The Medias Influence on Body Image Essay - 4394 Words

Eleven million women in the United States suffer from eating disorders- either self-induced semistarvation (anorexia nervosa) or a cycle of bingeing and purging with laxatives, self-induced vomiting, or excessive exercise (bulimia nervosa) (Dunn, 1992). Many eating disorder specialists agree that chronic dieting is a direct consequence of the social pressure on American females to achieve a nearly impossible thinness. The media has been denounced for upholding and perhaps even creating the emaciated standard of beauty by which females are taught from childhood to judge the worth of their own bodies (Stephens Hill, 1994). To explore the broader context of this controversial issue, this paper draws upon several aspects influencing†¦show more content†¦Disturbances in the attitudinal element usually result in dissatisfaction with body appearance (Monteath McCabe, 1997). Perceptions about body images are shaped from a variety of experiences and begin to develop in early childhood. It has been shown that children learn to favor thin body shapes by the time they enter school (Cohn Adler, 1992). Gustafson, Larsen, and Terry (1992) reported that 60.3 percent of fourth grade girls wanted to be thinner, and the desire for less body fat was significantly associated with an increase occurrence of weight-loss related behaviors. Overall body size and image concerns have been reported to be more prevalent among females than males. Gender related differences in acceptable body size are shaped from a variety of societal definitions of appealing shapes for males and females. Patterns of body dissatisfaction formed in childhood and adolescence persist into adulthood and are most prevalent in females. In their study, Fallon and Rozin (1985) reported that college women perceive their figure to be heavier than the figure they identified as the most attractive to themselves (Lavine, Sweeney, Wagener, 1999). The American culture thrives on food and there is an increasing repertoire of foods to choose from on a daily basis. More money is spent on food advertising than on most other products and services in theShow MoreRelatedMedias Influence on Body Image Essay example1550 Words   |  7 Pagesportraying the thin women as â€Å"ideal† .This research plans to look at the effects of media on the body imag e of women. This cumulates the findings of empirical studies that observe the effects of media on body image. This study will also look at the different social comparison theories that relate media and body image. It will also investigate the different sources of media that have an impact on the body image of women. It also scopes to find out which sources have a greater consequence than the othersRead More Media’s Influence on Adolescent Body Image Essay1460 Words   |  6 PagesToday’s society is a consumers’ society in which trying to obtain perfection is one of the fastest selling businesses (DeLaMater Pg. 12). Mass media, advertising, and fashion industries are being accused of feeding off females dissatisfaction with their bodies by portraying unhealthy thin role models in order to sell their products. This unachievable physique and lifestyle has led today’s adolescence down a dark path of such extreme eating disorders as anorexia and bulimia. Alth ough it may sound nice toRead MoreEssay on Downfall of Female Body Image: Media’s Influence2993 Words   |  12 Pageshappening in today’s world due to media influence. Young women are idolizing media images and trying to imitate them. This in turn is causing a negative effect on individualism. Young women should grow up wanting to be themselves as individuals. Girls should not mature with the mindset that they want to be just like the models in magazines and television commercials. Kristin Noelle Weissman discusses the effects of the mass media in her book Barbie: the icon, the image, the ideal. Weissman explainsRead More Enjoyment of Being a Girl: Overcoming Industry Standards Essay1489 Words   |  6 Pagesnegative images of women. These places all share one thing; negative images of women. Women are being used as a sex object and are not portrayed how the average woman looks. These portrayals can lead to loss of self-esteem and also weight loss. Women shou ld know that they need their spiritual health to live happily and not be influenced by the images that the media portray as the â€Å"perfect† body. Women need to have a feeling of being safe, powerful and comfortable within their own bodies. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;â€Å"MediaRead MoreA Culture Of Perfection : Media s Influence On Adolescents1362 Words   |  6 PagesCulture of Perfection: Media’s Influence on Adolescents Comparison. It is one of the most dangerous and detrimental habits within our society. We fall into a routine of â€Å"self-checking† ourselves against others; mentally taking notes of what we can improve and what we are doing better. We all know that comparison often takes its’ toll on our confidence and self-worth; what we may not realize, however, is how early these destructive habits begin and why. The media’s influence is everywhere and its’Read MoreEffects of Mass Medias Ideal of Thinness1482 Words   |  6 Pagesperspectives to match that of the media’s current ideals. Concern over the media’s influence on body image has recently risen, striking the notion that many people regard the images shown throughout media as ‘real’. However, unbeknownst to them, such unbelievably thin body types are not quite attainable in reality, and therefore, individuals’ own beauty ideals and body images become unrealistic. The mass m edia’s ideal image of thinness has greatly impacted the overall body image of today, and has been linkedRead MoreMedia s Effect On Teens986 Words   |  4 Pagesmedia. According to the Centers for disease control and prevention (CDC), the suicide rate is currently the third largest leading causes of death among teenagers, and the numbers are growing day by day. Media’s contribution to this upward trend of suicide may be debatable, but we can’t deny the influence of television commercials on teens. Through false advertisements, unrealistic standard of beauty, and social norms, Media is fueling a national epidemic of teen suicide. Despite its downside, Mass MediaRead MoreEssay about The Media’s Effect on Adolescent Bodies 1725 Words   |  7 PagesThe Media’s Effect on Adolescent Bodies The stringent standard Barbie-doll proportions of body image and what is considered beautiful in today’s media has resulted in devastating effects on adolescent women. The images displayed of women who have long beautiful legs, thin waist lines and smooth flawless skin are very hard to ignore. Throughout history the female body has been on display as a selling tool to coerce people into buying that new fancy car or the latest new appliance that can makeRead MoreMass Media Essay1114 Words   |  5 Pagesentertainment. With these purposes, comes the influence of all the information we are exposed to. Most might say that mass media has had a positive impact on society as it’s made communication and information easily accessible for everyone. However, what they’re not aware of is the negative influences it has brought to women’s body-image. Because of the media’s endless advertisements of what is considered â€Å"beautiful† or â€Å"perfectâ₠¬ , eating disorders and body dissatisfaction have now become significantRead MoreFemale Athletes And Male Athletes1390 Words   |  6 Pagesmales are the dominate figure in sports. Unlike female athletes, men receive a tremendous amount of media attention than female athletes. Young boys grow up watching television bombarded with heroic images of male athletes. They have something to look up to, while young girls do not receive the same images. Male and female athletes have many equal opportunities when it comes to playing and succeeding in sports. Yet it seems that male sports happen to catch more of the limelight when it comes to the

Strategic Analysis (PESTEL, SWOT and Five Forces) of Ford Automobile Free Essays

string(121) " customers of automobile are more distressed about the authorizing and when the industry is going to convey the vehicle\." Introduction What is global marketing Global Marketing is the function of critical marketing assume to all feature of the business’s brand or applicability. If your business’s brand or applicability needs to be approach settled, then our imperative marketing dispensations are important to highlighting, composing and then eliminating an prosecutable design. Industry Definition Automobile can be characterize as the transport which spring on two, three, four or more tyres, the ambition may be to drive on the roads by individuals or to move the goods from one place to another place. We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Analysis (PESTEL, SWOT and Five Forces) of Ford Automobile or any similar topic only for you Order Now Introduction to Automobile Industry: First vehicle is a three wheeler which was executed by Nicolas J. Cugnot. At first executed vehicle is accomplished by steam engine and advanced it was accomplished by fuels which are presently accessible in the merchandise. Currently less vehicles are rolling place on the extendable activities like Solar and Bio Fuels. Some vehicles are accomplished to work on Electricity. From the previous archives we can analyze that America is ruling in automobile business. Recently nations like India and Brazil are introducing their progress rate in the worldwide markets of vehicles business. Introduction to Ford Ford automobile firm is a worlwide ruler in automobile industry, which is constituted by Henry Ford. It is complying its trade in 7 continents and 90 plants are lanced globally. Ford recruited 201,000 workers in their organization.Ford producing Cars Commercial transports. Ford accomplishing its trade in fallowing continents North America Europe Asia Pacific Latin America Middle East Africa Caribbean Ford is escorting with some of the associations to manufacture exceptional automobiles. Ford is escorting with organizations like, BP, Microsoft, Sony, Roush, Adventure island Water country USA. PEST Analysis: Basically Pest analysis act as four important factors known as Political, Economical, Social and Technical factors of an industry. Political factors are about taxation, recruitment laws, domestic trade administrations and antagonist trade administrations. Economical Factors elaborate about economic advancement by corporation, tactics concerning crisis, distension and access of exchange rates Social Factors tell us about assets dispersion, cost, living alteration, health welfare, mental outlook to work and living circumstances. Technical Factors give a reason for Technological ability, technological relegation, amount of consuming in experiments, Energy operate expense and advanced creations. Ford pest Analysis: Political Factors: Market prices, oil charges and costless business continues which access the customer to devote on the automobile. derived dominion adjustment and technological assistance among nations helping the ford in boosting the endowment and constucting the modern standards which can encounter with the present outline. Commencement of new organization constitution influence the ford to advance its standing orders which are essential for assembling a valueable transport. Insisted accumulation (Labour unions) who plays an inportant role in the generation of an automobile in a ford assembling association. The labour unions should practice corresponding to the rules and regulations elevated by the business acts. Investor’s environment In most of the organizations financier had a administrative role to play in the progress and advancement of the aggregation. Economical Factors: Growth aptitude of functional market: The growth aptitude of functional market will conclude the attaining potential of the customer. That is the important factor that ford is performing in the countries like America, India and Brazil where the growth aptitude is at a great distance when analyzed to the other business. As explained the above layout of constrain for transports, we can elaborate that ford is accomplishing its business in the potential target markets. Effective Market Amount: Also the purchases of the ford was affected by the market calliber where it is accomplishing its trade. When the target market GDP growth is elevated than the customers will demonstrate more attraction to have a exceptional or luxury transport. Economic Advancement: Economic advancement is a very important part which will actuates the advancement of a appropriate economy as a whole and which will recognized on distictive GDP. Oil Charges Variations: The oil variations consequence the purchases of the ford organization. If the oil charges are high it will be hard to retail the exceptional and luxury vehicles. Expense acquainted consumers may not show attraction to purchase the automobiles which arrange deficient mileage. As a whole the declared inexpensive reasons will actuates the advancements of the potential markets, confine expense of the actions, return rate on the endowment, and plans to accomodate the amount of the automobile. Social Factors: Social factors plays an important appearance in flow in appeal derived on the following reasons like character, statistical, assurance of the customers in that accurate market domain. Some of social reasons of Ford are as follow Geographical Advancements The customers of ford had replaced from one geographical region to another geographical domain. Eg- The US for customers will use the cars or economic transports which have massive engines. But the Brittan buyers are acclimated to use the transports which are assigned by smaller engines. Customer Mental Outlook Customer`s mood plays a role in choosing car model and composition, If the customers like sports they will choose the sports model car for their convenance. But if the customers are thinking about the price and safety bothered then they`ll apparently select a medium vehicle which will accomodate the mileage and protection both. Travel Tendency The ford industry is accomplishing the vehicles derived on the travel tendency of the customers. Ford is a average price automobile which can be manageable by the medium class individuals. It is arranging the abilities depended on the travel tendency of the entire family. Technological Factors Technological factors of the ford automobile industry are very moderned when examined with their competitors. The technological factors of the transports organization will consequence on most of the affairs like sales percentage of the vehicles, customer amusement which indicate to the automatic advancement in the sales amount. Provide chain association It is the basic and too critical reason in the ford automobile industry, because the customers of automobile are more distressed about the authorizing and when the industry is going to convey the vehicle. You read "Strategic Analysis (PESTEL, SWOT and Five Forces) of Ford Automobile" in category "Essay examples" The Ford organization is having healthy supply series combination which is in more than thirty countries. Operations Aptitude Ford aptitude are more accomplished to supply the improved assistance to customers. Ford automobile company is conducting its assembling in more than 30 countries, so Ford activities are very competent so it is capable for arranging exceptional transports at exact times. Technological Advancements in dispersion Ford automobile industry is one of the transport companies which is implementing the vehicle view and designation in online through its website named aww w .ford.co.uk . One more moderned technological aspect is that customer can alter the components what he desire inner or the outer part of his car. The consumer will access the dispatch after minimum 1 month and max 2 months. If the ford is having the scheduled vehicle in the appraise they will transfer between one or two weeks. Product Transpiration Ford automobile organization is dispensing the customer to alter the car and its demands. So ford had accomplished a chance to inaugurate a fresh vehicle depended on the most of the consumer`s choice and inclinations. The ford organization vehicels executing will be affected depended on the customer alterization demands. Swot Analysis of Ford Automobile Company Strengths of Ford: Brand Appearence Ford brand is very popular in automobile organizations. Its brand appearence is famous in the worldwide merchandise because of high marketing and promoting. Online Marketing efficiency Ford is one of the famous transport organozation which is imparting the online customer confirmaation of vehicles through its website. In online the purchaser is acquiesce to alter the engine, colour, interiors and exteriors. More customers appraisal Ford is one of the vehicle company which is contributing the consumer for more category of vehicles and commercial transports. Ford is creating following kind of transports. Cars Commercial Vehicles (Jeeps, Vans, Trucks) Heavy Vehicles. Actions and allocation ability Ford is abundant in its actions and allocation because it is conducting its trade in more than 30 countries and it improving its composing method in more than ninety plants. Connections with leading organizations Ford industry is continueing the connections with leading organizations like Suzuki and Isuzu Motors Company to establish exceptional automobiles and in the part to technological attitude for vehiclle industry it is carrying on relations with Toyota and Honda motor organizations. Employee are affirm Ford automobile organization workers are skilled and efficient in all its actions. Ford will keep up admirable relation with the workers by offering them good sallaries in automobile organizations. Ford is more interested about the operating atmosphere and safety conditions of the workers. Weakness of Ford: Sales Deterioration The sales appearence of the ford organization was descent from the year 2008 to 2009 due to worldwide crisis in the world financial market. Crisis is one of the considerable reason for descent of sales and one more major reason is ford will compose the approved vehicels which are not able to confront with circulating market vehicles. Extremely large unfunded allowance and other accountabilities Ford is a kind of an which takes more accountability in the health and safety of the worker. Ford entrust more amount on preserving a better operating atmosphere. Low abundance Ford detailed its trade actions in expanded terrestrial distances, so administration is forgetting focus on some lines achievement and it access the ford to attempt the low productivity. Weakening actions in North America In the North America part ford actions has been cancelled due to the large amount of antagonists like GM, Toyota etc. The income of Ford was descent by 2.4%. Opportunities of Ford Creation of the fuel conducive cars Now a days ford is creating the cars with low mileage and grasp. Ford is having a great convenience to produce fuel efficient cars and commercial vehicles. The automobile stenance company is having one generate more fuel capable types like, vehicles which can run on braceable strengths like solar energy and bio fuels. Development of Hybrid vehicles Ford had one more choice in accomplishing the automobiles and commercial transports established on electric engines. If the vehicles are established based on electricity engines the customers will array more attraction to purchase the vehicles, the fact is the vehicle maintenance charge will low when the car is run on electricity. Circumstances in India and China markets Ford is owning the market circumstances in India and china countries because both countries are having large geographical area and community. The most of the people in these two countries are more attracted to possess a four wheeler for their family. That is the fact ford fiesta is a most acknowledged vehicle in these two markets. Threats to ford: Amount increase in unprocessed material Raw material prices like hard steel and rolling steel expense will power the bound cost of the vehicle. all in all it will esteem the profit margin of the ford because of low margin price. Accelerated development of competitors Ford advancement and advancement may actuate by rapid growth in no of competitors in the transport organization. From the beginning America claimed vehicle organization. Ford’s main antagonist are General motors, Toyota, Honda, BMW, etc. Smaller Capital applying Ford is applying short on its actions and analysis advancement exercise, when confront to its oponents. The opponents are consuming large amount on experiment operations. Competitor Analysis The Core Competencies of Ford are it is very innovative in using the high technology in the manufacturing the cars commercial vehicles. Ford is more concerned about safety and more over ford is gave the opportunity to its customers to customize their interiors and exteriors of Cars. The important competitive advantage is ford is the first motor company to come with active park assist, which can help the driver to park with a touch of a button Comparing the sales of top automobile companies like General Motors and Toyota. The sales of these companies are from the year 2004-2009. General Motors sales are high among these automobile companies. Ford is performing good even in recession time because the ford motor vehicles are not too costly when compared with competitors. Overall ford sales are good when compared to general motors and Toyota Strategies of ford Here is the Bowmen`s clock to analyze the strategies of ford Marketing is a social and administrative action by which individual and groups annex what they are their demands and want through actualize and alternate brands and appraisal with others. Marketing administration is the evolution of arranging and eliminating the apprehension, costing, advancement and dispersion of concepts, goods and services to actualize corresponding that appease individual and organizational aims. Marketing suggest some aggregation of goods created, services, facts, or knowledge proposed to a market to conciliate a need or want Marketing is an conventional and perceptive method for considering about and working out for markets. The operation begins with exploring the marketplace to comprehend its agitation. The dealer consumes analysis modes to analyze convinience, which is to discover individuals, all groups of people with missed requirements or hidden interest in some output or service. The marketing action existed on the following: Assaying marketing convinience. Establishing marketing strategies. Planning marketing policies. Administering the marketing achievements. Before taking any conclusion and accomplishing the destinations, it has to make inquiry of what to do,how to do, when to do, where to do and who is to do it. This is nothing but strategic tactics. Ambitions demonstrate what an organization unit wants to accomlisj whereas strategy is how to reach there.Marketing strategies in cleat appellation are the entire and invincible aims arranged accurately for acquiring the marketing ambitions of the organization. Marketing can be declared as a scenario for actualizing its ambitions. Strategy choice will rely on whether the organization or the dealer execute the following function: Market leader A challenger A follower A niche The apperception of goals, both in determinable and affectable session, is an important background to strategy conception. Ambitions have an affection and time anatomy appended to them.These are commonly explain in terms of financial return, market allowance, market companionship, etc. So the approach of market familiarized strategic purpose appears with the connection between the products the dealer is dealing in and the market circumstances. In this aspect, our study accord only with the marketing strategies i.e. promotional strategies of the Ford automobiles. OBJECTIVE To develop the connection with bankers to make the auto finance easy for consumer. To know the reason of acquaintance of the vehicles. To study and assay the Promotional Strategies of Ford. To know whether the consumers are appeased with the deals given by the marketer. To find out amusement of the consumers. To study and analyze the consumer`s understanding regarding the convenience/benefit of Ford vehicles. Conclusion Ford automobile company is acting well in the appearence of political, economical, social, and environmental. But ford unexpectedly affronting the difficulty in 2008 sales due to the inexpensive problem. (descent of markets and GDP’s). Worldwide economic circumstances are advancing but stays breakable. improvement in some markets are bashful due to debilitated labor markets and bound credit. Recommendations Ford company should contemplate more on income progress by producing exceptional and luxury vehicles and should manage the center group strategy. Ford have the convenience to create vehicles which can travel through electricity, solar energy and bio fuels. It will assist the association to establish in circumstantial cause. Referecnes: 1. http://www.scribd.com/doc/32286545/Macro-Environment-and-PESTL-Analysis-of-Ford-Car-Manufacturing-Ltd, Accessed on 21st-03-2011 2. http://www.scribd.com/doc/44687685/The-Marketing-Strategy-of-Ford-Motor, Accessed on 22nd-03-2011 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page, Accessed on 23rd-03-2011 4. Adrian palmer Bob Hartley, 2006, The Business Environment, fifth edition, Mc Graw-Hill Higher Education, UK. 5. Andre Clark, 2000, Organisations competitions and the business environment, first edition, Pearson Education Limited, UK. 6. Adrian palmer Bob Hartley, 2009, The Business Environment, Sixth edition, Mc Graw-Hill Higher Education, UK. 7. Worthington Britton, 2009, The Business Environment, Sixth Edition, Pearson Education Limited, UK. 8.www.economywatch.com, 2007, History of automobile industry, (online), Availablefrom URL-http://www.economywatch.com/world-industries/automobile/, Accessed on 25th-03-2011 9. www.businessweek.com, 2006, GM Ford-Roadmaps for Recovery, (Online), Available from URL- http://www.businessweek.com/investor/content/mar2006/pi20060314-416862.htm, Accessed on 27th-03-2011 How to cite Strategic Analysis (PESTEL, SWOT and Five Forces) of Ford Automobile, Essay examples

Business Analysis of 7-Eleven and Volkswagen †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Business Analysis of 7-Eleven and Volkswagen. Answer: Introduction The issue of ethics is topical in that it affects the operations of almost all facets of business while at the same time the topic can be controversial. Ethics refers to the rules or principles that define right and wrong conduct (Robbins, 2000). Businesses in particular are expected to do the right things in their operations hence, it can be observed that enlightened firms encourage their managers to look beyond the written laws by doing the right thing in doing business (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010). However, ethical issues usually involve conflicting interests and people can disagree about the right course of action to take in a given scenario. As such, this report seeks to analyse the ethical conduct of two organizations namely 7-Eleven and Volkswagen (VW) that have hit the headlines for their unethical business practices that have been widely criticised by different stakeholders. The report starts by outlining the two case scenarios involving 7-Eleven and VW as well as the simila rities between the two companies that are presented. The report also addresses the assertion that good leaders by definition are ethical leaders and it also discusses the measures that can be taken in order to improve the organizational climate so that the members can act in an ethical manner. Case analysis of 7-Eleven 7-Eleven is one of the biggest convenience chain stores in Australia and it has come under the spotlight for its unfair labor practices where the employees mostly international students are paid half of the $24.50 an hour award rate they are entitled to and they are often threatened with deportation if they complain to the boss. Though the company has laid the blame on the franchises operating using its trademark, there is abundant evidence to show that the company itself is at fault (Ferguson and Danckert, 2016). The rot at the companys head office pertaining to underpayment of the workers has been downplayed for a long time and it was only exposed by a whistle blower. However, the company has been operating profitably for a long period using unorthodox business practices that have been equated to slavery by different concerned stakeholders. Apart from being underpaid, the affected students are also forced to work for long hours. For example, one student was threatened with deportat ion after confronting the employer following a dispute of unpaid wages amounting to more than $30 000 (Ferguson and Danckert, 2016). The lawyer of the franchise store threatened that he will report him to immigration for breaching his student visa conditions by working more than 20 hours a week. The practice has been viewed as highly illegal and prominent groups including lawyers, politicians and other regulators have categorically stated that something should be done in order to rectify the problem. Ironically, the exploited and intimidated workers by the chain store are mostly international students who are often threatened with deportation once they try to raise their concerns about the unfair treatment they will be getting from their employers (Ferguson and Danckert, 2016). This shows that the wage scam is a planned initiative and the head office has full knowledge of its existence. The affected students have stated that the company is making money out of them instead of engaging in fair business practice. This practice is viewed as fraud and therefore unethical since all human beings are born free and with equal rights. On top of that, Article 4 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), states that No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in any form. This goes along with the proclamation that no one should be subjected to unfair treatment in foreign countries since their rights should be upheld under whatever circumstance. Case analysis of VW Volkswagen, a German car manufacturer has been implicated in a scandal for installing software in its cars that ensured it falsely passed emission tests and for seven years, about eleven million cars have passed the test (Rhodes, 2015). The cheating by VW was specifically meant to increase its sales and in 2009, the company became the worlds biggest car manufacturer (Rhodes, 2015). Following the discovery of the scandal at VW, the CEO Martin Winterkorn resigned and later faced criminal charges. The nature of this scandal shows that it was not a mistake or a result of poor judgment but was intentionally designed as well as executed in violation of the law with the sole aim of increasing the companys revenue generation capabilities (Queen, 2015). During the contemporary period, it can be noted that the issue of global warming is topical since it causes damage to the environment and various organizations particularly automobile manufacturers are compelled to ensure that they manufacture vehicles that are environmental friendly. As such, all newly manufactured vehicles are supposed to undergo tests to ensure that they are in compliance with the expected standards. However, the case of VW shows that it deceived those people it owed a duty of honesty intentionally by fraudulently misrepresenting its vehicles to be what they were not actually like. The most significant aspect about this particular case is that the company continued to commit the wrong business practice for years fully aware that its action was not good all for the sake of making profits from its operations. Similarities between both cases In both cases that involve 7-Eleven and Volkswagen, it can be observed that their clandestine practices which were also unethical were carefully planned by the company owners with the sole purpose of earning profits at the expense of the other stakeholders. As noted in the case of 7-Eleven, the company resorted to underpaying the workers mostly international students with full knowledge since they had their intended goals of reaping profits as a result of reduced labour costs. In most cases, labour costs significantly contribute to the overall costs of the organizations operations. Therefore, in this case, the company sought to cut these costs through unorthodox means. The justice view of ethics states that individuals should impose and enforce rules fairly and impartially so there is an equitable distribution of the costs and benefits (Robbins, 1993). This view is usually favoured by unions which advocate that all employees are paid similar wages for the same job since they contribu te to the company in the same way. In the same vein, it can also be observed that the case of VW has quite a number of similarities with that of 7-Eleven. VW deliberately evaded the regulations that stipulate that the vehicles manufactured by the company should pass emission tests so that they do not contribute towards the green-house gas emissions that negatively affect the environment. However, in all their knowledge, the responsible authorities at VW tempered with the software to detect the level of gas emissions so that the company can reap profits from selling vehicles that do not meet the expected standards with regard to greenhouse gas emission standards. The stance taken by VW is unethical and it is similar to that taken by 7-Eleven and this shows that both companies are primarily concerned about their profit oriented goals at the expense of the interests of the other stakeholders that are affected by their operations. This type of attitude displayed by both companies is unethical and it should be treated with the contempt it deserves since it is intentional. Good leaders by definition are ethical leaders To a larger extent, I agree with the statement that good leaders are by definition are ethical leaders. In as far as business ethics are concerned, the underlying principle is that they should not be compromised for financial gain (Strydon, 2006). For instance, this calls for leaders to be truthful in whatever they do and they avoid situations that are likely to result in them engaging in unorthodox practices which can be viewed as unethical. As shown in both cases, it is evident that the leaders are not ethical since they engage in bad practices that are designed to help them to generate huge profits at the expense of the employees and other stakeholders. An ethical leader does not engage in bad practices fully knowing like what has been shown in the cases of VW and 7-Eleven. Whilst the issue of ethics can be controversial in some cases, ethical leaders do not deliberately do bad things in their operations as illustrated above. The other issue is that good leaders lead by example and they are expected to display positive behaviour that can be emulated by their followers within the organization. A leader who is ethical knows that the followers should be treated as important to the organization not mere workers who must just work for the sake of productivity. This is very important since it helps the creation of mutual trust between the leaders and their followers as well as the other external stakeholders. When the followers are happy about the way they are treated, job satisfaction also increases and this positively contributes increased productivity. This is advantageous to the company since it can generate more revenue from its operations through fair means. Thus, Enlightened leaders look beyond the written rules and regulations and they do the right thing in their operations (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010). The other issue is that ethical issues are not only limited to internal affairs within the organization but extend beyond the boundaries of the company to impact on the other stakeholders. For instance, customers are the major stakeholders of the organization hence the leaders are expected to put measures in place that are meant to ensure that the targeted consumers are satisfied with the products and services offered by the organization. This is also very important since it helps the company to gain competitive advantage in its operations. When the clients are happy about the products and services they get from the company, loyalty among them is likely to be created. This helps the firm to operate viably as well as to sustain its operations in the long run. However, as noted, members of the organization can encounter ethical dilemmas in their operations where there are grey areas that can be viewed as ethical in other instances while other people view it as unethical. For instance, the utilitarian view of ethics is solely made on the basis of their outcomes or consequences where the goal is to provide the greatest good for the greatest number (Robbins, 1993). This view tends to dominate business decision making and it is consistent with goals like productivity, efficiency as well as effectiveness which all contribute to improved profitability of the organization. By maximising profits, business executives can argue that they are securing the greatest good for the greatest number of people within the organization. This view has been supported by Rhodes (2016) who states that good ethics often make good business. Essentially, the main goal of every business is to generate profits from its operations therefore there is nothing wrong about the course of action that it takes as long as it is in a position to fulfil its desired goals according to the utilitarian view of ethics. Though controversial, this argument can be sustained from a business perspective as long as the welfare of the employees who constitute the majority stakeholders in this case is satisfactory. However, in the case of 7-Eleven outlined above, it can be seen that the organization has been engaging in unethical business practices for the main purpose of maximising profits from its operations while at the same time underpaying the employees. This practice is unethical since it does not benefit the employees but is a source of misery to them since they are threatened with deportation once they try to raise the issue with their employers. From an ethical perspective, the utilitarian principle has its own advantages as well as liabilities. For instance, it promotes productivity and efficiency but at the same time it can result in the leadership ignoring the rights of the rights of the other individuals particularly those with minority representation (Robbins, 2000). This has been illustrated in the case of 7-Eleven above. Measures that can be taken to improve organizational climate Organizational climate is described as the perceptions shared as well as the meaning that is attached to the practices, policies as well as procedures that are experienced by the employees as well as the behaviour they observe and that is also expected in order to get reward (Schneider, Ehrhart and Macey, 2013). To a larger extent, the climate of the organization has a bearing on how the employees perceive their jobs. This also affects the attitude of the members within the organization which also affects the way they behave. Organizational climate influences the performance of the firm through employee motivation (Noordin, 2010). In most cases, employees are motivated by the way they are treated within the organization. For example, the workers who are treated as important are motivated by their work and they put optimum performance in their operations. The leaders need to be motivated such that they can also have a sense of respect for their followers. This in turn significantly mo tivates all the people such that they can be in a position to pull their efforts towards the same direction. As illustrated in the case of 7-Eleven, it is crucial for the organization to create an organizational climate that is favorable to the employees so that they can develop a sense of belonging to the company. On the other hand, the climate should also shape the behaviour of the leaders such that they understand that when dealing with employees, they also understand that they are human too and they deserve to be treated equally and in a fair manner unlike the treatment they are currently exposed to. When the leaders within the organization are motivated to be exemplary in their operations, then they are likely to behave in an ethical way. As such, effort should be made to ensure that the climate of the organization is designed in such a way that it appeals to the interests of all people so that they share the same vision of the company. When all the people share the same vision, then they are likely to understand what is expected of them such that they put effort to do the right thing. The other important aspect about the organizations climate is that it can be used as a tool by the company to measure the extent to which the company uses its employees towards the attainment of the desired goals (Hay Group, 2009). The companys success is mainly determined by the effort put by the people who work within it and this means that they should be properly treated in order for them to be loyal. The leaders need to conduct periodic surveys so that they can get feedback from the employees as well as the other stakeholders at large about the measures that need to be taken so as to understand the desired climate by these very important stakeholders to the company. The leaders who understand the desired climate by the employees can be able to suggest intervention strategies that can help to develop the skills of the employees (Noordin, 2010). This also helps the company to operate in an ethical way since all the people would be aware of what would be expected of them. The employ ees who have the required skills and competences are likely to work towards the attainment of the desired goals. On the other hand, companies also need to gain understanding of the needs of the external stakeholders so that it can design its climate to suit them. This will significantly help the company to create mutual understanding with all the stakeholders and ultimately trust among them. In case of both 7-Eleven and VW, it can be seen that the companies need to redefine their organizational cultures so that they suit the needs of the concerned stakeholders. This can also help the leaders to uphold the ethical principles expected of them in their operations. Once these companies have managed to create good climates for their working environments, they can be able to gain competitive advantage in their operations. The consumers in particular are attracted by the quality of service they get from the company instead of reaped of their hard earned money. The employees are also motiva ted by good working environment which is also good for the company. Conclusion In conclusion, it can be noted that the concept of ethics is mainly concerned about the rules or principles that define right and wrong conduct especially by businesses (Robbins, 2000). However, businesses often encounter certain situations that are characterised by grey areas where individuals can debate about the correct course of action to take in the event that the scenario can be viewed as right while others can view it as wrong. As illustrated in the two cases of 7-Eleven and VW, it has been observed that their operations are unethical since they are mainly designed to help the organizations to reap huge profits from their operations through unorthodox means. As noted in the discussion above, good leaders in most cases are ethical leaders since they are aware of what is expected of them and they strive to do the right thing. It has also been observed that it is imperative for leaders to create favourable organizational climate in order to enhance ethical conduct in their operat ions. A good organizational climate promotes fair working conditions where all the employees are treated as equal. This helps all the members to do the right thing which is good for all the stakeholders. References Cant, J 2000. Introduction to marketing, CT: JUTA Ferguson, A Danckert S, 2016. How 7-Eleven is ripping off its workers. The Sunday Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2015/7-eleven-revealed/ HayGroup. (2009). Australia: HayGroup. www.haygroup.com.au Kotler, P. Armstrong, G. (2010). Principles of marketing. Cape Town, CT: Pearson. Kotler, P. Keller, K.L. (2006). Marketing Management, 12th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Noordin, F. 2010. Organizational Climate And Its Influence On Organizational Commitment. International Business Economics Research Journal, Volume 9, Number 2. Queen EL 2015. How could VW be so dumb? Blame the unethical culture endemic inbusiness. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/how-could-vw-be-so-dumb-blame-the-unethical-culture-endemic-in-business-48137 Robbins, SP 1993. Organizational behavior: Concepts, controversies and applications. 6th Edition. New jersey, NJ: Prentice Hall. Rhodes, C. (2016) Democratic business ethics: Volkswagen emission scandal and the disruption of corporate sovereignty, organization studies, Vol 37, No 10 p 1501-1518 Rhodes, C 2015. 7-Eleven, Volkswagen cases show why we should push back on corporateethics The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/7-eleven-volkswagen-cases-show-why-we-should-push-back-on-corporate-ethics-48739 Robbins, SP 2000. Organizational Behavior, 9th Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Schneider, B, Ehrhart, MG Macey WH, 2013. Organizational Climate and Culture. Annual Review of Psychology. Volume 64, Pp. 36188. Schultz, R 2007. Human resources management. JB: Prentice Hall. Strydom, J. (2006). Marketing principles. CT: JUTA. Werner, J. (2007). Organizational Behavior. Cape Town: JUTA.

Sixteen Candles Essays - African-American Culture,

Sixteen Candles The most popular and influential form of African-American pop music of the 1980's and 1990's, rap is also one of the most controversial styles of the rock era. And not just among the guardians of cultural taste and purity that have always been counted among rock 'n' roll's chief enemies--Black, White, rock and soul audiences continue to fiercely debate the musical and social merits of rap, whose most radical innovations subverted many of the musical and cultural tenets upon which rock was built. Most people refer to rap as a noise that black people make. Well it is not. Rap is defined as signifying, testifying, and shining of the titanic. Rap started in the south bronx section of New York.(Davey D. 7) Most of the rap that is heard today draws its rots from the jamacian art form known as toasting.(Davey D. 4) Another definitoin of rap which is most known, is saying rhymes to the beat of music. The main musical insturnments used in a rap song are, keyboards, turntables, drums, and musical bass.(busboy.com) The original rap started back in the 1940s with Cal Calloway. He is known for his signature Hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-ho which was a chant from the Minnie Moocher In the 1940's, Calloway used a call and response format with his audience, which is one of the foundations of rap. (busboy.com) In the early 1800s, a new form of a music player came out, it was called the sampler. A sampler is an electronic device which can precisely replicate an existing sound or track of music. Today, we call this kind of device a drum machiene. Rappers use this machine to duplicate music tracks so that they dont have to have someone doing it for them all the time. This tool became verry useful in the music industry, today, almost all of the bands that you see in concert are using a drum machine, or a sampler.(busboy.com) Cinema and Television

Health policy as it relates to a health care program

Health policy as it relates to a health care program Abstract Survival in the health care world requires an informed person. Healthcare providers, administrators and patients are affected by decisions and health policies made on health care programs. Healthcare policies are closely tied with politics of United States where decisions are made to affect the entire population.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Health policy as it relates to a health care program specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Health policies are as a result of decisions made by many people in hospitals, the government, insurance industry, and some business corporations. Health care policies affect the effectiveness of service delivery in current health care programs. This paper seeks to highlight the influence of health policy on the development, operation, design, and effectiveness as it relates to the effectiveness of health care delivery systems of health care program. Introduction Health care programs offer the primary means of getting access to health care in the United States today. Designing of health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid involves extensive interactions among health insurers, health care providers, individuals, public and private sectors, and the government. Proposals in health coverage in general focus on their policy impact. Majority of proposals give only sketchy information about management. In addition, administrative costs stand for only a diminutive part of the total costs of a proposal (Darr Longest, 2008). Nevertheless, when matters of implementation are not addressed, expensive policies or programs fail to achieve their objectives. Health care policies affect the management and administrative issues, and this affects the effectiveness of health care programs (Morone, Litman, Robins, 2008). An important goal of health care programs is expanding access to inexpensive, high-quality health care (NAPA-NASI, 2009). This goal is met when heal th care policies provide a supportive environment. Health care policies affect planning, coordinating and implementation of healthcare programs.Advertising Looking for research paper on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It also affects the process of regulating health insurance, streamlining health care program markets, and the process of designing managerial organizations for health reform (Morone, Litman, Robins, 2008). Health care system in United States The three major issues facing the health care system of United States are access, cost, and quality. Improved access may quickly become expensive without slowing the increase of costs and without increasing the quality of health care (NAPA-NASI, 2009). Improvements quality and cost are consecutively likely to necessitate changes in the process of delivering health care. Financial access in health care is an important issue in United States; d ifferent financing models may have different implications on control of costs and performance improvement of the health care delivery system like Medicare and Medicaid (Angeles, 2009). The relationship between service delivery in health coverage and containing health costs is of utmost importance. Committed public administrators can make any health program to work on the ground. However policy makers can make the administrators’ task to be easy by considering administrative issues when creating proposals and legislations (NAPA-NASI, 2009). This is an important factor in creation of a successful health program. Administrative issues can either be specific to certain plans, or apply to a wide range of programs. The establishment of Medicare program in 1965 and the implementation of latest health care reforms experiences, gives some common lessons in planning for service delivery of health programs (Merlis, 2003). A case study of Medicare Medicare was signed into law in1965 by P resident Lyndon Johnson, and began offering benefits less than a year later in 1966. The program offered health care coverage to approximately nineteen million elderly people in US. Of the nineteen million, only half had previously had some form of health insurance. Medicaid, a joint federal-state program of medical assistance for poor people was also created. Medicaid created some significant alterations to disability benefits and social security retirement (NAPA-NASI, 2009).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Health policy as it relates to a health care program specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The beginning of Medicare offers good instance of impact of health policy on healthcare programs. Implementation of Medicare had started earlier before the legislation was passed. Congressional leaders and administration had discussed the part of Medicare dealing with hospital insurance during the early 1960s. The prov isions of health insurance had been refined to assist administration. The program was supposed to begin in midsummer when hospital occupancy was low. Nursing homes coverage was supposed to start six months after hospital benefits to separate the two. A proposal to give beneficiaries a choice of benefit packages was rejected following its administrative complication (NAPA-NASI, 2009). Some aspects of legislation and health policies simplified the implementation of Medicare. An important policy aspect of Medicare was that it was a fully federal program that did not depend on the different interests and administrative capabilities of the states. It is important to note that there was a political agreement was not meant to reform delivery of, or payment for, health care. There was an agreement from the beginning of discussions that Medicare was to be administered by the Social Security Administration. This policy allowed the program to experience a tremendous success at the beginning. S ocial Security Administration had put in place a network of field offices for taking care of Medicare beneficiaries. The administration was supportive of the new program and was willing to take some chances to ensure its success (NAPA-NASI, 2009). The government of the day contributed a lot in designing of health policies. The federal government understood that Medicare was a main concern for the presidency of Johnson. The General Services Administration and the Civil Service Commission cooperated with Social Security to ensure the success of the program. The Social Security agency received additional funding, new staff and its training and new field offices. Social Security Administration devoted a small team to run Medicaid as compared to Medicare. In addition, its design and implementation was largely left to the states. The agency was left to implement and run the program without interference from the office of the president (Baucus, 2008).Advertising Looking for research paper on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The only notable major instance where the office of the president got involved was a few weeks before the launching of the program. The president was concerned about the likelihood of certain hospitals to be overwhelmed by a flood of newly insured elderly people. A system that was to track hospital occupancy rates was created to take care of this issue. The veterans and military hospitals were placed on standby, and plans were established to transport people. Eventually, capacity of hospitals proved more than enough to accommodate more people than it was anticipated (Darr Longest, 2008). The Social Security Administration developed consensus over policies via various informal task forces and working groups instead of depending on the formal federal rulemaking process. Proposed policies were presented to â€Å"the Health Insurance Benefits Advisory Council† after far-reaching staff work and discussions with all stakeholders. The agency took the council’s advice, althou gh it was not a requirement. Rather than in final regulations, policies were integrated in the conditions of participation for health care providers. In this regard, hospitals were required desegregate. Hospitals were required to comply with the Civil Rights Act by the federal officials (Ebeler, Van de Water, Dem, 2006). Policies were also designed to provide a tight time frame for the magnitude of the task. This facilitated implementation of Medicare in timely fashion due to the sense of urgency. The administration of Social Security was motivated to boost its morale. Offices were opened on evenings and weekends to allow more applicants into the program. The program also gained considerable support from advocacy groups and aging organizations. After enactment of the program, a lot of cooperation was obtained from all stakeholders (Etheredge, 2009). Regulation of health care programs and health insurance Health care programs have similar regulatory issues as other forms of insuranc e. The person covered under the healthcare program requires the program to provide a contract that meets realistic expectations about coverage. The individual also requires the health insurer to explain the nature of the cover being offered. As agreed in the health insurance policy, the individual requires his/her claims to be paid promptly and fairly. Before enrolling people into health care programs, the risks are assessed before the cover is granted. In ordinary health insurance programs, the insurer assesses the risks and may decide to decline the cover depending on risks (Hacker, 2007). Health insurance covers have had cases of fraud in marketing and claiming process. The government through state authorities has regulated the issuance of health insurance covers to protect the consumers. The federal government has also become more involved in financing and insurance of health care. Since the launch of healthcare programs, the authority of the states to control and regulate healt h insurance has been well established (Jost, 2009). The Supreme Court decided to put the health insurers under the federal control in 1945. The McCarran-Ferguson Act which enables the states to control insurance business was passed by the Congress. In each state, the insurance industry is regulated by a division of insurance or similar agency. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) controls and coordinates the regulation of multistate health insurance agencies. The model laws and regulations of NAIC usually act as the foundation for state policies. It also brings some degree of consistency to regulation of health insurance. Some premium taxes are imposed by the states on health insurers as a source of income (Hacker, 2009). The original emphasis of health insurance regulation was making sure that the financial accountability of insurers to pay claims was met. The federal bankruptcy code excludes insurers from its coverage and leaves the issue of assuring the solv ency of the insurer to the states. States have designed the process of managing insolvent health insurers and take care of their financial responsibilities. Traditional concerns of regulations are getting rid of deceptive advertising and marketing, follow-ups of consumer feedbacks, and review of health insurance policies (Monheit Cantor, 2004). Health insurers are faced with challenges when covering small groups since they pose threats of adverse selection. Small groups and individuals are sometimes denied the cover, have their covers cancelled or not renewed. High risk groups are sometimes given long waiting periods. Administrative activities, marketing and other expenses increase the cost associated with small groups and individual health insurance policies as compared to large groups (Van de Water Nathan, 2011). The state started to enact reforms of health insurance market associated wit small groups in 1990. Major changes included guaranteed issue and renewal of policies regar dless of health status of individuals. Restrictions on exclusions of existing health conditions were done to limit the difference in premiums. State regulators have to review premium schedules and insurance policies to ensure that they are in compliance and to limit on rates (Monheit Cantor, 2004). A few years ago, the states took deregulatory measures to assist the spread of high deductible health insurance plans. In 2003, the Medicare Modernization Act approved tax subsidies for health savings accounts (HSAs) amid highly deductible health plans. The law did not obstruct any state insurance guideline. However, the states provided that the tax subsidies for HSAs would be accessible only in states that allowed high deductible plans (NAPA-NASI, 2009). Regulation of insurance has been a responsibility of the states for a long time. However, the roles of the federal government have grown in recent past. Federal regulation is primarily carried out through the income tax system, the Medi care and the Medicaid programs. The initial administrative rulings that employee contributions to health insurance plans sponsored by the employer are not taxable to both were confirmed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. The tax subsidy has been conditioned on different legislation requirements although IRS gives little omission and has by and large been slow to create implementing policy or impose tax punishments for infringements. For instance, nondiscrimination provisions of the tax code forbid employers who are self insured from giving better tax favored health coverage to employees who are highly paid (NAPA-NASI, 2009). Presently, Medicare and Medicaid cover approximately a quarter of US citizens, and a third of health care expenses. The rules that regulate the coverage and payments for these programs constitute an important form of federal regulatory activity (Angeles, 2009). The result of failure to comply with the policies of the program is denial of program eligibility o r payment. In addition submitting inaccurate claims can results to civil or criminal penalties. Medicare is the largest purchaser and regulator of health care in the United States. This enables the program to exert a significant influence on the rest of the health care system (Ebeler, Van de Water, Dem, 2006). Public programs and private insurers have widely adopted the coverage policies and the payment system of Medicare. Majority of private health insurers follow Medicare’s lead in approval and adoption of new medical technologies. New payment mechanisms used by Medicare have been widely adopted by the private sector. For instance, the private sector has adopted the prospective payment system for hospitals and fee schedule for medical practitioners (Baucus, 2008). Medicare influences the way health care is provided through its participation conditions for hospitals and health plans. In addition, Medicare influences administrative procedures including reporting requirements and review practices of claims. State regulations that conflict with requirements of Medicare are generally preempted by the federal government. In this category are state regulations of private health plans that contribute in Medicare. States have the power to license and control the insurance agents and brokers dealing with private plans for healthcare. However, the states cannot control the organizations that provide the plans. On the contrary, federal requirements for Medicaid managed care organizations cannot prevent more strict state standards (Angeles, 2009). The responsibility of private health plans in Medicare was expanded by the Modernization Act of 2003. The act also broadened the federal preemption of state control of these plans. The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 prohibits certain sales and marketing processes under Medicare Advantage plans and Prescription Drug Plans. According to state regulators, the present federal control structure for Medicare private does not sufficiently protect consumers. The state regulators have called for authority to impose state laws on marketing methods of insurers that sponsor them (NAPA-NASI, 2009). Medigap plans are the private plans offered to those already covered by Medicare to cover expenses that are not covered by Medicare. This plan is regulated by both state and federal government. A regulation model has been established as required by the federal law to include a standardized benefit strategy and marketing standards for all Medigap plans. The model has been incorporated in federal guidelines by the centers for Medicaid and Medicare services. States that are using the Medigap standards imposed by the federal law enforce them against the plans. In some cases, more strict standards are imposed by the states (NAPA-NASI, 2009). Payment responsibilities of medical services covered by both Medicare and other health insurance are governed by the federal law. Laws making payment by Medicare secondary to payment by health insurance plans sponsored by employers have been passed by the Congress. An excise duty is imposed for operating a health plan that goes against the regulations (Gluck Reno, 2001). The Employer Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) has the most important limitations of the federal government on regulation of health insurance by the state. The act takes over from the most state regulations applicable to health plans based on employment and subject to the federal law. However, the act does not apply to church or governmental sponsored plans. The implication is that the act’s preemption of state rules allows multistate employers to provide health benefits on a national basis. This is done without having to adapt their plans to specific state in which they function. Employers can steer clear of any state rule or taxation of its health plan if it assumes the plan’s financial risk and does not buy a cover for the funding of benefits. Particularly, it gets rid of state authorized benefits (NAPA-NASI, 2009). Initially When ERISA was enacted it covered mostly the pension plans and enforced no regulations on health insurance based on employment. The Congress then modified the act by adding comparatively few requirements. ERISA prevents the state regulation, but does not enforce much in the way of substantive regulation. This structure implies that self-funded employers have operated in a regulatory vacuum that is unreal. In order to provide continuance in some cases of employer-sponsored coverage that would otherwise be stopped, ERISA was amended by the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) in 1985. The amendment required that employer with over twenty employees and who offer employers’ sponsored insurance covers to continue providing health insurance temporarily to employees who have lost coverage or stopped employment. In most cases, compliance with COBRA is impelled by the effort s of the Department of Labor and the risk of lawsuits posed by participants under ERISA (Darr Longest, 2008). To prohibit discrimination by employment-based group health plans in enrollment, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted in 1996. HIPAA curbs discrimination on the basis of health status. The act also limits the elimination of coverage for pre-existing health conditions and requires special enrollment in case of occurrence of such events. Without limiting the charges, HIPAA requires health insurers to avail and renew health coverage for small employers. Except under limited circumstances, health insurers operating in the individual market are also required by the act to guarantee restitution of coverage (Ebeler, Van de Water, Dem, 2006). Administrative responsibility is isolated in that the requirements of HIPAA are enforced under ERISA for employer-sponsored group health plans. As far as COBRA is concerned, the Department of the Treasur y has the power to impose an excise duty to enforce observance. Generally, states are accountable for implementing the necessities imposed on health insurance issuers in the individual markets. In addition, states may enforce more stringent regulations on health insurance issuers in some specific situations (Fowler Jost, 2008). Conclusion It is not possible to achieve a reformed health care system and healthcare programs without health insurance policies. Any proposal seeking to subsidize or direct health insurance must describe the insurance coverage to be subsidized, and set up measures for assuring that plans conform to the requirements. The financial responsibilities of the insurer and protection of consumers against errant insurers, fraudulent marketing practices, and denial of claims are very important in any healthcare program (Fowler Jost, 2008). It is important to note that the enforcement of a particular regulatory principle is a significant administrative issue. However , the appropriate content of regulation of health insurance is mainly a policy issue. The federal government does not have a significant administrative framework for regulating health insurance. On the contrary, states have substantial regulatory understanding and proficiency (NAPA-NASI, 2009). A number of regulatory approaches are possible if health insurance reform is to take place at the federal level. The federal government could adopt its own health insurance regulations and form an administrative framework to impose them. Although the federal government cannot constitutionally mandate states to enforce federal laws, it could provide financial incentives to the states to take regulatory and enforcement procedures (Gluck Reno, 2001). The federal government should exploit the states’ regulatory skills, experiences and administrative mechanisms for consumer protection. This can be approached by developing a uniform national standard for health insurance to be fundamentally imposed on states level. States should be given the mandate to impose the national standards against all health plans existing in the state. As the case foe Medigap plans, states should be allowed to create standards that are more protective of their populace. The responsibility of states in protection of consumers of health insurance is likely to become more sophisticated. Policy makers at federal level are required to identify the difference in the resources and potential from state to state. Policy makers should also ensure that the states have the needed resources to impose new regulations on health insurers. References Angeles. ( 2009). Improving Medicaid As Part of Building on the Current System to Achieve Universal Coverage. Washington: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Baucus, M. (2008). Call to Action, Health Reform 2009. Washington: Senate Finance. Darr, K., Longest, B. B. (2008). Managing Health Services Organizations and Systems. New York: Health Professions Pr. Ebeler, J., Van de Water, P. N., Dem, C. (2006). Improving the Medicare Savings Programs. Washington: National Academy of Social Insurance.. Etheredge, L. (2009, May 16). Government and Health Care Costs: The Influence of Research on Policy. Retrieved from University of Pennsylvania: www.upenn.edu/ldi/etheredge1.pdf Fowler, E. J., Jost, T. S. (2008). Why Public Programs Matter- and Wil lContinue to Matter- Even After Health Reform. Journal of Law, Medicine, Ethics , 36(4):670-76. Gluck, M. G., Reno, V. (2001). Reflections on Implementing Medicare. Washington: National Academy of Social Insurance. Hacker, J. (2007). Health Care for America. Briefing Paper No. 18. Washington: : Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Hacker, J. (2009). Healthy Competition: How to Structure Public Health Insurance Plan Choice to Ensure Risk-Sharing, Cost Control, and Quality Improvement. Washington: Institute for America’s Future. Jost, T. S. (2009). The Regulation of Private Health Insurance. Wash ington: NAPA/NASI. Merlis, M. (2003). The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Program Design, Reent Performance, and Implications for Medicare Reform. Menlo Park, CA: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Monheit, A. C., Cantor, J. C. (2004). State Health Insurance Market Reform. New York: Routledge. Morone, J. A., Litman, T. J., Robins, L. S. (2008). Health Politics and Policy. New York: Delmar Cengage Learning. NAPA-NASI. (2009). Administartive Solutions in Health Reforms: Administrative Issues in Expanding Access to Health Care. New York: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Van de Water, P. N., Nathan, R. P. (2011). Governance Issues for Health Insurance Exchanges. Health Policy Brief No. 1 (pp. 1-12). Washington: National Academy of Social Insuarnce (NASI).

Top 25 Book Report Ideas Ways to Create a Breathtaking Book Report

Top 25 Book Report Ideas Ways to Create a Breathtaking Book Report If you have the freedom of selecting a topic for your book report, check out our list of top 25 book report ideas and topics for a winning paper. Book report writing is a rather simple task, which doesn’t require considerable effort. However, if you are new to book report writing and have received your first writing assignment, we have something that might help you. While working on your report, please feel free to read the article on how to work on the book report. Top 25 Book Report Ideas Searching for book report template? Here is a great one below. BOOK REPORT TEMPLATE Here is a list of books that are believed to be very useful for all high school students (based on materials  of  NY Times and Lexington Public Library). Want to know more about book report format? Read the article below! BOOK REPORT FORMAT If you have the freedom of selecting your own book report topic and a  way to write it in, and you feel that you will need help with your project, we will be happy to assist. Just contact out customer support staff and they will help you through the ordering process. Place your order  right now!

The Article by Atul Gawande (2009) New Yorker Term Paper

The Article by Atul Gawande (2009) New Yorker - Term Paper Example Some scholars suggest that the system has drifted out of control: â€Å"Through no planned design or evil intent, our health care system has evolved in ways that better serve a myriad of economic, professional, and political interests than those of patients and families, and the larger public† (Mechanic, 2006, p. ix). Gawande, however, sees a much bleaker picture, and suggests that there are areas in America where doctors and administrators are financially tied into provision, and that this encourages massive amounts of over-treatment, with no benefit to patients. Gawande’s article describes a huge discrepancy in the per capita costs of medical care in two comparable districts, McAllen and El Paso, Texas, while there is no evidence that the higher cost location (McAllen) offers better care or achieves better results. This gives rise to a serious ethical problem: in El Paso patients have much lower rates of access to all kinds of tests and treatments, while in McAllen, t hey have much higher rates. The variation is due to doctor behavior, and not down to the demographics of the citizens, since the two regions are very similar. This is the kind of situation that led to the passing of the 2010 Health Care Reform bill which aims to extend health coverage to from 83% to 95% of the legally resident population. (Tumulty, 2010, p. 1) Unfortunately, however, huge variation in the way that this money is spent will mean that a fair and equal service is not likely to happen. From the point of view of justice, or fairness, such unequal practices cannot be defended, since all American citizens should have equal access to the benefits of our modern technologies. From a utilitarian point of view, there is a deviation from best practice, since in the McAllen hospitals there is little effort to gain the greatest benefit to patients for the lowest cost. Increasing the amount of testing in order to maximise revenue is the very opposite of ethical behaviour on the part of institutions where doctors earn more for ordering more procedures and tests. Gawande suggests that the problem lies with the structures of delivery, and describes the McAllen healthcare model as â€Å"as system that has no brakes† (Gawanda, p. 14). He cites the example of the Mayo clinic, where doctors receive a fixed salary, as a potential solution. Fewer scans are done, and more discussion between doctors takes place to minimize unnecessary treatments, all of which come with risks as well as benefits, and to try to ensure that patients have what they need, rather than what can be sold to them for profit. There is little incentive to cherry pick patients in this kind of system, and hospitals which follow this style find that overall costs are lower, and quality of care goes up. This analysis takes a refreshing look at the way the whole system is set up, and this gives the reader an overview of things rather than just the view of an economist, or a health professional, or an administrator. It highlights the error that patients, and some doctors, often make, in thinking that more testing is always good. The point is to do what is the best for the patient, and not what sustains the system. If there was more of this kind of benchmarking across hospitals with comparable patient characteristics, then perhaps more could be done to eliminate wasteful

INTRODUCTION MULTI-STEP SYNTHESIS LAB REPORT Essay

INTRODUCTION MULTI-STEP SYNTHESIS LAB REPORT - Essay Example Secondly it will require a description on the introduction, removal and transformation of functional groups so as to achieve expected functionality in molecule. Thirdly it requires knowledge of the centers of stereoisomerism that are created or influenced. The steps in any synthesis are more or less dependent rather than discrete. The assembly of the molecular framework is dependent on structure and functionality of starting materials that are available, selectivity both regio and sterio of reactions for combinations and loss or relocation of functional groups of intermediate compounds in assembling final products. In conclusion, a successful syntheses route must produce desired product in reasonable good yield and with efficiency in terms of time of reaction and also byproducts. Not all processes can achieve 100% yield. The protection of existing desired functional groups is importantly inclusive of blocking of undesired reactions and activating groups. Knowledge on the introduction and removal of such groups is

Phenomenology and the Eucharistic Mass Essay Example for Free

Phenomenology and the Eucharistic Mass Essay In the study of communications, reaching a common consensus on how to apply a shared and common understanding of communications seems to be a near impossible task. After being introduced to the seven traditions of communications by Craig in his essay â€Å"Communication Theory as a Field†, I choose to explore the tradition he categorizes as Phenomenology. My initial understanding on the study of communications were quite limited to the transmission view, dominated by a sender and receiver framework. Interestingly, the transmission model in it’s origin was culturally rooted in religion, and used as a tool for the dissemination of Euro centric religious values and practices globally. With advancement in technology, especially in the 1920’s, the North American perspective on communication shifted the transmission model from religion to science to reflect a multidisciplinary approach in to the study of communications. As a practitioner of what was once the transmission view, the Catholic Church had experienced tremendous religious propagation of its message through forcible transmission all over the world. Based on Craig’s essay, the Catholic Church of today then embodies traits of a ritual view of communication, and is aligned with religious communication, and expression such as fellowship, participation, community, communion, and common faith. The phenomenological model of communication shares characteristics with the ritual view that I will be exploring through the Roman Catholic Eucharistic liturgy. The phenomenological tradition described by Craig, â€Å" conceptualizes communication as dialogue or the experience of otherness† (p. 217). Communication in this tradition is not rooted in verbal transmission but instead a shared experience on plains that extend beyond tradition verbal or textual communication. For the purpose of this paper phenomenological tradition can be seen as a form of communication expressed metaphysically as well. Gadamers’ theory from â€Å"Truth and Method†, focus on tradition and language as a primary form of communication. His ideology is that: we are only able to make sense of ourselves and the world around us because our consciousness has been shaped by history and traditions in ways we are largely unaware of wareness expands our understanding of the tradition. His description of an I-Thou relationship as the question-answer logic that underlies hermeneutic experience creates communication by identifying, hermeneutics, â€Å"that lead to a dialectical process of interpretation and growth of understanding. As a phenomenological practitioner, this theory has very intrinsic value. Communication in this practice provides a very meaningful and existential experience that I am to able to engage in with my Creator, in the absence of any other person. As a Roman Catholic, I have had many questions about the way we participate in mass. My parents grew up on the island of Trinidad, in a devout Catholic community. The Spanish, that had at one time colonized Trinidad, were very committed to their mission of converting the indigenous people of the island. The spread Catholicism throughout the country was profuse, with community churches everywhere, (even building one across the street from my mother’s house), and adding a monastery and seminary college a mile further up the mountainside where my father lived. Catholicism was not just a religion in our community, it was a part of the culture, and employed many of the villagers as they worked for the seminary. My grandparents were in fact Hindu, and converted to Catholicism because of the strong influence and presence it had within the community. As a Roman Catholic child, I had been told to repeat, chant, and act with humility, adoration and reverence during mass. I did not understand what we were doing or what the intention was. I became harder and harder to find meaning in going to church. In my late teens I stopped attending mass because there was no intrinsic connection for me in my faith practice. I remained a spiritual and deeply rooted faith based person, but I could not come to terms with many of the teachings of my church. I stayed out of church for many years. At some point, I became curious about what it meant. I was not looking for a theological understanding per se, but instead, what did â€Å"it† mean? The chanting, the collective response in unison, the prayers itself. What was I blindly repeating every Sunday? I chose to study the teachings of the Catholic Church in university at Newman Theological College to gain a scholarly perspective. Many things became clear, although I did acquiesce on some ideological points, (my own hermeneutical experience). Inspired by my academic insights, I returned to church as a knowledgeable participant of the mass, understanding that as part of the community, I would belong to the collective voice of the fellowship of Christ. The Catholic mass is deeply enriched with both Phenomenological Theory as well as Semiotic Tradition. In some regard you must look at the semiotics in order to fully understand what is being communicated during certain points in the eucharistic liturgy. For the purpose of this paper I will focus on the phenomenological aspects. The Eucharistic liturgy is a two century old tradition, considered the real presence of Christ at the last supper carried out each Sunday, and is considered an integral part of Catholic worship. As Catholics we believe Jesus began a significant new fellowship meal that we observe to this day. It causes us to collectively and intrinsically share in the experience of his sacrifice through his death and resurrection. The description of the liturgy I’m presenting here reflects a very basic summation of the ritual. At the start of the liturgy we are asked to offer ourselves up, and surrender to God. As we participate in the Eucharistic Prayer we are in the act of giving thanks. The congregation is humbled as Christ is transubstantiated from man into the elements of bread and wine. We collectively mourn as Jesus is offered to the Father in sacrifice for the sins of man. We participate in the Lords Prayer, and a prayer for peace. The Holy Spirit is invited to come down upon us and unite the community of worshipers into one body as we prepare to accept the communion, and offer each other a sign of peace. As a community we should be considered one body, ready to receive Christ as a single body in the form of the host. Prior to accepting the communion we collectively humble ourselves stating our unworthiness and asking for compassion and forgiveness for our transgressions. As members of the congregation travel to the the altar, it represents a pilgrimage in this life from a journey of birth to death, and to the heavenly Father. Once each individual receives the host, we communally belong to the larger body of Christ. An aspect of the phenomenological theory of communication as seen by Buber can be practically applied in this example. The I-Thou relationship is present when looking at the relationship each individual member of the ongregation has with their Creator, or even Catholicism itself. The act of worshiping communally creates an experience and awareness of each other that reflects dialogue in Gadamer’s model of phenomenology. Prayer itself is a great example of the I-Thou relationship the Buber describes. Although it contradicts Gadamers â€Å"parallel concept of conversation emphasiz[ing] the object or subject matter of conversation that brings people together in dialogue† (p. 219). Buber also notes that, â€Å"dialogue can be entirely wordless, yet deeply meaningful† (p. 19), and talks about how sacred silence itself can be on page 227, which is evident throughout the moments of the liturgy in which individuals respond on an emotional level through reverence, humility, sorrow, or repentance. Burber’s theory of a person living life with an open mind, open to experience and in essence living the life of dialogue is what resonates most for me. My critical exploration into understanding the Catholic mass has supported my dialogue in prayer with my creator, as well as my participation as a member of the Catholic church. It would be assumed that since developing a clearer understanding of the mass, that I would be regularly attending. That is not the case. What I grew to understand is that I cannot effectively belong to the congregation if I am not intrinsically communicating through action, intention and prayer when I attend. For that reason, I go to church when I have a deeper calling to do so. My I-Thou relationship within my faith is not compromised as I connect to my creator in conversation and prayer every day, however, my I-Thou relationship with the other church goers would be compromised and lacking authenticity if I attend mass out of obligation.

The piece was based on the theme of jealousy, and although the play changed :: Drama

The piece was based on the theme of jealousy, and although the play changed and adapted DRAMA PART 1 ASSESSMENT My first piece of practical work is to be performed on 24th June 2005. The piece was based on the theme of jealousy, and although the play changed and adapted as it developed, we tried to keep the performance set on this theme. My contribution to the performance was as an actor. My specific role was the ghost or one of the main characters, and I narrated the play as it went on. I also had a small role as a schoolteacher. To help me in my performance, I studied the play A View From The Bridge by Arthur Miller. This was very influential, and it helped our group make many decisions and choose the characters for our play. I also read the book Lies Hurt, But So Does The Truth by Aliyah Sapsard and Marion Boulicault, which helped me to understand one of the other characters in our play better, as their emotions were similar. The script of the film O, which is a modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello also helped to influence the characters in my performance. The final play I looked at was History Boys, and this play helped with the physical performance of the play. We projected short, filmed moving clips onto the back of the performance area to act as links between scenes, as they do in History Boys. As mentioned, the most influential play was A View From The Bridge by Arthur Miller. This play was set in New York, America, in the late 1940s. This differs from out piece, which was set in England, in the present day. Even though we were using A View From The Bridge as our main influence, we felt that the story would work better set in the modern day, and it also meant that we didn’t have to adapt to a different location or time period for our piece. We could all draw on real life, to help our play. The characters that appear in our production are mainly schoolgirls. This is contrasting with the play we studied, as in A View From The Bridge; the majority of the characters are adults. Some of the roles they played, however, were similar to some of the roles used in our performance. In our piece, we had the character Emma Winters. She was admired by Alex, who looked up to her, and finally became obsessed. This is similar to A View From The Bridge, in which Eddie becomes obsessed by Catherine. In our piece, we also have the character

Amitrade: a Problem Excercise of Cost of Capital Essay

The course material covered in weeks 4 and 5 should be suï ¬Æ'cient for doing this problem set. The questions below are for the Cost of Capital at Ameritrade case in your course packet. You can ï ¬ nd the data for this case on the course website in a spreadsheet named Ameritrade.xls. Please turn in your problem set solutions by posting them to bSpace as an Excel ï ¬ le or pdf ï ¬ le. Upload a single solution for each group, with all group members listed on the ï ¬ rst page. If you turn in an Excel ï ¬ le, make sure the grader can understand what you did without clicking on any cells. To make that possible, please include cells with appropriate explanations of what you did. This problem set is due by 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, 11/28. No late assignments will be accepted. Questions: Assume that the investments under consideration will be ï ¬ nanced with equity only (i.e., no debt ï ¬ nancing). 1. What estimate of the risk-free rate should be employed in calculating the cost of capital for Ameritrade? 2. What estimate of the market risk premium should be employed in calculating the cost of capital for Ameritrade? 3. Ameritrade does not have a beta estimate since the ï ¬ rm has been publicly traded for only a short time period. Exhibit 4 provides various choices of comparable ï ¬ rms. What comparable ï ¬ rms do you recommend as the appropriate benchmarks for evaluating the risk of Ameritrade’s planned advertising and technology investments? Hints for #3: †¢ It does not matter what Ameritrade spends its investments on up-front (advertising and technology investments) since these costs are known numbers, and you are calculating the cost of capital to ï ¬ gure out the present value of the projected cash ï ¬â€šows from later years. What matters is what beta the ï ¬ rm’s assets will have, where the assets are the subsequent cash ï ¬â€šows that Ameritrade gets out of making the up-front investments. †¢ It is probably not useful to use a comparable that has very little data (less than 2 years, say) since the equity beta you estimate based on very little data will be very noisy (you can try it—look at the standard error on your estimated equity beta). Hints for #4: ÃŽ ²E : To estimate the equity betas, here are some hints: †¢ Please regress (raw) stock returns on (raw) market returns—you are not given a time series for the riskless rate, so you cannot run the regression using excess stock returns and excess market returns (over the riskless rate). †¢ You use the market returns from Exhibit 6, but you’ll have to discuss with your group members whether you should use value-weighted or equal-weighted market returns. (The equal-weighted market return sets all the xi ’s to be equal.) †¢ For some of the stocks you are given data for stock prices and dividends rather than being given the stock return directly. Some of the stocks have undergone stock splits.

Environment of Firms Essay

Environment of Firms Introduction Business environment consist of all those factors that have a bearing on the business. The term â€Å"business environment† implies those external forces, factors and institutions that are beyond the control of individual business organizations and their management and affect the business enterprise. These forces are customer, creditors, competitors, government, socio-cultural organizations, political parties national and international organizations etc. some of those forces affect the business directly which some others have indirect effect on the business. Types of Environment 1Internal Environment The internal environment is the environment that has a direct impact on the business. Here there are some internal factors which are generally controllable because the company has control over these factors. It can alter or modify such factors as its personnel, physical facilities, and organization and functional means, like marketing, to suit the environment. A) VALUE SYSTEM The value system of the founders and those at the helm of affairs has important bearing on the choice of business, the mission and the objectives of the organization, business policies and practices. B) MISSION,VISION AND OBJECTIVES Vision means the ability to think about the future with imagination and wisdom. Vision is an important factor in achieving the objectives of the organization. The mission is the medium through which the objectives are achieved. C) Organizational Structure It includes the values and expectations of your firm’s stakeholders; its mission, goals and objectives; and its resources. These factors combined  determine what your organization is trying to accomplish and how successful it is likely to be. 5 basic parts of organization: Operating core, Strategic Apex, Middle line, Technostructure, and Support staff basic organization structure: a) Functional b) Divisional c) Hierarchical d) Line and Staff Structuree) Task Force The Need for Organizational Structure Organizations needs structuring so that lines of authority along with individual duties and responsibilities can be understood by every company member. f) Matrix Structure TRENDS IN ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES The growth in retailing, both on-site and off-site, has required merchants to readdress their tables of organization so that they will better serve the needs of their customers and make their companies more profitable. Some of today’s trends in organizational structuring for the fashion-retailing arena are described in this section. Restructuring to Accommodate Multichannel Expansion When department stores in particular expanded their catalog operations, many initially opted to make this division part of their brick-and-mortar operations. Similarly, when retailers saw that the Internet had the potential to increase revenues, they changed their organizational structure to reflect this and to make the overall operation function more efficiently. Today, the trend is for the major multichannel retailers to adjust and expand their tables of organization and separate the three functions into separate channels. Macy’s, for example, is one of the giants in the industry  that has changed to that format. Consolidation of Divisions The acquisition of department stores by major retail groups has become a dominant trend. May Department Stores and Federated Department Stores, for example, are two companies that have expanded their operations by purchasing other retail companies. In their pursuit of maximizing profits, these groups have, in many cases, decided to merge the new acquisitions into some of their own stores. May, for example, purchased sixteen Wanamaker’s stores and three Woodward & Lothrop stores and merged some into their Hecht’s division and some into the Lord & Taylor group. Through this practice, fewer buyers and merchandisers were needed as were other executives who previously worked exclusively for one store. As this acquisition trend continues, this staff consolidation is likely to continue as well. Decentralization Much of the growth in large-scale retailing has come about by expansion into new trading areas. Although centralization was once the forte of the chain organization, this expansion has necessitated some decentralization of functions. Merchandise distribution, for example, has now been decentralized to include regional operations. When stores were so far from the single distribution center, the time it took for merchandise to reach many of the units was both inefficient and costly. SMALL STORE APPLICATIONS The manner in which small stores are organized is unlikely to change, because these operations require few employees to run them. The key roles are usually performed by the owner or partners with the remainder of the functions such as selling and stock keeping left to the sales associates. When there isn’t a store manager on site, as is often the case, a particular salesperson should be designated to take charge and assign tasks such as handling temporary changes in sales associates’ hours. When outside tasks, such as advertising and visual merchandising, are required, outside agencies should be hired to take care of them. The need for in-house specialists to perform these tasks is limited and is too costly for small businesses to afford. Strengths and Weaknesses Strength is any attribute or ability of the organization that may help it in accomplishing its mission and in fulfilling its vision Weakness is any attribute or ability of the organization that may hinder it in accomplishing its mission and in fulfilling its vision †¢For example factors relating to products, pricing, costs, profitability, performance, quality, people, skills, adaptability, brands, services, reputation, processes, infrastructures, etc †¢Factors tend to be in the present Starbucks SWOT analysis 2013 Strengths 1.Sound financial records 2.No. 1 brand in coffeehouse segment valued at $4 billion 3.Starbucks experience 4.Largest coffeehouse chain in the world 5.Employee management Weaknesses 1.Coffee beans price is the major influence over firm’s profits 2.Product pricing 3.Negative publicity Opportunities 1.Extend supplier range 2.Expansion to emerging economies 3.Increase product offerings 4.Expansion of retail operations Threats 1.Rising prices of coffee beans and dairy products 2.Trademark infringements 3.Increased competition from local cafes and specialization of other coffeehouse chains 4.Saturated markets in the developed economies 5.Supply disruptions 2External Environment It refers to the environment that has an indirect influence on the business. The factors are uncontrollable by the business. Two types of external environment: Micro Environment The micro environment is also known as the task environment and operating environment because the micro environmental forces have a direct bearing on the operations of the firm. a) Suppliers An important force in the micro environment of a company is the suppliers, i.e., those who supply the inputs like raw materials and components to the company. b) Customer The major task of a business is to create and sustain customers. A business exists only because of its customers. c) Marketing Intermediaries The marketing intermediaries include middlemen such as agents and merchants that help the company find customers or close sales with them. d) Financers The financers are also important factors of internal environment. e) Public Public can be said as any group that has an actual or potential interest in or on an organization’s ability to achieve its interest. Public include media and citizens. Macro Environment Macro environment is also known as General environment and remote environment. Macro factors are generally more uncontrollable than micro environment factors. When the macro factors become uncontrollable, the success of company depends upon its adaptability to the environment. a) Economic Environment Economic environment refers to the aggregate of the nature of economic system of the country, business cycles, the socio-economic infrastructure etc. b) Social Environment The social dimension or environment of a nation determines the value system of the society which, in turn affects the functioning of the business. Sociological factors such as costs structure, customs and conventions, mobility of labor etc. have far-reaching impact on the business. c) Political Environment The political environment of a country is influenced by the political organizations such as philosophy of political parties, ideology of government or party in power, nature and extent of bureaucracy influence of primary groups etc. d) Legal Environment Legal environment includes flexibility and adaptability of law and other legal rules governing the business. It may include the exact rulings and decision of the courts. e) Technical Environment The business in a country is greatly influenced by the technological development. The technology adopted by the industries determines the type and quality of goods and services to be produced and the type and quality of plant and equipment to be used. Financial System of the Country and Selected Items of Monetary & Fiscal Policies The structure of the Philippine Financial system is dominated by a banking system. Bangko Sentral is the official central bank in the Philippines. The structure of the financial system allows the option to take debts and buy bonds or stocks. There are many private banks present for this purpose. Financial Institutions are the intermediaries that mobilize savings and facilitate the allocations of funds in an efficient manner Fiscal policy refers to the â€Å"measures employed by governments to stabilize the economy, specifically by manipulating the levels and allocations of taxes and government expenditures. Fiscal measures are frequently used in tandem with monetary policy to achieve certain goals.† In the Philippines, this is characterized by continuous and increasing levels of debt and budget deficits, though there have been improvements in the last few years. The Philippine government’s main sources of revenue are taxes, with some non-tax revenue also being collected. To finance fiscal deficit and debt, the Philippines rely on both domestic and  external sources. External Sources of Financing are: 1 Program and Project Loans – the government offers project loans to external bodies and uses the proceeds to fund domestic projects like infrastructure, agriculture, and other government projects. 2 Credit Facility Loans 3 Zero-coupon Treasury Bills 4 Global Bonds 5 Foreign Currencies Domestic Sources of Financing are: 1 Treasury Bonds 2 Facility loans 3 Treasury Bills 4 Bond Exchanges 5 Promissory Notes 6 Term Deposits In 2010, the total outstanding debt of the Philippines reached Php4.718 trillion: Php2.718 trillion from outstanding domestic sources and Php2 trillion from foreign sources. According to the Department of Finance, the country has recently reduced dependency on external sources to minimize the risks caused by changes in the global exchange rates. Efforts to reduce national debt include increasing tax efforts and decreasing government spending. Monetary policy is the monitoring and control of money supply by a central bank, such as the Federal Reserve Board in the United States of America, and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in the Philippines. This is used by the government to be able to control inflation, and stabilize currency. Monetary Policy is considered to be one of the two ways that the government can influence the economy – the other one being Fiscal Policy (which makes use of government spending, and taxes). Monetary Policy is generally the process by which the central bank, or government controls the supply and availability of money, the cost of money, and the rate of interest. The Philippines’ inflation target is measured through the Consumer Price Index (CPI). For 2009, inflation target has been set to be 3.5 percent, having a 1% tolerance level, and 4.5 percent for 2010, also having  1% tolerance. Also, the Monetary Board of the Philippines announced a target of around 4 ±1 percent from 2012 to 2014. Opportunities and Threats Opportunities are any issue, event or trend that may help the organization in accomplishing its mission and in fulfilling its vision Threats are any issue, event or trend that may hinder the organization in accomplishing its mission and in fulfilling its vision †¢for example, factors relating to markets, audience, fashion, seasonality, trends, competition, economics, politics, society, culture, technology, environmental, media, law etc †¢factors tend to be in the future