Essay --

World Health Organization (WHO) identified quality as crucial element in its framework for health system strengthening. Quality serves as a mediator between the six system building blocks (leadership, health care financing, health workforce, service delivery, information and medical products) and health outcomes. As such, enhancing quality of each building block could lead to improved health outcomes and efficiency. Several quality improvement (QI) approaches have been widely employed to strengthen the health systems globally. Decision making based on evidence is one of the important QI principles used by many QI models and frameworks such as the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the Baldrige Framework, etc. In order to make more informed decisions, it is necessary to have information about key processes, outputs, outcomes and results. Evidence is one key theme in managing health care quality. The adoption of evidence based practices in health care not only promote high standard of care but also increase client interest in quality of care. This will lead to continuous improvement of overall health system (Sax, 2014). In recent years, the results of many QI projects in developing countries are achieving widespread attention. Noticeable progress in quality could convince donors and governments that their resource are used efficiently and encourage further investment in health care (Leatherman et al., 2010). Thus, there has been growing interest on quality of these QI project results since policy makers, hospital leaders and clinicians make important decisions based on these information. Data Quality Audit (DQA) is one of the initiatives established... ...e clinics, community health centers and hospitals in three districts of the province. It is important to track every sequential steps of diagnostic and treatment services of PMTCT program. Effective monitoring could indicate the performance of the program in identifying HIV infected mothers and providing correct treatment. In South Africa, like many developing countries, health data collecting and reporting system was often stated unreliable (Garrib et al., 2008). As such, the PMTCT program introduced an intervention to improve the completeness and accuracy of the routine data collected in the DHIS. The flow of data begins at the service delivery points and the staffs at each primary care facilities combine these data monthly on paper and report to clinic supervisor. The data are transferred to electronic format by an information officer within the facility.

Brazil Will Eventually Become Economic Powerhouse Essay

Currently, Brazil with its population hitting 186. 6 million has the ninth largest economy in the world (Jaeger, p. 2). Since the beginning of the 21st century the country has been enjoying a well-established economic stability, low inflation, high productivity rates and developing macro-economic infrastructure. Currently, Brazilian economic indexes are gradually improving in their dynamics, though some of them still remain on the average level for Latin American region. In particular, GDP growth in 2006 was hardly over 3% (Estevao). Since the middle of the last century Brazil was expected to develop shortly into â€Å"the world’s next economic power. † However due to two-decade long economic stagnation and financial crises in the mid-1980s Brazil has lost its positions and fell short of expectations regarding its economic development, especially in comparison with rapidly progressing economies of the countries in Asian region, such as China, Taiwan or South Korea, etc. (Adrogue, Cerisola & Gelos, p. 3). Nevertheless, in the 1990s a series of well-planned governmental policies were implemented and Brazilian economy went through a number of structural economic changes, which allowed achieving certain stability, especially on macro-economic level. Therefore, country’s inflation was taken under control, external debt was considerably decreased, and numerous measures directed on reformation of financial infrastructure, liberalization of trade, achieving price stability and stimulating general economic growth were undertaken (Jaeger, p. 5-6). This way the country managed to improve its international image and gain a reputation of â€Å"trustworthy† nation again. As a result, since recent times Brazil has been receiving a lot of private investments. Foreign investors are attracted by high return of their funds and relatively low risks. Such significant factors, as good demographic situation in the country, high interest rates, stable political situation and prudent governmental policies regarding overseas trade, created absolutely favorable environment for foreign businessmen, who intend to invest their funds and start their businesses in Brazil. Good investment climate and economic stability are not the only factors determining future rise of Brazilian economy. In addition to that, Brazil is very rich with various natural resources. Those are, first of all, huge territories of arable lands available for cultivation of a great variety of crops. Moreover, there are large mineral and plant resources including iron, copper and even gold, which have not been even properly explored yet. That is why there are great opportunities for different industrial and agricultural companies in Brazil. Undoubtedly, there are some problems which require immediate attention and solution in order to fasten economic development and achieve high levels of social wellbeing. Those include corrupted educational system and problems with human capital, insufficient financial and fiscal systems, poverty and income disparities, etc. Certainly, such reforms are hard to implement within some short period of time, therefore, positive transformations are expected to become effective gradually. Nevertheless, modern Brazil can be called the â€Å"country of the future† with its huge national market, cheap working power, abundance of natural resources, and many other factors determining a large long-term economic potential of the country (Jaeger, p. 2). Great economic stability and openness, steady increase in manufacturing and consumption, establishment of new international trade connections and other fundamentals will definitely contribute greatly to future prosperity and economic power of the country. Works Cited: Estevao, Marcello. â€Å"Brazil Seeks to Unlock Economic Potential. † International Monetary Fund. 26 Feb. 2007. 25 Nov. 2007 . Jaeger, Marcus. Brazil: Economic scenarios for the next 15 years. Ed. Maria L. Lanzeni. Deutsche Bank Research. Frankfurt Am Main: Deutsche Bank AG, 2006 Adrogue, Richardo, Martin Cerisola and Gaston Gelos. Brazil’s Long-Term Growth Performance -Trying to Explain the Puzzle. International Monetary Fund, unpublished manuscript, December 2006.

PSYC 101 essays

PSYC 101 essays The Effects of Trauma on Family Members and Processes In Lenore Terrs Too Scared to Cry In Lenore Terrs book, Too Scared to Cry, the author describes the effects of a traumatic event on the family of the traumatized person. The family processes are disrupted, and the family members of the victim of trauma can be deeply affected. In the book, Terr describes several families who have been forever changed by the traumatic event, and these specific cases illustrate the contagious nature of trauma, and the branching out of trauma of a single individual to the ordeal of the family of the traumatized. One case Terr describes was that of the Banks family of Chowchilla. Both children, Tania and Benji, were victims of the Chowchilla bus kidnapping. At the time of the event, Tania was 8, and Benji, 5. Both children were traumatized by the kidnapping. Tania, originally described by her family as a happy and outgoing child, underwent a severe personality change after the kidnapping. Because she was prevented from going camping with her parents and their cousins by a no children rule, the kidnapping, for her, was linked to this anger and resentment at her family. In fact, when Terr describes her visits with the Banks family, she outlines in detail Tanias angry personality, though her anger is not focused on the kidnappers or even her parents (consciously), but the world around her. She became racist and bigoted, tormented her brother, withdrew from social activity, and lost interest in school (p.55). The kidnapping also took a toll on the Banks parents, Harry and Lois. They se emed to be unable to find an outlet for their emotions, as well. Harry began writing a song about the event (though later, he was unable to sing the unfinished work). Lois felt the need to talk about the kidnapping to anyone who would listen (in fact, other parents of kidnapped children became angry at her big mouth"...

Book Publishing History

Book Publishing History The world is changing due to changes caused by the emerging technologies. Technology has brought new approaches to various human activities. Various industries have been affected by the emerging technologies.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Book Publishing History specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The forces are so strong that a firm is always forced to either conform to these forces or be faced out of the market. Many firms have been faced out of the market due to their inability to read and adjust to the market trends. Book publishing industry is one of the industries that have experienced the impact of the emerging technologies. For a long time, traditional firms such as Oxford, John Wiley and Sons, Cengage, among other major publishing firms dominated this industry. They had huge market in schools and colleges, and other institutions not only in the United States, but also in the entire world. This is drastic ally changing. With the emergent of amazon.com among other online bookstores, the world is slowly drifting to e-books instead of printed books. This study is focused on analyzing the revolution of the publishing industry and how various forces in this industry have changed. Analyze the Book Publishing Industry Prior To the E-Book Revolution Using Porters Five-Force Model Prior to the e-book revolution, the world of publishing was a preserve for the large firms which had the capacity to pay authors large sums of royalties or advance payments once their manuscript was confirmed. In order to bring more understand to the external environment of this industry in this period, Michael Porters Five Forces theory will be applicable.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Supplier power is always important in determining how profitable an industry is. Operating in an industry where suppliers are very powerful can be very dangerous. During this era, suppliers of papers were the most important suppliers to these firms. Other suppliers for products such as ink, binding pins and machines among other items were very important to this industry. However, these suppliers never managed to monopolize this industry. Publishing firms were able to maintain their position as large organizational buyers. They had powers over their suppliers. There were a number of firms that were offering products that they were using as their raw materials. They were therefore, at liberty to choose which firm to buy their raw materials from. Although there were times when the supply of papers would rise, it was not enough to cause a scare in this industry. The publishers would always find a way of manipulating their way in this industry. Buyer power was another factor that affected this industry during this era. When the buyer has power of the products they buy in the market, then the y always tend to dictate the price of the product in the market. The power of the buyer was largely low during this era. This was because of the large market that existed in the form of students who had no option but to buy the products. Degree of rivalry of the firms in the industry also determined success of a firm. During this era, the degree of rivalry was very stiff, especially to those firms that were smaller in size.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Book Publishing History specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The larger firms would frustrate smaller firms by paying authors attractive royalties. This made them attract major authors, while smaller firms had to struggle in order to get good authors. Threats of new entrants were felt by firms in this industry. The world has been reduced into a small global village. When the planes and telephone was invented, the geographical barrier that existed before was elimin ated. The world was reduced into a small geographical area where an individual could easily move from one end of the earth to another. Firms were heavily affected by this. Most countries, including the United States of America, have liberalized their markets. A foreign firm can easily enter the US market and operate without any interference from the government. This fact created a threat to traditional firms that existed in this country. New firms were coming into this industry at a rate that many of the existing firms had not predicted before. The firms were forced to come up with new strategies that would help them be competitive. The market became very competitive, and success was determined by how effective a firm could market its products among the target group. The new entrants were eating up the market share of the existing firms, and the existing firms had to formulate competitive ways that they could outsmart them. Threat of substitutes was another problem that these firms had to deal with. During this era, there were no serious threats of substitutes that these firms faced. It was difficult to find a substitute product in the market. As such, the main threat that this industry faced came from the media.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The print media was eating into the market for novels and other books that were meant for leisure. Most of the leisure readers preferred to read magazines, newspapers and other journals instead of books that required a longer time to read. Using Porter’s Five-Force Model to Analyze How the Advent of E-Books Changed Industry Structure and Competitive Dynamics This industry has changed a lot. The advent of e-books was a revolution in this industry. The large firms that dominated the industry found that they were in very awkward position as what they had considered as competitive advantage turned into main weaknesses they had. Firms in this industry had to redefine their strategy, and overhaul their system to meet the emerging market trends. Porter’s five forces may be useful in demonstrating the dynamics that have happened in this industry. The power of suppliers in this industry has changed. The suppliers have changed from what they were before the advent of e-books. E- books do not require papers as raw materials, and neither do they need ink, or large machines that were needed before in printing books. Although there are a good percentage of those books that are produced in print form, this percentage is on a constant decline. This means that the power of traditional suppliers has been reduced a great deal. The power of the buyers has been on the rise since the advent of e-books. Buyers are able to access various online suppliers of books. This also means that these buyers have opportunity to dictate price in the market because they have a variety to choose from. This increased buyer power has seen firms in this industry lower the price of books in the market. Threat of substitutes has massively increased in this new era. The internet has massive information in various fields available freely. Scholars have considered it best to access these free sources of information instead of buying books. Threats of substitutes have also increased. For every book that is authored, there are various other sources of information that can be used instead of them. Degree of rivalry has also increased. There are many firms that can easily get into this industry because it is much easier to operate in as opposed to how it was before the advent of e-books. The Long-Term Threats and Opportunities Facing the Book Publishing Industry There are some long term threats that may have serious effects on this industry. Mass and social media is posing serious threat to this industry. Children spend more time watching movie instead of reading books, while youth take most of their time on Facebook, Tweeter, and YouTube among other social media. This means that the sale of books, including the e-books, will continue declining. This is aggravated by the fact that college students prefer getting their information from the internet for free. Such sites as Wikipedia have become so popular among the college students, jeopardizing sale of books Despite these ch allenges, there are some opportunities that are available in this industry. The advent of e-books has had a massive reduction on cost of producing books. The production cost of books has been reduced by almost eighty percent. This makes it easy for the firms to charge lower prices for their products. Distributions of the products have also been made easier, faster and cheaper. It is easier to ensure that an online book reaches the customer from various regions around the world. It has helped this industry eliminated a number of middlemen who inflated the cost of making the product available to customers.

Free Essays on Concert

For this concert report I chose to go to a performance of student composers held at the Kimball Recital Hall. I chose this one because I wanted to see some of the talent that my peers have in the music realm, and also it was one of the only concerts I have been able to attend because I usually work at night. It was impressive to hear pieces composed by students. I cannot imagine creating something as complex as a musical composition, much less actually performing it, so this aspect of the concert was particularly awe-inspiring. There was a large attendance, and I think that much of the audience consisted of friends of the composers and/or performers. I went with three friends, who I convinced by telling it would be interesting to see student composers. The first piece was called Oblique/musique composed by Patrick Swanson. This piece instantly stood out among the others because of the instruments involved. The piece was performed by two people: one playing a vibraphone and the other playing a large drum/cymbal/gong. However, the piece also contained prerecorded sounds of static, bass, and an incoherent voice. In this piece the melody was repeated many times. It was similar to the works of John Adams because of its repetitions, background recording, and minimalistic sounds. The second piece was a piano composition by Thalia Ventimilla called Ecuadorian Afternoon. This piece had a very relaxing melody and a â€Å"walking speed† tempo. It was not fast and not slow. The intensity of the piece started out high and gradually declined, then built up to decline again. This went on in a series of decrescendos, rising and falling with lots of chords being played. The third piece was a duet for the flute and the oboe by Julia Grace Brown. The piece contained two movements, but I could not tell when one stopped and the second began because there was no pause. While they played the flute was quicker, playing in short, fast, high pitched notes. ... Free Essays on Concert Free Essays on Concert The concert performed April 24th, 2001 in Baldwin Auditorium was one of the most remarkable I have attended. The title â€Å"Classical Meets Jazz V† drew my attention because I have studied that Jazz has a strong parallel with Baroque, but not with the classical period due to its counterpoint and layering. I thought that it would be a mixture of them, but I later found out that each piece performed was a style of its own. It all started with Andrea Adamcov playing the piano. She started playing a few soft notes with her left hand and suddenly she added some scattered notes with her other hand. The rhythm was starting to gain pace and you could hear the counterpoint that kept a constant tempo. This piece was clearly Jazz. After the second section of the tune was stated, it was then followed by the return of the first one. You could hear some dissonance. There was a point in which the texture became homophonic in a slow tempo, which appealed to my senses as sad. The final section of Children’s Songs by Chick Corea starts very fast in an andante fashion. It keeps its speed through the whole piece. Then another melody is added and repeated again. The performance of Andrea struck me in the sense that it seemed that she really was into the music. I noticed this by her body language and the way she let the music flow through her arms, hands, fingertips, keyboard, strings and finally to the ears of the listeners. The second piece played by her was by Alberto Ginastera, which was an Argentinean composer known for making music that combines folk Argentine rhythms and colors with modern composing techniques. What I could notice from this piece was an exhilarating rhythmic energy and an hallucinatory atmosphere. The Prelude seemed to have some dissonant, fast, high-pitched notes. Another thing that could be appreciated was the motoric rhythm, which presented both the basic pulse and its subdivision. The Creole dance was a representation of ... Free Essays on Concert The concert performed April 24th, 2001 in Baldwin Auditorium was one of the most remarkable I have attended. The title â€Å"Classical Meets Jazz V† drew my attention because I have studied that Jazz has a strong parallel with Baroque, but not with the classical period due to its counterpoint and layering. I thought that it would be a mixture of them, but I later found out that each piece performed was a style of its own. It all started with Andrea Adamcov playing the piano. She started playing a few soft notes with her left hand and suddenly she added some scattered notes with her other hand. The rhythm was starting to gain pace and you could hear the counterpoint that kept a constant tempo. This piece was clearly Jazz. After the second section of the tune was stated, it was then followed by the return of the first one. You could hear some dissonance. There was a point in which the texture became homophonic in a slow tempo, which appealed to my senses as sad. The final section of Children’s Songs by Chick Corea starts very fast in an andante fashion. It keeps its speed through the whole piece. Then another melody is added and repeated again. The performance of Andrea struck me in the sense that it seemed that she really was into the music. I noticed this by her body language and the way she let the music flow through her arms, hands, fingertips, keyboard, strings and finally to the ears of the listeners. The second piece played by her was by Alberto Ginastera, which was an Argentinean composer known for making music that combines folk Argentine rhythms and colors with modern composing techniques. What I could notice from this piece was an exhilarating rhythmic energy and an hallucinatory atmosphere. The Prelude seemed to have some dissonant, fast, high-pitched notes. Another thing that could be appreciated was the motoric rhythm, which presented both the basic pulse and its subdivision. The Creole dance was a representation of ... Free Essays on Concert For this concert report I chose to go to a performance of student composers held at the Kimball Recital Hall. I chose this one because I wanted to see some of the talent that my peers have in the music realm, and also it was one of the only concerts I have been able to attend because I usually work at night. It was impressive to hear pieces composed by students. I cannot imagine creating something as complex as a musical composition, much less actually performing it, so this aspect of the concert was particularly awe-inspiring. There was a large attendance, and I think that much of the audience consisted of friends of the composers and/or performers. I went with three friends, who I convinced by telling it would be interesting to see student composers. The first piece was called Oblique/musique composed by Patrick Swanson. This piece instantly stood out among the others because of the instruments involved. The piece was performed by two people: one playing a vibraphone and the other playing a large drum/cymbal/gong. However, the piece also contained prerecorded sounds of static, bass, and an incoherent voice. In this piece the melody was repeated many times. It was similar to the works of John Adams because of its repetitions, background recording, and minimalistic sounds. The second piece was a piano composition by Thalia Ventimilla called Ecuadorian Afternoon. This piece had a very relaxing melody and a â€Å"walking speed† tempo. It was not fast and not slow. The intensity of the piece started out high and gradually declined, then built up to decline again. This went on in a series of decrescendos, rising and falling with lots of chords being played. The third piece was a duet for the flute and the oboe by Julia Grace Brown. The piece contained two movements, but I could not tell when one stopped and the second began because there was no pause. While they played the flute was quicker, playing in short, fast, high pitched notes. ...

Financial Overview For the Global Venture PowerPoint Presentation

Financial Overview For the Global Venture - PowerPoint Presentation Example Times have changed and the world has become a global village where internet should be used as an effective tool for marketing the product and managing other resources while making sure that its done in a careful manner in order to avoid cybercrime or theft of confidential information to the competitors. The mission statement of Company A focuses on being the market leader in energy drinks industry while operating in an effective and profitable manner and at the same time providing an organizational culture that supports employees input and gives them their deserved recognition. Company A intends to work on SMART goals that mean being Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-based and at the same time developing the objectives of growth, business development and fulfilling their obligations to society.SWOT analysis of Brazil demonstrates that they the major strengths of Brazil lie in high economic growth and fully developed infrastructures which are crucial for any new start- up company or a product launch. Weaknesses lie in complex regulatory mechanisms, fluctuations in the business cycle and complicated foreign investment policies. On the other hand, economic stability and abundance of hydroelectricity are considered to be the main opportunities in the Brazilian market. Lastly, two major threats include HIV which although is declining but still has a huge absolute number and high-interest rates.Based on the analysis, Brazil appears to be a profitable market/economy for Company A to launch their energy drink.

Federal Express (Canada) Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Federal Express (Canada) - Case Study Example Further, FedEx which is known and trusted for its integrity, according to Birla (2005), breaks its promises of refunding the company and, therefore, this paper addresses the alternative strategies that could foster any organizations thrive. This report is based on the inconveniences experienced by ‘Desktop Innovations’ (DI) as a result of poor service provision by the Federal Express Company (FedEx). The Desktop Innovations office manager (Anita Kilgour) wrote a letter to the FedEx Company following their late delivery of one package and their failure to prompt necessary communications. In her letter, the office manager detailed the problems encountered in using the FedEx to convey packages to Simpsonville, South Carolina from Kitchener, Ontario. The letter states that of the two packages supposed to arrive at Simpsonville for a trade show, only one package was received and the other one was lost on the way. It was later discovered that the missing package had lost its shipping bill at Memphis and was sent back to Toronto. This resulted in loss of huge amounts of money amounting to $1200 on the booth Charlotte show and fee. Time was also wasted and an accumulation of up to 3 hours on phone calls by the off ice manager to FedEx office as a follow-up of the missing package. Furthermore, the FedEx Company which was trusted of its high integrity in product delivery had incredibly failed to respond to the manager’s fears and even failed to keep their promise of refunding or crediting the company as per their rules of commitment. In her later, Anita Kilgour reported the missing package and also complained of the misconduct of the FedEx Company for failing to abide by their promises, which of course had made it gain trust over other organizations. Anita tried making a number of phone calls to the office to follow up on the progress in search of the missing package but unfortunately she always