Alchohol as a Fuel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Alchohol as a Fuel - Essay Example The burning characteristics of methanol entail bright blue flame. Methanol is also a colorless liquid, which is very volatile. The odor of methanol is unique and distinctive. The burning characteristic of methanol is bright white flame (Yant, 2012). The paper also studies the physical effects between ethanol and methanol. Ethanol is the main ingredient of fermented beverages and also distilled alcoholic drinks. People who ingest ethanol experience the intoxication feeling. However, the consumers of ethanol can vomit or suffer from alcohol poisoning after taking large volumes of the substance. On the contrary, methanol must never be inhales, ingested or contact the skin. Small doses of the substance are very harmful. Ingesting small doses can highly cause blindness, and in worse scenarios be fatal. Ethanol is used in the production of alcoholic beverages. This is due to its intoxicating effects. The substance is also utilized as a category of alternative fuel. The alternative fuel is mainly produced using sugarcane and corn by products. Specially designed cars, mostly in the United States, utilize approximately 85% ethanol fuel. Ethanol fuel is also used in rocket fuel. Antiseptic characteristics of the substance ensure its usage in the production of hand gels and antibacterial wipes. Ethanol is a god solvent, hence greatly used as a base for different categories of paints and perfumes (Smith & Snyder, 2008). On the other hand, methanol is mainly used in the generation of other chemicals like formaldehyde. The substance is very desirable as fuel for the stunt and race vehicles. This is because it is not as flammable as gasoline, and water can distinguish its flame easily. Small quantities of methanol are used in the manufacture of denatured alcohol, plus also the production of solvents. The two substances react differently with water. Ethanol and water easily combine to produce homogeneous solution; hence miscible in water. But methanol

Leadership Essay Example for Free

Leadership Essay Values of great leaders can be found in various types of people. People who are of different ethnicities and are from different points of the world have shown to have unusual characteristics of leadership. There were many different approaches developed in studying leadership, one being the trait approach. The trait approach is based on the presumption that leaders are not developed into the leadership role but born with the characteristics of leadership that permits them to be great leaders. It has been discovered that there are strengths and also weaknesses within the trait approach relating to studying leadership. Strengths From a trait approach, there are many strong characteristics in leadership. A big role of a leader’s success is their personality. Their personality allows them to be effective when interacting with other people. Sometimes it takes a leader’s personality to set or change the tone in a work place, helping to create a positive mood and encouraging an environment of motivation to succeed and goal achievement. High energy, optimistic, a strong motivator, the ability to communicate and constancy are signature abilities that are believed to be recognized in the trait approach which aids a leader to be successful driven and adaptable (American Library Association , 1997-2013) Although this trait has been known to be very valuable in a successful leader it is has also been said that, â€Å"this massive research effort failed to find any traits that would guarantee leadership success. (Gary Yukl, page 13, 2010)† Weaknesses Although a personality has the ability to be effective it also has the ability to be  ineffective as well. A leader’s personality can be felt as being too strong and overwhelming at times causing some resistance and rebelling to take place with the followers. Many employees function on different learning levels in the workplace. If a supervisor leads with a sense of expectancy, his expectations may be seen as little high by the employees which in turn may damage the positive work environment. Also a supervisor’s personality can be taken as negative one if they do not take the employees’ feelings into consideration. To believe that a great supervisor is born with the leadership traits means that, as a company, the employees cannot be developed or effective in the workplace. When a company refrains from filling management positions from the inside of the company, employees can began to believe that they are in a glass ceiling environment. Creating future leaders within the company has been proven to build the morale of the employees. Conclusion Many abilities that identify great leaders have been found through the trait approach. Although these abilities are good, leadership is not limited by them. It has been exemplified through President Obama that in life, being a leader can be learned. President Obama was not born a leader, but through education and leadership experiences, he now has the ultimate leadership position in this country. Knowing this to be true, other approaches to studying leadership were developed such as the situational approach, the integrative approach, the behavior approach, and the power-influence approach.

Two Electronic Products :: Technology Essays

Two Electronic Products It is hard to imagine how an improvement in technology affects the electronic products that you use in daily life. The engineers around the world are working hard to keep up with the pace of technology because consumers have higher demand. As the world becomes digitally technological, every electronic product will function digitally because it is more convenient, time conservative, and money saving. In order to see the differences between old fashioned technology and modern technology, I will be comparing the two types of cameras that I own – a digital camera and a film camera. It is obvious that a digital camera has many more advantages than a film camera. First of all, a digital camera is evaluated. The model that I have is the PowerShot S230 with 3.2 megapixels. You might wonder what the function of megapixels are if you are not familiar with a digital camera. Therefore, it is better to explain the benefits of the digital camera from a block diagram. From the above block diagram, a digital camera will work if you plug in all the necessary items such as a fully charged battery and a CompactFlash card. You will need several cables to view the pictures in different kinds of machines. The above diagram shows that an AV cable is needed to view a picture on a television or a video. Direct interface cables and a USB cable are needed to print the pictures and view the pictures in the computer respectively. The digital camera serves as a filmless camera. However, the CompactFlash card that comes with the camera contains 16 megabytes only, which in turn stores up to only 20 pictures. In order to store hundreds of pictures, the consumers usually purchase another memory card with 256 megabytes or 512 megabytes, which can store up to 500 pictures. If you do not like some pictures, you can always erase them in order to get back some memory. The pictures in the camera can be viewed either in the computer or as a hardcopy. To process the pictures in the hardcopy, we just have to bring the CompactFlash card to the image machine to develop the pictures. However, if you want to store the pictures in the computer, you will have to use a USB Interface Cable to connect the camera to the Central Processing Unit (CPU) of the computer.

Alchemy, Compare Paracelsus Essay

Neither Francis Bacon nor Paracelsus claims to be a professional alchemist, however, they both portray a strong defence as to why it is imperative to divulge the mysteries of nature. Both readings assert alchemy as a way of discovering the true forms of things. Paracelsus uses alchemy as a reference point of the past in defence for his use of medicine, whereas Bacon asserts through inductive reasoning that this ‘art of logic’ is how ‘we conquer nature’ (Bacon 1620). What they both get right is their concept of alchemy as an art, and how it is seen as ‘the art of discovery’ (Dawkins 1999). f the divine power. Bacon has two readings that both discuss the matter of alchemy, however, in diverse ways. Firstly, let us acknowledge his insisting on inductive reasoning. Essentially, Bacon presumes through inductive reasoning several interpretations of nature; he chooses this argumentative approach because of his inferences of the unobserved patterns of the future from particulars observed in the past. He suggests an entirely new system of logic, which is based on induction, rather than on syllogism. In fact, Bacon rejects proof by syllogism as it ‘operates in confusion and lets nature slip out of our hands’ (Bacon 1620). Through alchemy, we can conquer nature; overcome the ‘difficult and dark things’ (Bacon 1620). What’s more is the role he suggests of observational experiment as prerequisites for the construction of scientific theory (Bacon 1620). Paracelsus, on the other hand, convinces us that alchemy is ‘nothing, but the art, which can separate the useful from the useless, and transmute it into its final substance and its ultimate essence’ (Paracelsus 1951). He deduces that, without alchemy, there would not be medicine. So we can conclude that when he defends alchemy, he defends medicine, rather than the revelation of the mysteries of nature. In his guide, Bacon discusses how we can teach our minds to be receptive to truth and how our minds can invoke illusions, perceptual illusions – idols of the tribe (Mulder 2000)that are inherent in the nature of the intellect itself. Our senses are how we inspect and analyse the nature of this real world (Bacon 1620), and it is within our subconsciousness that we devise things in certain ways. Our senses affect the way in which we perceive shapes, colours and metals. Whereas Paracelsus talks about physical changes, like from lead to gold. Did he then consider himself to be a ‘natural magician’, who explored the secrets of nature(Gal 2013)? Moreover, he notes the mysteries of nature and how alchemy attempts to reveal and ‘brings to light’ (Paracelsus 1951) what is hidden. There is physical transmutation, an experience, which leads to the unveiling of truth and disproves mystery. What we also should take into consideration is the role of God and how His influence has affected their respective analysis In Bacon’s The Making of Gold, he addresses the negative view on alchemy due to incorrect implementation. He notes that if done in a proper manner with axioms, then it would work and people would be more accepting of it. Similarly, Paracelsus believes his medicine is the only way to recognize and overcome diseases. ‘Physicians who say that the prescriptions (he) writes are poison’ (Paracelsus 1951), are lacking in understanding of natural forces. The mysterium of nature created by God is implemented through alchemy. As a consequence, are alchemists seen to be meddling with God’s creation? If they are, it is supposedly both futile and heretical, and we’ll say: dangerous. Indeed God tasks man with completing his natural creation, for ‘man is nature’s agent and interpreter’(Bacon 1620), however, can we say the transmutation of base metals to gold is a way for mankind to alter the ways of God’s creation, perhaps even replace God’s intentions? For example, the ‘spirit of metal be quickened, and the tangible parts opened’(Bacon 1627) leads to the revelation of gold, hence the alchemist reveals great virtues that ‘lie hidden in nature’(Paracelsus 1951). Here, Bacon presents us with two types of worlds in his Guide to the Interpretation of Nature; nature, free and unconstrained, and nature, confined and harassed when forced from its own condition by art and human agency (Bacon 1627). Essentially, Bacon argues that nature is more likely to reveal its full potential through the ‘harassment of art’, rather than in ‘her own proper freedom’(Bacon 1627). Although Paracelsus asserts that alchemy is indispensable, Bacon accepts the understanding of nature that upheld the theoretical principles of alchemy (Linden 1974). He embraced a similarity of sorts, but one divested in the tremendously complicated system of analogies (those referencing God, included) adopted by Paracelsus and the magicians.

Chapter 9: Implementing Strategy Through Organizational Design

Organizational Design – The process through which managers select the combination of organizational structure and control systems that they believe will enable the company to create and sustain a competitive advantage. Coordinate and motivate employees To create valueand Obtain a competitive advantage Koontz and O’Donnell The Process School of Management Planning Organizing Staffing Directing Controlling Building blocks of organizational structure Differentiation Vertical – how much authority to delegate Horizontal – how to divide people Into functions and divisions Integration – coordinate people and functions To accomplish organizational goals and tasks Tall structure (7 – 10 levels) Flat structure (2 – 4 levels) Tall Structure Problems Coordination Information distortion Motivation Too many middle managers McKinsey Consulting Company Increased height of company organization structures Presidents Office President of each division Centralization or Decentralization (tending toward) Decentralization 1. Delegate decision making authority to middle and lower level managers 2. Adapt to local conditions. Promotes flexibility 3. Fewer managers needed Centralization 1. Facilitates coordination and planning 2. Decisions fit broad organizational objectives Management Policy – Guidelines for decision making are made at highest levels And passed down to lower levels Horizontal Differentiation – How to group tasks and activities to meet strategies Functional Structure – Grouping by expertise. Most U. S. firms have a functional structure Advantages Good place to learn Easy to control Effective and efficient Disadvantages Geographical diversion causes duplication of people and costs Communication problems Measurement problems Location problems Strategic problems Product Structure – Group by product line. Product Team structure Matrix Management Concurrent Design Methodology Cross-functional teams Geographic Structure Multidivisional Structure Self-contained product line or business unit (Operating responsibility) Corp headquarters staff. Financial Control. (Strategic Responsibility) Advantages of Multidivisional Structure Enhanced corporate financial control Strategic control Growth Internal efficiency Disadvantages of a Multidivisional Structure Establish Division-Corporate authority levels GM and Alfred Sloan Litton Industries Distortion of information Competition for resources Transfer pricing (GE example) Focus on short-term High operating costs All functions are in each division Integration and Organizational Control Forms in Integrating Mechanisms 1. Direct contact 2. Interdepartmental liaison roles 3. Temporary task forces – ad hoc committees 4. Permanent teams – standing committees 5. Integrating roles Differentiation and Integration The Nature of Organizational Control 1. Monitor 2. Evaluate 3. Compare actual to goals 4. Take corrective action Strategic Controls Financial controls Stock Sales Growth ROI Profit Output Controls Set Goals Measure output performance against goals Behavior Control – Rules and Procedures Common controls 1. Operating budgets 2. Standardization 3. Rules and procedures 4. Organizational Culture a. Values – beliefs and goals b. Norms – Expectations for behavior Culture and Strategic Leadership Walt Disney example

A Solution For Terminal Illness Professor Ramos Blog

A Solution For Terminal Illness Imagine this, your mother has had uncontrollable seizures for the past four years with no cure or way to stop them. You have to watch helplessly as she goes through a minimum of seven seizures a day. She can no longer walk, eat, brush her teeth, or do normal activities as she used to without your help. She tells you that every day she is living in unimaginable pain with no rest. The medications to ease some of the pain costs hundreds of dollars that you have to pay for. Your mother tells you she wants to end her life and finally be at peace without having to wake up every morning and go through each day suffering. Would you agree and consent with her in being put to rest? This act of a physician legally ending a person’s life by a painless means with the consent from the patient and their family is called voluntary euthanasia. There are two different ways that euthanasia can be classified. Euthanasia can be classed as either voluntary euthanasia or involuntary euthanasia. Volu ntary euthanasia is when a patient requests and gives consent for a physician to take their life. Involuntary euthanasia is when the patient is unable to give consent for this action (but has previously expressed their want for their life to end) and that decision is then made by someone else. Euthanasia should be legal to anyone who is suffering because of an incurable medical condition or if they are terminally ill, as long as the patient gives consent and has a true understanding of what the procedure is. To clarify what euthanasia is, according to the National Health Service, euthanasia is â€Å"the act of deliberately ending a persons life to relieve suffering† (â€Å"Euthanasia† par. 1). A doctor would be able to intentionally overprescribe a patient’s medication in order for them to slowly end their life, with the consent of the patient of course. This should be legal to those who are suffering from severe medical conditions with no cure or those who are terminally ill. Dr. Michael Irwin states, â€Å"I wouldnt want to be unnecessarily kept alive against my own will (Irwin par. 3). If someone wants to willingly end their life because of medical reasons they should at least have that option available. Being kept alive against one’s own will, and making them suffer from an incurable medical condition is outrageous because they just want to be at peace. This could bring up the question, what about the doctors doing this, can’t it be seen as murder? Dr. Marcia Angell says, â€Å"It seems to me that, as with opposition based on whether the physician is active, the argument that physicians should be only healers focuses too much on the physician, and not enough on the patient.† (Angell 2). Focusing on the patients needs and wants is more important because it should be the patient’s choice if they want to solve their health problems by passing away peacefully. More emphasis should be directed towards what the patient wants not on how the physician feels. In cases where healing and curing patients is unreachable, doctor’s should find ways to alleviate that suffering patients are experiencing. When it gets to the point when the patient is suffering and there’s no plausible way that the patient could recover and heal, then that is the time that he or she should be able to decide if medically passing away is the right option for them. In the end, if the decision is to voluntarily be put to rest then so be it . The best decision for the patient is the most important and he or she should be able to make that choice. The physicians role in this can be explained with the help of the Hippocratic oath that will be discussed as well. The Hippocratic Oath is an oath that has been taken by physicians throughout history and goes like this: I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant: I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow. Swearing by this oath could prevent someone from helping a patient with their assisted death but the procedure can always been discussed if it is legal in the state where the patient resides. Theres people that tell me why are you doing this [advocating for PAS], youre supposed to cure, youre supposed to help this person, my answer to that is some people need help dying. To prolong a death in some cases is not helpful, it can be counter productive. My objective is that given the Hippocratic Oath, Im not going against it† (Irwin par. 4). He is not going against the oath because that is was he works by, also he does everything through his work so there is no chance that his work or job could be jeopardized by thinking about assisting a suicide. This oath where the body of it forbids the killing of a human being and also bans the help in suicide. The family has to constantly have the thought in the back of their head that a loved one is in a great amount of pain. Financially, there are many complications that could arise with keeping a suffering man or woman in a hospital along with their treatment. For people who have gone through the decision of euthanasia, they would want to acknowledge if he or she has a legal right to do so. â€Å"Savings to governments could become a consideration. Drugs for assisted suicide cost about $75 to $100, making them far less expensive than providing medical care. This could fill the void from cutbacks for treatment and care with the treatment of death†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Nordqvist 3) Keeping the patient in the hospital can exceed the cost of the procedure of helping the patient with assisted suicide. Prolonged payments go to waste if the patient is not going to get better or is going to pass soon. This money could be put to a more beneficial use if assisted suicide is allowed. The drugs bought to help the patient with assisted suicide or euthanasia are much less expensive than the treatment to keep them at the point of survival but not truly living. For some families, choosing assisted suicide is the only affordable choice for people who cannot cont inue to pay. The patient may also feel obligated to choose the route of ending the financial drought of their family if that is what it comes to in order to relieve that burden from their family. The typical procedure of death by euthanasia or assisted suicide is unknown to many individuals in our society today because so little conversation about it is being discussed. However, Many people worry that if voluntary euthanasia were to become legal, it would not be long before involuntary euthanasia would start to happenIn general form, it says that if we allow something relatively harmless today, we may start a trend that results in something currently unthinkable becoming accepted.† (Irwin par. 9). If the laws and people start practicing and going along with assisted death, either voluntary or involuntary, then soon enough that is what people would turn to first and more often possibly without the necessary reasons and thoughts. Overall, there has been an overview of several pros of Euthanasia such as the legalization from medical perspectives, the new knowledge of the Hippocratic Oath and who is represented by the oath, and the financial motivations of the participants in the talk of euthanasia. Euthanasia should be legal to anyone who is suffering because of an incurable medical condition or if they are terminally ill, as long as the patient gives consent and has a true understanding of what the procedure is. By making this choice legal, this would provide a better solution to people with terminal illnesses. The importance that people have the choice to go through with assisted death with reason is very significant because it could be a life-changing decision that affects more than just the patient. Having this ability to choose to end one’s own suffering can relieve their own stress along with the stress of their family. Work Cited Angell, Marcia. May Doctors Help You to Die?† Senior Lecturer in Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, New York Review of Books, Oct. 11, 2012 â€Å"Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide.† NHS Choices, National Health Services, 29 June 2017. Irwin, Michael. â€Å"Euthanasia: The Right to Die Should Be a Matter of Personal Choice.† Mirror, Irish Mirror, 19 Aug. 2013. Nordqvist, Christian. â€Å"Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: What Are They and What Do They Mean?† Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 17 Dec. 2018, medicalnewstoday.com/articles/182951.php.

buy custom BUPA Healthcare essay

buy custom BUPA Healthcare essay PART I 1.0. Executive summary Bupa refers to the British United Provident Association and it is a big British Healthcare organization which was established in 1947 by seventeen provident associations who integrated to provide healthcare services for the general public. Bupa is a leading provider of healthcare insurance and health care services in the UK. The company has operations in three continents and boasts of more than ten million clients in more than 200 countries. Being a privately owned company, Bupa works in direct contrast to the National Health services. The NHS is funded by tax-payers money and they do not require private insurance in order to gain access to them. Bupa has its own hospitals that can be accessed by people living in the UK and who have private health insurance policies or those who can meet their costs. Initially, the company provided private medical insurance but eventually expanded to provide privately run hospitals. 2.0. Marketing and Corporate Objectives Bupas aim is to meet provide individuals as well as companies across the globe with a health service that is second to none. This corporate objective defines forms the basis of developing the marketing objectives that will help the company realize this goal.Many organizations and institutions aims at achieving the objective of profit maximization, Bupa Health Insurance are no exception. In order to achieve this objective, the institution has set out the marketing objectives for its insurance services. The organization aims at gaining preference for its services in the UK market and they have developed advertising and marketing programs in an attempt to acquire wide customer base (Cooper, 2000). In addition it has aimed at retaining the customers through provision of coupon on their insurance services to those who are loyal to the organization. In the case of health facilitation, it has ensured that drug-thru prescription is given to the customers, and patients are attended to without delay. Bupa marketing objective also focuses on Patient education on their health. Currently, the competitive nature of the health sector has probed many health organizations to devise ways in which they can attract more customers; health education is one of them. In order to meet this objective, the organizations have recruiting physicians who are able to handle the diverse medical conditions of the patients. It is clear that the marketing objectives undertaken by Bupa aims at realizing its corporate objective in the long run. 3.0. SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis refers to the strengths, Weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a firm and it is a tool which is used for auditing an organization together with its environment. The SWOT analysis helps a company to focus on key issues which are then fed into the marketing objectives. Bupa is an international healthcare group that is privately held and it provides health insurance and care services to the public. The company operates and manages health care homes, clinics and hospitals and its operations are based in more than 200 nations which among them include Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Australia, Spain, Thailand and Malta. The company has its headquarters based in London, UK and as at 31st of December 2009, it had employed a total of 41, 898 people. During the financial year that ended in December 2009, the company recorded an increase of seventeen point two percent (17.2%) as compared to the financial year that ended in the year 2008. This significant increase in Bupas revenues was attributed towards a strong performance of EMEALA and the Asia Pacific segments. SWOT Analysis for Bupa Healthcare STRENGHTS Special expertise Geographical advantage Innovative service Cultural connectivity Motivation of staff WEAKNESSES Lack of precise marketing plan Service lines not differentiated OPPORTUNITIES New technology in the market No dominant competition New market segments offering improved profit Niche markets THREATS Economic shifts Increased competition Loss of competent staff Seasonality Changes in the insurance plans The strength and weaknesses of Bupa is considered to be the internal factors while the opportunities and threats are the external factors. In regard to the organizations strengths Bupa healthcare, being the leading health insurance organization in the UK, has qualified staff and expertise. This has enhanced their competitive advantage over other health insurance and health care organizations. In addition, UK being a developed economy necessitates for geographical advantage due to high population and immense innovative services. As a leading healthcare, physicians and staff are well remunerated therefore they are able to perform their duties effectively with minimal supervision (Lowson. 2002). In regard to the healthcare weaknesses, the organization has not fostered for clear marketing plan of its services and this has mitigated its chances of achieving its long run objectives in the short run. Service lines are not adequately differentiated so as the staff and the medical practitioners can easily render their services to the consumers. The external factors that affect Bupas performances are the Opportunities and the Threats. The Opportunities for the organization are the new technology imminent in the UKs economy, and there is no dominant competitor as the PPP and Legal and General and Norwich Union keeps on changing their marketing strategy thus affecting their competitiveness in the economy. In addition, Bupa has come up with new market segments for its products which aim at increasing the revenue outlay for the organization. The threats facing the organization are diverse. They include economic shifts characterized by inflation, increased competition, loss of competent staff and the changes experienced in the insurance plans. Before embarking on any marketing process it is crucial for Bupa and any other company to consider its environment and the environmental analysis should be a process which feeds all the aspects of Bupas planning and it should also be continuous. Bupas marketing environment is comprised up of the internal environment, the microenvironment and the macro environment. The internal environment for Bupa will include their staffs which are also referred to as the internal customers, wages, finances and office technology. The staff working for Bupa Healthcare is well trained and therefore capable of offering there services to their clients in the best way possible and this therefore ensures customer satisfaction (Kotler Gary, 2000). The health company also makes use of the highest automated office technology in its operations and therefore ensuring that good quality is achieved in the delivery of its services. Further more, the company pays its workers wages which are in line with the curre nt rates and therefore ensuring that they are well motivated. Bupas microenvironment includes its agents, external customers, suppliers, competitors and distributors who play a crucial role in ensuring that the company meets its objectives. Bupas external customers are located in over 200 nations located all over the world and these are people who seek the services of the company especially regarding health services. The companys agents and distributors includes the people who supply the company with various medical supplies, machines and services which are vital for the companys survival. The companys major competitors include PPP and Legal and General and Norwich Union which have also cut a niche in the health market (Nagle Holden, 2004). The Political, Economic, socio-cultural and Technological (PEST) factors are some of the macro-environment issues that affect it. The company is sometimes politically affected especially when it wants to set new companies in other countries because the internal companies in the countries will often feel threatened by the entry of a new competitor in their home market and therefore this greatly affects their performance in some countries. The hard economic times and recession have also had an impact on the operations of company. This is because the high cost of living has made some of the products and services of the company to be too costly to the extend that some people are unable to seek the health services of the company as they initial did. A decline in the number of people seeking the services of the health company and therefore this may eventually affect the profit turnover for the company (Lowson. 2002). The company is further faced with the challenges of operating in various countries with diverse socio-cultural backgrounds and therefore it always takes a longer period of time before a strong business base is established in such a market. These socio-cultural forces therefore greatly affect the performance of Bupa healthcare in the provision of its services to the general public. The rise of new technological forces has also made it a mandatory for Bupa to change its marketing and corporate policies so as to keep in line with the new information technology trends. These PEST factors when integrated with the micro-environmental or external factors can be classified to be Opportunities and Threats when performing a SWOT analysis for Bupa. 4.0 Target Markets Accordingly Bupa Healthcare is focused on the home health care services, hospitals services, hospice agencies, and area agencies in order to ultimately achieve its strategic objective. In addition, the target is also on the adult care in the UK, group homes and the Nursing homes as its major target markets. As healthcare fosters for improved global health service in the economy, the organization has strategized on these target markets in terms of advertisement of the new services and promotional activities. Achieving the corporate goal of profit maximization needs to be effective in designing and selecting the target market for the service; this is what Bupa Healthcare is undertaking (Lowson. 2002). The competitiveness in the economy has seen many organizations in this sector articulate to broad target market. As evident from the diversified nature of Bupa healthcare target market, it is clear that competition has enhanced expansion of activities and operations. The organization has advertently used market differentiation for it to effectively reach the desired target markets in the economy (Nagle Holden, 2004). For instance, in the case of home care health services, the organization ensures that the consumers are able to acquire the healtcare services from the specialists in their homes across the various ranges of therapies. They include the discharge planning and the patient referral, aseptic and pharmacy manufacturing, delivery of confidential services and nursing services to the esteemed consumers. Consequently corporate branding positioning for Bupa healthcare focuses on the investment and shareholders community, employees of the company, and the advisors and investors for the organization. Achieving the strategic goal needs the Bupa healthcare to foster ion its corporate reputation by ensuring that the organization is creating and understanding the enduring Bupas reputation. The corporate team provides services, insights and tools that will enhance the organization to build measure and manage its reputation in each of the target market (Weinstein, 2004). 5.0. Marketing Mix Strategy, The main aspects of the recommendation of the marketing mix strategy for Bupa include coming up with a strategy that will enable the organization increase effectiveness in both products and service delivery (Kotler Gary, 2000). This strategy will also help in integration of marketing as well as enabling methods of communication to be more effective in the process of marketing. The strategy of marketing mix is likely to bring positive outcome as it will facilitate the attainment of the set objectives for the organization. Moreover, other strategies that must be incorporated as recommendations for the success of Bupa in marketing its products include: proper strategy to determine the products and services to be offered, their price, having an integrated marketing communication as well as having a correct channel for distribution of the products and services (Blythe, 2006). Product and services strategy involves coming up with proper strategies concerning the products and services that are to be offered (Kotler Gary, 2000). This include product attributes that concern eths products, branding the products, methods that is to be used in the packaging of the products, types of the labels to be used in the products as well as offering the related after sales services among other product services (Nagle Holden, 2004). Moreover, the organization must be able to offer the right products as well as services that satisfy the customers as well lead to increased profitability. This is the major role of the top management is it is involved in making major decisions affecting the performance and service delivery (Chrvala, 2001). Product strategy must be communicated effectively. This is because, it has a major influence to all the parties involved who include the customers and suppliers. Moreover, the products must comply with the changing in technology in order t o compete effectively in the market and gain the market share (Nagle Holden, 2004). Integrated marketing communication is one of the major recommendations that the organization should use in order to get a positive marketing strategy (Kotler Gary, 2000). In this case, IMC involves coordinating and integrating the tools, avenues, the functions available as well as resources that are available for communication. This helps to increase the impact of consumers and ensure that the cost of services and goods are available at low cost. In this case, customer relationship is well managed though the brand value through the use of communication (Nagle Holden, 2004). Therefore, profitable relationship on both the side of customers and the organization is hence achieved. Various channels are used in communication that includes the business to business, internal communication, marketing the services and products available as well as ensuing that customers are able to get a focused channel through either direct or indirect communication. Marketing mix involves promotion of good s and services in the market. Due to advancement in technology, methods of products promotion, segmentation of customers are hence addressed though the use of several means (Croft, 2001). In this case, several forms of media are used in Channel management involves employing a process where the organization uses marketing as an activity through involvement of the all the parties as well as motivating them. The parties are also involved in the distribution channel to the products. In this instance, the organization is able to come up with a strategy that helps the organization to come up with a coherent form of framework that helps to integrate marketing and efforts that are geared towards selling and promotion of the products (Nagle Holden, 2004). Channel structure is important in marketing and hence it must be preserved to enable continued connection between the customers and the members of the organization. This is achieved though the improvement of the competitive market place and ensuring that marketing strategies targets to serve the uses as well as manage their efforts (Cooper, 2000). Pricing is another strategy that Bupa must adopt in its marketing efforts. Pricing strategy involves the following; setting a fair price that is similar to that set by the other parties in the market offering the same goods and services. The services and goods must be distinctive from those of competitors. This is by setting a competitive price (Baack, 2007). Moreover, products and services should be in a position to assume the following, the elasticity of price whether low or high, cross elasticity as well as the possibility of demand to fall or rise. In this case, it is important for any given organization to use the proper strategy while deciding the price to provide in the market. This will enable the company to have some form of stability in the market concerning the price as a strategy. Methods of pricing must also be incorporated. For example cost plus is one of major method that is used in determining the price of any given commodity (Weinstein, 2004). The organization is able to calculate the cost that is involved in the production of the products that are then added to the percentage profit (Kent, 2003). Thus the firm is able to determine the best price that the products are to be sold in the market. However, through this method, the firm may not be able to determine potential customers thus unable to increase their pool of consumers and hence it is hard to expand the market. Another pricing strategy is that of creaming (Nagle Holden, 2004). This involves selling given product at a very high price in order to gain profit. In our case, creaming is not appropriate as customers are likely to run into other competition firms offering medical services and hence Bupa will loose the market share (Kent, 2003). Other major methods that can be employed as pricing strategy include penetration pricing that involves lowering the price of products and services in order to increase pool of customers, discrimination of process where same produc t is sold using different prices in diverse market segments. Premium pricing is another pricing strategy that is crucial in maintaining market share. In order to execute this strategy Bupa would need to maintain the prices of its products high in order to encourage users to have a positive perception about the product (Stokes, 2008). Bupa cannot perform effectively without adhering to the strategies that aims at planning its market (Kent, 2003). This will include evaluation of the organizations strengths, possible weakness, and the opportunities available in the future as well the possibility of the organization incurring some of threats in future. When these factors are evaluated, it is possible for a company to come up with a marketing strategy that will help it to perform well in future and hence make long term plans (Kent, 2003). It is recommended that a proper planning will ensure that the company is able come, up with strategies to ensure that the working environment is favourable. The analysis of the objectives helps the company to come up with the desired methods which will help to offer the best medical services as it is in a position to define its services. Thus strategy planning cannot be avoided. For example, there are external elements that are available within the environment that may be a major thr eat to the performance of the organization. It is recommended that the company must be able to attain the competitive advantage in order to survive and perform well in the market (Baack, 2007). The weakness of a company must be converted into strengths and opportunities well exploited. PART II 1.0. The Strategic and Long-Term Benefits to BUPA in Undertaking Demand Forecasting Activities Demand forecasting activities play a vital role in the process of decision making for both the suppliers and buyers of any given product. In the case of the British United Provident Association (BUPA), a lack of effective demand forecasting would have a serious impact on the entire supply chain because it would become difficult if not impossible to efficiently mobilize the rest of the supply chain to deliver health care insurance and treatment services (Lowson, 2002). Lives are at a great risk of being lost if there is no accurate and credible information regarding demand for essential health products. At the same time, when there exists a mismatch between supply and demand due to lack of sufficient demand forecasting, there is possibility that there will emerge unnecessary high prices coupled with supply shortages (Bradley, 2000). Forecasting and planning strategies significantly affect operational excellence, customer satisfaction, service costs, workforce utilization and inventory performance of an organization (Lowson, 2002). By undertaking demand forecasting activities in order to plan for the effective and efficient use of available capacity and resources, BUPA is bound to benefit through matching service supply to the growing market demand. This is achieved through acquiring relevant information regarding new market potential which allows for efficient resource allocation to develop, produce and commercialize new products. Demand forecasting is essential to enable health systems in developing nations to develop capacity for delivering necessary standard product scales and product mix (Seifert, 2003). Since BUPA is a service organization, it operates in environment surrounded with great uncertainty especially due to fact that many service needs are determined and driven by external events including; new product developments, customer complaints, change in geographic and political landscapes, and environmental disasters such as tsunamis among other uncertainties. Therefore, demand forecasting activities by BUPA will help reduce the effects of uncertainty through controlling labour related runaway costs for instance, as well as aligning future service demand to inventory availability (Wedel, 2000). 2.0. BUPAs supply chain Supply chains can be defined as a system of suppliers, retailers, manufacturers, and customers where materials normally flow down stream from suppliers to customers. Management of the supply chain involves managing a series of activities that are concerned with planning, coordinating the mmovement of materials from the suppliers to the consumers. For this to be achieved, material, financial, and information flows are managed as decisions are made at strategic, tactical, and operational levels across the supply chain (Simchi-Levi et al., 2003). Supply chains are important in maintaining the provision of much needed goods and services to those that require them at any given time Dittman (2011). It is common knowledge that there are numerous risks that are associated with the movement of goods from one place to another, and therefore, the need to manage those risks in order to ensure the smooth movement of those good and services. Management of risks, therefore, ensures that customers or clients are protected while maintaining the reputation of the supplier. Indeed, reputational risk cannot be outsourced. According to Dittman (2011), supply chains are exposed to numerous risks and one of the biggest impediments to sustaining an effective supply chain is the lack of a proper process that identifies, manages and mitigates those risks. One of the major concerns in the managing supply chain is the lack of information to guide managers in making decisions thought the supply chain. In addition, lack of effective demand forecasting is likely to have a serious impact on the entire supply chain because it would become difficult if not impossible to efficiently mobilize the rest of the supply chain to deliver health care insurance and treatment services. BUPA needs to ensure an effective combination of her organizational capabilities, enabling technologies and strategic actions so as to attain efficient operations that make good use of demand forecasting and planning tools in its effort to align future service demand with available resource and inventory capacity. This is because forecasting provides avenue to handle both the certain and uncertain situations hence enhances risk management and facilitates attainment of corporate objectives (McAvoy, 2008). Demand forecasting being a vital component in the supply chain, can be applied in the balanced scorecard concept of performance management to demonstrate its impact to the wider day-to-day performance picture of the organization. This concept was developed by Robert Kaplan and David Norton to establish a framework for interpreting and translating an organizations vision into specific deliverables. The primary aim of performance management is to align the activities of the organization to the corporate goals and the broader objectives. BUPA can thus enhance its operations and decision accuracy by integrating its demand forecast initiatives to make information available on demand. Success is achieved through collaboration and cohesive working among and between the various units and departments. The activities of the supply chain of BUPA influence each other while interacting with each other to generate a comprehensive, holistic, closedloop that is essential for the organizations success and sustainability (McAvoy, 2008). These functions which include demand forecasting, capacity planning and service execution enables BUPA to perform reliably by facilitating a harmonious flow of activity among the otherwise discrete functions in the supply chain. At BUPAs organizational level, executive sponsorship lays the necessary foundation upon which a strategic focus towards adoption of forecasting and planning technology is spearheaded by the top level management of the organization which is important in promoting transparency and accountability across the entire organization. This in turn promotes the right organizational culture and behaviour and goes a long way in fostering credibility in the organization (Vermond, 2006). For a service oriented organization like BUPA, timely and reliable information is indispensable in planning for the organizations growth and future success (Seung-Hee, 2007). Emergency operations which are a characteristic feature of BUPAs daily operations can not be effectively handled without timely and reliable statistics. Generally, in order to attain service excellence, BUPA will require highly suitable practice processes, enabling technologies as well as sustainable executive stewardship working together in harmony. In other words, efficient knowledge management is vital in the supply chain as it enables informed forecasting and planning which is based on previous history, present day patterns and real time occurrences including process feedback and time used hence provide for continuity (Hughes, et al., 2006). Technology is a key component in the supply chain. A service organization like BUPA must thus endeavour to use more advanced tools and forecasting and planning technology that will allow for quick and better access to important information without struggling going through unnecessary details to retrieve the required information. This is important to save time and enhance customer satisfaction through efficient service delivery hence create a competitive advantage (Hughes, et al., 2006). In conclusion, it must be emphasized that because of the complex and dynamic nature of todays global economy, service organizations face growing challenges regarding the softening economy, need for frequent and continuous reporting and assessment of service trends as well as performance evaluations. This means that information is a significant component in the supply chain management of corporate health. Executives must have accurate information in order to facilitate evaluation of daily costs for them to ensure a sustainable alignment between service and corporate goals. 3.0. Bupas and the Lean Philosophy Innovation is a very important process for the success of an organization. While pursuing innovation, companies face strategic choices on where to concentrate the available resources. This process is greatly associated with change and as a result posed a challenge to any management. Sarkar (2007) explain the difference between routine change and more radical change that is not programmed. According to Evangelistica (2000), circumstances that are within the normal scope of existing management practices are considered as normal change Innovation and continuous improvement require a commitment to a process of continuous learning, so as to come up with new practices in an organization. The generation of these ideas is a critical part of the process of innovation and creativity is the process that helps the generation of these ideas. The gains obtained from this process of innovation activities at BUPA have been remarkable (Miles, 2004). These online delivery services can be accessed by l ogging into the companys official website. These services enable the company to submit new scheme members by batch, online tracking of claims, and online printing of membership certificates. These services allow customers to closely follow all programs of their health care scheme when there is a need. According to Evangelistica (2000), the personnel officer of Zahid Tractor said that, Improvements of online services and new services at BUPA Saudia have had a positive effect on the pace on registration of personnel data. Online transactions currently take a very short time. The personnel officer added that it was worth mentioning that the new service had made it possible for the staff at BUPA to print membership certificate on their own. This would enable submission to the authorities in-charge in the event that one looses his or her card, or as an evidence to be submitted to a consulate to obtain a visa. All corporate clients at BUPA are trained on how to access services of the company online. To facilitate easy reference, the company developed a user manual for its customers. This provision of online services to the customers has fastened and improved the efficiency of transacting at BUPA. Also, networking of hospitals and clinics in various countries has been made possible through the development of the online services by BUPA. This has enabled the company to offer new and better benefits. There has been expansion of online pre-authorization links in order to cover most clinics and hospitals under BUPA network of medical providers. This process has enabled faster and instant approval of pre-authorization, thus reducing waiting time for the members. Today, 90% of all online pre-authorization handed in at BUPA agencies are processed within a quarter an hour. Dental and Optical services requests are often approved instantly. According to Evangelistica (2000), Insurance Office Manager of Dr. Bakhsh Hospital in Jeddah, Dr. Khalib, said that the new online services had made processing of pre-authorization at BUPA in Asia to be fast and efficient. He added that the access they provide to check on benefits of members from their own system really helps to deliver services fast to their patients who are members at BUPA Asia. Additional online services for network providers include electronic submission of invoices for medical claims, and electronic link up with BUPA agencies database to access the table of benefits to members and limits of coverage. The new improved online services promote efficiency and show how the company can better the business process in an environment of business to business. Innovation is one of the reasons why BUPA is the leader of the health insurance industry. This innovation has enabled the company to be proud to be the first to employ online technology to offer its clients a modern way of faster service delivery. If the new insurance regulations are fully implemented, the market for BUPA will continue to grow (Van de ven et al., 2000). This online service is part of the companys general strategy of maintaining their place as a premium service provider. In order to achieve the above benefits through online service delivery, the company employed the Lean philosophy by hiring consultants. These consultants observed the operation of the company and advised it where they needed to cut down inventory and how they were to re-organize the company to realize superb flow of services. The consultants also trained the companys human resource on different Lean tools such as 5S. Through this, the workers were able to practice collective imagination. The application of Lean philosophy started by involving all the parties that were concerned and the result is that it has enabled the company to cut down time wastage through fast and efficient delivery of services, and unnecessary movements by clients in pursuit of information and documents at certain periods of times. In conclusion, the Lean philosophy is essential for efficient performance of a company. This efficiency was measured by the amount of time that was allocated for preparation, procurement of material and information, modifications and adjustments, and correction of mistakes. The client and the clients satisfaction was central I the lean philosophy for this company. It was essential for BUPA to continuous involve the clients in the process of implementation of the new services in order to assure that the project fulfilled the needs of the clients and ensure that time and other resources were not wasted on unnecessary activities. Buy custom BUPA Healthcare essay