ADVANCED PRICING TECHNIQUES Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ADVANCED PRICING TECHNIQUES - Assignment Example US has an absolute advantage in ______________Chemicals____________ (apparel, chemicals, both apparel and chemicals, neither apparel nor chemicals). e. China has a comparative advantage in ________ both apparel and chemicals __________________ (apparel, chemicals, both apparel and chemicals, neither apparel nor chemicals). US has a comparative advantage in __________ neither apparel nor chemicals ________________ (apparel, chemicals, both apparel and chemicals, neither apparel nor chemicals). g. Compared to the initial optimal product combinations D and S, world output of chemicals is ________smaller________ (smaller, greater) by __18___ tons of chemicals and world output of apparel is ________greater________ (smaller, greater) by __28___ 1000 units of apparel. i. Based on the actual terms of trade in previous part of this question, US can now choose four 1000 units of apparel and ___1.5___ tons of chemicals and China can now choose six tons of chemicals and ___1.5___ 1000 units of apparel. Specialization and trade between the two nations has ______decreased________ (decreased, increased) the standard of living in US and has ________Increased______ (decreased, increased) the standard of living in

M5A2 - Leadership and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

M5A2 - Leadership and Ethics - Essay Example Additionally, Clarke’s roles throughout his career reflect that he had a strong tendency for management rather than as a technical person. Clarke shifted from commercial and marketing positions to the head of stores which had little relevance to his previous positions. Similarly, he later moved from Supply Chain Director to IT Director. Both positions have little in common so it could be surmised that Clarke is more of a manager than a technical person who would be restricted to one field of expertise in TESCO. Moreover, it must also be related that Clarke has been moved around the world when TESCO required solutions to grave problems so Clarke can be seen as an adept manager, especially under pressure. Clarke’s role as a leader is confirmed most after talking to his subordinates. All of the people interviewed, at TESCO, viewed Clarke as an able leader such that they looked up to his example. Moreover, Clarke can be seen as a direction setter for TESCO given that TESCO has switched gears after Clarke took over as Group Chief Executive. 2. Describe the ethical model or framework used by the person to make ethical decisions—include the positives and negatives of your chosen leader's ethical model. Clarke can be seen as using a managerial grid leadership model for taking ethical decisions. The use of the managerial grid leadership model is augmented by the situational theory of leadership where the leader evaluates a situation in order to provide the decision (McKee & Carlson, 1999). The managerial grid model provides for two major constraints that the leader must consider – labour satisfaction and productivity. In addition to these major constraints, the leader may also be considering other smaller constraints such as public image, accountability, legal implications etc. The leader utilising the managerial grid model for ethical decision making tends to evaluate the provided situation in terms of the constraints in the situation (Griff in & Ebert, 2010). The primary aim of the leader is to optimise all available constraints in respect to each other such that no singular constraint overrides any other constraint. It must be kept in mind that labour satisfaction and productivity will operate as primary constraints while other constraints play secondary and tertiary roles only. This particular model of ethical decision making is restricted to Philip Clarke, Group Chief Executive for TESCO only since other managerial grid leadership models would have personalised primary, secondary and tertiary constraints being considered. The managerial grid leadership model for ethical decision making has the distinct advantage of optimising organisational aims and objectives achievement. This takes place as the ethical decision making process optimises inputs for Theory Y under which labour satisfaction is maximised in order to maximise productivity (Griffin & Ebert, 2010). Essentially, as labour satisfaction increases, the achiev ement of organisational aims and objectives becomes easier and simpler but it remains to be seen what direction organisational aims and objectives lie in. Given the nature of economic enterprises, it is common to find productivity at the top of the organisational aims and objectives list but other secondary and tertiary factors may also be available such as safety, ethical practices, corporate social responsibility etc. (Ray,

A Critical Evaluation Of Total Quality Management Management Essay

A Critical Evaluation Of Total Quality Management Management Essay Quality has become the focus for many healthcare organisations in the world. The economic and organisational benefits such as increased customer satisfaction, improved processes and efficiency can be derived from quality management. The implementation of Quality Management strategies provides the framework for the establishment of systems; procedures and activities needed to achieve quality. The implementation of quality management in health care organisation provides an opportunity to deliver consistent, high quality and cost effective health care to customers. In its Health Sector Reform programme for Trinidad and Tobago, the Ministry of Health (MoH) identified Quality of health care services as a key issue to be addressed .The MoH strategic direction for quality was presented in their guiding document Quality 2001 A Reality which was geared in the direction of making quality a priority. The strategy was broad and aimed towards improving quality of health care services, creating a quality culture and emphasising value for money as goals for improving health care services. One of their specific key objectives was the introducing of framework for developing a Total Quality Management system at the public healthcare institutions. The decentralisation of health services and the enactment of the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) Act No.5, 1994 represented the Governments intention to institute efficient health care systems for Trinidad and Tobago. The MoH would retain responsibility for policy, planning and regulation of health care. The formation of five (5) Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) would have responsibility for the provision of health care services and implementation of management strategies to achieve improved performance. The North Central Regional Authority (NCRHA) is one of the largest statutory bodies providing healthcare services in the country. Its remit includes three (3) major hospitals, two (2) district health facilities and fourteen (14) health centres. 1.3 Problem Definition: The public confidence in the quality of health care services delivered by the public health sector is very low. The NCRHA in recent years has been the centre of media attention due to matters allegedly related to medical negligence. The increase in adverse events and medical care complaints at its hospitals has been disturbing. According to MoH data there were at least seventeen (17) reported Adverse Events occurring at our nations hospital for the period 2004 to 2011 which resulted in patient injury, disability or death. Health care trends such as rapid advancements in public health management, shifts in customer demand for health service delivery and population health concerns have changed the national social landscape.These trends have resulted in a more informed customer accessing services therefore demanding reduced waiting time for services, improved medical care, enhanced facilities and overall quality health care from their service providers. The recent change in government in May 2010 has also brought about strategic transformation. The Governments Seven Development Pillars (Pillars 1, 6) emphasizes the bringing together of all stakeholders to ensure that public services, especially essential services like health care, are affordable, accessible and of the highest quality. These current issues have strategic implications for public health sector organisations such as the RHAs. Therefore current TQM strategies should be critically assessed and a new structured approach to the implementation of Quality Management must be proposed. Medical Care related complaints data received at the health care facilities NCRHA for the period 2008-2010: Institution 2008/09 2009/10 2010/2011 Total Arima Health Facility 53 181 148 382 Caura Hospital 142 165 124 431 Chaguanas Health Facility 74 114 181 369 Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex 711 925 1305 2941 Mt Hope Womens Hospital 148 128 106 382 Primary Care Health Center 50 30 35 115 Total 1178 1543 1899 4620 Figure 1 NCRHA Complaints Data Source: NCRHA Quality Department 1.4 Rationale: The strengthening of public confidence in the quality of health care services at NCRHA is critical to the organisations future survival. The MoH is currently in its final drafting of legislation for the Establishment of a Health Service Accreditation Bill (2009), that would provide the framework for health care quality and accountability. The Act would facilitate the institution of the Health Services Accreditation Council Trinidad and Tobago (HSACTT) which is a pre-requisite to the introduction of National Health Insurance. The MoH in its policy statements to inform legislation for the HSACTT identified that both RHAs and private hospitals must be complaint with this Act. The MoH made further recommendations in its document, that the state would not provide funding or enter into any arrangements for procurement with un-accredited health facilities. The financing of public health sector organisation is highly dependent on government funding therefore RHAs must deliver quality healthc are to access public funding and gain a competitive advantage. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also set targets and key indicators to monitor quality of care in developing countries as part of their Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2015, examples such as the MDG (4) improved maternal healthcare and MDG (5) reduced infant mortality rates. The NCRHA has recently received negative publicity from alleged medical care negligence complaints regarding quality of maternal and infant care at their medical facilities. The MoH has mandated that a critical strategic issue for all RHAs is the improvement of maternal and infant health care; this is part of their efforts towards achieving MDGs target for Trinidad and Tobago. 1.5 Research Question: How can NCRHA use their Quality Management Strategy to deliver quality health care and gain competitive advantage? 1.6 Objectives: 1. To critically evaluate current Quality Management strategies used at the NCRHA to deliver quality health care to their customers 2. To ascertain any gaps by benchmarking current strategies against theoretical framework for TQM implementation 3. To design a framework for the implementation of a total quality management strategy for NCRHA 1.7 Aim: To synthesize a comprehensive Quality Management Strategy to enable the NCRHA to progress from a state of quality awareness to quality readiness, thus enabling NCRHA to improve quality health care and gain competitive advantage in the Public Health Sector. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 Quality Management Defined: The concept of quality revolves around meeting and exceeding the customer expectation. The customers needs are ever changing and the demand for high quality requires a systems approach towards improved quality. The idea of quality management is not derived from one single source but is a collection of ideas that has been called by various names. According to lynch (2003) Total Quality Management (TQM) can be define as the modern strategic approach to quality management. ASQ (2006) has indicated that the term TQM has lost its flavor and in recent years has been subsumed under the term Quality Management. This can be further argued by Hannagan (2002) who suggest that the approach can be recognized by either title of TQM or strategic quality management. However it can be agreed that TQM is a strategic approach to achieving quality and a sustainable competitive advantage for an organization. There have been many theorists who have contributed to the quality movement and has also has infl uenced the TQM philosophy. 2.2 TQM Theories: TQM can be described as a management philosophy, characterized by a common set of principles, practices and techniques Dean Bowen (1994) however it tends to be examined by numerous authors from different perspectives. The perspectives of three main founding TQM philosophers or Quality gurus would be discussed and their supporting TQM methods. It is theorised by Crosby (1979) that quality is conformance to requirements therefore one arrives at the concept of zero defects. He also focuses on organisational factors such as leadership, culture and training. Deming (1986) was considered one of the founders of TQM his philosophy can be summarised in his fourteen management principles. These would include management commitment to quality; raise quality awareness, employee empowerment and training. The underpinning theory being that quality is a process and not a program therefore it should be ongoing in the organisation. Juran (1989) focuses on quality planning, quality control and quality improvement. There can be three levels of quality management defined which are strategic quality management, operational quality and workforce that concerns its self with work process (Juran 1989). The philosophies of these quality gurus can be summarised as a management system that involves management commitment for a customer focused organisation in which all employees participates in continual improvement. The system integrates the use of strategy, culture, training and effective communication to achieve TQM. 2.3 TQM Elements: ASQ(2006) identified essential elements to TQM that organisations must define either in their core values or principles on which the organisation operates. These elements would be discussed with the purpose of understanding the key concepts that must be considered in quality management implementation. An analysis of literature provides an exhaustive list of key elements however critical components would be discussed. While TQM is viewed through different perspectives what is written about TQM is based on a common set or sub-set of key components (Harris, 1995). The fundamental assumption of TQM is planning for the design and delivery of products and services that fulfil the needs of the customers (Dean and Bowen 1994). The customer ultimately decides whether the efforts are worthwhile. According to Waldman (1995) in order to create a quality culture all members of the organisation must be involved in the quality process. The involvement of employees in the quality process is critical to its success in the organisation. The formulation of a strategic plan which encompasses the systems approach to quality management is a core component. The TQM process is supported by continual process improvement in the organisation. All key activities in the organisation should be measured so that their improvement can be demonstrated and the benefits achieved. According to ASQ(2006) in times of organisational change, effective communication plays an important role in maintaining employee morale and motivation Training and education play a critical role in the TQM organisation, Juran (1986) postulates that training is required when undertaking a quality effort in an organisation in order to teach employees how to think about quality Figure 2 Elements of TQM in the organisation 2.4 TQM Implementation Approaches: The ASQ(2006) states that there is no one solution for implementing TQM for all situations therefore organisations TQM strategies would vary since culture, management practices are unique however the key elements discussed must be present in some format also there is a suggested generic model for implementation. Generic model for implementing TQM 1 Top management learns about and decides to commit to TQM. TQM is identified as one of the organisations strategies 2 The organisation assess current culture, customer satisfaction and quality management system 3 Top management identifies core values and principles to be used and communicates them 4 A TQM master plan is developed on basis of steps 1, 2 and 3 5 The organisation identifies and prioritizes customer demands and aligns products and services to meet those demands 6 Management maps the critical processes through which the organisation meets its customers needs. 7 Management oversees the formation of teams for process improvement efforts 8 The momentum of the TQM effort is managed by the steering committee 9 Managers contribute individually to effort through hoshin planning, training, coaching, or other methods. 10 Daily process management and standardisation take place 11 Progress is evaluated and the plan revisited as needed 12 Constant employee awareness and feedback on status are provided and a reward/recognition process is established Figure 3 Model for implementing TQM The review of literature on TQM revealed that an attempt towards TQM will not succeed unless the discussed elements are applied and maintained in the TQM strategy. There is extensive literature that provides an understanding of the ideal TQM program however more research is needed to determine how all its factors fit together to form a theory that provides a maximum understanding of what TQM really is (Waldrnan 1993). This is further supported by Powell (1995) that although TQM became part of business theory, its role as a strategic resource seems to have remained virtually unexamined in strategic management. 2.5 TQM in Healthcare: The issue of quality has become even more pressing for healthcare organisations. In a time of economic slowdown and financial constraints by government, the NCRHA is now faced with budget cuts and increased workload for human resources. There is a growing demand for quality in health care and for mechanisms such as quality management strategies and accreditation programs to maintain quality health services. The direct implications of poor quality in healthcare such as medication errors, increased infection rates and deaths are severe. According to Segonin (2005) developing countries are adapting quality management and accreditation standards in healthcare in order to work towards standardising healthcare services and to ensure high quality of healthcare for citizens. Vretveit (2001) suggest that some countries are conducting programs that consist of quality strategies and accreditation however little research is available to show evidence of efficacy. The available research on TQM im plementation in public healthcare systems in developing countries is sparse and provides anecdotal information. 2.7 TQM Healthcare Best Practices: The implementation of TQM in healthcare organisations is important for improving quality of clinical care to patients but also to satisfy accreditation requirements. Mayer et.al (1994) suggests benchmarking is the practice of regularly comparing oneself to other performing similar activities for continuously quality improvement (CQI). It is postulated by Campbell (1994) that until recently benchmarking has scarcely been used in the clinical setting primarily because of a limited knowledge of TQM methods and lack of support for initiatives. Underwood (1994) refers to a case study of Lloyd Noland Hospital continuous quality improvement initiatives in clinical management of pneumonia patients using benchmarking process with a TQM approach in an effort to achieve improved outcomes for pneumonia patients. The hospital formulated a cross functional team in order to successfully benchmark and develop a total patient care process. The team utilised quality tools such as brain storming, flowcharting clinical pathways, monitoring and documentation. The teams findings on the quality improvement process were clinical benchmarking is a TQM tool that attempts to improve patient outcomes which is a data driven TQM/CQI practice in healthcare that is current and a future reality. 2.8 Summary Based on the literature reviewed conducted thus far the researcher would attempt to critically assess the TQM practices at the NCRHA using the above theoretically implementation framework. The findings of this analysis would be synthesised and gaps would be identified. This data would assist in a design of a strategy for TQM implementation at the NCRHA. This study would provide fresh insights in the areas of total quality management in public health sector organisations in developing countries. 3.0 Research Design 3.1 Research Paradigm: Epistemology is concerned with what constitutes acceptable knowledge and the nature of knowledge itself (Saunders, 2009). In contrast ontology can be define as being concerned with the nature of reality and the assumptions the researcher have about the way the world operates and a commitment to a particular view (Saunder,2009). This study would be based on subjectivism epistemological or interpretative stance in that the researcher would be eliciting the views and opinions of senior management, operational managers, medical staff and support staff in the organisation. The researcher would adopt a phenomenological paradigm since it would require understanding the point of view of the research subjects.Considering the relatively new development of TQM research, in Trinidad and Tobago public health care as well as the applicability of private sector research, an inductive approach was chosen. According to Saunders (2009) inductive approach is particularly concerned with the context in w hich the event takes place. A qualitative approach would be followed since a case study research design would be adopted this is supported by Yin (1989) who advocates that variables under study cannot be manipulated but somewhat observed and data extrapolated from them. 3.2 Research Methodology: The exploratory approach was found to be most suitable for this study given the lack of research regarding TQM implementation in the public health care sector (Eisenhardt, 1989b). The utilization of a case study strategy is proposed to evaluate the TQM practices of NCRHA. The NCRHA constitutes three (3) tertiary hospitals, two district health facilities and fourteen (14) health centres, this research would be examining the sub-units within the organisation and an embedded case study would be constructed. This approach would give the researcher an opportunity to study and evaluate a phenomenon that few have considered. The design described would provide the advantage for real life issues to be brought to the forefront. The NCRHA was chosen for the case study since there are current TQM strategies implemented in the organisation. Once the organisations ethic committee gives approval for the research and the Quality Department Manager is informed a letter of request would be forwarded r equesting facilitation by the various health facilities Quality Coordinators (QC). The researcher would use a triangulation method since different data collection techniques would be used in this study to ensure the data telling what is being said. The combination of interviews, focus groups, archival documentation and observations techniques would be utilised by the researcher. There would be interviews conducted with senior managers and hospital administrator focused on TQM leadership and current status of initiatives. Documentation would be reviewed such as accreditation plans, quality plans and vision, mission of the company. Since TQM must have employee involvement a focus group would be administered to gauge employees awareness and observation would be conducted outside of these activities. Due to time constraints for this study a cross sectional studies would be conducted over a stipulated period time. Saunders (2009) postulates that cross sectional studies may be used in qua litative methods since many case studies data techniques such as interviews are conducted over a short period of time. 3.3 Research Technique/Method: 3.3.1 Data Collection: 3.3.2 Primary Data Sources: Interviews: The data source of this research would include semi-structured interviews with hospitals administrators and senior executive team. This approach was taken to allow the researcher an opportunity to explore necessary issues without inhibiting the interviewee to volunteer important information. Data would be collected on areas such as organisation leadership, culture and quality management systems for qualitative analysis. Documentation: Documentation would be reviewed from to verify involvement in TQM process. This would include accreditation plan, quality plans, vision and mission. Finally material substantiating a TQM initiative would be reviewed. These documentations would be sourced from quality department and CEOs office. Observations: There would be researcher observations conducted to find evidence of TQM such as posters, banners and customer service interactions. This would serve to corroborate the interview and documentation findings. Focus Groups: The researcher would conduct employee focus groups to obtain views on TQM implementation activities in the organisation since employee involvement and awareness is critical to its success. These groups would be interviewer-led structure and kept to 6-8 persons to allow for moderator /researcher control to maintain focus. This technique would be conducted several times with similar participants to establish trend and patterns for data collection and analysis. 3.3.3 Secondary Data Sources: The literature review for this research proposal thus far used several secondary data sources. This data was assessed for authority and reputation of the source. The review of written materials from industry experts or gurus, journals, organisations records and government publications would be accessed and referenced as part of this study. This approach would allow for more time for analysis and interpretation of data. 3.3.4 Sample size and sampling method: Since a case study approach was taken the use of non-probability sampling would be applied by the researcher so that sample selection can be made based on subjective judgement. This view is supported by Saunders(2009) that within business research such as case study this may either be not possible or appropriate for answering the research question. The use of purposive sampling technique would enable the researcher to use judgement in selecting cases that would enable the research question and objectives to be answered. According to Saunders (2009) is form of sample is often used in case study research and when a selection of cases would particularly informative. It is also further suggested for a general study a suitable sample size of between 25 to interviews are undertaken (Creswell 2007). 3.3.5 Data Analysis: A qualitative analysis on this data would be conducted, this would require the condensing, categorising and also restructuring as narrative to support for significant analysis to be derived. The interviews with respondents would be audio recorded and reproduced via word processing. It would also be noted during transcribing the tone and non-verbal communication of the participants. A process of data sampling would be used to reduce time for audio transcribing since this would allow for the researcher to list sections pertinent to the study. The interviews conducted would be saved in separate word documents and filename maintained for confidentiality. The recommendation by Silverman (2007) on list of useful transcription symbols would be used for this study. The precise work format for NVivo software would be utilised to ensure accurate analysis can be conducted. 3.3.6 Qualitative Analysis: Analytical induction approach was adopted since it would allow for an intensive explanation of the case study so as to empirically establish the causes of a specific phenomenon (Saunders2009). This would be most appropriate since the researcher case study sampling took a purposive approach which would allow for the phenomena to be explored. The use of thematic analysis would be utilised to identify data that relate to classified patterns these would be catalogued into sub-themes for emerging patterns. This would lead to building a compelling argument derived from the literature reviewed. 3.3.7 Ethics: Research ethics is the defined as a question of how we formulate and clarify our research area, design, gain access to data and write up our research findings in a moral and responsible way (Saunder2009). The researcher proposes the following ethical issues during this study. The researcher would have to submit a research proposal for approval from the NCRHA ethics committee before this study can be conducted. Informed consent would be solicited from participant for possible privacy and confidentiality issues Participants would be informed of its voluntary nature and the right to withdraw from the process. The data generated during this study would have transcript symbols to maintain confidentiality The researcher would be cognisant of the ethical concerns with regards to qualitative research since objectivity must be observed during analysis so the data is not misrepresented. 3.3.8 Reliability and Validation: Validity in research must be considered when conducting a case study research since it is concerned with whether findings are really what they appear. The researcher must be careful of generalisabilty particular when the case study is conducted in one organisation (Saunders2009). The research design for this study incorporated triangulation so that different data techniques can be used within one study which allows for cross verification. The researcher would also consult peer consultation prior to final draft of the report. According to Yin(2003) construct validity is especially problematic in case study research and it can be a source of criticism due to its subjectivity it is further recommended the use of case study protocol to achieve reliability. The researcher prior to data collection would develop a case study protocol that includes more than one survey instrument and procedure to be followed in using the instrument. 3.3.9 Limitations to Methodology: The researcher may not provide a representative population for the case study. This research methodology can be time consuming and costly There is a potential for researcher bias during the study The study in also reliant on subject participation in the research data collection 3.3.10 Resources Required: This study would require a number of resources such an audio recording device for interviews, purchase if NVivo software, internet and computer capabilities to complete this report. There would be a need to access secondary data such as journals, written text and peer view materials for further literature review. 4.0 Plan The research study would require an ongoing literature review and write-up as the study progress. The research proposal would require ethics approval from the organisation and university ethics committee this would be key milestone in this project. The appointment of dissertation supervisor and the gathering of resources for this research should be completed. The planning of interviews, focus groups, documentation reviews have some schedule over lap since meeting with senior managers would require some coordination. Due to the time consuming process involved in qualitative analysis the researcher would plan to conduct most interviews with-in a 4 weeks time frame The collation of data would be concurrent since interviews would be transcribed after being conducted. The data analysis would be key milestone in the project since critical analysis would be required for this study. The researcher would aim for a completed draft six weeks before submission to allow for editing and additional research work. This would allow supervisor review and approval prior to submission. Please attached Gnatt chart of activities and timescales. 5.0 References American Society for Quality, 2006 the Certified Manager of Quality /Organizational Excellence Hand Book. 3rd Ed. Russell T. Westcott Crobsy, P.B. (1979). Quality is free. New York: Mc Graw Hill Creswell, J. (2007) Qualitative injury and Research Design: Choosing among Five Approaches 2nd Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: sage Dean, James and David Bowen (1994). Management Theory and Total Quality: Improving Research and Practice through Theory Development. Academy of Management Review, (19:30) 392-418 Deming, E. W. (1986). Out of the Crisis. Cambridge, MA, MIT Center for Advanced Engineering Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989b). Building theories from case study research. Academy of management Review, 14, 532-550 Hannagan, T., 2002 Management Concepts and Practices. 3rd Ed. FT Prentice Hall Harris, C.R. (1995). The Evolution of the Quality Management: An Overview of the TQM Literature. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, (12:2), 95-105 Juran, J. M. (1989). Juran on Leadership for Quality: An Executive handbook. New York: The Free Press Lynch, R., 2003 Corporate Strategy. 3rd Ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall Ministry of Health, Quality 2001 A Reality, A strategy for implementing and monitoring a continuous Quality Improvement Programme for the Health Sector in Trinidad and Tobago, Original Draft-May, 1997, Ratified by HSQC- March 1998, Ministry of Health Government Printer 1999 Ministry of Health, Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) Act No.5 1994, Ministry of Health, Government Printer Ministry of Health 3rd Draft Adverse Events Policy and Guidelines, Directorate of Quality Management, January 2011 Ministry of Health March 2009, White Paper for the establishment of the Health Services Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago Saunders, M., (2009) Research methods for business students. 5th Ed., FT Prentice Hall Segouin, C. (2005). Globalization in Health Care: Is International Standardization of Quality a Step Towards Outsourcing. International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 17 (4), 277-279.Shin, Y.S. (1995). Hospital Accreditation A Universal Perspective. World Hospitals,.31 (1), 22-28 Silverman, D. 92007) A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Qualitative Research. London: Sage The Peoples Partnership Governments Seven Development Pillars (Pillars 1, 6), 2010 Prosperity for all manifesto of the PP for United People to achieve sustainable development for Trinidad and Tobago Waldman, D. A. (1993). A theoretical consideration of the leadership and total quality management. Leadership Quarterly, 4, 65-79 Yin, R. (1989). Case study research. Beverley Hills, CA: Sage Publications Yin, R.K. (2003) Case study Research: Design and Methods 3rd

Creating Biofuels from Waste Essay -- Energy Fuel Environment

Biofuels from Waste Purpose Biofuels mark a great step into today’s efforts to slow down global warming. However, when food sources, such as corn and soy are used as derivatives for ethanol, the impact is far worse than using fossil fuels. Biofuels require more energy to do artificial refinery, cultivating, and collecting; whereas, fossil fuels already meet all the prerequisites through millions of years in the earth, and thus use less energy. On the social justice stance, the poor suffer through the sky-rocketed food prices because farmers are using their food to supply the ethanol demand. As technology becomes more efficient, society can rely on a source of energy that deters global warming, uses less energy to process, and betters the world economy. Question Which specific cellulase from fungi breaks down bleached paper waste efficiently? Why? Bleached paper is solely composed of cellulose (20-25%) which it makes it an ideal source for fuel because its lack in lignin makes it more efficient in the refinery process. Fungi serve as vital decomposers in the natural world. By channeling this idea to break down paper waste into sugars, the possibilities are endless. Terms to know †¢ Cellulase are enzymes that break down cellulose. Fungi and bacteria have special enzymes that are designed to decompose material. †¢ His-tag is a tag that helps the identification process by attaching to a protein. A His-tag is a small tag that aids the purification process by binding with a nickel NTA matrix. Materials -Agar plates -Sterile q-tips -Yeast -Incubator -Bleached paper waste -Fungi -PCR -Primers -Blue dye -Plasmid: pTrcHis-Topo -Wash buffer -Elution buffer -LB broth -E.Coli competent cells -Ice -Water -Filter .. ...15 July 2008. Biofuels: for Transport. United Kingdom: German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, 2007. Feldstein, Paul. "PCR." COSMOS. Hutchinson Hall, Davis. 10 July 2008. Lindsay, LeAnn. â€Å"Cellulase Assay.† COSMOS. Hutchinson Hall, Davis. 30 July 2008. Nag, Ahindra. Biofuels Refining and Performance. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008. Pyles, Denver. Use of Biodiesel-Derived Crude Glycerol for the Production of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids by the Microalga Schizochytrium Limacinum. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Blackburg, 2008. 13 July 2008 . Sticklen, Mariam B. "Plant Genetic Engineering for Biofuel Production: Towards Affordable Cellulosic Ethanol." Nature Reviews: Genetic(2008). BIOSIS Previews. 15 July 2008.

Child Care Observation

Child Care Observation I observed children at ABC Child Development Center in the 3 year old classroom on March 1, 2010 from 8am until 11am. The classroom had a very diverse composition in the classroom, Hispanic, African American, Caucasian, Native American, and Asian (Vietnamese). In addition to diversity the ABC child development focus on maintaining a child centered environment that allows children to learn at their own pace. The classroom had 2 teachers and 24 children in attendance during the observation. The classroom has blue walls and displays of the children’s artwork around the room for Saint Patrick's Day and also spring.The classroom had 8 centers for learning and activities. The centers were arranged at the children’s eye level and lower to ensure easy access. The centers included art, science and sensory, music, blocks, dramatic play area, library, quiet zone, and a safe place center. The class started with breakfast which included, toast, bacon, fruit, a nd milk. During breakfast all of the children were allowed to pour their own milk and serve themselves one scoop of fruit. As the children were eating they talked among themselves about how their mommy would come back at the end of the day.The girls began arguing about whose mother would return, they shouted at one another, â€Å"No my mommy is coming back! † the other child replied, â€Å"No my mommy is coming back not yours! † The teacher ended the argument, but as the debate about which mother would return ended, the boys began using pretend guns with their toast. Three of the boys had chewed their toast into the shape of guns and again the teacher had to redirect the boys because the child care center does not allow children participate in any violent activities.As the teacher redirected the boys, they all stated, â€Å"we are not making pow pows†. After breakfast the children began their morning hygiene routine of going to the restroom, washing hands, and b rushing teeth. The boys went to the restroom first and finished within a few minutes. The girls took longer in the restroom than the boys, because many of the girls were talking to one another while they were in the restroom. While the girls were in the restroom many of them were talking about their dogs. One girl stated the she was going to bring her dog â€Å"Peetie Joe† to her ABC school for show and share.Another student said,† Oooh ma ma ma, you can’t bring Peetie Joe to my ABC school and I am going to tell†. As hygiene time ended the class sat around a rectangle carpet to begin circle time. Circle time lasted 20 minutes and consisted of 2 songs (Ram Sam Sam and 5 Little Monkey’s), a flannel board story (Brown Bear), and pretend play (hunters in the forest). After the circle time children were allowed to choose a center activity. Many of the children went to the dramatic play area that included a kitchen, a dress up area, and a construction tabl e.The kitchen had a sink, refrigerator, stove, table, and many plastic foods. Five children were in the kitchen making lunch for the day. One of the students took a baby to the kitchen table and the students began telling the baby to make a happy plate so she can have treasure box. One of the students began to pat the baby on the head as he told the baby doll, â€Å"Eat all your food so you can be strong, okay. † The children in the dress up area were wearing fireman uniforms that consisted of red fire hats, jackets, and pants. The girls and boys in the area pretended to stop a fire.The children made pretend fire hoses with their hands and sprayed the walls which were the buildings that were on fire. The remainder of the children went to the art area that consisted on two cafeteria style tables and benches that would seat 30 children. One table had green paint, gold sequins, and clovers. The children were supposed to paint the clovers greens and place sequins on the clovers. All of the children at the table completed their projects very quickly, one student started painting on another student’s face which angered the student.Another student remained at the table longer because he appeared to be extremely focused on the placement of the sequins. After he completed his project he showed the teachers. He placed all of the gold sequins around the edges of the clovers which formed into a border. He placed sequins in the middle of the clover that also formed a circle. Many of the children left the paint to make shapes with the play dough, but 3 students went to the library area to read books. Two of the girls took babies with them and read stories to their babies while the boy student read alone to himself various books for about 45 minutes.The girls would change seats and move the dolls around as well as change books, but the little boy seated in the library was not distracted by any of their activities. The class observed was in Piaget’s Per-o perational Stage of Development. Preoperational stage begins at age 2 and lasts until age 7. During this stage children apply new knowledge of language, use symbols to represent objects, and also personifies objects, and change in physical appearance. During the observation the children appeared to have reached the developmental milestones for a 3 year old.Physically many of the children were about 39 to 46 inches in height (Papalia, Olds, Feldman 2007 page 251). Most of the children in the class appeared to have lost their â€Å"baby fat† (Venice Kichura 2009) because they were slender in appearance, but two of the girls in the class were much taller than 46 inches. The two girls appeared to be 50 to 55 inches in height (the girls appeared be the size of a 6 year old, but they were slender, not obese). Physiologically the children did not appear to have any developmental delays, most the children were able to use large and fine motor skills without any difficulty.The childre n could mold the play dough into various shapes, use scissors, and glue. During the pretend play the children were able to complete the various range of movements that included squatting low on the ground to pull their bow and arrows and jumping to miss the frogs. Handedness appeared to be prevalent in most of the children during the observation. Most of the children were using their right hands during the art, but here was one student that used her left hand during the painting of the clovers. Many of the children displayed the cognitive characteristics of a 3 year old.During the circle time, the children sang the song Ram Sam Sam. The song allowed the children to improve their memory development through the repetitive language used in Ram Sam Sam through encoding. Encoding is the process by which information is prepared for long-term storage (Papalia, Olds, Feldman 2007 pg 278). The students were able to recall the song Ram Sam Sam from memory to sing during circle time. Ram Sam S am involved memory, but it also utilized cross lateral movements that help develop each hemisphere of the brain and corpus callosum (Schiller 1999).There were many activities that the children participated in that illustrated Piaget’s Preoperational Stage of Development and also Lev Vgotsky’s theory of cognitive development that children learn best through their interactions with culture. When the three students went to the library two of the students engaged in pretend play as they read stories to their dolls. The third student engaged in parallel play, although there was other students around him playing, he focused on the book he was reading only as is if he was the only one in the room.His parallel play could also be seen a as form of egocentrism because he recognized his environment through only his point of view as he read. While the children were in the dramatic play area a child explained to the teacher that one of his peers built a fire station. The student to ld the teacher, â€Å"XYZ person builded a firehouse. † When the teacher corrected the student by using the word built, the student corrected the teacher, â€Å"No! He builded a fire station. † The statement could also be considered a form of egocentrism, but also an example if Vygotsky’s â€Å"zone of proximal development† (ZPD).ZPD is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can do with help (Papalia, Olds, Feldman 2007 pg 283). In addition to the views of Vygotsky and Piaget, Erik Erickson also had the theory â€Å"Initiative versus Guilt† that focused on the need to deal with conflicting feelings (Papalia, Olds, Feldman 2007 pg 300). For example, during breakfast 3 students made guns with their toast, but there was a fourth student that appeared to be interested in making a gun also with their toast.The student bit his toast almost into the shape of the gun, but looked at the teacher and discontinued forming the toast into a gun. During the observation the children did not make statements about gender roles, but the girls were in the kitchen and played with the dolls, while the boys were the only ones playing in the fireman’s clothes. The girls nurtured the baby dolls while the boys made guns with their toast. During the observation the girls appeared to understand self regulation and control, while the boys appeared to be egocentric in their actions even when dealing with the rules.The boys knew the rules regarding guns, but made the deliberate choice to make a gun with their toast. Throughout the observation most of the children demonstrated prosocial behavior, they interacted well with their peers and only required minimal redirection. Only one of the students appeared to be overtly aggressive. Whenever she was redirected she would use profanity at peers or the teachers. During one redirection she slumped to the floor, took off her shoes, and proceeded through her shoes at the teacher.Overall throughout the observation the children appeared to have self confidence and trust in their caregivers. The class did not appear to be afraid to play within the class. The children appeared to enjoy the activities planned and some of them repeated the routines during their time in the various learning centers. I enjoyed early childhood or the preoperational stage of development, but had a large amount of changes in adolescence that had lasting effects into adulthood. Physically I was smaller than most of my peers (4’11 in height) and less attractive in appearance.I weighed about 85 pounds in high during adolescence, had vision problems, and scoliosis. While some cultures are concerned with weight loss, my culture (race) during adolescence embraced weight, so I felt like an outcast at times within my own race. Despite being smaller than my peers I was very athletic. I play volleyball, basketball, ran cross county, and was a majorette in the band. I had very ad vance cognitive skills for my age. My family encouraged me to try anything at least once so attempted to learn at any opportunity provided to me.I studied Spanish, German, and Vietnamese in high school. I was enrolled in Advanced Placement courses and made honor roll throughout high school. I participated in many non-sport extracurricular activities such as teen hotline, teen suicide prevention, church, and debate club. From a psychosocial aspect I followed the rules and had many friends. I was voted most out going in high school. I had received an award from the City of Oklahoma for being the youth advocate of the year. I lobbied the City and State to re-open community centers to help curtail gang violence.I went as far as posting daily notes on the Councilman’s cars since I worked for the police department and we all shared the same parking lot I understood rules, laws, and a respect for authority. I also understood possible consequences for failing to follow the rules. In spite of following rules and having great interactions with peers, I lacked self esteem. Although I was encouraged to try many things, I never had self confidence. Like many adolescent girls I thought that boys would be able to provide me with the boost of self confidence that I desired.From adolescence until about age 33 I spent time focusing on maintaining relationship with the opposite sex instead of my own personal growth. My mantra was â€Å"All I want is a good boyfriend†. I gave up attending Georgetown, I turned down many great employment opportunities, and even remained in an unhealthy relationship because I thought my boyfriend would give me the self confidence that I was missing. I believe that if more self confidence was instilled in me during adolescent and my family would have explained how relationships genuinely work I would have developed the appropriate level of self confidence.Works Cited Diane E. Papalia, Sally Wendkos Olds, Ruth Duskin Feldman. â€Å"A Ch ild’s World; Infancy Thorough Adolescence Eleventh Edition†. Boston, McGraw Hill, 2007 Pam Schiller. â€Å"Start smart! : building brain power in the early years. † New York, Gryphon House Publication, 1999 Venice Kichura. â€Å"Physical Development of Preschoolers. † Ehow. com March 2009, Date accessed March 17, 2010. http://www. ehow. com/about_5218904_physical-development-preschoolers. html

Methodology Review

Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this research study is to determine and gather information about the television viewing habits of individuals who watch game shows most of the time. This study would aim to determine what factors affect the participant’s attraction to game shows as well as the benefits and disadvantages that they gain from watching game shows. At the same time, this study would like to demonstrate whether the feelings and thoughts of respondents would lead to psychological addiction to game shows. Data Collection This study will be conducted in the researcher’s hometown, an urban city with various cultural groups and which have a wide array of economically diverse individuals. The city is small as compared to major cities but nonetheless is exposed to the different game shows, in fact around 10 game show contestants have come from this city. Most families own a TV set and most people stay home to watch the TV than to party or go out at night. The data will be collected through the use of a survey questionnaire designed by the researcher. The questionnaire will use both open ended and close ended questions as well as a Likert scale on items that asks about attitudes and feelings. The survey questionnaire will be given out to the researcher’s workplace and neighborhood. The sample of respondents will be identified through referrals and randomly approaching coworkers and neighbors. The data gathering would approximately take around 2 weeks to complete excluding the data analysis and preparation of the manuscript which would take another week. An assistant will be hired to help give out and retrieve the survey questionnaires in the researcher’s neighborhood. The assistant will be compensated based on the number of survey forms completely filled and returned. The respondents will be informed of the objectives of the research and they will be asked to voluntarily complete the survey, no compensation or reward will be given to the respondents. After the data has been collected, the researcher will then proceed to collate the data and analyze it using statistical tools. Descriptive statistics will be done on the demographic data and viewing habits of the respondents while rating scale equivalents will be identified for items that use the Likert scale. The open ended questions about the benefits and disadvantages of watching television game shows will be analyzed and discussed identifying the most common responses and contrasting it with the least common responses. It is anticipated that the researcher may encounter problems in data collection, this would include the low respondent turn-out, since respondents will be asked to totally volunteer their answers and time to the survey, not many people might be willing to do this, another issue is that since the target participants will be the coworkers of the researcher, the responses may have not been seriously given as they are busy individuals and they just comply with the researchers request. Moreover, the participants form the neighborhood of the researcher may not be able to adequately respond to the questions because it may not be culturally appropriate or difficult to understand. Preliminary Survey Form Demographic data: Age: _____ Gender: ______ Ethnicity: ______ Educational level: ______ Occupation: ______ Open ended questions: In a week, how often do you watch TV game shows? List all the game shows that you watch. What do you think makes TV game shows attractive to watch? What are the benefits that you have gained from watching TV game shows? What are the disadvantages you have experienced in watching TV game shows? Likert Scale: Please indicate your answers by using the following scale: 5 – Always 4 – Often 3 – Sometimes 2 – Rarely 1 – Never 1. When I watch TV game shows I feel excited. 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5 2. I am happy the most when I watch TV game shows. 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5 3. I am alert and awake when I watch TV game shows. 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5 4. I become sad when the player in the game show loses. 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5 5. I wish that I would become a TV game show contestant. 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5 6. I dream that I am a game show contestant. 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5 7. I feel frustrated when I am not able to watch my favorite game show. 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5   

Two Film Techniques Used in essays

Two Film Techniques Used in essays The composer of the film, Witness, uses various film techniques to illustrate the contrast between the English world and the Amish way of life. Two techniques that stand out from the rest in this film are the dialogue, and the camera angles from which every scene is taken. The dialogue between the actors is an essential film technique because without it, it would be impossible for the audience to understand the films plot/theme. In this film, the dialogue is used to reveal little details about the Amish way of life, so that even some audiences who are not aware of this group of people will learn something new about the Amish. We discovered that the Amish are different in that they are very religious and they take every word of the Bible literally. We hear Rachel Lapp and Eli telling John Book to adjust to their way of life while he is living with them. We also witness the indifference displayed by the English in the scene where a group of disrespectful teenagers were harassing the Amish. We hear one of the teenagers saying Watch out, hell hit you with a bible. This clearly shows their prejudice towards the Amish. How the actors recite their lines also helps to show the difference between the English and the Amish, we would not hear Rachel or Eli or Samuel swearing or using slang words as they seem to be very proper and honest. Half-body shots are used throughout the film to allow us to generally observe how the Amish act around people from inside and outside their group. From here, we see that the Amish do not believe in violence, they will try as hard as possible to solve any arguments with a possible mutual agreement. Close up shots are used to show the expression of the Amish when they are surprised, happy, etc. These shots are usually followed by half-body shots or full-body shots to reveal what it is that cause them to have such expression o ...