Author: chris

 

The Cola Wars

 

Background of the case study

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are multinational companies that deal with the same kind of business. They deal with production and distribution of soft drinks. The Cola wars are in form of a campaign majorly targeting TV advertisements as well as marketing campaigns between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo since 1980. These two companies experience stiff competition. This is seen from a scenario that happened in 2011 where Pepsi was ranked 3^rd behind Coca-Cola and Diet coke. In the previous year (2010), Diet coke emerged the best as compared to Pepsi. Coca-Cola made sales worth 1.6 billion of its regular soda. Of these, 927 million cases were of its diet soda. Pepsi sold only 892 million cases. Coca-Cola advertisements focus on nostalgia among children and they are termed as family friendly.

To entice the children, the company uses Polar bear Mascot and Santa Claus during the Christmas season. To ensure a competitive advantage, Coca-Cola made a strategic retreat in July 11, 1985. It announced to re-introduce the original classic Coke after the New Coke was introduced. The company used celebrities like Celine Dion, Bill Cosby, and Taylor Swift among others as its promoters. On the other hand, PepsiCo advertisements focus on celebrities who prefer it to Coca-Cola. Its promoters include Mariah Carey, KISS, Madonna, and Enrique Iglesias among others. To counter Coca Cola’s competitive strategy, PepsiCo introduced a long-term strategy branded as “Drink Pepsi, Get Stuff”. Customers would collect billions of points after acquiring packages and bottle caps. They would then redeem the points in exchange of Pepsi lifestyle merchandise. This program was tested and researched for two years and then Pepsi stuff, which was highly successful, was introduced.

Millions of customers subscribed to this program and Pepsi shone in the Atlanta Olympics. The Pepsi Stuff was re-introduced in 2005 and this made the two companies engage in cyber war. Coke surrendered with Coke rewards and this marked the end of the Cola war. Coca-Cola continued with its rewards that recognized customers who collected bottle caps as well as 12 to 24 pack box tops and submitted the codes online to earn a specific number of points. Pepsi collaborated with Amazon and created an opportunity for consumers to buy products using their Pepsi points.

The 11 step strategic model is critical in two ways: it describes how the major components of the strategic management process relate and it gives one the ability to analyze the case study and develop strategy formulation skills. The components view the companies as a whole with regard to the critical areas. The first section deals with the organizational mission, which describes the purpose as to why the organization exists and what makes different from other companies of a similar type. It identifies its scope and operations (Sharp, 1994). Through the company’s mission, the products that a company offer, its market share and technology used are brought are addressed. These factors reflect the values and priorities for the decision makers. Corporate social responsibility is a common feature in mission statements for it expresses how the company will help the societies that surround it.

The internal analysis of a company includes the human resources, company finances and physical resources of a company, which make up its internal environment. The quality and quantity of these factors should be considered. This component analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of a company’s management and organizational structure. The company’s previous successes and concerns are compared with the company’s current capabilities to determine its future capabilities. The external environment consists of factors that affects a company’s strategic options and define its competitive edge. Those factors are operating environment, the industry and the remote factors.

What follows is strategic analysis and choice. Assessing a company’s external environment as well as its profile makes it easy for a firm to realize a variety of attractive opportunities, which provide a strong base for investments. The available opportunities should be clearly analyzed in accordance with the company’s mission thus a selection can be done and a strategic choice is arrived at. The analysis process involves a mixture of long-term objectives, generic and grand strategies that are the building blocks of a company’s mission from the external environment. Long-term objectives are results that a company gains over a multi-year period. They involve profitability, return on investment, competitive position, public role, technological advancement, productivity and performance, industrial relations and employees’ career development.

The generic and grand strategies depict a company’s competitive orientation in the market place. These strategies range from offering the lowest possible cost, product differentiation or focusing on one line of products. Most managers seek to gain a competitive advantage through the application of the overall generic strategy. The environment is highly dynamic thus; companies use a plan of action to utilize these capabilities in order to achieve the long-term objectives. Through the grand strategy, a means as to how the objectives are to be achieved is stated. Each grand strategy is composed of a peculiar package of long-term strategies. The approaches that a company can use to utilize the grand strategies are joint ventures, bankruptcy, liquidation, diversification, integration, market development, product development among others.

Short-term objectives are the results achieved over a short period of time usually one year or less. These objectives are in line with the company’s long-term objectives. The short-term objectives provide guidance to a company’s functional and operational activities. They can be about marketing operations, usage of raw materials, employee turnover reductions, sales among others. A company can also have the functional tactics where it aims at attaining a sustainable competitive advantage. The plans set to achieve the competitive advantage are referred to as tactics. Therefore, functional tactics are detailed statements about the means to achieve the short-term objectives in order to gain a competitive advantage (Marcus, 1995).

Due to current competition and globalization, companies must operate with speed. To enhance this speed, decisions should be made at the lowest level in the organization. Policies aid in managerial decision-making. Therefore, companies should have policies that guide the thinking, decisions and actions of operating managers and subordinates. This helps them to put in practice the business strategy to establish and have control over the ongoing operating process of the firm. This implementation should be in line with the company’s objectives. Policies play a key role to increase managerial effectiveness through standardization of routine decisions hence enabling them implement business strategies.

Managers maintain a market-oriented focus in strategy formulation and implementation through action plans and functional tactics. To make these strategies successful, an internal focus is important. This is done by analyzing the best way to achieve the mission, the type of leadership required, the values to guide the process, the HR required, the kind of rewards administered among others. Systems governing company’s structure, leadership, rewards and culture may be amended to cut on costs and attain the required level of quality. Through strategic control, strategies are tracked in the process of implementation to help note problems or any relevant changes that need to be done. Continuous improvement helps managers to provide a variety of strategies that are in line with the developments in areas touching on business success.

Matching the 11-step model in the two companies helps us to understand their differences and similarities. The Coca-Cola Company is a renowned as the world’s largest beverage company. It markets over 500 non-alcoholic beverage brands, which include sparkling drinks. It also provides still waters, enhanced waters, juices, drink teas and coffees as well as energy and sports drinks. The major brands that the company owns and markets include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite. Since 1886, the company’s products consisting of its trademark were sold in the U.S but today they have spread to over 200 countries. The company has a strong belief that the consumers are the reason for its success and it therefore provides a variety of options to meet their desires, needs and lifestyle choices (Coca-Cola, 2012). Coca-Cola depends on its brands, financial muscles, its strong distribution system, its global reach as well as the talented managers and associates to gain competitive advantage. This fastens growth thereby creating value to shareholders.

PepsiCo was formed out of a merge of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay in 1961. It was the first company to respond to consumer preference after offering lightweight, recyclable, plastic bottles (PepsiCo, 2012). The company produces and markets soft drinks with the major ones being Slice and Diet Slice. In 2007, PepsiCo’s market is experienced great expansion thus the business has remained large and profitable with brands like Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, 7UP, Starbucks and Lipton. The company has over 19000 employees and reports sales worth $510 million. The employees utilize their Knowledge, Skills and Abilities working in the various company sections to make it profitable. The company has organic investments to sustain and improve its market share. This has been through highl spending on media and racks in counties like Mexico and Brazil.

PepsiCo established the Global Value Innovation Centre in order to cut on costs of equipment (coolers and fountain dispensers). This made the company increase its investments in the emerging markets in an affordable way. PepsiCo is also a leading global company in the snack business with the most-loved brands as Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos and Sun chips. The business has thrived well in markets like the U.S, the U.K and Australia (PepsiCo, 2012). PepsiCo’s external environment has been reshaped by various forces. The changes have ensured that the company competes effectively thus thriving in the beverage and food business. Global Economic Power has been realized in the East thus becoming a potential world player. The population in the West has also shifted the result of which is increased consumption share among the baby boomers, women and small households. The consumers and the government focus on health and wellness. Consumers have changed their habits, preferences as well as consumption patterns. The government has had safety and security as its center focus. This has increased the need for proper systems to ensure ingredient and product fitness.

The Coca-Cola Company operating structure is based on its internal financial reporting. By December 31, 2012 it had six operating segments (operating groups) namely; Eurasia and Africa, Europe, Latin America, North America, Pacific, Bottling Investments and the Corporate. The company has approximately 15,900 employees and this high number has been due to acquisition of bottling operations in countries like Vietnam, the U.S, Guatemala and Cambodia. The company’s competitive strengths include bottling and distribution network, differentiated marketing capabilities and highly skilled and committed employees. The challenge is found in strong competition in the various geographical regions and other big companies like PepsiCo. The external environment of the company is majorly characterized by the government and the consumers. The governments expect the company to abide by the varied laws in the numerous countries.

As seen from the case study, each company is trying to market itself by creating a positive image to the public. This is determined by various strategies. The bottling strategy at Coca-Cola is a long-term one whose major goal is to combine the company’s bottling interests and other company’s bottling interests to form strategic business alliances. The company can also sell its interests to one of the bottling partners and have an equity method of investment. The beverage business is highly competitive and therefore Coca-Cola utilizes competitive factors like pricing, advertising, sales promotion programs, product innovation, efficient production techniques, new packages, new vending and dispensing equipment, trademark/ brand protection.

From the theoretical perspective, Michael Porter argued that a business needs to make two fundamental decisions in establishing its competitive advantage; whether to compete primarily on price/cost – cost is necessary to sustain competitive prices but price is what the customers respond to; how broad a market target will aim at (its competitive scope). Therefore, the two companies should establish effective strategies to compete against each other fairly. By using cost leadership, they should provide products or services at the lowest price (Foster, 1996). To do this successfully, they require continual, exceptional efforts to reduce costs without excluding product features and services that buyers consider essential. The companies should achieve the cost advantages in ways that are hard for competitors to copy or match. This strategy is appealing if the market place is dominated by price competition with buyers who are price-sensitive, low switching costs of buyers, large buyers with a stronger bargaining power among others.

Differentiation is another strategy suggested by Michael Porter and it appeals to a cross-section of the market offering differentiating features that make customers willing to pay premium prices by use of superior technology, high quality products, and special features in packaging among others. The strategy is likely to prevail when product innovations and technological change are rapid and competition emphasizes the latest product features. Focus is another strategy where the company can choose to narrow down to a specific customer segment and competing with the lowest prices. This is differentiation is based on price. Differentiation focus is based on offering a special brand of product. For example, PepsiCo may choose to focus on the snack business to avoid the superior competition associated with the Coca-Cola Company. This theory can be backed up by the Ansoff Matrix that emphasizes on four key strategies; market penetration, market development, product development and diversification. The case study illustrates various tactics that each company uses to achieve success.

Middle line managers are at the operational level of management and they should be willing to embrace change by being flexible. This case study touches mostly on their section and they should operate with speed and use effective tactics to gain competitive advantage. They should carefully analyze competition by: identifying the competition, identifying the competitor’s strengths, determining the competitor’s objectives and goals, identifying the competitor’s SWOT, estimating the competitor’s reaction patterns, selecting the competitors to attack and avoid and finally create a positioning map. These seven steps are crucial to enable the two companies learn each other well to be able to come up with effective strategies and apply the model. Middle line managers should conduct an intensive market research to be able to meet the customers’ needs. They should also focus on training and development to enable their employees to embrace the new technology in place.

PepsiCo has done well in the industry despite having unpopular brands. One of the strategies that the company has used is diversification where it deals with food, snack and beverage products. These various concentrations have made it have a larger market share and reap profits from different areas. The company has also focused on investments by embracing the available opportunities to ensure long-term growth and profitability in order to survive in the competitive environment. With the common chain of supply and shares infrastructure, it has been able to cut on costs. PepsiCo also encourages innovation through the support of Research and Development thus building new capabilities. The performance with a purpose strategy enables the company to deliver a sustainable financial performance. This strategy focuses on human, environmental and talent sustainability. Through the human sustainability, PepsiCo offers a wide range of foods and beverages thus the consumer has varied products to choose from. In the environmental sustainability, innovative ways to cut on costs and minimize wastage have been developed. The company conserves water and energy. Talent is ensured through thorough training of the associates by offering various online courses in the PepsiCo University. This enables them to develop skills, capabilities with the required mindsets towards a sustainable financial performance and create value. The company promotes existing products, introduces new products, and uses effective advertising campaigns, marketing programs, product packaging, proper pricing, effective production techniques and brand protection.

The Coca-Cola Company can be able to recover since it concentrates in the beverage industry thus, it does not have divided attention. The company has core capabilities that it should utilize to overcome namely; consumer marketing, commercial leadership and franchise leadership. The company should invest a lot in marketing since its brand name is popular among consumers. Before they implement any strategy, a thorough product research has to be carried out. Coca-Cola Company has millions of retailers who sell and serve products directly to consumers. The company should continually support these retailers and supply them with the required solutions. It should also use the right promotional tools to be able to venture into new markets and develop their products demands.

Conclusion

The Cola wars expound on the cutthroat competition between Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo. Both companies apply various strategies in a bid to outdo each another. The strategic management model has the 11steps to help companies develop techniques and apply them effectively to overcome the stiff competition. Companies should understand their mission; focus on the internal strengths and the external pressures to able to overcome any external threats. Investment on research and development concerning the market share is very essential. This helps them to meet the customer needs. The grand strategies like diversification, integration, and differentiation/focus are important for a company to be able to venture into new markets as well as develop their products. Therefore, the Cola war is healthy since consumers have benefitted from product promotion, price cuts and quality services. Competition should be encouraged to provide a wide range of products for consumers to choose.

References

2012 PepsiCo Annual Report. (n.d.). 2012 PepsiCo Annual Report. Retrieved February 27, 2014, from http://www.pepsico.com/annual12/

Forster, J & M Browne (1996) Principles of Strategic Management Melbourne: Macmillan Education Australia Pty Ltd

Marcus, AA, RS Goodman & DN Grazman (1995) ‘The diffusion of strategic management frameworks’ Advances in Strategic Management 12B: 115-145

Our Company. (n.d.). The Coca-Cola Company. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from http://www.coca-colacompany.com/our-company/company-reports

Sharp, B & J Dawes (1994) ‘Does Competitive Strategy Demand Differentiation? A Review of the Deficiencies of Porter’s Competitive Strategy Typology’ paper presented at ANZAM, Wellington

 

 

 

 

Health Economics

Explain the law of demand and the law of supply.

The law of demand states that as the price of products increases, the quantity demanded of the products decreases while on the other hand the quantity of products demanded increases as the prices of the products decreases (Folland et al, 2007). This implies that consumers will purchases more products at lower prices while at higher prices consumers resort to other substitute products and purchase low quantities of the product.

The law of supply states that when there is high prices of products, producers will be willing to offer more products in the market while when there are low prices in the market the quantity of products offered for sale in the market decreases. This means that quantity supplied in the market increases when the prices of the products increase while the quantity supplied in the market decreases when the prices of the products decreases.
Distinguish between demand and quantity demanded. What determinants cause a shift in demand?

Demand is the quantity of goods and services that consumers are willing and capable of buying at particular prices in the market while on the other hand supply is the quantity of goods and services that the producers are willing to offer for sale in the market at a given price. Demand has a negative relationship with the price of the products while supply has a positive relationship with the price of the products. This implies that at low prices more quantities will be demanded while fewer quantities will be supplied in the market. On the other hand, at high prices low quantity will be demanded while high quantities supplied in the market (Folland et al, 2007).

The determinants that can cause a shift in demand include all other factors that affect quantity demanded apart from price. These include changes in income levels of consumers, taste and preferences of consumers, whether changes and the price of substitutes products.

What is the law of diminishing returns? Please give an example.

The law of diminishing returns states that adding one more inputs in all production processes while other factors are kept constant will at some point results to low output per unit (Folland et al, 2007). This implies that as more inputs are added towards the production process, it will reach a level that adding more inputs will not lead to increased productivity of organizations. An example of law of diminishing return can be illustrated using laborers who are working on agricultural production firm. As the number of laborers is increased while holding other factors constant, the output of the firm will increase until it reaches a point when adding one more laborer will lead to low output than the previous laborer. This is because adding more employees will eventually results to the overcrowding of the firm thereby decreasing the efficiency of workers.
What are the primary factors that have caused and relieved shortages in the physician workforce over time?

The primary factors that have caused shortage in the physician workforce over time are associated with lifestyle concerns of the profession. The profession of the physicians is characterized with tight schedules. The income level for physicians is also low as compared to the income of other professionals. This makes it to appear less lucrative and attractive to the potential physicians.  There is also lack of prestige that is associated with this profession. These lifestyle concerns associated with the physician workforce contribute to the diminishing of the interest of individuals in the profession. The shortage of physician workforce has however been relieved through one major factor that include increase of the income level of physicians. The increase in salaries and benefits of physicians help attracts individuals to pursue the profession hence reduce the shortages of the physicians.
Compare and contrast the public interest and special interest theories that describe the motivation behind government intervention in the health care market. Which theory do you believe is the most accurate?

Public interest theory is an economic theory that states that regulation is offered due to the demand by the public to correct inefficient market practices (Folland et al, 2007). Regulation benefits the society as a whole as opposed to the specific interest groups in the society. In this case, the regulation authority considers the interest of the society as a whole as opposed to private interest of the regulators. Since health matters are a concern of the whole society, the governments have to develop policies that ensure that the healthcare services are available and affordable to the society as a whole. Special interest theory on the other hand states that the regulation is offered due to the demand of individuals in the society who might take their power, position or authority to influence certain regulation to favor their particular interests in the society at the expense of the public interest. The government can develop policies that ensure that the less privileged groups in the society such as the poor, orphans and persons with disability are offered appropriate healthcare services to suit their needs.

The theory, which is most accurate, is the public interest theory since it caters for the whole society hence avoids chances of biasness in the society.
What is the information imperfection in health care and how does it impact the efficiency of the market?

The information imperfection in healthcare is a case where individuals in the society lack important information regarding the health care products such as price, availability, alternative products and the effectiveness of the products (Folland et al, 2007). This makes it difficult for individuals to decide on the type of medication to take but instead individuals are imposed to certain types of health care products and medication. The imperfection of information in the market has numerous consequences. Individuals can be charged high prices for the health care products as a result of lack of knowledge regarding the prices and the alternative products. It can also result to market efficiency causing a number of consequences such as shortages of drugs and administration of wrong drugs to patients. The market imperfection in the health care sector can also cause some market uncertainties such as deaths and illness associated with wrong healthcare products, improper medication and shortage of health care products.

 

Reference

Folland, S., Goodman, A. C., & Stano, M. (2007). The economics of health and health care (Vol.

6). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

 

Environmental Studies and Forestry

Environmental Terms	Definition in UAE Law 24, 1999	Country	Definition from Another Country	Comparison and Technical Explanation
Environment	It is the biosphere within which various forms of life are manifested and is made up of natural and unnatural elements.	United States	It refers to the total external conditions  that affect the development, life and survival of organisms (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2009).	Both definitions are clear and easy to understand. However, the definition from UAE is more detailed because it mentions the specific aspects that make up the environment. In addition, both definitions are complete and have no technical terms that can limit understanding.
2.      Marine Environment	The marine environment refers to the marine waters, animals and plants contained in the water, and installation, whether moveable or fixed that are within the marine environment. The boundaries of the environment cover the state’s economic zone.	United States	In the United States marine environment refers to the oceans, coastal waters, bays, estuaries, inter-tidal areas, the Great Lakes and any land under the Great Lakes or the Oceans (US Department of Commerce, 2013).	The definition of  the marine environment in the UAE is clear and includes human projects and installations. On the other hand, the United States definition does not include human projects and installations. The United States definition is more clear than that of UAE in terms of the extent of the marine environment. The UAE definition is vague because it states that the boundaries of the marine environment extends to the state’s economic zone while United States clearly states the extent of the boundaries. It is easy to understand both definitions because they do not contain technical terms.
3.      Ecological Systems	Ecological systems are comprehensive systems made up of  natural elements found in the environment that interact with one another.	United States	In the United States, ecological systems are spatially explicit units of the earth that include elements of abiotic environment and all organisms within their boundaries (Comer, 2003).	The definition from the UAE is simple, clear and easy to understand. The language used in the definition can be understood my a layman because it is not technical. On the contrary, the definition in the United States’ definition uses technical terms such as abiotic, which are not easy for a layman to understand.
4.      Natural Reserve	A natural reserve refers to water or land with special environmental aspects, aesthetic, cultural or environmental values that are determined by a decree of cabinet ministers as a response to a resolution by competent authorities or as a response to a proposal by the  Agency.	Canada	In Canada, a nature reserve is a legally protected area of land or designated by Special Places Protection Act to protect the ecosystems, species and other natural features for the sake of education, scientific research and nature appreciation (Nova Scotia Environment, 2013).	Both definitions are simple and clear, which makes them easy to understand. However, the UAE definition does not provide an outright explanation about the reasons for protecting the natural reserves, though the reason is implied in the wording.  The Canadian explanation provides an outright reason for protecting the nature reserves. Both definitions are complete because they provide even the authority from which protection is enforced.
5.      Environment Degradation	Environmental degradation refers to the effects that deforms the nature and reduces the value of the environment, harms living creatures, deplete resources or harm archaeological sites within the environment.	Britain	Environmental degradation refers to all factors that threaten the survival of ecosystems, which are caused by the deterioration of soil, water and air resources (Natural England, nd).	Both definitions are clear, easy to understand and complete. They are complete because they touch on all the essential parts of the environment that are degraded. However, the definition from Britain is more clear than that of UAE because it mentions the three essential parts of the environment that are highly affected by degradation.
6.      Environment Pollution	Environment pollution refers to the pollution occurring naturally or unnaturally through intentional or  unintentional introduction of pollutants into the natural environment, which results in danger to animal or botanical life, human life or harm to ecosystems and resources.	United States	Environmental pollution refers to the introduction of particulate matter, biological materials or chemicals into the natural environment that may harm organisms, human beings or damage the environment (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2008).	In both definitions, all aspects of the environment have been covered, making the definitions complete. The UAE’s definition is more specific than that of the United States because it has broken down all the means through which pollution can occur. On the other hand, the United States definition is clear because it has mentioned all the factors that are likely to cause environmental pollution.
7.      Materials and Polluting Factors	These are materials in various forms such as liquids, vapors, odors, light, radiation, heat, solids and gases occurring naturally or due to human activities that lead to the degradation  or pollution and harms living creatures and human beings.	Canada	Polluting factors refer to all foreign matter which, when introduced into the environment cause harm to living organisms in it or destroy resources (Nova Scotia Environment, 2013).	The definition by the UAE is more complete and comprehensive than that of Canada. The clarity exemplified by the UAE’ definition emanates from the mention of the polluting factors in different forms while Canada gives a vague description. The UAE description is complete because it mentions all the factors that lead to pollution while Canada defines in general terms.
8.      Environmental Impact Assessment	Environmental impact assessment refers to the analysis and study of the environment and its ability to support activities that may affect environmental safety.	United Kingdom	Environmental impact assessment is a process that aims to protect land that is not cultivated and semi-natural areas from damage by agricultural work and guard it against likely negative environmental consequences from the restructuring of rural land (Department for Communities and Local Government, 2006).	The UAE’s definition is short and vague because it does not mention the activities that may affect environmental safety. Therefore, it is unclear. On the other hand, the definition by the United Kingdom is incomplete because it seems to focus on agriculture and human settlements as the only activities that can jeopardize environmental safety.
9.      Environmental Protection	Environmental protection refers to the preservation of the natural components of the environment, prevention of pollution, protection of natural resources and living creatures in the environment and upgrading the components of the environment.	United Kingdom	Environmental protection refers to the procedures and policies designed to preserve the current state of natural resources, conserving natural resources and reversing degradation   (FIELD and RSPB, 2013).	Both definitions have avoided technical terms, thus making it easy and clear to understand. Although the definition of the United Kingdom is short, it is complete because it covers measures that can be used to reverse degradation while the UAE’s definition has omitted this aspect.
10.  Environmental Development	Environmental development refers to regulations and policies  that meet all the needs of sustainable development while ensuring  the preservation of natural resources, current and future heritage, archaeological and natural heritage and biological diversity.	Norway	Environmental development refers to regulations that govern sustainable economic, social and political development based on environmental conservation to ensure preservation of resources (Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2006).	The two definitions are simple and clear to understand, although the UAE’s definition has elaborated on the specific areas where environmental development is concerned. Both are complete because they convey the same message about the need to include environmental concerns in the development of plans.
11.  Sustainable Development	Inclusion of environmental concerns in development issues and planning to meet the present needs without jeopardizing future aspirations.	Canada	Sustainable development is the ability to meet the current needs without compromising the future generations’ needs (Environment Canada, 2013).	Both definitions are clear, conveys the same message, and are easy to comprehend.
12.  Environmental Disaster	Environmental disasters are accidents that occur due to natural or artificial factors, causing environmental damage whose intervention cannot be achieved  using local capabilities.	United Kingdom	Environmental disasters are incidents, both natural and man-made that occur and cause massive damage to the environment over a large area (Department for Communities and Local Government, 2006).	The definition of the UAE is clear, complete and simple to understand because it defines the term even in terms of intervention. The definition by the United Kingdom is simple and clear to understand but provides limited information.
13.  Hazardous Substances	These are harmful substance to human health, have negative environmental impacts in their solid, liquid and gaseous states and include explosives, radioactive substances, flammable and toxic substances.	Australia	Hazardous substances are substances that are potentially dangerous to living organisms and the environment, especially when disposed of or transported in a manner that is not safe (White and Heckenberg, 2011).	The definitions by both Australia and the UAE are simple to understand, clear and complete. They both use no technical terms that would hinder understanding. However, the definition by the UAE is more intense because it provides more details about the hazardous substances.
14.  Harmful Substances	Harmful substances are either radioactive, chemical or biological substances that directly or indirectly lead to deleterious effects to the environment or the human health.	United Kingdom	Harmful substances are those that pose a danger to human health when taken in through breathing, or ingested and pollutes the environment when present (Scottish Environment Protection Agency, 2005).	The definition by the UAE is clear, simple and specific. It classifies the harmful substance into three classes, thereby eliminating confusion. The definition, however, has used a technical term-deleterious, which might confuse people. The definition by the United Kingdom is clear, free of technical terms, simple, but general.
15.  Waste Management	Waste management refers to activities such as collection, transportation, storage, recycling, disposal of wastes and taking care of disposal sites.	United States	Waste management is the process through which waste production is reduced through recycling and re-use while properly disposing the already generated waste United States (Environmental Protection Agency, 2009).	Both definitions are simple and clear to understand. They are also complete because they deal with issues of disposal and  reducing waste.
16.  Waste Handling	Waste handling refers to the Operations involved in handling waste from its production to its safe disposal.	United Kingdom	Waste handling refers to the specific processes through which various types of wastes are handled since their nature dictates different handling techniques (Natural England, nd)	The definition by the UAE is incomplete because it fails to explain the difference between waste handling and management. The United Kingdom’s definition is complete because it explains that the nature of waste dictates the handling method.
17.  Waste Disposal	Waste disposal is a process involving burial, biological, chemical or physical treatment, destruction and permanent storage of waste as approved by relevant authorities.	Canada	Waste disposal is the final step involving either chemical, physical or biological storage of waste (Environment Canada, 2013).	Both definitions clearly explain the process of disposal in an easy to understand format. They are complete because they have dealt with all the three main types of waste.
18.  Dirty Ballast Water	This is the dirty water disposed off ships when it contains more than 15 ppm.	Ukraine	Dirty ballast water is the water emptied from ship tanks for containing excessive amount of oils, solid contents and iron (Steamship Mutual, 2005).	The UAE definition is clear and simple to understand than that of Ukraine because it has provided the limit of oil in the ballast water. Ukranian definition is incomplete because it does not provide the oil limits in the ballast water.
19.  Dumping	Deliberate waste disposal into the marine environment from aircrafts, ships and other means.	Australia	Disposal of harmful waste into the marine environment (Australian Department of Environment, 2013).	The UAE’s definition is complete and clear because it elaborates the source of the waste. Australian definition is simple to understand but vague.
20.  Semi-Closed Public Premises	Incomplete buildings in public places that cannot be completely closed that allows air entry.	Taiwan	Any space in a building that is used by the public or any mass transportation space allowing air entry (Taiwan Law Library, 2011)..	Both definitions are clear to understand and uses no technical term. The Taiwanese definition is complete compared to that of UAE because it includes transportation spaces.

 

 

 

References

Australian Department of Environment. (2013). Sea Dumping Act. Retrieved from http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/marine/marine-pollution/sea-dumping/sea-dumping-act

Comer, P., D. (2003). Ecological Systems of the United States: A Working Classification of U.S. Terrestrial Systems. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe.

Department for Communities and Local Government. (2006). Environmental impact assessment. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/7676/155958.pdf

Environment Canada. (2013). Sustainable development. Retrieved from http://www.ec.gc.ca/dd-sd/

FIELD and RSPB. (2013). An assessment of environmental protection frameworks in the UK  Overseas Territories. Retrieved from

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/EnvironmentalGovernanceReviewFeb2013_tcm9-342020.pdf

Natural England. (nd). Environmental damage regulations. Retrieved from http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/regulation/environmentaldamage/default.aspx

Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (2006). Norwegian action plan for environment in development cooperation. Retrieved from http://www.regjeringen.no/upload/UD/Vedlegg/Utvikling/actPlanenv.pdf#page=9&zoom=auto,0,521

Nova Scotia Environment. (2013). Nature Reserves FAQs. Retrieved from https://www.novascotia.ca/nse/protectedareas/faq_nr.asp

Scottish Environment Protection Agency. (2005). Hazardous waste. Retrieved from http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/wm2_interpretation_of_the_definition_classification_of_hazardous_waste.pdf

Steamship Mutual. (2005).Ukraine – Ballast Water Management. Retrieved from http://www.steamshipmutual.com/publications/Articles/Articles/Ukraine_ballast0305.asp

Taiwan Law Library. (2011). Indoor Air Quality Act. Retrieved from http://law.epa.gov.tw/en/laws/502150009.html

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2008). What Are the Trends in the Critical Physical and Chemical Attributes of the Nation’s Ecological Systems? Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/ncea/roe/docs/roe_final/roe_final_eco_chap6_physical.pdf

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Terminology Services: Vocabulary Catalog List Detail – Terms of Environment. Retrieved from http://ofmpub.epa.gov/sor_internet/registry/termreg/searchandretrieve/glossariesandkeywordlists/search.do?details=&glossaryName=Terms%20of%20Env%20%282009%29#formTop

US Department of Commerce. (2013). National Marine Protected Areas Center. Retrieved from http://marineprotectedareas.noaa.gov/glossary.html

White, R., & Heckenberg, D. (2011). What is hazardous waste and what makes it hazardous?  Retrieved from http://www.utas.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/193413/Briefing_Paper_2_What_is_hazardous_waste.pdf

 

The Gulf War

The United States military faced enormous challenges during the gulf war. The challenges mainly occurred because of the proximity of the Middle East from the United States. The long distance between the two regions created a logistical nightmare for the United States’ forces.

One of the logistical problems faced by United States military was getting enough supplies of spare parts (Lowry, 2003). During the war, equipment required regular repair for efficiency. It was difficult to deliver the required parts in a timely manner, without affecting the mission tactical planning.

The second logistical challenge that faced the American troops was the supply of food and clothing. The frequent movement of troop made it hard to supply fresh food.  Food and clothing that provided camouflage in the desert were crucial to the troops’ operations. Fresh food was required to provide the required energy for the fighting forces. When the uniform supplies were available, there was a problem of ensuring the soldiers got the right size of uniforms and boots.

The United States military and its allies overcame most of these challenges through a variety of ways. First, the troops obtained spare parts from other units to meet their shortfall. In addition, the soldiers rebuilt and reused some of their equipment, purchased parts from the locals and took parts from non-mission equipment.

To overcome the challenge of food, the military obtained fresh supplies from the local economy and fed some of the soldiers. The soldiers who did not move frequently had more fresh supplies than those in constant movement. However, the military boosted the morale of those soldiers in constant movement by improvising automobiles that supplied the soldiers with hot dogs, French fries and hamburgers.

 

 

 

Reference

Lowry, R. (2003). The Gulf War Chronicles: A Military History of the First War with Iraq. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

 

Mission Statement for Nursing

Introduction

Healthcare is one of the most important aspects in human beings. For progress, people need to take into consideration the roles played by nursing and good health in their lives (Cantrell, 2011). Nursing practices require commitment, sacrifice, dedication and resilience whereby, some of these virtues are hard to maintain especially when dealing with different types of people each day. This paper addresses important aspects of nursing which enable practitioners to relate well with the patients, families and even friends who accompany the patients.

In nursing, regulatory bodies have the responsibility to ensure that all medical practitioners follow the right ethical procedures when dealing with patients or any other aspect of their practice. Important aspects such as privacy, information and uncertainty in illnesses are important factors for patients who require prudence and confidentiality when necessary as supported by Beauchamp and Childress (1994) and Perry (2001). In an event where virtues are broken or patients feel that they are not receiving the service they deserve from the practitioners, the regulatory body takes initiative to deal with the specific doctor or nurse in question. It is also the board’s duty to ensure that every person operating within their jurisdiction has met the right qualifications and the minimum requirements to operate. The board would be irresponsible if a nurse or a doctor was operating without the right qualification, a factor which can endanger the patients’ lives.

On the other hand, professional nursing organizations are obligated to ensuring that the welfare of nurses is well taken care of and in the process acting as an umbrella body for the practitioners. In addition, medical practitioners get the opportunity to meet others practitioners from different places enabling interaction in the line off duty. This in addition enables the necessary connections at both local and advanced level which probably leads to promotions or even getting new job opportunities. Some organizations offer memberships to clubs and also insurance covers for practitioners such as medical or transport as supported by Perry (2001) in the American Medical Association Guide.

This implies that the regulatory bodies ensure that nursing practices are consistent with the set standards and procedures, while the organizations concentrate on the welfare of the nurses and how the practice can be maintained as well as being improved. Both organizations are meant to streamline the nursing career for both practitioners and patients. Nursing code of ethics was developed as a guide for the nursing practitioners to follow while in their professional engagement. According to American Nurses Association (ANA), the second provision states that ‘nurses promote, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of their patient’ as quoted in Cantrell (2011). This quotation means that it is not only in the patients’ health that nurses are obligated to, in addition to it being “rights” of the patients which in this case are legally provided for. This helps the nurses as well as the patients in events where some rights of the patients may be violated in the medical care process. The other provision that directly influences my nursing practice is the one that stating that ‘nurses have the initial obligation of attending to patients, who may be a group, community, family or even individual patients (Beauchamp & Childress, 1994). This takes care of the cases where the community, individual or another third party is having vested interest in the health care of a patient who a doctor is dealing with.

Apart from the two mentioned provisions, there are other two codes of ethics which may be applied in an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals as stated in the fifth provision that, ‘nurses owe the same duties to their own self as to others, which includes the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety in maintaining competence and ensuring continued personal and professional growth at their working career’ (Cantrell, 2011). This encourages self-sacrifice and integrity while dealing with other people’s affairs especially patients. In case some of those provisions are violated, the nurse is liable to take full responsibility for his/her actions according to the law.

In addition, the fourth provision in the American Medical Association guide by Perry (2001) indicated that, ‘a nurse has full accountability and responsibility for the patient care, and therefore determines the most appropriate nursing practice, which is applicable for deliverance of individual responsibilities and obligations in quality patient health care’, thus leading to integrity and self-sacrifice as mentioned above. It is only in this case that delegation is critical especially regarding the appropriateness of the person whom the duty is delegated (Cantrell, 2011).

Casey’s model of nursing is one of the models that have shaped my nursing career and influenced it to a great extent. It entails pediatric care and cooperation with the families. The fact that the parents, especially the immediate family parents of a child are the best people, who can take care of the child’s health and this makes the main basis of this theory. Children tend to respond well to treatment when in company of the parents or immediate family member and therefore, when care is given by parents with the help of nurses, the child’s health is bound to be more positively responding for the better of everyone. The other model is the Adaptation model of nursing which entails helping the body to cope with the prevailing circumstances. This is because by nature, the body is made to adjust itself to changing biological, physical as well as psychological changes and therefore forming the basis of the Adaptation model.

One of the most notable nursing figures in history is Clara Barton, one of the nurses operating during the civil war. Clara played an integral role in the health of President Lincoln’s health and was an instrumental player in the formation of the American Red Cross. The selflessness which she displayed during that time led to her being nicknamed “the angel of battlefield”. During the formation of the American Red cross, the nurse was playing an important role of helping the International Red cross at the Franco-Prussian war. Her real name was Clarrisa Harlowe Barton but she preferred the name Clara Barton more. It is very important for the whole nursing fraternity and even any humanitarian organization in the United States to realize that the nurse made the American Red cross which is much respected today for its humanitarian activities. Therefore, nurses should apply principles of beneficence and respect for autonomy, following the recognitions suggested in the American Medical Association guide by Perry (2001).

Beneficence – Nursing as a career involves making a choice to deal with people with problems and breaking one’s schedule to deal with the health problems of individuals. In order to achieve such, a Nurse needs to have qualities of kindness and Charity especially when patients do not have the necessary financial background or are extremely uncooperative. In some cases, nurses engage in beneficence acts to prevent harm, promote good or even remove a problem which already exists (Beauchamp & Childress, 1994). In child healthcare for example, care is necessary considering that children are not cooperative and that parents may not exactly understand the child’s needs. For instance, while working in Miami, Florida, the nurses in our sector decided to visit pediatric wards and give free services to all the children who were admitted with their parents there for one week. This included some extra services to those who got released during the course of the week.

Respect for autonomy – In applying this principle in nursing, it is usually tricky because autonomy and ethics seem to collide at some point. On several occasions, a nurse is bound to come across a situation where the patient rejects the genuine medical procedure. When the patient declines cooperation, it is not only morally wrong for the nurse to continue doing what the patient is objecting, but also illegal to doing so as supported by Beauchamp and Childress (1994). On the other hand, questions may arise where patients are directly going against the medical advice which they are given. At that point it is logical for the nurse to intervene and save the situation. One of the challenging situations which involved autonomy was a request by a minor patient for information to be withheld from her parents regarding her health. It is difficult for a physician to keep information regarding chronic illnesses such as cancer from the parents of a minor citizen. Living in the current world, the aspects of autonomy which patients and doctors need are hard to achieve and therefore, concessions must be made.

Conclusion

Nursing is an interesting profession but it comes with its complexities out of the simple fact that, nursing deals with people’s health directly which is subject to change at any time. For other professions such as engineering, facts are spelt out and there is uniformity in activities which one deals with everyday. In nursing on the other hand, personality changes with respect to the number of patients and therefore, patience and other moral virtues are applied on a daily basis. Moreover, practitioners encounter challenging situations every time and tough decisions have to be made with respect to the prevailing conditions (Beauchamp & Childress, 1994) and (Perry, 2001).

 

 

 

References

Beauchamp, T. L. & Childress, J.F. (1994). Principles of biomedical ethics (2^nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press

Cantrell, M. A. (2011). Pediatric nursing. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Perry, A. (2001). The American Medical Association guide to home care giving. New York: J. Wiley & Sons.

Southern Company Case Study

 

The effectiveness of the role played by strategic leaders in the formation of the performance management strategy

The Southern Company strategic leaders demonstrated their exceptional competence and skills in formulating the organisation performance strategy. The organisation strategic leaders were able to develop reliable and ambitious strategic mission and vision.  In the policy formulation process, the organisation’s mission was also at the centre of the Southern Company performance strategy. The Southern Company strategic leaders also ensured that all players in the company were actively involved in the strategy formulation process. The strategy vision was tied with the organisation values and culture. The adoption of a realistic and appropriate strategy mission and vision played a critical role in ensuring that the organisation attains it intend objective (Hsieh, & Yik, 2005).

Furthermore, the Southern Company strategic leaders adopted a success objectives and goals for the organisation. The strategy goal was to ensure that the organisation recruit competence and talented professionals who will support the business in attaining the set immediate and long-term objectives. Therefore, the strategy mission did not only turn out as a success idea but magic that could significantly improve the organisation’s profitability. The company strategic leaders also ensured that all actors were committed towards achieving the set strategic goals and objectives.  The Southern Company strategic leaders were as well effective in designing a realistic and cost effective performance management strategy. The organisation leaders demonstrate their competence in leadership by highlighting some of the most useful means of utilising the available resources in improving the organisation performance. Although at the initial stage the strategy appeared complicated and challenging, the leaders managed to describe to all stakeholders the most productive means of implementing the plan.

The strategic leaders were in the forefront in ensuring that the set strategy was implemented efficiently. In an ideal situation, the primary role of strategic leaders in any business setting is to ensure that the chosen strategy is effective within the set timeframe. The organisation leaders were also able to create an environment that supported successful implementation of the proposed strategy. With an aim of assessing the outcome of the strategy, the business strategy leaders adopted an effective evaluation strategy. The evaluation initiative involved the assessment the impact of the strategy on the organisation profitability

Five points criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of talent management strategy

In evaluating the effectiveness of Southern Company talent management strategy, the leader will examine the accuracy of the strategy. The leaders will scrutinize whether the initiative has attained its objective metric (Useem, 2001). Individual objective metric helps in defining the role and responsibility of all actors in an organisation.  Secondly, the strategic leaders will assess the authority of the talent strategy.  In most instances, talent is presumed to be an afterthought that supports individual skills and competence. Therefore, the evaluation process will examine whether the talent development has attained its intended goals.

The organisation leaders will also examine the objectivity of the strategy. In assessing the plan objectivity, leaders will aim at understanding whether the plan has attained its intended objective. The assessment of the currency of the strategy will also be of the essence in facilitating the formulation of appropriate intervention measures in future (Thompson & Strickland, 2003). In evaluating the currency of the plan, the organisation will seek to identify whether the plan was effective within the stipulated deadline. Finally, the organisation leaders will use the available evaluation tool in evaluating the scope and the coverage of the plan.  In this step, leaders will aim at examining the impact of the plan in meeting the interest of all individuals. The evaluation on the coverage will also be useful in examining the impact of the initiative to the organisation profitability. In their evaluation process, the organisation leaders aim at interviewing all involved actors in the organisation. The organisation evaluation team will also collect the relevant information from the business records. Observation will be of the essence in collecting accurate information regarding the outcome of the plan (Charan, Drotter & Noel, 2001).

Critique of the component of talent management strategy and effective ways of attaining effective results

The act of evaluating individual social and personal background is not one of the most effective means of understanding individual characters and talent. In most instances, individual changes their behaviours in references to emerging social and economic environment. Instead, the tragic leaders would have subjected their employees into the business activities in order to examine their potential talents and competences. Reliance on information from external might not offer the required outcome. Recommendations from other leaders might be biased to meet individuals’ interests. Furthermore,  recruit might lack sufficient information useful in accessing their talents and skills. To attain the best outcome, the organisation strategic leaders need to undertake their own investigations before arriving into a constructive conclusion (Lynch, 2006). The identification of individual career path may also be ineffective in presenting individual skills and talents. Studies from various scholars affirm that individual career development is enhanced by various factors including support mechanism, working environment, teamwork in an organisation as well as individual ability to learn new skills. Furthermore, individuals who will produce the required information might be inaccurate forcing the intervention initiative to ineffective. Therefore, to come up with a reliable conclusion on individual talents and skill, organisation leaders should engage in detailed consultation with all players in order to understand one’s potential skills and talent.  The involvement of an individual in demanding work will also help in identifying a reliable means of improving employees’ talent (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson, 2007)

Functional expertise component of the strategy

To recruit the most qualified individuals to take the business leadership and management position, the Southern Company has adopted a strategy that has key functional expertise. At the initial stage, the Southern Company executive managers undertook a systematic review on the personal education and personal background.  The information on individual personal background was to help the company understand one’s cultural background. In modern society, the knowledge on the employee’s background is vital in ensuring there is diversity among the organisation workforce.  The assessment of employee’s educational background will assist the business executive director in understanding the education skills and competence of its customer.

The strategy also has a component that accesses applicant major accomplishment. The knowledge on the successor past accomplishment will assist the organisation in selecting an individual with the required experience on the new position. The component will as well assist the company in selecting an individual who have successfully applied the acquired skills and competent. Furthermore, the knowledge on the individual accomplishment will be vital in helping Southern Company understand some of the most effective material and non-material motivation initiative. The component from external leadership competency evaluation will also serve a critical role in facilitating  the adoption of the most effective means of evaluating the performance of its employees. The adoption of reliable evaluation mechanism will be of the essence in facilitating accurate and cost effective assessment and evaluation strategy.

The information on external leadership competency assessment will help in the evaluation of the skills that are critical for a successful leader in modern complicated economy. The assessment and acknowledgment of some of the main growth and development needs will serve a critical role in the formulation of productive development strategy. The understanding on key development needs will also assist in identifying the frequency of conducting productive training programs in the organisation. The act of conducting detailed analysis with an aim of identifying the areas that require prompt and immediate rectification will also enhance the recruitment of competence professionals. The strategy has a component that help in the identification of some of the plans and actions that can improve workforce competence.

To succeed in modern competitive economy, Southern Company needs to come up with an initiative that would advance and accelerate employee’s growth and development. The component will be useful in understanding some of the most valuable assignment and moves that can develop employees’ competence. The knowledge on reliable means of advancing employees development will also be of the essence in developing action plans to improve the performance of the organisation employees. Therefore, the functional expertise components of the strategy will facilitate effective coaching among the organisation employees. Some of the strategy components will also be useful in enhancing continuous assessment of the organisation employees.  Therefore, some of the vital component contained in the strategy will also enhance the formulation of the organisation education and training programs (Pearce, & Robinson, 2007).

 

References

Charan, R. Drotter S. & Noel, J. (2001). The leadership pipeline: How to build the             leadership-powered company. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D. & Hoskisson, R.E. (2007). Strategic Management: Competitiveness        and Globalization, 7th edition. Ohio: Thomson/South Western.

Hsieh, T-Y. & Yik, S.( 2005). Leadership as the starting point of strategy’, McKinsey        Quarterly,1, 67–76.

Lynch, R.L. (2006). Corporate Strategy. London: Pitman.

Pearce, J.A. & Robinson, R.B. (2007). Formulation, Implementation and Control of           Competitive Strategy, 9th edition. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Thompson, A.A. & Strickland, A.J. (2003). Strategic Management: Concepts and Cases, 13^th          edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Useem, M. (2001). Leading up: How to Lead your Boss so you Both Win. New York, NY:            Crown            Business.

HUMAN RIGHTS

The Freedom and Human Rights

The freedom of the press is very important in every society. It gives the press the right to bring news to the public without fear of reprisals from the government or any other party. The press has the function of disseminating information to the public about many issues that concern a country (Council of Europe, 2010). This may be political, social, and economic issues affecting a country and the people. In the recent past, the press has exposed various ills in many countries, including swindling of money from governments coffers, corruption, crime, prostitution rings and drug trafficking, to name but a few.

In dealing with human rights violations, the freedom of the press means that journalists can bring to the attention of the whole world any activities perpetuated by individuals and governments to the fore. Freedom of media means they can undertake investigative journalism and inform the world any activity that contravenes human rights as espoused under the UN Charter on human rights (Council of Europe, 2010). Without the media, it would be impossible for people to know what is happening in conflict zones, war-torn countries and even in countries like the US, which run secret detention camps.

The press has acted as an enlightenment medium where people get to know what is happening. Therefore, when the press is given freedom it is able to investigate various situations in the abuse of human rights like that which happened in Zimbabwe where whites were chased away from the country without compensation (Daily Mail 2014). The press highlights the various wrongs to prompt action against such vices. Human rights are essential to any nation, and any abuse is not warranted. The press informs the international and national community on human rights violations which prompts for action to be taken (Seibert & Muller, 2012). Conclusively, it is imperative that the press continues to inform the public and the world at large about any issue that degrades humanity. In doing so, they should be guided by their code of ethics to ensure their reporting is objective and based on facts.
Independence of the Judiciary in the Promotion of Human Rights

The independence of the judiciary is quite important in the effective and impartial execution of judgments without any fear. In countries like China, the judiciary is not independent, and there are many cases of human rights abuses, which the international community has condemned and called China to task on this matter. Seibert & Muller (2012) suggest that the independence of the judiciary prevents pressure and influence that is contrary to the law (Seibert & Muller, 2012). This enables judges and lawyers to carry out their duties without fear.

Some human rights abuses may results in one being blackmailed. In some cases, the defendants may threaten the lives of the judicial officers. The independence should come with the affirmation from the public government and support by law enforcement agencies to zero tolerance in dealing with crimes (Seibert & Muller, 2012). The unity among the three arms of government will enable the judiciary to carry out its duties in protecting the rights of the people. This will lead to a significant decrease in human rights violations since it will be a warning to others who may want to practice such violations in future (De & Vidmar 2012). In essence, independence of the judiciary means that the judiciary can execute its mandate impartially by following the law (Seibert & Muller, 2012). The people running the courts would not be working under any threats or intimidations from those in power. Therefore, any person who goes to the courts would be assured of getting justice. This is critical because those in power cannot use the courts to get protection from human violation-related cases.

Three Main Developments in International Law

Many developments have made international law to become interested in the rights of individuals (Viljoen, 2012). One development is war. After World War II, the international community started focusing on individual rights and not only the affairs of individual states. This led the international community to come up with measures that protect the rights individuals (Xiong, 2012).

Secondly, the rise in dictatorial regimes saw an unprecedented increase in human rights violations (Hafner-Burton, 2013, Viljoen, 2012). The focus of human rights crusaders in the early 1960s who to give people a chance to get recourse in the international arena when the state did not respect their human rights (Shelton, 2010, Viljoen, 2012). Those who are opposed to dictatorial rule are usually detained and tortured. Their human rights are violated, as some human rights advocates are hauled behind bars on flimsy grounds. A good example is what transpired in Uganda during the reign of Idd Amin (Viljoen, 2012). However, the international justice system has been developed to provide interventions in countries dictators rule supreme. For instance, the international community led an onslaught on Saddam Hussein.

Thirdly, the inefficiency of the post-war tribunals led to the formation of the International Criminal Court to deal with issues concerning human rights abuses in member states. The recent developments have been the successful prosecution of Charles Taylor who carried out many atrocities in Liberia. In most cases, the leaders are the perpetrators of the violence (Viljoen, 2012). These tribunals focused on the lower cadre of perpetrators leaving the leaders out of the investigation. Thus, to prevent such cases happening, the international community has to come in to prevent any future occurrence (Ghandi, 2012).

 

 

References

Council of Europe. (2010). Human Rights and a Changing Media Landscape. London: Council of Europe.

Daily Mail. (2014). Zimbabwe White Farmers Must Fight or Flee. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-132504/Zimbabwe-white-farmers-fight-flee.html

De, W. E., & Vidmar, J. (2012). Hierarchy in International Law: The Place of Human Rights. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

Ghandhi, P. R. (2012). Blackstone’s International Human Rights Documents. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Hafner-Burton, E. (2013). Making Human Rights a Reality. London: SAGE.

Seibert-Fohr, A., & Muller, L. F. (2012). Judicial Independence in Transition. Berlin: Springer.

Shelton, D. (2010). Regional Protection of Human Rights, Volume 1. London: Oxford University Press.

Viljoen, F. (2012). International Human Rights Law in Africa. London: Oxford University Press.

Xiong, P. (2012). An international Law Perspective on the Protection of Human Rights in the TRIPS Agreement: an Interpretation of the TRIPS agreement in Relation to the Right to Health. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.

Global Supply Chains

Introduction

The concept of global supply chain is important in understanding the diverse dimension of business globally. This analysis will focus on the wider market to be served, the products that will be dealt with by the firms, underlying process in regard to demand, macroeconomic conditions relating to the future, the overall transport and the production overheads (Ritchie & Zsidisin 2008). In regard to the above, any company involved in the chain has to make amicable decisions in regard to location of operations, how to distribute production work to the entire network and the entire management of products to be distributed. In this context, it is important to understand some two terms i.e. Product focus, Process focus and Market focus. Product focus is a term detailing how different companies located in different parts of the world concentrate in handling specific product family (Tayur, Ganeshan & Magazine 2009).

The focus is normally to reach the specific product to different destinations of the world. Process focus relates to how various firms incorporate abundant processes geared at manufacturing different products. In this case the plant which is manufacturing the specific commodity has to be one out of many in the process chain. Market focus means that the firms are dedicated in serving a specific market segment. In this regard, the market is insulated from external aggression.

Global commodity chains (GCC) – this relates to the labor and the production processes enshrined in a network resulting to a finished product. In order to understand this concept it is of paramount important to understand the network involved. Global Production Network works in cahoots with the GCC. Research has it that Global Production Network was characterized in the early 1980s leading the development of the GCC. Globalization results to the integration of markets. It makes the entire world produce globally. This has made it paramount for the firms to make proper decisions in regard to the make and buy in sourcing and outsourcing (Bowersox, Closs & Cooper 2002).

Global production networks – the concept examines the interconnected hub of activities and functions resulting to worldwide production and distribution of products. It entails the resultant complicated nature of firms that are geographically dispersed. The production network not collapses the ‘glue’ that used to bring firm together in the traditional concept but bring about mutual integration of national economies. This mutual integration has a positive impact in the economies concerned (Cohen & Mallik 2007). The complex nature of the network is depicted by the fact that the production processes and networks are not territorial specific or bound. Rather the networks cut through territories and are not state or nation bound. Even though the networks are affected by the rampant regulation barriers and social and cultural factors, they tend to create structures which disregard territorial nature.

The Critical Concept – focuses on the management of the purchase, sell and deliver of transactions in a collaborative unit or channel. It does a comparative analysis of the single channel and the national model depicting it complex nature. The concept scales to analysis of the processes in a global perspective where plethoras of complexities are brought into the limelight. This concept shows the integration and interconnection of different vendors across the globe who work as business partners (Locke, Amengual & Mangla 2009). The partners are focused in achieving a specific objective before the tasks are passed on to the next level of the chain. As the tasks are expounded the supply chain becomes more complex resulting to an influx in the margin of error. This concept not only analyzes the problems arising but also outlays some possible solutions to the problem (Andersen & Larsen 2009). For instance, in their bid to simplify the complexity and minimize risks, the companies involved should ensure that the most important information about the supply chain is passed from top to the bottom. In this regard, many firms propose visibility services in the supply chain such as ‘track and trace’ but in depth analysis should be done geared at finding more approaches in tackling the challenge. For instance, questions emanates from different quarters of the chain querying on the value of event or awareness or even failure and challenges in the supply chain if such event failure or the problem occurs.

Conclusion

Despite the similarities existing between the supply chain management and logistics concept, a major difference emanates between the concept of the supply chain and the ancient logistic management. Logistics normally talks about the activities happening within a single platform while the supply chain management is more or less of different companies working together with a single aim of delivering a product to the market (Bowersox, Closs & Cooper, 2002). Logistics involves itself with issues concerning procurement, stock management, maintenance, and distribution. The concept of the supply chain management embraces all the logistic features and contains more activities relating to marketing, finance, production of new product and improvement of customer service. In a wider view, the additional activities are bound to fulfil the customer’s requests and demand in the market (Boyd, Spekman, Kamauff & Werhane 2007). The entire approaches of the supply chain provide a platform in which to deal with customers needs that would eventually conflict with one another.

 

References

Cohen, M. A., & Mallik, S. (2007). Global supply chains: research and applications. Production and Operations Management.

Andersen, M., & Skjoett-Larsen, T. (2009). Corporate social responsibility in global supply chains. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal.

Bowersox, D. J., Closs, D. J., & Cooper, M. B. (2002). Supply chain logistics management (Vol. 2). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Tayur, S., Ganeshan, R., & Magazine, M. (Eds.). (2009). Quantitative models for supply chain management. Springer.

Locke, R., Amengual, M., & Mangla, A. (2009). Virtue out of necessity? Compliance, commitment, and the improvement of labor conditions in global supply chains. Politics & Society,

Boyd, D. E., Spekman, R. E., Kamauff, J. W., & Werhane, P. (2007). Corporate social responsibility in global supply chains: a procedural justice perspective. Long Range Planning.

Ritchie, R., & Zsidisin, G. (2008). Supply chain risk: a handbook of assessment, management, and performance, Springer.

 

Business and Services Marketing: Yo Shusi

1. Critically assess to what extent a theatre analogy is appropriate when analysing the service encounter at Yo! Sushi. How might the analogy provide insights into employee and consumer behaviour during the service encounter?

Yo! Shushi is a potent illustration of the operation that fits into the theatre analogy. As highlighted in the case study, Yo! Sushi is a restaurant company established in 1997 by Simon Woodroffe. The company has embraced what most businesses do to succeed in the market.  By definition, the concept of theatre analogy is more concerned with treating clients in a unique way most probably converting them from new clients to frequent and potential clients. To succeed in the market, the business has embraced a number of ideas to enhance customer satisfaction. The company has embraced a number of strategies to succeed in the food industry and attract a number of clients. As illustrated, the company’s environment has been the ideal place for customers to eat and spend their quality times with the family. The company has embraced the need to provide quality services to its clients. More recently, the company has consistently offered fresh and healthy foods. The company provides other dishes based on vegetarian, meat, and fish options, which can be consumed quickly at a reasonable cost. As documented by Gronroos (1982), it is complex for businesses to emerge the best over other competitors. Often, most firms find it difficult providing unique services that attract first time clients to potential and frequent clients. Although most companies have the best marketing strategies to attract new clients, it becomes difficult to convert them to potential or frequent clients. To succeed in the business realm, it is crucial to embrace unique ideas and strategies to attract customers.

To succeed in the hotel industry, Yo! Shushi has good reputation with its clients, respond to problems urgently, and recruit competent workers to serve clients well. It is a well-documented fact that, the company has perfectly embraced the concept of theatre analogy on its business operations. As previously mentioned, the restaurant has become the best place to eat and dine with families. The conveyor belt that stretches around the bar/eating counter in the dining room, call buttons, Japanese TV, and robot drinks trolleys makes it the ideal place to be. This means that, most customers who value comfort are more likely to choose the restaurant because it has facilities that foster that. Also, customers who are conscious with time are more likely to choose the restaurant since it creates a platform for one to eat and pay quickly without wastage of time. The restaurant has the theatre analogy as it establishes what clients need and work hard to facilitate that. For instance, the restaurant attracts most clients who value spending quality time away from home. As Hill & Alexander (2006) puts it, clients in the hotel industry value restaurants that show concerns for the needs and wants. With this in mind, Yo! Shushi has laid a strong ground where clients can spend quality time with their families at an affordable price. The management has emphasized on creating an environment in, which client enjoy their time fully in the restaurant.

Typically, the concept of theatre analogy is best demonstrated by the ideal that the restaurant offers several dishes to its clients. To fully understand this ideal, it is crucial to provide a comprehensive analysis of the concept of theatre analogy. In essence, theatre analogy is crucial concept in marketing where service delivery is regarded as performance (Holbrook & Corfman, 1985). Theatre analogy defines human behaviours as a drama or performance, which dictates the performance of the business. From the ongoing discussion, different aspects of the drama can be used to describe how Yo! Shushi has embraced the act of theatre analogy. Basically, employees are the main actors as they provide services to the consumers. It is crucial to note that, the way they handle clients play a crucial role of converting new clients to frequent and potential clients. Overall, employees of Yo! Shushi are responsible of entertaining or convincing the clients that the restaurant is the ideal place to be as discussed by Bourassa, Cunningham & Handelman (2013).

The analogy provides insights about employee and consumer behaviour during the service encounter. For instance, a company is more likely to attract a number of clients when it provides favourable or attractive physical settings. The physical setting of this company is a perfect example of one that would attract most people. As highlighted in the case study, the restaurant is attractive, clean, and open (Chandana et al 2013). The physical setting of the restaurants makes the restaurant to have the act of performance. The conveyor belt makes the restaurant unique from its competitors. It also creates customers’ satisfaction. The kitchen location is located strategically and this helps the clients to view what is going on. The restaurant has a superb reputation of providing efficient services such as Japanese TV thus, attracts clients to stay for long periods.

To Jacoby and Olson (1985), the performance of the company plays a crucial role in attracting clients. The restaurant is more likely to succeed in the hotel industry as it value customer care. The interaction between employees and clients determines how the company performs financially. Yo! Shushi ensures that only trained chefs prepare the meals. However, it is important for this restaurant to embrace a number of strategies to emerge the best among its competitors.  As noted in the case study, the company should embrace ways to measure the restaurant performance. The management team needs to evaluate whether the company is fully achieving its financial goals and objectives and converting new clients to potential and frequent clients.  This would in turn determine how the company operates, which in turn determines consumer behaviour. It is also important to evaluate the kind of foods that attract a number of clients. (Brown, 2009).

2. What are the implications of viewing consumers as co-producers in the service process at Yo! Sushi

There are various implication s of explaining consumers Yo! Sushi as the co-producers. To fully understand this implication, it is important to understand the concept of co-production. Basically, co-production occurs when the company works hard to provide quality goods and services that promote customers’ satisfaction. In this case, the company is not only interested in making sales, but in facilitating satisfaction through the goods and services provided.  Now, Yo! Sushi embraces a number of strategies to increase customers’ satisfaction.  The restaurant has invested on the services it provides to its clients. Yo! Sushi uses conveyor belts to distribute orders to clients. From this, customers are expected to order what they want thus, saving their time. Through this, the company minimizes the complaints that may emerge when an employee fails to serve the client promptly (Johnson & Tor 2009). Through such facilities, the restaurant can only recruit few workers thus, minimizing the overall cost of recruiting many employees. To Hoffman & Bateson (2009), price is a major determinant of customer satisfaction. A client is more likely to be content when he is provided with goods and services he can afford. The lower cost of recruiting fewer employees lays a strong ground for the company to provide cheaper and favourable food to consumers at competitive prices (Hikkerova, 2011).

Co-production is a crucial factor that cannot be underestimated in enhancing greater satisfaction. Yo! Sushi has embraced every idea to increase customers’ satisfaction. For instance, conveyor belts allow customers to serve their meals at their pace. Also, clients enjoy the co-production experience through other facilities such as call button and Japanese TV. Call buttons help customers to express their needs to the company while Japanese TV enhance great comfort.

3. From the information in the case study, identify what constitutes quality at Yo! Sushi. How could it be managed and measured across the Yo! Sushi chain of restaurants?

The company associates quality services with quality performance. This explains why the company has invested on a number of facilities to enhance great satisfaction, which in turn enhances financial growth. For examples, the company has worked hard to ensure that clients access the services more conveniently. As noted in the case study, the company has located most of its restaurants in strategic locations. With this, the company is more likely to attract most clients and further convert them to potential ones. The restaurant strives hard to provide quality services. Specifically, it provides products based on customers’ preferences, needs, and expectations. The restaurant is also working hard to improve its products and services to satisfy or meet the changing consumer needs. The location of the business determines how the company operates financially since most clients are satisfied when they can access services or products at convenient areas (Kurtz and Kenneth 1998).

As technology continues to peak at a high rate, Yo! Sushi has considered innovation as a core strategy to succeed in the hotel industry.  Overall, the company provides its goods and services with the latest technology in the hotel industry. Examples of such devices include call buttons and conveyor belts, which a restaurant can perfectly utilize. The restaurant has attracted a number of modern clients who value technological innovations. Conveyor belts have allowed customers to place orders effectively. The restaurant has other technological equipments such as Japanese television and robot drink trolley.  In the modern age, consumers are more satisfied when they purchase commodities from businesses that utilize technological facilities. It is undeniable fact that, most technological facilities save time and money.

As highlighted in the case study, the company associates itself with the Japanese culture and this explains why there is a Japanese TV in the dining areas. By nature, Japanese foods are more expensive in most regions such as United States, Canada, and UK just to name a few (Meuter et al, 2000). With this, most clients consume such foods in rare occasions. After conducting a thorough research of what is happening in the hotel industry especially with Japanese food, Yo!Sushi established the need to provide its products at an affordable cost thereby attracting most clients to the restaurants. The company ahs packaged its services in attractive ways. Additionally, the restaurant has a clean and friendly environment, and this makes it the ideal place to be. Overall, one may affirm that the restaurant has packaged its products in tremendous ways and this would help the restaurant to emerge the best among its competitors.

The company relates quality with variety. To attract a number of Japanese clients, the restaurant has introduced variety products. As discussed in the case study, the restaurant provides variety services such as fish, meat, and vegetarian options. With this, the company offers consumers an opportunity to enjoy variety products ranging from meat to vegetarian (Wilson, Zeithaml, Bitner and Gremler, 2012). The company associates excellent customer care services with quality marketing strategies. Yo! Sushi recruits competent and skilled workers who have expertise to handle customers efficiently. As noted in the case study, the restaurant has trained its workers such that, they know how to interact with customers effectively. The business has invested a lot in increasing customers’ satisfaction. The management team has emphasized on cleanliness and hygiene. This increases customers’ satisfaction since customers cannot complain of stomach upsets (Bourassa, Cunningham & Handelman 2013).

In essence, Yo! Sushi can manage its quality in various ways. The company should evaluate whether its meeting its set goals and objectives. At this point, it is crucial to evaluate whether the company is attracting the intended clients. Such an evaluation would enable the company to understand what needs to be fixed to enhance the set goals and objectives. According to Parasuraman (1988), a business must embrace modern technologies to emerge the best over its competitors in the modern age. As technology continues to advance at a high rate, then this creates the need to invest more on technological facilities. The management team must be updated on what is going in the modern time in relation to technology. This research would advocate the company to invest more on facilities such as surveillance cameras and CCTV to access the daily activities taking place in the hotel (Flores & Bedolla 2013). This would help the company to access whether employees are providing quality services to consumers. It would also access whether consumers are more likely to come back again. It is crucial for the company to establish what other competitors are doing in the market and embrace unique strategies (Zeithaml, Parasuraman & Berry 1985 and Cheng 2013).

The company can measure its services by monitoring the number of clients visiting the restaurant. Calculating the sales volume would measure the sales growth. To access whether the company is providing quality services, the management team can track the number of first time clients, potential, and frequent clients. This would determine whether or not the company is converting the first time consumers to frequent and potential clients (Klassen & Rohleder, 2001). The company would utilize the SERQUAL model mostly used by companies to access performance and quality. This model would help the company to access its credibility, reliability, and effective communication between restaurant staffs and consumers. This model would help the company to embrace strategies that foster effective communication and quality services. The management team would have a chance to evaluate whether it’s leading the company effectively. Such an evaluation would help the company to succeed and emerge the best over its competitors in the hotel industry (Yin & Pryor 2012).

4. Critically analyse the capacity and demand issues that Yo! Sushi faces. How might it manage these issues

There are various demand issues that Yo! Sushi faces in hotel industry. First, stiff competition is a core issue likely to influence how the company operates and distribute its goods and services. In the case study, the company intends to open extra branches to attract clients from different regions. According to Kimes (2003), when a business open more branches it is more likely to attract more rivals. Considering the company is intending to open more branches, it is more likely to attract more competitors in the hotel industry. Most businesses are more likely to venture in the same industry, thus sharing the same market with Yo! Sushi.  Stiff competition may cause the company to distribute its goods and services at a cheaper price to attract more consumers in the market. The company may have to introduce better marketing strategies to attract many clients. In this case, the company may spend a lot of resources in technological facilities to emerge the best in the modern age. To manage this issue, the company could work hard to provide unique goods and services and this would attract a number of clients. This would help the company to emerge the best over other competitors (Lovelock and Gummesson 2004).

The issue of pricing may be a core issue that may affect the company. As noted, the company provides quality products and services at affordable prices. Although such prices attract most consumers, such a strategy may hinder the company to attract the market that prefers expensive products to cheap ones (Hoffman, Bateson, Wood, and Kenyon  2009). To manage this issue, the company could raise its prices reasonably to attract the two markets.  To emerge the best over other businesses in the hotel industry, this company should embrace high ethical standards. The company could implement effective ways of increasing customer loyalty such providing discounts and trips to potential and frequent clients (Kes 2011).

Yo! Shusi has different types of clients from different cultures. With this, the management can face difficulties in enhancing satisfaction to these people. Considering the restaurant is located in overcrowded areas, this may dissatisfy clients.  With this, it is important for the company to embrace ways of convincing the clients that the place is the ideal place to be. Considering that the company offers Japanese TV, it may limit clients who do not understand Japanese culture. In this regard, it is crucial for the company to embrace other cultures and portray their need in serving them with quality products and services (Czinkota & Coskun Samli, 2007).

As noted in the case study, the company has trained its staffs to ensure that food products are prepared and processed using the best way possible. It is crucial for the company to train its employees on how to serve all meals effectively. The company should invest more on facilities that reduce food waste. In this case, the company can invest on many refrigeration materials to store perishable goods (Heiden 2014).

 

 

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The Role of an Industrial Hygienist during a Disaster

Industrial Hygienist during a Disaster

Introduction

The role of the industrial hygienists has continuously evolved, and Baldigowski (2010) believes that the occupation is at a decisive juncture. The professional has contributed to health promoting activities, corporate social responsibility, and product stewardship. By definition, industrial hygiene is the science of controlling, evaluating, recognizing, and anticipating workplace conditions, which may cause natural disasters or else illness and injury. The industrial hygienists study the exposures related to air contaminants such as vapors, gases, mists, and chemical hazards such as harmful chemicals in form of dusts, fumes, liquids, solids, or mists. These experts study physical hazards and ergonomics. Some of the common disasters that affect the modern society are fire, plane crash, tornado, and flood among others. In today’s society, a disaster is a common occurrence that causes widespread distress and destruction. This has created a need to embrace every strategy to combat or reduce its occurrence. The changes in technology, management practices, health effects, and science have impacted the profession especially on various applications such as hierarchy of controls, exposure assessment, and sampling strategies. In the 21^st century, the innovation of technology has laid a strong ground for industrial hygienists to protect the safety and health of people in the work environment and the community. The innovation in science, technology, and engineering has helped industrial hygienists to address health related issues that may affect the well-being of people and further provide emergency response strategies. Overall, industrial hygienists play a significant role of protecting most nations from disaster. This research seeks to analyze the role of an industrial hygienist during a disaster.

The Role of Industrial Hygienists during a Disaster

As Devany (2007) puts it, a disaster is a severe aspect that can ruin the health of people if not fully assessed and handled. Basically, there are two types of disasters; natural disaster and man-made. Natural disasters include floods, landslides, and earthquakes while man-made include bomb blasts, chemical leaks, and war. Any nation, government, community, or company that incorporates industrial hygiene programs is guaranteed to be successful in controlling or managing both natural and man-made disasters. In essence, when an organization integrates industrial hygiene programs, then it has an added advantage to prevent, control, or manage any disaster that occurs. Industrial hygienists are important resources for providing a wide range of environmental, safety, and health facilities in the community.

To Brown (2007), Industrial hygienists are helpful in a nation because they assist community leaders, incident commanders, and planners with the best methods to manage identify, and control disasters or risk associated with terrorism events, accidents, and natural disasters.  It is fundamental to predict the unpredictable disaster because, natural disasters can wreck communities, destroy lives and resources. The impact of natural disaster cannot be ignored as it destroys resources and lives. With this knowledge in mind, industrial hygienists play a crucial role of identifying the best ways to manage or control the disaster. These individuals work hard to reduce the disasters that may harm people or destroy resources. Having in mind disaster is a prime concern in today’s society, which continues to increase at a high rate; most governments have spent a lot of resources to equip industrial hygienists with facilities that would help them manage current and future disasters (Brown, 2007).

Disaster occurrence is a substantial threat and concern to a nation. Therefore, industrial hygienists play a crucial role of assessing ways to fight the disaster. Although governments have the primary role to augment national response to disaster, industrial hygienists are adequately trained to minimize or control frequent disaster cases affecting nations. Though not all disasters can be avoided, industrial hygienists work hard to detect few disasters that can be minimized. With this, industrial hygienists reduce anxiety that occur from such situations. They create insights to nations on the best strategies they can implement to fight a certain disaster. They also equip the community with adequate knowledge about types of disasters and how to respond to such emergency cases (Markiewicz, 2007).

Industrial hygienists enhance health and safety competencies, skills, and abilities to respond to the disaster successfully. It is crucial to note that, these professionals provide a wide range of services that play a vital role in protecting the community from harm. Regardless of how severe a disaster is, these individuals have expertise and skills that help them to identify, control, and manage risks associated with hazardous materials and natural disasters. For instance, in 2010, most industrial hygienists helped the community and the nation at large to respond to the harmful effects of smoke, burn offs, chemicals, and oil during the Gulf of Mexico Oil spill (Markiewicz, 2007). On most incident responses, these experts provide technical support in areas like risk assessment, hazards material analysis, respiratory protection, risk assessment, and air monitoring.

Industrial hygienists play a crucial role of protecting most lives during a disaster.  It is undeniable that, their expertise in environment health, safety, and health issues help them to protect the communities during various disasters such as terrorists’ attacks, natural disasters, hazardous chemicals, and radiological or biological releases. These individuals are qualified to perform various incident command functions such as pre-planning for the major incident, implementing, developing exposure assessment, and prioritizing hazards during management phases of the incident response. They also help in interpreting data from a number of sampling activities and implementing the best control methods for elimination of biological, chemical, or physical hazards. Their expertise in the disaster management is recommendable since they advise nations on the appropriate methods and protective equipments to minimize exposures. Their disaster preparedness plan focuses on ways that address and deal with a particular hazard. It not alarmed with the recent disasters but, its main focus is to respond to the early warnings of the disaster. As a result, the plan deal with prevalent problems such as predicted droughts, floods, and fire in vulnerable areas (O’Brien, 2006).

The profession is dedicated to the recognition, anticipation, control, and evaluation of environmental factors arising in the workplace, which may result in impairment, injury, or illness. The industrial hygienists prepare for the worse when evaluating for the factors that may cause the disaster. Planning for the worse ensure that one has open lines of solutions and communication in place that may reduce or prevent the disaster occurrence. It also assists in aligning duties and responsibilities in various tasks and ensures that everyone is responsive to the ultimate needs of assessing the disaster. Planning determines what kind of disaster a given area might encounter, which might be floods, tornadoes, and earthquakes and eventually assess principal areas that need assessment and improvement. In doing, it minimizes the effects of the disaster or its occurrence by effectively planning for it. One potential benefit that emerges when these experts prepare adequately for the disaster is that it equips the people or community affected with the required knowledge to minimize the disaster occurrence. Focusing on the potential threats diminishes the likelihood of disasters occurrence, which if not prevented may have destroyed a lot of resources and many lives.

To O’Brien (2006), industrial hygienists control biological, chemical, and physical hazards. These professionals conduct air monitoring services for toxic gases. There are various methods of detection that assist these professionals to conduct air monitoring. Photo ionization detector (PID) is mostly used to detect organic vapours through, which condensation process takes place and ease collection of the unwanted particles. The process identifies harmful particles and separates them from those important. Flame Ionization detector (FID) is widely used in organic compounds whereby it mixes gases to form ions. Nevertheless, the device cannot monitor carbon monoxide and water vapour because of the molecule structure. Combustible Gas detector aids in separating mixture’s components by detecting the combustible gases, and as a consequence eliminates severe cases of gas exposure. Anderson Sampler is a device used to collect dusts components from the air through filtering the remains to obtain the toxic materials. The device is essential in air monitoring as it assembles the available toxic materials. Particle/Dust sample monitors outdoor and indoor air with an ultimate goal of eradicating environmental pollution. This instrument is mostly used for heavy metals such as lead. In summary, industrial hygienists conduct air monitoring services for biological hazards, dust, asbestos, and toxic chemicals. They also provide techniques to minimize the exposures through administrative controls and ventilation design. Such control measures reduces the chemical and biological hazards, which if not properly detected can harm people’s well-being and resources.

Lead has been a leading health risk at workplace as most organizations use the metal in various setting such as building construction. Its exposure is harmful to both animals and human beings as it fracture nervous system, thus affecting the brain. With this in mind, industrial hygienists stress the need of protecting employees from lead exposure. A review of the public health regulations concerning lead exposure is a core concern in the modern society. Although Lead has been used in the fabrication of products, the clinical pattern of its exposure and poisoning has raised concern in the medical literature. With this in mind, most governments have enacted laws that reduce human exposure to lead. For instance, the British government developed comprehensive laws from 1890 to 1920 concerning occupational lead exposures. The US government has also enacted laws to prevent fuel addictives used in the motor vehicles. With this, industrial hygienists have been working with most governments to ensure that laws are followed in the workplace to reduce lead exposure (O’Brien, 2006).

Medical monitoring is paramount for those exposed to the metal as it detects early diagnosis and evaluate possible ways to eradicate long-term effects (O’Brien, 2006). Further, these experts train employees on the health risks associated with the metal and precautions required to avoid the exposure. The most biomarkers used by industrial hygienists to measure the amount of lead in the body is blood lead (Pb-B) and Plasma Lead (Pb-P) that assists in metabolism by decreasing the amount of lead toxicity in the body. There are various read instruments used to monitor the amount of exposure such as photo ionization that detect the organic compounds comprising of high level of contamination.

There are various phases that occur during incident management. First, industrial hygienists work hard to prevent the disaster from occurring (Industry Briefs, 2008). In this phase, industrial hygienists anticipate the potential hazards and evaluate how the risk could harm the community. This process creates a strong ground for the team to evaluate best ways to prevent the disaster from occurring. In the second phases, industrial hygienists develop preparedness plan. At this point, this team develops plans for actions when the disaster occurs. The common preparedness plans or measures include communication plans, which help the victims affected by the disaster to understand what is going on during the disaster. Proper training of emergency services helps people to embrace strategies that would minimize the potential effects of the disaster. For instance, the team train people on how to use a fire extinguisher when fire disasters occur. Industrial hygienists equip people with knowledge about emergency evacuations plans and emergency shelters. According to O’Brien (2006), industrial hygienists help the community to recover from the major disaster incidents. During a disaster, these professionals identify the main hazards that demand immediate intervention and further make recommendations on how to limit the exposure through application of administrative actions, protective equipments, or technology. After the disaster occurrence, the team work hard to ensure that the risk has not occurred. Industrial hygienists embrace mitigation activities to eliminate or reduce disasters occurrences.

According to Selwyn (2009), Industrial hygienists protect the community against the danger of many disasters such as earthquake. Typically, these professionals evaluate the main triggers of the accident and further evaluate ways to eradicate them. Although it is not possible to prevent the likelihood of earthquakes occurring, industrial hygienists help the community to understand what causes earthquakes and how they can be prepared. The team educates the community of the dangers or effects associated with earthquakes.  Industrial hygienists evaluate best ways to save humankind from natural disasters that cannot be prevented. For instance, the professionals advise the community to always remain calm when an earthquake occurs. People are always advised to take proper precautions to protect their well-being. For examples, human beings should always choose shelter that provides airspace in-case a building collapses. The professionals advise people on why it is important to stay away from mirrors, glass doors, and windows. The basic knowledge on how to respond to natural disasters such as earthquake helps people to be properly prepared to face the disaster.

Industrial hygienists play a crucial role of exposure assessment. At this point, these professionals conduct sampling strategies to evaluate, which individual or community has the highest level of exposure.  The two types of sampling strategies considered when assessing the exposure are random sampling and worst-case sampling (Johnson, 2007). In the former, these professionals select a certain population randomly and thus, decisions on the exposure profile can be achieved accurately. In the latter, industrial hygienists non-randomly select the population, individuals, workers, or community subjected to the highest exposure of disaster. The two methods of sampling are crucial in the industrial hygiene since they create a strong ground to approximate or evaluate the population or individuals with highest level of exposure or disaster.

To Selwyn (2009), Industrial hygienists help employees to compile with theOccupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which documents fundamental standards that are vital in optimizing health safety. They ensure that there are precautions that prevent employees from the health risks of harmful chemicals such as benzene. As per OSHA, Employees should undergo clinical manifestation to provide details of early diagnosis of the exposure, medical history details, and effective treatment for the exposure. The document briefs these requirements into two aspects, which are medical screening and surveillance. Medical screening is paramount as it assesses early signs and symptoms for employees exposed and surveillance for those exposed for a longer period of time. With this information in mind, these professionals train employees on the health risks associated with harmful chemicals such as benzene. Biomarkers are essential tools used by these experts to assess the exposure and the risk effect of benzene exposure. The common biomarker used is Urinary biomarker that accesses the level of exposure for those affected. The assessment is done through direct reading instruments that support in sampling analysis. Among the instruments widely used is combustible gas detector that aid to detect combustible and toxic gases. Overall, industrial hygienists maintain and provide a safe working environment, provide adequate facilities to access the disaster occurrence, monitor health and welfare of workers, provide effective training to employee that performs perilous tasks, provide policies that relate to OHS.

After identifying hazards in the workplace, industrial hygienists control and implement the best mechanism that reduces the disaster occurrence (Brown, 2007). For instance, if the team predicts that lack of proper handling of gases would eventually cause fire disasters then, they work hard to prevent such disasters. Industrial hygienists understand that a hazard at the workplace can harm people, environment or property if not properly detected and assessed. To detect and assess the hazard successfully, the team advises most companies to keep injury and illness records, which alert any hazard in the organization. Also, these professional encourage organizations to stay informed on trends and developments of workplace health for instance, via internet. When assessing the hazards in the workplace, industrial hygienists accumulate the information about the hazard identified, evaluate the number of individuals exposed for each hazard and thereafter, outlining the duration of exposure, access the probability of each hazard occurring in future, and use the risk assessment table to highlight the risk associated with the hazard or disaster. From the ongoing discussion, it is evident a nation cannot operates successfully without industrial hygienists. These individual play a significant role of promoting a safe and healthy environment. With this, governments should embrace, encourage, and equip industrial hygienists with adequate resources to fight disasters or terrorism events.

Conclusion

To sum up, this paper has discussed the important roles of industrial hygienists during a disaster. The main goal of these professionals is to keep people, workers, families, and the community from harm. Industrial hygienists play a vital a role of controlling the disasters that may cause harm to the community. Overall, they play a significant role of ensuring that local, state, and federal laws and regulations are followed. The typical roles of these experts during a disaster include investigating and examining the potential disasters that may affect the community, making recommendations on improving the safety of people, and conducting a scientific research on the possible harmful conditions that may occur in the workplace (Brown, 2007). Industrial hygienists develop techniques to control and anticipate disasters in the community and the workplace. They also play a crucial role of educating and training the community and organizations about some of the risks that may emerge. For the past decades, industrial hygienists have had a superb reputation of advising the community and government officials on how to enhance health and safety of workers, communities, and families. They also ensure that workers are working in safe environment free from disasters. Thus far, this research has provided a comprehensive analysis of industrial hygienists.

 

 

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