Online Psychological Intervention A Feasible Measure to...

Online psychological intervention: A feasible measure to reduce barriers to treatment People with mental disorders often find it hard to access psychological treatment. Common barriers to treatment include limited accessibility, unable to afford treatment, fear of what others might think or say, and not knowing where to go for help (Olfson et. al., 2000). Among these barriers, fear of what others might think or say is particularly prominent for people with social anxiety disorder. People with social anxiety disorder are often ashamed of their symptoms, and those symptoms embarrassed them to seek treatment. With the increasing popularity and accessibility of the internet, mental health professionals are gradually considering using online†¦show more content†¦Fear of what others might think or say is a unique barrier to treatment for social anxiety disorder as it is reported by a significantly higher percentage of people with social anxiety symptoms (19.7%) than those without social anxiety symptoms (6.0%). The internet serves as a highly accessible tool to provide information about the disorder and the type of treatment available. It may even be used to deliver treatment, especially for people with society anxiety disorder who are afraid of discussing their symptoms with others. Benefits of online psychological intervention Lauder, Chester, and Berk (2007) discussed the feasibility of conducting online psychological intervention to reduce barriers to treatment. Recently, mental health professionals begin to use Internet as a tool to provide information and to deliver psychological assessment and treatment. The internet reduces barriers to treatment by reducing cost, and increasing accessibility and anonymity. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is the most common therapy that has been applied as online treatment. Online version of CBT is effective particularly for treating depression and anxiety disorders. A unique benefit of online therapy is its ability to quantify how engaged someone is in a treatment program. Researchers can look at the length of time someone spent on the intervention, andShow MoreRelatedOf Mental Disorders among US Veterans3413 Words   |  14 Pagesadvancement in society’s use of technology, and the resultant field of e-mental health, provides a great opportunity to surmo unt current barriers many Veterans face when accessing mental health care. A number of resources have been developed to meet the needs of Veterans diagnosed with PTSD, yet few studies have examined willingness to use technology-based mental health treatment approaches within a sample of ethno-racially and geographically diverse veterans who served after September 11, 2001. Recent researchRead MoreWorking in Partnership with Patients/ Clients Who Self Administer Medication2416 Words   |  10 Pagesmedication A literature review Self-management has become a concept adopted by the Department of Health (DH) to enable people with chronic health conditions to become the controlling entity over their illness therefore promoting independence and psychological well being. Initiatives that recommend this practice are National Service Framework for chronic disease management and self-care (DH 2002) and National Service Framework for Long-Term Conditions (DH 2005). Part of the framework plan is to implementRead MoreSurvey Of Cognitive Remediation Practices For Individuals With Schizophreni Implementation And Barriers9236 Words   |  37 PagesSchizophrenia: Implementation and Barriers Jessica Ryan Cuttance, M.S., CRC Dr. Dara Chan, ScD, CRC Dr. Mark Klinger, PhD University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Abstract Cognitive impairment (CI) is observed in the vast majority of individuals with schizophrenia and has long been identified as a principal contributor to functional deficits. To date, pro-cognitive pharmacologic therapies have been largely unsuccessful in addressing CI and as such, psychosocial treatments for cognitive enhancementRead MoreAnnotated Bibliography: Plagiarism39529 Words   |  158 Pagesreferenced and attributed appropriately. Where the overlap is found to exceed an acceptable level, we write to the author(s) providing a link to the full report and inviting them to withdraw the submission, or alternatively to revise it extensively to reduce the overlap and to indicate where they are quoting the work of others (or their own previously published work). We also ask for their comments on the overlap. If the author cannot provide an acceptable explanation or where the overlap is very significantRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesAutomatic and Controlled Processing 351 †¢ Interest Level 352 †¢ Prior Knowledge 352 †¢ Personality 352 †¢ Message Characteristics 352 Barriers to Effective Communication 353 Filtering 353 †¢ Selective Perception 353 †¢ Information Overload 353 †¢ Emotions 353 †¢ Language 354 †¢ Silence 354 †¢ Communication Apprehension 355 †¢ Lying 355 Global Implications 356 Cultural Barriers 356 †¢ Cultural Context 357 †¢ A Cultural Guide 358 Summary and Implications for Managers 360 S A L S A L Self-AssessmentRead MoreStrategic Human Resource Management72324 Words   |  290 PagesOur HR Strategy? What is Horizontal Integration? Bundling and Best Fit Resource Based View (RBV) What are the Benefits of Horizontal Integration? What Different Approaches Can Be Taken to Achieve Strategic Alignment? 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Printed in the United States of America 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 11 10 09 08 07 ExamView  ® and ExamView Pro  ® are registeredRead MoreCase Study148348 Words   |  594 Pagesrecommending a personalised study plan that points you to the resources which can help you achieve a better grade †¢ Key concept audio summaries that you can download or listen to online †¢ Video cases that show real managers talking about their own organisations †¢ Revision flashcards to help you prepare for your exams †¢ A multi-lingual online glossary to help explain key concepts †¢ Guidance on how to analyse a case study †¢ Links to relevant sites on the web so you can explore more about the organisations featuredRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesThis online teaching and learning environment integrates the entire digital textbook with the most effective instructor and student resources With WileyPLUS: Students achieve concept mastery in a rich, structured environment that’s available 24/7 Instructors personalize and manage their course more effectively with assessment, assignments, grade tracking, and more manage time better study smarter save money From multiple study paths, to self-assessment, to a wealth of interactive visual

Essay on Allegory of the Cave- Plato Republic - 1039 Words

llegory Anthony Guerra Professor Neilson Philosophy amp; Ethics 14 October 2010 The Allegory of the Cave and The Matrix Book VII of The Republic begins with Socrates’ â€Å"Allegory of the Cave.† The purpose of this allegory is to â€Å"make an image of our nature in its education and want of education† in other words, it illustrates Socrates’ model of education. In addition, the allegory corresponds perfectly to the analogy of the divided line. However, this Cave Analogy is also an applicable theme in modern times, for example, the movie, The Matrix, is loosely based off the Allegory. The cave is underground and dark; it consists of human beings who have been living down there since childhood. These people are almost like prisoners since†¦show more content†¦In Socrates’ mind education is not simply an information exchange; rather it is a painful experience, since all that one had previously believed is typically wrong. This painful experience can be seen as the â€Å"philosopher† turns around and stares into t he light and eventually learning that everything he had experienced in life were just shadows. These shadows in the cave are mere images, the lowest of the epistemological form of knowledge in the divided line. The objects which produce these shadows are the sense particulars. The sense particulars can then be counted e.g. three tree â€Å"puppets† this ability to count corresponds to the mathematical objects level of the divided line. Then once the person leaves the cave, he is able to see the actual forms, not just shadows or puppets, he is able to see the real object, and this conforms to the forms. Lastly, the sun is the thing that makes all life possible which is analogous to the ultimate Good which make all of the forms of knowledge even possible. In contemporary times, the Allegory of the Cave can be seen being played out in the movie The Matrix. In the movie, there are two worlds, the world which people live, a computer generated dream world, and the city of the robot s. The people in the world do not know that they are prisoners of the robots or even think that they are prisoners, in fact, they do not even knowShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Plato s Republic, We Read About The Allegory Of The Cave1644 Words   |  7 PagesBrooke Green 06/23/2015 PHIL-2306-015 In Plato’s Republic, we read about the â€Å"Allegory of the Cave.† The prisoners in the story are relevant to anyone in today’s society who is unable to question anything they see or hear. Those who embrace anything they are told, as the truth, without the use of fact-finding questions, is an example of the relevance in today’s world. Plato’s cave is an allegory of education; it explains how we see things before we are necessarily educated about them and how oneRead MoreThe Allegory Of The Cave872 Words   |  4 PagesBy the time The Republic was written the term had a new meaning. Instead of the method previously described, it was now used to describe what something is. â€Å"The Republic stresses that true dialectic is performed by thinking solely of the abstract and nonsensible realm of forms; it requires that reason secure an unhypothetical first principle (the Good) and then derive other results in light of it† (Meinwald). In later dialogues like Parmenides, dialectic is used to understand forms in the properRead MoreThe Allegory of the Cave907 Words   |  4 PagesPlato was a student of the great philosopher of Socrates and went on to become a very influential figure in classical Greek philosophy. Plato went on to write the Republic where he sets out to answer many question such as; what is justice, why does man follow the law, and how do implications of society affect our behavior. The most interesting topic from the Republic is from Book VII, the allegory of the cave. With the allegory of the cave Plato gives us the power to break the chains that bind usRead More Plato Essay623 Words   |  3 PagesPlato Plato was born in Athens to a wealthy family and lived from 429-347 B.C.E. He was Socrates greatest student and held his teacher in such high regard that in most of his works Socrates plays the main character. Some people doubt the existance of Socrates but, like nearly everyone else who appears in Platos works, he is not an invention of Plato: there really was a Socrates (Kraut). Plato wrote many works asking questions about terms such as justice, piety, and immortality to name aRead MorePlato s Dialogue, Republic, And The Claims Of The Modern World1556 Words   |  7 Pagesand human nature before anyone else; Plato is a person who sides with the argument that philosophers play an important role in society. In Plato’s dialogue, Republic, he attempts to discover justice and to convey the importance philosophers possess in ensuring a just society. The main argument that will be addressed in this essay is that philosophers are useful and are essential to guarantee a truly just city. In this paper I will use Plato’s dialogue, Republic, and the claims mentioned throughoutRead MoreComparison: Allegory of the Cave and the Myth of the Metals1171 Words   |  5 PagesAllegory to Myth In the Republic, Plato uses reason to model the ultimate form of civilization where everyone achieves his/her human potential. This should not be confused with individual equality, for Plato sees a harmonious and virtuous community where citizens are under a hierarchy and working together for the greater good of the state. The question, however, remains: How does one achieve Plato’s ideal state when there is evil and deception in the world? In answering this question, Plato putsRead MorePlatos The Republic: Analysis of the Chapter Entitled Allegory of the Cave588 Words   |  3 Pagesworld’s most revered philosophers, Plato, was born in 428 BC. As a young man, Plato, became a devout student of Socrates. Plato quickly adopted Socrates’ teachings and turned his studies toward the question of virtue and noble character. After the execution of his beloved mentor, Plato founded the first English university called the Academy. He wanted thinkers to have a place were they could word toward better government for Greek cities. Over the duration of his life Plato wrote many books, and his mostRead MoreEssay about Platos Allegory of the Cave1305 Words   |  6 PagesPlato’s â€Å"Allegory of the Cave† is the most significant and influential analogy in his book, The Republic. This thorough analogy covers many of the images Plato uses as tools throughout The Republic to show why the four virtues, also known as forms, are what create good. The â€Å"Allegory of the Cave†, however, is not one of the simplest representations used by Plato. Foremost, to comprehend these images such as the â€Å"divided line† or Plato’s forms, one must be able to understand this allegory and all ofRead More Foundations of Political Thought Essays1664 Words   |  7 Pagessimilarities mainly evident in their denouncement of democracy for the state. The views of Socrates expressed and written by his pupil Plato are vastly philosophical in nature and he promotes the idea of questioning life to achieve insight. The philosophers who possess the absolute truth are the best equipped to rule society according to Plato and his Allegory of the Cave. Conversely, Aristotle takes a more political science approach of discussing and analyzing various constitutions to determine theRead More The Cave and the Matrix Essay993 Words   |  4 PagesThe Cave and the Matrix Movie critics and philosophers alike agree that the movie â€Å"The Matrix† is indeed based upon certain Platonic themes from Book VII of The Republic. In this story entitled The Allegory of the Cave, he describes a dark underground cave where a group of people are sitting in one long row with their backs to the caves entrance. Chained to their chairs from an early age, all the humans can see is the distant cave wall in from of them. The shadows of statues held by unseen

Medical Tourism Introduction Free Essays

During the past four years, the market grew at a whopping rate of 20-30% and is expected to grow further. Considering this growth the current market size is estimated to be $100 billion. Medical Tourism industry offers tremendous potential for the developing countries because of their low-cost advantage. We will write a custom essay sample on Medical Tourism : Introduction or any similar topic only for you Order Now The advantages of medical tourism include improvement in export earnings and healthcare infrastructure. Many people in westernised world are accustomed to visit other nations which can offer medical treatment and very economy rates.In other words high quality health care treatments can be best available abroad at a very affordable prices (Herrick, 2007). Medical tourism has been very popular among the nations like Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, India, Cuba, South Africa, Singapore etc (Bookman, 2007). In order to realize the full potential of the industry, it is imperative for these countries to develop a strategic plan for coordinating various industry players –the medical practitioners, private hospitals, policy makers, hotels, trans portation services and tour operators.This report presents the strategy that needs to be implemented by India, one of the key destinations for Medical tourism, in order to achieve industry-leadership. The reason for rapid growth of the medica l tourism may be attributed to long waiting lists, opened channels for a high quality treatments etc (Carrera and Percivil, 2008). The Medical Tourism Industry in India is poised to be the next big success story after software. With a great information technology (IT) hub in India, it has got great potential for medical tourism (Connell, 2006).According to a Mckinsey-CII study the market size is estimated to be Rs. 5000-10000 Crores by 2012. The key concerns facing the industry include: absence of government initiative, lack of a coordinated effort to promote the industry, no accreditation mechanism for hospitals and the lack of uniform pricing policies and standards across hospitals. 2. 0 Aims To analyse business strategies of medical tourism industry and based on the data analysed necessary recommendations are provided in order to develop the efficacy of the this industry in India. . 1 Objectives * To explore the field of medical tourism and different business strategic approaches followed by other developing nations * To analyse the current position of Medical Tourism in India * To evaluate business strategies thrusts for the future * To provide necessary conclusion and recommendation. 2. 2 Scope of the study: There has been a considerable improvement in medical tourism all over the world. However, the developing nation like India needs to develop its own areas to contribute more towards medical tourism.The research had found suitable hypothesis for this study which will be helpful to be tested and effectively practiced in India. The conclusion may provide additional plans for the sustainability of medical tourism in the state. 3. 0 Reasearch Methodology Research helps in exploring the new things in certain area of interest and enhances the knowledge (Jenkowicz, 2003). It helps in analysing the conflicts in that particular area and tries out in finding some solutions for a particular conflict. It is the logical and systematic exploration of particular area of interest (Collins, 2003).These acts as template for carry out research. This further enhances the quality of the research (Malhotra, Birks, 2005). Research design can be classified as follows: Figure 3. 1: research design (Malhotra and Birks, 2005) The current study primarily focuses on the business strategies medical tourism in India. An exploratory research is adopted for this current study whereby the key problematic area is not yet identified. On the other hand the conclusive design has only very confined or specific hypothesis. This is a complex study which will have a small sample size.Hence the data thus collected can be quantifiable. The questionnaires in case of the descriptive study are pre-formulated. Of all the different types of studies the cross sectional studies are considered to be the commonest approach. In case of simple cross sectional studies the respondents will be interviewed only one time where as in case of multiple cross sectional studies the two or more respondents will be interviewed at one time. Cohort analysis, which will be categorised under the multiple cross sectional studies, group of individuals will be exposed to equal traits at given time period.There has been a significant difference between longitudinal and cross sectional research however, longitudinal sample remains same unlike of cross sectional research. The size of the smaple will always remain same if both the researches such as casual and descriptive research are equal in representation (Malhotra, 2006). Research methods According to Blaxter (2006), the research skills constituting selection, analytics and presentation of data explore facts through some distortions of any interested subject. The research methods have been broadly classified.However, critically evaluating the data through further research would be carried out with help of previous research validation. The methods could be in mixed approach such as quantitative and qualitative methods. The researcher understood that there should be a deep understanding of the tools before incorporating it into the research (Grix, 2004). The researcher finds interpretivism as best approach to explore the subject and to identify the data using qualitative research techniques. There are two different types of approaches commonly used such as inductive and eductive approach. The research is purely based on the end result which is much similar to inductive approach so, the deductive approach is eliminated from this research. The researcher is very keen on identifying suitable tools and techniques to derive appropriate research methods and data collections for which a proper research strategy is to be used which would be critically analysed and confirmed through case studies (Punch, et al, 2004). 3. 1 Data collection: It is the important aspect in the research process.All the research tools and techniques used to collect data is performed with subject to personal interaction, focus groups, observation and artefacts. All the data collection are identified with two segments such as primary data collection and secondary data collection. 3. 1. 1 Primary data: All the data related to qualitative and quantitative methods are observed through this technique. In this primary research, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews are considered as important. The researcher chosen closed ended questionnaire which will be more suitable for the research undertaken (Naoum, 2006).Based on the qualitative type, interviews were performed to derive data required for this research. The researcher had chosen telephonic interview which could be more reliable and can provide deep insight data relevant to research study. All the interviews are preceded with questionnaire to probe the participants based on the response to previous questions (Collins, 2003). 3. 1. 2 Secondary data: The researcher had gone through a rigorous study based on books, journals, online articles and newspapers. Most of research related journals are derived from science direct and EBSC host websites.However, there is a considerable amount of vagueness found by the researcher during the collection of secondary data. The researcher had followed probability sampling technique to use in the current study which could produce accurate results needed for this research (Breweton, 2001). How to cite Medical Tourism : Introduction, Papers

Competitive Strategy Developed Business Innovation

Question: Describe about the Competitive Strategy for Developed Business Innovation. Answer: Introduction Uber is a ride for hire service that was founded in the year 2009 at San Francisco by Garrett Camp and Travis and Kalanick. The taxi service was an innovation for hire service where the taxi is hired using a mobile application developed by Uber technologies. The aim of development of Uber taxi was to give a comfort of finding taxis and eradicate the frustrations that the passengers face in trying to find a taxi. Since its development, the company has expanded its services to many other countries and cities. With the invention of Uber, travelling has become more convenient and easy. The case study analyzes the market condition of United States and other countries where Uber has expanded, the business models and strategies used by Uber, the competitive strategy, the services provided by Uber and the expansion strategy provided by Uber taxis. Uber was valued at 18.2 billion dollars that was held as the most valued privately owned company (Gabel, 2016). Traditionally there were two ride hiring services that were taxicab services and limousine services. The taxicab services were operated regulated at municipal level while limousine services were operated at a state level. Both the services operated with different rules while the regulations were almost same from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The differences between the two rides were that the limousine services were only available on Prebooking while taxicabs could be hired from streets. The paper analyzes the services provided by Uber and the strategies used. Different countries had different rules and limitations. Other cab providers used the business model developed by Uber as well (Dobbs et al., 2015). Problem identification Uber faced many difficulties while entering the market because there were already many taxicabs and services operating. The services of Uber were created by grabbing the opportunity of customers frustration of not finding the taxis for travelling. A Smartphone application was developed to help the customers find the cabs easily and conveniently. The application developed by Uber helps the customer books cab from its nearby location as it traces the location of the customers. The customers are given the choice of either paying the money or the fare through cash or through credit card. Traditionally the drivers did not provide the option of cash to the customers to avoid inconvenience of carrying huge amounts of cash. The strategy that Uber adopted was that it did not own its cars but instead relied on the operators and private personality that were ready to rent their cars for Uber service. The Uber service uses various tools and strategies to effectively provide the service. It great ly relies on data analytics to determine the best waiting place to pick up the customers (Anderson, 2014). This is done to reduce the delivery time and improve customer satisfaction. The entire Uber service relies on the data gathered, as it will help in making the optimal utilization of vehicles. The customer satisfaction level is measured by allowing the customers to rate the drivers on the basis of their experience. This is essential for the company to understand the response of customers in market and alter the strategies if the customers are not happy with the service. Rating is a vice versa phenomenon where even the drivers are given opportunity to rate the clients in order to avoid troublesome customers (Cannon Summers, 2014). The company has faced many difficulties and problems. The cost of the Uber taxis is less compared to other cab services due to which many issues and concerns were raised against Uber. The main issue identified was raised regarding the operations of the company. The problems faced by Uber is given as follows. Uber had faced various criticisms as the other taxi operators were not being able to absorb the success of the company the controversies were raised to achieve competitive advantage. The concerns were as follows: Uber operates its taxis and cabs but without proper licenses. The taxis in Uber do not have insurance. Uber is considered juts as a way of making living (Rauch Schleicher, 2015). Due to the concerns, raised the company was charged a penalty. Despite of the penalty the company continued its operations. One of the major criticisms faced by Uber service was a charge of a girl being raped in India by Uber driver. The entire app based taxi services banned in India unless and until the services are registered with the local transportation body. Thailand and Vietnam also claimed for the Uber service being illegal. Uber faced many challenges while expanding globally. Establishment of the service required huge amount of capital investment (Kanter, 2015). The regulators of USA and Europe where the main regulatory body were governments and the traditional transport operators raised the issues. The main questions that were raised against Uber related to the safety of the consumers, and drivers. Situation analysis The case study is based on both the quantitative methodology and qualitative analysis. Porters five forces Porters five forces are used to evaluate the competitive strength of the company. It helps in identifying the level of competition within the industry that is helpful for the development of business. The threat of new entrants: The market earning high profitable return on investment and profit has the fear of competition due to threat of new entrants. Though Uber is the leading company in this market sector its has constant threat from new entrants. Uber had high return on investments during its start of $1.25 million. Seeing the high return on investment, many new firms had entered the market that gave high competition to Uber. One of the major competitors of Uber is Lyft which is a privately owned company based in San Francisco. Logan and John launched the company in the year 2012. The company initially provided the service of ride sharing for the long distance travelling. Just like Uber, the cabs of Lyft can be booked through the mobile-based application. The difference between Uber and Lyft is that Lyft uses normal citizens as drivers that have their own cars. The second differences between the two are the logo that it sets to display its brand. The third difference is the pricing strategy where Lyft ch arges a fixed twenty-five percent sure pricing during peak demand. Lyft has faced more regulatory obligations compared to Uber (Mitchell, 2015). The criticism was due to the use of personal cars and drivers for the service. The issue was to use commercial drivers and cars for the safety purpose. The company was ready to pay huge amount of money to the drivers for the expansion of its services to New York (Edelman, 2015). The other competitor of the Uber service is Sidecar, which was a smaller service that began in 2012 in San Francisco. The different between sidecar and other service is that the drivers are allowed to set their own prices and the customers are allowed to choose from the vehicle model and prices. Uber reacted to these competitors by extending its products and cutting the prices of the services this was done to achieve competitive advantage over other services (Wallsten, 2015). Threat of substitutes: Uber has high threat from substitutes, as there are many alternatives that the consumers can switch. The development of Lyft in 2012 from the same region was the major threat to Uber. Transportation service is a competitive business as the consumers has larger choice to choose from. With the rise in technology and increase in use of internet more innovative services juts like Uber are likely to come in future that will give a strong competition to Uber. During the time of surge pricing customer, opt for other cab services that can harm the profit of the company. Various means of transportation such as bus, and railways acts as substitutes to Uber giving strong competition (Wirtz Tang, 2016). Bargaining power of buyers: Buyers here are the customers. Customers have high bargaining power because of presence various other operators providing the similar service to the customers. Uber is no longer a unique product due to development of many other cab services such as Lyft, and Sidecars. Customer determines the consumption of particular based on price charged by the company. Transportation sector is a price sensitive industry. Higher the price lower is the demand for Uber. Customer is given choice of giving feedback after using the particular service. Hence, the customers have high bargaining power because of various factors such as price sensitivity, quality of service and presence of competitors. Bargaining power of suppliers: Suppliers are the providers of inputs. In case of Uber, the suppliers are the people who rent their cars for the service such as Limousine. The suppliers of Uber also include the drivers. Uber does not have any private cars and is dependent on the suppliers. It is essential for the company to maintain a high standard in order to attract good suppliers. In some cases, the drivers and organizations can review and negotiate the terms and conditions seeking better considerations, which might be at the companys expense. The performance of the company depends on its suppliers that are the drivers and hence the suppliers hold a strong bargaining power (Cramer Krueger, 2016). Industry rivalry Uber reacted to its competitors by extending its products and cutting the prices. In 2012 when new services juts as Lyft and Sidecars emerged, Uber also altered its strategy. Traditionally the company used only black limousines but in 2012, a new category of cars was introduced name Uber X that allowed the drivers to use other cars such as Toyota, SUVs or Honda. The prices of Uber were decreased by thirty five percent. This was done to attract more of consumers and achieve competitive advantage. The introduction of Uber X was the competitive strategy used by the company to achieve competitive advantage over Lyft and emerge as a low cost provider of car service. The prices of Uber differed location to location. However, the company cited that the prices of the service were eighteen to thirty seven percent lower than other taxi service providers that largely relied on the location. The Uber X was socially established in the cities where Lyft was providing its services such as Indianapo lis and St. Paul. The company often gave an option of free ride in the cities where Lyft was operating. This was simply done for promotion and attraction of customers to use the service (Drahokoupil Fabo, 2016). The price was further reduced in 2014, which was claimed to exist for a limited period. The services of Uber is said to be cheaper than any other taxi service provider. In spite of cut in price, the drivers of Uber earned the same revenue. The concentration of the company was on meeting the needs and requirements of the customers and increasing their satisfaction level. It also aimed at achieving competitive advantage by using various strategies such as price cut and product extension (Isaac, 2014). Macro-environment analysis SWOT analysis Strengths: Uber is the first cab service to develop mobile-based application through which the customers can book the cars by using the GPS location. The company ensures that they provide high service to its customer by providing an option of rating the drivers. The returns of investment are high due to low operational cost. The conditions that the drivers work at are nice and hence the company has no difficulty in connecting with its suppliers (Anderson, 2014). The valuation of the company is high. The company gives an option of credit card payment that reduces the risk of robbery. Weaknesses: High competition in the market of San Francisco. The prices of the cars are high during peak demand and season. Other companies can easily use the business model developed by the company. The cabs cannot be booked if the customer has no internet connection (Cramer Krueger, 2016). Threats: Uber has high threat from its competitors such as Lyft and Sidecars. Uber has threat of creditability due to challenges from investors. Uber is not allowed in some places due to limitations in the legal provisions. Opportunities: Uber has an opportunity to expand in many international countries. It has an opportunity to attract larger customers that are loyal and make high profit. The demand for Uber is likely to grow in future because of the preferences of luxury and convenience by the customers (Cannon Summers, 2014). Internal analysis Value chain analysis Value chain analysis is a process or a technique through which the company adds value to its production and marketing. Uber creates values for the drives by proving them a good working condition and payment while the value for customers is created by satisfying their needs. Value is created by giving free rides to attendees. The company relies on word of mouth and social networks for its promotion and advertisement. The Uber service uses various tools and strategies to effectively provide the service. The customer satisfaction level is measured by allowing the customers to rate the drivers based on their experience. This is essential for the company to understand the response of customers in market and alter the strategies if the customers are not happy with the service. Rating is a vice versa phenomenon where even the drivers are given opportunity to rate the clients in order to avoid troublesome customers. Uber creates value by connecting the drivers to customers through a mobile-b ased application. It opens more access to the drivers and rider. The service creates an opportunity for businesses to develop (Laurell Sandstrm, 2016). Strategy analysis Business tools of Uber service The benefits of the strategies adopted by Uber are as follows: The demand for the taxis ha increased as the rise has now become more convenient and easy. The revenue of the drivers increase and the vehicles are utilized more optimally. The revenues of the owners also increase due to the method of surge pricing The safety of drivers and company increases due to credit payment mode (Jonas, 2016). The services allow the flexibility of working due to which the drivers or the employees are happy working with the company. The Uber operates through a mobile-based application where the customers can book a cab that is nearest to its location (Gassmann et al., 2016). Option analysis Uber uses various strategies to overcome with its problems. The strategies used by Uber are as follows: Pricing strategy The service of Uber was started in the year 2010. At the start of its company, the process differences between Uber and other cab services such as Taxicab was high. The price charged by Uber was higher than the other cab services with over the time declined. The fare for the car service is based on the distance and time of travelling as determined by the GPS application. Traditionally the fare was split between the driver and the company where the company kept twenty percent of the profit while the driver kept eighty percent of the profit. The prices depend on the time and distance (Wirtz Tang, 2016). The prices charged by the service are not fixed. It varies on the basis of the state of demand. This strategy is known as surge pricing where the prices of services with the increase in the demand for cars. During peak seasons and time such as during festivals or any unforeseen events the prices charged by Uber rises. There have been instances of prices rising by seven times than the n ormal prices during peak times (Walton, 2014). According to the operators of Uber, this is done to provide more cars during the peak season. When the prices increases the number of Uber cars increases on roads and ultimately prices drop. This is done to provide the cars even during the time of peak season. However, the customers do not agree with this strategy and argues that the drop in prices should be fast. The revenue of drivers of Uber is higher than the drivers of other taxi cabs (Posen, 2015). Expansion strategy Uber started its service in 2010 in San Francisco known as Ubercab. Since then the company has been expanding its services to other cities and countries as well. By 2012, the service was seen in seven cities of United States. After two years, the services of Uber had expanded to hundred and thirty cities in thirty-six countries. The expansion of the services was a fast process. The company used various services to expand its services. It targeted high tech sponsorships for capital investment. Free rides were given to attendees. This was done to attract larger customers. The company relied on word of mouth and social networks for its promotion and advertisement. The amount of money spent by the company on marketing and promotion is almost negligible, as it believes that the information about its services will automatically spread through word of mouth. The services have an operational team in each city that works with drivers and clients to improve its business (Cramer Krueger, 2016) . Uber established its services that had accelerants and in places that had nightlife, restaurants, holiday, events, weather and sports perceiving that, people in such places would use the service. Hence, the main success for the expansion of the services largely depends on the strategies deployed by the company. The choice of cities was good for expansion that added advantage for the company. The services are launched in cities that have very less taxi facilities so that the demand and use of the Uber service is high. The drivers are attracted to work with Uber due to the financial and safety security that the company provides (Laurell Sandstrm, 2016). Recommendation It is recommended to Uber to be more flexible with its price. During peak season or odd time, the company should not increase the price of the service, as it is very inconvenient for the customers. This also leads Uber to lose its valuable customers. The company should expand its operation in not only developed countries but also developing countries. The communication process should be strengthened in order to build a direct relation with the suppliers. Uber Company has emerged as one of the successful company due to its strategies and rate of expansion. It now operates in thirty six countries and hundred and nineteen cities. The business tool and strategies used by Uber is considered as efficient and good for running the service. The revenue of the company doubles every six months. The strategies of price cut, surge pricing, product extension is proved successful for the company. The company should not only extend its services to developed countries but also developing countries to provide comfortable travelling to the passengers. Uber is a private company and one of the fastest growing services. Today the company provides a large amount of services to its customers. The company has introduced the facility of Uber sharing known as Uber pool where the passengers can share the ride. This will help the passengers travel in half the price. The company has also introduced different varieties of cars that are luxury cars with wifi and without wifi. The travelling has become much easier with the invention of Uber service. The financial reports of the company are a guarded secret and are not openly available. The funds raised by Uber were used for strategic investments. The motive of the company was to fight over its competitors such as Lyft and attain competitive advantage. The customers claim to be happy with the Uber service. The prices of the services differ in different countries based on the standard of living. References Anderson, D. N. (2014). Not just a taxi? 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