Medical Assistant Certifications, RMA and CMA
January 21, 2012 | 
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Medical assistant certification is voluntary, as it is not required by law for a working medical assistant to be certified. Some employers do require certification as a pre-requisite for employment. Additionally, some of the job tasks of medical assistants require certification by some states. These may include performing x-rays and drawing blood.
There two separate types of medical assistant certification. One is Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) or Registered Medical Assistant (RMA).
Both of these certifications require graduation from an accredited medical assistant program. The program must be accredited wither by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) or the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (CAAHEP).
The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA) is the institution that awards CMA’s. In order to obtain a CMA (AAMA) you must graduate from an accredited medical assisting program and pass the CMA (AAMA) Certification/Recertification Examination.
An accredited medical assisting program will include training in the following areas:
o Human anatomy, physiology and pathology
o Medical terminology
o Keyboarding and computer applications
o Recordkeeping and accounting
o Coding and insurance processing
o Laboratory techniques
o Clinical and diagnostic procedures
o Pharmacology
o Medication administration
o First aid
o Office practices
o Patient relations
o Medical law and ethics
Once you complete a training program you can schedule and complete the certification exam.
The AMAA website has helpful information about finding an accredited program and everything you need to know about the exam.
The American Medical Technologists (AMT) awards RMA’s. To receive an RMA you must have the pre-requisites, submit an application to take the RMA exam, and of course pass the examThe pre-requisites are:
1. you must be of good moral character
2. meet one of the 3 following requirements
a. applicant must be a recent graduate from an accredited medical assistant program or a formal medical services training program of the United States Armed Forces;
b. applicant must have been employed as a medical assistant for 5 years; or
c. applicant has passed a generalist medical assistant certification examination offered by another medical assisting certification body.
For more detailed information about the receiving RMA (AMT) certification, visit AMT’s website.
Cyberethics (Information System Ethics)
In order to examine ethical issues, it is first necessary to define ethics. Today, we regard ethics as a “rational process founded on certain principles.” However, I believe a definition that is more applicable to this project is the ethical theory that existed in ancient Greece. There, ethics was the study of what was good for both the individual and society. We will look at some online issues and how they may be good and/or bad for society. Cyberethics is quite simply the study of ethics on the Internet.
“Ethics begins when elements within a moral system conflict.”
Cyberethics is often called as Information System Ethics. Information System ethics can be defined as “The study of moral, legal, ethical issues involving the use of information and communication technologies”
There are many unique challenges we face in this age of information. They stem from the nature of information itself. Information is the means through which the mind expands and increases its capacity to achieve its goals, often as the result of an input from another mind. Thus, information forms the intellectual capital from which human beings craft their lives and secure dignity.
However, the building of intellectual capital is vulnerable in many ways. For example, people’s intellectual capital is impaired whenever they lose their personal information without being compensated for it, when they are precluded access to information which is of value to them, when they have revealed information they hold intimate, or when they find out that the information upon which their living depends is in error. The social contract among people in the information age must deal with these threats to human dignity. The ethical issues involved are many and varied in Information System Ethics.
Ethics is required in information Systems to overcome the following ethical issues.
Privacy: What information about one’s self or one’s associations must a person reveal to others, under what conditions and with what safeguards? What things can people keep to themselves and not be forced to reveal to others?
Accuracy: Who is responsible for the authenticity, fidelity and accuracy of information? Similarly, who is to be held accountable for errors in information and how is the injured party to be made whole?
Property: Who owns information? What are the just and fair prices for its exchange? Who owns the channels, especially the airways, through which information is transmitted? How should access to this scarce resource be allocated?
Accessibility: What information does a person or an organization have a right or a privilege to obtain, under what conditions and with what safeguards?
Information System ethics explores and evaluates:
o the development of moral values in the information field,
o the creation of new power structures in the information field, information myths,
o hidden contradictions and intentionality’s in information theories and practices,
o the development of ethical conflicts in the information field. etc
Now let us take a look at privacy by the following examples. A few years ago, Florida lawmakers gave the go ahead to have monitors stationed in bathrooms at Tallahassee Community College to determine if the facilities were being underutilized. Students and faculty vehemently protested that the monitors violated their privacy. State officials said that the value of the information gained through the study was more important than the threat to privacy. Other issues like collection of private data of the users using internet by monitoring the traffic is strongly related to one’s policy as that information can be further used for illegal purposes. These types of privacy issues are needed to be addressed properly so that they should not exploit one’s freedom. One issue that I kept thinking about when I was constructing my Web page was whether it was ethical to lift an image from someone’s home page and use it on my Web page without crediting the source. Such ethical issues come under property.
One reason that topics such as online gambling and pornography have become such firestorms of controversy in cyberspace is the simple fact that so many people have access to the Web sites. Simply put, if no one had access to online pornography no one would care. With this another issue “Censorship” comes which should be deal in efficient way as it is not easy to implement. Ethical issues can also be religious, moral or any other.These type of issues are not easy to deal with.
Similarly, let us take China into consideration on the issue of “Censorship”. China has implemented the methods of censoring the internet that are somewhat harder to bypass for people generally unfamiliar with the way internet works. There is ,for example internet censorship as implemented in China–using a list of banned words that are censored on the fly. As users in china request a webpage , the incoming page is first inspected by government servers n blocked if a banned term such as “Democracy” is present. Human censors are also actively looking at what people browse on the internet, and block websites as they see fit.
Crimes on internet are also increasing in a continuous manner.Computer crime is a general term that embraces such crimes as phishing, credit card frauds, bank robbery, Industrial espionage, child porn, kidnapping children via chat rooms, scams, cyber terrorism, viruses, spam and so on. All such crimes are computer related and facilitated crimes. Many recent cases seen like Microsoft’s website was brought down for a little time resulting in a huge loss to Microsoft. Similarly, NUST, one of the best considered university in Pakistan got Hacked and redirected to another domain. Credit card fraud have grown in an increasingly manner. Leakage of Military information from internet is another internet crime. Software known as google earth, which shows information about different places including military land or can lead to robbery planning, is becoming an ethical issue around the world. Many people protest against this leakage of information but still one can’t deny that it is one of the major enhancements in Information Technology.
The question about how to police these crimes has already been constructed, but this task is turning out to be an uphill battle. Since the first computer crime law, the Counterfeit Access Device and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1984, the governments have been trying to track down and stop online criminals. The FBI of different countries have tried many programs and investigations in order to deter Internet crime, like creating an online crime registry for employers .The reality is that Internet criminals are rarely caught. One reason is that hackers will use one computer in one country to hack another computer in another country. And that criminal isn’t working alone. Loosely organized groups–which security experts call “Web gangs”–conduct much of the illegal activity online. The structure of Web gangs may be patterned on that of traditional organized crime, in which the members of the group may never come into contact with one another and may never be aware of who they are working for.
Conclusion:
We live in an exciting time in history. The widespread availability of computers and Internet connections provides unprecedented opportunities to communicate and learn. Unfortunately, although most people use the Internet as a powerful and beneficial tool for communication and education, some individuals exploit the power of the Internet for criminal or terrorist purposes.
We can minimize the harm that such individuals do by learning ourselves, and teaching young people, how to use the Internet safely and responsibly. The term “cyberethics” refers to a code of safe and responsible behavior for the Internet community. Practicing good cyberethics involves understanding the risks of harmful and illegal behavior online and learning how to protect ourselves, and other Internet users, from such behavior. It also involves teaching young people, who may not realize the potential for harm to themselves and others, how to use the Internet safely and responsibly.
Using Government Grants For Debt Relief
When looking to pay off credit card debt, one of the most overlooked options many people have are government grants. Many people do not look into these grants because they simply do not know about them. However, the government sets aside billions each year just for this purpose, to give them away. If you are one of the millions of people who are suffering from credit card debt, you definitely want to consider applying for a grant from the government.
Government grants are available, the key is finding them. If you are looking for debt relief, you should understand that there are ways to get out of this debt and it is up to you to seek the help you need and deserve. We all get into trouble now and then with our financial situation, however, if the help is available, why not take advantage of it.
Why do these grants make more sense when it comes to credit card debt elimination? Simply put, these grants are far easier to obtain than traditional loans. Traditional loans may require some form of collateral or security deposit, grants do not require these because they are provided by the government.
The key to grants is to be creative. The government is willing to jump-start the economy by providing small business grants. If you apply for and receive a grant for several thousand dollars, you can eliminate your debt by using the money earned in your business to pay them off.
In order to get the grant the people accepting your application will need to review your situation. In other words, they will be looking at many things. First, they will be looking at if you have the ability to pay the money you currently owe, then they will take a look at the debts you currently have, and finally your financial ability to repay what you owe and still maintain your current debt. If you can prove that you cannot pay back this money, the grant will likely be yours.
Government grants can do many things for you. First, they can provide you with the money you need for debt relief without having to provide security or collateral. Second, these grants can save you from having to file for bankruptcy. Third, no repayment is necessary, this is type of financial aid, and it cannot be taxed and does not accrue any interest. Finally, it can instantly make you debt free, which cannot be said about other types of debt relief solutions.
Overall, obtaining a government grant just makes sense when you are swimming in debt that you cannot get out of.
MRT Testing Is Helpful For Food Intolerance And Sensitivity That Is Not Caused By Food Allergies
Food intolerance and sensitivity reactions that are not due to an allergy:
Certain foods, additives and chemicals are capable of triggering immune reactions that are not due to allergies. Chemicals mediators released by the immune system are capable of producing a variety of body reactions and symptoms. Avoiding foods that produce such reactions is suppose to resolve or at least significantly improve symptoms resulting from eating those foods. Mediator release (MRT) testing measures the release of chemical mediators from white blood cells and platelets in response to specific foods, additives or chemicals. Such chemical reactions presumably indicate sensitivity to these foods or additives.
Principles of commercially available mediator release testing (MRT):
Commercially available mediator release testing (MRT, Signet Diagnostic Corporation, http://www.nowleap.com) is based on measuring in the blood the reaction of various immune mediator chemicals released into in response to a food or chemical to which you have become sensitive or intolerant. The result is that when exposed to such foods or chemicals your blood cells release various chemicals that cause an alteration of the ratio of solids (cells) to liquid (serum) in your blood that can be measured. The white blood cells and platelets shrink and the volume of the liquid increases. The degree of change can be measured and reported as mild or moderate to severe corresponding with the degree of sensitivity to that particular food, additive or chemical.
Test results of 150 foods and chemicals combined with elimination diet and counseling:
A panel of 150 food and chemicals (123 foods and 27 chemicals) is available. The foods or chemicals producing abnormal reactions are summarized in color tables provided along with a comprehensive report containing a result’s based specific elimination diet plan supplemented with several hours of personalized counseling from a dietician.
Insurance coverage for MRT food sensitivity and intolerance testing:
Several insurance carriers pay for at least a portion of the cost of this testing however because it is considered “out of network” for most plans patients are usually responsible for payment of the service. Some carriers consider the testing “experimental” or not validated and therefore do not cover the testing.
Conditions benefited by MRT testing include migraines, IBS, fatigue and fibromyalgia:
Signet markets the testing for several conditions based on limited published research combined with their extensive clinical experience and patient testimonials. They claim success with reducing or eliminating a myriad of symptoms or conditions. These include migraines, headaches, autistic behavior, anxiety, depression, ADD, sinus and ear, nose and throat problems, irritable bowel syndrome, vomiting syndromes, Celiac, chronic stomachaches, bladder problems, fibromyalgia, arthritis, eczema, hives, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Skeptical doctor and frustrated patients look for answers:
Initially, I was skeptical about MRT. However, I began advocating it several months ago because many of my patients had ongoing symptoms or findings that suggested an ongoing food intolerance or sensitivity but the testing available to us could not tell us what food or foods may be a problem. After reviewing the available research data I concluded MRT testing had adequate scientific basis to recommend it as an option to those who were interested and would consider making dietary changes based on the results.
Expert food allergy doctor and patients find MRT testing helpful and worthwhile:
So far, my experience is that most of those who have undergone the testing and implemented dietary changes as a result have noted significant improvement in a variety of digestive and non-digestive symptoms. I have also noted some very interesting patterns in people with other allergies. There appears to be a strong correlation with food-pollen cross reactions, more commonly known as the oral allergy syndrome (OAS). I am following this systematically and hope to report my observations formally in the future.
Previously available testing and diet interventions fail to provide relief in some patients:
All of my patients who have decided to undergo MRT testing have already been tested for Celiac disease and most have had food allergy testing as well as both upper and lower endoscopy exams with biopsies. All also had already tried dietary interventions. Some have had tests that confirmed one or more food allergies, Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity or have presence of mast cell enterocolitis; eosinophilic esophagitis, gastroenteritis or colitis; or lymphocytic enteritis. Though most had some improvement with dietary interventions based on their previous tests, many had ongoing symptoms with or without inconclusive or negative food allergy testing.
Get MRT testing and try an elimination diet:
I believe MRT testing is a helpful addition to the evaluation and treatment of food intolerance. The testing does require a doctor’s order. If your doctor is not familiar with the testing they can learn more at http://www.nowleap.com. If your doctor will not order the testing Signet can help you locate a doctor in your area or you can obtain the testing as part of an on-line consultation. An elimination diet based on specific foods to which you are intolerant but not necessarily allergic to may be the key to relief from a variety of symptoms and conditions. If you are suspecting a food intolerance, get tested today.
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Tags: Allergies, Caused, Helpful, Intolerance, Sensitivity, Testing | 
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Download Free Shed Plans and Blueprints to Build Your Outdoor Storage Or Garden Shed
If you are planning on building a garden or storage shed you will need some type of plan. It doesn’t matter if you are a novice or a pro, you need guidelines. There are many sources to obtain free shed blueprints and plans.
If you are a novice and the word blueprint scares you, relax. These are simple detailed drawings that show everything that you are going to need to know to build your shed. They are no different than a travel map. It simply tells you that you need to travel from one step to the next, and what you need to get there.
So why bother with free shed plans? How often have you purchased an item, and then when you got it home, you wished you had bought the deluxe version, or vice versa? It’s the same with plans. You go to all the trouble of picking one, purchasing it, then get it home, and for one of several reasons it just isn’t want you want. If its free, then you have lost nothing, you can just go and find another one. You can do this several times if you need to until you find the perfect one for you.
Ok it’s a great idea. Now where do we go to find these free shed blueprints and plans? To start with you could check out your local home improvement stores. Some of these have some great options. They often will have a series of standard plans in stock. They will give some of these to you free of charge, in the hopes that you will buy your materials from them. These plans usually consist of the majority of items they carry in their store. Some of them have even written their own series.
Another option is take in a rough sketch of the details of what you are looking for. Many building suppliers will draft up blueprints and plans for you. They may offer to do this for you with some type of commitment that you will purchase supplies from them. Sometimes they will offer this as free deal as a promotion.
Then there is always the internet. Lots of sites are willing to give away the prints and plans for free. Not because they are generous, but because they hope it will entice you to purchase some of the other items they carry.
These items are usually applicable to what they are giving you at no charge. For example if they give you all the drawings and plans you need., then you are going to have to know how to do the things that the plan says. This is where the extras come in. Perhaps the company that gave you the free shed plans sells some self help, or do it yourself books.
They would be pleased to sell these to you. This is not being sneaky. In fact its an excellent business proposal. They help you identify what you need and then offer support where you need it. With the combination of your plans, and the self help books you need, you’re ready to build one good looking shed!
10 Tips to Have a Muscular Body
When it comes to having a muscular body you can find all types of ways to achieve your goal of having a muscular body. If you work at it and stay on track you can achieve a muscular body in the matter of months. Avoid jumping in and starting to quickly, just take your time and learn the basics to avoid any injuries. These are ten tips to have a muscular body:
The first and most obvious tip to have a great body is lifting weights. When you lift weights you should remember to train each body part only once a week. Over training of one specific body part will result in your body not responding and you not developing muscle.
The second tip to have a toned body is eating properly. Many are mistaken and don’t eat the proper amount of food while working to obtain a muscular body. If the protein in your body is not high enough then you will not obtain a healthy body.
The third tip to have a healthy body is to avoid body building injuries. In most cases if a workout is not done correctly it can cause painful and permanent injuries, which will cause you take longer to obtain your toned body.
The fourth tip to have a great looking body is to be sure to sleep more than eight hours a day because your muscles only grow while you are asleep. Sleep is a key factor to obtaining a great tone for your body be sure to get enough sleep allowing those muscles to grow.
The fifth tip to having a well toned body is to not train to long. It is recommended to only train an hour every time you train. Over training will cause your body to adapt to the exercises and stop growing muscle.
The sixth tip to obtain a well defined body is once you have trained each body part you must increase your number of reps, otherwise the muscles will have no need to grow.
The seventh tip to obtain a great body is to change your workout routine every six to eight weeks. This ensures that your muscles don’t adapt to your routine and stop growing.
The eighth tip to obtain a well toned body is to pick a workout program and stick to it very strictly. If you want a fantastic body you must work hard and be disciplined.
The ninth tip to obtaining a muscular body is to train your muscles with free weights. This allows you to work on more than one muscle at a time allowing you to achieve a muscular body.
The tenth an final tip to obtain a well toned body is to never use drugs and alcohol because they decrease muscle tone and all types of different affects to the body.
Those are ten tips to obtain a great body. All you have to do is stay on your routine and you will be able to obtain the muscular body of your dreams.
Sustaining Competitive Advantage
A competitive advantage could simply be defined as the advantage or ability a firm has over its rivals in the industry; or the ability a firm has to outperform its industry rivals.
A firm is said to have a competitive advantage when it has the capabilities or means to push out its rivals in striving for the favour of customers. This applies internationally or locally as well as to both services and products.Thus, a sustainable competitive advantage is the persistence the firm applies despite efforts by competitors or potential entrants to copy or overtake it. Sustainability therefore, requires that strategic assets are not easily available to others and imperfectly mobile. This will be considered later.
Porter (1990) states that, though not all nations are in the forefront of competition, the home nation which shapes the competitive advantage is the starting point for a firm’s competitive advantage and also from which it must be sustained. However, in whatever field of endeavor, competitive advantage creation must be a choice of management and it must really fit to achieve results. It must be noted here that competitive advantage can normally be traced to one of three roots:
Superior resources, superior skills and superior positions.
Competitive strategy is one of the ways in which a business relates to its environment by competing with other firms who are also trying to adapt within the operating environment. It is with this aspect- the competitive strategy which if appropriately chosen and implemented appropriately give the firm a competitive advantage over its rivals.
It must be noted here that the prescriptive view of strategic planning emphasizes the importance of the organizational environment as a source of threats and opportunities and the need for effective responses by the organization if survival was to be assured and the success achieved. The response is later formulated into plan which formulates major decisions about entry into new markets or development of new products and services guided by set goals. Under the influence of Porter’s writings in the 1980s the emphasis shifted from the plan to the selection of an appropriate generic strategy to position the business unit in its competitive environment. Porter, arguing that the environment poses threats and brings opportunities than with trends and events, suggested that the environment could be analyzed using the five forces analysis to identify the issues which affect the level of competition in an industry; after which a strategy is formulated to combat it.
The resultant strategy, which he referred to as generic, distinguished some strategic options the firm can possess:
Cost leadership: the business could position itself as offering a low cost product as a standard price i.e. cost leadership strategy. Costs are reduced at every element of the value chain. Producers can exploit the benefits of a bigger margin than the competitors. Toyota is a good example of an organization that produces quality cars at low price coupled with a brand and marketing skills to use a premium pricing policy.
It could offer a product that was different from that offered by rivals. I.e. differentiation. This allows companies to make prices less sensitive and focus on value that generates a comparatively higher price and a better margin. Even though additional costs will be incurred pursuing differentiation, it is possible that this will be offset by the increased revenue generated by the sales.
By focusing on a small but well-defined part of the market, for instance a particular buying group or product area or geographical area. Also known as niche, this is usually suitable for a small company i.e. focus strategy.
Generic Competitive strategy, usually used after competitive analysis or as a response to competitors advantage, is defined as the basis on which a strategic business unit (SBU) might achieve or counter competitive advantage in its market. (Johnson and Scholes, 5th Edition.)
Building on Porter’s (1980) generic competitive strategies, Bowman et al argues that organizations achieve competitive advantage by providing their customers with what they want, or need better or more effectively than competitors and making it difficult for competitors to imitate. This was later developed into five generic strategies which would be used in this discussion. Thus, the generic competitive strategies are the fundamental activities on which an SBU seeks to achieve a lasting advantageous position in its environment and gaining the favor of stakeholders by meeting the expectations of buyers, users or other stakeholders
The following are Bowman’s five-generic competitive strategy options and examples of organizations who applied them to gain competitive advantage: no frills strategy, low price strategy, hybrid strategy, focused differentiation strategy and added value or differentiation strategy.
In brief, a no frills strategy combines a low price, low perceived added value and targets a price-sensitive market. No frills strategy is now a popular strategy with low-cos airlines Easy Jet and Ryanair seeking to enter the airline industry to compete with likes of Virgin and is a determinant in the market. This, therefore, affords the firm the needed competitive edge over its competitors who charge higher price. This strategy is a success because there could possibly be a segment of the market that overlooks the low quality of the commodity provided it fulfills the same purpose.
To obtain the competitive advantage using no fills strategy revenues must increase and the product must really be price-sensitive. Easy Jet frills strategy seems to be going on well as a result of the cost savings techniques they are using. For instance no ticketing, no ticket agents, no in-flight food or drink for customers as well as the short-haul flight. Now, almost all supermarkets in the UK use no frills strategy by introducing own brands the price of which have been reduced to attract customers in order to gain a competitive advantage.
The next generic strategy is the low price strategy. This strategy pursues a lower price than pertains in the market whilst trying to maintain similar value of product or service as those offered by competitor alike. There is the potential of price war among competitors and in the long run consumers are likely to lose as the firms might not be able to sustain the lower-price-good-value strategy. Notwithstanding the price war and low margins, there are some suggested ways in which a low-priced strategy can bring about a firms competitive advantage. The market segment must be low-price sensitive, and also the SBU has a cost advantage over its competitors.
However, in practice, the lower price strategy usually brought about by lowering operational cost alone does not give the firm the competitive advantage if the firm is not able to sustain it in the long-term as there are now more firms entering the market because of low or no entry barriers like small capital requirements and also how efficient the staff might be.
Hybrid competitive strategy seeks to achieve differentiation and a price lower than that of competitors simultaneously. This is not an easy strategy to pursue because to differentiate a product or service involves some money and increases cost the very thing the low price seeks to reduce. This strategy is fit for the DIY industry as the likes of Robert Dyas are not able to stand the competition. The success of this is dependent on providing unique more efficient products or services to consumers whilst at the same time operating at a lower cost to be able to lower its price below the industry level. The success of this strategy could further be enhanced if the firm has economies of scale and can increase volume of sales more than its competitors, thereby, reducing its base cost as a result. Asda’s George brand is an example of a generic hybrid strategy in a SBU.
Another strategy is differentiation strategy. This seeks to provide products or services completely different from those of its competitors by adding features valued by consumers. The main objective of using this is to either maintain the market share or increase market share relative to its competitors. A clear example of this is aircraft manufacturer Airbus’s wider fuselages, cockpits designed for use in more than one aircraft and electrical rather than mechanical flight controls.
Those features have helped Airbus win customers like New York-based Jet blue; although Jet Blue is staffed with former employees from Boeing. (Fortune, Europe Edition 22 November 17th 2003; pp34) This strategy could be used to achieve a competitive advantage which is its ultimate aim by the firm investing more in R&D, unique designs and features. The marketing-based approaches in terms of good marketing communication (example advertising the products or services) as well as the brand power to win the loyalty of consumers. (Example Airbus)
The fifth generic competitive strategy is the focused differentiation strategy which seeks to provide high perceived value; justifying a substantial price premium usually to a selected market, segment. It is usually adopted to counter or to compete others in seemingly similar segment. This could therefore be argued that focused differentiation is just an extension of any of the four strategies so far considered depending on the competitors in this new segment which is usually middle to high income earners. A convincing example is the introduction of Lexus in 1989 by Toyota to compete with other luxury brands of BMW and Mercedes Benz new series.
For the focused differentiation strategy to be used to obtain a competitive advantage over competitors in the industry, the business unit must find ways to make the production more efficient to be able to pass on the savings to customers. The business unit must identify new segments and must also be prepared to aggressively create new market segment where it is believed first movers get huge advantage. Again Toyota prides itself in this by being the first to introduce a brand,scion,specifically for young buyers in January, 2003 which was a success and the introduction of hybrids in 1997 selling 127,000 far more than Honda.( Hybrid uses two engines and is environmentally friendly.) (Fortune, Europe Edition, Number 24 December 22 2003; pp57).
The essence of the various strategies discussed so far is to create or add value to the products or services in order to give improved and or enough satisfaction to the customer so that the firm will gain a competitive advantage over its rivals. However, it is one thing for a firm to gain a competitive advantage and another to sustain the competitive advantage so gained. So when a firm is able to get a competitive advantage over its competitors, it becomes expedient to try to sustain this advantage.
Some of the ways to sustain the competitive advantage is by what is described as isolating mechanism. This is the application of forces like barriers of imitation which limit the extent to which a competitive advantage can be duplicated or matched or even possibly scrapped through the resource creation activities of other firms. Though similar in principle to the barrier of entry force, whereas the entry barriers protect profitability of an entire industry, isolating mechanisms sustain the competitive advantage of a single firm. For example legal barriers like trademarks, patents or intellectual property rights as in Microsoft’s case.
It could also be for the mere fact that the leading firm makes it difficult for the competitor to catch up with the firm’s technology because it entered the market earlier and it continues to research and might be able to move to a superior position by the time its competitors catch up. This is known as the early mover advantage. Because the business unit has entered the market earlier, the past success in the market is believed to sustain the firm.
Nevertheless, no matter how discrete the strategy adopted to gain the sustainable competitive advantage or enough satisfaction that the customer may get as well as the mechanisms put in place to sustain the competitive edge, simple economics has proved that man’s needs are insatiable and with the information technology age, there is an improved dynamism in business that products and services can become obsolete before they even reach the next user.
The question is can the firm continue to create more economic value than its competitors now than then?
Now with the advent of information systems and technology, this traditional way of competitive advantage or competitive edge has, therefore, taken a different turn. Information gathering and I mean a competitive information gathering in deed can to some large extent make a difference to a firm’s position in an industry and for that matter affect its competitive advantage one way or the other.
A good and recent example is Asda installing radio frequency identification (RFID) system, a device which could be used to scan bar codes of incoming goods which could save Asda $8.35 billion annually through improvement in its supply chain management. Fortune, Wal-Mart keeps the change, November 10,2003pp 23.
Firms can either use their own database or an informational gathering software to track its operations and get the required information like inventory, customers, and trends of competitors’ performance and about the fast moving products to formulate their strategies or form what is known as information partnerships for the purpose of sharing information to gain competitive or strategic advantage; and even link their systems with some competitors to achieve synergies.
This is becoming important as a result of the fact that competition in the business world today is not only within a particular industry one operates but can also be cross-competition with people in other related industry like universities and publishers competing due to forward and backward integrations. Baxter Healthcare International is known to offer medical supplies from its competitors and office supplies through its electronic ordering channel to its customers. By doing this the firm increases its customer base as well as loyalty of its customers is enhanced.
At this juncture, the statement that “there is no such thing as a sustainable competitive advantage” can be considered in relation to the circumstances that happened in Sears, which used to be USA’s largest retailer until Wal-mart overtook it after a diversification strategy went bust in spite of the fact that it (Sears) has been heavily computerized with more expenditure going into information technology and networking than all other non-computer firms in the United states apart from Boeing. So why couldn’t this huge amount spent in computers and networking been able to give them the competitive edge over its rivals? Is it due to the fact that the hardware alone is not sufficient to provide the information needed unless it is integrated with the appropriate software? Sears did exactly that.
Trying to reinvent itself, Sears started to explore almost all strategies including low pricing strategy, delayering, improved marketing ploys as well as embarking on a $4billion five-year store renovation to make the stores more attractive. All to no avail.
Then Sears noticed that, its merchandise buyers do not have reliable information on precisely what customers were buying at each store. Management was relying on 18 separate systems that often gave conflicting and redundant pricing information. They could only view a division’s daily performance. This was not good for a firm of Sears’s stature. Sears later tightened its grips over the business once again by building a larger database involving the consolidation of information on transaction records,90 million households,31million Sears’ card users, their credit status, and other related data.
The database houses the company’s Strategic Performance Reporting System (SPRS).Now Sears’ 1,000 buyers and managers know what hot-selling merchandise to replenish right away. This competitive information gathering to some extent helped turn around Sears. Its store sales started rising and planed to join partnership with AOL to boost its online business by targeting AOL’s 21 million customers by developing content for AOL on subjects such as how to build a deck, tips on home decorating and other home improvement topics; and also move its suppliers to an electronic ordering system similar to that described for Baxter Healthcare, by linking its computerized ordering system directly to that of each supplier to eliminate paperwork completely for an improved flow of goods into its stores.
As previously discussed, if a firm can keep or maintain its lead on creating value, leveraging strategic assets for example access to efficient distribution channels, maintain market position and may be low cost advantage then it can be said to have a sustainable competitive advantage. This is absolutely not possible in this dynamic business world. The most difficult part of this is that the firm must create more economic value than its competitors every now and then. Will its competitors be looking on without doing anything?
Microsoft for example is spending billions of dollars to develop its own search engine that will be incorporated in both its online service MSN and its new operating system due in 2006 to combat Google’s dominance in the search engine industry. (Fortune, 22 December 2003pp 17).
In my own opinion based on the discussions above, if really sustainable competitive advantage is the persistence of a firm’s ability to outperform its industry, then suffice it to say that, as much as gathering and use of competitive information as illustrated in the Sears’ story above can give a firm a (sustainable) competitive advantage, it is really difficult if not impossible to sustain any competitive advantage for a very long time. This is so because of the rate of technological changes, changes in business strategies, and the fact that customers’ loyalty can wane and affect sales leading to a fall in market share and thus competitive advantage. Boeing was overtaken by Airbus in the aviation industry at some time. Sears’ leadership was taken away by Wal-mart.
In spite of the availability of choice of the five generic strategies, it is supposed that the onus of their success rests with management and how the technology and the information gathered are blended for use. This is so because a careful monitoring and evaluation constantly and the right identification and proper timing of a particular segment are keys to the success of these strategies due to market dynamism.
REFERENCE
Can Sears reinvent it? A case study taken from London South Bank University IS.
Davenport, T.H; Prusak, L. (1998) Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What They Know. Havard Business School Press, Boston, Ma.
Fortune, December 13,2004, pp59
http://informationr.net/ir/8-1/paper144.html
Laudon, K.C; Laudon, J.P. (2004) Management Information Systems: managing the digital firm, 8th edition, USA: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Scholes, K.and Johnson, G (1999) Exploring corporate strategy, 5th Edition. London: F.T Prentice Hall.
Sheila,C.Main Article: Knowledge Management, issue 18,2004
Yogesh, M. B. The Company, – What Really is Knowledge Management? Crossing the Chasm of Hope. Gartner Group Inc.,October 1996
How To Obtain An Emergency Passport
For anyone who may be considering travel outside the country in the next ten days or anyone who may have lost their documentation and finds themselves in need, there are emergency passport services available. These documents, known as limited-validity passports, can be obtained quickly and can remain valid for up to a year. In most cases they are valid for only the amount of time needed, however they can be extended when necessary.
The Documents
Those who find the need for these types of documents are often traveling outside the country for either business or personal needs and either lose their documents or become victims of theft. In either case, a traveler can submit an emergency application in person at the closest United States Embassy. Often these applications can be processed in a little as two hours. Prior to requesting this service, it may be beneficial to report the missing papers to the local police whenever possible. In fact in some cases such a report is required.
The Fees
And while there are fees involved, it is the same fee assessed when applying for a regular passport. Once back home, the charge for replacing limited-validity documents with full-validity ones can be eliminated so long as the applicant submits the appropriate paperwork before the limited documents expire. After this deadline, the normal fee is applied.
The Application
For those who are US citizens but are living outside the country, an application for a passport can be made through the US Embassy that is local to their residence. People who currently live inside the United States must fill out the required documentation and mail their application in for processing. Keep in mind that emergency documents must be requested in person. There are no current exceptions to this requirement.
The ID
Often times certain documentation will be needed for a successful applicant. Either one of several identification papers will usually suffice. These can include previous passports, certified certificates of birth, certificates of citizenship and naturalization certificates. Other items are also accepted if either of these are not available.
The Secondary Documents
Known as secondary documentation, people can prove their identity for a passport application by providing hospital birth certificates, baptismal certificates, records from a census and sometimes even early school records will do. Either of these must be paired with either a birth record or a letter of no record. Anyone applying who is under the age of fourteen will need the signature of both parents on record.
The Processing
Processing can be done through third party expediting services too. There are many options here and most offer twenty-four hour turn around. Remember that prices can vary widely so comparing prices and services offered is a good idea whenever possible.
Rental Property Grants – Free Money For Investors
Did you know that rental property grants can help real estate investors get the financing they need to buy rental properties and multifamily units? This is free money that that is provided by the government to assist investors and help them close more deals. It’s a secret that most real estate investors don’t know about, and those who do tend to not want to share this information.
The government provides many different kinds of real estate grants for investors because they are a major player when it comes to a stable housing market. By providing rental property grants, the government can assist these investors who are capable of flipping or renting out properties, but don’t have the capital for a down payment or other closing costs.
Once an investor obtains rental property grants, they may be able to receive these funds over and over again. And because these are not loans, applying for this free government money does not require a credit check, a cosigner or any kind of collateral. This is cash that is provided to the investor from the government and never has to be paid back.
Of course the government is not just going to hand this money out to any person that applies for free grant money. There is an application process, and they’ll want to see the deal that you are working on and how you plan to make money from it. As long as the numbers check out and you meet the qualifications, you’ll have cash in hand to complete the deal.
Personal Core Values
Each of us has our own set of values. These are what determine which aspects of life we regard as important or beneficial. Our values help determine our tastes, our way of life, our entertainment, our social, political and religious interactions. Each of us holds many values and these values are liable to change as we grow, reach different stages of life or have different experiences or influences in life. Some of the values we hold may be ‘superficial’, transitory or fitting solely the moment in which we find ourselves. Other values are more fixed and may stay with us through our life; these are our ‘core values’.
Our values come from a range of sources. Our parents are a key influence upon our values as we grow as children. So, too, is any church or religious background we experience. Our society, our neighbours, friends and colleagues, too, can have an influence upon our values. So, too, can our teachers and our schooling.
Often, school can be a place of conflict for it is there that we experience other values perhaps for the first time. Some of the values we experience in school can be in conflict with or contradict the values of our parents. As we go through high school, we start to experience values in ourselves and our peers that conflict both with school and our parents. Conflicting and unfixed values can be a major problem for adolescent and teenage years.
As we grow in years and experience, our values become more fixed, especially a set of 6 to 10 ‘core’ values. It is these core values that determine what is really important to us as an individual. The surprising thing is that if you ask most people what their values are, many would not be able to give you an answer.
A good many people are leading lives unconnected with their core values. This can lead to a life of unhappiness, discontent and lack of fulfilment. Sometimes it can lead to conflict. Often the person does not know why their life seems unhappy, unfulfilled and sometimes full of conflict. Often, the cause is that the life they are living is not in accordance with their personal values.
For some people a conflict can arise within them because they are trying to live a life according to the values of a company, an organisation, a religious or political organisation, the values of their friends or colleagues or partner, rather than living a life according to their own core values. In doing this, the values of the other people or organisations are being met but the person’s own values are being left unfulfilled.
This is not to say that a person is always wrong to seek to support and fulfil the values of other people or organisations. However, leaving your own values unfulfilled can lead to frustration and unhappiness. A key issue in this, though, is that the person may believe they are doing the right thing by working to the values of others and yet still feel a sense of frustration and unfulfilment; -the reason being that they may be unaware of their own values or, maybe, feel guilty of their own values where they conflict with the values of others.
So, if you feel your life is unfulfilled, unhappy, or maybe has too much conflict, then it could be that you are leading a life that does not accord with your core values. The question is; do you know your own personal core values?
Hiring a personal life coach can certainly help you to discover your personal values but for those who want to start the discovery for themselves, try answering the following question;
What, in life, is important to you?
Don’t think about your answers (yes, there’s likely to be more than one thing that’s important to you), at least don’t think about them at first. Just write down whatever comes into your head, no matter how strange, amusing or worrying they may seem. These first answers are probably your ‘gut’ or ‘intuitive’ answers; sometimes these are closer to the truth than answers that you ‘think’ about. Next, think about what is important in life for you. Take some time to consider your answers before writing them down in a word or short phrase. Don’t worry if the some of the same answers appear in your first list; – just write them down again.
Now you have two lists. Take a look at them; is there anything there that surprises you or anything that worries you? Sometimes people can be quite surprised by what they write down and occasionally they may write down something that shocks them or they feel guilty about.
Quite common words that people put on their list of values include ; ‘money’, ‘success’, ‘family’, ‘wife/husband/partner’, ‘growth’, ‘power’. If you find one, or more, of these words on your list, ask yourself another question;
What does (the word) mean for me?
So you may ask, ‘what does money mean for me’. To which the answer could be; money means security, or money means success, or money means freedom, or money means being able to provide for my family.
By answering the second question you can help uncover the real or underlying value for you. So for you, money is not the real value, it is ‘security’ or ‘being successful’ or ‘being independent’ or ‘being able to provide for my family’ that is the real value.
So, by doing these simple exercises, you are beginning to discover your personal core values. The next exercise is to ask your self ‘how do my life, my work and my relationships help fulfil my personal values?’ If you find that they do not help you fulfil your personal values then perhaps you should consider changing your life. To do that; get a life coach.