The Pros and Cons of Using E-Tendering in Singapore

THE PROS AND CONS OF USING E-TENDERING IN SINGAPORE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY First names YAP Last name YEE THARM Abstract: E-tendering is a relatively new and modern technique of tending system. The transaction can be done from business-to-business, business-to-consumer or Business-to-government buy and sale of goods, works and services through the Internet or other networking systems. This paper examines the pros and cons of using E-tendering in the Singapore Construction Industry and the future trend of E-tendering in Singapore.Although E- tendering has been used by the various Singapore Government departments for many years on their procurement of materials and services for local and global with great success, however the private sector in Singapore is still slow in using it as a tendering system. As e-tendering is recognized as a state-of-the-art for procurement which is proven to be efficient by the local Government and other advanced countries (eg. US, UK, China, Hong Kong, Canada etc. ), however the low usage by the private section in Singapore shows that there must be some limitation or disadvantages in using it.May be there are some problems on software and the user not competent to use it for this purpose. Or maybe in Singapore there is a need for the government or a private company to lead and provide a national wide scale of centralizes e-tendering system to cater for all the private tenders in Singapore Construction Industry. Whatever it is, the advantages of E-tendering are far exceeding the disadvantages and it has shown greater potential in the improvement of efficiency to replace the traditional tendering system.Therefore a study to look into the pros and cons of this tendering system is worth the effect. As eventually E-tendering has great potential in increasing efficiency in construction sector in Singapore-tendering by cutting down the-tendering cost and time and reduce the bureaucratic processes in the traditional tendering process. Keywords: E-tender, Singapore’s GeBIZ, E Submission, Information Systems, Pros and cons, Cloud computer, construction. 1. 0 Introduction The use of computer technologies in the world today has revolutionized the processes in the construction industry.The construction industry in Singapore has also faced the same radical and speedy changes in the use of Information Technology (IT) in almost every part of the process of the construction (from pre-tender estimating, tendering, and construction to post tender analysis). Procurement and tendering are an important function for every organisation including construction industry. It is a vital and important activity for a company to gain profit and continue to survive. Especially in Construction Industry, every job is on contract basis, construction company need to secure jobs through tender in order to continue its business.The traditional tendering practices used by Construction Company are largely traditional and involve managing papers or using email to send and receive documents, addenda, correspondence, bid submissions and award notices. With the introduction of submission of tender electronically, time and effort has been shorten tremendously. Other part of the world however electronic tendering has been getting popular over the past few years and is now being commonly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New South Wales, India, Hong Kong, United States and in China. (The PRC China has been using e-tender for more than 10 years.This year China is celebrating the 10th anniversary of E- procurement rule, their website is www. ccgp. gov. cn). Singapore is a developed country with very good coverage of wireless network and fibre optic cable. The use of computer is very much the common practice of government department and private company. However the use of e-tendering so far in Singapore has been limited to government department procurement. For private construction industry the usage of e-tendering is still limit ed. This paper explore into the pros and cons of using e-tendering in Singapore construction industry and its future development. . 0E-Tendering in the Singapore Construction Industry †¢ E- Tendering in Singapore Private construction: The government department of Singapore has been using E-tendering for more than 10 years, the Singapore Economy Development has also been giving incentive to encourage developers and contractors who are keen in using IT for their business. However up to today the private construction sector in Singapore is still limited in usage of E-tendering. Many Developers and Contractors in Singapore are still finding it more comfortable to use traditional tendering system. †¢ E- Tendering in Singapore Government:The e-tendering used by the government of Singapore is called GeBiz, which come from the word Government Bidding. The GeBIZ, or the Government E tendering, was set up in June 2000. The main objective of this system is to simplify government proc urement and tender activities. It was part of the programme for businesses under the e-Government Action Plan (2000–2003) in Singapore. GeBIZ is a one-stop centre for suppliers to have access to all procurement opportunities in the public sector and to trade electronically with the government departments. The Singapore government E-tender website address is at http://www. ebiz. gov. sg/. Now 100% of the Singapore government Tenders or Quotations are using GeBIZ as a platform for procurement for good and services. As of today, Infocomm Technology (ICT) has become a major part of the Singapore public sector's DNA for public administration and service delivery. Due to the result of Singapore e-government efforts, Singapore has been consistently recognised as a leader in major international benchmarking studies. Our Singapore Government’s innovative efforts in using ICT have also gained local and worldwide recognition and awards.More importantly, the citizens and businesse s have embraced in e-government service. In 2010, almost 9 out of 10 of Singapore citizens and businesses expressed satisfaction with the overall quality of government e-services. (http://www. egov. gov. sg/about-egov-introduction) The process of using Singapore’s GeBIZ: Company who wishes to tender for government job need first to apply as a member of Singapore’s GeBIZ. Upon approved as a member, a password for log in to GeBIZ is given to the company. There are two categories of E-tendering in the GeBIZ. Tender – Goods or services estimated to be valued above $7,000 Singapore dollar. †¢ Quotation – Goods or service estimated be valued below $7,000 Singapore dollar. Once a member log on the GeBIZ, the searching for specific notice can be done by indicating the search condition as shown below by clicking on the â€Å"GO† button. [pic] Figure 1 – searching for a tender (source from http://www. gebiz. gov. sg/. ) For viewing of the details of the-tender and quotation notice, simply click on the â€Å"GO’ button of the screen below. [pic] Figure 2 – viewing of posted tender or quotation. source from http://www. gebiz. gov. sg/. ) The constractor can download or view directly the drawings and specifications posted in the GeBIZ to estimate the-tender price. Tender price can then be submitted to the website electronically. Once the-tender is closed, the-tender will be evaluated by the relevant governmant authority (who post the tender) and the result of the-tender will be announced on the GeBIZ for public information. Hardware and Software requirement for GeBIZ tendering in Singapore. The following are the required hardware and software for a contractor to use the Singapore GeBIZ.In order to use the Singapore Government e-tendering GeBiz, A contractor needs to have a computer meet the following recommended system requirement. The computers which do not meet these requirements might not be compatible and un able to use the system for tender. Hardware – Computer must have a minimum 500MHz processor or higher with a hard disc at least 64 MB RAM, the internet connection to be minimum 256kbps or higher. Software – Computer with a Windows Operating System consist of Windows 2000, Windows XP or Window 7. As for Internet Browser, having a Internet Explorer 6. , 7. x, 8. x and 9. 0 will be enough. 2. 1How E-Tendering works E-tendering is an electronic tendering solution to facilitate the complete-tendering process from the advertising of the requirement through to the signing of the contract. This includes the exchange of all relevant documents (drawing, specifications etc) in electronic soft copy format. In other words E-tendering is a process of carrying out entire-tendering Cycle Online including submission of Price Bid in such that Efficiency, Economy, Speed of Internet can be achieved without the use of paper form of hardcopy.It also eliminates the need to transfer of docume nts between the Client and bidders. E-tendering Cycle can be broken in key modules as the figure below: Figure 3 – The E- tendering cycle 2. 2Traditional Tendering System vs. E tendering The advantages of traditional tendering compare to E-tendering System can be summarised as below: Traditional Tendering System †¢ Longer Procurement Cycle More time needed to print tender documents for all the contractors requesting for tendering. A normal construction tender using traditional tendering system can take up to 2 to 4 months for a cycle. †¢ More ExpensiveThe printing of tender documents such as drawings and specifications are costly and a lot of money is spent for plants and labour for transportation of the documents. †¢ Paper Based Procurement Traditional tendering basically is paper based procurement, documents such as drawings, specifications and forms are printed on paper, which is not environmentally friendly. †¢ Restricted Mobility Paper based tender do cument is not mobile and inconvenient to bring it along for reading and estimation. These documents also require large storage space and it is labour intensive to handle. †¢ Can’t do work on HolidaysThe-tender documents are usually placed at the office and the working hour for office is usually 9am to 5pm. No work can be done after these hours and during weekend and public holidays. †¢ Prone to Human errors Paper documents are prone to human errors, as missing of pages or printing errors. Blur print due to low ink or no ink for some pages can happen. †¢ Content not sharable Tendering documents such as specifications are usually A4 size and can only viewed by a person alone, unlike e-tender document which can be projected to a big screen and shared by as many people as possible for group discussion and meeting. †¢ Physical SecurityTender documents stored in the office especially those documents which have sensitive cost information, e. g. Filled up Bill of Quantity. These documents can pose a business security threats as they are valuable to the competitive contractors. †¢ Wastage of space to store bids Unlike e-tender the documents, the document for traditional tenering need physical space for storage. E – Tendering System †¢ Shorter Procurement Cycle E – Tendering system is computer based; the cycle is much shorter as compare to traditional tendering system. One major saving of time comes from the cutting down of transporting of documents. Economical Due to the fact that hard copies of the documents are expensive, it is very much economical to store and use the soft copies in the computer and website. The cost of using the computer and software are quite fixed. †¢ Environmentally Friendly As compare to traditional tendering system, E-tender consumes almost no paper. Hence it is very environmentally friendly. †¢ Anytime – Anywhere Bidding E-tendering can be conducted any time anywhere i. e. 24 hours a day, 360 days a year and globally anywhere as long as there is Internet connection. †¢ Bidding is possible on HolidaysBidding is possible even during weekend or Public Holiday, as long as before the tender is closed. †¢ Automated & Accurate process As e-tender is automatically carried out by the computer, hence it minimized the human. The process will be accurate and almost instantly done. †¢ Shareable Content The content for E-tender documents is easily shareable among the company staff, as long as they have a computer or laptop and a given a password. The content also easily shared in a group meeting with a projector, which is a conducive environment for group discussion. †¢ Fool-proof SecuritySecurity for the documents is fool-proofed as only authorized people with the password can access to the virtue documents. †¢ Lifelong storage on CD Document stored in the CD or hardisk for e-tender can last for eternity (provided that the CD and hardisk wil l last as long) as compare to paper documents. It is also easy retrievable. †¢ One click access to bids When all the calculation for the-tender sum is done, it is only one click away from bidding. 2. 3Pros and cons to call for e-tenders. Pros to the Suppliers/Contractors †¢ Anytime & Anywhere Bidding Due to the development of wireless communication, E-tendering is globalized.Everywhere in the world as long as you are connected in the website, bidding is possible. †¢ Fair, Free and Fearless participation for vendors. As all vendors registered are treated as equal, the competition is fair, free and no barrier. †¢ No dependence on Newspaper, Courier. All posting is website base, hence the publicity does not require Newspaper or Courier service. †¢ No Administrative hassle The administrative is very much simple and simplified as all documents can be view through the computer screen. †¢ Can carry out all tendering process from any computer E-tendering is web based.Hence any computer, laptop or even I phone can do the job. †¢ Economical Saving on traveling cost is tremendous. As the link between the Client and contractor is through internet, it minimizes the physical travelling. †¢ Reduces efforts & cost of bidding The efforts for each individual staff and the manpower required for preparation of tender is reduced, hence the over cost of bidding is less. †¢ No tenders can be missed because of distance The bosses of the client or contractor may be travelling overseas, but they can access to the E-tender website anytime anywhere in the world. Miss viewing of the tender has become the past. Can submit bid at last minute The closing of E-tender is link to the time. As no travelling is needed to the client’s office to submit a tender, contractor can always clip the submit on the last minute/second. Pros to the-tendering Authorities/Clients †¢ Completely Automated Process The E-tender process in clients’ comp uters are all automated, the list of bidding contractors is sorted out in the ascending order from lowest price to the highest. †¢ Shortens Procurement Cycle Most of the clients hope that the procurement cycle be short, the E-tendering is best able to achieve this requirement. Economical and Environment Friendly As E-tender system required minimum paper, all information is stored in the computer for processing and retrieving. A computer can be used for 3 to 5 years, as for traditional tendering documents it is disposed once it is used. †¢ Greater Transparency The E-tendering website is open to all the authorized and registered members; hence all of them are able to see the data posted in the website with great transparency. †¢ Improvement in work culture in the departments It create a more friendly and conducive working culture in the departments, as less miscommunication between staff occur. System aided Evaluation process After the closed of tender, the E-tender sys tem will automatically aid in evaluating the most suitable tender. It cut down the time for evaluation. †¢ Minimize Human errors Most of the process is carry out in the computer, hence minimize human errors. †¢ Minimal Storage Space A computer is all you need for storage of all the tendering document. Printing out of hard copy is only needs required. †¢ Change in Perception The perception of a company will be changed as E-tendering is implemented for a Client. It will become a more progressive and proactive organization. Lesser hassle of communication and administration Communication between client and contractor, among staff will be much easier through computer and administration will have lesser hassle. The cons or disadvantages of using e tender †¢ Cost The initial cost to set up the computer system can be quite costly. As E-tender required the purchase of expensive hardware and the necessary software. †¢ Staff The company need to employ staff competence in the use of e-tendering system or train up their existing staff to use the e-tendering system.Security of the e-tendering system – An effective and secure e-tendering system needs to make sure that any communication that passes through the system is secure and safe. As all the data are passing through the open networks such as the internet. Care must be taken to ensure that all the information passed between tenderers and the Client be treated as confidential. The major risks are that confidential information transmitted over opened networks may be exposed to or altered by malicious parties. There is also the risk of malicious parties generating false messages, impersonating other parties or denying that messages have been emailed. . How to overcome these limitations †¢ Cost Construction Company can get a loan from bank to purchase the e-tendering system, through the saving of the e-tendering process; soon the cost would be recovered. †¢ Staff Company can directly employ e-tender system competence staff to from the employment market; alternatively can send their staff to be trained to use the system. Security – One of the major problems of e-tendering is to prevent the unauthorised usage of the e-tender account. The following are a few new computer technologies in the market which are capable of overcoming these problems. †¢ BiometricsBiometric verification of two authorized users can be used in for tender opening process. This method is using finger print of any two authorized individual; the web page will not be able to open if two fingers print doesn’t match. This appliance also helps to establish that user remains physically present when Tender opens. [pic] Figure 4. – Biometrics appliance †¢ Role Base Access This will only allow access to website on the basis of rights allocated to an authorised User or Group of Users. This ensure that Tampering by unauthorized person become not possible. The existing Orga nization hierarchy also can be mapped into the system. pic] Figure 5. – Role Base Access appliance †¢ Time Based Access The system ensures that no activity can be carried out before due date & Time for e. g. Tender cannot be opened even by authorized User before due date. Server Time cannot be tampered as it is mapped to National Standard Time Server. [pic] Figure 6 – Time Based Access Security System With all these security tools in place to ensure security of the website, the usage of e-tendering is getting more and more secure nowadays. 5. Scope of future of e-tendering – Cloud computing The future e-tender is by using Cloud computing. Just what is clouding computer?It is not sitting among the cloud to do the job, it is instead of using our own server to store data, cloud computing is using cloud server for storage of data and retrieving from them. The focus is on the website and not the computer hardware. When the data is needed for large processing, it can be scale up as much as one can instantly and once work done it is released back to the cloud. The working principle is like using the computer power from the cloud instead of using the company’s own computer hardware. It is just like payment for paying for electricity and gas instead of having our own generator and having a large gas storage tank.Cloud computer is also like hiring a car to travel instead of buying a car. The advantages of using cloud can be listed as below: †¢ Scalability – Glow and shrink as and when you wanted. †¢ Instant – It can be turn on and off anytime any place you like. †¢ Economical – Pay for the time you use and there is no need for the hardware and it is time saving. In other words it is pay as you use [pic]Figure 7. – Cloud computing system (Source from Google cloud computing image) 2. 6 Types of Cloud computing There are three types of cloud computing in the market: namelyInfrastructure as a servic e (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS), it has his advantages and disadvantages. †¢ SAAS-Software as a server – Each offers a different level of user flexibility and control. Saas allows users to run existing online applications. It is the easiest way of using, where off-the-shelf applications are accessed over the Internet. The advantages are Free or paid via subscription, it is accessible from any computer and able to facilitates collaborative working. However its business generic applications may not always suitable for their own business use. PAAS- Platform as a server – Allows users to create their own cloud applications using supplier – specific tools and languages. It provides environment and tools for creating new online applications. Eg. Google has Google App Engine which enables a user to build and host web application on the same system, which no need to worry about hardware. Micro soft has a Window Azure Platfor m. Salesfore has a website called Force. com which can build up and host for free. The system can be rapidly development at low cost and used Private or public deployment.However it limits developers to provider languages and tools and it also have the risk of vendor lock-in. †¢ IAAS- Infrastructure as a server – Allows users to run any applications they are please on cloud hardware of their own choice. Figure 8 – The interrelationship between the Cloud Clients and the three types of cloud computing Cloud computer deployment models [pic] There are four forms of Cloud computing applications: Public cloud Public cloud applications, storage, and other resources are made available to the general public by a service provider. These services are usually free or offered on a pay-per-use model.Generally, public cloud service providers like Microsoft and Google own and operate the infrastructure and offer access only via Internet. Other means of direct connection is not po ssible. Community cloud Community cloud shares infrastructure between several organizations from a specific community with common concerns for example security, compliance, jurisdiction, etc. , whether managed internally or by a third-party and hosted internally or externally. The costs are spread over fewer users than a public cloud, but it is more than a private cloud, so only some of the cost savings potential of cloud computing are realized.Hybrid cloud Hybrid cloud is a composition of two or more clouds; it can be private, community or public. It can remain unique entities but are bound together, offering the benefits of multiple deployment models. By utilizing â€Å"hybrid cloud† architecture, companies and individuals are able to obtain some degrees of fault tolerance combined with locally immediate usability without dependency on internet connectivity. Hybrid Cloud architecture requires both on-premises resources and remote server based cloud infrastructure.The disadv antage of Hybrid clouds is that it lacks the flexibility, security and certainty of in-house applications. Hybrid cloud provides the flexibility of in house applications with the fault tolerance and scalability of cloud based services. Private cloud Private cloud is cloud infrastructure operated solely for a single organization, whether managed internally or by a third-party and hosted internally or externally. Undertaking a private cloud project requires a significant level and degree of engagement to virtualize the business environment, and it will require the organization to re-evaluate decisions about existing resources.When it is done right, it can have a positive impact on a business, but every one of the steps in the project raises security issues that must be addressed in order to avoid serious vulnerabilities. The major disadvantage is because users â€Å"still have to buy, build, and manage them† and hence do not benefit from less hands-on management essentially the economic model that makes cloud computing such an interesting concept. 3. 0 Conclusions In conclusion, this paper finds that e-tendering has many pros and cons in the system. However we can see that the pros have exceeded the cons, i. e. he advantages are far more than disadvantages. With the breakthrough in computer technology and the advancement of science, the various problems face by the user in e-tendering now will be easily overcome very soon. As the construction industry in Singapore is one of the major industries that contributed to the nation building and giving the most impact to the economy, the benefits that brought by the e-tendering will definitely benefit the Construction Industry and Singapore national economy as a whole. However new problems may also appear and these need to be overcome continuously to bring about advancement of the system.Eventually all the other industry will be able to benefit from the achievement. 4. 0 Recommendation In view of the current situ ation in Singapore construction Industry, only the government is using e-tendering in a wide spread scale. I would like to recommend the government to initiate and set up an e-tendering system similar to the current GeBIZ system to serve the Singapore private Construction sector. The Singapore government has more than 10 years experience in the e-tendering system, they should have no problem in setting up an equal if not better e-tendering server than the Government e-tendering GeBIZ.Since setting up an e-tendering need a large initial capital investment, as a financially strong Singapore Government this should not pose any problem, moreover it will eventually benefit the economy of Singapore. In order to fully harness the benefits of e-tendering system, the main contractors must adjust and make changes to their company itself to equip with the necessary skills and resources for the e-tendering system. Contractors are recommended to train their staff to be competent in the use of e- tendering system. Companies may also engage professional consultants or experts to set up e-tendering in their company.As e-tendering has proven to be an advantage for the Main contractor to be the better competitor and increase their productivity and profits, I strongly believe that in the years to come, e-tendering will be used both by the private and government construction tendering in Singapore. 5. 0 References Bett. D. Black. P. Christensen. S. Dawson, E, Du, R. , Duncan. W. , et al. (2006). Towards secure and legal e-tendering. Journal of Information and Technology in Construction, XI. 89-102 Bourn J. (2002). Better Public Services Through e-Government. London, National Audit Office (NAO). http://www. nao. org. uk/news/0102/0102704. aspx Baldwin, A. N.Thorpe, A and Carter, C (1999). The use of electronic information exchange on Construction alliance projects. Automation in Construction. 8(6). 651-662 CRC Construction Innovation, 2006. e Tendering: Security and Legal Issues Ti ndsley G. & Stephenson P,. 2008 E-Tendering Process with Construction: UK Perspective Tsinghua Science & Technology, Bol. 13, 273-278 B. Kumar and J. C. P. Cheng (2010), Cloud Computing and its Implications for Construction IT, Computing in Civil and Building Engineering, Proceedings of International Conference. W. TIZANI (Editor). 30June – 2 July, Nottingham, UK, Nottingham University Press, Paper 158. P. 31Akintola,A. A. (2011). A survey of the State of the Art of E-tendering in Nigeria. Journal of Information Technology inConstruction, 16. 557-576. Al-Maadeed, S. (2011). Multi-evaluatins of Tenders in E-tendering System. Internatinal Conference on Technology and Business Management. 3. 201-207. Singapore government's one-stop e-procurement portal http://www. gebiz. gov. sg/. Central Government Autumn 2001 – Paper free-tendering – a 21st Century alternative – Public Service. Website http://ww. publicservice. co. uk/article. asp? publication=Central%20Go vernment (Accessed 25/06/2012) Building and Construction Authority Singapore http://www. bca. ov. sg/ ———————– 12. Tender Audit & Storage 11. Vender Registration & Rating 1. Tender Notice 10. Tender Award 2. Tender Promotion E-Tendering Cycle 9. Negotiation 3. Tender Document 8. Tender Evaluation 4. Pre Bid Meeting 5. Bid Submission 7. Tender storage & Opening 6. Payment Gateway Cloud Clients Web browser, mobile app, thin client, terminal emulator, SaaS CRM, Email, virtual desktop, communication, games, †¦ PaaS Execution runtime, database, web server, development tools, †¦ IaaS Virtual machines, servers, storage, load balancers, network, †¦ Figure 9. – The cloud computer models (Source from Google cloud computing image)

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Price Strategie of Ford Fusion Hybrid - Research Paper Example The present research has identified that Ford has launched Ford Focus Hybrid car keeping in mind the continual rise in the price of gas and the overt health conscious that global society has become. This situation is ideal since people are looking for such hybrid cars and carmakers are ready to grab the opportunity to improve their financial health. Toyota has already launched a few hybrid cars and has captured a majority portion of the market. Ford, as a result, has to keep the price of its hybrid fusion in such a way that it can meet its objectives. It is found that the price of Ford hybrid Fusion is set at just over $27000 which is almost $3000 more than its Toyota counterpart. Hence, it can be said that the main objective of such pricing is to gain as much profit as possible; in other words, this pricing strategy of Ford is profit oriented. Flexibility is an important element in the overall pricing strategy. Flexibility is provided in terms of discounts, customization, and negoti ation. Like any other cars of Ford, a customer can place their customized order on the company’s website. Prices are set on the basis of specifications of the customers. Discounts are given to promote the car to some special customers. However, rebates or discounts vary with region. Consumers have little power to negotiate regarding the price of the product. Only customers i.e. dealers have the power to bargain with the manufacturer. Pricing strategies vary with the different stages in the product lifecycle. Usually, there are four different stages in the life cycle of a product. These are introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. Ford Hybrid Fusion is at its growth stage where its demand is found to be increasing continuously as consumers are looking for more and more fuel-efficient car. In other words, sales growth is rapid at this stage.

Use an example of your choice to discuss how corporate restructuring Essay - 2

Use an example of your choice to discuss how corporate restructuring transformed market, productive and financial performance - Essay Example An organization may face challenges such as funds and shrinking market share. These influences may force its management team to institute a change of ownership, in order to overcome issues like bankruptcy or buyouts (Gilson, 2010). Restructuring in organizations make organizations efficient and better organised. Such organizations have a better financial plan and revised strategic plans (Riany et. al., 2012). Industrial players to enhance better shareholder wealth, and improve the performance and welfare of employees have adapted such initiatives. Apple Inc is a multinational corporation, which develops designs and sells personal computers, software and other electronic devices. The company famous for its Mac chain of computers, which includes iphone Smart phones and ipad tablets. The company under the leadership of Steve Jobs has undergone several transformations. Some of these transformations involve a change in products to marketing campaigns. There are several reasons for companies to institute restructuring strategies. Organizations have to change regularly their contractual relationship with shareholders, employees and other stakeholders. These factors make it necessary for such organization to have a constant change in their restructuring strategy (Gareth and Charles, 2010). These industrial players have a stake in organizations legal, financial, operational and ownership. Therefore, organizations have to restructure their strategies to meet their demands. Such strategies of restructuring include organizational, portfolio and financial restructuring (Samaras, 2004). However, one needs to understand that restructuring is an ongoing process for organizations. Corporate restructuring assists organizations improve on their performance, operation or profitability. For Apple Inc, restructuring became evident with competition and growing cost of production. In the year 1990s, the company’s market

On the debates pertaining to inference of an effect from its cause Essay

On the debates pertaining to inference of an effect from its cause - Essay Example 172). Taking off from Hume, John Stuart Mill â€Å"held that causal inference depends on three factors: first, the cause has to precede the effects; second, the cause and effect have to be related ; and third, other explanations of the cause-effect relationship have to be eliminated† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 182). In other words, the notion of causation and effect that can be found in the ideas of John Stuart Mill is that causation requires precedence of the cause from the effect, correlation, and that rival hypotheses are ruled out. For Cook and Campbell (1979), however, the most significant contribution of John Stuart Mill to the theory of causality pertains to his notions of the criteria, principles, or â€Å"methods† of agreement, differences, and concomitant variation. The principle of agreement â€Å"states that an effect will be present when the cause is present† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 182). The principle of difference â€Å"states that the effect will be absent when the cause is absent† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 182). Finally, the principle of concomitant variation â€Å"implies that when both of the above relationships are observed, causal inferences will be all stronger since certain other interpretations of the co-variation between the cause effects can be ruled out† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 182). According to Cook and Campbell (1979, p. ... 183) pointed out that â€Å"the concept of a control group is implicit here and is clearly central in Mill’s thinking about cause.† In 1913, Bertrand Russell â€Å"looked to physics and astronomy of his day as the most mature sciences, and he noted their lack of concern with unobservables and explicitness and parsimony of the functional relationships that physicists sought to test† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 172-173).1 However, Russell had asked that asked whether the concept of cause continues to be relevant given that cause â€Å"is not implied by functional relationships of mathematical form† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 173). The Russell viewpoint is positivist â€Å"rejecting unobservables (like cause), and seeking to establish explicit functional laws between continuously measured variables in a closed system† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 173). Positivists like Russell believe that â€Å"causation is unnecessary because it is unobservable† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 175). The essentialist viewpoint â€Å"argue that the term cause should only be used to refer to variables that explain a phenomenon in the sense that these variables, when taken together, are both necessary and sufficient for the effect to occur† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 177). The essentialists â€Å"equates cause with a constellation of variables that necessarily, inevitably and infallibly results in the effect† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 177). In contrast, those â€Å"who restrict cause to observable necessary and sufficient conditions (or sufficient conditions that operate when all the necessary conditions are met) reject as causes those factors which are known to bring about effects sometimes, but not always† (Cook and Campbell 1979, p. 177).

Health Disparities in Uninsured Americans Essay Example for Free

Health Disparities in Uninsured Americans Essay According to (Kilbourne, Switzer Fine, (2006), Health disparities are significant differences that are needed and viewed clinically and statistically in health care and health outcomes. These differences between groups of people can affect how often an illness(disease) have group affects, the number of people who have gotten sick and how many times do this particular disease or problem ends up with death occurring. There are a number of populations that can be affected by health disparities. ( Felton, (2013). Some of these differences are: Ethnic and racial minorities Rural area residents The elderly, children and women People with disabilities. (Medline Plus.com., (2013). Health disparity can also be defined as differences of populations in health care access, environmental exposures, health status, quality or utilization and outcomes involving your health. Health disparities are related generally to social issues and healthcare systems. The worldwide web coming in existence in the mid 1990s also can lead to health disparities since some ethnic groups would not be able to afford the internet. One of the objectives of Healthy People 2010 was to provide more internet services to the home. (Gibbons, (2005). Since this study will be a quantitative study it will focus on the total number of uninsured or underinsured Americans who didnt have health insurance by the end of 2012. Another focus of this study will be coming up with possible solutions to this growing trend in healthcare. In this study we will also seek to discover how the uninsured or underinsured individuals or families are being effected positively and negatively by gaining feedback from these individuals. There are several ways to obtain this feedback for this study in which we will be conducting surveys and questionnaires to get the answers we need. These ways are: the reasons why they do not have insurance to determine how this may affect their access to care, to determine whether the cost of care is directly affecting the reason why these individuals may not be insured and in this study we need to try to find the problems, come up with solutions and look for ways to get rid of any barriers to persons so that they can find affordable health care policies. Since the Affordable Care Act of 2010 is in effect we need to study how the introduction of a new healthcare law to totally replace the healthcare system that has been in place for years will effect uninsured and underinsured Americans. According to the article by (parkdatabase.org.,(2012). For the surveys we will be conducting our survey samples will be coming from males and females  who are American citizens, all races or ethnic groups, 200 participants will be equally divided by gender. In order to cover a wide variety of people that are being effected by health disparities in quantitative research usually will require a large sample size in order to quantify the research. (Felton, 2013). Background of the Study There are several factors that join together populations to influence someones health and health status which results into health disparity. According to the Healthcare Fairness Act of 2000 House Resolution #3250, populations that have health disparities suffer from numbers that are significant as it relates to the total rate of incidence of disease, mortality, survival and morbidity when compared to the population in general. The most contributing factor to health disparities most often mentioned when watched in the United States population is Socioeconomic status (SES). Other factors related to health disparities include: physical and cultural environment, lifestyle, working and living conditions, and community and social networks. Socioeconomic status can be defined as how persons, households, families, and aggregates and census contracts as it relates to the size to consume or create goods that our society values. (Shavers, (2007). The quality of healthcare experienced by our patients may be related to issues of disparity, socio-environmental determinants of health, practice variation, and substandard of care as scientific evidence seemed to show by the late 1990s. (Gibbons,(2005). Since Disparities in the United States can be caused by rather a mixture that is complex, historic injury intertwined with problems with access along with systematic quality. Health disparities have many sides which include ethnicity, status, geography and race. For policymakers it is critically important to give meaning to the problem in the correct way to make sure any solutions that are goal-related will be able to address the solutions reached. The goal is to provide health security for everyone no matter what your socio-economic characters are. Even though the United States goal is to completely get rid health  disparities there will be efforts to become a part of a broader effort to change health care and by doing so, there must be focus on improving the quality of care delivered to patients individually first and foremost. (Frist, (2005). We can now ask the question, Why the study of health disparity should be pursued and for whom is the study important to? The study of health disparity should be pursued because if nothing else but to determine if the research into health disparity will show any differences in organizational features that are specific. Furthermore the idea that organizational factors may play a significant role in health disparity has brought about more of a deep research on the role of organizational processes that are mutable when you look across the treatment setting. (Kilbourne, Switzer Fine, (2006), Purpose of the Statement The purpose of this study will be to test the framework that is conceptual that will cover health disparities in 3 phases. Detection Reducing and/or Eliminating Understanding The survey will include 200 male and female divided equally on uninsured Americans adults 18 years and older to gain feedback on why they do not have health insurance. (Felton, 2013). Viable Research Questions and Hypotheses What role if any how access to care directly affected your health status because you dont have health insurance? How has the cost of healthcare affected you individually, your families  health status because of no health insurance? How do you think your health status would change if you could afford health insurance? Do you think the new health care law will positively or negatively affect your ability to purchase health insurance? What factors do you believe are directly associated with the uninsured status as it relates to health insurance access? (Felton, (2013). Hypotheses Having no health insurance is directly impacting my access to care. Also the cost of care while having no health insurance is directly affecting my general health of me as well as my family. Also, if I had no cost for health insurance or low cost this would positively affect my health status as well as my family. With the Affordable Care Act of 2010 partially enforced, how do you believe this law will be directly associated with your uninsured status when it comes to access to health insurance. (Felton, 2013). Nature of the Study Design The strengths of Experimental Designs research according to the textbook, (Frankfort-Nachmias, Nachmias, (2008), designs begins with the understanding of the 4 components of research design which are: _comparison(correlation of two variables), manipulation(control over), control, (removal of other factors(, and generalization(different settings, larger populations can be use)._ (Frankfort-Nachmias, Nachmias, (2008).  The strengths of experimental designs is it will help a researcher understand the logic behind all other research designs, another strength is that an experiment lets the researcher observe and draw inferences that are casual with less difficulty no matter what type of variable is used and it allows researchers to be able to understand other design limitations. (Felton, (2013). According to the author,( Bhattacherjee, (2012). The limitations of Experimental Design research can be in the world of experimentation, the situation in the real world may not always relate, in situations where you have to randomly assign the persons to groups this may be impossible and unethical and another limitation would be getting rid of variables that are extraneous may not even be possible. (Felton, 2013). According to textbook by, (Frankfort-Nachmias, Nachmias, (2008). When I consider the quantitative research plan I am developing and my research questions, hypotheses, and variables, I would recommend the classic experimental design for research. The reason is my research plan involves, Health Disparities, which is a topic that can touch on several specific groups whether it be based on race, gender, insured, uninsured. In the classic experimental research design as the researcher you do have more control over the intrinsic and extrinsic variables for your research which is an advantage for me. Also in experimental design it allows the researcher to have control to introduce the variable that independent to help determine which direction the causation is being led to. Since Health Disparities will need to cover several areas in order to be effective I feel that experimental research design offers me the best chance of reaching the goal of my research which are three phases: 1. Detection, 2. Understanding of the problem and 3. getting rid of or eliminating health disparities all together. ( Felton, 2013). Since there are so many issues that are affecting Health Disparities in our world today, I feel I need to choose a research design plan that offers flexibility to the researchers which allows them to properly research the  issue, look at all sides to the issues to help come up with valid and ethical conclusions. Also, since I want to focus on uninsured Americans, just like me, and a hot topic in our world today, I will need an research design that will aid in my success to properly research this issue fully. iii. Instrumentation and materials According to the authors, (Keppel, Pamuk, Lynch, Carter-Pokras, Kim, Mays, Pearcy, Schoenbach, Weisman, (2005). S The levels of measurement that will be important for my study in Health Disparities can involve at the nominal level, ordinal level and ratio level. Health disparities can be measured according to six issues that are between populations and groups: 1. a reference point will need to be selected in order to measure disparity. 2. Disparity need to be measured in either relative or absolute terms. 3. Measurements for health disparities need to be in terms of adverse or favorable events. 4. Health disparity needs to be measured in summary fashion or pair-wise. 5. In health disparity you need to choose whether to weigh groups according to the size of the group. 6. In health disparity there needs to be a decision whether to order the groups in a inherent way. (Felton, (2013). According to the textbook, (Frankfort-Nachmias, (2008). The nominal level will be important to my study on health disparity because at this level you can measure a different symbol that will represent each symbol. For example: ethnicity, gender, nationality, martial status, religion, and where you live. According to Messer, (2008). The ratio level is also another level of measurement that can be used in my research study on Health disparities  because variables at this level have fixed natural zero points and absolute because these variable can be based on length, time, weight and area. Frankfort-Nachmias, (2008). Ratio measurement are the most common level of measurement used in disparity due to the scale of measurement. At the ratio level when measuring disparity it can be used in both as an absolute measure as well as a level of ratio. (Felton, (2013). Validity in research is concerned with whether you are measuring what you really need to or intend to measure for your research. There are three kinds validity in research: content, empirical and construct validity. I will ensure content validity, empirical validity, and construct validity for my study in health disparity in uninsured Americans by first understanding what each of the three types of validity mean: 1. Content validity is when your measurements are actually covering all areas you are intending to measure. In other words, nothing is left out. According to the textbook authors (Frankfort-Nachmias, (2008). Under content validity we have what is called face validity or the researchers evaluation that is subjective in their research. Another content validity is called sampling validity which is concerned about whether the population given in the research is sampled adequately. (Frankfort-Nachmias, (2008). Since health disparity covers a large area to be sampled, as a researcher I will have to find one area to focus on such as uninsured Americans, covering persons 18 years and older, male and females, all ethnic groups will all be a part of the sample. (Felton, 2013). According to authors (Hidalgo Goodman, (2012). Empirical validity refers to the relationship that is between an instrument that needs to be measured and the outcomes of the measurements. Construct validity relates the issues you are measuring to theoretical framework that is general. In disparities research it will be important to assess the standard criteria needed for the research to do what it is intended to do, especially if you are using different populations. In some cases, questionnaires may be needed to create validity in the study, but not in all studies. If in your disparities  research for uninsured Americans, where things like racism, race, ethnic groups which are considered constructs that are social can be hard to measure. (Felton, 2013) According to the article from (Active Campaign, (2009). In order to ensure validity in my research using content research which will be requiring all areas in my research I want to cover as it relates to health disparities for the uninsured American I would need to use a subjective form of measurement.(Felton, 2013). In the textbook, (Frankfort-Nachmias, (2008). The strengths and limitations in the reliability and validity I chose Construct validity strengths are based on how many dimensions and measures construct validity has, construct validity can be operated in a number of ways. (Felton, 2013). In order to ensure reliability for the measurement in my study, first I need to understand as a researcher the importance in the degree of reliability. Reliability is when your measuring instrument contain variable errors or mistakes that appear not all the time between your observation of your research for one time only or every time a variable is measured. So measurements contain two components which are called error component and true component. To further explain reliability which is measured on a ratio between true-score variance and variance in the total score measured. To ensure that my research study on health disparities is reliable for the measurement I will need to be able to distinguish that the results of the research may not be the exact same each time it is done. (Felton, (2013). The strengths and limitations when it comes to health disparities in the terms of reliability and validity can be linked to the fact that there are several components by which health disparities can be measured. Empirical validity and reliability are part of the research that deals with health disparities. One strength of empirical validity is relationships between prediction and results. According to the authors, (Ogden and Lo, (2011). The scale that is most appropriate to use for researching health disparities in uninsured America  Likert scale (tests attitudes) since it requires the researcher build a list of items that needs to be scaled, random research, then total of results. In using Likert scales there will be some limitations in the research involving health disparities. Some limitations are due to the debate on the role of comparisons socially and the impact it would bring on how the scales are completed and the results of the data being researched. ( Felton, 2013). According to authors Lobo and Mateus, (2013). Since in health disparities there are so many areas that need to be measured even access to health care and scales for measurement can help to achieve the needed results for the researcher if you take into account the aspects of the scale that you can enhance and you will continue to need to validate scales in your other populations. (Felton, (2013). According to ( Nowjack-Raymer, (2013), the test that is appropriate for my health disparities research plan would probably looking to better understand inequalities as well as health disparities, another test could involve developing testing with interventions that would be targeting people living in poverty, and we could also consider testing implementation and dissemination approaches for exploration to findings that would be effective in order to assure translation that is fast that could be put into practice, bring about some policies with action within communities. (Felton, (2013). The populations used for the scale and test as it relates to health disparities according to the NIDCR authors (Nowjack-Raymer, (2013), will involve research that will be focused on the vulnerable and disadvantaged population in subgroups. The testing population could include: Elders All ethnic and racial populations that are considered to be under health disparities, this will include Hispanic(Mexican, Puerto Rican, South and Central America, Cuban, and all Spanish speaking nations), African Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islander, and Alaskan Rural low income persons, urban dwellers, including Appalachians Persons who are unable leave their homes due to disabilities and persons who are in institutions  the special needs populations that includes persons living with AIDS, developmental or acquired intellectual or physical disabilities. (Nowjack-Raymer, (2013) Data analysis plan: Since in program research there a number that is limited in the efforts to evaluate and create health disparities involving new strategies with the health care system. Here are some of these program that are being supported by the AHRQ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for example: (EXCEED) or Excellence Centers to Eliminate Ethnic/Racial Disparities, this is a grant program that looks for ways to eliminate health disparities. (Gillian, (2004). Sampling According to website (HHS.gov.,(2013), For my Quantitative Research Plan on Health Disparities using ratio measurement because it is the most common level used to measure disparity. The population (units of analysis that are relevant) for this research will include all uninsured African Americans in the United States today. Statistically according to the new Health Care Law or the Affordable Care Act there are 6.8 million African Americans eligible for benefits under the ACA. (Felton, 2013). The population for my study includes all uninsured African Americans in the United States according to the ACA. Population: 6.8 million African Americans (including male and female), almost half of this number of young adults. This population need to be defined on the basis of: A. Content, B. Extent, and C. Time. Size: 6.8 million. (HHS.gov.,(2013). I have made a  change in my population for research which will be first finding a reference point which is critical when doing research on disparity. According to the authors, (Keppel, Pamuk, Lynch, Careter-Pokras, Kim, Mays, Pearcy, Schoenbach, and Weissman,(2005). I will also need to measure disparity in relative or absolution terms. Disparity is very obvious when you realize that disparity occurs when the amount that separates a group from a reference point that is specified on a measure that is particular to health that is expressed in the terms of percentage, rate, means or some other measure that is quantitative. (Felton, 2013). . According to authors, (Keppel, et al, (2005) Sampling: an individual within the Population such as for example the young adult population size of 3.2 million or 47% don t have health insurance from the ages 18 to 35 years of age. Type of Sampling used: Probability sampling. A sample need to be able to represent the population it will be used for. When you want to measure a sample and your objective is to work from individual groups in a certain domain then use comparisons that are pair-wise. When you summarize the measures used in your disparity this will quantify all the groups in opposition and any conclusions based on your summary results should be joined and interpreted using all groups. (Felton, 2013) How the sample will be drawn? When disparities are measured, first the reference point need to be identified, next if any two groups need to be compared the reference point with the favorable group need to be used(lowest rates). When using disparities samples it should be measured in both relative and absolute terms and when you are measuring disparities over various of health indicators it should be shown in terms of events that are adverse. Why did you choose this sample size and why it was chosen in relation to the size of your population? I initially chose this sample size since I had 3 populations to choose from  for the uninsured African American population which were male, female, or young adults and I chose the young adult population since I had a solid statistical number of how many of young adults between the ages of 18 to 35 who are uninsured. I am not totally convinced that choosing a sample size representing millions of people will be the correct course for me to take and I had a terrible time trying to create a graph or chart to show my numbers and I could not get the graph to show. Since the number of uninsured Americans is very high even with the Affordable Care Act being in place, I may have to consider working in another area in health disparity. I was attempting to doing a basic line graph chart showing the age of young adults with no health insurance. Since health disparities covers such a wide range of issues I will have to reconsider what area under health disparity I want to cover and research. Ethical Concerns Health Disparities research has emerging advances which include comparative effectiveness studies and controlled trials that are often conducted at academic sites and multiple communities. The institutional review boards (IRBs) has presented a impediment that is major to the effective and timely conduct of health disparity research. When the research involved the underserved communities and minority along with institutional requirements, ethical standards interpretation may be different. These differences can cause complications in the research protocol and informed consent process and may have a negative effect on how the participants will respect this type of research and the quality of the trials. Also the IRB or institutional review board, can also lead to delays that are unnecessary, jeopardizing the capacity to perform collaborative projects and funding. The Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI), Translational Research Network (TRN) have created a community-partnered approach to run side by side with the IRB review directly across the 18 RCMI institutions grantees that make sure compliance while making it better quality of health disparity research. (Hammatt,. and Nishitani, Junko and Heslin, Kevin and Perry and Szetela, and Jones, and Williams, and Antoine-LaVigne, and Forge, and  Norris, Keith C, (2011). Even though Americans are living longer and are healthier, health disparities still exist. However, policymakers are making a response to the health disparity issue by putting together and introducing legislation that are geared toward getting rid of health disparities. (ncsl.org., (2014). The Uninsured Americans as a health disparity There is about 44 million Americans total without health insurance and another 38 million Americans who do not have enough health insurance to meet their healthcare needs. If persons do not have health insurance it will usually mean putting also necessary care such as: Childhood Immunizations Preventive care Routine check-ups no Primary care doctor no access or limited access to prescription drugs being hospitalized for a condition that otherwise would not have led to a hospital stay that could have been avoided if you had health insurance Because of fear of medical bills you may choose to delay care which will usually lead to more cost to you, especially if you have to go to the emergency room. We must also understand that when the uninsured persons face a health crisis because they cant pay the burden of the cost will be to the insured population. (Glied, (2014). References: Active Campaign, ( 2009). Validity in Research Design. Retrieved from website http://www.activecampaign.com/blog/validity-in-research-design/ Bhattacherjee, A.,(2012). SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH: PRINCIPLES, METHODS, AND PRACTICES. Retrieved from website http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002context=oa_textbooks Felton. (2013). _An analysis of personality theory._ Unpublished manuscript, Walden University. Frankfort-Nachmias, C., Nachmias, D. (2008). Research Methods in the Social Sciences 7th Ed. New York: Worth Frist, W., (2005). Overcoming Disparities in U. S. Healthcare. _Health Affairs. Retrieved from website http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/24/2/445.short._ Gibbons, M., (2005). A Historical Overview of Health Disparities and the Potential of eHealth Solutions. _Journal of Medical Internet Research. Retrieved from website http://www.jmir.org/2005/5/e50/_ Gillian, S., (2004). Addressing Unequal Treatment: Disparities in Healthcare. _The Common Fund. Retrieved from website http://www.commonwealthfund.org/usr_doc/SteelFisher_unequaltreatment_cong2004_70 9.pdf?section=4039_ Glied, S., (2014). The Uninsured. Retrieved from the website http://www.pbs.org/healthcarecrisis/uninsured.html HHS.gov(Health care.,. The Affordable Care Act and the African Americans. Retrieved from website http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/factsheets/2012/04/aca-and-african- americans04122012a.html012). (HAMMATT,. AND NISHITANI, JUNKO AND HESLIN, KEVIN AND PERRY AND SZETELA, AND JONES, AND WILLIAMS, AND ANTOINE-LAVIGNE, AND FORGE, AND NORRIS, KEITH C, (2011). PARTNERING TO HARMONIZE IRBS FOR COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH TO REDUCE HEALTH DISPARITIES. PUBMED.GOV. RETRIEVED FROM WEBSITE HTTP://WWW.NCBI.NLM.NIH.GOV/PUBMED/22102302 (Hidalgo Goodman, (2012). Validation of Self-Reported Measures in Health Disparities Research. _Journal of Biometrics and Biostatistics. Retrieved from website_ http://www.omicsonline.org/validation-of-self-reported-measures-in-health-disparities- research-2155-6180.1000e114.pdf (Keppel, Pamuk, Lynch, Carter-Pokras, Kim, Mays, Pearcy, Schoenbach, Weisman, (2005). Methodological Issues in Measuring Health Disparities. Retrieved from website http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_02/sr02_141.pdf Kilbourne, A., Switzer, G., Hyman, K., Crowley-Matoka, M., Fine, M., (2006). Advancing Health Disparities Research within The Health Care System: A Conceptual Framework. Retrieved from website http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1698151/ LOBO, A., MATEUS, S., (2013). VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF AN EQUITY IN HEALTH CARE SCALE. _SAGE JOURNALS. RETRIEVED FROM WEBSITE_ HTTP://SGO.SAGEPUB.COM/CONTENT/3/4/2158244013506716 Messer, L., (2008). Invited Commentary: Measuring Social Disparities in Health-What Was the Question Again? _American Journal of Epiderminology._ Retrieved from website http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/167/8/900.full.pdf ncsl.org., (2014). 2014 Health Disparity Legislation. Retrieved from website http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/2014-health-disparities-legislation.aspx nlm.nih.gov., Medline Plus., (2013). Health Disparities. Retrieved from website http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthdisparities.html Nowjack-Raymer, (2013). Health Disparities Research Programs. Retrieved from website http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/Research/DER/ClinicalResearch/HealthDispar.htm Ogden, J., Lo, J.,(2011). How meaningful is data from Likert Scales? An evaluation of how ratings are made and the role of the response shift in the socially disadvantaged. Journal of Health Psychology. Retrieved from website http://hpq.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/08/06/1359105311417192, Parkdatabase.org.,(2012). Qualitative and Quantitative Research Techniques for Humanitarian Needs Assessment. _An Introductory Brief._ Retrieved from website http://reliefweb.int/report/world/qualitative-and-quantitative-research-techniques- humanitarian-needs-assessment. Shavers, V., (2007). Measurement of Socio-economic Status in Health Disparity Research. _Journal of National Medical Association. Retrieved from website_

An Exploratory Study on Consumer Decision-Making Behavior in Pakistan Essay Example for Free

An Exploratory Study on Consumer Decision-Making Behavior in Pakistan Essay For example, the classical schools of marketing thought relied on the social sciences such as economics, sociology and anthropology and focused on aggregate market behavior. This gave way to the managerial schools of marketing thought in which the focus of attention and understanding shifted to the individual customers while social sciences disciplines continued to dominate marketing thinking. Customer behavior is actually a study of consumer buying behavior. Consumer buying behavior tells about why, how, when and where a consumer wants to purchase a product. It tells about the buyer decision making process. (Janssens, 2006) It enlightens the uniqueness of a single consumer, how he makes decision to satisfy his wants. What references he may use in this process, such as family, friends, reference groups, and society in general. (Archana, 2009) Patrick De Pelsmacker conseders that consumers have to impose products in respect to Psychological behavior and needs which further alienated in Perception, Learning, Attitude, Personality, and Lifestyle. (Patrick J. 2007) Behavior of consumers in different part of Sahiwal city will be analyzed by using questionnaire method. This research will also give insight into Social influences regarding Family, Social class, Reference groups and Culture of consumers. (Brinkmann, 2004) This behavioral study will also enlighten on needs and wants in consumer buying behavior. The results will also show the consumers extent of loyalty, trust and satisfaction in retail brands that have a direct impact on their pur chase decisions. (Constantine, E, ; Rigopoulou) Consumer behavior is an integral part of our daily lives. The psychological and social processes involved in buying and consuming goods and services form the subject matter of this text. The objective positivist approach to studying cause and effect in consumer behavior (as in any other kind of behavior), will be combined with the interpretive emphasis on trying to understand the emotional, non-rational aspects of the process. The environment which the consumer operates in, including the nature of the market place for goods and services, also needs to be considered. Behavior of consumers in different part of Sahiwal city will be analyzed. This research will also give insight into Social influences regarding Family, Social class. This behavioral study will also enlighten on needs and wants in consumer buying behavior. The results will also show the consumers extent of loyalty, trust and satisfaction in retail brands that have a direct impact on their purchase decisions. Data should be collected from the target market and then will be analyzed through SPSS software.

Ebays Strategy Information System

Ebays Strategy Information System Every time, the digital technology is evolution. Electronic business (e-business) is one of digital economic that grows up. The term used to describe the information systems and applications that support and drive business processes, most often using web technologies (The National B2B Centre Limited, unknown date). E-business has been implementation on Internet and the society since many years. It is a new way for companies and people do business today. The integration of a companys activities is establish with e-business including products, procedures, service. It exist many business model on the Web as e-mall, portal, auctions, communities of interest or value chain service provider (McKeown, 2003, page 220). The purpose of this article will descriptive and analyse the realising the benefits of Strategy Information System (SIS) through an on-line business as eBay Inc. In 1995, Pierre Omidyar has created auction on-line for customer-to-customer and business-to-consumer (Hsiao, unknown date). Today, the worldwide is auction leader. There is a hundreds of millions of buyers and sellers that connect every day. The undertaking is going from strength to strength. In 2009, the revenue of organization exceeds more 8 billion dollars (Jain, 2009, page 5). The article concludes with the examining of impact of government policy it. Strategy Information System (SIS) SIS adopting SIS as a strategic IS/IT or competitive information systems, represents a fundamental refocusing of the IS activities away from the previous back room attitudes towards the market place in which the organisation works (Pritam, 2010,Chapiter 2). The objective of SIS provide increase efficiency the process automate existing information flows and operations that constitutes a sustainable and significant competitive edge (PEPPARD, 1993, page 13). Why they adopting SIS? Companies use SIS in order to try to do change the industry structure and thereby to disturb the competitive forces in a market. It enables to give a high quality service, creates new product and saving cost thereby to obtain business competitive advantage over their competition (PEPPARD, 1993, page 13). SIS for competitive advantage The competitive advantage helps the company to maintain their efficiency and strategic position thereby decrease a competitive disadvantage and meet other strategic enterprise objectives (Phillips, 2005). Porter defined competitive advantage as growing fundamentally out of the value a firm is able to create for its buyers (Peppard, 1993, Chapter 3, page 54). Innovation strategy: Implement electronic commerce is need strategies to counter these threats for companies. They should emphasize innovation, because innovation is the one thing that is most difficult for other companies to imitate (McKeown, 2003, page 235). It is a new service including a new way to do business: buy and sell real-time. EBay develop unique auction markets with the assistance of IS, it is a disruptive technology for shop locally. Auction of principle is the buyers enter competitive bids and sellers enter competitive offers at the same time. The price a stock is traded represents the highest price that a buyer is willing to pay and the lowest price that a seller is willing to sell(Investopedia, unknown date). With Internet, the buyers can to introduce and sell more easily their product and capture large customer contrary auction classic. The sellers can know the latest news and information from all around the world in just a blink of time by access to internet (MengHan, 2007). People can start a business or to get rid of thing through eBays website. Internet constitutes a gain time. One of benefit of SIS is the eBay havent got inventory and saving cost. Moreover, it is the first on-line auction that constitutes an advantage on market. Differentiation through better services In 2002, revenues of company decreased following an incident that loss of confidence between buyers and sellers. To remedy this eBay created a system that enables customers to rate their sellers. This step helped to improve consumer comfort, which is a key factor in e-procurement strategies (Troy, 2010). The system of eBay is strong, company use Greenplum to manage one kind of data (DBMS, 2009). EBay develop many services, software and tools for customers need and delivering value and solution to problem: Skype: an Internet communication offering, allowing people everywhere to make unlimited voice and video communication for free between the users of Skype software (eBay, unknown date). PayPal: it is system that facilitates the transaction and security. EBay acquires an acquisition price of $1.5 billion. It is enables any individual or business with an email address to securely, easily and quickly send and receive payments online. PayPals service builds on the existing financial infrastructure of bank accounts and credit cards and uses the worlds most advanced proprietary fraud prevention systems to create a safe payment solution. (eBay, unknown date) Software Developer Kit (SDK) is an application for the eBay API. Application Programmers Interface (API) is an active member of the eBay Developers program, offers eBay certified solutions to automate listing lifecycle processes. (Intechnic company, unknown date) The benefits of eBay Integration is integration of the eBay API will increase your revenue while decreasing operating expenses, improving the efficiency and cost effectiveness of your eBay operations in all phases of the listing lifecycle. Furthermore, eBay API integration can also be used to quickly retrieve large amounts of information about other listings on eBay which can be automatically processed, analyzed, and presented to you in a report from which you can use to identify income opportunities. There is a multitude of additional applications and advantages of eBay API Integration and Intechnic Corporation can create a modular, scalable solution tailored to your companys needs and goals. (Intechnic company, unknown date) EBay Tools as solutions to improve the use of eBay developing with Java and J2EE which simplify the buying and selling process by providing functionality for listing multiple items, creating templates for repeated use, inventory management, sales and account management, email tools, and financial reporting. (Chen, 2005) Solution for buyers via eBays website that are payment as e-learning (figure 2). Community around customer services as show Illustration 2. eBay strives to provide high quality customer service, with the help of many different technologies to provide online support, such as chat rooms, discussion boards, and frequently asked questions. (Chen, 2005) Every year, eBay improve the quality and customer service in developing or design tools and architecture. This notion links other strategy that is customer-orientation strategy. The benefits are a available all time to support customers and a detailed customer service information can cut down on phone calls to the company. Cost leadership strategy The firm offer the services at the lowest cost in the industry. Indeed, eBay offer to buyers and sellers to doing business on Internet with a physical presence in the exchange is now no longer necessary. They dont pay to be present or transport. So, eBay provides virtual space and software tools and reduce their cost for people. (Hemmatfar, 2010) About eBay, there are not inventory since its customers supply the product thereby reducing their cost without logistics and supply. Growth strategy: externalisation and accessible The base of business is founded by technology that have a lot of advantage and successful as Internet connecting all the people of the world very closely (MengHan, 2007), so technology facilitates the function of auction market. EBay Marketplace has a powerful online platform for the sale of goods and services and offers localized sites in the following markets as Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and Latin America (eBay, unknown date). In addition, the eBays pages are translated many languages as English, French, Spanish or Chinese that allows to be externalisation and accessible for many countries. Appropriate strategic alliances The firm establishes new business linkages and alliances with suppliers, customer, other companies or competitors for develop and perform their high software and services. Higher architecture The eBay infrastructure is compound a fifteen thousand servers. This environment is a software-as-a-service. New features are deployed every two weeks to both core and international platforms. Starting with C++ and moving to Java, XML, and HTML, in half an hour and deploy it automatically to QA or stage it to production. Strong hopes to accelerate development to a monthly, rather than quarterly, cadence. Managing a rapidly-evolving infrastructure to minimize the latency of process that end users, both buyers and sellers, experience is an everyday reality (MacFarland, 1996). For example, with the design a new architectural with Java technology and MSXML eBay have many benefits are a new architecture expected to handle growth in transaction volumes and increased number of registered users over the next 5 years and beyond-learning to eBay become a $3 billion dollar company. More than 25% architectural framework and design reuse helping to significantly speed development cycle. Moreover, perceptible improvement in application performance-faster, more efficient page loads and responses. (Marshak, 2003) EBays keeping the site up and running. In 1999, eBay was galvanized when a catastrophic systems failure blacked out the entire auction site for 22 hours. The company lost millions in transaction fees and billions in market value as investors dumped shares. Two results of the Big Crash remain paramount to this day: first, eBays realization that remaining up on a 24/7 basis is a mission-critical business imperative; and second, the hiring of Maynard Webb as CIO. Every analyst consulted for this story acknowledged Webbs crucial role in eBays evolution. (Hill, 2003) E-business strategies for value chain Internet value chain helps eBay to how use Internet in a company strategically (Figure 3) Impact of government policy It is a set of responsibilities and practices exercised by the board and executive management with the primary purpose of providing strategic intent, or direction, ensuring that corporate objectives are achieved, ascertaining that risks are managed appropriately and verifying that the enterprises resources are used responsibly. This provides a degree of protection to the organization, its customers, suppliers and stakeholders (Chita, 2010) The company has developed a set of community policy in order to consistent and safe trading in the Internet based market. Every year, eBay constantly conducts reviews of its policies and user agreement and makes changes and adjustments. Some of the updates are routine and some of them are necessary due to information system issues. For example, in 2001, when the company had discovered a bug in its registration procedure, it reset the personalized settings for over 6 million of its customers. (Chen, 2005) In terms of consumer protection, eBay say: we treat your information as an asset that must be protected and we use numerous tools (encryption, passwords, physical security, etc.) to protect your personal information against unauthorized access and disclosure. However, as you probably know, third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications, and other users may abuse or misuse your personal information that they collect from the Site. Therefore, although we work very hard to protect your privacy, we do not promise, and you should not expect, that your personal information or private communications will always remain private (eBay, 2007). For example, eBay changed its policies about some JavaScript functions used in online auctions for security purposes and has PayPal Purchase as discussed above. (Chen, 2005) Moreover, eBay requires that all users be at least 18 years of age. The reason behind this policy is that in the past underage bidders have placed bids on items that they never intended to purchase, and as minors they cannot be held legally responsible. (Chen, 2005) Much investment to avoid a financial loss of data if there is disaster. The system must be strong, reliable and efficient. For example, a security incident would reveal PayPal accounts from users. The firm must to use a methodology as Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT). It is a good year framework strategy to help organization Maintain and Develop a standard system of IT governance (GOESSLER, unknown date). The model is centered on the client. The structure of employees is dedicated to customer service. The company is headed by the sellers and buyers. They are involved in the transaction. EBay plays a role as an informant and must have to find solutions to meet customer needs, adapting to customers. For example, eBay created a system to evaluate the actors to help sellers and buyers achieve recognition as good sellers those who deliver within the agreed-upon time frame or good buyers those Who Pay for Their order (Zara, 2008). Furthermore, it allows knowing the status and other details as you can see in Figure 4. This system reassures them whether it is a buyer or seller or not reliable. The notation is made from the two previous players of the transactions. Conclusion Strategy information system gives to companies an opportunity to have a gain advantage and other benefits that improve their system, process and services as eBay case. The creating a competitive advantage results comes alignment strategy organizational information systems. Indeed, IS are inevitably associated with government policy, because they have an influence on access to a key resource: information. The concept comes in. The government companies must comply. eBay has tried to avoid policing its site for activities that violate local rules and instead has chosen to issue disclaimers and rely exclusively on its sellers to abide by local rules (Daniel, unknown date). Company must to assurer security of system en permanence as authenticating users, authorizing access, and enforcing security features or security process payment. In this eBays case, is in developing and improving software and digital infrastructure tools that lead to the creation of a safe, secure, information-rich on-line trading community. The companys strategy is to allow users to innovate using the tools that it provides, regardless of what they are buying or selling or where they are buying or selling it (Daniel, unknown date). So, good strategies ISs have contributed to eBays long lasting, success and enhance the position of leader in the global market.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning Essay -- Essays Papers

Elizabeth Barrett Browning Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born in 1806 in County Durham, England. She was the eldest of twelve children born to Edward Barrett Moulin Barrett and Mary Graham Clarke. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, or "Ba", grew up in her family’s estate Hope End, Henfordshire. They were part of the upper-middle class, owning a successful sugar trade. Elizabeth began writing at a very early age. When she was twelve her father had her first epic poem "The Battle of Marathon" privately printed (Radley 15). She referred to this work as "Pope’s Homer done over again, or rather undone" (28). Her diary at this time in her life offered glimpses into her perceptive and expressive writing style. Three years later she became continuously ill. A doctor diagnosed her with a "nervous disorder" and gave her opium to ease her mind. She became a habitual user of opium throughout her life (17). In 1825 she published her first poem called "The Rose and Zephyr". It was published in the November 19th issue of the "Literary Gazette". Two years later her father’s business took a turn for the worse. The family was forced to move out of the Hope End estate and to Sidmouth, Devonshire. During this period of financial trouble Elizabeth’s mother suddenly died. Elizabeth became her father’s close friend and confidant. He relied on Elizabeth a great deal. He forbade his daughter to marry because he relied on her so much. In the years following her mother’s passing, Elizabeth had more of her works published. "An Essay a Mind with Other Poems", translations of Aeschylus "Prometheus Bound...and Miscellaneous Poems", and The Seraphim and Other Poems were published. The Seraphim was the first work published by Elizabeth in her name. T... ... and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1845-1846 (1969) Edited by Elvan Kintner, two volumes. Diary by E. B. B.: The Unpublished Diary of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1831-1832 (1969) Edited by Philip Kelley and Ronald Hudson. Invisible Friends (1972) The Correspondence of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Benjamin Robert Haydon, 1842-1845. Edited by Willard Bissell Pope. Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Letters to Mrs. David Ogilvy, 1849-1861 (1973) Edited by Peter N. Heydon and Philip Kelley. Anthology Prometheus Bound (1833) Translated from the Greek of Aeschylus (from the Academy of American Poets: http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=153) Useful Links The Victorian Web’s Elizabeth Barrett Browning Site: http://65.107.211.206/victorian/ebb/browningov.html Erin’s Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning Website: http://www.cswnet.com/~erin/browning.htm

Blackberry Picking Essay -- Poems Poetry Berries Essays

Blackberry Picking Blackberry picking is about greed, growing up, how we struggle in life and how pleasure can be taken away from us very quickly. Heaney writes retrospectively, about the times he as a child would go blackberry-picking every year, as a metaphor for these experiences. The first stanza of the poem is mostly quite positive and enthusiastic. The first part of the stanza describes the the ripening of the berries, â€Å"given heavy rain and sun for a full week, the blackberries would ripen†. He also gives us an image of the berries. Heaney uses the metaphor â€Å"a glossy purple clot† for the ripe berries, and the similie â€Å"hard as a knot† for the unripe berries. When you say â€Å"hard as a knot†, the sound is quite short, indicating that the berries are not yet ripe. It then continues to write about the frenzy of picking them - â€Å"lust for picking†. Heaney presents the tasting of the berries as a sensual process, and also uses words like â€Å"flesh†, and â€Å"thickened wine† to make the berries sound so desirable. Alsoâ€Å"lust†, to describe the childrens unrestrained desire and appetite for them. Heaney uses a lot of figurative language in this poem. Personification and a series of metaphors and similies are used: â€Å"flesh was sweet like thickened wine†, the berry is personified and there is use of a similie, the metaphor â€Å"summer’s blood†, referring to the hard work and nourishment that nature has put into it, and then suddenly it is taken away by the children. It is the peoples â€Å"hunger† and â€Å"lust†for the berries that sends them out to fill up their â€Å"milk-cans, pea-tins, jam-pots† until they are fully filled up with blackberries – â€Å"until the tinkling bottom has been covered†. Onomatopoeia is used - â€Å"tinkling... ...ow long and painful the process of picking the blackberries are, how they got their hands full of thorn pricks. Then after a short while, the berries start to rot, and the â€Å"sweet flesh† of the berries would turn sour. Heaney writes this poem to reveal that life is about disappointment, and that good things won’t last, while relating it back to a childhood event of his past. It is also about growing up, and ageing, as we get the contrast of the adults and childrens view in the last stanza. I found this poem very enjoyable and interesting to study, because when I was reading the poem, it almost felt like I could taste the blackberries. I like his use of figurative language, especially the way he described the berries. Another reason why I liked this poem is because I like the way Heaney uses past events of his life to express certain ideas about life.

Field Interview

PROPERTY and LIABILITY AUTOMOBILE 3/13 The Personal Automobile Policy – one of the major costs of operating an automobile Perils Associated with Automobile Ownership/Operation Tort liability – lawsuits may result from the harm/damage you cause to other persons or property Note: 60% of all damages paid are for things other than damage to cars Death/Bodily Injury – the dollar costs of these are 6X higher than for property damage liability Note: contributing factors include age, sex, alcohol/drug use, speed, rural/urban settingor distractions (passengers, cellphones)Collision losses – the size and type of your vehicle are the big factors in predicting the degree of damages and cost of repairs. $$$ Theft – frequency is highest among the most popular (Camry, Taurus, etc. ) and high value (SUV,Lexus) vehicles; the frequency is also highest in urban areas (Willie Sutton theory) Non-collision losses – hail, fire, falling objects, animals, flood, stor m, vandalism, etc. COVERAGES ALiability – your own negligence – provides financial protection from tort liability; technology now allows electronic monitoring of drivers by insurersProperty losses – includes damage to other vehicles, structures, livestock, etc. Bodily injury – medical care, pain and suffering, loss of income. Usually with upper-end limits for each person and each event. This is above the costs of defending yourself. Limits – BI liability per person/per accident/ PD property damages Note : Bankruptcy may not eliminate a court award. BMedical – this covers your own medical expenses from an accident, accidental D & D, etc. To the extent that this duplicates health coverage from your regular medical plan, it is not recommended for most drivers.CUninsured/Underinsured motorist – covers you if the negligent party is not adequately insured DPhysical Damage – to your car (when no one else is to blame) Collision  œ covers damage to your own car in moving accidents Comprehensive – covers loss to your vehicle other- than-collision (storm, flood, animals)etc. ) Non-owned auto- not regularly made available to the insured Deductibles – your co-payment; eliminates small claims; reduces premiums Included in your Liability Coverage Covered Auto Vehicles listed on your policy Temporary substitute – if you are driving someone else’s carTowed Trailers Newly acquired Auto – automatic coverage for 30 days Covered persons Yourself Others in your household Temporary borrowers (with permission) Third Parties (such as your employer) who may be held liable for acts of an insured person Other Items Included in Your Policy Legal defense against frivolous claims Legal costs above damage award When you rent a car – broadest coverage applies; see if coverage is acceptable to rental agency Automatic extension to minimum required coverage when driving out of stateNote: diffe rent states have different minimumsExclusions and Limitations Hiring out your car Commercial use – JimmyJohn/Domino’s delivery, taxi, hauling Exception for automotive businesses who may test drive your car Without permission Less than 4-wheeled vehicles (e. g. – a borrowed ATV) Intentional damage by covered person War or civil disturbance Failure to report/preserve & protect Contents Wear and Tear – â€Å"Inherent Vice† Trailers – only liability coverage and only while pulling Employer’s car Note: coverage is defined more narrowly if it is not your carNote: replacement is limited to â€Å"like kind and value† Note: â€Å"actual cash value† may not be fair market value Note: keep a small disposable camera in the car to photograph accident scene Other Contractual Provisions Subrogation Clause – gives insurer the right to pursue liable third parties Cancellation – insurer may cancel with 60-day notice Proof of loss – you may be required to supply proof of loss International Limitations Factors affecting your premium Vehicle year, make & model – these are theft and repair cost factorsYour age – inexperience; statistical grouping (under 20 has 4X crash rate per mile driven) Sex – males still greater risk (add a 16 year-old boy, rates double; add a girl, up 50%) Marital status – presumption of stability if married Usage – type of driving and yearly mileage Driving record – this is the item over which you have greatest control Driver’s Education Good student discount – usually for GPA 3. 0 or higher Local Factors –territory, weather, road quality, crime rates, etc. (Lincoln’s collision rate is 16% below the national average). Multi-car discountsDeductibles – using higher deductibles means lower premiums Legal Considerations Assigned Risk Plan – state administered pool for uninsurable drivers Financial Responsibility Laws – proof of insurance or of ability to pay No Fault Laws – your own insurer pays and may be reimbursed by negligent party once fault is established FACTOIDS: Note: the first documented automotive fatality was Henry Hale Bliss who stepped off a trolly into the path of an automobile on Sept. 13, 1899 The 32,788 fatalities recorded in 2010 was the lowest since 1961 and down from 41,259 in 2007.Lincoln has 5th safest drivers in US. On average we go 12 years between accidents. The national average is 10 years. (Washington DC is worst) Genetics – A 2009 study showed that drivers with a particular genetic variation had 20% lower scores on driving skills test. In the U. S. , 30% of all drivers have this genetic variation. One out of seven drivers is uninsured. Home Ownership Types of Policy: – HO-1 basic coverage of common perils – HO-2 broader coverage, looser definitions – HO-3 â€Å"All-Risk† specified exclusions* â€⠀œ HO-4 for rentals HO-5 all-risk for personal property/content – HO-6 for condiminiums – HO-8 older homes with disparity between replacement value and actual cash value *all risks are covered excpet those specifically excluded Section I – Property – Dwelling – Unattached structures – Personal property (contents) o Scheduled items o Non-Scheduled items – Loss of Use Inclusions, Exclusions, Limitations – Things excluded from coverage o Some contents – Limitations to property coverage o Some perils to dwelling – Special extensions/ Specific endorsements Earth movment o Federal flood insurance Section II – Liability – Personal Liability o Harm caused to others physically o Harm caused to property of others – Medical payments to others o Not necessary to show legal liability, negligence or fault – Personal â€Å"Umbrella† Policy can be added TAKE AWAY Coverages Liability Medical Unde rinsured/uninsured motorist Physical Damage Collision Non-Collision What constitutes a Covered Auto and a Covered Person Exclusions/Limitations Contractual Provisions Factors Affecting Your Premium Terminology .