Problems of toxicology on the human organism Assignment

Problems of toxicology on the human organism - Assignment Example Basic functions of the liver being the largest organ in the digestive system, its functions include:†¢ It helps indigestion. Liver cells contain bile which produces bile juice that helps in digesting fats before they are absorbed in the small intestines. Bile also helps in the excretion of toxins from the liver detoxification processes.†¢ The liver helps in metabolic and synthetic functions. The liver regulates blood sugar level in the body.  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Liver deactivates hormones†¢ It helps in the synthesis and release of lipids, decomposition of fatty acids and the synthesis and transport of cholesterol.†¢ The liver helps in synthesizing blood clotting factors.†¢ The liver also helps in removal of toxins in the body.Characteristic of organochlorine pesticides. Organochloride pesticides are denser than water due to the higher weight of chlorine and they are good alkylating agents. They are also less biodegradable.Some pesticides cause inactivation of acety lcholinesterase.  Symptoms include fatigue, headache, dizziness, not seeing well, vomiting, chest discomfort and excessive sweating.The reason is that pesticides are chemicals that inhibit the work of an enzyme.The neurotransmitter is a chemical that transmits signals across a synapse from one neuron to another neuron. Examples include amino acids and peptides.  It is the circulation of substances, such as bile salts, which are absorbed from the intestines and carried to the liver for secretion into the liver then back to the intestines again.

HSA 515 Dealing with Fraud Essay Example for Free

HSA 515 Dealing with Fraud Essay As the Chief Nursing Officer of the state’s largest Obstetric Health Care Center, this author is responsible for complaints regarding fraudulent behavior in the center. The purpose of this report is to (1) evaluate how the Healthcare Qui tam affects health care organizations, (2) provide four examples of Qui Tam cases that exist in a variety of health care organizations, (3) devise a procedure for admission into a health care facility that upholds the law about the required number of Medicare and Medicaid referrals, (4) recommend a corporate integrity program that will mitigate incidents of fraud and assess how the recommendation will impact issues of reproduction and birth, and (5) Devise a plan to protect patient information that complies with all necessary laws. Qui Tam (from the Latin phrase â€Å"he who sues on behalf of the king†) is a well-known mechanism used by private individual to assist the government in enforcing specific laws (Ruhnka, Gac, Boerstler, 2000). The False Claims Act of 1863 is one of the most important examples of the Qui Tam mechanism that was enacted during the Civil War to prosecute war profiteers who were caught overcharging the Union Army (Ruhnka, Gac, Boerstler, 2000). Showalter (2012) states that the whistle-blower (aka relator) files the suit as a kind of â€Å"private attorney general† on behalf of the government in a qui tam case. Evaluate how the Healthcare Qui tam affects health care organizations. Healthcare qui tam affects health care organizations in many ways. The most popular and inconvenient way is financial losses. If an organization is accused of qui tam, a suit is filed and if the company is found guilty of fraud, they stand to incur a financial loss due to having to repay money to the government. Ruhnka, Gac, Boerstler (2000) state that intentionally fraudulent activities such as billing for services not provided, billing for services or equipment that is not medically appropriate, or violating clearly stated billing rules are unacceptable and should be prosecuted whenever they occur. Qui tam effect on health care organizations has not been a positive one. Cruise (2003) state that qui tam actions has forced organizations to develop a new cadre of operating guidelines and procedures collectively called â€Å"compliance programs† resulting in organizations having to pay $600 – 700 million per year to a consultant industry to advise them on the intricacies of this new era. Health care organizations have adopted Federal Sentencing Guidelines as a part of their compliance programs due to the laws governing Medicare fraud and abuse (Cruise, 2003). Examples of Qui Tam cases that exist in a variety of health care organizations. Healthcare is on the rise in the United States. Medicare and Medicaid is the largest of the government sponsored healthcare plans and provide health care coverage for as many as 95 million Americans, at an estimated cost in 2012 of more than $900 billion (Raspanti, n.d.). Raspanti (n.d.) state that the primary reason for the rise in healthcare cost has been the large degree of fraud committed against these two major government health care programs. Raspanti (n.d.) state the following are examples of qui tam cases, but not limited to: â€Å"Kickbacks: The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits any offer, payment, solicitation or receipt of money, property or remuneration to induce or reward the referral of patients or healthcare services payable by a government health care program, including Medicare or Medicaid. These improper payments can come in many different forms, including, but not limited to: referral fees; finder’s fees; productivity bonuses; discounted leases; discounted equipment rentals; research grants; speaker’s fees; excessive compensation; and free or discounted travel or entertainment. The  offer, payment, solicitation or receipt of any such monies or remuneration can be a violation of the Federal Anti-Kickback statute, 42 U.S.C.  §1328-7b(b), the Federal False Claims Act, as well as various other federal and state laws and regulations. Ghost Patients: The submission of a claim for health care services, treatments, diagnostic tests, medical devices or pharmaceuticals provided to a patient who either does not exist or who never received the service or item billed for in the claim. Up-Coding Services: Billing of government and private insurance programs is done using a complex series of numerical codes that identify the specific procedure or service being performed. These code sets can include: the American Medical Association’s Current Procedural Terminology (â€Å"CPT†) codes; Evaluation and Management (â€Å"EM†) codes; Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (â€Å"HCPCS†) codes; and International Classification of Disease (â€Å"ICD-9†) codes. Government health care programs assign a dollar amount it will pay for each procedure code. Up coding occurs when a health care provider submits of a claim for health care services, treatments, diagnostic tests or items that represent a more serious and more expensive procedure than that which actually was performed. Up coding can be a violation of the Federal False Claims Act. Bundling and Unbundling: In many cases, government health care programs have special reimbursement rates for groups of procedures that are typically performed together, such as laboratory tests. One common type of fraud has been to â€Å"unbundle† these procedures or tests and bill each one separately, which results in greater reimbursement than the group reimbursement rate. Attorneys in the national qui tam whistleblower practice of Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick Raspanti successfully represented the lead relator in one of the largest cases of â€Å"unbundling† in the history of false claims litigation, United States ex rel. Merena v. Smithkline Beecham Clinical Labs, which resulted in a recovery of $328 million for federal taxpayers. False Certification: When physicians, hospitals and other health care providers submit bills to government health care programs they are required to include a number of important certifications, including that the services were medically necessary, were actually performed, and were performed in accordance with all applicable rules and regulations. Additionally, health care companies such as pharmaceutical companies and pharmacy benefits managers that provide products or services to government  health care programs are required to certify that they are satisfying all obligations under their contracts with the government. One common type of fraud has been to falsify these certifications in order to get a health care claim paid or to obtain additional business† (Raspanti, n.d.). Stanton (2001) acknowledges that in a healthcare facility, with Medicare, each false claim is considered an individual billing whether for a specific medical item or service. Penalties can rise quickly with suspension or delay payment of future claims for a facility if it has been accused of submitting false claims (Stanton, 2001). Devise a procedure for admission into a health care facility that upholds the law about the required number of Medicare and Medicaid referrals. In order to avoid health care qui tam, healthcare organizations must stay abreast and compliant with Medicare and Medicaid laws. When a patient enters a facility for illness or an appointment, there are steps to follow. At check-in, the patient gives insurance card and pertinent information to nurse. The nurse enters the information into the system. The patient waits for the doctor to assess the illness to determine the needs of the patient. â€Å"Physician inputs information into the system and system codes the treatment based on Medicare or Medicaid protocols; system confirms and red flags any treatment or medication that is not allowed; patient is discharged and Medicare or Medicaid is billed for services rendered by the hospital, physician, and for medication† (Burnaby, Hass, O’Reilly, 2011). If for some reason, items billed are questioned or denied, the items are reviewed and resubmitted to Medicare or Medicaid for payment. Recommend a corporate integrity program that will mitigate incidents of fraud and assess how the recommendation will impact issues of reproduction and birth. Corporate Integrity Agreements (CIAs) are considered second chances for healthcare organizations. By using CIAs, the organization avoids exclusion from Medicare, Medicaid, or other Federal healthcare programs by establishing and implementing a compliance program per CIA regulations and guidelines (MetricStream, n.d.). Implementing CIAs is challenging and can cause financial strain; however it can â€Å"protect stakeholders and customers from risk, and build brand value† (MetricStream, n.d.) CIAs are implemented  for healthcare organizations to uphold certain standards and to fulfill the organizations’ missions and goals. CIAs are usually proposed due to allegations of fraud or abuse which are found to be true through audits or self-disclosures; and are drawn up for a period of three to five years and can extend up to eight years (MetricStream, n.d.). Ramsey (2002) suggests that a recommended integrity program should include stipulations such as â€Å"designation of a compliance officer and a compliance committee† – to ensure that the needed changes will be made; â€Å"a required code of conduct, mandated compliance policies and procedures† – stating that the organization is committed to complying with the laws; â€Å"training requirements† – to ensure that staff and physicians are knowledgeable and up-to-date on all requirements and processes required by the organization, the government and vendors; â€Å"review and auditing procedures† – to help reduce errors when reporting claims; and a â€Å"confidential disclosure program where employees internally may report possible violations of the law† . Once a CIA is implemented, to deter employees from committing fraud, a stern disciplinary action process should be enforced and followed. Devise a plan to protect patient information that complies with all necessary laws. Protecting patient information is a responsibility of all healthcare organizations and a plan or process must be in place to do so. In any situation, whether in an office, clinic, or in the field, there are important procedures that can be followed to protect a patient’s information and confidentiality (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). As a health care worker, you must â€Å"confirm the patient’s identity at first encounter, never discuss the patient’s case with anyone without the patient’s permission, never leave hard copies of forms or records where unauthorized persons may access them, and use only secure routes to send patient information and always mark confidential† (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). When in healthcare settings â€Å"conduct patient interviews in private rooms, never discuss cases or use patient’s names in public area, and always obtain patient’s permission before distributing his/her information to a staff member or healthcare worker† (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Always keep medical records and  computers used in a locked or secure box to prohibit unauthorized persons access. Creation and implementation of a protection and privacy plan can reduce legal actions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Qui Tam cases impact healthcare organizations in various ways to include high penalties if found guilty, payback of monies received, and a negative image for the organization. Medicare and Medicaid fraud cases are the most common qui tam cases. In order to reduce fraud and abuse cases, healthcare organizations must improve their current admission procedure, their corporate integrity program, and their patient information protection system. Reference: Burnaby, P., Hass, S., O’Reilly, A. (2011). Generic health care hospital: The road to an integrated risk management system. Issues in Accounting Education, 26(2), 305-319. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Measures to protect patient confidentiality. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/tb/education/ssmodules/module7/ss7reading4.htm Cruise, P. L. (2003). Deregulating health care ethics education: A curriculum proposal. Global Virtue Ethics Review, 4(3-4). MetricStream. (n.d.). Corporate integrity agreements. Retrieved from http://www.metricstream.com/solution_briefs/corporate-integrity-agreements.htm Ramsey, R. B. (2002). Corporate integrity agreements: Making the best of a tough situation. Healthcare Financial Management, 56(3), 58-62. Raspanti, M. S. (n.d.). Health care fraud and false claims. Retrieved from http://www.falseclaimsact.com Ruhnka, J. C., Gac, E. J., Boerstler, H. (2000). Qui tam claims: Threat to voluntary compliance programs in health care org anizations. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 25(2), 283-308. Showalter, J. S. (2012). The law of healthcare administration (6th ed.). Chicago: Health Administration Press. Stanton, T. H. (2001). Fraud-and-abuse enforcement in Medicare: Finding middle ground. Health Affairs, 20(4), 28-42.

International Strategic Management Of Lvmh Marketing Essay

International Strategic Management Of Lvmh Marketing Essay The LVMH article describes the management aspects of a multi brand firm. LVMH is globally known as the world leading luxury goods companies. LVMH was established by the merger of two fashion houses, called: Louis Vuitton and Moet -Hennessy. LVMH produces and sells wines and spirits, fashion and leather goods, perfumes and cosmetics, watches and jewellery and selective retailing. However, the majority of sales comes from the fashion and leather goods division. The luxury group grew due to key acquisitions and the development and innovation of new products. The future focus of LVMH is likely the growth into new markets and regions, where China, Russia and Eastern Europe countries can be considered. But how is such a huge company organized? Every division functions has its own general manager and a management team, besides these divisions also controls and manage sales abroad. The five product groups of LMVH are decentralized into two subsidiaries: production and distribution subsidiari es. Additionally the organizational set-ups are organized regionally. The luxury market is constantly changing, nowadays there is a wide range for luxury products since the middle-class market purchase luxury products as well. Besides the luxury sector is related toward economic conditions. Additionally , the development of growing by acquisitions became an important strategy for many firms in the luxury sector. In many of LVMH s acquisitions it had maintained the creative talent as independent pool and certainly without the generating of synergies between product lines or brands. For LVMH quality in production and product development is essential for their success strategy. Moreover, integration, training and top management seminars are designed in LVMH to support business strategies. What are the main strategic issues of this case (e.g. go into questions like what is the meaning of globalization in the luxury industry; what is the meaning of a multi-brand strategy; why so many brands in one conglomerate company)? Formerly, medium sized firms dominated the market. However currently there are just a few big players in the luxury market that grew due to acquisitions. In the luxury industry globalization means the development of conglomerates. The most important strategic issue in the LVMH case is the development and change in the luxury market in relating to the globalization. Additionally, those conglomerates do follow a multi-brand strategy, which can be described as producing and selling of two or more competing products by the same company under different unrelated brands. The goal of a multi-brand strategy is to allow organizations to grow without overexploiting a specific brand and killing exclusivity. Firms seek to stretch their brands to attract new customers. One of the benefits is that the firms become stronger and have to deal with less competitors. Besides , firms dominate the market through padding all quality and price spaces. Nowadays, the range of products in these firms had a ma ssive increase due to globalization. LVMH operates globally and in addition to this LVMH has many offices in countries worldwide. Besides , the firm operates in different segments and offers a wide range of different brands. However the international strategy differs per product group. The main strategy in the firm is a mix of multinational and global. In some product groups (like wine and spirits) LVMH has to be aware of local responsiveness, local regulations and norms. The firm has to adjust to the environment. In contrast, product groups like, fashion and leather goods, are more in need of integration instead of local responsiveness, because the global need for the kind of fashion and leather goods is rather equal. The firm LVMH operates in five different sectors of the market. They offer products in: wine and spirits, fashion and leather goods, perfumes and cosmetics, watches and jewellery and selective retailing. Each product group is individual. There is little influence of the headquarter in each product group. The headquarter basically gives authority to the business divisions. This has the benefit that every business unit is flexible to adjust their structure to what suits their business unit and environment the best. However the organizational values are shared through the whole company. Summarized, looking at chapter 3 of the textbook Laserre ,it is clear that LVMH uses a sort of multi business global product division model. The employees have the freedom as long as they meet their targets. In addition to this, Bernard Arnault described innovation as a driver for growth and profitability in the luxury industry. For LVMH quality in production and product development is essential for their success strategy. The firm pursues a strategy of soft human resources, meaning that no real hierarchies exists. This is resulting in that innovation is used in an excellent way. Additionally the firm offers training programmes, on the job training to motivate and in order of the development of the employees

Global Warming - We CAN Make a Difference Essay -- Greenhouse Gases Ef

Global Warming - We CAN Make a Difference What is global warming, and how is it affecting the Earth and its inhabitants? The greenhouse effect and global warming both correspond with each other. The green house effect is incoming solar radiation that passes through the Earth's atmosphere and heats the earths surface. It absorbed much of the outgoing infrared radiation re-radiated by the Earths surface. As they absorb the infrared the atmosphere becomes warmer. The gases key to this process are water vapor and carbon dioxide and methane. The natural greenhouse effect has kept the Earth's average surface temperature around 33 degrees Celsius, warmer than it would be if there were no atmosphere. The natural gases in the greenhouse effect are water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), ozone (O3), as well as other trace gases. Life could not exist if there was no natural greenhouse effect. The reason for the natural greenhouse effect is so that all the creatures living on Earth can live and breathe. The global warming refers to a long-term rise in the average temperature of the Earth. The greenhouse effect may be what is causing the temperature on the Earth to rise, and creating many problems that will begin to occur in the coming decades. What are potential consequences to high global air temperature? The warning will be the greatest at the higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, with the largest temperature rises occurring in winter. Storms would become more severe all around the world. The Northern Hemisphere will dry out and a greater occurrence of lightning strikes will set massive forest fires. The burning of the Earth by natural and man-made forest fires will release large quantities of carbon dioxide into ... ...ler, Mercedes and Honda are working on hybrid cars that use two engines, one electric and the other gas-powered. They successfully combine the speed and range of a gas-fueled car with the eco-friendly benefits of an electric one. Plant materials and animal waste is being used to produce cleaner fuels such as ethanol and methanol. In addition to sugars and corn kernels new woods and grasses are being grown to produce alcohol fuels. Municipal solid waste is already being drilled to collect methane. The methane can then be gasified to produce clean-burning hydrogen, or fermented into ethanol. All of these things together can make a huge impact on our Earth and our atmosphere. I think that man is the primary cause of global warming and we can do something about it. But if we continue to live as we do now, there could be major consequences to suffer in the future.

Martin Luther King Essay

Martin Luther king Jr was born in January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents were martin Luther King Sr and Alberta Williams King. His father was initially called Michael King, but after they traveled to Germany, he changed his name to Martin Luther after a German protestant leader Martin Luther. He got married to Coretta Scott in June 1953 in his hometown Alabama. They got four children. Martin Luther king Jr. became a pastor at an age of 25 in Dexter Avenue Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama. Since Martin Luther King Jr grew up in Atlanta, he schooled at Booker T. Washington High School. Since he was an outstanding student, he skipped 9th and 12th grade and then proceeded to Morehouse College at an age 15 years. In 1948, the King graduated from Morehouse College with a degree in sociology. He later enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania where he got his second degree in bachelor of divinity in 1951. He did his doctoral studies at Boston University and graduated in the year 1955 with a doctor philosophy degree (Rosenberg, 1995). Martin Luther king was the driving force behind the civil rights movements of the 1960s. He organized peaceful marches to protest against segregation and racial injustices against the blacks in America. His speech of 1963 â€Å"I have a Dream† which was directed against peace and racial equality stands out to be one of the most powerful speeches in American history (White, 2010). His efforts to fight equality in America led to expression of his view that all black Americans and other disadvantaged groups should receive compensations for the wrongs done to them in the past. He stated further that giving black Americans equality could not bring them to the same level as the whites in terms of economic achievements (Brown, 1996). He clarified that he was not trying to recover the lost wages during slavery, but just proposed a government compensatory scheme of about $ 50 billion for a period of ten years to the disadvantaged groups. The King went further and presented this proposal as an application to the common law and clarified that all disadvantaged groups from all races should benefit (Saul, 2010). Martin Luther king used sermons and speeches to fight for the rights of the disadvantaged groups. Throughout his career as a pastor, he wrote articles and spoke fluently. His efforts to fight for justice are also found in his writings, for example his letter from Birmingham jail which he wrote in 1963. Martin received a Nobel peace prize in 14th October, 1964 for having led non-violent peace protests against racial inequality. He became the youngest recipient of such an award (Rosenberg, 1995). There were laws which were famously known as Jim Crows laws which prohibited black Americans from boarding buses which were meant for the whites. The blacks were also supposed to leave seats to whites whenever the bus was full. In March 1955, there was a case of a school girl who refused to leave her seat to a white man in accordance with Jim Crows Laws. Martin Luther king happened to be in the Birmingham African American committee which was supposed to preside over the case. Martin and his colleagues dropped the case. In December the same year, another black woman was arrested for refusing to give out her seat. These events led to the organization of Montgomery bus boycott of 1955. It was organized by Nixon and led by Martin. The boycott remained for about 385 days and a lot of tension built up which led to bombing of the kings house. The boycott led to the arrest of King when he was campaigning. The arrest resulted in a ruling by the United States district court that ended racial discrimination on all Montgomery public buses (Brown, 1996). In 1957, king and other civil rights activists formed southern Christian leadership conference. The main objective for the formation of the organization was to connect the moral authority and the organizing authority of black churches to carryout non violent protests in the service of civil rights reform. Martin Luther King was the leader of this organization till his death. King widely employed Gandhi’s non violent tactics in his campaigns to correct the civil rights laws which were used in Alabama (Brown, 1996). Martin Luther knew that properly organized non violent protests opposing the system of southern segregation popularly known as Jim Crows laws would result in wide media coverage of the struggle of the black Americans for equality and voting rights. Media coverage on each day deprivation and indignities directed to the southern blacks and violence and harassment from the segregationist to the civil rights activists and marchers resulted into a wind of sympathetic public opinion that made majority of Americans understand that civil rights movement was the contentious issue in American politics in early1960s. Still on his campaign trail, King went to Memphis, Tennessee on March 29th 1968 to support black sanitary public workers who were on strike demanding better wages and equal treatment. On his way to Memphis, his flight was delayed due to bomb threat. On 3rd April 1968, king delivered a speech at the world headquarters of the church of God in Christ. Martin was assassinated at 6:01 pm in April 4th, 1968 while at the balcony of Lorraine motel (Saul, 2010). Conclusion Martin Luther King is fondly remembered by the American people and the world as a whole for having dedicated his entire life to fight for the right of the oppressed. Most of his efforts delivered fruits and black Americans and other disadvantaged groups got rights and liberty. Each year on the third Monday in January, his birthday is celebrated. It is the first national holiday dedicated to a black American. References: Brown, M. (1996). Martin Luther King Jr. Retrieved on February 8, 2010 from: http://www. lib. lsu. edu/hum/mlk/srs216. html Rosenberg, P. (1995). Martin Luther King – A Different Drum Major. Retrieved on February 8, 2010 from: http://www. hartford-hwp. com/archives/45a/002. html Saul, M. (2010). President Obama, other leaders recall Rev. Martin Luther King and his Achievements. Retrieved on February 8, 2010 from: http://www. nydailynews. com/news/national/2010/01/19/2010-01- 19_recalling_king_and_his_deeds. html White, D. (2010). Wise & Prophetic Words of Martin Luther King, Jr. Retrieved on February 8, 2010 from: http://usliberals. about. com/od/patriotactcivilrights/a/MLKWords. htm.

Accounting-Pest Analysis-Political Essay

PEST Analysis Political The international IT and electronics industries have been characterized with intensive competition. Electronics and IT companies are constantly reviewing their achievements as well as the competitors’ in order to come up with better business strategies in an effort to best all other existing industry rivals. With the merger and acquisition strategy between HP and Compaq, members of the IT and electronics industry all over the world were threatened with the intensified effort that could result from the integration. Others were surprised because mergers and acquisition strategies may also result to negative implications on the part of the merging companies particularly when differences in the context of strategies, culture and goals fail to be fully integrated. Economic For HP and Compaq, the merger will increase the competitiveness of the previously independent companies in order to outdo the achievements of highly aggressive competitors. Both HP and Compaq sought means to add value to their existing products and services in order to increase the level of satisfaction among their clients and customers which were made possible through the merger. Once satisfaction levels among clients and customers are met, HP-Compaq expect better economic competitiveness within the international IT and electronics industry. Social The existing companies have been on guard when it comes to new market trends, new market opportunities, new customer bases, and technological infrastructure available for utilization. The merger between HP and Compaq will most likely result to better social activities as sponsored by the merged companies. Social and civic activities that were previously independently supported by HP and Compaq will be carried out in new perspective due mostly to the fact that the merger could expose unexpected factors that could make the new company unstable. Technological One of the primary reasons for the merger of HP and Compaq are the companies’ drive towards innovation and development in their products and services. The merger enabled relatively stronger research and development efforts for the  benefit of the new company since it is now characterized with more intensive concerns to come up with IT products and services that will cater to existing as well as new clients and customers thereby increasing the companies’ consumer bases. At present the electronics products of HP have been observed to undergone evolution with the support facilities which were made available by Compaq. Five Forces Analysis Suppliers The merger resulted to review and assessment of the existing suppliers of both HP and Compaq since the integration strategy implied the relatively fewer contracts between companies that provide similar services and raw materials to HP and Compaq. However, the integration likewise resulted to innovation in technology which necessitated new contracts with suppliers that can provide the new services and raw materials needed by HP-Compaq as a single corporation. Buyers With the promised added value on the products and services of the HP-Compaq merger, clients and customers of the company could expect new and better product lines and service offers as one of the primary objectives of the integration strategy. Buyer power will be intensified in this respect since the HP-Compaq will be offering new electronics products and services in order to set new market trends in the international IT and electronics industry. Competitors Competitors of HP and Compaq were somehow divided when it comes to the overall implications of the merger to the international IT and electronics industry. There are those who believe that the merger will result to the continuous weakening of both companies compared to their other stronger competitors in the international IT and electronics industries. While some believe otherwise due to the increased capability of HP and Compaq as a single operating company to build up and strengthen the market positions in the future years that will come. Substitutes Substitute products and services are increasing within the international IT and electronics industry which contributed to the integration decision  between HP and Compaq. With the conglomerate efforts between the new HP-Compaq corporation, it is expected the substitute products and services that competes with the provisions and offers of HP-Compaq will be lessen due to better production and manufacturing processes and technological infrastructures that cannot be afforded by small rival companies. New Entrants New entrant in the electronics and IT industries are confronted with relatively more difficult entry to the international market due primarily to highly aggressive competition between and among large corporations. It is common knowledge that business operations and facilities that characterize both the international IT and Electronics industries are very expensive and sophisticated. Such factors serve as strong barriers of entry to the industries where HP-Compaq belongs. SWOT Analysis Strengths The merger between HP and Compaq will increase the companies’ competitiveness when it comes to the possible new product lines and services that they will offer as a single company to the clients and customers. The integration strategy likewise resulted fewer market competition within the context of large international corporations that also belong to the international IT and electronics industry. Costs will be reduced as expenditures in business operations such as manufacturing and production are now handled and managed as a single proprietorship. The research and development arm of HP and Compaq can now work together as single company with similar technological and economic goals. Weaknesses The integration strategy between HP and Compaq, on the other hand, resulted to the need to lay off thousands of employees since their services will be no longer needed particularly those who have similar functions. Cultural integration within the workplace is also a serious issue since HP and Compaq are composed of different individuals and employees who are used to different working environments as well as career expectations. The Human resource department will be confronted with problems and issues regarding the new members of the company’s workforce. Technical operations will also  experience drawbacks from the changes that will transpire within the business processes of the company. Opportunities The issues and problems that may result from the merger in terms of workforce differences can be perceived as an avenue fro improvement when it comes to workplace culture of the company. The management should be able to device means to exhaust diverse knowledge and skills that characterize the members of the company’s labor force. Operations should likewise be restructured and reengineered in order to come up with better manufacturing and production processes that take into account efficiency and product quality. Threats The failure of the merger strategy is also possible if HP and Compaq are not able to resolve issues caused by differing workplace cultures. The vulnerability of the merged company is likewise exposed since it is only a couple of years since the merger contract was signed. There is still so much to do for the full implementation of the merger strategy and existing competitors will aggressively take the opportunity of the changes that transpired within the new HP-Compaq company. Both internal and external factors may contribute to the challenges and difficulties that HP-Compaq will experience in the future in the effort to succeed in the international market competition. Strengths Hewlett-Packard’s primary strength is its business position. The enterprise has a large amount of cash in hand about $10 billion. Hewlett-Packard is a global enterprise and especially after its merger with Compaq, the company became world’s biggest computer hardware and peripherals consort in the world and has ranked 20th in the Fortune 500 list. Hewlett Packard is operating in more than 170 countries including both developed as well as under-developed. Being a global dealer of computer hardware, it gives HP many advantages like dominating printers market, both laser and inkjet. The company attracts and focuses on consumers from even newly found markets all around the world, multinational corporations, non-governmental organizations etc. The company compete both at local and international level. It has increased its competitiveness through policies and strategies that supports free-market economies. This is one of the reasons that make HP a leading  supplier in the growing IT markets. Hewlett Packard is said to have a complete product port folio. Weaknesses The company was in a long term debt for many years which kept it from investing in different growth opportunities. A major problem and complaint about the hardware supplies of HP is its touch pads. The touch pads of the notebooks of Hewlett Packard like the dv series, dm3, and Envy lines needs improvement. These touch pads are either finicky, unreliable, or are difficult to use because of friction. The mouse buttons on various HP supplied machines are said to be clumsy to use, too. Poor shelling life of HP products plagued some mainstream systems and net books. When it comes to Software that HP provides there are also some weaknesses. Some heavy software’s were paired with slow hardware like Touch Smart. The past acquisition of Peregrine made the HP’s portfolio even more diverse and complete but HP Open View’s lack of mainframe management capabilities created several problems. Another weakness was that it did not yet hit a CMDB product that includes discovery and mapping. This cause many customers to switch the brand. Opportunities The recent acquisition of EDS puts HP at a strong position in the computer market and makes it portfolio more impressive. Hewlett-Packard was able to generate large number of revenues and profits from its different deals and raised more than six billion which it can use to pay off its debts as well as invest in different research and development activities. If the products by the company are supplied at reasonable prices, there will be more chances of growth as the demand would increase. The company has formed Customer Solutions Group that helps in selling the complete IT solutions, products and services by HP. Threats Operating in global market means many competitors and therefore, the company has to be at the forefront of changing technologies as well as addressing the changing customer demands and needs. The global economic recession is also a threat for the company’s sales and profits. The prices have also fallen as the stock markets are at historic low positions. Many other competitors including Dell are entering the printer business whereas IBM has  become a market leader.