What is Epilepsy Essay Example for Free

What is Epilepsy Essay Background: Epilepsy is also referred to as seizure disorder; it is a chronic brain disorder that briefly interrupts the normal electrical activity of the brain to cause seizures. These seizures can be characterized by a variety of symptoms including uncontrolled movements of the body, disorientation or confusion, sudden fear, or loss of consciousness. Epilepsy may be a result from a head injury, stroke, brain tumor, lead poisoning, or genetic conditions. An interesting fact about epilepsy is that in over 70 percent of the cases no cause has been identified. Did you know that about 1 percent of the world population, or over 2 million people, are diagnosed with epilepsy (Epilepsy Foundation)? Types and causes of Seizures: A person has a seizure when there is an abnormal discharge of electrical energy in certain brain cells. The discharge spreads to nearby cells, and the effect may be loss of consciousness, involuntary movements, or abnormal sensory phenomena. The effects of the seizure will depend on the location of the cells in which the discharge starts and how far the discharge spreads. Like stated before about 1 percent of the population is diagnosed with epilepsy but did you know that about 6 percent of the population will have a seizure in their lifetime? Most of that 6 percent of people will not be diagnosed with epilepsy because they do not have seizures on a constant basis. Since seizures reflect abnormal brain activity, it is not surprising that epilepsy is found in a greater amount in children with developmental disabilities (mental retardation or cerebral palsy) than those without a disability. Seizures can be caused by almost any kind of damage to the brain, the most common causes are; a lack of sufficient oxygen, low blood sugar, infections, and a physical trauma. But in 70 percent of epilepsy cases the cause is unknown. Even though the cause maybe unknown doctors still can treat patients with proper medication (Hallahan and Kauffman). Seizures may take many forms, and the best way to classify seizures is a matter that is up for debate among many individuals. However, educators should not that seizures may differ along at least the following dimensions: -Duration: The seizures may only last a few seconds or for several minutes. -Frequency: Seizures may occur as frequently as every few minutes in severe cases or only about once a year in minor cases. -Onset: They may be set off by certain identifiable stimuli or be unrelated to the environment, and they may be totally unexpected or be preceded by certain internal sensation Movements: they may cause major convulsive movements or only minor motor symptoms (eye blinking). -Causes: Seizures may be caused by a variety of conditions, including high fever, poisoning or head trauma. -Associated disabilities: Seizures may be associated with other disabling conditions or be unrelated to any other medical problem or disability. -Control: They may be controlled completely by drugs, so that the individual has no more seizures, or they may be only partially controlled. Educational Implications: Nearly half of all children with Epilepsy have average or higher intelligence, just the same as the general public. Although many children with epilepsy have other disabilities, some do not. Consequently, both general and special education teacher may expect to encounter children who have seizures. Besides medical advice regarding management of the childs particular seizure disorder, teachers should know first aid for epileptic seizures. Seizures are primarily a medical problem and require medical attention. Educators are called to deal with the problem in the following  ways: -Both General and special education teachers need to help dispel ignorance, superstition, and prejudice toward people who have seizures and provide calm management for the occasional seizure the child may have at school. -Special education teachers who work with students with severe developmental disabilities need to be prepared to manage more frequent seizures as will as to handle learning problems. The teacher should record the length of a childs seizure and the type of activity the child was engaged in before it occurred. This information will help physicians in diagnosis and treatment. If a student is being treated for a seizure disorder, the teacher, should know the type of medication and its possible side effects (Hallahan and Kauffman). Treatment: There is no cure for epilepsy but symptoms of the disorder may be treated with drugs, surgery, or a special diet. Drug therapy is the most common treatment, seizures can be prevented or their frequency lessened in 80 to 85 percent of cases by drugs known as anticonvulsants or antiepileptics. Surgery is used when drug treatments fail and the brain tissue causing the seizures is confined to one area and canbe safely removed. A special high-fat diet known as ketogenic diet produces a chemical condition in the body called ketosis that helps prevent seizures in young children. Like any other medical condition, epilepsy is affected by general health. Regualr exercise, plenty of rest, and efforts to reduce stress can all have a positive effect on a person with a seizure disorder. (Epilepsy Foundation). The Future: The things that I have learned when doing this project that will better help me when I became a teacher in the future is: that as a teacher you not only  need to know first aid but you can do the little things like making sure other students know what is going on so, they dont make fun of that particular student. I also learned that by knowing the childs medication and recording what they were doing when the seizure happened and how long is lasted could help give the student better treatment. Lastly, I learned that I shouldnt have an attitude such as I will never have one of these students in my class, the possibility to get one of these students in my class is real, and I will now be better prepared so if and when it happens I can help the student to the best of my abilities.

Physics of the Browning M2 .50 Cal :: physics machine gun

The Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun is better known as the 'Ma Duce' to those who have had the pleasure of firing this heavy barrel machine gun. In 1919 John M. Browning developed the M2 .50 cal as an anti-aircraft weapon. The M2 was first introduced into the United States Military in 1933 and is used by many militaries through out the world today. Since 1933 there have been little changes made to this weapon system. The BMG (Browning Machine Gun) is a crew served, belt fed, air-cooled, recoil operated machine gun capable of firing in single shot or fully automatic. Today the M2 is used for more than just anti-aircraft. Since very little changes have been made to this remarkable weapon system, military researchers have been able to maximize the capabilities and uses on the battle field. This weapon is used both in the offense and defense and can be used effectively to engage light armored vehicles, low flying aircraft, boats, and personnel. The M2 can either be ground or vehicle mounted giving our military unlimited uses of this weapon. This weapon system has been mounted on numerous light armored vehicles, air craft, water craft, as well as tanks. The M2 .50 caliber machine gun is a crew served, belt fed, air-cooled, recoil operated machine gun capable of firing in single shot or fully automatic. weight of total gun with tripod 128lb weight of receiver 60lb weight of barrel 24lb weight of tripod 44lb length of gun 65in length of barrel 45in muzzle velocity 3050fps~888m/s bore diameter .50cal~12.7mm maximum effective range 2000m maximum range 6800m~4.2miles There are over 20 different types of ammunition that have been made for the M2, each with it's own individual characteristics, color coding and uses. The primary round discussed on this web page is the M2 .50 caliber ball cartridge. The M2 ball round is one of the few rounds that does not have any color coding. This round consists primarily of the casing, primer, powder, and projectile. The projectile is 58.7mm long, 12.7mm in diameter and has a weight of 42.9grams. The projectile is a soft lead core incased in a full metal jacket. Most ammunition for the M2 comes linked in 100 round belts as shown below. There are some basic methods of firing that must be defined before discussing defilade fire. The first of these is line of sight. Line of sight is defined as the path from the gunner's eye to the target.

Recent Basketball-related Research: The Vertical Jump Essay

On a message forum that I frequent, I continually see trainers touting the Vertimax as the solution to all vertical jump problems for basketball players. There are two issues with this: McClenton et al. (2008) compared depth-jump training to Vertimax training and found: Depth jump training twice weekly for 6 weeks is more beneficial than VertiMax jump training for increasing vertical jump height. Strength professionals should focus on depth jump exercises in the short term over commercially available devices to improve vertical jump performance. McClenton, L.S., Brown, L.E., Coburn, J.W., & Kersey, R.D. (2008). The effect of short-term VertiMax vs. depth jump training on vertical jump performance. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 22 (2), 321-325. Carlson et al. (2009) compared strength training, plyometric training, and jump training with a VertiMax and found: The findings of this study demonstrate that there is no difference in vertical jump among strength training, plyo metric training, and jump training over a 6-week timeframe. Carlson, K., Magnusen, M. & Walters, P. (2009). Effect of Various Training Modalities on Vertical Jump. Research in Sports Medicine: An International Journal, 17 (2), 84-94. One issue with the second study is the use of plyometrics, as that has become a colloquial term that has lost meaning (Flanagan & Comyns, 2008). Many plyometrics exercises use the slow stretch-shortening cycle (as would VertiMax) with ground contact time longer than 250 milliseconds and large angular displacements (Schmidtbleicher, 1994), whereas depth jumps utilize a fast stretch-shortening cycle with ground contacts between 100-250 ms and small angular displacements (Schmidtbleicher, 1994). The above results would suggest the need for fast SSC training to improve vertical-jump performance over a six-week training cycle. This does not mean that the VertiMax is without use or a bad product. However, plyometric boxes are a much less expensive purchase that can elicit the same or improved benefits, at least over a six-week training program. Secondly, and of primary importance, McGill et al. (2012) found that the broad jump predicted basketball performance measures better than the vertical jump in college basketball players: Dependent variables of performance indicators (such as games and minutes played, points scored,  assists, rebounds, steal, and blocks) and injury reports were tracked for the subsequent 2 years. Results showed that better performance was linked with having a stiffer torso, more mobile hips, weaker left grip strength, and a longer standing long jump, to name a few. McGill, S.M., Andersen, J.T., & Horne, A.D. (2012). Predicting Performance and Injury Resilience From Movement Quality and Fitness Scores in a Basketball Team Over 2 Years. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 26 (7), 1731–1739. The implication of the second study is to suggest that vertical-jump performance is not of primary performance to basketball performance, and other qualities such as change-of-direction speed, balance, and acceleration likely have more to do with on-court performance. Flanagan, E.P. & Comyns, T.M. (2008). The use of contact time and the reactive strength index to optimise fast stretch-shortening cycle training. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 30, 33-38. Schmidtbleicher, D. (1994). Training for power events. In P. Komi (Ed.), Strength and Power in Sport (381-395). London: Blackwell Scientific.

Nonverbal Communication And The Classroom - 902 Words

TOPIC 1: Nonverbal communication in the classroom Communication is the ongoing exchange of messages that enables us to share our knowledge, attitudes, opinions and skills with one another (Miller, 1988). This process is composed of two dimensions – verbal and nonverbal . While is it undeniable that both the verbal and the nonverbal dimension are inseparable, research emphasises the dominance of the nonverbal message (cf., Argyle, 1975; Hall, 1966; Harrison Crouch, 1975; Knapp, 1978, cited in Smith, 1979). Harrison and Crouch (1975) argue that, in the development of each human being, nonverbal communication precedes and perhaps structures all subsequent communication (p. 77), and thus suggest that the nonverbal dimension plays a role more significant than that with which we consciously associate it. After significant research Mehrabian (1968) was able to propose values for the three elements that compose interpersonal communication: Total Impact = .07 verbal + .38 vocal + .55 facial (p. 53). The most significant facet of Mehr abian s formulation was the comparatively minute impact of the verbal message and the dominance of the nonverbal (i.e., 7% vs. 93%) (Smith, 1979). While studies under different conditions have developed varied conclusions regarding the exact weights of each communicative element (cf Keith, Tornatzky, Pettigrew, 1974, cited in Smith, 1979), the overwhelming importance of the nonverbal domain is without doubt. Thus, if there exists anyShow MoreRelatedAdvantages and Disadvantages of Nonverbal Communication in School1661 Words   |  7 Pagesand Disadvantages of Nonverbal communication in School is an important topic to be learned by human beings. This paper explores various techniques that can be utilized to manage conflict in the workplace. 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Richmond, the authors of Nonverbal Behavior in Interpersonal Relations, body language makes a huge difference in our daily communication. For example, the way we pose, the expressions on our face, and even the tone of our speech, which are all nonverbal communication methods

The Unspoken Captivity Retrospectives On Human Trafficking

The Unspoken Captivity: Retrospectives on Human Trafficking Brandon Howell, Kyounga McElroy, Susan Pawlak, Barbara Gardner Davenport University The Unspoken Captivity: Retrospectives on Human Trafficking Human trafficking is a method of modern day slavery which entails the illegal trade of persons for sexual exploitation or forced labor. Each year thousands of men, women and children are victims of this suppression. Countless countries including the United States are affected by trafficking. Habitually, traffickers tend to prey on a perceived vulnerability, whether it is through a promise of money, employment, or better opportunities not normally afforded to the victim. Ultimately, the victims later find themselves trapped and manipulated and held against his or her will for the price of profit or involuntary servitude. Several organizations and governments across the globe, have implemented approaches to eradicate human trafficking. Unfortunately, the attempts to abolish this crime against human rights seems impossible to stop due to the ever-growing demand. Discovery Human trafficking involves the selling of human beings for a profit through forced labor and the illegal movement of people. From the National Institute of Justice (2012) cited â€Å"The United Nations defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons by improper means (such as force, abduction, fraud, or coercion) for an improper purpose including

Desiree s Free Enterprise And Ralph Ellison s Invisible Man

As observed throughout history and various societies, the notion of a â€Å"racial hierarchy† proves to be a superficial design which ultimately assigns value to a group of people based solely upon their skin color. As a result, certain groups are promptly associated with influence and supremacy, while others are disregarded in their â€Å"inherent† inferiority. Michelle Cliff’s Free Enterprise and Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man approach this paradigm by facilitating their readers’ understandings regarding the debilitating ostracism associated with the social construct of â€Å"blackness,† as well as the metaphorical societal invisibility that is suffered as a result. In Free Enterprise, Cliff’s implementation of the motif of black invisibility is†¦show more content†¦This is most poignantly demonstrated through their enduring inquisition of whether â€Å"their names were called at holiday gatherings,† an unfulfilled cu riosity in regards to the simple recollection of their existences (Cliff 42). From an analytical standpoint, the colony is a metaphor for the dehumanization and erasure of black identity as a means of societal marginalization and disposal. Akin to Cliff’s work, Ellison’s Invisible Man approaches the nature of black identity through the novel’s discounted main character. A scene which ties into the concept of invisible â€Å"blackness† in the face of â€Å"whiteness† is one wherein the unnamed protagonist accidentally bumps into another man on the street, resulting in what one can assume to be a derogatory racial epithet directed towards him (Ellison 4). The invisible man demands an apology from the white perpetrator, a recognition of his humanity, but his black identity and the notion of white supremacy prevent it. Even in a position of considerable vulnerability, with â€Å"torn skin† and â€Å"lips frothy with blood,† the white man cannot bring himself to apologize, as this would be an acknowledgment of the black man’s existence, a disruption of the racial hierarchy (Ellison 4). The dehumanization resulting from the notion of â€Å"blackness† as inferio r results in the character’s societal confinement and fleeing from the outside world to his â€Å"hole in the ground,† an

Study of Software Industry Using Porters Five Forces Model free essay sample

Porter’s model supports analysis of the driving forces in an industry. Based on the information derived from the Five Forces Analysis, management can decide how to influence or to exploit particular characteristics of their industry. A strategic Business manager seeking to develop an edge over rivals can use this model to understand the industry context in which the firm operates. Software industry is a growing industry and there are many potential new entrants to the industry. A study of the Software industry using Porter’s five forces model provides key insights into the industry trends. The study provides key challenges faced by the industry, and throws up some great opportunities that are present in the industry. Overall, the studies done through this paper reveal that software industry is a great industry to get into, for those who have the capability to create opportunities out of challenges. Introduction Software Industry is considered to be a very profitable industry. This perception attracts many players to this field. Many of the new entrants to the industry do not do any scientific analysis before they get into the field. This some times result into failures and uncertainties in the industry. A lot of new entrants fail to correctly assess and analyse the competitive strength and position of the firm in this industry. Michael Porter’s (1980) famous Five Forces of Competitive Position model provides a very effective way of doing this assessment for any industry, and can be used in the software industry too. This paper does a detailed study of the software industry using Porter’s model and the findings will help new entrepreneurs and existing ones to arrive at the right strategies for being unique and addressing the competition. This paper attempts to analyse the software industry based on Porter’s five forces model. Literature Review Porters Five Forces No organization is an island unto itself. Its ability to thrive is affected by many factors, including its competition. Michael Porter (1980), of the Harvard Business School, has developed the five forces model to describe and analyze these factors. Apart from Porters Book Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitorsâ€Å" in 1980, there are very many internet resources and articles which provide insight into the model. Some of them are www. themanager. org , www. businessballs. com, www. quickmba. com etc In this model, there are five competitive forces that interactively shape the dynamic environment of any industry. Rivalry Among Existing Firms All companies strive to improve their position with respect to their rivals. Companies use a variety of tactics to secure advantage; for example, product innovation and differentiation, patents, pricing, distribution systems, and advertising. In many industries, the use of one or more of these tactics by one company provokes a response by its competitors. Over time, this action-reaction dilemma can damage both the companies and the industry at large. This happened in the semiconductor industry: when one company began to build up production capacity for RAM (random-access memory) chips, the others followed suit, and the resultant overcapacity gave buyers an inordinate amount of leverage, precipitating a crash in prices. There are other factors that promote rivalry and competition: †¢Large increases in production capacity †¢Many competitors or relatively balanced competition †¢High exit barriers †¢Slow industry growth †¢High fixed costs Low switching costs Industries in which the competition is intense are often referred to as cutthroat, warlike, and bitter. The soft-drink industry is a well-known example of this. The more competitive the industry, the more difficult it is to generate profits. Threat of Potential Entrants New competitors in an industry bring with them additional resources and production capacity and a desire to gain market share. Their entrance can result in a collapse in prices, loss of suppliers, and increased costs (for example, in more advertising or a bigger sales force)—all of which reduce profitability. This has happened repeatedly in the discount department store sector, beginning in the early 20th century when the first â€Å"five-and-ten-cent stores† began to compete with smaller specialty shops. The likelihood of new entrants depends on the barriers to entry that are inherent to the industry and on the responses of the existing competitors. There are five major barriers to entry: a) Economies of scale In industrial economies, the most efficient level of production is called the minimum efficient scale (MES), which is the production level needed to achieve the lowest production costs. All industries have an MES. The higher the MES, the more production capability a new entrant must build in order to enter without an initial cost disadvantage. New entrants must then capture a share of the market proportional to their capacity or they will be at a long-term disadvantage. The bigger the market share they need to capture, the higher this barrier to entry is. One example of where it is extremely high is the automobile industry. b) Access to distribution channels In some industries, the distribution channels are controlled by existing companies through distributor contracts and preferred relationships. This can be seen in the light bulb industry, where the biggest manufacturers have exclusive contracts with the biggest retailers. New entrants will have to break into the current distribution system or find other alternatives. Both choices may be expensive, creating a high barrier to entry. c) Capital requirements Entering a new market can involve creating new capacity, aggressive advertising, acquisition of licenses, and so on. All of these activities require investment capital. The higher the capital needs, the greater the barrier to entry. An extreme case here is the building of jet aircraft, where even an established company can spend over a billion dollars (U. S. ) to bring one new model into production. d) Switching costs In some cases, entry into a new market can be achieved by retooling existing production machinery at relatively low costs. It is also possible, however, that the retooling costs are substantial, hence, a greater barrier to entry. Oftentimes, highly specialized capacity for which there is no alternative use must be created. This is a potential switching cost and constitutes another barrier to entry. Integrated circuit manufacturing equipment, for instance, cannot be used for anything else, while the machines used to make hardware and small metal parts can be reconfigured fairly easily. e) Cost disadvantages independent of scale Some industries have unique features that create high barriers to entry. These include: †¢Proprietary knowledge and patents not available to entrants †¢Access to raw materials limited to or controlled by existing firms †¢Favorable locations already secured by existing firms †¢Government regulations or subsidies †¢A relatively long learning/experience curve Similarly, barriers to exit make it difficult for firms to leave an industry. In industries that are difficult to exit, existing firms will tend to put more into the competition for retaining their market share than if they had an easy-exit option. Low Barrier to Entry Standard technology Low capital investment Low switching costs Little government restriction Fragmented or open distributionHigh Barrier to Entry Critical patents High capital investment High switching costs Considerable government regulation Controlled distribution Low Barrier to Exit Separate SBUs Incidental to core strategy Assets easy to sell Common technologyHigh Barrier to Exit Interdependent SBUs Part of core strategy Assets difficult to sell Specialized technology not applicable to other industries The Power of Buyers In some circumstances, the buyers or customers in an industry contribute to its competitiveness. Customers in competitive industries are able to force down prices, bargain for higher quality or more services, and play competitors against each other. Customers can exert significant pressure on an industry when †¢They have full information. They consider the products they purchase to be standard or undifferentiated. †¢The products are a significant portion of the buyers’ costs. †¢The products are unimportant to the quality of the buyers’ products. †¢The industry faces low switching costs. An industry that is severely limited by the power of buyers is pharmaceuticals: insurance companies, health maintenance organizations, and even governments (e. g. , through Medicare) limit their profits on prescription medications. The Power of Suppliers Suppliers also influence the competitiveness of an industry. Powerful suppliers can raise prices, restrict access to supplies, and lower the quality of supplies and services. If competitors are unable to pass along increased costs to their customers, their profits decrease. Suppliers are powerful when: †¢They pose a threat of forward integration. †¢Their product is an important input to the final product. †¢The industry overall is not an important customer of the supplier. †¢They are few in number and are more concentrated than their customers. †¢There are no competing substitutes. Their products are differentiated and/or the customers have significant switching costs. Suppliers are extremely powerful in the oil business, where a company that operates refineries but does not own its own wells is completely dependent on the producers. The Threat of Substitutes Usually, the firms in one industry are, broadly speaking, also competing with industries that produce substitute products. Substitutes can place a ceiling on the prices an industry can charge, thus limiting its profit potential. The more favorable the price/performance ratio of alternatives, the stronger the ceiling. Identifying viable substitute products is a matter of searching for other products that can meet customer needs. Some examples are: †¢High fructose /low calorie sweetener for sugar †¢LEDs for incandescent lights †¢Cellular phones for landline phones †¢Real estate investing for equity investing †¢Public transportation for automobiles All of these factors together shape the dynamics of an industry. After establishing how attractive an industry sector is, companies can then determine the key industry success factors, the investment needed, and the potential for return on those investments. Methodology First, the requirements and the nature of software industry were studied. The industry experience of the author of this paper came in handy for the study. Discussions were held with various experts in the industry. Various stages of setting up and sustaining a software industry were evaluated. Extensive study of already existing research was carried out. Various research information were considered while arriving at conclusions. A number of secondary sources are used in this paper Results and Discussion What are the threats of entry in this industry? Let us look at this with reference to the five aspects of †¢Economies of scale †¢Access to distribution channels †¢Capital requirements †¢Switching costs †¢Cost disadvantages independent of scale Economies of Scale Gerard Jackson (June 1998) argues that the concept of economies of scale do not apply to soft ware industry, simply due to the very nature of the industry where once we have invested in the development of the product the production costs are virtually nil and hence the economies of scale concept cannot be applied here. There of course are costs associated with packaging, shipping and marketing the product, but they are so minimal compared to the overall cost that the argument appears logical. So for the big players this is not an advantage at all. Any small player can threaten the big players, if they have the right brains behind their products. I do not consider this to be a serious entry barrier for new entrants to this field. Access to Distribution Channels Access to distribution channel is a big threat of entry in the software industry. The internet is a virtually free distribution channel available for any one to pump their products into. Any new entrant can have the same access as the big players to the distributions channels. However this is easily said than done for large software products like middle ware or operating systems, or huge data base management systems. Overall, this is not a serious barrier for new entrants. Capital Requirements The Capital requirements in this industry are of a different nature. According to the Reserve Bank of India (India’s Apex Bank) Notification (August, 1998) the working capital requirements of the software industry are basically the development costs. To quote their report â€Å"These products are prepared to meet standard requirements of end-users and are sold as packaged units comprising software manual and other user aids (tutorials). The development of these products involve fairly large scale investment, the return on which can be realised only after the product is fully developed and sufficient demand is generated therefore. By and large, no payment by the buyers would be involved at any stage of development and the developer would be receiving payments only when the products are purchased by interested buyers. In such cases, working capital requirements would be mainly for meeting expenditure such as salaries and expenses of the professionals associated with the development of the products. The period required for development would vary and, in some cases, may extend up to 24 months. â€Å" Depending on the scale of the proposed product, the new entrants would need to muster this capital requirement, and take the risk of success or failure once the product is launched. Hence this could be a high barrier Switching Costs Switching cost could well be the most important entry barrier for new firms into the software industry. Steve Kahl (Spring 2004) has done some extensive study on the switching costs related with Software industry. The total cost of ownership to implement a software package typically is much higher than the purchase price of software, sometimes as high as twelve times the price. Integrating software with the pre-existing technical architecture, changing business processes, training new users on the system, and maintenance costs for the software make it difficult for customers to replace software products. These high switching costs can lock customers in and increase the value of the installed base. As a result, the size of the installed base is an important performance measure for the software industry. The installed base, in turn, impacts competitive strategy. A firm such as Microsoft with a significant installed base may deter entry from new firms. Cost Disadvantages Independent of Scale include proprietary product technology, favorable access to talent and raw material, favorable locations, learning or experience curve etc. In the context of the software industry this could be a low barrier, since the software as a product is a function of the human intelligence and really one cannot make it proprietary, and history proves this where start up companies became giants in this field. To what threats of substitutes are you vulnerable in this industry? The threats of substitutes could be of a different nature in the software industry. There is always the big fight between patents and open source. But the major threat for software industry in this account is the threat of piracy. All major software players struggle with this and a lot of efforts and money is spent on preventing , detecting and acting on piracy. I would say that the industry has still not figured out the right and fool proof way of preventing this threat. The proliferation of piracy requires us to constantly re-evaluate how people can ensure they are getting the real thing when they see the Microsoft name, says Jackie Carriker, group manager of anti-piracy efforts for Microsoft (Microsoft press release Feb 2000). It seems we are in a perpetual cat-and-mouse game with counterfeiters. But hopefully these features will make it more challenging for would-be pirates to make a quick buck while making it easier for customers and resellers to differentiate between genuine and counterfeit software. Microsoft published data confirms this problem. To Quote Microsoft â€Å"Software piracy, or the illegal copying and distribution of software, is both an individual and a worldwide problem that takes a toll on the global economy. In 1998, software piracy caused the loss of more $11 billion in revenue worldwide, according to the Business Software Alliance (BSA). That same year, software piracy cost 109,000 jobs in the U. S. lone. There are currently approximately 2 million auction and warez sites pushing pirated or counterfeit goods, compared to 100,000 in 1997, according to BSA estimates. In short, software piracy is a problem for everyone at every level of the distribution channel from honest resellers to consumers. As per Douglas Heingartner (January, 2004) internet pirac y is the latest threat in software piracy, and organisations are struggling to bring this under control. To what pressures from suppliers are you vulnerable in this industry? This is probably an industry which is not too dependent on â€Å"suppliers† in the conventional manner. However, the right skill sets in employees could be treated as a major supply source. Sourcing the right employees and having strategies and policies which attract them to stay on, is a major challenge that every software industry player . The war of talent as it is called is all too well known. According to Steve Schifferes (January 2007) ,Nasscom, the Indian software industry association, estimates that by 2010, the Indian outsourcing industry could have $60bn worth of global sales, up from $23bn in 2006 and that would still only be 10% of the potential market. But if the industry is to triple its revenues, urgent action is needed now to increase the supply of skilled labour, Nasscom says. According to Mary Hayes Weier (February 2007) Accenture plans to increase its India staff this year by 8,000 people to 35,000, surpassing its U. S. employee base. IBM s India staff has jumped from 43,000 to 53,000 in six months, and it expects to continue growing at that pace. Both Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services are hiring about 2,000 people a month. At that pace, thats more than 35,000 new hires for these four companies alone the next six months, and dozens of other tech companies are rushing to add staff in India. So where will all this talent come from? Thats a question businesses should be asking their suppliers of India-based IT and business process services. The country still offers the best talent-to-price ratio of any place in the world, but suppliers admit its getting increasingly difficult to find and keep the right peopleespecially at the management level. To what pressures from customers are you vulnerable in this industry? Customers or clients as they are called currently in our industry, have a great power as they always have had. They have choices, they continue to ask for better quality at lower costs. More importantly they are asking the software vendors to add business value to their business. It is no more a sell and walk out policy. According to the Software 2006 Industry report put together by McKinsey Company, in collaboration with the Sand Hill Group, the entire eco system of software business is undergoing major changes and customers are driving that change aggressively. The report says, â€Å"Two major business models are vying for an growing share of software spend: Software as a Service and Open Source. Software as a Service (SaaS) has become increasingly relevant to both Enterprise and SMB customers and has the potential to impact the entire IT landscape. Although the market size for SaaS was relatively small ~$6 billion in 2005, it is poised to grow more than 20 percent annually. Several factors are driving this large shift in preferred model: vendors are seeking attractive annuity revenue streams, customers are pushing for more affordable and lower TCO alternatives to packaged software, and critical technology enablers like broadband wireless and universal access are coming online. SaaS has already gained traction in number of application areas – such as payroll, human capital management, CRM, conferencing, procurement, logistics, information services, and e-commerce) – and should make gains across a much broader cross-section of applications over the next 3 years.