Wednesday, October 30, 2019

T-Bags Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

T-Bags - Essay Example T-Bags is a specialty teahouse concept offering a broad and creative selection of tea beverages and accompaniments at convenient and accessible locations in the Metropolitan areas. The company provides its customers with a new tea experience by creating a new context for the traditional idea of "afternoon tea". T-Bags is different to other tea-based businesses in the U.K. market today. Most teahouses in the U.K. are usually family businesses (passed through generations) located in the countryside, or if they are in the city area, they are upscale and are housed in high-end hotels. Essentially, T-Bags is based on the specialty espresso bar concept (like Starbucks) which is already rampant throughout the country. Like the espresso bar concept, the specialty teahouse has a strong product focus - tea. However, unlike the other traditional teahouses, T-Bags offers an usually wide menu range in an environment where customers are encouraged to explore different tea flavorings and blends brought in from all over the world. In the short term, The Company's goal is to implement this concept, first, in a retail outfit of less than 800 square feet. The Company's medium term goal will then be to pursue an aggressive expansion strategy in London and other major Metropolitan areas in the U.K. to create a strong brand identity. In the long term, The Company's goal is to become the leading brand of specialty teahouses in the U.K. Although The Company's key selling point is its wide product offerings, The Company is aware that other teahouses in the market today are also able to follow this product strategy. However, The Company's unique selling point which encompasses wide product offerings, a unique customer experience and customer loyalty cannot be easily copied. The following five elements will differentiate T-Bags from its competitors and foster customer loyalty. High Quality Product Offerings. T-Bags has scoured the best places in the world that produces quality tea leaves and the products offered are uncompromising. To complement the tea-drinking experience, T-Bags also offers high quality accompaniments like sweets and pastries sourced from the same regions as the tea in order to provide a consistent experience. Customer Service. Since this business concept is new to the U.K., it is important that first purchases from customers are followed by repeat businesses. Therefore, it is crucial that all employees understand the concept of the business in informing customers of the

Monday, October 28, 2019

The impact of globalisation in the emerging market economies

The impact of globalisation in the emerging market economies Globalisation is becoming a normal word in todays business environment where different countries are integrating with one another. No country can be self sufficient, they depend on one another. It is very common to see different countries moving from their own nations and invest to other country/countries in order to get markets or resources such as cheap labour. Country boundaries are no longer an issue due to advancement in technology. Globalisation plays a great role on the economical development of different countries in the world especially in the developed countries such as US which has investments in different countries around the global. On the other side of the coin, globalisation has negative impacts on social, cultural, political, technological, environmental as well as economical activities of different countries. The aim of this essay is to assess the impacts of globalisation on the emerging market economies in a double edged-sword, whether it is an opportunity or a threat for their growth. The essay will therefore focus on; what is emerging market economy, characteristics of emerging market economies, the concept of globalisation, its drivers, the impact of globalisation on emerging economies in terms of economic, socio-cultural, environment, technological as well as political-legal and finally make a conclusion of this discussion. LIST OF ACRONYMS FDI Foreign Direct Investments LDCs Less Developed Countries GDP Gross Domestic Product EMEs Emerging Market Economies MNC Multinational Companies UN United Nations IMF International Monetary Fund 1.0 Introduction Over the years it has been witnessed that the aspect of social, cultural, political, technological as well as economical activities of different countries integrating with one another has increased at a rapid rate. The practices that are found in the European countries and the United States are now found in practically at any country in the world. This phenomenon is now commonly referred to as globalisation. Globalisation is not a new phenomenon, for centurys individuals, later companies, institutions and corporations have been trading with each other in locations that are tremendously far from their point of origin. The Asians for example, used the monsoon winds that occurred after a space of six months to move from their countries and reach Africa to trade i.e. buy and sell products to the Africans. China and Europe were also connected during the middle ages through the famed Silk Road across Central Asia. This allowed the two parties to invest to one another which were an aspect of globalisation. This depicts the fact that for a long time globalisation was in existence but not recognised as today as globalisation (Jagdish, 2004). This current situation of the phenomenon of globalisation increasing at a rapid rate has been induced by policies that have opened economies internally (domestically) as well as internationally. One of the main propagators of this was the aftermath of the second world war whereby governments of different countries in the world decided to accept or implement the free market economic system which had an effect on the productive potentials of their countries and generation new opportunities for global trade i.e. the trade was no longer domestic oriented but internationally oriented. This is to say that the policies opened up opportunities for international trade and investments. The Governments have further negotiated the tremendous reductions in barriers to commerce and have established international agreements to promote trade in goods, services, and investments. These have opened up new opportunities in foreign markets and therefore corporations have built foreign factories and estab lished production and marketing arrangements with foreign partners. This is a defining feature of the late trend of globalisation, i.e. it is an international industrial and financial business structure (Jagdish, 1993). The new opportunities have made other countries that had ceased them to be dominant in the Global economy today. Now more than ever, it is a clear picture that the aspect of globalization has been one of the major contributors to the rise in the economic dominance of many economies such as those in the Asian countries i.e. India, china etc. To date china has now integrated with practically every country around that world. The Chinese corporations have come to be so powerful to the extent that the USA is in debt of more that 10bilion dollars to the Chinese banks. The latter is to say that the phenomenon of globalisation has tremendous impacts on emerging economies. This essay will therefore focus on discussing the impact of globalisation in the emerging market economies; in so doing, the essay will focus on defining the emerging market economies, characteristics of the emerging markets, defining the concept of globalisation, drivers of globalisation, and effects of globalisation on emerging market economies in terms of its benefits and drawbacks socially, economically, environmentally and technologically and finally make a conclusion of this discussion. 2.0 Definitions and Concepts 2.1 What is Emerging Market Economy? Emerging market economies are those economies that their economy and industrialisation grow in a rapid pace while experiencing a rapid increase in information efficiency in an environment. These economies are the leaders among developing countries. To be more precise the following are considered to be the leading emerging market economies Brazil, Russia, India, and China, normally referred top as the BRIC countries. The leading one is China due to high growth of its GDP, technology as well as literacy level, about 93.3% of Chinese total population are literate, this became possible since the Chinese government executed its strategy of prioritising education for its people from lower to the higher levels http://en.wikipedia.org. Discussed below will be the characteristics of emerging market economies. 2.2 The Characteristics of Emerging Economies 2.2.1 Transitional The economy of the emerging economies are constantly in transformational process from closed to an open market, trying to stabilise their economic performances for bringing efficiency and transparency in the capital market. Reform in Exchange Rate System International Monetary Fund and World Bank assist the Emerging Market Economies in reforming their exchange rate systems in order to reduce flow of domestic capital to foreign economies since there is an increase of local as well as foreign investments in terms of portfolio and direct. 2.2.3 Attractive to Multinational Corporations The countries in this category are very much on the list of the favourable environments for investment by the MNC because of the ability to provide lower costs of labour and providing a large customer base. 2.2.4 Large Population The first feature of these economies is the population in their country. The emerging economies have a large number of people in their countries as compared to other countries in the world. In the business terms it means they contain a very large share of the consumer base in their own country. China for example is the most populated country ion the world, and India is also one of the single countries that have many people as almost the entire African continent. 2.2.5 High Gross Domestic Product Growth These economies have a remarkable rate of growth on their GDP. China has been estimated to have a 10% growth rate in the last decade. This rate makes it the fastest growing economy in the world and in years to come it may have the leading economy in the world above the United States of America. Much of the growth however had been due to receiving Foreign Direct Investments from the Triads (USA, Japan and Europe), thought in the recent years the BRIC group has also been investing in the Triads. 2.2.6 Changes in Living style The countries with the emerging economies are experiencing an increase in the change in the life style of its population. There is a tremendous change in terms of industrialization, modernisation as well as urbanization. The rural areas are eroding and more cities with tall buildings and many investments are becoming prominent. Some of the wealthiest businesses and business man are found in these emerging economies. Most of the countries populations are more into becoming modern and more urbanised now than years back. Furthermore the standard of living has improved markedly in these emerging economies. Many millions continue to live in poverty but a growing urban middle class provides an expanding market for both domestic products and for imports from abroad. 2.2.7 Volatility of Assets The worlds interest for the assets of the emerging market economies has risen over the past years. The assets of the Emerging economies also tend to become volatile at times, the returns is really worth risking for. The funds of the Emerging economies have also resulted in a much higher percentage of wealth. 2.3 The Concept of Globalisation Globalisation has been a concept narrated for many years by different scholars world wide. Various dimensions come to light when the term globalisation is mentioned. Basically the issue of integration, in terms of the economy, technology, social aspects as well as politics is of highest consideration when one defines globalisation. Globalisation is the system of interaction among the countries of the world in order to develop the global economy. Some scholars have defined globalisation simply as the process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, culture, political systems, economic development and prosperity, and human physical well-being in societies around the world. Globalisation has been refers to the integration of economics and societies all over the world. Globalisation involves technological, economic, political, and cultural exchanges made possible largely by advances in communication, transportation, and infrastructure (Croucher, 2004). Others however as previously mentioned have defined globalisation as the process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world http://hubpages.com/hub/Definition-of-Globalization Globalisation attempts to depict the steps by which the networks in the world in terms of communication, transportation and trading cause the linking (integration) of the regional economies, societies, cultures, as well as technologies. At this point in time most of the world is considering the aspect of economic globalisation as one of the single most significant aspect of globalization. With this in mind economic globalization has been separately defined as the linking of economies of different nations to create an international economy via trade, FDIs, Investment cash flows, and the disperse of technology. Globalisation is usually recognized as being driven by the union of the economic, technological, socio-cultural, political, environmental and biological factors. For the purpose of this essay, we therefore define the term globalization as the rapid increase in the interconnectedness of the different countries economically, socially, politically, technologically as well as environmentally to resemble a single village; the process highly being facilitated by the increase in the information and communication technology. 2.4 Drivers of Globalisation. There are many issues that have been discussed when it comes to why is there such an enormous increase in globalisation and why many countries are opening their doors to this phenomenon much easily than before. One of the most common explanation to this has been summarized in one common and yet unique sentence. That is globalisation is inevitable meaning it will occurs, whether one likes it or not it will happen. Never the less that sentence is too short to provide the core drivers of globalisation but rather only explain that the phenomenon is there to stay. The drivers for globalisation can be put into the following categories: Market drivers Cost drivers Technology drivers Governmental drivers Competitive drivers These drivers are better explained below: 2.4.1 Market Driver This actually refers to when the companies consider the various markets to invest. The shifting of the policies of the different governments in the world top having a free market economy has in fact lead to businesses that had a market that was limited to one country to have a global market that waits for the specific products or services that they offer. At this point in companies in different parts of the world have to greater accessibility of the different countries world wide. If there was a trend of no free market economy, the phenomenon of globalization would have been accelerating at a vey small pace and the major transformations will not have been recognized. At this point in time there is the merging of national markets into a singular massive global marketplace. To sell internationally is now easier due to falling of barriers on the cross-border trade. A company doesnt have to be the size of these multinational giants to facilitate and benefit from the globalization of mark ets (Owens 2008) 2.4.2 Production Cost Driver This becomes a driver when it occurs that the costs of production in your country is greater than in another country for the same product, hence it becomes more advantageous for you to produce in another country than in your own. It refers to the sourcing of goods and services from locations around the world to take advantage of national differences in the cost and quality of factors of production. The idea is to compete more effectively offering a product with good quality and low cost. Companies consider the various lifestyle of the country before considering the price of the product and services to render. The companies that find themselves in search for international trade opportunities need to take into account the cost implications associated to where they want to invest. For example one might consider producing certain products in Tanzania than in Europe due to cheaper labour costs etc (Owens 2008) 2.4.3 Technology Driver This actually refers to when there is increasing technology system, transportation, advancing in the level of world trade system. The have been many developments in technology to date and the rate seems unstoppable. These developments or changes in Technological have achieved advances in communication, information processing, and transportation technology, including the Internet and the World Wide Web (www). The most important innovation has been development in the microprocessors after that global communications have been revolutionized by developments in satellite, optical fiber, and wireless technologies, and now the Internet and the World Wide Web. The rapid growth of the internet and the associated World Wide Web is the latest expression of this development. Besides, innovations have occurred in the field of the transportation technology. The development of commercial jet aircraft has reduced the time needed to get from one location to another. Now China is closer to the USA tha n ever (Owens 2008) 2.4.4 Government Driver This refers to the reduction of trade tariffs and non trade tariffs, as a result of reducing the role of political policies. As previously mentioned the adoption of the free market economy has essentially causes the fall of barriers to international trade. Now firms are able to view the entire global as its potential market. The lowering of barrier to trade and investments also allows firms to base production at the optimal location for that activity in order to achieve location economies. A firm might therefore , design a product in one country, create a part/ component parts in two other countries, assemble the product in another country and then export the finished product around the world. The lowering of trade barriers has facilitated the globalisation of production. The evidence also suggests that foreign direct investment is playing an increasing role in the global economy (Croucher, 2004). 2.4.5 Competition Driver The aspect of better products as a result of competition has actually made the aspect of globalisation an essential part in many economies. The competition among companies ensures that there is a production of high quality products globally (Owens 2008) 3.0 The impact of Globalisation on Emerging Market Economies Over the years different debates have existed on whether countries should embrace or be opposed to the phenomenon of globalisation. This debate is pioneered by the likely impact the globalisation has on the various economies or countries in the world. There has been an argument that the aspect of globalisation has favoured already the developed countries while continues to exploit the wealth of developing countries. Below therefore is the discussion on the impact of globalisation on the emerging market economies focused on five main categories; 3.1 Economic impact According to economists, there are a lot of global events connected with globalization and integration. The economy of a nation relies a lot on the business environment that exists. Whether there is high domestic trading or there is a wider range of investments from international companies. Globalisation has enabled the economies of different countries top become integrated. For example, the avenue of international trade now allows countries to have foreign currencies into their economies. Furthermore the aspect of citizens being in one country and owning property in another country is also a reality. The issues of lending has now moved to a whole new level, companies from one country ask for loans from banks in a different country as well as banks of one country can now put branches in other counties which automatically affects the economies. Governments of one nation go and obtain loans from other nations. A typical and yet most amazing scenario is the fact that the American govern ment being in millions of debt to china which is an emerging economy. No doubt globalisation has increased the foreign direct investments in different nations. At this point in time the Mc Donalds company of the United States of America had made a record entry to the Russian and Chinese economy when the policies of these countries had allowed room for the free market economy. The GDP of countries such as china have benefited a lot as a result of globalization. As mentioned earlier chinas GDP has been growing at a rate of 10%, one of the fastest growing rates in the world. 3.2 Socio-cultural Impact Another notable impact of globalisation has been on the culture of various societies in the world. Globalisation has been seen as a catalyst for change in the cultures of less developed countries to be more like those of the developed nations. More specifically it is seen as an imposition of the pop culture (western culture) to other countries. For example the way in which people talk, act, dress etc has changed over the last few decades. The type of music that people listen to globally has changed; even the morals of certain societies have changed. Years back, it was outrageous for women to wear miniskirts in the streets of Arabic countries, but now this is becoming debatable. Even in African countries some aspects are changing. Many people are forgoing their heritage for the new living styles which are believed to be more modernized. Now people believe that if you speak your native language and do not know how to speak English, then you are primitive. All these are a result of globalisation. The way in which people communicate has now also changed. People have conversations via the phone and have reduced the more traditional way of communication which was to visit and see each other physically. No longer are people playing sports outside, they rather play video games, watch movies in the house, all these are a result of globalisation. Furthermore there is a change in the type of ownership in the emerging economies. The aspect of globalisation has introduced a more capitalist system in nations that were primarily involved in communal ownership; the aspect of ownership has become more of individualistic nature. This being the case, there is no longer equal distribution of income among the people of china. This has benefited some of the members who believed that they deserved more for the more work they did but at the same time has created a division among the rich and the poor that was not there in the past. 3.3 Environmental Impact The environment is more of the less discussed factors at times but is ne of the most important aspect that needs to be considered when looking upon the impacts of globalization. The environment basically refers to every thing that surrounds us. In the globalized world more and more business opportunities have emerged for the different businesses in the world as a consequence the businesses that are engaged in manufacturing and involve the emission of harmful substances have increased h=and have caused a destruction in the ozone layer in different parts of the world. Furthermore, the less developed countries have suffered on the environment as the developed countries have used globalization as a means of dumping harmful products from their countries. There had been a ban on several environmentally harmful products in Europe; as a result, the European companies sold the goods to countries like Tanzania etc to not suffer losses. This was a means of dumping their waste products. On the o ther hand though, through globalisation, there are now campaigns all over the world that relate to environmentally protection. International; treaties on environmentally friendly productions have been signed by different nations. The reduction in green house emission treaties have been signed by many nations in the world being led by United states of America and China, the most highly polluting countries in the globe. 3.4 Technological Impact Globalisation has lead to the increase in the spread of technology all over the world. At this point in time, practically all parts of the world are awe-are of the existing technologies every where. The technology that is used in Europe is also used in china and at times even found in Africa. Globalisation has enabled the world to create, modify different technological devices that were founded by some one else in the different part of the globe. The Japanese have been known to modify different technologies that they see existing in the USA. The Chinese are now the ones who imitate all the existing technologies anywhere in the globe. The arena of globalisation has made the latest technologies to exist in every part of the world. Ranging from the latest mobile phones, laptops, video games and all other gadgets, globalisation in one way or the other has ensured that no one is left behind. 3.5 Political-Legal Impact The last aspect that globalization has impacted is on the issue of political and legal environment. Globalisation has been at the centre in the increased international laws that are in existence, the existence on the global organizations that provide principles across the world. The United Nations (UN), the World Bank (WB), the international monetary fund (IMF) and the like. The increased interconnectedness of different counties has enabled the existence of the organizations to crops cut different countries. For example some of the policies in the less developing countries (LDCs) such as the Structural Adjustment Program have been influenced by the World bank, some have been influenced by the united nations etc. This shows how globalization has impacted the political and legal atmosphere of a nation. Country losses its sovereignty in globalization as it is being scrutinized by the international countries. For example all of the countries are now looking at the policies of china and t ry to challenge some of the things that it is doing. In so doing, the sovereignty of the country is being lost (Croucher, 2004). 4.0 Conclusion In general, no one can deny the fact that globalisation is inevitable in todays competitive business environment. The issue is on how the countries take the existence of globalisation. Through in the discussion we saw that there are benefits that are being seen from the existence of the phenomenon, but there are also detrimental effects. All of these depend on the nation and hence the context in which globalisation takes place since each country differs from one another in terms of comparative advantages. There are issues that are related to the loss of a countrys freedom and sovereignty that play a key part on whether to embrace or reject globalisation, nevertheless, globalisation will happen. In a brief overview though one can see that there are many economically related benefits that have been associated with emerging market economies and hence probable cause for the increased acceptance in the phenomenon .The aspects of the expanding sales i.e. where by the emerging economies are having a wider market for its products is a notable reason for the acceptance of globalisation. Now the countries with emerging economies are having the markets in practically in many or any country of the world ranging from Europe to Africa, the Middle East and America. Furthermore, they have now been able to acquire resources such as technology and cheap labour from the various countries that they have invested in. The acceptance in globalisation has also reduced the risks that have been associated with the investment in only their country as there are many fruitful opportunities in other countries. However, in essay 2 critical assessments on the impact of globalisation to the emerging market economies will be discussed by evaluating the positive and negative impacts in particular the culture (socio-culture), economic, technology and environment of China.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Hegel: Reason in History Essay -- Philosophy History Essays

Hegel: Reason in History The second chapter of the Introduction to the Philosophy of History bears the title "Reason in History"; however, careful study reveals that it could just as aptly been dubbed Reason is History or better, History is Reason. Although Reason exists in a finite form within the human being, the whole—infinite Reason—is necessarily greater than the sum of its parts—the sum of finite Reasons. Hegel's Reason is the infinite material of all reality—the substance, form, and power. History is the increasing self-consciousness of the Spirit i.e. Reason; that is, a progressive increase of Reason within the world. This relationship between history and Reason is expressed by Hegel's agreement with Leibniz that this is the best of all possible worlds. In other words, everything is as it should be. In fact, Hegel makes strong assertions along just these lines, "that [Reason] reveals itself in the world, and that nothing else is revealed in the world but that Idea itself, its glory and majesty (12-13)." It is from this idea that Hegel derives the point that "Re... Hegel: Reason in History Essay -- Philosophy History Essays Hegel: Reason in History The second chapter of the Introduction to the Philosophy of History bears the title "Reason in History"; however, careful study reveals that it could just as aptly been dubbed Reason is History or better, History is Reason. Although Reason exists in a finite form within the human being, the whole—infinite Reason—is necessarily greater than the sum of its parts—the sum of finite Reasons. Hegel's Reason is the infinite material of all reality—the substance, form, and power. History is the increasing self-consciousness of the Spirit i.e. Reason; that is, a progressive increase of Reason within the world. This relationship between history and Reason is expressed by Hegel's agreement with Leibniz that this is the best of all possible worlds. In other words, everything is as it should be. In fact, Hegel makes strong assertions along just these lines, "that [Reason] reveals itself in the world, and that nothing else is revealed in the world but that Idea itself, its glory and majesty (12-13)." It is from this idea that Hegel derives the point that "Re...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Educating Refugee Children Essay

I. Overview People in exile, more often than not, see a dim light when concerned about their future in their foreign country. This is a natural response; of course, for they would have never left their country if they were not suppressed, aggravated or felt a sense of helplessness and seeking refuge in another country is the only choice left. However, countries which serve as refuge should serve not only as asylum or shelter but instead serve as the new permanent home for these unfortunate people; and doing so means prioritizing decent homes and jobs for the refugees and most importantly, quality education for their children, for they are the hope of those whose rights are oppressed in their homelands. II. Rights to a Better Education It is very essential to ensure that the children of refugees get not only literacy and a decent education in their adopted homeland, but not only the plain teaching of reading and writing will suffice the children’s hunger for a real home, a real family and all the fulfillments of their erstwhile depravations, economically and in health; because in most cases some refugee children do not have parents when they sought for refuge and that mere fact should awaken educators that they should not act as teachers alone, but correspondingly, as a second parent. Moreover, the refugee children have experienced a downward plunge in their living standard and their lives have had significant changes, or worse, they could have been witnesses to horrific events and subject to traumatic experiences in their home countries. The effects of these will prove to be very crucial to their learning capabilities, and so it is absolutely correct to first see and evaluate the refugee children to determine whether they need special caring, for the caregivers and the teachers do not have a clue on the degrees of suffering, oppression and depression. The teachers should also consider the fact that the schooling of the refugee children could have been halted for a long period of time, and so reacquainting them with the confines of the classroom will surely take some time. Commencing the schooling and education of refugee children should also be perceived as their new births, the first step towards rebuilding their lives. They, the children and their other family members should be acquainted with their social and educational rights in their new country, albeit they are only refugees. It should not be held in dispute that refugee children by all means have the full rights to gain education. III. Other Facets of Educating Refugee Children More often than not, the refugee children are of a different race or ethnicity, and so in the United Kingdom, the Race Relations Act of 1976 serves as a mediator between the government system which supervises the positive treatment of refugee children in regards with their education. This act is to improve the harmony between races inside the classroom and to give protection to those refugee children who are likely to experience racism, bullying and discrimination because of their statuses as new aliens and being of a different culture and race. In the United Kingdom, this is the primary duty of the Office for Standards in Education and the Local Education Authorities (LEAs), to protect the basic rights of asylum-seeking and refugee pupils from excesses. Library books and topics relevant to the refugees’ language, heritage and homeland should also be found, for them to have a sense of belongingness. Â  Furthermore, setting the United Kingdom as an example of a country providing quality education to refugee children, the Chief Education Officers and Directors always make it a point to ensure that schools possess quality language interpreting services, make it a point that late teenager refugees complete their education, and make sure that English will be taught as a second language to them, regardless of age for this would be their primary medium in surviving in their adopted homeland and English being the universal language.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Interview with a Medical Coder Essay

Medicine is an art, it is science and business. There are scientific and artistic aspects those doctors learn in the profession of medicine. Doctors have to be paid which requires a different skill that is complex and comes with administrative professional. Hint a Medical Biller and Coding. Medical Billers and Coders work with clinics, doctors, hospitals, patients, and other medical facilities. Submitting claims to insurance companies help ensure that supporting staff and doctors are properly reimbursed for services rendered. When one is a Medical Biller there are abbreviations and acronyms that help save time when filing a claim. Many offices have their own most frequently used acronyms and abbreviations that they use to do their coding and billing. There are many acronyms and abbreviations used in all medical practices. Here are some examples: EDI (Electronic Data Interchange): Electronic claims that are sent to a central clearinghouse for distribution for individual carriers. EOB (Explanation of Benefits): This refers to a document that is issued by an insurance company that responds to a claim statement which outlines what services are covered and what services are not, and what level of reimbursement are available. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): The privacy rule, which outlines certain entities in a person health plan, clearinghouses can disclose or use person health information, and who may be allowed to access a patients personal medical records. HMO (Health Maintenance Organization): Is a health management plan that requires patients to have a PCP (primary care physician). A PCP is where patients seek out most of their initial treatment at. If the PCP feels like it is necessary to seek treatment from specialist they will send a patient to within that network. CMS (Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services): United States Department of Health & Human Services that administer Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Medicare. PPO (Preferred Provider Organization): This allows patients to visit providers that are contracted with their insurance companies. If that patient visits a non-contracted provider, the claim will be considered out-of-network. WC (Workers Compensation): The U.S. Department of Labor program provides insurance for employees whom may get injured on their place of employment. POS (Point of Service): An insurance plan that offers low cost HMOs when a patient sees network providers by their insurance company. Currently the medical coding is transitioning from ICD-9 to ICD-10. ICD-10 is presenting itself with more specific information and data, which in the turn helps with the World Health Organization (WHO). With the new ICD-10 codes have increased in character length giving the biller to right which specific extremity it is on a patient (left arm, right arm). ICD-10 compliance date is coming October 1, 2014. ICD- 10 reimbursement has said to have some challenges with DRG payments. The changes that are known to take place do not affect the DRG (Drug Related Groups) calculation as expected. The majority of reimbursements that come to a hospital are based on DRG. The impact on an organization with Medicare revenue of $150 million using a -0.04% variance it would be a $600,000 loss, which is still a substantial amount. Amounts of reimbursements can shift and vary depending on mix of a facilities DRG’s. In ICD-10 financial impact will be with slowdown in submission of final codes, rejections and denials because on inaccurate codes, and productivity loss (Smith, 2013). Medical billers and coders should not be overly concerned with these changes. Medical Billing and Coding specialist deal with patients medical records which contain physician’s notes for services that were rendered at the time of the patients visit. The medical biller and coder translates that information to a five-digit code from American Medical Association Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) or from Statistical Classification of Disease and Related Health Problems (ICD). It is crucial for the ICD and CPT codes match with the services rendered or a claim will be rejected, many claims are initially rejected. The cost of healthcare is on the rise and the demand for services has increased of required and specialty services feed into the financial greed among HMOs. The major bulk of hospital bills are paid directly by the patient’s health insurance provider which are termed the payer. 68% of the United States population has private insurance which is provided by their employer or self-pay. Around 9% of the population are self-payers who direct-purchase their insurance. There are two main categories of third- party payers they are government and private. Medicaid and Medicare are the largest government issued payers. Reimbursements for both private and governmental have policies that support therapeutics, diagnostics and new medical medicines and technologies. It is clinically evidence based approvals such as diagnostic test, prescription medicines, clinical trials and however insurers are using to help with their life cycle. With reimbursements there are incentives for medical facilities and doctors. Reimbursements are a source of revenue for hospitals; payers do not pay a full price for services. Healthcare has become the economy’s largest force. Healthcare services are very different from other industries because of the production rate. In the healthcare industry the technology advancement makes a bigger impact than other industries. An assembly line at a manufacturing plant process thousands of the same or identical items. These items are produced by robots and machines which dehumanizes the industry. Patients are cared for on unique terms one by one. Health care is also locally based in every city and state and are not outsourced or out of the country. As the healthcare industry is growing the productivity is slowing down. Thus the cost of production in the healthcare industry steadily rises. References (n.d.) AMA American Medical Association. â€Å"The Difference between ICD-9 and ICD-10†. Retrieved July 13, 2013 from http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/399/icd10-icd9-differences-fact-sheet.pdf Marcinko, D. (2011). Recognizing the Differences between Healthcare and Other Industries. Retrieved July 20, 2013 from http://medicalexecutivepost.com/2011/01/19/recognizing-the-differences-between-healthcare-and-other-industries/ Smith, Donna. (2013). â€Å"Reimbursement Impact of ICD-10: Should You Be Concerned?†. Retrieved from August 15, 2013 From http://healthcare-executive-insight.advanceweb.com/Features/Articles/Reimbursement-Impact-of-ICD-10-Should-You-Be-Concerned.aspx View as multi-pages

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

What Is Mercantilism Essays

What Is Mercantilism Essays What Is Mercantilism Essay What Is Mercantilism Essay What is mercantilism? According to the definition in the America Past and Present history book is an economic theory that shaped imperial policy thought out the colonial period, mercantilism was built on the assumption that the world’s wealth was a fixed supply. In order to increase its wealth, a nation needed to export more goods than it imported. Favorable trade and protective economic policies, as well as new colonial possessions rich in raw materials, were important in achieving this balance. During the reign of Charles II English policy makers assumed they established a well-integrated set of concepts about the nature of international commerce and a carefully planned out set of mercantilist government policies to implement them. However, they only were interested in solving their own problems. Since there wasn’t laws or anything to regulate these groups their needs lead to the rise of the English commercial regulations. The Navigation Act was passed in 1660 which stated that no ship could trade in the colonies unless it had been constructed in either England or America and carried a crew that was at least 75% English and that certain enumerated goods of great value that were not produced in England could be transported from the colonies only to an English or another colonial port. Thru out the years more and more regulations were set the last major legislation came in 1696. This statute tightened enforcement procedures putting pressure specifically on the colonial governors to keep England’s competitors out of American ports. American colonials thought they were in unity with England that would later prove false.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Microscope history essays

Microscope history essays The microscope has become one of the most recognizable symbols of science. This picture is of the "Lanyard Lens" discovered at Nimrod by Lanyard, and datable all the way back to 721-705 BC. With the lenses of spectacles widespread, and their obvious magnification properties, it was only a matter of time before someone put two together to make the first compound microscope. Indeed, this was probably already happening with telescopes just before this as Dutch Spectacle makers were experimenting with multiple lenses. Since a microscope could be made by just reversing a telescope, this may be where the idea originated. There is a terrific amount of mis-information about who invented the microscope. Fairly respectable references have said Galileo invented it shortly after inventing the telescope. This is not so, as Galileo didn't purchase his first telescope until around 1607. Many people think that Leeuwenhoek invented the microscope. This is also very untrue, as while his microscopes were very simple and crude, he started making them long after very elaborate models were available and they had made many important discoveries. With the lenses of spectacles widespread, an d their obvious magnification properties, it was only a matter of time before someone put two together to make the first compound microscope. Indeed, this was probably already happening with telescopes just before this as Dutch Spectacle makers were experimenting with multiple lenses. Since a microscope could be made by just reversing a telescope, this may be where the idea originated. There is a terrific amount of mis-information about who invented the microscope. Fairly respectable references have said Galileo invented it shortly after inventing the telescope. This is not so, as Galileo didn't purchase his first telescope until around 1607. Many people think that Leeuwenhoek invented the microscope. This is also very untrue, as while his microscopes were ver...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

10 Companies That Offer Part Time Jobs With Benefits

10 Companies That Offer Part Time Jobs With Benefits Want or need to work part-time, but need benefits? Get the work-life balance you need while still being able to get health insurance. There are a growing number of big companies and corporations that are offering benefits to part-time employees- even retirement plans. If you need this kind of job, here are a few great places to look first.1. Barnes NobleSweet discounts aside, part-time employees at this bookstore megachain receive personal days, PTO, vacation time, holidays, and sick days after only 6 months of employment. There are also optional medical, dental, FSA, and 401(k) plans available (with 4% employer contribution).2. CostcoYou’ll have to wait a little longer than full-time employees here for benefit eligibility (180 days instead of 90), but this retailer offers a very competitive package- including even child care assistance, life insurance, and prescription medication discounts. And your premiums are withheld pretax.3. Land’s EndLand’s End offers a ton of benefits to part-time employees in its 300 stores or corporate headquarters. So go ahead and snag the home and auto insurance discounts, backup child care centers, employee purchase programs, and access to a group legal plan, lower-cost eye surgery, and of course the obligatory merchandise discounts.4. NikeAfter a year of working steadily at 20 hours or more each week, Nike employees are eligible for a health plan, basic dental and vision, plus a stock purchase plan, 401(k), PTO, long-term care insurance, and profit-sharing. And if you work 30 hours a week or more, you’re eligible for the same benefits as full time employees.5. StaplesThis company’s part-time worker benefit plan doesn’t meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act, but it’s better than nothing- and includes limited dental and vision, short-term disability, stock purchase, 401(k), employee assistance for child and elder care, and legal and professional services to employees whoâ₠¬â„¢ve worked 500 hours in a six month period.6. StarbucksStarbucks employees are all called â€Å"partners.† And if you work 20 hours per week or more, you’re entitled to a benefits package specifically tailored to meet your needs. Work 240 hours in a three month period, and hand pick between comprehensive health care, discounted stock purchase, matching 401(k), educational savings, and time off. Plus, all eligible U.S. Starbucks â€Å"partners† can earn an online Bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University with full or partial tuition coverage. And at bare minimum, all partners get an in-store discount, plus a pound of free coffee per week.7. UPSThis shipping company’s website boasts that it offers full-time benefits for part-time employees- from health care to tuition assistance, plus insurance programs, FSA, work life balance programs, etc. Part-time employees are also allowed to take advantage of their tuition assistance program called Ear n and Learn, which gives employees up to $5,250 per year with a lifetime max of $25k.8. Whole FoodsPTO, health and life insurance, and stock option retirement plans are but a few of the benefits offered to employees working 20 hours per week or more and have completed a probationary period. Not to mention: employees and their spouses/domestic partners get a 20%+ in-store discount.9. Trader Joe’sYou have to be super friendly to land a gig here. But if you work 30 hours a week or more, you’re eligible for medical, prescription, and dental coverage. If you only work 15 hours per week, you’re still eligible for basic dental and vision, which is a sweet little bonus for relatively little time on the job.10. REIREI is just about as good as it gets. The REI Flex Plan is offered to any employees who work more than 20 hours per week, and gives core health services (preventative care, etc.) at no cost. It also pays for 85% of premiums for employee-only medical and dental. The Path Plan, for workers averaging 15 hours per week, covers 60%. A healthy lifestyle is important to REI, who believes that a healthy workforce is a strong workforce. Expect a rewards system of points for completing â€Å"health and stewardship activities.† Get healthy and get paid!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Tips for Writing Academic Process Analysis Essays Essay

Tips for Writing Academic Process Analysis Essays - Essay Example The below example of an essay in the field of human resource management illustrates the most important elements and stages of  the essay writing process.Human resource management is a very broad field of study: it is necessary to identify a specific aspect or element within this discipline to avoid confusion. For example, an essay can be written to demonstrate an increasing prevalence of human-centered approach in modern management practices. In order to fulfill this task, the writer is supposed to perform a solid review of relevant literature in order to understand the management practices of the past and present and draw a comparison between them. The key problem here is making decisions concerning what information out of the available mass must be included and what left out. However, the literature surveyed within the framework of this study must not necessarily deal with only one specific HRM aspect: the most essential criterion is the ability of publication to show the core te ndencies in management practices during the certain period. Only credible sources such as classic texts and peer-reviewed scholarly articles are taken into consideration during the review.The fastest and most convenient way to locate the materials required for such study is via online libraries. Since an abundant amount of credible studies have been identified during the search, the only inclusion criteria that have been applied in the selection of sources are English language and thematic relevance mentioned above. Other criteria such as methodological soundness or date of publication have not been considered.  

Friday, October 18, 2019

African Traditional Religions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

African Traditional Religions - Essay Example This festival is celebrated in the honour and recognition of the power of women. However, this festival does not allow African women to perform dance in public spheres and demonstrate their influence; instead men most passionately perform masquerade dance with their wooden masks, and phony breasts and hips entailing costumes. The masquerade dance is supposed to support female spirit and their mystic attributes in African society. Simultaneously, it is believed to enhance communal accord between diverse tribes of Africa, the potential of survival as a tribe, and most importantly the aspect of fertility either in terms of land, cattle, or women. Yet, Gelede festival significantly portrays the influence and inevitable need of women in African society for the sake of progress and harmony (Ray, 79). Nevertheless, there is one region in Africa which actually allow women to wear wooden masks and dance in the Gelede festival and that is Mende. Mende has its own secret society which is known as Sande and its female members are the ones who wear Sowei and dance masquerade in open. These courageous women return from the dance wearing the Sowei mask, which is believed to entail many moral, spiritual and visual meanings of beauty in general and also qualities of Sande society as well. Every feature of the mask holds a different meaning and significant traits, like different carved hairstyles depict inner contentment of the person wearing it, small mouth depict the moral, religious and ethical values of women to avoid gossip and eventually small ears depict that women of strong character do not surrender to worldly allures of the heart and mind and ignore them by all means. Furthermore, if the wooden mask has an illustration of animal at the top of it, this representation can behold a lot of meanings either it is showing a connection between the dancer and an appreciable animal trait. Like speed, cleverness or fertility, or it shows the link of

White paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

White paper - Assignment Example EPA primarily covers legislations for pollution in air, water, land, management of hazardous waste and protection of engendered species. EPA provides public awareness campaigns as management at such a huge level is not possible without individual participation (Simonsen, 2010). For air, a limit is imposed on the exposure of certain air pollutants in all areas. EPA can also ban a certain air pollutant from emission like from chemical plants, mills and utilities. By limiting exposure of dangerous air pollutants, EPA helps keep the air clean and livable for all creatures and human beings. EPA takes responsibility of cleaning up land or underground waste that has a threat on the environment. Mostly land is cleaned in industrial areas where wastes are dumped and they pose threat to living beings in that specific vicinity. In order to keep the land free of dangerous chemicals and providing a healthy diet, pesticides are registered and tolerance of each pesticide is set for usage. To monito r toxic substances in the environment EPA conducts tests and gathers relevant data for future analysis other than controlling its exposure. Waste disposal and recycling of it is also regulated by the EPA. Water is treated for safe and healthy usage and water waste management is also conducted to ensure it remains pollution free. EPA has also set regulations to manage waste or release of hazardous material by accident in emergency conditions. Another category termed cross cutting issues is dealt by EPA. It covers several aspects ranging from environmental justice to climatic change. To make sure the above mentioned regulations are actually followed, EPA follows a compliance process. Compliance department assists local bodies by providing tools and training to combat unexpected situations. They also impose penalties to businesses that fail to comply with the environmental safety regulations. During their audit procedure they also reduce or completely eliminate penalties

Hitler Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Hitler - Essay Example f races (including the Jews), he ran away to Munich where he stayed until the outbreak of World War 1 where he voluntarily enrolled to become a soldier. He therefore joined World War 1 as a soldier with the Germany Army and fought in several wars. Other than receiving awards at the war (he was awarded two iron crosses which was a mark of bravery (Haugen 103)), he also received injuries including serious one on the thigh which led him to be admitted for two months and this was followed by the first bout of blindness as a result of a mustard gas (both bouts of blindness were temporary however). His heart hardened in the military and he gained confidence which was useful later on when he decided to join politics. His road to politics was built from the defeat of the Germany army in the way and also the exploitation of the detrimental economic, social and political conditions in that nation. Hitler is renowned for his excellent oratorical skills and it is this skill that enabled him to j oin politics and rise through the different leadership positions (Haugen 54). His good oratorical skills combined with his anti-Semitism nature and the quest for a strong government is what made him be discharged from the army and he started working for the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) gathering audiences and crowds to defer with and criticize the government and give speeches against the Jews and Marxist (which he both detested). It is his popularity and courage that led to him receiving financial backing from the rich citizens who were supporting him. He was known for his blackmail nature and he used this method to get what he wanted and even rise in positions in many occasions. One of these occasions was the rise to become the party chairman of National Socialist German... Hitler is renowned for his excellent oratorical skills and it is this skill that enabled him to join politics and rise through the different leadership positions (Haugen 54). His good oratorical skills combined with his anti-Semitism nature and the quest for a strong government is what made him be discharged from the army and he started working for the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) gathering audiences and crowds to defer with and criticize the government and give speeches against the Jews and Marxist (which he both detested). It is his popularity and courage that led to him receiving financial backing from the rich citizens who were supporting him. He was known for his blackmail nature and he used this method to get what he wanted and even rise in positions in many occasions. One of these occasions was the rise to become the party chairman of National Socialist German Workers Party replacing Dexter who was the very same person who introduced him to the party in the first place. His quest for power is what made him organize a coup (a fact that is not known to many people). Hitler served a prison term in Landsberg prison after attempting a coup (Beer Hall Putsch) to overthrow the German government but which failed. The prison term was supposed to be for five years but later he was released only after nine months (after the Supreme Court of Bavaria pardoned him) and he then decided to take over the government legally. It is while in prison that Hitler wrote a book about his struggles while in prison and they were published in a book called Mein Kampf.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Cloud Computing Service Models Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Cloud Computing Service Models - Assignment Example Likewise, the services provided over the Internet are referred as (Software as a Service) ‘SaaS’. There are few sellers who use the term (Infrastructure as a service) ‘IaaS’ and (Platform as a service) ‘PaaS’ in order to demonstrate their products and services. However, these terms are avoided and not accepted globally, due to variation. The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have illustrated some helpful definitions that focus on three concepts (Reese 2009): Cloud infrastructure as a service ‘IaaS’ consists of provisioning elementary computing resources. Cloud software as a service ‘SaaS’ access software application that operates on a cloud infrastructure. Cloud platform as a service (PaaS) provides the accessibility to users for implementing and developing applications with programming language and tools supported by the providers. The core components of a cloud consist of the data center hardware and software. When these resources are publicly available, they are referred as public clouds and the service provided by the cloud is called as utility computing. Moreover, private clouds are only available to private organizations and are not accessible by the public. Accordingly, cloud computing is the combination of ‘SaaS’ and utility computing (ARMBRUST, FOX et al. 2010). There are three service models for cloud computing i.e. infrastructure as a service, platform as a service and software as a service (Wilshusen 2011). Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is comprised of three components i.e. software, platform and infrastructure. Organizations only provide software and platform and infrastructure is provided by a third party cloud computing vendor. The second service models i.e. platform as a service (PaaS) also comprises of three components i.e. software, platform and infrastructure. Organizations only provide a software or application that will be executed on the third party or the vendor’s platform and infrastructure. The third service model also includes the similar three components as mentioned before and called as software as a service (SaaS). Organizations only utilize the services provided by the vendors in terms of applications that can be accessed by the Internet. All the three components i.e. software, platform and infrastructure are the property of the vendor (Wilshusen 2011). In figure 1.1, cloud deployment models are demonstrated Figure 1.1 (Retreived from :Wilshusen, G. C. (2011). INFORMATION SECURITY: Additional guidance needed to address cloud computing concerns. GAO Reports, , 1.) Cloud computing four service models are shown in Fig 1.2 Figure 1.2 (Retreived from :Wilshusen, G. C. (2011). INFORMATION SECURITY: Additional guidance needed to address cloud computing concerns. GAO Reports, , 1.) ‘Business Cloud’ must choose the relevant client model, as it will be proportional to t he business or customer requirements and may differ from organization to organization and business types. The first service model is called as the ‘Private Cloud’. A private cloud is solely a property of the organization i.e. software, platform and infrastructure is the property of the organization (Wilshusen 2011). The second service model is called as the community cloud that is accessible to several organizations that may be

Explain how the management practices of planning, leading, organizing, Essay

Explain how the management practices of planning, leading, organizing, staffing, and controlling are implemented in your place o - Essay Example Leading – is the process where all the organizations resources, including manpower, are effectively led towards the fulfillment of the stated objective. It includes motivating the people to optimize their performances. Organizing – determines the tasks that need to be done to achieve the stated objectives and goals. The organization’s structure is also defined at this stage where functions can be effectively dispensed and to establish who decides what. Staffing - is the stage or process of determining the personnel who can do the job best. It also involves the determination of how many people are required for a task to be accomplished. Controlling – is the tool where management can measure its actual performance compared to the intended plan. Through controlling, management is enabled to apply corrective measure if there is a deviation in performance vis-a-vis intended plan. II. How are these principles implemented in the workplace? I used to work in a sta rt up fast food chain and was involved in setting up of its new branch. I was a new employee and was assigned to tag along the branch manager and was asked to perform as a support system to the setting up of the new branch. My functions then are not clearly defined as I was involved in almost all aspect of the business but it gave me an insight on the different aspect of management. It gave me an idea that running a business is both a science and art where there are principles that needs to implemented and also tools to be used for the successful management of a business enterprise. The first stage: Planning Before going to the actual site, and doing anything the manager first planned on what to do and how do we intend to things. From what I recall, the objectives must be first established as a core part of planning. In our case, the first and most important objective is to make the store operational in three months within a specified budget. Schedules were then established along wi th commensurate tasks that need to be performed for the objective to be realized. Management tools were employed such as the Gantt chart, Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM) to ensure that everything will go on schedule to realize the objective of opening the store in three months (Gomez-Mejia, 2002). The planning stage took a while because it involved several studies to determine on how some functions can be done with a smaller budget and shorter period of time. Example for this is the consideration on how the physical be set up at a lesser cost. Leading When the objectives were already clearly defined and the tasks needed to accomplish were already enumerated, the Branch Manager, has to pull its human resources together and direct our efforts and energy towards the fulfillment of tasks on schedule. In addition of clearly defining what needs to be done in a specific time-frame to accomplish our objectives, the Branch Manager also motivated his people by giving favorable write-ups and small incentives if we accomplish tasks within the stated time-frame (Gray, 2008). Organizing After defining the tasks involved on how to accomplish our objective, tasks were then specifically assigned to each employee where we are responsible for its completion. Task varies after the completion of each task and is usually time bound. The branch manager had to check time to time to ensure that each one of us is within schedule and that there is no duplication of work to

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Cloud Computing Service Models Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Cloud Computing Service Models - Assignment Example Likewise, the services provided over the Internet are referred as (Software as a Service) ‘SaaS’. There are few sellers who use the term (Infrastructure as a service) ‘IaaS’ and (Platform as a service) ‘PaaS’ in order to demonstrate their products and services. However, these terms are avoided and not accepted globally, due to variation. The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have illustrated some helpful definitions that focus on three concepts (Reese 2009): Cloud infrastructure as a service ‘IaaS’ consists of provisioning elementary computing resources. Cloud software as a service ‘SaaS’ access software application that operates on a cloud infrastructure. Cloud platform as a service (PaaS) provides the accessibility to users for implementing and developing applications with programming language and tools supported by the providers. The core components of a cloud consist of the data center hardware and software. When these resources are publicly available, they are referred as public clouds and the service provided by the cloud is called as utility computing. Moreover, private clouds are only available to private organizations and are not accessible by the public. Accordingly, cloud computing is the combination of ‘SaaS’ and utility computing (ARMBRUST, FOX et al. 2010). There are three service models for cloud computing i.e. infrastructure as a service, platform as a service and software as a service (Wilshusen 2011). Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is comprised of three components i.e. software, platform and infrastructure. Organizations only provide software and platform and infrastructure is provided by a third party cloud computing vendor. The second service models i.e. platform as a service (PaaS) also comprises of three components i.e. software, platform and infrastructure. Organizations only provide a software or application that will be executed on the third party or the vendor’s platform and infrastructure. The third service model also includes the similar three components as mentioned before and called as software as a service (SaaS). Organizations only utilize the services provided by the vendors in terms of applications that can be accessed by the Internet. All the three components i.e. software, platform and infrastructure are the property of the vendor (Wilshusen 2011). In figure 1.1, cloud deployment models are demonstrated Figure 1.1 (Retreived from :Wilshusen, G. C. (2011). INFORMATION SECURITY: Additional guidance needed to address cloud computing concerns. GAO Reports, , 1.) Cloud computing four service models are shown in Fig 1.2 Figure 1.2 (Retreived from :Wilshusen, G. C. (2011). INFORMATION SECURITY: Additional guidance needed to address cloud computing concerns. GAO Reports, , 1.) ‘Business Cloud’ must choose the relevant client model, as it will be proportional to t he business or customer requirements and may differ from organization to organization and business types. The first service model is called as the ‘Private Cloud’. A private cloud is solely a property of the organization i.e. software, platform and infrastructure is the property of the organization (Wilshusen 2011). The second service model is called as the community cloud that is accessible to several organizations that may be

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.s I Have a Dream Speech Essay

Analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.s I Have a Dream Speech - Essay Example It was a primordial cry of pain, a primitive urge to be released from bondage - which materialized in the moving words and sonorous sentences that found utterance in a relatively unknown pastor more than forty years ago, on 28th August 1963, at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC: This is not a cleverly crafted political speech, but in many ways the unrestrained outpouring of the "hope that springs eternal in human breast." It does not have a subtlety in it that needs to be analyzed by the scholars, but it has a sublimity that can be felt by every person who has a longing heart. No true poem, or any profound work of art can be subject to analysis as such; Martin Luther King's electrifying speech falls into their category. It was an expression of creativity, pure and simple; in fact, more specifiacally, it is an outcome of a very intriguing concept that King alludes to in his speech: creative suffering. Suffering transfixes the human mind. We must have all experienced it. A sharp thorn pierces our foot, and at that very instant, the whole structure of our mind, indeed our very notion of ourselves, evaporates into thin air even if only for a split second. That space of emptiness can at times be very conducive to creative perception. It is a space that can also come into existence inside a human being by virtue of sheer empathy; a feeling for the suffering of our fellow people. This is the space from which Jesus acted and spoke, this is the space within the soul that compelled Martin Luther King too to embark on a mission to liberate the black people. Though no one generally associates creativity with Jesus Christ, his life was indeed an expression of a deep creative force. So was the life of Martin Luther King. Jesus' life was a representation and response to the suffering of humankind. Martin Luther King's life was too, in its own way. I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest - quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. From the anguish and agony of the human soul is born the wellspring of creativity that seeks to take life to a new level of freedom and fulfillment.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Importance of Value Management

Importance of Value Management The report aims at making the clients aware of the importance of a Value Management (VM) study in their project. It describes the process of the study step by step, the benefits of conducting the study at an early stage and relating the study to specific project issues. It gives a brief understanding of how the VM study works at different stages and a typical agenda provides a brief review of the same. Tools and techniques used in the study are also explained. Finally a short introduction to Value Engineering and the importance of its study at the appropriate time in the Project life cycle will be discussed. 1. Introduction The (Public Private Partnership) project is to be assessed through the value management study. As the project brief indicates a mixed use recreation and commercial centre, a gym, swimming pool, park, health spa, squash court, jogging and cycling tracks with features as leisure facilities and for commercial centre would include retail outlets, health clinics, cafes, offices to let, pharmacies and theatres. Benefits of such a PPP project are it reduces costs, transfer risks to the private partner, shortens the construction period, and has access to skills, experience and technology of the private sector. This project is to cater for the expatriate and local communities living in the suburbs who do not have assess to any leisure facilities. With this project people, especially children will be able to spend time outdoors and use other facilities rather than stay indoors watching television. It also allows people to use various health facilities and do their shopping in their locality i tself. Value management is a study that helps maximize the functional value of the project under study by managing its development right from the concept to its completion by accessing its value system. In a PPP project as there are two parties the government and the private sector there are varying value systems. The public sectors aim is to regulate, deliver services to people and achieve value for money; while the private sectors goal is profit. 2. Value Management Study Value Management (VM) studies are typically initiated for a number of reasons such as cost overrun of the project, communication problems, clients not satisfied with their approach to project management and finally clients who understand and believe that a VM study helps improving the value of the project. The benefits of VM exercise are the maximum when implemented at the start of the project, particularly if its applied during conceptual development and initial design stages. Some of the benefits may be improving project schedule, improving technical specifications, generating alternative ideas; identifying unnecessary expenditure; optimizing resources; eliminating redundant features and appreciation of whole of life cycle costs. The VM study can address specific issues of this PPP project such as a better Value for Money, obtaining provisions for better quality services, quicker delivery of the project and finally better utilization of the assets being put inot the project. 2.1 Orientation Phase The VM study can broadly be divided into three stages namely orientation phase, workshop phase and the implementation phase. During the orientation phase tasks such as coordination of works, gathering of data such as plan layouts, site conditions, project constraints, operational requirements. Also tasks such as scheduling VM study location, preparing the agenda and selecting the study team are done. If large team is selected, subdivide the members to form teams so that specific matters covered in detail. Selection of the team is done by the ACID test. Authorize include those who have authority to take decisions during the workshop. Consult include those without whose consultation the workshop may be suspended. Inform exclude those who have to be merely informed about the outcome of the workshop. Do include those who have to translate the outcome of the workshop into action. The study team comprises of the following: 1 certified value specialist 1 consultant project manager 1 contractors representative 1 quantity surveyor 1 architect with mixed use recreation centre experience 1 structural engineer 1 building service engineer 1 school teacher 1 health counselor It is advised to use a combination of members from the design team and outside in order to assure free thinking and unbiased recommendations. The value specialist will preside over the entire workshop to see that the study is carried out smoothly and as per the agenda. The consultant project manager and the contractors representative represent the client and the contractor, informs each of their value systems to the remaining members of the study team. The quantity surveyor advises about the quantities of items that would be required, while the architect would provide his opinion on what would be the perfect design for the project. The structural engineer looks into the requirement of the elemental units of the structure such as columns and beams so that the structure is stable whereas the building service engineer analyses the services that will be installed once the structure is ready. Besides professional a school teacher and health counselor are appointed into the team so that th ey can provide their perspective representing the local community. AGENDA TIME ACTIVITY Day 1 Pre workshop 16.00 Introduction Purpose of the VM workshop and its benefits 17.00 Gathering information such as project constraints, functional requirements, plan layouts and site conditions 19.00 Familiarizing the team with the agenda (job plan) 20.00 Dinner and getting to know members of the study team Day 2 Workshop phase 09.00 Introduction phase Quick review of collected information 09.30 Issues Analysis 10.45 Snacks break 11.00 Clients value system Identifying main values of the client 12.00 Preparing a strategic timeline for the project Stakeholder mapping 12.30 Familiarizing the study team with Function Analysis and FAST 13.00 Lunch break 14.00 Function Analysis 14.30 Sorting of functions needs and wants 15.00 FAST diagramming 17.00 Tea break 17.30 Review the FAST diagram 18..00 End of DAY 2 Day 3 Workshop phase 09.00 Creativity phase Brainstorming 11.00 Snacks break 11.20 Listing of ideas generated 12.00 Evaluation phase Crude filtering by weighted voting to reduce number of ideas Refined filtering green dots to select 8 ideas red dots to select 4 ideas. 13.30 Lunch break 14.30 Development phase Development of ideas selected in evaluation phase 15.30 Detailed analysis of TCQ time, cost, quality Life cycle costing 16.30 Tea break 16.50 Implementation of ideas and follow up plan 18.00 End of DAY 3 Day 4 Workshop phase 09.00 Reviewing the development of ideas 09.30 Action plan 10.00 Presenting importance of Value Engineering and its benefits 11.00 Presentation Recommendations to Management 11.30 Snacks and Goodbye 2.2 Workshop Phase The workshop commences by analyzing project understanding how client plans to own, generate and maintain the project and followed by issues analysis. Client Value system is then identified by considering values which are important to the client and performing paired comparison between the values as shown below. This helps identify which are the key values of the client. Stakeholder mapping (power to influence vs. interest) and Strategic Timeline are other tasks to be carried out. One of the main steps of the VM process is function analysis. Through function analysis project components are analyzed and compared to be able to achieve project objectives. The primary function and secondary functions are also identified. The primary function is essential for the achievement of stated objectives, whereas the secondary functions aid in providing the projects wants. Using FAST diagramming the functions of the system are identified. First functions are generated through brainstorming and then sorted such that the needs are at the topmost left and wants bottommost right. The functions are placed in such a way that we move to a lower level asking how? and move to a higher level asking why? Function analysis helps generate ideas that eventually result in recommendations.   The second phase of the workshop is Creativity phase. It is done by considering a function and contributing suggestions that answer the function through a list of creative ideas as well as identifying risks involved with them.  The team generates as many ideas as possible to provide the functions at a lower cost.  Judgment of the ideas is not permitted.  Most of the ideas are a result of the exercise done in the function analysis phase.  Ã‚  The next phase (evaluation) of the workshop involves screening ideas to more manageable numbers. The ideas and risks evaluated are graded on the basis of potential savings, time required to redesign and client acceptability. They are then ranked and the highest are selected by the team to be further reviewed by the members of the design team. During the development phase the ideas are converted into workable solutions after examining their technical feasibility and economic viability.  The risks that are assessed and weighted are also considered. They are entered into a risk register. The recommendations are prepared with a short brief to compare the original design with the suggested changes. At the end of the workshop a presentation is held to give recommendations and suggestions to the management. 2.3 Implementation Phase The implementation phase of the VM study includes submitting to the clients and the design team, the VM report containing recommendations developed during the workshop.  Ã‚  The design team may incorporate the recommendations suggested into their project design or reject them.  Along with the VM report a summary of the cost savings and redesign costs are also included.  The report may include KPI Key performance indicators, schedule of activities and a Risk register. 3. Value Engineering Value Engineering (VE) is the process of identifying and eliminating unnecessary cost during design and construction. VE studies should ideally be conducted at 35% design schematic design stage. While the early stages of design provide the most opportunities for affecting the value elements, it is advisable to consider VE at all stages of the project. Project constraints should be outlined prior to the VE, as it will help avoid making recommendations that are contrary to the clients design. The elements that are typically of interest during the VE study are (1) the basic structural elements positioning of columns and beams, optimizing loading effect on the foundation. (2) The architectural design, (3) Positioning of electrical and mechanical components such as lifts, escalators, HVAC systems,(4) the use of technology etc. The study team for the VE workshop may comprise of: 1 certified value specialist 1 project engineer 1 structural engineer 1 building service engineer 1 electrical engineer 1 mechanical engineer 1 quantity surveyor VE facilitator with a specific expertise in aspects of VE will lead the workshop in order to structure the process and to better the effectiveness of the program. The team members are selected depending on the subject to be evaluated, the structural engineer would look into the requirement of the elemental units of the structure such as columns and beams so that the structure is stable whereas the building service engineer analyses the services that will be installed once the structure is ready. The electrical and mechanical engineers analyze the installations of electrical equipment and machinery such as lifts, HVAC etc. The Project Engineer shall take part whenever design aspects of the project are reviewed. Supporting disciplines like quantity surveyor is involved to assess the quantities. The VE workshop provides improvement of value through the following: The current project design is assessed with the functions, checked for technical, cost optimization. Alternative ideas are evaluated to identify benefits and risks of changes to the alternative design. Key aspects of the design are evaluated so as to achieve Value for money; Effectiveness of each option is evaluated, in terms of : Cost to function ratio; Life cycle costing; OPEX vs. CAPEX balance; Analyzing buildability and overall performance of the project.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Hip Hop :: Rap Music Hip-hop essays research papers

Hip-hop as a musical form began among the youth of South Bronx, New York in the mid- 1970’s. Individuals such Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash were some of the early pioneers of this art form.(Fernando 43) Through their performances at clubs and promotion of the music, hip-hop consistently gained in popularity throughout the rest of the 1970’s. The first commercial success for hip-hop was a song â€Å"Rapper's Delight† by the Sugar Hill Gang in 1979.(Potter 45) This helped bring hip-hop into the national spotlight. The 1980’s saw the continued success of hip-hop with many artists such as Run DMC (who had the first rap album to go gold in 1984), L.L. Cool J, Fat Boys, and west coast rappers Ice-T and N.W.A becoming popular. Today, in the late 1990’s rap music continues to be a prominent and important aspect of African- American culture. Hip-hop was a way for youths in black inner city neighborhoods to express what they were feeling, seeing, and living and it became a form of entertainment. Hanging out with friends and rapping or listening to others rap kept black youths out of trouble in the dangerous neighborhoods in which they lived. The dominant culture did not have a type of music that filled the needs of these youth, so they created their own. So, hip-hop originally emerged as a way "for [black] inner city youth to express their everyday life and struggles" (VOT, 125). Hip-hop is now seen as a subculture that, includes a large number of middle to upper white class youths, which have grown to support and appreciate it. Many youth in America today are considered part of the hip-hop subculture because they share a common love for a type of music that combines catchy beats with rhythmic music and thoughtful lyrics to create songs with a distinct political stance. Hip-hop lyrics are about the problems rappers have seen, such as poverty, crime, violence, racism, poor living conditions, drugs, alcoholism, corruption, and prostitution. These are serious problems that many within the hip-hop subculture believe are being ignored by mainstream America. Those within the subculture recognize and acknowledge that these problems exist. Those within this subculture consider "the other group" to be those people who do not understand hip-hop and the message its artists are trying to send. The suppresser, or opposition, is the dominant culture, because it ignores these problems and perhaps even acts as a catalyst for some of them.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Correlation Between Tempest and the New World :: essays papers

Correlation Between Tempest and the New World Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford, The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles by John Smith, and The Tempest by William Shakespeare, seem to have one thing in common in that they all touch upon the aspect of life in the new world. While The Tempest alludes to the new world and focuses on an imaginary concept of a Utopian society, The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles and Of Plymouth Plantation offer first hand accounts of life in the new world. John Smith tells us about life on the new land and his experiences with natives while William Bradford emphasizes the difficulties and hardships that the people had to endure in building a colony. The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles by John Smith, portrays the enormous troubles the settlers were faced with by the Native Americans. He explains how he was captured by Indians and also saved by a young Native American girl, Pocahontas. He vividly describes the ceremonies and rituals of the Natives performed before his execution. However, the execution never occurred due to the tremendous mercy showed by the king’s daughter who blanketed John Smith’s body her own. Pocahontas went on to persuade the Native Americans to help the settlers by giving them food and other necessities. Despite her efforts to reach peaceful grounds, her people were still bitter and planned an attacks on the colony. Nevertheless, Pocahontas saved them once again by warning the settlers of attacks. Pocahontas went on to marry an Englishman and traveled to England. She resembled the prosperity and good that was to be found in an untamed land. Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford gives us an insight into the endurance of the early settlers and the kind of pain they went through in order build the foundation of our great nation. They embarked on the new world and developed a colony from the ground up. However, there troubles started long before they even stepped foot on the land. With a strong hold on their religious beliefs, they continued their voyage to the new world even though there were questions about the safety of the vessel. They managed to work hard on the ship and make it to the new world, tired and hungry, only to learn that there was no rest to be found, but even more work.

Friday, October 11, 2019

An Hour To Live, An Hour To Love’s Summary Essay

â€Å"An Hour to Live, an Hour to Love† was written based on a true story of the best gift ever given. Richard Carlson wrote the letter ‘an hour to live’ to his wife, Kristine Carlson as their 18th anniversary gift. Three years letter, Richard passed away and Kristine wrote a reply ‘an hour to love’ as a tribute to the authenticity of Richard’s wisdom. Richard mostly talked about his life throughout his marriage but it portrays reality as I read the book. He took Stephen Levine’s quote as an inspiration which says, â€Å"If you had an hour to live and could make just one phone call, who would it be to, what would you say†¦ and why are you waiting?† We all will eventually die, so he said in life we might want to jump ahead and look back to have a clearer view and precious what we have now when there is still plenty of time. If he has an hour to live, he would have called his life partner, Kris. Kristine helped him not to take himself or life very seriously. She changed Richard’s life while in college. He was a college tennis player but he plays to please the people who saw the potential in him. The problem is his heart was not into tennis, not anymore at least. So, it was Kristine who taught him to listen to his heart and encouraged him to make the big turning point in his life by quitting tennis. To have left one hour to live, Richard wishes he would already say goodbye to his friends and family. He would love to tell Kris how much he loves her for she has been there all along during his highest highs and lowest lows. He loves how Kristine will help remind him when he forgot to listen. He admires Kristine for how she showers love on their family and being incredibly kind to other people too. He wonders Kristine’s ability to never sweat the small stuffs. For Richard, Kristine’s love is unconditional as during his lowest lows in life when he was struggling from his writing career and wishes things he shouldn’t have but Kristine took it all very calmly. All she did was listened to him without judging and showed him that they are still blessed with healthy children and that’s all that matters. When he was grieving upon his grandma’s death, Kristine calmed him down just by being there for him. He thought Kristine’s humanity is amazing as when Richard has always sweated over all the small stuffs, she taught him that â€Å"we always teach best what we most need to learn.† If he could live his life again, he would like to spend less time talking and more time listening. Then, he would spend far less energy wanting things he didn’t have, and far more energy enjoying what  he already has. Moreover, if he could live his life over again, he would rarely if ever be in such a hurry and let happiness catches up to him instead of chasing down happiness. And for him, that’s what Kristine has always been able to do, which is to be present with him. He also would never put off so easily and so often what he wanted to do. Finally, if he is given the chance to live his life over, he wishes to be more loving to Kris and to everyone else and expect far le ss in return. And why are you waiting? He mentioned his girl who says, â€Å"Mommy I get another of these?† Which means, I get another day to live? It gives Richard goose bumps every time he heard that but he admires a child’s gratitude towards life. Richard is not saying that neither obligations and responsible in life is not important, nor your goals, ambitions, dreams and obstacles to overcome but he is teaching us to start appreciating things that make us happy and content, things we will talk about during our final hour of life. He wanted people to realize before it’s too late.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Arguments for and against vegetarianism Essay

What are the arguments for and against vegetarianism? Seeing animals running around filled with cuteness can bring a smile to anybody’s face. But knowing the fact that most of them will be taken away and butchered creates a number of arguments because some people would simply put this down as cruelty were as others would call it ‘meat.’ Over the past years more and more campaigns and protestations have been started. Talking to a lot of vegetarians I found that their reason for being a vegetarian was because they found it a way of living with avoiding every form of killing animals. That or they found it better for their health, as most cancer institutions will approve that vegetarians have a much lower rate of cancer. A lot of people have been found to say ‘what gives us the right to kill innocent lives, animal or non-animal?’ They believe animals have rights too. Many vegetarians, and especially vegans, also choose to give up the use of all animal products, including leather, fur, and animal products used in common household items and substances. Some say that killing animals for any reason is entirely unnecessary, while others argue that human beings are not meant to be carnivores at all, pointing to a human’s small canines, flat molars, long intestines and less acidic stomachs, all ideal for eating fruits (carnivores have larger teeth, shorter intestines and stronger stomach acids.) Many feel that all animals are creatures with emotions, feelings, and the ability to feel pain too. Moving on to the arguments against vegetarianism. First of all, not all vegetarians eat healthy. A great deal simply switch to avoid meat, but still consume large amounts of foods that remain â€Å"questionable.† These â€Å"lazy vegetarians† usually subsist on a diet of coffee, hard liquor, cigarettes, French fries, potato chips, pizza, ramen noodles and candy, with the occasional vegetable or two. One troubling aspect of vegetarianism, and specifically veganism, is that it can actually be inadequate and can result  in nutrient deficiencies. Particularly vulnerable are children, especially infants, who can fail to grow at the proper rate due to deficiencies of energy, calcium, zinc, Vitamins B-12 and D, amino acids and nitrogen in vegan diets. Animals would eat us if they were hungry, why shouldn’t we eat them? This is a question asked widely by meat eaters. And the fact is. It’s true. Animals would eat us. Moreover meat is a large part of the Westernised world. Some eat meat because they like it, and some do not because they do not like it. I find being a meat-eater that there is a food chain, that human’s and animal’s follow. For instance, Human’s eat animals and plants and Animal’s eat plants and other animals. People call eating meat cruelty and murder, and to back themselves up they come to ethics. Ethics is the philosophical study of right and wrong, good and bad; it is a critical evaluation of our actions and their possible or real consequences. They say we are human beings with unique rational minds capable of raising the question of whether killing is right or wrong and governing our behaviour accordingly; we are, in short, the ethical animals. Once again the question pops up. If we are called ‘ethnic animal’s’ then we should be able to decide between the wrongs and rights of our actions. If a majority of people think that meat eating is not wrong and should be able to take place without the criticising of vegetarians then let it be. To conclusion it is almost puzzling as to why people choose or choose not to include animal meat in their daily diet. It is also quite a debatable topic because each argument for and against vegetarianism can be disputed. At the end of the day the question revolving around will be, to be or not to be a Vegetarian? It really is a matter of choosing the alternative.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Philippine Republic Act Essay

For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, there shall be special members composed of a fourth member in each precinct and a COMELEC representative who is authorized to operate the counting machine. Both shall conduct the counting and recording of votes of the national ballots in the designated counting centers; 8. Election returns — a machine-generated document showing the date of the election, the province, municipality and the precinct in which it is held and the votes in figures for each candidate in a precinct directly produced by the counting machine; 9. Statement of votes — a machine-generated document containing the votes obtained by candidates in each precinct in a city/municipality; 10. City/municipal/district/provincial certificate of canvass of votes — a machine-generated document containing the total votes in figures obtained by each candidate in a city/municipality/district/ province as the case may be; and 11. Counting center — a public place designated by the Commission where counting of votes and canvassing/consolidation of results shall be conducted. Sec. 3. Qualifications, rights and limitations of the special members of the Board of Election Inspectors. No person shall be appointed as a special member of the board of election inspectors unless he/she is of good moral character and irreproachable reputation, a registered voter, has never been convicted of any election offense or of any crime punishable by more than six (6) months imprisonment or if he/she has pending against him/her an information for any election offense or if he/she is related within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity to any member of the board of election inspectors or any special member of the same board of Election Inspector or to any candidate for a national position or to a nominee as a party list representative or his/her spouse. The special members of the board shall enjoy the same rights and be bound by the same limitations and liabilities of a regular member of the board of election inspectors but shall not vote during the proceedings of the board of election inspectors except on matters pertaining to the national ballot. Sec. 4. Duties and functions of the special members of the Board of Election Inspectors. — 1. During the conduct of the voting in the polling place, the fourth member shall: a) accomplish the minutes of voting for the automated election system in the precinct; and (b) ensure that the national ballots are placed inside the appropriate ballot box; 2. On the close of the polls, the fourth member shall bring the ballot box containing the national ballots to the designated counting center; 3. Before the counting of votes, the fourth member shall verify if the number of national ballots tallies with the data in the minutes of the voting; 4. During the counting of votes, the fourth member and the COMELEC authorized representative shall jointly accomplish the minutes of counting for the automated election system in the precinct; 5. After the counting of votes, the fourth member and the authorized representative shall jointly: (a) certify the results of the counting of national ballots from the precinct; and (b) bring the ballot box containing the counted national ballots together with the minutes of voting and counting, and other election documents and paraphernalia to the city or municipal treasurer for safekeeping. Sec. 5. Board of Canvassers. — For purposes of the May 11, 1998 elections, each province, city or municipality shall have two (2) board of canvassers, one for the manual election system under the existing law, and the other, for the automated system. For the automated election system, the chairman of the board shall be appointed by the Commission from among its personnel/deputies and the members from the officials enumerated. Authority to use an automated election system. To carry out the above-stated policy, the Commission on Elections, herein referred to as the Commission, is hereby authorized to use an automated election system, herein referred to as the System, for the process of voting, counting of votes and canvassing/consolidation of results of the national and local elections: Provided, however, That for the May 11, 1998 elections, the System shall be applicable in all areas within the country only for the positions of president, vice-president, senators and parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system. To achieve the purpose of this Act, the Commission is authorized to procure by purchase, lease or otherwise any supplies, equipment, materials and services needed for the holding of the elections by an expedited process of public bidding of vendors, suppliers or lessors: Provided, That the accredited political parties are duly notified of and allowed to observe but not to participate in the bidding. If, inspite of its diligent efforts to implement this mandate in the exercise of this authority, it becomes evident by February 9, 1998 that the Commission cannot fully implement the automated election system for national positions in the May 11, 1998 elections, the elections for both national and local positions shall be done manually except in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) where the automated election system shall be used for all positions. Sec. 7. Features of the system. — The System shall utilize appropriate technology for voting, and electronic devices for counting of votes and canvassing of results. For this purpose, the Commission shall acquire automated counting machines, computer equipment, devices and materials and adopt new forms and printing materials. The System shall contain the following features: (a) use of appropriate ballots, (b) stand-alone machine which can count votes and an automated system which can consolidate the results immediately, (c) with provisions for audit trails, (d) minimum human intervention, and (e) adequate safeguard/security measures. In addition, the System shall as far as practicable have the following features: 1. It must be user-friendly and need not require computer-literate operators; 2. The machine security must be built-in and multi-layer existent on hardware and software with minimum human intervention using latest technology like encrypted coding system; 3. The security key control must be embedded inside the machine sealed against human intervention; 4. The Optical Mark Reader (OMR) must have a built-in printer for numbering the counted ballots and also for printing the individual precinct number on the counted ballots; 5. The ballot paper for the OMR counting machine must be of the quality that passed the international standard like ISO-1831, JIS-X- 9004 or its equivalent for optical character recognition; 6. The ballot feeder must be automatic; 7. The machine must be able to count from 100 to 150 ballots per minute; 8. The counting machine must be able to detect fake or counterfeit ballots and must have a fake ballot rejector; 9. The counting machine must be able to detect and reject previously counted ballots to prevent duplication; 10. The counting machine must have the capability to recognize the ballot’s individual precinct and city or municipality before counting or consolidating the votes; 11. The System must have a printer that has the capacity to print in one stroke or operation seven (7) copies (original plus six (6) copies) of the consolidated reports on carbonless paper; 12. The printer must have at least 128 kilobytes of Random Access Memory (RAM) to facilitate the expeditious processing of the printing of the consolidated reports; 13. The machine must have a built-in floppy disk drive in order to save the processed data on a diskette; 14. The machine must also have a built-in hard disk to store the counted and consolidated data for future printout and verification; 15. The machine must be temperature-resistant and rust-proof; 16. The optical lens of the OMR must have a self-cleaning device; 17. The machine must not be capable of being connected to external computer peripherals for the process of vote consolidation; 18. The machine must have an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS); 19. The machine must be accompanied with operating manuals that will guide the personnel of the Commission the proper use and maintenance of the machine; 20. It must be so designed and built that add-ons may immediately be incorporated into the System at minimum expense; 21. It must provide the shortest time needed to complete the counting of votes and canvassing of the results of the election; 22. The machine must be able to generate consolidated reports like the election return, statement of votes and certificate of canvass at different levels; and 23. The accuracy of the count must be guaranteed, the margin of error must be disclosed and backed by warranty under such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Commission. In the procurement of this system, the Commission shall adopt an equitable system of deductions or demerits for deviations or deficiencies in meeting all the above stated features and standards. For this purpose, the Commission shall create an Advisory Council to be composed of technical experts from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the Information Technology Foundation of the Philippines (ITFP), the University of the Philippines (UP), and two (2) representatives from the private sector recommended by the Philippine Computer Society (PCS). The Council may avail itself of the expertise and services of resource persons of known competence and probity. The Commission in collaboration with the DOST shall establish an independent Technical Ad Hoc Evaluation Committee, herein known as the Committee, composed of a representative each from the Senate, House of Representatives. The Committee shall certify that the System is operating properly and accurately and that the machines have a demonstrable capacity to distinguish between genuine and spurious ballots. The Committee shall ensure that the testing procedure shall be unbiased and effective in checking the worthiness of the System. Toward this end, the Committee shall design and implement a reliability test procedure or a system stress test. Sec. 8. Procurement of equipment and materials. — The Commission shall procure the automated counting machines, computer equipment, devices and materials needed for ballot printing and devices for voting, counting and canvassing from local or foreign sources free from taxes and import duties, subject to accounting and auditing rules and regulations. Sec. 9. Systems breakdown in the counting center. In the event of a systems breakdown of all assigned machines in the counting center, the Commission shall use any available machine or any component thereof from an other city/municipality upon the approval of the Commission En Banc or any of its divisions. The transfer of such machines or any component thereof shall be undertaken in the presence of representatives of political parties and citizens’ arm of the Commission who shall be notified by the election officer of such transfer. There is a systems breakdown in the counting center when the machine fails to read the ballots or fails to store/save results or fails to print the results after it has read the ballots; or when the computer fails to consolidate election results/reports or fails to print election results/reports after consolidation. Sec. 10. Examination and testing of counting machines. The Commission shall, on the date and time it shall set and with proper notices, allow the political parties and candidates or their representatives, citizens’ arm or their representatives to examine and test the machines to ascertain that the system is operating properly and accurately. Test ballots and test forms shall be provided by the Commission. After the examination and testing, the machines shall be locked and sealed by the election officer or any authorized representative of the Commission in the presence of the political parties and candidates or their representatives, and accredited citizens’ arms. The machines shall be kept locked and sealed and shall be opened again on election day before the counting of votes begins. Immediately after the examination and testing of the machines, the parties and candidates or their representatives, citizens’ arms or their representatives, may submit a written report to the election officer who shall immediately transmit it to the Commission for appropriate action. Sec. 11. Official ballot. — The Commission shall prescribe the size and form of the official ballot which shall contain the titles of the positions to be filled and/or the propositions to be voted upon in an initiative, referendum or plebiscite. Under each position, the names of candidates shall be arranged alphabetically by surname and uniformly printed using the same type size. A fixed space where the chairman of the Board of Election inspectors shall affix his/her signature to authenticate the official ballot shall be provided. Both sides of the ballots may be used when necessary. For this purpose, the deadline for the filing of certificate of candidacy/petition for registration/manifestation to participate in the election shall not be later than one hundred twenty (120) days before the elections: Provided, That, any elective official, whether national or local, running for any office other than the one which he/she is holding in a permanent capacity, except for president and vice-president, shall be deemed resigned only upon the start of the campaign period corresponding to the position for which he/she is running: Provided, further, That, unlawful acts or omissions applicable to a candidate shall take effect upon the start of the aforesaid campaign period: Provided, finally, That, for purposes of the May 11, 1998 elections, the deadline for filing of the certificate of candidacy for the positions of President, Vice President, Senators and candidates under the Party-List System as well as petitions for registration and/or manifestation to participate in the P arty-List System shall be on February 9, 1998 while the deadline for the filing of certificate of candidacy for other positions shall be on March 27, 1998. The official ballots shall be printed by the National Printing Office and/or the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas at the price comparable with that of private printers under proper security measures which the Commission shall adopt. The Commission may contract the services of private printers upon certification by the National Printing Office/ Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas that it cannot meet the printing requirements. Accredited political parties and deputized citizens’ arms of the Commission may assign watchers in the printing, storage and distribution of official ballots. To prevent the use of fake ballots, the Commission through the Committee shall ensure that the serial number on the ballot stub shall be printed in magnetic ink that shall be easily detectable by inexpensive hardware and shall be impossible to reproduce on a photocopying machine, and that identification marks, magnetic strips, bar codes and other technical and security markings, are provided on the ballot. The official ballots shall be printed and distributed to each city/municipality at the rate of one (1) ballot for every registered voter with a provision of additional four (4) ballots per precinct. Sec. 12. Substitution of candidates. — In case of valid substitutions after the official ballots have been printed, the votes cast for the substituted candidates shall be considered votes for the substitutes. Sec. 13. Ballot box. There shall be in each precinct on election day a ballot box with such safety features that the Commission may prescribe and of such size as to accommod ate the official ballots without folding them. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, there shall be two (2) ballot boxes for each precinct, one (1) for the national ballots and one (I) for the local ballots. Sec. 14. Procedure in voting. — The voter shall be given a ballot by the chairman of the Board of Election Inspectors. The voter shall then proceed to a voting booth to accomplish his/her ballot. If a voter spoils his/her ballot, he/she may be issued another ballot subject to Sec. 11 of this Act. No voter may be allowed to change his/her ballot more than once. After the voter has voted, he/she shall affix his/her thumbmark on the corresponding space in the voting record. The chairman shall apply indelible ink on the voter’s right forefinger and affix his/her signature in the space provided for such purpose in the ballot. The voter shall then personally drop his/her ballot on the ballot box. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, each voter shall be given one (1) national and one (1) local ballot by the Chairperson. The voter shall, after casting his/her vote, personally drop the ballots in their respective ballot boxes. Sec. 15. Closing of polls. After the close of voting, the board shall enter in the minutes the number of registered voters who actually voted, the number and serial number of unused and spoiled ballots, the serial number of the self-locking metal seal to be used in sealing the ballot box. The board shall then place the minutes inside the ballot box and thereafter close, lock and seal the same with padlocks, self-locking metal seals or any other safety devices that the Commission may authorize. The chairman of the Board of Election Inspectors shall publicly announce that the votes shall be counted at a designated counting center where the board shall transport the ballot box containing the ballots and other election documents and paraphernalia. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, the chairman of the Board of Election Inspectors shall publicly announce that the votes for president, vice-president, senators and parties, organizations or coalitions participating in the party-list system shall be counted at a designated counting center. During the transport of the ballot box containing the national ballots and other documents, the fourth member of the board shall be escorted by representatives from the Armed Forces of the Philippines or from the Philippine National Police, citizens’ arm, and if available, representatives of political parties and candidates. Sec. 16. Designation of Counting Centers. The Commission shall designate counting center(s) which shall be a public place within the city/municipality or in such other places as may be designated by the Commission when peace and order conditions so require, where the official ballots cast in various precincts of the city/municipality shall be counted. The e lection officer shall post prominently in his/her office, in the bulletin boards at the city/municipal hall and in three (3) other conspicuous places in the city/municipality, the notice on the designated counting center(s) for at least fifteen (15) days prior to election day. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, the Commission shall designate a central counting center(s) which shall be a public place within the city or municipality, as in the case of the National Capital Region and in highly urbanized areas. The Commission may designate other counting center(s) where the national ballots cast from various precincts of different municipalities shall be counted using the automated system. The Commission shall post prominently a notice thereof, for at least fifteen (15) days prior to election day, in the office of the election officer, on the bulletin boards at the municipal hall and in three (3) other conspicuous places in the municipality. Sec. 17. Counting procedure. — (a) The counting of votes shall be public and conducted in the designated counting center(s). (b) The ballots shall be counted by the machine by precinct in the order of their arrival at the counting center. The election officer or his/her representative shall log the sequence of arrival of the ballot boxes and indicate their condition. Thereafter, the board shall, in the presence of the watchers and representatives of accredited citizens’ arm, political parties/candidates, open the ballot box, retrieve the ballots and minutes of voting. It shall verify whether the number of ballots tallies with the data in the minutes. If there are excess ballots, the poll clerk, without looking at the ballots, shall publicly draw out at random ballots equal to the excess and without looking at the contents thereof, place them in an envelope which shall be marked â€Å"excess ballots†. The envelope shall be sealed and signed by the members of the board and placed in the compartment for spoiled ballots. (c) The election officer or any authorized official or any member of the board shall feed the valid ballots into the machine without interruption until all the ballots for the precincts are counted. (d) The board shall remain at the counting center until all the official ballots for the precinct are counted and all reports are properly accomplished. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, the ballots shall be counted by precinct by the special members of the board in the manner provided in paragraph (b) hereof. Sec. 18. Election returns. After the ballots of the precincts have been counted, the election officer or any official authorized by the Commission shall, in the presence of watchers and representatives of the accredited citizens’ arm, political parties/ candidates, if any, store the results in a data storage device and print copies of the electio n returns of each precinct. The printed election returns shall be signed and thumbmarked by the fourth member and COMELEC authorized representative and attested to by the election officer or authorized representative. The Chairman of the Board shall then publicly read and announce the total number of votes obtained by each candidate based on the election returns. Thereafter, the copies of the election returns shall be sealed and placed in the proper envelopes for distribution as follows: A. In the election of president, vice-president, senators and party-list system: (1) The first copy shall be delivered to the city or municipal board of canvassers; (2) The second copy, to the Congress, directed to the President of the Senate; (3) The third copy, to the Commission; (4) The fourth copy, to the citizens’ arm authorized by the Commission to conduct an unofficial count. In the conduct of the unofficial quick count by any accredited citizens’ arm, the Commission shall promulgate rules and regulations to ensure, among others, that said citizens’ arm releases in the rder of their arrival one hundred percent (100%) results of a precinct indicating the precinct, municipality or city, province and region: Provided, however, that, the count shall continue until all precincts shall have been reported. (5) The fifth copy, to the domin ant majority party as determined by the Commission in accordance with law; (6) The sixth copy, to the dominant minority party as determined by the Commission in accordance with law; and (7) The seventh copy shall be deposited inside the compartment of the ballot box for valid ballots. The citizens’ arm shall provide copies of the election returns at the expense of the requesting party. For the purpose of the May 11, 1998 elections, after the national ballots have been counted, the COMELEC authorized representative shall implement the provisions of paragraph A hereof. B. In the election of local officials and members of the House of Representatives: (1) The first copy shall be delivered to the city or municipal board of canvassers; (2) The second copy, to the Commission; (3) The third copy, to the provincial board of canvassers; (4) The fourth copy, to the citizens’ arm authorized by the Commission to conduct an unofficial count. In the conduct of the unofficial quick count by any accredited citizens’ arm, the Commission shall promulgate rules and regulations to ensure, among others, that said citizens’ arm releases in the order of their arrival one hundred percent (100%) results of a precinct indicating the precinct, municipality or city, province and region: Provided, however, That, the count shall continue until all precincts shall have been reported. 5) The fifth copy, to the dominant majority party as determined by the Commission in accordance with law; (6) The sixth copy, to the dominant minority party as determined by the Commission in accordance with law; and (7) The seventh copy shall be deposited inside the compartment of the ballot box for valid ballots. The citizens’ arm shall provide copies of election returns at the expense of the requesting party. After the votes from all precincts have been counted, a consolidated report of votes for each candidate shall be printed. After the printing of the election returns, the ballots shall be returned to the ballot box, which shall be locked, sealed and delivered to the city/municipal treasurer for safekeeping. The treasurer shall immediately provide the Commission and the election officer with a record of the serial numbers of the ballot boxes and the corresponding metal seals. Sec. 19. Custody and accountability of ballots. — The election officer and the treasurer of the city/municipality as deputy of the Commission shall have joint custody and accountability of the official ballots, accountable forms and other election documents as well as ballot boxes containing the official ballots cast. The ballot boxes shall not be opened for three (3) months unless the Commission orders otherwise. Sec. 20. Substitution of Chairman and Members of the Board of Canvassers. — In case of non-availability, absence, disqualification due to relationship, or incapacity for any cause of the chairman, the Commission shall appoint as substitute, a ranking lawyer of the Commission. With respect to the other members of the board, the Commission shall appoint as substitute the following in the order named: the provincial auditor, the register of deeds, the clerk of court nominated by the executive judge of the regional trial court, or any other available appointive provincial official in the case of the provincial board of canvassers; the officials in the city corresponding to those enumerated in the case of the city board of canvassers; and the municipal administrator, the municipal assessor, the clerk of court nominated by the judge of the municipal trial court, in the case of the municipal board of canvassers. Sec. 21. Canvassing by Provincial, City, District and Municipal Boards of Canvassers. — The city or municipal board of canvassers shall canvass the votes for the president, vice-president, senators, and parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices used in the printing of the election returns. Upon completion of the canvass, it shall print the certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president, senators and members of the House of Representatives and elective provincial officials and thereafter, proclaim the elected city or municipal officials, as the case may be. The city board of canvassers of cities comprising one (1) or more legislative districts shall canvass the votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives and elective city officials by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices used in the printing of the election returns. Upon completion of the canvass, the board shall print the canvass of votes for president, vice-president, and senators and thereafter, proclaim the elected members of the House of Representatives and city officials. In the Metro Manila area, each municipality comprising a legislative district shall have a district board of canvassers which shall canvass the votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives and elective municipal officials by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices used in the printing of the election returns. Upon completion of the canvass, it shall print the certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president, and senators and thereafter, proclaim the elected members of the House of Representatives and municipal officials. Each component municipality in a legislative district in the Metro Manila area shall have a municipal board of canvassers which shall canvass the votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives and elective municipal officials by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices used in the printing of the election returns. Upon completion of the canvass, it shall prepare the certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives and thereafter, proclaim the elected municipal officials. The district board of canvassers of each legislative district comprising two (2) municipalities in the Metro Manila area shall canvass the votes for president, vice-president, senators and members of the House of Representatives by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices submitted by the municipal board of canvassers of the component municipalities. Upon completion of the canvass, it shall print a certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president and senators and thereafter, proclaim the elected members of the House of Representatives in the legislative district. The district/provincial board of canvassers shall canvass the votes for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives and elective provincial officials by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices submitted by the board of canvassers of the municipalities and component cities. Upon completion of the canvass, it shall print the certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president and senators and thereafter, proclaim the elected members of the House of Representatives and the provincial officials. The municipal, city, district and provincial certificates of canvass of votes shall each be supported by a statement of votes. The Commission shall adopt adequate and effective measures to preserve the integrity of the data storage devices at the various levels of the boards of canvassers. Sec. 22. Number of copies of Certificates of Canvass of Votes and their distribution. (a) The certificate of canvass of votes for president, vi ce-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives, parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system and elective provincial officials shall be printed by the city or municipal board of canvassers and distributed as follows: (1) The first copy shall be delivered to the provincial board of canvassers for use in the canvass of election results for president, vice-president, senators, members of the House of Representatives, parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system and elective provincial officials; (2) The second copy shall be sent to the Commission; (3) The third copy shall be kept by the chairman of the board; and (4) The fourth copy shall be given to the citizens’ arm designated by the Commission to conduct an unofficial count. It shall be the duty of the citizens’ arm to furnish independent candidates copies of the certificate of canvass at the expense of the requesting party. The board of canvassers shall furnish all registered parties copies of the certificate of canvass at the expense of the requesting party. b) The certificate of canvass of votes for president, vice-president and senators, parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the p arty-list system shall be printed by the city boards of canvassers of cities comprising one or more legislative districts, by provincial boards of canvassers and by district boards of canvassers in the Metro Manila area, and other highly urbanized areas and distributed as follows: (1) The first copy shall be sent to Congress, directed to the President of the Senate for use in the canvas of election results for president and vice-president; (2) The second copy shall be sent to the Commission for use in the canvass of the election results for senators; (3) The third copy shall be kept by the chairman of the board; and (4) The fourth copy shall be given to the citizens’ arm designated by the Commission to conduct an unofficial count. It shall be the duty of the citizens’ arm to furnish independent candidates copies of the certificate of canvass at the expense of the requesting party. The board of canvassers shall furnish all registered parties copies of the certificate of canvass at the expense of the requesting party. c) The certificates of canvass printed by the provincial, district, city or municipal boards of canvassers shall be signed and thumbmarked by the chairman and members of the board and the principal watchers, if available. Thereafter, it s hall be sealed and placed inside an envelope which shall likewise be properly sealed. In all instances, where the Board of Canvassers has the duty to furnish registered political parties with copies of the certificate of canvass, the pertinent election returns shall be attached thereto, where appropriate. Sec. 23. National Board of Canvassers for Senators. — The chairman and members of the Commission on Elections sitting en banc, shall compose the national board of canvassers for senators. It shall canvass the results for senators by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices submitted by the district, provincial and city boards of canvassers of those cities which comprise one or more legislative districts. Thereafter, the national board shall proclaim the winning candidates for senators. Sec. 24. Congress as the National Board of Canvassers for President and Vice-President. — The Senate and the House of Representatives in joint public session shall compose the national board of canvassers for president and vice-president. The returns of every election for president and vice-president duly certified by the board of canvassers of each province or city, shall be transmitted to the Congress, directed to the president of the Senate. Upon receipt of the certificates of canvass, the president of the Senate shall, not later than thirty (30) days after the day of the election, open all the certificates in the presence of the Senate and the House of Representatives in joint public session and the Congress upon determination of the authenticity and the due execution thereof in the manner provided by law, canvass all the results for president and vice-president by consolidating the results contained in the data storage devices submitted by the district, provincial and city boards of canvassers and thereafter, proclaim the winning candidates for president and vice-president. Sec. 25. Voters’ education. — The Commission together with and in support of accredited citizens’ arms shall carry out a continuing and systematic campaign through newspapers of general circulation, radio and ther media forms, as well as through seminars, symposia, fora and other non-traditional means to educate the public and f ully inform the electorate about the automated election system and inculcate values on honest, peaceful and orderly elections. Sec. 26. Supervision and control. — The System shall be under the exclusive supervision and control of the Commission. For this purpose, there is hereby created an information technology department in the Commission to carry out the full administration and implementation of the System. The Commission shall take immediate steps as may be necessary for the acquisition, installation, administration, storage, and maintenance of equipment and devices, and to promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act. Sec. 27. Oversight Committee. An Oversight Committee is hereby created composed of three (3) representatives each from the Senate and the House of Representatives and three (3) from the Commission on Elections to monitor and evaluate the implementation of this Act. A report to the Senate and the House of Representatives shall be submitted within ninety (90) days from the date of election. The oversight committee may hire competent consultants for project monitoring and informati on technology concerns related to the implementation and improvement of the modern election system. The oversight committee shall be provided with the necessary funds to carry out its duties. Sec. 28. Designation of other dates for certain pre-election acts. — If it shall no longer be reasonably possible to observe the periods and dates prescribed by law for certain pre-election acts, the Commission shall fix other periods and dates in order to ensure accomplishment of the activities so voters shall not be deprived of their suffrage. Sec. 29. Election offenses. — In addition to those enumerated in Sec. s 261 and 262 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 881, As Amended, the following acts shall be penalized as election offenses, whether or not said acts affect the electoral process or results: (a) Utilizing without authorization, tampering with, destroying or stealing: 1) Official ballots, election returns, and certificates of canvass of votes used in the System; and (2) Electronic devices or their components, peripherals or supplies used in the System such as counting machine, memory pack/diskette, memory pack receiver and computer set; (b) Interfering with, impeding, absconding for purpose of gain, preventing the installation or use of computer counting devices and the processing, storage, generation and transmission of election results, data or information; and (c) Gaining or causing access to using, altering, destroying or disclosing any computer data, program, system software, network, or any computer-related devices, facilities, hardware or equipment, whether classified or declassified. Sec. 30. Applicability. — The provisions of Batas Pambansa Blg. 81, As Amended, otherwise known as the â€Å"Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines†, and other election laws not inconsistent with this Act shall apply. Sec. 31. Rules and Regulations. — The Commission shall promulgate rules and regulations for the implementation and enforcement of this Act including such measures that will address possible difficulties and confusions brought about by the two-ballot system. The Commission may consult its accredited citizens’ arm for this purpose. Sec. 32. Appropriations. — The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be charged against the current year’s appropriations of the Commission. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the continuous implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. In case of deficiency in the funding requirements herein provided, such amount as may be necessary shall be augmented from the current contingent fund in the General Appropriations Act. Sec. 33. Separability clause. — If, for any reason, any Sec. or provision of this Act or any part thereof, or the application of such Sec. , provision or portion is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder thereof shall not be affected by such declaration.