The Social Justice Issue Of Poverty - 963 Words

RESEARCH THE SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUE What is it: Many describe poverty as an economic deprivation, or lack of income. However, this alone does not incorporate the different social, cultural and political aspects of this unfortunate reality. Poverty is not only a deprivation of economic or material resources but a violation of human dignity. The general scarcity, lack, or the state of one without a specific amount of material possessions or money. It is a versatile concept that may be defined as either absolute or relative. Time and again, poverty is a call to action, for the poor and the wealthy alike, it is a call to change the world so that many more may have enough to eat, adequate shelter, access to education and health, protection from violence, and a voice in what happens in their communities. How is it Impacting on that society? Although many people do not realize this, poverty has a great impact on out society. The rapid increase of death rate, crime rate, and environmental destruction have everything to do with the horrible state of poverty. These problems are booming all over our society today causing many speculations, but the reason many just be clear and simple. Poverty. As our world settles for more poverty more and more complications are created, starting with the increasing death rate. As families get poor, it is difficult to sustain a livable life while taking care of others. They begin to die without adequate water and food, while bringingShow MoreRelatedThe Social Justice Issue Of Poverty1890 Words   |  8 PagesAs an advocate for social change, I chose to focus on the Social Justice issue of poverty. I realize that the issue of poverty is a critical and very sensitive area because so many residents of low-income status are faced with reality of living in an unfortunate and rather disadvantaged financial situation. Those whom struggle with being effected by poverty are also faced with having limited availability to resources as well as power and a sense of security because of deprivation of privilege. FromRead MoreSocial Justice Is More than a Definition 1189 Words   |  5 Pagespermanently with just one meaning, Social Justice definition goes beyond what it states. The dictionary’s defines Social Justice as â€Å"the ability people have to realize their potential in the society where they live.† However, Social Justice and what it entails for people who are interested in learning about it, and practicing it would have to dig even deeper to have a better understanding. According to Christopher Merret’s Social Justice: What Is It, Why Teach It? Social Justice â€Å"can be defined in termsRead MoreCriminal Justice: the Right Job for You Essay787 Words   |  4 PagesUnit 7: Criminal Justice: The Right Job for You I am going to be talking about 3 key social issues contributing to the need for criminal justice practitioners and providing examples for each issue. I will also be explaining the role of the criminal justice professional in serving individual and societal needs. Lastly I will explain how key social issues impact the role of the criminal justice professional and provide 2-3 examples to support my position. One key social issue contributing toRead MoreWhat Does Human Justice And Injustice Look Like?1318 Words   |  6 PagesBefore answering the question of â€Å"What does human justice and injustice look like?†, we ought to firstly define the two words. First we give an informal, contemporary definition of the words. The word justice can be defined as being treated with fairness or fair behavior, the word justice is also commonly linked with peace and good. On the other hand, the word injustice can be defined as the opposite of justice and absence of fairness and justice. Theses two words are commonly linked and correspondsRead MorePoverty And Exclusion From Accessing Quality Education812 Words   |  4 PagesPoverty and Exclusion From Accessing Quality Education Poverty, which is a barrier to quality educational attainment for the marginalized children, is a high leveraged problem of practice that needs attention. Poverty is beyond financial scarcity, as it leads to the inability to contribute in the public production (UNESCO, 2009 Arbour, 2006). Lack of enough education implies â€Å"poverty.† Poverty deprives human dignity, excludes the poor from fundamental human rights including freedom. It createsRead MoreSocial Justice and Ending Poverty Essay1044 Words   |  5 PagesSocial Justice is about making society function better – providing the support and tools to help turn lives around. This is a challenging new approach to dealing with poverty in all its forms. It is not about income poverty alone.(SJS) Throughout this essay I will explore why Poverty is a primary issue when striving for Social Justice and how, we as professionals, can attempt to overcome this by working together to achieve a fairer more just society. So cial Work, Primary Education and Community LearningRead MoreSocial Workers Code Of Ethics1110 Words   |  5 PagesSocial worker’s code of ethics â€Å"is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty† (NASW Code of Ethics). In the lobbying days with social workers, we introduced three bills that are very important in our community, mainly our most vulnerable population whose power has been taken away by the superior groups. Unfortunately, many of this bills and lawsRead MoreSocial Justice1736 Words   |  7 PagesQuestion ‘Social justice ... is neither the exclusive terrain of social welfare nor of crime control. Indeed, the boundaries between these two domains tend to be mobile and porous’ (Book  1,  Social Justice: Welfare, Crime and Society, p. 168). Explain and illustrate this with reference to examples drawn from at least  two  chapters from Book  1. According to Newman amp; Yeates (2008) Social Justice is a device that can be called upon to challenge particular forms of inequality or unfairness andRead MoreAnalysis of the SNAP Program Essay1512 Words   |  7 Pageslarger issue: poverty. SNAP has assisted over 46 million Americans living in poverty. In 2007, the United States experienced a major economic downturn. This caused unemployment rates to increase. These unemployment rates lead to an increase in poverty. Nearly fifteen percent of Americans were living in poverty at this time. While SNAP has proved to be a very beneficial program, it has not yet addressed the larger issue of poverty. There are still millions of Americans living in poverty thatRead MoreThe Systemic Symptoms Of Poverty Americans Essay1533 Words   |  7 Pagesfamilies live below or at the poverty threshold in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2014). At 15.7 percent, the nation’s poverty rate has steadily increased since the early 1970à ¢â‚¬â„¢s. According to sociologist Mark Rank, â€Å"nearly 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 25 and 60 will experience at least one year below the official poverty line during that period and 54 percent will spend a year in poverty or near poverty† (Rank, 2013, p#). The systemic symptoms of poverty Americans experience have

Matthew Best Course Culminating Activity - 500 Words

Matthew Best Course Culminating Activity May-22-14 â€Å"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men,† quoting historian Lord Acton. Before reading the quote, I never noticed the relationship between power and corruption in the real world. I thought of power as a form of recognition for hard work, that in turn is a positive outcome. After putting some thought into it, I realized my mistake Power is the ability to make people say and/or do things. It is the ability to get whatever you want. Power is necessary in any society, otherwise all would break loose; leaders must be established. When taken to an extreme, power is†¦show more content†¦even books from libraries or stores, were not respected. The Bush administration has got away with so much because its been controlled by Republicans, and his brainwashing about the War on Terrorism. Congress did not stand up to the Bush administration and allowed them to take a huge amount of power away from Congress. Bush was scaring the citizens about the terror attacks in New York, and using the attacks as a reason to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. Bush fed off the fear of Americans, Bush had the power to wiretap anyone suspected of being a terrorist, but the people who determine a person is a terrorist is the Bush administration, giving him the power to make anyone who went against Bush a terrorist. Bush could claim that a person is a suspected terrorist and wiretap their house and search it in secret as well. The threat of another terrorist attack is always great, but ever since 9/11, people have been aware of their surroundings. The agencies in charge of terrorist plots are doing their jobs much better, so the Patriot Act was just a way to have more power, and not be subject to any check in power. I feel that former President Bush had too much power over the citizens, and took many peoples civil rights away. Watergate wasnot only about the wiretapping of the Democratic National Committee Headquarters, but abusing power. Bush had more power than anyShow MoreRelatedSpiritual Formation Across the Lifespan Essay7723 Words   |  31 Pagesspiritual beliefs might be explored in a practice course. One aspect of the growing self-awareness of social work students might be focused on their personal faith or spiritual experiences, including awareness of their own beliefs, and the 145 146 Hope Haslam Straughan impact of these on the people and their environments with which students will interact. Finally, one might argue that spiritual development content must be included in a course in which community is considered, as many religiousRead MoreThe Role of Women in Japanese Society Essay4821 Words   |  20 Pagesissued in 1637 by the ruler of Japan that closed off Japan to the rest the world as it became a closed country, nobody out, nobody in. Thus Japan became as a time capsule; a time capsule that would not be opened until 1853 with the arrival Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States. This opening then forced Japan into the modern world. This forced entry into the modern world left Japan with a societal structure, which appeared backward and feudal to the western world, which was barely discernable fromRead MoreInsight to Coach Carter Film7710 Words   |  31 Pagesschool basketball takes more than skill, perseverance, discipline and teamwork – especially when you play for Coach Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson). 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The new Google and Starbucks cases should arouse keen student interest, and may even inspire another generation of entrepreneurs. A fair number of the older cases have faced significant changes in the last few years, for better or for worse

Why Marjane Satrapi Graphic Form Free Essays

Why Marjane Satrapi chose to tell her story Persepolis in the graphic form The graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi was written in the graphic medium to appeal to a wider audience. Literary critic, Manuela Constantino, proposes that â€Å"the combination of a visual representation and a child’s point of view makes the story easily accessible and therefore attracts a wide range of readers. † (Constantino, 2008: 2) Another plausible reason for Satrapi’s choice to do the novel in this medium is the apparent popularity graphic novels enjoyed at the point of the memoir’s publication. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Marjane Satrapi Graphic Form or any similar topic only for you Order Now Writing the novel graphically, brings the Middle Eastern novel closer to its Western readers. As Constantino wrote; Satrapi emphasizes â€Å"the universal qualities of her child narrator and the details of her experiences that would be familiar to her Western readers. † (Constantino, 2008: 2) Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi in the graphic form deems effective because it is written in a form that is recognizable to her target readers, written in somewhat a ‘universal’ language. Satrapi chose to tell her story in the graphic form to better connect with her readers. It is apparent that Satrapi’s targeted audience are mainly Western Christians. Over forty percent of the world’s population who practice a religion are Christians. The religious stature of the main characters made the novel accessible to its non Muslim readers. Being able to observe Christians in a predominantly Islamic country, opens a window to a life Satrapi’s readers could only dare to imagine. A world where u are told what to believe and what to think. It is therefore logical to target the sensitive majority of the population to educate about the Iranian political struggle and to get her story across. The novel in itself is about driving away the West from the conservative Iranian nation. Driving away the things her targeted readers consider their norm. Westerners and others around the world try to â€Å"seek insight into a country and a nation that have been deemed â€Å"evil† and an imminent threat to Western society. † (Malek, 2006: 10) To aid the West in its quest to â€Å"seek insight† into the nation of Iran, Satrapi wrote the novel in a medium that is very closely related to and very familiar in the Western culture. As demonstrated in: â€Å"†¦ They found records and videocassettes at their place, a deck of cards, a chess set. In other words, everything that’s banned. The scene leads the reader to feel unwanted and driven off alongside Marji, an Iranian who embraces the reader’s culture as demonstrated in page one hundred and twenty six , from her Iranian world. The reader and Marji form a special bond – they become a unit. This common ground builds a stronger connection between Marji and the reader leading the au dience to feel a stronger form of empathy towards the child, as they are now part of the cultural issue. Satrapi also chose to relate socio-political issues, conflict and loss to Arabic writing; as demonstrated in page eighty seven, in the panel where in two women are arguing. Satrapi, 2003) Their banter is written in a language unfamiliar to her targeted readers leading the reader to classify fighting and arguments as foreign and that the very presence of these women and their conflict is alienating. Another instance is when Pardisse reads her letter to her dead father, a letter written in the same foreign writing – grief is then related to this alien language. (Satrapi, 2003: 86) And on page one hundred and thirty two, in the panel where The Guardians of the Revolution (women’s branch) were introduced, one will observe the same unreadable writing resembling Arabic on their vehicle. Satrapi, 2003) Her use of all these subtle details in the graphic aspect of the novel adds to the effectiveness of the medium in that it forces the reader to lose all sense of familiarity with the antagonistic characters. The visual aspect of this novel aided in Satrapi’s depiction of Marji as someone who embraces the western culture, the reader’s culture, with the familiar images of Nike sneakers, jeans, jean jackets, and chocolates, as well as Kim Wilde and Iron Maiden songs. (Satrapi, 2003: 126) This brings another dimension to the relationship between Marji and her readers. Writing the novel in graphic form brings the Middle Eastern graphic novel closer to its Western neighbours because it is in a medium that is recognizable in the West. In addition, Satrapi’s depiction of Muslim leaders as â€Å"uneducated, primitive, and narrow-minded brutes† strengthens her connection with her Western readers whose perception of Muslim extremists might indeed be quite similar to the one crafted in the autobiography. (Constantino, 2008: 4) The novel Persepolis is effective because it was written to please a specific type of community. It uses language and cultural barriers in the illustrations and text to further separate the reader from the antagonists. â€Å"Satrapi’s Persepolis appeared, significantly, at a time when memoirs have been experiencing a great surge of popularity. † (Malek, 2006: 8) The time of the publication of the memoir deemed critical to its success. It was published around the time where graphic novels were coined â€Å"the most important narrative mode of our contemporary culture. † (Miller, 2000: 421) It shared the lime light with other graphic novels, the likes of Craig Thompson’s â€Å"Blankets† and Joe Sacco’s â€Å"The Fixer†. Time, 2003) Satrapi chose the perfect time to debut her graphic memoir as she was able to ride ‘the literary high’ comics were experiencing at that point in time. A probable reason why Satrapi chose to tell her story in the graphic medium is the effectiveness and popularity of graphic novels at the point of the novel’s publication. Writing the novel in graphic form and through the eyes of a child allows the issue to be digested with fewer objections by the reader. The novel written through the eyes of a child makes it easier for the reader to comprehend the situation. It gives the story a comedic approach to a devastating period in Iranian history. â€Å"Readers of all ages can identify with the child, feel for her, and learn with her about the complexities of national and international politics. †(Constantino, 2003: 4) The connection shared between Marji and the reader strengthens their bond and heightens the effectiveness of the story. It is a medium closely related to fun. Writing the novel in graphic form ‘dumbs down’ the brutality of the whole situation. A frame on page fifty two illustrates Ahmadi’s gruesome fate in prison: chopped into several pieces. Satrapi, 2003) Another panel depicting the same kind of ‘turned down’ brutality is a scene on page seventy six where a woman is being stabbed on the leg. These otherwise gruesome scenes can be better understood because the reader can look at it, take it as it is, and envy the child’s innocence and simplistic thought process. Constantino adds: â₠¬Å"The text is easily accessible and seemingly transparent. It makes many people feel that they are educating themselves while they are being entertained. † Although the text might seem, in a way due to its graphic medium, juvenile, its purpose is to educate and tell an ‘untold story. Some might argue that depicting critical situations such as the Islamic Revolution in a form of graphic medium takes away the severity of the circumstances however; it can definitely be counter argued by the undeniable phrase ‘it’s so simple it works. ’ The visual element allows her to include the offstage action as part of the main narrative flow. Instead of having to impart information as separate incidents, where its impact is reduced by removing it from the context of the story, we see things as they happen, increasing the emotional mpact of the moment. The directness of her work allows her to do two things excellently: to distinguish between individuals easily with just small strokes of the pen and make her depiction of horrors, death, torture, and anguish, emotionally realistic without being graphic or gruesome. Perse polis was written in the graphic form to create a stronger connection with the material and its readers. Persepolis is a powerful story about a person’s struggle for self identity. The different occurrences in Marji’s life that define her for who she is was written in the graphic medium to make it easier for her audience to connect with her as people in search of who they are. Writing the novel in graphic form offers a sense of familiarity with Satrapi’s targeted Western audience. It brings the unfamiliar Iranian world, issues and their traditions closer to the West’s classification of ‘normal’. It uses religion (specifically Christianity) in illustration and text to even deepen the connection between Marji and her audience. It forms a common ground, a sense of belonging to the same movement. It is also plausible that one of the reasons why the novel was written in the graphic form was to ride the growing popularity of comics at that particular point in time. Publishing the graphic novel to a community who openly accept comics as a form of sophisticated literature presented an opportunity for the novel to succeed. And lastly, it was written in graphic text to make it easier for the reader to comprehend the situation as these instances don’t usually happen to her targeted Western audience. It makes watching people die a little bit more bearable as it is depicted in a way that a child might perceive death. Satrapi choosing to tell her story in the form of a graphic novel not only shows us how far that medium has come as a means of expression, but allows us a glimpse into a world that few of us know anything about. Word Count: 1707 Citation Arnold, Andrew. â€Å"The Best and Worst: 2003. † Time. November 13 2010. Website. ;lt; http://www. time. com/time/bestandworst/2003/comics. html;gt; Malek, Amy. â€Å"Memoir as Iranian Exile Cultural Production: A Case Study of Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis Series. † Iranian Studies: Journal of the International Society for Iranian Studies 39. 3 (2006): 353-380. MLA International Bibliography. EBSCO. Web. 15 Nov. 2010. Print. Manuela Costantino. â€Å"Marji: Popular Commix Heroine Breathing Life into the Writing of History. † Canadian Review of American Studies 38. 3 (2008): 429-447. Project MUSE. Cameron Library, Edmonton, AB. 17 Aug. 2010. Website. ;lt;http://muse. jhu. edu/;gt; Nancy Miller, â€Å"But Enough About Me, What Do You Think of My Memoir? † Yale Journal of Criticism 13, no. 2 (2000): 421. Print. Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. New York: Pantheon Books. 2003. Print â€Å"World Religions. † The World Almana c and Book of Facts  ©2010. 2010. Print. How to cite Why Marjane Satrapi Graphic Form, Papers

Pibrex Russia free essay sample

Then plant lacks a strong organisational culture; communications within and between departments are poor; there is inequity between in wages, working conditions and training and problems with motivation and employees is prevalent. Pibrex International is losing interest in the Russian operation and two sub-cultures exist within the Pibrex Russian organisation. The new General Manager, Elena Michasilova must develop an action plan that can turn the operations around to breakeven point by the year 2000 at minimal cost to the company. This report outlines to Elena Michailova considers both the external environmental (Political, economicsocial and organisation factors affecting Pibrex Russia and analyses why the plants are underperforming in a difficult economic environment and outlines four different unique strategies retrenchment, price leadership, quality leadership and export orientation) makes recommendations that Elena Michailova can implement to overcome the numerous organizational and financial challenges that the company faces.It establishes a viable export orientate strategy and industry leading restructuring programme, called Challenge 2000 that Elena can quickly implement to overcome these challenges she faces managing Pibrex Russia at minimal cost to the company. Implementation of both will lead Pibrex back to profitability by the year 2000 This report illustrates what the management team has done to begin a turnaround of the firm and the problems that remain. In particular, the company must reassess its management strategies and take steps to masintain its competitive positionIntroduction: This report considers both the external environmental and organisation factors affecting Pibrex Russia and analyses why the plants are underperforming in a difficult economic environment and makes recommendations that Elena Michailova can implement to overcome the numerous organizational and financial challenges that the company faces. It establishes a viable strategy and industry leading restructuring programme, called Challenge 2000 that Elena can quickly implement to overcome these challenges at minimal cost to the company.Background. Pibrex is one of the world’s largest producers of petrochemical based polymers for the plastics market. The company has purchased a plant in Russia and after three years of serious operating losses and has appointed a new general manager of the plant. The plant lacks a strong organisational culture; communicatio ns within and between departments are poor; inequity in wages, working conditions, and training exist but motivation and retention problems are prevalent.Pibrex headquarters is losing interest in the Russian operation and two sub-cultures exist with Pibrex Russian organisation. Two subcultures exist within the company because there is two separate manufacturing plants. The first plant is Pibrex KAZ, which is one the site of the original plant in Kalingrad. The other plant is the recently purchased (1993) Pibrex KZ plant which is just outside Moscow. In addition Pibrex opened a sales and marketing office in St Petersburg (called Pibrex AO) and a head office in the capital city of Moscow (called Pibrex Russia).In contrast to the two manufacturing facilities Pibrex AO and Pibrex Russia were staffed with people from Pibrex’s other overseas operations and enthusiastic young graduates such as Elena. In 1994 Pibrex KAZ, Pibrex KZ, Pibrex A) and Pibrex Russia were grouped together into Pixbrex Region Europe North. However, within Pibrex’s decentralized governance structure, the regional subsidiaries were able to decisions autonomously In 1997 the management of PREN Europe North took steps to stem the losses at Pibrex KZ. Pibrex Russia was shut down and the sales and marketing department merged with Pibrex KZ. At Pibrex KZ over half the production workers were laid off and prices were raised to increased margins, but this only had the effect of eroding sales even further. A macroeconomic shock came in the form of the Russian Financial Crisis (RFC). This preceded the Global Financial Crisis. As a result of the RFC, Pibrex’s sales slipped even further and management was now fully involved in crisis management with the ultimate goal being survival.Whereas in the past Pibrex had relied on a decentralized governance structure, on this occasion, Pibrex formed a â€Å"steering committee† to direct strategy in its Russian operations. The steering committee reassigned Elena as the new Financial Controller and asked her to perform a financial audit on all of Pibrex’s Russian operations. They also decided to concentrate on reducing costs and increasing profits wherever possible. Sales activity was limited to only the largest and most profitable of customers. Also, the steering committee took various steps to control all finances as well as reduce all expenditures.The steering committee as Elena to serve as Managing Director and Financial Controller of all Pibrex’s Russian operations pending a submission of a full set of key issues facing Pibrex and a clear set of recommendation on Pibrex with the view to reaching breakeven point by 2000. This is that set of recommendations. Identification of Key Issues and Challenges. Pibrex Russia is faced with a multitude of problems and challenges that it needs to deal with as it progresses through 1988 and 1999, if it is to break even by the year 2000. ?The following is a synopsis of the most critical issues a)The Financial Situation in Russia Pibrex Russia faces very challenging external factors that make for a very difficult external environment as a result of the Russian financial crisis The unstable financial situation bought about by the RFC means that Pibrex Russia is strugging to increase its revenues and reduce its costs due to rampant inflation; a dramatically devalued Russian currency, the ruble; the evodus of foreign investment funds; the financial collapse of many Russian small to medium enterprises, multiple bank faces and an increasing unskilled, unmotivated and cynical workforce.This unstable financial situation means that Pibrex’s costs (particularly of raw materials) is going up and increasing company failures will mean it will be more difficult to make sales. It will have difficulty finding plant finance and to attract and retain employees with the right skills. (b)Difficulties in the Internal Operating / Accounting Environment. The internal operating environment of the company also seemed very chaotic, like the external environment. There was a lack of internal accounting controls, which I assume would eventually impede the dire to drive down costs and increase revenues c)Difficulties in the Legal / Regulatory Environment. Since reentering Russian in 1992, the Russian government has imposed a number of operating conditions on PR that undoubtedly prevent PR from operating at optimal efficiency. Russian law required each of Pibrex’s subsidiaries to maintain separate bank account and pay local taxes (p125). There were also many other bureaucratic hassles (d)Difficulties with Organisational Issues. Organisational obstacles included PR never being legally registered as the Russian mother company.The Russian subsidiaries were opened at different times and were therefore registered as different entities. Also the distance between the subsidiaries were substantial leading to taxation constraints. (e)Difficulties with Old and Poorly Maintained Plant and Buildings. The old plant and poorly maintained and buildings reduces the effectiveness of production, potentially creates health and safety concerns for the workers but more than that, it severely affects the morale of the workers who see it as ineptitude on the part of management and indicative of how they value the production workers. f)Poor Management and Employee Relations There are old and deeply held resentments between factory workers and middle management whom the factory workers believe â€Å"stole† the workers share of the company when privatization. This resentment has never gone away. The workers were also deeply resentful of the dual wage structure whereby sales and management staff who were transferred Pibrex AO (the Moscow sales and marketing office were given shiny new facilities while the production workers had to work in cold and outdated factories. (g)Cultural Conflict within Pibrex RussiaIn my opinion the main problem facing Pibrex is the cultural conflict between the factory workers and the company’s management. There are many subcultures at play within Pibrex Russia. This arises because Pibrex Russia itself is a merger between the old Pibrex Russia, Pibrex AO, Pibrex KZ and Pibrex KAZ. As a result of being part of the old Soviet Russia there is a rigid, bureaucratic and authorita rian culture which affects the production workers, and management. Characteristics of this culture included strong power distance, adherence to authority, belief in hierarchy, clear lines of communication, and strong uncertainty avoidance.Under this environment top managers did not delegate, middle managers did not make the decisions that they need to, whereas production workers looked for clear direction. This authoritarian culture was a complete contrast to, and did not fit well with Pibrex’s usual practice of decentralization and delegation. The highly complex and decentralized structure of PREN (Pibrex Region North Europe) which involved two business areas and four functions did not fit with this traditional, authoritarian culture at Pibrex KZ which favoured a more straightforward bureaucratic structure.After the Merger between Pibrex AO and Pibrex KZ there was a definite cultural conflict between the younger, more urban, more entrepreneurial sales and marketing staff from Moscow and the older established production staff and establis hed management staff from Pibrex KZ. (h)International Management losing Interest in Pibrex Russia As a result of all of the above problems listed above, it seems that Pibrex in Gothenburg seems to have lost patience with Pibrex Russia. Accordingly, Pibrex Gothenburg has a firm directive that it wants its Russian operations to return to profitability by 2000. General External Environmental Analysis Pibrex Russa is in the Russian plasticsand chemicals industry. Polymers and resins produced by Pibrex Russia are found in a large number of different Russian industries including packaging, construction equipment, furniture and consumer goods. It was expected that demand for Pibrex’s resins and polymers would remain strong as a result of the need to rebuild Russia’s infrastructure (after the fall of Communism) and to supply the Russian military. Although there were numerous overseas competitors, none of them had established themselves in Russia.Also, there was a strong research and development base In Russia for the development of resins and polymers In late 1990s the external environment in Russia is influenced by the downfall of communism and the RFC. The environment, particularly financial, was characterized by instability and unpredictability. This instability can be traced back to the soviet reforms of â€Å"Glasnost† and â€Å"Perestroika. † Russia embraced a programme of rapid economic reform and liberalization which involved removal of financial regulations and freeing up the Russian financial system.Largely, this prgramme of financial and economic reform was not successful and this, in my opinion was one of the main factors leading to the RFC. There was also contagion from the Asian Financial Crisis. The RFC resulted in a currency devaluation , bank and company failures the collapse of the Russian stockmarket, the exit of foreign investment and this lead to a â€Å"black market† economy. Chaos in Russia was not limited to the economy. There was extensive political and social instability as well. The post soviet government was still establishing itself. On a social level this economic and political upheaval led to many social ills and discontent e. g. increased alcoholism. S. W. O. T Analysis A S. W. O. T analysis Strengths A key strength that Pribex has is it’s relationship with its parent company. This relationship is important because Pribex can leverage of the parent company’s international reputation, tacit knowledge, its existing supplier relationships, their research and development facilities and manufacturing processes as well as its customer service and safety standards.Additionally I believe the parent company may be able to provide Pibrex Russia with financial backing, which is particularly important given the financial and economic environment described above. Pribex AO is a strength to Pribex Russia. Their culture is not as divided and its staff and highly trained and motivated. Additionally it is where Elena has come from so it has a history of effective management. Elena herself is a critical strength to the company.She is one of the key managers and is materially contributing to the fdinacial well being of the company. Weaknesses As mentioned before the company, the company has a number of operational weaknesses. The major one is the conflicts that arise in the various subcultures of the company but there are other weaknsses as well such as ineffective financial controls over revenues and costs, poor relations between management and employees generally, a divisive dual wage system and a absence of top management support.The two factories Pibrex KZ and Pibrex KAZ old, use outdated technologies and are not very pleasant to work in. The factories have also been poorly maintained so for these reasons production output is poor. In addition to production weaknesses there are also some financial weaknesses. The company is having difficulty increasing revenues in the current economic environment and reducing costs. The company has been losing money for many years and there is little prospect of returning to profitability Opportunities:Pribex Russia has an opportunity to establish itself as a market leader in the building polymer and resins industry and as the rebuild of Russia infrastructure gets into full swing, it should be able increase revenues and decrease certainly its fixed costs and this may lead to profitability. Additionally Pribex Russia, with its existing research and development facilities has an opportunity to pioneer new polymer applications and establish itself as an innovator in the market. As the Russian economy is reformed Pibrex Russia has the opportunity to improve its financial situation and develop a reputation as an innovator in the industry.Threats: The macroeconomic analysis above in dicated that the RFC and the instability and uncertainty that it brings to the financial sector as the major threat to Pibrex. It is a threat because it makes it more difficult for Pibrex to increase revenues and reduce costs. The RFC also threatens the company’s ability to raise capital and to reward its works appropriately leading to resentment amongst workers. The other major macroeconomic threat is the political instability that exists within Russia and makes it difficult for Pibrex management to forward plan and affects confidence.If Pibrex pursues a â€Å"price leadership strategy† then it faces threats from competitors, both domestic and foreign, who can produce products cheaper and therefore charge lower prices than pribex thus undermining their price leadship strategy If Pibrex pursues a â€Å"product leadership† strategy based on quality it faces competitive threats from both domestic and foreign competitors who can beat Pribex’s current quality standards (which are affected by their aging, inefficient plants).Four Strategies that Can Be Implemented at Pibrex Elena should recommend the following four quite different strategies to the management of Pibrex. 1. Retrenchm ent Strategy. Under this strategy Pibrex Russia should retrench its operations and closing the aging loss making Pibrex KZ plant and focus on modernizing its Pibrex KAZ plant. This would eliminate all of the problems associated with the older Pibrex KZ plant mentioned above and this would help restore confidence in Pribex Russia with the parent company.The downside is that it would minimize opportunities for further growth and expansion 2. Price Leadership Strategy. To minimize the macroeconomic risks mentioned above and return the company to profitability the company could pursue a competitive strategy based on price leadership. Under this strategy Elena would aggressive pursue domestic production from both manufacturing plants through a low price strategy, which would provide more work for the current production workers.To implement a successful price leadership strategy Pibrex may need to draw up on the financial resources of the parent company. Pibrex would aggressive pursue and develop new customers though aggressive advertising (with support from the parent company). In order to adapt a successful price leadership strategy PR would need to aggressively control costs, establish strict financial controls and eliminate the vtwo tier wage structure 3. Quality Leadership Strategy. To minimize the macroeconomic risks to the company it could pursue a strategy based on quality.Under this strategy it would draw on the parent company’s tacit knowledge and research and development facilities to become a quality leader in the area of building polymers and resins. Elena would lead an aggressive sales strategy based on world leading research and innovation and become a centre of excellence based on quality. This sales strategy would be to mainly domestic customers and the strategies relies on a considerable upswing in sales, as a result of infrastructure building to correct the company’s financial situation and return to profitability by the year 2000.To assist in selling to the rejuvenated domestic market, Elena would draw upon the sales `skill s and sales teams already existing in the parent company. Pibrex Russia would become a domestic leader based on this Quality Leadership strategy. 4. Export Focused Strategy. Under this strategy Pibrex would split its manufacturing plants so that the older plant, Pibrex KZ would supply solely the domestic market, and the more modern plant Pibrex KAZ would supply the export market. The more modern plant would be chosen to serve the export market because more quality and innovation is required.Success in export markets would require additional attention to the company’s quality management processes. This dual strategy should ensure there is enough work for all the factory workers. Additionally an export led strategy would benefit from any currency devaluation. This dual strategy and the increased attention to quality control may, in the short term require additional capitl funding that the parent company would need to provide. Overall Implentation Plan for Elena. It is recommended that Elena implements an export focused strategy.This strategy would take advantage of the company’s strengths (being the parent company’s knowledge, reputation, resources and sales strategies) as well as minimizing its weaknesses (under-capacity, bitterness between workers and culture conflicts). It would reduce the tensions between workers, increase production and reduce the overcapacity problem. This export focused strategy does not initially minimize all of Pibrex’s weaknesses (such as poor financial controls and lack of head office commitment) but these weaknesses maybe corrected over time. To successfully implement this export focused strategy I recommend implementing a change programme called â€Å"Challenge 2000† which will draw on Pibrex’s strengths and minimize the company’s weaknesses. Challenge 2000 will be led by Elena as well as supported by the Steering Committee and PREN management. Challenge 2000 will have eight distinctive steps that will ensure success: 1. Demand sufficient capital investment from the parent company to allow for the repair and upgrade of the Pibrex KZ plant, implementation of a new sales incentive sub-programme and a quality sub-programme based on research and innovation. . Complement the increased efficiency at the Pibrex KAZ and the upgraded Pibrex plant by removing excess layers of management 3. To this reduction in management layers by creating an efficiency sub-programme bthat implements inventory, cost and revenue controls throughout Pibrex russia 4. Alleviate employee resentment and bitterness by eliminating the dual wage programme, and implementing an aggressive bonus incentive programme that rewards both local export sales. 5.Implement the export focused marketing strategy but aggressive pursue all domestic leads as well 6. Develop a marketing plan as part of this marketing strategy for both the domestic and export markets. 7. Have Pibrex aggressively pursue all sales leads in domestic and export markets. 8. Co-ordinate production schedules to the marketing plan using just in time inventories Conclusion. This paper outlines four different implementation strategies that Elena Michailova can chose and recommends an export focused strategy for Pribesx Russia.The successful implementation of this export focused strategy complemented with the eight step Challenge 2000 program will ensure that Pibrex will be restored to profitability by the year 2000. Challenge 2000 is a viable low cost change program that will certainly impress PREN management. The successful implantation of both will be replicated in Priex’s plants throughout the world which will see Elena Michailova, the once young bright inexperienced manager, rise over time to be the world wide Chief Operating Officer for Pirbex