3-Year Marketing Plan Essay Example for Free

3-Year Marketing Plan Essay Introduction In order that we continue our company’s financial growth, we need to branch out into new product lines. A study was performed to consider our entrance into the pet supply market. We have developed a new single product for that purpose. It is a Cordless Automatic Nail Trimmer for dogs and cats. The findings of this study are in this presentation. Our numbers are conservative. The potential for success is high. We are Company G are always looking forward to find and implement new lines that will complement our Mission statement, and our bottom line. This is our next opportunity introduces Company G and the product or product line that you are writing this marketing plan about. Mission Statement â€Å"We enable consumers to improve the quality and convenience of their lives by providing innovative electronics solutions.† See more:  Masters of Satire: John Dryden and Jonathan Swift Essay Product Description and Classification The Cordless Automatic Nail Trimmer for Dogs and cats will be our first entry into the world of pets. This product uses a sensor to find the quick (the bundle of nerves and blood vessels) on a pets nail, then adjusts to a spot just below it. It trims the nail, rotates to the next nail, and repeats the process, until trimming each nail on the paw. Simply remove the paw, and continue on each paw until done. Our trimmer will avoid the pain of cutting the quick with bleeding. It will not cause discomfort for the animal associated heat build up from electric nail trimmers. This product will allow anyone from novice to professional to trim a dog or cats nails to perfection. Rather than making an appointment, going to the local pet groomer, paying $7 to $25 (before tip), or big box, a pet owner can trim their pet’s nails at home. If the owner would rather have the nails done, they can have their groomer use our tool, giving the pet owner peace of mind, knowing their pet will not suff er any pain. Consumer Product Classification Consumer Factors Planning time involved in purchase Purchase frequency Importance of convenient location Comparison of price and quality Considerable Infrequent Important Considerable Shopping Products Specialty Products Shopping Products Shopping Products Marketing Mix Factors Price Importance of seller’s image Distribution channel length Number of sales outlets Promotion Relatively high Very important Relatively short Few Personal selling and advertising by producer and seller Shopping Products Shopping Products Shopping Products Shopping Products Shopping Products Target Market The target market is between the ages of 30 and 45 with busy lives, looking to save time and money. Their incomes would be greater than $60K. This will include professionals, as well as working couples. We will target both existing dog or cat owners, as well as new entrants to pet ownership. Competitive Situation Analysis Analysis of Competition using Porter’s 5 Forces Model Competitive Rivalry Today are no direct competitors. We are entering an existing market, with a completely new technology. The closet rivalry is the electric trimmer, produced by Dremel Tools and Oster Company. These products do NOT have the features we have. They do not compare in experience. There is no threat at this time. Threat from New Entrants We have the threat from two outside entrants to create a knock off version of our automatic nail trimmer. The two companies that could attempt to enter the market are Dremel Tools and Oster Company. The threat to us is medium for a few reasons. We will patent our trimmer, which means that they will have to start with our product, and then develop modifications, to avoid patent infringement. Both companies’ current products use a different kind of technology. They are grinders and do not have any quick detection apparatus’. While Dremel Tools has been in the pet trimming market for some time, they only modified the grinder used for woodworking and other craft projects. This would be a departure from their core competency. This is the only venture by Oster Company. They a relatively new to the market, It isn’t likely that they will put more R and D dollars into a second pet product at this time. Threat from Buyers There is no threat to us from buyers. Pets must have their nails trimmed on a regular basis, or they can suffer pain and / or health issue. The owners of these pets are responsible to maintain their pets’ nails. With the addition of our safe, reliable, easy to use product added to the market, buyers have all of the options they could want. At our price point, they would not consider creating a similar product. It is an infrequent purchase for them. We will also establish a blog site to give our customers an opportunity to help us determine if they desire any additional features. Threat from Suppliers There is very little threat to us from our two suppliers. Vendor A is supplying us with the heat-sensing component to our trimmer. The device they are producing for us helps to expand their bottom end line of heat sensors. This represents a 10 percent addition to their offering. The main customers for Vendor A is the Armed forces, who buy heat sensing devices for airplanes, tanks, and vision goggles for ground troops. They do not have the infrastructure to build a product such as ours. They would not take on the capital expense to enter this type of manufacturing. They do not have any retail, on-line, distribution experience, or presence. Vendor B who supplies us with the stainless steel blades are in a similar situation. Their main customer is the medical, surgical industry. Vendor B manufacturers high end surgical blades, knives, as well as blades for men’s razor blades. Our product represents a new product in between in quality. It is not significant enough for Vendor B to start an entirely new type of product for them Threat from Substitutes In the current market, there are threats from substitutes.  People not using our product can use manual nail clippers, grinders, or pay someone else to trim their pets’ nails. The threat to us does not exist. All pet owners are currently using one of these venues today. With the quality, ease of use, time and money savings, and cruelty free aspect of our trimmer, virtually nobody will revert to these substitutes. SWOT Analysis Before we risk our profits or our brand value, we took a critical look both internally, and externally. The intent is to consider how we can leverage the positives, improve on our weaknesses and prepare for outside threats. Here are the findings. STRENGTHS *indicates core competency Financial health* Efficient manufacturing Brand Reputation* WEAKNESSES Lack of training Lack of Distribution network Never advertised pet products OPPORTUNITIES Pet ownership on steady rise Personal time on decrease Economy is increasing expendable income THREATS Possible newer technology Economic downturn Heat sensor supply issue Strengths Financial health is one of our core competencies. We have a very low debt-to-equity ratio, combined with a credit rating. This gives us the flexibility to create initial inventory and cover the typical start-up costs related to a new product line. Brand reputation, another core competency, means that we are already in the homes of many of our targeted customers. They know we produce high quality, well designed, products. Our brand is a trusted name nationally. Efficient manufacturing is another of our strengths. It allows up to produce our goods at a lower total cost compared with competitors. We run our production lines quickly, with little waste, or re-work. This helps for reliable batch production, and very few quality / defects issues in the field. Weaknesses Lack of training for our production line associates is a potential issue. Production will be slower, risks quality compliance, and will cost more per unit compared to our established lines. Lack of advertising relationships within the pet market is another weakness. We do not advertise at all aimed at pet owners. We do not understand what the costs are, compared to our other product lines. We will not be able to bundle the new lines advertising with our other lines, for a volume discount. Our sales force is not equipped to demonstrate our new product line. We will need to higher trainers, and new sales people that are specialists specific to the new line. Opportunities The economy is on an upward trend. As wages increase, so does expendable  income. This allows people to purchase pets, supplies, and services. This applies for either new or existing pets in the household. Personal time is on the decrease. Wage earners are spending more time working. Parents are spending more time driving their school-aged children to sports, music lessons, and dance classes, etc. These parents will also attend the events surrounding the activities. Taking Fido to the groomer and picking him up later is another time eater. Being able to trim nails effortlessly, in your own home, on your own schedule has a good deal of appeal. Pet ownership is on the rise. In 2013, there were 82.5 million pet owners in the United States. This number is expected to rise to 92 million by 2018. In 2013 $4.4 billion dollars were spend on grooming and boarding. In 2014 sales rose to $4.7 billion, a 7% increase. This is a growth industry. Threats Economic downturn could become a possible threat. As expendable income dwindles, pet owners could potentially purchase less expensive nail trimmers. They could also choose to go to a groomer, but do so less often as a money saver. A supply issue could threaten our ability to produce our product. A shortage of the heat sensors could become an issue. If our vendor chooses to increase the price of the sensors could become an issue as well, reducing our margin to an unacceptable level. Development of a newer technology is a threat. A competitor, on a new company could start making the next generation of automatic trimmers. Dependent on the features, or price, we could lose market share. Market Objectives Product Objective Sell 100K units by 12/31/2016. Price Objective Achieve a profit of $500K by 12/31/2016. Place Objective Have our product on the shelves of 2 national chains, and in 200 independent retail pet supply stores by 9/15/2015. Have an on-line presence by 9/1/2015. Promotion Objective Our objective is to have 250K hits on you-tube demonstration by 1/1/2016 and 100K hits on our website specific to the new product line by 6/1/2016. Marketing Strategies This section will introduce you to the particular strategies, which will assure that we achieve our objectives. You will find them well thought out and comprehensive. We took the necessary time to be confident that they are inter-related and logical, using previous tactics which have been successful here at Company G. Product Strategies Packaging – use our trusted XG logo and recognized style of packaging. Great Warranty – offering a two-year warranty, this is better than current electric trimmers in the market. This is in line with our warranty for other product lines in our assortment. Dedicated Help Line – have a 24/7 help line specific to this product line. It will give advice, answer questions, and take care of issues that arise for customers. Price Strategies Market Pricing Skimming pricing of $89.99. Good Terms – we will give 2% net 30 days pricing to our distributers. Advertising Allowances – $5 per unit sold for preapproved advertising campaigns. We will require proof of sales and give credit within 30 days of campaign end date/ Place Strategies Retail Stores – 2 National chain stores and 200 local pet stores based on their sales. Web presence – We will sell through Amazon.com, as well as on our web site. Quick shipping – We are going to use Amazon’s distribution Centers to ship to retail stores and directly to customers. This will be the most efficient use of our finished goods inventory. Promotion Strategies Personal selling – We will provide demonstrations at dog shows. Social media – We will have a You-tube presence, and a Face book presence. Discount / Donation – We will give customers a $5 discount and donate $5 to the Humane Society for the first 50K units sold. Explanation of Strategies These strategies are a combination of approaches. We are going to use our strong brand name and recognition to take advantage to the consumers’ trust.  If they compare our product to Dremel or Oster’s trimmer, they will see we give them a superior warranty. We will get our product in front of millions of potential customers at dog shows. There are dog shows of various types happening every week across the United States. The retailers that we target will get good financial terms, along with our strong brand name. Our you-tube presentation will prove to customers just how easy and safe our trimmer is. We will also appeal to the good nature of pet owners will our donation to the Humane Society. Tactics and Action Plan In order to assure our success we need to put specific tactics in place. They need a due date and responsible party, so anyone in the process can see if we are adhering to our timeline. We know whom to ask about any given tactic as well.

The Strategies of Ryanair

The Strategies of Ryanair Ryanair Holdings is Europes leading low-fare scheduled passenger airline, carrying roughly 34 million passengers per year, across 19 countries (Ryanair, 2006). The company operates short-haul, point-to-point routes between Ireland, the UK and Continental Europe, and the companys leading market position provides the company with the ability to leverage its market position to further expand its operating network: a key part of its current operating strategy. However, the predicted decline in the domestic European air travel market (Global Market Information Database, 2005) is likely to decrease the demand for the companys services and thus harm its resultant revenues, and so the other key aspect of the organisations strategy is to reduce its exposure to these external threats. (Johnson et al, 2005). Hence this work aims to examine the interplay between these two strategies, critically analysing both their current, and potential future, success. Leveraging market position to drive revenue Ryanair has the leading market share on most of scheduled routes between Ireland and provincial cities in the UK, carrying approximately 43% of all scheduled passenger traffic between Dublin and London. Additionally, the company has more than 45% market share on scheduled routes from Dublin, which include London, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh, and London, which include Venice, Rome, Milan, Hamburg, Valencia and Gothenburg, as of January 2005. (Datamonitor, 2005) Ryanair has also been voted as the airline with the best punctuality highest frequency which, combined with the companys leading market position, provides the company with the ability to leverage its market position to further expand its operating network. Ryanair has also been reporting strong revenue growth since fiscal 1999, and the company reported revenues of 1336.6 million Euros during the fiscal year ended March 2005, an increase of 24.4% over 2004. (Ryanair, 2006) The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in passenger volumes, which increased by 19% over 2004, and the companys revenues increased at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 28.6% from 1999 to 2005, despite the overall fall in air travel during that period (Global Market Information Database, 2005). Additionaly, Ryanairs net income increased at a compounded annual growth rate of 29.1% from 1999 to 2005. Thus, the companys strong consistent financial strength provides its operations with financial stability and the ability to fund its expansion strategies. Ryanair thus has an extremely strong and aggressive business strategy, which is focused on its objective to firmly establish itself as Europes leading low-fares scheduled passenger airline. The company offers low fares designed to stimulate demand, particularly from fare conscious leisure and business travellers. (Ryanair, 2006) The company favours secondary airports, as they are generally less congested than major airports and can be expected to provide higher rates of on-time departures: the company can thus achieve faster turnaround times and fewer terminal delays and gain competitive handling costs. (Datamonitor, 2005) The strategy has enabled the company to have a better on time performance record, than its bigger competitors. In addition, Ryanair enters into agreements with third party contractors to handle passenger and aircraft handling, ticketing and other services, and the company fixes its contracts on competitive terms by negotiating multi-year contracts, at prices that a re fixed or subject only to periodic increases linked to inflation. Ryanairs strong business strategy thus enables the company to synchronize its operational strategies in accordance with the market requirements, thereby enabling the company to maintain a cost effective business strategy. Hedging against external threats. Crude oil prices are at an all time high: in March 2005, light crude oil prices climbed to $55.40 per barrel after peaking at $56.1 per barrel. Additionally, jet kerosene prices have increased by over 80% from 2004. In order to protect their operations from significant volatility, airlines have fairly robust hedging positions, as the volatility in oil price and availability of jet fuel significantly affects operations. Although its European competitors have traditionally been sufficiently well hedged against volatile oil prices, Ryanair has always been unhedged. As of April 2005 the company was not covered by any hedging protection against oil prices however, as of November 2005, Ryanair hedged 90% of its estimated demand for the second half of its fiscal year, at prices corresponding with oil averaging $49 per barrel. Part of the carriers strategy is now to build hedges forward, and its financial prowess means it has the cash position to succeed. (Fiorino, 2005) The companys revenues are also highly dependent upon revenues from the UK and Irish market: historically the company has generated over 50% of total revenues from the UK. For fiscal 2003 and 2004, passengers on Ryanairs routes between Ireland and the UK accounted for 35.9% and 28.6% of total passenger revenues respectively, with Dublin and London accounting for approximately 13.4% and 10.7%, respectively. Additionally, total passenger revenues, and the Dublin-London route accounted for approximately 7.6% and 6.0%, respectively. (Datamonitor, 2005) The companys dependence on Ireland and the UK, could significantly impact the companys revenues due to regional factors, and thus although Ryanair is also attempting to increase its market share as a whole, it is specifically attempting to do this into more diverse areas, such as Eastern Europe, in an attempt to reduce its exposure to the demand changes in the UK and Irish market. Conclusion Ryanairs primary business strategy has always been to fly as many passengers at as low a cost as possible (Ryanair, 2006). Despite the fact that passenger numbers are generally not increasingly significantly (Global Market Information Database, 2005) and the fact that Ryanair has been forced to divert some of its resources to hedging, due to market conditions (Fiorino, 2005), this strategy still forms the core of the airlines business model, and is often viewed as the companys core competence (Johnson et al, 2005) Given that revenues, profits and passenger numbers have soared over the past few years, despite the uncertainty in the external environment (Datamonitor, 2005), this analysis concludes that, not only are Ryanairs current strategies hugely successful, but they will continue to be for the foreseeable future.

Social Protection And Social Safety Net

Social Protection And Social Safety Net What is social protection and safety net? Social protection is a broad set of public arrangements and instruments that help individuals, households and communities in managing risks and shocks well, assure a basic level of consumption to the extreme poor. Social protection includes: social insurance, social assistance, safety nets, social services, legal and regulatory protection. So that social protection should complement family, community, and market mechanisms for protect the vulnerable against livelihood risk, and enhance the social status and assisting the very poor. Safety nets are basically income maintenance programs that protect a person or household against two adverse outcomes: a chronic incapacity to work and earn, and a decline in this capacity caused by imperfectly predictable lifecycle events (such as the sudden death of a bread winner), sharp shortfalls in aggregate demand or expenditure shocks (through economic recession or transition), or very bad harvests. Safety net programs serve two important redistribution (such as transfers to disadvantaged groups) and insurance (such as drought relief). (World Bank, 2003) Social safety net is non-contributory, ex post intervention, it is paid for by the Government from general revenues includes taxation and development assistance, in order to deal with existing poverty or shocks that have already occurred and targeted to the poor and vulnerable. Well-designed safety net can protect the poor in the short term and it also can promote growth, for instance, it can enable the poor to engage in the economy by expanding their opportunities to take risks, diversify livelihoods, innovate, invest the human capital of their children etc. Safety net instruments include: unconditional cash and near-cash transfers, for instance, non-contributory old age pensions and disability payments; conditional transfers includes conditional cash transfers such as scholarships and conditional in-kind transfers such as food rations and nutrition and feeding programs; unconditional food and other in-kind transfers; fee waivers for health, education and other basic services; general commodity price subsidies includes for food or energy; public workfare. Social risk management concepts Arrangements to manage risks can be made in advance, before a shock has occurred risk reduction and risk mitigation can be taken into account. Risk reduction is arrangements that make it less likely that shock will occur, and risk mitigation is arrangements that ensure that if a shock does occur, the effects are small rather than large. Moreover arrangements to manage risks also can be made after a shock has occurred, coping strategies to deal with the impact of the shock Links between poverty, vulnerability and growth The poor are the most vulnerable group, they are exposed to diverse risks, so are more likely to suffer a shock; they have fewer resources to deal with these risks, so when a shock does occur, the effects of a shock are more serious for the poor; the rich can afford insurance, or use savings to cope, but the poor generally cant. High vulnerability makes the poor avoid risk, so they are unable or unwilling to engage in higher risk or higher return activities. Therefore reducing vulnerability is thus both a means and an end: as a means, reducing vulnerability expands opportunities and supports growth; as an end, reducing vulnerability reduces poverty, which is a goal in its own right. Shocks can affect people as individuals or groups Individuals Groups(geographical communities, occupational groups) Shocks Accident, illness, old age, house burns down, robbery, family business fails etc Macroeconomic and labor market shocks, war, riots, nature disasters, disease epidemic etc Safety net plays multiple roles in national development policy Safety net plays multiple roles in national development policy, such as reduce poverty and inequality directly by raising the living standards of those at the bottom of society; help households manage risk and vulnerability that experience a shock to keep their children in school, to continue eating enough, to avoid selling productive assets; enable households to make long-term investments; encourage households to innovate, take some risks, invest in their childrens education and health (human capital of the next generation); help Governments make policy reforms and ensure political support for reform by compensating those who suffer short-term losses due to reforms needed for long-term economic growth. Safety net is only one part of an overall poverty reduction strategy. à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ Sourceà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¡Kalanidhi Subbarao. Social Safety Nets: Concepts and Definitions. World Bank.à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ° The figure above illustrate what safety nets contains and belongs, safety nets contains and also belongs a part of social protection, equity, social risk management and poverty reduction. Equity includes land redistribution, enforcement of contracts and property rights, universal education and safety nets. Poverty Reduction contains providing services and facilities to the poor, and safety nets provide security. Social risk management supplies insurance and safety nets. Social insurance (social security) These are ex ante, contributory schemes to mitigate risk that people pay small sums (contributions) in advance, generally on a regular basis. This entitles them to benefits when shocks or events occur, for instance health insurance, contributory old-age pensions and unemployment insurance. Social insurance is most easily provided for non-poor groups in formal employment who can pay contributions; have a little spare cash left after buying food and other immediate needs; and have regular, stable wage incomes. Social insurance is very important in developed countries and middle-income developing countries, and typically plays a smaller role in low income countries. However, some low income countries are piloting insurance schemes for poor people, In Ethiopia and India, the rainfall index-based crop insurance programs have been done very successfully. The disaster insurance programs have been done very well in Bangladesh. Steps in an overall strategy in developing a national safety nets system Identify major risks and vulnerable groups by collecting and analyzing household data; Review existing programs and identify gaps in coverage Review options for instruments to address each of these gaps Identify available financial envelope, such as raise taxes, reallocate existing public spending from inefficient and ineffective programs. Review institutional capacity and weaknesses Choose a combination of instruments to cover major risks and groups. Weave different programs and instruments together into a coherent system. In a poor country with limited capacity, likely to start with safety nets, but build up social insurance over time Social safety net in Egypt One out of every five people is poor in Egypt, and the poverty increased mildly between 2001 and 2005 from 18.36 percent to 19.63 percent. The government of Egypt has worked on reforms of economic, social and political transformation. This reform driven by the need to raise sustainable economic growth, and ensure that the poor benefit from it. The role of state also redefined, the state can no longer be seen as the job provider, goods and subsidies supplier. But the state is faced with the challenge of poverty reduction, and oversees the public interest and protects the poor and vulnerable. Furthermore, the Government must redefine the social safety net to improve people serves by expand programs in fighting poverty. Poverty continues to be a major policy challenge Poverty continues to be a major challenge in Egypt, with one out of every five people (about 13.6 million people) living below the poverty line. In order to attack poverty, a better understanding of who the poor are should be included initially. In Egypt, almost three quarters of the poor live in rural areas, in Upper Egypt, most of them working in agriculture and construction and with little education. Strengthening the social safety net In Egypt, while the social safety net provide assistance to the poor critically, benefit still many more non-poor individuals and group than poor, and do little to reduce overall poverty. Egypt spends about 2 percent of its GDP on the core social safety net, a roughly stable level since 2000. It does not have every type of program above, but resources are devoted to: General social protection (5 percent of GDP); Consumer subsidies on food (1.7 percent of GDP); SFD (Social Fund for Development) programs (0.18 percent of GDP); and Social assistance cash transfers from MOISA (Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs) (0.12 percent of GDP). The largest share of resources, 8.1 percent of GDP, is spent on energy subsidies to producers and consumers which serve as an important safety net but also absorb resources that could be better directed to the poor. (World Bank, 2005) Those numbers is significantly below most European countries. So that reform of the safety net is important for three reasons: firstly, the program often does not reach the poor and the fewer subsidies can not provide meaningful assistance. Secondly, programs are too expensive when subsidies taken into account. And thirdly, inefficient programs that with overlapping beneficiaries and objectives. Administration of Social Assistance Programs in Egypt Eligibility for MOISA (Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs) social assistance cash-transfer programs require applicant supported with document including family birth certificates and salary records at a local MOISA office. This assistance program supply more subsidies to females than males. Application is followed up with a home visit by social workers and a decision is made within 60 days. Total expenditures for the programs were 1.1 billion of Egyptian Pound in 2004, this figure includes pension and social assistance functions. Geographic targeting The geographic target should aim in overall poverty reduction, but not reduces poverty in the poorest areas. If all the existing resource devoted to poorest area, no matter the resident is poor or not, the uniform distribution would decrease poverty in the Upper Rural areas. However, poverty will increase slightly in the other areas. Nowadays Egypt use basic poverty map to guide projects, which contains regularly household income, consumption and expenditure. Smart Safety Net in Egypt The project intends to create E-Government, which brings all information and services of government for citizens online, and make service more efficient. This project started in 2005, and it will be finished in 2010. The card itself contains a variety of information as the number of family members, birth, death and other eligibility criteria, which will automatically verify the rations and accurate amounts transferred. Government of Egypt expected the smart-card system will decrease the cost of providing subsidies by 10 percent, and amount of saving is 400 million Egyptian pounds annually. This is a pilot project, which will gradually be expanded nationally. (Ministry of State for Administrative Development, www.mcit.gov.eg ) Conditional Cash Transfer Programs (CCTs) Conditional cash transfer programs (CCTs) are a relatively new instrument that seeks to foster human capital development. The cash helps reduce poverty in its own right, compensates families for the opportunity cost of changing behavior, and is expected to contribute to long-term human capital development for the young. (Rawlings and Rubio, 2004) The target more focuses on vulnerable families with children. So that cash transfer can be an important mechanism to alleviate poverty, such as education and basic health care must be available for the poor. CCTs had a great impact in some countries, for instance, Mexico provided additional equipment and medicines in order to meet increased health services demanded; Nicaragua provided teachers and pay for school materials; Honduras provided direct CCTs to schools and health centers. CCTs become more popular in Latin America, Jamaica used CCT to replaced former food stamps and social assistance programs; Mexico used CCT to replaced the tortilla subsidy; Brazil created the largest CCT in the developing world by consolidating four cash transfer programs into the Bolsa Familla program. Using Nicaragua as an example, CCTs have a great impact in education, health and consumption: Nicaragua CCTs Program Impact Education (primary school) Health (children under 2 years-old) Consumption (Per capita annual) + 21.7% +18.3% +N$ 753 CCTs have also been a means to consolidate disparate cash transfer programs into more efficient, effective targeted interventions to support human capital formation. (Ayala, 2003) Conclusions Social safety nets are the most important priority, which deal with existing poverty or shocks have already occurred and targeted to the poor and vulnerable. Before policy making and action implementing, several questions should be figure out initially: Who are the poor and vulnerable group? What kind of risk face now? What programs against what risks? What programs cover what kind of groups? Where is the gap? What is the new challenge? For each program and instrument, the steps in developing national social safety nets can be: firstly set objects; secondly develop an implementation structure to clear define the institutional roles and responsibilities; thirdly, develop mechanisms for targeting, enrolment and payment, use technology to help policy making and action implementing, such as use poverty maps and smart cards in Egypt; finally, monitory and evaluate during the programs, which can be good experiences to learn. While getting better understanding of poverty causes and dynamics, however social protection and social safety nets still face many challenges, there is a need for a long-term strategy to fulfill a number of specific gaps in the future.

Kants Moral Principles Essay -- Kant Immanuel Philosophy Morals Essay

Kant's Moral Principles   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the Foundation of the Metaphysics of Morals, the author, Immanuel Kant, tries to form a base by rejecting all ethical theories that are connected to consequences, and then focusing on our ethical motivations and actions. Kant wants to derive good characters out of contingently right actions. He believes that everything is contingent (everything can have good or bad worth, depending on how it is used). So he is trying to find the supreme principal of morality in all his reasoning. Kant also believes that an action is right or wrong based solely on the reason by which it was performed. However, a Utilitarian, like John Mill, would reject Kant’s reasoning of originating good characters out of actions alone, and instead argue that if an action has bad consequences, then the action was morally wrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kant believes that an action has moral worth only if it is done out of respect for our moral code. He names this moral action a ‘duty.’ Kant also believes that in determining the moral worth of an action, we need to look at the maxim by which it was performed. So, we need to look at one’s reason for doing an action to determine if it is a duty. If the reason for performing the action is justified, then the action is a duty. However, Kant says there are two different types of reasons for performing an action. Kant calls these reasons ‘imperatives.’ The first reason for performing an action, the hypothetical imperative, is based on consequences and on our personal preferences. They are also contingent, meaning that they can be good or bad depending on how they are used. People choose to perform a given action because of the hypothetical imperative. The second reason for performing an action according to Kant is called the categorical imperative. These are not based on our preferences, don’t deal with consequences of an action, and are derived a priori. They are completely separate from hypothetical imperatives. We all have knowledge of categorical imperatives before experiencing them first. They are kind of a second nature for us, which needs to be recognized according to Kant. These are the most important reason for performing an action. These imperatives also have the characteristics that Kant needs in order to make his point that all of our moral principals are categ orical, have absolute authority, and are independent o... ...t hope to predict the outcome of any given situation. It is impossible; there is no such thing as seeing the future. So by making a false promise to your friend, you have still done the morally wrong action, even though it will most likely save them some suffering. It did indeed take away their choices, so they can’t act in a way they want to act (going to class). I happen to agree with Kant’s idea here. I think that no matter what the consequences are, performing the right action is always the right thing to do.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Overall I think that Kant has better arguments because they are directed at the individual, not at society in whole. I also agree that the moral worth of actions is determined by the motivating principal of the action, not by the consequences, like John Mill. So I am a deontologist, for the most part. However, I also agree with some of the things that Mill has to say. So is there a way that we can combine the ideas of Mill and Kant together in order to form a perfect society in which everybody is happy? I don’t know the answer to this question, but we should all strive to do so, and we should start by respecting each other’s autonomy and treating others as ends.

The Argument Essay: Just Dont Do It! -- Argumentative Persuasive Topi

The Argument Paper: Just Don't Do It! Â   English 101 is incredibly challenging and overwhelming to the typical college student. A narrative reflective essay, an expository essay, a novel, and the Nelson-Denny Reading Comprehension test are all crammed into ten weeks of backbreaking work. However, the most intolerable assignment of all has not even been mentioned yet: the argument paper! Students run around shrieking and cursing when they are handed the assignment. Most of them are enveloped by insanity during the writing process. When I mentioned the dreaded argument paper to a fellow classmate, he said that he felt my pain. English 101 students should not be required to write an argument paper because it is detrimental to their emotional well-being. Some people may think it necessary to know how to write an argument paper. Everyone will have to do it at least once in his or her life, and Freshman English is the place to learn how. But that is not the case. In truth, I have never heard of anyone writing an argument paper unless he or she is required to by law or is plannin...

History of Eastern State Penitentiary Essay

I think that a prisoner in the Eastern State Penitentiary has the dullest daily routine that any human could ever have. Picture a prisoner living behind a cell with a heavy dungeon-door and thick walls. Literally, speaking, the daily routine revolves around the cell. As†¦notes, a prisoner â€Å"is led to the cell from which he never again comes forth, until his whole term of imprisonment has expired† (Dickens, n. d, pg. 13). A prisoner typically wakes up, takes a bath and turns the bed up and against his cell wall to create space for working on it. The works include personal interests ranging from painting to manufacturing a Dutch clock. He receives food through the grated iron door in the cell and at the end of the day lies on the bed in despair. He moans, and tries to listen to identify if a cell similar to the one he is in exists besides him. He wonders how the person in the next cell, if exists, would be doing, walking, dressed and his emotional status until sleep tak es him away. I find that I have difficulty describing a daily routine of a prisoner in Eastern State Penitentiary because it literally does not exist. The prisoners are in confinement, thus restricted to have a typical life. They simply live in misery. I think that this could be attributed to the contradicting effects of the prison structure that deviates from the intended outcomes. As Eastern State Penitentiary (2014) notes, the prison was simply meant to facilitate a shift from punishing offenders to rehabilitating them through change and spiritual reflection. The proponents of the prison believed that solitary would provoke criminals to think about their behavior and unacceptable crimes, thus driving them towards penitence.  Each prisoner was to have his own cell with running water, a skylight, central heat system and a flush toilet to facilitate penitence at a time that the U.S. president lacked running water and a central heating system at the White House. Nonetheless, I think that the resulting structure and its execution did not align to the original intent. Dickens indicates that even though the idea of the prison was human, kind and meant to reform the prison system, the manner in which it was designed and executed is not appropriate. The miseries that the prisoners get from confinement are worse than physical torture. It is a dangerous punishment, which the prisoners suffer silently because the typical eye cannot see their miseries. I tend to agree on Dickens based on the encounters he has with the prisons. Dickens describes the prison as hopeless solitary confinement with wrong and cruel effects and there are justifiable reasons for that. Upon entry, prisoners lose their identity as cell numbers become their identity. Some prisoners have to have illusions of having a wife or manufacturing Dutch watches, indication of dreams lost inside the cells. More disheartening is that people with crimes deserving less punishment, such as receiving stolen goods are driven to confinement. The prisoners cannot receive outside visitors, letters from home, books or contact the outside world in any way. I believe that the solitary confinement can only be summed up in Dickens way, â€Å"mental anguish†¦so acute and so tremendous, that all imagination of it must fall far short of the reality† (Dickens, n. d, pg. 13). In entirety, I would say that attempting to describe the daily routine at the prison is difficult. The hopeless solitary confinement psychologically affects prisoners and robs them off a normal life in which they would have a daily routing. They just live in their despair without the rehabilitation promised by the original intent of the prison. References Dickens, C. (n. d). _Philadelphia, and its solitary prison_. Retrieved from https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/d/dickens/charles/d54an/chapter7.htm Eastern State Penitentiary. (2014). _Short history of Eastern State Penitentiary._ Retrieved from http://www.easternstate.o r g/learn/research-library/history

Culturally Competent Nursing in an Ever Changing Diverse World Essay

In nursing and healthcare the issue of culture is more pronounced than anywhere else. This is because many people various ethnic, religious, racial and cultural backgrounds come forth to hospitals and healthcare centres in search of health solutions. Due to these cultural disparities, patients often fail to receive quality services because of practices that are lacking in cultural competence. Cultural competence in nursing and healthcare refers to the efficiency with which a healthcare provider is able to offer quality service in a cross-cultural setting thus enhancing the system’s or institution’s capacity to function in effective manners (Dolhun, E. P. et al 2003). Culture influences an individual’s values, perceptions, beliefs and opinions. It influences how patients respond to healthcare givers and the medication prescribed to them. Therefore it is very important that nurses and other medical practitioners seek to improve their awareness towards the issues raised by cultural diversity in order to improve on service delivery. This paper examines ways in which a nurse can be more culturally competent. It also examines the opportunities in the work place and nursing school that requires culturally focused health practices. Additionally the paper discusses the issues of self-assessment and client assessment that is geared towards the delivery of culturally competent health solutions. Importance of Culture to Nursing. The US is comprised of the most culturally diverse population. A big percentage of the world’s ethnic, religious and cultural groups are represented in this population. This has created a most unique opportunity as well as challenge to many organizations in the service delivery sector. This is because people from all cultures get ill at one point in time and they have to seek treatment. Nurses are thus presented with patients from very diverse cultural backgrounds. Culture influences how different people will respond to the different ways of health service delivery, interventions and treatment (Dolhun, E. P et al. 2003). It is therefore important for nurses to move towards achieving cultural competence in order to effectively deal with the challenges that come with the cultural reality. Because of the demographic situation in America service providers are under pressure to provide more culturally correct services. The nursing profession cannot be left behind and therefore the need to comply with the changing needs is overwhelming. Language limitations are also another issue of concern in attaining cultural competence. Ethical Factor One ethical principle that guides nurses in their endeavour to provide culturally appropriate care is the appreciating that everyone regardless of their cultural persuasion is entitled to receive quality health care. Cultural differences can influence the caregiver’s prejudices and bias towards a patient (Galanti G. A. 1997). In a similar way a patient can misconstrue the caregiver’s actions and words. This can serve to lower the quality of care given to this particular patient. Professional ethics require that there be no form of discrimination in the provision of health care but in a situation where there is prejudice on either party, then the quality of care is compromised. Similarly what is considered ethical may have serious consequences when viewed from a cultural context. A fitting example is when the doctor feels obliged to divulge some information to a patient or a certain member of the family, because in some cultures it is believed that giving certain information to a sick person is unacceptable, the doctors ‘ethical’ actions may be viewed in very bad light Nurse’s responsibility Nurses are usually supposed to care for the general well being of a patient, they ought to be able to understand and empathize with the patient in order to cater for their physical and emotional needs. On an individual level, a nurse has a responsibility to learn the practices that are in accordance to cultural competence. It is important that nurses should have an attitude that goes further than just learning acceptable cultural behaviours. Nurses must be motivated by compassion to the patients and driven by moral responsibility (Tervalon M. Murray-Garcia J. 1998). This allows them to display a genuine concern and is thus motivated to internalize harmonious attitudes towards achieving cultural competence. In a hospital setting a nurse is required to be able to anticipate the issues that may arise due to cultural disparities and lack of proficiency in certain languages. They are also to understand the others’ points of view as well as appreciating the strengths and weaknesses of these points of view. In addition to this, respecting the cultural differences is key to the ability to provide culturally appropriate care. Since the issues raised by cultural diversity are multi-faceted in nature, they require a holistic approach that calls for a total overhaul in the nurses’ ways of thinking. There is no one culture that is the standard of what is good or bad and therefore an open mind is important as nurses move towards delivering health care that exemplifies cultural competence. Achieving this kind of competence is only possible if one comes to self-awareness and recognizes their own values, beliefs, opinions, prejudices and biases (Dolhun, E. P. 2003). From here, they can be able to understand how they respond to different points of view from other. Inorder to come to self-awareness one needs to examine their own cultural and environmental backgrounds. An underlying ethnocentricity is part most people where one is protective and to an extent defensive when it comes to cultural differences (Switzer, G. E et al 1998). However in the nursing practice each nurse should be flexible and work towards developing skills of responding to varied cultural settings and situations. Nursing Schools Similarly in nursing schools one is required to meet most of the aforementioned standards. In addition to that communication skills are developed in school. Learning to communicate effectively in a cultural context entails being open-minded, respectful and shunning any form of prejudice or bias (Robins, L. et al 1998). It is a great opportunity to learn form and about other cultures. Other communication skills that are essential are listening skills that enable one to establish a rapport with the others. Language skills also play an important role in communication and as such each student nurse has a responsibility to learn other languages. Ofcourse it is not possible to learn all the languages there are but one can do their best and that is what is required of them. In the same way nurses should have skills that would enable them to assess the patient in a cultural context. This would entail finding out as much detail on the patient as possible. It would help to understand their ethnic background, socio-economic class, religion, age group and other social entities that they identify with. Learning about their experiences could also aid in establishing biases. Impact of culture on health care In the year 2010 more than 45% of all patients in the US will come from minority cultures. This is due to immigration that is the greatest contributor to the cultural diversity (Tervalon M. Murray-Garcia J. 1998). The health sector has realized the reality of these facts and medical practitioners are now given incentives to encourage them to take up learning on cultural diversity. This is changing the entire medical profession. Many initiatives have been put in place in order to bridge health differences that exist between minority groups and the white Americans. The existence of cultural difference may impact negatively on the care given. Cultural factor do affect the response to the different methods of treatment and diagnosis. Some ideas are perceived differently in different cultures and in some extreme cases family members can react in ways that may seem bizarre in the western world. Conclusion The issue of culture is increasingly attaining great importance with the ever-changing cultural mixture. The provision of healthcare is now taking cognizance of the effects of culture on the delivery of these vital services. It has been realized that cultural differences have been an impact on the quality of care given. Nurses and other medical practitioner are now under increased pressure to attain cultural competence in order to achieve high standards of quality. This paper opines the achievement of an all round cultural competence is a long journey. It will take a collective as well as an individual effort to achieve. Nurses have a personal responsibility to seek to understand the cultural factor. Additionally each one of them needs to appreciate their moral duty to seek self-awareness inorder to understand their own behaviour in response to other people with a differing opinion. Respect and a non-judgemental attitude are important if one is to overcome the ethnocentricity that is part of every human being. This awareness cultivates interest and inquiry. Once this point has been reached cultural differences will be viewed as learning opportunities that will spur personal growth. Reference Dolhun, E. P. Munoz, C. and Grumbach, K. (2003). â€Å"Cross-cultural education in U. S. medical schools: Development of an assessment tool. † Academic Medicine. Galanti G. A. (1997). Caring for Patients from Different Cultures: Case studies from American hospitals. 2nd ed. University of Philadelphia Press. Philadelphia, PA. Riddick S. (1998). Improving access for limited English-speaking consumers: A review of strategies in health care settings. J Health Care Poor Underserved. Supp vol 9: Robins, L. S. Alexander, G. L. , Wolf, F. M. , Fantone, J. C. , & Davis, W. K. (1998). â€Å"Development and evaluation of an instrument to assess medical students’ cultural attitudes. † Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association, Switzer, G. E. Scholle, S. H. , Johnson, B. A. , & Kelleher, K. J. (1998). â€Å"The Client Cultural Competence Inventory: An instrument for assessing cultural competence in behavioral managed care organizations. † Journal of Child and Family Studies, Tervalon M. Murray-Garcia J. (1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence: A critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education. J Health Care Poor Underserved.