Analysis of Aravind Eye Hospital free essay sample

An Eye on Hope Miracles do happen. Don’t believe me? Ask that boy whose eyes would finally be able to see how the face of his mother is much more beautiful than even that angelic face that he had always imagined while listening to the lullabies she sang for him or how his cricketing hero actually looks like or how his kingdom of sand – that the world calls as a playground actually bore the signs of his footsteps or how the faces of his friends, who cheered for him for being specially-abled or who dissed him for his disability, change expressions on seeing him again. Now, here is a question for all the B-School students who are taught to derive the equivalent clink of coin-sound for all human emotions, day-in and day-out or for all the professionals who have grown up taking pride in putting a dollar tag on every single sentiment on this earth. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Aravind Eye Hospital or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Can you put a price tag on this miracle? How much would you be ready to invest if you could make this miracle a mundane reality for millions and millions of people in India? Can you be stoic enough emotionally to discard this proposal by taking help of an equally heartless financial jargon of profit-margins and return on capital employed? Or would you take a step forward and approach this problem the right way rather than the easy way. Arvind Eye Hospitals, since their inception, have proven time and again, year-after-year, that a business that deals in miracles like this can be self-sustainable if you have the right sentiments, intentions, vision and the sincerity to cater to the base of the pyramid, which because of its sheer volume, in a country like India can prove to be a self-dependent and autonomous business model. Put yourself in the shoes of the patients just for a moment, and you’ll understand how it can prove to be an economically viable model with a focus on intangible benefits rather than the tangible ones. Imagine a hypothetical case of Laxmi, who lives in Tangachi Mattam, a village forty kilometers away from Madurai, who decides to bring in her 10-year-old, bespectacled son Vishnu, to be examined at the centre this Saturday when he complained of irritation in his left eye. Ordinarily, it would have taken them a whole day to go to Madurai by bus and back, not to mention the cost of Rs 200 round trip. If the vision centre develops in every city, the consultation with the Doctor cost them Rs 20 – at less than the price of a coffee cup in a hip cafe, one little boy’s eyes can finally return to his school books. The model certainly can be emulated if the businessmen can abandon their perennial thirst for endless money for this cause and concentrate more on the intangible benefits of this exercise rather than tangible ones. But the question is how? Part-I – How ? If we look at the current status of blindness in India, about 90% of blindness is relatively easily treatable and cataract remains a major cause of blindness. Our annual cataract surgical rate is about 3. 5 million but the current levels of cataract surgery are far below the number required to clear the existing backlog, besides taking care of incidence. There is an urgent need to perform more cataract surgeries every year. If we look at the current service delivery pattern, the Government does about 25%, NGOs and voluntary organization 41. 2% and private 33. 8%. There is also an increasing shift towards IOL surgery. The increasing need in the community for eye care services combined with poor utilization of existing resources indicate a strong need for organizational development aimed at such eye care providers. One major need is to better equip these institutions to deal with the burden of blindness, to aid in the transition towards IOL surgery other standard procedures, to standardize duality of eye care provided by them, to promote cost effective practices for self-sustainability and finally to help the hospital leadership to articulate a well defined vision and goal for their hospital. Based on Arvind Eye Care’s experience, a capacity building process with other eye hospitals should be initiated. Arvind should set itself a target of partnering in capacity building with 100 voluntary eye hospitals that were under performing or in the start-up phase. The ultimate goal would be to help in developing each of these hospitals into a facility capable of doing high volume, high quality work and become financially viable. The financial viability will remain a critical issue in order to protect these voluntary organizations from the uncertainties of external funding. The first initiative in this direction has already come from the Lions International who wanted to establish a process for capacity building for the hospitals supported by them and as a spin off other INGOs like Sight Savers, CBM, Seva and IEF too joined hands for their partner hospitals. LAICO is currently partnering with 140 eye hospitals, of which 118 are from India and the remaining are from other countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Africa, Cambodia, etc. LAICO, is working on the following 4-step strategy to help with the capacity building of the under-performing and other NGO hospitals. The results so far have been astounding for LAICO. The following graphs show how the capacity development workshops have been a path-breaking success for this business model in general and the participating hospitals in particular. The resulting efficiency increase through the economies of scale is also evident in the cost recovery of the participating hospitals as shown in the graph below. But the biggest challenge in terms of the execution of the plan is to ensure the sustainability of this execution. The above analysis leads us to identifying some of the factors that affect the capacity building process as many of the hospitals have drastically increased, while some hospitals have shown no improvement or decrease in the performance. The leadership of the hospital is a major factor. The location, availability and involvement of the leader affect capacity building. Wherever there has been a permanent leader with a vision, those hospitals have shown a very good improvement. Resistance to change and openness among the team members are also crucial. The hospitals need to have teamwork rather than one person doing the entire show. If the institution is not interested in doing high volume or is satisfied with the current level of services, capacity building is difficult. Where ever the leader focuses more on resource creation rather than on resource utilization, an imbalance between performance and capacity arises. Operational areas, even having a single ophthalmologist or part-time ophthalmologist also affect the long-term sustainability of the hospital especially when these doctors leave the hospital. The pattern of compensation also affects the growth of the hospital. To some extent incentives help the hospital increase its performance but this does not help the hospital to grow as an institution. This brings us to the vital question – what should be the change in the outlook of the organization to sustain this change and continue to register growth in the strategy chosen. Part-II – How sustainable is sustainable? No matter the individual or the reason at hand, all effective leadership styles have one thing in common- they all contain the Four Cs- Character, Communication skills, Consistency, and the Creativity needed for successful problem solving. Of course, within each of these four traits, variances of extreme proportions are noted by those most inclined to utilize them. The ability to get onto the correct path for creating your own effective leadership style stems from within the individual, for realizing that it is the followers who recognize if a leader is successful is the first step. Share the glory with your team, but keep the pains to yourself. Small, cash-strapped nonprofits often find that the most accessible funding is restricted to specific initiatives, programs, and contracts. They accept them because they nominally fall within the organization’s broad mission statement, but they are much better aligned with the donor’s strategy than with the nonprofit’s. Because the funds barely cover the direct costs of the additional activity, much less the indirect costs, the nonprofit reenters the funding market again and again, each time as a bigger, less focused, and more cash-starved entity. Hence, within the non-profit sector, one can safely say that â€Å"The tree dies from the top†. As a consequence of this stick-and-stretch syndrome, nonprofits often develop anaerobic life styles. At one extreme is the bloated bureaucracy: It may have some hardworking parts, but as a whole, it’s slow moving and survives because of mission legitimacy, not mission performance. At the other is the ever-busy nonprofit characterized by action paralysis. The organization is so busy executing the day-to-day stuff, raising money, implementing programs, and so on, that it never steps back to consider the full implications of its actions. The combination of stickiness to the mission and stretchiness to market demands can undermine a nonprofit’s effectiveness. The stretchiness keeps it very busy on a day-to-day basis; it’s constantly executing programs and working to raise funds. But in a strategic sense, the organization moves very slowly because the stickiness holds it in place. Before it can move forward, it must unstick the inertia at its center and then creep forward one step at a time, carrying with it all its baggage. To create a strategy that is both ffective and measurable, nonprofits first need to translate their core mission into a narrower, quantifiable operational mission. Next, the nonprofit needs to convert the operational mission into a strategy platform using the following 4-step strategy process. Step 1: The Mission Statement. This statement tends to be broad and far-reaching and usually identifies the customer need the organization attempts to serve, such as hunger, homelessness, or une mployment. The purpose of the mission statement is to inspire. Its credibility lies in the significance and scope of the problem it has identified. A powerful and compelling long-term goal will draw the attention of funders, workers, and volunteers. Habitat for Humanity International’s goal is â€Å"to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the face of the earth [and] put the subject of inadequate housing in the hearts and minds of people. † The mission tells you the nature of the problem, but it doesn’t identify how Habitat will address that need or how much of it will be served by the organization. Step 2: The Operational Mission. This step brings the lofty, inspirational mission into the realm of quantitative goals. While the big mission should be broad enough to guide action through periods of organizational and environmental change, the operational mission must be narrow enough to allow the organization to trace its impact. The organization’s work should always be measurable, even if it must use proxies to do so. Habitat for Humanity, for example, tracks not only the number of homes it has built, but in some areas it also estimates the extent of poverty housing yet to be eliminated. Step 3: The Strategy Platform. This delineates how the operational mission will be achieved, including which programs to run and how to run them. The strategy platform consists of four important components: client and market development, program and service development and delivery, funder and donor development, and organization development and governance. (See the exhibit â€Å"Blueprint of a Strategy Platform. †) Each one should directly relate to the operating mission and should dovetail with the other components. Most important, every program should correspond to its appropriate strategy platform component. Step 4: The Choice of Programs. Once an organization has the platform for supporting the various strategy components in a coherent way, the day-to-day tasks of choosing which programs to fund and which to cut are much better guided. When a new program appears on the organization’s radar, the first question to ask is, How does the program contribute to the appropriate strategy component—funding development, for instance, or operational development? Conclusion: The leader in a non-profit like that of Arvind Hospital, should instead of trying to be all things to all people, should pick a niche, craft an operational mission and, flowing from it, formulate a coherent strategy platform. Then it should vigorously pursue those programs that support the logic of the entire strategy. That approach improves nonprofits’ chances for changing the world. Unfortunately, too few nonprofits conduct such strategic assessments of their work. And it is this difference which determines that how sustainable is sustainable?

Affirmative Action Should Be Abolished essays

Affirmative Action Should Be Abolished essays Running head: Abolish Affirmative Action Affirmative Action Should Be Abolished The term affirmative action encompasses a range of measures aimed at compensating for past discrimination by increasing the chances that minorities or women will be chosen for jobs, promotions, admissions, or contracts. The 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits workplace discrimination on the bases of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. That law also states it should not be interpreted to require any employer to grant preferential treatment to any individual or to any group. Mishkind (1996, p108) States that the only form of discrimination left is the kind that operates against white males. There, in the name of redressing ancient wrongs, white males are routinely shoved aside to make room for less qualified women and minorities. All forms of discrimination must stop. By abolishing affirmative action the majority of discrimination will be gone. The original affirmative action document was developed in 1963 by a young black lawyer named Hobart Taylor Jr., and two future Supreme Court Justices, Arthur Goldberg and Abe Fortas. The document was titled Executive Order 10925. Since 1963 many changes have developed what is currently known as, but not loved, affirmative action. People realized in 1963 that this document was unjust and protested to no avail. Now, 34 years later, the protesting continues but the problem still grows. Affirmative action successfully limits a companies size, negatively affects the groups of people it was created to help, and discriminates Large companies struggle to maintain affirmative action laws. Many companies opt to stay small to avoid the cost and headaches affirmative action can cause, in return decreasing the potential job market. Starr (1996, p37) found The affirmative action requirements delineate the...

Project management office (PMO) Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project management office (PMO) - Thesis Example There is convincing evidence, largely in the form of case studies, that suggest the implementation of a project management office can be rather labor intensive and difficult to set up, yet not much research has specifically address the specific challenges that are involved in this process. In addition, little is known about organizations can specifically overcome each of these challenges and begin to realize the benefits of incorporating such an office into their existing project management structure. In an effort to better address this concept and existing gap in research related to this field, a Delphi study was commissioned in order to identify the unique challenges related to implementing a project management office for the express purpose of better managing Information Technology related projects. This study also served the purpose of ranking these challenges in terms of their order of importance so that managers can better understand how the design of the project management off ice itself can benefit the entire Information Technology team. It was also beneficial to uncover and discus the various ways that some organizations have overcome these potential challenges. Doing so enables everyone involved in the process to better understand the particular role and function of the project management office, the metrics involved, and the tools and resources required to facilitate and effective PMO within the organization as a whole. The recently published Standish CHAOS Report revealed that 68% of software projects do not currently meet their own internal targets related to time, cost, or scope (2009). In fact, it was revealed that only about 32% of the projects examined were actually completed on time and within budget. This illustrates the reality that such projects did not often deliver the measurable benefits to the business and affiliated stakeholders that is required, which further alludes to the need for

Assessment, Management and Reduction of Falls in the Older person Essay

Assessment, Management and Reduction of Falls in the Older person - Essay Example This concept indicates a factual phenomenon that the life span of people aged 60 and above has steadily increased in the past half century. There are over 600 million in 2000; 1.2 billion in 2025 and 2 billion in 2050 (WHO). This phenomenon has created a huge sector in the society, which is comprised by people from age 60 and above. The occurrence of this size of a population of people who are 60 and above is unheard of, throughout recorded history because certain conditions meant that people normally and generally lived only until an average of thirty-five. However, with the advancement of medical technology the increasing number of people who survive to above 60 years old is a commonality (WHO 1999). Moreover, the ageing population phenomenon is a global concern (WHO). This means that almost all countries across the globe except for some countries in Africa are experiencing the dramatic increased of an ageing population (WHO). In this regard, looking into the conditions and concerns of the elderly members of the society has become one of the major interests of both the government, especially policy makers, and some non-governmental organizations (WHO). As governments respond to the phenomenon of ageing population, one concern that has become dominant in their sector is the problem of the results of a fall. This is due to the fact that one of the major causes for morbidity within the elderly population is a fall. Every year, oe third of those over the age of 65 experience a fall with an increase in incidences occurring with the increase in age. More than 50% of women who are over the age of 85 experience a fall within a year. (Pearse 2004: 478). Furthermore, injuries resulting into fall are not only a major cause of death among the elderly but that it â€Å"imposes an enormous public health burden world-wide† (Devroey et al 2002: 113). As well, the issues with falls is a concern where costs of the results of the fall impact the health care

Aramex Distribution Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Aramex Distribution Strategy - Essay Example There are two major factors that make the degree of market exposure required by Aramex very high. The first of these has to do with the fact that the company operates in a modern globalised market where there is so much competition within the logistics and transportation sectors3. Again, there exist limited users of the services that the company offers. Consequently, the company has positioned itself in a manner that ensures that it exposes itself to as many clients as possible. The strategy behind the market exposure has been one that targets globally recognized exporters and their affiliates4. With such as selective distribution strategy, the company’s investments on marketing always get to the right target and thus bring about the needed returns. Aramex practices a comprehensive distribution channel with so much emphasis on reaching the right people. The main guiding principle to the channel is the fact that the company revolves the distribution channel on an online system whereby distributors, wholesalers, retailers and direct end-users are reached through an online mechanism. Commonly, the over 700 wholesalers of the company get their supplies by placing an electronic demand and they in turn give out their distributions to retailers via electronic commerce5. In the midst of all these, there are terrestrial transporters who operate distribution vans and work directly under the retailers. Invariably therefore, the whole channel becomes a well coordinated one that fits into an integrated marketing channel to form a common

Crime Prevention Issues: Murder, Organized Crime and Fraud

Crime Prevention Issues: Murder, Organized Crime and Fraud 1. Describe the various types of murder. Discuss the issues involved in trying to solve each type of murder. Which are most likely and least likely to be resolved? First Degree/Capital Murder – One of the serious charges it is often the one that requires premeditation, planning, and deliberate action to commit murder. Some states add additional attributes to first degree murder charge such as motive, the context of the murder, and in what manner the murder took place. An example would be someone plotting to kill someone, learning their daily routine and habits. Acquiring a weapon and stalking out the victim are all examples of premeditation and would result in a first degree murder charge. Issues in solving or defending first degree murder charges require understanding if the criminal admits to the killing and asserts self-defense or if the criminal indicates that they did not do the killing. Resolution could lie in justified homicide such as self-defense; mistaken identity, was the person accused at the scene of the crime; accidental death such as parental discipline or even insanity. The prosecution has to convince the jury without doubt that the defendant is the correct person placing them with evidence or they have to disprove insanity defense and/or self-defense defenses. This charge would be the hardest to resolve, the recent Hernandez trial proves that even though the defense may have put reasonable doubt as to the First Degree Murder charge (no murder weapon, no independent witnesses, circumstantial evidence by the prosecution), he still was convicted of First Degree murder. Second Degree Murder – This charge is seen as killing without malice; that there was no premeditation or deliberate planning. For example, if someone is in a heated argument and attacks the victim in anger resulting in that person’s death; the likely charge would be second degree murder as there was no pre-planning and it was done without premeditation. Issues in solving or defending second degree murder charges lay in the fact that most charged with this degree claim they did not commit the crime. There are also those that admit to the killing but indicate that the crime was justified. Resolution could lie in actual innocence; self-defense or insanity. Again, the prosecution has burden of proof that the defendant committed the crime. Felony Murder – The charge of felony murder is used when someone is killed during another felony. It usually isn’t planned out or intended but happens as a consequence of the other felony. If a robber shoots and kills a guard during the course of a bank robbery, felony murder charges would be brought against the criminal Involuntary Manslaughter – If negligence results in death, a person can be charged with involuntary manslaughter. An example could be when you drink and drive and get into an accident that results in a death. This is criminal negligence or involuntary manslaughter. Voluntary Manslaughter – Usually is applied when one person kills another without malice, in that they did not intend for that person to die. There are many times when higher murder charges (such as second degree murder) have been reduced to voluntary manslaughter, each state has its own definitions for manslaughter charges. Provocation is generally used here, meaning that voluntary manslaughter charges tend to occur when a victim is provoked into killing such as finding a spouse in bed with another person. Each degree charged brings with it, its own level of punishments each degree having gradual increase in severity. Murder versus manslaughter can be subtle in their differences, partly because an accidental killing (usually manslaughter) can be constituted as second degree murder. 2. Find three examples of how the internet has facilitated and expanded the variety and types of property crimes that are being perpetrated today. The internet is expanding its reach and making it easier for criminals to steal your identity.[1] One way is through phishing scams right into your email inbox. Phishing is when cybercriminals may send emails that look like they come from legitimate businesses such as a bank or credit card company. People that receive these emails are told there are problems with their account and in order to fix them, they need to enter their personal data into the linked website. Once entered, the hackers now have your personal data and can do a few different things, such as creating separate bank accounts in your name without your knowledge. They can gain access to your current accounts or create viruses that forwards their phishing emails to your contacts. Another way the internet has expanded property crimes is through the way we can easily download and obtain copyrighted material.[2] It is illegal for people to download music, movies, or books through the internet, they are all considered theft of property (piracy) and yet the internet has allowed the practice to flourish through websites and file hosting sites. Piracy costs the industry billions of dollars and the ease with which the internet allows the transfer of data is why it is so rampant. With internet usage increase comes the expansion of fraud online through the acquisition and resale of illegally obtained goods and merchandise. This is classified as etailing fraud and the internet has allowed the growth of merchandise sold online illegally. 3. Pick one of the white collar crimes and present a case for why it is or is not more harmful than a violent crime. I read about Adoption Scams[3] for this question and the emotional toll that is thrust upon the victims is hard to read about. In many adoption scam cases, couples seeking to adopt are contacted by the criminal indicating that they know of a baby from Russia up for adoption, or birth mothers promise their unborn child to multiple couples or even cases of bringing in and involving kidnapped children. The criminals provide just enough details to string the couples along, such as photographs and email trails. The criminal is simply doing this for the monetary gain, not taking into account and pain the couple may feel. Many couples get invested once they believe that a child is its way to them. These are couples who, perhaps, have spent years struggling with conception and may have invested time, money, and emotions into alternate ways to conceive. This journey has probably already been an emotional rollercoaster for the victims and the hope of having a child through adoption will set them up for another emotional ride. These victims are preparing for the arrival of a child into their lives, filled with hope. They may have started decorating a nursery, expanding on their homes or scheduled maternity leave at their jobs. Monetary investment aside, many of these victims will suffer when they realize they have been scammed and there is no child â€Å"For some victims, it’s like losing a child.†[4] Crime of any kind is harmful and its impact will resonant over a wide range. Someone commits a violent crime, those that are impacted are not solely the person attacked or killed. Family, friends, and loved ones are impacted by the attack and/or death of the victim so violent crimes don’t only affect one but many. White collar crime such as the adoption scam not only harms the victims but also the victim’s families. In the case of kidnapping, multiple families are involved. If we are comparing violent crimes to white collar crimes and weighing life or death, than yes, the adoption scam is less damaging but there are no victimless crimes (in my opinion) and we should consider the emotional and financial impact of this scam. 4. Discuss the different types of transnational organized crime. Present possible ways for combating these types of crimes. Transnational organized crime is when a crime has been committed in more than one state or nation and usually involves the coordination and planning of numerous people and groups. Much like organized crime before the internet, transnational organized crime is compromised in a hierarchical manner with a leader supported by close advisors. The main purpose is to engage in criminal activity at a global level such as money laundering and computer crime. They use electronic communications to communicate and push forward their illegal agenda. Social networks are used by members to communicate with each other and sometimes to spread their message. Some types of transnational organized crime include groups that are involved in money laundering, drug and arms trafficking, and human smuggling. They endorse and are involved with trading in narcotics, pornography, illegal weapons and prostitution. Combating these groups multinational organizations are difficult. There is always someone else to step in when a group or gang is eliminated. Drug money is a huge source of foreign revenue many of these groups and the corruption of police and military makes suppression hard to enforce on any scale. Federal agencies are charged with combating transnational crime, they do so through international working groups that share intelligence and plot out strategies and directives to take against these cartels. [1] http://www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/websites/idtheft.html> [2] http://law.jrank.org/pages/11992/Cyber-Crime-Intellectual-property-theft.html> [3] http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2006/august/adoptscams_082806> [4] Ibid.

Slavery And Southern Honor Essay -- Slavery Essays

Parallels To southern men, honor was everything. I dictated their standing in society, whether or not they could own slaves; it basically was a secret caste system. A man held in the highest honor experienced a good life from a social stance in the south. The honor system used in the south was related to the language used by southern gentlemen.# Honor and Slavery by Kenneth S. Greenburg attempts to explain the vernacular and customs used by men in the antebellum south. It would be hard for a person in today's society to understand the way honor was shown; it would have even been a challenge for men living in the Northern United States to understand at that time.# As Greenburg states, "Since the language of honor was the dominant language of the men who ruled the slave South, we will never understand masters, the nature of slavery, or the Civil war without first understanding that language."# To be a powerful man in the south, society also had to consider you to be an honorable man. H onor and power in the South were parallel to each other; a man with a high honor ranking was usually a prominent member of society.# The white gentlemen of the South used honor as a means for running society and it slightly resembled a monarchic society, as if a person was born into honor whether or not they chose so. It was very important to a Southern man the family name he carried because it would prove his honor in some situations.# The biggest insult that could be given in the antebellum South was accusing an honorable man of lying.# It could be over something trivial or something serious. Either way, if a man was accused of lying, his very livelihood was being challenged. If a certain person fell out of societies favor an... ... high honor holdings were usually wealthy also. Today, money is not necessary to achieve honor. Honor is not dictated by social standings but by the actions and decisions that people make on a daily basis. Most consider religious figures, soldiers, doctors, firefighters, etc. to be honorable positions because they make a helpful contribution to society. Honorable people help others even if they cannot gain anything from the situation. An small example of honor would be taking an hour out of your busy schedule to help brighten someone's day. This clashes greatly with the perception of honor in the Old South. We consider slavery to be an illegal act and something bad but the Old South considered most slave masters to be very honorable people. If honor has changed so significantly over the past 150 years just imagine what it will be like in the next years to come.