Quality Services Improvement

Quality Services Improvement The Quality of Services in Emirates Airlines: The Challenges of Continuous Improvement Summary This study examines quality of services at Emirates Airlines and reflects on the associated market orientation. The study also examines challenges and avenues for continuous improvement. These inter-connected objectives shape three research questions that are addressed based on customer responses to a structured instrument. This instrument has its origins embedded in the wealth of developments in methodological aspects to do with service quality assessment. The ‘perception- expectation gap and the gap with respect to ‘service delivery are reviewed across a multitude of research studies that are pegged around the central conceptual feature of SERVQUAL. This concept is discussed in detail including instances of its use in examining the airline industry. A structured close ended questionnaire informs this study that uses data generated from 250 respondents. The study is limited in methodological rigor due to use of descriptive statistics alone but at the same time provides a rich narrative using the data that is often not possible unless results are very strongly skewed in the case on inferential statistics. The lack of robustness has arisen due to data gaps which the study acknowledges. Findings suggest that staff training on understanding the scope of service quality, and continuing with modernization and infrastructure upgrade- should be on top of the agenda at Emirates. The results also show that personalized attention provided to customers is a key selling point in why customers choose Emirates, but that there is lack of understanding related to proper customer relations management. Some conflicting results also tend to suggest that the dichotomy between customer expectations and perceptions is influenced by the relative offerings competitor airlines make. There is also a hint that short term resource impetuses like frequent flyer schemes do not do much to improve service quality perceptions. It is the long term embedded development of staff capabilities and understanding about the holistic nature of service quality that may prove to be ‘the competency for sustained competitive advantage. The study posits a need for further research in developing comparabl e service quality metrics across international airlines that are available only in the US at present (AQR), and also a need for comparative case studies in the industry to inform globalization intentions. Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1. Background Emirates airlines is one of the largest and probably the most consistently profitable airlines of recent times. Since its inception in 1985 it has grown astronomically and in the last couple of years it has embarked upon a fleet upgrade and expansion that dwarfs other major airlines. It sailed through the 9/11 related downturn in aviation business, and the disturbance in the gulf to become an airlines whose success formula mystifies management wisdom. Off the cuff solutions to issues and problems as they arise seems to have worked exceedingly well for the airline. The airline claims to have an open culture and an open agenda where the need of privacy does not subsume the need to deliver from individual competencies under what can be termed a ‘fluid strategy process (Sull et al, 2006). The focus on fine issues and macro aspects alike are shared across all management levels comprising a multi-cultural workforce like no other airline. The company is used to making leaps whether it is by using the recognition from airline of the year award in 1994 to establish itself among the giants, to the massive fleet expansion in 2004-2005- to become the envy of even the giants. Surviving the 9/11 depression clearly points to the merits in Emirates approach. The key issue seems in operating as a family, where when other airlines were downsizing and cutting staff, Emirates kept status quo on these fronts and communicated a feeling of belonging in its staff. This was the crucial lever that kept Emirates going- and in fact even prosper in times that were so trying for the industry. As Carlzon (1989) notes in his aft cited work ‘Moments of Truth this is flattening of structure in the true sense so that messages get across quickly and effectively makes for a â€Å"powerful organisation that serves customers better and unleashes the energy in employees†. However, putting both these together to fine tune the market orie ntation through service quality is a challenge especially in times of growth and high momentum in external factors affecting the industry. Other beliefs at Emirates like around the prosperity of Dubai that it keeps as the nerve centre of its network, and keeping a rather conservative outlook towards alliancing with other airlines are not conventional. These shape a flexible core around which other attitudinal and behavioral aspects of the business model emerge. This emergence has often been punctuated with imposed or deliberated change this study takes place at a time of deliberated change that of rapid expansion of Emirates airlines across the globe (Leckic, 2007). The openness also transcends into the beliefs the airline has. The airline now seeks to grow more aggressively and reduce overt centering on Dubai. Creating a global brand based on current success is on the agenda. The airline realizes that reputations in a service industry are leveraged around service quality. In this light as it stretches out to routing across the globe and hiring more staff and acquiring physical infrastructure, that service quality does not get compromised remains a concern close to heart (Sull et al, 2006; Byles, 2007, Leckic, 2007; Sending 2008). 1.2. Motivation The international airline industry has seen a struggle to deliver profitability alongside ‘truly satisfying the flying public (Van Pham and Simpson, 2000). The alliancing arrangements, route mapping and offering packaged services through such alliances have tried to affect industry standards of service quality- which may not be the true reflection of customer expectations. The perception of customers about what is central to service quality vis-à  -vis the state of affairs in crucial for informing service quality initiatives and the market orientation of a firm. Needless to say given the dynamic nature of offerings that exist across industries including the airline industry, such expectation-perception balances are continuously shifting, and are even more fast moving for an airline that is growing rapidly and encountering new customers around the globe. The challenge also thus extends to one of continuous improvement (Emirates, 2005-2007). Given the success of Emirates and its unprecedented growth and plans for growth, it is clear that customer perceptions will be central to deciding performance in the future. In times of growth and expansion to new routes the probability of variation in service quality levels and variation in customer expectations is likely to be higher. How the airline can absorb such feedback to modify and fine tune its strategic marketing in the global environment is intriguing for managers, academics, and the wider industry -all having been amazed at the Emirates story so far. This study examines customer perceptions about service quality and relates it with market orientation to ponder over the way forward for Emirates, clearly something very central to research and practitioner interests in Emirates. The recommendations may also have some food for thought for the airline itself as it seeks continuous improvements for a story that is already a bestseller. From a methodological perspective the use of service quality assessment approaches like the SERVQUAL and its interface with the market orientation of the company has been a motivation (Webb, 2000; Engelland, 1998; Devlin et al; 2002; Van Pham and Simpson, 2006). That these have informed the airline industry among others on service quality, customer and market orientation among others make this research founded on robust theoretical and methodological grounds. 1.3. Research Questions This dissertation seeks to examine service quality at emirates, and examine the way forward as the airline seeks to market its image in times of rapid investment and growth. The first builds upon the second as it is service quality perceptions as customer views that need to be the focus when shaping marketing strategies. This is in particular for a business model that is well resourced as in the case of Emirates and the main concern seems to be of monitoring and improving customer uptake of service quality as the airline grows. This is to be contextualized with the market orientation of the company so far for shaping key initiatives that can augment the alignment between customer perceptions of service with their expectations of the same. Thus three central questions that inform this dissertation are: What factors affect service quality perceptions about Emirates airlines? What factors are perceived to be central in informing continuous service quality improvement initiatives? How do these perceptions associate with the market orientation of the airline from past initiatives? 1.4. Dissertation Outline The dissertation starts with an introduction to the context, scope and potential contributions from this study as here. The next chapter examines the literature in detail examining the concept of quality before leading on to the idea of service quality and research to develop methodological and conceptual paradigms around it. The idea of market orientation as a complement and associated aspect is also dwelled upon before closing the literature review that also uses research evidence across industries including the airline industry. The hypotheses development chapter links the research questions to the backdrop of service quality drawing upon the research site of the airline industry and the conceptual orientation from the literature review. The Hypotheses are aligned closely with a structured instrument that is discussed in the approach and methodology chapter. The approach and methodology chapter also provides for a rationale for selection of methodology, issues in conducting the study, limitations, and a time plan based narrative of how the study has been conducted. The sample profile, data and methods in analyses description here is carried forward in the findings chapter where results associated with each of the hypotheses are presented. A discussion chapter connects the results for a further discussion on implications and then leads on to conclusions. Here the recommendations are once again highlighted as study deliverables under each of the research questions. This is followed by a discussion on study li mitations that include revisiting methodological limitations discussed before. The final chapter closes by some focused suggestions about future research in the area of service quality that are argued to be of much use for the industry and for globally expanding firms like the Emirates Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Introduction This comprehensive literature review builds up the agenda of examining service quality in extant literature by starting off in the realm of Quality itself. In discussing TQM and consumer expectations it opens up a window to start examining the specialized concept of service quality. This concept is discussed in all its nuances especially around SERVQUAL definite leap both conceptually and methodologically in this area. This is linked up with the idea of market orientation to extract a conceptual backdrop relevant to the investigation under this study. The use of extant research both in the airline industry and in other industries provides for resources to adapt the concept of ‘gaps and dichotomy between service expectations and perceptions to shape hypotheses and instrument to collect data for this study. 2.2 The concept of Quality Quality has always concerned the societal intent of consumption. The reasons are fairly colloquial at one level where lack of quality can result in insufficient and unsatisfactory delivery of requirements from a product or service. At another level given the growing complexity of the business processes over the last century quality has evolved into a discipline characterized by an equally intertwined interface between control, assurance, and management in general (Dooley, 2006). Broadly speaking in the business context quality is the ‘perception of the ability of a product to satisfy its users. By extension it also applies to the processes and management of the processes that shape the product. However, the satisfying paradigm underpinning quality has multiple manifestations: â€Å"conformance†, â€Å"fitness for use†, â€Å"basic minimum requirements vs. attractiveness†, and as a matter of â€Å"interest and individual disposition† to name a few (e.g. Juran, 1945; Pirsig, 1974; Corsby, 1981; Kano, 1984; Reeves and Bednar, 1994). The definition of quality is rather difficult to come by because of the sheer nature of its wide applicability and strands of origin- ranging from the practical business origins to metaphysical origins. The American Society for Quality aptly captures this subjectivity in understanding quality by stating it as †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"a subjective term for which each person has their own definition† (Wade, 2005; ASQ, 2007). Quality management is made up of two complementary aspects one is quality assurance and the other is quality control. The former is about ensuring a basic minimum standard through upfront production process design. The latter is about reviewing and monitoring output to wean out the ‘defectives. Assurance is thus inherently preventive and control is mainly curative in a functional sense (Gunter, 1998). Irrespective of the disparate origins, quality management can be safely said to be largely associated with the idea of excellence. A range of concepts and their operationalisation stem from this broader view of quality and mark the growth in research and practice of quality management. Six Sigma, Quality Circles, and Total Quality Management- are but a few from amongst numerous such frames of reference (dti, 2007). The idea of quality at the advent of the century had been around as a selection paradigm- accepting the superior and rejecting the inferior and biased towards ‘control at best- most of the time the evaluation came from the end user. Along the business value chain as production became large scale after the 1st World War- quality assurance procedures started becoming formalized. It was not only the ‘end of the road customer assessment but also a series of filters ensuring only the better quality output being delivered to the customer made control and assurance an important in house practice . The inspection oriented quality control schema had its problems mainly in terms of competent individuals that could ensure monitoring despite not being the ‘know all skill set champions. Formalized roles of inspection and quality manager thus emerged and along side assurance models provided a great lift to quality management as a capability. Generic tools for quality management l ike the control chart emerged in the 1920s and statistical process control matured towards the middle of the century. The revival of the manufacturing of war torn Japan on mature principals of quality control and management finally brought quality management into the forefront. By the end of 1970s it was a global pre-occupation with everyone trying to imitate the success of Japanese low cost and high quality products (dti, 2007; Dooley, 2006). When the word total quality came to the fore in 1970s and finally pinned quality management as a fundamental capability that ran through the organization. The Wests take on quality management was more about ‘standards than ‘culturalisation-but based around the same operational frameworks as in Japan. These gave rise to national standards in response to the need to have a quality association with the national economy as a whole. At the business level quality is now a key management responsibility and a functional paradigm that has continuous improvement at its very heart (Gitlow et al., 1989). Aside from the generalized profile of emergence of quality management above there are a few key landmarks that need to be noted. The first is probably the statistical developments in the 20s and 30s and the emergence of concepts related to probability of acceptance, risk, tolerance levels, and sampling aspects (Shewart, 1931; Dodge and Romig, 1959) establishment of standards and societies also marked the 1930s and 40s (Hutchins, 1995; Dooley, 2006). Industrial production was never under as much pressure as in the II world War. While quality assurance could not keep up with the pressure control came to the forefront to ensure acceptable working products. The maturing of the statistical processes and standards in this regard was a key development. The large scale transmission of these standards to the then military suppliers ensured that the War provided an acceleration to the diffusion of quality management standards and systems (Dooley, 2006; Grant and Lang, 1991). With the end of the war in the formative phase of reconstruction quality was again given a ‘less rushed attention. The role of top management, the interface between organisation wide processes, among others found attention. Total quality control came to the fore as a holistic concept with a stage gate approach right from design to delivery to consumer (Fiegenbaum, 1951, 1957, 1961). As mentioned, the post war Japanese revival is a key factor in development of quality management. Over the 1950s and 1960s the ideas of cultaration of quality with pride in workmanship, top management support, liberalized communication and quality circles took hold stemming from Japanese success. The good practice concepts like quality circles emerged as competencies that were tightly woven into the culture of business unique to Japan and required some effort when it came to imitation by the west (Koyangi, 1964; Deming, 1967; Juran, 1967). Quality became integral to organisational behaviour, goals, and associated personnel development. 2.3 Total Quality Management, Consumer Expectations and Continuous Improvement The coining of ‘Total Quality Management (TQM), encapsulates this coming of age of quality management as an indispensable competency in the competitive arena that is augmented by increasing customer expectations (Deming, 1986; Anderson et al., 1994; Akers; 1991; Stratton, 1990). The main characteristics-changes and developments though numerous can be safely said to be around making quality: -a responsibility for everyone, -a necessity rather than a differentiator, relate better to services and information, and ever increasing set of non-manufacturing industries. relate to best practices, dissemination and learning -recognized a key function and accordingly resourced in organizations reinforce the primacy of the customer (Green and Welsh, 1988; Marquardt, 1991; Dooley, 2006) As TQM goes from strength to strength the balance between assurance, control, and the new fangled third strand learning is becoming vital given the dynamic nature and complex requirements that are associated with quality (Green and Welsh, 1988). The standardized tools need to be customized for organisational applications with a sense to create the competitive edge-because the omnipresent paradigm itself is tending to defeat the objective to seeking the competitive edge through quality (Dean and Bowen, 1994). Context specificity or in other customization of model and tools is the call of the day for research and practice alike The generic nature however needs to be preserved in the background given wider economic and societal association of quality management. For instance, as new frontiers like e-commerce open a fertile bed of quality concepts and models will be very valuable for learning and adaptation to the economic and social context (Doty et al., 1993; Dooley, 2006). . However, having an adaptable bed for quality management across diverse industries to draw from is not sufficient. The societal realties have also undergone transition quality needs to broaden its founding grounds to reflect on new aspects like information management and the virtual realm where quality may have to question its own foundations that are deeply rooted in manufacturing. The successful adaptation to non-manufacturing i.e. services however, is evidence of the emergent nature of quality management that can take on fresh challenges that include alignment to ever changing marketing and consumer orientation needs. 2.4 Service Quality Service quality is a subjective concept that remains challenging to define and to measure (Cronin and Taylor, 1992). This associates itself and can be understood as the application of total quality in the service sector in the main and also implying the service function in frontline delivery of product in other industries. The understanding of service quality has been synthesized from extant literature by Jennifer Rowley (1998). In her work it is seen as a â€Å"perception judgment from a comparison of what they feel service organizations should offer and the performance of the organisation offering the services†. There is no dearth of definitions that try to pack in comprehensiveness to this abstract concept. For instance, Hedvall and Paltschik (1989) refer to ‘willingness and ability to serve with a mention of ‘access, Lehtinen and Lehtinen(1982) view service quality in a three-dimensional space that looks at ‘interactive, physical and corporate quality fac ets. Furthermore Gronroos (1984) simplifies the idea by seeing service quality as shaped by ‘technical and functional aspects of quality (Rowley ,1988). The link between service and performance and by extension satisfying the customer is challenging because services have a unique combination of characteristics. The first of these combinations is their intangibility- causing issues in measurement as they are a function of the ‘experience of the customer. The next is their perish ability -meaning that they cannot delivered from existing stock and thus lending a dynamic nature to service delivery that is difficult to condition. The third is inseparability between production and consumption of service and the last is heterogeneity or customizability as each end user receives a different level-nature of service partly owing to individualized perceptions that are involved in assessment (Zeithaml et al., 1985; Rowley, 1998; Engelland, 1998; Webb, 2000;; Devlin et al; 2002). The need is thus to work on ‘perceptions to assess quality given the cognitive frame of reference that dominates the characteristics of service. The associated requirement is to be able to classify services so as to peg a cognitive frame on a type of service. Such an attempt has provided for groupings within the service industry as a starting point to deliver customized measurement models (Dotchin and Oakland, 1994). The influences on consumer expectations have also been classified to augment such efforts (Gronroos,1994) . While the seminal work towards generic developments like SERVQUAL (Parasuram et al., 1988), provide founding grounds to service quality measurement- literature sees several issues in the applicability of this generic framework. This also relates to the inclusion exclusion and reconfiguration of the understanding of service attributes and the industry categories discussed before (e.g. Sasser, 1978; Dotchin and Oakland, 1994). A critical perspective on SERVQUAL comes later but upfront it is of essence is to recognize the importance and complexity in measurement given the sheer abstractness of the idea of service and its quality. The customization of measurement efforts and models in light of different service industry groups has been key to efforts at improving measurement (Dotchin and Oakland, 1994). In SERVQUAL the conceptualization of satisfaction has been found to be too simplistic and the multiplicity of the ‘total experience is arguably not captured this is in addition to the non-customized generic nature of the SERVQUAL. A longitudinal and sometimes phenomenological analysis is suggested to capture these nuanced but important characteristics of service quality (Singh, 1991; Rowley, 1994). However, the difficult in devising a comprehensive tool still disposes wider practice of measurement to simplistic methods. Important adjustments and realizations like the use of ‘importance and satisfaction grid (Harvey, 1995) provide a very useful feedback and prioritization. For instance, high importance and poor satisfaction is a combination that merits urgent management attention. Another important variable in the service quality metric that needs to be accounted for is the nature of the contract. Again this is because of the attribute of ‘psychological contracts that is unique in nature to services (Thornrow, 1998). This has found particular appeal in measurement related to provision of public services. Having formal, informal and psychological components in service contracts provide a platform for balancing expectations and perceptions. These are otherwise very difficult to manage given the basic characteristics of service discussed at the onset of this section. Finally the perceptual plane needs to be also looked at with a balance though by classical definition the perception of the customer is the defining feature of quality-for service quality in particular the perception of the provider and the resultant psychological interface is also key to the metric. The role of customers is also not to be taken uni-dimensionally. There are different stakeholde r brackets eg. users, influencers, deciders, approvers that associate with a service category and also vary in their significance (Rowley, 1988). These influence the generic satisfaction and associated performance variable. Given this multiplicity and the psychologically complex nature of interactions, the ‘relationship exchange process (Morgan and Hunt, 1994) is key to providing some cognitive stability to overtime service quality measurement. It is also a suitable conduit to ensure that feedback is smoothly translated into strategic action for improvement. Such relationships can be supported by associating service with some ‘bonds (Chu and Lin, 2004). For instance, providing unique services, incentives, and even building social ties between provider and customer. However, on the other hand, the impact of such relationships on service quality needs to be moderated for a reliable assessment. They provide grounds for stabilizing the psychological map to better associate performance and expectations but at the same time bias it. 2.5 Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality Perceptions Broadly speaking customer satisfaction is a performance indicator of the extent to which a firm has managed to meet customer expectations through its business deliverables. Having formed the foundation of the marketing concept for nearly half a century the attempts at harnessing the good practices and measurement approaches is a much explored realm when it comes to customer satisfaction (e.g. Drucker, 1954; Levitt 1960; Gronroos, 1990). Over the last few years customer satisfaction has received a reinvigorated interest. Possible reasons for this have been seen as the after effects of a maturing TQM paradigm that is linked with several recognition awards, and also, arrival of national customer satisfaction barometers (Garvin, 1991; Johnson et al., 2001; Helgesen, 2006) The associated concept of customer relationship orientation is posits a strong link between customer loyalty and profitability with customer satisfaction (Zeithaml, 1988; Oliver, 1996). While customer loyalty has been referred to as central to ‘competitive advantage (Porter, 1985; Chao, et al., 2007)- this is delivered through customer -satisfaction. This is the basic rationalization behind customer satisfaction being so central to both short term and long term performance assessment. That the ‘ultimate aim of any firm is to achieve customer satisfaction remains the central thesis of market orientation (Levitt, 1960). Customer orientation seeks to align â€Å"organizational values, beliefs, assumptions and premises† to deliver a mutually enabling relationship between the customer and the firm (Day, 1994; Strong and Harris, 2004). Strong and Harris ( 2004), define a set of tactics that can deliver customer orientation. They define three sets of tactics. The first define relational tactics (essentially relationship marketing) that engages a nurturing philosophy for long run gains. The second tactic as human resource tactic is more about the direct interface with frontline of the customer and rest of the organisation -essentially empowering the front line through training and support to reap rewards of realized quality of experience of the customer. The final tactic relates to procedural aspects that routinise and systemize customer care and support systems. The study posits that there is a strong interaction and dependency between the three tactics. This key work that examines customer satisfaction and its manifestations under the customer orientation paradigm shares ground with some key extant literature (Narver and Slater, 1990) However, other studies tend to put one set of such aspects though differently labeled as more important than the others. For instance, Chao et al. (2007) say that while satisfaction remains an abstract idea sometime there is an overt component of interpersonal relationship building that because of over emphasis- instead of complementing customer orientation tends wean resources away from conditioning deliverables to meet consumer expectations. Research suggests that such a lopsided drive is ill-found in the long run While relationship marketing remains important it has to be pegged on consumer satisfaction from products and services for sustainability (Chao et al., 2007). Businesses need to focus attention on relationship building. This however has to be conditioned for long run profitability. Customer satisfaction through meeting expectations from goods, transaction services and pure services, and a sustained follow up and support culture has to be the basis for relationship building. For instance, financial incentives/offers are likely to be ineffective and short lived if quality is undermined. As most of the research in customer orientation gets focused on relationship building this is an important consideration to use as a moderator. Value to the customer can never be undermined for seeking short term profitability. This is because such profitability is not suitably tied in with satisfaction which in turn guides customer loyalty. Views to the contrary also exist mainly from some practitioners. Bruce Clapp (2007) of the Carlson marketing group says that â€Å"relationship strength is more important than satisfaction as a true indicator of loyalty. Customizing the experience of our customers, in-branch and in home, impacts the strength of relationship as it builds. In the experience, ensuring our message is relevant requires that we be closer to our customer. The communication we use, whether direct mail, e-mail or in person, must be tailored to the needs of the customer at an individual level. The term mass customization has gained ground as we look for ways to become partners with our customers and be there when they have a financial nee

John F. Kennedy :: essays research papers

John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States (1961-1963). He was the youngest person ever to be elected president. Also, He was the first Roman Catholic president and the first president to be born in the 20the century. He served in World War II on PT boat. He also helped to solve the Cuban Missile Crisis and started Peace of Corps to help 3rd world countries better them selves. Kennedy was assassinated before he completed his third year as president. Therefore, his achievements were limited. He was shot in the head and died within an hour. Kennedy was born on May 29,1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was the second of nine children of Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. "The other children in the family were Joseph, Rosemary, Kathleen, Eunice, Patricia, Robert, Jean, and Edward."(Encarta' 95). "The Kennedys were an active family. With 11 people in the house, someone was always busy. The children took swimming, sailing, and tennis lessons."(Potts, Steve - 7). The Kennedy family had long been active in politics. His brothers Robert and Edward Kennedy also entered politics. Kennedy's both grand fathers had been active in politics. His father was a self-made millionaire. He served as first chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and as U.S. ambassador to Great Britain during the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Kennedy's family called him jack. He and his older brother Joe were strong rivals. Jack was quiet and often shy, but held his owns in fights with Jo e. "The boys enjoyed playing touch football."(The World Book Encyclopedia, 261). His childhood was full of sports, fun and activity. This all ended when he grew up old enough to leave for school. Kennedy attended elementary schools in Brookline and Riverdale. "In 1930, when he was 13 years old, his father sent him to the Canterbury School in New Milford, Conn." (The World Book Encyclopedia, 261). One year later, he transferred to Choate Academy in Wallingford, Coon. He graduated from Choate in 1935 at the age of 18. He was promised a trip to London as a graduation gift but he became ill with jaundice and would have to go to the hospital. He spent the rest of the summer trying to recover. He was not entirely well when he started Princeton, several weeks later in the fall of 1935. The jaundice returned and he had to drop out of school.

Parkinsons Disease Essay -- Medical Medical Medicine Essays Treatment

Parkinson's Disease Parkinson’s Disease (PD), "the shaking palsy" first described by James Parkinson in 1817, is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder which affects in upwards of 1.5 million Americans. The disease begins to occur around age 40 and has incidence with patient age. One survey found that PD may affect 1% of the population over 60. Incidence seems to be more prominent in men, and tends to progress to incapacity and death over one or two decades. Clinical diagnosis of PD is currently solely dependent on the presentation of the symptoms by the patient which reflect a deficiency of striatal dopamine caused by the destruction of the cells in the substantia nigra. Imaging and other laboratory techniques can be used to rule out other disorders, but are not necessary for the actual diagnosis of PD. The first sign of PA is usually bradykinesia. Movements are usually quite slow. Routine activities may require deliberate planning and thought for execution. Difficulty initiating movements or akinesia, may also be present. Rigidity in the flexors is also present. This is due to an exaggerated response to normal proprioceptive return from the somatic musculature. A resting tremor of 3-6 Hz is also a prominent feature of PD. This may cause difficulties in handwriting as a symptom. Impaired postural reflexes is also a presenting feature in PD. Patients can easily lose their balance when pushed slightly, and may need to be caught to keep fr om falling. These signs can be tested by observing the patients walking, getting out of deep chairs, and performing rapid repetitive movements. Increased disturbances in cognitive abilities can also show evidence of PD. Even with all these signs of PD, it may be present and undiagnosed f... ...ly researched today. Hopefully, the disease will soon be able to be diagnosed early enough that its progression can be stopped and be cured. With current research and development, this day may soon come. Works Cited: Jenner, P. Clues to the mechanism underlying dopamine cell death -in Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Neurology’ Neurosurqerv, and Psychiatry (1989): 22-28. Korczyr., A. D. Autonomic Nervous System Disturbances in Parkinson’s Disease. Advances in Neurology, 53 (1990): 463-68. Kingston, J. W. Current theories on the cause of Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psvchiatry, (l989): 13-17. Langston, J. W. and W. C. Koller. The next frontier: Presymptomatic detection. Geriatrics, Aug. 1991: 5-7. Paulson, G. W. Management of the patient with newly -diagnosed Parkinson’s disease. Geriatrics, Feb. 1993: 30-40. Parkinson's Disease Essay -- Medical Medical Medicine Essays Treatment Parkinson's Disease Parkinson’s Disease (PD), "the shaking palsy" first described by James Parkinson in 1817, is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder which affects in upwards of 1.5 million Americans. The disease begins to occur around age 40 and has incidence with patient age. One survey found that PD may affect 1% of the population over 60. Incidence seems to be more prominent in men, and tends to progress to incapacity and death over one or two decades. Clinical diagnosis of PD is currently solely dependent on the presentation of the symptoms by the patient which reflect a deficiency of striatal dopamine caused by the destruction of the cells in the substantia nigra. Imaging and other laboratory techniques can be used to rule out other disorders, but are not necessary for the actual diagnosis of PD. The first sign of PA is usually bradykinesia. Movements are usually quite slow. Routine activities may require deliberate planning and thought for execution. Difficulty initiating movements or akinesia, may also be present. Rigidity in the flexors is also present. This is due to an exaggerated response to normal proprioceptive return from the somatic musculature. A resting tremor of 3-6 Hz is also a prominent feature of PD. This may cause difficulties in handwriting as a symptom. Impaired postural reflexes is also a presenting feature in PD. Patients can easily lose their balance when pushed slightly, and may need to be caught to keep fr om falling. These signs can be tested by observing the patients walking, getting out of deep chairs, and performing rapid repetitive movements. Increased disturbances in cognitive abilities can also show evidence of PD. Even with all these signs of PD, it may be present and undiagnosed f... ...ly researched today. Hopefully, the disease will soon be able to be diagnosed early enough that its progression can be stopped and be cured. With current research and development, this day may soon come. Works Cited: Jenner, P. Clues to the mechanism underlying dopamine cell death -in Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Neurology’ Neurosurqerv, and Psychiatry (1989): 22-28. Korczyr., A. D. Autonomic Nervous System Disturbances in Parkinson’s Disease. Advances in Neurology, 53 (1990): 463-68. Kingston, J. W. Current theories on the cause of Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psvchiatry, (l989): 13-17. Langston, J. W. and W. C. Koller. The next frontier: Presymptomatic detection. Geriatrics, Aug. 1991: 5-7. Paulson, G. W. Management of the patient with newly -diagnosed Parkinson’s disease. Geriatrics, Feb. 1993: 30-40.

Computers Impact on Physically Challenged :: Argumentative Persuasive Papers

Computers' Impact on Physically Challenged Have computers positively impacted society of the physically challenged? The answer to that question is yes. Computers have helped physically challenged people to become more independent and have better and fuller lives. The Internet has been a useful tool for these people because they can buy, sell, or read objects on the web pages. They can buy their groceries and read the newspaper on-line. Without the Internet and computers the physically challenged would have to depend on other people to help them do their shopping or reading. This paper will discuss speech and language impairments, hearing impairments, visual impairments, and mobility impairments and how computers have positively impacted each of these groups of people. First of all speech and language impairments are usually due to defects of articulation, voice production and rhythm, cleft palate speech, delayed speech development, and disorders connected to hearing impairments ("Speech", p.1). Computers have helped these people through software and hardware designed specifically for speech disabilities. One device, called a speech synthesizer, is connected to a computer or incorporated into the software. This can be useful as a training and teaching aid and also it can be used as a voice output for a non-vocal person ("Speech", p.1). This device allows a person who cannot speak, communicate to another individual through the computer. The computer speaks the words for the speech-disabled person. If the main desktop computer is not available for this purpose a portable communication aid can be used. This portable communication aid is an electronic device that has a speech synthesizer and it may be operated with a switch ("Speech", p.1). Another use of computers for the speech and language impairments is cognitive rehabilitation software. This software identifies and treats people who have suffered a stroke or some type of brain injury. The software is designed to concentrate on the detection and retaining of language function ("Speech", p.1). Michigan Memory Series of Software, provided by IBM, is a series that is useful for adults with stroke defects, closed head injuries, and other neurological problems. This series of software is also useful for children with learning disabilities, communication disorder, reading disorder, autism, mental retardation and other speech impairments ("Speech", p.1). Computers have positively impacted the speech and language impairments of people because these people can learn and communicate with others due to computers. Second, computers have positively impacted people who are hearing impaired.

Embryonic Stem Cell Research Essay

Dear Mr. Doerflinger[1], In response to your article on Embryonic Stem Cell Research, I would like to point out that man’s war against disease, has recently advanced dramatically through the introduction of such techniques as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), and has been instrumental in both saving lives and preventing disease. This approach, which has already been used to fight such disorders as Huntington’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and more recently, cancer, opens the way for undreamt of possibilities concerning both the future diagnoses of different diseases, and their subsequent treatments (Genetic Engineering, 2007). Throughout the world, thousands of children are born with life-threatening diseases and conditions, which man, through genetic science, is now potentially capable of either treating, or maybe even entirely eliminating. By allowing genetic scientists the necessary freedom to continue with research, and to use the recent advancements that science has acheived in embryo screening, future generations will be able to live longer and healthier lives (Bionet, 2007). Within your statement you claim that â€Å"More than two decades of research using mouse embryonic stem cells have produced no treatments †¦. that are safe or effective enough for anyone to propose in humans. These cells have not helped a single human being†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Richard M. Doerflinger, 2007). However, in recent years genetic science has already saved, and changed, the lives of many, giving hope to families facing desperate situations. Adam Nash’s birth, in August 2000, is just one example, which so clearly demonstrates the beginning of a whole new adventure that is just beginning to open before man. Adam’s embryo was chosen after having been screened for Fanconi anemia (FA), which is a rare, and often fatal, congenital blood disorder, due to the fact that Adam’s parents’ were both carriers of the disease. They already had one child, Molly, who had been born with the rare blood disorder, and the Nash’s wanted a sibling for their little girl – but one who was not inflicted with the same disorder. However, doctors, through the use of PGD, were able to find an embryo with tissue that matched Molly’s, which led to their daughter being cured. For the first time in medical history doctors â€Å"blended the sciences of in vitro fertilisation, stem cells, and genetic screening† (5280.com, 2005). One-day-old embryos were tested for FA’s genetic code, and healthy ones were further screened for a tissue match. The embryo was then transplanted into Lisa Nash’s womb and immediately after Adam’s birth blood was removed from the umbilical cord. This was then used for the critical, life-saving transplant. Today both Molly and Adam Nash are healthy, normal children that can, along with their parents, look ahead with confidence (ScienCentralNews, 2004). Clearly research is needed to determine whether the use of embryos is murder, and restrictions enforced to ensure that asthetic choices, such as gender and appearence, are not permitted. But medical sicence isn’t interested in obtaining perfect babies, its objective is curing and preventing disease. Therefore, scientific research in this field to should be continued to advance the human race, especially if he is to make any headway in understanding the nature of disease, its origins and its cure. And, although there is a need to address both the ethical and social questions that have been raised by those who fear the posibility of ‘designer babies’, medical science must be allowed to progress, if we are ever to successfully combat diseases and conditions that both wreck lives, and kill human beings (Caroline Mackie Ogilvie, 2007). The likely possibilities are immense; but genes offering protection against fatal and crippling diseases are not the only benefits of this incredible medical advancement. There are also genes that enhance intelligence, the five senses, beauty, and almost every other aspect of man, which opens up other avenues of exploration. Many animals, for example, possess skills and senses that humans don’t have – such as better hearing, or leg regeneration. In the future it may be possible, through gene identification, to incorporate these functions into humans (GMO, 2007), and use them to heal conditions such as deafness, or in limb replacement. It is clear that ethical and social questions concerning the future use of genetic engineering within modern society will need to be addressed. While appropriate democratic laws and structures will hopefully reflect a considered and balance view of the importance of genetic medicine for future generations, such measures should not be allowed to interfere with future scientific research. References 5280.com, Online Article, The Miracle of Molly, 2005. Information retrieved 03/27/2007. Bionet: Explore life science and debate the issues, Online Article, Design-a-Baby? 2007.   Page Downloaded 03/12/2007. Caroline Mackie Ogilvie, et al., Online Article, Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis—An Overview, 2007. Page downloaded 03/19/2007. < www.jhc.org/cgi/content/full/53/3/255> Genetic Engineering, Joà £o Pedro de Magalhà £es, Online Article, Defining Our Children’s Traits, 2007. GMO: Genetic Engineering, Online Article, Designer Baby Ethics, 2007. Page downloaded 03/19/2007. Richard M. Doerflinger, The Ethics & Religious Liberty Comission, Online Article,   Testimony of Richard M. Doerflinger on Embryonic Stem Cell Research, 2004.   Page downloaded 03/19/2007.    ScienCentralNews, Online Article, Stem Cell Siblings, 2004. Page downloaded 03/19/2007. [1] Audience: Richard M. Doerflinger is Deputy Director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, where he has worked for 25 years. Among his duties is the preparation of policy statements and congressional testimony on abortion, euthanasia, embryo research, human cloning, and other medical-moral issues for the bishops’ conference.   

Derozio’s A Walk by Moonlight Poetry Essay

Derozio’s A Walk by Moonlight Poetry is the awakening of our conscience. In ‘A Walk by Moonlight’ Derozio illustrates how, on a casual walk, he is â€Å"allied to all the bliss, which other worlds we’re told afford†. The walk and observation makes him question life and introspect as well. The poem starts with pleasant memories of the previous night. Derozio feels blessed with a gift. In the future, when his mind is in turmoil and anxiety, he can ponder and contemplate upon this moment and find a â€Å"happy spot† in his memories to rest. He says that there are some memories in our past which we keep looking to, â€Å"soft hours† which are far away and â€Å"vague† but they never â€Å"burn out† and disappear. And when some of these memories were thrown across his path the previous night his heart was so uplifted, he thought â€Å"it could have flown†. Derozio had been to meet a friend and saw other friends there too . All were people who thought in the same manner; they shared a common bond. â€Å"Like minds to like mind ever tend— An universal law†.   When he asked them for a walk, three at once joined him. They were his cherished friends — two were people with intellectual minds and in age were his equals, the other was young but â€Å"endeared† by all. The beauty of the night transforms their thinking and revives their hearts, which had become numb and feelingless. The poet is deeply touched by small movements of nature and uses them metaphorically to bring out the joy and enlightenment that he receives. The moon looked powerful and majestic in the sky, and benignly looked down upon the earth. The clouds â€Å"divided† and broke apart â€Å"in homage to her worth† by not trying to obscure her. The leaves swayed slightly due to the breeze but Derozio feels that they are actually dancing and â€Å"rejoicing† for the â€Å"influence of the moon†. The moon in turn seems to throw light on the leaves and make them silver robes. For the one hour, when the moon is on its zenith, the leaves look â€Å"mystic† and magical. The winds too seem to be singing and â€Å"hymning† in praise of the strength of the moon. The winds take on the role of minstrels, whose songs provoke Derozio’s soul. He feels that there is something magical in the night that â€Å"bind† them together in its spell and enchants them with its beauty. They are moved to  such a great extent that they not only saw but also â€Å"felt the moonlight† around them. Amidst such a splendid scenario, the poet turns philosophical and becomes sensitive to the objects of nature. He first speaks of the â€Å"mysterious† relationship between man and nature, which though â€Å"vague†, â€Å"bind us to our earth†. The natural world fills our hearts with their â€Å"tones of holly mirth† and divine joy. Derozio then talks of the â€Å"lovely† old memories which help us in getting a better insight of ourselves. Due to this awareness we are able to connect with our spiritual selves. And when this happens, man stands â€Å"proud†; this is the uniqueness of man — to be touched and be enriched by nature. To understand the universe, we must first understand ourselves. In times we are living, our senses have become numb. We have lost the opportunity to be stirred by beauty, but Derozio feels immense joy and pleasure as his senses are awakened at once. All his memories clear up and he is enthused by the beauty of Nature. All Nature is God’s creation and He saw sadness in man. It is only when man is able to release his soul will he survive and as Derozio glimpses the celestial hand of Nature, he too becomes divine. Now enlightened, Derozio realizes that our bodies are mortal. He finds out that, â€Å"This earthliness goes by, And we behold the spiritualness Of all that cannot die†.   The earth and all its beauty is given to us as a gift. When we understand this, we understand our spirituality and we are better human beings. This self-realization is sudden and rare. It is then that we recognize the voices that this â€Å"night-wind sings†. The rustling of the trees, the winds, leaves†¦everything—it is then that we apprehend that the â€Å"mystic melody† of Nature carries a message. These voices make the forest look like a musical instrument. We too begin speaking the â€Å"silken language of the stars†. Only then do we realize that it is sympathy that â€Å"pales the young moon’s cheek†. Our inner eye opens up and we can see the real possibilities that are within us. These glorious things may appear to others on the â€Å"sleeper’s couch† but we no more see them as dreams. They are not unreachable rainbows. It is said that such â€Å"bliss† is received only in â€Å"other worlds† (death). Derozio thanks God and Nature for receiving this illumination in this life itself. His heart fills with happiness and is â€Å"bettered† when he feels that he is a  part of Nature and Nature is a part of him. They are â€Å"gently bound†. However lifeless and separated the flowers the stars and the sky seem, which ordinary minds may not understand, they too have their objectives. Nature has the purpose to â€Å"stir our sympathy† and move our hearts. Derozio concludes by saying that he cannot even stamp the grass as he walks. â€Å"The grass has then a voice Its heart — I hear it beat.†

Home-Schooling

Home education has become a preferred option for a growing number of families nowadays. It is a fact that prior to the introduction of Universal education in the 19th century, home-schooling was the way to go about in teaching children. The type of children being home schooled can generally be divided into two groups, those who have never been enrolled in school and those who were withdrawn by their parents.It is important to note that there are different reasons why parents would choose to home educated their children. Some are for practical reason, like if the mother’s and father’s work requires that the family move from one place or another.Putting the children in a public school under such conditions would only put stress on the kids and the problem of instability of learning and relations. In another perspective, it becomes the choice of parents to not place their kids under an educational institution.It is either the family holds certain religious or moral beliefs , or perhaps a conviction that public schools will not be able to address the needs of their children. Today, we shall focus on the convictions held by home schooling parents that schools imbibes a sense of indoctrination and exists within a system that is flawed in itself.  A lot of arguments have been raised regarding the choice of parents to teach their children at home rather than send them off to school. This paper aims to respond to the negative connotations ascribed to home-schooling, in reference to the article written by a home schooling father named Mark Leeming which served as his rebuttal to the claim that children taught at home by their parents and/or carers miss a lot of benefits from public schools.One of the main reasons a family would chooses to educate their children at home, according to Leeming is in order to teach them of the fundamentals.I believe that when he spoke of this, he was referring to the basic foundations of a child that are not restricted to text book know-how’s. Public schools tend to overlook the significance of the little details a child has to learn in order to make it in the â€Å"real world† as the author would put it.Further, in providing home education, parents are able to render lessons that they deem their children to need, and even equip the latter with certain tools that would be helpful for them to grow up as upright individuals. Another way of looking at this is that a child has certain potentials that may go unnoticed and thus undeveloped in a classroom setting.When a child is edified at home, the parent in the role of the teacher is keen to observe the weaknesses and strengths of his/her student. In such a way that she may be quick to address the aspects of learning his/her child might have difficulty with.In the same sense, a one-on-one ratio of parent to student relations, would allow the earlier mentioned to formulate the appropriate approach that would target the personality and ability of t he student, thus rendering it more effective than a classroom setting where a generalized standard is being administered risking an oversight of the differencesSecondly, Leeming purports that the system of public education indoctrinates the beliefs a structure holds without realizing that instead of the claim that it provides haven for ideas, it is actually dogmatic, and is in fact vulnerable to educating children to be narrow minded individuals.In defense of this claim, we shall see that each class one takes has a certain prescription of what can and cannot be taught. Those who claim that home schooled become isolated and thus intolerant of social diversity are in fact using a boomerang argument.What do I mean by this? Simple, in their insistence of their so-called progressive measures and system of education they are in fact caught up in a single path of thinking.A home schooled child is as much exposed to the views of others; it does not necessarily follow the views of their pare nts. It seems that people lose sense of the fact that there is still the media and the internet. This means, that a child even if he does learn most of the school subjects at home are still exposed to the diversity of opinion out there.In truth, there is a greater chance that a child who learns things at home can be more open than the next kid enrolled in the public school. In such a way that she is not taught to dismissed a view of the world immediately, unlike in the classroom wherein she is told of what is acceptable from the unreasonable.We could see that a child at home learning through her parents and the internet, plus of course the media, with be trained in self-critical thinking. She or he would grow up informed and knowing things as she deems fit to know, not as told by other people also automatons to the system.What exist in schools are left-to-center views, and refusal to ascribe to such thinking is deemed as being intolerant. The truth is, political correctness is being used too much even at the point of not revealing what’s real for the sake of being politically correct.Classrooms share a view of social issues in such a way as to teach children tolerance, when in fact there comes a point that they would have to take sides.Home schooling is not cheap; in fact parents have to carry the burden of buying the textbooks, exercise manuals, and other instructional materials. They do so in order to provide their children with everything they need so as not to be left behind by their peers.It is not the case that if children are home schooled they would be aloft, isolated, and low self-esteemed individuals. Actually, for Leeming, this is one of the reasons they decided not to bring their child to school.The peer pressure as well as the lack of attention to the learning style appropriate for a child may lead to low self-esteem. In my opinion also, children who are home schooled are not that different from other kids. They are still exposed to the var ious sides of societies. They can still develop connections with others; have friends, even outside of school.Some may argue that home education is incomplete and lacks certain interactions needed to raise a well-rounded adult. However, we must first ask what makes an upright citizen? If we would take a look, the exposures to societal adherence and acceptance in the schools today aren’t exactly what you’d call positive.There are instances wherein values are instilled only within the four corners of the class, (and this I must note, are linear values wherein no other perspective is offered as an alternative), outside we see these so-called values being set aside, i.e. playground politics.In a home-schooling setting, a lot of methods can be employed in order to guarantee that a child who receive the type of learning most likely to help him or her to become a morally upright, well-learned individual.Things that may be taken for granted in an educational institution like, as Leeming placed it, recycling, is a practice that ought to be inculcated but instead schools tend to preach and forget.If we would really want to look at the objective grounds, then perhaps we ought to refer to statistics, where it states that home-schooled children tend to attain higher scores than mainstream schooled kids.â€Å"The main advantage of home education is one-to-one teaching, which allows parents to adapt to their children’s individual learning needs. Children of all ages are educated at home, some going on to take General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) or other examinations. In general, academic achievement compares favorably with school.†(Encarta, 2005)As we have seen there is no good reason to believe that home schooling is a less propitious alternative to public schools. In fact if taken under the light, it seems that home education offers a type of learning wherein holistic development is more possibly attained.Reference:___, Home Educat ion, In Encarta Encyclopedia, premium ed. 2005, Redmond: Microsoft Corporation, 2004Mark Leeming, Article: Home-Schooling has Advantages, Shannonville, June 21, 2007