Reflection Paper on Effective Listening Skills

Reflection Paper on Effective Listening Skills Listening is defined, the act of hearing attentively (Princeton, 2010). Restated, it takes more than simply hearing communication; listening is an active thought process. It is hearing and concentrating on the verbal as well as the non-verbal. I took the listening quiz (Burley-Allen, 1982). My score was 75. What does this mean? According to Burley-Allen (1982), a score of 75 is average. I think effective listening skills are analogous to the Gestalt style of psychoanalysis. According to Corey (2004), Gestalt therapy is based on the assumption that we are best understood in the context of our environment. The basic goal of Gestalt therapy is to provide a context that will enable individuals to increase their awareness of what they are experiencing and doing. Moment-to-moment awareness of ones experiencing, together with the almost immediate awareness of ones blocks to such experiencing, is seen as the goal of this therapy. As a physician, Gestalt therapy does not use the language of p athology, or normal and abnormal. Instead, individuals are viewed as having the capacity to self-regulate and to develop their dealings with the various environments they encounter throughout life (Corey, 2004). Listening is defined, the act of hearing attentively (Princeton, 2010). Restated, it takes more than simply hearing communication; listening is an active thought process. It is hearing and concentrating on the verbal as well as the non-verbal. In addition, most of our communication is non-verbal, which includes listening. What did your score say about your listening skills? Were you surprised by the outcome? I took the listening quiz (Burley-Allen, 1982). My score was 75. What does this mean? According to Burley-Allen (1982), a score of 75 is average. What does this mean? I do not know because, unfortunately, Burley-Allen omitted the explanation of his four score categories. He did not describe the strengths and weaknesses of each score category. Therefore, this paper will answer the remaining questions from my point of view, instead of Burley-Allens. In addition, I will focus the paper as pertaining to my profession of medicine. I believe this will help me become a more effective listener because I will be able to learn from my strengths and weaknesses and apply them accordingly. I think effective listening skills are analogous to the Gestalt style of psychoanalysis. According to Corey (2004), Gestalt therapy is based on the assumption that we are best understood in the context of our environment. The basic goal of Gestalt therapy is to provide a context that will enable individuals to increase their awareness of what they are experiencing and doing. Moment-to-moment awareness of ones experiencing, together with the almost immediate awareness of ones blocks to such experiencing, is seen as the goal of this therapy. As a physician, Gestalt therapy does not use the language of pathology, or normal and abnormal. Instead, individuals are viewed as having the capacity to self-regulate and to  develop their dealings with the various environments they encounter throughout life (Corey, 2004). I believe this is an invaluable tool as a physician. Listening to patients explain their symptoms, being aware of their moment-to-moment experience, will facilitate the therap eutic process and even lead to more accurate diagnosis. What are your strengths and weaknesses when listening to others? How can you improve your listening skills to strengthen your weaknesses? In addition, how can your strengths be utilized and applied to your profession? The listening quiz does not qualify if a listening habit is considered a strength or weakness. Some individuals will define certain listening strengths as weaknesses and vice versa. For example, habit eight states, Form a rebuttal in your head while the speaker is talking? (Burley-Allen, 1982). The score for this habit is one point for most of the time, two points for frequently, three points for occasionally, and four points for almost never. In order to score the maximum four points then the answer would be almost never. However, I disagree with Burley-Allens assumption. I think effective listening is to be engaged in the thought process while the speaker is communicating. This includes forming a rebuttal in your head while the speaker is talking. The listener can then adjust the rebuttal accordingly to the speakers suggestions. Forming a rebuttal includes concentrating on the communication (habit 5), learning from the speaker (habit 6), recognizing semantics (habit 7), accomplishi ng communication (habit 17), think about reactions (habit 19), and etcetera. According to Burley-Allen, some of these habits are considered strengths and some are considered weaknesses. Therefore, the listening quiz shows low internal validity. The primary act that a physician does with a patient is listen. During the first encounter between a physician and patient, the physician will start the communication process by asking, What brings you in today? This question is followed by active listening. During this process, the physician tries to understand the patient and assemble a diagnosis. If pieces of an analysis are missing, then the physician will paraphrase the data and ask additional questions in order to narrow the choices. I believe that active listening is the most important act that a physician can do. In relation to the topics covered thus far, identify at least three techniques that could help you improve your skills. The three techniques that can help improve my skills are: (1) resist distractions, (2) summarize in my own words, and (3) keep an open mind. The first technique is resisting distractions. The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology (2001) defines stereotype as, A set of relatively fixed, simplistic overgeneralizations about a group or class of people. Here, negative, unfavorable characteristics are emphasized, although some authorities regard positive but biased and inaccurate beliefs as components of a stereotype. It is easy for my mind to become distracted while listening to a speaker. I tend to do this frequently. For example, if a patient comes in who looks underprivileged, then I tend to stereotype the patients background and struggles. This causes me to ignore important communication from the patient. (Note: It is difficult to resist distractions when a patient has a foul odor and the physician is trying not to vomit.) The second technique I have identified is summarizing. This is a useful tool when applied correctly. However, I tend to assume to know what the patient means and not summarize  in my own words. If I can learn to summarize a patients story in my own words, then there will be fewer miscommunications. This will lead to a more productive doctor-patient relationship. The third technique is to keep an open mind. The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology (2001) defines ethnocentrism as, The tendency to view ones own ethnic group and its social standards the basis for evaluative judgment concerning the practices of others, with the implication that one views ones own standards as superior. Hence, ethnocentrism connotes a habitual disposition to look with disfavor on the practices of alien groups. I am very judgmental. I consider this habit a strength; Burley-Allen scores it opposite as I do (habit 28). Being judgmental allows the listener to form personal thoughts from the speakers message a gestalt of the communication. Habit 28 did not specify if judging was considered positive or negative, so I give it a positive connotation. Our textbook states, Try to understand the emotions or interests that may lurk hidden beneath a given complaint or statement. Often the person youre talking with wont be fully aware of them themselves (Hattersley McJannet, 2008 ). In the context of ethnocentrism and judging negatively, this can be detrimental to effective listening. For me, this is similar to technique one: resist distractions. I can be a more effective listener if I keep an open mind and not judge negatively about a patient. (Note: It is difficult to keep an open mind if a patient does not have insurance, which is unethical by the physician.) Why is it important to possess strong listening skills in business and management? The Website for the California Society for Oriental Medicine reports, The February 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association published a report by the Agency for  Health Care Policy that studied the communication level between primary providers and patients. They found that physicians who listen to their patients and use a friendlier manner during visits might reduce the risk that they will be sued for malpractice. In the randomized controlled study they found that physicians that told their patients what procedure or technique they were doing, or going to do, who elicited opinions and questions from the patient, and were more likely to use humor and laugh, were more often in the group without any malpractice claims. Physicians who spent more time with their patients were also more likely to be in the no claims group (CSOM, 2003). This is invaluable including non-monetarily as a physician. The patient will feel more comfortable and allow the physician to perform examination procedures if the physician first explains the procedure and actively listens to a patients opinion and questions. In addition, I think it is essential to allow multicultural or multiethnic patients to construct their own understandings of the therapeutic process and to engage in interpretation and other forms of higher-level functioning. This will further facilitate an active process of listening by the patients. I believe sacred and confidential communication between physician and patient contain specific phases that can maximize listening efficacy. First, during the initial interview, the physician can begin to establish a collaborative relationship with the patient. It is essential that the interview focus on the patients own wishes and goals. Second, the physician should honor the patients concerns. It can be easy to respond to the emotional side of patients feelings the pain or need that motivates them to seek help and enter the hospital. The reactive emotions and resistance of patients disclosure may be helped through effective listening. Third, physicians need to respond to patients questions and suggestions that can only be accomplished through the  active listening process. Responding to the patients feelings, in an open-ended way, will usually produce the most information and intensify the doctor-patient communication. Finally, termination is an important and distinct phase of me dicine that needs to be negotiated thoughtfully. Ending the relationship will almost always be of great significance to patients. It is necessary to listen to a patients closing remarks because this usually suggests the overall quality of care. I believe that all of these phases will contribute to a more effective listening and communicating relationship between doctor and patient. The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology (2001) defines countertransference as the analysts displacement of affect onto the client [and] the analysts emotional involvement in the therapeutic interaction. This means that all feelings, thoughts, or actions of the physician that involve or influence the doctor-patient communication process are countertransference. This definition suggests that countertransference is a destructive element in medicine; however, not all countertransference issues are unconstructive. I believe that through maturity and growth, as a professional, combined with a thorough understanding of his/her ethnicity, values, and biases, can enable a physician to effectively identify and manage countertransference to make it productive. Countertransference is a constant element in interpersonal processes, and I believe it is inevitable in the doctor-patient relationship. In conclusion, when a physician engages in effective listening, the physician, without sharing it with the patient, has an opportunity to learn something about him or herself and utilize it for his or her personal maturity and professional growth. The physician needs to be aware of his/her own personal assumptions, values, and biases, and understand the worldview of culturally diverse patients to develop appropriate interventions, strategies, and techniques.

Advertisement for Ghost Creek Golf Course :: Advertising Marketing

Ghost Creek, A Great Place to Play The July 4, 1998 issue of Golfweek magazine contains an advertisement about a well-known golf course in Cornelius, Oregon. The golf course is called Ghost Creek and the owners’ claim of policy is that they want people to come and play their golf course. The owners’ use a beautiful picture of the course to entice the reader to come and play the golf course. The advertisement uses claims of both fact and value, to further the claim of policy as well as offering supports and warrants to give credibility to the claim of policy. To further Ghost Creek’s claim of policy in the advertisement, the owners offer many claims of fact. One claim of fact that is offered by the advertisement is that the magazine, Golf Digest, chose Ghost Creek to be the best new public golf course for the year, 1992. Likewise, another credible golf magazine, Golf Magazine, ranked Ghost Creek 13th out of the top 100 one can play for the year, 1998. Furthermore, many very prestigious golf tournaments have been played on Ghost Creek, including the Nike Tour Championship in 1993 and 1994 and also the 1996 United States Amateur Championship, which was won by the great Tiger Woods. These claims of fact, as one can, see are used to further Ghost Creek’s claim of policy, which is to come and play a great championship golf course. Once more to further Ghost Creek’s claim of policy in the advertisement, the owners offer not only claims of fact, but also many claims of value. One claim of value Ghost Creek offers is just the sheer beauty of the golf course, as seen in the picture of the advertisement. This claim of value lets the reader feel as if he or she is there in real life. Another claim of value the golf course offers is that Tiger Woods has played and won a major tournament there, the 1996 U.S. Amateur Championship. This claim of value provides the reader with knowledge that one of the great pros in the game today has played there. Many readers would want to come and play a golf course where one of the best has played and won. Other claims of value that the advertisement entails are how relaxing, still, and quiet it is at Ghost Creek.

Paul of Tarsus

Paul of Tarsus or Saint Paul is considered by many Christians today to be the most important disciple of Jesus, and beside this the second important found in the development of Christianity. Saint Paul had a major impact on the spread of Christianity, contributing to the underlying unity of the religious tradition by helping expand Jesus’ original teachings into a developed integrated belief system. The reason why Paul of Tarsus was one of the most significant persons in Christianity is because of his contributions of the development of Christianity, establishing it as a destructive and flourishing tradition. Some of Paul’s contributions were his missionary journeys. Paul’s mission journeys are best understood as systematic plan to take Christianity to Gentiles. His Roman citizenship helped him in considering how widespread Christianity could be. The Christian missions as the disciples understood it was a Jewish mission; the preparations for the end of time involved only the chosen people. Paul’s great innovation was the successful expansion of the Christian mission to include Gentiles; in the end, this was why Christianity survived as a religion. Paul’s Missionary Journeys worksheet). Although many of Paul’s teachings have been contributed in the formation of Christianity, his teachings have also caused many controversies for the faith. This started with his controversial championing of the Gentiles but also caused other strong divisions in early Christianity. Other elements of Paul’s teachings eventually stimulated the Reformation- the pre-emine nt schism in the history of Christianity. In addition, still others of Paul’s words cause controversy for the modern Christian Church in ‘his’ insistence on a subservient role for women and his condemnation of homosexuality. As a member of the Hellenic world, Paul recognised the relevance of the message of Christianity beyond the Jewish faith. He became an advocate for the inclusion of the Gentiles among the true followers of Christianity. Until Paul’s challenge, Jewish Christians believed that non-Jews had to convert to Judaism and follow the law, which included restrictions and circumcision. Gentiles who worship in the synagogue but did not become proselytes were called god-fearers and were only second-class citizens in the synagogue. As the Gentiles did not follow kashruth, many Christian Jews refused to eat with Christian Gentiles, believing them to be unclean and not acceptable. This had implications for church fellowship and for the ritual celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Paul challenged this belief, (Galatians 2: 11-14) most strongly at the Council of Jerusalem in 50 CE. This lead to the decision by the early Christian leaders to enable Gentiles as well as Jews to be followers of Jesus of Nazareth and to call themselves Christians. Permitting freedom from the laws of kashruth and circumcision allowed Christianity to spread more freely amongst the Gentiles and is why Paul is so significant today. (Christianity vs. Judaism worksheet). Paul’s writings on social issues were just as influential on the life and beliefs of the Christian culture, and are still considered part and parcel of the broader Christian doctrine by the more conservative Christians. Paul condemned sexual immorality; homosexuality in particular, apparently based on the strict moral laws of the Old Testament, as well as presumably his own private revelation form the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:9f; Eph, 5:21-33). Some of his other dictums included device to his contemporaries not to marry in the expectation of the near return of Jesus and the Apocalypse; and the command to young men who have trespassed by sleeping with a woman to marry her, a notion that remained prominent in the European culture and the English Common Law until relatively recently. His statements are also apparently critical of women holding visible roles in church leadership. Paul may have been ambivalent towards slavery, saying that pending the near return of Jesus, people should focus on their faith and not on their social status (1 Cor. 7:21f). Due to his authority, these views have had an influence in Western society into modern times; Paul’s failure to explicitly condemn slavery in his Epistle to Philemon may have been sometimes interpreted as justifying the ownership of human beings. Paul of Tarsus helped extend Christianity and had a greater impact on the early religion than anyone else. His connections and Roman citizenship allowed him to spread the Gospel more easily. His wealth helped the poor, which provided good public relations. Paul's rejection of circumcision and founding of the Roman church allowed the religion to thrive and survive the Jewish Revolt. This significance made Christianity become a separate faith shaped by Paul’s vision of salvation through the Risen Savior, which helped with the expression and development of Christianity today. Although not of all Paul’s letter are established as being from the hand of Paul, all of them show the dominance of his theory. Each of Paul’s letters shared a common purpose- uniting the new believers behind a common theology. Paul was excited about being able to minister at last in this church, and everyone was well aware of that fact (Romans 1:8-15). The letter to the Romans was written from Corinth; however, the significance of Romans if far greater than its relevance just to that city. The Book of Romans is primarily a work of doctrine and can be divided into four sections: righteousness needed, 1:18–3:20; righteousness provided, 3:21–8:39; righteousness vindicated, 9:1–11:36; righteousness practiced, 12:1–15:13. Paul first condemns all men of their sinfulness. He expresses his desire to preach the truth of God’s Word to those in Rome. It was his hope to have assurance they were staying on the right path. He strongly points out that the gospel (Romans 1:16) is the power by which everyone is saved outlining his belief in the risen Christ. The Book of Romans speaks about God, who He is, and what He has done, of Jesus Christ, and what His death accomplished. Paul points out that God did not demand men have their lives straightened out before coming to Christ. From this letter Paul purpose in writing was to proclaim the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ by teaching doctrine and edifying and encourage the believers who would receive his letter. These principles remain at the core of Christian teaching today, partly due to the forces into which Paul presented them.

buy custom Commercial Carrier Business essay

buy custom Commercial Carrier Business essay United States of America is currently experiencing an increase in industrial production with an annual increment of +6.5% in 2011 as seen from a report by U.S. Federal Reserve and ATA. This has a great implication on the truck transport industry since it offers most of the transport services of goods produced from the said production industries. Therefore, this fact acts as an opportunity for Huffman Trucking Company which should be harnessed and to do so the company should diversify in its operational area and establish more facilities in other states rather than the 4 it has current established. Despite the high industrial growth, the U.S. goods export is foreseen to reduce from the current more than $100,000 million dollars to less than the value in the next three years. This implicates that the transport industry will not have much to transport in US ports for export since most of the products are used within the country. In other words in three years to come there will be high demand in transportation of goods within the country. Consequently, Huffman Trucking Company will take a strategic move of focusing in transportation within the country by establishing many facilities in other states not reached. Bureau of Economic Analysis and ATA have established that wages/salaries of employees have rose from $5,100 billions in 2010 to $5,400 billions in 2011. This fact will affect Huffman Trucking Company by causing an increase in the salaries paid to employees thus reducing the companys net profit. To mitigate this emerging threat the company will increase the cost of transportation. The current petroleum fuel crisis and predicted future worse crisis will have a major impact in the truck transporting industry since petroleum fuel is the major source of fuel used by trucks. The company will embrace other sources of fuel like use of biodiesel in its trucks to mitigate the threat. Competition Despite being many players in the commercial carrier business, the field remains highly fagmented with many different companies providing different kinds of trucking services. The major competitors for Huffman Trucking Company are companies with fleet of trucks but are mainly in the food industry. Therefore, they dont pose a major threat to the company since Huffman Trucking Company is in the non edible industrial products. Never the less, there a few truck transportation companies in that field who are considerably increasing in the market. To check on this Huffman Trucking Company will employ just in time strategy by installing and using the new automated loading and offloading machines hence reducing the time spent in loading and offloading. The company will be conducing annual market research to understand the competitors intelligence and make informed strategic decision on that matter. Legal and ethical issues Legal measures have been put in place by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to regulate trucking industry operations. FMCSA has set limitations in the number of hours a truck driver may drive. Trucks have specific roads and highways that they drive upon and the drivers have a 0.04% definition of blood alcohol concentration which is lower than the regulation for other drivers. In some states trucks have special speed limits and carrying weight limitations. It is evident that this rules and regulations will affect Huffman Trucks Company negatively in that they make it hard to run the business with many restrictions. The company will increase its number of trucks so that it can compensate for losses which might be incurred due to such regulations. Apart from the high drunkenness regulation of truck drivers, there are other ethical regulations set to streamline the industry. These are; Employment background check: This helps in verifying the competence and conduct of the driver. Supplier/vendor screening: Looking at the integrity and capabilities of potential suppliers Driving records: This enables the employer to have drivers with clean and valid driving docuuments and records. Substance abuse testing: Helping in reducing the incidences of accidents caused by drug or alcohol use. Employment physicals: They help in ensuring employees are properly placed with respect to their physical health and enhance their performance. These ethical issues will create a good opportunity for Huffman Trucking Company in getting the best personnel and gaining confidence and credence from its customers Technological Like many industries, computers, internet, fiber optic cables and advanced satellites have posted a great impact in the truck transportation industry. In general internet helps enterprises to discover new opportunities in sales and marketing, despite being 15 times less expensive than paper transactions. Considering the limitation and regulations in weight and size found in this industry, computerized analyzers have been made and used which have proved to be more reliable and efficient. Satellites have been installed on the top of trucks to enhance communication and geo-location of the truck. These satellites enable drivers to input bills of loading to simple texts and send them to their employers or other inspecting agencies. The GPS satellite receiver in the other hand enables one to locate the truck anywhere in the world thus, minimizing the risk of theft. Although there is a weakness in Huffman Trucking Company of outsourcing 100% of its information systems support there is still a need for more use of technology. To mitigate the outsourcing problem the company will employ information and technology experts to install, monitor, repair and maintain information systems used by the trucks and in the offices. This move will reduce the cost of installing and maintaining information sy stems incurred from outsourcing. The ICT experts will help in establishment of a database on the companys operations e.g. on drivers log and fleet maintenance. A network platform will be created connecting all the facilities in the country hence ease in communication and transacting. Buy custom Commercial Carrier Business essay

Propaganda Essays

Propaganda Essays Propaganda Essay Propaganda Essay Propaganda is all around you; you hear it, you see it, you even smell it from time to time. One thing that you may not know is that there are many types of propaganda, and they are all very different, but accomplish the same goal. You even use propaganda from a day to day basis and you may not even know it. This has bee demonstrated in the novel Animal Farm where there is a lot of propaganda. In this story, if you watch what is going on and what the animals are saying and doing you will witness propaganda at work everywhere. There are many types of propaganda, and they all work differently. The â€Å"fakery† technique attempts to deceive the consumer into thinking that the product is good without ever describing the real merits of the product. An example of this could be a soda pop commercial where they only say that it tastes â€Å"great! † but they never say what it does for your health such as give a caffeine boost or satisfy the consumer’s caffeine and or sugar cravings. Another type of propaganda is called â€Å"association. † Association is used when an object is being sold in the same picture with an object that is considered very impressive. For example when a U. S. resident gives a speech with an important backdrop (ie. Aircraft carrier). These are only two examples of the many forms of propaganda that are very different but accomplish the same thing. Like I said, propaganda is all around us, and you can’t escape it. Its on television, in schools, even on the clothing that you’re wearing at this moment. It influences yo u because you can’t escape it. It’s thrown at you all of the time and since it’s all around you, you grow accustomed to it. Familiarity lowers our defenses and we â€Å"let our guard down† and absorb it into our unconciousness. After a while you start to associate the products that the propaganda represents. It the propaganda has been successful you’ll want to buy the product it represents. The type of propaganda that affects me the most as a consumer is that which appeals to my sense of humor. The funny commercials and advertisements make me want to buy their product whatever it is. For example there is this commercial for Pepsi Max that has a fun and up-tempo song in it but everyone pictured is falling asleep. As soon as they take a sip of the Pepsi Max they become alive and vigorous. They act somewhat strange but do many humorous things. After seeing this commercial I wanted to buy their product in hopes of acting like the people pictured, and the next time I went to a gas station I grabbed Pepsi Max just because of propaganda. There are many uses of propaganda in the story Animal Farm, from the beginning of the story when the Old Major gave his riveting speech and â€Å"razzed† all of the animals, to the end of the book when â€Å"Squealer† took the sheep away from the rest of the animals and taught them to chant, â€Å"Four legs good, two legs better! † The propaganda found in Animal Farm is mainly just catchy slogans and speeches that â€Å"Napoleon† thought up and â€Å"Squealer† spread. There were a lot specific types of propaganda that are found in this story and they are; â€Å"feelings†, â€Å"Attitudes†, â€Å"Diversions†, â€Å"Loophole Fallacies†, â€Å" Oversimplification†, â€Å" Black or White Fallacy†, â€Å"Changing the Meaning†, and many more. Napoleon and Squealer used these speeches and slogans to practically brainwash the common animals into the pigs had the same agenda and interests that they had. Even though Squealer was the largest spreader of the propaganda all of the animals are to blame for the spread of it, because they repeatedly said the slogans and quoted the speeches that Napoleon made. Even Boxer made some chants that helped him and the other animals work harder when building the windmill and other jobs around the farm. The propaganda in Animal Farm worked because it was engrained into the heads of each and every one of the animals. In the start of the story the pigs got the animals to let their guards down by making them think that they were on the animals’ side. The pigs made it seem as if everything they did was for the best interest of all the animals. Once the pigs gained the trust of the common animals, they started giving themselves privileges and justified those privileges by saying things like, â€Å"We deserve to get more food because we do all of the thinking. † and other well worded lines that made it seem like it was for the â€Å"greater good† when in reality they didn’t. Some other propaganda that was used in this story and worked the best didn’t even come from the pigs; it came from some of the common animals like Boxer. Since Boxer was one of the most respected animals on the farm when he made a catchy slogan it caught on like wildfire. Some examples are â€Å"I must work harder. and â€Å"Napoleon is always right. † Those were extra strong with the common animals because boxer was one of them, and the animals believed that they should adopt those because of that. All of this propaganda coming from different places helped to brainwash the animals. After the animals were brainwashed t he pigs were able to do whatever they wanted to without repercussions. It is evident that propaganda can move mountains when used in the most effective ways. One must be aware that when using propaganda, you can’t let it change you or the things you want to accomplish. Propaganda can be your friend or foe depending on how you use it.

Cable is better than Satellite Speech

Cable is better than Satellite Speech Introduction In the early days of Cable TV, many people would not have taken cable seriously given that many people doubted whether people would pay for something they could get for free. In its initial period cable was seen as only useful for people who lived in areas with limited access to free to air TV. Today Cable has become a big business as it now competes with satellite TV in the provision of television services. Since consumers always want the best there has been a great controversy on what is better; is it cable TV or Satellite. While Satellite has its advantages such as better reception quality, and better interactive controls, it has to be acknowledged that cable offers more in terms of pricing, equipment, and programming. Equipment The equipment used for cable is relatively cheaper than satellite equipment. Cable is usually advantageous to users who feel that they do not need digital programming as only a television set is required to start receiving signals from cable as opposed to satellite. For subscribers who prefer digital programming they will have to purchase a TV converter box and a remote the same as satellite (Keating 273). Cable has the advantage over satellite in that it does not require set top boxes for each TV as satellite does. Cable is also less cumbersome than satellite since satellite TV usually requires the installation of dishes or a set of dishes in order to be connected. Satellite also comes with digital video recorders which the client has to pay for upfront as opposed to the equipment of Cable which belongs to the cable company and the client is not required to make payments towards it. Satellite dishes are cumbersome and present a degree of danger since they have to be installed on the roof or wall of the residence. Satellite dishes are also present challenges in some areas since they require unobstructed locations which may be hard for people who rent houses as they may live in houses in which an obstructed view is impossible leading to poor quality or no signal at all (Luckham and Wedell 35). Some landlords may also not take kindly to the installation of satellite dishes on their houses which makes cable more suitable. Cable TV is more advantageous to clients whose TVs have cable slots since, they would only be required to subscribe for an access card from a service provider and start enjoying cable. Recent offerings of cable are however disposing of the mode of having a card in order to subscribe to cable. The most recent offerings of High Definition TV are made without the slot for the cable card meaning that cable is more convenient than satellite which is cumbersome. Satellite TV usually requires a digital telephone cable which is used in managing the pay per view services. Cable on the other hand employs the use of the same cable that is used to transmit signals as the line for communication between the client and the company; this makes communication between the cable companies easier than that of the satellite companies (Long 76). Programming Cable has an edge over satellite in programming since it can offer more than three hundred channels whose quality is digital. Satellite on the other hand has a capacity of over two hundred and fifty channels even as it may lack some local channels in some areas. Alternatively cable provides more variety and has most local channels in every locality and even provides a larger number of pay per view programs. In recent times it has become a common practice for cable companies to provide programs upon demand. Many cable companies have an in-house library from which subscribers demand and subscribe programs which can be watched at the client’s pleasure (Whitaker 39). High definition TV which used to be a preserve of satellite TV is also nowadays becoming available on cable making it more attractive. Cable is in the aspect of programming advantageous than satellite in that while satellite offers packages based on the whole of the channels offered with cable people get to pay only f or the channels subscribed to or on demand. When it comes to HD programming, both cable and satellite offer ever more variety of programs in high definition TV. A majority of both cable and satellite providers have no charges on the provision of high definition broadcast of the giant broadcasting corporations for instance CNN, Fox and ABC. It is the more specialty based networks such as MTV Base, ESPN and MOJO which usually attract high fees. While most satellite providers usually charge high for the broadcasters, cable is usually better in that it offers high definition versions of some of the major specialized broadcasters such as MyTV and PBS as part of their basic packages (Ciciora 137). Cable offers an advantage in programming in that high definition TV is usually better in terms of channel selection than satellite. Cable offers a possibility of getting local channels which may not be accessible from an off air broadcast TV satellite. Cable provides sports enthusiasts with the offering of regional sports networks in high definition while most satellite networks do not offer these channels. Picture Quality Both satellite and cable TV have the capacity to provide picture that are of the same quality. In practice however this does not happen since different companies offer different levels of picture quality. Picture quality is usually a function of the intensity of compression that is applied by the provider during transmission of the signal to subscribers. Both satellite and cable make use of MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 technology in signal compression. These are technologies which result to data loss in the course of compression (Keating 98). The signal quality that is delivered by the service provider most of the time depends on the compression applied. More compression usually results to more degradation of the signal quality and vice versa. Since most cable companies rely on one digital platform to transmit the digital signal and at the same time for two way communication with the subscriber it would seem to be rational that they would have poor picture quality as compared to satellite. In the past, cable companies inevitably had to offer poorer picture quality since they had to use more compression in order to transmit the large amounts of information in the small digital space available. Cable companies have had problems with increasing capacity since it was a costly affair. Since 2010, cable companies have started the migration to MPEG-4 AVC which is a platform that offers more bandwidth and doubles their transmission capacity (Long 87-93). A recent poll conducted by PR Newswire showed that cable was increasingly the choice for subscribers over cable in instances of clients who preferred high definition viewing. Satellite companies have been offering the highest quality high definition picture which was transmitted upon the Standard Definition platform. The survey between a cable provider and a satellite provider showed that a sixth f the respondents had a preference for cable as they deemed its high definition pictures to be of higher quality (Whitaker 198-203). Another aspect that in which cable has an advantage over satellite in picture quality is the effect of weather. Satellite picture, even if of better or same quality as the cable, is usually affected by weather conditions in the path of transmission and in the final destination. Conclusion A decision on whether to switch or not to switch is usually upon the individual subscriber. While satellite may have led the way in many aspects of pay TV, Cable TV is slowly but surely catching up and proving to be better in some aspects previously the domain of satellite TV. Technological innovation has made Cable to improve it picture quality through he adoption of the MPEV-4 technology hence making it a leader in the provision of high definition TV. Cable also offers more in programming through the provision of more of local content which satellite does not. Cable is also less cumbersome and expensive as it has less equipment which needs to be installed for a subscriber to star using the service. Additionally cable offers more convenience through its offering of programs on demand and on pay per view as opposed to satellite which charges for the whole range of its undifferentiated channels. It is thus evident that cable has much to offer compared to satellite in terms of equipmen t programming and picture quality.

Patient access, data mining and PHI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Patient access, data mining and PHI - Essay Example However, the primary concern about the system is its ability to support use by people at different levels including patients without compromising the confidentiality of the patients’ data. Interoperability in the IT system also forms the primary concern in the success of the health information technology in US. Interoperability is the ability of the systems and devices to share information and interpret the shared information. There is a need to agree on system standards for them to be interoperable at any level (Melvin, 2009). Health IT vendors in US use system that are not interoperable. One of the causes of interoperability problem is databases being unable to share the information with different types of applications (Vidyarthi, 2012). The system used by health IT vendor is in a proprietary format limiting access and transfer of information between the various providers. The model used in the systems is not standard, and they use different coded languages making it hard to share the needed health information. Even when there is sharing of information, terminologies used may be incompatible with applications used. The systems inability to share information effectively makes it very hard to address medical care fragmentation and solve error issues arising due to lack of necessary