Improving Quality of Health Care Services Free Essays

Improving Quality of Health Care Services The U. S. leads the way in many areas into the future of economy, wealth and civilization. We will write a custom essay sample on Improving Quality of Health Care Services or any similar topic only for you Order Now America spends more on heath care than any other nation with quality and safety being a key focus. Nevertheless, evidence of improvement of decreased errors is limited. We lack answers to financial stability and providing quality health care to all (Becher Chassin, 2001). Nationally, everyone is engaged in improving the quality and safety of healthcare. We need to be awakened to preventing errors and providing safer care (Laureate, 2009). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the initiative to improve quality and safety of health care with the â€Å"Six Dimensions of Goodness in Healthcare. † A quality and/or safety initiative Healthcare facilities are engaging in the prevention of medical errors and providing better care. Many institutions are implementing process improvement focused on six key dimensions to enhance the quality and safety in their healthcare setting (Laureate, 2009). The six dimensions are: Safety-to avoid injury to patients from the care that is intended to help them; Timeliness-to reduce waits and harmful delays; Effectiveness-to provide services based on scientific knowledge to all who could benefit and refrain from providing services to those not likely to benefit (avoiding overuse and underuse, respectively); Efficiency-to avoid waste; Equitability-to provide care that does not vary in quality because of personal characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, geographical location, and socioeconomic status; and Patient centeredness-to provide care that is respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values (Madhok, 2002). Reasons for the initiative The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has a growing concern about medical errors. The IOM report â€Å"Crossing the Quality Chasm,† asked for a basis change, recommending that the delivery of health care be based on six key dimensions. We have an interaction between the errors of individuals and system flaws that need to be prevented. We need to strengthen our defense systems (Madhok, 2002). The report, â€Å"To Err is Human† estimated that 44,000 Americans die per year as a result of medical errors. More deaths occur in a given year from medical errors than from motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS. National costs of preventable medical errors were estimated between $17 billion – $29 billion (Madhok, 2002). Healthcare institutions are embracing new initiatives for safer care based on the six dimensions. Healthcare systems are implementing the six dimensions as a basic initiative to improve quality. The IOM states that American healthcare must make vast changes to have clinically safe and quality care (Madhok, 2002). The six dimensions can influence and direct the overall process of improvement (Laureate, 2009). Payment systems such as Pay for Performance are causing facilities to incorporate the six dimensions. Pay for Performance initiatives advocate financial rewards to hospitals demonstrating outstanding preventative and care giving practices (Sultz Young, 2011). Poor outcomes with medication errors, skin breakdown, patient falls, isolation procedures, and drug protocols can effect payment to hospitals (Laureate Education Inc, 2009). High quality medical care at an affordable cost is a growing goal for healthcare institutions. Effective, safe, and affordable health care leads to higher patient satisfaction (Quality Initiatives, 2004). Strengths and limitations of the initiative The six dimensions encourage a strong focus on health care quality and error prevention. They encourage policymakers, purchasers, regulators, health professionals, health care trustees, management, and consumers to commit to a national system level of process improvement for quality health care. They encourage a shared agenda to pursue safer care (Madhok, 2002). This can cause facilities wanting independence limitations. Overuse of fee-for-service has been associated with higher rates of variety of health services. Americans are fascinated with technology and often want something done whether it is the best choice of care. Health care providers accommodate consumers. A more unified system could provide better care. It could decrease spending and limit the freedom to choose any type of care one desires (Becher, Chassin, 2001). A fragmented healthcare system needs to come together to provide equal access and care to all U. S. citizens (Laureate, 2009). The six dimensions promote a high level of performance leading to better quality performance and a process of care measures. Healthcare is â€Å"raising the bar† for better care with enhanced collaboration, benchmarking, and facility board goals to support the dimensions (Jiang, 2010). Quality goals such as Zero central line infections zero sepsis is encouraging a higher level of care instead of being satisfied with average outcomes of care (Jiang, 2010). Role of nursing Health care is a team sport. Nursing needs to be part of the team and be actively involved in preventing harm to patients (Laureate, 2009). Effective leadership with health care change needs to come from those engaged in providing health care to patients (Becher Chassi, 2001). Nursing should be a part of identifying the error cause, gathering data, and making goals to prevent subsequent errors (NCC MERP, 2002). Nursing can be more aware and involved in prevention. Nursing can adopt higher standards and have an attitude of prevention concerning errors. Patients should not ever leave a health care facility in a condition worse than they arrived. U. S. health care must improve their standards of care (Laureate, 2009). Nursing can be a part of better communication and handoff’s. The patient has often been the communication link to give report to the next caregiver (Becher, E. Chassin, M. , 2001). Bedside nurses need empowerment to provide care and be involved in creating policies for better care. Nurses need more education, to get more involved in National groups that can affect policy, and to participate in research. Nurses have a great responsibility for safe healthcare. They have an opportunity to make a difference (Laureate, 2009). Nursing should be a part of identifying the error cause, gathering data, and making goals to prevent subsequent errors (NCC MERP, 2002). Summary – 10 point The second IOM report â€Å"Crossing the Quality Chasm,† asked for a fundamental change, recommending that the delivery of health care in the 21st century be based on six key dimensions (Madhok, 2002). The key dimensions are safety, effectiveness, patient centeredness, timeliness, efficiency, and equitability (Laureate, 2009). Healthcare systems are implementing the six dimensions as a basic initiative to improve quality and safety and direct the overall process of improvement of care (Laureate, 2009). We have an interaction between the errors of individuals and system flaws that need to be prevented. We need to strengthen our defense systems (Madhok, 2002). A fragmented healthcare system needs to come together to provide equal access and care to all U. S. citizens (Laureate, 2009). Nurses can be a large part of implementing the six dimensions. Nurses have a great responsibility for safe healthcare. They have an opportunity to make a difference (Laureate, 2009). The six dimensions of goodness can assist the U. S. to improve quality and safety in the healthcare system. References Becher, E. Chassin, M. (2001) Improving quality, minimizing error: Making it happen. Health Affair(20)3 68-81. Retrieved on February 5, 2011 from http://content. healthaffairs. org/content/20/3/68. full. pdf Becher, E. Chassin, M. (2001). Improving the quality of health care: Who will lead? Health Affairs, 20(5), 1-6. Retrieved from Walden University Library website: http://web. ebscohost. com. ezp. waldenlibrary. org. Jiang, H. (2010). Enhancing quality oversight. Healthcare Executive (3) 80-83. Retrieved from Walden University Library website: http://web. ebscohost. com. ezp. waldenlibrary. org. Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). The context of healthcare delivery. Baltimore: Author. Madhok, R. ( 2002). Crossing the quality chasm: lessons from health care quality improvement efforts in England. PubmedCentral – Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings. Retrieved on February 6, 2011 from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC1276338/ NCC MERP. National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention. (2002). Retrieved on February 2, 2011 from http://www. nccmerp. rg/council/council2002-06-11. htm Quality initiatives in healthcare management, (2004, March). Healthcare Management. Retrieved on February 4, 2011 from http://www. expresshealthcaremgmt. com/20040331/qualitymanagement01. shtml Redman, R. (2008). Experience and expertise: how do they relate to quality and safety? Research and Theory for Nursing practice: An International Journal, 22 (4), 222-224. Retrieved from Walden University Library website: http://web. ebscohost. com. ezp. waldenlibrary. org. Sultz, H. A. , Young, K. M. (2011). Health care USA: Understanding its organization and delivery (7th ed. ). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. 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Working With And Leading People Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Working With And Leading People. Answer: There are several responsibilities of product managers who are going to be employed in various department of Red Mart and their purpose in relation to job of office manager is shown below: Responsibilities of product manager Responsibilities of office manager developing product by implementing proper resource conduct market research delivers operation plan testing and pricing the product implements marketing activities analyzes market conditions Organizes office operation Designs file systems Plans and implements office systems Implements office policies Completes operational requirements Various considerations that are taken into perspective while selecting as well as recruiting for the office manager position includes- Equal opportunity- The Company must offer equal opportunity as well as fair treatment in the process of recruiting and selection to each individual regardless of religion, disability, nationality etc. Discrimination- This might occur while recruitment of workers when decisions are mainly based on irrelevant requirements. The Equality Act 2010 confines the applicants against discrimination. Employment legislation- The Company must be familiar with legislated rights while recruiting employees. The employers must be free in developing policies or practices, which offers better standards than what is permitted in law. The methods of employee selection that could be used in the industry includes- Preliminary interview- In this step, the recruiter usually eliminates disqualified applications that are based on data provided in application forms. Selection test- This test mainly includes- aptitude test, ability test etc that are conducted by company for judging the skill of individual. Personal interview- This step refers to one-to one interview or in depth conversation with the selected individuals. Selection decision- This is a vital step where the organization takes the final decision of those applicants who have passed the above test. Physical examination- The selected candidate undergoes physical fitness examination before making final selection. Final selection Aptitude test is appropriate for measuring the capabilities of candidates while recruiting them for this post. This is because this test is designed for assessing the candidates intellectual performance. It also helps the company in determining the applicants potential of learning in that particular area (Fullan, 2014). It also signifies the ability of individual for engaging successfully in any specialized activities within the organizations. Leadership skills is an important component in positioning managers for making decisions about the companys mission, goals and allocate the resources for achieving the directives. Few leadership skills include communication, creativity, trustworthiness, delegating, motivation etc. Likewise, leadership attributes includes inner qualities that includes values, characters, habits, styles, behaviors etc. The skills and attributes are needed in leadership as it helps in improving their ability to be innovative and proactive. Leadership Management Leadership is proactive It is based on verbal communication Leaders usually follow their instinct They gets authority from followers Management is reactive It is based on written communication Managers follow policies of company They gets authority from virtue of their position The managers should be comfortable with different style of leadership for various situations. Leadership can be of different style, which includes teamwork leadership, autocratic leadership, task oriented leadership, participatory leadership etc. Teamwork leadership helps in motivating team members for completing the project within time (Day, 2014). Autocratic leadership helps the manager in making the decision as well as directing subordinate for completing the project. Participatory leadership coordinates smaller groups in completing the task. Mark Zuckerberg uses positive as well as negative reinforcement for motivating their employees. Positive motivation method motivates employees in producing good quality work, while negative reinforcement motivates workers to stop their bad behavior. In addition, he motivates workers by giving verbal encouragement. Steve Jobs fits in the description of transactional leadership (Rees French, 2016). He motivates his employees by making them believe that they can create something new, providing good corporate culture, valuing experienced employees, reminds his employees that their work is impactful, rewarding them and making transport easier. Teamwork benefits the organization by improving their productivity, morale and quality of goods or service. An effective teamwork utilizes the talents of each individual team members, which in turn positively impacts on the performance of the company. It also increases efficiency in employees work and thus helps the organization in saving money. It also leads to better outcomes of business as it involves resources to stand against challenge. Working in team as leader increases the responsibility in work than working as team member. As a team leader, one must guide and motivate its team members for improving their performance in work (Anderson, 2016). The leader has the responsibility of creating positive environment in the workplace. On the other hand, working as team member it is necessary to perform the specific task successfully within specified time. The members working in an effective team share high commitment level in achieving the organizational goals. They also work together in integrated manner with high extent of awareness. Effective team also have high capability to solve the problems of organization. It also benefits the company by producing good quality outcomes. Planning for assessment of work planning involves establishment of methods to be implemented for completing the work. This method in turn is influenced by external as internal factors. In case of planning, it is vital to know companys priorities and resources. The factors that are involved in monitoring the work planning includes feedbacks from employees, pace towards work progress , time frame, cost-effectiveness etc. For assessing the development requirements of the supervisor, it is necessary to review the job descriptions by personally contacting them, noting their attitude and collecting more information about them (Anderson, 2016) . After collecting it, they must be analyzed by supervisor. Moreover , the employees who is shifted to another department of which he has little understanding, it is necessary to provide them proper training as well as development. The outcome of assessing development needs , the training process must be properly planned and executed. The success in process of task assessment helps to know what resources and methods are related to that specific task. It also helps the individuals in evaluating the contributing factors that creates negativity in task. It also facilitates the organization in evaluating exact information for parameters that are related to this task. References Anderson, D. L. (2016).Organization development: The process of leading organizational change. Sage Publications. Day, R. D. (2014).Leading and managing people in the dynamic organization. Psychology Press. Fullan, M. (2014).Leading in a culture of change personal action guide and workbook. John Wiley Sons. Rees, G., French, R. (Eds.). (2016).Leading, managing and developing people. Kogan Page Publishers.

Year Round Education Essays - Youth, , Term Papers

Year Round Education Imagine a child, on a hot summer day... no baseball, no swimming, no picnics or amusement park rides. Instead of spending time doing all of the things kids like to during summer vacations, this child, is attending school. Year round education (YRE) has been around since 1904, with 3,000 schools and 2 million students currently using the program (National Association). Students in year round schools go to school the same 180 days that traditional schools attend. In YRE, the summer vacation is eliminated, replacing it with shorter, more frequent breaks. There is a number of ways the year round school can operate, including: 90/30, 45/15, and 60/20. The most popular of these calendars is the 45/15, where the year is divided into 4 nine week terms, separated by 4 three week vacations (National Association). YRE has been a debated issue in education almost since it began. Supporters of YRE say this schedule improves the learning process. The biggest debate, however, comes from the parents and teachers who believe there are no proven studies that YRE helps the learning process at all. So, is year round schooling a good choice for the education of your children? YRE will not only hurt the education system, but it will create chaos for the lives of the students attending and their families. Supporters of YRE believe year round schools are more cost effective than traditional schools. With population in some districts rising rapidly, YRE is said to reduce overcrowding of schools and classrooms. In many cases, school calendars are changed in response to population growth. By running schools all year, districts can pack in more students and postpone building new schools (Endless Summer). Supporters of YRE say that by staggering vacations and schedules, schools can increase capacity by 25-50 percent (Should Kids go). Supporters argue that the costs for the transition form a traditional calendar to year round schools are modest compared to the construction costs of new schools (Inger, Morton). However, those against YRE feel that expenses will only be reduced temporarily. According to a "Year Round Education Study" conducted by the Lewisville, Texas Independent School District, "Findings of a year-long study concluded that there is no financial benefit to operating a Single Track System. The system would cause a modest increase in operational expenses without providing any instructional benefits" (Time to Learn). In Iowa, the Carroll School Board found that the costs of the district moving to a year round education system could range from $16,786 to $32,412. Taylor Elementary School, in Cedar Rapids, spends more money according to the classroom teachers that any other elementary school. Schools in Davenport reported that the switch to YRE will cost an additional $36,000 in salaries, $3000 per year for equipment, and supplies, and $22,300 as a one time expense for teacher training. Plus, the move to YRE would also cost the district an extra $92,626 to fully air condition the school building. In Des Moines, Moulten schools spend about $80,000 annually for year round schooling. If YRE were implemented, Indianola school districts would spend an additional $3,655 for middle school and $5,000 for elementary school to pay for the additional secretarial, administrative, and custodial time during the summer (Time to Learn). Costs will not only be incurred with the schools, but also with the state and with taxpayers. Cost savings for one of these groups may create cost increases for the other (Naylor, Charlie). Contrary to what supporters of YRE claim, there are definitely extra costs to implementing and maintaining a year round education system. Supporters of YRE say that year round schools would promote continuous learning. The belief is that students forget a lot of what they learn while on long summer vacations. This is seen more in slower learning students and for those who know English as their second language. It is also thought that because students retain more when the learning process is interrupted for only short periods of time, teachers in year round schools need to spend less time reviewing pre-vacation material (Inger, Morton). Although this seems true, opponents believe that there is research that needs to be addressed. Mary Lee Smith and Gene V. Glass have done extensive research in year round schools since 1974. In a study conducted by Smith and Glass, in a school district in Colorado, the learning loss in the students was evaluated. They found that although teachers in year round schools spent less time reviewing pre-vacation material than teachers in traditional schools did, the actual achievement differences were insignificant on tests designed specifically

Free Essays on Blaise Pascal

Blaise Pascal was a great mathematician who lived in 17th Century France. His mother was Antoinette Begon; she died when Blaise was three. His father, Etienne took the responsibility of bringing him up. Pascal had two sisters, Gilberte and Jacqueline. Pascal began his studies in 1635 with his reading of Euclid’s Elements and mastered them by age 12. This won the boy respect for his great talent in mathematics. Pascal in fact did not attend school; instead, Etienne brought him to lectures and mathematical gatherings at the â€Å"Academie Parsienne† nearly from its founding. At the early age of 16, Pascal began to play an active role in â€Å"Academie Parisienne†. There, Pascal became the principal disciple of Girard Desargues, a professor working there because he was the only one who appreciated his work in geometry. Pascal began work on conics and published several papers to do with geometry. In fact, in June 1639, Pascal has already made a significant discovery with his â€Å"mystical hexagram†. In 1641, he began to suffer from problems of health that delayed his research for a year, but he recovered and continued his work. In 1642, Pascal began to create a machine that would be similar to an everyday calculator to help his father with his accounting job. His first attempts were failures and Pascal was discouraged from working on the project for many years. He returned to it in 1644 because of the encouragement of many people. He finished the final model in 1645 after going through more than 50 incarnations of the design, he finished the final model in 1645, Pascal himself did the selling with a few associates but because of it’s high price of and limited uses, sales were probably modest. He did present one to Queen Christina of Sweden and he was allowed a monopoly over it by royal decree. Although Pascal had been raised as a Catholic, later in his life, Pascal had been converted to Jansenism in 1646 and moved to a monastery i... Free Essays on Blaise Pascal Free Essays on Blaise Pascal Blaise Pascal was a great mathematician who lived in 17th Century France. His mother was Antoinette Begon; she died when Blaise was three. His father, Etienne took the responsibility of bringing him up. Pascal had two sisters, Gilberte and Jacqueline. Pascal began his studies in 1635 with his reading of Euclid’s Elements and mastered them by age 12. This won the boy respect for his great talent in mathematics. Pascal in fact did not attend school; instead, Etienne brought him to lectures and mathematical gatherings at the â€Å"Academie Parsienne† nearly from its founding. At the early age of 16, Pascal began to play an active role in â€Å"Academie Parisienne†. There, Pascal became the principal disciple of Girard Desargues, a professor working there because he was the only one who appreciated his work in geometry. Pascal began work on conics and published several papers to do with geometry. In fact, in June 1639, Pascal has already made a significant discovery with his â€Å"mystical hexagram†. In 1641, he began to suffer from problems of health that delayed his research for a year, but he recovered and continued his work. In 1642, Pascal began to create a machine that would be similar to an everyday calculator to help his father with his accounting job. His first attempts were failures and Pascal was discouraged from working on the project for many years. He returned to it in 1644 because of the encouragement of many people. He finished the final model in 1645 after going through more than 50 incarnations of the design, he finished the final model in 1645, Pascal himself did the selling with a few associates but because of it’s high price of and limited uses, sales were probably modest. He did present one to Queen Christina of Sweden and he was allowed a monopoly over it by royal decree. Although Pascal had been raised as a Catholic, later in his life, Pascal had been converted to Jansenism in 1646 and moved to a monastery i...

Marx's objectives to individual rights Research Paper

Marx's objectives to individual rights - Research Paper Example However, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels are convinced otherwise, affirming that bourgeois private property is the 'final and most complete expression of the system of producing and appropriating products, that is based on class antagonisms, on the exploitation of the many by the few'. 1 For them capitalism, which is based on the right to own private property, is beneficial only to the select few capitalists - or the bourgeoisie - who reap their benefits from the exploitation of the wage earners, the proletariat. For Marx and Engels, at least, private property rights protect the freedom of some but not only deny the freedom, but results in the exploitation, of many others. To understand this argument, it is necessary to have a first look at the basis of Marx's theory. Marx strongly believed that capitalist society consisted of two classes, the bourgeoisie, or the ruling class, and the proletariat, who are the exploited class: "To maintain its own existence private property must also m aintain the existence of the property - less working class needed to run the factories. The proletariat is compelled, however, to abolish itself on account of its miserable condition. This will require the abolition of private property - both disappear in a new synthesis that will resolve the contradiction." 2 Marx and Bourgeois Freedom The employers, or the bourgeoisie, build up their wealth through the exploitation of their workers. Under capitalism workers essentially 'own' their own labor which in one respect makes them 'free'. However, although the workers are in charge of their own labor power, in the sense that it is not owned by a master or land owner, they are not free as they are forced to sell it out in order to survive. Instead of owning the product of their own labor, this instead goes to the capitalists who in turn retain a certain amount of the value of the product for themselves and their investment. Thus capital can be defined as accumulated labor. The more Capital grows the more small businesses are put out of production. In turn they are then forced to sell their labor on the market and "all these sink gradually into the proletariat".3 So the underclass grows as more people are forced to sell their labor on the market and as a consequence the average wage is lowered, as there is more demand for less work. Marx, in justifying his position in the communist manifesto, claims that it is each person’s inalienable right to sell his or her labor at its true value, rather than at a value specified by those with a closer relationship to the means of production. Marx condemns the capitalist society for its maxim of 'Greed is good'. His fear for those who are materially deficient in terms of property, relying solely on their own labor value, lies in the inherent necessity in a capitalist society for the owners of production to secure property for themselves, ensuring their own livelihood whilst falling prey, at the laborers' expense, to the rava ges of greed. The end result of this, Marx argues, is that the proletariat misses out while the bourgeoisie takes all. 4 Yet those in support of capitalism argue that it is not the capitalists who are the main consumers, and thus accumulators, it is the common wage-laborer. Wages

The Importance of Providing a Quality-learning Environment for a Essay

The Importance of Providing a Quality-learning Environment for a Person with MDVI - Essay Example Teachers and families of MDVI children have a significant role to play in partnership with other organizations as early as childhood (LaVenture, 2007). Most importantly, role models should be available in this environment to help people with MDVI understand how they fit in the local society. They can be taught to work in teams and to sustain friendships. Providing a favorable environment will help these challenged individuals to overcome social awkwardness, protect themselves, and to ensure they realize their sexuality where necessary. Sarah is a twenty one year old adult with CHARGE syndrome. She has coloboma in her right eye and micropthalmia in her left. Sarah has a moderate hearing impairment and uses Makaton to communicate. She is very social and loves being around people. She has a moderate learning disability and as she has eating difficulties, her food intake needs to be monitored. Due to a heart condition, she missed a lot of schooling. Despite poor balance, Sarah likes to walk independently but when tired needs the use of her wheelchair. She is able to orientate herself well in her classroom/workshop but can get easily lost once outside. From this case study, Sarah is a MDVI young woman, who seems to associate easily with people and thus there is a high chance of her learning with ease. However, much has to be done to ensure that she takes meals and to encourage her do some activities on her own. The most motivating feature about her is that she is able to orient herself precisely in her classroom, meaning that she can develop knowledge and skills to enable her pursue her studies further. When working with people with such impairments, multidisciplinary teams such as teachers need to consider several principles such as demonstrating a number of academic studies and writing skills that are most consistent to their physical challenge.  

What Is The Pre Modern Society?

What Is The Pre Modern Society? Human history can be divided into three phases: pre-modern, modern and post modern. There is no definite beginning or end to each of these phases; rather they merge into one another, as not all societies moved forward at the same time. Sociology and modernity have been described as closely intertwined, but it has also been argued that sociology is a product of modernity. Sociology came out of something described by Polanyi (1973) as the Great Transformation, a term which refers to social, economic, political and cultural changes, which were the cause of new forms of social life. During this piece I will discuss pre- modern society, the impact industrialisation had on society and why the study of this era is important for sociology. What is Pre- modern Society? In pre-modern society, work was not highly specialised and the number of roles necessary to produce things were relatively small, therefore the division of labour was simple when compared to modern societies. Most of the labour forces engaged in agricultural activity and produced food through subsistence farming. The majority of pre-industrial groups had standards of living not much above survival, meaning most of the population were focused on producing only enough goods for means of survival. The term pre- modern, covers a number of different societal forms: hunter-gatherer, agrarian, horticultural, pastoral and non-industrial. Pre-modern social forms have now virtually disappeared, although they are still in existence in some of todays societies. An example of a hunter- gatherer society that exists today is the Inuit people, who inhabit northern Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. Due to the lack of vegetation in these areas of the world, most Inuit people live on a diet of meat. Many Arctic people are extremely mobile like the feudal societies of pre- modern times, and travel around the land, often moving with the seasons, in pursuit of migratory animals. Hunting and gathering societies hunt animals and gather vegetation in order to survive. All humans were hunters and gatherers up until around 12,000 years ago, and although, these societies still exist today in some parts of the world, they are in fast decline as they are being taken over by the advance of industrial society (Macionis J. Plummer K, 2005, p.75). Hunting and gathering societies began to turn into horticultural and pastoral societies after new technology was introduced. People began to use hand tools to help them to farm the land and to work the soil in order to sow seeds. Societies living in mountainous or parched regions turned to pastoralism which is based on the domestication of animals. Some societies combined the two technologies so they could produce a variety of foods. Agrarian societies came about with the discovery of large scale farming, which involved using ploughs which were harnessed to animals. Farmers could work larger plots of land unlike the horticulturists who worked garden sized plots of land. Agrarian societies began to permanently settle and created large food surplus, which they could now transport using animal powered wagons. Increased food production provided societies with surplus materials, which meant the build up of storable produce. This represented a cultural advance for civilisation. With the development of storage, in some rare cases came some social unrest, as what could be stored could also be stolen, although is thought that in pre- modern times there was very little deviance, as communities were extremely close knit and everybody knew each other. This new technology could have also created social inequality as some families produced more goods than others. The families producing more food may have assumed positions of a uthority and privilege. Industrialisation and the making of Modern Society: In order to understand why the study of pre- modern times is vital to sociology, it is important to look to the Industrial Revolution, as this was a time of great change for European society, and the crossing over from pre- modern to modern society. Industrialisation is the process whereby social and economic change transforms a pre- industrial society into an industrial one. Until industrialism the main source of energy was humans and animals, where as mills and factories now used water, and later steam, to power machinery. Industrialism is technology that powers sophisticated machinery with advanced sources of energy (Macionis J. Plummer K, 2005, p.79). During the Industrial revolution, an economy based on manual labour was replaced by one taken over by industry and the manufacture of machinery. Rapid industrialisation cost many craft workers their jobs and scores of weavers also found themselves unemployed as they could not compete with machinery. Many unemployed workers turned their anger towards the machines that had taken their jobs and began destroying factories and machinery. These activists became known as Luddites and became extremely popular. The British government took drastic measures against the Luddites using the army to protect the factories. The Industrial Revolution also saw the emergence of class, urbanisation and the bad conditions in which people had to live and work. Marxism essentially began as a reaction to the Industrial Revolution. As the Industrial Revolution progressed so did the gap between class structures. According to Karl Marx, industrialisation polarised society into the bourgeoisie, and the much larger proletariat. Ordinary working people found increased opportunity for employment in the mills and factories and in some cases had no choice but to move to the towns and cities in search of work. By the early 1900s up to eighty per cent of the population of Britain lived in urban centres (Kumar, 1978, cited in Bilton et al, p.28). Using the clock to time ones self, as a basis of social organisation, was an indicator of the emergence of a modern society. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries both agricultural and manufacturing labour became set by the clock in a way that was very different to pre-modern production. In pre-modern times factors such as hours of daylight set work rhythms, whereas the factories were regulated by the clock, labour was synchronised and took place for a certain number of hours each day and on particular days of the week. For the factory owners and their employees, time now equalled money. The working conditions were often strict with long working hours and a pace that was set by machinery and production. With the Industrial Revolution came an increase in population. Education was still limited and therefore children were expected to work. Child labour was appealing to employers as it was cheaper than employing an adult yet productivity was similar. The machines did not require strength to operate and there were no experienced adult labourers as the system was completely new. The majority of ordinary people were greatly affected by capitalism and industrial production. By the late 1900s Englands Black Country was one of the most industrialised parts of the United Kingdom and in the 1830s was described in the following way; The earth seems to have turned inside out. The coal. is blazing on the surface by day and by night the country is flowing with fire, and the smoke of the ironworks hangs over it. There is a rumbling and clanking of iron forges and rolling mills. Workmen covered in smut, and with fierce white eyes, are seen moving amongst the glowing iron and dull thud of the forge-hammers. (Jennings,1985 p.165) Societies were changing faster than they had ever done before and industrial societies had transformed themselves more in a century than societies had for thousands of years before. In the 19th century the invention of the railway and steamships revolutionised transport and made the world feel much smaller than it had previously. The invention of Sociology was created out of concern for a rapidly changing industrial world (Macionis J. Plummer K, 2005). Conclusion: The transition from pre- modernity into modernity was important for sociology as people began to see that society was something important to study. Some argue that this was when sociology began as the emergence of modern societies created a new intellectual world aware of its surroundings and concerned with acquisition of knowledge. As modernity came about, changes in social attitudes within society occurred making society itself interesting to others. Unlike the static pre- modern society, modern societies appear to have created many different groups, causing new and interesting communications and interactions between people. In the pre- modern era, relationships between people in society were extremely similar and perhaps uneventful and society had been static, therefore sociology was not required.