WordPress Limit Login Attempts How to Do It (Easy Free)

While WordPress itself is a secure platform, this doesn’t make your site immune to break-ins. One of the most common attacks is human or bot hackers trying to force their way through your login page by trying various username and password combinations until something works. To keep them from succeeding, you can use a WordPress limit login attempts plugin.By default, people can continuously try to log into your site, with no restrictions on attempts. However, most legitimate users won’t need more than a few tries (at most). Therefore, you can limit the number of login attempts made from a specific IP address in a set amount of time. Any user who goes over the limit can be temporarily or permanently locked out, as a safety precaution.In this post, we’re going to show you how to set the feature up using a free WordPress limit login attempts plugin. Then, well share some of the pros and cons of this approach. Let’s get to work! 100% free.Popular active on ove r 700,000 sites, according to WordPress.org.Well-rated a 4.9-star rating (out of 5).Easy to use. Limit Login Attempts Reloaded Author(s): WPChefCurrent Version: 2.9.0Last Updated: June 12, 2019limit-login-attempts-reloaded.2.9.0.zip 96%Ratings 2,341,651Downloads WP 3.0+Requires While the plugin is easy to use at a basic level (it starts working as soon as you activate it), it also boasts a variety of configuration options, including some handy extras (such as the ability to whitelist or blacklist both IPs and usernames).To get started, install and activate the Limit Login Attempts Reloaded plugin at your WordPress site.  If youre not sure how to install a WordPress plugin, check out our guide here.Step 2: Customize the plugin’s settingsAs soon as you activate the plugin, it starts working right away. By default, users get four guesses before the plugin locks them out:However, the plugin also provides a settings area where you can modify how this functionality works. To access this area, go to Settings Limit Login Attempts:In the Statistics  section, you can find details about how many ‘lockouts’ have occurred due to the plugin. This will be empty right now, but you can check back later to see how many potential brute force attempts the plugin has halted.Then, under Options, you can customize how the lockout system works. This includes deciding how many guesses the plugin will allow, the length of time users will be locked out for, and more. You can even enable a GDPR-compliance setting, which will obfuscate all recorded IPs for privacy reasons.Scrolling down a bit, you’ll also find sections labeled Whitelist and Blacklist:Here, you can enter specific IPs and/or usernames. If you add a user to the whitelist, they’ll be able to log into your site as many times as they’d like, and won’t have to worry about getting locked out.Adding someone to the blacklist, on the other hand, will permanently lock them o ut. The latter option is handy if you see a lot of suspicious activity coming from one or more specific IP addresses.Don’t forget to save your changes to this page when you’re done configuring the settings. That’s all you need to do to limit login attempts in WordPress!Should you limit login attempts on your website?At this point, you know how to set up a WordPress limit login attempts plugin on your site. However, you may be wondering if this is a necessary step for all WordPress users.Not all  security techniques  are right for every website, and this one does have both potential advantages and drawbacks. First, let’s look at the benefits of limiting login attempts:It prevents humans and automated bots from being able to try hundreds (or thousands) of username/password combinations, until they hit on the right one.A temporary lockout is often enough to deter an attack, as the hacker or bot will simply move on to the next likely target.Most of your l egitimate users will only need a single login attempt, or perhaps a few if they forget or mistype their credentials.In a 2016 survey from Wordfence, brute force attacks were the second most popular known type of attack, which illustrates that a limit login attempts plugin is indeed protecting you from a real attack vector.On the other hand, the possible cons include:Adding a plugin to your site. While WordPress limit login attempts plugins are very lightweight, this can put off site owners who want to keep their plugin counts down (for security or performance reasons).Legitimate users who forget their passwords or make multiple login attempts for some other reason can still get locked out, which is an inconvenience.The second drawback can be alleviated in a number of ways. You can make sure to display the number of login attempts remaining, for example, which will keep users from getting caught off guard:You can also keep the lockout time relatively short. In addition, you can add t rusted users to your whitelist, so they don’t need to worry about tripping the system.Ultimately, while this isnt a mandatory security feature, it’s a smart addition for nearly any site. As long as you don’t mind spending a few minutes setting up and configuring an extra plugin, you’ll be taking an important step towards keeping malicious users out of your site’s back end.ConclusionBrute force attacks are a common attack vector for hackers, and WordPress sites are often favored targets (thanks to the platform’s popularity). Fortunately, thwarting these attacks is relatively simple. All you need to do is prevent hackers and bots from being able to make lots of consecutive login attempts.In order to limit login attempts on your WordPress site, you can follow two simple steps:Install a dedicated plugin, such as Limit Login Attempts Reloaded.Configure the plugin’s settings, and let it do its job. Protect your #WordPress site from brute fo rce attacks with a limit login attempts #plugin Click To Tweet Do you have any questions about using a WordPress limit login attempts plugin? Ask us in the comments section below!Free guide5 Essential Tips to Speed Up Your WordPress SiteReduce your loading time by even 50-80% just by following simple tips.

Informative Essay Sample on Jimi Hendrix

Informative Essay Sample on Jimi Hendrix James Marshal Hendrix was born in Seattle, Washington on November the 27th, 1942. Jimi had a style of guitar playing all of his own. He was renown for his rough style of playing. In this essay there will be comparisons made between Jimi and these other famous guitar players that were all around his era: Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, John Lennon, Jimmy Page, Jose Feliciano and Carlos Santana. Jimi Hendrix was so different to other players. All these artists have/had varied styles of playing. Eric Patrick Clapton was born on March 30, 1945. He is an excellent musician. Eric plays blues/rock music. When he writes his music it is usually about things that has occurred in his life. One of his famous songs is Tears in Heaven. This was a tribute to his son that died from falling out of the fifty-third story of a block of apartments at the age of four. Eric’s playing was very clean and tight, compared to Jimis style, which is rougher. Each song Jimi wrote would have a main riff but each time he played it he would add different little riffs. Jimi played more rock and roll. Eric played more softer and smoother music. Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler are defiantly two of the best guitarists of all time. Mark was born on the 12th of August 1949 in Scotland. He has been with many bands but since the 70’s his main band has always been Dire Straits. Mark mostly plays rock and roll with his band but he is also well known as a solo artist. He is writes a lot of his bands songs, most of the songs are a sorts of clean rock and roll, a very different style to Jimi’s songs. Mark did not have a drug addiction unlike Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. Born on October the 9th, 1940 was legend, John Lennon. He is most famous for being one of the guitarists out of the band The Beatles. Sadly, John died on the 8th of December 1980. He was shot in the back, on his front doorstep of his apartment by a fan. The Beatles played a very wide range of music, but when the Beatles broke up John went solo. Ballads seemed to be what he enjoyed playing most. Jimi Hendrix tended to play more rock and roll then John. Jimi’s music was more orientated around guitar playing then Johns, because John Lennon seemed to concentrate more on the lyrics then anything else. John wasn’t as well known for the skills of his guitar playing but more for his singing and overall music. Englishman Jimmy Page was born on the 9th of January 1944. He played in several rock bands but the band he has been mostly connected with is Led Zeppelin. While Jimmy has been in this band he has been performing mostly rock and roll, but before he joined Led Zeppelin he found out he was also great at playing acoustic guitar. Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix were both fairly similar, but there were differences with their view on life. Page seemed to have a rough sketch of where his music was taking him and maybe you could say he was a bit more organised then Hendrix. Hendrix way of living life was more relaxed and calm. The two as people were comparatively different but the two as guitar players were somewhat similar; Hendrix, seems to play more music that is at sometimes full on, whereas Page’s style as a soloist was mostly smooth and clean, but at times he liked to play rock and roll. Jose Feliciano was a Spanish man, born at Lares, Puerto Rico. He was born on the 10th of September 1945. He has been blind since birth, but he does not let this disability hold him back. Although he started off playing pop and rock material, he changed his tune and turned to more mainstream Latin music. Jose moved to New York, (like Hendrix did) and by 1962 had gained a lot of fame and respect. Feliciano has played with a few bands but has never really been committed to any one particular group. Hendrix and Jose are like chalk and cheese; they are completely different from each other, totally different style of playing and very different personalities. Mexican, Carlos Santa was born on the 24th of July 1947. Carlos at first was solely dedicated to playing jazz and funk, but as his fame grew he spread his talent further. He has played with many other well-known artists such as: Matchbox 20 singer Rob Thomas and Macy Gray. In 1967 he formed a band called Santana. The original line up consisted of a keyboard player, vocalist, drums, percussionists, rhythm guitar and lead guitar. As you can see it is a fairly large band. The band’s Jimi Hendrix played with usually just had the basic drum kit, bass guitar, vocalist and guitar but Carlos likes bigger bands with lots of percussion and a solid beat. Carlos is relatively similar to Hendrix in that they both love to have lots of guitar solos in their songs but Carlos just seemed to have the edge on Hendrix, not because of what they played but because of how they executed their music. Their personalities where to some extent comparable but Carlos was much more controlled and organised then Hendrix ever was. In conclusion, Jimi Hendrix was a very different musician to any other in his time and since. He was very laid back and unaware of the outside world. His music was so different compared to Mark Knopfler, John Lennon, Jimmy Page, Jose Feliciano and Carlos Santana because they wrote lyrics about things that happened in their life and world affairs, whereas Jimi wrote about the seedier side of life. Perhaps if Hendrix had of lived to the age of the other guitarists I have stated here, he might have changed his style of writing lyrics as his life changed and he matured. You can order a custom essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation on Jimi Hendrix at our professional custom essay writing service which provides students with high-quality custom written papers on any topics.

Global pedagogy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global pedagogy - Essay Example Such issues include global warming, attempts by culture diversities to maintain inequality and oppression against women or children slavery. It also seeks to analyze merits of cultural diversity towards pushing for moral relativism, as well as sustainable management of waste. Global pedagogy incorporates modern methods of achieving democracy, liberty, and equality for all across the world (Noddings, 2013). Pedagogical methods results into global educational transformation through provision of practical and accessible information. Global pedagogy enhances availability of scholarly resources that learners and staff of various institutions need to promote a world over philosophy and citizenship. Developing global philosophy involves many processes. The process demands that individuals, organizations, and states play their respective roles. Appreciating and utilizing world’s cultural diversity is one of the ways we can develop global philosophy and citizenship. Diversity involves differences in age, sex, races, ethnicity, and religious backgrounds. When such cultural differences become a tool for enhancing global philosophy, the world achieves a desirable blend of people (Noddings, 2013). Such blends have an advantage concerning specialization and generation of ideas. Developing global pedagogy involves study and practicing of religion. Therefore, utilization of teachers to employ their professional and rights towards giving students a free environment to study and practice religion is vital (Noddings, 2013). The globalized world, therefore, achieves diversity in terms of professionals, careers, good decision making and unity. Teachers, therefore, should incorporate lessons involving importance and benefits of cultural diversity in their pedagogical efforts. Working with people of diversified colors, political backgrounds, and physical appearances more likely creates unity (Behbehanian & Burawoy,

Healthy People 2020 Evaluation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Healthy People 2020 Evaluation - Assignment Example Objectives and topic areas can never be included without appropriate sources of data. The use of this data technology has created easy access to the stakeholders. On the other hand, Healthy People 2020 suffer an imposed social economic weakness. The fact that the health of a person is greatly influenced by the environment is true but historically, the world has not been fair enough to embrace social and environmental consciousness in nursing. Poor health is known to be threatened by illiteracy and poverty which are more prevalent in America. In as much as Healthy People 2020 is present to increase the health status of the citizens, it has been incapacitated by the level of poverty and illiteracy in the US (Mischkovsky 2010). Therefore it cannot carry out its full functions before addressing this problem. Moreover, this is a kind of problem that cannot be corrected using national policy implementation making it a harder problem to deal with. The US government can ensure the success of the program by providing social economical opportunities to its citizen so as to unravel the crisis from its origin given that it is a data based program that requires one to have some technical computer skills (Nolan,

Ethical Responsibilities of Corporations Enron’s Downfall Essay Example for Free

Ethical Responsibilities of Corporations Enron’s Downfall Essay Ethical Responsibilities of Corporations; Enron’s Downfall Introduction            Enron, in the 1990’s was a premium company that had the much-coveted global stature that most company heads desire. It is considered the most innovative company in the United States of America. It was a change from the old industrial trend that other old and rusty enterprises and industries were used to; hard assets, in the favor of the much softer e-commerce business world. The company was a premium employer in the USA and the world, employing over 20,000 staff by the time of winding into bankruptcy, in 2001 (NPR). The company dealt in natural gas, electricity, pulp and paper and communication. A year before closure, the company was valued at $111 billion and had held the title-for six years running-of the most innovative company in America.            However, this valuation respect was based on falsehood. The company was discovered to have been operating a scandalous accounting fraud, orchestrated by systematic, institutionalized and creativity. Ironically, as it was named the most innovative company, which might have been true, but not in the upright way that it was perceived to be. This was but in underhand deals that its employees and management had mastered. What culminated into the ‘Enron Scandal’ has since become a frequently referred to a case of willful corruption and corporate fraud.            Companies and corporations, under the federal law, have a duty to their employees, consumers, the government and the environment in which they operate. To the government, corporations are supposed to ensure tax compliance and safety of production to citizens and environment. The firms and companies have a duty to protect their employees and provide safe work environment conditions for them so that all employees are always treated equitably and satisfactorily. Consumers have a right to accurate information regarding the products they purchase. The information is to provide at free will and is to guarantee consumer safety.            In Line with that responsibility as stated in the paragraph above, Enron management failed to safeguard their employees’ future and livelihoods in case their bubble burst. At the time Enron went bankrupt, Thousands of employees it had in its baskets were plunged into joblessness suddenly. This scandal involved even top government officials who were then shareholders. In the light of them knowing that Enron engaged in malpractices-they still were happy to take home the hefty dividends they got from the stock market gains.The Times Magazine talks about the top executives who enjoyed lots of privileges that even top CEOs envied. For example, Kenneth Lay, the Former Enron Chairman is said to have received a golden parachute worth $25 million and about $200 million in salaries since 1999 to its point of fall. Despite all that, he also enjoyed the access to about $7.5 million revolving credit line from Enron (Roston, 2002). Others who enjoyed such benefits include Jeffrey Skilling (former C.E.O), Duncan David (Former Anderson Partner), Nancy Temple (Anderson Lawyer), Thomas White (Secretary of the Army), and Sherron Watkins ( Former Enron Vice President).The government through the law has set up different commissions to ensure that these obligations are duly followed (example of one is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)). FTC is charged with taking complaints about false business promises that turn out fraudulent, or cause harmful side effects to the consumers and forwarding them to investigation agencies for further action (Federal Trade Commission, 2014).            In the past, the things that brought down companies were far from cleverly crafted schemes such as what took place at Enron. The operation on the stock exchange while on a negative financial record and receiving probably more than their fair share of investments. Among other key ethical issues that had arisen in the past included racial profiling, product safety concerns, employee rights infringement and even environmental degradation. There have been lists each year of companies that should be shunned for disregard of ethics. For the past few years, companies such as ExxonMobil, Apple, Toyota, Trafigura, and recently Wal-Mart and Nestle had made headlines for breaking the crucial ethical rules.            The Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA), establishes mechanisms for compensation of employees who are injured, or get any damages in the line of duty (Office of the Secretary, 2014). In the case where an employee was hit by a truck and laid off without compensation, is very inhumane act of the company’s executives.            The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is set to be the benchmark for equitable pay distribution to all American employees. It provides guidelines for employment and wages to be paid to employees who are not exempted from work. Conditions have been set for certain jobs and age restrictions. These labor laws, for example, require that particular groups of people not work at certain times, and in particular professions, citing dangerous operations (Office of the Secretary, 2014). If the labor laws are followed to the letter, no employee will complain about unsatisfactory pay, as the minimum wage is set with all employees in mind and ensures a comfortable life away from welfare.            Kirk O. Hanson, a university professor at the University of Santa Clara, explains the ethical responsibilities of a corporate board. He lists five important points that are to be keenly upheld by any board of directors in order to ensure satisfaction from all quarters. Among other key assignments on a board, one of them is to understand the company’s ethical culture. Most board members are less involved with the day to day activities of their businesses, and to get feedback from employees, they rely on pro forma reports and complaint letters. It is their responsibility to investigate the validity of the reports and come up with disciplinary measures if need be (Hanson, 2014).            Business fair play is an important aspect of ensuring healthy and profitable competition among business people.            Such a supposition that they respect individual rights of association and expression and yet reject the idea of unionization is ridiculous. Under sections 7 and 8 of the National Labor Relations Act of the Federal constitution, employees are granted rights to make a join and take part in labor union activities. This is without any intimidation from employers, or punishments of any kind. All employees have a right to read, distribute and discuss matters of union membership during hours away from work. They are free to share the information with whomsoever they please. Once they decide on a group plan for whatever union, they have a right to ask their employer to recognize the specific union, bargain and complete any relevant requirements by the terms and condition. The employees have a right to display Union messages in whatsoever manner they please; be it caps, pins, T-shirts or whatever else available on the job or away from work.Company executives are not suppose d to profile any employees by forcible transfer, denial of benefits, pay rise or desirable assignments in effort to thwart employees’ quest to join or form a union. They are not to be harassed, threatened or dismissed from work if they support any union (Lisa Guerin, 2014). All in all, we do need quick solutions to problems such as these. It is not just an issue for the employees alone because it affects all American citizens, and per the house committee on education report.            General Electric, a company that was founded by Thomas Edison, has on many occasions received accused on several occasions of trying to monopolize the inventions by him. It is the current military contractor for war machinery. However, they have once been reported for facilitating the development of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons have long since been banned and are regulated by the international bodies. The purpose of such an undertaking should be investigated, and due punishment administered.            The American public should check indicators of unethical codes of conduct and shun such businesses. It will be a significant boost in fighting such a vice as it will prevent oppression of fellow citizens. If people followed such a trend, companies such as this would lack a ready market and might be forced to change the practices or close shop.            All firms that are established in corporate agreements uphold certain fundamental duties. In order to solve this massive crisis of ethics, law should be passed forcing private sectors to publish their financial reports in detail in the public dailies. The public should be trained to watch for companies that uphold employee rights and safety. These statements should be audited by government agencies for any lies. If the reports are found to be untrue, government should snatch such operators their licenses.            Companies and corporations that evade taxation of any kind should be imposed with huge fines. In order to shun such practices, and in extension, be barred from operating for a particular period of time and board members is investigated. If any allegations of misconduct are proven right, all board members should be forced to resign and take responsibility for their ineptness. Enron was a culprit in this category, avoiding any financial obligation it would have to offset to the government or anyone, provided that it was able to cover its tracks well.            On an opinion proposed from the Financial Times magazine, the graph of performance shows that the downfall was carefully planned. It seemed that most of the top echelons had long planned the exit, but it did not happen in the most expected way. The stock price came crashing in a year, from a cost of about $80 in January, the year 2001 to a tumbling zero by January in the year 2002.            In the Film Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (Gibney, 2005), as based on the same name written by Bethany McLean, the Enron Disaster is the greatest disaster any company has witnessed in the whole of history. A crash in a year with more than seven corporate walking away from the mess with over 1 Billion US dollars. Investors and employees went down flat without any landing gear. This kind of corporate ethics gap left more Americans depending on the public for necessary handouts and relying on other meager means to survive. The Drama resembles a Greek tragedy and a show of the domino effect that could shape the face of the American ethical code and ultimately the economy for a long time into the future.Kenneth Lay, the company’s chief who had saved ib once before in the ‘80s and later taken over as C.E.O wielded so much influence In both the business and political circles. Probably out of the campaigns he had funded for the presidency among other le gislative dockets. In the Business circles, he was an enviable C.E.O, who was practically â€Å"untouchable†. But in the wake of the ethical backlash, all these attributes could not save his company from sinking to the bottom of the sea that is failed companies.            Ethics is more than just producing good products, supporting community initiatives and giving good salaries. Companies with a sound ethical background will go to extents to ensure consumer safety, business fair play and ensuring that employees who served diligently go home safe to retirement. Even after retiring, they will be entitled to the same happiness they had while working for the same company, and health.            All corporations that breach conduct on ethics should be nationalized in order to safeguard the interests of the public. Its owners should then be duly compensated and never allowed to start any other business within the country. Such a law will instill fear and caution among those who have a penchant for breaking the law.            Consumers and the government need to be careful about safeguarding the economic environments. Since any turmoil could lead to financial turmoil like it did with the instability of some few big companies in the early 2000s that lead to the 2007-2009 global financial crunch. The government can help by sealing off all loopholes that could allow any forms of corruption while the consumers could channel their money to the right businesses.            If we all stopped buying brands that do not have its people at heart, all companies and many other manufacturers would forcefully comply duly with laws of labor, taxation, and biosafety. We will have a better world where many Americans and people around the world can eat by their sweat, as opposed to having jobs but still relying on welfare for upkeep. References Federal Trade Commission. (2014). Bureau of Consumer Protection. Retrieved December 06, 2014, from Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protectionGibney, A. (Director). (2005). Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room [Motion Picture]. Hanson, K. O. (2014, August 14). Business Ethics in the News. Retrieved Dec 06, 2014, from Santa Clara University: http://www.scu.edu/ethics-center/ethicsblog/business-ethics-news.cfmLisa Guerin, J. (2014). The Right to Unionize. Retrieved December 06, 2014, from NOLO For all: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/free-books/employee-rights-book/chapter15-7.htmlNPR. (n.d.). The Fall of Enron. Retrieved Feb 4, 2015, from http://www.npr.org/news/specials/enron/Office of the Secretary. (2014). Summary of the Major Laws of the Department of Labor. Retrieved December 06, 2014, from United States Department of Labor: http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/lawsprog.htmRoston, E. (2002, Jan 22). The Enron Players. Time . Source document

Pain and pain management in the dying patient

Pain and pain management in the dying patient For many years there has been a question as to whether or not providing pain medication to a dying patient is ethical or not. This subject practices on what is considered morally ethical as well as medically ethical. Allowing a person to sit in pain at the end of life, hits as both medically and morally unethical. Especially, when health care professionals can manage and control the pain. There are many medical ethics principles as well as the directives that apply from the Catholic religion side of it. Some of the principles that will be discussed are the principle of double effect, informed consent, veracity, beneficence, non-malfeasance, extraordinary versus ordinary means, and proportionate and disproportionate means. This paper is going to discuss the ethical implications regarding the barriers that are encountered when administering pain medications to patients that are in the last part of the dying phase. It is my position that patients that are dying should receive pain medication as desired and expressed by the patient. The pain medications should be administered and titrated accordingly to maintain the appropriate therapeutic level to allow the patient to maintain his or her dignity. There are several barriers that arise when providing pain relief in the dying patient. The barriers include failure of clinicians to identify pain relief as a priority in patient care, insufficient knowledge among clinicians about the assessment and management of pain, fear of regulatory scrutiny of prescribing practices for opioid analgesics, failure of the healthcare system to hold clinicians accountable for pain relief, the persistence of irrational beliefs and unsubstantiated fears about addiction, tolerance, dependence, and adverse effects of opioids, and the resistance of patients and/or their family members to the use of opioid analgesics in the management of pain (Rich, 2000). The most common barrier is under treatment due to fear of hastening death. Assessing pain and the administration of pain medication in the dying client is very important. This nursing assessment is vital through all aspects of life but is also very important in the end of life to try and maintain as much of a persons autonomy and dignity as possible. AS in life people who are dying must also be able to have and make choices surrounding the way in which they choose to spend that last portion of their life. Before getting down to the ethical concerns of pain and pain management, it is important to define what pain is and how it is assessed. Pain and suffering is often linked together and some even use it interchangeably. However, there is a difference between the two. Pain is considered a negative and unpleasant sensory felt by the person that is inhibitory to the comfort of the person, it is considered to be mainly physical in nature (Kelly, 2004). Suffering is considered to be roughly the same as pain but the effects are more geared towards a persons spirituality and mentality (Kelly, 2004). The way in which people experience pain and suffering is different from person to person. Pain is a subjective experience and is to be assessed on an individual basis. There are many ways in which pain can be assessed. There are many different scales that are used to assess pain and each scale has different characteristics that allow health team members to be able to assess every type of person for which they care for. Some of the most common scales used are the descriptive scales in which you circle the word that best describes you ranging from none to excruciating, the numerical scale which is the most common scale used allows a person to say or circle a number that reflects the amount of pain they are in ranging from 0 being no pain to 10 being the worst pain they have ever felt. There is a also a visual analog scale that allows a person to mark a place on a line or pick out a face on a faces scale ranging from no distress/pain to worst pain ever. The last scale mentioned is one of the least used and it is the functional interference scale which allows a person to circle a word that best describes the persons degree of impairment ranging from n one to incapacitated. In addition to these subjective scales there has been evidence that has helped with the ability of healthcare professionals to be able to approach pain from an objective point of view. This approach has been divided up into four different categories: sympathetic discharge signs, positional relief signs, sensory avoidance signs, and common pain distraction signs. Some of the sympathetic signs associated with pain are tachycardia, high blood pressure, dilated pupils and vasoconstriction (Leavitt and Tennant, 2008). There are several more approaches but this is just a few that are used in healthcare. Positional relief signs include; walking imbalanced, leaning while sitting or standing, lying on the floor, and differences in temperature between sides of the body (Leavitt and Tennant, 2008). Sensory avoidance signs include; speaking slowly, delays answering questions, avoids noise, shallow breathing, and wont brush teeth (Leavitt and Tennant, 2008). Some of the common pain distraction s igns include; grinding of teeth, clenching of feet and hands, bites lips, gouges or squeezing of skin (Leavitt and Tennant, 2008). The other aspect to consider is the type of pain medication being administered. When pertaining to the end of life the typical drug of choice are the ones that fall into the opioid family. These drugs are chosen for people that have pain that is moderate to severe in intensity and is unrelieved by non-opioid drugs. These drugs provide pain relief and can cause some adverse effects such as constipation, nausea and vomiting, respiratory depression, fatigue and sometimes light sedation is amongst the most common effects. The amount and type is determined on an individual basis and prolonged use can lead to dependence and the need for increased dosages due to an increased tolerance for the desired therapeutic effect. The way in which drugs are chosen is divided into 3 steps as developed by the World Health Organization. Step one is when the pain is assessed as mild to moderate and has had no previous treatment and so non-opioid drugs are used such as tylenol, ibuprofen, and toradol (Cla sen, Jonas and Whitecar, 2000). Step two is when the pain is measured at a moderate level and has been treated previously but has not responded to the treatments from step one, the medications used in step two are weak analgesics such as Tylenol with codeine, and tramadol (Clasen, Jonas and Whitecar, 2000). Step three is considered when the pain is described as severe pain or pain that does not respond to one and two. In this instance the patients should be treated with strong opioids such as morphine, dilaudid, and Demerol (Clasen, Jonas and Whitecar, 2000). Morphine is one of the most commonly used opioids because there is no therapeutic ceiling and extremely large doses can be used safely and effectively if the drug is titrated properly (Clasen, Jonas and Whitecar, 2000). Part of treating every person as an individual and respecting them as an individual is being sure to respect their autonomy. This principle applies here because to be able to treat a person that is in pain, they have to be assessed individually and be treated according to their individual needs. Every person feels pain differently and every person has a different threshold for pain. What is considered mildly painful to one person may be severe to excruciating to the next. As a health care member you have to be able to allow the patient to express what they are feeling and to allow them to be involved in the decisions regarding their pain management. The ability for them to be able to make decisions allows the people that are dying the ability to be able to have some form of control of how they live the last part of their lives. Allowing the dying person to make small decisions such as whether or not they receive pain medication allows the person to feel as though they still have a voice and a place within the world that they are about to leave. The fear usually involved with giving dying patients pain medication is hastening the death process. However, as the health care members the opinions that we may have about whether or not it does hasten death does not matter because the patient has the right to make his or her own decisions regarding their personal healthcare interventions. Due to the fact that pain is mostly a subjective matter healthcare members do not have the authority to decide whether or not a patient is in fact in pain or not. Withholding pain medication in the dying patient would be a violation against the patients human rights by allowing that person to die in pain. Allowing a person to die in pain does not allow the person to be able to concentrate on their spiritual needs, psychological needs, and family needs at the time of death. Violation of the ethical principle of autonomy is a violation of ones human rights. â€Å"There will be times when it easier to surrender to the determination, decisions, and goals of influential parties such as the primary physician† (Andrews, Constantino, and Zalon, 2008, Pg. 94). Furthermore the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses requires that nurses practice â€Å"with compassion, and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual† (ANA, 2001). As nurses we are obligated to do everything within our power to relieve the persons pain when the person is requesting pain relief. It is also our responsibility to reassess the persons pain without prompt by the patient. Another responsibility that nurses own is providing accurate information to the patient regarding the medications ordered for pain, so as to allow the patient to make informed decisions about receiving the medications or not. The next principle is veracity, veracity is when a person tells another person the truth without any form of deception. In this case it would be the health care member speaking truthfully to the dying patient. Under this principle the nurse has the obligation to provide the patient with accurate information about his or her right to effective pain relief. The nurse also has the obligation to provide information about the pain medication being administered. The other thing to remember when this principle is applied is that nurses need to be aware that people that experience chronic pain exhibit behaviors that are vastly different than those who are experiencing acute pain. This becomes a very important principle because there have been instances in which the nurse will just bring in a medication and just tell the patient that the medication is for pain. Little does the patient know that the medication the nurse is administering is tylenol or ibuprofen. The patient trusts the nurse and assumes that their pain will be taken care of. Instead without directly having to lie to the patient, the patient is deceived. Granted the medication given is for pain but, the type of pain being referred to in the end of life is usually moderate to severe and the medications listed above are not made for intense pain. Violation of this principle is what leads patients to distrust the healthcare providers and the care that they are given. From this, patients start to feel they need second opinions and the continuity of care for the patient is then lacking. As we know to be able to properly control pain in our patients it has to be done with trust between the patient and healthcare members as well trust between the nurses and other members of the healthcare team. According to the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses, the nurses primary responsibility is to the patient (ANA, 2001). So, if the patient is not given the proper information about the pain medications being used and it isnt being treated effectively the patient then loses part of their dignity and we as the healthcare members just robbed the patient of any value they might have felt like they had left. Before a person can make a decision about accepting or denying an intervention of any kind, that person has to be completely informed. This begins the discussion of the principle of informed consent. This principle is very important because it allows the person that is dying to be able to continue to make decisions about their lives all the way to death. When administering pain medication to a person that is dying it would be unethical to not inform that person of the affects that the pain medication may have on them. If medication was given to the patient and it either sedated them or it did hasten their death, their dignity and autonomy would have been taken away from them. That person would not have been able to decide whether or not they wanted to make preparations for the remainder of their life. The ability of a person that is approaching death to be able to maintain a sense of belonging and still feel as though they have authority over themselves allows for a sense of calm. The patient is able to make amends if wanted or needed. By informing them of the affects of the pain medications that person can feel comfortable about taking them and as that person is passing they wont be wondering â€Å"what if† when it is time for them to pass. Every person has the right to decide how they are going to die. The benefit of doing it pain free or as close to pain free as they can get is that it leaves the person in a state where they are more able to concentrate on important things. Such things include their spirituality, family, and even death preparations. â€Å"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,† this is a very important saying that we are taught and is reinforced throughout our entire lives. This word of advice rolls into the next principle I would like to talk about and it is beneficence. Beneficence requires that the duty is to help the patient by managing the pain effectively. This principle goes as far as to say that not only will the nurse not harm the patient but is obligated to take positive actions that will benefit the patient whenever applicable. It would be a violation of this principle if the nurse was to give the patient pain medication and did not follow up with the patient to see if the pain has been reduced or if the dosage of the medication needed to be titrated. Any nurse can give their dying patient pain medication but it takes follow through and communication with the patient to ensure that the pain is being managed. The act of giving the pain medication is the part that is considered not doing harm to the patient. The follow through and reassessment of pain as well as dosage of medication is what is considered taking positive actions to benefit the patient. The ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses states that nurses are responsible for their practice and are therefore required to provide a standard of care that takes an appropriate action to manage the pain in their patients (ANA, 2001). This can be stretched even further by stating that they are expected to take action when incompetence, unethical, illegal, and impaired practices are suspected. This goes back to the age old fundamental nursing practice of advocating for your patient. Nurses are to be the advocates as well as the educators for their patients. If a nurse is caring for a dying person that person may assume that after so much pain medication that they will not be able to experience relief and as said before it is then the nurses duty to educate that patient about the ability to switch drugs or to increase dosages in cases of increased tolerance. Non-Malfeasance has a lot to do with beneficence; you wont normally see one without the other. Non-malfeasance is just the simple task of doing no harm to your patient. In the dying patient the nurse has a duty to protect the patient from pain. Suffering plays a big role in this principle. As recalled from earlier in this paper suffering is more of the emotional and mental effects that pain has on the patient. The patient is most likely to suffer if they are not properly medicated for their constant pain. The suffering is what inhibits the patient from being able to enjoy and participate in the final moments of their lives. Allowing the patient to go under medicated and allow their mental capacity to reduce to a suffering state is a violation of the principle of non-malfeasance. This impacts their dignity by not allowing them to eat, dress themselves, helping with a transfer, or walking around if they are permitted to do so. This could result in the patients last and even most precious moments of their lives to be reduced to a non-significant and traumatic experience. By withholding or under treating someone for pain it is indirectly causing harm to the patient. Another way to look at it would be that under prescribing the pain medication is the same thing as inflicting pain on the person. Looking at it from this point has made it so that I look at my own practices and every time that I think about the times that I didnt ask patients if they were in pain I was consequently inflicting pain and suffering thereby doing harm which is a direct violation of the principle of non-malfeasance. The competence of the nurse plays a large role within this principle. To properly be able to prevent doing harm to the patient the nurse must be aware and competent regarding pain and the medications or techniques that are used to manage the pain. â€Å"Further, competence in pain management entails demonstrating a basic knowledge of the nature and action of the drug, proper dosages, the length of coverage, the time it takes for the drug to take effect, the variety of routes of administration, the recognition of drug tolerance, and dealing with problems with break-through pain† (Silverman, Croker, 2001, Pg. 185). When talking about the care of dying patients, it cannot be forgotten that even though the client that is dying needs care, usually that patient is not the only person that the nurse is caring for. Time is one of the worst barriers for most nurses and although everyone that is in the hospital and needs care deserves the undivided attention of the nurse, this is just not reality. According to the principle of justice every patient has the right to be given their â€Å"dues.† This doesnt mean just fairness; it is giving something to a person to which they are entitled. Every dying person is entitled to being as pain free as possible by the healthcare members, especially when it comes to providing pain medication. This can become an issue for nurses caring for these patients because there are not enough nurses to be able to adequately staff to be able to provide the closer one on one care that may be needed. This becomes a dilemma because the nurses then have to then make decisions that result in less care being provided to one or all of the other patients. Under treating for pain in the dying patient is a violation of the principle of justice because everyone is entitled to a pain free death. The technology and advancements are available to make this happen and again this allows the patient to be able to address other needs at the time of death other than concentrating on how much pain they might be in. A good way to help in this type of situation would be a PCA pump, which allows the patient to manage their pain, but also allows the nurse to concentrate more on the other needs of the patient. Allowing the patient the extra time and energy to spend with their families or to spend relaxing is a right that all people have and should be upheld to the very last breathe that the person takes. Although administering pain medication to dying patients that are in pain produces a good effect by relieving the patients pain, it can also produce a negative affect that was unintended such as hastening death. The principle that this relates to is the principle of double effect. The true definition of this principle is that the â€Å"action that is good in itself that has two effects, an intended and otherwise not reasonably attainable good effect, and an unintended yet unforeseen evil effect† (NCBC, 2006). This principle has to be considered when there is a question or a discrepancy between doing good (beneficence) and doing no harm (non-malfeasance). The problem with this principle is that most healthcare professionals believe in it and therefore giving higher dosages of pain medication does in fact hasten death. Studies have been performed and revealed that although 89% of physicians and nurses agreed that sometimes it is appropriate to give pain medication to relieve suffering, even if it may hasten a patients death (Fohr, 2005). Out of the 89%, 41% agreed that clinicians give inadequate pain medication most often out of fear of hastening a patients death (Fohr, 2005). â€Å"Fohr has found that there is little research to support the notion that increasing the dose of opioid analgesics for terminally ill patients hastens their death† (Fohr, 2005). The belief in this principle has in fact allowed and caused unnecessary suffering in the dying patients. There are also state by state statutes that have been developed to protect health care members in instances such as this. The Indiana statute states as follows: â€Å"This statute provides that a licensed health care provider who administers, prescribes, or dispenses medications or procedures to relieve a persons pain or discomfort, even if the medication or procedure may hasten or increase the risk of death, unless such medications or procedures are intended to cause death is not liable for assisting suicide† (Sexton, 2000). There are four criteria that pertain to the double effect principle and the action has to meet these criterions to make the action morally ethical. The first criteria is that the action has to be good and that the action can be acceptable by Gods standards and must be considered good to the other person as well as yourself (NCBC, 2006). The second criterion that has to be accomplished is that the act that is to be good cannot come from or be the effect of a bad act (NCBC, 2006). So, the act of providing pain relief cannot be as a result of hastening the patients death. Hastening the patients death is in fact the unforeseen effect of the good action provide pain relief. The third criterion states that there is an equal or greater proportion that exists between the good effect of the action and the bad effect of the action (NCBC, 2006). The last criterion suggests that the person the action was used upon has to be moved more towards the good effect of the act of giving the pain medicat ion in the dying person. The untoward effect has to be just tolerated and prevented as much as possible by the healthcare members. To administer the medication to a dying patient in severe pain would be acting morally ethical according to the principle of double effect. The action which would be administering the drug is considered to be a good action because it is relieving a persons pain and suffering. The intention of using the pain medication and administering it was to just relieve the pain of that person; the intention was not to harm or hasten death. Giving the medication to the patient achieves pain relief so that relief was brought about by mean of the good act not the bad effect of early death. Lastly the pain felt by most people that are dying is so severe that treating it is completely justifiable although a side effect could in fact produce an early death. If any of these criteria is violated then it can be considered as euthanasia or physician assisted suicide. Another question to be asked in this scenario is whether or not the action of giving pain medication is proportionate to the condition. In this case the condition is the severe amount of pain that the patient is feeling. There are two principles that are brought up here and they are the principle of proportionate and disproportionate means and the principle of ordinary and extraordinary means. These two principles are usually together and one is not usually applied without the other. These two principles are very important when making end of life decisions because they are about what is considered ethically acceptable when making end of life decisions and which ones are not according to Catholic ethics. These two principles generally refer to life sustaining actions by the health care staff but it can be expanded into what is considered proportionate or disproportionate interventions when caring for a patient that is dying and is in severe pain. In a situation in which a person is dying and is in severe pain, providing them with pain medication would not be considered disproportionate or extraordinary. Giving a person pain medication is not considered making a decision of whether or not that person should undergo or forgo a type of treatment. It is not making the decision of whether or not to sustain life. Providing the person in pain who is also dying is providing that person with a better quality of life for their end of life. The fact is, is that there has not been enough evidence to prove that administration of pain medication does promote an earlier death. It cannot be concluded that the giving of the persons medication and maintaining a persons pain by increasing the medication if needed does hasten death. There is no good or easy answer when tragedies occur. But to try and understand, we must step back and look at the big picture. God made everything perfect. When man sinned, that perfection was spoiled and our entire environment was tainted. The fact is we live in a world where evil abounds. It is rampant throughout every aspect of creation. We are subject to the actions of the people around us. God can and does intervene in some events, but why not others? Only he knows that answer, but the Bible teaches that there will be a time when he will end this world as we know it. In heaven, there will be no more death, sadness, pain, sickness, or suffering of any kind. One reason many of us suffer is because we do things that cause us pain. We dont eat right, so we have heart attacks. We drive carelessly or fast, so we have accidents. We smoke, so we get lung cancer. What about innocent children who are not responsible for their suffering? Why do they get sick? Maybe its because we do not live in a perfect world. God intended for us to have perfect bodies, perfect health, and freedom from pain and suffering. The world He created was originally perfect, just as he had planned it. But evil destroyed our perfect world. When sin entered the picture, it brought with it death, pain, and suffering. Dont misunderstand me, people do not suffer because of their own personal sins, necessarily; but because the world is changed because of sin being in the world. Jesus said, In this world, you will have tribulation. Just as in the case with Job, I believe that evil forces attack us and cause much suffering in an attempt to get people to blame God and turn away f rom Him. In order for God to preserve our rights as individuals (to choose for ourselves), he had to allow us the freedom to sin. He also had to allow the consequences of our behaviors. That means that he does not normally interfere with things which happen naturally in this world, such as sickness and disease caused by toxins in the environment, accidents as a result of risky behaviors, and natural disasters. God does not cause these natural consequences, but he does allow them. However, many times, he does intervene miraculously or work even in the worst of situations to bring about something good from them. Why would God allow anyone to suffer? Maybe so that people can increase their faith in him, increases their compassion for others, or be better able to encourage and help other hurting people (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). When reading through the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, there is one important directive that particularly applies to this situation. Directive number 61 states that all patients should be kept as free from pain as possible. This again goes to say that people that are dying need to be able to die with their dignity intact. It also states that a dying person should not be denied pain medication even if the indirect action of shortening their life occurs. There is one stipulation that applies to this directive. If the medications being used cause sedation of any kind, the health care member has an obligation of informing the patient of the effect. â€Å"The dying person has the right to be able to prepare for their death while being completely conscious† (USCCB, 2005). If for any reason that person is not able to be conscious there has to be a legitimate medical reason behind the decision. Under treating has become a large ethical dilemma in the healthcare world. More often than not there are people that are living and dying in pain. The problem with this is that with the readily available drugs that are out there to treat this problem, they are not being utilized (Miller, 2009). One of the biggest problems that arises is the lack of education amongst the health care professionals. The insufficient knowledge base surrounding the different pain medications and the research surrounding the effects on death has not been incorporated into the plan of care. As stated above the principle of double effect creates a problem for the health care professionals. The belief in this principle prevents them from properly treating the patient who is dying and has a severe amount of pain. The dignity of the patient has to remain as the top priority when approaching death. Part of maintaining a persons dignity is allowing the patient to make the informed decision of receiving pain medication. Every person has the right to a peaceful and painless death. It is essential that patients are given the proper types of medication needed for the type of pain they might be experiencing. The type of pain most commonly referred to at the end of life is moderate to severe pain. This requires due diligence on all health care professionals side of it. If the medication that is prescribed is no longer providing effective pain relief then the drug needs to be titrated accordingly. If the medication being used is at its highest dosage amount, then the drug needs to be changed. If this is the case then the patient needs to be informed of the change and educated on the new drug. This again allows the patient to be able to make decisions in their care, and allows them the sense of belonging that is still needed at the time of death. When the pain is not being managed in a person that is dying it is taking away their ability to be able to have the calm, spiritual, and family and friend oriented passing that is usually needed amongst the dying. By administering pain medication the patient is then able to concentrate on more important aspects of their life. Health care professionals have the ability to be able to control pain and suffering. To allow someone to die in pain or suffer would be not only medically immoral but it woul

Five Forces Framework in Personal Computer Industry (DELL) Essay

Introduction: Five Forces Framework in Personal Computer Industry Porter’s Five Forces Model is a model that analyzes an industry to help develop a business strategy. The model uses five forces that have been identified to categorize an industry as intensely competitive or not competitive at all and this will then determine the attractiveness of the market. For the purpose of this assignment, I will use the company that I work with before which is DELL as a case study. Dell Inc. (formerly known as Dell Computer) is an American multinational computer technology corporation based in Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells, repairs and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest technological corporations in the world, employing more than 103,300 people worldwide.  Dell opened its plants in Penang, Malaysia in 1995. They have two plants located in Bayan Lepas (AP 1) and Seberang Perai (AP 2). AP 1 is their main office while AP 2 is Dell Factory and office. In 2006, Dell opened its office in Cyberjaya. Most of the team located in here is for IT Support and Development. Currently they have about 900 people working in Dell Cyberjaya Office. According to Grant (2005), there are many features of an industry in which a company competes that determines the level of competition it will face and the profits it will get. The most famous classification was done by Michael Porter, known as Porters Five Forces framework which can help a company determine its potential profits by looking at five sources of competitive pressure. The five sources of competition are: 1. Competition from entrants 2. Competition from substitutes 3. Competition from established rivals 4. Bargaining power of suppliers 5. Bargaining power of buyers. Taking Dell as an example, I will perform the Porter’s Five Forces analysis on the personal computer industry to identify the state of this market. Porter’s Five Forces – Personal Computer Industry Threat of New Entrants The threat of new entrants in the personal computer industry is very weak. Currently the market is dominated by five major competitors who have nearly the entire market share; this will likely discourage any potential new companies from entering the market. A huge barrier to entry is also that the market requires significant investments to be made in research and development to continually develop innovative products as well as large fixed start-up costs for manufacturing and employees and customer service. Large firms have the capabilities of manufacturing at lower prices because of the advantage of economies of scale, where the will have fewer per unit costs as a result of their large scale production. Companies trying to enter the market will initially have smaller production and will consequently have higher prices. In the personal computer industry there is currently much  emphasis put on price because consumers have become more price sensitive as personal computers have become more or less a commodity. New entrants will not only have higher prices but they will likely have a less innovative product as well because they do not have equal funding for research and development as other established brands and they will also have to deal with the brand loyal customers that have trusted the existing players in the industry for years. By attempting to join the market without any market share it will also be important for a new entrant to focus its investments more heavily on advertising and marketing then existing brands. A new entrant to the personal computer market will likely not fare well and is almost guaranteed to always be a second mover as the larger companies will develop more innovative products more rapidly because of their many competitive advantages. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Suppliers in the personal computer industry can be categorized into three groups, including hardware suppliers, software suppliers and service suppliers. The core of their products are generally standardized and they compete by focusing on creating better, more advanced products at a better price and not through their attempts to differentiate them. As a result, firms within the industry are able to switch between their suppliers relatively easily. It is really in the hands of the firm and which strategy they are committed to that will determine whether or not they will utilize a high or low end supplier. With the quality of a computer being largely determined by their microprocessors and application system installed within them, suppliers of hardware and software within the industry play a critical role in the pricing of products. If a firm is following a high quality strategy then it can be expected that their prices will generally be higher to reflect the higher prices they are paying their suppliers In terms of service suppliers, the service that can be offered within the personal PC industry include internet, tech support and repair services. These suppliers focus highly on operational performance and relational performance in order to increase customer satisfaction. They also offer a variety of customer loyalty programs in attempts to lock in and expand their customer base while trying to gain the competitive edge over competitors within the service  industry of personal computers. While the PC industry changes regularly, it can be observed that only the central processing unit (CPU) is a key input. All other items are commodity in nature and so don’t command a bargaining power. Intel has a significant market power as it is a single major supplier of microprocessor and has an 80% of market share. Thus, Dell as computer manufacturer holds a power over the suppliers as opposed to the suppliers holding a power over the manufacturers. It is the suppliers that are in direct competition with each other. The suppliers are often forced to slash prices or merge with larger companies in order to survive. Hence, the bargaining power of suppliers is moderate. Bargaining Power of Buyers The personal computer industry is somewhat vulnerable against the bargaining power of buyers. In recent years customers have more and more alternative options to the personal computer. Smartphones, tablet computers, and other handheld devices like Ipods have most of the same capabilities as a personal computer. Because of the availability, sleekness, and trendiness of these alternatives, they have become increasingly popular making personal computers more and more obsolete. In order for the personal computer to compete with these newer alternative options, it must differentiate itself in order to regain market share. Large businesses, governments and schools which buy computers in large volumes have the power to bargain on price, quality and service. Personal computer buyers are price-sensitive. PC manufacturers can reduce a threat of buyer power by differentiating their product. DELL is the only PC manufacturer that applied direct model concept where buyers can directly buy computers with DELL without a so called middle man. By using this concept, computers cost per unit can be reduced. Furthermore, buyers are able to customize the PC based on their needs. The basis of the direct model concept is to improve efficiency by effectively eliminating the intermediaries thereby allowing the company to speak directly to the customer. Dealing directly with customers allows Dell to customize their orders according to the customers’ needs. But, despite  several ways in which manufacturers have differentiated their products and found ways to increase switching costs, customers still see units as very similar and thus choose primarily on price. Hence the bargaining power of buyers can be concluded to be strong. Rivalry among Existing Firms There is fierce competition between the top manufacturers in the personal computer industry. All of which are fighting to produce a low cost, powerful machine with the most efficient operating system. Firms specialize in different areas in order to compete amongst their rivals. Some focus on innovation and attempt to bring the newest technology to their customers first. Nevertheless, others may focus on their distribution channel and services throughout their firm. However, one of the fiercest areas is the price competition throughout the industry. As the PC has increasingly become a commodity in a household, the fight to keep costs low while bringing the best product to the market has become a never ending battle. One major factor in determining the quality of a personal computer is the microprocessor and application systems installed. As a result, there is a direct correlation between the firm’s profitability and the profitability of the firm’s suppliers. Main manufacturers namely DELL, IBM, HP, Acer and Apple are in competition to produce the least expensive and most efficient machine. Japanese companies such as Fujitsu, Toshiba, Sony and NEC also have large market shares. DELL is focusing on distribution channel and high quality service while others such IBM and Apple focus more on innovation. All these create differentiation to some extent. Low-cost production at DELL contributes its positive growth rate, while other major manufacturers are experiencing negative growth rates. Another important of competitive advantage is globalization. Many PC makers in the US now earn around 40% of their revenues in international markets. Although PC markets in the US, Europe and Japan have matured and the demand has slowed down, on the other hand demand in Asia Pacific is expected to grow. The effects of intense competition are beginning to be felt as companies exit via selling to other companies or simply exiting the industry altogether. For example, Compact Computers was acquired by Hewlett-Packet in 2002 while Xerox exited the computer business and concentrate on printers. Regardless of the number of  companies present, the computer industry will continue to expand and remain competitive for a number of years to come. Hence the threat to industry rivalry can be concluded to be strong. Threat of Substitutes and Complements Although it is very unlikely for a new entrant to join the personal computer industry there are currently other growing industries such as the smartphone and tablet industries which are predicted to affect the sales of personal computers. The smartphone and tablet industry have different major players, but their product offers similar benefits to consumers that a personal computer also has. As smartphones and tablets continue to increase in popularity and in performance the sales of personal computers will likely decline, as some consumers see these products as alternatives for one another. The internet can now be accessed through phones and tablets and they are more portable than a laptop. Currently laptops and personal computers offer many unique applications and are compatible with much more software than smartphones and tablets. If smartphones and tablets can attain greater memory space, processing speeds, and compatibility with similar software, smartphones and tablets may be an all-in-one alternative to personal computers. As technology continues to increase these separate industries may merge into one, or at least drastically affect each other. According to the guardian.com, Dell revenues slump by 11% year-on-year to $13.7 b as tablets and smartphones enter into market. In digitaltrends.com, PC shipments in 2013 show a decline over the previous year while tablet sales forecast to grow by a hefty 67.9 percent with 202 million sales. Moreover, in ctvnews.ca, it stated that PC sales continue to fall nearly 8 % as smartphones and tablets cut the demand. But, according to Michael Dell himself, the impact of smartphones and tablets will be limited to DELL, as it focused on the entire IT ecosystem. They have leading capabilities to manage customer information seamlessly and securely in multiple-device and BYOD environments, including virtualized desktop that you can access from any device. It is forecasted that 87% of connected devices sales by 2017 will be tablets and smartphones. Hence threat from substitutes is strong in the PC industry. Recommendation for DELL The following are the recommendations on how DELL can turn its existing product advantage to a competitive advantage: Dell’s origin is in U.S. It is important for DELL to launch its products in US first before branch out to Europe and Asia. What is happening now is the reverse tactics that will jeopardize the threats of Power of Buyers. Consumers are moving from PC to smartphones and tablets nowadays. Even though Dell launched its smartphone named Dell Streak in 2010, seems like this substitute for PC was failed to gain the market share. Dell streak is no longer available in the market not even after one year of its launch. Even though Dell streak was the first of its kind with 5-inch Android phones, the failure to continue the R&D makes Dell left far behind in smartphone and tablet industry compares to Samsung and Apple. DELL is focusing on distribution channel and high quality service for many years. Other rivalry such as Apple and IBM focus more on innovation. With the fast growing technology movement, it is time for Dell to focus more on innovation and R&D. Otherwise, it will left behind and face hard time to sustain in the PC makers market share.. Conclusion It can be conclude that the PC industry is fairly attractive for well-established, global and leading companies but not for new firms. Although cost of assembling a PC is low, the barrier to entry is fairly high because of the economics of scale and brand-loyalty. Providentially, the high barrier to entry provides strong competitive advantages to existing large companies like DELL. Nevertheless, PC manufacturer like Dell should especially focus on buyers, industry competitors and also substitutes for PC like smartphones and tablets to gain the market growth and sustainability of their profits.

Dream Vacation

I have wanted to go for a vacation for very long. The country for my dream vacation is Australia. Australia is a part of continent, oceanic. It is a big country with many attractions. I am going to share with you, in this essay, what attracts me such that I want to go Australia. There are many physical factors in Australia. One of them is desserts. I would like to go to a desert in Australia as there are many plants and animals at the deserts. I can so experience a bit of desert life and know more about deserts after going to one myself. Another physical factor is the rock formation in Australia that are formed natural. These rock formations make a good place to watch sunrise and sunsets. I am sure we do not want to miss such spectacle as it would be such a pity. Examples of such rock formations are Uluru, otherwise called Ayers Rock, which is a world heritage Site, Kata tjuta, also known as mount olga, and devils marbles. The third physical factor is the ranges,which consists of mountains and hills. The ranges let us see a series of mountains together. Climbing one of the mountain is a good experience for me as I had not tired mountain climbing before. Since they are ranges,there must be nice scenery there too. I would like to go there to see the beautiful scenery. Examples are Brindabella ranges, visible to the west of Canberra, and Flinders Ranges, the largest mountain range in South Australia. The fourth physical factor is the reefs in Australia. The most well known reef in Australia is the Great Barrier Reef, Australia’s greatest gift from nature. It consists of a lot of marine life and consists of over 3000 individual reef system. I would not miss this chance to see the world’s largest reef if I were to go on a vacation to Australia. The fifth physical factor,which is the last, is the rivers.

Definite and Indefinite Articles (The, A and An)

Definite and Indefinite Articles (The, A and An) Definite and Indefinite Articles (The, A and An) If English isn’t your first language, knowing when to use an article before a noun can be confusing. It can also be tricky to know which article to use. To help explain, in this post we’re looking at the definite (i.e., â€Å"the†) and indefinite (i.e., â€Å"a† and â€Å"an†) articles. The Definite Article (The) As the name â€Å"definite† suggests, we use the definite article (â€Å"the†) when referring to a particular person or object. This could be because: There is only one of something (e.g., â€Å"the President of the U.S.A.†) We’re using a superlative (e.g., â€Å"the cutest puppy†) â€Å"The† is also useful when referring to something the reader or listener is already familiar with. This might be because we’ve already mentioned or implied what it is: I read a book last week, but the story wasnt great. In this example, we use â€Å"the† in the second part of the sentence because it clearly refers back to the book mentioned in the first part. Many books. But which one is the book?(Photo: BookBabe) Similarly, we can use â€Å"the† when the context makes it clear what we’re discussing. For instance, if we say we’re â€Å"going to the gym,† this obviously implies a specific gym (i.e., the local one), not just any of the many gyms that might be available. We also use â€Å"the† when referring abstractly to every example of something with a singular noun. For instance, while we could use the plural â€Å"cats† in the sentence: Cats are furry animals. We could also say the same thing using the singular noun â€Å"cat† if we add â€Å"the† in front: The cat is a furry animal. In this case, â€Å"the cat† refers to the species â€Å"cat† in general, not to a specific cat. Cats: delightfully furry.(Photo: Patrizia08) Indefinite Articles (A and An) Also aptly named, indefinite articles are used for referring to something when it is one of many possible examples or one of a generic type. In the example above, for instance, saying that we read â€Å"a book† shows that it was one of many possible books we could have read. Likewise, if we were to say we needed â€Å"a plumber,† we’d be asking for any plumber who is available, not one specific plumber. Or toilet magician, as we like to call them.(Photo: Wonderlane/flickr) Whether to use â€Å"a† or â€Å"an,† meanwhile, depends on the sound at the beginning of the next word: If it starts with a consonant sound, use â€Å"a† (e.g., â€Å"a puppy†). If it begins with a vowel sound, you should use â€Å"an† (e.g., â€Å"an egg†). This isn’t always a matter of spelling, since some words that start with a consonant begin with a vowel sound (e.g., â€Å"an hour†), and some words that start with a vowel actually begin with a consonant sound (e.g., â€Å"a universal truth†). No Article Required Finally, keep in mind that some nouns don’t require an article in some situations. This is known as the â€Å"zero article.† Common examples include: Mass nouns and plural nouns used abstractly (e.g., â€Å"Wine is delicious†) Most proper nouns (e.g., â€Å"David is writing a blogpost†) Some forms of transport or delivery (e.g., â€Å"It was sent by mail†) Most countries and languages (e.g., â€Å"I went to China†) The zero article can be confusing, since it depends on how a word is used. For instance, while we might say we saw something â€Å"on television† (no article) when referring to television as a medium, we’d say â€Å"turn on the television† if referring to the TV set in our living room. Whats on the television?Looks like a typewriter.(Photo: The Photographer/wikimedia) Likewise, place names can be tricky, since some require â€Å"the† (e.g., â€Å"the University of Chicago†) and others don’t (e.g., â€Å"Colombia University†). Ultimately, knowing when articles are required is a matter of practice. The important thing is, therefore, to check when you’re not sure (getting your work proofread is also a good idea).

The Hunt For Red October - TC essays

The Hunt For Red October - TC essays About the authors relation to the book and the book itself: A mutiny on a Soviet destroyer stimulated Clancy to write Red October; it was an instant hit. This novel has been adapted for film, with Sean Connery as Cpt. Marko Ramius and Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan. Red October the movie was awarded one Oscar and became a box-office hit. Settings: Washington, Moscow, North Atlantic. Time: Friday, December 3, 1984, to Monday December 20, 1984. Clancys opus is structured in the 18 days in which the whole action takes place ( For example: THE ELEVENTH DAY: Monday, 13 December). A subdivision is made by headlines which determine the current place of action ( For example: THE RED OCTOBER or CIA HEADQUARTERS). After World War two a new balance of power had been created. The two super powers who, together with their allies, had been facing each other were on the one side the United States, or simply U.S., which stood for ideas like individuality and freedom of economy, and on the other side the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the U.S.S.R., which more likely enforced the ideas of a collective, and communist ideals. This bipolar image of the world was the basis for the, so called, cold war. For about 40 years the two adversaries were to compete on most sectors of the political, and prestige, world. For example the very well known space race. The competition as far as the power and influence of the military of the two super powers is concerned has to be seen as the most important basic for Clancys novel. All around the world both sides wanted to gain more and more influence, and to build up military bases, in order to be able to monitor any of the enemys steps and to react on them as quickly as possible. Both sides kept developing new weapon systems all the time to always keep up with the other side. Primarily the main aim of both sides was to be able to launch eno...

Sustainability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Sustainability - Essay Example The new millennium, however subjects sustainability to risks owing to its virility in population and economic growth, in addition to a shrinking supply of natural resources. These have raised an alarm, warning that some changes need to be effected if survival has two guaranteed, and changes which reflect mostly on human behavior. The following study text will develop around the current lifestyle and how it affects sustainability, plus what changes need to be inflicted for it to remain effective and preserved for the future. Contemporary lifestyles are against sustainability. According to â€Å"Sustainable Lifestyles† (10), these lifestyles are producing too much of what is unwanted while hurting the environment and impacting negatively on human living in all aspects. The first context affected is the usage of natural resources which is overwhelming in that water consumption, energy consumption, and raw materials for producing human necessities are drawn from it. This translates to decreasing water and vegetation cover volumes, and sustainability is weakening. Again with the improving economic abilities of people, the number of automobiles on the globe’s roads is approximated at 750 million, which together with the industries dump billions of carbon emissions into the atmosphere, causing extensive damage to the ozone layer. The third factor of concern is the eating habits wherein the globe has turned down healthy eating and taken to unhealthy eating habits which are causing harm to their o wn lives. Unhealthy eating causes health complications such as obesity, which is a leading health disorder today. Worse still, they increase the chances of one contracting Coronary heart diseases, and these affect people who often consume fatty foods or are smokers. In addition to other factors such as lack of exercise and increasing technology, these elements subject sustainability to danger. Whereas the above

Instructions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Instructions - Assignment Example These performances include some elements of Western and Eastern cultures mixed together. They are expressive and emotional; yet they have some hypnotic features which make people think about the sense of their being in the world. It seems that some dancers almost do not move; however, one needs to understand that static poses are sometimes more difficult that dynamic movements.  The costumers, music, lighting and decorations support each performance and create necessary settings where choreography of the dance can be understood by spectators. It is difficult to talk about Shen Wei Dance Arts   performances in general because each of them is unique. This is the case when a new abstract art renders postmodern understanding of life where the lines between good and bad, beautiful and ugly are blurred. It is a combination of something people usually do not combine and a fresh point of view on art and dance in