The case study is about a project to open a new Tesco Super Store

The is about a project to open a new Tesco Super Store - Case Study Example E. Stockwell (Simms, 26). The company expanded rapidly opening several stores from 1929 and eventually went public in 1947 when it was listed on the London Stock Exchange as Tesco Stores (Holdings) Limited. The company continued to grow through various acquisitions during the 1950s and 60s such as the acquisition of 70 Williamson's stores, 97 Charles Phillips stores, 212 Irwins stores, and 200 Harrow Stores outlets. At present, the company has continued to experience growth and success making a market leader within the grocery and general products retail market. The company’s stores are branded differently based on the location, size, and mode of acquisition. The main store brands are Tesco Extra, Tesco Metro, Tesco Express, Tesco Superstores, Tesco Homeplus, Dobbies, And One Stop. This paper aims to present the key elements involved in managing a successful project involving the opening of a new Tesco Superstore. It will discuss the key stages and associated tasks that will b e required in order to ensure overall success of the entire project, the project management processes and techniques that should be applied during the life of the project, and the important skills and competencies required by the project manager and team to achieve a successful project. Key stages and associated tasks required to ensure overall success of the project A project is usually described as a temporary group activity that is intended to produce a unique result, product, or service (Project Management Institute, 5). As such, a project is a plan of work that is aimed at bringing a beneficial change and is therefore expected to have a defined beginning and an end, and bears a scope of work that usually is unique and entails a lot of uncertainty (Prabhakar, 4). In addition, a project has several times, cost, and quality constraints and requires a multi-disciplinary team to carry out the project to its end. In order for a project to be successful, it must: Deliver the required benefits and outcomes expected by the organization, major stakeholders, delivery partners, and any other stakeholders involved in the project. Stay within the set out time targets and financial budgets; Engage the correct people and utilize the resources available within the organization and elsewhere appropriately (Cleland and Roland 176). Produce and realize deliverables that adhere to the agreed requirements; Have the necessary risk management skills and techniques required to manage adequately any risks that may arise and could jeopardize its success; Take into consideration of any changes that could occur in the manner in which the organization operates and all the diverse needs of the employees and other key stakeholders who shall be impacted by the various changes that may arise from the project. Five main stages of a project that must be undertaken in order to achieve success, namely: Initiating Under this stage, the management within an organization identifies a key busines s problem facing the organization or a unique opportunity that the organization could pursue and a possible business case that could provide a possible solution is identified. One needs to understand the environment within which the business operates in to be able to identify the scope of the project and the

International Marketing Mix Tutbury Crystal Case Study

International Marketing Mix Tutbury Crystal - Case Study Example A family owned business that churns out the highest quality of cut glass and allied products that come under the lifestyle category, Tutbury is a name to reckon with. Given its history and the prestige attached with owning pieces produced by this company, it would be a tough job to market this effectively in a region where little would be known about this exclusive brand. In this regard, the paper will present factual based strategies throughout in order to maintain a strong context in terms of the branding and marketing mix that would suit this company the most. This will be done with a strong focus on the operational realities within which the company has been functioning in Europe so as to find a suitable model for application in the country of our choice. The basic people this plan caters to are the stakeholders. Following are the points pertaining to Anukul Designs and its operations: The demand for Dipti's products grew and there was a market for interior decoration. By 1993, Dipti was busy undertaking several turnkey projects for complete furnishing of guest houses, hotels, as well as the Governor's residences in the state of Orissa. In this regard, it is imperative to loosely define international marketing before moving on. International marketing is that sphere of activities that is aimed at introducing a product in a country or group of countries with the aim of creating sales and some amount of awareness regarding the brand. (Bennett et al, 2002) Therefore, for a lifestyle product like crystal, what better than a country where lifestyle solutions are becoming a rage and the norm of the day - India. New Product Development: Range of Furnishing Items by Anukul Designs Table 1. Where Are the New-Product Opportunities' Product type Advantages Disadvantages Examples True break- through High profit High failure rate High R&D expense Epilady hair remover Betamax VCR Selectavision by RCA Lactaid (enzyme for break- Ing down milk sugar) Adaptations of existing product Greater chance of success More predictable sales patters Low R&D cost Small piece of large pie Less prestige Can become very Competitive IBM personal computer Colgate baking soda toothpaste Healthy Choice frozen Dinners Line extensions Presold audience Keeps brand fresh and new Inferior product can dilute core brand Healthy Choice soups Compaq laptop computer Haagen Daz frozen yogurt Sony walkman variations New use No new manu- facturing costs Incremental sales opportunity Arm & Hammer bakingsoda as refrigerator

Sales and Marketing Hotel Lodging Industry Essay

Sales and Marketing Hotel Lodging Industry - Essay Example New products contribute substantially to profitable sales (Drejer, 2002). The necessity of adding new products that will yield profits to sustain corporate growth is clear. Products also level out seasonal impacts, spread risks, use talents, capitalize on tax advantages, and replace obsolescent items. Sales and marketing work together in order to ensure effective service delivery and customer satisfaction processes. In lodging industry, business success depends on producing the right product at the right time. New-product development is risky, for market opportunity is couched in uncertainty and instability, and competitive system and the unpredictability of customer reaction increases the risk. in spite of benefits and opportunities proposed by this model, recent years there is a growing number of research studies proving its limitations and weaknesses for modern business. Applied to consumer behavior, it is possible to say that sales managers give a special attention to importance of channels of distribution and marketing mix. Distribution channels are the vehicles for matching companies with customers. They establish the arrangements and paths for the flow of product and title to ultimate users. They move products and information to markets and provide the funnel for the feedb ack of information to the producer. As networks of marketing agencies, they constitute a system-a loose but formal coalition of independent entities linked together to distribute products and services.. As the links between companies and markets, they can impede or foster the effectiveness of the rest of the marketing mix. Distribution channels cover a wide range of situations. At one end are found the complicated linkage of manufacturers and their branches, agents and brokers, other wholesalers, and retailers for the movement of certain consumer goods. At the other is the direct distribution of heavy machinery. Between lie a variety of channel assortments (Mintzberg et al 2004). Which one works best depends on the company and its products and markets at a certain time. Distribution channels are essential components of economic system. The efficient movement of goods and competition both depend on sales management. Nevertheless, as economists often assume, the channels do not perfor m cost-less activities. Using resources to sort supply and match it with demand, they try to bring both activities into balance. Through channels, companies organize supply and markets and endeavor to develop their own best opportunities (Drejer, 2002). In lodging and hotel industry, market segmentation is one of the main concepts used by marketing companies to divide the market between particular target groups and meet needs and wants of target customers. Divergent service policies adjust product lines to individual market segments -- they implement market segmentation. By assuming that demand is heterogeneous, market positioning strategy obtains a better match with distinguishable market segments. Service differentiation gives marketers a share of a broad, horizontal market, whereas market segmentation tends to result in cultivation of a market position in depth. Given

Analyze the assigned neurological disorder and prepare a report Essay

Analyze the assigned neurological disorder and prepare a report - Essay Example s in the arms and/or legs, in the face muscles, speaking difficulty, dizziness, problem in coordination, headache, vision problems, and loss of consciousness, with these symptoms occurring suddenly within few minutes. Immediate treatments from the doctor is necessary in case of a stroke that includes serving the patient with fluids, oxygen, controlling the blood pressure and if needed to apply medication like the available tissue plasminogen activator. In many cases, the use of a catheter is also made if necessary (Stroke, 2012). Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is similar to stroke and stroke is also at times referred by CVA or cerebrovascular accident. A primary difference between TIA and CVA is the duration where TIA generally lasts for 24 hours while CVA may last for more than 24 hours. Moreover, the effects of CVA are generally more severe than the TIA (Difference Between CVA and TIA,

United Health Group Ingenix Subrogation Services

United Health Group Ingenix Subrogation Services The company that I am most familiar with and will be discussing is Ingenix a wholly subsidiary of United Health Group. United Health Group is the parent company of Ingenix, therefore a lot of the financial information and applicable laws, regulations budgetary information will be Ingenix and United Health Group. Other information that I will providing, will included United Health Group, because it fall under the parent companys financial and budgeting background in regards how they filed Form 10-K with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The financial reporting statement sheet that is filed on form 10-K are separated among the different business entities that is under the umbrella of United Health Group Incorporated. United Health Group Incorporated (2010) a diversified health and well being company, United Health Group offers a spectrum of products and services through seven was operating business: United Health Care, Ovations, Americhoice, Uniprise, Optum Health, Ingenix and Prescription Solution. In 1977, United Health Care Corporation was created and is now one of the largest health insurer in the United States. (http://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/main/Businesses.aspx, 2011) The organization that I am employed is Ingenix, in the subrogation department. founded by United Health Group in 1996 to develop, acquire, and integrate the worlds best in class health care information technology capabilities. Ingenix (2010) serve market needs for data and analysis, to build core data assets and expertise, built the largest health care expertise work and developed core intellectual property. Headquarter in Eden Prairie Minnesota, with annual revenue of more than $1.8 billion as of 2009. (http://www.ingenix.com/about/history/) In 2006, Ingenix emergence of market focused and launched and developed Ingenix Consulting, developed leading information based business solutions, health reform, payment, revenue cycle management, health IT. Between 2011 and 2014 Ingenix will enhance connectivity and workflow competencies, provide ubiquitous infrastructure to connect all parties, have close partnership with Optum Health in care setting and expand globally. (http://www.ingenix.com/about/businesses/2010) At Ingenix getting valuable information to the right place at the right time requires a unique set of strengths (http://www.ingenix.com/about/businesses/), Ingenix have built to stride to deliver the information and technology needs that are unique to health care, gathering information and analytics to make it useful. To create secure, interoperable networks that enable the exchange of information among communities, understand how those in health care actually can do their work; so that information can be seamlessly introduce the flow of their everyday activities. Critical to our success, Ingenix includes several best in class businesses with specific, leadership roles in healthcare. The market service by Ingenix is physicians, government agencies, hospitals, employers, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology. (http://www.ingenix.com/markets/2010) Ingenix ethics and integrity believes that no other industry deals with an individuals privacy and personal well being more intimately than healthcare. (http://www.ingenix.com/about/ethics-integrity/). As the leading health information company Ingenix maintains clear, firm policies on privacy and transparency, and promote an atmosphere of culture based on integrity, compassion, relationships, innovation and performance. Ingenix, (2010) has implemented policies, procedures and training ((http://www.ingenix.com/about/ethics-integrity/, 2010) in order to comply with the standards of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule and Security Rule. (Understanding Health Information Privacy, 2011) Information is the lifeblood of health care, applied at the right time and in the right place, when decisions need to be made, information can enhance the affordability, quality, usability, and accessibility of care integrity (http://www.ingenix.com/about/ethics-integrity/). As with any organization a cost analysis will determines the benefits and savings that are to be expected from the organization systems and compare with the expected costs. The cost benefit analysis for Ingenix is used to determine the degree of access to or the benefit of health care services to be provided to their members. Since Ingenix is a wholly subsidiary of United Health Group it is a complex system complied of many other subsidiary that falls under the umbrella of United Health Group. The ethical consideration as it relates to Ingenixs finance and budgeting came under fire, when United Health Care-Ingenix was sued by the former State Attorney General Perry Cumo. Ingenix settled out of court in the amount of $350 million dollars that they agreed based upon the determination of reimbursement that were used by insurance company nationwide. It argues that United Health -Ingenix rate setting practices violated several federal laws, including ERISA, RICO and antitrust law. Since that time United Health -Ingneix ethical consideration regarding to their finance and budgeting has put in place, a system that will attained independent certification of security procedures, Ingenix will demonstrate that the company will recognized and accepted measures to safe guard its assets. Providing health services, Ingenixs revenue has increased, $271 million or 17% during 2009 to 1.8 billion primarily due to the growth in new prayer business and new internal offerings. The contract of Ingenix backlog revenue grew $80 million or 21% percent during 2009 to $2.2 billion, which was led by growth in the government and payer sectors (UHC 2009 Annual Summary Report, Financial Results, pg. 36) While reviewing United Health Care 2009 Summary Annual Report of the Financial Results, the information that is excluded is the cash flow for each operating services, it only included as a whole the cash flow of United Health Group from operations revenue, reached $5.6 billion, which represent 147% percent of 2009 net earnings. (UHC 2009 Annual Summary Report, p.33) In reviewing the financial report for 2010 for United Health Group, according to the report for the full year of 2010 the net earnings were $94.2 billion an increased if 8% year over and it includes a 10% percent increase, which is $24 billion. Ingenix increase sequential revenue by 21%, buy 2010 year end. (United Health Group 2009, Annual Report, p.33) Table1: United Health Group 2010: Earning Release-Financial Content Three Months Ended Year Ended December 31, December 31, September 30, December 31, December 31, 2010 2009 2010 2010 2009 Ingenix Revenues $715 million $536 million $592 million $2.34 billion $1.82 billion Earnings From Operations $101 million $74 million $70 million $284 million $246 million Operating Margin 14.1% 13.8% 11.8% 12.1% 13.5% Note: Financial Statement. Three Months Ending to Year Ending 2009-2010 Because Ingenix (2010) is a wholly subsidiary of United Health Care, applicable laws and any regulation with the new health care reform bill or better known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) could potential effected the ability of price, managing medical costs, the enforcement that could have an affected on the companys financial position. These changes would have an overall effect, which will touch upon Ingenix that could including limited or reduced revenue, increase costs, and loss of businesses. These increase in costs and other liabilities associated with auditing and/or reviews cost, will impact future cash and capital requirements on the ability to maintain the quarterly divide payment cycle. Also this will affect the abilities to maintain the misappropriation of proprietary technology, and the ability to obtain sufficient funds from the other regulated subsidiaries (i.e., Ingenix) to fund United Health Group obligations. Ingenixs revenue cycle solution is part of a technology to improve the company financial and budgetary operations. The system will support the full spectrum of revenue cycle performance. The technology solution will included several systems from Patient Access Management, Billing Management, Payment Management and Audit Management technology to engage and conducted the finding of gaps in the ability to analyze the system for solutions. Ingenixs Management and Administrative Reporting Systems (MARS) have the capability of reporting expenditures, budget information, recoupment and collection according to federal and states criteria. MARS meets federal reporting and CMS system certification requirements with fiscal oversight and management. This reporting of various criteria will include funding sources, categories of the services and eligibility, the provider types. When processing and reviewing claims activity and the statistical analyst such how long it take to process claims, the remittance and payment summaries will be done for the financial analysis. (http://www.ingenix.com/government/solutions/business-intelligence-govt/solution/mars/features/, 2010) The MARS systems will provide specific provider either as individual or they will be categorize, in reporting which will include any error codes analysis, participation analysis, ranking and the status of filing of claims. With the MARS systems more than 80 core reports that will divided in six separated reporting modules and there will be one balancing module, that will provide the cost settlement and adjustment and financial transactions. (http://www.ingenix.com/government/solutions/business-intelligence-govt/solution/mars/features/, 2010) Ingenix-United Health group has to content with complex state and federal and local rules, laws and regulation in regards to their financial and budgetary operations, but it is bound by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission to file a Form 10-K at the end of each year on December 31, 2010, which is part of the annual report for financial reporting to shareholder, and company executives. (United Health Group, Financial Annual Report, 2010). United Health Care Group is highly regulated at the federal, state, local and also international. Therefore, since the signing of the new health care laws or new regulations, and/or changes in the existing laws including and the enforcement of them could have an adversely affect on the company (i.e., United and their subsidiary) financial position and cash flow. (SEC Form 10-K, pg 19) Each state that United Health Groups wholly subsidiary businesses ( i.e. Ingenix) operates in, is require to keep a minimum level of statutory capital. This could place restriction on the dividend and distribution that is paid by regulated subsidiaries, this would limit the base entitys level of those statutory income, capital and surplus United Health Group Inc.(United Health Group Consolidated Balance Sheet, pg. 59), conducted an audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight (United States), the short term investments (in millions) for the end of the year of 2010 was $2,072 and for the year $1239.00 a gain of $833, the long term investments (in millions) for the year ending of 2010 $14,707 and for year ending of 2009, $13,311 a gain of $3396. (http://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/invest/2010/UNH-2010-10-K.pdf) Stated in the (United Health Group 2009, Annual Report) is that, Ingenix has increased their revenue by 17% or $271 million dollars in 2009, from the organic growth of the new payer business and new internal services offering a total of 1.8 billions. As Ingenix revenues backlog increased by 21% or 300 million dollars, during the same period during 2009, the growth in government and payer sector totaling in the amount of $2.2 billion dollars. The backlog for Ingenixs revenue as of December 31, 2010 was $3.3 billion that was up 47%. Therefore, Ingenix full and fourth quarter for 2010 operation is $284 million against $246 million for the same period a year ago. Earning from their operations was very strong, exceeding management expectation for the full year. Looking forward to the first quarter of 2011, it is on the fast track of having a positive revenue and cash flow.

Puritanism, and The Salem Witch Trials :: essays papers

Puritanism, and The Salem Witch Trials Puritanism refers to the movement of reform, which occurred within the Church of England. It began at the time of the Elizabethan settlement of 1559 and ended at the end of the Rump Parliament with the ascension of Charles II to the British throne in 1660. The American Puritans clearly understood that God's word applies to all of life. Their exemplary lives and faith, contrary to popular myths, are a highpoint of Christian thinking. Puritan legal history specifies some of their loyalties and compromises. Today, scholars continue their dispute over the degree to which the Puritan colonists influenced American law, morality, and culture. In the area of law, this image is supplemented by lurid accounts of witch trials and corporal public punishments. The best example of this was during the seventeenth century. The Salem witch trials began in 1692, and lasted less than a year. The first arrests were made on March 1, 1692 and the final hanging day was September 22, 1692. The first noted arrest, was of Tituba, a Carib Indian from Barbados. She was Reverend Samuel Parris' slave. Her role in the witch trials includes the arrest and confession of witchcraft on March 1, 1692. In January of 1692, the daughter and niece of Reverend Samuel Parris became very ill. When she failed to improve, the village doctor, William Griggs, was called in. After much deliberation, Griggs concluded that the problem was witchcraft. This put into motion the forces that would ultimately result in the death of nineteen men and women. In addition to those nineteen people, one man named Giles Corey was crushed to death. Seventeen others died in prison and the lives of many were irrevocably changed. To better understand the events of the Salem witch trials, it is necessary to understand the time period in which the accusations of witchcraft occurred. There were the ordinary stresses of 17th-century life in Massachusetts Bay Colony. A strong belief in the devil, factions among Salem Village fanatics, and rivalry with nearby Salem Town all played a part in the stress. There was also a recent small pox epidemic and the threat of an attack by warring tribes created a fertile ground for fear and suspicion. Soon prisons were filled with more than 150 men and women from towns surrounding Salem.

Creative Writing – The Bliss Of Acceptance

The plane's contact with the ground woke me from my semi-conscious state and I looked around anxiously, to see where I was. We had finally landed, and I felt life flow back into my limbs as I stretched in my seat. A gentle murmur rose as the plane slowed down, and the reassuring sound of the pilot echoed through the plane. â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen, we have now arrived in Delhi, the temperature is a pleasant forty three degrees with cloudless skies, and local time is four fifteen PM†. Stewardesses strutted up and down isles collecting litter, and passengers began to abscond from the plane. As I lifted myself to my feet, still in a half alert state from jetlag-induced fatigue, I stumbled into the sunshine outside. The blue sky dazzled my agitated eyes, and I grumbled to myself in irritation. The scorching hot sun was already upon me, burning my unconditioned skin in a similar way to a magnifying glass burning an ant. Hours followed as we collected bags; showed passports and performed countless other tasks that made me want to curl up on the floor and lapse into hibernation. Whether I was in Delhi or London, I was still exhausted and cantankerous. Finally we managed to obtain our car, and, as I had suspected, a long trip hundreds of miles upwards to Northern India followed. On our journey, my irritation began to crumble. The first village we stopped at, where I could appreciate the scenery, was near the Punjab, in a rural area. The village itself looked primitive and simplistic, with buildings partially finished, abandoned with no roofs or waterproofing, like an unwanted animal abandoned on the street. Poverty reigned rampant, and incoherent languages flood towards me. We drew nearer to the village market, passing by unsavoury looking beggars and lone children. An old man peered at me through a half developed cataract, before falling into a coughing fit. The world around me seemed dismal. In a split moment, my impression changed. Just as the flood washes dirt from its path, so my notions about India changed. We turned the corner into the market square, and were met with a blissful scene; a crowded square full of laughing, shouting and commotion; stall owners bellowing at the top of their voices to advertise their goods, and amidst the joyful chaos young children scuttled around like playful insects. A rich variety of vivid colours met my eye in the form of scarlet apples, striking yellow bananas and earthy brown yams. Countless fruits held my gaze, which I had never known before. The poor no longer seemed menacing; a half smile on their face was noticeable, as if they were simply satisfied by the atmosphere. Everyone around me seemed happy; and the first question that I asked myself was, why? Back in London for a moment, the answer arrived. A grey sky enveloped the city, and people trudged in their various directions, minding their own businesses and keeping themselves to themselves. After living in my home for ten years, there were still people on my street I didn't know. However, the main question I was posed, which was how could people with little money, health care, and a low standard of living be happier than those living in a modernised world with excessive amounts of money and a high standard of living? The sad answer was, that we appear to have forgotten how to obtain happiness. Epicurus, a Greek philosopher living around 300 BC, spent much of his life finding out what was required to obtain true happiness. A well-known phrase of his is: The human soul is as material and mortal as the human body. To live a good life, is to exercise prudence and to enjoy life through stimulating the senses, subjecting oneself to tranquillity and scientific study. † Later, however, he concluded that to obtain true happiness one must have a number of things. Friends, a frugal lifestyle, time and thought were all considered prerequisites for happiness. Visualising the crowded metropolis of London in my mind, trying to ignore the shouting of the stall keepers intent on making me buy their spinach, I felt that we had all these. What was it that these people had that we did not? This question remained on my mind throughout my trip in India; through the bustle of the city in Jalundar; the peaceful tranquillity in the village; the faint sounds of gunshots near Kashmir; even during the humorous incident of seeing a man squat in the middle of a field only feet away from a road. Sitting back at home in London listening to the gentle drumming of the rain, I contemplated why it was so hard for the Western man to gain happiness. Like the correct document finally being found in a stack of papers, I finally produced the answer. A Ch'an (Zen) Buddhist once said: â€Å"Humans are afflicted with all external forms of life: we are subject to life and death, pleasure and pain, love and fear, good and evil, beautiful and ugly. We tend to sway, or strive towards one side, and reject its opposite. There is no real escape of one or the other, yet we somehow believe that sooner or later, we will be able to conquer the other side if we stay focused long enough. † The reason the average man in the West could not find happiness lies in acceptance. Driven relentlessly by the Capitalist machine, we are constantly told we must improve, do better, get promoted, find a better job, or save for the latest electronic gadget. The real obstacle in the way of happiness was an excess of opportunity in the West, which in turn sows the seeds in men's mind that they can achieve better all the time, leaving only a handful of people who achieve their goal, and reject the rest of the spoiled harvest of the population who are scarred with depression and left with an 'empty feeling' in life: that they have achieved nothing. It could be said that pain is essential for pleasure, if pleasure is to be known as pleasure. If we did not know of evil in the world, then how would we be able to distinguish good? Denial of one of these extremes is similar to denying the existence of both. If we believe that evil cannot exist, or that we can block it from our lives, then good cannot exist, because then there is nothing to measure it against. However, if we accept that both good and evil exist in our lives, it can allow us to feel more at home in the world, perhaps obtaining happiness. Looking back to India as evidence for this, I remembered an encounter with a family of peasants. The husband of the family was a peasant, working for the richer men as a farmer, constantly toiling at the fields every day with no hope of extra pay or advancement in his job. The wife of the family took care of their four children, all destined for the same lifestyle, in what many would call an endless, and pointless cycle. However, far from pitying them, I envied them. They were contented with their lives; they earned enough money to live under a roof with adequate food and drink. The end result of this was that they were happy; they had no ambitions to gain wealth, and were satisfied with their lot. To be truly happy we must not linger in the past, or hypothesise about the future, but live life for the moment, and enjoy its small pleasures. By losing the foresight of the future, or hindsight in the past, we open up that world of acceptance. Some people will steal because they see that they have something more in their future. Some people will perform good deeds because they desire to feel better about themselves. In this society, we can never truly be completely happy. From our first few years of life we have ambitions: to decide what we will be when we grow up, and how we will choose to live our lives. Without these ambitions society would, unfortunately, not function correctly; no one would have any motivation to do well at their jobs and get promoted, as the idea of a Marxist/Communist society shows. It seems to me the human population has dug itself into a pit where the light of true happiness is growing more and more remote as we dig further and further down. There will always be, even in the mind of a Buddhist monk or Christian nun, a growing desire to gain something else, no matter what it may be. This, I conclude, makes it impossible for anyone in the modern 21st Century to gain the status of ‘Buddha', or ‘The Enlightened, or Blissful One'.