Mental Imagery Vividness Essay Example for Free

Mental Imagery Vividness Essay Abstract This review examined the hypothesis that mental imagery vividness can be used as a predictor of hallucinatory experience. Earlier studies provided supporting evidences to this hypothesis, showing hallucinating population has higher mental imagery vividness comparing to nonhallucianting population. However, as a result of varied operationalization and measurements of mental imagery, contradicting results abound, showing no significant difference of mental imagery vividness between halluciantors and nonhallucinators. No clear evidences can be used to determine whether the hypothesis is valid or not so far. On the other hand, development of neurological studies provided a new perspective for looking into the relationship between mental imagery and the experience of hallucination. Keywords: mental imagery vividness, hallucination, schizophrenia Mental Imagery Vividness as a Predictor of Hallucination: A Literature Review Mental imagery, as defined by Finke (1989), is an experience significantly resembling that of perceiving, but it occurs in the absence of an adequate physical stimulus. It exists in all of the seven sensory modalities, such as visual, auditory, and olfactory (Thomas, 1999). Mental imagery is believed to be in close relationship with some core psychological mechanisms such as perception and memory, and holding its unique role in contributing to cognitive performance (Kosslyn, 1994). For example, evidences suggested that visual imagery ability predicts visuospatial memory performance (Kail, 1997). Hallucination is an experience that largely resembles mental imagery, because of its perceptual nature as well as absence of appropriate stimuli (Sack, Van de Ven, Etschenberg, Schatz, Linden, 2005). Nevertheless, the two distinguish from each other by the individual’s ability of voluntary control, as well a s his/her ability to determine the source of the experience. Specifically, mental imagery is generally regarded as being actively generated and can be intentionally controlled, while hallucination is most times beyond intention and control. The operator of mental imagery is usually aware of its internal source, while not necessarily so hallucinator. (Bentall, 1990). Hallucination, especially the form of auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH), is an important hallmark of schizophrenia (Wible, 2009). AVH is the perception of voices in the absence of sensory input. AVH has distinct clinical significance, as it affects about 70% of patients with schizophrenia (Sartorius et al., 1978; Silbersweig Stern, 1996). Furthermore, there have been increasing evidences supporting that hallucination is not a rare case in non-clinical population, either. It is now believed to exist on a spectrum from comparably innocuous forms in non-clinical population to a more pathological manifestation in schizophrenics (see review by Bentall, 1990). Because of its significant implication in psychopathology, continuous work has been going on to find out the risk factors and predictors for hallucination. The relationship between mental imagery and hallucination has interested researchers for long because of their shared features. Among all the characteristics of mental imagery that are potentially related with hallucination, vividness has been most substantively examined. This review summarized theories and empirical evidences for the relationship between mental imagery vividness and hallucination. Although still in its budding stage, relevant neurological evidences were also examined. Theoretical Models Vividness of mental imagery can be defined as the degree of perceptual detail experienced when having a mental image (Oertel et al., 2009). It has been associated with hallucination and schizophrenia for decades. In 1883, Galton suggested that increased vividness of mental imagery might be associated with hallucinatory experiences (as cited in Aleman, Bocker, de Haan, 1999). Later in the 20th century, West (1962) and Horowitz (1975) proposed separate models suggesting that hallucinations were mental images derived from internal source, but mistakenly attributed to external source. More specifically, the model suggested that vividness of perception was typically higher than that of mental imagery. As vividness of mental imagery increased, it became more difficult for the individual to decide its source as internal or external, and eventually these images could grow into hallucinatory. This model suggested that mental imagery and hallucination shared fundamental features and were possibly on the same continuum. Johnson and Raye (1981) supported the importance of imagery vividness, stating that memories from internal and external sources could usually be differentiated by comparing the amount of sensory, contextual and semantic attributes of events. Mintz and Alpert (1972) developed their model relevant to mental imagery vividness as well. They proposed that vividness of imagery was not the only factor contributing to hallucination. According to their argument, increased vividness of imagery, and impaired reality testing, referring to the ability to recognize the distortions in one’s own perception, are necessary but not sufficient prerequisites to generation of hallucination. Bentall (1990) summarized predecessors’ work and introduced the concept of â€Å"reality discrimination† – the idea that â€Å"hallucinators mistake their own inte rnal, mental, or private events for external, publicly observable events†. They stated that one type of information used in the reality discrimination process was the amount of sensory information present in conscious: rich sensory information implied a perception being experiences, while poor sensory information implied a mental imagery. Following this argument, individuals who have the propensity to construct images rich in sensory details are more likely to experience their internal imagery as a perception experience, and thus resulting in hallucination. Barrett (1993) provided empirical evidences in support of the above hypothesis, yet he also pointed out some questions of the model. He argued that it was unclear where the locus of the imagery effects was. The imagery vividness discrepancy between individuals with and without hallucinations could be the result of either storage or retrieval difference of sensory information. Specifically, it could be that hallucinators were able to store more abundant sensory information than nonhallucinators; and it could also be that hallucinators were better at retrieving sensory information than nonhallucinators, with same storage capacity. Despite of some questioning opinions, there are very limited direct theoretical dissents or alternative models. Holt (1972) is one of the very few that he argued that hallucination and mental imagery involved independent systems and should not correlate with each other. However, this is not saying that the hypotheses of mental imagery vividness and hallucination have not been subject to scrutinize. A large amount of researchers have attempted to verify or disprove these hypotheses through empirical evidences. Below is an incomplete summary of the empirical studies that are relevant. Empirical Evidences Evidences in Support Mintz and Alpert (1972) provided empirical evidences in support of their own hypothesis. Their study found that auditory hallucinating schizophrenics had a significantly higher vividness of auditory mental imagery comparing to non-hallucinating controls. They also identified an impaired ability to assess the accuracy of auditory perceptions in hallucinating schizophrenics. Similar results were presented by other studies. Barrett (1993) found that nonclinical subjects with hallucinations had higher vividness of mental imagery, and at the same time, had lower control of these images comparing to nonclinical subjects without hallucinations. Barrett’s (1993) study differed from that of Mintz and Alpert (1972) in the sense that he assessed mental imagery vividness on all seven sensory modalities, with one single factor emerged after factor analysis – general imagery vividness factor. In another study by Bocker (2000), no group difference in perceptual acuity was identified between the schizophrenia group and the normal controls, suggesting perceptual degradation is not a reason for hallucination. For the hallucinating schizophrenia patients, the vividness for visual imagery was significantly lower than control, while that for auditory imagery was not. Although the decreased visual mental imagery contradicted with earlier studies, the relatively high auditory mental imagery ability suggested the possibility that auditory imagery for hallucinating patients was more percept-like and thus harder to differentiate, which is in line with the fact that most of the patients experienced hallucinations in auditory modality. Evidences in Contradiction Brett and Starker (1977) found no significant difference of auditory mental imagery vividness between hallucinating schizophrenics, nonhallucinating schizophrenics medical patients with no history of psychiatric problems. Starker and Jolin (1982) also found no significantly different vividness strength of auditory mental imagery between schizophrenics, possible schizophrenics, or nonschizophrenic psychiatrics, nor between schizophrenic subgroups of currently hallucinatory, previously hallucinatory, or nonhallucinatory. In fact, Starker and Jolin (1982) suggested that hallucinating schizophrenics might actually have less vivid auditory imagery than schizophrenics who had never hallucinated. Aleman et al.’s (1999) study revealed interesting results. In their study, hallucinating subjects reported higher imagery vividness than nonhallucinating controls when subjective (self-report) scales were used to measure vividness. However, the pattern was reversed (i.e. hallucinating subjects demonstrated lower mental imagery vividness) when objective measure was used. Van de Ven and Merckelbach (2003) examined the mental imagery vividness and fantasy proneness in non-clinical population with and without hallucination experiences. They found that although subjects with hallucination scored higher on mental imagery vividness than subjects without such experiences, their imagery vividness was highly correlated with their fantasy proneness. Further analysis indicated that hallucination experience was better predicted by fantasy proneness, comparing to mental imagery vividness. Sack and his colleagues (2005) incorporated in their study measures sensitive to cognitive capacity, in order to rule it out as a confounding variable. Their results showed that paranoid schizophrenics reported higher vividness of mental imagery in comparison to age- and sex-matched healthy controls, controlling for general intelligence and psychomotor speed of the subjects. More importantly, the higher imagery vividness of paranoid schizophrenics was not statistically dependent of the patients’ individual psychopathology, including the presence of hallucinations. The authors thus argued that mental imagery could be an independent trait marker of schizophrenia, and it operated on a separate system with hallucination for schizophrenics. Sack and colleagues (2005) also found that patient group performed worse on tasks that require involvement of mental imagery processes, which could indicate an impaired overall mental imagery ability. However, this performance deficit could be attributed to general cognitive capacity deficit. In comparison, Doninger, Silipo, Rabinowics, Snodgrass and Javitt (2001) conducted a study with a task that was more purely targeted at mental imagery ability without time constraint. Their results also revealed worse performance from schizophrenia patients comparing to healthy controls. Results of these studied implied the possibility that group difference in vividness of mental imagery is not due to an enhancement of mental imagery abilities, but to altered information processing. Oertel and colleagues (2009) conducted a further study to address the question that whether vividness of mental imagery is a trait marker of the schizophrenia spectrum (i.e. including non-clinical population with schizophrenia-like traits – schizotypy) that is independent of presence of hallucination. Subjects include schizphrenia patients, first-degree relatives of schizophrenics, as well as high- and low-schizotypy healthy controls. Results showed significantly higher mental imagery vividness across all modalities in schizophrenics, first-degree relatives, as well as high-schizotypy controls comparing to low-schizotypy controls, with cognitive abilities controlled. In replication of Sack et al.’s work, this study also revealed that the vividness of mental imagery and hallucinations were independent of each other. Results also indicated that first-degree relatives obtained highest score in vividness, and high-schizotypy controls’ score did not differ significantly from that of schizophrenia patients. The results strengthened Sack et al.’s (2005) argument that vivid imagery is a trait marker of schizotypyrather, and could be related to the genetic liability to develop schizophrenia. However, longitudinal studies including premorbid data are required for further investigation. Bell and Halligan (2010) repeated Oertel et al.’s study on high- and low-schizotypy population with a larger sample size, yet with a different measure of schizotypy and a specific assessment of visual mental imagery. Their results revealed no significant difference on visual mental imagery vividness between the two groups. Explanation for Results Variation Although large variations exist across different studies, it is not justified to say whether the hypothesis of high mental imagery vividness predicts hallucination has been rejected or not. The main reason for failing to do so is that procedures, especially the measures of mental imagery, of these studies varies a lot, thus leaving considerable space for alternative explanations. Specifically, some of the measures were subjective scale (i.e. self-report), while some of the measures were objective (i.e. behavioral tasks). On the other hand, some of the measures assess mental imagery vividness of a single sensory modality, while some of them assess mental imagery vividness as a whole across all seven sensory modalities. S ubjective Measure vs. Objective Measure of Mental Imagery Kosslyn, Brunn, Cave and Wallach (1984) had presented an insignificant relation between performance on an objective task of visual imagery acuity and a self-report imagery vividness measure, indicating that subjective and objective measures of imagery vividness may not be necessarily measuring the same constructs and/or processes. Aleman et al. (1999) pointed out that objective and subjective mental imagery measures could yield contradictory results within the normal population. This distinction could be true for clinical population as well. For example, Mintz and Alpert (1972) utilized subjective measures (suggestion paradigms or self-report measures) and obtained the finding of an association between increased mental imagery and hallucinations, while Bocker et al. (2000) used a more objective mental imagery task, resulting in insignificant difference of mental imagery performance between patients and controls. Aleman et al. (1999), who generated contradicting results of subjective and objective measures in one study, summarized the disadvantages of subjective and objective measures. For subjective measures, the process of introspection is involved, which is an ability varied across individuals, and can be especially impaired in hallucinating and/or schizophrenia populations. Also, the effect of social demand could influence a subject’s self-report, depending on how the concept of mental imagery vividness is interpreted. Subject’s idiosyncratic definition of imagery vividness also heavily impact his/her self-report. For objective measures, tasks are not real-life resembling, which can fail to evaluate one’s true capacity in daily life. In addition, commonly used objective measures fail to purely target at the vividness of mental imagery alone, other processes such as conceptualization and reasoning are in effect as well. In addition, the contents of cued mental images could largely vary across individuals. Standardized scoring procedure fail to take into account these confounding processes and experiences, indicating that high imagery vividness does not guarantee a high score as it is designed to, and vice versa. General Mental Imagery vs. Single Sensory Modality Mental Imagery Barrett (1993) introduced the idea of general imagery vividness factor. If that is a valid factor, then measurement of general mental imagery vividness and measurement of single sensory modality imagery vividness could be more different than the mere part-whole relationship. Mintz and Alpert (1972) measured auditory imagery vividness only, and Barrett (1993) measured general mental imagery vividness. These two studies both resulted in significant difference of imagery vividness between halluciantors and controls. However, Brett and Starker (1977) and Starker and Jolin (1982) both measured auditory only imagery vividness and resulted in no significant difference between hallucinators and controls. In addition, in replication of Oertel’s (2009) study, Bell and Halligan (2010) changed the general imagery vividness measure to a visual-specific mental imagery measure, and their results differed from that of Oertel et al.. Bell and Halligan (2010) proposed that vividness per se might not be modality specific, and this argument is in line with the modality-independent salience dysregulation theories of psychosis and the psychosis continuum (Murray, Lappin, Di Forti., 2008). Neurological Evidence Despite of the fact that neurological evidences for mental imagery and hallucination experiences did not start to bloom until late 20th century (Linden et al., 2010) and that there is no specific neurological evidence for mental imagery vividness’s relationship with hallucination, this session is included as it provides new perspectives on how experiences of mental imagery and hallucination overlap. Evidences from earlier studies suggested that imagery and hallucinations were associated with overlapping neural networks (Allen, Laroi, McGuire, Aleman, 2008). McGuire et al. (1995) and Shergill et al. (2001) found that auditory mental imagery and auditory hallucination were involved with overlaps in fronto temporal language circuits. In terms of the main difference between hallucination and mental imagery – voluntary controllability, Linden et al. (2011) speculated that it was generated from the altered forward model of sensory productions. Forward model (Wolpert, Ghahramani, Jordan, 1995) stated that perceptual consequences were predicted upon known actions, and the prediction in turn influenced the actual experience of the self-generated action. The forward model could be in effect in speech production. According to it, self-generated speech is subject to prediction of resulted sensory experience. This hypothesis was partially supported by Linden et al.’s (2011) study. They found that the voice-selective area on the banks of superior temporal sulcus (STS) was consistently activated during auditory hallucination and voluntary auditory mental imagery. This area had been regarded as reacting to external sensory stimulation only, but it was later speculated of having been monitoring the self-generated speech in mental imagery and hallucination. Linden et al. (2011) identified in their study that the monitoring and modulating functioning of relevant auditory regions were disturbed in nonclinical hallucinators, resulting in the likelihood of attributing internally generated speech to external sources. These budding evidences suggested that hallucination and mental imagery indeed share fundamental neural networks and do not operate on completely distinctive systems. However, detailed examinations of the activity of these neural networks in terms of different features of mental imagery and hallucination, as well as differed neural system contributing to their differences are still in need. Conclusion Mental imagery vividness has interested researchers for long because of their potential relationship with the experience of hallucination. However, empirical studies have resulted in contradicting results. Earlier studies proposed that increased vividness of mental imagery is a predictor of hallucination, and they have found that higher mental imagery vividness was related with hallucination experiences. Nevertheless, many of the later replications with various methodological modifications failed to reproduce any significant relationship. Because of the variations of measurement of mental imagery vividness, it is hard to decide whether the hypothesis of the relationship between mental imagery vividness and hallucination can be rejected or not. The development of neuroscience based study methods provided a new perspective of testing the hypothesis. Current neurological studies have focused on neural activity comparison between general mental imagery process and hallucination experience. More specific studies targeting at features of mental imagery and hallucination are needed to provide a higher-level understanding of the relationship between the two experiences. 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The Physics of Human Strength :: physics sport sports weight lifting strong

Welcome to the Physics of Strength What make a person strong? According to Frederick Hatfield, Ph.D. and former world record holder in the Squat, there are 38 factors affecting strength. I have put them here for you to read quickly, but the original article can be found on www.drsquat.com. 1. Muscle Fiber Arrangement 2. Musculoskeletal Leverage 3. Tissue Leverage 4. Freedom of Movement Between Fibers 5. Tissue Viscoelasticity 6. Intramuscular/intracellular friction 7. Ratio of Fiber Types 8. Range of Motion 9. Freedom From Injury 10. Connective Tissue Structure 11. Stretch Reflex 12. The Feedback Loop 13. Endocrine System Functions (hormones) 14. Extent of hyperplasia (cell splitting) or fiber fusion 15. Extent of myofibrillarization 16. Motor Unit Recruitment 17. Energy transfer systems' efficiency 18. Extensiveness of capillarization 19. Mitochondrial growth and proliferation 20. Stroke volume of the left ventricle 21. Ejection fraction of the left ventricle 22. Pulmonary (ventilatory) capacity 23. Efficiency of gas exchange in the lungs 24. Heart rate 25. Max VO2 uptake 26. Freedom from disease 27. Arousal Level ("psych") 28. Ability to concentrate 29. Incentive 30. Social learning 31. Coordination 32. "Spiritual" factors 33. The "placebo" effect 34. Equipment 35. Environment 36. Effect of gravity 37. Opposing and assisting forces This pretty much covers everything. As you can see, it takes a culmination of physical, natural, mental, spiritual, and psychological factors to be strong. It also takes time. The laws of physics play a huge role in what it means to be strong. On this site we will focus especially on the last two, the effect of gravity and forces. The physical concepts that will be used in this site include Newton's laws (of course), gravity, work, power, velocity and acceleration, static equilibrium, and conservation of mechanical energy. All concepts and useful equations will be explained as they are used. What is the Squat? The parallel squat (shown to the left) is the most important lift in all of sports and the most efficient exercise in building strength. It incorporates back and leg strength, stability, and coordination. Almost every athlete can benefit from doing squats. How do you do Squats? Squats are done with a weighted bar on your shoulders, in the natural groove between the muscles, with your feet a little farther than shoulder-width apart.

Reflective Paper: Quality Systems, Control and Motivation Essay

Identify functional and dysfunctional control systems within your own organization. Dell believes that an effective strategy for improving quality and that it has achieved results in their organizations. The enterprise faces several issues on the road to long-term continuous improvement. This list of causes provides a checklist of organizational barriers which represent ongoing quality struggles for many quality organizations. This list can be broken down into three categories of quality problems: People problems which cover individuals not performing their jobs effectively, communication breakdowns, lack of teamwork/conflict, poorly trained workers and lack of worker input and commitment. Management problems which include improper supervision, conflicting/unrealistic goals, poor planning and organizing, lack of resources, and lack of top management support. Quality system problems which encompass ineffective corrective action procedures, people not aware that quality problems exist (ineffective feedback mechanisms), ineffective measurement procedures, unrealistic quality standards, and technology/equipment problems (Longenecker & Scazzero, 1993). I believe that taken together, long-term quality improvement efforts must address specific people, management and system problems that either develop or persist over time. In reviewing the specific examples of ongoing quality problems presented in the study, it is interesting to note the almost total absence of technical problems. Deming has observed that technical problems are often relatively easier to address where quality is concerned (Deming, 1984). The majority of problems are softer in nature: people and managerial factors. This supports the widely-held view that people and managerial issues are the key to long-term quality improvement and that these issues require an ongoing adjustment (alignment) in an organization’s overall operating culture and management practice. Interpret criteria for developing and evaluating control systems. In reviewing managerial perceptions of quality control and systems of Dell, a number of rather interesting paradoxes and contrasts emerge. First, managers strongly believe that TQM efforts improves quality, yet their organizations are not so likely to implement quality principles fully into their overall management philosophy and strategy. Second, while there are tools such as TQM that are perceived as effective in improving quality, enthusiasm and support for the process diminish with time. Third, while most managers admit that there is still room for improvement and that ongoing quality problems exist, I feel that Dell is less than completely focused on dealing with long-term quality problems. These factors are issues which all quality organizations must strive to address on a long-term basis and organizations would be well-served to consider the following lessons in the development and evaluation of quality control systems: The conduct an organizational audit of the current qualty system. Maturing quality organizations are well served to survey management personnel on the issues identified in their respective organisations to evaluate their present perception of the organization’s quality processes and the consequences of these perceptions. Dell managers should be surveyed first to assess their belief in the quality process and willingness to support this effort in both word and deed. Workers should then be surveyed to elicit their perceptions and input of the organization’s quality process to determining their support and confidence in the system. Such an audit permits the firm a chance to determine its status along the quality continuum and provides input on what procedure the firm must undertake to move forward in the quality system maturation process. The feedback garnered from this process can be an invaluable source of information and impetus for change. Dell management support/action is critical to long-term quality improvement. It is a well-documented fact that management support is needed to get any quality effort started. What is not always apparent is the necessity of the continued involvement and support managers must demonstrate to keep quality efforts viable. To this end, top management must make continuous improvement an ongoing priority for managers throughout the organization. Managers’ roles and duties must be specified with continuous improvement as part and parcel of every manager’s job description. Involvement in correction action teams, providing leadership on defining and refining quality standards, providing the resources necessary for improvement, developing and implementing feedback mechanisms and coaching are all critical elements of a manager’s job as a quality leader. Managers must be selected, trained, promoted, appraised, and rewarded on their ability to foster continuous improvement in their areas of responsibility within the organization. Without this focus, managers’ enthusiasm and support for quality will weaken over time creating less than positive role models for the rest of the organization. Remember that people are the key to long-term improvement. Technical problems are dealt with early on in the quality process, overall. Based on Longenecker & Scazzero’s (1993) study, it is   suggested that long-term improvement is built on systematically considering the â€Å"human side of quality†. Towards this goal, employees across levels are required to be aptly led by their superiors. In addition,   employees need to be properly trained to perform their jobs, need to develop effective problem-solving/conflict-resolution skills, need effective communication skills, and to be taught how to function in team oriented cultures. Moreover, employee input must be systematically tapped by managers on issues which affect both continuous improvement and the workplace. Feedback and coaching for the individual is paramount for overall Dell quality efforts to progress. In summary, practice and research indicate that workers are the critical ingredients in long-term quality improvement and that they respond favourably when given proper support and leadership. The human component cannot be shrugged off or neglected without negative outcomes. Dell quality systems must continuously improve TQM. Once an efficient improvement system is established within an organization, quality will be improved. Yet, even the most effective systems must undergo transition and mature with the dynamic demands associated and with changing organizational needs. This indicates that systematic approaches to long-term quality improvement must be occasionally critiqued and feedback provided to improve quality improvement systems. Towards this objective, corrective action procedures must be changed and streamlined, feedback mechanisms must be constantly assessed and enhanced, quality standards must evolve and measurement procedures must be meaningful and cost-efficient. Without adjustments, these quality systems can serve as obstacles rather than assist quality improvement and be perceived as barriers to improvement. Moreover, technical improvements must be made to operating systems to keep them viable and technologically up-to-date. If quality systems fail to practise continuous improvement, the outcomes for the firm will be both negative and ironic. At the individual level, a number of reflective queries are in order for us operating in stable and mature quality international organizations such as Dell: Am I practising continuous improvement on an ongoing basis? Am I encouraging my subordinates to practise the principles of TQM through my actions? Am I providing leadership in addressing ongoing/persistent quality problems? Am I providing leadership to improve our existing quality improvement processes? Are we using corrective action procedures in an effective and efficient manner? (Longenecker & Scazzero, 1993) These are issues that TQM managers must be reflect on a personal basis. The responses to these questions are crucial and represent an authentic evaluation of a firm’s leadership commitment to long-term continuous improvement. In conclusion, TQM systems were believed to be effective by practising managers in this global research. And yet, these systems require constant support and leadership to sustain their effectiveness in the long term. Moreover, literature indicate that it is worthwhile to assess the perceptions of practising managers to identify the status and needs for an ongoing TQM process. We can learn that while achieving long-term quality improvement is a noble goal, a host of barriers exist that threaten this process. Without a commitment to eliminate these barriers, and to the practice of TQM, quality improvement for international organisations is threatened. The outcome is a quality improvement process hoped for by competitors that will lose its effectiveness through time. Hard earned quality gains can be futile without constant persisitence and diligence from all organizational members. It is for this reason that quality will always be a strategic tool in the global marketplace because the quality achievements of yesterday mean little to our competitors and customers. Analyze and illustrate the essentials of quality management and the techniques that are associated with it One manager has shared his lament on the practice of total quality management, as follows: â€Å"The problem isn’t that we don’t know what to do but rather that we struggle to do what we know we should do on a daily basis where our quality improvement process is concerned †¦ and we’ve been at TQM for over six years already† (Longenecker & Scazzero, 1993). The exercise of total quality management TQM) as a strategy for gaining competitive advantage has been adopted by an increasing number of international organisations, and has somehow evolved to become a competitive mandate. The assumption of TQM is quite apparent: quality improvement can be attained if a firm drafts a management philosophy of continuous improvement and breeds the required best practices (Juran, 1993). Gradually and patiently, majority of international organisations have been effective at the implementation of quality practices during the previous decade, with more than satisfactory outcomes. For instance, United Parcel Service, Motorola, Ford, Cadillac, Nestlà ©, Airbus, Shell, Toyota and Phillips are some of the more popular TQM achievers in the global marketplace. However, it may be worthy to note that their quality practices took substantial time and patience to conceptualise, draft, and implement. Much more so, was the time necessary for these best practices to mature and to be maintained. Quality gurus such as Deming, Juran, Scholtes and Crosby taught that organisations ought to adopt a quality improvement approach from a long-term perspective. They also gave a warning that attaining some quality improvement may somewhat lead to complacency. Moreover, they concur that obstacles to quality may include a whole host of factors, encompassing both novel and current organisationa issues (Walton, 1986). Quality experts contend that majority of quality enhancement research are inclined on concentrating on the initial start-up phase of the improvement process and is somewhat lacking on considering long-term challenges (Mann & Kehoe, 1995). Studies on organisational life cycles and organisational development has apparently illustrated that as firms grow, mature, and grow more stable, several issues are brought forth at each cycle of the phase. Certain quality gurus hold a similar perspective on the   quality improvement cycle that exists as the firm proceeds through an initial start-up, followed by a development phase at which maturity as a quality firm ensues (Harrington, 1987). The initial quality start-up phase necessitates breaking exercises the organisation has been accustomed to, and applying critical quality practices. Moreover, this phase calls for the development of an organisational framework that will allow the systematic resolution of quality issues and building credibility for the improvement process (Harrington, 1987). The TQM development phase necessitates that the firm build on initial successes, expand the degree of organization involvement, developing better â€Å"systems† to support quality improvement efforts and refining corrective action procedures. The TQM maturity phase is distinguished by TQM practices being strongly anchored on in organizational strategy and planning, management decision making, human resource practices and support systems improvement. The foundational practices of total quality management must be focused on and refined at each phase of the TQM cycle for the organization to become increasingly effective at continuous improvement. This enhanced proficiency at improving quality is imperative since quality standards and expectations are constantly increasing in the ultra-competitive global market (Gehari, 1993). Summarizing these points, firms must learn and mature on an ongoing basis to preclude quality processes from being stagnant or even becoming ineffective over time. Deming has argued that management complacency and a lack of organizational discipline can prevent improvement efforts from maturing and developing to the next level (Deming, 1982). Juran has argued that these same tendencies can cause even the best TQM systems to break down with the passage of time and changes in key personnel (Juran, 1988). Previous research has demonstrated the painstaking and labour-intensive challenges of properly implementing TQM practices (Juran, 1988). Once these practices are in place and quality begins to improve, it is easy for an organization to become complacent or lose focus several years into the quality improvement process. Deming (1982) has advocated that effective and long-term quality improvement requires the following: A belief on the part of managers that their TQM process is effective; A belief on the part of managers that there is still a need for improvement; A commitment on the part of all organizational members to practise TQM on an ongoing basis; The ability to focus on and respond to long-term quality problems; Maintaining organizational support for TQM efforts; and Integrating TQM into the organization’s management philosophy and strategy. The manager’s lament in our opening quote succinctly summarized this concern when he stated, â€Å"it isn’t that we don’t know what to do [to improve quality] but rather we struggle to do what we know we should do on a daily basis†. In my work at Dell, I need to continuously ensure that I live quality, especially since I have external customer encounters each day. This is a core facet of my job. These quality principles are vital to the successful performance of my function, and also determines the degree of quality by which I execute it. At a personal level, I strive to live quality both in my professional and personal life; that is, I am keenly aware that the outcomes in my life are determined by the quality of the decisions I make. References Deming, W.E. (1982). Quality and productivity and competitive position. Cambridge, MA: MIT. Deming, W.E. (1984). Out of the crisis. Cambridge, MA: MIT. Gehari, R.R. (1993). Quality value chain – a meta-synthesis of frontiers of quality movement. Academy of Management Executive, 7(2), 29-42. Harrington, H.J. (1987). The improvement process. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Juran, J. (1988). Juran on planning for quality. New York, NY: Free Press. Juran, J. (1993). Made in USA: a Renaissance in quality. Harvard Business Review, July-August 1993, 42-50. Longenecker, C.O., Scazzero, J.A. (1993). Total quality management from theory to practice: a case study. International Journal of Reliability & Quality Management, 10(5), 24-31. Mann, R. & Kehoe, D. (1995). Factors affecting the implementation and success of TQM. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 12 (1). Walton, M. (1986). The Deming management method. New York, NY: Perigee Books.

Therapeutic Communication

Therapeutic Communication- Nurse Relationships as Part of a Team Abstract The scenario in which I will discuss within my paper consists of an LPN student and a preceptor working a busy 12 hour shift on their acute care practicum. Both Patty (student) and Mary Lou (preceptor) worked very hard one evening and had not had a break when a patient requested some pain medication. They discussed their options with regards to pain management and later Patty administered Morphine 7. 5 mg SC into injector port in Mr B’s leg. At the end of the shift it was noted during a narcotic count that there had been an error with Morphine.Patty had given the wrong amount as per order. Therapeutic Communication- Nurse Relationships as Part of a Team Before Mary Lou can organize a meeting with Patty the LPN student, she must first ensure the safety of the patient as paramount. Then she must decide the best way to approach Patty, an appropriate location to interview, the factors to consider while inter viewing and the communication skills that would benefit their interview. Also she needs to determine whether anybody else should be involved. After careful consideration and all the facts gathered, Mary Lou calls Patty in for a interview.Discussion Mary Lou decided to call a meeting in a neutral setting that would be non- confrontational and non-threaten to Patty. A place they could sit comfortably across from each other and make eye contact. It is important for Mary Lou not to attach blame and her approach will include sensitivity and respect, after all Patty is a student and still quite vulnerable. Mary Lou wants to make it clear an error has been made and that it needs to be addressed, rectified and reported without demoralizing or belittling Patty. The methods by which it is reported or addressed should be thoughtful, maintain confidentiality, and be directed toward the appropriate person, agency, or regulatory body. † ( Burkhardt, Nathaniel, Walton, 2010, p 200) Some fact ors Mary Lou considers while interviewing Patty are any possible underlying reasons for the error: what happened. It is important for Patty to comfortably clarify in her own words and for Mary Lou to actively listen to the accounts of the day. This helps both parties understand completely where the error might have occurred and they can take steps to avoid a reoccurrence.While Mary Lou realizes Patty ultimately administered the wrong dose of medication, it is very important that Mary Lou states her role as preceptor and her accountability in the incident. The Canadian Nurses Association notes in its Code of Ethics that as a part of being accountable, ( Burkhardt, Nathaniel, Walton, 2010, p 200) â€Å" Nurses share their knowledge and provide feedback, mentorship and guidance for the professional development of nursing students, novice nurses and other health care team members. (CNA, 2008, p18) Mary Lou also offers empathy as she was once a nursing student as well and while we striv e for perfection, human error can not always be avoided. The last issue to be considered and implemented is if anybody else needed to be involved? Mary Lou decided as long as they clearly identified the issue at hand and recognized they both had an ethical and professional responsibility to report the incident and rectify their shortfalls as student and preceptor, no other entity need to be involved. ConclusionIn conclusion I think Mary Lou did an excellent job of identifying and addressing the issue of medication error ensuring dignity and respect to Patty. Mary Lou showed empathy and understanding while focusing on responsibilities of both parties to be more accountable in their daily care of patients, which at the end of the day is their main goal. One area of improvement that I noticed of Mary Lou after viewing the recording was she could have offered more open ended questions and let Patty express herself more. While I did feel Mary Lou actively listened to Patty, the opportuni ty for Patty to give feedback was not fully utilized.Over all I found this to be an interesting experience on therapeutic communication that I enjoyed completing. References Arnold, E. C. & Boggs, K. U. (2011) Interpersonal relationships: Professional Communication Skills for Nurses, sixth edition (6th ed. ). St Louis, MO: Elsevier/Saunders Burkhardt, M. , Nathaniel, A. , Walton, N. (2010) Ethics and Issues in Contemporary Nursing (1st ed. ) Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd Canadian Nurses Association (2008) Code of Ethics for Registered nurses. Author If you need to type anything after the reference list then start it on this page

Frank Lloyd Wright vs Le Corbusier Essays

Frank Lloyd Wright vs Le Corbusier Essays Frank Lloyd Wright vs Le Corbusier Essay Frank Lloyd Wright vs Le Corbusier Essay During this postwar era, modernism dove eloped because of the common influences of Wright and Couriers and the different infill ounce s of Wright and Couriers. Wright and Couriers had many common influences during the modernist pee riot. Some of these common influences are their use of geometric shapes and they both referred to their works as organic. For example Frank Lloyd Wright designed a snail shaped m assume with a winding interior for the display of artwork called the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum . He introduced circles and curves in this. Also Lee Courtiers Villa Savoy is very sys metrical and is all geometric shapes. Lastly, both architects were fascinated by new techno skies. They rose to the challenge of the automobile and its role as a monopolizing force in architecture Even though Wright and Couriers have many common influences they also h eave many different individual influences. Wright was fascinated by the automobile, convinced of its attention to revolutionist modern life. He felt that it had created possibilities of new communities based on a new knowledge of time and space. The rural isolation of Wrights c itty is only possible through the highways that connect its homesteads. Lee Couriers looked to technology to promote a different trend. While also revering myths, he was principally inter Estes in the energy of new constructs, recreating old paradigms instead of reviving them. :

An Outline of Global Climate Change on Earth

An Outline of Global Climate Change on Earth There is no doubt that the accumulating evidence is suggesting that the Earth’s climate is continually changing in direct result because of human activity. The most important of which causes the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere from fossil fuels. A report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimated the Earth’s average land and sea surface temperature has increased by 0.6  ± 0.2 degrees Celsius since the middle of the 19th century (â€Å"Climate Change 2014†). The largest parts of change have occurred after 1976. The temperature is not the only thing to change on Earth. The models of precipitation have also changed. The drier regions of Earth are becoming drier, meanwhile other areas are becoming wetter. In the regions where precipitation has surged there has been an unequal boost in the prevalence of the heaviest precipitation occurrences. Furthermore, the IPCC has concluded that if no specif ic actions are taken to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, the Earth’s temperatures will likely rise between 1.4 and 5.8 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¾ C from 1990 to 2100 (â€Å"Findings of the IPCC†). These forecasts wind speed and precipitation are not as consistent, but they also suggest significant changes. In general, humans are very accustomed to changing climatic conditions that vary on a daily, seasonal, or annual timescale. Increasing evidence suggests that in addition to this natural climate change, average climatic conditions measured over a period of thirty years or longer are also changing a lot more than the natural variations documented in the time periods of decades or centuries. As time is going on the understanding of these causes are becoming more and more understood. Climatologists have compared climate model simulations of the effects of greenhouse gas emissions to that of the observed climate changes of the past. They have also evaluated the possible natural infl uences to include solar and volcanic activity. Climatologists have concluded that there is new and strong evidence that the majority of the global warming observed over the last fifty years is most likely to be attributable to human activities. Global warming has been documented and observed in all continents with the largest temperature changes happening at the middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The miniscule amount of climatic change that has already occurred so far has had unmistakable effects on a large variety of natural ecosystems. Over the period 1948 to 2013, the average annual temperature in Canada has warmed by 1.6  °C (relative to the 1961-1990 average), a higher rate of warming than in most other regions of the world (â€Å"Impacts of Climate Change†). There are climate model simulations that have been used to estimate the effects of the Earth’s past, present, and future greenhouse gas emissions on climate changes. These models are based on the data of the heat confining properties of gases released into the atmosphere from man-made and natural sources. Also the measured climatic effects of other natural phenomena is used. The models used by the IPCC have been certified by testing their ability to explain climate changes that already happened in the Earth’s past. Generally, the models can give decent estimates of past patterns only when man-made emissions of non-greenhouse gas air pollutants are included to go with the natural phenomena. This underscores that the models show a good estimate of the climate system, natural fluctuations are important contributors to climatic changes even if they cannot sufficiently explain past trends on their own, and man-made greenhouse gas emissions are a vital contributor to climate patterns and are certainly likely to remain so going forward.

Automotive Production Levels Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Automotive Production Levels - Research Paper Example It is price which either actually exists in market or market is moving towards it assuming no market impediments or government policies exist to prevent equilibrium to be reached. At equilibrium price, both forces do not have any tendency to change, provided all other things remain same (Abel and Bernanke, 2005). If all the conditions of free market are met, then GM should have been able fetch sales of 2478001 units of vehicles in second quarter. If compared this figure with its last two quarter units sold, there exits a gap of 87000 vehicles in all. Price elasticity of demand is a quantitative measure (coefficient) showing percentage change in the quantity demanded with respect to percentage change in price (Leamer, 2009). Price elasticity for second quarter of 2012 for GM motor is – 0.95. Negative coefficient of price elasticity shows negative relation of price and demand. Categorization is made based on where the elasticity coefficient lies from 0 to 1. Price elasticity of GM being -0.95 refers to inelastic demand. It refers; only large proportionate change in price can bring small proportionate change in demand which results in steeper demand curve. This kind of elasticity is usually for products that are considered necessities and importance of vehicle has no question in every aspect from business to personal lives. Since it has inelastic demand and there lies a gap between equilibrium price and average unit price of about $ 4000.00 i.e. 19,558 - 15,527 respectively, management can increase profitability by increasing it price that will finally benefit its total revenue which is going negative. If calculated elasticity is considered to be of another brand say A than comparison would guide the future strategy. For instance, if competitor’s brand A increases prices by the differential discussed in previous question, then there is little chance that its customers would switch to ours due to inelastic demand.