The Merging of Cultures During the New World Discovery Essays -- Ameri

The Merging of Cultures During the New World Discovery The voyages of the Iberians marked history. The discovery of the new world meant the unification of two old worlds. These old worlds had different beliefs, attitudes, language, and values. The culture of these two worlds would never be the same. The native peoples of America at the end of the fifteenth century ranged from the simplest hunting-fishing-gathering societies to highly developed civilizations with urban and peasant components. In spite of these notable differences, they were alike in that they had all developed from the level of pre-bow-arrow hunters without significant contact with other regions. There high civilizations were based on agricultural and trading economies, with craft specialization, large cities, monumental architecture, elaborate politico-religious organizations, and dense populations. Soft metal was worked, writing was being developed, and the idea of the wheel was present in toys. Until the end of the fifteenth century, the peoples of the Iberian Peninsula were grouped in several politically autonomous units, resulting in significant cultural and social differences. These people shared the same basic cultural history through several millennia, during which time they were exposed to the basic innovations of Western Eurasia and North Africa. Phoenicians and Greeks brought civilization from the Eastern Mediterranean, and Neolithic farmers from Africa had been followed by Hallstat ironworkers from Europe. Six centuries of Roman domination gave the peninsula a common language, unified political control, widespread urbanization, and other forms and values of Rome. Agriculture, medicine, mathematics, and other forms of science was ... ...plague, measles, and many more, even the common cold. Bibliography Basso, Ellen B. THE KALAPALO INDIANS OF CENTRAL BRAZIL. New York: Holt 1973 Cespedes, Guillermo. LATIN AMERICA, THE EARLY YEARS. New York: Alfred A. Knopf 1974 Diffie, Bailey W. LATIN AMERICAN CIVILIZATION. New york: Octagon 1967 Elliott, J.H. THE SPANISH WORLD. New York: Abrams 1991 Faron, Louis C. THE MAPUCHE INDIANS OF CHILE. Illinois: Waveland 1986 Foster, George M. CULTURE AND CONQUEST. Chicago: Quadrangle 1960 Morrison, Samuel Eliot. THE EUROPEAN DISCOVERY OF AMERICA. New York: Oxford University 1967 Parry, J.H. THE DISCOVERY OF SOUTH AMERICA. New York: Taplinger 1979 Reindrop, Reginald C. SPANISH AMERICAN CUSTOMS, CULTURE AND PERSONALITY. END OF A NEW WORLD. Films for the Humanities. A NEW WORLD IS BORN. Films for the Humanities.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Keurig Coffee

How government political system and economy influence each other? There are many countries in a world, and each country has its specific government system, also different government systems leads to diverse economic results. Otherwise, the economic output shapes the certain government system as well. As a consequence, government system interacts with economic results, and vise versa. Such as the relationship between centrally controlled political system or decentralized political system and economic income. Next, more details information will be given and bring a discussion about how they influence each other.Through searching on the internet, political system is â€Å"a system of politics and government. It is usually compared to the legal system, economic system, cultural system, and other social systems. However, this is a very simplified view of a much more complex system of categories involving the views: who should have authority, how religious questions should be handled, and what the government’s influence on its people and economy should be. † (Almond, 2011) Different countries from all over the world owe their own specific political system and economic results.For example, China’s remarkable economic success rests on reforming political government system foundation. In article â€Å"Federalism, Chinese Style: The Political Basis for Economic Success in China†, it referred that the government political reform provides significant degree of available commitment to markets and lead to the successful economy in China. What’s more, a special type of institutionalized or organized decentralized is reflected by this reform, and author call â€Å"federalism, Chinese style. In addition, Montinola who is the author of this article claimed there are three consequences: at first, it helps to promote competition, not only just in product markets, but also among labour and foreign capital of local governments. And without any dou bt, the competition also lead new forms of enterprises, regulation, and economic relationships are promoted by government trying and learning. After that, it provides incentives for local governments to encourage local economic prosperity. At last, there are considerable amount of protection for local governments and enterprises which come from political intrusion by the central government. 2011). This article describes how the government political system impacts the economy output. On the one hand, China reform the political system depends on the national conditions, and take advantages of this system to develop economy and achieve successful goal. On the other hand, China already got wealthy benefits from the existing political system. Moreover, in article â€Å"US Political System Gets Downgraded, Failure to Deal with Economy the Reason†, Dayen said â€Å"To the extent that there’s any fallout from the political gridlock in Washington, it’s that the country cannot execute the simple, fundamental steps to improve economic performance. (Aug 3, 2011) And also talked about a Chinese rating agency did actually downgrade US debt all the way, which could resonate with their sovereign wealth funds. This agency appeared to not so much downgrade the credit rating as the political system. It discussed if there was not existing good and suitable government political system, and there is no way to develop economic as expect. In other words, instable and inadaptable political cannot help to further the development of economic outputs. Meanwhile, there is no doubt that if there is existing terrible economy, the new type of government system need to form.Government agencies influence the economy through a variety of policies all the time. â€Å"Political system has helped initiate new industries, cushion the effects of economic depression, create a sound economic infrastructure, and protect the living standards of the citizenry. † (n. d. ) Japa n is such a typical country. Japan through adjusting the relationship between government political system and economic income in order to set up the most suitable government and increase economy as much as possible. They focus on enterprise.In other words, Japan's economic development is primarily the product of private entrepreneurship. There is no doubt government make a significant contribution to nation's prosperity. In a word, the enterprise focus need the help of centrally controlled political system, because it can pay a lot more attention to develop their enterprise in order to promote their economy. There are advantages and disadvantages among different type of government political, both of them have opportunity to increase or decrease their national economy.However, it has great challenges to reconcile the centralized and decentralized systems. Most of time, centrally controlled is focus on specific area, decentralized controlled has diverging structure, the scope is much more abroad and wide than centrally controlling. But centrally control can get more attention. So chose the right system need depend on each country’s specific situation. In order to reach the economy goals, it is necessary to look for the right government political system to push its developing.Also under current system, government should consider how to achieve their economy target. Above all, no matter which government systems, such as centrally controlled political system and decentralized controlled political system, both of them could generate significant economic results, at the same time, the country should get wealthy benefit from a specific controlled political system. Reference Almond, G. A. , (June 25, 2011). Comparative Politics Today: A World View. Political System. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Political_system Dayen, D. (August 3, 2011). US Political System Gets Downgraded, Failure to Deal With Economy the Reason. FDL. Retrieved from http://new s. firedoglake. com/ 2011/08/03/us-political-system-gets-downgraded-failure-to-deal-with-economy-the-reason/ Montinola, G. (June 13, 2011). Federalism, Chinese Style: The Political Basis for Economic Success in China. World Politics. Retrieved from http://journals. cambridge. org/action/displayAbstract? fromPage=online&aid=7607848 The role of government and business. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://countrystudies. us/japan/99. htm

General Nutrition Companies Inc

General Nutrition Companies Inc. , was founded 65 years ago in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the premise that Americans wanted to maintain control over their health. David Shakirian founded the company. In 1935 he launched a dream of his by establishing a little health food store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He called it Lackzoom. The products that were offered at his store included yogurt and healthy foods such as honey, grains and healthy sandwiches. The concept of being a health store and serving health food was thought to be a fad that would soon pass over back then. To the surprise of many of Shakarian's critics, many people embraced Lackzoom. David and his store came a long way from its first day†s receipts of 35 dollars to open a second store six months later. Since those first two stores, Lackzoom, which is now GNC, has grown to be the largest manufacturer of vitamins and mineral supplements in the United States (1998 Annual Report). General Nutrition Companies, Inc. , collectively with its subsidiaries, is the only nationwide specialty retailer of vitamin and mineral supplements, sports nutrition products and herbs, and is also a leading provider of personal care, and other health-related products. The products were sold through 3,757 General Nutrition Centers, 2,531 of which were owned and operated by the company and the other 1,226 stores were franchised. Much of the growth of GNC has occurred in the last 7 years. Since 1992, the Company has opened or acquired in the United States 2,593 new GNC stores (SEC 10k form). The company†s initial growth was through company-owned stores located primarily in regional malls. Many of the stores that were created in the past 7 years have been franchises. This franchise initiative has enabled GNC to expand into secondary locations as well as International markets. It appears that there is no end to the growth of GNC. At a Franchising meeting on February 6,1999 GNC awarded and agreed to open an additional 323 domestic and 428 international franchise locations. All of these stores report to GNC headquarters, which is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is also home to one of General Nutrition†s three distribution centers. The other two distribution centers are located in Atlanta and Phoenix. The products that are distributed through these channels are manufactured in Greenville, South Carolina. This facility is one of the largest and most modern vitamin and supplement manufacturing facilities in the United States. Within the coming months a new 600,000 sq. ft. manufacturing plant and distribution center in Anderson, SC will open which will double the capacity of the company (www. gnc. com/about/history). As you can see net revenue increased to 1. 4 billion dollars, an increase of 18. 8 % over 1997. This increase was driven by the success of the Company†s store expansion program and increased demand for the Company†s products, as reflected by increased sales, across all business segments. During 1998, the Company developed a web site, GNC. com, to sell products via the Internet. Although still in the early stages of operation, the Company expects sales to increase based on the growth of the Internet. The history of GNC shows their excellence in planning and execution of these plans. Going into the next millennium, the Company must actively scan their environment for opportunities and threats. The General Nutrition Company is exposed to many external threats. Over the past five years there has been a trend in consumer behavior towards healthy living. This trend has caused the health product and supplement market to drastically increase. Some of the most prominent external threats that GNC faces are new competitors, competing products and services, new technologies, government regulations, increasing customer expectations, general economic conditions, and the different cultural ways of the host countries. Some of GNC†s new competitors include Internet and mail order companies such as discountnutrition. com and the Vitamin Shoppe have entered the vitamin and supplement market recently. They have taken some of the Company†s residual sales by offering different mediums of purchase. The Internet and mail order companies tend to offer discounted prices because they buy their products in bulk. A new competitor that has appeared in small regions across the United States has been Vitamin World. These shops tend to carry a similar product line with the exception of General Nutrition†s exclusive products. In addition to Vitamin World many other small chains have been started. Two of these chains are Great Earth and Vitamin Specialty of New York. These stores propose more of a threat to GNC†s corporate stores rather than the franchises because of the personalized service. The franchise stores also have more leniency in determining the final price and any discounts or specials. With the addition of these new competitors and the threat that they pose the Company has maintained if not increased its market share in many markets. GNC manufactures and sells several lines of supplements, vitamins and minerals, as well as a variety of health foods. These product lines carry many names. Some of these names include Preventative Nutrition, GNC, and Pro Performance. All of these lines are sold exclusively at GNC stores and at their online manufacturer. In addition to their own product lines, GNC stores carry a variety of products from third-party vendors. These third-party vendors include big names such as EAS (Experimental and Applied Sciences), Twinlab, Met-Rx, and Metaform. All of these vendors are in the top 5% of sales for their flagship product. The Company must realize this and make their own products more attractive to the consumer. Competing products from the third-party vendors are also sold at other stores, so this forces the Company to not only compete within their own store but to also compete in the marketplace. Today, many companies are facing the threat of the internet. Many companies are not used to this advanced technological system and do not have the resources to compete. Not only is the Internet used for advertising purposes but it is also being used as an online ordering system. With the shift towards an online ordering system many things have to be taken into consideration and changed accordingly. The entire supply chain must be examined to identify any and all potential problems and differences that must be made as a result of this shift. In this case, the manufacture, supply, distribution, and information flow are critical and will inevitably be modified from the traditional way of supply the product to the retail centers. Government regulations pose an enormous threat to the company. Potential government regulations will mandate FDA regulations and the testing of all products. This will dramatically increase the cost of production, which will ultimately be passed on to the end consumer. Some sport and diet supplements sold by the company today could be ruled illegal in the coming months if this occurs. This could potentially reduce the number of products available as well as the customer base. With the nation†s shift towards healthier living, many consumers have begun to experience unrealistic expectations of the products offered by the company. This can be witnessed by the fact that 45% of all adult American†s take some form of supplement. An attitude that many American†s exert today is that they want the â€Å"pill† or supplement to take the place of the work that they themselves would otherwise have to do. Customers are also looking for a company that offers exceptional customer service and sales associate knowledge. With today†s flourishing economy, the average American†s income is at an all time high. If anything would happen to cause a negative occurrence in the economy the average American†s disposable income would, as a result, probably decrease. This decrease in their disposable income would take away from their ability and/or desire to spend their money on products offered by GNC. The Different Cultural Ways of Host Countries The way that GNC handles their international business is through franchising. The franchising done internationally is done differently than is domestically. During the international franchising process, the entire General Nutrition rights are sold to the franchisee for the entire country, not just an individual store as done domestically. The government regulations and culture differences or preferences are left to the discretion of the potential or existing franchisee. The threat is posed as a result of the lack of assistance and guidelines that would normally come from the corporation headquarters. As far as dealing with the individual host country†s government regulations and culture, it may discourage business in that country all together. The availability of raw materials poses basically no threat to the company at this point because of their vast resources and long term contracts with their suppliers. But, in the future with the addition of many new entrants into the market a shortage of some raw materials and components may occur. General Nutrition was the pioneer of the nutrition industry and will continue to be for years to come. On of the major contributing factors to their success has been their ability to maximize their external opportunities. Around the late 1980's the average Americans active lifestyle had reached an all time low. With the 1990's came the current trend of healthier living. It was at this time that consumers turned to GNC to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. GNC capitalized on this opportunity in several different ways. They began to change the typical consumer†s idea and preferences about the General Nutrition stores and products. They began advertising to all people and having specially trained employees with knowledge of all products that were carried. This helped to make the store a more inviting place to everyone from a young high school athlete to a middle-aged mother of two. This also lead to new product market niches. Some of the more successful are the pro-performance line which is geared towards athletes, also the live well concept which promotes an overall healthy lifestyle which would be more suited for the average adult. With the change in customer preferences, GNC has the opportunity to increase market share by creating customer loyalty and trust through groundbreaking products. General Nutrition has done a tremendous job on utilizing these opportunities and in order to remain atop the competition they must continue to fine tune the and analyze the business strategy. Definitely one of General Nutrition†s greater external opportunities is their franchising and long-term alliance with Rite Aid. This opportunity is so tremendous that along with 697 stores opened in 1998 they also signed an alliance with Rite Aid. The alliance with Rite Aid allows GNC to enter a new channel for marketing its supplements. With a the average American only five miles away from a GNC, there still is such a demand for the stores that they plan to open an additional 250 stores in the next year alone. This combined with a total commitment to providing customer support has helped make GNC one of the most successful franchises for the past decade. To continue to capitalize on these external opportunities the company can look to actively pursue their franchising capabilities while avoiding cannibalization of existing stores to allow them to remain the pinnacle of the health food industry. The main reason that GNC has been and will remain the world leader in the nutrition industry is due to their ability to use technology to receive great benefits. Their greatest areas of technology that set them apart from the rest are their manufacturing and distribution. This past year the company took a tremendous leap into the 21 century with the completion of a 630,000 square foot state of the art manufacturing facility in South Carolina. Along with the new manufacturing facility, the Company was involved in a recent merger with the Dutch pharmaceutical company Royal Numico. This merger makes the Company the world†s largest manufacturer of vitamins and supplements. This merger presents the company with a great opportunity to take advantage of the world class research facilities available to them. The Company should streamline their supply chain to fully take advantage of the new manufacturing and distribution facilities. This will increase the Company†s overall efficiency. The Company should look for a strategic alliance with an established online drugstore to broaden the Company†s market share. This would also allow the Company to gain entry into the world of e-commerce. Internal strengths of the company include quality products emphasizing vitamins and minerals along with sports nutrition. This product mix focuses on high margin value added products, which are sold under the GNC proprietary brand. Along with vitamins, herbal, and sports supplements the Company also offers customers the opportunity the Gold Card program. This program enables stores to add to their product line. The basis for this program charges a $15 annual fee that entitles each member to a 20% discount on all products one time each month. Sales of proprietary brands represented over 50% of total sales in 1998. Company reputation is another strength for the company. The Company is the only nationwide specialty retailer of vitamin, mineral supplement, sports nutrition products, and herbs. Along with these products the Company is also the leading provider of personal healthcare products. The company†s reputation was built on two basic principles. The first of these is strong customer service. The Company has a strong competitive advantage over competitors because of well-trained and informed employees who have knowledge of the entire product line. The Company†s employees are knowledgeable and efficient because of the strong employee-training program. The second principal that has built their reputation is a superior product line. The proprietary brands along with other strong brand names enable them to have a product line better than the competitor. Production capabilities at the Company have enabled them to become the world leader in the their industry. The Company will be able to maintain their position as a leader because of their capacity to not only meet company inventory requirements, but also enough to sell to third parties in the wholesale market. The Company is able to maintain strong production capabilities because of their emphasis on quality control. Each product is tested from the beginning to the end until the final product meets their standard. The Company has experienced a strong sense of executive leadership. The current president has 25 years of experience within the company and the CEO has 18 years. The executive vice president has 19 years of experience and the head of logistics has 22 years under his belt. Along with this experience it is evident to see that there is an extremely low employee turnover ratio within management. Turnover within this company as with any retail organization occurs with retail store management and part time sales positions. To keep this factor at a low level the Company started the franchise program. The Company wanted to bring strategic partners into their system that would personally invest in the Company†s program. Along with strong management leadership the Company maintains a strong employee base through orientation and hiring kits that enable the new employee to adjust quickly and become an efficient employee. The company gives their employees the opportunity for tuition reimbursement, profit sharing, good medical and health benefits, and 401k and stock options. All of these factors allow a GNC employee to be part of a team. The Company uses patents to its advantage. By having patents on their proprietary formulas, vitamins, sports nutrition, and herbal supplements, the Company creates barriers between themselves and competitors. Along with their patents the Company conducts research with other companies. One such company is Proctor and Gamble. Recently the Company has held the patent with Proctor and Gamble on calcium (calcium citrate malate). This product was found to be more absorbent than any other type of calcium. The Company achieves economies of scale throughout the entire organization and network of 5,000 retail stores by a close arrangement of entities. These include arrangements with product suppliers, raw materials, packaging material, store supplies, retail advertising, third party advertising, insurance coverage, and credit card processing. The close surveillance and agreement of these entities allows the company to achieve greater economies of scale. The mission of the Company is to maintain quality over quantity in its products. The company typically introduces 25 to 30 new products each year and reformulates existing products on an annual basis. An annual reset is done for the stores to introduce new vendor third party products, and new company products through expansion and deletion of retail shelf space. General Nutrition Companies Incorporated is the leader in health products but the company is not adverse to risk. These risks that we can find within the company are considered to be the weaknesses of the company. The first risk is that Royal Numico has acquired GNC, now being a part of a larger company they must now try to fit into the larger system and integrate themselves. With the integration of the Company into Royal Numico there will be a significant amount of cash spent, some potentially dilutive issuance†s of equity securities, incurrence of debt or amortization expenses, related to goodwill and other intangible assets. Any of these can adversely affect the company; it†s operating results and financial conditions. In addition to the financial and operating factors we could find difficulties in the assimilation of the technologies, products and personnel of the integrated company. Another weakness that the company has is their leverage problem. This means that the company has raised much of its capital through debt financing, including loans. Based on the current level of operations and anticipated level of growth, the company†s available cash flow, together with other sources of liquidity, will be adequate to meet to future needs of capital. Although it looks to be enough, there can be no assurance that the company will generate enough cash flow.

Reporting Practices and Ethics Paper

Planning is when the financial manager identifies the steps that must be taken to accomplish the organization’s objectives. The purpose is to identify objectives and then to identify the steps required for accomplishing these objectives. Controlling is when the financial manager makes sure that each area of the organization is following the plans that have been established. The purpose of controlling is to ensure that plans are being followed.Organizing is when the financial manager decides how to use the resources of the organization to most effectively carry out the plans that have been established. Directing is when the manager works on a day-to-day basis to keep the results of the organizing running efficiently. The purpose is to ensure effective resource use and provide daily supervision. Decision making is when the financial manger makes choices among available alternatives. Decision making actually occurs parallel to planning, organizing, and controlling.All types of de cision making rely on information, and the primary tasks are analysis and evaluation. The purpose is to make informed choices (Baker and Baker, 2001). Summary of generally accepted accounting principles and general financial ethical standards Most healthcare organizations operate on the accrual accounting basis. With this type of accounting; revenue is recorded when it is earned-not when payment is received; and expenses are recorded when they are incurred-not when they are paid.Ethical decision making is required when the healthcare executive must balance the needs and interests of the individual, the organization and society. Those involved in the decision making process must consider ethical principles such as justice, autonomy, beneficence and fairness, as well as professional ethical standards and codes. Physicians, nurses, and other caregivers may primarily address ethical issues on a case-by-case basis. Healthcare executives also have a responsibility to address those issues at broader organization, community, and social levels ACHE, 2007). Examples from articles that reflect ethical standards of conduct and financial reporting practices. Explain significance of each example. In May 2004, Larry J. Tyler wrote in an article that financial managers need to keep their own personal finances in order. If a financial manager is living too close to the edge on his/her own finances or are in fear of losing their job, and then they are more likely to â€Å"bend† their convictions (Tyler, 2004).The importance of this example is so financial managers do not â€Å"fix† the books to make the organization look better than it actually is. If someone thinks that their job is on the line, they are more likely to do what others want them to do as well. In an article written by Joe Batte, a healthcare compliance specialist, he reported that state and federal agencies are increasing their efforts to eliminate fraud and abuse in healthcare.Batte defines fraud as: Knowingly and willfully executing or attempting to execute, a scheme or artifice to defraud any health care benefit program. Or to obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations or promises, any of the money or property owned by, or under the custody of, or control of, any health care benefit program. Batte defines abuse as: Abuse is defined as receiving payment for items and service when there is no legal entitlement for that payment and the provider has not knowingly or intentionally misrepresented the facts to obtain payment.Abuse may, directly or indirectly, result in unnecessary costs to the Medicare or Medicaid programs for services which fail to meet recognized standards of care, or that are medically unnecessary. Whether it’s abuse or fraud, the fact that a provider can lose everything through being excluded from state and Federal health care program’s participation makes it imperative to run the providers company in a professional, comp liant, and business-like fashion. It is also wise to know what is currently being done by the agencies that oversee our health care systems (Batte, Joseph R. 2001). In the articles above, knowledge of what can happen to someone, or the organization as a whole, will deter managers of falsifying financial reports. Education is key to any position, whether healthcare or another. Knowledge of the consequences will help keep managers on the straightened arrow. Conclusion It is incumbent upon healthcare executives to lead in a manner that sets an ethical tone for their organizations. Education in ethics is an important step in healthcare’s executives’ life-long commitment to high ethical conduct, both personally and professionally.In today’s more aggressive enforcement environment it pays to have an active compliance program in effect, make sure that documentation is complete and legible, and don’t assume that the small or medium sized provider is not going to be reviewed on a regular basis. The medical industry is held to a higher standard of ethics and many of the overseeing agencies are now using their considerable arsenal to make sure that fraud and abuse reduction is on everyone’s front burner. Reporting Practices and Ethics Paper Planning is when the financial manager identifies the steps that must be taken to accomplish the organization’s objectives. The purpose is to identify objectives and then to identify the steps required for accomplishing these objectives. Controlling is when the financial manager makes sure that each area of the organization is following the plans that have been established. The purpose of controlling is to ensure that plans are being followed.Organizing is when the financial manager decides how to use the resources of the organization to most effectively carry out the plans that have been established. Directing is when the manager works on a day-to-day basis to keep the results of the organizing running efficiently. The purpose is to ensure effective resource use and provide daily supervision. Decision making is when the financial manger makes choices among available alternatives. Decision making actually occurs parallel to planning, organizing, and controlling.All types of de cision making rely on information, and the primary tasks are analysis and evaluation. The purpose is to make informed choices (Baker and Baker, 2001). Summary of generally accepted accounting principles and general financial ethical standards Most healthcare organizations operate on the accrual accounting basis. With this type of accounting; revenue is recorded when it is earned-not when payment is received; and expenses are recorded when they are incurred-not when they are paid.Ethical decision making is required when the healthcare executive must balance the needs and interests of the individual, the organization and society. Those involved in the decision making process must consider ethical principles such as justice, autonomy, beneficence and fairness, as well as professional ethical standards and codes. Physicians, nurses, and other caregivers may primarily address ethical issues on a case-by-case basis. Healthcare executives also have a responsibility to address those issues at broader organization, community, and social levels ACHE, 2007). Examples from articles that reflect ethical standards of conduct and financial reporting practices. Explain significance of each example. In May 2004, Larry J. Tyler wrote in an article that financial managers need to keep their own personal finances in order. If a financial manager is living too close to the edge on his/her own finances or are in fear of losing their job, and then they are more likely to â€Å"bend† their convictions (Tyler, 2004).The importance of this example is so financial managers do not â€Å"fix† the books to make the organization look better than it actually is. If someone thinks that their job is on the line, they are more likely to do what others want them to do as well. In an article written by Joe Batte, a healthcare compliance specialist, he reported that state and federal agencies are increasing their efforts to eliminate fraud and abuse in healthcare.Batte defines fraud as: Knowingly and willfully executing or attempting to execute, a scheme or artifice to defraud any health care benefit program. Or to obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations or promises, any of the money or property owned by, or under the custody of, or control of, any health care benefit program. Batte defines abuse as: Abuse is defined as receiving payment for items and service when there is no legal entitlement for that payment and the provider has not knowingly or intentionally misrepresented the facts to obtain payment.Abuse may, directly or indirectly, result in unnecessary costs to the Medicare or Medicaid programs for services which fail to meet recognized standards of care, or that are medically unnecessary. Whether it’s abuse or fraud, the fact that a provider can lose everything through being excluded from state and Federal health care program’s participation makes it imperative to run the providers company in a professional, comp liant, and business-like fashion. It is also wise to know what is currently being done by the agencies that oversee our health care systems (Batte, Joseph R. 2001). In the articles above, knowledge of what can happen to someone, or the organization as a whole, will deter managers of falsifying financial reports. Education is key to any position, whether healthcare or another. Knowledge of the consequences will help keep managers on the straightened arrow. Conclusion It is incumbent upon healthcare executives to lead in a manner that sets an ethical tone for their organizations. Education in ethics is an important step in healthcare’s executives’ life-long commitment to high ethical conduct, both personally and professionally.In today’s more aggressive enforcement environment it pays to have an active compliance program in effect, make sure that documentation is complete and legible, and don’t assume that the small or medium sized provider is not going to be reviewed on a regular basis. The medical industry is held to a higher standard of ethics and many of the overseeing agencies are now using their considerable arsenal to make sure that fraud and abuse reduction is on everyone’s front burner.

Sunny Phone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sunny Phone - Essay Example Sunny Phone has all the advanced features of latest available mobile phones with attractive designs. Its uniqueness is that its battery can be charged using solar power. Australian mobile manufacturing industry is highly competitive and matured as most of the market leaders are present in this market. With favorable economic condition, the Australian telecommunication industry is growing and there are significant opportunities for Green-Tech. To penetrate the market, Green-Tech’s marketing strategy will focus on enhancement of consumers’ value and its core generic strategy will be differentiation focused strategy. For controlling and planning, Green-Tech has developed management and financial plans. There will be expert management teams for each department. As per the market analysis, the sales forecast for Sunny Phone is determined 3600 units during first year, and using this figure, the financial planning has been projected. Initial start up cost for Green-Tech is aro und AUD 24 million and the company is expected to earn AUD 97200 in its first operating year. 2. Introduction In the post-modern age of trade and business, starting a new venture is very challenging task as prevailing market is very competitive. Besides, the risks associated with a new venture are always higher than existing business. Therefore, it is very necessary to develop a business plan forecasting entire business activities before starting the venture and business plan is also helpful in convincing investors for generating necessary funds (Peterson, Jaret and Schenck, p.13). This paper will attempt to present a business plan based on an innovative product. There will be brief descriptions regarding the overview of company, product, market analysis, major strength & weaknesses, management plan and financial plan. This paper will also offer a set of plausible recommendations for successful product launch. 3. Company Overview and Its Mission, Vision and Objectives ‘Green-T ech Private Ltd’ is privately held company which is engaged in manufacturing an innovative mobile phone and it will be owned by a number of shareholders who will make significant financial contributions. The primary aim of this company is to manufacture and offer eco-friendly mobile phones. The company has realized the importance of practising green business in reducing the negative impact of business activity. The fundamental business value and ethics of Green-Tech involve value maximization of its stakeholders by developing growth oriented organisational and work culture. The company will operate in Australian market by setting up its manufacturing plant, research and development center and a corporate office. The location of plants, office and R&D center will be selected by as per the market viabilities. The shareholders will be legal owners and responsible for managing and controlling business activities. In order to develop a growth orientated business structure and stra tegies, company’s mission, vision and specific objectives are developed and given below Mission statement: Green-Tech is committed to offer products which will have least negative impact on environment and society. Therefore, the company’s mission statement is to offer eco-friendly products that will enhance the value of consumers and their environment by using innovative technology. Vision Statement: Green-Tec

Horse Fighting in Asia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Horse Fighting in Asia - Essay Example These fighting are conducted in stadiums or in the fields of different villages. Mostly, they are done in less populated areas. However in case of populated areas it is conducted on local road tracks, which may be harmful for citizens as well. That is why I have chosen this topic to study its context and history as well as analyzing it basis of how this game came into existence. 1.2 Horse fighting This sport is common in all parts of Asia. Horses are mainly used in fighting, kicking and biting in order to create entertainment and have a financial gain. This is mostly practiced in the countries which have more tourists each year. These people spend a lot to gain pleasure and try to earn money which leads to gambling on horse fighting. This practice is illegal one cannot harm other living being for entertainment or to have more money. There are many other ways to have these two things rather than conducting this sport. Horse fighting also involves a process and technique. Firstly, a ma re is binged by injection of hormones. Then she is taken out tied with roped and as well as padded for couple of minutes so that they can pick her scent. Then the two stallions are released and they start fighting with each other, while mare stands at a distance. It is continued for several minutes, horses keep on biting and kicking each other, unless and until one goes out of the ring. If one does not get out of ring, it can lead to death of any one. These fights are conducted on daily basis and lead to bloody wounds on the body of horses every time when they enter in a race. This is very unhealthy and risky game for their life. It have been noted that most of the horses die after the fight or they are slaughtered for meat and are shot dead if they are unable to do fighting (Amschler Wolfgang, 1935). Horses are graceful, social and intelligent creatures that don’t fight among each other. Studies indicated that when horses are shown care and are given safe and healthy environ ment, in result they become a strong bond with human beings. They can help in many social activities. However, involving horses in fight with each other is against the nature. History is past, today in this modern world one should try to make best use of all resources rather than wasting them. Training and development Horses are trained for fights on the basis of a manual of war among horses which was written by Hittite horse master in 1350 BC. This was one of the earliest manual written on horses and is in practice till today. The most difficult part in training horses is to overcome its natural instinct to flee the smell of blood, from noise and confusion related to combat. It is also made to learn unusual movement of humans and fighting with the other horse. They are made to hurt other horse though kicking, biting and striking thus they are made to serve as a weapon. It is important to develop agility and balance in the horse while fighting with the other. So in this training and development program horses are made to learn all acts of fighting (Matt Van Hoven, 2008). 1.3 Historical perspective and analysis Horse fighting is a sport since 500 years back and is mainly done by Indonesia, China, South Korea, and Philippines. It is a

Advocacy Role in Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Advocacy Role in Anthropology - Essay Example Further, other anthropologists have taken more active role in community affairs observing that they have a wider responsibility of bringing about change (Gardner and Lewis p.48). Advocacy anthropology is a sub-field within anthropology that has been growing steadily since its initiation in early 1960s (Gardner and Lewis p.48). Advocacy anthropology has long history and attachment to applied anthropology and adoption of the role of advocacy on the part of anthropologist brings with it many risks and responsibilities (Gardner and Lewis p.48). Advocacy anthropology as it has been practiced by its proponents and to large extends anthropologists is largely concerned with efforts of indigenous people to have and establish relative more control with regard to their lives. Some of the powers sought by indigenous people include the power to retain their cultural identities and to ensure they control and maintain access to their local natural resources. The role of anthropologists in society has become complex especially with continuing global inequalities and injustices (Kellett p.21). In this way anthropologists find themselves in complex, messy and even scenario and it is in this way anthropologists get involved usually at micro-level working with communities. As a result, some questions that becomes pertinent for anthropologists as they get engaged in community activities include: are anthropologists supposed to act and act to improve the situation of local people? More so, should anthropologists act as intermediary and voice on behalf of local people and should anthropologists play an active role as agents of change? (Kellett p.2). When anthropologist become agents of change in any particular community it dawn on them that issues even at micro-level are not homogenous but are largely heterogeneous in nature. In this way, advocacy is likely to conflict some interest groups or even suppress some cultures. When anthropologists be come aware of this, it dawn on them that