Outsourcing Questions AnsweredThe simple answer to the question of “What is too important to outsource?” is “Whatever makes your business unique”. To put it another way, “Whatever gives your business its competitive advantage?” Everything else should be considered non-core and then the question is can I do this function using in house resources better, more cost effectively and with less risk than an external service provider?It is often wrong to assume that there is more risk getting an external provider to perform certain business activities than keeping them in house. A good analogy is that most people in their personal lives choose to outsource the diagnosis and treatment of life threatening situations to medical practitioners, rather than keeping it in-house, because we rightly believe that an external service provider offers less risk than doing it ourselves.In my experience, the major risks involved in outsourcing critical projects is that the activities that the outsourcer is contracted to perform become disconnected from the critical business outcomes they were originally set up to support. This typically comes about because the traditional outsourcing model as depicted in Figure 1 below has seen enterprises retain responsibility for business outcomes, whilst giving control of the activities that determine these business outcomes to an external outsourcing company.The problem with this approach is that businesses are rarely static and over the typical length of an outsourced project, businesses change and evolve, leading to a disconnect between the outcomes a business requires over time and the activities that an outsourcer is contracted to undertake.Light Advantageous for DiabeticsSleeping with the lights on may be the next advice for diabetics according to a current publication. Scientists suggest night-time illumination could help prevent the onset of diabetic retinopathy, a condition which can result in severe visual impairment. The condition affects about 25 per cent of people who suffer from diabetes and is the largest cause of the onset of adult blindness in Britain.Diabetes causes impaired functioning of blood capillaries, reducing oxygen supply throughout the body. Rod receptors in the retina, which are responsible for night vision, are most sensitive to this change because they have the highest oxygen demand of any cell in the body at low levels of illumination.A human eye exposed to bright light then total darkness can ramp up its light sensitivity by a factor of about 100,000 times in 30 minutes. This dark adaptation is achieved mainly by neural and chemical processes in the retina. Rod receptors used for night vision are so dependent upon adequate oxygen supply that dark adaptation of normal eyes has been reported to be diminished at moderate altitudes above sea level due to the slight reduction in available oxygen.The normal eye is only just capable of providing adequate oxygen to the retina during night vision. Even in early stages of the disease, diabetics suffer a lack of oxygen (hypoxia) during dark adaptation. This would be expected to occur in the vicinity of the rods, in the deeper layers of the retina, but the retinopathy develops nearer to the surface of the retina.EarthwormsEarthworms have long been associated with productive soils. Over 100 years ago, Charles Darwin discovered that earthworms can reprocess their own weight in soil and organic matter in one day. The value of earthworms to agriculture lies in their ability to change the physical and chemical composition of the soil. Physically they change the soil by aerating it and increasing water holding capacity, chemically they carry soil nutrients from the soil surface to plant roots.?Earthworms may also reflect environmental changes that are not readily recognized with physical or chemical measures. They may provide an early warning of soil degradation and contamination. In Europe selected earthworm species provide a sensitive measure of soil pollution .?Research on EarthwormsCurrent research in the Divisions of CSIRO Land & Water and CSIRO Entomology is evaluating the potential for improving soil structure and crop productivity through the management of earthworms. Objectives of the research are:?To determine the distributions and population dynamics of earthworms in agricultural soils, especially beneath pastures, horticultural and cereal crops in south-eastern Australia.To demonstrate the effects of selected earthworms on soil structure,fertility so, and plant production.?To identify means of enhancing earthworm performance, either by agricultural management practices or introduction of new species/strains.?To investigate the use of composting worms to reduce organic wastes and the use of worm-worked waste as a soil conditioner?Results so far have been promising. Current studies with selected earthworm species have shown increases in cereal yields by more than 35%. Selected earthworm species have also been shown to improve crop quality, with higher levels of grain protein. (259 Words)BLOOD-THE RHESUS FACTORWe all fall into four main blood groups: A, B, AB and O. The types refer to different antigens that sit on the surface of the millions of red blood cells in our bodies. An antigen is a protein that prompts the body to produce an antibody.If you have blood type A, your plasma carries B antibodies so that if you come into contact with type-B blood, the antibodies seek and destroy the B red blood cells. Contact between the two blood types can have serious consequences, including kidney failure and shock. People with type AB have both A and B antigens while O type blood have neither.An Austrian pathologist identified the first two red cell antigens, A and B, in 1900. In the 1940s, he identified a further class of antigen, the rhesus (Rh) factor, named after the monkeys in which the discovery was made.Rhesus factor is in the red blood cells of most people, but about 15 per cent of people are rhesus-negative. If you are rhesus-negative and receive rhesus-positive blood, you will produce anti-rhesus antibodies.The first time is not usually crucial, because by then the donated blood is diluted. But if you receive further transfusions of Rh-positive blood, the anti-rhesus antibodies will attack the positive blood cells, causing agglutination or clumping, which can be fatal. The biggest problem arises during pregnancy. An Rh-negative woman with an Rh-positive partner is likely to conceive an Rh-positive baby. In late pregnancy, small amounts of the baby's blood, with its Rh-positive cells, can slip across the placenta and into the mother's bloodstream. The mother will start to produce anti-Rh antibodies, which proliferate after the baby is born.Education Must Be A PriorityAustralians, whose present comfort was built largely by the sheer physical labor of farmers and miners, have not traditionally placed a high value on formal education.Perhaps those early values are still reflected in our go vernments’ spending priorities. According to an OECD report, Australia spends less on education (primary, secondary and tertiary) than most other Western countries. Canada, the United States, France and Sweden –the kind of countries we like to compare ourselves to –devote a higher proportion of their gross domestic product to education than we do, even through we have a higher proportion of school age children. Though it might be expected that we would spend more on education because of our younger population, Australia, with 24 per cent more children, spends about 10 per cent less on education than the group’s average. We also lag well behind most other OECD countries in the proportion of students remaining at school past the mandatory age.World Bank studies of the causes of development have concluded that education is the single most important factor in ensuring a high standard of living for a country and its individuals. That being so, the OECD findings are cause for concern. Admittedly, the report is based on 1986 –87 figures, and since then there has been a very significant improvement in the school retention rate and a slight improvement in education funding. But the relatively low priority still accorded to education on Australia’s spending list indicates a remarkable short-sightedness.Words: 252Hyperactivity drugs and cocaine use CONTROVERSY has flared up again over the claim that the drugs used to treat hyperactive children "prime" them to abuse cocaine. The latest studies suggest that drug treatment actually makes children with attention deficit -hyperactivity disorder less likely to become cocaine users.Children with ADHD - mostly boys - constantly fidget and struggle to concentrate. Their symptoms can be eased by certain stimulant drugs, the most common being Ritalin. But in 1995, brain scans suggested that the distribution of Ritalin in the brain was just like that of cocaine. Since then, researchers have been studying children with ADHD to see if there is a link between drug treatment and later cocaine abuse.Worryingly, a study of more than 5000 children with ADHD done by the University of California at Berkeley suggested that those who took Ritalin were three times more likely to use cocaine in adulthood. But the results have still not been published and other researchers have argued that the group who were treated with drugs may have been different - for instance, their ADHD may have been more severe.Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital have now investigated the use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, hallucinogens and cocaine in what they claim is a better defined group of boys with ADHD. All the boys were at least 15 years old, and those who took drugs for the disorder had done so for an average of four years. Drug treatment seemed to reduce the risk of illegal drug abuse by 85 per cent compared with the untreated group.(word:255)Market DominanceMarket dominance confers power（on big companies ）over suppliers and employees and opens more opportunities for cost shifting. When a market is dominated by one or a few huge companies, suppliers risk being put out of business if they don't buckle to the demands of their big customers. With the connivance of an ideologically committed government, employees have watched their working conditions, job security, benefits and entitlements disappear in front of their eyes. If employees continue to ask for what we, as a society, used to be able to afford to offer them, then big corporations may simply（just）shift their operations overseas where labour is dirt-cheap and labour and environmental protections are virtually non-existent.Thus low prices to customers are not proof that a business is operating efficiently. These days low prices are as likely to be a sign of exploitation of employees, suppliers, customers, the broader community and the environment. When producers do not pay the full costs of production, the market mechanism fails at a fundamental level, and this form of failure is now pervasive. This way of doing business is not sustainable.Acting in concert with this short-sighted business approach has been an overt policy of withdrawal of government services and investments. Recent governments have gone beyond even this agenda to explicitly attack institutions that resist or question the direction of policy in Australia. The common theme underlying these developments, in both private and public sectors, is the ideology that competitive free markets automatically deliver efficient and desirable outcomes.The list of areas of Australian society that have been adversely affected by the various manifestations of this ideology grows longer by the week.Glass Ceiling for WomenAccording to one calculation, at the current pace of change, it will take 177 years for women in Australia to hold as many senior business management roles as men. How can that change be accelerated? Several women who have made it to the top vary in their philosophies on how it can be done.Some senior women in business think the glass ceiling (the term for an invisible barrier to promotion) does not exist; others believe they have broken through it. Some support affirmative-action programs; others believe that establishing a quota of women on boards is a form of tokenism.All cite flexibility, people management, communication, determination and a view of the big picture as key elements in management success.The state rounds of the Telstra Business Women's Awards, held in June and July, provide snapshots of the successes of, and challenges to, women in business.The state winners are a diverse group: a horse trainer, a food industry managing director, the head of a superannuation fund,a psychiatrist, a coffee retailer, a children's clothing designer, the chief executive of the Federal Government's Australian Sports Drug Agency and a farmer.All are success stories, but their attitudes to business - and women in business - are as diverse as the industries in which they work.Women have been very successful at gaining senior roles in some parts of organisations, such as human resources, law and public affairs, but those roles are not core operational positions and are generally not a path to the managing director's chair.(256 Words)Why Australia Must Stop Exporting JobsMuch has been published by the economists of this country and acted upon by the Federal Government on the subject of the so-called level playing field.While many, if not most, other countries have declined or have been slow to implement measures in support of such theoretical policy, Australia appears to have moved with unrivalled rapidity.We have implemented policies of tariff reductions or removal, which have had a disastrous effect upon local industries and consequent serious unemployment.The rot started with the Whitlam Government in its naivety and ignorance, removing tariff barriers across the board of up to 25 per cent. The result was a serious blow to many industries, resulting in a sudden increase in unemployment.In the ’50s and ’60s this country produced much of its consumer goods. Industries developed during the war were converted from war production to consumer requirements.Our large percentage of workers, comprising skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled, were usefully and gainfully employed producing the basic day-to-day needs of the nation.Now we have large pools of unemployed people unable to obtain a job. These people do not want higher education, they want to earn a living.Of course, the consequence of this foolish policy is that our import bill has risen to astronomical proportions and our oversea debt is out of control.Those who claim that the level playing field policy is necessary to ensure we export minerals, primary products and, to a lesser extent, manufactured goods are completely wrong.CholesterolCholesterol is a fatty substance which is essential for life. All cells in the body require cholesterol for their surrounding wall or membrane as well as for internal membranes. The body makes all the cholesterol it needs, this means we don't need to eat any in our diet.High levels of cholesterol are a risk factor for coronary artery disease (heart attacks and angina). If your cholesterol level is 6.5 mmol/L or greater your risk of heart disease is about 4 times greater than that of a person with a cholesterol level of 4mmol/L.However not all people with high cholesterol levels get heart disease as only about 30% of the community will die of heart disease overall. Most of these will be over 65 years old. Heart disease takes 60-70 years to develop so if you discover your cholesterol level is high there is no urgency to reduce it , ie. see your doctor within the next 2-3 months, not tomorrow! Other risk factors for heart disease include smoking, high blood pressure and obesity.How high is high?If your cholesterol is between 5.5 and 6.5 your risk of heart disease is only increased by a small amount. Don’t panic! Just make a few moderate changes to your diet. However if you already have heart disease or your mother or father developed heart disease at an early age (at less than 55 years of age) then you need to make bigger changes.If your cholesterol is higher than 6.5 then you need to make more changes. If despite changes to your diet your cholesterol level remains above 6.5 you may need medication, especially if you have the other risk factors mentioned or you have a bad family history of heart disease. See your family doctor.297Complaints about SolicitorsWhat You Need To KnowDisputes with and complaints about solicitors cover a wide range of issues. Sometimes clients think that they have been overcharged or that their solicitor has not communicated sufficiently with them or that he or she has been negligent, incompetent or unethical.If you have a dispute or complaint relating to any of these issues, discuss it with your solicitor. Often a frank discussion will resolve the problem.If after speaking to your solicitor you are still not satisfied, or if you do not wish to discuss the matter further with your solicitor, you can request the Professional Standards department to assist.How Can Professional Standards Assist You?If your problem relates to a dispute with your solicitor about money - either legal costs or financial loss resulting from the solicitor's mishandling of your matter - Professional Standards will attempt to resolve your dispute. If an agreement is reached to your satisfaction, a written record of the agreement will be prepared by Professional Standards which can be enforced as a court order.If agreement cannot be reached, you can refer your dispute to the Legal Profession Tribunal. The Legal Profession Tribunal is independent and has been set up to hear and decide solicitor-client disputes and disciplinary charges brought against solicitors. The Tribunal is chaired by a retired judge and its members, including a lay person, are appointed for five year terms.The services outlined above are provided free of charge by Professional Standards. (251 words)Lots of Fruit in Childhood Cuts Adult Cancer RiskAdults who had been fed plenty of fruit when they were children are less likely to suffer from certain types of cancer, British scientists said on Wednesday.A medical study of nearly 4,000 men and women showed that the more fruits the adults had eaten when they were young the less likely they were to suffer from lung, bowel and breast cancer."This study shows that childhood fruit consumption may have a long term protective effect on cancer risk in adulthood," Dr. Maria Maynard of the Medical Research Council in London said.All of the adults in the study had filled in a food inventory during the 1930s for a research study looking into the eating habits of families in rural and urban areas of England and Scotland. Maynard and her colleagues studied the medical records of the group up to July 2000, by which time 483 cases of cancer had been diagnosed. In addition to fewer cases of cancer, a high consumption of fruit was associated with a lower death rate from all causes.Fruits are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and other nutrients, which can help to prevent genetic damage that can lead to the development of cancer.The scientists also studied the impact of vitamins C, E and beta carotene on cancer but they did not find any evidence that individual antioxidants were as protective as fruit.Backyard biodiversityThe great Australian back yard is about to be transformed from traditional manicured lawns and rose gardens into sanctuaries for native species.A network of garden centres and nurseries across the country will begin a national campaign to encourage gardeners to plant native plants instead of exotics.The idea is to bring back native birds, frogs, lizards and butterflies into the estimated one million suburban back yards.“Our research shows people want to do the right thing and are looking for practical things to do in their back yards.” We want to encourage people to return some native biodiversity to the back yard, whether it just be planting grevillia next to the rose bush or completely ripping out the garden and starting again.The project is backed by the Federal Government to counter the decline in native species. A $500,000 grant has been awarded to the nursery industry by Environment Minister Robert Hill under the Natural Heritage Trust to kick-start the Flora and Fauna project, which will officially begin in November and has already attracted more than 200 garden centres.The aim is to retrain nursery staff to advise customers what sort of native plants would be best suited to their gardens and what sort of animals they would attract.All native species will also be subject to a uniform labeling system throughout garden centres.A website will also be developed with an extensive list of all native plant species and the native fauna species that would use them.Word Count: 251 wordsScience as key to prosperityThe correlation between economic prospects and expertise in the so-called enabling sciences is almost as precise as the equations that express those disciplines of mathematics, physics and chemistry (and, by extension, engineering).Knowledge economies that let the sciences slip are afflicted by relative decline. Enabling sciences are the foundations of scientific discovery and technological advancement, the building blocks of enhanced living standards.Despite warning shots across the bows of Australian ships of state, however, these sciences are stuck in a mire of government inaction and public ennui.The latest call to action comes from a Canberra meeting of industry, research and bureaucracy. It included a warning from Queensland's chief scientist, Peter Andrews, that Australia needs an extra 75,000 scientists (most with PhDs in the enabling sciences) within six years just to keep pace with the research capabilities of comparable modern economies. Since 1969 the number of PhD chemistry graduates has halved as a proportion of the population.The impact on research is harsh. The numbers of people doing higher science degrees by course work, for example, increased by 122 per cent over the past 10 years, compared with a 5.5 per cent rise in the number pursuing higher degrees through research.What can be done? Strategies are being developed to raise science's vocational profile and a parliamentary committee is investigating ways to make the school-to-university transition more seamless and the encouragement to do so more consistent and vigorous. But Europe and North America have been more innovative in countering similar trends. Australia's first steps should be to acknowledge the problem and to muster enthusiasm to confront it. Only then will real reforms take root.Word Count: 279Source: Sydney Morning Herald, 12 August 2004CAPITALISE ON SCIENCE SKILLSMedia coverage of former senior CSIRO (Commonwealth Science & Industrial Research Organisation) scientist’s view s on the CSIRO is part of a bigger and ongoing debate that needs extensive public discussion. A harsh truth needs to be confronted: Australia is a leader in many fields of science but remains poor at the business of science.It is in this context that we must assess scientists' concerns about the funding of public-sector science, the threat of declining strategic and basic research relative to applied science, and specific issues such as external earnings targets for CSIRO.Australia continues to sit on intellectual property, not knowing what to do with it, or gives it away to more entrepreneurial nations. This is not due to lack of funding but lack of appropriately placed business expertise. This is partly due to factors of culture and attitude.When Australian science is deployed with the support of very scarce domestic venture capital, it often ends up in trouble. When our science links to international venture capital, we tend not to secure a partnership that allows us to capture the benefit and develop commercialisation competencies.Given the attitudes of scientists and public-sector science managers, this shortcoming is no surprise. An endemic cultural antipathy exists between Australian public-sector and academic scientists and the world of business. While this is not exclusive to Australia, it seems to be particularly strong here. There are some exceptions, but as a general phenomenon it is difficult to overstate the problem.Why is this happening? What are the drivers? Australia does suffer from "ugly entrepreneur syndrome", while for Americans, with whom our science competes, "entrepreneur" has positive associations.WHO revises SARS case definitionWHO has today updated its case definition for SARS to take into account the appropriate use of results from laboratory tests. Several diagnostic tests have been developed by various laboratories for the detection of the SARS virus and antibodies to the virus. However, all presently available tests have specific strengths and weaknesses.For this reason, WHO continues to advise clinicians that patients should not have their case definition category downgraded while awaiting results of laboratory testing or on the basis of negative results.WHO is concerned that inappropriate use of laboratory results can have a negative impact on patient management and selection of an appropriate level of infection control. Therefore, negative test results for the SARS virus cannot be used to exclude infection in either suspect or probable cases. In contrast, positive results of quality –assured laboratory testing can add to the efficacy of SARS case management, provided tests are properly conducted and interpreted.Positive virus results from lab tests demonstrate that the patient is excreting virus, or its genetic material, and thus might pose a risk of disease transmission to others. Consequently, suspect SARS cases with a positive lab result (virus isolation or PCR) should be classified and reported as probable cases.来自实验室实验的阳性病毒检测结果证明病患会不断分泌病毒，或者病毒的遗传物质，因此可能造成把疾病传播给他人的危险。
