Final Organization plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Final Organization plan - Research Paper Example Through public reporting and clinical informatics, this goal of educating those who are directly and indirectly involved with the system would be realized. The hospital believes that according to the design and goals of the plan, public reporting would be the best way to jump start education for those who are concerned and the patients in the VA medical center. The hospital is well aware that their primary clients are veterans who were in the national service for many years and sensitive to many aspects, and thus, educating both the medical team and the patients concerned would be the mildest yet most effective way of administering the quality improvement plan. Clinical informatics would help the hospital with a more thorough and organized distribution of information with the help of information technology. This way, the target of educating the hospital team about patient falls would be strategic and sound. The combination of information technology and clinical experiences broadens t he opportunities for healthcare education. The institution believes that in order to reduce the patient fall rates, it is necessary to start with awareness of the said situation, and only then can there be action towards it. Summary The G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center is a hospital honoring the American veterans. The institution’s respect towards them is insurmountable, and thus, they are faithful to their mission of providing the best quality of health care to them, as willingly as they fought for the nation in younger years. As part of the nationwide Veteran’s Administration hospitals, the center ensures that quality healthcare is within reach for every American veteran. In carrying out their vision-mission statements, the hospital has quality services offered whether it is not in-patient care or out-patient care. Major medical services would include â€Å"primary, second and tertiary medical, neurological and mental health inpatient care† (â€Å"U. S. Department,† 2010). As observed, the hospital sees the necessity of caring for their patients holistically. This VA hospital is currently having 163 active hospitals affiliated with various medical colleges and universities, with facilities including â€Å"a 120-bed nursing home care unit, Community-Based Outpatient Clinics, nursing homes and four 150-bed state veterans’ nursing homes† (â€Å"U.S. Department,† 2010). In line with the core values of compassion, commitment, excellence, professionalism, integrity, accountability, and stewardship, this plan would follow a goal and an objective of patient-centered service, making the health care more accessible to all American Veterans. The pride of caring for the nation’s heroes is the inspiration of the hospital to do the best it could in providing efficient health care service. This plan targets seven issues surrounding patient fall rates; these are quality services, assurance of safety, accurate m edical delivery, knowledgeable line of staff, decrease of infection rate, increase of patient recovery, and continuous medical service for outpatients. As observed, the plan’s primary objective is to ensure that patients are far from a possible patient fall. The secondary objective is more concerned about facility and care accessibility. Although the two objectives are of different areas, its collaboration would mean the success of the plan.

Importance of Sociological Theory

Importance of Sociological Theory Why is theory important in the area of sociology? A theory is a proposed relationship between two or more concepts. In sociology, theories are statements of reason why particular facts about the social world are related (Marcionis Geber, 2010, p14). The scope of the social issues in question may range from exact descriptions of a single process to examples or models for analysis and interpretation. Some theories attempt to tell us about the possible outcome of future events in the social world, while others function as broad perspective which guides further sociological analyses (Calhoun, 2002, p1). The importance of theory in the area of sociology cannot be overemphasized. Theories such as the social conflict theory, structural functionalism theory, positivism theory, field theory, rational choice theory, and so on, were developed to explain social phenomena. In sociology, a theory states the hypothesis of a set of entities or relevant system, and permits statements on the possible or envisaged outcomes on their future states. As captured in Little (2010), a theory may also specify probabilistic relations among entities, giving rise to statements about the distribution of possible future states of the system. Little (2010) also noted that a theory provides a set of â€Å"bridge† statement that permits the theorist to connect the consequences of the theory with predictions about observable state of affairs. Sociology is an examination of human beings in social contexts. It entails observing how people in specific communities interact, and surveying and conducting experiments to yield new data on which to build sociological knowledge. Interconnectivity or interdependence is the main characteristic of a society. Sociological theories are frameworks explaining how certain aspects or elements of society are interconnected to the larger processes or environment. Application of theories helps determine the interdependent aspects of the co-existence of individuals or groups. Theories in the area of sociology will help people understand how society works and how they can be a useful part in it. Furthermore, theories helps in decision making with regards to factors affecting a certain community as wrong decisions often result from inadequate knowledge of the structure and other peculiarities of the society. These wrong decisions may have a far-reaching impact on people’s lives. In addition, addressing societal problems such as alcoholism, high criminal rate, requires decision makers to have a fair knowledge of the problems and their root causes. Vassos, while contributing to the subject, stated that sociological theories provide insights on social issues, thereby enabling appropriate relevant authority to adequately and effectively tackle the problems. Sociologists focus on how a society is structured, how each and every individual works as part of the whole, how society has changed over the years and predictions of future changes. In essence, sociological theories help people understand society and knowledge of the world as it grows. In conclusion, Ritzer (2003) defined sociological theory as a set of interrelated ideas that allow for the systematization of knowledge of the social world. This knowledge, he noted, can then be used to explain the social world and make predictions about the future of the world. Discuss any sociology theory of your choice The Social Conflict Theory is one of the theories in sociology. The conflict theory was originated by Karl Marx in the mid – 1800’s. The theory states that human behaviour results in conflicts between competing groups. According to Karl Marx, the two competing social groups comprised of the ruling class on one hand and the subject class on the other have unequal access to power and resources (Anderson Taylor, 2009). The ruling class enjoys been the owner, having control over the forces of production thereby exploiting the subject class which results in a conflict of interest between both parties. Conflict theories generally focus attention on key areas of substantial social differences particularly with regards to class, gender and race. Conflict theory is mostly associated with Marxism, and may also be associated with other major perspectives including critical theory, feminist theory, post-modern theory and post structural theory (Adegbolagun, 2012). Macionis Geber (2011) however noted that other important sociologists like Harriet Martinean, Hane Addams and Dubois argue that this sociological approach does not adequately consider how social structures help society to function; rather it dwells on how inherent social differences can cause some people in the society to be dominant and others to be oppressed. The social conflict theory opines that different social classes of individuals and groups within society with varying amounts of material and non-material resources use their relative strength in power or wealth to exploit groups with lesser advantage. Two major means of this exploitation are through cohesion or force usually done by police, the army and economics. Perhaps this explains the reason why money is perceived as the substance of social disorder and oppression. It can also be deduced from their beliefs that the society is characterized by an on-going social struggle or competition between various groups. The social conflict theory believes social relationships are about power and exploitation; the rich exploiting the poor. Citing an example of this oppression is a renter for instance, living in a rented apartment for as long as fifty years and having no right or economic interest within the property. In sociology, conflict theory opines that the society functions so that everyone or group involved can make the best use of benefits which in the long run brings about social changes. Most times, the theory is used to explain conflict between social classes in ideas such as socialism and communism. Competition plays a vital role in understanding conflict theory. Accordingly, there are three primary assumptions of modern conflict theory (Vanithamohanakumar, 2011). The first is competition over scarce resources such as money and leisure which is characteristic of human relationship. Second is structural inequality which has to do with inequalities in power and reward. Thirdly, it is believed that rather than adapting to the situation, rapid and forceful turnaround or revolution is eminent as a result of the conflict between competing interests. According to McCafferty (2006), conflict theory emphasizes the social political or material inequality of a social group. It also contrast domi nant ideologies and make open differences in power. Conflict theory posits that social groups or classes compete with each other in order to obtain control of the scarce resources. A realistic social conflict theory is an understanding of the positive role of social conflict in serving the common good. It is actually expected to put change in perspective since all substantial social change involves social conflict. Understanding social conflict theory can assist groups to function in finding common grounds, developing alliances, defining core values, identifying and indeed eliminating differences in viewpoints where necessary, setting group boundaries, and strategizing to achieve the expected change. Harper postulated that in Social Conflict Theory, no one group should dominate all other groups particularly in a democratic society. He noted further that the power of all groups, especially of large institutions, is limited by the rule of law and by social impact, custom and social tradition. Within these confines of interest, various groups and institutions compete, negotiate and work out changes in socio-economic arrangements, generating social conflict in the process. Wright Mills opined that social structures are created through conflict between people with differing interests and resources. Individuals and resources in turn, are influential by these structures and by the unequal distribution of power and resources in the society (Knapp, 1994, pp228-246). REFERENCES Academic Room, Sociological Theoretical Perspectives, [online], (2013, [n.d]). Available from: http://www.academicroom.com/topics/sociologocal-theory-definition [Accessed 27 March 2014]. Adegbolagun, Adefolaju, Theories of Conflict, [online], (Scribd.com, 5 September 2012). Available from: http://www.scribd.com/doc/105006384/Theories-of-Conflict [Accessed 30 March 2014]. Anderson, M L. And Taylor, H.F., Sociology: The Essentials, (Rhomson Wadswoth, Belmot Ca, 2009). Berger, Joseph, Theory and Formalization: Some Reflections on Experience, Sociological Theory, Vol. 18 No. 3, pp482 – 489, (2000). Calhoun, Craig J., Classical Sociological Theory. (Wiley Blackwell, 2002) Gerber L.M, Macionis J.J, Sociology, 7th Canadian p15, (Pearson Toronto, Canada, 2011) p. 15. Harper, Nile, Journeys into Justice: Understanding Social Conflict Theory [online], [n.d.]. Available from: http://www.journeysintojustice.com/social-conflict-theory.htm, [Accessed 28 March 2014]. Knapp, P., One World – Many Worlds: Contemporary Sociological Theory, 2nd ed., ( It Apprercollins Colleges Div, 1994) pp 228 – 246. Little, Daniel,â€Å"Theory† in Sociology [online], (Understanding Society, 11 February 2010). Available from: http://understandingsociety.blogspot.com/2010/02/theory-in-sociology.html [Accessed 30 March 2014]. Liz, Sharon, Granehoolz, Boiuma–Holtrop, Explaining Critical Sociological Thinking from Teaching Sociology, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp 485 – 496, (2003) Macionis Gerber, John J. and Linda M., Sociology 7th Canadian ed., (Pearson Education Inc, Upper Saddle River NJ, 2010). McCafferty, Kevin C (2006) Conflict Theory [online], (How Contributor, ehow, 2006). Available from: http://www.ehow.com/facts_5518763_ conflict-theory. Obserschal Anthony, Theories of Social Conflict, from Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 4, pp291 – 315, (1978). Ritzer, George., Contemporary Sociological Theory and its Classical Roots: The Basics, [online], (McGraw-Hill Higher Education, University of Maryland, 2003). Available from: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/007234962x/student_view0/chapter1/chapter_overview.html [Accessed 28 March 2014]. Stark, Rodney., Sociology, 10th ed., (Thomas Wadsworth, 2007). Skocpol, Theda., States and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia and China, (Cambridge University Press, New York, 1980). Sociology Guide, Conflict Theories [online], (SociologyGuide.com, 2014). Available from: http://www.sociologyguide.com/social-stratification/Conflict-Theories.php [Accessed 30 March 2014]. Thio, Alek., Sociology: A Brief Introduction, 7th ed., (Pearson, 2008). Vossos, Tasos., The Importance of Sociological Theories [online], (eHow, [n.d]). Available from: http://www.ehow.com/info_11367824_importance-sociological-theories.html [Accessed 27 March 2014] Vanithamohanakumar, Introduction to Sociology [online], (Scribd.com, 8 July 2011). Available from: http://www.scribd.com/doc/59605267/introduction-to-sociology-V.2-0 [Accessed 23 March 2014]. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Conflict Theories, [online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_theories [Accessed 30 March 2014]. Wikipedia, the free encyclpedia, Sociological Theory, [online]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociological_theory [Accessed 28 March 2014]. 1

The Mayans :: essays research papers fc

I heard the familiar sound of the back door closing gently. My father was returning from weeding the vast amounts fields, with is old sickle, and planting more corn crops in one of our fields. He usually starts his day at 5:00 a.m. every morning, he wakes up to the superb aroma of a sweet honey that fills the whole room and which drags him into the kitchen, the smell of hot tortillas. â€Å"Good Morning father† greeted by his beautiful wife and children. They are wearing loose dresses that reached their ankles; his wife’s clothing was embroiled with elegant ornaments, and both females wore stunning necklaces made from the finest green jades in Guatemala. It has been almost 30 minutes since the Komatuk family have been enjoying their tortillas and balche (alcoholic drink). â€Å"Ok dear ones its time to get ready† the lady of the house would exclaim. It was time for the family to pay a visit Jolomk’u. Jolomk'u, according to the stories of the grandparents, was the name of a village situated on a tall ridge among a multitude of hills and mountains. It was a colorful village, woven with the work of men and women, with their lives, illusions and failures. Cold air rode freely among the savage hills, coming face to face with the people of Jolomk'u. The Komatuk family walked down the dusty brown road with his family as the hot bright sun shined on to them. As the enormous temple on top of the great sandy pyramid, they would then climb up the great sandy pyramid to get the sacred temple. When they reach the top of the pyramid they meet hundreds of other Mayans who are waiting in line to get their blessing from the high priest. After waiting in line as the scorching and sizzling sun shined on them. As Mekel and his family enters the sanctified holy temple he prays with the hundreds of Mayans as they worship their god as animals and prisoners of wars were being sacrificed to tribute and honor their great god. The crowd at the base of the enormous blood red pyramid has been standing for hours in the dripping heat of the Guatemalan jungle. No one moves; every eye stays fixed on the building's summit, where the king, his head adorned with feathers, his scepter a two-headed crocodile, is about to emerge from a sacred chamber with instructions from his long-dead ancestors.

The Apa Ethical Principles for Psychologists and Code of Conduct

The APA Ethical Principles for Psychologists and Code of Conduct: Cultural Sensitivity and Diversity – is the code culturally encapsulated and biased? Emmanuel Mueke Author Note Emmanuel Mueke. Independent Researcher. Correspondence regarding this article should be addressed to Emmanuel Mueke, P. O. Box 44935 – 00100. Nairobi, Kenya. Contact: [email  protected] com Abstract This paper explores the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical Principles for Psychologists and Code of Conduct as regards the issue of multicultural and diverse professional practise.Its aim is to establish whether diversity and cultural variety and differences are adequately provided for in the body of the document. Psychologists are mandated to provide services to a multitude of culturally diverse and varied clients in a manner that is both professional and ethical. In such situations cultural sensitivity is fundamental and has been elevated to best practice. The code has been question ed as to the efficacy of its cultural sensitivity; firstly in terms of whether the code itself is culturally encapsulated and secondly whether there exists an explicit or implicit cultural bias.To address this issue we shall undertake a look at the code; its inherent limitations and shortcomings. Secondly the issue of the importance of cultural sensitivity and its translated application in matters of ethical service delivery shall be addressed. Keywords: APA Ethical Principles for Psychologists and Code of Conduct, ethics, multicultural, diversity, bias. The APA Ethical Principles for Psychologists and Code of Conduct: Cultural Sensitivity and Diversity – is the code culturally encapsulated and biased?Cultural sensitivity and professional ethics are central to the provision of psychologists’ services; this has led to the APA issuing guidelines in an effort to ensure that best practice is not only aspired to but more importantly achieved. This paper examines the Code of Conduct and the pursuant Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists (APA, 2002). Analysis of these documents will establish the existence of mechanisms to ensure protection against cultural bias and effective promotion of cultural sensitivity.Literature Review In the 2002 APA Ethical Principles for Psychologists and Code of Conduct several principles were outlined to ensure that cultural sensitivity was adopted as the guiding policy for practicing psychologists. The first mention of the issue of diversity and its effect on professional practice is in Principle E, which engenders awareness of and respect for cultural differences and admonishes the practitioners to try and eliminate the effect of biases upon their work and not to condone any activities of others based on prejudice. Further under Section 3. 1, unfair discrimination on any basis including culture is prohibited, combined with Section 3. 03 which admon ishes the practitioners from engaging in any behaviour that would be demeaning to a person of different culture. The issue of ethical provision of services is not just about preventing discrimination or harassment to persons of different cultures but it is also about ensuring that they are provided with adequate and competent services as they well deserve; to this effect Section 2. 01 provides what has been termed a boundary of competence.The boundary is intended to ensure that the services provided are effective in the specific circumstances faced; to this effect first it limits a psychologist to only undertake to provide services within the boundary of his expertise, education and experience and secondly it mandates that a psychologist must undertake the training or education necessary to provide the requisite services to the target populace, this training or education taking into account all factors that have a bearing on effective service delivery such as age, gender, ethnicity et cetera.Lastly under Section 9. 06 (APA, 2002) when interpreting assessment results a psychologist is mandated to take into account all the factors relevant, including the cultural differences of the assessment subject, that might nuance the results in any way. To translate these into effective practice the APA published the Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists (APA, 2002); which was meant to embody diversity aspirations for professionals.This document built on the precedent established by the Guidelines for providers of psychological services to ethnic, linguistic, and culturally diverse populations (APA, 1990). It translated the Principles previously outlined into six different guideline rules with the appropriate commentary on the way to best achieve such targets. The guidelines are; 1. Psychologists are encouraged to recognize that, as cultural beings, they may hold attitudes and beliefs that can detri mentally influence their perceptions of and interactions with individuals who are ethnically and racially different from themselves 2.Psychologists are encouraged to recognize the importance of multicultural sensitivity/responsiveness, knowledge, and understanding about ethnically and racially different individuals 3. As educators, psychologists are encouraged to employ the constructs of multiculturalism and diversity in psychological education 4. Culturally sensitive psychological researchers are encouraged to recognize the importance of conducting culture-centred and ethical psychological research among persons from ethnic, linguistic, and racial minority backgrounds 5.Psychologists strive to apply culturally-appropriate skills in clinical and other applied psychological practices 6. Psychologists are encouraged to use organizational change processes to support culturally informed organizational (policy) development and practices Discussion The Guidelines admit the existence of a Eurocentric bias in the psychological profession and posit themselves as an ever-evolving solution; changing as further empirical research on the issue is undertaken.Moreover the document places a time limit on its validity in order to spur further research on the issue of multicultural practice. In order to ensure its efficacy the APA set up a task force whose sole purpose was to look into the implementation of the guidelines with a view to providing proper feedback by identifying pertinent implementation and infusion recommendations. The task force produced a report on the infusion of the paradigm shift in service delivery outlining how this should be undertaken; Report of the APA Task Force on the Implementation of the Multicultural Guidelines (APA, 2008).The report split the guidelines into two categories the first being those whose implementation fell unto the practitioners and into this category they placed the first and second guidelines. The rest were in the category of thos e whose implementation required facilitation by the APA both in terms of administrative structures and funding; for example the APA was tasked with establishing an Office of Diversity Enhancement and hiring a Chief Diversity Officer to run it. The Office’s purpose is ensuring that there is diversity across the organization which helps with the ethical provision of services across multicultural diversity.Conclusion Having gone through the Code of Conduct, the pursuant Guidelines and the Implementation Report there is no evidence of cultural bias and encapsulation; rather there is incontrovertible evidence of contrived and concerted efforts to address the bias existent in the profession and its philosophy. References American Psychological Association. (1990). Guidelines for providers of psychological services to ethnic, linguistic, and culturally diverse populations. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from www. apa. org/pi/oema/guide. html American Psychological Association. (2 002).Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist, 57, 1060-1073. Retrieved from www. apa. org/ethics. code. html American Psychological Association. (2003). Guidelines on multicultural education, training, research, practice, and organizational change for psychologists. American Psychologist, 58, 377-402. (See www. apa. org/pi/multiculturalguidelines/homepage. html) American Psychological Association. (2008). Report of the Task Force on the Implementation of the Multicultural Guidelines. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www. apa. org/pi/

Child Care Center †An analysis of how incentives work on the human mind Essay

Understanding the concept of incentives, positive and negative, and how they impact the behavior of people is a core aspect of economics. In fact, economists love to tinker with incentives and identify different measures that can motivate and de-motivate a person from doing an action or from abstaining from it. The power of incentive is such that economists believe that with the right incentive, any person can be compelled to do any task. Incentives can cause tremendous action, inaction or opposition, merely based on the quantity and quality of the incentive. Every incentive has three flavors to it: economic, social and moral. The case of the childcare centers of Israel will help one understand the impact of incentives, and how a wrongly conceptualized incentive can severely affect the very purpose of the incentive. A study of childcare centers in Israel provided statistics that the parents who came later to collect their children were on an average eight per center, per week. This was an alarming statistic for the centers and they had to spend extra money on holding back staff and paying them for overtime services. A few economists decided to try a negative incentive by imposing a nominal $3 fine on parents coming late by more than ten minutes, in twenty childcare centers in Israel†¦ The management and the economists believed that this would deter parents from coming late to collect their child. To their utter dismay, within a couple of weeks of the penalty, the number of parents who came late shot up to 20 per week, per center, displaying an astounding increase of 150%. One major factor that one can identify that led to such a drastic increase is the low penalty. The penalty for the whole month totaled to sixty dollars, which was about 16% of the total monthly service fee per child. From the parent’s perspective, for an addition al 16% of monthly fee, he could come at his own convenience and collect the child. Since, such a penalty was being levied by the childcare center; it became an additional responsibility for the center to provide the best amenities for the child until the parent turned up. It further alleviated the moral conflict within the parent, when he turned up late, as now he could come late and be relieved of the moral binding to come on time, with the penalty. A similar parallel can be drawn to students who were asked to pay a nominal fee for low attendance. Colleges perceived that by introducing a low penalty for every day of attendance below the stipulated percentage, students would be more regular. To their utter dismay, with the introduction of the penalty, the percentage of students who fell below the required the minimum attendance increased significantly, as they were aware that by paying a nominal penalty they could get away with a few more holidays in the year to enjoy. On the contrary, in the absence of the penalty the parents had at least a moral obligation to come on time and collect their children. In case a much severe punishment was imposed like a hundred dollars a day, the number of erring parents would significantly reduce. However, that would increase the animosity between the parents and the childcare center management, which could even lead parents to transferring their children to a far less punishing center. If the childcare centers of the entire region imposed a high penalty for late parents, there is a strong possibility that one of the parents might themselves open a childcare center and compete with the existing one. However, the economists and the management of the childcare centers missed an important perspective. What if instead of punishing the late parents, they provided an incentive for parents who consistently came on time? The incentive can be in two kinds, for the parents and for the children. A nominal monetary incentive for the parents might simply fail, as again they might want to sacrifice a few dollars a day to enjoy their game of tennis or strive more at work. Hence, if a cash incentive is to be provided, it has to be substantial and there must be an element of scarcity; i. e. the top ten consistent parents being awarded. This would create a competitive spirit in the minds of the parents. It has also to be kept in mind that such an incentive would affect the finances of the childcare centers, and would also be useless if the children coming to the center are from the elite class of society. The most effective measure to reduce late parents could be achieved by involving the children in the incentive process. By motivating the children to push their parents to come on time and win the best parent award, the childcare center might get its desired benefits, as children are highly competitive and would influence their parents to come on time to pick them up. The childcare center should focus on the children of parents who turn up regularly late to the center, yet create an impression of equality in the minds of the other children too. Hence, it can be understood from the above discussion that an incentive can have several consequences on its desired participants. An incentive scheme is very successful when the people participate willingly in the process, and reaches less than desired outcome when the participants are forced into the process. A fine example of a forced incentive process is one when a company introduces a new scheme, which has to be promoted by its sales executives, though everyone knows the promotion and the product are unsalable. An incentive to be successful has to be organic, achievable, realistic and participative. References Donald Edward Campbell (2006), Incentives: motivation and the economics of information, Cambridge University Press Jean-Jacques Laffont, David Martimort (2002), The theory of incentives: the principal-agent model, Princeton University Press Sullivan Arthur; Steven M. Sheffrin (2003), Economics: Principles in action. Pearson Prentice Hall. pp. 31.