Affordable Excellence

This is the story of the Singapore healthcare system: how it works, how it is financed, its history, where it is going, and what lessons it may hold for national health systems around the world. Singapore ranks sixth in the world in healthcare outcomes, yet spends proportionally less on healthcare than any other high-income country. This is the first book to set out a comprehensive system-level description of healthcare in Singapore, with a view to understanding what can be learned from its unique system design and development path. The lessons from Singapore will be of interest to those currently planning the future of healthcare in emerging economies, as well as those engaged in the urgent debates on healthcare in the wealthier countries faced with serious long-term challenges in healthcare financing. Policymakers, legislators, public health officials responsible for healthcare systems planning, finance and operations, as well as those working on healthcare issues in universities and think tanks should understand how the Singapore system works to achieve affordable excellence.

CELEBRATING THE MAHATMA'S RELEVANCE TODAY Contributors include: Ela Gandhi • Tushar Gandhi • RA Mashelkar • Anil Kakodkar • Brenda Gourley • Radhakrishnan Pillai • Kumar Ketkar • Rohini Hattangadi • Rajkumar Hirani • Bharat Dabholkar A collection of exceptional think pieces by some of the brilliant minds of our time Compiled and edited by noted scholar Rajan Welukar, Gandhi@150 explores the relevance of Mahatma Gandhi’s ideas in today’s world and the impact of his philosophy across a wide spectrum of areas such as religion, economics, science, education, the arts and health and development. In this book, the contributors explain how certain Gandhian concepts can be used for our nation’s advancement. For example, ‘Gandhian Engineering’ can help boost India’s progress with its focus on getting more from fewer resources for more people. In addition, the gram swaraj approach alone can stop the mass exodus of youth from villages to cities in search of jobs—a major worry for urban planners and village economies today. These are just a few of the many applicable solutions based on Gandhi’s ideas you will come across in these pages. To celebrate Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary, experts from various fields, such as Anil Kakodkar, RA Mashelkar, Douglas Roche, Ela Gandhi, Tushar Gandhi, Justice RC Chavan, Rajkumar Hirani and Daniel C Taylor among others, have contributed to this remarkable anthology. This book will help you understand why Gandhi’s views are relevant now more than ever. RAJAN WELUKAR, an eminent academician, is the former vice-chancellor of the University of Mumbai, Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University and GH Raisoni University. He lives in Mumbai.

Customers are increasingly seeking "low-cost, high-quality" or what is known as frugal products that meet the buyer’s needs while reducing the associated cost of ownership. This book examines the developing principles and theories of frugal innovations across the globe. The authors identify frugal innovation (FI) using a multi-method approach to data analysis. They argue that the concept of frugality as a societal/ethical value has undergone several changes and propose a differentiated model of frugal innovations. They address frugal innovations that have never been accessible to the public. Hands-on case studies across various industry sectors and countries, supported by theory, provide multiple learning opportunities. The authors explore the relationship between FI and digitalisation and technology, and discuss how FI can be applied in the context of contemporary issues such as food security. Further, they articulate the mechanisms by which FI beliefs and values can be incorporated into organisational culture. The final chapters address both ethical and controversial views of frugal innovation. The book is a valuable resource for students in business courses, for industry professionals wanting to improve their triple bottom line, and for educators wanting to influence and change the mindsets of the younger generations to effectively deal with today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.

This volume aims to provide an understanding of the evolving aged care landscape in China; review international experiences in long-term care provision, financing, and quality assurance and assess their relevance to China; discuss implications of current developments and trends for the future of aged care in China; and propose policy options.

As shoppers, what factors influence our decision to purchase an object or service? Why do we chose one product over another? How do we attribute value as part of the shopping experience? The theme of 'serving' the customer and customer satisfaction is central to every formulation of the marketing concept, yet few books attenpt to define and analyse exactly what it is that consumers want. In this provocative collection of essays, Morris Holbrook brings together a team of the top US and European scholars to discuss an issue of great importance to the study of marketing and consumer behaviour. This ground-breaking, interdisciplinary book provides an innovative framework for the study of consumer value which is used to critically examine the nature and type of value that consumers derive from the consumption experience - effiency, excellence, status, esteem, play, aesthetics, ethics, spirituality. Guaranteed to provoke debate and controversy, this is a courageous, individualistic and idiosyncratic book which should appeal to students of marketing, consumer behaviour, cultural studies and consumption studies.