Poster presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Poster presentation - Essay Example a. Competitors – competitors are other companies who are offering the same product or services or an alternative to the product or services offered by a particular company. Competitors can either be direct or indirect competitors. Direct competitors are those companies who could offer the same product and services while indirect competitors are companies who could offer an alternative product or services. The political environment is the regulatory atmosphere of which Starbucks operate as a business. The political environment could determine whether Starbucks can open a franchise in a certain country or if its bean can be had without any regulatory issue (issue of quota, banned goods, taxation etch.,). Economic environment determines the financial capacity of its market. In the case of Starbucks, economic environment made Starbucks reconsider its position in the market when the financial crisis hit in 2008-2010 that companies were compelled to adapt to the new market realities to stay afloat as a business. Along with the financial crisis is also the changing economic behaviour of Starbucks customers whose purchasing habits changed dramatically along with their choices of coffee products. The â€Å"premium coffee† preference suddenly became less a priority and convenience and affordability moved to the forefront. The â€Å"prestige orientation† of Starbucks is no longer applicable in the changing behaviour of its customers. The use of technology is one of the advantage s of Starbucks from its competitors. Despite the crisis, it still managed to keep in touch with its customers with its web platform where customers can discussed about coffee. This became an online community where Starbucks reinforce with its own ingenuity of sending greetings during the customer’s important personal events such as birthdays. In addition, its Gold Card Holder facility through a cellphone helped maintain customer loyalty during the

Poverty alienation through increased private sector or state controlin Essay

Poverty alienation through increased private sector or state controlin Nigeria...what is the way forward - Essay Example Despite providing 95 per cent of foreign exchange earnings and about 60 per cent of government revenues, the oil sector’s contribution to GDP is less than 25 per cent. The agriculture sector is largely subsidized and has made a 26.8 per cent contribution to GDP in 2005. Industry and services contributed by 48.8 and 24.4 per cent respectively. Although, Nigeria had once been a large net exporter of food, it is now importing some of its food products. Nigeria’s economic progression has been disturbed by corruption, political instability and poor macroeconomic management for years. Following the restoration of democratic rule in 1999, Nigeria is now undergoing substantial economic reform (Anthony Maduagwu, 09/09/00). During the period 2003 to 2007, Nigeria put into effect National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS) which aimed towards raising the standard of living of the people by establishing macroeconomic stability through deregulation of the economic environment privatization of government ventures, economic liberalization and accountability. This initiative also addressed the basic deficiencies such as unreliable power supplies, poor infrastructure and lack of fresh water for household and irrigation. It was also aimed towards creating 7 million employments, boosting non-energy exports, increasing industrial capacity utilization, improving agricultural productivity and diversifying the economy. Similar initiative called State Economic Empowerment Development Strategy was also implemented at the state level. The UN sponsored the National Development Goals program for Nigeria, as a long-term economic development program, covering the period 2000-2015. Under this program Nigeria is committed to achieve number of set targets in the areas of poverty reduction, gender equality, health, education, environment and international development cooperation. Despite these efforts and with the presence of enormous

Growth, Development, and Economic Transformation Essay

Growth, Development, and Economic Transformation - Essay Example This would result in lesser inequality when a particular level of GDP per capita is achieved because of the trickling down of growth benefits. Furthermore, as economic growth takes place, people’s incomes grow and the resulting structural changes in the mindset and attitudes of people invoke them to become environmentally conscious which leads to ‘greener’ measures in the society, thereby reducing the rate of environmental degradation. The other aspect is that increased incomes and environmental awareness can induce governments to impose tighter environmental controls thereby enhancing environmental quality. Another theoretical framework to explain this is the â€Å"self-regulatory market mechanism† associated with the exchange of natural resources within an economy (Unruh & Moomaw, 1998). The stock of natural resources tends to decrease during the early growth stages which results in increased prices. This price signaling mechanism then induces lower explo itation of natural resources at subsequent stages in economic growth (due to high prices) (Unruh & Moomaw, 1998) (World Bank, 1992). Due to this reason, economies also tend to shift towards technologies that are less resource intensive. Thus, the shape of the Kuznets’ Curve (see Appendix 1) is not only explained by enhanced environmental government expenditure but also the price signaling mechanism of the free markets (Torras & Boyce, 1998). One school of thought argues that the present rate of environmental degradation has a tendency to enlarge in the long run, hence, government policy should aim at more rapid economic growth in order to climb up the hump or the turning point soonest possible. However this maybe a tedious process, taking several years before the curve slopes downward; the longer the wait the higher the abatement costs. Hence, the policy of waiting for the relationship to become negative can be potentially damaging. A more appropriate policy is to â€Å"tunn el through† the curve and to flatten it through government interventions such as subsidies on energy and agrochemicals and property rights on natural resources. It is also important to note that developing nations cannot follow what their developed nations did in early stages of development (Unruh & Moomaw, 1998). Infact, the amount of greenhouse emissions inherited by today’s less developed nations is much higher than that inherited by their developed counterparts in similar stage of development. Infact, several resource-intensive industries have shifted from the North to South, thus putting the latter at a disadvantaged position. In the absence of an international government, international environmental policies under the umbrella of ‘sustainability’ are required to enforce both wings (the developed and developing) to cut down environmentally harmful emissions. The change in proportions of labor and capital across various sectors in an economy is one of t he most significant features of economic progress of a nation. Research by Clark, Kuznets and Chenery has produced solid evidence for the notion of decline in the role of agricultural (primary) and secondary sectors of an economy and the simultaneous increase in the role of tertiary sector as the economy develops (Clark, 1940). However, in recent years there has been growing consensus amongst researchers such as Maddison, Buera and Kaboski that while the

Intelligence in Thirteenth Floor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Intelligence in Thirteenth Floor - Essay Example Before they can be relayed within the society to serve the members, the devices created need to be tested to ensure the necessary comfort and safety measure is reached to avoid complications that may harm the individual. Moreover, the adverse effects may be witnessed in the summed effects when the technology is observed as a national security threat. These are the measures considered in the construction of intelligence, and it has to clearly define the purpose of its creation. The pretesting of the intelligence that might be created has been supported in the creation of simulation that explains the preceding phenomenon. Movies have been created to explain the technological intelligence to be created in a world to follow the present. Creative movie directors are capable of predicting events within their movies to use characters with higher intelligence that hold the message of a higher intelligence. Josef Rusnak’s â€Å"Thirteenth Floor† had been created based on the int elligence created on a virtual reality world. Although these environments are fictional and present measures that are dependent on the movie’s plot development, the intelligence within thirteenth floor can be merged with the created technology to create an actual depiction of the events within the movie. Plot Development The character that draws controversy in the movie development is Hannon Fuller, who had successfully developed the intelligence in a virtual reality simulation to depict Los Angeles in 1937. However, the system is not complete in testing, and the events that follow the invention create the twist needed to predict the events that follow. Fuller is murdered before he completes testing his machine, and the suspect presented in the case is Douglas Hall. The events that had led to the murder are blurry to Hall who finds blood on his shirt to lead him to present doubts over his innocence. Hall had been Fuller’s apprentice and friend ad had helped with the pr oject that saw a new technology developed in the company. The LAPD investigated the murder case with McBain heading the investigations to grant the meeting between Jane Fuller and Hall (Rusnak). Jane and Hall establish a romance that lead to the culmination of the events that would witness the attempted shut down of the VR system (Rusnak). Jane is against the technology and had plotted to invent strategies to oversee the demise of the program. Another murder is presented in the bartender who had witnessed Fuller and Hall’s meeting which lead the suspect to be apprehended. However, Hall is soon released after Jane testifies against the action to disapprove the suspects. Hall, full of anger and suspicion attempts to derive the truth of the events in the message that he had been left by his mentor, Fuller. He meets Jerry Ashton who had learnt the truth that the world he had live in had been a simulation and that Hal was a visitor from another realm. This had been through a messa ge that Fuller had addressed to Hall, and he attempts to murder the foreigner in the quest for redemption. Ashton attempts fail as Hall manages to escape from the world in time before the assassination in the virtual world. He attempts to find Jane in his world but finds a copy who fails to recognize him leading Hall, to reveal the truth that his own world is a simulation. Revelation Hall’s worlds had been revealed as a simulation and one that had managed to create a parallel

Campbell's targets growing make grocery shopping Case Study

Campbell's targets growing make grocery shopping - Case Study Example The role of classical conditioning also comes into play at this stage. The advertisement acts as a conditioned stimulus (role of shopping performed by men) and the target audience is exposed to this advertisement to elicit the conditioned response (men go out to shop). Table A reveals that both men and women tend to buy less variety so as to reduce the number of items purchased. In general, both genders do not make a list of the specific brands they intend to buy. More than half; 56% men and 51% women list only the categories they have to buy. Neither men nor women choose products because they fetch discounts on loyalty cards. However 33% men and 36% women buy store brands to save money. A vast majority of shoppers; 73% men and 78 % women rely on previous usage and experience while selecting brands. Very few shoppers base their choice on product label and packaging. More women (43%) tend to shop for ‘all-purpose’ cleaning supplies than men (31%). Women also have a tendency to look at a store circular (59%) and make additional unplanned purchases (54%). On the other hand, 49% of the males go through a store circular and only 44% make unplanned purchases. List making behavior, especially making list based on ingredients needed for recipes, elicits pretty divergent behavior between the two genders. 46% of the women make such lists as against 33% males. A lot of women (52%) select brands on the basis of coupons picked up from home as compared to 40% of the males who base their purchase decision on this parameter. If a product is requested by a household member, 44% of women pick it up while only 30% of the males do so. The aforesaid discussion suggests that marketers of packaged-goods grocery items should have their products and brands listed on the circulars in the stores since 49% of the men tend to read such circulars. The advertising objective should be to make the brand synonymous with the product category since 56% of the men mention only

Engineering Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Engineering Management - Research Paper Example borrowed from the society practices and must consider the immediate environment to ensure that the organization’s operations are not against the norms of the society, which may work against to their disadvantage. Managers should also understand that organization norms vary from one company to another and are set based on what every organization values most. One missing link that most construction managers need to comprehend is the connection between the organization’s culture and efficient delivery of construction projects. This is because organizational culture influences the perception of its members, controls their behaviors, and integrates its internal processes with the external demands to ensure harmonious correlation with all the factors influencing construction (Cheung, Wong & Wu, 2011). Practicing engineering managers need to understand that all construction contractual agreements, procurement procedures, and utilization of construction materials are based on culture of the organizations. This will help protect the organization against abuses and leaves management with no room for guesswork. In case engineering management fails to appreciate organization culture, there is the risk of conflicts and resistance in the execution of the constructions plans from several quarters (Fellows, 2010),such as the community, the employees, and different dependable departments that directly impact the construction like procurement and finance, thus minimizing the overall

The Affordable Care Act and Primary Care Essay Example for Free

The Affordable Care Act and Primary Care Essay The purpose of this paper is to discuss the importance of providing increased access to primary care and the expected impact of the 2010 Affordable Care Act on the delivery of primary care in the United States, extending current trends through the year 2023. Addressed topics will include a brief overview of the Affordable Care Act, current state of primary care and the impact of the Affordable Care Act upon primary care patients, providers and payers. The Affordable Care Act In March 2010, President Obama signed comprehensive health reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. This law makes preventive care, including primary care, family planning and other services more accessible and affordable for many Americans. According to the Center on Budget an Policy Priorities , the ACA would expand health care coverage to 32 million citizens who are currently uninsured. Expanded coverage of Medicaid and Medicare allows for increased inclusion of individuals who previously were not eligible for state and federal health insurance programs. The Medicaid expansion is 100% federally funded for the first three years (2014-2016) and at least 90% federally funded through 2022 and beyond (CBO, 2013). Included in the law is health insurance reform that makes illegal preexisting condition clauses in health insurance coverage and provides coverage for young adults under a family health insurance plan. Affordable Care Act and Primary Care 3 The uninsured and self employed would be able to purchase health insurance through state-based â€Å"exchanges†. Subsidies would be available to those who cannot afford to purchase insurance if they meet income requirements. Primary Care in the United States In the United States medical practice was not regulated until the 20th Century. Medical care was provided by a â€Å"doctor† who may or may not have been trained at a medical school. Many doctors received no formal training, learning as apprentices. These early practitioners provided a multitude of medical services to an entire family including delivering babies, setting fractures, surgeries, diagnosing and dispensing medications. Through organizations such as the American Medical Association the practice of medicine became regulated. These early pioneers were the early practitioners of primary care. Influenced by American ideals and desire for technology and wealth, the number of medical students choosing a path in primary care diminished in favor of specialty practice such as surgery, cardiology, radiology, etc. For several years there has been a decline in the United States primary care workforce. Primary care providers include general practitioners, general internal medicine practitioners, family physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. The United States healthcare system has been facing a decline in its primary care Affordable Care Act and Primary Care 4 workforce, infrastructure and access to primary care services for several years. According to research (Petterson,2013) a number of factors, including poor reimbursements to primary care providers, low comparative income, and poor quality of work life due to high patient loads, have contributed to more providers choosing to train and practice in specialty medicine. This trend has led to a shortage of primary care providers across the country, likely contributing to fragmented care, inappropriate use of specialists, and less emphasis on prevention. Patients People who have access to a regular primary care physician are more likely  than those who do not, to receive recommended preventive services and timely care for medical condi ­tions before they become more serious and more costly to treat by visiting the emergency room instead of a primary care provider (Abrams, 2011). Patients are more likely to adhere to physician recommendations when seen by a primary care provider. Among low-income patients, access to primary care is associated with better preventive care, better management of chronic conditions, and reduced mortality. Preventing illness is as much a part of primary care as is the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions. The Affordable Care Act provides positive incentives to encourage people to obtain preventive primary care services. Through provisions in the act, applying to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, as well as the privately insured, the law eliminates coinsurance, deductibles, and co payments for approved preventive services Affordable Care Act and Primary Care 5 and tests, such as blood-pressure and cancer screenings, mammograms and Pap tests, and immunizations. Studies have shown full coverage of preventive services with no patient cost, increases use of preventive screening services over time (Abrams, 2011). In a study of low-income patients, researchers found that even small incremental changes in co-payments had a substantial impact on the afford ­ability and utilization of care. Included in the ACA is the concept of a patient â€Å"medical home.† This is a pri ­mary care site that provides patients with timely access to care, including availability of appointments after regular office hours with patients to manage health conditions and prevent complications, coordinates all care, and engages in continuous quality improvement (Abrams, 2011). Primary care providers will be the coordinators of the medical home. These medical homes will also ensure greater coordina ­tion between the primary care site and local emergency departments. Primary Care Providers With the ACA the total number of primary care office visits is expected to increase from the 462 million visits in 2008, to 565 million in 2015. Also  expected is the need for an additional 52,000 primary care providers by 2025 due to insurance coverage expansion (Hofer, 2011). The ACA will entice primary care providers to accept more of the newly covered by increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments for primary care services. There are two Affordable Care Act and Primary Care 6 provisions in the ACA that augment payments to primary care providers, one provides a bonus to providers whom participate in Medicare, the second increases reimbursements for Medicaid participation. The goal of these financial incentives is to stabilize and expand the existing primary care workforce. The Affordable Care Act invests an estimated $3.5 billion in the primary care provider bonus program from 2011 to 2016. As a result, Medicaid primary care phy ­sicians are estimated to gain an additional $8.3 billion in reimbursement between 2013 and 2019 (Abrams, 2011). To address this growing shortage of primary care providers, the Affordable Care Act provides support of education and training for primary care providers and community health centers. The Affordable Care Act includes $1.5 billion authorized over 2011 to 2015 for the National Health Service Corps to provide scholarships and loan forgiveness for primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants practicing in health professional shortage areas (Abrams, 2011). Other provisions that offer financial support for training new primary care physicians include more favorable loan repayment require ­ments for the federally supported Primary Care Loan Program and a loan repayment pro ­gram for pediatric sub specialists and child or adoles ­cent mental or behavioral health providers working in underserved areas. The necessary midlevel primary care practi ­tioner is recognized through scholarships, loans, and loan repayment programs, as well as through the creation and expansion of training opportunities. Affordable Care Act and Primary Care 7 Payer The Affordable Care Act brings an unprecedented level of scrutiny and transparency to health insurance companies. The concept of an insurance exchange is a major component of the federal Affordable Care Act. An important component of the federal law is that individuals must have health insurance with federal subsidies to help them pay for it. To improve access and protect patient rights, ACA introduces new commercial insurance standards, such as the removal of medical underwriting, elimination of lifetime limits, prohibition of pre-existing condition exclusions, and removal of cost-sharing for preventive services. Insurance plans will be required to cover essential health benefits which are defined under the ACA (Rosenbaum, 2011). Insurance companies expect significant changes in enrollment, demographics, and plan types. Economic, behavioral, political, and strategic influences are expected to shape the changing insurance coverage landscape, according to a Department of Health and Human Services Report. Implications for insurance industry stakeholders are considerable, due to being regulated by state and federal government. Insurance companies and insurance trade publications are stating they will be forced to raise premiums due to ACA requirements, fess and taxes forced upon them ( DHHS,2013). The ACA imposes an annual fee or excise tax on most businesses that provide health insurance, starting in 2014. The fee will be raised proportionately each year among Affordable Care Act and Primary Care 8 insurance providers based on their share of the health insurance market (DHHS, 2013). Certain insurers are exempt from federal excise tax, including public charities and social welfare organizations. In addition, nonprofit insurers that receive more than 80 percent of their gross revenue from government programs that target low-income individuals, seniors, and people with disabilities (including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program) are not subject to the tax. Supply and demand will determine how the excise tax is ultimately split between insurance companies and purchasers. Insurers have recently turned in strong financial results and thus are well positioned to bear some of the tax (DHHS, 2013). It is speculated they will pass a portion on to consumers. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that premiums subject to the fee will be 2 to 2 ½ percent higher than they would otherwise be. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that ACA will slightly reduce premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance in the near future. For employers with more than 50 workers, CBO estimates that the law will reduce average premiums by up to 3 percent in 2016. For small employers, the estimated change in premiums ranges from an increase of 1 percent to a reduction of 2 percent . It is important to note that the health insurance industry will gain millions of new enrollees in the next few years as a result of ACA. Insurance plans providing preventative health coverage will benefit financially by providing less expensive care for treatable Affordable Care Act and Primary Care 9 chronic conditions and early diagnosis on other medical conditions. Summary  With the oncoming implementation of the Affordable Care Act the benefits of the plan encourage the active role of the primary care provider. The uninsured patient now has access to health care that will afford him a better quality of life and address the financial implications of a poorly managed health care system in the United States. The ACA provides a means to entice more into the field of primary care. While it is in the early stages of scrutiny, the health insurance industry is a growing industry and is positioned to be profitable as a result of ACA, even with increased regulation. Conclusion With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the United States is positioned to provide a more sustainable and stronger health care system, due in part to the primary care provisions provided with the ACA. The health care system outlined would provide expanded service for patients, improve outcomes and quality and reduce future health care spending for the nation. References Abrams, M., Nuzum, R., Mika, S. and Lawlor, G. (2011, January). Realizing Health Reform’s Potential. The Commonwealth Fund. 1, 1-8. http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Publications/Issue-Briefs/2011/Jan/Strengthen-Primary-Care.aspx Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. (2013, July). Status of the ACA Medicaid Expansion After Supreme Court Ruling. Retrieved from http://www.cbpp.org Congressional Budget Office. (2013). CBO’s Estimate of the Net Budgetary Impact of the Affordable care Act’s Health Insurance Coverage Provisions Has Not Changed Much Over Time. (CBO Publication No. 144176). Washington, D.C. U.S. Government Printing Office. http://www.cbo.gov/publication/44176. Department of Health and Human Services. (2013, February). Health Insurance Premium Increases in the Individual Market Since the Passage of the Affordable Care Act. (DHHS. Research Brief). Washington, D.C. http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/2013/RateIncreaseIndvMkt/rb.cfm Hofer, A., Abraham, J., Moscovice, I. (2011, March). Expansion of Coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Primary Care Utilization. Milbank Quarterly. 89(1): 69-89. http://www.milbank.org/publications/the-milbank-quarterly Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 42 U.S.C.  § 18001 (2010). Petterson, S., Liaw, W., Phillips, R., Rabin, D., Meyers, D. and Bazemore, A. (2013). Projecting US Primary Care Physician Workforce Needs: 2010-2025. Annuals of Medicine. 6, 503-509. http://annfammed.org/content/10/6/503.full Rosenbaum, Sara. (2013, February). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Implications for Public Health Policy and Practice. Public Health Reports. 126, 130-135. http://www.publichealthreports.org/