Abstract This paper describes the acquisition history and business approach of Quest Diagnostics, the nation's leading provider of diagnostictesting, information and services. This paper is written from the perspective of an independent consultant hired to resolve conflicts and analyze team dynamics in the company. Some areas considered include work-group productivity, an expanded discussion of social influence within the organization, and the role of the individual and diversity. Additionally, Steven Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" are integrated into this paper. The author concludes that everything comes back to the strength of the organization, and the organization must be maintained and promoted as an overall priority for any firm.
Organizational Behavior-Quest Diagnostics Overview of the Paper
Work-Group Productivity
Social Influence
Individual Differences and Personality
The Habits of Effective People
Perception, Attribution and Motivation
High Performance, Effective and Ineffective Teams
Quality Management and Teamwork
Conclusion
People
Process
Professionalism
From the Paper "When discussing the dynamic of Work-Group Productivity, there are multiple facets of the dynamic itself to consider. Of course, the success of any group is only as good as its weakest member, but from another point of view, the old adage that two heads, or perhaps twenty heads, is better than one. American businesses, Quest among them, have long ago reached the conclusion that the ability to make important decisions is greatly enhanced by having a group of decision makers involved as opposed to one individual (Robbins, 2005). By having a group involved in decision making, the stress of the decisions is spread among many, removing from the equation the possibility of one figure head melting down in the face of the stress of making decisions all on their own. Beyond this, of course, the group is able to provide a great deal of different perspectives, attitudes, and experiences to the table, making it possible for the decisions to not only be made in a time effective way, but also in such a way that allows for high quality decisions that remove much of the possibility of error and poor judgment."
Abstract Amersham Health has developed a product for the next technological advance in cardiac diagnostictesting, MYOVIEW with Rapid Clearance, for myocardial perfusion imaging. This paper explains how the product works and examines how MYOVIEW will help the medical industry and cardiac patients.
From the Paper "Myocardial perfusion imaging is the answer to the challenges felt by many physicians when patients may have a suspected myocardial infarction. Oftentimes a physician may feel that a patient is not having an MI, however, as a precautionary measure, will have the patient admitted for observation. If it turns out that they were not having an MI, the patient has now spent unneeded time at the hospital, taking up valuable bed space and staff time, at often over crowded hospitals, that could have been better used by patients who truly needed it. In fact, Udelson states that ?missed MI is one of the most common causes of litigation against ED personnel, and this test may also facilitate an earlier diagnosis in such patients(Glow; Udelson, 2003).?"
Abstract This paper looks at legal recommendations for laws relating to care options for senior citizens with dementia and Alzheimer's disease from the perspective of a representative of a congressional district, which has a large senior population. The paper presents the background, statistics and costs relating to both of these conditions. The paper also reviews three care options and recommends a law that restricts the number of family members formally assigned to care for an elderly relative with Alzheimer's or dementia.
Table of Contents:
Problem Statement
Background
Dementia
Alzheimer's Disease
Landscape
Pertinent Statistical Data
Cost of Alzheimer's Disease
Options
Subsidize Specialized DiagnosticTesting for Alzheimer's Disease
Allow Limited Opportunities for Employment
Restrict the Number Of Family Members Formally Assigned to Care for an Elderly Relative with Alzheimer's or Dementia.
Recommendation
From the Paper "Similar to the tenets of the Ryan White Act, the congressional district could allow certain individuals below the retirement age who are diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer's disease closely-monitored employment opportunities. These should target specific areas of the Alzheimer's patient which have been least affected by the disease. This option will not only ease the financial burden associated with Alzheimer's but will also delay the individual's confinement to an elderly institution as he or she is still contributing significantly to society."
Abstract This paper presents a detailed examination of the Bender Gestalt test, which is has been used since 1938 to check the developmental stages of children and the neurological functioning of adults. The paper explores the test's components and the uses for the test. It then goes on to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the test and how its accuracy can be improved.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Test Strengths And Weaknesses
Conclusion
From the Paper "There are several factors that can interfere with the client's ability to draw the shapes or designs accurately including arthritis, visual problems or other issues that can make the design copy inaccurate without it meaning emotional or developmental problems.
"There are several different versions of the test and each of them uses the same basics for examination but uses different evaluation methods. Therefore it is important that the clinical assessor be familiar with whatever version is being given to that particular client to be sure that the interpretation is accurate."
Abstract This paper examines Shelley Burtt's writing, ?Dilemmas of Genetic Testing?, as well as other sources on the subject of genetic testing. After having examined the resources available, an opinion is formed as to whether genetic testing is positive or negative for the patient and the expected child.
From the Paper "Genetic testing is becoming an option more commonly used by women during pregnancies to assess particular information concerning the health of the fetus they carry. Shelley Burtt's writing questions the response to the new technology of genetic testing and the fact that the autonomy of individuals is being set aside as to their choices in continuing a pregnancy where the fetus is found to have genetic defects."
Abstract The work of Carl Rogers has contributed in substantial ways to the development of psychotherapy. There exists an extraordinarily extensive amount of writing about the value of his research, his clinical work, his methods, his style, and his profound impact on therapy. This paper poses the question, "Could interpretation of projective testing aid the process of reflection and clarification of communication between client and therapist during client centered (Rogerian) therapy"?. The paper provides a critical analysis of Rogers's work and into ?projective testing? itself. There are many forms of projective testing and diverse opinions with reference to projective testing. This paper critiques and analyzes several of them, using existing research in order to best formulate an informed answer for the central question being posed.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Carl Rogers's Life and the Seeds of his Interest in Psychology
Client-Centered Therapy and Listening to the Client
Professional Responses to and Critiques of Client-Centered Therapy
Process of Reflection and Clarification in Client-Centered Therapy
Projective Measures / Projective Testing: an Introduction
The History ? and Methods of ? Projective Testing Six of the Best-Known Projective Tests Zeroing in on Spurious Therapists and Rorschach Projective Testing Rogerian Reflection and Projective Testing Conclusion
References
From the Paper "Sir Francis Galton is generally given credit for devising the first projective test, which the British explorer and intellectual researcher developed in 1879. His test consisted of a word-association challenge; subjects were given a set of words and asked to produce a "first response" to each word. Following Galton's work, Carl Jung ? a Swiss psychiatrist and renowned prot?g? of Freud ? utilized a word-association test in combination with blood pressure measuring devices to detect what he called ?complexes.? Those complexes were "constellations of feelings and thoughts organized around an emotionally charged issue" (Lilienfeld). And Jung believed that a "delayed or physiologically pronounced response to a word" can indicate the existence of a complex."
Abstract This paper uses the hypothesis statement, "The typical American drinks on average 3 or more 8 oz. caffeine beverages a day" to demonstrate hypothesis testing. The author points out the steps in the five-step hypothesis test: (1) formulate a null and an alternative hypothesis; (2) select a level of significance or risk for the research; (3) identify the test statistic; (4) formulate a decision rule and (5) do the calculations and make a decision. The paper relates that hypothesis testing can be used to test any claim about a parameter.
Table of Contents:
Research Issue
Hypothesis
Five-Step Hypothesis Test Results
Other Uses of Hypothesis Testing Excel Spreadsheets
Hypothesis Test: Mean vs. Hypothesized Value
From the Paper "A one-tail test is a test that indicates a direction. This direction can be indicated by the use of words such as less than or more than, or it can be indicated by the use of the greater or less than mathematical signs. The direction of the tail is determined by which direction the alternate hypothesis points. A two-tail test is needed when the words or signs equal and not equal are used. By looking at the hypotheses, Team B determined that they will be conducting a one-tail test to the right."
Tags: tail, test, test, alternative, null, population
Abstract This paper examines standardized tests with an emphasis on their fairness to minorities, those with cultural diversity, limited English and disabilities. The reliability of standardized tests as a fair indicator of school success is considered, focusing primarily on the experiences of African-American students. This paper concludes that standardized tests are not at all fair towards minorities - as indicated in the fact that several colleges, such as Holy Cross, are abandoning standardized tests in their admissions processes.
Introduction
Standardized Tests and Bias in College Admissions: Several Case Studies
The SAT's Racial Bias - If This Test Didn't Work, What of NCLB and AYP?
With This Discrepancy In Standardized Testing, How Are NCLB and AYP Affected?
Conclusion
From the Paper "Most alarmingly, of the seven tests addressing "African American issues," four or 57% were "negative" or culturally unflattering and unappealing in nature. Those tests focused on the slavery experience and on the diminished rights, poverty, and racial/ethnic chauvinism faced by Black people in the United States. (Fleming, 2000) The three "positive," or culturally celebratory, tests addressed Harlem (New York City) politics in transition, William H. Johnson's paintings, and a memoir of a Black leader - as the popular sarcastic phrase in the industry notes, the rest of the questions are about polo and fly fishing, activities in which, for both social and economic reasons, African Americans are hardly likely to engage. "
Tags: education, minorities, testing, school, success, university
Abstract The essay evaluates three different intelligence or cognitive tests, namely Raven's test, the Mental Alertness test (HSRC) and the Cognitive Process Profile. These tests are used in both academic and workplace settings and are mainly critiqued in this essay according to their manual information, norm groups, reliability, purpose, and item content.
From the Paper "Intelligence tests are being used increasingly to assist individuals in educational planning, and in making decisions about aspects of their own lives" (Anastasi & Urbina, 1997). Raven's tests have been described as "tests of observation and clear thinking"( Raven et al., 1998, p.657). The Mental Alertness test is to provide measures of general intelligence, arithmetical ability and certain language abilities (Lombard, 1975). A strength of the Cognitive Process Profile is that it measures learning potential and involves a teach-test-teach approach (CPP Manual, 2000).?
Abstract This book presents a review of a book about standardized tests by G.W. Bracey, "Put to the Test: An Educator's and Consumer's Guide to Standardized Testing." The paper discusses Bracey's thesis that tests have grown beyond their ability to serve useful educational purposes.
From the Paper "The big pedagogic picture of Put to the Test is that it is a reality check on what Bracey analyzes as the blind faith that has been put in standardized-test scores as far as predicting the academic success or failure of students is concerned ..."
Abstract This study analyzes results of the Virginia Standards of Learning tests. The author contrasts one group of high school students who used online computerized methods of testing versus the second group, who were tested with the traditional "paper-pencil" method. The author argues that computer-based testing is in its preliminary phases. This study, therefore, is intended to let scholars research the dependability of these tests. This research begins to fill this gap and offer future direction for additional research to be carried out.
Outline:
Abstract
Statement of Problem
Rationale of Study
Research Objectives
Literature Review
Hypothesis
Methodology
Participants
Measures
Procedure
Implications and Conclusion
References
From the Paper "The control of computers is the seeming dominant feature at the closing stages of the twentieth century. In the 1970s computers operated behind closed doors to tally books, record paychecks, organize weather newscasts, and perform whichever errands whose qualities frequently incorporated repellent recurring processes. The 1980s saw a transformation. Computers took a permanent position in the forefront of firms and businesses. Soon after, the computers replaced the human employees in the department of customer services. Personal computers with telecommunication were more common. Nowadays, the computers handle far more complicated procedures than what they did before. "Machine intelligence", "Inference engines", and "Expert Systems" are expressions that are gradually growing in trend. "
Abstract This paper studies the subtle cultural biases contained in standardized tests, including IQ tests. The paper asks whether this bias unfairly penalizes those who are not white and middle-class. The paper presents counter-arguments that while significant cultural differences might distort test findings in general, IQ tests are not biased in this way. The paper concludes that IQ tests in particular are constructed so that they can fairly assess intelligence of anyone who has grown up in the United States and can read English.
Abstract This paper discusses two attitudes toward animal testing in medical research, one desirous of ending such testing and the other supporting such testing. According to this paper, those who support such testing also hold that animals have moral significance, but that human beings have to be given more consideration than do animals, so therefore testing to end human diseases needs to be conducted.
From the Paper "The use of animals in medical research has been much criticized for many years. In 1955, the Humane Society of the United States passed a resolution noting that at least 50,000,000 animals were used each year in American laboratories, many in ways causing great and prolonged pain and suffering, many inhumanely housed and cared for. The resolution stated that it was the moral duty of every human society to inform itself about these matters and to take all possible action to prevent cruelty to these animals. Because of this, the Humane Society undertook a systematic study of the use and care of animals in laboratories (Humane Society of the United States 1). After the study by the Humane Society, the group concluded that animal research was a problem and that efforts should be taken to stop it."
Abstract The paper analyzes standardized testing used by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), an independent agency that evaluates the quality of education in the Ontario. Th paper discusses the province-wide tests administered by the EQAO, including the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) for Grade 10 students, reading, writing and math tests for Grade 3 and 6, and math tests for Grade 9.
From the Paper "The government of Ontario appointed the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) in 1995, as an independent agency to evaluate the quality of education in the province. One of the most important things EQAO does is to administer province-wide tests. These include the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) for Grade 10 students, reading, writing and math tests for Grade 3 and 6, and math tests for Grade 9 (EQAO, Sept., 2005). The EQAO stated in its most recent provincial report that: EQAO is a vital part of the education community."
Abstract This paper contends that student aptitude should not be assessed through standardized testing because these tests are unfair to many students. It also claims that, these tests are unfair to underprivileged schools and poor test takers and that they take time out of class and don't prepare students for real life by teaching them to pass the test.
From the Paper "Not only does this form of testing cut out time from class, it is a poor assessor of student achievement. This means that a standardized test cannot measure the ability to create. A multiple choice test cannot determine a child's ability to "think or create in any field" (Fairtest 1). Standardized tests cannot give questions to do so because they are expensive and often the scoring is incorrect. Therefore this type of test should not be given if the ultimate goal is to assess student achievement because it cannot measure the student's ability to think at a high level; which is what all educators want for their students. Not only this says Fairtest.org, "Nor so these tests adequately measure thinking skills or assess what people can do on real-world tasks" (fairtest 3). Is not the sole purpose of education to prepare a student for college, and then ultimately the real world? Students are required to take classes such as FACS to prepare them for life situations, however if a standardized test cannot measure such skills then they are ineffective and obsolete. "
