Moon Landing Exploratory Essay Essay Example for Free

Moon Landing Exploratory Essay Essay The space race, during the Cold War, all started with the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1. Although this shiny piece of metal ball sent meaningless â€Å"beep-beep† signals back to earth, it had a profound effect on the thinking of citizens and government around the globe, especially on the United States. As tensions and pressures were building, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was created in 1958, to bring competing military space programs into one effort. Soon, they developed the rockets, built the space capsules and satellites, and hired astronauts to become space men. In addition, the United States government realized there was a new frontier to be explored: the moon. As a result, putting a man on the moon became an official governmental priority and the Apollo moon-landing program was established. In 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to walk on the moon. Controversies about the moon landing began shortly after when Bill Kaysing, a moon hoax investigator, published We never went to the Moon: America’s Thirty Billion Swindle in 1974. In addition, an organization called the Flat Earth Society, was the first to accuse NASA of faking the moon landing. Soon after, more and more people, like scientists, professors or amateurs became concerned and wanted the find out the answer: if the moon landing of 1969 was a hoax or a real event. There are five general claims regarding the falsity of the lunar success, each having their own significant proponents and evidences. However, the source of all conspiracies derives from Bill Kaysing. In John Moffet’s FOX documentary: Conspiracy Theory: Did we Land on the Moon? , Bill Kaysing shows strong beliefs that the moon landing was not real due to the following reasons: â€Å"despite the clarity of deep space, the starts were missing from dark lunar skies,† â€Å"the American flag was waving even though there was no ir on the moon,† and â€Å"there was no blast crater beneath the lunar lander† (Moffet). In addition, in Phillip C. Plait’s book, Bad Astronomy: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing â€Å"Hoax,† many other conspiracy theorists argue that the incredibly high temperature of the Moon should have killed the astronauts and the play of light and shadows in the surface indicates that the photos a re faked (Plait 157). These theories all state that the entire world was deceived by the NASA administration and probable the United States government for them to gain the pride and prestige between the lunar landing events. Regardless of the conspiracy theories and the evidences, 94% of the United States population believes the moon landing was a real event, according to Frank Newport’s article, â€Å"Landing a Man on the Moon: The Public’s View. † In Tony Phillip’s article, â€Å"The Great Moon Hoax,† theories are debunked with explanations. He first explains why the pictures taken from the moon did not have stars. He states: â€Å"its difficult to capture something very bright and something else very dim on the same piece of film-typical emulsions† as they â€Å"don’t have enough ‘dynamic setting’† (Phillips). Then he explains why the flags waved despite vacuumed area: â€Å"Not every waving flag needs a breeze-at least not in space. When astronauts were planting the flagpole they rotated it back and forth to better penetrate the lunar soil† (Philips). The article also provides new evidence against the conspiracy theory: the moon rock, Big Muley. In moon rocks, there are isotopes that cannot be found on Earth. â€Å"Even if scientists wanted to make something like a Moon rock by, say, bombarding an Earth rock with high energy atomic nuclei, they couldnt† (Phillips). In addition, Phillip C. Plait agrees with Tony Phillips and comes to the same conclusions. For example he states there are no stars in the picture because, â€Å"The stars are too faint to be seen in the images† (Plait 159). However, unlike Tony Phillips, Plait explains the scientific reasons in depth. He claims astronauts have survived the incredibly high temperature of the Moon due to simple date counting. He explains, â€Å"Moon spins on its axis once every 27 days †¦ [which] means †¦ two weeks of sunlight and two weeks of darkness†¦ the surface doesn’t heat up the instant the sunlight touches it†¦It takes days for the lunar surface to get to its high temperature†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Plait 166). The author of the paper believes the moon landing of 1969 really happened. The main reasons coming to this conclusion s that the lies could not be told by such huge amount of people and the theories can be all explained and understood with a little studying on physics and astronomy. If this were a hoax, more than a handful of people would have spoken up the secret. The author of this paper also believes that the photos and the films from NASA are real evidences, but have been misinterpret ed due to the lack of knowledge on astronomy and physics. This topic still remains to be debated over because the moon landing was one of the magnificent scientific developments in world history.

Clinical Decision Support Systems in Healthcare

Clinical Decision Support Systems in Healthcare Melchor Abejon One pressing public health problem and a threat to patient safety are medical errors. Written articles about such incidents have highlighted cases and the amount of money spent. According to the United States (US) News and World Report (2013), medical error is the third leading cause of death in the US after heart disease and cancer with an estimate number of 250,000 deaths annually. Clinical decision making in healthcare is a very crucial process. Though this process will always be flawed, for sure there are ways to make it better. With the advent of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) meaningful use incentive program and the development of Clinical Decision Support (CDS) tools, healthcare organizations along with clinicians are mandated to integrate CDS into their federally certified EHR systems. As the director of clinical decision support at a healthcare delivery system, the purpose of this paper is to: Describe the different approaches to be used that will ensure all aspects of patient care are considered in the development of a CDS system. Identify how the efforts of the CDS team would be prioritized in the development of CDS in the organizations focus areas. Approaches to Developing a CDS System Like in the implementation of any other health information systems, the development and implementation of a CDS system entails an equivalent complexity and hard work. It is an endeavor that requires significant planning and preparation.ÂÂ   Once implemented, it is essential to evaluate and measure its value as an additional asset of the organization. According to Nelson and Staggers (2014), the CDS as a valuable tool can prevent many clinical errors especially when coupled with a computerized information system that enables process improvement measures. Though it is mentioned in the given scenario that the organization has existing CDS, my plan is to re-evaluate the existing systems and processes, and I want to make sure that I would not be missing a single essential step in my project, and have everything taken into consideration as I create a new plan.ÂÂ   Health IT provides a systematic strategic plan for the implementation of CDS which I will adopt for the organization. The strategic plan is composed of five steps as listed and described below: Commence the project with a strong foundation. This initial step includes assessing the readiness of the organization to adopt a CDS intervention; assessing the interest of stakeholders in using CDS to improve outcomes, and as well as assessing the overall capacity of the organization to adapt to the change. My key steps to establishing a strong project foundation are: To identify the essential stakeholders who can contribute to a discussion about using CDS to improve the quality and safety goals of the organization. To establish goals for the CDS by collaborating with the stakeholders to highlight the benefits and barriers to implementation. To determine the readiness of the organization for a CDS initiative. This is a critical process. A key aspect of readiness is understanding how well the organization can adapt to the change. To develop a plan on how to proceed with the implementation. It includes identifying the core members of the implementation team, outlining and refining achievable quality goals, identifying strategic next steps toward achieving the goals, building a shared vision among the stakeholders, and identifying champions of the project. Assemble a CDS implementation team.ÂÂ   My key steps to assembling the implementation team are: To stress the roles of the stakeholders that are required for the success of the project. To seek a clinical champion who possesses the desired characteristics for the role. To collaborate with an outside source who may be able to assist and fill the gaps in expertise in the implementation of CDS. To call for the implementation team to start planning by holding a kick-off meeting. Plan for successful development of CDS, design and deployment. The following are my key steps to assist the organization achieve the capacity for CDS interventions: To select a clinical goal that suits best to the goals and needs of the organization. The end users should agree with the chosen goal. To consult Electronic Medical Record (EMR) vendors and designers about ways on how CDS can help improve the clinical goals and objectives of the organization. It is important to discuss with them and determine the ability of a given CDS intervention to be customized to support the needs of the end-users. To select a CDS intervention that can help achieve the clinical goals and objectives of the organization. Considerations are ease of implementation, effect on clinical quality reporting, implementation of financial incentives, and workflow. To develop clinical objectives and baseline measures for the goals to help measure improvements. Example of this is through the utilization of metrics to measure baseline performance and assess the effect of the intervention. To map out existing workflows and clinical processes affected by the interventions. To develop a system for keeping interventions and CDS clinical knowledge current. This includes identifying people and processes that are involved in the interventions update. To ensure the usability of the CDS intervention by understanding its limits of functionality and possibly request for customization if needed. To test for the CDS interventions usability and effect on workflows. Roll out effective CDS interventions. My key steps are: To create a roll out plan. This includes defining the clinical goals and having the selected interventions assessed and tested. Also, to determine how to implement the interventions in the best way. To communicate the roll out plan to the end-users and stakeholders. This can be accomplished by describing and disseminating to the stakeholders the expected changes to the organizations workflow and processes. To develop a training plan to train users with the new intervention. To ensure that support structures such as people and other resources are in place to provide support during and after deployment of the intervention. Measure the effects of the intervention. This pertains to measuring the impact of the intervention post-implementation and to ensure it is improving the organizations processes and outcomes, and that clinical goals and objectives are being met. My key steps are: To conduct an ongoing assessment of the CDS systems usability. This includes capturing feedback and assessing how well is the intervention being received by the end-users. To collect and report the performance of the intervention against the clinical goals and objectives. To use feedback and measurement results to continually improve the performance of the intervention. To have the end-users get involved in the refinement of the intervention by communicating back to them the changes and by showing them continued support. Bates et al. (2003) published the Ten Commandments for effective Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS). This is another important collective approach and consideration in developing and implementing a CDSS for the organization. Listed below are the ten commandments for CDSS: Speed is everything. Speed is what end-users value most and is a top priority. Anticipate needs and deliver in real time. Information should be delivered when needed. Fit into the users workflow. Suggestions are integrated with clinical practice. Little things can make a big difference. In order to do the right things, usability of the intervention should be improved. Recognize that physicians will strongly resist stopping. Rather than insist on stopping, alternatives should be offered. Changing direction is easier than stopping. Example is changing dose defaults; route or medication frequency can change behavior. Simple interventions work best. Guidelines can be simplified by reducing to a single computer screen. Additional information can be asked when you really need it. A guideline will less likely be implemented when more data elements are requested. Monitor impact, get feedback and respond. If some reminders are not followed, either readjust or completely remove the reminder. Maintain and manage the knowledge -bases system. Information and currency of information should be monitored. CDSS Team Efforts and Areas of Focus Payment rates tied to quality measures. A primary consideration when developing and implementing a CDSS is the cost savings for the total system. With the existing reimbursement scheme, the financial commitment to implement a CDSS has become one major consideration to many health care organizations. Insufficient documentation of patients diagnosis has always been the difficulty in maximizing and meeting compliance with reimbursement and external quality agencies. As the director of the clinical decision support, I will summon and coordinate with the team to create a CDS intervention that can improve compliance with billing directives by ensuring systems work harmoniously to capture the correct diagnosis. Having such efficient CDSS in harmonious work with the organizations information systems can ensure delivered care, coded care, and documented care to become the same, thus meeting the meaningful use criteria and aligning with the nations health outcome policy priorities. CDS interventions that meet meaningful use. The stage 2 of the EHR meaningful use requires hospitals and healthcare professionals to implement five CDS interventions that are directly linked to four or more of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) quality measures. As the leader of the team, I will suggest and work with the team on the implementation of support measures that will monitor health conditions that are of high priority such as stroke, hypertension, cancer and diabetes. Also, the team will aim to develop a CDS intervention that will alert clinicians when a patient is a candidate for colorectal screening. This intervention directly corresponds with the NQF-0034 colorectal cancer screening clinical quality measure. Also, the team will ensure that the CDSS will meet meaningful use by considering the five rights of CDS which are (a) the right information, (b) to the right person, (c) in the right format of intervention, (d) through the right channel, (e) at the r ight time in workflow (Campbell, R., 2016). CDSS in appropriate care services such as congestive heart failure. The team will consider developing a CDS intervention that will assist providers adhere to medical care, practice guidelines and prescribing guidelines. The administration of B-blockers has been demonstrated effective in improving the chance of survival for heart failure patients. The deployment of electronic reminder interventions for the prescription of drugs and appropriate dosing can additionally improve the care and survival for congestive heart failure patients and also in the management of chronic diseases. Other areas for clinical improvement. CDSS has also been proven effective in preventive service processes. As the leader of the team, I will work with the team to implement computer-generated reminders for providers to improve the standard of care in preventive services such as hypertension and smoking cessation counseling, eye and diabetic foot examinations, measurement of lipid levels, and glycosylated hemoglobin and proteinuria testing for diabetic patients. Conclusion The CDSS when coupled with the organizations existing systems such as the EHR and Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) can work harmoniously to provide an effective clinical decision support to improve the quality of care in a healthcare organization. Though challenges may seem formidable, coming up with an effective approach in the development and implementation of such systems can assure positive return in investment overtime. References Bates, D. W. et. al (2003). Ten commandments for effective clinical decision support: Making the practice of evidence-based medicine a reality. Retrieved January 29, 2017 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC264429/ Campbell, R. (2016). The five rights of clinical decision support. CDS tools helpful for meaningful use. Retrieved January 29, 2017 from http://bok.ahima.org/doc?oid=300027#.WJC59_krLIV Gross, P.A., Bates, D.W. (2007). A pragmatic approach to implementing best practices for clinical decision support systems in computerized provider order entry systems. Retrieved January 29, 2017 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2215068/#bib13 HealthIT.gov (n.d.). How-to guides for clinical decision support implementation. Retrieved January 29, 2017 from https://www.healthit.gov/policy-researchers-implementers/cds-implementation Murphy, E.V. (2014). Clinical decision support: Effectiveness in improving quality processes and clinical outcomes and factors that may influence success. Retrieved January 29, 2017 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4031792/ Nelson, R., Staggers, N. (2014). Health informatics: An interprofessional approach. (1st Ed.). St. Louis, MO; Elsevier Mosby United States News and World Report (2016). Medical errors are third leading cause of death in the U.S. Retrieved January 29, 2017 from http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-05-03/medical-errors-are-third-leading-cause-of-death-in-the-us

Essay --

The United States (US) Navy has been in many battles over the years, made many improvements to their ships, and has allowed women to join the force; this is why the Navy is one of the largest branches of the military today. The Navy is a brand of the nation’s armed forces that includes warships and support ships, their crews, land bases, and many personnel. Also, many navies include an air force; some navies even have combat forces known as marines. The marines are trained to fight in the air and on land; they are some of the toughest people in the military. â€Å"On October 13, 1775, the United States Navy was formed.† (â€Å"Worldbook† 2). There was a meeting and the Continental Congress voted for the Navy to be approved. This was to help out at sea where at the time British were the major force. The Navy was initially made to cut off trades and munitions between Britain and other countries. This was an attempt to help the Americans in the war. The smaller navies of the world usually consist of warships, smaller boats like patrol boats, missile boats, and minesweepers. The main objective fo...

Athletic Trainer :: essays research papers

Athletic Trainer An athletic trainer seeking employment in today's job market is likely to encounter many problems and obstacles along the way. The need for higher education greatly affects the prospect for the athletic trainer with only the baccaulereate degree. Those with this degree are better suited to seek employment in the rehabilitative therapy clinic setting. Many of these clinics have contracts with the local high schools or university thus allowing for more employees and allowing these entry level positions. Clinics also tebd to employ the student trainers who also have a tendency to move on after their education. With third party payees coming more into this field there should be an increase in the job availability for the athletic trainer in the clinical setting. There are also many openings for trainers in the high school level. The down side to this area of work is that this position is not generally based on the care and concern for the health and well being of the student athlete but is contingent on the budget aspect. The most dismal field for an athletic trainer seeking employment is in the college level. Athletic trainers most certainly need advanced degrees as well as certification of the National Athletic Trainers Association. Most Athletic trainers in this level have accepted employment while in college or attending that particular university. The college level for the athletic trainer position has not increased over the past few years- due impart to the hiring of the student trainers leaving no openings for the athletic trainer who is seeking full time employment. Obviously there is a definite need for advanced degrees in todays society, if one is seeking employment as an athletic trainer due to the fact that there is a very limited job field and openings are few and far between. In order to be fully prepared for the position of athletic trainer in todays sports related society, the potential trainer needs to obtain the minimum of a baccalaureate degree with a designated course of study. They need to have studied thoroughly anatomy and physiology, physiology of exercise, rehabilitation, kineseiology, psychology, injury evaluation and also emergency care procedures and techniques. Before meeting the requirements to become eligible to test for the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) a potential trainer needs a minumum of 800 clinical hours of experience or 1500 hours if not enrolled in an accredited athletic training education program. The NATA also requires continuing education units for a certified trainer to remain certified through them. The steps to obtaining a career in the field of athletic training are fairly simple.

Comparison of Anthem for Doomed Youth and An Irish Airman Foresees His

Comparison of Anthem for Doomed Youth and An Irish Airman Foresees His Death William Butler Yeats has written many pieces of literature, mainly about Ireland as that is his passion and cause of writing. However his poem â€Å"An Irish Airman Foresees His Death† is not solely about Ireland and even though it includes that theme it is rather a criticism of apathetic people who have no reason for going to war. The form of Yeats’ poem is very structured and regular. The rhyme scheme is ABAB the whole way through the poem and has an unstressed, stressed beat every time. The poem is made up of one sixteen-lined stanza and has a straight forward structure. Yeats has used this format for emphasis to get his point across. He has made the poem using paired lines which balance with one another neutralising any feeling that there may have been. Yeats has also made the layout of the poem very simple and uncomplicated to make Robert Gregory’s reason for going to war stand out which is also simple and uncomplicated-He just wants to fly a plane. Wilfred Owen’s poem was influenced by another war poet Siegfried Sassoon. Their conversations about the horrors of war together provided the framework to many of the poems that Owen wrote. As a soldier at war, Owen was affected by the traumatising horrors of the trenches that he saw while he was out there. He was so badly affected that he was diagnosed with shell shock and sent to hospital in Edinburgh. These horrific scenes caused Owen to write such gruesome yet realistic compositions. Like Yeats’ poem, â€Å"Anthem for doomed youth† is also a criticism only this time it is a criticism of how the young soldiers who die at war do not get the recognition or heroic funeral that they so... ... a more realistic tone. Like Yeats, Owen uses rhyme, rhythm and imagery only he makes his more varied, frequent and complexed. To do this, Owen has used an assortment of literary devices such as metaphors, similes, personification, onomatopoeia and alliteration. This helps Owen to elaborate his poem in more serious, gruesome detail which he often does, even in other literature and a good example of this would be another poem called â€Å"Dulce et docormest.† He has seen the horror and futility of war first hand and this is reflected through his use of emotive language. The two poems are diverse to one another as Owen uses numerous amounts of imagery and has a lack of structure which results in an abundance of emotion where as Yeats is the complete opposite and comprehends constant structure and image deficiency which consequently leads to a lack of emotion.

Pizza USA Term Paper Essay

This case involves Pizza USA, a small independent chain restaurant operation that offers both dine-in and carry-out services for customers that has received feedback for a potential change that will require the implementation of design process to add services. Currently, customers have indicated that they are pleased with the food offered by the restaurant but they would increase pizza purchases if a delivery service was available. This dilemma ties into two separate issues. First, in order to remain competitive within the industry, customer wants and preferences need to be heard. After all, if you cannot please your customer base, you will lose them. Secondly, the changes required must be done in a manner that combines data gathering and analysis and implementation of a plan that best suites this particular type of business in order to maximize success. Customer service has been a recurring theme in many discussions regarding business operations and management in recent weeks. The prevailing thought is that in order for your business to grow and be successful, you must identify what your customers want and find a way to deliver it. This paper will analyze and discuss how process design can be implemented to assist this business to achieve its goals. Within the process design analysis and discussion, several factors will be reviewed to include: identification of what customer satisfaction means to the business and how we can identify the things that are most valuable to customers, the potential net yield of achieving a high level of customer satisfaction and efficiency, and the characteristic of developing an efficient pizza delivery (from stove to door) system. The paper will also assess creation of market â€Å"advantages† to not only maintain but grow the customer base. Pizza USA: An Exercise in Translating Customer Requirements into Process Design In the last five years leading up to 2012, the Pizza Restaurants industry has experienced the results of a downturn in economy. Restaurants have been directly affected by changing market conditions such as changes in intense competition, decreasing consumer spending and an increase in overall health consciousness (Kalnins, A., & Mayer, K., 2004). However, despite such overwhelming odds and challenges, businesses were able to overcome economic hard times by reinventing themselves through creative marketing and adjusting their menu’s to adapt to customers preferences (Kelso, 2012). This allowed the industry to recover effectively and consumer spending and market growth returned in 2010. As more consumers returned to the restaurants, overall demand increased. The U.S. Pizza industry averages about 410 million pizzas per year (Kelso, 2012). In 2012 alone, pizza sales are expected to reach an incredible $36.1 billion in revenue which is a 3.8 percent increase from the previous year (Kelso, 2012). This growth is expected to continue at a rate of 2.9 percent per year through 2017. Based on gathered data, 97 percent of U.S. consumers have ordered food from a pizza restaurant or establishment within the past 12 months (Kelso, 2012). No matter how you look at it, pizza consumption is on the rise and creates an exceptional opportunity for success in this industry. According to Gregory Badishkanian, a CITI Analyst, the big three of the pizza industry: Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and Papa Johns are currently in position to increase market share. (Bloomberg, 2012). Although the big three comprise of 30% of the total pizza market, the remaining 70% comprise largely of other large chains with less market coverage and of course the smaller independent chains (Kelso, 2012). While the larger chains are improving profits independent chains are struggling to stay afloat amidst the fierce competition among the larger more established companies such as the big three (Kelso, 2012). Understanding this dilemma, it would be most prudent for any independent restaurant operator to maximize operations by insuring that internal process design enables not only efficient productivity but generates a process that is customer friendly and focused on customer’s needs and preferences (Kalnins, A., & Mayer, K., 2004). This would be critical in the business’ ability to survive in such a monopolistic type market. Successful operation within a smaller independent chain restaurant faces challenges that may not be as apparent to a larger and more established national chains. Pizza USA is a small chain operation that currently provides two services: dine-in and carry-out options. Customers have commented that if delivery services were added to the restaurant offerings, they would potentially buy more pizzas (Jacobs & Chase, 2011). Based on this information, it is apparent that the owner needs to assess his business operations and consider a process design that would include adding this service to current operations. The addition of delivery services would potentially require additional capital to finance changes and may involve the hiring of additional staff. However, revenue increases as a result of the added service would off-set the costs associated with these additions. Near and long-term implications would include survivability within such a competitive market. As a customer, the primary focus of my satisfaction with this type of business relates primarily to efficiency and the level of customer service provided. If delivery service was provided, the two areas that would be most prevalent in my mind would be the delivery time and the state of the pizza once received. Far too often, I’ve received delivered food that was warm and in some cases cold. Needless to say, I never contacted that restaurant again. The thing that would create a unique experience would be the restaurant’s ability to not only deliver within an exceptional time period but also to provide a pizza that is piping hot as it would be while dining in. Another aspect would be an incentive to order delivery by way of discounting or some type of rewards service. These are experiences that have not been typical in my experience with pizza deliveries. Method The perceived situational analysis are as follows: Strengths-Due to the smaller nature of the business, It could potentially create a more personal experience for the customers thus increasing customer satisfaction; Weaknesses-As a smaller business entity, they have less resources and limited options in implementing changes to meet customer demands. Also, the business would be less tolerant of negative impacts that may result from changes compared to larger established chains with additional resources available; Opportunities-A stronger customer relationship tends to allow more flexibility due to stronger loyalty among satisfied customers. Loyal customers are willing to wait changes out rather than making an initial determination and moving on to another business; Threats-The primary threats are of course the larger and more established chains such as the big three. Again, due to resourcing issues, these smaller and independent operations have less flexibility and opportunity if changes become less than desirable. The primary causes and effects are business survivability and customer satisfaction. Although these two areas are mentioned separately, they are in fact one. If changes are not made to meet customer needs and preferences, the business risks losing clientele and eventual closure. The term customer loyalty has been described as a process of capturing how well an organization is performing in three critical market measures: customer retention, share of wallet, and price sensitivity relative to competitors (Jacobs & Chase, 2011). Studies have shown that customer loyalty relates directly to business success and survivability. There exists a major distinction between product design from the user’s standpoint from what may have been intended by the manufacturer (Jacobs & Chase, 2011). The main difference deals primarily with the intended versus perceived usefulness of a given product. In short, if the customer’s input is not considered, product or process design could potentially be a major waste of time on the from end of the planning cycle with even a worse outcome once in the market. Table-1 below indicates quick-serve satisfaction rates among the top companies in the market to include the big three (Verma, R., & Thompson, G., 1999). As you can see, each of the larger chains has high overall scores in customer satisfaction. Albeit, this is only one of many areas that could potentially be assessed. The independent chains can learn something from this data. The large chains didn’t survive the market and become who they are today without success in this particular area (Verma, R., & Thompson, G., 1999). Table-1 Although the case situation described is consistent with most other business operations, â€Å"what can be done to be more profitable?† it is unique in itself due the detail andlevel of changes discussed. There are probably 100 areas that could be looked at that deals with efficiency and customer satisfaction. However, for the purpose of this paper we will only analyze the above mentioned areas. If assessing profitability and customer satisfaction is an everyday occurrence, which is the case in most businesses, then this case could most certainly be considered as a preexisting situation. However, this paper has little to do with assessing a documented loss in profits or revenue streams so the evolution is unknown at best. There are many course concepts that can be applied to understand this situation. However the two most prevalent areas of operations philosophy that comes to mind are: Chapter 3-Product and Service Design and Chapter 5-Process Analysis. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) in chapter 3 discusses the process of getting the customer’s â€Å"voice† involved in design specifications (Jacobs & Chase, 2011). This concept and application relates to any and all industries and organizations. It is directly related a process of studying and listening to customers to improve upon a product or service (Jacobs & Chase, 2011). Measuring Process Performance in Chapter 5 primarily deals with how well a particular process is performing. This is accomplished by assessing many different types of metrics such as: productivity, efficiency, flow time, throughput, and value added time to name a few (Jacobs & Chase, 2011). In order to adequately analyze whether your operation is running efficiently, a system of measurement is required to assess the performance. Results/Discussion The problem of addressing the customers’ needs and preferences are easily solved. Immediately implement planning to accommodate your customers’ request for the added feature of delivery service. Consider the most efficient manner of transition to minimize disruption to current business operations while planning the change. Insure that additional feedback is solicited and gathered from customers to re-validate the need to add the additional service and proceed with design process reviews and analysis to achieve goals. This satisfies the earlier discussion regarding identification of what the customer really wants and prefers. The task of developing and implementing the plan is what is the most difficult. Recommend that the owner begins with data gathering methods such as GAP Analysis. This method is used to assess the business’ performance relative to the expectations of its customers (Jacobs & Chase, 2011). An additional form of Gap Analysis includes the benchmarking of certain industry standards and measures the business ‘performance against established standards within the industry (Jacobs & Chase, 2011). Questions to be asked would be: What are other smaller independent chains offering? Is delivery service a value added service or just a waste of money? What are the industry standards in regards to delivery times and what is considered acceptable to customers? Do have the resources to provide that type of service or will it require additional equipment, supplies, vehicles and staff? This will allow the owner to see where his restaurant is versus where he wants to be. Moreover, this would be an ideal tool to gather additional information from Customers to obtain additional feedback. It can be accomplished in many ways such as through paper or email mailers and in store surveys. The method selected would primarily depend on the owner’s available resources and preferences and of course size of targeted population The follow-on recommendation is to conduct a cost impact and payoff analysis using a decision tree or what some would call a consequence diagram. This process allows the planner to map out several alternatives with different end results to assess risk (Jacobs & Chase, 2011). In essence it is a risk matrix. When planning or considering restaurant equipment purchases or even additional staff hires, this process could be beneficial in assessing the risks involved with each decision (Jacobs & Chase, 2011). Table-2 is a representation of a typical decision tree used to make informed decisions. As you can see, it is a process of identifying the problem (or situation) and working through several COA’s to determine what works best for you. Table-2 Implementation is the next step. I would recommend the utilization of responsibility charts to organize and manage tasks. Again, this particular tool is a type of matrix that lists all the projects and tasks to be completed while identifying certain responsible parties or stakeholders (Jacobs & Chase, 2011). In such a small business environment, it would probably be most beneficial for the owner to get all staff involved with the design process to obtain full buy-in. this can be accomplished through the use of this tool. Of all the steps involved with planning and execution, this is probably the most labor intensive due to the potential resourcing required. After plans are implemented, the owner needs to assess the customer reactions to the added service. Anticipating a given response and getting the actual response are sometimes two different things. Again, the same process used during the Gap Analysis can be used to capture post-implementation feedback from customers (Jacobs & Chase, 2011). The bottom line is that as a small business, you more reliant on customer loyalty than larger chains and operations. As a result, you must pay attention to any feedback received regarding your products and services, In this case we’re talking about pizzas but it applies in many other situations and industries as well. Once the feedback id obtained develop a smart and affordable plan and implement the plan. Once you have transitioned fully into your new plan, solicit additional feedback from customers to see how things are going. You may find other areas of your business operations that require attention. Customer feedback has to be a part of your daily operations. Without it, your business is at serious risk. References Kalnins, A., & Mayer, K., (Dec 2004), Franchising, ownership, and experience: A study of pizza restaurant survival. Management Science Journal, Vol. 50 Issue 12, p1716-1728, 13p, 3 Charts. doi: 10.1287/mnsc.1040.0220 Kohli, A., & Gupta, M., (Apr 2010), Improving operations strategy: Application of TOC principles in a small business. Journal of Business & Economics Research, Vol. 8 Issue 4, p37-45, 9p Verma, R., & Thompson, G., (1999), Managing service operations based on customer preferences. International Journal of Operations and Production Management. Vol. 19 Issue 9/10, p891-908, 18p, 6 Charts Jacobs, F. R., & Chase, R. B. (2011), Operations and   upply chain management. (13th ed.), New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin Kelso, A., (Sep 2012), Survey: U.S. pizza market tops $40 billion, pizzamarketplace.com, Retrieved: 1 Mar 2013 http://www.pizzamarketplace.com/article/200667/Survey-U-S-pizza-market-tops-40-billion AP News, (Sep 2012), Analyst: Big pizza chains could take bigger slice, Bloomberg Business Week News, Retrieved: 1 Mar 2013 http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-09-18/analyst-big-pizza-chains-could-take-bigger-slice

Ethical issues related to reproducation Essay

Assisted Reproduction Technology is a new found system to aid infertile couples to get children. It is also used in transgender couples and genetic concerns in the family. The examples of assisted reproduction technology include invitro-fertilization embryo transfer, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, gamete intrafalllopian transfer, zygote intrafallopian transfer and intrauterine insemination. It is a practice that has caused wide controversy from the ethical point of view. There are many ethical issues surrounding artificial reproduction. Many religious organizations condemn the practice as it goes against the religious beliefs. Most religions believe that God is the sole creator of life and determiner of fertility of an individual. Therefore, the practice is viewed as one that is trying to supersede the power and belief in God. The element of surrogate parenting in assisted reproduction is also a highly thorny issue in the society. The practice of sperm egg donation is also very emotive. The main protagonist in this debate is the religious organizations and their beliefs and practices (Gillian, 2003). Surrogate parenting is an arrangement in which an infertile married couple contracts a fertile woman to undergo gestation on their behalf and surrender the child after birth. This is described as a non-nuclear family arrangement in that the family allows a third party into their family relationship to play the role of a birth mother. Surrogate parenting raises various ethical questions. There are various forms of surrogate parenting. These include traditional and gestational. In traditional surrogacy, the mother shares genetic information as the child since she acts as a sperm recipient. The gestational surrogacy involves insemination with fertile ovum of the infertile couple. Therefore, she does not share genetic information as the child. The ethical dilemma that exists in surrogate parenting is whereby commercial surrogacy is viewed as exploitative to poor single women. The woman is viewed as a mere incubator while her money is siphoned by the surrogate agencies. The child is traumatized on discovering that the mother raising him/her is not her biological mother due to different genetic information. This leads to acrimony in the family. Some organizations claim that surrogacy leads to commoditization of babies as mere goods. This shows a lack of respect to the human being as a whole (Gillian, 2003). Surrogate parenting causes controversy in the traditional definition of a family unit. A family is viewed as made of mother, father and children who are genetically related. Surrogacy allows a third party into the traditional nuclear family. This distorts the meaning completely. This is especially so in traditional form of surrogate parenting. In this form, the surrogate mother is just not the gestational bearer of the child, but she also shares genetic information with the child. The family will be in a dilemma whether to inform the child of his gestation and parenting lest he/she finds out. Such information is likely to break the family unit (Markens, 2007). Commercial surrogate parenting has been viewed as exploitative. Young single and poor girls are chosen to act as surrogate mothers. The agency that contracts them does not care about their well-being but is interested in profiteering from their services. These girls are paid 10000-150000 dollars for their services. Court cases have been filed where these mothers reject the money to take custody of the children. This is the exploitative nature of the practice (Markens, 2007). Doctors place multiple eggs into the womb of a woman in artificial reproduction. The medical significance of this practice is to reduce the proportion and margin of error. Statistics shows that most of the eggs implanted into a woman do not get implanted and are aborted by the mother. As such, the practice of inserting multiple eggs is to increase the likelihood of implantation or fertilization of the eggs. The other concern is the cost of artificial reproduction technology. The technology costs highly to the partners and the insurance companies. Multiple eggs are inserted by the healthcare professionals as a means of cost saving and cost reduction in fertility treatment. This addresses the cost that would be incurred if one egg failed. Multiple implantations bring with it the dilemma of multiple pregnancy complications and multiple birth costs. The dilemma with the practice is that a healthcare professional is legally mandated to abort some of the implanted fetuses upon informed consent from the parents. This practice is called multi fetal pregnancy reduction or selective abortion. The medical rationale behind embryo reduction is the fact that there are many risks associated with carrying multiple pregnancies to the mother. There is the risk of in-uteri death of the fetus, premature delivery and retardation. Any pregnancy with more than three fetuses is an iatrogenic complication of artificial reproduction (Simo, 2002). Selective abortion is moral as it is done in the interest of the mother and the family. Informed consent has to be sought from the partner, and they must reserve the right to select the embryos that will be reduced. However, in a perfectly health mother, selective abortion is not advisable rather the doctor should practice watchful waiting on the patient. Selective abortion is done to reduce child impairment if he/she is born prematurely. The practice is a morally justified option for the parent. This is because the quality of life of the child born and the economical and psychological burden on the parents to support a mentally retarded child. Despite religious, social and cultural perceptions on selective abortion, it is a perfectly moral practice done in the interest of the family. The sanctity of life must indeed be observed and respected so much as the quality of the baby’s life. The grounds that lay the foundation for the decision to selectively abort an embryo are based on the moral and financial ability of the family to take care of complication of multiple pregnancies: especially premature babies (Simo, 2002). The society is obliged to support families that have multiple babies born prematurely, with defects or mental retardation. These parents are under immense pressure to provide for and raise these children. The society is obliged to support these families in whatever means possible. The immediate extensive family plays a huge role in supporting these parents morally and financially. Premature children need to be loved by everyone in the family and external community. Financial assistance is vital to cater for constant hospitalization of these children. Children with mental retardation and prematurity need constant visitations for medical checkup to ensure that they grow and mature like other children. The community is obliged to offer financial support to these families. Through various community forums and organizations, the locals can take care of these children and accord them equal rights enjoyed as other healthy children. The community may also set up special schools with special teachers to guide these children as they develop. The local government and the federal government are also obliged to support families with disabilities. The government can enact of laws and policies that offer incentives to these parents and those that govern the development of these children. The local government is also mandated to establish institutions that will take care of these children as they grow as they belong to children with special need (Gillian, 2003). Abortion is a highly controversial moral subject worldwide. There are proponents of abortion who claim the practice is done to safeguard the health of the mother and the dignity of girls who have been sexually assaulted. Whereas, there are the opponents who argue that the vice is against the universal right to life and respect of life. There are various ethical issues with abortion. Ethical issues arise due to the moral dilemma. The reasons for procuring an abortion include not being able to raise the child at the moment or irresponsible parents. Such scenarios would warrant an abortion to avoid future suffering of the child. Some mothers claim that childbearing will interfere with their careers, or they have reached their limit of child bearing. The moral dilemma is the sanctity of life. Religious backgrounds claim that life begins after fertilization and terminating it at any stage is paramount to murder. With such personification, the fetus is entitled to the right of life as any other human being (Hinman, 2013). As such, they argue against abortion. However, medically, health professionals are obliged to abort so as to preserve the life of a mother if her pregnancy is complicated. Therefore, abortion is a highly controversial moral issue between the ‘pro-life’ and the ‘prochoice’ ? References Committee on Organ Procurement and Transplantation Policy, Institute of Medicine. (2001). Organ Procurement and Transplantation: Assessing Current Policies and the Potential Impact of the DHHS Final Rule. New York: National Academies Press. Gillian, T. (2003). Mixed blessings: ethical issues in assisted conception. Journal of Reproductive and Social Medicine, 34-35. Hinman, L. (2013). Abortion: an oveerview of the ethical issues. University of San Diego. Landlau, R. , Blythe, & Eric. (2004). Third Party Assisted Conception across Cultures: Social, Legal, and Ethical Perspectives. London: Jessica Kingsley Publications. Markens, S. (2007). Surrogate Motherhood and the Politics of Reproduction. Berkley: University of Carlifornia Press. Simo, V. (2002). Parental Responsibility and the Morality of Selective Abortion. Journal of Reproductive Health, 463-484.