African-American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

African-American History - Essay Example Larsen, in her novel attempts to sketch out the Reconstruction Era through the portrayal of the two different, light skinned American African Women, Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield. Clare and Irene were childhood friends who get together after a long time sharing their bitter experiences of being born as Negroes, denied of basic rights, try to find out comfort and consolation each other. Clare and Irene were born in mixed ancestries with light skinned complexion which later adversely affecting the free flow of their life and arise the question of existence in them. The novel raises many questions on various themes like identity crisis, race, lies, sexuality and jealousy. While reading through the novel, the readers understand that the novel obviously reflecting the views of the young African Americans who are wedged with their light skinned complexion and are searching for their lost identity. The era of Reconstruction was notable for the imminent changes it brought out in the percep tions of people, especially their perception to slavery and black people. The novel mainly focuses on the ‘passing’ of the members of one class to that of the other by the illusion that this ‘pass’ will bring tremendous changes to their life and social status. The story of the novel moves on through two female characters—Clare Kendy and Irene Redfield. The novel begins with Irene reading the letter of her childhood friend, Clare. The reading of the letter enables the readers to understand the character of Clare, when Irene recollects thus; â€Å"There had been, even in those days, nothing sacrificial in Clare Kendry’s idea of life, no allegiance beyond her own immediate desire (Larsen 2).† These words clearly express the attitude of the African American people who were totally dejected and depressed after the Civil War. Irene adds that Clare was selfish, and cold, and hard. But even then she had kept with her a strange capacity of transforming warmth and

Nokia competencies

Nokia competencies Every firm comprises of competencies, not all possess core competencies, these are crucial for a competitiveness. This report examines the core competencies that contribute most significantly to Nokias competitive advantage. These consist of organisational culture and research and development. Nokias competitive advantage will be analysed based on corporate brand and products and services base, then personal analysis reported. 2.0 Theoretical idea of core competencies Firms possess competencies through efficient use of resources and are required for firms to compete. Core competencies are attributes that an organisation possesses which in turn allows it to achieve competitive advantage (Prahalad Hamel, 1990 cited Henry. A, 2008). There is differential performance between companies in the same industry, due to individual core competencies since the environment is constant. In 2008, Dell had the largest market share in UK PC market (Datamonitor, 2009), with core competencies in its value chain giving competitive advantage (Henry. A, 2008). Core competencies should be appropriable so those who provide the attributes for the competitive advantage should reap benefits (Kay. J, 1993 cited Open University, 2009). The key is not to focus on all competencies just ones that add most value and competitive advantage. Collis and Montgomery (1997) identified some attributes within the organisation are more useful for gaining sustainable competitive advantage (Henry, 2008). The features of useful attributes are that they help provide value to customers, are unique and difficult to imitate (Collis Montgomery, 1997, cited Hooley. G et al, 2008) as seen in figure 1. Other theorists support this identification, Prahalad and Hamel (1990) identified three tests for core competencies: 1. A core competence should provide access to a wide variety of markets. 2. A core competence should make a significant contribution to perceived customer benefits of end products. 3. A core competence should be difficult for competitors to imitate. (Prahalad cited The Free Library, 2002). Hamel and Prahalad (The Free Library, 2002) identified core competencies should not remain static whilst the environment changes. Core competencies enable production of new products and services and increase customer relationship management, they should be envied by competitors but difficult to replicate (Hooley. G et al, 2008). Shangri La Hotels have a stronger customer relationship than their competitors (Datamonitor, 2009) their mission Delighting customers each and every time (Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, 2009). 2.1 Nokias core competencies Nokia has many competencies but due to recent success appears to focus on the right core competencies to gain competitive advantage. The two significant ones are organisational culture (Blau. J, 2003) and investment in research and development (Nokia, 2009). Organisational culture is a core competence and source of sustainable competitive advantage (Barney, 1986b, cited Hamel. G Heene. A,1994). 2.1.1 Nokias organisational culture Nokia, unlike competitors, is innovative and entrepreneurial by adopting the correct culture (Blau. J, 2003). Within the organisation entrepreneurship is encouraged by managers open to employee suggestions for new products and services, this allows continuous learning, there is also a feedback process for employees engaging in new ideas (Blau. J, 2003). VP Niitamo, Chair of European Living Labs Portfolio, Some of Nokias success, is from continuously bringing in young, talented people, without pushing them down one particular career path (Blau. J, 2003). For this to take place they must have shared vision to ensure full commitment from employees (Kanter, 1983 cited Henry. A, 2008). 2.1.2 Nokias research and development Another core competency is Nokias research and development. Nokia employs 51,750 people, over one third is made up of people in research and development. The company employs approximately 1,000 new people in research and development each year, aiming for those who have new skills (Blau. J, 2003). Nokias extensive research and development enables it to create trusted consumer relationships, the best mobile devices everywhere and context enriched services (Nokia, 2009). 3.0 Theoretical idea of competitive advantage Competitive advantage results from matching core competencies to opportunities (Business Dictionary, 2009). Many 2000 dot.com failures were companies identifying the opportunity but not having competencies to achieve competitive advantage (Hooley. G et al, 2008). Companies can achieve competitive advantage by charging higher prices for increased value products and services or offering the same products and services as competitors at lower prices (Porter. M. E, 1985). Differences between rival products and services have become narrow, so companies need to find new ways of distinguishing themselves in customers minds. Companies can use brands to be distinctive compared with competitors, and create a relationship with customers for competitive advantage (Chailan. C, 2008). In 2008, the airline industry saw JetBlues new experience based differentiation after they created T5 terminal at JFK. T5 added brand value by augmenting the service with additional and complementary features (DDB, 2009). Companies should look for sustainability; competitive advantage that competitors are unable to imitate (Barney, 1991 cited Henry. A, 2008). Tesco uses vendor managed inventory and builds relationships with suppliers such as Nestle and Coca Cola to improve availability, providing competitive advantage for those involved, however unsustainable (William Reed Business Media Ltd, 2009). Figure 2 identifies the relationship between core competencies and competitive advantage. Although core competencies lead to competitive advantages this may be indirect by developing core products or services. 3.1 Nokias competitive advantage Nokia is currently worldwide largest mobile phone maker, therefore they must have significant core competencies to gain competitive advantage (Yahoo Finance, 2009). Nokias competitive advantage is based on scale, brand and services (Nokia, 2008). 3.1.1 Nokias brand value After wavering in 2004, Nokia came back to build an outstanding reputation through a 12% increase in brand value and became fifth top brand (Kiley. D, 2007). Nokia currently has number one brand in many markets worldwide (Temporal. P Davies. R, 2009). Nokias organisational culture contributed to its corporate brand since employees and processes are reflected in the brand (Temporal. P, 2009). Nokias research and development assisted in creating brand value by keeping up to date with evolving consumer demands and is recognised as a company that provides consumers with the desired products and services. NRC, Nokias innovations hub invests at least 5% of the annual research and development budget. Innovations are created for commercial purposes after three to five years development (Samuels. M, 2006). 3.1.2 Nokias products and services Ideas need to align with organisational culture, therefore this must be correct to generate desired products and services (Henry. A, 2008). Organisational culture is reflected in products and services through processes and procedures, this led to sustainable competitive advantage. The knowledge possessed by employees cannot be easily transferred, groups of employees would be required for a fraction of the knowledge (Argote. L Ingram. P, 2000). Nokias research and development continuously improves and generates new products, this is essential as Nokias markets became highly competitive over the last decade with entrants such as Apple iPhone (Ward. A, 2009). In 2002 Nokia received the Frost and Sullivan market engineering award for its secure access system innovation which was an exceptionally evolved product (BNET,2003 Calif. S. J, 2002). 4.0 Critical analysis I conclude that Nokia has effectively developed competencies into core competencies to develop sustainable competitive advantage. I consider Nokia to have core competencies in particular organisational culture and research and development, contributing most to Nokias competitive advantage. The organisational culture is quite unique among competitors, yet as industry leader so they must be doing the right things internally in relation to the external industry. Other companies should steer away from the negative image that innovative organisations are only effective in small organisations and implement some of Nokias techniques to reduce differential performance between them. However, I realise this will only be effective if there are shared values and commitment from the entire organisation as with Nokia. Organisational culture cannot be easily learned so this must create sustainable competitive advantage until competitors have developed their culture more effectively. Nokia invests heavily in research and development which is reflected in its product and service offering which is outstanding, therefore I see it as a worthwhile investment. I have identified that Nokia doesnt just employ people for research and development, it supports them and develops their knowledge base to benefit the company. I identified Nokias main competitive advantage being brand value and product and service offering. I recognise that Nokia successfully achieved competitive advantage of its brand organisational culture and the beliefs and practices adopted by the company. Nokia must continue to do the right things such as ethical behaviour in the work place or the brand will be tarnished and will be difficult to rebuild unless its loyal customer base sticks by regardless which I find doubtful. Nokias other competitive advantage consists developing latest product designs and outperforming rivals through services. I do not consider this sustainable, despite Nokias investments in research and development. Product innovation in the mobile phone industry is the main contributor to growth, through replacement sales (Cassell. J, 2004). This is likely to remain the case as the market is already saturated, therefore I feel Nokia wont maintain this level of competition as rival companies would invest more into research and development to compete. Overall, I find Nokia making best use of its core competencies to gain competitive advantage but dont believe it will continue to be industry leader without enhancing its core competencies to meet evolving demands. 5.0 Conclusion In conclusion it has been analysed that Nokia has several core competencies, the most significant being organisational culture and investment in research and development. These core competencies led to competitive advantage in the form of strong brand image and exceptional product and service offerings. Although this is currently the case for Nokia within the mobile phone industry, they may not be sustainable as will be identified over time.

The Natural Essay example -- essays research papers

We have been created with a need for heroes. We yearn for them because we are born with the want and desire to believe in someone, to have faith in someone, to trust in someone, and to look up and strive to be like someone. This â€Å"someone† is how Roy Hobbs is portrayed in the movie version of The Natural. Roy in the movie version is utterly heroic. He struggles, after an almost fatal injury in his youth, to try to become the best that the game of baseball has ever seen. He is quietly confident, without an arrogance to him. Iris is his former teenage-love who reappears after Roy makes it into the majors and stands up and inspires him when he is in a slump. Their relationship in the movie appears pure and innocent. Iris reminds Roy of â€Å"home† and all that is good and true in his life. Roy also has a relationship with Memo, who is his manager Pop’s niece. She is a shady character who basically throws herself at Roy after he notices her beauty and wants to get to know her. Their relationship is dark and more sexual than Roy and Iris’ on-screen romance. Roy is respectful to his fans and in return they stand by him faithfully, in good-times and bad. He even goes as far to helping the batboy make a bat resembling Roy’s own bat, Wonderboy. Roy views Pop as a fa ther figure. Even after he is poisoned by Memo and blackmailed by Gus and the Judge, Roy decides to play in his last game to win Pop the pennant he had always wanted. By doing this he risks his life because of his stomach illne...

Our Teacher, Our Hero Essay

â€Å"You’ve better changed being naughty & playful†¦or else you’ll hurt not just me Carl!†¦ â€Å"Now, start cleaning our room†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"You do you work properly then you may go now, okay? That’s a very normal incident in a Freshmen’s atmosphere. We can’t deny the reality that 1st year level is under adjustment period to the new world they have just taken in†¦Thank you so much for all the very patient & kind teachers†¦They perform their being 2nd parent to us†¦I love my Teachers as they love us,They take their livesto their duties & roles†¦ They are very noble†¦ One of our favourite Teacher that inspires us is Miss Kendall†¦Her life story is so sad. Her father left her when her mother got sick. She is still single at the age of 32. She must work hard for her sick mother. She also helped her brothers & sister in their schooling. She told us that she has many dreams for her family & for her career as a teacher that’s why she is not yet ready to get married to her boyfriend. She told us that she’s not yet ready to balance teaching & having family of her own. â€Å"Uuuuuyyy, uuuuyyyyyy†¦Ma’am ha†¦We saw your bf this morning Ma’am Kendall†¦Uuuyyyy†¦You’re a good match Ma’am†¦Your pretty &hi’s handsome†¦he-he-he†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Sssshhh, sssshhh†¦stop teasing me girls†¦We’re still under knowing each other†¦he-he-he† â€Å"But Ma’am really you’re a good match†¦please don’t forget to invite us Ma’am on your wedding, okay?†¦He-he-he! Pretty sure, we will all be there Ma’am†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Sssshhhaaa, sssshhhaaa†¦That’s enough now. Let’s have your practice for your LitMus Pieces now†¦Please call the other candicates Chris†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Okay Ma’am, I’ll call them outside†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Susan, Alfred†¦pls. get inside now†¦we’re getting ready for our practice now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Now, let’s start with Alfred for his vocal so lo†¦Ready now Alfred†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Alfred singing his contest song†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..) (Ma’am Kendall applause Alfred for his performance†¦) â€Å"Alfred you’re getting better now†¦but you still need to practice more, Okay†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Thank you so much Ma’am for your great support†¦I promise to do it better†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It’s my great pleasure supporting you in times like this†¦be the best you can,okay?†¦Next, let’s have Susan for her Filipino Declamation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Basilio? Crispin? Mgaanakko? Nasaanna kayo?†¦Nandito n siNanay†¦.Mgaanakko? Nasaan kayo?†¦Basilio? Crispin?†¦Basiliooooooooooo†¦Crispiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnn†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Bravo, bravo, Susan†¦You’re getting better everyday†¦It’s another great performance†¦I know, you can be everybody’s beat†¦ha-ha-ha!† â€Å"Thank you so much Ma’am†¦I’m getting better every day because of your great help Ma’am Kendall†¦I’m good because you’re also good Ma’am†¦ â€Å"I agree with you Susan†¦You, Ma’am Kendall & all teachers are our happiness & inspiration in school†¦ â€Å"Thank you also Susan for your kind words†¦It adds joy to my heart as you say it†¦You’re all the reason why I am here†¦he-he-he†¦Chris it’s your turn now†¦Ready?† â€Å"Yes Ma’am†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ballooooooot, Ballooooooooot†¦For sale†¦for sale Nutritious Ballooooot†¦For sale delicious Ballooooot†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Hey, girl! Come here!I’ll your ballot! (Drunk man)†¦How much is ten pieces?† †¦ †Thirteen each Sir†¦130 all in all Sir†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†What?!?†¦your over-pricing young girl†¦That’s so expensive†¦here’s what is good to your Ballot†¦Uuummm†¦Uuummm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Oh no!!! No!!!Pls stop it!huhuhu†¦pls stop it Sir†¦pls†¦What have you than to my Ballot†¦huhuhu†¦what have you done? You have no pity, drunkard†¦huhuhu†¦You’ll be paying for this†¦huhuhu†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Wooowww!!! Amazing performance Chris†¦you did a great job! Your really getting better in your piece Chris†¦Congratulations! I am so happy that you really are practicing so well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Thank you so much Ma’am†¦we are so happy doing this for all of us Ma’am†¦We will try to win in our contest.† In a surprise, Rommel rushed hurriedly inside our classroom and telling something bad news to Ma’am and his catching his breath†¦Rommel is Ma’am Kendall’s nephew†¦ â€Å"Tita Ram†¦please, pls†¦be in a hurry†¦Lola was brought to the hospital†¦she was again attacked of her Asthma†¦she seemed not to look good this time Tita†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What?†¦My goodness†¦oh my, oh my Good Lord, pls help my mother†¦ Please†¦Lord God please help her again this time†¦Okay†¦let’s go†¦Excuse me class†¦I should attend my mother in the hospital†¦Take good care of yourself†¦Be home early Okay?†¦Don’t go anywhere†¦Go home early okay?†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Okay, Ma’am†¦don’t worry about us Ma’am†¦please take care also Ma’am†¦Please be calm & relax Ma’am†¦we will help pray to God, that your mother will get better Ma’am†¦Ã¢â‚¬  We were speechless while following Ma’am Kendall on her way to the hospital†¦we just stared to each other without any sound from ourselves†¦I just realized we are all shocked†¦after a while, I asked my classmates to follow me in my prayers for Ma’am Kendall’s mother†¦We prayed not just for that moment but every moment we pray to God, we include our teachers in our prayers†¦Let us all pray for our Heroes, our Teachers†¦

Local Lit Foreign Lit Essay

In this chapter one of the most important early steps in a research project is the conducting of the literature review. This chapter will explain how review of related literature is very important in conducting a study. This is also one of the most humbling experiences you’re likely to have. Because you’re likely to find out that just about any worthwhile idea you will have has been thought of before, at least to some degree. A literature review is designed to identify related research, to set the current research project within a conceptual and theoretical context. The greatest emphasis on research journals that use a blind or juried review system. The literature review will help to find and select appropriate measurement instruments. It will readily see what measurement instruments researchers used themselves in contexts similar to the study. Finally, the literature review will help to anticipate common problems in the research context. It can use the prior experience s of others to avoid common traps and pitfalls. 2.1 Related Literature Local Literature The Department of Education said Monday â€Å"it’s all systems go† for the National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE), adding that it expects some 1.5 million fourth year high school students from both public and private schools to participate. â€Å"The annual conduct of the NCAE gives the students and the parents an idea on the field of endeavor most suited to the graduating students thus, allowing for better decision on their choice of career,† Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said. A major part of the exam consists of the general scholastic aptitude test. It also measures a graduating student’s potentials or inclination in such areas as technical-vocational aptitude, entrepreneurial skills, nonverbal ability and occupational interest. The test components are: scientific ability, mathematical ability, reading comprehension, verbal ability, manipulative skills, clerical ability, non-verbal ability and entrepreneurial skills. The exam results are at best recommendatory and are not a requisite for admission to college. There were 717,232 students or 58.62 percent who obtained high aptitude in entrepreneurship. Some 20,307 students with high general scholastic aptitude scores and 22,879 students with high results in technical-vocational aptitude became eligible. (James Konstantin Galvez, n.d.) It says in the article that the assessment exam will determine which career path is best after graduation from high school based on the individual test results. The examination will also minimize the mismatch in career choices and skills that has affected many college graduates who were not well advised about what career path they should take. *PMA exam passers eye academy’s 300 slots.The 942 passers of the recent Philippine Military Academy (PMA) entrance exams will still have to battle it out to make it to the 300-strong cast of final cut and fulfill their dreams of being a member of the PMA Class 2013. The PMA entrance examination is the just first step of a highly competitive process for cadet aspirants in the PMA. To secure a slot in the academy, examination passers will then have to overcome the rigid and complete physical fitness test and medical examination set in early October. But the good news is PMA’s officials are reportedly planning to talk with the Armed Forces of the Philippines general headquarters to extend the final cut qualifiers by 30 to 50. Those who will qualify the second stage will be notified by the PMA thru mail, while the complete list of passers will be published in some major national broadsheets and at the PMA website at www.pma.ph. And although the exam is just the beginning, PMA Supt. M/Gen. Leopoldo Maligalig appreciated the 18-percent passing rate this year, only a whisker ahead of last year’s 16 percent. Records show that applicants from Baguio registered the highest passing percentage in the entrance exam at 27 percent with 133 passers. There were 8, 449 regulars and 1,834 walk-in applicants nationwide but only 5, 777 have qualified to take the entrance examinations. 5, 652 completed the battery test in mathematics, English and special PMA aptitude test. PMA, considered the country’s top military institution, has been accepting more than 10,000 to 12, 000 applicants in the past years. Academy’s information officer Lady Capt. Agnes Lynnette Flores, however, noted that there has been a decrease in the number of aspiring cadets as a result of PMA’s more rigid training intended to maintain its reputation of producing high-quality cadets and future true leaders.â€Å"The program is also geared to insulate PMA cadets from politics and to mold them into constitutional soldiers who must defend the fundamental law of the land at all costs,† she said. *MMDA chief: Address job mismatch. Saying the education system is failing to produce the skills needed by the private industry, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando yesterday called for joint public-private collaboration to address the problem of job mismatch. â€Å"The government, schools and private business should get together for an exchange of views on dominant and emerging jobs and the skills needed to fill the jobs,† Fernando said. He suggested human-resource planning to forecast the demand for and supply of critical skills. The planning could be done on an industry basis. Fernando proposed that companies provide the necessary training and retraining, while colleges and universities review their curricula to offer business-friendly courses. The government should also enhance its free training program through the Technical and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) by opening more training centers in rural areas and strengthening its vocational training program. Current opportunities, Fernando noted, are in the fields of information technology, retail, manufacturing, tourism, hospitality and accounting, adding that the call center industry has an opening for at least 60,000 jobs this year. Fernando said the Philippine economy should also continue to grow in order to provide more better-paying jobs that would entice Filipinos to stay in the country. While overseas Filipino workers are providing billions of dollars in remittances for the Philippine economy, their absence in the country also contributes to the brain/skills drain and to dysfunctional families, he observed. Local industries have estimated incurring an additional P1 billion for recruiting and training new workers to replace those who have left to work abroad. Foreign Literature DepEd asked not to rank schools in NAT. The Federation of Association of Private Schools and Administrators (FAPSA) is asking the Department of Education (DepEd) not to rank schools in the National Achievement Test (NAT), saying it is not a healthy competition. â€Å"Our group would not mind the intention of Secretary (Jesli) Lapus provided the outcome would not be published,’’ he added. Kasilag made the appeal after the DepEd administered the NAT to sixth graders and second year high school students last March 5 and 12. â€Å"The conduct of the test had paved the way for ingenious access to leakage. Former DepEd secretary Raul Roco had admitted that questions and answers could bought in the provinces,’’ he said. Kasilag said the NAT, being the precursor of NCEE in the 90’s then NEAT and NSAT in 2000, was the same exam for whose abolition his group lobbied for. Roco abolished the NCEE in a bid to allow more students to enter college. He cited the case of a female student in his school (St. Nicholas school in Marikina) who failed to graduate as valedictorian because she didn’t do well in NEAT exam years back. â€Å"The mother asked â€Å"why should a day’s exam matter most over the entire six years of study in elementary? Schools already have 4 periodicals, 10 monthly tests, countless quizzes and daily assignments, are these not enough?’’ he said. (Shianee Mamanglu, March 18, 2009) The ranking of schools in a publication had proved to be divisive and resulted in unhealthy competition among private schools. Schools that lagged behind prepared rigorously to recover at the expense of regular academic curriculum. Ofcourse, if the result is published it will only cause disgrace to the schools. The conduct of the NAT is not reliable enough to assess the total performance of students, since students, particularly those from the provinces, can buy questions, answers and grades. *Mandatory psych test for leaving OFWs opposed. â€Å"We will also stage various mass actions in national level in the coming weeks to show Malacanang and the House members that there is indeed clamor for this,† he added. Basas, however, expressed appreciation to Secretary Lapus and the entire DepEd in lobbying for the immediate approval of the proposed bill. He also lauded the Senate for the immediate approval of its counterpart proposed law in the Upper Chamber. TDC claimed that since 2001 public school teachers had only two salary increases amounting to P2, 000 combined. Mandatory psych test for leaving OFWs opposed. Manila, Philippines — A coalition of migrants’ rights organizations has opposed the proposal to make psychiatric examination mandatory for leaving overseas Filipino household service workers. Ellene Sana, executive director of the Center for Migrants Advocacy (CMA), said the proposal was made by the Department of Foreign Affairs, citing a study by the Department of Health of mental cases among overseas Filipino workers. She said they got the information from Poe Gratela, private sector representative to the governing body of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), during a consultation meeting on August 6. In Resolution No. 05, Series 2008, the Consultative Council on OFWs (CCOFW), of which CMA is a member, argued that this mandatory psychiatric exam only for household service workers is discriminatory, will be an additional cost to OFWs, and does not guarantee objectivity. *The council also said the test presupposes that the root problem is the workers’ psychiatric disposition. It said this presumption is â€Å"unfounded and illogical.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Sound psychiatric test results of a worker cannot guarantee one’s sanity because there are simply too many aggravating factors such as work environment, cultural differences, language barriers, and emotional stress that affect OFWs’ physical and mental conditions,† it said. The council pointed out data which shows that 78 percent of the household service workers deemed mentally unfit were deployed in the Middle East. This indicates that â€Å"what is needed is for the government to look at the working conditions in the Middle East of the household service workers, and not these workers’ mental states,† it said. Instead, the council proposed that the government administer mandatory psychiatric examinations to all government personnel deployed overseas â€Å"to determine their psychological and emotional preparation for overseas assignments, particularly, in handling cases of workers in distress.† *Aside from CMA’s Sana, the other signatories to the resolution are: Fr. Savino Bernardi of the Apostleship of the Sea, Fr. Edwin Corros of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ Ecumenical Commission on Migrants and Itinerants, Luis Andres Maya of the Scalarini Center for People on the Move, Fr. Fabio Baggio of the Scalabrini Migration Center,Gwendolyn Valencia of the Philippine Migrants Rights Watch, Carmelita Nuqui of the Development Action for Women Network, Gina Espinosa of Kaibigan Inc., Francisco Aguilar Jr. of the Fil Migrant Workers Group, Mildred Yamzon and Dr. Gloria Itchon of the Women in Development Foundation, and Luther Calderon of Kampi. *Naveed Azim and Imran Naqvi and Kashif ur Rehman. Learning of student can be assessed by objective type and subjective type questions. Educationists and behavioral scientists declare subjective writing skills essential for senior management positions. Investigation revealed that IT professionals who qualified through objective type online examination and lack subjective writing skills could not earn rise in career to top management positions easily. The study considered ability of a student to express knowledge subjectively as the independent variable and higher management position requirements as the dependent variable. It hypothesized better the student of higher level education in his/her subjective expression, more considerable s/he will be for positions at senior management in business organizations. The study selected 100 private companies engaged in the field of Information Technology (IT) in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan who seek OCP or MCSD or MCSE certified professionals. SalonBooker is the leading online scheduling, point-of-sale and business management software for the beauty industry. Thousands of businesses have joined the GramercyOne family to provide online booking to their customers, manage day-to-day operations and drive new business. SalonBooker is completely web-based, which makes it available from any computer with a browser and internet connection, anywhere at any time, even via an smart phone or iPad. With SalonBooker you will be able to manage your business efficiently by integrating multiple systems in to one, save time through intelligent inventory and commission management and track and report across all activities within your business. (http://www.salonbooker.com/) 2.2 Related Studies Local Studies *According to Wikipedia, â€Å"A test or an examination (or â€Å"exam†) is an assessment, often administered on paper or on the computer, intended to measure the test-takers’ or respondents’ (often a student) knowledge, skills, aptitudes, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). Tests are often used in education, professional certification, counseling, psychology (e.g., MMPI), the military, and many other fields. The measurement that is the goal of testing is called a test score, and is â€Å"a summary of the evidence contained in an examinee’s responses to the items of a test that are related to the construct or constructs being measured.† Test scores are interpreted with regards to a norm or criterion, or occasionally both. The norm may be established independently, or by statistical analysis of a large number of subjects.† (www.wikipedia.com) According to Lee J. Cronbach, â€Å"Test aid in making many sorts of decisions, including selection and classification of individuals, evaluation of educational or treatment procedures, and acceptance or rejection of scientific hypothesis.† (Essentials of Psychological Testing, Cronbach, p.18) According to Wikipedia, â€Å"An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site. It originated as the modern equivalent of a traditional bulletin board, and a technological evolution of the dialup bulletin board system. From a technological standpoint, forums or boards are web applications managing user-generated content. People participating in an Internet forum may cultivate social bonds and interest groups for a topic may form from the discussions. (www.wikipedia.com) According to WORDIQ, †An Internet forum, also known as a message board or discussion board, is a web application that provides for online discussions, and is the modern descendant of the bulletin board systems and existing Usenet news systems that were widespread in the 1980s and 1990s. An Internet forum typically exists as part of a website and invites users to start topics and discuss issues with one another. Sometimes, a forum even comprises most, if not all, of the content of a site. Compared to wikis, Internet forums don’t allow users to edit the forum posts of other users; however, administrators and moderators generally have the capability of doing thisâ€Å". (www.wordiq.com) Foreign Studies College student retention programs tend to focus primarily on students in their first and second year of college as this is the time when the greatest number of students withdraws from postsecondary education (ACT 2004). Such programs vary substantially in design and execution. Examples include: Early alert, assessment, and monitoring systems to identify students at risk of dropping out for early intervention; Freshman Seminar; and HORIZONS. Organizational Theory practices, designed to create an institutional culture conducive to student retention, are another means of encouraging college student retention. Improving college retention rates may have broad impacts: students who complete college degrees have been found to be less likely to need the support of social services, generate higher tax returns, put less stress on the criminal justice system, and have better health status and improved parenting skills. Expected Beneficial Outcomes, Increased college retention rates, increased graduation rates, Evidence of Effectiveness ACT-Student Retention 2004 indicates that emphasis on retention strategies over the past several decades has not had a substantial impact on college retention overall. However, such programs have been effective in some venues and for some students: Dale 1995 reports that 85% of students participating in HORIZON, a Purdue University based student retention program, were retained compared to only 47% of non-enrollee peers. Participants indicated that belonging to a support network, having assistance with effective study methods, and tutoring were most important to their decision not to leave school. According to Wikipedia, â€Å"Career assessments are tests that are designed to help individuals understand how a variety of personal attributes (i.e., interests, values, preferences, motivations, aptitudes and skills), impacts their potential success and satisfaction with different career options and work environments. Assessments of some or all of these attributes are often used by individuals or organizations, such as university career service centers, career counselors, outplacement companies, corporate human resources staff, executive coaches, vocational rehabilitation counselors, and guidance counselors to help individuals make more informed career decisions.†

Wal-Marts History and Impact essays

Wal-Mart's History and Impact essays Sam Walton, in founding the Wal-Mart Corporation, not only changed the face of business in Arkansas but retailing and business as a whole on the planet. The Wal-Mart epic has been nothing short of a unique business phenomenon. Sam Walton single handedly turned a dying Ben Franklin Five and Dime store into a multi-billion dollar corporation without compromising his own ethics and morals, and became one of the worlds largest and most generous philanthropists and, for a time, the richest man in the United States of America. Wal-Mart has also been criticized for its effects on small town so called mom and pop businesses and several studies have been performed analyzing said effects. These small town effects can be expected when more than 93 million people a week (Slam-Dunking) flock to Wal-Marts around the country to shop their unmatchable prices. Of course, one of Wal-Marts keys to success has been their lack of competition. Wal-Mart did what their competitors would have never tho ught to do- build in rural areas where people are being forced to drive 20 to 30 miles to shop for groceries. Building in rural communities created an economic and social center for the community without the element of competition and created several hundred jobs for members of the community. Sam Walton started his career in business as the owner of one of Ben Franklin's 5 and 10 store franchises. He began to become unhappy with the state of his failing business, and was in a store were all previous owners had failed. So he began to breech the understood rules of a franchise and ordered merchandise directly from the manufacturers in order to undersell his competitors. This greatly displeased his superiors but they were forced to tolerate it because of the success of a store that had failed so many times. Walton took what he learned from Franklins 5 and 10 and used it to create the first Wal-Mart in my hometown of Roge...

How to Win at What You Love (i.e., The Art of Diligence)

How to Win at What You Love (i.e., The Art of Diligence) I’ve always majored in the â€Å"make lemonade† school of surviving hard knocks, with a minor in â€Å"follow your bliss,† so after I was laid off from my job producing special projects for a local public radio station, I decided to go for it – writing books. A friend who’d heard my last big radio project – a series of three half-hours about climate change – told me I should turn it into a nonfiction book. In fact, I’d been working on a novel for about two years very slowly but the idea of doing a nonfiction book was new. The day after my last day at work I attended a local writing conference, pitched my concept to three agents, and used their feedback to reshape my idea. And I discovered an amazing array of possibilities on the web for grants, fellowships and residencies: -Poets and Writers: pw.org/toolsforwriters -Mira’s List:miraslist.com/ Alliance of Artists Communitiesartistcommunities.org/ -Res Artis:resartis.org/en/ -Writers Editors: writersandeditors.com/awards__grants__fellowships_57698.htm But it wasn’t until I found Hope Clark’s newsletters that her positive energy inspired me to start applying. My book is set in the eight states where I’ve lived, so I’ll need to travel back to each of them. I was born in Michigan, where I found ISLAND’s Hill House artist residency http://artmeetsearth.org/artistresidency.html which has an environmental focus that’s a great fit for my project. Still, I was amazed to be accepted on my first try. Next, I applied for a grant from my local arts agency, the Regional Arts Culture Consortium http://racc.org . The proposal was daunting – everything from drawing up a budget to planning for a public event, so I went to RACC’s Open House and took advantage of the agency’s offer to review grant proposals turned in a couple of weeks early. I got terrific input, and had time to strengthen my application enough that I was awarded $5,000, some of which will fund a travel blog. So far, so good. My â€Å"platform† as an environmental journalist, and years of writing on deadline doubtlessly helped me submit polished applications. But could I make the leap to winning funding on the basis of my fiction?    This year, I took the plunge – and was accepted as a Hawthorne Fellow at The Attic Institute in Portland. It’s not free, but it’s competitive. I was also accepted to the Tin House writing conference, and won another residency http://springcreek.oregonstate.edu/residencies.html where I’ll go to write up what I learn doing my RACC funded research. Here’s what I’ve learned: -target your proposal to funders and residencies that mesh with your project; -start with agencies that are local, or at least local to the setting   of your book; -apply for the least attractive times -do your homework; -take any coaching you’re offered; -be willing to invest some money in yourself; -find a day job while you’re writing. I admit I’ve been lucky. After my layoff, I was offered a chance to produce television projects on a contract basis. When I’m at leisure (unemployed), I look for work and collect unemployment. And I write on two books!

The Ultimate Prep Guide to ACT Reading Strategies, Tips, and Practice

The Ultimate Prep Guide to ACT Reading Strategies, Tips, and Practice SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips This is the best study guide to ACT Reading out there. No kidding, no exaggerating, and no doubt about it. We've read many ACT prep books, studied ACT, Inc’s resources, and taken the best aspects of each to combine into this magnificent patchwork quilt of a guide. Each question type is covered in detail, organized not by how the questions are asked, but by the essential underlying skills the questions are testing. We cover the best ACT reading tips and strategies and how to get the most out of your ACT Reading practice and prep. Looking for a comprehensive guide to ACT Reading and how to improve your ACT Reading score? Want to master the important concepts, grapple with practice questions from ACTual (I will probably never stop doing this) ACT Reading tests, and make sure you're taking the most away from questions you miss? This is the ACT study guide that will help you improve your ACT Reading score dramatically by focusing on all those areas (and more!). I've divided this guide into three sections, based on level of information. We'll start with understanding the ACT Reading section at a high level, move on to the ACT reading test and the different question types therein (divided by the underlying skills that are tested), and end with study plans and how to maximize your study time for score improvement. I suggest reading all of the articles below in order to start off, then using this guide as a reference page to come back to as you progress in your test prep. feature image credit: Big trouble by jakerome, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. High Level Guidance for ACT Reading Read through the articles listed below to begin your entry into the world of ACT Reading. Learn about how you should approach ACT Reading and the high level strategies that you should always have at your (metaphorical) fingertips. ACT Reading: The #1 Critical, Fundamental Rule Were you hoping that there'd just be one simple rule you could follow and drastically improve your ACT Reading score? It is your lucky day (or night, depending on when you're reading this)! If you only read one article about ACT Reading, it should be this one. What's Actually Tested On The ACT Reading Section? You'll need to insure you understand the way the ACT Reading section is organized and the format of the ACT Reading section. Plus, get a good overview of the different types of questions that are asked on ACT Reading. The 4 Types Of ACT Reading Passages The same four types of passages appear on each ACT Reading test. Learn about what these types are and how you can focus in on your weakest passage types with logic and MATH (bonus extra practice)! The Best Way To Approach The Passage On ACT Reading There’s no one size fits all approach to the ACT Reading passages, but some strategies are better than others. Read this article for descriptions of different ways to read the ACT passages that you can then try out. Excel On ACT Reading: For Science/Math People A lot of people don’t realize that getting a high ACT Reading score is just as dependent on your logical reasoning abilities as it is on your â€Å"reading† abilities. If you’re more of a â€Å"science person" or "math person† this article will help you figure out how to apply the skills you already have to ACT Reading passages ACT Reading vs. SAT Reading: Which Is Easier? While the ACT Reading test and the SAT Critical Reading section test similar skills, there are some important differences to keep in mind when considering which test will showcase your abilities best. Will you do better on ACT Reading than on SAT Reading? Find out by examining the differences between the tests. How To Get 36 On ACT Reading: 11 Strategies From A Perfect Scorer PrepScholar resident perfect scorer (and co-founder) Allen Cheng tells all [about his experiences mastering the ACT] in this article. Check it out for tips for increasing your ACT Reading score, keeping motivated, and studying effectively. Keep It Up Sign Card Motivation 2012 Girls on the Run Grand Rapids Montessori February 22, 2012 8 by Steven Depolo, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. ACT Reading motivation secret: you can't disappoint a small child with an index card. ACT Reading Skills These guides break down every single question type in the ACT Reading test. Learn about skills each question type is testing, strategies for developing and honing these skills, walkthroughs of questions, and practice questions of your very own. Understanding ACT Reading Question Types Little Picture Questions Being able to scan through a passage and find the details that are being asked about in a particular question is the most important skill for ACT Reading. If you can't find the relevant information, after all, how can you begin to figure out its meaning or its function? Big Picture Questions You'll need to be able to read a large amount of text and distill it down into a main point to answer big picture and main point questions on ACT Reading. It's also a skill you’ll need for college (and beyond), so it's even more important to make sure you know the best strategies for answering these questions. Vocabulary In Context Questions Just because ACT Reading doesn’t have any â€Å"fill in the blank† or sentence completion questions on it doesn’t mean you won’t be tested on vocabulary by the ACT. You need to get good at figuring out the contextual meaning of words. Inference Questions Inference questions can be the most difficult questions to wrap your head around, because it seems as if the ACT is asking you to answer questions based on information not located in the passage. Don’t be fooled! You’ll need to practice inferring meaning from context. Function And Development Questions Some ACT Reading questions move beyond merely asking about meaning and, instead, ask about how certain words, phrases, or lines function in the overall structure of the passage. You'll need to be able to figure out not just what the author is saying, but what she/he does to convey that meaning as well as the role certain paragraphs play in the passage as a whole. Special Guides Why Are ACT Reading Paired Passages So Hard? Questions that ask about multiple passages have only been appearing on the ACT Reading section since June 2014. What difference does this make to you and how should this change the way you practice for the ACT Reading section? Read this article to learn more about paired passages on the ACT and what, exactly, makes questions that ask about multiple passages so difficult. How To Attack Paired Passages On The ACT Reading Test: 4 Key Strategies Now that you know what paired passages are...whatcha gonna do about it? This article goes into more depth on paired passages and strategies you can use to help with those tricky multipassage questions. The Vocab You'll Need For ACT Reading Studying how to answer vocabulary in context questions is obviously the most important part of being able to answer those questions, but what if you just don't have a large (English) vocabulary? The answer is not to read the dictionary page-by-page; instead, focus your studying on these frequently-appearing ACT vocabulary words. The Super Dictionary by Joel Kramer, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. Think of this article as your very own super dictionary. ACT Reading Strategies and Tips We've gone through an overview of ACT Reading and some of the deeper skills you'll need to master to truly conquer this test. What's left? Using the guides below to pull it all together. Hone your skills by creating a structure for your ACT Reading practice and focusing your studying, so that you can do your best on test day. The Best Way To Practice ACT Reading Unless you are Hermione Granger and own a time turner, you have a limited amount of time to spend on ACT Reading practice. Make sure that you are using your time wisely by following the strategies contained in this article. The Best ACT Reading Practice Tests And Questions There's no point in spending hours and hours on ACT prep if you don't use high quality materials. Find out what the best resources for realistic ACT Reading practice tests and questions are by reading this article. Stop Running Out Of Time On ACT Reading Even if you’re great at reading comprehension, ACT Reading can still trip you up because of the short amount of time (35 minutes!) you get to read 5 passages and answer 40 questions. You'll need to plan ahead to avoid falling behind during the test. 4 Top ACT Reading Strategies We’ve compiled the four strategies that will have the biggest impact on the way you approach the ACT Reading section. Figure out which strategies work best for you and use them early and often. The Hardest ACT Reading Questions Ever Over the years of ACT Reading, there have been some truly terrifying questions. So naturally, we’ve gathered them into this article for you to try out (happy early Halloween!). Challenge yourself! The Top 10 ACT Reading Tips: Use These And Improve Your Score Need a quick fix to raise your ACT Reading score? Or even several quick fixes? We've sifted through our expert ACT Reading knowledge to come up with these ten tips to boost your ACT Reading score. boost? by insertnamehere.99999, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. What’s Next? There’s a lot to read to prepare for the ACT...Reading (which makes sense, I guess). But reading these articles is just the first phase of your test prep: there's work yet to be done. After reading the articles included in this guide, you should... Go forth and hunt down high quality study materials - make sure to place real ACT tests at the forefront of your studying regimen! Diagnose your ACT Reading problems and review your mistakes. If you don't figure out where you're going wrong, it'll be very difficult to avoid repeating your errors. Stay motivated! Preparing for the ACT can be challenging, and you won't get through it without motivation. Our article on getting a perfect 36 on the ACT has some great tips for this. We also have a list of links to ACT Prep info. If you're feeling overwhelmed by all this information and are concerned about being able to prep for the ACT Reading test all on your own, it’s worth checking out our ACT test prep platform. Built by Harvard graduates, our program learns your individual strengths and weaknesses through statistical analysis, then uses that information to create a customized prep program for you to help you achieve your best score possible. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Reading lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

International Marketing Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Marketing Strategy - Assignment Example A key issue for the company is the positioning strategy for the products; whether it should sustain the luxury image line or give in to modern design trends in order to broaden its target markets. This paper critically analyzes the influence of cultural environmental changes on Wedgwood's international marketing strategy in UK, Japan and USA. In the end, the paper summarizes a range of proposed strategies for the Wedgwood brands. Traditionally the houseware and specialties market, including the tableware market, has been characterized by slow yet steady market growth (Morgan et al, 2005). The compound annual growth rate for the market between 2000 and 2004 is 5.1% (Datamonitor, 2005). The market performance, respectively Wedgwood's sales have been driven by some strong consumer shopping preferences and spending patterns in several of the world's developed economies (Datamonitor, 2005). Internationally, Wedgwood operates in eastern (Japan) and western (Europe and USA) markets that have different cultural characteristics in terms of language, religion, and context in communications, values and many other aspects. For a product category like tableware that is culture-dependent, the socio-cultural aspects in Japan, United Kingdom and USA exercise key influence on local demand. These factors determine local branding and positioning and should guide Wedgwood in developing local marketing and communications strategies. The cultural elements that shape demand are grouped by Geert Hofstede according to five large dimensions - power distance, individualism and collectivism, masculinity and femininity, uncertainty avoidance and long versus short term orientation (Wikipedia, Geert Hofstede, 2006). All the three markets are masculine cultures (Wikidedia, Geert Hofstede, 2006), which reflects in more assertive behaviour, and visible search for achievements and self-expression (Wikipedia, Masculine and Feminine Cultures, 2006). The US market is characterized to be the most individualistic culture, whereas Japan is characterized by Hofstede as a collectivistic culture of the so called "community man" (Wikipedia, Collectivist and Individualist cultures, 2006). Still, social and economic changes in the Japanese society, "the end of guaranteed lifetime employment, [] and the loss of confidence in Government and financial institutions []" have shifted the collectivistic behaviour towards greater expressed indiv iduality and customization. What this means to Wedgwood is that it is increasingly facing similar demographic and cultural patterns on a global scale. Cultural changes are reflected in the need for self-expression, uniqueness and independence (Wikipedia, Collectivism and Individualism Cultures, 2006). Consumers look for products that closely fit their lifestyle and express their individuality better. Casual dining, frequent eating out, the decrease in importance

Legal & Ethical Issues in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Legal & Ethical Issues in Nursing - Essay Example -The second principle implies that, under some circumstances, the physicians can rely on implied informed consent of the patient information in order to deliver their services as illustrated when the staff used information from Antonia. The patient disclosed that he wanted to kill himself, and they, therefore, used the information to put him under soft psychiatric restraints pending the admission to the acute care psychiatric unit to prevent harm (Ginny, 2010). -The third principle is that paediatricians should bring out the best health outcomes, and should collaborate with other health care teams in creating safe environments for patients as well as prevent the medical errors. We get this from the Antonia’s wife suing the medical staff and the facility for ignoring the health condition of her husband (Ginny, 2010). Defendants Defendants refer to any person/object charged of committing a crime. The defendant must answer the plaintiff in the civil lawsuit before the court, or before the party accused or charged of violating the criminal statute. In the case presented, defendants comprise the staff members and the facility. Staff members could be potentially held liable for failing to provide the direct patient observation. The staff should take charge of one-to-one observation of the patient as outlined in the paediatric principles. Failure to take care of the patient results to harmful consequences, of which some may result to death as in the case of Garcia. This clearly indicates neglect of duties and responsibilities. The staffs were aware of the condition of the patient, and after administering restraints, they failed to keep a check. (Ginny, 2010). Court Ruling I think the court will judge against the staff and the facility. This is because there is evidence of complete ignorance of regulations and rules of paediatric principles. First, failure of observing the patient on one-to-one basis until he runs away is a serious offense that shows the neglect of duty. This is an unconstitutional violation of patient’s safety law. Usually, medical malpractice is a serious offense in law, and lawyers use it to refer to negligence resulting in injury or death by the healthcare provider upon failure to adhere to the accepted standards of practice for relevant procedure. Professional care providers refer to doctors, technicians, nursing home facilities and hospitals among other entities involved in the provision of medical care. Also, medical malpractice may occur through the outpatient with hospital negligence involved. The cases involving medical malpractice are handled by the law firm where the attorneys prove the l iability of the hospital in offering resources to insurance companies. The court is likely to penalize the medical staff. Also, the court can review their rulings and formulate Acts that will protect the patients against medical malpractice. For instance, giving the examples on such court rulings; in August 2007, a woman in California underwent mastectomy twice, after which she discovered that she never had breast cancer. A medical malpractice lawsuit ruled of payment of $198,000. The breasts of Ana Jimenez-Salgado were removed at Los Angeles hospital after external pathologists said that the biopsy results indicated that the cells were cancerous. She discovered that she never had cancer after she went for reconstructive surgery later. The lawsuit alleged on negligence of

Community Hospital Database Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Community Hospital Database - Assignment Example Moreover, we have the physician table. This documents the details of the physician. On that note, it contains five fields, namely; the name of the physician, specialty, id of physician, date and the phone number. It is worth noting that decisive details’ pertaining to the fields is shown below. Furthermore, we also have the room utilization table. Apparently, this is mandated with the task of storing information regarding the accommodation of patients in the hospital. It contains four fields, which are the patient #, location, accommodation and the date discharged. It’s worth noting that the data pertaining to the type, fields’ size among others are shown below. Apparently, it is evident that the use of technology is essential in the smooth running of the Mountain View community hospital. Notably, it was critical for the incorporation of the database system in order to aid in various processes, for instance, the capturing and storage of the patient information among other important information required in a hospital setting(Demetriades Dinos 34). In actual fact, this was reached after a study was conducted in the hospital to establish some of the ways in which services can be improved in this hospital. First and foremost, in order for the above database system to be able to capture certain information, for instance, the marital status, gender, occupation, salary or the insurance coverage, the appropriate field must be added to the room utilization table and form(Demetriades Dinos 56). However, it is worth noting that the type data in each field should be specified accordingly to avoid errors that might arise.  

DELACROIX Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DELACROIX - Essay Example In London, Delacroix studied various works of English painters who he greatly admired and inspired some of his later works (Villarreal par. 25). The trip to London brought Delacroix closer to mimicking the works and colorful style of Reuben’s paintings. Such influence of English paintings and artwork was evident in his later work in 1930, July 28: Liberty Leading the People. The painting Liberty Leading the people commemorated the recent French revolution as this canvas was a reflection of the artist’s change of style. Delacroix fascination for the work of English painters started early in his career pushing him to visit London. Various elements of artistic migration are evident in Eugene Delacroixs works especially after a visit to England. Most of Delacroixs works between 1820 and 1830 were greatly influenced by the English painting particularly after visiting London in 1825. Delacroix visited England accompanied by his artistic English friends Thales Fielding and Richard Parkes. Even early before 1830 and before the visit to England, Delacroix had great interest in English paintings especially the use of watercolors and oil techniques evident in English landscape paintings. The artist’s friendship with English friends greatly influenced the love and interest in English works. Delacroix’s works when during the time he was in England show great influence from the English painter, Sir Thomas Lawrence. Most of the artist’s works depend on his interpretation of the British portraits according to his understanding and personality. One of Delacroix’s most outstanding works during the period he was in London was the portrait of Louis-Auguste (Baron) Schwiter in 1826. The painting is similar to most English portraits from the time by trying to capture schwiters character as he is posing and standing in a park. Delacroix does not portray a relaxed attitude of Schwiter but chooses to emphasize on

Obesity in United States of America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Obesity in United States of America - Essay Example Obesity may be caused by several factors, which may vary from one victim to another, the causes can be either genetic or be because of life style of a given individual. On the genetic part, hereditary of the obese characteristics from one individual to another both related by blood is not a very common cause of obesity. The result of this gene relation that leads to weight gain has an adverse relation to the environment of an individual. The surrounding of an individual determines the kind of food and the levels of body exercise that they engage in. The early life of an individual plays a greater role on their body weight depending on how they are brought up diet wise. Prenatal and postnatal care is of great importance because the developmental stages are determined. For instance, a smoking mother or a mother that possess overweight characteristics is likely to give birth to a child that is at a risk of acquiring obese characteristics at adulthood age. If excess weight is gained during infancy, the child subjected to the risk of developing adulthood obesity (Bray). Food is a greater determinant of body weight. Foods that are of refined grains and red meat highly cause obesity when consumed in uncontrolled rates (Bray). Unhealthy fats and sugary drinks fall under the category of foods that are likely to affect the normal body weight. Whole grain, fruits and vegetables are a good diet for weight control. When consumed, they play an important role in the body and do help prevent chronic diseases.

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 35

Case Study Example First of all, the condition of the two mothers when their children became sick has to be given the first priority i.e. were they breast-feeding their children? Could they have been infected by the disease? Where they live and what type of food they eat when breast-feeding. In addition, it would be prudent to determine the age of the children, when they became sick for instance: Did they fall sick at the same age? Consequently, various environmental factors would be taken into consideration for example: The environment of the working place; where they come from; and the people they interact with at the work place. The second step would involve undertaking scientific tests on the factors identified to determine if they could cause diseases with similar symptoms. However, specific consideration would be given to the composition of the mother’s milk and if possible compared to the laboratory results of the breast milk of the co-worker: This is only possible if the laboratory results indicating the chemical component of the co-worker’s breast milk is available. Research indicates that there is a high sense of relationship between certain diseases and industries (Handley 2001). This is mostly evident when there is one family member working in an industry or when there is an industry next to a residential place. In this regard, there would be a case for the woman in the court (Handley 2001). However, such allegations would require proper proof/ medical evidence for the woman to win. On the other hand, there are various occupational health and safety laws that are applied in industries to not only protect the lives of the workers and the environment, but also their family members (Hartnett 2008). The woman win the case in the event that the court finds out that such rules are not properly followed by the company as

Obesity in United States of America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Obesity in United States of America - Essay Example Obesity may be caused by several factors, which may vary from one victim to another, the causes can be either genetic or be because of life style of a given individual. On the genetic part, hereditary of the obese characteristics from one individual to another both related by blood is not a very common cause of obesity. The result of this gene relation that leads to weight gain has an adverse relation to the environment of an individual. The surrounding of an individual determines the kind of food and the levels of body exercise that they engage in. The early life of an individual plays a greater role on their body weight depending on how they are brought up diet wise. Prenatal and postnatal care is of great importance because the developmental stages are determined. For instance, a smoking mother or a mother that possess overweight characteristics is likely to give birth to a child that is at a risk of acquiring obese characteristics at adulthood age. If excess weight is gained during infancy, the child subjected to the risk of developing adulthood obesity (Bray). Food is a greater determinant of body weight. Foods that are of refined grains and red meat highly cause obesity when consumed in uncontrolled rates (Bray). Unhealthy fats and sugary drinks fall under the category of foods that are likely to affect the normal body weight. Whole grain, fruits and vegetables are a good diet for weight control. When consumed, they play an important role in the body and do help prevent chronic diseases.

Responsibilities of parenthood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Responsibilities of parenthood - Essay Example And all of the above values and etiquettes are well inculcated by kids during common meal times. Thus, importance of having meal (and more preferably "dinner" because of its end of the day aura) together as a whole family is quite beneficial for children in terms of nutritional richness of food provided and the family conversation at the dining table. As cited from Rocketts article [1]: "Family dinner has been identified as a foundation of healthful food choices, possibly because of the higher quality of food served and the family conversations at the dinner table about healthful eating."[1] Family dinner has been from historical point of view important for that "special" interaction between its members that makes the bond between them stronger and everlasting in times of distress or threat. From the children's point of view, family dinners are important to understand the family values as well as other family members. meals together send the message that citizenship in a family entails certain standards beyond individual whims. This is where a family builds its identity and culture. Legends are passed down, jokes rendered, eventually the wider world examined through the lens of a family's values. In addition, younger kids pick up vocabulary and a sense of how conversation is structured [4]. The meal time ritual is important for both its social a... There are other benefits of taking the last meal of the day together, as explained; family dinner has opposite effect on weight gaining ability of adolescent children [1]. The direct relation is still under research (as of when the article was written), but taking a meal with family ensures a healthy and appropriate amount of meal goes inside children and adequate eating habits are formed from childhood itself. However, all is not said and done regarding family issues. There are many variables involved in the working of homes and families & every individual has to mould him/herself according to the circumstances prevalent at home. Double-income parents who have evening meetings that take them away from the table, workaholic spouses who don't come home at all, ringing telephone and last-but not the least- those ghastly memories of how children particularly when they are very small, behave when theyre at the table [3]. Historical aspect of family dinner [4] Back in the really olden days, dinner was seldom a ceremonial event for U.S. families. Only the very wealthy had a separate dining room. For most, meals were informal, a kind of rolling refueling; often only the men sat down. Not until the mid--19th century did the day acquire its middle-class rhythms and rituals; a proper dining room became a Victorian aspiration. When children were 8 or 9, they were allowed to join the adults at the table for instruction in proper etiquette. By the turn of the century, restaurants had appeared to cater to clerical workers, and in time, eating out became a recreational sport. [4]. Family dinner can be a respite from the hectic lives of family members to gather for a meal; it can improve the diet of the

Insulin Production From Genetically Modified Bacteria Biology Essay

Insulin Production From Genetically Modified Bacteria Biology Essay In the 1970s people suffering from diabetes mellitus used insulin from cattle pigs, but this was expensive time consuming. Moreover insulin from other animals was not exactly as same as those in humans, causing many side-effects. Also many people were against the use of animal insulin for ethical or religious reasons. This problem had to be solved in 1970s biotechnological companies began working of genetically modifying a bacterium to produce insulin by insertion of a human gene. many different methods were tried tested, then finally in the early 1980s they suceeded, this was agreat achievement in the science world. the procedure was as follows :- Isolation of insulin gene insulin is a small protein . the first challenge was to isloate the insulin gene from the rest of the DNA in the human cell. But there was a problem doing so directly, instead the mRNA carrying the code for synthesizing insulin was extracted from the cells in the pancreas that produces insulin, called B-cells. then the mRNA was left in incubation with reverse transcriptase, reverse transcriptase is a special retrovirus, it does the opposite of transcription i.e codes for DNA from RNA, this newly coded DNA is called complimentary DNA or simply cDNA. at first single stranded molecules were formed, which then turned in double helix. these DNA molecules carried the code for human insulin. these DNA molecules then needed to be stuck to other DNA strands, so they were given sticky ends by adding lenghts of single stranded DNA made up of guanine nucleotide to each end using enzyymes. insertion of gene into a vector for the human insulin gene to be inserted into a bacterium, there has to be an intermediate carrier of the gene called a vector this was a plasmid. plasmids are small circular pieces of DNA found in many bacteria. plasmids can freely move into bacterium cells and if we are able to insert the human DNA inside the plasmid then insert plasmid into a bacterium. To obatin the plasmids from the bacteria containing them, these bacteria frist had to be mixed with enzymes to dissolve their cell walls. then centrifuged so that large organelles e.g chromosomes small ones like plasmids would be seperated. restriction enzymes were used to slice open the the circular DNA making up the plasmid. sticky ends were added again but this time the nucleotide used to make them conatined cytosine guanine bases on their ends paired up. DNA ligase was then used to link the nucleotide backbone together so that the human insulin gene became part of tthe plasmid. this was the manufacture of recombinant DNA. Advantages of treating diabetes by human insulin There are a number of advantages of using the human insulin produced by genetically engineered bacteria: it is chemically identical to the insulin that would have been produced had they not been diabetic, so there is little chance of an immune response because it is an exact fit in the human insulin receptors in human cell surface membranes, it brings about a much more rapid response than pig or cow insulin, like natural human insulin, the duration of the response is much shorter than pig or cattle insulin, it overcomes problems related to the development of a tolerance to insulin from pigs or cattle, it avoids any ethical issues that might arise from the use pig or cattle insulin, for example, religious objections to the use of pig insulin or objections from vegetarians to the use of animal products. Benefits of gene technology Through gene technology, it is now possible to produce: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ genetically modified organisms for a specific purpose. Previously, such genetic change would have to be brought about by selective breeding which requires organisms to be of the same species (able to breed successfully together), takes many generations and involves transfer of whole genomes, complete with undesirable background genes. Gene technology is much faster and involves transferring one or few genes, which may come from completely unrelated organisms, even from different kingdoms. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ specific products, such as human insulin and human growth hormone, thereby reducing the dependence on products from other, less reliable sources, such as pig or cow insulin. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ reduce use of agrochemicals such as herbicides and pesticides since crops can be made resistant to particular herbicides, or can be made to contain toxins that kill insects à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ clean up specific pollutants and waste materials bioremediation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ potential for use of gene technology to treat genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis (see below) and SCID (Severe Combined Immune Deficiency) as well as in cancer treatment. Hazards of genetic engineering Genes inserted into bacteria could be transferred into other bacterial species, potentially including antibiotic resistance genes and those for other materials, which could result in antibiotic resistance in pathogens, or in bacteria that can produce toxic materials or break down useful materials. Regulation is designed to minimise the risks of escape of such genes. There is little evidence that such genes have escaped into wild bacterial populations. Crop plants have, by their nature, to be released into the environment to grow, and many millions of hectares of genetically engineered crops, both experimental and commercial, are planted across the globe. So far, fears that they might turn out to be super-weeds, resistant to herbicides and spreading uncontrollably, or that their genes might transfer into other closely related wild species, forming a different kind of super-weed, or that they might reduce biodiversity by genetic contamination of wild relatives seem to have proved unfounded. A paper was published in Nature in 2001 showing that Mexican wild maize populations were contaminated with genes from genetically manipulated maize, but the methods used were flawed and subsequent studies have not confirmed this contamination, suggesting that the wild maize is not genetically contaminated. There is some evidence that Bt toxin, geneticially engineered into plants such as cotton and maize, whilst very effective in killing the targe t species, may kill other, desirable, insects such as bees and butterflies, and may also cause natural selection of Bt toxin resistant insects. Future events may show that such environmental risks are greater than they look at present. Food that is derived from genetically engineered organisms may prove to be unexpectedly toxic or to trigger allergic reactions when consumed. There is little reliable evidence that this has been so, but the risk remains. Food containing the expressed products of antibiotic resistance marker genes could be consumed at the same time as treatment with the antibiotic was occurring, which would potentially reduce the effectiveness of the treatment. No examples of this are known. social ethical implocations of genetic engineering ethics are set of rules set by people distinguishing between whats acceptable and whats not, between whats right and whats wrong. these ethics or rules change from a person to person depedning upon knowledge, experience, social influnce, religious influence etc. The social impact of gene technology is to do with its potential and actual impact of human society and individuals. In terms of social impact, gene technology could: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ enhance crop yields and permit crops to grow outside their usual location or season so that people have more food à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ enhance the nutritional content of crops so that people are better fed à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ permit better targeted clean-up of wastes and pollutants à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ lead to production of more effective and cheaper medicines and treatments through genetic manipulation of microorganisms and agricultural organisms to make medicines and genetic manipulation of human cells and individuals (gene therapy) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ produce super-weeds or otherwise interfere with ecosystems in unexpected ways, reducing crop yields so that people have less food à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ increase costs of seed and prevent seed from being retained for sowing next year (by inclusion of genes to kill any seed produced this way) reducing food production à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ reduce crop biodiversity by out-competing natural crops so that people are less well fed à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ damage useful materials such as oil or plastic in unexpected ways à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ cause antibiotics to become less useful and cause allergic reactions or disease in other unexpected ways The ethical impact is about the application of moral frameworks concerning the principles of conduct governing individuals and groups, including what might be thought to be right or wrong, good or bad. So in the context of gene technology, it is to do with issues of whether is right or wrong to conduct research and develop technologies, whether it is good or bad. Judgements may be that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ It is good to conduct such research to develop technologies that might improve nutrition, the environment or health à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ It is good to use the results of such research to produce food, to enhance the environment or improve health à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ It is wrong to continue such research when the potential impact of the technology is unknown and many aspects of it remain to be understood. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ It is wrong to use the results of such research even when the organisms are kept in carefully regulated environments such as sterile fermenters as the risks of the organisms or the genes they contain escaping are too great and unknown à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ It is wrong to use the results of such research when this involves release of gene technology into the environment as once it is released it cannot be taken back the genes are self-perpetuating, and the risks that they might cause in future are unknown The social and ethical implications of gene technology are complex and relatively unfamiliar to people who are not scientists, including those involved in the media and in government. This complexity and unfamiliarity is the cause of considerable concern and debate. In considering the implications of gene technology the best approach is to avoid the general (e.g. avoid it is bad to play God) and stick to the specific and balanced (e.g. it is possible to increase food crop yields with gene technology so more people can be fed, but there is enough food already if it is properly distributed, so people should not be forced to eat products with unknown risks).

Does the Media Encourage Terrorism? Essay -- essays research papers f

DO THE MEDIA ENCOURAGE TERRORISM The news media of American society does not encourage terrorism. The only thing that the media encourages is knowledge of what is going on around the world. Unfortunately, some terrorist organizations use the news media to gain recognition for their groups causes and goals. Most of the time, the media will serve as force to gain citizen support for the government’s actions against a terrorist movement. The only problem with having the freedom of press that the United States enjoys is that everyone has a voice. When it comes down to an American killing an American, the media is not allied with the terrorist. In many cases the television and newspaper crews serve to work directly against the militia organization. Americans do not like to see fellow citizens die at the hands of a terrorist, especially by an American terrorist. Timothy McVeigh, probably unknowingly, helped in decreasing the number of American terrorist (Grosscup, 117). McVeigh’s act, bombing the Murrah building in Oklahoma City, was seen as so repulsive that many law-abiding people attracted to militias simply walked away. The majority of Americans didn’t want to be associated with anything like the killing of 168 Americans, even though McVeigh had only attended a few militia meetings. The media coverage for the bombing in 1995 gave the American public the education needed to assess what was going on in the militant organizations across the United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  &n...

Sir Joseph John Thomson :: biographies bio

"Could anything at first sight seem more impractical than a body which is so small that its mass is an insignificant fraction of the mass of an atom of hydrogen?" -- J.J. Thomson. * Sir Joseph John Thomson was born December 18, 1856 in Cheetham Hill near Manchester, England. * His dad was a bookkeeper in Manchester who died with Thomson was 16 years old. * He entered Owens College, now known as the Victoria University of Manchester, at age 14. * There he took courses in experimental physics and math. * In 1876, he obtained a scholarship for Trinity College, University of Cambridge, and remained there for the rest of his life. * In 1890, he married Rose Elisabeth. * He and Rose had a son, Sir George Paget Thomson, Emeritus Professor of Physics at London University, and a daughter. * Thomson taught mathematics and physics at Cambridge, succeeding Lord Rayleigh as professor of physics at the age of 27. * He became director of Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory to do research from 1884 through 1919. * For his involvement in the scientific community, he was appointed president of the Royal Society, a position he maintained from 1915 through 1920. * He was invited to be professor of natural philosophy at the Royal Institute of Great Britain from 1905 to 1918. * He served as master of Trinity College from 1918 until his death. * He was also very active in many other fields of interest other than science. He was involved in politics, current fiction, drama, university sports, and the non-technical aspects of science. * His greatest interest outside of physics was plants. He enjoyed walks in the hilly regions near Cambridge, where he searched for rare botanical specimens for his garden. * He died August 30, 1940 at Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. He was given the honor of burial in the Westminster Abbey. * J.J. Thomson attempted to solve the argument on the nature of cathode rays in 1897. For these investigations he won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1906.

Quality Improvement Plan Essay

Executive Summary Chattanooga Cares is a privately owned, not-for-profit HIV/AIDS clinic located in downtown Chattanooga. Owned and operated by Dr. Jay Sizemore, it was founded in December 2003 to provide medical needs for the underserved HIV positive patients in Chattanooga, Tennessee and 22 surrounding counties. Although its staff is small, consisting of a full-time work force of less than 30, they serve their community by offering AIDS testing, counseling, HIV treatment plans, and assistance with employment, housing, transportation, and childcare. Chattanooga Cares has one very important goal – reducing the levels of sickness in HIV/ AIDS patients. Therefore, the management team has designed a Quality Improvement Plan to tackle this goal. This aspiration has two components; the first concerns itself with the education of the community, and the second revolves around reducing the levels of sickness in already affected patients. Implementation begins with education of the staff in areas of HIV/AIDS protection, treatment, and counseling. Outreach programs, taught by the staff, will be offered to guide the community in AIDS awareness. Data collection tools such as patient tracking system and disease specific flow charts will be utilized to scrutinize the effectiveness of the program. The plan-do-study-act approach to collecting data, monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting will be used to ensure that constant changes can be made to reach our goals. Chattanooga Cares will use competitive benchmarking to determine if their levels of sickness are in line with other clinics in the area. Finally, each person will compile his set of data and report to the management team for evaluation of the plan. The team will use the information collected to make adjustments going forward. This collaboration will be completed on a monthly, quarterly, and annually basis. Chattanooga Cares Quality Improvement Plan Quality improvement cannot be implemented without setting the performance standards needed to determine how improvement can succeed. Chattanooga Cares, a non-profit HIV/AIDS clinic, bases its quality improvement plan around the consumers of their services. Chattanooga Cares is a privately-owned AIDS and sexually transmitted disease clinic in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. It consists of a small staff of medical personnel, counselors, administrative staff, and volunteers. The staff offers HIV/AIDS testing, medical treatment plans, counseling, life coaching, and economic assistance through various housing, childcare, and financial institutions. The clinic derives its funding from government grants and community fund-raising events. Chattanooga Cares (2013) mission statement is, â€Å"Our focus is AIDS: education, prevention and support for all people affected by HIV† (About Us). Since the patient, and the patient’s network of friends and family, are the central elements in Chattanooga Cares’ mission statement, the role of the patient is integral in quality improvement plans. There are few goals that do not involve the client. Although the clinic is privately-owned, it proudly displays its goals to the public. Because of its grant status, the treatment center must supply statistical information to the governmental agencies that provide the grants. All this information is readily available to the clients that consume their services. Goals and Objectives Some of the quality improvement goals of Chattanooga Cares are reducing the number of new patients infected by AIDS each year; lowering the economic hardships on their clients; maximizing efficiency and cost effectiveness within the office; and increasing training and education of staff. The clients play a major role in what performance standards are chosen. A few of the quality indicators that consumers use in regard to Chattanooga Cares are health outcomes and length of survival rates, screening and treatment frequencies, and satisfaction evaluations. Using feedback from stakeholders effects the way in which future services are conducted and funding is attained. In order to begin a quality improvement plan, certain quality performance standards need to be determined to measure the levels of improvement. Performance standards concern themselves within a health care organization. Palmer (1997) suggests that clinicians must set performance  standards on their individual practices and offer feedback to health care authorities. Two examples of these standards are defining the rate of re-admittance after completing a procedure and setting a limit for number of patients seen daily. Once the standards are determined and goals are set, compilation of everything is developed into the quality improvement plan. The quality improvement plan is the all-encompassing strategy while the performance standards are the steps needed to achieve it. Scope, Description, and Quality Improvement Activities The first part of the improvement goal of Chattanooga Cares is one of reducing the current levels of HIV/AIDS in the 23 counties the organization serves (â€Å"Chattanooga Cares†, 2013). By reducing the number of people affected by the disease, the overall health status of the community will improve and the economic effect on the health care system will be positive. Since 65% of current patients (â€Å"Chattanooga Cares†, 2013) cannot currently obtain health insurance due to their health status, a decline in the infected population will mean less public monies are needed to support the health care of the indigent population infected by the AIDS disease. The best outcome of reaching this goal is a suppression of the AIDS infected population. Education in the community improves the knowledge base of the community as they learn the risk factors of AIDS contraction and hopefully use that wisdom to make wiser choices in sexual partners and intravenous drug usage. Through careful management of current patients’ progress, the team at Chattanooga Cares can evaluate and adjust the health regimen and assure that proper techniques and medication are being used. Data Collection Tools The main goal of Chattanooga Cares revolves around reducing the level of sickness in patients. The data needed are tracking patient progress through the treatment process, and current information of HIV/AIDS manifestation and control. Following patient progress is achieved through the usage of a reminder tracking system. As soon as a new patient is entered into the electronic medical records of the clinic, a tracking system immediately forms to trace the medical journey of the client (Hashim, Prinsloo, & Mirza, 2013). The system sends out emails, automated phone messages, or  texts to patients reminding them of doctor and counseling appointments. It prompts the case manager to contact the patient personally and ask them questions about their general health, response to medication, mental state, and other factors such as housing, employment, and childcare status. By entering information into the tracking system, adjustments can be made to assure that the patient does not degrade in physical and mental health status. This tool can help prolong the lifespan of the patient and help them get better. Over long periods of time, as a patient has developed an effective health regimen, the system stills tracks their progress and reminds the case manager to touch base from time to time. The strengths of this system are that a patient does not drop out of the program and their health status is continually monitored and improved upon. The weakness is that the ongoing information must be entered into the system to be effective; if the staff is too busy or forgets to follow up, then the health of the patient may be compromised. The measurement and display of this tool could be shown through weekly reports which show the number of patients whose contact reminders have not been completed. The last data tool used to track current information on HIV/AIDS is a disease specific flow sheet (Hashim, Prinsloo, & Mirza, 2013). This chart contains information on the steps needed to test and treat people affected by HIV/AIDS. It allows clinicians to follow a prescribed course of medication and counseling for patients and permits changes in the course of health management. The benefits of using this flow chart is that treatment is spelled out for virtually every type of AIDS related illnesses and gives doctors a reference to follow. The only detriment is that the clinic must make sure to have current flow sheets which show new drugs and regimens for patients. If the clinicians are using outdated materials, then best practices are not being put to use. Quality Improvement Processes and Methodology The plan-do-study-act (PDSA) approach to quality improvements is one of small cyclical changes between processes and outcomes. It focuses on making little changes instead of large, broad strokes that can sometimes be too large to tackle at one time. Hughes stated (2008) that the purpose of PDSA is one that tries to â€Å"establish a functional or causal relationship between changes in processes (specifically behaviors and capabilities) and  outcomes† (p. 33 Chapter 44). The PDSA cycle begins by defining the disposition and extent of the issue, what modifications can and should be made, a strategy for a specific change, who should be participating, what should be gauged to comprehend the effect of change, and where the stratagem will be directed. Change is executed and data and materials are collected. The results are studied and clarified by using key measurements that show the levels of success or failure. New steps are developed based on the results and the process begins again (Hughes, 2008). This approach to quality improvement is positive in that allows extensive problems to be disentangled at a rate not overwhelming to those involved. Because PDSA is readily achievable and results are easy to decipher, almost instant gratification can occur. This makes a monumental task easier to tackle – much like eating the proverbial elephant one bite at a time. The drawbacks to this approach are that it is reactive and relies on people to accept constant change in their facility that can result in change fatigue (Hughes, 2008). To achieve the QI goal, the clinic must review continually the data retrieved from the tracking system of patients’ progress through the treatment process. Therefore, the methodology chosen for Chattanooga Cares’ QI plan is PDSA. Because this system focuses on small, continual changes, it will be helpful in staying on track. Another reason for this choice is that the clinic is small and is used to a frantic pace, therefore change is commonly accepted and a part of the norm. Comparative Databases, Benchmarks, and Professional Practice Standards  Hughes (2008) describes benchmarks in health care as â€Å"the continual and collaborative discipline of measuring and comparing the results of key work processes with those of the best performers in evaluating organizational performance† (p. 38, Chapter 44). Competitive benchmarking can be used to compare Chattanooga Cares’ levels of sickness to other organizations offering the same services (Kay, 2007). By using reports from other HIV/AIDS clinics, Chattanooga Cares can compare their levels of sickness to the patients serviced by other treatment centers. Authority, Structure, and Organization The authority structure of Chattanooga Cares is straightforward and simple. Because it is privately owned, there is no board of directors. Instead, Dr. Jay Sizemore, the physician who owns and runs the clinic is the head of the organization (â€Å"www.chattanoogacares.org/†, 2013). Five other positions comprised of a registered nurse, a medical assistant, an LPN, a patient health coordinator, and an office manager, finish out the authoritative staff at the clinic. Although the doctor leads the team, the other five mentioned have equal standing in decision-making and quality improvement implementation. QI issues are discussed within the confines of these six people and all decisions are handed down from them. Each holds their own position within the organization, however, out of necessity, all of them work interchangeably within other people’s job duties. Communication Because of the intimate nature of Chattanooga Cares, quality plans are shared among all the staff. If a particular strategy involves essentially one person’s performance, that person will hold most of the responsibility for implementing, measuring, and ultimately, evaluating the effective of the plan. For instance, one goal is to improve the levels of sickness in the HIV/AIDS patients the clinic serves (â€Å"www.chattanoogacares.org/†, 2013). A tool for implementing and measuring this is a patient tracking system that follows a patient’s progress through the system. The person responsible for this quality improvement device would be the case manager for that patient. This person would monitor the tracking system, collect data through reports, assemble data for team review, evaluate the effectiveness of the QI plan, and ultimately, apply needed improvements. Each person is responsible for his part(s) in any given QI plan as well as gathering data and reporting such data to the team. Education All medical staff must be board certified and all case managers must have a background in social work and be at a minimum a licensed LPN. All education and prevention staff must be state certified in HIV/AIDS testing and prevention counseling (â€Å"www.chattanoogacares.org/†, 2013). Annual training and certification is required by all employed and volunteer  staff to meet conditions of state and federal grant programs. To implement the patient tracking system quality improvement plan, each person working with patients will be included in the introductory training of the software program and be introduced to the goals of the QI plan. This will be communicated by the person overseeing the process, most likely the case manager. Because staffing at the clinic is minimal, this training can take place efficiently, with little loss of productive medical time with patients. The process will be covered from the initial contact with a patient and will continue as long as the patient wished to be under the clinic’s health care plan. Therefore, it is ultimately the responsibility of the entire staff and not just the case manager, to ensure that current information is uploaded to the tracking system, and that prompts by the system are met in a timely manner. Annual Evaluation The evaluation of the QI plan for improving sickness levels in patients’ is done on monthly, quarterly, and annually bases. Because continual evaluation is needed for the plan to succeed, data must be collected before it becomes overwhelming in numbers. If this plan was left entirely to an annual evaluation, it would take weeks, if not months, to assemble, evaluate, and implement changes. The factors gauged are made of up several items – reports showing the follow-up times of patients, data indicating how many patients did not receive required contact during the time period, and the time frames of between the system prompts and response intervals. When complied, this data shows the breakdown in interaction and allows the team to make changes to ensure that patients do not lack in communication between themselves and the clinic. Monitoring the data on a weekly, if not daily basis, allows the QI plan to be more effective by making changes using the PDSA approach. References Hashim, M. J., Prinsloo, A., & Mirza, D. M. (2013, Spring). Quality Improvement Tools for Chronic Disease Care – More Effective Processes are Less Likely to be Implemented in Developing Countries. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 26(1), 14-19. DOI:10.1108/09526861311288604 Hughes, R. G. (2008). Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2682/ Kay, J. F. (2007, February). Health Care Benchmarking. The Hong Kong Medical Diary, 12(2), 22-7. Retrieved from: http://www.fmshk.org/database/articles/06mbdrflkay.pdf Palmer, H. R. (1997, October). Using Clinical Performance Measures to Drive Quality Improvement. Total Quality Management, 8(5), 305-11. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/docview/219816031 www.chattanoogacares.com (2013). Retrieved on September 3, 2013 from: http://www.chattanoogacares.org/about-us.html