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The Impact Of Medicaid Expansion On Pregnant Mothers And...

This research papers purpose was to assess the impact of Medicaid expansion on pregnant mothers and their newborn children. Issues explored were the history Medicaid, current perceptions regarding the program and its recipients, the benefits of Medicaid and the reasons that some states have chosen to opt out of the expansion. The methodology used for this study was to research peer reviewed articles and journals to determine the positive and negative effects of Medicaid expansion and compare data from states that have implemented program expansion to those states that have chosen to abstain. Information was gathered from all stages of development from conception, to school age children. When comparing the potential advantages and costs of Medicaid expansion the research findings indicate a substantial benefit regarding access to care, prenatal and postnatal services for mothers with Medicaid as compared to those mothers without insurance. Although Medicaid insurance and benefi ts are costly, research data indicated that providing these services can result in a significant savings by offering preventative screening and by avoiding the utilization of expensive emergency services. Additionally, research indicated that Medicaid recipients reported better rates of health care satisfaction and wellbeing than those who were uninsured. Introduction Medicaid is a health, safety net program that was enacted to provide health care coverage to qualifying members of theShow MoreRelatedWhat Is The Goal Of The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act And Womens Health1119 Words   |  5 Pagesand Affordable Care Act and Women’s Health In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was passed. The PPACA grants all legal residents in the United States access to health insurance. The PPACA is accommodated by expanding Medicaid, establishing tax credits for small business owners to cover insurance for their employees, and through state-offered â€Å"marketplaces† where citizens can buy insurance if they aren’t offered insurance elsewhere (Ranji, Salganicoff, Sobel RosenzweigRead MoreArgument Against Birthright Citizenship : Chain Migration1485 Words   |  6 Pages Once the child turns 18, they can sponsor a foreign spouse and unmarried children of his own. When they turn 21, they can sponsor their parents and any siblings. From there, the sponsored spouse/siblings/parents can sponsor their foreign-born parents and siblings, and these parents/siblings can sponsor their own foreign-born spouses and siblings. This process continues indefinitely and can lead to a never ending expansion o f the migration chain. According to the Center for Immigration, â€Å"family-sponsoredRead MoreNursing Essay41677 Words   |  167 Pagesnumber of NP per primary care MD by county, 2009 Map of the number of physician assistants per primary care MD by county, 2009 Requirements for physician−nurse collaboration, by state, as a barrier to access to primary care Physician opinions about the impact of allowing nurse practioners to practice independently Patient satisfaction with retail-based health clinics Reasons cited for not working in nursing, by age group Age distribution of registered nurses, 1980−2008 Average age of nurses at variousRead MoreThe Social Impact of Drug Abuse24406 Words   |  98 PagesNum ber 2 THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF DRUG ABUSE This study was originally prepared by UNDCP as a position paper for the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 6-12 March 1995) Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter Part one: background I. The drug problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 A. B. C. D. E. TheRead MoreMedicare Policy Analysis447966 Words   |  1792 PagesSubtitle B—Credit for Small Business Employee Health Coverage Expenses Subtitle C—Disclosures To Carry Out Health Insurance Exchange Subsidies Subtitle D—Other Revenue Provisions rmajette on DSK29S0YB1PROD with BILLS DIVISION B—MEDICARE AND MEDICAID IMPROVEMENTS TITLE I—IMPROVING HEALTH CARE VALUE Subtitle A—Provisions related to Medicare part A Subtitle B—Provisions Related to Part B Subtitle C—Provisions Related to Medicare Parts A and B Subtitle D—Medicare Advantage Reforms Subtitle

Various Forms of Organizations Free Essays

YOU DECIDE PAPER 2 Part I:   Discuss the various forms of organization that are available to Penelope, Mark and John The various forms of organization available to Penelope, Mark and John are: GENERAL PARTNERSHIPS: A general partnership is a business organization formed when 2 or more individuals or entities form a business for profit. All partners share in the management and in the profits and decide on matters of ordinary business operations by majority of the partners or by percentage ownership of each partner. Each partner is liable for all business debts and bears responsibility for the actions of the other partners. We will write a custom essay sample on Various Forms of Organizations or any similar topic only for you Order Now Each partner reports partnership income on their individual tax return. A partnership dissolves on the death or withdrawal of a partner unless the partnership agreement provides otherwise. Partnerships are relatively easy and inexpensive to form and require few ongoing formalities. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY: A limited liability company is a new and flexible business organization of one or more owners that offers the advantages of liability protection with the simplicity of a partnership, i. e. partners are not liable for business debts. Each partner reports business income on their individual tax return. LLCs may dissolve on the death or withdrawal of an owner depending on state law. An LLC is not appropriate for businesses seeking to become public or raise capital. LLCs require few ongoing formalities but usually require periodic filings with the state and also require annual fees. LLCs are more expensive to form than partnerships. CORPORATIONS: A corporation is a legal entity that has most of the rights and duties of a natural person but with perpetual life and limited liability. Shareholders of a corporation appoint a board of directors and the board of directors appoints the officers for the corporation, who have the authority to manage the day-to-day operations of the corporation. Shareholders are generally liable for the amount of their investment in corporate stock. A corporation pays its own taxes and shareholders pay tax on their dividends. However, in a subchapter S corporation, shareholders report their share of corporate profit or loss in their individual tax return. The corporation is its own legal entity and can survive the death of owners, partners and shareholders. A corporation is the best entity for eventual public companies. Corporations can raise capital through the sale of securities and can transfer ownership through the transfer of securities. Corporations require annual meetings and require owners and directors to observe certain formalities. Corporations are more expensive to form than partnerships and sole proprietorships. Corporations require periodic filings with the state and also require annual fees. (COMMON FORMS OF BUSINESS ORGANIZATION  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ http://www. tulsascore. org/organization. tml) PARTNERSHIPS: Partnerships are unincorporated businesses. Like corporations, partnerships are separate entities from the shareholders. Unlike corporations, partnerships must have at least one General Partner who assumes unlimited liability for the business. Partnerships must have at least two shareholders. Partnerships distribute all profits and losses to their shareholders without regard for any profits retained by the business for cash flow purposes. (LLCs are taxed as partnerships, unless they choose to be taxed as corporations. of   organization you believe will be best and be sure to explain the reasoning for your choice. In my opinion, a Limited Liability Company would be the best choice for them to form as it provides easy management and â€Å"pass-through† taxation (profits and losses are added to the owner(s) personal tax returns) like a Sole Proprietorship/Partnership, with the liability protection of a Corporation. Like a corporation, it is a separate legal entity; unlike a corporation, there is no stock and there are fewer formalities. The owners of an LLC are called â€Å"Members† instead of â€Å"Shareholders†. So in essence, it’s a like a corporation, with less complicated taxation and stock formalities. The heart of a Limited Liability Company is known as the â€Å"Operating Agreement†. This document sets the rules for operating the company and can be modified as the business grows and changes. Operating an LLC is less formal than a corporation, usually only requiring an Annual Members’ Meeting and Members’ agreeing to changes of the Operating Agreement and other major company decisions. Provides the liability protection of a corporation without the corporate formalities (Board meetings, Shareholder meetings, minutes, etc. ) and extra levels of management (Shareholders, Directors, Officers). Taxed the same as a sole proprietorship (1 Member LLC) or partnership (2 or more Members). (Which Type of Business Entity to Choose? http://www. mynewcompany. com/entity. htm) Part III:   Discuss the tax consequences of contributing cash, property and/or services to the new entity. Contributions of appreciated property to an LLC, however, are generally tax free and there is no ownership or control requirement. There are ordinarily no federal income tax consequences when a person contributes property or services to an LLC, but there are some exceptions to this rule that you should keep in mind when planning for contributions by new or existing members of LLCs. Under IRC  §721(a), a contribution of property to an LLC is generally tax free to both the contributor and the LLC. There is no 80 percent control requirement to obtain tax-free treatment for a contribution to an entity taxed as a partnership as there is for a contribution to a corporation under IRC  §351. Therefore, a contribution of property to an LLC will be tax free even if the contributor obtains only a relatively small interest in the LLC in exchange. Part IV:   Discuss, in detail, how this entity is taxed (if at all) and what filing requirements it has with the IRS Limited liability companies that are subject to the partnership tax rules are not responsible for actually paying the tax on business earnings, but are responsible for preparing annual partnership tax returns on IRS Form 1065. This return is for informational purposes only; all income, deductions and credits are reported by each individual owner. The LLC reports each owner’s share of these amounts on a Schedule K-1 at the end of the year. In this situation, if Penelope, Mark and John earn $120,000 and have $60,000 of deductible business expenses, then each of them will receive a Schedule K-1 with $40,000 of earnings and $20,000 of deductions. Each of them must then report these figures on their personal income tax returns. Essentially, the business will increase their personal taxable income by $20,000. (LLC Tax Filing Rules – Tax Basis in LLC Interest: In general, the initial tax basis of a member who acquires an LLC interest from the LLC will be equal to the amount of money and the tax basis of any property that the member contributes to the LLC in exchange for such interest. The tax basis thus determined will be increased by such member’s share of the LLC’s liabilities, by its share of the LLC’s income, and by any subsequent capital contributions. The member’s tax basis will be reduced (but not below zero) by the member’s share of LLC distributions and losses and also by any decrease in such member’s share of the LLC’s liabilities. IRC  § 752 embodies the statutory rules for sharing LLC liabilities. That Section provides that any increase in a partner’s share of a partnership’s liabilities, or any increase in a partner’s individual liabilities by reason of assuming a partnership’s liabilities, will be considered a contribution of money by such partner to the partnership. Conversely, any decrease in a partner’s share of a partnership’s liabilities, or any decrease in a partner’s individual liabilities by reason of a partnership assuming such liabilities, will be considered a distribution of money to the partner by the partnership. Unfortunately, the statute does not provide for the manner in which a partner’s share of liabilities will be determined. Instead, one must look to the Regulations. (Federal Income Taxation of LLC Members – http://www. mmmlaw. com/media-room/publications/articles/federal-income-taxation-of-llc-members) This last exception is the most important. In some circumstances, a court might say that the LLC doesn’t really exist and find that its owners are really doing business as individuals, who are personally liable for their acts (LLC Business Basics – http://articles. bplans. com/small-business-legal-issues/llc-basics/186) Cited Sources: COMMON FORMS OF BUSINESS ORGANIZATION  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ http://www. tulsascore. org/organization. html Types of Business  Organizations: 6 Forms of Business for IRS  Purposes http://taxes. about. com/od/taxplanning/a/incorporating_2. tm Which Type of Business Entity to Choose? http://www. mynewcompany. com/entity. htm Contributions to LLCs – http://www. alberty. com/newsletter_summer01. html How LLC Members Are Taxed – http://www. nolo. com/legal-encyclopedia/how-llcs-are-taxed-29675. html Tax Implications: LLC Versus S Corporations – http://www. hutchlaw. com/library/tax-implications-llc-versus-s-corporations LLC Asset Protection – http://www. ehow. com/about_6563015_llc-asset-protection. html LLC Business Basics – http://articles. bplans. com/small-business-legal-issues/llc-basics/186 How to cite Various Forms of Organizations, Papers

The Procurement Of New Royal Adelaide Hospital †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Procurement Of New Royal Adelaide Hospital. Answer: Procurement context The new Royal Adelaide hospital is one of the largest social infrastructure project which has been taken up by the State. This hospital is equipped using the Public Private Partnership agreement. This agreement is signed by the State and the South Australia Health Partnership Pty Ltd. (Project Company). The hospital aimed to turn their status from large scale public private partnership hospital to modern health care facilities provider. In order to procure this project, the complexity, costs etc. aspects became difficult to manage. Further talking about the lifecycle of the project, it should be noted that the lifecycle journey of the project is going well; themanagement of the company has designed systems that are adequately contributing to the growth of the project. Efficient decision making systems and processes are timely reviewed by themanagement which provides greater scope of growth to the hospital (Kerzner, Kerzner, 2017). The ongoing journey of the PPP project is progressin g in different phases and helping the hospital to achieve milestones as well. Till date the journey of the project is going well but it is expected that the project might face issues related to governance or cost which can also affect the growth of the project (Burke, 2013). The current growth of the project is expected to go well but the hospital might face some issues in its progress as they are currently facing delay from the expected plan. The construction and design facilities are going well and are expected to get completed on time but the acquirement of clinical equipment and Information Communication Technology faces the risk of delay. Due to this incident, the following plan is also facing delay due to which completion of the whole event also might face delay. Additionally the external State funded works are also going well as they are being managed by the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI). Apart from progress in the project, they department is also facing some issues in managing the flow of work (Schwalbe, 2015). The project is progressing through a serious phase as it is transitioning with the designs and construction phase. As the project is multifaceted due to which it became difficult for themanagement to co-operat e with the employees and motivate them to complete the task efficiently. As discussed above that the hospital attained the clinical facilities and ICT lately due to which the projected plan delayed. The project also faced the containment claims due to which the hospital had to provide settlement amount along with remediation as well (Meredith, Mantel Jr, 2011). Further in order to govern the case, assurance framework was identified by themanagement advising the ways in which the new RAH project shall be implemented without facing barriers in the growth. The framework was presented to committee which explained the roles and leadership of iPMO (Integrated Program Management Office). This process increased the governance on the project; it also exposed the risks and provided mitigations to appropriately resolve them. In the current scenario, this process greatly helped new RAH to cut the whole life cost and efficiently resolve the challenges present in the environment (Anantatmula, 2010). Identify key risks, mitigations and possible learning As this project is based on the contract between two parties due to which it is more exposed to risks. The contractual arrangement transferred risks in the construction and design of the project which impacted the growth of PPP. Further the risks faced by the hospital in initiating the project are discussed below: Project delays: The project faced delay in procuring material to initiate the follow up actions for the plan. The management expected to attain the clinical resources and machines at a fixed time, but they were procured late due to which the follow up actions of the project were also completed late. Thus, this acted as a major risk for the company as the delay in procurement impacted the growth of the whole project (Clarke, 2010). Unavailability of information technology stopped the growth of the whole implementation plan. Further project delays, delayed the completion of the whole project due to which the contract terms were breached. This breachment acted as a risk for the new RAH project. Cost pressure: The State funded around $5.8 million for the project, but the management of the hospital did not worked according to the framework presented to the committee. The budget went underspent due to which the project review noted the cost pressure in delivering the ICT services by new RAH. Further, it was also noted by the auditor that a sum of $9.6 million was an unfunded budget cost which was questionable for the company. This, unknown cost pressure increased the risk factor for the company (Martinelli, Milosevic, 2016). Insufficient training of staff: It should be noted that the new information communication technology system was introduction in new RAH so as to increase the efficiency of the projected plan. But the employees who were handling the project were inefficient to the projected technology due to which the plan faced difficulties. The employees were not trained enough to handle the project, and ironically the whole project was based on innovation and use of new technology. So, resulting to which the success of the plan became impossible task (Yang, Huang, Wu, 2011). Thus, the employees working in project itself became a threat for new RAH. Industrial disputes: A dispute arose between both the parties who were a part of the contract. Due to cost pressure activities, the State lost the trust from the new RAH due to which industrial dispute arose and affected the growth of the project. Further, there was delay in the delivery of services to the hospital due to which risk attracted with the company (Aga, Noorderhaven, Vallejo, 2016). Apart from the risk attracting the growth of the project, it also included certain dependencies based on the contract. The new RAH information technology program was process by working with the ICT enterprise in order to attain a detailed and authentic view of the plan. Thus this process created an interdependent relationship of RAH on the ICT enterprise. As discussed above, that the company faced the risk of inefficient labour for the process due to which many different organizations were hired at differ levels of the project so as to provide completeness to the event and make its successful as well (Turner, 2016). After facing risks and challenges, a framework was designed and presented to the committee for the latter formulation of the project, for which efficient and effective resources were used from outside. Thus, at many areas contractual relationship with different companies was organized so as to succeed in the PPP event. Summary of key findings and identification of best practices The audit governance report included observations about the project governance, budget, procurement, risk management, contract administration etc. Through the governance of project it was review that the project was governed appropriately with the use of framework. The committee properly identified the flaw in the framework and corrected it in order to attain higher level of satisfaction. The business case was not completely monitored by the SA Health. Also there was a scope of improvement by the e Project Director to SA Health. Analyzing the budget, it should be summarized that the budget was not correctly made and implemented (Mignone, Hosseini, Chileshe, Arashpour, 2016). There issues in the finance report due to which there was a different between the expected and the actual amount of expenditure. The RAH ICT program faced cost pressure. But the scope of ICT worked in the program and it positively affected the activities in the project. The contingency information which was prov ided to the committee was insufficient due to which effectiveness of the decision of committee lost its scope. Further, there was scope of improvement in the process of documentation. The risk management activities were improved with the introduction of the framework (Barnett, Cross, Shahwan-Akl, Jacob, 2010). As the evidence related to risk were provided to the committee due to which their decisions became efficient and effective for the completion of the project. The in process of contract management lack of framework made it difficult for the officials to comply with all the contract related documentation. Further one of the most important key observations is that the State agreed to pay Project Co $68.6 million in exchange of the claims of the deed. Against the claims imposed on the hospital, the remediation settlement was made by paying $23.8 million (New Royal Adelaide Hospital report, 2015). Additionally talking about the best practices, it should be noted that the contract management appropriately acquired the strategic acquisition plan in order to succeed in their program. The best practices are those which resolve the challenge faced by the management in completion of the project and reduces the amount of risks as well (Hill, Bartol, 2016). For the procurement purpose, the management should prepare a forecasting report which should explain all the resources which are to be procured by the management. The employees should work according to the plan identified by the committee and it is the responsibility of the employees to inform the committee about all the issues and working of the project (DuBois, et. al., 2015). Talking about the roles and responsibilities of a project manager, it should be noted that the manager schedules the events and plans them accordingly. He also assess and manage the risk in a way that the budget is maintained and while costs are reduced. T hey also initiate communication in the organization and ensure that quality is not waived by any employee in the organization. Lastly, it should be noted that project management activities are fundamental to successful supply chain initiatives as the process of project management offers a good procurement plan for the proper execution of the project (Walker, 2015). Reflection journal From the analysis of the module 1, 2 and 3, I came to know about the ways in which an organization works. These modules provided me learnings which will definitely help me work as a professional in the external environment. The purpose of the module one was to introduce contracts and procurement process in the system. Information about contracts helped me to gain knowledge about the ways in which a contract should be adhered by two parties. A contract is only binding rule which connects the activities of two parties and on the basis of which one party can raise a claim on the activities of other party. Further, the procurement process helped me to understand the whole functioning of the event. As procurement is one of the more important aspect in a project, so the procurement process of the PPP project of New Royal Adelaide Hospital helped me in attaining information and step by step activities of the whole event. Project governance, leadership, organizational issues were just terms before the introduction of this module. But with the help of this module I gained in depth analysis of the whole process. Lastly, in my personal context, research and analysis are two most important aspects in the life of a professional and by studying these modules I gained the ability to evaluate the event and present a materialistic report as well. References Aga, D. A., Noorderhaven, N., Vallejo, B. (2016). Transformational leadership and project success: The mediating role of team-building.International Journal of Project Management,34(5), 806-818. Anantatmula, V. S. (2010). Project manager leadership role in improving project performance.Engineering Management Journal,22(1), 13-22. Barnett, T., Cross, M., Shahwan-Akl, L., Jacob, E. (2010). The evaluation of a successful collaborative education model to expand student clinical placements.Nurse Education in Practice,10(1), 17-21. Burke, R. (2013). Project management: planning and control techniques.New Jersey, USA. Clarke, N. (2010). Emotional intelligence and its relationship to transformational leadership and key project manager competences.Project Management Journal,41(2), 5-20. DuBois, M., Hanlon, J., Koch, J., Nyatuga, B., Kerr, N. (2015). Leadership styles of effective project managers: Techniques and traits to lead high performance teams.Journal of Economic Development, Management, IT, Finance, and Marketing,7(1), 30. Hill, N. S., Bartol, K. M. (2016). Empowering leadership and effective collaboration in geographically dispersed teams.Personnel Psychology,69(1), 159-198. Kerzner, H., Kerzner, H. R. (2017).Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley Sons. Martinelli, R. J., Milosevic, D. Z. (2016).Project management toolbox: tools and techniques for the practicing project manager. John Wiley Sons. Meredith, J. R., Mantel Jr, S. J. (2011).Project management: a managerial approach. John Wiley Sons. Mignone, G., Hosseini, M. R., Chileshe, N., Arashpour, M. (2016). Enhancing collaboration in BIM-based construction networks through organisational discontinuity theory: a case study of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.Architectural Engineering and Design Management,12(5), 333-352. New Royal Adelaide Hospital report, (2015). Report of the Auditor-General. Government of South Australia. Schwalbe, K. (2015).Information technology project management. Cengage Learning. Turner, R. (2016).Gower handbook of project management. Routledge. Walker, A. (2015).Project management in construction. John Wiley Sons. Yang, L. R., Huang, C. F., Wu, K. S. (2011). The association among project manager's leadership style, teamwork and project success.International journal of project management,29(3), 258-267.

The Increased Use of Genetically Modified Food Essay Example

The Increased Use of Genetically Modified Food Essay Genetically-modified foods (GM foods) have made a big splash in the news lately. European environmental organizations and public interest groups have been actively protesting against GM foods for months, and recent controversial studies about the effects of genetically-modified corn pollen on monarch butterfly caterpillars1, 2 have brought the issue of genetic engineering to the forefront of the public consciousness in the U. S. In response to the upswelling of public concern, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held three open meetings in Chicago, Washington, D. C. and Oakland, California to solicit public opinions and begin the process of establishing a new regulatory procedure for government approval of GM foods3. I attended the FDA meeting held in November 1999 in Washington, D. C. , and here I will attempt to summarize the issues involved and explain the U. S. governments present role in regulating GM food. What are genetically-modified foods? The term GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques.These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. The enhancement of desired traits has traditionally been undertaken through breeding, but conventional plant breeding methods can be very time consuming and are often not very accurate. Genetic engineering, on the other hand, can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy. For example, plant geneticists can isolate a gene responsible for drought tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant.The new genetically-modified plant will gain drought tolerance as well. Not only can genes be transferred from one plant to another, but genes from non-plant organisms also can be used. The best known example of this is the use of B. t. gene s in corn and other crops. B. t. , or Bacillus thuringiensis, is a naturally occurring bacterium that produces crystal proteins that are lethal to insect larvae. B. t. crystal protein genes have been transferred into corn, enabling the corn to produce its own pesticides against insects such as the European corn borer.For two informative overviews of some of the techniques involved in creating GM foods, visit Biotech Basics (sponsored by Monsanto) http://www. biotechknowledge. monsanto. com/biotech/bbasics. nsf/index or Techniques of Plant Biotechnology from the National Center for Biotechnology Education http://www. ncbe. reading. ac. uk/NCBE/GMFOOD/techniques. What are some of the advantages of GM foods? The world population has topped 6 billion people and is predicted to double in the next 50 years. Ensuring an adequate food supply for this booming population is going to be a major challenge in the years to come.GM foods promise to meet this need in a number of ways: Pest resistan ceCrop losses from insect pests can be staggering, resulting in devastating financial loss for farmers and starvation in developing countries. Farmers typically use many tons of chemical pesticides annually. Consumers do not wish to eat food that has been treated with pesticides because of potential health hazards, and run-off of agricultural wastes from excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers can poison the water supply and cause harm to the environment. Growing GM foods such as B. t. orn can help eliminate the application of chemical pesticides and reduce the cost of bringing a crop to market4, 5. Herbicide toleranceFor some crops, it is not cost-effective to remove weeds by physical means such as tilling, so farmers will often spray large quantities of different herbicides (weed-killer) to destroy weeds, a time-consuming and expensive process, that requires care so that the herbicide doesnt harm the crop plant or the environment. Crop plants genetically-engineered to be resis tant to one very powerful herbicide could help prevent environmental damage by reducing the amount of herbicides needed.For example, Monsanto has created a strain of soybeans genetically modified to be not affected by their herbicide product Roundup  ®6. A farmer grows these soybeans which then only require one application of weed-killer instead of multiple applications, reducing production cost and limiting the dangers of agricultural waste run-off7. Disease resistance There are many viruses, fungi and bacteria that cause plant diseases. Plant biologists are working to create plants with genetically-engineered resistance to these diseases8, 9.Cold toleranceUnexpected frost can destroy sensitive seedlings. An antifreeze gene from cold water fish has been introduced into plants such as tobacco and potato. With this antifreeze gene, these plants are able to tolerate cold temperatures that normally would kill unmodified seedlings10. (Note: I have not been able to find any journal art icles or patents that involve fish antifreeze proteins in strawberries, although I have seen such reports in newspapers. I can only conclude that nothing on this application has yet been published or patented. Drought tolerance/salinity toleranceAs the world population grows and more land is utilized for housing instead of food production, farmers will need to grow crops in locations previously unsuited for plant cultivation. Creating plants that can withstand long periods of drought or high salt content in soil and groundwater will help people to grow crops in formerly inhospitable places11, 12. NutritionMalnutrition is common in third world countries where impoverished peoples rely on a single crop such as rice for the main staple of their diet.However, rice does not contain adequate amounts of all necessary nutrients to prevent malnutrition. If rice could be genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins and minerals, nutrient deficiencies could be alleviated. For example, blindness due to vitamin A deficiency is a common problem in third world countries. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Institute for Plant Sciences have created a strain of golden rice containing an unusually high content of beta-carotene (vitamin A)13.Since this rice was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation14, a non-profit organization, the Institute hopes to offer the golden rice seed free to any third world country that requests it. Plans were underway to develop a golden rice that also has increased iron content. However, the grant that funded the creation of these two rice strains was not renewed, perhaps because of the vigorous anti-GM food protesting in Europe, and so this nutritionally-enhanced rice may not come to market at all15.PharmaceuticalsMedicines and vaccines often are costly to produce and sometimes require special storage conditions not readily available in third world countries. Researchers are working to develop edible vaccines in tomatoes and potatoes16, 17. These vaccines will be much easier to ship, store and administer than traditional injectable vaccines. PhytoremediationNot all GM plants are grown as crops. Soil and groundwater pollution continues to be a problem in all parts of the world. Plants such as poplar trees have been genetically engineered to clean up heavy metal pollution from contaminated soil18.How prevalent are GM crops? What plants are involved? According to the FDA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), there are over 40 plant varieties that have completed all of the federal requirements for commercialization (http://vm. cfsan. fda. gov/%7Elrd/biocon). Some examples of these plants include tomatoes and cantalopes that have modified ripening characteristics, soybeans and sugarbeets that are resistant to herbicides, and corn and cotton plants with increased resistance to insect pests.Not all these products are available in supermarkets yet; however, the prevalence of GM foods in U . S. grocery stores is more widespread than is commonly thought. While there are very, very few genetically-modified whole fruits and vegetables available on produce stands, highly processed foods, such as vegetable oils or breakfast cereals, most likely contain some tiny percentage of genetically-modified ingredients because the raw ingredients have been pooled into one processing stream from many different sources.Also, the ubiquity of soybean derivatives as food additives in the modern American diet virtually ensures that all U. S. consumers have been exposed to GM food products. The U. S. statistics that follow are derived from data presented on the USDA web site at http://www. ers. usda. gov/briefing/biotechnology/. The global statistics are derived from a brief published by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) at http://www. isaaa. org/publications/briefs/Brief_21. htm and from the Biotechnology Industry Organization at http://www. bio. rg/foodag/1999Acreage. Thirteen countries grew genetically-engineered crops commercially in 2000, and of these, the U. S. produced the majority. In 2000, 68% of all GM crops were grown by U. S. farmers. In comparison, Argentina, Canada and China produced only 23%, 7% and 1%, respectively. Other countries that grew commercial GM crops in 2000 are Australia, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Mexico, Romania, South Africa, Spain, and Uruguay. Soybeans and corn are the top two most widely grown crops (82% of all GM crops harvested in 2000), with cotton, rapeseed (or canola) and potatoes trailing behind. 4% of these GM crops were modified for herbicide tolerance, 19% were modified for insect pest resistance, and 7% were modified for both herbicide tolerance and pest tolerance. Globally, acreage of GM crops has increased 25-fold in just 5 years, from approximately 4. 3 million acres in 1996 to 109 million acres in 2000 almost twice the area of the United Kingdom. Approximately 99 million acres were devoted to GM crops in the U. S. and Argentina alone. In the U. S. , approximately 54% of all soybeans cultivated in 2000 were genetically-modified, up from 42% in 1998 and only 7% in 1996.In 2000, genetically-modified cotton varieties accounted for 61% of the total cotton crop, up from 42% in 1998, and 15% in 1996. GM corn and also experienced a similar but less dramatic increase. Corn production increased to 25% of all corn grown in 2000, about the same as 1998 (26%), but up from 1. 5% in 1996. As anticipated, pesticide and herbicide use on these GM varieties was slashed and, for the most part, yields were increased (for details, see the UDSA publication at http://www. ers. usda. gov/publications/aer786/). What are some of the criticisms against GM foods?Environmental activists, religious organizations, public interest groups, professional associations and other scientists and government officials have all raised concerns about GM foods, and criticized agribusiness for pursuing profit without concern for potential hazards, and the government for failing to exercise adequate regulatory oversight. It seems that everyone has a strong opinion about GM foods. Even the Vatican19 and the Prince of Wales20 have expressed their opinions. Most concerns about GM foods fall into three categories: environmental hazards, human health risks, and economic concerns. Environmental hazardsUnintended harm to other organismsLast year a laboratory study was published in Nature21 showing that pollen from B. t. corn caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars. Monarch caterpillars consume milkweed plants, not corn, but the fear is that if pollen from B. t. corn is blown by the wind onto milkweed plants in neighboring fields, the caterpillars could eat the pollen and perish. Although the Nature study was not conducted under natural field conditions, the results seemed to support this viewpoint. Unfortunately, B. t. toxins kill many species of insect larv ae indiscriminately; it is not possible to design a B. . toxin that would only kill crop-damaging pests and remain harmless to all other insects. This study is being reexamined by the USDA, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other non-government research groups, and preliminary data from new studies suggests that the original study may have been flawed22, 23. This topic is the subject of acrimonious debate, and both sides of the argument are defending their data vigorously. Currently, there is no agreement about the results of these studies, and the potential risk of harm to non-target organisms will need to be evaluated further.Reduced effectiveness of pesticidesJust as some populations of mosquitoes developed resistance to the now-banned pesticide DDT, many people are concerned that insects will become resistant to B. t. or other crops that have been genetically-modified to produce their own pesticides. Gene transfer to non-target speciesAnother concern is that cr op plants engineered for herbicide tolerance and weeds will cross-breed, resulting in the transfer of the herbicide resistance genes from the crops into the weeds. These superweeds would then be herbicide tolerant as well.Other introduced genes may cross over into non-modified crops planted next to GM crops. The possibility of interbreeding is shown by the defense of farmers against lawsuits filed by Monsanto. The company has filed patent infringement lawsuits against farmers who may have harvested GM crops. Monsanto claims that the farmers obtained Monsanto-licensed GM seeds from an unknown source and did not pay royalties to Monsanto. The farmers claim that their unmodified crops were cross-pollinated from someone elses GM crops planted a field or two away.More investigation is needed to resolve this issue. There are several possible solutions to the three problems mentioned above. Genes are exchanged between plants via pollen. Two ways to ensure that non-target species will not r eceive introduced genes from GM plants are to create GM plants that are male sterile (do not produce pollen) or to modify the GM plant so that the pollen does not contain the introduced gene24, 25, 26. Cross-pollination would not occur, and if harmless insects such as monarch caterpillars were to eat pollen from GM plants, the caterpillars would survive.Another possible solution is to create buffer zones around fields of GM crops27, 28, 29. For example, non-GM corn would be planted to surround a field of B. t. GM corn, and the non-GM corn would not be harvested. Beneficial or harmless insects would have a refuge in the non-GM corn, and insect pests could be allowed to destroy the non-GM corn and would not develop resistance to B. t. pesticides. Gene transfer to weeds and other crops would not occur because the wind-blown pollen would not travel beyond the buffer zone.Estimates of the necessary width of buffer zones range from 6 meters to 30 meters or more30. This planting method may not be feasible if too much acreage is required for the buffer zones. Human health risks Allergenicity Many children in the US and Europe have developed life-threatening allergies to peanuts and other foods. There is a possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals. A proposal to incorporate a gene from Brazil nuts into soybeans was abandoned because of the fear of causing unexpected allergic reactions31.Extensive testing of GM foods may be required to avoid the possibility of harm to consumers with food allergies. Labeling of GM foods and food products will acquire new importance, which I shall discuss later. Unknown effects on human healthThere is a growing concern that introducing foreign genes into food plants may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health. A recent article published in Lancet examined the effects of GM potatoes on the digestive tract in rats32, 33. This study claim ed that there were appreciable differences in the intestines of rats fed GM potatoes and rats fed unmodified potatoes.Yet critics say that this paper, like the monarch butterfly data, is flawed and does not hold up to scientific scrutiny34. Moreover, the gene introduced into the potatoes was a snowdrop flower lectin, a substance known to be toxic to mammals. The scientists who created this variety of potato chose to use the lectin gene simply to test the methodology, and these potatoes were never intended for human or animal consumption. On the whole, with the exception of possible allergenicity, scientists believe that GM foods do not present a risk to human health.Economic concerns Bringing a GM food to market is a lengthy and costly process, and of course agri-biotech companies wish to ensure a profitable return on their investment. Many new plant genetic engineering technologies and GM plants have been patented, and patent infringement is a big concern of agribusiness. Yet consu mer advocates are worried that patenting these new plant varieties will raise the price of seeds so high that small farmers and third world countries will not be able to afford seeds for GM crops, thus widening the gap between the wealthy and the poor.It is hoped that in a humanitarian gesture, more companies and non-profits will follow the lead of the Rockefeller Foundation and offer their products at reduced cost to impoverished nations. Patent enforcement may also be difficult, as the contention of the farmers that they involuntarily grew Monsanto-engineered strains when their crops were cross-pollinated shows. One way to combat possible patent infringement is to introduce a suicide gene into GM plants. These plants would be viable for only one growing season and would produce sterile seeds that do not germinate.Farmers would need to buy a fresh supply of seeds each year. However, this would be financially disastrous for farmers in third world countries who cannot afford to buy s eed each year and traditionally set aside a portion of their harvest to plant in the next growing season. In an open letter to the public, Monsanto has pledged to abandon all research using this suicide gene technology35. How are GM foods regulated and what is the governments role in this process? Governments around the world are hard at work to establish a regulatory process to monitor the effects of and approve new varieties of GM plants.Yet depending on the political, social and economic climate within a region or country, different governments are responding in different ways. In Japan, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has announced that health testing of GM foods will be mandatory as of April 200136, 37. Currently, testing of GM foods is voluntary. Japanese supermarkets are offering both GM foods and unmodified foods, and customers are beginning to show a strong preference for unmodified fruits and vegetables.Indias government has not yet announced a policy on GM foods becaus e no GM crops are grown in India and no products are commercially available in supermarkets yet38. India is, however, very supportive of transgenic plant research. It is highly likely that India will decide that the benefits of GM foods outweigh the risks because Indian agriculture will need to adopt drastic new measures to counteract the countrys endemic poverty and feed its exploding population.Some states in Brazil have banned GM crops entirely, and the Brazilian Institute for the Defense of Consumers, in collaboration with Greenpeace, has filed suit to prevent the importation of GM crops39,. Brazilian farmers, however, have resorted to smuggling GM soybean seeds into the country because they fear economic harm if they are unable to compete in the global marketplace with other grain-exporting countries.

Branches of government Essays (553 words) - Constitutional Law

Branches of government Essays (553 words) - Constitutional Law Branches of government The Constitution provides for a system of separation of powers, checks and balances so that the government would not have all its powers intensely focused in the hands of only a few officials or one branch of government to rule. The Separation of Powers was arranged by systematic planning and united efforts by the framers of the Constitution to provide a system of shared powers which we call Checks and Balances. There are three branches of government in the Constitution: the first branch is the Legislative branch; the second is the Executive Branch and the third is the Judicial Branch. The Legislative branch is made up of the House of Representative and the senate which together form the United States Congress. The powers to be in this branch are set up in Article I of the Constitution. They are to pass, change, repeal laws; raise or lower taxes; pay debts; borrow money; provide for the common defense, regulate commerce and immigration; and to declared war. The Executive branch is composed of the President, Vice President, cabinet members and departments and agencies. The president carries out federal laws and recommends new ones, directs national defense and foreign policy, and performs ceremonial duties. Including the powers to direct government, command the Armed Forces, deal with international powers, act as chief law enforcement officer, and vetoing laws. The Judicial branch is comprised of Supreme Court justices and federal judges. There powers are to interpreting the Constitution, reviewing laws, and deciding cases involving states' rights. No one branch is independent of one another. The checks and balance system created for each branch of government is to ensure one branch did not become more powerful than another branch. Each branch has powers it can use to check and balance the operations and powers of the other two branches. There are three branches in the United States government as established by the Constitution. First, the Legislative branch makes the law. It also has checks on the Executive branch such as the override of presidential vetoes with a two-thirds vote. As well as the ability to remove the president through impeachment, approve treaties and other presidential appointments. The Legislative branch can create lower courts, remove judges through impeachment and approve appointed judges for the checks over the Judicial branch. Second, the Executive branch executes the law. Therefore it as the ability to check the Executive branch by freeing the life time appointed judges from their control. Furthermore, through the power of judicial review courts can judge executive and legislative actions to be unconstitutional. Last, the Judicial branch interprets the law. For this purpose they can check the legislative branches veto power, ability to call special sessions of congress, appeal to the people concerning legislation and recommend legislation. Coupled with, the President?s ability to appoint Supreme Courts and other federal judges. The system was meant to keep the three branches in balance and has worked well over the course of America's history. American system of separation of powers checks and balances will forever be the foundation for many countries to strive to accomplish in the future. References: Kelly, Martin About.com American history (2012) http://americanhistory.about.com/od/usconstitution/a/checks_balances.htm Mount, Steve. "Constitutional Topic: Martial Law." USConstitution.net. 30 Nov 2001. usconstitution.net/consttop_mlaw.html (3 Dec 2001)

Risk management and Planning in Tesco plc Essay - 1

Risk management and Planning in Tesco plc - Essay Example TESCO is the third largest retailer in the world. Tesco was the first major retailer to introduce carbon labeling on products. Initially established as a grocery retailer in the UK, the company has expanded its business to various countries across the world and its operations include from clothing, electronics, furniture and petrol to books, banking, telecom and software. The phrase "The Tesco Way" coined by its CEO Terry Leahy seeks to hold out to the public the company’s philosophy and values. The company has been in the forefront in its risk management policies, technological innovations such as camera and self-service tills in the retail industry and CSR initiatives over the period of time. The business risk is different from the financial risk in relation to a company. While the financial risk is related to the capital structure and debt, the business risk is related to the economic conditions. The prevailing economic conditions in relation to an industry will affect the different companies differently, based on the relative exposure to the economy, which has been strategically structured by the companies concerned. However, failing to react in tune with the external environment is the greatest risk as it will affect the performance of the companies in the background of liberalization and globalization. Current Risk Management Process The company (2010) states â€Å"We recognise the value of the ABI [Association of British Insurers] Guidelines on Responsible Investment Disclosure and confirm that, as part of its regular risk assessment procedures, the Board takes account of the significance of SEE [Social, Ethical and Environmental] matters to the business of the Group... and incorporates SEE risks on the Key Risk Register.†

Gastrointestinal Disorders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gastrointestinal Disorders - Essay Example Functional gastrointestinal diseases are associated with a plethora of symptoms which present biochemical and structural abnormality which is unidentifiable (Chang, Locke, McNally, Halder, Schleck, Zinsmeister, & Talley, 2010). Ageing itself is associated with numerous functional changes in the gastrointestinal tracts; such changes involve motility, intraluminal digestion, secretion and absorbtion (Grassi, Petraccia, Mennuni, Fontanna, Scarno, Sabetta, & Fraioli, 2011). Oropharyngeal muscle dismotility has a high preveilance among the elderly patients. Another functional disorder that is present in elderly patients is gastroesophagal reflux, which occurs as a result of reduced esophagal peristalsis and pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter (Park, 2011). Gastric emptying and motility has been found to be normal with ageing, however, some studies have shown that in some instances it may slow down. Structural neurological and endocrine changes lead to disturbed functioning in parts of the G.I tract. These include the propulsive motility of the colon, which is decreased due to these changes. A decrease in gastric secretions also causes gastric ulcers as the structure of the mucous bicarbonate barrier is also impaired (Park, 2011). Other functions that also decrease with age include pancreatic secretion and the level of bile salts. The above mentioned structural and functional changes along with other factors are part of the mechanisms that result in gastrointestinal diseases such as gastroesophagal reflux disease, dysphagia, primary dyspepsia, primary constipation, bowel syndrome, and a reduced level of nutrient absorption (Grassi, Petraccia, Mennuni, Fontanna, Scarno, Sabetta, & Fraioli, 2011). Evaluation of elderly patients is a complex process and may require more than one session (The Merck Manual, n.d.). The patients often become fatigued and the examination will have to be conducted at a later stage. The evaluation of elderly patients has also been assoc iated with underreporting and typical manifestations for certain disorders maybe absent (The Merck Manual, n.d.). Elderly patients often have several different problems with their health hence it is difficult to analyze the system that is affected and whether or not the pathology is a result of malfunctioning of other organs. Concomitant disorders can affect the results obtained from the diagnostic test and may show pathological signs from another system, which can be mistaken for another disease (Shamburek & Farrar, 1990). Therapeutic response by elderly patients is usually very slow as organism is undergoing physiological degradation. Drugs which are administered to elderly patients should present minimal adverse effects to other organs such as the liver as the damage from these drugs may be more severe (The Merck Manual,

Book Banning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Book Banning - Essay Example Book banning comes about apparently when there are obscene comments and images embedded within these books. Then there is the important discussion of the books having viewpoints which are usually non-digestible by the public at large. Also this brings to mind the proposition of hate literature which is making the rounds of the global book regimes (Foerstel 2002). It essentially creates a sense of animosity amongst the people and asks of them to think from a much diluted stance. These perspectives are usually not appreciated by the society at large and since there is the quintessential talk of globalization these days, it is only reasonable to ban such books which stir emotions and behaviors of people in a negative way. Another reason for banning books is that they contain incorrect data and information which is unacceptable in a civilized society. Writing books is a much esteemed proposition and usually the writers penning down their memoirs or books are seen with an appreciable eye (Mann 2000). However when these same writers go overboard, then there is a need to address the concerns of the people (the educated lot) by banning such books in the first place. Banning such books is very legitimate because these are spreading falsified data within the people which cannot be allowed under any procedural routine. These books are usually not given credit within the world’s most trusted book publishing companies and agencies, as well as disallowed sale on the book stores all around the world. To ban a book, there is a very important pre-requisite that someone must challenge the book as regards to its content or imagery. This challenge restricts materials which are not appreciated by a certain segment of the society or an individual who is indeed a part of that very society. If the book hurts the feelings of the people, there is a

Impact of Privatisation without Effective Regulation

Impact of Privatisation without Effective Regulation Discuss the view: Privatisation without effective regulation is unlikely to bring significant benefits to developing countries. Despite its abundance around the world, and the apparent high esteem that governments hold it in, regulation is no longer seen as the panacea it once was. Regulation must not be over used. Put simply, regulation provides benefits but also incurs costs. Regarding the benefits, Garg and Karba, quoted in Jacobs (2006: 5) have said that, â€Å"it is widely acknowledged that sound regulation is the key to good governance and increased regulatory effectiveness in turn means a better government.† At the same time, the European Parliament (2002) has drawn attention to, â€Å"The problems of over-regulation, the doubtful quality of the laws and the economic obstacles that arise in consequence are increasingly the subject of debate.† Whenever regulation is contemplated, it is necessary to assess whether the costs of such regulation are outweighed by the benefits they provide. This is achieved using Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA), which involves â€Å"a systematic process for assessing the significant impacts (positive and negative) of a regulatory measure† (Jacobs, 2006). This paper looks at the potential benefits and costs that result from regulation of privatised industries in developing countries and whether privatisation without regulation is capable of benefitting a developing economy. The costs of regulation are generally economic, with regulation creating compliance costs for companies, and enforcement costs and added layers of bureaucracy for governments. The benefits may be economic, such as increasing competition in a market, but may also be institutional, increasing a government’s institutional capacity, or social, raising an awareness of the regulated issues among policy makers or the general public which would not otherwise have been present. From a governance perspective, regulation may improve the efficiency and transparency of the government and increase its institutional capacity, but there is also a risk that the added bureaucracy might create new opportunities for corruption and rent seeking. This paper looks therefore, not o nly at the economic costs and benefits of regulation, but also from a governance and social perspective. Furthermore, Bayliss (2002) has pointed out that there has been a shift in emphasis when assessing the effectiveness of economic reforms in developing countries. As she points out, â€Å"Greater attention is now paid to the poverty impact of economic policies in developing countries. Whereas previously the focus was on macroeconomic reforms, effectiveness is now considered in terms of the impact of policies on the poorest.† This can be seen in the recent replacement by the World Bank of Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) with Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs), and similarly with the International Monetary Fund’s (IMFs’) change from offering Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facilities (ESAFs) to offering Poverty Reduction and Growth Facilities (PRGFs) in 1999 (Bayliss, 2002: 2). Therefore, when assessing the benefits of regulation of privatisation, this paper will do so from the perspective of poverty reduction where possible, as opposed to merely macroeconomic benefits. Finally, it must also be borne in mind that privatisation is a complicated and often disputed process. Therefore, when this paper will also examine many of the difficulties that privatisation can raise for the development of an economy and will look at the many instances in which privatisation will create challenges for the economy which regulation will not be able to assist with. Regulation: costs and benefits Looking first at regulation of privatisation, the OECD (2001) has pointed out that when conducted correctly, and with effective regulation, including the inclusion of effective RIA measures, â€Å"[regulation] will increase the understanding of the impact of government policies, help unite different interests and approaches to problems, improve public governance transparency and increase the responsibility in public resource management.† Regulatory best practice dictates that regulations should be drafted so as to minimise the burdens they place on the regulated sector while achieving the desired results. However, it has also been pointed out that regulations often have unintended side effects that impact on groups who were not intended to be the targets of the regulation (European Parliament, 2002). Garg and Kabra (2004) have identified four issues that must be considered if regulation is to be effective: firstly all the impacts of proposed regulation, including unintended impacts, must be considered; secondly, the policy objectives of the regulation should be carefully examined to ensure that they do not conflict and to ensure also that all objectives are adequately addressed by the proposed regulations; thirdly, development and implementation of the regulatory framework must be carried out in an inclusive, consultative and transparent manner; and fourthly, the government and the regulator must be accountable. If these four requirements are met, then according to Garg and Kabra (2004), the process of regulation also â€Å"has the potential to be a force for open and democratic government.† However, such regulation, according to Jacobs (2005), are not of benefit to all types of government. He states, â€Å"the prevailing wisdom is that benefits correspond to those of democracies or ‘good government’. [Regulation and RIA] support legal governments which observe the rule of law with proportionate and equitable law. An accountable government is promoted through assessing direct costs and benefits that citizens will incur and selecting policies on the basis of best value for money, taking into account redistribution effects.† Clearly, there are significant benefits to be gained if the right type of government goes about regulation in the correct manner. If the regulations are developed in a consultative manner then they will also help raise awareness of the relevant issues. Effective regulation of core industries, as well as open and accountable RIA procedures are also â€Å"considered as fostering processes conducive to democracies† (Jacobs, 2005). However, if an autocratic or corrupt government were to regulate the industry the same benefits would not be reaped. It is difficult to see how such governments would go about creating a consultative and transparent regulatory regime in any case. This means that they would find it difficult to create a regulatory regime that adequately addressed the myriad different objectives of the regime. It would also mean that there is a high risk that the regulations put in place would have side effects for other, supposedly non-regulated sectors, which would furt her increase the burden of regulation. It is suggested in this paper that regulatory frameworks implemented by immature or non-consultative governments are likely to lack the necessary degree of subtlety that is gained when proper consultative processes are in place, and therefore, the regulations put in place by such regimes may be damaging. To conclude, if regulation is to be of any benefit in the privatisation process, it must be carried out by a responsible and open government, using consultation and adopting regular Regulation Impact Assessments. Otherwise, regulation alone will be of no benefit and will merely add an extra layer of bureaucracy, cost and possibly corruption, into the equation. Also, if regulation is carried out correctly, it will have the side effect of increasing the institutional capacity and expertise of the government. The European Commission (2002), in assessing Slovakia’s regulatory measures stated, â€Å"despite the progress made over the past year, the major need now consists of building up adequate administrative structures and strengthening of administrative capacity to implement the acquis.† Clearly, in order to be of benefit, regulations require certain institutional elements to be put in place by the government. This includes proper oversight of regulators as well as procedures to assess the impact of regulations and the effect they are having on industry. Therefore, it is again suggested that regulations put in place by administrations which lack capacity for effective RIA may also prove damaging to a privatised industry. Even where the government is genuinely democratic and seeks only to improve the performance of the regulated industry for the good of citizens, if it does not have adequate institutional capacity it may find it difficult to pull this off without harming the economy. Privatisation: the challenges for alleviating poverty and the potential for regulation to assist Looking next at the process of privatisation, Bayliss (2002) has pointed out that privatisation has long been one of the favoured methods by which international financial institutions (IFIs) have sought to alleviate poverty in developing countries. However, she states that they were popular when macroeconomic considerations were the main concern of the IFIs and that they have continued into the present days of poverty reduction largely on an assumption that what is good for the macro economy is good for poverty reduction. She states, â€Å"the impact of privatisation on poverty has so far been neglected in World Bank analysis. The distributional impact of privatisation transactions will depend on the nature of the enterprise in question.† Privatisation is generally seen as a benefit both because it raises revenues for the government, while at the same time increasing competition in core and vital sectors of the economy, such as the provision of utilities and transportation. The degree to which a privatisation generates revenue for government depends on the price achieved for the company sold. However, as stated above, benefits today must be assessed according to the poverty alleviating affect, rather than their merely structural effects and from this perspective, the main benefit of a privatisation is far more likely to be the better service that citizens or customers get from the privatised industry. This of course will vary depending on the nature of the industry and the degree to which it is essential to poor people, and also the degree to which the industry has been monopolised by the national company. The privatisation of an essential industry such as water or electricity, previously supplied by a single company, is likely to have a larger impact on poverty reduction than the privatisation of a state owned steel mill for example, especially if there are already private steel mills operating in the sector. If the service offered by the industry to be privatised is actually used by the poor, then the potential benefits to the poor are naturally higher (Bayliss, 2002). Likewise, since much of the improvement in an industry post privatisation comes from increased competition, the market share of the national industry prior to privatisation is also highly relevant. It was the Berg report (Williams, 1981: 186) that first drew IFI attention to privatisation as a means of locking-in economic improvements in Africa. The World Bank had been pursuing a policy of public sector reform, with Africa’s public sector seen as both dominating the private sector and under-performing. However, when improvements in efficiency were made in the public sector, they often proved difficult to maintain as governments would go back on the difficult policies that had led to the improvements. It was concluded in the Berg report that privatising an underperforming public industry would be far more difficult for a government to ‘undo’, so to speak. According to Bayliss and Cramer (2001) â€Å"privatisation acquired its own momentum and became a panacea for all that was wrong with the economies of industrialised and developing countries.† Rebranded today as Private Sector Participation, the World Bank and the IMF still promote privatisation, have made it part of their conditionality arrangements with most states for the release of aid funds, and have increased the capacity of their own divisions dealing with the private sector (Grusky, 2001). Even privatisation of basic services has been made a requirement for IMF and World Bank programmes (Bayliss, 2001a). Privatisation is now a core part of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) with the Uganda PRSP stating for example, â€Å"In the long run privatisation will transfer the need for major investment expenditures on to the private sector† (IMF, 2000). The Burkina Faso PRSP states it will begin the, â€Å"privatisation of existing state interests in order to facilitate the entry of new firms, resources, and technology into various segments of the market† (World Bank, 2002). Privatisation strategies are also a requirement for countries to qualify under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) programme. One result of these conditionalties is that it incentivises governments of poor countries to privatise without taking into account adequately the economic benefits of doing so, especially the impact that privatisation might have on the poorest members of society. Privatisation deals will be pushed through in order to meet IMF and World Bank requirements regardless of the results of economic studies (Bayliss, 2002). One example of this was the hasty privatisation of Cameroon’s sole water utility when only one bidder had time to come forward. It is difficult to see how the best price could be achieved for the utility without proper bidding from multiple competing bidders. However, according to Reuters (2000), the utility was sold to the French MNC, Suez Lyonnaise in order to meet an IMF debt relief deadline regardless of the fact that the best price might not have been achieved. From an examination of statements by the World Bank and wider literature there appears to be five ways in which privatisation can bring significant benefits to developing countries from the point of view of poverty reduction. These five potential benefits will now be critically assessed, with special attention being paid to the degree to which regulation impact on such potential gains. The first general argument in favour of privatisation is that it contributes to economic growth. Economic growth is necessary to reduce poverty. However, Bayliss (2002) and Cook and Uchida (2001) have pointed out that the link between privatisation and economic growth in developing countries is an assumption based on experience in developed economies and has not been substantiated in the literature of the World Bank or the IMF. Furthermore, there is no evidence to suggest that regulation would impact on the degree to which privatisation might impact on economic development. Bayliss (2002) and Cook and Uchida (2001) both reject that privatisation necessarily leads to economic growth. It is also suggested here that economic growth cannot be regulated for. For example, forcing private operators to increase production through regulation, without there being a demand would be unsustainable. Therefore, it must be concluded that the argument that economic growth generated from privatisation has a significant impact on poverty reduction is not shown, either from past experience or from empirical literature. And furthermore, regulation will not have an impact on this fact. Secondly, the World Bank (2001) and others (Adam et al 1992) have argued that privatisation leads to Private Sector Development (PSD) and thus helps in reducing poverty. While PSD has been shown to impact positively on poverty reduction, privatisation has not as yet been linked empirically to PSD (Bayliss, 2002). The World Bank and IMF â€Å"see the mission as being the need to harness the dynamism and efficiency of the private sector to make it operate for the social good† (Bayliss, 2002). It is true that in efficient and competitive markets firms must strive for efficiency and innovation in order to maximise profits and even survive. However, as argued by Bayliss (2000) â€Å"where there is any kind of market power exercised by a single or group of enterprises, the implications for the social good come into question.† The link between privatisation and private sector development made by the World Bank and IMF is an assumption that has not been substantiated and the re asoning of the World Bank here has been harshly criticised in the literature (Bayliss, 2001b). The World Bank claims that privatisation improves the public sector in two ways. Firstly, according to Kikeri et al (1994), privatisation will increase the number of stakeholders who have an interest in the success of the countries private sector. Secondly, Kikeri et al (1992) have pointed out that privatisation is a signal to investors that the government is committed to PSD and thus investment will be encouraged. However, Bayliss (2002) has pointed out that, according to past experience in developing countries, private actors have done more harm than good to the private sector when they are put into monopolistic positions. It is only when effective regulations are put in place and enforced that the private actors have shown any tendency to behave in a manner conducive to PSD. This has led Bayliss (2002) to conclude that â€Å"it is not privatisation that will develop the private sector; rather it is the government, through effective regulation.† She argues that such regulation will develop the private sector regardless of whether or not privatisation takes place, however, it is suggested here that if effective government regulation is in place and is enforced, then the arguments of Kikeri et al (1992) and Kikeri et al (1994) should hold true, and therefore, privatisation with effective regulation will greatly improve PSD. Ramamurti (1996) for example, has shown that privatisation in Latin America, coupled with effective regulation, has been accepted by the markets as a positive signal to investors. It should be noted however that the same benefits have not as yet been demonstrated in Africa. Bayliss (2002) has suggested that â€Å"arguably, government concessions and guarantees are a greater attraction for investors than a commitment to private sector led growth.† However, it is concluded here that a government commitment to PSD, coupled with effectiv e regulation to prevent private sector abuse, should be capable of showing the same benefits in Africa as it has in Latin America if it is sustained by governments. Therefore, in this second category, privatisation can be of benefit to a developing economy, however, this will be true only if proper regulation is established. The third way in which privatisation helps with poverty reduction is by raising government revenues through the sale of the asset. The sale will also free the government from the obligation to invest in the industry, thus providing further fiscal benefits (Campbell-White Bhatia, 1998). The World Bank (2001) state, â€Å"Urban power, water, sanitation and telecommunications require large investments, even if efficiency is improved. But much of this funding can come from the private sector – indeed, privatisation can be a source of revenue for cash-strapped governments.† The idea being that such savings can â€Å"enable [governments] to conserve limited public resources for other priorities, such as education and healthcare† (World Bank, 2000). However, Campbell-White and Bhatia (1998) have shown the very obvious fact that private firms only want to buy profitable enterprises. Their study of privatisations in Africa shows that on aggregate, the industries that had been privatised up until 1998 in Africa had not been a financial drain on governments. It is very difficult to see many cases in which private investors will be willing to purchase loss making enterprises and then make the investments necessary to improve public services for the poorest. This fundamental fact was demonstrated by Biwater President, Richard Fleming, when his company pulled out of a private water project in Zimbabwe which was designed to bring water to some of the country’s poor. It emerged that the water tariff that had been agreed with the Zimbabwean government , and which would have allowed the project to operate at a profit, was too high for the intended customers to afford. Whiting, in an honest and realistic press release to the Zimbabwe Independent of 10 December 1999, stated on behalf of Biwater, â€Å"Investors need to be convinced that they will get reasonable returns†¦ The issues we consider include who the end users are and whether they are able to afford the water tariffs†¦ From a social point of view, these kinds of projects are viable but unfortunately from a private sector point of view they are not.† It is inevitable that if the numbers simply do not add up, then the greatest will and best practices in the world will not enable the private sector to be involved in an industry. It is suggested here that sound regulation will not be able to alter this fact. The Zimbabwe Biwater case illustrates this point. The company and the government had carefully negotiated a project that was fair to everyone and would have been well regulated. Biwater was to build the infrastructure, and make a return by charging customers a tariff which had been agreed with the regulator. The problem was simple economic reality. The intended customers could not afford the tariff that the regulator had set and which the company needed to justify the investment. Government guarantees to investors, such as guaranteeing a certain profit margin, or promising to purchase the output of a project at a guaranteed price, it is suggested, return the financial risk to the government and remove any fiscal benefits that pr ivatisation might have been able to provide. Bayliss and Hall (2000) have identified a number of projects in which national or regional budgets have been crippled because of commitments to purchase products from privatised industries at fixed prices. Therefore, from the point of view of raising revenue for the government, privatisation may be of benefit. However, regardless of how much money a government gets for selling an asset, such gains will only be lasting if the project as a whole is feasible and the private company is able to operate at a profit. Therefore, in this third category of generating revenue for government, it is essential that the project is a success for the private company, the end user and the government, and the only way to ensure this is if effective and consultative regulation has been put into place prior to the initiation of the project. Fourthly, it is argued that privatisation will not only bring in revenue and investment, but also foreign expertise and management practices which will increase efficiency and performance. The argument that private sector management will be better than public sector management may be true in some situations but there are dozens of well known, multi-billion dollar privatisations in which the new management failed and the industry had to come back into public sector responsibility (Bayliss, 2002). For example, when Trinidad contracted out management of the island’s water supply to UK company, Severn Trent in 1996, the company promised, through better expertise and international management best practices, to make water supply on the island break even financially within three years. However, at the end of the three year term, Severn Trent had increased the budget deficit of the utility to $378.5 and handed the industry back to the government, at the end of their contract, in a sta te of financial emergency. Regulation may be of assistance here as it can ensure that private sector management is supervised and that any failings or poor practices by the private industry will be quickly caught by the regulator. This can help avoid situations such as referred to above in which the private company has allowed an industry to deteriorate to such an extent that the government has had to step in to remedy the situation. It is suggested here that if regulation is effective and well drafted, it should decrease the risks that private management will fail drastically in its task. However, if the good management practices of the newly privatised industry are coming from the government regulator rather than from the international expertise that have been imported during privatisation, then it is difficult to see how such private expertise are of any benefit to a country. However, there are numerous cases in which privatisations have improved an industry because of internatio nal private sector expertise and it is suggested here that regulation is simply a safeguard. While it is always hoped that privatisation will lead to the importing of new private management who will be able to improve performance because of their expertise, the risk that they will fail is also insured against by close and effective regulation. In this case therefore, regulation removes or reduces one of the risks of privatisation, that the private management will be incompetent. The fifth and final argument that privatisation helps a local economy is that it will cause a release of aid funds. As stated above, aid funds are often conditional upon privatisation. For example, when Guinea handed management of the capital’s water sector to the private sector it received an extra $67 million for investment in water infrastructure (Bayliss, 2002). Menard, Clarke and Zuluaga (2000) have shown that many privatisations have been pursued solely to receive extra aid and in economic impact assessments, the extra aid is often what tips the scale in favour of privatisation. Nickson (2001) has described how the privatisation of Cartagena’s water system by one mayor was only continued by the incoming mayor because of the aid funds that were tied to the deal. Without the tied in aid funds, the incoming mayor would have strongly opposed the privatisation on a number of economic and social grounds. However, it is pointed out here that the inflow of aid funds is no t an inherent benefit of privatisation and only ensures that privatisation appears to be good for the economy. In fact, tying aid to privatisation makes it very difficult to assess the economic benefits of privatisation at all. It is like trying to assess the economic contribution of an industry that receives large government subsidies. The subsidies mask the true performance of the industry and make it’s economic contribution difficult to ascertain. It is suggested here however that if aid is also conditional on privatisations being regulated, then clearly there is an economic benefit to regulation, simply because it will meet with donor approval and cause the release of further funds. Conclusion To conclude therefore, if regulation is to be of any benefit, it must be conducted by a democratic and transparent government who is willing to address the many costs and benefits of regulation. The government must also conduct RIA to ensure that the regulations themselves do not become a burden on the industry or distort the economics of the privatised sector. That said, in relation to the five ways in which privatisation is said to help an economy, regulation can only impact positively on some of them. With regard to the argument that privatisation contributes to economic growth, it has been shown that regulation is not a useful tool to ensure this occurs. With regard to the argument that privatisation contributes to Private Sector Development, it is concluded here that regulation is necessary and effective. Without such regulation there is a risk that privatised firms will behave in a monopolistic and abusive manner. Therefore for privatisation to improve the public sector, it must be properly regulated. With regard to the argument that privatisation has fiscal benefits for the government, this will only be the case if the privatised industry is carefully regulated so as not to create costs for the government in the event of bad management. However, in this regard, the terms of the privatisation agreement are more important than regulati on. With regard to the argument that privatisation brings in foreign expertise, this is true in many cases but again, in order to reduce the risk that the privatised firms perform poorly, regulation is again necessary. And finally, with regard to the argument that privatisation attracts aid, insofar as aid is conditional on privatisation being regulated, then regulation has a direct benefit of pleasing aid agencies. Therefore, while the benefits of privatisation are still being disputed, with regard to the World Bank’s five asserted benefits of privatisation, four of them are enhanced if effective regulation is in place. Therefore only way in which developing countries can benefit from privatisation is with effective regulation. Bibliography Adam, C., Cavendish, W., Mistry, P.S. (1992) Adjusting Privatisation: Case Bayliss, K Cramer, C (2001) Between the lab and the real world, Chap. 3, pp.52-79 Development Policy in the Twenty-First Century, Fine, Pincus and Lapavitsas (eds.) Routledge Bayliss, K. (2001a) Privatisation of electricity distribution: some economic, social and political perspectives, A PSIRU Report for PSI, April 2001, available online at www.psiru.org/reports/2001-04-E-Distrib.doc Bayliss, K. (2001b) Privatisation and the World Bank: A Flawed Development Tool, Global Focus vol. 13, June 2001 Bayliss, K. (2002) Privatisation and Poverty: The Distribution Impact of Utility Privatisation, Centre on Regulation and Competition, Working Paper 16, January 2002 Bayliss, K. Hall, D., (2000) Independent Power Producers: A Review of the Issues, A PSIRU Report for PSI, available online at http://www.psiru.org/reports/2000-11-E-IPPs.doc Brook Cowen, P.J. (1999) Lessons from Guinea Water Lease, Public Policy for the Private Sector Note No. 78 Campbell-White, O., Bhatia, A., (1998) Privatisation in Africa, IBRD, Washington DC Cook, P. Uchida, Y. (2001) Privatisation and Economic Growth in Developing Countries, Centre on Regulation and Competition, Working Paper No. 1, University of Manchester, October European Commission (2002) Communication from the Commission on Impact Assessment, Brussels, 5 June European Parliament, DG for Research (2002) Working Paper on Development and current practices in the EU member states, on the EU level and in selected third countries, Legal Affairs Series, Luxembourg Garg, A. Karba, M. (2004) Regulatory impact assessment: key to good governance, SAFIR Newsletter, pp. 8-13 Grusky, S (2001) Global Challenge Initiative ‘IMF Forces Water Privatization on Poor Countries, available online at www.wtowatch.org/library/index.cfm IMF, (2000) Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper: Uganda, available online at www.imf.org/external/NP/prsp/2000/Uga/o1/ Jacobs, C. P. (2006) Public Enterprise, Privatisation and Regulation, Regulatory Governance: Research Centre for Regulation and Competition, British Council Development Service, 2006 Kikeri, S., Nellis, J., Shirley, M. (1992) Privatisation: The Lessons of Experience, Washington DC, World Bank IBRD Kikeri, S., Nellis, J., Shirley, M. (1994) Privatisation: Lessons from Market Economics, The World Bank Research Observer, Vol. 9, No. 2, July 1994 Menard, C., Clarke, G., Zuluaga,

Changing a Lifestyle in Only Six-Weeks :: Health Diet Nutrition Excersize Essays

Changing a Lifestyle in Only Six-Weeks Jennifer is a twenty-year-old college student struggling with body image issues. She is a size eight. She has never developed an interest in athletics and has never exercised in her life. She has no muscle tone and has a high body fat percentage. Jennifer is not confident about her body. She wants to be skinny and is constantly dieting. Instead of eating healthy and balanced meals, she skips meals often. When she does eat, she eats only fried foods like French fries and hamburgers and refuses to eat fruits and vegetables. Samantha is Jennifer's friend at college. She is an athlete. She is a runner and a weight lifter. She is training for the Boston Marathon, her second marathon, that is three months away. She runs for an hour three days a week and on the weekends runs for longer distances. She also weight lifts three times a week in the gym. Samantha is very confident and is in the best shape of her life. She eats a lot of fruits, vegetables, and lean protein. She has very defined muscles and a low body fat percentage. Jennifer admires Samantha's discipline in exercise and healthy eating, but she resists exercising and eating well. She is afraid to become too muscular and develop a manly physique. Jennifer strives to look like a supermodel, not like an athlete. Samantha encourages Jennifer to go to the gym to weight lift with her but Jennifer refuses. Jennifer lacks motivation and is not interested in participating in ?masculine? activities like bodybuilding. After months of coercing, Samantha finally convinces Jennifer to go to the gym with her. Jennifer succumbs because she hopes to meet some hot guys at the gym. Samantha convinces Jennifer to go to the gym with her three days a week for six weeks. After that, if she does not like it, Samantha will never bother her again about taking up an exercise regime. When Jennifer arrives for the first time at the gym, she is surprised to see how many women are working out with weights. Half of the people weightlifting are women. Jennifer also observes that the majority of women have very feminine physiques. They are muscular, lean, and have very attractive figures. Jennifer was expecting to see very few women weightlifting. In addition, she expected those women to be very muscular and masculine looking.

Results and Discussion Sample

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The measurement that were recorded from the experiment focused more on how the orange peel affect the growth of the mung bean plant over the course of the experiment. Table 1. Effect of Orange Peel to the Mung Bean Plant Trial 1| Orange Peel Growth Enhancer| Commercial Growth Enhancer| Pot 1| Week 1| Week 2| Week 1| | The mung bean plant sprouted a little. | The mung bean plant grew faster after putting a large amount of orange peel. | The mung bean plant grew faster. Trial 2| Orange PeelGrowth Enhancer| CommercialGrowth Enhancer| Pot 1| Week 1| Week 2 | Week 1| | The mung bean plant sprouted a little. | The mung bean plant grew faster after putting a large amount of orange peel. | The mung bean plant grew faster. | Table 1 shows the growth of the mung bean plant during a two-week period in two trials. As the table shows, when you put little amount of orange peel to the plant and when you put a large amount of orange peel to the plant. The mung bean plant grows faster using commercial growth enhancer. But using the orange peel as growth enhancer is somehow effective. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusions Based from the data gathered, the researchers conclude that the orange peel can be a good growth enhancer to mung bean plant. It gives a fast reaction to the plant. It has the same effect with commercial growth enhancers on mung bean plant. Recommendations Based from the drawn conclusions, the researchers recommend the following: 1. Conduct more reliable test using varied plants and test whether the growth enhancer will really help in faster plant growth. 2. Apply different measurement of the materials. Since putting a lot the orange peel to the plant gives faster reaction, try to apply less amount of it and test it. 3. Make one or more of the growth enhancer, and with different measurement of the materials, test whether it is more effective if you apply more orange peel or if it still effective if you put less orange peel to the plant.

Sir Guy Carleton essays

Sir Guy Carleton essays Sir Guy Carleton was an extraordinaire of foreign relations. Carleton came to Canada at a difficult time, when the French were just getting over the defeat of the Conquest. When Carleton became the Governor of Quebec, he introduced the Quebec Act. This Act ensures religious freedom and land entitlements. The Quebec Act also kept the civil law of the French people while introducing the criminal law of the English. Carleton kept Quebec out of the American Revolution with this act that helped Quebec ally with the British, which was no small task. Sir Guy Carleton was sympathetic to the French, as the British Governor of Quebec. Sir Guy Carleton was a British military officer who served under General Wolfe at the capture of Quebec. Carleton became Governor of Canada after angry British Merchants helped remove Governor Murray from his position. Carleton was sympathetic to the French, just like Murray. Carleton really supported the French efforts to restore their civil law. To remain Governor he would have to keep the French happy so they would not revolt against the crown and he would have to keep his British peers relatively satisfied. Carleton was in a position of compromise. Carleton arrived in Canada on September 1766. Canada was in a difficult time because the French population had just been defeated in the Conquest and New France had not forgotten about her former colony . However, the American Revolution had not touched Canada yet. Carleton was an ambitious and proud man. He became Governor of Quebec in 1768. He never underestimated the difficulties of his position at this time. Constant complaints from Montreal merchants against trade, and Seigneurs who were ripped of their nobility were just some of the problems that had come about. There was also many First Nation complications at this time, wherever the fur trade and the church was concerned. Carleton had sympathy for the Seigneurs who were deprived of their employment and ...

turkish economy essays

turkish economy essays It is a known fact that Turks have a very strong work ethic. Another key advantage is Turkeys low wage rate, significantly lower than others in the region. In America average employee for Jarcs Incorporated get paid $12 per hour. If we move production to Turkey, employees should get paid a generous $3.50 per hour. Employing 300 workers in Turkey will cost an average of $1050 as compared to $3600 in the US per day. This rate is a significant difference, as the cost of employment in America nearly quadruples the costs possibilities in Turkey. Factory hours would consist of three 8 hour shifts. Beginning at 9 and running to 5, one hundred workers will be in the factory producing an expected amount of units. Next starting at 3 and running until 11, another hundred workers will continue to produce the product, and then towards the end of the shift packaging and storing will begin. Our final shift will consist of janitorial services as well as retooling machines. This allows us to make approximately 10,000 units per day, and annually a drastic improvement compared to the 2,000 units per day that were produced in 2001. Because our production will increase our average cost will decrease. Approximately 98% of the Turkish population is Muslim and celebrate about 25 work recognized holidays as compared to America where our multiracial community may observe many different holidays. Turkey has adopted the western culture and transformed its weekend holiday from Friday to Sunday back in 1924, which parallels our own and can allow for communication as well as transportation abilities. Turkey is expected to become a member of the European Union by 2005. This will allow Turkey to then become a central gateway to both the European and Asian contents, which will inevitably permit growth in the market. The country of Turkey provides incentive packages that involve some sort of tax relief. Investment allowances ...

Wal-Marts Business Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Wal-Marts Business Management - Essay Example Other important applications include informing the details of the company to the finance personnel, suppliers and others so that they become aware of company's goals and achievements. Economic Feasibility: It refers to the benefits or outcomes. We are deriving from the product as compared to the total cost we are spending for developing the plan. If the benefits are more or less the same as the older system, then it is not feasible to develop the plan. The development of the new product should greatly enhance the accuracy of the system and cuts short the delay in the processing of the business strategy. The errors can be greatly reduced and at the same time providing great level of security. Hence, we do not need any additional equipment except memory of required capacity. Operational Feasibility: It refers to the feasibility of the product to be operational. Some products may work very well at design and implementation but may fall in the real time environment. It includes the study of additional human resources required and their technical expertise. Technical Feasibility: It refers to whether the product that is available in the market fully supports the present trend. It studies the pros and cons of using particular product for the development and it's feasibility. It also studies the additional training need to be given to the people to make the product work. A qualitative and quantitative research is must in developing an Information system. Qualitative research is more of collecting data, conducting interviews, using documents and to understand and explain social phenomenon. Quantitative research involves is of development of natural sciences to study natural phenomenon. Survey methods, formal methods, econometrics, etc., are some of the examples of quantitative research. Planning Wal-mart generally forays into the international market by establishing a retail market by issuing FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) to the retailers so that the profit from the FDI's would go to the retailers as well. Their plan will be to first energize the FDI lobby and then preempt the FDI lobby in any country they try to establish their retail store. They primarily look for the average annual income of the family in that country, Wal-Mart also looks how much is the retail market and at what percentage it is growing annually. Wal-Mart recently decided to foray into the Indian retail market which has a $250 billion retail market growing at 7.2 % per year. Wal-Mart initially looks for the weak supply chain managed countries for FD investments. John Menzer the CEO and president of Wal-Mart plans as per the data acquired from the countries he personally visits and then decides weather to invest or not. It is not that Wal-Mart doesn't face any challenges, it has to face challenges but s truggles for both business and profit from governments of the respective countries. In any business sector strategic planning is considered to be very important and a thoughtful business plan cannot be overemphasizes because much hinges on it: financial support, management of the available resources like operation and finances, credit from suppliers, promotion and marketing and last but not the least company's goals and achievements. Before