Montefiore Medical Center Essay

1- Why does Elaine Brennan need to develop a new strategy now? A great manager will be the one who is able to examine the environment, determine opportunities and threats, plan accordingly, implement the plans and evaluate the results of his planning on frequent basis to add more value to what his/her organization is built to accomplish. Elaine Brennan needs to develop a new strategy now because according to the Systems Look at Healthcare, a merger has happened between two facilities each of which provide a different level of care. Each of these facilities was 4 miles away from each other, and both of these facilities’ staff members were operating in silos. Since Montefiore agreed to operate Einstein’s patient-care facility back in 1963, its scope of coverage increased to about 1.2 million residents, 65% of which are minority populations. Montefiore had 16+ competitors in the Bronx area, a condition that led to lower scores at the national level, together with lower compensation levels for employees, unsatisfied patients, amounting to a budget deficit of about $57 million dollars in 1995. Even with the consolidation of the two health care facilities, still there are certain disadvantages that need to be taken care of. There will be fewer workforces to provide for the desired level of care after downsizing. With that on hand, more responsibilities will be granted at the expense of enjoying the usual authority level granted to staff. One final challenge that will add to the necessity of formulating a new strategy for Montefiore medical center is related to the concept of organizational change and the leadership styles needed to support that organizational change. Level| Target Parameter| Pressing Matters (Needs)| D: Environment.| 1- Competition.2- Regulations.3- Demographics.4- Payer Policies.| 1- 16+ other hospitals in the Bronx area.2- Difficult reimbursement potential from payers.| C: Infrastructure.| 1- Infrastructure.2- Leadership.| 1- Separate administrative teams.2- leadership teams adaptation to change.| B: Microsystems.| 1- Teams.2- Tools.3- Logic.| 1- Downsizing.2- More stress and turnover.3- more span of control with less authority.4- Decreased quality.5- Cultural consolidation.| A: Patient.| 1- Coverage.| 1- Provision of services to 1.2 million residents.2- 65% minorities (Hispanics and African Americans).| 2- Does the GRIP strategy meet the needs of this organization? According to the Systems Thinking, Montefiore’s corporate strategy should be most influenced by the four key environmental factors (competition, governmental regulations, demographics, and payer policies), yet the current GRIP business strategy which was formulated by Brennan, is supposed to be specifically addressing the Acute Care Division as a business unit, not the entire organization. On the other hand, the case doesn’t indicate which levels of management participated in the meetings Brennan conducted for planning the new strategy for the Acute Care Division. Moreover, and as we go down the organizational hierarchy, strategic goals should be more constrained by corporate level strategies, more detailed with shorter life spans according to the plans provided, and finally, more action-oriented with more specific goals. Given all of the above, I think that what Brennan managed to create was a GRIP strategy that was tailored for the whole Montefiore organization. As regards whether it met the needs of Montefiore, I think it broadly addressed some unmet environmental needs that are provided in the following table: Also, the Systems Thinking model tells us that no system is ever completely stable. Per se, the GRIP strategy is beneficial but it will not guarantee the stability of the Montefiore medical center. There is no clear space for metrics that will measure success of the operations after implementing such strategies. Also there is expected delay in the performance of the organization if metrics were not identified to measure performance at the national level. If the Balance Scorecard (BSC) section was included as a way to implement the new strategy, then I would say that the new strategy will meet the needs of the organization. 3- Why was implementing the scorecard concept by the medical staff difficult? a- The scorecard concept requires data collection because these data will later on be reported to different levels of managers. Only then that managers will be able to judge if their goals are being met or not and then act accordingly. The data collection part of performance improvement is the most tedious and time consuming task in process improvement projects. b- In order to keep the patient flow within the Montefiore medical center, some subspecialties had to be accommodated by all hospital departments in order for revenues to keep coming out for the whole health care facility, except for that due to that each unit had its own revenues and expenses, which made it hard to create a new system for monitoring patients between departments and services in order to build revenues according to overall expenses. c- It was hard to involve some physicians into the suggested scorecard process maps. Physicians usually think that what they ordinarily do is best for the patient, especially when it leads to treatment or cure from disease or condition. They can’t embrace doing something different that is addressing unusual metrics from the ones they are used to use. They also look at learning about improvement as a first step towards undermining their authority and ego. d- From a human resource point of view, Lewin’s model of organizational change, and Kubler-Ross model for overcoming organizational resistance to change, take time to get results out of them. Kubler-Ross model for overcoming organizational resistance Source: www.movida.net78.net 4- What could Brennan have done better? a- Brennan could have done better to involve physicians into project teams in a more consistent and solid way. When physicians are involved in the value mapping process, they can provide valuable inputs to data gatherers, which – on the long run – can save a lot of data gathering time for the regular evaluation process. It also will increase the project team’s cohesiveness and collaboration towards attaining their goals. Otherwise, the deployment of the scorecard system into the newly designed health care centers will be much more difficult and time consuming which is not good in the face of the great competition lying ahead. b- Brennan also could have done better to spend more time on studying how the different staff members of the different care and support centers will respond to the new responsibilities in shaping improvement tools for Montefiore medical center, and then try to create feedback circuits that will both reward over-achievers and highlight reluct ant or incompetent workers. c- I think that Brennan should have done better to recommend that every department use only national-level strategies and not both national and local-level ones. Individual metrics tend to be too easy to accomplish, and its fulfillment may lead to a false belief of accomplishment, which is not good in the face of sustaining a competitive advantage. d- I don’t think that linking compensation to performance will be an obstacle in front of reducing budget deficits for the new system. I think that due to organizational change, there will be downsizing at all organizational levels, and may be some middle level active managers and medical staff will be promoted to high level or more operational-involved positions at a relatively lower salary. The bottom line is that there will be deficit reduction but at a much slower pace, together with a re-inforcing feedback for performance. e- I also think that Brennan has taken implementation of the GRIP strategy a little bit too fast. She might be tempted by the quick $15 million cost savings that she accomplished from downsizing on some managerial positions in 1996, but it is still a fact that if she wanted more solid environmental stability during the implementation of the new strategy, she has to allow time for unfreezing, moving, and freezing stages of the Lewin’s model of change.

Legal Framework †Employement Act Essay

The company complained that Encik Pokok’s application for leave was only received by Encik Bunga on the 26th November 1996. The leave application was not approved because it was not following the company procedure and secondly, reasonable excuse was not given. Encik Pokok was dismissed without internal inquiry done. Encik Pokok claimed that he had submitted his leave application on the 23rd November 1996. His application was pass to his friend to be given to his supervisor, Encik Daun. He assumed that his leave application was authorized. Encik Pokok said that he went to the Pejabat Kadi on the 23rd November 1996 to settle his sister in law’s case and the next two days, to celebrate their engagement. For the 26th November 1996, he claimed he went to the labour office in Temerloh with his friend. Due to fatigue, he did not go to work. He made a verbal leave application to the company through one of the company’s officers who was available at that time. Encik Pokok claimed that he was unlawfully terminated. He complained that internal inquiry had to be done prior to his termination because it violates Section 14 of the Employment Act 1955 and Item 35 of the joint agreement. Power to make awards 35. —(1) A Court shall have power in relation to a trade dispute of which it has cognizance to make an award (including an interim award) relating to all or any of the industrial matters in dispute. (1A) A Court shall not consider a dispute relating to the dismissal of an employee or make an award relating to the reinstatement of an employee except in circumstances arising out of a contravention of section 82. 2) Notwithstanding subsection (1A), where an employee considers that he has been dismissed without just cause or excuse by his employer, in circumstances other than those arising out of a contravention of section 82, he may, within one month of such dismissal, make, through his trade union, representations in writing to the Minister to be reinstated in his former employment (3) The M inister may, before making decision on any such representations, by writing under his hand request the Commissioner to inquire into the dismissal and report whether in his opinion the dismissal is without just cause or excuse instated in his former employment. (4) The Minister, if he decides to deal with the representations himself, shall before making a decision thereon give an opportunity to the employer to make representations in writing as to the reasons why he considered the dismissal of the employee to be justified. 5) If, after considering the representations of the trade union and of the employer (if any) and any report made by the Commissioner under subsection (3), the Minister is satisfied that the employee has been dismissed without just cause or excuse he may, notwithstanding any rule of law or agreement to the contrary — (a) direct the employer to reinstate the employee in his former employment and to pay the employee an amount that is equivalent to the wages that the employee would have earned had he not been dismissed by the employer; or (b) direct the employer to pay such amount of wages as compensation as may be determined by the Minister. 5A) The employer shall comply with the direction of the Minister under subsec tion (5). (6) The decision of the Minister on any representations made under this section shall be final and conclusive and shall not be challenged in any court or in a Court established under this Act. 7) Any direction by the Minister under subsection (5) shall operate as a bar to any action for damages by the employee in any court in respect of the wrongful dismissal (8) An employer who fails to comply with the direction of the Minister under subsection (5) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction by a District Court to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both. 9) Where an amount to be paid under subsection (5) is not paid in accordance with the direction of the Minister and the employer has been convicted of an offence under subsection (8), the amount, or so much thereof as remains unpaid, shall be recoverable by a District Court as if it were a fine and the amount so recovered shall be paid to the employe e entitled under the direction. Answer: As the defending lawyer, the Company did not make a correct decision in terminating Encik Pokok. The reason is because Encik Pokok has attempted to inform the Company by submitting the leave application form to Encik Daud through his friend on 23rd Nov 1996. Encik Pokok also made a verbal application for leave on the 26th November 1996 through a company official on duty at that time. This would mean that technically he was not absent for more than two consecutive days. Therefore ; According to Employment Act 1955, section 15(2), An employee shall be deemed to have broken his contract of service with the employer if he has been continuously absent from work for more than two consecutive working days without prior leave from his employer, unless he has a reasonable excuse for such absence and has informed or attempted to inform his employer of such excuse prior to or at the earliest opportunity during such absence. The Company also failed to conduct a domestic inquiry to give Encik Pokok a chance to defend himself and offer reasonable excuse why he failed to turn up for work. Therefore Section 14(1) of the Employment Act applies. According to Employment Act 1955 section 14(1), An employer may, on the grounds of misconduct inconsistent with the fulfillment of the express or implied condition of his service, after a due inquiry – (a) Dismiss without notice the employee; Habitual absenteeism (of less than two days at a time but on a frequent basis) would be defined as unauthorized absence from work on a certain number of days per month over a 6 month period. Initially warnings would be given, but if the absence persists, the employee may face dismissal. The failure to be punctual would be treated the same way as habitual absenteeism. In this case, the company failed to show whether Encik Pokok is a habitual absentee by not producing historical records of his attendance. However reported cases show that a breach of contract and termination are dealt as separate issues. As such a breach of contract may not lead to an automatic termination of employment. The consequence of such a breach would depend on the conditions of employment. Conclusion Encik Pokok was a victim of wrongful dismissal and the company must reinstate him immediately. The company has the right to issue written warning for the 24th and 25th November 1996 for unauthorized leave. Question 3 (b) You are defending lawyer for the Company. Has the Company made a correct decision in terminating Mr. Good . Discuss? Case facts: Mr. Good was charged with sleeping while on duty on 12th June 1997 at 7. 30pm in the music room at Tan Sri William Cheng’s house in Petaling Jaya. Mr. Good was instructed Vide a letter on 17th June 1997 to attend an inquiry on 20th June 1997 to hear the charge. Mr. Good says that he had been dismissed without due inquire. He denied that he had committed the offence alleged of and argued that the company had merely acted on suspicion. Answer: Company did not make a correct decision. This is due to the fact that Mr. Good was not caught sleeping red handed and Mr. Bad and Miss Sexy’s allegations were only implied. There were actually no eye witnesses. The court may conclude as it is only allegation as there is no evidence of Mr. Good committing the misconduct, as such the Company even failed to: 1) The Company did not conduct a domestic inquiry. The company should call for domestic inquire as it is an internal inquiry into some alleged misconduct by an employee. The main objectives of the domestic inquiry are to establish whether the alleged misconduct is proven or not and if the misconduct is proven, to recommend a punishment that is appropriate to the offence committed. The complainant is normally the management of the company but sometimes, can also be the victim of the alleged misconduct. At the domestic inquiry, the employer will present its case and the employee is given an equal opportunity to defend himself against the charges of misconduct. Under Employment Act 1955 Section14 (1) where an employer may on the grounds of misconduct inconsistent with the fulfillment of the express of implied conditions of his service, after due inquiry – 2) Absence of show cause letter or letter of disciplinary, As to Mr. Bad and Ms. Sexy’s statement on Mr. Good was caught committing the same offence 3 years ago, there were no records as the company did not issue any show cause letter or letter of disciplinary action. Conclusion The Company did not follow the proper dismissal procedures in accordance to Employment Act 1955, which relates to misconduct.

Eco-tourism Essay

Ecotourism is defined as responsible travel to natural areas that protect the environment and improve the welfare of local people (International Ecotourism Society (TIES), 2005). It also follow certain principles such as minimize impact, build environmental and cultural respect, provide financial benefits to local people. Global ecotourism began in 1990, and has been growing 20-34% per year, especially in 2004, ecotourism was growing globally 3 times faster than the tourism industry as a whole; with continuous growth, and ecotourism will occupy 25% of the world travel market within six years. Ecotourism has advantages and disadvantages. It can contribute to a country’s economic development and also benefit local people. For the poor countries, tourism is the second most important source of foreign exchange, after oil. It also can bring job opportunities and increase local people’s income. However, the disadvantage cannot be neglected. Ecotourism can produce pollution an d damage the environment. According to TIES (2005), there are 109 countries with coral reefs, 90 of them are being damaged by cruise ship and sewage. It also estimated that the cruise ship produce more than 70,000 tons of waste each year. The shock to local culture is also a big problem. Recently, the advantages of ecotourism are still being debated. This report is concerned with the advantages and disadvantages of  ecotourism. Though the disadvantages of ecotourism caused big problems but advantages of ecotourism far outweigh its drawbacks. 1.Definition of ecotourism. Ecotourism involves responsible traveling to fragile, pristine and mostly protected areas. This takes place for different purposes, from educating the traveler, fostering respect for different cultures to directly benefiting the economic and political empowerment of local communities. Ideally, ecotourism incorporates the following criteria; promote biological and cultural diversity, touring unspoiled natural habitats, and the main attractions being local culture, flora and fauna. In short, ecotourism operations are defined by their commitment to the environment, education, nature and culture. The main objectives of ecotourism are providing nature-based, environmental education experiences for visitors and managing this in a sustainable manner. Ecotourism offers a great opportunity for educational as well as personal growth as values of appreciation and attitude changes are instilled in participants which would lead to significant involvement in environmental and social issues in the future. Essentially, the dimension of ecotourism as an educational experience creates a new window for viewing the whole world and one’s self. It offers an opportunity to show the growth and development of various learning experiences while at the same time exploring another country or culture and going beyond one’s preconceived limitations. Nature based tourism includes a range of tourism experiences that entail adventure tourism, cultural and rural tourism. In addition, activities such as rafting and scuba diving are forms of nature based ecotourism. On the other hand, sustainable ecotourism aims to address on the needs of visited environments to sustain them. The main focal points include sustaining the natural environment itself and contributing to help local communities understand the importance and value of their adjacent environment. Sustainability is drawn from the concept of sustainable development which is development that focuses on meeting the needs of he present generation without hindering the ability of the future generations from meeting their own needs. The basic criteria for sustainable ecotourism include; the sustainable use of ecological resources, increased  environmental and cultural awareness, conservation ethos, support of local economies through increased revenue from visitors and the use of lo cal supplies and services. It is important to note that for ecotourism to be realized the above components need to be integrated on a wholesome package. Eco tourism entails the incorporation of nature as the main laboratory for informal learning through which attitudes and values on conservation are appreciated and instilled. For these natural resources to be available for the unforeseeable future, sustainability has to come into play. Several differences between ecotourism and other forms of tourism can be outlined. To start with, the key difference existing is that ecotourism involves learning about the environment whereas other forms of tourism such as adventure tourism only focus on personal accomplishments of successfully meeting the challenge of the natural environment. Generally, the tourism industry focuses on market demand by attempting to foster, maintain and expand the market world which mostly draws it away from focusing on maintaining the product or experience. The addition of facilities and infrastructures to cater for the demand result in the destruction of pristine environment and the indigenous experience which ecoto urism attempts to reverse by reducing these impacts of tourism. Ecotourism maintains a supply oriented management perspective with primary considerations being the nature and resilience of the resource, cultural or local community preferences and interpretive conservation programs. Tourism on the other hand, focuses on individual experiences that may overlook the relevance of in-depth learning of the natural environment and indigenous knowledge essential for changing people’s attitudes and perceptions. Nature based tourism is seen as a subcomponent of alternative tourism and ecotourism is highlighted as being part of both alternative and natural based tourism. This is because nature plays a big role in both. In addition, the interaction between natural environment and adventure travel are components of adventure tourism. This points to adventure travel with certain risky elements which when lowered become logical extensions of ecotourism. Time, a very fundamental commodity would also be used to differentiate other forms of tourism from eco tourism. The time taken to interact with nature and local communities in ecotourism is substantial due to the time taken to appreciate what the environment provides. Funds accruing from tourism  activities are not ab solutely used to improve the livelihoods of local populations, they may not trickle down to these communities when allocated on a national scale. Instead they form a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product of most economies. On the other hand, funds collected from ecotourism institutions are diverted to activities aimed at improving the lives of local communities. This is because these populations play a vital role in ensuring the sustainability of the environment through proper management and protection to curb overexploitation. The subsequent impact of human activities on the environment is yet another difference between ecotourism and other forms of tourism. The fact that ecotourism addresses the values and perceptions of individuals which impact to a greater extent the appreciation of the environment thereby reducing the magnitudes of exploitation of these resources is a prime definition of ecotourism different from tourism in general. Behaviors such as the proper disposal of waste in campsites or tourist environs are emphasized in ecotourism as compared to other forms of tourism which overlook the importance of such actions. Ecotourism emphasizes on interaction based on the proximity to the natural habitat, for example, watching dolphins in their natural habitat, the ocean, while mainstream tourism does not emphasize on the natural environment such as watching dolphins in an aquarium. The levels of interactions described by Fridell (2003) are different in the two concepts. Ecotourism based activities involve a close interaction with the environment with actions such as species identity and indigenous knowledge on certain phenomena. The level of interaction related with tourism on the other hand is perceived to be shallow as little is learnt from the environment. In some areas, excursions are conducted using vehicles making it difficult for tourists to interact closely with the environment. Despite the aforementioned differences, similarities also exist between ecotourism and other forms of tourism like sustainable tourism, adventure tourism amongst others. First of all, both recognize the environment as the main functional unit. Activities developed from both are environmentally related as it forms the main feature. Scuba diving, nature viewing, participating in eco-challenge activities are just but a few of the activities environmentally based. Secondly, as expressed by Anderson & Beasley, the human being is the main driver of both concepts. These concepts are  developed and actualized by humans who also contribute to their continuous application. This is due to the fact that the human person recognizes the adjacent environment around him as it is important for his survival. The environment is the producer of goods and services for human consumption, and equally acts as an assimilator of waste produced from human activities that process final products for his use. Without it, humans cannot survive hence the essence to conserve and protect it. The end result of both concepts is to create avenues of exposure to opportunities of the environment and its subsequent conservation. The environment offers more than just resources. It creates an aesthetic feeling as well as favorable atmospheres for relaxation both mentally and physically. Such opportunities are made available through ecotourism and tourism. Both venture in to pristine environments that are either protected by government policies or local populations. Pristine environments are less exploited or not ventured into at all and offer a great variety of species and ecosystems. Both tourism and ecotourism aim towards sustainable development. There is usually a conflict between development and environment al conservation with both extremes bringing about inadequacies in adaptation owing to the current global situations of negative environmental impacts and effects of the global village. Ecotourism therefore attempts to meet the needs of the local people while tourism focuses on a much bigger population putting the country’s citizens in perspective. An eco- tour refers to a sightseeing excursion in physical nature. An ecotourist then refers to a tourist who joins an ecotour. With the above definition, it is worth noting that eco-tourists may fail to understand the difference between ecotourism and mainstream tourism. This occurs in circumstances where they fail to understand the roles expected of them to distinguish them from other tourists. In addition, the sites chosen for excursion purposes may determine them as tourists. An eco-tourist who accesses a tourist site such as an aquarium or mausoleum located away from its original site would fail to understand the difference between him and a tourist. In cases where tourists are given an opportunity to learn from the available environment with the help of tour guides or game rangers, they are awarded the same o pportunity of acquiring knowledge just as those seeking such knowledge from ecotourism areas availed to them by local community members hence the difference between them is narrowed. A case study on the  educational experience in ecotourism in Peru, The Condor Lodge Conservatory is well discussed below. The conservatory is located in Apurimac Canyon and is settled in a natural environment, with close proximity to the Antilla Community and surrounded by an eco-farm. Most families share sleeping space with the Kuyi, a type of guinea pigs. The area is also surrounded by gold mines and has been at the forefront of ecotourism efforts in the region. It has also created string networks with local tourist agencies, international tourists and planning small group visits that are aimed at creating a harmonious relationship with the environment. It is further characterized by undisturbed wilderness, wildlife diversity, hospitable people and a spectacular view of the Andean Condor which create an exceptional educational experience. A case study of the Campi ya Kanzi, an ecotourism site in Kenya. This site is stretched over 400 miles of African wilderness, within the Kuku Group Ranch of Southern Kenya. The area is owned by Maasai herdsmen and extends through to Mt. Kilimanjaro. This environment is well endowed with wildlife diversity of fauna and flora. The ranch also contains pools, a lake and springs. The lodge in the area has minimal impact on the environment as buildings are constructed from local material such as lava rocks, thatch and lumber obtained from a reforestation program. The foundations of the lodge was based on protecting wildlife, the wilderness and Maasai culture as well as obtain financial support for maintaining a place where wildlife can flourish. To sum up, Campi ya Kanzi is an ecotourism lodge, built, owned and run by the local community for the benefit of the environment and local people. In conclusion, Ecotourism is an aspect that incorporates tourism but is specific in nature. There are limitless similarities that exist between ecotourism and tourism such as sustainability, nature being at the forefront in both and an offer to interact with the pristine natural environment. There are also significant differences that exist between them from the educational perspective, the natural environment to the levels of interactions. However, the impact of both tourism and ecotourism on the environment as well the changes in people’s attitudes is worth noting. The functional responsibility of both eco-tourists, soft and hard, and tourist plays a fundamental role in achieving the ultimate goals of both concepts. 3. The Advantages of Eco-tourism Eco tourism is defined as tourism that sends people to relatively untouched parts of the world and that is sensitive to the impact to nature caused by humans. Eco tourism is an attempt to allow tourism that does not damage nature or traditional culture. It is an idea that has massive appeal as those with money can now visit places in good conscience. They can see wonderful things and feel at the same time that their money is helping the local environment and indigenous people. Since the 1980s the eco tourism sector has grown and grown. It is the fastest growing sector in tourism – growing at an annual rate of between 10% – 15%. Tourism is one of the few sectors of the world economy that continues to grow despite the ups and downs in the world economy. It has become so important that the IMF now includes stipulations about tourism as part of its preconditions for lending money to developing countries. If done rightly eco tourism has several advantages. It is more concerned with the environment and does encourage developers to build with more consideration for the natural environment. This means that more natural habitat is preserved and that the resources for building come from sustainable sources. This is the theory anyway. Another advantage is that eco tourism provides an income for local inhabitants in an area. The argument is that if the local people can generate revenue from showing tourists around a jungle, lake, savannah etc. then it is much better than killing elephants for their ivory or capturing gorillas to sell on the black market. Moreover, showing people a rainforest rather than logging the forest is a good compromise if the forest is preserved. People in the developed world through eco tourism get to experience places of great natural significance as well as interact with local and indigenous people. It is hoped that this contact will benefit both parties, fostering better understanding of the issues on the ground, a nd overcoming prejudice. 3. The Disadvantages of Eco-tourism It is felt by some environmentalists that there should be some parts of the world that are ‘off bounds’ for any tourists as any human activity will damage the eco system and disrupt the routine of the animals. Although scuba  divers try to be careful, any tourist scuba business is going to have a negative impact on fragile coral marine environments. Although, people walking carefully through the forest might not do much harm, building their eco lodges does. A good example of this is the safari business in Africa. Tour jeeps going across the savannah scare off the animals that the lions rely on catching. The result is that lions can no longer hunt in parts of Kenya and Tanzania during the morning when the tour jeeps are out. They have to wait until the hottest part of the day to hunt. This is draining for them and affecting lion numbers. The Masai people in Kenya have been moved out of their traditional lands because of the demarcation of National Parks for eco tourism. They are settled on land next to the reserves. Much of the best land next to the reserves has gone to non-local people and eco tourist operators. When animals come on to this communal land any damage caused by the animals is not compensated by the government. The result is that the Masai who once co-existed with the animals of the savannah now come to regard them as pests. Another issue for the Masai and other indigenous people is that they have become ‘tourist attractions’ that are expected to pose for the cameras and perform dances etc. for money. Not only is this extremely patronizing, but it is discouraging the Masai and other indigenous people from pursuing their traditional life styles. Unwittingly the tourists are destroying the culture that they are paying to preserve. Eco-tourism seeks to go to the remotest places. These places a re often not well policed. There is nothing stopping people taking money from tourists as well as pursuing environmentally unfriendly activities. In the case of Brazil, illegal logging will not stop because of eco-tourism because the logging companies make too much money. It seems that the cons often outweigh the pros of eco tourism. It might be better to take pictures of animals rather than shoot animals, but given the choice the animals would sooner not have people around. Policing of eco tourism is another matter. Do eco tourist outfits deliver what they promise? It seems whether eco tourism should be allowed should be judged case-by-case, and that the consultation must include the local people, and not the IMF. Conclusion It sounds like the true nature lover’s dream – to visit a corner of the earth that is untouched by human hands. It’s where you can enjoy pristine nature in its true, original form. Ecotourism is a name given to the tourism industry that desires to visit pristine, fragile and undisturbed areas. This is as far different from mass tourism as you can get. Promoting ecotourism brings several potential benefits to the area being visited: Helps to provide investment funds for the preservation and conservation of the ecological system. It can be a direct benefit to the development of the economy and political systems of the surrounding community. Builds a sense of respect for a variety of cultures and for their human rights movements. Serves to educate the traveler who participates in ecotourism. It can give tourists some insight into the impact that humans have on the environment, and as a result they can develop a greater love and appreciation for the beauty of the ear th and its natural habitats. Ecotourism takes place in environments where the flora and fauna are still intact in their natural, original forms. Tourism is a rapidly growing industry, and for some countries, including developing countries, ecotourism is a viable income source. Countries such as Africa with vast, open territory, huge plains and fierce wandering rivers, are popular ecotourism destinations. Canada, being one of the world’s largest countries is also home to settlements of indigenous peoples and holds a huge potential for ecotourism. There are many untouched beautiful ecotourism destinations in Canada. With its vast landscapes and low population density, abundant natural resources and a variety of eco-activities, Canada is growing in popularity among ecotourists. Benefits for developing countries to participate in ecotourism For developing countries, ecotourism offers empowerment to local communities and a way for them to fight poverty. The combination between biodiversity and indigenous cultures is appealing to many who want to get out of the big cities and go see something in nature that they have never experienced before. During an ecotourism adventure, low impact on nature is emphasized. After all, if the ecotourism had a big impact on the pristine location, it would no longer be untouched and lose its usefulness as a destination. Tourism itself leaves an environmental footprint. A major part of the  education of tourists visiting prime natural habitats is to educate them towards environmental conservation. Therefore, mass tourism to these natural habitats is not permitted. History of responsible tourism and promoting sustainability using tourism The term ecotourism was made popular in 1983 by a man named Hector Ceballos-Lascurain. Other synonyms to the term include jungle tourism, responsible tourism and sustainable development. Hector was a conservationist who was very influential and took part in lobbying for wetland conservation in relation to the flamingo. Currently there is no standard accepted globally for regulating the ecotourism industry. Many see this as a disadvantage, because small groups claiming a big eco adventure have the potential to scam the unwary tourist from some big payments. They sign up thinking they are getting the adventure of a life time but because of the lack of accreditation and regulations; they don’t end up getting what they signed up for. Sources 1. http://wikitravel.org/en/Ecotourism 2. http://www.ecotourism.org/what-is-ecotourism 3. http://www.ukessays.com/essays/tourism/an-essay-on-ecotourism.php 4. http://essaycamp.com/examples/ecotourism 5. http://www.worldtourismforum.org/global/pros-and-cons-of-eco-tourism/

Business environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business environment - Essay Example IKEA has more than 1,500 suppliers spread around 50 plus countries, and it uses online and mail order selling tactics. The company’s success lies in resourcing the right manufacturer for a precise product. The suppliers and designers pose a threat of customizing some of IKEA’s products to sell them for a better price in the market due to IKEA’s cost-cutting strategies and low profit margins. The company, however, has been enjoying steady growth in sales each year due to its store expansion and continuous price cut strategies, despite a maximum of 10% operating profit in home furnishings (Jones, 2008). Coca-Cola Coca-Cola is one of the world’s top notch organisations offering refreshing soft-drinks in the non-alcoholic beverage category. Four of the world’s top five brands in soft-drinks belong to The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC). These brands are Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite. It also licenses a number of other brands and drinks for sale, amoun ting up to 3,500 in more than 200 countries. More than one billion carbonated drinks produced by TCCC are consumed each day. The formula for Coke was invented in 1886, primarily for the purpose of medicinal usage, by pharmacist John Pemberton of Atlanta (Hoovers, 2012) To analyze the business environment and variations in the market, we need to use the PESTLE method. PESTLE is short form for Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal and Environmental, all of which determine the ever fluctuating market (Morrison, 2007). PESTLE Analysis of IKEA and Coca-Cola Political Political analysis studies the existing and possible effects of political pressures. IKEA is an organisation that is successful in both international and domestic business. It is a Swedish based company that has set world-wide brand recognition, and has gained popularity by retailing Scandinavian design furniture with flat packaging and â€Å"do-it-yourself† trend (Analysis on IKEA, 2010). Government plays a vital part in the operation of manufacturing Coca-Cola as it is a non-alcoholic beverage falling under FDA. If the company does not meet the regulation requirements laid out by the government, then the government has the authority to impose fines on such companies. The changes in laws and regulations may also affect the organisation’s entry in another country. In order to enter the emerging and developing countries, the company needs to study its political conditions and changes, with respect to the government and internal markets, as it affects the penetration ability of the company. Both Coca-Cola and IKEA endlessly watch and observe the regulations and policies laid out by the government (Analysis on Coca Cola, 2009). Economic Economic analysis studies consist of both the national and local economy, and its impact on the world. This also comprises of the inflation rates and issues related to recession. In order to own customer loyalty, different strategies are bei ng adopted by IKEA, keeping in view the current trends and economic changes. IKEA also adopted other styles in its furniture product category, such as dinnerware and rugs, in order to compete with the changing economic conditions and boost market performance. The company needs to analyze key issues involved in the economic conditions and every aspect of business, in order to spawn high performance (Analysis on IKEA

Reflective Portfolio Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Reflective Portfolio Coursework - Essay Example At the initial stage, my general idea regarded ageing population as a highly detrimental scenario. However, with progressive studies and analysis, I developed greater understanding and my perception changed significantly. Ageing population is a by-product of development and luxurious lifestyle and hence, cannot be eliminated. The primary objective for society should be to increase birth rates so that proportion of youngsters remains compatible with ageing population. Upon the subject matter of ageing population, as a student, my general perception is that this is an unavoidable factor in rising economies across the globe. I feel that many countries in the world are likely to face the problem of ageing population in the near future. Countries of Europe and Asia are increasingly showing signs of ageing population. The world has never recorded such high growth in ageing population as has been observed since past few decades; this trend is expected to stay on in the future. An aging population is characterized by decline in the population of children and rise in that of the elderly. An ageing population scenario arises when life expectancy levels are seen to rise and birth rates appear to fall. Population ageing is generally associated with two main demographic factors: As per my initial analysis, ageing population can lead to multiple problems in the future. Elderly people who have enough savings, but cannot work, do not contribute sufficiently towards social development. Due to scarcity of young population, labour will not be cheaply available; as a result, there will be a huge scarcity of fresh skills. This reflective report incorporates my significant analysis upon the subject of ageing population and its effects; its current standing globally; and ways in which ageing population is likely to impact the future. This reflective report has been prepared on basis of the strategic foresight technique. Strategic foresight is a method by which possible

Land Law and Professional Advice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Land Law and Professional Advice - Essay Example Since the completion of the sale agreement, various concerns have been raised, which are fully addressed to in this report. First, Miss Horrock in a letter dated 23rd January 2012, claims that a neighbour, Fred Furnace found some gold coins in the property which appear to be Roman. This raises the possibility of a treasure as defined under section 1 of the Treasure Act 1996. For the purposes of the coins, section 1(1)(a)(ii) read together with section 3(4) requires that, for a coin to fall under this Act, it must be one, which when found, is one of at least two coins found together. It must be at least 300 years old and have a percentage of precious metal. Hence, it shall be necessary to establish these claims, which if true means that the coins found satisfies the requirements laid down in the Act and, therefore, amount to a treasure. With regards to ownership of treasure, section 4 and 5 apply. Section 4 states that the ownership of the treasure vests in the franchisee, if there is one, otherwise in the crown. Section 5 defines a franchisee and subsection 1(b) is relevant to this case. It includes in the definition as successor in title who would have been the franchisee of the crown in a right of treasure trove for the place where the treasure was found. Therefore, the gold coins should vest in Poppy, who is the successor in title to Victor Majelin. ... This raises the question of fixtures and chattels on land. It is trite law that fixtures are part of the land while chattels are not. It shall, however, be necessary to ascertain the terms of the sale agreement. If the agreement show that only land and nothing else are being bought and sold, the purchaser buys everything affixed to land such as buildings, fences and trees (Drake et al 2007). If the vendor does not intend to include a certain fixture in sale, this must be stated in the agreement. On the other hand, where purchaser intends to purchase chattels, the intended chattels must be listed in the sale agreement. To ascertain whether an item is a chattel or a fixture, one has to check at the purpose of the annexation. If the object stood affixed for the enhanced enjoyment of the land, the object is likely to be a fixture, but if it were intended to be placed there for a temporary purpose or so that the property can be better enjoyed; it is likely to be a chattel. An example incl udes; tapestries as held in Leigh V Taylor [1902] AC 157, or ornamental panelling as held in the case of Spyer V Philipson (1931) 2 Ch. 183. It is necessary to look at the degree of annexation in order to decipher the purpose. If the object cannot be removed without causing significant damage, it is more likely to be a fixture though this is not conclusive, (Drake et al 2009). In this case, it is clear that the garden water feature which was cemented forms part of the land. The same shall apply with regards to the old range cooker per the presumptions made under the 2nd schedule of the standard sale agreement. With regards to the removable pebbles and a sprout, they are also fixtures with regards to their degree of annexation. Consequently she has

(Emergency Management) 2001 D.C.Sniper Case Study

(Emergency Management) 2001 D.C.Sniper - Case Study Example John Allen Muhammad was the man behind the sniper attacks, carrying out the shootings from his modified vehicle. Muhammad had an accomplice by the name Lee Boyd Malvo (Mehrotra, 2006). A number of preliminary shootings had taken place before the killer moved to Washington area. Several people were killed and several injured, surviving bullet wounds after being shot from a distance. A number of sniper attacks took place in Washington area, with some victims surviving while others died. These attacks followed the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York. On the second day of October, 2002, a gunshot was fired into a craft store that was owned by a man called Michael at around 5:20 pm. In this incident, fortunately, no one was injured in the incident. There had been previous attacks in Alabama, Los Angeles, Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C, but this incident was not quickly connected to them (Turvey, 2011). The Aspen Hill incident marked the beginning of a trail of incidents in the Washington D.C area. On the same day that the Aspen Hill incident occurred, James Martin was shot dead at around 6:30 pm. Martin was shot at a grocery store’s parking lot in Wheaton. James Buchanan became a victim of the shooter on the 3rd of October, 2002. The incident took place at Rockville Pike, when the victim was mowing grass. On the same day, Premkumar Walekar succumbed to gunshot wounds in Aspen Hill when he was refueling his car. The incident took place at around 8:12 am. The 3rd of October, 2002 also saw the death and injury of several people at different times of the day. Sarah Ramos died at 8: 37 am after she was shot in Rossmoor Boulevard, seated on a sidewalk bench reading a book. At 9:58 am, Lori Ann was killed at a gas station in Kensington, Maryland. This marked the end of the morning trail of killings, but the day was yet to realize more killings later. Pascal Charlot was shot later that day in Georgia Avenue at around 9:15 pm. He barely

Lizzie Borden Not Guilty Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Lizzie Borden Not Guilty - Research Paper Example There was a difference in what someone could have had as a profile behind closed doors. Society's perception of the individual was more important for the morality of the situation. All evidence, which was collected before the trial showed that she could have killed her parents as it was circumstantial. She was judged on a legal technicality. The purpose of this paper is to prove you that only one side of this issue can be accepted. Time will be spent explaining the family dynamics, showing the initial interrogation, and the trial. The paper will conclude with the personal assumption that she did not have the psychological profile to be a serial killer. Before 1860 both daughters lived as spinsters in the Borden house. Those who were raised in the rising social and financial class moved out of the area. If a family stayed, their girls only were able to meet working class men, which was a social problem for Victorian women at the turn of the century. Mr. Borden refused to move even tho ugh he had risen to the upper classes of society. He had started as an undertaker and moved up to a business owner. His daughters could not find anyone who corresponded to their social status. At 32, it would be impossible for Lizzie ever to get married (Whiteman). There were many spinsters in their neighborhood who they socialized with. Their father contributed to the dynamics by refusing to refurbish their house with the proper amenities. He refused to connect to the sewer or to the water system. He refused to use anything other than kerosene lamps. (Masterson 38). Lizzie complained to her father constantly about the living conditions. Lizzie was quoted as embarrassed to have friends over to the house. It was an oddity that all the doors of the house were locked with keys. They had previously been burglarized on two different occasions. (Lizzie.com) His daughters had their own private entrance to their rooms and often ate by themselves. Their house appeared to be a maze. Lizzie on ly social life was with the Church's women's group. She also taught at Sunday school. This is somewhat incongruous with her home life. She appeared to be socially accepted because she was allowed to teach at school. She and her sister lived an isolated life without the amenities which they deserved to have. Some say she lived on a yearly stipend but others say she received anything she asked for. Lizzie lived a boring and depressing life with no outlook of it ever improving, a common social problem for New England Upper class women in the 19th century (Roggenkamp 67). Emma also lived under the same roof without any potential for a future. Total frustration was their sort in life. None of them got along with their step-mother or their father. There were always disputes. That particular day, they had all been suffering from food poisoning and the maid had become furious for having to clean the windows in the sweltering heat. More will be said further on about the family dynamics. It w as a common social ethic of the end of the Victorian era (19th century) that women could not possibly have the thought, or the strength to do such a heinous crime. Was she hiding for somebody else or for everybody because of the living conditions? If she knew the guilty person, she eventually could say, if she had to. (Brown Interview) Because of this preconception of the marble like statue of women, she was denied with counsel at her first questioning as she was told she did not need it.(Lizzie.com) At the first

Case Grading Schema (NA) Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Grading Schema (NA) - Case Study Example Thus, while the other departments provided the bank with operational challenges, the HR department was the most affected. This study seeks to delve into the growth of the BoE, with a focus on how the growth has impacted on its effective delivery of services to the customers, as well as how the challenges experienced in the HR department has impacted on the bank’s performance. Summary When it first opened its doors in the year 2001, the Bank of Excellence (BoE) became the center of attraction to many. Despite the fact that it started as a microfinance institution, its growth and transformation to a fully fledged bank took only 6 years, and by the year 2007, it was granted a fully fledged bank status. The bank now prides itself for having 8 branches in different regions, with a growing profit margin every single year, except in the 2012 financial year, when the profit of the bank declined significantly. Several questions have been raised, regarding how the microfinance instituti on registered such a rapid growth, to attain a bank status within 6 years of its operation. First, the innovative product strategy was applied by BoE when it first opened its doors, to give the customers a range of new financial products that were not offered by other financial institutions. BoE specialized in offering low-interest loans to the customers, which were processed fast and the terms and conditions attached were not stringent. This made it easy for the many customers to apply and qualify for loans, which they would not have otherwise been granted by other financial institutions, due to the strict requirements that hindered their application for loans, such as high security and collateral requirements (Falcone, 2009). BoE introduced the system of giving loans to the customers based on movable and other less secured assets, which allowed many applicants to qualify for the loans. Excellent customer service is the other strategy that the microfinance institution had applied t o attract many customers. The microfinance institution ensured that customers were served as quickly as possible, while also ensuring that they got good customer service from its employees. This made the customers feel valued by the financial institution, and thus kept increasing by the day. The microfinance institution had also ensured that its employees are well motivated and enabled, to deliver the best services to the customer, an aspect that helped to build good customer relationship and consequently customer loyalty to the microfinance. There was a direct and cordial relationship between the employees and the management of the microfinance, which made the employees feel appreciated. There was also a reward system for the employees, who were rewarded with bonuses and even promotion, once they performed well and even came up with innovative ideas for the microfinance to implement and benefit the business, the employees and the customers. By the end of its first year of operation , the microfinance had managed to attract over 200, 000 regular customers. This growth trend continued until the microfinance attained a customer base of over one million, and thus applied to be registered as a fully fledged Bank. Analysis The attainment of the bank status was a privilege to the microfinance institution, since it would now benefit more from the central Bank lending, as opposed to when it was just microfinance.

Ionising radiation in medical imaging Essay Example for Free

Ionising radiation in medical imaging Essay Contemporary medical practice is heavily reliant on mediconuclear and radiological procedures and investigations. To derive important diagnostic information, medical personnel must carry out investigations which may expose patients and the medical personnel to certain levels of risk. With the continued advancement of medicine and diagnostic examinations, many procedures which utilize relatively high loads of radiation to produce images are becoming more and more popular. To protect patients and radiologists from the harmful effects of radiation exposure, protection practices and standards are grounded on the understanding that any level of radiation may cause detrimental health effects, including genetic damage and cancer development. However, while protection standards have been crucial in reducing the level of exposure to harmful radiation, these estimates are just approximations. Some authors have argued that these approximations are indeed underestimates and that better estimates of risk should be calculated based on the age and sex of an individual. These concerns imply that doctors and radiologists must uphold the highest standards for radiation protection, including limiting the number of times a patient subjected to radiologic examination. The use of ionsing radiation in medical imaging began with x-rays discovery in 1895. Basically, ionising radiation consists of the component of electromagnetic spectrum which has sufficient energy to penetrate through matter and dislodge orbital electrons which are then converted into ions and captured in an electromagnetic film. Different types of electromagnetic radiations (gamma rays and x-rays) are utilised in different forms of medical imaging. Different forms of radiation also have different biologic effects. Imaging modalities such as single photon computed tomography (SPECT), cardiovascular computed tomography (CVCT), positron emission tomography (PET), and x-ray fluoroscopy have become indispensable diagnostic tools in almost every medical establishment. Even though these modalities are necessary for an accurate and timely diagnosis, the emission of both particulate and photon radiation means that the risks and benefits of these diagnostic techniques need to be evaluated. While it is easy to measure some radiation dosimetry parameters, others can only be estimated by using complex simulations and assumptions models. Generally, radiation dosimetry is presented in terms of physical measurements. Based on literature research, this paper discusses the risks associated with ionising radiation in medical imaging and the measures taken by both the patients and the medical staff to limit the level of radiation dosage. Risks Associated with Ionising Radiation in Medical Imaging Exposure to ionising radiation in the medical/hospital environment can either exhibit as deterministic or stochastic impacts. Deterministic effects are those effects whose severity is determined by the radiation dose. These effects occur when the radiation exposure goes beyond the dose threshold. The most common example of deterministic effects is skin burns. When the skin is exposed for a long time to radiation, particularly in the course of prolonged fluoroscopic procedures, skin burns may occur. Patients undergoing electrophysiologic ablation examinations which may take more than one hour are more at risk of suffering skin burns as a result of repeated exposure to relatively high levels of radiation doses. 3 Other deterministic effects include cataract formation, skin erythema, and epilation. Stochastic effects are those effects whose probabilities of occurrence are dependent on the dosage. For instance, effects such as radiation induced carcinogenesis always occur after a person has been exposed to variable doses of radiation for a long time. Generally, stochastic effects do not have a threshold dose; rather, long term exposure to ionising radiation may cause varying degrees of cell proliferation, division, and differentiation. Thus, it is extremely difficult to establish the exact level of exposure that can be incriminated in the development of cancer or any other associated effect. However, it has been demonstrated that higher doses of ionising radiation may cause chromosomal changes and subsequent malignancies. On the contrary, it should be noted that not all chromosomal alterations cause phenotypic illnesses. Exposure to high doses of radiation may induce malignancy in children, especially the development of leukemia. There are two different theoretical perspectives for discussing the link between medical imaging and cancer development at relatively low exposure levels. According to the linear no-threshold theory, the effects of radiation are not limited to a certain threshold of exposure. In essence, all radiation em itted have the capacity of causing malignancies and the risk increase linearly with dosage. On the other hand, the linear-quadratic theory states that low doses have an insignificant risk on developing malignancies and that the risk can only increase quantitatively with exposures to high radiation doses. In many international and national legislations concerning radiation and reducing exposure to radioactive emissions, the more conservative linear no-threshold hypothesis have been adopted as opposed to the linear quadratic hypothesis. This consensus ensures that no amount of radiation exposure is taken as being negligible and insignificant when it comes to malignancies and other associated effects. The Chernobyl disaster and the Hiroshima tragedy are two examples of the effects of high dose radiations that have been widely studied. Studies of the survivors have confirmed the hypothesis that in-utero X ray exposure increases the risk of cancer development. Again, it should be understood that radioactive emissions from nuclear accidents or explosions cannot be compared with the doses of ionising radiation that patients and staff are exposed to during medical imaging. Epidemiologic and experimental evidence suggests that low dose radiations can lead to the development of leukemia and solid tumours. Due to this link, workers in the nuclear industry and health care are often monitored and the level of exposure restricted to not more than 20 mSv per years (100 mSv in five years). The current growth in the use of computed tomography imaging has created renewed interest into the possible risks associated with CT scans. Some studies have established that computed tomography imaging, esp ecially cardiac CT imaging. According to Moloo (2009), cardiac CT imaging exposes patients to a lifetime risk of developing cancers. A radiation dosage of 2. 3 milliSieverts may result in a lifetime cancer risk of 20 cases per 100,000 women and 8 cases per 100,000 men. The risk to developing lung cancers is higher than that of developing other cancers. Using insurance claims documentation of 1 million clients, other researchers have also been able to establish that more than more than 70% of medical claims were associated with medical imaging procedures. Notably, CT scans of the abdomen and the pelvis, CT scans of the chest, and myocardial perfusion imaging accounted for the greatest proportion of exposure to cumulative radiation doses. It is also important to note that, even though not widely reported, a single radiation dose of an abdominal or pelvic computed tomography imaging far exceeds the recommended annual background radiation dose. For instance, cardiac CT imaging typically exposes the patient to a radiation dosage of 3-15 mSv, for mammograms the patient is exposed to 0. mSv, while pelvic/abdominal CT imaging exposes the patient to 10mSv. These dosages far exceed the annual background dosages and increase the likelihood of developing cancers. Castranovo (2008) asserts that even though the use of multidetector CT angiography has been extremely important in generating images in a very short time, it should be noted that the population exposure to radiation has risen from a mere 0. 54 mSv to more than 3. 2 mSv. 16-slice compute r tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) increases the probability of cancer developing in different patient organs. These risks call for an evaluation of radiation dosages, particularly in CTCA so as to ensure that the benefits far outweigh the risks associated with the procedure. In a study carried out in the United Kingdom, it was estimated that the course of catheter based coronary angiography exposes patients to fluoroscopic radiation and increases the risk of cancer in 280 per one million patients examined. Exposures to fluoroscopic radiation during electrophysiologic ablation have been estimated to increase the number of fatal malignancies in both men and women. 3 For pregnant mothers, exposure to radiation may cause teratogenesis. High dose variations may cause fetal malformations, central nervous system alterations, particularly mental retardation and microcephaly. Therefore, even though sick mothers may require medical imaging to aid in diagnosis, radiations have a potential adverse effect on the foetus and physicians should critically assess the need merits and demerits of using medical imaging as a diagnostic procedure, especially when there are safer alternatives. Finally, ionising radiations increases the risk of radiation-induced gene mutations. Germline mutations have the potential of altering future generations. Such radiations increase the frequency of genetic mutations in the population hence potentially altering future germ lines. In other cases, genetic mutations may lead to the development of either physical or physiological deformities, or cause genetic diseases. 12 It widely known that the main consequence of adverse exposure to ionising radiation is hereditary effects. Radioactive damage of gametes may lead to a wide range of mild or serious consequences, including mental defects and death (Edward). Precautions Required to Protect Against Ionising Radiation Medical professionals have an ethical and professional obligation to protect patients under diagnostic procedures that may expose them to adverse levels of radiation. The primary precautionary measure is training. According to the Ionising Radiations (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IR(ME)R) of 2000 in the United Kingdom, radiologists are required to undergo specialist training on the physics of ionising radiations and the measures which should be taken to protect against radiation exposure. The legislation also has provisions for patients to report to the IR (ME) R Inspectorate about incidents of radiation overexposure. Since medical radiation accounts for 14 percent of UK’s average annual dose, these legislations are an important regulatory tool protecting both staff and patients from unwarranted exposure to radiation originating from medical imaging procedures. It is also important to reiterate that these laws, as well as the provisions included in the International Commission on Radiological Protection are grounded on the linear threshold theory. Radiologists have an obligation to expose the patient and the staff to minimal amounts of radiation necessary for the successful completion of the procedure. Where appropriate, the dose of radiation used in cardiovascular computed tomography may be reduced by adjusting the scan parameters to suit every individual patient. Software based modifications can also be installed to reduce the level of exposure to radiation by changing computer tomography scanning protocols. For instance, the x-ray tube radiation output can be reduced by ECG-controlled tube current modulations. In interventional radiology, the decision to use radiation diagnostic techniques should be justified as per the requirements of the regulatory authority. Patients should never be exposed to radiation unless the practitioner has offered a prescription which complies with relevant national guidelines. In making that prescription, the medical practitioner should be guided by the efficiency of the diagnostic intervention, the benefits and risks associated with the technology, and the availability of other alternative technologies that are less harmful. With respect to equipment specifications, all authorized diagnostic radiology equipment must meet the compliance requirements set out by national and international regulatory standards. Such specifications must take into account the possibility of human errors, equipment failures, or any other occurrence that may predispose medical practitioners and patients to unhealthy radiation exposure. Radiological procedures such as mammography, dental radiology, and interventional radiology should only be performed by specifically trained personnel using specifically designed imaging systems. Where appropriate, radiology units should have automatic exposure control systems and automatic brightness controls. These measures optimize patient doses. Operationally, regulatory agencies in the UK are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the registrants and licensees comply with all the minimum necessary standards. This is achieved by specifying applicable operational parameters such as the types of equipment that can be used, safer procedures for examining the chest, thorax, abdomen, and lumbar spine regions as well as the skull and pelvis. Other measures may include changing radiation generator parameters such as the tube voltage range and tube loading, changing the focal spot, film processing conditions, and film-screen combination. 15 Conclusion The fact that recent advances in radiological and mediconuclear imaging procedures have become indispensable diagnostic tools is indisputable. Accurate and timely examination of clients through radiologic procedures saves lives and paves the way for scientific based treatment and management of diseases. The popularity of these techniques continues to soar to their speed and relative ease of use. Recent research has established that the current levels of radiation exposure for diagnostic purposes far supersede what had previously been thought. This realization has created a new wave of debates and studies into the benefits and risks associated with ionising radiation and whether imaging is crucial for accurate diagnosis. 4 Even though an accurate measurement of the incremental risk of ionising radiation in medical imaging is yet to be determined, the uncertainty of the relationship between doses and tissue specific responses should is enough to encourage only the use of low doses. The link between ionising radiation and cancer implies that both physicians and patients need to acknowledge the potential harm that CT imaging causes and strictly implement radiation protection measures. Every individual should be exposed to radiation dosage based on their phenotypic and physiologic characteristics. Recognizing the gravity of other associated risks such as teratogenesis and radiation induced gene mutations implies that additional care should be taken when using diagnostic imaging. Clinical decision making as regards the utilization of low levels of ionising radiation should be supported by a broad range of modalities which justify the risk-benefit ratio.

Emerging Trends in Education

Emerging Trends in Education For individuals, the potential benefits lie in general quality of life and in the economic returns of sustained, satisfying employment. For countries, the potential benefits lie in economic growth and the development of shared values that underpin social cohesion. This statement highlights the importance of education not only from individuals point of view but also from the nations perspective. Through this project I would highlight the changes in the educational trends since years and the present scenario of education system. Apart from it I would also throw light on the future prospects of such changes. Education plays a major role in individuals growth as well as in nations development. There are certain factors which have led to the changes in the educational system like liberalization, globalization, growing demand etc which would be discussed in detail in the later stages. This project would tell us that what are the major areas where changes in education has taken place and in what form. CHAPTER 1 REVIEW OF LITERATURE The study on Online education and the challenge of MOTIVATION (Timothy .Arnold) This case examines the increasing importance of online education and some of the problems related with it due to a wider and new concept. Many students get demotivated since online education classes are a new education format, it also does not possess many of the known support systems that we can find inside a traditional school structure. These support systems are what helps keep students motivated. Though online education is very important to be competitive but still due to lack of efficient faculty it is becoming a difficult concept for learning. The lack of social interaction can also be a significant contributing factor for online education students easily losing the motivation to study. The case also tells us that problems could be overcomed through identifying a goal and work towards its attainment. This process helps you build up your pride in your accomplishments. It could also be overcomed by increasing chat with the instructors. The study on Benefits of Online Education And Degrees in India This case tells us coming age is of online education. Online education gives students an opportunity to have greater control over their own schedule compared to traditional education opportunities and settings. Time and money are two of everybodys most precious commodities these days. Online degrees have been wisely accepted in job market, most online students have no problem to use their online degree to start their career or find a job. Taking an online education course also saves time. Online education is a relatively new field that depends on the Internet to provide the delivery of instruction to students. THE STUDY ON DISTANCE LEARNING Through this case I have analyzed that what student expects from distance education. It tells us that students who have family pressure and due to some reason can not attend regular classes, distance learning / distance education is mainly meant for those students. The reason for that, they did not want to leave their present job and want some success in their life after getting higher degree courses. if we talk about the number of colleges that offer distance learning, the list is like annamalai university, Delhi university, Panjab university, Guru Nanak Dev university, IGNOU, JAMIA HAMDARD university, Kurukshetra university are some of the famous distance learning centers that offers various types of distance education courses in the fields of arts, science, medical, accountancy, it, engineering and many more. This shows that day by day distance learning is gaining its importance. THE STUDY ON ROLE OF EDUCATION IN ECONOMICS GROWTH (SANA) This case highlights that the growth of the economy and development of a country is depending upon the education system of that particular country. European countries have already opened doors for international students and these countries are always emphasis on improving their education structure, developing more colleges and universities on country side areas and always in a way to update their course content on regular basis. The study on Higher Education in INDIA (BY Suma Chitnis) It concludes the era of how the higher education exist in India after the independence: First, higher education was to provide the manpower required for economic growth and for an efficient delivery of services such as healthcare, transportation, communication and community welfare -considered basic to a developed society. And, it was to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the manner required to place India on par with the developed world. Second, higher education functions as an instrument of equality. It was recognized that these objectives were the very opposite of those that universities had served in British India. ROLE OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN BASIC EDUCATION (ANURADHA DE, MANABI MAJUMADAR, MEERA SAMSON AND CLAIRE NORONHA) it tells us that private schools have been expanding rapidly in recent years. It cautions that increasing privatization will only increase the already strong gender bias in schooling. The number of private institutions is expected to increase, if government system is allowed to deteriorate further. CHAPTER 2 INTRODUCTION Education is important not only for the full development of ones personality, but also for the sustained growth of the nation. Education is the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life. The growth of the economy and development of a country is depending upon the education system of that particular country. Most of the developed countries and other developed European countries already open doors for students and these countries are always emphasis on improving their education structure, developing more colleges and universities on country side areas and always in a way to update their course content on regular basis. There have been some significant changes of emphasis between subjects, most notably the raising of the status of basic literacy and numeracy. Educations nowadays have been totally technology based. Online education, though a comparatively new system of delivering education, has come a long way to be recognized. More and more colleges and universities have started adding online courses as well as other forms of distance learning. As compared to other countries, India has also launched many types of different degree courses offered by various universities and colleges of India. Like education degree courses have played an important role in improving and developing education sector of India. Education is chosen to be the principal instrument for the countrys transformation from a poor, dependent, economically and technologically backward imperial colony into an advanced nation. In the larger design for this transformation which calls for economic development as well as extensive social and political change higher education is given much importance. Education is the only possession no one can ever take away from you. It offers a multiplicity of top quality education programs of interest to international students. Efforts to make learning more interactive and more fun for students appear promising. COMPARISON OF EDUCATIONAL TRENDS IN PRE ERA AND POST ERA In contrast with the traditional situation in which teaching staff develops courses on their own, and choose the way they teach and assess student progress (the teacher as king of his class) but now with the changing times, learning environments of the future will be designed by multi-disciplinary teams of experts. Experts in developing course material, programmers, graphical designers, and experts in assessment, all work together in designing rich modularized learning environments that offer alternative learning routes to different types of students. Earlier students focused more on the primary learning materials that was offered by teaching staff. But now the emphasis is on developing competencies needed to become knowledge workers, and if work and learning are more interconnected, one expect learning environments to become more open. Students nowadays with the changing times go beyond the primary learning materials offered by teaching staff and are expected to explore independently other information sources as well. With several educational options available to students today, newer trends are emerging in this field which has completely changed the traditional held perceptions about education in India. Several career options that were earlier not considered to be traditional have emerged as the most sought after education and career options. Various career options in like radio jockeying, radio management, news anchoring, program anchoring, news reading and reporting for the electronic media, content writing, fashion designing, event management, hospital management, medical transcription etc, have opened up several newer avenues for education. Traditional study courses like medicine, engineering and other subjects still have lots of demand. However, with the changing trends in the global and national economic scenario newer courses are fast emerging as alternative. The recent trends in education have certainly shown a deviation from the earlier trends. Online Education is fast becoming a major preferred mode of education among students. Enrolling to regular courses is increasingly getting highly competitive in India; So online education and distance education has come as a wonderful alternative and several students opt for this. Online education means web based learning, but there is no universally accepted definition. One of the main reasons for this is the provision that one can get degrees from various renowned universities from anywhere in India. Distance education is given through correspondence courses, where the student and the teacher are separated in time and space and sometimes both. Distance learning is doing a wonderful job by enabling the less advantaged sections of the society have an opportunity to get educated. CHANGES IN EDUCATIONAL TRENDS There are profound changes going on in the educational system. Almost every aspect of primary and secondary education has changed. These changes are needed because of ever growing pressure in the school systems themselves, partly because society itself is changing into one in which knowledge work becomes ever more important, and partly because of the very information and communication technologies which are transforming the economies. By confronting trends and technological developments, a new concept is emerged with a vision of a global learning infrastructure in which the role of schools and universities will be drastically changed, a radical transformation of the educational system. Major reasons behind these changes are:-: Globalization and liberalization Changes have led to more flexible learning arrangements. Education is under constant budget pressure, thus there is a need for more efficient and effective education. There are too many dropouts in the current educational system. Demand for more professional and skilled employees is increasing. Following are some of the examples of changes in educational trends:- MOBILE LEARNING- Todays students expect constant access to information-in the classroom and beyond. As educators all over the world are discovering, mobile learning has solved many problems. Students devour engaging, customized curricula when its delivered on the iPod or iPhone.Audio and video podcasts let students study at their own pace, wherever and whenever they want. ONE-TO-ONE COMPUTING- One-to-one computing means that every student or teacher is given to a computer, the internet and software anytime and anywhere. This way they can make maximum utilization of their time and become more efficient. PERSONALIZED LEARNING- Personalized Learning is a unique, blended classroom-based and non classroom-based public educational model that is tailored to the needs and interests of each individual student. The key attributes that comprise the Personalized Learning model are based upon how students learn most successfully, including a strong emphasis on parental involvement, smaller class sizes, more one-on-one teacher and student interaction, attention to differences in learning styles, student-driven participation in developing the learning process, technology access, varied learning environments, teacher and parent development programs, and choices in curriculum programs. VIDEO TRAINING- To enhance the quality of teaching and learning of pre-service training. The use of digital video was introduced. As a result of the use of video, trainees are able to improve their teaching performances in areas such as classroom management, group work, and motivation and presentation skills. PRIMARY EDUCATION The proposed changes to primary education seek to ensure that students are equipped not just with content knowledge, but also with the necessary skills and values to thrive in a fast-changing and globalised future. They build on the strengths of the current system, and seek to raise primary education to a new level. ATTITUDE OF THE TEACHER-The most important aspect of the approach is the attitude of the teacher, which highlights that learning is a form of play which fosters the blossoming of the childs natural development. Learning is made interesting, enjoyable, and full of fun. A large portion of the teaching materials are produced at the school by the teachers, who customize their teaching aids to suit the interests and knowledge levels of the students. HEALTH AND NUTRITION- First attention is given to the health and nutrition of the children to ensure that they have the physical energy and natural attention span needed for learning. Nutritional and medical supplements are provided to under-nourished children from low income families. Free exercising and play are encouraged to build strength and stamina. STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO IS KEPT VERY LOW- The student-teacher ratio is kept very low to enable the teacher to work with small groups of children at a time while others are absorbed in learning games or recreational play. The most effective ratio is 10 students per teacher during pre-school, LKG and UKG and twenty five students per teacher during standards 1 to 5. However, since the teaching methods are intense, each student actually needs to attend only 2Â ½ to 3 hours of class per day, enabling each teacher to effectively handle double the number of students. TEACHING CONFINED TO BRIEF PERIODS- Children learn spontaneously when their interest and curiosity are awakened. Teaching is confined to brief periods according to the natural attention span of each child, which is normally 15-30 minutes daily during the first two years. It is never extended beyond the childs span of interest. STORY TELLING- Story telling is used to make learning fun and to communicate basic values of goodness, beauty, harmony, responsibility and right conduct. Information on people and other living things, places, history, geography, and other cultures are presented to the child in the form of stories, pictorial information and explanations combined together to present facts in a living, integrated context rather than as a series of separate divorced subjects. NUMBER LINE METHOD- Rapid acquisition of basic math skills is achieved through the use of number line method which enables the child to physically experiment and act out different combinations of addition and subtraction. HIGHER EDUCATION Higher Education is not only a tool for economic development but a means of bolstering the confidence of a country and bringing about social change. Todays students are consumers looking for quality of service and recognition, access and equity, financing and cost, building of intellectual capital and capacity as well as policy coherence. QUALITY, ASSURANCE AND RECOGNITION It focuses on providing information and capacity to empower higher education stakeholders to make better informed decisions in the new world of higher education. This initiative aims to provide information to protect students from inadequate learning resources and low-quality provisions. Recognition refers to the acceptance of a foreign certificate, diploma or degree of higher education as a valid credential by the competent authorities and the granting to its holder the same rights enjoyed by persons who possess a national qualification for which the foreign one is assessed as comparable. DIGITAL LIBRARIES AND EDUCATION. More and more information is made available through the web. Search engines assure the accessibility of this material. Groupware allows synchronous communication between teachers and students worldwide. Online market research is quick and easy, and this market information can be combined with transaction log data allowing institutions to monitor consumer (i.e., student) response on an ongoing basis. Through the Internet, course material can be offered independently of time and place. Modularization makes it possible to offer different and flexible learning routes. INTERNSHIPS AND INDUSTRIAL VISITS Additions of internships and industrial visits have encouraged students to be more interactive and develop their skills in a better way. Industrial visits help students to take full advantage of learning opportunities and also helps students to become more effective and competitive. On the other hand by doing internship one can gain valuable work experience, apply classroom knowledge, gain confidence, increases interaction and creates opportunities to know and understand people better which would also help individual to be flexible. VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (VET) Due to vocational education more students are getting employment quickly as it involves more involvement of industry, internships and due to this there is also less efforts thats needs to be taken by the institutions in order to train employees as students are already well versed and familiar with the work to be undertaken so it helps industries to save their training costs. TECHNICAL EDUCATION As the technical education courses in India are quite diverse, the number of institutes providing technical courses in India is also huge. More than 33o universities and 18000 training colleges are providing technical education. Technical education is day by day becoming the need of the hour. Technical education is given importance because without technical education one would not be able to handle work efficiently as would find it difficult to cope up with as changing world would involve more of technicalities and without much of its knowledge one cannot survive in industry for long. Nowadays technology is used as an additional tool for traditional teaching and learning processes and also technology is used as the center of an innovative teaching and learning process DISTANCE EDUCATION One of the main reasons for this is the provision that one can get degrees from various renowned universities from anywhere in India. Distance education is given through correspondence courses, where the student and the teacher are separated in time and space. Distance learning is enabling the less advantaged sections of the society have an opportunity to get educated. There are different types of distance learning options available to students. Some of them are Postal correspondence courses interactive CD-ROM courses pocket PC/mobile learning course Telecourse/ broadcast course through radio or television and synchronous or asynchronous internet courses. Just like online education, in distance education too, students will not have to relocate to new places or make any changes in their existing work. PRIVATE EDUCATION The concept of private education has been increasingly given importance. Private schools often provide superior results at a fraction of the unit cost of government schools. It has been pointed out that private schools cover the entire curriculum and offer extra-curricular activities such as science fairs, general knowledge, sports, music and drama. FACTORS LEADING TO CHANGE IN EDUCATIONAL TRENDS Several developments in the workplace, changes in student demographics, and the economic trends are forcing educational institutions to change. DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WORKPLACE Employers are seeking employees who are technology and information literate. The education of new knowledge workers requires emphasis on information access, problem solving, analysis, evaluation, and decision making. Rapid change and uncertainty in the workplace encourages employers to seek individuals who already have the required skills. The increasing number of part-time workers require more flexible access to education. Knowing how to access information rather than memorizing information is central to coping with this rapid change. ECONOMIC PRESSURES Economic pressures are one of the reason for educational change. As most of the faculty is already working as hard as they can. And by trying to get the faculty to work harder will not produce greater efficiency. Due to increasing demand and to reduce unemployment rate changes in education is necessary. COMPETITION Private business has begun to see profit potential in offering short, inexpensive market-specific training that appears to be highly relevant to students. This training directly competes with traditional college programs. Access to the Internet allows learners to take courses virtually anywhere in the world. There are currently hundreds of courses available from accredited North American colleges in all academic disciplines. Geographic location is no longer relevant. Global competition is increasing constantly. INTERNATIONALIZATION, REGIONALIZATION AND GLOBALIZATION Internationalization, regionalization and globalization are key factors that shape Higher Education. The development of regional education and research areas in various parts of the world challenges national values and cultures and calls for new regional instruments (e.g. for quality assurance and recognition). The specific challenges facing small states, whether island or landlocked, requires special attention in the context of globalization. FUTURE PROSPECTS The pace of change is mandating to produce a faster, smarter, better grade of human being. Future education system will be unleashed with the advent of a standardized rapid courseware-builder and a single point global distribution system. SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURS With the introduction of changes in education system it would give rise to successful entrepreneurs. As sound and capable executives are rendered completely ineffective in a startup environment but as the concept of provision of education has changed and more emphasis is laid on technical and managerial skills these executives are emerging or found more immensely. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Changes in education would also lead to development of the nation as individuals would be more efficient and capable which would directly contribute to the nations growth and development. It would also lead to more innovations and raise the standard of living as individuals would be more organized. With more knowledge and high skills one would become highly competitive and could easily adapt in any part of the country. It would also lead to better functioning of the units. TECHNOLOGICAL ERA Coming era would be technological era, The Information Age, also commonly known as the Computer Age, is an idea that the age will be characterized by the ability of individuals to transfer information freely, and to have instant access to knowledge that would have been difficult or impossible to find previously. The idea is linked to the concept of a Digital Age or Digital Revolution, and carries the ramifications of a shift from traditional industry that the Industrial Revolution brought through industrialization, to an economy based around the manipulation of information. SKILLED AND HIGHLY EFFICIENT WORKERS It would also lead to highly skilled and efficient employees who have been provided quality education. The employees would carry a positive framework or outlook and would be very effective in their decision making and would also carry technical and managerial skills which would help them to be more productive and qualitative in nature. CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGY OBJECTIVES To study the comparison of educational trends in the past era and the present scenario. To study the effects of changing educational trends on the Indian society. To study the changes in the present educational system To know about the factors leading to the change in the education. CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION In this study I have analyzed that globalization has played a major role in changing educational system. Foreign culture has a direct impact on the country. The companies that are entering Indian market are looking for the individuals who are highly qualified and consists of a mix of technical and managerial skills i.e. person should have complete technical knowledge and must have skills of leadership and should also be highly efficient. Changed educational system would lead to successful entrepreneurs. And these Successful entrepreneurs would be those who innovate, plan strategically, hold the risk bearing ability and stand strong against all the stumbling blocks transform them into stepping stones by bringing sweeping changes and revolutionizing. There had been lot many changes in the educational system whether it is incase of primary or higher education. In case of primary education stress have been reduced as education is taught keeping in mind the health of the students. Visual aids, gaming, story telling etc are given much importance in order to provide education to the students. More emphasis is laid on this method because it is found that this is much faster means of learning and also helps students to develop their personality and leads to more interaction. Whereas on the other hand incase of higher education more emphasis is laid on imparting quality education .quality education helps individual develop better learning skills. Internships have been introduced which encourages students to relate their college based knowledge with the practical knowledge and they can visualize the work actually done in the industry. Through this one can also focus on their goals more accurately. With the increased industrial visits one can develop its interactive skills and also improve its learning. It has also been analyzed that with the increasing competition changes in the educational methods are equally important as traditional method of teaching have become totally obsolete. With the changing time, the era would be totally technology based. Lack of computer education could also lead to unemployment as it would become need of the hour. Without computer education one would become unable to work efficiently and effectively. It would also lead to wastage of time and also resources. Such individuals would not be as productive as computer learning nowadays have become a necessity for every individual. Due to this fact most of the colleges have increasingly introduced more of computer aided programs and also included its training as a part of their curriculum. This case also highlights the introduction of new courses and learning programs. It also had laid emphasis on new educations systems like distance learning, mobile learning, online education that includes learning through interaction with faculty on cams. FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS FINDINGS A change in education has led to better individual development as well as development of the nation. Technology plays a major role in imparting education. Burden of students during primary stage is reduced as the education is conducted more in informal manner through role playing, story telling, conducting games etc. Higher education is improved by introducing internships, projects and by introducing industrial visits which adds more value to it. Globalization, liberalization and demand of the hour has led to educational changes. Educational change has bought a positive impact on the society.it would also improve literacy rate. SUGGESTIONS As per my opinion more emphasis must be given on e-learning than to book learning as it would help individual to conduct its operations easily in any part of the country as technology is improving day by day and access to it is equally important. More emphasis should be laid on industrial visits, technology accessibility i.e. theoretical learning should be directly linked with practical learning. More of practical approach should be used. Lectures and interaction with renowned personalities in the concerned field should be increased. It would help students develop their intellectual level, motivate them and develop confidence in them. Last but not the least as per my viewpoint more informal method of learning should be used, as it would help individual to develop its skills at a faster pace than the formal approach. CONCLUSION India is a developing nation and it has been expanding is every fields. Education saw an essential change gradually after Independence. Development of education in India brought about a transformation and the concept of education got modified. All levels of education in India, from primary to higher education portray a challenge. India got well-known educational institutions such as the IITs, IISc, IIMs, NITs, AIIMS, ISI, JU, BITS, and ISB. The higher education system of India is the third largest in the world, after China and the United States. Education travelled a long way and thus Indian education system introduced certain advantageous system such as online education In India. Online education is a system of education training which is delivered primarily via the Internet to students at remote locations. Online education encompasses various degrees and courses. Indian education has different phases. Students are provided with extensive scope and courses to choose from. One enjoys the opportunity of selecting the required field. The system of Distant Education in India is becoming increasingly popular. The students choosing distance learning process are benefited with the modern pattern followed. The availability of distance learning courses has assured that a person can pursue education from any state or university accordingly. So this highlights the increasing importance of changes in education and their benefits and effects on Indian society. CHAPTER 5 BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Sites referred:- http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/tiol.html www.