Modular questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Modular questions - Assignment Example Intrinsically, price-fixing entails intra-competitors’ collusion to: sell products at the same price; apply the same formula when determining the selling price; give the same discounts; desist from lowering prices prior to notifying co-colluders; and to maintain similar price differentials among different order qualities, quantities and types. This is not the case with hospitals in GPOs since GPOs are mainly interested in making more discounts as a way of saving on operational and purchasing costs. This may only lead to improvement in quality services provision (Qiaohai and Schwarz, 2011). Conversely, one can also access resources and information relating to GPOs and their healthcare chain supplies. This is usually not the case with price-fixing organizations which collude to have prices fixed, stabilized, set highly, or discounted. The underhand nature of price-fixing organizations is brought about by the knowledge that price-fixing is a contravention of the federal and state laws. It is highly expedient that the proposal be approached with a lot of keenness since its execution can affect greatly, the future of the hospital. The kind of agreement that is being mooted does not capture the fact that other players in the healthcare industry will not be party to the proposal. This may bring about disparity in the physicians’ emoluments. The gravity behind this development is that although the artifice may help the hospital save 300,000 dollars, long-term negative effects will eventually spiral in, as physicians leave for greener pastures. This means that not only will the hospital incur heavier employee turnover, but that the same will also find it difficult to retain physicians. In respect to the foregoing, it remains necessary that the hospital sets rates that are commensurate to the rest of the market when determining physicians’ remunerations and payments for the ED calls; as

Marketing of University of Wollongong in China Term Paper

Marketing of University of Wollongong in China - Term Paper Example For environmental scanning, PESTLE analysis has been done. The major findings of this analysis show that Chinese education sector is free from government interference, however, government policies regulate the sector. The high economic growth, increasing population, changing social patterns of students for educational needs, increasing technological developments and flexible legal environment offers huge opportunities to the foreign universities; however, cultural differences appear as a major challenge for international universities. Based on the findings of PESTLE analysis, SWOT analysis for the University of Wollongong in China has been conducted. Market audit shows that a number of universities are already offering international level education opportunities in China, however; they have been unable to meet the needs of a huge Chinese student population. Competitors’ analysis has shown that foreign universities operating in China are having profitable operations however, th ey are unable to overcome the cultural differences between UK and China therefore; expatriate-staff is facing huge problems. In consideration to internal and external environment analysis, the marketing plan has been proposed by covering 7Ps of service marketing and marketing objectives have been identified. This report is very useful to understand the challenges and opportunities faced by international universities in the Chinese markets. Moreover, it is also helpful to understand the theoretical concepts in the real world. The service that has been selected for this report is an educational institution, University of Wollongong. The plan is to launch a campus of the University of Wollongong in China. The University of Wollongong is a university in Australia and a few years back it established its campus in Dubai, UAE. Today, it is one of the renowned universities in Australia.  

How the epic poem Iliad influenced Alexander the Great Research Paper - 1

How the epic poem Iliad influenced Alexander the Great - Research Paper Example Alexander’s dream to conquer the world has its root in the very imaginary of world of the Iliad. To a great extent, Iliad’s world was a world of heroism for Alexander. Homer’s heroes -especially, Achilles- had influenced the young mind of Alexander in his youth. But this world also taught him morality and courage to a considerable extent. It was the courage of Achilles’ courage -to go against Agamemnon’s tyrannous, unreasonable and despotic behavior- that inspired Alexander to raise his voice often against his father’s royal policies. Though he inherited much of the war-tactics and the wisdom of fighting and winning a war from his father Philip of Macedon, textual evidences from the â€Å"Iliad† show that a significant part of Alexander’s war-tactics had been induced and modulated by the war-tactics of Homeric heroes. This paper will explore into how Alexander had been influenced by Homer’s epic poem ‘Iliad’. In this regard, Alexander’s real-life activities will be compared with the textual evidences in the poem. During the formative years of his early life Alexander had been greatly influenced by the â€Å"Iliad†. Since his time, he has turned into a legendary personality. He appears to one of the most influential historical personalities who tamed the world by their courage. But this legendary personality himself has been inspired tremendously by the Greek mythologies and legends. During the early years of his life, Alexander studied the ‘Iliad’. The courage and heroism of the Greek heroes in the story were greatly shaping the young mind of Alexander. Especially the Homeric hero Achilles attracted him so much that he decided to imitate him in his real life. Till his death, the Achillean motivation to fight in a war has haunted Alexander’s mind. This Achillean motivation is best described in the following speech of Achilles: â€Å"If I hold out here and I lay siege to Troy, / my journey

Critique of Research Studies Part-3 Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Critique of Studies Part-3 - Research Paper Example The research had two groups, with one on the self-management services program while the other one was Non-SMS. The researchers assumed that the differences between the two groups were the result of the self-management services program. The research used Statistical Package for Social Sciences for Windows (version 16; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) as the main statistical analysis tool. Comparison of the two groups in the study relied on the v2 test and variance analysis. In order to estimate the time and ratings of the dialysis process, the researchers opted for the Kaplan–Meier method. These methods successfully helped control for the occurrence of confounding variables. The researchers minimized the occurrence of both type 1 and 2 types of errors by ensuring a careful calculation of a significant p-value that served as a guide in the rejection of either the null and the alternate hypotheses. The nurses charged with the role of data collection and entry did a diligent job because th ere was no issue of missing data since data was available for the 54 patients. Findings The researchers present comprehensive finding from the two groups with emphasis accorded to the statistical significance. In all cases, the p-value is provided and there is evidence of effect size as the researchers focused on establishing the differences between the two groups of patients suffering from chronic kidney disease. There is good user of tables and figures in the representation results. The confidence intervals seem reasonable in addressing the parameters for an unknown population. Moreover, the presented findings from both groups and variables considered suffice to allow a meta-analysis in comparison to different sets of data obtained from related studies. Discussion Interpretation of Findings It is evident that the researchers embarked on an extensive process of interpreting the presented results. There is an elaboration of the meaning and significance of measuring all the variables highlighted in the report. Apparently, the researchers have discussed the results within the framework described in the introduction. Therefore, the discussion exhibits relevance to the context of chronic kidney disease and the effect of the self-management services. The researchers have made a point of justifying all the causal inferences inherent from their findings. Evidently, all interpretations provided in the discussion section have a good basis contextually, making them well founded. In addition, there is evidence of consistency of the discussions offered and the research limitations. As expected, the research presented its unique limitations especially in definition of the effect size that highlights the difference between the SMS and Non-SMS groups. The researchers also paid attention to the generalizability of the findings to a greater population. Implications/recommendations The researchers highlight the implications of their study in accordance to the presented findings . It becomes apparent that the self-management services program designed to address the issues that the patients consider as critical effective in reducing the rate at which the

The Role of Religion in the Formation of America Essay

The Role of Religion in the Formation of America - Essay Example â€Å"Religion was an important issue for many Americans in their personal lives at the time of the American Revolution and the ratification of the Constitution†¦ Religion played a formative role in many of the colonies at the time of their founding.† (Merriman, 68) Plymouth Plantation was founded by a group including separatists, who are known as the Pilgrims, and it was one of the earliest colonies to be founded by the English in North America which provided the first sizable stable English settlement in the region. Plymouth Plantation was an important settlement for the people were fleeing religious persecution and searching for an appropriate place to worship their God. Thus, the people of the Plymouth Plantation were very religious and its social and legal systems were intimately linked to the religious beliefs of the settlers. The influence of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Plantation on the formation of our country is indisputable and the people and events of this colony have formed part of our folklore. Similarly, the works of Roger Williams, the controversial young Puritan minister and the founder of Rhode Island, have greatly influenced the formation of our country.

Sales and Marketing Hotel Lodging Industry Essay

Sales and Marketing Hotel Lodging Industry - Essay Example New products contribute substantially to profitable sales (Drejer, 2002). The necessity of adding new products that will yield profits to sustain corporate growth is clear. Products also level out seasonal impacts, spread risks, use talents, capitalize on tax advantages, and replace obsolescent items. Sales and marketing work together in order to ensure effective service delivery and customer satisfaction processes. In lodging industry, business success depends on producing the right product at the right time. New-product development is risky, for market opportunity is couched in uncertainty and instability, and competitive system and the unpredictability of customer reaction increases the risk. in spite of benefits and opportunities proposed by this model, recent years there is a growing number of research studies proving its limitations and weaknesses for modern business. Applied to consumer behavior, it is possible to say that sales managers give a special attention to importance of channels of distribution and marketing mix. Distribution channels are the vehicles for matching companies with customers. They establish the arrangements and paths for the flow of product and title to ultimate users. They move products and information to markets and provide the funnel for the feedb ack of information to the producer. As networks of marketing agencies, they constitute a system-a loose but formal coalition of independent entities linked together to distribute products and services.. As the links between companies and markets, they can impede or foster the effectiveness of the rest of the marketing mix. Distribution channels cover a wide range of situations. At one end are found the complicated linkage of manufacturers and their branches, agents and brokers, other wholesalers, and retailers for the movement of certain consumer goods. At the other is the direct distribution of heavy machinery. Between lie a variety of channel assortments (Mintzberg et al 2004). Which one works best depends on the company and its products and markets at a certain time. Distribution channels are essential components of economic system. The efficient movement of goods and competition both depend on sales management. Nevertheless, as economists often assume, the channels do not perfor m cost-less activities. Using resources to sort supply and match it with demand, they try to bring both activities into balance. Through channels, companies organize supply and markets and endeavor to develop their own best opportunities (Drejer, 2002). In lodging and hotel industry, market segmentation is one of the main concepts used by marketing companies to divide the market between particular target groups and meet needs and wants of target customers. Divergent service policies adjust product lines to individual market segments -- they implement market segmentation. By assuming that demand is heterogeneous, market positioning strategy obtains a better match with distinguishable market segments. Service differentiation gives marketers a share of a broad, horizontal market, whereas market segmentation tends to result in cultivation of a market position in depth. Given

Quality, Productivity and Process Improvement for the California DMV Essay

Quality, Productivity and Process Improvement for the California DMV - Essay Example However, they want to provide efficient services to their customers. For this reason, the director of the company along with the steering committee took steps to plan a business re-engineering project. They monitor each aspect of the business functions of the agency thoroughly. This is done to find those weak points which required to be changed. In this situation when the agency’s motive is to increase their quality of service and performance, re-engineering of the business process is done. Re-engineering involves uprooting the weak points in the system totally, planning out a new framework for a solution and finally implementing the designed solution. The business policies supporting these systems also need to be changed along with the new framework. This will not only bring productivity but enhance the performance level of the company as a whole. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 4 Analysis 5 Discussion 7 Application 8 Conclusion 9 References 11 Introduction The Cali fornia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is a state government owned agency which registers the vehicles and boats in the state of California. They issue driver's licenses in the state to the vehicle owners. The agency also regulates the car dealers, commercial vehicles, the private driving schools and the traffic schools. The Department of Motor Vehicles works in coordination with the Superior Courts of California. It is responsible for carefully monitoring the wrong practices, if any, and regulates the licensing activities. Its headquarters is in Sacramento. There are about 9,000 employees working in the agency in different places. Nowadays, DMV has converted its licensing and registration activities into online services through an automated system called Automated Management Information System (AMIS) (Carroll, 1991, p. 210-211). In this study we are going to analyze the problem areas of DMV, the hurdles that it faces due to the old framework of the agency, and the degrading qual ity of services provided by the employees. After exploring these issues and finding out the causes behind their occurrence, the probable solutions can be suggested. The agency deals with a large number of vehicle owners around the country. Moreover, the task of regulating and monitoring can be really vital when the agency is state owned and is controlled by the Superior Courts of the state. But it is generally seen that state owned agencies are usually run on the age old policies and regulations. They do not introduce any new framework or structure or strategy into the system to encourage growth. This leads to regarding quality services. The employees become corrupt and involved in taking bribes. Analysis DMV in California is a state owned agency regulating and monitoring the vehicles and boats and their owners in California. The agency is run by the government under the supervision of the Superior Courts. So it can be understood that the framework of rules and regulations is old, t he structure of the organization and the functions and strategies need to be changed or amended. Major changes were required in the service delivery departments of driving license, personal and commercial vehicles. DMV mainly wanted to improve the quality of services they were offering to their customers. The performance of the employees as well as the IT department was poor due to their outdated technology and networking. So it is important to first see what quality means and how they can improve