The Special Education Resource Room

Resource room  is a separate setting, either a classroom or a smaller designated room,  where a special education program can be delivered to a student with a disability, individually or in a small group. Resource rooms are used in a variety of ways ranging from instruction, homework assistance, meetings, or representing students alternative social space. Resource Room vs. Least Restrictive Environment According to IDEA (Individual with Disabilities Educational Improvement Act), children with disabilities are to be educated in the least restrictive environment, which means they are to learn alongside children without disabilities to the maximum extent possible. However, remaining in the same space as general education students may be at times difficult or less than beneficial for students with disabilities, and it is in those cases that they are brought to the resource rooms. IDEA states that this removal, which is labeled as restrictiveness, should only happen when the students education in regular classes, despite the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. Sometimes, this form of support is called Resource and Withdrawal or a pull-out. The child getting this type of support will receive some time in the resource room—which refers to the withdrawal portion of the day—and some time in the regular classroom with modifications and/or accommodations—which represent the resource support in the regular classroom. This type of support helps ensure that the least restrictive environment or the inclusional model is still in place. Purpose of Resource Room Resource room is both for students who qualify for special education services or for general education students who need some special instruction in an individualized or small group setting for a portion of the day. Individual needs are supported in resource rooms as defined by the students  Individual Education Plan (IEP). Students come or are pulled to the resource room for a variety of reasons. Most commonly, they come there to access the educational materials in a manner that better suits their learning styles and capabilities. Sometimes, the regular classroom can be noisy and full of distractions, and the students come to the resource room to be better able to focus and take in the material, especially when new information is being introduced. At other times, the material taught in the general education classroom is above the students level and the resource room serves as a more serene place where the student can go over the material at a slower pace. The resource room has almost always a maximum ratio of five students to one teacher, and students often find themselves working with a teacher or a paraprofessional one on one. This heightened attention helps students focus better, be more engaged, and understand the material more easily. Other Uses of Resource Rooms Very often, students also come to the resource room to be assessed and tested, whether for their special needs or any other academic exams, as the resource room provides a less distracting environment and thus a better chance at success. Regarding special needs testing, to determine special education eligibility, a child is re-evaluated every three years, and in most cases, the reevaluation happens in the resource room. Many resource rooms also support the social needs of their students, as the small group setting is less threatening, and students who sometimes fall on the outskirts of the general education classes are more willing to step out of their comfort zones and make friends. The resource room also more readily provides opportunities for behavior interventions, and teachers frequently coach students on their social skills, often by helping them take on leadership responsibilities, such as helping another student learn. Very often, the resource room also serves as a meeting place for IEP evaluations. Teachers, paraprofessionals, parents, students, and any legal representatives typically spend well over 30 minutes discussing the specificities of the students IEP, reporting on how the student is currently doing in all aspects outlined in the plan, and then revise any sections as needed. How Long Is a Child in the Resource Room? Most educational jurisdictions have time increments that are allocated to the child for resource room support. This will sometimes vary based on the childs age. Often, 50% of a students academic time is a mark not frequently crossed. It is very rare for a child to spend more than 50% of their day in the resource room; however, they may indeed spend up to 50% of their time there. An example of allocated time could be a minimum of three hours a week in time increments of 45 minutes. In this way, the teacher in the resource room is able to concentrate on the specific area of need with some consistency. As children gain more maturity and self-sufficiency, the resource room support changes with them. There are resource rooms in elementary, middle, and high schools, but sometimes the support in high school, for example, may take on more of a consultative approach. Some older students feel a stigma when they go to the resource room, and teachers try to make the support as seamless for them as possible. The Teachers Role in the Resource Room Teachers in the resource room have a challenging role as they need to design all instruction to meet the specific needs of the students they serve to maximize their learning potential. The resource room teachers work closely with the childs regular classroom teacher and the parents to ensure the support is indeed helping the student reach their full potential. The teacher follows the IEP and takes part in the IEP review meetings. They also work very closely with other professionals and paraprofessionals to support the specific student. Usually, the resource room teacher works with small groups students, helping one on one when possible, even though there are frequent occasions when the special education teacher follows one or multiple students in their classes and assists them directly there. Sources â€Å"Section 1412 (a) (5).†Ã‚  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 7 Nov. 2019.â€Å"What Is Inclusion? An Introduction from Special Education Guide.†Ã‚  Special Education Guide.

Essay on Smoking; Who Does it Really Affect - 1128 Words

Secondhand smoke is extremely hazardous. It can cause death and dangerous health defects. Therefore, smoking is not only bad for the smoker, but for people around him or her too. However, there are only few laws that restrict public smoking. More legislation on smoking restrictions is needed because secondhand smoke causes asthma attacks in children, heart disease in adults, and sudden infant death syndrome in babies. These health problems are a result of the harmful chemicals in cigarettes. According to the National Cancer Institute, Beryllium, Butadiene, Chromium, Nickel, and Polonium are just a few of the 69 deadly chemicals that can cause cancer. The Office of the Surgeon General has proven that when inhaled, the same cancer-causing†¦show more content†¦Because of secondhand smoke, about 3,000 adults who do not smoke die of lung cancer each year. Research even proves that secondhand smoke possibly heightens the chances of breast cancer, nasal sinus cavity cancer, and nasopharyngeal cancer in grownups [National Cancer Institute]. Also, the chances of leukemia, lymphoma, and brain tumors in adolescents are heightened. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. National Toxicology Program, the U.S. Surgeon General, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have all classifies secondhand smoke as a known human carcinogen. Carcinogens are the causes of cancer. Adolescent s subject to secondhand smoke have also have heightened chances of sudden infant death syndrome, ear infections, colds, pneumonia, bronchitis, and extreme asthma [National Institutes of Health]. Besides those health effects, another concerning matter of secondhand smoke is heart disease. The American Heart Associations prove that although most people believe that smoking only affects your lungs, being subject to secondhand smoke practically doubled the chances of a heart attack. â€Å"Short exposures to secondhand smoke can cause blood platelets to become stickier, damages the lining of blood vessels, and decrease coronary flow velocity reserves. These are all mechanisms that may increase the risk of a heart attack† [American Heart Association]. People who do not smoke and are around smoke at home or at work heightenShow MoreRelatedTeenage Smoking In Teenagers886 Words   |  4 PagesSmoking in teenagers has been a topic of conversion for years. Should it be legal, illegal? Should there be an age requirement? Teenagers do what they want, and smoking is part of that. Most teenagers have taken in the consequences of smoking and its effects. 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Working Capital and Profitability In Indian Pharmaceutical Industry Free Essays

Introduction: The working capital management plays an important role, for success or failure of Firm in business because of its effect on firms’ profitability as well on liquidity. Working capital management is about the management of current assets and current liabilities, in such a way that a satisfactory level of working capital which maximizes the profits of the firm is maintained. The basic theme of working capital management is to provide adequate support for smooth and efficient functioning of normal day-to-day business operations, by striking a trade-off between the three proportions of working capital they are liquidity, profitability and risk. We will write a custom essay sample on Working Capital and Profitability: In Indian Pharmaceutical Industry or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the present environment of cut throat competition business does not have any other alternative, than cutting the cost of its operations in order to be competitive, as well as financially strong; it is in this connection that effective management of working capital plays a vital role. According to Mallik et al.,( 2005 , p. 51) â€Å"a great deal of controversy exists, over the issue as to whether the working capital of a firm as determined by its financing and investment decisions affects its profitability or not†. On this issue, academicians are sharply divided into two schools of thought, according to one school of thought â€Å"working capital is not a factor of improving profitability and there may be a negative relationship between them†. Where as the other school of thought argues that investment in working capital, plays a vital role to improve â€Å"corporate profitability† and unless there is a minimum level of investment of working capital â€Å"output and sales† cannot be maintained, they argue that inadequacy of working capital keeps fixed asset inoperative. Apparently a large number of considerations, play a vital role in the development of arguments and counter arguments in this regard: against the backdrop of this academic debate an attempt has been made in this study to† evaluate the interrelationship between working capital management and profitability of 10 selected pharmaceutical companies in the Indian pharmaceutical industry during the period from 2000 to 2010†. There are a lot of reasons for the importance of working capital management, for a typical manufacturing firm. The current assets account for over half of its total asset and for a distribution company they account for even more. Excessive levels of current assets can easily result in firms realizing a substandard return on investment. However Van Horne and Wachowicz (2004) points out that â€Å"excessive level of current assets, may have a negative effect of a firm’s profitability where as a low level of current assets may lead to lowers of liquidity ,and stock-outs resulting in difficulties in maintaining smooth operations†. The Indian pharmaceutical industry The Indian pharmaceutical industry is a successful high technology industry with Consistent growth over three decades. It has developed the capability to ensure National, self sufficiency in addressing health care requirements and its export ability makes it a planned trade sector, the industry exports generic drugsincluding those into the highly regulated US and European markets. The industry is characterized by a low degree of concentration, a low level of research and development (RD) intensity with a high level of brand abundance. Incentives for innovation have been damaged by, the low purchasing capability of the domestic market along with the ease of, simulation and horizontal product differentiation features representative of industries behind the technological boundary. Presently, the Indian pharmaceutical market ranks 4th in volume and 13th in value In the world, production value is estimated at around $4.5 billion with about 5 million direct and 24 million indirect workers. There are two types of firm operate. One is organized sector firms and informal sector firms, the number of pharmaceutical firms are estimated, to be between 20000 and 23000 of which about 3000 are in the organized sector. Of the latter about 90 percent are small scale firms that are with a capital of less than $1.25 million (Kale et al., 2008). On the whole the industry represents a successful case of indigenous, self contingent development aided by weak regulatory framework. Purpose of the Study The earlier segment shows that, the studies carried out in the area of relationship between â€Å"working capital and profitability† are conflicting in nature. In fact the Interrelationship between working capital and profitability is still a debatable Issue, furthermore only a few studies (Mallik et al., 2005 and Parasuraman, 2004) on pharmaceutical industry in connection with examining, the relationship between working capital and profitability have been, carried out in India in the recent past. Whereas the Indian pharmaceutical industry is playing a vital role in improving average life expectancy; The signing of GATT (known as WTO) has injected a series of changes in the industry. Against this backdrop the Indian Pharmaceutical industry has been chosen in the present study. Objectives This study has the following objectives; 1) To assess the significance of working capital on profitability by computing coefficient of correlation and also test the significance of such a correlation. 2) To Study the impact of working capital and profitability by important parameters like Profit before Interest and Tax Margin (PBITM) and Return on Capital Employed (ROCE). 3) To evaluate the joint effect of the selected ratios relating to working capital management on the profitability. 4) To study the working capital and profitability position in selected sample companies 5) Conclusions and suggestions for the better utilization of resources related to working capital and profitability. REVIEW OF LITERATURE: Since, the literature related to the relationship between working capital management and profitability is wide in nature and scope. The most important literature found in the form of, popular write ups published or unpublished research studies (both empirical and conceptual) and articles of researchers are reviewed in this section. A deeper look into the assessment indicates that there are only, a few studies available abroad and plentiful of studies in India. An Empirical Analysis of â€Å"Working Capital and Profitability† and their Relationship with Reference to Selected Companies in the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry. (Janakiramudu and Rao, 2008, p. 163) has identified a positive relationship Evaluating the association between working capital turnover and profitability in the Indian cement, sugar and fertilizer industries. Another identical study on this issue conducted by Mukherjee (1988) concluded that as a whole, the liquidity and profitability were adversely correlated. Jain (1988) in his study among 10 manufacturing, trading and service industries of Rajasthan recommended, that the companies should avoid under investment in working capital if they wanted higher profit margins. Panda and Satapathy (1988) conducted a research work regarding the effects of working capital on profitability and revealed that the positive influence of working capital on profitability of the selected companies was highly important. Vijayakumar and Venkatachalam (1995) carried out an empirical study on the interrelationship between working Capital management and profitability. The study conducted on 31 sugar companies in Tamil Nadu concluded that liquidity was negatively associated with profitability, whereas the inventory turnover and debtors’ turnover had a positive influence on profitability. Smith and Beaumont (1997) who conducted their work on the industrial firms listed, on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) indicated that a decrease in the total current liabilities, divided by gross funds flow led to an improvement in return on investment and vice versa. Mallik and Sur (1998) made an attempt to analyze the influence of working capital management on profitability in the Indian tea industry. The study on the inter-relation among the nine selected ratios in the area of working capital management and the selected profitability measure disclosed both negative and positive associations. Rao and Rao (1999) also undertook a similar type of study in which 10 ratios relating to working capital management were selected; out of the 10 indicators only in three a positive association with profitability was observed. Mallik and Sur (1999) undertook another study on working capital management of a well-known fast-moving consumer goods company and noticed a very high degree of posi tive relationship between liquidity and profitability. Another work carried out by Sivarama (1999) on working capital management in the Indian paper industry ,disclosed a close relationship between profitability and working capital efficiency. Dutta (2000) in his work on working capital management of horti-culture industry in Himachal Pradesh found out that, despite suffering huge losses the firm was holding huge idle inventories and hence miserably failed to trade off between liquidity and profitability. Harinath (personal communication) in his study on working capital management, in small-scale industries of Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh suggested that in order to enhance the profitability industries should adopt effective working capital management. An article published in Treasury and Risk Management (2001) revealed that establishment of proper relationship between safety and liquidity in asset management would yield high return. Sur et al. (2001) conducted a study on the Indian primary aluminum producing industry in the private sector, and observed a very significant positive association between liquidity and profitability. Ghosh and Maji (2003) made an empirical study on the relationship between utilization of current assets and operating profitability in the Indian cement and tea industry. The study concluded that â€Å"The degree of utilization of current assets was positively associated with the operating profitability of all the companies under study†. The study carried out by Parasuraman (2004) inferred that top pharmacy companies strategies, on their working capital policy to relax the credit policy to achieve greater sales and greater profits. Besides this he also observed, that leading companies have employed greater working capital for improving profitability. Narware (2004) in his study noticed that out of nine indicators representing ,working capital management selected for his study three variables were negatively associated with the selected profitability measure. Whereas the remaining six indicators of working capital management were positively associated with profitability. A study by Bardia (2004) in a Navaratna steel manufacturing public sector enterprise, reported a favorable influence of the liquidity of the company on its profitability. Mallik et al. (2005) carried out a study on the relationship between working capital and profitability with reference to selected companies in the Indian pharmaceutical industry and noticed, that the joint influence of the liquidity inventory management and credit management on the profitability were statistically very significant in nine out of 17 pharmaceutical companies selected for the study. Deloof (2003) investigated the relationship between working capital management and corporate profitability, for a sample of 1009 large Belgian non-financial firms for the 1992-1996 periods. The result from analysis showed that there was a negative between profitability that was measured by gross operating income and cash conversion cycle as well number of days accounts receivable and inventories. He recommended that, managers can increase corporate profitability by reducing the number of days accounts receivable and inventories, less profitable firms waited longer to pay their bills. Singh and Pandey (2008) had an attempt to study the working capital components and the impact of, working capital management on profitability of Hindalco Industries Limited for period from1990 to 2007. Results of the study showed that current ratio, liquid ratio, receivables turnover ratio and working capital to total assets ratio had statistically, significant impact on the profitability of Hindalco Industries Limited. Growth of Indian Pharmaceutical Industry: Pharmaceutical companies in India are growing at a very fast pace and this has made the Indian pharmaceutical industry as the second largest growing industry. Also the pharmaceutical industry in India is the third largest in the world, which will be of US$20 billion by 2015. Mergers and acquisitions are the part of this growth. The compounded annual growth rate of pharma in India is 12-15% and the global figures are 4-7% for the period of 2008-2013. With such a profound growth of pharmaceutical companies in India numerous pharmaceutical jobs can be seen. This in turn is helping biotechnology industry and booming the biotechnology jobs in India. Angel Broking has done a research on the growth of pharmaceutical industry and found that by 2015 the pharmaceutical industry in India will be in the top 10 markets. Yet another finding of FICCI-Ernst Young study reveals that the population of high income group in India is rising which will give rise to more influx of MNCs and expensive drugs. (Source: Ezine Articles.com 2nd jan 2011). Pharmaceutical companies along with native companies are also competing with the top MNCs. Such a profound growth is because of the heavy population figures and with the increasing number of middle class people and their income the access to drugs and medicines is also increasing. But still the low-priced generics are popular in Indian pharmaceutical industry. From India in year 2007-08 total of US$ 8.25 billion were exported and there was seen 29% rise in this figure in 2009. MR Anand Sharma, Union Minister of Commerce said that pharmaceutical sector in India has grown and it is the major contributor to exports from India. In 1990 the amount was meager as compare to today’s massive figures. Vital Information on Pharmaceutical Companies in India In terms of volume – India’s pharmaceutical industry is the third largest in the entire world. In terms of value – India’s pharmaceutical industry ranks fourteenth By 2015 – It will be in the list of top 10 global pharmaceutical markets and it will touch US $ 20 billion. 2008-2009 – Saw 29% growth in exports of pharmaceutical drugs as compared to 2007 2013 – Indian formulation market is expected to touch US$ 13.7 billion India has a strong pharmaceutical market, which results in the existence of a number of top bracket pharma companies. Despite the great recession, the sales in the Indian pharma industry went up by 18.4% in March 2009. According to the recent McKinsey report (November 30, 2009), the industry will touch $40 billion mark by 2015. Following are the top pharma companies in India: Indian top 10 pharamaceutical companies SL.NO NAMEYEAR CRORE BILLION 1 RANBAXY2009 4.198.96 41.989 2 DR.REDDY LABORATIOES LTD2009 4.162.25 41.622 3 CIPLA2009 3.763.72 37.637 4 SUN PHARMA INDUSTRIES2009 2.463.59 24.635 5 LUPINS LABS2009 2.215.52 22.155 6 AUROBINDO PHARMA2009 2.080.19 20.801 7 GLAXO SMITHKLINE PHARMA2009 1.773.41 17.734 8 CADILA HEALTH CARE2009 1.61.300 16.13 9 AVENTIES PHARMA2009 983.8 9.838 10 IPCA LABORATIES2009 980.44 9.804 Source:( docstoc.com â€Å"working capital management practiced in pharmaceutical companies† 4th jan 2011). Research Methodology This element describes the research designs and methods of data collection. The issue surrounding which methods to choose while conducting research has been debated among researchers. Introduction The method in which a research is conducted may be determined in terms of research instruments utilised to achieve the research objectives and the quest for the solution of the research question. Therefore, Research methodology can be better understood with the help of the model known as ‘The Research Onion Model’ – (Saunders et al., 2009). The model was named after onion because the model had six layers , from one to six, which represents the philosophies , research approaches, the research strategies, choice of methods, time horizons, techniques and procedures respectively. The term research philosophy relates to the development of knowledge and the nature of that knowledge (Saunders et al, 2003. p 107). The research philosophy adopted should contain important assumptions, these assumptions then underpins research strategy and the methods chosen as part of the strategy. Types of research philosophies those are available to choose from, when one comes to the question of choosing the best research philosophy for a research. Positivism, pragmatism, realism and interpretive (Saunders, 2003). Quantitative and Qualitative Quantitative techniques provide quick and clear result since they can be analysed using statistical procedure. This method is appropriate where variables can be measured quantitatively and hypotheses can be tested (Brannen, 1992). In quantitative method participants usually response to the identical closed-ended questions and the relationship between participant and researcher is often formal than in qualitative, as a result, respondents can not provide their own opinion, ideas and views. Where as qualitative method allows greater spontaneity and adaptation of the interaction between researcher and participants (Ghauri and Gronhaug, 2002). The great strength of qualitative research is validity of the data obtained. Participants are interviewed and they may give responses which are true, correct and complete, and believable based on their views and experiences (Goldman and Mc Donald, 1987). Positivism and Interpretivism: If the research philosophy reflects positivism then it will probably adopt the philosophical stance of natural scientist. The basis for this philosophy is to collect the data which are likely to use existing theory to develop hypotheses; then these hypotheses will be tested and confirmed. It is often advocated that the positivist researcher will use a highly structured methodology in order to facilitate replication. (Saunders et al., 2006), Interpretive entails that it is very important for the researcher to understand the role of human as social actors. The heritage of this strand of interpretivism comes from two intellectual traditions: phenomenology and symbolic interactions. Phenomenology means the way how humans make sense of the world; and symbolic interactions means a process of interpreting the social world around us in the sense that we interpret others’ action with whom we interact and this interpretation leads to adjustment of our own meaning (Saunders et al., 2006) . Deductive and Inductive Deduction is a dominant research approach in natural sciences, where laws are the basis of explanation, allow the anticipation of phenomena, predict their occurrence and then permit them to be controlled (Collis and Hursey, 2003 cited by Saunders et al., 2006). It is a highly structured approach which is based on the collection of quantitative data. Induction on the other hand is based on the collection of qualitative data and is a more flexible structure to permit changes. Inductive approach is a close understanding of the research context and also understanding of the meanings how humans are attached to the events (Saunders et al., 2006). Tools available for conducting a research Triangulation and Mixed method Triangulation is the mixing of data or method so that divers view point or stand points cast light upon a topic. The logic behind the application of triangulation method is that, it is a combination of both qualitative methods and quantitative methods which examine the same research problem by using different approaches and cross-checking the same problems which would result in consistent and integrated data (Greene et al, 1989). The most efficient use of both quantitative and qualitative paradigms is to combine them in a single study (Brewer, 1989). Multi-method research requires more and different kind of information to solve research problems than any single method, and therefore is likely to provide better solution (Greene et al., 1989).Mixing the use of survey data and interview is more profound form of triangulation. Mixed method is when both quantitative and qualitative methods are used in a research because it is believe that it provides more perspectives on the phenomena bei ng investigated. However, sometimes the data gotten from the different methods about the same phenomena are in direct opposition. (Easterby -Smith et al., 2002). Longitudinal and Cross-selecion Cross- sectional designs usually involve selecting different organisations or units in different context, and investigating how other factors vary across these units. A key problem here is in deciding how large the sample of organisation needs to be in order to be adequately representative. Cross-sectional designs particularly where there are questionnaires and survey techniques; it has the ability to describe economically features of large number of people or organisations (Easterby-Smith et al 2002). Longitudinal designs focuses on small number of organisations over a long period of time. It is recommended that research should focus on change processes within the broader social, economic and political context surrounding each organisation, and should gather ‘time series data’ over a period of time significantly longer than the immediate focus. In this way explanation should emerge from examining pattern in the process of change (Pettigrew, 1985 cited by Easterby-Smith et al., 2002) Selection of the research approach Due to the nature of research, which deals with people, technology and the society, Analytical surveys and experimental research design methods will be employed to carry out the research. According to Saunders et al., (2003) deductive research (emphasised) scientific principles; moving from the theory to data; the need to explain casual relationship between variables; the collection of quantitative data; a highly structure approach and the necessity to select samples of sufficient size in order to generate conclusions among others. This research targets selected companies in Indian pharmaceutical industry. A combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods will be followed for the study. This study needs a close contact with the respondents to understand their experience, ideas and insight, and for that reason qualitative research is more appropriate and for the economical and social aspect quantitative aspect is more helpful. The techniques of qualitative methods such as: observations, and in-depth interviewing helps to understand the nature of participants’ and behaviour. Selection of the study area The study will follow two stage sampling method; the Pharmaceutical institutions in the first stage and beneficiaries the next stage. Selection of the organizations Inside this study 10 recognized companies belonging to the private sector have been selected. It is considered that these institutions with acceptable coverage would be most suitable for the purpose of the study. The amount of relationship between working capital management and profitability has been assessed through correlation coefficients between the selected measures of working capital management and profitability. However, because of time and fund constraints some pharma institutions may be purposively selected for the study. Which will help in for studying the joint influence of the selected procedures relating to the indicators of working capital management on the profitability multiple correlation and multiple regression techniques, have been applied. Taking into account their magnitudes (by Pearson’s simple correlation coefficient), ranking of their magnitudes ( by Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient), and the nature of their associated changes ( by Kenda ll’s correlation coefficient). Sources of Data The data for the study will be collected both from primary and secondary data. Secondary sources The data will be collected from secondary sources consulting various documents such as annual reports, booklets, journals, periodicals and so on. Furthermore, various government reports, such as Capitaline Corporate Database and the Official Database of Capital Market Publishers (India) Ltd. Mumbai. Primary sources For the remaining objectives, data will be collected from a carefully designed sample survey. At least two sets of questionnaires will be prepared for the survey – one for the pharma institutions and another for the beneficiaries. Method of Data Analysis Simple tabulation technique will be used in the study to classify the data into meaningful categories. Simple simple correlation coefficient,, ratios and percentages in the study will be used. Moreover, multiple regression analysis will be done. In order to make an effective impact and examine whether the computed values of correlation coefficients and partial regression coefficients are, statistically significant or not t-test has been used, and the multiple correlation coefficients have been tested by F-test as well as before-after comparison will be employed in the study Vital Information on Pharmaceutical Companies in India In terms of volume – India’s pharmaceutical industry is the third largest in the entire world. In terms of value – India’s pharmaceutical industry ranks fourteenth By 2015 – It will be in the list of top 10 global pharmaceutical markets and it will touch US $ 20 billion. 2009-2010 – Saw 29% growth in exports of pharmaceutical drugs as compared to 2008 2013 – Indian formulation market is expected to touch US$ 13.7 billion India has a strong pharmaceutical market, which results in the existence of a number of top bracket pharma companies. Despite the great recession, the sales in the Indian pharma industry went up by 18.4% in March 2009. According to the recent McKinsey report (November 30, 2009), the industry will touch $40 billion mark by 2015. Following are the top pharma companies in India: Research Objectives This study has the following objectives; 6)To assess the significance of working capital on profitability by computing coefficient of correlation and also test the significance of such a correlation. 7)To Study the impact of working capital and profitability by important parameters like Profit before Interest and Tax Margin (PBITM) and Return on Capital Employed (ROCE). 8)To evaluate the joint effect of the selected ratios relating to working capital management on the profitability. 9)To study the working capital and profitability position in selected sample companies 10) Conclusions and suggestions for the better utilization of resources related to working capital and profitability. Conclusion Pharmaceutical industry in INDIA is a profitable sector. It is due to the reason that the firms in the industry are very competitive and has gained efficiency in managing its resources competently. The impact of overall working capital policy on profitability in this industry is proved to be significant and the ratios related to working capital can explain the differerences between the firms. A positive correlation has been found in the mathematical model, between current assent management and financial performance of pharmaceutical firms. Thus it is evident that for the overall performance of this industry, working capital plays a vital role. How to cite Working Capital and Profitability: In Indian Pharmaceutical Industry, Essay examples

New Design Process for Managing Breast Cancer Patients

Question: Discuss about theNew Design Process for Managing Breast Cancer Patients. Answer: Introduction: Description of the Project According to Slack, Brandon-Jones, Johnstone, and Betts (2015, p. 147), managers do not take part in the designing of new processes; however, they are deeply involved in the operating specification and the requirements of the new process. Due to the major advancements in technology, the processes of a majority of organizations become obsolete very fast, and therefore, the managers are forced to design a new process for improved performance. To effectively achieve this, managers are required to possess an in-depth understanding of the processes to facilitate the designing of appropriate and effective processes. For example, a manager should possess the analytical skills to analyze the characteristics and the performance of operations and processes. In line with these aspects, this paper is put into application the broad topic of process design. It is going to do this by concentrating on the process focus as discussed in class. This report is going to concentrate on the process focus o f one of the major players in the health care sector of Qatar, the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). The Organisation: The Hamad Medical Corporation For completing this project, I have chosen to use the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). HMC is one of the major government-owned providers of health care services in the country of Qatar (Hamad Medical Corporation, 2015). The corporation aims at enabling and making a positive contribution towards ensuring a sustainable growth of Qatar as a country, as well as improving the lives of the populace in the nation. Its goals and objectives are aligned to the Qatari National Vision of the year 2030. It aims at doing this by combining excellent research in health care and education to provide effective, compassionate, and safe health care services to all the patients under the organisations care. In order to meet the incessantly increasing challenges in the health care sector of Qatar, HMC has made significant reforms. It has transformed into a successful and integrated Academic Health System, which will make critical positive changes in patient care, medical research, and medical education. Description of the Process: Admission, Screening, and Treatment of Breast Cancer Patients Despite all the reforms and improvements made by the HMC to address the various health care challenges in Qatari community, the HMC still lacks an appropriate and a well-designed process of dealing with breast cancer among women. Breast cancer refers to a disease whereby the cancerous or malignant cell multiplies and grow in the tissues making up the breast. Over the past decades, Qatar has recorded a rise in cases of Breast cancer among its female population (Donnelly, Al-Khater, Al-Kuwari, Al-Bader, Al-Meer, Abdulmalik, Sing, Chaudhry, Fung, 2015, p. 3). Therefore, breast cancer has remained persistent issues of concern among the female population and the care providers in Qatar. Therefore, the health care providers in the country implement effective healthcare strategies in the treatment of cancer patients (Al-Amoudi and Abduljabbar, 2012, p. 549). The process of handling cancer patients at the HMC hospital is as illustrated in figure 1 below: As demonstrated in figure 1 above, the process of admission, diagnosing and treating of breast cancer patient at HMC takes the general approach similar to that of handling other types of patients in the emergency department. Presently, upon admission to the hospital, breast cancer patients are taken through triage where the care providers make the decision as to who needs urgent medical assistance. The admitted patients are then divided into two categories, those with serious cases of breast cancer and those with minor cases. The patients are then assessed separately in different rooms for the appropriate treatment to be given to them. Evaluation of the Current Performance of the Process The current process is not well-designed to handle the patients of breast cancer. As already alluded in the section above, the current organizational process is designed to take care of patients in the Emergency Department. There are several limitations to the design that limits the performance of the process, and hence, preventing it from achieving the five operations performance objectives as discussed below: Currently, the process fails to meet cost-effectiveness as a performance objective. This is because of the many tests and processes that the patients go through from the admission to treatment (Donnelly and McKellin, 2008, p. 85). The process also fails to meet the performance objective of speed and flexibility, which are two key performance objectives towards the delivery of high-quality healthcare services. Timely delivery of healthcare services is critical for the delivery of high-quality health care services (Depke, Boreen, and Onitilo, 2015, p. 153); however, the current process is slow and cumbersome, and this is another major contributing factor towards the poor patient outcome among the victims of breast cancer at HMC hospitals. This has made the process of dealing with breast cancer a burgeoning challenge within the Qatari Healthcare sector. Despite the reforms, inadequacy in dealing with breast cancer among women is still evident at HMC healthcare facilities and in Qatar at large (El Hajj and Hamid, 2011, p. 75). Qatari government provide health care subsidies, but practices such as screening to manage breast cancer are still very low. Therefore, to make a positive contribution towards the management of the cancer for breast among the Qatari women, the following sections are going to provide some recommendations aimed at providing solutions to this problem. It is going to do this by recommending activities that should be implemented, so as to improve the process focus of one of the specialized hospitals of HMC in handling breast cancer. Analysis of the Process and Recommendations to Improve it Process objectives: this refers to the ability of the process to attain its goals. The current process design of HMC only meets a number of its process objectives and significantly failing to meet other important ones (Slack, Brandon-Jones, Johstone, and Betts, 2015, p. 149). The analysis of the current process design reveals that it is not dependable, for example, it does not promote a timely delivery of healthcare services. Similarly, the current process does not meet the speed requirements as a performance objective. A timely delivery of healthcare services is vital for the improving patent outcome. However, the current process is slow. In this regard, the current fails to meet high-quality, which is an important performance objective in the healthcare, and hence, it is costly because there incessant re-admission of patients, therefore, it requires major improvements. Process flow objectives: the current process design has limited throughput time, through rate and poor resource utilization (Slack, Brandon-Jones, Johstone, and Betts, 2015, p. 150). Currently, only a limited number of patients are treated at HMC in a day, and it takes a considerably longer duration to treat one patient. As a result, the time consumed in the treatment of patients is long, and this results into underutilization of resources, and hence, major wastages (Mitchell, Fisher, Hastings, Silverman, and Wallen, 2010, p. 288). Process visibility: The current process design of HMC hospital is designed in such a manner that it does not meet the requirements of a process visibility. This is because most of the parts are not designed to enhance the customers perception regarding the process, and this interferes with the satisfaction of customers (Slack, Brandon-Jones, Johstone, and Betts, 2015, p. 154). Task dependence: Despite the weaknesses above, the current process design of HMC clearly defines the procedures of the activities that should be followed in the delivery of services to the patients. This facilitates a smooth flow of operations in the involved departments (Slack, Brandon-Jones, Johstone, and Betts, 2015, p. 170). The establishment of well-layed down procedures facilitate the delivery of high-quality healthcare services to patients (Lindenau-Stockfisch, 2011, p. 55). The Recommendations The HMC needs to overcome the inn-effective patient flow by implementing changes that would increase both employee and patient satisfaction. The most appropriate solution to this problem is to re-design the production process used in this hospital (Rayman and Edwards, 2010, p. 192). In order to ensure this, the hospital will adopt the Lean approach to improving its production process. Based on the analysis above, there are several changes that should be made on the design process of this company to improve the delivery of healthcare services for patients with cancer of the breast at HMC. Firstly, there should an improvement of the process objectives to ensure that HMC meets its goals and objectives. According to evidence-based practice, the delivery of high-quality healthcare services is the major goal and objective of healthcare practitioners (Fennell, Prabhu Das, Clauser, Petrelli, and Salner, 2010, p. 75). The healthcare practitioners also aim at delivering healthcare services in a timely manner and at the lowest cost possible. To meet these goals and objectives, the design process of HMC should undergo the following changes to meet the performance objectives. Firstly, there should be appropriate positioning of the design process. The manager of HMC should design the process to ensure that it is fit for specific tasks of screening and treatment of breast cancer (Onitilo, et al., 2013, p. 1060). The current design process is too general it its design and hence, does not meet the objectives of the HMC. In this regard, introducing specific tasks that are focused on the treatment of breast cancer will help the hospital to meet its performance objective of delivering high-quality healthcare services to patents of the breast cancer (Brownson, Colditz, and Proctor, 2012, p. 147). Secondly, to improve on time and cost objective, the volume and variety scale of the process should be increased. Improving the volume and variety scale will ensure a faster access and faster flow of patients at the hospital. This will help HMC to serve more patients in a timely manner, and at a lower cost (Carvalho Stewart, 2009, p. 79). To achieve this, the job design need to be improved. One method of ensuring this is the adoption of modern and relevant technology to serve the needs of the patients. HMC will make use of various forms of technology like the healthcare staffing management technology to optimize scheduling activities of members of staff in order to reduce staffing and labor costs. It will also use infection detection technologies like the procalcitonin to increase the hospitals ability to control infections and ensure patients safety (Hook, Ware, Siler, and Packard, 2012, p. 383). Ultrasound imaging devices will be put in place to use in this hospital for screening purposes. Another important technology that will be used by HMC to improve its production process is certified EHR systems. The HER system will improve the process of record keeping and retrieval of information in the various departments (Stevens, 2012, p. 20). Another important change that should be made in the current design process of HMC hospital is to increase the number of units that are passing the process at one given time. To achieve this, the manger should effectively configure all the activities and resources within the design process to facilitate the movement of patients (Slack, Brandon-Jones, Johstone, and Betts, 2015, p. 150). The increase of the number of units will result into an increased number of breast cancer victims that are attended to by the care givers at the hospitals. This will result into an increase throughput rate at the hospital. This will come as a major solution to the delay in treatment and poor patient outcome that has been experienced at the hospital due to the current low throughput rate (Anhang, Zapka, Edwards, and Taplin, 2010, p. 45). Similarly, the improvement of throughput rate will significantly contribute to the increase in throughput time. In this regard, the capacity of the resources at every si ngle point in the project should be enhanced. To improve the visibility of the process, the current process design should be modified in such manner that it takes into consideration the emotions and the feelings of the patients who are to be served (Slack, Brandon-Jones, Johstone, and Betts, 2015, p. 156). The design should consider how the patients will relate and react to the process, and therefore, the current process should be designed so that the patients are able to relate to it in a personal way. To achieve this, the process should be designed to include communication clues that facilitate the exchange of information between the patients and the care providers. This will ensure the delivery of high-quality healthcare services that improve patient outcome. Cost The financial cost of introducing this the Kaizen method in redesigning the process of handling the breast cancer patients at the HMC is relatively cheap. According to Scott, Ruef, Mendel, and Caronna, 2000, p. 25), the cost has been termed as a major factor affecting the access and the delivery of healthcare services. High cost prevents patients from seeking healthcare services, and hence, poor-health conditions. However, the new design process of handling breast cancer patients is going to achieve one performance objective by reducing the cost of assessing health services (Katz, 2010, p. 47). Despite this, the introduction of the new machines and technologies will require huge financial investment from the hospital. They are going to be costly to the hospital. Quality This new method of the organizational process will meet another performance objective of ensuring the delivery of high-quality healthcare services to patients of breast cancer because it adopts strategies that focus on the screening and assessment of screen cancer, and hence, improved patient outcome (Rosselli Del Turco, et al., 2010, p. 2350). Speed The new process is also fast and flexible, and hence, it will ensure the delivery of healthcare services in a timely manner to the patients of breast cancer (Winchester, 2010, p. 299). This will facilitate the achievement of another performance objective of saving time and cost. The new process is flexible, and hence, the patients will undergo a thorough screening, assessment, and treatment for improved patient outcome. Conclusion In conclusion, the management of breast cancer poses a major challenge to health experts in Qatar. Therefore, appropriate measures should be taken to contain the situation. This involves reforms and innovation in the process of handling this disease. Hospitals should change their process focus to enhance its management. The above activities will enable HMC to handle breast cancer by meeting the needs of their patients within the cost and other managerial constraints. Implementing these activities and processes may prove to be an extra cost to HMC, but they will ensure that facilities are organized around particular and specific activities. This will ensure the better handling of breast cancer cases among the female population in Qatar by HMC. Bibliography List Al-Amoudi,S. M. and Abduljabbar,H. S. (2012)Men's knowledge and attitude towards breast cancer in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study, Saudi Med J, 33, pp. 547550. Anhang, P. R., Zapka, J., Edwards, H., and Taplin, S. H. (2010) Organizational Factors and the Cancer Screening Process,Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Monographs,2010(40), pp. 3857. 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