Nanjing is located in Jiangsu region in East China and is one of China’s fifteen sub-provincial cities. This important city has jurisdictional and economic autonomy and is considered one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of the country. The city is known for its commerce, tourism and transport networks. Nanjing will also host the Youth Olympics in 2014. In general, the city has a well developed medical sector and high quality health care service is available in many of its leading hospitals. There are also some special international clinics with eminent doctors. Here is a description of some of the famous hospitals in Nanjing.

BenQ Hospital is situated at No. 71 Street, Jianye and is one of the major hospitals in the region. This large multidisciplinary hospital of about 1500 beds is affiliated with Nanjing Medical University. The Hospital is operated by the globally known Taiwan group, BenQ. The hospital features beautiful gardens, sculptures and art galleries. BenQ Hospital has well equipped departments in every discipline including nutrition, dentistry, rehabilitation and traditional Chinese medicine. The hospital employs well known physicians including about 200 overseas doctors all of whom deliver excellent medical care. The surgery department features 32 modern operating rooms and uses a lot of imported equipment. Its general surgery unit is so popular that patients from distant provinces come to BenQ Hospital for advanced surgical care. There is a well-equipped endoscopy center and blood purification unit as well. Tel: 025-52238800

Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital (Nanjing Gulou Yi Yuan) is another famous health care facility in the province and is situated at No.321 Zhongshan Road, Nanjing, 210008. The hospital was originally named Nanjing Christian Hospital and was established by some famous doctors from the American Presbyterian Missions to China in 1892. The center was fully renovated to become a large modern hospital in 2006 and is affiliated with Nanjing University Medical School. The 1500 bed hospital offers advanced medical care in all areas through its 32 clinical departments and 32 medical technical sections. The hospital also has 21 special research units. It employs 2500 staff including about 260 senior physicians, 200 attending doctors, 250 resident doctors and 1100 nurses. These staff members work to deliver effective health care to millions patients every year. There are modern operating rooms, an emergency department and ICUs. The hospital is known for its cutting edge technology and possesses PET, ECT, whole-body CT, MRI, DSA, 1250mA X-ray, EEG Mapping, color Doppler ultrasonic cardio-dynamic apparatus and central monitoring capabilities. Telephone: (86) (25) 8310-5860

With a time span of over 1,800 years, the Pre-Qin Period (2,100 B.C.-221 B.C.) refers to the period preceding the Qin dynasty (221-206) in Chinese history, and it goes through 3 different historical stages, namely, the Xia dynasty (2070 B.C.-1600 B.C.), the Shang dynasty (1600 B.C.-1046 B.C.), the Zhou dynasty (1046 B.C.- 221 B.C.), during which the great ancient Chinese people created glorious civilization with their intelligence and hard working, including the inscription on oracle bones from the Xia-Shang dynasties and the bronze wares from the Shang-Zhou dynasties, and these cultural relics become the historical symbols of the ancient Chinese civilization.

The earliest hereditary dynasty in Chinese history, the Xia dynasty, was established by Qi (son of Yu the Great) in 2070 B.C, and the Site of Erlitou in Luoyang is proven to be its original capital according to the latest archeological findings, when the earliest calendar (Xia Xiao Zheng) in Chinese history appeared.

The legend goes that the last emperor of the Xia dynasty, Jie, was overthrown by Tang (the founder of the Shang dynasty) owing to his cruel rule, and Tang was elected as the ruler of a new dynasty- the Shang dynasty, when the civilization was more prosperous than that in the Xia dynasty with the bronze wares, the primitive porcelains and the inscriptions on oracle bones emerging. Although the agriculture functioned as the main industry, great progress had been made in the handicraft industry in the Shang dynasty, especially in the filed of the bronze casting and smelting technology. The last ruler of the Shang dynasty, Zhou, levied exorbitant taxes on the working people and took no notice of state affairs, meanwhile, another tribe led by Vassal Ji Chang rose gradually in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, and Ji Fa (Vassal Ji Chang’s son) rose in rebellion first and won the decisive victory over Shang ruler in the battle of Muye, resulting in the fall of the Shang dynasty and the rise of the Zhou dynasty. Ji Fa (or Emperor Wu) set up the Zhou dynasty with Haojing (present Xi’an of Shaanxi Province) as capital, whose territory was greatly expanded later, stretching from the Yangtze River in the south to the Liaoning Province in the north and from Shandong Province in the east to Gansu Province in the west, and the patriarch system and the governmental organizations were formed in the Zhou dynasty.

As a matter of fact, the Zhou dynasty is composed of the Western Zhou dynasty and the Eastern Zhou dynasty, of which the later is divided into the Spring & Autumn Period (770 B.C.-476 B.C) and the Warring State Period (475 B.C.-221 B.C.). Emperor Zhoupingwang relocated the capital from Haojing to Luoyi (present Luoyang) owing to the invasion from the northern nomadic tribe in 770. B.C., since then the Zhou dynasty started to decline, and the wheel of history rolled on to the Eastern Zhou dynasty (770 B.C.-256 B.C.).

The fall of the Zhou dynasty directly led to the rising of 100 small States, among which the wars broke out frequently, and seven States stood out of the crowed, during the war, namely, Qi State, Chu State, Yan State, Han State, Zhao State, Wei State and Qin State. Shang Yang was appointed as the Chancellor to carry out reforms in the Qin State in 356 B.C., making Qin State the most powerful state then, and Ying Zheng (ruler of Qin state) defeated the other six states one after another and established the first centralized feudal country in China- the Qin dynasty, who was known to the world as Emperor Qinshihuang.

The recent decades have proven to be quite successful for sunglasses. The portable entity which presents itself as two lenses held together by a simple nose piece has been reworked and redesigned innumerous times to fit the fashion tastes of millions of people. Designer sunglasses are no longer utilized simply as guardians of our eyes against the sun – they have become an inextricable part of the fashion world, and have manifested into hundreds different styles.

But did you know that centuries before movie stars donned sunglasses and posed for the cameras, sunglasses began their climb into the their own celebrity in 13th century China? The original sunglasses trendsetters were Chinese judges who began wearing sunglasses – or quartz lenses, tinted by smoke- in order to cover their eye expressions, and thus their opinions. It seems that the initial purpose of sunglasses was not even to protect the eyes against the sun; it was to protect the eyes of important decision makers from unwanted spectators.

Not until the twentieth century did sunglasses begin to be utilized for UV ray protection purposes. In the 1920s, Sam Foster introduced the sunglasses to the American public. At that time the lenses were beginning to be manufactured to protect the eyes from the sun. Sam Foster began selling sunglasses in Atlantic City, NJ, and slowly but surely ensuring their popularity.

And in the 1930, Edwin H. Land, commenced another phenomenon by using his patented Polaroid filter by polarizing the lenses. At this time, sunglasses began to gain their popularity at an even faster rate. Famous movie stars and musicians ensured the sunglasses’ stardom by wearing them in public and in front of the camera.

Today, you will rarely see a person without sunglasses on a bright, sunny day. Sunglasses have become part of our wardrobe as shoes and purses, and a part of celebritydom as designer gowns and short-lived marriages. And we love our designer sunglasses because of their versatility, transportability, UV ray protection, but mainly because they make us look good.

The People’s Republic of China is viewed through different lenses even today. Exotic. Mysterious. Aggressive. Fascinating. These are just some of the monikers that are pasted onto this 9.597 million square kilometres that make up the Land of the Dragon.

What is China today? How did “Made in China” become the most sighted marking on manufactured goods? Why has speaking and writing Chinese gained such significance? If the Chinese don’t master English, isn’t the obvious solution for English users to master Chinese and translate, translate, translate??!

What is China today?

China is a land surrounded by the Gobi desert in the North, thick, impenetrable forests in the South, the Himalayas on the West and the Pacific Ocean in the East. This is why early civilisation had limited interactions with this country. The politics of this country also added to its economic and cultural isolation. It was only in the 1970s that the winds of radical economic reforms swept through China’s vast landscape and ushered in a global trade economy. The Communist government in China has opened up not just the market but the free flow of trade and technology across its borders.

Today:

China is the second largest economy in the world next to the USA

a global hub of manufacturing

the largest exporter and the second largest importer of goods and

the largest trading nation.

Add to these facts that China happens to weigh in with a population of 1,382,323,332 and growing every millisecond (yes, count it live by clicking on the link and you will see how fast the number changes!), and you will know the mind-boggling economy and market that is being considered.

Tongue tied in English

The emphasis on English education in China took off only in 1979 when the dragon established strong diplomatic ties with the American eagle. With estimates of English “speakers” as low as 10 million and English “learners” at 300 million, China has still a long way to go in free and easy communication considering that a sizeable chunk of the West uses English. So, is this mammoth, well connected market to remain incommunicado? Hardly!

“If the mountaine will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will goe to the mountaine”

So said Sir Francis Bacon in his Essays, 1625.

Translation: If the Chinese don’t learn English, then English users will have to learn Chinese.

The official language of China and Taiwan is Mandarin or Standard Chinese. It is also one of the four official languages of Singapore.

Cantonese (a variety of Yue Chinese) is the official language of Hong Kong and Macau, the two mostly self governing special administrative regions of China.

The script uses characters called hanzi: there are more than 100,000 individual characters. Roughly speaking, each character represents a syllable and can be used individually or in combinations to form words. A recent development has divided this script to simplified Chinese which uses reduced and simpler characters; this is used mostly in Mainland China. The traditional version still continues in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.

Pinyin, the official transliteration system using the Latin alphabet, has also been developed to ease pronunciation.

In addition, it should be noted that Mandarin Chinese is spoken by the well heeled Chinese communities of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines and Mongolia where the Dragon makes its presence pretty prominent and breathes a scorching breath.

Language translates to business

With China encouraging the free flow of business and becoming the golden land of opportunity, communicating in Chinese takes on varied shapes and colours if this high potential market has to be tapped deeper and deeper.

Professional Chinese translation has to be specific to the targeted area and the purpose which demands this service. For example, if the target market is Mainland China and /or Singapore, the type of written Chinese would be Simplified Chinese. Yet, Traditional Chinese would be the lingua franca for businesses operating within the Hi-tech industry and simplified Chinese preferred for companies in manufacturing sectors.

Translators from English to Chinese need to know much more than just the languages: a good translation company will offer translators who are cognizant with the kind of profession that the translation is required for.

Minding businesses

There are many needs for professional translation that arise in the course of business.

Language and tone of translation has to suit each need. There is no such thing as a broad brush that you can paint Chinese with! Documents dealing with, patents, resumes, medical cases, educational certificates, brochures, insurance, visas… the list is endless when a country opens its doors to the rest of the world.

Add to this the nuances of the Chinese script where a stroke or a syllable can change the entire context or meaning. Work in the dominance of English as the language of business and trade. Take in the fact of the Chinese ethos being a little known and tentatively understood denominator and the care to be taken to keep niceties of language uppermost. The formula for success dictates that English be skilfully translated into Chinese minding text, script, language, tone and suitability.

This is why expert translation is needed. No automated or translation software can actually fit the bill in a language like Chinese. It’s good enough to order a plate of schezwan noodles and kung pao chicken, but not when your needs are professional and your aim is the sky.

China still burns exotic in many minds. But as the People’s Republic increasingly demolishes the “Great Wall” that had once surrounded its isolationist mindset, the layers of mystery are being peeled away. China is a prosperous and booming economy today. Make your presence felt in the Big Bang.

Translate your business strategies to success. Literally.

One of the more controversial buildings in Hong Kong is the Bank of China. The tower was completed in 1989 and officially opened on May 17, 1990. The building was the first outside of North America to break the 1000 feet mark. The controversy stems from the way it was designed and how it affected the neighboring buildings around it. By looking at it from a Feng Shui perspective, the sharp corners are seen as ‘shar chi’, or ‘killing energy’ knifing down its nearby buildings and the people around it. The way the building was designed with its irregular shaped corners, it is more suitable for companies with irregular income to set up their business there.

Ever since it was completed, the governors of Hong Kong never lasted long and there was even one governor that was fired. The reason for the instability of the governors is due to the fact that the tower is located directly across from the Government House like a knife ready to slice a piece of cake. Not too long after the completion of the Bank of China Tower, the governor passed away; the following governor was fired and in the next term, the governor created many problems. The first executive of Hong Kong, Tung Chee-Hwa noted that the Government House had bad ‘Feng Shui’ and refused to live in the house.

At the time when the tower was being built, the designer in charge of the project bypassed consultations with Feng Shui masters. Once the designs were made public, he was severely criticized and decided to incorporate a few water features around the building as a ‘remedy’ to the sharp edges of the tower. Unfortunately, some of the water features were incorrectly placed. From a Feng Shui standpoint, there is a Water fountain in the West and Northwest sector of the property; West and Northwest symbolizes the Dui and Qian Gua, the metal element in those two sectors. In the ‘Five Element Theory’, water weakens metal and this is what is happening to the property. The Qian Gua represents the male or the dominant figure and it is being weakened by the water in the sector.

Fortunately, after the building was completed, Feng Shui masters gave many recommendations changing the feeling and energy of the tower. The front of the tower has many plants and trees while right by the side of the front door, flag poles are seen. On both sides of the building, there are water features bringing energy to the front. At the back of the building, there are two red awnings placed on top of the doors holding up the water and energy from the back figuratively speaking.

Going back to the Government House in Hong Kong, some might wonder why Donald Tsang has been in office for such a long time. The reason is because the killing energy of the Bank of China Tower has been dispersed by a fish pond that was built right on the side of the Government House to absorb the sharp corner of the tower. This is a great remedy as water reduces metal in the five element theory and it is working harmoniously.

The Bank of China Tower is an example of how its negative energy can affect nearby buildings and the people working inside those buildings. It also represents how Feng Shui changes after its completion can change the feeling of its surroundings. Of course, it is always better to consult Feng Shui masters before a building is being built, but the changes after its completion goes to show that proper Feng Shui features can remove misfortunes and enhance wealth luck.

Every product you buy these days, or at least some variant of it, seems to have been made in China. With a population that dwarfs that of any other nation in the world and rather relaxed labor standards, China has become the global center of manufacturing for mass production. And just when you thought that Acai berries, which are indigenous to the Amazon rainforests, could not involve the Chinese mega-machine, Acai berry extract products are now somehow being produced there.

But mass production does not often translate into superior quality, and this is certainly the case with Chinese Acai berry products.

Because of the popularity of Acai products in today’s health and supplement-rich market, many bargain-minded manufacturers have outsourced their Acai berry farming to China. This translates into Acai palm trees, that normally thrive only along the banks of the Amazon river, being grown in Chinese harvesting greenhouses to accelerate the amount of Acai berries that one can yield versus relying solely on Brazil’s limited supply.

What these manufacturers do not understand, however, is that the Acai palm alone cannot account for the amazing properties of its fruit. The nutrients that eventually make their way into Acai berries are drawn from the water of the Amazon river, whose unique properties are what make the Acai berry so incredible. The result? Chinese-grown Acai berries are far less nutritious and effective.

Even more alarming is that Chinese farmers rely on insecticides and various types of fertilizers to grow the Acai palms, which could lead to chemical poisoning and other ailments associated with the use of these artificial methods.

Too many dishonest manufacturers are even now taking advantage of hapless consumers by putting these inferior products on the market, hoping that people will snap up anything that contains the word “Acai” in its list of ingredients.

Be careful where you buy your Acai berry extract products. Prioritize quality over quantity, and make sure you only order the genuine article, instead of a cheap Chinese knockoff.

Patience

Patience will go a long way for Westerners doing business in the Chinese culture. Losing one’s patience could cause one’s Chinese counterpart to “lose face.” The Chinese prefer to do business with people they feel comfortable more comfortable with. Chinese style of communicating is non-confrontational, and more passive than direct. At times it can be difficult understanding what they mean solely based on the words they use.

In the Chinese culture producing overt conflicts and situations that embarrass others is considered losing face. Once people lose face, doing business with each other may no longer be an option at that point. To avoid losing face, the Chinese business culture usually will not show their disagreement or dissatisfaction in an obvious way. Instead, we see that will indirectly express such sentiments, for example by using phrases like “maybe” or “we will see.”

Western business people should prepare and be alert for these signals by learning to read these indirect messages. You should also avoid losing your temper or aggressively pushing the Chinese to answer questions they show reluctance to give an answer.

Getting Down to Business

In the United States business is to the point, and often occurs at a much quicker pace than in China. One’s business hours and home life can be seen as very separated. Apart from being on time, which is absolutely vital in China, it is also important to build relationships with people before doing business. The Chinese are reluctant to do business with people they do not feel comfortable with. They usually prefer to begin a business meeting, especially if meeting someone for the first time, with some pleasant small talk.

The Chinese style of building relationships can prolong the time spent on discussing business and making decisions, which may seem frustrating to an American. This culture focuses on long-term commitments for which Chinese expect long-term rewards, in contrast to the United States. Punctuality is also extremely important to the Chinese. In China being late is an extremely rude sign of disrespect, where this is slightly more flexible in the western culture.

In the western culture, Americans would much rather get the job done, and move on to the next thing. Short term rewards. Unlike with the Chinese style of communicating, Americans are far less occupied with the thought of whether they might make someone lose face or not, and more on trying to close a deal.

Management Style

In the United States we find that businesses have a more individualistic culture, which emphasizes individual tasks, goals, and performance. In America, personal achievements and success are still more valuable than your social standing or class. We find the Chinese culture to be more of a collectivist society and valuing seniority significantly more than the United States.

This is one of the explanations between the differences of our management styles. In the west, the ideal manager is a “resourceful democrat,” who sets the vision and strategy for the business but delegates and empowers others to execute. In the western culture we find that a leader encourages two-way communication with his employees and supports bottom-up input in decision-making.

In China we find a more attention to detail and supervision. The Chinese leader believes in discipline and micromanagement. These managers also spend a lot of time caring for the personal welfare of their employees as a part of their job. The Chinese style can be very efficient in carrying out critical tasks and getting quick results. We find that this style also discourages two-way communication and ownership at the lower level.

Western employees may feel that they are not fully trusted to manage their own work. Learning to understand the Chinese group-oriented culture versus individualism and accountability is very important for a successful relationship and business. In order to create a productive partnership, both China and the U.S. must co-adapt to each other. For global organizations expanding to the other country, managing local talents often require creative solutions.

The State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) has introduced a fast track system for the examination procedure of patent applications in China.

The Administrative Measures (in Chinese), issued on 19 June 2012, will come into effect on 1 August 2012, allowing for prioritized examination of certain types of invention patents.

What type of application is eligible?

1. Important applications relating to energy conservation and environment protection, new generation information technology, biology, high end equipment manufacture, new materials, new energy automobiles
2. Important applications promoting the development of green technologies, such as those relating to low carbon emission and conservation of resources;
3. Applications for the same invention first filed in China and then in other countries or regions; and
4. Other applications which materially affect national or public interests and require examination that is prioritized

A request for prioritized examination shall be made in electronic form, together with a ‘Form of Request for Prioritized Examination of Invention Patent Application’ that has been recognized and endorsed by a local SIPO branch of the relevant province, autonomous region or municipality.

The applicant is also required to submit search and examination reports, issued by the patent examination authority of another country or region, such as the UK Intellectual Property Office or European Patent Office. Alternatively, the applicant can submit a search report issued by a recognised and competent entity. However, it remains to be clarified as to what a ‘recognised and competent entity’ is.

Upon receipt of a prioritized examination request, SIPO will review the application and notify the applicants of the result. The grant of this examination is discretionary, and the number of examaintions is to be determined by the capacity of the examination division.

From the date of grant of the prioritized examination, SIPO will issue the first Examination Report within 30 working days, upon which the applicant is required to respond or correct any issues raised in the report within two months. SIPO is to bring the case to conclusion within one year from the date of grant of the examination request. However, if a response to the examination opinion is not received within two months of the first Examination Report, the prioritized status of the application will cease and examination of the application will resume to normal.

Where SIPO has signed a bilateral or multi-lateral agreement with a patent authority of a country that includes prioritized or accelerated procedures, such agreements are to take precedence before the above scheme. For example, SIPO has agreements with a number of countries (Japan, Korea, US, Germany, Russia) under the pilot Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) scheme.

The prioritized examination scheme is set to provide eligible applications with acceleration of examination. If your patent application is granted prioritized examination, it is important to respond to the first Examination Report within the 2 month deadline in order to maintain its priority status.

Apart from China, accelerated examination is also available in other countries, such as the UK, and Europe, and also specifically for applications relating to green technologies.

Changchun, situated in northeast China, is the capital and largest city of Jilin province. It is a major industrial, transportation, tourist and cultural center of this part of China and is home to the biggest vehicle producer of the country, FAW. The city has a pleasant climate and is often referred to as the forest city, the spring city and the city of automobiles and films. Like all other major cities in China, Changchun also has a well-developed medical service sector. The leading hospitals are provided with the latest facilities and offer the service of eminent doctors at an affordable cost. This is a summary of some of the well known hospitals in Changchun.

China-Japan Union Hospital situated at 126 Xiantai Street in Changchun in the Development Zone is a huge, state-owned, modern hospital with 1550 beds. The hospital was founded in 1949. This tertiary level hospital is managed by the Ministry of Health and was the first A-hospital in the province. This advanced hospital has an area of 201900 square meters and a construction area of 134,400 square meters. The hospital employs 1501 staff members. There are 274 senior medical staff including 80 professors and 156 associate professors. The Japanese government invested 2.6 billion Yen in the venture and this is why it is also referred to as the China-Japan Friendship Hospital. This service-oriented hospital puts great emphasis on the use of modern technology, high levels of quality and is approved as a “Baby Friendly Hospital” by WHO, UNICEF and by the National Drug Clinical Research Center in the Chinese government. The center has full-fledged departments in all major as well as rare specialties including rheumatology, hematology, infectious diseases, honored traditional Chinese medicine, nuclear medicine and electrical diagnosis.

The First Clinical Hospital of Jilin University is another leading hospital in the country and is located at No 71, Xinmin Street in Changchun, near the beautiful Chaoyang Park. The hospital has a 1,100 bed capacity central hospital and 350 bed capacity subsidiary hospital both of which are managed by the Public Health Ministry. This advanced hospital with a 72,650 m2 area has a glorious history of 61 years. The hospital employs 1855 staff including 113 professors and 232 advisors. It has spacious outpatient department that treats over 1,520,000 people annually. The center has acquired 35 prizes of scientific and technological advancement given by the national and provincial governments during the last decade.

There is considerable attention in the Chinese business community to the newly announced Basic Standard for Enterprise Internal Control (C-SOX), which goes into effect in July 2009. Compliance with this regulation will be a considerable effort for many firms.

The Basic Standard for Enterprise Internal Control was announced in the summer of 2008 by the Ministry of Finance, China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), the National Audit Office, and China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC). The new regulation intends to increase the effectiveness of internal controls in listed Chinese companies, thus reducing risks for companies and their stakeholders.

Companies listed on either of the two major Chinese stock exchanges (Shanghai and Shenzhen) must conduct self-evaluations of their internal controls, report on an annual basis and hire qualified auditors to review the effectiveness of their internal controls. C-SOX will apply to over 2000 companies in China.

Many companies have hired consultants and advisers to document, test and upgrade internal controls to prepare their C-SOX compliance. However, without a cultural change and appropriate investments in technology that automates the documentation, assessment and remediation of internal controls, you would need to allocate the same amount of resources year after year to be compliant with C-SOX. In order to reduce their cost of long term compliance, companies have to make the focus on internal controls a part of their company culture.

Below are 6 checkpoints for how seriously your company is taking internal control:

1) Internal controls are owned by senior management

2) Executives clearly assign responsibilities for training and for monitoring of internal controls

3) Evaluations of control systems are done periodically and are thoroughly documented and are conducted by trained staff

4) Comprehensive and business-appropriate criteria are used to evaluate controls

5) Control deficiencies are reported to management and corrected on a timely basis

6) Controls built in as new processes and procedures are implemented

This checklist was designed to encourage your organization to make a culture shift toward risk awareness and responsibility. Your performance against this checklist will give you a good picture of how seriously your company is able to deal with the challenges of C-SOX.

The most important criterion for success in a C-SOX implementation is to ensure the support of the entire organization. Although responsibility for risk management and compliance ultimately sits with the CEO and Board of Directors, forward-thinking companies will move to push responsibility to various parts of the organization. C-SOX projects require participation from many levels of an organization, and for compliance projects to succeed, companies must make their staff an active participant on the integrated project team. People need to prepare for compliance consultants or auditors, and companies must commit staff and resources to make efficient use of outside consultants.