Educational Research Essays - Behaviorism, Addiction,

Educational Research Single-Subject Critique Establishing Discriminative Control of Responding Using Functional and Alternative Reinforcers During Functional Communication Training Wayne W. Fisher, David E. Kuhn, and Rachel H. Thompson Appropriateness of research question or purpose: The purpose of this research was interesting and of value as it focused on problems that often occur when Functional Communication Training (FCT) is in use. This study sought to find effective solutions as desired ". . .response[s] may be weakened and destructive behavior[s] may reemerge . . ." when reinforcements of communication are delayed or denied due to impossibility or inconvenience of the caregiver or instructors ability to provide said reinforcement in a timely manner. ". . .procedures are needed to increase the effectiveness of FCT in situations in which it is impractical or impossible to deliver a given reinforcer." Research design and design rationale: This study was broken up into 4 phases (the fourth phase ". . .was completed with only 1 participant in only one condition because of time limitations on the participants' hospital admission.") Phase 1: Functional Analyses and Descriptive Assessments. Alternating treatment with no baseline design. "During this analysis, a test condition . . .and a control condition were compared using a multi-element design." Phase 2: Communication and Discrimination Training. Phase 3: Treatment Evaluation of FCT with Discriminative Stimuli. Between series, alternating treatment (ABAB) design was used to compare FCT + EXT vs. ACT + EXT in two conditions for one participant (Amy) and in one condition for one participant (Ned). Phase 4: Independent Effects of FCT and EXT. Between series, alternating treatment and a final treatment design was used to compare FCT/ACT (w/o EXT) vs. EXT alone with the final series being strictly FCT/ACT (w/o EXT). The order of presentation for Amy's discrimination training were ". . .stimulus-present and stimulus-absent periods [that] were alternated every 30 s for the duration of the 10-min session. For Ned, ". . .one SD at a time was presented for 1 min. The order of the first three SD presentations in a given session was randomized, without replacement; thereafter, the order remained constant." Phase 1 was "conducted to test the hypotheses generated by the results of. . .descriptive assessments. . .to determine whether . . .destructive behavior was multiply maintained by both attention and access to tangible items, but under specific stimulus conditions [for Amy]. . .[and whether] destructive behavior was maintained by . . .attention [for Ned]," therefore this specific phase of the test did not require a baseline. Once these results were established, and training had incurred, the rationale for design for Phases 3 and 4 were to show contrast between the various interventions. Overall study limitations: I think this study covered it's bases well and the only limitation I can rightly see is one that is prone to single-subject research, that is, the use of only two participants. It would have strengthened this study further too if the researchers had been able to complete the final Phase 4 on both of the participants.

Hinduism Paper Essays - Shabda, Reincarnation, Salvation, Hinduism

Hinduism Paper Essays - Shabda, Reincarnation, Salvation, Hinduism Hinduism Paper HUM/130 Hinduism Paper The spiritual expressions of Hinduism range from extreme asceticism to extreme sensuality, from the heights of personal devotion to a deity to the heights of abstract philosophy, from metaphysical proclamations of the oneness behind the material world to worship of images representing a multiplicity of deities(Fisher, 2005, pg. 71) .While Hinduism lacks a uniting belief system, one belief held by almost all variations of Indian religion is an openness and acceptance for all beliefs and practices. In addition, it is clear that Hinduism is much more than a traditional religion; rather it is way of life. One way in which this concept is exemplified is by the popular Hindi term, dharma. Dharma refers to a broad complex of meanings, encompassing duty, natural law, social welfare, ethics, health, wealth, power, fulfillment of desires, and transcendental realization (Fisher, 2005, pg. 71). The foundation of Hinduism can be linked to Vedas. Vedas are the religious scriptures believed to tran scend human time. Reincarnation and karma are also doctrines sacred to all forms of Hinduism. Originating in India in 1500 BCE, Hinduism has evolved into a collaboration of many different belief systems. The religious tolerance held by all Hindu people has been a uniting factor and strength used by all Indian people when faced repeatedly with adversity throughout the years. In early years, Hinduism played the role of peacemaker in a country rich with racial, religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity. While there is no uniting belief system, freedom of belief encouraged tolerance throughout the land. Today, Hinduism remains a vital part of Indian life. Religious rituals and beliefs are not only beneficial to the way of life but provide protection for necessary earthly resources. Hinduism seeks a goal of liberation from Earthly existence. In order to achieve this goal a sense of duty must be followed that has provided India protection against violence and warfare, allowing the culture to survive. The concept of Karma believed by all forms of Hinduism dictates that, every act we make and even every thought and every desire we have, shapes our future experiences (Fisher, 2005, pg. 77). In turn believers in Hinduism follow a code of ethics outstanding to most humans. These future experiences are not only affected in this earthly life but will follow through future reincarnations. Rebirth takes many forms, not just as humans. Throughout each form the inner self remains intact. Rebirth in the form of a human is a rare opportunity to advance ones self towards the ultimate goal of liberation. Liberation provides a stop to samsara, also known as the constant cycle of life, death, and rebirth. When ones self has been liberated rebirth will stop and ones self will be merged with an absolute reality. At this point, moksha is achieved providing liberation from space, time, and matter through realization of the immortal Absolute (Fisher, 2005). Hinduism life is viewed as a constant journe y towards the ultimate liberation from Earthly existence. It is as if Hinduism describes Earthly life as an undesirable test. If the self can demonstrate control and ability to stay positive, one day Earthly suffering will come to an end and the self will be free and only then true happiness occurs. This constant search for liberation fully demonstrates how Hinduism is much more than a religion; rather it is a way of life. Every moment of a Hindu believers life is spent working towards liberation. While followers of the Hindu religion widely range, all Hindu people possess a sense of sensuality that calls for a non-violent way of life. Hinduism promotes religious tolerance and freedom of choice. The only stipulation encouraged is to be true to oneself and kind to others. Hinduism is much bigger than an organized religion. Rather, it is about finding and encouraging the best self one can, by encouraging a sense of selflessness. It is clear that Hinduism provides a positive way of life and influence on society that others could learn from. By lacking unifying beliefs, Hinduism has created a harmonious balance among humans for many years, demonstrating how a diverse and open belief system can act as a peacemaker in society. Reference Fisher, M. P. (2005). Living religions (6th ed.). New Jersey:

Information Systems in Organizations - Case Study Essay

Information Systems in Organizations - Case Study - Essay Example Also, this system can act as a getaway to financial costs by exposing the organization to other sources of revenue to help them maintain flawless exchanges. Algorithm is fast assuming popularity in the trading world and it is common for any other client to ask for it. It brings with it many benefits including cutting down transaction costs and giving freedom to managers conducting any transactions to be fully responsible for the respective trading processes. These trading features allow for analysis of all quotes and trade in the stock markets. However, it also poses great risks. In case a trader fails to choose the appropriate feature then there will a lack of visibility and transparency during execution of orders (Avison, 2003). Use of programmed trade as from the case study can be linked to a resultant flush crush. The system handles a very large amount of information including trading information such as algo-trading which includes the use of an electronic platform to enter trading orders, with an algorithm in place that determines the features of the order. It also has the ability to handle huge volumes of data from messages. It is capable of handling up to a million messages per second which is highly beneficial. With this ability to handle such amount of information, the customers are able to get efficient services and this gives credit to the company and opening up a way of increasing their profits. Also the ability to handle one million messages per minute allows the system to give attention to countless users and ensures that there are no communication delays. This in the long term results to satisfied and loyal customers. The main functions of an information system include assembling, processing, retrieval and dissemination of information. In using this kind of system, there will be minimized overload since it has very high processing speed as compared to physical

Religion and Theology. Hinduism and Buddhism Assignment

Religion and Theology. Hinduism and Buddhism - Assignment Example It was not until the 19th century when the British colonial administration in India started referring to Hinduism as a form of religion. Hinduism was used as a description for the various religious beliefs and practices of the majority of Indian people (Rinehart, 2004). Despite the dynamics that he religion has undergone, the religion is believed to be more than 4000 years old, tracing bhack to the early Indian valley civilization. Traditionally, the religion is believed to be timeless, as the old people found it in practice. Fundamental spiritual beliefs Hindus believe in in one Supreme Being according to their traditions is both imminent and transcendent. According to the Hindu religious beliefs, the Supreme Being is both their creator and is of Unmanifest reality who deserves their respect (Rinehart, 2004). The Hindus believe in the divinity of the four Vedas, which are the oldest and most ancient elements of scripture in the world. Further, they venerate the Agamas as revealed in an equal measure. They treat these as primordial hymns of God which forms the bedrock of Santana Dharma, a form of an eternal religion. According to the Hindu beliefs, the soul reincarnates, evolving through many beliefs. However, the reincarnation trend stops after the resolution of all karmas. They also believe in moksha, which is the liberation from the rebirth cycle that takes place after the end of the reincarnation process. Since the process is continuous and evolutionary in every soul, not a single soul can be denied of its destiny (Fisher, 2014). Spiritual Practices of Hinduism In Hindu, an individual’s personal spiritual practice is referred to as sadhana which is used to refer to the means of accomplishing individual goals. It recognizes adhikara, which means that every person holds a very unique position in life that is different from that of other people. Therefore, God exists in different forms, which gives people the freedom to feel attracted to one God and lea ve the rest. Similarly there are different forms of yoga, just like there are different forms of God, which are not similar to one another. Therefore, the Hindu spiritual practice varies from one person to another. Spiritual practices to the include prayer, meditation, going on pilgrimage, bathing, fasting, practicing acts of charity, chanting mantra, reading of the scripture and performing ones’ daily work. How Hindu is practiced today Many Hinduism traditional practices have remained to date (Fisher, 2014). However several adjustments have been made to suit the religion in the modern context. For instance, in schools years, Brahmacharga is a common practice that focuses on instilling knowledge and developing the character of the people. How Hindu is practiced around the world Due to immigration to different parts of the world, the Hindu religion and its practices have also spread all over the world to areas such as Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Guyana, Trinidad, Tobago, Fij i, Mauritius, among others. Rinehart (2004) points out that the various practices of the religion practiced in these areas include sadhana, which is an individual practice of cultivating spirituality and Japa, which is a silent or an audible practice of repeating a mantra. Buddhism Origin It is believed that Buddhism originated from the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who was known as the Buddha in the years between ca 624-544. In his teachings, Gautama was opposed to the idea of man having an immortal soul. Moreover, his teachings did not touch on any Supreme Deity. In his teachings, Buddha insisted that man could overcome greed, hatred and delusion to attain enlightenment practicing the Four Noble Truths and

Hedge Funds-who is the winner(literature review) Essay

Hedge Funds-who is the winner(literature review) - Essay Example In the later part, we give an analysis, consult other authors and available literature in the field, and critically assess Brown’s article on hedge funds. The phrase â€Å"hedge funds† alone has not been well defined. Dr. Grenville, Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia could not mention the proper definition. The Bank of Australia, in a paper submitted to the Australian House of Representatives, indicated that it was very concerned about the activities of highly leveraged financial intermediaries known as â€Å"hedge funds†. The paper stated that they were concerned that the funds made money â€Å"by attacking an exchange rate that has already overshot, so that it overshoots even further.† Through published actions and short selling, a bandwagon forms, then the funds would pull out. The Bank paper further stated that this was what happened to the ERM crisis that hit the British Pound in 1992, the Asian currency crisis in 1997 and speculative attacks on the Hong Kong dollar peg in 1998. With their action, the funds were holding the small countries hostage. (p 301) Brown (2001) pointed out that the International Monetary Fund reported that in the 1990s, there were financial intermediaries that had been investing steadily into South East Asia. There was a net inflow of about US$20 billion into the region over and above portfolio and direct investment; this was up to 1995 and 1996 when it increased to US$45 billion per annum. Then, there was a collapse of the Baht and the Ringgit in 1997 (the start of the Asian financial crisis), and a sudden outflow of US$58 billion. It was then perceived by the central bankers in the region that the collapse in the currency had everything to do with an attack on the currencies of the region by well-financed international speculators. Hedge funds could be the cause of the Asian financial crisis. One of those who believed on this was Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad when he said,

Flood Coping Mechanisms

Flood Coping Mechanisms Adaptive Strategies of household in terms of flood coping mechanism. Introduction Background of the problem International and national literature related to the problem to be studied Floods are defined as extremely high flows of river, whereby water inundates flood plains or terrains outside the water-confined major river channels. Flood hazard is measured by probability occurrence of their damaging values, conceived generally as flood risk, or by their impact on society, conceives usually as the loss of lives and material damage to society (Rossi et al., 1994). Flood is natural events that can occur at any time and often able to create loss and damage that can be suffered by property, population and environment. Flood event cannot be prevented, but it can only be controlled and reduced the impact. Flood came relatively quickly, so we must have the effective strategies in order to reduce the impact from flood event. Flood is the most damaging event in Indonesia. Of total disaster in Indonesia, 57.43% is floods. Those events cause 587,190 affected people and 68 casualties (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNBP/National Coordinating Board for the Management of Disaster), 2008). Geographically, Sampang is located in Madura Island and included as plain area because it has elevation almost the same as sea level. Due to this physical condition, Sampang, as a waterfront city, has been suffering with flooding almost every year. Combination between high intensity of rainfall and high tide of sea, improved water discharge of Kamoning River and then inundated several areas in Sampang. The triggering factor is small holding capacity of Kamoning River. The strategies from local community to cope the flood are mostly developed by the initiative of affected community in inundated area. For instance, they have added the floor height or the number of floor in order to avoid the water flow and save their belongings. The coping activities that have been done by local community revealed due to the disability of local community to move in safer area. Besides, those coping strategies also have uniqueness related to the physical condition of this area. It means that the strategies can be explored through several perspectives, e.g. the magnitude of flood, income, education, etc. By elaborating the existing adaptive strategies in Sampang Regency, it is expected that the general and specific description of flood coping strategies can be obtained as an effort to establish the recommendation in case of local government policy in facing with a given flood. 1.2. Statement of Problem Flood becomes a major issue for the local government of Sampang Regency because it is one of the most frequent and most disastrous natural events. Tremendous losses and damages as results of severe flood have been occurred. Historically, Sampang City already has been stricken severe flood in three times which were in 1921, 1991 and 2002. The most flood disaster in Sampang was in 2002, where a third area of Sampang was affected and caused more than 14 casualties, many damaged houses and public infrastructures, and many evacuated people. The recent of flood occurrence in Sampang were in 2008 and 2009, where the flood event has a little damaged. The flood occurrences in this regency demanded the awareness both from local community and local government for conducting disaster reduction actions. Those actions were aimed to minimize the impact of flood. One of those actions is flood investigation in terms of flood characteristics and coping strategies. The action is intended to gather information related to the characteristic of flood, how the affected community survive with flood, and the coping strategies that have been done by the local government. The collected information about flood and flood coping strategies will be useful as an important input to arrange capacity improvement in disaster reduction process. On the other words, local community and local government will be involved in establishing the more appropriate flood coping strategies, particularly by examining flood characteristics and existing flood coping mechanism. Moreover, it can be decided whether the existing flood coping strategies are adequate or not. There are many parts of Sampang Regency which are often stricken by flood every year, but the study about flood has not been done yet. Besides, more detail of local community’s strategies in overcoming the flood is not established. Local government commonly only calculated the losses and damages without investigating the flood characteristics and coping strategies done by local community. Find the thesis with Sampang as study area. Research Objective General objective of this research is to identify the adaptive strategies of household to cope the flood event and local government actions in supporting the strategies. The general objective is then elaborated into four specific objectives, as follow: To identify the characteristics of the flood. To explore the adaptive strategies of household to cope the flood. To recognize influencing factors of selected adaptive strategies. To identify the government strategies in terms of reducing the flood impacts. Research Questions The main question of this research is what are the adaptive strategies of households to cope the flood event and how can local government support the adaptive strategies in reducing the impact of flood Sub questions are: What are the characteristics of the flood event? What are the adaptive strategies of household to cope the flood? What are the factors that influence the selecting adaptive strategies? What have done by local government to cope the flood in term of reducing the impact of the flood event? Research Method * Make the adaptations necessary to adjust the text according to your own situation: Type of Research The type of research is an explanatory research which seeks to identify the adaptive strategies of household to cope the flood event and local government actions in supporting the strategies of household. This research will use qualitative and quantitative method. 2.2. Data Collection Literature study Secondary data will be collected mainly from government institutions, various data will be collected is listed on the following table: Table Secondary Data No Data Type Source 1 Annual report of JFP Perum year 2008 JFP, Perum of JFP 2 Documentation of tidal flood (picture and report) JFP, NJM 3 Fisheries statistic year 2008 JFP, BPS, Perum of JFP, NJFA 4 Spatial Plan NJM 5 Flood Preventing Program JFP, NJM Flood Preventing Program JFP, NJM Secondary data such as (reports, articles, etc) will be collected through a literature study from (governmental agencies, private, other). The sources of secondary data are shown in the following table X; 2.2.2. Fieldwork Primary data will be collected through a fieldwork for (duration, time of the data collection and place (s)). The research instruments will be a combination of an (in-depth interview, survey with questionnaires, others). The choice of key respondents (government officials/ experts, others) for interviews (with semi-closed interviews, closed interviews, etc) is based on a (purposive or other way of sampling). Further, the list of respondents to be interviewed is shown in the table X1; The research population at which the survey about (perception or other issue) using (questionnaires and/or other instrument) will be applied to (citizens, NGOs, etc..) The sampling technique for selecting respondents from citizens is a (purposive, random, or other) sampling. Considerin g that time and finance are the main limitations of the research, the expected number of respondents is X . The dissemination of questionnaires will be done by (visiting offices, schools/campuses and association centers of respondents, by using internet or other means). The list of respondents is presented in the following table X2; 2.3. Data Analysis How your collected data will be analyzed, techniques to be used for the analysis (statistic methods: means, percentages, frequency distribution, etc)) and for the display and organization of the collected data (tables, matrix, graphic (type)). Unit of Analysis, Variables and Indicators Unit of analysis of this research is the †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Variables and indicators are summarized in the following table X3; 2.6. Research Design In order to have a clear guidance about how to do the research, it is necessary to make a research design. The research design consists of some stages as is shown in the following figure X The thesis report will be structured into X chapters. Those six chapters are as follows; Chapter 1 includes the background of the problem, problem statement, justification of study, research objectives, research questions and hypotheses. Chapter 2 deals with literature review/conceptual framework used in the research. Chapter 3 describes the general condition of the research area. Chapter 4 explains the research method. Chapter 5 discusses the results/findings of the research. Chapter 6 is concerned with conclusions and recommendations Time Framework Table X; Important dates and deadlines Budget Table X; Budget of research Reference List Appendix 1; Copy of the Interview Questions to be used in the field visit Appendix 2; Copy (s) of the Questionnaire(s) to be used in the field visit. Appendix 3; Map of the research area. CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD Research method used deals with the goals and objectives achieved in this study. It consists of pre field, data collection method and data analysis method. Preparation This stage has main purpose to prepare some certain materials which will be used in the field data collection. There are three main activities, which are literature review, design survey, and questioner. The literature review is a process to obtain research background justification and to formulate research questions. Then, it is harnessed as a guide in the research process. The literature review itself yields a theoretical background that provides framework analysis of the research. It also organizes such kind of research which should be accomplished in order to achieve the research objective. Data Collection The data needed for the research analysis are primary and secondary data. Primary data collection interview both household and contact person in particular community (government official, community leader, NGO, etc). Questioner distribution will be held by considering the number of samples taken. In this case, the number of samples is obtained by using the following equation (Public Work Department): n = [image] Where : n = The number of samples N = The number of population (3 Sub district 29337) d = The level of significancy for about 10% (it represents all population) Regarding to the equation, the number of samples used is 100 samples (see the following calculation): = 99,66 = 100 On the other side, the secondary data are gathered from literature review and previous research reports. Secondary data are the available statistical data compiled from those institutions. The result of this fieldwork is a database containing all information related with people perception on flooding, physical aspects (structural types of buildings and building contents) and socio-economic aspects (age, gender, occupation, income, educational level, length of stay and housing status) and people’s coping mechanism due to flood. Data Analysis Method The method of analysis is a descriptive analysis that explores and investigates the data. Questionnaires were double checked for differences and corrected, and individual and housing records linked using SPSS software. The main variables collected from the households interviews such as : height of water level during flood, and the duration, flood history, coping mechanism, and the socio –economic were analysed. From the analysis, it is expected to find a new integrated flood management that is possible to apply in overcoming flood hazard in Sampang Regency. The output from this analysis process will be utilized as a guide to develop a new flood management system. Research Question Variables Indicators Data Source Interview Question Numbers What are the characteristics of the flood event? Characteristic of flood History of Flood Cause the Flood Flood Depth Flood Duration Interview (using questionnaires) with households, and observation The Impact of Flood Physical Damage Infrastructure House/Building Appliance Furniture Outside properties Economic Income Occupation Disruption in business Social Injuries sustain Illness suffered Loss of life Interview (using questionnaires) with households, and observation What are the adaptive strategies of household to cope the flood? Economic Reconstruction of house with the reinforced material Preparing place for storage at the higher place Storing basic food items such as : rice and sugar Building dikes in front of house using sand bags Repairing minor damage of the appliance Repairing important damage to the house Fixing things Continue working Purchasing cheap food Repairing minor damage of the appliance Repairing important damage to the house Saving money Interview (using questionnaires) with households. Technological/structural Construction of house with the reinforced material Closing the door and windows properly to avoid water Do nothing Securing house entrance to avoid debris Cleaning the house by draining Repairing minor damage of the appliance Repairing important damage to the house Fixing things Cleaning the canal surroundings the house Interview (using questionnaires) with households. Social Cleaning the house and surroundings Continue patrolling the neighborhood Helping other’s community member in doing work Guarding the house to ensure safety belongings Searching relief materials Evacuating the family, especially children and elderly to the safer place, Preparing temporary place at friend’s or relative’s place Preparing place for storage at the higher place Cleaning the canal surroundings the house Interview (using questionnaires) with households. What are the factors that influence the selecting adaptive strategies? Physical Infrastructure Geographic Location Interview (using questionnaires) with households. Economics Status of Property Income Occupation Interview (using questionnaires) with households. Social Household’s size Household’s structure Interview (using questionnaires) with households. What have done by local government to cope the flood in term of reducing the impact of the flood event? Structural Build dykes, Build dam, Build reservoir, Improve infiltration of rainfall into the ground. Interview with local institutions which have duties related to disaster coping mechanism Non structural An early warning system Regulation Interview with local institutions which have duties related to disaster coping mechanism The sample was chosen from households affected by coastal erosion/flooding and the ones who knew the details of adaptation strategies. A sample of 40 households was selected randomly.

Mother Theresa :: essays research papers

Mother Theresa: Saint of the Gutters (1910-1997) A modern day savior was born to the world in 1910 in Skopje Yugoslavia. Born under the name Agnes Gongxha Bojaxhiu, she later took the name Teresa after St. Teresa, patroness of missionaries. Joining the Sisters of Loretoat the tender age of 18, she came across many events that would touch her life in the most special way; inspiring her to do many great deeds for human kinds. In 1948, Mother Teresa came across a half-dying woman lying in front of the Calcutta hospital. Through the compassion of her dear heart, Mother Teresa stayed with her until she passed into the after-life. Through this one kind act, Mother Teresa devoted her life to helping the poorest in India. She gained the name, â€Å" Saint of Gutters† from her many kind works. Mother Teresa founded the order of nuns known as the â€Å" Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta.† The group of 12 became a group of 3,000 in 50 years. That is three thousand women in India which have donated their lives to helping the poor in India around the world. Mother Teresa would not stop there. She founded the Nirmal Hriday, a home for the Dying, in a former temple located in Calcutta. This was a foundation that took the dying Indians off the street and brought them in to a nice, peaceful environment. Although Mother Teresa was not able to cure the people through some divine power, she did offer the dying Indians a peaceful place of comfort for them to release themselves into the after life in dignity. She saw the love of Jesus within every man, woman and child she brought in. No matter what ailed them, Mother Teresa still found the compassion in heart to bring them in. For 50 years she continued to help the poor, conquering many emotional times with the aid of her faith in God. The respect she received from the world won her a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Over the past two decades, Mother Teresa had begun to see end of her long hard journey.

Kaiser Permanente Risk Management Executive Summary Essay

Organization Description Kaiser Permanente (KP) is the nation’s largest integrated health care delivery system. KP serves nine states and over nine million members, with an annual operating revenue in 2013 of 53.1 billion. KP is a leader in quality improvement efforts in the health care industry through participation in studies performed by the National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA), The Joint Commission (TJC) accreditations, and the implementation of a state of the art electronic health records system, which focuses on integration and quality of care standardization. The focus of this summary is on KP hospitals in the northern California region and will include topics such as the purpose of risk and quality management, risk identification and management, current risks, quality outcomes, organizational goals, and the relationship between risk and quality management. Risk and Quality Management Purpose General The purpose of risk management in health care is simply the process of protecting the assets and minimizing financial losses to the organization (Singh & Habeeb Ghatala, 2012). A comprehensive risk management strategy within a health care organization will include focus on continuous quality improvement (CQI). The purpose of CQI in health care, according to Sollecito and Johnson (2013), is to offer a â€Å"structured organizational process for involving personnel in planning and executing a continuous flow of improvements to provide quality health care that meets or exceeds expectations† (p. 4). Through linking the processes of risk management and quality improvement the success of both processes is more likely to be realized. Kaiser Permanente The key concepts for risk and quality management at KP are commitment to quality, patient safety, privacy protection, and fraud prevention. KP risk management and quality management programs are central to their mission, values, and culture. Methods currently utilized to support these concepts  within KP are consumer surveys, the use of an integrated EHR with evidence based guidelines and clinical decision-making functionality, stringent patient privacy regulations and processes, continuous clinical and administrative staff training programs, and participation in studies focused on standardizing national quality measures (Kaiser Permanente, 2012). Risk Identification and Management Steps While KP is a leader in health care risk and quality management there are specific steps this consultant is recommending on a continual basis that will improve risk identification and management within the organization. 1. Identify and analyze loss and exposure While there are many methods utilized within the health care industry in the identification and analysis of loss and exposure, the recommended methods for KP are as follows: a) Incident-reporting analysis b) Improvement on the current performance management process for employees to bring focus on risk mitigation and quality improvement. c) Quantitative analysis of patient complaints and satisfaction surveys. d) Review of the organizations past professional liability and workers compensation reports. e) Review of surveys completed by TJC and NCQA on other hospitals in order to identify risk areas that KP should focus on. (McCaffrey & Hagg-Rickert, 2009) 2. Research and propose alternative risk techniques To mitigate risks that are unavoidable at KP, a combination of alternative risk techniques will help reduce situations that might negatively affect the organization. A financial analysis and risk analysis should be performed in order to ascertain the likelihood of utilizing the exposure avoidance technique. This is not a likely option as the financial impact of eliminating services may out weigh the risks involved with continuing them. A loss reduction approach is more likely to be the technique chosen for this organization. The core prevention activities that must be present in the loss reduction technique are as follows: a.) Ongoing staff education b.) Current policy and procedure review and revision c.) Updates to the organizations current EHR system to ensure the data present in the clinical decision-making and evidence-based clinical guidelines technology is the most current data available. According to Chen, et al (2009), â€Å"a growing body of literature confirms the value of electronic health records (EHRs) in improving patient safety, improving coordination of care, enhancing documentation, and facilitating clinical decision making and adherence to evidence-based clinical guidelines† (p. 323). 3. Risk management technique selection This two-part process of risk management technique selection is accomplished through forecasting and application of an ongoing measurement process, which will allow KP to analyze the risk management technique with regard to outcome and cost effectiveness. Included in the measurement process both risk treatment and risk-financing techniques should be measured (McCaffrey & Hagg-Rickert 2009). 4. Implement the selected techniques Implementation of the chosen risk management techniques may include decisions on insurance coverage and policy changes, overall department workflow changes to ensure compliance with state and federally mandated regulations and guidelines, and elimination of processes that impede or hinder patient safety. 5. Monitor and improve upon the implemented risk management program In order to continue improving upon the newly implemented risk management program a comprehensive monitoring strategy should be employed. In fact, McCaffrey and Hagg-Rickert, (2009) stated, â€Å"a multidisciplinary approach to evaluating the risk management program ensures that the impact of additional opportunities to improve the risk management function are fully explored† (p. 21). a.) Prepare an annual risk management report b.) Compare the new annual report against prior years risk management data (McCaffrey & Hagg-Rickert 2009) Current Risks Three risks that KP should take special care to avoid are rejection of newly implemented risk management and CQI procedures by employees, statute and regulatory changes, and health care associated infections (HAIs). 1. Rejection Change implementation is never an easy task and without special care taken the rate of rejection to change by clinical and administrative employees is high. In order to achieve successful CQI changes the following guidelines and recommendations are presented. a.) Minimize employee rejection through easily implemented and followed CQI procedures. b.) Engage employees in planning to increase acceptance. c.) Ensure lateral linkages within the organization across specialty departments to improve communication (Sollecito and Johnson, 2013). 2. Statute and regulatory changes With the ever-changing landscape in state and federal statutes and regulations surrounding the health care industry, special attention to this risk area must be taken. In fact, Cohen (2009) stated that â€Å"health care is one of the most heavily regulated of all sectors of commerce† (p. 328). Failure to comply with state and federal statutes and regulations can bring about negative financial affects at KP, including but not limited to; fines, loss of accreditation and credentialing, and an increase in malpractice lawsuits, not to mention a decrease in quality of care. a.) Risk management and quality improvement officers stay current and involved in statute and regulation changes. b.) Mandate educational goals for risk management and quality management officers with regard to state and federal regulations. c.) Implement a monthly employee newsletter within which the risk management officer and quality improvement officer outline regulation changes. Include processes that emplo yees should expect to see implemented to maintain compliance. Include a signature page with those editions that include changes to policy and ensure all employees sign and return to the human resources department. d.) Ongoing training for clinical and administrative employees with regards to statute and regulation. The risk management and quality improvement officers will be responsible to work with the organizations education department to implement new workshops as needed. e.) Include these responsibilities in the performance monitoring strategy for the risk management and quality improvement officers. 3. HAIs Health care associated infections are a serious risk in hospitals, as noted by Sydnor and Perl (2011), in their statement â€Å"HAIs are the most common complication seen in hospitalized patients† (para. 20). Improper prevention can lead to increased costs, lengthier hospital stays, and even patient death. Additionally, a Condition of Participation (CoP) (42 CFR 482.42) by CMS mandates hospital infection control programs to adhere to specific requirements. Recommendations are as follows. a.) Implement a house-keeping checklist to ensure proper sanitization of patient rooms. b.) Implement a sanitization checklist for clinical staff that will enforce hand washing before and after patient contact. c.) Develop a committee to review and revise the KP infection prevention and control program. Revisions should focus on compliance with TJC and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) regulations. Quality Outcomes Internal and external Three internal and external factors that influence quality outcomes are organization management of interpersonal relationships between physicians and patients, patient compliance, and continuity of care. Without proper management of interpersonal relationships between physicians and patients, the organization will face degradation in trust and openness. Patients should be involved in all treatment decisions, through proper education on their diagnosis and treatment options. This will bring about patient engagement in this decision making process. While KP cannot force their patients to comply with treatment guidelines, the external influence of patient compliance is crucial to quality outcomes. Programs focused on thorough training and education of patients and family members will improve the rate of compliance, thus improving the probability of positive quality outcomes for patients. Lack of patient compliance will hinder the treatment process and lower the level of quality outcomes standards at KP. Continuity of care is another internal influence that can affect quality outcomes. Regular follow up with patients will also increase patient compliance. Without improving continuity of care, the KP organization will see a reduction in positive quality outcomes and an increased in undesired outcomes (DeHarnais, 2013, chp 5). Goals Short-Term 1. Design new regulatory and statute training programs for all clinical and administrative employees. 2. Review and revise the KP infection prevention and control program 3. Revise the performance management system to include CQI measurements and risk management procedures as performance metrics. Long-Term 1. Increase adherence to state and federal regulations and statutes throughout the KP organization. 2. Reduce HAIs by 10% throughout KP hospitals in the northern California region. 3. Improve CQI measurement and risk management policy adherence throughout the northern California region by 20% among clinical employees. Risk and Quality Management Recommendations Risk management policies 1. Quarterly peer review The Health Care Quality Improvement Act (HCQIA) of 1986 â€Å"encourages hospitals, state licensing boards, and professional societies to identify and discipline physicians, dentists, and other health care providers who, after adequate, nondiscriminatory peer review, were found to have engaged in negligent or unprofessional conduct† (Cohen, 2013 p. 333). Through ongoing screening of new and current clinicians, KP will take responsibility for offering their patients that highest quality of care and reducing the risk of employing negligent clinical employees. 2. Zero tolerance adherence policy for all employees with regard to infection control procedures Part of the CMS CoP (42 CFR 482.42) regulation is the â€Å"designation of an infection control officer and development of relevant policies that address the identification and control of infections and communicable diseases. Without full compliance with all CoPs, KP could face the loss of their Medicare provider agreement. 3. Vulnerability analysis chart and emergency plan policy. According to Rawson and Hammond (2009) â€Å"by evaluating vulnerabilities and taking appropriate preventive action, loss can be minimized in an emergency†Ã‚  (p. 506). Health care facilities should include prevention measures in their emergency plans that include the risk of terrorist attacks. While terrorist attack risk cannot be completely mitigated, it is the responsibility of the health care facility to be prepared for such an emergency. Obtain additional information on including risk of terrorist attacks from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Quality management policies 1. Adherence to evidence-based clinical guidelines While it has been shown that â€Å"clinicians have customarily enjoyed a great deal of autonomy in their practices† (Argawal, 2010, para 3), it is imperative that clinicians follow evidence-based clinical guidelines. If exceptions should be made the details of, the patient diagnosis and variations should be presented for peer review prior to altering treatment plans. 2. Minimum score of 88% on customer satisfaction surveys Clinicians must maintain an average score of no less than 88% on customer satisfaction surveys quarterly. In today’s health care market, measurements of quality include consumer satisfaction. In fact, Bernard and Savitz (2009) state that in todays â€Å"competitive health care environment, consumers want and expect better health care services and hospital systems are concerned about maintaining their overall image† (p. 185). Relationship between risk and quality management In the past, risk management officers and quality improvement managers worked autonomously from one another, in fact they most often reported to different superiors. However, today healthcare organizations are realizing that in order to reach quality of care goals and maintain effective risk management programs these disciplines must work together closely. An example of how risk management efforts and quality improvement efforts complement one another is seen in the reduction of medical errors. The risk management plan must consider ways to reduce medical errors, while the quality improvement plan will offer solid steps toward minimizing medical errors (Sollecito and Johnson, 2013). Conclusion This summary focused on topics such as the purpose of risk and quality management, risk identification and management, current risks, quality outcomes, organizational goals, and the relationship between risk and quality management. While KP is the nation’s largest integrated health care delivery systems and leader in CQI standardization, there is always room for improvements. This consultant understands the importance of improvement at KP, thus humbly presents this summary and recommendations to the board of directors. References Agarwal, R. (2010, May). A Guideline for Quality Accreditation in Hospitals. Quality Digest, (), 1-4. Retrieved from http://www.qualitydigest.com/inside/twitter-ed/guideline-quality-accreditation-hospitals.html Chen, C., Garrido, T., Chock, D., Okawa, G., & Liang, L. (2009). The Kaiser Permanente electronic health record: Transforming and streamlining modalities of care. Health Affairs, 28(2), 323-33. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/204522974?accountid=458 Cohen, M. (2009). Statutes, Standards, and Regulations (chp 10) in McCaffrey, J. J., & Hagg-Rickert, S. (2009) Risk Management Handbook (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. DesHarnais, S. I. (2013). The outcome model of quality (chp 5) in Sollecito, W. A. and Johnson, J. K. (2013). McLaughlin and Kaluzny’s Continuous Quality Improvement In Health Care (4th ed.). Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Emily R. M. Sydnor, Trish M. Perl (2011, January). Clin Microbiol, 24(1): 141–173. Retrieved from http: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3021207/ Kaiser Permanente. (2014). Kaiser Permanente, Retrieved from http://share.kaiserpermanente.org/article/history-of-kaiser-permanente/ McCaffrey, J. J., & Hagg-Rickert, S. (2009, Chp 1) Developing of a Risk Management Program in Risk Management Handbook (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Rawson, M. L. and Hammond, H. Y,. (2009) Emergency Management in McCaffrey, J. J., & Hagg-Rickert, S. (2009, Chp 7) Developing of a Risk Management Program in Risk Management Handbook (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Singh, B., & Habeeb Ghatala, M. (2012, August). Risk Management in Hospitals. International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology, 3(4). Sollecito, W. A. and Johnson, J. K. (2013). McLaughlin and Kaluzny’s Continuous Quality Improvement In Health Care (4th ed.). Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Artificial Intelligence Essays (959 words) - Humanoid Robots

Artificial Intelligence Essays (959 words) - Humanoid Robots Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence once something that people thought could only come out of science fiction novels and movies. But today that could all change because of a robot called Cog. Cog is an artificial intelligence that it?s creators have given a body. He is the future of AI and a new beginning for the field. His creator , Rogney Brooks, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science, thought of creating cog, from inspiration from an artificial intelligence that was depicted in the movie, "2001:A Space Odyssey." In the movie, Hal, the AI, controlled a large space craft. Instead of creating a brain in a box like in the movie, Rodney is putting the mind of a human into the body of a robot. Cog isn?t yet a true humanoid robot. Right now he is little more that a head, neck , shoulders, chest and waist. He is perched on a gray steel pedestal bolted to the floor of the Artificial intelligence lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Still no other machine has come closer to the humanoid robots of science fiction. Cog foreshadows the day in which robots will interact normally with us. Cog?s creators are trying to do just that. Cog is a very far cry from what HAL was thought, because he has some anatomy. HAL was just basically a brain in a box. What they are trying to accomplish with cog, is to equip a brain with a body, that has sensors so that it can learn about its environment on its own, much like a infant does. Creating a humanoid was a big leap for Brooks. His last venture in to the AI world made a big impression on the artificial-Intelligence community. He created small robots the scurried around like insects. It turns out though, that these small creatures have much in common with Cog. They both do no use the usual AI approach that most other Mobil robots use. These other robots, would have to carry a complete map of the world that the machine will encounter. That would work fine in the lab, Brooks reasoned, but what about the real world with it?s vast space and many unfamiliar obstacles. To over overcome this problem, Brooks programmed this little robots with so-called parallel behaviors. He didn?t need the all-encompassing maps others used, just simple leg routines, such as up-down and forward-back motions the operate in parallel. On the robot?s legs sensors warded of obstacles and triggered these behaviors like reflexes. These machines ran riot in the lab where gradua! te students built new obstacles courses for them every day. The insect like robots managed to conquer all. Cog represents the basic same principal, but a few steps beyond. Brooks plans to take Cog a long way. Right now , Cog is learning how to see, and relate what he sees to his head motion, to be able to know what motion in the world, and what is dew to his head movement. They are letting Cog learn by its self. There are also plans to make ears for cog so that he may learn to hear. They have all ready completed a poly styrene head that is complete with micro-phones and processors. The first step in teaching Cog to hear is to map sensor coordination between the eyes and ears. With the done, when cog hears a sound, he will point his eyes at it, and then if he sees motion, that will reinforce what he just heard with the coordination of the two. Sound will help cog figure out where to look, but he will also be able to separate sounds, like people can do at a noisy cocktail party. These senses will help it to be able to interact with its environment and learn about its own body. What it sees verses what it is doing. There are also plans to give Cog the ability to be able to reach out and touch someone. Right now he has no arms at all. He can lean forwards and sideways at the hips, and turn its head, but that is all at the moment. Williamson, a graduate student on the Cog team, is building Cog?s first arm as

Oil and Economic Recession essays

Oil and Economic Recession essays Two months ago (Sep. 2000), the worlds economies faced a great problem. The oil price went enormously up and the Dollar followed the same tack. It was made very clear that almost all countries would have a serious problem due to oils importance. Oil provides fuel for heating, transport, and machinery, and is a basic input for petrochemicals and many household products ranging from plastic utensils to polyester clothing. From the beginning of this century until 1973 the use of oil increased steadily. Economic activity was organized on the assumption of cheap and abundant oil. In 1973-74 there was an abrupt change. The main oil-producing nations belong to OPEC(the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries). OPEC decided in 1973 to raise the price for which their oil was sold. OPEC thought that cutbacks in the quantity demanded would be small since most other nations were very dependent on oil and had few commodities available as potential substitutes for oil. Thus OPEC correctly anticipated that a substantial price increase would lead to only a small reduction in sales volume. It would be very profitable for OPEC members. Between 1973 and 1974 the price of oil tripled, from $2,90 to $9 per barrel. After a more gradual rise between 1974 and 1978 there was another sharp increase between 1978 and 1980, from $12 to $30 per barrel. The dramatic price increases of 1973-74 and 1978-80 have become known as the OPEC oil price shocks. In the early 1980s, however, OPECs resolve began to weaken. Although oil consumption increased steadily over most of the 1970s, the 1979-1980 rebound resulted in a drop in demand for oil in the industrial countries. The major reasons for the decline in consumption were the worldwide recession, the increase in crude-oil prices, the substitution of other fuels for oil, the effectiveness of national energy policies aimed at conservation, the changing structure of industry, and the decreasing ...

The Business Strategy Game - BSG Online game Essay

The Business Strategy Game - BSG Online game - Essay Example Industry overview As we entered the footwear industry the notion of being highly competitive in the market was our main subject of concern. Through the knowledge we had gained in business studies, we had to apply Michael Porter’s five forces so that we thoroughly understand the market and promote our company’s competitive advantage (Roy, 2009). Thus, we put the following forces into close consideration. Firstly, on the bargaining power of buyers, we saw that, since the footwear industry provides an extremely competitive market, this force was at all times undergoing a steady rise. The most important opportunity under this force was that our company had the prospect of applying our differentiation principle for the products offered by our company. However, we observed that there was always the threat of consumers having a high bargaining margin thus bringing in the possibility of a lower profit than the one we had anticipated. About the bargaining power of suppliers, we saw that since there are very many suppliers in the footwear industry, this force is always very low. This was a very important opportunity to our company as it meant that, we could get supply of raw materials at low price. Thus, it aided us in meeting the strategy clock principle of selling quality products at low price. Concerning the threat of new entrants, we saw that the industry offered a great opportunity to our company. Since industry 7 was limited to five (5) groups, this threat was not applicable. In this sense, the footwear industry offered a huge opportunity for our company since we had to lay all our concentration mainly on outshining our existing competitors. Regarding the threat of substitute products, we saw this was a subject of great concern for our company. This is because, this competitive force was always very high as at most times the products available in the market were substitutes of one another. However, this force was an important opportunity to our compan y since it motivated us to be very innovative. Finally, we saw that the force of competitive rivalry was a great opportunity for our company to triumph in the industry. The opportunity offered by this force was that it ensured we did all our best in innovating higher quality product designs. However, our company had to face the threat of our competitors using our product designs to come up with more advanced ones. Company overview As we took over management of Zenith Company Limited, we observed several essential strengths and weaknesses that the company already put in place (Brott, 2009). Among the most essential strengths that Zenith had created is a huge market share of around 20%. Secondly, the company had a good customer base for its products particularly in North America and Europe Africa. It had also done a lot in promoting its brands over the internet thus enjoying the advantage of selling its products at higher prices per pair. Our company also had the advantage of having u tilized a significant number of retail outlets (Hill and Jones, 2010, p. 178). However, the company had some weaknesses and they included lack of celebrity appeal. The company further had a weakness of taking a lot of time in delivering goods to its clients. Decisions Year 11 There are several decisions that we had to concur as a team. This was to ensure that our company was going to meet the goal of being very competitive

Economics Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economics Management - Assignment Example Fishback defines government policies as the set of rules and laws that the government puts and have a direct or indirect impact on the way people conduct business within a country. The government puts laws in place to inhibit or to encourage certain business strategies within the business market. However, it is wise to note that government policies are a double edged sword and may have either negative or positive impact on the economic development in a country. While some regulations may benefit a country, others may work against its development strategy. For instance, in the US, the government launched a deregulation procedure in the early 1990s as a strategy to open up business development.This was after the government realized that strict regulation of the business market culminated to unprofitability in the business sector. Therefore, the government should be analytical while implementing laws to ensure that they create a healthy business environment. In a dynamic business market , it has become the challenge for the government to choose the best approach to regulate business.To promote economic development within a country, the government should design laws to regulate competition within the market.Laws should ensure that the every investor has a fair chance to start the business and compete with its rivals. This helps to prevent monopolistic competition that may impact negatively on the economy of a country. Monopolistic competition results to unfair competition, which benefits only a few investors.