The Truth about the Drug Companies By Marcia Angell Essay Example Essay Example

The Truth about the Drug Companies By Marcia Angell Essay Example Paper The Truth about the Drug Companies By Marcia Angell Essay Introduction Americans every day are subjected to a bombardment of advertising by various pharmaceutical companies. The advertisement is mixed in with different pitches for a drug showing beautiful people who are enjoying in the outdoors is the main message. Coming down to the essential and this is what is said: Prescription drugs are very costly but that shows how precious they are. The Research and Development costs are huge and companies need to cover them in some way. Research based companies tend to turn out a stream of innovative medicines which enhance its quality, averts more expensive medical care and extends life. People are the beneficiaries of the achievement of the American free enterprise system so we should all be grateful, and stop whining and pay for the drug. The industry says that you get what you pay for. Prescription drugs cost are very much high and rising fast. Americans spend around $200 billion a year on prescription drugs and the figure is growing at a rate of 12% a year . The fastest growing parts of a health care bill are Drugs which are also rising at a fast rate. The increase spending on drugs show that people are taking a lot more drugs than they used to. The Truth about the Drug Companies By Marcia Angell Essay Body Paragraphs The prices of those drugs are frequently increased sometimes several times a year. Before its copyright ran out, the price of Schering Plough’s allergy pill, Claritin was increase about twelve times in a time span of five years for a total increase of more than fifty percent. Poor people are not the only one having a problem paying for the prescription drugs. Health care is shrinking due to the struggling economy. Employers want workers to pay more for the cost themselves and many organizations are decreasing health benefits. As the costs of prescription drugs are increasing so fast, payers are eager to get out from under them and shifting the cost to the individuals. The end result is that more and more people pay a larger fraction of their drug bills out of their own pocket and that is way too costly. Many people cannot pay so much. They tend to trade of drugs against food or home heating. Some people take them less often than it is prescribed or share them with a family mem ber. Some who are too embarrassed to admit that they cannot afford to pay leave the doctors office with prescription in their hand and not getting it filled. These patients go without the treatment needed and sometimes their doctors wrongly conclude that the drugs they were given haven’t worked prescribed by other which complicates the problem. Elderly people get hurt the most. When Medicare was ratified in 1965, people took less prescription drugs. No one thought it is important to include an out patient prescription drug advantage in the program. Senior citizens could also buy the drugs which they needed. Around two thirds of the elderly people had additional insurance which covered prescription drugs but that percentage is decreasing as insurers and employers decided that they suffer from it. A medical reform bill was passed by Congress at the end of 2003 which included a prescription drug benefit which was to begin in 2006, but its benefits are insufficient to being with and will rapidly be taken over by administrative costs and rising prices. For apparent reason elderly people need more drugs than younger one. In 2001, around one in four elderly people reported that they do not take regular does or do not fill prescription because of the costs. The frailest are least likely to have a supplementary insurance. An average cost of $1500 a year for a drug, a person without an additional insurance who take different prescription drugs would need to spend around $9000 out of his own pocket. Not many people have such deep pockets. In one of the more wicked practices of the pharmaceutical practices, prices are higher for the people who mostly need the drug and can least afford them. The pharmaceutical industry charges the Medicare recipients more than its favored customers such as Veterans affairs system or HMO’s as the latter buy the drugs in a bulk quantity and they can bargain for rebates or discounts. People who do not have insurance have any bar gaining power and therefore pay the high prices. In the last two years, people have started resisting to the increasing prices and other practices of the industry. Because of this resistance, drug companies are now covering us with different public relations messages which include the magic words like innovation, research and American. While the expression is inspiring, it has little to do with reality. Research and Development is a small part of a company’s budget. Year after year for over twenty years this industry has been the most profitable in the United States. The price drug companies’ charges have a minute relationship to the cost of making drugs and can cut them with coming close to threatening Research and Development. Secondly pharmaceutical industry is not innovative. It is hard to believe only a few important drugs have been brought into the market in the past years and they were mostly based on tax payer funded research at small biotechnology companies, N ational institute of Health or at academic institutions. Majority of the new drugs are not new but variations of older drugs. These are known as me too drugs. The main idea is to have a share of the lucrative market by manufacturing something similar to a top selling drug. For example there are six drugs in the market, Mevacor, Zecor, Pravachol, Lipitor, Crestor and Lescol which controls cholesterol and copies of the first. Finally the industry is hardly a model of the American free enterprise. It is free to decide which drugs to produce and it is totally free to price them as high as the public can bear and are totally dependent on the government granted monopoly in the form of Food and Drug administration’s approved marketing rights. It is not particularly innovative in making new drugs but it is aggressive and highly innovative. As America is a main profit center, it is good public relations for the companies to show themselves as American they are or not. It is true that some European companies are starting their R D operation in America. They say that the main reason behind it is that United States does not regulate prices as much of the world does. Drugs which are less profitable and which fight against tuberculosis and malaria tend to receive less attention. George Bush who is friendly to the big pharmaceutical industries refused to allow the promised $15 billion in funds allotted for HIV treatment in the Third world to be spent on common drugs. Among the many tricks exposed are the huge pharmaceuticals use of contract research organizations to apply excessive influence on clinical research and its sinister seduction of doctors. Drug companies in 2001 gave doctors nearly $11 billion worth of free samples. Along with that they gave other incentives to the doctors. In the final chapter of the book, there are seven important reforms, chief of which is for the Food and Drug Administration to compare new drugs with old drugs to see if there are addit ional benefits. The main goal of Angell is that people can get good drugs at a reasonable price and this require pressure from the public so that the government may take necessary action against the pharmaceutical companies. She performs an important public service in focusing on the drug companies and their dishonesty. The improvement of Pharmaceutical companies start with the outcry of the public against the abuses she showed in the book. She says that doctors should stand by their patients and not their pockets. Personal Opinion There is a significant problem in the United States about the financial conflict of interest in the clinical drug trials. It tends to affect millions of people those who are subjects in drug trials and those who use the drugs. The drug companies frequently control the date which is collected in the drug trials. The university scientists even are not provided with the whole data. Big companies tend to publish data which is favorable to their product which holding back the unfavorable data. In the case of Dr James O Kahn who published a journal article in which he concluded that a vaccine for AIDS did not help the patients. Dr Kahn was not given the data he required. But still he managed to publish the study. The company started a legal action against Dr Kahn and its employer, the University of California worth $ 7 Million. If such things happen very few researchers will have the courage to stand up to the companies. Pharmaceutical companies design their own studies to make their drug look more effective than they really are. Patients tend to suffer from the studies that offer incomplete or false information including the information about the doctors financial relations to the company. There is a need for improvement with the clinical drug trial process where there must be some other party testing the drugs. Scientists outside the company should have the final say on the drug trials. All the data should be available to the project in vestigators and to the public, press and who ever needs it. All financial relations to the companies should be made public. People need more information and more safety. The time is right for the nation’s medical centers, medical journals, FDA (food and drug administration), universities, medical journals and National institute of Health to come together and tell lawmakers to take back the rules under which the medical products are approved and tested. Bibliography †¢ The Truth about the Drug Companies` by Marcia Angell Publisher Random House; 1 edition (August 24, 2004) We will write a custom essay sample on The Truth about the Drug Companies By Marcia Angell Essay Example specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Truth about the Drug Companies By Marcia Angell Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Truth about the Drug Companies By Marcia Angell Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Bloomingdales international cu

Bloomingdales international cu "AT BLOOMINGDALE'S, WE'RE ALWAYS AT YOUR SERVICE" Bloomingdale's is successful because they have positioned themselves in the retailing market, by offering unique merchandise from around the world, targeting a affluent, educated group of patrons aged between 35-55 years, and focusing on "Customer Service". This marketing strategy has been the back bone of their success.Advertisement campaigns of Bloomingdale's has portrayed the focus of "Customer Service", with slogans such as "At Bloomingdale's, we're always at your service" and "You are like no one else in the world, Bloomingdale's is like no other store in the world.  ¢Ã‚„ ¢." Bloomingdale's is like no other store in the world, offering a unique retailing experience. It has been referred to as the "retailing theatre" in some of the worlds most influential magazines. Thus Bloomingdale's has gathered a international reputation for their unique merchandise and services; becoming a hot tourist destination.English: The Bloomingda le's department store at So...The International Customer will have unique needs, that will have to be catered too in order to achieve return business and new clientele.LANGUAGE BARRIER World wide there is over 200 different languages spoken. Thus, there are vast differences among nations as to the languages commonly spoken. Even within nations, there is often diversity as to the languages spoken. For example, Canada (English and French), India ( Hindi and English) Japan ( Japanese, English and Korean) have two or more official languages. However , the obvious language barrier, is not the only concern. Words have a variety of meaning within diverse countries.To overcome this issue, Bloomingdale's has available "Personal Shopping Assistant" Service. This is can be obtained at the International Service Desk, here they arrange for Associate that speaks the clients native language to assist. The signs in the store a mainly written in English, however there is a...

Orientalism after World War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 23

Orientalism after World War - Essay Example The principle of orientalism that is focused to in this aspect mainly deals not specifically with orientalism and orient but mainly with the inner constancy of orientalism and the ideas that are about Orient. There are three aspects of contemporary reality that are brought out with the focus. The first aspect is on the distinction between our political knowledge. The formal designation in this aspect is that a humanist title is that which indicates the humanities in the field but not with anything political in the field. When orientalism is considered in this aspect, it is a cultural issue but not a political issue (Macfie, 109). Orient follows certain distinct and intellectual knowledgeable lines. Therefore, orientalism can be considered not a mere political matter that is reflected passive by scholarship or culture or institutions nor is it a representative and sensitive of some evil scheme to hold on the oriental world. It is the distribution of geographical awareness into economic, aesthetic, sociological and philological texts (Macfie, 198). It is considered an elaboration of basic geographical concepts and all the interests in the field. The book brings out different poems in the period between 1848 and 1984. The first poem of the book is on Adios Carnage. The poem brings out the misinterpretation of the speeches, words and looks that is between the person and the neighbor that he passes sweeping and talks to. The mood of the poem is that which shows sympathy. The second poem is on the rapture of the deep. The poem talks about the deep secrets that the persona had with the knowledge that there was none who was able to know but only him. The situation turns as he is exposed to all the thought to anyone. The mood in which the persona speaks is that of sorrow as he is not happy on the secrets that were exposed. His third poem in the collection is Shabine leaves the city. It talks about the  actions of the aliens after there was colonization in the countries.  

The Evolutionary Origins of Smallpox Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Evolutionary Origins of Smallpox - Essay Example Smallpox is caused by the Variola virus, a member of the orthopox virus family and one of the many pox viruses that have been infecting a range of animal species throughout the world for millennia. Orthopox viruses include cowpox and chicken pox. Humans can be infected by some of these pox viruses, but none are as deadly as smallpox (Peters, 2004). When seen under an electronic microscope, Variola looks like a brick-shaped or elliptical classic form consisting of two strands of DNA (Barnes, 2007). They represent the largest and the most complex of the pathogenic viruses. It is one of the largest and most complicated viruses known, thus, so lethal and difficult to combat. When the Variola invades the human cell it, is forced to reproduce the virus until there are hundreds of thousands of viruses within the cell. When the cell can no longer contain the viruses, the cell bursts. The viruses shower onto other cells infecting them (Glynn & Glynn, 2004). Then the process begins all over ag ain. Unlike most DNA viruses that replicate within the nucleus of the host cell, pox viruses manage to replicate outside the nucleus within the cytoplasm of the infected cell. The virus sheds its double membranous coat once it gains entry into the host cell and slowly begins to absorb particular nutrients from the cytoplasm needed for its replication (Barnes, 2007). Origins of the disease The question of the origin and evolution of human smallpox virus was difficult to address. No one definitely knows when, where or how the first occurrence of the smallpox virus on earth happened. Even within documented human history, it is difficult to trace the forms of smallpox origins and ascertain its development completely. All kinds of plagues, rashes and pox diseases, as well as other diseases, were mentioned interchangeably. The earliest unscientific descriptions of the symptomatology do not sufficiently differentiate various kinds of ailments (Koplow, 2004). Even in the modern era, particu lar differential diagnosis has continued to pose a challenge as smallpox can evolve as numerous distinct types of diseases from time to time, until laboratory findings confirm the innitial clinical impressions. There are several explanations which have been expressed in attempt to explain the origins or beginning of the human version of the virus. Peters (2004) claims that the Variola virus can be traced back to prehistoric times. In its early form it was a virus that primarilry infected rodents. However, prehistoric humans hunted rodents for food or came into conatct with them in other ways, and at some point the virus may have jumped from rodents to humans. Koplow (2004) suggests that the small pox virus might have originated from arbitrary mutation of some other less virulent and even older subspecies of unknown virus. This might have happened most probably around 10,000B.C, somewhere in the bountiful Ganges River plain in India. He insinuates that some moderately minor disease a gents instinctively adapted and modified themselves from

The State Council as the central government plays a highly important Essay

The State Council as the central government plays a highly important role in Chinas law making process. Discuss - Essay Example The council administers the local and the international government plan and hence is a general body which holds the entire responsibility of serving the public and the country collectively1. The State Council of China is a public administration body. It is an institution which is on the highest level of administration. The members of the State Council consist of premiers, vice premiers, ministers, commissioners, general-auditors and secretary generals with a bench to form for public administration and public health service2. Security and education are part of the political system objectives and hence are covered up by the state council in respective means. All areas are under one master plan, and policies are circulated by the â€Å"State Council† for further operation. The State Council is directly connected to NPC (National People’s Congress) for passing decisions and legislation of activities. The State Council associates â€Å"National People’s Congress† and the rest of the standing committees for work order, work plan and administration3. Being on the highest level of administration, The State Council is responsible for the following functions; enactment of public level legislations, responding to top level ministries and to the local bodies, responding to commissioning authorities, formulation of social development plan, formulation of economic development plan, formulation of public health service plan, formulation of foreign policies and foreign affairs, implementing judicial legislations and vice versa4. Being a central body of command and being on top administrative function, the State Council responds with a legal way of proceeding. It applies legislative apprehensions to manage and control the governance system of the country. In China which is a Capitalist State, the law making process is under the State Council administration. This is to ensure a government system where public rights are fulfilled,

The role of tourism in the development of Nigeria

The role of tourism in the development of Nigeria In discussing this, earlier work conducted on similar research will be made will be made reference to. This include: a research carried out by (Oji-Chukuwka, 2013) entitled Economic development of Nigeria-The Role of Tourism. This study was carried out using structured questionnaire and based on the notion that the federal government has heavily depended on agriculture and crude oil as the main stay of the Nigerian economy. As such, the researcher decided to carry out a research to unravel how well or otherwise the Ebonyi State Tourism Board has contributed to the Nigerian economy through the promotion of its tourism-related activities. The following were the objectives of the study: 1. If the Nigerian tourism sector has met the objectives with which it was set up? 2. If Government’s interference in the activities of the Ebonyi State Tourism board affects its performance in the long-run 3. If Tourism has created equal job openings for all classes of people. In another study, carried out in 2006, Noà «lleOConnor examined how television induced tourism has influenced Ballykissangel’s Residential Community in the long run. Ballykissangel is the title of a BBC television drama that was shot in Ireland. It aired from 1996 to 2001 and had six episodes. OConnor, simply wanted to find out if and how the decision to shoot the series in the rural Irish suburb has affected the tourist inflow into the community. The purpose of the study, according to her, was to examine the influence of television induced tourism on asmall rural basedcommunityinIrelandandhowitcanactuallyinfluencetourist development to adestination. Specifically, the researcher sought to find out the role of the television series’ in developing an area for tourism related activities. The case study chosen therefore for this research was Avoca, a small village in County Wicklow, Ireland that was the setting for the filming ofthe BBCtelevision series Ballykissangel. The major data for the work were collected fromasystematic sample of residents of Avoca and through personal interviews. 2.4. Empirical Literature During the course of consulting other research works that are in line with my research, the different methodologies used proffered different findings and conclusions. These would be highlighted here as part of the empirical literature. The first study, (Oji, Chukwuka, 2013,) discovered that the lukewarm and inadequate funding of the Ebonyi State tourism board was the one of the banes confronting the development of tourism in the state. Also, findings of his study revealed that the government were the major beneficiaries of the tax revenues derived from civil servants, visitors’ expenditure and tourism attraction. On the other hand, OConnor, discovered that alarge number of tourists were attracted toAvoca as due to the fact that the then popular seriesBallykissangel was being shot in the locality. Today , tourism hasbecome Avoca’s most vitalindustry since the closure of its cooper mines. The residents have also realised that not only has this increased their earnings, it has attracted the international attention to the once quiet suburb. It has also created job opportunities for the locals whilst instilling a sense of pride for the natives of the community. With regards to the tourism promotion, this study revealed that Television is currently the most potent of all media used in promoting tourism activities. In view of this, more consideration should be given to television as a medium of advertising. This may be because Television combines motion, sound, and special visual effects. The product can be demonstrated and described on TV. It also offers wide geographic coverage and flexibility as to when the message can be presented (Arens, 1996). 2.5 .Other relevant literature 2.5 .1 The Nature of the Nigerian Tourism Industry Nigeria currently boasts of an array of beautiful landmarks, amazing water-bodies which include the beaches, rainforests in the southern part of the country ,monuments, sites and sound, down to the hustle and bustle which is prevalent in the cosmopolitan cities like Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt. All these have become particularly conducive and attractive for holidaying. Besides the tourist attractions, the culture, norms, artefacts, food, language, mode of dressing which all differ from one part of Nigeria to the other, have all contributed in making the country extremely unique in many ways. On many occasions, international tourists are in awe of the unique selling points of Nigeria despite the attendant issues like corruption and high poverty index. However according to (Uche, 2003) many of these attractions are largely still untapped notwithstanding the fact that they are largely exploited. They are savoured by visitors either rich and in search of adventure, new terrains and exploits. One cannot help but mention some of these attractive tourist sites which Nigeria boasts of. They include the Yankari Games Reserve, Olumo Rock, Mabilla Plateau, Zuma Rock, Gashaka Games Reserve and of course the coastal beaches which are unique and enchanting. Tourism is relatively at an infancy stage in Nigeria. This is more so because of the running neglect of the abundant resources naturally endowed on the country rather than the lack of them. Nigeria’s rich cultural diversity and tourist attractions are inexhaustible. Apart from Cultural sites and reserves which serve as potential tourist attractions, African countries like Nigeria have abundant cultural festivals that are very rich in mythology and diversity which can also be harnessed to generate revenue as well as serve as a means of creating some feeling of shared love and brotherhood among the various ethnic groups in Nigeria. These festivals include the fishing and New Yam festivals celebrated in almost all the nooks and corners of the country at various seasons of the year. The uniqueness of Nigeria’s tourism potentials have been confirmed and recognized by UNESCO, which has singled out the Sukur Kingdom in Adamawa State as a world heritage site. Other unique sites also recognized include the Three Sisters’ Rock, Kamala Mountains, Obudu Cattle Ranch, Lokoja Confluence, Osun Oshogbo Shrine, Gurara Waterfalls, Ikogosi Warm water springs, Oguta Lake, Kwa Waterfalls, Bwasu Hot water spring, Mboi pond, ancient natural and man-made caves and a host of other sites. Many years after the advent of television in Nigeria as well as the proliferation of private television stations across the country very little has been done to promote the tourism sector, which is a neglected goldmine, (Da Silva, 1999). However, despite the rich number of tourist sites and attractions in Nigeria, there have been a lot of impediments to the growth of the sector. These impediments are numerous and include acute conditions of advanced fee fraud popularly called 419, underdevelopment and poverty as well as the growing level of insecurity-fuelled by the activities of the insurgent group, Boko Haram, which many potential Nigerian bound tourist’ many not like to be confronted with. A survey on tourist activities in different geographical areas of Africa shows that Nigeria is one of the least favourite destinations which by extension earn less income. However, in spite of the enormous tourism potentials in Nigeria, the investigation shows that tourisms contribution to economic development in Nigeria leaves much to be desired, (Ovat, 2003). Sensing the impediments to the growth of the tourism sector and realising the important role that tourism can play in the economic and national development of Nigeria, led to the establishment of the National Tourism Policy. (Da, Silva, 1999) says the national tourism policy prescribes various ways of promoting the development of tourism in Nigeria through the following ways: Increase the flow of foreign exchange through the promotion of international tourism Encourage even development of tourism based enterprises. Accelerate rural/urban integration Foster socio-cultural unity among the various groups in the country through the promotion of domestic tourism Promotion and encouragement of active private sector participation Preservation of our cultural heritage and historical monuments Massive and aggressive publicity campaign to facilitate the growth and development of tourism Simplify the issuance of visas to intending visitors. Re-orientation for all security agencies including customs and immigrations,( Da, Silva,1999) While all these promises are okay, revenue from tourism sector has not been encouraging. A careful study of tourism statistics and data reveals that Nigeria in particular is one of the least favourite destination in the world, this by extension results in a colossal loss of revenue with untold hardship and effect on Nigeria’s gross domestic products , (Uche, 2003). On the other hand strongly believes that the Nigerian coastal waters and beaches are dirty and therefore unattractive to tourist. The negative publicity launched by the international media against Nigeria has also affected the tourist traffic in the country with (Nnadozie, 2007) identifying some of the problems affecting tourism development in Nigeria as follows -Government’s nonchalant approach to the tourism industry -The scourge of political instability which encourages wastage and poor resource management -Lack of foresight on the part of the elite who control virtually every sector of the economy. -Inadequate enlightenment and improper coverage of the tourism sector by the mass-media. Nigeria also has key rivals in the tourism industry namely Ghana, The Gambia, South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco and Mauritania. These countries have a better and more developed tourism industries in terms of infrastructure, maintenance, security and enlightenment. Another impediment to the growth of tourism in Nigeria is the general belief and habit of excessively copying anything western, despite our rich cultural heritage and tourism potentials. It therefore becomes imperative therefore to blame our artists and media practitioners for failing to portray our rich cultural and tourism potentials to the outside world. They often love to portray the culture of the foreigner to the foreigner, they want to speak and dress like them. They want to belong to their kind of caucus, yet they are nothing near them. The end result however is that they have made themselves copy-cats, rather than portraying have their own culture, ( Adekeye, 2007). However in the words of (Nasco, 1986), in this day and age when no country including ours, can’t afford to solely depend on the fluctuating oil market as the primary source of revenue, tourism, my dear friends is indeed an alternative for the mobilization of the much needed foreign exchange and local revenue. The Nigerian Tourism Development Commission, NTDC, traces the advent of tourism in Nigeria back to 1472 with the first Portuguese mercantile mission-trade tourism. However, the first attempt at structuring Tourism in Nigeria came about in 1962 when a group of Nigerians with interest in and commitment to the promotion of tourism set up a body then known as Nigerian Tourism Association (NTA). Prior to the creation of the Department of Tourism in the former Federal Ministry of Trade and Tourism in January 1990, very little or no attention was paid to the development of the sector. However, following the approval for the establishment of the department, a federal bureau was also created to champion the promotion and development of tourism in Nigeria. In the last few years, the Nigerian government has put in a lot of effort aimed at reviving and improving the tourism sector. In an attempt to explore other aspects of the Nigerian economy, economy with an emphasis on the tourism sector, the federal government took some concrete steps at ensuring the development of the culture, travel and tourism industries. They comprised of inauguration of the Presidential Council on Tourism, Federal Ministry ofTourism and its Departments and Agencies with same at the States’ level and Local Tourism Committees which falls in line with the provisions of the National Tourism Policy (NTP) of2005, the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) of 1992 and the Nigeria Tourism Development Master Plan of 2006. Back in January 2003, President Olusegun Obasanjo, approved the sum of $548 million as grant to the transport, culture and tourism ministries for tourism master plan projects Udeorah, (2004). Primarily, this amount was earmarked to develop transportation, infrastructure, tourist sites, mobilization and public enlightenment towards accelerated tourism development. It is however evident that there is need for the mass media albeit television, to complement government’s effort at tourism development and promotion. Nigeria, with its population and array of tourist attractions and sites is yet to tap into this goldmine as a result of the dearth of tourism programmes on TV stations. Today, the apathy towards tourism, confronts broadcast stations in the country despite the abundance of tourism contents which can be explored to any capacity. The urgency to nurture, promote and sustain the Nigerian tourism sector cannot be over emphasized and can therefore not be overlooked, (Udeorah, 2004) The Nigerian tourism sector is still at an infantile stage amidst the abundant natural human and natural resources. Also, the infrastructures currently in place at the tourist sites and locations in Nigeria are nothing to write home about and consequently not make Nigeria the envy of other nations in this regard. When compared to countries like The Gambia, South-Africa, France and Spain who already have advanced tourism industries, Nigeria does have a long way to go (Dantata, 2011). Speaking at the Nigerian Tourism Investors forum and exhibition in Abuja in May 2014, DirectorGeneral of the Nigerian Tourism Development Board, Sally Mbanefo, noted that tourism is Indeed a tool for national economic development. She said there are several international initiatives that have highlighted the potential of tourism to contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction, as well as to environmental protection, cultural preservation, and job creation .

Is Development Methodologies In Financial :: essays research papers

Introduction & Overview of the Company Marks and Spencers is a large UK based retailer with 683 branches in 2 continents. Following the deregulation of the UK financial sector in the mid eighties the company decided to use its experience, capital, and brand power to branch into the lucrative financial services industry offering personal loans, life insurance & pensions, and savings & investments services such as Unit Trusts and ISAs through the company Marks and Spencers Financial Services. Financial Services is now one of the fastest expanding areas of Marks & Spencers, MSFS employs more than 1,400 staff at its purpose built headquarters in Chester, and has dedicated financial services areas in 70 M&S stores across the country. The Information Systems department has 50 employees who come from analysis, design, & programming backgrounds, much of which has been gained with Marks & Spencers plc. The majority of these employees are based in the Chester head office, and systems are developed ‘in-house’. IS project s under development include the introduction of Individual Savings Accounts, with other likely future projects including telephone banking, credit cards, and auto/property insurance. The fact that MSFS has entered the Financial Services Sector comparatively recently and with a established IS knowledge base from the parent company has meant that existing information systems have been well developed in terms of technology and are compliant with the latest industry regulations. Therefore there is little or no need for redevelopment of existing systems in the short to medium term, and the ISD focus is almost exclusively on new market areas requiring Information Systems that can be started from scratch. The main exceptions to this are the possibility of introducing data warehousing to tap the potential of both MSFS’ and the parent company’s client database to better target MSFS customers, and the need to adapt existing systems for the introduction of the Euro, projects which will involve redesign of existing data stores and software. The company has grown very quickly, and IS projects have consequently grown considerably as can be seen by the size of the IT department. While there are still small to medium sized projects, some that are currently being considered will be on quite a large scale with several senior analysts working on each project. These projects are anticipated to require an IT department expansion of 50% over the next two years. Although MSFS’ IS projects share certain common characteristics in terms of their requirements, such as the need for a common ISD structure across projects, they vary considerably in size and strategic importance, with future developments looking likely expand those differences.