A Reflection On Modern Medicine Essay

The Hippocratic Oath is a promise in essence â€Å"to do no harm† made by a new doctor before becoming a practicing physician. The oath has been a standard of the medical community for several centuries. It remains just as meaningful and valid today as when Hippocrates wrote it in 400 BC. Medical ethics in today’s modern society has become very blurry and hard to understand (Price 1). It is not the oath that has acquired a more complicated meaning. It is the practice of medicine that has become more complex. Presently, it is becoming increasingly more difficult for doctors to discern good medicine from bad medicine. In our current society political correctness, policy, and politics have come to define good medicine as opposed to what is best for the patient. Over a century ago, H. G. Wells was criticized for his novel The Island of Doctor Moreau written in 1896. Literary critics and the general public were appalled by the atrocities depicted in the text. Contemporary authors, physicians, and scientists could not fathom the cruel behavior of Doctor Moreau. And it was easy to see that Dr. Moreau was practicing bad medicine and had broken his vow ‘to do now harm. ’ The Island of Doctor Moreau was a novel written late in 1896 by H. G. Wells. The plot seems relatively simple and typical of a science fiction novel. A young civil servant is the sole survivor of shipwreck. He is found floating along side the island of Doctor Moreau who rescues him. The young man has no knowledge that Doctor Moreau has fled from his home nation fearing charges of animal cruelty. Upon first impressions, the young man falls in love with the island. Slowly he remembers stories about Dr. Moreau and the horrors he created. The lush fauna and sandy beaches are exciting and new to him. To paraphrase John S. Partington, in The Death of the Static: H. G. Wells and the Kinetic Utopia, Dr. Moreau’s island was like Eden, Dr. Moreau was God, and Prendick was like Adam. When curiosity gets the best of him he wanders deep into the overgrowth and what he finds there is deeply shocking. Doctor Moreau is using a process called vivisection to create a hybrid of animal and human. His research goal is to make man be absent of evil. In the end Moreau is killed and the young man, Prendick, escapes and lives to tell the tale. To gain a better understanding of the novel and the beliefs of H. G. Wells it is important to look at the prevailing scientific knowledge of the time in which the novel was written. The late 19th century was when Darwin first made known his theories of evolution and survival of the fittest. Darwin believed that all species including humans, change with time. In time when God was the creator of all, the idea of evolution and our link to other species was very disturbing to the general public. H. G. Wells was a contemporary writer of this time. In two of his most famous novels, The Time Machine and The Island of Doctor Moreau, he investigates the conflict between nature and God. In summary, H. G. Wells was not just an author but also a trained biologist. What could be more frightening than an island of beasts butchered by a mad scientist. Dr. Moreau does not just alter the bodies but using plastic surgery to make them appear human but also their minds (Mclean). He has them recite the laws he created. The gather together and chant â€Å"Not to go on all-fours; that is the Law. Are we not Men? † But that is not the worst of it. After the chanting of the Law comes the hymn of praise to their Creator: His is the House of Pain. His is the Hand that makes. His is the Hand that wounds. His is the Hand that heals. His is the lightning-flash. His is the deep salt sea. His are the stars in the sky†¦. To summarize Freeman Dyson point in his book titled Disturbing the Universe, a biologist like Wells has had to confront the idea, can the scientific community play god and if so, can they stay sane (Dyson 111). Can the scientific community remain objected and no let the power of life, death, and creation which is left in their hands go to their heads. If the answer is no, than the lesson is learned, and Dr. Moreau is what will be produced. A man who knows no ethical boundaries, who believes he is more powerful than God. Much of H. G. Wells writing explores the idea of what are the implications of modern biology gone wrong. By allowing people and animals to be altered, even if it is treatment for their â€Å"own good† the human race will loose two important anchors- our sense of identity, and the brotherhood of mankind. These two things keep us sane and of course any visitor to The Island of Dr. Moreau looses these completely. Certainly, Prendick does, he must fight for his life and kill, an activity he would never do had he not wandered upon the Doctor’s Island. The scientific community has come a long way since 1896. The knowledge of DNA, we know in detail how life is produced and reproduced. Whoever can read the DNA language can also learn to write it. Whoever learns to write the language will in time learn to design living creatures according to his whim. Presently, the public should fear not the crude Dr. Moreau’s with knives but the young, bright zoologist sitting at his computer cloning an extinct animal, or splicing genes in and out the human genome to create a superior human. Though it was science-fiction in 1896, Wells’ novel is frighteningly close to science today. The issues he pressed in this novel are still current. Even more so because the lines of what constitutes harm are very blurry. What Doctor Moreau did was wrong but aren’t plastic surgeons modern versions of Doctor Moreau? Except clients actually pay them to slice them up and make them more perfect humans. In 2003 there were 8. 7 million cosmetic plastic surgeries. This number is up 32% from 2002 (Hill). What Doctor Moreau did was wrong but aren’t therapists taking advantage of a nation’s worth of people who are â€Å"emotionally underdeveloped, psychically frail, and requiring the ministrations of mental health professionals to cope with life’s vicissitudes. Being â€Å"in touch with one’s feelings† and freely expressing them have become paramount personal virtues. Today-with a book for every ailment, a counselor for every crisis, a lawsuit for every grievance, and a TV show for every conceivable problem-we are at risk of degrading our native ability to cope with life’s challenges. † (Sommers). Is that any worse then Doctor Moreau solution of having his pseudo humans chant the rules of being human? Sally Satel who wrote Victimizing the ‘Victims’, which is the commentary exploring how political correctness in the medical profession is hindering the quality of patient care people receive. In summary Satel says, the goals of the public health sector have changed from using science to improve people’s lives to a â€Å"global ideology to manipulate the way people think about disease and its remedies. † The change is not for the better. Today, she argues, victimology is one of the biggest trends in medicine. There is a trend in the medical world to look at connection as the cause and make diagnoses accordingly. For example, it’s true that wealthier people tend to be healthier. But can you assume that poverty is responsible for higher levels of disease among the poor? Are the poor incapable of helping themselves? Well, yes, argue leading â€Å"indoctrinologists,† as Satel calls the backers of poltically correct medicine. Which is why two health experts could write in the American Journal for Public Health, â€Å"we must address the social inequalities that so reliably produce† these inequalities in health (Satel). HMO’s offer a similar problem. To paraphrase Sarah Cay Bradley viewpoint with the increase of HMO’s there has been a drastic decrease in how much Americans spend on healthcare, also decreasing is the quality of healthcare people are receiving. Doctors are forced to follow the rules of their demanding HMO partners. Even if what is in the best interest of the patient does not follow those rules. There are several cost effective policies that physicians are required to follow today. One concept is time is money, the quicker a doctor gets a patient out the more money that is saved. Doctors always seem to be in a hurry spending very little time actually speaking to their patients. Which can lead to misdiagnosis or overlooked health problems. Political correctness, policy, and politics drive the current scientific and medical communities. Instead of producing healthcare professionals who are compassionate and reflective, they produce professionals can simply follow instructions. Just because doctors today are following the rules set forth for them by insurance companies, and the government does not mean they are practicing good medicine. Perhaps they too, like Doctor Moreau, have forgotten their oath ‘to do no harm’ and replaced it with the creed ‘make more money. ’ In 1896 H. G. Wells, pondered in text, the â€Å"what ifs† of what could go wrong with modern medicine and science. The public rebuked his rather blunt commentary as foolishness and vulgarity. A hundred years later, Dr. Moreau has become the norm. Works Cited Dyson, Freeman. Disturbing the Universe. New York: Basic Books, 1979. Questia. 10 Dec. 2005 . Hill, Theresa. â€Å"More Than 8. 7M Cosmetic Plastic Surgeries in 2003, Up 32 Pct. Over 2002; For 12th Year, American Society of Plastic Surgeons Reports Statistics. † US New Wire Service. 8 March 2004. 09 Dec. 2005 . Mclean, Steven. â€Å"W. Warren Mclean. H. G. Wells: Traversing Time. † Utopian Studies 16. 2 (2005): 320+. Questia. 10 Dec. 2005 .

Belief Systems Essay

Belief systems and philosophies have greatly affected the people and societies where they are practiced. They give guidelines on how to live their lives and affect every aspect of their cultures. Two such belief systems and philosophies are Hinduism and Confucianism. Hinduism is a religion with no founder. The people who practice this religion believe in moksha and reincarnation. Moksha is the freedom from earthly desires and a complete understanding of the world. Reincarnation is the belief that people are reborn over and over again until achieving moksha. Whether or not they are born into a good life depends on their previous life’s karma (good or bad deeds). In Hinduism, they also have a caste system. It divides people into four social classes and hardly gives any social mobility at all. People are decided which class they belong to at birth. For example, if a child is born into a family of slaves, that child will be a slave for the rest of his life. Confucianism is a philosophy started by Confucius in China. In Confucianism, the people valued education and believed in filial piety, the respect for elders. They also believed in the spirits of ancestors and created the famous quote, â€Å"do not do unto others, what you would not want them to do unto you.† Hinduism and Confucianism greatly affected the people and societies they were practiced in. In Hinduism, because of the belief in reincarnation and karma, people avoided doing bad deeds. Those who achieved moksha gained a complete understanding of the world and got rid of their desires. However, the caste systems also introduced discrimination. People of different classes were treated differently. In Confucianism, it brought a sophisticated education system and people respected their elders. It also affected the roles of family members. For example, the oldest males were always considered the head the family. Therefore, it is evident that these belief systems had a tremendous impact upon the social standing and family relationships of the societies that practiced them. There are many diverse religions and philosophies that exist around the world. Many of these belief systems have deeply affected both the people and societies where they’re practiced. Two examples of these religions are Buddhism and Hinduism. Hinduism is believed to have been the oldest religion that still exists to this day. There is currently no known founder. It’s a polytheistic religion that has many major beliefs, such as reincarnation and karma. According to Hindi beliefs, what a person does in a lifetime affects what place in society that person will be in his or her next life. The many gods that Hindus believe in are all the faces and personalities of one god. Moksha is a worldly understanding that Hindus strive to attain. However, it’s believed to occur over many lifetimes, and is achieved through reincarnation, or rebirth. Buddhism is a polytheistic religion that is quite similar to Hinduism. It was founded by a man named Siddhartha Gautama, or the Buddha, the Enlightened one. Like Hindus, Buddhists believe in reincarnation and nirvana, a concept similar to moksha. They both deal with the concept of the understanding of life and the end of the cycle of reincarnation. While reaching Enlightenment, or wisdom, the Buddha founded the Four Noble Truths that state in order to achieve happiness and stop all suffering, one must give up all worldly attachments and desires by living a life of poverty. Unlike Hinduism, however, Buddhists reject the idea of the caste system, a division of social classes. Thus, the first followers of Buddhism were essentially people who were low socially, such as laborers and commoners. As Buddhism and Hinduism became harder and harder to follow, there were many changes made. Most Buddhists found it hard to give up all of their wants and desires. Two groups, the Theravada and Mahayana sects, were formed. The latter had provided salvation to all who followed it, and thus it became much more popular. The Theravada sect contained the people who followed the original teachings of the Buddha. In response to the rising popularity of Buddhism, Indian art was majorly affected. Sculptures of Buddha were common to see among merchants. As for Hinduism, despite the laws that forbid the isolation of people of lower class, the caste system still thrives in Indian society. In addition, a trend towards monotheism is currently occurring. In conclusion, the major religions of Buddhism and Hinduism have greatly affected the people and societies of the areas where they’re practiced. Belief systems and philosophies have deeply affected the world people and societies where they are practiced. Two such religions are Buddhism which started in India and Christianity which started in Rome. Buddhism was started by Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Buddha or the â€Å"enlightened one†. Buddhists believe in reincarnation, or re-birth after death. They thought that this was true for all living things; including animals. Buddhists also believe in giving up all self desires to help reach nirvana. This means that one cannot want anything and will then reach a state of perfect understanding and will become enlightened. The Buddhists followed the eight-fold path, or middle-way and the four noble truths. They believed that if you follow the four noble truths and the eight-fold path, you will be born again (reincarnation) and will reach nirvana. Lastly, they also believed in no social classes, so everyone was equal. This religion affected many people in many ways. It caused Buddhists to â€Å"be good† and follow the cold of law. The thought of no social classes also caused many people to convert to Buddhism causing the religion to spread as well as their ideas and practices. Another religion that greatly affected society is Christianity. All Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the only son of God and was born of the Virgin Mary. Also, he was sent to earth to spread the word of God and Christianity. Christians follow their code of law known as the 10 commandments. The 10 commandments tell one how to be a good Christian. Christians also their book the Bible and go to church every Sunday. Lastly, Christianity does not believe in any social classes. They believe that all people are created equal. Christianity provided a way of life, a close, loving, personal relationship with God, and eternal life after death (one goes to heaven; another belief). These three statements caused Christianity to spread and affect almost everyone in the world. Christianity is now the largest religion in the world. Christianity affected the world by spreading its ideas and influencing other religions. Many religions affected or still affect our world today. They may have affected people in their ideas, beliefs, practices, or even how they spread. If it wasn’t for all the different religions, our entire world would be different. Belief systems and philosophies have deeply affected the people and societies where they are practiced. Two such religions are Buddhism and Christianity. Beliefs Religious beliefs and practices have been around for a very long time, affecting societies and ways of life in positive ways. Two religions, that ironically both of their founders were raised to believe in other religions, that display this are Buddhism and Christianity. Starting with Buddhism, it was founded by Siddartha Gautama in India who was actually born Hindu. This is why Hinduism and Buddhism share a few common beliefs. One belief from Buddhism is the eightfold path. This is a guideline of how to live and act in daily life in order to achieve another belief, Nirvana. Nirvana is reached when you are released of all selfishness and worldly possessions. It is a state of understanding and happiness. They also, like Hinduism, believe in Karma which is what goes around comes around. Basically if you are bad it will come back at you. People who practice Buddhism are very peaceful and sometimes meditate. They live with harmony in hopes of achieving Nirvana and being reincarnated into a good next life. Like Buddhism, Christianity’s founder was not born Christian. The founder, Jesus Christ, was born Jewish in Israel. He is believed by all Christians to be the son of God. Christians are monotheistic, they believe in their one god, who is coincidentally named â€Å"God.† They believe in the 10 commandments, which, like the eightfold path, is a guideline for Christians to follow so the will go to the Golden Gate of Heaven. In Christianity, you must confess your sins so that you can be forgiven by God, because he forgives all. Christians live their lives doing good deeds, studying the Bible, and trying their best to follow the commandments. Christianity and Buddhism are actually similar; all religions are. Whether by guideline, language, place of origin, or beliefs they share in common goals. However, every single religion is alike in one way: they believe. Whether in one god or a hundred, they do believe and have faith that there is more than just this one life. Test Essay- Belief Systems Religions were and still are a major issue. Religion allows people to live better lives. It always affects the people or society in one way or another. Two of these major religions are Buddhism and Islam. Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Guatama (Buddha) has many beliefs. One of them is the Four Noble Truths, which states that the reasons for pain and suffering in the world are people’s selfish desires. One must give up all desires, through the assistance of the Eightfold Path. By following the Eightfold Path, one can achieve nirvana, wisdom and union with the Creator. Some of the aspects are right conduct, views, and concentration. Buddhism rejects the caste system. They believe in reincarnation, life after death. Buddhism definitely affected people. It allows people to be happy, non-violent, and tolerant. Buddhism also created monks and nuns. These people must learn to beg so that they could learn humility. They must live a life of poverty, and can’t marry. Islam was founded by Muhammad. Muslims believe that Muhammad was the last prophet. Their major god and only god is Allah. They also believe in the Five Pillars. This includes complete faith and trust in Allah, fasting, praying five times a day, almsgiving, and pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime. The Five Pillars can be compared to the Eightfold Path in the way it provides guidelines to achieve union with the Creator. Their holy book is the Quran, which gives them rules and regulations for moral conduct and behavior. Islam affects the people. Muslims must follow all Five Pillars to live right and go to heaven. They must follow the guidelines of the Quran. They must also celebrate Ramadan and fast. Religion is a major part of people’s lives. There are many different religions in the world today. Our religion basically makes us who we are. Belief systems and philosophies have deeply affected the people and societies where they are practiced. Buddhism and Judaism are only two of such belief systems that have made impacts on people. These religions not only affected the people in the religion, but their entire society. Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama- the Buddha. It is said that he had enlightenment and found out the cause of all suffering. This answer is called the Four Noble Truths. Essentially, Buddha said that the way to end all suffering is to detach from all selfish desires. The way to do this is to follow the Eight-Fold Path and the Middle Way – mid-way between self- denial and selfishness. This way, followers reach nirvana- a state of total understanding. People who follow Buddhism don’t recognize a caste system- so everyone is equal, unlike Hinduism- where Buddhism is derived from – which had people called â€Å"untouchables† who were considered unclean. Buddhism influenced the arts on the Silk Road Trade Routes. Statues of Buddha were placed along the roads and a lot of people learned about Buddhism while on these trade routes. Judaism was founded by Abraham- the father of the Hebrews. They are monotheistic and believe in God- Yahweh. It is written in the Torah- the Jews sacred scripture- that Yahweh directly spoke to Moses and gave a set of laws called the Ten Commandments, which are to guide the Jews to live a good life. Yahweh also established a covenant with his people, He would love and protect them and in return, they will follow his laws. Jews celebrated Passover to commemorate their freedom from slavery in Egypt and when God preserved their first born child. Jews, as a part of their laws, have to eat kosher foods. They can’t eat certain meats or mix certain foods together. Judaism was the first monotheistic religion to be established and laid the foundations for later monotheistic religions like Christianity and Islam. Judaism and Buddhism both had impacts on people and society in different ways. Either by laying foundations for future religions or being a place of relief for outcasts, they made a big impact. Belief Systems Throughout history, there have been many belief systems and philosophies. Some have died out, or become unpopular, such as many Greek polytheistic religions in the past. Others, such as Confucianism and Judaism, have lived on and affected the lives of many. Confucianism is a philosophy started by a wise teacher, Confucius, in China. By teaching his theories and ways, this philosophy came to conquer many people’s beliefs. Confucians believe greatly in familial respect, or the respect in families, especially for elders. Education was also greatly valued. They believed education and respect could greatly influence social order. With the social order gained, a strong government can be developed. Judaism, on the other hand, was a religion. It was said to be Abraham who started this religion. Jews believe in the concept of monotheism, or the belief in one God. In this case, their God is a loving god. Through their God, the Ten Commandments were given to them to follow. They based their ways of life on the Torah, in which concepts such as the Sabbath, and kosher foods, were also based on. These two belief systems had a strong worldwide hold on people. Confucianism became a major philosophy among many Asian countries, such as Taiwan and China. Great respect and education is still extremely important in daily life. There is even a Teacher’s Day to honor Confucius. Judaism also had a preserved effect on people. Judaism laid the first foundations for other religions, such as Christianity and Islam. They, too, believe in only one God. Unlike Confucianism, however, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, are spread all throughout the world. Now, history has moved on. Many ideas, cultures, and religions have risen and fallen. The concepts of Confucianism and Judaism, on the other hand, are still spreading and affecting the lives of many.

Religious belief and organizations Essay

Gender issues are a great importance in contemporary society and culture. Although they concern both men and women at present, gender studies are still mainly focused on women because women have been voiceless for so long. Feminism see religion as a product of patriarchy as it only serves the interest of men. Jean holm argues that all religion preaches equality but they do not practice it. This argument derived from her study of cotemporary religions which showed that women are subordinated to the role of men as they do not have a part to play in many religions. For example, in Japanese religions, the women arrange and organize public rituals, but only the men can take part in it. Thus showing devalued and important women are within religious organizations. A Marxist feminist DeBeauvoir believes that there must be a religion for women because if women have their own religion, they cannot be oppressed. So therefore, they have created a feminine bible, where everything is equal between both sexes. Sociologists such as Stark believe that women are physically deprived as they suffer more life crisis than men; so therefore, women are more likely to turn to God as someone that can help them. DeBeauvoir reinforces this statement by saying that religion gives a divine guardian that they long for and gives them hope for a better future in a sexless heaven. Meaning that religion gives women false consciousnesses by making them believe that women would be rewarded in heaven for their sufferings on earth and a heaven where there’s equality. However, Saadawi disagrees with the statement that religious teachings are the cause of the oppression and exploitation that women suffer, but blames the patriarchal system. She states that men have literally distorted religion especially in Islam, to socially control women and to serve their own interest, so religion isn’t the cause but the interpretation of it by men. Leila Badawi also sees Islam as positive as women have a choice over the three types of Islam and they get to keep their own names. Therefore Islam is not as strict and controlling as members of society put it out to be. Helen Watson justifies this by stating that wearing the veil is a political choice and wearing a veil can be seen as a positive thing to some women. This is because after interviewing some muslin women, Badawi came to a conclusion that muslin women are trying to take a stand against western culture. This is revealed when the women said that wearing the veil makes her proud of her religion and that it felt â€Å"liberating to have freedom of movement† as they can communicate with members of society without being on show. Sociologist Said, says that the west the west have created an orientalist discourse, justifying domination. So therefore, not all religions oppress and exploit women because some women do have a choice on certain things. An example would be Judaism as some women are now allowed to become rabbis and seikheism is now into equality and argues that women have choices.

10 things you learned about American history Essay

10 things you learned about American history - Essay Example The document had the traits of democratic principles the country would be based on. Signing of the Declaration marked the end of the war and signaled the desire of the former colony to build its own state. The declaration was a new phenomenon for its times and marked the end of the era of empires. 3. I learned different groups within the same society can have different views on the rights. In this view the history of Mexican-American War is significant because resulted in the acquisition of new territories and marked the nation’s potential for expansion. However, the war was very divisive both in Congress and the society. The war brought the problem of sectionalism to the surface. What is more, the debates in the Congress bore the seeds of growing tensions between northern and southern states concerning their different views on slavery. 4. I learned that from the start the concept of equality was important for the USA. The Civil War became the major conflict caused, among other factors, by the different views on the principles underlying the structure of the society, namely the belief that all men were born equal. The Civil War was the largest military conflict in the history of the country at the time. It was the first occasion when hostilities started because the nation itself was divided and not as a result of the aggression from the outside. For me the Civil War is significant because it led to the abolishment of slavery and the establishment of the society we know today. 5. I learned that in the modern world, there is no such thing as local war. In this view, World War II demonstrated that countries could no longer be isolated. Even though military aggression of Germany and Japan did not pose immediate threat to the US territory, the bombing of Pearl Harbor proved that Nazism endangered all the humanity and concerned every nation. The decision of the US to join the war marked the

Short Paper - ServeNow Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Short - ServeNow - Term Paper Example In order to facilitate the customers and to earn a dominant position in the market, many entrepreneurs aim at maintaining a chain of their business outlets. However this requires tremendous hard work but if their plan works then it yields numerous rewards not only for the entrepreneur but for all the stakeholders. I, being the small business consultant, Solange De Peres, have already advised my client Bushley, that he needs to hire new mangers as internal recruitment is not possible, because the existing staff does not possess the skills required for the vacant positions. In addition to this, I have also advised my client that he must hire those people who are not acquainted with store operations as this way they will spend more time in learning and gaining the experience with Bushley and will not think of changing their jobs quickly. However this will require a lot of time and efforts from my client in training his managerial force, but this can all be managed with the aid of technological good available in the market. I advise Bushley that he should prepare a detailed training program, explaining clearly about the stores’ operations. The training program should describe thoroughly about the responsibilities of each individual manager and how they could perform the respective tasks. After preparing this program Bushley can record it with the help of professional recording software programs such as Pro-tools or logics. Once the training has been recorded he can either upload it on his website, where all manager can have an individual access to it or he can make his account on YouTube and upload his training programs there. The recording software programs that I have mentioned above are the most widely used programs all over the world. They are extremely capable of catering to these professional needs very well. I recommend that Bushley should also consider the option of video conferencing in training his managerial force. Video

System architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

System architecture - Essay Example Dependant upon particular needs that the client inquired. Just like the colonel’s point of view on leadership features, Mr. Siegel requires the organization to promote real customer interactions, motivating staff to be able to each turn into a chief and be able to function separate, though right at the end to be able to integrate and act as a team. Mr. Siegel’s model helps bring about carrying out items correct initially (Evans, 2014). The particular colonel deals with the likelihood regarding chance concerning his / her company while using the expression â€Å"If that isn’t shattered, don’t repair it. † Given that they monitor the matter and maintain that wouldn’t certainly be an issue. Also the colonel emphasis on having excellent listening skills when involved with resolving conflicts among employees or dealing with customers needs. He supports the notion of leaders who also trust their employees. Also, good leaders should have the capability to delegate and empower others in the organization while still maintaining control of everything in the system. Also, the Colonel has his head continually â€Å"looking below the surface† in order to pinpoint situations that do not meet the leader’s standards. Mr. Siegel furthermore says the significance associated with splendid, crystal clear connect skills as well as the ability to focus on fine detail; often through jamming or watching. Moreover, Mr. Siegel’s builder emphasizes that will software has its disorders and this right supervision by itself will not always resolve the look issues (Evans, 2014). Evans, R. K., Hill, G. M., NASA Glenn Research Center,, & United States. (2014). Data acquisition system architecture and capabilities at NASA GRC Plum Brook Stations space environment test

Discussion #3 STAT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion #3 STAT - Essay Example All one needs to find a course or topic is either visit the site overview, or browse the courses by departments. Advanced search is another option that can be used to find a particular topic. â€Å"Probability and Statistics in Engineering† is one of the courses offered by MIT which makes part of the curriculum of the Civil and Environmental Engineering. Topics discussed in depth in this course include but are not limited to fundamentals of probability, conditional distributions, hypothesis testing and Bayesian analysis. â€Å"Introduction to Probability and Statistics† is one such course offered by this website that is most closely related to what we have studied in the course as it gives an insight into the basics of probability and statistics. Topics in this course include basic models of probability, confidence intervals and linear regression. The best feature of this website is that the course content is supported with exams as well as their solutions. In this sense, this website is a complete online source of

Google glasses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Google glasses - Essay Example This version is effective since it has a user practice that works easily under voice commands and touch. Based on the demand-pull inflation, Google glass has received a strong consumer demand due to its efficiency. The users are highly purchasing the Google glasses, and its sales have increased inevitably. This has improved the economy of Google glasses making it to have the attention of many users al over the world. In conclusion, according to the Ansoff strategy, the company has to undertake various steps to make sure that the consumers are aware of the product in the mark. When the Google glass products are introduced the market penetration is important since it captures the attention of customers from other products. This results to market development where different consumers are targeted for the Google glass products. When the products develop, the manufactures of Google glass have the advantage of producing new products since the consumers are aware. Through these strategies, the product will become diversified and the manufacturing firm is at a lower risk of losing market to its

Questions Chapter 5 & Chapter 6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Questions Chapter 5 & Chapter 6 - Assignment Example The companies would adopt globalization strategies when seeking to strengthen their position in the global market by increasing their market share and brand awareness. The process of a firm going global begins with export-import activity, then minimal change in operation or management, then direct overseas investment to be followed by the most involved phase of substantially increasing foreign investment. Therefore, companies globalize so as to benefit from technologies and industries from abroad. These reasons have been categorized as proactive or reactive or both by Pearce and Robinson (2012). Proactive reasons for globalization are the reasons that a company initiates and later on followed by other players in the industry. These reasons include search for additional resources, economies of scale, power and prestige, synergy, attraction by incentives, need for new and expanded markets, protection of home market and to exploit firm-specific advantages. On the other hand, companies c ould be driven by reactive reasons to globalize where a trend set by a competitor would be adopted. The reactive reasons for firms going global include trade barriers, international customer demand, international competition, chance and regulation. In spite of both reasons being practiced in the modern business environment, proactive reasons have been noted to yield more beneficial long-term returns. ... As such, plans to be adopted by the overseas markets would be developed at the home office using procedures and polices similar to those employed in the domestic market. Such firms would therefore have an international division or export department. When the culture of the country where strategy would be implemented dominates the decision making process, a polycentric orientation would be said to have applied. The domineering philosophy would be that the local techniques and personnel would be best suited to deal with the local market. Therefore, each subsidiary established in the overseas markets would operate independently with its own strategies. Thirdly, a regiocentric orientation perceives each region as a different market. It applies where the parent company attempts to blend its predispositions together with those of the region where the strategy would be implemented so as to reach a region-sensitive compromise. Objectives would be negotiated between the headquarters and the r egional headquarters and also between this regional headquarters and its subsidiaries. Finally, a geocentric orientation would adopt an approach of global systems in the process of decision making with the aim of achieving global integration. This perception of the entire world as one market enhances the development of standardized strategies that would project a uniform image for the products of the company and the company itself. 7.) Explain the control problems that are faced by global firms. One of the major problems facing global firms would be the fact that the adopted financial policies aim at furthering the goals and objectives of the

Comparing 2 articles and relating it to the study guide Essay

Comparing 2 articles and relating it to the study guide - Essay Example The researcher then needs to make significant decisions regarding the ontological, epistemological and mythological paradigms for the current study. It is based on the nature and type of the research question and research paradigms that a researcher chooses the most appropriate design frame, methods and techniques, and data production instruments for the study. It is worthwhile to analyse two research articles in terms of the above mentioned research decisions. The articles under consideration are the research studies of Hong (2012) and Lasky (2005). While Hong unearths the relationship between teacher resilience and psychological factors such as value, self-efficacy, beliefs and emotions Lasky attempts to examine teacher identity, agency and professional vulnerability in the context of secondary school reform. Thus the paper seeks to analyse the differences and similarities between the two articles against such research decisions as setting up the topic, the research question, scope and scale, paradigm and associated ontology, epistemology and methodology (with research design), and methods and data production instruments. Research decisions: 1. ... clearly identifies the gap in the existing literature and realizes that the existing research on shortage of beginning teachers only addressed external factors from an organizational perspective. Hong also sees the relationship between shortage of beginning teachers and teacher resilience while identifying the distinction between stayers and leavers in a school setting. Thus, the insights gained from the literature review prompts Hong to focus on the role of internal psychological factors such as self-efficacy, beliefs, values and emotions on teacher resilience and career decision-making. As such Hong’s research topic-Why do some beginning teachers leave the school, and others stay? Understanding teacher resilience through psychological lenses-is carefully chosen and sounds to be a good qualitative research topic. On the other hand, Lasky chooses his research topic from the complex fiscal restructuring, curricular reforms and new accountability systems implemented among the se condary schools in Ontario, Canada. The research problem is explicitly stated in the conceptual framework of the paper. Lasky holds that the emotions and professional identity of teachers change when socio-cultural changes occur in their immediate context. Lasky also points out that no previous studies have adequately addressed how teacher identity interacts with such reform mandates as in the secondary schools in Ontario. Similarly, the researcher also wants to probe into how secondary school reforms will contribute towards professional vulnerability of teachers using a sociocultural approach. Thus, Lasky’s research topic-A sociocultural approach to understanding teacher identity, agency and professional vulnerability in a context of secondary school reform-provides ample scope for a

Paralegal class assignmnet #5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Paralegal class assignmnet #5 - Assignment Example Although this decision is contrary to my understanding of the relative power of the Federal versus state government, it does not affect what I stand for. I disagree with this decision for I hold that the supremacy of the Supreme Court, as defined in Article III, gives it the jurisdiction over such a case. Q2: Natural law refers to the system of universal law that is determined by nature. In The Antelope case, the US Supreme Court examined the validity of the slave trade following the capture of a ship ferrying slaves from Africa. By the natural law, the slave trade is illegal for it denies human being of their freedom. In this case, however, the national legislation recognized the slaves as the legal properties of the Vessel crew. The positivist argument prevailed, and the judges held that the master was lawfully transporting his ‘possession. Although every judicial theory has unique advantages and limitations over the others, I find judicial restraint as the most appropriate approach for todays justice system. Judicial restraint encourages the judges to limit their power and influence and instead stick to the constitutional provisions. By strictly interpreting the legislations appropriately, judges live to the letter and spirit of the doctrine of separation of powers which defines the legislature as the law formulating body and not the judiciary. The use of marijuana has been illegal in several countries in the world. However, researchers have proved the medicinal value of this controversial plant. Studies have shown that bhang can be used as a painkiller and in the treatment of brain problems (Sharma 179). For this reason, bhang use should not be prohibited as it is the case in many countries. Q3: Deposition, Interrogatory and request for admission are the three primary methods of discovery that enables the party to the case exchange information

Victoria’s Motorcycle Licensing Program Essay Example for Free

Victoria’s Motorcycle Licensing Program Essay Within the past year, there have been 332 fatalities in Victoria; fourteen percent of this number is composed of motorcyclists, of which only seven percent carry a motorcycle driver’s license, according to the Transport Accident Commission’s most recent annual road toll (2008). The same source lists the following as the most usual causes of motorcycle crash accidents; drunk driving, driver fatigue, and speeding which are violations to the fairly basic road safety regulations that drivers are expected to know before being given a driver’s license. However, in this case, it appears that there is a need to re-assess Victoria’s current licensing program to answer the question: Is the current process for obtaining a motorcycle driver’s license in Victoria effective in promoting road safety? This proposal will be presented according to an Evaluation Plan template (Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology, n. d. ) which lists the following elements necessary in a successful program evaluation: a background of the program; a specification of the evaluation’s purpose; an outline of the limitations, ethical considerations, and decisions which the evaluation would affect; a list of evaluation questions expanding on the research question; and lastly a rationale of the methodology and sampling techniques that will be used. Background In 1938, the rising road toll in Victoria spurred the state to form a separate entity which would govern road safety management it was set back because of WWII but was picked up afterwards. This eventually led to the formation of VicRoads in 1989. At present, VicRoads is in charge of â€Å"Victoria’s arterial road network, implement road safety strategies and programs and provide vehicle registration† and providing the state with a driver licensing service (VicRoads, 2008). According to their website, the following requirements need to be fulfilled in order to qualify for a motorcycle license: 1. must be at least 18 years old 2. has a current learner’s permit for at least 3 months 3. has passed the eyesight test, motorcycle license skills assessment, and hazard perception test VicRoads currently employs 2700 people overseeing these functions. Purpose For the purpose of assessing the efficiency of Victoria’s current motorcycle licensing program a process-based evaluation â€Å"geared to fully understanding how it [program] works† (McNamaran, n. d. ), is the most logical choice. According to Rossi (1999): â€Å"Program process evaluation is a form of evaluation designed to describe how a program is operating and assess how well it performs its intended functions. It builds on program process theory which identifies the critical components, functions, and relationships assumed necessary for the program to be effective (p. 89). † Michael Quinn Patton’s Utilization Focused Evaluation Checklist (2002) would also be used as a guideline for program assessment, evaluator assessment, and identification of users which would also determine respondent sampling. The aim for this evaluation is to address the need for improving the licensing program as a tool for eliminating road risks caused by preventable human errors like driving under the influence coupled with or resulting in speeding and lack of physical control over vehicles. By delving into the process of licensing, program strengths and weaknesses may be specified. Limitations It is recognized that there are other factors contributing to the dangers associated with motorcycle driving. Assessing the licensing program merely gives us a place to start since the responsibility for determining who is fit to be behind the wheel on Victorian roads falls on license evaluators and service providers like VicRoads. It would also be difficult to achieve a completely objective assessment of the program since the methods suggested in the gathering of data will primarily be from observation and survey or interview questions which are largely subject to interpretation. Gathering a sample pool consisting of license test takers, evaluators, and licensed drivers would also be a challenge given the area of Victoria, the number of licensing centers, and the mobility of test takers. It will be of great importance to preserve an objective and unbiased perspective while conducting the evaluation to ensure the greatest reliability and validity possible. A method for data gathering would also be designed to allow other evaluators who wish to test the resulting data to replicate the exact methodology used. Ethics All participants in the evaluation would be promptly informed of the purposes of the evaluation. They would also have the option for anonymity if they wish to opt for such. Personal information would be kept under strict confidentiality. If a respondent wishes to discontinue or terminate participation at any time during the process evaluation, they have every right to do so as well. Details of the methods, expected results, and projected date of completion would be provided to all respondents. Before any interview, survey, or observation takes place, a consent form would be reviewed and signed by the respondent first. Permission for observation and data gathering would also be secured from VicRoads. Process evaluators would be instructed to keep all information VicRoads wishes to keep private confidential and would not be released to the public without written permission and consent from VicRoads. Decisions That Might Be Affected by This Evaluation’s Results Revisions to the current processes might result if the evaluation findings point to inefficiencies to the current processes and procedures or if an apparent dissatisfaction with the program is discovered. Both favorable and unfavorable outcomes are expected. For example, stricter implementations for restricting drivers with debilitating medical conditions might be taken by the community as a discrimination against disabled residents but educating the community against its possible dangers will most probably be taken reasonably. Explaining that an old man with poor eyesight poses a risk to pedestrians and other motorists when given license to drive on the road should be fairly easy to comprehend. It will also be a good venue for researchers and product developers to look into redesigning vehicles which more are forgiving to drivers would certain medical conditions and would enable them to continue driving without risking themselves or the community. Perhaps more frequent license renewal or application for ex-drink drivers and speeders who previously already had their license suspended or revoked should reduce the state’s problems with drink driving and speeding by making it particularly tedious or expensive to regain their right to driving on the road. This should of course be in collaboration with the states penalties for violators who drive without licenses. Evaluation Questions To give more definition to our research question about the effectiveness and efficiency of Victoria’s motorcycle licensing program, more specific questions have been listed below. The process evaluation aims to answer the following questions: 1. Since the implementation of Victoria’s motorcycle licensing program, has the number of the states motorcycle fatalities been lowered? 2. Do the tests and requirements for getting a motorcycle driver’s license prepare prospective drivers for Victorian roads by educating them of the state’s road regulations and road safety rules? 3. Are the current tests enough in screening a driver’s road competency? 4. The current tests are mostly skills assessment, shouldn’t there be a test designed to predict a driver’s emotional and intellectual stability that would screen out would-be drink drivers and speeders? How would license test takers react? 5. Are the tests objective, reliable, valid, and consistent? How does the current process prevent bias from affecting results? Are the same procedures followed for all centers and applied for each individual? 6. Do license test takers view the program as necessary? Do they approve of the process or are there improvements they would like to see made? Methodology Given the nature of the evaluation, the following methods will be used in the collection and gathering of data: acquiring statistical figures, implementing surveys and questionnaires, interviews, and first-hand observation. Acquiring statistical data about the number of motorcycle fatalities since 1989 when the licensing program was first implemented would be interpreted to determine if the program has been effective in lowering the states road toll. It would also determine what percentage of said fatalities is attributable to lack of education or human error. Surveys and questionnaires would be used for gathering personal information from license test takers especially on their opinions of the program’s relevance and effectiveness. It would also be used to ask for suggestions for improvement from the program’s end users. Interviews with the license evaluator in each of VicRoads’ licensing facilities would be done to acquire more insight to the actual process from the clients’ point of view. It also aims to get the license evaluator’s personal experiences and opinions regarding the licensing process. Lastly, on-site observations would be implemented to see the program in action first-hand. It will be used to evaluate the program’s reliability, validity, consistency, and objectivity. It will determine if there are differences in the practice between centers which would greatly affect a license test takers results. It would also try to measure effectiveness and see if the process is implemented as intended. Sample Choosing respondents would be done randomly for the test takers and licensed drivers. For license evaluators, however, since their number is relatively smaller than that of the license takers and drivers, the aim is to correspond with each evaluator in all of the licensing centers or if this is not possible, to interview with as many evaluators as permitted by the resources. Letters will be sent out to randomly selected licensed drivers with survey questionnaires attached. Instructions for sending responses back would also be detailed in the letter. For survey questions where the respondent’s answers are vague or unspecified, a call would be made for clarification. The aim for the sample population of license test takers should at least be thirty percent of the total number of test takers in the same time it takes to complete an application for a license up to the actual claiming of a motorcycle driver’s license. These respondents should be a healthy representation of each stage of the process: those who are about to apply for a license, those who are in the process of acquiring a license, and those who are there claiming their actual license. Survey Questions for Both License Test Takers and Licensed Drivers Not all questions need to be answered. Respondents would be asked to answer only questions which apply to them. 1. How do you rate the requirements needed for licensing? Do you think they are necessary and reasonable? 2. With the preparation you’ve been given before, after, and during the test, would you say you are confident with your driving competency? 3. Were you properly educated of the state’s road regulations and safety rules? 4. How would you react if the state required you to undergo psychological testing to measure your emotional and intellectual stability before granting you a motorcycle license? 5. Do you believe the test is fair and unbiased? If not, what led you to say so? 6. Is the licensing program contributing to the decrease in the number of crash fatalities? What would you suggest for improvements? Interview Questions for License Evaluators 1. How would you rate the program’s effectiveness? Is there anything you wish to improve? 2. How do you make sure that your basis for approving or denying an individual his motorcycle driver’s license is free from bias and is reliable and valid? Follow-up questions depending on the respondent’s answers would also be used to gain depth in the answer. Observation Guidelines 1. Compare the processes from center to center. Enumerate the steps and determine if there are delineations from the prescribed process. 2. Compare the implementation of tests for each individual test taker. Is everyone undergoing identical tests and procedures? 3. Pay attention to the interaction between the test taker and the evaluator. Does their relationship affect the license test result? Timeline The projected completion date for this process evaluation is six months, enough to cover all centers and complete the data gathering. Within the said time frame an analysis of data would be passed along with a prescription for action. The timeline should go as follows: †¢ Definition of evaluation plan and design †¢ State permission and random sample pool †¢ Simultaneous interviews, surveys, and observations †¢ Analysis of data †¢ Prescription for a plan of action References Davidson, E. J. (2004. ) Evaluation methodology basics: The nuts and bolts of sound evaluation. Sage. Retrieved on September 1, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://books. google. com/books? id=ePfuba9tDbECprintsec=frontcoverdq=evaluation+methodologysig=ACfU3U2xBnA9EO2s1nLt8by60FdZmv3y1g#PPR7,M1 Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology. (n. d. ) Evaluation plan template. Retrieved on September 1, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://it. coe. uga. edu ~treeves/edit8350/EPT. html Mcnamara, C. (n. d. ). Basic guide to program evaluation. Free Management Library. Retrieved on September 1, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://www. managementhelp. org/ evaluatn/fnl_eval. htm#anchor1575679 Patton, M. Q. (2002). Utilization-focused evaluations checklist. Evaluation Checklist Project. Retrieved on September 1, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://www. wmich. edu/ evalctr/checklists/ufe. pdf Rossi, P. H. , H. E. Freeman, et al. (1999). Evaluation: a systematic approach (6th ed. ). Thousand Oaks, Calif, Sage Publications Chapter 6

The Cost Leadership Strategy

The Cost Leadership Strategy From his literature research, Porter found the complete framework of Porters Five Forces and Generic Strategies. The long development of Five Forces Analysis has brought to the fact that those forces become the determinants of the industrys competition. These five forces are treat of new entry, rivalry among existing firms, treat from substitute products, bargaining power of buyers, and bargaining power of suppliers. Furthermore, five forces analysis is treated by the organization to measure the level of competition, besides that, it is used as a strong first step in understanding how one industry compares to another and also to determine industry profitability because they influence the prices, costs, and required investment of firm in an industry. In order to be competitive enough, a normal company that seeks profitability would have to understand how they work in its industry and how they affect the company in its particular situation. Therefore, Three Generic Strategies were implemented to establish a strategic agenda for dealing with these five forces. Porter (1980) proposes that if firms pursue any of his three recommended generic competitive strategies they will be able to outperform competitors who do not pursue such strategies. The recommended strategies are cost leadership, differentiation, and focus strategy. Cost Leadership Strategy This type of strategy meant for organizations that has goal to achieve the overall lowest cost structure in an industry. This can be fulfilled through applying efficient business system in an organization. An efficient business system creates cost efficiencies and economic of scales to allow a firm to become the lowest-cost producer. Normally, economists believed that an increase in accumulated experience of a firm in producing or distributing a product or service could decrease the cost of producing or distributing a product or service. However, lowest-cost structure cannot be achieved by cutting the cost alone in one area of business; it demands a reduction in costs on all the departments. Cost leadership not only helps a firm to take down the competitors but also increase market share along with better profit margins. Furthermore, this strategy is believed to work best in the certain circumstances. Firstly, the cost leadership strategy can be applied when the price competition among rival sellers is especially strong. Secondly, the strategy is suitable for standardized product or readily available from other sellers in the industry. Thirdly, it works best when organization could have few ways to achieve product differentiation, so that buyers get very sensitive to price differences. Unfortunately, this strategy has weakness since it concerns cost reduction rather than quality of the product that leads to decline in the popularity. It is also supported by the fact that nowadays customers are really critical about the quality of the product that makes more customers choose quality rather than cost conscious. In addition, this strategy will become ineffective with an increase in overall cost of a firms production inputs. Automatically, an organization will find it hard to hold a cost advantage over a longer time in business environment that keeps changing rapidly. Differentiation Strategy Nowadays business environment is really competitive, marketers cannot achieve its goals unless they hold some differential advantage over their rivals. In recent years, much attention has been committed by the marketers to maintain specific competencies; uniqueness could be a strength that makes an organization looks better from its competitors in the eyes of customers. Therefore, uniqueness can be used in gaining a competitive advantage. Obviously, the distinctive competencies also bring incremental value to the market offering when compared to the other offerings to the customers. In consequence, an organization must use different sources of differentiation at different times to build an importance image to its customers. For examples, better features and quality, efficient distribution, research and development, better image of product or service, and also the most important improved customer services. Marketers have realized how customer services could create the business image a nd also build the strong relationships with customers. In the opinion of Thompson and Strickland (1999, cited et Sahaf, 2008) differentiation strategies work best in the some markets circumstances where there are many ways to differentiate the companys offerings from that of rivals and many buyers perceive these differences as having value. In addition, it is also match with the market where buyer needs and uses of the item or service are diverse, few rival firms are following a similar differentiation approach, and technological chance is fast-paced and competition revolves around evolving product features. Although differentiation strategy looks perfect but it also gives some challenges to the organization to complete it. Firstly, it is a difficult task to identify the sources of differentiation that are important for the customers and difficult for the competitors to copy. This task is time consuming and not suitable to the business environment that rapidly changes. Secondly, many of people still prefer to buy low-priced products or services over the products that have desirable features since people have mindset why they should purchase the more expensive one if that the products do not give any incremental value for the customers in a firms market offering. Focus Strategy Focus strategy as suggested by Porter (1985, cited et Sahaf, 2008 ) is based upon the choice of a narrow competitive scope within an industry. By attempting this strategy, it means the organization tries to focus on a particular market segment and to achieve its objective by becoming the market leader in a niche market. The segment may be a group of customers that differentiated by ages and sex. It is believed that an organization can be more efficient and effective by focusing its efforts to a narrow target rather than broad target. Accordingly, this strategy has objective to employ either cost leadership strategy or differentiation strategy to a part of market. A cost focus strategy aims to lowering the prices of the product or service by controlling costs in a narrow target market. For example, a firm is able to be the low cost producer in only one product line. Meanwhile, a differentiation focus strategy means striving to tailor made products to the specific needs of the market s egment. Thus such a strategy could utilize some element of differences of firms market offering to a narrow market segment. For example, a firm may employ its distinctive competencies to focus on one or a few target markets. Thompson and Strickland (1999 cited Sahaf, 2008 ) added that focus strategy will be useful enough to apply on the following circumstances. Firstly, it works best when it has no other rival is attempting to specialize in the same target segment, added with the fact that is quite hard for multi-segment competitors to meet the specialized needs of the target market niche. This strategy also fits when a firm does not have sufficient resources or capabilities to go after a bigger piece of the total market so focus strategy will work well on this situation when it concerns on one market segment. Although the focus strategy looks popular among the organization over past decade, there are some risks that need to be considered if a organization commits to this strategy. Firstly, by focusing only to narrow target, the organization doesnt entitle to enjoy the benefits of the economy of scale that generally occurs in the wide target. Other risks come from the fact that the success of focus strategy over last few years has been attracting many rivals who may think to join the industry that resulting in an increase in the strength of competition. It is believed that an organization not only needs to have entire knowledge about the events and happenings in the industry but also requires choosing among the above mentioned three generic strategies in order to ensure a better marketing performance. Different strategies suggested by Porters generic model call for different organizational systems and capabilities. For example, organizations with adequate resources and good controlling systems may prefer to engage cost leadership and a firm with strong Research and Development facilities may get better results through differentiation strategy. Whereas a small firm with poor resources and inadequate RD facilities may be better off by serving niche markets, therefore, will be more comfortable with focus strategy. three generic strategies.jpg Relationship between Porters Generic Strategies Analysis and Industry Forces The three generic strategies suggested by Porter can be effectively utilised to defend against competitive forces in the business environment. The industry forces take the form of competitive rivalry, barriers to entry, threat of substitutes, buyer power and supplier power. The relationship will be explained below. 1. Competitive Rivalry Competitive rivalry or also called the competition among existing competitors takes many familiar action such as price discounting, launching new product, advertising campaigns, and service improvements. The competitive rivalry signs that it will limit the profitability of an industry because the cost of competition will tend to increase. Highly competitive rivalry normally occurs when the industry is a mature, growth slowly and the players that take part into the competition also have the same strength or size. The only way that company can expand or increase the market share is by attracting the customers so that customers could be commit and loyal. In such situation, the benefits of a cost leadership strategy would be that competitiveness in price. For example, Southwest Airlines Company offers low cost air fare to the customers by eliminating some features or services such as no meals on the board, no assigned seats, interline baggage checking, or premium classes of service. Thus, price tells everything that normally people who want to save cost will go for the lower price. Besides that, Southwests frequent departures and low fares attract price-sensitive customers who used to travel by bus or car, and convenience-oriented travellers who would choose a full-service airline on other routes. This is a proof that cost leadership strategy can be implemented in this type of industry, and resulting in good benefits to the companies. However, as competitors pay high attention to price, cost leadership strategy may not be a favourable as all companies would apply the same strategy too and it ends up by reducing their price dramatically. As such situation, differentiation strategy may give better opportunity to the company because it would able to retain loyal customers and they may stay with the company. The reason why it could retain some loyal customers is the task may seems hard to accomplish for competitors to cope with specialised needs of customers who are part of a niche segment in the market. For the example at here is Starbucks, is a well know coffee company that is differentiated by top of the line image and reputation of twin-tailed mermaid. Starbucks spends a lot of time and energy differentiating itself from the competition such as its design of coffee shops, the music played there and the types of products it sells, such as tumbler, coffee-brewing equipment and jazz CDs. As for focus strategy, companies have the benefits of keeping the differentiation-customers needs so that their rivals are not able to bet them. It cant be denied that companies who applying such strategy have the possibility to charge a premium price for superior quality or may be offering low price product to a small and special group of buyers. Companies like Chanel, Gucci, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts make use of successful differentiation-based focused strategies targeted at wealthy buyers wanting high quality of products and services with world-class attributes. 2. Barriers to Entry Industries that have potential ability to be profitable could attract the outsiders ( companies that dont involve in the particular industry) because there is chance of entering the industry and taking a part in the profit making. New entrants may create the competition, since it has targeted for the same customers that will lead to higher levels of marketing, sales, and promotional expenses by all competitors as the requirements for differentiation continually increase. If a company employing any one of the three strategies would find it easy to create barriers for new entrants. The barriers that cost leadership strategy could offer is economies of scale. It may be considered as one of the barriers. In some industries a companys ability to compete will based on whether it can produce its product or service at a cost that is low enough to offer low competitive price. The experience that company gain for over the years cant be defeated easily for new entrants to compete on price. For example, economies of scales can be found in practically every activity in the value chain; which ones are most important varies by industry. In microprocessors, incumbents such as Intel are protected by scale economies in research, chip fabrication, and consumer marketing. Intel has been dominating the market for a long time and it really difficult for a new entrant to enter because it will require large capital. For differentiation strategy, it is an advantage to the company who adopt this strategy because normally those companies have huge amount of loyal customers toward the companys brand. Thus by knowing this fact, it could discourage the potential entrants to enter the industry. For the instance take the trend of smartphone industry all over the world. This smartphone industry involves three major players that are Blackberrys Research In Motion (RIM), Googles Android, and Apples Iphone. New entrants do not dare to enter the market because they worry whether they are able to compete with the existing players. In addition, also companies that employing the focus strategy over time often develop an understanding through research of their customers preferences, which is a very difficult task for a potential entrant. By doing this way, focus strategy can act as an entry barrier too. 3. Threat of Substitutes Substitutes could have two effects on industry competition and profitability. First, the substitutes products establish a maximum price for products and services in the industry; exceeding the maximum would prompt customers to move to the substitute products that are available. Second, substitutes can shape the competition in an industry to rise their marketing and promotional efforts to stem the outflow of customers. Automatically, it gives pressure to the competitors in the industry to keep the prices as low as possible and to spend more much fund to attract and retain customers, which can depress sales and profits in the industry. For the example, downloading mp3 music to the mp3 player compared to buying CDs in music stores. In order to survive or fight this force, company could apply the cost leadership strategy that aims lower price production against the substitutes. Selling price is one of factors that influence the customers decision whether to purchase the product or service or just switch to the substitutes. Take IKEA as an example, IKEA offers the furniture style at low cost to the customers who are happy to do self service rather than employing a salesman. Furthermore, customers are expected to do their own pickup and delivery so that it helps cutting the selling price of the products. By doing so, IKEA can compete with its substitituttes and retain the customer loyalty. Other than cost leadership strategy, differentiation strategy may also be considered as the method to eliminate or minimize these threats of substitutes. If the companies offer products that are differentiated which have no substitute product, it will minimize the threat. For the example, pharmaceutical companies that offer patented drugs with distinctive medical benefits have more power over health maintenance organizations, hospitals, clinics, and other drug buyers such as drug companies. Also by applying differentiation-focused strategies, it does effectively reduce the threat of substitutes. Threat of substitutes is reduced in case of the differentiation-focused strategy due to customer loyalty to the unique aspects of a particular product or service. Again we can take IKEA as an example at this strategy; IKEA has differentiated its marketing strategy on how to attract the young customers. IKEAs marketing concept its unique and not offered in other furniture companies. IKEA displays every product it sells in room-like settings, so customers dont need a decorator to help them imagine how to put the pieces together. And every product has a tag that explains the product materials, size, and price. 4. Buyer Power In the business world, buyers play the main role in the existence of the organization. As we know, buyers action will affect the profitability of the industrys competitors with their purchase choices. The profitability levels in any industry come from the bargaining power that buyers have in purchasing services and products offered. Buyers may affect profitability by demanding that competitors spend money to deliver other valued dimensions such as improved product quality, extended payment terms, promotional support, and other services. Buyers can be said powerful if they have the ability to negotiate leverage relative to industry players, especially if they are price sensitive, using their influences primarily to pressure price reductions. Nevertheless, the buyers power is able to change because it depends with the three generic strategies. Company might attract the large and powerful buyer if the company adopting cost leaders because it has the distinctive capability to offer lower price options to that kind of buyers. It is a benefit to the company to be a cost leader in the industry, one of the benefits is to get customers trust and confidence to the company. Hence, the company can maintain its competitive advantage in the market as other rivals would not able to get strong and powerful buyers. On the contrary, companies employing the differentiation and focus strategies would have a different scenario. It means that buyers in case of these two strategies would have less power as there are few alternatives available to them. For the example, the buyers of Windows operating system for computer or laptop, produced by Microsoft have much less power due to the fact there are not many other alternatives available to them. Even, there is alternative, it is not common to use since people are comfortable using the Windows operating system. Thus, Microsoft not only maintains it competitive but also controlling the market of this industry that actually created the monopoly market. 5. Supplier Power Generally, suppliers that are called powerful will keep more of the value for themselves by charging higher prices, restricting quality or services, or shifting costs to industry participants. In addition, powerful suppliers can press profitability out of an industry that is unable to pass on cost increases in its own prices. At this case, again Microsoft could be a good example; it has contributed to the erosion of profitability among personal computer (PC) producers by increasing prices on operating systems. Definitely, the industry of PC is competing extremely for customers who can easily switch among the producers. As a result, PC producers at this situation have limited freedom to increase their prices. If the supplier has a significant impact on a companys profitability, then it hold substantial power. For example, there is no substitute for what the supplier group provides, the suppliers would have major power and control in the industry. Pilots unions, for example, exercise considerable supplier power over airlines partly because there is no good alternative to a well-trained pilot in the cockpit. Thus, it proves that such companies would have ability to pass the price increases of suppliers to their final customers, through the premium pricing strategy in the scenario of differentiation and focus/niche strategies. What makes differentiation and focus strategy different is the low volume that owned by employing focus strategy even though the firm that applying differentiation-focused strategy is able to pass on supplier price increases easily. Meanwhile in the case of cost leadership strategy, they are isolated from powerful supplier. It normally occurs in the industry that suppliers have essential customer. Hence, suppliers profitability will be closely tied to the industry, and they will want to protect the industry through reasonable pricing and assistance in activities like RD and lobbying (Porter, 1979). . Read more: http://www.ukessays.com/essays/housing/industry-forces-and-generic-strategies.php#ixzz2B36ZAXOp http://www.marketingteacher.com/image/content/five_forces.gif , http://www.managementstudyguide.com/porters-model-of-competetion.htm

Benefits And Barriers To Ehr Health And Social Care Essay

Benefits And Barriers To Ehr Health And Social Care Essay Health informatics is a multidisciplinary area which covers medicine, technology and people. The area puts an emphasis on implementation of information technology and computer science to health care to better manage it. E-health or electronic healthcare is a relatively new discipline introduced to improve patient care, shorten delay times, and prevent errors in clinical settings. Electronic health record (EHR) is an electronic record of patients medical history which includes but is not limited to medications, X-rays, allergies, immunizations etc often accessed by authorized personnel (doctors, nurses and pharmacists) at hospitals and clinics. This will replace paper and eliminate the need for manual paperwork which is unreliable and tedious. According to International Journal of Medical Informatics V. 78, By 2041, 22% of the Canadian population is expected to be aged 65 or over, up from 13% in 2001 (The Change Foundation, 2005). As the elderly population start to retire, the cost an d demand of healthcare increases drastically. This also increases the risks of diseases with aging such as type two diabetes, cardiovascular disease, different types of cancer, arthritis, Alzheimers disease and more. Thusly, new and efficient systems are needed for this to better handle this trend. EHR is necessary to fulfill the gaps between health supply and demand, it will benefit patients, health care personnel and improve health care system overall. There are both benefits and barriers to EHR; fortunately, there are ways to overcome the barriers and implement EHR in Canada. The main benefit of EHR for patients include the general improvement for quality of care by providing detailed information about patients medicine intake and history, consequently preventing errors in the future. Other benefits include the mobility of records from medical institutions, hence helping those in remote areas. There would also be fewer waiting times in emergency rooms and clinics since medical personnel have instant access to patients record. EHR also benefits healthcare providers and workers by reducing time spent on paperwork and increasing productivity; while providing efficient and comprehensive care to the patients. In spite of this, some critical barriers do prevent it from adoption. The major concern is privacy of patients records and security. Privacy is a very significant issue and individuals want their information to be in safe hands. O ther barriers include initial setup costs and training for new technologies. Overcoming these barriers will require time and incentives both from public and government which will be discussed later. In conclusion, implementing electronic health records in Canada and overcoming the barriers will benefit patients, healthcare personnel and improve the healthcare system overall. Background New technology has benefited humans to a great extent and EHR is certainly no exception. EHR has existed in Canada for a while but it is still not fully acknowledged by the public. There are television commercials from Canada Health Infoway promoting and raising awareness of EHR in Ontario and British Colombia. The Canadian government has dedicated $1.6 billion to Health Infoway whose objective is to implement a pan-Canadian EHR and provide records to all Canadians by 2015. Alberta has already launched a successful system called Netcare which lets physicians, hospitals and pharmacists access secured online system and observe patients health information. Netcare is one of the reasons why Alberta has the most efficient and best health care system in Canada. On the other hand, Ontario has recently suffered from an appalling scandal which resulted into an estimated $1 billion wasted. eHealth Ontario has come under criticism as well. In April 2009, the provinces opposition parties argued that the government wasted $647 million developing electronic health records before they shut down the SSHA only to start again from scratch with eHealth Ontario (CBC News, 2009). The Health ministry of Ontario needs to take responsibility, stop wasting taxpayers money and implement this system which is long overdue. Other countries have already introduced EHR, such as United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand. Canada and United States are still debating adoption and falling behind. Majority of the countries which have implemented EHR have national health insurance system which is funded through taxes, similar to Canada. Yet Canada is trailing behind due to ethical and political barriers. It is disappointing to some extent that Canada as a developed nation still lags behind other countries in health care advancements. Nonetheless, these barriers can be solved through increased funding, incentives and establishment of secure systems. How does EHR benefit patients and health care workers? Physicians will benefit greatly from EHR, according to the International Journal of Medical Informatics V. 76 A recent survey of U.S. primary care physician found that almost 75% indicated that these applications could reduce errors; 70% perceived IT as potentially increasing their productivity; over 60% indicated that IT tools have the potential to reduce costs and help patients assume more responsibility (J.G. Anderson/E.A. Balas, 2006). EHR helps medical staff keep track of patients prescribed medicines, previous health conditions, allergies and chronic diseases. This ensures physicians are fully aware of situation and can provide proper treatment with smaller chances of making errors. EHR provides access to current information at the point of care. It gives medical service providers access to key patient information along with online decision support and reference tools. It also helps reduce the possibility of medical errors, assists with compliance issues, and decreases the pote ntial for adverse drug reactions. Features like lab value trends and drug monographs also help with patient consultations. (Alberta Netcare, EHR). This benefits both physicians and patients. For example, if someone has a minor or major accident and is rushed to an emergency room for medical attention, the doctor is required to question the patient for previous medication, history, allergies etc. It is difficult for a patient to recall their history in such a state and is generally unable to communicate. This wastes time and becomes more likely for the doctor to misdiagnosis. According to Health Infoway, Right now in Canada, the lack of a comprehensive EHR system, for every 1,000: Hospital admissions, 75 people will suffer an adverse drug event; Patients with an ambulatory encounter, 20 will suffer a serious drug occurrence; Laboratory tests performed, up to 150 will be unnecessary; Emergency room visits, 320 patients will have an information gap, resulting in an average increased stay of 1.2 hours (Strasbourg, Health Infoway). If EHR were present, the doctor would have had instant access to patients medication history, allergies thus avoiding unnecessary testing. Also, i t would allow a quicker diagnosis with little or no mistakes. This will save great amount of time in emergency rooms therefore reducing lines and making health care system more efficient. Some hospitals in North America do possess EHR systems but its restricted to that specific institution. If EHR connections between hospitals and other medical institutions are established, it becomes easier for health care practitioners to assess patients and provide service. As a result, EHR allows medical professionals in remote areas to access information using network and vice versa. In conclusion, there are some major benefits to EHR which could provide assistance to Canadas healthcare system and improve quality of care. What are the barriers and risks? There are some significant barriers which prevent EHR from implementing in Ontario and other provinces. The main and most controversial barrier is privacy and security of patients health record. EHRs contain very personal important information about a patient which includes demographics, prescribed medicines, allergies, immunizations, lab tests, X-rays and other reports. It would be devastating and very dangerous if records fall into the wrong hands and/or are mistreated. There has been an incident where a patients privacy was not respected. A guilty plea and hefty fine for unauthorized access to personal health information sets a very important precedent for health care providers, says Information and Privacy Commissioner Frank Work. A medical office clerk from Calgary pleaded guilty to charges of improperly accessing another persons medical information, in contravention of the Health Information Act (HIA). The individual appeared in Calgary court Friday and was fined $10,000. This is the first time that charges have laid under the HIA. (Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, 2007) This creates fear in the minds of the public and privacy and security is at stake despite laws and regulations. These incidents are rare but they do expose the lack of privacy and vulnerability of EHR to disloyal employees. There are also claims that EHRs access to internet and broad systems make it vulnerable to hackers. Figure 1 shows different factors which affect the objective of implementation. (International journal of medical informatics V28) Another barrier to EHR is the initial setup costs and hiring/training staff for new technologies. Developing integrated organizations can be costly and require years before efficiencies are realized. Information technology supports integrated care as EHR allows physicians to access patient information through centralized network (Mary E. Wiktorowicz, p. 301). This can be very expensive because governments have to establish centralized system to store, protect and handle records. As mentioned earlier, vast amount of funding ($1 billion) for eHealth has already been wasted in Ontario and it will be more difficult for taxpayers to reimburse this especially during these harsh economic times. Great incentive and financial support is needed from public to accomplish this venture. All paper records have to be transformed into electronic which will be very time consuming. In conclusion, there are some significant barriers which hinder the implementation of EHR. Overcoming barriers As mentioned already, there are existing laws which already protect the privacy of Canadians. EHR must obey The Privacy Act whose purpose is to extend the present laws of Canada that protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by a government institution and that provide individuals with a right of access to that information (Privacy Act 1985, c. P-21). The Government of Canada and medical institution have a responsibility of protecting and insuring the security of medical records. Alberta has also introduced Health Information Act (HIA) which setup guidelines for both patients and health care workers. This act requires workers (authorized) to access files only when necessary and in professional manner. So far there has only been one situation which set a precedent and sent a serious message to all health care custodians and their employees. This is a very serious matter, and health care providers must know that surfing records for pe rsonal purposes will not be tolerated and individuals will be prosecuted (Wayne Wood, 2007). Medical personnel that violate policy and law are held criminally responsible and their jobs are taken away immediately. Thus it would not be wise for any staff to commit such actions which would cost them their jobs, salary or even end up in jail. EHR are still more secure than ordinary paper records. For example, in November 2008 a reporter of RTV West, a local Dutch radio network, asked for a copy of medical records in several hospitals and asked to fax them to his home. He easily got six out of eight requests without any questions. In the two other cases the hospitals solely requested a written permission (i.e. a signature) (Laurens J. van Baardewijk, Amsterdam Law Forum). This exposes the weak and unsecure system of paper records. Fax machines, telephone and mail systems are very unreliable. There have been numerous incidents involving paper medical records either used improperly by clinical staff or stolen by an intruder and used for unlawful purposes. This is due to lack of security and reliability of traditional paper records. On the other hand, EHR requires login information from health care professionals and authorization is required from patient and worker. All EHR systems are encrypted and only accessible to authori zed users (doctors, nurses, health care workers). Encryption is established into multiple layers which require multiple login sessions and online security monitoring. This makes it extremely difficult for hackers to access the system; consequently, EHR system is both safe and secure. Initial costs are very high and taxes have to increased once again to successful establish this system. An EHR system in Ontario does not necessarily have to cost a fortune, because they could simply borrow and emulate the system from other provinces such as Alberta. McMaster University has already developed a beta system for EHR in hospitals but Ministry of Health is not paying close attention. Nonetheless, EHR system will be established very soon throughout Canada and once its established, itll decrease medical costs by $6 billion. This will eventually decrease the amount of taxes issued significantly, especially in Ontario. It will also create new jobs in health informatics field and provide training to nurses and doctors. It is estimated around 40,000 new jobs will be created. The benefits of EHR are far greater than the risks and barriers. EHR will certainly benefit Canadians and improve our health care system. Conclusion EHR has benefits, barriers and risks, but it is now evident that the benefits outweigh the risks. EHR will be available to all Canadians soon in the future despite the barriers because as population increases, diseases increases and senior citizen population increases accordingly. Therefore, demand for health care rises as more people are waiting in lines for hospitals and clinics. Comprehensive and efficient EHR systems are very crucial to meet health demands of citizens. Some key benefits include the improvement of quality of care by providing information about history consequently preventing errors in the future. Other benefits include the mobility of records from medical institutions and reducing waiting times in emergency rooms and clinics since medical personnel have instant access to patients record. It also benefits health care providers and workers by reducing time spent on paperwork and increasing productivity while providing efficient and comprehensive care to the public. Privacy and security issues still remain; nonetheless, they will be resolved with new laws and technological improvements. Initial setup will be expensive but EHRs benefits are vital to Canadas health care system. Canada needs to catch up to other developed countries in health informatics and improve health care system. To conclude, implementing EHR in Canada will benefit patients, health care personnel and improve health care system overall.

Themes of Prejudice and Tolerance in To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. It is set in the 1930s, a time when racism was very prominent. Harper Lee emphasizes the themes of prejudice and tolerance in her novel through the use of her characters and their interactions within the Maycomb community. The narrator of the story, Scout, comes across many people and situations with prejudice and tolerance, as her father defends a black man. Racial prejudice is widespread in the county of Maycomb, and a prime example is the Tom Robinson case. Tom, a black man, was accused of raping Mayella, a white woman. Atticus puts forward all evidence from his witnesses that clearly proves Tom was innocent, Jem even says, ?and we?re gonna win Scout. I don?t see how we can?t? (pg 206), but Tom still received a ?Guilty? verdict. Atticus tried removing the prejudiced thoughts of the jurors by saying, the assumption - the evil assumption - that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings. (pg 208). Atticus? saying insinuated the point that all of God?s children were created equal. To the jury, the only important thing was that Tom was black and the accuser was white, he never stood a chance under those conditions. These racial tensions between blacks and whites had made their way into the courtroom, a place where everyone should receive a fair trial no matter what race or colour, but an unjust verdict was reached. The prejudice that was felt towards Tom made him lose all hope of freedom, and as a result, he died upon an escape attempt. Tom was victim of racial prejudice and loss of hope. The novel not only explores racial prejudice, but also prejudice against gender and social status. Maudie is a victim of prejudice agains... ... situation from their perspective, and in this case, Atticus reveals Mrs Dubose being a morphine addict. She wanted to die without having to rely on the drug and her escapades were what it easier. Jem and Scout understood the situation and learnt the importance of tolerance. The themes of prejudice and tolerance are conveyed strongly through the characters and their dilemmas. Jem and Scout learn of the prejudice of the town Maycomb to Atticus defending a black man, Tom Robinson. However, Miss Maudie, Calpurnia and several others show that not everyone in Maycomb are so judgemental. Jem and Scout also learn how to deal with situations sensibly from their father, they learn how to be tolerant. Thus, the novel?s characters demonstrate both prejudice and tolerance. Works Cited Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York City, NY: J.B.Lippincott Company, 2008.

The Godfather :: Film Review,Coppola, The Gangsters

Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather (1972) is among the best films ever produced. Consistently ranked as one of the top three films by the American Film institute, this gangster film sits among the likes of Citizen Kane (1941), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and the more recent Schindler’s List (1993) (American). When it was released, The Godfather was nominated for ten Academy Awards, and won three: Best Picture, Best Actor (Marlon Brando), and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film was adapted from the best-selling novel, with the same name, by Mario Puzo (Mast & Kawin, 332). The film takes place in a ten-year span between 1945 and 1955. It follows the Sicilian family headed by Vito Corleone who is played by Marlon Brando; Corleone is also the godfather or head of the Corleone Crime Family. Coppola’s film is not the first big screen version of a gangster film: Scarface (1933), The Public Enemy (1931), and Little Caesar (1931) are all pre-production code gangster films, but American Movie Classics’ Tim Dirks believes The Godfather â€Å"reinvented the gangster genre† (Dirks). Still, The Godfather’s has many similarities to pre-production code gangster films especially with its use of violence, and its portrayal of corruption of both the gangsters and the ‘good guys.’ The gangster films of the 30s and 40s had all but disappeared until The Godfather revived the genre. These films were not new to Hollywood: The Public Enemy (1931), Little Caesar (1930), and Scarface (1932), but the production code put an end to the style of the early gangster classics. Two production code principles for films made during its time, 1934-1967, were that â€Å"No picture should lower the moral standards of those who see it†¦the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin† and â€Å"[l]aw [†¦] must not be belittled, ridiculed, nor must a sentiment be created against it† (The Production code). These principles along with the film noir era essentially ended the way gangster films were made. Following the enforcement of the code, the focus shifted from the gangsters to the ‘good guys’ (Dirks). David Stirritt, film critic for the Christian Science Monitor, says Coppola’s film â€Å"revived the ga ngster genre† (Dirks). This revival helped other gangster films to make it to the big screen: Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas (1991) and Casino (1995), and Mike Newell’s Donnie Brasco (1997). The similarities between The Godfather and early gangster films are evident when they are compared.