...What is Quality in Healthcare? “Quality—you know what it is, yet you don’t know what it is. But that’s self-contradictory. But some things are better than others, that is, they have more quality. But when you try to say what the quality is, apart from the things that have it, it all goes poof! There’s nothing to talk about. But if you can’t say what Quality is, how do you know what it is, or how do you know that it even exists? If no one knows what it is, then for all practical purposes it doesn’t exist at all. But for all practical purposes it really does exist.” – The Narrator (Pirsig, 2009, p. 153). Quality, as portrayed in Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, attempts to harmonize the juxtaposition of good and evil, mindfulness and apathy, rationality and irrationality, absolute, subjective, and objective truth, rationalism and empiricism, and enlightenment and unconsciousness. The existential dichotomy between quality and the human experience awakens the palette for a robust means of understanding the world. The dialogue of the narrator encourages the audience to pursue the Chautauquas, or lessons from a less monistic, unstained lens and “transcend the impulse to divide the world into separate categories of science, art, and religion (Florman & Kestler, 2014).” Quality in healthcare yields parallels among the dualistic relationships that challenge and shape the thoughts and behaviors surrounding this elusive entity. Undeniably, the faction is in...
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...Audit Quality: Accounting Firm Governance When performing an audit, an auditor’s main goal is to confirm the accuracy of a company’s financial statements through an independent examination to find any possible material misstatements within the financials. In order to ensure this accuracy, it is the responsibility of the auditor and audit firm to perform the audit to the highest quality and standard. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) has continuously been searching for ways to measure and enhance the audit quality to reinforce the confidence and trust of stakeholders, investors, and the public. Although there is no official definition, the PCAOB defines audit quality as “the meeting of investors’ needs for independent and reliable audits and robust audit communications on: 1: financial statements, 2: assurance about internal controls and 3: going concern warnings”. Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) states the key principles that a quality audit must consist of are: complete compliance of accounting and auditing standards, a vast knowledge and understanding of the clients business and financial environment, applying complete professional skepticism, and identifying and resolving any issues in the financials. In the Audit Quality Report released by PwC in December 2015, they state that these key principles can only be met to the greatest quality if the auditor and audit firm follow their key audit quality practices; PwC believes that these...
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...a prominent writer who had expressed the vast legends and myths of Greek gods and goddesses and captured Odysseus’ endless adventure, the challenges and temptations he had experienced throughout his journey, and the reflection of his most exceptional and imperfect qualities. As Odysseus had embarked on an endless journey filled with misery and agony, to battle in the Trojan War, he had been greatly praised and celebrated by many Ithacans and his homeland. However, although Odysseus had been greatly praised and portrayed as an outstanding individual and king throughout Homer’s epic, his actions and desires had undoubtedly reflected the worst qualities and aspects of his character. As Odysseus had embarked on his vast and extensive journey from Ithaca, he had been disloyal and faithless to his wife Penelope, who had been sincere, waiting years for his arrival...
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...Table of Contents: Question 1A------------------------- Page 3 Question 1B----------------------- Page 5 What is Quality Audit? The principles of Quality Audit, in the sense we mean it here, are based on the style of quality standards used in several formal national and international standards such as the ISO-900x international quality standards. These standards do not in themselves create quality. The logic is as follows. Every organization should define comprehensive procedures by which their products or services can be delivered consistently to the desired level of quality. As was discussed in the section on Quality Management, maximum quality is rarely the desired objective since it can cost too much and take too long. The average product or service provides a sensible compromise between quality and cost. There is also a legitimate market for products that are low cost and low quality. Standards authorities do not seek to make that business judgment and enforce it upon businesses, except where certain minimum standards must be met (eg all cars must have seat belts that meet minimum safety standards, but there is no attempt to define how elegant or comfortable they are). The principle is that each organization should create thorough, controlled procedures for each of its processes. Those procedures should deliver the quality that is sought. The Quality Audit, therefore, only needs to ensure that procedures have been defined, controlled, communicated and used. Processes...
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...has brought up his children. They should bring up the children in a very good discipline. Discipline doesn't mean that they have to to punish their children for each and everything. It is common that children do mistakes,what a good parent must do is he has to tell his children what is good and what is bad in a way that they can understand that. Giving punishment will not help them in any way,instead it will create new problems. Children will develop hatred towards their parents because of the punishments given to them. So it is the responsibility of a good parent to teach children what is good and what is bad. Bringing up the children is not a easy task.It needs lot of patience. During the early childhood,parents need lot of patience to take care of the children. So having patience is one of the quality that a good parent must have. Now-a-days both mother and father have to work in order to lead a happy life. But it should not affect the children. They have to spend atleast sometime with their children everyday. Otherwise they will get the feeling that they were neglected by thier parents.This is not a good sign.So spending sometime with the children everyday is also a quality that a good parent must have. Some people think that giving the children what they want,will finish thier duty as a parent. But this is not true. Children will be happy only when they can get the attention they are expecting from the parents. Parents should be like friends to their children. They have...
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...What is gratitude? The dictionary defines it has the quality of being thankful. In lesser words, gratitude is being grateful. Most people don’t normally think about what gratitude is. I mean I know that I didn’t think much of gratitude. Until a certain event that changed everything. It all began on relaxful Sunday. After a not so relaxing softball game. My family and I were out for dinner. We went to this very nice Italian restaurants. We had a very delightful dinner but I won’t go into that. It's not like the food we ate will really change the outcomes that are later to be described. Very pleased we all walked to the cars. Once we had finally reached our car my father realized something. What he realized was that he was...
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...Every year, thousands of people save their own life going to great measures daily. What does it mean to really survive? Not just making it to the end of the day but to keep breathing and staying alive. In order to really survive, we need to have courage to on and stay focused, be able to think quickly, and have strength and stay positive. Carrie Ryan once said, “Survivors aren't always the strongest; sometimes they're the smartest, but more often simply the luckiest.” In a life threatening situation having the courage to keep going is one of the biggest qualities someone can have. In the movie the Titanic, Rose is in love with a man named Jack. The ship goes down into the freezing North Atlantic water. Jack ends up dying and Rose is faced with a huge obstacle. She can either go into the water and risk freezing to death or try to call a life boat over that is near her. Even though she is exhausted and cold, she gathers up the courage to get into the cold water to try to find a whistle. The life boats end up hearing her and she gets rescued. If she hadn’t of had that courage to keep going and push through she might not have been saved....
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...What qualities have led to BEC’s success so far? The success of BEC can be attributed to a number of factors. The organization has used segmentation, targeting and positioning strategies in order to diversify the market. For instance, the company has opened stores in Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, and US. All the products sold by the company have been categorized into video games and recorded music. This offers the consumers variety and choice. BEC is also quick to seize business opportunities. For instance, BEC has invested heavily in information systems like the venture in online marketing. To ensure that the organization is not trapped in the cyclical nature of the expansion and contraction of sales video games, the company has devised a model for integration into all stores. ‘The game trading model’ ensures that users of the video games can exchange used video games for other videos on a rental basis. Instead of opening new stores for online distribution network, the organization uses the already existing ones. This has been a competitive advantage as consumers can access movies and videos simultaneously, thus cutting down costs. The management system at BEC is based on information systems where leadership plays a great role (Vankatesh, 2008). IS systems ensures that an organization makes effective decisions (Alwis & Higgins, 2001; Ajayi & Fadekemi, 2007). This ensures that decisions are easily made and the flow of information hindered. The IS at BEC has the capacity to share...
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...Q.1 What are the causes and consequences of BMW’s quality problems with newly launched products? What should be done to improve “launch quality”? (583 words) Causes in different aspects Development process for building the cockpits caused a ripple effect of BMW’s quality problems in competing of luxury automobile market. Rivals from Japanese companies entering into the luxury segment was changed the standard of acceptable quality at launch. From time, cost and process cycle perspectives to elaborate the causes in-depth. Time: Frequent changes were allowed to be made in in-house prototype shop during three to five design cycles that made the tension of lead time in line with their corporate strategy – to be the leader in high-end car industry of technical and styling innovation. Long lead time for procuring production tools and short period of time to make the decision for selection of outside suppliers. Cost: Prototype process was the critical part whilst major problems were not easily located at final stage due to some parts were not of the same materials used in the final production model. Re-ordered production grade tools were expensive than “pre-production” grade tools and most of the parts were hand-built by highly skilled craftsmen. Process from Pilot to Commercial production: Transition from final prototype to high volume production process could not be integrated smoothly due to production tools were not fully ready in pilot plant. Though workers learned in...
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...Personal Skills and Qualities Personal Example in Practice Technical Skills When completing my GCSEs I had to complete an ICT course in order to achieve the GCSE, as well as this where I work I’m obligated to use technology such as the till on a regular basis. Specialist Skills As a young child I took part in competitions such as riding and ballet, this meant I had to learn new skills especially for the cause, this I used mainly for these activities only. This included improving my balance and posture for both sports as well as control of the horse. Courage Courage I found was taking part in activities I didn’t make to do or like the look of, like in year 6 I went to woodlands and had to complete a number of activities that made me nervous but I did with the help and support of friends and teachers. Confidence In the summer I went to Mallorca, during this trip we went into the mountains and visited a small beach in-between a valley like ridge. We walked down the valley which was pathed with large stone, rocks and boulders that could fall or move any point under our weights. We had to help each other under and over these. Integrity When my mum got a new laptop for her job I had to teach her how to use it, as well as the software and the apps that came with it. Determination When completing assignments I am determined too hand them in on time and too a grade that will get me a good end of year result. Decisiveness After leaving year 11 we had to choice to go to college...
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...path to leadership isn’t an easy one. There will be good times, stressful times, and terrible times, but a great leader is always able to lead a team to success, regardless of the situation at hand. Simply holding a position in leadership doesn’t make someone a good leader. A truly great leader understands the many different factors that come with leading others, and strives to help others reach their goals; they are always developing themselves, and act as visionaries for their organization. Leadership is one of the hottest topics in the business world, with millions of publications on the subject; from books, to blogs, to articles and more. We gathered some of the leadership qualities that we believe are possessed by many of the world's greatest leaders and formed the list below. Do you have what it takes to be a great leader? Honesty The foundation of any relationship, both personal and professional, is honesty. People want to work for a leader they can trust−a leader that has morals, values, and integrity. They want to work for a company that offers a great product or service they can believe in, and that has an honorable reputation. “Honest Abe,” or Abraham Lincoln, is said to have been one of the greatest Presidents to ever lead our country, and he didn’t achieve his success or earn that nickname by being dishonest. Your workers want to feel good about their jobs−it’s important to establish core values for both the business and yourself as a leader, and to then live...
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...Topic:What are some important qualities of a good supervisor (boss)? Use specific details and examples to explain why these qualities are important. A supervisor or boss is a person who knows well how to keep his subordinates happy and in harmony in order to perform the job. So, from my point of view, I believe that a good supervisor must develop the skills such as a good leader, has to be expert in his work field, and have an understandable personality. As follow, It will be explained some of the reasons. To begin with, a supervisor must be a good leader who could bind his assistants in a chain in order to get a decent cooperative environment. Therefore, a great cooperation of both supervisor and workers will lead in running the business smoothly and successfully. Moreover, a boss or a supervisor has to have a good sense of humor which will help his subordinates to feel happy, friendly. For instance, if the boss will be rude and so strict, then the workers won't be able to feel free to work and to discuss all their problems with the boss, and also they may be disrespectful with him/her because of his/her dictatorship. Another important quality of a good supervisor is been an expert in his field. This skill is vital because he/she has to guide other people who are working under him. He should be intelligent and expert enough, in order to make a permanent influence on his assistants. In addition, he has to often make decisions and face several predicaments in the business;...
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...Marketing Intelligence refers to the set of procedures used in acquiring everyday information relevant to a company’s markets, gathered and analyzed specifically for the purpose of confident and accurate decision making in determining market opportunity, market penetration strategy, and market development metrics Kotler (2009). A Marketing Intelligence System is designed to be used by marketing managers and is often viewed by employees throughout an organization. They may have user interface that resemble consumer software as well as software around individual data sources, which are designed for use by analysts. There are various steps that can be taken by a company to improve the quality of its marketing intelligence function. These include; train and motivate the sales force, motivate distributors, retailers, and other intermediaries to pass along important intelligence, network externally, set up a customer, advisory panel optimal usage of government data resource, information bought from external supplies and collecting competitive intelligence through online customer feedback. A company’s sales force can be an excellent source of information about the current trends in the market. Hans Hedin (2010) states that it is important for the company to develop team effort and knowledge sharing sessions among the employees to understand the markets and to be able actively contribute more useful information into the system. As “intelligence gatherers the sales force needs to be motivated...
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...Creative Polo- Marketing Plan GOALS REPORT POST-YEAR 2 & PRE-YEAR 3 Jose Figueroa, CEO I. Mission Statement It is the mission of Creative Polo to provide casual clothing with creativity at an affordable price to our customers, while maintaining a competitive style in comparison to our competitors. II. Year 2 Recap Year 2 was successful for Creative Polo, but there are still some things we can improve to assure that we stay competitive within our market. We meet all of our goals set for years 2 expect one goal, which was to pay off our long-term debt. Although we did not reach our goal of paying off our long-term debt, this goal will be shortly accomplishing in year 3 quarter 2. On the contrary we as a company did meet our goals of increasing market share & increasing the reputation of our brand. Although reputation is not something that can be measured, our sales have increased greatly. One can infer that as sales increase our reputation would increase as well. III. Marketing Strategy A. Pricing Strategy One of our main goals here at Creative Polo is to provide casual clothing with creativity at an affordable price. In staying faithful with our mission statement, we have maintained a competitive price across each quarter. According to our current market research the average price for a shirt is $20.83 and the average price for a pair of pants is $20.83. Creative Polo currently is selling shirts for $21.00 & and a pair of pants for $31.00. Creative Polo...
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...Quality managers frequently encounter a bunch of ethical and legal issues whilst objectifying TQM programs, especially in business ventures which are exceptionally directed, lets take for instance, health care, like in medicinal services organizations, like, hospitals, quality managers are frequently confronted with ethical problems or legal boundaries when they join quality changes in the organization. It is a result of the way healthcare is to an incredible degree coordinated industry and changes proposed by the quality managers frequently struggle with the legal rules or are not fit from ethical perception, one example is those identified with patient's health. So as to address such legal and ethical issues in profoundly controlled workplace where ethics is an extremely delicate issue, Quality managers ought to be included in-or mindful of the moral approach of the organization, for example, hospitals. The combination of ethical and legal issues can best be sought after a specific improvement in quality management has been achieved. Particularly, issues in the field of trustworthiness and business related productivity appear to be fitting for reconciliation. A blend of a regulating and bottom up quality methodology is by all accounts the best approach. The government could invigorate the acknowledgment of combination of quality management and ethical arrangement by encouraging contracts on this issue, utilizing those proposals. One more ethical issue which is confronted by...
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