Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 60~61

60 Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch Mary Jean sat behind a desk fashioned entirely of rose quartz veined with fool's gold and stared out the window at the Houston skyline. A brown haze had risen to the level of her fiftieth-floor office as the exhaust of a million cars huddled against the stratosphere and curled around the city like a huge rusty cat looking for a place to nap. It just made her made as a cowpoke wearing bob-wire pants, but not mad enough, of course, to sell her shares of GM and Exxon. Blue chips was blue chips, after all, and the great state of Texas ran on oil. The intercom beeped and Mary Jean keyed her speakerphone, not because she needed her hands free to work, but because the phone receiver either got caught in her hairdo or her clip-ons rattled against it making all sorts of distracting racket. There'd been a time, before Prozac, when she'd thought for six months that the FBI was tapping her phone line, only to find out it was a pair of twenty-carat ruby cluster earrings banging against the earpiece. â€Å"Yes, Melanie.† â€Å"Tucker Case on the phone, Mary Jean. He's been calling all day. I've tried to put him off, but he says that people are going to die if you don't talk to him.† â€Å"Does he sound drunk?† â€Å"No, Ma'am. He sounds serious.† Mary Jean took a deep breath and looked up at the Monet hanging on the far wall. Twenty million dollars, depreciated as office furnishings, ap-preciated to twice its value and donated to a museum as a donation write-off at full value, with no capital gains, and there it would hang until the day of her death when it would go to the museum. And it also matched the couch. â€Å"Put him through,† she said. â€Å"Mary Jean, it's Tucker.† â€Å"I was just thinking of you. How are you, sweetie?† â€Å"Mary Jean, I'm stone sober and I need you to listen.† â€Å"Go on, Tucker. I got more ears than a cornfield in June.† â€Å"First, I know that there were never any criminal charges filed, and I don't blame you for trying to get me out of the way. But I could really use some help.† Mary Jean blanched. â€Å"Can you hold one second, darlin? Thanks.† She pushed the hold button and then the intercom. â€Å"Melanie, dear, would you mind bringing me a couple of number five Valiums and a little glass of juice? Thank you.† She clicked back to Tuck. â€Å"Go on, honey.† And Tuck did, for fifteen minutes, and when he finished, Mary Jean said, â€Å"Well, that's just not right. That's just terrible.† â€Å"Yes, it is, Mary Jean.† â€Å"We just can't have that,† she said. â€Å"You give Melanie your number there. I'll see what I can do.† â€Å"Mary Jean, I really appreciate this. If I could go to anyone else, I would.† â€Å"And hurt my feelings? No, you wouldn't. Tucker Case, I've been selling the power to change yourself for forty years. Now, if I don't believe in the power of redemption, then I'm guilty of false advertising, aren't I? You sit tight, now. Bye.† She clicked the intercom. â€Å"Melanie, get me Jake Skye on the line, please. Thank you, dear.† 61 Roundhouse Aloha Tuck stood at the arrival gate amid a group of Hawaiian college students wearing grass skirts and sarongs and festooned with leis they were draping on tourists as they came out of the tunnel from the 747. Tuck spotted Jake Skye well before he came out of the tunnel. He was a head taller than most of the tourists and one of the few who had a tan. Tuck waved to him and Jake tossed his head to show he'd seen him. He came out grinning with his hand extended. Tuck smiled and hit Jake with a roundhouse to the jaw that knocked him back into a group of pseudo hula girls. Jake apologized to the girls and rubbed his jaw as he turned to Tuck. â€Å"We done?† â€Å"I guess so,† Tucker said. He knew that Jake would never apologize for selling him out. Jake fell in beside Tuck and they walked through the terminal. â€Å"I didn't see that coming. You've changed, buddy.† â€Å"I guess so,† said Tuck. â€Å"Thanks for coming.† â€Å"I'm just here to take you home.† Jake pulled two airline ticket folders out of his shirt pocket. â€Å"Mary Jean says you can bring your new girlfriend.† â€Å"I'm not going home, Jake.† â€Å"You're not?† â€Å"No. I need your help, but I'm not going back to Houston.† â€Å"There's a stop in San Francisco. You can get off there.† â€Å"No. I've got some things I need to do.† â€Å"Buy me a drink.† Jake turned and walked into an open cocktail lounge where a twenty-foot waterfall fell over black lava rock among a forest of bromeliads and orchids. â€Å"Cool airport,† Jake said, pulling a stool up to the bar. â€Å"You ever think about living in the tropics?† Tuck whipped around on his stool and Jake held up his hands in surrender. â€Å"Just kidding. Okay, what's the story?† This time Tuck told the story leaving out none of the details, and to his credit, Jake did not call him crazy at the end. â€Å"So what do you think you can do?† â€Å"Well, first, I thought you could hack the doctor's computer and erase the database. It might slow up the process if he has to do all the tissue types again.† Jake was shaking his head, â€Å"Can't do it, buddy. Even if I wanted to.† â€Å"Why not? I've got the password.† Jake drained off the last of his third Mai Tai. â€Å"He's on a satellite uplink net. The connection only goes two ways if he wants it to. I won't be able to get in. Besides, it's not in the mission parameters. I'm supposed to come here, get you, and take you home. Period.† Tuck dug a slip of paper from his back pocket and unfolded it. â€Å"I've got these. Maybe they can help.† Jake was still shaking his head, but he stopped when he saw the numbers written on the paper. â€Å"Where did you get those numbers?† â€Å"They were on the bottom of a desk drawer in Curtis's clinic.† â€Å"They're not computer codes, Tuck. You see those letters at the end? BSI? You know what that is?† Tuck shook his head. â€Å"Banc Suisse Italiano. Those are Swiss bank account numbers.† Jake tried to snatch the paper and Tuck pulled it out of his reach. â€Å"You willing to expand the mission parameters?† Tuck said. Jake was staring at the paper in Tuck's hand. â€Å"How much?† â€Å"Half.† Jake scratched his three-day growth of beard. â€Å"And they were getting how much per kidney?† â€Å"Half a mil.† Jake cringed, then relaxed and put his hand on Tuck's shoulder. â€Å"What did you have in mind, partner?† â€Å"I want to get the Shark People off the island.† â€Å"How many? Three hundred and change? Hire a ship.† â€Å"I want to go sooner. I want to fly them off.† Jake smiled. The wheels were working now. â€Å"It's going to take a big plane: 747 or L-1011. That island got enough runway for something that size?† â€Å"Can we get something that size?† â€Å"Not legally,† Jake said. â€Å"I'm not worried about legally. I'm worried about logistically.† Jake stood up. â€Å"I'm not flying it. I get you a plane, I get half. Deal?† â€Å"I'll give you one of the account numbers as soon as we get the plane. You take your chances whether there's money in it or not. If I don't make it, and the money's in my account, you're screwed.† Jake considered it, then nodded. â€Å"I can live with that. Let's go watch the big planes take off.† Tuck was amazed at the way Jake's mind worked. The second he'd accepted that they were going to steal a 747, it became a problem, and when it came to solving problems, Jake was the best. They stood on an open walkway that overlooked the tarmac, watching the 747s taxiing into the terminal. â€Å"The best thing,† Jake said, â€Å"about stealing a 747 is that no one assumes that anyone is crazy enough to try it.† â€Å"I thought people tried to steal them all the time. It's a league sport in the Middle East, isn't it?† â€Å"They hijack, they don't steal. With hijacking, you have to take a pilot with you.† Jake pointed to a row of planes docked at the terminal by rolling walkways. â€Å"These guys? Out of the question,† he said. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because they've just come in and they're low on fuel or they're being fueled to take off again, and most of the time, if you can get in them, there's a crew on board.† He pointed to some jets parked near hangars at the far side of the airfield. â€Å"Those are our babies. They've got fuel, but they're waiting for a crew and passengers. After midnight nothing goes out of this airport except FedEx. The advantage of a vacation destination. Nobody wants to fly in our out at night.† The planes were a good half a mile away. â€Å"That's a long way to go across an airfield without the tower seeing us and calling security. And we have to drive a ramp over to it to get inside.† â€Å"No, we don't. There's an emergency escape hatch for the pilots in the roof over the cockpit.† â€Å"That's four stories up. How are you going to get up to it?† â€Å"Down to it,† Jake said. â€Å"Down?† â€Å"The problem is how to get the hatch unlatched. They only open from the inside.† â€Å"I'm still a little unclear on the ‘down' part of the plan,† Tuck said. At some point he was going to be on top of a 747 and heights made him nervous. â€Å"Let me worry about that,† Jake said. Then he snapped his fingers as if conjuring the answer to his problem out of thin air. â€Å"I've got the answer right here in front of me. What was I thinking? I'm working with the master.† Tuck looked around, thinking that Jake was talking about someone else. â€Å"Are you talking about me? I don't know how to do anything.† â€Å"But you're wrong, Tuck, you're wrong. For this part of the plan we need the cooperation of a flight attendant. Come on, let's get my bag. I've got an extra change of clothes you can wear.† â€Å"What's wrong with these clothes?† Tuck asked. He was still wearing the oversized and now distressed hand-me-downs of Sebastian Curtis. â€Å"Like you have to ask.† Jake spent an hour studying flight schedules and talking to counter people at the different airlines. Tuck took the opportunity to call the hotel to check on Sepie. She answered on the second ring. â€Å"Hello. How much is washer-dryer combination?† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Maytag washer-dryer combination with minibasket and wrinkle guard. How much?† â€Å"I don't know. Maybe a grand. Are you okay?† She'd put the phone down and he heard her shouting at the TV, â€Å"Is a grand! Is a grand! You fuckin' mook! Oh, no.† She picked up the phone again. â€Å"You wrong. Is eleven nine nine suggested retail. You lose.† â€Å"You're watching ‘The Price Is Right'?† â€Å"They give you things if you know how much. Is very hard.† â€Å"Do you need anything?† Tuck asked. â€Å"I can call room service from here and have them bring you some food.† â€Å"Perfume and lipstick,† Sepie said. â€Å"That'll have to wait. I'll be back soon, okay?† â€Å"Okay. Tuck?† â€Å"What, Sepie?† â€Å"What is washer-dryer combination?† â€Å"I'll explain later. I have to go now.† She hung up on him. Evidently, her fascination with plumbing and television didn't extend to the telephone. He found Jake talking to a girl at the United counter who was obviously taken with the grungy pilot's charm. He saw Tuck and said good-bye. â€Å"I've found our plane and the crew assignments. We have a ten-minute window to get to Gate 38 so you can work your magic.† The plan was for Tuck to spot a flight attendant coming off the plane, get to know her, and convince her to go back into the jet and throw the latch on the emergency hatch before the plane was cleaned and moved away from the terminal. They waited at the tunnel into Gate 38. The passengers had long since deplaned, as had the pilots. â€Å"Remember, you want to go ugly,† Jake said. â€Å"I know,† Tuck said. He'd changed into Jake's clothes, which fit him, at least, even if he looked like a guitar player for a Seattle grunge band. â€Å"And old if you can get it.† â€Å"I know,† Tuck said. â€Å"You want a woman who looks like she couldn't get laid in a men's colony.† â€Å"I know,† Tuck said. â€Å"Would you back off? I haven't done this in a while.† â€Å"Like riding a bicycle, buddy.† The first flight attendant out of the tunnel was a pretty blond woman, about twenty-five. â€Å"Pass,† Jake said. The next was a man, and the next a tall black woman who could have been a runway model. â€Å"They're killing us here,† Jake said. â€Å"How would you feel about going for the guy? He's our best chance so far.† â€Å"Fuck off, Jake.† â€Å"Just an idea.† They waited for five more minutes before a tired-looking woman in her fifties came down the tunnel pulling her flight bag behind her. â€Å"Go to it, stud,† Jake said. He gave Tucker a little shove. Tuck shoved back without taking his eyes off the woman. â€Å"I can't do this, Jake.† â€Å"What?† Jake Skye grabbed Tuck's wrist and pretended to be taking his pulse. Tuck pulled away from him. â€Å"I can't do this.† â€Å"Don't pull this shit on me, buddy. She's getting away. This is what you do.† â€Å"Not anymore, I don't.† â€Å"Well, I sure as hell do.† Jake pulled off the flannel shirt he was wearing open over his black T-shirt and threw it to Tuck. â€Å"Go back to your hotel and wait for me to call. What room are you in?† â€Å"Twelve-thirty.† Jake pushed the T-shirt sleeves up just enough for his biceps to show and took off down the concourse after the middle-aged flight attendant. Tuck went outside and found the shuttle to the Hyatt Regency. During the ride back to the hotel, he realized that he had no idea how to explain a washer-dryer combination to someone who had never worn shoes or a shirt until two days ago. He decided to go with magic.

Behavioral Ecology of Bees Essay

Behavioral Ecology of Bees Introduction Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bees constitute one of the major plant pollinators globally. They experience adaptation for feeding on pollen and nectar. Pollination is as well defined as the process by which pollen grains are transferred between plants in reproduction. The amount of colonies (maintained by beekeepers) has gradually declined due to systematic use of pesticide, urbanization, Varroa mites, and tracheal. However, this has increased the competition of bee keeping for pollination purposes. Pollination refers to process via which transfer of pollen in plants reproduction occurs, thus facilitating sexual reproduction as well as fertilization. Pollination constitutes an essential step in flowering plants reproduction, resulting in a remarkable production of genetically diverse offspring. The general study of in-depth pollination entails various disciplines such as horticulture, botany, ecology, and entomology. Pollination was first viewed by scientists as an int eraction process (in 18th century) between vector and flower. The fact that fruiting is fertilization dependent and is as a result of pollination guarantees the importance of pollination in agriculture as well as horticulture. Pollination can either be abiotic (mediated with no other organisms involved) or biotic (organisms carry the pollen grains from the flower’s anthers to the respective part of the pistil or carpel. Beetles have emerged to be the insects that pollinated the most ancient animal-pollinated flowers; thus the syndrome pertaining insect pollination emerged before the first appearance of bees. However, bees are (specialists) pollination agents with physical and behavioural modifications that facilitate pollination, and are relatively more efficient in performing the task than other pollinating insects such as flies, beetles, pollen wasps, and butterflies. The emergence of these floral specialists has driven the angiosperms’ adaptive radiation, and, conse quently, the bees themselves (Riedl, (Johansen, & Barbour, 2006).Methodology:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All the details availed by this research has been delicately collected from subject-related articles and in-depth analysis of various case studies.Semisocial and Eusocial bees Bees can either be solitary or live in certain community types such as for instance, the eusocial colonies (common among the bumblebees, stingless bees, and honey bees). Different types of sociality have evolved amongst the bees. In certain species, groups (of cohabiting females) may function and live as sisters; otherwise, labor division in the group guarantees them to be considered Semisocial. However, if, in spite of labor division, the group entails a mother and corresponding daughters, the group is then called eusocial. The mother serves as the â€Å"queen† while the daughters serve as â€Å"workers†. The system is said to be â€Å"primitively eusocial† if these cases are purely behavioural while, on the other hand; the system is â€Å"high ly eusocial† once the cases are found to be morphologically discrete. Nevertheless, the primitively eusocial bees constitute relatively more species as compared to the highly eusocial bees. In most cases, the highly eusocial bees are found to live in colonies with each colony having a single queen and several workers. Bumblebees are found to be eusocial, and the queen is found to initiate a nest singly. Colonies of bumblebees contain 50-200 bees at maximum population, which takes place in the duration mid-to-late summer. Bumblebees constitute one of the vital wild pollinators; however, their population has declined recently. Communal and solitary bees: Most bees are said to be solitary if all the females are fertile and inhabits own constructed nests. Solitary bees are vital pollinators whereby pollen is collected for providing the brood’s food in the nest. They are said to be oligoleges (collect pollen from a few plant species) unlike bumblebees and honey bees which ar e generalists. Monoculture and decline in bee species has made honey bee keepers concentrate on seasonally dynamic pollination areas. Fuzzy bees have an electrostatic charge thus adherence of pollen is facilitated. Bee gathering pollen grains are more efficient pollinators rather than those that gather nectar (Davies, Kreb, and West, 2012).In New Zealand, three general of native bees managed to venture into flower buds of the native mistletoe Peraxilla tetrapetala. Bellbird and Tui are some of the birds that orient the ripe bud top since cannot undergo self-opening. This results in a mechanism that causes spring-opening of the petals thus providing access to the pollen and nectar. The individual efficiency of bees determines their population value. Thus while pollination efficiency of bumblebees is high on cucurbits, the cumulative efficiency of honey bees colony is relatively greater as a result of their greater numbers. Bumblebees and honeybees use their spatial vision and color v ision to sort out tasks such as to recognize rewarding flowers especially during foraging. Cognitive factors are very significant in determining what bees see. With progressed visual experience, honey bees know much in using non-elemental processing, entailing rule learning and configurable mechanisms. Honey bees can as well learn delayed-matching-to-sample tasks, as well as the policies governing this decision-making process; exchange acquired rules between various sensory modalities. Lastly, bees can familiarize with complicated categorization tasks and also processing abilities of displaying numbers up to four (inclusive). A combination of the above evidences suggests that bees possess sophisticated visual behaviors (that fit cognition’s definition); hence simple primary bee vision models should know how various factors influence the results gained from experiments of animal behavior (Wilson, 2004). In regions where introduced honey bees have invaded, the floral resources of several plant species are used exclusively by honey bees, on the other hand, the native bees are endangered. However, native bees visit and pollinate the plant species in the regions where honey bees have not been established. In New Zealand (Heine, 1938; Thomson, 1927; Craig et al., 2000) and Tsamania (Goulson et al., 2003), similar effect has been realized as a result of invasion of honey bees. The predominance of honey bees in New Zealand will have severe plant-pollinator interactions, for instance, variations in order of gene flow in plants, native bees population decrease and boosted reproductive fitness of (invasive) exotic weeds. Pollination disruption by the invaded honey bees evident in plants grown in orchards suggests that removal of pollen by honey bees may lower pollination success in plant species such as ornithophilous plants. In addition to that, if the population of a particular bee species declines due to disease or natural cycles of parasites, a reliable and st able pollination source is provided when native bees fill the left gap. Nevertheless, native pollinators save money since they exhibit less need for imported honey bees’ hives. Sustainable management practices and reduced use of pesticides make organic farms vital participants in pollinator conservation efforts. For instance, since 70% of native bees nest underground, heavy tillage may be essential on farms where bees are needed pollinators. This benefits the growers by decreased need for rental-honey bees, greater farm biodiversity, and improved pollination services. Native bees can be relied upon by organic farmers who care for the chemical inputs (e.g., miticides and antibiotics) which are mostly used in maintenance of managed honey bees. Native bees pollinate crops when sufficient habitat is availed and bee-friendly practices of management are implemented (Kelly, 1998). Conservation of bees can be achieved via: classical biological control; existence of beneficial organis ms’ populations is practiced. Conservation biological control; habitats are provided to encourage populations of resident predatory insects. This reduces the need for pesticides and also provides extra food as well as nest habitat for bees. Resistant varieties; use of crops that are not vulnerable to pest insects reduce the use of pesticides, thus benefit both beneficial insect populations and pollinators. Native plants are the best source of bees’ food, but some garden plants are great sufficient for pollinators. Local native plants’ use; native plants are more attractive (to native bees) than exotic flowers. Choosing a wide variety of flower colors; especially purple, blue, yellow, violet and white attract bees. Diversified plants flowering all seasons; a range of pollinators (bee species), flying at varying times of the year, is supported (Holzschuh et al. 2007; Dramstad & Fry 1995). Pollinators perform several ecological obligations in natural ecosystems (th at they constitute a keystone combination in almost all terrestrial ecosystems), essential for plant reproduction as well as forming the foundation of a food web rich in energy (Kearns et al. 1998). Most bee species nest underground, digging tunnels heading to some brood cells. Honeybees and bumblebees are excluded from this phenomenon since they need a small cavity (e.g., an abandoned rodent nest) for their colony (Thomson & Kearns 2001). Feral honey bees occupy large cavities, e.g., a hollow tree (Raw & O’Toole 1999). In the temperate regions, honey bees manage winter as a colony. Within the cluster, an internal temperature of 95oF is maintained (optimal temperature for wax creation). Honey bees can forage optimally at the air temperature range 72-77oF, mostly because they exhibit physiological and behavioural mechanisms responsible for their flight muscles’ temperature regulation. Bees can be poisoned by insecticides (once they drink tainted nectar, absorb toxins vi a their exoskeleton, or when their pollen-collecting hairs trap insecticidal dusts. Movement or coverage of honey bee hives before application of pesticides cannot protect the wild bees’ scattered populations. However, during the winter season, bumblebee queens seek â€Å"winter safety† in some of the honey bee hives. Most of the bumblebees, hardly tolerate the winter season thus, are found dead as the spring season commences. In addition to that, chemical treatments of honey bees against Varroa mites saved several commercial operations and also improved cultural practices. In regions of mild climate, resistant breeds’ repopulation and Varroa resistance’s natural selection has facilitated the recovery of feral bees’ populations. References Kelly, Dave (1998). Native bees With New Tricks. New Zealand Science Monthly. Wilson, Bee (2004). The Hive: the Story of Honey Bee. London Morelle, Rebecca (2012). Extinct Short-haired Bumblebee returns to UK. Davies, N.R., Krebs, J.R., and West, S.A. (2012). An Introduction to Behavioural Ecology. 4th ed. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Print. pp. 387-388 Riedl, H., E. Johansen, L. Brewer, & J. Barbour (2006). The Potential Conservation Value of Unmoved powerline Strips for Native Bees. Biological Conservation 124:133-148. Source document

Technology and HRM- A Better way of Managing your HR

Introductionâ€Å"Human† is the most essential and integral part of a society. The society comprises of all sorts of aspects related to life. These different aspects may include business, social work, entertainment, cultural traditions, family life and many more. These aspects are linked together in a connected system and they revolve around the main subject of all these aspects i.e. human.Business is the most important aspect of the system as the economy of the system is dependant on it. For businesses, human is the biggest asset of all and therefore it needs to be managed. Businesses at either private or public level have requirement of managing there human resources which comes under the vast field of Human Resource Management (HRM).The concept of HRM goes long way back in the 19th century. It has undergone various transitional phases since then and has improved. The birth of innovative technological methods and tools has given a spark to HRM by facilitating it and taking i t to an entirely different and better level then it was 100 years back.The implementation of the technology has improved the standards of businesses and its different sectors. It has enabled managers for better supervision of the employees, has raised performance and has inculcated elements of scrutiny, supervision, administration and better management all over.Hence, technology has become part and parcel of HRM. The maximum utilization and application of technology in HRM have yielded better results. As there is further advancement every now and then in technology, it can be assured that the future holds positive scope for HRM.This paper would highlight how HRM and technology are interlinked with each other. Apart from that it would show how technology has proved effective in various sectors specifically public sector and what upcoming there are in future.HRM As established before, humans are the greatest asset of an organization. These individuals contribute towards the accomplish ment of organizational goals and therefore they need to be planned, controlled, hired, fired, performance monitored and many other functions. All of these functions are performed for the achievement of organizational goals.The various functions that need to be covered under HRM include:Identification of staffing needs and methods i.e. whether to go for subcontracting or hiring of employees. This would give a layout as to what type and number of employees are required†¢ Recruitment, selection and training of the employees who undergo the screening process to be part of organization. The pool of skill is attracted, selected and polished to gain better performance.†¢ Compensation and benefits to employees in exchange of their services to organization†¢ Performance management which should highlight performance standards, ensure that these standards are met and if not then resolution of performance issues†¢ Ensuring that employees activities conform with organizationa l regulations and policies†¢ Maintaining employee records and policiesThese are the main activities that come under HRM department. In a nutshell, HRM department has to conduct job analysis which would further include Human Resource Planning as to what type and how many employees are required, then on this basis recruitment and selection would be conducted to get the best employees, these employees would be polished by training and would be compensated by salary and benefits, maintaining performance standards, ensuring that employees meet the various organizational regulations and health safety standards.Role of Technology in HRMThe summarized explanation of HRM and its purposes and functions reveal that there is lot of activities that needs to be performed by this department. The effective and efficient HRM has reached to complex stages. Question now arises is that how does technology helps in accomplishments of these purposes and performance of these functions?Technology has not only brought revolution but technology itself has revolutionized and improved then what it used to be at its initiation. Technology has proved an effective blessing in the managerial setup as it has come up with tools that have changed the working of employees, the roles undertaken by them and how they get their work done. Similarly, HRM is facilitated as the HR manager has found tons of utilization of technology for performance of HRM functions.Technology and HRM together combine to form processes and systems that are termed as HR Technology or Human Resource Management System. The combination deals as to merge HR activities and functions with technology tools in form of different data processing and software.The main software in this case is Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software which is standardized software. Through this software a database is established with integration of various kinds of information. This database has Human Resource Module which has given an edge t o HRM.HRM requires keeping of records of employees. This has been enabled by HRM system as it has provided with different databases and system through which all past record, activity of employee, his skills, performances and all other relevant information can be stored and accessed to easily.Technology has enabled high automation of the processes and data. This has been achieved by use of mainframe computers and client servers. All this technology is capital sensitive and requires high amount of investment but as the technology improved and there came client servers and Application Service Provider which have given businesses an ease.There are various applications of HRM systems in relevance to HRM functions. There is a payroll module which as an automated payroll system. It supervises the employee’s monthly record, his attendance, taxes, deductions and all other payroll activities. All this is automated and after all the rapid calculations the final amount of pay is deduced. Apart from that there is work time system which facilitates to establish standard work time, gather work time information of every employee and his efforts. There is also benefits administration module which checks the degree of employee performance has contribution and accordingly decides on compensation, insurances, allowances and other benefits.There is an HRM module which covers various activities and aspect of the human resource management cycle from its initial level of applying of an employee to his retirement. This module keeps records of applicants, capabilities and skills, then the selection, training and compensation management.Apart from that most famous application of technology for HRM is the online recruitment system. Through this organizations advertise their vacancies and requirements to attract potential candidates to apply. There is also a Learning Management Software which comes under the training module which is used to cater to the training of employees to see how they improve and develop more towards organizational goals (HR Management, 2010).The above are some of the main applications of technology in the field of HRM. There are many other applications as well which have helped organizations to standardize and improve their HRM departments. Businesses from all the different sectors have utilized the technological aids for their assistance and have yielded more effective and efficient results. Technology and HRM are therefore part and parcel and it is necessary for any organization to adopt innovative technological measures and methods to reap good fruit for its HRM as HRM is the main heart core function of the entire organization.HR Technology in different sectors HRM and Technology, or HR Technology is utilized in different sectors across the globe. Though it has different scope and dimensions which vary from country to country but nevertheless we see HR technology being used in one way or another in different components of these secto rs.The main two sectors classified are known as private and public sectors. In simple terms private sector includes business operated by an individual without the state interference and control for profit. In contrast public sector is controlled by the government state and includes services for the citizens. In both sectors we see that HR technology has its dynamics and applications. A special emphasis would be laid on public sector.Private Sector In private sectors there come many educational institutes, health centers, services industry, businesses and many others that are run for profit as well as the well being of the citizens. We see that in all these components of private sectors there is a need to supply of human resources and also important is that these human resources should be managed in form of proper training and other managerial activities. In all of these components, HR technology is witnessed.The first requirement for them is human resource. For this they advertise f or recruitment of the potential candidates through online recruitment methods. After this the CVs and resumes of the applicants are gathered online and scrutinized. HR technology helps feeding in the criteria for hiring online and then these CVs are arranged according to this criterion in chronological order. This facilitates selection stage. The mails are generated through this system automatically to the selected candidates. Then these candidates undergo training modules through different learning software which they apply. The record of their compensation and benefits is maintained in form of payroll modules. An entire HRM module is also there which covers all the activities from step 1 to last step.Public Sector As discussed earlier, public sector involves government i.e. it is services provided by the government. Public sector has varying components from nation to nation. Commonly, every state includes military, police, education, healthcare, society services, public education and public roads and transits.In all these components of the public sector there is a need of proper human resources to run these areas and these human resources need to be managed. HRM is seen in the form of government plans for proper execution and setup of HR plans. The most important of these components undoubtedly is health sector which requires highest expenditure on human resources.The human resource in health sector is in the form of administrative and managerial staff, doctors, specialists and lower medical staff. There is software available for health sector. This software performs various HR activities. The software provide various HR solutions in the form of user defined answers to the medical problems as well as it provides integration of the entire HRM system in form of HR solutions, Staff Scheduling, Payroll and covers the entire stages from hire to retire.There are many different examples that can be quoted here such as SAP Environment, Health and Safety Management. This ensures that the Environment, Health and Safety standards are followed properly by the HR and that they comply with it. There are other examples such as Quadrant HR which is also a tool with integrated HR solutions for health care.The use of this HR technology has improved the health sector and has eased the managerial problems. Through this, the chances of errors in staffing and payroll have decreased and also it has reduced operational expenditure for governments.There are other examples as well which show how HR technology has helped the Public Sector. There are public sector organizations on various levels such as provincial, national or international levels that require HRM systems. They require some regulatory standards and develop systems and processes through which these standards can be followed. Apart from that there is need of all the HR activities of managing records of employees, payroll, scheduling, benefit administration and all other related HR work.For this pur pose a company PeopleSoft has an HRMS for public sector. This HRMS has enabled the compliance with the regulatory standards and has also fulfilled all other requirements in form of Human Resources, Benefits Administration FSA System, Payroll, Payroll Interface applications and Human Resource Budgeting. Apart from that, their latest release includes a more advanced Web Client and an integrated Online Analytical Processing (The Free Library, 1997).These are few examples which show that how effective the use of technology can prove if the technology is used effectively. HRM and technology work together and together they create a positive impact that is not only flourishing the public sector but all other sectors where there is always application of HR technology.These facts show that the future holds prosperous prospects for HR technology in all the fields of a nation as there will always be a need of human resources and their effective management. The next section of the paper will sh ed some more light on the future prospects of HR technology.Future of HR TechnologyThe future of HR technology can without doubt be said is good because the conditions around the globe are changing rapidly. The companies must have flexible operating tools at hand to cope up with these changes.Technology offers the element of flexibility and change to the HRM in form of technologically capable adaptive tools and HRM systems. These systems not only offer effective results but also capability to take on these changes and challenges. But there is always a room of improvement which can be made in HR technology as well.Improvements can be brought in the form of implementation of better technology by the time. Whenever there is launch of a new technological package which can be helpful to the companies, they must explore it and try to implement it in a way that would facilitate the HR activities.There can be launch of further tools such as Talent Management tools, Strategic HR planning too ls, outsourcing components, better payroll systems, online recruitment system, HRM systems, HR modules and overall an entire HR package.The future of HR technology would have to come up with tools that entail the entire business strategy and accordingly formulate an HR strategy so that it is made sure that organizational goals and HR activities are aligned. This can be possible by developing HRM systems whose processes are not only measurable but they also take it to the entirely different and better level of sophistication.The future of HR technology focuses on bringing together business and believes in the formation of more integrated functionality. There are components like portals, business intelligence (BI) and talent. These components would solely not be very effective, but if they are integrated, their combined effect would yield good results. There must be specific attention towards talent management along with portals and business intelligence which would enhance the future scope of HR technology for the globe (Systematic HR, 2006).There are future projects on hand which incorporate the use of technology to enhance the HRM. The effective implementation of these projects would guarantee success of HR technology in future.Conclusion Human is the basic element of the universe and it is around him that the Earth revolves. Human is a part of society which is part of economy which further is part of the country. Business is the most important aspect of the system as the economy of the system is dependant on it. Hence human is the main resource through which businesses operate, societies flourish, economies prosper and countries improve.Therefore there is requirement of managing the human resources which comes under the vast field of Human Resource Management (HRM). The infusion of HRM with technology has improved the standards of businesses and its different sectors. It has enabled managers for better supervision of the employees, has raised performance and has inculcated elements of scrutiny, supervision, administration and better management all over.There are many HR activities which start from advertising online for recruitment, selection, training, compensation, benefits and many more. Technology has facilitated in the form of many different technological tools such as online recruitment, payroll module, training module, benefit administration, HRM system, HR module and many more.There are many other applications as well which have helped organizations to standardize and improve their HRM departments. Businesses from all the different sectors have utilized the technological aids for their assistance and have yielded more effective and efficient results. Technology and HRM are therefore part and parcel and it is necessary for any organization to adopt innovative technological measures and methods to reap good fruit for its HRM as HRM is the main heart core function of the entire organization. The application of these technological aids has not only facilitated HR activities but has also yielded effective and efficient results.HRM and Technology, or HR Technology is utilized in different sectors across the globe. The main two sectors are public and private. In components such as military, police, education, healthcare, society services, public education and public roads and transits there is wide range of technological application and aids that we witness for facilitation of HR activities.These facts show that the future holds prosperous prospects for HR technology in all the fields of a nation as there will always be a need of human resources and their effective management. The improved and new technological aids in future can even further widen the horizon of HR technology in the form of innovative tools such as talent management, business intelligence and many others.ReferencesHR Management. (July, 2010). Technology Aids the Human Touch.   Retrieved on July 22, 2010, from, http://www.hrmreport.com/article /Technology-aids-the-human-touch/Systematic HR. (June, 2006). The future of HR Technology. Retrieved on July 22, 2010, from, http://systematichr.com/?p=439The Free Library. (1997). PeopleSoft Delivers HRMS for Public Sector Release 7.   Retrieved on July 22, 2010, from, http://www.thefreelibrary.com/PeopleSoft+Delivers+HRMS+for+Public+Sector+Release+7-a020064725

What would be the effects on their markets in general and individual Essay - 1

What would be the effects on their markets in general and individual consumers in particular, of a temporary withdrawal of all media advertising by Dolce and Gabbana - Essay Example It will help in understanding how controversial advertisements reap in business profits. Theories of advertisement are discussed and practically assessed in the context of the impact of media publicity upon the consumer market of Dolce & Gabbana. Three controversial advertisements are analysed and labeled as image 1, image 2 and image 3 for making references to those ads throughout this paper. The temporary withdrawal of all media advertisements by Dolce & Gabbana can yield both positive and negative results. It will be an experimental phase, and a concrete prediction is impossible. Sales may boost up after offensive advertisements are pulled. From celebrities to the ordinary man, all are equally miffed by the luxury brand’s derogatory comments and image depictions throughout its history of brand ads. Withdrawal of ads will give an impression that the management has amended its ways and is respectful towards customers’ sentiments rather than bulldozing gender equality and nontraditional families. However, this is just one ideal scenario and the chance for this situation to meet success is rare. Advertisements have a massive contribution in constructing a brand identity, image, and global reputation. Withdrawal of media ads can prove disastrous, as the Italian fashion label has climbed the success ladder owing to its shocking advertisements. If their ad campa igns are normalized, then it will be no different from any other brand and end of controversy often suggest an end of discoveries. The impact of shocking and debatable advertisements will be investigated in dual dimensions: cultural and economic impacts. In the Dolce & Gabbana’s fall 2015 ready-to-wear show in Milan, the fashion brand had motherhood as the theme of the fashion show. It featured models carrying babies, children, and one who was heavily pregnant. This fashion house has been considering the family theme as central to its advertising subject since

Current Preparedness Issue Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Current Preparedness Issue - Term Paper Example Thus, it is important to analyze how civilian-military coordination to emergencies in our system occurs. Unfortunately, while great strides have been made, the coordination between US civil and military agencies at the local, state and federal level still have many procedural and practical problems during emergencies. Hurricane Katrina was a fracture point that demonstrated widespread failure in the US disaster response system. There was â€Å"widespread confusion on operations, communications, and protocols† (Meyer and Baca, 2010). Blanco, Nagin and FEMA were unable to coordinate properly with each other at the leadership level, with competing and often redundant mandates. There were many other reasons for failure during Katrina, of course, some of which deserve more analysis later: Racism among local officials that led to people being locked in, FEMA becoming a backseat agency after Homeland Security, etc. But what is illustrative for the general disaster response lesson is that the problem was predictably caused by a lack of state participation in the National Response Plan. â€Å"Further demonstrating the lack of any meaningful role by state and local governments in the adoption of the NRP is the fact that the officials who approved the NRP do not include a single non-federal representative. The Department of Education, an entity with no role whatsoever in domestic incident response, is a signatory to the NRP, while FEMA is not. Not one governor or mayor signed it† (Mayer and Baca, 2010). Things have improved since Katrina, but the government should still be preparing for another debacle on that scale in the interim. Levinson and Granot (2002) make clear why military command only is predictably likely to fail by analyzing the case study of Israel. Their disaster response agency, while nominally civilian, is still staffed by former military career men with little experience in civil-military relations. When disasters happened like the 1990 trai n disaster, â€Å"the scenario went along the lines of military thinking and not according to a course-of-business civilian accident†. The case study indicates a few flaws with a purely military approach. First: Military leaders are not used to working with civilian chains of command or lack thereof. Firefighters, EMTs and police do not have as strong a chain of command as the military do, so more respect for individual autonomy is essential. Second: Military leaders tend to respond to disasters by treating them as full-scale operations. They thus tend to overescalate responses, assign too many resources (as if the situation were a battle that must be overwhelmed), and can lead to panic. Third: The focus on hierarchy not only leads to more alienation of civilian personnel, but it also has additional problems. It prevents the coordination of volunteers who are trying to do what they can but may smart at excessive command and control. It alienates those with management skills, both those people with little disaster experience and those with plenty. It can prevent coordination among multiple groups at different levels, especially pushing away NGOs like the Red Cross and religious associations. And in most emergency response agencies, the ground-level people have the most expertise, yet military planning tends to prioritize consulting people with less experience but more clout. In the military, experience at a core task is the key to promotion: In civilian life, there is

Listen Up Cabin Crew Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Listen Up Cabin Crew - Essay Example He breaks down the communication process in understandable segments: Overconfidence, Social norms in the cabin, and Repetition. Then, related to Behavior, he cites the attitudes, expected norms of behavior, and perceived behavioral control, repetition, and confusion between repetition and recall. For an article of less than 800 words that is a review of a 91 page manual of extensive research, Darby has done a very good job. He has given enough details to the categories and information, condensing the information so that it is quickly learned. He cited his sources, focusing mainly on Azjen's research. The way he cites the categories is organized and easily understandable. If one wanted to know the basics of the ATSB's manual, this is a quick readable resource. The attached questionnaires in the ATSB's manual were used in the research for the compilation of data. This is mentioned also in Darby's article. He selected main topics and used those, mentioning the research that was available and used. Completely left out of any research questionnaire were anything asked of the cabin crew. As mentioned previously, the research and experts used are excellent examples of the type of information to bring confidence to the reader. The information is logical and follows sequential thinking. There are no seen errors in the structure of the thought process. If there are any biases perceived in this article, it has to do with a prejudice against passengers. However, that is stated in the beginning because that is the focus of the article-attempting to understand why passengers do not pay enough attention to the instructions given by the cabin crew. This seems to enhance the writer's credibility because it is stated in the beginning and is cited from the manual. My personal reaction to this is positive because it enhances my belief that passengers need more awareness of safety procedures on all flights and we need to do our best to continually make them aware of the rules and procedures. Darby presents an excellent behavioral view of this problem, but he does not address the emotional content to any large extent. However, neither does the ATSB manual. It only discusses the behavioral. Whether it would be helpful to discuss the emotional or not would really depend on the reaction of the passenger to any type of emergency situation and how the cabin crew would handle it. The cabin crew could be trained to understand the emotional problems associated with passengers. That training would then reflect in how they work with the passengers once inside the cabin. There are many more cited documents in the original ATSB document than what Darby used or was able to use in his article. Also not explained was the perception passengers have of the flight attendants and the difference of perception between shorter flights and longer ones. The trust level is addressed in the ATSB report, but not mentioned in Darby's article. It is my view that the article is quite valid and dependable. Whether Darby had a word length limit probably had something to do with the amount of information he was able to compile in the amount of allocated space. Had he had more space he could have included more about the research of the passengers, the reactions they have to the brochures in the seat pockets, and how much attention they actually pay to the emergency procedures. The statistics in the original manual by

Gay Rights Towards Gay Marriage Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Gay Rights Towards Gay Marriage - Research Paper Example However, whether same sex individuals be allowed to marry is still controversial. This paper argues that gay marriage should be legalized because same-sex parents can prove to be better parents; it reinforces their rights as humans; and, it stabilizes the society through child adoption. Gay marriages should be legalized since same sex couples can prove to be better parents than opposite sex couples. Biblarz and Stacey (3) argue that the gender of parents â€Å"has minor significance for childrens psychological adjustment and social success.† Family instability may take its toll on normal psychological development of children of both straight and same-sex couples, and so, it is not true that only gay parents prove to be bad parents by any means. They may prove to be better parents, states Kurdek (880) in his research. He argues that two men or women can raise kids better in terms of sexual growth, than a man or a woman in a traditional home setting. Kids of gay couples do not have to see one of their parents involved in extra-marital affairs. They do not have to see their moms and dads fighting with each other every day. Kids pay little attention to what the relationship between their parents is, or whether or not their relationship relates to societal norms or not. All they want is love, of parents towards them and also towards each other. So, the relationship between parents has nothing to do with children becoming homo or hetero-sexual. Thus, gay marriages should be legalized without getting concerned about the parenting capabilities of the couples involved. â€Å"Same-sex marriages will offer voluntary support to the institution by allowing freedom in selecting one’s partner†, states Bolte (1). She has focused upon the reinforcement of human rights regarding selection partner through utilitarian arguments.

West antarctic ice sheet Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

West antarctic ice sheet - Research Paper Example The irony is that the human species has only one earth to live on and in case the environment of earth degrades beyond a certain level, it could positively jeopardize the very survival of the human species. The thing that needs to be understood is that environment stands to be a closely interconnected and integrated system, and it relies for its well being on a range of biological, geological, geographical and physical systems and features like animal and plant species, weather systems, water currents, atmospheric phenomena, water bodies, mountain ranges, air currents, glaciers, ice sheets, etc (Johnson 167). In that context, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet stands to be an important constituent of and a major determinant of the environmental health in the current times. Varied experts and research groups are urgently pointing to the fact that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which is one of the Earth’s salient ice sheets, could eventually collapse going by the augmenting pace of glo bal warming, thereby leading to drastic climatic and environmental changes (Plimer 9). Simply speaking, an ice sheet happens to be a large mass of glacial land ice with a span of more than fifty thousand square kilometers (Allaby 79). During the ice age, many important ice shields covered large expanses of land in North America, Europe and varied other parts of the world. However, in the current times there are only two surviving ice sheets that are the Greenland ice sheet and the Antarctic ice sheet (Allaby 79). Ice sheets are formed only in those areas where the snow accumulated during the winters does not totally melt during the summers (Allaby 79). Over a long period of time spanning across thousands of years, this snow gives way to large masses of ice which further get compressed and packed as the new snow presses the snow from previous years (Allaby 80). One important thing

GOVT 480-DB4 Replies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

GOVT 480-DB4 Replies - Essay Example Were it not for the negligence of the leadership, and their unwillingness to establish peaceful relationship, the two countries could have peaceful coexistence. Currently, as you argue, the situation at the west bank is the main reason for the tension and animosity facing the two countries. Further, you point out that with the United States supporting Israel with both finances and weaponry makes the situation even worse. With the issues taking drastic twists and turns, whet is the likelihood of there being peace between the two countries. Although the bible insists on peaceful co-existence, considering the history facing the two countries, is there any possibility that if peace would last, in case they were to assume peaceful coexistence? According to your argument, biblically, the region occupied by Israel and Palestine was the Promised Land, one that God directed Abraham to leave his home and start a new life. In the years that followed, when the French and the British came into the region, they subdivided the region into different areas. Could this have been the main reason why the two regions started falling apart? Since the two people keep on fighting on who should take control of the region, would this offer the solution in restoring peace in the region? The United States in various occasions, you indicate, has tried to restore peace in the two warring countries. In all these instances, the talks have failed top yield fruits. Other arguments hold that the United States supports Israel with finances and weapons, yet it sends delegations in these peace talks. With such confusion, is there any future in restoring peace between these two troubled

The euro star Essay Example for Free

The euro star Essay The euro star is more than suitable for those with disabilities the Eurostar is Dedicated to providing the highest level of service for all its passengers, the Eurostar terminals at London St Pancras International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International, as well as the passenger trains themselves are specially equipped for those who may require additional facilities or services. So to conclude for the Eurostar I would recommend to Parents with children to choose this option over others, however if the customers need a car while in Paris then I would choose a different option, although as the Paris station is in the middle of Disneyland Paris the need for a car isnt likely unless the hotel they are staying in is outside the Disneyland Paris area. Wheelchairs There are 2 designated areas on the train, each for one wheelchair user and companion in Leisure Select (first class), coaches 9 10. They offer the wheelchair user the option to stay in their wheelchair if they wish and must be -8- used if passengers are unable to walk at least 200m unaided. Call for aid buttons are also fitted. Please note that the designated wheelchair spaces are for passengers that have their own wheelchair. A special fare is available for both wheelchair user and companion, please enquire at the time of booking. Special Assistance Special assistance is no longer bookable in advance. Assistance is arranged in person on the day of departure at the assistance desk and is subject to availability. If the passenger thinks they might need help getting to or from the train, they would need to arrive as early as they can (preferably at least 1 hour prior to departure). Guide Dogs Guide dogs are accepted on board, however please note under no other circumstances may animals travel on Eurostar. Disabled toilets with call for aid buttons are available at the departure lounges at London St Pancras, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International stations and also on the trains themselves in First Class Leisure Select Coaches 9 and 10. And an extra note for the disabled passengers Eurostar Door Widths: Toilet 522mm/Exit Door 850mm/Disabled Toilet 7200mm -9- Euro tunnel Eurotunnel is the company responsible for building the twin railway tunnels under the English Channel linking Britain and France at Folkestone, in Kent and Coquelles, in the Nord Pas-de-Calais. Eurotunnel runs its own shuttle service that carries passengers and their vehicles between Folkestone and Calais. Eurotunnel also charges other rail operators, like Eurostar, to use the Channel Tunnel or Chunnel as we often call it. Eurotunnel operates a fleet of 25 shuttle trains to transport cars, coaches and trucks and their drivers and passengers. Trains run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are 3 trains an hour between 06:00-00:00, and 2 trains an hour between midnight and 06:00. The shuttle has now been in operation for over 12 years and since its first commercial services 177 million people have travelled through the Channel Tunnel thats 3 times the population of both France and England! Eurotunnel shuttle timetable Eurotunnel runs 34 shuttle services a day, 7 days a week, both from Calais to Folkestone, and from Folkestone to Calais. Generally, there are 2 services an hour between 06:00-23:00, 1 service an hour between 23:00-01:00 and about 1 service every 2 hours between 01:00-06:00. -10- Journey time between Folkestone and Calais is 35 minutes between 06:00-23:00 and about 45 minutes between 23:00-06:00. The Passengers need to check in at least 30 minutes before your shuttles due departure time. Eurotunnel have a good record for on time departures. Disch:1 Above is where Eurotunnel crosses the English Channel. Eurotunnel is a great way to take your car on holiday with, and as you can see it has great road links to all other parts of Britain. -11- Eurotunnel shuttle fares Eurotunnel has a number of fare options. Prices within one ticket option can vary quite a bit depending on a number of factors, such as how long you book in advance, what type of vehicle youre taking and how long youre staying. Standard car fare The average standard fare for a car up to 1. 85 meters high is i 49-i 75 one way. Note that standard fares are significantly more expensive if booked at short notice. The price includes the car and all its passengers. The number of passengers can be any number up to the maximum the car can legally carry. Motorcycles: fares are around Registered guide dogs travel free So this could be the ideal way to travel for anyone with difficulties with their sight, also this could be ideal for people travelling on big trips, such as school trips as the Eurotunnel has sufficient facilities to take coaches on, and as part of primary research I have actually been on a coach in the Eurotunnel and I thought it was a good way to travel and was easy and quick. Although its not as direct as the Eurostar, as the customer will have to drive from Calais to Disneyland Paris but it is made easy to get to Disneyland Paris as the passenger can take their car with them, as well as there being taxis available form Calais. The picture above shows the different leaving points in the south coast of England, to the different locations in France in which you can travel to. The most probable route for passengers from Maldon would be Dover to Calais. -13- http://www. seafrance. com/cs/Satellite/uk/ferry-dover-calais/itinerary-to-dover? packedargs=site%3DSF_Pax_Uk the purple route is the best route, for travellers from Maldon, from Maldon to Dover, the travellers can either go by car or get a taxi there, but obviously you can take your car on the ferry or, like the Eurotunnel, if the travellers are on a coach trip the ferry is accessible for coaches so the ferry could be perfect for school trips, and what separates a ferry from the Eurotunnel is that the passengers can walk around on board and visit restaurants, shops, bars, and arcades. There is also chilled out areas with comfortable seating, so for passengers travelling on business, can chill with a drink and if wanted can get on with some work in a calm environment. If the Traveller chose to use Sea France, and are driving a vehicle When they arrive at the port of Dover, theyll need to go through immigration and customs so this emphasizes the safety of the ferry. Then they just need to simply follow the signs to the Sea France check-in booths where a member of the Sea France team will process their booking and give them a lane number. Go to the car lanes and wait until youre invited to come aboard. Once onboard, the Sea France team will direct you on the car deck. Also when parking their car, they will reminded to make sure to leave the handbrake on. They will also be reminded to bring everything they want for the journey with them to the passenger areas, because access to the car decks is not permitted during the crossing. If theyre travelling with a pet then Sea France might be the company to use for crossing however it will need to stay in the vehicle during the crossing. It is also easy to make a note of where your car is parked, so the travelers can find it easily when its time to disembark. Passengers travelling by bicycle will also be able to travel by Sea France but will need to walk their bike up the ramp on to the ship. And For their safety, please be careful when leaving your cycle on the car decks and follow the crews instructions. For those passengers with sight difficulties then they could choose Sea France as If youll be accompanied by a guide dog or assistance dog they are welcome to come aboard with you free of charge. So to conclude the ferry would be good again for school trips, and possibly parents with children as the children will have enough stuff to do on the ferry to keep them preoccupied. Also this is the luxury option for those who need a car, bus or bicycle in France to travel around, as you can obviously take your vehicle with you.

Gilgamesh And The Legend Of King Arthur English Literature Essay

Gilgamesh And The Legend Of King Arthur English Literature Essay Synthesizing is bringing together of multiple texts. In this case, we shall compare and contrast two legends by different authors, epic of Gilgamesh and the legend of King Arthur. Although these two literary texts have comparisons, they also have differences. The outstanding difference is that one is an Epic and the other is a legend (Danny 4). To compare and contrast the epic of Gilgamesh and the legend of king Arthur, one must first know what the words epic and legend mean. Basically, epic is a long narrative poem about the deeds of a semi-god, also known as a superhuman hero whose actions are depended on as fate of a nation, tribe or human race ( Danny 6).This usually consists of adventure of a filled plot and is concerned with timeless human challenges ranging from honor, jealousy, hatred and war. These contain gods and goddesses and the setting is fixed in a far distance place at a time long past. Epics are based on legends and myths. A legend, consist of a superman who manages to solve some problems that a group of people have encountered for long. It also consists of an adventure filled plot. Having known that, there is now a better understanding of these two stories (Danny 10). Eric of Gilgamesh is a story that revolves around Gilgamesh king of Uruk, who was two thirds god and one third men. He was physically beautiful and, very strong and very wise. His kingship was so cruel and he lorded over his subjects, raping any woman whether a wife or a daughter of his noblemen or warrior (Danny12). He accomplished building his projects through forced labor. His subjects complained to the gods and they decided to keep him under checks by creating Enkidu magnificent just like Gilgamesh. The two became good friends and Gilgamesh felt so bad when Enkidu dies from an illness inflicted by the gods. Upon the death of his friend, Gilgamesh travels to the end of edge of the world and learned about the days before the deluge and other secrets of the gods, and he recorded them on stone tablets (Danny 14). The epic begins with Enkidu. He lives with animals, suckling their breasts, grazing meadows and drinking at their watering places. In a bid to tame him he is meant to sleep with a woman but this does not happen as he is rejected since he is part of human world. He would later fight with Gilgamesh only for him to be defeated. They become friends and set off looking for an adventure to share (Danny 18). The legend of King Arthur is a narrative that revolves around Roman Empire and its fall as their armies flee the British isle. Arthur, a heroic knight and devoted Christian, is torn between his desire to travel to Rome to serve his faith and his royalty to the land of his birth. As England falls apart, Arthur throws his lot with a band of knights who hope to restore order to their fair and pleasant land and hopes to win freedom for his comrades. With time, Arthur and his men join forces with Merlin, a shaman whose band of renegade knights were often pitched in the battle against roman forces. Forming a united front as loyal English men against the invading Saxon armies, Arthur, Merlin, and the brave beautiful Guinevere are determined to unite a sovereign Britain under one army and one king (Morris et al 55). The legend of King Arthur is in comparison to the epic of Gilgamesh because Arthurs closest companion was Merlin while Gilgameshs closest companion was Enkidu and neither of these two forgot their friends. Enkidu only came into contact with Gilgamesh after becoming a man. Enkidu released the animal traps when they are caught, so to make him a man the prostitutes slept with him so that the animals would be ashamed of him and reject him. King Arthur became aware of Merlin when he was still a young man (Morris et al 62). When Arthur was born, Merlin placed him in the care of sir Ector, throughout his boyhood; Arthur learned the ways of chivalry, knighthood and how to become a gentleman. At the tournament one day Arthur pulled Excalibur from the stone and this is what brought upon Arthur meeting Merlin once again. In the legend of King Arthur, Merlin exclaimed that if men forgot it was their doom. Gilgamesh along with Enkidu together fought and killed humbaba, protector of the cedar forest, and the bull of heaven, sent as punishment to Gilgamesh for killing Gilgamesh. Neither King Arthur nor Gilgamesh forgot their faithful friends. King Arthur fought many battles with Merlin at his side, supporting him using magic to help Arthur gain a better understanding of the world. Upon the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh searched a long time before finding the secret of eternal life, but he was unable to return it to Enkidu to restore his life to him. When Merlin was frozen from Morgannas twisted magic, King Arthur thought that Merlin deserted him. (Morris et al 68). In conclusion, there are many distinct comparisons as well as contrasts that are seen in these two wondrous narratives. Some of which include the diverse contrast of the type of literary writing and the correspondence of the faithful companions of both Gilgamesh and King Arthur. This is why The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Legend of Arthur are the same yet unlike. Although there are so many similarities between The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Legend of King Arthur, there are so many differences. One outstanding difference is that Gilgamesh was a tyrant while Arthur was a hero. Gilgamesh thought he was better than everybody else for he did not allow the brides to sleep with their husbands until Gilgamesh was with them first. Gilgamesh split Uruk up, the elders stayed at the marketplace, the animals were less than people, there was n any hunting laws (Morris et al 72). Because Enkidu fled the animals from the hunters traps Gilgamesh sent a prostitute to make Enkidu a man so that the animals would not accept him. King Arthur was a hero because he believed in the equality of man. Instead of being at the head of the table he made all the knights sit at the round table so that there was an equivalency among the knights and their mistresses. King Arthur slept only with and what he thought to be his wife. This is one reason why The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Legend of King Arthur are distinct (Morris et al 78). Work cited: Danny P. The epic of Gilgamesh.2nd ed. Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 1997 (2-100) Morris, Albert, Paul. The Epic of Gilgamesh: An Old Babylonian Version. Book Tree, 2003 (3-112) Arnold C. Legends of the Arts: 50 Inspiring Stories of Creative People. Good Year Books, 2007

Importance of Confidentiality and Ethics in Healthcare

Importance of Confidentiality and Ethics in Healthcare Sara Lan Case Three Confidentiality protection is an essential component of a patient-physician relationship. Only in a setting of trust can patients feel comfortable sharing personal feelings and sensitive information regarding their health with their health care providers. Having access to confidential health services is especially important when the patients are adolescents. This is particularly because the medical care needs of adolescents can often conflict with the opinions and values of their family members. Therefore, adolescents are less likely to seek medical treatment if they fear that the information they share with their medical care providers might be disclosed to their families. On the other hand, this fear may also cause adolescents to withhold certain information from medical professionals which can create problems in providing accurate diagnoses. Thus, medical care providers should do everything they can to respect adolescent patients’ confidentiality unless the patients are at significant risk of harming themselves or others. Confidentiality is linked in to several bioethical principles, including the principle of respect for patient autonomy, the principle of beneficence, and the principle of nonmaleficence. Within bioethics, the principle of respect for patient autonomy is usually associated with allowing informed and competent patients to make their own choices regarding their medical treatments (15). Meanwhile, confidentiality is respecting a patient’s right to control the information relating to his or her own health. While these concepts generally refer to adult patients, adolescents of Bill’s age are presumed competent to make medical choices for themselves. Unless the law requires otherwise, a competent minor can consent to medical care without involving the patient’s parents. In this particular case, Bill has good reasons for his reluctance to disclose the information that he has shared with the medical team to his parents. Bill mentions that his parents have explicitly expressed their views against same sex marriages and negative opinions about gays and lesbians. Therefore, in respecting Bill’s confidentiality and keeping information about Billâ€℠¢s sexual orientation a secret, the medical team is acting beneficently. At the same time, disclosing the information to Bill’s parents presents the potential for harm. For instance, Bill may face rejection from his parents as a result and this may cause his depression to worsen. Thus, maintaining confidentiality can also be seen as acting in the principle of nonmaleficence. Concerns with regards to Bill’s competency may arise due to his past suicide attempt. In cases involving minors who do not have the capacity to make their own health care decisions, parents are generally the default surrogate-decision makers (94). Consequently, some people may argue that Bill’s medical decisions should be determined by his parents. Furthermore, by invoking the best interest standard, they might add that knowing all relevant information is necessary in determining what treatments are most beneficial for Bill. This can be justified if Bill is deemed incapable of making his own medical decisions then his parents may need to know about the causes of his depression in order to decide what specific types of medical treatments he needs. However, based on the sliding scale model of competency, I argue that Bill does in fact have the competency required to make his own health care choices. According to the sliding scale of competency, medical treatments that are highly beneficial with relatively small risks require a low level of competency to provide informed consent (90). Bill’s treatment plan fits into this category quite well. Furthermore, due to the highly therapeutic nature of these types of treatments, a presumption of competency holds when a patient agrees to treatment because the patient is making a rational choice (90). Although Bill’s competence may be questioned again when medical treatments involving higher risks are involved, he is still capable of making his own decisions about the treatment plan that is offered to him at the moment. While it is important to respect a patient’s autonomy and confidentiality, the medical team should still encourage conversation between adolescents and their parents. When an illness strikes a member in the family, it not only affects the patient, but also the patient’s family as a whole. For that reason, in â€Å"Bioethics for Clinicians: Involving Children in Medical Decisions†, the writers proposed a family-centred approach which takes into consideration the burdens and the benefits for all family members, as well as their responsibilities toward each other (93). Since family members can provide much-needed support during the patient’s illness, medical care providers should always encourage communication between a minor and his or her parents. If Bill agrees to it, the medical team can speak to his parents about his treatment plan in more general terms. For instance, adolescence can generally be a difficult time for many people. Being the transition sta ge between childhood and adulthood, there are unique challenges and struggles that exist in this stage of life such as developing a personal identity. Therefore, it is not uncommon for adolescents to seek therapy and counselling for one reason or another. For the same reasons, schools also have counsellors to guide and help adolescents deal with these issues in life. By framing Bill’s treatment plan in this way, the medical team is able to provide a way for Bill to communicate and obtain support from his parents while he undergoes treatments without disclosing Bill’s secret. It may be objected that withholding information from Bill’s parents is the same as lying. This objection is understandable since certain information does in fact have to be withheld when discussing Bill’s treatment plan with his parents as a means to protect Bill’s confidentiality. Nevertheless, the motivations behind lying and moral acts of withholding information are fundamentally different. For this reason, I argue that lying and moral acts of omission should not be viewed as equal. In â€Å"When Self-Determination Runs Amok†, author Daniel Callahan also speaks of the moral differences associated with â€Å"stopping life-sustaining treatments† with informed consent and â€Å"active forms of killing, such as a lethal injection† (345). Clearly, lying and active forms of killing are motivated by maleficence. Other the other hand, stopping life-sustaining treatments with informed consent and moral acts of withholding information are based on m edical professional duties. Ultimately, should the medical team lie to protect Bill’s confidentiality? The answer is no. Under no circumstances should the medical care providers lie. After all, no one would be willing place their health and well-being in the hands of medical professionals who are capable of dishonesty. Meanwhile, moral acts of omission are justifiable when disclosing full informationwill very likely cause predictable harm. Generally, people find the latter to be acceptable. If Bill’s depression does not improve with treatment and he is at significant risk of harming himself again, confidentiality may be justifiably breached. The medical should convey their intention to breach confidentiality to Bill before notifying his parents of his risk of harm to himself. However, it should be noted that it is not appropriate for the medical team to disclose information about Bill’s orientation if he does not wish for that information to be disclosed. It may take years before Bill feels comfortable sharing this information with his parents. Ultimately it is up to Bill to decide when he is ready. For the time being, the medical team’s role is to encourage a healthy support network between Bill and his family as well as to ensure that Bill has a confidential environment for his health care needs. Works Cited Gedge, Elisabeth (Boetzkes), and Wilfrid J. Waluchow. Eds. Readings in Health Care Ethics. 2nd ed. Peterborough: Broadview, 2012. Print.

Netspeak :: science

Netspeak An analysis of Internet jargon Approximately 30 million people world-wide use the Internet and online services daily. The Net is growing exponentially in all areas, and a rapidly increasing number of people are finding themselves working and playing on the Internet. The people on the Net are not all rocket scientists and computer programmers; they're graphic designers, teachers, students, artists, musicians, feminists, Rush Limbaugh-fans, and your next door neighbors. What these diverse groups of people have in common is their language. The Net community exists and thrives because of effective written communication, as on the net all you have available to express yourself are typewritten words. If you cannot express yourself well in written language, you either learn more effective ways of communicating, or get lost in the shuffle. "Netspeak" is evolving on a national and international level. The technological vocabulary once used only by computer programmers and elite computer manip ulators called "Hackers," has spread to all users of computer networks. The language is currently spoken by people on the Internet, and is rapidly spilling over into advertising and business. The words "online," "network," and "surf the net" are occuring more and more frequently in our newspapers and on television. If you're like most Americans, you're feeling bombarded by Netspeak. Television advertisers, newspapers, and international businesses have jumped on the "Information Superhighway" bandwagon, making the Net more accessible to large numbers of not-entirely-technically-oriented people. As a result, technological vocabulary is entering into non-technological communication. For example, even the archaic UNIX command "grep," (an acronym meaning Get REpeated Pattern) is becoming more widely accepted as a synonym of "search" in everyday communication. The argument rages as to whether Netspeak is merely slang, or a jargon in and of itself. The language is emerging based loosely up on telecommunications vocabulary and computer jargons, with new derivations and compounds of existing words, and shifts creating different usages; all of which depending quite heavily upon clippings. Because of these reasons, the majority of Net-using linguists classify Netspeak as a dynamic jargon in and of itself, rather than as a collection of slang. Linguistically, the most interesting feature of Netspeak is its morphology. Acronyms and abbreviations make up a large part of Net jargon. FAQ (Frequently Asked Question), MUD (Multi-User-Dungeon), and URL (Uniform Resource Locator) are some of the most frequently seen TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) on the Internet. General abbreviations abound as well, in more friendly and conversationally conducive forms, such as TIA (Thanks In Advance), BRB (Be Right Back), BTW (By The Way), and IMHO (In My Humble Opinion. Netspeak :: science Netspeak An analysis of Internet jargon Approximately 30 million people world-wide use the Internet and online services daily. The Net is growing exponentially in all areas, and a rapidly increasing number of people are finding themselves working and playing on the Internet. The people on the Net are not all rocket scientists and computer programmers; they're graphic designers, teachers, students, artists, musicians, feminists, Rush Limbaugh-fans, and your next door neighbors. What these diverse groups of people have in common is their language. The Net community exists and thrives because of effective written communication, as on the net all you have available to express yourself are typewritten words. If you cannot express yourself well in written language, you either learn more effective ways of communicating, or get lost in the shuffle. "Netspeak" is evolving on a national and international level. The technological vocabulary once used only by computer programmers and elite computer manip ulators called "Hackers," has spread to all users of computer networks. The language is currently spoken by people on the Internet, and is rapidly spilling over into advertising and business. The words "online," "network," and "surf the net" are occuring more and more frequently in our newspapers and on television. If you're like most Americans, you're feeling bombarded by Netspeak. Television advertisers, newspapers, and international businesses have jumped on the "Information Superhighway" bandwagon, making the Net more accessible to large numbers of not-entirely-technically-oriented people. As a result, technological vocabulary is entering into non-technological communication. For example, even the archaic UNIX command "grep," (an acronym meaning Get REpeated Pattern) is becoming more widely accepted as a synonym of "search" in everyday communication. The argument rages as to whether Netspeak is merely slang, or a jargon in and of itself. The language is emerging based loosely up on telecommunications vocabulary and computer jargons, with new derivations and compounds of existing words, and shifts creating different usages; all of which depending quite heavily upon clippings. Because of these reasons, the majority of Net-using linguists classify Netspeak as a dynamic jargon in and of itself, rather than as a collection of slang. Linguistically, the most interesting feature of Netspeak is its morphology. Acronyms and abbreviations make up a large part of Net jargon. FAQ (Frequently Asked Question), MUD (Multi-User-Dungeon), and URL (Uniform Resource Locator) are some of the most frequently seen TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) on the Internet. General abbreviations abound as well, in more friendly and conversationally conducive forms, such as TIA (Thanks In Advance), BRB (Be Right Back), BTW (By The Way), and IMHO (In My Humble Opinion.

Downfall of the Roman Empire :: Ancient Rome Roman History

Downfall of the Roman Empire The Roman Empire was strong for a time. It was founded on geography, family values, military strength, and wise leadership. It flourished because of social, economic, political, military and religious strengths. However, when the very things that make a civilization flourish start to decline, the civilization will also lead to a downfall. The first reason for the fall was economic decay. The rulers of Rome had expensive lifestyles. To aid their image, they needed money. They gained money through taxation on the poor. In response to the torment of tax collectors, the poor fled to barbaric lands. The poor made up a large percentage of the Roman population. Barbarians disrupted trade on the Mediterranean sea. Rome's gold and silver were being drained into buying luxuries from China, India, and Arabia. The government decreased the silver content in money. The value of the money also decreased. Diocletion attempted to curb the inflation. He issued an edict that fixed maximum prices and wages throughout the Empire. It was an unrealistic and unenforceable idea which failed. The emperors still felt the tax issue needed to be addressed. They decided to make the hereditary class of tax collectors pay the difference. In other words, if a poor person could not pay their full share, the tax collector paid the rest. This concept wi ped out a whole class of moderately wealthy people. Later, slavery split communities. Rome believed the workers of society should not benefit from slavery. Slaves then had to reason to try hard or improve. Eastern slaves started doing technical work. Thus, all technical work was looked down upon. Labor was cheap and worthless. Upper-class Romans were content with what they had become. They felt no need to improve their inventions, they were content with slaves. Another reason for the fall of Rome was political issues. Citizens no longer displayed patriotism, they were indifferent. Only the rich ran for office. Only the rich could run for office. It had become too expensive to hold office. The officers were forced to pay for public engagements themselves. The wealthy men destroyed Greco-Roman civilization. The loss of Greco-Roman civilization led to the decline of classical civilization. The general pattern of the classical civilization was based upon slavery being at the root of society. The army had proven itself to produce many leaders. The army needed to be maintained. Again, taxes were forced mainly on the poor or made more people impoverished.

Audience Analysis Memo Essay

Per the week one assignment, I have reviewed and compared two Websites offering information on the same subject. My chosen subject is kidney disease and hemodialysis and the source Websites are: The National Kidney Foundation (http://www.kidney.org) and The Merck Manual-Professional (http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional). When reviewing the National Kidney Foundation site, I initially had difficulty determining who the intended audience actually was. You can’t help but notice, a significant goal of the page is to generate donations. The donations tab is highlighted with a blue border against an orange background. The information tabs are simply white print against the same orange background. That being said, there is also well prepared information regarding kidney disease and hemodialysis intended for the general public. The Website provides information regarding diagnosis, treatments and lifestyle changes. It appears, the primary purpose of the National Kidney Foundation Website is education and the secondary purpose is soliciting donations. The Merck Manual Professional site, appears to target healthcare professionals with a secondary audience of students in the medical and/or nursing fields. The National Kidney Foundation Website is very appealing with pictures, videos and banners. Two banner items that caught my eye were â€Å"the initial shock of the dialysis diet† followed by a chicken fajita recipe. It further incorporates information about coping with the diagnosis and treatment plan. The Merck Manual website is stark in comparison as it incorporates muted colors of gray, blue and green. The Merck Manual presents only related facts and treatment modalities. Advertising on each page is limited. The National Kidney Foundation’s Website advertisements are geared to generate donations, whereas, the advertisements on the Merck Manual site, offer additional ways to receive the Merck Manual information. Each site provides icons intended to provide the user with the option to share the Websites  with many of the social media networks. The Merck Manual Website is intended for information and education. The National Kidney Foundation site provides education in addition to soliciting donations. The National Kidney Foundation information is provided in a question and answer format with one or two sentence simple answers provided. The Merck Manual site utilizes headers with information ranging between one to three paragraphs. Links available on the National Kidney Foundation Website keep the reader on the site and frequently take them back to the donation page. The Website provides a section for â€Å"Professional† users, however, the majority of the area is again written for the general public. One area reviewed provides an â€Å"Education and Research† option that takes the professional reader to more technical writing sources contained within the National Kidney Foundation Website. The Merck Manual links allow the reader to visit other Websites for additional subject information. The National Kidney Foundation Website offers additional educational opportunities via Webinars and seminars. No such offerings were noted on the Merck Manual site. The Merck Manual is written with the professional audience in mind. The information is technical and clinical in its presentation. Whereas, the National Kidney Foundation Website, refers to the site visitor on multiple occasions as â€Å"family†. Visitors are encouraged to â€Å"join our family† and â€Å"be a part of the National Kidney Foundation family† with prom ises of â€Å"we will be there for you†. The information provided in a well written conversational form and would be easily understood by the nonprofessional general public wanting additional information about kidney disease and support services available. Newly diagnosed patients visiting the National Kidney Foundation Website would be provided with an additional source of information. In addition to the general diagnosis and treatment information provided, the Website offers encouragement and support to those effected by kidney disease. Patients, families and friends can find support information. The Merck Manual is intended to be used as a source of information and education for the healthcare professional and/or student. It represents a good source of information for research and/or bedside practice. Although both sites provide information on Kidney Disease and Hemodialysis, the content is presented in completely different ways. The National Kidney Foundation is written for the general public who may be effected by kidney disease. The  Merck Manual in professional in appearance and content. In conclusion, I feel each site is well developed for their intended audience and purpose. The National Kidney Foundation Website is easy to use and provides the reader with basic information regarding the diagnosis, treatment and necessary lifestyle changes. The Website offers support services and the opp  ortunity to donate if the reader so desires. The Merck Manual Website is intent is to provide educational information to the medical professional and students in the medical field.

General Insurance

DISSERTATION REPORT ON Marketing of General Insurance Products (with special reference to Iffco- Tokio General Insurance) SUMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE RQUIREMENT OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION H. N. B. GARHWAL UNIVERSITY SRINAGAR, GARHWAL SUBMITTED BY:SUBMITTED TO: Vaibhav JoshiMs. Prapti Tandon MIB IVth SemFaculty of IMS MIB06037 INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, DEHRADUN CERTIFICATE I have the pleasure in certifying that Mr. Vaibhav Joshi is a bonafide student of MIB IV semester of the Master’s Degree in International Business of Institute of Management Studies, Dehradun under University Roll No. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. He has completed his/her dissertation work entitled Marketing of general insurance products (with reference to Iffco tokio general insurance under my guidance). I certify that this is his original effort and has not been copied from any other source. This project has also not been submitted in any other university for the purpose of award of nay degree. This project fulfills the requirement of the curriculum prescribed by H. N. B. Garhwal University, Srinagar for the said course. I recommend this Dissertation work for evaluation and consideration for the award of degree to the student. Signature: †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Name of the Guide:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Date:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. TABLE OF CONTENTS |S. NO. |TOPIC | |1. |INTRODUCTION | |2. INDUSTRIAL BACKGROUND | |3. |TYPES OF INSURANCE | |4. |REASEARCH METHODOLOGY | |5. |DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION | |6. |OBSERVATION & CONCLUSIONS | |7. |RECOMMENDATION | |8. BIBLIOGRAPHY | |9. |ANNEXURE | GENERAL INSURANCE BUSINESS General insurance business in the country was nationalized with effect from 1st January, 1973 by the General Insurance Business (Nationalization) Act, 1972. More th an 100 non-life insurance companies including branches of foreign companies operating within the country were amalgamated and grouped into four companies, viz. the National Insurance Company Ltd. , the New India Assurance Company Ltd. , the Oriental Insurance Company Ltd. , and the United India Insurance Company Ltd. with head offices at Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai, respectively. General Insurance Corporation (GIC) which was the holding company of the four public sector general insurance companies has since been delinked from the later and has been approved as the â€Å"Indian Reinsurer† since 3rd November 2000. The share capital of GIC and that of the four companies are held by the Government of India. All the five entities are Government companies registered under the Companies Act. The general insurance business has grown in spread and volume after nationalization. The four companies have 2872 branch offices, 1373 divisional offices and 95 regional offices spread all over the country. These companies also have 44 overseas offices spread over 25 countries. The market share of Government-owned insurance companies stood at 79. 93% as on March 2005. MAJOR POLICY CHANGES Reforms In Insurance Sector Insurance sector has been opened up for competition from Indian private insurance companies with the enactment of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999 (IRDA Act). As per the provisions of IRDA Act, 1999, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) was established on 19th April 2000 to protect the interests of holder of insurance policy and to regulate, promote and ensure orderly growth of the insurance industry. IRDA Act 1999 paved the way for the entry of private players into the insurance market, which was hitherto the exclusive privilege of public sector insurance companies/ corporations. Under the new dispensation Indian insurance companies in private sector were permitted to operate in India with the following conditions: Company is formed and registered under the Companies Act, 1956; The aggregate holdings of equity shares by a foreign company, either by itself or through its subsidiary companies or its nominees, do not exceed 26%, paid up equity capital of such Indian insurance company; The company’s sole purpose is to carry on life insurance business or general insurance business or reinsurance business. The minimum paid up equity capital for life or general insurance business is Rs. 100 crores. The minimum paid up equity capital for carrying on reinsurance business has been prescribed as Rs. 200 crores. The Authority has notified 37 Regulations on various issues which include Registration of Insurers, Regulation on insurance agents, Solvency Margin, Re-insurance, Obligation of Insurers to Rural and Social sector, Investment and Accounting Procedure, Protection of policy holders’ interest etc. Applications were invited by the Authority with effect from 15th August, 2000 for issue of the Certificate of Registration to both life and non-life insurers. The Authority has its Head Quarter at Hyderabad . Detailed information on IRDA is available at their web-site www. irdaindia. org |GENERAL INSURERS |   | |Public Sector |   | |1. National Insurance Company Limited |www. nationalinsuranceindia. com | |2. New India Assurance Company Limited |www. niacl. com | |3. Oriental Insurance Company Limited |www. orientalinsurance. nic. in | |4. United India Insurance Company Limited |www. uiic. co. in | |5. Export Credit Guarantee Corporation |www. ecgcindia. com | |Private Sector |   | |6. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd. |www. bajajallianz. co. in | |7. ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co. Ltd. |www. icicilombard. com | |8. IFFCO-Tokio General Insurance Co. Ltd. |www. itgi. co. in | |9. Reliance General Insurance Co. Ltd. |www. ril. com | |10. Royal Sundaram Alliance Insurance Co. Ltd. |www. royalsun. com | |11. TATA AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd. |www. tata-aig. com | |12. Cholamandalam General Insurance Co. Ltd. |www. cholainsurance. com | |13. HDFC Chubb General Insurance Co. Ltd. |www. hdfcchubb. com | |14. Agricultural Insurance Co. of India Ltd. |www. aicofindia. org | |REINSURER |   | |1. General Insurance Corporation of India |www. gicindia. com | Insurance Ombudsmen: One of the major areas of concern of the Government has been the efficient customer services in the insurance sector. With a view to ensure expeditious redressal of public grievances relating to the settlement of the claims, the Government has introduced a system of Ombudsman in the Insurance Sector with effect from 11th November 1998. Insurance Ombudsmen are currently located in 12 cities. Each Ombudsman is empowered to redress customer grievances in respect of insurance contracts on personal lines where the insured amount is less than Rs. 20 lakhs. MARKETING – GENERAL INSURANCE INTRODUCTION: Marketing is the Marketing side of Commerce – company efforts to communicate about, promote, and sell products and services over the Internet. E-marketing is a type of marketing that can be defined as achieving objectives through the use of electronic communications technology such as Internet, e-mail, Ebooks, database, and mobile phone. It is a more general term than online marketing which is limited to the use of internet technology to attain marketing objectives. E-mail marketing is one of the most effective ways to keep in touch with customers. It is generally cost-effective, and if done properly, can help build brand awareness and loyalty. At a typical cost of only a few rupees per message, it's a bargain compared to traditional direct mail or more . In addition, response rates on e-mail marketing are strong, depending on the industry and format. Response rates for traditional mail averages tend to be very low. One of the benefits of email marketing is the demographic information that customers provide when signing up for your email newsletter. Discovering who your customers really are – age, gender, income and special interests, for example – can help you target your products and services to their needs. Effective marketing, planning and promotion begin with current information about the marketplace. Visit your local library online, talk to customers on toll free through & telemarketing and SMS service as latest development, study the advertising of other businesses in your community, and consult with any relevant industry associations through internet. This interactive tool will help to assess your e-marketing strengths and weaknesses in the demographic area. Online marketing is marketing on the Internet. It is a type of e-marketing, which in turn is a type of e-commerce. Internet marketing is a component of electronic commerce. Internet marketing can include information management, public relations, customer service, and sales. Electronic commerce and Internet marketing have become popular as Internet access is becoming more widely available and used. Well over one third of consumers who have Internet access in their homes report using the Internet to make purchases. Some of the benefits associated with Internet marketing include the availability of information. Consumers can log onto the Internet and learn about products, as well as purchase them, at any hour. Companies that use Internet marketing can also save money because of a reduced need for a sales force. Overall, Internet marketing can help expand from a local market to both national and international marketplaces. Commerce has redefined the marketplace, altered business strategies, and allowed global competition between local businesses. The term â€Å"electronic commerce† has evolved from meaning simply electronic shopping to representing all aspects of business and market processes enabled by the Internet and other digital technologies. Today's business emphasis is on e-commerce – rapid electronic interactions enabled by the Internet and other connected computer and telephone networks. Rapidly business transactions and unparalleled access to information is changing consumer behavior and expectations. Many small businesses assume that the Internet has little value to them because they feel that their product or service cannot be easily sold online. But inexpensive information processing and electronic media can help most small businesses provide better, faster customer service and communication. Why is insurance necessary? The question contains the answer within itself. After all, life is fraught with tensions and apprehensions regarding the future and what it holds for the individual. Despite all the planning and preparation one might make, no one can accurately guarantee or predict how or when death might result and the circumstances that might ensue in its aftermath. We are not saying that life and existence are constantly fraught with danger and uncertainty. But then it is essential that you plan for the future. The chances for a fatality or an injury to occur to the average individual may not be particularly high but then no one can really afford to completely disregard his or her future and what it holds. People generally regard insurance as a scheme when and where you have to lose a lot to gain a little. Nevertheless, insurance is still the most reliable tool an individual can use to plan for his future. What is General insurance? This is an attempt to help understand some basic concepts of general insurance in order to help identify insurance needs and to facilitate decision making process. General Insurance is all about protecting / covering against all kind of insurable risks. General insurance policies, including automobile and homeowners policies, provide payments depending on the loss from a particular financial event. General insurance typically comprises any insurance that is not determined to be life insurance, and is called property and casualty insurance. The reason to provide conceptual knowledge on general insurance products – health insurance, motor insurance, travel insurance – to empower one to take a final decision. We have touched upon topics like why one should insure, how much insurance one need, the policies that suit best, points to ponder while reading the fine print, identify the insurance needs etc are covered. This is a sincere attempt to take one through the basics and to unravel the complexities of general insurance. System whereby individuals and companies concerned about potential hazards pay premiums to an insurance company, which reimburses (in whole or part) them in the event of loss. The insurer profits by investing the premiums it receives. Some common forms of insurance cover business risks, automobiles, homes, boats, worker's compensation, and health. Life insurance guarantees payment to the beneficiaries when the insured person dies. In a broad economic sense, insurance transfers risk from individuals to a larger group, which is better able to pay for losses. IFFCO-TOKIO General Insurance (ITGI). ITGI is India’s trusted insurance company. It simplifies customer’s life by providing them tailor made products and quality services, thus helping them take informed investment decisions. It is a joint venture between The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Co-operative (IFFCO) and its associates and Tokio Marine and Nichido Fire Group, the largest listed insurance group in Japan. ITGI was incorporated on December 4, 2000 and has its head office in Gurgaon, Haryana. We are among India's top three private-sector general insurance companies with 92 offices and a country-wide network of 480 exclusive point of presence. In our constant effort to provide our customers with â€Å"the life they deserve†, we offer a wide range of over 40 uniquely customized policies covering a wide range of customers, from farmers to some of India's largest automobile manufacturers. We see ourselves as a â€Å"people's company†; our principal aim is to provide benefits for the common man who traditionally lacks knowledge and access to quality insurance products. To achieve this, we have leveraged the deep knowledge of IFFCO by studying 600 of the country's 602 districts before drawing up our business plan. We closely follow the rigorous global financial standards of the Millea group, combining sound financial management with rapid growth. ITGI is the only private general insurance company in India to have made five consecutive years of profit. We are also one of the few to report underwriting profits within four years of operations. We also believe in focusing on creative solutions to provide optimum service to our customers. We are the only company in the country to have a 100%-owned distribution channel to service our retail customers. Called IFFCO-TOKIO Insurance Services Ltd (ITIS), this subsidiary has 273 employees and is present in 68 cities. ITIS is an example of an indigenously developed best practice that will be replicated in other Millea Asia subsidiaries. Innovation has also played a significant part in making us a dynamic industry leader both in India and globally. We are the first company in India to underwrite mega policies for a fertilizer and an automobile client. This comprehensive policy is based on international rates and optimizes the premium outflow for clients even as it offers a one-stop, all-risk cover. Our Performance | Profitable growth: Our commitment to innovation and customer service has helped us consistently raise the bar on our performance. We strongly believe in profitable growth: Our rapidly reducing Earned Income Loss Ratio (EILR) is testimony to this |[pic] | ITGI's sound financial management has been achieved in a period of fast-paced growth. Our gross written premium (GWP) has grown from Rs 58 million in 2000-01 to Rs 5 billion in 2004-05. Policy issuance growth has jumped more than 20 times between 2002 and 2004. |[pic] | We have also consistently demonstrated our commitment to shareholder value: return on equity for 2004-05 was 14. 72%, up from 9. 58% the year before. Our unqualified audit reports reflect the rigorous, global standards of accounting. ITGI voluntarily maintains strong institutional checks and balances. An investment committee of board members and senior executives scrutinizes all major investment decisions. An in-house audit committee audits all the branches and suggests ways to improve their functioning. Finally, there is an executive committee of senior management that monitors policy decisions. All these have ensured that ITGI has established a reputation for the highest standards of corporate governance. ‘Customized' satisfaction: Our bi-annual customer satisfaction surveys – another unique feature at ITGI — indicates the speed and fairness in handling policy-holders' claims. This is backed by robust IT infrastructure that is robust enough to handle large volume of more than 3,00,000 documents. All ITGI's branches and distributors are networked. This not only enables a detailed and accurate analysis of the company's performance based on specific parameters, the web-based claim response system has enabled the speedy settlement of claims, achieving a 90% claim settlement ratio Insurance Distribution Channels: Markets in Transition INTRODUCTION :- Risks are inherent in every aspect of life. They are present in whatever we do everyday and all businesses face the threat of losses that may never occur. Worrying about these possibilities hardly makes life pleasant. Of course, it is impossible to eliminate risks – but they can be controlled, lessened or minimized. That is exactly what risk management is all about. We at ITGI have established a proficient risk management team to provide customized, need-based solutions. Armed with a high level of domain knowledge in a wide range of industry verticals, our risk management experts identify and evaluate the risk exposures of your facility or business to provide a comprehensive risk management solution based on your special needs. As a part of our value-added services, we also provide recommendations for loss reduction and risk mitigation and continuously update you about international best practices. ITGI caters to almost all areas of risk management. Below is a list of some of our mainstream services: Underwriting survey/Loss control Survey/Risk management survey Natural hazard risk evaluation Business continuity planning Business interruption and interdependency risk analysis Marine loss control surveys Safety management Risk assessment studies/Safety audits Consequence analysis study. The insurance marketplace is undergoing a transformation that may eventually lead to significant changes in how consumers purchase insurance products. A variety of distribution channels are currently used in this market place, and some insurers utilize a combination of distribution channels. These include the Internet-led channels, company-led channels, bank-led channels, and agent-led channels. Of these distribution channels, the most discussed and anticipated channel is the Internet-led channel. The widespread diffusion of the Internet has created an explosion in the growth of electronic channels, including direct channels as electronic markets, or â€Å"electronic intermediaries over which multiple buyers and sellers do business†, and other cybermediaries . Prior to the advent of the Internet, most purchasers of insurance products used traditional agent-led distribution channels such as direct writers or independent agents. Given its reliance on traditional channels, the insurance marketplace has only recently begun to reflect this broader growth in electronic channels. The Internet was expected to have a major negative impact on the traditional agent-led distribution channel. However, consumers have not shown a marked preference for purchasing insurance product via the Internet. Currently, less than two percent of insurance products are purchased via the Internet. Although less frequently used, company-led distribution channels through mediums such as direct mail or telephone call centers have seen increasing growth. While an agent is still required in this setting, this person typically does not meet with the insured. With the passage of the Financial Modernization Act of 1999, growth of the bank-led channel was predicted for the U. S. market. The results of a recent American Bank Insurance Association survey indicate that insurance represents a very small percentage of total bank revenue, but bankers predict an increase in marketing efforts. While it is true that insurance purchasers today have more options available than they did five years ago, it is unclear if and when these channels will dominate existing insurance distribution channels. Several obvious factors that impact on a channel’s adoption are consumer. . Insurance Distribution Channels: Markets in Transition Attitudes and preferences. In particular, it may be that consumers consider insurance products to be more complex than originally thought. Consumers still do not view even personal lines insurance products to be commodity products. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the transitions that are occurring in property/liabil ity insurance distribution channels. As part of this discussion, we describe some of the factors that are impacting on the adoption of alternative channels (e. g. the Internet), provide an overview of the academic literature on innovation adoption and insurance distribution channels, and comment on the near-term future for insurance distribution channels. EXPECTATIONS V. REALITY The growth of the Internet has led to a great deal of speculation and discussion regarding its potential impact on traditional distribution channels. For example, the meeting topic for the 2000 International Insurance Society meeting was â€Å"The Power of Leadership in the Knowledge Millennium. † Part of the focus of the presentations at that meeting was on the changing channels of distribution. Some trade publications during that time period included articles suggesting that insurance agents were faced with the strong possibility of being replaced with a more efficient and less-costly Internet-led distribution channel. The same was true for travel agents during that time period. Interestingly, the experience of insurance agents and travel agents has been very different. The travel industry has indeed seen a growth of the Internet-led distribution channel for a wide variety of travel-related purchases including plane tickets, hotel reservations, and car rentals. Examples of cybermarkets operating today include Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz. Additionally, sites like Priceline. com allow consumers to make offers for various travel services including airline travel. Other sites, like SkyAuction. com, create an auction market for travel services. Finally, consumers can purchase tickets online directly from airlines. As the Internet-led channel has grown for travel-related types of services, travel agents have come under increasing pressure and airlines have reduced the commissions paid to travel agents. In some cases, the agents are no longer compensated by the airlines to serve as a channel intermediary. For example, Delta Airlines recently announced that it would no longer pay commissions to travel agents. 2 Insurance Distribution Channels: Markets in Transition The experience of insurance agents has been much different. Recent figures suggest that online sales accounts for less than 2% of total premium volume. Although there have been some changes in the areas of commissions and production requirements, agents continue to be the primary distribution channel for insurance products. A recent National Underwriter article reported the results of a survey of four insurance industry associations (the National Association of Independent Insurers, the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, the American Insurance Association, and the Alliance of American Insurers). All four of these associations indicated an expectation that the traditional agent-led distribution channel will continue to be a major distribution channel for insurers. While the adoption rate of the Internet as a distribution channel has been low, we have seen widespread adoption of the Internet as a support channel. Insurers are using the Internet to provide general information on financial services products (e. g. , insurance, investments) and planning involving the use of these products, to provide specific information on the company and its product lines, to provide administrative support to its policyholders, and to serve as a prospecting and communication tool for its agent-led channel. For example, Celent Communications surveyed major U. S. property/liability insurers regarding Internet usage. The six main usage areas were (1) agent access to quotes, (2) agent extranet, (3) policyholder account access, (4) customer live quotes, (5) customer quote request, and (6) agent locator. Of these six, the two most frequently used were the agent locator (over 60%) and the agent extranet (approximately 40%). These results clearly indicate that for property/liability insurers, the web is being used as an information or communication tool, as well as a prospecting tool for insurers’ agents. INNOVATION ADOPTION To gain a better understanding of what factors tend to drive the adoption of one channel over another, it is helpful to examine some of the existing literature on innovation adoption and insurance distribution channels. The Internet Channel One factor that leads to the adoption of an innovation is how widespread it is. Rogers (1995) suggests that widespread diffusion of an innovation will lead to significant changes in the enviorment. 3 Insurance Distribution Channels: Markets in Transition As noted above, we have seen widespread diffusion of the usage of the Internet in both the travel and insurance industries; however, the adoption patterns have been quite different. The ability to reduce the transactions costs of interaction between buyers and sellers has always been acknowledged as a central motivation for the use of the web . Predictions of disintermediation and cybermediation are typically based on the reduced transaction costs of electronic interaction between sellers and buyers; for example, in book retailing or online stock trading. Trust is another factor that drives or affects the adoption of the Internet-led channel and others examined privacy and security as it relates to choosing an Internet channel. The widespread popularity of online stores or online auctions provides some indication that consumers trust the channel sufficiently to provide personal and financial information via a secure part of the channel. Additionally, secure support channels like Paypal have been created to provide secure payment channels for purchases. Technological improvements alone cannot safeguard a company's digital risks. Whether managing the risk of a computer virus, electronic theft of confidential information or the loss of business interruption due to a computer attack, a Total Risk Management Approach is required which combines best in class technology, risk information and insurance. MOTOR INSURANCE INTRODUCTION: Speed has become the essence of life in the present day economic and social conditions. Every body wants everything fast enough to enjoy the fruits of any labour which has been put in. In this labour man is being replaced by machine in almost all spheres of activity. The latest is Computer trying to replace the human brain. Though it is impossible to achieve the speed of thought, the human efforts will always endeavor to achieve that speed. When we talk of speed, Motor Vehicle is perhaps or sure enough, a tool used by majority of human beings in every walk of life as aid, either to transport himself or to transport material useful for his existence. As a means of transport, Motor vehicle is of immense importance in respect of both the human amenities and the commerce. The number of vehicles on the road has been on increase and it is quite likely that it may over-flow the capacity of the road and parking places. Many vehicles are required to be kept in the streets at night and thus are exposed to various risks from human elements as well as natural elements. The number of persons holding driving license is increasing and the employers with all the care they may take in choosing a good driver. Do get reckless driver on their pay roll which fact comes to the knowledge only when a serious accident, sometimes involving loss of life happens, and are thus exposed to risks. MOTOR INSURANCE CONTRACTS Motor Insurance Contracts are subject to the basic principles applicable to property and liability insurance in general, These principles are- ) Utmost good faith: Contracts of Motor Insurance are governed by the doctrine of utmost good faith. The doctrine imposes a legal obligation on the proposer to disclose material facts to the Insurers. The use of proposal forms is compulsory and the declaration clause in the form converts the common law duty into a contractual duty of utmost good faith. The effect of this is that the answers given in the proposal become warranties. The answers are required to be literally true and correct. Any wrong answer, irrespective of its materiality, will render the contract violable by Insurers. ) Insurable Interest: This is the legal right to insure. The essentials of insurable interest are- i) the existence of property exposed to loss, damage or a potential liability: ii) such property or liability must be the subject matter of insurance: iii) such property or liability must be the subject matter of the property or creation of liability and must benefit by the preservation of the property or the absence of liability. 3) Indemnity: Insurance contract are contracts of indemnity that is to say, the insured is placed after a loss, as far as possible, in the same position as he was immediately before the loss. This principle ensures that the Insured does not make a profit out of his loss. 4) Subrogation & Contribution: Subrogation is the transfer of rights from the insured to the insurer when the loss or damage to the vehicle is caused by negligence of another person. The Insurers exercise these rights to recover the loss from the person responsible. Under common law subrogation operates only after the claim is paid. A Policy condition, however, provides for subrogation before the payment of the claim. Contribution arises when there is double insurance, that is, when the same vehicle is insured under two policies. According to Policy condition the loss is shared pro-rata between the two insurers. The Contribution condition is specially worded in private car policies because the owner is also covered for Third Party liability while driving cars not belonging to him. Proximate Cause: The doctrine of proximate cause applies to Motor insurance as to other classes of insurance. The loss or damage to the vehicle is indemnified only if it is proximately caused by one of the insured perils. The doctrine also applies to Third Party claims. The Third party injury or property damage must be proximately caused by the negligence of the insured for which he is held legally liable to pay damages. TYPES OF MOTOR VEHICLES: A Motor Vehicle has been defined in the Motor Vehicle Act, 1939 as a mechanically propelled vehicle adopted for use upon road where the power of propulsion is transmitted thereto from an external or internal source and includes a chassis to which a body has not been attached and a trailer but does not include a vehicle running upon fixed rails. For purpose of insurance, Motor vehicles are classified into 3 broad categories, viz ) Private Cars 2) Motor Cycles and Scooter 3) Commercial Vehicles. PRIVATE CARS: These are – a) vehicles used solely for social, domestic and pleasure purposes; b) Cars of private type including station wagons, used for social, domestic and pleasure purposes and for the business or professional purposes(excluding the carriage of goods other than samples) of the insured or used by the Insured’s employees for such purposes, c) Three wheeled cars (including cabin scooter used for private purposes) MOTOR CYCLES: a) Motor cycles (with or without sidecars) b) Auto cycles or mechanically assisted pedal cycles. ) Motor Scooters (with or without sidecars) d) A three-wheeler invalid carriage. COMMERCIAL VEHICLES: A) Goods carrying vehicles (own goods). These are vehicles used under a Private Carrier’s permit within the meaning of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1939. The Act defines a â€Å"Private Carrier† as â€Å"an owner of a transport vehicle other than a public carrier who uses the vehicles solely for the carriage of goods which are his property or the carriage of which is necessary for the purpose of his business not being a business of providing transport† GOODS CARRYING VEHICLES (General cartage). These are vehicles used under a Public Carrier Permit within the meaning of the M. V. Act. 1939. The Act defines a ‘public carrier’ as an owner of a transport vehicle who transports or undertakes to transport goods or any class of goods, for another person at any time and in any public place for hire or reward, whether in pursuance of the terms of a contract or agreement or otherwise. TRAILERS: Any truck, cart carriage or other vehicle without means of self-propulsion including agricultural implements drawn or hauled by any self – propelled vehicle. PASSENGER CARRYING VEHICLES: I) Buses including tourist buses: ii) Hotel/School omnibuses. iii) Air-line buses PASSENGER CARRYING VEHICLES FOR HIRE: i) Taxis or Private car type vehicles plying for public hire ii) Private type Taxis let out on private hire direct from the Owner with or without meters and driven by the Owner or an employee of the Owner. iii) Private car type vehicles let out on Private Hire and driven by the Hirer or any driver with his permission. iv) Private car type vehicles owned by Hotels and hired by them to their guests. v)passenger carrying vehicles (Motorized Rickshaws). MISCELLANEOUS AND SPECIAL TYPES OF VEHICLES† Category ‘D’ 1) Agricultural Tractors Pedestrian Controlled. 2) Trailer fitted as Cinema Film Recording and publicity vans. 3) Delivery Truck – Pedestrian Controlled. 4) Trailers- Duest carts, water carts, etc . 5) Trailers – Fire Brigade and Salvage Corps. 6) Plan Loader. 7) Trailers- Mobile Plant. 8) Trailers fitted as Mobile Shop and Canteen . 9) Trailers – Tar spraying. 10) Trailers- Clearing and Levelling plant. 11) Traction Engine Tractors: Agriculural and Forestry spraying plant i) Agricultural sprayer. i) Tar sprayers 12. Trailers towed by Tractors. 13) Lawn Mowers. 14) Cranes- Trailers and Tractors fitted with Lift apparatus. 15) Hearses 16) Ambulances. 17) Breakdown vehicles 18) Cinema film recording and publicity vans. 19) Dispensaries. 20) Dampers. 21) Dust carts, water carts, road sweepers, etc. 22) Electric Trolleys or Tractors. 23) Fire Brigade and Salvage corps. Vehicles. 24) Footpath rollers. 25) Fork lift Trucks. 26). Mobile shops & Canteen Vehicles. 27) Mobile Surgeries & Dispensaries. 28) Refuse Carts. 29) Road Rollers Road Sprinklers also used as Fire Fighting vehicles. 30) Traction Engine Tractors- Tractors used with one or more Angle Dozers, bulldozers etc. 31) Cranes I) Breakdown vehicles. II) Goods carrying vehicles. 32) Excavators. 33) Levelers 34) Site clearing and leveling plant etc. TYPES OF POLICIES: The vehicles mentioned above can be insured under three types of policies:- Act† only policy: This policy provides the minimum cover for legal liability for injuries to third parties or their property damage, as required by the provisions of Chapter VIII of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1939. Third Party Policy: This Policy provides the cover as under the â€Å"Act† only policy and in addition provides cover for higher limits for third party property damage. Comprehensive Policy: This policy provides cover as under a Third Party Policy and in addition provides cover for loss or or damage to the vehicle. Two other variations of cover are available for certain categories of vehicles( e. g. Private Cars) Fire and/or Theft Risk- These policies cover the risks of fire and or theft while the car is in garage and out of use. Third party and Fire and/or Theft Risks: The Third party policy is extended to cover the risks of fire and/ or theft whilst the vehicle is running and or /in garage. EXEMPTED VEHICLES: The Provisions relating to compulsory third party insurance do not apply to any vehicle owned by the Central Government or State Government and used for Government purposes unconnected with any commercial enterprise. Exemptions may also be granted by the appropriate Government for any vehicle owned by:- a) the Central Government or a State Government if the vehicle is used for Government purposes connected with any commercial enterprise. ) any local authority; c) any State Transport Undertaking( for example, where such undertaking is carried on by a State Government or any Road Transport Corporation established under the Road Transport Corporation Act, 1950). The above exemption is made only if a fund is established and maintained by that authority for meeting any liability arising out of the use of an y vehicle. The fund has to be established in accordance with the Rules framed under the Act. Types of Motor Insurance Covers: There are two types of cover granted under Motor Insurance. Policy â€Å"A† provides Liability Cover and Policy â€Å"B† provides Comprehensive cover. Third Party Policy has been withdrawn from 1st April 1990. 1) Policy â€Å"A† – Act Liability Policy provides an indemnity in respect of legal liability for death or bodily injury to members of public or damage to their property, compulsorily insurable under the provisions of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Limits of Liability :- Under Section-II- (i) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. As per Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 ( The Act provides for unlimited liability in respect of third party death or bodily injury). Under Section-II- (ii) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Rs. 6,000/- in respect of any one claim or series of claims arising out of one event. (This is the limit provided by the Act for third party property damage. The tariff however provides for increased limits up to unlimited liability for T. P. property damage, at additional premium). b) Policy â€Å"B† – Comprehensive Policy is wider cover. In addition to covering the insured’s legal liabilities to third party, both for bodily injury and damage to property, this policy covers loss or damage to the vehicle- &/or theft of vehicle and/or accessories whilst fitted thereon – ) by fire, explosion, self-ignition or lightening; b) by burglary, housebreaking or theft; c) by riot and strike; d) by earthquake (fire and shock damage); e) by flood, typhoon, hurricane, storm, tempest, inundation, cyclone, hailstorm, frost; f) by accidental external means; g) by terrorist activity; h) whilst in transit by road, rail, inland waterway, lift, elevator or air; i) by landslide / rockslide The Recital clause of both form of policies states- (i) that the proposal and declaration shall be the basis of the contract of insurance and are deemed to be incorporated therein. ii) that the insured has applied to the company for insurance and has paid or agreed to pay the premium as consideration for the insurance afforded by the policy for the period specified. The contract is not to â€Å"pay† the loss to the insured but to â€Å"indemnify† him against his loss. Protection and Removal Costs: If the motor car is disabled by reason of loss or damage covered under the policy, the insurer will bear reasonable cost of protection and removal to the nearest repairers and of redelivery to the insured but not exceeding in all Rs. 1,500/- in respect of any accident. Authorization for Repair The insured may authorize repairs necessitated by damage covered under the policy, provided that:- (a) the estimated cost of such repairs does not exceed Rs. 500/- (b) the insurer is furnished forthwith a detailed estimate of the cost, and (c) the insured gives the insurer every assistance to see that such repair is necessary and the charge reasonable. Exclusion under â€Å"own damage† Section I – FOR PRIVATE CAR ‘B’ POLICY (a) consequential loss, depreciation, wear and tear, mechanical or electrical breakdown , failures and breakage; and b) damage to tyres unless the motor car is damaged at the same time when the liability of the insurer is limited to 50% of the cost of replacement; (c) any accidental loss or damage suffered whilst the insured or any person driving with the knowledge and consent of the insured is under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs. FOR ONLINE RENEWAL INTIMATION OF POLICY . ONLINE RENEWAL NOTICE SEN T TO CLIENT CLIENT AGENT DETAILS NAME SUB: RENEWAL OF POLICY NO:____________ PREMIUM DETAILS SUM INSURED VEHICLE DETAILS GROSS PREM. S. TAX NET PAYABLE PREM. HYPOTHECATION ( IF ANY ) AUTHORISED SIGNATORY FIRE INSURANCE GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS: These rules and regulations are applicable to all sections of the Tariff. POLICY Only Standard Fire and Special Perils Policy (hereinafter referred to as Policy) with the permitted â€Å"Add-on† covers (as appearing under Section VIII) if any, can be issued. Note: – Unless otherwise specifically provided for, this tariff is applicable to land-based properties only. The wording of the policy shall be as shown in Section II of the Tariff. Policy (ies) should be read together with proposal forms(s), scheduled specification, endorsements, warranties and clauses as one contract. Policy (ies) covering Buildings and/or contents shall show block wise separate amounts on (i) Building (ii) Machinery and accessories (iii) Stock and Stock-in-Process and (iv) Furniture and other contents. It is permissible to exclude Storm, Tempest, Flood and Inundation group of perils (hereinafter referred to as STFI) and/or Riot, Strike, Malicious Damage perils (hereinafter referred to as RSMD) at inception of the Policy only by deleting the relevant perils from the Policy. The deletion shall apply for the entire property in one complex/compound/location covering the entire interest of the Insured under one or more policy (ies) without any option for selection. Reduction in premium rates for such deletion(s) may be allowed as shown under the relevant sections of the Tariff. When these perils are deleted from the scope of the policy, the general exclusions shall include these perils. Terrorism cover will be separate cover which can be granted only in conjunction with RSMD. Terrorism will not be given in isolation without RSMD cover. (Circular No. FT/1/2002 dtd 13/03/02) Any risk, which has not been provided for in the Tariff, shall be referred to the Committee for rating. Provisional rate of Rs. 2. 50 per mille shall be charged in such cases for covering the risks under Standard Fire and Special Perils Policy. No discounts and/or agency commission shall be allowed on this rate. For add-on covers, additional rates provided in section VIII shall be charged. Rates shown under this tariff are minimum rates. Insures may charge rate higher than those given under the tariff. VALUED POLICY(IES) Valued Policy (ies) can be issued only for properties whose Market Value cannot be ascertained e. . Curios, Works of Art, Manuscripts, Obsolete machinery and the like subject to the valuation certificate being submitted and found acceptable by the insurers. LONG TERM POLICIES Policies for a period exceeding 12 months shall not be issued except for â€Å"Dwellings†. MID-TERM COVER Generally, it is not permissible to grant mid-term cover for STFI and/or RSMD per ils. The following provisions shall apply, where such covers are granted midterm: Insurers must receive specific advice from the insured accompanied by payment of the required additional premium in cash or by draft. This additional premium shall not be adjusted against existing Cash deposits or debited to Bank guarantee. Mid-term cover shall be granted for the entire property at one complex/compound/location covering the entire interest of the Insured under one or more policy (ies). Insured shall not have any option for selection. Cover shall commence 15 days after the receipt of the premium. NB: Endorsement to be issued in this regard The premium rates as under shall be charged on short period scale (as per Rule 8) on full sum insured at one complex/compound/location covering the entire interest of the insured for the balance period i. . up to the expiry of the policy. |MID-TERM |SECTION III |SECTION VI |SECTION IV, V AND VII | |INCLUSION OF | | | | | | |Materials in Godowns|Materials in Open | | | | | | | | |STFI |0. 20%o |0. 35%o |2. 00%o |0. 5%o | | | | | | | |RSMD |0. 15%o |0. 15%o |0. 15%o |0. 15%o | PAYMENT OF PREMIUM Premium shall be paid in full and shall not be accepted in instalments or by deferred payments in any form. N. B. :- It is not permissible to split sum insured of the same property under various policies for different periods of insurance to derive advantage of deferred instalments for payment of premium. Notwithstanding the above, different policies may be issued for stocks where circumstances necessitate issuance of such policies. MINIMUM PREMIUM Minimum premium shall be Rs. 100/- per policy except for risks rateable under Section III and ‘Tiny Sector Industries’ under Section IV where the minimum premium shall be Rs. 50/ per policy. PARTIAL INSURANCE It is not permissible To issue a policy covering only certain portions of a building. Notwithstanding this, the plinth and foundations or only the foundation of a building may be excluded. To issue a policy covering only specified machinery (except Boilers), parts of machine or accessories thereof housed in the same block/building. N. B. Where portions of a building and/or machinery therein are under different ownership; it is permissible for each owner to insure separately but to the full extent of his interest on the building and/or machinery therein. In such cases, the Insured’s interest shall be clearly defined in the policy. RATES FOR SHORT PERIOD INSURANCE Policies for a period of less than 12 months shall be issued at the rates set out hereunder: For period not exceeding |15 days |10% of the Annual rate | |-do- |1 month |15% of the Annual rate | |-do- |2 months |30% of the Annual rate | |-do- |3 months |40% of the Annual rate | |-do- |4 months |50% of the Annual rate | |-do- |5 months |60% of the Annual rate | |-do- |6 months |70% of the Annual rate | |-do- |7 months |75% of the Annual rate | |-do- |8 months |80% of the Annual rate | |-do- |9 months |85% of the Annual rate | |For a period exceeding |9 months |The full Annual rate | |N. B. : Extension of short period policy (ies) shall not be permitted. | LOADING FOR â€Å"KUTCHA† CONSTRUCTION Building(s) having walls and/or roofs of wooden planks/thatched leaves and/or grass/hay of any kind/bamboo/plastic cloth/asphalt cloth/canvas/tarpaulin and the like shall be treated as ‘Kutcha’ construction for rating. An additional rate of Rs. 4. 00%o shall be charged for such building(s) and/or contents thereof. Note: – Temporary sheds (attached to buildings) erected during the monsoon solely for the purpose of monsoon protection are permitted without loading provided such sheds are not used for storage purpose. RULES FOR CANCELLATIONS For Cancellation of insurance policy. At the option of the insured:- 10. 1. Retention of premium shall be at Short Period Scale for the period the policy has been in force, subject to the retention of minimum premium by the Insurer. 10. 1. 2 During the currency, if a policy is replaced with the same insurer by a new annual one covering the identical property, refund of premium may be a llowed on pro-rata basis at the original rates for the sum insured replaced. 10. 1. 3 For the sum insured not replaced, refund must be calculated after charging premium at short period scale on such sum for the time the insurance has been in force subject to retention of the minimum premium by the insurer. 10. 1. 4 In case of short period policies, premium shall be retained at the applicable short period scale. N. B. – In case a policy is cancelled on account of a Government Order or on completion of a â€Å"Building in course of construction† or where Buildings are demolished, pro-rata refund of premium may be allowed. At the option of the insurer:- Refund of premium shall be on pro-rate basis for the unexpired term. MID-TERM REVISION IN SUM INSURED: Mid-term revision in sum insured shall be allowed as follows: Increase in sum insured: On pro-rata basis Decrease in sum insured: On short-period scale. ESCALATION CLAUSE: It will be in order for Insurers to allow automat ic regular increase in the Sum Insured throughout the period of the policy in return for an additional premium to be paid in advance. The terms and conditions for this extension shall be as follows. The selected percentage increase shall not exceed 25% of the Sum Insured. The additional premium, payable tin advance, will be at 50% of the full rate, to be charged on the selected percentage increase. The Sum Insured at any point of time would be assessed after application of the Escalation Clause. Escalation Clause will apply to policies covering Building, Machinery and Accessories only and will not apply to policies covering stock. Escalation Clause will apply to all policies and is not restricted to policies issued on reinstatement value basis. Pro-rata condition of Average will continue to apply as usual. The automatic increase operates from the date of inception up to the date of operation of any of the Insured Perils. Note: – For ndorsement wording, see, Clause F, Annexure A. FLOATER POLICY Floater Policy (ies) can be issued for stocks at various locations under one Sum Insured (The Standard Floater Clause I, Annexure A shall be attached to such policies). Note: – Unspecified location shall not be allowed. Rating: The rate shall be th e highest rate applicable to insured’s stocks at any location with a loading of 10%. N. B. 1: In case Stocks in a process block are covered under the Floater Policy and the rate for process block is higher than the storage rate, the process rate plus 10% loading shall apply. N. B. 2: Presence of â€Å"Kutcha† construction may be ignored. N. B. : If stocks situated within godown/process blocks in the same compound are covered under floater policy, no floater extra is chargeable. DECLARATION POLICIES To take care of frequent fluctuations in stocks/stock values, Declaration Policy(ies) can be granted subject to the following conditions (Standard Declaration Clause J, Annexure A shall be attached to such policies, refer page no:97): The minimum sum insured shall be Rs 1 Crore in one or more locations and the sum insured shall not be less than Rs. 25 lakhs in at least one of these locations. It is necessary that the declared values should approximate to this figure at somet ime during the policy year. Monthly declarations based on a) the average of the values at risk on each day of the month or b) the highest value at risk during the month shall be submitted by the Insured latest by the last day of the succeeding month. If declarations are not received within the specified period, the full sum insured under the policy shall be deemed to have been declared. Reduction in sum insured shall not be allowed under any circumstances. Refund of premium on adjustment based on the declaration/cancellation shall not exceed 50% of the total premium. In case the total sum insured at the risk including 50% of the declared sum insured for declaration policy exceeds Rs. 50crs, the risk will qualify for claim experience discount / loading. (Letter no. Fire/453[591] dtd 23/05/01) The basis of value for declaration shall be the Market Value anterior to the loss. It is not permissible to issue declaration policy in respect of Insurance required for a short period. Stocks undergoing process. Stocks at Railway sidings. If after occurrence of any loss it is found that the amount of last declaration previous to the loss is less than the amount that ought to have been declared, then the amount which would have been recoverable by the insured shall be reduced in such proportion as the amount of said last declaration bears to the amount that ought to have been declared. FLOATER DECLARATION POLICIES 1. Floater Declaration Policy (ies) can be issued subject to a minimum sum insured of Rs 2 Crores and compliance with the Rules for Floater and Declaration Policies respectively except that the minimum retention shall be 80% of the annual premium. 2. Special rates under Floater Declaration policy granted for the stocks of Central Warehousing/ State Warehousing Corporation and Marketing Federation owned by State Govt. (Circular No. FT/4/2001 dtd 09/02/01) |a) |Standard Fire and Special Perils policy with the deletion of STFI and RSMD perils. |1. 25%o | |b) |Standard Fire and Special Perils policy with the deletion of STFI perils only. |1. 50%o | |c) |Standard Fire and Special Perils policy with the deletion of RSMD perils only. |2. 00%o | |d) |Standard Fire and Special Perils policy. |2. 5%o | 3. Coverage in respect of cover under single policy (floater Declaration policy) for stocks belonging to M/s Central warehouses Corporation lying in General Warehouses, container Fright Stations an d bonded Warehouses. Under insurance up to 15 should be ignored. However if the same exceeds 15% at any time the actual under- insurance should be taken into account for arriving at loss. The insured declare the values quarterly or half yearly or yearly basis within 90 days of the expiry of such periods subject to the consent of the Insurer. Special rates granted vide circular no. FT/4/2001should be applied. (Circular No. FT/9/2001 dtd 27/03/01) Earthquake rating under Floater policy – To compute the base rate by adding the rate for highest Earthquake zone involved to the highest rate otherwise applicable as per tariff provision before applying 10% loading to the same to arrive at premium rate applicable for floater policies covering Earthquake Peril. (Letter No. Fire / 14[1004] dtd 30/07/01). CLAIMS EXPERIENCE DISCOUNT/LOADING Risks having sum insured (on buildings and contents of all blocks in one compound of one complex in one location) above Rs. 50 Crores rateable under Sectio IV, V, VI &VII of this tariff shall attract claims experience discounts/loadings based on the incurred claims experience of all the policies covering the Insured’s interest for the preceding 36 months excluding the expiring policy period. (If there is any break in insurance, available 36 months experience shall be taken into account) as per the table given below. Incurred claim ratio for the preceding 36 months excluding |Discount |Lo ading | |the expiring policy period |(%) |(%) * | |Up to 5% |15 |- | |Above 5% & up to 10% |10 |- | |Above 10% & up to 15% |5 |- | |Above 15% & up to 30% |- |- | |Above 30% & up to 40% |- |2. | |Above 40% & up to 55% |- |5 | |Above 55% & up to 75% |- |10 | |Above 75% & up to 100% |- |15 | |Above 100% |- |To be referred to TAC | * On renewal of business either by an existing insurer or by a new insurer, a provisional loading of 15% must be charged in all cases where certified details of claims experience by respective insurers are not available. This loading shall be adjusted subsequently on receipt of the exact claims experience. NB: No claim experience discount to be allowed for (i) Silent risk (ii) Floater policy FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPLIANCES DISCOUNT The discounts as per the scale given below may be granted by the Insurers to detached or segregated (as per the Committees Building Regulations) blocks of the risks protected by Fire Extinguishing appliances rateable under Section III, IV, V, VI and VII of the Tariff [except for Floater and/or Floater Declaration Policy(ies)] subject to the following: System is erected and tested as per the relevant Regulations of the TAC and a certificate from LPA or TAC accredited Professional(s)/Professional agency (ies) confirming the efficacy of the system and its full compliance with the Committee’s rules is submitted by the Insured. Note: – Professional(s)/Professional Agency (ies) designing and/or installing the system themselves shall get the system certified by third parties. Pending accreditation of Professionals/Professional Agencies by TAC, Chairman IRDA/TAC, has approved that insurance companies can select Professionals /Professional Agencies satisfying the following norms, to certify FEA. Installation: For Professionals: a. Should be Graduate Engineer with 5 years experience in the Fire Protection field or Diploma Engineer with 10 years related experience. b. Should have handled at least 3 projects for which proposals submitted were approved and full discounts granted for the Fire Protection systems by T AC or Insurance Companies. Information in this connection should be provided to the Insurance Company in the following format: LIST OF PROJECTS HANDLED |Sr. No |Risk Name |Type of Fire Protection |Year of execution |Quantum of discount |Reference of letter(s) | | | |provided | |sanctioned by the Competent |advising such discount | | | | | |Authority | | | | | | | | | Note: Relevant documents (work order/job order/completion certificate) to be attached for verification by the insurance company. c. Expertise should be indicated in specific areas of Fire Protection (Hydrant/Sprinkler/Water spray system etc. ) For Professional Agencies: – a. Should have one or more professionals with requirements of 3 a), b) and c) above. b. The professional agency should be financially sound. Audited financial statements to be submitted for verification by the insurance company. General: (Applicable to both Professionals/Professional Agencies) 1. Selection of professionals/professional agency to be done only at the corporate office of, the insurance company. 2. Professionals/Professional agencies will not certify any installation in, which they are involved as suppliers, erectors, contractors or consultants. Insurers may be guided by the above-mentioned instructions. (Circular no. FT/4/2002 dtd 10/05/02) The installation is maintained in an efficient working order at all times and an Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) with an external agency is in force. Note:- Any agency other than the one involved in the installation of the system or a third party having up to date knowledge of maintenance of fire fighting equipment can be approached for AMC. | |Type of installation |Discount (%) | |(a) |Hand Appliance & Trailer Pumps/Fire Engines |2. | |(b) |Hand Appliances & Hydrant System |5 | |(c) |Hand Appliances & independent Sprinkler/Fixed Water Spray System |7. 5 | |(d) |Hand Appliances +Hydrant System & independent Sprinkler/Fixed Water Spray |10 | | |System | | RATING OF RISKS IN MULTIPLE OCCUPANCY INDUSTRIAL ESTATE Risks in Multiple Occupancy I ndustrial Estate shall be rated ‘Per se’. If the entire building of the Industrial Estate is insured under one sum insured, a rate of Rs. 1. 80%o shall be chargeable to ‘building’. 19. SILENT RISK Risks rateable under Sectio IV and V are allowed silent rates as per the following table |Factories where no manufacturing/storage activities are carried |Retention of the premium shall be based on the | |out continuously for 30 days or more. |appropriate storage rate or silent risk rate of | | |Re. 1. 00%o whichever is higher. | The silent rates are not applicable if a risk goes silent following a loss under the policy. Note 1: – Risks becoming silent shall not be entitled to any discounts. Note 2: STFI/ RSMD deletion is available for â€Å"Silent risk†. 20. Voluntary Deductibles On