Monday, September 30, 2019

Historical Background and Status

Historical background and status of textile engineering industry By: S. Chakrabarty Preamble Industrial Revolution in U. K. during 1750 – 1850 gave birth to Textile Machinery. The dominance of India in the field of cotton textiles produced by very skilled manpower was disturbing the British. Systematic development of textile industry with spinning and powerloom machinery was initiated in Lancashire and Manchester to discourage the Indian weavers. Rest is however known to everybody how the machinery industry was developed and nurtured by the respective Governments in the UK and later by Germany and Switzerland followed by others in Europe.In India, machinery manufacture started in the 50s, continued and progressed during 60s & 70s and thereafter. The Government policy to ban expansion of the organized weaving sector during late 60s created/ supported the decentralized powerloom sector. Too much of importance to handlooms and low level technology power looms in the subsequent ye ars, keeping a large list of reserved items for handlooms, throttled the mill industry which lost its initiative for creativity as well as production for the masses. Low level of production in handlooms and low quality production in powerlooms made us uncompetitive in the subsequent years.The Government’s regulative pressures on the Mill Industry continued to play havoc for the weaving industry till the introduction of 1985 Textile Policy and finally revolutionary Industrial Policy in 1991. Development and technology growth in the TEI The Textile Engineering Industry (TEI) during the late 60s, 70s and 80s had received some Government support in the form of foreign collaboration approvals, import assistance by way of phased manufacturing programme and concessional customs duty certification for imported parts and components for manufacture of specified textile machinery.Import duty on components and parts in general was very high at 85% excluding CVD and not conducive for indi genous development. The concessional duty on imported parts, components etc. mentioned above did help the Industry. The then Government’s policy was also supportive that no import of machinery was allowed if there was adequate indigenous production. The local textile industry therefore had no choice but to buy the Indian machinery. This policy helped the TEI to develop and manufacture spinning machinery in the country of the desired quality and quantity. There was no competition from outsider.Internal competition among various players made the development easier and faster. Foreign manufacturers had no choice but to enter into collaborations with local manufacturers. This happened not only in spinning but also in processing machinery. The following collaborations are worth mentioning: Sr. No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Names of Foreign Collaborators M/s. Textile Machinery Makers Ltd. U. K. , Platt Bros. , U. K. M/s. Whitin Machine Works, U. S. A. M/s. Howa, Japan M/s. Zinser, Germany M/ s. Marzoli, Italy M/s. Hispani Suiza (Suisse) S. A. , Switzerland M/s. Rieter, Switzerland M/s. Schubert & Salzer, Germany Names of IndianManufacturers M/s. National Machinery Mfrs. Ltd. , Bombay* M/s. M M C. , Calcutta M/s. Texmaco, Calcutta* M/s. Texmaco, Calcutta* M/s. M M C, Bangalore* M/s. Indequip Engineering Ltd. , Ahmedabad M/s. LMW, Coimbatore M/s. New Standard Engg. Items Produced Spinning – Cards, Draw Frame, Speed Frame, Ring Frame Spinning – Carding Engines and RH Can Fed Inter Frames Spinning – Flat Revolving Carding Engines, Draw Frame, Speed Frames Spinning – Narrow Gauge Ring Frame Spinning – Entire Range Spinning – Ring Frame Spinning – Entire range Spinning – Blow Room, Cards, 9. M/s. Zinser, Germany M/s. Trutzschler, Germany M/s. Toyota, Japan 10 11 2 M/s. Suessen, Germany * Presently not in operation Co. Ltd. , Mumbai* M/s. Padmatex Engg. , Baroda* M/s. Trumac, Ahmedabad M/s. Kirloskar Toyoda Textile Machin ery Pvt. Ltd. , Bangalore M/s. Suessen Asia, Pune Draw Frames Spinning – H. S. Draw Frame Spinning – Blow Room, Cards, Draw Frames Spinning – Ring Frame Spinning – Ring Frame Due to acute and long recession in the Textile Industry, initial higher import content coupled with high rate of import duty, non-transfer of latest technology under collaboration agreements leading to import of machinery etc. , the following Indian Companies were closed down during 80s and early 90s.These are M/s. MMC, Kolkata and Bangalore; M/s. Texmaco, Kolkata; M/s. Indequip Engineering, Ahmedabad; M/s. New Standard Engg. Co. Ltd. , Mumbai; M/s. Mafatlal Engg. Co. Ltd. Mumbai; M/s. Textool Co. Ltd. , Coimbatore; M/s. Jeetstex Engg. Ltd. Coimbatore etc. while M/s. LMW, M/s. Trumac, M/s. Zinser India, M/s. Suessen Asia, M/s. Kirloskar Toyoda could manage to stay in production. Why we are better in spinning machinery? There was Government support by way of†¢ †¢ †¢ Res tricted import of spinning machinery – virtually no import of spinning machinery of the same technology available indigenously was allowed.No import of second hand spinning machinery was allowed. Import duty concession on raw materials, parts, components & accessories for production of specified machinery as the import duty in general, was very high. Besides, competition among the machinery manufacturers resulted in production of better quality machines. Reasons for non-development in the Weaving Machinery Sector While the Textile Engineering Industry took up manufacturing of Spinning machinery in full swing with the adequate Government's supportive measures mentioned above, the same did not happen in case of weaving machinery.During 60s (prior to 1970) the Industrial Policy prohibited the organized mill sector to expand their weaving capacity. This was perhaps to support employment generation in the villages by the decentralized and dispersed handloom sector. It was due to t his wrong policy, the unauthorized powerloom clusters started gaining grounds. Even many of the handloom clusters started converting into powerlooms. Since the domestic demand for fabrics was growing fast due to the population growth, the powerloom sector in different parts of the country started growing fast while the handloom sector started shrinking in reality. The fact is still not accepted by the Government). Today, there are over 20 lakh powerlooms but handlooms, may not be more than 8 lakh, if not less! During 70s the organized mill sector was allowed to replace ordinary powerlooms by automatic looms and shuttleless looms on 4:1 basis. However, compulsory manufacture of controlled cloth by the mills sector dampened the spirit of the mills sector. Controlled cloth scheme was done away with during 80s. Expectation of a good demand due to replacement policy prompted the manufacture of automatic looms by M/s.Cimmco, Gwalior in collaboration with M/s. Sakamoto, Japan and M/s. Mafa tlal Engineering Co. in collaboration with M/s. Ruti, Switzerland during 70s. In the late 70s M/s. Lakshmi Automatic Loom Works Ltd. (LALW) started manufacturing Ruti `C’ Type of automatic loom in collaboration with M/s. Ruti, Switzerland. M/s. Cimmco as well as M/s. Mafatlal Engineering Co. tried to manufacture shuttleless looms in collaboration with M/s. Dornier, Germany, Toyoda, Japan and M/s. SACM, France respectively during early 80s. M/s. LALW also started making shuttleless rapier and airjet looms during 80s.During 80s, the powerloom population which was hardly 7 lakh had grown to more than 10 lakhs. The policy of scrapping of powerlooms of the mill industry after replacement or closure failed miserably, all these powerlooms found their way to the decentralized sector. The Government had no option but to regularize all unauthorised powerlooms due to political pressure after announcement of 1985 Textile Policy and subsequent Textile Control Order 1986, doing away with t he age old powerloom permit system. The textile strike during 1980s crippled the Textile mill industry in Mumbai and Maharashtra.During this period the composite structure of the mill industry broke almost completely. While the spinning sector prospered with the modern machinery, the number of working looms in the organized mills sector shrunk considerably and most of the mills found it profitable to close down their weaving section due to bad market condition, high cost of labour, low productivity and tough competition from the powerloom sector. As a result, there was practically no demand for the shuttleless looms manufactured by the two Companies mentioned above which prompted them to close down their shutters one by one.In the meantime, due to the pressure from the decentralized powerloom sector the Government was forced to allow import of second hand weaving machinery which added to the woes of indigenous manufacturers of shuttleless looms. M/s. LALW also had to discontinue the production of shuttleless looms subsequently. During 80s and upto 1991 there was protective market for spinning and processing machinery but not for the weaving machinery due to high production cost and import of second hand looms. Initiatives discouraged after liberalizationThe Industrial Policy announced in 1991 liberalised the Industry in general to a considerable extent. The market became open to the foreign manufacturers and there was tough competition. The spinning machinery makers came of age technologywise and capacitywise and there was also very high demand for spinning machinery. The weaving machinery could not prosper due to the onslaught of import of second hand machinery. There was no restriction on import of second hand weaving machinery before and after 1991. After 1992, there was no support of the Government either for development of weaving machinery or any other textile machinery.In this regard, the only commendable fact was that we became self-sufficient in Weavi ng Preparatory Machinery viz. High Speed Sectional Warping, Direct Warping and Sizing matching with world class technology. M/s. Rabatex Industries, Ahmedabad; M/s. Prashant Gamatex Pvt. Ltd. , Ahmedabad, M/s. Amritlakshmi Machine Works, Mumbai and M/s. Jupiter Engineering Co. , Ahmedabad are the most reputed domestic manufacturers. This could happen because there was less import of second hand machinery and the cost differential between domestic and imported machinery was large and the machines were custom built.The indigenous shuttleless looms (older technology) which have been developed during the late 90s and early 2000, however, could not find a good market due to the adverse policy of the Government i. e. import of second hand shuttleless looms under concessional duty and also under concessional rate of interest under TUF. The situation continues. However, indigenous machinery manufacturers viz. M/s. Aalidhra Weavetech Pvt. Ltd. , Surat; M/s. Bhavin Sales Corporation, Surat; M /s. Dynamic Loom Mfg. Co. , Ahmedabad; M/s. Dinkier Sokerjee Machines, Surat; M/s. Friends Engg.Works, Panipat; M/s. Himson Textile Engg. Inds. Pvt. Ld. ; Surat; M/s. Industrial Engg. Works, Bangalore; M/s. Lakshmi Automatic Loom Works Ltd. , Coimbatore; M/s. Laxmi Textile Stores, Ahmedabad; M/s. Lifebond Machines Pvt. Ltd. , Surat etc. have developed and are producing crank beat up type shuttleless looms with a speed between 450 – 500 mpm. All latest generation shuttleless looms i. e. Airjet, Waterjet, Projectile & Rapier of European and Japanese origin are high speed, high tech, high productive and energy efficient running at a speed of 500 rpm and above.This machinery, though at a higher cost, is economically viable due to its quality and productivity, cost of fabric per meter being less than second hand machinery. Since last 4/5 years, all new large textile units as well as existing reputed textile units expanding capacity had been importing these kinds of machinery to ma ke them commercially viable, e. g. Alok Industries, Welspun, GHCL, Vardhman Group, Century, Raymonds, etc. Therefore, machinery, if made/developed indigenously need to be cost competitive in all respects and cost of production per meter of fabric should be same or less with equivalent quality standard.Then only the manufacturing would be viable and accepted by the Mill Industry/ Organized Sector. Unless there are disincentives for second hand machinery, there is no hope that the decentralized powerloom sector would go in for new machinery. Processing & Finishing Machinery Sector The history of the processing machinery manufacturing sector was somewhat different. During 70s and 80s there were a number of foreign collaborations : M/s. Mather & Platt, U. K. M/s. Reggiani, Italy M/s. Stork, Holland M/s. Gerber, M/s. Menzel and M/s. Eduard Kusters, GermanyMather & Platt (I) Ltd. * SBM Engg. * ATE (Stovec/Stormac*) Calico Indl. Engineers* M/s. Artos & Benninger, Germany M/s. Famatex, Germ any M/s. Obermeaier, Germany M/s. Toshin Kogyo, Japan * Presently not in operation T. Maneklal* Famatex India Ltd. * Dalal Engg. Star Indl. Engg. * Some Companies developed machinery by copying the imported technology viz. M/s. Harish Textile Engineers, M/s. SM Engg. etc. As mentioned earlier, composite structure of the textile industry broke in Europe during 70s. The same happened in India during 80s. This affected the processing sector.While spinning industry became more organized, competitive and export- worthy, the weaving and processing sectors became uncompetitive, decentralized and export unworthy. Since the Government encouraged low technology for the weaving sector (handlooms and ordinary powerlooms), the organized weaving sector in the mill industry could not come up. Similarly, the decentralized processing sector, which started with second hand machinery from the composite mill industry, did not modernize the units in course of time. The domestic manufacturers which had o llaboration prior to 1991 could not continue with their collaborators after 1991 as the market became open and the foreign manufacturers found it easier to market their machines in India rather than making the same under collaboration. During 80s as well as 90s strenuous efforts were put in by some of the Companies to develop machinery by way of re-engineering. Some of them became successful. However, some of the Companies had to close down their shutters due to tough competition in the open market after 1991. Many manufacturing units came into existence to produce low technology cheap machinery to bridge the gap between demand and supply.This had resulted in manufacture of poor quality machines and poor quality processing of textiles thereof. The encouragement given by the Government to the hand processing sector was misused and low technology prevailed. The prominent processing machinery makers who developed quality machines during 80s and 90s were: 1. M/s. Calico Indl. Engineers, Mumbai* 2. M/s. Dalal Engg. Pvt. Ltd. , Mumbai 3. M/s. Devrekha Engineers, Surat 4. M/s. Harish Textile Engineers Ltd. , Mumbai 5. M/s. Mather & Platt (I) Ltd. , Mumbai* 6. M/s. Primatex Machinery Ltd. , Mumbai* 7. M/s. SLM Maneklal Ind. Ltd. , Mumbai* 8. M/s.SM Energy & Electronics, Mumbai 9. M/s. Standard Fabricators (I) Pvt. Ltd. , Mumbai 10. M/s. Stovec Industries Ltd. , Ahmedabad 11. M/s. Texprint Engineers Pvt. Ltd. , Ahmedabad * Presently not in operation In the latter half of 90s again saw acute demand recession from the Textile Industry which continued upto 2002. During this period the Textile Engineering Industry started looking beyond the domestic demand. Export which was never more than Rs. 100 crore until 1988-89 started increasing and reached the level of Rs. 406 crore during 2002-03. There were exports of spinning as well as processing machinery.Some of the manufacturers could compete with the European manufacturers in processing machinery abroad with their high qual ity machines. Improved Demand The demand for textile machinery started picking up slowly after 2002 as the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme became popular by then. The Textile Industry was also expecting a better market after the st liberalized Quota Free Regime under WTO from 1 January, 2005. Major demand for machinery started after 2004 which has prompted the Textile Engineering Industry to increase its production from the level of Rs. ,341 crore during 2003-04 to Rs. 2,780 crore during 2006-07. However, this happened mainly in spinning machinery and weaving preparatory machinery and to some extent in weaving and processing machinery. The weaving and processing machinery sectors though increased their capacity to a considerable extent, has a long way to go. The processing sector started competing with foreign manufacturers since 1991 though sporadically. They have improved their technology and their machines are now capable of producing fault free processed fabrics in short as w ell as continuous lots.The domestic demand for such machinery has also increased. M/s. Dhall Enterprises & Engineers Pvt. Ltd. , Ahmedabad, M/s. Harish Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. , Mumbai, M/s. Tex-Fab Engineers (India) Pvt. Ltd. , Navi Mumbai produced continuous dyeing plants with latest technology for long length of fabric processing which are running successfully in the mills. The following manufacturers have exported their processing machines and earned a good name: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. M/s. Dalal Engineering Pvt. Ltd. , Mumbai M/s. Devrekha Exports (Bhagyarekha Engineers Pvt. Ltd. ), Surat M/s.Dhall Enterprises & Engineers Pvt. Ltd. , Ahmedabad M/s. Harish Enterprise Pvt. Ltd. , Mumbai M/s. Kusters Calico Machinery (P) Ltd. , Vadodara M/s. Lakshmi Card Clothing Mfg. Co. Pvt. Ltd. , Coimbatore M/s. Yamuna Machine Works Pvt. Ltd. , Mumbai These manufacturers are in a position to make many high quality processing machines and compete with foreign manufacturers. Knitting/Hosiery Machine ry Knitting/Hosiery Industry as well as Garment Industry was reserved for the small scale sector. Both these sectors thrived initially with imported second hand machinery.Both Woven Garment and Hosiery Garment put together the total export of the country was only Rs. 5 crore during 1970-71. The exports increased to Rs. 500 crore in 1980 and today it is above Rs. 17,000 crore, thanks to the removal of quota shackles under WTO, implemented by the Government couple of years back. Decentralised character of the Garment industry did not enthuse the TEI to take up the manufacture of knitting machinery. As such this sector remained neglected altogether. Some efforts were made to manufacture knitting machinery by two Companies viz. M/s.Lakshmi Automatic Loom Works Ltd. , Coimbatore and M/s. Himson Textile Engineering Industries Pvt. Ltd. , Surat in late 80s. However, after liberalization of the Industrial Policy in 1991, imported machines became cheaper technology wise than the Indian machi nes due to which obviously there was no demand. Therefore, manufacture of knitting machinery had to be discontinued. Testing & Monitoring Equipments Sector As regards the Testing & Monitoring equipments are concerned, the textile industry was dependent on imported testing and monitoring equipments in 60s and early 70s.The Textile Engineering Industry started developing such testing & monitoring equipments in the late 70s and today all kinds of high quality latest generation testing and monitoring equipments are being manufactured in the country. Some of the items are: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Air Jet Weaving Machine Controller Centralised Computerised Operation of Group of dyeing Machines with Dyeing Data Management Software Package Fully Automatic High Volume Fibre Tester for Length, Strength, Micronaire, Colour, Trash and Maturity module Multi-Channel Pre-Set Yarn Length Indicator & Controller for Winding/Texturising/TFO Machines with Software PackageYarn Evenness T ester Some names of the Companies manufacturing different categories of such instruments are under:†¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Paramount Instruments Pvt. Ltd. Pioneer Instruments & Innovations Premier Evolvics Pvt. Ltd. Semitronik Instruments Tex Lab Industries Thymas Electronic Pvt. Ltd. Growth of the Parts & Accessories Sector The growth of the textile industry along the length and breadth of the country initiated the manufacture of parts and accessories for their machinery. Today, barring a few critical items of equipments and accessories lmost all kinds of parts and accessories of high quality are manufactured in the country. The number of such manufacturers could be around 800. Some of the important items manufactured here are: Blow Room beaters, card clothing, cross-roll attachment for cards, top rollers for high speed draw frame, flyers for speed frames, rings, spindles, inserts, cots and aprons and variable drives for ring frame, production of monitoring data in spinning and weaving online quality checking systems, cloth guides, web straighteners in processing, etc. etc.The TEI not only fulfills the demand for spares from the domestic textile industry but also exports its products to Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Far East, Europe, America and other countries as well. The following table shows data on production of Textile Machinery Parts & Accessories during the last 15 years: Year 1985-86 1990-91 1999-2000 2004-05 2006-07 Rs. in Crores 83. 43 208. 59 288. 79 276. 44 339. 68 Synthetic Yarn and Fabric Processing Machinery Sector Synthetic weaving sector of the textile industry which was scattered in different parts of the country in early 70s became localized in Surat, Bhiwandi, Belgaum.During 80s and 90s the synthetic sector was dominantly established in and around Surat, Gujarat. This simultaneously necessitated the development of synthetic yarn and fabric processing machinery. As a result the Textile Engineering Industry located in and around Surat and Mumbai developed draw texturising machines, draw twisters, two-for-one twisters for filament yarn, zero-twist filament sizing machines, rewinders, precision cone winding machines, etc. etc. More successful manufacturers are M/s. Himson Textile Engineering Industries Pvt. Ltd. , M/s. Aalidhra Textile Engineers Pvt. Ltd. Meera Industries, etc. The synthetic mechanical processing machinery was being imported during 70s and 80s. However, with the development of such machinery indigenously, we are not only catering to the domestic demand but also exporting the same. More and more developments are taking place due to the demand for such machinery. Conclusion Thus the Textile Engineering Industry could develop all types of textile machinery except garment machinery, high speed sophisticated knitting machinery, high speed shuttleless loom (rapier and air jet) and some of the latest generation processing and finishing machinery.The reasons for not developing these mac hinery have been categorically explained in the foregoing paras. What the TEI expects and aspires Under the above background it is felt that there is a real need to develop and manufacture all kinds of textile machinery in the country as per the existing and expected demand. Government should encourage these efforts and should come forward to help this Rs. 3,000- 4,000-crore capacity industry in a comprehensive and systematic manner with short and long term policy measures. It should take note of the developments of textile machinery made by China during the last 10 years.What China did? 1. Forced the foreign manufacturers to start manufacturing their brands in China by not allowing the import of machines from abroad. 2. Financed the domestic manufacturers for setting up the complete plants with large capacities. 3. No second hand machinery import 4. Incentives given for replacement of old machinery with new machinery. Incidentally, it may be mentioned that China had 6 lakhs ordinar y powerlooms/automatic looms prior to 2002. Today, they have shuttleless looms (2, 50, 000 to 3,00,000 approx. ). There may be few ordinary powerlooms in villages and automatic shuttle looms in some corners.No estimate of such looms is available. They have installed large machinery manufacturing capacities and are also exporting all kinds of textile machinery at a cheaper price. Therefore, the following measures are needed to improve the present condition of the Indian TEI A) Policy Measures †¢ †¢ Scheme for Modernisation, technology upgradation and productivity advancement of the Textile Engineering Industry (TEI). The interest remission under the scheme should be 5% with one time 10% Capital Subsidy over & above interest remission (Similar Schemes are available for the Textile Industry).Scheme to support Research & Development. o o †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Suitable capital grants and annual recurring grants for the existing R Centre at IIT, Powai, Mumbai. Suitable capital grants for the R Institutions located at Surat, Ahmedabad, Coimbatore, Delhi, Panipat and Ludhiana willing to take up R for textile machinery. Capital grant for indigenous development of machinery to the new projects as well as existing projects which got delayed due to lack of funds. Tax break/holiday for the manufacture of High Speed Shuttlelesss Looms/High-tech processing and finishing machinery for a period of five years.To allow import of complete sophisticated machinery in CKD/ SKD condition at concessional rate of import duty for a minimum period of three years without any restrictions for manufacturing textile machinery under collaboration/joint venture/import of designs and drawings or by way of reengineering. Ban import of machinery where similar technology machines are available indigenously e. g. shuttleless rapier loom â€Å"crank beat-up type†, water jet Looms (800 rpm) etc. Import of textile machinery in second hand condition sh ould not be allowed under the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme/20% CLCS Scheme.Ban on import of second hand shuttleless looms with weft insertion rate less than 800 mtrs. per minute. Revival of TIFAC scheme for development of textile machinery with 90% loan component and softer rate of interest of 3%. B) Fiscal Measures †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Reduction of excise duty from 14% to 8% Excise duty on parts, components and accessories of the machines be reduced to 8%. Maintaining the floor level customs duty on textile machinery at 7. 5% without any exemptions Uniform rate of customs duty for complete machinery and raw materials, parts, components & accessoriesUniform treatment to the domestic suppliers of machinery to EPCG license holders. 150% weighted Income Tax deduction for R expenditure made by the Textile Engineering units. If the above measures are taken seriously, the TEI aspires to make available modern machinery and equipment both in quantum and qual ity to meet the future needs of the textile industry at short delivery periods coupled with effective and prompt after-sales-service. About the Author: The author is the Secretary of The Textile Machinery Manufactures Association.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Patient Billing Essay

Patient billing System is very important. These are collections of information’s about a patient’s health history. Doctors and the others personnel of the hospital like nurses write is medical records so that they can used the information’s again when the patient’s come back to the hospital. It is job of patient’s registry records works to make sure that the information is intact and available anytime when the patient returns to the hospital. Many hospitals in India still manage the patient data manually. Hospitals will be able to save money and time if they have a good software program for  managing patient’s data. The idea is to develop web based patient billing software that can be used to keep track of the patients registering in a hospital or clinic. Doctors and the rooms available in a hospital can be managed using this system. Also, this system should support accessing the previous visit histories of any patient, search for patients by name etc. * A patient can be categorized as â€Å"In patient† or â€Å"Out Patient†. If patient type is â€Å"In Patient†, a bed will be assigned to the patient. * A doctor will be assigned to each patient before the patient meets the doctor. Only one doctor can be assigned to a patient at a given time. * A patient can visit the hospital any number of times Administrator will have complete control of the system. She/he can Add/Edit/Delete patients, Add/Edit/Delete Doctors, Add/Edit/Delete Beds, Search for patients, Assign patients to doctors. Doctor can access a patient’s record and update his observations about the patient in that particular visit. ABOUT BILLING: Hospital bill for inpatient will include a room charge, which covers room, meals, nursing care, housekeeping, maintenance, medical records and admitting services. Bill will also include itemized charges for specific ancillary services such as laboratory, medications, X-rays and use of the operating room, surgical day care, recovery room, physical therapy and other services. Hospital bill for outpatient will include consultation charges and also include itemized charges. Bill will not include visits by physician and fees for radiology (interpretation of X-rays), anesthesiology, emergency medicine, surgery, and other professional services and consultations provided by physicians. These will be billed separately by the physician. EXISTING SYSTEM: The existing system of the patient billing is completely manual. The secretary or the receptionist will write patient information into a medical  form. The clinician takes the medical history of the patient, writes diagnosis and treatment on the form. The Clinician sometimes can refer the patient to the laboratory for medical test before diagnosis depending on the situation of the patient. All the patient form are collected and kept in the filling cabinet for follow up check and future use Disadvantages of Existing system: * The existing system needs to save patients information in the form of excel sheets. * The manual system gives us very less security for saving data. * Some data may be lost due to mismanagement. * Searching of particular room vacancy information is very critical where it takes lot of time. * This system is not having the facility of tracking transfers of patients from the general ward to the ICU and vice versa. * Cannot Upload and Download the latest updates. * No use of Web Services and Remoting. * The existing system is Less user friendly Proposed system: The modern computerized system is developed with the aim to overcome the drawbacks of existing system. The proposed system has got many advantages. It will improve the keeping of medical records of the patient, can handle data efficiently, more accurate in filling and retrieving of records. Since the necessary data is available in one place and the computer is able to manipulate it like sorting, stratifying, then the reports are easy to make unlike using the manual system. The Proposed system directly maps on database and its focuses in adding, searching, modifying, printing and saving of the medical history/ diagnosis of the patient. †¢ This system can provide the information about the patient based on the ward number whether the patient is either in the general ward or the ICU immediately. †¢ By using this system we can prepare all bills pending to be paid by a patient before the patient’s discharge which is computerized. Advantages of proposed system: * User friendliness is provided in the application with various controls. * The system makes much easier and flexible. * Readily upload the latest updates. * There is no risk of data mismanagement at any level. * It provides high level of security with different level of authentication. * We can keep a track of all beds occupied / free in both the ward and the ICU by using this system. * We can keep track of all transfers of patients from the general ward to the ICU and vice versa. * This system is providing the facility of viewing all information about patients details, their admit time and the amount to be paid based on the treatment given and the ward selected. * We can register all the patient details like the amount to be paid / any balance remaining, the ward number, the bed number, the registration number, case number etc. as soon as a new patient is joined in the hospital MODULES: 1. Search module 2. Appointment module 3. Bill generation module 4. Payment module 5. Security & authentication module 6. Reports module 1. Search module: This module facilitates the receptionist for searching about the patient’s past history, availability of Doctors & their timings, Doctors details & also about the doctor’s movement from one branch to another branch. This module keep a track of all beds occupied /free in both the ward and the ICU. Keep a track of all transfers of patients from the general ward to the ICU and vice versa. We can also view the patient details like the ward number, the bed number, the registration number, case number etc. It also help the patient for searching the branches details of the hospital, timings of the hospital, availability of the Doctors & their timings, availability of the appointments etc. 2. Appointment module: This module is dealing with assigning a doctor to each patient before the patient meets the doctor based on their availability. Only one doctor can be assigned to a patient at a given time 3. Bill generation module: This module is dealing with generation of the bills for inpatient which contains the details of all patients, their admit time and the amount to be paid based on the treatment given and the ward selected. We can also view the patient details like amount to be paid / any balance remaining etc. This module also deals with the generation of the bills for outpatient which contains consultation fees. The bill may include itemized charges for specific ancillary services such as laboratory, medications, X-rays and use of the operating room, surgical day care, recovery room, physical therapy and other services. separate bill will be generated for radiology (interpretation of X-rays), anesthesiology, emergency medicine, surgery, and other professional services etc. 4. Payment module: This module is dealing with the payment of bill through the credit card or cash. 5.Security and Authentication: * Login as Receptionist or administrator * Change password * Forgot Password 6. Reports: In this Module, Different actors can generate the different types of Reports according to their access. FEASIBILITY STUDY: Preliminary investigation examine project feasibility, the likelihood the system will be useful to the organization. The main objective of the feasibility study is to test the technical, operational and economical feasibility for adding new modules and debugging old running system. All system is feasible if they are unlimited resources and infinite time. These are aspects in the feasibility study portion of the preliminary investigation. 1. Technical feasibility 2. Operational feasibility 3. Economical feasibility Technical Feasibility: The technical issue usually raised during the feasibility stage of the investigation includes the following: * Does the necessary technology exist to do what is suggested? * Do the proposed equipments have the technical capacity to hold the data required to use the new system? * Will the proposed system provide adequate response to inquiries, regardless of the number or location of users? * Can the system be upgraded if developed? * Are there technical guarantees of accuracy, reliability, ease of access and data security? Permission to the users would be granted based on the roles specified. Therefore, it provides the technical guarantee of accuracy, reliability and security. The software and hardware requirements for the development of this project are not many and are available as free as open source. The work for the project is done with the current equipment and existing software technology. Necessary bandwidth exists for providing a fast feedback to the users irrespective of the number of users using the system. OPERATIONAL FEASIBILITY: Proposed projects are beneficial only if they can be turned out into information system. That will meet the organization’s operating requirements. Operational feasibility aspects of the project are to be taken as an important part of the project implementation. some of the important issues raised are to test the operational feasibility of a project includes the following: * Is there sufficient support for the management from the users? * Will the system be used and work properly if it is being developed and implemented? * Will there be any resistance from the user that will undermine the possible application benefits? This system is targeted to be in accordance with the above mentioned issues. Beforehand, the management issues and user requirements have been taken into consideration. So, there is no question of resistance from the users that can undermine the possible application benefits. The well planned design would ensure the optimal utilization of the computer resources and would help in the improvement of performance status. ECONOMICAL FEASIBILITY: A system can be developed technically and that will be used if installed must still be a good Investment for the organization. In the economical feasibility, the development cost in creating the system is evaluated against the ultimate benefit derived from the new systems. Financial benefits must equal or exceed the costs. The system is economically feasible. It does not require any addition hardware or software. Since the interface for this system is developed using the existing resources and technologies, there is nominal expenditure and economical feasibility for certain. SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS: Operating system:Windows XP Browser:Internet Explorer 5.5 User Interface:HTML, CSS Client side scripting:JavaScript Programming Language:Java Web Applications:JDBC, JSP Database:Oracle10g Connection:TCP/IP Protocol:HTTP,SMTP,POP3 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: Processor:Pentium IV Hard Disk:Minimum 40GB RAM:512MB or more

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Week 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Week 2 - Essay Example on what they think about the main characters (the instructor will specify which characters and seeing, as the students are still not experienced just two characters will suffice) for instance Oliver twist and the dodger. During the performance of the selected parts, the students will form groups that have students from mixed cultural background. The aim is to ensure that there is an even distribution of the cultures within the groups. Extended Follow-up Activities: make a list of all the new words encountered preferably on a chart. Make the students use these words in sentences. As for themes, it is up to the instructor to pick them out and explain to the students what lessons are to be learnt. Referring t everyday life situations where these themes are applicable will also speed up the students’ comprehension. The text has diverse characters and the students can choose to represent those they are most comfortable. However, at all instances the student should describe what the character is saying or portraying in their words hence enabling the assessment of their choice in vocabulary. Understand: the cultural background to enable proper assessment and integration of the students to the intended classroom environment created during the lessons (note the mention of anti-Semitism even in this watered down version of Oliver twist). Moving the lesson to a new venue made the students relax and the informal nature of the play made the students more expressive. The different dimensions presented during the lesson enabled the students to explore other talents apart from academics. In addition, there was personal interaction between students who on normal occasions were strangers to each other. On the other hand, Oliver twist is an outstanding literary work that explores most if not all aspects of society. The fact that the main character is a young boy is also a plus because it is easy for the students to relate to his struggles even if the society Oliver twist lived

Friday, September 27, 2019

Product Design Project Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Product Design Project - Term Paper Example Being a client representative, the project manager provides the consumer with online access to various reports on the project progress, and other documentations so they can follow the progress of a project (Lock, 2007). Introduction Nokia is a global provider of mobile phones whose headquarters are based in Finland which started out as a wood pulp mill in 1856 in Finland (Monaghan, 2013). The company majors in producing mobile cell phones and portable technological devices as well as internet services like games, applications, media, music, messaging and navigation services. Before 2012, Nokia was the largest mobile phone vendor globally but the growing popularity of touchscreen smartphones has reduced its market shares and subsequently fallen from its position of glory. Over the past few years, financial problems have seen the downsizing of its staff and eventually Microsoft purchased the company, although finalization of the deal is still ongoing (Monaghan, 2013). Thesis: discuss t he project management of a design process of a phone in the Nokia Company with detailed view of the schedule and duration as well as the ethical and diversity issues considered in the undertaking of the project. The paper aims to show ways in which the product design process can be modified to improve on the process and the effects of changing the organization of the chronology of the steps of the process. The main challenge of managing a project process is to meet the project objectives within the limitations of time, quality, funding, scope, deliverables and other constraints (Nokes & Kelly, 2007). Project management utilizes the use of a SWOT analysis to address issues in a design process. A SWOT analysis, acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, is a process that identifies the various strong and weak points of a product, design process or company resulting in an appropriate plan of action (Luo & Design 2004). Method Information was collected by the supervis ors during the scoping of the project through online forums for developers and customers reviews through emails and the company website and SWOT analysis implemented on the data collected. This provided the project management with the necessary work structure required to undertake the various activities in the project effectively. Strengths Nokia is a global company that provides quality service to its consumers and hence attracts quality employees all around the world providing job opportunities and satisfying consumer needs (Haikio, 2002). It invests in producing products that are simple in structure depending on the sale value of the product. This ensures the product is safe from damage of the screen and other delicate parts due to low impact unlike other companies’ products which are completely vulnerable to damage on low impact. The Symbian technology in Nokia phones is stable and user friendly and when compared to the android platform, Symbian phones are less likely to crash due to software complications. The incorporation of windows mobile by Nokia was also a major step in the improvement of the phone experience of Nokia consumers. The company provides applications from its developers as well as third party developers through its website or through pre-installed applications. For similar market prices with most android phones, Nokia provides better camera capabilities in its products. The company pro

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Economy - Market structure & Macroeconomy Essay

Economy - Market structure & Macroeconomy - Essay Example Mombasa has endured rule of many different nations, from the Portuguese in the 12th century to the British more recently, until gaining its independence in 1963. The completion of a railway from Mombasa to Uganda in 1901 serves as the link between the port and the rest of Kenya, as well as surrounding East African countries. While Mombasa is an important shipping port for imports and exports along the East African coast, it is also a popular tourist area, with many hotels to the North and South of the 15 square km island. The population of Mombasa is roughly 900,000. Over one fourth of all workers in Kenya are employed in Mombasa working in the port itself, in manufacturing, and in tourism. Tourism, and particularly that of visiting naval ships, is an important aspect of the economy, accounting for nearly 40% of Mombassa’s revenues. Among its many exports are coffee, flowers, vegetables, textiles and livestock. Problems that the port has encountered since the early 1990s inclu de a declining economy that is said to be the result of price controls, import licensing and foreign exchange controls. Like Nairobi, the largest city in Kenya, the city of Mombassa has experienced an increase in population, though on a much smaller scale. This is a continuing problem across Eastern Africa, and solutions for â€Å"secondary cities† (Otiso, 2005, p.117) in which occupants can live and work to sustain themselves is elusive.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Summary of Apple Inc. Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary of Apple Inc. Case Study - Essay Example During the period of John Sculley (1985-1993), the then CEO of Apple Inc, numerous strategies were adopted in order to make Apple pioneers in the desktop publishing segment. Under the leadership of Steve Jobs, the company had been capable of achieving sustained growth. During his reign, Apple underwent restructuring efforts and also outsourced manufacturing of the Mac products to the contract assemblers of Taiwan. The company’s distribution systems were also revamped. Through company’s website, Apple was capable of selling the products directly to the consumers. The company’s image was invigorated as well by promoting itself as a hip substitute to another computer brand. During the year 2008, one of the key drivers of revenue was Macintosh computers. Apple had put the high emphasis on the technology and innovation which had assisted the company in beating the cutthroat competition. The first retail store of the company was in McLean, Virginia which started its op eration in the year 2001. Until the year 2008, the company was found to be operating through 215 stores. The case study also details the growth of the PC industry since its inception from the mid-1970s. The close competitors of Apple Inc had been IBM, Compaq, and Dell among others those had been focusing upon research and development in order to compete successfully with Apple, Inc. The PC industry has sought tremendous change in the recent years. It is now available in numerous forms ranging from laptops, workstations, sub-notebooks, and servers. However, after the components became standardized the manufacturers of PC started cutting their spending on research and development. Instead of spending on R&D, the companies started focusing on innovation in manufacturing, marketing, and distribution in order to achieve competitive advantage.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The WWI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The WWI - Essay Example Prior to joining the WWI, the United States enjoyed a blossoming, prosperous years that were evidenced by a rapid growth in the GDP and a positive improvement in the standards of living of the American People (Gary pp 417). However, after the war, with much of the expenses in the war having been borne by the American people, there was a considerable slump in the American economy. The average American consumer had to chuck out more to obtain the same amount of goods they would have obtained before the war. After the war, the American government tremendously reduced its number of troops and significantly reduced the pay of the remaining solders. As a result veterans returning from the war complained of the lack of other opportunities in the country. Since congress had allocated many funds to ensure success in the war and with the strain in the standard of living, the rise in inflation became persistent. After the war the government was more indebted than ever in the history of the Unit ed States. The war had cost the American government an estimated $38 million financed by the federal government and through the issue of war bonds and stamps (Cross pp 45-57). Prices of commodities shot up tremendously. Investment reduced greatly as Americans had no surplus cash due to the rising inflation.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Ethical issues in Packaging Practices Research Paper

Ethical issues in Packaging Practices - Research Paper Example The world today has progressed towards being more consumer-oriented. One of the most important aspects of marketing is packaging basically since it portrays the origin of a particular product. From a marketing perspective it is important to ensure that the packaging is such that it allures the potential customers and increases the sales of the product. It is important to present sufficient information about the product on its package so that the customers have enough information before deciding to buy a particular product. However, several ethical issues surfaces with the aspect of packaging since in order to ensure proper sale values several factors are compromised with leading to unethical practices. Shrimp present four different ethical issues that are involved with packaging. The four issues primarily include representation graphics, information present on the cover or the label, safety of the packaging material and environmental issues. Graphics for starters, is the key factor which represents the product meant for sale. Some producers and marketers utilize pictures on the packaging case which do not appropriately represent the actual product and in most cases maybe misleading and present a false representation of the product. Labeling and providing information on the labels is another vital aspect of packaging a certain product. The information printed on the body is meant to provide sufficient details to the potential customers.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Team Roles of a Football Team Essay Example for Free

Team Roles of a Football Team Essay There are many different roles in the modern football team; teams consist of 11 players with one player in the goal and the rest playing outfield all the roles of the different members of the team are vital in the team winning a game. Goalkeeper The goalkeeper is a very specialised role compared to all the other members of a team, a goalkeeper will rarely end up playing in a different position, where as other members of the team e. . midfielder may swap positions with a winger. Goalkeepers are the only players allowed to touch the ball with their hands, but only within the penalty area, this is why goalkeepers wear a different jersey to the rest of the team so the referee can distinguish them between other players. The referee’s job is stop the other team scoring by preventing the ball from entering the goal for this reason there role is mainly defensive Defender The Defender plays behind the midfielders usually playing in the half of the field that there goal is located, There main responsibility is to prevent the opposition having a chance to get a shot on goal Defenders are split up into different categories-Left back, right centre-back, left centre-back, centre-back, right-back. Midfielder Midfielders are players who play between the strikers and the midfielders, there main responsibilities are to keep possession of the ball, receive the ball from the defenders and get it to the strikers and tackle other opposing players, most teams have a central midfielder with their main responsibility being to break up the other teams attacks while the other midfielders main objective is to create goal opportunities, midfielders play all over the pitch as at certain times during a match they may be required to help with defence or help attack with the strikers Strikers Strikers play nearest to the other team’s goal, the main responsibility of strikers is to score goals; there other responsibilities include setting up goals and holding the ball while waiting for other players to come join with attacking There are three main player styles Defensive, Midfield, and attackers Defensive player styles Libero A Libero or sweeper is a versatile type of defender that â€Å"sweeps up† the ball if an opponent manages to get past the defensive line They are usually faster than normal defenders, and move around the field more than usual defenders as they don’t have designated players to mark Stopper Stoppers are players who are strong , have good stamina and man marking abilities to be able to stop the other teams attacking play by making strong tackles, they usually play as defensive full backs or centre backs Wingbacks A wingback Is a defender that plays on the side of the pitch like a winger but’s main role are to play attack and defence heavily, as the role is a combined winger and full back, wing-backs need good stamina, as they have 3 centre backs supporting them, they can concentrate more on supporting strikers Mid fielding player styles Ball winners Ball winners are skilled players trained in making strong tackles and good at heading the ball to stop the other teams attacking play; they are usually defensive mid fielders or central midfielders Defensive midfielders Defensive midfielders are midfielders who mainly focus on defence, they are good at making strong tackles and require good stamina and must be good at passing the ball up to the attacking midfielders/Strikers Box To Box Box to box midfielders help with every part of the game, They cover almost every area of the pitch so they need lots of stamina as well as good passing skills, they usually play as central midfielders Playmaker Playmakers are midfielders whose main objective is to create goal scoring opportunities, it’s essential their able to read the game so they can get in the right position to create play, it’s also essential they have good ball control and good passing skill, they usually play as attacking midfielders Attacking playing styles Dribblers Dribblers use their speed and dribbling skill to get past defenders, there main aim is to create goal opportunities for other strikers, and they usually play as wingers or secondary strikers Counter Attackers Counter attackers use their speed to beat defenders and create unexpected goal opportunities, they also need good shooting skill, and they usually play as centre forwards Clinical Strikers Clinical striker’s main objective is to score goals so they are trained heavily to increase their shooting ability; they usually play as centre forwards Goal poachers Are players who wait in the penalty area for a cross or pass, as soon as they receive a ball they try to score straight away, they usually play as centre forwards Conclusion In conclusion a standard football team is split up into 4 main categories (Goalkeeper, Defense,Midfield,Strikers) usually with defence, midfield and strikers having different specialisations e. g. Counter attack-strikers, wingback-defender, every player has to work together to create a successful football team, they must all have good communication so every team member is aware if the team want to make an attacking play on goal or a more defensive play, Without good communication players will not know when the team is going to make an attacking play and will not be in the right position to help their team score a goal.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Literacies for Learning Essay Example for Free

Literacies for Learning Essay The necessity for educational institutions to equip students with the skills to cope in a rapidly changing, culturally diverse and globalised 21st century society, has led academics, such as the New London Group, to encourage educators to acknowledge the various literacy forms utilised in the new millennium (The New London Group, 1996) and to adopt a pedagogy of multiliteracies. This essay will explore the components of a pedagogy of multiliteracies and identify the transformations needed for the successful implementation of multiliteracies into educational practice. Likewise, the notion of language as a social practice which influences teaching content and assessment practices in secondary education will be examined, as will the use of multiliteracies in the teaching of the Mathematics curriculum. To understand the role of multiliteracies in pedagogy theory development, it is important to define the term literacy. Literacy is an evolving term that refers to an individual’s ability to construct and comprehend meaning via the accepted symbol systems of one’s country or language group (Winch, Johnston, March, Ljungdahl, Holliday, 2010). These symbol systems include written and spoken language and visual information such as icons and other graphical information. While literacy was traditionally viewed as a cognitive process with a focus on reading, writing and numeracy identification, in recent years its definition has become broadened to encompass the burgeoning text types being generated via multimedia and information technology (Winch et al., 2010). These electronic text types have quickly established themselves as integral components of a diverse range of 21st century vocations and social interactions (Tan, 2006).  A pedagogy of multiliteracies encompasses multimedia and digital text forms as well as traditional written and spoken texts. Likewise, the central role of literacy in a diverse range of knowledge domains and vocations has resulted in educators being encouraged to view literacy as a vital skill underpinning successful teaching and learning in all curriculum areas. The New London Group (1996) viewed the role of design as an ever changing paradigm of three stage teaching and learning processes. The first step, ‘Available Designs’ is determining what resources are available. These resources include texts, symbols, audio and visual resources. The second step is ‘Designing’ which takes these ‘Available Designs’ and places them within a social context, such as the classroom or learning environment, and is facilitated by an individual such as a teacher. This step creates an output with new meaning for both the learning environment and facilitator. This knowledge or new meaning is known as ‘Redesign’ (The New London Group, 1996). Literacy is a social practice that is not just taught in secondary schools, it is something which is part of each individual’s everyday life. According to Anstey Bull (2000), the way in which an individual may read the world will be strongly linked to the contexts of their own life. The NSW Department of Education and Training (2006) maintains that literacy is a skill that continues to grow and develop and is fundamental to students’ success at school as well as for the rest of their life. For literacy to be successful in schools, it is planned in collaboration with parents and teachers. This collaborative approach reinforces that literacy is inherently a social practice. This approach must include a range of social influences and practices, in order to increase student’s knowledge and skill in the real world for real purposes (NSW Department of Education and Training, 2006). As literacy development is undoubtedly a whole school and community approach, it is essential that a multiliteracies pedagogy, be utilised in the teaching of all curriculum areas. The impact of societal and cultural change is clearly reflected in the mathematics curriculum through the use of digital technologies such as graphical programs and spreadsheets. This use of technology provides numerous opportunities for the teaching of multiliteracies. Through explicit teaching and learning  experiences of digital texts, students are provided with the skills to successfully navigate and comprehend information communicated digitally. These skills can be acquired through students being provided with opportunities to access information via Internet websites. Likewise, students can use information technology to construct their own texts, thus allowing them to communicate their understanding of concepts to others. This may be achieved by encouraging students to construct texts through the use of software programs such as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Visio, both of which allow students to communicate information graphically. These digital mediums allow students to acquire skills which will assist them in acquiring real world skills which they can utilise to gain and construct meaning, both in and out of the classroom. (Winch et al., 2010). Technology is an essential part of the transformations taking place in the social, political, cultural and economic spheres of contemporary society (Groundwater- Smith, Brennan, McFadden, Mitchell and Munns, 2009). Secondary school teachers need to prepare students with the skills necessary for life in a rapidly changing, technological world. In order to equip students with these skills, teachers must possess deep knowledge of relevant technologies (Treadwell, 2008). The Mathematics curriculum includes teaching of: statistics, probability, algebra, financial concepts, economics, technology, measurement and trigonometry. These strands include skills applicable to an individual’s school/work life, social life and personal life. Mathematics content areas, focus on aspects of society, reform, technology and life skills. It is important for teachers to link the social practice of literacy with the factors of a pedagogy of multiliteracies to create the best teaching environment they can (The New London Group, 1996). Walsh (2006) cites an example of successfully teaching his students literacy practices, through social relationships. Students worked in groups and were able to demonstrate specific social language structures. They were able to â€Å"enact, recognise and negotiate† in a social environment (The New London Group, 1996, p. 3) by design and re-design of Internet web pages. The created web pages were diverse, with each student using their own discourse to create what they believed the web page should contain. Prior to using multi-modal and digital literacy mediums in their teaching, it is essential that teachers be aware of cognitive and language factors in learning. The  ability to use multimodal learning, digital literacies and genres specific to each curriculum area must be carefully planned by the teacher. According to Winch et al., (2010) a multiliteracy pedagogy involves developing the ability to use language purposefully and skillfully in a range of social settings, rather than learning isolated segments of knowledge such as grammar conventions and spelling. Multiliteracy includes the use and creation of multimodal and multimedia texts (Winch et al., 2010). Multiliteracy seeks to address the rapid changes in literacy brought about by globalisation, cultural and social diversity and information technology (Winch et al., 2010). In response to these societal changes, The New London Group (1996), questioned the role of schools and outlined a need for change in literacy teaching due to key changes in three areas of life: working life, public life and personal life (life worlds). Central to these changes, was the need for schools to integrate learning with life experiences that students have both in and out of the classroom. â€Å"As these three major realms of social activity have shifted, so the roles and responsibilities of schools must shift† (The New London Group, 1996, p.18). The New London Group advocated for a change in the way, education was delivered, by enhancing the existing structures and overlaying with a new â€Å"what† and â€Å"how† of literacy teaching (The New London Group, 1996). The ‘how’ of pedagogy comes from a view of how learning is acquired, embedded and utilised. The New London Group (1996) proposed that a pedagogy of multiliteracies is a complex blend of four methods of design. The first is Situated Practice which involves learning by creating meaningful learning experiences that allow students be in an environment where the learning replicates the social use of what is being learnt. It is an environment where risks can be taken and ‘trial and error’ is used to gain mastery of skills or knowledge. It should be used â€Å"developmentally, to guide learners to the experiences and the assistance they need to develop further as members of the community, capable of drawing on, and ultimately contributing to, the full range of it’s resources.† (The New London Group, 1996, p. 33). Situated Practice should be designed to motivate students to want to know, and engage students in their learning in a safe environment . Assessment or evaluation is not considered part of Situated Practice. Overt Instruction is the second method of how a pedagogy of mulitliteracies is  implemented.  This involves teachers guiding and using effective teaching techniques such as scaffolding or explicit instruction to build student’s knowledge and confidence. Examination of the current secondary school’s Mathematics curriculum, (NSW department of Education and Training, 2010) reveals many opportunities for teachers and students to collaborate and engage in dialogue related to mathematical concepts which will guide and provide a scaffold for student learning. For example, the teacher makes links with prior learning, through asking open questions to the group, and uses multi-modal methods such as mathematical symbols, diagrams, charts and pictures to add to the learning. With each progression of new learning in the lesson, the teacher labels a new part of the diagram. Overt Instruction â€Å".includes centrally the sorts of collaborative efforts between teacher and student wherein the student is both allowed to accomplish a task more complex than they can accompli sh on their own and they are conscious of the teacher’s representation and interpretation of that task.† (The New London Group (1996, p. 20). Thirdly, Critical Framing focuses on the â€Å"how† of a pedagogy of multiliteracies, through the use and application of real world knowledge. This method is where assessment and evaluation of one’s self understanding can begin in relation to cultural, social, political and historical influences on what has been learned (New London Group, 1996). Teachers are able to encourage students to apply their learning in a practical sense and assess the transfer of student’s knowledge or skill. This knowledge is based on what they have previously learned, and requires students to â€Å"constructively critique it, account for its cultural location; creatively extend and apply it and eventually innovate own† and strengthen their ability to demonstrate what they have learned (The New London Group, 1996, p. 37). A mathematical example of this process is the conversion of degrees to radians. Its real life use is the calculation of the speed of a piece of machin ery. This calculation includes the formula in terms of radians rather than degrees. Finally, Transformed Practice is â€Å"where we try and re-enact a discourse by engaging in it for our real purposes† (The New London Group, 1996, p. 36).  Students need to think and learn outside their own discourse and think about how they can re-create their meaning, linking their own discourses to understand what they have learned. An example of this practice was where students were asked to plan and present a lesson including a Wiki activity and a Prezi (presentation tool) that teaches the concepts from a previous mathematics lesson. In groups, students collaboratively utilised the Internet to research topics, and create: work sheets for others to complete, interactive wiki activities, team tasks, and their own YouTube clips. The lesson included the use and creation of multimodal texts and scaffolding of existing knowledge. Students developed new knowledge through authentic multimodal texts such as image, sound, video and written text (Tan, 2006). Gunning (2002) explores the impact of reading and writing difficulties in a social stance, and highlights that poor instructions given by teachers can contribute to a student’s difficulties. Gunning’s (2002) observations and research serve as a reminder that teachers must be sure to provide the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of multiliteracies, to ensure each student has the opportunity to progress. Teachers need to evaluate their current practice and identify the text types typically used in the Mathematics content areas and consider the social needs and teaching strategies that will develop student’s literacy skills (Goos, Stillman., Vale, 2007). In a mathematics lesson, students were introduced to the ‘Simpson’s rule’ formula. The lesson’s aim was for students to measure the area beneath a real life object, gain an understanding of what is needed to complete the formula and how the variables are calculated. Students were required to work collaboratively in pairs, discussing various ways in which measurements were taken in order to obtain an accurate result in working out the area of the object. Likewise, students were required to engage in higher order thinking, in order to formulate possible solutions to the dilemma. These experiences provided students with the opportunity to be inclusive in their learning, and consolidate their understanding of key concepts that are relevant to the lesson goals (Prain Hand, 1999). Teacher observations and questioning during group work, guided the student’s discussions, with the teacher embracing a teaching style where multiliteracies were used. The New London Group (1996) have profoundly impacted on teaching practices, literacy research, policy curriculum and pedagogy (Mills, 2006). Gee (1991) explores  social literacy and the impact of a student’s discourse that are established outside the classroom, from their social group, fa mily and cultural ties. Their view of literacy as social practice and their emphasis on incorporating the rapidly increasing number of electronic and multimodal text types in 21st century society into teaching practice represents a clear break away from the single dimensional teaching of literacy. However, for multiliteracies such as digital literacies, multimodal resources and ICT to provide best learning for students, teachers must be prepared to embrace the view that literacy is a social practice and and an essential skill underpinning all curriculum areas. Teachers also need to recognise that each lesson they teach to students provides the opportunity to develop the student’s literacy skills. In order to facilitate this change in pedagogical ideology, teachers must be prepared to evaluate their current teaching practice and adopt a more holistic approach to developing literacy skills in their students. As a consequence, students should be exposed to participative learning experiences with re al life learning outcomes. References Anstey, M., Bull, G. (2000). Developing multiple and critical readings of text. Reading the visual: Written and illustrated children’s literature (pp. 201-214). Sydney: Harcourt. Gee, J. (1991) What is literacy? In C.Mitchell K. Weiler (Eds.), Rewriting literacy. New York: Bergin Garvey Goos, M. Stillman, G. Vale,C. (2007). Teaching secondary mathematics. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen Unwin. Gunning, T. (2002). Factors involved in reading and writing difficulties. Assessing and correcting reading and writing difficulties (2nd ed., pp. 26-62). Sydney: Allyn Bacon. Mills, K. (2006). Discovering design possibilities through a pedagogy of multiliteracies. Journal of Leading Design, 1(3), 61-72 NSW Department of Education and Training. (2010). NSW Department of Education and Training. (2007). Literacy K-12 Policy Retrieved from https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/policies/curriculum/schools/literacy/PD20050288.shtml?query=literacy+policy New South Wales Department of Education and Training. (2006). State literacy plan 2006-2008: Equitable literacy achievements for all students. Retrieved from http://www.curriculumsupprt.education.nsw.gov.au/policies/literacy/guidelinies/plan/index.htm Prain Hand (1999) Tan, L. (2006). Literacy for the 21st Century. Retrieved from http://iresearch.osprey.url3.net/iresearch/slot/u110/litreviews/literacy4_21st_century.pdf The New London Group. (1996). A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures. In B.Cope M. Klantzis (Eds.), Multiliteracies, literacy learning and the design of social futures (pp. 9-37). London: Macmillan. Walsh, C. (2006). Beyond the workshop. Doing multiliteracies with adolescents. English in Australia, 41(3), 49-58 Winch, G., Johnston, R., March, P., Ljungdahl, L., Holliday, M. (2010). Literacy: Reading, writing and childrens literature (4th ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press Cope, Bill and Mary Kalantzis (eds), Multiliteracies: Literacy Learning and the Design of Social Futures, Routledge, London, 2000, 350pp. | link

Friday, September 20, 2019

How Can You Reduce Fresh Water Scarcity in a Country?

How Can You Reduce Fresh Water Scarcity in a Country? Student Name: Harry Abstract This scientific report introduced a new method of water conservation after several research conducted on water problems in Dubai. The information was sourced from several educational and governmental websites which described water woes. The finding was that current solutions of water scarcity were irrigation and desalination. However, burgeoning of civilization and increasing supply reach the limit of availability of those methods. Newly introduced method such as afforestation would be effective because it paves the way for everlasting water recycling. The outcome confirmed the hypothesis though there are some questions about practicability. Further investigation is required to test the feasibility of afforestation and advocate innovations in water conserving technology. 1.0 Introduction This research aims to announce new effective scheme for the water scarcity in order to provide edible water for the people in the countries which having water woes. Dubai is a country which located in Middle East with strong water crisis. Most area of Dubai is covered by deserts without any water resources on the ground which means that there are no aquatic ecosystems inside the country. Although there are few subterranean water resources, it is not enough for the whole countrys supply. Because edible water resources are insufficient in Dubai, Dubai government is highly attached on water recycling. They produce the water in expensive ways and often use waste water to irrigate the agriculture. Those poor environmental conditions and urgent issues drove the country to the cliff. The hypothesis is that paying more attention on afforesting the desert and promoting the irrigation would be the most efficient strategy because it can make long-term contribution to the country. 2.0 Methodology In order to reach the objective of this research, the plan was to conduct several reliable websites which are governmental or peer-reviewed paper to get information about water scarcity in Dubai. Simultaneously, understanding of local environment was another significant point to analyze a new strategy. After finding the sources, I spend a long time to carefully organizing currently capitalized methods and concentrated on selecting expensive but the best solution appropriate to Dubai. This was because Dubai is rich enough to pay for all the requirements, and long-term effect is the most significant point in order to avoid even worse water crisis in the future. 3.0 Findings Dubai is a large prosperous country built on desert. Undoubtedly, the main element which caused water scarcity is arid locale and climate. In 2013, the World Bank reported that climate change in this region will slowly increase the temperature with other destructive circumstances. (Dewa, 2016 This means that the country is facing not only water scarcity but also decline of tourism. This problem is associated with water issue because recession of economy slows down the development of technology and it may reduce the efficiency of water producing. Figure 1: Desalination not only produce water but also affect water à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ source: construction week online,2009 To go further, transferring of water resources is another important issue. As it is mentioned before, the country is providing potable and fresh water to the industries and households by desalination. However, it is founded that the country is still using old and rusted pipes and water tanks which may pollute the water while transferring them (Dakkak,2015). The table below showed more specific data to present the current situation. The unit did not influence the results though it was in Arab. Table 1: The total water produced and demand of the country   Ã‚   (Unit: unknown, it is in Arab) Year 2008 2009 2015 Produced 87196 89452 102301 Demand 88405 90823 113786   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (source: Dewa Annual Report) As we can see in this table, produced water is under the demand in 2008, 2009 and 2015, the years between 2009 to 2015 are not listed because the website does not provide information of water supply in those years, but still, it is easy to anticipate that the demand is a few larger than the supply every year. Another thing is that although water is produced from desalination, the process of desalination utilizes water a lot itself. Table 2: Water consumption (unit: percentage) Year 2009 2012 2015 Commercial 24.92 28.17 27.02 Industrial 3.68 3.09 3.09 Residential 60.61 57.82 59.92 Others 10.79 10.92 9.97 (source: Dewa Annual Report) This table shows that residential water consumption is the most, and unexpectedly, the industrial water consumption is the least. Agricultural consumption may include in residential column because it is complained that agriculture is the major user of water resources (Hussein, 2011) 4.0 Discussion The result almost confirmed the hypothesis mentioned at the beginning except some points and questions. After recapping those findings that appeared before, most of current solutions are related to agricultural and technological development, but it seems insufficient for all countrys supply and it would not last for long term. As the oil exhaust or the rising temperature causes decline in tourism, the country will face recession one day. It is found that residents utilize most water (Dewa, 2016), and the increasing in water demand reflected increasing in demographics. These issues implied that country needs solution which provide long-term effect. To my solution, the country should replace these old and rusted pipelines for irrigation, and build new pipes for more various functions such as for afforestation, recycling and waste water. Additionally, artificial rivers, lakes, and forests are required due to increasing population and rise in tourism. However, some aspects of my solution did not confirm the hypothesis. People are constructing man-made lands on the sea coast in order to provide lands for citizens but pollute the water at the same time (Horner, 2010). This means that both urbanization and afforestation is important but the question is which one to concentrate more. Another point is that there are few questions about the practicability because it is hard for plants to survive at such climate and adding pipelines would potentially causes water pollution. However, inland afforestation is still the best way of solving water scarcity because it not only heals the water shortage but also prevent the natural disasters such as sandstorms from coming. 5.0 Conclusion In conclusion, the new solution would be difficult to achieve but it contains long term benefits to the country. After the work is done, not only water crisis would be solved but also takes huge progress in air quality which can prevent sand storms from coming. This paper has some limitations because it is done based on internet research without any practical investigation. There are still many uncertain elements related to this solution, so investigations of inland environment or examine the reliability and feasibility would promote further research of this paper. References: Horner K., (2010). Parched for Peace: The UAE has Oil and Money, but No Water (2010), State of the Planet [online], Available from: http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2010/11/22/parched-for-peace-the-uae-has-oil-and-money-but-no-water/ [ Accessed 17 October 2016] Annual Statistics (2009), Government of Dubai [online], Available from: https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/about-dewa/about-us/dewa-publications/annual-statistics [ Accessed 27 December 2016] Annual Statistics (2013), Government of Dubai [online], Available from: https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/about-dewa/about-us/dewa-publications/annual-statistics [ Accessed 27 December 2016] Annual Statistics (2015), Government of Dubai [online], Available from: https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/about-dewa/about-us/dewa-publications/annual-statistics [ Accessed 27 December 2016] Dakkak A., (2016). Irrigation Systems in the United Arab Emirates (2016), EcoMENA [online], Available from: http://www.ecomena.org/tag/water-scarcity-in-uae/ [ Accessed 7 October 2016] Hussein M. A., (2011). Impacts of Water Scarcity on the Social Welfare of Citizens in the Middle East (2010), Middle East Institute [online], Available from:   Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.mei.edu/content/impacts-water-scarcity-social-welfare-citizens-middle-east [Accessed 8 October 2016] UAE Water Aid: UAE will continue to support poor and affected communities (2016), Government of Dubai [online], Available from: https://www.dewa.gov.ae/en/about-dewa/news-and-media/press-and-news/latest-news/2016/06/uae-water-aid-uae-will-continue-to-support-poor-and-affected-communities [Accessed 8 October 2016]

Thursday, September 19, 2019

No United States without Mexico :: essays research papers

No U.S. without Mexicans   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a Mexican American in the United States I can honestly say that Spanish colonialism plays a crucial role in understanding the history of Mexicans in the United States. Spanish colonialism brought forth many factors that shaped the Mexican. One huge factor is religion. The Spanish brought a unified form of religion, we know it as Christianity. Secondly, with its priority of converting the indigenous people to Christianity, they migrated and created pueblos in what is now part of South Western United States. With its expansion and creation of Haciendas and Ranchos, the Spanish created a new style of culture, which is important in the shaping of the Mexican in the United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most influential aspects of the Mexican in the United States is his religious beliefs. If not for the Spanish and their devotion to convert people to Christianity, life would be differently for the average Mexican. Spiritually, the Mexican looks to god for guidance and support. Growing up in a Mexican household, I can say that religion played an enormous role in my life. As a family, we would attend church every Sunday. I also attended catechism through the course of my childhood, which shaped me into the individual that I am today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With its expansion of Christianity, the Spanish Colonialism created Haciendas, Ranchos and pueblos in the Southwestern United States. With these Haciendas and ranchos the Spanish brought a unique form of architecture. This Spanish Style architecture as it is now known is evident throughout the southwestern United States today. Large portions of Chicanos live in homes that are influenced by the expansion of Spanish colonialism. Spanish style architecture, with its enormous archways and brick cultured construction is one of the most elaborate and popular forms of architecture found today. Within these haciendas lies a cattle cultured economy which is extremely important now in the United States. The Spanish brought horses, cows, goats, and sheep to the United States. Cattle play a role on just about every person in the United States, for the United States thrives as a meat eating country. With the creation of haciendas a new style of culture would be created from th ese flourishing communities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mexican culture is extremely important in the lives of a Mexican. Religion, food, folklore as well as community contribute to the culture of a Mexican. The Spanish culture is well and alive throughout the United States.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Feasibility Study of Starting a New Business :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Feasibility Study of Starting a New Business Introduction This investigation will carry out a study to see if it would be feasible to open a new nightclub, 'Sinners' in Maidenhead town centre. Maidenhead is a small town in the southeast of England, located in the county Berkshire. The nearest major city is London, which is located twenty-five miles east of the town. The reason I have chose to investigate this type of business venture is because I take an interest in this type of business as I would like to look into it in the future, and also feel Maidenhead possesses the qualities, and provides a great opportunity to start up a business of this nature and for it to be successful. To find out whether this business venture would be feasible, a feasibility study needs to be carried out covering all aspects relating to starting up a new business. Several tools will have to implemented to do so. There are two main types of tools that will be used; these include research tools and analysis tools. Firstly the primary research will include interviews and questionnaires, and from this the information needed such as demand levels and financial information will be analysed to help with the final decision of the study. For secondary research company account will be used, along with books, maps, and Internet sites. All these sources will allow me to find out about the local area of Maidenhead such as demographic information and statistics. All this research will aid me in being able to make my location decision. There are several analytical tools that will be implemented, and these will be marketing tools such as PEST analysis and SWOT analysis, financial tools such as cash flow forecast and break-even analysis. Then the final part of the report will be the analysis and conclusion, to actually see if it is viable to open a nightclub as a business venture in Maidenhead. Secondary Research Objectives and methodology Objective 1 The first is to decide where in Maidenhead Sinners is going to be located. Research on the infrastructure and rent values in maidenhead needs to be carried out so information can be gained on some of my start up costs. Locations of direct competition (other nightclubs), and indirect competitors (public houses/bars), which are located in the area will be researched, so the best possible location can be chosen in Maidenhead for Sinners. Method To find out information on land values in and around Maidenhead I will visit the local town hall and pick up some local information booklets. To find out about the local infrastructure and competitors of Maidenhead, I will use the local Windsor and Maidenhead borough

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Are the Views of the Roman Catholic Church Out of Touchs?

This essay does not intend to cause offence, come across as heretical or blasphemous in any way. Obviously, every single view the Roman Catholic Church holds are not out of touch with modern day attitudes, but this essay focuses on the views of the Church which are currently discussed most frequently. The controversy and criticism surrounding the Catholic Church in this day and age is of staggering proportions.It would be very difficult to pick up the same newspaper every day for a year and not at least once read a headline like ‘Catholic Bishop Denounces Gay Couples’ Right to Marriage’ or ‘Catholic Church Once Again Speaks Out Against Contraception Use’. It’s clear that some of the views of the Catholic Church can discriminate, intimidate, and generally infuriate people. The modern man or woman, in most cultures and societies is free to be gay, use contraception or become a priest regardless of your gender.However, the Catholic Church still ta kes an almost medieval approach to these issues, and by doing so has caused much outrage over the past few decades. Is this an ‘adapt or die’ situation? Is it the case that the Roman Catholic Church needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century? Or are their traditional views still applicable today? It’s very easy to say that some of the views of the Roman Catholic Church are outrageously out of touch with the modern world, what with all the bad press it receives these days.But these views are based on beliefs that date back thousands of years. You might argue that, to keep up with today’s open and ever-changing society, the Catholic Church should allow room for adjustments to their views that they hold so firmly. However, some find it quite arrogant that people could be so bold as to suggest such a thing, considering these views are millennia old. Certain theories (and I stress the word ‘theories’) about some issues, such as the idea that homosexuality is acceptable, have been around for merely decades.Why should Catholics change their belief system, which is based on the near-on two thousand year old scriptures and the teachings of their current church, just because widely popular but relatively new ‘theories’ about matters that they deem sinful are becoming commonly accepted among many different cultures? It would be like demolishing the Sistine Chapel and rebuilding it but with galvanised steel and glass, just because those materials are popular choices for many large buildings these days. We cannot simply get rid of some beliefs that date back two millennia because of the opposing beliefs of opular demand. It’s important in this time when authority is challenged, people with a strong moral compass are hard to come by and human life is not valued very highly that we hold on to traditional Christian beliefs. If we did away with tradition and completely modernised the Catholic Chur ch we’d have the Pope going out on Saturday nights, drinking his own body weight in alcoholic beverages, starting violent fights with anyone who accidently bumps into him then find the nearest tipsy female and get her pregnant in a drunken one-night-stand.This may be a slight exaggeration, but you get the point: if we start picking away and changing the traditional beliefs then we end up with a church people will find hard to take seriously because of its lack of moral principal. If you signed a contract and then without telling you the contractor went against certain terms and condition within the contract I would imagine that you’d be jolly annoyed and completely lose any trust you had in that contractor. Some say that the Catholic Church is not out of touch with modern day mores, but simply sticking to tradition in order to remain a strong and consistent church.Whilst tradition is important, for the Catholic Church to grow and to rid itself of its controversial labe ls, the fact of the matter is it needs to adjust and update itself to fit modern day attitudes. Its views on homosexuality, contraception and female ordination are very much stuck in a previous century, and if it does wish to grow then it will have to find a new approach to such issues. It’s clear to most that being gay is acceptable in this day and age. Contraception usage is encouraged in most parts of the world.Women becoming priests is allowed by many cultures. However, the Catholic Church denounces all of these things, most of the time openly. In the eyes of the Roman Catholic faith, being gay or using a condom is sinful. Can a Church that classifies these such things as sinful really grow in today’s open, free-speaking society? The Catholic Church teaches that homosexual behaviour is a violation of divine and natural law; basically, being gay is sinful. 10% of the population of the world is gay or has had a homosexual experience.Linking these two facts together, surely this doesn’t mean that the Catholic Church deems 10% of the population sinners, doomed to spend an eternity in the fiery pits of hell? Today, homosexuality is widely accepted by many communities. You would’ve thought that because of this, the Catholic Church would keep relatively quiet about their views on the subject. But they are not afraid to preach their beliefs through the media. In September last year, it made the headlines that the Scottish government was holding a consultation on whether gay marriage should be introduced.Not long after this did the proposal come under fire from the Roman Catholic Church. The Bishop of Paisley Philip Tartaglia (who was tipped to be the next Archbishop of Glasgow) said that a Scottish government that backed gay marriage did not deserve the support of the Catholic community. This came after the most senior Scottish catholic, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, said legalising gay marriage would â€Å"shame Scotland in the eyes of the world†. There’s no doubt that this story would not fail in making homosexuals in Scotland feel discriminated.Discrimination on this scale belongs in pre-1970’s America and in history books and should not still be making headlines today. The Catholic Church does not have the right to discriminate against homosexuals, and if they feel that it is their faith that teaches them to do so, then their faith is most certainly out of touch with the world as it is and needs to update itself. Christian acceptance of contraception use is relatively new; up until the start of the 20th century all churches frowned upon the use of artificial contraception.In modern times, many churches say it is acceptable to use contraception, but the Roman Catholic Church still forbids it. It regards the use of contraception as intrinsically evil for a variety of reasons. The main issue for Catholics is that using contraception is against ‘natural law’; the purpose of sex is to pr oduce offspring. Catholics have held this belief about sex and contraception since the beginning of Christianity. These days, birth control is widely accepted and even promoted in the West, and it looks like the Catholic Church might be fighting a losing battle.A study carried out in 2008 suggests that most practising Catholics are ignoring the Church's teachings on contraception and sex. 1,500 Mass-goers in England and Wales were surveyed by The Tablet magazine. It was found that the contraceptive pill is used by 54. 5% and nearly 69% had used or would consider using condoms. These statistics come 40 years after Pope Paul VI forbade birth control use in his encyclical Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life). The survey also found that more than half think that the teaching should be revised.With figures such as this, coupled with the fact that most people in the West consider using a condom or other forms of contraception the normal and right thing to do, it appears that the Catholic Church is out of touch with modern society on the issue of contraception usage. The idea that a female should become a priest would have been utterly preposterous just a few decades ago, but now in many churches, such as the Anglican Church and most branches of the Protestant Church, the ordination of women is completely acceptable.Although not the only Church that does so, the Roman Catholic Church is possibly the most vocal of Christian churches to denounce the right for women to be ordained. In fact, in 2007 the Holy See issued a decree stating that the attempted ordination of women would result in automatic excommunication for the women and priests trying to ordain them. Once again, here we see an example where the Roman Catholic Church is lagging behind the fast moving modern day. The idea that only a man should be allowed to become a priest is, many believe, sexist.Granted, other Churches, such as the Orthodox Church, take the same view on such matters, but it’s not a case of ‘everybody does it, so it’s fine’. If the Catholic Church wants to seem less repellent towards the modern day man or (in this case in particular) woman, it needs to adapt itself. A survey carried out by the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) showed that 77% of Irish Catholics wanted women priests. With figures such as these, it’s clear that an update of the views of the Roman Catholic Church is very much in demand.The subject of abortion is one of great debate and controversy. Not everybody agrees with abortion, but if women choses to abort an unborn baby, for whatever reason, then that is her decision and she will have to live with that. The Roman Catholic Church takes a very firm line on the matter of abortion, saying that deliberately causing one is a grave moral wrong. Having an abortion has led to automatic excommunication from the Catholic Church since the sixteenth century.Unless under strict conditions (laid out by the Canon Law, which states te n extreme circumstances In the past, the Roman Catholic Church has come under attack for being too strict and too extreme over some issues that, in the 21st century, are in common practice, such as being gay or using a condom during sex. Admittedly, tradition is important and sticking to it shows a firm and consistent church, but is a church which openly deems homosexuality, contraception and female ordination sinful really able to remain strong in a society where such things are widely accepted?To use a final analogy: every successful species on earth has had the ability to evolve – adapt to its surrounding. If an animal does not evolve then in more cases than not, that animal will die. The fact of the matter is the Catholic Church has not evolved since its birth some two thousand years ago. To survive it must adapt, because at the moment the only conclusion I can come to is that some of the views of the Roman Catholic Church are very much out of touch with modern day mores.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Ebay Problems in Asian Markets Essay

This paper will identify some of the reasons why E-Bay has problems in the Asian Markets as an internet auction provider. After examining articles from Philip Kotler and David Gertner as well as Moon Ihlwan among others, this paper will provide my answers about why did EBay want to expand globally as well as why any of these Asian nations wanted their business? It will explain some research explored about what types of Entry decisions the company used in the Asian Markets. Utilizing the knowledge gained about the history of global business. Answering the question about the problems that EBay has in the Asian market will allow me to discuss and apply concepts of the global market learned in module one in support of my answers. Lastly this correspondence will assess how EBay’s Marketing Mix assessment of the Four P’s assisted them in the global marketing strategy the company adopted for the Asian Markets? Why did EBay want to expand globally and why did nations wanted their business? The reasons EBay decided to expand globally were various and resulted in an overall loss for the San Diego, CA based company headed by the former CEO at the time and California Gubernatorial candidate, Meg Whitman. Some of the decisions made and acted upon by the company’s leadership were akin to the way Meg Whitman ran her political campaign. Instead of researching the culture and traditions of the places they chose to do business and working on an image of being local or at least embracing local cultures and traditions; they chose to feed issues with money. In Whitman’s case borrow millions of dollars from herself to try to resolve the issue of losing as a candidate. Getting back on subject, the countries that eBay chose to expand globally in, were like all nations; ones that needed jobs. EBay sought the cheaper labor wages as a win-win situation for themselves or some instances the prediction of a high level of success due to their business reputation. Getting into the market was not difficult as the new market fell in line with what these countries wanted in ordered to develop their economies; while in turn enhancing domestic quality of life for their citizens. EBay felt compelled to expand globally to remain competitive as the US domestic market share was becoming mature resulting in stagnant profits and overall growth. As all companies looking to globally expand eBay was investing in Asia to increase profits by gaining a positive entry into this new market share however there was no need to create a new market. The majority of the countries they chose had local internet auction industry established already. EBay’s ultimate goals were to introduce their open auction business model at an international scale starting in places like Japan, China and South Korea to take advantage of these nation’s emerging economies in order to increase wealth. Entry Decisions Through the struggles in gaining entry into these emerging market areas, EBay learned that they must adapt as well as embrace some of the new technologies and products offered by their competitors in the Asian domesticmarkets in order to be successful or at least competitive in the market. The beating they took in Asia was not justfrom Chinese and South Korean competition, but from two US based competitors in Yahoo and Google. A currentdomestic alliance with Yahoo against the giant Google has not resulted in any increase in positive business in theglobal market share as Yahoo is continuing to gain more shares of the market through its ventures with localcompetitors. EBay market entry decisions were integral to their failure in Asia. As ascertained from a case studypublished May 2008 about EBay’s Strategy in Japan 1, â€Å"†¦they entered the Japanese market late after Yahoo Japan had already established and failed to retain customers. It took them two years to concede the failure of the EBay Japan and instead of making a deal with local investors they finally folded in 2002. Ironically, in 2007 EBay made a deal with Yahoo Japan to share internet sites and products in Japan in a joint web site called â€Å"Sekaimon† 1. Their failures in Asia has eventually led to layoff of workers in countries like Taiwan and shutting down of several sites in Asia while rerouting customers to US based sites to maintain a virtual presence. In 2006 EBay’s South Korean venture Internet Auction was bested by a South Korean competitor named Gmarket whereas they equaled or eclipsed EBay’s profit share in South Korea that year. Gmarket also produced innovating products to the internet auction industry such as making shopping via internet fun and using tie-in promotions. Excerpts taken from a Moon Ilhwan internet article in Business Week2, further explain the stiff competition EBay had in South Korea from Yahoo and the local upstart, â€Å"Gmarket’s business model places less emphasis on an open auction format than eBay’s. The company offers goods that one can order at fixed prices, with an option to negotiate prices with a seller on an exclusive basis. This allows buyers to conclude deals instantly instead of requiring them to wait until all bids are completed in open auctions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"†¦another tie in marketing program is a lottery called â€Å"lucky auction.It gives buyers chances to buy everything from LCD televisions to T-shirts at a fraction of the market value. A seller promoting an MP3 player, for example, invites consumers to bid for two of them within a given price range—usually less than 10% of the retail price. Then Gmarket’s computer picks two bids at random to decide the winners. Others visitors can buy the MP3 player at a special offer price. The seller attracts consumers, while Gmarket happily hauls in commissions. Another incentive at Gmarket is that retailers can offer online links to their own mini homepages within the site, issue discount coupons, run joint mileage points programs, and use an internal messenger service called G-messenger for instant chatting with sellers. Some shops listed on the site have also drawn traffic by promising to donate 10 cents to a favored charity every time a product is sold†¦Ã¢â‚¬  2Thus far EBay has attempted joint ventures and mergers to enter the Asian market share and has met negative results. This has had a negative effect on their overall performance to expense ratio in their stock valuation from 2000 thru the present time but has not deterred management from continuing to compete for a market share in Asia. An ongoing joint venture with Yahoo keeps EBay with a foot in the door of the foreign market and continues the strategic alliance against Google. EBay has expanded to Southeast Asia to see what they can obtain in Singapore, Malaysia and through operations in the Philippines. Currently they are doing promotional sites in Thailand and Vietnam to gauge future profits in those nations as well. EBay’s use of the Four P’s in their marketing mix assessmentEBay’s use of the Four P’s in their assessment of their global market strategy was regretful in Asia when in comparison to Yahoo’s success. Lost on the EBay leadership was the desire to be a part of the local market and understanding cultural diversity of each Asian nation they wanted to establish a market. From my personal experiences going to countries such as Japan, South Korea, Guam, or the Philippines for business this is vital to earning shares of the Asian market and as a personal prospective as well. Yahoo’s co-founder, Yang is a male businessman of Chinese-Taiwanese descent which had to give Yahoo an edge in Japan, China and South Korea over EBay’s CEO at the time Meg Whitman; who was female, Caucasian descent and unaware culturally of how to gain the confidence of local leaders and business persons. 3The product that EBay had to offer was nothing innovative to the Asian market as there was already a local variant of online auctions/internet industry thriving in Japan, China and South Korea. Timing and placement of EBay’s business model was late and over reaching as Yahoo already was established in each of the locations chosen and early profits resulted in a false analysis of future outcomes for EBay in Asia. Promotions used on the global EBay sites had advertising geared globally instead of locally which went ignored by local customer’s. More emphasis toward local advertising of domestic interests could have attracted and retained their customer base. Lastly, pricing of their product which was part of the business model was somewhat excessive and confusing. So when an upstart company like Gmarket introduces something simple like, fixed prices and special deals the customer’s internet shopping experience just became more simplified to use and less time to use resulting in a more desirable overall product than EBay was offering at the time. The EBay pricing system had customer’s waiting out the end of a bidding process which still did not guarantee the customer the outcome desired if they were outbid. EBay’s management’s inflexibility hindered the local management’s ability to make decisions that would help them get more of the local market share and build from there in their own country and marketplace. 3 Discussion EBay’s ventures in expanding to a global market were incurred several surmountable challenges. As stated in the lesson the Asian market share is vital and profitable for many companies. As the research depicted one of EBay’s primary challenges was completion at several levels; global and local/domestic competitors all vying for a market share of the internet auction industry. EBay attempted to manage market entry problems long after their original business model was viable in the region, by adapting lowering or waiving fees for its services to keep up with the competition from Yahoo, Google, Chinese stall worth Internet Auction and South Korean upstart GMarket. EBay failed to incorporate some of the local technical innovations that likes of GMarket produced for its customer base such as, local advertising on the sites, fixed price so that internet shoppers could get what they were shopping for and not have to outbid others and wait for the outcome of who actually won/bought the products advertised. History was another problem for EBay, they did not study the culture and traditions of the places they chose to enter the market at. Cultural traditions and business practices are conversely different in China which operates under quasi-governmental entities, and Japan and South Korea where they operate under version of the â€Å"Free Market† concept. Along with not understanding Asian cultures the company did not attempt to adapt its global business model to the local market when incorporating its management and leadership philosophies to the region. This resulted in a management and leadership staff overseas that would not be capable of maturing as a team to meet the local demands of the market. Just being in the region did not give EBay the advantage they seemed it would, thus their own inflexibility and lack of foresight contributed greatly to the problems they are facing in the Asian market. To EBay’s credit they have not thrown in the towel and have remained in Asia through joint ventures and are actually conducting promotion in Southeast Asia (Thailand and Vietnam) as well operations in Singapore, the Philippines and other places.