Business Ethics Essay - 728 Words

Describe an ethical problem you have encountered or might encounter in your workplace. How would you approach the problem and reach a decision to solve it? Business ethics defines how a company integrates core values - such as honesty, trust, respect, and fairness - into its policies, practices, and decision-making. Business ethics is, in part, the attempt to think clearly and deeply about ethical issues in business and to arrive at conclusions that are supported by strongest possible arguments. Ethical principles are the rules of conduct that derive from ethical values. For example, honesty is a value that governs behavior in the form of principles such as: tell the truth, dont deceive, and dont cheat. In a business the ultimate†¦show more content†¦I could not overlook my team members behavior, but was it right for me to report his actions to the director? False reports could cause serious issues and complications. The project was going to be active in two weeks time frame and the testing was not yet done, and if there were any mistakes it would cost a high amount to the company and would also affect its reputation. I then met with the head of testing department to discuss his behavior. He said that his actions were like everyone elses, but I did not find his argument compelling. There were two options: I could send an honest report exposing the members fraudulent reporting, or I could falsify report myself, thus protecting his career. Neither option was acceptable. To buy more time, I convinced the company manager to give me an additional week before submitting my project. I ordered the quality assurance team to work overtime on the problems that were easiest to fix. I also had other team members who were not part of testing including myself under the guidance of a testing expert. After a week of almost constant work by all the team members, there was still some work left tested. I sent an honest report to the manager and director documenting the state of the project. The manager did receive some harsh words from the company director, but nothing of great consequence. I had maintained my integrity and minimized damage to my fellowShow MoreRelatedBusiness Ethics : Ethics And Business943 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscussions in Business is Ethics. Some people believe that the decisions businesses make in interest of the business has no place in ethics and that they are essentially amoral. These businesses believe that their main objective is to simply make a profit and that it does not affect the success of the business. Whereas some businesses believe that they have to take ethics into consideration, in order for their business to be a success. Richard T. De George (1999) states that ethics and business do notRead MoreThe Ethics Of Business Ethics1471 Words   |  6 PagesReview Nowadays, the concern for business ethics is growing rapidly in the business community around the world. Business ethics are focused on the judgment of decisions taken by managers and their behaviors. The issue regarding these judgments is the norms and cultures that shape these judgments. Business ethics are concerned about the issue, how will the issue be solved and how will it move ahead along the transition analysis as well (Carroll, 2014). Business ethics can be addressed at differentRead MoreEthics And Ethics Of Business Ethics1304 Words   |  6 PagesBusiness Ethics Varun Shah University of Texas at Dallas Business Ethics Morals are a crucial part of life. Without having principles one would never be able to distinguish the right from wrong and good from evil. Just as it applies to life in general, ethics is an integral part of doing business as well. 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However, business ethics can be defined as moral principles of a business. It examines moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment. Generally, it has both normative and descriptive dimensions. Organization practice and career specialization are regarded as normative whereas academics attempting to understand business behaviourRead MoreThe Ethics Of Business Ethics757 Words   |  4 Pagesdeciding what to do in certain situations, ethics is what guides an individual to act in a way that is good, or right. Those involved in business settings apply ethics to business situations, known as business ethics. It is expected of businesses, small and large, to follow business ethics. There is a particular framework businesses are to follow. However, the reoccurring news headlines of poor business ethics prove differently. 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According to Chris MacDonald (2010)† Ethics† can be defined as the critical, structured examinations of how we should behave - in particular, how we should constrain the pursuit of self-interest when our actions affect others. â€Å"Business ethics is the applied ethics discipline that address the moral features of commercial activity (Business ethics, 2008).Working in ethical way in business has a lot of benefits which can attractRead MoreBusiness Ethics Essay944 Words   |  4 PagesUnderstanding Business Ethics Unit 37: National Diploma Assignment brief TASK 1: Scenario: Business ethics - a study of a selected company With growing interest among consumers regarding the business ethics of the businesses brands that consumers buy, Westminster council wants to conduct an independent review of some of the organisations that sell their goods and services in the borough. You have been asked to select one of the following brands and conduct research into their business ethics. 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According to Milton Friedman, a company has the responsibility to generate as much revenue as it can while still conforming to the basic rules that society has set. These rules include the ones embodied in customs as well as in law. Similarly, Peter Drucker stated that

Here Are My Members Of My Group Elizabeth Diaz - 1492 Words

Here are my members in my group: Elizabeth Diaz: She was born in San Francisco, CA to Mexican parents. Automatically made her a U.S. Citizen until this day labeled as full Mexican. Diaz said it was difficult for her to grow up into the Mexican culture, never really fit in. Going to Mexico they would call â€Å"gringa† meant â€Å"white girl† for being born in America. Living in America same thing you don’t fit in. One thing she dislikes was people labeled her many racist things. For Diaz being a grown woman, she s proud being Mexican American and learns more about her culture. Ashten Gray: From Dallas, Texas Lesbian, Graffiti Artist, and Marijuana user. She became friends with many people of color. Brigitte Anne Dionisio: She was born and grew up in the Philippines, moved to the United States with siblings at 11 years old. Her family both speak Tagalog and English fluently at home, Dionisio said in her culture Family is valuable, That s what my elders teach at every generation. Says Dionisio. She and her family aren t that religious, Dionisio does go to church on Sundays with her family. Birthdays, Holidays or any event family always get together everyone had to attend. She is from a huge family, she follows every Filipino tradition. The last member of the group is Monthisa Jamara Alton: Born in Sacramento, CA has been to so many places. Then returned to Los Angeles and Berkeley, CA. A very determined woman to finish her education. Here is my team I ll be honest there were twoShow MoreRelatedSummary Of Elizabeth Diazs I Am My Member 1505 Words   |  7 PagesHere are my members in my group: Elizabeth Diaz: She was born in San Francisco, CA to Mexican parents. Automatically made her a US Citizen until this day labeled as full Mexican. Diaz said it was difficult for her to grow up into Mexican Culture, never really fit in. One thing she dislikes the most was people labeled her many racist names. Diaz being a grown woman, she’s proud being Mexican American and learns more about her culture. Ashten Gray: Gray is from Dallas, Texas Lesbian, Graffiti ArtistRead MoreMarket Segment Analysis to Target Young Adult Wine Drinkers7369 Words   |  30 PagesMarket Segment Analysis to Target Young Adult Wine Drinkers Elizabeth C. Thach School of Business and Economics, Sonoma State University, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, CA 94928. E-mail: Liz.Thach@sonoma.edu Janeen E. Olsen School of Business and Economics, Sonoma State University, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park, CA 94928. E-mail: Janeen.Olsen@sonoma.edu ABSTRACT Consumer segmentation in the wine industry takes on many forms: demographic, geographic, behavioral, and others+ In theRead MoreInstitution as the Fundamental Cause of Long Tern Growth39832 Words   |  160 Pageschosen for their consequences. Because different groups and individuals typically benefit from different economic institutions, there is generally a conflict over these social choices, ultimately resolved in favor of groups with greater political power. The distribution of political power in society is in turn determined by political institutions and the distribution of resources. Political institutions allocate de jure political power, while groups with greater economic might typically possess greater

Organisation Study in Ayurveda Free Essays

string(33) " is said to be a healthy person\." Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 1. INTRODUCTION Organization is a pattern of relationship through which employees under the direction of Managers pursue their common goals. It is the study and careful application of knowledge about how people act within the organization. We will write a custom essay sample on Organisation Study in Ayurveda or any similar topic only for you Order Now Organizational studies are usually conducted to gain practical knowledge about various aspects of an organization. It provides structure for this relationship to attain the goals. The organization study is similar as it reveals the effect of people collaborating as on organization, under the guidance of the higher-ups. The organizational study is an important part of our academic curriculum. This study is aimed at an opportunity to the students to observe, learn, assimilate and analysis the objectives and vision of the organization and the functioning of various departments. This study enable the student to get a practical and the real time feel of various aspects concerned with the organization and relate it to the concepts and theories studied so far in the class room. This studies would help the future manages to face the challenges lying ahead. Organization studies primarily focus to get a corporate exposure in understanding more about the organization and it’s functioning as whole. It upholds the close scrutiny of the market conditions prevalent as well as ongoing competition that reveals the pinnacle at which the organization has strived to accomplish over this time span. Since Ayuveda is gaining importance in our day today life, a detailed study of an organization manufacturing and marketing is apt in its own sense. Hence the organization study was taken up at MVM Ayurvedic research lab; a well defined industry in ayurvedic preparations situated a stone throw from Kollam. . 1 OBJECTIVES The main objectives of the study are; 1. To study about the structure of various departments in the organization. 2. To know the functioning of each of the departments. 3. To get a clear idea about product and production process 4. To understand the strengths and weakness of the organization . 5. To know the attitude of customers a nd the public towards the organization. 6. To analyze the origin and growth of the organization. 7. To know the position of the organization in the Ayurveda industry. 1. 2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge. In fact, research is an art of scientific investigation once can also define research as a science and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific topic. Research is, thus an original contribution to the existing stock of knowledge making for its advancement. For conducting the organizational study both primary and secondary data are used. * Primary Data * Interview with managers, office staff and workers. * Observations. * * Secondary Data * Data collected from reports of the firm and company websites. * Data collected from catalogues, broachers and internet. * Data collected from ayurvedic journals, magazine etc. 1. 3 SCOPE The organization study was conducted in MVM Pooyappally, 11k. m from Kottarakkara. The study place more emphasis on the process that takes place in various departments in MVM. Organization structure and management of various department of MVM are taken for the purpose of study. Sufficient attempt has been taken to cover almost all the facets of thi s organization and to understand the complex of factors that are functioning within this organization. 1. 4 LIMITATING FACTORS 1. Time bound study for the completion 2. Financial constraints 3. Non availability of confidential matters of the company 4. Lack of precision due to the biasing of the responds 2. 5 Chapterisation Chapter 1 – Includes the introduction, objectives, research methodology, and limitation of the study. Chapter 2 –This chapter deals with industry profile Chapter 3 –It includes history of company, vision, mission, and product profile of MVM Ayurvedic Reseach Lab. Chapter 4 –It describes structure of the departments and functions of the departments. Chapter 5 –This chapter contains the details regarding the firm’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and political, economical, social, technological, environmental, and legal aspects. Chapter 6 –This deals with findings, suggestions and conclusions. Chapter 2 INDUSTRIAL PROFILE ABOUT AYURVEDA Ayurveda is the oldest Indian indigenous medicine system, probably with its roots in the Indus Civilization. In the Vedic period, the osadhisukta of the Rig-Veda is the oldest documented knowledge about plants and herbal medicines. The term Ayus means duration or span of life, Veda means unimpeachable knowledge. The common translation of the Ayurveda is science of life. The earlier recorded knowledge about ayurveda is found in the Rig-Veda and the Atharvaveda, both of the second millennium BC. he Atharvaveda lists eight divisions of ayurveda; internal medicine surgery of head and neck, ophthalmology, surgery, toxicology, psychiatry, pediatrics, gerontology or science of rejuvenation and the science of fertility. According to philosophical concepts on which ayurveda is based, all bodies-material, living, conscious and unconscious- are evolved out of prakriti by the subt le influence of the purusa, the absolute or the primal self conscious principle and every component of the human organism is created out of the tathvas as evolved out of the prakrti. In ayurvedic medicine, health is defined as soundless of Sarrira, Manas and Athma. Each of these must be nurtured if the individual is to have good health. Ayurveda is basically a humoural medical system and conceives of three essential humours. The three humours are Vata, Pita; Kapha occasionally in the surgical tradition a fourth humour-blood was also added. A STUDY ON AYURVEDA Ayurveda is the ‘’knowledge or science of life’’. According to Charaka, the ancient physician-sage, life is a unified state of the physical body, the cognitive organs, Mind and the soul, thus signifying a living being. Ayurvedic deals with the maintenance of health and relief from disease. Susruta, another physician-stage of early times, Defines the healthy state thus: ‘A person whose somatic and psychic humors are In equilibrium, digestion is uniformly healthy, with normal functioning of the Fundamental tissues of the body and body wastes, accompanied by the processes of the soul and cognitive organs. This is said to be a healthy person. You read "Organisation Study in Ayurveda" in category "Papers" The primary position given to humoral equilibrium indicates its importance in maintaining health . any disequilibrium is considered to lead to disease. Health is the physiological maintenance of all the functions of living being, while disease is the disturbance in the physiology. The contemporary practice of ayurveda is based on the several hundreds volumes of classical treatise and on the officials formulatory and pharmacopoeia. REVIVAL OF AYURVEDA During the 500 years of foreign domination of India, Ayurveda was held in ridicule, and it withered. But the invisible spirit of this life science survived and thrived. Today, Ayurveda has caught the attention of the people the world over both laymen and professionals. The major credit for reviving and spreading the message of Ayurveda in the 20th century goes to the KottakkalAryaVaidasala and its founder Vaidyaratnam P. S. Varier. Called the ‘’Saviour of ayurveda in the south’, he was the first man in south India to organize the treatment of patients under the Ayurvedic system. He pioneered the production of Ayurvedic medicines on modern lines, and ensured that Ayurveda occupied. It has a rightful place among the country’s major medical system. Inspired by the zeal, vision and human compassion of its great founder, Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala carried on with its noble mission. It sailed smoothly through two World Wars, the Great Depression of the thirties and several natural calamities and political upheavals. Today, it has grown. In to a mighty organization unparallel in South India the services of the Arya Vaidya Sala reach its patients through a nation wide network of 14 branches and more than 1000 retail distributors that market its 500-odd formulations. Thousands of patients visit Kottakel every year, seeking succour at the healing hands of Arya Vaidya Sala. Ailing people from the West European, Arabian, and American and Far East countries also approach the institution. Ayurvedic /Ayurveda Ayurveda is a holistic system of medicine from India that provides guidance regarding food and lifestyle so that healthy people can stay healthy and those with health challenges can improve their health. There is several aspects to Ayurveda that are quite unique; * Its recommendations will often be different for each person regarding which food and which lifestyle they should follow in order to be completely healthy. This is due to its use of a constitutional model. *Everything in Ayurveda is validated by observation, inquiry, direct examination and knowledge derived from the ancient text. It understands that there are energetic forces that influence nature and human beings. These forces are called the Tridoshas. * Ayurveda sees a strong connection between the mind and body. Ayurveda the Indian system of nature cure Life is a combination of the body, senses, the mind and the Alma. They cannot be separated from each other and none can be neglected. From this combin ation ensures Ayur- the span of life. Ayurveda- the science of life is the knowledge of this association and of how to maintain it as long as possible. Ayus- means knowledge. This system of medicine evolved around 600 BC in India. Ayurveda is known to promote positive health, natural beauty and long life. Ayuveda believes that human beings and nature should be in perfect harmony and that disease occurs when the equilibrium between these two is disrupted. Restoration of this fundamental balance, through the use of nature and its product is the main goal of this medical system. The concept is not just curing bodily ailments but also preventing it. Ayurvedic treatments are person specific rather than disorder specific. The age of the patient, the climate in which he lives, his cultural and social surroundings and his bodily constitution are taken into account before offering a prognosis. Touch, inspection and interrogation are the main tools of diagnosis. Then the physician emphasizes a regimen of diet with the use of herbal medicines. Herbs are used to eliminate excesses and strengthen deficiencies. Their primary action is to stimulate particular organic functions. Thus ayurveda aims to solve many health problems; only through the adjustment of diet-so there are no distressing side effects. Such an approach has proven effective over the centuries and has today become an internationally acclaimed form of healing, rejuvenation and healthy living. Ayurveda is all about the science of holistic healing and it involves a complete plan to achieve the perfect health for all individuals. Despite the fact that it originated thousands of years ago, ayurveda is equally pertinent in the current scientific world. And Kerala has played a vital role in keeping the magic of Ayurveda alive. Ayurvedic health packages are an integral part of tourist activities carried out in the state. Another aspect about the important role of Ayurveda in Kerala is that Kerala’s fair climate and richness in resources make it the perfect destination for a soothing Ayurvedic massage and other traditional actions here. All these massages are readily available at our resort at attractive prices that will surprise you once you compare them to others. Our treatments include relaxing body to face massages that will add to the glow on your body as well as on your soul and will leave you to look absolutely stunning. These treatments are all done with expert hands to achieve better customer satisfaction. You can be rest assured that all these treatments, massages and other ayurvedic measures will satisfy you to your heart’s content and leave a smile on your face so much that you will crave for more!!! Health Rejuvenation Treatment The Kerala Ayurvedic Health Rejuvenation program that we offer will drive away all physical suffering, control several dreaded disabilities, ward off the middle age syndrome, retard the aging process and provide unlimited curative powers for body and mind by repairing the worn out tissues, revitalizing the body, increasing memory power, improving vigor and vitality and make oneself physically and mentally fit. This is done through a process of  cleansing by employing special medicated oil massages, Dhara/Kizhi, medicated steam bath and a rational combination of medicines to correct the functions of body and mind. This reduces overweight and mental tension, enhances body complexion and skin luster, corrects metabolism and deficiency and recharges the mind and body. Therapeutic Treatment There are no proper treatment in other systems of medicines like allopathic for diseases such as Arthritis, Spondylitis, Lumbago, Slip Disc, Frozen Shoulder, Stress Strain, and Sciatica etc. A variety of result-proven procedures are available in Ayurveda namely Pizhichil, Njavarakishi, Abhayangam, Sirodhara, Elakizhi etc. for treating these problems. PIZHICHIL It is a relaxing, soothing and rejuvenating treatment with medicated warm oil used in a continuous stream for a definite period for the whole body (excluding head neck). It is used to effectively treat arthritis, ageing, general weakness, paralysis etc. ‘Pizhichil’ and ‘Sarvangadhara’ are technically the same. ’Pizhichil’ literally means ‘squeezing’. Here, warm medicated oil is squeezed over the patient’s body from a piece of cloth that is periodically dipped in a vessel containing the oil. In Sarvangadhara, oil is poured over the patient’s body from pitchers. Pizhichil requires a lesser quantity of oil when compared to Sarvangadhara. Before beginning Pizhichil, a suitable type of oil should be applied to the head and body of the patient. In some cases, a talam is also applied on the head and bandaged with leaves. The masseur usually begin by squeezing oil on to the shoulders and then down the hands of the patient who sits in an upright position. Each masseur uses on hand to pour the oil hile massaging with the other. Pizhichil is recommended for diseases caused by a vitiation of the Vata humour-Pakshaghata (Hemiplegia), paralysis and muscle spasms – and other degenerative diseases that affect the muscles. NJAVARAKIZHI’ It is a whole body massage using medicated milk-porridge made into a bundle. It is an immuno-enhancing rejuvenation therapy and is made use of in convalescence period of injury and trauma, muscular wasting, arthritis, general weakness, paralysis etc. SIRODHARA It is a unique treatment where specific medicated oils are used to bathe the head in a regular stream for a definite period. It is an effective therapy for mental relaxation and cures insomnia, stress, depression, decreased mental agility etc. When medicated buttermilk replaces oil (sneha), the therapy is called Takradhara. If medicated milk is used instead of medicated oil, then the process is called. SHIROVASTHI It is considered more of a palliative (Shamana) treatment than an eliminative (Shodhana) one. The treatment is usually preceded by oleation (Snehana) and sudation (Swedana) a leather sleeve of about six to eight inches in length is placed on the shaven head of the patient and a band (vartti) tied around the forehead to keep it in place. Kneaded dough is used to line the inside of this sleeve and ensure that it does not leak. Oil is then poured into the sleeve and allowed to remain on the head for a while. The oil commonly used is Ksheerabala or Dhanwantaram. The length of time the oil should be kept there is determined by the severity of the disease. Usually it is up to fifty minutes for diseases caused by severe Vata disorders. This treatment is prescribed for disorders like facial paralysis, cataract, deafness, earache, insomnia and other diseases that afflict the cranial nerves. ABHYANGAM It is otherwise known as Uzhichil where medicated oil is used to massage the body with specific implications to the 107 vital points (marmas) of the body. It helps to give better circulation, muscular tone, mental tranquility and better health maintenance. ELAKIZHI It is an innovative classical massage with medicated leaves and is used to tackle joint pain, muscle cramps, stress and arthritis. Basics of Ayurveda In Ayurveda, living beings are supposed to be created and composed of five eternal substance namely space, air, fire, water and earth and three humors nd seven basic tissues. Disease is understood as an imbalance between the body’s three humors. The three humors are Vata Pitta and Kapha. Vata consists of the predominance of air and space, Pitta consists of the predominance of Agni and Kapha is predominant of water. These three humors are present in tissues and doshas. The seven basic tissues or Sapta Dhatu are Rasa, Rakta, Mamsa, Medas, Asthi, and Shukra. As soon as fo od is taken, it is digested and Saara and Mala are produced. Mala means sweat, urine, faeces, nasal discharge, eye and ear discharges and so on. The three humors move from one part of the body to another part and produces sound health, happiness, good complexion, resistance against disease and decay and physical strength. But if they are excited or vitiated they not only produce disease but also degeneration of the body. Vata (Air) The activities and movements of the body and basic emotion are governed by Vata. The main functions are to give motion to the body and the conduction of impulses from sensory organs and separation of Rasa, Kitta from the body, the secretion and evacuation of urine and semen. It is responsible for speech, tactile sensation, hearing and basic emotions. It is also responsible for the formulation and development of foetus in intrauterine life. When Vata is deranged or vitiated, it produces psychosomatic disorder and thereby loss of weight, loss of biological and physical strength causing congenital deformities. Types and Sites of Vata According to the functions and the site of activity, Vata is of 5 types. 1. Prana 2. Udana 3. Vyana 4. Apana 5. Samana Prana vayu is located in the head, nose, tongue and the cheast. Its most important function is to control the mind and the respiratory activity. Udana Vayu is situated in umbilical region, chest and neck and is responsible for the Vocal functions. Samana Vayu is situated in the stomach and duodenum is responsible for the digestion of food material and separation of waste products. The regulation of body temperature, composition of body fluids and movement of Kapha and Pitta are also its important functions. Vyana Vayu is mainly situated in the heart and travels all over the body, regulates the circulation of blood and also the movement of the body. Apana Vayu is mainly situated in the intestines, rectum and the urinary bladder. Its main functions are secretion and evacuation of urine, semen, regulation of menstrual flow and expulsion of foetus and faeces. Pitta (Bile) The Pitta is blue and yellow in colour, liquid; light, viscous, acrid, sour in taste, fleshy and unpleasant in smell, hot to touch. It is the byproduct of blood. It imparts colour to the blood, promotes digestion, vision and is responsible for intellectual functions in the body. It is mainly responsible for the production of body heat, appetite, thirst, complexion, intelligence and courage. AYURVRDIC MEDICINE INDUSTRY IN INDIA Several thousand companies in India produce Ayurvedic medicines, but most of them are quite small, including numerous neighborhood pharmacies that compound ingredients to make their own remedies. It is estimated that the total value of products from the entire Ayurvedic production in India is on the order of one billion dollars. Less than a dozen major companies have dominated the industry for decades, joined recently by few others that have followed their lead, so that there are today 30 companies doing a million dollars or more per year in business to meet the growing demand for Ayurvedic medicine. The products of these companies are included within the broad category of â€Å"Fast Moving Consumer Goods†. Most of the larger Ayurvedic medicine suppliers provide materials other than Ayurvedic internal medicines, particularly in the areas of foods and toiletries where there may be some overlap with Ayurveda, such as having traditional herbal ingredients in the composition of toiletries. Tulsi has been used for thousands of years in Ayurveda for its diverse healing properties. It is mentioned by Charaka in the Charaka Samhita, an ancient Ayurvedic text. Tulsi is considered to be an adaptive balancing different processes in the body, and helpful for adapting to stress. Marked by its strong aroma and astringent taste, it is regarded in Ayurveda as a kind of â€Å"elixir of life† and believed to promote longevity. The key suppliers in Ayurveda are Dabur, Baidyanath and Zandu, which together have about 85% of Indians domestic market. Various writers mention these and a handful of other companies repeatedly about the Ayurvedic business in India; a brief description is provided for them, arranged here from oldest to newest. Dabur India Ltd. India’s largest Ayurvedic medicines supplier and the fourth largest producer of FMCG. It was established in 1884, and had grown to a business level in 2003 of about 650 million dollars per year, through only a fraction of that is involved with Ayurvedic medicines. Last year, about 15% of sales volume was pharmaceuticals; the remaining 85% were mostly non-medicine items such as foods and cosmetics Daburs Ayurvedic Specialties Division has over 260 medicines for treating a range of ailments and body conditions from common cold to chronic paralysis. These materials constitute only 7% of Daburs total revenue. Dabur Chyawanprash has market share of 70% and chewable Hajmola Digestive Tablets has an 88% share. Other major products are Dabur Amla Hair Oil, Vatika and Lal Dant Manjan. Sri Baidyanath Ayurvedic Bhawan Ltd. Baidyanath was founded in 1917 in Calcutta, and specializes in Ayurvedic medicines, through it has recently expanded into the FMCG sector with cosmetic and hair care products; one of its International products in Shikakai (soap pod) Shampoo. Baidyanath has a sales volume of About 350 million dollars, but most of the products sales are in the cosmetic range. The company reports having over 700 ayurvedic products made at 10 manufacturing centers, With 1,600 employees. Included items are herbal Teas, patent medicines, massage oil and Chawanprash. Zandu Pharmaceutical Works It was incorporated in Bombay in 1919, named after and 18th century Ayurvedic. The company focuses primarily on ayurvedic Products. However, today Zandu has chemicals division and cosmetics division. Its total sales volume is about 45 million dollars. One of its current projects is to develop a dopamine drug for a plant extract, applying for new drugs status in the U. S. Himalaya Drug Company Himalaya was established in 1934 in Banglore. It currently has a business level about 500 million dollars and has a U. S. distribution division. It is known in the U. S for the product Liv-52, marketed as a liver protector and therapy for liver diseases like vital hepatitis; the product was first marketed in India in 1955. Charak Pharmaceuticals Charak was founded in 1947, and currently has three distribution centers in India; it produces liquid, tablets and veterinary supplies. It has gained a large advantage with its new product Evanova, a preparation containing 33 herbs and minerals and non-hormonal active ingredients used as menopause treatment alternatives to HRT. Soya is one of the main ingredients used in this product. The product also contains Ayurvedic herbs that act like selective estrogen receptor modulators as well as asparagus root, which reduces the frequency and intensity of hot flashes. Vicco Laboratories VICCO Laboratories was established in 1958. I t mainly produces topical therapies based on Ayurveda and is based on Ayurveda and is best known internationally for its toothpaste product, Vajradanti, which has been marketed in the U. S for more than 25 years. Emami Group Emami was founded in 1974, provides a diverse range of products, doing 110 million dollars of both business annually, through only a portion is involved with Ayurvedic product, through its Himani line; the company is mainly involved with toiletries and cosmetics, but also provides Chyawanprash and other health products. Aimil Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Incorporated in 1984 and engaged in manufacturing and sale of both generic and proprietary Ayurvedic medicines, with a business level about 20 million dollars annually. Its wide range of Ayurvedic herbal formulations, covering most therapeutic segments, was honored by the Indian government’s National Award for Quality Herbal preparations and National Award for R ; D in the year 2002. It is known for its proprietary formulas for hepatitis, diabetes, menstrual disorders, digestive disorders and urinary diseases. Several small companies that have grown rapidly in recent years envision hemselves as primary players in the Ayurvedic market. As an example, Viswakeerthy Ayurvedic medicines in India. Viswkeerthy Ayurvedic Pharmacy was founded by Dr. K. Mohammadkutty a great friend of Nature and Ayurveda. Started in 1977, as a fledging pharmacy, viswakeerthy today is one of the largest manufactures of Ayurvedic Medicines with a formidable presence all over Ker ala. The dynamic leadership of Dr. K. M. Kutty, complemented by the energetic drive of his team of young enthusiastic professionals has taken viswkeerthy Ayurvedic Pharmacy to new heights. The philosophy behind the inception was to â€Å"serve Humanity through Ayurveda- the Authentic Way† by propagating and practicing genuine Ayurveda and producing quality Ayurvedic medicines. Today, this philosophy has taken Viswakeerthy to new heights of Ayurvedic excellence. Realizing the importance of standardization of medicines and the modernization of production, Viswakeerthy took the significant step of updating the technology of the existing pharmacy and establishing a sophisticated private limited company, Viswkeerthy Herbals Pvt. Ltd at Kalpakanchery, Malappuram District of Kerala. Chapter -3 COMPANY PROFILE Brief History The M. V. M organization was started in 1991 as a sole proprietorship of Mr. K. M BABU. During the preliminary stages the firm was producing only General medicines. Manivaidhyan is the father of K. M BABU, he had a hospital and he was an efficient Doctor. This unit was not profitable in its initial stages. The proprietor realizes the reasons for the failure and re-oriented the business. They decided to introduce a new product called â€Å"Krishnathulasi cough syrup†. The management formulated some new marketing techniques like giving more importance to advertisement. As a result, the sales turnover went up and the firm becomes profit. The name MVM is derived from the names of their beloved father Mani Vaidhyan. Mr. K. M Babu, the managing director is the backbone of the organization. The initial invest of the company was only 6 lakhs. The company commenced its commercial production during 1993 and with a short span it has grown into dominant establishment. The company could provide employment to more than 70 persons directly and they also provide opportunity to the distributors. After the manufacture of cough syrup the company developed one more product called â€Å"Krishnathulasi hair tonic’’. he company markets its products to different gulf counties through distributors. The company has scored a 100% growth rate with its innovative product range and drug category license are awaited from different countries. The company achieved the standard of ISO 9002 certification from well-reputed international agencies. All the machineries keep the GMP standard and are based on the latest technology and gives high performance and least wastages. The introduction of most modern equipments and implementation of high quality standards helps to stand in a par with international standard. COMPANY PROFILE From a dream seen by a visionary, Mr. K. M Babu, MVM has come a long way. Originating from a small makeshift research and developed center and Clinic, the first product hit the market. From such a humble beginning to research to the level of one of the Kerala’s largest Company has been a saga of dedication, commitment and application. Today krishnathulasi has established an overwhelming presence across the globe with a vast range of products and services in Ayurvedic sector. The company has recorded a phenomenal growth rate during the current year while totaling the sales more than Rs 5 core. Moreover strategically sound marketing sense and techniques, employed by a talent pool of professional has seen to the increasing presence of the company’s products in the shop shelves around the world. The company has a full-fledged R;D facility where original research work is done on various divisions are headed by doctorate holders with long experience in Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Photochemistry etc†¦ The company has also initiated a scheme for the cultivation of the spices described in the famous Hothouse Malabaricus, the renowned 17th century work. A large number of these spices are lost or unidentifiable today. The objective is to identity those presumed lost and create a biological environment suitable for the spices for the benefit of the future generation. Vision The company has an inspiring and ambitious vision for future growth. The vision targets the systematic popularization of Ayurveda so that by every human being shall use Ayuveda at least for meeting a part of his or her general health care needs. Mission The company is vowed to explore the vast Indian flora to bring out life saving herbal preparations with no side effects and 100% efficacy. The dedication with a missionary zeal and enthusiasm Mr. K. M Babu and his team of ayuvedic research are succeeding in curing diseases which other systems of medicines presumed incurable. Utmost purity and superlative standards are maintained by conscientious research and strict quality control measures for the people to enjoy the benefits of traditional ayurveda medicines. Product profile ETHICAL PRODUCTS OTC PRODUCTS Ethical Products Arishtams Choornams Kashayams Kuzhambus Lehyams Thailams OTC Products Krishnathulasi cough syrups Krishnathulasi hair tonic OTC PRODUCTS Krishnathulasi cough syrup Krishnathulasi cough syrup is the age-old, natural way of cough relief. A blend of 100% herbal ingredients, Krishnathulasi Cough syrup contains no sedatives or steroids and is free from any side effects. Raw materials used The main raw materials used in krishnathulasi cough syrups are Cardamom, Clove Ginger, Glucose, Kamtakari, Pepper, Sugar, Thulasi leaves, Vasaka, Yashtimadhu etc Dosage: Adults 1-2 teaspoons 4-6 times daily Children below 2 years: ? teaspoon 3-4 times daily Children 2-6 years: 1 teaspoon 3-4 times daily Children 6-12 years: 1-2 teaspoon 3-4 times daily Krishnathulasi hair tonic Hair Tonic is a highly effective remedy for falling hair and premature graying. Use it and rejuvenate your hair from the root up. Raw materials The important raw materials used for the preparation of hair tonic are Amla, Brahmic, Cocooil, Kattarvazha, Kayyonni, Keizharmelli, Lemmon Dosage and Direction Apply on the scalp before every bath ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE Organizational structure is a basic framework within which the managers decision making behaviors takes place. Structure basically deals with relationships. The structure of a system is the arrangement of its subsystems and components at a given moment of time. Organization structure can be viewed as established pattern of relationships among the components of the organization. it refers to the differentiation and integration of activities and authority, role and relationships in the organization. It is the pattern in which various parts or components are interrelated or interconnected and also shows the relationships among various activities and position. Since various persons hold these positions, the structure is the relationship among people in the organization. Organization structure is set forth initially by the design of the major components or subsystem. It is the patterning of these relationships with some degree of permanency, which is referred to as Organization structure. Role of organization structure Organization structure is capable of serving many functions at the same time but cannot serve all the functions equally well over unlimited time. Structure created for one purpose may not serve other purpose well. Therefore, it is important for managers to determine the outcomes desired from organization structure; and to match the organization with changing needs. ORGANISATION CHART Chapter-4 DEPARTMENT PROFILE unctional departments * administrative department * research and development department * purchase department * production department * stores department * marketing department * finance department * human resource department PERSONNEL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENT Administrative department is considered to be the brain of every concern. It sets the goals and objectives to be accomplished and formulate plans and decision. T he administrative Officer Mr. Mohanan Nair heads this department in MVM and is supported by assistant administrative officer. There are other two office assists working as subordinate assistant administrative officer. At mvm, the administrative departments’ looks after the personnel management function also. Around 70 workers are employed in the organization including 50 workers and 20 office staffs. The office hours in the company starts at 10 am and finishes at 5. 30 pm. while the factory hour is from 8. 30 am to 5. 30 pm. It is obvious that there exists strong industrial relation with in the organization. Both the officers and workers are free to communicate with the managing director about their problems and suggestions. Hence it is clear that an open door policy of communication is followed. The general body meeting of the organization is conducted once in every two months and management review meeting is conducted weekly. The management gives adequate weight age to employees’ suggestions in the meeting. The workers also have adequate participation in the decision making process. So they are more loyal to the company and no trade unions are followed to grow with in the concern. The company is undertaking various welfare measures to ensure safety and security to the workers. Both monetary and non-monetary benefits are offered to them. The facilities such as medical allowances, canteen facilities etc are enjoyed by the employees. In case of any overtime work, extra charges and transport facilities are made available to the workers. The organization follows a time rate system of wage payment. They pay remuneration to the workers on monthly basis. As production is carried out under strict supervision, it does not give rise to idle time. Since the administrative department undertakes the functions of personal department also, they manage the recruitment, selection and training of personnel. Selection of candidates is made through interviews and on-the job training. Following are the expenses met by the Company * Raw material cost * Manufacturing expenses * Labor cost * Selling expenses * Administrative expenses Recruitment and selection In MVM recruitment of new employees were selected from the candidate by advertisement is released in newspaper. This department has to analyze each job to determine the nature of work, the necessary qualification, required training etc. Selection process Most of the companies follow different process of selects a person. Following are the important process of selection. * Screening of application * Interview Final selection * Inviting application * Performance Appraisal Performances of the employees are appraised on the basis of their commitment toward the work, their regular attendance and the quality of work done. For the Performance appraisal following factors are included; * Job knowledge * Efficiency * Achievement of target * Co-operative * Communication * Organizing ability * Leadership * Judgment * Physic al and Mental stamina * Discipline * Attendance * Punctuality * Motivation * Integrity Financial benefits Company provides various financial assistance for its workforce. It includes educational benefits for family members and financial benefits incase of emergency situation. Fringe benefits They provide Employment provident fund to their employees and also provides bonus to their employees. The following benefits are * Traveling allowances * Annual leaves * Compensation leave * Medical benefits Grievance handling In MVM if an employee is not satisfied with the decision of the head of the department we can approach straight the general manager. Again if he is not satisfied with the decision of the general manager he can approach to the managing director. Wages and Salary Administration * The wages of employee consist of basic wages, dearness allowances, provident fund, Incentives and bonus. The salary is fixed to the office staff and wages are paid to the workers. * Salary is fixed according to the seniority and positions of the employees. * Wages are paid according to the minimum wages act to the workers. * Company also provides additional bonus and long term incentives. * The company is also providing medical care facilities etc RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT The R;D department is well equipped to carry out any type of research in the field of ayurveda. Research department is the core area for MVM as all products are developed there under the keen supervision of Dr. Vincent. Mrs. Leelamma Babu is the chief of R;D department. Under R;D department there are five departments- Department of Pharmacology, Dept. of Quality control Dept. of Chemistry and Dept. of Botany. Dept of Chemistry has two divisions- Dept of Biochemistry and Dept. of Analytical Chemistry. Each these sub departments has two assistants. The department of Quality control and Pharmaceutics are followed by two assistants. All the product of MVM is the output of this department. All the products are 100% natured ayurvedic formulation. The official declaration and recognition of MVM is another noticeable achievement added to the crown of the Company. PURCHASE DEPARTMENT The purchase departments make all purchase for the company. The purchasing function has emerged as a specialized organizational activity. His success of the purchasing department depends upon the quality of the inputs and also upon the ability of the purchasing department personnel to analyze the inputs to the fullest extent. Mr. Isac is the head of purchase department. He has an assistant manager followed by two assistants. The company makes all the purchases only after obtaining purchase requisition from the stores department. Purchase department has appropriate store coding for all of its raw materials and for packing materials. Cartoons and wrappers are purchased on job order basis. Packing materials are purchased from Sivakasi in Tamilnadu and plant was purchased from Thankasi. Most of the raw materials are purchased from outside Kerala, especially from Tamilnadu. Some are cultivated in the Company’s own garden. Purchase are made both on cash and credit basis, the suppliers usually give thirty or more days to make payments. PROCEDURE The stores department generate purchase indent when the stock level maintained at the store reaches the reorder level. The purchase indent is handed over; with this purchase order materials are reorder. Goods inward note is prepared based on the incoming materials. Quality check is conducted on the incoming material to check whether the material stand up to the standard stipulated under the acceptable norms. Then they will prepare store inward note. According to the requirement of the production department the materials are issued. R;D Request Purchase Dept Stores Purchase Indent Materials Receives Stores AcceptReject PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT This department is headed by the production manager –Mr. Vinodh and immediately followed by the production manager. The production supervisor and packing supervisors is subordinate to the assistant manager and they are assisted by production assistant and packing assistant respectively. There are separate workers for both production and packing. The various products manufactured are subject to inspection by the quality inspector t ensuring that they are up to the standard. The plant is equipped with modern machineries and operations are organized under the watchful eyes of talented physicians and health scientists. Production and manufacturing facilities are fully geared for the mass production of Ayurvedic medicines in strict adherence to ancient Ayurvedic scriptures. Incorporation of modern technology for mass production, upholding traditional value, makes the facilities a well-integrated synthesis of tradition and modernity. The Company’s manufacturing operations are mechanized to a large extent by making further contributions by way of hygiene, accuracy and speed. There are nearly 50 workers, both male and female, working under production and packing section respectively. These workers are paid on monthly basis. For any overtime work, extra charges are paid and transport facilities are also provided. Other facilities such as canteen are also provided to the workers. Production Process * . Raw material Verification * . Pulverization * Grinding * Boiling * Continuous staring of materials * Finishing * Packing MAINTENANCE WING Maintenance is very important to extend the useful life of an asset. maintenance has not only to reduce scheduled stoppage time but attempt to void unscheduled stoppages and breakdowns by frequent performance checking, testing and providing inspection and skillful repair when required to ensure better service, availability and reliability. The effectiveness of production is highly dependant on the quality of maintenances service facility. For the proper maintenance and repair of plant and machinery, a separate maintenance w ing functions under the control of General Manager. The principal objectives of this wing; * Is to maximize the availability and reliability of assets. * To extend the useful life of assets by minimizing wear and tear and deterioration. to ensure operational readiness of all equipment required for emergency use at all times * To ensure safety of personnel using facilities. This wing includes fitter, electrician and plumber. This wing carries out both preventive maintenance and breakdown maintenance. Preventive maintenance is done as and when required. With the permission of General Manager, outside agencies are considered for special cases and paid separately. PACKING SECTION Packing is defined as the general group of activities in product planning, which involve designing and producing the container or wrapper for a product. There is a separate section for the packing of the products. Manufacturing date, expiry date etc is printed on the wrappers. In India, they use different language targeting different states. Important decisions regarding packing and labeling is taken by top management. STORES DEPARTMENTS The success of every business depends to a large extent on the efficient storage and material control. As all the activities in any organization cannot be carried out at one point of time, storage is an inevitable process. Stores department shall check the material received and confirm that the material supplied meets all purchase order chart condition. Stores department is under the control of purchase manager followed by store manager, then storekeeper. The storekeeper looks after the various activities related to the store-keeping department. They are keeping minimum stock to every product. They are keeping 200 cases of Krishnathulasi cough syrup as minimum and in the case of hair tonic, they keep 100 cases. Purchase manager stores manager stores keeper MARKETING DEPARTMENTS The modern market is consumer oriented market and it deals with customers. A satisfied customer is a good advertiser of that product. So customer satisfaction is very important. Marketing department is the nerve system of MVM. Marketing manager Mr. Vinodh manages the function of this department with the assistance of area sales manager and assistant marketing manager. Area sales manager is intended to control the external marketing functions and the assistant manager controls the internal functions of marketing. The sales officer follows the area sales manager and assistant marketing manager and sales representative is the immediate subordinate of Sales Officer. The main function of this department is to ensure uninterrupted distribution of products to the customers. It makes a market study with the help of out side agencies to know the demand for their respective products and supply is made accordingly. Now they are ready to market new products. Their main product Krishnathulasi cough syrup is supplied to almost every state within India. The company has successfully exported to Malaysia, Singapore and other gulf countries and is aiming to tap the market of USA. all the distribution activities are done with the help of distributors, their main agece are Monark Internationals and Star exporters. They were gave 10-12% commission to the wholesalers. ADVERTISEMENT POLICY TV, Radio and News papers are the main modes of advertisement. They will spend more than 1crore per year for the advertisement activities. MVM has the policy of direct advertisement; there is no agency for it. Distributing Agency Agencies around Kerala The main agencies of MVM around Kerala are * Indian Drug House –Trivandrum * AB Agency,AAssociates-Kollam * Rose Pharma-Kochi * Sydha agencies-Kozhikodu Outside Agencies The outside agencies are * Kottakkel-bombay * Vivek traders-Maglore PROCEDURES FOLLOWING FOR A NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Step – 1 Market analysis Market analysis is a process including the evaluation of the existing market condition in order to find out the nature and trend of the market. It is the best way to find out the strength and weakness of the close competitors and it is very easy to identify the procedures which are of very powerful and useful to compete and to be one of the successful companies in the industry. Market analysis is the best way to tackle with the customer’s tastes and preferences. It will help the firm in order to launch the production in a very conducive environment, and it is very important for the better survival of the company. Market analysis helps the company in order to find out whether there is any similar type of product or where there is any product which is existing in the market which can be of offer tight competition with our products. Step – 2 Fixing of affordable price (Pricing) A firm whether it is a new firm or an already existing firm, the main target of the firm is the objective that is the maximization of profit. It is possible only by boosting of sales towards the maximum extent and which should be cash sales and with ultimately carefully settled price with an intelligence analytical decision. Pricing is exactly the main sensible area of business operation, because any decision whether it is favorable for the organization or not favorable for the organization it is having a very deep impact on the close survival of the company. Whether the price settled is of lesser than the anticipated price or the price of the competitors the product will some time will be accepted but the ultimate result for the firm will be of negative and a huge loss is the final result. If the price settled is considerable higher than the price of the competitors the product will summarily be rejected in the market, because there is plenty of choice for the customers to go for considerably lesser cost project with a required quality. Hence decision regarding the pricing of the product is very important and the price so fixed should be very reasonable and affordable by the customers. This kind of decision is only possible by a close analysis of the market. The best way analysis and comparison of the prices, the product which of substitutable character with our product or having the products ith same quality or same character. Step -3 Availability of potential distributors The success of a particular product is lying on the clear cut distribution. There should be potential distributed must be there in order to promote proper distribution and clearance of goods from the go down of the firm. There should be prompt payment should ensure on the part of the distributor. In order for the better survival of the product in the general market. The way to find out a better distributor is on the shoulders of the potential marketing departments through efficient marketing executives. Step – 4 Reaching of the final consumer through the retailer The success of new product is that point at which it is received by the consumer and when the product is accepted by the end user. Here the actual role is playing by the sales executives and selling department. Retailer so selected must be of having the potentiality to market the product with so care and ability. The sales executives must paid clear attention on the after distribution follow-up, because exhibiting the product on the vicinity of the consumer is paying a crucial part for the movement of the goods in the highly competitive industry. FINANCE DEPARTMENT Finance is considered as the life blood of every business. Hence finance department has significant importance in business organization. In this organization, finance Director- Mrs. Licy controls finance department. The accountant is subordinate to the Director and Accounts Manager assists him. The accounts Manager is immediately followed by three assistants who help in carrying out the functioning of the department. The main function of the department is to manage the available finance efficiently and to keep the books of accounts up to date. It is evident from the records that the company has made an interesting tendency in profit percentage and the turnover for the year 2007-2008 was around Rs. 6 crore. The company uses both owned and borrowed fund. Corporate bank provides the main source of borrowed fund. They also have a good forienexchange record by export in their product. Internal audit is done during the years in the organization. Cost per bottle Cost of cough syrup-24. 90 Cost of Hair tonic-79 Chapter-5 COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS 5. 1 SWOT ANALYSIS Strength 1. Peaceful atmosphere is maintained in the company. 2. There is no trade union in the company. . No chance of strikes and disputes inside the organization. 4. Workers participation in decision making process. 5. Both the workers and employees are sincere and loyal to the company. 6. The employees are satisfied with their working environment. 7. Less labour turnover. 8. R D department plays an important role in the growth of the organization. 9. The company has dive rsified range of products. 10 The products of MVM have a good brand image. Weakness 1. Some of the raw materials are brought from different parts of India . 2. Most of the customers were unaware about the classical products. 3. Lack of advertisements in other states. 4. Sales promotion measures for classical products are less compared to other types of products. OPPURTUNITIES 1. The company had a greater opportunity to expand their brand in more nations. 2. Because of wide variety of products the company is expected to be more successful. 3. Fast growing market. 4. Globalization. THREATS 1. Fast growing technology 2. Competitors have stronger brand names. 3. Allopathic treatment gives fast relief compared to ayurveda. Chapter-6 FINDINGS, SUGGETIONS AND CONCLUSION 6. 1 FINDINGS * The management and employees maintains a good relationship. The employees were satisfied with their working environment. * The employees are remunerated with time rate system. * There is no trade union in the organization. * The company has a full-fledged RD department. * The company gives utmost importance to product quality. * Good services for the customers. 6. 2 SUGGESTIONS * Purchasing raw materials from outside is very expensi ve so, it would be more economical if they arrange it by themselves. * Should give more importance to advertisement. * Packing of the products should be made more attractive. * They should expand their product line Conduct market surveys for identifying the customer needs 6. 3 CONCLUSION The study had been carried out to analyze the functioning of various departments. It helps me to understand the functions of various departments of the organization. The company is managed by professionally qualified and experienced team of managers and staffs. The company was established under the name and style of MVM in 1992. MVM achieve greater heights during the past two decades in ayurveda. Today MVM Herbal India has established an overwhelming presence across the globe with a vast range of products and services in Ayurvedic sector. The company is a foot to forge ahead with the soul intention of ensuring harmony of body, mind and soul. The company has an inspiring and ambitious vision for future growth. BIBLIOGRAPHY * Chabra T. N, Human Resource Management – Dhanapat Rai Company private limited,NewDelhi,2003. * Panday IM, Financial management-Vikas Publishing House private Limited,NewDelhi,2004 * Prasad LM ,principle practices of Mgt, Sultan Chand and sons publications,NewDelhi 2004 * Department Files * Annual reports * Company Website How to cite Organisation Study in Ayurveda, Papers

Data Mining Applications For Risk Detection â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Data Mining Applications For Risk Detection? Answer: Introduction This report analyzes the IT risks that are prevalent in allowing employees to bring their own devices in the work place. The assessment analyzes the IT risk that Aztek will be exposed to by allowing their employees to bring their own devices such as laptops, tablets, and mobile devices to the workplace to be used as the main or the only devices in achieving task at the workplace. IT risk management is the process of applying methods and techniques of risk management to manage situations and scenario that exposes a business organization to undesirable outcomes. IT Risk management is considered as part of the broad enterprise risk management. This structuring, establishing, maintaining and continuous monitoring, repair and maintenance of information security management system helps to ensure the important data and the systems are secure and free from interference. Some of the common risks in IT include lack of proper documentation, poor communication in the organization, lack of proper coordination in the organization, risk of failure of the devices, lack of data security, third party risk management issues, risk of fraud and misconduct, risk of complacency by the employees, risk of crisis occurring in the organization, risk of misuse of devices and the risk conflicts between the employees and the organization (Olson Wu,2008). This report analyzes all the potential risk situations in the environment of Aztek. The paper analyzes the potential loss from this risk and helps to examine on whether or not the company should go ahead with the project. The paper also analyzes the project in respect to the Financial Service Sector which includes government and private institutions. This will help to provide important information to help in carrying out this task, the existing recommendation in this industry and the consequences and threats arising from the IT framework being used by the organization. Review of project in respect to the financial services sector The project of Aztek allowing employees to bring their own devices and use them at the workplace has many risks associated with it. Given that Aztek is a financial institution, it is clear that there are risks levels are high since the financial services industry is already at risk due to the probability of theft or fraud. Most financial institutions in Australia and globally, nowadays use mobile devices or tablets to provide services to clients. The use of these devices has been driven by the growth in the usage of internet and mobile technology by customers. This has resulted to change in behavior of consumers. Consumers nowadays are not interested in visiting financial institutions physically and they prefer getting the services they require from the comfort of their mobile device or other gadgets such as tablets or laptop (Moran, 2014). The need for fast and efficient services has resulted in increase in usage of technology in financial services industry. This has therefore broug ht about the need for most of the staff working in financial organizations to use these electronic devices while carrying out their tasks at the workplace. The risks that are most prevalent for Aztek allowing its employees to use their own devices to perform tasks in the organization include. The employees may tend to misuse social media. Social media sites are the bottom line of today`s mobile phone technological innovations. There are very many social media sites today and most of them are compatible with mobile phones and other devices such as laptops and tablets. Allowing employees to bring their own devices to the company for use in performing tasks related to the their job might result to employees misusing social media (Harkins, 2013). This may be through posting personal messages to customers and this may result to undesirable consequence for the company. The company has social media accounts which it uses to communicate regularly with its customers and which helps the company to get feedback from customers. Therefore allowing customers to use personal devices to carry out tasks related to the job may lead to customers using social media in appropriately and may end up ruining the companys relationship with customers. The employees may also engage customers unprof essionally by starting dating or any other casual inappropriate behavior. Allowing customers to use their personal devices at the workplace may lead to violation of regulatory requirements in the industry. The financial services industry has many regulations related to the transactions and relations with customers. The financial industry restricts the sharing of client information with other people and it may result to serious violations which may end up being so costly for the business. The use of personal devices by employees may result to the risk of violating the privacy regulations in the industry. The financial industry has strict regulations regarding the privacy of customers and therefore the risk of this project is too high. The financial industry regulators have put restriction on the handling of financial records regarding the handling of accounting information. The recording of cash transactions and other aspects of accounting that are sensitive in te operations of the business are sensitive and therefore the industry regulations have set basic rules and policies regarding the accounting information. Use of personal devices by employees of the in Aztek may result to increase in contradicting information being entered by different employees and thus making it difficult to account for the daily transactions at the company. The use of personal devices by employees at Aztek may also result to unauthorized employees getting access to confidential company information. This is because the use of these devices will make it easy for all employees to access passwords and other security to the IT system of the company (Hussain, 2010). Due to this access, the employees who are not allowed to assess particular information may get access to this information and thus resulting to loss of confidentiality within the organization. Some employees may tend to misuse the confidential information obtained and this may result to harm for the company. The confidential information obtained may also be traded to the competitors and used to intimidate Aztek. This may eventually give the competitors a competitive advantage and therefore ruin the market share of Aztek. Review of project in regard to current security posture of Aztek The use of personal devices by the employees of the company may result to violation of some company policies and procedures. The companys code of ethics has clear indications concerning the operations of the company and the conduct of employees at the workplace. By allowing employees to use their personal devices at the workplace, this would be in contradiction to the policy which indicates that only specific employees are allowed access to data and information concerning the company accounts and information on customers. Only senior company employees are allowed to assess the data on important customer information. Therefore by allowing all employees to use their personal devices to carry out tasks at the organization, it may result to the employees and the organization itself disregarding the ethics and policies of the company. The risk of violating the company policies may lead to lack of discipline among employees in regard to other matters in the company. The project by Aztek of allowing all employees to bring their personal devices for the use in carrying out company tasks results to the risk of losing important company data. By allowing employees to use their personal devices to carry out tasks related to the job,it may expose the company to unprecedented risk situation breach of security. The personal devices of employees may not be that secure and might be corrupted with many different viruses in form of software. Therefore, when these devices are allowed access to the companys databases and other software, it may destroy all the data available in the system. The backup data servers may also be destroyed and this leads to the loss of important information on customers and the company itself. This would cost the company directly and indirectly since information is very important in this financial services industry. The company may end up getting sued by various customers on the loss of their records by the company. The company woul d also lose important historical information which is used for decision making by the company. Loss of data on the company may bring about total failure of system used to store the data and this also costs the company a lot of money to reinstate these systems. The use of personal devices by employees may enable the employees to interfere with the databases of the company. This may result to loss of bulk data of the company and also loss of security on the accounting information systems used by the company. The other IT risk associated with the allowing employees to bring their own devices to the company for use in performing tasks is that it results to loss of productivity in the company. By employees using their own devices such as laptops and mobile phones may result to employees using a lot of the time at work on engaging in personal issues and activities using their devices. Particularly social media frenzy has become an issue at the workplace with many young employees who represent the largest proportion of the companys employees. A research conducted in Australia by Hillson, (2011) indicates that 73% of employees use almost every minute they find themselves free at the workplace on social media. Employees are always alert to check the responses and messages they get on social media and this distracts them from the target that the company is focusing on. It would be difficult for the supervisors to know whether an employee is using the device for their own communication or they ar e using the device for work purpose. The employees in the company may decide to take advantage of this project to spend time in social media and other forms of communication to chart with friends instead of them concentrating satisfying the needs of customers which is their main mandate. This therefore results to loss of a lot of man hours which would have otherwise have been used to serve clients and answer their questions as well as address their complaints. This therefore results to decrease in productivity of employees and therefore the company loses a lot of revenue due to this. The company also incurs a lot of expenses on paying employees who are not maximizing output. Assessment of risk based on threats, vulnerabilities and consequences derived from the IT Framework Hardware impact is another major risk that Aztek is exposed too in regard to the new project of allowing employees to carry their own devices for use in carrying out tasks related to the company operations. The devices owned by different employees vary in terms of hardware components. The devices that possibly could be used in the company include mobile phones, laptops and tablets. These devices hardware components are different from one another since they are from different manufacturers. This means that these devices are different in usage and some of them may be more difficult to use than the others. Some personal devices may also fail to perform complex task at the workplace and therefore making it difficult for some employees to perform their duties effectively (Sukel, 2016). Some of these personal devices may be more difficult to use than others and these differences may present a major challenge for the organization. The organization needs to train all the employees on how the y can use their personal devices to perform tasks at the organization. The risk of the hardware devices owned by the employees being incompatible with the software used by the company is very high. The software used by Aztek to record and store the financial information on customers and all the transactions with other business organization is very complex (Ghosh, 2012). This means that there is a very high possibility that the software fails to fit in with the hardware components of the employees and hence the devices may not be able to accomplish the objective that Aztek intended. The compatibility of the software and the hardware components is a very crucial aspect of in the IT project and therefore, in case any of the devices fails to run the software of the company, the employees will get inconvenienced or will be forced to buy another device. The risk of storage issues and future referencing of information is a major risk for Aztek project of allowing employees to bring their own devices for the use in performing tasks at the workplace. Some of the devices owned by the employees have very minimal storage spaces and may not be able to handle information related to the companies` operations (Koyuncugil Ozgulbas, 2011). This therefore means that the company may face issues on storing customer data and important transactions undertaken by the company. Aztek by adopting this project exposes itself to the risk of losing storage space and hence losing some important information which could be useful to the organization. Aztek may also be forced to buy extra storage devices to be used in the company. The project of allowing employees to use their own devices to carry out tasks related to the employees job description may result to the company losing intellectual property rights and company business secrets. This is because; the employees may get an opportunity to hack into the databases of the company which has very secretive and important information on the company. The employees may decide to reveal this information to a third party with bad faith. This information may be used to benefit other organizations in the same or other industries without the permit or the license from Aztek. The leakage of the trade secrets and the intellectual property rights may result to the competitors using this data and important information to benefit them. Aztek may on the process end up losing customers to the competitors and hence loss of revenue and decrease in profit margins of the company. The other IT risk that is associated with this project is that it may result to misstatement and omission in the financial statements. The accounting process is very critical in achieving correct information when preparing the final reports for an organization. If Aztek allows employees to use their personal devices in recording financial transactions, the employees may omit some of the information with hidden purpose motive. The employees may also record the wrong information intentionally and it may be difficult for the management to notice the misstatement and the omissions. This misstatement and omissions may be carried out to the final financial reports. This may result to the company incurring very high costs in internal audit of financial statements. It may also create a perception among clients and potential investors that the company is not transparent in its dealings and may be trying to exaggerate financial information for its own gain (Solozhent, 2009).The handling of the companys financial transactions by many employees in Aztek may result to the company being unable to track and verify information entered on its database. The other risk associated with the project of allowing employees to use their own devices to perform their own tasks at Aztek s that it would result to unsupport by management. The implementation of this project would result to a situation where the employees make decisions on their own accord possibly without consulting the management of the company. When the employees use their own devices, they may develop a sense of ownership of the company itself and may feel the need to exercise a lot of control in the company. This has the danger of employees making the wrong decisions that are not of interest to the company. Decision making of the company becomes decentralized and there is likely loss of control and coordination in the company. Apart from decision making that is unsupported by management, the project may bring about a situation where there is lack of communication within the organization. Giving orders and instructions to the junior staff by the supervisors becomes tiresome since the flow of information and communication becomes distorted. Communication between the company and customers as well as other corporate partners becomes very difficult since the employees may give conflicting responses to questions and comments made by the customers. When this happens therefore, customers lose confidence in the organization and they may decide to seek for the financial services elsewhere. Aztek may therefore start performing poorly financially and this has detrimental effect on all the stakeholders in the company. The implementation of the project on employees using their own devices to perform work related tasks may result to the risk of the business failing to achieve its objective. Aztek has clearly stated long term and short term goals. The goals are outlined in the companys strategic plan and the marketing plan. One of the objectives of the company this year is to expand customer base through a coordinated use of social media and other aggressive marketing techniques. For the company to achieve this, the social media communication efforts of the company have to be highly coordinated and organized in order to ensure that the company is able to transmit the desired message effectively. This therefore ensures that the company is able to communicate effectively with its customers. If all the employees are entrusted with the responsibility of communicating to customers may end up making the organization fail to achieve its objective. The loss of productivity by the companies` employees is also a major destruction for the company. Since the devices will destruct employees from focusing on their main objective and task in the company, it will affect the output of the whole organization and hence resulting to loss of income. The day to day operations of the company may also get distracted by the use of the personal devices in the company and this result to poor coordination and service delivery to clients. The company is also exposed to the risk of failure to incorporate IT policies and controls into the business. In order to implement the project successfully, the company needs to incorporate the IT policies and controls into the business framework of the company. This is important in ensuring that all the activities of the organization are well aligned to the information technology system that the company is using. This is important in helping to achieve the objective of efficiency within the business organization. failure to achieve this incorporation may result to disjointed effort and waste of IT resources without them achieving the purpose they were meant to achieve. Aztek is also exposed to the risk of storage, retention and forensic issues restricting the industry. The nature of the industry that Aztek is operating in makes it very important to have devices that are capable of strong large volumes of data safely(Ackermann, 2013). The devices should also have the capability of retaining data for a long time. Data retention is important since it is an important source of referencing or the company. A company can use the past data recorded by the system to solve disputes that may occur in future. Apart from exposing the company to the risk of losing important data through poor storage and data retention methods, this project also brings about the forensic issues in case of fraud. The financial services sector all over the world is associated with high level and sophisticated fraud. Therefore, in case fraud happens within the company, it is important to have in place an IT system that is able to support investigations on the crime. If Aztek allows all its employees to use their personal devices to perform tasks and functions related to their job, it would be difficult for forensics to be able to trace information and follow up the case to its very end. Since the individual employees have control of their own devices, they will most likely interfere with the evidence to conceal information which would have otherwise been crucial in the investigation. This therefore means that Aztek would expose itself to a very big risk of being defrauded by its own employees and failing to trace the criminals using reliable forensic investigation. In case fraud occurs, the company stands to lose a lot of money. Aztek would be exposed to the risk of inappropriate and inaccurate audit procedures. When the financial transactions are carried out using the personal devices of employees, it becomes difficult for the auditor to trace the original transactions and ascertain the information and records kept by the employees. This is made difficult by the fact that the employees personal devices are used for many other different purposes and it would not be professional and ethical to rely on the employees personal devices when auditing the companies` books of account. Therefore, it is risky for the company since it may rely on information that is of low confidence level and therefore may end up giving inaccurate report. It may also make it necessary for the company to put in place strong internal control measures and policies to ensure that the company complies with the standards and requirements when it comes to accounting for various items in the company. The new project by Aztek is exposed to the risk of not being viable for a long time. Sustaining the project for a long time while getting the desirable results may prove to be very difficult for the company (Bodie Taqqu, 2012). This is because; there are many issues that surround the use of personal devices at work. For example if an employee loses his/her device, it may be difficult for the employee to acquire a new one instantly and hence bringing about inconvenience at the workplace. The project is unsustainable also because of the need for very close supervision so as to ensure that the devices are being used for the right purpose at the workplace. Therefore, Aztek risks investing in the new IT system which may end up becoming unsustainable and not viable and hence may get discarded after just a short while. Conclusion Management of IT risks is very important for any business organization. This is because, it is a powerful tool to avoid the business getting into investments that are not viable or making loses due to things that could have been predicted and avoided. This paper analyzes the IT risks that the project by Aztek on allowing employees to use their own devices to perform work functions. The report analyzes the industry regulations and policies that may hinder the implementation and functioning of this system. Proper investigation and analysis is done to establish the potential risks that may come with the implementation of the project. From the analysis carried out in this essay, I would recommend that Aztek should not implement this project since its too risky for the company and may end up distracting the company from achieving its primary objective. References Ackermann, T. (2013). IT security risk management: Perceived IT security risks in the context of cloud computing. Wiesbaden: Springer Gabler. Bodie, Z., Taqqu, R. (2012). Risk less and prosper: Your guide to safer investing. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Cunningham, W. V. (2008). Youth at risk in Latin America and the Caribbean: Understanding the causes, realizing the potential. Washington, D.C: World Bank. Ghosh, A. (2012). Managing risks in commercial and retail banking. Singapore: John Wiley Sons. Gibson, D. (2015). Managing risk in information systems, second edition. Burlington, MA: Jones Bartlett Learning. Harkins, M. (2013). Managing risk and information security: Protect to enable. New York: Apress. Hillson, D. (2011). Managing risk in projects. (Managing risk in projects.) Farnham, Surrey [u.a.: Gower. Hussain, A. (2010). Managing operational risk in financial markets. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Koyuncugil, A. S., Ozgulbas, N. (2011). Surveillance technologies and early warning systems: Data mining applications for risk detection. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. Moran, A. (2014). Agile risk management. Sukel, K. (2016). The art of risk: The new science of courage, caution, and chance. Solozhent?s?ev, E. D. (2009). Scenario logic and probabilistic management of risk in business and engineering. New York: Springer. Olson, D. L., Wu, D. D. (2008). New frontiers in enterprise risk management. Berlin: Springer.

Medical Marijuana free essay sample

Over many years and especially in recent times people have been debating whether or not marijuana should be legalized for medical use. Those who support legalization claim that marijuana has legitimate medical benefits. Many argue that marijuana is a better alternative than pills because it is less addictive and no known marijuana overdoses have been reported, as opposed to the numerous that are reported with prescription drugs every day. Many advocates have also come up with plans to tax and regulate the purchase of cannabis. This tax is supposed to help boost the economy of the state. Those who are opposed to the legalization of medicinal marijuana argue that marijuana is a gateway drug. This means that once people try using marijuana, they will want to experiment with other drugs which are usually much more dangerous. Also, marijuana is considered a schedule one drug. This means that it does not have any medicinal value. We will write a custom essay sample on Medical Marijuana or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page While many people know that marijuana does indeed have medicinal value, it remains a schedule one drug. Marijuana should be legalized for medical use in The United States because it has numerous medical benefits, it’s a much safer alternative to many prescription drugs, and it will generate tax revenue. For thousands of years humans have been using the cannabis plant. The cannabis plant has numerous benefits. It has been recorded to have been used in food by the Ancient Chinese. It can be used to make clothing, rope, necklaces, and bracelets. And of course, it has been consumed in a variety of different ways. Marijuana was first smoked mainly during religious ceremonies. Over time, civilizations like the Chinese began to experiment with using cannabis as an herbal medicine. Armies would smoke marijuana before going into battle in order to calm themselves down so they didn’t panic while fighting. Later, starting in 1915, in the United States prohibitions started for nonmedical use of marijuana. In 1937 the Marijuana Tax Act made possession of marijuana illegal in the United States, whether it was for recreational or medical use. In 1970 the Controlled Substance Act created schedules to classify drugs. Marijuana was determined a schedule one drug meaning that it has no medicinal value. It remains a schedule one drug to this day. Five years later in 1975, the FDA established the compassionate use program for medical marijuana which decriminalized the cultivation and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Only those who were severely ill and had a doctor’s recommendation were able to possess and smoke marijuana. Today 21 states including Washington DC have legalized medical marijuana, California being the first, and Connecticut and Massachusetts being the most recent. These 21 states did not legalize medical marijuana just so that their citizens could legally get high. They legalized it because marijuana has legitimate medical benefits. In the past marijuana has been used medically for pain relief, malaria, constipation, insomnia, depression, anxiety, migraine headaches, epilepsy and more. Modern suggested uses for marijuana include the treatment of nausea and vomiting, glaucoma, AIDS, and multiple sclerosis (MS). In fact, researchers in the United Kingdom did a study to see how marijuana would affect patients with MS. 40% of the patients reported at least a 30% reduction in spasticity, while only 22% of those taking a placebo reported at least a 30% reduction (Durand and Holland 57). Marijuana is one of the most restricted drugs in the United States. It has been seen through studies like the one done in the UK that marijuana has medical benefits, but these studies cannot be conducted in the United States because marijuana is a schedule I substance. As long as marijuana remains in this category of drugs, American scientists and researchers will not be able to conduct research on its possible benefits. Jessica Berg stated in her article â€Å"Smokescreen† that, â€Å"On April 20, 2006, the Food and Drug Administration stated, in an ‘Inter-Agency Advisory regarding Claims That Smoked Marijuana Is a Medicine,’ that it does ‘not support the use of smoked marijuana for medical purposes’† (Berg 1). The FDA must know that cannabis does have medical benefits, yet they refuse to fund research toward it. This is research that could help save tons of lives. Like the life of five year old Charlotte Figi. Charlotte had a severe form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome. Dr. Sanjay Gupta visited the Figi’s home in Colorado in his documentary WEED to see how Charlotte’s parents used marijuana to treat her seizures. Before trying cannabis, Charlotte’s parents experimented with many treatments for their daughter. None of them worked. She continued to have hundreds of seizures every week. If her life continued to go on like this she would surely not live for much longer. Just when her parents thought there were no more options, they decided to try medicinal cannabis. At first hesitant, her parents decided to go through with the idea. They didn’t want to get their five year old high, so Charlotte’s parents tried to find a strain of cannabis that was high in cannabidiol (the ingredient in marijuana with medicinal benefits (CBD)) and low in tetrahydrocannabinol (the ingredient that creates euphoria (THC)). Charlotte’s mother extracted the cannabidiol from the cannabis and injected it under Charlotte’s tongue. Charlotte’s number of seizures dropped from hundreds every week to about one every month (Gupta, Dr. Sanjay WEED). Cannabis literally saved Charlotte’s life. It was the only thing that worked for her when all other treatments failed. Dr. Gupta also visited another patient named Chad Moore who uses medicinal marijuana to treat his painful and sometimes hour-long diaphragm spasms. Moore explained to Gupta that he had tried many different pills and medications to treat his disorder and none of them worked. Moore had been hospitalized many times because of near overdoses. Moore experienced spasms on camera, and then consumed cannabis, and the spasms stopped one minute later all in the same take. Gupta was shocked at how fast the cannabis took affect (Gupta, Dr. Sanjay WEED). The experience of working with Charlotte and Chad really changed Gupta’s opinion about medicinal marijuana. In an interview with Piers Morgan on CNN, Dr. Gupta admits publicly that his 2009 Time Magazine article entitled, â€Å"Why I Would Vote No on Pot† does not correctly represent his current views about medicinal marijuana. After creating this documentary, he went from being against the legalization of medical marijuana, to being an advocate for it. Gupta explained to Piers Morgan, â€Å"I did not look far enough. I did not look deep enough. I didn’t listen to patients who said, ‘Not only does marijuana work for me, it’s the only thing that works for me’† (Gupta and Morgan). If more people who are against the legalization of medical marijuana took the time to go out and see the way that it helps people and even saves lives, maybe then they would change their minds. As mentioned before, Colorado is one of 21 states that have legalized medicinal marijuana. It also legalized marijuana for recreational use for those over the age of 21 in 2012. As of the year 2000 approved an amendment to the state constitution which allows a defense to the charge of marijuana possession for approved medicinal marijuana patients and their physicians. The amendment requires that the patient seeking a medical marijuana card to have a diagnosed, debilitating condition and to receive a doctor’s recommendation (Kamin 1). Two members of my own personal family live in Colorado and both have medicinal marijuana cards. My cousin Eric and Uncle Steve both use medicinal marijuana for different ailments. Eric works in the restaurant business and is on his feet several hours a day. This causes him to get very bad knee pains and muscle fatigue in his legs. Not to mention the stress of running a good restaurant. In an interview conducted with Eric he stated, â€Å"Marijuana is better at relieving my muscle pains after work than any kind of pill I have ever taken. I am always nervous taking pain killers because I don’t want to take too many or get any bad side effects. With cannabis I know I won’t overdose and I’m being safe† (Wall-Hauser). Even though Eric uses marijuana every day he says he doesn’t feel like he is addicted to it. He said, â€Å"I don’t come home from working craving to smoke a joint like people crave a cigarette when they don’t have one. I just do it because it makes me feel a lot better† (Wall-Hauser). Eric isn’t the only one in my family who uses medical marijuana. His father, and my uncle, Steve also has a medicinal marijuana card and lives in Colorado. Steve is a doctor, an anesthesiologist specifically, so he has been around different kinds of medicine for about 40 years. Working in a hospital, Steve is up and on his feet walking around for almost the entire day. This can take a toll on a person’s body, especially someone who is 60 years old. Steve said, â€Å"The marijuana really helps a lot with my muscle and joint aches and it doesn’t take very much to have an effect† (Sniadach). He also said that the cannabis helps with his high stress level job and helps him relax in the evenings when he gets home from the hospital. â€Å"Working at a hospital is very stressful. Sick people everywhere. If I mess up my job the patient is going to have a painful procedure. The marijuana helps me cope with a lot of this stress† he said (Sniadach). All 21 states that have legalized marijuana for medical use have some sort of tax system that helps to generate revenue for the state. In the state of Colorado citizens just voted to raise the tax on marijuana to 25%. According to the Colorado State Department of Revenue the state of Colorado generated over five million dollars in the fiscal year of 2012 from the taxation of medical marijuana from dispensaries (Department of Revenue). This money really has helped boost Colorado’s economy and can be put toward state projects like road maintenance, schools, public works projects, and many more. This was just the amount Colorado generated in one year and the number is growing. If all 50 states legalized medicinal marijuana and generated an average of five million dollars in tax revenue, that is an average of 250 million dollars in tax revenue for the entire nation. The struggling economy of the United States would surely benefit from the legalization of medicinal marijuana. Even though there is so much scientific evidence that marijuana does have legitimate medicinal value, many people still do not support its legalization. Many argue that marijuana is a gateway drug, meaning that people who try marijuana will soon want to try other, usually more dangerous drugs, such as cocaine and heroin. Many also argue that if medical marijuana is legalized more teens and young adults will want to use it. Both of these arguments are based around young adults because anti-drug corporations figure if they can stop drug use among teens, then these teens won’t want to use drugs later in life. A study was done in the 1990’s to see if marijuana legalization affected drug-related attitudes and drug use among teens and young adults. This study found that, â€Å"Although some marijuana-related attitudes changed between 1995 and 1999, use did not increase. These findings suggest that recent policy changes have had little impact on marijuana related behavior† (Khatapoush and Hallfors abstract). This study proves that the argument that teens will begin to use marijuana more or will want to experiment with harder drugs is invalid. Those who are against the legalization of medicinal marijuana also bring up the idea that if it was legalized, teens and those under the age of 21 will have an easier time obtaining it. The idea is that teens will know someone that is over 21 and ask the person to get them marijuana with their medicinal card. Medicinal marijuana can only be obtained through dispensaries that are approved by the government, so the act of a young adult getting marijuana from a patient is highly illegal. A study was done to determine if there is a relationship between marijuana use among teens and young adults and ease of access with the number of medicinal marijuana cards at the county level. The study found that living in a county with a higher number of medical marijuana cards did not result in an increased use of marijuana over a 30 day period or over the test subject’s lifetime (Friese and Grube abstract). This study shows that just because a teen may live in an area where many people hold medicinal marijuana cards, they are not more likely to gain access to marijuana or use it illegally. People against the legalization of medical marijuana also argue the idea that people who want to obtain a medical marijuana card will tell their doctor whatever they want to hear just so they can get a card and go get high. The law in Colorado states that it, â€Å"(†¦) requires those seeking to register as marijuana patients to demonstrate a diagnosed, debilitating condition and to receive a doctor’s advice that they might benefit from the medicinal use of marijuana† (Kamin 1). It is true that some people do go to their physicians and claim they get headaches and need to get medical marijuana. These people do not have the intent of using the marijuana for medicinal purposes, but they have a card so it is still legal. This form of â€Å"cheating the system† can be a problem. No one has yet come up with a plan in order to weed (no pun intended) out those patients who really need marijuana for its medical purpose from those who just want to get high. In order to solve this problem, physicians need to have a stricter process for issuing medicinal marijuana cards. If a patient is interested in using cannabis for their illness they need to be tested to make sure that they really have that illness and will benefit from medicinal marijuana. The law states that patients must be diagnosed with the condition, not just say they have it. When the state law says diagnosed they mean by a licensed physician, not a self-diagnosis. If a person does turn out to not have the condition, or it is determined that they will not benefit from medical marijuana, then their request should be rejected. Another way to stop people from obtaining medical marijuana cards just to get high would be to use marijuana as a last-resort medicine. By last-resort medicine, I mean that the patient has tried all other alternatives for their condition and none of them have worked. If a patient just wants to get high, they won’t want to try the alternative medicines because these prescriptions won’t produce the high that marijuana does. If the patient does try all the other alternatives and none of them work, then the physician should consider issuing them a medicinal marijuana card. We saw this with Charlotte Figi’s parents in Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s WEED documentary. Charlotte’s parents tried tons of different medications to treat Charlotte’s epilepsy and after they saw no results, then they turned to trying medical marijuana. Cannabis is a plant that has so many beneficial uses to humankind. Yet its use is restricted. Marijuana has been seen to save lives of those with epilepsy. It has been seen to make those who are extremely weak from chemotherapy able to eat. It has been seen to help those who have terrible muscle pains and migraine headaches. It has relieved the stress of many people and helped those who have extreme anxiety. No deaths have ever been reported from an overdose of marijuana, but accidental overdoses on prescription pills occur every day. Marijuana is also much less addictive than painkillers like Percocet’s and Oxycodone. For some people marijuana is the only thing that makes them feel better. If they live outside of one of the 21 states that have legalized medical marijuana then they are at risk for being arrested even if they use marijuana for medical purposes. If marijuana wasn’t a schedule one substance then maybe scientists could find even more benefits from this amazing plant. Legalizing medical marijuana will help stimulate our nation’s economy. This tax revenue can be used to create better drug education programs, improve public transportation, create public works programs, and many other things. Cannabis is a plant that has endless possibilities. Science has proven its medicinal value and it is time that we recognize the work that these researchers have done and legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes.