Organisational Culture- analysis of Oticon Essay

INTRODUCTION Oticon, a Danish company founded in 1904 was the first company in the world to invent an instrument to help the hearing impaired. In the 1970’s, Oticon was the world’s number one manufacturer of the â€Å"behind the ear† hearing aids. During the 1970’s and 1980’s as the market for â€Å"in the ear† hearing aid grew, Oticon’s fortune suddenly declined and they lost money and market share. The main problem for all of this was that Oticon was a very traditional, departmentalized and slow-moving company. Even though Oticon had 15 sites and 95 distributorships around the world, Oticon was operating in a market dominated by Siemens, Phillips, Sony, 3M and Panasonic and most importantly, Oticon manufactured the â€Å"behind the ear† hearing aid but its customers preferred the â€Å"in the ear† product. Oticon also specialized in analogue technology whilst its customers were moving towards digital technology. In 1988, a new President of Oticon was appointed, Lars Kolind. With his appointment, he worked hard to turn the situation of Oticon around. Kolind implemented cost-cutting measures; he pared the company down, cut staff and increased efficiency, and reduced the price of a hearing aid by 20%. Nevertheless, this still did not achieve the results he wanted. He never gave up. He had been searching for a sustainable competitive advantage for Oticon. He wanted to create a new way of running a business. One that could be more creative, faster and cost effective and also compensate for technological excellence, capital and general resources which Oticon lacked. Kolind believed that Oticon could no longer compete with its technologically advanced competitors. By reinventing itself, Oticon showed that it could. Oticon drastically changed its organizational structure, ways of working and culture to let loose the human potential of the company. Kolind created a vision of a service-based organization and pursued it to gain a competitive edge. Employee involvement is crucial to successful change; especially in situations as Oticon’s that require attitudinal and cultural change. Planned and emergent perspectives stress that this is a slow, learning process. Rapid organizational transformations can only be successful if focus is on structural as well as cultural change. Kanter _et al_ emphasized that an organization’s structure can be changed relatively quickly through a ‘Bold Stroke’ but that cultural change can only be achieved by a ‘Long March’ requiring extensive participation over time. Oticon’s transformation was that of a rapid organizational change, which was based on the vision imposed on the company in a directive fashion by the CEO. This lead to the widespread change of attitudes and behaviours. Kolind’s vision was the reason for this rapid change in attitudes across Oticon. A more planned approach, facilitated by this change in attitudes was used to achieve this rapid structural change. This was then followed by a period of emergent change where staff had to develop and adjust to new ways of working with and behaving towards each other. Schmuck and Miles (1971) argue that the level of involvement required in a project is dependant on the impact of the change on people concerned. Building on earlier work by Harrison (1970), Huse (1980) developed this difference further. He categorized change interventions along with continuum based on the ‘depth of intervention, ranging from the ‘shallow level’ to the ‘deepest level’. The greater the depth of intervention, Huse argues, the more it becomes concerned with the psychological make-up and personality of the individual, and the greater the need for full involvement of individuals if they are to accept the changes. Therefore, linking levels of involvement to the types of change proposed is necessary. The key is that, the greater the effect on the individual, especially in terms of psychological constructs and values, the deeper the level of involvement required if successful behaviour change is to be achieved. The theory of cognitive dissonance of Burnes and James (1995) helps in seeking to understand and explain why major rapid attitudinal changes at Oticon were successful without a great deal of initial involvement. The theory of cognitive dissonance states that people want to behave in  accordance with their attitudes and usually will take corrective action to alleviate the dissonance and achieve balance. At Oticon, fundamental attitudinal change was achieved relatively quickly because management and employee recognized the need for change and saw why new vision is the only hope for the company’s survival. ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE, or CORPORATE CULTURE, comprises the attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values of an organization. It has been defined as â€Å"the specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organization. An ORGANISATION’S CULTURE is affected by a number of factors including: The ENVIRONMENT in which the organisation operates. Internally, this is often conveyed by its physical layout which can, foe example, reflect warm friendliness or cold efficiency. The BELIEFS, VALUES AND NORMS of the employees within the organisation, particularly those communicated by top management. The formal and informal LEADERS who personify the organisation’s culture. The PROCEDURES that have to be followed and the behaviour expected of people within the organisation. The network of COMMUNICATIONS which disseminates the corporate image and culture. OTHER FACTORS could include the oeganisation’s size , history, ownership and technology. MODEL OF CHANGE- SEQUENCE OF EVENTS (SOURCE:MANAGEMENT. RICHARD L DAFT- 6TH ED.) Corporate culture is something that is very hard to change and employees need time to get used to the new way of organizing. Many people are not willing to change unless they perceive a problem or a crisis. For companies with a very strong and specific culture it will be even harder to change. Cummings & Worley (2005, p. 491 – 492) give the following six guidelines for cultural change, these changes are in line with the eight distinct stages mentioned by Kotter (1995, p. 2)3: Formulate a clear strategic vision In order to make a cultural change effective a clear vision of the firm’s new strategy, shared values and behaviours is needed. This vision provides the intention and direction for the culture change Display Top-management commitment It is very important to keep in mind that culture change must be managed from the top of the organization, as willingness to change of the senior management is an important indicator. The top of the organization should be very much in favour of the change in order to actually implement the change in the rest of the organization. De Caluwà © & Vermaak provide a framework with five different ways of thinking about change. Model culture change at the highest level In order to show that the management team is in favour of the change, the change has to be notable at first at this level. The behaviour of the management needs to symbolize the kinds of values and behaviours that should be realized in the rest of the company. It is important that the management shows the strengths of the current culture as well, it must be made clear that the current organizational does not need radical changes, but just a few adjustments. Modify the organization to support organizational change. The fourth step is to modify the organization to support organizational change. Select and socialize newcomers and terminate deviants A way to implement a culture is to connect it to organizational membership, people can be selected and terminate in terms of their fit with the new culture Develop ethical and legal sensitivity. Changes in culture can lead to tensions between organizational and individual interests, which can result in ethical and legal problems for practitioners. This is particularly relevant for changes in employee integrity, control, equitable treatment and job security. FORCES CAUSING AND RESISTING CHANGE WITHIN AN ORGANISATION (SOURCE: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO BUSINESS STUDIES- 3RD ED- BRUCE R JEWELL) NEED/ REASONS FOR CHANGE. In order to survive and prosper in a competitive and rapidly changing environment, organisations also need to change. This may be brought about by many influencing factors which may be internally within the organisation or in external environment of the organisation. EXTERNAL FORCES originate in all environmental sectors, including customers, competitors, technology, economic forces and the international arena. EXTERNAL INFLUENCES: POLITICAL factors including legislation or other government measures. Organisations are forced to change in order to meet, for example, health and safety, environmental or consumer protection requirements. ECONOMIC factors such as changes in levels of unemployment and interest rates which can have a major impact on demand. SOCIAL factors including changes in life styles and environmental issues which organisations must respond to if they are not to lose out to competitors. TECHNOLOGICAL progress such as word processing in the office or robots in the factory can change working materials, methods and practices and create the need for new skills. TRADE UNIONS can influence wage rates, working conditions and other aspects of industrial relations. COMPETITION and changes in consumer tastes and demand all impact on business organisations, making change necessary in order to respond. MEDIA reports which can influence consumers’ and employees’ perceptions of an organisation and its goods and services. INTERNAL FORCES for change arise from internal activities and decisions. If top managers select a goal of rapid company growth, internal actions will have to be made to meet that growth. New departments or technologies will be created. Demands by employees, labour unions and production inefficiencies all can generate a force to which management must respond with change. INTERNAL INFLUENCES: NEW PRODUCTS OR SERVICES which require change in order to introduce them. MANAGEMENT CHANGES, due perhaps to a merger, take over or the appointment of  new staff. This may affect the management style and culture of the organisation. QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEMS which are becoming increasingly important in organisations in order to meet changing customer expectations. PRODUCTIVITY AND PROFITABILITY IMPROVEMENTS which often require change in systems or procedures in order to control or reduce costs and/or increase output. CUSTOMER SERVICE is now more crucial than ever for organisations in competitive markets because they can only survive and prosper if they satisfy customers. After the need for change has been perceived and communicated, change must be initiated. This is a crucial stage of change management- the stage where ideas that solve perceived needs are developed. Responses that an organisation can make are to search for or create a change to adopt. IMPLEMENTING CHANGE One frustration for managers is that employees often seem to resist change for no apparent reason. To effectively manage the implementation process, managers should be aware of the reasons for employee resistance and e prepared to use techniques for obtaining employee cooperation. Employees appear to resist change for several reasons and understanding them helps managers implement change more effectively. SELF-INTEREST. Employees typically resist a change they believe will take away something of value. A proposed change in job design, structure, or technology may lead to a real or perceived loss of power, prestige, pay or company benefits. The fear of personal loss is perhaps the biggest obstacle to organisational change. LACK OF UNDERSTANDING AND TRUST. Employees do not understand the intended purpose of a change or distrust the intentions behind it. UNCERTAINTY. Uncertainty is the lack of information about future events. It represents a fear of the unknown. Uncertainty is especially threatening for employees who have a low tolerance for change and fear the novel and unusual. They do not know how a change will affect them and worry about whether they will be able to meet the demands of a new procedure or technology. DIFFERENT ASSESSMENT AND GOALS. Another reason for resistance to change is that people who will be affected by innovation may assess the situation differently. Often critics voice legitimate disagreements over the proposed benefits of a change. Managers in each department pursue different goals, and an innovation may detract from performance and goal achievement for some departments. These reasons for resistance are legitimate in the eyes of the employees affected by the change. The best procedure for managers is not to ignore resistance but diagnose the reasons and design strategies to gain acceptance by users. Strategies for overcoming resistance to change typically involve two approaches: the analysis of resistance through force-field technique and the use of selective implementation tactics to overcome resistance.

I Believe in Love Essay

Love is a refuge that without it nothing can exist. Without the love of God the world wouldn’t have life. Without the passion of two lovers no child would be brought in to the cycle of life. Ignorant people under the guise of social acceptance have removed love from their lives, and have torn themselves apart morally. But I believe love heals all, love never fails, and love knows all. If there’s one thing to learn about the many genres of love it’s this. It is instinctual to give comfort to those who don’t want it, and to push comfort away when it’s given. My father was beside himself as he looked at the charred remains of his truck. He was utterly shocked that the fire didn’t spread at all, but just stayed on the truck. A memory of being in that truck, driving all over Oklahoma, crosses his mind. Thoughts of how I thought I would die in an accident truck by driving it cross my mind. He was stunned to say the least about the incident, and no one could get through to him that we were there for him. My father started to bounce back after a few hours. You could even find a tiny smile on his mouth. My family and I kept our guards and when he was finally ready to accept it, our love was still right there to support him. Love doesn’t give up, so we didn’t either. Another lesson that I’ve witnessed is that no one takes love serious anymore. About ten percent of just the U.S. is divorced, and most of those are 20-24 year olds. There is lust at first sight, but no love. We humans notice symmetry and strong biological traits, and automatically want to mate and carry on those traits as well as ours. But there are all these naive, young, kids who think that lust will carry them to happiness. Then they find themselves in court for a year getting a divorce. Lust will always fail, but love won’t. â€Å"Love and Hate are simply the fraternal twin offspring of Passion.† A quote I wrote myself. Everything on God’s green Earth is a love story because love is passion and so is hate. Love and Hate are two completely different emotions that do the same damage. Who knows about what the day’s conversation vocabulary will bring? We all tell such passionate, moving tales of angst that that is all we know anymore. We may not know what our actions will bring, but love does. After crisis and after victory there is a bond between those who fought to the end, and that bond is love. There are countless quotes all trying in vain to define love in all its nebulous wonders. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 defines love the best saying, â€Å"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud†¦It always†¦perseveres.† Love heals all, love never fails, and love knows all.

Popular Music, Television, and Film Stars Essay

Everyone at all ages have grown up admiring and idealizing at least on celebrity, be that an actor, singer or any other famous person. What they do not ask while they are young is whether our idols are people we should be looking up to. Usually when people become older they realize that their role models at the time are not someone they would want their children idolizing now. They come to the conclusion that the person they looked up to wasn’t who they truly were, it was all an act. So should a celebrity be considered a true leader? That is worth debating. By using three characteristics of celebrities it will be known whether or not a celebrity has the potential to be a good leader. To begin, a celebrity can be known for many things, but a leader and great role model is not always one of them. One characteristic of a celebrity is being perfect. Is being perfect possible? No, but Paris Hilton is an example of someone who thinks they need to diet uncontrollably and get plastic surgery to make them seem perfect. This is not nearly close enough to be a true leader, because she is giving children the wrong idea; that it’s okay to be unhealthy and to bad things to your body just to look perfect so everyone likes them. The opposition may argue that it’s not always their fault. An example of this would be Demi Lavato. She suffered from bulimia and dieted because she didn’t like the way she looked. However they are wrong because although she couldn’t control her disease, there is no reason she should have hated herself in the beginning. We need to teach the children of this generation that it’s okay to look different. Not everyone needs to wear tons of makeup and be stick thin. A celebrity who can show all of these ideas is one who is truly a leader. Subsequently, everyone is selfish in their life for their own reasons, but should children look up to people who are selfish all the time? A successful celebrity gets money, fame, and anything they virtually want, but that is not a reason they should be selfish. An example of a selfish celebrity would be Kim Kardashion. Everything she does is related to how she can get more fame. Her tv show, her clothes line, her perfume, even her marriage was to give her more publicity. This is not what a leader would do. The opposition would argue that everyone is selfish so why can’t celebrities be who they are; however, they are wrong because although everyone is selfish it’s not as bad as celebrities and non-famous people aren’t the ones trying to get children and  fans to be just like them. Children need to learn that it is important to set aside time to help those who need more help than they do. John Cena is a great example of this. He is a famous wwe wrestler who gets paid a lot and has many fans, however, he takes the time to support the American Red Cross and goes to see children with diseases and cancer to try and make their day better. This is a great way to show how to be a leader. Lastly, something very common in the celebrity world is failed marriages. How are the newer generation’s children supposed to know that, although what t hey see on the tv and in magazines, they are really supposed to marry someone because they love them and want to be with them for the rest of their lives? â€Å"Till death do us part.† right? Wrong the tv, music, and famous world is showing that it’s okay if marriages don’t work out, that they can just find someone else or someone’s at that matter. These celebrities like Kim Kardashion and Kris Humphries were married for 10 months. The only reason they got married was because marrying a famous basketball player with lots of money would defiantly give Kim the publicity she wanted. The opposition may argue that it’s their life and there’s no reason they should be judged by their private life; however, they are wrong because when someone is brought into this industry, their private life is all everyone hears about. Just because they are famous doesn’t mean they can’t get married because of love. An example of a good couple that shows a leader quality would be Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. They are both country singers and have been married for 16 years with three children. Who said that marriage in showbiz had to end so soon? A leader isn’t someone willing to stage a fake marriage for a bigger fan base. Concisely, these days it is getting increasingly hard to tell the difference between a true leader and role model from a fake one. In the celebrity business there are three characteristics such as, perfection, selfishness, and fakeness that results in, are once role models turning into people who we look down upon. It is important to look at people for who they are as a person and what they can do for the people around them, rather than idolizing people for their fashion, money and fame.

What makes bad logo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

What makes bad logo - Essay Example 2008). The use of computer tricks in designing a logo could also make it a bad logo. Thus, if the logo that is meant to be created by hand is created with the use of a computer, it makes it a bad logo. An example of a bad logo is the logo of the London Olympic Games. Many people actually find this logo bad and it is good to look at the reasons that, this logo has been adjudged bad. Personally, the logo looks too childish in nature, as the designers did not take the age of the adult followers into consideration. A good logo should cut across the age of its audiences and anything short of this makes the logo a bad one. Thus, the logo of the London 2012 Olympic Games is bad due to its childish nature. It makes one think that the Olympic is meant only for kids. Another thing that makes the logo for the London Olympic Games bad is the fact that, the colour scheme does not look original. One would have the feeling that, it is an imitation of the works of Nike and this should not be so. The fact that, the logo does not look original puts the credibility of the designers to

How does a community's language reflect its values Essay

How does a community's language reflect its values - Essay Example As anyone visiting an Arab nation might notice, rules are†¦ rigid, to say the least, as a result of its ties to Islam. Women are made to wear veils that leave only the eyes exposed. Alcohol, pornography and other such things are frowned upon, if not prohibited entirely. As for the language itself, some devout Muslims refer to it as the language Allah especially intended mankind to speak. Arabic is the most prevalent Semitic language in the world, spoken by over 500 million people worldwide. But its influence extends even beyond this; even some of the words we use daily, not to mention the conventional numbering system we use (Hindu-Arabic) has been shaped by the Arabic language. Apart from being divided into classical, modern and colloquial, the Arabic language is further divided into a bunch of dialects than differ, sometimes immensely so, from one another. As such, different varieties of it are suited for different situations. As with any other language, it’s not uncommon to hear someone switch from colloquial Arabic to standard and then back again. Just as complicated, if not more so, are the rules on grammar, pronunciation and spelling. As with some other languages, Japanese among them, a small mistake in pronunciation and/or spelling can change the meaning of the word entirely. As for writing, Arabic calligraphy was and is still considered a major art form. It is probably one of the only languages in which something can look beautiful, even if you cannot understand it. In my mind, the sophistication of the Arabic language reflects the sophistication of our community. Despite what some may think, not all Arabs nowadays are Muslims as well. Members of other faiths, such as Judaism and Catholicism, are many as well. And in relation to this, neither are Arabs automatically terrorists. Far from supporting them, a good number of us actually condemn their actions as much as the next man; it is people

Prison Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Prison Culture - Essay Example Recommendations aimed at removing these distresses so that the inmates could become a healthy part of the free society. Key words: Prison culture, inmate subculture, free world, case studies. Introduction Culture as defined in Oxford Dictionary tells that it is â€Å"the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society†. Therefore the term Prison Culture refers to the ideas, customs and behavior of the prison community. In this world, there have always been two types of humans; either they are free to do what they desire or they are inside the bars not allowed to go their well. Culture therefore also becomes divided into two types; the culture of free humans and the culture of prisoners. The paper aims at describing the later type. Prison Culture is the net combined behavior of the inmates of a prison. The paper has attempted to analyze the prison culture after studying the ways in which the prisoners react. Prison Culture can be best understood keeping in view an expanded volume of gas where there are atoms frequently wandering here and there, with no destiny, with no desire, with no ambition. They are scattered and same is the situation with prisoners. Like the atoms, they have no ideals to abide by. There is a sort of confusion prevailing everywhere. Prison Culture is without a well defined social structure. ... The norms and values of prisons are either not seen or completely different from those of the outside society. Every day inside the prison is the Day of Judgment where everyone tries to get his share not bothering for anyone else. Prison Culture is therefore a totally different culture (Clemmer, 1958). Statement Of Problem Prison hurts the human psychologically. The fact adds to the troubles of the inmates and creates problems in the inmate-to-inmate relations. Prison encourages the institution of government to practice more and more degrading environments. Overcrowding in the prisons adds to the aggressive behavior of the inmates. This is the main cause of the prison culture being poor and weak in the sense. It has been noted that the increased is the population inside the prison, the increased is the ratio of violence and abuse between prisoners and the prison staff. It means that the larger is the number of prisoners, the more aggressive is the Prison Culture. This fact in turn in creases the volume of punishment inside the prison. Public prisons are more populated than the private and the theory is proved that in private prisons, the rate of violence and punishment is quite lower than the public prison (Steiner, 2009). The growth of privatized prisons is yet another problem. This is because of the worsening of the prison culture as regards the public prison. Also private prison is more economical for the state than the public prison. The risk of violence is in turn increased by the under-staffing. Since the increase in staff strength increases the burden on government exchequer, it hesitates to do so and the prison culture is thus influenced (Taylor, 2008). Guard-prisoner relationship is always of extreme importance for the prison

Business report based on the a given case study. Highland Limited Essay

Business report based on the a given case study. Highland Limited - Essay Example Frank in order to repay the loan had to sell of his centre at Shiel Bridge. Frank Rose took help from his wife Fiona and Andrew Robertson who were willing to put in funds and thereafter Fiona and Andrew took over the running of the business. Frank Rose concentrated more on the Outdoor Centre while Fiona looked after the accounts and Andrew became the Managing Director. The business operated from small cottage. The company moved into a new location in April 2008 and one of the main customers of Highland Limited, Weir’s of Glasgow made the company big enough to get viable. The relationships between the staff were informal. But steadily the employment increased post November 2008. The company did not have enough resources to meet the demands of the market and thus the company did not make any attempt to attract new customs. Approaches to retailers were discouraged as Andrew Robertson believed that until they had the capacity to satisfy the demands of the market it would not be pr ofitable to go to the retailers. The company faced a twist when it had started operating with Stoner garment, a brand of western Oil Limited. The company was eager to supply waterproof and protective clothing to the lucrative market of about 2000 workers. This provided Highland Limited with an advantage as being a local supplier the company would be able to produce jackets according to the demands and deliver at a minimal time. Therefore Highland Limited together with Stoner Garments decided to design jackets which would be acceptable to Western Oil in terms of both quality and price. Therefore by providing garments to the Western Oil the company was able to achieve success and the legal framework adopted by the company was applying the norms and regulation. Highland Limited was a company in which philosophy and raison d’etre mattered a great deal. The company realised that although the company objectives was to maximise the profits there were also secondary objectives which the company also wished to pursue. The objectives were embodied in the company’s philosophy but never written down. There was difference in the way people saw the philosophy. Thus the factors that the organisation needs to consider in reviewing its mission statement, goals and business plans for the future is firstly the company needs to develop a mission statement, a mission statement is only the starting point of the organisation. Next task is to identify a set of goals which would accomplish the organisations missions. The company needs to establish one year plan, three year and five year plan for expanding its market share in the market. Thus to achieve the goals the company have to develop short term objectives

Why I feel Grateful to Duncan Abdelnour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Why I feel Grateful to Duncan Abdelnour - Essay Example For the sake of brevity, I would like to call this a personal epiphany of sorts. I had this experience about two months ago and it involved a news report that talked about the coolest tech startups in the US. Certainly, I know about Silicon Valley or Facebook or how Instagram fetched a whooping $1-billion price tag when it was acquired. The tech world for me is "that far" - something that is within the realm of the probable but not exactly a game changing sphere where I see myself being part of or being successful participating in. Its realness is further diminished by the difference in the field I have chosen for myself, my interests and my skill-sets. What caught my attention was the portmanteau that is seemingly the preferred choice in naming most tech startups nowadays. It was Beatmerch. It was so interesting for me because the name tagged to it is someone I know or, at least, someone I am familiar with: Duncan Abdelnour. This person would probably not remember me from Adam. But he was indelibly etched on my mind. The perfectly coiffed and neat hair and that bushy eyebrows in the news photograph are unmistakably the same as sported by the person who sat before me at a conference I half-heartedly attended for an academic assignment last June. I knew him because we were handed these name tags and that was the only other memory Ive had of that event because he unknowingly dropped it in my latte. He did not apologize because he apparently did not know of it. I was annoyed nonetheless. Here is the thing: Reading about Duncan Abdelnour and Beatmerch sort of woke me up and inspired me at the same time. He is still currently in college, majoring in Marketing and Entrepreneurship in the University of Tampa but he already has this cool startup business, which made $126,000 in less than a year.

Around the World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Around the World - Essay Example Channel Access: Access of the alliance company to the various channels required for the business. Local Laws: Local laws with respect to formation of alliances need to be considered. Competency and Value of the Alliance Company: Competency of the alliance company and the value that it adds to the alliance is key to a successful alliance. The alliance must take the form of an international joint venture. International joint venture is an economically and legally separate organizational entity that has been created by 2 or more parent organizations with the objective to achieve strategic objectives. Parent companies invest both financial and other resources at disposal into the alliance (Schuler et al., 2004). A joint venture alliance has various advantages and is best suited in the current case. The major challenges for Around the World in establishing an international joint venture is shareholdings, human resource management, skills sharing and knowledge transfers. These challenges c an be overcome by effective and early planning. Share holdings and control structures of the partners need to be established and agreed upon before the alliance materializes. There are various ways to effectively manage the HR issues and, the knowledge and skill management issues. A four stage model of formation, development, implementation and advancement can be used to effectively to handle the challenges (Schuler & Tarique, 2004). Case Study 2 Following are the discussion points for the three questions at the end of the case study: 1. Aditya Birla Group adopted a growth strategy that made great business sense. The group exited from any business that did not offer them greater presence in the global market or the business which had registered losses. The group diversified and adopted businesses whose operations gave the group global presence and lead to acquiring of competencies in the market. The company built a business portfolio which is not limited to a single industry. The po rtfolio demonstrates the group’s ability to run different businesses efficiently and also has contributed to various revenue generating sources which has made the group immune to economic downturn in certain market or industries. 2. Various initiatives were taken by the group under the leadership of Kumar Mangalam Birla which has contributed to the group’s success. Gyanodaya was a great initiative which helped in the transfer of best practices. Appointment of new managers gave rise to a new dimension in the group’s leadership. Continuous learning and developing of human resources was one of main motive behind many of the initiatives. 3. Aditya Birla Group has addressed its second part of the mission – â€Å"Indian Values† by actively involving and contributing to the development of the country. It is presently working in 3700 villages. It is concentrating on health care, sustainable livelihood, infrastructure, education, social causes, etc through its Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development. It is running around 18 hospitals and 14 schools. Case Study 3 In order for Aston Restaurant to extend their business to China, they have to consider various factors and the two important factors are the market and the localization. Market No two markets are same and there are numerous differences that have to be looked into. The following various issues/factors have to be addressed or considered for Aston to successfully expand to China: Language: Language is a primary barrier here and Aston has to ensure that language i.e., communication must not hinder the business. Chinese is the primary language used in China. Customs and Practices: The customs and practices in China are different from those in other countries. In

Individualism vs. Societal Norm and Acceptance Essay Example for Free

Individualism vs. Societal Norm and Acceptance Essay In the community of Salem, Massachusetts of 1692, their community is set as a theocratic society, where the church and the state come as one. Moral laws and state laws are also combined as one. Everyone is expected to live up to the established social norms. Any individual within the Puritan community whose private lives doesn’t conform to the moral laws established by the government is represented as a threat to the community and to the rule of God and true religion. In Salem, everything and everyone belongs to either God or the devil, anything that is unlawful is considered a devil’s work. Everyone in this community is expected to meet the expectations of the society, every little thing they do will be held against them. John Proctor is an example of an individualist in this society. John Proctor was unfaithful to his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, when he had committed an affair with a younger female, Abigail Williams. Committing adultery and telling lies are some examples of sinning in the Puritan community. John Proctor is breaking from the mores, beliefs and ethical codes of the Puritan community because not only does he commit adultery, but he also hides it from the community. His actions were the main cause of false accusation of witchcraft in this society. Eventually, when he realizes everyone else’s life is at risk because of him, he confesses. John proctor chose to hide his adultery because he was afraid of his reputation being ruined and having his life put at risk because he went going against the Puritan law. Another way John Proctor breaks away from the united societal norm of the Puritans is going against the court. The court is in high power in this society. At first, he lies to the court, admitting to witchcraft to save his own life, but when John proctor realizes it is wrong and a sin to the religion to tell a lie, he goes against his false confession to witchcraft. He caused contempt at court while trying to prove everyone’s innocence, but it did not go so well. John Proctor went against the Puritan law because he does not want to dishonor the innocent prisoners and he will not be able to live with himself knowing that other innocents died while he committed sins and the innocents were paying for it. The following quote said by John Proctor in Act IV, clearly shows contempt at court in the Puritans’ way of life:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!† At the end, John Proctor was hung. He was hung for his mistakes, and died without lies to his name. In a theocratic society, where the church and state comes as one, every little thing you do is held against you in the long run. Individuals in the Puritan community whose lives did not meet moral laws were considered a â€Å"witch.† In Salem, everything and everyone belongs to either God or the devil, anything that is unlawful is considered a devil’s work.

Structural Change Management Process: The NHS

Structural Change Management Process: The NHS The case study report below is complete dissection of the undertaken structural change process by the Rossett NHS Hospital Trust to achieve its business objectives. Rossett NHS Hospital Trust attempted to introduce generic worker concept involving about 250 employees from its huge employee base of 2800. This change was part of a wider, strategic transformation in the NHS hospital with its focus on human resources issues, and in compliance with government initiatives, in the process realise continual improvement in quality of services rendered to patients and improve value for money. The nature of and rationale for the attempt of introduction of the generic worker concept was to achieve significant reduction in waiting times, improve flexibility, responsiveness to the patient needs by combining the roles right to the ward level and creating a central pool. This would enhance multiskilled work force who are eligible enough to conduct other full range of domestic and portering roles and other services including serving patient, clearing, and portering. The management through this structural change i.e. adapting to generic worker concept wanted to improve the working atmosphere of its employees by improving the flexibility in task allocation and rendering by its employee base and motivation of impacted employee base which in-turn reduce the absenteeism, which, is currently among the highest, when compared to the industry average. The finance department claimed that successful implementation would help to provide good value for money and make cost savings and proposed single grade and pay spine to the impacted employees and performance bonuses on attendance. From the operations perspective, this would bring about enormous benefits of flexibility and would simply and improve efficiency by avoiding waiting for action time and wasted journey and other duplication of efforts. The report below tries to analyze in depth about. Literature review Team Management and Team Constitution When two or more people interact among each other to accomplish a goal then it is called group. A group of people who work intensively with each other to achieve a set goal is called a TEAM. Team members should always be driving by the goal rather than individual results. The success of a team depends on the accomplishment of set objective or the drive to excel the same. Team functionality impacts the organizations effectiveness and performance. The contributing factors from the both the individual and organization context which are the driving factors for team existence and performance: Contributing factors for team cohesiveness and performance There are different types of teams which include functional or departmental, cross-functional, and self-managing. Each of these types of teams have certain characteristic features which differentiate their functioning style and objectives set to achieve. There are four essential elements that make the team successful or adventurous; goals/objectives, interdependence, commitment, and accountability. There are basically three different formats of team functionalities which explain how each team exhibits their cohesiveness and working style, as explained below. Basic functional team structure Team should be encouraged to develop: Positive Interdependence Face-to-Face promotive Interaction Individual Accountability/Personal Responsibility: Teamwork Skills Reduce social loafing as it is human tendency to put forth less effort in team than individually. Conflict management among the team members. Team Development and Management: Team development is a process which needs to be carried along cautiously and in controlled manner. Team management is set of processes and/or procedures carried out along to achieve the teams set objectives or goals. As Bruce Tuckman (65) explained the process is formed of five major steps as forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Following these steps in true intentions would only build the team to be together, build constructive consensus of ideas/thoughts, and explore newer avenues leading to effective result oriented team. Bruce Tuckmans five stage team development Motivation The processes that account for an individuals intensity, direction, and persistence of effort toward attaining goal is called motivation. Motivation is said to be intrinsic, that drives from within or from intangible benefits or extrinsic, that drives from outside facilitators or from the tangible benefits. The term motivation can be described in many different formats and views, as of author mentions, DrÂÂ  Stephen P. Robbins, this is the process that account for an individuals intensity, direction and persistence of effort toward attaining a goal (S. P. Robbins). In general there are broadly two types of motivation; Process theory Content theory A process theory defines motivation as a rational cognitive process occurring within the individual as explained through Adams Equity theory. While on the other hand, a content theory defines motivation in terms of need satisfaction as explained through the Maslows Hierarchy of needs theory. Hence, the above two theories defer in many ways because each recognize motivation and its application due to the circumstances. Motivation Factors that will motivate if they are present are the claim of achievement, advancement, recognition, and responsibility. Dissatisfaction is not normally blamed on Motivation Factors, but they are cited as the cause of job satisfaction. Herzberg believed that organizations should motivate employees by adopting a democratic approach to management and by improving the nature and content of the actual job through certain methods. Some of the methods managers could use to achieve this are: Job enlargement workers being given a greater variety of tasks to perform which should make the work more interesting. Job enrichment workers being given a wider range of more complex, interesting, and challenging tasks. This should give a greater sense of achievement. Empowerment delegating more power to employees to make their own decisions over areas of their working life. Hygiene Factors that de-motivate (in absence) Such as supervision, interpersonal relations, physical working conditions, and salary. Hygiene Factors affect the level of dissatisfaction, but are rarely quoted as creators of job satisfaction. C07NF006 Herzbergs Two-factor Theory In the case study provided, the two main types of motivational theories which through me reading are most adaptable are the Porter and Lawyers theory which is a Process theory, its features and how it adapts to the workplace. And on the content theory side I find the Herzbergs Motivation-Hygiene Theory, its features and how it adapts to the workplace to be most suitable. Porters and Lawler Theory Porter and Lawler (1968) explained that modulating the work atmosphere so that effective performance would lead to both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, which would implicate to increase in complete job satisfaction. Understandably in this model is the assumption that intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are additive and correlated, yielding complete job satisfaction. According to Porter Lawler Theory, any premises that felt needs cause human behavior and that the effort expended to accomplish a task is determined by the perceived value of rewards will result from finishing the task and the probability that those rewards will materialize (GAGNE and DECI, 2005) Porter and Lawler (1968) expanded Vrooms initial work to recognize the role of individual differences (e.g., employee abilities and skills) and role clarity in linking job effort to actual job performance. This is one of most comprehensive motivational structure based on the expectation theory which elaborates on all the factors which can influence each individuals motivation. Porter and Lawler incorporated a feedback loop to recognize learning by employees about past relationships. Leadership Leader is one who can impress upon a group to behave or act according to his/her objectives. The leaders ability in doing so depends on the ability in process application of both knowledge and skills. According to Northouses (2007) definition Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. The ability of process application of a leader can be explained through the process leadership explanation. (Jago 1982). But, in general there are traits which influences our action, this can be explained through the Trait Leadership (Jago 1982). Jagos Leadership theories This explains that the leadership is learned, leaders ability of application of process of skills and knowledge depends on the traits or attributes he posses or believes in. Today, leadership is increasingly associated not with command and control but with the concept of inspiration, of getting along with other people and creating a vision with which others can identify. For example, Adair sees leadership as a combination of example, persuasion and compulsion that results in making people do things they might not otherwise have done. According to Levine, leaders need to concentrate upon moving people and organisations forward by increasing the competency of staff and the co-operation of teams in order to improve the organisation. A leaders job is to constantly challenge the bureaucracy that smothers individual enthusiasm and the desire to contribute to an organization. Leadership and management Management is more usually viewed as getting things done through other people in order to achieve stated organisational objectives. The manager may react to specific situations and be more concerned with solving short-term problems. Management is regarded as relating to people working within a structured organisation and with prescribed roles. Management may arguably be viewed more in terms of planning, organizing, directing and controlling the activities of subordinate staff. Leadership, however, is concerned more with attention to communicating with, motivating, encouraging and involving people. The emphasis of leadership is on interpersonal behaviour in a broader context. It is often associated with the willing and enthusiastic behaviour of followers. There are other differences between leadership and management. For example, Zaleznik explores difference in attitudes towards goals, conceptions of work, relations with others, self-perception and development. Managers tend to adopt impersonal or passive attitudes towards goals. Leaders adopt a more personal and active attitude towards goals. In order to get people to accept solutions, the manager needs continually to co-ordinate and balance in order to compromise conflicting values. The leader creates excitement in work and develops choices that give substance to images that excite people. In their relationships with other people, managers maintain a low level of emotional involvement. Leaders have empathy with other people and give attention to what events and actions mean. Managers see themselves more as conservators and regulators of the existing order of affairs with which they identify, and from which they gain rewards. Leaders work in, but do not belong to, the organisation. Their sense of identity does not depend upon membership or work roles and they search out opportunities for change. Transactional and Transformational There are two fundamental forms of leaderships Transactional and Transformational Transactional leadership is based on legitimate authority within the bureaucratic structure of the organisation. The emphasis is on the clarification of goals and objectives, work task and outcomes, and organisational rewards and punishments. Transactional leadership appeals to the self-interest of followers. It is based on a relationship of mutual dependence and an exchange process of: I will give you this, if you do that. Transformational leadership, by contrast, is a process of generating higher levels of motivation and commitment among followers. The emphasis is on generating a vision for the organisation and the leaders ability to appeal to higher ideals and values of followers, and creating a feeling of justice, loyalty and trust. In the organisational sense, transformational leadership is about transforming the performance or fortunes of a business. This type of leadership is best suited during the structural change circumstances. Critical Analysis Proposed change The management of the Rossett NHS Hospital Trust hospital envisioned to revamp the organizational structure through seven key changes in their business plan for the yea. Of them the reports elaborates on the attempt to introduce multiskilled, ward based teams of support workers. This transformation would impact around 250 employees. The objective of the changes was to achieve competitive advantage over other hospitals and earn greater customer satisfaction. The proposed change is an attempt to introduce the generic worker concept to significantly reduce the waiting time and improve the compliance with government initiatives and introduction of major information systems. The Site service Directorate was responsible for this implementation. It was broadly constituted of Hotel Services (domestic and portering staff), which was managed by Deputy Director of Site Services, but the actual ownership of the change was owned by Director (Anita Patel). The changed comprised all the porter and domestic staff. The staff was divided into three groups under three managers while some of the staff were stationed at specific departments but majority were placed in the central pool to attend to various duties including serving food and assisting nurse ancillary staff. These staffs were to report to the managers at Site Services Directorate (which was a conflict reason in practice). This change required additional training to get acquaintance with new jobs they would have to perform. The staff had to embrace to work flexibility and teamwork and some needed to face change in shifts. This change is structure came out with great news with structured payment system and pay rise along with performance bonuses aimed at improving the employee motivation and job satisfaction. Actual change The vision of management was taken bitter tone when it came out open and functional though they envisioned greater and positive response from all involved including middle managers and the actual employees impacted but the story in practice was completely different which lead to failure in implementation to achieve the objectives. The actual impacted staff showed little or no interest in the change as thought it to be invasive into their working schedule and their interest of work. Though certain women staff were happy to see the men staff doing the cleaning and others and but the nurse felt they were neglected and their duties were invaded by the lower ranked staff. Majority of staff had no clear idea has what kind of activities they would be involved which lead to reduced job identification and satisfaction. These changes brought out major conflicts among the middle managers and actual working staff as there were not clear demarcation of duties or jobs and who would be involved where and when would be the staff put at work, all this created lots of confusion and job dissatisfaction and conflicts among the actual working staff and also between the department involved. The managers (middle) were not able to clearly identify the conflicts which lead to ineffective actions to tap these differences. The managers were not able to distinguish out the problems and gel the differences due to loss of ownership of job. As one of porter staff mentioned the change as fire-fighting- there is no service level agreement in place against which to measure performance. The other area where conflict and confusion rose was with the rota preparation as manager were having hard time to track who can do what and where to place and when to place them since they to pick from the general pool of employees. The manager were facing difficulty in tracking and employees felt bias treatment bestowed upon few employees and that rota system preparation was not in-line with conditions laid down for change. The other major problem was the gender issue which came out in open when most of men openly showed their dissatisfaction to working as cleaners. This issue was completely neglected, as no manager looked into it right from the planning stage to the implementation stage. From the managers point of view they seemed to be completely powerless as no clear demarcation of rules and regulations, which lead to ineffective control by them on the change and could not initiate any mending ways or improvise the circumstances. To add to the present situation even the union (UNISON) was against the change implementation saying it would radically change employee benefit agreements and that this is just a cost improvement exercise without considering the employee and their concerns and advocated employees to vote against the change. So, to conclude this whole generic working concept was utter failure, though there was last ditch effort to save the change by the management but could not succeed in their effort. Recommendations and conclusions On careful dissection of the whole of the happenings during the trial period of the change envisioned by the Rossett NHS Hospital Trust I deem the following recommendations and conclusions as the most suitable and adaptable the trust should have taken to the successful accomplishment of their business vision. Of note, there were certain positive points to the envisioned generic worker concept, these were (to mention a few); Simplified pay structure. Performance bounces linked to attendance. Option of shift changes. Job profile enhancement and new job cultivation. Opportunity of greater team building avenues. Greater customer satisfaction feasibility. Improvement to the financial health of the trust. But these good points were not communicated down to the employees in practical. On the leadership front, the management though had these benefits on the paper and on the discussion table with the down line managers but did not clear demarcate roles and regulations for the immediate line managers to exhibit and propagate these benefits and also let them exploit their leadership skills in handling the circumstances in day-to-day running during the trial period. The immediate line or reporting managers were left stranded having nothing to do to with various grievances of the actual and effected work force under them. These restrictions and inability led the team manager and members to have job dissatisfaction and lack of motivation to pursue the management vision. There was need for a transformational leader who took up the responsibility and courage to stand up to the occasion driven the team to envision the same vision as seen by the management. The moral of the image above, when during any change the leaders transformational ability comes handy as he has to tackle and win over the employee resistance, depending on the complexity of the task, and also the magnitude of change envisioned by the management. But none these ever exhibited by any of line and immediate managers of Trust Hospital. On the motivational front, after careful literature review the basics of the Porters and Lawler Theory which was based on the expectancy theory was completely neglected by all levels of management in the Trust Hospital. The line managers did nothing to motivate the employee effected, or should say, had no say in taking control of the situation, this lead the team to be completely de-motivated and resultant being them to be less inclined to pursue management vision of structural change though it benefited them greatly. Motivational level at the line manager was equally demoralized as the top management did not let them express themselves during any of the meetings and only positive points were discussed rather taking the holistic view of the structural change into consideration. Both the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards though were present in the structural change present but were not explained to the team effectively which lead to demotivation of the work force. On the team management front, members were not cohesive with each other and always in their old stigma of work culture and they were confronted upon before going ahead with the changes which lead to the feeling of neglect growing in them. The basic contributing factor of team cohesiveness were not put to practice, when the members felt that their rota was prepared as the change structure specification there was no one to provide them with consolidating reasons showing single lane attitude from the management. The trial team formed (reciprocal task based team) where exposed and were happy with the structural change (voted in favor of vote) but management could not duplicate their satisfaction and motivation to the rest of the actual work force impacted by the proposed structural change envisioned. Team members were not introduced to the new change and their conflicts and concerns never made to the change meetings between the line managers and top management. The delicate gender issues were also equally neglected. This clearly shows the areas where the management completely failed and needs to improve if they ever needed to achieve their objective in the future. To conclude for the failure of the envisioned structural change proposed by the management cannot be restricted to one area or department but a complete collapse of non-adherence to basics of structural management theories to mention a few team building and management, motivation, and leadership as discussed in the report above. Had the top management been able to clearly embark the capacity and specified roles along with rules and regulations to the line managers and taken into consideration the concerns of the actual work force to be effected by the generic workers concept the results would have been in favor of the structural change. To sum up, there was utter chaos and neglect to stick to the basic structural change management theories which lead to negate the structural change to generic worker concept by the actual work force to be impacted though there were numerous benefits to the Trust hospital and employees to be impacted.

The Mediterranean Climate in Modern and Roman Times Essay -- Roman Emp

The Mediterranean Climate in Modern and Roman Times Florence, Italy lies in the Tuscan region in the middle of the Italian peninsula, and is a part of the temperate Mediterranean climate region. Being in such a temperate zone means that Italy is less subject to extreme climate change than other parts of the world. This does not mean that throughout recorded history the climate of the region has been static, however we can see many similarities between the climate today and that of the time of the Roman Empire. H.H. Lamb describes a gradual global warming in Europe leading up to AD (CE) 400. As he says, this is consistent with a rising sea level during the same period of time. We have evidence of Roman writers indicating that olive and the vine could be grown farther north than earlier in Roman history (Lamb, 157). As those two crops are very prominent cultural aspects of Rome, this is a very culturally pertinent piece of evidence. Not only was this northern cultivation of olive and vine possible during Pliny’s time (1 st century CE), but it is still possible now, as olives and wine are two very important parts of Mediterranean culture. Ptolemy kept a weather journal in the 2 nd century, near the time of Pliny, which Lamb refers to, citing â€Å"occurrence of rain in every month of the year except August, of thunder in all summer months, and in that days of great heat were commonest in July and August† (Lamb, 159). This is still more or less true of the Mediterranean, particularly Florence. [tu30.jpg]While Lamb says that â€Å"today the continual north and northwest winds off the sea in [July, August] lower the temperature,† Ptolemy kept his journal in Alexandria, farther south than Florence. While Florence may not have expe... ...e had shifted dramatically south. Eventually, as we know, the Roman Empire fell apart and was unable to maintain its magnitude or its grandeur, and its downfall is closely linked to climate change. The ecotone currently lies in southern France, where, as Fagan tells us, we can see the vegetation change from Mediterranean to temperate within a few meters. The trend today suggests warming, but unlike in the high period of the Roman Empire, today a lot of this warming appears to be caused by human activity. Political trends show that an Empire of such magnitude as Rome would not be possible today, but undeniably the history of human life is tied closely to our climate. Bibliography Lamb, H. H. Climate, History, and the Modern World. 2nd ed. London and New York: Routledge, 1982. 156-170. Fagan, Brain. The Long Summer. New York: Basic Books, 2004. 189-212.

The Ghost’s Appeal: Man’s Interest in the Superficial in Toulouse-Lautr

The Ghost’s Appeal: Man’s Interest in the Superficial in Toulouse-Lautrec’s At the Moulin-Rouge Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s famous painting, At the Moulin-Rouge, combines striking coloring with abnormal lighting to create a work that addresses men’s superficial interest in women. The dark scene depicted in the painting includes ten people scattered about a restaurant. In the center, two women and three men sit casually around a table while the background portrays two men and a woman peering into mirrors; a second woman (in the foreground) observes the situation. The most arresting aspect of the picture is the dominating, pale face of a woman in the right foreground of the picture. A careful analysis of the painting begins with the study of the portrayal of the brightly-lit women and how the men’s gazes focus that representation and concludes with the viewer’s natural confirmation of that portrayal. This textual look at the picture leads the viewer to the conclusion that it is a woman’s external pomp that attracts a male. Because of Toulouse-Lautrec’s use of lighting, it is clear that the women are central to the painting. Despite the intermixing of men and women, the light falls only on the women, and the men are left in the shadows. Because of this, the eye wanders, not to the men, but to the women; thus, they become the subject of the painting. While this lighting does not appear unnatural, it is far from the customary distribution of light. Hence, the lighting of the women is an intentional attempt to focus the observer on them. Clearly, the objective of At the Moulin-Rouge centers on women. Having established that the females are integral to the work, it is interesting to see how the illumination reveals more about th... ...illed with interesting scenes, people, and ideas, has a distinct theme that emerges by looking at both the women and their male counterparts. From their similarities to actresses to their depiction as ghosts, Toulouse-Lautrec’s women are superficial. It is the men’s obsession with this, however, that reveals the work’s complete theme. Namely, that it is the outward grandeur of a woman that charms men. This point is brought close to home as the viewer realizes that he joins the men in the painting with the same curious interest in the superficial. Toulouse-Lautrec’s masterpiece brings the theme of superficiality’s appeal full-circle by engulfing both the subjects and the audience. NOTES *At the time, "fl†°neur" described the rich, male population that had time to observe and appreciate art. Artists of the day knew that their audience consisted largely of fl†°neurs.

The Great Depression :: American History

The Great Depression was a time period in history spanning the 1930’s that was a dramatic, economic downturn, the worst in U.S. history. Its affect was felt not only in the United States but by people all over the world. This widespread economic condition is now used in reference as the example of the worst that the economy could ever get. It affected so many people from every economic class. It not only affected a company or a few number of people but it affected just about everyone. People’s personal income decreased dramatically, the profit people and companies made decreased, the governments tax revenue decreased as well, the price of things dropped because the value and worth of things dropped as well. Most of these events can be traced back to a number of things. The Great Depression was not a sudden collapse. It was destined to happen by the events that led up to it. Some of these significant events were: the crash of the stock market in 1929, the â€Å"Roar ing Twenties†, â€Å"Maldistribution† or the wide division created between the rich and the poor, the closing of banks, the loss of jobs for the American people, and the halt on international trade. One of the most significant of these happened October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday. Black Tuesday, a.k.a. â€Å"The Great Crash,† â€Å"Crash of ’29,† â€Å"Wall Street Crash of ’29,† and many more dreadful nicknames. Black Tuesday was the most destructive and the biggest stock market crash in the history of the United States. It was not a one day event however. There was Black Thursday, and Black Monday that led up to it. The primary crash occurred on Black Thursday. After the crash, the entire United States was filled with worried Americans. Fear and panic quickly spread to everyone. At the time, New York had grown largely and become very wealthy. It had over a half of million people, which made it a metropolis. Also, Wall Street had become the most successful place on Earth. It was one of the top financial centers with the New York Stock Exchange as the center of it. The New York Stock Exchange was the largest stock mar ket in the world. All of these things made it more susceptible to a crash or catastrophic event.

Fast Food Thesis

CHAPTER I PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING INTRODUCTION Like every other country, the food industry has flourished very well in the Philippines. Filipinos especially students love to eat and that’s the reason why you will see a lot of restaurants and fast foods restaurants scattered in the cities. These restaurants and fast food can be local or international food chains. Filipino food and chefs are considered one of the best in the world. It is hardly surprising that Filipino food is often labelled as somewhat strange (like the ‘’balut’’ for example) but in its own way, its food is a unique mixture of eastern and western cuisines and reflects the history of Philippines. The Filipino food includes dishes and cooking procedures from China, Spain, Mexico, United States, and more recently from further abroad. â€Å"Fast food† generally refers to the type of restaurants that sell quick, inexpensive take-out food. During a relatively brief period of time, the fast food industry has helped to transform not only diet, but also landscape, economy, workforce, and popular culture. The extraordinary growth of the fast food industry has been obsessed by fundamental changes in society. The whole experience of buying fast food has become so habitual, that it is now taken for granted, like brushing your teeth or stopping for a red light. However, what makes them Filipino is the history and society that introduced and adapted them. The people who turned them to their tastes and accepted them into their homes and restaurants, and specially the harmonizing culture that combined them into modern Filipinos fare. Students preferred some of the most popular fast food chains in the Philippines and these are Jollibee, Mcdonald, KFC, Chowking, Mang Inasal and many more and we wonder why? BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The Fast food industry is popular all over the Philippines, the source of its innovation and many major fast food chains are based. The presence of multi-national fast food chains like McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Jollibee, Greenwich and many more have somewhat catered to the high income segment therefore developing a niche as upscale fast food chains. The development in the nutrition industry and technologies had a great contribution to the quick development of the fast food nutrition system. Such developments have changed the nutrition habits and preferences of people. Additionally, fast food chains are not the only or even the primary source of fast food in the Philippines. Many local chains have developed to compete with other popular fast food chains and provide menu items that appeal to the unique tastes and habits at comparatively low costs. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The purpose of this study is to identify the most well-liked fast food chains here in the country. The purpose of the study is to answer these following questions: 1. What is the demographic profile of our respondents? 2. What promotional channels are used by food marketers to reach children or students? 3. If food promotion is shown to have an effect, what is the extent of this influence relative to other factors? 4. What is the most prefer fast food chains of Grade 10 students in Sacred Heart College? SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This research study was conducted to provide helpful ideas, concepts, and information to the following: Students This research study will help students to identify their type of fast food according to their taste and budget. Parents This research study will help the parents to aid their child better in terms of their health and other nutrition facts coming from fast food chains. Fast Food Restaurant Owners This research will also help owners of different fast food chains to identify their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to serving food to their student customers. SCOPE AND DELIMITATION The study covered by our group is all about the children/students who prefer fast food chains and if the foods that they eat are healthy. These fast food chains target the minorities and teenagers. DEFINITION OF TERMS Fast food – food that is a take-out restaurant that is quick, convenient, and usually cheap. Demographic Profile-Information about the population of a particular place, how much they earn, spend. Respondents-a group of specific  persons  who  responds  or  makes  reply. Promotions-Generally, promotion is communicating with the public in an attempt to influence them toward buying your products and/or services.

Nelson Mandela Essay

In order to achieve something great, you must have desire, you must truly want it from the bottom of your heart. Born July 18, 1918, in a small town in South Africa, Nelson Mandela had the greatest passion to do anything to win his country’s independence. He fought for the rights of blacks in South Africa and for helpless people around the world. Motivated by his actions, the president of South Africa, P.W. Botha, imprisoned Mandela for twenty-seven years. When he was released in 1990, he immediately came back into the fight he had left for so long. He was elected president by the people of South Africa in 1994. His term in office ended in 1999, however, he still fought for racial equality and peace. Mandela died on December 5, 2013, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Although he has passed, his legacy still exists around the world today. Nelson Mandela should be the man of the century because he helped bring an end to apartheid in South Africa and his leadership not only affected the people of his country, but also people all around the world. According to Biography in Context, at the age of 24, Mandela joined the African National Congress which was a group who worked to establish social and political rights for blacks in South Africa. Mandela’s actions in the ANC caused him to be put in prison. Mandela stated that, â€Å"his organization only wanted equal rights for South Africans of all races, and added that the only way they would show their unhappiness was by nonviolent disruptive tactics† (Contemporary Black Biography 2). The ANC became illegal causing Mandela to form the Spear of the Nation which was a group that directed sabotage actions against government installations and other symbols of apartheid. These acts of violence resulted in life in prison for Mandela. Although he was cut-off from the entire world, he never lost hope, and the people never forgot this courageous leader. On February 11, 1990, one of the most prodigious events of the year, Mandela was free for the first time in twenty-seven yea rs. In 1993, the nation was moving closer to free and  fair elections. On Election Day, in the first-ever democratic election, Mandela had been victorious, and became the first ever black president of the Republic of South Africa. During his presidency, Mandela focused on issues such as, â€Å"health, housing, education, and the development of public utilities and economic stability. The government also introduced legislation requiring workplace safety, overtime pay, and minimum wages† (Contemporary Black Biography 5). Mandela improved his countries living just in the short years that he was in office. The words that once came out of young Mandela’s mouth, â€Å"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die† (Contemporary Black Biography 3). These words show the power and passion behind the heart of Mandela. He was willing to die for the freedom of his people like Christ died for our sins. The love he had for his country was like the love a mother and father have for their children. His courage, strength, and dedication changed the world forever. Mandela’s actions were too tremendous to only affect the little country of South Africa. His actions affected many places around the world. He encouraged many people to stand up for their rights of freedom. Although people such as President Reagan, according to NBC News, said the ANC was a terrorist group and they should not be praised and represented around the world because it engaged in, â€Å"calculated terror†¦the mining of roads, the bombing of public places, designed to bring about further repression† (Robert Windrem). I, along with many other people, do not believe this is true. Mandela was only fighting for the freedom which his country deserved, fighting for the happiness of his people, and fighting for the generations to come. The actions that Mandela took were only caused by the first sight of violence from the British police. If you were being controlled, and forced to live your life the way certain people wanted, wouldn’t you do whatever you co uld to stop it? Nelson Mandela left a legacy that will last for hundreds of years. The  apartheid movement that he led in South Africa, not only affected South Africans, but also affected nations on the other side of the globe. He is a man who will stand out from any other in the past and upcoming centuries. I believe that Nelson Mandela is the man of the century because the world, today, would not be the same if he had never fought for the rights that we all deserve. Works Cited Contemporary Black Biography, . â€Å"Biography in Context.† Nelson Mandela. Contemporary Black Biography, 05 Dec 2013. Web. 13 Apr 2014. Windrem, Robert. â€Å"NBC News.† Nelson Mandela a terrorist until 2008. NBC News, 07 Dec 2013. Web. 13 Apr 2014.

Life in the Orange Prison Essay

I never really liked that eerie-looking building that always stood towering over me. Its orange walls and antique framework did not give me an comfortable feeling, although my imagination of a 5 year old told me that it did try to present a fai ade of spurious geniality with those wide welcoming staircases leading to the front door and the colourful flowers skirting the yard. My inner self sent a shiver down the spine as I reluctantly followed my parents through Hell’s gates. I sincerely believed that the building, which was to be my school for the next six years, was not much better than an internment camp. So, on the first day of school, I was directed to my cell. The classroom was filled with a group of children of my size sitting on a circular carpet. The sight was peculiar – the collection of boys and girls from all over the world gathered in a room no bigger than my flat back in Hong Kong. It was like a tossed salad, with potatoes from Japan, cabbage from Australia, lettuce from Canada, tomatoes from Europe, and now there’s me – rice from China. I sat on the floor among the other fidgety bodies. In front of us sat a tall woman with blond hair and a pointy nose. She pointed at a board with apples and numbers on it and asked a question, which I identified because of the raised pitch towards the end of the phrase. Oh no, and then her watery blue eyes smiled at me. She’d chosen me! I could feel heat rushing towards my face and for a moment I thought tears would betray my composure. But I simply stared back at her; looking from the numbered apple to her face, then from her face back to the apple. â€Å"What does she want? † My gaze at her yelled for help, pleading for excuse. It wasn’t after a few weeks of continuous pointing to a new numbered apple on the board that I realized the whole thing represented a calendar. Then, it made all sense to me. Day school was not the worst part yet, because eventually I learned to speak English fluently with other students. We never had homework to do and the challenge in school was really to have fun. At first I struggled hard, as I lacked the means of communication. But eventually the language was programmed into my head and subconsciously I became a fluent English speaker. As I have mentioned, there was another part of my childhood which was even gloomier than day school. And that also took place in the very same building that I sensed to become the bane of my young carefree life. Upon arriving in Vancouver for 6 months, my mom introduced me to Chinese school. The idea baffled me. We were black haired people moving to a white skinned territory learning the yellow skinned language. Like many things that were beyond my comprehension and control, I complied with my mom’s decision. For whatever reason I was learning Chinese in Canada, I loathed the idea and did not look forward to the classes. My instincts did not lie to me. After the first 2 hours of class I was determined that I would never ever spend another minute with that old, squeaky voiced teacher, with that cheesy pictured book, and with those curvy, criss-cross, inscrutable characters. I absolutely despised Chinese. But, with as much conviction a little of girl of my size could hold, I did in the end return to that very intimidating classroom, pick up that very unattractive book, and learned those very perplexing characters. Once a week we would have dictation of the chapter we learned the previous class. The teacher would simply read out a paragraph while we tried to write down each word perfectly. To put it bluntly, we were to learn the chapter verbatim. As pointless as it may sound, it was not an easy thing for me to do. In fact, it was painful. Absolutely flesh pinching. Each night before the dictation, I’d be sitting at my crowded desk with a lamp shining precisely over my head, and staring at the jumble of words. Sitting there, I would circle all the words that I didn’t know how to write, and copy it over and over again until I could trace the word with my eyes closed. It was a tedious task for me because the chapter usually ended up with circles around every other word, if not every word. Worse yet, my mom would be sitting right next to me. With each mistake I made, either forgetting a simply word or missing a dot on the line, she would scorn at me. Of course, with that kind of chaperoning, I only became more frustrated and angry – both at myself for being dumb, and my mom for being impatient. Now, looking back I don’t blame her; it took me over one hour to learn one single paragraph. Dictation was not the toughest part of Chinese class because what I wrote and what mark I received would only remain between the teacher and me. However, reading aloud in class was a different story. It was like stripping in front of the entire class and exposing the most embarrassing flaws of my body to them for scrutiny. Whenever it was reading time, my stomach would lurch, and as each student finished his or her part, my intestines would tie yet another knot – until finally when it was my turn – my body would be so tangled that I could no longer work my diaphragms properly to speak. I made as little noise as possible, thinking that if I spoke quiet enough the teacher would condone my mistakes and let me pass. However, the teacher was not easily satisfied; she made me read again, this time only louder. Protruding my voice in front of the class was as hard as asking a five year old to lift a 50 pound dumbbell. My hands became clammy and I felt as if a furnace was working inside me. I could imagine other students seeing lucent flames embodying me. Once the teacher asked me to stop, the relief was indescribable – everything seemed to stop, the flames ceased to burn me and nothing else around me mattered anymore. I was done reading; I was out of the spotlight. My aversion for Chinese school never alleviated. As the paragraphs in the chapters grew longer and the characters more complex, my understanding of the language only became more dubious. I was like a defeated salmon that could not swim against the current and as a result was pushed backwards. But a lucky salmon I was, a savior from my class rescued me. Her name was Katy. Each time we received our dictation marks, I would be grateful if hers was less than 20 marks higher than mine. As the older girl, she was very bossy in front of me. And I, always been the submissive one, yielded to her, but I did not mind because I thought what I got in return was worth it. Katy helped me with my Chinese homework. She would help me copy those hand killing notes, and during dictation she would peek at what I didn’t get and write the answer on a scrap piece of paper and inconspicuously nudge it over. I was indebted to her. As life in that confinement became easier, an unsettling sense of guilt started to stir inside me. Once every year, the Chinese school principle would organize a dinner party at the school cafeteria. There were lots of fun at those parties; there was a magician pulling ribbons from hat, gift exchanges between anonymous people, long tables of homemade spaghetti, chicken wings, sausages, cookies, and pudding. However, no matter how hard I tried, I could never fully enjoy myself at the party. Throughout the party I would be worrying about the closing speech that the principle would make. I was tormented by the fear that he might expose my cheating to my fellow classmates and most importantly, to my mom. A part of me really anticipated this humiliation or devastation. Each time the principle spoke my stomach flinched as a natural reflex, but of course, not once did he mention my name or the notion of cheating on tests. Call me gullible, nai ve or whatever you want, but that instinctive feeling of being exposed really haunted me. At the end of the six years spent in Van Horne Elementary School, now head overlooking other heads, voice overcoming other voices, I once again stepped through the gates of Hell. Only this time, I stepped into the blinding sunlight and the honking of cars. I no longer felt the building towering over me.

Causation and Intervening Acts in Criminal Law Essay

According to Robin J.A. in Malette v Shulman[1], â€Å"the right of self-determination which underlies the doctrine of informed consent also obviously encompasses the right to refuse medical treatment. A competent adult is generally entitled to reject a specific treatment or all treatment, or to select an alternate form of treatment, even if the decision may entail risks as serious as death†¦The doctrine of informed consent is plainly intended to ensure the freedom of individuals to make choices concerning their medical care. For this freedom to be meaningful, people must have the right to make choices that accord with their own values regardless of how unwise or foolish those choices may appear to others.†[2] R v Blaue[3], a famous causation case in criminal law, brings to foreground a thought-provoking debate about whether an individual’s religious beliefs and other psychological values could be included in the ‘thin skull’ rule and whether the refus al to take lifesaving medical treatment breaks the chain of causation that exists between the defendant’s wrongdoing and the purported outcome of that wrongdoing. The facts of the case are as follows – Blaue, the defendant, stabbed a woman numerous times after she refused to have sexual intercourse with him. She was a Jehovah’s Witness and was therefore not in favour of blood transfusions. After the stabbing, she was taken to a hospital and was told that she urgently needed to have a blood transfusion, without which she would die. Owing to her religious beliefs, she refused to consent with the suggested treatment. As a result, she died in the hospital. While giving the judgment, Lawton L.J. stated that â€Å"those who use violence on other people must take their victims as they find them.†[4] This, according to him, not only includes victims’ physical characteristics, but also their emotional, psychological and spiritual values and beliefs. This decision has proved to be extremely controversial and gives rise to various debates. Most understand the rationale behind the court’s judgment and agree that the defe ndant is, as a matter of fact, criminally liable for causing the injury. After all, the victim was at the receiving end of several stabbings, imposed by the defendant, who clearly had an intention of causing serious bodily harm, if not death. However, some feel that the death was the result of the victim’s refusal to carry out the blood transfusion. They feel that the defendant should not be responsible for the unusual, irrational and unjustified religious beliefs of the victim. In addition, the defendant could not have possibly foreseen her backing out of receiving medical treatment in the hospital. The Blaue case creates many doubts about the doctrine of causation in criminal law. Was Blaue responsible for the victim’s death or was it an act of the victim, since it was her decision to refuse a blood transfusion? If we conclude that Blaue is indeed responsible for her death, another question comes to mind: Why is the victim not responsible for her own death? First and foremost, it is a fact that the victim sustained injuries due to numerous stabbings and it was Blaue who had inflicted them upon her. Her not taking any steps to save herself did not instigate her death. Secondly, there is an application of the ‘thin skull’ rule in this case. An important principle of the law of causation is that defendants must ‘take their victims as they find them.’ This means that if a defendant pushes someone and because they have a thin skull, they crack their head and die, the defendant will be liable for causing their death. The Court of Appeal in Blaue indicated that the decision could be seen as a ‘thin skull’ example. It was established that the ‘thin skull’ rule goes beyond the physical characteristics of individuals, also including a person’s moral and religious beliefs. Thirdly, the victim’s decision to not undergo blood transfusion, which would have clearly saved her life, was based on profound religious views and hence, did not constitute a novus actus interveniens. That is, it was not an intervening act. Nevertheless, the judgment has been critisised on various grounds. Why was the vict im’s decision to refuse medical treatment seen as a subsisting condition rather than an intervening cause? Would it have been the same if the refusal was due to a fear of needles or the fact that she could not bear the pain and thought dying was the only way to end the agony? A decision steered by religious beliefs is a moral choice, that is, a free decision. Why should the defendant endure the responsibility if the victim makes a free choice to kill herself any more than he should if, weakened by the injury, the victim took a controversial choice to end her life with dignity rather than enduring pain and life-long humiliation? Thus, to understand the Blaue case, we not only need to take into account causation in criminal law, but also the two doctrines which apply to the concept of proximate causation; the ‘thin skull’ rule and the principle of novus actus interveniens. Causation – In criminal law, individuals that are guilty of a crime are penalised for the harm they cause if both the physical and the mental element of committing an offence is present. There must be a valid connection between an individual’s conduct and the result alleged to constitute an offence. The causation requirement attaches criminal responsibility to those individuals whose conduct is sufficient enough to bring about serious bodily injury or death. In Hallett[5], the accused assaulted a man and left him on a beach. Over the next few hours, the man drowned. The court concluded that Hallett’s contribution to his death was more than minimal to hold him responsible for it. However, in Blaue, the defendant was found to be the substantial and operating cause of the woman’s death. That is, his stabbings is why she was admitted to a hospital in the first place. ‘Thin skull’ rule – The defendant must take the victim as he finds him or her and this means ‘the whole man and not just the physical man.’ This rule applies irrespective of whether the defendant is aware of the condition in the victim. On one hand, there are instances where the victim suffers from a pre-existing condition which renders him or her more vulnerable to injuries. On the other hand, there are cases where the victim does not take medical treatment to heal wounds and suffers serious harm as a result. A defendant cannot escape liability for a victim’s death as a result of an abnormal ity present in the victim or an internal, subsisting belief of the victim. It is his fault that he caused harm in the first place. In R v Hayward[6], a man chased his wife into the street shouting threats and kicked her. She collapsed and died from an unusual thyroid condition which made her susceptible to physical exertion and fear. He was convicted of manslaughter because he aggravated her pre-existing condition by physically assaulting her. This case is a good example of the ‘thin skull’ rule applying to the physical characteristics of an individual. The fact that he could not possibly foresee her dying is not an excuse. However, can a victim’s religious beliefs constitute a thin skull? With reference to Blaue, according to Hart and Honorà ©: â€Å"The question is not whether it is reasonable to believe that blood transfusion is wrong, but whether a person whose life is in danger can reasonably be expected to abandon a firmly held religious belief. The answer must be surely no.†[7] Religious beliefs and convictions are an inte rnal characteristic of individuals, which is deeply rooted in their way of thinking and life. It is intrinsic to every person. Hence, people cannot be held legally accountable for possessing such sentiments. Novus Actus Interveniens – The general principle is that an intervention by a third party will break the chain of causation if it is ‘free, deliberate and informed.’ In R v Kennedy[8], Kennedy prepared a syringe for the victim, who injected himself and died due to an overdose. Kennedy was convicted of unlawful manslaughter. The act of the victim, in injecting himself with the drug, was an intentional, free, deliberate and an informed action. Thus, the drug dealer is not guilty of unlawful manslaughter. In contrast, in R v Dear[9], the defendant slashed the victim repeatedly with a knife. The victim died two days later. The defendant appealed against his conviction for murder, arguing that the chain of causation had been broken because the victim had committed suicide either by reopening his wounds or because he had failed to take steps to stop the blood flow after the wounds had reope ned themselves. The court dismissed the appeal and held that the real question was whether the injuries inflicted by the defendant were a substantial and operating cause of the death. The victim’s death resulted from excessive bleeding from the artery, which was triggered by the defendant when he attacked the victim. In Blaue, the refusal to get treatment does not break the chain of causation, despite the fact that it was informed and deliberate, because having such a belief is involuntary and requisite. According to Hart and Honorà ©, â€Å"the question to be decided is whether the decision to refuse treatment is not merely deliberate and informed but also a free one. In view of the high value attached in our society to the matters of conscience, the victim, though free to accept any belief she wished, is not thereafter free to abandon her chosen belief merely because she finds herself in a situation in which her life may otherwise be in danger. So it was not her free act to refuse a transfusion.†[10] It was reasonably foreseeable that a Jehovah’s Witness would refuse a blood transfusion. The victim had no choice due to her religion. It was not a free decision because, in a way, she was bound by it. It could be said that she simply let the wound take its natural course. Moreover, the death was caused due to the bleeding arising from the penetration of the lungs, which was brought about by the stabbings. The substantial and operating cause test does not take into account a victim’s distinct characteristic. So long as victim died of internal bleeding due to the wound administered by Blaue, we need not ask further questions. However, if the principle of ‘taking your victims as you find them, including their beliefs’ is applied to more cases, it would have varying results. Let’s assume that X assaults Y. Y ends up committing suicide because she is mentally unstable or because she hopes to get X behind bars. Another example could be that X shoots Y on his left leg. Y could go to the hospital but decides to remove the bullet by himself. Unable to do so and still refusing medical treatment, he dies. Should X ‘take’ Y’s unstable, vengeful or negligent behaviour? Is that justified or is it unfair? ——————————— [ 1 ]. Malette v Shulman [1991] 2 Med LR 162. [ 2 ]. Jerome Edmund Bickenback, Canadian cases in the philosophy of law, 4th edition, at 160 to 161. [ 3 ]. R v Blaue [1975] 1 WLR 1411. [ 4 ]. Michael T. Molan, Sourcebook on Criminal Law, 2nd edition, at 67. [ 5 ]. Hallett [1969] SASR 141. [ 6 ]. R v Hayward (1908) 21 Cox 692. [ 7 ]. Denis Klimchuk, Causation, Thin Skulls and Equality (1998) at pg. 126. [ 8 ]. R v Kennedy [2007] UKHL 38. [ 9 ]. R v Dear [1996] Crim LR 595. [ 10 ]. Alan Norrie, Crime, Reason and History: A Critical Introduction to Criminal Law, at pg. 143.

Case analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case analysis - Assignment Example The problems at the company started when Don Smith took over the firm. The biggest mistake that was made by the Mr. Smith when he acquired the company was that he did so through a highly leveraged transaction that drastically increased the long term debt of the company. A company that had a policy under the leadership of Blake of not mortgaging the opening of any new store became burdened by debt. A second issue at Friendly was conflicts of interest between TRC, Smith, and Friendly. Smith was both owners of TRC and Friendly. He approved a lot of dubious contracts including two shared costs programs of an Illinois office, where the company had no presence, and leasing agreement of a jet with TRC. There were also conflicts of interest in the board of directors which had some members that were dual board of directors of both companies. A third major issue at the firm was that its chairman was misusing company funds for personal expenses such as using the private jet for personal reasons . A fourth major issue at the firm was the lackluster financial performance of the company. The company lost over $30 million between 2005 and 2006. In 2007 the company achieved profits, but its net margin was a very thin at 0.9%. The net margin ratio measures the absolute profitability of a company (Peavler). A potential solution for the shareholders of the company is to sell off the shares of the company all at once. The problem with this solution is that a selling frenzy might further erode the price of the stocks driving it to become a penny stock. A second solution for the firm is to force the resignation of Don Smith. The problem with this solution is that his resignation would have to be forced by the board of directors and Smith has them on his pocket. A third solution is for the shareholders of the company to unite in the efforts of Sadar Biglari to turn around the company by getting two seats in