ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
This paper discusses the notion of quality in regards to the concept of healthcare (particularly, American healthcare). The main idea that is being promoted throughout the course of this paper’s entirety can be defined as follows: in order for the functioning of the American health care system to be able to regain its former effectiveness, a number of pragmatic aspects of how clinicians address their professional duties should be revised. The foremost key to accomplishing this is lessening the extent of American healthcare’s commercialization. Nowadays, more and more Americans are beginning to realize that there are a number of inexcusable drawbacks to the functioning of the American health care system. The reason for this is quite apparent – there is simply not much quality to the medical services provided by this system to citizens. As it was noted by Kumar, Ghildayal and Shah (2011), “The US healthcare system is characterized as the world’s most expensive yet least effective compared with other nations” (p. 366). Therefore, it will only be logical, on our part, to assume that, in order for us to be able to define approaches towards ensuring a high quality of health care services in the U.S., we will have to analyze what accounts for the deficiencies of the American healthcare system’s functioning at the present time. In this paper, I will aim to do just that, while utilizing the obtained analytical insights, within the context of how I will elaborate on what should be considered the discursive manifestations of a high quality healthcare, in general. As of today, the U.S. remains the only Western country that does not provide its citizens with the benefits of a universal health-coverage. In its turn, this results in the creation of a situation when the majority of Americans rely on their employers and on private insurers, as the mean of being qualified to receive healthcare services, in the first place. Such a state of affairs, however, cannot be considered thoroughly appropriate. This is because the absence of an all-inclusive healthcare system in the U.S. puts 16% of unemployed and socially underprivileged Americans (47 million) in a position when they simply cannot afford undergoing prolonged medicinal treatment. There is even more to that – the fact the majority of citizens have no choice but to resort to private insurers, when striving to assure their eligibility to receive healthcare services, naturally results in the drastic increase of the associated administrative costs. Cm becoming ‘medical tourists’, while seeking to receive healthcare services abroad. After all, as compared to what happened to be the cost of receiving a particular medicinal treatment in America, the cost of receiving the same treatment in foreign countries appears thoroughly affordable. According to Sengupta (2011), “Hip replacement surgery, which normally costs around $25,000 in the United States, can be p
Introduction Homelessness is a major problem for the United States as every night, thousands of people go to sleep without safety and stability. The number of individuals living on their own is increasing all over the country, especially in the state of California. Due to this phenomenon, the county found itself in the situation of a public health crisis, which aggravated last year after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The residents of Northern California faced frustration and anxiety, raising health and safety fears and causing multiple debates about poverty and discrimination in one of the wealthiest states of the country. Main body Homelessness is a serious crisis in Northern California due to the increasing housing prices and a broadening gap between social classes. For the wealthiest state, there are more than 150,000 people sleeping in shelters, cars, or on the street (Levin & Botts, 2019). According to the statistics, there are 33 homeless per 10,000 people in the general population (National Alliance to End Homelessness, n.d.). Of that total, “7,044 were family households, 10,980 were Veterans, 11,993 were unaccompanied young adults (aged 18-24), and 41,557 were individuals experiencing chronic homelessness” (United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, n.d., para. 1). The experts’ estimations show that the most vulnerable group is single young adults as a result of the lack of affordable housing due to the high costs and inadequate incomes or life perturbations. The problem of homelessness in the United States presents many problems, including the arising issue of racial discrimination. According to Levin and Botts (2019), “African-Americans are disproportionately found on California’s streets — roughly 30% of the state’s unhoused population is black” (para. 10). The highest rates of black people without a shelter are found in San Francisco and Marin County. There is also a myth that most homeless people in California are not local residents. However, local surveys showed that most of them are from the surrounding neighborhoods; for example, 70% of San Francisco’s strays were housed in the city before losing their place to live (Levin & Botts, 2019). Among the reasons for this problem are mental health problems, addictions, and domestic violence. However, despite general stereotypes, most homeless adults are not addicts or psychotic, as the major cause of the phenomenon is poverty. The inflation in the sphere of real estate is a critical point in the problem of homelessness. According to the California Housing Partnership, “about 1.3 million California renter households are considered “extremely low income,” making less than $25,000 a year” (as cited in Levin & Botts, 2019, para. 23). It is obvious that such households cannot afford the escalating rents and have high risks of becoming homeless. To solve the problem, the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, has “proposed mor
Chong family moved from China (Sichuan province) to the US (New York, NY) in 2017. The family consists of parents, two children aged nine and 15, and a grandmother. The reason for such relocation is career opportunities offered to the father. In particular, a large corporation is working for provided promotion in the US for the position of a chief manager that requires managing people and introducing Chinese technologies as a joint production of common products. The key problem is associated with the fact that none of these family members is familiar with the US context, traditions, values, and other issues that should be taken into account while living in another country. Also, they encounter difficulties and misunderstandings in receiving adequate health care services. At the same time, the Chong family prefers to preserve their Chinese culture. To address the identified issue, it seems essential to apply social cognitive theory (SCT) theory elaborated by Bandura, who considered that human behavior might be explained in terms of environmental factors, personality traits, and the very process of behavior interaction (“Social and behavioral theories,” n.d.). Since the given family encounters cultural and adaptation difficulties, SCT seems to promote greater cooperation with a counselor as well as enhanced understanding. In particular, the environment in the above theory influences the personality to the same extent that a person affects the environment, creating mutual formation. Such continuous interaction leads to a certain balance between freedom and determinism in SCT (“Social and behavioral theories,” n.d.). Human behavior, according to the social cognitive theory, is, for the most part, absorbed by mastering patterns of behavior. Among the suggested goals, it is possible to pinpoint achieving a greater understanding of the US context, existing treatment options, and potential challenges, identifying the required health services and discussing their application, as well as determining the anticipated treatment outcomes. As reckoned by Spector (2017), cultural diversity should be taken into account in a variety of forms, through which groups and societies find the expression that can be transmitted between them. Cultural targeting should be utilized in this case to align collectivism and individualism, thus making closer different values and symbols. The goals should be approved both by the family members and a counselor. Being based on SCT and cultural diversity assumptions, the identified goals seem to address this family’s problem. Speaking of the intervention, shared decision making (SDM) may be applied to this family to increase their awareness of diversity and more concise perception of the local context (Alden, Friend, Schapira, & Stiggelbout, 2014). In other words, treatment planning should be based on SDM and will presumably involve the following aspects: initial group consultation with a care provider, individual meetings with every family member, and the final plan
The Way We Were Krugman starts by describing a period of many protests in the 1950s and 1960s (3). He describes it as a period of transition from economic disparity before World War II to a period of economic equality after World War II. Krugman attributes New Deal policies implemented during Roosevelt’s administration to having created the middle class. Thereafter, he develops the theory of movement conservatism that he argues led to the collapse of the New Deal policies. Krugman describes movement conservatism as a radical force aimed to repeal the New Deal policies. This force is possessed by the Republican Party and its sole purpose is to bring back the economic inequality experience before World War II. He explains its evolution from the time of Reagan’s presidency. He also writes that, contrary to popular belief, political order is not established by economic patterns. On the contrary, political developments lead these economic trends. He writes that the Republican Party has shifted significantly to the right while the Democratic Party has remained unchanged since the period of Roosevelt. He ends the chapter by stating that Americans have had enough in terms of movement conservatism and income inequality. The Long Gilded Age Krugman in an effort to demonstrate common inequalities in income starts by comparing the America before New Deal policies and the era of President George Bush. He then describes the ‘Long Gilded Age’ era as the time from 1870 to 1930 (15). It was a period of prolonged economic inequality. He attributes the voting rights for the upper class, Republican Party dominance and election fraud as reasons for the prolonged inequality. He also suggests that racial and cultural tensions prevented people from ganging up to overcome the inequality. These racial tensions were mainly between the predominant white and the Africa America black community. Likewise, the common belief that popular opinions could be facts only added to the reasons. However, in spite of the lack of approval from the government, some states began to carry out laws on pension for retirees. The implementation was however slow and small. The Great Depression had to happen for massive changes to take place. The Great Compression Krugman describes The Great Compression as a period between the 1920s and 1950s (37). It is a time when economic inequality in America significantly narrowed. In this chapter, he gives the reason for the decline in economic inequality. Due to taxes, the buying power of the upper class significantly reduced from 1920s. By 1960s, their income was taxed at 90%. The economy continued to grow and did not collapse as many conservatives had expected. This could be attributed to the emergence of middle class who were experiencing a sporadic increase in purchasing power. Good salaries for the middle class increased their purchasing power. Similarly, better social welfare benefits also contributed to increased purchasing power. These benefits formed part of the Ne
Executive Summary This paper provides a strategic analysis of Wal-Mart International. Wal-Mart international is one of the biggest retail chain stores in the world. The company has been growing from strength to strength and now boasts of global leadership among retail chains. Strategic management implies long term planning and doing everything in an organization with a long-term picture or vision. As defined by Mitzberg et al (1998), strategic planning consists in making long or midterm decisions with the aim of delivering a competitive edge to an organization. Strategic planning is not possible without strategic analysis. Through application of strategic tools, one deploys mechanisms of understanding the organization and the environment within which it operates (Yergin & Stanislaw, 2002). Analysis of the business environment is the primordial function of strategic management (Sadler & Craig, 2003). In this paper, Porters Five Forces and PESTEL model are employed towards understanding the market and the macro environment within which Wal-Mart Operates. From the market analysis anchored on the five forces model, it is clear that competition is the biggest headache for Wal-Mart International. The company operates in an environment characterized by high competition. Due to stiff competition, it has had to withdraw from some international markets like South Korea and Germany. The strategies employed by an o
Articles: Critique Article 1  1. The article under analysis explores the issue of addiction. Particularly, its development in the people that are disconnected from their community is rendered. The authors explore the threats that people face in an alien environment.  2. Alexander and Shaler address the issue of addiction in a new community, studying the effects that a free market has on it. The exposure of vulnerable audiences to numerous threats is scrutinized. The authors consider the disadvantages of free markets.  3. When being forced to move to a different place, people tend to experience a range of negative feelings. The latter range from being disconnected from their traditional environment to experiencing difficulties getting accustomed to the new social standards, rules, and norms. As a result, people may succumb to using drugs, becoming gang members, etc.  4. The authors deliberately avoid discussing the advantages of free markets. However, they make an important point about the threats that free markets pose to people changing their location. Nevertheless, the benefits of free markets could be explored better.  5. As a result of the lack of communication with the rest of the community members, people that experience stress as a result of dislocation may try to fill the void with developing an addiction. The latter may include a specific substance, elements of a lifestyle, etc., or acquisition of a new behavioral pattern that can be deemed as negative. However, everyone can be involved in economic relationships, which leads to the vulnerable population being affected.  6. Still, I believe that fighting addictions are linked to self-control rather than the availability of products in the free market. Therefore, there is a need to develop a program for addressing the needs of people that have been relocated. Otherwise, removing the threats of free markets will not have any effect.  7. The uninhibited process of free trade implies that the people participating in it should have a general sense of responsibility. It is crucial to promote a responsible attitude among the target audiences. As a result, the addiction issue is likely to be reduced.  8. Therefore, a coherent approach to managing the problem of addictions must be designed. A program aimed at addressing the target people’s needs must be designed. Furthermore, psychological assistance will be necessary. Article 2  1. The paper sheds light on the issue of substance abuse that relocation may trigger by providing an example from her personal life. The story touches upon the issue of bulimia. The author addresses the problem of binge eating.  2. To make her point, Evelyn Lau describes the problem
Risk analysis involves a process of defining and measuring the potential loss likely to occur because of natural or human caused adverse events. The consequences of risks may be loss of human life or loss of property. Risks may also lead to adverse health impact and damage to the environmental conditions. Risk analysis characterizes, manages, and informs about the existence and magnitude of potential losses likely to be caused by several uncertainties associated with a project, a business or the life of an individual. With the rapid growth in technology and engineering applications, there is the need to adopt improved systems of working. This adaptability of systems to function in line with the requirements of external and internal environments has lead to emergence of progressively complex systems. These systems are intelligent and they function more independently giving rise to multiple chances of harming the health, safety, and environmental conditions. It also has a potential financial implication if something goes wrong. This characteristic feature of working with new and improved system underpins the importance of analyzing the risks associated with any project or business. The opportunities available for people to earn more and live a longer life have become the cause of worry and consequently it has exerted a pressure on the manufacturers, policymakers and regulators to ensure that the systems, products and technologies aid people to live safe and healthy (Modarres, 2006). They also are expected not to affect the environment. Therefore, the need for demonstrating safety in the complex system has formulated the required approaches to formal risk analysis. One of the ways to categorize risk is by consequence categories. Health risk, safety risk, security risk, financial risk and environmental risk are all risk categories which are based on the consequence (Ayyub, 2003, p 101). In order to perform risk comparisons it is essential that the risks are categorized. Quantitative risk analysis involves a numerical determination of the probabilities of various adverse events, whereas the qualitative risk analysis defines the various threats in order to determine the extent of vulnerabilities. Qualitative risk analysis also enables devising countermeasures for meeting the eventuality of an event occurring. It is also possible to use a hybrid method combin
Business organizations support the formation of groups in order to achieve the outlined goals within a short period. Such teams should have members who can present diverse views, skills, talents, and strategies. Such workers collaborate, share ideas, and formulate initiatives that can deliver meaningful outcomes. This essay gives a detailed analysis of the major types of team players. Description: Team Player Types Individuals working in groups possess specific attributes that support their objectives. The four unique team player types include contributors, challengers, collaborators, and communicators (Ngo, 2016). Contributors tend to be task-oriented, offer evidence-based ideas, and guide their groups to set appropriate performance standards. They are proficient, reliable, responsible, and authoritative. Collaborators focus on goals, missions, and visions of their teams. They remain open to emerging ideas, share insights, and accommodate others. Communicators are process-oriented, problem-solvers, and effective listeners (Ngo, 2016). They are supportive, enthusiastic, considerate, and tactful. The challenger member will question the existing authority, methods, and outlined goals. This individual encourages colleagues to pursue better objectives, consider risks, and pursue honesty. Historic Figure and Team Player Type Several individuals possess different attributes and abilities that made them successful team players. Mark Zuckerberg can be described as a leader who possesses the competencies of a collaborator. At Facebook, this leader guides followers to develop long-term objectives and consider the most appropriate strategies for delivering them. He provides resources to all team members in a timely manner. The best example of a challenger team player is Steve Jobs. The former CEO was always a team player, inspired his colleagues, and asked tough questions (Williams & Denney, 2015). He kept every group on track, encouraged members to be aware of risks, and offered evidence-based insights. Google’s former CEO can be described as a contributor team player. This is true since Eric Schmidt engaged his followers, provided timely incentives, supported decision-making processes, and encouraged them to offer details to make the organization profitable. Despite being a perfectionist, this leader guided teams to pursue their unique projects while monitoring their personal aims. Nelson Mandela is another individual whose competencies and actions explain make him a communicator. Throughout the apartheid period, he remained committed, enthusiastic, and promoted team spirit to empower all South Africans (Williams & Denney, 2015). He shared insights, engaged both Europeans and Africans, and made resolute decisions. Team Makeup Personally, I would apply my skills effectively to handle the team makeup process. I will exhibit the attributes of a communic
The Great Mosque of Cordoba is regarded by many people as an influential artwork in the establishment and evolution of Islamic architecture. The building is also mystifying due to the nature of its features whose origin is still anonymous (Brebbia & Boquera, 2017). This discussion begins by presenting a formal description of this work of art. The paper goes further to give a detailed historical analysis of the mosque. The distinctive aspects defining the building are also described in the discussion. The essay also explains how the mosque can be used as a model for studying the development of Islamic architecture over the past fifteen centuries. Formal Description The Great Mosque of Cordoba is a spectacular work of art that portrays numerous features and architectural designs. The first remarkable observation about the structure is that it combines different styles. The magnificent edifice utilizes arches for decorative as well as structure aspects. The viewer observes that different designs and elements have been combined to give it a spectacular appearance. The mosque has a single minaret. It also exhibits spectacular mosaics that are combined intricately (Spahic, 2015). These exterior features make it an admirable and memorable work of architecture. The interior of the Great Mosque of Cordoba reveals unique attributes to the viewer. The first key observation is the use of 856 columns. Such columns support numerous two-tiered arches that are designed to support the structure’s roof. This architectural style results in a hypostyle hall (Brebbia & Boquera, 2017). The building has poly-lobed, interlacing, and horseshoe arches. These are decorated using brick and stone patterns. Others appear to be covered or designed in mosaic. The structure has rectangular courtyards and prayer halls. The walls are decorated using abstract patterns, thereby making them splendid. Several parts of the mosque are redesigned into chapels. These features show conclusively why people across the globe admire the structure. Historical Analysis The Mosque of Cordoba is one of the greatest marvels that have fascinated many people from every corner of the world. The complexity of the mosque explains why it is quite hard to associate it with a specific architectural style. However, many scholars and historians believe strongly that the structure borrows a lot from the Islamic architecture. The technique is seen to combine new aspects from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Gothic styles. Moreover, the masterpiece combines the architectural concepts of Christianity and Islam (Brebbia & Boquera, 2017). The occupation of Roman Empire led to the inclusion of a cathedral in the temple. Spahic (2015) observes that the Great Mosque of Cordoba was commissioned by Abd al-Rahman I in the year 784. His original design focused on a Great Mosque that would be used as a place of worship. Historians indicate clearly that the original site of this building was occupied by “a small temple called the Catholic Basilica of St. Vincen