Intermediate care service for NHS Birmingham East and North

!: Intermediate care service for NHS Birmingham East and North

Intermediate care provides short term rehabilitation for people to help them recover after they have had an illness or injury. The intermediate care team at NHS Birmingham East and North aims to get you back to your normal self as soon as possible, prevent you from going into hospital or a long term care home and help you to live independently, wherever possible. benpct.nhs.uk

Intermediate care service for NHS Birmingham East and North

Low Cost Foot Bath Detox Promotional Asics Kushon 2

Collars Options Strategy Can Limit Downside Risk

!: Collars Options Strategy Can Limit Downside Risk

Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. Please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options at www.tradeking.com . Brian Overby demonstrates how investors might use a collar option strategy to reduce some of the downside risk in the market. A collar involves buying a protective put and selling a call on the same underlying security. TO EMBED THIS VIDEO IN YOUR SITE: Go to bit.ly and click on the "up" arrow in the bottom right corner of the video player. This will reveal a permanent link and embed code for your use.

Collars Options Strategy Can Limit Downside Risk

Erchonia Lasers Discount

Sustaining Competitive Advantage

!: Sustaining Competitive Advantage

A competitive advantage could simply be defined as the advantage or ability a firm has over its rivals in the industry; or the ability a firm has to outperform its industry rivals.

A firm is said to have a competitive advantage when it has the capabilities or means to push out its rivals in striving for the favour of customers. This applies internationally or locally as well as to both services and products.Thus, a sustainable competitive advantage is the persistence the firm applies despite efforts by competitors or potential entrants to copy or overtake it. Sustainability therefore, requires that strategic assets are not easily available to others and imperfectly mobile. This will be considered later.

Porter (1990) states that, though not all nations are in the forefront of competition, the home nation which shapes the competitive advantage is the starting point for a firm's competitive advantage and also from which it must be sustained. However, in whatever field of endeavor, competitive advantage creation must be a choice of management and it must really fit to achieve results. It must be noted here that competitive advantage can normally be traced to one of three roots:

Superior resources, superior skills and superior positions.

Competitive strategy is one of the ways in which a business relates to its environment by competing with other firms who are also trying to adapt within the operating environment. It is with this aspect- the competitive strategy which if appropriately chosen and implemented appropriately give the firm a competitive advantage over its rivals.

It must be noted here that the prescriptive view of strategic planning emphasizes the importance of the organizational environment as a source of threats and opportunities and the need for effective responses by the organization if survival was to be assured and the success achieved. The response is later formulated into plan which formulates major decisions about entry into new markets or development of new products and services guided by set goals. Under the influence of Porter's writings in the 1980s the emphasis shifted from the plan to the selection of an appropriate generic strategy to position the business unit in its competitive environment. Porter, arguing that the environment poses threats and brings opportunities than with trends and events, suggested that the environment could be analyzed using the five forces analysis to identify the issues which affect the level of competition in an industry; after which a strategy is formulated to combat it.

The resultant strategy, which he referred to as generic, distinguished some strategic options the firm can possess:

Cost leadership: the business could position itself as offering a low cost product as a standard price i.e. cost leadership strategy. Costs are reduced at every element of the value chain. Producers can exploit the benefits of a bigger margin than the competitors. Toyota is a good example of an organization that produces quality cars at low price coupled with a brand and marketing skills to use a premium pricing policy.

It could offer a product that was different from that offered by rivals. I.e. differentiation. This allows companies to make prices less sensitive and focus on value that generates a comparatively higher price and a better margin. Even though additional costs will be incurred pursuing differentiation, it is possible that this will be offset by the increased revenue generated by the sales.

By focusing on a small but well-defined part of the market, for instance a particular buying group or product area or geographical area. Also known as niche, this is usually suitable for a small company i.e. focus strategy.

Generic Competitive strategy, usually used after competitive analysis or as a response to competitors advantage, is defined as the basis on which a strategic business unit (SBU) might achieve or counter competitive advantage in its market. (Johnson and Scholes, 5th Edition.)

Building on Porter's (1980) generic competitive strategies, Bowman et al argues that organizations achieve competitive advantage by providing their customers with what they want, or need better or more effectively than competitors and making it difficult for competitors to imitate. This was later developed into five generic strategies which would be used in this discussion. Thus, the generic competitive strategies are the fundamental activities on which an SBU seeks to achieve a lasting advantageous position in its environment and gaining the favor of stakeholders by meeting the expectations of buyers, users or other stakeholders

The following are Bowman's five-generic competitive strategy options and examples of organizations who applied them to gain competitive advantage: no frills strategy, low price strategy, hybrid strategy, focused differentiation strategy and added value or differentiation strategy.

In brief, a no frills strategy combines a low price, low perceived added value and targets a price-sensitive market. No frills strategy is now a popular strategy with low-cos airlines Easy Jet and Ryanair seeking to enter the airline industry to compete with likes of Virgin and is a determinant in the market. This, therefore, affords the firm the needed competitive edge over its competitors who charge higher price. This strategy is a success because there could possibly be a segment of the market that overlooks the low quality of the commodity provided it fulfills the same purpose.

To obtain the competitive advantage using no fills strategy revenues must increase and the product must really be price-sensitive. Easy Jet frills strategy seems to be going on well as a result of the cost savings techniques they are using. For instance no ticketing, no ticket agents, no in-flight food or drink for customers as well as the short-haul flight. Now, almost all supermarkets in the UK use no frills strategy by introducing own brands the price of which have been reduced to attract customers in order to gain a competitive advantage.

The next generic strategy is the low price strategy. This strategy pursues a lower price than pertains in the market whilst trying to maintain similar value of product or service as those offered by competitor alike. There is the potential of price war among competitors and in the long run consumers are likely to lose as the firms might not be able to sustain the lower-price-good-value strategy. Notwithstanding the price war and low margins, there are some suggested ways in which a low-priced strategy can bring about a firms competitive advantage. The market segment must be low-price sensitive, and also the SBU has a cost advantage over its competitors.

However, in practice, the lower price strategy usually brought about by lowering operational cost alone does not give the firm the competitive advantage if the firm is not able to sustain it in the long-term as there are now more firms entering the market because of low or no entry barriers like small capital requirements and also how efficient the staff might be.

Hybrid competitive strategy seeks to achieve differentiation and a price lower than that of competitors simultaneously. This is not an easy strategy to pursue because to differentiate a product or service involves some money and increases cost the very thing the low price seeks to reduce. This strategy is fit for the DIY industry as the likes of Robert Dyas are not able to stand the competition. The success of this is dependent on providing unique more efficient products or services to consumers whilst at the same time operating at a lower cost to be able to lower its price below the industry level. The success of this strategy could further be enhanced if the firm has economies of scale and can increase volume of sales more than its competitors, thereby, reducing its base cost as a result. Asda's George brand is an example of a generic hybrid strategy in a SBU.

Another strategy is differentiation strategy. This seeks to provide products or services completely different from those of its competitors by adding features valued by consumers. The main objective of using this is to either maintain the market share or increase market share relative to its competitors. A clear example of this is aircraft manufacturer Airbus's wider fuselages, cockpits designed for use in more than one aircraft and electrical rather than mechanical flight controls.

Those features have helped Airbus win customers like New York-based Jet blue; although Jet Blue is staffed with former employees from Boeing. (Fortune, Europe Edition 22 November 17th 2003; pp34) This strategy could be used to achieve a competitive advantage which is its ultimate aim by the firm investing more in R&D, unique designs and features. The marketing-based approaches in terms of good marketing communication (example advertising the products or services) as well as the brand power to win the loyalty of consumers. (Example Airbus)

The fifth generic competitive strategy is the focused differentiation strategy which seeks to provide high perceived value; justifying a substantial price premium usually to a selected market, segment. It is usually adopted to counter or to compete others in seemingly similar segment. This could therefore be argued that focused differentiation is just an extension of any of the four strategies so far considered depending on the competitors in this new segment which is usually middle to high income earners. A convincing example is the introduction of Lexus in 1989 by Toyota to compete with other luxury brands of BMW and Mercedes Benz new series.

For the focused differentiation strategy to be used to obtain a competitive advantage over competitors in the industry, the business unit must find ways to make the production more efficient to be able to pass on the savings to customers. The business unit must identify new segments and must also be prepared to aggressively create new market segment where it is believed first movers get huge advantage. Again Toyota prides itself in this by being the first to introduce a brand,scion,specifically for young buyers in January, 2003 which was a success and the introduction of hybrids in 1997 selling 127,000 far more than Honda.( Hybrid uses two engines and is environmentally friendly.) (Fortune, Europe Edition, Number 24 December 22 2003; pp57).

The essence of the various strategies discussed so far is to create or add value to the products or services in order to give improved and or enough satisfaction to the customer so that the firm will gain a competitive advantage over its rivals. However, it is one thing for a firm to gain a competitive advantage and another to sustain the competitive advantage so gained. So when a firm is able to get a competitive advantage over its competitors, it becomes expedient to try to sustain this advantage.

Some of the ways to sustain the competitive advantage is by what is described as isolating mechanism. This is the application of forces like barriers of imitation which limit the extent to which a competitive advantage can be duplicated or matched or even possibly scrapped through the resource creation activities of other firms. Though similar in principle to the barrier of entry force, whereas the entry barriers protect profitability of an entire industry, isolating mechanisms sustain the competitive advantage of a single firm. For example legal barriers like trademarks, patents or intellectual property rights as in Microsoft's case.

It could also be for the mere fact that the leading firm makes it difficult for the competitor to catch up with the firm's technology because it entered the market earlier and it continues to research and might be able to move to a superior position by the time its competitors catch up. This is known as the early mover advantage. Because the business unit has entered the market earlier, the past success in the market is believed to sustain the firm.

Nevertheless, no matter how discrete the strategy adopted to gain the sustainable competitive advantage or enough satisfaction that the customer may get as well as the mechanisms put in place to sustain the competitive edge, simple economics has proved that man's needs are insatiable and with the information technology age, there is an improved dynamism in business that products and services can become obsolete before they even reach the next user.

The question is can the firm continue to create more economic value than its competitors now than then?

Now with the advent of information systems and technology, this traditional way of competitive advantage or competitive edge has, therefore, taken a different turn. Information gathering and I mean a competitive information gathering in deed can to some large extent make a difference to a firm's position in an industry and for that matter affect its competitive advantage one way or the other.

A good and recent example is Asda installing radio frequency identification (RFID) system, a device which could be used to scan bar codes of incoming goods which could save Asda .35 billion annually through improvement in its supply chain management. Fortune, Wal-Mart keeps the change, November 10,2003pp 23.

Firms can either use their own database or an informational gathering software to track its operations and get the required information like inventory, customers, and trends of competitors' performance and about the fast moving products to formulate their strategies or form what is known as information partnerships for the purpose of sharing information to gain competitive or strategic advantage; and even link their systems with some competitors to achieve synergies.

This is becoming important as a result of the fact that competition in the business world today is not only within a particular industry one operates but can also be cross-competition with people in other related industry like universities and publishers competing due to forward and backward integrations. Baxter Healthcare International is known to offer medical supplies from its competitors and office supplies through its electronic ordering channel to its customers. By doing this the firm increases its customer base as well as loyalty of its customers is enhanced.

At this juncture, the statement that "there is no such thing as a sustainable competitive advantage" can be considered in relation to the circumstances that happened in Sears, which used to be USA's largest retailer until Wal-mart overtook it after a diversification strategy went bust in spite of the fact that it (Sears) has been heavily computerized with more expenditure going into information technology and networking than all other non-computer firms in the United states apart from Boeing. So why couldn't this huge amount spent in computers and networking been able to give them the competitive edge over its rivals? Is it due to the fact that the hardware alone is not sufficient to provide the information needed unless it is integrated with the appropriate software? Sears did exactly that.

Trying to reinvent itself, Sears started to explore almost all strategies including low pricing strategy, delayering, improved marketing ploys as well as embarking on a billion five-year store renovation to make the stores more attractive. All to no avail.

Then Sears noticed that, its merchandise buyers do not have reliable information on precisely what customers were buying at each store. Management was relying on 18 separate systems that often gave conflicting and redundant pricing information. They could only view a division's daily performance. This was not good for a firm of Sears's stature. Sears later tightened its grips over the business once again by building a larger database involving the consolidation of information on transaction records,90 million households,31million Sears' card users, their credit status, and other related data.

The database houses the company's Strategic Performance Reporting System (SPRS).Now Sears' 1,000 buyers and managers know what hot-selling merchandise to replenish right away. This competitive information gathering to some extent helped turn around Sears. Its store sales started rising and planed to join partnership with AOL to boost its online business by targeting AOL's 21 million customers by developing content for AOL on subjects such as how to build a deck, tips on home decorating and other home improvement topics; and also move its suppliers to an electronic ordering system similar to that described for Baxter Healthcare, by linking its computerized ordering system directly to that of each supplier to eliminate paperwork completely for an improved flow of goods into its stores.

As previously discussed, if a firm can keep or maintain its lead on creating value, leveraging strategic assets for example access to efficient distribution channels, maintain market position and may be low cost advantage then it can be said to have a sustainable competitive advantage. This is absolutely not possible in this dynamic business world. The most difficult part of this is that the firm must create more economic value than its competitors every now and then. Will its competitors be looking on without doing anything?

Microsoft for example is spending billions of dollars to develop its own search engine that will be incorporated in both its online service MSN and its new operating system due in 2006 to combat Google's dominance in the search engine industry. (Fortune, 22 December 2003pp 17).

In my own opinion based on the discussions above, if really sustainable competitive advantage is the persistence of a firm's ability to outperform its industry, then suffice it to say that, as much as gathering and use of competitive information as illustrated in the Sears' story above can give a firm a (sustainable) competitive advantage, it is really difficult if not impossible to sustain any competitive advantage for a very long time. This is so because of the rate of technological changes, changes in business strategies, and the fact that customers' loyalty can wane and affect sales leading to a fall in market share and thus competitive advantage. Boeing was overtaken by Airbus in the aviation industry at some time. Sears' leadership was taken away by Wal-mart.

In spite of the availability of choice of the five generic strategies, it is supposed that the onus of their success rests with management and how the technology and the information gathered are blended for use. This is so because a careful monitoring and evaluation constantly and the right identification and proper timing of a particular segment are keys to the success of these strategies due to market dynamism.

REFERENCE

Can Sears reinvent it? A case study taken from London South Bank University IS.
Davenport, T.H; Prusak, L. (1998) Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What They Know. Havard Business School Press, Boston, Ma.
Fortune, December 13,2004, pp59
http://informationr.net/ir/8-1/paper144.html
Laudon, K.C; Laudon, J.P. (2004) Management Information Systems: managing the digital firm, 8th edition, USA: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Scholes, K.and Johnson, G (1999) Exploring corporate strategy, 5th Edition. London: F.T Prentice Hall.
Sheila,C.Main Article: Knowledge Management, issue 18,2004
Yogesh, M. B. The Company, - What Really is Knowledge Management? Crossing the Chasm of Hope. Gartner Group Inc.,October 1996

Sustaining Competitive Advantage

Buying Bottoms Up Lyrics Keke Palmer Belkin Wireless Card Driver Quickly Shop For Overhead Projector Lamps

Establishing Long-Term Personal Finance Goals

!: Establishing Long-Term Personal Finance Goals

You've probably heard the old cliché, "If you don't know where you're going, how will you know when you get there?" Well, it holds true in the area of family finances, too. Establishing long-term goals for yourself and your family helps to keep your current financial picture in perspective.

For example, if one of your goals as a couple is to have a full-time parent at home when the new baby arrives, you can start cutting back on spending now in order to get out of debt and establish some savings before that big day arrives. Keeping your long-term goals in mind will help keep you on track whenever you're tempted to spend money on extras.

A necessary step toward working together as a financial team is to establish your life goals and review them with your significant other. Ask yourself the following questions to help you determine your long-term financial goals:

What hobbies do I want to pursue to add recreation and fun to my life? What place does education hold in my future or that of others in my immediate family?

How important is home ownership in my future? What are my career goals? What further training, if any, do I need to reach those goals?

How much time, money, and effort do I want to give in the near future to charity or church-related activities?

What character traits do I value most and want to develop in my own life and the life of my children? Are my personal financial goals and decisions in line with those character traits?

What are my retirement goals? How will I take care of future healthcare concerns? How soon do I want to pay off any outstanding consumer debt? At the end of my life, what things might I regret if I choose to spend my money on less-important pursuits?

Writing out your goals and the values that are important to your family can go a long way toward keeping your life and finances on track.

But even if you don't write down your goals, thinking through your priorities and keeping them in mind as you make decisions (financial and otherwise) is an excellent habit.

If you have trouble keeping to a written budget, you may choose a life partner whose greatest joy is keeping detailed written records of every flower growing in the yard or every penny spent on bubble gum by the kids and imagine you balance each other out in the process. Having differences is healthy, but we also know from experience that these differences can test your limits of grace and reason.

If you're the primary money manager in your family, you will probably shoulder most of the responsibility for turning your family's finances around.

However, the cooperation of your spouse or partner and family is essential. Although you may pay the bills each month, you and your spouse or partner both spend your family's money, so he or she has a very direct effect on the success or failure of your financial program.

The support and cooperation of your spouse or partner is essential to getting your family's finances back on track. One of you can't be pinching pennies while the other is spending like there is no tomorrow. Both of you should be totally committed to getting out of debt and reducing or eliminating the use of credit.

Establishing Long-Term Personal Finance Goals

Panasonic Dvd Portable Player Free Shipping

Long Term Ozone Danger - Too Much Exposure Can Kill You

!: Long Term Ozone Danger - Too Much Exposure Can Kill You

A study that might have you paying more attention to the quality of the air you breathe appears in The New England Journal of Medicine. It covers ozone danger in terms of over exposure.

The work showed that long-term exposure to ground level ozone significantly increases the risk of death from breathing problems. In fact, the risk is more than 30% greater in metro areas with the highest ozone concentrations as opposed to places where concentrations were lowest.

Ozone is a naturally occurring gas typically at the higher levels of our atmosphere where it offers protection from the ultraviolet rays of the sun.

But this gas can also be found at lower levels of the atmosphere; only down here it does us little good.

Produced by the exhaust from cars and power plants, at ground level ozone reacts chemically with sunlight. We know that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that ground level ozone can make lung conditions worse and contribute to other breathing problems as well.

The other, more well studied part of smog - particulate matter (super small particles of dust and soot) - has been shown in earlier research to be dangerous. Breathing in these particles has been identified as a major risk factor of death from both heart and lung diseases.

Only now do we know that ozone also brings a higher risk of death from these conditions.

The work followed 450,000 subjects in 96 metropolitan regions over an 18-year period. Despite what we might expect, ozone actually forms in higher concentrations in places that are downwind of the cities, so suburbs and rural areas aren't free of the danger, though they might be less congested and seem safer.

"This is the first study to show that ozone, long considered a secondary pollutant, is a key cause of death," says study lead author Michael Jerrett, Ph.D., an associate professor of environmental health at the University of California. "This is the first time we've been able to connect chronic exposure to ozone with the risk of death."

The risk of dying from a respiratory condition goes up 4% for every 10 parts per billion increase in ozone exposure according to the study.

During the 18-year period, Riverside California had the highest daily average concentrations, while the lowest were recorded in San Francisco.

Most often, cities in the northeast part of the country had less ozone than western states like California - Los Angeles had a 43% greater risk, while New York came in at 25%; Washington, D.C. at 27%.

What the experts recommend you do to manage your risk is to exercise or do physically demanding work in the early morning hours, or later on in the day to avoid the sunniest, hottest hours, especially if you live in a warmer climate.

Keeping your windows closed when ozone levels are highest is also a good idea, and you might want to limit your time spent outside when ozone levels are reported to be high.

On a larger scale, the researchers recommend steps be taken to reduce traffic congestion - maybe give financial incentives to carpoolers, set up more high occupancy lanes and encourage hybrid cars.

Higher gas taxes are a punishment often used to discourage excess driving, so there will be fewer vehicles on the road. Of course, power plants must also be dealt with, and regulations put in place to keep them from sending toxic chemicals into the air.

If you or someone you love has breathing problems, you might consider keeping an eye on the ozone levels with some of the easy to use online resources out there.

This will help you make wise choices and perhaps limit your ozone danger to a gas that researchers are finding increasingly dangerous.

Long Term Ozone Danger - Too Much Exposure Can Kill You

Black And Decker Edger Blades Order

Limits: Limits in Layman's Terms

!: Limits: Limits in Layman's Terms

Informal Lecture on Limits

Limits: Limits in Layman's Terms

Canvas Backpacks Save You Money

Vertical Limit 32x45 Framed and Double Matted Movie Poster - Style A 2000

!: Last Minute Vertical Limit 32x45 Framed and Double Matted Movie Poster - Style A 2000 Buy Now

Brand : ArtDirect | Rate : | Price :
Post Date : Nov 14, 2011 14:45:09 | N/A

Vertical Limit 32x45 Framed and Double Matted Movie Poster - Style A 2000

• High quality framed art print
• Wood Frame with Double Matting
• Top Quality Crescent Matboard used for Double Matting
• Custom packed for safe delivery
• Satisfaction Guaranteed

More Specification..!!

Learn How Maytag Electric Range Saved Toro Blowers Panasonic Lumix Dmc-fz7 Battery Charger

Miss. votes on 'personhood' action [NBC 11-08-2011]

!: Miss. votes on 'personhood' action [NBC 11-08-2011]

Abortion in the United States is legal, via the landmark case of Roe v. Wade. However, individual states can regulate/limit the use of abortion, or create 'trigger laws', which is a law that makes abortion illegal within the first and second trimesters, but would only be take effect and be enforced after Roe is overturned by the US Supreme Court. Currently, 6 states have trigger laws and 3 other states have laws intending on criminalizing abortion. The current judicial interpretation of the US Constitution regarding abortion in the United States, following the Supreme Court of the United States's 1973 landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, and subsequent companion decisions, is that abortion is legal but may be restricted by the states to varying degrees. States have passed laws to restrict late term abortions, require parental notification for minors, and mandate the disclosure of abortion risk information to patients prior to the procedure. Visit MeTee.com The place for publishing and printing t-shirts & always free shipping. Become a channel sponsor for 30 days for /day meseed.com Have any ad you want play in each video (any one video can go viral with tens-of-thousands of hits) Or donate to keep this channel going: meseed.com Thank you for your generosity - Subscribe for Breaking News. Like/Dislike, Comment, Favorite and share on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ to get the word out on this video. Put this video on your channel with a more interesting title (never know ...

Miss. votes on 'personhood' action [NBC 11-08-2011]

Navajo Poncho Information Jenn Air Dual Fuel Ranges

!: Prices City Limits 27x40 FRAMED Movie Poster - Style A - 1985 free shipping

Brand : ArtDirect | Rate : | Price :
Post Date : Nov 04, 2011 19:36:21 | N/A

City Limits 27x40 FRAMED Movie Poster - Style A - 1985

• High quality framed art print
• Two inch wide black wood frame
• In stock and ready to frame and ship
• Custom packed for safe delivery
• Satisfaction Guaranteed

More Specification..!!

City Limits 27x40 FRAMED Movie Poster - Style A - 1985

Daylighting Systems Answer Baby Crib Assembly Instructions Guide Oster Egg Cooker Poacher Discount

Fast Track: No Limits 32x45 Framed and Double Matted Movie Poster - A

!: Buy Fast Track: No Limits 32x45 Framed and Double Matted Movie Poster - A Free Shipping

Brand : artdirect.com
Rate :
Price : $195.00
Post Date : Oct 26, 2011 10:33:05
Usually ships in 6-10 business days

Zalman Computer Cases

Graco Element Pack 'N Play Playard with Bassinet, Splash

!: Saved Graco Element Pack 'N Play Playard with Bassinet, Splash compare

Rate : | Price : $89.95 | Post Date : Oct 23, 2011 22:21:15
Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Perfect for traveling, The sleek styled Element mesh-sided Pack 'n Play playard sets up in less than a minute. We're sure that the Pack 'n Play playard will quickly become one of you and your baby's favorite Graco products. This Pack 'n Play playard comes with a full-size bassinet with comfy quilted mattress pad, a great place for infants up to 15 lbs to nap peacefully and drift off to dreamland with the nature sounds or music from the electronics unit or just gaze happily at the soft, detachable toys hanging from the included mobile. The changing station supports babies weighing less than 25 lbs. and the parent organizer holds many of your diaper changing essentials. A convenient travel bag is also included - just fold the Pack 'n Play playard , stow it in the bag, and you and your little one are off to see the world. Night light included.

• Graco Mosaic Lightweight Stroller, Mickey
• Graco Pack 'n Play Sheet, Light Blue
• Graco Snugride Infant Car Seat, Mickey
• Graco Quilted Pack 'n Play Sheet, Cream
• Classic MICKEY Mouse Messenger Diaper Bag

Interview Suncast Composter Interview Projector Bulbs Cheap Canvas Backpacks Save You Money

2009 Medicaid Limits Are Important For Those Who May Need Long-Term Care

!: 2009 Medicaid Limits Are Important For Those Who May Need Long-Term Care

Consumers as well as agents and brokers who market long-term care insurance should have a current knowledge and understanding of Medicaid's Spousal Impoverishment rules that come into play when an individual or a spouse enters a nursing home.

It is important to understand that far too many people fail to properly plan for the potential risk of needing long-term care. At a point in time when they finally anticipate the need, they are generally in too poor health to qualify. Counting on government programs such as Medicaid is certainly not going to be a viable answer going forward as Federal and State programs become more severely strapped for cash.

The expense of nursing home care, which according to the 2008 LTC Insurance Sourcebook, ranges from ,000 to ,000 a month or more, can rapidly deplete the lifetime savings of elderly couples. The cost of home care as well as assisted living can be costly as well. Generally government programs such as Medicaid do not pay for this care and, as a result, as personal savings were depleted many people were (and are) forced into nursing homes.

In 1988, Congress enacted provisions to prevent what has come to be called "spousal impoverishment" that can leave the spouse who is still living at home in the community (as they refer to it) with little or no income or resources. These provisions are designed to help ensure that this situation will not occur and that community spouses are able to live out their lives with independence and dignity.

2009 Resource Eligibility (According to Center for Medicaid Services, CMS)

The spousal impoverishment provisions apply when one member of a couple enters a nursing facility or other medical institution and is expected to remain there for at least 30 days. When the couple applies for Medicaid, an assessment of their resources is made. The couple's resources, regardless of ownership, are combined. The couple's home, household goods, an automobile, and burial funds are not included in the couple's combined resources. The result is the couple's combined countable resources. This amount is then used to determine the Spousal Share, which is one-half of the couple's combined resources.

To determine whether the spouse residing in a medical facility meets the state's resource standard for Medicaid, the following procedure is used: From the couple's combined countable resources, a Protected Resource Amount (PRA) is subtracted.

The PRA is the greatest of:
The Spousal Share, up to a maximum of 9,560 in 2009;
The state spousal resource standard, which a state can set at any amount between ,912 and 9,560 in 2009;
An amount transferred to the community spouse for her/his support as directed by a court order; or
An amount designated by a state hearing officer to raise the community spouse's protected resources up to the minimum monthly maintenance needs standard.

After the PRA is subtracted from the couple's combined countable resources, the remainder is considered available to the spouse residing in the medical institution as countable resources. If the amount of countable resources is below the State's resource standard, the individual is eligible for Medicaid. Once resource eligibility is determined, any resources belonging to the community spouse are no longer considered available to the spouse in the medical facility.

Income Eligibility
The community spouse's income is not considered available to the spouse who is in the medical facility, and the two individuals are not considered a couple for income eligibility purposes. The state uses the income eligibility standard for one person rather than two, and the standard income eligibility process for Medicaid is used.

Post-Eligibility Treatment of Income
This process is followed after an individual in a nursing facility/medical institution is determined to be eligible for Medicaid. The post-eligibility process is used to determine how much the spouse in the medical facility must contribute toward his/her cost of nursing facility/institutional care. This process also determines how much of the income of the spouse who is in the medical facility is actually protected for use by the community spouse.

The process starts by determining the total income of the spouse in the medical facility. From that spouse's total income, the following items are deducted:

A personal needs allowance of at least ;

A community spouse's monthly income allowance (between ,750 and ,739 for 2009), as long as the income is actually made available to her/him;

A family monthly income allowance, if there are other family members living in the household;

An amount for medical expenses incurred by the spouse who is in the medical facility.

The community spouse's monthly income allowance is the amount of the institutionalized spouse's income that is actually made available to the community spouse. If the community spouse has income of his or her own, the amount of that income is deducted from the community spouse's monthly income allowance. Similarly, any income of family members, such as dependent children, is deducted from the family monthly income allowance.

Once the above items are deducted from the institutionalized spouse's income, any remaining income is contributed toward the cost of his or her care in the institution.

For free information on long-term care insurance visit the Consumer Information Center of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance.

2009 Medicaid Limits Are Important For Those Who May Need Long-Term Care

High Pressure Water Sprayer Tutorial Information Poulan Snowblower Parts Bird House Feeder Plans Clearance Sale

!: Buyers Circle Limit IV 26x30 Framed Art Print by M.C. Escher Decide Now

Brand : artdirect.com | Rate : | Price : $75.00
Post Date : Oct 18, 2011 04:36:17 | Usually ships in 4-5 business days

Circle Limit IV 26x30 Framed Art Print by M.C. Escher

• High quality framed art print
• Two inch wide black wood frame
• In stock and ready to frame and ship
• Custom packed for safe delivery
• Satisfaction Guaranteed

More Specification..!!

Circle Limit IV 26x30 Framed Art Print by M.C. Escher

Dj Packages Tips Liver Help Bolting Down A Safe Prices Cheap Weed Eaters

Mandatory Term Limits: Good Or Bad?

Would mandatory term limits on United States' representatives, senators, and our menagerial field (back to one term) be good or bad? That is a major dilemma in a political nation and world gone awry. Does "new blood" permanently refresh a principles and prohibit or deter corruption, or simply deny knowledgeable group servants, that already know what is going-on, from using their obtained wisdom to great lead and govern? Fine citizens heartily disagree on this issue. There are pros and cons to each position.

Moderates and "middle-of-the-roaders" often argue that term limits would lessen a politician's capability to manipulate an office for his own personal gain. Tasteless sense dictates that if you serve only one or two terms, you will hardly be of any use to lobbyists or extra interests groups, or even have much time to be tainted by them. In essence, the someone serving in a minute manner could be doing so strictly for the constituents' good, and then leave.

Term Limits

Most folks who want term limits immediately think of gift and past Senators like Ted Kennedy, Robert Byrd, Ted Stevens, or John Kerry. They are the "poster children" for professional politicians. They have been notion to have a hold on their jobs, whether they accomplish in a good, bad, or ugly manner. To some extent this is true.

Mandatory Term Limits: Good Or Bad?

!1: Now is the time dB Logic EP-100 Earphones, Silver Order Today!

Nice Design by :dB LogicOver All Rating Reviews : Great Deal : Date Created :Apr 16, 2011 19:45:42

Ultra-small in-ear monitors offer fantastic sound quality while reducing exposure to high sound pressure levels. Can be worn with cable behind-the-ear for on-the-go security or with cables straight down for quick fitting. Compact storage case is ideal for traveling and fits in any pocket. Three sizes of compliant eartips to fit any ear. dB Logic's proprietary Sound Pressure Level Limiting (SPL2) helps control listening level to reduce exposure to sounds above 85dB SPL. Sounds above this level can cause hearing loss over time; by reducing exposure to these loud sounds dB Logic can help the listener enjoy a lifetime of good listening. Sound limiting is transparent to the user -- there are no batteries, no adjustments, and no audible distortion. These are simply great-sounding earphones that are not able to operate at dangerous sound pressure levels.

Longer terms dictate more affect and "war chest" money, and greater affect bides well for an incumbent, despite his current ideology. That's bad. The framers of our constitution probably didn't want the nation to be led by work politicians, right? Nor should elections "be bought."

On the other side of the coin, what if a precisely smart, honest, tried and proven human being is in office? His or her leaving then opens the door for corruption, and perhaps a less-desirable replacement. What then? Should we force a fabulous representative and leader out, and decree for something worse? Should this group servant be tossed-out just because of the inherent abuse in office of others, elsewhere?

Along those same lines, don't "we the people" already have the right to fire those that do a bad job by not re-electing them? Likewise, can't we elect new blood anytime we want? Don't term limits simply restrict the voters' options, and take away power from them? Of course they do. The inquire is; does the inherent gain outweigh the loss? This varies.

There is also the conference that it takes years to properly learn how to effectively do any job, especially that of a group servant. Do we want to get rid of someone at just about the time they learn what they are doing, and become acquainted with the issues? Wouldn't capability regress?

Then, ultra-conservatives who oppose term limits bring-up other relevant points. If Jesus was in group office, would you restrict and ban Him from re-election? Should we so haphazardly ignore the Biblical principles and precedents of Kings and leaders serving unlimited terms? Isn't the Word Of God meant to supply the basics forever? Doesn't He know much more than we?

There are points to be made on each side of the fight for and against term limits. If implemented, politicians would, no doubt, simply go from position to position and determination to determination for assorted distinct posts... Representative, County Commissioner, Senator, Governor, Vice President, Judge, President, and so on. If someone wants to be a work politician, and has the resources, they will be, folks. The inquire boils down to: Do you want them in the same posts, or moving around? Are most good or bad?

I'd have to say that with my right to vote for the someone of my selection each election, I'd just as soon let a someone in office remain there, and allow he or she to have to permanently prove to me each term that they deserve their position. Furthermore, capability habitancy need the inherent stability of keeping offices a while, in order to be drawn into group service to begin with. Otherwise, why not be selfish and just think about yourself and your own house by making money surface politics? (Foreign nations also need to see some stability in our leadership; otherwise, why make deals with habitancy who will soon be gone?)

What we fail to realize is that the long-term politicians are re-elected again and again because they mirror their constituency, whether liberal or conservative. Even bad districts and states deserve their selection of leadership too, don't they? We limit their terms at the ballot box, already.... Then again...

Mandatory Term Limits: Good Or Bad?Strategies for outstanding SBA loan limit increases - SBA 7 (a) $ 5,000,000, $ 5,500,000 SBA 504 U.S. Video Clips. Duration : 6.97 Mins.

The SBA's banking sector experienced major changes once the limits are raised to 7 (a) and 504 loans. The nation's largest SBA lenders and independent community bankers need to know the changes. Panel: Erik Daniels, Senior Vice President & National Sales Manager, U. S. Bank # 2 SBA 7 (a), Erik Daniels is a national provider of services Senior Vice President and National Sales Manager of the Bank for SBA. In 2009, the U.S. bank # 2 SBA lender is the nation state. Erik has over 18 years of small business loansThe experience in the areas of small business consulting and banking, credit, sales management and management of the division. Kurt Chilcott, President & CEO, CDC Small Business Finance CDC National # 1 Mr Chilcott is a member of the Board of Naggl and former president of the International Economic Development Council and former head of the NADCA. For 25 years he has developed innovative and successful organizations and programs conducted in public and non-profit sector. Under the guidance of Chilcott, theSan Diego-based CDC Small Business Finance has seen an impressive growth in its offices in California, Arizona and Nevada. Larry Hardee, Panama City, FL Hardee Larry has more than seven years of experience in direct sales of SBA loans. Larry Hardee was previously a Business Development Officer for Business Loan Express. SBA regulations stimulus II: • Increase 7 (a) loan limit of $ 2,000,000 to $ 5,000,000 • Improve guarantee 7 (a) loans, 90 to a maximum of $ 4,500,000 (...

Tags: Coleman, SBA Lending

!: Promo Mercedes Water Pump !: Answer Vasectomy Reversal Recovery !: Discounted Marc Hillier Hobo

Judith Butler and Giorgio Agamben. Eichmann, law and justice. 2009 1 / 7

Judith Butler and Giorgio Agamben. Eichmann, law and justice. 2009 1 / 7 Tube. Duration : 9.42 Mins.

www.egs.edu Judith Butler and Giorgio Agamben, in a public conversation about Eichmann, Law and Justice at the European Graduate School (EGS), Saas Fee, Switzerland book. Hannah Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem, discussed in terms of Agamben's work on the liturgy and the show, or the "liturgy of the law" in terms of Agamben. They also spoke of Kafka and the idea of ​​justice against legal right. Free public lecture open to students and faculty from the European Graduate School EGS Media andCommunication Studies department program, Saas-Fee, Switzerland Europe 2009 Judith Butler, Giorgio Agamben. Judith Butler is Maxine Elliot Professor in the Department of Rhetoric and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. She is a post-structuralist philosopher working today, politics, culture and literary theory, philosophy, psychoanalysis, feminism and gender politics. In his most famous book, Gender Trouble, said he had the traditional feminismmade the mistake of classifying women as a separate category, but claimed that sex should not be taken as an absolute value, but a shifting, attribute relationships, one that changes and develops in different situations and different times. More recently, Butler has been asking their views on intractable issues of the nation state, war and hegemony of power. As a recipient of the 2008 Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Distinguished Achievement Award, has elected Judith Butler...

Tags: Judith, Butler, Giorgio, Agamben, Hannah, Arendt, Michel, Foucault, Homo, Sacer, Feminism, action, subject, ethics, liturgy, Eichmann, law, justice, Mellon, Kafka, philosophy, critical, theory, European, Graduate, School, EGS

!: New Espadrille Sandal !: Marcy Exercise Bike Fast !: Black And Decker Popcorn Popper

Environmentally friendly practices of the aggregates: Chapter 02

Environmentally friendly practices of the aggregates: Chapter 02 Tube. Duration : 5.17 Mins.

This is clip 2 of 7 for this video. Air pollution and noise are two major concerns that communities have on nearby mines. State regulations are in place to reduce the amount of air emissions in the mining limit. are two types of air emissions must be controlled, point-source and fugitive emissions. Wet suppression, bag-house filter or housing can reduce dust emissions from point-source. Dampening aggregate stack loading, wet roads and controlthe maximum speed of vehicles reduces emissions. Radiation generated in dust emissions in the short term and ground vibrations. times acceptable limits of radiation and vibration must be met, he complained to minimize community. Housing reduces the amount of noise that emits from the plant. Shrubs and trees to act as a buffer between the noise and the community. Author: Maryland Center for Environmental Education / College of Southern Maryland ReleasedRelease date: 2000 www.p2ric.org

Keywords: agindch02

!: Mandolin Get It Now!

Term limits: Karma Bar Find Current TV on Friday

Term limits: Karma Bar Find Current TV on Friday Tube. Duration : 0.52 Mins.

A U.S. senator from 2058 a secret from the President that her career and her lover could kill. Watch Karma Bar Fridays at 10/9c only radiates eye to Current TV. It is not reality, is made from real television. Including you. Helping to create the show on current.com

Keywords: Video, games, sims, spore, bar, karma, will, wright, Lucas, arts, escapism, strategy, grand, theft, auto, Current, tv, plot, community, driven, creativity, pitch, ideas, Fans, control, show, bars, drinking, jokes, funny, humor

!: Prices Marine Battery Solar Charger