Total Quality Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Total Quality Management - Research Paper Example I. INTRODUCTION History OF TQM Basically, TQM is widely considered to be a management philosophy which revolves around improving the quality of products and myriad processes running within an organization prior to launching a product in the market. The term TQM refers to managing and maximizing quality at every level so that employee engagement could be raised, a wide collection of talented ideas could be formed, costs could be reduced by running processes based on short time periods, and top-quality products could be introduced in the market which would better adapt to the customers’ needs. The concept of TQM operates on the principle that everyone is involved in preparing a certain product and not any product can be considered the result of many efforts made by the top management. It operates on the principle that everyone, from grass-root level to authoritative level, working for an organization should be involved in the product-preparing process, so that everyone could be credited with success and glory and no big feat could be called a one-man’s achievement. ... ues within an organization and did not lay any stress on improving their quality in contrast to the philosophy of TQM, which lays stress on improving and managing the quality of every single process and relation within an organization. So, it remains a reality that TQM offers a much wider approach for looking at things in order to work upon their quality so that the product quality could be improved consequently. According to (Business Performance Improvement Resource 2011), though the roots of TQM can be traced back to early 1920s when the business focus was shifted more towards product quality control, it was in Japan during 1940s when this huge business concept was nurtured and polished in the more vivacious and realistic way. It was then that the focus shifted from product quality control alone and widened tremendously and ultimately, such a business management philosophy was introduced in the form of TQM which could be applied to every level from employee engagement and committe d management to quality products and customer satisfaction. Some critics also suggest that the roots of TQM are found embedded in the statistical theory which was applied to the management of product quality and focused on identifying the quality problems and relied mainly on quality control professionals. It was when the Japanese products began to be perceived as cheap imitations that the industrial leaders in Japan launched a program to produce high-quality products and later titles this program as TQM which ultimately became a whole philosophical domain. In the later years, the concept of quality control and management widened even more and the idea of overall quality control became the front theme of Japanese movement. The idea of the quality never stops at the management level or at

Sneak up dance song for native American Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sneak up dance song for native American - Essay Example The third version is the enactment of a warrior in battle, who searches for a wounded friend, finds him and brings him to safety. The sneak-up dance or scout dance is performed only by men. The accompanying songs support the theme of the dance and help to teach young boys how to surprise prey or an enemy. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the traditional Sneak-Up dance and songs that are unique to the Native Americans. The Sneak-Up Dance and Song The Europeans colonizing the North American continent forcefully dispersed native American groups from their original homelands to reservations or cities. This dispersal endangered many traditional rituals, dances and ceremonies of native Indians. Drumming and singing ensembles of native Americans include leader-chorus songs, unison chorus songs, and multipart songs. A singer must have a strong, wide-ranging voice and the ability to sing with others. Native American songs as well as a variety of musical instrument s including different types of rattles serve to complete the dances. However, the most important instrument is the drum for the majority of native Americans. â€Å"Every native culture has its own varied and distinctive ways of making music† (Birchfield 416). While native language carries the melody in some songs, other songs use vowel sounds such as ya, hey, hi, and lay.

Middle East Women Studying Abroad presents a potential Solution to Racism Essay Example for Free

Middle East Women Studying Abroad presents a potential Solution to Racism Essay Middle East Women Studying Abroad presents a potential Solution to RacismIntroductionMiddle East is one of the regions that are known to steer racism, gender inequality, and religious prejudice with low concerted efforts to minimize the occurrences. This has been a problem to both the domestic populations and foreign populations living in the region. The racism exists in both lower social and higher social class and across different races. Citizens and political leaders play a major part in propagating racial prejudice across different races and particularly on women (Shalhoub-Kevorkian, 2004). Leaders use their selfish motives to gain power and in the end steer prejudice within societies (Price, 2003).   Citizens have always trusted their leader and tend to follow their ill promises ending up in hatred and sometimes mistreatment and brutality to other races. Traditional methods by leaders to solve conflict in Middle East have led to inconclusive outcome and attitudes colored by strong emotions on populations (Saaty, Zoffer, 2012). Arabs and Islamic quest for a conspiracy theory, explain the lack of development and rise of dictatorial regimes in the Middle East. This is evidence by the lack of western hallmarks for society development thus faulting Arabs themselves. This is a representation of intellectual and cultural affliction independent of any external forces (Ismael, Measor, 2003). Middle East education system, religious platforms and leaders have shown no interest in ending the problem. The large group of victims of racial prejudice is females and children who experiences discriminations and denial to other basic human rights (Ruby, 2013). They are much hurt in cases of violence and are subjected to inhumane acts such as rape and murder. This shows there is need to find a solution to the problem and empower women through advocating their rights. The major contributor of racism has been linked by the high levels of illiteracy in the country (Golding, 2009). This hinders populations from knowing their rights and hence hard for them to fight and demand their rights through successive and peaceful negotiation forum with leaders and other stakeholders. People knowing their rights through education and other enlightening plat forms would achieve a solution to racism. Few women who have benefited from getting education abroad have been so vocal about bringing solution to racism in Middle East but their numbers and unsupportive illiterate women let them down. Illiteracy is one of the major sustenance of racism in Middle East (Golding, 2009). Thus, the problem ends propagating itself to worse levels. If such women could increase in number in the region, a solution to the eating racism problem would be found. This study will be very important to leader and especial women in leadership and those studying abroad. Through the study, they will realize their role in curbing prejudice through informed knowledge on human rights (Gordon, 2012). The government and leader will be important audience so that they can advocate for foreign education and put policies in place that would encourage women to study abroad. Education significance                      The solution of racism has always been linked to men and political leader in Middle East. However, they have continuously failed in addressing the matter comprehensively and bringing a long lasting solution. Few enlightened women who by luck had a chance to go and study abroad seem to understand their rights and the need of a lasting solution in Middle East. Studying abroad equip women with necessary human rights knowledge necessary to address the Middle East problem (Gordon, 2012). The research that have been done tend to address solution based on traditional methods such as diplomacy and face-to-face and leaders intervention (Saaty, Zoffer, 2012). The resolution forums never advocates for the rights of citizens but only advocated for need of reconciliation and unity. This research will be a revelation to leaders, women and government in bringing a solution to Middle East racism. Western countries seem also to have firm human rights activist who w omen studying abroad can emulate. This will help them understand their human rights will then they can transfer to the wide population (Steinberg, 2012; Ruby, 2013). A higher number of men have studied abroad from Middle East but they have done very little on the issue. Thus, this study will be very significant to all its audience in empowering women to study abroad thus awareness of human rights and solution to Middle East bringing a new dawn to the populations. Literature Review                      Racism is one of the major problems in Middle East that causes conflicts and brutality within populations. Middle East has Arabs and Muslim religious and ethnic group. In this region, non-Arabs and non-Muslims people are faced with rejection and disapproval (Fluehr-Lobban, 2005). The region also has more 20 diverse ethnic groups. The discussion on the religious and ethnic groups in the area is a taboo in the society. The components that may help to discuss potential solution to racism by women include: According to Saaty, and Zoffer, (2012) dispute resolution in middle East has been on the routine cause where leaders (males), use traditional approaches such as face to face to engager to conflicting party. These means have not been fruitful at all and so, leadership should adopt more practical dispute resolutions approaches in Middle East, which focus on the rights of the people in their social, humanitarian, economic, geographic, and historical worth. This way will help minimize conflicts and racism. Skilled people who are aware of their rights would tend to concentrate on nation building rather than their differences. Medovoi, (2012) argues that religion has been of the group that has exemplified on racism dynamics. The author regards religion as one of the group that has supplemented the racial dynamics. From the perspective that most religions groups are headed my men, it is an obvious conclusion that men and other readers have failed to use their potential leadership and influential position to bring solution to the problem of racism in Middle East. This calls for a change in the ways of thinking and culture of Middle East to trust male dominated leadership in Middle East. Steinberg, (2012) view the cause of racism and other violence against human rights to originate from political selfish welfare. He refers the persistence conflicts between Arabs and Israel as a form of political involvement. The leadership rather than solving the problem on their citizens and populations have continued to instigate hatred among the citizens. It is worth noting that male characters dominate the leadership here. Therefore, the failure to resolve conflicts and racism issues heavily fall on them. Semati, (2010) argues that Islamic domination in the region is one of the key factors that have led to slow resolution of the problems differential racism in Middle East. He argues that Islamophobia is an ideological response, which conflates politics, societies, histories and cultures of the Middle East to a negative and unified attitude on Islam. This has led to incompatibility with other races thus propagating the racial prejudice. This can also be attributed to the failure of male leadership in Islamic religion. References Baker, J. (2013). Just Kids? Peer Racism in a Predominantly White City. Refuge, 29(1), 75-85. Chronology. (2011). Middle East Journal, 65(1), 103-131. Fluehr-Lobban, C. (2006). Why Muslims Rebel: Repression and Resistance in the Islamic World. Arab Studies Quarterly, 28(2), 72-74. Golding, A. S. (2009).  Multiculturism, America, and the Middle East. Bloomington, IN: Authorhouse. Hasso, F. S. (2005). Problems and Promise in Middle East and North Africa Gender Research. Feminist Studies, 31(3), 653-678. Ismael, T. Y., Measor, J. (2003). Racism and the North American Media Following 11 September: The Canadian Setting. Arab Studies Quarterly, 25(1/2), 101-136. Medovoi, L. (2012). Dogma-Line Racism. Social Text, 30(2_111), 43-74. Price, R. (2003).  Fast facts on the Middle East conflict. Eugene: Harvest House Pub Rodenborg, N. A. (2013). Aversive Racism and Intergroup Contact Theories: Cultural Competence in a Segregated World. Journal of Social Work Education, 49(4), 564-579. Semati, M. (2010). Islamophobia, Culture and Race in the Age of Empire. Cultural Studies, 24(2), 256-275. Shalhoub-Kevorkian, N. (2004). Racism, Militarisation and Policing: Police Reactions to Violence against Palestinian Women in Israel. Social Identities, 10(2), 171-193. Treacher, A. (2007). Circulating Emotions, Beliefs and Fantasies: The Middle East and the West. Psychodynamic Practice, 13(4), 345-360. Gordon, J. (2012). Human Right Education?. Journal of Law, Medicine Ethics, 41(4), 754-767. Ruby, T. (2013). The Question 0f Muslim Womens Rights And The Ontario Shariah Tribunals. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, 34(2), 134-154. Steinberg, G. M. (2012). From Durban to the Goldstone Report: The Centrality Of Human Rights Ngos In The Political Dimension Of The Arab–Israeli Conflict. Israel Affairs, 18(3), 372-388 Steinberg, G. M. (2012). International Ngos, the Arab Upheaval, and Human Rights: Examining NGO Resource Allocation. Journal of International Human Rights, 11(1), 124-149. Boothe, I., Smithey, L. A. (2007). Privilege, Empowerment, and Nonviolent Intervention. Peace Change, 32(1), 39-61. Cakir, S., Yerin Guneri, O. (2011). Exploring the Factors Contributing To Empowerment of Turkish Migrant Women in the UK. International Journal of Psychology, 46(3), 223-233. Kim, L. M. (2001). I Was [So] Busy Fighting Racism That I Didnt Even Know I Was Being Oppressed As A Woman!: Challenges, Changes, and Empowerment In Teaching About Women Of Color. Nwsa Journal, 13(2), 98. Reardon, K. M. (1998). Combating Racism through Planning Education: Lessons from the East St. Louis Action Research Project. Planning Practice Research, 13(4), 421-432.Rubin, J. (2008). From Patriarchy to Empowerment. Womens Participation, Movements, and Rights in The Middle East, North Africa, And South Asia. Middle East Quarterly, 15(3), 84-85. Salime, Z. (2010). Securing The Market, Pacifying Civil Society, Empowering Women: The Middle East Partnership Initiative Securing the Market, Pacifying Civil Society, Empowering Women: The Middle East Partnership Initiative. Sociological Forum, 25(4), 725-745. Zuhur, S. (2003). Women and Empowerment in the Arab World. Arab Studies Quarterly, 25(4), 17-38. Burtonwood, N. (1990). Inset and Education for Multicultural Society: A Review Of The Literature. British Educational Research Journal, 16(4), 321.Osler, A. (2002). Education For Citizenship: Mainstreaming The Fight Against Racism?. European Journal of Education, 37(2), 143.Pettijohn Ii, T. S. (2008). Reducing Racism, Sexism, and Homophobia in College Students By Completing A Psychology Of Prejudice Course. College Student Journal, 42(2), 459-468. Short, G. (1996). Anti-Racist Education, Multiculturalism, and the New Racism. Educational Review, 48(1), 65. Source document

Effect of Sugar on the Melting Rate of (Coke) Ice Cubes

Effect of Sugar on the Melting Rate of (Coke) Ice Cubes Introduction: There was constant information coming up about sugar lowering the freezing point of ice therefore shortening the melting time of the ice. This experiment will be conducted as hope to solidify research, Coke ice cubes will be used in the experiment; Original coke ice cubs which contain sugar, and Coke zero ice cubes which contain no added sugar. This experiment will provide more reliable information for scientists for real life applications such as melting ice off roads as faster and easier way, clearing snow off roads or to clear ice for room for infrastructure and construction. Aim: To see the effect of sugar on the melting rate of ice cubes (Original coke – sugar, and Coke Zero – no sugar). Hypothesis: The sugar in the Original Coke ice cubes will cause the ice cubes to melt faster than the Coke Zero ice cubes. This is because sugar lowers the freezing point of water/most liquids. Material list: Method: Pour 10mL of Original Coke into a separated/slotted ice cube tray using a pipette and measuring cylinder to make sure that all the ice cubes are the same size (leave the ice trays in the freezer overnight). Pour 10mL Coke Zero into a separated/slotted ice cube tray using a pipette and measuring cylinder to make sure that all the ice cubes are the same size (leave the ice trays in the freezer overnight). Place heat source in front or on top of bench and switch it on. Record room temperature and air temperature before removing ice cubes form the freezer. Place one of each ice cube on a separate plate and start the timer. Time how long it takes for the ice cubes to melt. Take photos of the melting of the ice cubes. Write down results of the experiment including; temperatures and times. Clean out plates and let them dry before repeating the experiment around 8 times or until your results are consistent, reliable and close. Variables: Results: Images: Discussion: I stated in my hypothesis that the Original Coke would melt faster because of its contents; containing sugar whereas, Coke Zero does not. This is experiment was conducted on the basis of the research on what makes ice melts fastest. Substances that dissolve in water lower the freezing point of the solution. This is an example of a colligative property. In this experiment, I investigated whether sugar affected the rate at which ice (cubes) melted. The reason I thought that the Original Coke would melt faster is because it contained lots of sugar and the reason I thought the Coke Zero would melt slower (than Original Coke) is because it has no natural sugar in it but instead it contains artificial sweeteners. On TV or in other countries (because we don’t have ice/snow on the streets in Australia unless you’re in the mountains), trucks are usually seen driving through streets covered with snow or ice, spreading a mixture of sand, gravel and salt on the ice/snow to de-ice the roads (melt the layer of ice/snow on the road). The lowered freezing point because of the poured mixture means that snow and ice can melt even if the weather is supposed to be freezing water. This is an example of freezing point depression (the decreasing of melting point of a substance/molecule). I decided to see if sugar would have the same effect as salt as they are not so different when it comes to their molecular properties. My results supported that my hypothesis and made my research reliable, The Original Coke melted significantly faster than the Coke Zero (as shown in images 4 and 6) . My results were repeated seven* times in order to obtain reliable data. The graph created from the table of results show the average melting times for each type of coke ice cube, it shows that Original Coke melted significantly (almost 300+ seconds in different instances) faster than the Coke Zero. The biggest difficulty I encountered was controlling the temperature of the air, plates and the temperature of the room. I set my experiment up in front of a gas heater in the living room where there were little things which would interfere with my experiment, making sure that each type of ice cube was the 30 centimetres away from the heat source, I began the experiment. Each type of ice cube was placed on the same type of plate at the same time for each repeat of the experiment. The temperatures were measured with 2 types of thermometers (an ordinary scientific grade thermometer and an IR thermometer1) during the experiment and the temperatures fluctuated from between 42oC and 50oC.. However, both types of ice cubes were exposed to the same increase during the experiment so the average melting rate results should not have been affected. The amount by which the freezing point is lowered depends only on the number of molecules dissolved, not on their chemical nature of the substance used because of this, my thoughts changed. Although my prediction2 was correct, I still do not completely know what it was that changed the melting rate of the ice because I do not have scientific grade equipment or a laboratory to conduct a full scale experiment, but I suspect that it may have to do with Original coke having more soluble substances/material than Coke Zero. I could also conduct an experiment to discover the truth behind that theory by testing the evaporation times of each type of Cola. (But that’s for another timeà ¯Ã‚ Ã…  ) Conclusion: My results show that the Original Coke ice cubes melt faster than Coke Zero ice cubes. I suspect that the sugar in Original Coke caused the ice cube to melt faster. However, freezing point depression depends on the amount of molecules dissolved, and not on the chemical nature or make up of the molecules. Therefore, the presence or absence of sugar in the Coke ice cubes may not have been the reason for my different melting rates. Bibliography: NaveC.R. (n.d.). Colligative Properties of Solutions.Colligative Properties of Solutions. Retrieved August 27, 2014, from http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/chemical/collig.html OKeeffe, J. (2010, September 19). Why Does Sugar Affect the Freezing Point of Water?.eHow. Retrieved August 27, 2014, from http://www.ehow.com/facts_7194604_sugar-affect-freezing-point-water_.html ThinkQuest. (n.d.).ThinkQuest. Retrieved August 27, 2014, from http://library.thinkquest.org/C006669/data/Chem/colligative/colligative.html?tqskip1=1 Variables in Your Science Fair Project. (n.d.).Variables in Your Science Fair Project. Retrieved August 27, 2014, from http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_variables.shtml *Eight times but I messed up my eighth so I dropped it. 2Prediction based on previous research conducted. 1IR thermometer: I got it from a cousin who had it lying around. It’s not scientific grade, it was bought from Bunnings warehouse.

Analysis of the Dark Side of the Internet :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Dark Side of the Internet    Statement of the Problem The Internet has changed lives. It's fulfilling prophecies to be better than books, better than traditional reference material, and the next best thing since sliced bread. However, as with every other technological miracle, there are always drawbacks. I wanted to find out what people use the Internet for and the common problems that they have. I did this by making numerous observations, conducting interviews, and distributing questionnaires.    After encountering repeated difficulties both on my home computer and at school, I decided to find out what other people thought about the Internet. I heard many friends and family members frequently complain about their difficulties with the Internet. Because of these factors, I decided to conduct this study. Perhaps the answer to these problems lies in the activities or habits of users. I set out to find the answer to these questions in this study. There are evidently many problems and errors associated with Internet use. People also frequently associate the Internet with a bunch of so-called computer geeks and teenagers illegally searching for pornography. I wanted to dispel this theory with my research. It was my hypothesis that the Internet, while having many worthwhile uses, also has many problems, and a lot of progress still to be made.    Procedures My first step in researching Internet activities and behavior was to conduct observations of various people using computers and the Internet. I made these observations on three different dates. I watched fellow students in the high school library twice and observed my father using the Internet at home on one occasion. I watched to see what the subjects were doing, any problems or difficulties they had, or any comments they made.    My observations took place mainly in the library of Hempfield Area High School. During two of my study halls, I observed students in the library for other classes. During my first observation, most of the students around me were seniors. Most of the subjects of the second observation were sophomores. I looked to see what sorts of problems they had on the computers, what comments they made, their body language when dealing with teachers and friends, and what exactly they were looking at on the computers.

Essay example --

Acid Rain The topic of this paper is acid deposition, also known as acid Rain. Acid rain is precipitation, as rain, snow or sleet containing relatively high concentration of acid forming chemicals. As the pollutants from coal, smoke, chemical manufacturing, and smelting, that have been released into the atmosphere and combine with water vapor, the harmful deposition is created (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/acid+rain). Acid rain affects many things greatly. Acid rain affects many different things and is very harmful to the environment. One aspect of the environment that is greatly affected by acid rain is soil. Acidic rain makes its way into the soil by rain falling off the branches and leaves to the soil below. Water runs through the soil on its way to different bodies of water. A process called buffering is used to neutralize acids using the base nutrients (including calcium and magnesium) found in soil (Tyson, 1992). This process helps soil resist the effects of acid rain. Thinner soils that have fewer nutrients are more vulnerable to the effects of acid rain. Thicker soils are more affective at buffering acid rain. Over many years soils that aren’t the best at buffering out acid rain can become increasingly acidic. This leads to a decrease in the ability to support healthy plant life. Over time soils may become so acidic that aluminum dissolves and is carried by rain water into bodies of water. Aluminum that is dissolved is very toxic and harmful to all aquatic life. Areas of higher elevation, such as high mountain areas, are more sensitive to the effects of acid rain. The soils are thinner and therefore are unable to buffer acid rain as well as thicker soil at lower elevations (Tyson, 1992). At high ele... ...ns use in their homes, the fewer chemicals that power plants use the fewer that will have to be emitted in to the air. Today there are laws on how much pollution is allowed to be put out in the air these laws have made significant changes. Catalytic converters in cars help reduce emissions. There has been reduction in the amount of acid rain causing pollutant to the air by humans. Eastern Canada set a cap of 2.3 million tons of sulphur dioxide to be met by 1994 and maintained until 2000. In Canada several sulphur dioxide reduction targets for provinces to the east of Manitoba-Saskatchewan to meet this cap. Roughly halve of the sulphur dioxide emissions were intended to be cut by this reduction. Acid rain affects many things in our world greatly. Acid rain is precipitation that has been released into the atmosphere and is very harmful and can do lots of damage. Essay example -- Acid Rain The topic of this paper is acid deposition, also known as acid Rain. Acid rain is precipitation, as rain, snow or sleet containing relatively high concentration of acid forming chemicals. As the pollutants from coal, smoke, chemical manufacturing, and smelting, that have been released into the atmosphere and combine with water vapor, the harmful deposition is created (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/acid+rain). Acid rain affects many things greatly. Acid rain affects many different things and is very harmful to the environment. One aspect of the environment that is greatly affected by acid rain is soil. Acidic rain makes its way into the soil by rain falling off the branches and leaves to the soil below. Water runs through the soil on its way to different bodies of water. A process called buffering is used to neutralize acids using the base nutrients (including calcium and magnesium) found in soil (Tyson, 1992). This process helps soil resist the effects of acid rain. Thinner soils that have fewer nutrients are more vulnerable to the effects of acid rain. Thicker soils are more affective at buffering acid rain. Over many years soils that aren’t the best at buffering out acid rain can become increasingly acidic. This leads to a decrease in the ability to support healthy plant life. Over time soils may become so acidic that aluminum dissolves and is carried by rain water into bodies of water. Aluminum that is dissolved is very toxic and harmful to all aquatic life. Areas of higher elevation, such as high mountain areas, are more sensitive to the effects of acid rain. The soils are thinner and therefore are unable to buffer acid rain as well as thicker soil at lower elevations (Tyson, 1992). At high ele... ...ns use in their homes, the fewer chemicals that power plants use the fewer that will have to be emitted in to the air. Today there are laws on how much pollution is allowed to be put out in the air these laws have made significant changes. Catalytic converters in cars help reduce emissions. There has been reduction in the amount of acid rain causing pollutant to the air by humans. Eastern Canada set a cap of 2.3 million tons of sulphur dioxide to be met by 1994 and maintained until 2000. In Canada several sulphur dioxide reduction targets for provinces to the east of Manitoba-Saskatchewan to meet this cap. Roughly halve of the sulphur dioxide emissions were intended to be cut by this reduction. Acid rain affects many things in our world greatly. Acid rain is precipitation that has been released into the atmosphere and is very harmful and can do lots of damage.

A Battle to Your Death Essay

Advertisements for medications have been filling the pages of magazines ever since the first pharmaceutical companies have been synthesizing drugs. Since the late 1800’s, consumers have been exposed to medication advertised the same way that a company might push a new detergent to buyers. Heated debates have exploded in regards to drug advertisements, coming to head in recent years with attempts by government officials to limit the amount of ads that sell medication (â€Å"National Conference†). While one may look back on drug advertisements from fifty years ago and laugh because they seem elementary, they influenced members of society and they continue to do so to this day. Despite the obvious positive affects of pharmaceutical drugs, the constant bombardment of drug advertising has a negative affect on consumers at large. All through history, there have been people destined to heal. A cornerstone of medicine, from the earliest shaman to the now graduating medical school class, has been the drugs used to treat illness. See more: The stages of consumer buying decision process essay The advent of modern medicine, beginning in 1938, has seen a major expansion of prescription drugs (Tomes 627). Because medication has become such a large part in most people’s lives, pharmaceutical businesses have evolved. Not only do medication companies care about profits, but also they are also concerned with the safety and effectiveness of their drugs. These companies need a way to get these compounds out of the public, and they accomplish this in a way not possible for other businesses. Big Pharma – the term used to refer to major drug companies – uses two different types of advertising to reach the public (Sidiqi). What people see on the TV, the commercials for things such as Restless Leg Syndrome or Bipolar Disorder, is termed direct-to-consumer advertising, or simply DTCA. This is a common tactic for all businesses, including big pharma. However, unlike other products, medications are restricted in that they need to be prescribed by a physician. Everyone is able to go to the store to buy the new detergent on television, but not everyone can get the medication advertised on the television. Drug companies have a unique way of dealing with this problem – in addition to advertising to consumers, doctors are also targeted. Physicians are approached in hospitals much like one is approached by a car salesman – high-pressure tactics, quick talking and glossing over negative facts while playing up the positive. Detail men – representatives of each individual pharmaceutical organization (Silverman)– have several ways in order to â€Å"sell† their drug to a physician. Free lunches, vacations and various office supplies inscribed with the drug company’s logos are used as gimmicks in an effort to make doctors â€Å"side† with a pharmaceutical company – therefore making the physician prescribe their medication over another. With the advent of direct-to-consumer advertisement, people are constantly bombarded with messages and warning concerning their health. Seeing an ad for a new medication makes one contemplate their own health: â€Å"Am I eating well? † or â€Å"Should I quit smoking? †Ã‚   Although all forms of drug advertisements may have deleterious effects, DTCA may, with a small part of the population, serve to make people more aware of their health. With the arrival of websites such as WebMD, patients may also use the Internet in order to discover information significant to wellness. Although most want pharmaceutical companies to run philanthropically, they are subject to the same follies of any other industry. Money runs countries and economies, and in order to stay afloat, the pharmaceutical industry must focus their attention to profits. While big pharma gets a return of 14% profit (compared to 5% for the majority of Fortune 500 companies), those extra profits are used for research into new medication, in essence, going right back to the consumer (Tomes 630). Scientists and researchers cost a lot – therefore, drug companies must financially support research into new lines of medication. Most people work and live in such a way to attain better living conditions. The drive to increase wealth improves the medical community. Just like every market, drug companies try to make better products in order to out sell their competition – the idea being the best product â€Å"wins† in the market. If one medication is proven to be better than another, then the â€Å"losing† drug company will pour money into research to generate more sales. While new medications are being produced because of a laissez-fair market, many want government to step in. One of the biggest issues in this election year is socialized health care. More people than ever are focusing on the health of the impoverished. On more and more medication commercials, one sees or hears things such as â€Å"Having trouble paying for your medications? Astra-Zeneca can help. †Ã‚   Government officials, doctors and drug companies are beginning to cater to, and help save the lives of, the poor. Imagine for a moment, this scenario: A construction worker hurts herself outside the job. She does not quality for workman’s compensation because the accident did not occur on the clock, but she is in so much pain she cannot go back to work. Sitting in the free clinic (she cannot afford anything better – her construction firm does not offer affordable health insurance), a doctor sees her into the room. The doctors leaves the room, after assuring her that her injury is not serious, with an armful of medication – anti-inflammatories, pain killers and muscle relaxers to help. Pharmaceutical companies hand out free medications to physicians in order to help sell their product (Goodman, 232). What’s the difference between Tide, a company that makes laundry detergent, and Lilly, a company that makes prescription medication? One will get your clothes clean – the other will save your life. Drug companies demand that they be treated just as any other industry in regards to advertising to the public (â€Å"National Conference†). Big Pharma markets to both doctors and patients, trying to influence both to choose their medication over another. Both forms of advertising – pushing drugs on doctors and DTCA – are detrimental to public health and safety. Detail men are everywhere in the health care field. Walk into a hospital, a free clinic or a private doctors office, one thing remains the same – the tissue boxes, the pens and the clipboards. All these simple office supplies are â€Å"donated† from a drug company, bearing their insignia. While one may think it is only the new doctors, the ones that are not well versed in medicine quite yet, are the only ones that will actually be swayed by detail men, study after study proves this false. All physicians, old and new, are susceptible to this phenomenon (Goodman, 236). The implications for this can be disastrous. A close look at Vioxx details what happens when doctors listen to drug companies and not science. The more money spent on a medication, the more likely the medication will be prescribed (Goodman 237). Such is the case with Vioxx and Celebrex, a new class of anti-inflammatory drug called COX-2. Both of these drugs have lead to many deaths, massive recalls and suits from patients. Why would such a dangerous medication prescribed to patients? Shouldn’t the doctors know better? In 1999, the year that both drugs were released, a total of $4. 4 billion dollars was spent on advertising these drugs to both doctors and consumers. This advertising, â€Å"lead to overuse of these new and expensive drugs† (Schneider 140). Doctors and patients both accepted these new COX-2 medications, and there was no foresight into the dangers of this medication. Advertising, coupled with apathetic doctors, lead to hundreds of deaths. DTCA has its pitfalls as well. The use of advertisements on the Internet, television and the radio has drastically changed the doctor-patient relationship (Weber 172). No longer do people go to the doctor for advice. Rather, after looking on WebMD and deciding they have X disease, and seeing on television a drug to treat said disease, the patient storms into the doctors office, demanding a medication for a self-diagnosed disease (Weber 172). A layman cannot doctor himself and expect a healthy, good result. It leads only to misdiagnosis, unneeded medication and perhaps death. Stated earlier, drug companies have a fourteen percent profit margin, in contrast to Fortune 500 firms that make an average five percent profit. That means that drug companies make nine percent more in profits than some of the biggest companies in the world. Even one percent equals billions of dollars that pads the wallets of big pharma. Drugs are like candy in this country – â€Å"Americans apparently consume more prescription drugs than their counterparts in other developed nations, roughly twice as many per person as Europeans† (Tomes 630). As well as consuming more prescription drugs that any other developed country by two fold, Americans are the last to support poor nations with drugs to treat â€Å"AIDS, malaria, and other deadly diseases† (Tomes 632). That extra nine percent – billions and billions of dollars in extraneous profit – could be used to further the health of, not only this country, but also the entire world. The construction worker mentioned earlier benefited from free drugs. She could not afford them, but thanks to the population’s altruistic friends at big pharma, she received them free. Proponents would like people to believe this fallacy in order to keep their most successful way to advertise drugs – through doctors – alive. All social groups, not only the uninsured or poor, receive free medication. Experts have proven over and over that free medications does not help the poor as much as big pharma would like the public to believe (â€Å"Drug Samples,† â€Å"Free Drug Samples†). Pharmaceutical companies care only about patients when they are ill. This means big pharma wants more sick people, because sick people equal profit. Medicine corporations, besides not helping the poor, target against them. Because they cannot pay for medication, â€Å"the patterns [the researchers] found indicate that pharmaceutical firms may be directing their samples to physicians and clinics least likely to care for the uninsured† (â€Å"Drug Samples†). The purpose of those free hand outs is simple. No company will ever distribute free product, especially when that product needs to come in installments to be effective. If a doctor has a few days worth of medication, he is more likely to prescribe that medication to the patient out of convenience for both. For example, assume that someone comes into a doctor’s office with a cold, demanding relief. Whether or not the cold can be remedied by any medication (most colds are viral, and cannot be cured by antibiotics), the doctor, instead of educating the annoying, pushy patient, gives the him a box of medication in order to at least mentally sedate them. Free drugs are ways for pharmaceutical companies to get their medications prescribed. If a doctor has a box of a few pills to give to a patient in the office, he will prescribe the same medication (Wolfe 1). If the medication is once-a-day for X amount of days, and the doctors picks the medication of which he has a sample, that equals quite a big profit for the company. The so-called philanthropic free medication is just another marketing ploy for increased profits. While modern medicine depends on the positive effects of pharmaceutical medication, the non-corporal influences of prescription drugs has a largely harmful effect on society as a whole. Advertising life or death can never have a positive outcome. Drug companies manipulate the public in their advertising to doctors and patients. Next time you are at the doctor’s office, just think – has the treatment you are receiving been scripted by a man in a suit, offering your doctor a free lunch in exchanged for your health? Works Cited â€Å"Drug Samples Seen as Unlikely to Reach Poor or Uninsured. †Ã‚   Medpage Today. 4 January 2008. 2 November 2008. . â€Å"Free Drug Samples May Put Children at Risk. †Ã‚   Medpage Today. 6 October 2008. 2 November 2008. . Goodman, Bob. â€Å"Do Drug Company Promotions Influence Physician Behavior? †Ã‚   West J Med 174. 4(2001): 232-233. National Conference of State Legislatures; the Forum for America’s Ideas. â€Å"Marketing and Direct-to-Consumer Advertising. †Ã‚   2008. 22 Sept. 2008   . Tomes, Nancy. â€Å"The Great American Medicine Show Revisted. †Ã‚   Bull. Hist. Med. 79 (2005): 627 – 663. Sidiqi, Sarah. â€Å"Letters to the Editor; Pharmaceutical Influence? †Ã‚   The Nurse Practitioner 28. 5 (2003). Silverman, Milton, Philip R. Lee, and Mia Lydecker. â€Å"How the Drug Companies Kill One Million People a Year. † July-Aug. 1982. University of California. 4 Nov. 2008 . Weber, Lenoard J. Profits Before People? Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2006. Wolfe, Sidnye. â€Å"Drug Advertisements That Go Straight to the Hippocampus. †Ã‚   Lancet 384. 9028 (1996): 632.