on Action Learning Review or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, I have no direct authority over the Longwall department. Although it is suited to the approach, the Longwall department does not tend to operate effectively as a team. Whilst there is a clear annual performance target set by senior management, there will often be confusion amongst the group when they attend the mine’s planning meetings as to what the specific short term priorities for the department should be and the best way to achieve them. This confusion invariably leads to conflict in these meetings between group members, with individuals attempting to ensure that their specific area of responsibility is not affected by the other’s individual priorities. There has been a high turnover of staff in the past year and the overall performance of the Longwall has been poor, with production results 40% below budget impacting significantly on the profitability of the business. Analysis The Longwall mining process is complex and to be successful requires reciprocal interdependence of tasks (Thompson, 1967). The engineers must work closely with the operations staff in the department through the planning and implementation stages to ensure safe and productive operations with minimal unplanned delays. This requirement of interdependence makes the Longwall process ideally suited to a team approach for management. Although it is a small group comprised of five staff with complementary skills, and a common production target for the year, the Longwall department does not currently satisfy the requirements of Katzenbach and Smith’s (1993) definition of a team. They fail to define short term goals and work processes which would lead to achievement of the annual production target and, in addition, the group does not hold themselves mutually accountable for their performance. The lack of team approach towards these highly interdependent tasks leads to competing short term priorities within the group and results in poor overall performance. One of the key reasons that the Longwall department has failed to come together as a team is a lack of group cohesiveness (Shaw, 1981). The members of the group are heterogeneous (Managing People Organisations, 2006), with different expertise and experience and as a result there is often competition and conflict (Raelin, 1985) with regards to the best approach to various tasks. This is potentially linked to the lack of specific short term goal setting completed within the group as they seek to avoid conflict because they lack the interpersonal skill of conflict resolution (Managing People Organisations, 2006). However, this conflict inevitably occurs when the group attends the mine’s planning meetings, as the individuals promote different priorities and ideas. If the group was more cohesive and co-operative, individuals would not feel threatened by other members and the heterogeneity of the group could be harnessed in a positive way through creative and flexible solutions to problems. For example one of the mining staff may have a different solution to an engineering problem which was not considered by the engineers. The lack of cohesiveness has led to a high turnover of staff over the past year. This means that Tuckman and Jensen’s (1977) life cycle of the group has had to return to the forming stage of the on a number of occasions and this in turn has hindered the development of group norms (norming stage) which would enhance co-operation within the group and is essential to achieve the required performance. This lack of progress through the group life cycle is also linked to the level of competition between heterogeneous group members as they battle for power and influence in the group. The required short term goal setting and work approaches would be more easily achieved by a cohesive group. If the group was able to achieve the latter stages of the life cycle it is likely that group cohesiveness would be high and there would be significantly less staff turnover. The management processes at the mine currently manage individuals rather than teams (Hackman, 1990). This is linked to the Longwall department’s reluctance to embrace mutual accountability for performance and also the reluctance of the Superintendent to effectively lead the group as a team, as discussed below. Remuneration and bonuses are reviewed on the basis of individual performance, with little accountability for performance as part of a team. This leads individuals to â€Å"protect† themselves by making excuses and blaming others for poor performance. It also encourages individuals to focus on the specific tasks and priorities that are linked to their individual performance rather than those best suited to the overall department’s performance, resulting in conflict and a lack of co-operation in the planning and implementation of tasks. On the basis of Thompson’s (2000) model, the Longwall department achieves two out of three essential conditions to be an effective team. The group has the requisite knowledge, skills and ability to complete the required tasks and their motivation to do so is evidenced by the long hours that each individual spends at work focussing on those tasks. However, as mentioned earlier, the group lacks co-ordination strategies such as short term goal setting and work method development which prevents them from developing into a real team. In addition, Thompson’s team effectiveness model also requires an appropriate environment in which the team can operate. As discussed earlier, the design of the team is appropriate however the requisite organisational context and team culture are currently absent. As can be seen from the earlier analysis, the management of the Longwall mining process is well suited to a team approach, provided that the personnel are managed effectively as a team rather than as individuals in a group. On the basis of Katzenbach and Smith’s team performance curve (1992) the Longwall department is currently at the potential team stage. The individuals in the department have a clear annual production target and are all working hard to achieve it, however, they lack specific short term goals, a common working approach and an attitude of mutual accountability. To achieve the desired performance and meet the annual production targets, the team will need to move from the potential team stage to the real team stage. Improvement Planning From my analysis of the Longwall department I have identified three specific improvement opportunities that I would pursue if I was the Mine Manager to move the team from the potential team stage to the real team stage. Firstly I would look to improve the group’s specific competencies essential for effective teamwork through formal training and improve group cohesiveness through team building activities. Secondly I would implement a process to facilitate the setting of short term goals and work methods to achieve them. Finally I would modify the performance management system and remuneration packages for the individuals in the department to reflect a team based approach rather than individual management. However, prior to beginning the improvement processes I would begin calling the department the Longwall team so that they begin to identify themselves as a team rather than a workgroup or department. To improve the group’s task-related and interpersonal competencies, which are important for effective teamwork, I would organise for the group to go off site together for one week of formal training and team building exercises (Managing People Organisations, 2006). This training may need to be ongoing. It is important that the group attends this training together so that they can begin to build mutual trust and respect and develop social capital (Lengnick-Hall and Lengnick-Hall, 2004). It is also essential that the training is held off site to ensure there are no distractions. One possible obstacle to carrying out this training is that taking the whole group offsite at the same time leaves the workforce with a lack of supervision or direction. To overcome this I would arrange the Superintendent of another area of the mine who has significant Longwall experience to cover the absence of Longwall Superintendent. I would also arrange for the mechanical and electrical engineers from the engineering department to provide coverage from an engineering perspective. The success of this training can be measured through an assessment process conducted by the training organisation at the end of the training program to examine the understanding and application of the concepts by the individuals in the group. A questionnaire completed by each member of the group would also be implemented to determine their perception of the applicability and success of the training. To facilitate the group’s setting of short term goals and work methods to achieve them, I would send them off site again for two days with an external facilitator. This forum would also include team building activities to break up the workshop and continue to promote team bonding. They would utilise the task-related competencies gained in the formal training process to develop and document short term goals based on achieving the annual production targets set by senior management. They would also be required to assess the potential obstacles and risks to achieving their short term goals and develop and document contingency plans to overcome those obstacles. It is essential that the team develops the goals together so that they have ownership and commitment to achieving them. They need to ensure that the goals and work methods focus on performance not just togetherness (Katzenbach and Smith, 1992). Again, a potential obstacle to this process is taking the group offsite together leaving the workforce with a lack of supervision and direction. This would be addressed in the same manner as previously for the formal training. A second potential obstacle/risk to this process is the quality of the external facilitator. If this person does not have the appropriate skills to keep the workshop on track and the understanding of the desired outcomes, it is likely that the workshop will not be successful. To overcome this obstacle I would interview potential facilitators and seek references from others who have used them in the past. Once selected, I would ensure that the facilitator is very clear about the purpose of the workshop and the required documented outcomes. To measure the success of this workshop I would review the documented short term goals to ensure that they will allow the team to meet the annual production target and I would also assess the adequacy and relevance of the contingency plans to overcome the identified obstacles and risks. A second measure will be whether or not the group achieves its self developed short term goals over the following weeks. To modify the performance management review system I would change it from an individual performance review by the Superintendent to a 360 degree review process. This review would be based on individual contribution to the team performance as viewed by other members of the team and will provide valuable feedback for individuals. I would also change the remuneration system for the individuals in the team to incorporate a bonus related to Longwall performance as a team measured on the basis of coal produced against targets (Gross 1995). This would encourage the team culture to develop with individuals supporting each other and keeping each other on track rather than pursuing individual priorities. One obstacle to this could be the feeling that some things which could impact Longwall production are out of the management team’s control, such as geological conditions. To overcome this I would document the potential influences on performance which are not controllable by the team and undertake to discount the production targets by a proportional amount to any performance impacts suffered to ensure that the bonus arrangement is not compromised. The measure of the success of this improvement strategy will be the achievement of production targets over the short and long term. References Gross, S. E. 1995, Compensation for teams: how to design and implement team-based reward programs, American Management Association, New York. Hackman, J. R. 1990, Groups that work (and those that don’t), Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. Katzenbach, J. Smith, D. K. 1993, The wisdom of teams: creating the high performance organization, McGraw-Hill, London. Katzenbach, J. Smith, D. 1992, ‘Why teams matter’, extract from The wisdom of teams: creating the high performance organization, in The McKinsey Quarterly, no. 3 of 1992, pp. 3-27. Lengnick-Hall, M. L. Lengnick-Hall, C. A. 2004, ‘HR’s role in building relationship networks’, Academy of Management Review, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 53-63. Managing People and Organisations, 2006, Unit 5, pp. 1-56, AGSM MBA (Executive) Program. Raelin, J. 1985, The clash of cultures, Harvard Business School Press, Boston. Shaw, M. E. 1981, Group dynamics: the social psychology of small group behaviour, McGraw-Hill, New York Thompson, J. D. 1967, Organizations in action, McGraw-Hill, New York. Thompson, L. 2000, Making the team: a guide for managers, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River. Tuckman, B. Jensen, M. 1977, ‘Stages of small group development’ Group and organisational studies, vol. 2.    How to cite Action Learning Review, Essays

Basic Concepts in Organization free essay sample

When one delves into the principles of compensation in Rational Psychology[2] or what is commonly known as the Philosophy of Man, one gets to understand the very basis of why man tends to associate, or form groups with his fellowman. There are talents or expertise that is possessed by other men which is lacking in a person. Thus, a man by force of necessity identifies himself with another man who has talents which he does not possess. In other words, a person’s act of associating with another man is to compensate for what he lacks himself, thus assuring his survival. Plato said in Absolute Materialism[3] that all persons before they assume physical existence in this world are free-floating pure ideas. He calls this the â€Å"noumena. † By a freakish form of accident the noumena was broken into two and both fell down from the ideal world into earth and are born. We will write a custom essay sample on Basic Concepts in Organization or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Thus, from the time a person is born up to his death, he continually searches for his other half and in the process associating and joining himself with other men in the hope of finding that broken half, and when he finds it, he becomes whole again. The Philippine Constitution of 1987 has recognized this basic need of man to join in a group when it states that: The right of the people, including those employed in the public and private sectors, to form unions, associations, or societies for purposes not contrary to law shall not be abridged. [4] According to Isagani Cruz (1995, p. 225) that the right of the people to associate is especially meaningful because man is by nature gregarious. The expression of opinions and views may be more effectively spread and disseminated if articulated through an organization to which the person belongs than if he were to ventilate them as a mere individual. This buttressed the view that only through membership in an organization, group or association can a person finds fulfillment and wholeness as a human being. With this, it can be said that an organization, together with Mison and Bernabe (2004, p. 79), is a mechanism or structure that enables living things to work effectively together.

The Influences of Traits Essay Example For Students

The Influences of Traits   Essay Every murderer and his story are peculiar and obscure in the mind, with a number of components. It is always a mystery as to the workings of their mind and what compels them to commit such vile acts of violence. In the end, their motives and conscience preceding and after the murder is all that matters. Their reasons for murder may be an account of several different factors, such as the environment and society, their characterization and past, or influences from other people. In Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and The Stranger, by Albert Camus, protagonists Raskolnikov and Meursault commit acts of murder based on separate purposes but entirely motivated by their unique characteristics, and how they affect their mind after the deeds been carried out. We will write a custom essay on The Influences of Traits   specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now In Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov murders Lizaveta Ivanovna and her sister, Alyona Ivanovna, an old pawnbroker, whom he deems a detested woman and his characterization affects his thoughts after the murder. In the beginning, before the murder, Raskolnikov is indecisive about following through with his plan to kill Alyona and he carries out an experiment as practice and to gain a better understanding on where the money and gold are. This characterizes Raskolnikov as anxious and uncertain, and not fully confident in his own plan and execution of it. However, this hesitation pursues until after the murder of the pawnbroker, where Raskolnikov feels dreadful and uneasy having done this act. He gets jittery and listens to his conscience at times, which tells him a different thing than his heart. For example, on the way to the police station for a summons, the day after the murder, Raskolnikov imagines that he will go in, fall on my knees, and confess everything (97). Also, he debates with himself whether or not to confess it all to the head clerk, Nikodim Fomitch, where he feels the urge to get up at once, and tell him everything that had happened yesterday, and then go with him to his lodgings and show him the things in the hole in the corner (107). Raskolnikovs anxiety and sudden impulses to admit the truth become more visible when he faints at the police station, as soon as the murder of Alyona Ivanovna is mentioned. He remains this way weeks trailing the murder, which further epitomizes his character. Raskolnikovs shock and nervousness impel him to stay attached to the murder. During the days of his illness in pursuit of the murder, he seems to only be interested in that subject each time that it is mentioned. It is noticed by Raskolnikovs doctor, Zossimov as well as Razumihin. He is an indefinite character, in that he wishes to confess his crime and be relieved of it, yet he does not want to face the punishment. This example can be portrayed when Raskolnikov is speaking with Zametov, who works at the police station, at a cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. He drops numerous hints to Zametov, about how he is the murderer of the pawnbroker, however, it is assumed to be false and delusive as a result of his illness and delirium. Another example of Raskolnikovs irresoluteness is at the final moment where he decides to go to the police office and confess to Ilya Petrovitch that he is the actual killer. He leaves the office decided upon leaving it a mystery, when he sees Sonia outside and stares into her eyes and he walks back into the office, revealing the long-kept secret after several different thoughts and instances of confessing, where he declares, It was I killed the old pawnbroker woman and her sister Lizaveta with an axe and robbed them (526). Raskolnikovs consistent desir es to confess the truth after the murder are the result of his characteristics. .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82 , .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82 .postImageUrl , .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82 , .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82:hover , .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82:visited , .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82:active { border:0!important; } .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82:active , .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82 .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u3ac0491627f2fcfef0f742e9b85e2b82:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Summary of Act 1 EssayIn The Stranger, Meursault kills and Arab at a beach by shooting him once, then four more times, influenced by his individual characteristics. Meursault is generally a carefree soul, who may also be considered emotionless due to the lack of tears he sheds or emotions he reveals at the events approaching the funeral and the latter, itself, in the opening of the novel. At his mothers vigil, Meursault displays a lack of respect, where he thinks to himself, But I hesitated, because I didnt know if I could do it with Maman right there. I thought about it; it didnt matter. I offered the caretaker a cigarette and we smoked (18). He does not show remorse towa rds his deceased mother, contrary to his mothers friends. Also, Meursault focuses on details not relating to his mother, at the funeral; for example, he pays attention to the intense heat and all of the small features of Thomas Pà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rez such as his slight limp, wrinkly and sweaty skin, the constant taking on and off of his hat and his shortcuts taken to remain caught up with everyone else. This manifests Meursaults indifference to the world around him due to his unique traits. This also pertains to the murder of the Arab, since Meursault did not have a plan or motive to kill him, also lacking a guilty conscience after the murder. The same day following his arrest, Meursault ponders to himself, I had read descriptions like this in books and it all seemed like a game to me (64). He does not realize the situation that he is in, by killing a man, which is mainly a result of his type of character. Another example of Meursaults indifference is his interactions with his current girlfriend, Marie, when she asks him whether he would like to get married to her or not or if he loves her. In response, he says I told her it didnt mean anything but that I didnt think so (35). In response to the marriage proposal, Meursault adds, I said it didnt make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to (41). This further explains his character and why the murder had been committed . It has been discerned by various people that Meursault is a taciturn and withdrawn person. His unique characteristics partake a major role in the murder of the Arab on a hot day at the beach; given that the murder was not transgressed out of rage or hatred but from the impassive and detached man that he is. Overall, Dostoevsky and Camus deliver murder stories on different levels of understanding and character motives. However, both contain common feature, which is being influenced by their characteristics and the manner in which they act on their conscience when the murders have been done. Although Meursault and Raskolnikov are completely different in character, this is what persuades and prompts their actions and thoughts following the crime. Every person is likely to be instigated by his/her characteristics after any act that he/she commits.

A Rose For Emily Essays

A Rose For Emily Essays A Rose For Emily Essay A Rose For Emily Essay A Rose for Emily, Reader Response Critique Using reader response criticism, the reader can analyze William Faulkners A Rose for Emily through characters, action, and secrets or hidden meanings. The reader can analyze a lot about A Rose for Emily through the characters and make many connections to them and the story. For example, for a period of the story William Faulkner described Emilys appearance as bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water and of that pallid hue. This appearance made it seem like Emily as already dead so it can be said that she was very depressed. Another character that some people can relate to is Homer. In the story he could be considered the opposite of Emily. Emily being quite and dignified, Homer himself had remarked he liked men, and it was known that he drank with the younger men in the Elks club that he was not a marrying man. He is the complete opposite of Emily who is a refined lady. Some people could see this and know it wouldnt work out because of the type of person Homer is. What is additionally needed for the reader to analyze A Rose for Emily is the action. A decent grasp of the type of person Emily is can be gained based on how she reacted when her father died. Instead of going into depression or getting angry like some people, she denied it. She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days, , trying to persuade her to let them dispose of the body. A large quantity of people when faced with something bad want to ignore it and hope it goes away. The towns peoples personality can also be een though their action. During the story a weird smell started to emanate from Emilys house and the people did what you least would expect of them. The first thing someone did was A neighbor, a woman, complained to the mayor, Judge Stevens, eighty years old. This woman went behind Emilys back by complaining to the city instead of telling her. Using reader response criticism, the reader can analyze William Faulkners A Rose for Emily through characters, action, and secrets or hidden meanings. From reading A Rose for Emily, people will better understand how to nalyze people and Judge someone based on their actions and what caused them to do that action. If the reader seriously analyses and connects to the story they will also get a better understanding of how people think and understand hidden meanings behind things in life. A Rose for Emily helps people understand that there are many different people in the world and you must change how you deal with each of these people. Its even more significant that readers can learn from this story and hopefully do better and use what they learned in real life. A Rose For Emily By lizziedurrett

Ego Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ego Psychology - Essay Example Expert counseling and bringing these memories to the fore from the sub conscious by hypnosis can make the disorder disappear in such patients. Freud developed his ideas about the unconscious and psychoanalysis on the basis of these ideas and concluded that interpretation leads to change and healing. Initially Freud theorized about a physiological basis for psychogenic processes (www.alliant.edu) but eventually abandoned that theory keeping the belief that psychological activity was based on biological drives. These drives are â€Å"instinctive processes that energize the mind and impel it to activity†. The psychodynamic theories evolved with early presumptions which were later rejected and modified by Freud ultimately to give certain accepted models of psychoanalytical theories (www.alliant.edu). One such model, the ‘Topographic Model’ is divided into three categories viz. ‘Affect Trauma, Topographical and Structural Models’. The Structural Model was proposed by Freud in 1923 (www.alliant.edu). According to this model, there are three processes involved in the mind i.e. the id, ego and the superego. ID is the entire psychic apparatus at the time of birth of an individual. Eventually ID is replaced by the ego and the superego with the chronological development of the individual. The ID still remains after the development of ego/superego, as the psychic representative of the ‘drives’ which operate by the ‘pleasure principle’ and have no connection to the world outside. ID is driven by the feeling of receiving total and immediate gr atification and avoiding pain. The infant, according to Freud is the prime example of ID as its prime focus is gratification of immediate needs such as hunger and defecation. ID is further sub divided into two processes; ‘reflex actions’ such as blinking and ‘primary process thought’ such as the ‘baby imagining the mother’s nipple’ (www.alliant.edu). As early as at the age of one

SAM 451 UNIT 5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SAM 451 UNIT 5 - Assignment Example lso indicates that the cholera occurrences have also been directly hampering tourism in Cuba, which contributed around 2.5 billion to the US economy in 2011 (Orsi, â€Å"US issues advisory for Cuba over cholera cases†). As the report directly indicates the interrelation between cholera cases and tourism development of the Cuban economy, it can be referred as creative statistics. Another statistical report, published in the article titled, â€Å"ACT: Third of high school grads not college ready†, postulates increasing trend of high school graduate students deciphering their unwillingness to go to college. According to the latest survey, it was found that 31% of the students in the US are not ready to go to college, mainly owing to their educational lacunas of learning and applying at the college level. The article further reported that this decline in students’ willingness to go to college, may in future expand the gap between students’ perceptions and abilities with that of the projected job statistics (Elliott, â€Å"ACT: Third of high school grads not college ready†). Hence, imbalances in the US society might be caused owing to fluctuations in the job market, as a consequence of students’ unwillingness to pursue college level studies. This also addresses a creative field of economic development, and thus can be affirmed as a creative statistics illustration. Elliott, Philip. ACT: Third of high school grads not college ready. The Associated Press, 2013. Web. 24 May 2013.

Healthcare law is not in truth mainly about the rights of patients nor Essay

Healthcare law is not in truth mainly about the rights of patients nor the duties of professionals. The main dynamic forces shaping modern healthcare law are economic rather than jurisprudential. Discuss - Essay Example However, recently, it has been brought to the attention of some concerned parties how much economic factors affect healthcare legislation in the UK. They allege that healthcare legislation is now being determined, not by patient rights, but by economic elements. This paper will discuss how healthcare law is not in truth mainly about the rights of patients nor the duties of professionals; it will discuss how the main dynamic forces shaping modern healthcare laws are economic rather than jurisprudential. Healthcare laws are passed with the primary objective of protecting and advocating for the rights of the patient. In the healthcare sector, the patient is the vulnerable party; his condition often makes him a party susceptible to the whims of the healthcare system and the healthcare professionals. In order to neutralize this situation, healthcare laws are in place. These regulations cover rights such as informed consent, right to refuse treatment, right to confidentiality of medical information and such other similar rights. The right to informed consent has been discussed throughout the course as the right of the patient to be properly notified and clarified about the medical procedures that will be undertaken on his person. The risks of these procedures should be properly narrated to the patient in his language. The medical professional informing the patient should ensure that the patient has understood the medical procedures and all that these entail and imply. The right to refus e treatment in essence is about the patient’s choice and his right to refuse medical attention or to refuse medical procedures to be undertaken on his person. The right to confidentiality of medical information is about the right of the patient to be secure in the knowledge that what he reveals to the medical professional in confidence will be kept that way by the