Quality of US Healthcare Essays - Healthcare Quality, Primary Care

In a country where the health care system is largely provided by the private sector, only 15% of the population has health insurance coverage. A situation that pushes us from the middle/lower social class to wonder about the quality of care we are receiving. The healthcare system is as much controversial as getting the care we need, and how this one is delivered to us. The President of the United States had signed a comprehensive health reform on March 23rd, 2010, the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act (PPACA) which is expected to bring changes to the system, and this act is supposedly bringing a new momentum to the healthcare industry. The American population is actually wondering whether a deep analysis of the future trends on healthcare should give them a clear understanding of where the United States healthcare would be in the next years to come, including improvement on the safety and reliability of the healthcare system. If we were to describe the U.S. healthcare system with all its components, we would have to say that it is a facet of complex interactions of people, institutions, and technology. For many Americans healthcare may be described as the interaction between a primary care physician and patient to address minor and urgent medical problems such as colds, flu, or back pain. A primary care physician (PCP); usually a general practitioner, a family practitioner, internist, or pediatrician, is the ?forefront? caregiver or even the first health qualified personnel to estimate and treat the patient. In a physician office there are lots of routines physical examinations, anticipation such as immunization and health rerun to detect disease, and treatment of acute and chronic diseases. The healthcare system consists of all the medical personnel tied together in one field. This system may be viewed as a complex made up of three interrelated components: people in need of healthcare services called hea lthcare consumers; those who deliver the service, the professionals and practitioners called healthcare providers; and systematic arrangements for delivering healthcarethe public and private agencies that organize, plan, regulate finance, and coordinate servicescalled the institutions or organizations of the healthcare system. This institutional component includes hospitals, clinics, and home-health agencies; the insurance companies and programs that pay for services like Blue Cross/Blue Shield, managed-care plans such as health maintenance organizations, and preferred providers organizations; an entitlement program like Medicaid. Also included are agencies and associations that research and monitor the quality of health care services; license and accreditation providers and institutions; local, state, and national professional societies; and the companies that produce medical technology, equipment, and pharmaceuticals (a href="http://www.libraryindex.com/pages/1817/Nation-s-Health- Care-System-COMPONENTS-HEALTH-CARE-SYSTEM.html">The Nation's Health Care System - The Components Of The Health Care System/a>) Despite the higher cost of our healthcare system, one would think that the service we are providing would be astonishing; we would actually see the improvement of making the hospitalized patients more comfortable in their skin. While the economy is getting tougher, the high cost of living is climbing up the trees; our healthcare system still falls behind other nations in term of quality, access, affordability. Five affluent international trading partners of the United States spend far less on health care, yet the comparative value of these countries' health systems- measured by cost, workforce health, and quality of care- is often better than that experienced by American workers and employers. And that "value gap" puts the United States at a distinct competitive disadvantage to their global peers, according to the Business Roundtable's Health System Value Comparability Study (Anonymous, 2011). Comparing the value of U.S. health care with that of the health systems of the "G-5" countr ies (Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom), the study finds that our nation has made progress in improving healthcare value over previous years but still trailed the G-5 by 2,0.8 percentage points in 2007. "At the current rate of gap closure, it would take over 20 years for the U.S. health system to pull even with the value delivered by the health systems of the G-5 and an additional 10 years to establish a meaningful lead," the authors say. When comparing our healthcare system to other nations? healthcare organism, we would say the health insurance of certain countries are costs less than

Free Essays on Deviance

Deviance – Teen Sex I’ve chosen to interview a friend who I will refer to as â€Å"Betty† for this project. Betty began her deviant sexual behavior as a 14-year-old ninth grader. It was a conscious rebellion against her social and family norms. While sex at the age of 14 is against our social norms, premarital sex at any age was against Betty’s family norms. She was brought up in a strict, religious family where having sex outside marriage was not permitted. According to Robert Merton’s typology, Betty was in the category of rebellion. By having sex at a young age, she rejected the institutional means of approving the cultural goals. Betty often felt guilty, but still continued to have [protected] sex throughout her high school years. Her behavior seemed to be her way of secretly getting back at her parents and the rigid church/private school environment she was being brought up in. After all, in society’s view she was still a great student who graduated second in her class, was involved in school and community activities, and was a picture of the perfect daughter. Most likely, this justified any guilt she had over her sexual activity. Even though she was sexually active, her deviant behavior did not seem to hinder her relationships with peers who were not sexually active. Betty’s rationale is that because she had three long-term relationships during high school she was not considered promiscuous, which kept her from getting labeled as a â€Å"bad girl.† Also, in the 70’s there were other good students who basically used sex in the same way she did to rebel against family and societal norms. Her behavior became apparent to her parents once she got involved with a 24-year-old at the young age of 17. They correctly assumed that there would be only one reason a man of that age would hang around with a young girl. Betty never actually left the deviant role, she just became of legal age to conduct he... Free Essays on Deviance Free Essays on Deviance Quit often in our day-to-day lives we hear the word "deviance†, but never truly know the concepts behind it. It is not a complicated term although it is one with many theories behind it giving a vast variety of interpretations of just what deviance is and is not. Questions arise as to its relativity. Of course, no one can proclaim deviance is not relative, as deviance is behavior that does not follow common perceptions. An important sociological concept states that people conform, or perform to societal expectation or norms (Brown, 1965). Conformity provides order in the society. Thus, when someone is doing something that the rest of society find unacceptable, or out of the ordinary, he or she is considered deviant. While the definition of deviance may appear obvious, this is not necessarily the case for the sociology community. The sociology of deviance contains definitions of an extensive nature, which are branched off into several perspective groups. For example, sociologist Erving Goffman applies the concept of stigma, or more commonly, labeling; stating that ones behavior and actions deemed deviant are applied by others (Turner, 1996). Howard Becker’s definition seems to be commonly accepted as an adequate description of this concept, asserting that deviance is whatever a social audience reacts against or labels as deviant. However, another sociologist, Erdwin Pfuhl, believes that the label â€Å"deviant† depends on a group’s notion of actions and conditions that should and should not occur. This view also suggests that labels of deviance can change within different societies and times. One might ask why there are so many interpretations of deviance. The answer is rather simple. Due to its relative nature, people will interpret activities quite differently (Clinard, 1998). For instance, within certain sub- cultural groups it is normal to smoke marijuana. Yet, to the larger society, it is considered deviant. This is ... Free Essays on Deviance A person would be considered to be acting deviantly in societ... A person would be considered to be acting deviantly in society if they are violating what the significant social norm in that particular culture is. What causes humans to act certain ways is a disputed topic among researchers for some time now. There are three types of researchers that have tried to answer this question. There is the psychological answer, biological answer, and the sociological answer. With all of the studies that have been performed, no one group has come up with an exact reason to why people behave deviantly. Although, sociologists’ theories have not been disproved as often as the psychologists’ and biologists’ theories because their experiments are too hard to define and no one definition for deviance is agreed upon by all experimenters (Pfuhl, 40). My own curiosity to find out what the influences are behind deviant behavior is the purpose for this paper. We have already discussed this topic during class in part two, chapter four of the textbo ok which explains deviance and crime. This section talks more about deviance being a learned behavior. I wanted to find out more information to see if biological factors are also behind this kind of behavior. The most knowledge acquired for why people act deviantly is from the sociological perspective. There is need for more research, if possible, in the psychological and biological perspectives, but there is a lot more known in the sociological viewpoint. The reality that the definition of deviant behavior is considered different by everyone makes it complicated and unknown if a truly accurate answer can ever be found (Pfuhl 18). This is why this topic is important to the study of sociology. Sociologists have more information, and therefore may be closer to finding the cause. For this reason, my main focus in this paper is at the sociological stand point of deviance with some explanations from psychologist... Free Essays on Deviance Deviance – Teen Sex I’ve chosen to interview a friend who I will refer to as â€Å"Betty† for this project. Betty began her deviant sexual behavior as a 14-year-old ninth grader. It was a conscious rebellion against her social and family norms. While sex at the age of 14 is against our social norms, premarital sex at any age was against Betty’s family norms. She was brought up in a strict, religious family where having sex outside marriage was not permitted. According to Robert Merton’s typology, Betty was in the category of rebellion. By having sex at a young age, she rejected the institutional means of approving the cultural goals. Betty often felt guilty, but still continued to have [protected] sex throughout her high school years. Her behavior seemed to be her way of secretly getting back at her parents and the rigid church/private school environment she was being brought up in. After all, in society’s view she was still a great student who graduated second in her class, was involved in school and community activities, and was a picture of the perfect daughter. Most likely, this justified any guilt she had over her sexual activity. Even though she was sexually active, her deviant behavior did not seem to hinder her relationships with peers who were not sexually active. Betty’s rationale is that because she had three long-term relationships during high school she was not considered promiscuous, which kept her from getting labeled as a â€Å"bad girl.† Also, in the 70’s there were other good students who basically used sex in the same way she did to rebel against family and societal norms. Her behavior became apparent to her parents once she got involved with a 24-year-old at the young age of 17. They correctly assumed that there would be only one reason a man of that age would hang around with a young girl. Betty never actually left the deviant role, she just became of legal age to conduct he... Free Essays on Deviance Each individual in society has their own definition of Deviance, I define deviance as mishaps in a persons beliefs, behaviors, and conditions that society feels is different. Because each person can define deviance’s in different ways, people often take offense to something one person considers deviant and another does not. For example, a handicap would not consider their condition deviance, but many people in society label the handicap as different. When people are labeled different they are treated different. As in, when I attend Rave parties society views me as deviant. To society rave people are drug addicts and troublemakers, but to me I define the party as a place to enjoy music. Music in its self is an art, and to us this is a wonderful way to express your love for the art of music. To others in society they see only the bad side of the event, we as people who enjoy the music only see the good, and we don’t consider ourselves different. I carry on a norma l day to day life, and at times on the weekends I enjoy relaxing with friends at a party. I can also remember when I went through the stage of bagging jeans and tight shirts strangers eyeing me as different. The look to others is different and considered deviant. While walking through stores I would constantly see workers following me, in assumptions that I would steal. I now know this is a form of deviance that many people who enjoy wearing those clothes deal with every day. To me these feelings of deviance are only small and un harmful, but to others who get accused of much larger forms of deviance feel much more pain and suffering on a daily basis....

You choose the topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

You choose the topic - Essay Example As the situation worsened, the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) as well as refugees moving to neighbouring countries grew, totaling over nine million, so did the need for humanitarian aid, mostly shelter, food, toiletries and medical supplies. Essentially, this created the need for charity and aid organisations through which the refugees and IDPs could assess basic needs. However, some of the charity groups started collecting funds from donors and either used it for personal benefits or funding terrorist groups. Therefore, it has become necessary to create a genuine and credible organisation in Saudi Arabia that will work alongside other organisations in the region to channel all the funds and aid received to addressing the humanitarian needs of Syrian citizens. Credibility and using funds for what they are intended for will be the most effective way to justify the existence of the charity and gain the confidence and trust of sponsors. Syria has been experiencing violent wars since 2011 that were sparked by protests calling for the release of political prisoners, political reforms and the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad (Hinnebusch 2012, p. 98). Although the protests were peaceful initially, the government reacted brutally to the protestors, further aggravating the situation and violating human rights. The growing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees necessitated the creation of charities to address humanitarian needs of the citizens. Shelter, food, toiletries, medical supplies and clean water became and remain urgently needed. However, unscrupulous organisations soon started taking advantage of the strong calls by Islam towards charitable giving, known as zakat, and started enriching themselves. It also became known that terrorist groups were collecting money from corrupt charities and their employees, which in turn tarnished the name of charitable organizations (ICRP 2014, p. 905). In this report,

Secretary of State Alexander Hamilton Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Secretary of State Alexander Hamilton - Essay Example In 1790, Hamilton’s idea went through and the Bank of the United States was created with $10 million. The main sources of income for the bank would be the government securities, which were paid at 6% annually by the Federal government. Hamilton wanted to increase the available credit to the public and private enterprises as a way of ensuring circulation. Hamilton’s view was to sell Federal securities to the private sector to gain capital for developing the physical economy. Banks have adopted the Hamilton concept to issue students with credit cards as a way of encouraging growth of national credit worth as opposed to being debt free. Federal student loan and credit card debt account for $914 billion and $672 billion of the 2012 American household debt compared to $750 billion for auto loans (Department of Treasury and Education 30). Statistics indicate that in 2012, household debt grew to $11.31 trillion attributed to what families owe due to student loans, credit cards, home and auto loans (Sharma 31). The U.S. national debt is above the 100% of its GDP because of raising credit from securities. Therefore, the only way to correct the Hamilton mistake is by increasing revenues while applying spending cuts. Contrastingly, the deluge of credit cards targeting students increases their spending habits. This is detrimental to the economy since students owe the banks money and interest, which increase the American household debt. Moreover, Americans are least likely to develop the culture of saving for future financial stability since they continually incur debt because of using credit cards. In conclusion, the deluge of credit cards targeting students is contributing to household debt, which is detrimental to family life. American gain the habit of spending credit before even having it on hand and this trend is getting more students into debt. Thus, the Hamilton monetary policy of using

Ecological footprint Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Ecological footprint - Essay Example This course was quite informative, quite an eye opening one which made me think of changing my habits, step by step, in such a way that I can track the intensity of environmental hazards I posed. Also, this course helped me change my habits to a large extent so that I can become a responsible global citizen considerate of the environment. This paper is an attempt to describe the step-by-step process of how I managed to make constructive choices in life and how I`m an environmentally responsible citizen now, however, the process is an ongoing one. The first chapter included the analysis of one the products of everyday use in our households. Ariel was the detergent which was being used for ages back at my home, and on conducting the background check of the product on the instructions of my advisor I came across astonishing facts about the product. It contained bleach, colorants, and brighteners and perfumes which biodegrade in such a way that it the chemicals are unhealthy for our skin as well as for the environment. Thus, I looked up for the environment friendly products and came across some of the home made recipes to produce detergents, also brands like Biokleen liquid and Clear Laundry Detergent are great products which give good results at the same time are environment friendly. ... After this activity, my personal interest in the field was enhanced and as the course proceeded I even became aware of the concept of recycling. Thus, I started engaging myself in recycling all the products and using them again wherever I can, instead of using new ones. For instance, I began recycling my clothes and even began purchasing vintage clothes to contribute positively for the environment. With time, I also switched to eco-friendly bio-bags for grocery shopping and developed a habit of carrying my own bag while shopping. This turned out to be an inspiration for others as well which encouraged me to take a stand and place bio-bags in some of the nearby stores I had access to, to promote the concept. Also, I switched to recycled paper to save planet earth and also began recycling any kind of paper I had. With time, when I talked to other friends around at school, I discovered that energy is a huge issue in many different states around the world, thus, conserving energy is also a crucial part of the process. I found out that many of my Asian friends doesn’t have access to electricity and clean water readily back at their home towns, thus I realized that energy is also a finite resource which should be conserved. Thus, this inspired me to conserve the rain water which I started collecting in buckets every time it rained. This water was then used to clean my Porsche and my car; also I installed water saving devices along with the taps that were being used in my residence. Also, I started using indigenous plants in my garden so that water consumption is reduced to the maximum extent possible. The next was my realization related to the effects of chemicals on the environment, as these products break

Importance of organizational behavior in improving modern efficiency

Importance of organizational behavior in improving modern efficiency The main objective of drafting this document is to justify importance of organizational behavior in todays context; Organizational behavior is targeted towards studying and analyzing behavior of different people within an organization. Organizational behavior is defined as The study and understanding of individual and group behavior, and patterns of structure in order to help improve organizational performance and effectiveness (Laurie J. Mullins, 2004). Therefore studying of organizational behavior is vital to improve efficiency in establishments. Essay will emphasize on following key aspects of Organizational behavior. Leadership Group Behavior Training and development Change management Leadership can be defined as simply getting others to follow; there are many definitions to leadership. It is difficult, therefore, to generalize about leadership, but essentially it is a relationship through which one person influences the behavior or actions of other people. (Laurie J. Mullins, 2004). Leadership directly connected with motivation, interpersonal behavior and the process of communication. Leadership helps to develop team work and increase integrity within employees. Good leadership is important in the time of change; leaders should able to change peoples perception from identifying change as a threat to see it as an existing challenge (Laurie J. Mullins, 2004). The key aspects discussed above, depicts the importance of leadership within an organization. Everyone in an organization belongs to one or more Group. Work is more group based activity and if an organization to be successful, it requires good team work. A group can be defined as any number of people who (1) interact with one another; (2) are psychologically aware of one another; and (3) perceive themselves to be a group. (Laurie J. Mullins, 2004). Groups are the moral fiber of an organization and it is the key to performance. Not only members of groups should work efficient to gain organizational objectives but groups should work together with other groups to maximize the efficiency in the establishment. Teamwork is important within groups and following are some of the competencies that can be gained by teamwork;( Laurie J. Mullins, 2004). Productivity can be improved Quality of work and innovation will be maximized Technological advantages Employee motivation and commitment will be improved. Training and development is one of the most vital aspects to increase performance and motivation within employees. It is well-known that training directly affects success of any organization. Organizational training is important to keep employees up to date with technology and to be knowledgeable with relevant job that they perform. Training also assists employees in career advancement and to improve their motivation. Following are some of the advantages individuals and organizations can gain by performing training and development ;( Laurie J. Mullins, 2004). Increase motivation, confidence and commitment of the employees. Recognition and promotions Satisfaction Improve quality and skills of staff Organizations are widely get affected by the external environmental aspects. Companies should adopt these external factors to ensure success in the business. These factors can be technology, government policies, globalization etc. In order to acclimatize to these external environmental factors, it is vital to have proper change management practices in place. According to John F. Kennedy Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. This also can be applied to organizations, Example: It is vital for organizations to replace their exiting outdated technology along with the latest technology available in the world in order to maintain sustainability of the business. Change also can be raised within the organization itself. Literature Review Hellriegel, Slocum and Woodman suggests that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ One way to recognize why people behave as they do at work is to view an organization as an Iceberg. What sinks ships isnt always what sailors can see, but what they cant see. Following are the key areas to be discussed during understanding organizational behavior; (Laurie J. Mullins, 2004). The behavior of people The process of management The Organizational context in which the process of management takes place. organizational processes and the execution of work; interactions with the external environment of which the organization is part From the above framework we can identify 4 main aspects influence on organizational behavior; the individual, the group, the organization and the environment. Any organization consists with individuals; individuals are main feature of any establishment. If needs of an individual and demands of the organization is incompatible, this can result in conflicts (Laurie J. Mullins, 2004). Therefore it is a responsibility of the management to integrate individual and organization to avoid frustration and conflicts. Groups are gateway to performance in any organization. It is a fact that almost every individual within an organization is a member of a group. Group has a major capability of influencing behavior of an organization; therefore it is important to understand group structure and behavior in order to maximize performance in an establishment. Individuals and groups interact by using the structure of an organization; the organization structure is defined by management to meet goals within an organization. External environment affects the organization in many different ways, for an example new technologies will lead to change in the organization. Interacting with environment will lead to opportunities and risks within the organization. Leadership There are many ways to examine leadership. Following are some of the approaches; The qualities approach The functional or group approach Styles of leadership Transformational leadership The qualities approach is more concern about the persons, not the job itself. It suggests that attention should give to select leaders than training them. Qualities or traits approach depicts that Leaders are born and not made. The functional (Group) approach focuses not on the personality, but on the functions and contents of leadership. Unlike The qualities approach, functional approach believes that leadership could be learnt and developed. Leadership style is the way in which the functions of leadership are carried out, the way in which the manager typically behaves towards members of the group. (Laurie J. Mullins, 2004). Styles of managerial leadership can be categorized into three broader classifications; The Authoritarian style: Power is with the manager. All the interactions are made via the manager. Manager is making the decisions and less opportunity for group members to take decisions. The Democratic style: Power is more within the group. Leadership functions and decisions are made within the group and the manager is a member of the group. Laissez-faire style: Manager is basically observing the members of the group working on their own. This is also called genuine style. Group members are given with freedom to make their own decisions and to do what they think is best. However leader must be readily available for any help needed. Transformational leadership is more concern about how leaders revitalize or transform organizations. Transformational leadership is scattering higher level of motivation and commitments among followers. Transformational leadership consists with four basic components; Idealized influence: Personality of the leader and the respect of the followers. Inspirational motivation: the behavior of the leader which provides meaning and challenge to the work of the followers. Intellectual stimulation: leaders who are innovative in finding new approaches for problem solving. Individualized consideration: Leaders who put attention on developments of subordinates. Group Behavior There can be two types of groups within an organization; Formal Groups Formal Groups are part of organizational structure. Main objective of structuring formal groups within an organization is to achieve division of work and organizational objectives. Example: grouping employees with specific skills into a one group. Furthermore individuals with same status within an organization could form a formal group, i.e. Managers within an establishment can form separate formal group. Informal Groups There can be groups within an organization with informal structure. These groups are formed with social relationships and individual relationships. Objective of informal groups are to satisfy physiological needs and social needs. Informal groups consists with people from different parts of the organization and different status levels. Following are the reasons to form groups within an establishment, (Laurie J. Mullins, 2004). If specific task cannot be completed without relating multiple individuals. To avoid conflicts within members, example: by sharing unpopular tasks. Individuals to feel belonging to a group within an organization. To follow correct behavior in an ambiguous situation Protect their self from outside pressure and threats. Cohesive groups will always generate benefits for the organization. Following are some of the factors affecting group performance and cohesiveness. (Laurie J. Mullins, 2004). Membership: When groups are too large it is difficult to maintain the cohesiveness. It is always best to have manageable amount of members in a group. Work environment: Individuals with similar job descriptions, sharing a common task with facing common problem will increase cohesiveness within an organization. Furthermore facilitating proper communication in the work environment directly affects the performance and cohesiveness of an organization. Organizational factors: Factors like how manager encourage group will directly affects on group behavior. Group development and maturity: Cohesiveness of a group also depends on how groups carryout task in each stage before executing the real one. Training and Development Training should consider as an investment in employees (Laurie J. Mullins, 2004). It is crucial to have a proper plan to gain maximum advantages over training. Therefore planned and systematic approach in training plays a key role in any organization. Planned and systematic approach Following are some of the key points involved in planned and systematic approach (Laurie J. Mullins, 2004); There should be a commitment from entire organization for training. Assessment of training needs to be evaluated. Staff should feel the involvement. A clear set of objectives and policy should define for the training. Carefully plan the training program Select most appropriate method of training Link external courses and training programs for the system. There should be an effective and proper system for review and evaluation. Evaluation should be related to objectives. Change Management It is a well known fact that people do not accept change easily. Therefore managers should clearly identify reasons for resistant and initiate change by adopting appropriate strategy. According to Christensen and Overdorf , there are three main factors affect organizational responses to change; (Laurie J. Mullins, 2004). Resources: Access to high quality resources increases chances of people to accept change. Processes: The pattern of communication, interaction, coordination and decision making to transform resources into products and services. Values: Standards how employee set priorities. There are three main ways managers could use to adopt with organizational change; (Laurie J. Mullins, 2004). Create new organizational structure Split new organizational from the existing one and define new processes and values. Gain access to a new organization whose processes and values are similar to required change. Furthermore Kotter and Cohn suggests following eight steps for successful change; (Laurie J. Mullins, 2004). Create sense of urgency Build a guiding team Create visions Communicate the vision and strategy Empower action and remove obstacles Produce Short-term wins to create credibility Dont let up but maintain the momentum Make change stick Relevance in todays context Leadership in todays context Yesterdays idea of the boss, who became the boss because he or she knew more than the person working for them, is yesterdays manager. Tomorrows person leads through a vision, a shared set of values, and a shared objective. Jack Welch Leadership is essential in any organization to boost team work and integrity within individuals. Todays Establishments are focuses on discovering more leaders than appointing managers to maintain sustainability of the business. Organizations should emphasis to scatter many leaders across the establishment than suggesting one leader on the top of the hierarchy. In todays scenario companies are more concern about discovering leaders than trying to train individuals without any leadership qualities, i.e. qualities approach of leadership has become the trend of todays organizations. However identifying leaders within an organization has become a major challenge in todays context. To overcome this challenge organizations are trying various methods to discover true leaders, one of the best examples from todays context is Apples Store Leader Program, where people will given with leadership opportunities after 24 month operational program covering all the aspects of managing and operating an Apple Store. (Apple Jobs at Apple Apple Store Leader Program (us). 2011) Ray Croc quoted that The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves. A good leader should continue to amplify his/her knowledge by experience and training. Group behavior in todays context Today organizations are captivating many advantages over forming formal groups within their establishments. By providing structure of division of work and responsibilities within the company, employees are with clear agreement between them on their duties and responsibilities. This will lead to achieve company objectives more efficiently. Furthermore individuals with specific expert knowledge can be added into one group to gain more productivity end of the day. Another advantage of grouping employees is that unpopular tasks can be shared among persons, this leads to employee motivation. In todays context this strategy is widely used within organizations to maximize productivity and motivate employees. Todays organizations are keener into forming Strategic Business Units (SBU) within their establishments. SBU can be defined as Autonomous  division  or  organizational unit, small enough to be  flexible  and large enough to  exercise  control  over most of the  factors  affecting its  long-term  performance. Because SBUs are more agile (and usually have  independent missions  and  objectives), they  allow  the owning conglomerate  to respond quickly to changing  economic  or market  situations. (Strategic business unit (SBU) definition. 2011.). Therefore each SBU is treated as a one group within the company with different objectives. Example: Tacony Corporation is today organized into four strategic business units: Sewing, Home Floor Care, Commercial Floor Care and Ceiling Fans Lighting.( Tacony Corporation: Strategic Business Units) Todays Training and Development Most of the organizations are treating their employees as the most valuable asset. Therefore employers are more concern about personal development of each and every employee. Every organization allocate significant amount of money for employee training programs. Following graph illustrate Sonys Employee Training Programs in Japan in Fiscal Year 2009 (Sony Global Personnel Development. 2011) However for organizations to get maximum return out of an employee training program, it is essential to follow a Planned and Systematic approach for each training program. Training needs can be identified within the organization by introducing a Training Requisition form, which can be made available to every employee of the company. Filled Training requisition forms will be evaluated by employees line manager and forward it to HR department. Alternatively, organizations can identify required training programs and maintain Annual Training Calendar to keep track of each program. Every employee can be given with a feedback form to fill and submit to HR department to accomplish evaluation and review process. Change Management in Todays context Change Management is one of the most widely discussed topics in todays context. In order to successfully implement change within an organization, appropriate change management practices are very essential. Following are some of the challenges organizations face before, during and after implementing of change; Resistant to change by employees Insufficient time Economical difficulties Etc Most of the organizations perform change due to new technologies, limited staff participation, limited resources etc. Todays organizations are using strategy of creating new culture within company to successfully implement change. Furthermore organizations are keener into providing high quality resources along with the change. Subsequently, employee resistant to change will reduce by significant percentage. Implementation of change should happen gradually within organizations. Following graph illustrate the gradual implementation of change in todays organizational context; If the change is large scale, most of the todays organizations are outsourcing the change management process to a consulting agency. These agencies are with subject matter experts to cater client requirement from the initiation to the post implementation of the project. Example; Accenture US. Conclusion For an organization to be successful, all the above discussed key aspects of organizational behavior should utilized within the establishment. Studying of organizational behavior has become one of the most essential topics in todays context. Organizational behavior helps managers to understand individuals better so they can improve productivity of the organization.

Remote Electronic Voting: A Simple, Safe, and Accurate Voting System Es

Remote Electronic Voting: A Simple, Safe, and Accurate Voting System Does it not seem obvious that the United States should be voting over the Internet by now? Considering all the vitally important monetary and information-related transactions that occur over the Internet every day, one would think this could and would have happened already. However, Remote Electronic Voting, especially on a national scale, presents us with some possibly troubling implications and problems. These implications and problems, especially those concerning security, have prevented the U.S. from employing such Internet voting in a national election so far. Is such a system in our future? Many experts believe so. But as of yet, the risks seem to outweigh the rewards. Before going any farther, it is important to clarify the difference between Internet voting and Remote Electronic Voting. Internet voting already occurs in many places. It refers merely to voting from a computer that is under the control of election officials, usually in a specific precinct’s polling place. On the other hand, Remote Electronic Voting is the new prospect of voting over the Internet from a remote, unsupervised location (Alvarez 4, Rubin). This new prospect has sure advantages but many likely drawbacks as well. The greatest advantage that Remote Electronic Voting could provide would be ease of voting. The weather, waiting in line, and being confused about where one’s polling place is would no longer be issues. Also, Remote Electronic Voting would practically eliminate the need for absentee ballots, which often are not counted. In fact, in the 2000 and 1996 presidential elections, it is estimated that about 40% of oversea... ...r the fairness of the system. It is probably just as crucial that issues concerning the â€Å"Digital Divide† and coercion be resolved as issues concerning security. The last thing the U.S. should want is a simple, safe, accurate, and grossly unfair voting system. WORKS CITED Alvarez, R. Michael, and Thad E. Hall. Point, Click, and Vote: The Future of Internet Voting. Washington, D.C., Brookings Institution Press, 2004. Hardy, Michael. â€Å"Pentagon Nixes Internet Voting, Questions About Security Linger.† 23 February, 2004. Federal Computer Week.com Online Magazine. http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0223/pol-pentagon-02-23-04.asp Rubin, Aviel D. â€Å"Security Considerations for Remote Electronic Voting over the Internet.† Florham Park, NJ, A&T Labs – Research, with Internet Policy Institute e-voting workshop. Online. http://avirubin.com/e-voting.security.html

Power Influence in the Workplace Essay

The concept of organizational power is a highly important concept in defining the scope of the functionality in the organizational activities. By its definition, power is the probability with which a person within the context of an institution has the ability of doing his/her will despite any form of resistance from the environment. This is to imply that, power provides the basic ability with which a person secures the basic compliance provided by other people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Within an organization, the source of power is broadly classified into three facets. The coercive power implies the use of force by whoever is in power to those under his/her capacity so that such could comply with his/her wishes. Perhaps, a case of a prison provides a god example for this source of power. Either, utilitarian power may be a basic source of organizational power. This is where an organization use a system of power in which the use of punishment or even rewards ensures the functionality of the organization. This could be through the use of rises in basic payments, dismissal threats, promotions and motivations for the different workers of the organization. Elsewhere, informative power is the power belief that the various members within such an organization have the powers in exercising the rights of governing their different behavioral dispensation. This is perhaps functional and application in religious dimensions. (Wilf, 2007)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Essentially, the choice of utilitarian power within an organization would perhaps be an essential tool of creating basic adequate functionality of an organization. This is from the basic view that, the behavior of a person defines the scope of the reward or elsewhere punishment of such an individual. Due to the basic implication of this power, individual tend to develop the most adaptable organizational behavior which could provide them with rewards and abstain from what could lead to punishments. Due to the crave for reward benefits, the functional status of the business is brought out to stronger defense for a standard that proclaims organizational comparative advantage.   Utilitarian power tends to provide a positive challenge in developing positive organizational behavior as well as increasing the productivity of the organizational output.   (Wilf, 2007) Reference. Wilf, H (2007) Organizational Power. Retrieved on 12th April 2008 from, http://www.geocities.com/athens/forum/1650/htmlpower.html

Auditing Standards, Increased Accounting Disclosure Essays

Auditing Standards, Increased Accounting Disclosure Essays Auditing Standards, Increased Accounting Disclosure Essay Auditing Standards, Increased Accounting Disclosure Essay Auditing Standards, Increased Accounting Disclosure, and Information Asymmetry: Evidence from an Emerging Market A Proposal December 2003 Auditing Standards, Increased Accounting Disclosure and Information Asymmetry : Evidence from an Emerging Market The interest in accounting disclosure and audit quality by academics, practitioners, and regulators heightened following the various financial reporting scandals, and subsequent legislative and professional response to these scandals (e. G. , ASS Corporate Governance Guide 2003; Serbians-Solely Act 2002). An important question hat has been on the minds of many is whether the implementation of stricter auditing standards such as those mandated by the U. S. Serbians-Solely Act would improve the information environment of firms whose shares are publicly traded. In this paper, I investigate the link between information asymmetry, measured by bid- ask spread, and increased accounting disclosures following the adoption of new auditing standards in China?an environment in which disclosure hitherto was relatively low. Level (1988) asserts that accounting regulation should reduce and Overreached (2000) argue that increased accounting disclosures should reduce information asymmetry not only between firms and stockholders but also among investors. 2 Currently, most empirical results on the economic link between increased disclosure and information asymmetry are based on samples of U. S. Firms. However, these firms have a rich information environment, making it difficult to observe economic conse quences of increased disclosures (Callahan et al. 1997, Healy and Pale 2001; Core 2001; Else and Overreached 2000). An emerging market environment, which is characterized by higher level of ex ante information asymmetry, may provide a potentially more powerful setting for detecting the effects f increased disclosure on market liquidity (Overreached 2001). Unlike developed capital markets, accounting disclosures in Chinese capital markets have been characterized as low in quantity and quality (Ixia et al. 2004; Abdul-Chalk et al. 1999; Lie and Ghana 1996). Over the period 1996 to 1997, accounting regulators and professionals in China implemented a series of auditing standards, modeled after the International Auditing Standards. The new auditing standards address a wide range of issues, such as audits of financial statements, audit evidence, audit reports, fraud and errors, internal controls, and audit risk. All domestic auditors are required to comply with the new standards in the conduct of financial statement audits. In addition, the Chinese Securities Regulatory Commission (CARS) and the Chinese Institute of Certified Public Accountants (CPA) are required to impose costly penalties on auditors who fail to comply with the new auditing standards (Defend et al. 2000). For example, the Quantifying scandal in 1996 resulted in the suspension of the CPA firm from practice for six months. Further, the Chinese High Court issued Document No. 56 in 1996 emphasizing auditors legal liabilities at the national level (Gull et al. 003). The intent of the changes in auditing standardization, government enforcement, and litigation environment is to make auditors more independent than they used to be. If that is so, then disclosure behavior of firms should receive more supervision and control, yielding significant increases in the quantity and quality of firms disclosures and decreases in information asymmetry. Thus, after adopting these standards, Chinese firms should expect narrower bid-ask spreads, an economic benefit from increased disclosure suggested by Level (1988). In this paper, I extend prior research in several ways. First, I examine the role of auditing regulations in reducing information asymmetry. Only few studies have directly investigated whether audit quality enhances disclosure quality, reducing both information asymmetry and cost of capital in the U. S. (see Searcher 2003). 5 A plausible reason for the paucity of research in this area might be that the rich disclosure environment of U. S. Firms limits the incremental impact of audit quality on accounting disclosure quality (Healy and Pale 2001). In contrast, the disclosure level in the Chinese emerging market is relatively low, thus audit opinions could envoy useful information to the market about the quality of a firms accounting information. Empirical studies on Chinese capital markets have documented links between auditing regulations and audit qualifications (Defend et al. 2000), and between audit qualifications and market return (Gull et al. 2003). I extend this line of research by investigating the impact of increased auditing regulation on firms accounting disclosure on information asymmetry (e. G. , see Yon 1998). As noted by Callahan et al. (1997), these studies focus only on the short-run information symmetry risk faced by dealers and investors rather than the long-run information asymmetry risk, which is of much concern to policy-makers and regulators. 6 In this study, I examine the long-term information asymmetry between the informed and uninformed traders caused by the structural differences in the access to information (Callahan et al. 997, 57). Finally, the Chinese emerging market implemented a series of auditing standards within a short period. The incremental effects of increased accounting disclosure on information asymmetry in such an environment should be much more significant than in a rich disclosure environment f developed markets (Overreached 2001). In addition, this study is also the first to explicitly stud y economic link between increased accounting disclosures on information asymmetry in an emerging market. I compare an experimental group of firms not previously audited under any auditing standards to a control group of firms previously audited under the international auditing standards. 7 1 will investigate whether the experimental firms bid-ask spreads declined significantly subsequent to the adoption of the new auditing standards (controlling for other known bid-ask spreads determinants). Further, I will conduct time-series intervention analyses to examine the experimental groups spread reductions are significant and permanent and whether there is a significant decline in control groups bid-ask spread. The results of this paper could have implications for policy-makers and regulators, and in particular, those in emerging economies. Policy-makers and regulators usually state that high quality accounting and/or auditing standards result in greater investor confidence, which improves liquidity, reduces capital cost, and makes market prices possible (Levity 1998, 81). A good effort on accounting/auditing policy-making and regulation should help the emerging economies improve information environment and market liquidity. The results suggest that auditing standards enhance disclosure quality, and that regulators in emerging economies should focus on auditing regulations to enhance audit quality in addition to their efforts to improve corporate accounting disclosure. 8 The remainder of the paper will be organized as follows. Section two will present the motivations for the study and the institutional settings of the Chinese emerging market. Overviews of prior research and hypothesis placement are to be presented in section three. Section four will describe the research design, and section five will present the empirical results.

Free Essays on Washington D.C. - A First Hand Experience

Washington D.C. – One Student’s First Hand Experience Nothing can compare with the experience I had in Washington D.C. Within the first week of my arrival I learned more than any number of years behind a school desk could teach me. There are invaluable lessons learned through experience that simply cannot be replicated in the classroom. For instance, speaking to people who have actually â€Å"been there†. Not only did I read about refugees in my texts, I spoke with one as well. Not only did I read about Corporate Social Responsibility, I spoke with an expert in USAID on the topic. Where learning in the classroom gives concepts, experience provides students with the opportunity to apply these concepts. My experience in Washington D.C. provided me with a concrete foundation for the knowledge I have learned at college. I will attempt to explain the value of my experience in D.C. by writing about a few of the first-hand experiences I had in our nation’s capital. The Protest As part of my experience in Washington D.C. with the Lutheran College Washington Consortium, I was required to attend a protest. Thousands of people showed up September 29th in Freedom Plaza across from where I worked at the Ronald Reagan building. The streets were filled with all sorts of people from all different kinds of backgrounds to join in together to protest racism and the war in Afghanistan. At this point after September 11th, popular sentiment in the nation was leaning toward bombing the country of Afghanistan off the face of the earth. President Bush spoke of the â€Å"evil† enemy. The press portrayed pictures of Arabic people burning the United States’ flag. When combined together with the emotional loss felt after September 11th, this created a need for vengeance amongst the collective conscience, and the need for a viable scapegoat. It seemed at the time that Arabic people were taking the role as the scapegoat for all the ... Free Essays on Washington D.C. - A First Hand Experience Free Essays on Washington D.C. - A First Hand Experience Washington D.C. – One Student’s First Hand Experience Nothing can compare with the experience I had in Washington D.C. Within the first week of my arrival I learned more than any number of years behind a school desk could teach me. There are invaluable lessons learned through experience that simply cannot be replicated in the classroom. For instance, speaking to people who have actually â€Å"been there†. Not only did I read about refugees in my texts, I spoke with one as well. Not only did I read about Corporate Social Responsibility, I spoke with an expert in USAID on the topic. Where learning in the classroom gives concepts, experience provides students with the opportunity to apply these concepts. My experience in Washington D.C. provided me with a concrete foundation for the knowledge I have learned at college. I will attempt to explain the value of my experience in D.C. by writing about a few of the first-hand experiences I had in our nation’s capital. The Protest As part of my experience in Washington D.C. with the Lutheran College Washington Consortium, I was required to attend a protest. Thousands of people showed up September 29th in Freedom Plaza across from where I worked at the Ronald Reagan building. The streets were filled with all sorts of people from all different kinds of backgrounds to join in together to protest racism and the war in Afghanistan. At this point after September 11th, popular sentiment in the nation was leaning toward bombing the country of Afghanistan off the face of the earth. President Bush spoke of the â€Å"evil† enemy. The press portrayed pictures of Arabic people burning the United States’ flag. When combined together with the emotional loss felt after September 11th, this created a need for vengeance amongst the collective conscience, and the need for a viable scapegoat. It seemed at the time that Arabic people were taking the role as the scapegoat for all the ...

Arts Criticism and Cultural & Historical Perspectives on-line Assignment

Arts Criticism and Cultural & Historical Perspectives on-line explorations - Assignment Example Time remains valuable to the human race, and when it passes when one has not accomplished set goals it causes regret or sadness (Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History). Fireflies Over the Uji River by Moonlight is an 18th century painting by Suzuki Shonen based on Japanese culture. The painting signifies a secluded place or a dark neighbourhood that appears threatening for a passer-by. In essence, this Japanese painting basis its theme on the life of a Buddhist who lives in an isolated location such that a passer-by cannot hear music coming from area because of the night rain (Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History). The big idea from the painting invokes a murky situation that leads to feelings of somberness. The heavy rain and mist shows an environment of darkness and dullness (Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History). The General View of the Burial Chamber of Neferkhewet before the Commencement of Clearing represents the 20th century painting of Harry Burton. This Egyptian work shows the tomb of Neferkhewet and family that was found in 1935. The tomb appeared tattered, crumbled and collapsed in many areas leaving it exposed (Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History). The big idea from the painting reflects dumbness and somberness in how the tomb appears ruined. The image shows that the dampness led to the breakdown of most of the organic matter in the tomb. In this way, it leaves a feeling of dullness and grimness for the destruction of human remains that should be protected (Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History). This visual arts website provides information on the history of transportation from ancient to modern day machines. The site offers important timeline information from 3500 BC wheels on carts were the main source of transport and later years of horses, wheelbarrows and hot air balloons. The 18th century saw the first road vehicle, 19th century cable car, and 20th century airplanes as well as

Should companies routinely google applicants or look at their facebook Assignment

Should companies routinely google applicants or look at their facebook page as part of reference check before hiring - Assignment Example In this regard, social networking sites can be used to establish job networks and forums that aim at enriching members with new opportunities. A background check describes the act by an employer to review both personal and public information in a bid to investigate a person’s history. Most employers’ reckon that about 40% of resumes contain false information, which necessitates the use of background checks to confirm resume claims. This is done as part of the hiring process, furthermore, in most cases requires the subject’s consent to proceed. In addition, it seeks to establish whether the job applicant’s character reveals plausible elements, which may be of benefit to the organization. In the wake technological advancements, employers have turned to the global village as a tool for performing background checks. This entails the use of social networking sites in search of information, which sheds light on their potential employees. It is, therefore, crucial to assess and analyze the pros and cons of googling or checking the facebook pages as part of reference before hiring. This paper seeks to demonstrate the effects of using social sites to perform such background checks. The rise of social media sites has seen potential employers tear through the sites in search of information on their potential employees. According to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder, nearly half of employers who participated indicated they use social sites to research on potential hires (Innovative Employee Solutions, n.d). This raises the question of ethics and whether the information obtained is applicable in the hiring process. The act of accessing social sites in the sense of performing a background check is seen as a violation of privacy, which contrary set regulations concerning such checks. It is regarded unethical behavior to violate a person’s privacy