Reflection On End Of Life Care Essay

Experience Whilst working on a morning shift I was asked if I would assist with washing and making a patient comfortable. She was an elderly lady with advanced inoperable cancer, subsequently on an end of life pathway receiving palliative care. The World of Health Organisation (WHO) defines palliative care as: â€Å"The active total care of patients whose disease no longer responds to curative treatment. Control of pain, of other symptoms, and of psychological, social and spiritual problems is paramount. The goal of palliative care is achievement of the best quality of life for patients and their families† Towards the end she could not communicate, only making short groans if she was in pain when we moved her. She was given a bed bath, change of sheets and a clean nightie. Throughout the nurses helped protect her dignity by keeping the door and curtains closed and keeping the patient covered as much as possible. The nursing staff continually spoke to her and reassured her, whilst I held her hand. The patient died a few days later with dignity and respect and peacefully with her friends by her side. I was involved in the last rites. Reaction I felt quite self-conscious when standing by the bedside. I did not know how conscious the patient was of the situation around her. It was obviously important to talk to her but initially I found it difficult to know what to say and was conscious of others listening to me and wondered if I was saying or doing the right things. The nurse present was very concerned she may die whilst we were washing her as he recognised Cheyne-Stokes breathing. I had never seen anyone this way before. I felt more upset seeing her deteriorate than I did when she died purely because I felt she was now free of the discomfort. Analysis The care plan for the last days of life had been met. The patient’s psychological, social and spiritual needs had been addressed, and the patient was comfortable and free from pain (Kemp 1999). The care that was carried out protected the patients’ dignity and respected her as a human being. I found it very rewarding to be part of the team that helped this patient, in her last days of life, die with the dignity and respect she deserved. Everything that could be done for the patient was done in a very  professional, but also a very caring manner. The NMC guides us to: â€Å"Make the care of people your first concern, treating them as individuals and respect their dignity†. I feel that we had achieved this for the patient. If I find myself in this situation again I would be confident enough to implement palliative care in a professional caring manner, which hopefully will mature with personal experience and by observing other nurses. I would talk to the patient wh ether or not they were conscious and also aim to provide support for the family.

Mavesa

| Mavesa`s Nelly Brand  : Pricing to Gain Market Control | 19/03/2013 | Mavesa’s Nelly Brand: Pricing to Gain Market Control Problem statement The year is 1999 and Jose Luis Paez, the category manager for Marvesa mayonnaise is contemplating whether he should use a new pricing strategy that cuts the price of their product due to Venezuela’s current economic conditions and increasing competition in the segment.As this new strategy aims at gaining market share the possibility of negatively impacting profits in the foreseeable future is also an issue. Therefore, is this the best strategy Marvesa should use in order to alleviate the problem? SWOT MAVESA STRENGTHS| WEAKNESSES| Traded on the NYSE; * Extensive product portfolio; * Management talent; * Market share leader in most of its categories despite multinationals; * Strong recent growth; * Geographic expansion through exports, acquisitions or mergers; * Owns 60% of industrial segment (restaurants); * Good national distr ibution network; * Flexible and responsive to changing market conditions; * Lowest cost producer of the low cost segment;| * Contracting mayonnaise sales within Marvesa; * Nelly has minimal brand loyalty and brand image; * In category where low price is a primary criterion, Nelly`s price are not among the lowest; * Do not have the appropriate sales force; * High overhead costs;| OPPORTUNITIES| THREATS| Salad dressing segment growth; * Growth in the industrial segment; * Improve channels to increase shares in medium and small stores; * Flexi-pack; * Huge growth in the household segment;| * Changing competitive environment becoming more saturated, volatile economic environment; * Recession in Venezuela; * Kraft is launching mayonnaise; * Shift in lower priced brands due to economic downturn; * De-evaluation of the bolivar; * Competition: Albeca and Kraft; * Economy brands expected to represent 34% * Mature mayonnaise market; * Decline in the premium market;| Options: Option #1: Implem ent the aggressive new price strategy. Focus on targeting the economy household segment. PROS| CONS| Nelly created this segment; * Nelly`s taste attributes; * Huge growth predicted to continue; * Nelly occupied approximately 48% of the market;| * Primary criterion is low price; * Only 15% of the market by volume; * Albeca; * Entry of Kraft; * Little brand loyalty in this segment;| Option #2: Implement the aggressive new price strategy. Focus on targeting industrial segment. PROS| CONS| * 23% of the market by volume; * One customer account signifies a lot of sales; * 16% growth in the last year; * Mavesa has 60% share of the market; * | * Competition based mainly on price; * Price wars between competitors; * Low profitability;| Option #3: Maintain current prices. Focus on targeting the premium household segment. PROS| CONS| 85% of the market by volume; * Decline in the volume over the past 2 years; * Quality is the key buying criterion; * Customers are loyal to the brand;| * Recessio n in Venezuela; * Nelly`s cost-cutting innovations make it less relevant for this segment; * Kraft mayonnaise is perceived as the one with the highest quality;| Decision Matrix: | Profitability| Growth Potential| Brand image| Sales Efforts| | Option 1| 4| 4| 2| 2| 3. 0| Option 2| 2| 4| 3| 3| 3. 0| Option 3| 2| 1| 4| 3| 2. 5| Recommendation: Nelly should implement its new aggressive pricing strategy. As the decision matrix shows it, they should leverage the reduction in cost production to increase their market shares both in the economy household segment and in the industrial segment. Low-costsNelly is the lowest cost producer in the low-cost segment which leaves some margin for cost reduction. The main threat about it is the overhead costs that Nelly has to pay for sales force and management regarding the company`s size in comparison to its competitors. It is assumed that cost-cutting innovations such as the flexi-pack and the reduction of oil in the production of mayonnaise will co mpensate for those costs. It also has to be precarious and not set is price to low or too high. Protection of the shares in the Premium market Nelly should make clear differentiation between the salad dressing targeting economy segment and mayonnaise targeting the premium segment.The company wants to implement cost-cutting innovations to gain more share in the economy segment, but it do not want to lose its shares in the premium market. By offering two products, one marketed as mayonnaise for the premium market and one marketed as salad dressing for the economy market, Nelly could increase its shares while gaining more shares. Distribution Channels and Sales Force Investment will have to be made in order to either hire more trained sales force to get access to more medium to small-sized stores or increase wholesalers and distributors additional margin on volume discounts. By increasing wholesalers and distributors` margins on volume discounts, it could become and incentive to push s ales.Nevertheless, since the difference in the level of distribution between stores attended indirectly and directly by Nelly`s sales force is important, hiring new sales force would be the most recommend strategy. Industrial Even if this segment has low profitability because of the price wars, Nelly could take advantage of the cost-cutting innovations made in production and packaging. In this segment, one customer account represents huge sales. Mavesa already has 60% of the market shares while its major competitor owns 30% of the shares. With its new low cost, it could at least gain the remaining 10% of the shares that is split among small regional competitors who would probably not be able to follow the price reduction. Mavesa | Mavesa`s Nelly Brand  : Pricing to Gain Market Control | 19/03/2013 | Mavesa’s Nelly Brand: Pricing to Gain Market Control Problem statement The year is 1999 and Jose Luis Paez, the category manager for Marvesa mayonnaise is contemplating whether he should use a new pricing strategy that cuts the price of their product due to Venezuela’s current economic conditions and increasing competition in the segment.As this new strategy aims at gaining market share the possibility of negatively impacting profits in the foreseeable future is also an issue. Therefore, is this the best strategy Marvesa should use in order to alleviate the problem? SWOT MAVESA STRENGTHS| WEAKNESSES| Traded on the NYSE; * Extensive product portfolio; * Management talent; * Market share leader in most of its categories despite multinationals; * Strong recent growth; * Geographic expansion through exports, acquisitions or mergers; * Owns 60% of industrial segment (restaurants); * Good national distr ibution network; * Flexible and responsive to changing market conditions; * Lowest cost producer of the low cost segment;| * Contracting mayonnaise sales within Marvesa; * Nelly has minimal brand loyalty and brand image; * In category where low price is a primary criterion, Nelly`s price are not among the lowest; * Do not have the appropriate sales force; * High overhead costs;| OPPORTUNITIES| THREATS| Salad dressing segment growth; * Growth in the industrial segment; * Improve channels to increase shares in medium and small stores; * Flexi-pack; * Huge growth in the household segment;| * Changing competitive environment becoming more saturated, volatile economic environment; * Recession in Venezuela; * Kraft is launching mayonnaise; * Shift in lower priced brands due to economic downturn; * De-evaluation of the bolivar; * Competition: Albeca and Kraft; * Economy brands expected to represent 34% * Mature mayonnaise market; * Decline in the premium market;| Options: Option #1: Implem ent the aggressive new price strategy. Focus on targeting the economy household segment. PROS| CONS| Nelly created this segment; * Nelly`s taste attributes; * Huge growth predicted to continue; * Nelly occupied approximately 48% of the market;| * Primary criterion is low price; * Only 15% of the market by volume; * Albeca; * Entry of Kraft; * Little brand loyalty in this segment;| Option #2: Implement the aggressive new price strategy. Focus on targeting industrial segment. PROS| CONS| * 23% of the market by volume; * One customer account signifies a lot of sales; * 16% growth in the last year; * Mavesa has 60% share of the market; * | * Competition based mainly on price; * Price wars between competitors; * Low profitability;| Option #3: Maintain current prices. Focus on targeting the premium household segment. PROS| CONS| 85% of the market by volume; * Decline in the volume over the past 2 years; * Quality is the key buying criterion; * Customers are loyal to the brand;| * Recessio n in Venezuela; * Nelly`s cost-cutting innovations make it less relevant for this segment; * Kraft mayonnaise is perceived as the one with the highest quality;| Decision Matrix: | Profitability| Growth Potential| Brand image| Sales Efforts| | Option 1| 4| 4| 2| 2| 3. 0| Option 2| 2| 4| 3| 3| 3. 0| Option 3| 2| 1| 4| 3| 2. 5| Recommendation: Nelly should implement its new aggressive pricing strategy. As the decision matrix shows it, they should leverage the reduction in cost production to increase their market shares both in the economy household segment and in the industrial segment. Low-costsNelly is the lowest cost producer in the low-cost segment which leaves some margin for cost reduction. The main threat about it is the overhead costs that Nelly has to pay for sales force and management regarding the company`s size in comparison to its competitors. It is assumed that cost-cutting innovations such as the flexi-pack and the reduction of oil in the production of mayonnaise will co mpensate for those costs. It also has to be precarious and not set is price to low or too high. Protection of the shares in the Premium market Nelly should make clear differentiation between the salad dressing targeting economy segment and mayonnaise targeting the premium segment.The company wants to implement cost-cutting innovations to gain more share in the economy segment, but it do not want to lose its shares in the premium market. By offering two products, one marketed as mayonnaise for the premium market and one marketed as salad dressing for the economy market, Nelly could increase its shares while gaining more shares. Distribution Channels and Sales Force Investment will have to be made in order to either hire more trained sales force to get access to more medium to small-sized stores or increase wholesalers and distributors additional margin on volume discounts. By increasing wholesalers and distributors` margins on volume discounts, it could become and incentive to push s ales.Nevertheless, since the difference in the level of distribution between stores attended indirectly and directly by Nelly`s sales force is important, hiring new sales force would be the most recommend strategy. Industrial Even if this segment has low profitability because of the price wars, Nelly could take advantage of the cost-cutting innovations made in production and packaging. In this segment, one customer account represents huge sales. Mavesa already has 60% of the market shares while its major competitor owns 30% of the shares. With its new low cost, it could at least gain the remaining 10% of the shares that is split among small regional competitors who would probably not be able to follow the price reduction.

Bric Countries India Opportunities And Challenges Economics Essay

Bric Countries India Opportunities And Challenges Economics Essay India has now become the tenth largest economy in the world however it needs to engage more dynamically with the other emerging economies to move up the ladder in realising her dream to become one of the leading economic powers in the world. The world is looking at India due to her impressive economic growth. India being the fourth largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity attracts large FDI in different sectors. All these coupled with economic reforms undertaken in 1991 by Narsinhma Rao government, has made India the second fastest growing economy in the world  . Thus to become economic power India needs to accelerate its economic reforms and take further steps to overcome institutional and infrastructural bottlenecks. 35. There has been increase in the share of industries over the years however the revival of manufacturing sector is the reason for rapid growth in GDP. India has become one of the favourite destinations for IT, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, automobile, consumer goods etc. As per the recent reports   [ 14 ]   published, India has pulled ahead of China to lead the Forbes list of best countries for new jobs. However the potential to engage with other BRIC countries to fuel her economic growth have not yet fully exploited. There is a requirement for India to move beyond cosmetic ties & forge strong cooperation in fields of trade, IT sector, energy, science and technology and defense and space technology sector to enable mutual benefit of all countries in the group and fuel her economic growth. 36. As per the Goldman Sachs report   [ 15 ]   India will be the third largest economy in the world and by 2030, when it will outperform Japanese economy. To realise this dream, India needs to improve its rural infrastructure such as electricity, roads, irrigation and transport to generate employment and should also at the same time invest heavily in social infrastructure. The de-regulation of economy, simplification of procedures and r elaxation of entry barriers for business activities is must for further growth in FDI. The urgent need to improve infrastructure in rural areas for its development so that it not only participates in the growth of the country but also adds to it.   [ 16 ]    Brazil 37. Brazil is the largest economy in Latin America and the eighth largest in the world, based on nominal GDP and ninth largest by purchasing power parity. Brazil is one of the fastest growing economies in the world with an average growth rate of 5 %. As per Goldman Sachs report Brazil will become one of the five largest economies in the world in the times to come, thus becoming one of the most sought after industrial destination. Brazil is member of various economic organizations. At present its 60 % of exports consist mostly of manufactured or semi manufactured goods. Its main trade partners as per recent reports are Latin America (25.9 %), EU (23.4 %), Asia (18.9 %), the United States (14.0 %), and others (17.8 %). Brazil has a broad base in the sophisticated technological sector that ranges from automobile, petrochemicals, fertilizers, submarines, aircrafts, space research and also a pioneer in many fields, including deep water oil research, ethanol production and blending.   [ 17 ]   Thus it offers great opportunities for India to get into economic and trade ties to exploit potential of Brazil and thus further increasing the mutual trade which has not yet reached the desired level.   [ 18 ]

Chevrolet manufactures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chevrolet manufactures - Essay Example So, this paper will analyze the various processes and issues that took place in the departments of production and operation, when GM or more specifically Chevrolet manufactured its Corvette Z06 range of cars. Corvette Z06 comes under the brand of Chevrolet Corvette C6, which is the sixth and also the current generation of sports car produced by the Chevrolet, a part of General Motors. Launched in the year 2006, Corvette Z06 debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last month. As Z06 are the latest models, it can be considered as the most powerful production Corvette till date. This reputation of being a powerful car, can be held till 2012, because the only C7 will make a entry. According to Motor Trend magazine, the C6 will not be superseded by a new C7 generation at least until the 2012 calendar year. (Connor, 2008). The production and the operation process of Z06 were optimized, when compared to the C5 generation. Apart from the major overhaul in the aspects of engine (a larger 6.0 L with 364 cu in and 5967 cc engine), interior space and other technicalities, the production process of Z06 was mainly geared to using aluminum as the preferred metal for the body of the car. The body frame was constructed using aluminum, thereby saving 136 pounds, which would be the extra weight if a standard steel frame was used. â€Å"In place of the steel frame on the conventional C6, GM is substituting an almost identical aluminum spaceframe, thereby reducing mass by over 30%† (Whitfield, 2005). Although, GM decided to use Aluminum, it did not have the resources to come up with the Aluminum car body structure and this where the coordination processes came into the picture, with GM using the services or working in coordination with Structural Solutions Group’s, Dana Corp. Although it seemed like a simple substitution, transforming a spot-welded steel frame into an aluminum

Renting Is Better than Buying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Renting Is Better than Buying - Essay Example Renting an apartment remains quite economical as compared to buying one. With the passage of time, renting proves to be cheaper than buying an apartment. It is always advisable to make a cost-benefit analysis while deciding whether to buy or rent a home (Vij). Where renting a house costs an individual as much as $500 on the average, the same house may cost an individual between $1000 and $2000 per month in the form of mortgage that further gets factored to accommodate tax and insurance. Also, in the recent years, â€Å"rents have barely budged while house prices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and elsewhere have doubled, renting has become a surprisingly smart option for many people who never would have considered it before† (Leonhardt). Whenever an individual has enough money to invest, it is advisable to estimate the difference of the mortgage payment and the rent, and invest that sum into the stock market. Benefits of renting: Acquiring the loan for constructing a house is quite a lengthy and tiresome process. An individual is supposed to possess excellent credit and a considerable sum for making down payment. Good interest rate cannot be gained without a good investment sum. Buying a home requires an individual to owe the lender money for many years that follow. Renting the house provides the individual with the leverage to pay as long as he/she lives in it, and later decide as per convenience. When an individual owns a home, he/she essentially becomes responsible for all matters that concern the accommodation’s maintenance and appropriate functionality. ... When the sewer line in house damages, it is the owner’s responsibility to fix it and bear all expenses. The plumber may need to dig up the earth in order to change the existing pipe or lay out a new one. Such activities consume a lot of money, which the owners have to pay. In comparison to that, people living on rent do not have to bear the additional expenses of maintenance and fixation. If something becomes faulty in a rented apartment, the renter makes a call to the owner to get that fixed, without having to pay for the job. Likewise, a person on rent does not have to pay for the maintenance of lawn or other areas of the house. The renter only has to compensate for the damages that have been caused by him/her. Renting a house does not require the renter to have insurance because of lack of ownership. All a renter is required to have at maximum is the â€Å"renter insurance† as it makes it cheaper for the renter. Taking all these factors into consideration, a working class employed person enjoys far more benefits in renting as compared to buying a house. An analysis in light of economic recession: In the contemporary age of economic recession, a lot of owners are selling their homes in order to meet their daily living expenses. The widespread economic recession has caused a lot of business entrepreneurs to downsize their workforce in order to minimize the overhead charges and maximize the profits. Renting proves to be the most convenient and flexible option for such employees, whose jobs are endangered and who can be fired any time by their employers. Such people want the facility to shift anywhere anytime as per the need of the employment. However, it is always advisable to acquire a short term lease in order to escape

When should the State become involved in family life Essay

When should the State become involved in family life - Essay Example aimed at identifying and protecting children at risk.4 It is therefore accepted and understood that states should have the authority to intervene for the protection of children who are vulnerable to neglect and abuse. This paper analyses the current state of law, policies and practices that speak to a general justification for state intervention in family life for the protection of children. In this regard, this research study is divided into two parts. The first part of this study identifies the state agents that are authorized to intervene in family life for the protection of children. The second part of this paper analyses the laws, practices and policies enabling state intervention via state agents. ... The welfare state by implication serves the collective needs of all and at the same time confers virtual autonomy on the state over its citizens. Neoliberalism takes the position that social services are part and parcel of the free and open market economy. It is generally presumed that the state bears some responsibility for meeting social needs while at the same time recognizing that individuals are free to take care of themselves and their families. In order to achieve social justice, social democracy commands that the state implement measures and policies for promoting and enforcing social justice.7 Pursuant to neoliberal theory and concepts of social democracy, the state constructs rules prescribing how the state and its various agents function to achieve social justice. In the interest of achieving social justice, states may retain for themselves some measure of coercive authority which permits the state to prohibit some behaviour on the part of its citizens. States in neolibera l contexts respond to the demands of social justice by observing society, social institutions and implement or modify public policies that are consistent with their observations.8 In this regard, social justice with respect to children in the UK was originally informed by the death of Maria Colwell which was caused by her stepfather while under the supervision of social services in 1973. Over the last 15 years, there have been a number of high profile inquiries about the efficacy of social services and thus the state in identifying and protecting children from child abuse and neglect. While most of the high profile inquiries involve the failure of the state via its social services agents to

Deontological Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Deontological Ethics - Essay Example This project aims to shed more light on deontology and virtue ethics, which are some of the principles on which philosophy is founded. The term deontology is derived from two Greek words: Deon, which means duty and logos, meaning study. Contrary to aretaic theories that normally focus on the character and personality that is instilled within us, deontology is based on the deontic theories which normally guide and asses some of the decisions that we make in our day-to-day activities. In making such decisions; nevertheless, we are expected to take into consideration the aspects of the society that are morally required, morally forbidden and are morally permitted. Concisely, we can refer to deontology as the moral aspects of our life that guides some of the decisions that we make. Deontological theories can be classified into several categories, which range from agent-centred, patent-centred, contractarian, as well as deontological theories based on Kant. The agent-centred theories hold the belief that decisions should normally be made based on objective reasoning (Burnor and Raley 426). The patent centred theories, on the other hand, argue that decisions should normally be based on the rights of various people within the society. In as much as some aspects of these theories are different, they share the ideology that choices cannot always be justified by their effects. This is to imply that no matter the moral outcome of some decisions, they should not be carried out. Unlike consequentialism, which does not take into consideration some of the aspects of society, the deontological theories have largely been appreciated. It is because they provide those who are involved in the decision-making process to consider various aspects within the society including friends, family members as well as some of the projects that are being undertaken by the community. Similarly, scholars have often argued that the deontological theories are not too demanding. This is

The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business Case Study

The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business - Case Study Example The cruise issued receipts to passengers that had a clause stating that any claim made by either the employees or the passengers must be made under the country in which the cruise flag. For this case, the cruise flag a Liberia flag hence any claim to be made must be under the Liberia law.  For a ship to operate international, it should have a country of registry for it to operate in the international water. Cruise vessels of countries such as United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands, Panama, Norway, Bahamas, Netherlands, and Liberia are provided with the flag registry. These countries are members of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as they provide the vessel owners with the registry services and maritime expertise. In a competitive international shipping industry, flag registration requirement must be met. The first requirement is that the flag state should be a member of International Maritime Organization (IMO) that adopt the IMO's maritime safety Resolutions and C onventions and secondly is that a flag state must have an established maritime organization that is capable of enforcing all international and national regulations.  Since the DWI cruise ship flies Liberian "flag of convenient", they are normally are under a regulatory agency of maritime experts that ensure shipping companies are compliant with the laws of commercial vessels registered in that country in areas of operation procedures and practices. (International Council of Cruise Lines, 2006) DWI issued tickets to Mr. and Mrs. Lowell stating that any claim made by both the passengers and the employees against the shipping company should be made under the law of the country in which the cruise flag. The DWI cruise Minnow happened to fly Liberian flag, therefore, any claim made against the shipping company should be made under the Liberian law.  Under the Liberian law, any property of the wife belongs to the husband and she has no capacity claim for them or even claims for his in juries. When Mrs. Lowell returned to Miami, her attorney faxes a letter to DWI shipping company requesting them to send to the $10 million within 10 business day in regards to Mr. and Mrs. Lowell incident. Indeed the Lowell suffered during the robbery incident in their cabin and they lost valuable items like jewelry. But according to the Liberian law, the wife has no capacity to sue for his husband injuries and even if the jewelry belonged to her, she has no capacity to sue for them since they belong to the husband. However, Mrs. Lowell was also battered and suffered emotional distress during the robbery incident. For this case, her attorney can sue the shipping company for negligence under the law of tort. Her attorney needs to argue that Mrs. Lowell suffered after the robbery incident, therefore, sues the company for damages for breach of contract; infliction of emotional distress; assault and battery. She is entitled to remedies for damages due to negligence on the side of the sh ipping company for there was no clause on the ticket on this and they owed her a duty of care during while on their ship as a passenger. Under the Liberian law, the law of tort protects the individuals' interest in their bodily security and its objective of the remedy is to reinstate a person's initial position.

Zip Car Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Zip Car - Case Study Example The business had a market of people that would enjoy using Zip car. The market was good for those who were able to use the internet and did not have a car available for use at all times. The market for Zip car would target those who did not do a lot of driving throughout the year. It was important for Chase to allow operating costs to be cheaper than the cost of leasing, renting or purchasing a car. By doing this, Chase would entice the targeted market to use Zip cars as a main means of transportation. Funding is a problem for many businesses. Chase, with the help of Danielson, created business plans and presentations that are appropriate for investors. Investors want to see that they are going to receive the money they lent and more. Chase performed the necessary research and gave the investors exactly what they wanted. Seeking a new engineer to create the software was a way to keep cost down and achieve the necessary technology that Zip car needed. A new software engineer costs less than an engineer that has more experience. Little cost cutting techniques like this used by Chase were important for allowing funding to go as far as possible. Zip car had everything lined up to get the business started and seemed as if it could be successful. Question # 2) What is the business model, and how has it changed between Dec. 1999 and May 2000? What do the data from actual operations in September say about how the business model is working? Does this give you comfort or concern? Answer # 2) A business model is important for every business. Business models show the most important part of a business. That part is the businesses numbers. The numbers show everything. If the proper research has been performed and the numbers do not show a potential profit, there is no need to start the business. The business model for Zip car shows the expenses and profit for the company. The business model shows expenses such as leases, insurance, parking

Global Warming Poses Threat to Ski Resorts in USA Essay Example for Free

Global Warming Poses Threat to Ski Resorts in USA Essay The American west is marvellous, it is large with grand landscapes and mountains reaching to the sky . The plains unfold to the horizon and the vistas present an unimaginable panorama. Just like any where else in the world, water is an essential element to life here but it is scarce hence creating the wests vulnerability. Precipitation is generally low and cannot support agriculture it is for this reason that agriculture is only possible through irrigation. This precipitation is not only scarce but scarcest in the summers when it is mostly needed but falls disproportionately and mostly in the mountains in the winter. The only saving grace is that in winter it precipitates as snow and stays as snow packs throughout the winter. It is on the basis of these weather patterns that the winter sports tourism is established. This industry has served as the main economic driving machine of the west and other other areas for decades. However, changing climatic patterns and global warming has emerged as a serious threat to the existence of the winter sports industry. Projected increases in average global temperatures due to increases in green house gases in the atmosphere has been incriminated in widespread glacial and white cap decreases, ocean level rise and warming but most importantly in the reduction of snow cover and the decrease in the duration of winter tourism. The unpredictability of the future and the climate sensitive nature of winter sports tourism has led to many initiative aimed curbing the increase in green house gases and consequently making snow available. Introduction Compelling evidence suggests that global climate has been on a progressive change since the industrial era and is projected to continue over the 21st century and beyond. Global warming and climate change is an unequivocal phenomenon. Global mean temperature has been on the increase with an approximate increase of 0. 760 C between 1850-1899. the same increase has been found between 2001 and 2005. This means that global predictions of temperature bear a 90% probability (IPPC. Climate Change and Tourism, 2007). These increases in average temperatures are a direct result of human activities that increase the concentrations of green house gases in the atmosphere. The extent of these discernible human influences have also extended to other climate change aspects such as temperature extremes, changes in wind patterns, continental average temperatures and ocean warming. The same is applicable to the widespread glacial and white cap decreases coupled with warming of the ocean surface temperatures, the result is a sea level rise of approximately 1. 8mm yearly from 1961-2003 and approximately 3. 1mm yearly from 1993-2003. The resultant effect of biological response in ecosystems and species diversity presents an unpleasant scenario and these statistics are recorded in virtually every continent. It is projected that the probability of increase in global temperatures will further accelerate green house gas emissions at the present or above the present rates. The prediction pushes overall global temperature rise by 1. 80C -4. 00C. Assuming that the atmospheric concentrations of green house gases are stabilized, the warming effect would still continue due to the levels of green house gases from past emissions and the consequent thermal inertia of oceans. The biological response would also be extrapolated to future centuries even if the levels are stabilized at the present concentrations today. The discernible manifestations worldwide will be hot temperature extremes, extreme heat waves, heavy precipitation, peak wind speeds and precipitation in tropical cyclone events and an additional heavy precipitation associated with increases in tropical sea and surface temperatures. Together with these climatic changes extra tropical storm tracks are projected to shift towards the poles. All these changes together with the decreases in show cover will continue into the future. The economic and environmental risks are unfathomable and would effectively impede nations strides towards the achievements of sustainable developments. However, there is hope that if precautions and measures are taken to reduce green house gases today the high costs of environmental and economic destruction and disruption can fairly be mitigated. This calls for lifestyle changes, economic policies and regulations and international efforts that not only help reduce the causative agents of climate change and global warming but also foster adaptation and mitigation measures to meet the challenges of climate change. Climate change and Tourism Climate change, especially global warming has grown to be a pivotal issue in the development and management of tourism. The relationship between the environment, climate and tourism sector is currently a highly sensitive economic matter. Climate change is increasingly driving tourism development and decision making, changing tourism destinations and even tourist tastes. Tourism sector remains a non negligible contributor to climatic changes. GHG emissions from transport and accommodation must be reduced in accordance with international standards. Tourism sector cannot address the challenges of climatic changes themselves and in isolation but they can only do this in the context of sustainable development and the broader international development agenda. Tourism and the sustainability of tourism destinations is dependent on climate variability. The length and the quality of seasons as well as destination choice and the level of tourist spending are all determined by climate change. Climate change and winter sports Winter sports constitute a very source of income and the reliability of snow is a key element in the touristic offer. Skiing and snowboarding are the most common forms of writer sports but others such as snow hiking and cross-country skiing also depends on the reliability and the availability of enough snow. Mountainous areas are always very sensitive to climate change hence less snow, melting permafrost, receding glaciers and extreme events such as landslides. Additionally climate change shift mountain fauna and flora. These effects pose a direct threat to ski resorts in the United States. Lower earnings in winter tourism will only serve to exacerbate economic disparities that exist between the alpine regions and the more developed urban areas. These changes will also increase the risk of only skiing at high altitude up the mountain. If this was to happen there would be an intense concentration of sports activities in certain regions as well as further putting pressure on the environmentally sensitive high mountains. The extrapolation of the effects of global warming on winter tourism extends to the viability of the mountain cable way companies that use the availability of snow as a prerequisite for their financial stability. Without snow or enough snow the profitability of the ski industry is impossible. The absence of snow in the mountains will be like having a summer without a sea. The variability of the winter season with response to climate change will deny the winter sports industry the right levels of snow at the right time. These forecasts are a necessity in planning for trips at shorter notices especially the weekends (Rolf Burki et al, 2003) Studies undertaken in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Australia, Switzerland and the United States to establish the impact of climate change on the tourism sector show severe implications especially to the winter sports industry. While some regions with high technological advances like adaptation strategies (artificial snow making) will maintain their tourism, others unable to adapt the expensive technologies will lose out. These transitions in business volumes will not only be driven by limiting snow levels but also the fact that skiers respond flexibility to snow conditions. During a snow poor season, 49% of skies are most likely to change to a resort that is fairly more snow reliable, 32% would reduce the frequency of skiing and only 4% would give up the sport. Coupled together with the fact that climate change has a direct effect on the number of ski days, those unable to adapt to expensive technologies will be disadvantaged and pushed out of business. (Rolf Burki et al, 2003). Snow resorts not concentrated in snow reliable high altitude areas will be forced to withdraw from the market because of decreasing levels of snow. For transport industries that will offer access to high altitude areas (sometimes higher than 200m) business prospects will be good due an expected increase in skiing at the high altitudes. The effect of this will be quantitative expansion of the high altitude skiing resorts hence eliciting a negative environmentally feedback effect caused by disruption of the ecologically sensitive high altitude mountain regions. Presently, this expected expansion to high altitude areas has been the theme of many concept studies that influence the opening up of High Mountain (Breiling and Charamza, 1999) It is for these effects of climate change that during a recent campaign in Portsmouth, N. H, Barrack Obama the Democratic Party presidential candidate reiterated that there is need to address the urgency of global warming on the ski industry. He said that global warming is not a future problem but a present one. This problem has made New Hampshire to have shorter sporting seasons and people are losing jobs. He further reiterated that residents of North America ski areas together with their customers should work hand in hand to change their energy spending. habits and resort to green technology if they were to prevent climate caused melt-downs (Laura Bly, 2007) Resorts have started investing in sustainable seafood practices, local food supplies, biodiesel powered snow cats and embracing the use of more energy efficient snow making equipment. To achieve this, campaigns on global warming and discounts are being offered to guests who come in hybrid cans. What is even more impressing is that resorts have taken the challenge of campaigning for these changes as well as acting as advocates for intergovernmental change. Effects of global warming have also been reported in Burlington Vt. The city is usually carpeted in December but unfortunately changing climatic conditions has created a mild situation where snowfall is meager just an inch thick. The temperatures are becoming warmer and fewer trails open. However, these fears have been allayed by the optimism of the meteorological department prediction that the season will progress as Christmas approaches. According to Michael Berry; president of the National ski Areas Association, the potential impacts winter recreation, the mountain ecosystem and the way of life of residents in these areas cannot be ignored. Global warming has a direct and profound effect on the ski business as it depends solely on the variability of weather. To drive this process of change, the association has adapted a policy to regulate and control climate change. The reduce, educate and advocate approach was adopted to help in the fight against global warming. Key in the policy is a call to ski resorts to work towards the reduction of green house gas emissions individually and collectively, educate the public and guests on the potential impacts of climate change to writer sports industry and be the advocate in pushing for institutional and regulatory changes aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions (Michael Berry, 2007). To this end almost half of the 59 ski resorts, who have purchased renewable energy credits or utilized green energy for their lifts and other facilities are 100% green powered hence reducing carbon dioxide emission by 427,596,000 pounds an equivalent of planting almost 17 million trees. Customers are encouraged to offset their emission and work towards increasing green energy use in their home. Generation of renewable energy through on site solar projects or micro hydro power projects and wind energy has greatly increased with Jimmy Peak Mountain Resort in Massachusetts installing the first wind turbine powered ski area in August 2007. Resort vehicle fleets are now using alternative fuels like biodiesel, they also provide or promote car pooling or mass transit use. Ski resorts are being built using green building techniques and retrofitting existing facilities all with the aim of saving energy. Though an outreach program called â€Å"Keep Winter cool† millions of people have been educated on global warming and encouraged to institute lifestyle changes to help curb global warming. Specific Impacts of Global Warming on Winter Tourism . Snow The financial viability and stability of the winter sports tourism industry solely depends on the availability of sufficient snow. Less snow pack is caused by higher average temperatures, on the other hand if there are extremely low temperatures at night then it follows that there is likely to be an average increase in daytime temperatures. In both cases the resultant effect is less mountain snow cover and a reduction in the duration of cover. (Stephen Saunders et al, 2005). This means that recreation will be shortened and the snow will be slushier. The big difference to earlier situation where snow cover was considerably reduced is that, the capital intensity of the winter sports tourism will be considerably high. When this is analyzed in the context of profits from ski dependent businesses, taxes from local and state governments, the financial prospects of industries in the winter tourism sector look bleak. However, the most important link between climate change and mountain tourism is less snow and, as a consequence, less earnings in ski tourism. Glaciers Statistics all over the world point to the fact that there is a general retreat of glacial cover all over the world. Taking Switzerland as an example, since 1850, the Swiss glaciers have lost slightly more than 25% of their surface. If this was to continue in the future, by 2030, approximately 20% to 70% of the total Swiss glacial cover will disappear. This is a real problem for the ski industry not only in Switzerland but across the world as ski tourists will resort to other countries with snow availability. The effect of this trend will be putting more pressure on the existing ski facilities as well as acting as an incentive for investment in high altitude areas. Permafrost Melting of permafrost due to global warming makes mountain areas vulnerable to landslides. Transport facilities such as the mountain cable way stations, the lift masts and buildings become instable. Them costs incurred in bracing and anchoring such buildings when permafrost melts are extremely high. Hiking and climbing in these areas is also made more dangerous hence the loss of revenue due to potential risk of injury like rockfall or other health outcomes. Despite of cries over decreases in snow levels in the future, there is a possibility of winters with heavy snow like that of 1998/1999 that brought a great deal of losses in the winter tourism industry. The avalanche winter destroyed mountain cable ways, ski-lifts and chair lifts. The expenses incurred on sow clearing and the overall loss incurred was in excess of US $ 130 million. Adaptations for the future ski industry should therefore inculcate these historical weather unpredictability patterns in improving the industrys financial viability. Adaptations and Strategies Used by the Tourism Industry to Mitigate Against the Impacts of Global Warming All tourism representatives at political,organizational, entrepreneurial or operational level have been in the forefront in pushing for adaptation strategies to curb climate change and help mitigate the potential effects of global warming. The experiences that project what is going to come in the future are prevalent today and is widely accepted that snow deficient conditions will determine whether winter tourism will remain a viable economic activity. To achieve this a multi sectoral framework that consists of the National Ski Areas Association(NSAA), Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), the federal government through the Senate Environment and Public Works, state stakeholders and other non governmental civil society organizations have developed a Climate Change policy aimed at reducing the concentrations of green house emissions. Ski resorts have been encouraged to adopt safe and efficient energy usage through the exploitation of renewable energy resources. It is this concerted effort in mitigating climate change challenges that also saw the support and endorsement of McCain/Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act to spearhead the fight against global warming. Specifically these attempts will help stabilize the US$ 5 billion mountain resort industry that currently offers employment to 165,000 people. Despite the existence of facts that predict radical effects in the industry, some argue that climate change issues are very exaggerated and politicized by science and the media. They argue that even though the effects could intensify problems in the industry, the majority of resorts in medium and high altitudes will be barely affected. Discussions should yield strategies that take into account the accuracy of statistical data disseminated on climate change and critically analyze the potential consequences. These issues should further be analyzed with reference to the global competition in the winter tourism sector. The facts that accrue from these forums should then be integrated in the construction of artificial snow flaking facilities, extend existing ski runs. Opening of high altitude ski resorts (2000-3000m)should be guided by the potential ecological effect. Climate change should not only be viewed as a negative challenge to winter tourism but also as a catalyst to drive radical structural adjustment and change. These developments should take into account the present risks and opportunities as well as foster development that is in line with the strive for environmental and socio economic sustainability. This will create a highly competitive market where customer preference is not only driven by snow availability but by the efficiency of service in some very high end but smaller less extensive resorts. Such top resorts will offer attractive offers for skiing tourists and hence reduce attention on expansive developments with less attractive offers. Artificial Snow making This is an ubiquitous strategy that is widely employed to mitigate the risk of climate change. Since its inception in 1953 at the Grossingers Resort in New York, it has grown to become the principle in the ski industry with an approximate 95% of the resorts engaged in the strategy. Its success has mainly been driven by its invaluable superior nature that offers a complete substitute to natural snow fall as well as making it possible to extend skiing durations(Daniel D. D. McGill, 2007). However, this technology is heavily dependent on temperature and is only effective in cases at low temperatures. Technological advances has seen the reduction of labor costs through the use of snow guns operated by computers. Snow making utilizes vast volumes of water and therefore the availability of water must be guaranteed for efficient blanketing of a large resort. Weather Derivatives. These are weather risk management tools structured to enable ski resorts make appropriate and informed decisions. They can be structured on snow fall temperature according to the customers specifications. Other factors that can be utilized to mitigate the effects of global warming include r4evenue diversification, cloud seeding and marketing to insulate the resorts against variability of weather by enabling them to maximumly capitalize when the weather is excellent. Conclusions Climate change and global warming remains will continue to remain key challenges in the winter tourism industry especially the ski resorts. Less snow, less glaciers and extreme weather events such as landslides are the key determinants of the future viability of ski resorts. Strategies instituted to meet the challenges of climatic change and mitigate the impacts of global warming can never be successful if implemented in isolation. It is commendable fact that the skiing industry has adopted sustainable building techniques,inculcated green principles and technology in their operations among others. These precedents are admirable but we have to admit that when taken in the global context, these measures do very little in stemming the worrying tide of global warming whose effects are felt indiscriminately. Global warming is a worldwide problem and therefore all the measures undertaken by the tourism industry must be in line with national and international guidelines that aim at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In the future, tourist developments will not only be evaluated and judged with respect to their environmental or socio-economic compatibility and viability but they will also be assessed with respect to the climate-compatibility angle.

Business Plan to launch VALTEC AUTOMATION in India

Business Plan to launch VALTEC AUTOMATION in India Introduction The main objective of this report is to propose a Business Plan to distribute and offer Automation Solutions for various kinds of Valves in Indian Market. The main motive behind pitching into this market is to tap the unending need for valves in various process industries, steel, chemical Oil and Gas industries. The report below has been sculpted out by considering the market conditions, intrinsic and extrinsic factors, environmental conditions and also the various business parameters. Based on the above and along with that basing my B.E. in Electronics Instrumentation Engineering and three years of experience in a similar industry, a clear cut strategy has been jotted down to plan, organize, launch, monitor and control the business of Valtec-Automation in Indian market. Insight into Valves Valves form a very integral component in piping systems. The primary method of regulating and controlling pressure, direction and flow of fluids is accomplished with respective control valves.ÂÂ  Depending on the scenario, a valve may be operated continuously e.g. control valves, or very rarely e.g. Safety Valves, or intermittently e.g. isolation valves. A valve can be very simple, low cost item or it may be very much complicated, costly item.ÂÂ  In piping design the valves probably require more engineering effort than any other piping component The forecasts convey that the demand for industrial valves globally would increase annually by 4.4 percent through 2011, driven by an encouraging indicator of growth in developing nations and a drift towards much more expensive automated valves and actuators in developed countries. India is one among the nations which would experience the fastest market gains. Market Analysis Target Market The Indian market offers tremendous opportunities to foreign investors with one billion populations in hand. The investors could view massive growth and expansion here. Indian economy is growing at a faster rate compared to other nations. the major sectors like energy, environment, infrastructure, transportation with their increasing demand forces foreign investors to enter Indian market. India GDP has registered 6.7% growth in the period 2008-09 but it has the capacity to sustain the growth rate of 8 to 10% in the nearing years. The current growth rate is apt for the investors. Valve Market in India The valve industry is improving day by day. Manufacturers are using new technologies such as latest testing and manufacturing equipment. So demand for valves is seen in almost all areas, especially in core sectors of metal and mining, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, drugs, food and beverages etc for de-bottlenecking , expansion of capacities and maintenance purposes. By using these technologies there is awesome improvement in the finishing of the valves and they are of good accuracy. the valves distributed by Valtec has smart positioners as control system. Moreover, it is made of low noise and low emission exotic materials. The valve market is large enough to offer a wide variety of opportunities to all manufacturers irrespective of the kind of operations. The market, by and large, is shared by different manufacturers based on brand name, technology, manufacturing capacities and price competitiveness. Today India is a large producer of valves and it also plays a role in producing top class products of the world. The quality of valves produced in India is used by domestic users based on the service and application. However the large organisations present in key sectors opt for only best brands after a scrutiny of offers based on the application. The country also has small manufacturers who have their own niche markets. The growth in the valve industry is expected to continue at 7-8 per cent per annum. Due to India becoming competitive the growth in exports is expected to be 10-12 per cent per annum. Grabbing all these advantages of this market, Valtec would be pitching in to the valve market of India alo ng with Valve Automation solutions. This is observed to be the right time to sweep away a large portion of this market segment. VALVE EXPORTS OF INDIA Source : Exim Bank MARKET SHARE OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF VALVES (Globally) Source: Exim Bank Benefits of establishing in Indian market For companies established in special economic zone several tax exemptions are made available IT companies have tax incentives Many countries are in double taxation treaties with India; A private company in India can be made with a minimum capital of INR 100,000; Skilled employees are available at nominal rate. Obstacles in Indian Market Rigid and complex social framework Indian Bureaucracy Infrastructure issues India is a nation with varied cultures and hence major changes in social structure are tedious to implement. However, the outlook is slowly changing and government is trying their level best to make effective changes. More Efforts are made to cut down on the red-tape. Poor road conditions and shortage of power supply are some of the infrastructural problems in India that needs to be resolved as quickly as possible. However, useful measures are adopted by the government in these areas as well to attract foreign investors to the country. Eight highways projects has been finalised that will need an investment of Rs 10k crore. Hence, with the steps taken up to improve the situations, entry into the Indian market will no longer be a tedious process. Business Analysis Type of Business entities in India Private Limited Company Public Limited Company Unlimited Company Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) Partnership Sole Proprietorship Liaison Office/Representative Office Project Office Branch Office Joint Venture Company Private Limited Company Limitations of a private company The shareholders have only limited rights to transfer shares The maximum possible number of share holders is fifty The public is refrained from buying the shares. Public Limited Company Public company cannot be called a private company. The public company has its own limitations: The minimum number of share holders should be at least seven. A public company is not permitted to start business once the certificate of incorporation is approved. In order to start business as a corporation, trading certificate is a must. The company must file a statement in lieu of a prospectus before it can start transacting business. It should have minimum of at least three directors. Statutory meetings should be held and the management should be appointed based on approval from government. Liaison Office/Representative Office A Liaison Office needs approval from the government of India. It plays an important role in collection of information, promotion of imports and exports and facilitate financial and technical collaborations.ÂÂ   Project Office Foreign companies can establish a temporary site or project offices to execute specific projects and activities related to it in India. Branch Office Foreign companies who have involved themselves in activities related to manufacturing and trading goods abroad are allowed to open a branch office in India for many purposes such as import and export of goods, rendering consultancy services, to perform research work etc Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) LLP is another corporate business element which provides the advantages of limited liability of a company but allows its members to organise their internal management as is the case of a partnership firm on the basis of a mutually-arrived agreement. Valtec As Sole Proprietorship The sole proprietorship is the oldest, simplest, and very common form of business entity. It implies that the business is fully owned by a single person. The owner and the business is considered as a single entity for all liabilities, taxation and legal liability. Taxation happens at individual level for business earnings and there is no means of escaping. Thus, legal claimants are eligible for personal property of the proprietor and not simply the assets used in the business. Advantages of a Sole Proprietorship: Simple and low cost No filing or legal charter with the Government is required. Owner enjoys fullest control on decision making. Income goes directly into the pocket of the owner. Business profits are not taxed. Owner enjoys the privilege of dissolving the business at his/her discretion. Disadvantages of the Sole Proprietorship: The total capital available is limited which in turn limits the size of the business. Product liability lawsuit by a customer is not applicable against business Change in legal form of business is necessary in case of sharing of benefits of ownership other than profit Benefits of employees is not deducted or partly deducted from taxable income. the assets of the business go to his or her estate upon loss of life Regulations: Registration is not required for sole proprietorship. Just an account in bank should be opened with the name and style that the owner wishes to work. VAT or Service tax registration needs to be applied as Chennai has its state VAT and service tax registration regulations. The PAN of the owner will be the firms PAN and the income tax returns will be filed in the personal name. Typical Procedure to Establish Business in India Establishing a business in India requires certain period of time. This is because besides incorporation there are certain other formalities in establishing a business in India. (Source: Types of Business Entities in India, http://madaan.com/incorporate.htm ) Business regulators Business Entry Factors There are many foreign companies who keep a watch on various opportunities in India. To enter the Indian market and to achieve something big they need to be careful regarding certain points. These include: Finding good partners who knows the in and out of local market as well with the procedural issues Smart planning Identifying the target market Promotion of products and services Contacting the appropriate agents and distributors In addition to these, the foreign investors need to explore different market options available in India and frame a joint venture with an India-based company. It also includes establishment of a branch office. Actual Plan Vision Mission Statement: To evolve as a successful market leader in providing the cutting edge fluid flow control and automation solutions and maximize the growth and revenue in all possible ways. Agenda: The new born Valtec Automation India Private Limited will hit the market by procuring different type of valves from a specific list of valve manufacturers like RFLExports, Peco Valves, Tyco, etc .., special actuators from Bettis and several automation equipments from local market on needs basis. Depending upon the customer and process requirements, a clear cut valve automation solution will be engineered by implementing the above mentioned components. Apart from these activities, Installation commissioning of valves and accessories and maintenance service jobs would also be rendered. The target market would initially be Southern region of India and venturing into various process industries like steel, paper pulp, sugar, cement, chemical, waste water treatment plants, petroleum refineries and others. Valtec would be strategically Head Quartered in Chennai Tamil Nadu, which would be a very apt place for carrying out business as it is very well equipped with a fantastic port, air freight, road ways and railways network. Slowly our footprints would be made in other parts of India as well. Long Term Plans The material cost has a direct relation with respect to the cost of the valves. If the cost of any input increases then the cost of the valve also automatically increases. Almost 60% of total cost of the valve depends on the material price. India has adequate foundries and the closure of foundries in west resulted in export demand. So Indian foundries are adding more capacity. This paves a clear path for Valtec to venture into foreign markets. Valtec An Organization: Principal Management Carry a solid expertise, skills and training in Designing and Automation of Valve based solutions. Possess a broad spectrum of know-how about the global valvse automation market. Leadership Possess substantial experience in key role such as managerial and Decision Making, Strategic Planning, Financial Planning, Controlling and other managerial roles. Manpower To start with, we would be operating with 10 staffs on board and later to triple the strength by the commencement of the next financial year. Facilities Infrastructure All necessary tools and equipments that are required of carrying out this business would be brought in. Inventory Just in time principle would be adopted. SWOT Analysis Competitor Analysis With the development of petrochemical and chemical industries, the Valve Market in India is also experiencing a tremendous growth. Restructuring of power plants are under process in order to improve the efficiency in saving energy. Future investments in nuclear power generation are likely to generate substantial revenues for the total industrial valves and actuators market, creating numerous growth opportunities for market participants. With around thousands of players, the competition in Industrial valve automation sector is very high. Lot of small domestic firms serves the niche market by manufacturing labour-intensive valves with fewer technicalities. These companies gain edge over others with its lower pricing. On the contrary, special valves and sophisticated actuators are being produced by many MNCs that generate majority of the revenue in market as they cater the high-end market. To have a good presence, participants in the industry are likely to go for acquisitions and mergers. Steps to gain competitive advantage: As Indian Market is full of many players in Valves and Valve Automation sector, a Understanding the increasing demand for robust valves that offer a great scope for automation and stable performance and catering these needs in a timely and technologically sound manner. Also, the solution provided should be the best value for the money. Investing time and money in research and development of new techniques in automation. Pitching well into application of intelligent valves which can perform data processing, networking with computer-based control systems that can aid in optimization of the valve system management, perform self diagnosis, combined with embedded system, fieldbus, and computer-based controls. Proper understanding of the customer base in the market and also a clear cut analysis of the demand in different kind of process industries is very much vital to provide the best solution and also to stand out in the race. By providing labour intensive valves with fewer technicalities, the niche market can be captured. Also, after market service plays a very crucial role in gaining a competitive advantage. Keeping abreast with the growing technology and constant innovation of the process. Resources, Infrastructure Manpower Manpower The workforce right from the bottom to the top in the hierarchical order will be absorbed from the Chennai market itself. Apart from the permanent payroll employees, separate team would be formed now and then on needs basis in order to carry out the on site activities like installation and commissioning activities. A first level technical team will comprise of 2 automation and design engineers with relevant work experience and skills. Under them a team of technicians, fitters and other skilled labour force to a maximum of 5 members would be recruited. Apart from these, a middle level management staff and a sales and marketing executive will also be recruited. Support staff like administration, accounts and human resource to be recruited on limited requirement. Sales and Finance department would initially come under the control of top management and in later expansion phases would be restructured. Raw Materials The raw materials will be procured depending on the project specification and design. And just in time procedure would be adopted for all the raw materials that are being procured. The basic myth behind this policy is that the requirement will be varying from client to client and project to project. Infrastructure A warehouse cum shop floor for carrying out the automation activities and to stock inventory will be rented. All instruments, tools and basic amenities for carrying out all technical and assembling activities will be procured and listed as fixed assets. Office premises are all rented out in Dubai. The business sponsors are generally involved in the infrastructure to utilize the local knowledge and influence. Financial Plan Financial Planning is a very crucial aspect that needs to be carried out well in advance. Its a process of meeting the goals via a proper management and control of the finance. The process of financial planning comprises few important steps which help taking a Big Picture look at the present position. These steps would help us figure out the current financial position, the cash flow or financial support required for a projected period of time and the position that needs to be achieved in a stipulated time period. Also, attention needs to be paid towards the Working Capital that is required for the day to day operations. List down your Goals List down Your Cash Flows and Cash Inflow Understand and figure out your Risk-appetite List down the financial goals. Make sure your Goals are realistic Make the Plan Review and Take advice Take Action and keep Reviewing The Launch Valtec Automation, the newly born company will is duly licensed and adhered to all sort of legal and business regulations of India. A deep, strong and rigid foundation gas been laid down in all possible spheres. All the basic business activities have been jotted down, an initial setup team has been made and the company is all set for kicking off.

Internet Piracy :: essays research papers fc

He doesn't wear a stocking mask over his face, and he doesn't break a window to get into your house. He doesn't hold a gun to your head, nor does he ransack your personal possessions. Just the same he's a thief. Although this thief is one you'll not only never see,but you may not even realize right away that he's robbed you. The thief is a computer hacker and he "enters" your home via your computer, accessing personal information -- such as credit card numbers which he could then use without your knowledge at least until you get that next credit card statement. RichardBernes, supervisor of the FBI's Hi-Tech squad in San Jose, California, calls the Internet "the unlocked window in cyberspace through which thieves crawl" (Erickson 1). There seems to be an unlimited potential for theft of credit card numbers, bank statements and other financial and personal information transmitted over the Internet. It's hard to imagine that anyone in today's technologically oriented world could function without computers. Personal computers are linked to business computers and financial networks, and all are linked together via the Internet or other networks. More than a hundred million electronic messages travel through cyberspace every day, and every piece of information stored in a computer is vulnerable to attack (Icove-Seger-VonStorch 1). Yesterday's bank robbers have become today's computer hackers. They can walk away from a computer crime with millions of virtual dollars (in the form of information they can use or sell for an enormous profit). Walking away is precisely what they do. The National Computer Crimes Squad estimates that 85-97 % of the time, theft of information from computers is not even detected (Icove-Seger-VonStorch 1). Home computer users are vulnerable, not only for credit card information and login IDs, but also their files, disks, and other computer equipment and data, which are subject to attack. Even if this information is not confidential, having to reconstruct what has been destroyed by a hacker can take days (Icove-Seger-VonStorch 1). William Cheswick, a network-security specialist at AT&T Bell Labs, says the home computers that use the Internet are singularly vulnerable to attack. "The Internet is like a vault with a screen door on the back," says Cheswick. "I don't need jackhammers and atom bombs to get in when I can walk in through the door" (Quittner 44). The use of the Internet has become one of the most popular ways to communicate.

Unzipped :: Free Essay Writer

Unzipped In the expository text Unzipped- everything teenagers want to know about love, sex and each other, Bronwyn Donaghy has written about the facts and consequences of teenage sex. By doing so she has presented us with her old fashioned ideologies and her strong ‘anti-teenage-sex’ values and attitudes. As the audience Donaghy has tried to scare us into believing and following these attitudes, which are very evident throughout the entire text. Virginity and abstinence is the way to go. This text is targeted at young youths who are curious and want to explore their sexuality and their parents who Donaghy thinks should be open and willing to educate their children on the subject. In order to do this she has employed the use of three different writing styles: These being narrative, expository and real life accounts. Between chapters and further the different sexual topics, Donaghy has split the information up by an ongoing fictional story, which runs through the entire book. It is a narrative story about two inquisitive and curious adolescent teenagers who fall in love and start to get ‘full on’ but then decide against the idea of sex as it is simply too complicated. Donaghy has done this by using very ‘down to earth’ language that she thinks teenagers can relate to and a simplistic story line. However by trying to relate to teenagers at what she perceives is their level in my opinion gives the story very little realism in regards to reality as she simply cant ‘pull it off’. The story is made to almost look superficial. Within the story it is made very clear that abstinence is the way to go, reflect Donaghy’s ideologies. As the writer she does not even try to hide this attitude of hers and at one stage, through Ben’s mum is able to vocalise th is: ‘ Love is a wonderful thing†¦. Sex on the other hand, can be very dangerous in the hands of the young and inexperienced.’ She then goes on to say: I sincerely hope you wont’. This is in relation to Ben and Lucy’s sex life. By creating this story Donaghy tries to manipulate us as the audience to accept these ideas and her values as being right. To further shape our response towards this very strong attitude Lucy and Ben adhered to Ben’s mum’s opinion and further Donaghy’s ideologies. She developed these characters in order to express her perception of what teenage relationships should be like in her eyes.

Essay --

Prior to my enrollment in this class, I did not have exposure or any type of familiarity with the Zen tradition. The uniquely Japanese branch of Buddhism has indeed flourished, and focuses on eliminating the sources of human suffering, or in other words, dukkha. On its simplest level, the effect on the development of this Japanese-Buddhist culture continues to resonate among its followers, as it did approximately 2500 years ago. However, there is a question that remains to an even larger extent. How actually did Zen come to influence not only the worlds of art, literature, and architecture, but also popular culture and Western life? The connection involving Zen and art is incredibly mystifying, because upon examination Zen art itself appears to be very modern. Shunryu Suzuki explains that â€Å"Zen practice is the direct expression of our true nature† (32). He also mentions â€Å"when you practice Zen, you become one with Zen† (49). Fully exposing ourselves to foreign n otions may be strange, but at which point is it that Zen transcends into art? As said by an unknown essayist, Zen is the â€Å"spiritual journey towards enlightenment, known as satori, an awakening that is achieved through the realization that one is already an enlightened being† (1). In keeping with my previous question, traditional arts do have roots in the Zen tradition. In order to reach enlightenment, one has to find meaning within the scope of their everyday experiences. It is not particularly useful to create something new or search for significance in other objects. As day to day life is a component of Zen teaching, and there may be artistry well in the midst of routinal activities. Perhaps art is a guiding tool for those individuals who seek enlightenment. Therefore, the ... ...by its boundaries† (Hoover 9). We hesitate to take a step back, look at the whole picture, and regain full composure. After all we are the products of lifetime conditioning, as it relates to our emotional and thought patterns. All living beings try to avoid misfortune, except that negative emotions come from the mind and are nonexistent. Zen reminds me of the complete need for restraint and patience. You have to begin at one point and embrace life’s unique experiences as they come. When an individual is captivated and enthralled with the Zen practice, art is clearly an expression of their enlightenment. Zen artists, similar to Ranzan Shoryu, are not consumed by the lavish appearances of their art forms. The religion and religious art are interdependent, and may as well define each other. To find nirvana, is there not a need for disruption in interdependence though?

Final the Relationship Between Hiv and Aids and Poverty Is Synergistic and Symmetrical in Nature

BACHELOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCES HONOURS DEGREE IN DEVELOPMENT STUDIES [BLOCK RELEASE 2. 2]FACULTY : HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCESDEPARTMENT : DEVELOPMENT STUDIES STUDENT ‘NAME : EMMANUEL R MARABUKA STUDENT’ ID NUMBER : L0110064TMODULE NAME : HIV AND AIDS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA LECTURER :MR D.NYATHIDUE DATE : 01 MARCH 2013EMAIL ADDRESS : [email  protected] com QUESTION : The relationship between HIV and AIDS and Poverty is synergistic and symmetrical in nature†. Comment. [25] | HIV and AIDS are issues of concern worldwide they are associated by many implications which affect negatively in human lives. HIV and AIDS are mainly spread through unprotected sex with an infected person. HIV weakens the antibodies which are responsible for fighting diseases.Therefore once the white blood cells are damaged by virus it cannot resist diseases result a person into many opportunistic infections at this stage a person will have AIDS. Therefore for now HIV and AIDS have no cure yet. Therefore, HIV and AIDS and poverty are synergistic and symmetrical in nature. Meaning to say the impacts of HIV and AIDS and poverty complement each other in destroying human’s well being. Also they have same power or they are parallel in destroying human lives. However this essay seeks to comment on the notion that, the relationship of between HIV and AIDS and poverty is synergistic and symmetrical in nature.According to Mwambete and Justin-Temu (2011) poverty is defined as a state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions. The World Bank defines poverty as â€Å"the inability to attain a minimum standard of living† and produced a â€Å"universal poverty line†, which was â€Å"consumption-based† and comprised of two elements: â€Å"the expenditure necessary to buy a minimum standard of nutrition and other basic necessities and a further amount that varies from country to country, reflecting the cost of participating in everyday l ife of society.Poverty can be caused by unemployment, low education, deprivation and homelessness. Therefore, HIV and poverty reinforce each other, with poor, vulnerable and powerless women being a significant driver of the disease while also bearing the burden of its impact (Scott et al 2011) Poverty, characterized by limited human and monetary resources, is therefore portrayed as a risk factor to HIV/AIDS. Moreover, HIV/AIDS deepens poverty and increases inequalities at every level, household, community, regional and sectoral.Poverty pervades subgroups such as the unemployed and migrants. As a result of the condition of poverty, people become more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, since these are the people who have less access to the necessary facilities to prevent or treat HIV Scott (2011). This means poor people have less access to HIV/AIDS treatment which increases the progression of AIDS. HIV HIV/AIDS appears to interact strongly with poverty and this interaction increases the depth of vulnerability of those households already vulnerable to shocks (Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager 2005).Poverty is associated with vulnerability to severe diseases like HIV, through its effects on delaying access to health care and inhibiting treatment adherence (Bates et al, cited in Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager 2005). The costs incurred when seeking diagnosis and treatment for HIV/AIDS are common causes of delays in accessing health care especially for the poor. Poor households may not necessarily have the financial resources to seek help from health centres, nor food security to enable members to adhere to their treatment.It should be emphasised that poor people infected with HIV are considerably more likely to become sick and die faster than the non-poor since they are likely to be malnourished, in poor health, and lacking in health attention and medications (FAO 2001). Therefore, lack of resources is significant cause of the delays in accessing health services by poor households which lead them to chronic illness because of HIV and AIDS. The relationship between HIV and AIDS and poverty is seen when HIV compromise health of an individual and because of poverty that individual lack resources to access health thereby leading to chronic illness or death.More so, HIV increase financial constraints to a household already poverty stricken and it increases debts related to health. HIV/AIDS and poverty impact significantly especially on the household and its ability to cope with the epidemic. Household impact is one of the points at which AIDS and poverty demonstrate their intertwined relationship (Piot et al cited Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager 2005). At the household level the HIV-afflicted patient’s labour input gradually diminishes as the patient uccumbs to sickness, and the labour of other household and extended family members is often diverted to care for AIDS patients during this period, the most critical impact being when the patient becomes incapacitated before dea th. De Waal & Whiteside (2003) have found that diversion of labour coupled with the care of children orphaned as a result of the death of their parents to AIDS related diseases further impoverishes the household. The HIV/AIDS epidemic undercuts the ability of the households to cope with shocks. Assets are likely to be liquidated to pay for the costs of care.Sickness and caring for the sick prevent people from migrating to find additional work. In the longer term, poor households may never recover even their initial low standard of living (UNDP 2009). This clearly shows the linkage between HIV/AIDS and poverty at household level because it leave a poor household in chronic poverty such that it will be difficult to come out of it. Like poverty, HIV/AIDS epidemic is affecting the sub-continent of Saharan Africa more severely than any other parts of the world with 63% of global AIDS cases occurring in the region (Mwambete and Justin-Temu 2011).This shows a relationship between HIV/AIDS and poverty in the region because in sub Saharan high Africa there is high poverty as well as HIV prevalence. Jooma, cited in Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager (2005) cited that, the number of Africans living below the poverty line (less than 1 US dollar per day) has almost doubled from 164 million in 1981 to 314 million people today. She further contends that 32 of 47 African countries are among the world’s 48 poorest nations.Therefore, HIV is high in Africa as compared to other continents of the world as well as poverty. However poverty and HIV and AIDS have a close link in diminishing human lives. Poverty and mobility are critical dimensions of vulnerability to HIV transmission (FAO 2001). Therefore, driving force behind migratory movements is poverty. ILO (2005) put forward that, poverty increases the risk of HIV/AIDS when it propels the unemployed into unskilled migratory labour pools in search of temporary and seasonal work, which increases their risk of HIV/AIDS.UNDP (2009) in the same vein eludes that, poverty especially rural poverty, and the absence of access to sustainable livelihoods, are factors in labour mobility of the population including cross border migration and acceleration of the urbanization process, which contributes to create the conditions that sustain HIV transmission. However such situations widens the web of sex networking, and in this way it will facilitate the early rapid spread of HIV. This means that, poverty increases people’s mobility exposing them to infection when they are away from their families.In this way poverty and HIV are synergistic and symmetrical in nature because in this essence, poverty create a migration platform which at the end expose people to HIV infection because of long time away from sexual partners. HIV and AIDS and poverty have strong bi-directional linkages. HIV/AIDS is both a manifestation of poverty conditions that exist, taking hold where livelihoods are unsustainable and the result of the unmi tigated impact of the epidemic on social and economic conditions (ILO 2005).HIV/AIDS is at the same time a cause and an outcome of poverty and poverty is both a cause and an outcome of HIV/AIDS. HIV and AIDS mainly affect the productive age of 15-60. ILO (2005) argues that, HIV/AIDS causes impoverishment when working-age adults in poor households become ill and need treatment and care, because income is lost when the earners are no longer able to work, and expenditures increase due to medical care costs. Therefore, this means HIV reduces household income generation because labour will be diverted to care for the sick person.Unlike other sicknesses, HIV/AIDS does not target the poor. Whereas poverty may increase an individual’s susceptibility to infection by HIV/AIDS and vulnerability to its physical, social, and economic impact, HIV/AIDS itself is not ex ante linked with poverty. In addition HIV and AIDS increase consumption at the expense of production. Moreover, households often expend their savings and lose their assets in order to purchase medical care for sick members. Assets may have to be sold when many households are facing the same need, and such distress sales are often ill-timed and at a loss.This lead to chronic poverty and it directly affect livelihoods. Women are more vulnerable than men to HIV infection because of, biological, cultural, lack of education, inheritance among other factors. In the same vein FAO (2001) alludes that, in many places HIV infection rates are three to five times higher among young women than young men. In addition to Mwambete and Justin-Temu (2011) posits that, fifty-eight percent of all Tanzanian adults living with HIV/AIDS are women. This shows women are most likely to be infected by HIV and AIDS.Scott et al (2011) argues that, gender inequality and poverty deprives women of their ability to fulfil their socially designated responsibilities, and therefore debases them, often forcing them into prostitution which exposes them to HIV infection. Therefore, children raised in poor households face a large risk of achieving a low level of educational attainment and dropping out of school. Girls especially are removed from school as a coping strategy, and also because the girls education is viewed as â€Å"less of a priority†, since it is expected that they will marry and will belong to another family.Women in Tanzania also have severely limited access to education, employment, credit, and transportation as a result northern coastal women—married and unmarried, young and old—are increasingly turning to sex work, exposing them to a high risk of HIV infection (Mwambete and Justin-Temu 2011). This increases poverty in women which expose them in risk behaviour such as commercial sex. This is because if women are denied to access education they will not find employment in a formal to cope with their basic needs also they will be vulnerable to sexual exploitation by men because of p overty.ILO (2005) alludes that, poverty drives girls and women to exchange sex for food, and to resort to sex work for survival when they are excluded from formal sector employment and all other work options are too low-paying to cover their basic needs. Therefore, commercial sex exposes women to infection and it is mostly necessitated by poverty. In this essence a link between HIV and AIDS and poverty is when poverty forces people to enter into risk behaviour in order to gain living.Therefore, poverty create reasons for women to practice commercial sex also because of poverty they can justify themselves for example women in Mkwaja village Tanzania in who were saying they accept that it is now the female burden to provide for their children, they said they risk dying from AIDS for the sake of our children (Mwambete and Justin-Temu 2011). HIV/AIDS and poverty have a link in affecting the food security at both household and national level. Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager (2005) argues that, HIV/AIDS and poverty combined have a debilitating effect on agricultural sector of the poor countries, and more effect in poor households.Therefore, a major impact on agriculture includes the depletion of human capital, diversion of resources from agriculture, and loss of farm and non-farm income, together with other forms of psychological impacts that affect productivity. Since agriculture is the only source of food, reduction of labour cause severe food shortages in HIV and AIDS affected households. Households experiencing food shortages as a result of poverty and effects of HIV/AIDS increase the chances of fast progression of the illness and inevitable death of the ill person.Given that malnutrition is a function of poverty, there is thus a good reason to assume that poverty helped hasten the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa (Nattrass, cited in Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager 2005). Therefore, both HIV and poverty exert tremendous pressure on the household’s ability to provide for the basic needs like food. Poor nutritional status is linked to vulnerability to progression from HIV infection to mortality. Poor nutrition weakens the body’s defence against infection, and infection in turn weakens the efficiency of absorption of nutrients Mwambete and Justin-Temu (2011).HIV is often associated with morbidity leading to labour shortage and loss of income. In the same line UNDP (2009) postulate that, people with chronic illness are often unable to work, therefore, leading to income reduction. They also need care from other household members, thus limiting their productive activities and doubling the loss of income which results in poverty. (Wyss et al cited in UNDP 2009) found that time lost due to illness by people living with HIV was approximately 16 days per month, while uninfected household members spent 8. days on average to care for affected family members, reducing their time for other activities and occupations. This clearly shows that HIV/AIDS divert labour to attend to a sick person. The link between HIV/AIDS and poverty in this essence is that, HIV deepens poverty through income reduction necessitated by labour diverted to attend to the sick person. Also on top of income reduction HIV increases consumption of available resources through medical expenses thereby leading to chronic poverty. UNDP (2009) reveals that, among the poor, up to 47% of income went to coping with the disease.Although the relationship between, poverty and HIV/AIDS are synergistic and symmetrical in reducing people’s wellbeing. There are circumstances which they are not linked for instance in least developed countries a large number and a substantial fraction of public sector personnel with a capital of skills, training, and education, and of experience in management and policy-making – notably in the fields of health and education – are being removed from the labour force as a result of AIDS at a time when the need for their se rvices is greatest for development (ILO 2005).Therefore this shows that, AIDS can affect people regardless of their economic status. Therefore, not only poverty expose people to HIV infection by risk behaviours such as multiple sex partners associated with wealth. More over availability of income may cause individuals to be mobile and being exposed to commercial sex workers. In another study, HIV and education had a negative relationship in urban areas and a positive link in the rural areas (Hargreaves and Glynn cited in Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager 2005).Where a positive link was found, the authors suggested that persons, especially men, with greater levels of education may have more disposable income which, in turn, allows them greater access to travel and increased opportunity for contact with commercial sex workers. The study found that generally the highest prevalence of HIV was found amongst the well off individuals/households, particularly affecting rich women, as opposed to poor er and rural households (Shelton et al cited in Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager 2005).The findings pointed out that wealthier people tend to have the resources which lead to greater and more frequent mobility and expose them to wider sexual networks, encouraging multiple and concurrent relationships. But it was also observed that the wealthier people tend to have greater access to HIV medications that prolong their lives and are more likely to live in urban areas, which have the highest prevalence (Mwambete and Justin-Temu 2011) However, there are, exceptions to the relationship between HIV/AIDS and poverty, in particular in Africa where some countries with very high HIV prevalence rates are also among the richest UNDP (2009).In line with this argument (FAO 2001) alludes that, there are some powerful critiques of the poverty-AIDS argument, which claim that many of the worst affected African countries such as Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa are among the most economically developed in t he region, poverty does seem to be a crucial factor in the spread of HIV/AIDS. In conclusion, HIV and AIDS and poverty are related and they complement each other.Therefore, high HIV prevalence is mainly fuelled by poverty which leads into migration and exercise of commercial sex by women to gain a living. Moreover poverty increases the progression of AIDS because of lake of medical services. More impacts of HIV and AIDS are seen in poor households because they cause more health defects as compared to a rich household. One may argue that, poverty creates a platform for people to be infected by HIV and if they are infected poverty further deepens its roots.This is because of liquidation of productive asserts in trying to cope with disease. Although HIV affects all people with and without income, it has great impacts to a poor person. Finally impacts of HIV and AIDS in rich countries and households are not visible because of access to medical facilities. The impacts of HIV and AIDS are mainly visible in poor household who do not have funds to access treatment. Therefore the relationship between HIV and AIDS and poverty are synergistic and symmetrical in nature without compromise.REFERENCES De Waal, A. and Whiteside, A [2003] The New Variant Famine Hypothesis, Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia FAO (2001) The Impact of HIV/AIDS on rural households and land issues in Southern and Eastern Africa. Economic and Social Development Department http://www. fao. org/wairdocs/ad696e/ad696e04. htm [Accessed on 12/02/2013] ILO (2005) HIV/AIDS and poverty: the critical connection, Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work www. ilo. rg/aidshttp://www. ilo. org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—ed_protect/—protrav/—ilo_aids/documents/publication/wcms_120468. pdf[Accessed on 12/02/2013] Mwambete, K. D. and Justin-Temu, M. (2011). Poverty, Parasitosis and HIV/AIDS – Major Health Co ncerns in Tanzania, Microbes, Viruses and Parasites in AIDS Process, http://cdn. intechopen. com/pdfs/20651/InTech-poverty_parasitosis_and_hiv_aids_major_health_concerns_in_tanzania. pdf [Accessed on 12/02/2013] Scott, E. Simon, T. , Foucade A. L. , Theodore K. , Gittens-Baynes, K. A. 2011) Poverty, Employment and HIV/AIDS in Trinidad and Tobago Department of Economics The University of the West Indies. International Journal of Business and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 15; THULISILE GANYAZA-TWALO and JOHN SEAGER – HSRC – (2005) Literature Review on Poverty AND HIV/AIDS: Measuring the social and Economic Impacts on Households http://www. wsu. ac. za/hsrc/html/ganyaza-twalo. pdf [Accessed on 12/02/2013] UNDP, (2009). Impact of HIV/AIDS on household vulnerability and poverty in Viet Nam. United Nations Development Programme. Viet Nam. Culture and Information Publishing House. Final the Relationship Between Hiv and Aids and Poverty Is Synergistic and Symmetrical in Nature BACHELOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCES HONOURS DEGREE IN DEVELOPMENT STUDIES [BLOCK RELEASE 2. 2]FACULTY : HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCESDEPARTMENT : DEVELOPMENT STUDIES STUDENT ‘NAME : EMMANUEL R MARABUKA STUDENT’ ID NUMBER : L0110064TMODULE NAME : HIV AND AIDS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA LECTURER :MR D.NYATHIDUE DATE : 01 MARCH 2013EMAIL ADDRESS : [email  protected] com QUESTION : The relationship between HIV and AIDS and Poverty is synergistic and symmetrical in nature†. Comment. [25] | HIV and AIDS are issues of concern worldwide they are associated by many implications which affect negatively in human lives. HIV and AIDS are mainly spread through unprotected sex with an infected person. HIV weakens the antibodies which are responsible for fighting diseases.Therefore once the white blood cells are damaged by virus it cannot resist diseases result a person into many opportunistic infections at this stage a person will have AIDS. Therefore for now HIV and AIDS have no cure yet. Therefore, HIV and AIDS and poverty are synergistic and symmetrical in nature. Meaning to say the impacts of HIV and AIDS and poverty complement each other in destroying human’s well being. Also they have same power or they are parallel in destroying human lives. However this essay seeks to comment on the notion that, the relationship of between HIV and AIDS and poverty is synergistic and symmetrical in nature.According to Mwambete and Justin-Temu (2011) poverty is defined as a state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions. The World Bank defines poverty as â€Å"the inability to attain a minimum standard of living† and produced a â€Å"universal poverty line†, which was â€Å"consumption-based† and comprised of two elements: â€Å"the expenditure necessary to buy a minimum standard of nutrition and other basic necessities and a further amount that varies from country to country, reflecting the cost of participating in everyday l ife of society.Poverty can be caused by unemployment, low education, deprivation and homelessness. Therefore, HIV and poverty reinforce each other, with poor, vulnerable and powerless women being a significant driver of the disease while also bearing the burden of its impact (Scott et al 2011) Poverty, characterized by limited human and monetary resources, is therefore portrayed as a risk factor to HIV/AIDS. Moreover, HIV/AIDS deepens poverty and increases inequalities at every level, household, community, regional and sectoral.Poverty pervades subgroups such as the unemployed and migrants. As a result of the condition of poverty, people become more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, since these are the people who have less access to the necessary facilities to prevent or treat HIV Scott (2011). This means poor people have less access to HIV/AIDS treatment which increases the progression of AIDS. HIV HIV/AIDS appears to interact strongly with poverty and this interaction increases the depth of vulnerability of those households already vulnerable to shocks (Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager 2005).Poverty is associated with vulnerability to severe diseases like HIV, through its effects on delaying access to health care and inhibiting treatment adherence (Bates et al, cited in Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager 2005). The costs incurred when seeking diagnosis and treatment for HIV/AIDS are common causes of delays in accessing health care especially for the poor. Poor households may not necessarily have the financial resources to seek help from health centres, nor food security to enable members to adhere to their treatment.It should be emphasised that poor people infected with HIV are considerably more likely to become sick and die faster than the non-poor since they are likely to be malnourished, in poor health, and lacking in health attention and medications (FAO 2001). Therefore, lack of resources is significant cause of the delays in accessing health services by poor households which lead them to chronic illness because of HIV and AIDS. The relationship between HIV and AIDS and poverty is seen when HIV compromise health of an individual and because of poverty that individual lack resources to access health thereby leading to chronic illness or death.More so, HIV increase financial constraints to a household already poverty stricken and it increases debts related to health. HIV/AIDS and poverty impact significantly especially on the household and its ability to cope with the epidemic. Household impact is one of the points at which AIDS and poverty demonstrate their intertwined relationship (Piot et al cited Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager 2005). At the household level the HIV-afflicted patient’s labour input gradually diminishes as the patient uccumbs to sickness, and the labour of other household and extended family members is often diverted to care for AIDS patients during this period, the most critical impact being when the patient becomes incapacitated before dea th. De Waal & Whiteside (2003) have found that diversion of labour coupled with the care of children orphaned as a result of the death of their parents to AIDS related diseases further impoverishes the household. The HIV/AIDS epidemic undercuts the ability of the households to cope with shocks. Assets are likely to be liquidated to pay for the costs of care.Sickness and caring for the sick prevent people from migrating to find additional work. In the longer term, poor households may never recover even their initial low standard of living (UNDP 2009). This clearly shows the linkage between HIV/AIDS and poverty at household level because it leave a poor household in chronic poverty such that it will be difficult to come out of it. Like poverty, HIV/AIDS epidemic is affecting the sub-continent of Saharan Africa more severely than any other parts of the world with 63% of global AIDS cases occurring in the region (Mwambete and Justin-Temu 2011).This shows a relationship between HIV/AIDS and poverty in the region because in sub Saharan high Africa there is high poverty as well as HIV prevalence. Jooma, cited in Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager (2005) cited that, the number of Africans living below the poverty line (less than 1 US dollar per day) has almost doubled from 164 million in 1981 to 314 million people today. She further contends that 32 of 47 African countries are among the world’s 48 poorest nations.Therefore, HIV is high in Africa as compared to other continents of the world as well as poverty. However poverty and HIV and AIDS have a close link in diminishing human lives. Poverty and mobility are critical dimensions of vulnerability to HIV transmission (FAO 2001). Therefore, driving force behind migratory movements is poverty. ILO (2005) put forward that, poverty increases the risk of HIV/AIDS when it propels the unemployed into unskilled migratory labour pools in search of temporary and seasonal work, which increases their risk of HIV/AIDS.UNDP (2009) in the same vein eludes that, poverty especially rural poverty, and the absence of access to sustainable livelihoods, are factors in labour mobility of the population including cross border migration and acceleration of the urbanization process, which contributes to create the conditions that sustain HIV transmission. However such situations widens the web of sex networking, and in this way it will facilitate the early rapid spread of HIV. This means that, poverty increases people’s mobility exposing them to infection when they are away from their families.In this way poverty and HIV are synergistic and symmetrical in nature because in this essence, poverty create a migration platform which at the end expose people to HIV infection because of long time away from sexual partners. HIV and AIDS and poverty have strong bi-directional linkages. HIV/AIDS is both a manifestation of poverty conditions that exist, taking hold where livelihoods are unsustainable and the result of the unmi tigated impact of the epidemic on social and economic conditions (ILO 2005).HIV/AIDS is at the same time a cause and an outcome of poverty and poverty is both a cause and an outcome of HIV/AIDS. HIV and AIDS mainly affect the productive age of 15-60. ILO (2005) argues that, HIV/AIDS causes impoverishment when working-age adults in poor households become ill and need treatment and care, because income is lost when the earners are no longer able to work, and expenditures increase due to medical care costs. Therefore, this means HIV reduces household income generation because labour will be diverted to care for the sick person.Unlike other sicknesses, HIV/AIDS does not target the poor. Whereas poverty may increase an individual’s susceptibility to infection by HIV/AIDS and vulnerability to its physical, social, and economic impact, HIV/AIDS itself is not ex ante linked with poverty. In addition HIV and AIDS increase consumption at the expense of production. Moreover, households often expend their savings and lose their assets in order to purchase medical care for sick members. Assets may have to be sold when many households are facing the same need, and such distress sales are often ill-timed and at a loss.This lead to chronic poverty and it directly affect livelihoods. Women are more vulnerable than men to HIV infection because of, biological, cultural, lack of education, inheritance among other factors. In the same vein FAO (2001) alludes that, in many places HIV infection rates are three to five times higher among young women than young men. In addition to Mwambete and Justin-Temu (2011) posits that, fifty-eight percent of all Tanzanian adults living with HIV/AIDS are women. This shows women are most likely to be infected by HIV and AIDS.Scott et al (2011) argues that, gender inequality and poverty deprives women of their ability to fulfil their socially designated responsibilities, and therefore debases them, often forcing them into prostitution which exposes them to HIV infection. Therefore, children raised in poor households face a large risk of achieving a low level of educational attainment and dropping out of school. Girls especially are removed from school as a coping strategy, and also because the girls education is viewed as â€Å"less of a priority†, since it is expected that they will marry and will belong to another family.Women in Tanzania also have severely limited access to education, employment, credit, and transportation as a result northern coastal women—married and unmarried, young and old—are increasingly turning to sex work, exposing them to a high risk of HIV infection (Mwambete and Justin-Temu 2011). This increases poverty in women which expose them in risk behaviour such as commercial sex. This is because if women are denied to access education they will not find employment in a formal to cope with their basic needs also they will be vulnerable to sexual exploitation by men because of p overty.ILO (2005) alludes that, poverty drives girls and women to exchange sex for food, and to resort to sex work for survival when they are excluded from formal sector employment and all other work options are too low-paying to cover their basic needs. Therefore, commercial sex exposes women to infection and it is mostly necessitated by poverty. In this essence a link between HIV and AIDS and poverty is when poverty forces people to enter into risk behaviour in order to gain living.Therefore, poverty create reasons for women to practice commercial sex also because of poverty they can justify themselves for example women in Mkwaja village Tanzania in who were saying they accept that it is now the female burden to provide for their children, they said they risk dying from AIDS for the sake of our children (Mwambete and Justin-Temu 2011). HIV/AIDS and poverty have a link in affecting the food security at both household and national level. Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager (2005) argues that, HIV/AIDS and poverty combined have a debilitating effect on agricultural sector of the poor countries, and more effect in poor households.Therefore, a major impact on agriculture includes the depletion of human capital, diversion of resources from agriculture, and loss of farm and non-farm income, together with other forms of psychological impacts that affect productivity. Since agriculture is the only source of food, reduction of labour cause severe food shortages in HIV and AIDS affected households. Households experiencing food shortages as a result of poverty and effects of HIV/AIDS increase the chances of fast progression of the illness and inevitable death of the ill person.Given that malnutrition is a function of poverty, there is thus a good reason to assume that poverty helped hasten the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa (Nattrass, cited in Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager 2005). Therefore, both HIV and poverty exert tremendous pressure on the household’s ability to provide for the basic needs like food. Poor nutritional status is linked to vulnerability to progression from HIV infection to mortality. Poor nutrition weakens the body’s defence against infection, and infection in turn weakens the efficiency of absorption of nutrients Mwambete and Justin-Temu (2011).HIV is often associated with morbidity leading to labour shortage and loss of income. In the same line UNDP (2009) postulate that, people with chronic illness are often unable to work, therefore, leading to income reduction. They also need care from other household members, thus limiting their productive activities and doubling the loss of income which results in poverty. (Wyss et al cited in UNDP 2009) found that time lost due to illness by people living with HIV was approximately 16 days per month, while uninfected household members spent 8. days on average to care for affected family members, reducing their time for other activities and occupations. This clearly shows that HIV/AIDS divert labour to attend to a sick person. The link between HIV/AIDS and poverty in this essence is that, HIV deepens poverty through income reduction necessitated by labour diverted to attend to the sick person. Also on top of income reduction HIV increases consumption of available resources through medical expenses thereby leading to chronic poverty. UNDP (2009) reveals that, among the poor, up to 47% of income went to coping with the disease.Although the relationship between, poverty and HIV/AIDS are synergistic and symmetrical in reducing people’s wellbeing. There are circumstances which they are not linked for instance in least developed countries a large number and a substantial fraction of public sector personnel with a capital of skills, training, and education, and of experience in management and policy-making – notably in the fields of health and education – are being removed from the labour force as a result of AIDS at a time when the need for their se rvices is greatest for development (ILO 2005).Therefore this shows that, AIDS can affect people regardless of their economic status. Therefore, not only poverty expose people to HIV infection by risk behaviours such as multiple sex partners associated with wealth. More over availability of income may cause individuals to be mobile and being exposed to commercial sex workers. In another study, HIV and education had a negative relationship in urban areas and a positive link in the rural areas (Hargreaves and Glynn cited in Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager 2005).Where a positive link was found, the authors suggested that persons, especially men, with greater levels of education may have more disposable income which, in turn, allows them greater access to travel and increased opportunity for contact with commercial sex workers. The study found that generally the highest prevalence of HIV was found amongst the well off individuals/households, particularly affecting rich women, as opposed to poor er and rural households (Shelton et al cited in Ganyaza-Twalo and Seager 2005).The findings pointed out that wealthier people tend to have the resources which lead to greater and more frequent mobility and expose them to wider sexual networks, encouraging multiple and concurrent relationships. But it was also observed that the wealthier people tend to have greater access to HIV medications that prolong their lives and are more likely to live in urban areas, which have the highest prevalence (Mwambete and Justin-Temu 2011) However, there are, exceptions to the relationship between HIV/AIDS and poverty, in particular in Africa where some countries with very high HIV prevalence rates are also among the richest UNDP (2009).In line with this argument (FAO 2001) alludes that, there are some powerful critiques of the poverty-AIDS argument, which claim that many of the worst affected African countries such as Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa are among the most economically developed in t he region, poverty does seem to be a crucial factor in the spread of HIV/AIDS. In conclusion, HIV and AIDS and poverty are related and they complement each other.Therefore, high HIV prevalence is mainly fuelled by poverty which leads into migration and exercise of commercial sex by women to gain a living. Moreover poverty increases the progression of AIDS because of lake of medical services. More impacts of HIV and AIDS are seen in poor households because they cause more health defects as compared to a rich household. One may argue that, poverty creates a platform for people to be infected by HIV and if they are infected poverty further deepens its roots.This is because of liquidation of productive asserts in trying to cope with disease. Although HIV affects all people with and without income, it has great impacts to a poor person. Finally impacts of HIV and AIDS in rich countries and households are not visible because of access to medical facilities. The impacts of HIV and AIDS are mainly visible in poor household who do not have funds to access treatment. Therefore the relationship between HIV and AIDS and poverty are synergistic and symmetrical in nature without compromise.REFERENCES De Waal, A. and Whiteside, A [2003] The New Variant Famine Hypothesis, Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia FAO (2001) The Impact of HIV/AIDS on rural households and land issues in Southern and Eastern Africa. Economic and Social Development Department http://www. fao. org/wairdocs/ad696e/ad696e04. htm [Accessed on 12/02/2013] ILO (2005) HIV/AIDS and poverty: the critical connection, Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work www. ilo. rg/aidshttp://www. ilo. org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—ed_protect/—protrav/—ilo_aids/documents/publication/wcms_120468. pdf[Accessed on 12/02/2013] Mwambete, K. D. and Justin-Temu, M. (2011). Poverty, Parasitosis and HIV/AIDS – Major Health Co ncerns in Tanzania, Microbes, Viruses and Parasites in AIDS Process, http://cdn. intechopen. com/pdfs/20651/InTech-poverty_parasitosis_and_hiv_aids_major_health_concerns_in_tanzania. pdf [Accessed on 12/02/2013] Scott, E. Simon, T. , Foucade A. L. , Theodore K. , Gittens-Baynes, K. A. 2011) Poverty, Employment and HIV/AIDS in Trinidad and Tobago Department of Economics The University of the West Indies. International Journal of Business and Social Science Vol. 2 No. 15; THULISILE GANYAZA-TWALO and JOHN SEAGER – HSRC – (2005) Literature Review on Poverty AND HIV/AIDS: Measuring the social and Economic Impacts on Households http://www. wsu. ac. za/hsrc/html/ganyaza-twalo. pdf [Accessed on 12/02/2013] UNDP, (2009). Impact of HIV/AIDS on household vulnerability and poverty in Viet Nam. United Nations Development Programme. Viet Nam. Culture and Information Publishing House.