Health care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health care - Essay Example The fifth section concentrates on the target market, whereby the paper provides an insight on the strategies that can are used to serve the market, and the sixth section identifies resources needed to move forward in the entrepreneurial process. The seventh section covers a brief summary of the financial projections for the period end 30 June 2012, whereby the summary is benchmarked through data gathered from research of similar types of publicly traded companies. The eighth section elaborates on the forces that determine the profitability of the industry, and the paper concludes with the challenges that are faced by the business as it grows. Â   Funding Pitch portions of the Health Care Entrepreneurial Business Plan: Tele-hospice counseling service 1. The entrepreneurial opportunity Various changes in the society have contributed significantly to a creation of entrepreneurial opportunities by providing a strong concentration to the sector of services concerning new and fast growing business environment for adaptation of the entrepreneurs to dynamism in the society (Lindmark, 2012). The increased understanding of entrepreneurship process due to the research and the set of individuals, who have discovered, evaluated and exploited the opportunities. Therefore, fostering a reliable understanding of the changes in different levels of society has led to creation of opportunities and the way entrepreneurs can adapt and exploit these opportunities after an analysis, which is altered at an aggregate level. 2. The business, product or program planned Hospice refers to a twenty-four hour program, which is planned by hospice interdisciplinary team, in order to allow the terminally ill clients to make a decision related to physical, pastoral or spiritual and psychological comfort, instead of cure. These patients are hospitalized of they are indicating acute symptoms, and hospice care is initiated by the decision of the client, family or physician. However, there is a requ irement of a certification by the client in order to receive the services offered by hospice, which offered from either temporary or permanent place of residence. In this case, the Hospice service program is terminated by the client or family decision, death or discharge by the hospice agency, and bereavement care is offered to the family members (Whitten, Doolittle & Hellmich, 2001). The products of offered by this business are emotional and spiritual comfort that is related to the death of hospice client. The other product offered by hospice program is counseling services and support to the members of the patients’ family. They also focus on non-interventional care of patients succumbing to their terminal illness at their homes. Furthermore, the members of the family are made integral participants of the program, whereby the day care is offered by stepping a caregiver duty, which is considered foreign. 3. The management team The management team comprises of the Mike Friedel , Chief Executive Officer, who is charged with the responsibility of leading the team by making informed decisions on substantial issues in the organization. The other member of the management team is John Budnick, who is CFO with the responsibility of managing the organization’s financial resources and Ray Terrill, who is a sales and marketing manager with a significant role of formulating the strategies of targeting customers and

Dispute Settlement DB-3 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dispute Settlement DB-3 - Research Paper Example One of the major markets of GM is China with 2.3 million vehicles sold in 2010, a 29 percent increase from 2009. GM attributes this increase in sales to the economic stimulus incentives in place in China. According to David Chen, the Vice President for GM, China Group, the government encourages local production of vehicles in China without considering whether the manufacturer is a domestic or foreign company (China Business Review, 2011). Furthermore in 2010, the government issued a policy that it will give an incentive of $460 rebates on the purchase of fuel efficient cars. This policy serves GM well because 26 vehicles manufactured by GM in China qualify for the rebate. Another international policy in China that proves beneficial to GM is that the government allows the use of lesser grade steel (Muller, 2010). This can be translated to a lower cost in manufacturing a car for China. International policies such as the above cited have positive impacts on the sales of GM; thus, the China market is a major market for GM. Even as early as 1997, GM already foresaw that China will be a big market for them; therefore, they invested in a joint venture with the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC) to establish their first technical center joint venture in China (China Business Review, 2011). Investments such as these have proven to be worthwhile for GM. GM is very optimistic with their China market and has intentions of increasing further their investment in the country because of the supportive policies of the government. In view of this, GM projects that in 15 to 20 years from now their sales could reach to a whooping 20 million cars. Another market of GM is India. Although GM entered the Indian market 16 years ago, it is now moving towards intensifying its market by focusing on dealerships and service network expansion (The Indian Express, 2012). In India, GM focuses on the small car market because of the

Deaf reading reaction number 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Deaf reading reaction number 2 - Coursework Example Ideas such as this stand out to me and are in line with my beliefs no bias should exist in the provision of education. My knowledge in this area reveals that the most urgent need of the deaf children is the urge for communication. However, these are always hampered if the child does not receive ample guidance and understanding from the teachers and fellow children. This fact is as well brought out in the article. Therefore, any setting which fails to meet the communication and related needs of a deaf child should be avoided. I’ve also understood better that it is the responsibility of everyone to enhance this success in the education of our deaf children. There should be a shared responsibility between the state and the community in which the child lives to help them acquire education. All of us must be accountable for the educational achievement and inclusion of all deaf children into the education system for their benefit (Cerney

International Risk Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Risk - Term Paper Example Introduction Main Street Capital Corporation (MSCC) was founded on 9, March 2007 with a diverse purpose agenda. The firm assists the business corporations and companies by providing the long-term debts to the middle market and the lower class middle market (LMM) companies. It also helps the middle markets by providing them with the equity capital and tends to commence its partnership with entrepreneurs, management organizations and reputed business companies and it normally grants the financing alternatives within its lower-middle-market profile (MSCC, n.p.) Such classes of companies normally generate $10-$150 million per annum and the long term debt investments are made for the companies greater than the lower-middle-market companies with respect to their business capital multitude. It seeks to bridge financial hole and the gap between LMM businesses and the investment and revenue generations. With the expanse of the MSCC, the company has debt and invested in almost 59 LMM companies till the Fall, 2012. At the end of the year 2012, the Middle Market scenario of the investments had risen up to 85 companies in total. The basic business strategies are categorized as follows 1. Delivery of the customized solution of financial problems in the LMM market. 2. Focusing and assisting the newly established companies. 3. Invest to help multiple companies, Business firms, industries, Regional and capital markets by strictly following a pre-defined investment criteria. 4. Leveraging on strong finance sourcing groups. 5. Lower rates of debts as compared to other debt companies and banks and providing benefit from long term, fixed capital and lower capital financing. (MSCC, n.p.) Owing to the expanse in the business and the investments, financial decisions, debt planning and managing the total expenditure per annum is ofcourse a very risky job and it renders the streamline of the company vulnerable to loss exposure and other risky situations. Following are the risk factors w hich could be predicted stochastically on the basis of the firm’s performance and subject to the economic and investment constraints, business structure and the competition with other business investment funds. The sinusoidal behavior of the economic conditions of US could be catastrophic to the performance of the firm. This rise and all in the country’s economy renders the operation of the company very risky and will obviously down trod the portfolio of the firm. Managing and deploying the capital with proficiency Competitions with other firms Referral conditions, relationships, and the maintenance of such relationships by managing and pacifying all the cliches and the rifts between client and our firm. It could be risky Rules and regulations governing the working of the firm and adversely affecting the way in which the firm rise its capital. Money borrowing business. So the potential for the gain or loss is amplified and so is the risk of investment on the company Su bjugated to the SBA authority regulations because of the licensing issues. Insurance rules in Germany Germans believe in the quotation â€Å"Better safe than sorry†. Germany is the forefront of technology trade and hence it is also a scientific hub. Because

THE ROLE OF RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION STRATEGY IN SUPPORTING EMPLOYEE Essay - 4

THE ROLE OF RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION STRATEGY IN SUPPORTING EMPLOYEE RETENTION WITHIN A COMPLEX INTERNATIONAL LABOUR MARKET - Essay Example The paradox in this situation is that these foreign assignments are highly compensated with hefty perks. Despite some meticulous recruitment procedures, employees still cut short the international tour of duty hence putting to question the nature of the recruitment procedures that are unable to siphon out the restless candidates. Heneman and Judge (2003) describe recruitment as the, â€Å"the process of acquiring, deploying, and retaining a workforce of sufficient quantity and quality to create positive impacts on the organization’s effectiveness† (p. 4). In view of the precarious nature of the international recruitment assignments, most firms out to hire new employees have resorted to demanding a more meticulous selection procedure to eliminate those candidates deemed incapable of surviving the strain and demand of the foreign locations. In this endeavour, the major categories used to garner the correct candidate include the individual’s flexibility; this necessitate the potential employee indicate willingness to endure the expected environmental and social changes in the locale assigned to (Workman, 2008). This criterion has been found to the principal factor other than the usual professional acumen that employers expect from the potential candidates. A hardy employee must demonstrate his willingness to adapt to adverse climatic changes, foreign lingua franca, religious beliefs, changes in social activities, or conflicting nutritional practices. Firms operating in the Middle East, Africa, or the North Sea usually require pot ential employees to express their capability to deal with the anticipated hash conditions required to work in the regions. These include withstanding extremely cruel weather, religious intolerance, no social activities among other adverse conditions which are not suited for the faint-hearted. Employers therefore decisively

Eriksons Theory Essay Example for Free

Eriksons Theory Essay When discussing the development theory, Erikson had been the frontier with many major contributions. Unlike Freud and Piaget, Erikson’s theory of development focused much more on social interactions. While most of us agreed that children do become toilet-trained between ages one and three, Erikson’s theory also went further to acknowledge that children also learn to talk, walk, feed themselves, etc. In order to understand Erikson’s theory of development, we need to focus on three main principles: dynamic balance of opposites, vital involvement and life in time. Dynamic balance of opposites: There are two opposing tendencies in dynamic balance of opposites: dystonic (negative) and syntonic (positive). Erikson believed there were eight stages, and at each one, the individual resolved a crisis between the positive (syntonic) and negative (dystonic) tendencies (Erikson Kivnick 1986). A resolution of crisis does not mean that a person rejects either syntonic or dystonic completely, but rather that a person should find a balance between two of those tendencies. For instance, our American culture has frequently taught parents to never say â€Å"no† to their children because that could potentially damage a child’s self-esteem. However, Erikson would disagree and say that children do need to hear â€Å"no† sometimes to understand that the whole world does not revolve around them. Erikson would also say that telling the child â€Å"no† all of the time is bad as well. Vital involvement depends on the balance of syntonic and dystonic tendencies. Vital Involvement: Erikson developed eight stages of development. First, the trust versus mistrust stage, where infants start to learn that either the world is good and can be trusted, or is bad and can’t be trusted (Erikson et.al 1986). For instance, Erikson would state that babies learn to trust their caregivers for not letting them go hungry, but babies also learn to mistrust their caregivers for yelling at them and not feeding them consistently. Second, the autonomy versus shame and doubt stage where children learn about their own â€Å"selves† which is separate from their caregivers (Erikson et.al 1986). In this stage, children usually develop their own will and desires and apply  them well by saying â€Å"no†. When children start to feel comfortable using â€Å"no† as a way to reach their desires, they have reached the initiative versus guilt stage. In this stage, children learn to internalize values from the elder and also acquire the sense of guilt for wrongdoing. The next stage is industry versus inferiority where children explore the greater world in elementary school and their surroundings. Erikson did pay a lot of attention in the identity versus confusion stage because it focuses on adolescents and their identity crisis. Fidelity is the heart of identity because adolescents share some of their parent’s values, as well as develop their own. The last three stages include intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and integrity versus despair. Each of these stages focuses greatly on the continuity of human development until death. Erikson recognized that there are certain time periods when it might be easier for some to develop and harder for others to develop, depending on the environment that influence them. For instance, some children who faced hardships (family separation, family violence, etc.) might have trouble in certain stages or even all of the stages, depending on where the factors start. Life in time: Erikson referred to his theory of development as epigenesis. Epigenesis is relevant to evolution (the past and the future) and genetics. Erikson explained, â€Å"†¦epi can mean ‘above’ in space as well as ‘before’ in time, and connected with genesis can well represent the space-time nature of all development† (Erikson et.al 1986). Erikson did not refer epigenetic to individual genetic make-up and how it influences individual development. Rather, Erikson was concerned with how personality and behavior is influenced after birth and so on. For instance, my mother has had a hard time adjusting with American culture when we first migrated here from Vietnam. My sister and I started to adapt to the new culture right away—from clothing style, hairstyle, hobbies, etc. in which my mother had a very difficult time to accept. She wanted us to keep our traditional customs at home, as well as outside our home. At first, we felt reluctant because we felt she did not understand the importance of â€Å"fitting-in† at school. However, as we started college, my sister and I started to realize that our culture and traditions are unique and understand where my mother was coming from (Identity/ confusion stage). Conclusion: Erikson had dedicated his life by contributing to developmental psychology in major ways. Erikson’s theory of development is still widely used and studied by many scholars.

British Standards of Sustainability

British Standards of Sustainability Abstract The following report is based on the use of British Standards to look at the impact it has on a product development process from the beginning of its lifecycle to the end when it decomposes. With the world today at the state it is, the pollution and the resources are being used up at an un-regenerate able rate. It is more important than ever to recycle and perform our manufacturing processes in an environmentally sustainable manner. Hence, the modern environmental legislations have been designed and applied in manners as such to focus on not only manufacturing process but also the end of life cycle and the recycling and upcycle options. BS8887- 1:2006 (MADE) looks at design from Manufacture, Assembly, Disassembly and End of life, the key aspects this legislation will cover and target are at remanufacture, recycling and efficient and sustainable ways to proceed to the end of life of the product. The main aim of legislations as such is to become more environmentally friendly and to cre ate a more sustainable environment for the generation of tomorrow. However, there are many such legislations that every manufacturer in the region has to follow which covers areas not covered by the particular legislation mentioned above. There are many various other legislations and regulations which ensure that the rules and regulations are followed strictly and the quality of the production is maintained at an optimum with respect to production and environment. Contents Abstract ..1 Glossary: 3 Introduction: 4 Research Methodology: .4 Principle of MADE: 4 Product Design Assessment: 5 Manufacture of Design: (MADE): .. 5 Assembly (MADE): 6 Disassembly (MADE): .. 6 End of Life Processing (MADE): .. 7 Benefits of MADE: . 7 Design for the Environment (DFE): ..9 BS887 1:.. 9 BS8900: .. 9 ISO 14001: . 9 ISO 14025: .. 10 Designing a product for the environment and how it is contributing to the sustainability: .10 4 Methods to assess a product for their impacts on the environment: .12 Reference and Bibliography ..13 Glossary: PDS- Product Design specification MADE- Manufacture, Assembly, Disassembly and End of life BS- British Standard PDA- Product Design Assessment DFE: Design for Environment FEA: Finite element analysis EIA: Environmental impact assessment LCA: Life cycle assessment MET: Material energy toxicity matrix EEA: Environmental performance indicator WEEE: Waste electronic and electrical equipment Introduction: The report shows how the idea of sustainability is implemented through various steps of production and manufacture with the help of the guidelines put into place by the British Standards. The main purpose behind these legislation and guidelines is to make the companies and the manufacturers aware of the harmful impacts of the manufacturing process as well as the effect of bad material selection during production and end of life cycle. The use of strict guidelines and fines to put these legislations and rules in place helps by maintaining the sustainability process of our environment as well as by funding the awareness programs and the research on new concepts and technology regarding sustainable environment. This report shows the impact of different legislations on the manufacturing process of the industrial fans and the different steps taken to make sure the process is environmentally friendly and supports the sustainability of the environment even during disassembly and end of life cycle. Another form of legislation which provides guidance for the company to perform their operation in a sustainable manner with respect to environment is ISO 14001, ISO 14001 however focuses more on efficient utilisation of water and energy usage with minimum wastage. Together these legislations and laws promotes the idea of sustainable environment and aids for its further research on sustainability and new technology to make the manufacturing process more efficient and environmentally conservative. Research Methodology: To gather the information and data required for the report two major types of sources were used: Research on the internet and through the British standard articles and awareness packets. The manufacturing process of the product is analysed and reviewed under the legislations and rules BS887 and MADE to find out the changes the law has made on the manufacturing process to adapt the process and make it more eco-friendly and sustainable. The legislations and sources for the research are mentioned in the bibliography and on appropriate sections. The company has also done various eco-friendly tests and published articles on its results which can and have been sourced and used as a part of research for the report. Principle of MADE: MADE: Manufacture, Assembly, Disassembly and End of life. The principle objective of the MADE standard is to make sure the product is able to be either decomposed in an eco-friendly manner or recycled after the end of its life cycle to make sure the environment is not affected by the product. The use of MADE ensures the correct materials are selected for manufacture and the idea of eco-friendly and sustainable environment is kept in mind when choosing the material for the product with respect to the impact the use of the material will have on the environment during the its life cycle and after the end of the life cycle. As of today the materials chosen in the product we see are still not very focused on making the environment clean and conservative for the future, more than half of the product we use today are still dumped in landfills after the end of its life cycle which is harming and degrading the environment. Hence the main purpose of the MADE standard is to make the companys an d the manufacturers aware of the needs of our environment and to make sure appropriate materials are chosen for the products which can be either recycled or de-composed in a conservative manner after end of its life cycle. Product Design Assessment: The product being chosen to perform the analysis on is a normal house hold blender. The theory of MADE principles is going to be used for the analysis and to find out the effects a normal house blender has on our environment. The analysis helps us find solutions and improvements for the product to be better suited for the environment and to help maintain the sustainability of environment. The image above shows example of a common house hold blender. Manufacture of Design: (MADE): The manufacturing process of the blender consist of multiple pieces being moulded and shaped and then joined together to make the blender functional and operational. The materials in use for the manufacturing of the blender are also of various combination. However, the blender is shaped in a very simple shape which makes it fairly easier to manufacture the common house hold blender. The plastic jar of the blender is composed of a material called PP (Polypropylene Plastic) shaped and moulded through a process called injection moulding process. The moulding process is performed by heating up the material to its melting point and injecting it to a cooled die where it is cooled down and moulded to its shape. The process is a very cheap method of manufacturing which also requires very low level of energy usage. The blade of the blender on the other hand is stainless steel shaped into small sharp blade like structure which cut and blend the fruits/vegetables/ spices inserted into the jar of the blender. It is essential that the blade is made of stainless steel which has no chances of forming rust in the environment where it operates since food that we eat is being blended in the machine and hence could cause potentially illness for the user. To make sure the steel being used is stainless there should be at least 10.5% chromium in the steel, the presence of the protective iron chromium oxide allows the steel to avoid corrosions and rust. In order for the blender to be considered safe for daily house hold purposes and for it to pass the British safety standard it is vital that the blade for the blenders are of stainless steel. The manufacturing method used to produce the blades for the blenders is the Spinning method. The method is performed by using machinery which is mounted on a forming block against the stainless steel which is pressed on a forming block to rotate. The process in itself is not really expensive or energy consuming but it will be more economical and financially benefitting to produce at bulk with big batches. The graph above shows how the price is affected with the batch size and shows how ordering at bulk with big numbers is more economical. Assembly (MADE): The design of the blender is pretty simple for assembly which requires very little time and knowledge to assemble and use. After the assembly of the blade in the jar all the parts are easily accessible and well fitted to make sure the blender is accessible and easy to use able to be cleaned fitted and opened making it easier to use and clean for household use. The design and the mechanism of the parts are very simple making the parts easy to access worldwide in case it needs repair or fixing. The source of the materials are all minimalistic and easy to access making it easier to be sourced locally making it easier and cheaper to manufacture. The cardboard of the packaging is also recyclable and eco-friendly making it more sustainable friendly for the environment. Disassembly (MADE): The blender consists of various different parts, which are easily constructed and assembled. The use of simple parts makes it easy to operate and assemble the blender along its life cycle. Not only that the use of simple and easy parts makes it easy to disassemble as well helps in the end of life cycle for recycle or upcycle. The use of basic and fairly simple materials for manufacturing and assembly makes it easy to disassemble and end the life cycle in a conservative manner. End of Life Processing (MADE): Due to the presence of heavy carbon emissions and the state that our environment is in it is essential that all the manufacturers have a plan for the end of life cycle to deal with the product in an eco-friendly and conservative manner. The company and the manufacturers need to have a plan for the management of the product even after the items have been sold and passed on to the customers. It is essential for the product to be able to keep up with the customer demand and meet the standards that have been placed for the products hence the End of the life processing is one of the most important steps as well. Preserving our environment and keeping it alive for the future is one of the main issues and things we deal with today in our daily life and it is essential that we respect it in order to maintain the balance in our food chain and the environment. The use of stainless steel hence makes perfect sense as it is theoretically 100 % recyclable. Another key features which promotes the use of stainless steel is that it is very durable and has a long life of several decades. However, if the product has reached its end of lifecycle or has damages in it then it can easily be replaced and separated from its housing and framework. As stainless steel has no damaging effect when in contact with soil or water it can be easily re-moulded in different kinds of moulds to reuse and recycle. Polypropylene (PP) is another material not only being used in the manufacturing of the blender but also one of the most recycled and reused material around us today. With nearly everything around us being made of some kind of plastic it is essential we recycle these materials in order to help keep our environment clean and pollution free. All the different kinds of plastic being used in production today are numbered 1-7 depending on the type of plastic and their properties. However, the body of the blender is made up of quite tough PP, which will require a special technique to recycle called the quaternary recycling process. To perform the process on such plastics which are being recycled it is incinerated at temperature of up to 900 to 1000 Degree Celsius. The use of the method can cut the waste plastic by around 80% and completely prevent pollutant escaping to the atmosphere as well. Common examples of recycled PP can be Battery Cables, Brushes, Bins, signal lights, etc. Hence the recycling and re use of every kind of plastic including the PP helps to keep our environment clean and make a more of a sustainable approach. Benefits of MADE: The use of the MADE theory of analysis help us to find out of the flaws present in the blender. Comparing the usage process to the manufacturing and the designing process there is lots of usage during the manufacturing phase comparatively to the very little usage of energy during the operational life of the blender. The graph above shows how it requires an excessive amount of energy during its production phase but very little during its operational and usage life cycle. By finding a more energy efficient method for production and design of the blender the company could be improving in its earning and the profit margin achieved through each sale. As mentioned above in the report the use of the recycling and upcycling process on the materials can be very helpful and cost effective when either purchasing or producing the blender. The use of recycling and eco-friendly components also help to create a good image with the customers and gain their trust. Also using less dense materials, recycle and remade parts for production may help to make a more sustainable and eco-friendly approach. Design for the Environment (DFE): Design for Environment (DFE) can be defined as process of designing to minimize the environmental impacts and ensuring products are sustainable and eco-friendly throughout the products life cycle. The main concepts and sections that are covered and assessed by the concept of DFE are: Sustainability in relation to its influence on industry Designing a product with respect to the environment and how it is contributing to the sustainability of the environment 4 Methods to assess a product for their impacts on the environment Sustainability in relation to its influence on industry: According to The Bruntland Commission, sustainability is a development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The BSIs overarching sustainability standard BS 8900 Guidance for managing sustainable development defines sustainability as an enduring, balanced approach to economic activity, environmental responsibility and social progress. The product life cycle of the company is assessed to find out the sustainability of a company and its products. With the help of these types of assessment performed by recognised bodies like the British Standard and other companys it adds a more sustainable and eco-friendly approach to its company and its products. The achievement of approval and recognition from organisations like BS8900 can lead to approval from other organisation as such which could give them further recognition and qualification in order to achieve greater vision and solidity as well as building trust and confidence for the company and its products. Having achieved the recognition from the organisations they can also benefit from less taxation, social and green branding and a higher level of understanding on recycling and the possible different ways possible to recycle. There are also many other types of UK/EU legislation and standards that can have influence on the industries improvement towards more sustainable earth: BS887 1: The specific standard BS887 1 is different from other standards because it does not teach or give instruction to the designers on how to design or seek the manufacturing process. The standard rather provides methodology for ordering the output of the process and maximises the possibility of the most efficient ways to manufacture, assemble and solve the problem of end of life for the product. The standard also focuses on the most efficient and cost effective ways to produce the design and the products. BS8900: This standard and legislation is based on the guidance provided to manage sustainable development and to make sure sustainable practise are taking place in the industry. The standard helps the company to grow and cut out un-necessary actions taking place in the company like bribery, abuse, oppression and corruptions, enabling the company to stand on integrity. ISO 14001: ISO 14001 is an environmental management system standard which fully focuses on the environment. ISO 14001 helps to promote the effective and efficient environmental management from the company. It also controls the management of energy, consumables and waste; enabling strict energy management system. This will help the company benefit from appropriate amount of energy being used for the corresponding purposes and limiting the level of carbon emissions into the atmosphere making it a more eco-friendly and sustainable company. ISO 14025: This standard addresses the procedures for creating environmental declarations and labels. This helps to make sure there are standardised logos which represent how green and eco-friendly the company or the manufacturer is. The standardised logos indicate the level of carbon footprint in a product and can help either gain the company a good image or a bad one depending on their performance and the stickers in the packaging. Designing a product for the environment and how it is contributing to the sustainability: Designing a product for the environment (DFE) process provides huge contributions towards making a business or a product highly sustainable and environmentally friendly. The objective of DFE in simple words is to reduce or prevent various different kinds of pollutions and also highlight the risks to humans and environment. DFE aims to improve products, processes and life cycle by approaching the design of the product it is also aimed to reduce the potential impacts the environment and humans may have to face or come up against. DFE applies its principles throughout the stage of its product life cycle focusing on making the steps more environmentally friendly and loss polluting hence resulting in cleaner and sustainable products. The direct result from implementation of DFE in the products life cycle can lead to prevention of various different kinds of pollution as well as reduction on the amount of toxic/ hazardous waste and chemical in the landfills. The picture above shows an example of a product life cycle which when under DFE legislation is focused in making the steps and their results more environmentally friendly and conservative. The extraction process of the raw materials is going to be the most energy consuming and time consuming process of all. This is where various sources are either dug or mined to retrieve the natural resources for the manufacturing process hence there is going to be large amount pollution and energy usage. However, this can be countered by making use of the recycling process heavily and by designing the product to be as recyclable as possible, hence less natural resources have to be destroyed for raw materials to make the products. During the process of manufacturing the various different kinds of production methods and techniques use different levels of energy and produce different levels of waste output. With the varying level of waste and usage it is hard to maintain and control the level of wastage for the manufacturing process however if the techniques and methods of manufacturing are used at its highest efficiency level the wastage is controlled to a limit and everything is controllable and manageable to a limit. Also using less dense material and energy efficient machinery can be vital during manufacturing to control the level of pollutants produced and to conserve the environment. Also by using local sourced raw material and making use of simple designs on the product it can help by a huge margin to control the level of carbon footprints produced and pollution being caused throughout the product life cycle. Making your sources locally based allows you to control the amount of pollutants emitted during the transportation phase the shorter the journey for the transportation the less the amount of carbon footprint emitted hence it helps a great deal to be able to source locally and produce your material from raw materials around you. Also choices can be made depending on the type of transportation chosen to export / transfer your product to the market, for e.g.: Transport through sea would probably cause less pollution than if chosen to transport through air or road. The usage period of the life cycle is when the product is operational and in use by the customer or the user. This is when the actual product that has been designed and manufactured is at it life cycle in the hand of the customer. However, there are also various ways which can help to make the product more sustainable and environmentally friendly one of them being the product is designed in a manner where it can be used more than once after it life span runs out for e.g. rechargeable batteries. Recycling is the step where the finished material at the end of their life cycle has an option to either become a useless waste / a pollutant to the environment or to be reused in either the same product or any other product being manufactured by the manufacturers. However, the step of recycling as well is affected with the mixture and materials being used in the product. A product with complex mixed materials would make it harder and the process of recycling longer to making it more harmful and un-sanitary for the environment. Also a simpler plain material would make it easier as well as less energy consuming to recycle the materials compared to a complex material which would have to be separated and grouped before the recycling process is applied to it. However, there are some products which cannot be recycled and need to be buried in landfills. Unless and until the buried product fully di composes and breaks down which it take a long time to it is not a sustainable method of end of life. Therefore, especially with products which cannot be recycled and need to be buried in the ground it is essential that there is no toxic material in the product which can harm the environment and the ecosystem where they are buried. 4 Methods to assess a product for their impacts on the environment: Method Description Advantage Disadvantage 1 Environmental impact assessment (EIA) Assess the possible impacts of a product towards the environmental, social and economic effects. Clearly shows you the negative impact on environment and sustainable issues. Only partial assessment is performed. 2 Environmental Impact of Products (EIPRO) Very research based analytical approach. Extremely detailed in its finding. Data received is accurate. Solutions for present and future problems can be accessed and planned. The impact the product has on the environment can be visualised before production. Very time consuming and financially not efficient enough. 3 Life cycle assessment (LCA) Assesses all the industrial system from acquiring raw materials right through to waste disposals. The environmental impact of the process can be measured at each stage of the cycle. Excellent results of environmental impact. Good comparison of results so that decision can be made to decide which method is best for the environment. Supports business strategy and research development Extremely costly. Extremely time consuming. 4 Publicly Available Specification PAS2050 Gives methodology to measure greenhouse gas emission throughout the products life cycle Benchmark to compare it with suppliers. Good image with the customer due to eco friendliness Could have a negative affect with the customers if the product isnt really eco-friendly. Reference and Bibliography http://www.bssa.org.uk/sectors.php?id=99. Last accessed 20 March 2015. Wrap org. (May 2010). Environment assessment of consumer electronic products. Available: http://www2.wrap.org.uk/downloads/Environmental_assessment_of_consumer_electronic_products.3d08bcb8.10214.pdf. Last accessed 13 March 2015. Standard Publications à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  BS8887-1 Design for Manufacture, Assembly, Disassembly and End of Life Processing à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚   ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚   ISO 14040 Life Cycle Assessment Standard à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ·Ãƒ ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚   ISO 14025 -Procedure of creating environmental declarations LFA. http://www.british-gypsum.com/about-us/sustainability/life-cycle-assessments Christina Goodrick. (March 2006). Design for waste minimisation within a food blender. Available: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Science-Progress/159026488.html. Last accessed 13 March 2015. JEM. (May 2009). Adaptable design: concepts, methods, and application. Available: http://www.sustainelectronics.illinois.edu/NSFworkshop/Reading/Adaptable%20Design%20Concepts,%20Methods,%20and%20Applications.pdf. Last accessed 20 March 2015. Azom. (28 November 2012). Polypropylene (PP) (C3H6) Plastic Recycling. Available: http://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=7899. Last accessed 20 March 2015. Unknown. (June 2011). Environmental aspects of stainless steel.Available: