At&T vs Skype Essay

This analysis provides an overview of the current and prospective opportunities for Skype, a Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) company. The report finds that Skype’s revenue has decreased dramatically in the last three years mainly due to the increase in competition. Josh Silverman, president of Skype, realizes some decisions must be made in order to remain an industry leader. The company’s current growth plan strategy includes three phases. Phase 1 though already completed, was to become operational on at least one platform, with one revenue system, and focus on one market with one primary service. Phase 2 consist of developing many platforms, diversified revenue streams, many conversation modes, many regions and market targets. Phase 3 encompasses multiple market segments, established products, regional ubiquity, and mature target markets. Though Skype is well developed there are still potential growth opportunities. These opportunities include expansion of existing calling plans and prices, incenting existing users to ‘sell’ Skype to new users and collaborating with cell phone providers. With the market growing rapidly the next phase taken by Skype is crucial in their development. By using the current opportunities Silverman can advance the company as well as attack other providers in the industry. SYNOPSIS OF CASE FACTS Skype is a software application that essentially allows users to use any telephone or videoconference services over any internet connection. This transmission is called VoIP (as shown in Appendix A) and because of the reasonable long-distance and local call packages this option has become an attractive economical alternative to landline or traditional cell phone plan. Josh Silverman, president of Skype, is faced with making the next strategic move that will put Skype in a better position to successfully compete in the telecommunications industry. In order for Silverman and his leadership team to proceed with the next steps it is recommended that they first assess the economic environment. It is important to understand the economic environment that it currently has, as well as the predictions for growth within the industry. Finally, Skype’s key success factors (KSF’s) include cost, building relationships with mobile operators, globalization and word of mouth promotion by existing users. If Skype can focus on one of these KSF’s and be uniquely different where it sets them apart from rivals then Skype will continue to see growth in users and revenue. In terms of market size and growth rate, The VoIP market increased 66% from 2005-2006 with a projected continual increase of growth for decade upwards of 150%. This growth was due to the inclusion of an expansion to other ways of utilizing VoIP services. From internet to cell phone usage, the forecasts called for VoIP applications to create $32.2 billion in profit with over 270 million users. As of 2009, Skype would not be considered a major competitor within the VoIP Market. Comcast Corporation, which held 31.5% of the market, was the leader by 15.3%. Time Warner was in second with 16.2%, and Cox Enterprises, Inc. at 9.6% was only 1.3% ahead of Vontage Holdings Corp. with 8.3%. The rest of the market, which was considered as â€Å"other†, encompassed 34.4% in which Skype captured a small share. All of the major competitors growth rates from 2005-2009 were declining rapidly. For Skype, this was good news because the projections in growth of U.S. and Europe users from 2005-2011 showed 17% increase in the U.S. and 37% increase in Europe. ​Although major players had a traditional stronghold on the telephone industry, Skype services created a substantial technological pull that provided a major shift in the macro environment for these majority companies. In addition, the transition from PTSN to VoIP technology also sparked regulatory and social conversations of change. And according to our textbook, â€Å"since macroeconomic factors affect different industries in different ways†¦it is important for managers to determine which these represent the most strategically relevant factors† (Thompson, Peterraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2012). For Skype, this environment was ripe with opportunities for growth, and the company decided to strategically chart their progressive growth into diversification through a phased plan incorporating the one to any platform functionalities. In addition, Skype would need to be concerned about new technology which provided potential new entrants an opportunity to gain market share . ​ The VoIP industry is in the growth stage of the lifecycle process in 2009. The landline telephone market is in decline due to f the attractive and less expensive option of VoIP technology, which can utilize the increasing amount of cheaper internet connectivity. Other markets such as the cell phone market are starting to introduce technology that based on current projections over half of the cell phone market will be VoIP based technologies by 2019. ​Skype’s virtual market encompasses a global strategy due to the unlimited potential and increasing deployment of fiber optic networks internationally. The barriers to entry are reasonable because they already have achieved substantial growth and success within one platform. Additionally, gaining access to technologies through innovation, acquisitions, and mergers are ways to go from their one to any platform in the future. The Company to work to establish itself in markets that are emerging, and where other players have not focused. STRATEGIC ISSUES AND KEY PROBLEMS SWOT analysis, see Appendix B was performed highlighting the positives and negatives within the company. Skype has succeeded in the market primarily due to aggressive pricing. However, the competitive pricing also puts Skype at a disadvantage. Although Skype’s growth numbers show a 47%, 72% and 61% increase in registered users, Skype minutes and Skype out minutes, respectively, in fourth quarter of 2008, Skype witnesses a decrease in revenue growth, 46% to 26% from Q308 to Q408, respectively. The company uses a broad differentiation strategy to appeal to buyers and offers competitive pricing, suggesting that buyers can reduce fees associated with long-distance and local calls that are incurred with their current telephone provider. A defined strength is word of mouth advertising which has ultimately kept down operating costs. Everyone loves Skype because it is largely free. The executive team at Skype is faced with crafting a strategy that will put Skype in a position to compete with heavy hitters in the market like Comcast (31.5% of the market share), Time Warner Cable, Cox Enterprises and Vonage Holdings. A key strategy for Comcast was the acquisition of AT&T’s cable operations. This move increased Comcast’s membership by expanding business geographically into 6 other states. Please refer to Appendix C for competitive matrix. DRIVING FACTORS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS Skype has several driving factors for the recommended solutions. One, the ‘fan base’ is instrumental in promoting the application. According to the executive outlook, ‘Skype becomes more valuable as more people use it, thereby creating an incentive for existing users to encourage new users to join’ (Thompson, Peterraf, Gamble, Strickland, 2012). Secondly, Skype offers competitive pricing and plans which has attracted many users but a slight modification of addendum to the plan would promote profitability. Finally, acquisitions of competitors have been successful for other rivals, yet it could be expensive and not something that Skype could afford to do now. An alternative would be to continue to collaborate with cell phone providers. RECOMMENDATIONS The leadership team at Skype should focus on modifying and building out the calling plan to boost revenues. Skype-to-Skype minutes has seen the greatest growth between Q307 and Q408, 72%, however this plan is free. The addition of a small fee to this service or offering a prepaid bundled package could dramatically increase revenue in this area. Another strategy is to continue collaborating with cell phone providers making it easier for users to access Skype from mobile devices, not just desktops or laptops. Market penetration with mobile devices could increase membership and revenue. Also, Skye could partner with major W-Fi hotspot providers to have a â€Å"Skype Here† promotion where places like Starbucks would partner with Skype to encourage people to Skype from their stores. This would increase the time that a customer could spend in the store, and refresh the idea of Skyping from with a pleasure activity like getting a cup of coffee. This could lead to promotions with Skype as well. For example, if a member spends 300 minutes Skyping at a certain Starbucks then they would get a coupon for a free coffee at that location. With IM, Facetime, and other Communications applications the struggle is to keep Skype in the consumers mind as the preferred method of making communication, as opposed to the other methods. Lastly, offer incentives to existing users to encourage new users to join Skype. The incentive payout would have to line-up with the price points of the calling plans. ​Another area that Skype should explore is the corporate or B2B communications, companies spend thousands each year using conference calls, or virtual meetings. Skype should design a simple method for business to offer a fixed price conference calling plan on a per employee basis. The corporate market is largely untapped and corporations typically have a robust IT infrastructure that lends itself well to Skype. ​

The effects of Information and Communication Technologies Essay

In the last few years India has made rapid strides as a developing nation. Education has played a key role in that. Educational institutions, which lay down the foundation for learning and understanding, have reached out to the corners of the country. The purpose of this paper aims to bring together the findings and key points from a review of significant part of the available literature associated with ICTs for Education and ICTs in Education. This review set out to identify and evaluate relevant strategies in national and international research and initiatives related to measuring and demonstrating the effective use of ICT for education. Schools, colleges, IIMs, IITs and other professional institutions are no longer confined to the metros but are reaching out to the fringe areas as well. What has been critical in this regard is that not only the sources of education have increased, but the manner in which knowledge is imparted has also gone a sea change, courtesy the information an d communication technology. Summary: Information and communication technologies (ICT) have become commonplace entities in all aspects of life. The use of ICT in education lends itself to more student-centred learning settings. Effective use of ICT for Education, along with ICT use in the teaching learning process, quality and accessibility of education, learning motivation is shown in this paper. The introduction of the term ‘ICT’ (information and communication technology) around 1992, when e-mail started to become available to the general public (Pelgrum, W.J., Law, N., 2003). The concept of mobile learning was emerged about a decade ago and got recognition as a new research field. Many countries now regard understanding ICT and mastering the basic skills and concepts of ICT as part of the core of education, alongside reading, writing and numeracy. The world moving rapidly into digital media and information, the role of ICT in education is becoming more and more important and this importance will continue to grow and develop in the 21st century. According to a United Nations report (1999) ICTs cover Internet service provision, telecommunications equipment and services, information technology  equipment and services, media and broadcasting, libraries and documentation centres, commercial information providers, network-based information services and other related information and communication activities. According to UNESCO (2002) information and communication technology (ICT) may be regarded as the combination of ‘Informatics technology’ with other related technology, specifically communication technology. The 1990s was the decade of computer communications and information. ICTs for education refers to the development of information and communications technology specifically for teaching/learning purposes, while the ICTs in education involves the adoption of general components of information and communication technologies in the teaching learning process. ICT enhancing teaching and learning process: The field of education has been affected by ICTs, which have undoubtedly affected teaching, learning and research (Yusuf, 2005). Teachers generate meaningful and engaging learning experiences for their students, strategically using ICT to enhance learning. ICT enhancing the quality and accessibility of education: ICT increases the flexibility of delivery of education so that learners can access knowledge anytime and from anywhere. ICT enhancing learning Environment: ICT presents an entirely new learning environment for students, thus requiring a different skill set to be successful. ICT enhancing learning motivation: ICTs can enhance the quality of education in several ways, by increasing learner motivation and engagement, by facilitating the acquisition of basic skills, and by enhancing teacher training. ICT enhancing the scholastic performance: Based on the extensive usage of ICTs in education the need appeared to unravel the myth that surrounds the use of information and communication technology (ICT) as an aid to teaching and learning, and the impact it has on students’ academic performance. Scope of Mobile Learning: Information and Communication Technology is playing a vital role to shaping the learning method, by providing better resources to learn remotely. Mobile technology was presented in 1990s and become the most popular way of communication. Mobile learning facilitates learners to move effortlessly over varied positions and to connect up learning in different localities. CONCLUSION: Education has become one of the most important issues not only for the individuals but for organizations and governments around the world. Since the world is changing rapidly with the advancement in technology informal ways of learning are also required for that purpose. ICTs for education refers to the development of information and communications technology specifically for teaching/learning purposes, while the ICTs in education involves the adoption of general components of information and communication technologies in the teaching learning process. This literature review has sought to explore the role of ICT in education as we progress into the 21st century. Mobile enabled technology has played an important role to build and implement new solutions for informal learning. The adoption and use of ICTs in education have a positive impact on teaching, learning, and research. The overall literature suggests that successful ICT integration in education. References: An Effective use of ICT for Education and Learning by Drawing on Worldwide Knowledge, Research, and Experience, ICT as a Change Agent for Education (A LITERATURE REVIEW), Syed Noor-Ul-Amin, Ph.D Research Scholar, Department Of Education, University Of Kashmir e.mail:syd_aman@rediffmail.com. Volume 4, No. 8, May-June 2013 International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science RESEARCH PAPER, Available Online at www.ijarcs.info

World War II through the 1970s Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

World War II through the 1970s - Research Paper Example This is not to say that the bipolar nature of the world, exhibited during the Cold War years did not have an impact upon whether or not the United States continued to grow as a global superpower. Rather, the following analysis to discuss leverage a greater level of understanding with regards to how the United States ultimately came to be the superpower that it is today and continues to exhibit a high degree of leverage and strength with regards decisions that are made throughout. It is the hope of this author that such a level of understanding will useful with regards to allowing the reader to have a more firm grasp of how global dynamics of power are illustrated and the degree and extent to which the United States actively access to retain as global superpower. Firstly, in order to understand why the United States came to be a global superpower, one must realize that ever since 1948, the Bretton Woods Agreement had delineated the United States dollar as the international currency of global exchange. This, in tandem with the fact that the greatest economic competitors the United States had been reduced to smoldering ruins as a result of the Second World War, proved to be the fundamental boost that the United States required in order to dominate global politics. Whereas prior transactions had been based upon a litany of different currencies and exchange rates, with trade delineated in United States dollars, the degree and extent to which the United States could price set and gain a degree of advantage within trade interaction was maximize. As such, with the United States any unique position to benefit from global trade, regardless of where the origin or destination of that trade might be, the United States experienced a unique advantage over all other nations within the system (Gartner, 2013). However, as briefly discussed above, the results of the Second World War meant that the nations of Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, and a litany of other s were ultimately in shambles. As such, the only real competition that existed for the United States within an economic realm was with respect to the Soviet Union. However, due to the fact that the Soviet Union was ultimately a communist nation, it was only a threat with regards to trade and international exchange between themselves and other socialist/communist sympathizing nations (Saull, 2013). As such, the United States ultimately found itself in a position in which it could not only dominate global trade but remain in a position of command and control over this trade with respect to the fact that all trade was carried out by the United States dollar. At face value, it may seem as if the Cold War was ultimately a period in time in which the United States was struggling, both militarily and economically, against another global superpower – the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. However, upon closer inspection, this struggle in and of itself did not necessarily weaken the extent to which the United States could experience a level of benefit and maximize its position as a global superpower. As a result of the nature of the conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States, the entire world was ultimately forced into two distinct camps; those that supported the United States and its allies and those that support the Soviet Union and its allies. As such, the United States was presented with the situation which something of a captive market was for global dominance and. Within this captive market, the United States was able to dominate decision-making, military contracts, the right

Research Project Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Research Project - Dissertation Example It has been estimated that in the next four years, the mobile industry would be investing around $793 billion in the capital and about $2.7 trillion to the public funding. Various research states that the global base of subscribers would be approximately around 4.6 billion, and the number of mobile connections would reach to around 9.1 billion by the end of 2015, which is presently around 6.6 billion. The mobile industry is considered as a success story (The Economic Times, 2012; AlShebil, 2007). This is because of its power, which has also transformed the other industries such as healthcare, transaction, payments, education, etc (Sandle, 2013). According to GSM Association, Mobile penetration of around 10 percent escalates the GDP of a developed by around 0.6 percent and 0.81 percent of any developing country. Even in the low income countries, around 1-0 percent increase in mobile penetration increases 1.4 percent of GDP (The Economic Times, 2012). However, these are all assumptions , but according to Gartner (2013), the sales of mobile phone declined by 1.7 percent in the first quarter of 2012. The tables have shifted and the leadership in mobile phone industry has gone from Nokia to Apple and Samsung, which is controlling about 52 percent of Smartphone sales presently (Cyber Media Research, 2013). In 2012, it was recorded that the sales of mobile phones worldwide was around 1.75 billion units in the year 2012, which increased to 207.7 million units at the end of the same year. This indicated a hike of 38.3 percent in sales (Egham, 2013). Garter has also predicted that the demand for feature phone is likely to fall considerably in 2013. This is mainly because of the increasing demand for smart phones. Samsung has taken the lead in the smart phone industry followed by Apple. Companies like Huawei, Blackberry, ZTE, Nokia, LG, HTC, and Motorola has strong presence in the global mobile market too. However, with the strong support of Android software, Samsung is ca nnibalizing the market share of most of the market leaders (Egham, 2013; Czinkota, and Ronkainen, 2007). 1.2 Research Problem The mobile phone market is saturated with products, yet every day a new piece of innovation can be seen. The market leaders are cannibalizing each others’ market share. In this scenario, it becomes difficult to identify the swift changes in demand for a particular mobile brand. However, in this research study the changing demands and preference for Iphones and Blackberry

Discussion Questions 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Questions 2 - Coursework Example Achieving of these targets and thus successful strategy creation can be done through utilizing a series of â€Å"hows† that enables the company to plan its business growth, to meet customers’ needs and to prepare to the changing market conditions. The process of strategy implementation includes managing of operations aimed to achieve organizational goals and objectives. This part of converting strategic views into the concrete actions requires managers to direct organizational actions, be able to motivate people in order to meet the performance targets. A strategy is a distinctive way that allows the company to understand where it wants to be from the current situation, how to manage future direction and how to get there. It is also about how the company would be set apart from the rivals, respond to the changing market conditions, manage business, improve the performance gaps in order to achieve its competitive edge. These are the main conditions and reasons for the businesses to develop a strategy and why it is so important. Once a strategy is developed, an organization in ready to make decisions and involve stakeholders for future performance. As business model represents an economic spectre of making money, a viable business model allows an organization to have a material profit from its products and services but it also gives consumers a benefit from using them. Under such conditions, each part of the business, its owners and stakeholders, are satisfied with the outcome, which is profit for the company and good service or product for the

Potential and Possible Consequences of Systemic Financial Crisis Essay

Potential and Possible Consequences of Systemic Financial Crisis - Essay Example The paper now outlines the principal theoretical approaches to the financial crisis. The first two sections cover, respectively, the concept of contagious runs on financial institutions and markets, and the aspects of financial regulation, which seek to protect against such events. I then assess two 'traditional' views of the financial crisis, which attempt to explain exclusively the totality of financial crises, namely the financial fragility and monetarist approaches. These are followed by more recent paradigms, which seek to clarify the mechanisms involved in crises, namely uncertainty, credit rationing, asymmetric information/agency costs, and aspects of the dynamics of dealership markets. It is important, to begin with, an argument of contagious runs since they are the principal identifying factor for crises. Of all the types of risks to banks, the focus here is on liquidity risk, which is the inability to obtain funding to finance operations, though it may be linked to interest -rate and credit risk. Although most of the analysis covers banks, these concepts can also be applied to other financial institutions and even securities markets. Any event, however extraneous, but including runs on or insolvency of other banks can according to Diamond and Dybvig (1983), provoke such runs. Such an effect might be particularly potent for banks, which are creditors of the bank in distress. Runs are also likely when the equity of banks is a small proportion of balance-sheet totals, as depositors' fears of moral hazard increase, assuming managers' actions cannot be perfectly monitored (L. J. White 1989). And, more generally, in the presence of asymmetric information, which arises from banks' creation of non-marketable assets, runs may be triggered by any event that makes depositors change their beliefs about banks' riskiness.  Ã‚  

Improving UNBSJ services and facilities Statistics Project

Improving UNBSJ services and facilities - Statistics Project Example In the third place is the University of Waterloo which is ranked the ninth among the other Canadian Universities. The University of New Brunswick is the last among the four ranked position and the twenty fifth among the other universities. The Universities offer varied and wide range of courses. They have difference in population according to the number of courses and expansion in different regions. The Universities with large populations have many constituent colleges and campuses with respect to the high number of courses (timeshighereducation.co.uk, 2012). The University of Toronto was founded in 1827 by the royal charter. The university is recognized as one of the universities that provide the strongest teaching and research faculties in North America. It ranks first in Canada while being sixteenth worldwide. The University has more than seventy thousand student across three campuses: St. George, Mississauga and Scarborough. The University has existed for a long time and is among the few that have produced over four hundred and fifty million alumni all over the world (utoronto.ca, 2012). The university has a large number of international students as compared to the others. The University is committed to upholding recognition as an internationally significant research university with undergraduate, graduate and professional programs of excellent quality. They are known for influential in activities such as the literary criticism, curricula and communication theory. The influential and collectively recognized is the Toronto school. The University offers a wide range of courses from undergraduate, graduate to postdoctoral programs. Most of the programs are delivered at the St. George Campus. The programs offered in the university are grouped in eight different categories: Computer science, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Kinesiology and Physical Education, Life Sciences, Music, Physical and Mathematical Sciences and Rotman

Video Games Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Video Games Violence - Essay Example For instance, there was the case of Virginia Tech massacre, where a student tragically ended the lives of his fellow students in April of 2007. This was just one of the violent acts affiliated with academic institutions, and numerous attributions of violent video games are easily available to anyone. In addition, this case worsens if one has the financial power to invest in a gaming console or just a computer, and even at times, if one can afford to spend time in cyber cafe. Analysts of the Virginia Tech incident sparked debate over violence in video games and their influence on the student who decided to massacre his fellow students. I believe this was the same reason Phil McGraw took to the television screens stating that video games of a violent nature and content have causal effects on the violent nature of the students conduct in killing his fellow college mates. Video games also have significant influences on the behavior of students in being violent towards their schoolmates, for instance, in the case of Phillip Kazmierczak, who shot his fellow students in Northern Illinois University, and evidence points to video games. This is following the fact that he was an avid gamer of violent games, although there may be some form of confounding in which other factors were overlooked prior to make such conclusions that may have led to the shootings. Similarly, video games have been proved to have a profound impact on the behavior of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebod, the main characters in the Columbine High shooting. The above said two, are known to have been fans and avid players of the game â€Å"Doom† (Ferguson 26). Even though records indicate that video games are not to blame for every act of school violence, every two out of five are directly related to video games. However, relying on statistics, video games are the highest causal agents of school shootings especially considering that there are many who view those that view video games as causal agents are only seeking to find a scapegoat. Personally, I believe it also means that, in spite of all opposition on the dangerous effects of games on the wellbeing and safety of students in college and institutions of learning, video games play a significant role. As of the case of Columbine High shooting, students who were well acquainted with the perpetrators gave detailed information on the level of exposure to violent games. This includes their networked computers in order to play games in multiplayer mode against each other and even against other computers. Moreover, the two perpetrators were exposed for hours on end, which can be perceived as a tool to harden and get their skills to the outside world, in this case, fellow students. Furthermore, with the games that the two were hooked on, â€Å"Doom and Quake†, the level of violence portrayed is not one that anyone can boast of considering it led to the real loss of human life. In addition, considering that the killings were d one by the two as a team, it appears more as a continuation of their gaming process in their favorite video games that saw the loss of twelve lives. In addition, once an individual is exposed to violent media, of which video games are included; their cognitive, affective and behavioral processes are altered (Funk et al 23). This process

Nursing Professional Collaboration - Developing Professional Identity Essay

Nursing Professional Collaboration - Developing Professional Identity - Essay Example This angel is no other than the nurse, who takes care of her patient as if it were her own. Nursing is a profession aims to provide medical assistance to individuals, families, community in their times of distress and illness. When I was a kid I thought of every wild profession to choose when I grow up. But as I grew up a lot of changes occurred and I had a severe accident and was hospitalized. At first it seemed that all was lost and I might never recover. The doctors would chat merrily with me to keep my hopes up but somehow I would not trust them. My nurse whom I came to realize during my stay at the hospital was a human but worked like a machine all day long. She would attend to several patients of every illness thinkable but would keep a happy face and seeing her work furiously around gave me strength and I decided to be like her and help people in their time of greatest need. Hospitals face a great shortage of nurses and this makes nurses to work long shifts. But I was not frig htened by the long shifts in fact it strengthened my decision and I studied to become a professional nurse in the future. â€Å"Ontario Nurses Association predicts a nationwide loss if 15000 nurses in the nest several years due to changes in system (Hiscott, 1998).† Although living in the US I read about the profession in other parts of the world too. Having completed my basic education and now as a student nurse I thought about the doctors who pass us instructions. Doctor’s instructions guide us how to manage a patient’s medicines. â€Å"Like many evolutional careers, outdated or previous trends persist in nurses (Jones & Bartlett, 2009).† Considering my decision to enter the medical services field, I considered becoming a doctor. My search in the both revealed that a doctor might be earning more than a nurse but his knowledge is limited. I say limited in a sense that a doctor has no concern about the patients that are not related to him. Doctors are spe cialized in their desired fields. A heart surgeon would not deal any patient that is not a heart patient. Similarly an orthopedic has no concern with a dental patient. A nurse on the other hand would deal all these patients with the restriction of knowledge. Because doctors cannot attend to a patient whose category is out of their knowledge. My intention to become a nurse strengthened. I read about the work and duties of a doctor. Media nowadays has made people more aware. I consulted all the knowledge I could obtain to choose my career as a nurse. Even though the relationship between a doctor and a patient seems transparent but it is not. â€Å"We physicians don’t tell everything to patients (Pauline W. Chen, 2012).† My desire to be a helpful human being was marred by reading this. I felt the passion in me would soon burn out if I kept secrets from my patients. The patients who would rely on me to help them escape their agony should know the truth. I talked about my d ecision with my family to enter the medical career and like everyone’s reaction, I was asked to become a doctor. But after a battle of arguments my family too acknowledged that a nurse is more helpful to the society than a doctor. My seniors who are professional nurses taught us a lot about how to deal with patients and nurses are a messiah to these patients in distress. A nurse needs to have a strong heart as we have to deal with all the dirty work. When a person comes to the hospital on a stretcher unconscious and bleeding to death nurses

Health Care Providers Essay Example for Free

Health Care Providers Essay Health Care Providers Respiratory therapists care for people of all ages with restricted breathing problems such as emphysema, chronic obstructed pulmonary disease and asthma. Respiratory therapists may work in hospitals, long term care facilities, physicians’ offices, and home health services. Respiratory therapists must have an associate’s degree, although most have a both an associates and bachelor’s degree from an accredited college. They are licensed in all states except Alaska (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2012). Licensure requires passing a state certification or professional examination. Respiratory therapists teach patients how to use inhalers and aerosol machines. They provide counseling on smoking cessation. Also set-up, connects, and monitors ventilators for patients that cannot breathe on their own. Respiratory therapists also perform chest physiotherapy on cystic fibrosis patients to remove mucus from their lungs to make it easier for them to breathe. They also perform diagnostic testing such as Pulmonary Function Testing and Methocholine Challenge Testing. The Pulmonary Function Tests provides physicians information on the patient’s lung capacity and breathing ability to assist them in prescribing the appropriate medication. The Methocholine Challenge Test determines if the patient has reversible asthma disease. The Respiratory therapist also performs a test called polysomnogram, a test to determine if a person has sleep apnea (breathing pauses during sleep). The annual median pay for Respiratory therapists as of May 2010 is $54, 280 (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2012). Employment of Respiratory therapists is expected to grow 28% from 2010 to 20120 (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2012) because of the rise in the in the number of elderly with increased incident of emphysema, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia and other respiratory diseases that restrict lung function or cause permanent damage. Also affecting the increase in the need for respiratory therapists is the continued use of all forms of smoking, air pollution and respiratory emergencies. A podiatrist is commonly known as a foot doctor, but is really a doctor of podiatric medicine (DPM). Podiatrists treat and diagnosis conditions of the feet, ankles, and lower legs. Podiatrists must complete four years of training in a podiatric medical school, after earning a bachelor’s degree and three years of residency training in a hospital setting. Podiatrists must be licensed in every state. To become licensed they have to pay a fee and pass  a state exam. Podiatrists can choose to specialize in various fields such as pediatrics, wound care, surgery, sports medicine, or diabetic care. Podiatrists can earn board certification by taking an exam after advanced training and clinical experience. The American Board of Podiatric Medicine and the American Board of Podiatric Surgery are the two certifying boards. Podiatrists traditionally work in private offices either alone or with partners, hospitals, and long-term care. The median annual salary for a podiatrist as of 2010 was $118,030 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2012). The job outlook for podiatrist looks very good in the future, partly due to the limited number of podiatric medical schools and the amount of older podiatrists retiring. Education for chiropractors is one of the stringent of today’s healthcare providers. The chiropractor uses spinal manipulation to relieve the symptoms of low back pain, neck pain, and headaches. Chiropractors believe your body has a natural way of healing itself, the body’s structure, nerves, bones, muscles, and joints are all enter-related, and chiropractic treatment helps to balance your body and promote self-healing. When a person decides to enter chiropractor school he must have already completed fours of pre-medical undergraduate education. Once accepted into an accredited chiropractic college, four to five years of intense professional study is standard. Due to the hands on approach to chiropractic medicine most of the training is done in the clinical training. Because of their extensive training, chiropractors are able to diagnose health problems and refer patients to other healthcare providers as needed. Doctors of chiropractic are required to pass a national exam to become state licensed prior to practicing on their own. Chiropractors work in a variety of settings, hospitals, private practices, and schools. The median annual salary for a chiropractor varies depending on the location and setting, ranging from $ 31,120 to $142, 000 (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2013). Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Respiratory Therapists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/respiratorytherapists.htm http://www.apma.org/learn/content.cfm?ItemNumber=992navItemNumber=558 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Podiatrists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/podiatrists.htm http://www.acatoday.org/level3_css.cfm?T1ID=13T2ID=61T3ID=151 http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291011.htm http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chiropractic http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/respiratory-therapists

Goals Systems Theory: Overview

Goals Systems Theory: Overview Jenna Lyles Section B 1. Equifinality: To understand the system property of Equifinality is to understand the old adage â€Å"There’s more than one way to skin a cat.† This means that ultimately the guarantee of success is not reliant on taking/completing any singular path, procedure, or means of fulfilling a system goal. No one way is the only way, as there are multiple ways in which an organization can reach its goal(s). Equifinality Example: This can be exemplified in the University of Central Florida’s attempt to garner more football game attendance. Initially the university promised large amounts of Link Loot. 1,000 Link Loot points if you come out to the UCF game! (The campaign sought to boost school spirit and morale. I mean, where else do you fully immerse yourself in the college experience if not at your university’s football games?) This attempt was successful, primarily amongst freshman, to whom the idea of Link Look seemed especially promising (it doesn’t fully hit you how broke you are until you’re sitting in your freshman community dorm eating a 38-cent cup of Ramen) because it promoted the chance at winning a scholarship. Game attendance did indeed rise, but then, UCF implemented a new tactic. UCF eventually ended the Link Loot process towards the end of 2012. This posed a problem, how would UCF keep attendance at a high? They university had to think of anothe r way—take another route—to ensure game attendance stay peaked. Well they found one indeed. When UCF started winning its football games we all noticed how much the advertising and broadcasting of our commendable record all over campus shot up. It seemed everywhere you turned our undefeated record was thrown in your face. Naturally, people that lacked school spirit or any interest in showing up at the game only to watch UCF get stomped, picked up. Attendance reached an through the roof again because of UCF’s steady effort to get the word out that the University of Central Florida meant business on the field this year. Thus, we have two different means of garnering football game attendance that were able to work interchangeably. The variety used meet the system goal (high football game attendance) stemmed from two different changes which yielded the same result. 2. Multifinality: Multifinality is the system property that can best be epitomized in â€Å"the pursuit of multiple goals by means of a single activity (Shah et al., 2002). Essentially, it is the notion that one act has the power to spawn multiple reactions. Multifinality is preferable to causes which produce one effect as multifinality is the equivalent of getting an exceptional bang for a regular buck, so to speak. Multifinality Example: At Oakleaf High School when one class ends a bell sounds signaling that students are to proceed to their next class a minute before the tardy bell (which declares them late if they have not reached their next destination) sounds a â€Å"warning bell† sounds. This let’s students know that they have approximately 60 seconds to get to their next class. To say that the halls of Oakleaf High School remained, until the shrill of that warning bell blasted, packed, was an understatement. To reduce the socializing that took place in between classes (that which our three vice principals thought aided tardiness) our principal (Mr. Broski) did away with the warning bell. The first week of the new policy showed promising results in more regions than one: tardiness was at a low, there were less accidents on the stairs (since people were not flying down them, racing to class), and the hallways were finally navigable! In this way Oakleaf High School (the system) killed not two, but three birds with one stone! The stone, or goal in this case, being the pursuit of reducing socializing in between classes. 3. Negative Entropy: Negative entropy is the system property by which a system is able to preserve itself and additionally promote the system’s growth. The notion of negative entropy extensively harps on the significance of a system engaging in necessary exchangesnecessary in that these exchanges permit system survival and success with its environment. In this way, negative entropy suggests that a system’s exhibits a definite dependence on a circulation of information/components shared between it and its environment. Negative Entropy Example: An example of multifinality can be found in the closing-down of Blockbusters nation-wide. Blockbuster was a booming movie and game rental business, before entertainment conveniences like Netflix arrived on the scene. Blockbuster remained closed to its environment in that by the time it considered incorporating methods liken to Netflix and OnDemand (online access to entertainment, mail services, etc.) it was too late and they had suffered irrecoverable blows to their revenue. Ultimately Blockbuster would go out of business, shutting down all of their corporate-owned stores. The CEO’s of Blockbuster primarily owe their failure to a stinted interaction with their environment. The failure to see and adjust to the world of entertainment around them, especially methods of renting/viewing entertainment from the convenience of your home, delineates how they ignored the very environment responsible for their system’s (Blockbuster’s) viability. An argument can definitely be made that the company might have otherwise avoided deterioration if they had maintained an ebb and flow of information between themselves and the progressing environment around them. 4. Requisite Variety: Requisite variety is another system property in which the imperativeness of the relationship between a system and its environment is addressed. Requisite variety is, in itself, self-explanatory. Put a simple â€Å"of† in the middle of requisite and variety and you end up with a concise explanation of the notion: requisite of variety. Meaning, the variety within a system (its inner workings, fundamentals, mechanics, etc.) imposes the requisition that the system’s environment be composed of a liken variety. Basically, the environment of a system should match the system’s innards itself, with regard to complication and diversity (for evolution and survival). Why is this necessary? A system that is ill-equipped to handle/adapt to the intricacies of its environment will be overrun with complication and falter. Requisite Variety Example: The easiest way for me to apply this property is to think about instances in which I (the system) have felt overwhelmed and unable to adapt to the intricacies of the situation around me (the environment). A year ago I was my neighbor’s go-to babysitter. She had the kindest, most docile baby boy: Ethan. He was no problem to babysit; easy to entertain, not a picky-eater, and knocked right out after a bedtime story or two. My means of handling him were ingrained and perfected, and so when Barbara (my neighbor) asked if would mind looking after Mateo and Carlos (Ethan’s cousins) I told her that would be no problem. Unbeknownst to me, Mateo and Carlos were far from the little angel that Ethan was. Mateo was lactose intolerant and Carlos had ADHD which was in full-throttle come 8 o’clock. On top of all of this, Barbara requested I watch the boys at their (Mateo and Carlos’s) house because Ethan was spending the night there. I found mys elf unprepared to surmount the obstacles my environment had set in my path; the change in house layout made it impossible to find simple items, I couldn’t find anything (nutritious, anyway) to feed Mateo, Carlos had Ethan on the brink of tears because he was tired and agitated and Carlos kept messing with him, and all three of them seemed unresponsive to my suggestion that everybody go to bed. The end-result was me calling Barbara to admit defeat and ask that she come back home. Thus we have I, the system, was not unable to keep up with the diversity and complications that my environment imposed. This resulted in system failure, as requisite variety confirms it will. References J.Y. Shah, A. Fishbach, R. Friedman, W. Chun, and D. Sleeth-Keppler (2002), â€Å"A Theory of  Goals Systems,† in Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Vol. 34, M.P. Zanna,  ed. New York: Academic Press, 331–78.

The Lotus And The Nile :: Botany

The Lotus And The Nile The blue lotus (Nymphaea caerulea) belongs to the Nymphaeaceae (Water-Lily) family. The blue lotus has several common names including: Egyptian lotus, blue water lily, and sacred lily of the Nile. It should not be confused with the "blue lily" or Agapanthus africanus, a plant of an entirely different genus (Anonymous, 1999). Be careful also not to confuse it with the Nymphaea lotus, which is the "white lotus". Fossils of this plant have been dated back to the Jurassic period, about 160 million years ago. Amazingly, the fossils suggest that the blue lotus has not changed much. Other records indicate wide dispersal of this flower before the Ice Age (Edwards, 1998). It is important to first explain a few things about the nature of the blue lotus. The blue lotus or water-lily, is a floating aquatic plant that is known for it's colorful and aromatic flowers. The leaves are waxy, leathery and dark green with a reddish-purple color underneath (Edwards, 1998). The genus Nymphaea includes both tropical and hardy (cold-tolerant) species. There are also night-bloomers and day-bloomers. The tropical day- bloomers are the lotus that was used by the Egyptians (Edwards, 1998). The flowers of many species of lotus have the shocking habit of folding their petals and sinking beneath the water's surface during the night and resurfacing the next day to bloom again (Philbrick and Les, 1996). Many ancient cultures found the blue lotus to be of great use and of esteemed status. In Asia and Africa, the blue lotus symbolized immortality in recognition of the plant's ability to survive and resprout after long droughts, and the seed's ability to remain viable for many years (Edwards, 1998). In China it was regarded as a religious symbol, and a symbol of feminine beauty. Similarly in India, it was compared with the human female form, and in their legends they believe that Brahma, their creator of the universe, sprang from a lotus-like blossom (Edwards, 1998). The Japanese saw a representation of purity and the juxtaposition of good and evil, and the Buddhist's have a prayer mentioning the lotus, "Omi! Mani padme hum!" which is interpreted as, "Oh!, the jewel in the lotus flower!" (Edwards, 1998). The Greeks also admired the blue lotus. They associated the flowers with the mythical nymphs and beautiful maidens thought to inhabit the forests and mountains (Edwards, 1998). The people of Ancient Egypt (Kemet), used the blue lotus extensively in their art and in their everyday uses.

America Must Destroy the Terrorist Networks Essay -- Terrorism War Ter

America Must Destroy the Terrorist Networks   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When one hears the word â€Å"terrorism,† a thought of a bombing, an explosion, a gunshot, or a hi-jacking comes to mind. How do individuals and organizations justify these acts of terror? These acts can be described as terrorist actions. Terrorism is defined as the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to achieve certain political, economical, or social aims.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I heard about terrorists hijacking airplanes full of civilians and flying them into the World Trade Centers in New York, the Pentagon, and a rural field in Pennsylvania, I didn’t know what to think of all this. It came with no warning, no declaration of war, no goals or sense to these attacks. No one had the courage to claim responsibility for the attacks. But I knew the US would respond with great perseverance and endeavor to remove the scourge of such terror from the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I was overwhelmed with sadness and sorrow for the fallen and for their families. The terrorists took from their victims all that they have ever been and all that they ever will be. They left thousands of husbands and wives bereft of their spouse. They took away a parent or parents from thousands of children. They ended the hopes of families to have subsequent generations. They killed off family names, dreams, and futures. They have left parents and grandparents grieving to see their children and grandchildren die before them. They destroyed the lives and ...

Salem Witch Trial and the Crucible

The Salem Witch trials caused a lot of hysteria in history, during 1692. The town of Salem is located in Massachusetts. The hysteria was drawn from the beliefs of witches, witchcraft and black magic. The topics of witches, witchcraft and black magic have been questioned for many centuries. These questions have been dated all the way back to B. C. times. There have been writings in The Bible about people saying that others have been seen performing witchcraft and are in need of being saved by God. There has been suspicion of witchcraft with the Egyptians, Native Americans, the Elizabethan Age, and Medieval times. Witchcraft and black magic can be described and seen in two ways. First, it can be looked upon as a religion of the ancient and traditional worships of the feminine, earthly, and amazing aspects of God which is considered a heresy. Secondly, it goes against the beliefs of the Christian Church. Witches and witchcraft are considered evil and are seen as making pacts, deals or connections with the Devil. It is not a coincidence that the first official witch trial took place in Massachusetts. A witch trial is when a person is accused of being a witch; they will then have to go to court to be testified to be seen guilty or innocent by a judge. This first witch trial happened in 1648, to a woman named Margaret Jones. The man who accused her was John Winthrop. He was governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony at the time. His reason for accusing Margaret of being a witch was because anyone who touched Margaret was taken with deafness, vomiting, sickness or pains. She was seen practicing physics, which women were not allowed to be learning about at the time. Also, anyone who she tried to help got worse and she foretold events that came true. The main reason why Winthrop accused her was because he was getting questioned about his authority by Margaret. Since she was a woman and was questioning him, he thought the best way to get rid of her was to send her to jail for being a â€Å"witch†. This became a common act used among many people in Salem to send the ones they hate to jail or even to death. The town of Salem is very small. Information and rumors can be spread around very quickly. This became a main factor of how hysteria started. There was a Native American who was a slave to the Parris family, her name was Tituba. She soon began to create a chain known as Tituba’s Circle. This circle was her way of spreading stories about the supernatural. She would perform and teach tricks, spells, voodoo and chants to young Puritan girls. In the Puritan religion it is forbidden to ever be practicing witchcraft. Two girls who were in this chain were Betty Parris, nine years old, and Abigail Williams, eleven years old. Abigail was Betty’s cousin and Tituba was Betty’s slave. The two girls all of a sudden started showing odd signs in their behaviors. 1) excruciating sensations of â€Å"pricking† or â€Å"pinching† (as by numberless pins and nails), also of â€Å"burning† (by invisible flames); (2)bizarre contortions of body parts: twisting, stretching, usual postures of extreme rigidity and limberness by turns; (3) frenzied motor activity: rolling on the ground, running about aimlessly, simulated â€Å"flying† and â€Å"diving†; occasional â€Å"barking† or other animal imitation; some impulse to injury or self or others; (4) periods of extreme immobility, amounting to paralysis; feelings of extraordinary pressure on the chest; (5) anorexia: more or less complete inhibitions of eating; (6) occasional forced consumption of invisible liquids when overpowered by the witch; (7) â€Å"frolicsome† intervals, mostly without pain; cavorting in a â€Å"ludicrous† way, babbling impertinent nonsense; insults and gestures of physical assault toward bystanders, friends, and family(Rice, 24) These conditions were rarely seen by doctors. There were no medicines to cure their behaviors, so they were diagnosed with witchcraft. They were thought to be under the hands of the devil. The girls received long periods of complete silence, lasting hours or days, to calm the girls down. Now a day with the knowledge of doctors, these behaviors can be diagnosed as anxiety and can possibly be caused by being sexually abused or beaten. Discrimination played a major part in the Salem Witch Trials. Most accusations were made upon old women. Betty and Abigail called upon two women, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne to be witches. They said that they were seen to be in company with the devil and were sending their spirits to hurt them. The town believed them because Sarah Good was 39 but looked the age of 70. She had long gray hair, a raspy voice, winkled face and was seen smoking a pipe a lot. She was married two times, her first husband died and her second husband became poor after their marriage. The town’s people believed she caused both of her marriages to fail. Sarah Osborne was 69, widowed and had not been to the Puritan church for three years. The first execution in Salem was to a woman of 71, Rebecca Nurse. She was a well-respected woman in the town and was also a devoted member of the Puritan church. She had acquired land from the Putnam family, but a rival over its ownership started to occur. Ann Putnam accused Rebecca of being a witch out of spite to get her family’s land back. This led Rebecca to be put on trial. At first, she was proven innocent, but then Ann Putnam said that Rebecca tried again to send her spirit out. This time Rebecca was found guilty. On July 19th she was hung. The people in the town were getting over paranoid. People were accusing others left and right. If someone was seen either mumbling to themselves, having an eccentric behavior, having a dispute with the Parris family, not going to church, going to a different church, speaking a different language, having connections to the previous Indian war, or expressing support for a recently accused witch then they were now being accused of witchcraft. Nineteen people were accused of witchcraft and were hung. They were hung at Gallows Hill from the month of June to August. Some of the ways people would try to get out of death for being accused as a witch were to flee Salem, accuse someone else, try to get pregnant or fake a pregnancy, confess even if innocent, plead innocent at trial or refuse to stand for a trial. Getting pregnant or faking a pregnancy would give someone a year to live to have the baby and hope that the hysteria would be over. The confession of being a witch even if innocent actually didn’t lead to death, just being sentenced to life in jail. The plead for innocence would be to hope that the judge would see you innocent. Out of the nineteen people hung, five of them were males. George Burroughs, John Willard, George Jacobs, John Proctor and Giles Corey were all convicted. The court was also getting out of hand and having inappropriate behavior. The men didn’t have the suspicion of being witches, like the woman. They went against the court to try and prove innocence for the accused and because of that they were convicted. Finally on October 3rd, Governor Phipps in a sermon to other ministers, showed evidence that the witch trials should end. The court was dissolved and was not allowed to have any more witch trials. Property of the accused was given back. Those who were already found guilty were pardoned. The remaining accused were tried and then found innocent. In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, there are many similarities to the Salem Witch Trials. The play is based on the people and the events of the Salem Witch Trials. The play shows how the town’s people were getting consumed by the thought of witchcraft. It displays how people were going behind each other’s backs to get revenge. It also demonstrates how the people acted in the court. Since The Crucible is a drama there are some parts that are not true. There was no incidence where a whole bunch of young girls were dancing in the woods. Abigail was not seventeen and did not have an affair with John Proctor. In conclusion, the hysteria during the Salem Witch Trials led to nineteen deaths. The want for revenge went to an extreme. Many innocent people were convicted without being properly heard, and their deaths came too soon. The Salem Witch Trials will never be forgotten or go unnoticed. They will forever be a reminder that no one will ever die again convicted as a witch in the United States.

Antony and Cleopatra Essay

Octavius Caesar has a pivotal role to play in Antony and Cleopatra: as a member of the triumvirate (the ruling council of the Roman Empire, composed of three members, the others being Lepidus and Antony), he has the responsibility to run part of Empire, he also has a long-standing rivalry with Antony, and dislike Antony’s relaxed mood, especially his affair with Cleopatra.  We first see Caesar towards the end of scene one, where he is criticising Antony for spending too much time with Cleopatra. Two common habits of Caesar are shown in the first few lines of this scene: It is not Caesar’s natural vice to hate our great competitor  [Antony] †¦ he fishes, drinks and wastes the lamps of night in revel.  (I.iv.2-3a, 4b-5a)  Not only does Caesar like to himself in the third person (â€Å"Caesar’s natural vice†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) he also has a tendency to criticises anyone who likes to enjoy themselves; this is seen again at the feast on Pompey’s ship. Caesar then goes on to list more of Antony’s faults, as Lepidus, ever eager to stop any arguing, tries in vain to excuse Antony, and calm Caesar down: Lepidus: I must not think that there are  Evils enough to darken all his [Antony’s] goodness.  Caesar: Let’s grant that it is not  Amiss to tumble on the bed of Ptolemy,  [To] keep the turn of tippling with a slave †¦ and stand the buffet  With knaves that smells of sweat.  (I.iv.10b-11, 16b-17, 19, 20b-21a)  Caesar again complaints that both Antony and Cleopatra are committing adultery, and then says that Antony has been drinking too much, and fighting with â€Å"knaves,† which means that he is not focusing on running the Empire, as he should be, and also that it gives a bad impression of the triumvirate and Caesar especially – something that Caesar himself is very worried about, as is seen later. However, Caesar changes tack later on, after his messengers bring word that Pompey is growing in strength, and also that two famous pirates, Menecrates and Menas, are also acting on Pompey’s behalf. Caesar apostrophises Antony, in a scene that is thought by many to be highly significant, as it one of the very few times that Caesar is seen, in the play, to pay a genuine complement to someone. Caesar remembers a time when Antony â€Å"slew’st Hirtius and Pansa, consuls [of Rome.]† Although the imagery that Caesar uses is not particularly pleasant, (â€Å"stale of horses† and â€Å"eat strange flesh,†) it is the fact that Caesar praises someone, especially a person that he does not particularly like, which is important. At the end of scene four, Lepidus and Caesar are talking about getting more information about what is going on in the world, giving the current problems that t they are having: Lepidus: What you shall know meantime  Of stirs abroad, I shall beseech you, sir,  To let me be partaker.  Caesar: Doubt not, sir, I knew it for my bond.  (I.iv.83b-86)  This short dialogue, containing some quite harsh-sounding phrases for people are that are meant to be friends, shows that there might be a small rift growing between these two men, in addition to the disagreements between Antony and Caesar. Lepidus asking for information about what is going on, from Caesar shows that there might be an issue of a lack of trust developing, whilst Caesar’s rebuttal of â€Å"doubt not, sir, I knew it for my bond,† shows that Caesar could be losing patience with Lepidus, who is always portrayed as being quite a weak and unimportant character anyway.

Globalization of Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries Essay

Globalization of both the economy and the society has confronted the world over the past decade. A shift of focus and interest from the local market to the international setting has demanded innovation not just in corporate leadership as new information; forms of communication and technology are being offered to be utilized in encouraging and reinforcing interaction among individuals. Fewer trade barriers and unprecedented technological advances have accelerated the pace of globalization. The advances in communication technology make it easier to enter the international market through the efficient marketing and advertising strategies that a number of international business organizations invest in by utilizing the services provided by the Worldwide Web. Electronic data communication (EDC) facilitates the exchange of data at tremendous speeds; it sorts and integrates data with other information available to the recipients (businesses, banks, capital markets) from other sources. Individual countries and trading and currency blocs alike view the fast-moving e-business sector as having a direct impact on the countries’ and blocs’ competitiveness in the global market. Increased market competition identifies continuous adjustment and improvement in the production lines of countries to recognize the participation of smaller business units. The free flow of goods and services, the establishment of functioning trade blocs like the European Union, more favorable regulations for foreign direct investment, and e-commerce are now major features of the global market. The introduction of the new division of international labor calls for evaluation and reorganization of the business operations as well as a reassessment of the current technological practices. The Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries Industry in FRANCE Royle and Towers (2002) note that the Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries industry has now extended throughout the world, expanding in FRANCE and other European countries, bakeshops are often considered as a characteristic of the new global culture. These bakeshops are illustrated as informal, have uniform service to anyone regardless of social status and focuses on giving quick-service to its customers. The industry grew out of a cultural philosophy that greatly values friendliness more than propriety, basically more than traditions of gracious living and democratic consensus over status-based divisions. Firms within the Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries industry fall into the category of a competitive market structure. According to Lipset (1991), the competitiveness of a market refers to the extent to which individual firms have the control or power to influence market prices or the terms on which their products are sold. It must be noted that â€Å"the less power an individual firm has to influence the market in which it sells its products, the more competitive the market is† (Lipset, 1991). In the recent years, the integration of strategic planning and functional marketing has been perhaps the most relevant development in the field of marketing management as marketing managers have all the more realized that tactical marketing decisions must be made within a wider strategic framework. Marketing Mix (4Ps) Product – Products that Cakes and Cookies are offering can be improved and expanded. For example they can add more cakes that suit the taste and needs of their consumers in FRANCE. Cakes and Cookies should not limit their products according to the old time customers in the U. S. Placement – Decisions involving the place/distribution are also crucial in meeting the needs of the target market. There are many factors to consider such as the choice of location where the product will be sold to the consumers, and the various channel distribution required to bring the product in the target market. Elements of distribution channel include the packaging, storage facilities, transportation, and the members of the channel itself. Cakes and Cookies should make their customized packages and boxes for their Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries and this should be appropriate according to the taste of the FRANCE consumers. It is always relevant to choose a channel pattern that is suitable for the target market needs. Price Among other factors considered in pricing are the needs of the market, the costs involved, the effect on margins and the value offered at a minimum for the consumer without the price cut hitting the company image. It is not surprising therefore, that Cakes and Cookies entry price strategy became a model in starting business in the area. Finally, it is interesting to note that in FRANCE have consistently agreed with Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries pricing strategy for many years. This shows that consumers give their loyalty as long as the price is right and fair. Promotions – Today, personal selling, sales promotions, in the forms of souvenirs, and point-of-purchase displays (POP), publicity through non-paid presentation of the product to the target market (feature articles and special news coverage), and public relations (established link with the stakeholders) were utilized by Cakes and Cookies Similarly, TV and radio advertising are important channels to promote Cakes and Cookies Usually, effective television and radio advertising involves a good opening punch line, presentation of the competitor’s product (brand must not be mentioned) and its weakness, testimony of experts or renowned personalities/authorities, and in some cases, use of famous movie actors and actress also helps. Further, the existence of Internet and the continued revolution in the world of Information Technology are certainly positive signs for the blossoming of many new advertising opportunities. For instance, pop-up ads and email ads have started to inva de the Internet. Most advertising firms have also started to exert efforts to make their advertisements appealing to the public (Chow and Holden, 1997). Segment, Target and Positioning of the Product Of all the components of a marketing plan, perhaps the most overlooked but most critical element is the definition of the target market. According to Lovelock and Young (2000), it is a homogenous group of people or organizations that a company wishes to appeal to. There are two basic targets for a product or service: the user and the non-user segments. Thus, there are also two business and marketing decisions that the company must decide upon in light of the basic targets. The first is to cultivate the present market alone while the second is to go after non-users. The former can inspire consumer loyalty which is an important factor in the survival of any business. In the case of Cakes and Cookies, they should categorize their target market into two market segments: (1) the Cakes and Cookies patrons or those who have already tried the product, and (2) the Cakes and Cookies non-consumers. The Cakes and Cookies consumers further classified into (a) males and (b) females in order to differentiate the market appeal and competitiveness of the offered products in terms of sex as well as the specific consumers for specific types of Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries. in order to determine the competitiveness of each product per se. the Cakes and Cookies non- consumers, on the other hand, are further grouped into (a) those who do not eat Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries in general, and (b) those who eat other Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries. These market segmentation schemes according to product use will provide important information regarding the overall competitiveness of Cakes and Cookies products as well as viability and opportunities for encouraging sweeteners non-users to not just try any other average sweeteners but to choose Cakes and Cookies products among others. Moreover, companies now face the challenge of making its target consumers respond accordingly to their marketing efforts and those who understand its consumers’ responses will have a great competitive advantage (Kotler & Armstrong, 2001). In this light, Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries should keep in mind the differences that are distinct between and among other bakeshops target market based on different cultural backgrounds which significantly affect the effectiveness of the campaign. The fact is, there may be ideas that will not be applicable across the diverse target market population. Studies on the relationship of consumer behavior and their personal values and cultural orientation as well as their beliefs on certain principles, the dispositions they hold and side they take on political, gender and social problems and issues will be likewise duly accounted. Positioning The changing world has then placed much emphasis on the importance of communication for effective marketing. All types of communication are involved in marketing communications, including literature, training, advertising, mail, telephone, product promotions and other contact relevant to marketing communication. Among the channel members, even follow-up on complaints as well as customer billing may be included within the communication loop. In order to effectively serve the marketing channel, correct timing and accuracy in communications is essential. Moreover, it is important for the company to recognize that all members of the channel have an obligation or important role in maintaining the efficacy of marketing communications. Organizations that capitalize on customers’ active participation in organizational activities can gain competitive advantage through greater sales volume, enhanced operating efficiencies, positive word-of-mouth publicity, reduced marketing expenses, and enhanced customer loyalty (Lovelock & Young, 1979). Channel communications works in a two-way system wherein information transfers to the user and bounces all the way back to the producer (Goldberg & McCalley, 1992). In other words, marketing communications works like a feedback system, which allows company producers to relay information to the customers. In response to the provided information, consumers give certain reactions or behaviors. In this light, the electronic transformation of the services offered by Chocolate Lovers, Cakes and Pastries will result to better and more efficient and effective customer service system to the clientele. Moreover, the functionality of the online portal for the marketing and advertising needs of the agency will most possibly result to increase customer reach, satisfaction level and return of investment. Furthermore, if consumers somehow become better customers — that is, more knowledgeable, participative, or productive — the quality of the service experience will likely be enhanced for the customer and the organization (Bowers, Martin & Luker, 1990). Finally, some of the ways that companies acquired cost advantages are by improving process efficiencies, gaining unique access to a large source of lower cost materials, making optimal outsourcing and vertical integration decisions, or avoiding some costs altogether. If competing firms are unable to lower their costs by a similar amount, the firm will be able to sustain a competitive advantage based on cost leadership.

Training & Development: a Tool of Retaining Employees

Training & Development: A tool of Retaining Employees â€Å"Abstract† NITIN GUPTA (ASST. PROF. IIMT HOTEL MANAGEMENT COLLEGE) The objective of this study is to show that training & development is required for an organization to retain its employees, as Training is activity leading to skilled behavior and it realize the employees that what they want in life& knowing how to reach it, where they want to go and how to get there, how high they want to rise and how to take off in the organization. The people in your organization are your most important resource. It is not only essential to hire the very best employees but the important is that a company retains those employees. Training and re-skilling inspire loyalty. Training is seen as expensive and a way of making their employees attractive to others. The risks involved, when weighed against the benefits, often mean that retraining is overlooked in favor of recruiting externally. However, the recruitment costs of staff time before and after the hire and direct expenses compare favorably against staff development costs. Training employees reinforces their sense of value. Through training, employers help employees achieve goals and ensure they have a solid understanding of their job requirements. A mixed approach of valuing staff by developing skills, providing interesting/motivating work while recognizing their individual contribution, along side benefits and perks, will mean that you are an employer that employees don't want to leave. TOPIC Training & Development: A tool of Retaining Employees INTRODUCTION The people in any organization are most important resource. It is not only essential to hire the very best employees but the important is that a company retains those employees. Training and re-skilling inspire loyalty. Training is seen as expensive and a way of making their employees attractive to others. The risks involved, when weighed against the benefits, often mean that retraining is overlooked in favor of recruiting externally. However, the recruitment costs of staff time before and after the hire and direct expenses compare favorably against staff development costs. Employees leave organizations for many reasons; oftentimes these reasons are unknown to their employers. Employers need to listen to employees’ needs and implement retention strategies to make employees feel valued and engaged in order to keep them. These retention methods can have a significant and positive impact on an organization’s turnover rate. According to strategic planning consultant Leigh Branham, SPHR, 88% of employees leave their jobs for reasons other than pay: However, 70% of managers think employees leave mainly for pay-related reasons. Branham says there are seven main reasons why employees leave a company: 1. Employees feel the job or workplace is not what they expected. 2. There is a mismatch between the job and person. 3. There is too little coaching and feedback. 4. There are too few growth and advancement opportunities. 5. Employees feel devalued and unrecognized. 6. Employees feel stress from overwork and have a work/life imbalance. 7. There is a loss of trust and confidence in senior leaders. WHY RETAINING EMPLOYEES IS IMPORTANT? Turnover is costly. According to Right Management, a talent and career management consulting firm, it costs nearly three times an employee’s salary to replace someone, which includes recruitment, severance, lost productivity, and lost opportunities. Life Work Solutions, a provider of staff retention and consulting services, provides the following turnover facts and rates: †¢ Over 50 % of people recruited in to an organization will leave within 2 years. †¢ One in four of new hires will leave within 6 months. †¢ Nearly 70% of organizations report that staff turnover has a negative financial impact due to the cost of recruiting, hiring, and training a replacement employee and the overtime work of current employees that’s required until the organization can fill the vacant position. Nearly 70 % of organizations report having difficulties in replacing staff. †¢ Approximately 50% of organizations experience regular problems with employee retention. From these statistics it’s clear that it’s important to develop a retention plan to retain employees and keep turnover low. If an employee resigns, then good amount of time is lost in hiring a new employee and then training him/her and this goes to t he loss of the company directly which many a times goes unnoticed. And even after this no one can assure the same efficiency from the new employee (He might be better and might not be). It requires time to judge his capabilities and work nature. And above all these things, one resignation many a times triggers a chain reaction among other employees, leading to a negative effect. RETENTION METHODS Here are some effective methods employers utilize in order to keep employees happy and part of their organization instead of looking for employment opportunities elsewhere. Training: Training employees reinforces their sense of value. Through training, employers help employees achieve goals and ensure they have a solid understanding of their job requirements. It’s important for companies to give coaching to employees so that their efforts stay aligned with the goals of the company and meet expectations. During an employee’s first few weeks on the job, an employer should provide intensive feedback. Employers should also provide formal and informal feedback to employees throughout the year. Mentoring. A mentoring program integrated with a goal-oriented feedback system provides a structured mechanism for developing strong relationships within an organization and is a solid foundation for employee retention and growth. With a mentoring program, an organization pairs someone more experienced in a discipline with someone less experienced in a similar area, with the goal to develop specific competencies, provide performance feedback, and design an individualized career development plan. Instill a positive culture. A company should establish a series of values as the basis for culture such as honesty, excellence, attitude, respect, and teamwork (IOMA, 2008). A company that creates the right culture will have an advantage when it comes to attracting and keeping good employees (Main). Use communication to build credibility. No matter what the size of the organization, communication is central to building and maintaining credibility. Many employers get communication to â€Å"flow up† through a staff advisory council (or similar group) which solicits and/or receives employees’ opinions and suggestions and passes them on to upper management (IOMA). It’s also important for employees to know that the employer is really listening and responds to (or otherwise acknowledges) employee input. Show appreciation via compensation and benefits. Offering things like competitive salaries, profit sharing, bonus programs, pension and health plans, paid time off, and tuition reimbursement sends a powerful message to employees about their importance at the organization. The rewards given to employees must be meaningful in order to impact their perception of the organization and therefore have a marked influence on its retention efforts. Moreover, if an organization promises a reward, it should keep that promise. Encourage referrals and recruit from within. Having current employees offer referrals could help minimize confusion of job expectations. Current employees can realistically describe a position and the environment to the individual he/she is referring. Another way an employer can lessen the impact of turnover is to hire from within, since current employees have already discovered that they are a good fit in the organization. Provide growth opportunities. An organization should provide workshops, software, or other tools to help employees increase their understanding of themselves and what they want from their careers and enhance their goal-setting efforts. It’s important to provide employees with adequate job challenges that will expand their knowledge in their field. According to Right Management, employees are more likely to stay engaged in their jobs and committed to an organization that makes investments in them and their career development. Make employees feel valued. Employees will go the extra mile if they feel responsible for the results of their work, have a sense of worth in their jobs, believe their jobs make good use of their skills, and receive recognition for their contributions. Employees should be rewarded at a high level to motivate even higher performance. The use of cash payouts could be used for on-the-spot recognition. These rewards have terrific motivational power, especially when given as soon as possible after the achievement. It’s important for employers to say â€Å"thank you† to employees for their efforts and find different ways to recognize them. Even something as simple as a free lunch can go a long way towards making employees feel valued. Listen to employees and ask for their input as to what rewards might work best at your organization. Conduct meetings and surveys to enable employees to share their input (Branham). Most team members will work harder to carry out a decision that they’ve helped to influence. Lower stress from overworking and create work/life balance. It’s important to match work/life benefits to the needs of employees. This could be in the form of offering nontraditional work schedules (such as a compressed work week, telecommuting, and flextime) or extra holidays. When work-life balance is structured properly, both the employee and employer come out ahead. For example, the employer will experience more productivity in the workplace because employees will be less stressed, healthier, and thus, more productive (Wingfield). Encouraging employees to set work/life goals, such as spending more time with their children, communicates that you really do want them to have a life outside of work and achieve a healthy work/life balance. Foster trust and confidence in senior leaders. Develop strong relationships with employees from the start to build trust. Employees have to believe that upper management is competent and that the organization will be successful. An employer has to be able to inspire this confidence and make decisions that reinforce it. An employer cannot say one thing and do another. For example, an employer shouldn’t talk about quality and then push employees to do more work in less time. In addition, employers need to engage and inspire employees by enacting policies that show they trust them, such as getting rid of authoritarian style of management. HOW TRAINING WORKS IN RETAINING EMPLOYEES? Once skilled workers are nestled within any organizations there is a second challenge in keeping them there – and here training and education can play a crucial role. Retaining good employees is critically important to a company's bottom line. Many companies that fail to place adequate emphasis on training make the mistake of assuming that pay is the only important motivating factor for their staff. In 1999 the Hay Group studied over 500,000 people in 300 companies to find out what promoted employee loyalty. The top three factors, mentioned by ninety percent of respondents, were; â€Å"career growth, learning and development†; â€Å"exciting work and challenge† and â€Å"meaningful work, making a difference and a contribution†. Fair pay and benefits was tenth on the list. After studying the above, following results are concluded as the output of training & development of employees: †¢ Optimum Utilization of Human Resources – Training and Development helps in optimizing the utilization of human resource that further helps the employee to achieve the organizational goals as well as their individual goals. †¢ Development of Human Resources – Training and Development helps to provide an opportunity and broad structure for the development of human resources’ technical and behavioral skills in an organization. It also helps the employees in attaining personal growth. Development of skills of employees – Training and Development helps in increasing the job knowledge and skills of employees at each level. It helps to expand the horizons of human intellect and an overall personality of the employees. †¢ Productivity – Training and Development helps in increasing the productivity of the employees that helps the organization further to achieve its long-term goal. †¢ Team spirit – Training and Development helps in inculcating the sense of team work, team spirit, and inter-team collaborations. It helps in inculcating the zeal to learn within the employees. Organization Culture – Training and Development helps to develop and improve the organizational health culture and effectiveness. It helps in creating the learning culture within the organization. †¢ Organization Climate – Training and Development helps building the positive perception and feeling about the organization. The employees get these feelings from leaders, subordinates, and peers. †¢ Quality – Training and Development helps in improving upon the quality of work and work-life. †¢ Healthy work environment – Training and Development helps in creating the healthy working environment. It helps to build good employee, relationship so that individual goals aligns with organizational goal. †¢ Health and Safety – Training and Development helps in improving the health and safety of the organization thus preventing obsolescence. †¢ Morale – Training and Development helps in improving the morale of the work force. †¢ Image – Training and Development helps in creating a better corporate image. †¢ Profitability – Training and Development leads to improved profitability and more positive attitudes towards profit orientation. †¢ Training and Development aids in organizational development i. . Organization gets more effective decision making and problem solving. It helps in understanding and carrying out organizational policies †¢ Training and Development helps in developing leadership skills, motivation, loyalty, better attitudes, and other aspects that successful workers and managers usually display. CONCLUSION Itâ⠂¬â„¢s clear that having proper retention strategies is key in order to retain employees. Productivity is maximized when employees enjoy their work. Offering opportunities to explore different options within the organization is one way of motivating the workforce. A company that is tuned into meeting employee needs should encourage movement across processes and functions. An environment that motivates and stimulates employees, managers need to incorporate motivation-building practices into their corporate culture. These practices include listening to employees and respecting their opinions, basing rewards on performance, and trained them to develop their skills & being available to them for everything from listening to their ideas and concerns to assisting them with their career advancement. Rotation of functions provides a forum for constant learning and self-improvement. When employees are given a chance to grow in various functions, a positive work environment is created. Thus, employee morale and productivity are maintained at a very high level. References/ Bibliography †¢ Crosscut magazine, spring 2002 (article by Iain Macdonald, Associate Director, Centre for Advanced Wood Processing) †¢ Harvard Business Essentials: Guide to Hiring and Keeping the Best People, Harvard Business Press by Sarah K. Yazinski, University of Scranton †¢ Training as important as salaries in staff loyalty By Gareth Morgan, IT Week Tuesday, July 31, 2001 02:59 PM Handle with care: motivating and retaining your employees   By Barbara A. Glanz Recruiting, training, and retaining new employees: managing the transition †¦ By Jack J. Phillips, Sharon L. Oswald Retaining your best employees: nine case studies from the real world of training  By Patricia Pulliam Phillips Web Page: http://writer4u. com Submitted By Leslie Wood

Hard Times is a novel written by Charles dickens Essay

Hard Times is a novel written by Charles dickens at the time of the industrial revolution. It is set in the nineteenth century in England. It is Dickens’ harsh and satirical attack on the industrial and educational systems of his time. Dickens believed in good fellowship and community values, which he felt were being destroyed by this new system based purely on ‘fact’.  In the novel Dickens uses satire, humour, irony and symbolism to convey is vision and show the world what he thinks it should be like.  This novel, set in a place called Coketown, England, is showing how English people live in a very harsh place. The characters in the novel include both good and bad people. Throughout this novel Dickens attacks the industrial and educational systems using satire and humour. He uses such techniques to poke fun out of them. He also uses irony, such as in the name Stephen Blackpool who at the end of the novel dies in a black pool. Dickens uses satire to describe things, for example: ‘red brick buildings, or at least they would have been if it weren’t for the grime.’ Dickens also used characters and their names as a way of attacking the educational and industrial systems. Thomas Gradgrind is a leading businessman in the town of Coketown. He is a good example of how things are run and done in Coketown, all based on facts. He says ‘ now what I want are facts,’ and facts are what Mr. Gradgrind use as a way of destroying other people in the novel such as young Tom, Louisa and Bitzer. Louisa Gradgrind, Thomas Gradgrind’s daughter is a prime example of how the educational system is a complete failure. At the start of the novel she is caught looking at the circus, which shows how she wanted to experience more than ‘the philosophy of facts’ that her father exposed her to. She is seeking love in her life later in the novel as she makes two pleas for help to Stephen Blackpool and to James Harthouse. She gets married to a fellow businessman of her fathers, Mr Bounderby. She doesn’t marry him out of love but for the sake of her brother Tom Gradgrind. Tom Gradgrind is the son of Thomas Gradgrind. Tom is dependent on his sister Louisa a lot as he needs help to fuel his gambling habits. Throughout his life the educational system along with his father dehumanises him. Near the end of the novel the bank is robbed and Louisa fears that Tom had robbed it. She knew he was in debt and believed he did it as he worked there for Mr Bounderby.  Bitzer is a model pupil of this so-called educational system. The system is so dehumanising that he thinks and acts more like a robot than a human. He has no imagination at all and as he gets older he gets more and more selfish. He has no sensitivity and no communal concern for others. He is the complete opposite of Sissy Jupe. Mr James Harthouse is the sneaky seducing snake of the novel, who came to Coketown looking for a part in Gradgrind’s political party. He has an immediate interest in Louisa and uses Tom’s weakness in money to get to her. His name Harthouse is satirical, as he is a heart stealer. He takes advantage of young vulnerable women such as Louisa. Louisa makes the mistake of falling for Harthouse and when she realises what she had done came to her father and collapsed at his feet. This collapse symbolises the collapse of the educational system and shows its failure right in front of MR Gradgrind. Mr Bounderby represents the industrial system in the novel. Throughout the novel he reminds people about his rags to riches story, about how he started out as a ‘nobody’ on the slums of Coketown, to reach his present social and economic status.  Stephen Blackpool, who is the victim of the industrial system, works in the factories of Coketown. He is unhappily married and in love with another woman, called Rachel. His wife represents all the pain and suffering in his life and Rachel represents all the happiness in his life. He falls down a mineshaft or a ‘black pool’ at the end of the novel. He is pulled out alive but then soon dies. His name is ironic, Blackpool, as he dies down a blackpool. Sissy Jupe is the good person in the novel. She cannot be beaten by the system. She had imagination, which only the circus folk else in the novel had. She is the heroine of the novel as she saves Louisa from James Harthouse and Louisa’s young sister from her father and his educational system by educating her. MR Gradgrind at the start of the novel adopted her, as her father, who was in the circus, ran away and left her. Sissy symbolises imagination and humanity. She is the hope for the future. Dickens uses satire and humour in this novel very well. His attack on the educational and industrial system of his day was very good. Our world today is much different than his. There are still people today who would fit the personality of such people like the characters in the novel, however our educational system and industrial systems are probably quite the opposite of Dickens’ days’ system. We are encouraged to use our imagination with such school subjects as english, art, music technology and drama.

A Womans place is in the home Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

A Womans place is in the home - Essay Example Strober’s theory lays the ultimate blame for occupational segregation on the patriarchal system in which men enjoy women’s sexual, child rearing, and domestic services in the household. The immediate blame for occupational sex segregation, however, is laid on employers, most of whom are men. In Strobel's analysis, she states that â€Å"employers basically strive towards two goals (1) profit maximization (wherein if they employ a woman, they will almost invariably pay her less than a male) and (2) enforcing the economic dependency of women on men. The latter is of interest to male employers because it provides the material for the patriarchal system i.e., it forces women to become dependent wives and mothers (employers are said to worry about maintaining women’s dependency on men in social classes other than their own because threats to patriarchy in the working class may lead to threats to patriarchy within management or capitalist class (Blau 1977). Stroberâ₠¬â„¢s theory suggests that women in this society are without question economically disadvantaged compared with men, and this situation is hardly an accident of history or nature. There is obvious ideological (Williams et al 1982) legal (Kanowitz 1969) and informal mechanisms (Bernard, 19/1:88-102).Women’s jobs are not as important as men’s jobsThe notion of perpetual equilibrium sheds some light on this issue.Workers become qualified by making some type of investment in themselves where the decision to invest depends on the gain from qualifying.... sex segregation in an economy that in many other ways may operate according to neo- classical market principles. Strober's theory lays the ultimate blame for occupational segregation on the patriarchal system in which men enjoy women's sexual, child rearing, and domestic services in the household. The immediate blame for occupational sex segregation, however, is laid on employers, most of whom are men. In Strober's analysis she states that, "employers basically strive towards two goals (1) profit maximization (wherein if they employ a woman, they will almost invariably pay her less than a male) and (2)enforcing the economic dependency of women on men. The latter is of interest to male employers because it provides the material for the patriarchal system i.e., it forces women to become dependent wives and mothers(employers are said to worry about maintaining women's dependency on men in social classes other than their own because threats to patriarchy in the working class may lead to threats to patriarchy within management or capitalist class(Blau 1977). Strober's theory suggest that women in this society are without question economically disadvantaged compared with men, and this situation is hardly an accident of history or nature. There are obvious ideological (Williams et al 1982) legal (Kanowitz 1969) and informal mechanisms (Bernard, 19/1:88-102). Women's jobs are not as important as men's jobs The notion of perpetual equilibrium sheds some light on this issue.Workers become3 qualified by making some type of