Health Impact Assessment for Policy-Making

Health Impact Assessment for Policy-Making 1. Introduction Indeed, a lot of changes happened particularly on how the people deal on health issues. In the past, medical concerns are not the main concern of the society. However, in the 21st century, due to some factors that affect the health of individuals, diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension are the major problems of the population. Because of these, responsibility for health plays a major role in national and international healthcare policy. The government implemented some strategies to address the health concerns of the society. For instance, the governing bodies increased the healthcare budget because of the mushrooming health problems. However, some people argue that prevention is better than cure and they contest that the government must spend more of their financial budget on activities that promote health and prevent illness. Effective preventive healthcare plays an important part in preventing disease and gives the people the best chance for a healthier life (Australian National Preventive Health Agency,2013). It also helps to improve the performance of our public health service. Thus, greater attention should be paid to strategies of promoting health. Health promotion goes beyond health care. It puts health on the agenda of policy makers in all sectors and at all levels, directing them to be aware of the health consequences of their decisions and to accept their responsibilities for health. The responsibility for ensuring the right to health for all lies not only with states and their obligations to their own people, but also with the international community. The case study depicts the responsibility for health in different aspects and it appraises the contemporary issues in healthcare and their impact on national and international healthcare policy. In addition, it also emphasizes the justifications for policy intervention solutions on contemporary issues in the international context. This report may help the individuals and the society on how to face healthcare issues. It will be a great success for the nation if healthcare issues will be addressed. 2. Evaluate the impact the contemporary issue discussed in your case study would have on national and international healthcare policy. As discussed in the case study, the major source of health problem comes from unhealthy lifestyle of individuals such as smoking, sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits. How can the society decrease or eliminate these problems? The governing bodies implemented some strategies in order to combat the health concerns of the society. They plan to improve some policies, both in national and international context. For instance, they give emphasis on strategies of health promotion because the costs for preventive programs are much cheaper than activities that help treating the actual health problems. States hold the primary responsibility to fund and ensure all the essential goods and services under the right to health (World Health Organization, 2014). This may include investing enough resources on health promotion. Health promotion strategies include mass campaigns and people awareness programmes. These activities more often than not can be seen in the school or community where the educators impart the significance of maintaining good health. Through health promotion, the people may realize the importance of having a healthy lifestyle and achieve the optimum health and well-being. As a result, the public can be more active by exercising regularly and playing some sports. Furthermore, they can practice good eating habits and stop smoking to prevent illness. Truly, responsibility for health should be a collaborative effort among individuals and the societies in which they live. As an effect, both can benefit from one another. One good example is the government assistance for the public on how to avoid diseases. Both of them can benefit if the people abide the rules by the law makers. If practiced by the populace, the government can save the resources that were not used for medical treatment for instance. The extra funds then can be directed to other projects which can give additional benefits to the people in general. The effects of medical concerns should be carefully considered by the people, especially the policy makers, so they can amend some policies to effectively improve the health status of the public. In the case study, the health problems would have a great impact on international and national healthcare policy. Existing poor health condition may serve as an eye-opener to the community. Because of the untoward effects of unhealthy way of living such as , they take precautions and some steps to practice a healthy lifestyle in order to alleviate them. National and international healthcare policy can be upgraded using the ideas that can be harnessed to this case study. They may execute effective strategies to promote health and prevent from getting sick. For example, unhealthy habits such as cigarette smoking, excessive use of alcohol and other harmful substances should be restricted or banned in the community by implementing strict laws. Although there are existing policy to address these problems, the policy maker may improvise the law. Punishments and fines may be given to individuals who violate the law. For instance, individuals who are caught smoking in non-smoking area will be jailed for a day and they are required to attend a community service for 1 week. On the whole, national and global health governance is essential because states will not accept national and international norms without genuine partnerships, equitable burden sharing and efficient programmes that improve health outcomes. Yet, political, legal and economic challenges impede effective governance. Countries face serious problems of fragmentation, duplication, and even confusion, among the deluge of global health actors and initiatives. Health ministries often lack basic knowledge of, and control over, foreign-supported programmes. The public needs a system of governance that fosters effective collaborative effort and coordinates initiatives to create synergies and avoid destructive competition. 3. Discuss and critically analyse the rationale or justifications for putting into place each of the below listed types of policy intervention solutions globally to address the contemporary health issue highlighted in your chosen case study: 3.1. Education and training As defined by many resources, education is an essential human virtue. Man becomes man through education. He is what education makes him. It has been rightly said that without education, a person is a splendid slave, reasoning savage. Education is necessary for society. Education fashions and models man for society. Man cannot be conceived merely in terms of his biological existence. Education brings into focus the social aspect of man. Education signifies mans supreme position in society. Education is an essential basis of good life. A man becomes a human being in the real sense when he is transformed from primarily an animal being into a human being. In short, education is an essential concomitant of all human societies. Through education, the people can acquire knowledge and wisdom about everything in life. The people can solve problems successfully because they can apply the knowledge they have gained in order to solve their concerns. Meanwhile, training, is the process by which s omeone is taught the skills that are needed for an art, profession, or job. Training is beneficial for the new staff particularly because it makes them proficient and more competent in their area of work. Developing competence has become a crucial issue for establishing a smart workforce that can achieve a competitive success. A major factor or function of Human Resource Management that differentiates it from personnel management is training and development. Training can be defined as a planned process by which people acquire the capabilities and competencies to aid in the overall achievement of the organisations goals and objectives. Training can be seen from the very entrance into the organisation, for example, orientation where the employee is taught the organisations culture. It continues into the probation period, where employees gain sufficient skills for the position held and can also be seen throughout the duration of employment. Thus, training act as a remedy to change with in an organisation. There is a strong link between training and learning, both foster a permanent change in behaviour according to the behaviourist approach and thereby lead the movement toward a learning organisation.. Both education and training are essential in order to address the contemporary issue stressed in the case study. By educating the public, the people can become aware of what is happening around them. Furthermore, they can improve their way of living because of the wisdom and knowledge they have as part of the learning process. Through education, they can help promote health and prevent diseases. Stressing out the importance of preventing illness, for instance, can help the individuals achieve a quality of life. By making them aware of the cons of unhealthy habits, they can avoid being sick. For example, the person who is aware that eating foods high in cholesterol can make the person at risk for stroke or any cardiovascular diseases may stop taking such unhealthy foods. Training, on the other hand, is helpful to an individual in carrying out successfully a task. One example is by providing training to healthcare workers. Resources should be provided to maintain a high quality of trai ning. Training can be hard if it is poorly funded because they usually require aids in order to demonstrate procedures. Another good example is in a healthcare community center, where a program can be conducted once a month. Before the healthcare workers perform their task, they are trained on how to deal the people with different personalities and how to deal the community as a whole. They give health teachings such as obesity. As mentioned in the case study, obesity is one the leading cause of forming other debilitating diseases, such as diabetes, cardiac diseases, and hypertension and thus, obesity should be avoided. By imparting information, like proper diet and exercise, this health problem can be prevented. 3.2.Tax benefits and payments to caregivers Tax benefit rule is a judicially created doctrine seeking to repair some of the inflexibility inherent in the annual accounting system. According to this rule, if any loss or expense deducted in the previous year is recovered by the tax payer, the recovery must be included in the current years gross income to the extent that it was previously deducted. The tax benefit rule ensures that if a taxpayer takes a deduction attributable to a specific event, and the amount is recovered in a subsequent year, income tax consequences of the later event depend in some degree on the prior related tax treatment. Tax benefits are indeed a great help to individuals who needs healthcare assistance. Nowadays, with the rising cost of medical supplies and procedures, tax benefits that will reduce the cost of health care expenses for example, is a great help especially to those people who are in dire need of financial assistance. From the tax, the government can successfully implement and carry out projects that can contribute to individual’s welfare. They may effectively plan and perform heath preventive programs because of the individual’s tax contribution and collaboration of the people. Meanwhile, payments to caregivers are important. Since the healthcare workers are the front liners in providing care for the people who need assistance, they should be given sufficient incomes. Giving them a salary which help them survive from day to day living and help them save for their future use help them provide a quality care for people who needs their help. Instead of working double shifts to earn more money for their needs, they may only work a single shift. Their extra time can be allotted for their family and for themselves to rest. Because of this, they can be relieved from stress and enjoy their day offs. This can yield a good result because a well-rested individual can give and provide a quality care for their patients. 3.3. Respite care As defined by the Ministry of Health (2014), respite service should provide a safe, enjoyable environment with staff able to support the disabled person to participate in their community. Respite care is generally short-term and intermittent, available in community settings and in rest homes, and part of the support network available to a person and their carers. This is very important since individuals who provide care experience stress. This may be in the form of emotional, financial or physical burden. With stress, an individual who provides care can cause negligence or abuse to the patient. To avoid this, they should also have a break or a day off. During their break or day off, somebody would temporarily relieve them of their duty. This is a great help to the care givers, since they can reduce or eliminate the stress that builds inside them. And with this, as they return to duty fully recharged, they can provide and maintain a quality care for their patients. 3.4. Business regulations combining work and care giving Each year, there are increasing number of people who needs assistance and care to maintain their well-being. Because of this plight, the demand for care givers is also escalating. Thus, a lot of health care centers are being made, either public or private, to accommodate the increasing number of individuals who need assistance. Nowadays, rest homes are common in some countries and there should be regulations that must be maintained in order to provide a quality care and assistance for the patients. A good example is, providing the right number of staff to the number patients available in the care homes. There should be enough staff to attend the needs of the patients in order to render a good quality care, like assisting a disabled person to transfer to a chair. Big patients need two or more staff to accomplish the task such as showering them and doing cares in order to avoid injuries to patients and also to caregivers. For health and social care staff to work together, they must be able to share information about a person’s assessments, treatment and care. One of the most important legal right one have as a caregiver is about his employment. The unpredictable nature of caregiving, and the time that it takes to provide care, often make it difficult to continue working on a normal schedule. In fact, the Department of Labor’s latest investigation found that employee complaints with respect to balancing career and family often occur because an employer refuses to reinstate an employee after an extended leave. Generally, these complaints can be resolved fairly easily, although to date, 16 legal actions have been taken against employers for violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). All in all, in order to attend the needs of the patient, business regulations should be fair and just to the employees and consumers. 4. Conclusion This paper makes the claim that a key activity required to promote healthy policy-making at the local level is health impact assessment. Highly participatory local health impact assessment can be used to identify negative health impacts that call for policy responses, and to identify and encourage practices and policies that promote health. Socially responsible decision-making for improved equity-in-health is stimulated by community-level health impact assessment because it is a practical tool to help communities come to grips with local conditions that need changing if better health for all is to be realized. Even with the advancement of knowledge on medicines, society still faces the burden on health related issues. Health issues should be attended immediately due to the fact that not only the individual who suffers the sting of the disease but there love ones are also affected. Health prevention strategies should be promoted and initiated in every community. Aside from the fact th at it is more cost-effective than curing the actual diseases, it can also benefit the public by practicing healthy lifestyle. Health promotion is indeed significant in order to achieve the optimum of health and well-being. Health issues can affect everyone, it can cause physical, emotional and financial burden. It is a miserable situation in which everyone involved to the individual especially the family members is being pulled in. Health issues then affects the economy of a nation. And if not properly attended, it may cripple the nation’s wealth. In addition, through collaborative effort of the individual and society, the health issues can be minimized or avoided through effective implementation of health promotion strategies, community projects and programmes by the government, community and the individuals.

The Verona Story Of Romeo And Juliet English Literature Essay

The Verona Story Of Romeo And Juliet English Literature Essay Romeo and Juliet is a story of love set in Verona that has an unfortunate tragic ending. At the beginning of the play, the audience is shown the prologue of the play that familiarizes them with the tragic ending to come. In the play the audience sees a lot of contrast between love and hate and contrasts of emotions will become apparent as you continue through the play. The masked ball is at the very beginning of the play. Dramatic irony is allowed to run throughout the play as from the prologue the audience can tell that Romeo and Juliet are both going to collide and fall in love and this will happen despite the fact that they are from feuding families. As the audience hears in the prologue: A pair of star-crossd lovers take their life. This means that they have met only through fate and chance and that they will both die together. When they meet at the ball they have no idea to whom one another is and after enquiring they soon find out that they are from rivaling families. The prologue was preformed in a sonnet, which consists of 14 lines and 10 syllables in each line. Once Juliet realizes that Romeo is a Montague she immediately tells herself that: My only love sprung from my only true hate! This denotes that Juliet had just thought she had found the right person who she loves but she cannot love him, as he is her born enemy, a Montague. Romeo and Juliet are sharing actions. This shows that Romeo and Juliet have quickly become attracted to each other. The audience can see the couples togetherness; now Romeo and Juliet can also see their togetherness as they both exchange the hand position of prayer. This equates with the religious imagery and connotations within their speech. It is also showing that the relationship between the couple will expand onto a more faithful way. The audience sees that Juliet is reluctant to kiss Romeo when she says: If I profane with my unworthiest hand à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¨My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss. Using a religious metaphor, Romeo remarkably talks Juliet in to allowing Romeo to kiss her. However this metaphor offers more uses. O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do! They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair. A way in which Shakespeare has made this scene dramatically important is as the way that Shakespeare portrays Romeos thoughts when he first meets Juliet in a very poetic and romantic way. This becomes dramatically important as Romeo then links to a dove surrounded by ugly crows: Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear, So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows. From this the audience can tell that Romeo is completely shocked about Juliets appearance and beings to demonstrate her beauty. This is showing love at first sight with Juliet and after the first time he lays eyes on her he says: Did my heart love till now? Romeos use of language and speech is a lot more poetic in contrast to Lord Capulets jesting language. Capulets speech is fun and majestic in comparison to Romeos language being extremely dramatic and said in a serious manor and being very austere about what he is saying. It is almost as if it is too late for Romeo and Juliet as they fall in love before they find out each others identities The Montagues and Capulets fight takes place in the opening scene of the play. In this the audience can see an indication that the romance between Romeo and Juliet is set to become very complex due to the fighting between the two families and that their relationship could end in tragedy. This scene is very important as it gives the scene a lot of structure. The themes that the audience can take from this scene are: marriage, love, hate and conflict. Marriage in this scene refers to Paris bid to marry Juliet. Love in this scene refers to Romeo and Juliet unexpectedly converging and then instantly falling in love. Hate is found in this scene when Romeo and other close friends of the Montague Family, who are also foes of the Capulets, attend the Ball uninvited. And the audience sees conflict in this scene when Tybalt finds out Romeo is attending the Ball and wants him to immediately be removed. When Tybalt suddenly realizes that Romeo is at the ball the feeling of the atmosphere immediately changes as there is conflict and confrontation between Romeo and Tybalt, the audience knows this as Tybalt proclaims: Ill not endure him. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] He shall be endured. From this you can see that the two phrases are matched and that there is now a lot of anger coming from Tybalt sparking tension between the two characters that the audience immediately will pick up. A lot of thing said in Romeo and Juliet are said in a similar way to a poem, this is called iambic pentameter just as the audience sees when Tybalt exclaims. Ill not endure him, He shall be endured. This line is split, but the two different sentences are similar, the audience can tell that this is an argumentative conversation in this part if the play as by the way the sentence is converged. Tybalt utters: Fetch me my rapier boy. From this the audience can see that Tybalt has longed to fight Romeo and is more than willing to do so. The audience may decide to interpret this as anger and tension being created from the feud between the two rivalling families. And doing so will make the audience excited and ambitious. The story ends in tragedy and the audience is then left to feel sympathetic for Romeo and Juliet, as it was fait that played a very big are in the story. As just after one died the other died not knowing and reasoning into why one another died, but just assuming it was cause on their behalf. Not only this but Shakespeares use of dramatic affect really heightens the feeling that the audience receives from the play.

Cool Hand Luke :: essays research papers

In Cool Hand Luke, the movie begins with the word, VIOLATION, across the screen. The word is from a parking meter and sets the tone for the entire movie. Luke Jackson, the title character, is arrested for cutting off the heads of the town’s parking meters while drunk, or in legal terms, for destroying municipal property while under the influence of alcohol. When asked why he cut the heads off the parking meters, Luke answers, â€Å"You could say I was settling an old score.† While it leaves the viewers believing that he probably received a parking ticket at some time in the past, no clues are given to what the old score may have been. He is sentenced to two years in a road prison, in a chain gang. His punishment did not fit the crime, and today, such an act would probably result in time spent in community service rather than a hard labor prison gang. To further accentuate that his sentence is worse than his crime, Luke Jackson dies at the end of his story. Luke is a decorated veteran, yet left the military service just as he went in, as a Private. This indicates that he had authority problems while there. He received the Silver Star, Bronze Star and a couple of Purple Hearts and that indicates that he is brave and probably humanitarian, because the Silver Star is usually given in recognition of a life-saving deed of valor. That he was never promoted, or else promoted and consequently demoted, (the story does not elaborate on the details) indicates that his superiors, those who had the authority to promote him, did not react well to his achievements. For Luke, death represents ultimate freedom. There is no doubt that he believes in God, in that he talks to God several times throughout the movie, yet his conversations are always more like arguments than prayers. In one of the final scenes, the empty shell of a church represents Luke’s relationship with God, and even the emptiness in himself. Luke feels that God has never been there for him. He tells God just before the end of the story that God hasn’t ever dealt him a good hand. That military authorities considered him a hero, decorating him with medals, doesn’t make him a hero in his own eyes. Luke is a tortured soul, in that he tells God that he doesn’t deserve any good thing because he killed people in the war. Still, Luke is a free spirit, true to himself, with no regard for the rules and regulations of other human beings. The crime he is arrested for is not one of violence toward any person, it is

A Tale of Apocalypses, Men, Women, & Sports :: Movie Film Sports Essays

A Tale of Apocalypses, Men, Women, & Sports This movie is set in a post-apocalyptic society in the year 2010. After World War III broke out, the world was destroyed in the year 2008. The survivors have no memory of what their planet used to be like, or how they used to live. The earth is covered in layers of debris that archaeologists are sifting through to figure out how people lived before the world was destroyed. Along with the "death" of our modern world, women's rights also died, and men think they are far superior once more. Opening scenes (each is only a few seconds long): Close up of blade chopping vegetables, zoom out to see that blade is actually ice skate. Cut to: restaurant with people eating soup out of semi-deflated basketballs. Cut to: Opening credits with people playing in background: people are running around wearing helmets and throwing a hockey puck at each other's heads. Cut to: people on an archeological dig, sifting through the dirt with tennis rackets. Most of a track has been unearthed, and the archaeologists think it is called a "Coca-Cola" because of the large sign at one end of the field in the center of the track. One of our heroines is named Soleada Lluvia, and she has just unearthed a badminton birdie and is studying it. She is distracted when the archaeologists who have been uncovering the track announce that they have finished. She drops the birdie and joins the others as they stare at the track. They remember seeing people run in circles around such a thing from damaged movies they have uncovered on previous expeditions. The men immediately begin discussing how this must have been used as a sports arena for men. The women point out that they saw women running in the movies, too, but they men just laugh at them and say that women are too weak to do sports. The women become angry and start citing famous female athletes they read about in records they found. They mention Babe Didrickson, FloJo, Wilma Rudolph, and others. The men point out that that was before the world ended, and say that now women are weak again. The women assert that women never were weak, then or now, and challenge the men to a contest. They decide to hold their contest in one month - to give them time to train, and time to research more of the sports of the past.

How to work on complex tasks in a team Essay -- Management

Every day in our life we come across challenges. It becomes imperative that we find solutions to them. Some problems we need to face alone and some we need to encounter as a team. I worked in several teams all my professional life and I believe that any task can be easily completed when there is coordination between the members of the team. In this reflection paper I would like to present my views on the importance of defining roles, advantages of being with the same team, challenges in a diversified group and the significance of trusting team members. Defining Roles â€Å"Roles are positions in a group that have a set of expected behaviours attached to themâ€Å"(John and Saks, 2011: Page 225 of quote). I feel that most of the problems in a team occur because roles are not clearly defined. Roles provide sense of direction to the team members and drive them towards the common goal. I would like to quote my experience when I joined as a trainee to depict the importance of roles in a team. Our team had two tasks, supporting the existing applications and developing new applications. Even though there were 6 members in our team, there used to be issues every day. There used to be slippages in deadlines and we used to miss support tickets too. This went on for about 3 months and our lead arranged a meeting to find out the reason behind our poor performance. The first and foremost thing that popped up was that none of the members of sure of their roles. Everyone concentrated on just one task and as a result we always defaulted. Drastic improvement in our team’s performance after each member was assigned a specific role proved the importance of team roles. My practical experience combined with the theoretical proof that â€Å"Role ambiguity causes... ...hin few months she started working efficiently and the outcome was that we won best team award within our entire account. To conclude, there might be several reasons behind exceptional or poor performance of a team but I regard the points mentioned above highly and I feel that if the above issues are taken care then the team would perform to their potential, providing exceptional results. References 1. Organizational Behaviour, Sixth Edition by Gary Johns & Alan M. Saks 2. Why teams don’t work – Interview by Diane Coutu 3. Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups by Vanessa Urch Druskat and Stephen B.Wolff 4. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Managing_Groups_and_Teams/Diversity#How_Are_Diverse_Teams_Different_From_Homogenous_Ones.3F 5. http://jmo.e-contentmanagement.com/archives/vol/10/issue/1/article/382/trust-a-neglected-variable-in-team-effectiveness

Role Of Women In Sustainable Forest Management Environmental Sciences Essay

Over the past twosome of decennaries most development plans have come to the decision that peoples ‘ engagement is important for their success. Forestry plans have followed the same general way. In Nepal, it is realized that forests status and country were decreased chiefly in 1980s due to quickly increasing population force per unit area ( Adhikari 2001 ) . Therefore, authorities establishments and INGO ‘s took induction for affecting local people, particularly adult females in the direction of the wood. Several surveies have shown that adult females are the primary users of forest resources in many developing states. Nepal is non an exclusion. Harmonizing to ( Lamichhane 2004 ) , the survey of adult females ‘s position in Nepal indicates: Sixty six per centum of clip of the adult females is being spent in fuel wood aggregation. Ninety five per centum of the fuel energy in the mountain part of Nepal comes from the fuel wood. Womans and misss collect 87 % of the entire fuel wood. Looking at the state of affairs, authorities of Nepal has included the issue in the development program from eight five twelvemonth program ( 1992-1997 ) . Ninth five twelvemonth program ( 1997-2002 ) states that, â€Å" As adult females are chiefly involved in aggregation of lumber, firewood, fresh fish, workss, carnal bedclothes and so on, necessary agreements will be made to include them compulsory in the forest users commissions † . Thus, theoretically adult females ‘s engagement in forestry plans considered of import from the eight five twelvemonth program and encouraged them for engagement in assorted forestry plans of authorities though adult females have some restraints to make so ( Chaudhary 2000 ) . The undermentioned state of affairs is still confronting by adult females in pattern. Womans are constrained by society to come from their houses. If it is so so starts negative remarks and none of the household member supports them. Womans are discouraged and did non elect in determination devising organic structure. If they elected so they would be for formality either or to demo the giver bureaus. Still, in many societies adult females are avoided from the contact with the aliens because they are diffident. Their hubbies do non wish their contact with other males. Womans are considered forest destroyers alternatively of defenders. Women ‘s commission can non work without support of males and are non working good due to their credibleness and household supports. Forest resource direction in Nepal is based on the people ‘s engagement and determination of the user ‘s group. Women are the cardinal wood users and their engagement in the sustainable direction reveals the success of the direction patterns. Therefore adult females ‘s engagement and engagement is most so. But the social scene in Nepal has great influence on adult females ‘s engagement. Besides these restraints, community forestry plan tried to authorise the adult females ‘s position through engagement in Nepal in someway when it emerged during 1980s ( Giri, Pokhrel et Al. 2008 ) . In this paper it is tried to analyse the followerss: Obstacles on specifying adult females ‘s engagement in determination devising in community forestry Policies and programs to increase the decisive functions of adult females in community forestryObstacles on specifying adult females ‘s engagement in determination devising in community forestry in NepalNepali societies are multicultural, complex and have hierarchal system which includes different caste groups, economic categories, and societal rankings within people. These fluctuations distinguished the upper and lower caste system, gender biased division in societal activities, etc. Therefore, there is ever the being of discriminatory nature in the society over the usage and control of the resources. Basically these obstructions besides have threatened the vulnerable groups and adult females in take parting in the community forestry procedure ( Timsina 2002 ) . However in recent context, many adult females are involved in community forestry plans after awareness plans of NGOs and authorities though they are dominated by work forces and are bewildered by deficiency of specific functions and supports. Chiefly, the adult females are non attracted to community forestry plans as outlook of the authorities and NGOs because of the factors:Irrelevant of the plans to the demands of adult females:Community forestry plans planted pine which is useless for adult females instead it added more work to them. Similarly, community wood is restricted for fresh fish and firewood aggregations, which send them far for aggregation of such points. Some community forest user groups are more financess oriented because they have to use watchers for forest protection. In this state of affairs, adult females can non roll up grass fresh fish and firewood instead commission gross revenues such points yearly. This makes adult females disinterested to community forestry.R estriction to adult females ‘s engagement in formal organisations:Womans are busy people of the household who can non pull off clip for meetings, which offers nil to them. They have to be busy most of the clip within family ; cookery, eating, kid lovingness, utensils rinse, cleansing, H2O fetching and animate being lovingness. These are their chief duties which do non let them to travel out go toing meetings and so on. Community forestry plans were begun as formal organisations because it was developed signifier of Panchayat Forest ( local authorities unit ) where adult females are far from formal organisations in Nepal.Lack of attending and support given to adult females by undertaking, contrivers, and authorities functionaries:Women ‘s engagement is still weak in forestry due to the undermentioned grounds: Illiteracy, low position in society, deficiency of cognition about the plans, they are hesitating to go involved in public work, deficiency of support of their male household members, non self assurance, unsure about their uncertainnesss and so on. In most of the forest users group the high and average degree population are largely involved in the commission instead than the lower category, adult females and marginalized groups which have bulk users of the resources ( Timsina 2002 ) . Figure 1 illustrates the findings of a gender analysis survey in community woods of Ramechhap and Dolakha territory in Nepal. The figure clearly illustrates the gender biased functions in every sector of authorities, community and family. As we discussed earlier that adult females ‘s engagement in community forestry are defined by different societal and cultural barriers that the society clasp. The society has its inferior position towards adult females sing the determination doing procedure from family to community forestry though they spend most of the clip in it. Though adult females try to come across these barriers with their ain attempts and abilities, their engagement is non wining due to the male dominancy and determination over the resource usage. Hence adult females ‘s engagement in determination devising procedure is still in the creep phase in the sustainable resource direction in most of the developing states particularly Nepal.Women ‘s EngagementNFUG C ommittee Members– Policy 50 % of all commission should be adult females In world merely 2-3 members merelyCommunity ForestryTake about no decisions- varies with ethnicity Have no control on assets Have no entree as per regulations made by work forces Maximal impact on her day-to-day work burdenHousehold ImpactCaste, place in household and support from hubby will act upon grade of engagement Time restraint due to duplicate burden- ‘inside ‘ and ‘outside ‘ undertakingsFUG Formation ProcessNo specific scheme to approach/ involve adult females though recommended in Re-orientation Participate in labour for determinations taken by work forces Equally knowing but non consultedTraining PlansWomen ever really few, if any Mobility restraint Poor attitudinal & A ; practical support from work forces Illiteracy in all adult females ‘s group Rarely invited for proficient preparationForest ForcesCultural/attitude prejudice towards adult females ‘s capableness Constraints on communicating with adult females About all determinations take by work forces ( Undertaking and Community ) Womans more antiphonal to adult females Texas rangers Neither functionaries nor adult females take the enterpriseAgro ForestryAbout all interactions between undertaking staff ( all work forces except one ) and hubby as caput of family. Largely fulfills labor/care of baby's room Can non command assets as land non in her name Beginning: ( DRCFDP 1995 ) Fig 1: Women ‘s engagement in Different Activities Although we discussed about the obstructions, the adult females ‘s inclusiveness in the community forestry has besides been observed in some facet. The empowerment attack in WID recognized the adult females ‘s ternary function ( production, reproduction and community ) that seeks to run into the strategic gender demands. It indirectly through the grass roots mobilisation of practical gender demands support to seek the strategic gender demands. It explicitly focus the demand of power to adult females for bettering the place ( Moser 1989 ) . In Nepal adult females ‘s engagement in community forestry, organizing and take parting in forest users ‘ group is increasing. They are concentrating their active engagement and functions in widening the constructions and determination devising procedure ( Giri and Darnhofer 2010 ) . The community forest user groups define the managerial facet of the forest resources. Thus adult females ‘s engagement in these groups helps them to raise the voice in their practical and strategic gender demands which create a mechanism for carry throughing them ( Giri 2009 ) . Harmonizing to Adhikari ( 2001 ) , Nepali adult females in cragged part drama effectual function in the forest direction. The subsistence life schemes lead the increase of diverseness of adult females ‘s function in resource direction. In the same manner, authorities plans and NGO ‘s have taken adult females as primary group and encouraged their engagement in decisive organic structure of forestry plans. They focus on: Women ‘s engagement is critical in re-greening of the state. Womans will be benefited from their engagement in forestry plans because they are the chief users of the wood. Womans are the lone lasting dwellers of the country. As we are discoursing about some positive facet of adult females ‘s inclusivity in resource direction, it is besides of import to discourse the typology of their engagement. In most of the instances adult females ‘s engagement are inactive in nature. Their engagement is chiefly pretended under which they can be manipulated. Similarly their engagement is functional chiefly targeted to the accomplishment of undertaking end ( Agarwal 2001 ) .Policies and programs to increase the decisive functions of adult females in community forestryThe conventional theory on development did non place the nucleus function of adult females in sustainable resource direction. Therefore, a response alteration in environmental policy, planning and plan is required to take a firm stand that adult females are the active stakeholders in resource direction ( Armitage and Hyma 1997 ) . Womans are the 1 who largely carry tonss of firewood, branchlets, little lumber, fresh fish, leaf-litter, non lumber forest merchandise and so on from the woods. The adult females are besides responsible for taking H2O. They are non merely responsible for aggregation of such points for place usage but besides affecting selling. The adult females are left at place in most of the developing states therefore they are still responsible for the addendum and direction of natural resource for domestic usage when their hubbies go to seek for chances in markets. Due to the state of affairs, most of the development bureaus have been recommending on the issue of Women in Environmental Development ( WED ) since the last 30 old ages on the issue of adult females in H2O, land and wood. Harmonizing to ( Regmi 2007 ) , community based resource direction is a cardinal rule to authorise the adult females ‘s position in community forestry. Armitage and Hyma ( 1997 ) besides pointed that community based participatory attack to adult females is required for development. The community based resource direction procedure on the footing of Women ‘s Empowerment Framework is intended to the policy shapers, contrivers and development militant to analyze the extend of support required for the adult females ‘s authorization ( Mosedale 2005 ) . The empowerment procedure can be improved through the alteration or alteration in the community forestry procedure that could include the marginalized community and adult females in the determination devising procedures. The policy degree agents such authorities functionaries, community stakeholders, facilitators should be given developing to plan the plans so that more marginalized people and adult females could be included ( Nightingale 2002 ) . ( Acharya and Gentle 2006 ) in their on the job paper illustrate the authorising procedure on the footing of their three twelvemonth undertaking in Nepal on Strengthening the Role of Women and Civil Society in Democracy and Governance ( SAMARPAN ) . Figure 2 illustrate the procedure, which shows that authorization, inclusiveness should be started from the base of the plan. The protagonism, preparation, literacy categories, measuring internal administration capacity defines the base for the inclusion of adult females and marginalized people in the determination devising procedure which subsequently on contribute to the peace development, struggle direction, sustainable resource direction and poorness decrease. This plan was based on the Rights Based Approach ( RBA ) which focuses on recognizing the vulnerable, marginalized groups, adult females about the human rights. Besides the rights, this attack besides encourages to carry through their duties among the groups. Sustainable Resource Management Governance & A ; Consencus edifice Poverty Decrease Inclusion of adult females and fringy community in the determination devising procedures Appraisal of internal administration capacity Community degree protagonism and adult females empowerment preparation Advocacy literacy categories Participatory, transparent and inclusive standards to choose local facilitators and preparation participants Practice of public audit and hearing in undertaking activities Empowering and participatory acquisition stuffs Fig 2: Procedure of authorization ( Adapted and modified from Acharya & A ; Gentle, 2006 )DecisionFrom the above treatment it is clear that adult females are the chief users of wood merchandises though their engagement in the wood direction is really weak. Since 1970s, development plans and bureaus have been working in the sector of adult females ‘s authorization recognizing the necessity of adult females ‘s engagement in development plans though their engagement is non as outlook. Forestry direction sector is non an exclusion. Merely approximately 10 % of the community woods have been managing by adult females groups in Nepal today. As people attitude is being altering from the past it is possible to authorise the adult females and marginalized groups in the hereafter. The socio-cultural position is the barriers for limited and inactive engagement in the community forestry sector in Nepal. The projected orientated activities of the giver and other organisations do non really work out the adult females ‘s position in the society instead they felt inferior themselves. Hence the attacks of equal engagement in every sector including the community forestry should be developed. This proviso could assist to make strong adult females ‘s commission and aid in the income coevals activities.

External Environment Analysis Kraft Foods Essay

In the every changing and expanding food industry it is imperative organizations conduct strategic marketing to remain on top of their industry and make better plans for their future. Strategic marketing drives organizations to their peak of success and draws customer loyalty. The Porter Five Analysis and PEST analysis are two of the tools utilized by strategist to enhance organizational success. The Porter Five model examines the internal workings of the organization as well as the industry letting organizations know about potential threats. The PEST analysis on the other hand examines the macro-environment, looking at potential political and social threats to industry. The utilization of these two models together will better equip organizations to face ever changing industries and see potential threats. Below the author will discuss the different aspect of each model as well as provide useful web links to gather additional information. Porter Five Forces Analysis The Porter Five Analysis was developed by Michael Porter as a tool utilized by organizations to help identify the structure and competitiveness within an industry (Porter, 2008). It encompasses five different forces that shape the industry; threat of new entrants, threat of substitute products, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers and rivalry among existing competitors (Porter). The ability to analyze and understand trends and threats within an industry is critical for â€Å"effective strategic planning† that will render organizational success (Porter). Below is an analysis of Kraft Foods utilizing the Porter Five analysis model. Buyer Power With so many different varieties of brands available to consumers it is essential that organizations research consumer needs and demands in order to remain successful. As competition increases within the industry,  organizations must â€Å"create new products that adapt to the changing lifestyles and preferences of consumers, which have shifted to a focus on health and wellness† (Hathaway, Mrak-Blumberg, Wexler-Beron, 2006). Consumers have no loyalty or obligation to stay with one brand and will easily switch as prices and nutritional labels fit their needs. Conducting analysis of competitor’s financial statements will also help paint a picture of consumer trends helping organizations to adjust their products. Below are several websites that provide different information on the power that consumers hold. 1. This website discusses some very important facts relating to the immense power that consumers possess in the food industry and how the demand for healthy food is increasing the price of raw materials resulting in organizations absorbing the overhead costs to keep prices low. It also provides some information of Kraft Foods biggest competitors. Analysis of competitors can help strategists determine future marketing strategies and how to establish brand loyalty. Monitoring competition allows for change and adaptability permitting one to stay on top of their industry by tailoring products to consumer needs/demands. 2. This website provides information that describes the growing demands of consumers and the growth of the healthy food craze. This website really demonstrates the power that consumers hold in the food industry. Consumers are mandating healthy food choices with no GMO labeling. This has caused organizations to generate new products that are healthy and cater to consumer needs if they are to stay successful. Analyzing consumer trends is extremely important as it will allow a business to better tailor their food products and draw in new consumers and maintain loyalty of old consumers. http://www.inspirationgreen.com/vote-yes-on-37.html Supplier Power Although there are only ten major suppliers for Kraft Foods they have extreme power over the food industry. Walmart is one of Kraft Foods largest clients with the most revenue generated and with so many competitors on the market Kraft Foods must absorb the additional costs of producing cheap food in order to stay competitive. An individual supplier must â€Å"offer something  special to stand out from the crowd, such as a lower price, faster delivery time, more flexible credit terms, higher product quality or volume discounts† (Sullivan, n.d.) 1. This article provides a thorough discussion and different view point on supplier power and monopoly in the food industry. It provides a discussion on how big organizations, such as Wal-Mart, exert their power over their suppliers. Different suppliers have monopolies at supermarkets and can pay for primary shelf space and promote their brands. This leads to smaller suppliers struggling in an industry dominated by large supply compani es and large retailers. http://documents.foodandwaterwatch.org/doc/RetailConcentration-web.pdf 2. Pratt provides a good discussion on how to analyze the bargaining power of suppliers. Understanding the questions he poses will enable an organization to potentially avoid competition and build quality relationships with suppliers thus enhancing chances of industry success. http://ezinearticles.com/?Understanding-the-Bargaining-Power-of-Your-Suppliers&id=4251948 3. This informative website provides a list of the Kraft Foods suppliers. Determining the number of suppliers in an industry can help strategist determine the bargaining power of the suppliers. In hard times suppliers can ration their products causing organizations to spend more money upfront and lose revenues. When an organization is able to differentiate their product from competitors it is easier for them to bargain with suppliers for fair pricing. http://www.dailytrader.com/ss-kraft-foods/suppliers.html Threats of Entrants When an industry is booming the threat of new entrants is high as everyone wants to make profits. The threat of new organizations creates competition among an industry and influences their ability to maintain profits (Wilkinson, 2013). Firms in this industry preserve market share through brand loyalty, diversification and the barriers placed within the industry to enter the market (Porter, 2008). It is therefore imperative that these brands maintain quality at a competitive price and drive off new competition. 1. The following website points out the current economy/industry sales for Kraft Foods and their top competitors. This is a good website as it will paint a picture for future companies as to the  market capital, net income, dividends, operating margin and growth revenue. All of which are great indicators as to expenses and revenue generated and allows them to determining if starting a business in this industry is worth the overhead, time and effort. It can also help determine how different products by different companies are comparing to each other. http://financials.morningstar.com/competitors/industry-peer.action?t=KRFT ®ion=usa&culture=en-US 2. This web page provides a table with Kraft Foods top competitors broken down by categories allowing easy access to different aspects of the business. This also allows potential companies to determine which industry they would have the most impact in to succeed. Additionally it provides revenue, income and market share. http://csimarket.com/stocks/competitionSEG2.php?code=KRFT 3. NASDAQ is a great reference for organizations looking at trends in the food industry as it provides information on the financial, size and growth trends as well as market cap. This information is essential to determine if an organization can compete in certain industries. http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/krft/competitors 4. This informative document discusses current economic indicators and the growth of the food industry over the last 10 years. It talks about nature of the industry, market overview, demand and annual food spending at home. Additionally it provides a discussion on the issues affecting the industry. This resource will help paint a vivid picture of the economy of the industry and help determine if a new product will succeed. http://trade.gov/td/ocg/report08_processedfoods.pdf Threat of Substitutes The growing health trends have led many companies to adapt and change products to fit consumer demands. With a variety of brands available it is imperative organizations cater to consumers in order to avoid losing their loyalty to another company. â€Å"Consumers in the industry have minimal switching costs and there is never the guarantee of brand loyalty† (Hathaway, Mrak-Blumberg, Wexler-Beron, 2006). In order to keep loyal consumers organizations in this industry must offer new and innovative  products. 1. This document provides valuable information on consumer trends, healthy eating, industry dynamic, emerging products, and success factors. This valuable information helps organizations determine current trends and how they can adapt to remain successful and ahead of their competition within the industry. http://www.pwc.com/us/en/transaction-services/publications/assets/functional-foods.pdf 2. This is a very informative website that discusses current trends in the food industry while stating growth percentages specifically relating to the healthy snacking options. This is a good site to gain a better understanding and insight to healthy alternatives that competitors may be producing as well as market trends http://www.snackandbakery.com/articles/84475-snack-food-industry-trends 3. Organic Trade Association website provides information on industry statistics and projected growth trends which is can assist organizations in determining their future products based on consumer trends. http://www.ota.com/organic/mt/business.html Rivalry Among Existing Competitors In every industry there is rivalry amongst organizations to win over consumers. This can generate new and innovative products, intense sales promotions and pricing wars (Porter, 2008). On the outside this activities may appear to be beneficial but in reality it can lead to increased costs and decreased profits for organizations (Porter). 1. CSI Market online provides a nice graph detailing growth rates of the major competitors in the food industry. This is an extremely useful tool to help determine where you stand financially next to your competition. Utilizing this information may assist in determining if a new product should be launched and if new marketing tactics are needed. http://csimarket.com/stocks/competitionNO3.php?code=KRFT 2. If an organization is to remain successful and on top of their organization they must produce numerous products that cater to consumer demands, i.e healthy food choices. This innovative thinking keeps consumers coming back to the same brands and generates loyalty. http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/04/22/these-food-companies-are-the  -best-at-inspiring-bra.aspx PEST Analysis PEST analysis tool was developed by Francis Aguilar to help organization see the macro-environment of their business environment in order to make changes and maximize financial success (Mind Tools, n.d.). The ability to adapt and change business tactics to meet consumer demands can create new and improved products enhancing brand loyalty (Mind Tools). The PEST analysis focuses on political, economic, socio-cultural, and technological changes in the industry, helping organizations to determine different opportunities (Mind Tools). Political 1. This website provides information on regulations of the food industry, agricultural industry and federal regulations. Understanding the political implications and regulations of the food industry will assist with licensing and production of food products. It is imperative to know and understand these regulations in order to become and remain a successful and well respected brand. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fs118 2. Harris provides a great article discussing government regulations for the food industry, to include agencies and their regulation methods. Knowing the correct process and FDA regulations will help bolster an organization while gain respect and trust from consumers. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/government-regulations-food-industry-76884.html 3. With the growing health trends the FDA has started enforcing stricter food labeling. This labeling ensures â€Å"stringent guidelines to maintain the integrity of the food label† (Philipson, 2005). Additionally this provides accurate information to consumers and allows them to make healthy educated decisions regarding the food they consume. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/1/262S.full Economic 1. Yahoo Finance provides data on the economic conditions of the food industry as well as a forecast of the growth prospects. This information is valuable to organizations as it can assist in determining present and future growth trends, revenues and specific growth regions.  http://finance.yahoo.com/news/food-beverage-business-confidence-report-130100393.html 2. The FDA addresses the need for government involvement in food safety in order to strengthen consumer confidence thus enhancing food industry growth. It is also a tool that can be utilized to determine how globalization is affecting the economic environment (Mind Tools, n.d.). http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm326870.htm 3. Organic Trade Association provides a website with information on the economy of the growing organic food trend. The needs and demands of the consumers for healthier food options has driven many food industry organizations to reexamine their line of products and begin producing healthier food options. The demands of the consumers must be met in order for an organization to succeed. It is also important to consider the economic impact these changes can have on our environment and make sure we leave a positive footprint. http://www.ota.com/organic/mt/business.html Social 1. Over the last several years the food industry has had to adapt to the growing health conscious population and produce more healthy food alternatives. Understanding FDA regulations of labeling and marking and serving sizes on products will gain consumers trust that the products they are consumer are in line with a healthy life style. The social taboo of mislabeled or healthy food could potentially damage an organization. http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/Health-News/food-labels-fda-changes/2014/02/27/id/555199/ 2. Yahoo Finance provides an article discussing the importance of meeting the demands of the consumers in order to generate profits. Consumers are not only looking for healthy alternative in the grocery store but in restaurants too. There is an increased demand for nutritious organic fresh food in restaurants. Organizations must weigh the benefits between producing fresh products and providing affordable foods. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/health-wealth-food-beverage-industry-13 2935034.html Technological 1. Emerson discusses the evolution of technology in the food industry and how is has helped organizations to produce healthier and fresher food. Utilization of technology can allow organizations to produce large  quantities and variety of products thus catering to a larger consumer population and decreasing organizational costs. http://www.insidetechnology360.com/index.php/how-technology-has-affected-the-food-industry-22970/ 2. This website discusses the importance of evolving technology to running a successful business. Improved technology and software advances over the years have allowed for food industry organizations to make reordering of food and supplier easier and more convenient. These technologies can monitor refrigeration temperatures, energy usage helping to ensure the best food is available for the consumers. When consumers know that organizations go to extra measures to ensure product quality it generates brand loyalty and increased revenues. 3. Gould presents a very informative article regarding the importance of technology in the food industry. The use of technology assists with â€Å"decision making related to consumer insight, brand and product management and pricing† allowing organizations to maximize consumer needs and wants.   4. One new technology in the food industry is the utilization of biotechnology to increase efficiency of production and reduce environmental impact with increase production. This very informative slide show discusses the pros and cons of this innovative technology. In order to meet the growing health requirements by consumers it is beneficial for organizations to understand what technology their competitors are utilizing.   Conclusion If an organization is to succeed it is imperative a thorough analysis of the industry and environment is conducted. Utilization of the Porter Five Analysis will provide organizations with information on the internal and immediate threats to their organization. The PEST analysis on the other hand provides information on the marco-environment allowing organizations to focus on new opportunities for growth and success and see potential threats to the industry. Although both of these methods have different focuses,  when utilized together a significant amount of information in generated that will guide an organization on the path to a successful and profitable future. References Hathaway, J., Mrak-Blumberg, E., Wexler-Beron, E. (2006, April 4). Strategic Report for TheKraft Foods Corporation. Pandora Group Out of the Box Consulting. Retrieved July 23,2014 fromhttp://economicsfiles.pomona.edu/jlikens/SeniorSeminars/pandora/reports/kraft.pdf Mind Tools. (n.d.). PEST Analysis. Retrieved July 24, 2014 fromhttp://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_09.htm Philipson, T. (2005). Government Perspective: Food Labeling 1,2,3. The American Journal ofClinical Nutrition, 82. Retrieved July 23, 2014 fromhttp://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/1/262S.full Porter, M. (2008, January). The Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy. Harvard BusinessReview. Retrieved July 23, 2014 from http://hbr.org/2008/01/the-five-competitive-forcesthat-shape-strategy/ar/1 Sullivan, D. (n.d.). Food Industry: The Bargaining Power of Suppliers. Chron Small Business.Retrieved July 24, 2014 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/fast-food-industrybargaining-power-suppliers-78188.html