Effects of Globalization on Small Enterprises Essay

The business world has witnessed a transformation in past years. Technological innovations, cultural progress, and connectivity have all influenced the habits and customs of businesses all across the world. Globalization has been behind this change, fuelling the revolution and shaping the businesses and society of today. Globalization is defined as â€Å"the process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology.† This process has had effects on culture, society, business, consumer habits, and more. Globalization has also had notable effects on small businesses and economists anticipate more effects to come. Globalization is a phenomenon that has been present for many years and has a long history. It really began to take effect after World War 2; this is described as the resurgence of globalization. Certain agreements have driven globalization, notably the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which was signed in 1994 creating a trilateral trade bloc. Since, globalization has become rampant and has greatly influenced trade, competition, and small businesses. Globalization’s impact on small businesses has been both negative and positive. This impact can be seen on the macroeconomic level and affects gross domestic product greatly, as small businesses contribute largely to GDP. However, globalization has created multinational corporations with untold power – which has received a plethora of criticism and accusations of corruption and bribery leading to a significant disadvantage for small businesses. However, these days, globalization has made it possible for small enterprises to finally outsource certain tasks, thereby increasing productivity, lowering prices, and becoming more competitive against their contenders. Ultimately, each country has unique issues when it comes to market globalization and must adopt varied measures to combat these difficulties. Economists are able to project trends using different variables to understand what will come in the future and act accordingly. Globalization has provided solutions to certain problems small businesses faced while introducing new problems in their wake. Effects on the Macroeconomic Level Globalization’s impact can be felt on the macroeconomic level. The development of integrated economies creates changes on the aggregate economy of countries which affects a multitude of phenomena ranging from unemployment to price levels. These changes have an especially impactful effect on small businesses as multinational corporations pose threatening competitors and are able to offer lower prices. Conversely, globalization has also provided larger markets with untapped potential. The advantages and disadvantages posed by globalization upon small businesses each have negative and positive consequences and shape business and trade today. Globalization breaks down barriers and encourages trade among different countries. This, in turn, provides many new potential customers, suppliers, and partners – each with different needs to be met. The increased possibilities can be useful for small businesses to gain new customers and create brand loyalty. However, globalization can also go awry for small businesses. With expansion and rampant trade as the status quo, multinational corporations can infiltrate different countries and eradicate small, local businesses that had once dominated the area. A concrete example of this is the effect Walmart often has on their locales. Ana Kasparian, co-host of the talk show, The Young Turks, asserted, â€Å"If you bring in a Walmart†¦ those local businesses are gone.† For instance, after a Walmart opened in Chicago, 82 small businesses in the area closed within two years. Joe Persky, an economics professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, illustrated the occurrence saying, â€Å"No matter which direction you go from Walmart, there’s a very high rate of business closures in the immediate vicinity, and the further away you get there’s less and less.† Multinational corporations, with brand names that are recognized world-wide, become more popular than intimate, local businesses. In this way, globalization can replace small businesses and have a dangerous effect on the security of small business owners. The creation of international markets can be attributed to today’s globalized economies and small businesses benefit greatly. Industry Canada reported that in 2002, 84% of exporters were small businesses. This is especially beneficial as technological innovations and increased connectivity have allowed countries to manufacture more goods and services than they can consume and exportation provides a new market for increased consumption of these goods and services. Open trade also allows for countries to specialize in the domains in which they have what economists refer to as â€Å"comparative advantage.† When countries specialize in the fields which pose the lowest opportunity cost, this increases productivity and minimizes loss, which creates efficiency and synergy for all parties. Globalization allows for small businesses to export. In the past, importing and exporting was only a possibility for large corporations as they could absorb the cost. Now, globalization has become accessible – even to small businesses – which allows them to compete on the international scale. Consequently, small businesses are able to focus in the areas where they thrive, producing goods and services efficiently, and positively contributing to their country’s gross domestic product and overall productivity; increased productivity is an indicator of a superior quality of life. The negative effects of globalization are often felt most intensely in developing countries. The opening of borders increases emigration from developing countries and it is often the country’s most productive, educated, and innovative members of the population who leave the country to explore opportunities elsewhere. This phenomenon is described by economists as the â€Å"Brain Drain† and can strip a developing country of the most talented members of their labour force, throwing them into an even larger disadvantage compared to developed countries. This migration means that small businesses have less human resources to choose from, rendering them less productive. Corporate Money in Politics Globalization has created multinational corporations with power in various countries and enormous wealth. This wealth gives these multinational corporations advantages that many argue are unfair. Corporate money in politics is a topic of wide discussion in the present economic circumstances. In 2010, the court ruled in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that money is â€Å"political speech.† This ruling allowed for corporations to provide unlimited donations to political campaigns. Since, many have protested the influence corporate money has on political decisions, saying that corporations donate to politicians to get certain benefits – a term coined as â€Å"legalized bribery.† This bribery was revealed in a New York Times investigation which found that a Walmart built in Mexico in 2004 bypassed certain zoning regulations which prohibited any building near ancient pyramids. The report announced, â€Å"Walmart was a corrupter offering large pay-offs to get what the law otherwise prohibited†¦ It used bribes to subvert democratic governance – public votes, open debates, transparent procedures. It used bribes to circumvent regulatory safeguards that protect Mexican citizens from unsafe construction.† The most powerful claim in the story was that Walmart used money to gain an advantage against fellow competitors: â€Å"It used bribes to outflank rivals.† Small businesses do not have the financial assets to compete with multinational corporations in terms of political donations. Since these donations often have significant consequences in political decisions, small businesses find themselves disadvantaged as they do not have the same financial or political power as multinational corporations. In this way, globalization has had a negative effect on small enterprises. The power disparity creates an uneven footing for small businesses and forces them to remain in the shadows of large, multinational corporations. Investments Investment is defined as â€Å"the conversion of money into some form of property from which an income or profit is expected to be derived.† Globalization has also impacted investments greatly in past years. Since the world has become more connected, individuals and corporations have begun allocating their resources to foreign investments at a rapid pace. Foreign direct investments (FDI) are defined as â€Å"flows of money into a country that purchase a lasting stake in an enterprise for a foreign investor.† Now, many people hold shares or investments in companies originating in countries other than their own. These investments are significant as they affect the gross domestic product of countries. Additionally, the manifestation of foreign direct investments is especially important to small businesses as they do not thrive in this field. Individuals and corporations are more willing to invest in multinational corporations with long histories, reputable names, and monetary excess. Small businesses, which are less known, are less likely to receive assets in the form of investments as people view this type of investment as risky since they do not feel they know as much about the company and the future profitability of their investment. This largely contributes to the low survival rates of small businesses. Industry Canada’s findings reveal that only 51% of small businesses survive beyond five years. Contrarily, multinational corporations have much longer life spans. For instance, Coca Cola was founded in 1886 and continues to be a household name and an extremely profitable enterprise. The lack of foreign or domestic investments in small businesses is hugely disadvantageous to small businesses in the global market and international economy. This is a domain in which small businesses are still far less developed than large, multinational corporations. Outsourcing and Pricing In the past, outsourcing, a means to reduce costs by allocating certain tasks to outside suppliers rather than completing the tasks within the company itself, was reserved for big corporations as it was extremely expensive and small businesses did not have the financial assets to take on such a task. This meant that large corporations could greatly reduce their costs of production, hence reducing the price of the good or service and rendering themselves more competitive and even more favoured by consumers over small businesses. These days, that is not the case. Technology has transformed and progressed enormously in recent years. This has allowed small businesses to outsource jobs in a cost-effective manner, which reduces their costs, increases their productivity, and renders them more competitive. Now, outsourcing is a real possibility for small businesses. Outsourcing is often international; globalisation has hence played an important role in this phenomenon. â€Å"More small businesses are outsourcing tasks these days because technology has advanced to the point of professionals being able to work from anywhere in the world, coupled with the availability and accessibility of extremely qualified professionals who have decided or been forced to leave the corporate world,† Laura Lee Sparks, owner of Legal Marketing Maven, says. â€Å"These freelancers come on board as subcontractors and save the small business owner the burden of paying overhead associated with payroll taxes and expenses such as health insurance and worker’s compensation, as well as the space constrictions that growing a company in-house can present.† Small enterprises focus on outsourcing three major types of jobs. The first are jobs that require highly skilled, or executive, expertise. These jobs are outsourced to analysts outside of the company who can provide insight into the situation and give constructive feedback. The second type of job that is often outsourced by small businesses is highly repetitive tasks. Menial tasks are outsourced so that the workers of the enterprise can focus on strategic and tactical decisions and focus on the big picture of the company rather than bother themselves with unnecessary distractions. Lastly, small businesses often outsource jobs that require specialized knowledge. This outsourcing is increasingly important since globalisation has increased competition. In order to survive, and especially to thrive, businesses must find ways to produce goods and services in the most cost effective way possible. Consumers are always looking to buy the product for the lowest price and the highest quality possible. By outsourcing and reducing costs, small businesses have become attractive options for consumers looking to make a cost-effective purchase of goods or services. In this way, globalization has positively affected small businesses by giving them an avenue to rival against multinational corporations. Outsourcing overseas is even more profitable for small businesses. Products made overseas are much cheaper since the minimum wage laws in different countries vary and are often much lower in certain countries. Additionally, the worth of currency in more developed countries counts for significantly more than the currency in other countries, making the cost of salaries and production much lower. For instance, many American businesses choose to have production operations run in China because of the cost effectiveness of this decision. Wage laws in China are extremely deregulated, allowing businesses to underpay their workers. Although this poses significant moral dilemmas, from an economic point of view, it is very profitable for small businesses who can now exploit this means of saving money. Since this has become an option for small businesses, they have become greater rivals and much more competitive in the international marketplace. Globalization has opened this door for small businesses and provided an avenue for increased wealth. Policy Issues and Recommendations When it comes to market globalization, every country has their share of policy issues and problems. Canada has three main issues that slow down their SME’s in confronting the challenge of market globalization. Firstly, the Canadian monetary policies have affected the value of the Canadian dollar resulting in reduced competitiveness. The goal intended for the Canadian monetary policy was to limit inflation, while ignoring Canada’s global objectives such as the competitiveness of the dollar on markets and job creation. As a result, Canada has interest rates that are higher than their competitors, which unfortunately creates overvalue in the Canadian dollar. Secondly, increases in investment in both tangible and intangible technologies are needed for the competitiveness of SME’s. Canadian enterprises competitiveness, results from the transfer of new tangible production technologies, such as plant and equipment. However, Canada should also gain competitiveness from intangible technologies, such as management and staff training, as well as new forms of internal and external organization. This equal investment of intangible and tangible technologies will result in the creation of partnerships, which in the long run will connect small and large enterprises while provoking innovation and maintaining flexibility among members. Thirdly, access to information is an important factor that the Canadian SME’s are lacking. SME’s need management that is well informed about different markets and international competition, so that human and organizational resources can effectively reply to the opening up of markets. Subsequently, Canadian SME’s need a new macroeconomic policy, an equal investment in tangible and intangible technologies, and access to information about specific markets, in order for them to meet the new challenge of the global economy. The globalization of SME’s has various different implications for policy issues at a national, local, and international level. Below is a table that describes the possible country initiatives suggested for each policy issue on a national and local level. Policy issue Possible initiative Start-ups and competitiveness Emphasize international competitiveness in start-up assistance and targets. Information access First-stop and one-stop shops that can advise both domestic and foreign clients. Management Advisory consultancy programmes to integrate international advice. Technology International technology exchange programmes. Finance Export finance and guarantee programmes. On the national and local level, Canada needs to focus on proper plans, strategies, and policies. As previously stated, Canada needs to focus on their information access, their management, and increasing their competitiveness. Given these initiatives, it is important to focus on programmes that are cost-effective in order to increase international competitiveness and avoid destructive competition between borders. A management and human resource development programme will give training in skills specific to international activities such as export management. For example, the Kunto programme in Finland works by first analyzing the SME’s needs, strengths, and weaknesses, and then teach how to develop export markets. Other programmes such as information access, gives the SME an advisory service to help them with information about regulations, market conditions, etc. For example, the Canadian Business Service Centres provide a central point of contact for SME’s when seeking information, and also work with the private sector. Canada could benefit from these programmes, and many more, when dealing with national and local policies towards SME’s. However, on an international level, SME’s will need to recognize the dynamic of the entrepreneurial engine of growth that they provide. SME’s need better development of better infrastructure and once again, finding the best programmes and practice policies. Below is a table that describes the possible initiatives suggested for each policy issue on an international level. Policy Issue Possible initiative Access to information Work toward common standards and formats for the provision of government information. Access to markets   Establish simple notification procedure facing market access problems. Business incorporation Examine future requirements for legal recognition of emerging structures. International finance Convene a forum of SME finance-providers to investigate feasibility. Competition policy Continue work to establish international comparability and recognition of competition law principles. General and future trends Although SME internationalization is difficult, based on the eighteen OECD countries, and eight Asian economies, there has been a final analysis made for general trends and key features of SME globalization. Firstly, SME’s contribute between 15 and 50 per cent of exports, between 20 and 80 per cent of SME’s are exporters, and they contribute between 25 and 35 per cent of world manufactured direct exports. Secondly, SME internationalization has been found to be greater in smaller open economies and less in larger, and more self-contained economies. For example, in large economies such as France, SME’s contribute 30 per cent of exports. However, in small economies, such as Denmark, SME’s contribute 50 per cent of exports. Additionally, in countries for which information is available, SME’s have increased their international role. For example, in Finland they increased their share of exports from 17.8 per cent in 1987 to 23 per cent in 1991. Also, approximately 10 per cent of SME’s are engaged in foreign direct investment, and 10 percent or more of foreign investment is attributable to SME’s. Lastly, less than 40 per cent SME’s are reasonably protected from any effects of globalization. Now that we know the general trends of all international SME’s we can look at the specific trends for Canadian SME international activity and compare where we stand amongst the general trends of SME’s. First of all it is important to know that there are three main types of Canadian SME exporters. The first is the opportunist exporter, where a firm adopts a mostly reactive strategy, with little resources devoted to pursuing international opportunities. The second is the exporting SME in transition, where the firm is in the process of moving toward a more sustained and consistent approach to international activity. Lastly, the professional exporting SME is a firm that is committed to sustained international activities, which is a more professional approach. In Canada, about 14 per cent of manufacturing SME’s export products, but most of the products only export less than 20 per cent of their production, and most of that percentage goes to the United States. However 2 per cent of those SME’s have increased their exports to other countries besides the United States, and can be recognized as fully global. Approximately 25 percent of manufacturing SME’s, and 20 per cent of general SME’s are at risk of being directly exposed to increased international competition, and thus unlikely to survive in their present form. The remainder of SME’s which is around 27 per cent, are already exporting or they have export potential, and thus globalization creates new opportunities. After having read the general trends analysis of international and Canadian SME’s, one may ask themselves, what will happen in the future? Unfortunately there isn’t enough statistical information to establish a baseline of present level and pattern. However, with the available information, there has been an estimation of likely trends. It is suggested that the level of SME globalization will continue to increase, and there are 5 reasons why it is expected to do so. Firstly, international trade opportunities will increase as a result of WTO (world trade organization) agreements, along with a number of international agreements for trade liberalization and reduction of non-trade impediments. Secondly, as the level of globalization of industry increases, so will the level if SME globalization. Thirdly, there will be a self-generating expansion. The learning-by-doing is likely to help accelerate the process of SME globalization. Furthermore, technological advances in communications and computing will continue to make it easier and cheaper for SME’s to operate internationally. Lastly, globalization of SME’s is not a policy itself, however it is an important factor in economic development. Governments can be expected to pursue policy initiatives to increase global competitiveness of their SME’s. These five factors are likely to affect the three main industry groupings in different ways. SME’s in mature conventional industries and markets are likely to be able to grow at a rate slightly exceeding that of world trade growth. Restructuring in the mature global industries and markets is likely to limit the potential for SME’s to grow at more than the rate of growth of world trade. Additionally, the opportunities for international growth in excess of the trade growth rate are most likely to be taken by larger firms that organize smaller and more specialized SME’s. In conclusion, SME internationalization will proceed faster than the rate of growth of domestic SME’s, and it is also predicted a structural shift in importance toward new and niche markets. Conclusion Small businesses have made many adjustments due to the effects of globalization. Globalization has provided avenues for increased productivity and competitiveness but has also pushed small businesses into dilemmas, including competing against multinational corporations. Small businesses have played a significant role in the makeup of various countries’ economies and will continue to play an important role. However, now, it is important to study the effects of globalization in thinking of future steps and goals in small businesses. Globalization has had both negative and positive effects on small businesses. More than ever, it is important to learn how to take advantage of globalization and operate in the international marketplace.

Cause of Global Warming

Causes of Global Warming There are many factors that contribute to causes of global warming nowadays. Through many years of investigation,scientist have discover that the prime factor are cause by the effect of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted by humans. Mankind have distribute carbon dioxide in many ways:- 1. Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning power plants:- * Human addiction to electricity from coal burning power plants releases enormous amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. 40% of U.S. CO2 emissions come from electricity production, and burning coal accounts for 93% of emissions from the electric utility industry. Every day, more electric gadgets flood the market, and without widespread alternative energy sources, we are highly dependent on burning coal for our personal and commercial electrical supply. 2. Carbon dioxide emissions from burning gasoline for transportation:- * Human modern car culture and appetite for globally sourced goods is responsible for about 33% of emissions in the U.S. With our population growing at an alarming rate, the demand for more cars and consumer goods means that we are increasing the use of fossil fuels for transportation and manufacturing. Our consumption is outpacing our discoveries of ways to mitigate the effects, with no end in sight to our massive consumer culture. 3. Methane emissions from animals, agriculture such as rice paddies, and from Arctic seabeds:- * Methane is another extremely potent greenhouse gas, ranking right behind CO2.When organic matter is broken down by bacteria under oxygen-starved conditions (anaerobic decomposition) as in rice paddies, methane is produced. The process also takes place in the intestines of herbivorous animals, and with the increase in the amount of concentrated livestock production, the levels of methane released into the atmosphere is increasing. Another source of methane is methane clathrate, a compound containing large amounts of methane trapped in the cryst al structure of ice. As methane escapes from the Arctic seabed, the rate of global warming will increase significantly. 4.Deforestation, especially tropical forests for wood, pulp, and farmland:- * The use of forests for fuel (both wood and for charcoal) is one cause of deforestation, but in the first world, our appetite for wood and paper products, our consumption of livestock grazed on former forest land, and the use of tropical forest lands for commodities like palm oil plantations contributes to the mass deforestation of our world. Forests remove and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and this deforestation releases large amounts of carbon, as well as reducing the amount of carbon capture on the planet. 5.Increase in usage of chemical fertilizers on croplands * In the last half of the 20th century, the use of chemical fertilizers (as opposed to the historical use of animal manure) has risen dramatically. The high rate of application of nitrogen-rich fertilizers has effect s on the heat storage of cropland (nitrogen oxides have 300 times more heat-trapping capacity per unit of volume than carbon dioxide) and the run-off of excess fertilizers creates ‘dead-zones’ in our oceans. In addition to these effects, high nitrate levels in groundwater due to over-fertilization are cause for concern for human health.

Police Description In The Media Essay

In maintaining peace and order in the society, the police force specifically the police officers definitely play a profound and significant role that they need to accomplish (â€Å"Police Discretion,† n. d. ). As such, in any given social disturbance or violence, the police officers are the primary people that commonly respond in order to address these issues (â€Å"Police Discretion,† n. d. ). In addition to this, the function and presence of police officers in these given situations are essential wherein these people commonly represent the law and usually serve as a mediator that resolve differences or problems of the situation (â€Å"Police Discretion,† n. d. ). With the above written facts and information, and the reality of the nature of a police officer’s job, it entails various difficulties, it is evident that the duty and the profession of a police officer is indeed important towards the achievement of a healthy human community (â€Å"Police Discretion,† n. d. ). Likewise, such complex and risky job of a police officer is absolutely helpful in protecting the safety of the public against any detrimental acts such as violence, crime and street transgression (â€Å"Police Discretion,† n. d. ). However, what supposed to be a positive and uplifting profession that would be essential and helpful in the community is sometimes affected by the presence of media (â€Å"Police Discretion,† n. d. ). At the present time, the media is responsible in the numerous names or labels, which characterizes police officers according to their role in the society. In a sense, police officers are often identified with several definitions that have been already established in the past. One of the main roles of police officers in the society is the perception of people that they are the protector of the public against situations and individuals that might threaten their well-being. Nevertheless, there are also other roles that police officers are associated with such as: Crime Fighter, Social Servant, Order Maintainer, and Crime Preventer. Crime Fighter The major responsibility of police officers is to assure that the law is properly implemented. They have to make sure that all individuals abide by the rules of the country. By doing so, they have to combat all those individuals who disobey what the law states. A good example of this is when police officers arrested 175 Mexican drug trafficking suspects. The prosecutors stated that this incident is a momentous step in addressing the problem of drugs that is observable on the U. S. -Mexico border. In relation with this, the Justice Department said that the 175 people that were captured are believed to have relations with the violent drug cartels of Mexico (Schmitt, 2008). This article that was written in The Los Angeles Time, explains the efforts of the Justice Department to address the worsening problem of drug trafficking. The police force has an essential part in capturing the 175 suspected member of the drug cartel. However, this importance is not seen in the article. The writer did not give much emphasis or consideration in the pivotal contribution of the police officers in the success of this operation. As such, the role of police officers is not given the appropriate recognition that it deserves. This should not be the case because they are the one who are risking their lives in order to fight crime. Social Servant The function of police officers does not stop in fighting crime but they also see to it that they attend to the other needs of the people. They are also considered as public servants that give attention to other social issues. The mere fact that there job entails a huge amount of responsibility as well as putting their own life at risk is enough proof that they are indeed a servant for others. This is clearly seen in the case of new Detroit Police Chief James Barren. Even though accepting this kind of position is very difficult with all the duties that he needs to accomplish he still took the job. Furthermore, he is willing to exert the extra effort in order to provide a safe environment for those under his responsibility. He showed this when he said, â€Å"It’s no secret that public safety and the safety of our city are among my top priorities†. â€Å"We need to work hard to restore faith and trust and integrity back to the police department and to the great people of this city† (Schmitt, McGraw, and Gorchow, 2008). The media was able to highlight the new task that Barren has to face through this article. Order Maintainer Public order is also the job of police officers. It is part of their task to protect and uphold the society and deal with any incident or individual who poses a threat to it. There are cases wherein some people are often the cause of public disturbance, which can inflict harm on other people as well as on his or her self. A good example of this is when a chief officer pulled a gun off a teen that was running amok and fighting with his fellow classmates right after dismissal. The police chief was relived that he was able to take the gun because the situation could have been worse (Van Sack, 2008). The portrayal of the police officer in this article shows his role as someone who implements social order. He appears as a hero who was able to save the day and prevent people from being hurt. Crime Prevention As they say, â€Å"prevention is better than cure†. In the same manner, Police officers are also doing the necessary steps in order to address the causes of problems before they even materialize. This is exemplified by the police force initiative to unite together in order to combat marijuana. Law enforcement officials of the whole state are doing the necessary action against campaigns that encourage teenagers to use marijuana. In relation to this, they also call for the participation of parents to closely monitor the development of their children so that they could avoid any bad influences that might affect their children (Ellement, 2008). The image of police officers tends to vary based upon how a particular tool of media portrays them. The discussed articles above mostly shows a police officers that is all powerful who could with stand anything. However, it must be remembered that these police officers are also humans that have to be given protection and due consideration. In order to do so, the media should treat them with respect even if other officers are not rightfully doing their duties, not all police officials should be generalized as such because there are still those who are doing their jobs like the officers exemplified in this paper.

Five Forces Model in xxxxxx Industry in Healthcare Management Essay

Five Forces Model in xxxxxx Industry in Healthcare Management - Essay Example Additional to any physical therapy, detailed exercises will be designed to build endurance and strength of injured tissues. As the body strengthen and tissues heal, aerobics can be developed to augment function along with performance. Subsequent to an injury, correct retraining as well as rehabilitation is essential to guarantee appropriate healing of wounded tissues and to avert re-injury (Swayne, Duncan, & Ginter, 2008). The Sports Injury therapy can be employed to treat many conditions counting strains, acute sports injuries, sprains, joint dysfunction, tendonopathies, and pre/post-surgical recuperation. Precise exercises will be demonstrated and prescribed to activate as well as strengthen the injury area as part of the active care plan. The exercises can be done under the direction of the doctor or as an active care from home. A member of the greatly aggressive sports rehab centers business; the sports rehab center has experienced fiscal growth in an enterprise subjugated by many small corporations competing to present the lowest likely prices. The corporation has experienced fiscal constancy while lots of competitors fight to make a profit. The sports rehab centers business is definite by many competitors, with no corporation calculating more than five percent of the entirety market share (Ginter, Duncan, & Swayne, 2013). Porters Five Forces of Competitive Position Assessment were made in 1979 by Michael E Porter of the Harvard Business School. It is a simple framework for evaluating and assessing the competitive position in addition to strength of a business organization. This presumption bases on the view that there are five forces that settle on the competitive attentiveness in addition to market good looks. The five forces help to spot where power lies in an industry situation (Swayne, Duncan, & Ginter, 2008). This is realistic both in appreciating the strength of an organization, and the strong point of a location,

Organizational Effectiveness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organizational Effectiveness - Essay Example e employees of a Company are motivated and through their efforts, succeed in transforming the prospective client who enters into a business transaction with an organization into an active and loyal customer.(Dufour and Maisonnas, 1997). Customer loyalty is vital because retaining the existing customer is less expensive as compared to wooing new customers. Traditional hierarchical systems of leadership are yielding way to transformational leadership. The older systems were stiff and bureaucractic, often impacting negatively upon the organization by bogging down the timely delivery of efficient service and implementation of policy decisions. But transformational leaders operate along a more diffused style of networking within the organization. They have vision, realize the need for change and inspire others to work cooperatively towards a common goal. (McCollum 2005). Therefore, organizational structure needs to be changed to introduce more networking rather than a hierarchical framewo rk. Customer loyalty is conditioned to a great extent by (a) the level of service received as a function of the expectations of the customer and his perception of the service given to him (Parasuram et al, 1994). Understanding and anticipating present and future customer expectations must be a vital part of organizational strategy in order to ensure maximum efficiency in the provision of service.(Szeinbach et al,1997). Therefore, to improve organizational effectiveness, the model must also incorporate measures to assess customer expectations through a detailed analysis of customer preferences and knowledge of market trends. Furthermore, the model may also incorporate additional measures such as bonuses and incentives to encourage existing customers to stay loyal to the Company. Regular customers provide free. Word of mouth publicity for a business, they are less expensive to service because they are already familiar with existing company procedures and satisfied with the Company’ s

How can human resources (people) working in the bureaucratic Essay

How can human resources (people) working in the bureaucratic Intelligence Agencies affect the outcome of interagency collaboration efforts - Essay Example olicymakers are all in a mad scramble about addressing the problem of intelligence failure that made the 9/11 terrorist attack by the Al Qaeda successful. Emerging policies concerning the intelligence community demonstrate a preference for a closer interagency collaboration as this was the factor widely blamed for the 9/11 attacks. However, the sixteen agencies and departments that comprises the American intelligence community will undoubtedly find it difficult to make the transition from an existing way of doing agency business to a new and more collaborative way because it require the human resource to withdraw even temporarily from bureaucratic philosophy. Here, agencies must spurn something that they have least respected and cherished. In addition, an agency must be willing to discard its culture if necessary, or, if possible, break it up into components, some of which might warrant being salvaged and recycled. This is the reason why human resource is pivotal in achieving interagency collaboration. This paper will address how human resources working in the bureaucratic Intelligence Agencies affect the outcome of interagency collaboration efforts. Specifically, this paper will discuss why each individual human resources, available to Intelligence Community Agencies, have more a more significant and influential role towards increasing interagency collaboration and integration than the technological advances and high budget resources they work with. Presently, there is an excessive dependence on high-tech intelligence in the United States military establishment, including a tight integration between the technical intelligence and conventional military intelligence and that it could be problematic as demonstrated by the fighting in Iraq. (Posner, p. 70) There are several studies that show why human resource is significant in interagency cooperation in the intelligence community – a role that is even more significant than technological advances and budget

The Rising Cost of Obstetrics and Pre-natal Care in the U.S Research Paper

The Rising Cost of Obstetrics and Pre-natal Care in the U.S - Research Paper Example For commercial coverage, a pregnant woman to deliver by vaginal birth will incur average payments of $12,500 while for cesarean childbirth the patient has to pay $16,983. In Medicaid, payments are down: vaginal births cost $6,117 and $7,983 for cesarean births. For both Commercial and Medicaid, payments are 25% lower. Commercial insurers have a record of 100% payment than Medicaid. (Truven Health Analytics, 2013, p. 17) Payments for both vaginal and cesarean methods go to professional services, surgical fees, therapeutic fees, and so on. Payments for maternal care are higher than childbirth. These payments go to facility fees, professional fees, laboratory charges, and payments for drugs, among others. (Truven Health Analytics, 2013, p. 18) Will Affordable Care Act (ACA) solve this problem of rising cost of childbirth? The ObamaCare wants to expand the responsibilities and benefits of Medicaid by discarding the preconditions and cover more benefits for pregnant women. If the Obama ad ministration is able to fully implement the ObamaCare, then this might solve the problem. The Medicaid program can solve the problem by expanding the benefits and by strengthening its imbursement rate. One of the complaints against the Medicaid was its imbursement rate which was too low (Chua, 2006, p. 2). Enrollees had to search for private insurance to have more benefits. But if this discrepancy is corrected, then American women might change their minds. Through the Affordable Care Act, the administration has put more investments for health insurance in the amount of $10 billion annually for the next five years. The first goal is to digitize the health information system. The next step is to scratch away the... The Rising Cost of Obstetrics and Pre-natal Care in the U.S. The problem with cesarean births and the needed medicine has first to be addressed because of its high cost. The ObamaCare has also increased the coverage of Medicaid. This is one of the most significant phases of the law since Medicaid has a reputation of low imbursement rate. Added to this is the fact that it covers the poor and most vulnerable sector of society. Putting more emphasis on financing, the government can improve the performance of Medicaid and Medicare in order to improve quality of healthcare. High cost of medicine, hospitalization, and all the other allied expenses can be addressed adequately and fairly. The ObamaCare must provide immediate help to the four million childbirths every year. The cost for this human phenomenon can be lowered to ensure that our young mothers and new-born babies receive the best quality-healthcare possible. Young pregnant women don’t know where to go. The government should address this by redirecting local governments to help solve the problem. Present costs of vaginal and cesarean childbirths, from $32,093 and $51,125 respectively, have got to be reduced through government financing. The situation – that young pregnant women have nowhere to go and are struggling of the high cost of laboratory tests – can be reversed. The world must again feel that the American healthcare system is the best. That can only happen if Americans feel safe about their health.

Health care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health care - Essay Example Nevertheless, the business takes a period to reach break-even-point in order to make profits; in fact, there is a need for a financial security for the viability of the new business. Therefore, the paper will focus on comparing various forms of equity and debt financing alternatives, thereby elaborating of their advantages and disadvantages. The paper will also identify the steps involved in determining the financing to undertake, and the stage of the business where Equity and debt financing is most appropriate. Comparing Types of Equity Financing and Debt Financing Alternatives One of the forms of equity and debt financing is the use of personal savings, whereby an entrepreneur uses money saved for a given purpose. There are not expectation of troubles related to drowning draining of an account with saving that are set for financing equity and debt. Therefore, there are plans made to reserve his savings accounts for financing the equity or debt; hence, troubled by an emergency. The other alternative of financing is the use of bank loans, whereby the private banks are approached by the entrepreneurs as sources of financing debts. In this case, the small ventures secure a personal loan or line of credit for various financing their equity or debts, and they leverage their assets real estates, equipment and inventory as collateral to secure their loan. Therefore, the banks are used as an option of small businesses for raising funds, though the final decision of securing the funds depends on the balance established by the entrepreneur about the pros and cons of the bank loan as a source. The other source of financing equity or debt is government grants, whereby the government offers loans and grants programs to entrepreneurs in order to assist them the effort to expand their venture. The grants are in the form of free money while the government guaranteed loan has interest rates that are below the private banks. Therefore, grants are sources of free financing offer ed by the government organizations and entities, and it can be a substantial source of financing equity and debt in a business. Advantages of Each Form of Financing Available to Entrepreneurs One of the advantages of personal savings as a form of financing is low acquisition cost, whereby the entrepreneur is not bound to pay interest on bank loan. Moreover, using personal savings for financing the business where is a feeling of flexibility in the financing (Jennings, 2012). The other alternative of financing the equity and debt is the use of a bank loan whereby it enables the entrepreneurs to maintain their cash on hand, as they finance their equity and debts in order to survive in the period of the business. There is situation when the business experiences problems and the bank loans can contribute significantly in protection of personal assets and bankruptcy. Government grants are extremely beneficial to the entrepreneurs since the funding has not financial responsibility; thus, i t can be an effective source of financing equity and debts. The government grants are associated with the benefits of being derived from the tax income that is having been paid by the seeker. Furthermore, the government grants offer a way of tapping the past tax payment for receiving debt-free funding from the government. Disadvantages of Each

Risk Management in Facilities Management Dissertation

Risk Management in Facilities Management - Dissertation Example In the end research ethics is given followed by the conclusion of the chapter. Background Facilities management is a field or profession that includes a number of disciplines in order to guarantee the proper functionality of the environment that is being built through incorporating a mix of people, process, place and technology (David, 2006). Facilities as the name suggests can include properties, buildings and other infrastructure. In the industry of facility management, facility is defined as a ‘built environment’ (Booty, 2009). As mentioned in the beginning, facility management’s main objective is to manage the effective and efficient operation of the said ‘built environment’ (David, 2006). In addition to this, facilities management also covers the areas of delivering services that add to the profitability and productivity of the personnel who are using any facility; reducing costs related to operational life cycle; and looking after the maintenanc e and security of facility for high efficiency in operation (David, 2006). Facility managers are the people responsible for the management of facilities. These managers can be working on business levels such as top management level where strategic planning and decision making takes place; or at managerial or operational level where technical issues are being handled (Booty, 2009). During the 1980s, the facilities management industry started to grow due to the expansion of business globally which during that era mainly included outsourcing of management and maintenance of the business facilities by enterprises (David, 2006). The effect of facilities management today not just on one country but on global basis is large because of the rapid growth and diversification in different industries (David, 2006). For instance, in Australia, the number of full-time employees amount up to 200,000 contributing to annual GDP turnover of more than AUD$20 billion making Australia as one of the large st business sectors (Booty, 2009). While the growth of facilities management industry is impressive, it is not without risk. This is where risk management comes in. Over the decade, a lot of emphasis has been given on risk management especially in the field of facilities management (Booty, 2009). It is based on two objectives: to identify risks associated with facilities management and to reduce or eliminate those risks (Booty, 2009). It is therefore important for any facility manager to implement a risk management program in the ‘built environment’ in order to save money on the costs, reduce obligations and insurance, operate a safe facility etc (David, 2006). This phenomenon has increased the importance of risk management in facilities management. Therefore, this research will explore this phenomenon in the topic of facilities risk management. Problem Statement Facilities management has become a vital factor for the effective operation of organizations in either publi c sector or private sector. This has put the role of facilities managers in high importance for the realization of organization objectives in terms of daily operating functions (Booty, 2009). Because facilities management involves the effective and efficient maintenance of operating facilities, it has given rise to many risks that are part of the daily work environment. To identify these risks and reducing them is a big challenge that facilities manage

Managed Care Organization Essay Example for Free

Managed Care Organization Essay USLegal.com A managed care organization (MCO) is a health care provider or a group or organization of medical service providers who offers managed care health plans. It is a health organization that contracts with insurers or self-insured employers and finances and delivers health care using a specific provider network and specific services and products. They provide a wide variety of quality and managed health care services to enrolled workers keeping medical costs down through preventative medicine, patient education, and in other ways. These organizations are certified by the director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS). MCOs vary in their constitution as some organizations are made of physicians, while others are combinations of physicians, hospitals, and other providers. For instance, a group practice without walls, independent practice association, management services organization, and a physician practice management company are the common MCO’s. Patient Advocate Foundation Providers of care, such as hospitals, physicians, laboratories, clinics, etc., make up a managed care organization delivery system often known as an MCO. Seven common MCO models are: 1. Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) An arrangement whereby a third-party payer (health plan) contracts with a group of medical-care providers who furnish services at agreed-upon rates in return for prompt payment and a certain volume of patients, perhaps under contract with a private insurer. The services may be furnished at discounted rates, and the insured population may incur out-of-pocket expenses for covered services received outside the PPO if the outside charge exceeds the PPO payment rate. 2. Point-of-Service Plan (POS) Also known as an open-ended HMO, POS plans encourage, but do not require, members to choose a primary care physician. As in traditional HMOs, the primary care physician may act as a gatekeeper when making referrals; plan members may, however, opt to visit out-of-network providers at their discretion. Subscribers choosing not to use a network physician must pay higher deductibles and co-payments than those using network physicians. 3. Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) A  network of providers that have agreed to provide services on a discounted basis. Enrollees typically do not need referrals for services from network providers (including specialists), but if a patient elects to seek care outside of the network, then he or she will not be reimbursed for the cost of the treatment. An EPO typically does not provide the preventive benefits and quality assurance monitor. 4. Physician-Hospital Organization (PHO) A contracted arrangement among physicians and hospital wherein a single entity, the Physician Hospital Organization, contracts to provide services to insurers subscribers. 5. Individual Practice Association (IPA) A formal organization of physicians or other providers through which they may enter into contractual relationships with health plans or employers to provide certain benefits or services. 6. Managed Indemnity Program A program in which the insurer pays for the cost of covered services after services have been rendered and uses various tools to monitor cost-effectiveness, such as precertification, second surgical opinion, case management, and utilization review. Also called managed fee-for-service programs. 7. Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) HMOs offer prepaid, comprehensive health coverage for both hospital and physician services. An HMO contracts with health care providers, e.g., physicians, hospitals, and other health professionals, and members are required to use participating providers for all health services. Model types include staff, group practice, network, and IPA. They differ in their financial and organizational arrangements between the HMO and its physicians. Some HMOs combine various attributes of the four principal models. WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES When a person decides to enroll in Family Care, they become a member of a managed care organization (MCO). MCOs operate the Family Care program and provide or coordinate services in the Family Care benefit. The Family Care benefit combines funding and services from a variety of existing programs into one flexible long-term care benefit, tailored to each individual’s needs, circumstances and preferences. View a list of items covered in the Family Care benefit package. In order to assure access to services, MCOs develop and manage a comprehensive network of long-term care services and support, either through purchase of service contracts with providers, or by  direct service provision by MCO employees. MCOs are responsible for assuring and continually improving the quality of care and services consumers receive. MCOs receive a per person per month payment to manage care for their members, who may be living in their own homes, group living situations, or nursing facilities. Some highlights of the Family Care benefit are: When a person decides to enroll in Family Care, they become a member of a managed care organization (MCO). MCOs operate the Family Care program and provide or coordinate services in the Family Care benefit. The Family Care benefit combines funding and services from a variety of existing programs into one flexible long-term care benefit, tailored to each individual’s needs, circumstances and preferences. View a list of items covered in the Family Care benefit package. In order to assure access to services, MCOs develop and manage a comprehensive network of long-term care services and support, either through purchase of service contracts with providers, or by direct service provision by MCO employees. MCOs are responsible for assuring and continually improving the quality of care and services consumers receive. MCOs receive a per person per month payment to manage care for their members, who may be living in their own homes, group living situations, or nursing facilities. Some highlights of the Family Care benefit are: People Receive Services Where They Live. MCO members receive Family Care services where they live, which may be in their own home or supported apartment, or in alternative residential settings such as Residential Care Apartment Complexes, Community-Based Residential Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Nursing Homes, or Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. People Receive Interdisciplinary Case Management. Each member has support from an interdisciplinary team that consists of, at a minimum, a social worker/care manager and a Registered Nurse. Other professionals, as appropriate, also participate as members of the interdisciplinary team. The interdisciplinary team conducts a comprehensive  assessment of the member’s needs, abilities, preferences and values with the consumer and his or her representative, if any. The assessment looks at areas such as activities of daily living, physical health, nutrition, autonomy and self-determination, communication, and mental health and cognition. People Participate in Determining the Services They Receive. Members or their authorized representatives take an active role with the interdisciplinary team in developing their care plans. MCOs provide support and information to assure members are making informed decisions about their needs and the services they receive. Members may also participate in the Self-Directed Supports component of Family Care, in which they have increased control over their long-term care budgets and providers. People Receive Family Care Services that Include: Long-Term Care Services that have traditionally been part of the Medicaid Waiver programs or the Community Options Program. These include services such as adult day care, home modifications, home delivered meals and supportive home care. Health Care Services that help people achieve their long-term care outcomes. These services include home health, skilled nursing, mental health services, and occupational, physical and speech therapy. For Medicaid recipients, health care services not included in Family Care are available through the Medicaid fee-for-service program. People Receive Help Coordinating Their Primary Health Care. In addition to assuring that people get the health and long-term care services in the Family Care benefit package, the MCO interdisciplinary teams also help members coordinate all their health care, including, if needed, helping members get to and communicate with their physicians and helping them manage their treatments and medications. People Receive Services to Help Achieve Their Employment Objectives. Services such as daily living skills training, day treatment, pre-vocational services and supported employment are included in the Family Care benefit package. Other Family Care services such as transportation and personal care also help people meet their employment goals. People Receive the Services that Best Achieve Their Outcomes. The MCO is not restricted to providing only the specific services listed in the Family Care benefit package. The MCO interdisciplinary care management team and the member may decide that other services, treatments or supports are  more likely to help the member achieve his or her outcomes, and the MCO would then authorize those services in the member’s care plan. For a complete list of the services that must be offered by MCOs, refer to the description of the long-term care benefit package in the Health and Community Supports Contract. People Receive Services Where They Live. MCO members receive Family Care services where they live, which may be in their own home or supported apartment, or in alternative residential settings such as Residential Care Apartment Complexes, Community-Based Residential Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Nursing Homes, or Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. People Receive Interdisciplinary Case Management. Each member has support from an interdisciplinary team that consists of, at a minimum, a social worker/care manager and a Registered Nurse. Other professionals, as appropriate, also participate as members of the interdisciplinary team. The interdisciplinary team conducts a comprehensive assessment of the member’s needs, abilities, preferences and values with the consumer and his or her representative, if any. The assessment looks at areas such as activities of daily living, physical health, nutrition, autonomy and self-determination, communication, and mental health and cognition. People Participate in Determining the Services They Receive. Members or their authorized representatives take an active role with the interdisciplinary team in developing their care plans. MCOs provide support and information to assure members are making informed decisions about their needs and the services they receive. Members may also participate in the Self-Directed Supports component of Family Care, in which they have increased control over their long-term care budgets and providers. People Receive Family Care Services that Include: Long-Term Care Services that have traditionally been part of the Medicaid Waiver programs or the Community Options Program. These include services such as adult day care, home modifications, home delivered meals and supportive home care. Health Care Services that help people achieve their long-term care outcomes. These services include home health, skilled nursing, mental health services, and occupational, physical and speech therapy. For Medicaid recipients, health care services not included in Family Care are available through the Medicaid fee-for-service program. People Receive Help Coordinating Their Primary Health Care. In addition to assuring that people get the health and long-term care services in the Family Care benefit package, the MCO interdisciplinary teams also help members coordinate all their health care, including, if needed, helping members get to and communicate with their physicians and helping them manage their treatments and medications. People Receive Services to Help Achieve Their Employment Objectives. Services such as daily living skills training, day treatment, pre-vocational services and supported employment are included in the Family Care benefit package. Other Family Care services such as transportation and personal care also help people meet their employment goals. People Receive the Services that Best Achieve Their Outcomes. The MCO is not restricted to providing only the specific services listed in the Family Care benefit package. The MCO interdisciplinary care management team and the member may decide that other services, treatments or supports are more likely to help the member achieve his or her outcomes, and the MCO would then authorize those services in the member’s care plan. For a complete list of the services that must be offered by MCOs, refer to the description of the long-term care benefit package in the Health and Community Supports Contract. A managed care organization (MCO) is a health care provider or a group of association of medical examination providers who proposes accomplished health plans. It is a health group that bonds with insurers or self-insured employers and funds and provides health care by means of a definite provider system and precise facilities and products. An MCO is an insurer that delivers both healthcare amenities and payment on behalf of services. They offer a comprehensive range of quality and managed health care services to the joined employees by keeping medical charges down through preventive medicine, patient teaching, and in additional ways. These organizations are certified by the director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS). MCOs vary in their constitution as some organizations are made of physicians, while others are combinations of physicians, hospitals, and other providers. For instance, a group practice without walls, independent practice association, management services organization, and a physician practice management company are the common MCO’s.

Success Factors in Merger and Acquisition Projects

Success Factors in Merger and Acquisition Projects The introduction of this Proposal as well the dissertation will explain the concept of critical success factors in mergers and acquisition and will investigate how an advisory firm can help in mergers and acquisition and its perspective. A short case organization State Bank of India will be made. The aim is to enlighten the reader about the problem formulation, the brief review of literature, aims and objectives and finally will the research methodology, data collection method, data analysis and conclusion will shown in this proposal. Literature review The essay aims at seeing the in and out sights of what the research will be on the related issues around the thesis of the topic. The literature review aims at exploring the topic Critical Success Factors for Mergers and Acquisition Projects in the View of Merger and Acquisition Advisory Firms. This proposal will be divided into two parts. Mergers and Acquisitions and Mergers and Acquisition advisory firms Critical success factors for the projects The upshot of the review is the intention to develop the knowledge based on the gap which will be recognized through this review. The upshot is concerned with the critical success factors for Mergers and Acquisition projects in the view of Mergers and Acquisition advisory firms. The filed of mergers and acquisition continues to experience dramatic growth. Record breaking mega mergers have become common place. Indeed, while mega mergers used to be mainly an American phenomenon; the current fifth merger wave became truly international merger period. Starting in the 1990s and continuing into next decade, some of the largest mergers and acquisition took place in Europe. This was underscored by the fact that the largest deal of all time was hostile acquisition of a German company by British firm. Economic growth was not only the reason for the large volume of deals throughout the world. Deregulation in Europe and the development of a common European economy also played a role. Nation such as Canada and Australia also exhibited a pronounced higher volume of deals. The picture in Asia is however was different. Here, restructuring and downsizing were more common place as the Asian economy remained week. Companies in Japan and Korea, long protected by their highly re gulated economic structures, now had consider bankruptcy and others forms of restructuring as the means of working out their economic difficulties.(Gaughan, 2002). Moreover, it has been highlighted that mergers and acquisition fail due to negligence at different levels during pre, post and due diligence period of the process. Thus this project would provide the development of mergers framework to facilitate the merger and acquisition process in the banking industry. (Cartwright Cooper, 1993). There are several reasons for those firms might engage in mergers and acquisition. One of the most common motives in expansion. Acquiring a company in a line of business or geographic area into which the company may want to expand can be quicker than internal expansion. An acquisition of a particular company may provide certain synergistic benefits for the acquirer, such as when two lines of business complement one another. A financial factor motivates some mergers and acquisition. For example, an acquirer financial analysis may reveal that the target is undervalued. That is, the value of the buyer may be significantly in excess of the market value of the target, even the premium that is normally associated with changes in control is added to the acquisition price. Other motive, such as tax motives, also plays a role in an acquisition Decision (Gaughan, 2007). Mergers and acquisition, by which two companies are combined to achieve certain strategic and business objectives, are transactions of great significance, not only to the workers, managers competitors, communities and the economy. Their success or failure has enormous consequences for shareholders and lenders as well as the above constituencies. (Sudarsanam, 2003). Mergers Acquisition and Mergers Acquisition Advisory Firms This proposal as well as the Dissertation of Mergers and Acquisition (MA) has brought into being in the literature since last two decades. (Appelbaum et al; 2007). As we hear Mergers and Acquisition in day-to-day basis I investigated that the rise in Mergers and Acquisition is due that fact that its increasing complexity of such transactions taking place day-to-day and time-to-time (Gaughan, 2002). According to (Gaughan and Jagersma, 2005) Merger is the combination of two or more companies in creation of a new entity or formation of a holding company.( European Central Bank , 2000) Acquisition is the purchase of shares or assets on another company to achieve a managerial influence, not necessarily by mutual agreement (Jagersma, 2005). Mergers and Acquisition can be categorized into horizontal, vertical or conglomerate and the transactions will be viewed from the outlook of the value chain. (Ghaughan, 2002) According to (Picot, 2002) Mergers and Acquisition process undergoes three processes: planning, implementation and integration. Planning covers the operational, managerial and legal techniques and optimization. The implementation covers a range of activities starting from the issuance of confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements, letter of intent and ending with conclusion on Mergers and Acquisition contract and deal closure. The last phase is concerned with post-deal integration. This model will be described by Watson Wyatt Model which has also five flows and this model undergoes stages such as Formulate, Locate, Investigate, Negotiate and Integrate. (Glaphin and Herndon, 2000). Mergers and Acquisitions have positioned their efforts on giving the bigger picture of the motives of firms engaging in Mergers and Acquisition transactions. According to (Gaughan,2002) it takes a practical view to firm level he identifies the motives by referring to the theories. His motives are Mergers and Acquisition is a way and means to be considered for the firms to grow on the faster rate Mergers and Acquisition firms have a scope of economic gains as a result of economies on the larger scale Larger the organization can result on Mergers and Acquisition and have a better access to capital market, which can show the way later to a lower cost of capital that is regarding financial benefits etc. Mergers and Acquisition aims at imagined gains which a firm may experience when putting its higher authority skills into target business and practice. According to (Trautwein, 1990) also provides us with a summary of motives and also Trautewein 1990 makes a statement that Mergers and Acquisition marks on Net Present Value. According to (Jansen, 2002) in Picot 2002 Mergers and Acquisition is not a new invention. In 19th century the first time Mergers and Acquisition appeared in the picture. Five mergers and acquisition waves 1880-Y2K will give the timeline of Mergers and Acquisition development. Mergers and Acquisition Advisory firms According to (Piscot,2002) the question arises that which mergers and acquisition advisors a company will need to consult in order to develop joint creative strategies and financing schemes and to look for suitable transaction partners this will be raised during the planning stage of mergers and acquisition process. External advice is sorted out going through different areas like investment corporate finance, commercial law, environment audit etc. (Sundarsanam, 1995) Definition of Merger and Acquisition Advisory Firms In this definition of mergers and acquisition (Sundarsanam,1995) explains that Mergers and Acquisition advisors as investment banks, corporate lawyers, accountants, stockbrokers, strategy consultants, investor relations and public relations consultants and environment consultants. He states that among these entire advisors investment bank plays an important in advisory in mergers and acquisition transactions. Mergers and Acquisition advisory firms role in mergers acquisition transaction According to (PEI Services Ltd, 2006) mergers and acquisition acts as match makers. Mergers and Acquisition follows following services: A valuation of business Marketing in business Assisting with diligence Resolving transaction issues throughout the process Conducting interviews and discussion with acquirers Providing strategic insights and negotiation skills on behalf of the client Creation of the marketing material Handling confidential documents on behalf of the client Solving transaction issues According to (Daniel and Phillip, 2007) mergers and acquisition advisory firms perform the task to increase the market efficiency by cutting down the information asymmetries between the acquiring and target firms. Factors affecting merger and acquisition advisory choice Its clear that mergers and acquisition advisory firms are important but investments banks also play an important role in the key advisors in mergers and acquisition transactions. It looks on the closer outlook at what benefits mergers and acquisition bring to clients and in which situation firms get involve in mergers and acquisition firms in mergers and acquisition process. Critical Success Factors for Projects The proposal as the dissertation literature review will be divided into two sections. Critical success factors are the set of circumstances, facts, or influences which contribute to the project outcomes ( Lim and Mohamed, 1999) Project success criteria are the set of principles or standards by which project can be judged (Lim and Mohamed, 1999). This will explained in detail in the dissertation. Research Aims and Objectives To investigate the main roles of merger acquisition advisory firms associated with merger acquisition projects. To examine the process of conducting a merger acquisition project. To find out the project success criteria for merger acquisition projects To explore from the perspective of merger acquisition advisory firms. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH DESIGN The research is the plan of action undertaken by people in order to find our things in a systematic and make it realistic thereby increasing their knowledge. The research can be qualitative and quantitative. (Saunders et al. 2007). My aim of carrying out this research is analyse the relevant information which will be gathered by me. My research could be qualitative, quantitative or it is both based on the situation and the mood of the interviewee. The research will be done based on the interview or filling up questionnaires by a manager of State Bank of India. A research design provides the frame work for the collection and analysis of data. A choice of research design reflects about the priority being to range of dimensions of the research process. (Bryman et al. 2007). Qualitative and Quantitative study will help in which my secondary and primary data will be collected in order to increase the strength of my findings. The research is based o the manager and some of the employees pertaining to critical success factors in mergers and acquisition projects of state bank of India which plays a role of an advisory firm. (Bryman et al. 2007). Sample is the segment of the population that is selected for investigation. It is a subset of the population. (Bryman et al.2007,p182). My way of sampling will be random sampling. Non Probability refers to a sample that has not been selected using a random selection method. Essentially this implies that some units in the population are more likely to be selected than others.( Bryman et al. 2007,p 182) DATA COLLECTION METHOD The purpose of the Data Collection Method is a type of method which has to be conducted; the data is collected more specifically to make this proposal as well as the assignment to make it more realistic (Saunders et al.2007, p131). A semi-structured and in depth (unstructured interviews) are non- standardized. This is often seen in qualitative research interviews (King, 2004). Unstructured interviews are more informal. (Saunders et al. 2007, p312). Structured interview use questionnaires based on prÃÆ'Â ªt ermined and standardized or identical set of questions it is more often related to quantitative research. (Saunders et al. 2007, p312). A semi- structured interviews method is related to qualitative research or quantitative or it can be both. This research is conducted in order to develop the deep understanding about the current issues happening in the organisation regarding the critical success factors of State Bank Of India which plays a role of advisory firms in mergers and acquisition. I will be using any one of them or any two of them for example structured unstructured, or only structured depends on the situation. The interview chosen by me is taken to support the primary data collection from where major findings emerge. The research will be done based on interviewing and filling up questionnaires by a manager and his employees. It is to make the key evaluation on the list of the critical success factors. I will also conduct a questionnaire associated with qualitative or quantitative or it can be both of them in research. This will give the idea and will also cross check with theory and practical. (Saunders et al. 2007, p101). Graphs and charts will be used if necessary to support the primary research. My data collection will be explanatory or it can be descriptive depending on happening situation. Explanatory study is based on a search literature, interview experts in the subject and conducting focus group interviews. Descriptive study is based on to portray an accurate profile of persons, events or situations. (Robson, 2002, p59). Description in management and business research has a clear place. However it should be thought of as a means to an end rather than an end itself. (Saunders et al. 2007, pp 133 -134) DATA ANALYSIS According to (Saunders et al. 2007, pg 473) quantitative data is based on meanings derived from numbers, the collection results in numerical and standardized data and analysis conducted through the use of diagrams. However, Qualitative data is based on meanings expressed through words, collection of results in non- standardized data requiring classification into categories and analysing conducted through the use of conceptualization. The following data will be analyzed as per the discussion that will be organized based on the findings from the both primary and the secondary data. The interviews will play a key role in doing the data analysis. Interviews and questionnaire will result in checking the general and valid analysis. The research will be done based on interviewing and filling up questionnaires by two managers. The analysis is also focus on overview in critical success factors of State Bank of India as an advisory firm in mergers and acquisition projects. Above all will support which will present the detailed discussion with the questionnaire supported. To give the right way of the analysis the data will be presented along with my evaluation and judgments of findings. FORM OF PRESENTATION The concepts will be specific and related with the project. The research document will be in the written form. Black and White colours will be used for this research. Research will be printed. It will be in binded form. Various diagrams and graphs will be used for this research. Flow of the data will be coherent. All the related data will be presented which can help to grasp the ideas and the ideal conclusion can be drawn based on the reliability of the data. Research will start in the simple form of the introduction with the industry and related issues. It will further discuss about the problem issues and different facts will be presented in a proper order. CONCLUSION: After gathering all the information and data the researcher must spend lot of time thoroughly reviewing and evaluating the findings. Once the study is evaluated conclusions must be drawn. With the help of interviews proper theories should be formed which should give an idea about the situations of mergers and acquisitions in banking and financial sector. References: Richardson, P., Denton, D.K. (1996), Communication Change, Human Resource Management, Vol. 35 No.2. Catwright, S., Cooper, Cary, L. (1993) The Psychological Impact of Mergers and Acquisition on the Individual: A Study of Building Society Managers, Human Relation Mar 93, Vol 46. Daniels, K. and Phillips, R.A. (2007) The Valuation Impact of Financial Advisors: An empirical Analysis of REIT Mergers and Acquisition. Journal of Real Estate Research, January- March, 29(1), pp 57-74. European Central Bank, 2000. Mergers and Acquisitions involving the EU Banking Industry- Facts and Implications [online]. Available at www.ecb.int/pub/pdf/other/eubkmergersen.pdf [Accessed 1 July 2007] Gaughan, P.A., (2002) Mergers, Acquisition and Corporate restructuring (3rd edition), John Wiley Sons, Inc, New York. Galpin,T.J. and Herndon, M. (2000) The complete guide to Mergers and Acquisitions, Jossey- Bass Publishers, San Francisco. Jagersma,P.K. (2005) Cross- Border Acquisitions of European Multinationals Journal of General Management 30(3), pp13-34. Picot,G. (2002) Handbook of International Mergers and Acquisitions: Preparation, Implementation and Integration, Palgrave Macmillan, New York. PEI(Private Equity Info) Services Ltd., (2006) Mergers and Acquisition, advisory firms [online] Available at http://www.advisoryfirms.com/?type=1firmtype%5B%5d=Middle+Marketstate%5B%5D=anysearch.x=11search.y=12 [Accessed 04 July 2008] Sunders,M., Lewis, P., and Thornhill,A. (2003) Research Methods for Business Students, Pearson Education Limited, England. Sudarsanam, P.S., (1995) The Essence of Merger and Acquisitions, Prentice Hall, Great Britain. Trautwein, F. (1990) Mergers Motives and Prescriptions: Strategic Management Journal, 11(4), pp 283-295. Lim, C.S., and Mohamed, M.Z. (1999) Criteria of project success: an exploratory re- examination, International Journal of Project Management, 17(4), pp 243-248.

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INTRODUCTION Bitcoin is a firstly decentralized digital currency that is created and traded freely of any government or bank. The currency is produced through a computer database and it can be altered into cash after being deposited into virtual wallets. Bitcoin is developed by â€Å"Satoshi Nakamoto † in 3 January 2009 (5 years ago ). It is as an innovative payment network and a novel kind of money. It has big demand in United States , China and many European countries. Bitcoin is a system of owing and voluntarily transferring amounts of so called Bitcoin in a manner similar to online banking without dependence on central authority to retain account balances. Bitcoin is open-source; its design is public, nobody owns or controls Bitcoin and everyone can take part. Through many of its unique properties, Bitcoin allows exciting uses that could not be covered by any previous payment system History of Bitcoin The world's first decentralized currency. 2007 Satoshi Nakamoto. The legend According to legend, Satoshi Nakamoto arose functioning on the Bitcoin concept in 2007. While he is on record as living in Japan, it is speculated that Nakamoto may be a collective pseudonym for more than one person. August 15, 2008: An remarkable patent application... Neal Kin, Vladimir Oksman, and Charles Bry file an application for an encryption patent application. All three individuals deny a connection to Satoshi Nakamoto, the alleged originator of the Bitcoin concept. August 18, 2008 Bitcoin.org is registered: Bitcoin.org is taking place. The domain was recorded at anonymousspeech.com, a site that allows users to secretly register domain names and presently rece... ...ce Date Close Change 2014-03-12 $631.39 0.39% 2014-03-11 $628.95 0.50% 2014-03-10 $625.83 -1.16% 2014-03-09 $633.18 2.92% 2014-03-08 $615.24 -1.69% 2014-03-07 $625.83 -4.99% 2014-03-06 $658.72 -0.46% 2014-03-05 $661.79 -0.27% Trends: 1. Increasing adoption by both on-line and customary merchants 2. Increasing speed of innovation surrounding Bitcoin 3. Increasing public adoption 4. Increasing speculation of alternative currencies Conclusion: Bitcoin is a novel concept, but it’s in the process of being understood and accepted by a growing number of consumers, merchants, and investors around the world. As this process continues the the full picture to start using bitcoins are becoming more compelling. There is also increased investment in the sector and many new finance companies are offering more professional and consumer responsive solutions for everyday use.

The Rights of a Political Prisoner versus the Rights of a Terrorist :: September 11 Terrorism Essays

The Rights of a Political Prisoner versus the Rights of a Terrorist         Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this essay I will discuss why political prisoners are often categorized as terrorists ever since September 11, 2001, also I will examine what rights political prisoners have to that of terrorist. In this essay I will have the contents of first my reasons for why political prisoners are categorized as terrorist. Secondly, I will make the objection to the rights. Lastly, I will respond by explaining my position in which I believe that in any case that in any form a political prisoner who looks to takes in any actions of any form to infringe against my right to live life and to enjoy it should be categorized as terrorist.    Several reasons come into of why political prisoners are categorized as terrorist. Before the tragic events of September 11, 2001, we have had a right to safe society meaning the right to live freely in this America with no interruption with an orderly society free from interference from outside influences. In this case on September 11, 2001 those rights got infringed upon with the attack on America. This showed that for one day in 2001 that America was not so superior. The right of living in a safe society was now a fore gone formality. The right to work was not the same as well meaning in reference to those who were working that morning of the attack. Just when I thought it was safe to go to work I was wrong  Ã‚   with one day that changes my life. I wrestled with this profiling of all actions of the political nature.    A web site called the ABC federation, which supports political prisoners as a totally autonomous unified group, which looks to grow collectively on struggles against government policies. They informed me that Political Prisoners act to carry out support of legitimate struggles for self-determination or for opposing the illegal policies for the government along with its political sub-divisions. In the Common Dreams New Center web site reported a study on what a terrorist was. It explains to me that a terrorist is one who acts or engages in an act of terrorism.

Analysis of Hazlitts Article on Travel :: Literary Analysis Travel Essays Papers

Analysis of Hazlitt's Article on Travel Hazlitt's article on travel advocates the benefits of solo travel within one's own country. His affection for travel is strong. He calls going on a journey "one of the pleasantest things in the world". Hazlitt stresses that solitude while on a journey is a must, saying "nature is company enough for me", and "I am never less alone than when alone". Hazlitt insists that sharing in the experience of nature with a companion takes away from the sensory experience of it. He asserts bluntly: "I cannot see the wit of walking and talking at the same time". He believes conversation distracts from the scenery, and that nature does not need to be discussed, only experienced. To tale about the scene while experiencing it diminishes it and takes away from its immediate beauty. Scenery is not to be negotiated. Everyone will have their own unique experience of nature, and since each experience is personal it is futile to compare experiences. Hazlitt says: "The continual comparing of notes interferes with the involuntary impression of things upon the mind, and hurts the sentiment". His view opposes that of Alphonse Frankenstein, who urges Victor to take a family tour of the Chamounix, insisting that companionship in the experience compounds its remedial value. But Hazlitt seeks freedom from fellow men when he journeys. He says "the soul of a j ourney is liberty...to think, feel, do, just as one pleases". When experiencing nature in solitude, Hazlitt is able to appreciate it to its full extent by becoming one with nature. He says "when i am in the country i wish to vegetate like the country". A journey should be a time of freedom and peace, away from all things associated with city life. When travelling alone you are " a creature of the moment...free of all ties". A journey can provide "a little breathing space" to refresh and revitalize a person. When on a journey, Hazlitt says he begins "to feel, think and be myself again". He finds joy in living while in nature: "Give me the clear blue sky over my head, and the green turf beneath my feet...I laugh, I run, I leap, I sing for joy". Hazlitt's language describes the experience as being cathartic, like a return to the innocence of childhood. Hazlitt says the freedom found in nature comes from being away from people, and allowing the mind to rest.

Organizational Structure Presentation Essay

As a manager of Van Rensselaer Manor Nursing Home Rehabilitation Center, we now are going to propose a new addition of long-term care services along with still having services for short-term on an inpatient and outpatient basis. The future of our organization’s growth internally and externally will demand how well we communication our abilities not only to our staff but to our surrounding community. We will be in need of new experience workers for physical therapy, counselors to work with patients and families, along with specialized doctors and nurses. Communication will be the number one factor in finding the right professionals for our organizations growth within the community. Our communication tactics need to be easily understood by all parties, and we need not use overpowering management terms so that employees think we are talking down to them. Effective communication means having everyone on the same page learning from one another while growing inside and outside the o rganization. Leadership involves good communication among all ranks of the management team and staff. Coaching, mentoring and walking around the office each day getting to know your people personally and their working skills will improve the growth internally and externally of the organization. Effective internal communication starts with our organization having sufficient skills in listening, speaking, questioning and sharing feedback. As a manager, it is my job and my management team to ensure that the most important outcome from the above skills is conveying that we value hearing from others and them hearing from us. Sharing information on a regular basis with the staff is effective communication and will keep the organization’s mission number one in everyone’s goals. â€Å"The main differences between internal and external company communications are the content and the audience. Internal communications include employees and shareholders, such as the company’s board of directors or stockholders. External communications include clients, prospective customers and the public.

Tinbergen’s Four Questions Regarding Orca Behaviour

Introduction The type of communication used to transmit information is closely related to the animal’s lifestyle and environment. This can be seen in most terrestrial mammals which are nocturnal so use olfactory and auditory which work as well in the dark as they do during the day. Visual communication would be relatively ineffective in this lifestyle. In contrast humans are diurnal and use primarily visual and auditory signals for communication, but miss many chemical cues which many other mammals base their behaviour upon.Marine mammals often need to communicate great distances, and the water does not support visual cues over great distance. This is why whales and dolphins use primarily auditory signals. Auditory signals can travel great distances and travel four and a half times faster in water than in air (Ford, 1984). Killer whales or Orca (Orcinus orca) are very social dolphins and live in pods often consisting of family members from between four up to fifty for resident ial whales while transient pods normally are only between two and five animals (Ford, 1989).These pods communicate with each other by use of echolocation clicks, tonal whistles and pulsed calls (Deecke et al. , 2000). The three main noises have very different uses from each other. Clicks can either be produced as a single click or produced in rapid succession. Single clicks are generally used for navigation and collection of clicks and whistles are thought to be used for communication amongst members of the pod. Pulses are believed, with the assistance of single clicks, to be the method used by orcas to distinguish objects and discriminate prey (Barrett-Lennard et al. 1996). Residential orcas feed on fish, and can be frequently heard communicating with the clicks, whistles and calls because the fish have very poor hearing abilities (Wilson, 2002). The vocal behaviour of transient killer whales is quite different with the vocal communication consisting of occasional clicks and pulses (Deecke et al. , 2000). The only occasion where transient orcas display significant amounts of vocal activity is when they are active on the surface or recently after a kill.The reasons for this reduction of noise could be due to many factors which can be seen in other species interactions and behaviour. Using ‘Tinbergen’s four questions’, I will explain what necessity for this behaviour and what the origins of the silent behaviour may have been. Tinbergen’s Four Questions In 1963 Nikolaas Tinbergen published a paper â€Å"On aims and methods of ethology†. In this paper he discussed how he believed any question regarding animal behaviour should be broken down into four different questions.These four questions could be divided into two categories, evolutionary (ultimate) explanations and proximate explanations. The evolutionary explanations, which refer to the population, include evolution or phylogenetic determinants and survival value or adaptive significance. The phylogenetic determinants refer to all evolutionary explanations which are not covered by adaptive significance. These may include random processes including mutation and changes in the environment which could have impacts on the population resulting in a specific behaviour adaptation.The adaptive significance closely follows Charles Darwin’s work on natural selection where it is explained that an animal’s form has been altered to function better in the habitat and resulting in a increase in fitness for the individual. The proximate explanations are focused with dealing in terms of the individual as opposed to the population. The two different individual questions proposed by Tinbergen relate to causation and ontogeny. The causation for a display of behaviour relates to the mechanics of the body and which stimuli provides a cue for the animal to display this behaviour.Included in causation is control of hormones, motor control, central-nervous-system control and the ability to process the information obtained through senses. Ontogeny relates to the development of an individual, from conception til death. This may include a experience or a environmental factor which occurs and changes the behaviour of the animal, including learned behaviour from another individual. Causation ? Figure 1: An illustration of sound generation, propagation and reception in a killer whale. (WhalesB. C. com)The nasopharyngeal anatomy of cetaceans is strongly modified comparing with terrestrial mammals. They have one impair respiratory hole at the top of the head. It is closed near the surface by dense musculocutaneous crimps arranged so, that the salient of one of them enters into the dimple of another. They form a peculiar lock preventing the water from penetrating into respiratory tract. Above the skull around of nose passage there is a system of pneumatic sacs, connected with nose passage (Barrett-Lennard et al. , 1996).In 1964 A. V. Jablokov suppose d that sounds could be produced by forcing air through these nasal sacs. Air is forced past a set of finely striated muscular plugs or lips that vibrate or slap against each other as the lips are forced apart by the stream of air and then slapped shut by muscular tension (Ford, 1989). Transient killer whales are often very difficult to track when under water as they are typically silent. Often communicating with each other with just a single click, known as a cryptic click (Deecke et al. , 2000).The only time that the killer whales produce large amounts of vocal activity was when milling about on the surface or after killing a marine mammal. Transients have been found to only use four to six discrete calls which are not shared with the resident pods (Deecke et al. , 2004). Ontogeny Like other aspects of learning in mammalian society, I hypothesise that the newborn calves will be taught the ability for vocalisation by its parent or other pod members. There have been many studies on k iller whale vocalisations in different parts of the world including Canada (Ford, 1984), Alaska (Yurk et al. 2002) and Norway (Matkin, 1988). Each study showed that every pod has its own distinctive repertoire of discrete calls, often this phenomenon is referred to as vocal dialects. The differences in vocal repertoires can be the result of geographic isolation and when this occurs it is not dialects that are being represented but â€Å"geographic variations of vocal repertoire† (Ford, 1984). The use of repetitive calls and the specific number and type of discrete calls are what are used to classify and compare dialects. Pods often produce between seven and seventeen different types of discrete calls.Some pods share calls and are grouped together as a acoustic clan (Baird et al. , 1988). Different clans might represent different independent maternal lineages, which have persisted for many generations, developing their independent call traditions. Dialects are probably the mea ns by which pod cohesiveness and identity are maintained. Newborn calls manage to produce calls very comparable to their mothers, but the repertoire is very limited. With the arrival of a new calf to the pod, the calls of the pod and particularly the matriarch increase, especially the frequency of pod-specific calls (Ford, 1989).This is widely regarded as the method to which newborns learn the pods dialect. The majority of the learning done by the newborn is a process of imitation and trial and error. The calf does not always learn communication from a parent. In captivity a young whale was observed to have learned the calls of its tank mate, even though it had no relatedness. Survival Value I hypothesise that the because the mammalian predators can hear well under water is the reason why the transient killer whales adopt significantly reduced communication during periods of foraging.Acoustic communication can have great benefits such as organising groups for attacks and avoiding pr edation. As with all behaviour traits there is a trade off. There is a direct cost of energy required to producing the sounds and along with this is the loss of energy from lack of feeding during times of communicating. There is also a indirect cost, especially for transient killer whales, which pass information on to eavesdroppers. Eavesdroppers may include competitors (Hammond et al. , 2003), predators (Hosken et al. 1994) or for transient killer whales alerting potential prey. Various studies have documented the costs from eavesdropping for prey in the case of predators who utilise echolocation. Bats have been documented preying on frogs performing mating calls by eavesdropping on them (Fenton, 2003). Insects have also been noted as being able to avoid predation from bats by listening to their acoustic projections (Rydell et al. , 1995). Communicative vocalizations are usually not essential for prey location unlike echolocation.This is the most likely reason that transient killer whales move in silence or considerably reduced vocal communication while foraging. Evolution I believe that the evolution of marine mammals from a common ancestor hinders the transient killer whales hunting due to the retention of excellent underwater hearing by marine mammals. In Pakistan the discovery of Ambulocetus was remarkable, a three metre long mammal which resembled a crocodile. It is thought to be the transitional fossil starting the mammalian movement towards an aquatic life.By 38 million years ago mammals had fully adapted to a aquatic life with the emergence of Basilosaurus and Dorudon. Although these large marine mammals resembled modern whales and dolphins they lacked the ‘melon organ’ which allows echolocation in their descendants (Ford, et al. , 2000). In the middle of the Oligocene (33 million years ago) a animal called Squalodon is thought to have been the first to use echolocation. With a cranium which was well compressed, and a telescoped rostrum i t displayed a skull similar to modern dolphins.A big problem with the hunting marine mammals is that they all have a common ancestor, and all have retained a common lineage of very good hearing. Fish have poor hearing which allows the residential killer whales to freely use communication when hunting. Transient killer whales have been forced to change this behaviour because of their choice of prey including seals, dolphins, porpoises and whales. With all mammals having good underwater hearing they have been required to adopt a reduced vocal communication when searching for prey. ConclusionI believe that the lack of acoustic communication between transient killer whales is due to the ability of their selected prey being able to hear the clicks, whistles and pulses they generate. These sounds can be heard from over seven kilometres away and marine mammals do react to these calls (Deecke et al. , 2002). In the study by Deecke in 2002, he played the sounds of killer whales near a harbou r seal colony which resulted in most of the seals displaying strong anti-predator behaviour of leaving the water. This suggests that they are able to clearly hear the calls and understand what is generating them.I believe that other marine mammals will react in a similar way. Guinet (1992) observed the vocal patterns of killer whales around the Crozet Archipelago and came to the same result as Deecke (2004) that the killer whales were silent throughout hunting and searching, but once a mammalian kill was made the pod would greatly increase in vocal activity. While it can be a risk to produce noise after killing a prey, for fear of drawing the attention of other predators or scavengers, killer whales are the apex predator and have no natural predators.Resources Baird, R. W, Stacey, P. J. , (1988). Foraging and feeding behaviour of transient killer whales. Whalewatcher vol 22, no. 1:11-15 Barrett-Lennard, L. G. , Ford, J. K. B. , Heise, K. A. , (1996). The mixed blessing of echolocati on: differences in sonar use by fish-eating and mammal-eating killer whales. Animal Behaviour, 51: 553-565 Deecke, V. B. , Ford, J. K. B, Sprong, P. (2000). Dialect change in resident killer whales: implications for vocal learning and cultural transmission. Animal Behaviour 60: 629-638 Deecke, V. B. Ford, J. K. B, Slater, P. J. B. (2002). Selective habituation shapes acoustic predator recognition in harbour seals. Nature 420: 170-173 Deecke, V. B. , Ford, J. K. B, Slater, P. J. B. (2004). The vocal behaviour of mammal-eating killer whales: Communicating with costly calls. Animal Behaviour 69: 395-405 Fenton, M. B. (2003). Eavesdropping on the echolocation and social call of bats. Mammal Review 33: 193-204 Ford, J. K. B. (1984). Call traditions and vocal dialects of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in British Columbia. Ph. D. hesis, University of British Columbia Ford, J. K. B. (1989). Acoustic behaviour of resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) off Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Can adian Journal of Zoology 67:727-745 Ford, J. K. B. , Ellis, G. M. , Balcomb, K. C. (2000) Killer whales the natural history and genealogy of Orcinus orca in British Columbia and Washington State. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press Guinet, C. (1992) Comportent de chasse des orques (Orcinus orca) autour des iles Crozet. Canadian journal of Zoology 70: 1656-1667Hammond, T. J. , Bailey, W. J. , (2003) Eavesdropping and defensive auditory masking in an Australian bush cricket, Caedicia (Phaneropterinae: Tettigoniidae: Orthoptera). Behaviour 140: 79-95 Hosken, D. J. , Bailey, W. J. , Oshea, J. E. , Roberts, J. D. (1994) Localization of insect calls by the bat Nyctophilus geoffroyi (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae): a laboratory study. Australian Journal of Zoology 42: 177-184 Matkin, D. (1988) Killer whales of Norway. Homer: North Gulf Oceanic Society Rydell, J. , Jones, G. , Waters, D. 1995) Echolocating bats and hearing moths: who are the winners? Oikos 73: 419-424 Wilson, B. , Dill, L. M. (2002) Pacific herring respond to stimulated odontocete echolocation sounds. Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences 59: 542-553 Yurk, H, Barrett-Leonard, L. , Ford, J. K. B. Matkin, C. O. (2002) Cultural transmission within maternal lineages: vocal clans in resident killer whales in southern Alaska. Animal Behaviour 63: 1103–1119 Vocal behaviour of mammal-eating killer whales A report on a unique behavioural characteristic By Michael Clark 83787877