Bidding and Funding in Health Care

Question: Apply knowledge and skills of funding and organisational processes to the construction of a funding bid or strategy relating to a new nursery set up in Tower Hamlets.Learning outcomes/what to cover Contracting and funding Service level agreements Consolation and partnership working Commissioning and provision of services Framing and construction of bids Working with different funding streams in the third sector Establishing a need for services Structuring a delivery method Identifying resources Quality and policy Governance and structure Answer: Introduction A nursery is a place to nurture pre-school children of working or studying parents. The main objective is to look after children when their parents are away. It must not be taken as a business opportunity as caring about children below eight years is a daunting task which demands registration from local authority. Previously this service was more or less non-profit centric and runs on donations given by community members. But in recent period, this has been transformed into a successful business platform. The difference between this business and other business is here money always ranks second and security ranks first. The more money, demands more security. Setting up nursery requires funding in order to meet diverse need of the children. Since it is not going to provide any sort of product or service for client in a business environment, the funding remains an issue for nursery set ups. Childcare services are broadly classified into two categories such as not for profit and public s ervices(Roda et al, 2011). In general there are three types of child care services to which the parents or community looks after. They are family care, home care or day care centers. Nursery falls into day care services where programs are developed for development of children. As nothing comes in free, whether it is a profitable venture or non-profitable venture, money is required for establishment and running. The main purpose of this piece of article is to demonstrate different strategies to be followed by childcare service like nursery set up in order to bring funds and grants for successful set up and running. The essay will demonstrate how to bid for a successful money flow and different levels of agreement required for setting up nursery. The current piece of article addresses different needs and strategies of setting up nursery in tower hamlets. Contracting and Funding Contracting and funding can be a good option for XYZ nursery to be set up at tower helmets. Contracts is a term of agreement in between organization and a third party purchased either for good and services. Contract must not be considered in normal business terms as give product and take money , rather it specifies what requirements is there, how the current nursery is going to fulfill that requirement, how it will address the need and for what service they will be paid for or funded. Although, from definition it looks an easy pass, contract funding has four processes through which every organization or an entrepreneur has to get through. Commissioning The first step is to assess the need of local people as far nursery is concerned. After an initial assessment is done, the service is designed and secured. Procurement It encompass specific activities which are required to ensure smooth buying process both for client and service provider. The components consist of initial advertisement to total sealing of project(Feierabend and Staffelbach, 2015). After procurement process is done, tender application is the next crucial step. In this step nursery has to outline what is the need of the society and what is the plan of nursery and how it will be delivered. For example- if local people demands different time for leaving their children at setting, the nursery must address how shifts will be managed, human resources to be involved and how it will be done. The services to be provided will be determined based upon what service requirement has been specified from local authority. The nursery must look into the matter how the claimed service will be met and must be ready to make them understand if required. The service specifications and justifications must be strong enough to ensure the deal is set. But this process might not be good for Kidco Nursery, as it is quite small in terms of capacity and area coverage. Although, it caters to the need of local people, the population of that area also matters. Service Level Agreement Service level agreement is defined as the degree of service that will be facilitated by the nursery to be established in tower hamlet. It must be explained in simpler language, and if necessary must include technical terms with well definition to exhibit the services to be facilitated. The service level agreement must speak about perceived work of nursery, how the performance is to be expected, its operational mechanism, what are the priorities, who all will be involved, and what guarantee or warranty will be given to local authority of tower hamlet. If possible, the nursery will address the target set to reach within a specified deadline. For example- to cover minimum 300 families in a period of six months shows our level of work and growth pattern. The different components to be included in service level agreement for setting up new nursery are as follows Controlling children center and how many days per week it will operate, timing of each shifts, employment status, and number of employees to be hired, their roles and responsibilities, and financial control, etc. The service level agreement must address the potential risks and issues such as if the nursery has to be shut down temporarily for any infrastructural work then what will be the status, how the community users will be categorized and how priorities will be decided among them, security, health and safety of children and charges to be paid by the users, etc. Thus, service level agreement strengthens the bidding of nursery for funding and grants(Saraceno, 2011). Kidco nursery can incorporate this strategy to attract funding agencies, once the service level agreement is done; it is feasible to get funds from local authorities and government employees. Consultation and Partnership Working Being a new nursery, the claims must not outnumber our capacity and strength. Therefore, to adhere to our services claimed the nursery management will consult the other established nurseries in nearby district and will be working in partnership with two other big nurseries situated in other cities. For example- training of care takers is a must for setting up new nursery. The experienced ones can train the novices in a much better way than any professional service provider. Since, the management is yet to start with the nursery unit, the real time issues can be addressed only after entering into real work. To address different types of issues to be raised in future, the nursery of tower hamlet will be consulting our partners as well as local authorities for sorting out the issue. Through consultation and partnership, the management team ensures to its investors and funding agencies that it is not feasible to meet our target by working alone. To prevent any unfortunate event or issues , the set up will enter into partnership and go for regular consultation(Pecora et al, 2012). This strategy must be followed as this will build trust loyalty among its users. Working with an established name gives them a better opportunity to learn about different strategies through which they can be funded. Commissioning and Provision of Services Commissioning and procurement of services or provision of services not necessarily suits all non-profit organizations. But in the present context, the management of new nursery to be set up declares full understanding of the concepts of commissioning and provision of services. Prior to opening of nursery, the group has carried out substantial amount of research to find out the needs of local family or parents(Munn-Giddings and Winter, 2013). As per our survey data, the current level of working parents in this area stands at 65% which is very high. Out of 65%, 48% are forced to leave their children at some distanced relative home as they have no one to look after them. Thus, a nursery is demanded by those parents to look after their children. To meet the assessed needs, the nursery program was developed which not only involves taking care but simultaneously looking after proper development of child. Post funding a qualitative survey will be carried out to find out the qualitative need of children and design service as per requirement. In recent years, the number of non-public bodies facilitating public services has been increased with funding and grants. The provision of services shows the services to be provided in order to meet the need and how they will be compensated. Service provision of new nursery ensures qualified and trained staffs available 24*7 at the setting to deliver the services as mentioned in our service level agreement. The provision of services ensures long term relationship with our users and higher degree of interaction. Framing and Construction of Bids As we are providing public service, for funding and investment the nursery has to bid for funds and tender with other competitor. Therefore, it is absolutely essential to bid in best way which address the need, shows the real problems to authorities and how our service is going to meet those needs. For successful bidding the following framework is to be followed- The age group of children who will be attending the nursery and what provisions of services has been designed for each group. The safety and health services to be provided for each age group. The details of our services to be facilitated by leaflet as well as online through our webpage. The timing or operating time must be mentioned for each day of week including holidays. This will help authorities know our strengths and capability against our competitors. The timing must be justified with needs and interventions for those needs. How those needs are different from others must be addressed in the bidding structure. The bidding framework must include place of operation, valid logical reason for the place chosen for operation and how it will be managed. The details of ownership, partnership and contracts for partnership must be provided in the framework for bidding(Dursch and Muller, 2014). Bidding can be done by Kidco nursery, as it will help them as they will be identified by different agencies. Failure can lead to valuable suggestions that will ensure Kidco nursery manages to get required amount of funds for successful run in next bidding. Working with Different Funding Streams of Third Sector As we are non-profit organization it is necessary to know different funding agencies and types of funds which can be used for setting new nursery. There are three main types of funding which can be avail by management of new nursery. The first is through grant, second is through grant in aid and the third one is through a contract. In grant, the service level agreement is attached to ensure the money taken as grant will be spent on type of service mentioned and different processes involved. The grant in aid is a type of funding which must be not very specific like the above, and can be spent on different other factors which affects functionality of nursery. The third option is to go through contract, wherein a contract will be signed in between nursery and local authority to provide nursery services against a particular amount to be paid by the users and local authority in regular intervals. Since, the current project is a start-up one; the start-up grant can be availed through which the costing of set up, human resources, equipments and physical place will be funded by government agency or through different private organizations(Bergqvist and Njberg, 2013). Establishing a Need for Services Every organization or any firm first establish a need for their services in order to design services. The principle remains same for our nursery where we must establish the need for such a nursery in tower hamlet. As previously mentioned, 65% of parents are working out of which 48% have no body to look after their children. In such cases, the amount of care which must be given to the child is usually not provided. As parents look after financial status of their family, they are forced to send their children to nearby neighbor house or distance relatives. In such cases, the development of child is hampered due to negligence in care and development. The timing of their food and other requirements gets disturbed which also affects their health. In due course of time, the mental status of child also gets hampered. These issues show there is a need for nursery service where parents can leave their child with minimal tension and can take their child post job session happily. To address the above mentioned need, the nursery must be set up(Harowitz et al, 2014). Structuring of Delivery Services Structuring of delivery of service is a very important process in nursery set up. In most cases absence of such structured delivery systems reduces the chance of success and in turn leads to failure of the project. When a service delivery is structured, it provides a necessary insight into real time problems, issues, barriers and promoters with achievement of each delivery system. For the current project the deliverables such as choosing of place, establishment of facility, safety guidelines meeting, hiring of trained staffs must be carried out sequentially and logically. For example establishment of physical facility with all safety guidelines must be showed to funding agency within a given time period(Alfrod and Oflyn, 2012). As a result, this will help in more funding due to systematised work process and achievement of targets within deadline. Similarly, with each delivery of service and process within the service the real time issues can be discussed and interventions can be made to avoid such issues in future. For example- hiring of staffs might not get completed within target deadline as this job requires highly patient personalities. The issues faced during the project can be addressed before our next project which reduces our time requirement and enhances efficiency. Knowing Resources To deliver services claimed by our management, knowing resources within and resources outside is an extreme necessity. Resources in a group are much higher and can be used potentially to deliver service which cant be realized by individuals of that group. Each person in the group differs in their expertise and strength areas. Therefore, knowing each individuals strength and how they can be used in service delivery helps in efficient allocation of human resources(Collins, Fischer, Nalich, 2014). This demand before establishing the nursery Kidco nursery must recognize its own potentials. For example- establishing nursery requires persons with an experience of taking tantrums of children and yet patiently interacting with them. Not necessarily each and every individual in the team possess such personality. It can be facilitated by group effort which lessens the burden upon single individual. Thus, a common goal can be created and the whole team can commit to achieve the goal. Similarly, it is important to address the external resources which can be beneficial for our nursery set up program. Arranging fund raising awareness or campaign in locality with one or two influential personalities can bring good amount of funding to our project which will help us in easy establishment of nursery(Landry et al, 2014). Quality Policy and Governance The standards of service to be provided must meet the legal and health department guidelines for a particular region. Maintaining and adhering to quality policies demonstrates our commitment towards quality service facilitation to locality. Thus, a quality manager will be hired in order to inspect and maintain quality as per norms. For example- the drinking water system must meet stringent criteria set by health department and time to time external audits can be done by the funding agencies. The transparency in quality policy will help us in providing better service in a reasonable price range. The governance must be done by a board of members which must include two members from funding agencies(Bergqvist and Njberg, 2013). This has to be done in order to keep a check upon different process and procedures to be followed at the center. Conclusion The nursery set up will be a successful project if the above mentioned points are done while bidding and tendering for funds. The process must be transparent in order to raise more funds and must address different loopholes. Partnership must be sought in order to be a successful nursery in tower hamlet and provide quality service to the local authorities. References Alford, J., O'Flynn, J. (2012).Rethinking public service delivery: Managing with external providers. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Bergqvist C., Njberg, A. (2013). Welfare state restructuring and child care inSweden.Child care policy at the crossroads: Gender and welfare state restructuring, 287. Collins, C. C., Fischer, R., Lalich, N. (2014). Enhancing Child Care for Children with Special Needs Through Technical Assistance.Journal of Family Strengths,14(1), 9. Drsch, P., Mller, J. (2014). Bidding for Nothing? The Pitfalls of overly Neutral Framing. Feierabend, A., Staffelbach, B. (2015). Crowding Out Reciprocity between Working Parents and Companies with Corporate Childcare.Human Resource Management. Horwitz, S. M., Hoagwood, K., Stiffman, A. R., Summerfeld, T., Weisz, J. R., Costello, E. J., ... Norquist, G. (2014). Reliability of the services assessment for children and adolescent Landry, S. H., Zucker, T. A., Taylor, H. B., Swank, P. R., Williams, J. M., Assel, M., ... Klein, A. (2014). Enhancing early child care quality and learning for toddlers at risk: The responsive early childhood program.Developmental psychology,50(2), 526. Munn-Giddings, C., Winter, R. (2013).A handbook for action research in health and social care. Routledge. Pecora, P. J., Whittaker, J. K., Maluccio, A. N., Barth, R. P. (2012).The child welfare challenge: Policy, practice, and research. AldineTransaction. Roda, C., Barral, S., Ravelomanantsoa, H., Dussaux, M., Tribout, M., Le Moullec, Y., Momas, I. (2011). Assessment of indoor environment in Paris child day care centers.Environmental Research,111(8), 1010-1017. Saraceno, C. (2011). Childcare needs and childcare policies: A multidimensional issue.Current Sociology,59(1), 78-96.

Poor quality exports

Despite the fact that poor quality products are banned for sale in the United States and Europe, these products still find their way into other markets outside the stated markets. Some countries, especially the developing countries, are thus being flooded with recycled, old, obsolete or damaged goods from the international markets.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Poor quality exports specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This poses a very big problem to local producers in such countries and it is also a potential time bomb that is bound to weaken international trade ties. With the contemporary efforts that companies and countries are making towards getting a share of the international market, the aforementioned habitual exportation of poor quality goods is bound to phase itself out. Developing countries have been fairly associated with all sorts of problems. These countries are normally subjected to unfair trade agree ments by other countries that offer them development assistance. It is these agreements that pave way for importation of poor quality goods in the developing countries. A development partner may offer to aid a given developing country to construct roads with the terms that all the materials to be used in this project will come from the country undertaking the project. This attracts exploitation of the developing country since the country may not have a choice. Thus poor quality construction materials will be imported to the country. The exportation of poor quality goods is bound to bring problems to both parties involved. The country to which the goods are exported will indubitably face problems from the competition of products from local manufacturers with the imported products. The imported products are bound to decrease the demand for locally manufactured products since, with their poor quality, they will most probably be offered at low prices. The other problem will be the effec ts that these poor-quality products will have on the consumers. For instance, the stated case of a road built with poor-quality materials, the road will most probably get damaged quickly. This will lead to dissatisfaction of stakeholders in its country of domicile. The effect of this will be that the exporter who provided the goods and services to the country may be banned from transacting with the country. With the stated contemporary efforts y companies and countries to sustainably establish themselves in the international markets and with the contemporary consumers who value quality, such practices as the exportation of poor quality goods are bound to become the contemporary dinosaurs.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Consumers are increasingly fishing for goods from the international markets in order to get quality goods. It, therefore, follows that when the quality is co mpromised, they will have nothing to do with the company or country providing the goods and with time, the exporters of poor quality goods will have to produce and export quality products. Although there are a number of factors that make it hard to completely phase out the exportation of poor quality products, the practice will, undoubtedly, get extinct with time. This is due to the rising demand for quality goods and the increasing economic independence of developing countries. The countries that practice this unethical trade behavior should take responsibility and find better ways of reaching the poor markets in developing countries. This is because the poor quality goods that they export to such countries may have serious effects on their consumers. One of the approaches that such exporters may use is the production of quality goods in large quantities and meant for export to certain countries. They can then enter in agreements with such countries to ensure that they will sell in large quantities. This essay on Poor quality exports was written and submitted by user Brittany P. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sample Outline For Application Essay - How to Use a Sample Outline For Application Essay

Sample Outline For Application Essay - How to Use a Sample Outline For Application EssayIf you are like most people, you are probably familiar with the term sample outline for application essay. However, if you are not quite sure what it is, then this article is written for you. In a nutshell, a sample outline for application essay is simply a sample of how a particular subject will be covered in the application essay. The sample outline is essentially a 'dry run' for the actual essay, which is why many individuals that submit applications to several different colleges and universities also include a sample essay in their portfolio.It's important to note that the sample outlines are almost never required by colleges, but a lot of applicants choose to include them. Why? The reason that a few might include the sample outline is because they think it will help them develop their essay when writing their final essay. However, these same individuals may also think that they need a sample outline for application essay in order to prepare for the 'paper tests' that they are going to have to write.The fact of the matter is that there is no 'right'wrong' way to use a sample outline for an application essay. What you have to do is to decide for yourself which way that you will use the sample essay that you have on hand.Using a sample outline for application essay is a really simple process. Essentially, all you need to do is to take a moment to review the sample essay and then fill in the blanks in the template. For example, if you find yourself lacking an idea for your essay, all you have to do is to insert it into the template and list it as an idea. By doing this, you can write your own creative thoughts into the written sample.The advantage to using a sample is that it allows you to see exactly what you are writing without having to worry about modifying your thoughts later. The disadvantage is that this type of outline for application essay does not let you write yo ur essay. That means that you are not allowed to be creative as you go along, as you are still writing the original essay.Another advantage to using a sample outline for application essay is that it is often more helpful than a standard, free-form essay. With a free-form essay, you have to leave lots of loose ends that may lead to confusion or even errors. With a sample outline for an application essay, you know exactly what you are getting into. It is much easier to make sense of the written material and if it doesn't flow well, it's easy to delete any of the problematic phrases.Now that you know what a sample outline for application essay is, the next time that you go through your portfolio, consider including one in your portfolio. There are a few different reasons why you might want to include one, so it's just a matter of weighing the pros and cons of using it versus other writing styles. The bottom line is that it can help you prepare for what's to come when writing your appli cation essay.

Estonia essays

Estonia essays Mild. The sea winds of Estonia help keep the weather from becoming very cold or hot. Temperatures average from about 19 to 28 F in January, and from 61 to 64 F in July. Estonia receives an average of about 19 to 23 inches of rain annually. Estonia consists of low plains. Farmland covers about 40 percent of the country, 30 percent forests, and 20 percent swamps. Estonia has a total of 481 miles of coastline. Estonias literacy rate is above 96 percent. Tallinn is home to several universities and technical colleges. Students are required to attend school until the age of 14. Then they may go on to four years of high school or to a technical college to learn a trade. Oil is the most important mineral resource. It is used as fuel for electrical power. Estonias major industries are agricultural machinery, chemical fertilizer, construction materials, processed foods, and textiles. Tallinn is an important center for fashion and design. Estonias major commerce is wholesale and retail trade, transportation and communication, education, and health care and social work. Businesses are usually open from 8 am to 5 pm. Estonians greet with a hello (Tere) and a handshake. The younger person is supposed to initiate the greeting. It is important to maintain eye contact. Chewing gum in public is impolite. Hand gestures are kept to a minimum during conversation. One important aspect is a visiting friend. Vastlapaev (15 February) people go sledding and eat special foods; a long sledding ride means good luck with the fall harvest. Independence Day (24 February) celebrates independence in 1918. April Fools Day (1 April) people play tricks on each other. Jannipaer (Midsummers day) ( 24 June) The Day of Souls (2 November) remembers the dead. Christmas (24-26 December) ...

Ethical principles that you personally believe that reflect natural Essay

Ethical principles that you personally believe that reflect natural laws that are self -evident and that all people ought to ascribe to - Essay Example The ethical principles guided by natural law all pertain to the common good of all. They are the set of principles generally accepted by al. An example of an ethic dictated by natural law and generally accepted is morality. People from all cultures, religion and races agree that everyone should uphold morality in all aspects. According to Cheryl things that people should not do include, taking someone’s life, blasphemy, lying all these are ethics the humanity should uphold. All these ethics are known by all humanity; it is also given by god and directed towards the greater good of the society. These are some of the vices that the human law terms as natural law. Even with the ethics being set people may choose not to follow them, the consequences’ of such actions will be enacted by human law (Cheryl, 67). Ethics dictated by natural law instructs the people on the use of our liberty. The ethics under natural law guides the code of conduct we as humans should uphold collectively. It is a form of social configuration that will allow the community to pursue peace, contentment and success (Cheryl,

Homestasis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Homestasis - Essay Example The urinary system consists of kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder and urethra. The metanephric kidneys in humans filter the blood and forms urine which is carried by the ureters to the urinary bladder where it is stored till it is passed out through the urethra. The reflex of voiding urine is known as micturition. If the urine content of the urinary bladder reaches more than 300ml, the reflex of micturition is triggered. The urine that is primarily formed by the kidneys is highly dilute and contains a lot of salts and other substances which are beneficial and useful to the body. The urine needs to be concentrated and the salts must be reabsorbed else all of the water and important salts would be excreted leading to salt and water imbalance in the body. This is where the role of the kidneys comes in. The fact is that the structure, function and location of the kidneys help in maintaining homeostasis in the human body. It was in 1902 that Hober coined the term osmoregulation; Osmoregulation is a collective of a number of processes that regulate water content, volume and movement. Each kidney is made up of about 1.25 million nephrons which are the prime functional units of the kidneys. It is the structure of nephrons that play the most pivotal role in maintaining the homeostatic balance of the body. The structure of the nephrons is complicated and consists of three major parts- Renal corpuscle (Bowman’s capsule and Glomerulus), Nephric Tubules (PCT, Henle’s loop and DCT) and Collective tubule. Each of the parts of the nephrons play important role in formation of urine and maintaining internal chemical balance. Bowman’s capsules act as Ultrafiltration and filters out water and other substances from the plasma as the blood flows through the glomerulus except for the blood cells and plasma proteins. The glomerulus filtrate so formed passes through the tubules. During this

Discussing Literary Genre Essay Example for Free

Discussing Literary Genre Essay To define genre is to embark on a conjectural journey within a theoretical minefield. Genre theory has drawn immense debate and contemplation throughout literary history, however, several conclusions have emerged. Genre types are unfixed categories whose characteristics differ considerably among the specific genres; furthermore, the role of literary history plays a significant role in discussions of genre, for genre types evolve and shift with each new literary text. An approach to the discussion of genre, family resemblances, illustrates similar conventions among texts within a genre, but there are significant problems in this approach. There are several ways to discuss genre, and although problems abound in any approach, the subjective nature of the literary experience calls attention to the importance of the interaction between reader and text to provide the final word on genre. Although there is considerable theoretical debate about the definition of specific genres, the conventional definition tends to be based on the idea that texts within a genre share particular conventions of content and form, such as themes, settings, structure and style. However, the nature of genre leads to several problems inherent in the defining of genres. Certain genres are looser and more open ended in their conventions than other genres and some genres have many conventions while others have very few. Furthermore, literary texts that overlap and mix genres blur the distinction between them. Genres are not discrete systems consisting of a fixed number of list able items. Consequently, the same text can belong to different genres in different countries or times. For example, Latin poets categorized the elegy mainly in terms of its meter, while poets during the English Renaissance regarded the subject matter and tone to be determinate of form. History and culture play a role in the ever changing status of genres, which are difficult to define because the concept encompasses so many different literary qualities and conventions that can be broken or accepted, overlapped or mixed. Rather than define genre, some theorists approach the discussion of genre using Ludwig Wittgenstein’s concept of â€Å"family resemblances† among literary texts. Although a literary text rarely has all the characteristics of a particular genre, this method involves the discernment of similar conventions among texts within a genre. However, the problem of selection arises, for which texts can claim to be representative of a genre? Moreover, who decides the selection of these texts? The consideration of specific characteristics in literature introduces problems regarding the classification of literary works. The choice of characteristics taken into account is essential to the discussion of genre types . The characteristics of specific genres shift throughout history to accommodate variations in the category that occur; the defining characteristics of a particular genre can alter so drastically that the preliminary era in a new genre may not resemble the modern literary works in that genre. The works of Edgar Allan Poe, considered to be the father of the modern short story, show the contrast between the classification of short fiction in the 19th century and today. Poe’s short story, â€Å"The Murders in the Rue Morgue†, provides suspense and mystery; however, the story does not include the main character’s moment of consciousness, the key ingredient in classifying modern short stories. Although â€Å"The Murders in the Rue Morgue† does not entail a moment of revelation, the story was regarded as short fiction in 1841. The contrast between early short fiction and the modern short story demonstrates the varying qualities of the genre between its preliminary stages and the present, and shows the substantial transformation which occurred within the genre. The types of genres not only shift throughout history but also alter with each new literary work. The altering of generic categories results in further difficulty in defining genre and classifying literary texts, for it demonstrates that generic forms are never fixed entities. Literary theorist Todorov asserts that although â€Å"every work modifies the sum of possible works we grant a text the right to figure in the history of literature only insofar as it produces a change in our previous notion of one activity or another†. Donald Barthelme’s â€Å"The Glass Mountain† is an example that expands the notion of short stories; the text challenges readers to find meaning and story where there is none. â€Å"The Glass Mountain† influences and increases the possibilities of short stories, while compelling readers to contemplate the role of short stories. Such engagement between a literary text and a reader results in the most intriguing and merited discussion of genre. The subjective procedure of defining genre appeals to the relationship between text and reader. Genre provides a framework within which texts are interpreted, and expectations and emotional outlooks are the individual results of reading literature. The expectations prompted by conventions in a literary text play a large role in the discussion of genre. For example, Mavis Gallant’s â€Å"From the Fifteenth District† cheats the expectation that arises from the first sentence, â€Å"[a]lthough an epidemic of haunting † (Gallant 115), and surprises readers with the discovery that the story is a reversal of the ghost story. A reader’s personal interaction with a literary work is decisive of genre, for what we think a genre is and the individual’s impression of a literary text often serve to classify a literary work. The individual’s response to literature plays a vital role in the discussion of genre, for literary texts are created for an audience of one. The various means to discuss genre provide insightful observations; however, significant problems are inherent in these discussions. The constantly changing categories of genre and the emergence of new literary works make defining genre a daunting task better left to the individual reader.