The movies and drama Essay Example For Students

The movies and drama Essay The arts deal in the particular, the individual, and the personal. While the sciences deal in the general, the universal and the collective. To what extent does this statement obscure the nature of both areas of knowledge? In examining the ways in which this statement obscures the nature of both areas of knowledge, it is essential to examine the differences and similarities between both areas and determine links between the two. The arts as referred to in the statement can be qualified into all subjects of a creative and imaginative nature. Literature, poetry, fine arts, theatre arts, movies and drama can all be qualified as the arts. This is because all these subjects deal with the creativity and imagination of the human mind. All these areas of knowledge are sensitive to humans emotions and their perceptions of their surroundings. The arts can be said to be the areas of knowledge within which Humans attempt to understand the world around them in a passionate and heartfelt manner, letting their thoughts flow to produce works and pieces of an artistic nature. We will write a custom essay on The movies and drama specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The sciences as referred to in the statement can be qualified into all subjects of a practical and logically rational nature. Biology, chemistry, physics, zoology, psychology, botany and all their sub divisions can be qualified as the sciences. This is because all these subjects deal with practical, every day matters that bring about theories which help us better understand ourselves and our environment. All these areas of knowledge are based on reason, and satisfy the human quest to answering questions of their own existence by providing clear-cut, reliable and proven facts that are the basis for theories which serve as these answers. The sciences can be said to be the areas of knowledge within which practicality, logic and rationality serve as the foundation to providing theories that enable humans to comprehend their existence and their environment in a coherent manner. In exploring both areas of knowledge with reference to the statement, it is necessary to first establish the history of differences between both areas of knowledge. In their fundamental explanations, as seen above, the arts and the sciences directly contrast one another. This brings about the traditional opinion of how sciences and arts are two completely dissimilar areas of knowledge and any links between the two can only be found as differences. Over centuries of dismissing arts and sciences into two completely different corners of knowledge, opinions have been formed by humans about the divisions between both areas of knowledge, as is reflected in the statement. In exploring the impact these set rules of separation between both areas of knowledge have on obscuring them, it is essential to determine that they do certainly have basic differences in their fundamental explanations. There are many exceptions however, which prove that the sciences and the arts are not two completely vast and different areas of knowledge. They are simply, as is explored in the crux of this essay, two different approaches, both of which need to be utilized to better understand and accept the different ways of knowing and different areas of knowledge, linking the two to provide a greater understanding into the theory of knowledge.

Evolutionary Psychology As A Unifying †Research Paper

Evolutionary Psychology As A Unifying – Research Paper Free Online Research Papers Evolutionary Psychology As A Unifying Research Paper In this essay I will assess evolutionary psychology (E.P) as a scientific research programme. I will outline the concept of a scientific research programme and the utility of discussing E.P in this manner. I will also give an outline of the origins of E.P, discussing on the one hand its fundamental principles and their auxiliary hypotheses and on the other the earliest work done in this spirit. I will discuss certain ambiguities and weaknesses present in the programme, those concerning reverse engineering, modularity, adaptation and the Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness (E.E.A). I will complete the discussion of Archer’s claim by assessing criticisms of E.P and their motivation, and providing some warning comments about progress and degeneration. E.P as a Scientific Research Programme Archer (2001) presents the hierarchical theoretic structure of E.P. as outlined by Buss (1990). His basic claim is that the fundamental principles of E.P are not being tested in empirical research; the role of these fundamental principles (the first and second level) is to generate ‘novel hypotheses’ (the second and third level) which are then empirically tested. To understand fully what is being claimed one needs at least a brief gloss on work done in Philosophy of Science in the latter part of the twentieth century. In his Conjectures and Refutations Karl Popper made what many consider to be a key move in the justification of scientific method. His suggestion was that science follows a ‘hypothetico-deductive’ system. Rather than being an attempt to prove theories inductively from set of relevant observations, a more stable characterisation (which would also account for the success of scientific theories) would be as follows: hypotheses are deduced from theories; these hypotheses generate predictions which are submitted to rigorous tests; any observations which violate these predictions refute the theory via a retransmission of falsity under the logical law of modus tollens. Theories are conjectures which stand only until falsified; the wider the range of predictions and the more rigorous the test, the better the theory. (Popper, 1972) One problem noted by one of Popper’s students, David Miller (in his Critical Rationalism), is the lack of any theory of verisimilitude. Given that there is no way of identifying a specific set of all the hypotheses a theory may generate in potentia there is no way of knowing which un-refuted theory is objectively better, and thus closer to the truth, than its contemporaries. (Miller, 1994) An alternative view presented by Kuhn in his Structure of Scientific Revolutions is that ‘normal science’ consists of ‘paradigms’, which are themselves dependent upon historical factors such as their socio-political context. Unfortunately Kuhn’s use of the ‘paradigm’ is fairly ambiguous and whilst it is useful for talking about dramatic changes in accepted scientific thought e.g. the ‘Williams revolution’ in evolutionary biology, it is unclear whether it can be specifically applied to E.P. Kuhn recognising this ambiguity changed the term to disciplinary matrix or matrices (Kuhn, 1970, 1977). However, some e.g. Buller Hardcastle (2001) read ‘paradigm’ as a shared and unquestioned framework of theory, methodology, and exemplars (specific explanations that serve as models for further scientific research) and believe E.P may be represented in this way. I am unconvinced that they have wrestled with the ambiguities a nd will argue that a Lakatosian ‘scientific research programme’ (S.R.P) is closer to Archer’s representation of E.P as a â€Å"research agenda† and can better account for the diversity within the field (Archer 2001, p414). Imre Lakatos, also a student and colleague of Popper (but sympathetic the idea that history is a key factor in considering the nature of scientific research), proposed the idea that an S.R.P is characterised by a continuity which ties together its members: the metaphysical ‘hard-core’. The hard-core is metaphysical in the Popperian sense that it is not subject to refutation by empirical testing. Within the hard-core are the central theoretic principles from which auxiliary hypotheses are deduced. In E.P. the hard-core, at the very least, certainly comprises the principle that species evolve through genetic inheritance, mutation and differential selection: Darwinian evolution. It would also include certain Neo-Darwinian ethological principles such as Trivers’ theory of reciprocal altruism, Hamilton’s theory of kin selection and Maynard Smith’s application of ‘game theory’ to evolution. The inclusion of these is indicated by the words imme diately following the title quote â€Å"natural selection has made us this way† (Archer 2001, p414). Note that these theories are empirically testable, however what is important in the context of E.P as an S.R.P is that they are tested elsewhere (they are the auxiliary hypotheses of other S.R.P’s); the experiments conducted under the banner of E.P serve to test the auxiliary hypotheses which form a protective belt around the hard-core (Archer 2001, p415). This, I hope, will add some depth to Archers comment that it is a â€Å"fundamental misconception† about E.P research to believe â€Å"that in each case the evolutionary view is being tested† (Archer 2001, p416). The auxiliary hypotheses are interpretations of the hard-core with specified empirically observable predictions from which experiments may be constructed. If the predictions are falsified by experimental observations the relevant auxiliary hypotheses will be discarded as false interpretations of the core. A degenerative S.R.P is one which is continually forced to discard auxiliary hypotheses, thus reducing the range of empirical prediction and continually reinterpreting the hard-core. A progressive S.R.P is one which continually increases the range of empirical prediction through the survival of auxiliary hypotheses and the generation of novel hypotheses from the former. The Santa Barbara School and the early auxiliary hypotheses In the light of this discussion we can more clearly discern what might be characteristic features of E.P and see whether it does what Archer proclaims. Here I will examine the claim that the early writings and mission statements of Leda Cosmides and John Tooby provides the â€Å"defining features of the field† (Laland Brown (2002)). Together with Donald Symons, who brought them to the University of Santa Barbara, this group of researchers will be referred to as the ‘Santa Barbara School’ for the sake of convenience. Cosmides Toobys views on the nature of E.P seem to be in the same spirit as Archers rather general statement (serving as title for this paper), as shown the following quote: â€Å"Evolutionary psychology is an approach to psychology, in which knowledge and principles from evolutionary biology are put to use in research on the structure of the human mind.† (Cosmides Tooby, 1997) One noteworthy disparity between the Santa Barbara School and Archer (and perhaps also Buss, see Laland Brown (2002) p158) seems to be the extent to which they emphasise a computational theory of mind. Archer uses the word mechanism freely but without committing himself to any clear statement of his stance upon the functionality of the mind. Cosmides and Tooby on the other hand clearly emphasise that they take mind to be an information processing machine consisting of circuits operating programs which manifest adaptations: â€Å"When evolutionary psychologists refer to the mind, they mean the set of information-processing devices, embodied in the human brainthe programs comprising the human mind were designed by natural selection to solve the adaptive problems faced by our hunter-gatherer ancestors.† (Cosmides 2001) Thus we should exhibit evolutionary adaptations in our behaviour and cognitive abilities. An apparent thesis of the Santa Barbara School is what might be called hyper-modularity. Fodor originally introduced the idea of modularity to the Philosophy of Mind in arguing that the areas of mind involved in perception have certain pointed and discrete functional properties and are thus domain-specific whilst the rest of the mind may be a domain general problem solving machine (Fodor, 1983). A crucial feature of these modules is informational encapsulation; the module is only privy to the very specific information related to its function and does not access information processed in other parts of the brain. The Santa Barbara School adopt the idea of domain-specific modules whilst seemingly rejecting the idea that the mind may be domain-general. It is useful to understand this as a reaction to what they referred to as the Standard Social Science Model (SSSM), which retained what they considered a dogmatic view (inherited from the 17th and 18th century empiricists) of the mind as w hite paper to be written upon by social cultural and physical experience and so must be domain general (as it begins with no information regarding the problems it may face). A quote from Symon illustrates their view: â€Å"It is no more probable that some sort of general-purpose brain/mind mechanism could solve all the behavioural problems an organism faces (find food, choose a mate,select a habitat, etc.) than it is that some sort of general-purpose organ could perform all physiological functions (pump blood, digest food, nourish an embryo, etc.)† (Symons, 1997 as cited in Buller Hardcastle, 2000) To understand what problems these domain-specific modules have adapted to solve one must be familiar with the environment in which they evolved. Evolution takes a long time, only comprehensible in terms of thousands of generations. Cosmides and Tooby suggest, following Bowlby, that we have not significantly evolved since the time when our hunter-gather ancestors roamed the African Savannah in roughly the Pleistocene period; this would be the Environment of Evolutionary Adaptedness (E.E.A) and only in reference to this, rather than our post-agricultural/technological-revolution modern day world, may we understand present day adaptations. Thus we have a stone-age mind in a space age world, but â€Å"the past explains the present† , and we must reverse-engineer to understand a particular trait or disposition (Cosmides Tooby, 1990; Pinker, 1997 cited in Archer, 2001). Cosmides (1989) doctoral dissertation provides an illustration of the methods proposed above. Following the principle of reciprocal altruism and the idea that its effective function requires an ability to detect cheats to the rules of reciprocation (i.e. in solution to the free-rider problem), Cosmides designed a series of elegant experiments using the Wason selection task to test the hypothesis that humans possess a cheater detection module adapted to solve this problem. The data showed that even where subjects had training in formal logic 75% failed the task when in an abstract form, whereas 75% got it right when it was presented in a social form in which subjects had to detect cheats to a social rule (both tasks had the same logical form). This indicated that the subjects possessed a cheater detection module that was not party to the subjects knowledge of logic in a separate stream of the brain. In sum, we have a number of auxiliary hypotheses detailed above that have been interpreted from the hard-core which we established earlier. These are that the mind functions as a computer with discrete domain-specific modules, we will exhibit evolved adaptations in our behaviour and cognition our adaptations were selected for in an environment vastly different from that which most of us currently live in to understand these we must focus upon the E.E.A I shall give brief criticisms of each of these. Ambiguities, weaknesses, criticisms of E.P, degeneration and progress. I shall not address the concept of a computational theory in general but rather the specific modularity thesis. There are two initial points: firstly a modular theory of mind does not necessitate a mind composed of entirely domain specific modules – as Fodor (1983) suggests, there may be informationally encapsulated modules which do not interact with the rest of a domain general mind; secondly whilst Cosmides early conclusions at least require some domain-specific/informationally encapsulated modules there is little to suggest that this precludes them being a part of a domain-general mind. In fact there seems to be evidence that some psychological traits are domain-general, and when pushed upon the matter Cosmides and Tooby agree, pointing to their own recent work which indicates just this, making it somewhat ambiguous what their stance is. Work done by Ramachandran and others has shown that hand-gesturing in babies comes before the use of language, gesticulation experiences are reported by phantom limb patients when communicating, blind persons use the same gestures in the same manner as sighted persons, sighted persons still gesticulate when talking to blind persons and subjects recall details of a story better when allowed to gesticulate. All of which indicates that gesticulation may not be a culturally learned behavioural trait but rather a tool for the speakers language use. This is in turn would indicate that there is a dynamic interaction between brain areas involved in language and those involved in motor control; this is a direct criticism of Pinkers arguments that there are discrete language modules and of hyper-modularity in general (Badcock, 2000, pp23 25). Adaptations are a point of controversy within Darwinian theory. Darwins own comments seem to suggest that an adaptation selected to solve a specific problem may be an illusion or very heavy interpretation of what is really just an amalgam of surviving parts (see quotation in Badcock pp 22 23). Also Williams warns against regarding something as an adaptation prematurely, stating that the criterion for regarding a feature of an organism as adaptive (and if so what it was originally adaptive to) are far too unclear, as such he warns that we should only regard something as adaptation when we have exhausted all other possibilities. There seems to be a problem here for the reverse engineering thesis that presumes we can glean semantic properties (the why) rather than just causal properties (the how) from our analysis of whether a particular behaviour or ability is adaptive (Badcock, 2000, pp18 19). Having anything interesting to say about the E.E.A may be precluded by the difficulty of being able to say with confidence that something is an adaptation rather than an epiphenomenon of other other unnoticed adaptations. This aside it is not particularly clear what exactly the E.E.A is; denoting a general time-period and place does not get us far in having a working model. Cosmides and Tooby (1990) have attempted to provide something more definitive: â€Å"it is a statistical composite of the adaptation relevant properties of the ancestral environments encountered by members of ancestral populations, weighted by their frequency and their fitness consequences.†(as cited in Laland Brown 2000 pp179) Yet this does not denote a particular ancestral population or even a particular time period which would mark key stages in our evolution of certain adaptations (Laland Brown, 2000) The idea of an E.E.A and focus on the general hunter-gatherer concept also gives a misleadingly static view of evolution in the surrounding time periods. In addition, to say that we are maladapted to our current environment is akin to saying that the hunter gatherers, being originally vegetarians, were maladapted to theirs. It seems a moot point to argue focus upon one environment rather than another. A few things must be noted in conclusion. Firstly very few of the criticisms above are decisive or even arguments. To do this effectively one would have to level each against all the diverse work done in the field. But the line of attack is clear; if the auxiliary hypotheses cannot achieve the generality they purport or worse still their predictions are disconfirmed then they will have to be reinterpreted in order that the programme may survive. If reinterpretation persists then the field should be considered degenerative. But if it can field all the criticisms and make new predictions, progress must be noted. One thing that is omitted above is a proper treatment of the diversity of research done in this field, as I have tried to look at the bigger picture. The picture is overall a highly deterministic one and rejecting this aspect is a common motivation for some of the more valid criticisms. Rose Rose point out that there is no account taken of plasticity and the dynamic complex nature of living systems (Archer, 2001 pp428 429). And as a final note, volitional action is still considered one of the things that makes us human, our behaviour seems under-determined by genetic mechanisms, something may be being left out. Bibliography: General note to reader: Where philosophical literature has been cited, exact page references have been omitted intentionally, in the belief that all references made are simply interpretations of their work. If my interpretation is deemed correct, the insight belongs to the referee, if deemed incorrect then I am simply mistaken. Archer, J. et al. (2001) Evolving Theories of Behaviour, in ‘The Psychologist’, 14(8): 414 431. Badcock, C.R. (2000) Evolutionary Psychology: a critical introduction; Blackwell, Polity Press Buss, D.E. (1990) – Evolutionary Social Psychology: prospects and pitfalls; in ‘Motivation and Emotion’, 14: 265-286. Buller Hardcastle (2000) Evolutionary Psychology, Meet Developmental Neurobiology: Against Promiscuous Modularity; in ‘Brain and Mind’ 1: 307–325: Netherlands, Kluwer Academic Publishers. Cosmides Tooby (1997) Evolutionary Psychology: a primer: (psych.ucsb.edu/research/cep/primer.html) Copyright John Tooby and Leda Cosmides, Updated January 13, 1997 Cosmides, L. (1989) The Logic of Social Exchange: has natural selection shaped how humans reason? Studies with the Wason selection task; in Cognition 31: 187-276 (2001) Interview with Alvaro Fischer and Roberto Araya for the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio (psych.ucsb.edu/research/cep/ledainterview.htm); part of a project entitled New Paradigms at the Beginning of the Third Millenium. Fodor, J. (1983) The Modularity of Mind: an essay on faculty psychology Cambridge, Mass. ; London : MIT Press Hume, D (1975) Enquiries Concerning Human Understanding and Concerning the Principles of Morals; L.A Selby-Bigge: Third Edition, Oxford, Clarendon Press. Kuhn, T. S (1970) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions; Second edition: Chicago, University of Chicago Press. (1977) The Essential Tension. Selected Studies in Scientific Tradition and Change. Chicago: University of Chicago Press . Lakatos, I. (1976) Proofs and refutations: the logic of mathematical discovery; edited by John Worrall and Elie Zahar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Laland Brown (2002) Sense and Nonsense: evolutionary perspectives on human behaviour; Clarendon, Oxford University Press. Miller, D. (1994) – Critical Rationalism: a restatement and defence; Chicago: Open court Popper, K. (1972) Conjectures and Refutations; Fourth Edition: Routledge Kegan Paul Limited Research Papers on Evolutionary Psychology As A Unifying - Research PaperThree Concepts of PsychodynamicEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenResearch Process Part OneGenetic EngineeringOpen Architechture a white paperInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesStandardized TestingAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

Competing Values Framework tes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Competing Values Framework tes - Research Paper Example One of the dimensions related to organizational focus ranging from internal emphasis on staffs within an organization to the external focus that covers the outward relations of the organization. Their second dimension was concerned with differences between control and stability versus flexibility and change (Hamm 1993). The framework has other important aspects in addition to its original role as a leadership tool. It is a relevant tool for use across all levels within an organization. Scholars developed its name because initially, the four models that form as its pillars seemed to carry conflicting messages. Stakeholders desired to have adaptable, flexible, stable, and controlled organizations at the same time. Core Assumptions The Competing Values Framework consists of four quadrants. The first segment is the internal process model. This model bases on hierarchy, documentation, emphasises measurement, and management of information. The four processes are responsible for enhancing c ontrol and stability. It is essential to note that hierarchies function well when time is not an important factor and when an employee has sufficient knowledge about the requirements of the job. The second quadrant is the open systems model (O’Neill 1993). This model operates on organic system, readiness, resource acquisition and support, emphasises on adaptability, and growth. The processes do not control employees but inspires them. This efforts lead to staffs being innovative and creative. Rational goal model is the third core assumption of the Competing Values Model. The model centres on profit and emphasises on rational actions. The model has various assumptions that include a notion that proper planning and setting of goals leads to productivity and efficiency. The plan of action in this case, entails clarification of tasks, setting of objectives, and taking action. The final assumption is the human relations model (Hooijberg 996). This model puts a lot of emphasis on c ohesion and morale among employees. Motivation of employees according to the model comes from efficient training programs for employees. It considers employees as constituents of the organization existing in a common social system. The Competing Values Framework considers the four models that appear different and disjointed as a unit. They are related and interconnected. They fall under one large domain of organizational and managerial effectiveness. They are the invisible values that propel people, policies, and programs. Organizations live and die because of them. Application The Competing Values Framework applies in many areas within institutions and business organizations. It applies to individual styles, assess communication within organizations, and serves as a tool to analyse the degree of leadership. It helps in developing and building organizational culture for adoption by employees. This creates core competences necessary for success of a particular company. The human reso urces department within the organization uses its efficiency design motivational schemes, employee selection criteria, and the quality of employees (Quinn and Rohrbaugh 1983). The management of organizations can use the same to develop the best human resource practices, organizational capabilities, and develop change patterns. These developments are important when setting financial performance. The values of the framework apply across all ranks within organizati

Financial Upheavals. Financial crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Financial Upheavals. Financial crisis - Essay Example The aftermaths of any such business cycle may vary from being modest to remorseless hinging upon its magnitude and continuance. History show that the American economy has moved through periods of boom, recession and recovery. The years 1837, 1893 and 1929 help retrace the occurrence of three major depressions in United States (Calomiris 2010). The downturns of 1857, 1873, and 1907 are also referred in the history books (Rothbard 2002). The America of 1819 and the financial crisis its people went through was only the first of speculative cacoethes which is America's true national interest (Maloney 2009). But then again, the Great Recession of 2008 is the latest financial turmoil in the United States, the twinges of which are still being sensed. Both these financial upheavals resemble one another with respect to their causes and consequences. For instance, they headed to extended bank failures, loan foreclosures, high unemployment rates and a depression in manufacturing sector. The cau ses of the panic of 1819 can be assigned to the economic system of the United States (Rothbard 2002). The panic of 1819 ended the tremendous economic expansion that occurred after the War of 1812. Rampant inflation, debtors’ relief which was constantly associated with monetary strategies and a protective tariff on imports worked as a pivotal point in creating the situation of panic in the US at that time. Whereas, the oncoming of the Recession of 2008 can be assigned to complicated and interconnected constituents. Sub-prime loans, lax financial regulation, loose monetary policy and global instabilities collectively induced the latest financial upheaval that caused entire world staggering. This suggests that there were more than one element that sparked off the two financial upheavals discussed above. Among those major causal elements, monetary policy played a key role to trigger the financial turmoils. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast these two historic fi nancial upheavals; the earliest and the latest to have rocked the United States of America with special emphasis on the role of the monetary policy in each case. The Panic of 1819 The major causes of the panic of 1819 were delved within the US economy. Similar to so much of what is disastrous to civilized society, the Panic of 1819 had been produced in the violent agitation particularly of the War of 1812. The young American economy confronted many rapid breakdowns that were brought by the War of 1812 and its consequences. United States previously had been a big country with a thin population of around seven million which were mostly committed solely to agriculture. Many agricultural products such as wheat, cotton, and tobacco were exported across borders, although the residual of the agricultural products was mostly consumed by self-sustaining rural families. Public debt held by Americans during the war of 1812 induced the prices rise throughout the United States. At that time, the monetary system of the country was not advance or highly-developed. The American banks were restricted almost entirely to the cities and their tools and methods to run the economy inclined to be lax with insignificant Government control. The reality, that most banks and other institutions of that era had to acquire their position by exceptional legislative charter, tempted inquisitive and high-risk misuses through exerting force on the legislature. All this resulted in an inadequacy of uniformity in administering banks within and among states. The emergence of the First Bank of the United States had regulated the banks towards uniformity until the year 1811. Irresponsible and mismanaged banking system had played a crucial role in creating that panic. From 1811 to

Data flow diagram Essay Example for Free

Data flow diagram Essay Current state of Technology, statement of the major and minor problems, general and specific objectives, scope and limitation are introduced and discussed in this documentation’s chapter 1. Theoretical framework is stated in chapter 2. This chapter 2 is where methodologies including references and models used in developing Sales and Inventory System are discussed. Essential discussion and introduction for Prosight Eyecare Provider Sales and Inventory System are stated in chapter 3, as well as the diagram needed in developing effective and normalized database and the system itself. Eyecare Provider Inventory and Sales System is an inventory system and Sales System that small business transaction . This is to handle sales, purchasing and inventory management. It helps to organize customer purchase order, By using this, Prosight Eyecare Provider Inventory and Sales System, business can helps for less effort. It offers faster and quicker inventory management that counts the movement of stocks for all the accounts and transaction made. 1.2 Statement of the Problem. Develop module to return products include replacement for returned items automatically. To develop modules to void item need administrator for reduce to purchase an item. To develop modules to purchase item need type a product code for include a purchase order and it computes as well. To develop modules to received a purchase products for show of all purchase every invoice. Scope and Limitation The system is all about Prosight Eyecare Provider Sales and Inventory System. The scopes of the system are the following: Tracking of purchase order, receiving purchase order and return of products to supplier. All transaction will be recorded. Reports needed for the inventory can also be generated by the system. The system is capable of tracking and monitoring of stocks. Inventory will be automatically calculated for every transaction that may affect the inventory. Reorder point is also generated by the system. Purchase item it will be automatic put the inventory records The systems’ functionality will only be limited for the sales and inventory of Prosight Eyecare Provider. Accounting system of the business is not included in the system.

Apple Inc Marketing Case Study Marketing Essay

Apple Inc Marketing Case Study Marketing Essay Apple was founded by Steven Wozniak and Steven Jobs in 1976. The company was founded by releasing the first successful mass-produced personal computer. Steve Wozniak designed the Apple I design was his addition to the success of Apple. Steve Jobs recognized the potential market for the personal computer. Their combined talents created the successful start of the company. The technology market is fast paced and Apple has shown growth and innovation to stay at the forefront of this market. The company has expanded from the Apple I and desktop computers to mobile computers, PDAs, MP3 players, and most recently the mobile phone market. Innovation has been a key role in the success of Apple As a business strategy, Apple leverages its ability, through the design and development of its own operating system, hardware, and many software applications and technologies, to bring to its customers around the world compelling new products and solutions with superior ease-of-use, seamless integration, and innovative industrial design. This strategy has worked well for the company since it first opened. Apple has been able to create brand strength by focusing on a limited number of products ensuring that they are high quality. They have focused on their innovative strength playing up the release of their product by keeping them behind closed doors and when ready Steve Jobs announces and demonstrates the product which creates an excitement in consumers waiting to see what the latest and greatest technology will be. Apple has also built a customer loyalty not seen in its competition. With the recent releasing of the i products, iMac, iPod, iTouch, and iPhone loyal consumers have been referred to as icustomers due to their loyalty to the brand. Apple has used the i product to create a Halo effect for its other products. Using the lower cost products like iPods to show the ease-of-use and high quality of products that Apple produces to create a selling point for higher end products like their desktops. The Apple Company has also created partnerships with their competitors which has strengthened the company. Rather than use time researching and developing some products like Google maps and YouTube, Apple has incorporated the already market saturated applications in their products. The time and funds are better served researching and developing the next product that will wow the market. Apples overall financial standing is forward moving and shows good growth. Net income has constantly increased each year with an average 38.1% growth over the past three years. In 2004 Apple eliminated the $300 million of long-term debt it had outstanding resulting in no long-term debt reported from 2003 to 2007. This debt was eliminated without funding reduction in other areas of the company. Strategic Weaknesses Apple is the market share leader for MP3 players and smart phones, but is far below the market shares of its competitors in computers. Apple held only 8.5% of the market share in the second quarter of 2008 compared to Dell Inc at 31.9% and Hewlett-Packard at 25.3%. In 2007 Apple held only 6.4% of the market compared to Dell Inc at 27.9% and Hewlett-Packard at 25.8%. Apples sales have been made up of an average of 46% of their total net sales from 2004 to 2007. When the market share dropped in 2007 sales still increase for the overall but was due to increases in iPod sales and other music-related products and services that had significant increases that year. The low market share in 2007 can be explained by the economic recession. Consumers in a weak economy look towards the less expensive options available which shifts the market towards Apples competitors Dell and Hewlett-Packard. Apples products do have some degree of cannibalization. Each product line has offering for different cost based markets and the differentiation of products has started to blur. iPods serve a low price market, iTouch serve a midrange market and the computers represent a high price market. The technology market fluctuates very strongly with the economy, so with a down turning economy iPods would cannibalize the sales of the iTouch product. iPhones also incorporate a music player eliminating the need for both the mobile phone and music player. Still sales of each item have shown an overall growth each year in the market with exception to computers. Below is a table representing the percent increase of sales that Apple has in desktops and laptops. The overall growth percentage of sales has fluctuated but comparing years with similar percentages of growth, 2005 and 2007 show that laptops have cannibalized desktops. In 2005 desktop sales had a 35.5% growth by units from the prior year and laptops only increase by 7.3%. In 2007 desktops growth per units sold was only 10.3% and laptops increased 33.8% from the prior year. Apple will see a common trend for iPods in relationship to iPhones and other products that incorporate music players in future years. % Unit Sale Increase from Prior Year 2007 2006 2005 2004 Desktops 10.3% -3.5% 35.5% -8.1% Laptops 33.8% 29.8% 7.3% 24.8% Total Macintosh 24.7% 4.5% 27.4% 8.4% Another weakness Apple has is issues that have surrounded new product releases. In 2001 when the first iPod was released it was criticized for its short battery life which lead to lawsuit filed for misrepresenting the battery life. Again in 2005 with the release of the Nano customers complained about the devices reporting that they would freeze up, stop functioning, and that the products casing was very susceptible to scratches. Despite the poor product releases the iPods consumers still found the product to be a quality product and iPods still held the top market share of MP3s. In 2007 the second generation of iPhone was released and the price was lowered to $399. This was described as larger-than-normal price drop in a short period of time and had consumers speculating that Apple had unfair pricing. These issues that Apple has faced with product releases show that there is a flaw in Apples research and development process. If Apple was to experience a recall on its products or cont inues to have issues like these for its new products their products will no longer be seen as high quality and will create a fear in consumers to wait to purchase Apple products until they know that it doesnt have any issues. The final weakness that Apple has is its reliance on Steve Jobs as CEO. It wasnt until Steve Jobs returned with his expanded role with Apple that it started showing consistency in the forward successful movement to achieve the companys strategic objectives. Between 1981 and 1997 Apple was under the direction of six different chief executive officers. In 1997 Steve Jobs was given an expanded role and in 2000 became the official CEO. Starting in 1997 Steve Jobs made many changes including, a new board of directors, initiated aggressive advertising campaign, created an alliance with Microsoft ending their legal dispute, start an e-commerce for consumer direct sales, and releasing the iMAC a product for the lower-end consumer market. After 2000 and the official announcement that Steve Jobs would be Apples CEO he continued to expand on the successes releasing the iPod which opened up the music industry to the company and many additional opportunities over the next years. Apple needs a lea der like Steve Jobs to keep the company on a forward moving path using its strategic plan. The other CEOs that Apple has had have not been able implement the strategic plan like Steve Jobs who co-founded the company. Recommendations Apples low market share exists due to its higher price and software compatibility. In 1997 Steve Jobs started to close the software compatibility gap by creating an alliance with Microsoft who agreed to make Windows available to Mac users. Apple will not reduce its price, at least not enough to compete with Dell or Hewlett-Packard, the products price is part of the brand image as a quality and innovative product. I would recommend Apple attempt to keep their market share at 8% or higher for the computer market. To achieve this Apple should use smaller price reductions that would not effect product perception. Other than price reduction the only way for Apple to increase market share would be to create a new innovative product related to the computer market. Pretty much, Apple and Dell are the only ones in this industry making money. They make it by being Wal-Mart. We make it by innovation. Steve Jobs In relation to Apples products and the potential for cannibalization between them I would recommend research and development of a software product that can allow you to share files, music, and applications between the products. Currently Apple offers MobileMe for a $99/year fee for a service that can be accessed through applications on a consumers iPhone, iTouch, or Mac that provides 20 GB of off site storage. Verse this option that is competing with free versions like DropBox I am recommending a wireless sync between products so files can be moved quickly and conveniently between the products with a simple touch. Moving music, presentations, or pictures between the devices with easy would help build value in owning multiple products in similar markets. My next recommendation would be to assess Apples research and development process. The release problems that Apple has experienced show an effect on sales and effect the high quality brand name that Apple has worked hard at maintaining. Currently Apple only uses 3% of net sales for research and development. I would suggest taking more time and using more funds in necessary to ensure that the products they release will not continue to this trend of negative product releases. My last recommendation would be to lay the ground work for Steve Jobs replacement. I would recommended using someone already working for Apple that understands the strategic plan and foster a mentorship for this person for a few years to create a smooth transition. I would recommend if a all possible for Steve Jobs to not just exit the company but remain in an advisor position as part of the companys board to ensure that his successor remains on track to achieve the strategic objectives that have make Apple a successful company. Comments/Observations/Questions Amazon opening Droid application store Apple announced a few days ago, Bertrand Serlet, a senior software engineer at the company since the return of Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs in 1997 and a main architect of the Mac operating system was leaving Apple 2007 around the same year of the iPod release and iTV Apple dropped Computers from company name.

Inventory System

A perpetual inventory tracking system is a method of immediately accounting for inventory sales in the inventory account, if there is no theft or spoilage. It is an inventory management system where store balances of inventory are recorded after every transaction. It eliminates the need for the store to close down constantly for inventory stock-taking as perpetual inventory systems allow for continuous stock-taking. Perpetual inventory systems keep a running account of the company's inventory. Perpetual inventory systems involve more record-keeping than periodic inventory systems.Every inventory item is kept on a separate ledger. These inventory ledgers contain information on cost of goods sold, purchases, and inventory on hand. Perpetual inventory management systems allow for a high degree of control of the company's inventory by management. Perpetual inventory management is generally used by companies who have the ability to scan the inventory items sold and who use  point-of-sal e inventory systems. Perpetual inventory systems provide the business owner with a record of what is sold, where it was sold from, when it was sold, and for what price it was sold.As a result, it allows for businesses to have more than one location with one centralized inventory management system. Even with a perpetual inventory management system, the company still needs to shut down at least annually to do a periodic, or manual, inventory count. The scanned data should tell the business owner exactly what inventory should be on hand. The major advantage of doing a periodic inventory count is to determine how much inventory has been lost, stolen, or subject to spoilage.What is a Periodic Inventory System? A periodic inventory system does not require day-to-day tracking of physical inventory. Purchases, cost of goods sold, and inventory on hand cannot be tracked until the end of the accounting time period when a physical inventory is performed and ending inventory is compared against the sum of beginning inventory and purchases. Cost of ending inventory can be calculated by using the  LIFO or FIFO inventory accounting methods, or other less common methods. Inventory System Janes (2001) stated that computers are extremely reliable device and very powerful calculators with some great accessories applications like word processing problem for all of business activities, regardless of size, computers have three advantages over other type of office equipment that process information because computer are faster, more accurate more economical Reyes (2005) task would be time consuming to accomplish manually and more practical with the aid of computers field in cabinet.Dioso (2001) stated    that computer assist    careful intelligent planning, organizing, actuating and controlling . This maybe observed from the past that they monitor production activities, solve scientific problem and help arrive in tentative answer to a multitude of involve conditions. Ralph M. Stair (1999) emphasized that the development of technology through the years have enabled us to do more with less effort. From the orientation of the light bulb to the industrial revolution and beyo nd, we have continuously tried to in a more efficient means of doing tasks.Lewis (2002) stated that the reason for using computers vary from person to person. Some of the computers in business are to perform accuracy, to be as productivity, to decrease bottle necks or hassles to alter cash flows or to simples elevate your status. Sybex    Inc (1999) stated that visual basic provide a graphical environment in which the users usually designed the forms and control that become the building block of tour application . Visual Basic support many useful tools that will help the user more productivity. Computerize sales and inventory systemComputers began from a wild imaginative idea to the world’s highly prioritized tool. Computers today are now used as a substitute to manual processes and other past inventions like the radio, television, etc. It is now used by people for much simpler, easier and faster way to do things. Some used it as a hobby, and some use it as a job. Technolog y has never stopped from advancing through the years. Its new innovations helps answer the people’s further complex questions. Why not use these advantages to benefit ourselves? Many people use computers in their daily lives.Some use it for transactions, some use it for educational purposes and others use it for data storage. Though it might sound unnecessary but in some cases when storing a file for such a big company, can you manage it properly? Organizing, finding a file, etc. With computers, it can help you simplify the process of storing and managing the files you need for future use and make finding files easier than the manual process. A Proposed Sales and Inventory System In business like merchandising, Sales and Inventory system plays an important role.It is used to track all the transactions made by the business and responsible for monitoring the items supplies. All the business transactions must be properly recorded and must be fully secured by password. A Computer ized system is the best solution and most innovative answer for their needs. The researchers had been motivated to do a study on this topic according to the above observation. The result may help others to understand more about computer-generated data processing, especially on how to deal with computers in terms of speed, accuracy and data security Inventory System This chapter of a thesis commences a brief statement and enumerating the main topics that are to be covered in it; namely;1) Research Design; 2) Sources of Data (Locale of the Study and Population/Sampling); 3) Instrumentation and Data Collection; and 4) Tools for Data Analysis.Research DesignThe appropriate research design should be specified and described.A research design encompasses the methodology and procedure employed to conduct scientific research. The design of a study defines the study type (descriptive, correlational, semi-experimental, experimental, review, meta-analytic) and sub-type (e.g.: descriptive-longitudinal case study), research question and hypotheses, independent and dependent variables, experimental design if applicable, data collection methods and a statistical analysis plan.Sources of DataDescribe the locale of the study and the research population.Locale of the Study Describes the place where the study was conducted and the rationale behind its choice. Popu lation/Sampling Describe the population of interest and the sampling of subjects used in the study. Instrumentation and Data CollectionDescribe the instrument, what it will measure, how to interpret, to whom it will be administered and if it is necessary, describe how it will be administered. Discuss how the validity and the reliability will be established. Specify the level of reliability (probability). Give details of instruction given to assistants if persons other than the researcher gather data. State qualifications of informants if used in the study.Tools for Data Analysis Determine and justify the statistical treatment for each sub-problem Determine and justify the scales of values used and the descriptive equivalent ratings, if any.In thesis writing, the most difficult part to defend is Chapter 4 because it is inthis section where you will present the results of the whole study. Here is a sample thesis format.In thesis writing, the most difficult part to defend is Chapter 4 because it is in this section where you will present the results of the whole study. Here is a sample thesis format.CHAPTER 4: PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATAPresentation of DataPresent the findings of the study in the order of the specific problem as stated in the statement of the Problem. Present the data in these forms: Tabular Textual Graphical (optional) The ZOOM LENS approach may be used for purposes of clarity in the presentation of data, i.e. general to particular, macro to micro or vice versa.Analysis of the DataData may be analyzed quantitatively or qualitatively depending on the level of measurement and the number of dimensions and variables of the study. Analyze in depth to give meaning to the data presented in the data presented in the table. Avoid table reading. State statistical descriptions in declarative sentences, e.g. in the studies involving:Correlation State level of correlation State whether positive or negative Indicate the level of significa nce Make a decision Differences of Measures State the obtained statistical results Indicate the level of significance of the difference Make a decision Interpretation of Data1. Establish interconnection between and among data 2. Check for indicators whether hypothesis/esis/are supported or not by findings. 3. Link the present findings with the previous literature. 4. Use parallel observations with contemporary events to give credence presented in the introduction. 5. Draw out implications.In thesis writing, the Chapter is simply a summary of what the researcher had done all throughout the whole research. The following format serves as a sample:CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONSSummary of Findings This describes the problem, research design, and the findings (answer to the questions raised). The recommended format is the paragraph form instead of the enumeration form. For each of the problems, present:The salient findings, The results of the hypothesis tested Conclusions These are brief, generalized statements in answer to the general and each of the specific sub-problems. These contain generalized in relation to the population. These are general inferences applicable to a wider and similar population. Flexibility is considered in making of conclusions. It is not a must to state conclusions on a one-to-one correspondence with the problems and the findings as all variables can be subsume in one paragraph. Conclusions may be used as generalizations from a micro to a macro-level or vice versa (ZOOM LENS approach).Recommendations They should be based on the findings and conclusion of the study. Recommendations may be specific or general or both. They may include suggestions for fu rther studies. They should be in non-technical (skilled) language.They should be feasible, workable, flexible, doable, adaptable. An action plan is optional. Inventory System A perpetual inventory tracking system is a method of immediately accounting for inventory sales in the inventory account, if there is no theft or spoilage. It is an inventory management system where store balances of inventory are recorded after every transaction. It eliminates the need for the store to close down constantly for inventory stock-taking as perpetual inventory systems allow for continuous stock-taking. Perpetual inventory systems keep a running account of the company's inventory. Perpetual inventory systems involve more record-keeping than periodic inventory systems.Every inventory item is kept on a separate ledger. These inventory ledgers contain information on cost of goods sold, purchases, and inventory on hand. Perpetual inventory management systems allow for a high degree of control of the company's inventory by management. Perpetual inventory management is generally used by companies who have the ability to scan the inventory items sold and who use  point-of-sal e inventory systems. Perpetual inventory systems provide the business owner with a record of what is sold, where it was sold from, when it was sold, and for what price it was sold.As a result, it allows for businesses to have more than one location with one centralized inventory management system. Even with a perpetual inventory management system, the company still needs to shut down at least annually to do a periodic, or manual, inventory count. The scanned data should tell the business owner exactly what inventory should be on hand. The major advantage of doing a periodic inventory count is to determine how much inventory has been lost, stolen, or subject to spoilage.What is a Periodic Inventory System? A periodic inventory system does not require day-to-day tracking of physical inventory. Purchases, cost of goods sold, and inventory on hand cannot be tracked until the end of the accounting time period when a physical inventory is performed and ending inventory is compared against the sum of beginning inventory and purchases. Cost of ending inventory can be calculated by using the  LIFO or FIFO inventory accounting methods, or other less common methods. Inventory System Janes (2001) stated that computers are extremely reliable device and very powerful calculators with some great accessories applications like word processing problem for all of business activities, regardless of size, computers have three advantages over other type of office equipment that process information because computer are faster, more accurate more economical Reyes (2005) task would be time consuming to accomplish manually and more practical with the aid of computers field in cabinet.Dioso (2001) stated    that computer assist    careful intelligent planning, organizing, actuating and controlling . This maybe observed from the past that they monitor production activities, solve scientific problem and help arrive in tentative answer to a multitude of involve conditions. Ralph M. Stair (1999) emphasized that the development of technology through the years have enabled us to do more with less effort. From the orientation of the light bulb to the industrial revolution and beyo nd, we have continuously tried to in a more efficient means of doing tasks.Lewis (2002) stated that the reason for using computers vary from person to person. Some of the computers in business are to perform accuracy, to be as productivity, to decrease bottle necks or hassles to alter cash flows or to simples elevate your status. Sybex    Inc (1999) stated that visual basic provide a graphical environment in which the users usually designed the forms and control that become the building block of tour application . Visual Basic support many useful tools that will help the user more productivity. Computerize sales and inventory systemComputers began from a wild imaginative idea to the world’s highly prioritized tool. Computers today are now used as a substitute to manual processes and other past inventions like the radio, television, etc. It is now used by people for much simpler, easier and faster way to do things. Some used it as a hobby, and some use it as a job. Technolog y has never stopped from advancing through the years. Its new innovations helps answer the people’s further complex questions. Why not use these advantages to benefit ourselves? Many people use computers in their daily lives.Some use it for transactions, some use it for educational purposes and others use it for data storage. Though it might sound unnecessary but in some cases when storing a file for such a big company, can you manage it properly? Organizing, finding a file, etc. With computers, it can help you simplify the process of storing and managing the files you need for future use and make finding files easier than the manual process. A Proposed Sales and Inventory System In business like merchandising, Sales and Inventory system plays an important role.It is used to track all the transactions made by the business and responsible for monitoring the items supplies. All the business transactions must be properly recorded and must be fully secured by password. A Computer ized system is the best solution and most innovative answer for their needs. The researchers had been motivated to do a study on this topic according to the above observation. The result may help others to understand more about computer-generated data processing, especially on how to deal with computers in terms of speed, accuracy and data security

Balanced Scorecards at BIOCO Essay

An Analysis of, â€Å"Case Study 7-2: Balanced Scorecards at BIOCO† BIOCO has realized from its use of balanced scorecards that the company has been able to open communication channels, where common goals are established throughout the whole company. Employees are able to view the company’s value drivers, such as financial performance. The Chief Intelligence Officer (CIO) believed that that balanced scorecards helped employees to not only look at their own departments operations, but the overall operations within the company. The Vice President believed that the scorecards helped all employees understand the overall goals of the company within their own departments. Balanced scorecards also helped the IT department interpret the other business areas within the company. The scorecards helped create an internal perspective that outlined the goals and the measures of the company. Balanced Scorecards allowed every employee at BIOCO to know what the company was excelling at, and where the company demanded resources be integrated in order to excel. The BIOCO way was effective in aiding the IT department to coordinate its goals with that of the company, because every employee through balanced scorecards were able to see the operations and key driver goals of the IT department. Employees could see whether the IT projects were effective and on track. Also, the IT department could see the operations and goals of other business areas within the company. If IT was working on a project to implement information systems (IS) in a certain business area/department, they could review the balanced scorecards to see the kind of goals and operations utilized within that department. IT can then align the IS with the business strategy of a certain department by viewing these scorecards. The BIOCO approach could be successfully integrated into large organizations, and considered a useful communication tool. This tool would be utilized by management to integrate the business strategy with the organizational structure. Creating goals based on customer perspective, internal business perspective, innovating and learning perspective, and financial perspective would be the first step (Pearlson & Saunders, 2013). The next step will include making adjustments to gauge  performance goals accurately. For example, a large firm may gauge how customers perspective by monitoring their reputation within the market, or they will review the impact of projects on its’ users (Pearlson & Saunders, 2013). After a large organization finds a way to measure goals, they will have to create a corporate strategy map. The map will have balanced scorecards that descend throughout the whole company. The map will have to include company, division, region, district, store, and department balanced scorecards. The only way the BIONCO approach will be useful with a new CEO is if that CEO does not see any change needed within the organization or very little change is needed. If changes should occur goal perspectives will have to be adjusted, and how they are measured will have to be adjusted as well. In order to implement new values, they must change the whole BIONCO way approach to mirror those values. If the values differ immensely from the past CEO, a new approach may be needed all together. The new CEO may want to change the whole business strategy all together to emphasize the IS system. In this case the new CEO may utilize an IT dashboard instead. The BIONCO way will have to be altered to some length in order to be successful, because the CEO will most likely want to change some perspectives of the business. References Pearlson, Keri and Saunders, Carol. Managing & Using Information Systems. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2013. Print.

Studies on Deception essays

Studies on Deception essays Deception in research occurs when researchers withhold information or misinform the participants purposely about the research. Deception gives false information about investigators or the purpose of the research or omitting information about the purpose of the research. The five articles chosen for this literature review include the rise and fall of deception in social psychology and personality research, and how deception is used intentionally in research. The Rise and Fall of Deception in Social Psychology and Personality Research Deception in research has occurred for many years and with many studies. Deception was rarely used during the developmental years in the 1930s, but grew gradually until the 1950s. Due to changes in experimental methods, popularity of realistic effect experiments, and the influence of cognitive dissonance theory, deception increased during the years of 1950s and 1970s. Several surveys of literature have been used to complete this study to determine the length and depth of deception and its use. In this article, authors Nicks, Korn, and Mainieri wanted to explain the periods that deception was used the most and how participants were used in Deception can be defined in many ways, for example; a misstatement of fact or a false purpose for an experiment. In this study, articles from different times of years were used and the author of each responsible year would read articles during that timeframe and detect how many articles used deception in research. For example, the first author read the method sections of all articles from 1921 through 1948 that used human participants in JASP, and the second author repeated the search for JASP articles from 1921 through 1933. In the second phase of the research covered the periods of 1940 through 1994, and during this phase six different raters used a standard scoring sheet to determine...

Growth of Urgent Care Centers

Growth of Urgent Care Centers Abstract The need for urgent care in the current health care system is irresistible. Various reasons have been cited to be the cause of increased demand for urgent care centers including crowded hospital emergency departments, insufficient clinicians to provide primary care as well as the rising health care cost.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Growth of Urgent Care Centers specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Most importantly, the inefficiencies and long queues in hospital emergency departments have been the main drivers for increased consumer demand for urgent care centers. Essentially, urgent care units have been perceived by the populace as critical in improving accessibility to immediate medical services at affordable costs. In fact, urgent care centers make available walk-in care for simple ailments due to minor infections and injuries that need immediate attention. However, urgent care centers do not nece ssarily deal with complex emergency cases. In most cases, urgent care centers offer treatments and care ranging from simple injuries and illnesses to most complex treatments including blood transfusion and X-rays though not life threatening. Actually, urgent care centers are not equipped to handle life threatening emergency cases. Introduction The current health care system in US is struggling with the problem of over stretched hospital emergency department capacity, limited clinicians to provide primary care as well as constant increase in health care cost (Petterson, 2012). As such, urgent care centers have come out as an option to the increasing health problems that need immediate attention. Essentially, urgent care units have been perceived by the populace as critical in improving accessibility to immediate medical services at affordable costs (Landen, 2013).Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper wit h 15% OFF Learn More Besides, the growth in urgent care centers in the recent past indicates the consumer increased demand for immediate medical services. In fact, urgent care centers offer medical services for minor illnesses and injuries that need pressing consideration. However, the centers are not fully equipped to handle complicated emergencies. Studies indicate mixed data on the impact of urgent care centers on health care. However, the rising optimism among the health professionals and the public indicate positive effects in terms of costs and accessibility to medical services (Fields Dorren, 2013). In most cases, urgent care centers have contributed to reduced visits and long queues in hospital emergency departments. Other studies directly link urgent care centers to increased accessibility and reduced health care costs. Moreover, most studies indicate that the growth of urgent care centers is driven by consumer demand. While the growth in urgent care center s is seen as disruptive to the health care coordination in some quarters, proponents argue that the concerns may be overstated given the fact that urgent care centers put much emphasis on intervallic and uncomplicated health conditions instead of chronic and multifaceted cases (Japsen, 2013). The future growth potential of urgent care centers is bright given the expansion of heath care coverage under the health care reforms. The expansion of health coverage would lead to increased pressure on both primary and emergency care living room for the growth and expansion of urgent care centers. Background of the Study The popularity of urgent care centers cannot be ignored due to their simplicity in people management and range of services they offer to patients. According to Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA), over three million Americans are visiting the urgent care centers weekly.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Growth of Urgent Care Centers spe cifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, urgent care centers are offering treatments and care ranging from simple injuries and illnesses to most complex treatments that do not need complicated equipments (McQueen, 2011). However, urgent care centers are not provided with complicated equipments to handle severe cases including multifaceted surgeries. Essentially, urgent care centers do not have appropriate equipments to offer multifaceted medical services. The increasing numbers of urgent care centers correspond to rising demand for efficiency in offering emergency services. Health data indicate that urgent care centers have increased by over twenty percent since the year 2008. The reasons for rapid growth and development of urgent care centers range from efficiency in services delivery to reduced costs. Generally, most of the clients visit urgent cares centers to avoid long queues, which normally characterize emergency rooms in major hospital s and care providers (Weinick, Burns Mehrotra, 2014). Besides, the growth of urgent care centers is expected to continue given the expected expansion of health coverage (Betancourt Weinick, 2007). Essentially, the cause and effects of urgent care centers on health care provision has been sparingly understood. Moreover, the appropriate promotional strategies that lead to increased patients in urgent care units need to be determined. The need for more information on urgent care centers necessitates the study. Even though urgent care centers are increasingly becoming popular, most of the specialists in the field tend to be worry of their increasing attractiveness. In particular, physicians argue that the increasing trend in growth of urgent care centers may cause deficiency in the coordination of health care provision (Turner, 2013). However, proponents argue that the concerns may be overstated given the fact that urgent care centers put much emphasis on intervallic and uncomplicated health conditions instead of chronic and multifaceted cases.Advertising Looking for research paper on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Problem Statement The need for urgent care centers are continuously increasing given the problems current health care system in US is facing. In fact, current health care system is struggling with the problem of over stretched hospital emergency department capacity, inadequate health professionals as well as steady rise in health care cost (Yee, Lechner Boukus, 2013). Moreover, most of the consumers are struggling with cost constraints and inefficiencies in major emergency departments. As such, urgent care centers have come out as an option to the increasing health problems that need instantaneous awareness. In other words, consumers have perceived urgent care units as alternative to improved accessibility to affordable immediate medical services. Besides, the growth in urgent care centers in the recent past indicates the consumer increased demand for immediate medical services. As indicated, urgent care centers provide walk-in care for ailments and accidents that need immediate at tention though not necessarily complex injuries (Lowes, 2013). Besides, given the expansion of heath care coverage under the health care reforms, the need for urgent care centers will increase tremendously as major hospitals emergency departments will be more crowded (Fields Dorren, 2013). In other words, the expansion of health coverage would lead to increased pressure on both primary and emergency care. As such, urgent care centers will be needed to provide for excess capacity. Purpose of the Study The major aim of the study is to determine factors that contribute to the growth of urgent care centers. In other words, the main purpose of the study is to determine variables that result in increased growth in demand for urgent care centers particularly within the five boroughs of New York. Specifically, the study tends to determine whether efficiency in services delivery and reduced costs are major determinants in the increased growth and expansion of urgent care centers. Broadly, t he study tends to understand factors that contribute to the expansion of urgent care centers as well as the manner in which urgent care centers operate. Objectives Even though the major aim of the study is to determine factors that contribute to the growth and expansion of urgent care centers, the specific objectives of the study include To determine the number of patients visiting urgent care centers as well as physician to patients ratio To determine whether having many locations help in building urgent care center’s population growth To determine whether having a short wait time is a positive or negative aspect in urgent care center’s services provision To determine the results of City MD urgent care center in Manhattan, New York To determine whether having the motto â€Å"patient first† can hinder employees’ ability to serve each patient To determine the types of promotions that would cause increased growth of urgent care centers To determine employe es’ reactions to fast growing City MD urgent care centers Research Questions Upon completion of the study, the following questions will be answered How many patients report to urgent care centers and what is the physician to patient ratio? How does having many locations help in building the urgent care’s population growth? Can having a short wait time be a positive or negative aspect in patients’ services delivery at urgent care centers? What results have been seen since the opening of City MD urgent care center in Manhattan, New York? Is having the motto â€Å"patient first† hinder employees ability to serve each patient? What different kinds of promotions allow the potential growth of urgent care centers? What are the reactions of employees to fast growing City MD urgent care centers? Significance of the Study The study will be critical in understanding the dynamics and processes involved in the operations of urgent care centers. Moreover, the study will be useful in providing information on urgent care centers and the manner in which they differ from private practices and hospitals as well as emergency departments. Most importantly, the study will be useful in understanding the effectiveness of urgent care centers in terms of services delivery and costs. Besides, the study will provide insights on how urgent care centers works particularly through the application of business ideas. In addition, the study conclusion and recommendations will provide guidelines to the urgent care practitioners on how to improve their effectiveness in services delivery. In other words, the study findings will enable practitioners to implement urgent care effectively by preparing a framework for the strategy. As such, this research will assist organizations that operate urgent care centers particularly City MD to understand the manner in which urgent care centers operates and their importance in order to improve the clients’ satisfaction. St udy Limitations The research scope is limited to few selected participants or small sample size to make the results have reliable and valid conclusions. In addition, the study is limited to only one institution in which urgent care centers have been adopted. In other words, urgent care centers both private and institutional based need to be studied in order to come up with valid and reliable conclusion. As such, the study findings cannot suitably be adopted in cross-industrial applications due to this limitation. Besides, there are limitations in terms of finances, time, research materials and the study expatriates particularly where interviews techniques will be applied. Literature Review The Growth and Expansion of Urgent Care Centers Urgent care centers have proliferated and grown considerably in the last two decades. The rapid growth and development of the urgent care centers has been attributed to the inefficiencies in the primary care deliveries, crowded emergency departments and the need to for increased accessibility to immediate medical attention (Betancourt Weinick, 2007). Essentially, urgent care centers provide medical services based on walk-ins. Besides offering the medical services during the regular business hours, urgent care units offer their services during weekend and evenings (Betancourt Weinick, 2007). In most cases, urgent care centers offer medical services usually provided by primary care units ranging from flu to minor ear or eye infections. Contrary to hospital emergency departments, urgent care units are not fully equipped to deal with complex medical services situations. In terms of staffing, physicians with professional backgrounds in emergency medicine or primary care manage urgent care centers (Galewitz, 2012). Though urgent care centers emerged in early eighties, most of the practitioners lacked clear marketing strategy to attract the interest of consumers. However, demands for urgent care units have been increasing consistent ly as the need for increased accessibility and efficiency in emergency medical services increases (Japsen, 2013). Current studies linking primary care physicians and health care services delivery indicate deteriorating provision of health services particularly during the extended hours. The void is filled by urgent care centers prompting their rapid growth in the recent past (Landen, 2013). Before, urgent care centers were being managed and owned by independent private entities. However, increased growth and expansion of urgent care centers have led to large units being managed by big hospitals and chain of entities (Japsen, 2013). Moreover, hospital systems are expanding in urgent care systems to increase their services offerings. Besides, insurers have also embraced the low cost systems of urgent care centers thereby shifting some of the medical care from emergency departments to urgent care centers. Essentially, insurers believe that urgent care centers cost less compared with em ergency care departments (Weinick et al., 2014). Factors Influencing Location and Ownership of Urgent Care Centers Market dynamics is one of the major factors influencing the ownership and location of urgent care centers (O’Malley, 2013). Urgent care centers are likely to be located in populous areas particularly in metropolis with the presence of vehicles and human traffic. Besides, urgent care centers are also likely to be located in affluent environments particularly in sub-urban with large employed populace and employer-sponsored health coverage (Weinick et al., 2014). The reason for targeting large population is that urgent care centers are volume-driven model. In other words, urgent care centers need sufficient population to breakeven. According to the Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA), urgent care units whether independently owned or affiliated with hospitals are often found within the urban or suburban areas. The presence of urgent care units in these areas m irrors the greater need of health care delivery systems in these markets (McQueen, 2011). Factors Influencing the Growth of Urgent Care Centers The increasing numbers of urgent care centers corresponds to rising demand for services they offer. Health data indicate that urgent care centers have increased by over twenty percent since the year 2008. The reason for rapid growth and development of urgent care centers include increased efficiency in services delivery as well as reduced costs. Most clients visit urgent cares centers to avoid long queues, which normally characterize emergency rooms in major hospitals and care providers (Weinick et al., 2014). Another factor contributing to the growth of the urgent care centers include the ready funding particularly from the equity borrowers (Eng, 1997). Besides, the growth of urgent care centers is expected to continue in the next two years due expanded health coverage due to the implementation of affordable care act. The implementation of the act will enable health services be affordable to million Americans. Studies indicate majority of Americans have no regular doctors. As such, they opt for urgent care centers for immediate attention for simple ailments (Betancourt Weinick, 2007). The growth opportunities for urgent care centers have attracted funding particularly from equity borrowers that tend to be privy of risk taking (Eng, 1997). Essentially, affordability is one of the major factors that contribute to increased growth of urgent care centers. While prices might seem to be the same with hospitals emergency rooms, a visit to urgent care centers may save the patient two times less compared to visiting hospital emergency rooms (Mehrotra, 2009). Studies indicate that twenty percent of medical cases in hospital emergency rooms can be treated in urgent care centers. The effect in terms of cost saving is huge. In other words, treatments in urgent care centers would result in an estimated savings of over $4 billion a nnually. The low-cost strategy has prompted insurance providers to opt for urgent care centers in their provider networks. Moreover, most of the hospitals have added urgent care centers in their services due to increased consumer demand. Besides cost, the selling efficiency is another factor. In fact, most of the patients prefer efficient and affordable services. Efficient offering of services is a critical success factor in urgent care centers (Mehrotra, 2009). In fact, saving time is critical selling point in urgent care centers. For instance, in most of the urgent care centers admission and discharge within an hour remain a priority goal. In addition, patient waiting monitoring systems in urgent care centers ensure that patient does not take more than an hour in the waiting room. Research Methodology and Design Introduction The research study will be qualitative conducted to establish factors that contribute to the rapid growth of urgent care centers. The data will be collected f rom both primary and secondary sources. In other words, the study will utilize secondary data sources such as related journal articles from electronic database and library. However, the study will basically utilize primary data collected through interviews and surveys. The empirical data will be collected through the application of specified number of participants. In addition, the number of participants will be limited to 10 respondents that will be chosen through simple random sampling procedures. Design and Statistical Procedures As indicated, the study will primarily utilize the qualitative methods of data collection majorly surveys and interviews. The methods of data collection are chosen due to their effectiveness of reaching out to the respondents and the quality of the obtained data (Bazeley, 2002). Moreover, the data will be gathered from respondents selected through random sampling procedures. Besides, in terms of data analysis, integrated statistical analysis tools includ ing Microsoft office applications and statistical software will be applied (Patton, 2002). The analyzed data will be presented through the application of line graphs, tables as well as statistical bar charts. Further, the methods of data collection are chosen due to the reliability and validity of the obtained results (Bazeley, 2002). On the other hand, the study will utilize secondary data sources such as related journal articles from electronic database and library. The secondary information will be subjected to content analysis in order to provide an insight on the study subject. Sampling Procedures The study focuses on the contributing factors to the rapid growth of urgent care centers. Therefore, doctors working in urgent care centers, physicians and City MD urgent care center employees as well as patients are deemed viable for the study. However, only a small number of participants including five patients and five employees or staff will be selected through random sampling pro cedures (Trochim, 2006). In addition, other personal attributes including gender, age, experience and academic qualifications will also be taken into consideration. From the total number of patients and staff that may be sampled, just 10 participants from City MD will be selected via a technique dubbed as convenience simple random sampling strategy (Trochim, 2006). The interviews as well as a survey will be conducted to help in addressing the formulated research questions. Data Collection Procedures As one of the most important studies in health care system, the information will be collected through administering properly designed survey questionnaires as well as conducting well-structured in-depth interviews to unbiased selected participants (Patton, 2002). The soundly designed survey and interview questionnaires will be administered to 10 participants constituting five patients and five employees. Each part of the questionnaires will constitute key items that suitably attend to th e research questions. In addition, data collected through secondary sources will provide insight on the dynamics and operations of the urgent care centers. In other words, the study will utilize secondary data sources such as related journal articles from electronic database and library that will provide an insight on the study topic. Proposed Data Analysis To obtain the best correlation approximation values, the study quantitative data analysis will be carried out by utilizing the integrated Statistical Analysis Tool (WISAT). The quantitative data, which form the bulk of information, will be analyzed through the application of various techniques including statistical analytical software such as the SPSS to come up with measures such as percentages, frequency distribution and deviations to help in the understanding of the type of correlation between the variables (Patton, 2002). The techniques will be used to determine the research respondents’ proportions that chose various responses. The method will be applied for each group of items available in the questionnaire that ideally corresponds to the formulated research question and objectives. Line graphs, tables as well as statistical bar charts will be used to make sure that quantitative data analysis is simply comprehensible. Besides, the secondary data will be subjected to content analysis in order to provide an insight on the subject of study. References Bazeley, P. (2002). Computerised data analysis for mixed methods research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Betancourt, R. M. Weinick, R. M. (2007). No appointment needed the resurgence of urgent care centers in the United States. Oakland, CA: California HealthCare Foundation. Eng, S. (1997). Workplace diversity means commitment, persistence. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/255503278?accountid=40195 Fields, G. Dorren, C. J. (2013). Doctor shortage: for the mentally ill, finding treatment grows harder. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/1469987574/BAFAC864F0904305PQ/2?accountid=40195 Galewitz, P. (2012). Urgent care centers are booming, which worries some doctors. Retrieved from: kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2012/september/18/urgent-care-centers.aspx Japsen, B. (2013). A boom in urgent care centers as entitlement cuts loom. Retrieved from: forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2013/03/11/a-boom-in-urgent-care-centers-as-entitlement-cuts-loom/ Landen, R. (2013). Study says urgent-care centers filling void. Retrieved from modernhealthcare.com/article/20130711/MODERNPHYSICIAN/307119974# Lowes, R. (2013). Urgent care centers divert patients from PCPs, EDs alike. Retrieved from: medscape.com/viewarticle/807775 McQueen, M. P. (2011). Health costs: centers for urgent care. Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.proxy.davenport.edu/docview/858775249/4B4A842B0BE34061PQ/2?accountid=40195 Mehrotra, A. (2009). Comparing costs and quality of care at retail clinics with that of o ther medical settings for three common illnesses. Annals of Internal Medicine, 151(5), 87-95. O’Malley, A. S. (2013). After-hours access to primary care practices linked with lower emergency department use and less unmet medical need,† Health Affairs, 32(1), 231-237. Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Petterson, S. M. (2012). Projecting U.S. primary care physician workforce needs 2010-2025. Annals of Family Medicine, 10(6), 201-209. Yee, T., Lechner, A. E., Boukus, E. R. (2013). The surge in urgent care centers: emergency department alternative or costly convenience? Retrieved from: hschange.com/CONTENT/1366/ Trochim, W. (2006). The research methods knowledge base. Cincinnati, OH: Atomic Dog Publishing. Turner, T. D. (2013). Theres no urgent in an urgent care. Retrieved from: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-07-17/news/ct-x-0717-trice-column-20130717_1_emergency-room-emergency-care-urgent-care-association W einick, R. M., Burns, R. M., Mehrotra, A. (2014). Many emergency department visits could be managed at urgent care centers and retail clinics. Health Affairs, 29(9), 344-351.

Jews in Socio-Religious Seclusion and Persecution Essay

Jews in Socio-Religious Seclusion and Persecution - Essay Example God gave the 10 commandments and other rules to the Jewish people by which they were to live and, this commandments and rules are contained in the first five books of the Old Testament and are referred to as the Torah. These commandments and rules contain the structures of the Judaism religion. Key religious beliefs as a religion include the belief in one God who is Supreme, all-powerful, just and he who reveals himself to people and they refer to Him as JHWH or Yahweh. They have a profession of faith called the Shema, which is recited in their morning and evening services that says, hear oh Israel, the Lord Our God, the Lord is one. Their central is the Torah or Pentateuch as it was revealed to Moses and it is included in the first five books of the Old Testament (Solomon, 2009). They have the Talmud, which is an interpretation and explanation of Hebrew laws, and it is done in Palestinian and Babylonian interpretations (Solomon, 2009). They follow strict laws in the area of diet and they refer to religiously prepared food as Kosher which implies that it suitable from a religious perspective. They do not believe in instinctive evil or that man has sinned or that he has impurity because they believe that man was made in Gods image. The Jews were persecuted and secluded by the diaspora socially and religiously due to the fact that their religious beliefs were different, being referred to an atheist for their failure to believe in pagan gods of some of the countries concerned. They were known to love learning, and had skill in the art of medicine, and seemed also to be a threat to other people in the Diaspora due to their economic well-being. The hatred for the Jews had been taught for centuries and seems to have taken root in Britain, Germany, Poland, and France, Lithuania, Austria, Russia, Norway other countries.

Business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Business ethics - Essay Example Each year, the company rates 20% of its employees below their requirements and ultimately, they were asked to leave the company (Jennings, 2009, p. 288). This rating system brought more harm to company than benefits. First, Enron’s rigorous performance evaluation standards and competitive environment resulted in a deceptive culture. Since employees began to have job insecurity, they emphasized only on how to make their performance look better. They ignored the ethical norms and began to focus on achieving their financial goals. Few employees started to cheat on their work. The only way to halt them was to cheat more. Very soon, every other person in the company was cheating and it became a prevalent conception since they were left with no choice and were also surrounded by those co-workers who were doing the same. This caused a deceptive culture of the company. Employees were evaluated on their ability to cheat. Second, such competitive environment led to covering of the mista kes and cheating, because employees seldom communicate with each other and were very un-cooperative. Employees were not encouraged to ask questions because asking question was considered as humiliating. In addition to that, they were also less willing to share information and resources because they were competing with each other. Therefore, in Enron, no one was asking anyone any questions and no one wanted to answer any questions. In this way, the employees of Enron began to ignore mistakes and errors and just focused on making their work look good. Such ethical problems had ripple effect and contributed to Enron’s ethical scandal. At Enron, both employees and executives behaved in an unethical and illegal manner since they were encountered with conflicts of interest. They all were self-interested and greedy. Major Causes of Enron’s Collapse After the fall down of the company, people started making its synonyms as corporate fraud and corruption. At one hand, the compan y contributed to charity with huge amount of money but systematically, on other hand, in 1990s, it swindled its financial statements along with an audit firm, named as Arthur Anderson. Enron’s method was systematic and creative. Its accounting practices and financial statements were not clear. For instance, the company made its practices of noting costs of those projects that have been cancelled as assets. Nevertheless, on other hand, there was no explanation as official letter, which states that the project has been cancelled. Such practices had ‘snowball effect’. Moreover, it has also created special reasons for raising profitability and avoiding taxes. It gave liberty to the management to hide losses and move currency. The CFO, Andrew Fastow was the mastermind behind the arrangement of all these practices. Such arrangements enabled him, his family and friends make millions of dollars at the cost of their stakeholders. Some of the actions of this reputable and responsible company were just like gambling. In the year 2000, the share price of Enron was at its peak i.e. at $90. Enron’s Executives already knew what was happening inside the company therefore; they started to sell their shares. On 5 March 2001, Article of Bethany McLean â€Å"Is Enron Overpriced?† further reduced the stock price of the company. She played a vital role in revealing the huge debt of Enron. Slowly and gradually, the stock price