Friday, August 21, 2020

AT&T’s use of Total Quality Management

Coming up next is an endeavor to investigate AT&T's utilization of Total Quality Management all through its association. Since AT&T is an extravagantly huge organization I will center my examination to AT&T Power Systems/Lucent Technologies. This division of AT&T has been the business standard for greatness since TQM was first acquainted with the organization. AT&T Power Systems has become one the world's most unique organizations as a result of its utilization of TQM. I will give a concise portrayal of who AT&T Power Systems is, a depiction of the occasions that lead up to its utilization of TQM, AT&T's TQM theory, and how this way of thinking was actualized. At last I will examine the advantages AT&T Power Systems acknowledged through their utilization of Total Quality Management. AT&T Power Systems gives a verity of intensity items for the information preparing and media communications ventures. Force System and its 4,200 representative's structure, create, assembling, and market electronic force frameworks, parts, and force supplies to an undeniably universal commercial center. In the previous ten years AT&T in general has experienced a sensational metamorphous. It had to transform from an enormous media communications restraining infrastructure giving widespread telephone utility, to a serious worldwide organization roviding a full scope of correspondence administrations and advances. The â€Å"new† AT&T is a blend of littler, exceptionally focussed substances. Every element has its own clients, rivals, and operational capacities. Force Systems is the apex of the â€Å"new† AT&T. In under five years Power Systems has become the model for effectively executing the social and authoritative upset know as Total Quality Management. It has gotten inward acknowledgment, yet outside accomplishment also. In 1994 Power Systems was the primary American organization to win Japan's lofty Deming Prize for Quality Management. In the ame year AT&T's significant distance division won America's Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. AT&T's TQM reasoning made it the principal enterprise to win these two honors. For what reason did Power Systems change to TQM? Before 1990 Power Systems gave gear to just its parent organization AT&T. Force Systems was a dreary division of AT&T that detailed misfortunes in various quarters. As the degree AT&T and business in general changed Power Systems had to make due all alone. No longer would misfortunes be endured, if the work couldn't be finished in a financially savvy way the division would be sold and the work would be given to an A. M. (Andy) Guarriello, Vice President and COO of Power Systems, was given the activity of actualizing TQM. Guarriello alongside Power Systems supervisory crew propelled the â€Å"Dallas Vision† venture, an activity including physical, authoritative, and philosophical changes that before long prompted the reception of Total Quality Management as the administration framework for what's to come. Force Systems solidified a few of its areas into a few little inside specialty units. These units would become to establishment that Power Systems worked on. Every unit is given the assets to create, architect, assembling, and its items. Capacities, for example, HR, account, showcasing, and deals are given by littler associations created to help the inner Power Systems Dallas unit was totally overhauled. This 900,000 square foot office was reworked into what AT&T calls â€Å"focused industrial facilities. Each â€Å"focused factory† has the capacity to acknowledge approaching material, assembling, and boat completed items. This format was structured much inside the rules of the Japanese JIT framework. Force Systems adopted the Japanese strategy to TQM and adjusted to fit the AT&T culture. The TQM riteria created inside Power Systems were chosen to guarantee the organization's progressing center around exclusive requirements for client direction, process greatness, worker contribution and ceaseless improvement. AT&T's TQM theory has three fundamental segments Quality Policy Deployment, Daily Work Management, and Quality Improvement. These three parts consolidate to guarantee strong arrangements and ceaseless upgrades. Quality Policy Deployment is the way toward adjusting the organization's consideration and assets on a couple of high-need, client centered issues. This is done to accomplish to acknowledge immense upgrades in execution. Day by day Work Management is a procedure of characterizing, estimating, and dealing with the everyday work of people and gatherings to acquire gradual enhancements. This offers singular representatives the chance to see upgrades in measures they comprehend. Quality Improvement is a group based critical thinking strategy that utilizes the seven-advance procedure known as the â€Å"QI story process. † The â€Å"QI story process† is intended to distinguish and kill blunders that cause surrenders. Together these three ideas shaped a powerful answer for Underlying these three ideas are four rules that are the establishment of AT&T's TQM reasoning. These four are consumer loyalty, the board by-truth, regard for individuals, and P-D-C-A. P-D-C-An is Plan-Do-Check-Act created by Shewhart. These four standards helped Power Systems execute its social change. With no one of these TQM won't work, so Power Systems' administration founded a preparation regiment that had each worker had at any rate two entire long stretches of preparing inside the main year of execution. Force Systems has ingrained pride in every single one of its workers, which sustains outside the business to their clients. Every chief, laborer, colleague, and inside gathering accept that they can make an ifference in the activity of the organization. Each additionally accepts they have the obligation to create a quality item effectively that addresses their client's issues, yet additionally makes benefit. This disposition as impelled Power Systems, or as it is currently known Lucent Technologies, to the highest point of its industry. What Benefits did Power Systems see from TQM? Force Systems outperformed the desires for the board to acknowledge goliath development. The following is a rundown of enhancements from a 1994 AT&T public statement. These enhancements relate explicitly to Power Systems.

Monday, July 13, 2020

The Future of Consumer Credit Management (incl. Credit Reports Credit Scoring)

The Future of Consumer Credit Management (incl. Credit Reports Credit Scoring) Credit is a very important aspect of our financial lives.Many of us would not be able to function well financially if not for the ability to access credit when we need it.That’s why we are so keen to ensure we always have a good credit score.We pay our credit card debts and bank loans in time to ensure our credit score is exemplary, which in turns makes it easier for us to access credit the next time we need it.Have you ever considered the nitty-gritties behind the consumer credit management systems that credit card companies and other lenders use? Do you know how your credit score is calculated?Are you aware that credit bureaus such as Equifax contain all or most of your credit history as well as other personal information like your social security number and address?With technology advancing at a rapid rate, lenders have started capitalizing on these advancements to pioneer revolutionary solutions to the problems they encounter in consumer credit management.Lenders have also star ted using alternative data â€" such as social media data â€" to calculate your credit worthiness.How do these changes affect you as a borrower?In today’s article, we are going to cover all this and more to help you understand consumer credit management, where it is coming from, and where it is headed, particularly with technological evolution and the spawning of ever sophisticated   legislation and regulations.WHAT IS CONSUMER CREDIT?Consumer credit management is a system of methods and practices that financial services organizations use to manage their credit relationships with customers.The simple definition of consumer credit is when a customer takes on personal debt to facilitate the purchase of goods and services.Another name for consumer credit is “consumer debt”.One familiar example of consumer credit is the credit card.While any type of personal loan could technically be called “consumer credit”, the term typically refers to unsecured debt which one takes on to pur chase everyday goods and services.In that case, a personal loan taken on when purchasing a house would not be termed as consumer credit since a house is a long-term investment. Houses are typically bought using a secured mortgage loan.Organizations that extend consumer credit include banks and retailers.They do this to help customers to buy goods instantly, even if they don’t have enough funds to purchase the goods at that moment. The customer then pays off the cost with interest over time.Consumer credit has its advantages and downsides, which are highlighted in the video below. There are two main types of consumer credit:Installment Credit â€" This is credit provided for a specific purpose. The amount of credit is defined and given for a set time period. Payments for installment credit are typically made monthly in equal installments. This type of credit is mainly used when making big-ticket purchases such as cars, major appliances, and furniture. The interest rates for installm ent credit are typically lower than those of revolving credit. The item you purchase with the credit will serve as the collateral, in case you default. Revolving Credit â€" A good example is credit cards. You can use credit card for any purchase. In other words, the credit is “revolving” because it is open â€" the amount of debt you owe fluctuates as you use up the available credit and make repayments. You can use up to the maximum limit over and over again, provided you continue making your minimum monthly payments in time. Revolving credit has a high interest rate because it is unsecured credit â€" it is it is not secured by collateral.The appetite for consumer credit among Americans has been growing over the years, as evidenced by the graph below. Amounts of debt owed by Americans from 1991 â€" 2017. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of PhiladelphiaTHE EVOLUTION OF CONSUMER CREDIT AND THE EFFECT OF TECHNOLOGYConsumer credit has been evolving since the days of the Sumerians.It has been around for at least 5,000 years! The Sumerians had the first urban civilization, and they used consumer loans for agricultural purposes.However, it was not until a century ago that consumer credit started to make big leaps and bounds.When Henry Ford realized that most American families were not wealthy enough to purchase automobiles with cash, he struck on an ingenious solution.General Motors began to loan its customers the money they needed to purchase a car.This popularized the concept of installment plan financing.Other companies followed GM’s lead, and people were able to buy furniture, phonographs, refrigerators, and radios on installment plans.However, this system was inefficient and inconvenient because one had to have several credit accounts with different merchants â€" each with its card and monthly payment.In the fifties, credit cards were introduced, enabling Americans to access general credit for a wide variety of purchases.In the sixties, computer technologies were applied to credit reporting, resulting in improvement of data accuracy due to standardization of credit application forms.Thanks to the information age and the evolution of technology over the decades, consumer credit and risk assessment processes have grown and are constantly changing to accommodate the changing world.For instance, credit reports are today instrumental in making informed decisions about insurance, employment, housing, and cost of utilities.Modern credit systems operate with sophisticated algorithmic credit scoring.They use trended and alternative data, and feature innovative fintech applications.When all these developments combine, they provide the technological foundation for even greater evolution and improvement of consumer credit m anagement in future.Credit ScoringThe most common credit scoring model in use today consists of five categories: payment history (which makes up 35% of the credit score), debt burden (which makes up 30% of the credit score), duration of credit history (which makes up 15% of the credit score), types of credit used (which makes up 10% of the credit score), and new credit requests (which makes up 10% of the credit score).This traditional scoring model has its limitations.For instance, traditional credit scores provide a credit snapshot instead of portraying the bigger picture of how the person’s credit is changing.Furthermore, the traditional model may give an inaccurate representation of a customer’s credit due to a lack of data, inhibiting the person’s current score.Fortunately, technology is helping to weed out these inefficiencies.Trended DataTrended data enables analysis of the velocity, direction, tipping points, and magnitude of changes in a customer’s credit history.Thi s provides a more accurate picture than what you get from looking at a snapshot of the person’s credit score.Trended data improves predictive performance by up to 20%.Alternative DataCredit history, though important, is not the only source of data that can shed light on a customer’s creditworthiness.Alternative data includes information on wealth, property ownership, the customer’s payment of daily bills, among other data sources.The sum of all this data provides a more comprehensive picture which enables credit-giving companies to better judge a customer’s creditworthiness.Other TechThanks to technology, consumers have access to an unprecedented level of their credit data.Furthermore, new science involving neural networks is being implemented to add more sophistication to the credit scoring process.THE FUTURE OF CONSUMER CREDITAs a borrower, there is more to you than just your credit score.For creditors to eliminate the inefficiencies in their credit scoring model and enabl e highly accurate predictions, they must get a 360 degree view of their customers’ creditworthiness.The gap between your actual creditworthiness and what the creditor is able to figure out is known as “information asymmetry”. Over the years, as technology advances, this gap has continued to grow smaller.However, there are situations where information asymmetry lingers.For instance, in the case of a college student that has zero credit history, or a farmer in rural India needing a loan to buy seeds for his farm.Due to the increasing amounts of data and the development of technology which can utilize that data, information asymmetry will be tamed in the new future.The following are the major forces that will reduce information asymmetry and influence the future of consumer credit:1. Increasing DataThe rate of global data creation has grown in leaps and bounds and is ever increasing. Credit companies will improve on their ability to access consumer data and to interpret it accura tely.Consider that the following staggering amounts of data are created daily on the internet:500 million tweets sent4 petabytes of data created on Facebook (a petabyte is a quadrillion bytes â€" note that a quadrillion contains 15 zeroes)294 billion emails sent65 billion Whatsapp messages sent4 terabytes of data created from each connected car (a terabyte is a trillion bytes)5 billion searches madeIt is estimated that by 2025, the globally daily data output will be 463 Exabytes (an Exabyte is a quintillion bytes â€" note that a quintillion has 18 zeroes).Today lenders have already started using social media data for credit scoring. Social media data is useful for assessing the creditworthiness of thinner-file borrowers like students and foreign nationals.Innovative lenders are using alternative data sources such as social media, bank transactions, cell phone data, and third-party hubs that package personalized and verifiable data for the lenders.With this information, lenders are a ble to increase their approval and conversion rates, and expand their base of customers to include under-banked populations.It also enables lender to give their customers a customized experience based on the deep insights they draw from the customers’ profile.Furthermore, lenders are able to reduce cases of fraud by identifying potential fraudulent activity.Using social media data for credit scoring is very helpful in countries which have limited credit bureau data, where huge sections of the population are accessible only through such alternative methods.The use of alternative data will continue to expand and advance with time, as more sophisticated technology and algorithms are created to help make the best use of this data.However, these strides towards use of alternative data will have to contend with increasingly sophisticated laws put in place to protect personal data and privacy.2. Changing Regulatory LandscapeNew international data regulations such as the GDPR are putting data back in the hands of consumers and that will definitely have an impact on the future of consumer credit management.GDPR, which stands for General Data Protection Regulation is an EU region data protection and privacy regulation that took effect on 25th May 2018. Its aim is to give back control over personal data to people in the European Union and European Economic Area (EEA).It simplified the regulatory environment that international businesses have to operate in by unifying the regulation within the EU.While lenders are increasing making use of alternative data for credit scoring purposes, data protection laws can put the brakes on such innovations.Ultimately, the future of consumer credit management is dependent on this struggle between data protection regulation and the move by lenders towards using alternative data.Data protection laws are not the only regulation lenders have to contend with. The regulatory environment is becoming increasingly complex.It is estimated that by 2020, about 300+ million pages of regulatory documentation will be published.For that reason, lenders are increasingly relying on RegTech (regulation technology) solutions to help them achieve compliance with this mountain of laws and regulation.While today a lot of our financial data is almost exclusively in the hands of credit agencies and banks, in future a lot of the data will be in our control as consumers. We will make decisions on how our data is used and for what purposes. Initiatives such as GDPR, PSD2, and Open Banking are meant to make that vision a reality.While it has already started in Europe, the trend towards open data is expected to go global.With open data, we as the consumers will be able to:Get back control of checking, credit card, mortgage, and loan data.Voluntarily give up more information so as to receive better deals from creditors.Give third parties access to use this data in new products and applications.Access better rates, new lending models, and so f orth.3. Emerging TechnologyGame-changing technologies such as neural networks, deep learning, and machine learning are making it easier for companies to draw deeper insights from data.Big Data enables the collection of data in incredibly high volume, velocity, and variety â€" both structured and unstructured data â€" that traditional processing applications were unable to handle.Big Data has highly simplified the lending process and made it faster and more convenient for customers.For instance, borrowers don’t have to personally go to a bank or interact with a bank representative to get the service they need.They can access lending services online. Big Data has also helped reduce the approval process to a minimum because it enables lenders to calculate risks faster, even without paperwork.RegTech (regulation technology) involves using technology such as blockchain, biometrics, and AI to enhance and improve delivery of regulatory requirements. Lenders in the US are spending large s ums of money every year on such technology to help them comply with the changing regulations.Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence. It’s a process where data is analyzed with the intention of learning and creating analytical models which can execute intelligent actions on unseen data with little or no intervention by a human. Lenders are using machine learning to enhance their credit scoring systems. These systems use neural network modeling to enable more accurate risk assessment.4. Focus on IdentityAs you can garner from what we have explained so far, consumer credit management is becoming increasingly digitalized.One of the disadvantages of this is the great risk of identity theft. In this brave new world, consumer credit management will have to evolve the methods used to authenticate the identity of customers. Technology applications such as blockchain and biometrics may have a role to play.Biometrics is technology that enables identification of individuals t hrough their unique physical attributes, and includes technologies such as:Fingerprint verificationIris verificationFacial recognitionVoice IDBiometrics is a strong, convenient, secure, and accessible means of authentication and helps do away with passwords, ID cards, and in-person or paper-based proof of ID processes.Blockchain is the technology underlying cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, but its applications are broader than that. It is one of the new frontiers in technology which have the capacity to change the world over the next decades.Blockchain is able to control information and avoid duplication.This makes it potentially useful for making self-sovereign identity a reality â€" that we can control our personal data no matter where we are.Self-sovereign, digital identities stay under your control, and are capable of quick, secure validation without requiring a centralized repository.Self-sovereign identity is something that could be used to end identity theft and deal with other issues which impact on consumer privacy.5. FintechFintech is financial technology. The term refers to emerging technologies which improves and automates financial services’ delivery and use.It helps companies, entrepreneurs, and consumers to improve how they manage their financial processes, operations, and lives.One of the advantages of fintech is that its high ease of use and convenience makes it a big hit among all sorts of people, enabling companies to access large new portions of customers who are otherwise unbanked.Such customers have thin credit files and are as a result often given low or no composite credit score.Fintech lenders use nontraditional data to make better decisions about thin-file borrowers who would otherwise not have access to loans.Fintech also enables democratization of data and tech which allows small/niche players to enter the industry and provide new, innovative products/solutions to consumers.CREDIT BUREAUS, CREDIT REPORTING, AND CREDIT SCORINGCredit reports are made by credit bureaus. A credit report is a detailed breakdown of a person’s credit history.Credit bureaus are agencies which specialize in the collection of such financial information and then preparing credit reports that lenders can then use to determine the creditworthiness of a borrower.Examples of credit bureaus in the US include Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. They create reports that cover individuals’ personal financial detail and also your bill-paying habits.The credit report will have personal information like your current and previous addresses, your employment history, and your social security number.It will also feature your credit history summary â€" for instance how many bank or credit card accounts (and type) you have that are past due and how many in good standing. It also covers account information in detail: date the accounts were opened, credit limits, and high balances.The main problem with credit reporting and credit bureaus is that these o rganizations contain the information of practically everyone: credit cards, debt, and other accounts payable.Due to the sensitive nature of this information, and the fact that it is all centrally organized, credit bureaus and credit reports are enticing targets for hackers.In 2017, Equifax, one of the three US credit bureaus, experienced a serious data breach, exposing the financial data of close to half of all Americans to hackers.The hackers were able to steal the birth dates, social security numbers, and addresses of 143 million Americans. All those people were made vulnerable to identity theft.This hack revealed the vulnerability of credit bureaus and the flaws of the credit reporting and credit scoring system.Entrepreneurs are capitalizing on this and developing better solutions to this problem.The main problem with credit bureaus is that they don’t exist for our benefit as consumers â€" we don’t have control over our file and cannot contribute any data to it.These credit f iles are backward-looking instruments, which is an imperfect model, and entrepreneurs such as Shivani Siroya, CEO of Kenyan company Tala, are using big data and machine learning to create a new generation of credit applications that use forward-looking data and predictive models rather than   rely strictly on past performance.With predictive data models, consumers can proactively demonstrate their credit potential.Furthermore, they do not need massive aggregation of personal data, thus not as vulnerable to identity theft as traditional credit reports and credit scores.Predictive models are beneficial to lenders too as they help expand the customer base by identifying millions of under-served consumers who may be trusted.For instance, Tala is able to predict creditworthiness of an individual within about 20 seconds, using data present in the customer’s device.In the wake of the Equifax breach, lawmakers have attempted to place restrictions on credit bureaus, in a bid to make them m ore secure and transparent.It is quite possible that in future a credit file could become something similar to a LinkedIn profile: verifiable and reality-based, yet controlled by you, not the platform.The future of credit files is for consumers to get more control over their data.WRAPPING UPDue to the advancing capabilities of technology in machine learning, Big Data, blockchain, biometrics, RegTech, among others, consumer credit management is changing rapidly.New regulations and data protection laws are also further complicating the plot.For now we can only speculate what consumer credit management will look like tomorrow.What is clear for now, however, is that it looks promising for borrowers and will put greater control in the hands of consumers. It is certainly a brave new world we are stepping into.

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Economy, Healthcare and Immigration Issues Business Plans

To give the president proper strategies, we must first understand the efforts he has put in the relevant fields and the current situation in those fields. We must also understand what America needs in future so as to advise the president appropriately. Let us begin by considering the economic field. When president Obama came to office, there was a total mess in the American economy: a deficit of $1.3 trillion, unemployment, banking system crisis, two wars, among others. The Obama’s administration has tried to get the economy back in track. Starting with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that he signed few weeks after taking office. The main aim of the plan was to create over 3 million new jobs, improve the infrastructure and relieve the Americans on the tax. There have also been efforts to bring solutions to the housing and the financial crisis. The housing program was aimed at helping citizens refinance at low rates. Currently, the immediate economic problems hitting the USA include the rising cases of unemployment, inflation and dull credit markets, which are dealt with in the economic recovery scheme as the foundation for a stable future economy is put in place, as there are efforts of building the economy on a s ustainable basis. For the purpose of the next elections, the president’s strategies should put into account the current economic constraints. There should be better and clear means of creating more jobs. The president must state clearly how he intends to ensure that new jobs are created. For instance, he may consider setting up of more industries, opening up opportunities for exploitation, investing in the energy sector, widening the economic field, reducing the tax rate and broadening the tax base, creating opportunities for women as women form nearly half of the work force, improving the quality of the remuneration of the workers, investing heavily in the health sector since a working nation is a healthy nation, improving the infrastructure, among others. America should also aim at improving its relationship with other nations world wide to minimize cases of war and heavy spending on such. Looking into the current health situation in USA, the health care is still largely provided by the private sector. Well over fifteen percent of the Americans are still uninsured and a good percentage (about thirty five percent) is underinsured. This huge group is unable to cover the cost of their medical requirements. Considering the approach that president Obama gave when taking office, it is still clear that the approach is valid as a healthcare strategy in his next election. The implementation of this comprehensive healthcare reform plan is the key to his success. One assurance which the people must be given is that provision of proper health services remains the biggest government commitment. Of what importance is a good economy when the people are not healthy? This is the biggest question that should be asked. Provision of good healthcare services should therefore be prioritized as it determines directly the economic performance of the country. Digging deep into the proposals, the president should ensure that children have health insurance. Employers must also be ready to provide insurance to their employees. On the other hand, the government should give premium subsidies to the people to enable them buy qualified insurance. The creation of a national health insurance exchange is very important as it enables individuals to purchase private insurance. Most importantly, there should be an improvement on the quality of the health system and the infrastructure at large, expansion of funding to improve the primary care, and the support of preventive care strategies among others. In summary, the president should ensure that strategies that lead into quality, affordable and portable health coverage for all, are put in practice. The Healthcare system also needs to be modernized so that the costs can be cut down as the quality of the services improved. There should be measures that aim at promoting prevention and strengthening the public health. A great test on decision making and strategic thinking is under immigration policies, as it must lead to compromising of other crucial issues. Immigrants into USA have both the positive side and the negative impact. Negatively, they take jobs away from American citizens and put the national security at risk. This calls for tight immigration rules. On the other hand, the immigrants make the economy of the America feasible. For the balance of the two, the president must come up with the policies that harmonize the two extremes. There must be extreme strictness to reduce the number of the immigrants. However, the quality and the skills of the immigrants must be improved. The president should aim at giving more encouragement for the foreign investors. REFERENCE Peter, G. (2010). Health care reform bill 101. Christian Science Monitor Lorber, J. (July 21, 2009). Lobbing Increases as Health Care Debate Intensifies. The New York Times. Lopez, S. (November 22, 2009). The emergency room bill is enough to make you sick. Los Angeles Times. Eric, S. et al (1993). The Ernst Young Business Plan Guide. New York: John Wiley and Sons Archibold, C. (2007-02-09). Illegal immigrants Slain in an Attack in Arizona. The New York Times. Wilson, D. et al (2008). Dying and Death in Canada. Toronto. University of Toronto Press Peter, S. (November 11, 2008). Obama victory took root in Kennedy inspired Immigration Act.   The Boston Globe. Neuharth, A. (1 May 2009). College Decision Day. Melbourne. Florida: Florida Today

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

How Does Social Media Affect Our Romantic Relationships

It is becoming more frequent in today’s society to utilize social media to connect and stay in touch with others. In fact, one could say that social media has become an everyday part of our lives. More than 800 million individuals use Facebook daily (Fox Anderegg, 2014). It is therefore of great significance, that one gives awareness to how the frequency of social media usage can affect our romantic relationships. This study consists of analyzing the amount of time one spends on Facebook and if the amount of time has an effect on the relationship satisfaction. Previous studies have gone over the aspects of the activities and concepts among individuals that can cause negative relationship outcomes but these studies have not extended beyond the concept of frequency. 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It is also a controversial topic due to different interpretations of what romance is and should be, and the possible involvement of social standards that seek to define its parametersRead MoreThe Effects Of Media On Children s Body Image, Self Esteem, And The Internet1369 Words   |  6 PagesOver the past decade, media has become a major p art of day to day life for the average person living in the United States of America. Media finds its way into your household in a wide variety of ways, including television, movies, music, and the internet. With society’s growing obsession with media, it is easy to see how it plays a role on impacting the lives of children, women, and men. Mass media effects people’s body image, self-esteem, and the overall way society is portrayed. There is a major

Saving Normal Free Essays

What is normal? Normal, like the word love, has no true definition and will differ with every person you ask. Defined in the dictionary normal is â€Å"to conform to a particular standard† or â€Å"desired pattern†. I believe most people will say a normal person is one whom is free from defect, handicap and mental illness. We will write a custom essay sample on Saving Normal or any similar topic only for you Order Now Metallization is a social process through which a previously normal human condition whether is be behavioral, physiological or emotional, becomes a medical problem in need of treatment. For example, not long ago being a shy person, â€Å"being reserved or having r showing nervousness or timidity in the company of other people†, was common and something most people experienced at some points in their lives. However, now shyness is out the realm of normal and made it’s way into medical books. A shy person may now be one who is suffering from â€Å"avoiding personality disorder† or a number of other anxiety-relation mental disorders that has to be treated with antidepressants. In Saving Normal, Dry. Allen Frances argues that a high percentage of people diagnosed with mental illness are actually normal. This widespread metallization of normality is leading to over-treatment and over-medicating of mental health issues. The biggest health threat that we face may be our health-care system. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, ADSM, has become the â€Å"bible† for physicists. It was first published in 1953 and since then has been revised several times. The ADSM is the go to guide for doctors, government and health insurers and also used in the law. Being the chair of the ADSM-IV task force, Allen Frances had the inside scoop on how the psychiatric community classified and defined mental disorders and illnesses. He then goes to explain how the newest edition of the ADSM causes people to be diagnosed and prescribed drugs when they actually don’t need them. The ADSM-V has expanded criteria for diagnosis of certain mental or psychological conditions and added new conditions that redefine more people as having mental illness. Both of these issues lead to ‘normal’ people being labeled as patients in need of pharmaceutical treatment. It is worrying that the decisions about ADSM-V categories are made by experts with financial ties to the industry that benefits most from a widened patient population. Having criteria that is too broad means that people who would do well without medication are being restricted drugs they don’t need and may possibly be harmed by. The problems with over-treatment and over-diagnoses as they relate to mental health are alarming. For example, the widespread diagnoses of mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, is appalling. ADD used to be only diagnosed to a small percentage of children, but currently all matters of activeness and disruption a child shows in their classroom is being initialized. Some kids, particularly boys, are by nature more active than other. Childhood has now become an illness, what now passes for ADD is nothing more than normal variation or developmental difference. Two-thirds or more of active kids who have been mislabel ADD suffer unnecessary stigma, reduced expectations and harmful side effects from the drugs they’re on. Metallization has increased the profitability of the pharmaceutical industry. Before you sell a drug you have to sell an illness. Therefore pharmaceutical companies now not only market drugs, but also they market illnesses as well. As relating to ADD, the misleading marketing by drugs companies to push their pills plays a big role in kids being assailable and mistreated once parents or educators view these advertisements. The rate of ADD in the United States has tripled to an inflated 11%. While the sales of ADD medications are approaching a profit of $10 billion a year. As Frances believes the biggest person who is responsible for diagnostic inflation is Big Pharmacy.. As soon as the drug companies were able to direct to consumer marketing, advertisements now convinced people that they had some type of mental illness. This resulted in them asking their doctors, mostly primary care physicians who have little raining in psychology, about a variety of prescription drugs. The doctors, whom are easily influenced by the young, sales representatives, are given free samples from drug companies which further pushes the prescribing of expensive medications. Primary care doctors prescribe 80% of psychotropic drugs and as mentioned prior have little training and/or little interest in psychiatry; in addition they spend little time actually evaluating symptoms. A majority of these doctors tend to favor pill solutions and some even build their practice on becoming known for passing out restrictions for whatever the patients wants. A consequence of diagnostic inflation leads to an increased cost for unnecessary drugs and psychiatric treatment. Americans are now spending billions of dollars on psychiatric medications but according to Frances â€Å"We are ignoring the people who have severe psychiatric illness; so that, one-third of people with severe depression see a mental health clinician, two- thirds don’t. Two-thirds of people with severe depression get no treatment at all. At the same time, we’re way over-diagnosing people who have milder problems that would get better on their own. Diagnosis can cause more harm than good when not really needed. We are over-treating those who don’t need treatment, while neglecting those who do. The ADSM-5 medicals things that happen in everyday life, which makes the pool of normal a small puddle. In ADSM-5 normal grief become â€Å"Major Depressive Disorder†; forgetfulness due to old age is â€Å"Mild Unrecognized Disorder†; temper tantrums are â€Å"Disruptive Mood Desegregation Disorder†; gluttony is â€Å"Binge eating† and the symptoms for adult ADD most adults will qualify for. As many people are told they are sick, fewer people are being told they are well. This causes an epidemic of diagnoses and creates the impression we live in a sick society. Metallization may lead people to mistakenly believe that they should feel normal all the time despite the life stresses, worries or disappointments they may be going through. This may cause them to think that they have some type of mental illness that needs treatment when they are Just experiencing regular events or feelings that may people have. While these â€Å"normal† people are given ample treatment, this leaves those in actual the need of psychiatric help neglected. We have become a pill popping society. The misuse of legal drugs has now become a bigger public health problem than the use of street drugs. Emergency room visits for overdose on prescription drugs is more frequent than for street drugs. Prescription drug mortality rate is 16,000 deaths a year which is more than heroine and cocaine death combined. Frances states our country is spending far too much on unnecessary and often tyrannically harmful health care and far too little on education. Referring back to ADD in children, a large sum of money is wasted on the expensive ADD drugs that would be better invested in smaller classroom sizes and more facilities for physical activity that allow hyper-active children to blow off steam and wear their hypnoses out a little. There should be a better way of understanding and handling normal difference in one’s activity, we shouldn’t be spending so much money on medical treatment and exposing children to stimulants which have serious long-term side effects. Psychiatric treatment can be very efficient and effective when practiced correctly within appropriate boundaries. Failing diagnoses can result in a lawsuit, but however there are no consequences for over-treatment and over-diagnosis. Diagnostic inflation leads to individual harm and high costs, both economically and socially. Because multiple powerful forces are promoting diagnostic inflation, it will most likely be hard to change it but education is key. People should be educated on disease mongering and be more skeptical and not eagerly believe what experts say. We can learn from Hippocrates rules of thirds: 1/3 gets better on their own, 1/3 don’t respond to treatment and 1/3 really benefit from it. Medical experts should make it their goal to be able to tell them about and those who can benefit should be the only one’s treated. How to cite Saving Normal, Papers

Thursday, April 23, 2020

Shell Shock free essay sample

It is more commonly known as â€Å"Shellshock. † PTSD is an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and/or insomnia that lingers for four weeks or more after traumatic experience (Myers, pp. 604-605). The term â€Å"Shellshock† was coined together by the British in 1914. At first shellshock was thought to be caused by soldiers being exposed to exploding shells. But doctors couldn’t find any physical damage to explain the symptoms. Medical staff started to realize that there were deeper causes. Doctors soon found that many men suffering the symptoms of shell shock without having even been in the front lines. Many soldiers found themselves re-living his experiences of combat long after the war had ended. Shell shock victims often couldnt eat or sleep, while others continued to suffer physical symptoms. Officers suffered some of the worst symptoms because they were called upon to repress their emotions to set an example for their men; due to this, war neurosis was four times higher among officers then among the regular soldiers (Shell Shock). We will write a custom essay sample on Shell Shock or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The epidemic was completely unexpected and by 1915 there was a shortage of hospital beds for the wounded in mind. Many county lunatic asylums, private mental institutions and disused spas were taken over and designated as hospitals for mental diseases and war neurosis. By 1918 there were over 20 such hospitals in the U. K. At first there was little sympathy for Shellshock victims. Shellshock was so obviously a retreat from the war that many military authorities refused to treat victims as disabled. Some even went so far as to say that they should be shot for malingering and cowardice. Others blamed it on a hereditary taint and careless recruiting procedures. A British General at the time said, â€Å"There can be no doubt that, other things being equal, the frequency of Shellshock in any unit is an index of its lack of discipline and loyalty. † This was a view shared by many and it made the burden of guilt for Shellshock victims even worse (Shellshock ). Shell shock victims found themselves at the mercy of the armed forces medical officers. Treatment was harsh and inhumane. Solitary confinement, disciplinary treatment, electric shock treatment, shaming and physical re-education, and emotional deprivation were used against the mentally ill. Some â€Å"lucky† soldiers were treated with a variety of cures including hypnosis, massage, rest and dietary treatments. Finally, Arthur Hurst, an army major, found a miracle cure for the victims of Shellshock. The cure? Hurst took the men to the peace and quiet of the rolling Devon countryside. The men toiled on the farm, and were encouraged to use their creative energies. By being humane and sympathetic, he was able to cure 90% of shell shocked soldiers in just one session. This was a miracle, considering over 40% of the casualties in fighting zones were victims of Shellshock and by the end of the war over 80,000 cases had passed through British Army medical facilities (Shell Shock). Today’s soldiers suffer from PTSD, but a cure is easier to receive, and most of them are completely cured afterwards. Once cured, they often achieve post-traumatic growth. Post-traumatic growth is positive psychological changes as a result of struggling with extremely challenging circumstances and life crises. Most men have an increases appreciation for life, more meaningful relationships, increased personal strength, changed priorities, and a richer spiritual life. Essentially, out of even our worst experiences, some good can come. (Myers, 2008) Works Cited Myers, D. G. (2008). Psychology, Ninth Edition. New York City: Worth Publishers. Shell Shock. (n. d. ). Retrieved March 14, 2013, from BBC: http://www. bbc. co. uk/insideout/southwest/series1/shell-shock. shtml Shellshock . (n. d. ). Retrieved March 14, 2013, from Sparticus Educational : http://www. spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk/FWWmental. htm |