Friday, November 29, 2019

Hewlett-Packard DeskJet Printer Supply Chain Essay Example

Hewlett-Packard: DeskJet Printer Supply Chain Paper In a highly competitive market, Hewlett Packard needs to improve efficiency through reduction in inventory as well as backorders. It needs to make the design of inkjet printers modular, so that localization can be shifted to the Distribution Centres, thereby providing a Real option in the hands of the distributors. Careful analysis of the data also shows that if production of all models except model-A (which accounts for 99.32% of N.America demand), then delivery lead time can be reduced from 45 days to less than 5 days, and a reduction of 45% in inventory levels can be acheived. Industry characteristics: Worldwide sales of small personal printers totalled 17 million units, amounting to US$ 10 bn. The printers were sold exclusively through resellers. Current Commoditization of computers had moved the products to stores like K Mart and Target, especially in the US. This also makes the customer brand insensitive, and the company which can deliver in time would be the eventual winner e.g. a customer looking to buy an HP printer, not finding it in the market would go and buy an Epson printer. The market was segmented between dot matrix (40%), inkjet (20%) and laser (40%). Current trends showed a clear movement from dot matrix to laser and inkjet printers. The key players in the industry were HP (leader in US), Canon (leader in Japan), Epson, Manisman Tally, Siemens and Olivetti. We will write a custom essay sample on Hewlett-Packard: DeskJet Printer Supply Chain specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Hewlett-Packard: DeskJet Printer Supply Chain specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Hewlett-Packard: DeskJet Printer Supply Chain specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Product characteristics: Although commoditized, the product is still a high technology, high involvement product. Any delays in availability or service would be considered as service incompetence by the customer. Commoditization implied that the customer, choosing between two printers of equal speed and print quality increasingly used general business criteria like cost, reliability, quality and availability to decide. The product, although uniform across the globe needs to be localized to suit individual markets. Certain differences e.g. in the power supply, the language for the manuals and the socket heads render printers produced for one market incapable of satisfying demand in other markets. Supply chain characteristics: The printers are manufactured in Vancouver, USA, close to Washington D.C. with a cycle time of a week and are shipped by ocean to Europe and Asia. The shipping delay for both places is 4 5 weeks whereas the delay for the US is a few days. The manufacturing involved two key stages: (1) printed circuit assembly and test and (2) final assembly and test. The components required to go into the PCAT and the FAT stages were sourced from other HP locations as well as external partners. After the FAT, the printer is localized by adding the relevant power cords, the relevant power supply units and the manuals. The three major sources of uncertainty that could affect the supply chain were : (1) delivery of incoming materials (late shipments, wrong parts etc.); (2) internal process (process yields and machine downtimes); (3) demand. The first two resulted in manufacturing delays and the last one resulted in inventory pileups. Causes of Inventory/service crisis: HPs current business cycle leads to the products being shipped from Vancouver to Europe. Although the shipments are as per demand predictions, a surge in demand from one region would mean a stockout for that specific printer model, with a high level of inventory remaining for other regions. This is a direct consequence of the localization of the printer in Vancouver, and the addition, of manuals, power leads and power supplies to the printers at the factory. Drivers of safety stock: Shipping by ocean, and the high lead time implied that the DCs ability to respond to sudden changes in demand was limited as the product shipped to them was already localized. Due to this, the European and Asian DCs had to maintain high levels of safety stocks. Recommendations: In order to quickly meet customers orders and maintain a highly regarded brand name and customer service, but at the same time reduce inventory, HP has to operate at maximum efficiency. This can only be achieved via a comprehensive approach and a restructuring of the supply chain processes. The product design, the production process, the delivery and the configuration of the supply chain have to be remodelled, synchronized and integrated to allow for optimal results. Modular Production: HP should adopt a more modular production of the DeskJet series, standardizing as many parts as possible. This will allow them to manufacture different modules simultaneously and reduce total production time. Also, quality improvements become easier, as potential problems can be isolated. However, in order to take full advantage of modular production, the processes may have to be re-sequenced. Postponement of customisation: Postponing the customisation process to the latest possible point in the supply chain results in greater flexibility and lower costs. The DeskJet series printers should be localized (customized to local language and power standards) as late as possible. Customizing the printers in Vancouver, committing a particular printer to be sold in a particular country, leads to large safety stocks of many different products. Conversely, localising the printers at the local distribution centres (DCs) reduces safety stocks and overall inventory levels (less product variety before customisation) and thus lowers the inventory costs significantly. This should make up for the slightly higher manufacturing costs and cost of materials. The Distribution Centres will perform the final steps of customisation (e.g. adds the locally different power supply plugs to the package, etc.) of the printers on receipt of a customers order. Added benefits may include better brand recognition because of local production sites, faster respond times to customers orders and compliance with local-content rules. Additionally, the localization at the DCs would present a real option and reduce the lag time for fulfilling demand. As shown in Exhibit-2b, adopting a modular design and shifting the localization activities to the Distribution Centres can lead to reductions in inventory of about 15%. Shifting Production to Europe (Except model-A). From the demand Data in Exhibit-2a, it can be seen that in North America, 99,32% of the demand is for Model-A. On the other hand, model-A constitutes only 0,68% of the demand in Europe. Therefore, if the production of all models except model-A is shifted from Vancouver to Europe, almost 99% of the demand in both Europe and North America can be satisfied from local production. This would reduce the lead time from 35 days to less than 5 days, thereby reducing the inventory requirements by 45%, as shown in Exhibit 2b.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Globalization Threat to the Environment essays

Globalization Threat to the Environment essays Global change has become a popular word in scientific debates on long-range structural change in the earths ecology. Globalization has in the past played a major role in the controversial environmental debates. Many problems resulted in this area of discussion, in regard to the intricate linkages between globalization, government, trade and transport, and environmental decay. The current debate on the environmental effects of globalization is particularly concerned with the question whether a worldwide liberalization of trade may provoke environmental collapse. Three major environmental concerns related to trade are the domestic environmental effects caused by the use of imported products, the foreign environmental effects caused by the production of exported goods, and the environmental effects caused by transport movements needed for international trade. In a democratic society, the citizens presume the right to make laws that reflect their deepest values, yet this is no longer the case. With the emergence of the World Trade Organization (WTO), democracy has been abandoned. It no longer matters what the democratic societies want, but what the global corporations want. Created in 1994, the WTO is already among the most powerful, reserved, undemocratic bodies on earth. It has been granted with vast powers, which include the right to judge whether laws of nations are impairments to trade, by WTO standards. They rule laws concerning public health, food safety, small business, labor standards, culture, human rights, and other social and economic procedures (Krugman and Obstfeld 23). If any of these laws proved to be harming to trade, the WTO can demand their nullification, or enforce very harsh sanctions. Trade should be a tool to achieve shared human aspirations, to improve standards living and to enhance the quality of life. Trade rules should not provide a license to degrade the world or force it to trade away...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Mangament Accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Mangament Accounting - Assignment Example Service Dept Y cost apportioned 20% 30% 50% The first step is to assign an appropriate cost driver to the overheads so as to determine the appropriate departmental overhead rate, the following table summarises the appropriate cost drivers for the cost objects: Overheads cost driver 1. Rent and rates floor area occupied 2. Machine insurance machine value 3. Telephone charges labour hours 4. Depreciation machine value 5. Production supervisor's salaries labour hours 6. Heating and lighting labour hours From the above table it is evident that the rent and rates will be charged to each department with reference to floor area, machine insurance cost will be charged using the machine value in each department, telephone charges, supervisor salaries and heat and lighting will be charged with reference to labour hours. We now determine the overhead rate in each department: Rent and rates: We determine the rent and rate allocation rate for each department, this will be determined by dividing the rent and rate cost by the total area and multiplying this with the area occupied by each department: Rent and rates = 12,800 Floor area = 3,000 + 1,800 + 600 + 600 + 400 = 6400 Rent and rates allocation rate = 12,800/6400 = 2 Each department allocated rent and rate costs: We determine the rent and rate cost for each department by multiplying the rent and rate allocation rate by the floor area for each department: A B C X Y Floor area occupied(sq metres) 3000 1800 600 600 400 Rent and rates allocation rate 2 2 2 2 2 Rent and...For York furniture in the manufacture of job 123 and job 124 we apply the job order costing method, however we also note that there are three departments involved in the production of these products and therefore we have to determine the overhead rates in each department. We consider the five department namely department A, department B, department C, service department X and service department Y as cost centres whereby products are assigned costs by the departments they pass through The first step is to assign an appropriate cost driver to the overheads so as to determine the appropriate departmental overhead rate, the following table summarises the appropriate cost drivers for the cost objects: From the above table it is evident that the rent and rates will be charged to each department with reference to floor area, machine insurance cost will be charged using the machine value in each department, telephone charges, supervisor salaries and heat and lighting will be charged with reference to labour hours. We now determine the overhead rate in each department: We determine the rent and rate allocation rate for each department, this will be determined by dividing the rent and rate cost by the total area and multiplying this with the area occupied by each department: The machine and insurance cost will be allocated using the machine value in each department, for this

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Medicare and Insurance Coverage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Medicare and Insurance Coverage - Essay Example The Medicaid, on the contrary, is a program designed to assist people with a few resources to access health care services. For a State to access the Medicaid services from the Federal State, it has to meet some set standards. Thus, by studying a case, it becomes necessary to answer some questions that aid in understanding the functionality of these programs. The case study provided presents Mrs. Zwick, a 77-aged woman, a permanent resident of the United States, hospitalized due to a mild stroke. The study has indicated that, she underwent an admission for five days and later transferred to a different facility for rehabilitation services. After a considerable time, the doctor diagnoses her with a hospital obtained â€Å"Urinary Tract Infection† (UTI) (Kaplan, 2004). As a result, the doctor prescribes some medications for her. The case has further highlighted the fact that Mrs. Zwick has the Medicare part A, B and D coverage. Mrs. Zwick’s daughter lacks sufficient knowle dge concerning how the coverage indicated above can assist her mother in settling the hospital bills (Kaplan, 2004). Therefore, the administration has demanded that I discuss with the daughter on costs covered fully or partially by the three parts of the Medicare program entitled to h er. The part A of the Medicare also identified by the name Hospice Insurance (HI) will cater for the following bills (Kaplan, 2004). For instance, it will settle all costs incurred due to her stay in the facility. These entails the meals, tests performed on her for diagnosing reasons, as well as for her stay in the skilled nursing home, where she underwent the rehabilitation. In addition to the above, the Medicare part A will settle bills needed for the walker. Moreover, the Medicare part B will also play a monumental part in helping cover the different costs entitled to her. This part, for instance, will cover all-home care services entitled to Mrs. Zwick after her discharge. Finally, the Medicare par t D will also be necessary, as it will cater for costs incurred in accessing her medication. In addition, the later part will partially repay the bills arising from the medication of the hospital acquired UTI. The current medical policies enacted discourage the reimbursement for hospital-acquired infections. In 2006, George Bush who was the United States president enacted an act aimed at plummeting the amount of finances dedicated to treating disorders resulting from medical errors. This was due to a rise in the occurrence of such errors thus costing the federal government enormous funds. As a result, payers of such services decided to monitor the expenditure of such finances. According to the board in charge of budget in the US, the decision would help the local government save $29 billion (Kaplan, 2004). The current policy formulated would adversely affect Mrs. Zwick. Therefore, she will have to spend her own finances for the treatment of her UTI. The infection she has acquired is amongst the ten conditions that Medicare does not compensate. Therefore, catering for the treatment of such an infection might result to the risk of deprived health or death. Mrs. Zwick may not pay all finances needed for her treatment thus a decline in her health. The â€Å"Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act†

Monday, November 18, 2019

COMPUTER AND NETWORK SECURITY Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

COMPUTER AND NETWORK SECURITY - Assignment Example It is still free to use and is not patented Memory requirements for blowfish are less than 5 kilobytes of memory. The semantics are simplified and is relatively easy to deploy. Part 2 Click the button File then click on New Certificate option. Now press the button Create a personal open PGP key pair option. After this an email address along with name of the sender is added. At this point the key details can be changed. Furthermore, after pressing Advance setting option you can create RSA 4096 bit. This creates an additional strength. An expiration date will also be added according to the senders will. In order to generate a key you have to click Ok and then next. The passphrase is required in order to decrypt the sent message. Now enter this passphrase. The passphrase must be kept stronger in order to be secure. The following options are available such as email your public key, backup private key and upload public key. These options can be utilized after generating a key. The private key must be kept as a secret. However, the public key can be used without any security. The public keys can be mentioned on public forums or websites. Moreover, to keep a backup of both the keys is a good option. Press the finish button. Now the Mailvelope is downloaded over the chrome. In the below screen shots the Chromium on mint Linux is showed. However, this will work fine over both Chrome for windows and the Mac. Now after installing chrome search for http://mailvelope.com/. After opening this website click Mailvelope Chrome Extension and download the free version. The Mailvelope icons is located over right corner of the Chrome and click on this icon then choose options. On the left side the key ring is present click on it and creates the keys for the page. Now add all the required details such as passphrase, name and email address of the sender. Now the advance option can be changed according to the user. After finishing all the steps press the complete button. For the priva te and public keys the same rules and regulations are applicable. However, the public keys are changed. In Mailvelope, the chrome users will click on the display keys. Now select the key pair and then press the Export button. Now next step is to press the display public key and then click on the Create file in order to install the copy on your work station. This copy is sent to the outlook user as a copy in attachment.    The Outlook user must now save the attachment and import it into the Kleopatra program. After the attachment is saved to the computer, open Kleopatra and the Import Certificates button. Find the certificate and import it. Click OK when completed.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Click the My Certificates tab and right click your certificate. Select Export Certificates. Save it to a location and email it to the user that just sent their public key to you.   Ã‚   The public keys must be received by the webmail users. Now save this file and then open Mailvelope. Now after completing this process the keys are imported ad uploaded the file. After this select a key text file to import and then click submit. You are now ready to exchange Encrypted email! In order to get started we will allow the gmail users to transfer any message that is encrypted towards the outlook service.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Case study: The Treatment of Depression

Case study: The Treatment of Depression Although depression has been recognized as a clinical syndrome for over 2000 years, as yet, no completely satisfactory explanation of its puzzling and paradoxical features has been found. There are still major unresolved issues regarding its nature, its classification and its etiology. (Beck and Alford, 2009, p3) However, the importance of depression is recognised by everyone in the field of mental health. According to Kline, more human suffering has resulted from depression than from any other single disease affecting mankind. (Kline, 1964) Hammen (Hammen,1997,p3) states that the term depression is used in everyday language to describe a range of experiences from a slightly noticeable and temporary mood decrease to a profoundly impaired and even life-threatening disorder. The severity of depression is generally defined according to the number of symptoms present, the severity of the symptoms and the severity of the associated functional impairment or distress. (Whisman, 2008, p66). This is done by health professionals using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), a publication where each mood disorder is characterised by a unique set of symptoms or diagnostic criteria which are split into 4 areas: Affective Behavioral Cognitive Somatic The Cost of Depression Government advisor, Lord Layard, worked on a report back in 2004 that outlined mental illness as the biggest social problem facing Britain today. (Layard, 2004) The report pointed to the Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, which suggested that one in six British people would be diagnosed with depression or anxiety at some point in their lives. Yet only one in four of people with emotional disorders receive proper treatment. It imposes heavy costs on the economy (some 2% of GDP) and on the Exchequer (again some 2% of GDP). There are now more mentally ill people drawing incapacity benefits than there are unemployed people on Jobseekers Allowance. Mental illness matters because it causes massive suffering to patients and their families, because it prevents them contributing fully to society, and because it imposes heavy costs on taxpayers. (Layard, 2004). A UK wide strategy to help people with depression was required. The vehicle for this was through the NHS. In September 2007, the UK government launched the biggest state-funded mental health initiative ever. It pledged  £170 million to create a ground-breaking therapy service in Britain, according to health minister Alan Johnson. The service was to include 3,500 extra psychological therapists trained in CBT to be found and trained by 2011. (Evans, 2007). What is CBT? CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) is the treatment of choice within the NHS for depression. According to The Royal College of Psychiatrists (2010); CBT is a form of psychotherapy which involves: How you think about yourself, the world and other people How what you do affects your thoughts and feelings CBT was developed by Dr Beck, a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania in the early 1960s. Dr Beck had previously studied and practiced psychoanalysis. He designed and carried out a number of experiments to test psychoanalytic concepts on depression. Fully expecting research would validate these fundamental precepts, he was surprised to find the opposite. Beck Institute website (1999-2009) This research led him to begin to look for other ways of conceptualizing depression. Working with depressed patients, he found that they experienced streams of negative thoughts that seemed to pop up spontaneously. He termed these cognitions automatic thoughts, and discovered that their content fell into three categories: negative ideas about themselves, the world and the future. He began helping patients identify and evaluate these thoughts and found that by doing so, patients were able to think more realistically, which led them to feel better emotionally and behave more functionally. (Beck Institute 1999 2009). According to the NHS Choice website (2010) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy differs from most other types of psychotherapies because it is: Pragmatic Highlight structured Focused on current problems Collaborative Cognitive behavioral treatments are developed with particular cognitive contents in mind they are disorder specific. (Scott, 2009, p2) Depression: Cognitive Therapy For people with persistent subthreshold depressive symptoms or mild to moderate depression, consider offering one or more of the following interventions, guided by the persons preference: Individual guided self-help based on the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) Computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (CCBT) A structured group physical activity programme Drug treatment Do not use antidepressants routinely to treat persistent subthreshold depressive symptoms or mild depression because the risk-benefit ratio is poor, but consider them for people with: a past history of moderate or severe depression or initial presentation of subthreshold depressive symptoms that have been present for a long period (typically at least 2 years) or subthreshold depressive symptoms or mild depression that persist(s) after other interventions. For Those with Moderate or Severe Depression: For people with moderate or severe depression, medical practitioners are advised to provide a combination of antidepressant medication and a high-intensity psychological intervention (CBT or IPT). (NICE Guidelines 2009) The Royal College of Psychiatrists (2010) highlight the medication used within the NHS for the treatment of depression to include: Tricyclics MAOIs SSRIs SNRIs NASSAs Although medication can help lift the patients mood, it does not tackle any underlying problems they may be experiencing. There are also various known side effects to the medication including abdominal pain, nausea, headache, suicidal thoughts, constipation, blurred vision to name but a few. People react differently to different drugs, so until they try them they are unable to know if they will have a negative impact on them. Psychological therapies can help patients to explore what may have contributed to their depression in the first place, and what might be keeping them depressed. (Depression Alliance UK, 2010) CBT can be done individually or with a group of people. It can also be done from a self-help book or computer programme. Unfortunately, in many parts of the country, there are long waiting lists for CBT and sometimes people end up going to private therapists instead of waiting to see an NHS appointed therapist. The Benefits of CBT in the Treatment of Depression The Royal College of Psychiatrists (2009) state that: CBT is one of the most effective treatments for conditions where anxiety or depression is the main problem. It can help patients break the vicious cycle of altered thinking, feeling and behaviour. It is the most effective psychological treatment for moderate and severe depression. It is as effective as antidepressants for many types of depression. This is also supported by Townend, Grant, Mulhern and Short (2009, p 254) who state that CBT remains the psychological therapy with the widest and broadest evidence base. This is also backed by (Gabbard, Beck and Holmes, 2007, p115), CBT has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment for depression in the large number of studies that have accumulated since the original study by Rush et al (1977). They go on to say that CBT produces a greater improvement in symptoms than no treatment or waiting list controls (Dobson 1989) and demonstrates equivalent efficacy as pharmacotherapy for depression. This is also further supported by (Freeman and Power, 2007, p30) who state, There have been numerous randomised clinic trials that support the efficacy and effectiveness of cognitive therapy for depression, across a variety of clinical settings and populations (for review, see Clark, Beck and Alford 1999; De Rubeis and Crits-Christophe 1998; Dobson 1999; Robinson,Berman and Neimeyer 1990) (Freeman and Power, 2007,p30). According to (Ingram, 2009, p174) In the acute treatment phase, combination therapy, consisting of medication and CBT, has been found to be superior to either medication or CBT used alone for patients with more severe, recurrent or chronic forms of depression. (Gabbard, Beck and Holmes, 2007, p115), state that One of the main potential benefits of CBT for depression is that it reduces relapse / recurrence to a greater extent than antidepressant medication. Today, CBT remains the gold standard for the treatment of depression with psychotherapy (Wasmer-Andrews, 2009, p3). The Limitations of CBT in the Treatment of Depression However, although highly praised, CBT does have its limitations and indeed its critics. In terms of limitations, these are set out below: To benefit from CBT, the patient needs to commit themselves to the process. A therapist can help and advise, but cannot make someones problems go away without the patients co-operation (NHS Choices, 2010). Therefore, the patient needs to be open to CBT and play their part in their recovery, including taking a full part in each therapy and doing their homework in order to recover from depression. This is also highlighted by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (2009) who state that CBT is not a quick fix. A therapist is like a personal trainer that advises and encourages but cannot do it for a patient. If a patient is feeling low, it can be difficult for them to concentrate and get motivated. (Royal College of Psychiatrists,2009) Because of the structured nature of CBT, it may not be suitable for people who have more complex mental health needs or learning difficulties. (NHS Choices, 2010) This is further supported by (Wasmer-Andrews, 2009, p3) who states that CBT has limitations for treating certain groups, including people with treatment-resistant depression and those with both depression and a personality disorder. Critics of CBT argue that because the therapy only addresses current problems and focuses on very specific issues, it does not address the possible underlying causes of mental health conditions, such as an unhappy childhood. (NHS Choices, 2010). This is something that could be achieved using a Diagnostic Scan under hypnosis, if hypno-psychotherapy could be used instead. CBT focuses on the individuals capacity to change themselves (their thoughts, feelings and behaviours), and does not address wider problems in systems or families that often have a significant impact on an individuals health and wellbeing. (NHS Choices, 2010) The Royal College of Psychiatrists (2009) state that For severe depression, CBT should be used with antidepressant medication. When a patient is very low, they may find it hard to change the way they think until the antidepressants have started to make them feel better. Critics of CBT in the Treatment of Depression Critics of CBT, as with all clinical theories, vary depending on the thoughts of the analyst. Townend, Grant, Mulhern and Short (2009, p 254) point to many of these discussions. Specific issues have been raised over the necessity of, for example, challenging thoughts in CBT (Longmore and Worrell, 2007); and cognitive interventions in severe depression (Dimidjian et al, 2006). Additionally, there is still ongoing discussion (e.g. Gilbert and Leahy, 2007) about the nature an impact of the therapeutic alliance as causes of the changes seen in CBT. Weiner, Freedheim and Stricker (2003) point out that Although the scope and efficacy of CBT are impressive, much work needs to be done. In particular, future efforts of CBT clinical researchers must demonstrate the effective of treatments outside research centres as well as turn more attention towards disorders overlooked by CBT (e.g. personality disorder). Kotler and Shepard (2008) highlight that human beings are multi-faceted, with feelings as well as thoughts. It is suggested that CBT puts undue emphasis on thought processes to the exclusion of many legitimate feelings, thereby contributing to repression and the denial of feeling. They go on to highlight some other criticism leveled at CBT as follows: CBT is less effective with some kinds of clients those who have a problem with overintellectualising or those who dont have the capacity to reason logically, or clients with minimal intelligence (e.g. young children, very old people, schizophrenics and those with other personality disorders). Many CBT therapists complain of boredom and burnout from continuously repeating the same arguments and processes with all clients. CBT is difficult for some people for some professionals to practice if they are not outgoing and assertive and dont enjoy vigorous debate and confrontation. Because the therapists role is so verbal, active and direct, the client may feel overpowered, dominated and not responsible for the outcome. (Kotler and Shepard, 2008) The Debate There is much debate on the subject of CBT as a treatment for depression within the NHS. Oliver James article (James, 2006) sumarises much of this debate. He indicates that Depression and anxiety costs the (British) economy  £17 billion per year. Being cheap, quick (15 20 sessions) and simplistic, CBT appeals to the Government. In fact, in June 2006, Professor Richard Layard labeled the government happiness tsar claimed that CBT can lift at least half of those affected out of their depression or their chronic fear. (James, 2006) Another attraction for the government is that CBT aims to get you to a point where you can do all this on your own and tackle problems without the help of a therapist. (NHS Choices, 2010). Thereby, it is argued that using CBT could reduce the future costs of treatment in current users. In addition, there are also now computerised CBT approved for use by the NHS Beating the Blues which has been approved for the treatment of depression. (NHS Choices, 2010). Again, this is a cost effective treatment for some people who find they prefer using a computer rather than talking to a therapist about their private feelings. (NHS Choices, 2010) In a follow up article, in March 2009 (James, 2009) resurrected the debate when he reported that CBT is not a real cure, just a form of personal spin. He went on to argue that work by eminent US psychologist, Professor Drew Weston found that after two years, two thirds of those who had CBT for depression has relapsed or sought further help. It is important for patients to keep practicing their CBT skills, even after they are feeling better. There is some research that suggests CBT may be better than antidepressants at preventing depression coming back. (The Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2009) James (2009) went on to argue that If given no treatment, most people with depression drift in and out of it. After 18 months, those given CBT have no better mental health than ones who have been untreated. On the other hand, in the same article by James (2009), Derek Draper a CBT practitioner and author states that CBT draws on the obvious truth that how we feel is inextricably linked to the way we think and behave. It isnt remotely sinister and is rather simple and it works. Many of my patients have been helped by CBT. New Research According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists website (2009) Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is most effective in patients who have had four or more prior episodes of depression, according to new research from The Netherlands. The study, published in the December issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, suggests GPs could use the number of prior episodes to determine which patients are likely to benefit most from therapy and prescribe treatment accordingly). In another recent study, a comparison of a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) website with an information website for depression has found that after 6 months only the CBT website was significantly effective in reducing symptoms. After 1 year, both interventions were significantly better than no intervention (control condition). Research has shown that internet-delivered brief CBT may be effective in reducing depression, but it has not been clear whether these gains are maintained over time. The aim of this Australian study, published in the February 2008 issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, was to see whether the benefits of internet-delivered brief psychoeducation and CBT were still there 6 and 12 months later, compared with a control condition, in which participants were asked questions about their lifestyle. Summary In summary, CBT is the treatment of choice in the NHS for moderate to severe depression and having reviewed all of the benefits and limitation, read from the critics and the ambassadors, the writer feels that there is still much to learn and evaluate in the treatment of depression. Whilst the results so far have appeared to show that CBT is very effective in the treatment of moderate to severe depression, there are large groups of people that will not benefit from this treatment, e.g. young children, those with personality disorders, late-life depression suffers. The writer suggests that there is not a universally acceptable treatment for all that some treatments will work for some people with some therapists and other treatments will work for others with another therapist the willingness of the client to seek help, play their part in their recovery alongside their chosen therapy will help some of the people, some of the time. But what about in the longer term ? Is this a sticking plaster over a gaping wound ? CBT can help in the here and now, but relapses can occur as the root of the problem if it is in the past is not usually discussed in a CBT session, which is focussed on the present. While the costs of depression to individuals, families and businesses are huge, the writer feels that the government, through the NHS has made very positive steps to try to assist people living with depression by welcoming the use the talking therapies. As more studies are commissioned in the future, new information will be gained and new decisions made based on this. For the moment, embracing the talking therapies is a very good step in the right direction and it is hoped that other therapies will continue to be evaluated so that patients of the future would have a choice of talking therapies, including CBT, but also others like life coaching, NLP and hypno-psychotherapy. Word count (3,337)

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

rolemodel :: essays research papers

Harms 1: 18,000 Africans illegally held in jails and prison camps According to the United Nations based Organization for Human Rights, at least 18,000 Africans are now being illegally held in jails and prison camps. The prisoners are held without charge and denied access to lawyers, family and friends for months on end. April 22, 2004 2: UN camps hold violent offenders Chronology of Malino Accord Violations in Poso - 2003 (28/11/2003) #6965 Ever since the Malino Accord in December 2001 there have been repeated provocative violations of the agreement. In January and February 2002 there were some promising signs that perhaps the Malino Accord could produce a lasting peace. Thousands of weapons, mainly hand-made, were handed in by both the Muslim and Christian communities and destroyed by the police. There were, however, serious concerns from the Christian community due to the absence of the organic or military issue weapons being handed in by the Laskar Jihad. Such weapons had been regularly seen being carried around the streets of Poso, during attacks on villages and even photographed at Jihad inspection posts on the main highway during November 2001. 3: Shooting, bombing heighten tensions in Africa’s Poso district A bombing and shooting have heightened tensions in Indonesia's religiously-divided Poso district during the Eid al-Fitr Islamic holiday. However, police say no one was hurt. Authorities say a bomb exploded in a field in the Gebang Rejo residential area of Poso town on Tuesday but no damage was caused. Another device found nearby was defused by a police bomb squad.Meanwhile, a volley of shots was fired in the town's Lawanga district. Poso police chief, Abdi Darma, reportedly said the attacks were only meant to spread fear among people 4: Rape Used to Intimidate Rape is widespread and committed with impunity; in most Refugee camps by what in America we call the gang syndicate. The culture of impunity contributes to an atmosphere in which rape is permissible. RI documented 43 rapes among women from the Karen, Karenni, Mon, Tavoyan and Shan ethnic groups. Some 75 percent of women interviewed reported knowing someone who had been raped. The group released a report last year documenting 625 sex attacks on women and girls. The report contains graphic allegations. Testimony from one woman claiming that she witnessed the raping of a woman While she fetched water the woman's husband was forced to watch as the Refuge leader (Zu Zawany) raped and killed his wife, before turning their guns on him

Monday, November 11, 2019

Economics of Education Essay

This project, critically reviews the sources of revenue at Kinondoni Municipal along with the budgetary allocation to secondary educational sector. It provides the major sources of revenue which include Central Government revenue, Basket fund (Donors) and Local government revenue which constitute revenue from city service levy, property tax, advertising and bill boarding fees, compensation revenue, and cost sharing. It identifies that education is the priorities to which the council does consider much in allocating their funds. The project reveals the background on the system of financing education as an essential and critical kind of investment in developing countries particularly Tanzania. It has shown its significances with respect to running the system (government) in general. The significances give the stand to which the Government should take into consideration on allocating funds in secondary educational department. More over the project has identified the objectives for analyzing the sources of revenue and educational budgetary allocation. These objectives have been stated in such a way that, it shows the directory as guidelines for reaching targeted goal(s) for sustainable development. Nevertheless, case study method and documentary review as well as interview techniques were employed. The data have been analyzed using tables and figures. 1.0. Introduction and Background. Kinondoni Municipal is located in Dar es Salaam City in Tanzania. It is bordered by Indian Ocean to North East, Ilala Municipal to the South, Bagamoyo District to the North, Kibaha District to the West and Kisarawe District to the South West. The Municipal has number of matters and services to be done/ provided to the community. Among others being education, health services, road construction and maintenances, water services, urban agriculture, power and energy supply and others of alike. All these services need money to run in effective way so that, the community members could appreciate the concern of the government for their well-being. The Municipal has vision and Mission which the study was interested with, to check out whether are just worded or are real in practical terms. The study eyed particularly to its Mission statement â€Å"Provision of quality services to the community through effective and efficient use of resources, capacity building, good governance and rule of law hence improve the living standard of people†. The project (study) was done at this Municipal to identify the sources of revenue for the Municipal to curter and serve the community effectively and efficiently. Another purpose was to check out, how the Municipal allocate its funds (Revenue) to secondary educational sector. A source of revenue is a critical problem in running several activities to an individual, family, community and national level respectively. Moreover, despite the scarcity of fund (resources) in servicing the community, there is a problem on proper plans and allocating the present resources in optimal manner. Thus, the wise decisions on how to use the present resources in its scarcity is very important particularly for developing countries like Tanzania. Another aspect towards this study (project) was to determine the way the sources of revenue are collected. On this activity, it is the point at which monitoring of revenue collection should be taken into consideration for effective performance. Furthermore, this exercise needs humanitarian aspiration than personal essence so that, the fruits will be for the community as large. There are two significances of doing this project. First was to determine the sources of revenue to the Municipal in order to understand the position of Municipal and the Government in general in its strengths and weaknesses so as to address recommendations to be taken for better performance in future. Second was to assess the allocation of the funds in secondary educational sector. From this, allocation of fund will realize the choices for most of the councils in Tanzania and the way investment aspects are taken into account especially educational investment, hence improvements to be made in a long run. The objectives of this project were as follows i) To determine the sources of revenue for Kinondoni Municipal. ii) To assess the budget allocation to Secondary educational sector in Kinondoni Municipal. The project presents various literature reviews in respective to the study (project). The literature review is mostly on sources of revenue, financing systems, administration, roles of the state and recommended suggestions. Galabawa (1985, p. 1) claimed that, â€Å"Tanzania’s plan for extending educational opportunities and improving the quality of education are often hampered by the limited resources to educational industry†. This realizes that, the problem resources in provision of education in Tanzania is a problem that exists and needs a solution on how to go about in order to reduce the burden from the government to ensure more educational opportunities and improve the quality of education. More emphasis on quality of education has been described by Michaelowa. The author tried to identify the areas which need to be checked to ensure that are taken into considerations for the consequences in anyhow. The author argued that, â€Å"The number of days teachers are absent from school (ABSENCE), and teachers’ self reported job satisfaction (MOTIVATION) have significant coefficients of the expected negative and positive sign respectively† (Michaelowa, 2001, p. 1707). If the education industry is running short of resources to improve access and quality of education, and if the responsible persons needs to be motivated for effective teaching, means this industry need to be financed. The financing can be determined by number of factors as quoted from the article that, â€Å"The policies of financing education in any country reflect the country’s ideology. Although Tanzania’s education policies emphasized quality of opportunity and access, they also vary from environment prevailing at specific time† (Galabawa, 1994, p. 37) This literature review has contributed much on this project since objectives stated can be revealed particularly on sources of revenue. According to Galabawa (2007, p. 3), There are various sources of education revenue. These sources can be divided into four broad categories: Fiscal sources; ser charges including various forms of cost recovery and cost sharing; student loan when constituted as a revolving fund which generates income out of which loans are offered to students and various forms of community contributions. The fiscal sources include general taxes; earmarked taxes; taxes on With regards to education as an investment, and sources of educational revenue, the government has to play its role for sustainable development Galabawa (2007, p. 2) portrayed that, â€Å"The price of education can, therefore be influenced by the government decision which impinge on issues of supply of education services; the allocation and distribution of resources between different levels or different courses; the choice between different methods of financing education and student support or even between different methods of schooling†. Therefore, this clarifies the position of the Government in provision of education in the country to assure access and proper allocation of funds in different sectors. Property; salaries and sales; and different types of levies. For all matters being discussed concerning sources of revenue, educational revenue, budgetary allocation and the role of the government on educational investments and other sector, to have sustainable implementation of plans and to build capacity on fund management, accountability, effective audit and formula funding to generate consistent and reliable disbursements† should be taken into consideration for sustainable development. Besides literature review, case study was employed during the project. The study was done in Kinondoni Municipal. Therefore purposeful sampling technique was used. The project had two variables namely, dependent variable which is budget allocation, and independent variable which is source of revenue. With these variables the hypotheses of this project were as follows; (i) There is a significant relationship between sources of revenue and budget allocation in secondary educational sector (Alternative hypothesis). (ii) There are no basic criteria guiding for sources of revenue and budget allocation in secondary educational sector (Null hypothesis). Field visit, discussion and interview. The list of tools used to collect information and guide the field interview and discussion were documentary review and Interview. The targeted personnel were Municipal economist and district secondary educational officer; these were obtained using purposeful sampling in order to get correct information. The documentary review involved reviewing various documents concerning sources of revenue and general allocation (budget) of the fund to secondary educational sector. Also an interview was conducted in brief way with the Municipal economist and district secondary educational officer. The interview was basically on the way they get fund for running the Municipal to curter and serve the community. Moreover, the questions on what are the major criteria for allocating the fund and challenges they face on all matters concerning sources of revenue and allocation of fund in general were asked.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Digital Music Increasing Trend

Digital Music Increasing Trend It needs to be said that most of the stores that were opened by music labels have struggled and had to be closed. One of the main reasons for their failure to attract subscribers is the lack of diversity in their music catalogues. They only offered a small range of full-length albums by the artists that have signed to their label, and it have led to numerous problems. It is imperative to understand that the industry has changed dramatically over the last few years.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Digital Music Increasing Trend specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More People in the modern society want to have the access to everything at once, and those stores were not able to provide it. Individuals that wish to buy music from different artists would have to be subscribed to multiple services at once, and it seemed unreasonable. Apple was able to utilize the strength of its brand to create a store that would be extremely succ essful. The stores that were established by labels, on the other hand, did not have the necessary piracy protection technologies or a trendy product such as an IPod that would help them to attract customers (Sadeghi 2012). Also, labels were not ready for such drastic changes because they have focused mostly on CDs, and other music formats were viewed as a significant threat. It was too late to open such stores at that time. Nowadays, they cannot offer the music only in one place because it will significantly damage the sales of the artists. A dramatic shift towards digital music should have been noticed by record labels, and it would help them to address this problem. They could have cooperated and created a platform with all the available resources that would allow them to dominate the market. A single store similar to Itunes or Amazon Music would have most likely become extremely successful. However, it would not be an easy task because of all the copyright issues that could occur , and it would be extremely hard to change the whole process of distribution. An alternative music format could also be developed, but it is not as easy as it sounds. Also, it can be seen that music albums do not sell as well as they used to be. It would not have been surprising if an artist sold more than one million copies over a period of just one week few years ago. Nowadays, the situation is entirely different. Also, it is highly likely that the sales will continue to decline with increasing popularity of streaming services (Tschmuck 2012). It can be seen that Spotify and Apple Music currently hold leading positions (Burgess 2014). Nowadays, it is not an easy task to get into this business. Tidal is one of the best examples because the service currently struggles to retain subscribers. It offers unique content, and the audio quality is significantly better. However, some of the issues that were present during the launch were viewed as a significant problem by most customers. Al so, it does not have such a huge brand and library of music.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In conclusion, it is extremely necessary to keep track of trends in the industry to make sure that the company can get an advantage over competitors. New technologies are always developing, and this fact should not be disregarded. Music labels could have addressed current problems if they were able to predict the popularity of digital music. Reference List Burgess, R 2014, The history of music production, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Sadeghi, S 2012, Defensive strategy Apple’s overlooked key to success, Epubli, Berlin, GE. Tschmuck, P 2012, Creativity and innovation in the music industry, Springer Science Business Media, New York, NY.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The Rules of Attraction essays

The Rules of Attraction essays Main characters - Lauren, Victor, Paul, Sean, Laura The entire novel is set in a backwards motion, essentially the story moves from end to beginning, but explaining the story of everyone of the characters separately while all leading to the same conclusion. Sean is an angry and cynical person who deals drugs and falls in love with Lauren, at the beginning of Sean's story he receives a love letter who he believes to be from Lauren. After going through a small deal of having a gun held to his head by his drug supplier Sean goes around trying to collect money people owe him to pay back his supplier. The story then switches to Paul's story where him and Sean meet at what's called the Edge of the World party. After this comes morning, this is where Sean and Lauren meet after walking to a class that ends up canceled. At this point you can see that Sean and Lauren have chemistry, this is the first time we notice love in the novel. That night Lauren and Laura are talking about the nights party, Lauren looks through a book of venereal diseas es to deter from having sex. This is also when we first learn of Lauren's love for Victor, who is in Europe to study abroad. At the party Paul and Sean meet up and talk, and then they go back to Paul's room to smoke some "pot". They disappear and the novel moves to Lauren and Laura talking about where Sean and Paul went. This is the point where we find out that Paul has feelings for Sean, the strangest part of this segment is that while Sean is smoking pot, Paul begins to masturbate and fantasize about Sean, while Sean is lightly passes out. The next morning Sean goes back to his mailbox to find another love letter, he still believes this to be from Lauren. That night the story goes to Lauren and Laura sitting around their room sniffing cocaine talking about Sean and how Lauren is starting to fall for him. At almost that exact same time, Paul calls Sean and Sean has no idea w ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Chilis strategic market entry plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Chilis strategic market entry plan - Essay Example The initial step begins with identifying the foreign market that the firm wants to explore in. This decision is based on a number of strategic alternatives that underline the market opportunities and strategic orientation of the firm based on defined market needs. Once the decision of the foreign market is made, the next step involves identifying the market entry mode. This involves crucial decision on the firm’s choice of market entry mode and the decision is guided by several factors that require a deeper understanding of the country’s political and legislative environment. The report provides an insight into the market entry plans and strategic marketing alternatives that Chili’s will adopt in order to enter and establish its operations in London markets. The previous report analyzed the market environment and global marketing strategies that can help Chili’s strengthen its market position in London. This report explores the various market entry strateg ies that would be most appropriate for Chili’s and then identifies the marketing mix alternatives available to the company. The report also provides an insight into the suggested organization structure and a review the role of logistics and supply chain in the successful operations of the firm. The findings and recommendations of the report is supported by theoretical models and frameworks that help in explaining the decision making process and its viable impacts. The findings and recommendations of the report is supported.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Timeline of Historical Events, Movements or Individuals (History of Research Paper

Timeline of Historical Events, Movements or Individuals (History of the USA to 1865) - Research Paper Example it was initiated by the Virginia Company. Thomas Jefferson is included among the list of Presidents of United States of America who played a vital role towards the constitution formation and obtaining the declaration of independence of United States of America. He was born in 1743 and he was an integral part of the American Revolution and overall process. Also he due to his innumerable achievements and contributions is listed among the few who are called the founding fathers of United States of America. He also remained the Secretary of State and further, remained the United States Minister to France. His other contributions in the professional capacity include his standing and duty performance as the Governor of Virginia. He remained the Vice President as well. A decade long war that started in 1753 and lasted till 1764. It is important in the history of American nation on number of accounts. Firstly, it served as the foundation step towards the internal resentment against the English, secondly it was fought in the form of a proxy war between the English and the French who had their influence and presence in the region. Third was the fact that it set the grounds for the later on Seven Years War which was to be fought directly between the Great Britain and France. The warring territories engaged in this battle were Nova Scotia and parts of Virginia in the modern day United States. The final outcome came about in the form of victory towards the English. The first Continental Congress proceedings lasted between September and October of 1774. It was important on number of grounds. The first was the fact that nearly all the states sent over their representatives for the grand gathering with the mere exception of Georgia. The event was held in Philadelphia. It was significant on the account of fact that a platform was made where it was established that this platform would make efforts to overcome the obstacles