Managed Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managed Care - Essay Example emerged in this modern world and the employers in the present day context get involved in making as well as executing an effective plan with utmost focus on paying premiums. These premiums are paid by the workers in the form of deductibles, copayments as well as through contribution. It has been apparently recognized that this changed system of healthcare has transformed the investment pattern of the employees. In the year 2013, highest number of employees was recorded to be enrolling in the Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans. The same has been illustrated in the form of the following chart: Managed care has proved its dominance in providing â€Å"qualified health plans† with the aid of different health insurance organizations. Specially mentioning, there is a need to follow the rules that are provided under the Affordable Care Act. The ACA prescribed system of medical loss is noted to be limiting the percentage of premium revenue for enhancing its use for administration, marketing as well as attaining maximum profit. However, to increase the transparency within the system, more regulations are required to be incorporated by the respective government. To increase the competition within the domain of healthcare aid, there are various additional developments being initiated to incorporate within the domain of healthcare based operations. This competitive edge is being developed with the notion to enhance the control over the premium rate fluctuations (Shi & Singh, 2011). ACA visualizes that Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans (CO-OPs) will be developed based on finances received from the federal government. This type of plans is available in small numbers within the US Medicaid services. CO-OPs started operating as nonprofit making organizations following the developments such as the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) and PPO. CO-OPs are even structured based on standard models of such organizations that have been already active within Medicaid

Why Mama Gives the Quilts to Maggie rather than Dee Essay

Why Mama Gives the Quilts to Maggie rather than Dee - Essay Example Culture connects one with his/her ancestry and helps the person to relate to his/her social group, this is the message conveyed in this story. So, this paper will analyze how the person who holds on to her culture and heritage was finally rewarded. â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker involves three different characters, a mother and her two daughters and reflects their directly opposite views about African-American culture. All the three main characters of the short story, â€Å"Everyday use†, ‘Mama’, Dee and Maggie are different with different characteristics, with the two daughters particularly contrasting. Dee is portrayed as being the successful, beautiful but at the same time arrogant woman, with false pride about her heritage. While Maggie is a disfigured, slow at the same time simple girl with lot of pride in tradition and heritage. â€Å"Have you ever seen a lame animal, perhaps a dog run over by some careless person rich enough to own a car, sidle up to someone who is ignorant enough to be kind to him? That is the way my Maggie walks† (Walker, 25). ‘Mama’ introduces herself as â€Å"a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands†. So the Mama could be const ructed as women with good physical strength. ‘Mama’ always showed a lot of responsibility to both her daughters and tried hard to give both of them a better life. As both the daughters were different in every aspect, all theirs friction were handled with care by her. Dee has been like that even from her childhood and always played an independent role in the family. While, Maggie because of her lack of physical beauty and low confidence had a subdued existence. Importantly she didn’t show any rudeness and lived a calm life. So, the point to be noted is, even though both the girls are very different they had a good relationship until the object of quilts entered the picture. The elder daughter Dee, because of the influence of Black

Emirates Airlines: Key Performance Indicator Analysis

Emirates Airlines: Key Performance Indicator Analysis In this simulation you chose a sector to operate in (budget, mid-range or luxury). What have you learned about these sectors as a result of your experience in this simulation? What would you have done differently at the beginning of the simulation and why? What would you have done differently to be more successful during the simulation and why? In this sector we operated as Emirates Airlines in mid-range as a view that there is a huge population in the sector and even if circumstances favours even budget and luxury passengers would opt for mid-range. In this sense during the start we sold 3 flights which we had as it doesnt had head room and toilets and leased three flights for the operation. We started 1st quarter selling tickets for 35 cents and its a mistake that we changed to luxury airline selling for 48 cents right after the 1st quarter. As this would have changed our target customer and all the operation should also been changed accordingly. We incurred heavy expenses on Promotion and advertisement which hadnt created any impact. There were complaints from customer for poor food services which we realised and started allocating cost for quality and services. High concentration would have been made on maintenance and market research which is the important factor in competitive industry like Airline. There are certain factors which can be focused and done differently at the beginning of the stimulation: Strategic Approach: we did not have any strategic approach when we started our simulation. And that is the reason we had made unreasonable decisions like shift to luxury and sales of aircraft. if we had a strategic approach we would have sold the flights when there is huge profit and avoided lease payment to be added in the expenses. Also we would have shifted to luxury at least after the 4th quarter when we had a good customer base and market. Hence instead of having a single strategy, it would have been better if we had followed a mixture of strategies in terms of pricing, marketing and services. Systematic Approach: there is no systematic approach at the beginning of the simulation. We blindly sold the flights without ascertaining the financial position and brought new flights during 6th quarter which we wrongly numbered and resulted in the purchase of another 3 flights when the company is already in a loss and thereby realised and sold a flight at 7th quarter. The fuel, flight operation and maintenance cost got drastic increase and because of the increase in the number of passengers we did not suffer huge loss. Hence if we had a systematic approach from the beginning we would have reached a good profit. Pricing: A price cue is defined as any marketing tactic used to persuade customers that prices offer good value compared to competitors prices, past prices or future prices (Rao, 2010: 150); at first we sold the tickets for 35 cents as mid-range airline and suddenly hiked the price to 48cents as luxury airline. We did not have idea about the impact and did not take steps to offer service according rather invested in promotion and advertisement. We realised it as mistake and felt that the pricing is an important factor in attracting customers only during 5th quarter and reduce the price to 40 cents and only after that we were about to increase the number of customer. Hence if the pricing factor has given significant importance on the start of the simulation, the company would have escaped from losses. Actions would have been taken during the stimulation for success: Proper maintenance of aircraft in order to avoid fine from FAA. Good system for customer reservation system to be flexible, fast and user-friendly. Strong investment in market research to enable sales forecast and market situation analysis. Proper training and quality to make the customer feel satisfied and get the luxury in food and other services. Good systematic maintenance of accounts in loan interest repayment, lease payment, depreciation in order to have a clear view of the actual profit. Strategic allocation of expenses on promotion and advertisement, sales forecast and social performance Strategic approach on pricing and increasing the number of sales person according the number of flights operated. What were the KPIs you used in running your airline and did they change? Critically appraise the value of the information you had available to you in the results packs during the simulation. How did you use this to affect your decision making? The below are the Key Performance Indicator we as a team of Emirates Airlines believed at the beginning of the simulation which we tried following throughout the quarters but some were forced to reframe it due to companys situation and response. Thus once an organization has analyzed its mission, identified all its stakeholders and defined its goals, it needs a way to measure progress toward those goals. Key performance indicators are those measurements which help to define and measure progress towards organizational goals (Geoff, 2009: 419) Flight Operation: The important KPI we followed is in terms of flight operation. We believed that achieving 80% of maximum mileage per day would definitely yield a profit. As flights can be flew only with the maximum passenger and also includes the number of flights used. Hence it can achieve all in one KPI. We achieved this until quarter5 reaching 70% in each but it got changed due to purchase of 3 more flights without knowledge which made the company to focus on the reduction of expenses and deviated from the miles operating. Promotional and sales forecast: Emirates Airline team believed that high investment in promotion, advertisement and sales forecast can lead companys success. In terms of sales forecast, our KPI was in a correct way. But in terms of promotion and advertisement we changed and reduced the level of expense as the company started to incur loss. Financial Perspective: we thought revenue is an important factor for an airline company to be successful as there will arise uncertain circumstances due to weather or fuel price, hence had a KPI to increase the revenue through Fares. We started a s mid-range and attracted maximum customers and shifted to luxury charging huge fare as a KPI of increasing the revenue. We are badly affected till 5th quarter because of this factor and then reduced the pricing. The information we got through the value packs and incident feedback was very helpful in refining our performance and take corrective measures. Not only in terms of finance but also in terms of flight operation and service, the index feedback gave us the measures for improvement. The company was in a tough situation after the shift to luxury airline, where the incident feedback helped us to identify what was going wrong. The below are the some changes we effected from the information we got through the value packs, Increased the number of flights and number of flight routes. Decreased the ticket fares in order to increase the number of passengers. Concentrated on cabin services to increase the quality service to the passengers and reduce complaints. Taken measures and allotted funds on aircraft maintenance to avoid accidents and escape from fine. Got knowledge that the huge loss of the company is due to the purchase of 3 additional flights resulted from mistake in numbering in the software. Came to know that a flight was unused hence sold the flight to avoid maintenance expenses. We felt the importance of passenger service and allotted more fund towards it. Giving due consideration to theory, evaluate how a merger or acquisition might have changed your outcomes and the way you operated during the simulation? What additional implications would there have been for your company? Merger and Acquisition are often used inter-changeable concepts while merger is the combination of two companies in order to form a new company and Acquisition is a companys purchase of another company where there is no formation of new company (Scott C. Whitaker, 2012). Merger and acquisition have a common goal of attaining synergy. There are certain factors that should be taken care while going in for merger or acquisition as it results in cultural risk, business, employees and customer retention risk. These risks may not be applicable if Emirates would have planned the merger or acquisition in the initial stage that is before 4th quarter but if it is after that the above said risks should be taken care of. Hence it is evident that the nature of company to which going to be merged or acquired should be taken into account that it should be similar in business and should be stronger in operation as emirates are operating in a tough situation. There are many advantages for company to go in for a merger or acquisition. We as a emirates airlines can merge or acquire a financially strong airline whereby we become economically strong and can reduce the cost of capital (Donald M. DePamphills, 2009). In emirates during 5th quarter, we had a NIL balance of cash flow after the overdraft loan hence during such situation merging with company with good cash flow will be a potential decision. Also there will be a positive impact on the stock price especially for companies like emirates where we had our stock price in negative numbers. Not only in financial terms, merger and acquisition also helps in terms of operation synergy. For e.g., if we Emirates team go for a merger during our mid-quarter with a company which is technologically strong we would have had a chance for competitive advantage and fast growth platform (Scott C. Whitaker, ). We would have not made a mistake of unsystematic approach in buying a flight during our 6ht quar ter by which we suffers a heavy loss. There are major operating cost involved in terms of Airlines they are fuel, maintenance, interest expenses, lease amount, promotional activities, market research, taxes and so on. These costs would have been spread between two companies after merging. Merger and acquisition are also helpful to use the assets and skills of the other companies merging or acquiring with. We as Emirates team lacked in terms of allocation of expenses and proper maintenance of aircraft. Hence merging with a managerial strong company would have helped us to move in the right path. It helps in improving the operating efficiency with a combined activity of the merging firms thereby can enjoy the market power. This is called market power theory. With this the company can have a control on the pricing and suppliers and also can have customer base. As a team of Emirates Airlines only in the 1st quarter we were able to make a profit. It may be because of the sudden shift to luxury airlines which made us to suffer from continuous losses till 6th quarter. Our stock price also went on negative price. Hence merger or acquisition during the mid-quarter would be the better decision as it would have reduced the cost and share the total cost. We also had a reduction of pricing on 5th quarter which can be avoided when we had merger with our competitor. We lacked in many operation areas like customer satisfaction, aircraft maintenance and proper allocation of expenses, hence merger and acquisition would have been potential at early stage. Appraise how successful your company was in your industry. Were your relative success / failure due primarily to your analysis and diagnosis or the choices and decisions you made? Which models and theory did you consider when participating in the game and how did this help you? Planning, executing and monitoring are the key aspects for a company to be successful. And in industry like Airline where there are ample numbers of risks, it is important that the firm follows a strategic approach. We as a team started to operated Emirates airlines as mid-range where in the first quarter we are able to have a good level of passengers and thereby revenue. We did not have a view on the level of risk in shifting to luxury range all of a sudden in the second quarter and increased the fare at a higher rate. Only during fifth quarter we came to know the importance of price factor and reduced the fare. The team did not understand that shifting to luxury range should be accommodated with high quality service to be competitive. We felt its importance from the incident report at the time when the company is already in loss. To my knowledge the company started off well but faced tough situations and failures and also attained the survival stage where it can reach a decent prof it in the next quarters. We had a systematic approach to some extent and made many innovative measures like online reservation system which is a success to us, but the decision what we made to buy a flight when we were in deficit lead to failure. Also we are not managerial approach as we wrongly numbered and the software bought additional 3 flights which added to a further loss. We had a clear view in allocating resources for aircraft maintenance, but because of the above mistakes we made during the simulation, we were unable to allot adequate resources for maintenance which lead to engine failure and fine from FAA. At the beginning of the simulation we used resource dependency theory (Aldrich, 1977) where we believed the company can be affected to some degree with its external environment. Hence we took measure to influence the environment. Our external environments are customers, public and the airline industry. We thought investing heavily in promotion and advertisement would definitely create competitive advantage and a brand image among the customer where a hike in the fare will become a hidden factor. Hence during the second quarter we allotted $40000 on advertisement and shifted to luxury airlines with fare of 48cents. But only during the subsequent simulation we felt that there is no relation between the promotion and competitive advantage in a highly completive airline industry and understood the importance of cost and service factors. Hence we reduced the price and concentrated on quality and training. We also started concentrating on cabin services and passenger services with the rise of customer complaints which came to our knowledge through incident feedback. We as a team felt the importance of strategic approach during the simulation. During the end of the quarter we were clear about the strategies to be followed and we were sure that our company will make a good profit if it has another two quarters as we could find the changes in stock price with our corrective measures. The simulation gave us a vast experience about the concept of risk management, strategic approach and resource allocation. We also felt the importance of group dynamics in running a successful business.

Black Holes Essay -- Papers

Black Holes The term black hole was first used in 1969 by the American scientist John Wheeler to describe an object that had such a huge gravitational pull that not even light could escape it, thereby rendering it invisible or black. John Michell extended upon this idea in a paper called the "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London" in which he pointed out that a star that was sufficiently massive and compact would have such a strong gravitational pull that not even light could escape it as any light emitted by the star would be pulled back in by gravity - this was the first theory of a black hole. It is known today that black holes are in fact the fate of huge stars. When these huge stars collapse they eventually collapse to a point where they are infinitely dense yet infinitely small - a black hole. Inside a star, hydrogen atoms are constantly being fused to make helium atoms. This process is known as nuclear fusion, nuclear fusion produces energy in the forms of light and heat, the outward pressure that is created by this outpouring of energy is normally enough to counteract the gravity that is constantly trying to squeeze the star ever smaller. Soon the star runs out of hydrogen to burn and so begins to burn heavier elements (such as oxygen and lithium), when this happens the star will grow up to 100 times its original size. But eventually the stars supply of fuel will run out and the star will no... ...s a black hole. First, as you neared the even horizon, time would appear to take longer and longer and as you entered the even horizon your image would remain there for an eternity. This is because at that very moment, the light that you are emitting would be caught in the event horizon. It would appear to an observer that you were frozen in time, staying in the same position forever. But in fact it is just the light, not you that is stuck. As you entered the black hole time would go faster and faster, and if you looked up you would be able to see the entire universe evolving in front of you. But this amazing sight comes at a great cost, as you begin to near the singularity you would feel your body begin to stretch. Eventually your body would be stretched so far by the colossal gravity that you would be ripped apart!

Aunt Jennifers Tiger Essay

Aunt Jennifer’s tigers is a poem by Adrienne Rich illustrating her feminist concerns. In the male dominant world, a women of her time was only supposed to be a dutiful homemaker. This poem through the world of Aunty Jennifer, tells us about her inner desire to free herself from the clutches of abusive marriage and patriarchal society. Poem Summary The first stanza opens with Aunt Jennifer’s visual tapestry of tigers who are fearless of their environment. â€Å"Bright topaz[1] denizens[2] of a world of green† – evoke an image that these regal tigers are unafraid of other beings in the jungle. Bright here signifies their powerful and radiant persona. There is a sense of certainty and confidence in the way these tigers move as can be seen in the line – â€Å"They pace in sleek chivalric[3] certainty†. In the second stanza, the reality of Aunt Jennifer is revealed as she is feeble, weak and enslaved, very much the opposite of the tigers she was knitting. Her physical and mental trauma is depicted in the line – â€Å"find even the ivory needle hard to pull†. Even though a wedding ring doesn’t weigh much, â€Å"the massive weight of uncle’s wedding band, sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer’s hand† signifies the amount of dominance her husband exercised over her. This also means that her inner free spirit has been jailed by the patriarchal society[4]. The last stanza starts on a creepy note about Aunt Jennifer’s death. Even her death couldn’t free her from the ordeals she went through which can be seen in â€Å"When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by†. While driving from her parent’s home to Cochin, she notices her mother sitting beside her dozing, her face pale like a dead body and her thoughts far away. This reminds her painfully that her mother is old and could pass away leaving her alone. Putting that thought aside she looked out at the young trees speeding by and children running out of their homes happily to play. These remind her probably of youth and life, her own younger days and her mother when she was young. But after the security check at the airport, looking back at her mother standing a few yards away, she finds her looking pale like the winter moon. She feels that familiar pain and childhood fear of the thought of losing her mother and of being lonely just as she had been when she was young because she was different from other children. She could only keep smiling and tell her ‘see you soon’ knowing full well that she might not see her.

Clothing and Fashion in German

Dolphin Facts Habitat, Behavior, Diet

Dolphins (Odontoceti) are a group of 44 species of toothed whales or cetaceans. There are dolphins in every ocean on Earth, and there are freshwater species of dolphins that inhabit rivers in South Asian and South American. The largest dolphin species (the orca) grows to more than 30 feet long while the smallest, Hectors dolphin, is just 4.5 feet in length. Dolphins are well known for their intellect, their gregarious nature, and their acrobatic abilities. But there are many lesser-known qualities that make a dolphin a dolphin. Fast Facts: Dolphins Scientific Name: Odontoceti  Common Name: Dolphin (Note: This name refers to the group of 44 species classified as Odontoceti; each has its own scientific and common name.)Basic Animal Group:  MammalSize: 5 feet long to over 30 feet long, depending on the speciesWeight: Up to 6 tonsLifespan: Up to 60 years depending on the speciesDiet:  CarnivoreHabitat:  All oceans and some riversPopulation:  Varies per speciesConservation  Status:  Bottlenose dolphins are considered to be of Least Concern, while about 10 species of dolphins are listed as Severely Threatened.   Description Dolphins are small-toothed Cetaceans, a group of marine mammals that evolved from land mammals. They have developed numerous adaptations that make them well suited for life in water including a streamlined body, flippers, blowholes and a layer of blubber for insulation. Dolphins have curved beaks which means they appear to have permanent smiles. Dolphins evolved from land mammals whose legs were underneath their bodies. As a result, dolphins tails move up and down as they swim, whereas a fish’s tail moves from side to side. Dolphins, like all toothed whales, lack olfactory lobes and nerves. Because dolphins do not possess these anatomical features, they most likely have a poorly developed sense of smell. The snout of some oceanic dolphins is long and slender due to their elongated, prominent jaw bones. Within the dolphins elongated jaw bone sits numerous conical teeth (some species have as many as 130 teeth in each jaw). Species that have prominent beaks include, for example, Common Dolphin, Bottlenose Dolphin, Atlantic Humpbacked Dolphin, Tucuxi, Long-Snouted Spinner Dolphin, and numerous others. The forelimbs of a dolphin are anatomically equivalent to the forelimbs of other mammals (for example, they are analogous to arms in humans). But the bones within the forelimbs of dolphins have been shortened and made more rigid by supporting connective tissue. Pectoral flippers enable dolphins to steer and modulate their speed. The dorsal fin of a dolphin (located on the back of the dolphin) acts as a keel when the animal swims, giving the animal directional control and stability within the water. But not all dolphins have a dorsal fin. For example, the Northern Rightwhale Dolphins and the Southern Rightwhale Dolphins lack dorsal fins. Dolphins do not have prominent external ear openings. Their ear openings are small slits (located behind their eyes) which do not connect to the middle ear. Instead, scientists suggest that sound is conducted to the inner and middle ear by fat-lobes located within the lower jaw and by various bones within the skull. Tunatura/Getty Images Habitat and Distribution Dolphins live in all of the world’s seas and oceans; many inhabit coastal areas or areas with shallower water. While most dolphins prefer warmer tropical or temperate waters one species, the orca (sometimes called killer whale) lives in both the Arctic Ocean and the Antarctic Southern Ocean. Five dolphin species prefer fresh to salt water; these species inhabit rivers in South America and South Asia. Diet and Behavior Dolphins are carnivorous predators. They use their strong teeth to hold their prey, but then either swallow their prey whole tear it into small pieces. They are relatively light eaters; the bottlenose dolphin, for example, eats about 5 percent of its weight each day. Many species of dolphins migrate to find food. They consume a wide range of animals including fish, squid, crustaceans, shrimp, and octopus. The very large Orca dolphin may also eat marine mammals such as seals or marine birds such as penguins. Many dolphin species work as a group to herd or coral fish. They may also follow fishing vessels to enjoy the waste thrown overboard. Some species will also use their flukes to beat and stun their prey. Reproduction and Offspring Most dolphins become sexually mature at between 5 and 8 years old. Dolphins give birth to a single calf once every one to six years and then feed their babies milk through their nipples. Dolphin pregnancies range in length from 11 to 17 months. Location can make an impact on the gestation period. When a pregnant female is ready to deliver, she separates herself from the rest of the pod to a location near the waters surface. Dolphin calves are usually born tail first; at birth, calves are about 35–40 inches long and weigh between 23 and 65 pounds. The mother immediately brings her infant to the surface so it can breathe. Newborn calves look a bit different from their parents; they typically have dark skin with lighter bands which fade over time. Their fins are quite soft but harden very quickly. They can swim almost immediately, but do require the protection of the pod; in fact, young dolphins are typically nursed for the first two to three years of life and may stay with their mothers for up to eight years. Georgette Douwma/Getty Images   Species Dolphins are members of the order Cetacea, Suborder Odontoceti, Families Delphinidae, Iniidae, and Lipotidae. Within those families, there are 21 genera, 44 species, and several subspecies. The species of dolphins include: Genus: Delphinus Delphinus capensis (Long-beaked common dolphin)Delphinus delphis (Short-beaked common dolphin)Delphinus tropicalis. (Arabian common dolphin) Genus: Tursiops Tursiops truncatus (Common bottlenose dolphin)Tursiops aduncus (Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin)Tursiops australis (Burrunan dolphin) Genus: Lissodelphis Lisodelphis borealis (Northern right whale dolphin)Lssodelphis peronii (Southern right whale dolphin) Genus: Sotalia Sotalia fluviatilis (Tucuxi)Sotalia guianensis (Guiana dolphin) Genus: Sousa Sousa chinensis (Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin)Subspecies:Sousa chinensis chinensis (Chinese white dolphin)Sousa chinensis plumbea (Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin)Sousa teuszii (Atlantic Humpback Dolphin)Sousa plumbea (Indian Humpback dolphin) Genus: Stenella Stenella frontalis (Atlantic spotted dolphin)Stenella clymene (Clymene dolphin)Stenella attenuata (Pantropical spotted dolphin)Stenella longirostris (Spinner dolphin)Stenella coeruleoalba (Striped dolphin) Genus: Steno Steno bredanensis (Rough-toothed dolphin) Genus: Cephalorhynchus Cephalorhynchus eutropia (Chilean dolphin)Cephalorhynchus commersonii (Commerson’s dolphin)Cephalorhynchus heavisidii (Heaviside’s Dolphin)Cephalorhynchus hectori (Hector’s dolphin) Genus: Grampus Grampus griseus (Risso’s dolphin) Genus: Lagenodelphis Lagenodelphis hosei (Fraser’s dolphin) Genus: Lagenorhynchus Lagenorhynchus acutus (Atlantic white-sided dolphin)Lagenorhynchus obscurus (Dusky dolphin)Lagenorhynchus cruciger (Hourglass dolphin)Lagenorhynchus obliquidens (Pacific white-sided dolphin)Lagenorhynchus australis (Peale’s dolphin)Lagenorhynchus albirostris (White-beaked dolphin) Genus: Peponocephala Peponocephala electra (Melon-headed whale) Genus: Orcaella Orcaella heinsohni (Australian snubfin dolphin)Orcaella brevirostris (Irrawaddy dolphin) Genus: Orcinus Orcinus orca (Orca- Killer Whale) Genus: Feresa Feresa attenuata (Pygmy killer whale) Genus: Pseudorca Pseudorca crassidens (False Killer whale) Genus: Globicephala Globicephala melas (Long-finned pilot whale)Globicephala macrorhynchus (Short-finned pilot whale) Superfamily: Platanistoidea Genus Inia, Family: Iniidae Inia geoffrensis. (Amazon river dolphin).Inia araguaiaensis (Araguaian river dolphin). Genus Lipotes, Family: Lipotidae Lipotes vexillifer (Baiji) Genus Pontoporia, Family: Pontoporiidae Pontoporia blainvillei (La Plata dolphin) Genus Platanista, family: Platanistidae Platanista gangetica (South Asian river dolphin)Subspecies:Platanista gangetica gangetica (Ganges river dolphin)Platanista gangetica minor (Indus river dolphin) Conservation Status The Baiji has suffered dramatic population declines over recent decades due to pollution and heavy industrial use of the Yangtze River. In 2006, a scientific expedition set out to locate any remaining Baiji but failed to find a single individual in the Yangtze. The species was declared functionally extinct. Dolphins and Humans Humans have long been fascinated with dolphins, but the relationship between humans and dolphins has been complex. Dolphins are the subject of stories, myths, and legends as well as great works of art. Because of their great intelligence, dolphins have been used for military exercises and therapeutic support. They are also often kept in captivity and trained to perform; in most cases, this practice is now considered to be cruel. Sources Dolphin Facts and Information, www.dolphins-world.com/.â€Å"Dolphins.†Ã‚  Dolphin Facts, 4 Apr. 2019, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/group/dolphins/.NOAA. Dolphins Porpoises.†Ã‚  NOAA Fisheries, www.fisheries.noaa.gov/dolphins-porpoises.