A Case Analysis On Arik Air Nigeria Commerce Essay

A Case Analysis On Arik Air Nigeria Commerce Essay This essay is a case analysis on Arik air Nigeria and will therefore seek to identify the major threats and opportunity in the environment, analyse the strength and weakness of the company, identify the strategic position of Arik air, and suggest a strategy to be adopted by the airline in an effort to sustain its competitive advantage. BACKGROUND Arik Air is Nigerias biggest indigenous commercial airline offering domestic flights to major cities in Nigeria and with an expanding network of regional and international flight operations to major cities in the world (Eze, 2010). Presently, Arik Air flies to 17 Domestic destinations in Nigeria and 8 International destinations (Arik air, 2010: Online). Arik Air Nigeria The companys corporate mission is: To be a safe and reliable airline by selecting and operating new, modern aircraft and by employing the most experienced and efficient staff. (Airkair, 2010: Online) Vision: To make Nigeria proud of its aviation industry (Arikair, 2010: Online) Strategic Intent: Ariks strategic intent is to be the preferred airline carrier of choice in West Africa. (Airk Air, 2010: Online) EXTERNAL ANALYSIS: The external analysis was conducted using PESTEL Framework and Porters five forces as the basic tools (Thompson, 1997; Luffman et al, 1996; Welsh, 2005; Johnson et al, 2009) in an effort to understand the effect of changing environment on Arik Airs operation. The findings based on pestel framework (See Appendix 1) and Posters five forces (See Appendix 2) are as follows: An analysis of the political environment revealed that governments around the world are tightening immigration regulations due to the surge in terrorism the implication of which is a reduction in the number of global traveller thus posing a threat to airline including Arik Air. (Stevermen, 2009; Cartar, 2010). However liberalization and Deregulation efforts are being made in several regions of the world with Asia setting a target for the full liberalization of its skies by the year 2015. This is projected to boost aviation industry performance by creating avenue for fair competition platform between more established airlines and the growing competitors like Arik Air(Bailey, 1986; Smith Cox, 2007; Ting, 2008). The rising fuel price is a matter of economic concern in the world, with Aviation fuel price estimated at $85 per barrel (IATA, 2010: online) the implication of which is an increase in running cost for airlines and this poses a high threat to Airlines. However, there is optimism that a global economic recovery is on the way with the world economy expected to grow 2.7% in 2010 (World Bank, 2010: Online) and the aviation industry is forecasted to reduce its loss from $5.8 Billion in 2009 to $2.8 Billion in 2010. (Financial Times, 2010). The World travel tourism council (2010) projects an increase in the number of holiday travellers in 2010 with further growth expected in 2011. The 2010 world cup is expected to boost travel to Africa in 2010 (Eberl, 2010). Percentage change vs. 05-Mar-10 Index* $/b cts/gal $/mt 1 week ago 1 month ago 1 year ago Jet Fuel Price 243.3 89.0 211.9 701.4 3.4% 4.1% 80.3% Source: IATA (2010: Online) source from Platts * 100 in 2000 (87 cts/gal) Impact on this years fuel bill of the global airline industry: New fuel price average for 2010 Impact on 2010 fuel bill $85.5/b +$13 billion Estimated by IATA Source: IATA (2010: Online) With heightened security checks and the introduction of the full body scan at airport, there are concerns over the privacy infringement due to the utilisation of the full body scan. (McDonough, 2010). Arik air is in the traditional full service airline industry offering pre-flight, in-flight, and post flight services to customers and its competitors in the industry include Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirate, Qatar Airline and South African Airways all of which are established airlines with good brand image. An industry analysis revealed as follows (See Appendix 2): there is high competitive rivalry within the industry; barrier to new entrant is high due to the enormous capital required to start an airline; buyers have a high bargaining power due to the various options of airlines available to them and suppliers have a medium bargaining power. INTERNAL ANALYSIS: The internal analysis was conducted through an evaluation of the resource based view of strategy (resources and competencies) (Mahoney Pandian, 1992; Johnson et al, 2009); as well as competitive advantage; value chain and VRIO (Johnson et al, 2009; Thompson, 1997; Luffman et al, 1996) to identify the strengths and weakness of the company. (See Appendix) UNIQUE RESOURCE(S) AND CORE COMPETENCIES (See appendix 3 for the list of tangible and intangible resources of the company) Arik Airs unique resource is its chairman who is an elder statesman in Nigeria with an easy access to finance while its core competencies are its excellent customer relations skill and reliability COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE Arik air derives its competitive advantage from a unique merge of low price and quality service. This is based on its vast research and unique understanding of the West African market need for quality service at affordable prices and the support it receives from the Nigerian government and some other West African countries through concession and subsidies which thus reduces its operational cost and affords it a lower price than competitors (William, 2010; Russell, 2008; Abioye Ezeobi, 2008). THE VALUE CHAIN (See appendix 4) An evaluation of Arik Airs value chain activity revels as follows: The Inbound logistics which involve the delivery of fuel for the aircraft, in-flight meals, cleaning of the aircraft in preparation for a flight is outsourced (procurement) through an effective human resource management practice in an effort to reduce amount of people employed by the airline and reduce fixed operational costs. Arik with its strong finance base utilises an integrated ICT technology (Infrastructure/technology) to manage and support its operation by enabling online bookings, ticket purchase and flight check-in in an effort to reduce operational cost of employment. To ensure safety/reliability, a strict maintenance of its fleets is outsourced and an effective human resource management policy is put in place (training and reward) to promote employee commitment and performance (Arik, 2010: Online; Banfield Kay, 2008). Outbound logistics with regard to customers luggage is coordinated and monitored with a technological coding and is outsourced to Sachol to ensure the safety of customers property and to sustain Arik Airs reliability (Airkair, 2010: Online, Sachol, 2010: Online) while an extensive marketing is implemented through the media to promote sales. This enables Arik air to achieve its competitive advantage through a systemic integration of technology (speedy services and reduced operational cost), human resource management (ensures quality delivery of services by employees) and a firm infrastructure to support its primary activities thus enabling the airline to deliver quality services at reduced prices in comparison to competitors. VRIO: The VRIO examines the sustainability of a firms competitive advantage (Johnson et al, 2008); Arik Air offers its low priced fares with excellent in-flight services unparallel to none offered by any Nigerian airline (Eze, 2010) which implies that its services are valuable and rear. However this can be imitated by other airline thus Arik air enjoys a Temporary competitive advantage (Khanna, 2010) In the airline industry the critical success factors are: a good brand image; good quality service; good customer relations; cost effectiveness; Reliability; safety. (Svein Vidar, 2004; Bijan Kenneth, 2005). Judging by the critical success factors in the airline industry, Arik Airs performance is standard in the industry since the airlines services are affordable, safety is given high priority, it offers good customer service, and is reliable. However, theres need to develop the Arik brand beyond West Africa. SWOT ANALYSIS (Kotler et al, 2009) See Appendix 4 Arik airs strengths are its highly skilled workforce with excellent ethical conduct and customer relations (Some of the Best in the industry), the easy access to finance or funding, the airlines fleets of aircraft (mostly new), speed in service delivery and low operational cost while the weaknesses are the brand image (still unrecognised outside west Africa), flights offering to only 8 international destination (Williams, 2010). In consideration of Ariks strengths and weaknesses, the external environment provides opportunities as well as threats for Arik air. The identified opportunities are an increase in earnings due to a projected increase in the numbers of global travellers (World travel tourism council, 2010); expanding the network of flight destination due to the expected liberalisation of skies in Asia and the African continent (Bailey, 1986; Smith Cox, 2007; Ting, 2008) However, the threats in the environment include the unstable global fuel price, increased terrorism scare s, continued government subsidy for competitors airlines which reduces the open market competition and the expected mergers in the airline industry which might result in the dominance of a few big airline. Arik Airs plans to increase its market share in Nigeria and West Africa and equally targets an expansion its operation across Europe, North America and Asia but Arik Air is faced with immense industry competition on international destinations from the established airline (Virgin, Bristish Airways, Emirate) and The threats global economic recession which has slowed the expected growth of the airline. The competitive strategy adopted by Arik is the Hybrid strategy (see appendix 4). This strategy allows the airline to maintain its low cost base thus enabling it to compete on low price relative to competitors with sustainable differentiation. However, the low price might impede the airline ability to obtain the maximum returns possible. (Johnson et al, 2009) STRATEGIC OPTIONS: Arik air is experiencing a decline in its projected market growth caused by the increase competition in airline industries; the various strategic options available to Arik Air are evaluated simultaneously below with the aid of TOWS and Ansoff Matrix (Khanna, 2010; Johnson et al, 2009). (See Appendix 5: Tables 3 4): Strategy 1 Strength-Opportunity/Market Development Arik Airs key strengths of easy access to finance and excellent customer service practices can be explored based on the identified opportunity in the macro environment (politics) stemming from the planned liberalisation of skies in Asia and Africa (Bailey, 1986; Smith Cox, 2007; Ting, 2008). The strategy option this provides Arik Air is Market Development. The Airline can increase its fleets of aircraft by purchasing additional aircrafts, employing and training additional workforce, and increasing the route options of the airlines to more destinations in Asia and Africa Strategy 2 Strength-Weakness/ Market Penetration Market penetration is another strategic option available to Arik air. By utilising this strategy, Arik air can utilise its strong financial capability to bankroll an extensive marketing exploit to improve the brand image of the airline. This will create awareness for the Arik brand thus, enabling the airline to gain a greater market share in its present markets. However, the heightened competition in the industry poses a genuine threat to this strategy. Strategy 3 Strength-Threat/Diversification The on-going merger in the industry which may result in a few dominant airlines is a threat to Arik air. Arik with its easy access to finance can adopt a related diversification into the budget airline industry (horizontal integration) with the option of acquiring Virgin Nigeria (low cost low frills airline) (Attitude travel, 2010: Online) This will enable Arik air to optimally minimize the threat posed by merger of the more established operators by spreading its risk and making it a formidable competitor. Strategy 4 Weakness -Opportunity/Product Development The weak brand identity of Arik Air outside West Africa is one of the airlines weaknesses. Arik can overcome this weakness by ensuring that the flight experience of its customers remains memorable with an excellence in customer service at all time. The company can equally offer new products such as travel miles accumulation/flyers club membership for its customers as a Product Development Strategy. Strategy 5 Weakness -threat/Consolidation The proposed merger in the airline industry which might result in a few dominant airlines is a major threat to a growing airline like Arik airs weak brand identity; Arik can adopt any option of consolidation (Johnson et a, 2009) to defend its market share by merging with some established airline like Qatar Air or Emirate in order to ensure the sustainability of the business. The problem however is the possible loss of Ariks brand identity sue to such consolidation (Johnson et al, 2009) SELECTED STRATEGY After a thorough evaluation of the strategic options available to Arik air, the most viable option for the airline to adopt is a related diversification of the companys operations into the no-frills airline industry (a form of concentric diversification) (Mintzberg et al, 2003; Johnson et al, 2009). As suggested by Johnson et al (2009), related diversification allows a company to expand by utilising its existing infrastructure, resources, competencies and strengths in a new trade of similar capacity or intricacies. Therefore by this strategy, Arik air can capitalise on its strong financial strength in acquiring Virgin Nigeria (a no frill airline in Nigeria) (Attitude travel, 2010) or may purchase additional aircrafts to its fleets to cater exclusively for the no frills service operations while still utilising some of the companys existing technological infrastructure to cater for online bookings and check-ins (without incurring additional cost of employment). This is because there is evident potential synergy between the new business (a no-frills flight operation) and the core one, based on a common facility, asset, channel, skill, even opportunity. (Mintzberg et al, 2003:124) CONCLUSION To conclude, the introduction/inclusion of the no-frills airline options will afford Arik air no increased workforce requirement (due to the low service requirement of no-frill operations thus resulting in reduced operational cost); spread its market risk; enable greater efficiency, and will give commuters a greater variety to choose from among the Arik brand thus increasing the potential customer base of the airline. The adoption of diversification strategy by Arik air is a sustainable option for the airline due to the fact that there is presently only one no-frills airline in West Africa (Virgin Nigeria) (Attitude travel, 2010) which Arik air has the option of acquiring in order to build its business and booster its market share. However should the option of acquiring Virgin Nigeria not be chosen, Ariks reliability and brand identity in West Africa is sufficient to sustain the success of the diversification exercise thus ensuring Arik airs market growth. APPENDIXES (Appendix 1) PESTEL Analysis Political: Government subsidies for flag carriers: Flag carriers benefit from subsidies and cash injection from the government, relaxed accessed to loans, reduction in airport service and landing fees, subsidies on fuel and fiscal privileges. (The international chambers of commerce, 1995) Employment regulations: Countries differing employment regulations and trade union laws which Scholars have identified to a considerable affect the operational activities of organisations. (Harris et al, 2003; Deirdre, 2005) Immigration: The increasing global terrorism threats is resulting in governments around the world tightening immigration regulations which in turn might result in a reduction in the number of traveller around the world (Stevermen, 2009; Cartar, 2010) Deregulation: The deregulation of the aviation industry will provide an avenue for improved market conditions that will promote growth in the industry and remove the barriers to entry for new airlines thus allowing for effective market competition. (Bailey, 1986; Smith Cox, 2007) Liberalization of skies: Asia hopes to achieve a full liberalization of its airspace by 2015 and has put up a round map to achieve that. (Ting, 2008) Economic: Unstable Fuel price: The rising fuel price is estimated to result in a $13billion increase in 2010 oil bill with fuel prices put at $85/barrel. See appendix 1 (IATA, 2010: Online) Global economy recovery: The World Bank projects that a global economy recovery is on the way with a 2.7% growth expected in 2010 (World Bank, 2010: online) the aviation industry is projected to make a loss of $2.8billion in 2010 down from $5.8 billion made in 2009 (Financial Times, 2010) Mergers in the industry: The airline industry is undergoing transformation as airlines are announcing merger plans (Leung, 2010; Clark, 2010) Social: The World travel tourism council (2010) projects an increase in the number of holiday travellers in 2010 with further growth expected in 2011. Furthermore the 2010 world cup is expected to boost travel to Africa in 2010 (Eberl, 2010). There are concerns over the introduction of the full body scan at airport over the privacy infringement (McDonough, 2010). Technology: Terrorism threats, has prompted an increase in security screening in many airports with the introduction of the Full body scan (McDonough, 2010). New Air Traffic Control (ATC) technologies have been developed for commercial airlines one of which is ADS-B. (Karp, 2010) Environmental: In an effort for airlines to go green the International Air Transport Association (IATA) plans to cut CO2 emission by 1.5Million tonnes in 2010. (IATA, 2010: Online) Legal: The international air transport association (IATA) is to sign a data sharing agreement with the EU, US and ICAO (IATA, 2010: online). Furthermore, there are restrictions on mergers and acquisitions in the airline industry. (Appendix 2) Porters 5 Forces Threat of Entry: There is relatively low threat of entry to the industry based on the high capital requirement of starting an airline. Furthermore the airline industry is presently making a loss (IATA, 2010) which makes it unattractive to many investors thus reducing the numbers of possible entrant. Threat of substitute: Substitutes to airline are Trains, Automobiles and Ship. The threat posed by these is relative to the intended destination, time and cost analysis by the customers (Givoni, 2009). For National and Regional travels, these substitutes pose an increased threat to the airline industry due to the cheaper prices they offer with particular reference to travel by automobiles and/or trains. However, this threat is low on transatlantic travels. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Scholars have argued that the present global market condition is tending towards buyers market (Kotler et al, 2009). This is also made evident by aircraft manufacturers seeking the greater participation of airlines in the design of their aircrafts customising. However due to high switching cost in the airline industry, the bargaining power of the supplier is medium. (Kotler et al, 2009) Bargaining Power of Buyer: Consumers have a high degree of options to choose from and this allows them a great bargaining power. (Kotler et al, 2010) Competitive Rivalry: The airline industry is highly competitive and there is prevalent merger going on in the industry in an effort to cut cost and improve efficiency. (Leung, 2010; Clark, 2010) and there is a high exist barrier Fig 3 Porters five forces: Source: Johnson et al (2009: 31) adapted from Porter (1984) (Appendix 3) Table 1 Arik Airs Resources Tangible Resources Intangible Resources Fleets of Aircraft (Physical resources) Buildings (Physical resources) Capital, Shareholders, Bankers (Financial resources) Highly skilled Employees (Human resource) Brand Customer database Business system Source: adapted from Slack et al, 2009 The aircraft fleets are as follows (Arik Air, 2010: Online) Two (2) Airbus A340-542, manufacture date: 2008-2009 with a Seat capacity of 237; Three (3) Boeing 737-800NG, Manufacture date: 2009 has a seat capacity of 148; Six (6) Boeing 737-700NG, Manufacture date: 2007-2008, has a seat capacity of 131-149; Three (3) Boeing 737-700, Manufacture date: 2001, has seat capacity of 124; Two (2) Boeing 737-300, Manufacture date: 1989, has seat capacity of 126; Four (4) Bombardier CRJ-900, Manufacture date: 2005-2007, seat capacity of 74; Two (2) Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, Manufacture date: 2009, has seat capacity of 72; Three (3) Bombardier Dash 8 Q300, Manufacture: 2001-2002, with seat capacity of 50; Four (4) Fokker 50, Manufacture date: 1990, seat capacity of 51; Two (2) Hawker HS 125-800XP, Manufacture date: 2004, seat capacity of 8. (Appendix 4) Table 2 SWOT Internal Origin Strengths highly skilled workforce with excellent ethical conduct and customer relations the easy access to finance or funding, the airlines fleets of aircraft (mostly new), -speed in service delivery and -low operational cost Weakness the brand image (still widely unrecognised outside west Africa) -Limited flight offering to 17 local and only 8 international destination External Origin Opportunities -increase in the numbers of global travellers expanding the network of flight destination due to the expected liberalisation of skies in Asia and the African continent Threats -unstable global fuel price, -increased terrorism scares, government subsidy for competitors -dominance of a few big players due to merger. Source: Adapted from Kotler et al (2009:101) Fig 4 Source: Marketing teacher (2010: Online) adapted from Bowman (1995) (Appendix 5) Table 3 TOWS analysis of Arik Air Nigeria. SW Strategy that use strength to overcome weakness Strategy 2- Market Penetration Opportunity -Increase in the numbers of global travellers expanding the network of flight destination due to the expected liberalisation of skies in Asia and the African continent Threats unstable global fuel price, -increased terrorism scares, government subsidy for competitors -dominance of a few big players due to merger. Strengths -Easy access to finance -excellent customer services -low operational cost Highly skilled workforce SO Strategy that use strength to maximize opportunity: Strategy 1 Market Development ST Strategy that use strength to minimize threats. Strategy 3- Related Diversification (Horizontal Integration) Weakness -weak brand identity -Few flight destination offering WO Strategy that minimize weakness by taking advantage of opportunity Strategy 4- Product Development WT Strategy that minimize and avoid threat Strategy 5 Consolidation Table 4 Ansoff Matrix Existing Product New Product Existing Market -Market Penetration -Consolidation -Product Development New Market -Market Development -Diversification Source: Johnson et al (2009:174) REFERENCES Abioye, O. Ezeobi, O (2008) YarAdua, governors pledge support for Arik [Online] Available from: http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2008120422503246 [Accessed; 2nd April, 2010] Attitude travel (2010) African low cost no frills airlines [Online] Available from: http://www.attitudetravel.com/lowcostairlines/africa/ [Accessed: 23rd March, 2010] Bailey, E. (1986) Price and Productivity Change following Deregulation: the US experience. The Economic Journal 96(381),1-17 Banfield, P; Kay, R. (2008) Introduction to human resource management. Oxford, Oxford University Press. Bijan, V; Kenneth, F (2005) A total factor productivity based structure for tactical cluster assessment: Empirical Investigation in the airline industry. Journal of Air Transportation. 10(1), 3-19 Carter, N (2010) United Kingdom: Immigration Law Update [Online] Available from: http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=92474 [Accessed: 12th March, 2010] Clark, P (2010) Investors in BA focus on open skies talks [Online] Available from: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/883d3e28-19ac-11df-af3e-00144feab49a,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2F883d3e28-19ac-11df-af3e-00144feab49a.html_i_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ft.com%2Fsearch%3FqueryText%3Dlibralisation%2Bof%2Bskies%26ftsearchType%3Dtype_news [Accessed: 13th March 2010] Deirdre, M (2005) Working Time Laws : a Global Perspective : Findings from the ILOs Conditions of Work and Employment Database. Geneva, International Labour Office Bureau International du Travail. Eberl , N. (2010) world travel trends spell opportunity for 2010. [Online] Available from: http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/147/42144.html [Accessed: 14th March, 2010] Eze, C (2010) Arik air announces management team restructuring [online] Available from: http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=168400 [Accessed: 12th March, 2010] Financial times (2010) Global airline losses [online] Available from: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/118a1a5e-2d1f-11df-8025-00144feabdc0,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F3%2F118a1a5e-2d1f-11df-8025-00144feabdc0.html_i_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ft.com%2Fsearch%3FqueryText%3Dlibralisation%2Bof%2Bskies%26ftsearchType%3Dtype_news [Accessed: 13th March, 2010] Givoni, M. (2009) Book review: Mobility by John Urry. Transport Reviews, 29(1), 143-144 Harris, H.; Brewster, C.; Sparrow, P. (2003) International Human Resource Management, London, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. IATA (2010) Jet price Monitor [Online] Available from: http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/economics/fuel_monitor/index.htm [Accessed: 13th March 2010] Johnson, G; Scholes, K; Whittington, R (2009) Fundamentals of Strategy. Essex, Pearson Education Limited. Karp, A (2010) LaHood: White House has an interest in funding NextGen aircraft equipment, [Online] Available from: http://atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=19647 [Accessed 14th March 2010] Khanna, T (2010a) Internal Analysis: the VRIO framework. [Lecture] University of Greenwich, 15th February. Khanna, T (2010b) Managing Strategy. [lecture] University of Greenwich, 8th March. Khanna, T (2010c) Corporate level stra

No to Gmo Essay

No to GMO Genetically modified foods are foods or plants that have been modified by researchers and scientists to improve the growth and development process. This idea was first introduced in 1982 and now has become widespread in use, especially in the US. This technology is sometimes referred to as â€Å"gene technology† or â€Å"genetic engineering† (WHO). All genetically modified foods are produced in a laboratory to â€Å"enhance its biological feature† (Godiff). This is not healthy. GM foods have the potential to pose major health risks for humans. The three major issues of concern for human health are allergenicity, gene transfer, and outcrossing. Genetically modified foods also pose risks to the environment, such as the possibility of species extinction (WHO). These foods are being produced because they seem to be advantageous. They seem to bring promise of lower prices and better quality. The whole purpose of genetically modified food(s) is to improve crop producti on by resisting unwanted insect damage, viral infections, and tolerating certain herbicides; however, this is not the result of GM foods (WHO). Cost, safety, property rights, and potential environmental danger all must be properly addressed and assessed. But perhaps they are being addressed in all the wrong ways. One of the biggest overall concerns, aside from human health, is for the environment. First, there is a fear that the GMO’s may â€Å"escape† and introduce the engineered genes into wild populations (WHO). This means the modified genes could alter plants and animals that were not meant to be altered. This leads into another big issue, insects that may not be pests will become susceptible to the gene product, causing death throughout various insect populations. That might mean the very insects that help plant growth and provide essential nutrients, will die off. A study showed that the pollen from genetically modified corn caused high death rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars (Godiff). Monarch butterflies are already a near threatened species. If we continue to grow these crops, we could risk endangering not only the magnificent Monarch butterfly, but other species as well. This is a big problem. The first of the major concerns for human health is allergenicity. Allergenicity is a problem because there are possibilities that a new allergen could be pr oduced along with the new gene, meaning that it could produce even more things to be allergic to (Godiff). Because so many people are allergic to  different types of food, this seems to raise the most concern. Not only is it bad that allergenicity is a concern, it is even worse that there is no reliable way to test the product for allergies (Pusztai). The next two areas of concern surround gene transfer and outcrossing. And they are a lot more complicated. Gene transfer is when genes from the GM food product transfer to cells of the body. This could result in serious adverse effects. This would be extremely bad if genes with an antibiotic resistance were to be transferred into the human body. Once they were transferred it would cause antibiotic resistance, which would lead to the body not being able to fight off certain pathogens. Once the body is not able to fight off the pathogens, it could lead to a weakened immune system and ultimately not getting better. This is hard work in the medical field going to waste. Outcrossing, the second important area of concern, is â€Å"the movement of genes from GM plants into conventional crops or related species in the wild† (WHO). This is an issue because seeds can easily be transferred from one place to another- by wind, water, and certain animals. The pollen from the genetically modified crops could also be transferred to the conventional crops. This ultimately means that our conventional crops may become contaminated, and mixed with the GMC’s. Farmers will have no way of knowing if this happens. So, one pro posed way to fix this is to adopt regulations such as separation of the fields between GM crops and conventional crops (WHO). Genetically modified crops and conventional crops cannot co-exist. Really, in general, there is no end to the controversy over genetically modified crops or GMO’s. Each of these foods must be assessed on â€Å"case-to-case† basis. These studies cannot be generalized and cannot be taken lightly. Greenpeace said, â€Å"Scientific concerns about the safety of GM foods are clearly real† (Meikle) There is a study that showed the toxin levels are not only extremely evident but also extremely unpredictable (Pusztai). In all honesty, while these may be the major and most important areas of debate, they are not the only ones. In fact, there could be countless adverse health effects that we do not even know about yet. These products must undergo more testing and stricter regulations. We, like the European Union, need to enforce and place more emphasis on testing GM foods. Perhaps not to the extreme, as they are, like violent protesting and activist raids. We do not want to destroy years of fieldwork, but we do need to do something, before it gets out of hand  (Curry). There is not nearly enough information on genetically modified foods for them to be considered safe. There is no information on the long-term effects. Finally, labeling genetically modified foods. This should hit home the most. We should know what we are eating. We should want to know what we are eating. If the product is made with genetically modified corn, it should say so on the ingredients list. Otherwise it should be labeled no GMO’s. This is so important, just for everyday purposes, so that we can consciously decide and make educated decisions on the foods we are eating and what we are supporting. How are we supposed to stop the mass production of GMC’s if we are buying them? Buying foods that are made with GMO’s is only showing support for the very thing we do not want. This is essential for ourselves and our family. In conclusion, genetically modified foods are bad news. There is not enough information on them to really know whether or not they are okay. And there is certainly not any information on what they could do to our health in the future. Until there is, the skepticism will remain. Genetically modified foods need to be further researched and labeled in the market. But as of right now, they seem to be causing a lot of problems and also have the potential to cause many more. Human health and the environment are at risk. Genetically modified foods aren’t worth it. Once there is more research and tests done, there may be reason to further review it. But right now the answer is no. Bibliography â€Å"20 Questions on Genetically Modified (GM) Foods.† World Health Organization . Web. 12 Mar. 2013.. Curry, Andrew. â€Å"Seeds of Conflict.† Discover Magazine. (2013): n. page. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. . Godiff, Lewis. â€Å"Genetically Modified Foods.† Science and Technology Journal. (2012): Web. 12 Mar. 2013.. Meike, James. â€Å"Journal to Publish GM Foods Report.† Guardian. (1999): Web. 26 Feb. 2013. . Pusztai, Arpad. â€Å"Genetically Modified Foods: Are They a Risk to Human/Animal Health?.† actionbioscience. n. page. Web. 12 Mar. 2013. .

Business Strategic Direction

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Decision Making Case Study Essay - 1189 Words

Decision Making Case Study Nadine Ranger Week 3 HCS/514 August 23, 2010 Sara Brown Decision-Making Case Study Effective decision-making is a major component in managing an organization, resources, and staff members. Managers make important decisions daily that affect the operations, quality, and success of their organization. Instituting evidence informed decision-making is a growing concept among health care organizations, but managers face several challenges including time pressures and lack of resources to determine quality information. The use of adequate decision-making tools and resources help managers make strategically important decisions as well as develop and improve†¦show more content†¦The Toolbox Rundall et al. developed a tool they call the Informed Decisions Toolbox or IDT, which they suggest will help make better evidence-informed management decisions. Evidence-informed decision-making is the process of gathering and analyzing the best evidence available and making an informed decision based on that knowledge (National Collaboratin g Centre for Methods and Tools [NCCMT], n.d.). The process of evidence-informed decision-making involves six steps. Each of these six steps can be used as a tool for improving decision-making which help the manger to overcome the barriers experienced in using this decision technique. The six steps include defining or framing the question, searching for relevant evidence or source of information, appraising the quality of the data, determining the relevance or applicability of the data, analyzing actionability, and evaluating the possible outcome of the decision (Health-evidence.ca, n.d.). Essentially, organizational support of the managers’ use of the tools assists in the decision-making process, making the manager less reliant on anecdotal evidence and consultants (Rundall et al., 2007). The IDT suggests thatShow MoreRelatedDecision Making Case Study1281 Words   |  6 PagesDecision-Making Case Study HCS/514 Decision-Making Case Study The current state of the economy has had a significant impact on health care across the country. Recipients of Medicaid services have especially been hit hard in the health care arena with budget cuts and reduced services. The Maricopa County Clinic is not different when it comes to budget cuts. The department providing outpatient services to Medicaid clients has received a 15% budget cut. The current budget constraintRead MoreDecision Making Case Study Essay893 Words   |  4 PagesDecision Making Case Study Stefanie Parker HCS/514 June 24, 2011 Kendra Slatton Decision Making Case Study The standard definition of decision making is; the process of mapping the likely consequences of decisions, working out the importance of individual factors and choosing the best course of action to take (Definition of decision,). 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