Ge Healthcare India

akManagement 3040 Understanding the International Environment of Firms GE Healthcare in India: An Ultrasound Strategy? Introduction GE Healthcare India, a joint venture between General Electric and the Indian multinational Wipro Ltd. , was the market leader in the ultrasound machine market with sales growth of 10% for the previous fiscal year in 2007. The enormous market potential and General Electric’s successful low-cost operations fitted well with the aggressive sales strategy that the corporation had established.Solely on a business point of view, GE Healthcare India had tremendous growth potentials in the still developing market, but the social side of ultrasound machines was threatening to kill the future of the industry. Initial Conditions General Electric entered India in the 1980s and â€Å"early investments by GE in India gave their technology and business-service sectors crucial credibility and cash when other companies still viewed the country as a risky backwater . Many even credit then GE CEO Jack Welch with fueling the economic boom that would come to India in the 1990s. GE Healthcare joint-ventured with Wipro Corporation, India’s third largest software provider, and their activities included the design and manufacture of ultrasound scanners and cardiology products; sales and service of medical imaging and information technology products; parts and services logistics; software services and technology solutions; training-in-partnership programs; and design, sourcing, and manufacture of diagnostic imaging systems.As a venture in India with $100 million in revenues, GE Healthcare was the country’s largest medical systems sales and service provider, outpacing its competitors which included Toshiba, Siemens, Philips, and Mindray International Medical. The company began manufacturing and selling ultrasound machines in India in the 1990s, and took advantage of Wipro’s robust and extensive distribution and service networks to deliver its product to approximately 80% of its customers. The company’s diagnostic equipment sales in India had risen to $250 million by 2006.Ultrasound technology was the most profitable market for GE Healthcare and was used in early detection of fetal defects or complications during childbirth; diagnosis of gallbladder disease or obstructions; evaluation of blood flow in blood vessels; identifying abnormal structures or functions in the heart; detecting kidney stones and measuring the blood flow through the kidney; detecting prostate cancer early; and increasingly, ultrasound was used in emergency room diagnoses.GE Healthcare had helped introduce ultrasound technology into the rural areas of India where only 20% of India’s hospitals are located although 70% of the population resides there. GE was also making significant inroads into providing affordable and quality health care technology to Indian patients. Having ultrasound available in rural areas had cut costs tr emendously for patients as well as fear, as the diagnostic tests were performed in the comfort of their own villages. Many more people were getting medical attention they needed.A major social issue was the use of ultrasound machines as tools in prenatal gender determination and the resulting abortions of female fetuses. The 2001 Indian census revealed that there were only 927 girls to every 1000 boys, compared to 962 girls to 1000 boys twenty years earlier. A December 2006 UNICEF report stated that 7 000 fewer girls than expected were born daily in India. A study by the British medical journal â€Å"Lancet† indicated â€Å"that prenatal sex determination and selective abortion probably accounted for nearly all the deficit in the number of girls born as second or third children after previous female births. If such trends continued, many social scientists predicted social upheaval, even war. In India many families preferred sons to daughters for a variety of reasons, includi ng cultural taboos. Boys continued the family name and bloodline, earned money, looked after the family, and took care of parents in their old age, while girls were just a burden that was to be deployed to another family when the child became of age. In Hindu tradition, a son was supposed to light his parents’ funeral pyre so literally almost from creation to cremation, women are discriminated against.Even before the development of modern technology, baby girls were often the victims of infanticide: left to die or killed shortly after birth by gruesome means. Infanticide decreased with the introduction of ultrasound machines as aborting female fetuses became commonplace. There were no Hindu restrictions on abortion, and only minimal legal constraint. The Indian government has tried to pass many laws restricting sex selection. The Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act in 1996 banned the use of technology, such as ultrasounds and sonograms for the purpose of sex-selective abortio n.With the ineffectiveness of the Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, the government started a â€Å"Respect for Girls† campaign through which mothers with daughters received twice as much money as the mothers of boys. Some districts provided girls from poor families a place to live, free schooling and supplies. Currently, GE Healthcare has a number of cases against it and is fighting in court to clear its name. The company was accused of selling ultrasound machines to â€Å"quacks,† as it offered cheap credit that made the machines affordable to most doctors.The company faced legal issues, intense government restrictions, pushback from activities for what they considered its aggressive sales tactics, and a myriad of business problems. The company had taken steps to minimize illegal use of the machines. It had educated its salespeople about the government restrictions, required affidavits from its customers stating that they would not use the machines to predetermine a fetus’ sex, and conducted frequent audits to ensure that its clients were in compliance.In 2004, the first year that GE Healthcare took these steps, the company admitted that its sales had shrunk by 10%, particularly in the low-end Indian market but sales had rebounded by 2006. Analysis India is a fast developing country, with a large population, where healthcare needs are growing at a rapid rate. Continued development of the country’s infrastructure allows for companies to reach the large market of 70% of the population that lives in the rural areas. Low frequency of hospitals in the country side is a potential problem, but as industrialization spreads, the number of hospitals will increase.Sales in the ultrasound industry for GE Healthcare were up by 10% and a projected 20% for the following year looked more than achievable. GE’s joint-venture with Wipro Corporation puts the company as a forerunner in the ultrasound market as it takes advantage of Wipro†™s robust and extensive distribution and service networks. The $77 million ultrasound industry is set to grow further and GE Healthcare is in pole position to lead the pack. The social unrest against ultrasound machines due to the rising abortion rates of female fetuses threatens to slow down the industry.The high rate use of the machine to check the gender of fetuses undermines the other very helpful uses that the ultrasounds provide. Government regulations against ultrasounds and the â€Å"Respect for Girls† campaign provide tough road blocks for all major players. GE Healthcare is at a cross road where it has to choose between revenue and social responsibility. Or be able to distinguish itself from the misuse of ultrasound machines and prove that this is a government, not an industry problem. A decision over whether the production of ultrasound machines in such an environment fits with GE’s mission and values is vital to be made.Would GE’s strong position l ead it to a sudden and fast fall or would it help lead the company out of this mess? Such a peculiar situation seems to have major road blocks at all directions. Options The success of GE Healthcare in the ultrasound industry and its recent increase in revenue provide a strong case for the company to continue implementing its aggressive sales strategy. The company is leader in industry revenue and sales and has access to a well developed distribution network, unlike its competitors. The advantage gained in the past decade is hard to be given up.A continuation of the current strategy has a few benefits. First and foremost, the company headquarters will be pleased that their target goal is being pursued and, possibly, achieved. This will increase the interest in India and provide larger investments that could help expand the business exponentially. Having the funds to utilize the enormous future potential of the industry would expand the gap between GE Healthcare and its competitors a nd establish it as the undisputed number one in the ultrasound Indian market.If a rise of 10% occurred during economic times that were becoming more and more difficult in the Western world, than India’s importance to the company headquarters could become enormous. While the company might sustain a decrease in revenue elsewhere in the world, in India it can rely on a steady growth that could help stabilize the global impact of the recession. Cheap labor costs, and potential increase in sales due to the opening of more and more hospitals, can even help GE Healthcare surpass that 20% target growth rate. Another major positive that would result from this strategy is that it will help India with its social problems.Every society has its flaws and banning something that is very helpful because of the actions of some people seems wrong. Ultrasounds are used for many more things other than scanning for the gender of a fetus. Major medical uses include diagnosis of gallbladder disease or obstructions; evaluation of blood flow in blood vessels; identifying abnormal structures or functions in the heart; detecting kidney stones and measuring the blood flow through the kidney; detecting prostate cancer early; and increasingly, ultrasound was used in emergency room iagnoses. All of these procedures may help relieve pain and save many lives, especially in the rural areas of the country. With an increased pressure by the popularity of ultrasound machines, the government would be forced to finally start implementing its laws and decrease substantially the illegal use of the machines. A company should not be held responsible for illegal uses of its otherwise very beneficial product, and the Indian government should understand that and deal with the matter appropriately.On the other hand, a negative social and governmental response could damage GE Healthcare’s strong industry positions. The higher you are, the further you fall, and as the company is an industry lea der, it could suffer the most significant losses when compared to its competitors. Social pressure to stop the use of ultrasound machines could spread and turn into anger against the companies producing the machines. When children’s lives are at stake, nothing is more important, even in the Indian society where there is a clear negativity against girl babies.It often happens that social problems of a society are transferred onto innocent businessmen and kill off a large money-making industrial sector. Another option that the company could take is to stop giving out cheap credit to customers that can’t afford to buy the machine in one installment. Such an option could turn out to be a double-edged knife, but it could help the company gain some much needed ground with the government. A decrease in sales might follow, but the brand GE will be preserved and disassociated from the baby girl problem that India has faced for centuries.The biggest advantage of taking such a ro ute would be to ease off the social pressure from local scientists that GE Healthcare receives. The company is currently accused of exploiting the demand for boy children and such negative publicity hurts the corporation’s image in the grand scheme. Customers that tend to use credit to buy ultrasound machines are usually those that practice medicine by themselves and not in a hospital and are more prone to doing illegal practices. Currently India has very few hospitals in the rural areas which leaves many people with limited health care.But as the country continues its rapid development, more and more hospitals will open which would bring a whole new market to the industry. The new hospitals would want good publicity and would not want to be associated with companies that sell their products to â€Å"quacks. † Although in the short run sales will suffer, in the long run such a strategy seems to bring more benefits than harm. A much needed good publicity will not only h elp the company repair its image, but it could also help with the judicial problems that GE Healthcare is currently under.A decrease in sales to people that can’t afford an ultrasound system would most likely reduce the illegal practices of ultrasound machines in the rural areas and ease off the pressure a little bit that the industry faces. Sometimes it is more beneficial to suffer a temporary setback and preserve what you have, than to keep pushing and lose everything. A completely different approach available to GE Healthcare is the discontinuation of ultrasound machines. Although this is the company’s best selling product, a stoppage of sales would completely erase the social pressure and prompt the company to focus on its other products.Losing ground in one place could sometimes pave a path for expansion in other areas. Obviously, the most important advantage of discounting the sale of ultrasound machines would be that many more girl fetuses will be saved and the company would be doing the right moral thing. At the end of the day, saving lives is the greatest thing tanyone could do, and not many options to do so can be bypassed. Such a move would most likely help terminate all court cases that the company faces and free it to exploit other marketing options.It is very hard to pay attention to other industries when one casts such a large shadow over them. That is exactly what ultrasound machines seem to be doing due to their high demand and wide use. The biggest disadvantage would undoubtedly be the enormous loss of sales and the loss of ground to industry competitors that could affect other medical sectors as well. Not to be overlooked is the enormous market growth that lies ahead of this large country’s future. Business is run to make money, and such opportunities don’t present themselves very often.GE Healthcare’s joint-venture with Wipar could also suffer as the local company would see no benefit to continue business with a company that crumbles under social pressure. It will most likely break off and look to pair up with a different industry player, leaving GE without Wipar’s distribution network. Recommendations What should the company do to meet its goals, remain socially responsible, and get over its court cases and media bombardment? It is very difficult to make a decision when so many factors are in place and so much lies on the line.Are money or the unborn babies more important? Would a retreat ease off the killings of girl fetuses? And would other companies follow suit and drop off or ride the storm and reap the benefits from the distant brighter future? Usually, at the end of the storm, there is a golden sky. The brave prevail and the weak crumble and don’t ever regroup. GE Healthcare is currently in a very strong position in a growing industry that will bring enormous profits for the company in the future. It is not selling anything dangerous, but rather a product that sa ves lives everywhere around the world.GE Healthcare has helped India with its sudden economic rise in the 1980s and 1990s, and there is no reason for it to run away when it is in such a profitable decision. The recent 10% revenue increase rate shows that the industry is very healthy with a lot of potential. A very large part of the Indian population is currently not provided for medically, which is an enormous potential market. The current tough economic times around the world would slow down sales elsewhere, but not in a country that is developing in such a fast rate, especially medically.GE Healthcare is more than able to meet its goals and continue improving and innovating and gain even more ground in the ultrasound industry. The biggest and only real issue that the whole industry faces is the significantly lower numbers of girls being born when compared to boys. Many social scientists blame the ultrasound machines for this and tend to overlook the cruel and gruesome ways that fa milies have found to put to death already born babies. The problem is not current, but rather centuries old, long before GE decided to enter the Indian market.Most importantly, this is a social and governmental problem. GE Healthcare is not a government entity to be expected to be socially responsible for everything, although it is trying its best to do so. Campaigns like â€Å"Respect for Girls† that are aimed at increasing social awareness of a rising problem are exactly what the government and not GE Healthcare should do. If the company decides to pull away of the industry, there is no guarantee that its current competitors would do the same. In fact, it is far more likely that they take advantage of the new potential customers and make GE’s pull out pointless.But even if the whole industry gets banned, which is highly unlikely, the Indian families will sadly find ways to continue their centuries old traditions and seek baby boys instead of girls. One thing that the company should do to ease off the media pressure and meet its image of being socially responsible is to raise its credit interests and force cheap doctors to stop buying for illegal purposes. The affidavits that the company makes all customers sign shows that the company is aware of the social problem and is helping out in any way it can.It can also emphasize on the other important uses of ultrasound machines and make people aware of the enormous health benefits that the machine provides. GE Healthcare has done a lot for India, being one of the first foreign businesses to enter and invest in the country. It has paved the way for other companies to enter the country in many different industries and India should be grateful to GE for helping it jump-start its development and not blame it on social issues that have existed for a long time.At the end of the day, the company entered India to make money. It is doing so by providing the country with a product that can decrease the mortali ty rate and increase the average lifespan of people if used correctly. It is also morally responsible by keeping track of its machines and trying to sell them only to qualified customers. An increase in the credit rate for those that need it to buy the machines could decrease media pressure and prove that GE Healthcare is doing whatever it can to remain socially responsible and keep a positive brand image.

Christmas party Essay

The dorm that I am supposed to live in was a terrible sight. At least that was my initial reaction during my â€Å"college move in day†. Countless staircases, smelly and scary corridors, a room that is so small and a chatty roommate gave me such a negative first impression of where I am to be stuck in throughout college life. An impression that fortunately is not going to last†¦ Countless Staircases and Odd-Smelling Corridors The seemingly countless staircases and endless climbing to the third floor of the dormitory made it excruciatingly difficult for my feet to move on. The corridors that lead to my room are quite dark and wood-smelling making it more creepy and intolerable to walk through. Miniature Room The room is exceedingly small that there is almost no space in between those two sets of twin bunk beds and one king size foldout bed that may be turned out into a sofa during daytime. In spite of its size though, it holds a private bath with shower. It also has a cable television, coffeemaker, DVD player, microwave oven, as well as, refrigerator. Conversational Roommate The dorm room is made lively by an exceedingly talkative roommate. We are four in the room: one is a senior, another is a sophomore and two of us are freshmen. Our roommate who is already in the senior year greeted me by bombarding me with countless questions including: â€Å"What course are you enrolled in? Are you going to take up BS Biology as well? Do you know the scientific name of spider? What is your favorite animal? Do you have the courage to hold large frogs, remove the skin of a cat, and dissect a horse? † When I responded â€Å"yes† to the first two questions and â€Å"no† to the third and last question, she was quick to comment and suggest that I should be prepared with college life and that even it is only the first day the following day, our professors are sure to already give us excruciating quizzes. Dwellers’ Relationship Our room in the dormitory though it looks and smells very old is still exceptionally lively because of the dwellers’ relationship with each other. Sometimes, we do not bother to go to the mess hall and eat or to the mini library and study room to browse through our lessons. We just stay in our room no matter how cramped or inadequate the space is. We bond together in our room when â€Å"working out, eating, and even studying† (Xplore.. n. p. ). Sleeping Difficulties Since the dorm room is designed to hold all beds close to each other and no dividers were made available, I had troubles resting or sleeping because two of my roommates have been engaged in non-stop snoring especially at night. Enjoyable Dorm Room There are other pleasant things or descriptions that go along with our dorm room in spite of all the aforementioned complaints and negative adjectives mentioned though. First of all is when there are social events, for instance, â€Å"open house†, â€Å"Christmas party†, â€Å"valentine’s day celebration† etc. During these days/events, the dorm room, especially ours is full of life. During â€Å"open house† days, the room is full of decoration, sandwiches, donuts, as well as, fruits are set on the table, the coffeemaker is continuously switched on; while during â€Å"Christmas party†, even the corridors are spray painted with green and red, the walls of the room are newly painted with Christmas designs as well, then gold-colored balls and multi-colored lights are placed after also, miniature trees are placed in a corner along with small socks and gifts beside and around it; during â€Å"valentine’s day† however, red hearts of all sizes may be seen, either they are glued on to the walls or hanging from all over the ceiling. The decorated dorm room at the time of social events uphold the emotions of an individual that even if loved ones are not living with you in that room, you are bound to feel that you are at home and they will be there for you no matter what (Xplore.. n. d. ). Second, we have our own lockers outsized enough for our backpacks. The hassle of packing before leaving and unpacking after arrival is avoided because we can just place our things there when we get to the dorm and we can just pick it up the next time we leave for school again. Third, folded study tables are provided to us to make studying more interesting and motivating. These study tables have several drawers wherein we can place our school supplies including our books, notebooks, pens, pencils, etc. there are other small compartments as well for any school-related material that needs to be placed where it can be taken speedily and conveniently. Fourth, the dorm room is also provided with an â€Å"exterior patio† where you can enjoy your cup of coffee in the morning while watching the ever bright rising sun. It is also the perfect area for making abstract paintings during a lazy afternoon. In addition to that, it is wonderful to just sit there and observe the slowly setting of the sun and even the moon and stars in the middle of the night. A place that is just right for students who wanted to relax, reminisce, or just stare into blank space while passing the time. Finally, the dorm room is full of life because of the things that are in it. These include shining gold and silver medals, as well as, elevated & soaring trophies. All these are bagged by our higher level roommates during the previous semesters. The gold and silver medals were typically acquired from academic contests like science, math, and history quiz bees; while the trophies were obtained from soccer championships. The room seemed to be very much alive because it has gotten hold of such awards. The room is radiating with brilliance, sport-mindedness, determination, intelligence, competence, and excellence as it exhibits the recognitions, prizes, and rewards of the people that it houses. Reference Xplor Communications. On- Versus Off- Campus: Part 1. 2004. n. a. 22 January 2008 http://getouttoday. com/collegelife/living/apartment/aptvdorm. htm

Database

DBDC11D| Database concepts| Assignment 1| | Robyn Wright| 3/27/2013| | Contents Introduction2 Task 13 1. 1Definition of database management system3 1. 25 Advantages of database management system3 1. 33 Business functions database management system could do3 1. 45 database management system packages3 1. 510 Factors when choosing a database management system3 Task 25 2. 1Create a database if it does not yet exist5 2. 2Show if the database has been created5 2. 3Use a specific database5 2. 4Delete a database5 2. 5Create a table with columns5 2. Insert information into a table5 2. 7Extract certain information from a table6 Task 37 3. 1The eight stages of the database design process7 Conclusion9 Reference List10 Introduction A database is a group of information that is stored in a computerised way for easy access, organization and reupdating http://searchsqlserver. techtarget. com/definition/database (2013). Databases can be used in many different ways and in many different companies. In t his assignment we see how a database can fit into a law firm. Task 1 1. 1Definition of database management systemSoftware that allows a computer to perform database functions of storing, retrieving, adding, deleting and modifying data (Mike Chappel, 2012). 1. 25 Advantages of database management system 1. Minimized data inconsistency – In a properly designed database, the chance of finding inconsistency within the data becomes very slim. 2. Less redundancy – Inside the database, the data is only recorded in one part of the database. This reduces the amount of redundancies (or copies) of the data as well as save storage space http://navdeep19. blogspot. om/2012/04/advantages-and-disadvantages-of. html (2012). 3. Backup and Recovery Procedures – The data is backed up regularly to protect the data from being lost due to power failures, lightning etc. 4. Security – Will only allow people who are authorized to get access to the data as well as update and retri eve data. This minimizes the chance of data getting to people who are unauthorized access the data http://www. myreadingroom. co. in/home/226. html (2013). 5. Sharing – If people have authorization, they can access the information from other locations.Database Management System and DataMany people can have access to the same set of data at the same time. The data can also be shared between certain programs. 1. 33 Business functions database management system could do 1. Show upcoming court cases 2. Retrieve case files faster 3. Search through the information to locate specific information, ex, searching for similar case 1. 45 database management system packages 1. Microsoft SQL server 2. MySQL 3. Oracle 4. Sybase 5. IMB Informix 1. 510 Factors when choosing a database management system 1. The price of the database 2. The features comply with what is needed . Supported programming language 4. The scalability of the database 5. The transportability of the database 6. Can it con tain the information I need to use it for 7. Does it work on the operating system used in the company 8. The platform and the database comply with each other 9. It performs well, is not known to have many, to no problems 10. Decide on the type of database that is needed Task 2 2. 1Create a database if it does not yet exist Create database if not exists bransonclientdb; 2. 2Show if the database has been created SHOW DATABASES LIKE ‘bransonclientdb’; . 3Use a specific database USE bransonclientdb; 2. 4Delete a database DROP DATABASE bransonclientdb; 2. 5Create a table with columns CREATE TABLE client (clientNumber int(11) not null, clientLastName varchar(45) not null, clientFirstName varchar(45) not null, Title varchar(5) not null, TellephoneNum varchar(10) not null, CellNum varchar(10) not null, primary key (clientNumber)); 2. 6Insert information into a table INSERT INTO client VALUES (‘001’,’Boehm’,’Barry’,’Mr’,â₠¬â„¢0123456789’,’0831235657’); 2. 7Extract certain information from a table SELECT * FROM overdueWHERE OutstandingAmount >1200 ORDER BY clientFirstName; Task 3 3. 1The eight stages of the database design process Step 1: Purpose of the database This is where the information/ data for the database is found. We locate the information as well as decide on the database type, what database to use. We would use the following item to help in this step: Business rules (to understand what the table names could be). Example of information found in this step would be: using MySQL, the model structure, planning for the next steps Step 2: Data informationThis is the step where all the information is organized. We organize it into required information and not required, into names, surnames, ID number – this is to get column names for our tables. Note that nothing has been created yet. Example of information found in this step: client_ID; client_first_name; client_last_n ame. Step 3: Table sorting and structure This is the step where we begin to create a database. We start creating entities and table structures. This is the base, or foundation of the database, nothing can exist without it.Examples of what is found in it: a table named court_dates, or a table named client_lists Step 4: Columns and records In this step we input at the information into the tables. We firstly enter all the relevant fields or columns and then we enter the information into the relevant fields. What can be found: a table Step 5: Primary Keys This step, is where we, inside the table define which column will become the primary key for the table. Here is an example of a statement setting a primary key (red block) The primary key helps to identify rows Dr. Croft, N. (2013).An example of a primary key is: clinet_id Step 6: Relationships In this step, we define how tables are related to each other. If it is a one to one, one to many or a many to many. It is a way to define what data in one table is related to in other tables. Example would be a one to many. Step 7: Design Revisions We check for any design flaws in this step, add foreign keys and add adjustements to the design where needed. Example: Adding foreign keys Step 8: Normalization In the last and final step we check for errors in our tables, we make sure they are structured correctly and are removed of all redundant behaviour.Conclusion In this assignment I have learnt how to navigate the basics of MySQL. I learnt how to add information and select information from a database. I learnt about the reasoning behind creating a database and why it is a better choice than that of a paper based nature. Reference List Administrator (2013)  Advantages and disadvantages of DBMS. [online] Available at: http://www. myreadingroom. co. in/home/226. html [Accessed: 23 Mar 2013]. Dr. Croft, N. (2013)  Database Design Concepts. Johannesburg : CTI Education Group. Navdeep19. blogspot. om (2012)  Excellence: Ad vantages and Disadvantages of Database Management System (DBMS). [online] Available at: http://navdeep19. blogspot. com/2012/04/advantages-and-disadvantages-of. html [Accessed: 23 Mar 2013]. Chapple, M. (2012)  Database Management System. [online] Available at: http://databases. about. com/od/administration/g/dbms. htm [Accessed: 19 Feb 2013] Searchsqlserver. techtarget. com (2013)  What is database? – Definition from WhatIs. com. [online] Available at: http://searchsqlserver. techtarget. com/definition/database [Accessed: 26 Mar 2013]

Job Automation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job Automation - Essay Example in an article named Automation and the healthcare cost curve dated April 2012 reports how the Dallas-based Parkland Health & Hospital System adopted automation in the pharmacy. The hospital has a robotic pick-and-pull system which can locate, prepare, and package pharmaceuticals for each patient. This helps the hospital reduce the number of staff required to furnish the orders. Another important area is the evidence-based care where automation is visible. An example is the Atrius Health which has nearly 1000 physicians employed at nearly 30 locations. The group was finding it difficult to keep its al physicians well-informed of the new developments in evidence-based medicine treatment protocols. For that purpose, the physicians had to rely on an online service from a clinical decision-support system named UpToDate. However, as it required the use of web browsers, the physicians had to leave the electronic medical record to conduct any search. However, presently, this service is installed as an additional button with the Epic EMR system. That means it is easier and more convenient for the physicians, thus saving a lot of time. At this juncture, it becomes necessary to go back to Parkland Hospital to see how it reduced its financial counselors by 35% through the adoption of automated eligibility rechecks. Earlier, people used to come back again to see a counselor to requalify to receive public assistance for medical care. However, presently, the system has introduced automation in this area, which allows 100% automation in eligibility rechecking. Another area is the labs of hospitals. Admittedly, present day labs are capable of receiving specimens, and centrifuging and loading the specimens onto an analyzer. The automation continues till the result is released. It is accepted by most healthcare experts that such labs are free from issues associated with human errors like mixing up specimens, interchanging results, and misplacing specimens. One cannot ignore the

Athens and Florence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Athens and Florence - Essay Example Freestanding sculpture became a popular culture amongst artists in Athens between 300 and 400 BCE. Political structures of renaissance Florence comprised of city-states wherein a more or fewer residents shared authority. This made politics slightly core complex for Italy considering the rest of Europe during this era had monarchial structures of government. City-states in Florence made oath-making and duties a world of civil conflicts amongst leaders. By 1425, Florence had a population of 60,000 with twelve artist guilds acting as a foundation for social life. These guilds controlled social influences within Florence through highly held positions. Lastly, culture in renaissance Florence depended largely on wealth. A trend for self-marketing by merchant guilds slowly turned into a cultural feature of Florence and its renaissance benefaction. Wealthy individuals reveled in personal adoration and spiritual prosperity that founded Florence’s culture during the 1400s. The most important similarity between Athens during its golden age and renaissance Florence is their introduction of democratic or representative types of administration, profound literature, and art into their respective regions. The most important difference between these two cities is that Athens serves a model for determining accomplishments made by western cities from the fifth to fourth centuries B.C.E. and Florence used wealth to identify its culture, government, and

Software Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Software Company - Essay Example Strengths†¢ Good knowledge about different software development languages and platforms†¢ Owner is aware of cross cultural diversity and may adopt a new marketing and management strategy†¢ Ability to forecast increases the chances of survivability for the company during financial recessions†¢ High-quality product and cost-effective price†¢ Interested and passionate about software development†¢ Professional Web design and information architecture†¢ Good company locationWeakness  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Lack of reputation in (country name) market†¢ Owner has to prove himself in (country name) market†¢ Because company is a sole proprietorship, may be slow response time for customers†¢ Limited production rate†¢ Limited growth rate†¢ Services are limited to medium-sized and large companies  Opportunity  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Software development is a thriving industry†¢ Future strategic alliances†¢ Retainer contractsThreats  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ New comp etitors entering markets†¢ New technological changes†¢ Economic slowdown†¢ Political, legislative, and regulatory changesActions for addressing weaknesses: To increase the responsiveness of the company, the owner will always carry small tablet with him at all times.Future growth opportunities will be considered, such as becoming a registered company to increase product rate and growth.

Pharmaceutical Industry in United States Assignment

Pharmaceutical Industry in United States - Assignment Example The Company conducts business in virtually all countries of the world with the primary focus on products related to human health and well-being. The paper presents the financial ratio analysis of Johnson & Johnson for the past three financial years and highlights its financial outlook. The ratios presents the company’s financial outlook is strengthened and is able to manage its finances prudently. The ratio analysis shows that the company has enough liquid assets through which it can pay off its liabilities and also can finance its operation for the foreseeable future. Moreover, the company is efficient enough, as represented by the ratios, to reduce its cash operating cycle and convert its sales into money quickly. The analysis shows that it would be prudent to invest in the company as the shareholders can earn significant return through capital gain, by disposing the shares later, and also through dividend. Introduction to the Pharmaceutical Industry in United States The top of the worldwide pharmaceutical market is the US and it is expected to hit almost $345 billion in 2014. The second largest market is the Japanese market and then the European market including Germany France, and Chinese market (Market line industry guide, 2012). However, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers (IFPW) shows that growth rates in developed and developing markets based on their capability to recover from the economic crisis is significantly inconsistent. According to the research of Urch Publishing (2012), the global pharmaceutical industry in 2014 is expected to be worth over $1 trillion with a 5% compound annual growth rate. The pharmaceutical industry becomes more competitive. Major competitor companies Company HQ location Pharmaceutical Segment Sales Total revenue Share of pharmaceutical segment $Million $Million % Johnson & Johnson US 25,400 67,224 38% Pfizer US 51,214 58,986 87% Novartis Switzerland 32,153 56,673 57% Merck US 40,601 47,267 86% Roche Switzerland 35,200 45,500 77% Sanofi-Aventis France 39,940 42435 94% AstraZeneca UK 43,143 43,143 100% GlaxoSmithKline UK 27,758 40,722 68% Eli Lily US 19,934 22,603 88% Source: 2012 Annual Report of the companies As Table5 shows, the majority of the largest pharmaceutical companies not only focused exclusively on pharmaceutical products such as AstraZeneca and Sanofi-Aventis but also developed and manufactured other health care products. However, they still regard pharmaceutical partitions as the core of their business that offer over 50% of their incomes. However, Johnson & Johnson is an exception because its sales of pharmaceutical products are 38% of total sales. I will analyze GlaxoSmithKline firstly because it is significant competitor of AstraZeneca in the UK. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is a science-led global healthcare corporation researches and develops a wide range of innovative products. GSK is Britain’s biggest drug maker (Hirschler, 2012). A balanced synergisti c business, with multiple growths, drivers supporting a core pharmaceutical R&D operation (2010 Annual report, p3). It has three primary areas of business including Pharmaceuticals, Vaccines and Consumer Healthcare. It has created more diversified business for past five years. Moreover, delivery of sustainable growth across portfolios is GlaxoSmithKline’s objective. It has 87 manufacturing sites and R&D centers in the UK, USA, Spain, Belgium and China. Its purpose of R&D is to improve its pipeline products safely and efficiently to produce new medicines, which deliver improved treatments that

Why is Human Resource Management Important Essay

Why is Human Resource Management Important - Essay Example This essay discusses that in the global business environment, it is impossible to have technology, machinery or processes which are not available with a firms competitors. But even in the most technological and fully automated facilities, it’s the skill of employees and their commitment which tends to create the competitive advantage. Every successful company has at least one or more competitive advantage that is factors which enables the company to differentiate its products and services from that of its competitors and in a way increase the market share. For example, Apple creative employees tend to produce innovative products. Southwest Airlines is the low cost leader with effective employment policies which motivated the work force. Competitive advantage is the new perspective catchphrase of HRM and business which is mainly achieved by organisation through its employees. This helps to reinforce the value and importance for human resource planning, compensation, recruitment and selection, diversity management and others types of human resource practices. Companies value the employees as return on investment and not just cost which is to be borne by the employer. The advantage is thus not only derived from formal reshaping and reorganisation but also with respect to training and expertise which is made available to the organisation. The adaptability by the employees allows the organisation to have strategic flexibility along with the commitment of the employees to the business plan of the organisation and their goals are the other benefits of the competitive advantage for an organisation.... mployees are likely to give excellent work which in return adds value to the organisation; with sound employee relation it encourages investors to buy shares and raise funds for the company; the resources of the organisation are used in the most effective way through recruitment of the best people; the organisational culture tends to be more conducive to quality performance; change can be easily implemented and the core competences of the organisation are enhanced as well as strengthen (Simms, 2005, p.8). According to research, it has been indicated that with HRM practises a firm can have a strong impact over competitive advantage. Number of studies has shown the links between HR practises and profits. A study conducted by Chris Ryan has founded that there exists a relation between the HRM practices and shareholders return. It was concluded that nearly about 15% to 30% of the total value is attributed to the HRM practices which included providing employees with an effective training; letting the employees know what is expected from them and discharging the employees who are below average (Kleiman, 2003, p.13). Objectives of Human Resource Management as Strategic Management Goal Human Resource Management is often described as an approach towards traditional personnel management. Thus HRM can be defined as a set of procedures, policies, programs which are designed in order to maximise the organisation and personal goals. It is in fact the procedure which binds the individuals and the organisation together with a main purpose of achieving the desired objectives. The strategic HRM is all about adaptation and integration, thus the objective includes HRM is integrated with the strategic needs and strategy of the firm or organisation The policies of Human resources are

Evaluation Design of grant application assignment

Evaluation Design of grant application - Assignment Example It will be crucial for this evaluation to capture the resources available at the time of commencement. The evaluation will seek to capture the number of people who will have received the content of the awareness campaign and the media through which they received the information. It shall assess how much crime will have been prevented thus far compared with the rate of crime in Philadelphia before the implementation of the project (Bestsinger et. al., 2004). Additionally, the evaluation will measure the number of partnerships that the implementation will have garnered thus far. In regards to the performance objectives, the evaluation will seek to determine the number of Philadelphia community members who will be attending training. The number of training sessions and their frequency will be documented. The evaluation shall seek to document how the activities of the project are filed. Philadelphia community members shall be assessed for how much they will have learnt on the use and maintenance of surveillance cameras. Crime reports will be scrutinized in order to capture how much will have originated from the general population and not from investigations initiated by the Philadelphia Police Department (Bestsinger et. al., 2004). In terms of impact, data will be collected on both the unintended and intended outcomes of the Residential Surveillance Cameras Installation Project. The short-term, mid-term and long-term outcomes will be captured during evaluation. Specifically, Philadelphia residential premise owners will be assessed for change in attitudes and beliefs about crime and crime prevention (Bestsinger et. al., 2004). There will be an evaluation team that will be charged with the collection of crime facts and figures. The team will be composed of five members who will have thorough knowledge of the technical aspects of

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 383

Assignment Example Most of the victims of drowning usually experience â€Å"near drowning.† This is seen as temporal survival after a victim aspirates fluids into the lungs. Thus, drowning should be critically taken care of as it poses fatal effects to the brain, plus other vital systems. Respiratory therapists are thus expected to first evacuate the patient if still in the water, keeping in mind the state of the breathing and looking out for associated injuries. They should also arrange for fast transport where indicated and avoid resuscitating if demised is obvious (Golden, Tipton and Scott, 216). Secondly, they should do a primary survey where the airway, breathing, circulation, and deformities (ABCD’s) are checked. Evacuation from waters, cardio pulmonary resuscitation stabilizing of the cervical-spine and its alignment ensured suctioning of water, secretions and foreign bodies, stabilizing and reducing movements of the body especially the head. All management of hypothermia has proven significance in assisting submersion victims. Thirdly, ensure that all near- drown victims are taken to a hospital as delayed pulmonary complication or mortality may occur. Concurrent injuries, scuba-diving associated problems also other disorders amenable to field treatment should be also considered. Elevate the backboard head 30 degrees if there is loss of consciousness, tilt it to the left side to facilitate drainage of secretions and water. Ensuring close monitoring of the comorbidities, emesis, convulsions, respiratory distress, respiratory/cardiac arrest and behavior changes have proven to improve prognosis (Golden, Tipton and Scott, 216). One distinctive response is the mammalian diving reflex, where the physiological response of the body to submersion in cold water includes shutting down the body parts selectively so that energy could be conserved for survival. It is believed that the facial contact