History and background of medical tourism

History and background of medical tourism CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The practice of travelling abroad to obtain medical and health care services is called as medical tourism. The benefits of medical tourism are getting widely popular among people because people are getting aware about the benefits of medical tourism like the lower cost of the medical procedures and can enjoy their holiday in a exotic location during the recovery period. This outsourcing for health care is grown as a new trend and many American and European tourists prefer medical tourism for cosmetic and medical procedures. The countries which are lack of advanced medical procedures leads the people living there to fly abroad to get appropriate medical services. The practice of travelling abroad is a trend which developed from the ancient period and there is a long history of people travelling to other countries for health purposes. In Italy and throughout the Roman provinces, the Ancient Romans constructed resorts with thermal health spas, and the Ancient Greeks would travel to [on the Saronic Gulf] to visit the sanctuary of the healing god, Asklepios, who revealed remedies to them in their dreams (Bookman and Bookman 2007: 4-5). From the 15th to 17th centuries, the poor sanitary conditions in Europe prompted an interest by the rich in medicinal spas, mineral springs and the seaside for health purposes. These wealthy individuals would also travel to renowned medical schools for medical assistance (Swarbrooke and Horner 2007: 16, 33). This continued into the 18th and 19th centuries where spa towns, particularly in the south of France, became popular for health cures, the sun, and escaping the cold climatic conditions in the north of Europe (Holden 2006: 21-23). The rapid urbanisation and social change experienced during Industrialisation aggravated the unsanitary and poor living environments in Britain and some sections of Europe, with anti-urban values and a growing concern for health developing as a result (Holden 2006: 30). The formation of the railways allowed increasing and diverse flows of people to more distant seaside and coastal resorts, which provided a distinctive and escapist environment from urban isation, and the opportunity to practice what was viewed as a healthy pastime of sun-seeking (Holden 2006: 30; Swarbrooke and Horner 2007: 16,33) Spa tourism and sun-seeking persisted into the 20th century. Medicinal springs, spas, Beaches and resorts, particularly in warm and dry climates, continued to be considered therapeutic through long exposures to the sun, fresh air and water (Swarbrooke and Horner 2007: 33).Thus it is easy to understand that the health tourism has developed from the ancient age with myths and beliefs and as cure from natural resources to the current stage of various medical and surgical procedures and cosmetic therapies and for alternative therapies like yoga, naturopathy and ayurvedic medicine. Michael Moody (2007) indicates that the medical tourism trend began when residents of one country would go to another country to have cosmetic or dental procedures completed while on vacation or to recover from such procedures in a vacation like destination. Today, countries like India, the East Indies, South America and South East Asia offer treatment facilities at par with international standards at just a fraction of cost. The factors such as high cost of healthcare in developed countries, long waiting list in government medical facilities and the reduction of air fare are the majority of reasons which contributed for the growth of the medical tourism. The hospitals in India, the East Indies, South American countries and South East Asia offer a high quality medical care which is par with international standards in very cheap money compared to developed nations. India is one of worlds favorite tourist destinations and has many hospitals of international standard and English speaking staffs and therefore there are less chances of language barrier for the western patients. India has alternative therapies like Yoga naturopathy siddha and ayurvedic medical practices. One of the recent survey conducted in India on the healthcare indicates that the medical tourism in India will grow to US $ 125 to 250 million in the year 2012.(CII McKinsey study).The low cost and high standard treatment and care are the reasons which accelerates the medical tourism in India. The following example will illustrate about the economical as well as tourist benefits of medical tourism in India. Howard Staab, a self-employed carpenter from North Carolina, flew to India for his medically necessary heart surgery, scheduled a side trip to the TajMahal, and returned home to work in North Carolina. He spent a total of less than $10,000, instead of the $200,000 required from t he local hospital ( Milstein and Smith 2006).This indicates that India has patients for procedures like heart surgery which requires state of art facilities and highly skilled medical team. Other than that it also shows the money difference when compared with developed nations. Kerala like any other states in India also has lot of potential to be a market leader in medical tourism. Kerala often described as Gods own countryis one of the favorite tourist destinations in India. The geography of Kerala is embellished with lush green coconut groves, scenic beaches, tranquil backwaters and enriched culture. There is a pride of place in the field of medicine for this Indian state and medical tourism is the new facet of Kerala. Medical tourism is very popular in some states of India and this study focuses on a city of Kerala state. Kerala is considered one of the most favorite tourist destinations in India because of its beaches, hills, lagoons, backwaters and enriched culture. This state has tremendous potential to boom its medical tourism and the tourism industry is promoting itself with several ayurvedic and health packages. This study focuses on the trends of medical tourism in the city of Trivandrum which is located on the southernmost state of India called Kerala. This city is the current capital of the state of Kerala and it is known for its scenic beauties and beaches.This city also has several international standard hospitals and traditional ayurvedic resorts and clinics. Objective of the Research Study The principle aim of this study was to investigate and critically analyse the recent trends in the medical tourism in the Trivandrum, the southernmost city of India. This study also analyses the behavior of the medical tourist and their expectations in the services provided by the hospital or the clinic and the tourist operators or agencies. This study also focuses to address the a gap that exists in similar study conducted before. The aim was to address the gap between available literature and demand for further research on the subject by adopting a clearly defined and structured research design, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Find the factors that drive Medical Tourism in Trivandrum Analyse the issues which determine success of medical tourism in Trivandrum Identify the problems faced by Medical Tourism in Trivandrum Make suitable suggestions for improvement of Medical Tourism in Trivandrum Rationales The first and foremost reason for choosing the topic of the study is to lay out before the readers the state of the Indian medical tourism sector at a moment in time when it is in great flux. Moreover the author was working in one such hospital which was market leader in medical tourism in the city of Trivandrum. The medical tourism sector is believed to be a great boon of economical growth in Kerala and therefore by doing a study at this particular time may give readers awareness about the situation challenges and scopes. Other than that medical tourism it is an area of interest of the author as he wants to analyse the trends and issues involved in the medical tourism industry in Trivandrum city. The purpose of this research note is to outline some of the challenges and opportunities ahead, as health tourism finds its prominence in the practical and conceptual domains of tourism. Further there are predictions for Trivandrum city to flourish with medical tourism in next five to ten y ears and it is right time to analyse the challenges and scopes ahead. Structure of the study This study explores the trends of medical tourism in Trivandrum city and the issues around it. The need for further research on the topic has been established with carrying out a secondary research followed by primary research and by comparing evaluating the primary and secondary research. According to McDaniels carrying out exploratory research will gave the researcher clarification to understand the magnitude of topic area and thereby permitted a clearer and stronger perception of the environment and the situation which arise within it. (McDaniels, 2001). CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW The medical tourism has an advantage of providing cost effective medical care collaborating with the health care industry and with the travelling industry to the patients who need medical treatment in a location different to their home town. Thus medical tourism occurs with the combination of healthcare services and tourism and travel domain. The facts that led the growth of the medical tourism are the availability cheap and high quality medical care in one geographical location and existence of long queue of patients for medical procedure and high prices of medical care in one geographical region. The outcome of these factors is the growth of medical tourism resulting in people moving to another geographical location for health care. DEFINITION The term medical tourism is a term coined in recent period but the practise seems to exist from ancient period and the trends in medical tourism have changed with the time. The health tourist travel to their favourite destination for different medical and surgical procedures, cosmetic surgeries, alternative medicine, and spas and health resorts. The considerations and risk for different procedures vary accordingly. The medical tourism has gained social, economical and political interest but it has gained scant attention in tourism literature generally. Bookman and Bookman (2007) define medical tourism as travel with the aim of improving ones health, and also an economic activity that entails trade in services and represents the splicing of at least two sectors: medicine and tourism. The health tourism is seen as means of leisure oriented and stress relief as many people opt for sun and spas. Although there is no single definition for health tourism, it could be broadly defined as people traveling from their place of residence for health reasons (Ross 2001). Several demographic, economic, and lifestyle factors are driving such tourism (Handszuh and Waters 1997; Ross, 2001). Bennett et al. (2004: 123) acknowledge a liberal definition of health tourism would be any pleasure-orientated tourism which involves an element of stress relief, meaning it is an enjoyable and relaxing activity Pollock and Williams (2000: 165), Laws (1996 in Henderson 2004: 112) and tries to see the health tourism with the view that it is a separation between the ordinary and the extraordinary; the everyday world of work and home versus the combination of health and tourism in leisure, recreational and educational activities. Then Schofield has a view that health tourism is a means to achieve improvement in physical, mental and social well being. (Schofield 2004: 137). The above all definitions try to define health tourism as a means to escape from every day routine and improve stress free healthful life. Henderson (2004: 113) insists that health tourism as travel where the primary purpose is treatment in pursuit of better health that may involve hedonistic indulgences of spas and alternative therapies, while medical tourism incorporates health screening, hospitalization, and surgical operations. Ross (2001) after analysing various factors and literature tries to define health tourism as any kind of tourism that involves a person or his family member for the purpose of wellbeing and he considers that health tourism mainly focuses on two main domains as pampering and wellness. Pampering are services like massage, herbal wraps and exfoliating scrubs whereas wellness involves with improving physical and mental state and sometime it may involve with the treatment. MEDICAL TOURISM AND ITS TRENDS The concept of medical tourism have undergone many changes in recent times and there is a change in the trends like people from developed countries moving to developing countries for medical procedures for the difference in the cost. The global medical standards and regulations have been implemented in different countries and this in turn raises the number of people seeking cost advantage and best treatment in their preferred destination. The market of medical tourism depends on awareness and application of significant issues such as social diversities, consumer benefits, branding of products, legal frame work infrastructure, target markets, the actual product and communication channels (Dannell Mugumba).Therefore it is understood that the people from developed countries choose their destination after analysing various features and therefore there exist high competition between the countries to promote medical tourism. The one more key component in this medical tourism is the medical concierge services. These are medical travel companies that provide service to the traveller and they act as a link between tourist and the destination (Lagiewski, 2007).They have a vital role in the tourist experience from planning, stay, and post stages of the trip. The medical travel guide meets the tourist at the airport and he is the local agent who works as interpreter, guide and assists the tourist to stay in communication with his loved ones in his home. (Smith and Forgione, 2007). According to Connell (2006) the ability to the countries to ensure the medical tourist that healthcare is of safe quality is a vital factor and this will be the main barrier for a destination to promote itself as most favourite destination In order to combat this concern, international accrediting agencies are in the process of certifying the quality and safety of global healthcare delivery. The tourist decides to engage in medical tourism on the basis of five a factor identified by Lagieweskii.Her study identifies the first and foremost as the alternative healthcare facility to their countrys facility which should be of high standard and at affordable cost. This factor is the main factor and when the tourist is satisfied with first factor the next will be cost of treatment and travel of great importance. The tourist may seek other country because of the e big waiting list in their home country. There may be some reasons like remote destination for tourist for certain cosmetic proced ures. The nature of the country is also an important factor because tourist seeks a country free from risk factors associated with safety, security and actability. ( Lagiewski,2007). The country trying to make itself as most preferred destination for medical tourism it should emphasize on the fact that its overall appeal and the experiences offered to the other competing destinations. (Dwyer and Kim 2003).Dwyer and Kim insists that the destination should have the competitive advantage to become successful in the medical tourism industry. According to Dwyer and Kim the existence of two type of resource group may lead to achieve competitive advantage. They are the endowed resources and created resources. Endowed resources are natural heritage and cultural attributes to a specific destination and created resources are services associated with the tourist such as accommodation, food and beverage establishments, and manmade attraction. There can be created resources such as special events entertainment and shopping which adds extra value to he destination. There can be supporting factors such as general infrastructure; quality of service; accessibility of the destinat ion; hospitality of the host population; and market ties. Growth has been facilitated by the rise of the Internet, and the emergence of new companies, that are not health specialists, but brokers between international patients and hospital networks. It has also grown because of rapidly improving health care systems in some key countries, where new technologies have been adopted. Above all it has followed the deliberate marketing of health care (in association with tourism) as medical care has gradually moved away from the public sector to the private sector, ensuring that a growing majority of people, especially in the richest countries, and particularly in the United States, must pay-often considerably-for health care Finally, the factors like growth in medical tourism is done by the changing life style where people are ready to undergo cosmetic surgery, involving such elective procedures as rhinoplasty, liposuction, breast enhancement or reduction, LASIK eye surgery and so on, or more simply the removal of tattoos, have created new demands. Various forms of dental surgery, especially cosmetic dental surgery, are not covered by insurance in countries like the UK and Australia; hence dental tourism has become particularly common. In Asia these trends are the unlikely child of new global realities: the fallout of terrorism, the Asian economic downturn, internet access to price information, and the globalisation of health services (Levett, 2005) India and medical tourism India is a country of rich culture and heritage and one of the most favorite destinations for tourism. It is one of the existing oldest civilizations in the world for a period of more than 4000 years and it has fusion of traditions, customs and diversity. (myindia).The survey conducted by lonely planet about the worlds favourite tourist destination among 134 countries ranks India as one among the worlds top 5 tourist destination.(lonelyplanet) There are similar surveys and rankings for India as National Geographic describes India as Land of mystery and majesty. The company i explore also ranks India as one of the tp 5 destinations in world. The Forbes traveller states India as one the fast growing travel markets. (ICRImedical tourism) A number of destinations within India developed as havens for rest and recuperation such as hill stations at Darjeeling and the lakes in Kashmir where during the colonial era members of British era would retreat for cool breeze and a change of scenery. Late during the 19th century people began travelling India in search of alternative life style often focusing on yoga or meditation and following the footsteps of celebrities. India is building on these traditions as a wellness destination by a developing expertise in medical tourism (Garcia Altes 2005: conell 2006a). The main marketing segments for medical tourism in India are patients from USA and European and middle east nations, while growing niche is formed by Indian expatriates ,particularly those live in USA and the UK.(Conell 2006), who combine medical treatment with visits to family and friends. Medical tourism as a niche has emerged from the rapid growth of what has become an industry, where people travel often long distances to overseas countries to obtain medical, dental and surgical care while simultaneously being holidaymakers, in a more conventional sense. It has grown dramatically in recent years primarily because of the high costs of treatment in rich world countries, long waiting lists (for what is not always seen institutionally as priority surgery), the relative affordability of international air travel and favorable economic exchange rates, and the ageing of the often affluent post-war baby-boom generation. Growth has been facilitated by the rise of the Internet, and the emergence of new companies, that are not health specialists, but brokers between international patients and hospital networks. It has also grown because of rapidly improving health care systems in some key countries, where new technologies have been adopted. Above all it has followed the delibera te marketing of health care (in association with tourism) as medical care has gradually moved away from the public sector to the private sector, ensuring that a growing majority of people, especially in the richest countries, and particularly in the United States, must pay-often considerably-for health care Medical tourism is an important part of the Indian tourism industry and holds immense growth potential. The medical tourism sector had experienced a phenomenal growth in the flow of medical tourists from10,000 patients in 2000 to stupendous 180,000 by 2005. (Source: RNCOS report on Indian Tourism Industry Forecast (2007-2011) The Indian government takes meticulous steps in promoting medical tourism and it tries to increase the growth of foreign medical tourist by providing medical visas called M visas. These M visas are valid for one year and it is issued for the accompanies and Indian ministry of tourism has stocked its 13 overseas offices with information regarding these visas.( Meleigy) In 2002,2.2 million foreigners visited India :those numbers increased by 20 percent the following year(Mathew 2004).The tourist literature produced by the Indian government portrays India as a country rooted in tradition and also sufficiently modern to offer western style amenities (Bandyoupdhay and Morais 2005) A study by McKinsey and Confederation of Indian Industry says that at its current pace of growth, healthcare tourism alone can rake over 8,000 crore additional revenue by 2012.(cii mckinsey study) There are several states in India and the private hospitals in India target for the medical tourist other than the home patients. The southern state of Kerala which is very rich in culture and heritage and ancient medical practice like Ayurvediac ,Siddha and Yoga leads in attracting the foreign tourist for medical health and leisure tourism. Kerala Kerala is a bizarre anomaly among developing nations, a place that offers real hope for the future of the Third World. Consider: This small state in India, though not much larger than Maryland, has a population as big as Californias and a per capita annual income of less than $300. But its infant mortality rate is low, its literacy rate among the highest on Earth, and its birthrate below Americas and falling faster. Keralas citizens live nearly as long as Americans or Europeans. Though mostly a land of paddy-covered plains, statistically Kerala stands out as the Mount Everest of social development; theres truly no place like it. The National Geographic Traveler, which once made Kerala the cynosure of all eyes in the world travel circuit by describing it as one of the 50 paradises in the world. (National Geographic) Kerala is one of the most visited tourists destination of India. It is globally famous for its enchanting tourists attractions that are off beat than any other tourists places in the world. Every year hundred and thousands of tourists from all over the world come to Kerala to enjoy holidays in splendor. The state is endowed with palm fringed beaches, verdant hill stations, captivating beaches, emerald paddy fields, historical churches and more of all picturesque backwaters. This makes the marketing medical tourism easier in Kerala. Accreditation of health centers The quality of the medical care is the first and foremost factor considered by the medical tourist. According to the medical tourism association the accreditation is the means of way to attain safety and overall positive results to the patients who travel from one country to another for treatment purposes. The medical tourist can look into the accreditation to ensure the safety of the treatment in the hospital. The accreditation program is very essential to help patients, employers and insurance companies who can look into the accreditation status and thereby can find the hospitals with highest quality of care during their entire patient experience. The medical tourism industry grows day by day and therefore there is a necessity to ensure that hospitals, clinic and rehabilitation centers entering medical tourism posses proper infrastructure to meet the medical tourist. There is a need to certify that the center has proper communication facilities, transparency in quality and pricing, informed consent, proper medical care and further follow up facilities. The accreditation is focused on the fact that international patients have special needs and requirements than domestic patients. The accreditation is usually given by bodies which may by government or non government with the panel of expert members to examine and find whether the organization meets the requirements.(medical tourism association) The accreditation to the allopathic medical practice in Trivandrum is provided by the international accreditation bodies such as Joint Commission International (JCI), ISO 9001 2000 etc. Other than the international bodies Trivandrum city has hospitals certified by NABH, a board set up by government of India. (See appendix).These are the major accreditations of medical service in India. The ayurvedic practice is the unique specialty and most popular medical practice in India and they have accreditation done by Body set up by Government of Kerala as Green leaf and Olive leaf and green leaf is the highest degree of accreditation and its followed by olive leaf and these accreditation ensures the quality of ayurvedic treatment in Kerala. (expresshealthcare) Ayurvedic tourism in Kerala Kerala is usually marketed as a health destination for its ayurveda packages. Medical tourism is marketed along with ayurveda and other health packages. Kerala ayurveda tourism has becoming a huge selling point for Kerala tourism industry. State promotes Kerala ayurveda tourism as a part of medical tourism to the world. Today popularity of Kerala ayurvedic treatment has gained such a momentum that tourist from across the world come to Kerala to rejuvenate and for therapeutic treatment. Ayurvedic medical practice is the most ancient medical system originated in India before 10,000 years ago and in India the ayurvedic practice is more popular in kerala where it is practiced in traditional way. As per ayurveda specialists, the rainy season (June August) is the best time for ayurvedic treatments as the atmosphere remains dust free and cool, which helps open the pores of the body to the maximum.(Messerli and Oyama 2004) Ayurveda believes in the treatment of not just the affected part, but the individual as a whole. Kerala ayurvedic treatments and rejuvenation therapies are natural way to refresh and eliminate all toxic imbalances from the body and to regain resistance and good health. Most of the ayurvedictherapies help to strengthening the immune system, preventing and curing diseases without any side effects. There are number of resorts and hospitals throughout state which are integral parts of Kerala ayurveda tourism and offering customized ayurveda holiday packages which help you to rejuvenate the body and soul and to start a fresh life. Kerala ayurveda provides number of treatments ranging from de-stressing, anti-ageing, weight loss, joint pains and general rejuvenation. Elements of medical tourism in Trivandrm Review of similar studies.

Electronic Surveillance: Who Is Watching You? Essay -- Privacy vs Elec

When one walks out the front door into the world, how aware and conscious are they of how often they are watched, tracked, and monitored? Through surveillance, everywhere one goes they are having their lives watched and invaded by prying eyes. Most people believe society needs electronic surveillance and that it is there to protect them. Others believe society does not need surveillance and worry about their privacy being invaded. Many argue about different issues relating to the costly use of surveillance. Electronic surveillance has a broad range of purposes dealing with past, present, and future events. There needs to be a balance between the benefits that surveillance employs in society and the misuse of surveillance that encroaches on the privacy of all. Although some are good and some are not, there are several purposes and reasons why society uses electronic surveillance. One main purpose of surveillance, and one of the most common, is for the utilization of promoting safety. People in our society want to feel safe from crime and danger in the world around them. Authorities and law officials use the common means of video surveillance to capture those involved with illegal activity. For example, in the article "Protecting Public Anonymity," the authors state how law officials use video surveillance from a mall to monitor shoppers and to discover if there are any "wanted persons." They also screen malls, or highly populated areas, to "track all persons with previous police records or all persons who have specific genetic, behavioral, religious, or cultural profiles that suggest they are more likely to engage in unlawful activities" (Granger, Morgan and Elaine Newton). This creates problems because it is likely that everyon... ...hipps, Jennie L. and Leslie Ryan. "Traffic Cameras Bringing Eyeballs to Station Sites." Electronic Media. 19 (2000): 16. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Community College Library Media Center. 4 Mar. 2008. Smithsimon, Molly. "Private lives, public spaces: the surveillance state." Dissent 50.1 (Wntr 2003): 43(49). General OneFile. Gale. Community College. 15 Feb. 2008 . Someone's Watching [videorecording]. NY Times/Discovery Times Channel Production. Discovery, [2005]. Surveillance Tech. [video recording]. [United States]: A&E Home Video, 2004 "Watching as you shop." Economist 385.8558(Dec 2007): 28-29. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Community College Library Media Center. 15 Mar. 2008. "Wireless Eyes Watch for Crime." Communications News 44.9(2007):22-24. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. Community College Library Media Center. 4 Mar. 2008.

Causes, Impact and Management of Tsunamis :: Papers

Causes, Impact and Management of Tsunamis Introduction On the 26th of December at 06:48 Sri Lankan time(11:48) whilst most of the population were just going to sleep after a long Christmas day, one of the worlds largest recorded earthquake struck generating a tsunami which left the Indian ocean countries with more than 162,000 people dead and $675 million(U.S)of damages. The earthquake hit countries that were already troubled with poverty and debt leaving them in need of urgent help. World wide, people responded to help overcome this horrific disaster donating $450million and the British government donated a pledge of $96million. The word ‘Tsunami’ is a Japanese word with the English translation, "harbor wave." Represented by two characters, the top character, "tsu," means harbor, while the bottom character, "nami," means "wave." In the past, tsunamis were sometimes referred to as "tidal waves" by the general public though they are not actually related to tides. Causes The devastating tsunami was caused by an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter scale and was estimated to have released the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs. The epicentre of the earthquake was under the Indian Ocean near the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The violent movement of sections of the Earth's crust, known as tectonic plates, displaced an enormous amount of water, sending powerful shock waves in every direction. The earthquake was caused by the sliding of the India plate under the section called the Burma plate which is called a destructive plate boundary. The movement has been going on for a thousand years, one plate pushing against the other until something has to give. The result of this build up of pressure happened on December 26 was a rupture in the earths crust which was estimated more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometres) long, displacing the seafloor above Diagram showing the processes involved in a tsunami approaching a coastlineby 10 meters horizontally and several meters vertically. This small dislodge caused trillions of tons of rock to move along hundreds of Causes, Impact and Management of Tsunamis :: Papers Causes, Impact and Management of Tsunamis Introduction On the 26th of December at 06:48 Sri Lankan time(11:48) whilst most of the population were just going to sleep after a long Christmas day, one of the worlds largest recorded earthquake struck generating a tsunami which left the Indian ocean countries with more than 162,000 people dead and $675 million(U.S)of damages. The earthquake hit countries that were already troubled with poverty and debt leaving them in need of urgent help. World wide, people responded to help overcome this horrific disaster donating $450million and the British government donated a pledge of $96million. The word ‘Tsunami’ is a Japanese word with the English translation, "harbor wave." Represented by two characters, the top character, "tsu," means harbor, while the bottom character, "nami," means "wave." In the past, tsunamis were sometimes referred to as "tidal waves" by the general public though they are not actually related to tides. Causes The devastating tsunami was caused by an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter scale and was estimated to have released the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs. The epicentre of the earthquake was under the Indian Ocean near the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The violent movement of sections of the Earth's crust, known as tectonic plates, displaced an enormous amount of water, sending powerful shock waves in every direction. The earthquake was caused by the sliding of the India plate under the section called the Burma plate which is called a destructive plate boundary. The movement has been going on for a thousand years, one plate pushing against the other until something has to give. The result of this build up of pressure happened on December 26 was a rupture in the earths crust which was estimated more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometres) long, displacing the seafloor above Diagram showing the processes involved in a tsunami approaching a coastlineby 10 meters horizontally and several meters vertically. This small dislodge caused trillions of tons of rock to move along hundreds of

European Economic and Monetary Union Essay -- essays papers

European Economic and Monetary Union The Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is a single currency area within the European Union in which people, goods, services and capital move without restriction (Europa Quest (1), 2001). Imperative to the success of the EMU is the implementation of a single European currency, the Euro, and the application of specific macro-economic policies by the EMU member states (Harris, 1999: 78). Moreover, it is the foreseeable intent of European governments to create a framework for stability, peace and prosperity through the promotion of structural change and regional development (JP Morgan, 2001). This essay will endeavor to highlight the fundamental gains likely to be accrued by the European business community as a result of EMU policy provisions. The developments and circumstances preceding the EMU formation will be examined to give insight into the functioning of a monetary union. Furthermore, it is essential to analyze the implications the EMU has for firms within both ‘Euroland†™ and other European nations. To establish a strong understanding of the intricacies of the EMU, it is essential to discuss both the antecedents and major developments in this monetary union. The origins of the EMU can be traced to the formation of the European Coal and Steel community (ECSC) in the early 1950s, which was the first attempt to harness European economic unity to achieve greater international competitiveness (Per Jacobson, 1999) (Duisenberg, 1998). The success of this venture prompted the foreign ministers of six ECSC nations to examine the possibility of further economic integration (Chulalongkorn University, 1999). Hence, in 1957 one the most significant agreements in European economics history, The Treaty of Rome, was signed. The Treaty of Rome’s fundamental goal was to provide for the creation of a common market (Kenwood & Lougheed, 1999:280). The most significant aspect of this treaty was the commitment made by such countries as Belgium, France, West Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Luxembourg to facilitate the free movement of goods, services and factors of production. Essentially, these European governments sought to eliminate internal trade barriers, create common external tariffs and harmonies member states laws and regulations (Hill, 2001: 233). This movement towards a common European market continued with relative success ... ...gheed, 1999. The Growth of the International Economy: 1820-2000. Routledge Press: London. ï‚ · Martin, Peter, 1997. EMU’s New Horizon. www.stern.nyu.edu/nroubini/EMU/. Visited Mach 2001. ï‚ · Preston Robert, 1997. Note of Confusion on Single Currency. www.princetoneconomics.com. Visited April 2001. ï‚ · Princeton Economics, 1998. Country Analysis: United Kingdom. www.princetoneconomics.com . Visted April 2001. ï‚ · Roubini, Nouriel, 1997. Notes on Europe, the Euro and EMU. www.stern.nyu.edu/nroubini/EMU . Visited April 2001. ï‚ · Salmon, Pierre, 2000. Decentralisation and Supernationality: The Case of the EU. www.imf.org. Visited April 2001. ï‚ · Salvatore, Dominick, 1998. International Economics (Sixth Edition). Prentice Hall: New Jersey. ï‚ · Solomon, Robert, 1999. International Effects of the Euro. www.brook.edu/comm/policybriefs/ . Visited March 2001. ï‚ · Soltwedel, Rudiger, Dohse Dirk & Krieger-Boden, Christianne. 2000. European Labour Markets and the EMU Challenges Ahead. www.imf.org . Visited April 2001. ï‚ · Tett, Gillian, 1996. The Single Currency: Everything you wanted to know? . www.stern.nyu.edu/nroubini/EMU . Visited April 2001.

Presentation on Natures Representation as a Woman :: Nature Gender Sex Female

Outline Style Presentation Nature being represented as woman â€Å"Nature is like a woman who enjoys disguising herself, and whose different disguises, revealing now one part of her ad now another, permit those who study her and assiduously to hope that one day they may know the whole of her person† (Diderot) Why this is an interesting topic? Often saw references of nature with N and sounded like a proper name sometimes. The connections between nature and the female form. Connect the romantic period with the start of feminism and the new strategies and approaches theorists and philosophers and writers are taking now. 4 Possible Theories for connecting women with nature 1) Descending from precursory languages such as Anglo-Saxon (Old English), Italian, Spanish, Latin, Greek and French. 2) Based on the qualities generally associated with women and differences between gender roles 3) Connection between Woman and Nature and the life cycle 4) Biblical references 1) Languages with gendered nouns Old English: gecynd Latin: la natura Italian: la natura French: la nature Spanish: la naturaleza Greek: Æà ÃÆ' · All are gendered as female. Could be initial cause for why we tend to consider nature as female. 2) Gender Role of Woman - Nature is feminized because it is seen as possessing the same qualities as women at the time when most of the romantic writing was produced - Women were seen as being domestic, pious, moral, pure, gentle, kind, graceful, simple and beautiful; this was according to the nature of separate spheres: men and women were fundamentally different in terms of their characteristics as men were seen as hard-working, industrial, rational, assertive, independent and proud; none of which is easily connected with nature - Therefore nature was seen as the embodiment of all the characteristics that women possess and there are frequent references to this in literature, especially poetry eg. â€Å"Constant rotation of th’unwearied wheel That nature rides upon maintains her health, Her beauty, her fertility† (Cowper, The Task, Book 1: The Sofa, 359-61

Dell Auditing Essay

Dell’s products Dell’s products can be separated by home and working sections. For personal clients Dell provide personal laptops, desktops, tablets and a sort of accessories. For enterprise and government users, Dell provide office equipment such as PCs, monitors, printers & electronics and Tablets. Workstations and services focus on servers, solutions and software. Dell’s competitors Competitors of Dell including Lenovo, Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Asus and so on. Dell’s customers Based on the advantages of stability and advanced technology, the main part of the customers of Dell are government, enterprise and different institutions. The other part of Dell’s customer is family and personal users which focus on PCs, laptops and personal data services. Dell’s suppliers Dell’s global strategy made a wide and lengthy supply chain. 95% of its suppliers with including AMD, Hitachi, Microsoft and Samsung has been disclosed on the website http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/uscorp1/corp-comm/cr-ca-list-suppliers How does Dell market and distribute its products? For personal clients, Dell’s strategy is to customize its products in order to satisfy potential buyers’ requirement. One of the example is the Alienware Gaming PCs, which is designed and manufactured for high standard game player, Dell presented fashion appearance to attract teenagers and powerful performance to fulfill customers who is seeking perfect game experience. Products can be made for different functions and added distinguished accessories. To deal with the large orders from enterprises, government departments and institutions, Dell serves products and services with lower price and higher stability. Under this circumstances, customers will tend to choose Dell’s products constantly and may introduce them to other potential users. What is Dell’s business strategy? Dell is an obviously cost leadership company. Rely on the efficient supply chain, Dell gained superior price advantage. On the tablet and laptop market Dell has to face strong competition from Apple and Samsung but it was still the largest revenue contributor (31% according 10K) because the lower price in 2012. Dell also attempted on Alienware series to enter high performance PC market. Generally, the sources of Dell’s revenue was almost equally provided by enterprise solutions (46%) and services and Personal Client (54%). What are critical business processes for Dell given its basic business strategy? Dell’s cost leadership strategy is mainly supported by its efficient supply chain management. Suppliers for Dell are globally and widely separated in different businesses. Based on the supply system, Dell could ensure lower accessory price and negotiation advantages. Outsource manufacturing and services decreased the inventory and financial risk, which is normally in high technology industry because of product replacement. What accounting information is associated with the critical business processes and how does Dell measure up on that information? Cost of goods sold, inventory, account payable and revenues. What accounting methods does Dell use to report the accounting information associated with critical business processes and what is the risk of material misstatement? Dell uses FIFO to report inventory and revenue is recognized on the moment of shipment. The amount of account receivable is almost half of the current asset which means the highly risk of income statement adjustment. Inventory has been kept in lower level, consider about the return and exchange service, the number of inventory might be misstated either. Professional auditing standards provide guidance on the auditor’s consideration of an entity’s business risks. What is the auditor’s objective for understanding an entity’s business risks? Why does an auditor not have responsibility to identify or assess all business risks? Provide some examples of business risks associated with an entity that an auditor should consider when performing an audit. The purpose of business risks understanding is to offer auditors capability to recognize possible misstatement and make analysis and adjustment. Audit report will be more efficient and reasonable with support of business expertise. Auditors did not participate management process of the company, and sometimes material or highly material information will be presented to auditors. Auditor’s scope may be restricted or independence influence the accuracy of audit report.

Language and Communication Development Essay

When working in a school, especially pre-school or primary school, it is important for us to identify and provide effective support and extend the speech, language and communication development for children during the early years (Burnham and Baker, 2011). This is so that they get the best chance to develop these skills and avoid struggle later in life. There are a number of ways in which adults can effectively support and extend speech, language and communication development in children during early years. Firstly, it is important for us to adapt our language according to the child’s age, needs and abilities. Some children who have English as a second language may require us to point to objects (www.earlylearningconsultancy.co.uk). For example, when we are speaking to babies or toddlers, we would simplify the sentences for them to understand, whereas the older the children we can begin to use harder sentences. For example, when handing out cookies, to a child who is 1 or 2 years of age we may hold out a cookie and say the word, whereas to an older children we would say â€Å"Would you like a cookie?†. Secondly; we must give children the time and opportunity to communicate. It is important to give children time to think about what has been said to them and if they don’t answer straight away we must be patient and not answer for them (www.earlylearningconsultancy.co.uk). Some children may require us to sounds them out but then we must get them to copy and blend the sounds together whilst giving them time to process what we are telling them. As mentioned in (www.foundationyears.org.uk), other ways we can effectively support children and extend their speech, language and communicate may include: using simple repetitive language for familiar activities, comment on what children are doing in their play session, and we must try to expand what they say by adding a few words ourselves. For example a child might shout â€Å"Bus!† we should reply â€Å"That’s right, it’s a big, red bus.† Some children may find using visual clues and reminders very useful in helping them follow routine and learn new work and concepts (www.foundationyears.org.uk). We can use pictures of the children themselves  doing the activities, to represent different activities in the say as a visual timetable. These pictures can also be used to help children to choose activities. As mentioned in (www.earlylearningconsultancy.co.uk), we can also use modelling language which helps support children when words don’t sound clear. This includes giving them praise for trying them sating the word back to them, so if a child says ‘tar’ we can smile and say ‘yes, car, clever boy’. Interacting can also be playing games, reading and singing songs. Getting children engaged in books from an early age can help with their reading and writing skills and can extend their language skills and vocabulary (www.earlylearningconsultancy.co.uk). Singing simple songs and nursery rhymes develop children’s attention and listening skills and their awareness of rhymes and the word patterns. As mentioned in (www.earlylearningconsultancy.co.uk), play and activity encourage children to communicate and practise their communication skills as they will need to communicate with their playmates and others so it creates a situation where they can practice and develop their speech, language and communication skills.