Custom «Red Crescent Movement» Essay Paper

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a non-making profit organization that operates in 186 countries. This organization kicks back its root in 1919, and its major goal is to provide aid to the victims of technological and natural disasters, and health emergencies as well as the refugees. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement act as the main representative for its members in the international arena. In addition, it enhances the cooperation among the national societies, and assists in promoting their ability to perform disaster, health, social programmes and preparedness effectively.

This organization has several substitutes that operate under the basic objectives, principles, statues, symbols and governing organs of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. These movements are; International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The funds for supporting the ongoing activities of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement come from surplus revenues, donation from donors, and the governments. Although this non-making profit has existed for a long time, it faces many setbacks, which have been deeply analyzed in this paper. This paper will also scrutinize the internal and external factors that hinder this organization as well as its strength and opportunities. In addition, the paper will look at the current positions and select the one the fits my career.  

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1.0 Background

The non-profit organizations are those that are aimed at enhancing all of the humanity aspects (Koteen 1997). Their objectives and goals are not aimed at attaining a return on investment, but rather promoting the goodwill and bettering the lives of others (Hartigan 2006). The profits earned by such organizations are not shared as dividends, but are rather reinvested into the organization (Koteen, 1997). They operate within various public beneficial aspects like, environmental protection, caring for the old and the disabled, community development, and the protection of animal rights among many others (Alvarado 2000). One good example of the non-profit organizations is the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which is considered to be the largest global humanitarian network, with a mission of alleviating humanitarian suffering, upholding human dignity, as well as protecting health and life of the people, particularly during emergencies such as floods, armed conflicts, earthquakes and epidemics (Neville 2002). This movement consists of about 97 million members, staff and volunteers globally, with three distinct organizations (Jean-Claude, 1999). The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial organization that is charged with the responsibility of protecting the lives and dignity of people affected by war or internal violence (Hans 1993). The second organization is the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and is charged with the responsibility of organizing and leading relief aid missions that deal with large-scale emergencies (Neville 2002). The third organization is the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies that has been established in almost every country in the world. The National Societies work in their own countries depending on their capacities and specific circumstances. Most of their activities are closely associated with the provision of emergency medical services to the affected people during times of emergencies (Neville 2002).

All of the three components of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement are guided by the same seven fundamental principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, voluntary service, unity, independence, and universality (Hans 1993). To achieve its mission of assisting without discrimination that is aimed at promoting peace around the world, the Movement has an important management strategy that gives it a clear strategic direction directed towards reconciling the diverse cultures and priorities of the National Societies, with the aim of being a global network for humanitarian action that works together as a Movement (ICRC Report, 1997). Furthermore, the Movement is guided by the Seville Agreement was adopted by the Movement through the 1997 Council of Delegates in Seville (Angela, 2005). This paper will basically offer an overview of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, analyzing its competitors through the Porter 5 forces, and trends through the force field analysis. The paper will also look at the job opportunities available in this organization, along with the skills I posses and consider if I can qualify for the any of the advertised vacancies

1.1 Methodology

The information in this paper was collected through intense literature search in the library as well as the internet. The researcher did an extensive analysis on available historical data regarding the International Red Cross as well as the Red Crescent Movement. Published documents such as books and journals with information about this organization were also consulted. Additionally, the internet was also used in accessing online articles such as reports, conference proceedings, as well as journals.

2.0 Competitors of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement through porter 5 forces

The non-for profit organizations have become one of the most significant driving forces behind the national economic and social development. However, considering the fact that these organizations are most of the time faced by scarcity of resources, it is viewed that competition is the major means and ways through which these organizations can attain their goals and objective (Porter 2008). Therefore, these organizations have to ensure that they will be able to continue providing for the community for the intended period of operation.

2.1 The threat of new entrants into the non-for profit organization

Allowing new entrants into the non-for profit sector may imply increased competition for donations and memberships, thus decreasing the funds raised by the organization. For the case of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, having new entrants into this sector may provide a wider choice for the health insurance providers and government tenders , and thus the Movement may be forced to provide extra services for the same amount of funding.

2.2 The Threat of Substitutes

The availability of a substitute in the market can lower the amount of potential profits within the industry (Porter, 2008). For instance, enrolment into the schooling programme supported by a non for profit organization such as the American Red Cross may limit membership into the capacity-building programme supported by this Movement (Eugene & Brown, 2011).

2.3 Buyer power

For the non-for profit organizations, buyers include donors, philanthropic and government funders, and consumers (Porter, 1980). Therefore, buyers can exert pressure on the non-profit organization creating a situation where there is stiff competition for the same source of funding.

2.4 Supplier power

Suppliers in this case refer to the government organizations, and other service providers. An analysis of the supplier power impact on the non-for profit organization demands an understanding of the pressures within the suppliers’ industry. The movement is required for instance to have an understanding of the medicine industry, as this can have power over this Movement.

2.5 Degree of rivalry

Competition exists within the non-for profit sector for corporate sponsorship, consumers, donors and government grants (Porter 2008). An analysis of the number of organizations offering the same services compared to the number of individuals requiring such services can be used as a measure of the rivalry in the industry.  For instance, the American Red Cross is also a humanitarian organization just like this Movement, and thus can used to determine how concentrated the sector is with regard to attracting donors.

3.0 Analyzing trends through Force Field analysis

The concept of force field analysis was introduced by Kurt Lewin, and is still applied by most managers today to help understand the factors or rather forces influencing a situation or behaviour within the organization. Basically, the force field analysis looks at the forces that help in either driving or hindering the movement towards a certain goal (Lewin 1943).  Therefore, conducting a force field analysis helps the organization to plan to build up on the forces that support a specific decision, and minimize the opposing factors. For instance, the Internal Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement can apply the force filed analysis to manage and understand the behaviour of its employees. The driving forces propel behaviour towards the desired direction. Such forces can either be extrinsic or intrinsic, or a combination of both, for instance, the desire to achieve the approval of co-workers and bosses, organizational rewards, and motivation (David 2005). However, the restraining forces often prevent the attainment of the desired behaviour, and incorporate such factors as lack of training, lack of motivation, and personal issues. Therefore, the understanding of both the restraining and the driving forces provides an understanding of the factors affecting the behaviour of the employees. For instance, if one employee is known to misappropriate the organization’s resources, the organization can identify both the driving and the restraining forces in order to help change the behaviour of that employee. It is worth noting that to attain the behaviour change the organization should consider minimizing the restraining force and increase the driving force. In addition, it is worth noting that this Movement is often bound to encounter conflicts with other non for profit organizations that have similar objectives with this Movement. The Movement can therefore apply the force field analysis to analyze the driving forces and the factors that have made it difficult to attain cooperation with other non for profit organizations. There always certain misconception about such social trends and thus the force field analysis to determine the main elemental constructs (Lewin 1943). The Movement will therefore have to identify its strengths, for instance, the basic interest within the community it serves, as well as the challenges, such as competition for the limited space, that prevent it from cooperating with the other organizations. This will allow it to work on the identified challenges in order to increase on the strengths towards attaining cooperation.

4.0 Why I suit to work for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement:

My key strength is my interest in IT and business management:  I would like to transform this strength into visible and viable performance for an organization that will utilize and nurture my capabilities for our mutual benefit. We realize that the contemporary world is a competitive world where innovation is the major driving force towards attaining a competitive advantage. However, this is not only confined to the profit making industry, but also applies to the not-for-profit industry. For instance, technology is required to enable the organization track new developments, as well as to maintaining the collaborative networking. I believe that I will be able to apply my strengths to help the organization help move forward. Besides, I am a team leader and player and thus will be able to interact with different people from different backgrounds considering the fact that this is an organization whose main activities revolve around serving and interacting with different communities. I can also manage tasks without having to be supervised and I believe this is fitting for the organization considering the fact that most of its activities are not centralized and thus people are required to work without supervision. I also believe that my creativity will allow me to explore new opportunities for the organization, and my ability to solve problems will be of great benefit especially considering the fact that conflicts are often bound to happen at the community level, from individuals competing for the emergency aids. I believe the skills and abilities that I have make me fit to work for this organization.

I have conducted a deeper analysis of the International Red Cross movement along with the targets the organization intends to attain during its period of operation, and this has given me the urge to work with it.  I am basically interested in serving and helping the most vulnerable people in the society considering the fact that Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an organization that is concerned with initiating emergency responses in challenging environments, then offering me an opportunity to work with the organization will help me explore my career objective.  I have chosen to apply for a job in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement because this is an organization that has gained a worldwide reputation for its exceptional services in serving the most vulnerable people in the society (Hans 1993).

5.0 The Graduate Job I could apply for

The organization advertises all its vacancies publicly on its job prospects site and they are open to both the external and internal applicants. The Movement only allows applications for the advertised vacancies and this can only be done online. The organization acknowledges any placed application immediately via an automatic email and provides the on line monitoring of the status of the vacancy. However, it is worth noting that the organization aims at to attract a qualified workforce and to create a performance-driven work culture by rewarding its staff on a merit-based and non-discriminatory manner (Koteen, 1997). The job that I am interested in is the Deputy Programme Coordinator (Grade 4). This vacancy is available in the Pakistan office, which seeks to offer continued implementation, and finalize on the Integrated Recovery Program that basically seeks to help the victims of the monsoon floods that occurred in 2010. Some of the specific tasks and responsibilities include acting as the managerial focal point when it comes to the running of the daily operations of the Integrated Recovery Program, with the specific focus on the integration and coordination of activities carried out by the different programs. This is aimed at ensuring that the goals of the program are attained. This job position requires a professional in social sciences, for instance in humanitarian or development affairs, or management. In addition, the post requires an individual who has worked in disaster management for five years. Some experience is also required in managing and supporting staff, working for the International Federation and National Societies or a humanitarian organization in one of the developing countries. The individual has to have worked at a local level with the communities and developing partnerships at the national, state of the local level.

Besides, the applicant is required to be self-supporting in computers, particularly, in windows, word-processing and spreadsheets. Strong skills are also required in supporting, developing and training staff. In addition, the applicant is also required to have a valid driving licence. Besides, the applicants are required to have strong communication skills, and be able to work within a multi-cultural environment. Trust-building and teamwork are also some of the most important skills the interested applicants of this post should have. Also worth noting is the fact that applicants should be able to effectively network and influence others. Some competence is also required in management of resources, supervision and control, management of budgets, planning, leadership, monitoring, and self-management.

6.0 Comparative analysis

Looking at the job specifications, some of the skills required match with the skills that I possess. For instance, the organization requires that the applicant should have good communication skills and the ability to head strategic meetings. I believe I have good communication skills for example my ability to speak in five different languages (Pashto, Persian, Urdu, English, Arabic) fluently and I can as well chair meetings within the organization. The organization also requires an individual who can team work. I have worked as a sales assistant at AFZAL Carpet and I was able to relate with the members of staff, as well as the customers effectively, and thus I am sure that I will be able to work with this team effectively. Besides, part of my course entailed working on team projects and I got the opportunity to head my group, a task I managed successfully considering the fact that I was able to influence my tem members to work on time and complete the tasks we had been allocated. Besides, the post requires a professional in management and considering the fact that I have pursued a degree in International Business Management, I believe I will be able to fit in this post. I am also proficient in computer programmes, such as windows installation, word-processing, spreadsheets, internet, web designing, which are some of the skills required to qualify for this post. Furthermore, my ability to relate and work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds will be an important asset considering the fact that the organization requires an individual who can work with teams within a multi-cultural environment. The fact that the post is available in the Pakistan office makes it appropriate for me as this is my home country.

6.1 Gap analysis

It is worth noting that, there are various skills and experiences that I am lacking, which are required by the organization for the applicants.  The organization requires some experience in working for the International Federation and the National Societies, but I have not had such an experience since I have not worked for this organization before. In addition, the post requires an individual with five years experience in disaster management, an experience that I also lack.  However, with some training I believe I will be able to acquire some skills that will help me function effectively in this position. However, despite the gaps I believe I can apply for the job because I posses most of the skills required by the organization. With some training and gaining a master degree in project management in 2013, I will improve and add on the skills I am lacking.