Temple University Business Plan Essay Example

Temple University Business Plan Essay The Temple Consultants designed the Virtual Insurance Procurement Portal (IPP or PIP Portal) to align the brokerage model with evolving technology to address these pressing issues. The PIP Portal is an online resource planning tool that automates the overage procurement process, facilitates communications, increases transparency, and serves as a consolidated information source. The IPP will feature two separate, customizable interfaces for the broker and the client to suit each users needs. Figure 1: PEST Stable Social North American Insurance Industry 2012-present Political Demand increased transparency Non face-to-face communications Economic Industry consolidation Disintermediation through technology Technological Technological ubiquity and mobility Market Analysis In order to adapt to the political, economic, sociological, and technological rends affecting the insurance brokerage industry, brokers must redefine their current business model. The future brokerage model allows brokers to fully demonstrate the true value of their supplier, problem solver, innovator, and partner functions to clients. If clients only recognize the value of the brokers supplier function, industry competition will increasingly be based on price. Strategic changes must correspond to current insurance brokerage industry trends, which can be identified with a PEST framework (Figure 1). Political There are no new political trends affecting the insurance brokerage industry today. Despite the stable political environment, brokers must vigilantly ensure that all business practices uphold all federal and statutory regulations. The PIP Portal code will incorporate safety nets to ensure users do not violate any regulatory requirements. Industry consolidation and disintermediation through technology are the main economic trends affecting the insurance brokerage field today. Large brokerages expand and secure market share primarily by merging and acquiring smaller competitors. Increased consolidation is concentrating and intensifying industry rivalry. Disintermediation through technology is encouraging clients with simpler risk management needs to seek inferior broker substitutes. Most clients with simple risk management needs already find it hard justifying investments towards broker services and building relationships with brokers. We will write a custom essay sample on Temple University Business Plan specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Temple University Business Plan specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Temple University Business Plan specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer These economic trends are challenging the brokers role in the insurance procurement transaction. Social Entities spend less time socializing face-to-face and prefer to socialize through technology-enabled media. Customers and employees are becoming more accustomed to communicating through technology than through face-to-face tenting or over the phone. Brokers that do not embrace technology to facilitate the broker-client relationship risk being pushed out. Technology is continually affecting the way com pansies conduct operations. Businesses have already adapted significantly to align strategy with new technologies. As technology continues to evolve, companies need to further align strategy with the evolution of technology in order to remain competitive. 3 Our proposed brokerage model was developed to help brokers overcome the various competitive forces affecting the industry and challenging the brokers role as risk advisor. These forces are driven by the trends identified in the PEST evaluation and analyzed under a Porters Five Forces framework (Figure 2). Figure 2: Porters Five Forces Insurance Brokerage Industry Force industry Rivalry Intensity Very Strong Threat of Weak New Entrants Buyer Power Moderate to Strong Supplier Power Us busiest Explanation C] Leading industry competitors (201 3): Marsh, Non, Willis, and Arthur J. Gallagher C] Disintermediation through technology CLC Clients cannot perceive true value C] Threat of strong price competition 0 Low to moderate buyer switching costs CLC Response from powerful incumbents L] Relationship-driven industry C] Access to suppliers I. E. Arises C] Buyers need insurance and risk management solutions C] Small clients have simpler needs, but are price sensitive D Large clients need individualized solutions, and have high bargaining power C] Relationship-driven customer switching costs C] Difficulty realizing true value CLC Control policy form design C] Control premiums 0 Intense competition among carriers C] Direct marketing 0 Alternative Risk Solutions Industry Rivalry The United States insurance brokerage industry is highly competitive. Marsh, Non, Willis, and Arthur J. Gallagher are the strongest commercial brokerage competitors. The industry has undergone a long-standing trend of consolidation as larger brokerages acquire smaller competitors. Disintermediation is becoming increasingly apparent as more clients, 4 particularly those with simpler needs, are severing broker relationships and relying on technology to develop their own, cost-effective risk management programs. Though, clients recognize the value of the brokers supplier function, many clients fail to realize the true value of the brokers problem solver function. Because switching costs are relatively low, clients can easily rancher to another brokerage that clients believe is capable of providing them the best coverage at the best price. Brokers who fail to address the consolidation, disintermediation, and value non-recognition trends threatening the industry will succumb to pressures stemming from increased rivalry. New entrants pose little threat to the US brokerage industry. Though, it is relatively easy to start an insurance brokerage firm, new entrants face hostile responses from industry incumbents. To build a book of business, new entrants must convince potential clients to dissolve pre-existing broker-client relationships. To provide clients the right products at the right price, new entrants must also establish strong broker-carrier relationships. The chosen brokers relationship with carriers, will largely influence the clients risk management program. Built on trust, this relationship-driven industry has high entry barriers lessening the threat new entrants pose to established brokers. Buyers Commercial insurance brokers face moderate forces from large clients and strong forces from small clients. Small clients are those with simpler risk management needs and large clients generally have more complex portfolios. Large clients exert moderate buyer power on brokers because large clients cannot easily find substitutes to their brokers problem solver and partner functions. However, large clients have a higher switching costs compared to small clients 5 because it takes time to rebuild relationships, trust, and understanding with a new broker. Small clients exert strong buyer power on brokers because traditionally, small clients do not avail broker services and have a harder time realizing the true value brokers provide. Small clients can easily access inferior broker alternatives and are more price sensitive. However, buyers relinquish some power since all clients need a means of risk transfer. Buyer power is weakened when considering brokers can leverage relationships with carriers to provide clients with better coverage. The commercial brokerage industry is heavily relationship-driven, wherein most clients tend to remain loyal to their broker. The primary factor disrupting existing broker-client relationships is severe pressure for cost reduction. Overall, buyer power is increasing more clients fail to recognize the true value brokers provide and consider alternative solutions to manage risk. Suppliers Suppliers have considerable strength in the LOS brokerage industry. Insurance carriers largely derive power from control over capacity, policy design, and ability to accept or decline a risk. Without broker-carrier understanding brokers are incapable of adequately serving clients. Strong supplier power is also driven by intense competition among the carriers themselves. However, since carriers compete to ensure that their products are brokers first choice recommendation, supplier power slightly diminishes. Overall, suppliers exert great strength over the commercial brokerage industry. Insurance brokers face a weak to moderate level of threat from substitutes because generally clients are most comfortable entrusting experts with their risk management, consulting, and procurement needs. However, disintermediation through technology and increased 6 availability of alternative risk solutions are jeopardizing the brokers role. Currently, substitutes still pose little threat to the industry. If clients continue underestimate the true value brokers provide, the threat of substitutes will strengthen and exert increased competitive pressure on the commercial brokerage industry. The Virtual Insurance Procurement Portal Technology Integration The Virtual Insurance Procurement Portal (PIP Portal or IPP) is a resource planning system that automates the coverage procurement process, facilitates communication, and provides a cohesive, organized, center of information for enhanced client management. The portal will integrate seamlessly with Windows and MAC operating systems and will be available in standard, touch, and mobile options. Because the IPP tool is designed to enrich the borderline relationship, it must be portable and provide constant access to client-related material. Due to the highly sensitive nature of client information, the IPP will employ state-of-the-art security encryption to ensure account integrity is always protected. Interface The interface will have an intuitive, visually appealing, tiled interface. Each of the tiles is customize able and will provide quicklime to selected information such as policies, interaction logs, chat, conferencing, client preferences, loss history, and industry benchmarking data. The platform will leverage a licensing agreement with Google data analytics to provide superior search capability within client accounts. As an example, the broker will be able to err policy limits, and the portal will return, the per-occurrence and aggregate limits of each policy as well 7 as any deductibles and exclusions. In the event of a loss, the broker will be able to best assist the client regardless of either users location or time. Users can set preferences within each client profile, so they will receive industry- specific news from insurance publications such as Advised and Business Insurance. This will ensure clients are consistently up-to-date on the broad issues affecting clients. Brokers will be able to directly interface with the carriers through the portal or Reps, and carriers will be able to directly upload policy deliverables into the portal. The portal will be able to Scan and quickly return key information, such as rates and exclusions, to the brokers. From the clients perspective, the portal will also have an intuitive, tiled approach, and work similarly to the brokers version. However, certain information, such as internal procedures will be excluded from the clients view. With all marketing and Reps results stored in the application, this will eliminate the administrative burden of preparing transparencies, as made requisite by the 2004 Spirits investigate. Storage and Maintenance The PIP Portal will include 24/7 customer service to detect and repair bug issues, and will make use of site management to ensure that all applications are consistently fully operational. Data storage will be securely encrypted and will be outsourced by a cud storage firm. This platform will be downloaded online, and will not require any hardware or packaged software. The platform will integrate with legacy information and underwriting systems as well the Microsoft suite. This will allow for steady assimilation to the product and will enable brokers to employ the most optimal mix of resources. Financial Market Entry We propose that the IPP be developed in-house, by a large brokerage firm. Due to lack of proof of concept at this stage, it may be difficult to find venture capital. Evidence supporting proof of concept will come from beta testing. Following development, the brokerage firm will have ownership of the PIP Portal. Business Model Our estimates indicate that about $1 will be required to develop a functioning prototype. During beta testing, the brokerage will partner in capital formation, which will enable developers to bring the software to optimal functionality and ensure that the software is capable of large-scale use. The portal is designed to syntactically align with the broker process and become inextricable from placement and client-servicing processes. During the three year battening phase, market share will be low at approximately half a percent. This period will allow brokers, partner carriers, and clients to collaborate and ensure that the tool provides maximum utility and enhances the brokers value-proposition. Upon completion of the beta phase, the brokerage firm will garner significant competitive advantage through full integration of legacy systems in place. Benefits and Cost Savings From a cost and benefit perspective, PIP Portal will increase process efficiencies in placement and servicing drastically reduce transaction costs, add value, and increase clients willingness to pay. We believe that IPP will provide savings for the broker by reducing the 9 number of staff needed to properly service an account and providing tools to assist the client as effectively as possible. The IPP solution will reduce administrative costs, increase efficiency, and provide savings on transaction costs. This does not necessitate a direct monetary discount for clients, but it ill provide greater utility and competitive advantage by increasing value relative to premium paid. Further proof of concept will provide greater clarity on the amount Of savings and the increase in productivity that will result from implementation of the PIP Portal. Financial Analysis By interviewing Bill Mortar, an adjunct professor at Temple University and an IT professional with knowledge in software development, our team estimated development costs for the IPP. The portal will need to be developed in phases. We designed a four-phase implementation process with varying development time and costs. Phase is currently underway and primarily involves researching design functionality and capability. Phases II through IV will build proof of concept that the PIP Portal must establish prior to implementation. The table below shows a breakdown of the four phases and major tasks that must be achieved in each phase. Phase I (6 months) Setting the business requirements Functionality and navigation considerations Screen mock-ups Total Cost Phase I Cost $50,000 Phase II (6 months) Translating business requirements Database structure Detailed software design and documentation Total cost of Phase II 150,000 10 Phase Ill (12 months) Coding Portal testing Bug tracking Total Cost of Phase Ill $700,000 Phase IV (12 months) Beta version testing Further development Maintenance Considerations Total Cost of Phase IV $1 75,000 Estimated Total Time Estimated Total Cost 36 months The team estimated the total time for development and testing to be 36 months at a cost Of $1 We have estimated the amount of value the PIP Portal could provide to a brokerage firm by conducting a net present value (NIP) analysis. According to Hoovers, the insurance agency and brokerage industry in the United States cords approximately 100 billion in revenue annually, and is expected to experience medium growth over the next 1 2 to 24 months. We decided a 5% growth rate is a reasonable assumption based on Hoovers data. We used very conservative numbers to estimate the extent of additional market share a brokerage firm could capture after implementation. Our assumptions is that a firm could capture an extra . 5% of industry revenue in the first year after the three year beta phase and is adjusted up to 3% at year five.

Women in Beowulf Essays

Women in Beowulf Essays Women in Beowulf Essay Women in Beowulf Essay Essay Topic: Beowulf Grendel In nearly every society throughout history, women have never held an extremely important place. The role of a woman seems miniscule compared to that of a man. However, there are some women who abide to the unwritten rules of how to behave, and others who challenge those rules. The contradicting roles of the women in the poem beowulf aim to show the differences between them and how they exist in society. The characters who are mainly introduced into these various roles in the poem consist of Queen Modthryth, Grendel’s Mother, Hrothgar’s wife Wealhtheow, and Queen Hygd; all of whom play roles in the poem that either contradict or relate to each other. In Beowulf, Queen Wealhtheow serves as the ideal example of an appropriate woman. After Beowulf defeated Grendel, the Queen spoke to all of the occupants of Heorot Hall as the hostess of the banquet. Just one small example of Wealhtheow’s cadence and poise comes from her praise to Beowulf for his defeat of Grendel as she says, â€Å"And so, my prince, / I wish you a lifetime’s luck and blessings/ to enjoy this treasure. Treat my sons/ with tender care, be strong and kind. / Here each comrade is true to the other, / loyal to lord, loving in spirit† (lines 1224-1227). This shows the genuine kindness that Hrothgar’s wife exudes. The men react with extreme pleasure to her speaking, giving applause for their Queen, which demonstrates that men in that time period did hold respect for a woman who was tasteful, kind, and most importantly gave praise towards other men. Queen Wealhtheow serves as the picture of grace, poise, kindness, and most importantly as a vast contrast between other women throughout the poem. The next woman to make an appearance in the poem comes in the form of a monster. Grendel’s mother’s stark contrast to the traditional role of the queen shows that a woman who refuses to follow that traditional role becomes an outcast of society. Grendel’s mother first appears at Heorot Hall as everyone sleeps from the overwhelmingly joyful day of Grendel’s defeat. While they’re sleeping, she stages a surprise attack, slaughtering men for revenge. â€Å"Her onslaught was less/ only by as much as an Amazon warrior’s/ strength is less than an armed man’s/ when the hefted sword, its hammered edge/ and gleaming blade slathered in blood,/ razes the sturdy boar-ridge off a helmet† (lines 1282- 1287). The way in which she blindly murders so many men highlights her barbaric nature. She lacks all the grace and poise held by Wealhtheow. Her actions cause others in society to view her as a horrid monster. Grendel’s mother highly contradicts the traditional role of a kind or generous woman as compared to the Queen. Instead she plays the role of a horrendous murderer and burden upon society, challenging the well known role of women. One of the most obvious comparisons between women in Beowulf is that of Queen Hygd and Queen Modthryth. The contrast of the two shows the difference between an acceptable and unacceptable woman. The poem first introduces Queen Hygd as the ideal Queen, stating, â€Å"her mind was thoughtful and manners sure. / Haereth’s daughter behaved generously/ and stinted nothing when she distributed/ bounty to the Geats† (lines 1928- 1931). Throughout Beowulf, women who are thoughtful of men are seen as better members in society. Along with Queen Wealhtheow, Queen Hygd fulfills the role of the proper, submissive woman. The introduction of Hygd acts as a perfect lead into the story of Queen Modthryth. After the poem introduces Queen Hygd, it offers a stark contrast by introducing Queen Modthryth. Her unacceptable behavior was inevitably only able to change because of her marriage to a man. The story of the Queen began by telling how she committed awful murders, and the negativity that came from these crimes. Most people showed this as they thought,† Even a queen/outstanding in beauty must not overstep like that. /A queen should weave peace, not punish the innocent/with loss of life for imagined insults† (lines 1941-1944). The tone at this point in Beowulf holds obvious negativity towards Queen Modthryth. Murder in that society of innocent people was highly looked down upon, especially coming from a woman. However, the tone of the story changes when another tale of Queen Modthryth marrying Offa begins. Because of her marriage, she becomes graceful, devoted to her king, and overall a better woman in society. This stark contrast created between both opposites, Queen Hygd and Queen Modthryth, contributes to the many differences of women throughout the poem. The main four women compared throughout Beowulf are Queen Wealhtheow, Grendel’s Mother, Queen Modthryth, and Queen Hygd. Both Grendel’s mother and Queen Modthryth are examples of horrifying monsters who commit the worst of wrongs. They starkly contrast the peace-bringing and gracious roles of Queen Hygd and Queen Wealhtheow. Both queens represent their kings, King Hygelic and King Hrothgar, with great poise and kindness, the ideal role for a queen. Overall the contrast between the women in Beowulf show how each differs and exists in society.

The current leadership and memebership composition of the Chinese Essay

The current leadership and memebership composition of the Chinese Communist Party reflects the evolution of the Chinese state and society since 1949. comment - Essay Example The CCP and its cadres â€Å"are changing in ways that make creative solutions to political governance problems feasible than a repeated violent reaction to social change, as in 1989† (Smith, 2003). While progress and reform is on the party agenda, its leadership still retains useful traditions and customs. A case in point is the utilization of nomenklatura system for selecting party leaders. Its critics will point to its shortcomings, including its inability to curb corruption within the party ranks. But the nomenklatura system was not devised to deter corruption. Also, the cadre responsibility system was meant to act as an analytical tool for zeroing in on the primary goals of the party and assessing the success of various policy initiatives; and it has proved equal to this stated objective. The history of China over the last sixty years has not been without moments of indiscretion and impasse. When in September of 1949, the communist revolution was complete and the CCP ascended to power, the people of China were relieved and also hopeful; Relieved of closing a conflict-ridden chapter of their recent history and hopeful of a brighter future. It can safely be said that their hopes were fulfilled to a large extent. The CCP has to be credited for bringing about a degree of economic and political stability in the first decade of their reign. The subsequent years will prove to be more challenging for the CCP leadership, which had to deal with famine caused by its Great Leap Forward program. From these early days, when the party and its members were still learning the ropes of governance it has now become a sophisticated and well coordinated political machine. The party building efforts in modern urban settlements (also called ‘shequ’) is an innovative move. Furt her, â€Å"Such local experiments in limited political reform are creating a mixed regime based on one-party rule, Mandarin traditions, and intra-party

American Dream Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Dream - Research Paper Example Willy’s destiny, his interactions and his cognitive state illustrates both the desire to achieve the American dream of success and the consequences of failure to achieve the dream. Willy’s life majorly exhibits failure to pursue the dream. He is skeptical of his sons’ pursuit of success, an issue that both his wife and the sons recognize. When Biff comes to visit, Willy disapproves of his failure to achieve success. Biff and his younger brother also discuss their father’s continued complaints of their failure. The sons, as a result, embrace failure and only interact with the American dream in fantasy. Willy is also immersed in fantasy of his children’s successful pursuit of the American dream. He is similarly skeptical about his failure to travel with his brother to Alaska, a move that made his brother successful. Charley, in consolation, offers Willy a job but he refuses on bride (Miller, p. 81- 83; Sinclair, p. 2- 4). The author, in these contexts , negatively evaluates failure to achieve the American dream of success. He demonstrates Willy as an example of this failure as his job is unstable and he fails to raise a successful family. Failure to achieve the American dream is also identified with inappropriate personal initiatives. This is because Willy’s failure cannot be blamed on external forces such as macroeconomic aspects of unemployment. Challenges at his workplace and his failure to seek another employment opportunity, and even accept Charley’s offer for a job identifies personal failure to achieve the American dream (Sparknotes, p. 189). The theme of American dream in the play also identifies a â€Å"gap between reality and characters’ aspirations† (Shmoop, p. 11). Shmoop argues that some characters in play developed a virtual perception of the American dream. While Willy, his wife and his son, Happy believes in the possibility of achieving success, they do not strive towards achieving the dream. As a result, their lives, that majorly rotates around fantasy does not correspond to the fruits of achieving the American dream. This difference further isolates Willy’s family from other characters who are seemingly successful in the pursuit of success. Charley, Willy’s neighbor, is for example successful and is even in a capacity to offer him a job. Charley’s social success is also reflected in his ability to bring up an academically successful child. Ben, Willy’s brother also made ventures into economic success while his successful employer identifies his inability to work and recommends that Willy take a break. The American dream is therefore presented with both positive and negative impacts on the society. While the dream is attainable to those who are able to face the reality of hard work into success, it is a detriment to lazy people who hope that success presents itself (Shmoop, p. 11; Lyceum, p. 4). Yasinski shares the same opinion about t he theme of American dream in the play. According to author, the dream establishes a ground for financial success but is based on two factors that Miller demonstrates. The author first notices that financial success’ aspect of the dream is an open opportunity to every American but can only be achieved through hard work, a fact that distinguishes Willy’s family from others in the play. â€Å"Selfishness and social injustice†

Marketing Consultancy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marketing Consultancy - Assignment Example The target audience is the police in the UK and more precisely, the Metropolitan Police department. The DeltaNu Reporter seems not to be a threat to the company and its not affecting the performance of the company. For the products, they pass through five stages in the life cycle of the product along with the test market phase. First the test market is conducted and then it passes through introduction, growth, maturity, and decline and saturation stage (Smallwood, n.d.). Analytik is operating in UK and Ireland and requires following the procedures of the Minister of Defense (MOD) of UK. The political environment is very important as the rules and regulations regarding the trade practice are decided by the political party in power. It may create favourable or unfavourable situations for the business. Looking at the threat levels toward the nation the policy are framed which is in favour of the products of Analytik. The current recession had hit hard globally and UK was also hit by the financial crises. This forced the government to reduce down the cost or expenditure in the public departments. The effects are directly towards the products procurements. But the economy is regaining back to its normal state of affairs and there is a better future prospect of the product to grow in this segment. The UK government is more focused upon the safety and security measures for maintaining peace. The increased risk of terrorism had resulted in security issues. The product of Analytik like ReporteR is in need for such safety measures. It helps the police department in preventing both narcotics and explosives entry to UK. The government as well as the society wants a peaceful social life. Technology is vital for any product development which provides an enhanced quality product to the market. The police departments are using better technology but due to the financial budget constraints, it restricts to acquire more developed equipments. Technological advancement adds

Effectiveness of the Environmental Levy Scheme

Effectiveness of the Environmental Levy Scheme Investigate the effectiveness of the Environmental Levy Scheme on Plastic Shopping Bags and Give suggestions on alternative solutions to saturating landfills within 5 years. I have chosen this topic on the basis that this scheme is the first measure in the Product Eco-Responsibility Scheme, thus by reviewing its effectiveness I can give suggestions regarding successful factors and areas for improvement on further schemes of similar nature. (Part 1) Also, as the controversy on construction bill for an incinerator in Hong Kong is hot these days, it has interested me to evaluate other alternatives to reduce waste production, using the analysis in Part 1. (Part 2) Date of submission: 1st July,2015. Table of contents Introduction Background Literature review Objectives and expected outcomes Focus questions Methodology Findings and analysis Effectiveness of the Levy Scheme on Plastic Shopping Bags Did the PSB scheme succeed in bringing down plastic bag waste production? To what extent? The pros of the PSB scheme and successful factors The cons of the PSB scheme and areas for improvement Implications of the effectiveness of the PSB scheme Recommendations on future waste reduction schemes from the experience of PSB What elements of the PSB scheme can be kept in further schemes of waste reduction? What are the problems in the PSB scheme that further schemes of waste reduction needs to tackle? The direction for future waste reduction schemes and feasible solutions Education and promotion Public attitude reflected from the PSB scheme Conclusion Reflection Bibliography Appendix Introduction 1.1 Background I am interested in the topic Investigate the effectiveness of the Environmental Levy Scheme on Plastic Shopping Bags and Give suggestions on alternative solutions to saturating landfills within 5 years as recently debates on the urgency and essentiality of building an incinerator in Hong Kong are boiling hot in Hong Kong. As an eco-friendly person, I am deeply concerned that all landfills in Hong Kong are estimated to meet saturation by 2019, calculating by the current waste production rate. [i] Coincidentally, the PSB scheme was entering the second phase on 1st April 2015 and is another hot eco topic this year. From analysis on Hong Kong Connection (TV programme produced by RTHK), it inspired me this PSB scheme may provide some insights into how waste reduction works and what the pros and cons are of utilizing financial disincentive. Based on evaluation of the PSB scheme, I can give suggestions on alternate solutions of waste reduction. Environmental Levy Scheme on Plastic Bags is the taxing of plastic bag of $0.5 per bag. It is the first scheme under the Producer Responsibility Scheme under the Environmental Protection Department. In the first phase 7 July 2009 – 31 March 2015, about 3000 retail outlets were covered. In the full implementation phase starting 1 April 2015, all retail outlets (more than 100,000 points of retail sales) in Hong Kong are covered.[ii] 1.3 Objectives and expected outcomes There are two main objectives in this study: 1. To evaluate the successful factors and areas for improvement of the PSB plan and 2. To give recommendations on future waste reduction schemes using the experience learnt from the PSB plan. By data collection and analysis, I expect to gain the following outcomes: the actual results of the PSB scheme, the reasons people support or boycott the scheme, governmental communication with the public regarding waste production, the criteria for a successful eco- scheme in the public’s eyes and the relation of education and promotion to effectiveness. 1.4 Focus Questions The focus questions regarding the topic include: -What is the current situation of Plastic Shopping Bag Levy? How effective is it in reducing plastic waste? -How do citizens evaluate the effectiveness of the PSB Levy? -What are the benefits of the PSB Levy to HK’s environment? -What damage or disharmony will PSB Levy bring to HK? -What can we conclude from the current situation on the effectiveness of the PSB Levy? What elements can thus be used to make future environmental policy more effective? 2. Methodology I have used the following data collection method for primary data: 3. Findings and Analysis 3.1 Effectiveness of the Levy Scheme on Plastic Shopping Bags 3.1.1 Did the PSB scheme succeed in bringing down plastic bag waste production? To what extent? The PSB scheme was to a large extent successful in bringing plastic bag waste production. The distribution of PSB in retail outlets has reduced by 90% since the launch of the PSB scheme in 2009.[iii] It was estimated that 84 million PSB was distributed in 2009, thus it has decreased to 8.4 million approximately uptil now. [iv] From the questionnaire survey, the majority of 80% respondents said they would not use PSB while only a minority of 20% said they would. It shows the effectiveness of the PSB scheme. From the field observation, the PSB distribution is a low 5% per hour.[v] The number of PSB distributed in supermarkets has decreased to 403, according to a survey conducted by Green Action. [vi]The government has attributed the change to the increasing public awareness of Bring Your Own Bag promoted by the PSB scheme. [vii] Therefore, the PSB scheme has succeeded to bring down PSB distribution and raise eco-awareness. 3.1.2 The pros of the PSB scheme and successful factors The PSB scheme is successful in bringing down PSB usage and raising eco-awareness, as mentioned in 3.1.1. According to the questionnaire survey, 57% and 39% of respondents said they choose not to claim PSB because they don’t want to pay the $0.5 charge and that they are eco-friendly. This shows that one of the successful factors of the scheme is the financial disincentive, as Hong Kong people are money-conscious. [viii] This also shows that the PSB scheme has raised public awareness towards their eco attitude. The elements that made the PSB scheme successful can give reference to future waste reduction schemes. Firstly, financial disincentive is effective in discouraging waste production, thus this element should be kept. Also, another successful factor is promoting positive value such as Bring Your Own Bag, as public awareness has been raised in the PSB scheme.[ix] The cons of the PSB scheme and areas for improvement Despite the obvious effectiveness, there is still room for improvements for the PSB scheme. The cons of the PSB scheme include the small amount of levy not being threatening enough and the difficulty in supervision. According to the questionnaire survey, 70% of respondents said they would use PSB as it is convenient and 65% said the levy is affordable. [x] Thus, we see that maybe the levy should be increased to be more effective. Also, according to the field observation, some customers tend to buy prepackaged goods or take many storage bags with no hand-hold to avoid the levy.[xi] Therefore, this shows that ineffective supervision would negatively affect the effectiveness of the measure. The major problem of the PSB scheme right now, concluded from the above, is the deep-rooted public attitude. Hong Kong people are often money-minded and cynical, which may cause them to disregard the PSB scheme for their personal interest, such as avoiding the levy but still using other plastic bags or misusing recycling bags. [xii] The main issue to tackle in order to better future waste production schemes is how to change the public attitude and promote correct values in the long run. Implications of the effectiveness of the PSB scheme The PSB scheme is the first scheme under the Producer Responsibility Scheme, thus is the water tester that indicates whether financial disincentive is effective to reduce waste production. Its success reflected that Hong Kong people are very conscious when something affects their personal interest directly, such as additional financial burden, therefore future waste reduction scheme should still be focused on this weakness of Hong Kong people (financial disincentive). [xiii] One supporting evidence is found in the questionnaire survey. When asked to rank what are the priorities that urge them to support a waste reduction scheme, most respondents ranked economical factor first, then personal factor. Remarkably, they least value environmental factor and sustainability, showing Hong Kong people are generally more money-minded than eco-conscious.[xiv] The implications of this phenomenon are that financial disincentive is most suitable for waste reduction in Hong Kong as financial concern is the greatest motivational power for Hongkongers to change living habits, also that future schemes should focus on delivering positive values such as the importance of eco-protection and sustainability in promotion and public education.[xv] Recommendations on future waste reduction schemes from the experience of PSB 3.2.1 What elements of the PSB scheme can be kept in further schemes of waste reduction? As discussed in 3.1.2, the main elements to be kept in further schemes of waste reduction are financial disincentive and effort to change public attitude in changing lifestyles, also their approaches to waste. [xvi] Based on the questionnaire findings, most respondents are supportive to the PSB scheme and regard it a political and social success. [xvii] This also showed that transparency of government measures and effective downward communication and public consultation is important, and should be continued in future waste reduction schemes.[xviii] 3.2.2 What are the problems in the PSB scheme that further schemes of waste reduction needs to tackle? As discussed in 3.1.3, the main problems of the PSB scheme are the hard-to-change public attitude and thus their living habits, also non-threatening amount of levy and insufficient supervision. Furthermore, most respondents think the crux of the waste production problem are inadequate environmental education, lack of promotion of government eco-schemes and the buy-and-throw habit of the prosperous metropolis.[xix] These are problems that future waste production scheme most urgently face. The direction for future waste reduction schemes and feasible solutions In response to 3.2.2, hereby I would recommend important points for improvement with regard to the above problems. Firstly, when implementing waste reduction schemes, powerful financial disincentive should be enforced to respond to Hong Kong people’s money-conscious mindset and relatively smaller concern for the environment. [xx] It is the only way to receive biggest response from the public and see changes in their daily living. Secondly, to tackle the supervision difficulty, a report system by hotline can be opened to the public to report violation of the policy by either shops or the general public.[xxi] This can make supervision more all-rounded. Thirdly, education and promotion to indoctrinate correct and positive values is also important. As shown in the questionnaire findings, the public value economical concern over environmental concern, which is unhealthy and detrimental to eco-protection. Thus, education and promotion is essential. In order to find out the most supported waste reduction schemes, I have asked respondents to rank policies that they regard as most effective in reducing waste. The survey results show that policies involving separation, recycling and levy are seen as most effective, with the top being Source Separation of Domestic Waste, scoring 1580 in sums.[xxii] This shows that the public would support waste reduction schemes that only require little alterations in daily living, such as household waste separation, or recycling and financial disincentive. This match with the fact that their top concern is economical factor and second is personal factor when responding to a waste reduction scheme.[xxiii] In contrary, public opinion do not support policies involving new landfills and incinerators, the bottom being opening up new landfill in current country parks, scoring only 882 in total.[xxiv] This shows that the public is least likely to support waste reduction scheme that might be detrimental to their living environment and health, or those that may use a large amount of government reserves as it violates economic efficiency. This match with their priority list as they most value economical factor (efficiency, personal burden) and personal factor (impact to living environment and health). This ranking gives us important and clear insights into which directions to go and also how best to suit public concerns and gain public support in waste reduction schemes. Education and promotion à ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ©Ã‚ «Ã¢â‚¬  à ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã‚  Ã‚ ­Ãƒ ¦Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ²***** With reference to 3.2.3, we have gained some insights into what values are to be changed for future waste reduction schemes to go smoothly (money over environment) , and also what are most motivational to the general public. 3.2.5 Public attitude reflected from the PSB scheme à ¦Ã…  Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ 4. Conclusion 5.Reflections 6. Bibliography 7.Appendix [i] Environment minister Wong Kam-sing, 2003, Hong Kong issues dire warning on landfills amid protests by residents, South China Morning Post, http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1246229/city-could-drown-trash-environment-minister-warns [ii]Environmental Levy Scheme on Plastic Bags, Environmental Protection Department, http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/pro_responsibility/env_levy.html [iii] Press Release, 28 Mar 2015, Environmental Protection Department, http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201503/28/P201503270921.htm [iv] Will Hong Kongs city-wide levy on plastic bags really change behaviour?, Time Out Hong Kong, http://www.timeout.com.hk/big-smog/features/71898/will-hong-kongs-city-wide-levy-on-plastic-bags-really-change-behaviour.html [v] Field observation, appendix 3 [vi] Environmental Levy on Plastic Shopping Bags What are the problems?, CSR Asia, http://csr-asia.com/csr-asia-weekly-news-detail.php?id=11753 [vii] Press Release, 28 Mar 2015, Environmental Protection Department, http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201503/28/P201503270921.htm [viii] Plastic society rethinks bags, Macau Business, 26th May 2015, http://www.macaubusiness.com/news/plastic-society-rethinks-bags.html [ix] Press Release, 28 Mar 2015, Environmental Protection Department, http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201503/28/P201503270921.htm [x] Questionnaire survey, Q3, appendix2 [xi] Field observation, appendix 3 [xii] Values Education in Hong Kong – Problems and Possibilities, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, http://www.acsa.edu.au/pages/images/99_fok_values_ed.pdf [xiii] Values Education in Hong Kong – Problems and Possibilities, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, http://www.acsa.edu.au/pages/images/99_fok_values_ed.pdf [xiv] Questionnaire survey, Q8, appendix2 [xv] Values Education in Hong Kong – Problems and Possibilities, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, http://www.acsa.edu.au/pages/images/99_fok_values_ed.pdf [xvi] Waste Reduction Framework Plan, Environmental Protection Department, http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/prob_solutions/wrfp_summary.html [xvii] Questionnaire survey, Q5 and Q6, appendix2 [xviii] Public Consultation Report on the Proposal on An Environmental Levy on Plastic Shopping Bags , http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/prob_solutions/files/Consultation_Report_Levy_Eng.pdf. [xix] Questionnaire survey, Q9 , appendix2 [xx] Values Education in Hong Kong – Problems and Possibilities, The Hong Kong Institute of Education, http://www.acsa.edu.au/pages/images/99_fok_values_ed.pdf [xxi] Environmental Levy Scheme on Plastic Shopping Bags, Environmental Protection Scheme, http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/pro_responsibility/env_levy.html [xxii] Questionnaire survey, Q7 , appendix2 [xxiii] Questionnaire survey, Q8 , appendix2 [xxiv] Questionnaire survey, Q7 , appendix2

Universality of Death of a Salesman :: Arthur Miller

Death of a Salesman's universality comes from its fundamental themes and ideas which will adhere to place and time period it is. They have the ability to connect with such a universal audience because they take into account human nature. We, as readers or viewers, of the play can connect with the concepts presented because they are part of our everyday lives. Let's start off with one of the major themes in the play, which is the pursuit of a dream. For Willy Loman, it is the American dream. His false notion of this dream, which he believes with firm conviction, if you are "well liked" and "personally attractive" you will do well in business and life. The American dream is something that can be pursued, but not the way Willy perceived it. For example, Chris Gardner, the successful owner of stock brokerage, went from being a homeless man sometimes sleeping in public bathrooms to opening becoming a multimillionaire. His rags to riches story, like many others, show hard work and dedicati on can help you achieve your goals. Thousands of people come into the U.S. each year, many of them with the hope of building a better life in the "land of opportunity." Dreams can vary. We all have dreams because we want to achieve more so we can have a better life, whether it is in terms of wealth, health, family, or happiness. However, even with dreams and achievements, we may not always be able to get what we desire. Willy Loman was unable to see this. Even with defeat staring at him, his denial as well as his inability to face it, blinded him from accepting the truth. Another thing that makes this play timeless is the idea that, regardless of who we are, each one of us is a salesman and we will continue to be salesman. For example, teachers sell their beliefs and ideas to their students. People aspiring for a job sell themselves to the employers. The same thing goes when applying for colleges or when finding a mate. So, in that sense, we have a little bit of Willy Loman in us making this connection we can relate to him and hope not to make his mistakes. Death of a Salesman is just as significant in this time period as it was in 1949 is because a common man is trying to make it in his world.

Supply Chain Management in Hospital

Pantai Hospital Ipoh (PHI), registered under Paloh Medical Centre Sdn. Bhd, was established in year 1996 owned by Pantai Group, part of IHH Healthcare Berhad; one of the most significant healthcare operators in the world that provide premium healthcare services in Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The hospital is strategically located in Ipoh and easily accessible within a 5 minutes drive from the North-South Highway Interchange and the Ipoh City Centre.Pantai Hospital Ipoh was started to serve the local communities of Ipoh, and has since grown to become one of the private premier healthcare providers in Perak, and the northern region of Malaysia. Pantai Hospital Ipoh started with just only 76 beds, and now has 180 beds and 82 consultant specialists, providing quality care and treatment aided by qualified nurses and other allied healthcare professionals.In partnership with various health insurers and corporate organizations, PHI has established itsel f as a preferred provider, allowing greater and easier access to its healthcare services, which extends beyond just a single hospital through the extensive network of more than 10 Pantai and Gleneagles Hospitals, all part of IHH Healthcare Berhad. Through the use of appropriate technology and skills, Pantai Hospital Ipoh is firm in its vision to be the trusted professionals of healthcare delivery, from prevention, detection to treatment and care, when it matters most.Apart from providing a wide range of modern facilities and the expertise of many consultant specialists, the hospital is staffed with warm and friendly personnel who are dedicated to give our customers the personalized attention and quality care they deserve. Central to its commitment towards quality healthcare, PHI strives to provide excellence in service and its future will be built on welcoming change innovation, today and tomorrow. In year 2005, Pantai Hospital Ipoh has successfully obtained ISO 9001:2008.The Hospit al continuously seeks to improve the organization’s performance and the outcome of cares. With this, PHI has started the adoption the best and safe practices for all the clinical and non-clinical areas which guided by Malaysia Society in Healthcare Quality. Since the inception of Pantai Hospital Ipoh in 1996, the hospital has increased tremendously the disciplinary medical and surgical specialties. Listings below are the specialties provided by Pantai Hospital currently: †¢ Anaesthesiology †¢ Cardiology †¢ Colorectal Surgery †¢ Cardiothoracic Anaethesiology Cardiothoracic Surgery †¢ Dental / Oral Surgery †¢ Dermatology †¢ Ear, Nose & Throat Surgery (ENT) †¢ Gastroenterology †¢ General Surgery †¢ Haematology †¢ Immunology †¢ Infertility †¢ Internal Medicine †¢ Nephrology †¢ Neurology †¢ Neurosurgery †¢ Orthopaedic Surgery †¢ Obstetrics and Gynaecology †¢ Ophthalmology †¢ Paediat rics †¢ Pain Management †¢ Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery †¢ Psychiatry †¢ Urology †¢ Rheumatology †¢ Respiratory †¢ Radiology To facilitate the services mentioned above, Pantai Hospital Ipoh has established the following facilities and services: a. 24hrs Accident & EmergencyTo provide 24-hour services for emergency as well as less urgent cases that uses a triage system to determine the severity of each case, to ensure that priority is given to patients with the most urgent medical need. b. Ambulance Services Our ambulance service provides transportation of patients throughout Malaysia with includes: †¢ 24-hour Prompt Emergency Response-Time †¢ Specialized transport services †¢ Inter-hospital / inter-clinic transfers †¢ Doctor / nurse escort to provide immediate in-ambulance care †¢ Ambulance pick-up for calls within Ipoh City c. Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation CentreThe centre offers a wide range of rehabilitation progr ammes to help patients to achieve functionality and mobility. Amongst the broad spectrum of services include preventive care, and the treatment as well as management of movement disorders arising form medical conditions and lifelong disabilities. d. Imaging Service Pantai Hospital Ipoh has a complete range of imaging services including Multi-slice CT Scanner, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), X-rays, ultrasound & doppler scans and mammography. The department operates 24 hours, serving in-patients, outpatients as well as patients referred from external healthcare providers. e.Dietetic Counselling PHI’s dietitian provide individualized programs and counseling for patients, based on the doctor’s recommendations and patient’s condition. The dietitian also ensure that all food served to patients are low in fat, salt and sugar and ultimately meet the specific nutritional requirement of individual patient’s medical conditions and the doctor’s diagnosis. f . Pharmacy Service The hospital’s pharmacy is open 24 hours, dispensing medications for both inpatients and outpatients. Pharmacy staff also offer Patient Counselling Service; to advice patients on the correct way of taking as well as storing their medications.This service also extended to bed-side counseling for inpatients. g. Pathology and Laboratory Services PHI’s pathology services are managed and provided by Pantai Premier Pathology Sdn Bhd, The lab offers a full range of laboratory services and tests that are performed by skilled and experience personnel with sophisticated equipments. Pathologists are available for clinical consultation on concerns related to appropriate test utilization, assistance in test result interpretation or any other concerns which may occur in the course of patient management. h. Diagnostic and Endoscopic CentreThe centre provides treadmill to perform Stress Test to facilitate cardiac assessment; nad machines for ECG and Echo Cardiograms as well as Carotid Duplex to assess arterial blockages. The centre also carries out Dobutamine Stress Echo as an alternative method for those patients whose condition makes them unsuitable to undergo a Stress Test but urgently need cardiac assessment and 24-hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring as well as Holter Monitoring which provides round-the-clock ECG monitoring especially for patients who complain of palpitations and/or sudden blackouts.The Endoscopic Centre facilitates varies type of scopes including gastroscopy, colonoscopy bronchoscopy, cystoscopy and ERCP. i. Brain and Nerve Centre The centre is equipped with machines which carry out the following procedures: †¢ Electroencephalogram (EEG) †¢ Nerve Conduction Study (NCS) †¢ Electromyogram (EMG) †¢ Visual Evoked Potential (VEP) Study †¢ Brain Auditory Evoked Potential (BAEP) Study j. Sleep Study Sleep Studies are conducted is a sleep laboratory; help doctor confirm certain sleep disorders. k. H aemodialysis CentreThe Putri Dialysis Centre is a well equipped centre that is designed to provide patients with a comfortable environment including waiting areas for accompanying family members, light refreshments and audio-video entertainment. l. Dental Services PHI has a well equipped dental clinic with a resident dentist and aided by visiting dental surgeons, who can undertake and perform complex dental procedures. m. Health and Wellness Centre It provides a wide range of premium screening programmes that will equip the customer with the knowledge and awareness to help to maintain optimum health. . Parking & Valet Service Pantai Hospital Ipoh offers complimentary parking services, further enhanced by a free Valet Service, which operates during the following hours: Monday to Friday- 7. 00am – 7. 00pm Saturday- 7. 00am – 5. 00pm Sunday- 9. 00am – 5. 00pm o. Concierge Service Complimentary concierge services are provided for patients who discharged from the hos pital, to help to transport their bags and belongings from their respective ward to the lobby, where Customer Care Assistant are at hand further assist the patient to alight their mode of transportation. . Financial Counselling Financial Counselling service was initiated to assist patients and their family members in managing the medical cost incurred from seeking treatment at Pantai Hospital Ipoh by offering cost estimation prior to procedure and assistance in getting financial aid from Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and relevant financial institution, should be arise. q. Other ServicesOther services that provide by Pantai Hospital Ipoh include; †¢ Hospital Cafetaria – certified halal providing a variety of local and international cuisine †¢ Bread Legend – offering wide choice of breads and buns †¢ Convimart – a mini convenience store selling magazines, snacks, drinks, gifts and fruit baskets. †¢ Natural Health Farm – Offering various health products that promote better health and longevity of human body, skin and hair. †¢ Ipoh Medical Supplies – offering a range of common medical supplies and equipment. †¢ Banking facilities – An ATM machine is strategically located at the hospital lobby. Internet Access – provides free WIFI access through-out the hospital for everyone Patient that require for inpatient treatment could be admitted through the Emergency Department or through Specialist Consultant or General Practitioner Clinic. Pantai Hospital Ipoh offers a range of room types, to cater individual needs and demands; however theses are subject to availability and if a particular room type is not available, option will be provided and efforts will be made to have the requested room type provided as soon as it is available. Below are the room rates which are subject to 6% Government Tax.Meals are complimentary to all patients. Room TypesRates Per Day (RM) †¢ Executive Del uxe Room330. 00 †¢ Deluxe Room250. 00 †¢ Single Room160. 00 †¢ Double-Bedded Room110. 00 †¢ Four-Bedded Room60. 00 †¢ ICU / CCU150. 00 †¢ Isolation Room 150. 00 †¢ Nursery25. 00 †¢ Day Case35. 00 †¢ Incubator 105. 00 Supply chain is the lifeblood of a healthcare organization. The supply chain process is the essential link for all programs and services offered by a hospital, and hence any improvement in managing the supply chain can positively impact bottom line profitability of any hospital’s operations.As most departments in Pantai Hospital Ipoh depend heavily on supplies, materials management can ease or cramp a hospital’s operations. From a low cost needle to a high-end orthopaedic implant, special instruments or pieces of linen, supplies are indispensable during a patient’s stay at the hospital. Quality care cannot be provided on time unless required material is available in adequate quantity. As such Pantai Hospi tal Ipoh, has established a purchasing department to centralize the purchasing all medical supplies, medical equipment and instrument, consumables, stationeries and toiletry within the hospital.The department not only to purchase but to perform price negotiation to ensure every item that purchased is the lowest price but of course without comprising the quality. Together with Store Department, Purchasing Department determines the minimum and maximum level for every single item for re-ordering purposes. To determine the minimum and maximum level, a few factors will be observed; the usage of them item / product, location of the supplier, the availability of the item / product in the market and delivery schedule.Thus, the purchasing needs to communicate with all the relevant departments and the supplier to ensure that is no shortage of all supplies and at the same time to ensure our store department is not holding too much stock. At our Pharmacy Department, the department also performe d the similar task as purchasing department but limited to pharmaceutical products. This is because pharmaceutical products need specialized person who is the pharmacist with the consultation of specialist consultants to understand the drugs usage and its complication.Pantai Hospital Ipoh not only subscribes to patented / original drugs but also generic drugs that provide the same effectiveness comparing to the original drugs but much lower in price. As generic drugs are less expensive, it could help to lower down the overall treatment cost that could enjoyed by the patient. The supply chain does not stop at the purchasing and pharmacy department. It is important that the purchased medical supplies and drugs are delivered to all the respective wards, clinics, operation theatre and other relevant departments to ensure no interruption of patient care.Hence, a supply chain system has been developed from early stage of sourcing and ordering to the patient consumption. As mentioned earli er, sourcing and ordering is done by purchasing and pharmacy department. Once the goods arrived to hospital, the respective store; general store and pharmacy store, will received their goods. The respective store will entered the stock into our Hospital Information System, and from there the stock will be arranged in the store systematically. The wards, departments and operation theatre will requisite their items based on their pre-set minimum and maximum level.For those high activities department for example operation theatre, they are allowed for three time requisition a week and as for less or average activities, will allowed to requisite their stock two times a week. As if any urgent requisition, store will allowed with valid reason. The receiving wards or departments will then store their stock in their respective store and label all stocks. The ward or department will consume the item(s) based on ‘first in first out (FIFO)’ method to ensure no there is no expiry p roducts. Ward and departmental clerk will ensure all the availability of the stocks is at a path level.At Pantai Hospital Ipoh, we also understand that supply chains may be more efficient and inexpensive by outsourcing of certain services. The main services that outsources are housekeeping. UMC Service Master, a well-known company in healthcare providing housekeeping services, has been appointed to manage housekeeping in the hospital. The programs offered by UMC Service Master has successfully provided measurable results by improving quality, containing costs, training and motivating employees and minimize risks. The company also takes over some of the nurses’ daily routine jobs for example bed making for inpatient and discharge patient.This enables the nurses to concentrate on the more critical matter which is patient care. Beside the purchasing, stock management and outsourcing, Pantai Hospital Ipoh also involved in a supply chain with international and local insurance comp anies and managed care organization or third party administrator. The insurance companies, managed care organization and third party administrator will signed a partnership agreement with the hospital to become panel hospital and to provide cashless healthcare facilities for their policyholders that are covered under their purchased policy.The treatment requested could be outpatient, daycase and/or inpatient depending on their policy terms and conditions. The process started when a patient requested for treatment; front office staff will request a guarantee letter (GL) from the respective insurance company, managed care organization or third party administrator by providing an initial medical report to them. The company will process the claim based on the initial report and if the case is covered, the company will issue the hospital a guarantee letter for payment.If the patient was admitted, hospital would to provide discharge summary and the total bill to the respective company for payment guarantee. Some companies do cover for the post-hospitalization up to 60 days of discharge. Our Marketing department also practices supply chain in their marketing activities. They has established a programme known as ‘Pantai Putri Member of Affiliation Program (PPMAP)’ to recruit general practitioner (GP) in Perak region to become part of PPMAP member.The objective is to obtain referral of patients to the hospital from the GPs, as Pantai Hospital Ipoh understands that GPs could be a good source of generating business. In return of the referral, Pantai Hospital will support their clinic by providing them on-going education and promoting their clinic by recommending to the local public and during any road show organized by Hospital Pantai Ipoh. This will generates a strong back to back support and mutually benefited.For the past few years, there was a lot of development and improvement taken place in Pantai Hospital in related with supply chain management but th e hospital is still facing challenges in managing the effectiveness of supply chain system. The challenges can be classified at below: a. Lack of Product Management b. Limited Sourcing and Services c. Outdated IT systems d. Lack of Inventory and Distribution Management Lack of Product Management First, the hospital could categorize the products in terms of cost, criticality and other criteria.For instance, bed linen may be less critical and represent a low cost to the hospital; paracetamol may be urgently required but inexpensive; while specialist cancer drugs may be both urgent and costly. This product categorization will dictate supply chain design. For example, drugs and medical equipment might be ordered directly from the manufacturers’ own stock, often at short notice and in unpredictable quantities, requiring storage relatively nearby. Medical supplies, on the other hand, will be subject to a more regular supply chain, providing greater flexibility in responding to emer gencies.Secondly, hospital and specialist doctor should work under one vision and direction in providing the best service at a reasonable cost. In heealthcare industry, we understand specialist consultants are independent contractors with considerable clout and specific preferences for supplies and some variations in supplies and processes are accommodated to ensure patient safety. These Preference Items accountable for more than 50% of total medical supply spending in PHI. This provide an opportunity for supply chain savings in the area of physician buy-in especially with respect to changes in purchase and use of high-cost clinical items.It is commonly perceived that physicians are resistant to change. He points to the fact that data which supports the decision to use a particular supply can go a long way in convincing a physician to use a particular supply. PHI could establish a product evaluation and review committees which consist of clinical experts, purchasing and finance pers onnel to overcome the problem. The purpose of the committee is to decide to purchase and universally adopt cost-effective items for use within all hospitals and the decision making is by team consensus.The finance and purchasing personnel could educate the clinical experts on the financial impact of various supplier options. Therefore, the use of consensus, instead of majority rule, in the decision making process minimizes any postsourcing disagreement and results in the high compliance rate and buy-ins from all physicians. This will helps purchasing to further negotiate and obtain lower price from the supplier as the hospital is now buying exclusively from the supplier only with bigger quantity.Thirdly, in PHI product cost assessment, hospital must evaluate the ‘total cost’ rather than just ‘unit product cost’ in determining the types of products to purchase. The cost of a product is evaluated from the types of raw materials used for the product and how th is will impact the disposal cost associated with the product. For example, the use of analog X-Ray equipment may have a lower unit cost initially, but the tool utilizes X-ray film that contained mercury, may result in a significant disposal fee which needs to be calculated in the total cost.Hence, hospital should to considering total cost has resulted in significant cost savings. Sourcing and Services Effective management of the external supply chain typically covers every facet of procurement activity – such as supplier selection, contract negotiation, planning and implementation, distribution and delivery – while taking factors such as risk, reward into account. There are 9 Pantai Hospital and 2 Gleneagles Hospital in whole Malaysia, as such Centralize Group Purchasing is possible.Centralize Group Purchasing have provided significant cost saving opportunities for hospitals by taking advantage of economies of scale in purchasing from select vendors for many hospitals at once. Cost saving includes better contract terms, price reduction, rebates and overhead costs. Purchasing Systems and Technology Pantai Hospital Ipoh has an outdated Hospital Information System (HIS) to manage their supply chains, known as Procare. These outdated data management systems do not have the capacity to meet the changes and needs today.The challenge faced by PHI is how to seamlessly transition the wealth of data without disrupting the existing purchasing system and inter-departmental integration. One identified area in supply chain structure that PHI could further improve on is in the area of purchasing systems and technology. PHI can explore new technologies and leverage on what has been successfully done in other Pantai hospitals to enable staffs to access faster, more valuable and easier access to necessary supply information when ordering.At time hospital spend significant resources to reconcile purchase orders and invoices due to mismatched item numbers and units of measure. Another challenge that PHI faces is in identifying personnel capable of understanding the old technology used by the existing IT systems to effectively move it to a newer platform. Although this is not a unique problem faced by PHI, there is no industry standard that can easily help provide a cost- and time-effective solution.Hence, the technology upgrade for PHI’s purchasing system remains an area to be addressed and recognized by the management. Once improved, the flexibility of the system will allow KP a more detailed view of its purchasing process and use of products, which will in turn provide better insight into creating a more effective cost structure. Inventory and Distribution Management It is critical for PHI to maintain a sufficient level of inventory at all times to ensure the needs of patients are always met. Failure to do so could result in the loss of life.In a hospital, managing its inventory is not easy as there are thousands of inventories, both medical and non-medical products. The distribution mechanism is also very important to ensure the product(s) is delivered to the end user in the hospital. PHI’s general store often mismanaged of the inventories, the current inventory system is ineffective and inefficient. The challenge that PHI is facing is that the management is unable to provide a sufficient storage and no proper and experience staff to head and managed the store.To overcome the issue, first PHI need to engage an experience staff who has know about inventory management and to review and examine the overall existing available storage space to maximize the current storage with the assistance of shelf, cabinet or compactor. Secondary storage could be developed to separate the medical and non-medical items. PHI could incorporate radio frequency identification technology (RFID) into its inventory management system. RFID systems have a broad range of potential benefits for the health care industry.These include m edical device and asset tracking, improved visibility of inventory and supply chain management, and improved patient safety by preventing drug counterfeiting. In our current distribution, the store depend on the departmental clerk to requisite their stock. As mentioned early, some departments / patient care units replenish their stock 3-times a week but some are only 2-times a week. Especially, the patient care unit, inventory management for them is a hassle as they are focusing on patient care. At time, the unit forgot to replenish their stock; patient care was affected due to unavailability of the product.This challenge often faced by the medical staff. The distribution system should be improved to be more effective to prevent and to solve the issue. The general store could establish a system whereby there will be person in the store to monitor the availability of the stock via our Hospital Information System – Procare and since minimum and maximum ordering has already been fixed, the general store staff could deliver the stock(s) which is under path level to the respective patient care unit. The store would have better control of overall inventory and distribution and improvement activities could be carried out more efficient and effective.A good inventory management programme is always patient-centred. While inventory is concerned with financial issues, hospitals are in the business of serving patients. Although technology has an important role to play, the emphasis should be on using it in a way that makes a difference to the quality of patient care. Automating inefficient processes may not yield any productive result. Processes should be reengineered to make them more patient-friendly. Cost-effectiveness, time consciousness and safety are key drivers of a patient-centered approach.Once this goal is clear, technology can support and drive the efforts towards realizing efficiencies and improving the quality of health care services. Reference: 1. Pan tai Hospital Ipoh’s company profile (K. K. L. I. U. No. (0320/2012/C) 2. Asian Hospital & Healthcare Management – article on Materials Management in Healthcare ‘A patient-centred approach’ 3. Supply Chain Management in Hospital: A Case Study by Samuel Toba, Mary Tomasini, Y. Helio Yang, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA – published in California Journal of Operations Management, Volume 6, Number 1, February 2008

Mariano Escobedo essays

Mariano Escobedo essays Mariano Escobedo was a healthy man he was my Grandparents great great grandparent. He was a Mexican General from Mexico. He wanted to govern Mexico, he fought against dynasty and he won. Escobedo fought against the French Invasion in Mexico to govern Mexico. He became a great general who fought against Napoleon III (French.) In Mexico City airport and in Monterey his name is printed and also in some streets of difference parts of Mexico. Mexico had borrowed money from England, France and Spain. In 1861 representatives from this countries got together in London to find a way to get Mexico to pay this countries. Troops from this three countries went to Veracruz in 1862. They were welcomed from representative from Mexico. The general Juan Prim, from Spain accepted the way Mexico was going to pay little by little so as England. The representative from France is not accepted he wanted the money and ordered his troops to prepare to fight. The government of Benito Juarez organize the defense. He made in charge the general Ignazio Zaragoza to get to Puebla and fight with the French. They attacked each other in the " Fuertes de Loreto y Guadalupe. The troops of Zaragoza, helped from the Indians Zacapoaxtla. In 1862of Mat 5 they won against the French. The emperor from France, Luis Napoleon Bonaparte, wanted to extend his powers in America and in Asia. He dreamed to form a great empire. Mexico took advantage of that situation to peek an European emperor to govern Mexico and to stop the politic anarchy. Luis Napoleon made them recommend Fernando Maximiliano de Habsurgo, brother of the emperor Maximiliano accepted his embarkation to Mexico but with her wife, the princess Carlota Amalia de Belgica. Luis Napoleon send his army to wish napoleon luck. Austria and Belgica also send troops. The emperors arrived to Mexico at the end of 1864. In Veracruz, Puebla were great big welcomes. ...

Shoshanna johnson essays

Shoshanna johnson essays In the current U.S. military, women fight in the battlefields along with men like never before. Long gone are the days when female soldiers were nurses or were serving in some other unseen duty. As a result, 24 female soldiers have died in Iraq, 15 from enemy fire. Today more women have died in this war than in any war since World War II. (Germany) Despite how many women have died, for the supporters of women rights in the military, it's a giant step for gender equality. People argue that it isn't a positive development but one that does more harm to society than good. And while women now serve on combat ships, fly combat missions and conduct door to door searches through dangerous Iraqi neighborhoods, many limits still remain. They're still restricted from infantry units, armor and field artillery companies in wartime. So while the combat doors have opened for women willing to die for their country just as the men do, the battle for complete gender equality remains a conflict. According to Elias there is over 210,000 women serve their country in the armed forces, comprising more than 15 percent of the total force. (Elias 1) About 80 percent of the jobs and more than 90 percent of the career fields are open to women, but there are still certain fields in which women can not serve in. Sadly women still face barriers. This should not be. There's no doubt that more American service women are in life-threatening situations now more than ever before. Just recently there has been a huge controversy about two women in the military who were captured during the war in Iraq and held against their will for countless days, their names are Shoshana Johnson and Jessica lynch. Shoshana Johnson and Jessica Lynch both come from poor families and both are good examples of the typical enlisted females. Many women that enlist in the military are either poor or are looking for a different alterative for college. ...

Compensation and Benefits - Financial Reward System Term Paper

Compensation and Benefits - Financial Reward System - Term Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that Compensation and Benefits in financial reward system are very important for organizations because it helps in the systematic organization of tasks and human resources with the purpose of attaining sustainable growth of the organization. Employees’ performance and motivation are depended on the financial as well as non-financial rewards provided by the organization and thus it can be stated as one of the important factors to boost the performance of the employees. An effective financial reward system should consider the organizational structure, its culture along with the need for affiliation by the employees, rewarding employees financially. It should also consider that each person working in the organization receives appropriate financial recognition for their i ­Ã‚ ­ndividual as well as group contributions in the organizational performance. Job evaluation is a system or process in which the contribution of an employee is det ermined with due significance to his/ her position in an organization. A good financial reward system enables the organization’s employees to receive financial recognition for their contribution and job role in the organization and thus can create a positive impact on the workforce. It is worth mentioning that the reward system should be dealt with effectively to have a positive impact on the employees. The output of job evaluation is used in various fields of an organization such as for making remuneration system, human resource management, and for decision making in the payments of different job profiles. The flowchart in the figure represents a theoretical perspective regarding job evaluation. Initially, documentation of position should be performed to view the complete picture of each position in the organization. Determination of remuneration range considering the market competitiveness is another important step in job evaluation process. The performance appraisal system should be well- designed to avoid inequality among the employees. Then a review should be conducted to check the above steps and identify if the goals are achieved within time limits followed by the final determination of the reward system. The job evaluation should be done fairly and there should be no discrimination on the ground of sex or other attributes. There should be equal pay for both male and female. Equal pay for the work of equal value also should be considered in order to maintain sustainability in the organization. Wage survey is a method of collecting information about workers’ remuneration for analysis of existing compensation system which is used to determine the remuneration of employees. Wages are basically paid on daily basis to the workers in any manufacturing or production unit. According to the ‘Fair Labor Standards Act’ of 1939, wages are paid on the basis of hours worked.

Compare and contrast the colonization of Sahul and the colonization of Essay

Compare and contrast the colonization of Sahul and the colonization of the New World. Consider how people might have gotten to each continent, and evidence for Pleistocene overkill in each situation - Essay Example Homo Sapiens are believed to have undertaken their migration from their origins in Africa from about 50,000 years ago (O’Connella & Allen 2004). These late Pleistocene migrations coincided with the end of the earth’s most recent period of glaciations (Ice Ages). The accumulation of vast amounts of ice in the glaciers resulted in punctuated drops in the sea level of up to 100m allowing easier access to the previously uninhabited continents. When the Homo Sapiens left Africa they are believed to have migrated east toward India and then south east along the coast of Asia until they reached Australia between 45,000 to 42,000 years ago (O’Connella & Allen 2004). At that time, due to the much lower sea level, most of martime Southeast Asia formed one land mass – known as the lost continent of Sunda. Following the coastal route southeast they would have reached the channel between Sunda and Sahul (present day Australia and New Guinea). This channel, between the Sahul and Sunda (known as the Wallace Line) must have been traversed by the technologically more advanced Homo Sapiens whereas the earlier Homo Erectus never traversed it (O’Connella & Allen 2004). It is presumed that they used rafts of some sort to traverse the channel. The close chronological coincidence of the arrival of humans capable of hunting megafauna and the Pleistocene mass extinction around 40,000 years ago in the Sahul lends support to the hypothesis that humans were in some way a causal factor. These megafauna, having evolved in the absence of human predation are thought to have been particularly vulnerable to the arrival of humans in the form of Homo Sapiens. The Megafauna had few other predators and because they evolved largely without significant predators. Models of migration to the New World are more divided. The reliable evidence currently available suggests a north western migration of