iTUnes Essay

Abstract Since April 2003, iTunes Music Store has permitted the consumer to purchase music and digital books over the Internet with success. By 2005 their shares increase significantly as a result of their tremendous success. Their product became a platform for the digital music business to explode into the industry it is today. This also made digital music affordable to the consumer who may have gone to illegal downloads in the past which in turn ensured that the music industry was getting paid for their product as well. The $0.99 cents per song download provided $0.70 cents to be paid to the record companies and the remainder ($0.29 cents) was Apple profit. By August 2005, some of the larger record companies felt that their product was underpriced and requested that flexible prizes were instituted. However, this was not a shared opinion by all, the fear was that the market might not be stable enough to survive a price increase when illegal downloading was widespread. A price increase would encourage this type of activity to continue and no one would be making money. Due to its power, Apple kept the same prices, however by January 2008, Amazon.com entered the market place with a similar product without all of the restrictions that were placed on music in the iTunes Store. Questions 1)Provide an argument for why a variable pricing policy might increase the sales revenue from Apple’s Music Store (compared to the flat pricing policy). Life is complicated, but Apple Computer ‘s iTunes store is pretty simple: Download a song and pay $0.99 cents. In 2009, Apple announced that for the first time would allow beginning implementing variable pricing on the iTunes Music Store. Instead of a absolute $0.99 cent price point, record labels would now have the option to charge $1.29 for more popular songs and $0.69 for less popular tracks. It was not too long before almost every top song on iTunes jumped from $0.99 to $1.29. While most tracks that saw an increase in price suffered a small drop in sales, the $0.30 price difference more than made up for that fact, worked to increase overall revenues. Apples position during the time to increase the price of popular songs was global. Many of Apple’s products such as the iPod and laptops were sold all over the wo rld. The iTunes Music Store was highly successful, and has already  accomplished large user numbers. The change in price did not suggest a complete renovation in the way people downloaded and listened to their music. Also, Digital downloading of music is just one of the many markets that Apple has recruited into. Under a new pricing plan songs would cost depending on how desirable they are considered and having Apple such a market power, the new pricing strategy was another successful for the company. 2)Discuss other potential pricing policies that might increase the revenue from Music Store sales. With the increase in the demand for online-based music, Apple is likely to increase its prices to gain more from its products. The company cannot however enforce high prices on the consumers because the sale of online music is still in a changing stage. Apple could consider other pricing schemes like a bundle pricing where they combine popular and unpopular music or getting the latest popular music across genres. This could expand customer base to different genres and increase the sales of unpopular songs. The bundling strategy will help in increasing profits by extracting additional consumer surplus. They also could offer an entire group of songs, as a group, for a single price. The company could resort to sale of large music files such as MP3s, JPEG and MP4 and other music formats for various consumer needs (Brickley, Smith, & Zimmerman, 2009). 3)What are the risks and potential costs of implementing more sophisticated pricing schemes for the downloaded music? Sophisticated pricing tools are potentially available to provide a contrast to the uniform pricing model that used to implement iTunes. This sophisticated alternative tools may include song-specific pricing, pure bundling, mixed bundling, two-part tariffs among others that could be use to raise revenue. If firms have market power they can raise their prices without losing all customers to competitors. Firms have as ultimate objective to choose the pricing policy that boosts the value of the firm. Managers are trying all the time to devise a pricing policy that captures as much gain as possible catching costumer surplus as company profit. For managers and companies in general, only incremental prices matter in pricing decisions. As this case show, iTunes has certain power on their loyal costumers and confronting the risk of some decreases on sales, iTunes took the risk when they increase their  song’s prices and at the end, the most loyal costumers remained whit the company. The potential costs were evident when iTunes suffered at the first moments a fall in sales. Was very worrying that people were still able to download free music from other sites. Nevertheless, iTunes survived, and the company was still betting on iPods sales at the same time. 4)Is Apple’s pricing objective to maximize the revenue it receives from the sales of the downloaded music? Is this the objective of the major record companies? Explain. (Hint: review the revenue/product data from Apple ’s 10-K) Apple as all companies is interested in maximize its revenues, but it not its objective reach it trough the downloaded music pricing strategies which is the objective of the record companies. Apple is a successful company that has a lot of attractive products that convert all the costumers in loyal fans of Apple. The Company is confronted by aggressive competition in all areas of its business; the markets for the Company’s products and services are highly competitive. The Company’s competitors who sell mobile devices and personal computers based on other operating systems have aggressively cut prices and lowered their product margins to gain or maintain market share. However, Apple is focused on expanding its market opportunities related to personal computers and mobile communication and media devices. The Company believes it offers superior innovation and integration of the entire solution including the hardware (iPhone and iPod), software (iTunes), on line services (iCloud), and distribution of digital content and applications (iTunes Store). The Company’s ability to compete successfully depends heavily upon its ability to ensure a continual and timely flow of competitive products, services and technologies to the marketplace. The Company continues to develop new technologies to enhance existing products and to expand the range of its product offerings through research and development. On the other hand record companies are just interested in gaining the greatest among of money from each company that distribute the music on which they have rights, they matter is to collet the most possible from every song downloaded. 5)Do you think that Apple’s ability to control the pricing of downloaded music is likely to change in the future? Explain. My personal opinion is that Apple has a huge recognition all around the world. Apple has been able to achieve its position with prodigious skills in the market. Nowadays, as we all know, Apple has the most loyal costumers in  the world. Every single time that Apple launches a new product the most loyal costumers excited sleep for nights on the doors of the stores to be the first ones buying the new products that always offer the most cutting-edge advances in techn ology. I would say that Apple’s ability to control its prices related to downloaded music would not change too much in the next future. In deed, Apple has increasingly assumed the control of technological development in the industry. The Company is committed to bringing the best user experience to its customers through its innovative hardware, software and services. Apple is pioneered providing its customers new products and solutions with superior ease-of-use, seamless integration, and innovative design, every time getting closer to the wishes of consumers. As part of its strategy, the Company continues to expand its platform for the discovery and delivery of third-party digital content and applications through the iTunes Store allowing customers to discover and download applications and books through either a Mac or Windows-based computer. The Company’s strategy also includes expanding its distribution network to effectively reach more customers and provide them with a high-quality sales and post-sales support experience. As a customer of Apple is very difficult to see that for the near future the company may lose its ability to control the prices of their products. When people become a fan of Apple never more would pay a similar price for another technology more than Apple offers. That is the reality today.

Alarm over Dramatic Weakening of Gulf Stream Essay

Gulf Stream and the extension it has on Europe is said to be a powerful Atlantic current that has its origin in Gulf of Mexico all the way to Africa across the Atlantic Ocean. It is the one that influences the climate in the North American coast as well as the coast in Europe. It is also used as a source of renewable energy for the generation of power. Gulf Stream is a strong current that usually meets with other ocean currents and rain is formed. It also transports water in the form of waves and also helps the rivers that drain in the Atlantic Ocean. It forms rain as the current is able to cool the water that is draining in the Atlantic Ocean thus evaporation takes place and falls in form of rain. Since the current is the one that is controlling the climate in the region that it passes scientists have warned that there is evidence of its weakening. This means that there are areas that the current will cool thus preventing human activities from taking place. According to George et al 1995, this will lead to reduction of global warming in the future until 2015. This is evident as the warm water that comes from tropical Atlantic is cold when it gets to the north of Atlantic. This is not to say that the climate will change badly as it might be thought. According to the same source the Gulf Stream is said to have weakened in the past decades and this has been caused by global warming. The strength that the current has, when measured it has been found to slow by 30%. This has made the circulation to slow down and if it remains so the temperatures in some countries are likely to drop like in Britain. It is also not clear whether the weakening is long term or short term. The reason why temperatures are likely to change is because the current transports heat from regions that are equatorial to the circle of the Arctic. This makes the water in the surface to warm as the current releases the heat as it goes to the north where it is cold. Global warming affects the current by slowing it down. This is because global warming has caused melting of the water in the mountainous regions to melt and makes the water less saline thus cooling cannot take place. In Paris â€Å"Little Ice Age† that started in Europe is as a result of the weakening of the Gulf Stream. This is because there is warm water that enters River Thames and cannot allow it to cool to how it was in the past. This has also changed the weather in the region. The weakening has been explained in the British journal Nature. The Gulf Stream has been blamed because the warm water that it takes from the tropical regions to the coastline in Europe has cause severe weather changes in the regions that it passes through. There is also evidence in the sediment cores from where the Gulf Stream enters. There are planktons that are evident in these cores and this depends on the isotope that is present in oxygen. The isotope is dependant on the salinity of the water. This is what shows the density of the water in the sea. According to scientists there is evidence that there are changes that are taking place in the Gulf Stream. They say that if the Gulf Stream did not have any influence Britain and Siberia could have the same latitude. In the past Greenland Sea had dense water sinking but since today it meets the Gulf steam currents it warms up and the result is that the water becomes warm. This has caused the water to become warm and affect the animals that are present in the water. Chimneys are the dense water that used to sink and this has reduced and thus weakening the Gulf Stream current. The ice in the sea is said to be getting thinner and thinner. Other scientists from Cambridge University have confirmed the weakening of the Gulf Stream and that Europe is likely to be cold than in the past. This is because of the fact that the strength at which the current is flowing is slower than in the past. They have also said that the chimneys that were present in the Greenland Sea are no longer there. It is because of these chimneys that the world is experiencing the climatic changes that are taking place. They have also predicted that the waters are going to remain as they are and that temperature in Britain is going to drop in the next decade. (Taylor, et al, 1992 p. 920) The weakening of these temperatures is going to cause no melting of the snow that falls in countries like Finland and France. This will cause glaciations to begin because there will be an increase in the reflectivity of the planet. The Gulf currents is also said to affect the other currents that it meets as it travels. There are also some climatic changes that are likely to occur in the future but they are not known. It is also projected that the currents will continue to slow down in the future. Work Cited George, D. G. and A. H. Taylor, UK lake plankton and the Gulf Stream. Nature, 1995, 378, 139 Taylor, A. H. , Colebrook, J. M. , Stephens, J. A. and N. G. Baker, Latitudinal displacements of the Gulf Stream and the abundance of plankton in the north-east Atlantic. J. of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 1992, 72, 919-921.

The New Era after World War II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The New Era after World War II - Essay Example Both winners managed to contradict on the recent victorious battle on the Elbe by showing it from different perspectives and letting â€Å"coalition go to sunder†. Consequently, idealistic belief in international cooperation disappeared with the start of Cold War. On another hand, Churchill’s speech showed that all the actors in international relations seek for alliances. In fact, the spirit of this speech was to convince the American public that Soviet influence in Europe endangered the positions of both Britain and USA. In the given circumstances, Western countries should unite to resist. As a result, the rapid appearance of caricatures and public discussions let Soviet people say, â€Å"the old war is over, now the war with communism begins.† In order to sum up, it is evident that two World Wars did not teach the world to cooperate and prevent future conflicts. In this context, the very appearance of Cold War illustrates that rather realists than idealists wer e right on the nature and the balance of powers in international relations. Consequently, idealistic belief in international cooperation disappeared with the start of Cold War. On another hand, Churchill’s speech showed that all the actors in international relations seek for alliances. In fact, the spirit of this speech was to convince the American public that Soviet influence in Europe endangered the positions of both Britain and USA. In the given circumstances, Western countries should unite to resist. As a result, the rapid appearance of caricatures and public discussions let Soviet people say, â€Å"the old war is over, now the war with communism begins.† In order to sum up, it is evident that two World Wars did not teach the world to cooperate and prevent future conflicts. In this context, the very appearance of Cold War illustrates that rather realists than idealists were right on the nature and the balance of powers in international relations.

Personal Computers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Personal Computers - Essay Example Worldwide, PC sales totalled about 100 million in 2002 (Samuelson, Nordhaus 2003). In the wake of falling prices, PC industry has experienced a continuous boom. Today, PC has become an indispensable product. This paper will discuss the factors that have had an impact on the price pattern of this indispensable product. To do so, some basic concepts of economics will be introduced. A market is a mechanism through which buys and sellers interact to determine prices and exchange goods and services. Prices direct the decisions of consumers and producers in the market. Higher prices tend to reduce consumer purchases and encourage production. Contrariwise, lower prices encourage consumption and dampen production. Therefore, prices are the balance wheel of the market mechanism (Samuelson, Nordhaus 2003). The following graph justifies this concept: It is imperative that an accurate interpretation regarding changes in price and quantity of a particular product is done. This is because the change in quantity as a result of a change in price could be instigated from either the demand side or the supply side (McCain 1981). For example, if fewer airline tickets are sold, it could either mean that the airfares have surged or demand for travel has plummeted. Studying the price behaviour in conjunction with the quantity can sometimes lead to meaningful conclusions. This can be substantiated with a change in the price of bread leading to a change in quantity demanded. Rising price of bread leading to reduced sales suggests a decrease in supply and therefore, a change in the supply curve to the left. On the other hand, rising price of bread leading to a surge in sales indicates that demand has outweighed supply. In relation to demand and supply, it is important to introduce the concept of elasticity. Elasticity refers to the degree of responsiveness in supply or demand in relation to changes in price (McCain 1981). If demand is elastic, it means a small change in price will cause a significant change in demand. An inelastic demand, on the other hand, does not reveal the same characteristics. Following is a graphical representation of elasticity of demand: (http://www.sparknotes.com/economics/micro/elasticity/section1.html) Goods that have ready substitutes tend to have more elastic demand than those without any substitutes. Food, for example, is demand-inelastic as there is no substitute for it. So even if the prices do increase, there will be no effect on the quantity consumed. On the other hand, if price of coffee goes up, consumers have substitutes to choose from, like tea or cola and this may cause a drop in demand. Economic history indicates that the total output in the United States has increased tenfold over the last century. Much of this increase in output stems from the technological change which has improved productivity. An example of a technological change is when a firm adjusts its production process to reduce waste and increase output. This is termed as process innovation and it differs from product innovation whereby innovative products are introduced in the marketplace (Russell, Wilkinson 1979). Process

Esaay Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Esaay - Essay Example Kant comes up with another theory of mind. Here, Kant vividly rejects limitations posed by Hume on human knowledge claiming that mathematics gives us more knowledge regarding the empirical world. He also says that knowledge of facts is along the cause and effect relationship. The manner in which Kant circumvents the challenge by Hume is through coming up with new ways of embracing the workings of the mind. For this reason, Kant observes that human mind transforms information from noumena through turning it into substantial phenomena in help the mind process pure concepts regarding understanding. Copernicus adopted the alternative after seeing the impossibility of explaining the motion for heavenly bodies with reference to the supposition that such bodies moved across the earth as the immovable center (Gupta 78). This also included the supposition of all components to go around the sun. For this reason, Kant supposed on the contrary other than supposing man into moving around objects. He considered himself as the center where all other things moved round him. According to Kant, both empiricism and rationalism are wrong in claiming that human beings can possess all knowledge of things within themselves. Further, rationalists go wrong in not trusting senses within in the phenomenal world where senses form part of decision-making processes. Rationalists are in order are well within â€Å"innate ideas† even though not in sense of forms by Plato similar to the argument of the wax in Descartes. Hume is inaccurate as claims of self-concept are unsupported by senses (Lawhead 63). The experiencing self remains one of the pre-conditions in engaging such experiences (this way, Descartes was right). Kant adds that Hume was wrong in the perspective that the future resembles the past solely due to â€Å"habit and custom†. This way, morality provides the crucial linkage to the phenomenal worlds and noumenal. Kant is for the opinion that if morality is acceptable,

Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Religion - Essay Example This paper approves that morality is an important factor that has received a great deal of importance from scholars of Christian religion. At the same time it has also been argued that special importance on the moral issues is one the basic features of the Christian ethics and also has played remarkable role in wide acceptance of the religion across the globe. Compared to the early phase of developing Christianity as a universal religion, several changes have happened later on in the Christian outlook towards life and ethics. However, despite all such changes basic moral appeal of Christian ethics has remained unchanged. This essay makes a conclusion that compared to the early days of Christianity, interpretation and acceptance of Christian ethics did face a lot of negative influences. During the early days of establishment of the Church to the Medieval period, Christianity gradually became institutional rather than focusing on its ethical principles. Later on, the influence of Renaissance and active participation of Christian scholars like Luther and Calvin, the ethics of Christianity was restored. Till the age of Reformation to the Modern Christianity a lot of changes have been made to the ethical base of Christianity, but the core principles of ethics have remained unchanged. Consequently, following such humanitarian ethics help in spreading the scope of Christianity and its relevance in the modern social context.

Issue 9&10 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Issue 9 - Assignment Example The article further argues for an alternative point of view, which is not seeing the concept of effective leadership as gender-oriented instead of competency-oriented (Rao, 2012). HRM experts in companies who have set up opportunities for both men and women to debate serious leadership qualities have assisted them to grow into successful leaders. The representation of women as business leaders in numerous patriarchal cultures is skewed unequally. Issue 9 also includes a response from Ann Pomeroy, who essentially argues that yes, women make better business leaders than men. According to Pomeroy, organizations such as Safeway are making substantial progress in ensuring gender diversity in leading positions (Rao, 2012). Safeway’s diversity approach entails efficient communication, initiatives that concentrate on growing leadership skills, mentoring, and matching work and personal lives. A negative response by Herminia Ibarra and Otilia Obodaru is included in Issue 9, which contends that the assumption that women are underrepresented in leadership roles within organizations is wrong statistically. Ibarra and Obodaru used all-round evaluations for data gathered for five years and discovered that women in fact outdid men in many leadership degrees measured, despite them scoring lower than men did on â€Å"envisioning† (Rao, 2012). Issue 10 questions the existence of the glass ceiling in United States businesses (Rao, 2012). While also using report statistics to support this argument, this article compares their deductions. For instance, Issue 10 suggests that statistics are misleading because women still deal with invisible limits to grow into leaders in their respective professions. Reasons women face these invisible constraints include family responsibilities, career disruptions, inadequate socialization at work through old boys’ network, inability to relocate for career reasons, and an organization’s lack of stable

What you have learned about writing, and possibly reading, from this Essay

What you have learned about writing, and possibly reading, from this course( english academic communication - Essay Example Furthermore, English is my second language, and learning such skills was very challenging, but with the knowledge and skills that I was presented with in this course, I now have a deeper understanding of how to write more confidently. There are many different academic referencing styles in English essay writing. APA style format stands for the American Psychological Association. This style focuses on how to make the essay more organized and neat. This was the first element which I learned during the academic communication class. APA style has an easy format steps to follow in essay writing, such as using font size 12, double spaced, and a page header. Moreover, APA style paper should include four principal sections which are: title page, abstract, main body, and references. Secondly, writing an essay requires a long time so that a research can be done like finding information and ideas about the essay topic. I learned from the course how to find resource from books and websites. This helped me to write perfect sentences describing my ideas using examples. During the course I obtained knowledge how to write references and demonstrate which source the ideas I used are borrowed from. Thirdly, as mentioned earlier, English is my second language and it was hard for me to find appropriate vocabulary and write grammatically correct essays. The academic communication course taught me lots of new vocabulary and also improved my grammar skills. I can now apply the learned in this course and I am confident that I can correct my grammatical mistakes faster. I read through the text several times, as my professor had instructed me to. I try to read my essay professionally applying the strategies I learned during the class. In conclusion, I would like to point out that writing essays requires more skills than I previously thought. Students need to understand how to improve their writing abilities before the start of an academic course. I choose APA referencing

Abortion in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Abortion in America - Essay Example The first instance was of Connecticut which criminalized abortion in the year 1821. Even in the cases of rape and incest, filing a police first investigation report was a prerequisite. However a woman with the name of Norma L. Mcorvay filed a petition against the abortion laws which fueled up the great debate of pro-life vs. pro-choice In June 1969, Mcorvay found out that she was pregnant with her third child and immediately decided to have an abortion. However due to its criminalization she could not get it done at any hospital. She was advised to register as a rape victim, however it did not happen there was no police report about the alleged incident. In 1970, two lawyers by the name of Coffee and Weddington filed a petition against the laws criminalizing abortion. The lawyers represented Mccorvay under the alias of Jane Roe while the Texas state was represented by Henry Wade (Mohr). Before the start of the legal proceedings, Roe conceded that she had not been raped and that case was actually meant as a plea to grant freedom to women regarding their personal choices. After multiple hearings a decision was finally announced on January 22, 1973. The court made abortion one of the fundamental rights under the US constitution, marking the beginning of a new era (Hoffer and Hoffer). There were many proposals including the proposal of viability which said that a woman can only have abortion until the fetus in her womb is not viable. By viable, it meant that the fetus could survive outside the mother’s body. However much of the freedom was granted to women and she could have an abortion after consulting a physician. . The case raised a fiery debate not only in the judicial circles but also among political and social groups. On one hand, the decision was heralded as a victory for women rights while on the other hand it came out as a blow to the believers of pro-life. The decision was controversial and still a large population of the country believes that it s hould be reverted. Perhaps the biggest shock to the whole pro-life vs. pro-choice debate was dealt by Mcorvay herself when she revealed in 1995 that she had become a proponent of pro-life (Bergel). Since then she has spoken openly against abortion and even filed petitions to overturn the decision, which did not yield any conclusive result. In the light of the above arguments, it can fairly easily be said that the matter is a very complicated one because abortion does not only affect the physical well-being of women but also psychological and emotional well-being. Therefore there needs to be a thorough study of the statistical data about people’s opinions as well as a sound scientific study before any further decision in this regard is taken. Although both sides of the debate has very strong points, I believe that abortion should not be legalized unless in the most extremes of cases. There are many forms of contraception available including, early morning pill and condoms; the refore unwanted pregnancies can easily be avoided if these contraceptive measures are taken. Legalization of abortion actually demeans the reproductive function of sex and projects it only as a means of having pleasure. This encourages unprotected sexual intercourse since unwanted conception can easily be aborted causing a greater number of people to be at a risk of contacting sexually transmitted diseases. Since legalization of abortion poses more of a threat rather than relief to the general well-being of women, it should only is legal in extreme cases. For example, in a situation like rape where the conception actually reminds the women of the trauma and puts a negative impact on her psychological well-being, abortion should be legalized. Also in some pregnancies, some extreme

Risk Assessment for Art Library Construction Case Study

Risk Assessment for Art Library Construction - Case Study Example This essay declares that the part of risk assessment is a major constituent of the construction plan, aimed at depicting the effects of unexpected events on the relevant stakeholders. Unexpected events have major effects on the organization, the public, owners, and the constructor. Therefore, it is vital for any project to entail risk assessment, with the aim of minimizing the damage instituted by these unforeseen events. Before the commencement of activities on the planned site, there arises a dispute among the constructors. The dispute is in relation to the number of the workforce to be hired, their salary, and the expertise needed. The dispute has a varied effect on the project, which is fully negative. The implications on the deadline for completion of the order are major, causing a 17-day delay. This paper makes a conclusion that unexpected events have major implications for a project, precise construction of an art gallery. During the process, the company incurred various risks, which consequently amounted to major losses on the aspects of time and cost. However, with a well-laid risk management design, it is possible to eliminate the dangers enacted by occurrence of these events. It helps the organization cut on costs, and if we had applied it in our organization, we would be in a position to meet the deadline. It would eliminate any losses that have been incurred, bettering our relation with the client, and allowing us proceed to other activities.

Females are as Violent as Males Essay Example for Free

Females are as Violent as Males Essay Most people are unaware of researched statistics claiming loud and clear that females are as violent as males. As a matter of fact, females are as violent as males not only in marital relationships but also in adolescence (Hines, Brown, Dunning, 2007, p. 63; Holtzworth-Munroe, 2005). It was the feminists that had widely disseminated the idea that only women are battered in marital relationships (Hines, Brown, Dunning, p. 71). Research shows that wives also act violently toward their husbands even though the latter are capable of causing more physical harm in abusive relationships (Ward Jr. Muldoon, 2007, p. 340). After all, abusive wives typically â€Å"throw objects, slap, kick, bite, and punch,† whereas abusive husbands â€Å"are more likely to strangle, choke, and beat up their partners† (Ward Jr. Muldoon, p. 340-341). But, wives who are arrested for domestic violence tend to imitate their abusive husbands in incidences of violence (Ward Jr. Muldoon, p. 338). What is more, female violence is on the rise (Chmelynski, 2006, p. 8). There are increasing numbers of females being arrested for almost all offenses, â€Å"including aggravated assault, simple assault, burglary, larcenytheft, motor vehicle theft, vandalism, weapons, liquor and curfew/ loitering law violations† (Vaughn et. al. , 2007, p. 36). According to feminists, in particular their theory of power and control, men are socialized to assume that they have the right of controlling women (Ward Jr. Muldoon, p. 359). This leads men to act violently toward what they believe is the weaker sex. Furthermore, it has been asserted by feminists over and over that females behave violently only in self-defense. It is males who attack them first (Hines, Brown, Dunning, p. 63-64). These assertions are not entirely baseless, however. Females were known to be less violent than men in the past (Holtzworth-Munroe). Holtzworth-Munroe reports, Twenty-five years ago, according to statistics which were compiled by the U. S. Department of Justice at that time, for every 10 boys arrested for assault, there was only one girl who was arrested on that charge. Today, however, the ratio is 4 to 1. (Holtzworth-Munroe) So now it is not only husbands but also school authorities who must be wary of female violence (Holtzworth-Munroe). Feminists state that women are usually the victims of crimes of violence (Ward Jr. Muldoon, p. 359). But, feminists ought to develop new theories of power and control now that statistics reveal that the rise in female violence far exceeds the rise in male violence. In fact, between 1978 and 1996, â€Å"there was a 47% increase in the rate of violent crimes committed by females. Violent crime rates among males decreased by 26%† (Vaughn et. al. , p. 36). Female violence in adolescence tends to be more severe than male violence although males tend to inflict the greatest number of injuries on women in abusive marital relationships (Holtzworth-Munroe). According to Kimberly Sebeur, director of 50 Strong, a program developed to support black adolescent males in succeeding at the Martin Luther King, Jr. , High School in Georgia, Its worse when girls fight because they wont stop; they have to be physically overtaken by someone whos stronger than they are†¦ With boys, you can say OK, thats enough, break it up, and thats the end of it. Girls will fight right to the death. (Chmelynski, p. 8) What is more, research has shown that females who act violently in marital relationships do so also against males in stereotypically masculine professions, for example, military, firefighting, and law enforcement. Professors, doctors, lawyers, architects and engineers are victims of female violence to boot. Even politicians have not been spared (Hines, Brown, Dunning, p. 66). Holtzworth-Munroe reports on a research that found that there is a higher number of females than males who initiate violence. Hines, Brown, Dunning report on several studies that found that women do not act violently in self-defense alone. Rather, the majority of women participating in these studies stated that their reasons for acting violently toward their male partners included anger, confusion, revenge, jealousy, and attempts to dominate (Hines, Brown, Dunning, p. 64). Apart from the research mentioned by Holtzworth-Munroe, there have been various studies to examine whether females are more likely than males to initiate violence (Hines, Brown, Dunning, p. 64). Hines, Brown, Dunning write that violence appears to be â€Å"human problem,† as these studies reveal equal numbers of females and males as initiators of violence (p. 64). Of course, females can be as violent as males. Regardless of reasons for the increase in female violence, the fact remains that adolescent males and females are equally violent, and wives commit acts of violence against their husbands as much as the latter act violently toward them. Perhaps it is feminism that has raised female awareness to the point that females do not consider themselves the weaker sex any longer. Then again, men may cause greater physical harm to women even if girls are more physically aggressive than boys. References Chmelynski, C. (2006, Dec). When â€Å"Mean Girls† Turn to Violence. Education Digest 72(4):8. Retrieved Apr 5, 2009, from Academic Search Premier. Hines, D. A. , Brown, J. , Dunning, E. (2007). Characteristics of Callers to the Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men. Journal of Family Violence 22:63-72. Retrieved Apr 5, 2009, from Academic Search Premier. Holtzworth-Munroe, A. (2005, Dec). Male Versus Female Intimate Partner Violence: Putting Controversial Figures into Context. Journal of Marriage and Family 67(5). Retrieved Apr 5, 2009, from Academic Search Premier. Vaughn, M. G. , Newhill, C. E. , Litschge, C. M. , Howard, M. O. (2007). Cluster Profiles of Residentially Incarcerated Adolescent Females: Violence and Clinical Mental Health Characteristics. Advancing Quality in Residential Treatment. Hawthorne Press. Retrieved Apr 5, 2009, from Academic Search Premier. Ward Jr. , R. E. , Muldoon, J. P. (2007). Female Tactics and Strategies of Intimate Partner Violence: A Study of Incident Reports. Sociological Spectrum 27:337-364. Retrieved Apr 5, 2009, from Academic Search Premier.

Existence of God Essay Example for Free

Existence of God Essay †¢Translate and/or explain the following terms: aesity, arete, endoxa, ergon, eudaimonia, peccatum, telos, virtus, vitium – Arete: Greek for virtue, or excellence – Virtus and vitium: Latin for virtue and vice – Endoxon (endoxa): Greek, reputable opinion(s) †¢Ergon: Greek, function/characteristic activity – †¢Eudaimonia: Greek, happiness, well being †¢Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Peccatum: Latin, sin †¢Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Telos: Greek, end, aim †¢Discuss and/or apply the following concepts: doctrine of the mean, the endoxic method, the function argument, omnipotence The Endoxic Method- reputable opinions for ex. Happiness as uniquely human, as under our control, as requiring activity. The Function Argument-To know whether P is a good instance of its kind, you need to know the function (ergon) of P ? A virtue/excellence (arete) of P is a characteristic P needs in order to fulfill its function. The Doctrine of the mean-1. For any given situation, there is a specific affectation appropriate to it, e. g. , desire, anger, fear, confidence, envy, joy, pity, etc. 2. For any given affectation, one can exhibit it either too much, too little, or in the appropriate amount 3. The virtuous person always exhibits an affectation in the appropriate amount. -for ex. Truthfulness: virtue regarding telling the truth about oneself? Defect: self-depreciating Excess: phony omnipotence- all power and unlimited power †¢Distinguish goods that are, according to Aristotle, valued for the sake of other things, valued for their own sake, and valued for their own sake and for the sake of other things you want some things that gets you other stuff. for example money so its a sake for other things. valued for own sake-having a yacht gives you pleasure but then enjoying it with more friends and travel the world and give you more pleasure. the one good. happiness is the one thing that every one wants and is valued for its own sake. e †¢That which is valued only for its own sake and for whose sake everything else is desired †¢That which is valued for its own sake and for the sake of other things †¢That which is valued only for the sake of other things. †¢Discuss why Aristotle rejects conventional views that identify happiness with pleasure, honor, and virtue, and what he thinks this tells us about the nature of happiness Aristotle rejects three common conceptions of happiness—pleasure, honor, and wealth. Happiness, he says, cannot be identified with any of these things (even though all three may be part of an overall happy life). Pleasure, he says, is found in satisfying desires—but whether or not we can satisfy our desires is as much up to chance as it is up to us. †¢The life of pleasure. Problem: the life fit for a pig †¢The life of honor. Problem: not under our control †¢The life of virtue. Problem: compatible with inaction †¢Distinguish between psychological, somatic, and external goods, explaining how they contribute to Aristotle’s conception of happiness External goods- attractiveness, wealth.. Psychological Goods- mental health.. Somatic goods- â€Å"Nonetheless, happiness evidently needs external goods to be added, as we said, since we cannot, or cannot easily, do fine actions if we lack the resources. For, first of all, in many actions we use friends, wealth, and political power just as we use instruments. Further, deprivation of certain things —for instance, good birth, good children, beauty— mars our blessedness. For we do not altogether have the character of happiness if we look utterly repulsive or are ill-born, solitary, or childless; and we have it even less, presumably, if our children or friends are totally bad, or were good but have died. †¢Discuss the roles of habituation and right reason in Aristotle’s analysis of virtuous action function of human beings is knowledge and it what  separates from animals. virtuous action is what a rational person who acts for the right reason. but you also have to feel the correct emotions and feelings to do virtuous actions and be properly affected which means that you find the right things pleasant. And wants to do the right thing. so if you dont feel like you want to give money to homeless and still give it it does not count as a virtous thing. the teachers ice cream technique- dont want to do it but do it for ice cream but over time the kids want to do it because it is the virtuous thing to do. †¢Identify and describe Aristotle’s three requirements for friendship and his three different kinds of friendship Pleasure-friendships- Most common among theyoung, fades easily utility-friendships,- most common among the old and also fades easily. character-friendships- You love a person because of the good qualities she or he possesses. genuine friendship. †¢Explain what Aristotle means when he claims that friends are â€Å"second selves† â€Å"A friend is a second self, so that our consciousness of a friends existence makes us more fully conscious of our own existence. † and Friendly relations with one’s neighbors, and the marks by which friendships are defined, seem to have proceeded from a man’s relation with himself. For men think a friend is one who wishes well and does what is good, or seems so, for the sake of his friend, or one who wishes his friend to exist and live, for his sake† †¢Explain why Aquinas thinks God’s existence is self-evident, why it nonetheless may not be evident to us, and how Aquinas thinks God’s existence can be made evident Not every human realizes the existence of god. †¢Examples of self-evident propositions: †¢A pig is an animal; a bachelor is an unmarried male †¢Being self-evident in itself versus self-evident to us †¢Aquinas: â€Å"I maintain that God exists is self-evident in itself since its subject and predicate are identical†¦[but] the proposition is not self-evident to us† (197). †¢Question 02: can God’s existence be made evident? †¢Perhaps God’s existence is an article of faith, not of reason †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"There are two types of demonstration: those that argue from cause to effect†¦and those that argue from effect to cause† (198). †¢Hitting a pool ball, pressing the ‘on’ button, hand on the stove. †¢So, from what effects do we infer God’s existence? †¢God’s effects in the world, Mozart and his music †¢Understand Aquinas’ ‘unmoved mover’ and ‘teleological’ arguments for the existence of God and articulate at least one objection to each Argument one of five: the unmoved mover (200). Everything has a cause, but causes can’t go on infinitely. The first uncaused cause is God. Objections: why must it be God? Maybe time is infinite? Telos: the end toward which a thing strives. Everything in nature has a telos. If a thing is non-intelligent, some intelligence must give it its telos. Objection: nature is not telonic in this way †¢Discuss why the question ‘can God create a stone that God cannot lift? ’ is said to be paradoxical and how Aquinas tries to resolve the paradox †¢The paradox of omnipotence: can God create a stone he cannot lift? †¢If God can, there is something God cannot do, i. e. , lift the stone †¢If God cannot, there is something God cannot do, i. e. , create the stone †¢If there is something God cannot do, God is not omnipotent †¢Therefore, God is not omnipotent †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"So we conclude that God’s power extends to anything possible in itself and not implying contradiction. Clearly then God is called omnipotent because he can do everything possible in itself. † (p. 249). because if god cannot lift the the stone he created, he is not omintipitent and also if he cannot create that he cannot lift therefore he is not omnipotent so either way god is not omnipotent so aquinas says that god creates certain laws in the universe that he himself cannot break which is considered absolute possibility and relativee possibility is what he can change. †¢Explain what Aquinas means when he claims evil does not exist because evil does not exit because evil is absence of happiness. †¢Understand the weak and strong versions of the problem of evil and discuss Aquinas’ solution to the problem Strong version of the problem †¢If an omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly good God exists, then evil does not exist †¢Evil exists †¢Therefore, an omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly good God does not exist Weak version of the problem †¢Evil exists †¢The non-existence of God is a more plausible explanation of evil than is the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly good God †¢Therefore, it’s more plausible that God does not exist If an omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly good God exists, then evil does not exist. †¢Aquinas’ answer to the problem of evil †¢Why is there evil and sin in thet world? †¢Evil is the necessary result of freedom of the will †¢Thus, God does not command sin, God permits sin †¢Does God cause evil and sin? †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"God is responsible for sinful actions but not for sins† 296 †¢Distinguish Aquinas’ conceptions of eternal, natural, and human law †¢Human law †¢Quoting Cicero: â€Å"laws start with what nature produces, then by use of reason certain things become customs, and finally things produced by nature and tested by custom are sanctified with†¦the weight of laws† (420). †¢Eternal law †¢God as divine legislator: â€Å"Clearly†¦the entire community of the universe is governed by God’s reason† (417). †¢Divine providence: ordering of the universe toward good †¢Natural law †¢Non-moral sense: laws of nature. †¢Moral sense: guides the actions of animals †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Since everything subjected to God’s providence is measured by the standards of his eternal law, as we have said, everything shares in some way in the eternal law, bearing its imprint in the form of a natural tendency to pursue the behavior and goals appropriate to it. Reasoning creatures are subject to God’s providence is a special, more profound way than others by themselves sharing in the planning† (418). Eternal law is identical to the mind of God as seen by God himself. It can be called law because God stands to the universe which he creates as a ruler does to a community which he rules. When Gods reason is considered as it is understood by God Himself, i. e. in its unchanging, eternal nature (q91, a1) , it is eternal law.

PESTEL Analysis of Indias Textile Industry

PESTEL Analysis of Indias Textile Industry Introduction In analyzing the macro-environment, it is important to identify the factors that might in turn affect a number of vital variables that are likely to influence the organizations supply and demand levels and its costs. The radical and ongoing changes occurring in society create an uncertain environment and have an impact on the function of the whole organization. A number of checklists have been developed as ways of cataloguing the vast number of possible issues that might affect an industry. A PEST analysis is one of them that are merely a framework that categorizes environmental influences as political, economic, social and technological forces. Sometimes two additional factors, environmental and legal, will be added to make a PESTEL analysis, but these themes can easily be subsumed in the others. The analysis examines the impact of each of these factors (and their interplay with each other) on the business. The results can then be used to take advantage of opportunities and to make contingency plans for threats when preparing business and strategic plans. Kotler claims that PEST analysis is a useful strategic tool for understanding market growth or decline, business position, potential and direction for operations. Use whatever factors you feel are appropriate. Other variations include:- PEST analysis (STEP analysis)- Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological. PESTLE/ PESTEL analysis Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal, Environmental; PESTEL analysis. PESTEL analysis Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Environmental, Labors (Labor) related; PESTEL analysis (rare no references available). PESTLIED analysis Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, International, Environmental, Demographic. STEEPLE analysis- Social/Demographic, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political, Legal, Ethical. SLEPT analysis -Social, Legal, Economic, Political, and Technological. STEPE analysis-Social, Technical, Economic, Political, and Ecological. ETPSanalysis-Economic,Technical, Political andSocial- Scanning the business environment. Choose the acronym that most suits you or your organization. History of PESTLE Where did the term PEST or PESTLE derive? What were the origins? The term PESTLE has been used regularly in the last 10+ years and its true history is difficult to establish. The earliest know reference to tools and techniques for Scanning the Business Environment appears to be by Francis J. Aguilar (1967) who discusses ETPS a mnemonic for the four sectors of his taxonomy of the environment: Economic, Technical, Political, and Social. Shortly after its publication, Arnold Brown for the Institute of Life Insurance (in the US) reorganized it as STEP (Strategic Trend Evaluation Process) as a way to organize the results of his environmental scanning. Thereafter, this macro external environment analysis, or environmental scanning for change, was modified yet again to become a so-called STEPE analysis (the Social, Technical, Economic, Political, and Ecological taxonomies). In the 1980s, several other authors including Fahey, Narayanan, Morrison, Renfro, Boucher, Mecca and Porter included variations of the taxonomy classifications in a variety of orders: PEST, PESTLE, STEEPLE etc. Why the slightly negative connotations of PEST have proven to be more popular than STEP is not known. There is no implied order or priority in any of the formats. IMPORTANCE It is important to take into account PESTLE factors for the following main reasons Firstly, by making effective use of PESTLE analysis , you ensure that what you are doing is aligned positively with the powerful forces of change that are affecting our environment by taking advantage of change , you are much more likely to be successful than if your activities oppose it. Secondly, good use of PESTLE analysis helps you taking action that is likely to lead to failure for reasons beyond your control. Thirdly, PESTLE is useful when you start a new product or service. Use of PESTLE analysis helps you break free of assumptions and helps you quickly adapt to the realities of the new environment. ThePESTLE Analysisis often used as a generic orientation tool, finding out where an organization or product is in the context of what is happening out side that will at some point effect what is happening inside an organization. APESTLE analysisis a business measurement tool, looking at factors external to the organization.It is often used within a strategic SWOTanalysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis). OBJECT Any organization or industry influenced by factors as political factors, economical factors, social factors, technical factors, legal factors, and environmental factors in addition to government policies, labor factors, competitive market condition locational factors, and emerging globalization. So we have defined PESTLE analysis of textile industry. Until the economic liberalization of Indian economy, theIndia Textile Industry was primarily unorganized industry. But now the Indian textile industry is the second largest in the world-second only to China. Indian textiles also account for 38 percent of the countrys total exports and are, therefore, a very important industry. And these factors affected the textile industry as political factors are most important for this industry because lack of stability in politics. And Indian economy is largely dependent on textile manufacturing and exports. India earns around 27% of the foreign exchange from exports of textiles so economical and env ironmental factors influenced. So we have discussed on these factors and define the problems of textile industry which is suffered by these factors. TEXTILE INDUSTRY The industries in India can be broadly classified into organized and unorganiased.Textile industry is under unorganized and relatively small. There is some potential for real growth. Textile Industry is related to clothes. Until the economic liberalization of Indian economy, theIndia Textile Industry was primarily unorganized industry. The opening up of Indian economy post 1990s led to a stunning growth of this industry. India Textile Industry is one of the largest textile industries in the world. Today, Indian economy is largely dependent on textile manufacturing and exports. India earns around 27% of the foreign exchange from exports of textiles. Further, India Textile Industry contributes about 14% of the total industrial production of India. Furthermore, its contribution to the gross domestic product of India is around 3% and the numbers are steadily increasing. India Textile Industry involves around 35 million workers directly and it accounts for 21% of the total employment generated in the economy. The Indian textile industry is the second largest in the worldsecond only to China. An Indian textile also has account for 38 percent of the countrys total exports and is, therefore, a very important industry. The forecast is that textiles exports will reach USD 35 billion by the year 2000. The total Indian market for the textile machinery in 1997 (the latest year for which complete data are available) was estimated at USD 895 million. The market is projected to grow at an average annual nominal growth rate of 6 percent during the next 2 years. There are at least 20 domestic companies offering textile machinery for spinning, weaving, texturizing and finishing. The Lakshmi Group of Coimbatore has been the most successful of these companies. Lakshmis success is attributable to its longevity in the sector and its ability to offer a range of textile machinery directly or through its sister companies. Consequently, Lakshmi can meet the needs of a variety of end users. For the past two years, the market has been in a recession. As a result, market players have become very cost conscious and price sensitive. However, the future looks bright used textile machinery. This market segment is likely to grow faster than the broader market. The major factors that are likely to produce growth for this sector include A worldwide increased in demand for Indian textiles and garments. The lowering of customs duties on imported textile machinery. Reduced government restrictions on the import of the used capital goods. The reduced cost of the used equipment which makes textile manufacturing operations more viable. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is Indias private sector company, involved in textiles. It is headquartered in Mumbai, India and employs approximately 12,500 people. The company recorded revenues of INR1, 108,860 million (approximately $25,537 million) during the fiscal year ended March 2007, an increase of 24.4% over 2006. The U.S. market share of imported textile machinery is only approximately 3 percent. Competitors from European countries such as Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have taken the lead and are concentrating on equipment for cotton spinning, weaving, carding, winding and finishing. To become more competitive, U.S. companies need to shift their focus from only offering new equipment to offering both new and used textile machinery to the Indian market. Given this type of shift in focus, it is estimated that U.S. companies could increase their share of textile machinery imports to 10 percent over the next four to five years. In addition, U.S. firms can incre ase their competitiveness by forming alliances with experienced Indian partners who are very familiar with Indian market conditions. Another strategy for increasing the competitiveness of U.S. companies in the Indian market would be to focus on marketing used textile machinery on a turn key basis, and coupling the transfer of machinery with technological transfers, training, and buy-back commitment for the Indian textiles and garments. This type of strategy is highly supported at the national and regional levels by the Government of India (GOI). MARKET PROFILE OF TEXTILE INDUSTRY The Indian textile industry is the second largest in the worldsecond only to China. Indian textiles also account for 38 percent of the countrys total exports and are, therefore, a very important industry. The forecast is that textiles exports will reach USD 35 billion by the year 2000. To sustain this growth, it is imperatives that the textile industries produce goods of high quality at reasonable prices. This means that the industry must continuously modernize its machinery. Therefore, the textile machinery industry sector has an integral role to play in the growth of Indias textile exports. Industry analysts note that textile prices are increasingly competitive worldwide as more and more developing countries enter the global textile trade. To maintain, if not increase, its global market share, the Indian textile industry must procure modern, low-cost, textile machinery so that it can produce high quality textiles and garments for export at competitive prices. It is in this context that the market for used textile machinery is viewed as very promising. Used textile machinery permits India to incorporate new technology at low cost. Here are a few important facts about Indias textile: there are approximately 1200 medium to large scale textile mills in India. Twenty percent of these mills are located in Coimbatore (Tamilnadu). India has 34 million cotton textile spindles for manufacturing cotton yarn. Cotton yarns account for 70 percent of Indias textile exports. (China has 40 million cotton spindles.) Of the Indian textile yarn exports, almost 80 percent come from coarser yarns (counts below 40s). Consequently, there is a need to upgrade the technology. For the past two years, there has been a significant slow-down in the cotton spinning segment, mainly due to the spiraling price of cotton. The domestic knitting industry is characterized by small scale units which lack adequate facilities for dyeing, processing and finishing. The industry is concentrated in Tirupura (Tamilnadu) and Ludhiana (Punjab). Tirupura produces 60 percent of the countrys total knitwear exports. Knitted garments account for almost 32 percent of all exported garments. The major players include Nahar Spinning, Arun Processors and Jersey India. Status of the Textile Machinery Industry Approximately 120 companies manufacture the complete range of textile machinery. Gross receipts for the Industry in 1997 were nearly USD 700 million. The industry employs about 150,000 workers directly and an equal number indirectly. The demand for textile machinery is mainly from end user in the cotton textiles, manmade fibers and wool units textile sectors. The industrys major problems are Inadequate design and engineering capabilities. The high cost of raw material and components. The high cost of finance. Demand constraints. Competition from foreign countries as a result of the lowering of import duties on textile machinery. The high quality of imported textile equipment. The textile machinery industry sector experienced between 7 and 8 percent nominal growth in 1997. SWOT ANALYSIS OF TEXTILE INDUSTRY SWOT analysis defines all over condition of any industry or organization. This describes strength, weaknesses, opportunity, and threat of the textile industry. It contains astudy of the major internal and external factors affecting the company in the form of a SWOT analysis. Strengths: Indian Textile Industry is an Independent Self-Reliant industry. Abundant Raw Material availability that helps industry to control costs and reduces the lead-time across the operation. Availability of Low Cost and Skilled Manpower provides competitive advantage to industry. Availability of large varieties of cotton fiber and has a fast growing synthetic fiber industry. India has great advantage in Spinning Sector and has a presence in all process of operation and value chain. India is one of the largest exporters of Yarn in international market and contributes around 25% share of the global trade in Cotton Yarn. TheApparel Industryis one of largest foreign revenue contributor and holds 12% of the countrys total export. Industry has large and diversified segments that provide wide variety of products. Growing Economy and Potential Domestic and International Market. Industry has Manufacturing Flexibility that helps to increase the productivity. Weaknesses: Indian Textile Industry is highly Fragmented Industry. Industry is highly dependent on Cotton. Lower Productivity in various segments. There is Declining in Mill Segment. Lack of Technological Development that affect the productivity and other activities in whole value chain. Infrastructural Bottlenecks and Efficiency such as, Transaction Time at Ports and transportation Time. Unfavorable labor Laws. Lack of Trade Membership, which restrict to tap other potential market. Lacking to generate Economies of Scale. Higher Indirect Taxes, Power and Interest Rates. Opportunities: Growth rate of Domestic Textile Industry is 6-8% per annum. Large, Potential Domestic and International Market. Product development and Diversification to provide global needs. Exclusion of Quota Restriction leads to greater Market Development. Market is gradually shifting towards Branded Readymade Garment. Increased not reusable Income and Purchasing Power of Indian Customer open New Market Development. Emerging Retail Industry and Malls provide huge opportunities for the clothes, handiwork and other segments of the industry. Greater Investment and FDI opportunities are available. Threats: Competition from other developing countries, especially China. Continuous Quality Improvement is need of the hour as there are different demand patterns all over the world. Elimination of Quota system will lead to fluctuations in Export Demand. Threat for Traditional Market for Power loom and Handloom Products and forcing them for product diversification. Geographical Disadvantages. International labor and Environmental Laws. To balance the demand and supply. To make balance between price and quality Research Methodology In order to evaluate the PESTLE analysis of Indian textile and clothing exports, the study has analyzed the political technical, economical, social, legal, and environment factors of the textile industry. Information Sources The information has been sourced from various authentic and reliable sources like books, newspapers, trade journals and white papers, industry portals, government agencies, trade associations, and monitoring industry. To assess these factors of the industry, a preliminary interview conducted with a few industrialists. The interview sought their views and opinions chiefly respect of the pestle factors that they are facing in India. With the help of Internet sites we have found many key factors of this industry. Analysis Method Textile industry forecast and analysis is based on various macro- and microeconomic factors, sector and industry specific databases, and our in-house statistical and analytical model. This model takes into account the past and current trends in an economy, and more specifically in an industry, to bring out an objective market analysis. Our industry experts study the relationship between various industry and economic variables to ensure the required accuracy and desired check on the quality of data and information given in the report. PESTLE ANALYSIS OF TEXTILE INDUSTRY The textile industry grew out of theindustrial revolutionin the 18th Century asmass production of clothing became a majority industry. Until the economic liberalization of Indian economy, theIndia Textile Industry was primarily unorganized industry. The opening up of Indian economy post 1990s led to a stunning growth of this industry. But now Industry has influencing by many factors as political factors, economical factors, social factors, technical factors, legal factors, and environment factors. Here we will describe all those factors affected to Textile Industry. The Working Group on Textiles Jute Industry for the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012) has studied the major problems being faced by the textile industry. POLITICAL FACTORS The management of business enterprises and their policies are considerably influenced by the existing political systems. And India is a democratic country, there are probably problem of stability in politics. Political and Government Diversity: The reservation of production for very small companies that was imposed with an intention to help out small scale companies across the country, led substantial fragmentation that distorted the competitiveness of industry. However, most of the sectors now have been de-reserved, and major entrepreneurs and corporate are putting-in huge amount of money in establishing big facilities or in expansion of their existing plants. Secondly, the foreign investment was kept out of textile and apparel production. Now, the Government has gradually eliminated these restrictions, by bringing down import duties on capital equipment, offering foreign investors to set up manufacturing facilities in India. In recent years, India has provided a global manufacturing platform to other multi-national companies that manufactures other than textile products; it can certainly provide a base for textiles industry. And some motivating step taken by the government, other problems still sustains like various taxes and excise imbalances due to diversification into 35 states and Union Territories. However, an outline of VAT is being implemented in place of all other tax diversifications, which will clear these imbalances once it is imposed fully. But now the Indian government has introducing measures such as the national technology up gradation fund and removing the differential taxation scheme which discriminated against large units. ECONOMICAL FACTORS Economical factors such as per capita income, national income, resources mobilization, exploitation of natural resources, infrastructure development, capital formation, employment generation, and industrial development influence textile industry. Textile industry provides one of the most fundamental necessities of the people with huge value-addition at every stage of processing. Today textile sector accounts for nearly 14% of the total industrial output. Indian fabric is in demand with its ethnic, earthly colored and many textures. The textile sector accounts about 30% in the total export. This conveys that it holds potential if one is ready to innovate. The textile industry is the largest industry in terms of employment economy, expected to generate 12 million new jobs by 2010. It generates massive potential for employment in the sectors from agricultural to industrial. Employment opportunities are created when cotton is cultivated. Current Scenario Textile exports are targeted to reach $50 billion by 2010, $25 billion of which will go to the US. Other markets include UAE, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Canada, Bangladesh and Japan. The name of these countries with their background can give thousands of insights to a thinking mind. The slant cut that will be producing a readymade garment will sell at a price of 600 Indian rupees, making the value addition to be profitable by 300 %. SOCIAL FACTORS Managers and policy makers can not disregard social variables like education, knowledge, rural community norms and beliefs which are predominant in India, especially in the rural society while cultural differences are unthinkable for any international manager or even an urban Indian manager. Textile industry of India based on cotton and cotton as the agriculture product, which found in rural areas so the social responsibility of the textile industry. Social stratification plays a vital role in rural societies. TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS Technology is considered to be one of the most important factors of textile industry. That is why the government, in its industrial policy resolutions, industrial licensing policies, MRTP and FERA regulation, and in liberalization policies, assigned great importance to sophisticated technology and technology transfer. The Working Group on Textiles Jute Industry for the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012) has studied the major problems being faced by the textile industry which include: Structural weaknesses in weaving and processing, Fragmented and technologically backward textile processing sector, Fragmented garment industry, Inadequate capacity of the domestic textile machinery manufacturing sector, Inadequate training facilities in textile sector. The Government has undertaken a series of progressive measures like introduction of Technology Mission on Cotton (TMC), Technology Upgradaiton (sp) fund Scheme (TUFS), Scheme for Integrated Textile Park (SITP), reduction in customs duty on import of state-of-the-art machinery, Debt Restructuring Scheme, setting up of Apparel Training and Design Centers (ATDCs), 100% Foreign Direct Investment in the textile sector under automatic route, setting up of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) etc, for upgrading and strengthening the textile sector in India. At present, the textile industry is undergoing a substantial re-orientation towards other then clothing segments of textile sector, which is commonly called as technical textiles. It is moving vertically with an average growing rate of nearly two times of textiles for clothing applications and now account for more than half of the total textile output. The processes in making technical textiles require costly machinery and skilled workers. LEGAL FACTORS Legal environment plays very vital role in textile industry. Laws relating to industrial licensing, factory administration, industrial disputes, monopoly control, and foreign exchange regulation are examples of legal business environment in India. Textile industry has suffered by legal rules as unfavorable labor laws. Government has created strong labor laws. In India, labor laws are still found to be relatively unfavorable to the trades, with companies having not more than ideal model to follow a hire and fire policy And other factors are lack of Trade Membership, which restrict to tap other potential market. And also lacking to generate Economies of Scale is another legal factor to this industry. Government has charged higher Indirect taxes, power and Interest rates. The uneven supply base also leads barriers in attaining integration between the links in supply chain. This issue creates uncontrollable, unreliable and inconsistent performance. The liberalization being carried in the 1990s also ushered in a new era for Indias textile industry. It led to the relaxation of many of the constraints previously imposed on the textile sector. Licensing was removed in the early 90`s by the Statement of Industrial Policy and the Textile Development and Regulation Order. In 1995, India signed the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade bringing some of its policies at par with those at an international level. At present, the single biggest factor influencing the textile industry appears to be the end of the textile quota regime of quantitative import restrictions under the multi-fiber arrangement (MFA) on 1st January, 2005 under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Textiles and Clothing. The removal of quotas, seen as an opportunity by many, including the government, is driving investment and liberalization in the textile space. India can also grab opportunities in the export market. The industry has the potential of attaining $34bn export earnings by the year 2010. The regulatory polices is helping out to enhance infrastructures of apparel parks, Specialized textile parks, EPZs and EOUs. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Environment protection and preservation is responsibility of the textile industry. The Government of India is committed to the preservation of ecological balance. Pollution free technology and recycling of industrial wastes and effluents has become a corporate concern now. Legislative measures have been adopted for this purpose, important legislations in this connection are- The water (preservation and control of pollution) Act, 1974 provides for the prevention and control of water pollution. The Air Act, 1981 aims at preventing, controlling, and reducing air pollution. The environment (protection) Act, 1986 ensures the protection and improvement in the quality of the environment. TEXTILE COMPANIES IN INDIA There are many textile companies in India as Reliance Textiles- Reliance Textiles is one of the major textiles Company. That is in business of fully integrated man made fiber. It has capacity of more than 6 million tones per year. Vardhaman Spinning-Vardhman deals in spinning, weaving and processing segment of the industry. It is planning to double its fabric processing capacity to 50 million meters. Welspun India is Asias largest terry towel manufacturer and fourth largest in the world. It supplies to leading global retailers, meeting 15 per cent of Wal-Marts terry towel requirements, 85 per cent of Tom Hilfiger. Alok Industries has the largest processing capacity in India and offers fully integrated facilities for yarn text rising, weaving, knitting, processing, made-ups and garments. It has initiated plans to expand capacities across all segments by investing Rs. 10 billion. Arvind Mills boasts of a wide product range in value added fabric, from fabric to garments in denim, shirting and knits. Gokaldas exports have more than 40 factories spreading in 37 locations in India, manufacturing more than 2.4 million garments per month. Other major players like Raymond, Siyaram silk mills, mahavir spinning mills etc. have also shown strong performance in the past two years. INTERPRETATION The textile industry holds significant status in the India. Textile industry provides one of the most fundamental necessities of the people. It is an independent industry, from the basic requirement of raw materials to the final products, with huge value-addition at every stage of processing The textile industry is the largest industry in terms of employment economy, expected to generate 12 million new jobs by 2010. Today textile sector accounts for nearly 14% of the total industrial output. So I have interpreted that government should take action in favors to textile industry. In India, there are two issues unemployment and standard of living. Textile industry can help in employment and raising standard of living. At this time textile industry is facing very problems due to government policies. Other problem is recession in country. The textile industry also suffered because of the high cost of raw cotton. The government had increased the minimum support price by 40 per cent in 2008-09. So government should decrease the price of row material as cotton. And should make easy labor laws. CONCLUSION We have conclude that if any industry or organization want to retain in the market then follow the government rules and regulation, social responsibility, and maintain pollution environment. In India growth rate is depend upon textile industry. Indian Textile Industry is an Independent Self-Reliant industry but government stated strong labor laws for this industry. Market is gradually shifting towards Branded Readymade Garment and has opportunity in foreign market and domestic market. So the government should be introducing measures such as the national technology up gradation fund and removing the differential taxation scheme which discriminated against large units. They have also allowed textile units to build and operate captive power plants, which should ease the power problem. Although Textiles have historically formed an important part of Indias economy. Indias cotton and silk production were among the highest in the world. Bibliography www.companiesandmarkets.com/Summary-Company-Profile/Reliance-Ind .. Having lost its Competitive Advantage, Textile Industry Faces Decline article by Author: Sanjay K Jain Joint MD, TT Textiles Limited www.oxforduniversity.com www.yatsenassociates.com www.oxlearn.com/swot www.Mindjet.com Textile Industry: Problems Faced ByIndia ByHarold Doan and Associates www.csgstrategies.com/search-pest-analysis-of-textile- industry_p24.asp www.oppapers.com//pest-analysis-indian-textile- industry-page1.html Findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb092/is_3_34/ai_n29024336/ REFERENCES Business Environment, Author

Hamlet - Claudius :: essays papers

Hamlet - Claudius What could be worse than killing your brother? Marrying his wife right after! Claudius is the shadiest character in Act I of Hamlet. Claudius had poured the juice of a hebenon (henbane; a very poisonous plant) into his brother’s, Hamlet Sr.’s ear. Hamlet Sr. died quickly but was â€Å"doomed for a certain term to walk the night.† Claudius then hurriedly married Gertrude and became king. Hamlet knows none of this however, yet already holds certain contempt for his step-father/uncle. In scene 2, Claudius gives a very sly speech, side-stepping the fact that he is in the middle of a very incestuous relationship. He says, â€Å"With an auspicious and a dropping eye, / With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage, / In equal scale weighing delight and dole, -/Taken to wife†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Claudius tries to beat around the bush and not really explain anything about his marriage to Gertrude. No one questions him because he is King, but the people are not happy about this situation anyway. Claudius’s slick nature somewhat surfaces when he is speaking to Hamlet also. He is obviously uncomfortable with the fact that Hamlet is still mourning the death of his father and almost seems to bully him to stop: â€Å"†¦to preserver/ In obstinate condolement is a course/ Of impious stubbornness; ‘tis unmanly grief;/ It shows a will most incorrect to heaven,/ A heart unfortified, a mind impatient,/ An understanding simple and unschooled†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Claudius, of course, seems to say this with a face full of smiles as if politely correcting Hamlet, but it seems obvious that he is downright afraid of what Hamlet could do if he discovered the truth. This is expressed even more when Claudius says, â€Å"†¦we beseech you, bend you to remain/ Here, in the cheer and comfort of our eye, / Our chiefest courtier, cousin, and our son.

The Wicked Witch and Snow White Essay -- essays papers

The Wicked Witch and Snow White Edith Wharton presents two memorable characters in her novel, Ethan Frome. The reader is presented with Mattie Silver who is young, and good-natured, and Zeena Frome, who is a bitter hypochondriac seven years her husband’s senior. Upon a first inspection, Zeena Frome and Mattie Silver of Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome seem to be extreme opposites in every respect, but upon closer scrutiny, one finds though they are indeed different in character, though they eventually share great similarities. Zeena and Mattie’s differences in appearance and character, but similarity of fate, all contribute to the theme of the novel which is that one cannot escape the social class one is born in. Edith Wharton first describes Zeena in Chapter II as a woman who is but 37 years old, yet appears more elderly than her biological age. Zeena is associated with the dimness and grey of the winter landscape of Ethan Frome. There is no beauty or warmth coupled with the character of Zeena: â€Å"Against the dark background of the kitchen she stood up tall and angular, one hand drawing a quilted counterpane to her flat breast†¦ The light†¦ drew out of the darkness her puckered throat and the projecting wrist of the hand that clutched the quilt, deepening fantastically the hollows and prominences of her high-boned face under its ring of crimping pins.† Mattie Silver, on the other hand, is associated with what little light and warmth there is in the cold setting of the novel. Wharton describes Mattie as â€Å"taller, fuller, more womanly in shape and motion.† She goes to relate Mattie’s appearance on that same page: â€Å"She held the light†¦ and it drew out with the same distinctness her slim young throat and th... ...an was suffocated with the sense of well-being.† Edith Wharton presents a stark contrast of the feelings Zeena and Mattie inspire in the man they care most for. Zeena inspires irritation, awkwardness, and antipathy while Mattie promotes â€Å"eloquence,† and feelings of â€Å"well-being.† Wharton was an avid social critic. She believed that it was difficult, if not impossible, to escape from the social and economic class one was born in. None of her other novels that were social critiques such as The House of Mirth, or Custom of the Country, portray this belief as sharply as Ethan Frome. Although Mattie was a beautiful, friendly young woman, she was destined to the same fate that Zeena was destined to because she had been born into the same social-economic class. Bibliography: WORKS CITED Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome. Evanston, Ill: McDougal Little, 1997.

Essay --

Postpartum depression affects 8-15% of mothers within a few days or weeks after giving birth. Some mothers experience a mild form of this disorder, while others experience a more rare and intense version. This intensified postpartum depression is known as postpartum psychosis. According to the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law, Nau, McNiel, and Binder (2012) express â€Å"Postpartum psychosis occurs in 1-2 of 1,000 births and frequently requires hospitalization to stabilize symptoms.† These symptoms include: Hallucinations, restlessness, disturbed sleep, insomnia, drastic mood or behavior change, delusional thinking, thoughts of suicide or death, and extreme depression. In The Journal of Women's Health, Sit, Rothschild, and Wisner described postpartum psychosis as â€Å"an overt presentation of bipolar disorder that is timed to coincide with tremendous hormonal shifts after delivery†. Approximately 72%-88% of mothers who experience postpartum ps ychosis (PP) have bipolar illness, schizo-affective disorder or a family history of either which is why PP is classified as a psychotic disorder by the APAA. Many women who are affected by postpartum psychosis are too afraid or embarrassed to come forward and claim the disorder. This is dangerous for both mother and child(ren) as the disorder has a 5% suicide rate and a 4% infanticide rate. Even if there is no physical harm done to the child there may be emotional harm. The behaviors that are exhibited by the mother to the child may â€Å"interfere with the children's emerging cognitive skills...†(Sohr-Preston & Scaramella, 2006). It has been theorized both before and after birth the mothers' health, physical and emotional, may affect the child's cognitive skills later in li... ...omeone do this to their child?†. There have been many similar cases where the mother was found not guilty, so why was Yates found guilty? The answer may come from the website Andrea Yates: Ill or Evil? â€Å"In America, there are no clear standards in court for dealing with mentally ill mothers—not even in the same city.† This is a sad, but true statement. People tend to use their own morals and experiences as how they perceive things. Of course what Andrea Yates did was wrong, but she was also seriously ill. Postpartum psychosis is an extremely scary and dangerous disorder. PP is treatable, however there are no guidelines for treatment at this time. Most patients have been treated using a combination of pharmaceuticals and psychotherapy. Even though treatment options are still being evaluated, the sooner any treatment starts the better off mother and child are.

Quality and Risk Scenario Essay

The HIM professional can have a direct impact on the quality or compliance of specific operations or employees within a healthcare institution. Healthcare institutions, such as hospitals, can be huge institutions made up of hundreds or even thousands of treatment or operation specific areas operation. This can include anything from the surgeon who performs coronary artery bypass to the neonatal intensive care nurse who directly cares for struggling newborns to the physical plant worker who makes sure all the lights in the building stay on and the operating room is maintained at a certain temperature. As an overall institution the thought of identifying risk and liability within the organization can be quite overwhelming and daunting. The best way to approach this is to break things down into specific issues or areas and focus on one thing at a time, with the overall goal to be improving quality and reducing risk to the institution. This paper will focus on three specific scenarios that represent an area of risk and liability for the institution. These three scenarios will include the safety of blood transfusions within a hospital, dealing with power failure risks within a hospital and using operational checklists to improve employee efficiency, consistency and reducing the human factor of making mistakes. Scenario one is to be specific to a scenario involving patient care and safety. The specific discussion here will be the use of blood transfusions within the hospital setting. This is a procedure that has been done for dozens of years even as medical science has made tremendous progress. The reality is that science just hasn’t found a synthetic way to carry oxygen through the blood stream and blood infusions still remain today the best way to do just that. While the best procedure out there for this, blood infusions don’t come without their risks and financial impacts. A study by the University Healthcare Consortium analyzed over 29,000 blood transfusions over a 7 year period from 2003-2009 (Williams, 2011). These transfusions ranged anywhere from scheduled routine outpatient surgeries to unexpected traumatic injuries brought in through the emergency room. The analysis identified many risks associated with blood transfusions, including poorly trained staff, lack of trained staff, minor hemolytic allergic reactions all the way up to severe anaphylactic reactions. The study was even able to identify that the time of day that the transfusion was performed could positively or negatively affect the patient outcome. So, while this can be a lifesaving procedure a blood transfusion should not be taken lightly. Another study published in the April, 2012 issue of the professional journal Anesthesiology was conducted by Johns Hopkins Hospital analyzing the outcomes of over 3000 patients who received blood transfusions. This study reveals that measuring the hemoglobin level in patients can be an accurate indicator of when a patient should receive a blood transfusion. This is a significant study because it could have a positive effect on both patient outcome and the financial costs involved in giving a blood transfusion. The Johns Hopkins study revealed that patients were being given blood transfusions when they really didn’t need it. A normal hemoglobin level ranges between 12-14 and the study reveals that a level as low as 7 or 8 is safe. Prior to this study the leading specialty societies, including the FOCUS research group (Functional Outcomes in Cardivascular patients Undergoing Surgury), set parameters that transfusions were definitely needed if the hemoglobin was below 7 and probably did not need a transfusion if the hemoglobin was 10 or above. But nobody ever set any parameters on what to do if the hemoglobin ranged between 7 and 10. This left the physician to decide when to start a blood transfusion. The Johns Hopkins study revealed that because of this most physicians always erred in the side of â€Å"safety† by ordering a transfusion any time the hemoglobin was at or below 10. But the Hopkins study has now determined that a hemoglobin of 7 or 8 can be considered safe. Giving blood to patients who have a hemoglobin above 7 shows no real benefit and truth is that the risk due to side effects may actually be increased. Remember that this procedure has been in place for decades and this new research was a game changer. The benefits to a hospital from the Hopkins study are tremendous. The study revealed that the costs to the hospital for one unit (300ml) of blood can cost as much as $1,100. While the donor gives the blood for free it must be analyzed for toxic diseases including Hepatitis and HIV (IMVS 2012). The blood is then separated into red blood cells, platelets and plasma, to be distributed specifically where needed. Include the storage and transportation costs and you can start to understand why blood is so expensive. Only giving blood when truly indicated has been shown to reduce the use of blood by up to 66% per institution with no change in outcomes to the patient including â€Å"length of stay, heart attack, stroke, death, and even the ability to walk† (Clark, 2012). This is where the HIM professional can come into play. The HIM can take research articles like this or even acquire their own research and then do training to educate the hospital staff. The Hopkins tudy indicated that when the HIM spoke directly with the surgeons and showed them the research there was a tendency to accept the new mindset and start delaying blood transfusions until the patient hemoglobin dropped below 7. This resulted in extra blood supply for those patients who truly need it and a significant reduced operating cost to the institution. It’s the HIM’s job to establish or change procedures that reflect changing and beneficial modalities and to get the information out to the hospital physicians and staff so they can help reduce institutional costs and ultimately benefit their own livelihood. This process can be done for hundreds or even thousands of processes currently in place within a hospital institution. Now we move on from our blood transfusion scenario to one involving the infrastructure of the hospital. The specific example to be used here is the hospital power supply. Hurricane Sandy revealed for many healthcare institutions in the north eastern United States that they were not as prepared as they thought. Some of these hospitals did have emergency generators in place, but they did no good for providing electricity when they were located in the basement of the building submerged in water from the flood. Sometimes it takes a real catastrophe for us to truly see how prepared we really are and how to improve. It’s crucial that a hospital be able to maintain electricity at all times. Almost every part of the building depends on electricity for staff to function and take care of their patients. Without electricity the lights won’t work, the furnace and air conditioners won’t work, the pumps won’t pump water through the pipes, ventilators will stop working and elevators won’t even be able to transfer sick patients between floors. These are some examples, but surely you can find many more failures if you look hard enough. For this reason, it is important that a hospital evaluate and have a plan in place to reduce the possibility of losing electricity and also have a plan in place if all safe guards fail. The concerns can truly be specific to a geographic area. For example, a hospital in the Midwest may not have to worry much about being hit by a hurricane, but it could be hit by a tornado. I spoke with hospital administrator Robyn Mazzolini at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois regarding how their hospital has addressed the issue of maintaining electricity to the facility. Robyn indicated that there were three specific issues of highest concern. They included the loss of power from the local utility company, flooding of the existing generators in the basement of the main hospital and damage from tornados. Robyn indicated that about ten years ago the hospital installed a generator in the basement of the main building that is capable of providing power to the entire ten story hospital, including all lights and HVAC. The problem was that the unit was very large and heavy and, as a result, had to be installed in the basement. A second generator was installed right next to the first to act as a backup generator should they lose power from the power company. These generators are also designed to operate on both natural gas or stored gasoline in the event the gas lines become compromised. This seemed to solve 90% of the scenarios that could come up. Then the neighboring community experienced a flood that shut down utilities for days and a few weeks in some areas. The hospital was concerned that they would be shut down in the event of a flood in their generator rooms in the basement. So, they added a third generator inside a remote area on the south perimeter of the hospital. This generator is located inside a concrete structure three floors above ground level. This is a smaller generator that will run specific areas in order for the hospital to stay functional. For example, this generator only supplies certain lights so that there is always enough visibility to operate. It also is designed to operate all electronics in the operating rooms, emergency room and critical care areas so there is no compromise to patient care. On the remaining medical floors there is one or two red colored electric outlets that operate off this third generator. In addition, this generator is not connected in any way to the basement level so that it can power the upper floors of the hospital even if the ground level is buried under 20 feet of water. The third generator is also enclosed in walls of reinforced concrete with the thought that it could withstand a tornado. It was the HIM and the HIT who were involved in the process to help determine the essential power needs of the hospital. The HIM evaluated the staff and the various facilities to determine that they could function treating most patients as long as there was one dedicated outlet within each patient room. The HIT also identified that the operating rooms, critical care areas and emergency room pretty much needed full power capabilities no matter what. The HIM and facilities managers both have a critical role in communicating the needs of the patients, staff and hospital to the engineers, administrators and building designers. And while Lutheran General Hospital was able to spend millions to prepare for a power disruption and pretty much covered every scenario, they still need to be ready to operate should all power to the facility cease. It is the HIM who can evaluate the various areas of the hospital based on resources, staffing and needs to determine the most critical issues to address first in the event of a total power failure. This takes a lot of time and energy and is probably an evolving process as conditions and resources change. But, in the end, it is the HIM professional who is able to connect all the dots to help bring the best solution for the organization. The third and final scenario presented here is related to staffing and how the HIM can help reduce risk and liability when it comes to the behavior of hospital staff. Hospital employees by their human nature are susceptible to making mistakes or forgetting to do certain things in the course of their patient care. Every health care institution, and any other business for that matter, strives to find ways to provide the best service possible to its customers. The challenge in improving service and reducing liability is finding a process that actually works. Ohio State University Medical Center found a way to improve the quality and consistency of patient care from its medical professionals. Ohio State did created a system of check lists to be used by hospital staff in their particular department and area of responsibility. So, there were many different checklists, but each employee only had one checklist that they were specifically responsible for. The University compared the outcome of over 3000 patients both before the check lists were used and then an additional 3000 plus patients after the checklists were used. The results were staggering. The study showed, for example, that the surgical death rate of patients decreased 47% when check lists were used compared to none used. Surgical infection rates were found to have decreased by 45%. These are dramatic results that clearly show a huge improvement in patient care and reduction of risk and liability. A possible cause for such improvement is that using checklists prevented medical staff from skipping a stop that could have caused a serious complication or infection. The aviation industry has proven that checklists work. When a pilot has a sudden engine failure there is plenty of room for panic and impulsive missed steps. This is why pilots are trained to immediately pull out their check lists, even if they have them memorized, and go systematically down the list to make sure that all steps are completed as indicated. This following of check lists has proven to significantly improve survivability of the aircraft during an emergency. The use of check lists seems to hold true for the health care industry, too, as the data clearly shows. The HIM plays a critical role in the development and rollout of these check lists to the various departments. The HIM must involve the hospital staff, managers and physicians in the process of developing a check list that easily and safely covers the needs of both the patient and the hospital. Once developed the HIM must develop and take the time to train the staff so that they understand the intent of the check lists as well as the individual steps and why they are to be completed. This training will ensure that the employees buy into the use of the check lists and choose to use them consistently with every patient. Theoretically, this should provide the same process and the same desired outcomes each time. Besides implementing the checklist program through training the HIM also plays an important role in developing a policy that says how the plan is to be implemented. Employees appreciate it when everything is clearly spelled out of what is expected of them. The HIM is in a position to deal with both the hospital administrator and the front line nurse who is physically caring for patients. This allows the HIM to obtain feedback and recommendations from all involved in the process and create or modify the plan as it is determined that changes need to take place. The HIM is possibly also in the best position to analyze the data to present the findings of the continued analysis to administrators to determine if the check list process is working or not. An example of a checklist that Ohio State University Medical Center used was the Pre-Op holding RN checklist that ends with transfer to the operating room RN checklist. Each nurse has specific duties to complete with their patient as they prepare them for their surgical procedure. The Pre-Op nurse can follow the check list to ensure that all required actions have indeed taken place. When transferring care to the operating room nurse the pre-op nurse passes on her check list to verify to the next nurse that everything has been completed properly. Each nurse is also required to ask the next receiving nurse if they have any questions. As you can see, this process really does maintain a high quality of continuity of care for the patients as they move throughout the various areas in the hospital during their stay. Cutting corners and skipping steps in the patient care process is significantly reduced if not completely eliminated and the HIM or HIT professional is involved all along in helping to create and improve the process within that hospital. This paper only discussed three scenarios in the process of seeking to maintain quality while reducing financial liability within a hospital environment. These processes can be used and applied towards the thousands of specific areas of responsibility that exist within a large health care facility like a hospital. The HIM professional really does play a crucial role in connecting the various departments and providers within a small or large healthcare institution. The HIM is in a position to know the pulse of the front line operations as well as the upper office administration’s intended direction going forward. The HIM professional can pull everyone together to compile data and make recommendations or changes that benefit the patient, the physicians and nurses, the facilities operators and even the top level administrators. There are few other individuals who are in such a good position to create such positive change. Quality HIM professionals will be in demand for many years to come.