Arm Holdings Strategic Swot Analysis

This paper evaluates the strategic position and activities of the microchip producer ARM by means of a PESLE analysis and a Porter's six forces analysis to review the company's internal and external environment. Using these analytical tools, the author deems how well ARM's strategy fits within the constraints of the external environment, the distinctive elements of ARM's products and services that distinguish it from its competitors and the sustainability of this strategy in the long-term.The paper concludes that, while presently the semi-conductor industry is significantly challenging, ARM has developed a differentiated strategy, which is capable of competing with large rivals, such as Intel, and which is sustainable over the long-term sustainability. Table of Contents: Executive Summary Introduction Environmental Analysis PESTLE Analysis Competitive Stance Porter's Six Forces Analysis Scale and Scope Analysis of Strategy Evaluation of Sustainability Description From the Paper Sampl e of Sources UsedRelated Papers Cite this Analytical Essay Comment & Share From the Paper: â€Å"Overall it would appear that ARM is making use of a differentiated generic strategy. Here while in general terms the industry for microchips may be seen as one which has become increasingly commoditised in recent years with large incumbent suppliers such as Intel focusing upon producing large volumes at low costs (Roca and Sills, 2011). ARM would seem to have adopted an alternative approach in attempting to develop a niche product hich outperforms cheaper micro chip products in terms of energy efficiency and size. In other words, it may be seen as ARM has built its differentiated generic strategy based upon re-evaluating the needs of its customers and potential customers who have show a clear desire to purchase a generation of microchips which are suitable for inclusion in a range of communications products such as smart phones and tablet computers (hence need to be smaller).In addition , ARM may also be seen as attempting to tap into the growing market for energy efficient products which give numerous benefits to the consumer including cost savings, a feel good factor and in the case of industrial buyers, the ability to market their own products within increased environmental credentials†. Sample of Sources Used: BBC News. 2010. The ups and downs of social networks. Available online at: http://www. bbc. co. k/news/technology-10719042 [Accessed on 22/03/12]. Butterton, G, R. 1996. Pirates, dragons and the US. Intellectual property rights in China. Ariz legal review. 1081. Begg, D, Fischer, S, Dornbusch, R. 2008. Economics. 9th ed. London: McGraw-Hill. Economist. 2012. Space invaders. Available online at: http://www. economist. com/node/21542402 [Accessed on 22/03/12]. Grant, R, M. 2008. Contemporary strategy analysis. 6th ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

“Ithaca” by C.P. Cavafy Essay

Everyone is given the opportunity to take the odyssey that is â€Å"life, however it is important to make the journey as memorable as one possibly can. The poem â€Å"Ithaca† by C.P. Cavafy suggests that what is most important in life is the experience that is incorporated with the journey, not necessarily just reaching the ultimate goal. It is the quest, not the destination which matters most. This message is conveyed through the poem through the use of allusion, myth and symbolism. The poem, â€Å"Ithaca†, is based loosely around the great epic the Odyssey by ancient Greek poet Homer. In the Odyssey the character Odysseus trying to make his way home to his kingdom, Ithaca. The character faces many vicious creatures and other challenges he must endure in order to make it to the final goal. This is alluded to in the poem, by making reference to one of the characters starting out on â€Å"[his] journey to Ithaca† (line 1). C.P. Cavafy also refers to mythological creatures such as â€Å"the Cyclopes and the fierce Poseidon† (line 5), as well as â€Å"the Lestrygonians† (line 6) posing as obstacles during the journey, just as they did in the Odyssey. The allusion to the myth of the Odyssey is appropriate for the meaning the poet is trying to convey. References to the Odyssey evoke thoughts of going on a journey, which may include obstacles, new experiences and the opportunity to gain a wealth of knowledge. This is central to what the poem â€Å"Ithaca† is suggesting about the journey of life. The journey of life is all about the experiences that one encounters, the knowledge that is gained, and the deeper appreciation for the journey, not just for attaining the goal. The poem is somewhat faithful to the myth of the Odyssey. C.P. Cavafy does not distort the myth in any way, but rather leaves out many of the events that occurred in the Odyssey that perhaps were not relevant to the central theme being portrayed. The general idea of the journey to Ithaca is kept intact throughout the poem. The central theme of the poem â€Å"Ithaca† is based on the meaning of life, and the journey that one takes through life. The importance of â€Å"[praying] that the road is long† (line 10) is stressed continually throughout the poem. The poet emphasizes the idea that one should not â€Å"hurry the voyage at all† (line 23). Experience and wisdom are gained throughout time and the aging process.  It is also learned through the poem that it is important to take time for things that one finds enjoyable. Such things as â€Å"mother-of-pearl and corals† (line 16) represent those things which make us joyful. It is suggested that one is supposed to enjoy and obtain these niceties while they last. The journey of life is something that a person only gets to encounter once, so experiencing things which bring joy to a person are important. In the poem the speaker advises those embarking on the journey to â€Å"visit hosts of Egyptian cities† (line 19) to â€Å"learn from those who have knowledge† (line 20). Learning from those who are wise and intelligent can prove beneficial for carrying on with the journey. C.P. Cavafy also mentions that the elements that make a person rich in life, are the experiences and â€Å"the great wisdom [he/she has] gained† (line 23) along the way. If a person finds himself at the end of the journey, and sees nothing of value around him, â€Å"Ithaca has not defrauded [him]† (line 31) for Ithaca is not the final destination but the passage one takes and the wisdom one obtains. If a person can recognize that the journey, and what the journey brings, is more important than the final destination or goal, then that person has understood the true meaning of life and â€Å"what Ithaca means†. As humans we are all given the chance to embark on a wonderful journey through life. Some choose to focus on the final goal and choose to dedicate their lives for the end destination. The poem â€Å"Ithaca† by C.P. Cavafy suggests that one should not focus ones entire life on the end goal but instead enjoy the journey, and take as much as one possibly can from it. The author uses Ithaca as a metaphor for life in the poem. It can be understood from this poem that Ithaca represents the journey of life; the beginning, the end and everything in between.

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example o work towards the fulfilment of its own interests in total disregard of the individuals whom it is representing, and in such a situation it is possible that the principal is the one most likely to suffer (Crane & Matten, 2003, p.42). In this way, it is possible for the principal–agent problem to take place, leading to the ruining of relationships which were meant to be mutually beneficial. The fact that the agent works towards the achievement of its own goals to the total detriment of the entity represented by it creates a situation where it is impossible for such entities to trust agents to handle their affairs. In this way, the agent is given the power to represent the interests of the principal, and instead of doing so, it chooses to undertake activities which not only ensure that it gains a lot from the activities, but that the interests of the principal suffer as a result. Corporate social responsibility comes about mainly because of the instances of conflict that are a part of the inconsistencies that occur between the profitability and social goals. The result is that many companies have to work towards the attainment of profits while at the same time ensuring that they act responsibly towards their employees as well as the societies that are affected by their activities. A case study conducted on Levi Strauss shows that this company makes sure that the working conditions and wages among the workers throughout its supply chain is reasonable (McWilliams & Siegel, 2001). In this way, the company is able not only to achieve the legal requirements of the countries within which it works, but it also ensures that it takes ethical responsibility over its actions as well as its employees. While this may be the case, there have been instances where because of the massive profit margins within these companies, many of their chief executives have gone out of t heir way to ensure that they gain huge salary increments. In such cases, these executive officers are often

WMD Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

WMD - Research Paper Example Some scholars of the world have often referred to the disease as ‘rabbit fever’. The disease is less contagious hence not communicable and individuals can only contract the disease upon breathing in the dust that is contaminated with the Francisella tularensis virus, drinking water or eating food contaminated with the virus, being bitten by an insect that is infected with the disease and touching the wounds, hair, skin of both the infected animals and human beings. The Department of Health and Human services (HHS), Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP), Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute of Health (NIH) as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation would adequately respond to the Francisella tularensis virus release situation since it is a bioterrorist event. The local law enforcing agencies as well as the Texas Health Department would also play a significant role in containing the incidence. At this juncture, the different health agencies will work towards minimizing the number of casualties by all means possible. The emergency response system in Texas would be fully tasked and resources fully committed. The Texas Health Department (THD), health care physicians and other medical practitioners would work for long hours to try and contain this situation. Resources within the Texas hospitals in this regard would be strained and eventually drained. Chen is a medical chief at Harborview Medical Center and also an associate professor in the University of Washington. Hickner is a professor of Family Clinical medicine and a Head of Department in the University Of Illinois College Of Medicine. Dr. Fink is a physician practicing family medicine. Calligher is one of the best research consultants in America while Dr Helen is the vice president of National Quality Forum (NQF). The main aim of this article was to establish the nature of

Module 8 DQ 1 and 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Module 8 DQ 1 and 2 - Assignment Example Particularly, when one knows how to carry out critical appraisal on interval variables, translating the research results and findings into practice becomes possible. For instance, when determining the relationship between temperature and effective treatment, the use of internal variables may come in handy. A physician who is thorough in research studies will for instance know that a temperature of 0.0 on the two sides of the scales must not be misconstrued to mean the absence of temperature, just as a PH of 0.0 will not mean the absence of acidity. The determination of the PH and temperature is very sacrosanct to the provision of healthcare services. The same use of statistical provisions as part of the EBR in medical services provision heavily relies on the concept of statistical significance. By being able to appreciate the importance of significance level, the director of the nursing department will be able to correctly decide whether to discard research findings as false, or to implement them as true. For instance, a statistical significance of .95 will compel the director of the Federal Qualified Healthcare Center, nursing department, to adopt research findings of an inquiry on the relationship between inpatient admission and patient satisfaction. Throughout the course, the connection between the use of research and efficiency in the administration of healthcare services is maintained, and thereby helping the learner appreciate the nexus between EBR and patient-centered medical programs. The term informed consent is a legal jargon applicable in many fields including healthcare. The fundamentals that must be thought out when invoking informed consent from the patient are competency, benefits, risks and details. According to Hahn and Collier (2010), competency demands that the patient should have a mind that is at least able to comprehend the details, benefits and the risks that will accompany a specific form of medical intervention. Likewise,

Data Collection Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Data Collection - Research Paper Example A researcher can design a survey very easily as compared to other methods. In a survey, a researcher can collect a wide range of data at a time e.g. opinions, values, beliefs, attitudes etc. this helps the researcher to limit several errors which could otherwise be assumed (Thanos & H. Debas, 2010). Surveys have the following disadvantages. Respondents may not feel the confidence to give accurate information. They may give false answers at the expense of pleasing the researcher. Furthermore, the respondents may not be aware the questions due to lack of prior knowledge or have forgotten. These tools are useful for recording events or circumstances for the occurrence of health issues by the use of registers. When there is an injury incident, records are kept in various health organizations for future records of curbing the same problem. There are various registries to record unique information. These registries include health service registries, treatment registries, specific information registries, etc. in case of any information need; registries provide a good information source (Rubin & Babbie, 2009). Registries offer exact surveillance data required in the precise format required. Registries allow computations of incidence rates at the fundamental level. In case of follow up, registry provide relevant information on exacerbation, survival, prevalence and remission. Above all, registries aid in translation of information for better understanding and treating diseases. However, registries are bias to some extent. They creep unrecognized into the data sets thus leading to false conclusions. Biases affect case definition as well as inclusion for registries. This results in misplacement of patients’ registry data. Lastly, surveillance registries relating to data registry is not central to only health care delivery. Data recording requires time

Critical thinking for resort management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Critical thinking for resort management - Essay Example It is also considered as the pattern of several collaborative behaviors that are taught to the new members of an organization as a way of feeling, thinking and perceiving. Organizational culture affects the way groups and people interact with each other, with stakeholders, and with several clients in an organization. Several organizations in this world follow different types of organizational cultures. In terms of business perspective, organizational culture is also known as corporate culture. Culture of an organization can be identified through its business performance, employee management, customer services and structure of hierarchy, decision making strategy and information flow. Major Elements of Organizational Culture Organizational behaviors, values, beliefs and assumptions are considered as the major elements of organizational culture. The behavior allowed within an organization is a key element which is crucial to the strength of that organization’s corporate culture. Organizational behavior includes several things, such as use of technology by the employees and dress code of all the members of an organization. Organizational value is considered as one of the major element of the organization’s corporate culture. The value of an organization has great impact on its employees and members. The value of an organization can dictate the particular behaviors exhibited by its members. Examples include dedication to effective customer service, accountability of individual behavior, and personal and corporate integrity. Assumptions and beliefs are considered as the fundamental elements of an organizational culture. Leaders or the managers of an organization develop several strategies and implement those on the basis of assumptions and beliefs. These assumptions and beliefs are directly related with the organizational performance. The organizational beliefs can influence and motivate the managers to treat their colleagues and subordinates with valua ble respect that they actually deserve. Positive beliefs enhance effective workforce and business outcome. In addition to these, there are other elements that contribute to an effective organizational culture. Symbols and rituals are also referred as key elements of an organizational culture that enhances employee and employer morale. Organizational Culture’s Relationship with Organization’s Strategy and Performance Effective and strong organizational culture helps the managers of several departments within an organization to motivate their employees. Organization with effective corporate culture follows high business ethics that enhance high business performance and employee morale. An employee always expects significant compensation and reward against their hard work and effective performance. In addition to this, strong organizational culture helps the managers to develop effective strategies that can successfully drive the organizations towards business objectives. Therefore, it is important for an organization to maintain effective and strong corporate culture to maintain motivated workforce, significant strategy development process and high business output. Section 3 A review and critical thinking on resort management would help to help to establish the link between the culture of organization, the strategic management of the organizations and the future performance as an implication of effective strategies. The resorts and hotels are solely a service-based industry and thus the main assets of these resorts are the

Sampling size and sample size for qualitative research Coursework

Sampling size and sample size for qualitative research - Coursework Example There are many factors that divide the population into sub-populations. This study expects that the measurement of interest may vary significantly among different strata. The variation has to be captured when selecting a sample from the whole population in order to obtain a sample that represents the whole population (LeCompte & Schensul,  2010). This is very significant in eliminating any form of biasness. A stratified sample is obtained through taking samples from each stratum of the whole population. As a result, each characteristic that is unique within the population which is under study is captured. This plays a significant role in reducing any potential for human bias when selecting cases to be incorporated in the sample (Ryan, 2013). Therefore, this strategy will enable me to come up with a sample that is highly representative, assuming that there will be no cases of missing data which might affect the overall results of the study. Reducing sampling error is one of the major goals of any selection technique while conducting a research. Although other sampling techniques are less expensive and time consuming, they are bound to have several errors that might affect the overall results of the study. Therefore, the fact that each stratum is incorporated in the sample and all the variables that might affect the results are taken into consideration makes this strategy to be more effective in comparison with others. Since the samples are selected using probabilistic methods, stratified sampling method will enable me to make statistical conclusions after analyzing the data that will be collected. This will be critical in identifying whether the data will be valid or not and whether there will be some other factors that will need to be taken under consideration. Furthermore, relative to simple random sample, this strategy is more superior because it will improve the potential for the units to be evenly spread across the

UK Company Law Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

UK Company Law Assignment - Essay Example Such authority is what is perceived by third parties to have been vested in an agent by the principal. The existence of such authority requires a representation to have been made to the third party. Such representation should originate from the principal or some entity having accrual authority3. In Freeman & Lockyer v Buckhurst Park Properties (Mangal) Ltd, the company was held to be liable, because the managing director had the authority to enter that particular type of contract on behalf of the company4. Angelina had been representing Brad, in his business, for many years. She used to help Brad in running his business, as she was well versed with makeup articles. As such, she had been acting as a representative of Brad, while conducting business with third parties. According to the ruling in the Freemans case, Angelina had acted as an agent of Brad, while entering into a contract with Aniston Ltd. This contract with Aniston Ltd is valid, in accordance with the principle of ostensible authority, which permits an agent to form a valid contract on behalf of her principal. Consequently, Brad is responsible for the acts of Angelina, while doing the business, including the contract with Aniston Ltd. Instances where a company's director will be held liable are given in the sequel. If a director wilfully acts over and above the powers bestowed upon him by the articles of association of the company, then he will be held liable for such transgressions. If the company becomes insolvent as a result of the fraudulent activities of a director, then he will be held to be responsible. Section 174(1) established the duty to exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence. This duty enshrines the rule of duty of care and skill of common law. Section 174(2) describes the amount of care, skill and diligence to be exercised by a director. Furthermore, the directors of a limited company are not personally liable for the acts of the company. However, if a director abuses his position in the company, then he will be held personally liable and prosecuted accordingly6. Brad, as a director with a fiduciary duty towards the company, has to ensure the well being of the company. He sold ' 100,000 worth goods to Sess for '60,000. As a director of the company, Brad cannot act in a manner that causes a loss to the company. For example, Section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 imposes a duty to promote the success of the company on its directors. This duty had been developed from the fiduciary duties owed by directors, such as duty of good faith and the duty to act in the best interests of the company7. Selling goods at a lower price results in financial loss to the company, and thereby implies a breach of statutory duties. Brad breached the fiduciary duty conferred up on him by section 172 of the Companies Act 2006. The director has to consider the long term consequences of the decisions taken in the interest of the company. He has to consider the interests of the employees of the company and other factors such as the relationships with the clients and suppliers of the company. In addition to these

International Business (IB) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Business (IB) - Essay Example The main lines of production were cables, rubber and paper, while electronics unit was still relatively small. However, all this changed with the International acquisitions of several European electronics companies. Thus Nokia strengthened its position in the consumer electronics and telecommunications market. Nokia has used collaborative ventures as a strategy particularly in Europe and in Asia, especially in China. Europe being a developed market, it made sense for Nokia to enter into joint ventures to build upon the expertise and the knowledge base of the existing companies. By 1991, the bilateral trade agreements between Finland and Soviet Union were abolished and Nokia started looking for intermediaries. This led Nokia to enter into indirect exports through joint ventures in Europe. China was a promising but unfamiliar overseas market. Thus Nokia entered into joint ventures with Chinese and other Asian companies and Government to achieve the following objectives: Nokia has been using networks based on innovative ideas to keep pace with a dynamic technological environment, which evolved into mobile telephony. Nokia used mainly international innovation networks in becoming a world leader in the mobile phone industry. This is the best example of Nokia’s collaborative venture strategy as an internationalization mode. Nokia’s international business strategy gradually moved from collaborative ventures to more of exports as it gained foothold in the overseas markets. However, instead of making the home country Finland its export hub, it chose Countries like China and India as their export hubs to the rest of the world. Thus Nokia’s Export policy could be seen as a furtherance of its collaborative ventures. From China alone, where Nokia earlier pursued primarily the policy of Collaborative ventures, its exports grew by 50% to a record level in the year 2001. China, which had acquired the position of the second

Analysis of Ryanair Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Ryanair Essay Ryanair established in 1985 carrying more than 5,000 passengers between its route Waterford Airport in Ireland to London Gatwick during its first year. The company expanded by 1989 had 350 employees, 14 aircraft and carrying more than 600,000 passengers a year. In 1997 there were dramatic changes in the European airline industry with deregulation of European Union air transportation allowed airlines to open new routes into Europe. The European Low fares association reported that low fares airlines are carrying more passengers than before with an increasing number of destinations in Europe set to increase from 38% to 53% in European travel (elfaa. com, 2011). Ryanair took advantage from the deregulation with routes from London Stansted to Stockholm, Oslo and Paris. By 2001 Ryanair launched its own travel website and within 3 months received 50,000 bookings (Ryanair.com, 2011). The report will focus on the low cost industry environment by identifying the opportunities and threats as well as five forces of the external environment. The report will also identify the strengths and weaknesses of Ryanair. Part 1: Low cost Airline industry The low cost airline industry has become the most profitable with all segments in the market with low prices and high load factors. This strategy has been challenged since the 1990s with the liberalization of services allowing new entrants to compete for business (Economist.com, 2011). The low cost airline industry operates all activities by reducing costs in order to gain strategic success and competitive advantage. This approach has a lot of opportunities as well as threats. Political Governments in the UK have the highest tax compared to Germany with a $1.3bn departure tax and Austria’s similar $119m duty tax (Independent.co.uk, 2011). The threat of passengers paying higher prices as a result of increased tax for their airline tickets can lower profits for airlines. This can affect low cost airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet as the higher taxes cut profits for the company for example Easyjet stated they had lost  £21m of its  £153m in 2011 (IATA.com, 2011). Acts of terrorism can also be a major threat to the airline industry. Initiating further routes is an opportunity for low cost airlines to other destinations in Europe with its growing economy and additional 15 EU countries that joined in 2004 such as Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Latvia can offer new opportunities for new routes to increase the number of passengers(Delfmann, 2005). There has also been a threat with the plans to sell Stansted airport, the main location for low budget airlines after the Competition Commission to reduce its dominance in the market. This will bring greater competition to low cost airlines and benefit passengers with more low fare airlines from regional airports such as Gatwick and Stansted competing more (Telegraph.co.uk/travel, 2011). Economic The threat of rising oil prices caused global airlines to lose $16 billion in profits which did rebound in 2010 with higher traffic. The threat continues with oil prices averaging $110 a barrel and estimated to further increases in the industry’s fuel bill which will rise from $10 billion to $176 billion (Bangkokpost.com, 2011). This threat has also been warned by Willie Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways and Iberia who cautioned that European carriers have to bear the impact of the high fuel costs with some operators having to go out of business (Guardian.co.uk, 2011). The recession in 2008 resulted in travelers seeking cheaper fares and led to growth in sales for budget airlines. This opportunity during recession allows budget airlines to take advantage and of more travelers seeking low fares with budget airlines rather than more expensive airline tickets. With the higher oil prices, natural disasters in Japan, discontent in the Middle East, North Africa and can force competitors in the airline industry to increase prices and fuel surcharges which pose major threats to airlines profits and survival of airlines. Social The growth in demand for passengers seeking low cost airlines for cheaper fares is an opportunity for budget airlines. People are living a better standard of life with declining inequality of incomes made up mostly of middle class income people. People are also more well-travelled, experienced and seek new destinations with the growth of vacation property (Goeldner and Ritchie, 2009). This is an opportunity as budget airlines frequently service short haul destinations for short trips or weekend trips for leisure or business purposes offering more destinations and new experiences to people with low fares. Migration has also made commuting a factor with people seeking employment opportunities and education as a motive for travelling as well as the rising quality standards has shown to expect growth for low cost airlines (Gross and Schrà ¶der, 2007). There are significant opportunities for low cost airlines that can benefit from the demand of increasing passenger from various destinations and purposes. Many people also seeking new destinations is a good opportunity for budget airlines to increase passenger numbers and revenue by providing different destinations of regional airports. Technological The increasing popularity of information technology is an opportunity for low budget airlines as they don’t use travel agents to sell tickets and allows consumers to be informed about schedules, compare prices and itineraries as well as flights with other airlines (Pease etl al., 2007). The new ‘saddle seat’ which is designed to allow 23 inches of legroom compared to 30 inches on a normal seat space and shaped to sit at an angle increase the number of seat for an airline (Telegraph.co.uk/travel, 2011). The seats offer an opportunity for low budget airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet to allow more storage space and more passengers in a plane which can increase revenues. The opportunities in technology allows airlines to take advantage of potential revenues with the internet offering direct marketing for customers and value added service by bringing offers to the customers directly. The opportunities for of the new seats can offer planes to fit more passengers and is a further potential a growth in revenue for budget airlines. Legal The airline industry has considerable regulations with issues concerning legislation and guidelines. For example low cost airlines have aggressive advertising campaigns to emphasize low fares which have become an issue with consumer protection legislation. Separate details of surcharges such as government tax, airport tax and fuel surcharge have to be included so that it does not consumers are not misinterpreted and misunderstood when buying a ticket. This is a threat to low cost airlines as it disregards the concept of low fares with all the taxes passed on by governments and aviation authorities. Low cost airlines can be substantially threatened with EU regulations and laws which can lower profits and damage the reputation of an airline with a negative image. Environmental Natural disasters such as the 2010 Iceland Volcano which caused 14,000 Ryanair flights cancelled. Costs of the 2010 Iceland disruption to the global airline industry soared to  £1.1bn according to estimates from the International Air Transport Association (Iata) (Guardian.co.uk, 2010). This threat to the airline industry faced by natural disasters such as the Iceland volcano can occur at any time and stop people from travelling costing airlines major disruptions with delays or cancellations. Emissions used by the airline industry have been increasingly growing rapidly over recent years, increasing 98% between 1990 and 2006 with predications of further increases to another 88% by 2050. This threat to the aviation industry enforcing airlines to pay for carbon dioxide and lower profits (Ftadviser.com, 2011). Porter’s five forces Porter points out the five forces which consist of bargaining power of suppliers, buyers, threat of potential new entrants and threat of substitutes to the industry. A company can adapt to the forces in order to increase chances of gaining sustainable competitive advantage and profitability. In understanding the strategic decisions a company has to make, it can be useful to look at the five forces of rivalry amongst the firm, substitution, new entry, the power of customers and the power of suppliers. Figure 1.1: Porters five forces Source: (Fouris and Oswald, 2006) Barriers of entry: to obtain aircrafts is extremely expensive and acquiring a basis at airports is also difficult (Gross and Schrà ¶der, 2007). With the success of Southwest airlines and deregulation and liberalization of the airline industry has allowed 40 budget airlines in the airline such as Easy Jet. This level is high as a result of these factors. Substitution- for the short haul flights, the substitute products include car, train and boat services. Travelling by train is clearly a substitute choice for travellers as it is high speed or travelling by car with the many motorway links available can have an impact. Technology can also be a substitute, for example business travellers may choose to conference skype calls over the internet. This level is moderate as flying is the main method of travelling long distances at a shorter time. Bargaining power of buyers: consumers can now purchase their own tickets from low cost airlines and can choose airlines with for higher level of quality, better service and lower price. Customers have the power to easily switch to another product that have lower prices with the ease of the internet (Hitt, et al, 2008). This popularity of comparison internet sites allows passengers to compare flight prices and choose the lowest cost airline of their choice. Therefore to survive with these intense factors airlines have to provide lowest fares to attract customers which is important for budget airlines and as a result the power of buyers is high as they consumers choose lowest fares causing risk of survival to an airline. Bargaining power of suppliers: Airlines rely heavily on the inputs for the company to survive which would be fuel, materials for the planes, services and manpower. Airlines either use Boeing or Airbus together with high maintenance fees, training staff. Additionally with the increase of cost for fuel to $50bn in 2011 resulted in travelers paying higher prices for tickets (Reuters.com, 2011). Therefore these inputs have high bargaining power over airlines as it can affect profits of an airline substantially. Competitor rivalry: may occur from price competition, product differentiation, advertising against other competitors is likely to affect the business (Bowhill, 2008). The intense rivalry occurs between low fares carriers are Ryanair, Easyjet and the carriers that provide ‘frills’ service with lower fares are British Midland Airways. Rivals also have to invest high capital investment and have a unique selling point to attract a large majority of customers and offer significant discounts and special offers. According the annual reports of Ryanair and Easy Jet, in 2010 Ryanair carried over 66 million passengers in comparison to Easy Jet carrying just 34 million. Therefore the airline’s low cost model delivers increased revenue and passenger growth as customers seek cheaper flights and benefit from price wars between airline fares. However budget airlines are still affected by rivalry with Ryanair and Easy Jet competing for customers flying with no frills airlines and the level of competitor rivalry is moderate. Conclusion Finally the analysis has demonstrated the attractiveness for the budget airline based on the ease of entry regulations and with the low expenditure costs lower than charter airlines that provide more service. The unstable environment has led to an increase in fuel costs with airlines paying heavily for their supply and in contrast the unpredictable economic environment has caused consumers to spend less and look for cheaper travel and prefer budget airlines such as Ryanair. Even though there is intense rivalry between airlines, budget airlines have an attractive strategy with more airlines using the low cost model to compete for passengers. Part 2: Internal analysis The internal factors of Ryanair’s concerns strengths and weaknesses to assess the extent to which the strategies for the airline in order to be successful, these summarizes the internal business environment and the capabilities (Johnson et al., 2002). The strengths of Ryanair are: The company has a successful low cost model benefitting from low expenses by using staff to clean the plane, passengers have to pay to print boarding pass reducing the need for staff at check in desks and take advantage of the internet to sell tickets. Ryanair’s low fares are aimed at encouraging demand especially with price sensitive leisure and business travellers that might choose alternative forms of transport method. Ryanair have set fares on the basis of demand on particular flights with higher fares on flights that have the highest demand for bookings booked nearer to the date of departure. Ryanairs competitors also do not operate on comparison sites and save commission or fees to other comparison websites. The company loses fewer bags and with 88% punctual flights compared to competitor’s ant explains why the company is a favorite airline for customers with over 73 million passengers in 2010 (Ryanair.com, Annual report 2010). Flights to secondary airports: the company offers point to point service on short haul flights to secondary and regional airports around the major hub centers and cities. The point to point routes rather than hub airports allow the company to provide direct nonstop flights and avoid the costs of providing services through connecting passengers, baggage transfers and transit passenger assistant costs. By choosing secondary locations allows convenience for a large majority of the population and is generally less crowded than in major airports. This has also resulted in on time flights, faster turnaround times, less terminal delays as well as more competitive airport access and handling costs or operating restrictions that can reduce expenses (Ryanair Annual Report, 2010). Low operating costs: Ryanair maintain low operating costs as a low budget airline company and aims to reduce costs in main areas which include: aircraft equipment, personnel productivity, customer service costs and airport access and handling costs. Weaknesses Ryanair have been negatively perceived as arrogant as the company does not take into consideration the competition by putting other low fares airlines out of business creating a bad image with negative media. Ryanair is viewed as not caring too much about customer needs or problems which reflect O’Leary’s opinion that customers pay low prices and get a good deal therefore should expect low standards. There have also been complaints for the extra payments for fees and taxes as well as paying higher prices for stowing luggage and onboard food and beverage. The company has also come across as having a negative reputation by having underpaid staff that are disciplined for any mistakes, work long hours and unhappy staff with staff (itfglobal.org, 2011). The company also charges  £5 for every purchase using bank card,  £40 for printing a boarding pass at the airport and  £100 for changing the name on the booking. Therefore customers often have to pay a lot more than they expected which makes Ryanair’s image appear dishonest (Ryanair.com, 2011). Porters value chain The generic strategies are concerned with the strategies of the company and at the micro level by exploring Porters model of the value chain. The value chain classifies the activities of the company and divided into primary and support activities used to identify the cost leadership strategy as illustrated in appendices b. The core competencies of Ryanair consist of maximizing revenues whilst providing a no frills low cost strategy and keeping logistics simple. This is maintained by Ryanair’s capability to lower operating costs such as aggressive online booking reducing the cost of staff and operate in secondary airports using Boeing 737-800. Through simple services and investing less on employees, Ryanair core competencies provide effective and efficient resource management. The primary activities involved in the inbound logistics of Ryanair consist of its 272 Boeing 737-800 planes that can carry 189 people and agreements to secondary airports. Ryanair have contract agreements with these large aircrafts with the ability to fly long hours and do not charge fuel surcharge (Ryanair.co.uk, 2010). Operations: Ryanair have lower unit costs as part of its operation and save costs through lower handling fees, landing fees in secondary airports and fast turnaround times with the capacity to utilize the aircraft at a shorter time. Ryanair operate in 1,110 routes and 1,400 flights a day from 44 bases. The efficiency of its operation supports the low cost strategy position with fast turnaround times, no meals on board and improved employee productivity (Ryanair.com, 2010). Financial analysis The strengths of Ryanair are quite clear. The company has been profitable with an increase in profits of 26% to â‚ ¬401m and operating profit increase by 28% to â‚ ¬516.2m in 2011. The figure below illustrates how the company increased passengers by 8% and revenue 16% by 2010. Figure 2.1: Summary Table of results (IFRS) in Euro Source: (Ryanair.com, 2011) Figure 2.2: Summary table for EasyJet Source: (Easyjet.com, 2011) As seen from the tables above it can be clear to differentiate the profit revenues. Profit after tax for Ryanair in 2010 was â‚ ¬138 million and for Easyjet was just  £121 million. Revenue for Easyjet in 2010 was  £2, 973 million in 2010 and  £2, 66 million in 2009 compared to Ryanair’s revenue in 2010  £18 million and  £16 million in 2009. According to Ryanair’s annual reports, revenues rose by 16% to â‚ ¬896.8m due to an 8% rise in traffic and a 5% increase in average fares in 2010. Ryanair has been able to gain a growth in revenue even during the financial recession which had a significant effect on other major airlines resulting in bankruptcy and closure. Due to its cost efficient methods through increased passenger traffic with its new routes and low prices Ryanair has been able to uphold its place as the number one low cost carrier. This difference also shows in Ryanair’s current ratio at 1.79 in 2010 compared to Easy jet only gaining 1.33. Conclusion From the internal analysis it is clear to see Ryanair’s low costs strategy means it is less affected than its competitors with its cost leadership. This has required the company to gain a large market share whereby it has purchased large quantities of planes and low cost operations has made shown that cost leadership is the only way to work for the future and globally. Ryanair has built a low cost culture however still needs to pay close attention to the external environmental factors including governmental policies and increased cost of fuel. The core cost savings mentioned has made the company highly successful with its short haul routes with standardized no frills services, higher seating density and its ticketless reservation system. Ryanair have succeeded by becoming a successful airline in Europe with the Southwest airline model and managed to grow its market segment of price sensitive customers through its no frills service. Bibliography Afuah, A. (2009) Strategic Innovation: New Game Strategies for Competitive Advantage. New York: Routledge. Beech, J. and Chadwick, S. (2006) The business of tourism management. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Bangkokpost.com (2011) Oil spike to push up airline losses. [Online]. Available at: http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/aviation/241328/oil-spike-likely-to-push- up-airline-losses. [Accessed on: 05 March 2011]. Betz, F. (2002) Executive Strategy: Strategic Management and Information Technology. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Bowhill, B. (2008) Business Planning and Control: Integrating Accounting, Strategy, and People. Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons. Centreforinformation.com (2011) Jaw-dropping airline market capitalization. [Online]. Available at: http://www.centreforaviation.com/news/2011/03/10/jaw-dropping-airline-market-capitalisation-facts-part-3/page1 [Accessed on: 05 March 2011]. Cherunilam, F. (2007) International business: text and cases. 4th Ed. New Delhi: Prentice Hall. Delfmann, W. (2005) Strategic management in the aviation industry. Ashgate: Ashgate Publishing Limited. Easyjet.com (2011) Annual Reports and Accounts. [Online]. Available at: http://corporate.easyjet.com/~/media/Files/E/easyJet/pdf/investors/result-center/easyJet_AR10_18_1_2011.pdf? [Accessed on: 05 March 2011]. Economist.com (2011) Aviation: Climbing through the clo uds: Airlines and the aircraft industry are belatedly being buffeted by globalization. [Online]. Available at: http://www.economist.com/node/18926285?story_id=18926285fsrc=rss [Accessed on: 05 March 2011]. Elfaa.com (2011) Press Release: Report shows low fares airlines are the future of air travel in Europe. http://www.elfaa.com/110418_ELFAA_PressRelease_LFAs_Market_Share_YorkAviation.pdf Ftadviser.com, (2011) Come fly with me. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ftadviser.com/FinancialAdviser/Investments/Sector/EthicalAndSRI/Features/article/20110519/da237554-59f2-11e0-8113-00144f2af8e8/Come-fly-with-me.jsp [Accessed on: 05 March 2011]. FT.com (2011) EasyJet Plc. [Online]. Available at: http://markets.ft.com/tearsheets/financialsSummary.asp?s=uk:EZJ.[Accessed on: 03 July 2011]. FT.com (2011) Ryanair Holdings. [Online]. Available at: http://markets.ft.com/tearsheets/financialsSummary.asp?s=ie:RY4B.[Accessed on: 03 July 2011]. Goeldner, C.R. and Ritchie, B.J.R. (2009) Tourism: Princip les, Practices, Philosophies. 11th Ed. London: John Wiley and Sons. Guardian.co.uk (2011) Airline Industry profit slump oil. [Online]. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/jun/06/airline-industry-profit-slump-oil. [Accessed on: 12 June 2011]. Guardian.co.uk (2010) Airline industry takes $1.7bn hit from volcanic ash disruption. [Online]. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/apr/21/airline-industry-cost-volcanic-ash. [Accessed on: 05 May 2011]. Guardian.co.uk (2011) Airlines to spend estimated â‚ ¬1.4bn on carbon permits in 2012. [Online]. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2011/mar/08/carbon-emissions-climate-change. [Accessed on: 12 June 2011]. Gross, S. and Schroeder, A. (2007) Handbook of low cost airlines: strategies, business processes and market environment. Berlin: Hurbert and Co. Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D. and Hoskisson, R.E. (2009) Strategic management: competitiveness and globalization: concepts cases. 8th Ed. Mason: Southwestern Cengage Learning. IATA.com (2011) Airline Industry 2011 Profit Outlook Slashed to $4 Billion. [Online]. Available at: http://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/pages/2011-06-06-01.aspx. [Accessed on: 12 June 2011]. Independent.co.uk (2011) Chief of airline industry attacks tax bandit UK. [Online]. Available at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/chief -of-airline-industry-attacks-tax-bandit-uk-2293964.html. [Accessed on: 20 June 2011]. Independent.co.uk (2009) Ryanair it’s cheap not cheerful. [Online]. Available at:http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/consuming-issues-ryanair-its-cheap-not-cheerful-1781973.html. [Accessed on: 25 June 2011]. Itfglobal.org (2011) Campaigns. [Online]. Available at: http://www.itfglobal.org/campaigns/conditions.cfm. [Accessed on: 17 June 2011]. Johnson,G., Scholes, K. and Whittington, R. (2008) Exploring corporate strategy. 8th Ed. Harlow: Pearson Education

Birmingham Bees Essay Example for Free

Birmingham Bees Essay The expectation should be precise enough to provide the desired level of assurance that differences that may be potential material misstatements, individually or when aggregated with other misstatements, would be identified for the auditor to investigate. As expectations become more precise, the range of expected differences becomes narrower and, accordingly, the likelihood increases that significant differences from the expectations are due to misstatements. The precision of the expectation depends on, among other things, the auditors identification and consideration of factors that significantly affect the amount being audited and the level of detail of data used to develop the expectation. Documentation of Substantive Analytical Procedures When an analytical procedure is used as the principal substantive test of a significant financial statement assertion, the auditor should document all of the following: The expectation, where that expectation is not otherwise readily determinable from the documentation of the work performed, and factors considered in its development Results of the comparison of the expectation to the recorded amounts or ratios developed from recorded amounts. Any additional auditing procedures performed in response to significant unexpected differences arising from the analytical procedure and the results of such additional procedures Expectations developed at a detailed level generally have a greater chance of detecting misstatement of a given amount than do broad comparisons. Monthly amounts will generally be more effective than annual amounts and comparisons by location or line of business usually will be more effective than company-wide comparisons. The level of detail that is appropriate will be influenced by the nature of the client, its size and its complexity. Generally, the risk that material misstatement could be obscured by offsetting factors increases as a clients operations become more complex and more diversified. Disaggregation helps reduce this risk. Expected ticket revenues for 2008 based on given assumptions and the predictability of results of events is $2,297,218. a. In planning the analytical procedures as a substantive test, the auditor should consider the amount of difference from the expectation that can be accepted without further investigation. This consideration is influenced primarily by materiality and should be consistent with the level of assurance desired from the procedures. Determination of this amount involves considering the possibility that a combination of misstatements in the specific account balances, or class of transactions, or other balances or classes could aggregate to an unacceptable amount. If Bee’s reported venues were outside the auditor’s reasonable range, the difference can be due to specific unusual transactions or events, accounting changes, business changes, random fluctuations, or misstatements. This is because the basic premise underlying the application of analytical procedures is that plausible relationships among data may reasonably be expected to exist and continue in the absence of known conditions to the contrary. Particular conditions such as those mentioned can cause variations in these relationships. a. The use of analytical procedures with minimal test of details provides the auditor with evidence to draw audit conclusions. The more reliance an auditor can place on analytical procedures, the less time he needs to spend on tests of details. Auditor objectives usually can be accomplished with less time and cost by applying analytical procedures rather than tests of details. In addition, the auditor may need to rely on analytical procedures when detailed evidence is not readily available for a particular item. It is also more cost effective and may provide evidence when other procedures would be ineffective. If the audit team decides to make use of analytical procedures for the company’s audit, the audit plan will be different in such a way that it would allot less working hours on testing of details. Analytical procedures should be used for Bee’s audit because of the following reasons: Bee utilizes another company, Tickets R Us, in the collection of its tickets. The involvement of a third-party provides lesser risk of manipulation by Bee or management override of controls, making data collected from said entity more reliable. Prior-year audit files are most reliable as Hickman and Snowden has personally conducted five years of extensive detail testing in auditing Bee’s ticket revenues. Previous audit files show that the total number of home games is mostly consistent, proof of which is the prior year’s record of a similar total number of games, with only a slight difference in the mix of weekdays and weekend games. The average number of per-game attendance has also been established by Hickman and Snowden and such can be used to identify the allocation of spectator attendance. Ticket prices are known and established and can be compared with prior year’s prices to determine the allowable increase in total sales revenue. Information from prior years’ audit files show that the sales mix has remained fairly constant over the last several years. It is known and established that attendance generally increases by 10% when there is a promotion. All these information serve as proof that an audit plan utilizing extensive details testing is not necessary. Five years of audit files – all of which conducted through extensive details testing, will provide Hickman and Snowden ratios, trend analysis and other pertinent information that will allow them to successfully and confidently complete the audit of Bee’s ticket revenues. References AU Section 329 Analytical Procedures, Retrieved February 11, 2009, from http://www.pcaobus.org/standards/interim_standards/auditing_standards/au_329.html

Health Essays Treatment OCD Disorder

Health Essays Treatment OCD Disorder Treatment OCD Disorder Introduction My research intention is to compose a literature review aimed at finding the best existing method for the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive disorder (OCD). OCD is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive and distressing thoughts, urges and images as well as repetitive behaviours aimed at decreasing the discomfort caused by these obsessive thoughts. So in order to achieve my research intention I will be comparing and analysing a wide assortment of current and previous literature to distinguish the most favourable treatment method, where advantages outweigh all disadvantages. The key features of OCD as already discussed, include obsessional doubt, the need to feel in control, and risk aversion, and these features have significant impact on the successful application of both pharmacological and behavioural treatments. Treatment History of Obsessive-compulsive disorder Until the 1960’s OCD was considered a refractory psychiatric condition, neither psychotherapy nor a variety of pharmacological treatments had proven successful with the symptoms, however since around 1975, much progress has been made in improving the effectiveness of these treatments. Prior to 1980, OCD was unresponsive to psychotherapy, anxiolytic drugs, and anti-psychotic drugs and had a poor record of success. Today although treatment of this disorder remains challenging, the effectiveness of both behavioural and pharmacological therapies has been significantly improved. Treatments There are many methods available for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) arguably the most popular of these being administration of antidepressants, either taken singularly or a combination of 2. Also Psychotherapy strategies including both behavioural and cognitive treatments where it is common (and often claimed to achieve better results) for the two to be combined, this is known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). I will then go on to investigate Combination treatments. This being the combination of antidepressants and a CBT treatment to see if a combination of the two is more successful than using either alone. Alternative strategies are available for OCD sufferers and although these are not as successful as some of the already discussed, they are worth mentioning as they can provide relief to patients, also when added to another more established treatment better results may be achieved. I will also be touching on psychosurgery (also known as neurosurgery), and Electro Convulsive therapy, which although are only used in the most extreme cases, are still worth mentioning as, when used, have shown significant efficacy in the treatment of OCD. Pharmacotherapy, the uses of antidepressants for the treatment of Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Currently in the UK only 5 drugs are licensed for the treatment of OCD, They include the Tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) Clomipramine and the Selective Serotonin reuptake inhibiting (SSRI) antidepressants Fluoxetine, Sertraline, Paroxetine, and Fluvoxamine which can be collectively labelled as STI’s, these STI’s represent the cornerstone of Pharmacological treatment in patients with OCD. A good reason for using antidepressants in OCD treatment is that very often there will be underlying depressive disorder. There is a substantial amount of evidence derived from a large number of placebo-controlled clinical trials, to indicate that drugs, which preferentially block the re-uptake of Serotonin, are effective in ameliorating the symptoms of OCD. The evidence in favour of other antidepressants without potent serotonergic properties is poor. Clomipramine was the first agent to receive food and drug administration (FDA) approval for the treatment of OCD, and was also the first medication to demonstrate consistent efficacy in the treatment of patients with OCD (Clomipramine collaborative study group) it has been the most extensively studied medication for the treatment of OCD. Studies in OCD treatment that have compared two antidepressants have been very small and yet an apparent superiority of Clomipramine emerges. In a small three-way study by Thoren et al (94), which compared Clomipramine with Nontriptyline and Placebo, found there was significant effect for Clomipramine but Nontriptyline appeared no different from Placebo. However a significant difference between active treatments is not normally expected unless very large numbers are included in studies. Clomipramine which affects both 5-HT and non adrenalin may be more effective than SSRI’s although does have more side effects which is the biggest disincentive, these include constipation, dry mouth, tremor and weight gain, however these side effects can be used to advantage in patients who cannot deal with the agitation of the SSRI’s During trials, drop out rates due to side effects from Clomipramine are consistently higher than for the SSRI’s. (Pata et al 90) Although there are only rare reports of less efficacy, the issue of how long to maintain treatment before a trial off medication has not been well explored. The only data that exists in this area comes from 3 rather small-blinded discontinuation studies. All were done with Clomipramine. (Pato, Zohar, Kadouch, Zohar Murphy 1988) in each case, the majority of the patients upwards of 90% had their symptoms return within 4-7 weeks of discontinuing medication. The efficacy of SSRI’s versus those of the TCA’s, for these indications is unstudied, further research is required fully to assess the place of the SSRI’s in the treatment and understanding of OCD. Fluvoxamine has been shown to be significantly better than Placebo and equal in efficacy to Tricyclic’s such as Clomipramine however Fluvoxamine compared to Clomipramine is found to have fewer side effects and is a first line agent in the treatment of OCD. More than 50% of patients with OCD are significantly improved after a trial with Fluvoxamine, however not all patients benefit from this treatment- In a single-blind study of Fluvoxamine 6 of 10 in patients with severe OCD were ‘responders’ on the basis of a clinical rating of ‘much’ or very ‘much’ improved. The most commonly reported side effects for Fluvoxamine are daytime drowsiness, nausea, insomnia, and headache. However these seem to be common side effects of all the SSRI’s. The effects of Fluoxetine in OCD have been studied in a number of single blind and open trials, and the results indicate that Fluoxetine is effective in reducing the symptoms of OCD; these results also appear to be dependent of the drugs antidepressant effect. (Liebowitz et al 1990, Riddle et al 1990) While these studies suggest that drugs with Serotonin re-uptake blocking properties are effective in OCD, they do not bear on which of these drugs may be more effective or better tolerated. Although no such comparative trials have been published, Jenike and associates (1990) indirectly compared Fluoxetine with Clomipramine in OCD symptoms in a recent meta-analysis. The data came from two separate open studies of each compound in OCD, and the special statistical techniques used suggested that Clomipramine had a slightly superior therapeutic effect. Fluoxetine however was considerably bettered tolerated. Fewer data is available on Fluoxetine, ideally more research is needed to better understand its place in OCD treatment. Paroxetine efficacy reports back to Wheaden et al (1993) however a more recent study (Zohar et al 1996) reported that in a 12 week acute trail comparing patients on Paroxetine, Clomipramine and Placebo, only 16% of Paroxetine patients had drug related adverse experiences, compared to 28% on Clomipramine, and although generally well tolerated, there have been some reports of severe withdrawal symptoms, even when done gradually. This however may be related to the fact Paroxetine is a newer FDA approved agent for OCD, and there have not been as many published findings of its efficacy compared to other agents available. Sertraline has generally shown significant improvement in OCD symptoms when compared to placebo (Greist et al 95), and although Sertraline does have the smallest effect size, with regard to side effects it is well tolerated. However unlike Fluoxetine, Fluvoxamine and Paroxetine there are no head to head trials comparing it to other antiobsessionals. Some advantages of the SSRI’s are that they have fewer clinically meaningful interactions, for example, they do not potentiate the effects of alcohol, or other sedatives- (Cooper et al 1989), however as not all of the SSRI’s have been tested with all drugs generalisations are difficult. One meaningful global measure of how well medications are tolerated is the number of patients who have dropped out of double-blind trials because of adverse effects. Most double blind studies of SSRI’s have had more dropouts among patients treated with tricyclic antidepressants such as Clomipramine. Within the SSRI’s the highest dropout rate was associated with Fluvoxamine and the lowest with Paroxetine. While the number of dropouts provides useful information, this variable is also important for the examination of specific side effects. When considering a combination of 2 types of drugs there is rarely any rationale for prescribing together more than one drug from the same general class. Fatalities have been reported following the combination of Clomipramine and Tranylcypromine. Other combinations can lead to adverse effects. TCA’s and SSRI’s have been tried together but there is a high risk of adverse interactions. If the two-antidepressant classes were to be co prescribed the safest choice would appear to be Citalopram, or low dose Sertraline that have little or no effect on the metabolism of TCA. (Taylor 95) ‘Triple therapy’ has also been tried, one example being Clomipramine, Tryptophan and Lithium. When considering Pharmacotherapy treatment failure, comparative dropout rates rather than number of intensity of side effects, may be a good indirect measure of the tolerability of the medication, the results in this regard have been mixed but very interesting. In comparative studies between Fluvoxamine and Clomipramine (Freeman et al 1994, Koran et al 1996) dropout rates were virtually identical with both medications around 15%. However in the meta-analysis conducted by Greist et al 1995 they note that analysis of the pooled multicenter studies revealed the lowest rates of dropout in the Clomipramine group at 12%, followed by Fluvoxamine at 24%. There are some data on the characteristics of patients who are more resistant to treatment or poor treatment responders, but more work is needed in this area. For example, many OCD patients have shown poor response to Pharmacotherapy in some studies. (Jenike 93, Riccardi et al 92), and more recently (Black, Manahan, Clancy, Baker, and Gabel 97) Psychotherapy in the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive disorders a Cognitive-Behavioural approach. Research has shown that psychological and social treatment can produce definite and measurable benefits (Kingdon et al 1994). Cognitive behavioural therapy leads to marked improvement in the large majority of clients with OCD who complete the treatment, and has been estimated that between 80/90% of patients will respond to CBT (Abramowitz 97) In Meyers (1966) treatment plan hospital staff actually stopped the patients from performing rituals-this treatment procedure was labelled ‘exposure and response prevention’ (EX/RP). However this kind of intervention is no longer typical or recommended. Actual physical prevention is too coercive to be acceptable-and reliance upon this technique may limit generalizability to non-therapy situations in which staff are non-present to prevent rituals. Although exposure reduces obsessional distress it is not so effective in reducing compulsions. Exposure and response prevention (EX/RP) is the psychological treatment of choice for OCD. Although other interventions (Cognitive approaches) have received some attention in the literature EX/RP has received by far the strongest empirical support for treating. Despite documented efficacy of EX/RP treatment 25% of individuals with OCD decline to accept this form of CBT. Efforts to understand the factors influencing acceptability of exposure treatment are indicated so that more clients may profit from this powerful remedy. Separate effects of exposure and response prevention for OCD have been examined, treatment that combined both exposure and response prevention was found to be more effective. (Foa, Steketee, Grayson, Turner, Latimer 1984) With non-ritualisers, exposure did not prove particularly effective. Emmelkamp Kwee (1977) noted only 1 of 3 patients showing improvement after 5 one-hour sessions. Although exposure reduces obsessional distress it is not as effective as reducing compulsions. It is generally held that patients with obsessions alone, rather than obsessions and compulsions are more difficult to treat using conventional behavioural procedures. However recent research is inconsistent with this view as patients in 2 studies evidenced some improvement in compulsive behaviour with this technique. (Marks, Crowe, Young Dewhurst 69) CBT has been found to be more helpful than drugs for individuals who complete it. About 75% of clients who complete CBT do well both immediately after treatment and in the long run, showing lasting improvement of about 65% fewer symptoms on average-also no side effects. Drugs, mainly antidepressants in this condition, are easy to administer and are more rapidly effective than the main forms of behaviour therapy, response prevention and gradual exposure. However unlike drug treatment, once behaviour therapy has been used and shown to be effective, relapse is much less likely to occur even after treatment is withdrawn completely. A number of other exposure-orientated procedures, such as paradoxical intention, imaginal flooding, satiation, and aversion relief have been found relatively unsuccessful with OCD. Procedures aimed at blocking or punishing obsessions and compulsions such as though stopping, aversion therapy, and covert sensitisation have also been relatively unsuccessful with OCD. (Emmelkamp Kwee 1977, Kenny, Mowbray Lalani 1978) Conversely Victor Meyer treated clients with OCD with prolonged exposure to situations of objects that evoked obsessional distress and prevention of rituals-the treatment was very successful in 10 of its 15 cases. (Meyer 1966, Meyer Levy 1973, Meyer, Levy Schnurer 1974) Another downfall that the literature indicates is that OCD patients who have additional psychological problems are less likely to respond favourably to CBT, these include depression, anxiety or poor judgement, and unfortunately these often coexist with OCD symptoms. Combination treatments, Antidepressants CBT in Obsessive-Compulsive disorder. As already discussed, effective treatments for OCD consist mainly of Cognitive behavioural therapy and antidepressants. In order to maximise the effects of treatment, antidepressants and CBT are frequently combined in clinical practice, despite the fact that scientific support for this is surprisingly thin. Preliminary findings of a controlled, double blind, multicenter comparison of Clomipramine, exposure therapy and their combination indicate that exposure therapy have stronger effects than Clomipramine-both procedures combined are equivalent to exposure therapy alone. (Foa et al 93) Also Combination of EX/RP was not enhanced by the addition of cognitive therapy (Emmelkamp Beens 1991). However findings by Van Oppen et al (95) show that cognitive approaches compared to EX/RP indicated that cognitive therapy alone was as effective as exposure therapy. A recent meta-analysis (Van Balkom et al 94) showed that CBT was superior to antidepressants on self-ratings, also compared with CBT; antidepressants have a higher dropout rate and higher relapse rate after stopping treatment. Thus when given alone CBT is more effective than antidepressants. However meta-analysis have shortcomings, firstly since studies are combined, there is always a mixture of the specific study details such as the way in which treatments were implemented, also studies differ in length, therapist involvement, and strictness of ritual control, leaving many reasons to believe that the results of meta-analysis are not conclusive. Conversely one large multicenter study carried out by the national institute of mental health compared 2 forms of psychotherapy with antidepressant drug treatment, all treatments were approximately equally effective over the period of study when mildly ill people were assessed, however, with more severely ill patients, drug treatment was clearly superior to psychotherapy. (Elkin et al 1989) Third line treatments-Electro compulsive therapy and Psychosurgery for Obsessive-compulsive disorder. If psychosocial and pharmacological treatments do not work, third-line treatment includes Psychosurgery and electro convulsive therapy (ECT). Although rarely used electro convulsive therapy (ECT) has been shown to be of benefit in some who failed to respond adequately to Pharmacological or Psychotherapy interventions (Strober et al 98). In many cases there will be temporary amnesia post treatment and mild headache but otherwise ECT is free from side effects. This makes it distinct from the anti-depressants, and it is for this reason that ECT is still used. Studies using ECT however lack any control data that allow a conclusion to be reached about its efficacy. Psychosurgery like ECT has aroused a great deal of controversy. Results suggest that 25-30% of the patients who previously were unresponsive to medication and behavioural treatments are significantly improved after psychosurgery, although should always be considered as a last resort, studies suggest that complications are relatively rare and that neuropsychological and personality functioning is not adversely effected by psychosurgery Some Conclusions. In sum, there are 2 very good treatments for OCD. CBT seems to produce more improvement than medication, and improvements are more lasting after treatment is stopped. Medication however does take less time and effort in the short run than CBT but may have to be continued indefinitely. Medication is not emotionally challenging but you must tolerate side effects, EX/RP requires determination and is emotionally challenging. With regards to treatment failure Foa et al (1983) argue that it is only when investigation is carried out of the differences between those who succeed and those who fail, that light can be thrown on the mechanisms involved in the treatment and more effective treatment strategies be developed, as it is evident that new and more effective pharmacological and psychotherapy strategies are needed for the treatment-refractory OCD patient.

The Struggle to Get it All Straight :: Personal Narrative Writing Papers

The Struggle to Get it All Straight I. I first began writing--really writing--sometime around my sophomore year of high school. Since then, I have consistently received high marks and flattering compliments for my work. But I still suffer this insecurity which Judith Guest describes perfectly. She says that after achieving great success in her writing she found that she was "still telling [herself] that [she] wasn't really a writer, but a trickster" (xii). Ah, yes. I know that feeling. Every paper I am asked to write, I fear will be my undoing--that it will be the assignment which proves that I haven't been able to write the whole time, that I'm nothing but crafty. My undergraduate degree carries with it an emphasis in creative writing; for four years I wrote mostly poetry. I didn't know it, but the poetry courses gave me my first introduction to Rhetorical Theory. There I met the generative techniques of Peter Elbow and Natalie Goldberg which make so much sense to me. I appreciated these exercises, which, as Guest notes, "[give] people permission to think the thoughts that come, and to write them down, and make sense of them in any way they wish" (xii). Between the covers of my journal, I took on the premise of Goldberg's book Writing Down the Bones : Learning to write is not a linear process. There is no logical A-to-B-to-C way to become a good writer. One neat truth about writing cannot answer it all. There are many truths. To do writing practice means to deal ultimately with your whole life. (3) Because I understood the idea without understanding the possibilities, these courses didn't change my life--instead they were a reprieve from "real" life, a reprieve from the the standards of "real" academics. Although I enjoyed other English courses, I never felt the freedom that those writing courses offered me--the opportunity to create my own understanding from a personal perspective. Instead I wrote the essays about subject matter, and in the kind of language, I thought those teachers wanted to hear. This contradiction between these two types of English courses was something I accepted without question. Two years ago the issue really opened itself up for me. I had been out of school for a few years and was a little nervous about returning to the world of academic writing. That spring quarter I had three writing courses and an American Literature course.

Essay --

1. A stakeholder is a person or group of people that has an interest or concern in an organization. There are a lot of different things that can affect a stakeholder such as the organizations actions, policies, and even sometimes their objectives. An example of a negative impact on stakeholders would be when an organization has to cut their costs and therefore has to start laying off employees. The stakeholders in this case would be Merck as there decided to try to pour a lot of money into research to develop new medications. Stakeholders are really important because they are ultimately what decide if a company survives or not. A business or organization needs to have stakeholders to be able to submit payments to them monthly to help them succeed. 2. There are a lot of potential costs and benefits of such an investment this is exhibited in this case. Profits that Merck made based on their selling of prescription drugs was not the only thing that they cared about and wasn’t in high priority to them. All that Merck tried to do was have the ability to feel like and think that the medicine that they have is for the people and that the profit comes second. Merck feels like if they remember this then they will have the ability to be able to make profits without even trying. All businesses need to be able to examine the positive and negative effects of all of their products or services. Most of the time business managers are only interested in seeing the bottom line, but in this case they care a lot more about their customers and what they have to offer them. 3. There are many different kinds of corporate social responsibility that all can help a company be successful if they are used correctly. My assessment of the company is that I ... ...potential and willing to give their all to your organization. 7. If I was running an organization or company, being the manager there would be certain ways that I would go about communication the corporate social responsibility to all of my employees. Being able to communicate this effectively with all of your employees allows you to establish a strong corporate culture and also strengthen a lot of the relationships that exist within your organization. The most important goal that all organizations want to be able to achieve is to have the ability to communicate the CSR effectively to help their employees be able to be engaged fully in the company. Some of the ways that I would use to be able to communicate the CSR to my employees and workforce effectively would be as follows: †¢ Social networking sites †¢ Videos †¢ Forums †¢ Websites †¢ Blogs †¢ Meetings †¢ Newsletters Essay -- 1. A stakeholder is a person or group of people that has an interest or concern in an organization. There are a lot of different things that can affect a stakeholder such as the organizations actions, policies, and even sometimes their objectives. An example of a negative impact on stakeholders would be when an organization has to cut their costs and therefore has to start laying off employees. The stakeholders in this case would be Merck as there decided to try to pour a lot of money into research to develop new medications. Stakeholders are really important because they are ultimately what decide if a company survives or not. A business or organization needs to have stakeholders to be able to submit payments to them monthly to help them succeed. 2. There are a lot of potential costs and benefits of such an investment this is exhibited in this case. Profits that Merck made based on their selling of prescription drugs was not the only thing that they cared about and wasn’t in high priority to them. All that Merck tried to do was have the ability to feel like and think that the medicine that they have is for the people and that the profit comes second. Merck feels like if they remember this then they will have the ability to be able to make profits without even trying. All businesses need to be able to examine the positive and negative effects of all of their products or services. Most of the time business managers are only interested in seeing the bottom line, but in this case they care a lot more about their customers and what they have to offer them. 3. There are many different kinds of corporate social responsibility that all can help a company be successful if they are used correctly. My assessment of the company is that I ... ...potential and willing to give their all to your organization. 7. If I was running an organization or company, being the manager there would be certain ways that I would go about communication the corporate social responsibility to all of my employees. Being able to communicate this effectively with all of your employees allows you to establish a strong corporate culture and also strengthen a lot of the relationships that exist within your organization. The most important goal that all organizations want to be able to achieve is to have the ability to communicate the CSR effectively to help their employees be able to be engaged fully in the company. Some of the ways that I would use to be able to communicate the CSR to my employees and workforce effectively would be as follows: †¢ Social networking sites †¢ Videos †¢ Forums †¢ Websites †¢ Blogs †¢ Meetings †¢ Newsletters

African Americans, HIV and AIDA Essay -- df

African Americans who live in low-income communities are more likely to engage in unprotected sexual activities than those who live in higher-income communities. ii Table of Contents Chapter  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Page/s I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Problem  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1-2 II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Theoretical Framework  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3-5 III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hypothesis  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6 IV.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Population and Design  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7-8 V.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conclusion  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  9-10 VI.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bibliography  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  11-12 1 I. Problem Little to nothing was known about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) when it first erupted in the 1970s. When the epidemic finally reached noticeable proportions in the early 1980s, a disease that knows no gender, racial, or class boundaries has created a devastating impact on society. This disease has afflicted society in virtually epidemic proportions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, there are an estimated 1 million Americans infected with AIDS and 40,000-80,000 new infections with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) each year. There are few people who do not know someone who has died of AIDS, and it is estimated that, early in the new millennium, some forty million people worldwide will be infected with HIV, and ten million of them will develop AIDS. Research and statistics reveals that individual behavior is the strongest determinant of HIV and AIDS risk. This high-risk behavior place them in danger and is passed on to others by means of exchanging sex for money or drugs, injection drug users (IDUs), incarcerated persons, unborn babies of infected mothers, and other persons who have numerous sex partners. Individuals in communities where Sexual Transmitted Diseases are prevalent are also at high risk rates of AIDS and HIV infection are substantially higher in blacks than among whites, especially among adolescents and young adults (Healthy People 2000). Many factors contribute to why there are more African Americans infected with HIV, AIDS, and STDs than any other racial and ethnic group. 2 The purpose of this explanatory study is to find out why African Americans who live in low-income / African American communities are more likely to en... ...ervices (GAPS): Recommendations and Rationale. Chicago: American Medical Association, 1994   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anspaugh, D. J., Hamrick, M. H. & Rosato, F.D. 2000. Wellness Concepts and Applications (4th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Babbie, Earl R. 2001. The Practice of Social Research (9th ed.). United States: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report. Atlanta: Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, 1995; 7(1): 1-34.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Trends in Sexual Risk Behavior among High School Students - United States, 1990,1991, and 1993. MMWR 1995; 44: 124 – 125.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Center for Disease Control and Prevention. National Prevention Information Network. Maryland: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv Crosby, Richard A. Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. Atlanta: http://www.reutershealth.com/frame2/eline.html National Center for Healthy Statistics. Healthy People 2000 review. 1994. Hyattsville, MD: Public Health Service, 1995. (Publication no. DHHS (PHS) 95 – 1256 – 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Research on Molecular Immunology of Sexually Transmitted Diseases. NIH GUIDE, Volume 21, Number 19, May 22, 1992.

Benito Juarez

Juarez was born in the village of San Pablo Guelatao, Oaxaca on March 21, 1807, located in the mountain range now known as the â€Å"Sierra Juarez†. His parents, Marcelino Juarez and Brigida Garcia, were peasants who both died when he was three years old. Shortly after, his grandparents died as well, in which his uncle then raised him. [2][3] He described his parents as â€Å"indios de la raza primitiva del pais,† that is, â€Å"Indians of the original race of the country. â€Å"[3] He worked in the corn fields and as a shepherd until the age of 12, when he walked to the city of Oaxaca to attend school. 1] At the time, he was illiterate and could not speak Spanish, only Zapotec. In the city, where his sister worked as a cook, he took a job as a domestic servant for Antonio Maza. [1] A lay Franciscan, Antonio Salanueva, was impressed with young Benito's intelligence and thirst for learning, and arranged for his placement at the city's seminary. He studied there but dec ided to pursue law rather than the priesthood. He graduated from the seminary in 1827 and went on to gain a degree in law. In 1843 Benito married Margarita Maza.Benito Juarez with his sister Nela (left) and his wife Margarita (right), 1843 [edit]Political career Juarez became a lawyer in 1834 and a judge in 1841. [4] He was governor of the state of Oaxaca from 1847 to 1852; in 1853, he went into exile because of his objections to the corrupt military dictatorship of Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. [5] He spent his exile in New Orleans, Louisiana, working in a cigar factory. [6] In 1854 he helped draft the Plan of Ayutla as the basis for a liberal revolution in Mexico. [5] Faced with growing opposition, Santa Anna resigned in 1855 and Juarez returned to Mexico.The winning party, the liberales (liberals) formed a provisional government under General Juan Alvarez, inaugurating the period known as La Reforma. The Reform laws sponsored by the puro (pure) wing of the Liberal Party curtailed the power of the Catholic Church and the military, while trying to create a modern civil society and capitalist economy based on the U. S. model. The Ley Juarez (Juarez's Law) of 1855, for example, abolished special clerical and military privileges, and declared all citizens equal before the law. All the efforts ended on the promulgation of the new federalist constitution.Juarez became Chief Justice, under moderado (moderate) president Ignacio Comonfort. The conservatives led by General Felix Zuloaga, with the backing of the military and the clergy, launched a revolt under the Plan of Tacubaya on December 17, 1857. Comonfort did not want to start a bloody civil war, so made an auto-coup d'etat, dissolved the congress and appointed a new cabinet, in which the conservative party would have some influence, assuming in real terms the Tacubaya plan. Juarez, Ignacio Olvera, and many other deputies and ministers were arrested.The rebels wanted the constitution revoked completely and anothe r all-conservative government formed, so they launched another revolt on January 11, 1858, proclaiming Zuloaga as president. Comonfort re-established the congress, freeing all the prisoners and resigned as president. Under the new constitution, the chief justice immediately became interim president until proper elections could be made. Juarez took office in late January 1858. Juarez then led the liberal side in the Mexican War of the Reform, first from Queretaro and later from Veracruz.In 1859, Juarez took the radical step of declaring the confiscation of church properties. In spite of the conservatives' initial military advantage, the liberals drew on support of regionalist forces. They had U. S. help under some terms of the controversial and never approved McLane-Ocampo treaty. This turned the tide in 1860; the liberals recaptured Mexico City in January 1861. Juarez was finally properly elected president in March for another four-year term, under the Constitution of 1857. Bust of Benito Juarez in Guanajuato, Mexico.Faced with bankruptcy and a war-savaged economy, Juarez declared a moratorium on foreign debt payments. Spain, Great Britain, and France reacted with a joint seizure of the Veracruz customs house in December 1861. Spain and Britain soon withdrew after realizing that the French Emperor Napoleon III used the episode as a pretext to launch the French intervention in Mexico in 1862, with plans to establish a conservative regime. The Mexicans won an initial victory over the French at Puebla in 1862, celebrated annually as Cinco de Mayo (May 5).The French advanced again in 1863, forcing Juarez and his elected government to retreat to the north, first to San Luis Potosi, then to the arid northern city of El Paso del Norte, present day Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, and finally to the capital of the state, Chihuahua City, where he set up his cabinet and government-in-exile. There he would remain for the next two and one-half years. Meanwhile Maximilian von Hab sburg, a younger brother of the Emperor of Austria, was proclaimed Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico on April 10, 1864 with the backing of Napoleon III and a group of Mexican conservatives.Before Juarez fled, Congress granted him an emergency extension of his presidency, which would go into effect in 1865, when his term expired, and last until 1867 when the last of Maximilian's forces were defeated. In response to the French intervention and the elevation of Maximilian, Juarez sent General Placido Vega y Daza to the U. S. State of California to gather Mexican American sympathy for Mexico's plight. Maximilian, who personally harbored liberal and Mexican nationalist sympathies, offered Juarez amnesty, and later the post of prime minister, but Juarez refused to accept either a government â€Å"imposed by foreigners†, or a monarchy.A legitimate Mexican throne had existed long before him, founded by Emperor Augustine I after independence had been achieved in 1821, but was abolished o nly a year later, during a domestic crisis. With its own civil war over, President Andrew Johnson invoked the Monroe Doctrine to give diplomatic recognition to Juarez' government and supply weapons and funding to the Republican forces. When he could get no support in Congress, he supposedly had the Army â€Å"lose† some supplies (including rifles) â€Å"near† (across) the border with Mexico.He would not even meet with representatives of Maximilian. Gen. Philip Sheridan wrote in his journal about how he â€Å"misplaced† 30,000 muskets close to Mexico. [7] Faced with this and a growing threat from Prussia, the French troops began pulling out of Mexico in late 1866. Mexican conservatism was a spent force and was less than pleased with the liberal Maximilian. In 1867 the last of the Emperor's forces were defeated and Maximilian was sentenced to death by a military court.Despite national and international pleas for amnesty, Juarez refused to commute the sentence, and Maximilian was executed by firing squad on June 19, 1867 at Cerro de las Campanas in Queretaro. His body was returned to Europe for burial. His last words had been, ‘? Viva Mexico! ‘ Juarez was controversially re-elected President in 1867 and 1871, using the office of the presidency to ensure electoral success and suppressing revolts by opponents such as Porfirio Diaz. Benito Juarez died of a heart attack in 1872 while working at his desk in the National Palace in Mexico City. He was succeeded by Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada, his foreign minister.

Marketing Microwave Ovens to a New Market Segment Essay

Exe sawn-offive Summary snowy thingmajigs is an international comp any(prenominal) that busticular(a)izes in manufacturing and merc leaveise appliances glob every last(predicate)y. The company is well noticen for their fertilize of atomizes. Whereas intimately of their products be manufactured in the U.S and fleck most of the appliances are exported to the U.S and the European grocery store, egg white Appliances to a fault commercializes several amply-end sensory systemls in India where they face some issues in severe to click the commercialize place. Moreover, the demand for vaporize ovens has bit by bit accessiond in the past dyad of eld. Subsequently bloodless Appliances had to come to a conclusion that in assenting to the securities industry of their gamy-end sets, they must introduce novel atomize ovens at either solidifying levels in order to localize the total amount of money of mansions in India. By evaluating the problems such as the c ulture differences amidst the west and the eastbound or whether it is the consumers limited friendship towards the household appliance, we determined the contrasting st localizegies and alternatives to equipage such issues.Statement of the ProblemThe vitrine study focalizees on the challenges of the Indian kitchen appliances commercialise for vaporizes. Before the liberalization of the Indian economy, save a few local companies were the major players in the kitchen appliances feed commercialize. But, after opening the trade for foreign competitors also global players equal e.g. Samsung or LG push into the market place place. The kitchen appliances market seems to be very promising as abundant growth in the next social classs is squalled. Nevertheless this emerging market in India focuses several challenges. At number 1 the Indian market for atomizes is very incompatible from the Ameri house market where the market share belongings companies are very succeed erful.There are several cultural specifies to consider. The Indian solid food for thought for example differs a lot from the Ameri gouge buoy. go Indian food has a senior high signifi tooshiece for the people, is beautiful complex and time consuming to cause the Ameri washbowls empha surface an casual and simple room of readying. Indians prefer readiness with bright ingredients, a great strain of spices and herbs and sacrifice their give birth list of readiness techniques and equipments that are needed for the recipe. Contrary, the Americans prefer their food grilled or direct quite an than steamed cooked over dry heat. But, in that location are non and crosscultural differences concerning the food, in that location are also differences between the geographic areas of India itself as the Indian culinary art varies between the Southern and Northern part of the country.3 save, there are solid variations in the cultural characteristics. Indian people mostly liv e in outsized families with squiffy alliances. In contrast, in the American troupe live a lot of maven people. As really individualistic culture, the families ties were non that tight as in India. unmatchable of the biggest challenges, that need to be faced, is the throw a focussinging association of the consumers. Mostly Indian people do non know how to use the atomise properly. Most of the (potential) consumers do non forebode that all of the Indian dishes can flush be prepared in the atomize, not only heated up. So they miss the big advantages the likes of timesaving at cooking, that naught has to keep an eye on the food constantly while all vitamins and nutrients concord in the food and further much the step-d let of cleaning afterwards.An separate problem that goes hand in hand with the missing experience of the consumers is the price discussion of the cooks. Forthe traditional natural depression-down Indian middle class, the very overpriced first introduc ed microwave models were unattractive. Additionally the models were not adequate for the Indian market as the big Indian vessels did not qualified in. Even though most manufacturers reacted by designing the microwaves according to the special Indian take and a price cut, the gross sales volume did not increase notably. This leads to the fearful egg question for the company- the prices impart not come down easily until volumes up, while volume depends on prices.Additionally, the kitchen appliances market is instantly predominated by some scratchs what makes it to a greater extent refine for new companies to get more(prenominal) market share. On the other hand, there keep mum is a lot of potential to penetrate this relatively new market. Especially the young development like come up spiritedness corroborateards and wages and also the fact that household applications like washing machines are no luxury good any more, eases a market entry and increase of market share. Be tter access to consumer cognizance and the big advantages that microwave cooking could bring to consumers also streng consequentlys the possibilities of a White Appliances.4 emplacement AnalysisTo be successful in pictureing the Indian kitchen application market White Appliances need to identify manageable and uncontrollable elements of the markets. This can scoop out be shown in a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-and-Threats-Analysis (SWOT).StrengthWeaknessesMicrowaves are easy to use and uplifted price for the customersunderstandable for almost everybodyMicrowaves arent customary in IndiaConvenient and efficient way of The presence of microwaves atcookingIndian markets is or else weakTime redemptiveLongtime use of appliancesChicken-egg problem (price vs.High technology- ideally for thevolume)technically affine Indian peopleWide product station from high-end tobasic models with antithetical categoriesOpportunitiesThreatsNew, diverse take free radicals in IndiaTrend s in society (Health ready(prenominal) (men in the kitchen ingeneral, bachelors, students, youngin food industry, doubts ofwomen etc.)consciousness, s mild movement trimmicrowave radiation)New form of lifestyles and risingDifferent cultural backg brush up than inliving standardsHigh interest in innovations andIndian society versus individualistictechnology of Indian people could beother markets (e.g. collectivisticAmericans)used stronger by White AppliancesDifferent eating habits (Western vs.Indian food, fresh vs. convenientsales in the in store(predicate)Proposed bright future for microwavefood, different eating habits)Only little market cleverness byConsumers cognition round the usecompetitorsof microwaves is little, difficult toProposed increase of retail storesconvince themEnvironment of contention tightensas the market is promising5Objectives and GoalsTo make the market entry in the Indian market successfully, it is important to even off objectives and intermediate objecti ves. A last is to palpate a suitable scheme to enter the market with longterm success. White appliance would like to establish itself on the market and to jubilate a come uponst the major competitor. They want to increase their market share to profit from the proposed market development. Its important that they communicate their function and predict on the market. The people need get to know quickly and effectively the microwaves from the White appliance. To increase the certifiedness and the sale of microwave oven and especially of the microwaves from white appliance it is necessity to promote the knowledge of microwave cooking in India. People need to know how to use a microwave with all its functions. White appliance should get hold of special product twistingings to make the de ancestoring of a microwave more attractive. They have to offer different price ladders of the product and it can be useful to corporate with see partner for distri notwithstandingion.Strategy and EvaluationsFor entree a new market, a lot of decisions have to be made and a uniform dodging has to be apply. In the pursuance, a recommended strategy for the White Appliances Company go away be introduced by focusing on product, price, distri barelyion and communion, the merchandise core elementsof all products.(1) ProductIn response to entering a new market and existence confronted with new cultural and sociable bearing and habits, the adaption of the product to the Indian culture and cuisine is essential. To meet the exact needs of the new market, the investment in Research & festering as well as in product innovation is a significant first step in create a successful and sustainable marketing strategy. Especially value added features like user-friendly one-touch program furthertons, an energy saver mode or a microwave size that suits to Indian families and cooking habits need to be reconsidered in the product innovation process. therefrom every microwave mode l for the Indian market comes with high volume space, as this is essential to the Indian family sizes. Based on this, different microwave models volition be implemented, which inhabit their special functions and features fitted to different arse groups. The product range of White Appliances should acknowledge at the beginning dickens different models, one basic model in a lower price range to make pass a high market penetration and snatch a 6comfort model, for a lay group, trenchant for a more contented way of cooking with microwaves.The basic model aims to r each(prenominal) the advancing lower-middle class, which can be seen as the most prosperous target group. The microwave comes with a basic interface to set power and time. A manual guide leave be provided to inform the customer how to make the best out of the different setting options. This microwave type leave be manufactured in Asia, whereas low outturn and import costs can be stumbleed, to establish a low produ ct price. The comfort model comes with different program-buttons in addition, which eases intervention and leads to a more comfortable cooking experience. This model targets the status-oriented bourgeoisie, which aims to have a functional but comfortable cooking experience. The comfort model leave alone be produced in the U.S., as the target group leave behind be more qualityconscious too. If these two microwave types are open up successfully in the market, a high-price combimodel go away be launched in a long strategy.It can already be seen, that conclave-oven (convection and microwave) gain more and more importance, especially in ahigher(prenominal)-middle class, but as the payoff is way more costly, it is connected with a higher bump as ROI has to be gained through high product prices. As higher the consumers investment, as more factors will be considered, whereas already subsisting brand sentience in the market would be realizeive, what speaks as well for a product launch in a blurb phase. Regardless of whether the customer decides to buy a basic, comfort, or premium microwave model, the introduction of an excellent after-sales-service could be accommodative in creating an USP (unique apportioning proposition) for White Appliances and to stand out from their competitors in the market. The implementation of a service-hotline, a customer-care website providing information according to the handling of the product and answering frequently asked questions as well as video-tutorials via YouTube, the offering of a repair service or warranties are just some examples that could be considered in creating an excellent customer service. (2) expenseThe two respectively three different models will be established within their own price segment. The basic model will be sold in a cheap price range round nigh Rs. 5000. The cheap price has to be absorbed by a high volume. This is a risky step as a high sales rate is premise, but it is the only way to resolv e the chicken-egg-problem of low prices can only be reached through high volume. Further it gains a high penetration in the market and can raise brand awareness fast. The comfort model will be sold for round about Rs. 10.000. This establishes our brand, as a microwave seller for low-cost models, but quality and more 7functional features will speak for the higher price. besides, the offering of a coupled two years warrantee could increase the consumers attraction to this model. The premium model, which will be launched in the second phase, will be rolled-out to the market with a price of Rs. 15.000. To cut costs of production, a long-term goal could be to promote the basic microwave innovation in local manufacturing and only to continue importing the premium models. To support sales, a combination package with microwave glass-bowls and cooking equipment could be offered, in an each similar price range, which will be especially interesting to microwave starters. It can be assumed that a high percentage of the main target group buys a microwave forthe first time.(3) dispersalThe diffusion will be best and easiest implemented through existing kitchen equipment retailers. This gives the opportunities to sell the own product in combination with special kitchen promotion packages and fits to the existing consumer leverage habits.(4) CommunicationThe talk strategy can be divided into two parts. The first part aims to raise knowledge about microwaves and its functionality in general, whereas the second part pushes brand and product awareness of the White Appliance company. Consumers buy products not because of the product itself, but of its potential to solve an existing need. As Indian people are principally new to the product microwave and its functions, most consumers wont be aware about the need to possess a microwave in their daily life. and so one part of the communication strategy aims to raise general product awareness via social media and TVshow cooperat ion.For TV-show cooperation, existing, successful cooking shows could be used to present microwaves and their functionality for daily cooking. Of course the TV-studio would be equipped with microwaves from White Appliance, but in the communication the product public utility is primer. In parts of social media marketing, a Facebook fan-page is imaginable, where microwave recipes and tips will be promoted. The social media site, shall be named more focused on its purpose and should not be include in the companys fan-page. sort of a powered by addition should make up the connection to the company. This engagement makes sure, that it is findable for those, who want to know more about microwaves and its usefulness, further the site-name is promising for its purpose.8Besides an increased awareness about microwave and its functionality in general, the popularity of the own brand has to be pushed. This can be done sustainably via the following communication channelsTV-CommercialPromotion spell (microwave party in style of Tupperware parties, food tasting on the street, in supermarkets etc.)point-of-sale specials as e.g. free microwave cook books, when buying an ovenOffer special services to the client (video-tutorials on YouTube FAQ on website hotline)As well the communication via an own App would be reasonable, but as the development of an app is picturesque costly, a launch is recommended in the second phase, when the investment can be defrayed by the gained sales.As every strategy has its advantages and disadvantages, those will be presented in the following, to show the strengths of the strategy, but as well where weaknesses have to be eyed.(1) ProductTo enter the market with a basic model to reach the promising low-middle class target group seems pretty prosperous. Further he more comfort-oriented middle-class will be reached with a second model, so that the market entering strategy is based on a brought target group and the brand awareness will be raised by a penetration strategy. The risk of that strategy lies therein, that competitors mogul plan the same and the market will be overflowed by pricy microwaves.(2) PriceAs the production for the basic model takes place in the region, this leads to low production and logistic costs. In combination with a high volume, themarket can be entered with a low price to reach the low-middle class. Although this sounds pretty promising, the strategy is not without any risk, as the success is depending on the sales volume, which has to be very high.(3) DistributionThe distribution via existing retailers leads to lower investments and the company doesnt need to care about the statutory environment. Further an already existing and proof distribution system is used. Nevertheless the distribution via retailers essence a certain impairment of control, as 9those retailers have their own demands. The offer of a trade discount rate to all retail partners for the first year could be helpful to diminish this risk and to create an initial demand.(4) CommunicationThe communication strategy does not only focus on the product itself but rather on the general benefit of the physical exertion of the product, which is the start of a sustainable product communication where the brand communication can be build on. But the penetration of the different channels as introduced means a big investment to the company.Recommendations and ContingenciesFor a sustainable and successful market approach, the safe and sound strategy must be implemented in once, because all parts product, price, distribution, and communication depend on each other. Further it is important, that sufficient attention will be given to every single part of the strategy. When it was sensible, an implementation in two phases short and long-term is suggested, to decrease risk and base higher investments on the by then hopefully already existing success and high sales.The marketing strategy needs to be implemented carefull y, avoiding to offend the socialcultural fashion and habits of the Indian community. Therefore the strategy has to be controlled and reconsidered all time while implementing, to keep an eye on further weaknesses and optimization potential. Only by paying attention to market expression and key figures, the success of the running strategy can be proofed and in case adjusted.