Total Quality Pioneers Paper Essay Example

Total Quality Pioneers Paper Essay There are different definitions of quality and many people use quality as a means of acceptance. Quality is the â€Å"measure of excellence or state of being free from defects, deficiencies, and significant variations† (BusinessDictionary, 2010). Consumers are concerned with quality when making major purchases such as a vehicle, house, boat, etc. , when choosing the groceries necessary for families, and when dining at restaurants. If the quality of a product or service is known by people as poor then the consumer will choose another means that can provide him or her with a quality that is expected. Because there are many definitions of quality, each meaning has common elements. The elements of quality include meeting or going beyond customer expectations, understanding that quality applies to goods, services, environments, and procedures, and the understanding that quality is a continuously changing condition. In other words, â€Å"what is considered quality today may not be good enough to be considered quality tomorrow† (Davis Goetsch, p 5). Pioneer’s Use of Total Quality Although W. Edward Deming is the best known quality pioneer, Joseph M. Juran is considerably near Deming because of contributions he made to quality. Juran created the Juran Institute, Inc. that is an â€Å"international leader in conducting training, research, and consulting activities in the area of quality management† (Davis Goetsch, pg 16). Juran is known for the following contributions to quality: Juran’s Three Basic Steps to Progress, Juran’s Ten Steps to Quality Improvement, The Pareto principle, and The Juran Trilogy (Davis Goetsch, pg 17). In Juran’s Three Basic Steps to Progress, the pioneer provides his opinions on what steps companies should take if they want to attain high-class quality. We will write a custom essay sample on Total Quality Pioneers Paper specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Total Quality Pioneers Paper specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Total Quality Pioneers Paper specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Juran’s Ten Steps to Quality Improvement are steps recommended for businesses to improve their quality. The Pareto principle was named after economist Vilfredo Pareto. This is known as the 80/20 rule. This rule states 80% of quality issues in a company are caused by 20% of the problems (Davis Geotsch, pg 19). Finally, The Juran Trilogy was this pioneer’s major contribution. The Trilogy summarizes the three managerial functions; quality planning, quality control, and quality improvement (Davis Goetsch pg 18). Joseph Juran pushed for the education and training of managers. Why Elements are Useful The elements of quality are useful in many ways in today’s environment. Each of the elements can help management understand the importance of exceeding customer needs and expectations. In today’s economy, businesses must understand the importance of quality and how it is related to their products and services offered to customers. After all, the elements play an important role in the success of the business. The Future of Quality The future of quality must continue to follow the trends of consumers. Because quality can result in a successful or failing business, owners and management must continue to enhance quality. An organization may have its own unique ideas on how to ensure quality however the most important mission is satisfying the consumer. Conclusion Quality has several different meanings. The word holds significance meaning to expectations of consumers. The elements of quality are useful in today’s environment and help business owners understand the importance of standards. After research on the quality pioneers, Joseph M. Juran is considered the father of present day quality management. His contributions altered the universe of quality.

Art- the Play essays

Art- the Play essays ART A critique Going to see the play "ART" in the UCLA Doolittle Theater was quite an enjoyment. The house was small so that almost any seat had a good view. The ushers were very professional and the whole thing was very organized. The best part was when the lights when down, a rumble of people everywhere shifting to seats closer to the stage could be heard! The set was very wonderfully done in a very witty way. There were three tall walls with large simplified cornices and foot guards. The floor was covered with dark brown tiles with a square carpet in the center. On top of that were three chairs and a simple coffee table. The way this set was used was so great because it alone represented each of the three characters homes and the painting hanging on the wall is what differentiated them. Among the three chairs were three styles, an elegant renaissance type chair, a Barcelona chair from the Bauhaus, and a very non-statemental armchair. Each chair style belonged to the character with the matching personality. The whole stage was monochromatic in this light creme color making the colorful personalities easier to focus on. The first character, Mark, has a painting on his wall that is referred to as a Flanders landscape painting and belongs to the renaissance chair. He is very demanding and controlling when it comes to his opinion of art. He is the mentor to Sergio. To imagine his character, picture Joe Piasentin and all of his dramaticism and directness. Throughout the play you just kind of want to ring his neck, much like Joe. The play begins with his opinion of Sergio's new purchase of a white on white painting. His goal is to make it known to Sergio that he wasted his money, by the end of the play we find out that it is because he feels replaced by Sergio because he has found his own outlet that does not agree with Mark's. The Barcelona chair and the 70's white on white painting represent the character Sergio. He is a man of high cir...

Idealism and Reality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Idealism and Reality - Essay Example As everyone do not own same attitude towards life, some people love to take life as a challenge. They are not influenced by emotional attachments, rather they like solitary freedom. Christopher was one of them. Let us focus on different angles of his character reflected in the story. Christopher was an intelligent student as well as a good athlete. We can consider him as philanthropic as he had a soft corner for homeless and foodless people and always helped them. He was very pertinacious and determined. He did only those things he wanted to do. Nobody could change his decision. According to his father, he was overconfident as he got success in everything he did in his life. He was also very impatient. He was inspired by the great novelist Leo Tolstoy who relinquished his all in search of self discovery and Christopher followed his steps. The goal of his life was to search his true self. We can summarize his character as a dreamy young man passionate about the truth of life and tried to discover the same in his own way. As reality is completely different from dreams, his naive mistakes finally caused his death. But we should appreciate his courage and obsession towards his dreams. According to American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, "No one should negotiate their dreams. Dreams must be free to flee and fly high." Christopher must have the same belief. If we look into the flow of his life, we will see that he always furnished his dream with the highest priority. Christopher had a luxurious life as he belonged to a wealthy family in Washington D.C. He completed his graduation in 1990 from Emory University. He had a loving family along with plentiful money in his savings account. He was also offered a good job. He was getting everything which is dream of each common man. But he declined to enjoy these comforts and donated everything he owned. He cut off his bond with family and friends and tramped around different places of USA. But he did not settle anywhere. His pleasant personality affected and impressed every one he met during his short lifespan. Finally he decided to spend some days in Alaskan Wilderness. He was well aware of the fact that this trip ma y be his last one but he wanted to live his dream. With the help of a truck driver he reached Alaska and managed to find a deserted bus which he made his base camp. But in his fascination he did some foolish mistakes. He did not carry enough food with him as he found hunting more exciting. He did not take a compass or watch even a map with him. It was the greatest mistake which he compensated by giving away his life. Though he has done so many mistakes, we should value his determination and willpower as without nominal amenities of daily life he managed to stay there more than two months. At last he realized

Language acquisition by a bilingual child Essay

Language acquisition by a bilingual child - Essay Example Of concern to this paper is vocabulary acquisition in bilingual children and the impact that various factors have in determining children’s proficiency in their two languages. While little research exists in this area, a few researchers have since conducted research and came up with interesting results on the role these factors play in their children’s language development. It is also very important to compare the bilingual children with those from the monolingual families to see the extent of vocabulary acquisition of the two, though researches have since indicated that the language scores in bilingual children are lower than the scores of those from monolingual homes (Altarriba & Heredia, 2011, p.170). This calls for more studies so as to know the exact factors that contribute to this difference. In their article, Quiroz et al., (2010) summarise their study findings on the impacts of a mother on the learning outcomes of their children, as regards to mastering the vocabularies of the different languages. The study was conducted mainly to examine the various home factors affecting language acquisition of children of 4-5 years old, in bilingual families. Another question of this research involved the impact of the mother-child book sharing activity in bilingual families, and how it compares with that of the monolingual families. Since this study used Latin American kids from families who also used English as their other langiage, it also endeavoured to find out whether the Spanish vocabulary input also impacted the English vocabulary outcomes. The participants of this study were 250 Spanish-Speaking children. Family samples were from three communities living in Maryland and Massachusetts. A comparison sample comprised 150 children drawn from families living in Puerto Rico. The researchers made sure that the children participated came from families where at least Spanish was one of the languages spoken in the

Alzheimer's disease and the effects on family members Essay

Alzheimer's disease and the effects on family members - Essay Example There is not a specific cause, but has several risk factors such as age, family history and inflammation in the brain. Scientists are investigating if environment, education and diet are risk factors for the disease. Alzheimer's disease is named after the German physician, Alois Alzheimer, who discovered the changes in a 51 year old woman's brain tissue that had passed away from a strange mental illness. Most AD patients live 8 to 10 years after being diagnosed, but some can live as many as 20 years (NIA). Women usually develop Alzheimer's more than men because women live longer. The family role of care giving is becoming more prominent on account that long-term facilities are so costly and nursing homes have negative stigmas. The cost of family care giving averages about $77,447 and the cost for long-term care runs about $5,000.00 a month. The impact of Alzheimer's disease takes a toll on family members because family caregiver's health begins to decline. Research shows that family members who provide care to individuals with chronic or disabling conditions are themselves at risk. Emotional, mental, and physical health problems arise.

How Useful Is Robert Mertons Anomie Theory?

How Useful Is Robert Mertons Anomie Theory? This essay is about how Robert Merton theory accounts for crime and deviance within a contemporary society. I will look at how he believes crime is a result of an ambitious society, and whether or not we can blame crime on the wider society and not on the deviant themselves. I will show how Merton and also Durkheim (1958-1917) construct their theories of crime from different principles, However, both use the theory of `anomie (also referred to as strain theory) in their bid to explain the negatives of society and the effect it has on the individuals who live here in retrospect to crime. I will look at the different approaches each functionalist uses to explain anomie, and how it fits in with their theories of contemporary society. I will also look at how they both agree on this theory, but differ on its initial causes. I also investigate how both believe that crime at some stage is a normal integral part of a contemporary society, and a result of ones self, but they differ on it valu e to society. Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist and functionalist, introduced the concept of anomie in his book The Division of Labour in Society, published in 1893. He used anomie to describe a lack of morale that was occurring in society. Durkheims book was first published 119 years ago however astonishingly his theories can still be applied to todays contemporary society. Anomie is a state were social norms are in crisis. They are vague and confused or even perhaps not present. Durkheim strongly felt this was a cause of deviance. In 1897 Durkheim used the theory again in his study on suicide. http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/week8.htm Durkheims One Cause of Suicide, Barclay D. Johnson, American Sociological Review, Vol. 30, No. 6 (Dec., 1965), pp. 875-886, Published by: American Sociological Association Merton works within the overall functionalist perspective which puts a great deal of emphasis on the role of society, particularly its merging aspects, it states that crime and deviance is a positive attribute to society due to many aspects which I will delve into further on in this essay. Merton now adapts a concept he adopts from the book suicide written by the functionalist, Durkheim in 1897. Durkheim strongly suggested that it is not the individual but culture that creates deviance. He stated that Crime is an integral part of society. He went on to further say that a deviant could also be viewed as a visionary to society and that deviance strengthens society by bringing communities together in times of crisis. In order to illustrate the importance of collective forces on the individual, Durkheim examined the subject of suicide. In Durkheims work, anomie referred to a situation in which cultural norms in a society break down because of sudden rapid change. He stated that rapid social change disrupts such norms and controls producing anomie, characterised by agitation, dissatisfaction, anxiety and a myriad of other characteristics relative to suicide and other deviance. Anomic suicide, for example is a result of the economic cycle. This can occur during a major economic depression such as the much recent recession, when people are not able to achieve the goals that they have learned to pursue, but it can also occur when the economy experiences a sudden and peoples once reasonable aspirations are now easy to achieve if not already achieved and they no longer have goals or something to work towards, also people do not know how to limit their aspirations and be satisfied with their achievements. Merton however changes Durkheims theory slightly, to refer to a situation in which there is an apparent lack of adequa cy between the cultures norms about what constitutes success in life, goals, and the cultures norms about the appropriate ways to achieve those goals otherwise known as the means. Durkheim, E, Spaulding, j, Suicide: A Study in Sociology, Free Press; Reissue edition (11 May 2010) Mertons take on anomie became the explanation for extremely high rates of deviant behaviour occurring in the United States compared with other societies, and also gave an explanation for the spread of deviant behaviour across groups defined by class, race, ethnicity and gender. Merton views the United States as a polar example of a society in which aspiration and goals are an integral part of society and pressure is put upon the people of America to aim towards a goal, however the goal is already set, The American Dream. The social structure in America, is however, characterised by major divisions and harsh economic inequality. Along with this huge division in social classes, people are also criticised as being quitters if they diminish their goals. On the other hand, however, the culture is at best indecisive in its norms about the appropriate means of being successful. Hard work in school and then in the economic workplace are favoured and are the culturally approved means of succe ss, but theres also an element of appreciation for the successful rogue who breaks the rules using immoral or illegal avenues and still achieves success. The end result is more appreciated then the journey to get there, so sometimes a blind eye can be turned to certain corners that may be cut in order to achieve success. A highly successful billion pound American company has recently been exposed for how it cuts corners to obtain high revenues; nobody asked how they were so successful until it was challenged. Some people saying Starbucks had a very good financial advisor as they were actually not doing anything illegal but morally it was wrong. Starbucks were very happy to continue their tax avoidance practices knowing it was probably immoral, however slightly this has tarnished Starbucks they are still a success story and whatever measures they are doing now is only to protect the brand, not because they feel they have a moral duty. In America, in other words, success is probably rated a lot more highly than virtue. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/dec/03/amazon-google-starbucks-tax-avoidance A Critical Look at Mertons Anomie Theory, Alex Thio, The Pacific Sociological Review, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr., 1975), pp. 139-158, Published by: University of California Press. The Legacy of Anomie Theory: Advances in Criminological Theory, Freda A. Adler, William S. Laufer, Robert King Merton, Transaction Publishers, 1 Nov 1999 In addition, the United States, along with all other countries has minority groups whose access to success by conventional means is clearly limited. In the period in which Merton was writing, Society as a whole was a clearly racist. Black Americans were severely limited when it came to education and the workplace. Even so, the same goals were not just emphasised to the white middle class American however to all of their society, Thus therefore creates an influx in crime as people fight by any means to achieve their dreams, the collective American dream. http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/merton.htm Tony Sopranos America: The Criminal Side of the American Dream, David R. Simon, Perseus Books Group, 2 Mar 2004 In order for people to respond to this disjunction of goals and means, Merton created a typology of adaptations. The first of these being a conformist. Most individuals in society are conformists, they accept the culturally defined goals and choose these within their means, they then go on to pursue them using legitimate means of achieving them through the socially-acceptable avenues of educational and occupational advancement and work diligently. An example of this being University students wanting a degree and successful job in the workplace, however using their available means to pay for the study and achieve these goals. Although many citizens; majority being working class and lower middle class, are unlikely to attain the desired, unrealistic ends, they obey social rules anyway and grin and bear it (Winfree Abadinsky) without deviation or grievance. When unable to achieve their goals or to achieve success, they claim responsibility for such failures themselves (I didnt work as hard as I could have at school), and continue to conform to social expectations. The second possible reaction to Mertons anomie is that of innovation. Merton believed that much of criminal behaviour could be categorised as innovative. Innovators are people who tend to accept the goals of society for success and social status however lack the means of achieving such goals and therefore turn to immoral, illegal and deviant techniques in order to achieve these. Gomme stated that a good example of an innovator was a drug dealer or a gangster who perhaps come from a working class background who wish to attain wealth and success however lack the intelligence and money which is needed to achieve such goals, so therefore they maintain their goals but use socially unacceptable means to accomplish these aspirations. Innovators, however, are not necessarily violent or serious offenders: people who lie about their work experience or educational background on a job application can also fall into this category, These acts are not criminal or illegally wrong however these indiv iduals are trying to achieve success through immoral socially unacceptable means. Another of Mertons possible explanations to anomie is called ritualism. The ritualist accepts a lifestyle of hard work and ambition, but rejects the cultural goal of deferred gratification. This individual goes through the avenues of getting an education and working hard, and therefore has the means, yet is not committed to the goal of accumulating wealth or social status. Ritualists ease the strain of anomie by lessening their own aspirations of success to a point where goals are more attainable. They accept their social position, and consistently obey the path they are required to follow. Ritualists tend to avoid taking any risks and are comfortable living within the confines of daily routines, for example a mundane job etc. without complaining or striving for better. Ritualists are fearful of rejection and failure, so therefore do not set themselves up for one in order to not get hurt. As Gomme describes, for ritualists, the means become ends in themselves, A tele marketer for exa mple may be comfortable with the knowledge of not attaining wealth or status within their field of work, they are almost fearful of having to base their life on prospects and a dream and therefore almost make do with their current situation. The fourth explanation is retreatism. Retreatists make a more dramatic reaction to the stress of anomie, which is usually a permanent procedure. The stress and anxiety of the forced upon expectations of social success through conventional and traditional avenues forces the individual to essentially give up. They almost withraw from society as the individual rejects both the cultural goals of success and the socially legitimate means of achieving it. . The retreatist removes themselves or retreats from society and may become an alcoholic, drug addict, or vagrant. They have no means and no goal and have no ambition to change this.. As Durkheim observed, suicide can be seen as the ultimate retreat. The fifth type of adaptation to anomie outlined by Merton is rebellion. Rebellion can be seen as the most threatening and dangerous reaction to society. Rebellion occurs when an individual rejects both culturally defined goals and means and substitutes new goals and means. For example, gang members may make a new goal of gaining power in their gang and using violence and other illegal activities to achieve this. When alienated from society and social structures, rebels propose new goals and means for success. Their view of success differs from the usual law abiding citizen. Rebels may advocate new groups and work together to attain success, perhaps by radical terrorist attacks; suicide bombings. Society however may not be to blame for such radical movement as religion is at the forefront of terrorism. Siegel, L, Criminology: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies, Cengage Learning, 18 Jan 2012 Lauri Taylor however criticises Mertons typology and compares it to her own theory of a fruit machine what Is rigged. She stated that Conformists play the fruit machine and delude themselves thinking that it is fair. She stated that we are fooling ourselves having dreams that are more catered to society and not an indivual dream for our own self. Although a criticism of Taylors approach is perhaps there needs to be a protocol for quickness of time and economical reasons. Whether this is because we want to be accepted by society or for a consistent easy life without any trauma. Taylor stated that the second reaction to anomie, innovators, try to rig the fruit machine in their advantage. Perhaps this is an alternative approach to gaining success but can still ultimately fail as we are trapped in the confines of society. Although the people who judge what acts are illegal are those in the bourgeoisie, were crime is being committed daily; corporate veil, however it goes unseen. Perhaps the goals and the means are not consistent with one another and this is purposely set out as the upper classes wish to restrain those of a less social position from achieving success and wealth. The third approach, ritualism, as stated by Taylor is played blindly and obsessively by the ritualist. Ritualists do not like taking risks and therefore play the fruit machine blindly. They therefore never win any prize and do not have any expectation of winning any prize. They are quite content with their life and do not wish to be burdened with any goals or aspirations which they must base their life or work on. There is no end goal, they are ultimately like a hamster in a wheel working and not getting any reward. Retreatists as stated by Taylor, ignore the existence of the fruit machine. They almost live a day to day life with no sight of a foreseeable future. They have no end goal and wish to not any persue any dreams. Lastly, rebels. These individuals smash up the fruit machine and re build it in their favour according to Laura Taylor. They have the same goals; receiving a prize from the fruit machine, however lack the means of attaining such success so therefore use an alternative route; re building the machine, in order to gain a prize, there is however, no certainty of a prize at the end of it. Page 192, Durkheim and Modern Sociology, Steve Fenton, CUP Archive, 19 Jul 1984 Page 101, Understanding Deviance: A Guide to the Sociology of Crime and Rule-Breaking, David M. Downes, Paul Elliott Rock, Oxford University Press, 2007 This essay has discussed whether Mertons theory of anomie can give an understanding for the reasons behind crime in a contemporary society. It has established that the goals and aspirations set up by society have a big effect on the individual and also that in a lot of cases the means do not coincide with the goals and therefore people take a different avenue to achieve success, whether this being legal or illegal. Contemporary society has made wealth, education and success achievable for all classes, genders, races and ages. Because these goals are now available to everybody, this has created an influx in crime due to more competition and more people aspiring for the acceptable goals. Furthermore with the new coalition governments abolishing of the education maintenance allowance and the hiking up of University fees has meant there is more stream lining and again only the wealthy can be perceived as achieving their goals which could result in an increase in anomie amongst the indivi duals who lack the money and are at a disadvantage who are unable to access higher education. Mertons Anomie Theory however has come under criticism due to the overlook of Richard Quinneys conflict theory, crime in the suites. Crimes by the wealthy and powerful seem to not be discussed. Merton also seems to turn a blind eye to Cloward and Ohlens research on illegitimate opportunities and labelling theory and how this perhaps gives an understanding on individuals committing crime. This essay therefore concludes that anomie is a reasonable explanation for crime in contemporary society. A Critical Look at Mertons Anomie Theory, Alex Thio, The Pacific Sociological Review, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr., 1975), pp. 139-158, Published by: University of California Press

Computer Use in the Construction Industry :: Expository Essays Research Papers

Computer Use in the Construction Industry Technological advances are benefiting the construction business in many different ways. On-line services, estimating software, and blueprint design (CAD) are just some of the areas that have enhanced the building world. Commercial and residential contractors are suddenly seeing how computer technology can benefit their business and are now utilizing it more and more everyday. For the past thirty to forty years, construction, technologies, and practices had hardly changed. From the drawing boards to finished product, building science stayed very conventional and for the most part simple. According to Building Performance Construction Services, â€Å"Builders are adverse to change.†1 They had a system and it worked, so why change it? Statistically proven, over the past couple of years there has been a significant increase in competition and customer demand. Thus, forcing companies to use advanced building materials, techniques, and technology to keep up to date in the competitive world. Computer programs like estimating software, Computer Aided Drafting (CAD), Excel, and Access are all designed to draw, compute, and keep track of information for you. Estimating software uses pre-programmed data to come up with price figures; they are virtually error free and can be done fast, in a fraction of the time it would take to complete a task in longhand. Computer Aided Drafting, or (CAD), can draw plans that are exactly to scale and viewable in 3D from every angle imaginable. This allows new modern design techniques and style to become possible and put to use. Excel and Access create spreadsheets and compute equations to organize and categorize necessary material. Excel can perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, as well as many other functions automatically which can then be applied to a document on the computer, saving a lot of time and paperwork. It is obvious that programs like these make the managerial side of construction much faster and easier. Using advanced equipment is another way computers have revolutionized the building industry. Electronic tools are constantly improving with the use of lasers, digital equipment and battery-power. Lasers for cutting or leveling purposes enable projects to be more precise and accurate. Digital equipment can save needed data on the jobsite to a card/disk, which can then be downloaded and accessed from a computer system. Advances in battery technology can now power many tools changing the way the construction process is approached.