The Shortage of Educationally Prepared Nursing Faculty

The Shortage of Educationally Prepared Nursing Faculty The nation is in need of a sufficient Registered nurse supply. The adequacy of this supply is critical in providing quality health care. An integral role of Registered nurses (RNs) and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) in primary care delivery helps to bring focus to the nation’s health care systems of patients’ and communities. The United States’ estimated shortage of nurses will grow to 260,000 by 2025, disturbing the nation’s health care delivery systems (American Nurses Association, 2011).The widespread of attention toward the growing need of nurses in the United States presents decreased awareness on the focus of nurse faculty shortages (National League of Nursing, 2010). Although active nursing numbers are growing, state, and national projections predict nursing shortages will increase as the population ages and requires more care, and practicing nurses, in large numbers, begin to retir e. Without coordinated statewide actions addressing the growing problem of faculty shortages, United States citizens will continue to face severe nurse shortages (National League of Nursing, 2010).Nursing faculty is intertwined with the current national shortage of nurses (American Nurses Association, 2011). Issues and Influencing Factors Some of the main issues affecting nursing shortages are the worsening of shortages of faculty in academic environments, damaging nursing professions infrastructure in edcation. Ninety-four percent of academic health centers believe faculty shortages arrive in at least one medical school, and 69% agree that these faculty shortages are an issue for institutions abroad.The majority have identified nurse faculty shortages as the highest in demand followed by allied health, pharmacy, and medicine (National League of Nursing, 2010). The limitation of student capacities is growing across the country in relation to nurse faculty shortages. Influencing fact ors contributing to these shortages involve aging faculty, budget constraints, the workload of full-time nurse educators in non-administrative positions teaching in either pre-licensure RN or graduate-level RN programs, competing salaries among employers in medical facilities versus universities, and recruitment (American Nurses Association, 2011).Recruitment of qualified new faculty is limited of master’s and doctoral programs with a focus on nursing education like the underrepresentation of minority groups, inadequate faculty compensation, and workplace issues like employee workload, clinical scheduling, student attitudes, and abilities, and cultural issues (American Nurses Association, 2011).According to the American Nurses Association (2011), â€Å"United States nursing schools turned away 75,587 qualified applicants from baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2011 from insufficient faculty numbers, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints† (Scope of the Nursing Faculty shortage). One other contributing factor is salary differences. According the Maryland Statewide Commission on the Crisis in nursing (2005), â€Å"The average salary for a practicing nurse with an advanced degree is $80,000, but a nursing faculty member makes about $50,000.The starting salary for a full-time faculty member at a Maryland school of nursing is approximately equal to that of a new graduate from an associate-degree or baccalaureate nursing program beginning as a full-time staff nurse. Given the additional education, master’s degree in nursing at minimum, and the experience required for a faculty position, this disparity in salary seems inequitable† (p. 2). Shortage Challenges, Strategies, and Consequences A challenge to decrease the growing shortage of nurses is to enhance opportunities for nursing faculty in addition to faculty increases in a timely manner.Countering strategies toward nurse faculty shortage s need to gain a focus on various educational methods within institutions like retaining senior faculty, and recruitment of new faculty in a timely manner in collaboration with anticipated retirements. National prospects suggest the initiation of a new motivation tool that launches new educational and research training with focuses on doctoral studies early in nursing careers with added support (Hinshaw, 2001). The consequence of a non-functioning solution to the problem will continue to contribute to nursing shortages placing the health care arena in jeopardy of poor health care delivery.The decrease of nurses has major consequences on preparing for emergencies, quality health care, the safety of patients’, access to health care services, and growth of the economy (The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools, 2006). More nurses will resume other avenues of employment, in addition to an increase of workload burnout. Recommendations Schools of Nursing, nursing school†™s educational institutions, and nursing professions need to evaluate old strategies and develop new and creative solutions for decreasing the shortage of nursing faculty (Hinshaw, 2001). A strong recommendation is retaining productive senior faculty.Academic administrators and faculty should evaluate new solutions for retaining senior faculty skills as they enter the retirement phase. Strategies suggested and developed should include methods based on the respect held for the expertise of senior faculty members on the needs of the nursing program as new junior faculty are recruited (Hinshaw, 2001). According to Hinshaw (2001), examples of recommendations include senior faculty to develop, and share new experiences, offer phased retirement plans, establish intellectual homes like Centers of Excellence based on research, and provide service components to retain senior faculty.Timing for replacement of senior faculty incorporates a specific strategy of preplanning. A widely used stra tegy used is to negotiate a loan from nursing program parent institutions. The loans are paid back as senior faculty retires. The major benefit of this loan program is it permits for the recruitment of new faculty as the experienced senior faculty is in place, providing several years for mentoring relationships between the two groups.Such a cadre of new and senior faculty can also build a strong climate for teaching mastery, research programs, and sponsorship into leadership positions in the profession because time is available for the new individuals to develop in a more comfortable, less stressed environment. At the same time, the expertise of the senior faculty is respected, and acknowledged. Another recommendation is to increase faculty salaries in comparison to clinical salaries. Currently there is more than a 20 thousand dollar difference between the two master’s of nursing professions, which also complicates recruitment of nursing faculty.According to American Nurses A ssociation (2011), â€Å"The average salary of a nurse practitioner, across settings and specialties, is $ $91,310. By contrast, in March 2011, master's prepared faculty earned an annual average salary of $72,028† (Factors contributing to the Faculty Shortage). Because the United States is economically challenged, increased salaries for higher educated nursing professionals may steer him or her toward faculty employment. Last, a resolution to gaining more nurses to consider faculty positions is to introduce academics early in his or her nursing career. Incorporating teaching throughout Associate Degree programs nd higher will appeal a more viable career option toward academic nursing. Economic Investments The nursing shortage detrimentally has damaged the health care system. Studies have revealed that nursing shortages contribute to non-desirable patient outcomes, medication errors, and an increase in mortality rates. Inadequate staffing issues were linked to increased patien t mortality (American Nurses Association, 2011). Researchers have identified that federal investments in nursing education is needed. Hospitals and other medication institutions need to support educating future nurses and increase nurse efficiency.There is a need for innovative pathways in education toward bachelor and graduate studies in nursing in addition to incentives for recruitment of nursing faculty. Families and surrounding communities need to recognize the effects of nursing care has on the quality and safety of health care and be prepared to assist with funds to support the need for higher education. The public should become involved with an understanding that united is a stand, and divided the country shall fall in addition to taking a stand to demand better care of growing communities with longer lifespans.Conclusion Shortages of nursing faculty, placements in clinical settings, and nursing program classrooms report each year in every state in the congressional district report denying qualified candidates to nursing schools (National League of Nursing, 2010). Rising factors affecting the nursing shortage is wages. Wages for nurses compared to past wages have grown dramatically but still lag behind other health care professionals with equal education. Although many strategies have been initiated, there is no one strategy, or solution to the ongoing issue of a need for roughly 800,000 nurses needed by 2020 (American Nurses Association, 2011).Until communities, governments, hospitals, and other medical institutions, in addition to nursing programs take a united stand in promoting the future of quality health care, the United States will continue to experience a shortage in nursing. The key to producing qualified nurses is to employ more qualified faculty. A solution to this promotion should start within early nursing programs with teaching as a focus. This will help future nurses to admire the importance of helping patients in addition to helping new nurses grow in the nursing practice. References American Nurses Association. (2011). Nurse Faculty Shortages.Retrieved October 07, 2012, from American Nurses Association: http://www. aacn. nche. edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/nursing-faculty-shortage Hinshaw, A. (2001, January 31). A Continuing Challenge: The Shortage of Educationally Prepared Nursing Faculty. Retrieved October 07, 2012, from The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing 6(1). Manuscript 3. Available: http://www. nursingworld. org/MainMenuCategories/ThePracticeofProfessionalNursing/workforce/NursingShortage/Resources/ShortageofEducationalFaculty. html Maryland Statewide Commission on the Crisis in Nursing. (2005, September 02). Nursing Faculty Shortage .Retrieved October 07, 2012, from Maryland Board of Nursing: http://www. mbon. org/commission/nsg_faculty_shortage. pdf National League of Nursing. (2010, February). 2010 NLN Nurse Educator Shortage Fact Sheet. Retrieved October 07, 2012, from National League of Nursing: h ttp://www. nln. org/governmentaffairs/pdf/nursefacultyshortage. pdf The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools. (2006, September). Thoughts on a Nursing Shortage. Retrieved October 08, 2012, from The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools: http://www. healthinschools. org/News-Room/EJournals/Volume-7/Number-9/Thoughts-on-a-Nursing-Shortage. aspx

Conflict Theory Essay

A. What is Conflict Theory? Farley (2000:73) contends that conflict theory arose primarily from the work of Marx and was continued in the work of C Wright Mills and Ralf Dahrandorf. The general underlying assumption associated with conflict theory is that society is made up of groups with competing self-interests. Often the competing groups have unequal power. People compete for resources that are in scarce supply. Generally, the resources that are in short supply involve wealth and power. Conflict theory generally consists of the following four points. 1. Conflict Built into Society Societies naturally tend toward conflict. This occurs because wealth and power are distributed unequally; therefore, different social groups have different and conflicting interests (Farley, 2000:73). 2. One Group Becomes Dominant Because competing interest groups have unequal power, one group usually becomes dominant. The dominant group then uses its power to control most or all other aspects of the social structure. The dominant group can ensure that society operates in a way that serves the interests of the dominant group. As a result the dominant group controls a vastly disproportionate share of scarce resources such as wealth and social status (Farley, 2000:73-74). 3. Consensus is Artificial When a consensus appears in a society, it is usually artificial and is unlikely to persist over the long run. A Functionalist might argue that consensus is â€Å"necessary† and is, therefore, automatically something desired by all concerned. The conflict theorist contends that a consensus in a society is either based on coercion and/or repression by the dominant group. 4. Conflict in Society is Desirable Conflict is desirable because it makes possible social change which may lead to more equitable distribution of wealth and power (Farley, 2000:74). 5. Ideology A central assumption of Marxist theory is that the distribution of wealth by  and large determines other aspects of society, such as the political system and the characteristics of culture. This includes the norms, values, and beliefs of the culture. The norms, values, and beliefs of the culture are such that they legitimize the control of wealth. Everyone, the rich and poor alike, accept the cultural beliefs as just and correct. Another term for these beliefs is IDEOLOGY. Marx, however, argued that beliefs in the dominant ideology is not in the interest of the subordinate group. Marx referred to the pattern of the subordinate group’s acceptance of an ideology that goes against it’s own self interest as false-consciousness. a. False Consciousness A consensus can also be achieved when a minority group accepts an ideology that is not in its self interest. This is false consciousness. It can occur because the dominant group exerts disproportionate control over the sources of influence and public opinion. It might also come about because the dominant group, through sheer power and force, can create an atmosphere where the subordinate group feels that resistance is futile. In either case, the apparent consensus is fundamentally unstable and is not likely to persist over time (Farley, 2000:74). b. Class Consciousness Racism can only be dealt with by changing the institutions that are the source of racism. Marx called upon the oppressed to realize how dominant ideology serves to oppress the subordinate group. Arrival at this understanding is called class-consciousness. B. Marx Karl Marx’s writings on class conflict, differing class interests, the ownership and control of the means of production, and the exploitation by one class over the other were precursors to the development of conflict theory. Marx saw class and class conflict as the moving forces in history. A dominant class owns the means of production and exploits other classes. It is then in the interests of the dominated classes to overthrow those in positions of dominance and to establish a social order more favorable to their interests (Kitano, 1985:42) (also see Farley, 2000:74-75). C. C Wright Mills and the Role of Intellectuals in Society â€Å"Only when mind has an autonomous basis, independent of power, but powerfully related to it, can  mind exert its force in the shaping of human affairs. This is democratically possible only when there exists a free and knowledgeable public, to which people of knowledge may address themselves, and to which people of power are truly responsible† (C Wright Mills, 1956) V. A Comparison of Functionalism and Conflict Theory Both perspectives can be viewed as two faces of the same society. For example, one of the basic problems facing a nonwhite individual in the functional model is that of high alienation and loss of identity. However, racial conflict, with its ideological apparatus and action system, functions to alleviate alienation and to facilitate an ethnic identity. Group solidarity is enhanced, group boundaries are clarified, and the linkage between the individual and the group is strengthened through personal commitment and social action. In time, the group identity can be extended to the larger system through communication; the individual is exposed to larger social networks and to national core values (Kitano, 1985:43). Farley (2000:75-76) provides two observations regarding the nexus between conflict and functionalist theory. He contends that a synthesis of the two theories is possible. A. Both Theories are Partially Correct Society might operate according to both perspectives. Order and stability might exist in the presence of extreme income inequality. It is possible, for example, that a given institution might serve to make society efficient while at the same time serving the interests of the dominant elite. B. Societies Go through Cycles of Stability and Conflict Societies go through cycles of stability and conflict. Under different circumstances, people behave differently. At one point in time a society may be stable and orderly, where minorities are able to get ahead through hard work. At another point, however, society might be characterized by disorder and conflict where minorities might advance only via protest and rebellion (Farley, 2000:86). VI. The Social Structural Perspective and Social Problems Functionalist and conflict people tend to disagree on two basic elements. One  revolves around the definition of the social problem. The other is the location of the problem (Farley, 2000:76). A. The Definition of Social Problems What is considered a social problem? It is human reaction that makes something a problem. 1. Functionalist For a functionalist, any thing is a problem if it threatens the smooth and efficient running of society. Conflict of most kinds is seen as problematic because conflict threatens consensus. Conflict can potentially have serious consequences if it causes the disruption of society. 2. Conflict Theory For a conflict theorist, on the other hand, social problems include things like poverty and racism and, more generally, the inequitable distribution of wealth and other scarce resources (Farley, 2000:77). B. The Location of Social Problems Where do the two perspectives place the source of social problems (Farley, 2000:77-78)? 1. Functionalist The cause of social problems for a functionalist lies predominantly in the characteristics of the disadvantaged group. For example, functionalist might argue that a minority group lacks the necessary skills that would yield the greatest rewards in society. Or, perhaps the group in question has a culture that is incompatible with the dominant culture. In either case, the burden of change is placed mostly on the disadvantaged group. 2. Conflict Theory Conflict theorists see the source of social problems as being embedded in the exploitative behavior of the dominant group. It is assumed from the conflict perspective that if someone or some group is suffering or placed in a disadvantageous position, there must be some other group (that is more powerful) that benefits from the misery of the disadvantaged group (Farley, 2000:77-78). VII. The Social Structural Perspectives  and Majority-Minority Relations Ethnic stratification refers to a system that distributes scarce resources on an unequal basis according to race and ethnicity (2000:79). A. Functionalist Theories about Majority/Minority Relations A paradox of sorts exists for the functionalists. Inequality, they argue, is desirable in society because it ensures that the most qualified people will get the most important jobs in a society. On the other hand, functionalists contend that ethnic inequality has the potential to cause serious disruption of society (Farley, 2000:78-79). 1. Inequality Functionalist would argue that inequality is necessary in order to create incentives. Some jobs are more necessary than others. They also require more training. To ensure that these jobs are filled by competent individuals, they have to provide more greater rewards. 2. Is Ethnic Stratification Necessary? A functionalist might argue that the stratification must meet some kind of societal need. The problem is that, while a society might need to be stratified (in order to ensure important jobs are filled, etc.), it is not at all clear why ethnic stratification is functional. 3. Ethnocentrism: The Source of Ethnic Stratification In order to understand ethnic stratification, one has to understand ethnocentrism, according to the functionalists (Farley, 2000:80). a. Society’s Need for Consensus Functionalist would argue that ethnocentrism in moderation is functional for a society. The explanation for this lies in society’s need for consensus and to have a shared identity. The only way a society can cooperate is when it shares basic values. Ethnocentrism contributes to this in several ways. b. Ethnic Stratification: An Unfortunate By-product An unfortunate side effect is that aggression might be also directed against an ethnic minority within the society. 4. The Elimination of Ethnic Stratification The methods advocated by functionalists to diminish the effects of ethnocentrism is to: Reduce the cultural differences between the majority and minority group Eliminate legal and other barriers set up by the dominant group which excludes minorities. Ensure that the minority groups  develop skills that would allow them to participate in a society. This approach leads to assimilation, which is the process whereby minorities are fully integrated into the system and becomes culturally similar to the majority group. (Farley, 2000:80). B. Conflict Theories about Majority/Minority Relations The conflict theories tend to see majority minority relationships as a matter of domination and exploitation. The conflict perspective is, in essence, a critique of functionalism. Many argue that functionalism is merely a justification for inequality (Farley, 2000:81). 1. Ethnic Stratification: Not an Unfortunate By-product Ethnic stratification exists because it serves the interests of the dominant elite. It occurs because of the exploitative nature of the majority group as a whole or because of the exploitative nature of a wealthy elite within the majority group (Farley, 2000:83). 2. Inequality is Inherited, Not Earned The necessity of stratification for productive purposes is also called into question. Stratification cannot act as an incentive because inequality is inherited, not earned. In order for inequality to work the way the functionalist claim, there would have to be free mobility between generations. Example: The daughter of a share cropper, who is very bright, should have the same chance of becoming a medical doctor as anyone else. 3. Planned Shortages It is also argued that the shortages found in highly demanding jobs often exist because professional organizations restrict entry into the profession — not because there is a shortage of qualified people (Farley, 2000:83). C. Varieties of Conflict Theory in Race and Ethnic Relations 1. Marxist Theories Farley (2000:85) contends that Marxists see inequality as being based mainly on class. There are two – those who own the means of production and the rest of society who works for wages. Marxist see racism as a mechanism that keeps the working class from recognizing their own interests. It divides workers. While minorities fight with each other, wages remain low and profits remain high. Marxists believe that workers would be best serves by putting aside their racial and ethnic differences and to act on their common class interests. 2. Split Labor Market Theories Split-Labor Market Theory argues that there are three classes: There owners of the means of production, higher paid laborers and lower paid laborers. The owners are interested in getting the best workers for the lowest wage. The higher paid workers, on the other hand, are trying to protect their jobs from competition from lower paid workers. One means the higher-paid workers use to protect their interests is to discriminate against lower-paid ethnic workers (Farley, 2000:85). 3. Internal Colonialism Internal colonialism theory argues that societal inequality as largely racial and ethnic (Farley, 2000:85). The dominant racial or ethnic group establishes a system of inequality for the benefit of the dominant racial or ethnic group. The oppressed (Blacks, Mexicans, Native Americans) are involuntarily brought under the rule of the dominant group. Internal colonialism argues that the dominant group promotes a racist ideology, it attacks the culture of the people who are dominated. It isolates the dominated from mainstream labor markets. The dominant group rationalizes exploitation through myths of the cultural inferiority of the oppressed. VIII. Culture of Poverty Oscar Lewis, author of La Vita (1965), coined the term â€Å"Culture of Poverty† (also see Edward C. Banfield, The Unheavenly City Revisited, 1974). The essence of Culture of Poverty theory holds that poor people share deviant cultural characteristics. The poor have lifestyles that differ from the rest of society and that these characteristics perpetuate their life of poverty. According to the Culture of Poverty thesis (in Eitzen and Baca-Zinn, 1994:173) â€Å"the poor are qualitatively different in values and that these cultural differences explain continued poverty.† The Culture of Poverty Theory is a functionalist theory. Eitzen and Baca-Zinn (1994:173) maintain that there is a strong implication embedded in the Culture of Poverty that defects in the lifestyle of the poor [cultural deprivation] perpetuate  poverty. Such defects are passed from one generation to the next. Under these circumstances it is extremely difficult for people, once trapped by the Culture of Poverty, to escape poverty. Characteristics that typify the Culture of Poverty exist across a variety of racial and ethnic groups. While these characteristics (see below) are certainly present in poverty populations, Culture of Poverty Theory leaves the impression that they typify all poor people. THAT IS A FALLACY! The following characteristics typify the culture of poverty. Some may be accurate in some settings. Some may have had explanatory powers a few decades ago, but today are no longer accurate. Some are contradictory. They all tend to present negative connotations. All are highly stereotypical. Characteristics of the Culture of Poverty 1. Parents are more permissive in raising their children. They are less verbal with their children. Family-heads display a strong disposition toward authoritarianism. 2. Children raised in poverty also have drastically different orientations in life when compared to middle-class children. There is an absence of childhood. Children experience an early initiation to sex. 3. Families often form based upon free unions or consensual marriage. This partially explains the trend toward female-headed homes. 4. The poor are more fatalistic. One might expect that a poor person would believe the following idea: â€Å"What will be will be and I can’t change it.† 5. The poor are less apt to defer gratification. Banfield argues that the essence of the poor subculture is its present-time orientation. He asserts that the poor do not know how to defer gratification (see Eitzen and Baca-Zinn, 1994:173). 6. The poor are less interested in formal education. Source: Eitzen and Baca-Zinn, 1994, and Farley, 1988 The Culture of Poverty theory argues that the characteristics presented above enable the poor to adapt to poverty. For example, the lack of childhood happens because sometimes poor children have to begin working at an early age. Moreover, poor children have to â€Å"hustle† to survive. There is no time to be young. To act young is a sign of weakness. The absences of privacy and competition for limited goods are self-explanatory characteristics of poverty. Perhaps the strong disposition toward authoritarianism is necessary  because of the hard choices that poverty provides. A. The Moynihan Report The Culture of Poverty is a functionalist approach to poverty. It assumes a â€Å"right† or â€Å"correct† culture and a deviant culture. The poor are poor and are likely to remain poor because their culture deviates from the norm. The Moynihan Report (1965) is an example of a study that (perhaps inadvertently) borrows aspects of the Culture of Poverty to explain African-American poverty. Its goal was to explain continued poverty in the 1960s. The Moynihan Study accurately pointed out that much of the poverty associated with the Black community was due to a history of slavery and economic oppression (unemployment). It also called attention to the necessity of altering one’s lifestyle as a means to cope with poverty. Moynihan, however, ultimately came to concentrate on the characteristics of the Black family that required changing, rather than the system of oppression that needed changing. B. A Critique of the Moynihan Report and the Culture of Poverty 1. It Blames the victim The most important criticism of the report is that it put the blame for poverty on the victim. Blaming the victim places the burden of change on the victim and removes it from society. From the Culture of Poverty perspective, poverty is viewed as the fault of the poor in that, their culture, not social injustice, causes and perpetuates poverty. The implied assumption is that until the poor changes their â€Å"culture,† no amount of government intervention will solve the problem of poverty. 2. Negative Emphasis on Female-headed Families Another objection to the Culture of Poverty thesis revolves around the negative emphasis placed upon female-headed families. Female-headed families do not ensure a life of poverty. Children of single-parent family perform well in school. They do not have greater problems with mental health. Poverty, of course, affects both. Poverty, not single-parenting, generates social problems like illiteracy and crime, not single-parenting. Furthermore, single-parent are usually women and women are placed in economically disadvantaged positions due to the structure of the economy that pays women only 68 percent the salary that it pays men. THIS IS NOT  CULTURAL. It’s SYSTEMIC. 3. The Attack on Divorce There appears, imbedded in culture of poverty theory, an attack on divorce. There is no evidence that divorce, itself, causes poverty. Sometimes divorce can lead to better social adjustment. Since 1957, as the number of divorces has risen, the percentage of people saying they are happy with their marriage has also risen from 67 percent to 80 percent (footnote missing!). People who focus on the problems associated with single-parent families also forget the positive impact of the extended family. The extended family supports single-parent families by providing grandparents, aunts, and even friends. 4. Most Black Families are Not Poor Other problems with the Moynihan Report pertain to the implied image that the majority of Black families are typically broken homes. The poverty rate for Blacks is about 30 percent. That means that 70 percent of Black families are above the poverty line. Furthermore, while focusing on the characteristics of the Black family, the Moynihan Report does not attack aspects of the social structure that put one group at a disadvantage when compared to another. With the Black family, the disadvantage flows from historically based discrimination (which included forced breakups of families while under slavery), high levels of unemployment, and welfare laws that encourage one parent families. 5. Poor People Do Not Have Radically Different Lifestyles Finally, the culture of poverty contains the assumption that families living in poverty have radically different outlooks than middle-class families. Elliot Liebow in Street Corner Man (as referenced in Eitzen and Baca-Zinn, 1994:173) suggests that most poor people, in fact, attempt to live by society’s values. Their struggle is frustrated by externally imposed failures. Most people who are poor would prefer to escape poverty via a good job. Good jobs that poor people are eligible for are rare. Liebow suggests that the characteristics associated with the culture of poverty are those that appear when individuals try to achieve goals defined by society, but who fail to achieve society’s goals because society has not provided means to achieve those goals. These are the proverbial blocked opportunities. 6. One-Way Adaptation? Culture of Poverty proponents argue that the poor adapt to a lifestyle which allows them to deal with poverty. They tend to assume that one these lifestyles have been adopted, they become institutionalized with poor culture making it very difficult fort the poor to escape the culture of poverty. One might ask that if it is so easy to adopt to poverty lifestyles, that it might be just as easy to adopt to a middle class lifestyle one that lifestyle is provided. C. Concluding Observations Concerning the Culture of Poverty In short, rather than blaming the victim for his or her biology or for his or her culture, public policy planners might more appropriately focus their attention on the economic characteristics of society. The United States is one of the richest countries on earth. Simultaneously it has the greatest levels of inequality in the First World. Social structure, not genetics or culture causes poverty. Solutions to poverty are political. In 1973 after LBJ’s â€Å"War on Poverty† the poverty rate fell to an all-time low. One might look to other First-World counties for inspiration. Scandinavian counties, for example, have very low levels of poverty and they are culturally diverse. IX. Culture of Poverty and Welfare Policy Farley (2000:91-92) argues that this debate is directly relevant to welfare policy in the United States. [Remember: your perspective of the source of the problem influences how you perceive solutions] A. The Functionalist Perspectives From the functionalist court comes a positive and negative viewpoint. Both points of view see the existence of poverty as being related to family structure. 1. Moynihan Moynihan argues that the existence of single parent is a major cause of poverty. He contends that government programs are necessary to alleviate poverty in these homes. 2. Murray Murray, on the other hand believes that welfare makes it possible for people to survive poverty without working. He argues that welfare support reinforces the culture of poverty. B. The Conflict Perspective Conflict theorists are skeptical of both points of view. Rather than   structure being the source of poverty, structural problems, like the concentration of the poor in inner cities, is the source of poverty. While functionalist desire to rehabilitate the individual that is poor, conflict theory advocates structural solutions like job creation in inner city neighborhoods.

The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, born in 1821, was a great Russian prose writer. He was born in Moscow and studied at the St Petersburg Engineering Academy. His first published work was a translation of Balzac’s Eugenie Grandet, which appeared in 1844. Two years later his first original works, the short stories Poor Folk, The Double were published, later followed by other short prose pieces.(Leatherbarrow, 47-48) In April 1849 Dostoevsky was arrested for suspected revolutionary activity and condemned to death, or at least was taken to the scaffold and to the last moments before execution before the true sentence of four years in prison and four years as a private in the Siberian army was read out. He was released from the army in 1858. The result of his imprisonment was the change of his personal convictions: he rejected the socialism and progressive ideas of his early years, and instead adhered to the principles of the Russian Orthodox Church and belief in the Russian people.A nother immediate fruit of his imprisonment experience was his remarkable House of the Dead that appeared in 1861. Other novels followed which display a profound understanding of the depths of the human soul. Notes from the Underground of 1864 sets rational egoism, which proffers reasons for treating others as instruments, against irrational selfishness which treats others as enemies. Crime and Punishment of 1866, The Idiot of 1868, and The Devils (also translated as The Possessed, written in 1871) led up to his great achievement, The Brothers Karamazov, completed in 1880.With the Slavophils, Dostoevsky venerated the Orthodox Church, and was deeply impressed by Staretz Amvrosy whom he visited at Optina. (Leatherbarrow, 169) But his sense of goodness was neither facile nor naive. He saw human freedom as something so awesome that most people are ready to relinquish it. This is epitomized in the Legend of the Grand Inquisitor. In his speech accepting the Nobel Prize for Literature, Solz henitsyn quoted Dostoevsky, ‘Beauty will save the world. ’ The Brothers Karamazov is Dostoevsky’s final novel, completed only two months before his death.It was intended as Dostoevsky’s apocalypse. Its genre might best be called Scripture, rather than novel or tragedy. (Bloom, 5) This novel is the synthesis of Dostoevsky’s religious and philosophic search. The scene of the novel is laid in a sleepy province in the family of the noble, the Karamazovs. A sleepy province had always been for Russian writers the source of characters of integrity, pure passion and spiritual relations among people. However, Dostoevsky presents the life in such province in different light. Spiritual decay had penetrated into patriarchal up-country.From the very early stages of the novel’s writing Dostoevsky underwent several influences. The first was the profound impact the Russian philosopher and thinker Nikolai Fyodorov had on Dostoevsky at this time of his life. A ccording to Fyodorov’s doctrine Christianity is a system in which â€Å"man’s redemption and resurrection could be realized on earth through sons redeeming the sins of their fathers to create human unity through a universal family. † (Sandoz, 221) The tragedy of patricide in The Brothers Karamazov acquires more poignant coloring as Dostoevsky applies a complete inversion of this Christian system.Thus the sons in the novel do not attain resurrection for their father. Quite to the contrary they are complicit in his murder, and such turn of events is for Dostoevsky a metaphor for complete human disunity, breakage of the mentioned spiritual relations among people. As already noted religion and philosophy played a vital role in Dostoevsky’s life and in his novel in particular. Nevertheless, much more personal tragedy changed the way the novel took later. In 1878 Dostoevsky stopped writing the novel because of the death of his son Alyosha who was only three-yea rs old.This tragedy was even more difficult to endure for the writer as Alyosha’s death was caused by epilepsy, a disease he inherited from his father. Dostoevsky’s desolation could not escape being reflected in the novel; one of the characters has a name Alyosha. The writer endued his character with the features he himself aspired to and would like to follow. Though very personal experience had a profound influence on Dostoevsky’s choice for theme and actions that dominated the external of the novel, the key problem treated by this work is human disunity, or breakage of the spiritual relations among people.In comparison to previous novels social split-up is accruing, getting more distinct the relations between people are becoming more fragile in The Brothers Karamazov. â€Å"For everyone nowadays strives to dissociate himself as much as possible from others, everyone wants to savour the fullness of life for himself, but all his best efforts lead not to fullnes s of life but to total selfdestruction, and instead of ending with a comprehensive evaluation of his being, he rushes headlong into complete isolation.For everyone has dissociated himself from everyone else in our age, everyone has disappeared into his own burrow, distanced himself from the next man, hidden himself and his possessions, the result being that he has abandoned people and has, in his turn, been abandoned. † (Dostoevsky, 380) This is how the situation with the Russian society of the 1870s is defined by the novel character, Starets Zosima, who is especially close to the writer. The Karamazovs family in Dostoevsky’s novel is Russia in miniature – it is absolutely deprived of warmth of family ties.Unvoiced hostility relates the father of the family, Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov, and his sons: the eldest – Dmitry – the man of spoiled nature, Ivan, the captive of loose manners, Pavel Fyodorovich Smerdyakov, a child of shame, lackey by his posit ion and in his soul, and a novice Alyosha, who is making his best to reconcile hostile clashes that finally resulted in a dreadful crime of patricide. Dostoevsky shows that all participants of this drama share responsibility for the tragedy that had happened, and first of all, the father himself, who is, for the author, the symbol of decay and degeneration of human person.The contemporary society thus was infected with a serious spiritual disease – â€Å"karamazovshchina†. The essence of â€Å"karamazovshchina† lies in the denial of all sacred things and notions that sometimes ranges up to frenzy. â€Å"I hate the whole of Russia, Marya Kondratyevna. † – confesses Smerdyakov. – â€Å"In 1812 Russia was invaded by Emperor Napoleon 1 [†¦] and it would have been an excellent thing if we’d have been conquered by the French; [†¦] Everything would have been different. † (Dostoevsky, 281-282) The same Smerdyakov â€Å"As a child [†¦] had loved to string up cats and then bury them with full ceremony.He would dress up in a sheet, to represent a chasuble, and chant while swinging some imagined censer over the dead cat. † (Dostoevsky, 156) â€Å"Smerdyakovshchina† is the lackey variant of â€Å"karamazovshchina† and it demonstrably uncovers the essence of this disease – perverted passion for expressing humiliation and desecration of the most sacred values of life. As it is said in the novel â€Å"'people do love the downfall of a righteous man and his degradation'†. (Dostoevsky, 415) The main bearer of â€Å"karamazovshchina† is Fyodor Pavlovich who enjoys constant humiliation of the truth, beauty and good.His carnal relation with a foolish Lizaveta Smerdyashchaya, the result of which is the lackey Smerdyakov, is a cynical desecration of love. Fyodor Pavlovich’s voluptuousness is far from being a mere animal instinct and unconscious behavior. His volupt uousness has an idea to engage in controversy with the good. Karamazov is quite conscious of meanness of his intentions and deeds, and so he derives cynical satisfaction in humiliation of the good. He is always longing for spiting upon a sacred place.He consciously makes a row in Starets Zosima’s cell and then goes with the same intention to the abbot to dinner: â€Å"He wanted to take revenge on everyone for his own tricks. [†¦ ] I can’t hope to rehabilitate myself now, so I’ll spit in their faces and be damned! I’ll not be ashamed of myself in front of them and that’s that! ’† (Dostoevsky, 109) A distinctive feature of â€Å"karamazovshchina† is a cynical attitude towards the nation’s bread-earner – Russian farmer: â€Å"The Russian people need thrashing† (Dostoevsky, 282).According to Karamazov’s psychology all higher values of life has to be overridden, dragged through the mud for the sake o f frantic self-affirmation. There is a father Therapon living together with the saint Starets Zosima in a monastery. Outwardly this man is striving for the absolute â€Å"righteousness†, he leads an ascetic existence, exhausts himself with fasts and prayers. But what is the source of Therapon’s righteousness? What is its inducement? As it turns out then, his inducement is the hatred to Starets Zosima and desire to surpass him.Katerina Ivanovna is very kind to her offender, Mitya, all because of smoldering hatred to him and of a sense of wounded pride. The virtues turn into delirious form of self-affirmation, into magnanimity of selfishness. With the same selfishness and same magnanimity Grand Inquisitor â€Å"loves† humanity in a tale contrive by Ivan. In the world of Karamazovs all relations among people are perverted, they acquire criminal character since everyone here is trying to turn those around into â€Å"marble pedestal†, the pedestal for one†™s selfish ego.The world of Karamazovs is the world intersected by the crime chain reaction. Which one of the sons is father’s killer? Ivan did not kill, however, this is he who first formulated the idea of permissibility of patricide. Dmitry didn’t kill Fyodor Pavlovich either; he teetered on the brink of crime in a fit of hatred to his father. Fyodor Pavlovich was killed by Smerdyakov, but he only brought to an end Ivan’s ideas and passion that overfilled Dmitry’s embittered mind. In the world of Karamazovs the definite moral boundaries of crime cannot be restored – everybody is, to certain extent, guilty of murder.Potential delinquency reigns the atmosphere of mutual hatred and exasperation. Every person individually and all people together are guilty, or as Starets Zosima says â€Å"As to every man being guilty for everyone and everything, quite apart from his own sins. † (Dostoevsky, 379) â€Å"Remember especially that you may not si t in judgement over anyone. * No man on this earth can sit in judgement over other men until he realizes that he too is just such a criminal as the man standing before him, and that it is precisely he, more than anyone, who is guilty of that man’s crime. † (Dostoevsky, 402)â€Å"Karamazovshchina†, according to Dostoevsky, is a Russian variant of the disease, suffered by the all European societies; this is a disease of civilization. Its reasons are the loss of moral values by a civilized man and the sin of â€Å"self-worshipping†. The upper classes of Russian society, following the progressive classes of Western European society, worship their ego and consequently decay. The crisis of humanism comes, which in Russian conditions acquires forms which are particularly undisguised and defiant: â€Å"If you want to know, – argues Smerdyakov, when it comes to depravity there’s nothing to choose between them and us.They’re all blackguards, bu t there they walk about in patent leather boots while our scoundrels go around like stinking beggars and don’t see anything wrong in it†. (Dostoevsky, 282) By Ivan Karamazov’s formula: â€Å"for if there is no God, how can there be any crime? † (Dostoevsky, 395). The sources of Western European and Russian bourgeoisie were considered by Dostoevsky to be not in economic development of society but rather in the crisis of modern humanity, caused by â€Å"strenuously self-conscious† individual. (Lambasa et al., 118) Thus it can be concluded that Karamazov’s decay, according to Dostoevsky, is the direct implications of isolation, solitude of a modern civilized man, it is the consequence of people’s loss of feeling of great universal relation to the secular and divine world that is superior to the animal needs of human earthy nature. Repudiation of the higher spiritual values may bring a man to indifference, loneliness, and hatred to life. T his is the path kept by Ivan and Grand Inquisitor in the novel. Works Consulted Bloom, Harold.Fyodor Dostoevsky’s the Brothers Karamazov. New York: Chelsea House, 1988. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. The Karamazov Brothers. Trans. Ignat Avsey. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994 Lambasa, Frank S. , Ozolins, Valija K. , Ugrinsky, Alexej. Dostoevski and the Human Condition after a Century. New York: Greenwood Press, 1986. Leatherbarrow, W. J. The Cambridge Companion to Dostoevskii. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2002 Sandoz, Ellis. Political Apocalypse: A Study of Dostoevsky’s Grand Inquisitor. Wilmington, DE: ISI Books, 2000.

Financing Plan to Raise Capital Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Financing Plan to Raise Capital - Research Paper Example The Marina Restaurant was blessed with an interest from very influential people and customers even from the beginning. It usually hosts live bands apart from food and this has helped it solidify its image as the premier casual rock and roll diner. With all the success, the company has grown globally. The vast amounts of locations reflect the effective and efficient management which has led a small investment in a single cafe into an internationally recognized business expanding in just over 18 years. Marina Restaurant revenues are mainly from cafes, selling memorabilia and hotels. To ensure customers keep coming back they ensure they provide excellent value in the form of good food and entertainment. With such growth, the management has decided to open more outlets for the restaurant. However, it needs capital to start up the investment. Start-up Funding The Marina Restaurant seeks funding of $900,000 for the new venture and it will get it from three investment groups or under equity offering which entails raising capital through the issue of stock. This approach is preferred at this stage since there are no repayment schedule or debt service repayments. The shareholders will only get their returns when the company makes profits. The shareholders also have a right to vote during annual general meetings and can elect the board of directors (Owen 2003). The ordinary shareholders are the owners of the business and can receive dividends from profits. However, it is a costly process as there are floatation costs incurred and it can lead to dilution of shares held by existing shareholders. It is also risky if there are no dividends payable at year end thus shareholders end up bearing the operational risk. The investment documents will be prepared by legal firms representing each party and will not be limited to Form D Security Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, Subscriptions agreement and the Private Placement Memorandum (PPM). The subscriptions agreement reflects the terms and conditions of the investment. In other words, it is the sales contract for buying securities. Form D SEC filing notifies the commission that the company is using Regulation D program and also gives the basic information of the company. It is vital to note that this form is not an approval document but a mere notification that the company has an offering in the place. It is a violation of the security laws under the federal government to raise capital without this document. The PPM discloses all the company’s information to investors. The information maybe whether the company is raising debt or equity, the risk the investors may face and the terms of the investment( share price, maturity dates or note amounts). Financial projections Financial projections will be on the income statement, statement of financial position, statement of cash flows as well as on the financial ratios. Projections will be on years ranging from 1 to 5, and they are based on historical inform ation already available from the company (Owen 2003). Apart from the forecast, the break-even analysis will be carried out. Break even analysis Break even analysis shows the relationship between selling prices, sales volume, variable costs, fixed costs and profits at various levels of activity. It is also referred to as cost-volume profit analysis. It used in determining the break-even point where the total revenue equals the total costs. This means that at BEP, the profits are zero. Fixed costs include rent,

Why you like Risk Management Plans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Why you like Risk Management Plans - Essay Example A risk management plan is a document that is created by the project manager to estimate risks, assess the impact of the risks and define solutions to the challenges. Risk management plans also contain a risk assessment matrix that determines the impact of a risk over a specific period (Power, 2008). The procedure of creating a risk management plan starts with understanding how risk management works then the project is defined, stating all the risks and their possible impact. Input from other stakeholders is crucial at this stage. All irrelevant issues are removed then probability of each risk occurring is calculated. The possible losses from the risks are then assigned with an impact number on a scale from 0.00 to 1 with less risky activities having a small value. Next, the total risk is computed then mitigation strategies are developed. After that, the project manager creates contingency plans and analyzes the efficiency of the strategies. Finally, an effective risk is calculated. A risk management plan has several objectives. The plan calculates risks and the probability of the risks resulting in loss. This is important when determining whether to pursue a business project. A risk management plan creates strategies for managing risks or managing the losses from the risk. The plan reduces the possibility of surprises and supports efficient use of organizational resources (Rejda, 2011). Risk management plans contain strategies on how to tackle risks. These strategies include risk avoidance, loss reduction, and risk control, spreading the risk, self-retention, and duplication of resources, accepting risks and transferring risks. Risk avoidance is the most efficient risk management technique. By avoiding a risk, the possibility of loss is eliminated completely. Risk avoidance is the most effective approach but not the most practical one. It is impossible to eliminate all aspects of risk in a project. Some

Resources regarding English 1 writing Annotated Bibliography

Resources regarding English 1 writing - Annotated Bibliography Example The types of writing included on this page are cause/effect essay, comparison/contrast essay, definition essay, description essay, narration essay, persuasive essay and process analysis essay. Each page gives three to four points that should be included in this type of essay. It is a handy reference when I’m trying to figure out what to write. This site has a lot of the same information as the â€Å"Types of Writing† site, but adds to it. It discusses the types of writing in a lot more detail, so it would be helpful to come here after I have decided on the type of writing from the other site. After getting an idea of the type of paper I’m going to write, this site would fill in the details of what is expected and gives extra help on how to write an essay and many other forms of writing. This site gives very practical help on how to write a good essay for university. The author is the wife of a teacher and has a long history of editing and helping students. She points out some of the common mistakes students make and will be helpful to make my essays better. This site walks visitors through the writing process. It helps you get your ideas together, organize them neatly and put them together in an academic way. It is helpful because it gives you choices based on different answers to questions like when the topic is assigned or when no topic is assigned. This site talks about the various styles that people can write in such as a conversational style or a poetic style. It is helpful because you don’t always think about styles like this and it helps to use the right style for the kind of writing you are doing. This site gives a lot of writing help like some of the other sites I’ve found, but I think it will be most helpful for helping me find out how to do better research. It provides some resources to go to and talks about the research process. The other sites have better information about the writing

Dangerous Virus of the 21st Century Dissertation

Dangerous Virus of the 21st Century - Dissertation Example It has also to be appreciated that the virus is even a health risk to the researchers and this may account for the seemingly almost absence research on finding either its cure or treatment. All in all, it can be said that even though the disease is fairly widely known among the medical community, the general public appears not to have enough information and this was clear during the recent outbreak. Going forward, it will be interesting to note the efforts that will be directed towards the disease in the coming months and years given that the latest Ebola outbreak appears to have come under control. The outbreak of Ebola virus in parts of West Africa, and specifically Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea surprised the world and filled people with fear. This is because, for the first time, the scale of the outbreak was simply unprecedented (Bradford, 2014, Close, 1995). Many people like never before were affected and killed by the virus, and within days, it had captured the attention of the world. According to several studies, Ebola virus can first be traced to an outbreak in 1976 which affected Sudan and former Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo or simply DRC) (CDC, 2015, Bradford, 2014 and Cohen, 2001). The name Ebola came from the Ebola River which is found in the DRC (Cohen, 2001). Ebola is a viral disease, popularly known as Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. It is fatal if left untreated, and fatalities can reach up to 90 percent of the cases (Close, 1995). The most important fact is that Ebola has no known cure and can only be managed by ensuring that the patient is hydrated as it involves a lot of loss of the body fluids. Ebola outbreaks in the past have mainly been confined to rural areas where populations are mostly sparse. This is perhaps why the previous outbreaks were easily contained after a few deaths (Centre for Health Protection, 2014).

Literature Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Literature Review - Essay Example This DSME program was made for people with low incomes and lack of diabetes knowledge so that they can be prevented from being diagnosed with diabetes (Kemper et al., 2005). This article discusses the increasing rate of diabetic patients hospitalized in New York State, and the effects on the number of people hospitalized with diabetes. The ages of these hospitalized diabetic patients are between 25 and 74 years old in New York City from 1993 to2000. The study measured and compared the rates of hospitalized diabetics from  specific ZIP codes and persistent organic pollutant (POP) areas; an analytical data method was used in this article. The results were that patients in ZIP sites had better incomes, engaged in more physical activity, not as much use of smoking, and had better diets. Also, the hospitalization rate of diabetics influenced the ZIP codes sites, which raised the hospitalization rates of people with diabetes who came from POP sites and "other" (Kouznetsova et al., 2007). The research in "Fatigue in employees with diabetes: Its relation with work characteristics and diabetes-related burden" is about how work characteristics from the Job Demand-Control-Support model (JDCS) relate to fatigue and diabetes. The population used in this study was employees aged between 30 and 60 years old who have diabetes (type 1 and 2 diabetes); this study was taken from a diabetes clinic in the Netherlands. The job stress or pressure for the employees was measured through analytical data observation. The result was that diabetes symptoms have a huge effect on an employee’s fatigue levels (Weijman et al., 2003). Also, the less support that employees received in the work environment meant the greater fatigue problems that employees had. On the other hand, the study that affects gender and health showed the effects of gender roles and influence on health. Whereas women live longer than men, women get sicker more often than men (Bird and Fremont, 1991). This article discusses three health inequality models: the racial genetic model, lifestyle model, and socioeconomic status model. The use of these three models is to show health inequality for African-Americans and compare that with the healthcare that white Americans receive. The author discussed in detail about the healthcare differences for both ethnic groups. Next, the author listed all the major health problems and provided statistics to show racial inequality; it has been mentioned in other research that inequality in healthcare derives from the inequality in health insurance (Quesnel-Vallee, 2004). Finally, the author presented and discussed the social structural model, or what he called the alternative model (Dressler, 1993). The author used observational and analytical research for the population of African-Americans in terms of gender and age in the United States. He measured socioeconomic and health statuses to see whether there was a difference in diet, exercise, and consumption of alcohol and cigarettes for each ethnic group. Also, in this research the author was specific regarding darker skin colors of Americans (Dressler, 1993). For this study’s results, he found that the health of African-Americans health was on average poorer than white Americans. For health inequality, the author found that African-Americans had a higher likelihood of a major cause of mortality than white people;

See work below in description Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

See work below in description - Coursework Example More often than not, after establishing the basis for company prices, managers always develop pricing strategies by looking at the pricing goals that the company strives. These may be such as pricing increasing long-term or short-term profits, increasing cash flow, stabilizing prices and in some cases warding off competition. After taking into account the existing market conditions, companies may consider fixed price policies. These may include menu based pricing, activity based pricing and cost per drop. Most specifically the various fixed pricing strategies are based on the customers demand and market expectations (Özer & Phillips, 2012). Consumers tend to experience two roots of value for a product. One is acquisition utility, and the other is transaction utility, these are what forms part of the consequences should a fixed pricing policy apply. Acquisition utility implies utility of obtaining a given product while on the other hand transaction utility implies the difference between the featured price and a subjects reference price. Through fixed pricing policy, consumers are able to decide for the time they will pay for better service provided and when it would be logical to order to reduce impulse buying (Nagle,

Environmental Case Study Essay Example for Free

Environmental Case Study Essay Malathion is a type of pesticide that is usually used in health pest control programs. For example, in mosquito eradication. It is used in various areas and public recreation areas. Other synonyms of Malathion include ‘carbofos’ ‘maldison’ and mercaptothion. It has been used in the past, to eradicate mosquito, Mediterranean fruit fly and the West Nile virus. Malathion use needs to be assessed well. In any urban set up, people are at a very high risk of being affected in case of careless use of this pesticide. Towns support a large number of populations, together with their facilities. As a member of the town council, it would be very crucial for me to carry out a risk assessment exercise before embarking on Malathion use in and around the town. The states of risk assessment will include: hazard identification, dose-response, exposure and risk characterization. In hazard identification, the hazards of using Malathion are identified together with their consequences. Hazards can be grouped into several major groupings. One major group is hazards of Malathion use on human beings. In an urban set up, a large population of people is concentrated at one point. For example, what danger can Malathion use be, if absorbed or ingested into the human body or if present in water sources. If Malathion use can case disorders in unborn babies is also identified. Another category of hazard identification is, hazards Malathion use may cause on the natural environment. This includes vegetation and even soil components. Both domestic and wild animals could be affected by its use. Just like humans, what consequences does Malathion use result to, if absorbed or ingested into the animals’ bodies. The soil interaction with the pesticide means, Malathion use can as well be a hazard to it. Soil supports life on the planet. Chemicals that would change soil composition puts at risk other life forms that depend on that soil. It would be very vital to identify Malathion use hazard and consequences on the environment that people live in. It would also be important to identify hazards of Malathion components on the water bodies. People, animals and plants use water. Identifying the hazards Malathion- contained water may expose to them is crucial in any risk assessment exercise. Dose-response This term refers to the change in effect caused by differing levels of pesticide use (Malathion) in an organism. Organisms can be affected in differing ways, by differing levels of Malathion use. Dose-response assessment would be very critical since, it helps one to identify consequences of Malathion use on organisms. It would be good, to note the effects of Malathion on organisms that exist on that environmental set up. If differing levels of exposure or doses to a stressor triggers change in effect of organisms, the effects will assist in recognizing the risks people, animals or plants are exposed to (Baker et al). Exposure of Malathion use, in risk assessment causes changes in effect of organisms. At this state, chemical components of Malathion, plus their doses are analyzed to determine effects they may have on organisms. For example, quantities of Malathion that differ will not have similar effects on either organisms or the environment. For example chronic exposure to low levels of Malathion have been hypothesized to impair memory. (U. S department of Health and Human Services, retrieved on 2008). This would need to be established if it is true or not. Possible effects of Malathion doses should be established and research done on them, for confirmation before a mission to use Malathion is embarked on. Risks can be characterized depending on affected subjects, areas affected or systems affected. Previous studies have indicated human deaths from Malathion use. Others include intestinal disorders in children, children leukemia, lung damage and kidney damage. Human birth defects have been confirmed in women exposed to Malathion lice shampoo. Malathion results to brain damage and chromosome defects in human blood cells. Genes could also be lost. The immune system is weakened, where there is increased risk of bacteria or viral infection. Animal deaths have occurred and tumors detected on their bodies. Heart defects appear in exposed fish. (Epidemology, 1992: World Health Organization: Edwards et al, 2007) As a result of the risk assessment, I would not vote for the use of Malathion in Genericville city. The hazard exposed to the people, animals and the environment is too great. The effects outweigh any justification for Malathion use. It would be good if other options of controlling the pest were completely exhausted before using the Malathion. Economically, Malathion use could result to extra costs incurred to correct its negative effects on the people, animals and environment. It may lead to political conflicts. Where the community does not agree with Malathion use, use by the council authority will result to disagreements with the community. References Baker E. et al. 1978. Epidemic Malathion poisoning in Pakistan malaria workers Edwards J. et al. 2007. Worker exposure and a risk assessment of Malathion and fenthion Used in the control of Mediterranean fruit fly in south Australia. Environ. Re. 103 (1) Mediterranean fruit fly in south Australia. Environ. Re. 103 (1) Epidemology: Jan 1992. 3 (1): 32-39 U. S Department of Health and Human Services: agency for toxic substances and disease Registry- medical guidelines for Malathion. Retrieved on 15 April 2008 World health organization www. //who. int/entity/water-sanitation-health/dwq/chemicals/malathion/en Retrieved on 15April 2008

Strategic Analysis of the Current Status of Aktel Mobile

Strategic Analysis of the Current Status of Aktel Mobile â€Å"Strategic Analysis of The Current Status of AKTEL Mobile Regarding Marketing HR Division† Executive Summary According to the Industry Life Cycle, the operation of TMIB in Bangladesh, as it seems, is still in the growth stage. So the investment of TMIB in the prepaid section has been speculative since the last couple of years. This survey was conducted among the current customers of AKTEL, both pre-paid and post paid. About 10 years back there was only BTTB to offer telecommunication services to the market in Bangladesh. Although there was tremendous market demand, due to the government lack of initiative in this promising sector was not invested enough and the government deprived itself of lots of revenue, which it could have earned easily. In 1990 for the first time the government allowed the private sector to invest in the telecommunication sector especially in cellular, paging, trunk radio and rural telecom services. The early operators skimmed the cream, like City Cell in cellular services, Sheba Telecom in rural telecom and Bangladesh Telecom Ltd. in Pager services for a long time. In 1996 the govt. provided licenses to 3 companies to operate GSM service in Bangladesh. These companies TM International (BD) Ltd. (TMIB), Grameen Phone (GP) Sheba Telecom came in the market with a very competitive tariff structure and the market accepted them very eagerly. Since then TM International (BD) Ltd. TMIB), a joint-venture company formed between Telecom Malaysia Berhad, holding 70% of the equity capital and 30% local shareholding by A. K. Khan Co. Limited, branding its services on the name of AKTEL in Bangladesh. It is a company incorporated in Bangladesh with the objective of offering the state of the art and modern telecommunications services to the People of Bangladesh at competitive price. Keeping this objective in mind, the management of TMIB has been trying to achieve continuous improvement in its product offerings and services. To accelerate this process of continuous improvement and to Know more about the expectations of the market, the need for a research on customers perception towards its present products and services is obvious. By analyzing the consumer perception towards the products and services of AKTELs various Packages of TM International Bangladesh Limited is full of complexity. In the context of a developing country like Bangladesh, the need for marketing of products through consumer perception analysis provides a very important dimension for an organization to improve their services. The policies and practices in the matter of analyzing the behavior of customers, becomes an important factor in this research. And how the employees get aware to achieve the target of AKTEL is the main objective of this report. Thus, the customer perception towards the various packages of AKTEL is very crucial because its a must for the authority of TMIB to know about the customers feedback of their current market activities and its effectiveness. By carrying out this survey the organization will get the opportunity to know the customer feedback as well as how they can modify their present marketing activities. In turn they will be able to formulate some guidelines for modifying the current market mix, and if necessary to make it more effective so that they can attract more customers. 1. AKTEL: An Organizational Profile Overview of the Company AKTEL is a mobile operator, which concentrates on offering GSM communication services for private and corporate customers. Their intention is to promote the wireless lifestyle-the complete mobile society. TMIB is in the GSM Telephony business. With the technological development in future, TMIB will adopt cost-effective and more effective technology to provide a state of the art and comprehensive service to its customers. TMIBs vision is to continuously monitor its customers needs, wants and to plan accordingly. It will monitor the development of the technology and update itself to meet customer needs. Background/Historical Summary TM International (Bangladesh) Limited (TMIB), a joint venture company of Telekom Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., of Malaysia and A. K. Khan Company Ltd. of Bangladesh has started its commercial operation in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh as a GSM 900 cellular phone operator on 15th November, 1997. A tremendous success in Dhaka, TMIB has started its operations in Chittagong on March 26, 1998. TMIB uses the Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications as the digital cellular system, which is fully featured with services like Basic Telephony, Data and Value Added Services, (VAS). TMIB has an integrated and fully computerized Customer Care Billing System (CCBS) which supports virtually all subscriber-related functions. The Company AKTEL of the Telekom Malaysia Bangladesh, with a full title being: Mobil Telecommunications was founded as a joint company of the Telekom Malaysia Sdn. Berhad from Malaysia and the A. K. Khan Co. of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It operates as a Limited Liability Company, w here a founder and a majority shareholder, the TMIB- member of the Telecom Malaysia, owns 70% shares, while the minority shares of 30 % are being controlled by the A. K. Khan Co. Bangladesh. The organization is headed by its Chief Executive designated as the Managing Director entrusted with overall responsibilities of business direction of the organization and leading dynamically towards the attainment of its Vision, Mission and Goal. In attaining the above mission, the MD is assisted by 4 general managers TMIB has established a strong and formidable sales channel, which consists of direct dealers and its own sales force. TMIB is the Digital Cellular Telephony Business. With a technological development in future, TMIB will adopt any cost effective and more efficient technology to provide state of the art and comprehensive service to its customers. TMIBs vision is to continuously monitor its customers needs and to plan accordingly. It will monitor the development of technology and u pdated self to meet customer demand. 2. Mission Statement Of AKTEL AKTELs Vision: To be the most preferred GSM cellular provider in Bangladesh AKTELs Mission: To provide total customer satisfaction the company strives to become the most preferred GSM cellular service provider in Bangladesh. TMIB will achieve this through developing people, products, and services of the highest quality and meeting the needs of its customers, employees, shareholders, and the nation. AKTELs Theme: Customer First 3. The Marketing Strategies of TMIB Marketing Strategies: TM always wants to achieve the desired sales growth and customer base. TM wants to encourage the existing customers to use more of their services. They launched a package called AKTEL EID DOUBLE BONUS which was one of their successful initiatives for obtaining potential customers. Product Positioning Initially TMs target was to reach the top, but other mobile operators are also targeting to the grass roots level and thus increasing their customer base. TM wants to be the leader with good quality and designing products for the middle and lower middle class range too. Marketing Mix: Product  ¨ Continuous improvement of quality  ¨ Repositioning of slow moving products to different target markets  ¨ Always branding AKTEL with all packages with a GSM service Price  ¨ Necessary changes in tariff structure, and changes and terms and conditions.  ¨ Penetration pricing in the face of competition  ¨ Skimming policy possible Promotion  ¨ Brochures with all necessary info  ¨ Press ads  ¨ TV commercials (in future)  ¨ Billboards Place/Distribution  ¨ Make effective use of distribution  ¨ Make product service delivery system more effective and less time consuming  ¨ Wider distribution network to make service more accessible. 4. The Company in Bangladesh Chain of Command The organization is headed by its Chief Executive designated as the Managing Director entrusted with overall responsibilities of business direction of the organization and leading dynamically towards the attainment of its Vision, Mission and Goal. In attaining the above mission, the MD is assisted by 4 general managers TMIB has established a strong and formidable sales channel, which consists of direct dealers and its own sales force. The way TMIB Defines Business TMIB is the Digital Cellular Telephony Business. With a technological development in future, TMIB will adopt any cost effective and more efficient technology to provide state of the art and comprehensive service to its customers. TMIBs vision is to continuously monitor its customers needs and to plan accordingly. It will monitor the development of technology and updated self to meet customer demand. Long-Term Vision of the Company: AKTEL strongly believes that subscribers are their most valuable assets. They have a strong Customer Service Center. To always be with their customers the AKTEL Help Line is there. AKTEL has successfully migrated to a new switch with higher capacities in terms of accommodating higher customer base and as well as to let them use all the basic supplementary services under GSM technology. TMIB expertise and experience are acknowledged throughout the industry. Demand is growing all the time, not simply for the services it already provides, but for greater and more diversified services and even higher quality performance. Its pace is fast, rewards are high and work is of constant challenge. They introduced the both-way national roaming all through their network coverage. The Prepaid services with enhanced features have been commercially commenced successfully and now they are taking some projects to accumulate more advanced technological features in their network. In terms of Network Qual ity, the company will ensure not only the equipment are of world class standard but more importantly its size or capacity is catered to the right dimensioning of customer base, in order not to face the problems of drop calls or congestion. All these are done through proper planning, control and schedule maintenance program. They maintain the benchmark for providing the quality services. They monitor these through generating regular reports and on site survey. If there are any weak signals or a call drops, the skilled engineers are providing services round the clock to resolve the problem instantly. The most important key resource factor in TMIB is its efficient human resource. Moreover, its decisions are based on facts from market research and coverage survey. Moreover, the above objectives can only be achieved through the right people. AKTEL has put its keen eyes in developing its employees through proper training, as they believe that the most important asset for TMIB is its staff members. So they are ensuring quality services by quality people. TMIB has the plan to give opportunity to every household in using cellular service in the country at the competitive price providing unparalleled quality service and customer care. In achieving this goal, they cant wait for more interconnection facilities with the fixed network. TMIB is planing to enforce their strong efforts to create their own independent network. They have already started the Dhaka-Chittagong AKTEL backbone. The future plan is to vigorously expand the network, which was called cell to cell expansion, covering almost all the regions of Bangladesh within the year 2005. Global Mission of the Company: AKTEL wants to provide its customers the best quality service in terms of: Trusted technology around the world Wide coverage with digital clarity Digital security with peace of mind Various choices of value-added features Better customer service-not just promised, but delivered Competitive rate and better billing Objectives of the Company: Total commitment to the needs of customers To follow the highest ethical standards Continuous improvement of all work processes Permanent improvement of all the employees knowledge and skills Securing the quality of the service to match the quality of service offered by the worlds most successful companies in the field Preserving the companys leading position in the national market of mobile Telecommunications. 5. Mission In Bangladesh TMIB as a Venture TMIB is a company incorporated in Bangladesh with the objective of offering the state-of-the art and modern telecommunications services to the people of Bangladesh at competitive prices. TMIB is a joint venture company formed between Telecom Malaysia Berhad and A.K Khan Company Ltd. The Business Slogan -Clearly Ahead The whole is the sum of parts and when the best come together the results can be truly spectacular. TMIB brings AKTEL Mobile phone service, a digital cellular phone service, which will prepare better for life in the fast lane. AKTEL GSM always keeps so near even when so far. AKTEL GSM wants to provide the following in order to ensure that they can gain potential customers as well as market share: The technology trusted around the world Wide coverage with digital clarity Digital security with peace of mind Various choices of value added features Better customer care not just promised, but delivered Competitive rate and better billing. 6. The Marketing Area of TMIB Advertisement and Promotion: AKTEL GSM are trying to convert non users to mobile phone users stressing the benefit of GSM services, and with the service benefit of AKTEL that will make their life easier. To serve the market more accurately their target market will be further segmented based on psychographics and business sites. The strive to develop a better product will be a continuous process. Conducting of market research will be held every 3 months. They will use their import to develop new products based on the data they will get from survey. Thus the product will be designed to meet the customers need. AKTEL has a wide variety of promotional activities. The promotional mix includes T.V., radio, newspapers, magazines, flyers, brochures, etc. AKTEL has also put up billboards at certain strategic locations in order to attract customers as well as give their products and services a boost so that they can increase their customer base. AKTEL branding has been carried in order to bring about its brand awareness. They are trying to identify AKTEL as a unique product so that it can be differentiated from its competitors. Billboards are there to attract attention and appeal to customers so that they are aware of AKTELs products and services. Mostly billboards have been put on main roads and some major shopping centers around Dhaka city like Eastern Plaza, where mostly the younger generation hang out. This in turn would attract that segment of customers within a specific age group, i.e. teenagers and people in their early twenties, as this generation has the urge to communicate frequently and be up-to-date on recent events. Thus, by promoting their products and services through these various media, electronic as well as press advertisements, AKTEL can well be in the way of obtaining its vision and so resulting in a higher subscriber base and in turn a higher potential market share. The marketing division distributes leaflets or brochures so those new customers can find out information about AKT ELs various packages and choose from among them. The Promotional Activities of AKTEL: Cellular phone service: TMIB brings customers the AKTEL mobile phone service. Fully digital cellular phone services that will prepare customers better in their day-to day activities, thus making their lives easier. AKTEL has been successful in bringing together the world leaders in various technologies, giving Bangladesh world class cellular phone service. Better Billing: Always keeping customers so near even when they are so far. AKTEL has been successful in bringing together the world leaders in various technologies. Better Switching: AKTEL cellular switching system provides the customers the state-of-the-art GSM technology, which will give customers the winning edge all the way. SIM-Card Identity Number: With the AKTEL Cellular Phone service, customers will have more than just a number. Simply because the GSM lays emphasis on the subscriber identification module (SIM) card, a key component of the whole process. It is computer chip card, which is highly secured against fraud. A microchip embedded in the plastic card stores PIN (Personal Identification Number), code personal phone directory, and details of call made. As a result, the customers can use a SIM card on any GSM 900 phone. So, even if the customers cellular phone is not handy, the customer borrows another one, insert their SIM card and its business as usual. This electronic smart card also contains a unique PIN just as an ATM card does in order to prevent misuse as it can fall into wrong hands. Consistent and High Voice: People who listen to music on CD are aware that digitized music may result in sharper and clearer audio quality. With GSM too, digitization of voices is done, therefore maintaining high quality. Security: It is almost impossible for anyone to tap or listen in on a conversation in the AKTEL cellular network. Digitization encodes speech and dynamic allocation of frequency makes it impossible for outsiders to enter a call. Incidentally, the technology that makes it possible for individual to talk better also makes it for anyone to intrude on their privacy audio quality. With GSM it is also possible for digitization of voice so that high quality is maintained. Exciting AKTEL Service: AKTEL offers a very comprehensive range of value added services for those on the move. Each service is designed to help the customers in specific frequently encountered solutions. Services like these will surely revolutionize the way customers communicate. AKTEL Itemized Billing: This service entitles the customers to a detailed bill with an accurate breakup of the call charges, including the date, duration and numbers of incoming and outgoing calls. This is extremely handy in cases where the customers wish to keep track of expenses, or even to find out whether their card is being misused or not. International Roaming: The AKTEL mobile service will provide the customer with contractibility and the freedom to make and receive telephone calls to those GSM networks all over the world that have roaming agreements with AKTEL. So whenever a customer is within the service areas of these GSM networks, they will still be able to keep in touch with friend and family around the world. Choice of Handset: The AKTEL network has a chain of outlets where all the leading models makes accessories of GSM compatible mobile phones available. However, subscribers are free to procure their GSM cellular phones from any other source within the company or abroad provided these are duly paid and would connect to the AKTEL network. Distinctive Competence: The most important key source factor of TMIB is its efficient human resource. It is using the state-of-the-art GSM technology and continuously monitoring its network traffic to ensure network quality. Moreover, its decisions are based on facts from market research and coverage survey. The company also monitors its competitors activities and is proactive in marketing decisions. 7. Summary of the Case The author had a chance to work at the Human Resources Division of TMIB. As the division has played a vital role to achieve the companys goal, it is yet to develop its role. It has many projects on hand and yet it also has been monitoring various projects that have been implemented in the past. So the task was to delve deep into the present marketing scenario and conduct an in-depth analysis of the HR activities, i.e., their recruiting process, candidate selection, organize the interviews by preparing the evaluation sheet, compile each individuals file after joining the employees, updating the database after every recruitment. About 10 years back there was only BTTB to offer telecommunication services to the market in Bangladesh. Although there was tremendous market demand, due to lack of initiative on part of the government, this promising sector was not invested enough and deprived itself of lots of revenue, which it couldve earned easily. In 1990, for the first time the government allowed the private sector to invest in the telecommunication sector especially in cellular, paging, trunk radio and rural telecom services. The early operators skimmed the cream, like Citycell in cellular services, Sheba Telecom in rural telecom and Bangladesh Telecom Ltd. in Pager services for a long time. In 1996 the government. provided licenses to 3 companies to operate GSM service in Bangladesh. These companies which are Telekom Malaysia International (BD) Ltd. (TMIB), Grameen Phone (GP) Sheba Telecom came into the market with a very competitive tariff structure and the market accepted them very eagerly. Since then TMIB, a joint-venture company formed between Telecom Malaysia Berhad, holding 70% of the equity capital and 30% local shareholding by A. K. Khan Co. Limited, began branding its services in the name of AKTEL in Bangladesh. It is a company incorporated in Bangladesh with the object of offering the state-of-the-art and modern telecommunications services to the peopl e of Bangladesh at competitive prices. Keeping this objective in mind, the management of TMIB has been trying to achieve continuous improvement in its employee selection process and providing the best services. To accelerate this process of continuous improvement and to know more about the expectations of the market, the company needs to focus its internal resources along with the external. For a research on customers perception towards its present marketing mix it is obvious to take the best product (employees) for providing the best services towards the customers. Taking into account the customer perception of AKTELs various package offers as well as the existing market scenario is full of complexity. In the context of a developing country like Bangladesh, where the need for marketing of products through customer perception provides a very important dimension, the policies and practices in the matter of analyzing the behavior of customers, is a relevant part of this research. Thus , the study on the present marketing activities of AKTEL products and services is very crucial because the company should be aware about the customers feedback of their current market mix in terms of its effectiveness by which, they will get the opportunity to know how the customers feel about their product and service offerings and the effectiveness of the present marketing mix. In turn TMIB will be able to formulate some guidelines for modifying the existing market mix, and if the need arises if try to make it more effective. It has already been mentioned that from the very beginning TMIB has been trying continuously to ensure the effectiveness of their marketing strategies and designing a much precise and concrete marketing mix. And for all these tasks the internal activities in HR division helps a lot to meet the external demand of the customers. Objectives of the Study: The broad objective of this study is to find out the employee perception about the effectiveness of AKTELs various policies and strategies as well as their present marketing activities and promotional tools. In essence the objective of this report would be to: To find out the Employees perceptions and preferences of the various AKTEL packages in terms of their respective features and benefits to achieve the customers goal.. To see whether AKTELs Prepaid and postpaid packages offer the benefits or feature that customers want. To find out if the customer care center offer efficient To see if the promotional activities of AKTEL are gaining customer awareness To see whether AKTELs Prepaid packages are easily available and affordable Methodology of the Study: The methodology of the study was carried out using both primary as well as secondary information. There were some interviews taken from certain personnel in the marketing division as well as the customer acre center, which provided helpful information in regard to the report. There were some telephonic interviews conducted which was very time consuming. Apart from the interviews, various books, journal, brochures, newspaper and previous marketing reports also provided valuable information Limitation of the study: There was certain limitation for which this report had some obstacles. The data collected was based on the HR employees interviews, which was little more time consuming. The report had to be prepared within the daily routine of office work, which resulted in the prolonging or the data collection. Sometimes the data was really confidential for the AKTEL employees to share with the Intern. Thus, the report had to be done in accordance with the daily work activities and of course was constraint. Importance of the subject matter: The importance of the report is reflected in the analysis and findings part. It is very crucial for the organization to know how effective theyve been and what they should launch in the future in order to gain potential customer as well as market share. By conducting this report, it should be clear to the organization whether they are heading the right way and what tactics and strategies they should implement to ensure that their promotional tools are working properly and raising customers awareness. By putting more emphasis on their marketing activities they should be able to come up with and implement strategies that are in alignment with their vision i.e. ‘To be the most preferred GSM cellular provider in Bangladesh Legal Issues: Laws and Policies in Bangladesh There are certain laws and policies that mobile operators have to follow. The government only granted permission to mobile companies to operate in the country. At present they are not allowing any more mobile operators. So the existing mobile companies have to act in accordance with governments rule and regulations. Scope of the Research: The scope of the research was limited to providing a general overview of the marketing division and their present activities, i.e. what kind of promotional tools they are using and what impact id had on the media and the customers. During this -month internship program the major task was to provide an insight into the present market mix and customer perception of AKTELs products. Thus, the scope was limited to analyzing the present market strategies. 8. Situational/Problem Analysis: Macro-environmental factors: Michael Porter has provided conceptual framework for industry analysis. He developed a five-factor model for industry analysis. The model identifies five key structural features that determine the strength of the competitive forces within an industry and hence industry profitability. Though it is often used by organizations for entering new markets, it can also be used to see the competitiveness in the current market. The five-factor model includes the following: a) Bargaining Power of Buyer b) Bargaining Power of Seller c) Competitor d) Barriers to entry e) Substitution effect The following diagram illustrates how Porters five forces affect the industry: Porters Five Forces: A Model for Industry Analysis. The model of pure competition implies that risk-adjusted rates of return should be constant across firms and industries. However, numerous economic studies have affirmed that different industries can sustain different levels of profitability; part of this difference is explained by industry structure. Michael Porter provided a framework that models an industry as being influenced by five forces. The strategic business manager seeking to develop an edge over rival firms can use this model to better understand the industry context in which the firm operates. SUPPLIER POWER Supplier concentration Importance of volume to supplier Differentiation of inputs Impact of inputs on cost or differentiation Switching costs of firms in the industry Presence of substitute inputs Threat of forward integration Cost relative to total purchases in industry BARRIERS TO ENTRY Absolute cost advantages Proprietary learning curve Access to inputs Government policy RIVALRY THREAT OF Economies of scale Switching costs Buyer inclination to substitute SUBSTITUTES Price Performance Trade-off of substitute Capital requirements Brand identity Access to distribution Expected retaliation Proprietary products BUYER POWER Bargaining Leverage DEGREE OF RIVALRY Buyer volume Exit barriers Buyer Information Industry concentration Brand identity Fixed cost/ Value added Price sensitivity Industry growth Threat of Backward Integration Intermittent overcapacity Product differentiation 1. Rivalry: In the traditional economic model, competition among rival firms drives profits to zero. But competition is not perfect and firms are not unsophisticated passive price-takers. Rather, firms strive for a competitive advantage over their rivals. The intensity of rivalry among firms varies across industries, and strategic analysts are interested in theses differences. If rivalry among firms is low, the industry is considered to be disciplined. This discipline may result from the industrys history of competition, the role of a leading firm, or informal compliance with a generally understood code of conduct. When a rival acts in a way that elicits a response by other firms, rivalry intensifies. The intensity of rivalry commonly is referred to as being cutthroat, intense, moderate, or weak, based on the firms aggressiveness in attempting to gain an advantage. In pursuing an advantage over its rivals, firms can choose from several competitive moves: Changing prices: raising or lowering process to gain a temporary advantage Improve product differentiation-improving features, implementing innovations in the manufacturing process and in the product itself. Creatively using channels of distribution: using vertical integration or using a distribution channels that is novel to the industry. Exploiting relationships: with suppliers. The intensity of rivalry is influenced by the following characteristics: i. A larger number of firms increase rivalry because more firms must complete for the same customers and resources. The rivalry intensifies if the firms have similar market share, leading to a struggle for market leadership. ii. Slow market growth causes firms to fight for market share. In growing market, firma are able to prove revenues simply because f the expanding market. iii. High fixed costs result in an economy