Make Better Decision Essay

That the current era of economic uncertainty may have been ushered in through a series of poor government and corporate decisions is implied through the rear view mirror. Could some of the events that shaped todays crises have been avoided through better decision making processes? Thomas Davenport (2009, p. 117) presents examples of â€Å"decision making disorder† evident in both the public and private sectors and offers a framework to guide managers in making better decisions in the future. His premise lies in the ineffectiveness of the individual decision-making process resulting in dire consequences for the organization. Davenport provides a framework to guide managers in adopting a more analytical and systematic approach, resulting in greater effectiveness. He posits that the use of data, especially analytics embedded in automated systems can be powerful tools when balanced with informed human judgment. Davenport presents no new information entailing the decision making process. He does, however, raise the question of why the majority of organizations continue to rely on intuition and ignore proven tools and methods without regard for the evidence pointing to their effectiveness. The author warns that without proper prioritization and systematic review of the decision making process, success remains a gamble. Article Highlights According to Davenport (2009), allowing individual managers to make decisions without a systematic analysis has severe consequences that result in languishing profit margins. In spite of the resources available, most organizations fail to implement the recommendations that would help managers employ better decision making processes. The author notes that while these processes do not guarantee better outcomes, they certainly increase the potential (p. 118). Davenport (2009) outlines a four-step process to improve managerial decisions, the components of which are identification, inventory, intervention and institutionalization. He suggests mangers begin by prioritizing the top decisions required to achieve a goal. He states: â€Å"without some prioritization all decisions are treated as equal, which probably means that the important ones won’t be analyzed with sufficient care† (p. 118). He goes on to stress the importance of identifying key decisions in in order to examine all variables through an inventory process to determine effectiveness and lay the groundwork for organizational communication. Subsequent to identification and taking inventory, considering all parameters of the decision, the appropriate intervention should rise to the surface. The final step is the institutionalization of the decision making process, for which Davenport (2009, p. 119) recommends hiring â€Å"decision experts† in guiding managers through the process. Davenport (2009, p. 119-122) cites two examples of organizations who improved the decision making process: Educational Testing Service (ETS) and The Stanley Works. Meeting with great success, ETS has expanded the new processes to evaluate and prioritize all product changes as well as apply the methodology to handle new prospects. A center of excellence was developed at The Stanley Works that created an analytical tool for sales data and new potential sales opportunities. According to the author, due to automated decision processes created by the center of excellence, the company realized a 6% growth in gross margin. Although highly in favor of analytical tools, Davenport (2009) warns of reliance solely on automation, and cautions managers to use their expert human insight to monitor how well analytical tools are working. The decision making process should always be a human endeavor with analytics only a part of the overall toolbox. Significance of the article Davenport (2009) raises a universal concern encompassing the impact of poorly thought out organizational as well as individual decisions. The decisions of today are the realities of tomorrow, and in spite of the myriad of excellent resources available, â€Å"few organizations have reengineered their decisions† (p. 117). The author presents an excellent argument for the necessity of a systematic decision making process as well as the use of analytical tools to provide reliable information in order to make sound decisions. Corporate CEO’s exist that agree with the concepts and actively ngage in systematic decision-making processes. Donna Thompson, CEO of Access Community Health Network in the Chicago area is one example. She shares her ritual of going through the same decision-making process before taking any action, and offers â€Å"good decision making isn’t as much about having all the right answers as is using a process to ask all the right questions† (Reed-Woodard, M. A. 2006p. 164). Gully, Stainer and Stainer (2006), in their study on moral decisions within organizations, have also found a systematic process to yield the best decisions. The authors describe an organized â€Å"balance sheet† designed to prevent disordered thinking as a model of cooperative business behavior. Their findings include the need for systematic decision-making and state â€Å"the moral decision making maze needs ordered steps of asking questions and providing answers that can readily be applied to solving problems and dilemmas in business† (p. 194). Davenport’s (2009) article continues with accolades for analytical tools within automated systems as long as managers thoroughly understand the models. Jim Ciampaglio CEO of NeoSpire exuberantly claims the success of an analytical sales tool used to manage leads and store sales information and states this tool â€Å"helped us change who we are as a sales organization† (McKay, L. 2010). Executive decisions lay the foundation for business strategy: poorly thought out decisions lead to less than optimal results and systematic decision making takes the emotionality out and puts the issue in an objective framework, leading to better outcomes. Organizations integrating this type of framework reduce the risk of moving ahead with a faulty plan. Davenport (2009) states while managers are buying and most likely reading resource material providing the basis for better decision making, few actually adopt the recommendations (p. 118). Conjecture rather than interviews with key decision makers is offered to support this particular viewpoint with the implication that this may be due to the failure to connect bad outcomes to faulty decision making Conclusion Davenport (2009) does an excellent job of tying the process of decision-making to an organization’s ultimate failure or success. His thought provoking discussion as to what exactly transpires during the individual decision making process and why organizations need to gain some control over this process makes intuitive sense. The success of the author’s suggested framework for making decisions is well supported by the organizations cited in his work, with confirmations easily found in other studies such as Gully et al (2006). Further research is recommended examining the decision making processes generally employed by organizations before conclusions that support Davenport’s (2009) negative assumptions can be drawn. The author does not support his claim that only a few companies employ a systematic process and is biased in his perception of the† poor calls made in both the public and private sectors† in recent years. Overall, Making Better Decisions provides food for thought and raises the question that if Davenport’s (2009) assumptions are in fact correct, why is it that corporations continue to allow managers to use more intuition than systematic processes to arrive at decisions that impact the organization’s bottom line?

Defining Race and Ethnicity Essay

Whether this definition is accurate or not, this is what the terms â€Å"race† and â€Å"ethnicity† mean to me: Race is a term that describes a group of people with similar descent. I believe race is determined physical specifications such as color, language, eye shape, or even things such as blood types. Human beings as a whole are described as the â€Å"human race;† I believe this to be an accurate definition as human beings (despite color, language, or any other physical characteristics) are all the same. Genetically speaking, we are all made up of the same â€Å"parts.† The term â€Å"race† is an all-encompassing statement used to define a large group, overall. Ethnicity defines the background of a particular person or thing. This term encompasses many backgrounds and associations. Foods can be â€Å"ethnic† if they originate or are commonly consumed in a specific country or region. The same applies to human beings. One’s ethnicity may be determined by his or her birthplace, religion, of beliefs. Ethnicity does not define physical characteristics, but rather backgrounds and traits. The United States is a melting pot. This country is made up of thousands and thousands of different people from different places. The USA is home to many ethnic backgrounds; however, the population (in my opinion) is a single â€Å"race.† We are all humans, as I have previously stated. Although our ethnic backgrounds may differ in many different ways, all in all, we are one race. This is important to bear in mind. Heritage should always be recognized, as it typically is in the United States. But acknowledging the vast backgrounds that exist in this country is the most important concept of all.

Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 27

Case Study Example Therefore, in return, I should also be given what compensates my efforts in monetary form. The approval procedure is quite long. For a potential applicant, the waiting for a job which pays lower than the others at such a long period would not be acceptable. This can lead to possible excellent employees to find other job offerings so with the sluggish flow of the process, the procedure is quite unsatisfactory. Thus, more should be employed for the recruiting process to make the job faster or at least an easier technique should be carefully planned to eliminate all unnecessary parts of the procedure that hinder a quick process. If I were to design a recruiting system, there should be an advertisement that reaches good potential applicants. In the case of Northwest State where obviously money and staff is a problem, perhaps some teachers can be given the job to do the initial screening of applicants like written exams. The results will then be given to Department Head, Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President of the college for them to evaluate applicants as a group to save

Movie Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Movie Assignment - Essay Example This paper shall candidly and comprehensively elucidate on virtue ethics and the issues that surround it by considering its application and/or violation in the movie â€Å"Iron Man 2." One of the scenes that can adequately be used to describe virtue ethics in the movie â€Å"Iron Man 2† is Iron Man (Tony) and his Stark industries. As an industry that engages in the production of weapons for the American military, Business in this sector can be a persistent quandary for those involved. As the movie begins, Tony Mark has no doubts and strongly believes that the missiles that he creates protect and support American paramilitaries (Casey et al., 12). When Tony goes to Afghanistan to exhibit a newly created missile, a terrorist cell bombs his caravan. Tony looks at the grenade and sees the label â€Å"Stark Industries† before it explodes. After its explosion, Tony ends up interspersed with shrapnel and the terrorists easily apprehend him. Even after arrest, Tony does not face the anticipated sufferings. He is saved because the terrorist wanted Tony to create a similar missile for them. Eventually, Tony seepages and returns to his home country where he takes time to essentially reason about what his business does. Through his statements, Tony expresses embarrassment. â€Å"I never got to say good-bye to my father†¦.I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did if he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts† (Casey et al., 24). It had dawned on Tony that the terrorists acquired his weapons and were fully using them against the Americans; whom the weapons were meant to defend and safeguard. After this recognition, tony wonders what to do with the company; ethical dilemma skulks in. Despite the sheer fact that his company engages in other activities, weapon production was the main income generating activities. Tony attributes most of his

The Stranger by Albert Camus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Stranger by Albert Camus - Essay Example Meursault's character is a statement about the author's view of the irrationality of the universe and how humans are making it complicated through insisting that life is purposeful. The exposition part of the plot revealed so much about Meursault's concept of the word "emotions." The story began with news that his mother passed away through a telegram. Contrary to the expected reaction of a son who just lost a parent, he did not turn out to be sentimental, or at least sentimental in a masculine way. Instead, he cared more about what day and time his mother died. The diction and tone used by Camus is entirely helpful upon establishing Meursault's persona. To directly say that "Mother died today, or maybe yesterday; I can't be sure" (Camus 4) is a perfect portrayal of being indifference towards the death of a loved one. It is noticeable however, that Meursault is emotionally detached from his own mother, which made sense if he would be the same with the rest of the people around him. T he physical world is more important to him than what really matters according to society's opinion, such as love and the concept of a meaningful life.

Military Ethic - Utilitarian Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Military Ethic - Utilitarian - Essay Example According to Mill’s perspective of the utilitarian theory, he notes that the quality of happiness is the fundamental aspect of the utilitarian theory and not the amount of happiness. Mill’s indicates that happiness cannot be quantified as it is a quality. On the same breath, Mill’s says that the theory aims to enhance the highest ability of attaining happiness for the largest number of people. To what extent? To as many as possible. On the other hand, Bentham has a different set of principles that governs this theory. Bentham asserts that the importance of pleasure and pain in each person. Bentham agrees or disagrees of any act depending on the amount of pain or pleasure that results from the act. Bentham compares associates pleasure with good and pain with evil. The main assertion of Bentham is that pain and pleasure can be quantified. The two theorists seem to differ on the aspect of quantification. Can happiness or pain or pleasure be quantified? (Gierson & Ho lmgren, 2000). The utilitarian theory can be applied to certain the overall rules or certain actions. Application of the theory to the overall rules is termed as rule-utilitarianism, while the application of the theory to certain actions is termed as act-utilitarianism. In application of the theory through the act-utilitarianism, â€Å"An act is right if and only if it results in as much good as any available alternative.† (Pojman & Fieser, 2011). The application of this theory based on the act perspective is based on the good. The good that will result from the action. The question is, how much good results from many military actions? The other application of the theory through the rule-utilitarianism states that the utilitarian theory is utilized to evaluate if the regulations of behavior or conduct are valid. If one behaves in a certain way, is it

Conflict resolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conflict resolution - Essay Example Informal conflict is a disagreement whereby, the parties involved in the disagreement decide to solve their differences peacefully among themselves or with a mediator rather than doing it the official way. This nature of a conflict is less costly in terms of money and less involving. The methods, which will be applied in this conflict resolution exercise, will include distancing; one of the parties in disagreement stays away from the other; negotiation; allow the parties in dispute to sit down and discuss amongst themselves on how to terminate their differences peacefully. The last technique will be the mediation process, which will involve the intervention of a third party to try to reconcile the disagreeing parties. The parties in disagreement will have to give a brief account of the incident, which led to the conflict, declare their stance as far as the incident is concerned, their feelings, concerns, and emotions as well as their views. A brief conversation has to take place betw een the parties where they will state their stance concerning the resolution, including their level of satisfaction emotionally, physically, and psychologically. This will give the mediator confidence and strong will to carry out other mediation processes in the future (Ramsbotham, Tom & Hugh, 2011, 15). Williams and Cheryl have been doing a job in the same manufacturing organization for several decades and have been great friends. When their present manager is about to leave the organization, he promotes Williams, something which Cheryl does not take positively. Williams goes on about his new job as usual until a time when he decides to launch a new rule to workers he supervises. Anxiety among the workers increases since they consider the rule to make little logic to them and is possible to raise their already intense workload. Cheryl having known Williams for long, and having been friends, she expects Williams to object the rule since it is pressurizing them so much especially the junior and new recruits in the organization. The conflict between the two emerged because Cheryl considered herself fit for the promotion instead of Williams her friend. She claims to have an advantage over Williams in that she has been in the organization long before Williams came in and thus she is more experienced thanhe is. Further, Cheryl argues that Williams is exercising strict control on the subordinates only to prove his position as their supervisor, which is not right. These two are great friends; thus, one wonders where the disagreement emanated from, what will be the most suitable techniques to apply to try to reconcile them, and how easily and conveniently can this be achieved. Their conflict seems to be understandable; therefore, the possibility of a resolution being arrived at the soonest possible and conveniently is high. This will restore their friendship and hence improve the productivity of the organization for better gains at the end of the financial year. Theme s/ Patterns This dispute resolution process will be carried out peacefully and in a quiet place where each party will feel comfortable and secure. The secrecy of the parties involved will be guaranteed. Each person will have time to express their concerns amicably, look for a common ground that both of them can agree on; create a future resolution other than concentrating on the history. Lastly, the parties involved will be united again and continue their job together as usual. The factors that led to the

Effective Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Effective Management - Essay Example In this essay, the most important characteristics of an effective manager are discussed. According to Whetton and Cameron, (2005) the most important personal; qualities essential for a manager are the awareness of one's own self, ability to manage stress and ability to solve problems analytically and creatively. First and foremost quality that builds clarity in the thought process is the self awareness. Cox(1994) in his work mentions that, self awareness is very essential to have a concept of self regard and worthiness to define the persons' emotional intelligence . More awareness of the person's personal values gives direction when decisions have to be made. When a person is aware of the inner self, then they can appreciate the differences between individuals when working in a group. An effective manager feels comfortable in welcoming different viewpoints and can create a shared sense of commitment in a team. The next personal quality that is very essential is the person's anility to manage stress constructively. The manager may have this ability by nature or should acquire this ability to manage stress. Stress cannot be avoided in today's competitive business environment. But the manager should not let the stress to hamper the judgments made. Effective management of stress can be achieved though time management, team building and work redesign. Managing the stress is very essential to develop resilience in the individual who can steer the organization through the odds to success. The other personal skill that has to be possessed by a manager is the ability to solve problems analytically and creatively. A manager should be able to think beyond the traditional boundaries of thought. If the manager has the ability to do so, he can create alternative solutions which are far beyond the traditional options available. He should be able to combine unrelated alternatives to create an alternative solution for a problem which can create a platform for innovation. Interpersonal skills Managers are supposed to have a range of interpersonal skills like coaching, counseling, offering supportive communication, exercising influence, motivating others and managing conflicts. Of all these interpersonal skills the ability to offer supportive communication is very essential. According to Losada and Heaphy(2004), supportive communication is the communication that seeks to preserve a positive relationship between the communications while still addressing the problem at hand. It allows you to provide negative feedback or to resolve a difficult issue with another person and as a result can strengthen the relationship. Next important aspect of interpersonal skill is the leadership skill. Leadership expert McFadden(2007) comments that, "the leader should have passion for the people which means that the leader regards the people more than himself. In order to fulfill this requirement, the success of the leader will be heavily contingent upon whether he has accomplished the first "P" - passion for purpose". A leader of any group is like the leader of an expedition; people are trusting in his guidance because they believe that his expertise is the result of him having already made

The Bauhaus Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Bauhaus - Research Paper Example Most of these were political in nature, and this is the difference between the German art of this period, and the one that was being advocated by Walter Gropius. Therefore, the principle of Bauhaus was not political, and this was able to appeal to a large group of people, which in turn led to the embrace of these principles of Bauhaus. Furthermore, the influence of Bauhaus is depicted on the works of William Morris. William Morris denoted that there is no need of creating a boundary between function and form, and art should always carter for the needs of the society. This was a major principle and teachings of art that was advocated by the Bauhaus. Another important achievement of Bauhaus is modernism. Modernism was a cultural movement tracing its origins from the late 1880s. For instance, before the set up of the institution, the principles of functionality, mass production, and the merger of arts, and crafts had began in Germany. These are some of the ideals of Bauhaus. In the year 1907, Deutscher Werkbund, a German national designer’s organization had been formed under the leadership of Herman Muthesius to harness and collect the potentials of mass production with the single aim of maintaining Germans economy in its competitiveness with the English economy. Over the first few years the organization came to be known as the authoritative body on design in within Germany and was emulated by many other countries . The Bauhaus was founded when most of the German designers had moved.

Critically appraise the application of traditional capital budgeting Assignment

Critically appraise the application of traditional capital budgeting techniques - Assignment Example At the same time, many business organizations failed to survive stiff market competition and subsequently went out of the market. The last decade witnessed a series of corporate scandals and bank failures due to poor managerial accountability and ineffective corporate governance practices. Hence, today’s managements give particular focus to corporate governance principles and long term business decisions. In this context, the concept of capital budgeting is of considerable significance because it evaluates future cash inflows and outflows on a prospective business project and thereby determines it potentiality. After the global financial crisis 2008-09, capital budgeting is specifically considered to be an integral part of the financial management. This paper clearly describes how the capital budgeting technique can contribute to the long term sustainability of business organizations. In addition, the influence of capital budgeting on managerial efficiency and organizational p erformance is also explained in this paper. Some recent developments in the application of capital budgeting have increased this method’s relevance in the modern business context. ... back period, net present value, accounting rate of return, internal rate of return, equivalent annuity, profitability index, real options valuation, and modified internal rate of return (Drury & Tayles 1997). The method used for capital budgeting may vary with regard to the change in size of the business. Simply, capital budgeting is a tool used for long term decision making. Although capital budgeting is traditionally used for making sound long term investment decisions, many other real-life applications of this technique have been developed recently. Capital budgeting is a complex process and therefore careful management of this process is vital to achieve the desired outcomes. A post project audit is conducted to evaluate the completed project. More precisely, under a capital investment project, actual cash inflows and other benefits are compared with figures forecasted at the time of project appraisal. This paper will analyze the objectives of capital budgeting, recent developmen ts in its applications, and the role of post-completion auditing. 2. Capital Budgeting and Post Completion Auditing Capital budgeting can be simply referred to the planning process deployed to evaluate whether or not a firm’s long term investments including new plants, new machinery and products, and research and development project are worth pursuing. In a broader sense, â€Å"capital budgeting can be defined as the analysis of a proposed investment that is a long-term asset used by the business to yield a return over a period of time that is greater than one year† (Williamson et al 2008, n.a). Management experts argue that capital budgeting can also enhance the growth of non-profit organizations because potential long term investment decision would assist those institutions to expand

Information Assurance Essay Example for Free

Information Assurance Essay Information Assurance (IA) can be referred to as the process that involves in the management of perils that are closely related to the usage, processing, storage and electronic transfers of information. This field has been birthed by information security, a field in computer security. Information Assurance is aimed at availability, authentication, non-repudiation, integrity and confidentiality of information and information systems thus serving as a defense and protection turf for electronic information. The process of Information Assurance commences with the act of specifying and classifying the assets of the information to be protected. This process of information specification and classification is done objectively taking into contemplation the nature, source and the purpose of the information in focus. This is followed by risk assessment that is done by Information Assurance practitioner who has to put into consideration the likelihood and the impact of the undesired actions that may negatively affect the disclosure of the information in storage to unauthorized individuals. It is at this stage that the both qualitative and the quantitative value of the risk in relation to the current situation and predictable hazard is determined. Moreover, the IA practitioner develops a risk management plan that puts forward the countermeasures that can probably mitigate, accept, eliminate or transfer the risks. The plans also puts into consideration the detection, prevention and response towards the emergent or prospective perils (Qian, Tipper, Krishnamurthy, 2008). During the plan development, various frame works can be employed such as ISO 17799, PCIDSS, ISO/IEC 27002 or CobiT. Procedures and policies such as frequent data and information backups and configuration hardening, installation of anti-virus programs and firewalls are among the countermeasures that can be used. Other activities included as countermeasures are trainings and the restructuring of the computer network systems which put in place computer emergence response team (CERT) or computer security incident response team (CSIRT). These countermeasures aim at managing, extenuating or totally eliminating the forthcoming risks in the most cost-effective manner. Later, implementation, testing and evaluation of the plan are undertaken through various designed methodologies such as formal audits. An overhaul, known as the service integrity service is put in place to protect the resources of the system from accidental unwarranted change, destruction or loss (Rogers, 2004). The system’s authenticator, also referred to as the system administrator, bears the entire authorization mandate and it is only through his certification and accreditation that a third party or any other person can access the information in store. In addition, liaison of the authenticator with the user representative and the program manager grants equal access rights to the protected information. The above three officials also have to decide agreeably on the most appropriate approaches to be instituted in an attempt to meet all the information security prerequisites. Once they have identified these methodologies, they also highlight on the security remedies that are satisfying. The authenticator’s leadership, these information system officials are bestowed with the obligation to oversee the activities of the information system security. So as to be able to access the information in the system, the authenticator has to issue a declaration indicating that approval has been granted to the any alleged declaration holder to operate the automated information system (AIS). Included in this declaration are the sets of standardized rules and regulations that must be adhered to the latter by all users having the right of access to the stored information. These prescriptions are aimed at safeguarding the information in store and the Automated Information System at large. Besides this declaration, data security can be ensured by the use of logins, passwords and digital certificates which are specifically issued to those users who are sanctioned (May, et al, 2004). The former is not so much campaigned for but instead, the latter and the use of biometric techniques such as voice and fingerprints as regarded as more secluded methods. Computer information attackers have devised ways to overwrite and also override these login passwords and as a result, this safety methodology is rarely relied upon. Once authentication has been granted, encryption of the sensitive data is done to avert it from eavesdropping and other related computer information crimes. During the process of authentication personal information is gathered and entered into the automated system which aids in the person’s identification. As a result, the party is issued with a credential. This credential validates the user identity claim when he/she is accessing the controlled and protected assets or information. In pursuit to ensure more safety over the stored information, multi-factor authentication has been employed. The multi-factor authentication process is subject to various environments and other technological rudiments and varies depending on these two aspects (Department of the Army, 2007). These techniques may include network architecture controls, remote network access, network sniffers and securing network ports. Failure to conform to or adopt any of the above mentioned authentication methodologies will expose the stored data to computer information systems defaulters who can craftily bypass weak technical controls. Consequently, they distort the information. This distortion may vary from mere acts such as modifying the main memory’s information after having read it to causing notable and probably irreversible behavior of the schedulers which are finally associated with the crashing of the entire information systems with large volumes data loss. In addition the can disable the firewall module packet filtering by transforming the image such that the agent’s in-memory store code starts working inappropriately (Larry, 2009). This may render the agent disabled from accessing the system. Once automated information attacker gains this unauthorized opportunity to access to the clients’ information he has the freedom to perform dynamic data modifications. Besides, he can access the system management memory (SMM) handler. The end result of this will be a system management random access memory (SMRAM) cache-based attack. Computer information criminals also alter the information system’s operating codes. Moreover, they can access client’s personal and confidential details such personal identification numbers and probably financial institution’s information thus ending up in a big loss in their finances. National and scientific databases have been prepared and managed by the governments of various states. Moreover, academic organizations and research institutions are also reliable. However, these stakeholders have to take keen attention during the auditing of the information, especially those received from partnerships with other organizations to avoid errors that may be disastrous in the future. In information assurance, the information flowing in the associated institutions should be confidential as earlier said and also the information’s integrity should be well safeguarded. In ensuring that the information meets these prerequisites, the British standards well implemented. Information assurance standards are also published a template in the IA website. Moreover, the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) site contains these standards which are also coordinated with the MCNOSC. Therefore in conclusion, information assurance can be basically taken to mean the information operations (IO) aimed at information and information systems (IS) protection. This is achieved through the information assurance standards that see the achievement of information availability, its integrity, confidentiality, authentication and non-repudiation. The realization of these standards ensure the refurbishment of IS through the amalgamation of restoration, detection, fortification and reaction competences

Success of most international organizations

Success of most international organizations INTRODUCTION International project teams has been argued to be a key factor in the success of most international organizations(Heimer, 1994). Many factors have been attributed to this and they include; Rich cultural diversity leading to different ideas been generated by the respective team members thus bringing together knowledge and skills from the different countries that make up the team. In this paper, we will attempt to define an international project team, the advantages and limitations of such a team, conflicts that may arise, and finally we will propose the main lessons derived from working in an international team using a case study. Definition: Makilouko(2003) suggested that for a team to be called an international project team, it must fulfil either of three main conditions which are; its members must have different backgrounds working in the same country, or its members may work in different countries but meet on a face-to-face basis, or its members may be based in many countries but coordinate their meetings through electronic media. Heimer(1998) proposed that the difference between an international project team and other teams is as a result of the cultural differences present in such a team. These cultural differences result in differences in the process of communication, leadership and the way the team members work together(Snow et al, 1996) Group 4 is an ideal multicultural team made up of four team members from four different countries i.e. Nigeria, Malaysia, China, and Thailand, who are managing presentation projects in the same country. CHOICE OF LEADERSHIP The role of a leader in an international project team involves managing not only the hard aspects of the project i.e. technical details, but also the soft aspects of the project i.e. the human resources aspects. The management of these two objectives interchanges throughout the project lifecycle(Snell et al,1993). In an international project team, no one individual may possess all the necessary attributes needed to lead the team, hence the concept of collective leadership has been proposed by Freidrich et al(2009). Collective leadership process means that each member of the team showcases their skills and expertise at different aspects of the project lifecycle. This concept was corroborated by Hanschild and Kirchmann(2001) who alluded to the benefits of collective leadership. The Group 4 team adopted the principle of collective leadership in the management of the assigned projects. One member of the team volunteered to be the administrator in charge of organizing team meetings while the other members led the team in project areas they where good at. A member of the team led in information technology aspects, another member led in presentation slide design, while a third member was in charge of proof-reading the final slides for errors. This process of collective leadership ensured the collective participation of all project team members in leading the team and reduced the friction involved in choosing a particular person as a group leader. TEAM PROCESS Iles and hayes(1997) suggested that unlike other teams, international project teams require greater team building processes as a result of the cultural diversity present. These difference in culture can lead to the success or failure of the project if not well managed. Dreachshin et al(2000) proposed that two major aspects of the team process that is affected by cultural diversity are communication and conflict management. Communication Maznevski(1994) report that effective communication is the key to ensuring that a culturally diverse team is well integrated. Iles and Hayers(1997) also suggested that for cohesion to occur in an international project team, the individuals who make up the team must develop strategies to communicate across their differences. Heimer and Vince(1998) also agreed with this notion by proposing that multi-cultural teams that ensure that non-native speakers of the teams language can contribute are more effective on the long term even though initially they may work slower. At the preparation stage of the different presentations, we where able to address the challenges of communication by developing a communication strategy with the contribution of all team members. The strategy addressed the questions of When, What, and How do we communicate?. The basis of the strategy involved the use of multiple modes of communication in order to ensure understanding from non-native speakers of English. In order to do this, we deployed the use of information technology e.g. regular emails that provide a summary of the minutes of the meetings, and also utilized language translation websites like Google Translate ® for language translations. We also ensured that during meetings, we generate feedback from non-native English speakers in order to confirm that the points discussed have been understood. Conflicts Bercovitch(1983) proposed that conflicts in multicultural teams tends to occur when 2 or more parties have personal objectives that are not compatible with each other hence leading to them behaving differently. This view alluded to that proposed by Thomas(1976) which suggests that conflicts are inherent in every team process. Thomas(1976) also proposed that conflicts within teams are inherently bad and should be avoided at all costs. Jehn(1994) disagreed with Thomas(1976) negative perception of conflicts and proposed that conflicts that occur as a result of cultural differences in the way a task should be managed actually do lead to an improvement in team performance. The main reason why conflicts tend to occur in international project teams has been proposedto be as a result of mistrust and miscommunication among the team members(Trandis et al, 1965) In Group 4, the process of decision making was a participatory style in which every project team member is given equal time slots during meetings to make his/her proposal to the project plan. This style helped to address conflict that may arise from depending on a single or few dominant team members. The disadvantage of having the participatory style is because it gave rise to another conflict in choosing the particular members opinion that should be adopted by the Group. The way this was managed is by adopting a collaborative conflict management style as proposed by Thomas(1976). The aim of using this technique is to be able to merge aspects of all the different opinions and perspectives of the different team members into a single project plan. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF GROUP 4 The key strength of the Group 4 team rests on the cultural diversity of its members. This diversity led to a large amount of different ideas been generated on how different tasks should be managed, the varied nature of the ideas occurred as a result of the unique cultural experiences of the individual members of the team and it provided a rich pool of information to source from. Another key strength of the team is the collective leadership style adopted which ensured participation of all team members and removed the destructive tendency of having a single leader dominating other members of the team. Finally, a third strong point was our adoption of the multimedia approach to delivering presentations as compared to the traditional slideshows. Our main objective for using this strategy was to promote understanding of the message and also to entertain the audience. The key weakness or bad points of Group 4 was exhibited during the last two projects whereby team members showed signs of complacency as a result of previous successes recorded. The efforts put into research was lower than the initial couple of presentations but rather, a lot of subjectiveness was used in developing the final projects. The reasons proposed for this included ongoing assignments from other modules, as well as family and job constraints. NEXT TIME In the event of my participation as a team member of a multicultural team, I would suggest that rather than sending emails of the proposed project plan back and forth among team members, we should have an Online repository/Store in which team members can log in independently and have access to/modify the project plan. In adopting this system, what we are trying to achieve is to have a rudimentary project plan which is continuously been updated by team members irrespective of their current location or language differences LESSONS LEARNED Tuckman(1965) proposed that groups typically go through a series of changes in development which he termed Form, Storm, Norm, Perform. My participation in this international project team enabled me to actually visualize and appreciate this stages taking place. The Hofstede(1980) study highlighted that cultural differences among project team members is a major factor which if not managed properly can lead to the success or failure of international projects. He proposed that conflicts that arise among international teams should be investigated from within the cultural context. The lesson learned in this case is that we are all culturally different and this differences leads to different perceptions about the way issues are managed. The effective use of multimedia during project proposal presentations help to promote understanding. This is achieved because it appeals not only to the brain of the audience but also to the emotions. Hence, an ideal project presentation will be one that effectively challenges the audiences to see, feel, hear, smell, and touch what the presenter is talking about. This is a strategy I intend to adopt in future presentations.

Fashion Children Family

Fashion Children Family Fashion victims? Children and consumption: when looking at families and family life today, sociologists often ignore some key family memberschildren. An important new study has begun to look at the way children shape their identities through their role as consumers: a case, perhaps, of we are what we buy?.  Sharon Boden,  Christopher Pole,  Jane Pilcher  and  Tim Edwards. Sociology Review  15.1  (Sept 2005):  p28(4). Full Text :COPYRIGHT 2005 Philip Allan Updates Sociologists have long been interested in consumption, that is, how we shop, where our purchasing needs come from, how we treat the products we buy and how consuming shapes out lives. Running alongside the study of the behaviour of consumers is a concern to understand what factors shape the marketplace and what the cultural intermediaries (television, print media, advertising campaigns) are that promote its value to us. The rise of the tweenager Consumption studies have largely focused on adults and have neglected children as independent, active consumers worthy of study. Children, however, have increasing purchasing power and status as new consumers in what has come to be known as the rise of the tweenager. Taking childrens clothes as a case in point, large-scale surveys, such as those undertaken by Mintel Market Intelligence (2003), confirm that this market is growing strongly (by 5% in 2002 compared with 2001). Retail competition is intense, with both designer labels (e.g. John Rocha, DKNY and Burberry) and everyday low-price retailers (e.g. Matalan, Asda and Tesco) proving to be huge growth sectors. Another useful source, www.juststyle.com, reports that in 2003 the UK childrens clothing market was worth 6.02bn [pounds sterling], accounting for 18.9% of the UKs total clothing expenditure, with fashion wear rather than traditional childrens wear being the growing sector. This translates on the high street into a shift away from traditional chains such as Adams and Marks Spencer to shops offering trendier, more covetable items (often celebrity copy-cat clothes) such as New Look and George at Asda. Lifestyle brands, such as Quicksilver and Billabong, which produce suif- and skateboard-related clothing, are making their mark as fashionable alternatives to bland, casual clothing lines. These figures show that, far from being absent from fashion consumption, children are very much present and active in driving forward the childrens wear industry. This leads to a situation in which the status of childrenand, indeed, the nature of childhood itselfis unable to be considered apart from the highly commercialised and media-saturated society that typifies the industrialised world. Sociological questions therefore need to be raised to understand the nature of consumption for children and how their corresponding new status in the marketplace may alter how they behave and how they are treated as social actors. Key concept A number of sociological issues are raised and can be analysed through the lens of childrens fashion consumption. These include: * social inclusion and exclusion within peer relations * changing power dynamics of the family and household * identity construction and performance in childhood * the commercialisation of the lifecourse and lifestyles Researching childrens consumption Having highlighted the growing significance of childrens consumption not simply in economic terms but more broadly in relation to key sociological concepts, we now offer a brief overview of our research project, which aims to provide insight into the link between children and consumption. Funded through the ESRC/AHRB Cultures of Consumption research programme, the study examines the practices and experiences of children in relation to buying clothes. In doing so, we are advancing understanding of the ways in which the home is penetrated by consumption, especially in relation to the ways in which children and parents act and connect as consumers. We are also adding to the existing knowledge of the political and cultural importance of children as consuming agents. The key questions guiding this research are: * What are the roles of children in choosing and buying their own clothes? How are these roles expressed and how have they changed over time? * In what ways do children engage with the concept of fashion and to what extent does it drive their wants and purchases? * How does fashion consumption alter the parent-child relationship and structure patterns of household consumption? Research methods Our data collection methods were selected to make the child the focus of the study (see also Box 1). We employed a range of participatory, qualitative methods designed to capture how children experience consumption in the context of their families. Box 1 Ethics and research with children When researching with children, certain ethical issues must be taken into account. * Avoid seeing the child as an object rather than a subject or social person acting in the world in their own right, * Protect the childs interests during the research. * Be attentive to the different experiences and competencies of the child and the adult researcher. * Establish a safe and effective rapport between researchers and children/families, based on trust, with the assurance that data will be treated sensitively. * Ensure that the aims and objectives of the research are transparent and beyond question, not only at the time of seeking access to children but throughout the research process. Source: adapted from E Christensen and A. Prout (2002) Working with ethical symmetry in social research with children, Childhood, Vol. 9, No. 4 The research focused on the consumer behaviour of 15 children, aged between 6 and 15, who were located in eight families spread across England. They were visited five times by a member of the research team. Specifically, activities undertaken with these children during such visits included: * unstructured discussions covering a wide range of topics, including shopping for clothes, trying to negotiate purchases with parents, imitating the images of pop stars and sports stars, and keeping up with the latest fashion trends * write and draw project-based work in which children were given the opportunity to express creatively their clothing likes and dislikes * a wardrobe audit, in which children actively presented their clothes to the researcher and explained to them both the processes leading up to the purchase and how/if the garment was being worn * photographychildren were given disposable cameras to record any new clothing purchases and to depict any aspect of fashion that was important to them Besides these child-centred research methods, the researchers observed relevant family activities, such as shopping trips and browsing through clothing catalogues. We conducted interviews with mothers based on the diaries they had been completing during the study, and spoke to a number of people who work in the childrens wear industry and are responsible for producing and promoting the clothes. Clothes, gender and parents concerns The approach outlined above provided us with a large amount of relevant and richly detailed data which will contribute to sociological debate in the areas of consumption, childhood and fashion. Some issues arising from our study include the ways in which children and their parents use clothing in the construction and embodied expression of gendered identities. Here, using our varying sources of data, we have been looking at childrens displays of femininity or masculinity, how children relate to their age and the process of growing up, and how these things can be viewed in either a positive or a negative light. Perhaps the most substantive issue to arise in this respect is how parents label some girls clothes as too provocative, Items such as bras, thongs, low-cut tops, miniskirts, skimpy things, cropped tops, really short clothes have all been identified by parents as inappropriate clothing for children. Parents consider them inappropriate because they encourage children to be looked at and thought of in a sexualised way. In the focus groups we held with parents (which formed part of the process of family selection for the year-long study) mention was made by them of paedophiles, weirdos and the wrong sort of people giving the wrong sort of attention to children who dress in the sorts of items listed above. Items such as high heels, which are thought to accentuate the female figure, were frowned upon. A related problem identified by parents is that the styling of girls clothes has been changing over recent years to mimic that of adultsmini-mums outfits was the phrase used by one mother. Children clothes and identify construction The issue of clothes in relation to modesty and respectability was significant for the girls themselves. They expressed worries about wearing clothes that exposed too much bare skin or that appeared too old for themformulating clothing-personality associations: the wearing of an inappropriate garment might reflect a side of their personality they wanted to disguise or were net yet at ease with. More broadly, this demonstrates how material culture can be a narrative resource in childrens expressions: children speak about clothes in ways that (they feel) illuminate their identities. Childrens accounts of their preferences and their use of clothing have, in turn, shed light upon issues such as taste and style, and the importance of fashion to image, lifestyle and belonging to either gender. Unlike girls fashions, boys fashions seem consistent, unthreatening and net so overtly gendered as their female counterparts. Other gender-based issues to emerge from our study include: * the differences in clothing design, including fabric, colour and styling, which culturally demarcate girls and boys in modern consumer cultures * the faster physical development of girls and the related problems of sizing * the adoption of same-sex role models and fashion icons * the significance attached to label culture and branded sportswear Both boys and girls, it seems, have the capacity to discriminate in relation to clothing quality and style from an early age and, in the course of the study, they offered independent appraisals and critiques of the fashion marketplace and of particular labels. They drew attention to the potential social dangers of purchasing poor-quality, unfashionable or inappropriate clothing. In the interview in Box 2, the Nike brand is used to influence the teenager Josephs perceived popularity and to wrap a protective veil over his physical body that deflects attention to the commodity of the sign (in this case, the well-known Nike swoosh). Box 2 Constructing style Joseph (aged 15) used Nike style to encourage others to gaze upon, envy and copy his look, encouraging in his peers a type of conspicuous consumption of himself. His comments reveal a self-reflexive sense of pride and achievement in constructing a stylish appearance. Researcher: What do you mean by looking flashy? Joseph: Youve got good style clothes and, you know, shiny like this looks cool. Ive got an outfit upstairs which is I call it flasher, Ill show you that if you want. Researcher: Yeah? Joseph: Yeah, like that. Peoplewhen youre walking about the streettheyd look at you and go, Oh, look at that! Researcher: You would like that? You like that sort of thing? Joseph: Yeah. When I was wearing that coat yesterday, everyone was doing that. So that was a good vibe. Early analysis suggests a link between the perceived social significance of labels and clothing type and the processes of growing up. Some children come to reject former signifiers of their childhood in an attempt to age up into a more teenage style. For boys, a greater symbolic value seems to attach to constructing a cool image through wearing sports and surf/skate clothes. For girls, this has taken the form of turning against Barbie and other labels perceived as childish (see Box 3). Box 3 Turning against Barbie The following interview from the Leicester research is an example of a 7-year-old female from a rural village turning against Barbie (a brand of clothing and accessories which is an offshoot from the Barbie doll) as proof of no longer being a little girl. Megan is pushing away and rejecting a former signifier of her childhood in an attempt to age up into a more teenage style. Researcher: [Have you got] Anything with Disney on or Barbie? Megan: No, no no! Definitely net Barbie! Researcher: You dont like Barbie? Megans mother: No. She used to. Researcher: Why dont you like Barbie? Megans brother William, aged 9: She used to have this top with Barbie on. Megan: Shes too little for me. Researcher: But you used to like her. Maybe shes okay for little girls? Megans mother: Yeah, I think I would say a year ago she stopped. Se everything that has Barbie on Megan doesnt like. Researcher: Weve got a few sporty tops here, like these fleeces. Megans mother: Yeah, that one has got Boston on. Thats had some wear. Megan: Well, I think thats quite sporty and this one I like. Conclusion The relationship of children to fashion consumption throws up a fascinating range of sociological issues, from the changing power relations between children, their peers, their parents and the marketplace, to the use-value (to keep warm and dry) and sign-value (to look good) of clothes for childrens identity construction. The ever expanding opportunities and invitations of consumer culture are negotiated by children as part and parcel of everyday life. There are, to be sure, many paths open to social researchers wanting to develop an understanding of how contemporary consumer culture operates. In this article, we have presented an overview of out own study, which prioritises childrens experiences of consuming clothes. The study has already given many interesting insights into the nature, processes and consequences of consumption for children and childhood. Signposts There is relatively little material available to students on the sociology of childhood, so this will be a welcome addition. The authors look at a particular and relatively new aspect of childhoodchildren as consumers. The material provides useful information for discussions on the role of children in the family, the power of the mass media and marketing organisations, the development of gender roles and ideas of self, as well as highlighting issues about the considerable gap between the better-off and the poor and marginalised groups of society. There are political issues as well, not least concerns over the trend to make ever younger children, particularly girls, adopt semi-adult styles of dress and become conscious of body image. If, as the postmodernists suggest, society is increasingly concerned with style and outward appearances, this article shows that even some of the youngest members of society are affected. Some of the research methods outlined in the article could be adopted as the basis for interesting coursework, although students taking this route should be aware of the ethical issues of using young children as subjects and should discuss their ideas with their teachers before embarking on their research. Reference and further reading Boden, S., Pole, C., Pilcher, J. and Edwards, T. (2004) New consumers? The social and cultural significance of childrens fashion consumption, ESRC Cultures of Consumption Working Paper Series, www.consume.bbk.ac.uk Featherstone, M. (1991) Consumer Culture and Postmodernism, Sage. Gunter, B. and Furnham, A. (1998) Children as Consumers, Routledge. Martens, L., Southerton, D. and Scott, S. (2004) Bringing children (and parents) into the sociology of consumption, Journal of Consumer Culture, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 155-182. Russell, R. and Tyler, M. (2002) Thank heaven for little girls, Sociology, Vol. 36, pp. 619-637. The authors involved in this research project are all based in the Sociology Department at the University of Leicester.

Atlantis :: essays research papers

Atlantis: We will never know Fantasy is a tough sell in the twentieth century. The world has been fully discovered and fully mapped. Popular media has effectively minimized the legend and the fantastic rumor, though to make up for this it has generated falsities not as lavish but just as interesting. Satellites have mapped and studied the earth, leaving only a space frontier that is as yet unreachable. But standing out is a charming fantasy the modern world has yet to verify or condemn: the lost continent of Atlantis. The father of the modern worlds perception of Atlantis is Plato (circa 428- circa 347 b.c.). (1) The Greek philosopher spoke in his works Timaeus and Critias of a continent in the Atlantic ocean larger than Africa and Asia Minor combined which rivaled Athens as the most advanced in the world. (2) According to the legend surrounding Platos dialogues, the island of Atlantis was violently thrown into the sea by the forces of nature, and its few survivors managed to swim ashore and relate their story. (3) There the legend was passed by word of mouth until an Egyptian priest related the story to Solon, a character in Timaeus. The priest admired the achievements of prehistoric Athenians, because when the rulers of Atlantis threatened to invade all of Europe and Asia the Athenians, on behalf of all Greeks, defeated the Atlanteans to avoid enslavement. (4) The works of Plato opened the floodgates to endless speculation on whether the continent described was fact or fiction. Atlantis has since been placed in Spain, Mongolia, Palestine, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Brazil, Sweden, Greenland and Yucatan. Every nook and cranny of the globe has been hypothesized; mountain peaks, desert lands, the ocean floor and even the barren wasteland of Antarctica have been mentioned in theories. (5) While some of these theories are compatible with Platos works and are within relative reason, numerous crackpot theories have been developed using the lost continent as a basis. One of these theories, posted on the computer internet where it has access to over fifteen million people, talks in twenty-one pages of pre-historical lands with names like Oz and Luxor. These world wide web pages list over two hundred separate articles of proof for the existence of Atlantis, as in the following: (6) Most all ancient civilizations believed in the TITANS, the race of giant humans that inhabited Earth long ago. Different races knew them by different names. These 7 to 12 foot humanoids were thought to be legendary until the excavation of over a dozen skeletons 8 to 12 feet tall, around the world, shocked archeologists. These skeletons were positively human.

Romanticisms Sublime Style in Rip Van Winkle, Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Romanticism's Sublime Style in Rip Van Winkle, Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Billy Budd      Ã‚  Ã‚   "Sublime refers to an aesthetic value in which the primary factor is the presence or suggestion of transcendent vastness or greatness, as of power, heroism, extent in space or time"(Internet Encyclopedia).   This essay will explore different levels of Romanticism's sublime style in Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Herman Melville's Billy Budd. The essay will particularly focus on how the writers incorporate the spiritual and the terror aspects of the sublime into their work. American romanticism requires the wilds of nature to be the setting for the sublime. It is in this setting that the protagonist senses a conflict of good and evil. Even though the beautiful surroundings would suggests a pure serenity, the shadows in the beautiful setting reminds one that there is a dark side to nature. In each story there is an antagonist lurking about requiring the protagonist to choose his thinking - and ultimately his destiny. The antagonist in Billy Budd is Claggart, in The Legend of Sleepy Hallow, Brom Bones, and in Rip Van Winkle it could be a toss up between his nagging wife or the "company of odd-looking personages" he meets in the mountains. Essentially it is Longinus, a first century philosopher, who is first credited with introducing the idea of the sublime into the arts (Weiskel 8). Longinus suggests five sources of sublimity in literature: "(1) the ability to conceive great thoughts, (2) intense emotion, (3) powerful figures of speech, (4) the choice of noble words, and (5) harmonious composition of sentences" (Kennedy, vol. 12). Each of Longinus? foundational sources for sublimity suggests an... ...n Boulton 40).    Works Cited Boulton, J. T. Burke?s Enquiry Into The Sublime And The Beautiful. New York: Columbia University, 1958. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 1997. University of Tennessee at Martin. 4 April 2001. http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/s/sublime.htm. Kennedy, George. "Longinus." The World Book Encyclopedia. 1985. Vol. 12:399. Melville, Herman. "Billy Budd." Ed. Paul Lauther. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. New York: Houghton 1998. 2512-2570. Washington, Irving. "The Legend of Sleep Hallow." Ed. Paul Lauther. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. New York: Houghton 1998. 1354-1373. -------- "Rip Van Winkle." Ed. Paul Lauther. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. New York: Houghton 1998. 1342-1354. Weiskel, Thomas. Romantic Sublime. Baltimore: John Hopkins University, 1976.   

Legalization Of Weed Essay -- essays research papers fc

Illegal drug use is a major problem in the world today. Million of dollars are spent ever year to prevent the trafficking and distribution of these drugs. Virtually all Drugs is smuggled into the United States concealed in false compartments, fuel tanks, seats, tires of private and commercial vehicles, pickup trucks, vans, mobile homes, and horse trailers. Large shipments usually are smuggled in tractor-trailer trucks in false compartments and among legitimate bulk shipments, such as agricultural products. The government has devised ways to cut down on drugs. Yet the drug crisis is greater today then ever. Marijuana is one the most widely used illegal drug. Over the past thirty year the government has demonized Marijuana. In this paper my intent is it to illustrate the pros and cons of Marijuana use, as well as to prove that marijuana should be legalized, regulated, and taxed just like cigarettes. Marijuana, also spelled Marihuana comes from the Indian hemp plant, cannabis sativa. It is a crude tobacco like substance produced by drying the leaves and flowery top of the cannabis plant. It is put into pipes or formed into cigarettes (reefers or joints) for smoking. Recently, it has appeared in cigars called blunts. Lester Ginspoon writes, "The drug is a mild hallucinogen meaning that it distorts sensory perceptions. Marijuana is known by a variety of names including pot, tea, grass and weed (112)". Marijuana can also be added to foods and beverages. The intoxication part of the plant lies mostly in its strong-smelling, sticky, golden resin. Gabriel Nashas wrote, "The hemp flowers, especially those of the female plant, give this smell off." (Ginspoons 214). Many users describe two phases of marijuana effect as initial stimulation, giddiness, and euphoria, followed by sedation and pleasant tranquility. Mood changes can often accompany altered perceptions of time and space of one's bodily dimension. "The hemp plant can be found growing as a weed or as a cultivated plant throughout the world, in many soils and climates, with the more potent varieties produced in dry, hot, wasteland"(lord 35). Marijuana varies in potency, depending on where and how it is grown and prepared for use or stored. In the book uses of Marijuana it Solomon Snyder states: Active ingredient, tetrahydrocanabinol (THC), is present in all part of both male and ... ...control their own bodies. Decriminalize drugs, help those who need it, and let the police spend their time protecting us from real crime. We as a society need to have a more open mind on this herbal stubstance Bibliography Grinspoon Lester. Marihuana Reconsidered. Cambrige: Harvard University Press, 1971. Lail, Bernard M. Marijuana, Friend or foe. Nashvile: South Publishing Association,1979. Linkletter, Art. My Child an Drugs?. Ohio: Standard Publishing, 1981. Lord, Jess R. Marijuana and personality Change. Lexington: Health Lexington Press, 1972 Nashas, Gabriel G. Keeping off the Grass. New York: Rader's Digest Press, 1971 Rudolph, Barbara."Ganja." Time 7 July 1986: 46-47 Snyder, Solomon H. Uses of Marjuana . New York: Oxford University press,1971 Turner, Carlton. Marijuana. New York :Academic Press 1973. NA "Marijuana prohibition in the 90's". Jan. 1997 State.gov/www./global/narcotics_law/index.html NA, "A new attitude on old drug" May. 2000 :www.weedsmart.org/min.

Materials and Methods

All of these Jobs were processed by a screening tool called the Physical Demands Analysis Worksheet. With this work sheet along with feedback from the worker we were able to determine and make an early hypothesis at the Jobs with the highest biomedical risk. Once the specific risk factors of the job have been identified, we can then use ergonomic analysis tools and guideline comparisons to pacifically quantify the Job demands. The specific analysis tools that we will use to identify the Job stresses are DSSSL, AD Watch. NOSH lift/pull/push equations and table guidelines, Snoop carrying/left/lower/push/pull equations, and the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment.The assumption made when gathering Information on the worker Is to assume all workers have the same/scalar dimensions as the worker being analyzed for this job. For the job demands that require the worker to use low back moments (skate sharpening, boxes off shelf, Winter stagier and skate filter tasks) the analysis tools that will be u sed are DSSSL and AD Watch. The collected data used came from measuring the weights of the objects and subject by a simple weight scale assuming no peculations between loads. Other measuring devices such as measuring tapes to measure distances and heights, galvanometer to measure Joint angles, camera for picture to analyze after work site analysis and force gauge to measure push and pull forces.These models will be used to measure the outputs and compare them to the Action Limits and/or Maximal Permissible Limit. In order to find out which tasks exceed the Action Limits and/or Maximal Permissible Limit of the compression or shear forces along the spine measurements of postures and loads must be collected. Once the data Is collected and calculated the comparison will be between the actual comparison will be between the two Joint models; DSSSL and AD Watch to determine the optimal Joint loads and increase the validity of the results. Shoulder tasks will also be analyzed by the DSSSL f or awkward shoulder movements and postures with loads.Other Job demands(snowboard waxing, boxes off shelf, winter Steiner, Skate Filter-lifting) that require lifting, pushing, pulling, and carrying will be calculated using NOSH equations. These calculations require the data collection of the repetition of the task, the distance traveled via pushing/carrying/lifting by using measuring tape, force(load) by using a force gauge or weight scale, and general information about the individual. The comparisons will be between the calculated results and the NOSH and SNOOP guidelines and also a comparison between the woo guidelines. To properly interpret the data to encompass a wide range of workers we will general construct our data for worse case scenarios or for workers of the Male 10th %.Lastly the Rigid Upper Limb Assessment will determine what risks are in upper limbed tasks(skate sharpening, snowboard waxing, winter Steiner, and skate filter tasks) by using Joint angles (measured by gon iometry) and loads (measured by force gauge or weight scales). The comparison is within the assessment based on the resultant number. The purpose of all the assessments is to identify and quantify the risk of injury to understand the location of the risk and therefore investigate possible solutions. When considering our recommendations we will re-assess the risk factors using the same tools for the same Jobs to compare and note improvements. An assumption made for this particular tool is to neglect any lower limb contributions to the risk of injury when performing the tasks. Also another assumption is using this model for non-static work such as snowboard waxing.

Brain Drain in Puerto Rico

PUERTO RICO BRAIN DRAIN CRISIS DANIEL VILLAFANE BUSN 5000 WEBSTER UNIVERSITY Abstract Brain drain refers to the large-scale emigration of a large group of talented, skilled and knowledgeable individuals. This situation is also commonly referred to as â€Å"human capital flight. † Globally, some generals factors contribute to this situation. Puerto Rico has his own distinctive factors. Puerto Rico has a special relation, and a unique political status with United States that make it easier for islanders to find an opportunity in the greatest country of the world.A concise timeline will show how and when â€Å"Puerto Rico became an asset to United States. † Remember, in financial accounting, assets are economic resources. Anything tangible or intangible that is capable of being owned or controlled to produce value and that is held to have positive economic value is considered an asset. While Puerto Rico suffer a â€Å"brain drain† of human capital emigrating the hos t country enjoy a â€Å"brain gain. † Timeline of Puerto Rico and United States Relationship since the Spanish-American War 1898 -The Spanish–American War whereby Spain relinquished its sovereignty over Puerto Rico. 1900. The Foraker Act established the governing structure for the island of Puerto Rico. | 1917-The Jones Act granted U. S. citizenship to all residents of Puerto Rico. | 1947- Operation Bootstraps â€Å"Operacion Manos a la Obra† based on an exemption for federal taxes, section 931 of the U. S. Internal Revenue Code. Provided for exemptions of federal taxes for corporation operating in P. R. Puerto Rico entered a period of rapid industrialization and strong economic growth. (Carrion, 2009)| 1952- Proclaimed the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. | 963-Industrial Incentive Act, Section 931, increased the period of exemptions for 17 years. Puerto Rico became an important Center for the petro-chemicals and pharmaceutical industries. (Carrion, 2009)| 1976- Se ction 931 changes to a more financially attractive Section 936. In 1991 corporations accounted for 72 percent of manufacturing jobs in Puerto Rico. (Barbosa, 2010)| 1993-2000 Governor Pedro Rosello and Resident Commissioner Romero Barcelo lobbying in Washington against the Section 936 because they consider it as an obstacle to change the political status for the island and become the 51st State. 1993-President Bill Clinton proposed to eliminate Section 936 periodically during the next ten years. Economy start to decline and corporations stopped investing and start preparing to leave the island. Thousands of employees lost their jobs during this period. | 1994-North America Free Trade Agreement NAFTA makes Mexico and Canada more attractive to corporations. | 2005- Sections 936 and 30A expiration of the tax incentives. | 2006- The commonwealth's population had a steeper loss than any of the 50 states since 2006, according to the Census Bureau. Nasser, 2012)| General factors contributi ng to a brain drain situation globally There are some common denominators that provoke a large group of talented, skilled and knowledgeable individuals to emigrate. Some of these situations are well known as causes of Brain Drain. Many times high scholastic scores are recruited to study abroad. Upon concluding their studies, these individuals stay in the countries where they were educated. In several occasions individuals emigrate because the income is substantially higher.Countries like United States and others well developed nations offer a great diversity of careers and major possibilities of advancement. Last but not least, there is another driving factor know as the standards of living. Factors contributing to a brain drain in Puerto Rico Several factors identify causes of this emigration in Puerto Rico. First, the University of Puerto Rico’s excellent programs of engineering, science and nursing. Recruiters for companies such as Boeing and Disney, NASA and other U. S. g overnment agencies, school districts and hospitals from Texas to Florida flock to career fairs. Add that these students are bilingual; do not need a passport, visa or government permission to work stateside, and it's clear why they're a hot commodity, even in a down economy† (Nasser, 2012). Second, unemployment is still above 14%, compared with 8. 3% nationally (U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics , 2013). Third, more than 20% of Hispanics in Puerto Rico have a bachelor's degree. â€Å"When you go to a job fair (in Puerto Rico), there are thousands of candidates† (Nasser, 2012). Finally, it is a reality that young people and families are leaving primarily for jobs, but also and sadly to get away from a spike in crime.Negative effects This crisis is bringing some negatives effects in the short run as well as in the long run. Puerto Rico’s median age will much older, as young people are leaving. This human capital flying situation also means that the best and brightes t of your country are building someone else's society. Confusion and skepticism are created when political leaders doubt the reliability of their own citizens and become frightened when valuable workers and capital fleas their country in huge numbers.Eventually this country, Puerto Rico in this case, could lose all of its inner strength due to scarcity of skilled domestic workforce. An a multiplier effect Multi National companies probably will avoid coming to Puerto Rico due to lack of capable workforce. It also put detrimental impact on the development of basic infrastructure. People in the affected country suffer due to unavailability of doctors and engineers. â€Å"Basically, brain drain makes a county hollow from inside and it is curse for developing nations† (The Gemini Geek, 2013). Brain gainThe brain drain that can causes damages to the economy ad future of one country could be the gold opportunity to another host country to flourish. This phenomenon is known as brain gain and is considered for many as a key time for a few cities to get ahead (Dimick, 2012). According to an article in the Smart City Web Newspaper one of the city with more benefits for this brain gain is San Antonio, Texas. Unlike much of the rest of the country, San Antonio is rapidly gaining 25-plus-year-olds with college educations and it is happening fast.The change began in 2008; prior to then, when looking at top metros for attracting college-educated talent, San Antonio was nowhere to be found. Of the top 100 metros in the U. S. , San Antonio ranks as number six in brain gain – those over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree or advanced degree who have moved to the city. To realize the full potential of a talent economy, as Pittsburgh has done, San Antonio will need to produce talent. It shows you how important our universities are and how the decades ahead are so important to rise to even greater promise. SCM, RSS 2013) These â€Å"stolen† minds have flourished and become some of the most successful people in America: 1. Judge Sonia Sotomayor is the first Latina to sit on the United States Supreme Court. 2. Dr. Antonia Coello Novello is a pediatrician who served as the 14th Surgeon General of the United States from 1990 to 1993. 3. Dr. Edwin Muniz M. D. , Ph. D. and Ed. D. , was the first person of Hispanic heritage to be named Aerospace Physiologist in the United States Air Force and NASA. 4. Angel Rivero Mendez (1856–1930) was a soldier and businessman who is credited with inventing the â€Å"Kola Champagne† a soft drink. . Joseph Michael â€Å"Joe† Acaba is a teacher, hydrogeologist, and the first Puerto Rican NASA astronaut. 6. Pierre Omidyar of France founded Ebay 7. Sergey Brin of Russia co-founded Google. 8. Jerry Yang of Taiwan co-founded Yahoo. FACTS From 2005-2012 more than 400,000 people from Puerto Rico left for the U. S. During the same time, just over 160,000 people came to Puerto Rico from th e U. S. Finally, the people who left Puerto Rico had higher levels of education than the people who came back = brain drain.The completely opposite is happening in San Antonio according to the following extract from the report The Brain Gain: The Rise of San Antonio’s Talent Economy, Smart City Memphis (2013). the same situation in San Antonio. The trend of return migration began in the suburban rings around cities. As parents did well in their two-degree households, they sent their children away to the best college they could get into. Once they finished school, the children left for big cities like Chicago and New York and these children of educated homes didn’t just go to big cities, they excelled. At some point, perhaps for family issues or a desire to start a family, these people came home,† observed Russell. â€Å"I’m seeing this trend explode across the United States and there’s a major migration shift going on. † When they move back, they don’t move back to the suburbs, they have acquired a taste while away for urban neighborhoods. When they come back to San Antonio, shared Russell, they seek out the neighborhoods that remind them of D. C. or Brooklyn. (SCM, RSS 2013) Achieving equality through a higher education should be the goal of every vanguardist government.References Barbosa, P. M. (2010, 06 15). Pedro M. Rosario Barbosa's Blog. Retrieved from Quien Asesino la Seccion 936? â€Å"Who Killed Section 936? : http://pmrb. net/blog Carrion, M. E. (2009, 01 07). Puerto Rico Encyclopedia. Retrieved from Operation Bootstrap: http://www. enciclopediapr. org Dimick, I. (2012, 11 16). UTSA Alumni Association. Retrieved from The Key to Continued Brain Gain: Specialized Higher Education: http://therivardreport. com Nasser, H. E. (2012, 3 11). Puerto Rico's population exodus is all about jobs. Retrieved from USA TODAY/News: http://usatoday30. satoday. com Smith, C. (2013). Brain Drain Crisis. San Juan, Puerto Ri co: El Nuevo Dia. Staff, C. O. (2012, March 12). caribbeanbusinesspr. com. Retrieved from Caribbean Business: http://www. caribbeanbusinesspr. com The Gemini Geek. (2013). What are effects of Brain Drain for a country? Retrieved from The Gemini Geek. Geek redefined: http://www. thegeminigeek. com U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics . (2013). States Unemployment Rates. Retrieved from Puerto Rico Unemployment Rates: http://www. unemployment-rate. org/states/unemployment_rate/Puerto_Rico

College Success and Personal Responsibility Essay

Honesty is the key component in personal responsibility because it shows that an individual can be trusted with key information or completion of homework assignments. There is a strong belief that one’s word is their bond, meaning what the individual states or a claim is valid and true. Other essential components to personal responsibility are dependability, positive attitudes, and professional competence. Some people say that an individual’s character holds a higher value in personal responsibility over honesty, dependability, or a positive attitude. Everyone will have a different definition regarding what personal responsibility means to them. I would define personal responsibility as honesty, dependability, a positive attitude in every aspect of my life, and professional competence. To even further define what personal responsibility means to me, I would need to explain what the words â€Å"personal† and â€Å"responsible† mean to me. Personal to me means that my actions and materials belong to me. Some examples of personal materials that belong to me are my laptop computer, my car, and my homework assignments. These are things that I have purchased or gifts that have been given to me, however my homework assignments are papers that I have written and not plagiarized. Some examples of my actions would be going back to school, completing tasks at work and going to the gym. These things may be in dollar value or just everyday activities that I do. To me responsibility to means that I have the ability to answer for my actions, knowledge of the possible consequences I could receive for my negative actions, accolades for the positive. As a child I was always taught cause and effect and how my actions would affect myself and others around me. The possible consequence of my action not to pay my monthly car payment is repossession of my vehicle. The long-term effect of such action is not having my own transportation to get to work, school, the gym, or any other locations that I may need to go to or want to go, as well as car insurance getting canceled. When an individual possesses the key elements of personal responsibility, the individual will succeed in areas such as professionalism and academics. Several years ago I took personal responsibility for granted. In my failure to be honest and dependable with my finances and health, I struggled and suffered greatly. In the early part of 2002, someone asked me, â€Å"Where did I think I would be at in my life 10 years from now†? I responded to them I do not know. Over the next several years I had allowed others to dictate to my finances, my personal belongings, and even my health. Yes, when you do not have a sense of personal responsibility, everything in your life becomes compromised. The first steps in taking responsibility is stop blaming others and accept that it is up to me to do better (â€Å"Taking personal responsibility,† 2011). Once I stopped blaming others for the downfalls in my life and started owning up to my own actions, I was better able to fully understand what personal responsibility was and what I needed to do. Because I took an active stand toward personal responsibility I was able to improve my finances, health, and other aspects of my life. You may be wondering how professional competence relates to personal responsibility. Professional competence is the ability to understand varied concepts and ideas and also be capable to accomplish tasks (whether school assignments or career tasks on the job) with little or no supervision (University of Phoenix, 2012). By applying professional competence in your academics you will exemplify high moral values in completing class assignments. You will show yourself, instructors, and employers that you have taken the time to do your own work to your utmost ability, and that you can develop new ideas on how to solve not only everyday problems but also new problems as well. The rewards that will be acquired in having personal responsibility and college success are unlimited. Some examples of the reward that go with personal responsibility and college success is completion of my degree program, earning a degree, or a plus is earning a degree with honors, and having the ability to apply the knowledge of my degree in my career field. Personal responsibility does not just apply to academic success; it also applies to career and general success. Gaining and maintaining college success is not only grades and attendance, but it does play a huge part in academic success. It also includes participation in class, group, and forum discussions and dedicating yourself to do your very best when completing assignments in an ethical and competent manner. According to the Quick hints, study tips for college success article published by the Miami Times â€Å"Studies show that students who study often and read their textbooks thoroughly earn better grades.† (â€Å"Quick hints, study tips for college success,† 2005). A student, who demonstrates personal responsibility in college, will gain administrative support from the university staff and instructor when it is needed and maybe even letters of recommendation. An employee who demonstrates personal responsibility in their career may receive bonuses for jobs well done, promotions into higher positions, and letters of recommendation. There are several methods I would use to maintain my personal responsibilities in my academic career. My top methods include maintaining a schedule, reading all material, arriving to class and team meetings on time, by seeking help through various resources, completing all work assignments in a timely and honest manner, and asking questions in class on material that I do not understand. Other methods may include â€Å"Create a good learning space, free from distraction; Take notes in text; and Return to the beginning and repeat the process† (â€Å"Quick hints, study tips for college success,† 2005). All these methods when combined, will not only help me in my education but also in my career by improving my knowledge of work given, meeting scheduled deadlines, meetings scheduled for specific times, and working as a trustworthy employee. Personal responsibility is more than honesty; it is dependability, positive attitudes, and professional competence. These factors are not just limited to academic success but also career and personal success in multiple aspects of your life. They can be used as guidelines for various learning and promotions in self and team enrichment. Therefore, personal responsibility has both positive and negative effects to yourself and those around you. By exemplifying high moral values in personal responsibility you will achieve success in everything you do. References Quick hints, study tips for college success. (2005, October). Miami Times, 83(7), 3B. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/363118060?accountid-35812 Taking personal responsibility. (2011, September). The Daily Gleaner. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/dovview/887612423?accountid=35812 University of Phoenix. (2012). Professional Competence. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, Gen200-Foundations for General Education and Professional Success website.

Literature Review of Strategic Management

This review provides an overview of a few of the key topics that have defined the strategic management field since the later twentieth century. Strategic planning, strategic planning frameworks and strategy implementation issues are discussed both from a historical and modern perspective. Michael Porter's frameworks and generic strategy provide an excellent backdrop for formulation of strategy but scholars argue that the current environment of business may require new or altered frameworks.A blended strategy of differentiation plus cost leadership may be possible within the new technology platforms afforded via e-commerce. Mega sized corporations nearing 500 billion in revenue are redefining the rules of strategy and using their massive scope and scale in new and unique ways. Regulation, diversity and shared value are important to consider in developing strategy and can contribute to differentiation if properly managed. Strategy implementation is an area where further research is nee ded and special attention needs to be focused on the internet and mega corporations as they seem to defy all historical strategy guidance.Keywords: Strategic management, strategy implementation, Michael Porter Introduction The single most important intellectual asset in any company outside of its employees is its strategy. Leaders are defined by the strategies they create and execute. Poorly designed strategy can be devastating to firms and many years of hard work can disintegrate when strategic plans are not properly implemented. Developing consistency in strategy is very important to proper implementation of the core elements. Ultimately the strategy must become centrally integrated and externally oriented in order to define how the business will achieve its objectives.One of the most common reasons for firm bankruptcy is improper implementation of strategy (Hosiery, Chambermaids, Onerous, & Saudi, 2013). Strategy is largely defined by adaptation to a constantly changing marketpla ce which seems to get more and more complex. True strategy is about making complex bets and following up with hard choices (Martin, 2014). Historically stable markets allowed managers to rely on complex strategies that were built on future predictions (Eisenhower & Sulk, 2001). But in the current fast moving marketplace and with the rise of the millennial billionaires, opportunity seizure may require a different approach.The review contained herein will take a shallow dive into a few of the endless strategic management models along with the challenges and typical faults with implementation. The e-commerce world and mega sized corporations will be explored as they present special challenges to strategy makers. The internet seems to defy many of the historical perspectives on business strategy. Diversity and regulation are highlighted as these issues stand out in the literature as being an ongoing consideration for strategy makers.A special focus is on the perspectives of Michael Port er both historically and in the present. Countless reviewers have dissected and applied Porter's academic work. Many arguments have been made both for and against Porter's frameworks held up against a modern business landscape. This paper will serve to challenge Porter's generic strategies and the applicability in today's business world. Managers can learn much from Porter, but to survive in the age of millennial billionaires, leaders may need to develop new frameworks.And those who do will have a good chance at building a firm foundation for responding to competition and reacting to market opportunities in a fast moving global economy. Strategic Management Overview The word strategy is often improperly used by managers as an industry buzzword in hopes of gaining credibility for their management priorities. This often results in confusion and can undermine the credibility of the leader. The word strategy is derived from the Greek strategist, which means the art of the general. The b usiness general must form a coherent strategy which is the sum of the parts of the organization.If this is not accomplished then mid level managers will focus time on their own priorities and the organization will risk fragmentation (Humpback & Frederickson, 2005). The origin of the subject of strategic management is heavily abated but H. Igor Anions is commonly noted as having significant influence in the field prior to Michael Porter whom took center stage in the asses (Martinet, 2010). Insofar bestselling book titled Corporate Strategy was published in 1965 and started to transition the mindset from strategic planning to strategic management.Much of the current understanding of strategic management can be traced back to Porter's (1985) low cost, differentiation, focus framework. His concepts marked a key transition point in the strategic management field by integrating organization specific factors into a model of firm performance (Apparel, 2006). According to Porter's generic st rategy, a firm can maximize performance by either being a low cost producer or differentiating its products or services from other businesses. Either of these strategies can be accomplished by focusing the organizations efforts on a segment of the market.Porter believes that businesses that attempt to employ both strategies simultaneously will end up â€Å"stuck in the middle† and will not be successful. This issue is hotly debated in the literature and especially as related to e-commerce. Internet firms seem to be employing strategies that exhibit one of more firms of differentiation in unison. Despite all the debate, Porter is widely cited in the literature and is highly respected by both supporters and critics alike whom all consider him to be a significant contributor to the field of strategic management.Nag, Humpback, and Chem. (2007) contended that the field of strategic management is lacking an identity. The researchers conducted an exhaustive large scale survey of aca demics in the field and came up with the following definition for strategic management. â€Å"The field of strategic management deals with the major intended and emergent initiatives taken by general managers on behalf of owners, involving utilization of resources, to enhance the performance of firms in their external environments. † (p. 944).The interface with the external environment, also known as the customer and the community, is a central dogma of the strategic planning process and we will see this theme emerge throughout the literature review. Strategic Planning Strategic planning is normally the first step in the strategic management process and is critical to the success of an organization. Strategic plans normally have three parts (Martin, 2014). The first is the mission or mission statement that sets the long term owls. The second is a listing of the initiatives that the organization will carry out as part of its fulfillment of the goal.And third is the financial i mpact of the initiatives. Martin (2014) recommends three rules for strategic planning to prevent from falling into the trap of focusing on internal metrics and not the external customer. Rule one is to keep the strategy simple by focusing on what will attract customers. Eisenhower and Sulk (2001) contend that to survive in a complicated high velocity market space, managers should choose simple rules over complicated plans. The simple rules will low the managers to move quickly in order to capture opportunities more quickly.Customers will spend their money with the company that has the superior value proposition. Martin (2014) rule two is strategies do not have to be perfect. There should be some risk in the strategy and boards should not prevent management from taking risks in setting strategy. This actually weakens the strategy. And the final rule is to test the logic of your thinking. Write down the desired outcome when setting strategy. The logic should be compared to real life e vents in order to identify areas of improvement along the way.Despite the criticality of strategic management to an organization's success, a McKinney survey found that most executives are not happy with their strategic planning process (Dye, 2006). And companies that have formal strategic planning processes have the highest level of satisfaction with corporate strategy development. Selene (2009) broke strategic management into four different schools including the classical school, the environmental school, the competitive school, and the contemporary school.The classical school is based on the research contributions of the mid twentieth century and is centered on the fit between internal and external actors. Classical management assumes that internal and external factors have an equal fit. The SOOT analysis is a common model used to assess the classical business environment. The environmental school contends that the external environment plays the most important role in strategy de velopment. And firms that do not respond well to the external environment will eventually die out. The competitive school of strategy is distinguished by competition being the driving force in differentiation.Porter (1980) noted that the firm must acknowledge and respond to the external opportunities and threats to survive. The contemporary school souses on understanding the internal firm. Collaboration and differentiation are important to winning with a contemporary strategy. Multicast (2009) provides an interesting perspective on strategic management and its relationship to time. Strategic planning is most often thought of in terms of planning for the long term future of the firm. The author encourages management to also consider history, the present, and the near future in making strategic planning decisions.When new management enters a firm, history is often seen as a negative since historical perspectives are sometimes viewed as a hindrance to instituting hanged. But in reality , history can be an asset to strategic planners. For example, if the company has a culture of continuous improvement, good employee loyalty and commitment, and good learning ability, then this is a sustainable competitive advantage that should be retained. If new management is not aware of the firm's culture then they may make decisions like terminating senior employees therefore damaging the firms culture and competitiveness.Passage of time can also be a weakness if management has become complacent and they are not questioning the way their firm operates or making suggestions for efficiency gains. Improving the learning capabilities of the firm can help prevent previous strengths from turning into weaknesses. Generic Strategies According to Porter (1980), differentiation, cost leadership, focus, or a combination of differentiation and cost leadership are the keys to maintaining a competitive advantage. These are known as Porter's generic strategies and are still relevant in busines s today.The below sections will explore some of the applications of Porter's generic strategies. This section also addresses a blended cost leadership/ differentiation strategy model which has emerged in the literature largely as a result f the success of companies that have seen success using the internet as the primary customer interface. Differentiation. Differentiation or value is defined by having a product or service that is differentiated from the competitor on some stand alone merit. Firms that employ differentiation typically can charge a premium for their product or service.The consumer typically sees a superior value in the product or service, whether perceived or real, and is willing to pay a premium. Akin, Allen, Helms, and Sprawls (2006) discovered three tactics that were most commonly employed in differentiation strategy. These included innovative marketing technology or tactics, a culture of creativity and innovation, and an emphasis on having a significant market sh are. Marketing research had found that it is eight to ten times more expensive to market to new customers than to existing customers (Akin et al. 006). Organizations must have insight into the future in order to manage and drive profitability and this should be a key component of the strategic planning process. This can only be accomplished by developing a culture of innovation. Unfortunately the tactics needed to create a culture of innovation are not ell understood and documented in the literature. Many firms seem to be out of touch with the external environment in which they operate. Kim, Name, and Stripers (2004) evaluated differentiation within the context of e-commerce.Due to the low costs on switching sources via the internet, it is more important that internet companies learn how to differentiate. Differentiation based on distribution is a key area of focus for internet firms. Speed of delivery, online interface, security, and order tracking are all ways that internet firms are differentiating themselves. There re numerous studies that show that internet shoppers are less sensitive to price when the product or service is coupled with information or services. Olio and Fay (2012) noted that innovation is only possible with a good strategy.Firms should avoid copying other company's ideas. And instead develop innovation that is relevant to the needs you are trying to serve. Jumping on trends is not always a bad idea as long as it is tailored to your strategy. The firm's core value proposition should have stability. Successful companies rarely have to go through major changes since they re constantly updating their processes, offerings, and methods. Industry structure is dynamic and structural change is very slow. Having a good understanding of industry stricture will help to identify new strategic opportunities.Multicast (2009) discussed differentiation as a crucial component of understanding competitiveness. Differential value is an important component of competitiveness and can be created in a number of ways including reliability, product features, quality attributes, and aesthetics. In addition to having differentiating factors, the product will also need to overcome the â€Å"hurdle factors. These are the characteristics that the customer expects the products to have and are a limiting factor in the initial product selection. Differentiating factors without â€Å"hurdle factors† will not position the product or service competitively.Perception is important since it is important to understanding the customer perspective since it may be different than the firms perspective. If the customer does not have a need for a differentiating characteristic of the products than those characteristics will potentially add manufacturing cost without adding value to the customer. Cost Leadership. Cost leadership requires a accompanied mindset to operate at the lowest cost possible. The company must be willing to walk away from opportuniti es where they cannot be a cost leader and must choose outsourcing partners whom will provide cost leadership.All company operations and marketing must be centered on cost leadership. Tactics employed include mass production and distribution, vertical integration, lower input cost from raw materials, and technology. The tactic that has proven to be most beneficial to cost reduction strategy is to lower distribution costs (Akin, Allen, Helms, & Sprawls, 2006). One way hat retailers have accomplished this is through cross docking or shipping direct from manufacturer to retailer without storing in warehouses. Wall-Mart is largely credited with developing cross-docking strategy and this has been widely adopted and refined by retailers since the asses.The internet has been a hotbed for companies trying to implement cost leadership strategy. Kim et al. (2004) studied this issue and reported that most online shoppers are using price as their most important buying criteria. The internet prov ides a format for retailers to quickly access a large volume of customers through a price leadership strategy. Porter (2001) argued that the internet is a very difficult environment in which to differentiate one's firm since they lack many of the physical attributes of brick and mortar firms like sales people.In general, most online only brands have not been very successful at brand building and have developed only modest customer loyalty(Papua & Upon, 2000). Kim et al. (2004) recommend that companies avoid cost leadership for internet firms. And instead they recommend using a blended strategy that includes elements of cost leadership as well as differentiation. Porter's cost leadership framework is often misinterpreted by managers. Competitive advantage for example has come to mean anything that the organization deems as noteworthy. Porter was very specific in defining competitive advantage as price advantage versus rivals.The price may be low or high depending on the choices made in the value chain. These choices shift relative cost or relative price to the advantage. This ultimately leads to sustainable performance (Olio & Fay, 2012). Price competition is more about developing a value chain than it is about low prices. This value chain should be differentiated and not easily reproduced by competition. When companies imitate each other's reduces and value chain then price becomes the only dimension that customers utilize. This results in a very destructive environment.Competition should be thought of more in terms of profits rather than competing to win. Competitors are competing to capture the value an industry creates. The value is being captured by customers, suppliers, rivals, potential new rivals, and producers of replacements. Creating economic value results in sustained profitability by using resources effectively to meet customer needs. Focus Strategy. Focus strategy is when firms decide to focus on a specific segment of the market. The company may f ocus on specific customer demographic, product range, or service line.Often the focus strategy is used to grab market share that may have been overlooked or is not large enough for larger competitors. The segment must have good growth potential but be small enough to not be of great importance to competitors. Firms may utilize focus strategy as a standalone or they may bundle low cost with focus strategy. Common tactics that are employed in low cost/focus strategy include providing outstanding customer service, improving operational efficiency, quality control of products, and extensive training of front line sales and technical personnel(Akin, Allen, Helms, & Sprawls, 2006).The key to success with low cost/focus strategy is to reduce cost by creating a happy customer. Customer complaints and a failure to meet customer expectations result in higher costs through corrective actions. Low cost/focus firms must be masters of preventative action and create quality procedures that drive c ustomer satisfaction through consistently meeting customer expectations. Customer service is typically the first point of a customer engagement and can be an important component in standardizing procedures and preventing problems.If services are done right the first time the firm will save a significant amount of costly managerial time in solving problems in the future. Men's Warehouse is an example of where price and focus strategy and successfully employed. The store offers a lower priced high quality suit when compared to larger retailers, and they couple this with a high level of customer service and on site services such as tailoring. Kim et al. (2004) note that focus strategy can be very effective with online commerce. The internet allows companies to customize their products and offerings to meet the pacific wants and needs of a select group of customers.Customers see value in being directed to the specialty retailer on the internet and will pay a premium for the products or services. The internet has the ability to service both broad markets and very niche markets. Consumers have instant access to price information and product information. Internet retailers would be wise to consider focus or focus/ differentiation strategy as their primary strategic development platform. Focus/ Differentiation Strategy. Firms may also employ a focus/differentiation strategy when he firm has a unique quality focused product aimed toward a specific market segment.Common tactics employed by these firms include the production of specialty products and producing products for higher priced market segments (Akin, Allen, Helms, & Sprawls, 2006). Specialty retailers like Pier 1 accomplished the first tactic by focusing on unique high quality specialty products. These are often times imported goods that have a unique differentiator. The second tactic is employed by luxury car companies like Cadillac that can only afforded by the highest income segment of the population. Blended Strategy.An integrated strategy of price leadership and differentiation was strongly opposed by Porter (1980). He argued that these two generic strategies are fundamentally contradictory and that any firm attempting to fluctuate between the two would fail to realize the full potential of their performance. On one extreme, cost leadership requires standardization and building low cost in the value chain. One the other extreme is differentiation which almost always drives up marketing and production costs. But there is a large proportion of the literature which challenges Porter on this issue (Kim et al. 004). Most scholars agree that Porter's incompatibility argument will hold up in a stable business environment, but in the rapidly changing competitive environment that reflects the modern business world, a flexible combination of multiple strategies may be required. The internet is especially challenging in that it can disassemble traditional value chains. For example, several onlin e companies are successfully employing a diversified business strategy such as Amazon and Backbone. This issue will be discussed in more detail later in this literature review. Strategic Management FrameworksThe multitude and complexity of issues facing organizations has resulted in a wide variety of strategic management frameworks that are referenced in the literature. Each model attempts to organize issues in a way that makes management decision making more comprehensible. With each framework comes a myriad of academic scholars that have created, critiqued, or built the frameworks in positive ways. This literature review will cover two well known strategic management frameworks, SOOT and Porter's five forces. In SOOT analysis, internal strengths and weaknesses as well as external opportunities and threats are considered.Some of the most widely referenced frameworks in the literature are credited to Michael Porter. The framework that will be reviewed in this section is Porter's fiv e forces. SOOT The originator of SOOT is somewhat unclear from the literature but it was first described by Learned, Christiansen, Andrews, and Gust (1969). SOOT is often the first tool of choice for decision makers assessing alternatives and complex decisions. The use of SOOT to group external and internal business issues is a logical starting point for most management decisions.Helms and Nixon (2010) provide a more cent analysis of SOOT as a strategic planning tool and some of the limitations. SOOT is commonly used in academia and business largely due the simplicity of SOOT as well as its catchy well known name. The literature reveals that SOOT is most commonly used for business strategic planning both for individual organizations as well as for comparing two or more companies. SOOT analysis consists of examination of internal strengths and weaknesses as well as external opportunities and threats.The analysis can be quickly constructed and multiple viewpoints can be combined to pe rform a brainstorming exercise Helms et al, 2010). Internal strengths and weaknesses may include branding, organization structure, access to raw materials or natural resources, production capacity, or capital for investment. External opportunities and threats could include customers, rivals, market trends, contractors, vendors, or technology. Various environmental, political, and regulatory issues are often examined as well. The literature revealed that SOOT was the most commonly utilized strategic management tool well into the late nineties.After the year 2000, the literature is conflicted as to he value of SOOT although there are multiple researchers both for and against (Evans and Wright, 2000). Sherman, Rowley, and Armband' (2007) added steps to SOOT and came up with a seven step strategic management process to assist firms in the pre planning stages. Many researchers have coupled SOOT with various mathematical models to give it a quantitative basis versus qualitative. Most supp orters of SOOT admit that it should be combined with other strategic management tools like Porter's five forces and not used in isolation.But as with any strategic management tool, SOOT is only as good as the experts whom use it. Its greatest weakness is probably that it is a snapshot of time. The business environment is constantly changing and firms will need to constantly scan the environment and update their SOOT analysis (Helms et al. , 2010). In the next section we will explore another widely used strategic management model developed by Michael Porter. Porter's Five Forces Porter is most well known for the association of competition with the firm and its external environment.Porter felt that corporate strategy should meet the threats and opportunities in the external environment Ellen, 2009). Porter identified five nominative forces that he claims are the key to shaping every industry and every market (Porter, 1980). By studying and understanding these forces, a firm should be able to determine the level of competition and therefore the attractiveness and potential profitability of a market. Porter's five forces analysis framework is primarily used for industry level analysis Ellen, 2009). Five forces were first discussed by Porter in his publication titled Competitive Strategy (Porter, 1980).The five forces are threats from competitors, buyer power, supplier power, threat of new entrants, and alternative products. The strength of these collective forces decides the amount of profit potential available to rivals in an industry. Unfortunately the literature reveals that the application of the five forces may not be straight forward and even Porter (2008) has been disappointed with its misapplication. Five forces analysis should not only be used to determine if an industry is attractive or not, but it should be a primary tool to unravel the complexity of competition and improve performance (Olio & Fay, 2012).Dobbs (2014) discusses some of the challenges tha t are faced by managers when they attempt to apply the five forces. These include a lack of depth, lack of structured analysis, lack of strategic insight, and millennial generation preferences. Many people use the five forces analysis in a superficial way and this leads to inaccurate and incomplete analysis. This may largely be due the lack of in depth study given to MBA students. The lack of quantitative measures in the five forces framework may be a limiting factor in many cases. Most applications of five forces consist of lists which make poor substitutes for in depth analysis.Olio and Fay noted that five forces analysis should not only be used to determine if an industry is attractive or not, but it should be a primary tool to unravel the complexity of competition and improve performance. With the rise of the millennial generation in 2010, Dobbs (2014) noted that the five forces framework must be modified in order to accommodate the technology vigor and analysis preferred by thi s generation. Akin, Allen, Helms, and Sprawls (2006) contend that the literature is missing information on the tactics that are needed in order to implement Porter's strategies.Several researchers have proposed models to be used to better apply the five forces. In Akin et al. s (2006) study, the authors researched over 200 companies to develop a set of key tactics that could be used to implement Porter's generic strategies and drive organization performance. Dobbs (2014) provides a practical template that provides good comprehension and ease of use. The models have proved very beneficial in the classroom setting in terms of driving higher levels of strategic insight and industry analysis.Diversity and Shared Value Building market share can also be influenced by diversification in the workforce and acknowledgement of a preference for products that are made and sold by companies with similar cultural heritage. This is largely due to the diversification of the customer base which cross es many borders, cultures, and ethnic groups. Hiring a diverse workforce and drawing in a culturally diverse customer base is critical to success. This group of consumers is growing at a much faster rate than the rest of the US population.The US welcomes nearly one million new immigrants into the country every year. These people come from different backgrounds, nationalities and ethnicities and they are learning how to work in an unfamiliar culture. Ramifies (2010) reported that the challenges are immense for immigrants as they try and maintain a nation connection to their home country as well as try and adapt to their host country. The pressure that results drives individuals to be more inventive and productive. The force is very powerful and one of the reasons why immigrants do so well in start up businesses in the US.They develop a comfort level with uncertainty and risk that allows them to drive performance. Despite the advantages of diversity most companies fall short on divers ity thought and leadership. In fact, half of companies operating in 25 countries or more, reported only having one or two foreign nationals on their boards. Yet they cited global experience as one of the most important factors in terms of selecting board members. Managers that understand and take advantage of diversity into their strategy will have a distinct competitive advantage.Developing a global company that appeals to a global customer is extremely important in developing strategy. In work done by Watson and Wright (2000), the authors looked into the country of origin effect. This â€Å"made in† concept has to do with the attitudes and buying behaviors of consumers for foreign made goods. This is also known as ethnocentrism. Research has proved that the â€Å"made in† concept has as a very strong influence on buying behaviors. These behaviors can override other more practical factors such as brand name, quality, or price.A tactic that is commonly employed is to m arket the country of origin information with the product. For example, a Chinese American may have a preference for Chinese manufactured products over US manufacturing products. Shared Value Porter and Kramer (2011) discuss the concept of the shared value which focuses on improving the connections between society, the economy as well as corporate growth and profitability. The economic collapse of the last decade contributed to frustration with corporations as companies in the banking sector were largely blamed for causing the failed economy though risky lending practices.Firms have begun to realize that social harms and weaknesses frequently create internal costs for the firm in wasted energy costs and costly accidents. As a result many large firms have begun to embrace the concept of shared value and have started to see some rewards in terms of public opinion and profitability. Companies and their communities are intertwined since companies need the consumers and the raw trials fro m their communities, while the people in the communities need the wages and opportunity offered by the firm.This interdependence or shared value has the potential to unlock the next wave of growth and innovation for companies if incorporated into their strategic plans. Regulation and the Porter Hypothesis No review of strategic management would be complete without a discussion on the impact of regulation on business. Regulation has become an increasing concern for business leaders as they develop strategy and decide on how best to allocate resources. There are also political implications since government regulators have the power to influence market dynamics between rivals as well as between countries.Generally economists, politicians, and business leaders see increasing regulation as an economic challenge which erodes global competitiveness. But Porter (1991) argued that well designed regulation could be a competitive advantage if properly managed. This concept is frequently refere nced in the literature as the Porter Hypothesis. Researchers frequently use the Porter Hypothesis to help understand the links between regulation, competitiveness, and innovation. Porter (1991) andClass van deer Lined (Porter & van deer Lined,AAA) argued that pollution was an example of wasted resources and that by reducing pollution, productivity could be improved. They felt that properly designed environmental regulation would help drive innovation and would more than offset the additional cost of implementing regulation. Porter brought these concepts to mainstream businesses and policy and has revolutionized how strategic management deals with the impact of environmental or other regulation. Porter et al (AAA) explained five reasons why they thought innovation offsets any negatives created by regulation.