Quality Management in Healthcare

Introduction The need for quality management in healthcare facilities is an issue that many stakeholders have been fighting for over the years. According to Arias (2000, p. 87), quality healthcare is one of the major pillars of the economic development within a given country. People should have access to quality and affordable healthcare in order to remain strong and healthy.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Quality Management in Healthcare specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the current society, there are numerous diseases that may affect people of different social classes, and this may reduce their productivity. It is because of this that many stakeholders, including the government and nongovernmental agencies, have been able to come up with ways of improving service delivery at various healthcare institutions within the country. In the United States, the federal government, in close connection with private non-profit making organisations such as Mayo Clinics, has improved the healthcare standards within the country. Mayo has been using numerous quality management tools in order to improve its service delivery. Currently, the hospital is using ISO 9001 principles to improve the quality of its services. Background of Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic is one of the largest non-profit making private healthcare institutions in the world that offers a wide range of medical services to various people across the country. In defining Mayo Clinics, Charantimath (2006, p. 78) says, â€Å"The Mayo Clinic is the world’s oldest and largest integrated multispecialty group medical practice, combining clinical practice, education, and research at the regional, national, and international levels for the benefit of individuals with routine as well as complex health care needs.† From this definition, it is clear that The Mayo Clinic offers more than just medical services to the American population. It is an integrated team of multispecialty medical practitioners who are focused on offering medical services, educating young people interested in joining the medical practice, and maintaining a high level of research in various areas of health.Advertising Looking for case study on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Founded in 1889 by William Worrall Mayo and his sons, this foundation currently employs over 3,800 physicians, and about 60,000 allied health staffs in various hospitals within the United States and all over the world. It has experienced massive growth over the years to become the largest and one of the most reputable healthcare centres in the world. As stipulated in their mission statement, Mayo is not just focused on offering quality healthcare to the people, but it is also concerned with finding the best ways of managing some of the emerging health complications by engaging its staffs in research . With its headquarters in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic has become one of the most reliable healthcare institutions in North America. Its efforts in research and development has enabled it become one of the most successful non-profit making healthcare organisations in the entire region. Quality Management System at Mayo Clinic (Strengths) At Mayo, the management has always been focused on offering quality healthcare to all the patients who visit the facility with various health complications. When William and his sons started this facility, they were interested in offering quality healthcare services to the American people. However, this organisation experienced numerous challenges as the field of medicine started experiencing changes due to technological advancements (Donabedian 2003, p. 34). The organisation had to adapt to the emerging technologies in order to maintain the quality service provision to the patients. The dynamic leadership at this organisation has seen it tran sform in line with the technological advancement and various other changes in this field to become one of the most reputable organisations in the world. Always emphasising on quality delivery of healthcare services, this organisation has six attributes of an ideal healthcare delivery system as defined by the Commonwealth Fund which forms its main strength (Charantimath 2006, p. 44).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Quality Management in Healthcare specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Information Continuity Information continuity is one of the most important ingredients of quality healthcare provision within a healthcare facility (Wheeler Grice 2000, p. 81). At Mayo clinic, all departments are interconnected using personal computers and local area networks that make information transfer very efficient. Once a client’s information is fed into the system at the reception, all the relevant departments can ac cess the information on demand. Any adjustment made in the information at any of the departments will be reflected in other relevant departments. This means that the speed and reliability of data transfer has become highly efficient. It has helped improve the quality of services offered within the facility. The information is managed from a central database as shown in the diagram below. Care Coordination and Transitions At Mayo, there is a clear system that allows for patient care coordination among various practitioners. There are cases where a patient suffers from multiple health complications that may require practitioners in different fields. The management has developed a system where this cannot be done without any form of strain. A medical doctor in one department can easily communicate with another doctor in a different area of specialty of the medication that has been offered, and the steps that should be taken to address other complications. Such closely coordinated comm unication between the practitioners eliminates any possibility of misunderstanding among the doctors. System Accountability Mayo Clinics have adopted a total care policy on all the patients who visit their facility as a way of improving the quality of services they deliver. According to Lighter (2011, p. 33), many medical practitioners have worsened the health of their patients through careless acts due to relaxed management systems at the institutions. This is not the case at Mayo Clinic.Advertising Looking for case study on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More At this facility, every medical officer is held accountable for any service rendered, and if any mistake arises from any of the departments visited by the patient, then the officer who offered the service is always held responsible as per the organisation’s policies and principles. Peer Review and Teamwork for High-Value Care The peer review and teamwork system was introduced at this facility to help promote teamwork and responsibility within various departments. Under this system, practitioners in a specific field have the responsibility to review works of peers in that department with the aim of maintaining the best practice in their field. Any changes taking place in that specific field would be shared by the members in order to enhance its application within the facility. The focus of this strategy is to offer high value care by improving skills and competencies of the individual members of the staff. Continuous Innovation In the current dynamic world, innovation is one o f the most important tools that an organisation can use in order to ensure that it offers continuous quality care to its clients (Kelly 2003, p. 45). At Mayo Clinic, the management knows that the only way of achieving its vision is to maintain innovativeness in its service delivery. This has been made possible by the research unit of this firm. The researchers have been interested to identify the emerging trends in this field of healthcare and to develop mechanisms of dealing with it in order to ensure that this firm remains dynamic. It has come up with new ways of addressing various issues that at the facility in order to maintain superior quality delivery (Lighter Fair, 2000, p. 44). Easy Access to Appropriate Care According to Horch (2003, p. 78), healthcare is one of the basic needs in the modern society, and it should be easily accessible to members of the public. When offering healthcare services, it is necessary to ensure that clients have the capacity to access their informa tion and understand their health conditions as soon as it is determined by the practitioners. This is one of the factors that Mayo Clinic has been determined to improve its service quality in the market. The Clinic has developed a communication system in all its clinics for easy retrieval of information and reliable communication with the patients. The above attributes have been considered ideal for a standard healthcare facility such as Mayo Clinic. This has made this healthcare facility one of the most preferred institutions in North America. The above strengths have seen a rise to the Mayo brand in the healthcare sector within this region. They are considered an integrated team of medical experts who are focused on identifying any health complication, informing their patients about their complication, suggesting ways through which such complications can be addressed, and using the strategy that the patients chooses to address the problem. This creates a feeling among the patients that at this facility, they have a voice, and can make their own independent choices about how they should be treated based on their personal preferences. This strength has helped this firm expand its operations beyond the United States. It has also made it easy for it to raise funds from the well wishers who have now trusted it as one of the leading healthcare provider in North America. In most of its campaigns, this firm has received massive support from the public, not just because of the fact that it is a non-profit making healthcare facility, but also because of the quality of care it offers (Lighter Fair 2004, p. 67). The management of Mayo Clinic knows that its strengths in offering quality healthcare largely relies on its ability to retain highly qualified and motivated team of experts who are specialised in various fields. Although this is a non-profit making organisation, maintaining this kind of staff needs a strategy that would help in making them comfortable so that t hey do not consider quitting the facility. This can only be achieved through good remuneration. Mayo Clinic is one of the best paying private hospitals to various health experts. The working environment is positively designed to promote integration, socialisation and teamwork among all the employees, creating a community where everyone has an emotional attachment with other members of the organisation. This has helped minimise the rate of employees’ turnover, the fact that has helped it to retain its highly qualified staff. Using Principles in ISO 9001 to Improve Quality of Services at Mayo Clinic From the discussion above, it is clear that Mayo Clinic is one of the best non-profit making private healthcare firms in service delivery within North America. The firm has been determined to embrace the best practice principles in the industry in order to match or even exceed the quality of healthcare offered at some of the best hospitals in the world. The management of this facili ty has been benchmarking its services with that of the leading hospitals in the world such as John Hopkins Hospital and Cleveland Clinic (Lloyd 2004, p. 44). In 2010, CNN, one of the leading news agencies in the world, ranked it as the third best healthcare facility in the world in overall medical treatment and quality services to its clients. Despite this success, it is a fact that this facility needs to maintain continuous improvement in order to maintain its glorious position as one of the leading healthcare facility in the world. Although this firm is ISO certified, it needs to give more focus to the principles of ISO 9001:2008 as it seeks to improve on its quality of service in the market. There are nine principles that will help Mayo Clinic to advance its current systems, and find ways of expanding its capacity to offer improved services to all the patients that visit the facility. The principles of ISO 900:2008 that have been applied by Mayo Clinic include the following. Cust omer focus This is the first principle of ISO 9001:2008 that Mayo Clinic has been using to improve the quality of services offered to its customers. Mayo Clinic clearly understands that all other healthcare facilities in the regions where it operates are competitors. For this reason, it has always found ways of attracting customers to its facility. To achieve this, it has taken a customer-centric approach in its management. It focuses on ways through which its clients can be offered customised quality healthcare whenever they visit the facility (McLaughlin, Johnson Sollecito 2012, p. 77). This involves active engagement of the clients when offering them care in order to ensure that they get the service in the manner they consider appropriate. Every client is always treated as a unique entity with unique needs. This way, the firm has been able to develop a personal relationship with clients who visit the facility. Leadership Leadership is the second principle that Mayo Clinic has us ed in order to improve the quality of its service delivery to the clients. As stated previously, this facility has a responsibility of managing its top doctors in a manner that would convince them to remain loyal to the firm. This can only be achieved through effective leadership (Mohanty, 2008, p. 56). The management unit has embraced transformational leadership characteristics in order to maintain high moral and loyalty of every member of the organisation. The leaders have developed best approaches of positively challenging the current capacity of its workers with the view of making them reinvent themselves into better service providers in their respective field. The management realizes that it has a responsibility of making every employee feel valued within the firm. It is only through this that employees will feel committed to the firm and develop a responsibility of coming up with new approaches of undertaking their duties. The managers at Mayo appreciates that their position i s meant to offer service to the employees. They seek to offer guidance in case of challenging factors in the environment, and in all the cases, they ensure that they integrate easily with all the employees of different ranks within the organisation (Geisler, Krabbendam Schuring, 2003, p. 66). There is an open communication system at Mayo Clinic as shown in the model below. Involvement of people One of the basic principles of ISO 9001:2008 used at Mayo Clinic is the need for involvement of people in undertaking various tasks and in making decisions. According to Morfaw (2009, p. 97), every human being has his or her worth that makes him or her special over the rest. The problem is that in most of the cases, some people are always belittled to the extent that they feel useless. The management at Mayo Clinic appreciates the fact that the firm can only become innovative if people are involved actively in the development of plans and in their execution. Creativity and innovation is no t a preserve for the top managers, the intelligent staff or any other special groups within an organisation. It is a natural force that comes out of a person irrespective of the position held or academic excellences when faced with new challenges in the workplace (Okeyo Adelhardt 2003, p. 78). By involving every member of the organisation in decision making, the management of Mayo Clinic has given them the opportunity to be creative in their respective fields in order to come up with superior ways of addressing various issues in the workplace. This has helped in improving the quality of services that are offered in this organisation at various levels. Process approach The process approach is another principle of ISO 9001:2008 that Mayo Clinic has been using to improve the quality of its services. Success and failure are two possibilities that an organisation can experience when dealing with various issues in its normal operations. One of the factors that separate failure from succe ss is the approach that is taken in the process of undertaking a specific activity. Many organisations have failed to implement good plans because they used wrong approaches. Deciding on the best approach to use will involve embracing technology and innovativeness whenever it is necessary. Oleske (2009, p. 96) advises that it is important to ensure that the management devolves decision making to the departments. At Mayo Clinic, each departmental heads has a plan that is always followed when implementing various policies within their departments based on their local needs. This hospital has been focused on choosing the process approach when implementing new policies (Sollecito Johnson 2013, p. 89). System approach to management The principle of system approach to management has gained popularity in many successful organisations around the world, and Mayo Clinic is one of the firms that have actively used this principle in their operations. According to Spath (2009, p. 78), an organi sation is a system of people with different skills, experience, knowledge, and talents. All these factors define an organisation and the approach it takes when addressing various activities in the market. System approach to the management is a principle in ISO 9001:2008 that emphasises on the need to involve other members of the organisation in the management process. At Mayo Clinic, before coming up with a decision on how different tasks should be undertaken, the responsible managers always make efforts to understand the ideas of other people, especially those that are directly involved in the implementation of some of these policies are very important. They always form part of the management system, especially in decision making. Their views are regarded as important when making decisions that will affect them or their tasks. This not only motivates them, but also ensures that the approach taken is the most practical one. This approach has helped this giant organisation to devolve some of the operational and tactical plans to departmental levels in order to help find local solutions to local problems at these facilities. Continual improvement Continual improvement is probably one of the most important principles in the ISO 9001:2008 that Mayo Clinic has emphasised on at all its departments. According to Stamatis (1996, p. 63), success should not be considered a destination because it is a process that has no end. Continuous success is what should be regarded as a true success because any missteps that a successful firm makes would lead to a failure that may wipe away past successes. With this in mind, Mayo Clinic has maintained continuous improvement in its service delivery in order to retain its prestigious position as one of the best hospitals in the world. All the good strategies that this firm uses have been under continuous improvement to enable it offer even better services. If this firm was ranked third in 2010 among the best hospitals, it means that there are other areas that it should improve on in order to become the best. Continual quality improvement that has been embraced by Mayo Clinic may be a challenging task, especially when a firm believes that it has exploited some of the best imaginable strategies. However, Steiger (2001, p. 68) says that there is always a way of improving the best, and the only difficult task is to identify how this should be done. This should be a continual process as shown in the diagram below, and the management at Mayo Clinic has been determined to apply it in order to improve its customers’ experience whenever they visit the facility. Factual approach to decision making Factual approach to decision making has been another popular principle of ISO 9001:2008 that Mayo Clinic has been using to enhance its ability to offer quality products. Some policies can appear very attractive on a piece of paper, but when it comes to implementation, they may become impractical. This is one of the reas ons why some firms fail to achieve their objectives in the market. When the plan lacks the factual information, or practicality, then it will remain a plan that cannot be implemented (Wan Connell 2003, p. 56). This simply means that the plan will be useless to the organisation, and all the resources that were used in its development will be a waste. The management at Mayo Clinic acknowledges the importance of ensuring that its decision making process is based on factual information. Care has always been taken to ensure that only the practical plans based on the factual information from the field are developed. This means that decision making should not be a preserve of the top executives. The main role of the top executive when planning for operational and tactical plans would be to ensure that the operational and tactical plans are in line with the strategic plans of the firm. If they realise that a section of the plan does not work within the strategic objectives of the organisat ion, they should give advices on how to make adjustments in order to realise the desired goals. As Kelly (2003, p. 75) notes, this will help in coming up with practical and realistic plans that can easily be implemented by respective departments. Mutually beneficial supplier relationships This is the last principle of ISO 9001:2008 that Mayo Clinic has actively used to improve the quality of its products. The research by Charantimath (2006, p. 32) shows that one of the major challenges that firms face in the current market is the increasing strength of the suppliers. Dealing with a strong supplier may be a serious challenge to a firm, especially if the supplier controls a major share of the market for the supplies. Such a supplier may set terms which are unfriendly to the firm as a way of gaining quick success before the industry is invaded by other players. Mayo Clinic has found ways of developing a mutually beneficial relationship with all its suppliers in order to ensure that it is able to get all the needed products at friendly terms. To achieve this, the firm has always created a partnership with these suppliers. It strives to make these suppliers feel that they are in a form of relationship where they need each other’s support. This way, their suppliers always view them as partners that need their protection, other than customers that should be exploited. Through this strategy, this firm has been able to deliver its products to the clients at reduced prices. Previous Quality Management Tools at Mayo Clinic The above nine principles are very vital for Mayo Clinic when implementing ISO 9001:2008 in its management strategies. This does not mean that other strategies that this firm was using previously will be discarded when implementing the above recommendations. Some of the strategies that this firm was using before included Six Sigma. Although some scholars claim that Six Sigma is a complicated quality management strategy that is gradually being ou tdated, it still remains to be one of the important tools that should not be ignored by the management. At Mayo, this has been an important quality management tool for many years. This tool could probably provide the answer to the question on how to improve the current best practices within this firm. Mayo Clinic has also found the Commonwealth Fund Commission to be an important quality management tool that has helped it remain competitive in the market. The six principles that have enabled this firm become strong in the market, as discussed on the section above, were based on the best practices as defined by the Commonwealth Fund Commission. Other important principles that this firm has been using in the past include John Ovretveit’s Principles, which the firm has since reduced its application within its system preferring to emphasise on ISO 9001:2008. Conclusion Quality management in the field of healthcare has become one of the most important tasks that define the success of a firm. Mayo Clinic has realised that it has a responsibility to its clients to offer quality healthcare to all the patients. To achieve this, the organisation has been using the industry’s best practice in order to ensure that its services meet the industry standards. It has been determined to employ some of the important quality measures in its management system. The Commonwealth Fund Commission principles on quality management have been one of the major quality management tools used by the firm in the past. However, the firm must now fully implement the principles of ISO 9001:2008 in order to achieve even greater success in this competitive industry. List of References Arias, K 2000, Quick reference to outbreak investigation and control in health care facilities, Aspen Publishers, Gaithersburg. Charantimath, P 2006, Total quality management, Pearson Education, New Delhi. Donabedian, A 2003, An introduction to quality assurance in health care, Oxford University Press, Ne w York. Geisler, E, Krabbendam, K Schuring, R 2003, Technology, health care, and management in the hospital of the future, Praeger, Westport. Horch, J 2003, Practical Guide to Software Quality Management, Artech House, Norwood. Kelly, D 2003, Applying quality management in healthcare: A process for improvement, Health Administration Press, Chicago. Lighter, D Fair, D 2000, Principles and methods of quality management in health care, Aspen Publishers, Gaithersburg. Lighter, D Fair, D 2004, Quality management in health care: Principles and methods, Jones and Bartlett, Sudbury. Lighter, D 2011, Advanced performance improvement in health care: Principles and methods, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury. Lloyd, R 2004, Quality health care: A guide to developing and using indicators, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury. McLaughlin, C, Johnson, J Sollecito, W 2012, Implementing continuous quality improvement in health care: A global casebook Sudbury, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury. Mohanty, R 2008, Quality management practices, Excel Books, New Delhi. Morfaw, J 2009, Total quality management (TQM): A model for the sustainability of projects and programs in Africa, University Press of America, Lanham. Okeyo, T Adelhardt, M 2003, Health professionals handbook on quality management in healthcare in Kenya, Centre for Quality in Healthcare, Nairobi. Oleske, D 2009, Epidemiology and the delivery of health care services: Methods and applications, Springer, New York. Sollecito, W Johnson, J 2013, McLaughlin and Kaluzny’s continuous quality improvement in health care, Jones Bartlett Learning, Burlington. Spath, P 2009, Introduction to healthcare quality management, Health Administration Press, Chicago. Stamatis, D 1996, Total quality management in healthcare: Implementation strategies for optimum results, McGraw-Hill, New York. Steiger, H 2001, Risk control and quality management in neurosurgery, Springer, Wien. Wan, T Connell, A 2003, Monitoring t he quality of health care: Issues and scientific approaches, Kluwer Academic, Boston. Wheeler, N Grice, D 2000, Management in health care, Stanley Thornes, Cheltenham. This case study on Quality Management in Healthcare was written and submitted by user Malice to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Levels of Taxonomy Used in Biology

Levels of Taxonomy Used in Biology Taxonomy is the practice of categorizing and naming of species. The official scientific name of an organism consists of its Genus and its Species Identifier in a naming system called binomial nomenclature. The Work of Carolus Linnaeus The current taxonomic system gets its roots from the work of Carolus Linnaeus in the early 1700s. Before Linnaeus set up the rules of the two-word naming system, species had long and unwieldy Latin polynomials that were inconsistent and inconvenient for scientists when communicating with each other or even the public. While Linnaeuss original system had many fewer levels than the modern system has today, it was still an excellent place to start to organize all of life into similar categories for easier classification. He used the  structure and function of body parts, mostly, to classify the organisms. Thanks to advances in technology and understanding the evolutionary relationships among species, we have been able to update the practice to get the most accurate classification system possible. The Taxonomic Classification System The modern taxonomic classification system has eight main levels (from most inclusive to most exclusive): Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species Identifier. Every different species has a unique species identifier and the more closely a species is related to it on the evolutionary tree of life, it will be included in a more inclusive group with the species being classified. (Note: An easier way to remember the order of these levels is to use a mnemonic device to remember the first letter of each word in order. The one we use is Do Keep Pond Clean Or Fish Get Sick) Domain A domain is the most inclusive of the levels (meaning it has the most number of individuals in the group). Domains are used to distinguish between the cell types and, in the case of prokaryotes, where they are found and what the cell walls are made of. The current system recognizes three domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. Kingdom Domains are further broken into Kingdoms. The current system recognizes six Kingdoms: Eubacteria, Archaebacteria, Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, and Protista. Phylum The next division would be the phylum. Class Several related classes make up a phylum. Order Classes are further divided into Orders. Family The next level of classification that orders are divided into are Families. Genus A genus is a group of closely related species. The genus name is the first part of the scientific name of an organism. Species Identifier Each species has a unique identifier that describes only that species. It is the second word in the two-word naming system of the scientific name of a species.

Not a license to murder Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Not a license to murder - Assignment Example serious injury in an individual’s house; in such a case, the victim is justified to use lethal force in defense without any attempt of running to safety. This volume intends to discuss whether such laws have any moral justification. The formal defense of a person uses deadly force against another and goes unpunished is a great crack in the walls of morality in the nation. Although needs deems it necessary for people to have a ground to defend their interests, misinterpretation of the defense law is very dangerous as it consequently interferes with other people’s rights to life. It is a violation of the human right to life to allow use of lethal force even in situations with means of retreat and require minimum force. For instance, if an aggressor comes to and individual home, the law justifies the victim to use deadly force in defense even when they have a chance of escape. The failure of the Florida’s state police was a sign of moral absence and served to show a great weakness in the implementation of the stand your ground legislations. The stand your ground laws are certainly permits of murder as the police failed to arrest the violator despite the aggressor failing to seek the defense of the Stand your ground law. The arrest was not initially make because of the misinformed interpretation of the self-defense law and through that made the laws a defendant of criminal

Attack on The White House Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Attack on The White House - Essay Example Space exploration has been left behind by the U.S.A being equipped with satellites apt enough to eye any corner of this world in a matter of minutes. Defense wise as well, U.S.A has the elite position having large chunks of budget being attributed towards the armed forces and most importantly the nuclear sector. Thus, there should be a general consent that the U.S.A is in present world the "ultimate power". Such a concentration of power and authority has not been under calm and tranquil circumstances. Instead, the U.S.A has attracted strong criticism and opposition of many rivals. They can be termed as terrorists in the American 'terminology'. Owing to such a criticism, many sensitive and central points in the U.S.A are at stake as can be observed from the past events like ninth September. The next best point of such a hunt can even be the statue of liberty, the pentagon and also the white house. Thus, to counter the lethal effects of such an emergency certain steps should be a dopted to either curtail or minimize the losses as much as possible. The white house has a place of paramount importance in the U.S.A. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C, it is not only the residence of the president of the U.S.A but also a shelter for many governing executive operations. It was built on a neo classical style between 1782 and 1800. The names such as Executive Mansion (1810- 1901), President's House, President's Palace and President's Mansion were also used interchangeably for it in the past. Apart from its official significance, it is also of concern to the civilians as it houses the museum of American history and art. Hence, this structure spread over 7.3 hectares (18 acres) retains utmost importance. Returning to our topic, any kind of terrorist attack on such a prominent place of a dominant nation as the U.S.A could therefore, have serious consequences. To manipulate such a situation of emergency effectively certain steps as mitig ation, preparedness, response and recovery should be followed. However, such an incident could lead to several severe economic, social, academic and other consequences both within the national perimeters and across the border. Whereas, the rivals might in their own interest benefit from such a situation. But we shall see which impact has the highest weightage as we continue. I. Mitigation The technique of mitigation primarily revolves around the principle of not letting the attack happen on the first hand. Such a step is surely tough but if successful it can promote insurance of many lives and losses. Coupled with this, it may also include the calming down of a chaos disaster if white house is attacked. In the U.S.A, the Citizen Corps should train to inculcate this skill into volunteer's stock of craftsmanship to not only survive but also make the surroundings survive as well. In addition, the Department of Homeland Security should adopt necessary steps to detect any suspicious activity and operation beforehand. Certain gadgets and sophisticated cameras with latest updates should be installed to make the white house fool proof. Preparedness Nothing in this highly developed world as well is perfect. Even the flawless

Identify the different sources of international law. To what extent Essay

Identify the different sources of international law. To what extent have international treaties affected the development of inte - Essay Example Sources of international law are recognized generally as authoritative statements. This is found in the Statute of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Article 38. This specifies possible sources of law that the court shall apply in deciding disputes. These sources of international law include: international conventions which establishes rules, whether particular or general, expressly recognized by the states contesting; the general law principles recognized by civilized nations; international customs evident of general practice and accepted by law; and teachings from publicists and judicial decisions of the various nations and states as a subsidiary means of determining the rule of law (Buergenthal and Sean 19). The mentioned sources of international law, customs, treaties, and principles of law, are referred to by librarians and lawyers with a similar background as the primary sources of international laws. Teachings from the most high qualified publicists and judicial decisio ns are recognized as secondary sources or evidence of international laws. It should be noted that case laws are only considered as a subsidiary means. This is because even the ICJ decisions itself cannot create any binding precedent. The court decisions have no particular force of binding except between, in respect of that specific case, the parties. Teachings from the most highly qualified publicists may also include organizational work like private institutions and International law Commission. Other sources of international law that recognizes international organization role include resolutions and actions of international governmental organizations like United Nations. Such organizations are also recognized as evidence or sources of international law (Aust 5). The European Union laws have been categorized depending on the sources. The laws grouped under primary sources include; Treaty Articles, Treaty of Lisbon, and Treaty of the European Union. Those categorized under secondary sources include; regulations, decisions, directives, and judgements or decisions of the ECJ. As mentioned earlier in the introduction, international law may be public international law, supranational law, or private international law. Public international law includes Treaty law, international criminal law, law of the sea, and international humanitarian law. These laws govern the existing relationships between international entities and states. The private international on the other hand addresses fundamental issues such as what jurisdiction hears a case, the rules that apply typically when a dispute is subjected to international concern like contract between parties in different countries, and the law concerning what jurisdiction to be applied to particular case issues. Finally, the supranational law, also referred to as supranational organizations concerned with regional agreements in which the nation state laws may be inapplicably held where there is a conflict with a supranatio nal legal system. Some of the examples of supranational framework include the European Court of Justice and European Union law, and the International Court of Justice and the UN Security Council (Buergenthal and Sean 28). The international treaties affect the development of international business in various ways. First the international business law is observed on varying levels: international economic law,

The Road To Cashless Economy Using Technology Finance Essay

The Road To Cashless Economy Using Technology Finance Essay Technology advances almost everyday and affects almost every part of our lives and in every industry. The latest advancement, or idea, is a cashless economy. This would eliminate the need for cash in our economic system. Are Americans ready for this? Can this really work? Americans will definitely need a lot of information before adjusting to this change. The younger generation seems all for it, and is already mostly using debit and credit cards. With so much fraud and counterfeit, could checks and cash soon be a thing of the past? What is a Cashless Economy? A cashless economy is a system where payments are made by electronic means rather then using cash or check to pay for goods or services. In an economy that is cashless, a person would pay with plastic methods like credit cards, debit cards or smart cards. This type of transaction electronically moves money from one account to another rather then using the traditional forms of exchanging printed currency or checks. In the time period of 1999 to 2005, the amount of card-swiping terminals tripled to the number of 6.9 million. (Samuelson, June 2007) This figure compares to the fact that 9.1 billion bills are printed each year in the United States, but 95% of that is to replace old and worn out bills and not to expand the supply of paper currency in circulation. In 1996, checks and cash were the payment method for 80% of transactions in the United States and that figure is now reduced to half. (Samuelson, June 2007). It is predicted that in 2010, cashless options will be used for 70% of transactions. For some situations, cash is no longer an option. American Airlines will no longer take cash for payment in flight for drinks and snacks offered. (Associated, May 2009) Other businesses will not accept checks as a form of payment and will only accept cash or electronic options. These facilities include major chains like Subway, McDonalds and Burger King. The largest retailers, Target and Wal-mart, will accept a check, but it is processed electronically rather then the paper deposits and paper trails of yesterday. Woodfords Model of Cashless Economy There has been much debate over Woodfords model of a cashless economy by many experts in the field of economics. Most experts believe that although some of the ideas brought forth make sense, the model is still incomplete because in real world economics, central banks can affect nominal interest rates. In Woodfords model, he assumes that this does not relate to the real world economy. Woodfords argument is that banks have committed themselves to straightforward objectives to control inflation but price stability creates a basis for economic performance. The basic questions brought about by Woodfords theory are: Should central banks control interest rates? As of now, banks follow a rules-based approach through interest rate targeting which is the preferred policy option. The most relative concepts of Woodfords model are: a pure credit economy, natural rate of interest, cumulative process and rules for monetary policy. In Woodfords model, markets are perfectly competitive, prices adjust continuously to clear markets, and there exist markets in which state-contingent securities of any kind may be traded. In this case, no one would have to hold money and all payments could be handled by transfers or other assets. Basically, all base money would be held in and transferred between bank accounts. In Woodfords cashless economy, he analyzes the need for money to hold according to household demands by holding stocks of assets by which the bank can still profit by generating flows of credit. In this setting, there would need to be perfect competition and complete financial markets making nominal assets that substitute for money. According to the rules of this system, the bank would become the price-taker, not the price-maker. Unfortunately, there is no such th ing as a perfect or complete market, so Woodford allows for central banks the power to vary their price, however, in this scenario it takes away from the purpose of the model in that it is no longer free of monetary friction. Woodfords model of a cashless economy is a concept that may not have an opportunity to be implemented by the central bank system because shortcomings may halt the process of converting to a pure credit economy. Woodford will admit that his model does have its own set of problems. The only way his price setting theory could work is if the environment is in low inflation; it is impossible for the system to work if inflation is accelerating. Experts seem to differ in opinion about a conversion like Woodfords and are not sure if the issues associated are more semantics but the general consensus is that while the model is a step towards a cashless economy; there are many wholes in the system as well. Pros and Cons of a Cashless Economy It almost seemed impossible 20 years ago that the currency that we use for our everyday activities and purchases would be replaced by electronic funds creating a cashless economy. Credit cards use to be the new thing on the market in the 80s but as times have advanced and Americans have embraced the idea, its a thing of the past and part of our economic growth system. The big idea behind the credit cards and direct deposit was to keep money out of the peoples hand and into the banks. Even though cash transitions are not in decline, cashless purchases are steadily increasing and surpassing cash purchases made. It seems to have accomplished its goal because at least one American or household has at least one credit card, if not more. Furthermore, smart cards are squeezing their way into the economy as well. But, with any shift of change especially affecting the economy, there is always a negative and positive side to things. There are many positive ideas about moving toward a cashless economy. The first idea is that in a world without cash, payment is made by using electronic means merely to change the numbers on peoples bank statements. Banks prefer this because its a less expensive way to shift value between people. In many circumstances, handling cash can be troublesome, risky and inconvenient. Surprisingly, we have no figures for the number and value of cash transactions, though we have excellent data for non-cash transactions. (Sydney, 2004) Another positive aspect is that when we talk about employers being paid, electronic funds always seem to be the better way and fastest to get paid. Employees are opting to get there paycheck direct deposited in their bank account rather than receiving the traditional paper check which is almost extinct. According to a survey conducted by the Australian Retailers Association in 2001, cash accounts for only about 40% of the value of all payments received by the su rveyed retailers. (Sydney, 2004) Smart cards on the other hand, are convenient for consumers. Checks are still the most popular way people pay their bills but now there are faster and more convenient ways to do it with the internet, smart cards and over the phone. They would eventually replace all other existing cards such as: credit cards, ATM cards, debit cards etc. Another benefit would be the fact that smart cards remember every transition that was made eliminating the need to save receipts for proof of payment. Third, smart cards would mean less cash handling for merchants. Currently it costs businesses and banks about $60 billion each year to handle cash and coin. Consider that cash gets counted at least five times between you, the merchant, and the bank. (Manchester, 1997) Fourth, it would mean less fraud for banks. Smart cards would virtually eliminate the need for banks to set aside money to cover fraud loss. Fifth, it eases the burden of the government. Collecting taxes fr om citizens could become much easier if taxes were collected from the cards. Even though smart cards seem to be the best thing that will hit the economic market, it has disadvantages to the consumer, and merchant. To begin with being that everything will be transferred to the card there is a need to know what is going on behind the scenes. In other words, when we handle cash or pay for purchases with cash we know exactly how much we paid and how much we have left. But, with the smart card, a transaction is non personal and with that comes usage fees. Another area of concern is the idea of consumer privacy. What information is actually kept private and the information that is being stored, what is it being used for? If your smart card is not properly programmed and secured, a merchant could access your health records, driving record or any other information on the card. (Manchester, 1997) Furthermore, will consumers accept the new card or reject them? Will the smart card require an upfront fee to purchase and fees thereafter? Plus, will the card be accepted an ywhere? Just like credit cards and ATMs there will always be malfunction problems and transaction problems that will need to be addressed. And when we talk about purchases and buying things online from merchants, we have to keep in mind that the merchants will have to update their machines to accept the cards and may have to pay a fee for the convenience of using them as well. So while we count up the advantages and disadvantages of the card the consumer, merchants, banks and government need to consider all of the components the smart card has to offer. America seems to be shifting into a microwave market meaning that they want it right now and dont want to wait. Even the childhood game, Monopoly has gone cashless. Sometimes cashless isnt the best thing, following the old sayings that if its not broken dont fix it. Will the smart card be the ultimate downfall or turning point of the economy? The years to come will only tell, but cash is still here to stay for a while. Electronic Methods of Payment One method of electronic payments is the debit card. A debit card is a bank issued plastic card that is directly linked to a bank account. When you use a debit card, money is deducted from your bank account right away. (Ellis, 2009) This card is beneficial because it allows the user to pay immediately and not pay any interest amount on the purchase because they are using money that is available immediately. Benefits of a debit card include the fact the user pays no interest and its convenience. Negative things about a debit card could be the high bank fees at some institutions and the possible increase of being vulnerable to identity theft of a card linked directly to a bank account. Another method of electronic payment is the credit card. Credit cards can be issued by banks, other financial institutions, retailers and oil companies. There are two different kinds of credit cards and those are credit cards and charge cards. Credit cards allow a line of credit and the user to pay a minimum amount each month and charge cards require the user to pay the full amount charged each month. (Columbia, 2006) Benefits of a credit card include the ability to pay immediately and the convenience. The negative effects would be the often times high interest charged for using the credit card. A third method of electronic payment is the smart card. A smart card is a plastic card the size of a credit card that has a microchip loaded with data. (Security, 2009) A smart card can be loaded for many different applications including dialing a connection to a mobile phone, establishing identity, using at parking meters, giving data at hospitals to avoid filling out forms, or purchase online at electronic stores. Smart cards are currently being used primarily in Europe but are expected to become a larger use of electronic payment as technology continues to advance. Summary A cashless economy seems to have many advantages and disadvantages. It creates less risk for the financial institutions, as well as saving them money. The smartcards save time for the consumer and the financials. The debit and credit cards offer many advantages for financial institutions and consumers as well. As research continues and different methods are explored, time will tell if cashless is the best way to go.

Lab Essays -- essays research papers

SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES INTRODUCTION According to the Websters’ dictionary, a sexually transmitted disease, or commonly termed STD, can be defined as any of various diseases transmitted by direct sexual contacted that include classic venereal diseases (as syphilis, gonorrhea, and chancroid) and other diseases (as hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, giordiasis, and AIDS) that are often or sometimes contracted by other sexual means (Internet 3). This lab report will be dealing with three specific types of STDs each from a different origin. Information will be given on each STD with reference to their common/scientific names, life cycle, transmission, and other key factors that influence and maintain the existence of the STD. This report deals with what may be everyday termed diseases however, these STDs affect one in four adolescents before the age of eighteen. Though these STDs are so common and spoken of so often, without early diagnosis and treatment they pose a serious and may be, even a fatal treat to someone who is inf ected and also their sexual partners or just innocent people who have come into contact with an infected person. Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 (HSV-1) The viral disease that will be discussed is the Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 (HSV-1). This STD as stated before is a viral disease, of which a virus can be defined as any of various submicroscopic parasites of plants, animals and bacteria that often cause disease and that essentially of a core of RNA or DNA surrounded by a protein coat. Unable to replicate without a host cell, viruses are typically not considered living organisms. HSV-1 is usually associated with infections of the lips, mouth, and face. It is especially common in children between the ages of one and three years old and may cause lesions inside the mouth and inflamed gums. It causes cold sores or fever blisters and is transmitted by something as simple as oral or respiratory secretions (for example, sneezing or coughing can transmit the virus). Most people have in one point of their life been affected with the type 1 virus by the age of 20. In addition to oral and genital lesions, the virus can also cause an infection of the eye involving the eyelid, conjunctiva, and cornea. A finger infection called herpectic whitlow affects health care providers because of exposure to lung and mouth secretions during procedures and young childr... ...course if condoms were not used. Treatment comes in the form of arious antifungal vaginal fungal creams (like clotrimazole and miconazole) which are available over the counter for use in the vagina. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We think of these diseases and most of us are in the habit of saying that it will not affect us. This lab report has brought your attention to the fact that not all STDs are contracted through sexual intercourse but rather through the air we breathe if we are in proximity to an infected person. Though the only almost full proof method of not contacting any STD would be abstinence, the use of a condom correctly during sexual intercourse is just as effective. Another effective method is to have one sexual partner and know their history before they were with you. SOURCES/REFERENCES 1. Bowen, Sylvia Cerel; Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Society. Stanford Univ.Pr., 1989. 2. Mader, Sylvia S., Human Biology. McGraw Hill Publishing, 1998 3. The Miami Herald, November 14th, 1999 4. Internet 1, March 7, 2000. www.avsc.org/disease/dchl/html 5. Internet 2, March 7, 2000. www.yahoo.com/health/diseases 6. Internet 3, March 7, 2000. www.webster.com