Healing with technology Essay Example for Free

Healing with technology Essay Spinal Dynamics will aim to capture at least 10% of total spinal implants market by fourth year of operation. Spinal Dynamics plans to become Canada’s largest spinal orthopedic implant company by 2011. The Company plans to pursue vigorously and at an accelerated rate the development, production and marketing of artificial disc implant . The goal would be apart from being superior to other products it should be affordable for the masses in Canada thus contributing to human welfare by application of technology in the field of biomedical sciences. The company Spinal Dynamics is being formed for the purpose of engaging in development, production and marketing of artificial disc implants, in Canada with early and profitable operation as the prime goal. B. DESCRIPTION OF THE INDUSTRY The boom is gradually shifting from the sectors of finance and information technology towards the biomedical sector specifically the medical device industry. The major reason being increased medical treatment costs, and an urge towards better quality of life. Hip and knee replacements have become very common in spite of the high surgical costs involved. On the same lines spinal surgeries are becoming more prevalent especially because of high economic costs being incurred due to low back pain ailments. According to the statistics, patients suffering from back pain consume more that $90 billion annually in health-care expenses, with approximately $26 billion of that amount directly attributable to treating the back pain. Due to this reason a number of spinal implant companies have mushroomed throughout the U. S and Europe. The main problem in this industry is long development periods and high risks . The long drawn approval process especially in U. S due to FDA regulations is one of the reasons a lot of money is being invented in research , development and testing of the product. However medical law suites might become a big liability for the product if the device fails even once. C. CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS: Competencies Capabilities: 1) Legal and regulatory factors: The medical device industry is classified as class 3 , high risk implant so its obvious that a lot of investment goes into testing and experiments with sufficient evidences to prove its safety in-vivo. There are instances when a device fails and a single lawsuit causes the entire company to close down. Thus its advisable to invest time and money , before taking the implant out to the market 2) Investment of Time Money: As approval process is a long drawn procedure, it is necessary to have well trained quality managers and regulatory system advisors as employees. Sometimes services of external consultants or Regulatory advising companies might be used. 3) In-house surgeons/medical practitioners: As these devices cater to specific ailments and are highly specialized, it is important that we have in-house surgeons to understand the requirements of a product before we begin to design it. Infact the engineers and the surgeons should work hand in hand to come up with a better product. The crucial factors which determines success in biomedical industry 1) Availability of constant flow of Funds: For a new product to be in market, it might take 3-4 yrs, so during this period there should be a constant supply of funds to pay the employees and keep the company running. 2) Excellent marketing strategies : Its important that these products are marketed through right channels, thus its highly imperative that the products are showcased at various trade shows/conferences 3) Understanding the regulatory process: The main aim would be to bring the product soon to the market, by making a full-proof plan before the submission process for approval, as this phase is the lengthiest of all the processes. D. PEST ANALYSIS: Scope of Growth: The medical device industry out here thrives on reverse engineering concept the result is a number of ME TOO products. Infact companies end up investing on buying patents from European and American companies and do not believe in investing money for research and development of such products. There is huge market to be tapped as there is a lot of demand for these products most of which is imported from the Europe and the U. S. This area being the fastest growing market, the projected growth is expected to touch up to $16 billion in 2015 revenues. Source: Millennium Research Group. Spine Care Segments 2015 There is expected to be an increase in surgical treatment options, like facet replacement and dynamic stabilization procedures, which will likely be more acceptable to patients, perhaps doubling the % of patients accepting surgery from 3. 6% to 7% of a much larger, elderly population. As clinical results improve, this market is expected to continue to grow 20% per year and offer a tremendous opportunity to companies with innovative product lines. In 2015, industry experts project lumbar fusions will not grow, but stay at the same 2006 level of 400,000 procedures; dynamic stabilization devices will grow from 25,000 to 250,000 cases; and artificial lumbar and cervical discs grow from 25,000 to 600,000 cases, as these new procedures begin to replace spinal fusion. PART 2: A: BUSINESS OWNERSHIP: Sole proprietorship is a one-person business is registered with the state like a limited liability company (LLC) or corporation. Legally, a sole proprietorship is inseparable from its owner the business and the owner are one and the same. This means the owner of the business reports business income and losses on his or her personal tax return and is personally liable for any business-related obligations, such as debts or court judgments. This accounts 74% of all USA businesses and for 6% of all sales in USA. Advantages: (1) decisions are made by only the owner; (2) simple process to start – just get a business license (3) profits belong to the owner; (4) pride of ownership; (5) lower taxes. Disadvantages: (1) unlimited liability (2) limited life of business (3) difficult to raise capital for business; (4) risk of lost is not shared Partnership: a partnership is simply a business owned by two or more people Just like in a sole proprietorship, the partnerships owners pay taxes on their shares of the business income on their personal tax returns and they are each personally liable for the entire amount of any business debts and claims. 8% of all USA businesses are partnerships and accounts for 4% of all sales in USA Advantages: (1) easy to start (2) not many regulations; (3) not as difficult to raise capital for business; (4) combination of knowledge and skills. Disadvantages: (1) unlimited liability; (2) profits are shared; (3) limited life of the business; (4) disagreements Incorporation: Though forming a corporation is a bit more complicated and costly, but it is well worth the trouble for some small businesses. The main benefit of an LLC or a corporation is that these structures limit the owners personal liability for business debts and court judgments against the business. What sets the corporation apart from all other types of businesses is that a corporation is an independent legal and tax entity, separate from the people who own, control and manage it. Because of this separate status, the owners of a corporation dont use their personal tax returns to pay tax on corporate profits the corporation itself pays these taxes. Owners pay personal income tax only on money they draw from the corporation in the form of salaries, bonuses, and the like. Corporations make sense for business owners who either (1) run a risk of being sued by customers or of piling up a lot of business debts, or (2) have substantial personal assets they want to protect from business creditors. 18% of all USA businesses are corporations and accounts for 90% of all sales in USA. Advantages: (1) easy to raise capital (2) limited liability; (3) unlimited life of business; (4) Can hire specialized skills and knowledge; (5) shared risks. Disadvantages: (1) difficult to start; (2) less direct control; (3) double taxation: corporate tax and individual tax (4) limited activity. Franchising: Franchises are in which individual businessmen or people buy a well established business, but a certain percentage goes back to the corporation. Franchises must adhere to the corporate regulations. (McDonalds, Krispy Cream, Starbucks). Acquisition/Mergers: In this two companies merge together(merger) or a big company acquires a small innovative company giving rise to an acquisition. The best option to go with would be setting up a corporation or a LLC rather to start. The limited liability company or LLC is a relatively new form of doing business which is now recognized in most states. The LLC has grown in popularity because it combines the best features of a corporation and a partnership. Like a corporation, the owners (called members) of the LLC are not personally responsible for the debts of the LLC. Like a partnership, there is no dual taxation and the earnings of the business are taxed directly to the members. The LLC is also preferable in many ways to the S corporation, which also avoids personal liability and dual taxation. The LLC is not subject to most of the limitations which are imposed on corporations by applicable law. For example, while an corporation is not allowed to have more than one type or class of stock ownership and is not allowed to have more than 75 shareholders, the LLC is not subject to such limitations. Overall, the LLC simply allows more flexibility in the structure, operation and management of the business than does the S corporation. LLCs are similar to corporations because they also provide limited personal liability for business debts and claims. But when it comes to taxes, LLCs are more like partnerships: the owners of an LLC pay taxes on their shares of the business income on their personal tax returns.

Dantes Inferno Essay -- essays papers

Dantes Inferno In The Inferno, by Dante many of the sinners’ punishments are questionable to the sins they’ve committed. Like Dante, one feels great pity for many of the sinners that exist in all of the levels of Hell. Many of their retributions seem much too severe for some of the sins that just don’t seem that dire. Francesca and Paolo di Rimini have no control over the love that develops between the two of them, but are forced to spend eternity in the Second Circle of Hell. The sinners in this area of Hell, the lustful, experience an eternity of torrential rain fall and extremely powerful winds, which toss the souls of these sinners throughout the air. After reading of Lancelot and Guinevere both Francesca and Paolo realize that they’re situation is just like theirs. Francesca does begin having an affair with her husband’s younger, better-looking brother; but how could either of the two resist a feeling like that? Lust, yeah it’s selfish, and maybe it hurts others but if one doesn’t give in to its lustful feelings that they too may get hurt. Her husband take...

Never Scared: The Cultural Significance of Chris Rock

Standup comedians exemplify the trans-generational nature of our culture. With their ability to fully embody all of societies diverging values, while still always grazing the edge of change, they serve as the conscience of the people.   As Lawrence Mintz argues, comics are licensed to say the unspeakable because they have the pity of the audience; they use the power of laughter to unite communities and tread societies shade of gray, and the most successful of them exercise a full awareness in the art of rhetoric.   Mintz points out that comedians use these weak pity warranting social positions to actually empower themselves.iOne of the top standup comedians known for this today is Chris Rock; he uses rhetoric to persuade his audience into finding humor in some of the darkest aspects of our society.   Chris Rock uses rhetoric in his standup Never Scared to persuade his audience to adopt his views, while at the same time reversing the pity warranting image that Mintz’s cla ims gives a comic his license to speak freely.   Both of these personal intentions of Rock’s in his stand up are dependent solely on how well he connects to the core values of his audience. Rock is credited for being best able at connecting the disintegration of family and relationship values of Blacks.In Never Scared, Chris Rock discusses the deteriorating values of Black America and how these values are affecting black culture in America. He utilizes theories in social family structure with the African American family today and establishes himself as a role model for the black culture. He also sarcastically undermines the institution of marriage and the battle of the sexes in an intelligent and witty manner. Not only is he socially aware of all of these things that I have mentioned, he is also aware of the embarrassing acts from his race whom he spitefully labels â€Å"niggas.† Allow me to expand on the issues Chris Rock brings up in his comedy routines.The days of funny schtick and prat falls are basically over. Through the years, much more substance has come to the attention of America when it comes to stand-up comedy. Lawrence Mintz states the following concerning this phenomena on page 72;â€Å" Clearly it is a popular art that is central to American entertainment, but in the universal tradition of public joking rituals it is more than that as well; it is an important part of the nation’s cultural life.†iChris Rock is an excellent example of this statement.In Never Scared, Rock opens his routine with confidence and mentions his daughter, alluding to the reason why he hasn’t been on the road in so long.â€Å"It’s amazing when you have a girl†¦ It’s eye opening, because I realize, I’m the man in her life.   My relationship with my daughter is going to affect her relationship with men for the rest of her life.   Every man in here has dated a woman with some daddy issues.   That [email   protected]%$# ain’t fun ok.   She’s giving you a hard time for some [email  protected]%$# her daddy did in 1969.† (Chris Rock, 2006)Ever the sarcastic encourager, Rock sets up an example that needs to be revisited in the black community. He’s sensible and funny here but he is also alluding to something important. The black man in today’s culture needs to understand the importance of bringing up baby girls. He states that sometimes he picks her up out of her stroller, looks at her and that’s when it hits him;  Ã¢â‚¬Å"My job in this life now is to keep my baby off the pole!†Of course he is referring to the ever-ominous pole found in every strip club in the world. This is profound wisdom for the deadbeat dads out there who aren’t with their daughters. Some fathers are right in the room but to busy watching the game to pay any attention to the direction she might be headed if he doesn’t start to get to know his little gi rl who is growing up.It’s interesting to note that an article by Kathryn Edin and Laura Lein almost discuss the same issue.ii With the rise of single mothers in urban areas and their struggle to make ends meet, we have to wonder what the sociological and psychological implications for the child are growing up in an environment without a father. Many of these children will grow up to be drug dealers, strippers and prostitutes in their struggle to get away from the economic prison they were unwillingly placed in at birth.Speaking of birth, let’s examine Rock’s use of abortion and marriage. Nilsen discusses the important element of sexism in comedy routines in his article;â€Å"Sexist humor, which makes fun of the real or imagined characteristics of males and females, is seen in the oldest myths, fairy tales, folk tales, nursery rhymes, and sacred writings. Because jokes are a kind of shorthand, creators do not start with a whole new cast of characters for each jo ke; instead they rely on familiar scripts that include exaggerations and stereotypes. This enables listeners to fill in the details from the material that their minds have already absorbed from the popular culture.†ivThroughout Rock’s comedy routines, he brings to light the battle of the sexes concerning abortion and marriage. He discusses the two options that a man has when he finds out his girlfriend is pregnant;â€Å"Wow! I’m so happy! I love you so much.† Or the ill-fated; â€Å"So, whatcha gonna do?† Once again he silently stabs at the lack of responsibility concerning the man in this issue. He goes on to discuss the fact that the decision for abortion is made between the woman and her girlfriends. It is a sad but true commentary on the disintegration of society in general but Chris seems to be directing it toward black culture specifically.There are strong arguments for the fact that married couples experience less stress and live a healthier life(Waite).iii Rock equates marriage to simple transference;â€Å"When you’re single, you wanna kill yourself. When you’re married, you wanna kill your spouse!†He discusses the problem of unhappily married men and their addiction to strip clubs. He adds that reasons for this are that women are domineering. In a funny little clip, Chris talks about the ho convention and glass heels. Then he brings up the fact that a wife is there to provide for you and be there for you but if you bring a pair of glass heels in the house, it will cause all sorts of problems.As you can see, he strengthens his views of the black man being the wife’s pet or the one that’s supposed to do everything for her by using these jokes. He also portrays the man in the abortion bit as not having a say in anything that happens with the child. He portrays the woman’s friends at a higher level than her own boyfriend and the father of her child.He jokes about strip clubs and i nfidelity but he still holds to the role model persona. He stands by his conviction of not cheating on your spouse and once again cements his position in black culture. Voicing his family values opens the audience up for his personal opinions about society.   Rock’s humorous perspective on life and his personal opinions about society mark the defining line between him as an individual and the family values he has affirmed to gain the audience’s trust.In his essay, Standup Comedy as Social and Cultural Mediation, Mintz explains the justification behind the stand up comedian’s license to speak freely. Considering the fact that Chris Rock is an African American, he has free reign to speak out on the problems with African- Americans.   As he displays his disgust with black stars like the child molesting, wanna-be- white Michael Jackson, he flows freely into the R-Kelly incident with the young girl on video.We all know that he is using these incidents as well as the Kobe Bryant rape case and the OJ Simpson case because they are excellent material for comedy. But, it’s also obvious that he uses these men as examples for negative black role models in America as well. It makes one wonder if he is warning his black audience of the path of self-destruction they may be on together. After all, great men like Sydney Poitier or James Earl Jones didn’t do things like this to embarrass the black community.Personally, I believe that his most compelling routine is the â€Å"I hate Niggas† routine. The courage that it takes for a black man to stand up and say â€Å"Everything white people don’t like about black people, black people hate even more. I love black people but I hate niggas.† He jokes about the fact that every time black people try to get together and have some fun like going to a movie, some â€Å"nigga† pulls out a gun and shoots at the screen. It is most powerful when he utilizes this rhetoric in th e presence of a more affluent black community.By performing in D.C., Rock intentionally markets himself towards the wealthiest blacks in the United States, giving him all the more power once he is able to form a community within the room.   But, this community Rock creates must be structured on some form of values with which he knows everyone can basically agree, and that will create an atmosphere of familial comfort.   Rock does this perfectly in his stand up, and the structure can be noted from start to finish.We can also observe the moral erosion of rap music. It used to be a positive influence in the black community. Chris Rock has played an important role in promoting rap music. Although, in Never Scared, He mentions the fact that it keeps getting harder to defend this popular urban genre. He states that it used to be easy to defend groups like Grand Master Flash because they represented the black urban culture as a whole. Then he goes on to state that he hates to defend it now because of lines such as the famous line from Li’l Jon;â€Å"To the windows, to the walls, ‘til the sweat drips from my balls.†These lyrics can’t be defended. They do not spell anything positive for black society and the song certainly shows no respect for black women whatsoever. Granted, there were some pretty vulgar lyrics in the early days of rap also but not to the extent of today.If we observe the work of Chris Rock, a strong argument can be made that he has created some of the most powerful rhetoric concerning the degradation of his own race in America. He stands by his values and doesn’t squirm under the microscope like some stars. He has used his influence to create a teachable understanding of the social inequalities that occur in America. But, more than this he has made it simple for the average black family, or any family, to understand the major social issues surrounding black culture today. I think the most important thing that Chr is Rock has done for the black culture and every culture in America is created a vital understanding for accountability within our own cultural social dynamic.I have heard many people say that Chris Rock is a comedian, but he is an activist as well. Others say that his comedy is racially motivated against the white population of America. Still, some just won’t watch him or listen to him because of his language usage. There are a number of labels we can put on this man and he allows us to do so liberally. Chris Rock may have missed his true calling as a social scientist. Maybe one-day comedians like Rock will receive honorary PhDs for their body of work in stand up comedy but for now, he’s just a great comedian.iv Nilsen A.P and Nilsen D.L.B (2000) Encyclopedia of the 20th century American Humor.Gender Humor. Phoenix, AZ: Oryz Press, pp.170-174.i Standup Comedy as Social and Cultural Mediation. Lawrence E. Mintz.American Quarterly, Vol. 37, No. 1, Special Issue: America n Humor. (Spring, 1985), pp. 71-80.ii Work, Welfare, and the Single Mothers’ Economic Survival Strategies. Kathryn Edin and Laura Lein. American Sociological Review.iii Does Marriage Matter?. Waite, Linda J. Demography. Vol. 32, No. 4, November 1995.iv Nilsen A.P and Nilsen D.L.B (2000) Encyclopedia of the 20th century American Humor.Gender Humor. Phoenix, AZ: Oryz Press, pp.170-174.Quotes from Chris Rock came from his stand up routine Never Scared. 2006.

Religion vs. Philosophy - 1222 Words

Religion Term Paper Philosophy and Religion An Idea is more powerful than an army (pg 14, Munroe). When first looking at the relationship between philosophy and religion, I found it easier to explain the differences rather than the similarities. I began this paper the same way I do others. This generally involves a profound amount of research on the topic at hand. However, in contrast to the other papers I have done, the definitions of philosophy and religion only raised more questions for me. It was fascinating how the explanations differed dramatically from author to author. I will begin this paper by reciting some of the definitions that I did find. The simplest definition states, In many cultures and times, religion has†¦show more content†¦To challenge someone s philosophy is considered a reasonable and almost scientific thing to do, but to challenge someone s religion can instigate hostile and sometimes violent reactions. A very good example of how violent and atrocious religious hatred can be is that of the Holocaust. The Holocaust, which appropriately means sacrifice by fire, was the horrific annihilation of six million Jews by the Nazi regime during World War II. Around 1933 an estimated nine million Jewish people were killed for no other reason but because of their religious belief. Children were no exception either. Even though it is not entirely clear how many children were murdered or died in concentration camps, historians guess that it could be as high as 1.5 million. Adolf Hitler was the Chancellor of Germany and leader of the Nazi Regime and what began as a very strong philosophical belief of his turned into the slaughter of millions of Jews. The Holocaust, while one of mankind s worst acts, was unfortunately not the first nor the last horrific act to be done that was based on religious focuses and ideas. Appalling acts such as massacres, mass executions or suicides can all be linked back to specific religious backgrounds. Underneath the noticeable effect of human lives lost is the undeniable loss of peace that human s originally craved when seeking out their religion in the first place. It appears to me that in many cases a strong opinion or idea can be developedShow MoreRelatedEssay on Discussion over the Existence of God1249 Words   |  5 PagesGod remains one of the finest pursuits of the human mind to break out of the world and surpass the practical or extraordinary realm of experience. Without a doubt, the question of Gods existence is one of the most significant questions of human philosophy. It alters the whole meaning of human life, and it challenges if man is really the Supreme Being in the universe or if man has a greater being that he must love and obey, or possibly defy. So the question is; does God exist? 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