Should women be banned from wearing veils in public Essay

Should women be banned from wearing veils in public - Essay Example inst and for it, the following analysis will discuss the issue of the face veil and attempt to draw a conclusion with regards to whether or not it should be â€Å"allowed† within Democratic Western society. Firstly, the most salient argument against outlawing the veil in public is concentric upon individual liberty and discrimination against Muslims. Although there are certainly a number of nations that can be considered as representative of â€Å"Western democracy†, a core similarity that exists between all of these nations is a certain degree of self-determination and free will; within the confines of the existing law. By and large, personal liberty is a complement of all of these democracies. As such, those individuals that argue against a ban on the facial veil point to the fact that such a ban is inherently against the liberty and founding principles of the societies in question. Moreover, due to the events of the past several decades, there is already a high level of distrust, suspicion, and oftentimes, right hatred, or Muslim individuals within society. Accordingly, those who argue against a band point to the fact that restricting the natural behavior of individuals, rega rdless of their religious interpretation, would only lead to a further escalation with regards to the hatred and distrust that are oftentimes placed against Muslim communities throughout the West. By means of comparison and contrast, those individuals that argue against allowing the veil in public, and promote the belief that it should be outlawed, also point to fundamental rights and interpretations of liberty and freedom as the backbone of their arguments. For instance, those in favor of a band point to the fact that women’s rights are inherently guaranteed with regards to the democratic principles that define governance. As such, by restricting the mobility and potential level of integration that women can exhibit within society, a facial veil is tantamount to a level of second-class

Analysis of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds Assignment

Analysis of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds - Assignment Example The story begins in a pet shop in San Francisco where a young lawyer, Mitch Brenner, is unsuccessfully trying to buy his younger sister, Cathy, a pair of lovebirds for her 11th birthday. He meets and remembers the wealthy socialite Melanie Daniels, who, apparently, does not recognize him, and he plays a joke on her by treating her as a salesclerk. Attracted to him, she impulsively buys two birds, which she secretly delivers to Mitch’s home in Bodega Bay. On her way back, she is attacked by a seagull, after which she meets Mitch on the mainland pier and he convinces her to go back home with him. The following day, during Cathy’s birthday party, a group of birds attacks her and her friends and, the same evening, finches swarm down the chimney in their hundreds into the Brenner home. There is panic as a chicken farmer, Dan Forsyth, is pecked to death by his own birds which then cause a fire at a gas station and threaten children as they leave school. After a school teacher named Annie Hayworth is also killed by birds, panic mounts in the town and residents flee to San Francisco. Mitch decides to board up all his house’s entrances and wait for the attack. The birds are unable to gain entry after pecking on the doors and tearing at shingles. However, tragically, they manage to make a hole in the roof and attack Melanie who went up to the attic to investigate a noise she had heard. Although Mitch managed to save her, he acknowledged that his own home is no longer safe from the birds and also flees to San Francisco amid a moment of silence from the birds into an uncertain future as the film ends (Mcgilligan 21). This paper will identify the film’s theme and discuss how the director used sub-genre and combined genre elements to project that theme. The theme, which is predominantly suspense/horror, is strategically brought out by a strange relationship between humanity and nature. The plot may appear to be banal, but the director manages to depict horror by turning garden birds, not birds of prey, against mankind. Bodega Bay, a small town in California is suddenly and without apparent explanation subjected to violent and widespread attacks by birds.  

Reading Is the Path to Success Essay Example for Free

Reading Is the Path to Success Essay Introduction 1. Before you begin each assigned essay, read about the author’s life (biography). In particular, note literary biography. On our Learning Web, I have a website link for each author we study. 2. Note the titles. What expectations do the titles create? Once you have finished reading each essay, reconsider each title. 3. As you read, note the author’s intertwining of some of the elements of memoir: narration, description (especially appeals to the five senses), emotion (tone), and reflective commentary. Note any use of dialog. Langston Hughes’ â€Å"Salvation† (from The Big Sea, 1940) 1. Who is Langston Hughes (1902-1967)? Note his biography on the Learning Web. 2. In Hughes’ essay â€Å"Salvation,† do you find more narration or description? Which one of these strategies is the primary strategy that structures the essay? 3. What is the point of view of this essay? How old was Hughes when he wrote this essay? How old was he when the event occurred? What is the age of his speaking voice in the essay? How do you know? (Note exclamation marks and purposeful overuse of the word â€Å"and.†) 4. What is Hughes’ thesis? 5. Where is the setting(s)? What descriptive details does Hughes use to sketch in the setting? 6. Note allusions to religious hymns. â€Å"The Ninety-Nine and Nine† and â€Å"Let the Lower Lights Be Burning† are old evangelical hymns sung in church. 7. Examine Hughes imagery (appeals to the five senses). What are some of Hughes’ specific images? 8. Note how Hughes sustains the imagery in paragraph 13. 9. Who are the minor characters? How does Hughes describe each one? 10. Note Hughes’ use of short simple sentences for effect. Note his use of sentence fragments. 11. Note Hughes’ use of the one sentence paragraph for  dramatic effect. 12. Note Hughes’ use of dialog. What makes his dialog effective? 13. What conflict(s) do you find in this essay? Are Hughes’ conflicts internal or external (or both)? 14. Note the character Westley. Why is he important to the story? 15. Where is the climax of this essay? Explain your decision. 16. Account for the title â€Å"Salvation.† From what, exactly, was he saved? 17. What irony do you find in this essay? 18. Do the conflicts reach resolution by the end of the story? 19. Comment on tone. Do you find this essay humorous or serious (or both)? 20. Note Hughes’ use of the dash (—) for dramatic emphasis. 21. Did you enjoy reading this essay? Why or why not? 22. Did you look up vocabulary? Note â€Å"knickerbockers,† â€Å"rounder,† and â€Å"mourners’ bench.† Annie Dillard’s â€Å"The Chase† (from An American Childhood, 1987) 1. Who is Annie Dillard (1945 )? Read her biography in the Learning Web. Note literary biography. In particular note the paragraph about her as a small child. 2. Why does the essay begin with a paragraph about being a tomboy and loving football? Dillard is using football as a metaphor for what? According to Dillard, what does football require? 3. What is her thesis? (Note paragraph #2.) 4. What is her setting? Note the descriptions of the snow. 5. Where does conflict begin? What kind of conflict do we have in this story? 6. Describe the driver. What does he do after the children hit his car with a snowball? 7. Note the chase itself. Note how the rising action intensifies in paragraph 12 and 13. Note the signal words that help you follow her. 8. What about the man’s behavior surprises Dillard? In her mind, the driver transforms from what to what? 9. Where is the climax of the essay? 10. Dillard keeps dialog to a minimum. What dialog do we hear? 11. What is Dillard’s attitude about being captured? 12. What word would you use to describe the tone of this memoir? 13. Dillard reveals the point of her story in paragraph 19 as part of her denouement. What is that point? 14. Note that description of the man in paragraph 21. In Dillard’s imagination, he has transformed from â€Å"the driver† into what? 15. Note Dillard’s use of the semicolon and dash as part of her sentence structure. 16. Note vocabulary â€Å"crenellated,† â€Å"spherical,† â€Å"perfunctorily.† E. B. White’s â€Å"Once More to the Lake† (Harper’s Magazine, â€Å"One Man’s Meat,† White’s monthly column, October 1941) 1. Who is E. B. White (1899-1985)? When did he write â€Å"Once More to the Lake†? Note literary biography on our Learning Web. 2. Note the exposition. Who are the characters? What is the setting? 3. Note White’s thesis. 4. Do you find the essay has more narration or description? 5. Note White’s use of imagery as he describes the lake. 6. What figurative language does White use to describe the lake? 7. What conflict do you find in this essay? When does the conflict begin? Is White’s conflict internal or external? Explain. 8. When White and his son go fishing the first morning, White mentions â€Å"the† dragonfly instead of â€Å"a† dragonfly. Account for his decision to use â€Å"the.† 9. Note places in the memoir where conflict builds. 10. What sound effect disrupts White’s reliving of his past? 11. Where is the climax of this essay? Account for your decision. Is there resolution? 12. Why does White feel a â€Å"chill of death† at the end of the essay? 13. What is the tone of this essay? Account for your answer. 14. Did you enjoy this essay? Why or why not? Amy Tan’s â€Å"Two Kinds† (from her novel The Joy Luck Club, 1989) 1. Who is Amy Tan (1950 )? Note her biography on the Learning Web. Note literary biography. 2. Note the exposition of the story. What is the narrative point of view? Who are the main characters in the story? What are the cultural differences between Jing Mei and her mother? Note dialog and body language as you read. 3. What is the setting of â€Å"Two Kinds†? Where and when does this story take place and how do you know? 4. Define the word â€Å"prodigy.† 5. What motivates Jing Mei’s mother to force her child to become a prodigy? 6. What are Jing Mei’s first responses to becoming a prodigy? 7. Note the rising action and conflict. 8. What does Jing Mei finally decide she will do about her mother’s constant attempts to make her into a prodigy? 9. Note Mr. Chong. Who is he? What specific details about him make him a vivid character? 10. The piano plays an important role in the story. What does it become for Jing Mei? 11. Note the various reactions of the people who experience Jing Mei’s recital. 12. What is the climax of the story? 13. What happens in the denouement of the story? 14. Is the mother-daughter conflict resolved? 15. In the denouement, what does Jing Mei learn about the song she played at the recital? 16. Note Tan’s use of metaphor and simile. Give examples of Tan’s figurative language and fine detail and imagery.

Analysis Of Huawei And Its Core Competencies Management Essay

Analysis Of Huawei And Its Core Competencies Management Essay Huawei Technologies was founded in 1998 by Ren Zhengfei who is a former Peoples Liberation Army officer and telecom engineer. It was incorporated as a private enterprise which manufactures telecommunications equipments for domestic Chinese companies at a much lower price than its international competitors. And since the beginning, Zhengfeis vision was to build innovation capability into the company. However, contrary to the Chinas policy of exchanging market for technology, Zhengfei is convinced that having a joint venture with foreign companies would only cause the Chinese to lose their domestic market and not enable them to acquire foreign technologies. In performing an internal analysis, it is important to have a global mind-set, which is the ability to analyse the internal environment in ways that are independent on the assumptions of a single country, culture, or context. In addition, the businesss portfolio of resources and the bundles of heterogeneous resources and capabilities have to be analysed so that they are be leveraged on if need to. Business Fundamentals Accounting Huawei Technologies had annual revenue of US$6.7 billion and a net profit of US$470 million in 2005. This is an increase from annual revenue of US$5.8 billion and a net profit of US$470 million in 2004. Huaweis net profits in 2002 and 2003 were US$110 million and US$380 million respectively, and it had a net profit margin of 4% in 2002, 10% in 2003 and 8% in 2004. No doubt, Huaweis net profit margin drop by 2% in 2004, Huawei is still generating profit. Finance There are short-term financing and long-term financing options available. Huaweis financial support from the state-owned Chinese Development Bank in the form of a US$10 billion facility and US$600 million from the Export-Import Bank of China are both forms of long-term financing. Risk Management There are three major types of business risks; price risk, credit risk and pure risk. As Huawei has markets overseas, there is bound to be some price risk involved when there is any fluctuation in foreign exchange rates as their receivables and payments are transacted in foreign currencies. Hence, Huawei can use hedging to manage its price risks. In addition, pure risk is assume to be present in virtually any industry and there are four types of pure risk that affect business; damage to assets, legal liability, workers injury and employee benefits. Organisation Design Huawei practice departmentalization as its workforce is spilt into departments such as Research Development (RD) and production. It is also a mechanistic structure as there is high specialization and centralization. Human Resource Management Since its beginning, Huawei had been emphasizing on building a strong RD team and it had been recruiting employees of high caliber with exceptionally high salary by Chinese standard. Operations and Supply Chain Management The success of most businesses is their ability to identify the customers needs and to come up with products that fulfills the necessary requirements. These products will then have to be produced at economically viable costs. As Huawei manufactures and ships its products both locally and overseas. Thus, it is vital that Huawei monitors its operations and supply chain management to ensure that its products remain profitable and that bullwhip effect be controlled. Product Development Huawei has the foresight to invest and develop in new technologies in the industry which gives it a quantum leap in the market from its competitors. Resources, Capabilities, and Core Competencies Resources, capabilities and core competencies form the basis of competitive advantage. Resources create organizational capabilities when group together and in turn, capabilities result in the core competencies of a firm, and these are the foundation of competitive advantage. Tangible Resources Financial Resources As previously mentioned, Huawei has the financial support from the state-owned Chinese Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China. With their financial support, Huawei received a US10 billion facility for its international expansion over five years and US$600 million respectively. Organisational Resources Huawei has departments such as RD, production and marketing which form up the basic organization structure of the company. Huawei also integrates its marketing employees into its main RD team so that the customers needs can be better communicated to the RD headquarters responsively. Physical Resources Huawei has research centres located in China and overseas. For example, it has a 21 storey research center at its headquarters in Shenzhen and six other research laboratories in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Huangzhou, Xian and Chengdu; a software development centre in Bangalore (India) and research facilities in Moscow (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden) and the Silicon Valley in California. Technological Resources Huawei had a large number of patents under its name. It had more than 8,000 patent applications by late 2004, with 800 of them applied in more than 20 countries, including the United States and Europe. In fact, in 2004 alone, Huawei had more than 2,000 patent applications which put it on par with its international rivals in the same industry. Intangible Resources Human Resources Since establishment, Huawei had focused its resources to build itself a strong RD team. Starting off with 500 RD staffs and 200 production staffs, Huawei had a workforce of 24,000 employees by late 2005 with 48% of them engaging in RD works. In addition, the education level of the companys employees was higher than the average worker in China. More than 85% of its workforce had a bachelors or higher degree, and about 60% had a masters or PhD. Innovation Resources Huawei undertook joint RD laboratories with foreign companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Texas Instruments, Intel, e.g., focusing on different telecom techniques. These joint development efforts were used to complement Huaweis innovation capabilities. Reputational Resources Huawei has a large customer base in China with the major telecom companies being its customer. In addition, Huawei is one of the major suppliers for equipments for the China Telecoms ChinaNet Next Carrying Network, known as CN2, which is the core network for the countrys next-generation business and consumers services. Capabilities Capabilities exist when there are resources on hand that have been deliberately integrated to achieve specific tasks. Huawei had a strong team of RD staff which comprises of 48% of its total employees. In addition, Huawei recruits employees of high caliber, with more than 85% of its employees having at least a bachelors degree and 60% having a masters or PhD. Thus, Huawei is able to come out with innovate products, hence holding an exceptionally high number of patents by Chinese standard. In addition, coming from a military background, Ren Zhengfeis connection with the Chinese military helps create a guanxi network which is extremely helpful to Huawei. Being based in China, Huawei is able to manufacture and offer products at a lower price (typically 30% lower than those of established suppliers). Core Competencies Core competencies are capabilities that are a source of competitive advantage for a company over its rivals. Huaweis first competence is its RD. Because of the inexpensive labour force in China, Huawei had an advantage over its international competitors. In addition, Huawei integrates its marketing people into its RD team, thus the needs of telephone companies and service providers could be communicated through the marketers to the RD department in the shortest time. Another core competence which Huawei had is its close relationship with the Chinese military. This close relationship enables Huawei to create a guanxi network which few other competitors could rival and which helps Huawei to secure big contract orders in its initial years and huge financial loans from the state banks. A third core competence is Huaweis products low price as compare to its competitors. In summary, Huawei would need to maintain these core competencies in the long run to have a sustainable competitive advantage. Valuable Rare Costly to Imitate Non-substitutable RD à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Close relationship with Chinese military à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Price à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ *Must meet at least 3 criteria to be a competitive advantage (CA). Value Chain Analysis Using the value chain analysis, we will analyse which are Huaweis operations segments that create value and those that do not. It is essential to understand these issues, as a business will only earns above-average returns when the value created is greater than the costs incurred to create that value. Primary activities Huaweis primary activities are marketing and sales, inbound logistics, outbound logistics and operations. Support activities Huaweis support activities are firm infrastructure, human resource management, service, technological development and procurement. Activities which are not of competitive advantages to Huawei can be outsourced to external vendors so that resources can be put to better use within the company. SWOT Analysis Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths Huawei have a strong RD team and high caliber employees which gives it an edge over its competitors. Being based in China, Huawei is able to manufacture and offer products at a lower price (typically 30% lower than those of established suppliers). In addition, with a low-cost workforce, Huawei spends less in RD but achieve comparable results with foreign technology companies who spend more. Ren Zhengfeis connection with the Chinese military enables Huawei to have the support from the Chinese government which is essential to working in China. Weaknesses Being a Chinese company, Huawei will be view in a different light compared to other companies from other countries. In general, the perception was that Chinese vendors were mainly relying on western engineering methods and were turning the higher margins and complex products into standard commodities. Thus, Huawei would have to move beyond this to be view as a serious global competitor. Huaweis lawsuit with Cisco gives rise to the issue that Huawei has infringed Ciscos patents and copyrights by copying its user interface, user manuals and source codes which inevitably affects Huaweis reputation in the United States. Key Success Factors Huawei is able to be successful as in general the Chinese market is a closed industry and foreign companies would need to joint ventures with local Chinese companies in order to enter the market, which will involve large equity investments. In addition, being a home-grown company, the Chinese will prefer to buy their products from Huawei, thus giving it an advantage in such a big emerging market. Furthermore, with Ren Zhengfeis connection to the Chinese military, it would have an unfair advantage over other companies. Secondly, since the onset, Huawei had focus on employing high caliber employees to form a huge RD team. Together with joint RD with other leading foreign companies, this has enables Huawei to come up with innovative products. Question 2. Perform an external analysis of Huawei. Based on your analysis, identify the possible opportunities and threats encountered by Huawei. (30 marks) Business Fundamentals Economics China overtook the United States to become the largest telecom market in late 2002 and by 2004; Chinas telecom industry had US$112 billion in business transactions. This is equivalent to an annual growth rate of 34.9% which was 3.7 times Chinas gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 9.5%. In addition, Chinas telecom equipment market will continue to grow annually at a compound rate of 10.9%, from US$30 billion to US$45 billion between 2004 and 2008. Stakeholder Management There are two major groups of stakeholders; market stakeholders and non-market stakeholders. Market stakeholders are also known as primary stakeholders and they include the employees, customers, suppliers and distributors of Huawei. Non-market stakeholders, also known as secondary stakeholders are people whom are affected by Huaweis actions but without being directly involved with any economic transactions with it. Marketing Huawei had to be aggressive to win contracts and typically, their products are about 30% cheaper than established brands. In addition, Huawei offer incentives when pitching for sales for major contracts. The External Environment The external environment of a company is divided into three major areas; the general, industry and competitor environments, each focusing on different aspects. The General Environment PESTL Model The general environment comprises of dimensions in the broader society that influence an industry and the firms within it. Using the PESTL model, we will gather the information and analyse each segment and its implication. Political Huaweis founder; Ren Zhengfei was from the Chinese military and this connection had created a guanxi network which few competitors could match. This relationship had helped Huawei secure big contract orders with the military during its early years. In addition, financial supports from state-owned banks were given to Huawei for its expansion plans overseas. However, this connection to the Chinese military had also affect Huawei, as a number of distributors in the United States were skeptical about the influence Huawei was subject to, and they were cautious of any implications. In addition, due to ownerships restrictions in China, most foreign firms would need to have a joint venture with local Chinese companies before they can enter the market. Hence, Huawei had an advantage in this aspect. Economics Huawei was the largest telecom equipment manufacturer in China with annual revenue of US$6.7 billion in 2005, and a net profit of US$470 million. At the same time, its market capitalization was estimated to be up to US$10 billion. Sociocultural Despite Huaweis efforts to fit into the United States culture, Huawei still met with difficulties when it first started operating in Plano, Texas in 2001. For a start, the Americans had difficulty pronouncing the companys name to the extent that Huawei had to come up with a working name. However, this caused confusion as the new name was not adopted nor promoted consistently and the Americans were confused by two different names belonging to the same company. To make matter worse, Huaweis employees had difficulty adapting to the Texas accent and their local culture. Huawei itself has a unique corporate culture within the company. Due to Ren Zhengfeis military background, he had instilled military style training for new employees and his employees were urged to learn from the behavior of wolves. He wants Huaweis marketing department to be aggressive, just like a pack of wolves. Technological Technological advances in the internet boom continued till 2006, and the technology choices and service requirements of service providers were getting more diversify. As previously mentioned, China had overtaken the United States to become the largest telecom market and hence, telecom service providers were now focusing on network improvement and value-added services rather than on infrastructure development. Huawei had the foresight to venture early and invested heavily in the third-generation (3G) mobile communications technology and it started its own research and development (RD) in Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) in 1995. And over the next few years, Huawei invested more than US$370 million in wide-band CDMA (WCDMA) technologies with a dedicated team of 3,500 RD employees deployed throughout research centres in China and other countries. In 2003, Huawei formed a 3G research joint venture with Japans NEC and Matsushita and entered the mobile handset market in early 2004 to familiarise itself with the 3G industry in future. At the same time, a joint venture was also formed with Siemens to test TD-SCDMA (Chinas home grown standard) mobile handsets and networks equipments. As a matter of fact, Huawei had invested one-third of its RD spending on 3G technologies for the past two years. Legal Huawei was sued by Cisco in the United States six months after setting up a subsidiary there. It had allegedly infringed a number of Ciscos copyrights and patents and Cisco was seeking damages in the lawsuit, which includes the discontinuation of Huaweis Quidway routers, and the impoundment and destruction of all Huaweis routers and manuals in the United States. By the time Cisco dropped its lawsuit in July 2004; many sales contracts which Huawei was pitching for were lost. To make matter worse, a Huaweis employee was caught taking photographs of high-tech equipment from Fujitsu in a trade show in Chicago in June 2004. The Industry Environment The Five Forces of Competition Model The intensity of competition and the profit potential of an industry are the functions of the five forces of competition; the threats of new entrants, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, threat of substitute products and rivalry among competing firms. Threat of New Entrants There is a low to medium risk for Huawei for the threat of new entrants in the industry. Chinas telecom industry had grown to become the largest telecom market in the world and most of the leading global telecom equipment firms had already started operations in China by setting up joint ventures with local Chinese companies. Among the multinationals in China now are leading global telecom equipment firms such as Motorola, Nokia, Lucent Technologies and Siemens. Thus, it is already a competitive market with little room for new players. In addition, as previously mentioned, foreign companies wanting to enter the Chinese market would have to set up joint ventures with Chinese companies due to ownership restrictions and this usually involve equity investments. Hence, it is capital intensive for a new player to enter the market. Bargaining Power of Suppliers No evidence found in the case study. Bargaining Power of Buyers The buyers have a high bargaining power. Phone subscriptions had increased to 390 million mobile phone users and 348 million fixed-line users by October 2005. As there was low switching costs for customers, telecom service providers are focusing on network improvement and value-added services to win customers and make existing customers stay. In addition, Chinas telecom equipment market has been forecasted to grow at a 10.9% annual compound rate between 2004 and 2008, from US$30 billion to US$45 billion. Threat of Substitute Products There is a low threat of substitute products as there is basically no substitute for the industry. There is currently no other products that can offer the same usage and convenience offered by the telecom equipment industry. Rivalry Among Competing Firms There is a high rivalry among competing firms. Beside the influx of multinationals telecom enterprises, there are also a number of domestic companies that are becoming competitive. There is little differentiation among competitors and hence, customers have low switching costs. Besides Huawei, there are three more companies; ZTE, DTT and GDT that have started to emerge. Both Huawei and ZTE were expected to enter further into international markets in the near future, going neck-to-neck with the established multinational enterprises for the same customers. The Competitor Environment Intense rivalry creates a need for Huawei to understand its competitors and their objectives, strategies, capabilities and assumptions. To help Huawei prepare for a response to its competitor, four dimensions (future objectives, current strategy, assumptions and capabilities) about the competitor should be found out and understand. SWOT Analysis Opportunities and Threats Opportunities Having already facing difficulties entering the United States market, Huawei can present itself better in the United States by collaborating with some of the United States companies. In this way, customers will not perceive Huawei as a low-cost vendor. In addition, as long as Huawei delivers reliable equipments, quality service and continues its product development, it will pose a formidable opponent to foreign companies. Threats Huawei have to be wary of competition from companies from low-cost countries where they pose a direct threat. Question 3. Identify the business level strategy adopted by Huawei and discuss the strategic actions implemented by Huawei in supporting this strategy. (20 marks) Huawei had adopted an integrated cost leadership/ differentiation strategy for its business level strategy. With its focus on RD and owning more than 8,000 patents, Huawei is able to differentiate their products in many ways. In addition, being located in a low-cost workforce country, Huawei is able to have their products manufactured at a much lower cost compared to others. Huawei engages in both value-creating primary and support activities that enables them to simultaneously pursue cost leadership/ differentiation strategy. By having an efficient production, low costs can be maintained while creating products of unique value give rises to differentiation. Primary activities As mentioned in question 1, Huaweis primary activities are marketing and sales, inbound logistics, outbound logistics and operations. Marketing and Sales Huawei priced their products about 30% cheaper than other established brands and to make it more attractive, Huawei offers attractive incentives as a sales package when pitching for major contracts. Support activities Huaweis support activities are firm infrastructure, human resource management, service, technological development and procurement. Firm Infrastructure Huawei had a good infrastructure that enables it to effectively and consistently identify its external threats and opportunities, resources and capabilities and support core competencies. It had a very good relationship with the Chinese military which is paramount to its success in China. Human Resource Management Huawei focus on having high caliber employees to build up its RD team. With more than 85% of its employees having a bachelors degree and above, Huawei ensures that they are highly paid by Chinese standard. In addition, due to Ren Zhengfeis military background, new employees are put through intensive military style training for the initial months. Service To offer unparallel service to its customers, Huawei hires local personnel in customers home country as part of its strategy to tailor technologies and services according to customers needs. Technological Development Huawei ventured early and invested in third-generation (3G) mobile communications technology and it started its own research and development (RD) in Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) in 1995. With a dedicated team of 3,500 RD employees deployed throughout research centres in China and other countries, Huawei invested more than US$370 million in wide-band CDMA (WCDMA) technologies over the next few years. In addition, to familiarise itself with 3G industry, Huawei formed a 3G research joint venture with Japans NEC and Matsushita in 2003, and entered the mobile handset market in early 2004. At the same time, Huawei started a joint venture with Siemens to test TD-SCDMA (Chinas home grown standard) mobile handsets and networks equipments. Procurement Huawei has research centres both in China and overseas. It had a 21-storey research centre in Shenzhen, and six other research laboratories in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Huangzhou, Xian and Chengdu; a software development centre in Bangalore (India) and research facilities in Moscow (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden) and the Silicon Valley in California. Flexibility Flexibility is needed by firms in order to complete both primary and support activities that allow the production of differentiation products at relatively low costs. Three sources of flexibility are: Flexible manufacturing systems, information networks and total quality management systems. Flexible Manufacturing Systems Flexible manufacturing systems enable a firm to produce a variety of products in moderate quantities with minimum human intervention. Through either patent-mining or reverse engineering, Huawei had turned high-profit and complex products into standard commodities. In addition, to offer better differentiation products, Huawei hires local personnel in customers home country to tailor technologies and services according to customers needs. Information Networks By linking companies with their suppliers, distributors and customers, information networks provide another source of flexibility. Ren Zhengfeis relationship with the Chinese military had helped Huawei to have a close guanxi network which other competitors do not have, and this had helped Huawei to secure big contract orders. Furthermore, Huaweis major customers in China were the big players in the industry such as; China Telecom, China Mobile, China Netcom and China Unicom. Huaweis networks in China has over 400 million people across the country, occupying 25% of the mobile network market shares and supplying 80% of all SMS from China Mobile. Total Quality Management (TQM) Systems TQM emphasizes the companys commitment to the customer and to continuously improve process through usage of data-driven, problem-solving approaches from empowerment of employee groups and teams. Huawei is able to simultaneously reduce cost while making use of its ability to develop innovative products. This increases their flexibility which is beneficial to implementing an integrated cost leadership/ differentiation strategy. Question 4. What other strategic actions would you recommend to Huawei to compete better in the future? Justify your answer. (20 marks) Besides the current strategic actions which Huawei is already implementing, I would suggest that Huawei consider acquisition where Huawei will buys a controlling, or 100% interest in another company to make it Huaweis subsidiary business within its portfolio. They are several reasons for acquisitions and we shall look at each of them: Increased Market Power Market power exists when a firm is able to sell its goods or services above competition levels or when the costs of its primary or support activities are lower than those of its competitors. Hence, to increase its market power, Huawei can use horizontal acquisition where it acquires company competing in the same industry. Overcoming Entry Barriers Presently, Huawei experiences problems entering the United States market. Hence, by making a cross-border acquisition, Huawei can overcome these entry barriers and gives it more control over its international operations. Cost of New Product Development and Increased Speed to Market Acquisitions allow Huawei to gain access to current and new products that are unique to the acquired firm. Returns are more predictable as the performance of the acquired firm products can be observed and assessed prior to acquisition. Lower Risk Compared to Developing New Products As the results of an acquisition can be easily and accurately estimated than that of developing a new product, Huawei will find that there are lower risks involved. Increased Diversification Huawei can find it easier to develop and introduce new products through the acquired firm as it may be difficult to develop products that deviate from their current product lines. Reshaping Firms Competitive Advantage Competitive rivalry can affects Huaweis profitability. Thus, to reduce the effect of an intense rivalry, acquisitions actually reduce Huaweis dependence on one or more products or markets. This will in turn alters Huaweis competitive scope. Learning and Developing New Capabilities Acquisition can allows Huawei to gain new capabilities which it does not currently possess. Through acquisition, Huawei can broaden their knowledge base and reduce inactivity. In addition to acquisition, Huawei can also have a nonequity strategic alliance with other companies. A nonequity strategic alliance is a form of alliance where two or more companies have a contractual relationship such that they share some of their unique resources and capabilities to create a competitive advantage. This is used in more uncertain situations, and companies do not establish any independent company and hence do not have any equity positions. Through nonequity strategic alliance, Huawei can have licensing agreements, distribution agreements, and supply contracts with other alliance companies. Usually, outsourcing commitments are specified in the form of nonequity strategic alliance. In conclusion, I would recommend that Huawei consider acquisition and nonequity strategic alliance as its business strategy in the future so that it can better compete with other competitors.

The Lure of Evil in Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- Literary Analysis

Everyone knows that evil can be devastating, especially to someone who foolishly embraces it. Most people would wonder why anyone would embrace evil. The answer is simple though; sometimes, evil does not appear as what it really is. Often, it actually appears enchanting, showing you the alluring side while hiding the darker side. The Tragedy of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), is an ideal example of people falling victim to evil. In fact, the entire downfall of the main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, is due to them being lured to evil by three witches. The play is a perfect illustration of how evil can lure someone in then lead to their downfall. In the play, Macbeth started out as an extremely brave and loyal solider. However, after the three witches told him he was to be king one day, he changed completely, being wholly consumed by his greed. He turned his back on his friends, betrayed them, and murdered innocent people. All of this can be linked back to the predictions made by the witches. The witches first come to Macbeth after a battle and call him thane of Glamis (which he already is), thane of Cawdor, and King (Macbeth 1.3. 48-50). Shortly after this, while Macbeth is still trying to understand what they were talking about, he is informed that he is now thane of Cawdor, just as the witches said. This is the beginning of his downward spiral into evil. The more Macbeth thinks about the witches calling him king, the more the idea interests him. Soon, all he can think about is becoming king. He is so tempted by their prophecy that he determines he must murder the king. Since the king is staying with him this is easily done. Lady Macbeth, eager to become queen, comes up with a plan to kill King Dun... ...973-1988. Boston: G. K. Hall & Company, 1990. Plath, Sylvia. The Collected Poems. Ed. Ted Hughes. New York: Harper & Row, 1981. Plath, Sylvia. The Journals of Sylvia Plath. Ed. Ted Hughes and Frances McCullough. New York: Ballantine Books, 1982. Pollitt, Katha. "A Note of Triumph [The Collected Poems]". Critical Essays on Sylvia Plath. Ed. Linda W. Wagner. Boston: G. K. Hall & Company, 1984. 67 - 72. Rosenthal, Lucy. Modern American Literature: A Library of Literary Criticism. Ed. Elaine Fialka Kramer, Maurice Kramer, and Dorothy Nyren. Rev. ed. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1976. Wagner, Linda W., ed. Critical Essays on Sylvia Plath. Boston: G. K. Hall & Company, 1984. Wagner-Martin, Linda. The Oxford Companion to Women's Writing in the United States. Ed. Cathy N. Davidson and Linda Wagner-Martin. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.

Educational Philosophy Essay -- Teaching Education

Educational Philosophy Teachers have the role of shaping students for tomorrow. They help them academically, personally, and socially. I cannot think of any other career that would be as rewarding as teaching. A teacher has the opportunity everyday to change a student’s life. One of the reasons I want to become an educator is because I want to have a positive influence on a student’s life. I think in today’s society it’s crucial for students to feel like they have a positive role model. I have seen what a large impact teachers have made on their student’s lives. That has made me to want to strive and do the same. Another reason for choosing this profession is that I simply love working with children. I do not think that there is any greater moment that when a student catches on to what you are teaching them. This makes the student feel better and it makes you feel like you have succeeded at your job. The final reason I want to become a teacher is th at I feel that I have many great ideas, and I would love to communicate these ideas to my students. My classroom will be a very open and bright environment. I think it is crucial to have light colored walls in the classroom. This way the classroom looks very spacious. I also think it helps when a classroom has windows to allow plenty of sunlight to enter into the room. My walls will be covered with bright posters of inspirational sayings. I will also have bulletin boards to display the students’ work and art projects. I think this will be effective because it shows that the teacher really cares about her students and admires the effort they put into their work. I really want my classroom to be a very comfortable setting, but yet I want it ... ..., and leadership are derived from the many different philosophies. I see my role as an educator as one of great importance. I think my primary goal is to teach the students and help them learn. I also think it is my responsibility, though, to help the students with their own personal problems in anyway that I can. I want to help students with their self-esteem early in life so they can continue to work on it as they get older. I will also strive to help each student work harder. I want to be able to see continuous improvement in my students over the entire year. I want my students to feel like they can come and talk to me regardless of their problem. I want them to know that I will try my best to help them through anything that I can. I will take pride in my role as an educator and in helping students. After all, these students are our future. Educational Philosophy Essay -- Teaching Education Educational Philosophy Teachers have the role of shaping students for tomorrow. They help them academically, personally, and socially. I cannot think of any other career that would be as rewarding as teaching. A teacher has the opportunity everyday to change a student’s life. One of the reasons I want to become an educator is because I want to have a positive influence on a student’s life. I think in today’s society it’s crucial for students to feel like they have a positive role model. I have seen what a large impact teachers have made on their student’s lives. That has made me to want to strive and do the same. Another reason for choosing this profession is that I simply love working with children. I do not think that there is any greater moment that when a student catches on to what you are teaching them. This makes the student feel better and it makes you feel like you have succeeded at your job. The final reason I want to become a teacher is th at I feel that I have many great ideas, and I would love to communicate these ideas to my students. My classroom will be a very open and bright environment. I think it is crucial to have light colored walls in the classroom. This way the classroom looks very spacious. I also think it helps when a classroom has windows to allow plenty of sunlight to enter into the room. My walls will be covered with bright posters of inspirational sayings. I will also have bulletin boards to display the students’ work and art projects. I think this will be effective because it shows that the teacher really cares about her students and admires the effort they put into their work. I really want my classroom to be a very comfortable setting, but yet I want it ... ..., and leadership are derived from the many different philosophies. I see my role as an educator as one of great importance. I think my primary goal is to teach the students and help them learn. I also think it is my responsibility, though, to help the students with their own personal problems in anyway that I can. I want to help students with their self-esteem early in life so they can continue to work on it as they get older. I will also strive to help each student work harder. I want to be able to see continuous improvement in my students over the entire year. I want my students to feel like they can come and talk to me regardless of their problem. I want them to know that I will try my best to help them through anything that I can. I will take pride in my role as an educator and in helping students. After all, these students are our future.

Public Health Care Service In Cameroon Essay

Social services consist of goods that are part of major resource bases that must be managed effectively in order to fulfill the ongoing development need of the country. The public health care system (PHCS) is one of the resource bases that directly benefits from government budget allocation. Throughout Cameroon, researchers observe major differences and unequal share distribution in the access and utilization of the public health services. These incongruities become obvious when examining the distribution of health infrastructures and health workers throughout Cameroon. A closer analysis shows that the organizational imbalance of public health establishments, along with inappropriate internal and external administrative politics (financial weaknesses and inadequate governance) in the management of PHCS are the most significant obstacles affecting the effectiveness of the health staff, the efficiency of the PHCS and the equity of public health services delivery in Cameroon. Human Resource Distribution First, the number of health care workers across the country is significantly inadequate with approximately 1 physician made available for about 10,000 inhabitants, compared to 1 for every 3,000 as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Furthermore, it has been reported that there is about 1 nurse for every 2,250 individuals, compared to 1 for every 1,000 as recommended by the WHO. Table 2-1 shows the statistical trend in the number of physicians, nurses, midwives, dentists and other health care providers from 1980 to 2005, as well as the increase in the number of pharmacies. Even though the numbers that are displayed in this table seem large, and bearing in mind that the population has been steadily increasing since 1980, there is a discrepancy between the number of providers working in the health care industry and the number of people living in Cameroon. Indeed, in 2001 the human resource deficit in the PHCS has been estimated to total approximately 9,000 persons. In addition to the deficient number of health care workers, there is unequal distribution of health staffs throughout the country with wide distribution disparities between urban and rural areas, which point to obvious disparities in access to care between poor and non-poor. Studies show that while the ratio of health personnel stands at 1 for 400 people in urban areas, their ratio of health personnel decreases tenfold, and is pegged at 1 for 4000 people in rural areas, requiring rural residents to travel long distances to receive the necessary medical care. Such imbalance between health workers and the population requiring the health services raises concerns about the effectiveness of the health providers, since it is likely that their competence would be diminished due to the heavy load of patients they must care for. Because PHCS facilities are selectively located, there arise problems of equity in access. Equipment and Facilities Distribution The distribution of equipment and facilities resources also indicates that the PHCS is poorly equipped to provide adequate health services to meet the needs of the population. The physical resources– buildings, equipment, and supplies– have been woefully deteriorating for some time. Most of the infrastructure and the equipment of the PHCS are outdated. Facilities are unevenly distributed among provinces, as well as between urban and rural areas. Table 2-2 shows that there is 1 health center for 8,500 people, 1 hospital bed for 770 people, and 1 health facility per 85,000 people, which is clearly insufficient to meet the medical needs of the population, and at the same time, provide appropriate medical care. Though the total number of health centers has increased twofold rising from 1,893 health centers in 1990 to 2,144 health centers in 1996, the inequitable distribution creates issues of disproportionate access to health services. Therefore, though there might be sufficient facilities for providing primary care for the country’s population, the problem of uneven geographical distribution of health care facilities and the lack of trained medical personnel in remote areas, are incongruent and remain unresolved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Health professionals and trained support staffs, valuable and indispensable assets of any health care system, are crucially scarce in the Cameroonian PHCS. Health professionals need to be trained and motivated to perform at optimal levels; however, in Cameroon, there are no incentives to encourage competent health workers to stay in the public sector or provide good quality services in the public facilities. Those health workers who remain and work in the public health sector have been primarily assigned to urban public facilities due to their general reluctance to relocate to remote areas of the country. Consequently, there exists an oversupply of qualified health providers with an attendant oversupply of infrastructure in mostly urban areas; whereas, there is an undersupply of qualified staff with the attendant undersupply of adequate infrastructures in primarily rural areas. Hence, the shortage and uneven distribution of trained health workers nationwide as well as the insufficient and disparate distribution of health facilities promote overcrowding of many public health facilities. Taken together, these prevailing conditions limit the effectiveness of health care workers, and contribute to underutilization of facilities in other areas, all resulting in inefficiency of the PHCS. The disparities of health services across the country can be noted in Table 2-2.   Inadequate Governance and Lack of Funding Apart from the decrepit health facilities, the accompanying technical support centers are also quite outdated with inept and corrupt bureaucratic administrations. Routine procedures that should normally be completed within a matter of hours can take several days to be resolved. Such ineptitude points to a lack of administrative discipline and an ingrained culture of corruption in the public healthcare system. From administrative procedures to medical procedures, patients– especially the poor– have to bribe the personnel in order to obtain medical service delivery or they have to be prepared to undergo several trips to the healthcare institution just to receive appropriate medical care. Furthermore, there is no proper management accounting system in public health facilities, raising issues of inadequate management. Earned income from performed services are not all reported and when they are it remains quite unclear which charges correspond to which services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A number of conflicting phenomena that retard effective development of PHCS have yet to be resolved or corrected. The conflict of interest and the agency problems arising when publicly employed physicians also manage public health facilities seems not to be a major concern of the MOPH. Physicians employed to serve public facilities may tend to divert patients to their own private clinics or they lack the necessary rigor and ethics in the delivery of medical care. There is therefore a clear shortage of competent and skilled healthcare managers and a lack of management leadership capacity resulting in extensive internal administrative weaknesses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The lack of strategic planning in the conception and the implementation of health projects and programs also contributes to the failure of initiated health projects. Managers at public facilities, mainly possessing only basic medical background, lack the vision, the leadership capacity and the management discipline required for the function of healthcare manager. They approve projects presented to them, for example, based on subjective (highest under the table kickback) rather than objective (impact on population health status and improvement in quality of life) considerations. They do not have competent support staff to assist them in performing business strategic evaluation, which is necessary before engaging in any project. Such preparatory analysis would include environmental scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation and evaluation and control of operations. Thus, the lack of strategic management capacity and the inability to learn from past mistakes and others’ experiences favor wastage of precious resources and promote inadequate governance of the PHCS.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Significantly, the PHCS is clearly under financed. Health care organizations must generate cash flow, acquire assets, and put those assets to work, just as manufacturing and banking organizations do. Though the public budget allocated to PHCS has more than doubled in the last couple of years, going from CFAF 24,048 billion or 2.16% of the national budget in 1997 to CFAF 120,844 billion or 7.82% of the national budget in 2005 (Table 2-3), it is important to note that such growth coincided with the implementation of several economic reforms and the approval of loans from the World bank (WB). Moreover, a significant amount of the monies available were heavily invested in the restructuring of some health facilities, the building of roads to increase access to care and the training of health workers. But despite the increases in government funding, the financial allocations are indeed meager considering the ongoing needs of the growing population. For instance, the structural renovations performed were certainly not sufficient to insure quality of care delivery nor were they enough to ensure increased use of health services. Furthermore, primary health care centers and district hospitals, even those with trained staffs, lack adequate technology to diagnose many infectious diseases, and they regularly run out of medical supplies and pharmaceutical drugs. External contribution to the financing of health care in government budget has increased also, rising from 26.53% of the total health investment in 1997 to 32.10% in the year 2000, as shown in Table 1-3. However, the management of such funds is troubling to the degree that in most cases health facilities do not receive the bulk of the monies from foreign financial benefactors. Internal organizational structures plagued with heavy bureaucratic barriers and heavy corruptive practices prevent the proper and fast disbursement of the external fund contributions, raising issues once again of internal dysfunctional organizational structure and inadequate governance. The lack of rigorous and transparent handling of funds leaves severe deficiencies in financial accountability and encourages false reporting and embezzlement of health funds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In addition, the MOPH has not been able to allocate monies equitably across the territory based upon the consideration of the geographic spread and economic need of the total population. Instead of using the donated funds for the revival of essential programs such as health prevention campaigns, immunization campaigns, information campaigns, and targeting services most frequently used by the poor, about 60% of government health expenditure is devoted to urban health facilities serving only about 20% of the population. Such preferential allocations create an issue of inequality in access and utilization of care. Moreover, households are then obligated to assign larger shares of their budgets for health expenditure. Meanwhile, the poverty rate has been steadily increasing nationwide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another factor causing the low financing of PHCS is the practice of either wrongful or unwise disbursement of funds in the sense of not considering future development and advancement. Most funds earmarked for health care development are sunk into production costs (maintenance of major equipment, payment of salaries, replenishing of inventories, and so forth) with nothing substantial left for infrastructural developments and quality improvements in delivery care. Foreign Aid and Healthcare Expenditure Essentially, external institutions have dictated a number of economic constraints on national budgetary decisions. Cameroon is one of those countries subscribed to the WB/IMF structural adjustment program (SAP) which imposed drastic cuts in the national budget for health which went from 120 billion CFAF or 3.3% of the total GDP in 2002 to 58 billion CFAF or 1% of the GDP in 2005.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The SAP policies required already indebted countries to: (1) shift from production of domestic consumption food to producing cash crops for export; (2) abolish food and agricultural subsidies to reduce government expenditure; (3) severely cut health, education, and housing program funding and reduce salaries; and (4) devaluate the currencies and privatize government-held enterprises. The reform designed to stabilize the economy exerted adverse effects instead on the economy of borrowing countries like Cameroon. In reality, [the World Bank] imposed harsh measures, which exacerbated poverty, undermined food security and self-reliance and led to resource exploitation, environmental destruction and population displacement. The health sector was particularly adversely affected, and few proactive steps were taken to protect vulnerable populations and ensure ongoing availability of basic services. Following the expenditure cuts, especially in the national budget for public health, the following conditions occurred: (1) the integrated health centers lost qualified personnel and a shortage of basic health materials ensued; (2) the training of health workers was interrupted, which in turn affected the motivation level of doctors and health workers; (3) there was a shortage of medical supplies, a breakdown of transportation and problems of inadequate management; and (4) medical consultations and hospitalization declined despite the increases in acute infectious diseases. More generally, the quality of care delivery in public facilities declined and studies showed that more patients sought care in private institutions despite their higher costs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In addition to all the obstacles of an already struggling PHCS, the combined effects of infectious disease epidemics of tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV/AIDS, further strained the public health sector beyond its limits. The failure of the public health system to provide appropriate medical care for individuals who had contracted these diseases– large segments of the population — led the latter to choose more expensive private medical services. Consequently, as shown in Table 2-4, the household budget for health expenditure skyrocketed and rose from 4% in 1983/84 to 9.6% in 1995/96 resulting in a household spending on health from $14 to $20.6 per capita. The increase is mainly due to elevated out-of-pocket payments charged for private medical services, raising the issue of inequality once again in the use of care. The WHO has estimated that the cost of a basic package of health care delivered to 90% of the population in a low-income country like Cameroon would be a $13 per capita (table 2-5).    However, a further analysis of the region matrix in table 2-5 and the distribution of household per capita health expenditures by population decile (which is a partial source to income group matrix) in table 2-6 reveals even more drastic inequalities in the distribution of health expenditure across income groups and between urban and rural regions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, in 1998, the per capita household expenditure for health by the poorest 10% of the population was only $5.4 while for the richest 10% it was $90.4. This translates in the utilization of private health services– more effective delivery– by the part of the population with higher income and the utilization of public facilities–less effective delivery– by the poorest portion of the population. The wide middle class will seek medical care from public, private or traditional providers based upon their current financial means.   The table 2-5 highlights the wide inequalities in the distribution of health expenditures between urban and rural areas (and to a lesser extent among rural areas). In Douala and Yaounde (the two largest towns holding about 40% of the population) the capita health expenditures were $51.9 and $46.1 respectively compared to $18.5 and $18.9 in the rural plateau and rural savanna. Such imbalances are due to the fact that households have higher incomes in urban areas, government spending is higher in urban areas and enterprises, both public and private, are concentrated in urban towns.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  An evaluation of the performance of the PHCS reveals, therefore, that the principal elements and characteristics of successful health systems including accessibility to facilities, appropriateness of medical treatments, effectiveness in access of care, efficiency in delivery of care and equity in use of care, are all seriously lacking in the Cameroonian PHCS. Effectiveness: Public Health Care System Performance In Cameroon, public health facilities perform below expectations due to organizational, managerial and financial issues. This below average performance results in reduced effectiveness of public healthcare providers, inefficiency of the PHCS and unequal access to health services by a large portion of the population who needs it the most.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Budgetary cut backs have also led to a moratorium on the construction and equipping of health facilities, a freeze on the recruiting of public health employees, and a shortage of sufficient qualified personnel. In addition, the distribution of health workers across the country is inappropriate due to discrepancies in regional distribution of health facilities. In a major way, salaries have been slashed with the attendant consequences of the lack of motivation and lower performance (low morale) among health personnel.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As a result overall, the main quality indicators have deteriorated in the light of WHO standards. The per capita ratio of physicians, nurses, hospital beds, health centers and pharmacies shown in Table 1-1 indicate major discrepancies in the distribution of health resources across the territory. Human resource planning is to be revised and working conditions are to be ameliorated in order to attract more care providers in the public sector, increase productivity and effectiveness of the PHCS.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not only is there a shortage of human resource personnel, but there are also supply management deficits. Inventories are not kept accurately, so doctors and nurses can help themselves to medications directly on shelves, and supply depends on availability of resources rather than based on any demand assessment. This means that inventories and supplies are replenished whenever funds permit. Moreover, supplies are not equally distributed among health facilities. Urban health facilities tend to receive more stock and resources than rural or remote health facilities, but medication and medical materials are in more grave demand in these latter areas. In some rural facilities, syringes and surgical material such as gloves and bedding are re-used. Some facilities even lack beds for patient and the laboratory material to perform blood or other tests. Thus, equipment that are needed for the care of ill patients are regularly in excessive quantities compared to other areas, and are lacking in other areas or where there are none at all.   All these factors engendered by internal and external mismanagement at both the financial and the organizational levels affect the rate of use of public health services, and, ultimately undermine and negate the efficiency and the effectiveness of the PHCS. Efficiency: Utilization of Public Health Facilities Several constraints have arisen during the last decade, which led to a significant decrease in the utilization of the public health care system. The government suspended recruiting and training of health care personnel because of lack of funding. Table 2-1 shows that there are fewer than 20,000 health care workers for a population of almost 17,000, 000 people. The prevailing (accepted) corruption in public health facilities is manifested through the observation of health personnel offering health care services which are normally free in exchange for financial favors. In Cameroon, though many medical services such as vaccination and delivery of essential drugs, are supposed to be free of charge, more often than not, personnel charge patients with nominal fees for these services. Moreover, the culture of â€Å"clientelism† is deeply rooted in the PHCS. Notably, medical services afforded to patients are prioritized not based on the severity of patients’ illnesses, but rather on the level of rapport between the health staff and the patients or the amount of money the patients have at their disposal to be used to bribe the health staff. Health managers and health providers in the concerned facilities do not regularly investigate or follow up patients complaints simply because they belong to the same professional pool as those personnel who exploit the patients and accept bribes for routine medical care. Moreover, the lack of incentives from the MOPH to reinforce the delivery of free services and the fact that MOPH authorities are responsible for nominating those health managers, all factors which serve to undermine the effectiveness of any civil action against the malpractices observed in public health facilities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In essence, as an intern in the Hospital La Quintinie in Douala in 2000, this researcher witnessed instances when patients bribed health personnel to receive health services they had already paid for at the cash register. This researcher also saw bodies being dumped in the front yard of the hospital and remaining there for hours before being dispatched to the morgue. In another instance, this researcher was informed of an individual who had sued a physician for negligence. The doctor had received a telephone call late at night relating to the difficult delivery of one of his patients; however, the doctor had asked the nurse to deal with the issue and turned off his cell phone, which resulted in the death of the patient. However, the case was dismissed and the physician, who did not even receive a temporary suspension or a reprimand, is still working at that facility. Also, seriously ill patients are still left unattended in waiting areas for extended hours. This situation fosters long lines and extensive waiting times, altogether discouraging many patients from seeking medical care in public health facilities. The efficiency of the public health system can be judged by the utilization of the services by the people for whom they are intended. According to the North West province records, during 1989 and 1995, there were 173,450 consultations in religious missions facilities versus 129,569 at government health centers in the northwest region. In other words, there is a two fold increase in the utilization of nonprofit facilities. That data attest to the low utilization of public health care services and implies that the quality of health services delivered is inferior in the public sector and, therefore, less sought. The evidence from the northwest province suggests a steady decline in health care provision by public facilities. The share of the government in both health centers and hospital consultations fell from 72.9% in 1989 to 50.1% in 1995 while the share of mission consultations increased from 25.5% to 47% and the private sectors from 1.6% to 2.9%. The bed occupancy rate in hospitals fell from 45% in 1985 to 23% in 1996. Therefore, it becomes apparent that many patients clearly demonstrated preference for health services offered by nonprofit organizations and for profit establishments instead of those offered in the public sector. Such utilization factors underscore the failure of the PHCS in providing efficient health services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In fact, the poor, for whom public services are primarily intended, incur overall financial losses when using public health facilities. First, they must travel long distances to receive uncertain and inconsistent medical attention. Second, added to the time wasted on the road to reach health centers, they have to wait long hours to receive inadequate and inappropriate care or no care at all. The opportunity cost in terms of income loss and hours of labor is high compared to the quality of life improvement they might have gained. This prevents many low-income patients from utilizing public health facilities unless their diseases are in a well-advanced state and require immediate attention.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the 1995 household-survey, 14.8% of health providers were traditional healers, 43.8% of consultations took place in public facilities, and 56.2% took place in private facilities– though 50% more expensive. There is a clear decrease in the utilization of public health facilities over private health clinics. The decaying public health care buildings, major components of the health care infrastructure, and the lack of competent health workers actually send negative messages to patients who, therefore, prefer to obtain appropriate care at higher costs at private institutions for those who can afford it. Table 2-7 further illustrates the low level of government health spending relative to private spending and household spending.    There is a grave degeneration of medical ethics in several public health facilities. Often, under qualified health workers perform specialized services they have not been trained for. In some hospitals, nurses are performing surgeries, delivering anesthesia and prescribing medicines. In other health facilities, the record of services provided is inaccurate and patients’ files are non-existent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The overall number of health care personnel in public health care facilities has decreased against a background of a growing population, resulting in a gap between the health services demand and the supply in the whole territory and an underutilization of public medical services. Underutilization promotes wastage in health care resources and inefficiency (low utilization) while favoring the development of over-crowding in other health units, which in itself prevents proper and adequate delivery of healthcare to patients. Moreover, the vast regional imbalances between the distribution of health care facilities and health care workers exacerbate the problem of underutilization of public health care facilities. Equity: Health Disparities Across the Nation There are significant differences in the state of health and the access to care between the poor and low-income households and the non-poor, as well as between urban and rural inhabitants. Most people turn to formal health services in cases of illness. Among those who have declared themselves ill in 2001, 3/4 was able to seek consultation at a formal health centers, versus 1/4 in informal facilities. Formal health centers are more frequently visited by the non-poor and informal facilities by the poor. It appears that non-poor seek medical help more often than the poor maybe due to superior financial capacity.    Another indicator of discrepancy between poor, non-poor, rural and urban residents is the vaccination rate. Thus, the immunization rate for non-poor children is better than that for poor children and children are better protected in cities than in rural areas. Table 2-5 reports inequality in the rate of consultation in formal and informal facilities between poor and non-poor in rural and urban areas. From that table, it appears that both income groups allocate similar budgets for health expenditure. However, the average health expenditure among the rural and poor residents is three times less than that of non-poor and urban dwellers. Thus, lower spending for health care services is reflected in the lower consultation rate of non-poor which is indicative of their health status. Thus, the infant (12 to 23 months) immunization rate for poor in rural areas was 66.9% and 53.1% for poor in urban areas while it was 89.5 for non-poor in rural areas and 70.2% for non-poor in urban areas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, the non-poor have to travel slightly lower distances to receive medical care than the poor which in turn increases their access to health services. According to regional health map data, 54% of people live less than five kilometers from an integrated health center. This average figure, however, conceals wide regional disparities, ranging from 43% of people living less than five kilometers from an integrated health center in the province of Adamaoua to 78% of people living less than five kilometers from an integrated health center in the Littoral province. Moreover, the household survey statement notes that rural people must travel five times farther than urban dwellers to reach the nearest health facility. Even more striking, 98.9% of the people who must travel 6 km to a health facility live in the countryside, indicating the serious problem of rural access to appropriate health care services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Table 2-5 shows the division of health spending in urban areas (Douala, Yaounde, and other towns) and in rural areas. From this table, it is obvious that urban dwellers spend more on health care than rural dwellers mainly due to higher income since households in cities spend on average $34 on health care versus $16.7 on average on health care, which is about half of what urban dwellers spend on healthcare. Though government spending seems to be significantly higher in comparison to direct foreign aid and religious mission share of health spending, it must be emphasized that an increasing share of MOPH budget is financed through foreign financial donations (Table 1-3).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Table 2-8 is a perfect illustration of the lack of equity in the distribution of health services (whether in formal or informal facilities) among the different population groups in Cameroon.    From Table 2-8, it appears that annual average health spending per capita is three times higher in urban than in rural areas (39,00 CFAF vs. 13, 000 CFAF) and four times higher among the non-poor than it is among the poor (32,000 CFAF Vs 6,900 CFAF). Yet the cost of health services rose nearly three times as fast as the average inflation rate over the last five years by some 70% (13,000 CFAF to 22,00 CFAF), which led to a considerable decrease in the demand for health services, especially for the poor whose utilization of health services declined. References Adamolekun, L. (Ed.). (1999). Public Administration in Africa: Main Issues and Selected Country Studies. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. McKinney, J. B., & Howard, L. C. (1998). Public Administration: Balancing Power and Accountability (2nd ed.). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. Vine, V. T. (1971). The Cameroon Federal Republic. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.