Netflix Business Plan Essay

Founded in 1997, Netflix is the world’s leading Internet subscription service for enjoying movies and TV shows. Globally, the company has over 23 million streaming members. Netflix is in the Video Entertainment Industry. Some of the many streaming devices include: the Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, iPad, and iPod, to name a few. In all, there are more than 700 devices that are available for streaming from Netflix. Corporate Headquarters is located on 100 Winchester Circle, Los Gatos, CA 95032. The company has over 900 employees at the corporate headquarters. Netflix, Inc. trades under the NFLX symbol on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Netflix’s vision for the future is to become the best global entertainment distribution service, license entertainment content around the world, create markets that are accessible to film makers, and help content creators around the world to find a global audience. Management Team Netflix senior management team includes eight key players. Reed Hastings the Co-Founder and CEO, Neil Hunt the Chief Product Officer, David Hyman the General Counsel, Jessie Becker the Interim Chief Marketing Officer, Patty McCord the Chief Talent Officer, Ted Sarandos the Chief Content Officer, David Wells the Chief Financial Officer, and Jonathan Friedland the Chief Communications Officer. Most of Netflix’s management team share many roles. Reed Hastings, along with being the CEO of the company, he is also a member of the board of directors of Microsoft and of Facebook. Reed is also an active educational philanthropist and served as President of the California State Board of Education from 2000 to 2004. He received a BA from Bowdoin College in 1983 and an MSCS in Artificial Intelligence from Stanford University in 1988. Neil Hunt leads the product team, which designs, builds, and optimizes the Netflix experience. Neil holds a Doctorate in Computer Science from the University of Aberdeen, U. K. and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Durham, U. K.  Patty McCord and her team maintains the unique culture at Netflix, hire new talent, and keep the organization lean and flexible despite its growth. David Wells currently took over the position of Chief Financial Officer after he spent seven years at Netflix in a variety of strategic planning and analysis roles. He earned his Master’s degree from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and Harris School of Public Policy and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Virginia. Each member has a specific role that helps the company to continue to grow and the help the overall organization to succeed. The Business Netflix has revolutionized the way people watch TV shows and movies. Online streaming in the Video entertainment industry is rapidly growing and in order for Netflix to sustain competitive advantage Netflix continuously tries to improve what they have to offer. The core strategy at Netflix is to grow their streaming business domestically and globally as Mail-in DVD dies down. How the company achieves the strategic plan is setting a goal that is correlated with their strategy. The goal of Netflix is to maintain customer’s satisfaction while staying in the scope of the business parameters. Netflix tries to achieve its goal by continuously improving the customer experience, focusing on expanding their content, enhancing their user interface and extending out streaming service to even more Internet-connected devices. Being in the scope of business parameters to Netflix is to consolidate net income and operating segment contribution profit target. There are two main critical success factors that Netflix has achieved. The first is pioneering online streaming since 2007. Netflix was really the first company to successfully introduce online streaming to the video industry, which has transitioned the whole entire video entertainment industry. The second critical success factor is Netflix team of experts being able to enhance customer experience by offering customized recommendations based on what the consumer has watched. With critical success factors comes past achievements. Some of the major past achievements that Netflix has noted is the successful launch of the company going IPO in 2002. The initial public offering of 5,500,000 shares at $15. 00 per share on the Nasdaq. Secondly, not only was it a critical success but a major achievement to the company. In 2007 Netflix introduces streaming, which allowed members to instantly watch TV shows movies on their personal computers and since that time Netflix has been the leading company in doing so. However, with achievement comes a challenge the company has faced. The major challenge that Netflix has faced is the company rebranding attempt. Back in July 2011 Netflix announced that Netflix was dividing their services to two separate brands. The online streaming was going to remain Netflix and the Mail-in DVD was called Quixter. This would in turn increase member’s subscription. After the initial launch many customer where dissatisfied of Netflix choice and ultimately subscribers cancelled their subscription. As a result. Netflix is having a hard time gaining those customers back as well as gaining new subscribers. Another challenge that Netflix has is establishing an international presents. Back in 2010 Netflix initiated its international segment by starting to the north of United States, in Canada. Then in 2011 Netflix launched in Latin American and the Caribbean. At this point Netflix had a huge contribution margin loss of 103. million dollars. Then in the beginning of 2012 Netflix launched in the UK and Ireland, with even more of a contribution loss. Netflix is focusing on two major aspects of the business the first is to try to gain the subscriber’s hey have lost and to bring in new one by heavily marketing what the business has to offer. The second focus is that Netflix has also realized that they have not established a strong international presence and as a result the company has frozen future international launches until the given goal that was set out is achieved. Upon analyzing Netflix in the Online streaming industry there are many strengths that Netflix has. One is that Netflix revolutionized the industry by Differentiation. It is key to this industry being able to distinguish the company from its competitors. Secondly, Netflix is known for their recommendation system. This is more of their Niche strategy. They saw that now companies were doing this and from their research and development team they found that there was a market for this. However there are prevalent weaknesses that Netflix has such as: Customer loyalty, Market Vulnerability and relying heavily on one person set of skills. There are many competitions and many of Netflix customers are also customers at other online streaming websites. Secondly Netflix has not been around as long as Blockbuster and does not have the brand recognition that Blockbuster has. The online streaming industry has market vulnerability. The online streaming industry is rapidly changing, and Netflix solely depends on the partnerships and licensing they form. If contracts are not renewed that could adversely affect the business. Secondly, there are tons of competitors in the industry and Netflix may not be able to hold their subscribers. Netflix to maintain a competitive advantage Netflix must continue to build and maintain brand identity, increase customer loyalty by sustaining customer satisfaction. Product and Services The product that Netflix offers is a one month trial membership. The perks of having a Netflix subscription is there is no annual fee a year and you do not have to subscribe to it for one a whole year. It is a month-to-month subscription there is no cancellation fees. Initially Netflix had list of different subscription offers, currently when you sign up Netflix offers one main subscription offer that is 7. 9 a month for unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows then for an additional $7. 99 per month you can add the DVD by mail feature. Netflix is distributed two different ways online streaming and Mail-in DVD. The online streaming is via internet, smart devices, tablets or gaming consoles such as: internet TV’s, iPad, Android, PS3, Wii, and the Xbox 360. Currently, Netflix can be streamed from more than 700 devices. Industry Analysis The market value of the Video entertainment industry is at about 53 billion dollars and the competition is intense. The industry is rapidly changing due to the exponential growth of online streaming. The technical advances is a corporate to the exponential growth The technological advancements provides internet access virtually anywhere, the video process gets faster it seems like every couple month. With all the technical advances the online streaming business is more accessible and convenient to consumers. The size of the industry is rather large. it is about $56 billion dollars. This has a promising forecast for more profit. As you can see there is a lot of potential growth in the Video Entertainment industry. The Video Entertainment industry as a whole is in the early stages of the Mature Stage; however the online streaming sub-component is in the growth stage of the lifecycle and according to the Netflix financial statement the Barriers to entry is rather low. Competitors can launch a new business in the industry at a relatively low cost. The government regulations on the video entertainment industry are rather relaxed so that there are major risk involved such as Piracy and cyber security. Piracy is a major issue in this industry and although it is still a big problem. The United States has shut down one of the biggest piracy website: Megavideo. Which arguably has cost copyright owners 500 million dollars in lost revenue Cyber security is an issue because the internet can be a vulnerable place and as the technology gets more advanced the hackers get smarter. Cyber security remains an issue that U. S government is trying to minimize. Lastly, If the government were to heavily regulate the industry then copyright laws can change adversely affecting the industry. For example, Netflix like many business in the industry rely on the copyright, licensing and partnerships that they obtain if the U. S copyright laws changed then this can adversely affect the industry. The first sale doctrine provides individuals who knowingly purchase a copyrighted work from the copyright holder receives the right to sell, displays, or otherwise disposed of that particular copy, notwithstanding the interest of the copyright owner. The first sale doctrine plays a vital role in the United States copyright law. So the morale of the story is the government needs to find a happy medium where the industry is being a little more regulated than it is now to reduce piracy and cyber insecurity however, still allows business to obtain copyrights. Other factors that affect the industry or globalization and the political and social factors. Globalization has affected this industry. Many of the pirated movies that are available come from China and India. Secondly, for international segment the Political and Economic factors differs from United States. Failure to manage any of the risk associated with those factors could harm the overall business. Market Analysis We have determined that the industry is divided into two types of customers; the picky customers and the convenience customers. The picky customers are the ones who are looking for a specific movie or genre and are willing to wait a few days to get what they want. They also enjoy a rich movie watching experience and are unwilling to substitute for a different movie. The picky customer tends to be the older generation due to the time spent on choosing a movie. On the other hand, the convenience customers are those who want immediate access to a wide range of movies. They also want to be able to watch movies on multiple platforms such as on their phone, PS3, or their iPad. Since they use a lot online streaming to most of their movie watching, they are willing to substitute if the video they want is not available. The convenience customer is more tech-savvy which tends to be the younger generation. The trends that have been happening in the industry focus mainly on three aspects, convenience, cost and selection. Consumers want to be able to have a wide range of videos to choose from which are easy to obtain, at a low cost.

Compare and Contrast the Social Responsibility Theory

COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE AUTHORITARIAN THEORY WITH THE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY THEORY OF THE PRESS. The press also known as the fourth estate plays a very critical role in educating, informing, entertaining and bridging the gap between the mass community and the executive, judicial and legislative. Hence what is more essential is its stance on policy and choice of theory, which is a system of law like propositions and set of ideas that guide action or predict a consequence.The purpose of this research is to compare, that is to put side by side and to contrast, and that is state the difference between the Authoritarian theory with the social responsibility theory of the press. There is not much of a hint of comparison between the Authoritarian theory and the social responsibility theory, in that the heart beat of the authoritarian theory is designed to protect the status quo and existing social order mainly biased towards the ruling elite and those that are in authority.The authoritaria n press is under state control and heaps more thrust with the public media while the social responsibility of the press thrives on democracy and principles of public service media which seek to cater for minorities, the so called mass community and ordinary people. Unlike the authoritarian theory of the press, the social responsibility avenue directly gets its funding from the public through licensing and this is true mainly for the electronic media.The authoritarian on one hand regards the role of the press to be that of nation building and propaganda and as a mouth piece for the ones in authority, hence the main source of funding is the ruling elite and the government. Both the authoritarian and social responsibility theory seek to communicate to an audience, communication is absolutely essential to effective leadership and press. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can’t get a message acr oss clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn’t even matter.This is the true hummer and nail of the authoritarian set by political leaders due to the reality that repetition is the rule of long and deep lasting impressions. This is a propagandist mode of communication to drive home a particular message. The state sets up censorship boards and agents to regulate and monitor the operations of the media in the authoritarian theory, issues of censorship and punishment for diversion from rules that are set by political leaders and authorities are central in this theory.It thrives on censorship and repression of freedom of expression as exemplified by the enactment of the draconian laws such as Public Order and Security Act chapter 11:7 (POSA), the Access To Information and Protection of Privacy Act Chapter 10:27 (AIPPA), The Broadcasting Services Act Chapter 12:06 and the Criminal Law (Codification and reform) Act in the nation of Zimbabwe. Basically th ere is no diversity on coverage, which is catering for all tastes and interests. The social responsibility theory of the press however is not rigid and allows for freedom of expression and thus catering for all tastes and interests.The socially responsible press takes something complicated and makes it simple to understand to layman, compared to the authoritarian which propagandises all information and feeds the masses with what the ruling elite desires to propagate that is government policy. I would like to believe that the authoritarian believes audiences are passive partakers of information whereas the social responsibility adheres to the reality that people are active consumers and do have a choice of what media to consume.This is seen with the geographical universality of provision and reception, thus encouraging competition in programs and freedom to broadcasters, more over there is room for feedback and diversity; while the authoritarian to a lesser degree diversifies to push government policy and agenda. The major criticism against the authoritarian theory is that it does not create a viable atmosphere and environment for free expression and diversity which are essential elements for any democratic and free society; hence the principles for the social responsibility theory may differ from country to country.What is important to understand is that the public service concept is opposed to the authoritarian, propagandist mode. Radio dialogue and other community radio initiatives are using legitimate means of giving people a real taste of media diversity and thus getting them involved; They bring members of the community together, record their discussions and distribute this material on CD’s. When people hear themselves they get excited about media issues. Authoritarian control tended to be exercised in arbitrary, erratic ways.Sometimes, considerable freedom might exist to publicize minority viewpoints and culture as long as authorities don't percei ve a direct threat to their power. Unlike social responsibility theory, authoritarian theory doesn't prioritize cultivation of a homogeneous, national culture. It only requires acquiescence (compliance) to governing elite. This perspective also held that ruthless elites could use media as a means of gaining personal political power. These demagogues could manipulate media to transmit propaganda to fuel hatred and fear among a majority, unite them against minorities, e. g. s Hitler used the media to arouse hatred against the Jews. The Social Responsibility Theory of the Press, emphasize the need for an independent press that scrutinizes other social institutions and provides objective, accurate news reports. The most innovative feature of Social Responsibility theory was its call for media to be responsible for fostering productive and creative â€Å"Great Communities†. It said that media should do this by prioritizing cultural pluralism- by becoming the voice of all the peopl e- not just elite groups or groups that had dominated national, regional or local culture in the past.Dennis McQuail in 1987 summarized the basic principles of social responsibility theory as the following: 1. Media should accept and fulfil certain obligations to society. 2. These obligations are mainly to be met by setting high or professional standards of in formativeness, truth, accuracy, objectivity and balance. 3. in accepting and applying these obligations, media should be self-regulating within the framework of law and established institutions. 4. the media should avoid whatever might lead to crime, violence or civil disorder or give offense to minority groups. . the media as a whole should be pluralist and reflect the diversity of their society, giving access to various points of view and to rights of reply. 6. Society and the public have a right to expect high standards of performance and intervention can be justified to secure the public good. 7. Journalists and media prof essionals should be accountable to society as well as to employers and the market. Social Responsibility theory has proved quite durable. Most journalists take seriously the central values of social Responsibility theory such as luralism and cultural diversity; However the state of affairs is not so with the authoritarian theory of the press. Unlike the Authoritarian theory, the social responsibility theory of the press takes hid and pays cognisance to people’s right to true information- the right of people to express themselves freely through the media of communication and the journalistic dedication to objective reality; – this aims to provide public with adequate material to facilitate the formation of an accurate and comprehensive picture of the world.The journalist’s social responsibility is also of the essence, this emphasizes the fact that journalistic information is social good not just a commodity. When it comes to the Journalist’s professional i ntegrity; dealing especially with rights not to work against personal conviction and other matters of personal ethics. The social responsibility theory of the press has respect for such, while the Authoritarian theory has no regard for such values and ethics. Ethics is a practise of moral behaviour by individuals, governments and social institutions.Ethics is more to do with principles concerning the rights and wrong of conduct, principles which have some reason theoretical basis which therefore apply objectively and impartially. Besley & Chadwich 1992 The Social responsibility theory of the press in contrast to the Authoritarian theory has respect for, Public access and participation, this includes the right of rectification and reply, respect for privacy and Human Dignity, respect for the Public interest.This relates to respect for the national community, in democratic institutions and public morals, respect of Universal Values and diversity of cultures. This calls for respect for human rights, social progress, national liberation, peace, democracy, elimination of War and other great evils confronting humanity. This calls for abstention from justifying aggression, arms proliferation, violence, hatred, discrimination, promotion of a New World information and communication order. This is directed especially at the need for decolonization and democratization of information and communication.After all said and done my conviction is that the Authoritarian theory in contrast with Social Responsibility theory does not encourage media practitioners to see themselves as front-line participants in the battle to preserve democracy in a world drifting relentlessly toward tyranny. This gives rise and room to fear amongst media operators and infringes on the right of freedom of expression, the list of people who have been arrested for exercising their right to freedom of expression is long.In December 2008, for example, Jestina Mukoko, Director of the Zimbabwe Peace Proje ct, was abducted and tortured. Members of Woman of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) are harassed, intimidated, assaulted and arrested on a regular basis. Okay Machisa, the Executive Director of Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZIMRIGHTS) was arrested in March 2010 for organising reflections – an exhibition of pictures of victims of the 2008 political violence. Geoff Nyarota was arrested for exposing some foul play at the Mazda industry formerly Ford motors.

Improving organisational and employee performance Essay

Improving organisational and employee performance - Essay Example In order to improve an organisation’s performance, this must occur at both the organisational level and employee levels. At an organisational level, there is adoption of SHRM. SHRM deals with ensuring integration of HR strategy to the corporate one by maintaining competence of their workers to attain a competitive edge in the business environment. SHRM process encompasses coming up with a mission; carrying a close study of the environment and developing a strategy, executing it and gauging its success. From the foregoing, strategies have their formulation at different levels, which may be corporate, business or even functional. SHRM Models involve first, the business oriented one that concentrates on those functions which attain strategic advantage for a firm. The other is the strategic-fit supposed to align any given entity’s strategy to that of the business. We also have the SLAP Model that advocates for interdependence of the business, corporate as well as HR strateg ies. Therefore, an approach to SHRM may be Instrumental, Humanistic or even universalistic. Moreover, a well implemented SHRM concept can yield such advantages as attaining competitive advantage as well as bring coordination for an organisation. However, there are factors known to limit proper SHRM implementation, for instance, fear that it may fail or encounter rejection from employees because it encompasses varied changes. Secondly, managing performance may be done at an employee level by carrying out proper appraisals and ensuring that they are engaged and motivated. In order to have enhanced organisational and employee performances, it is mandatory for an organisation to adopt the best practices or concepts available. Performance management is accorded to Human Resource Managers (HRMs) who must ensure that their employees have the required competencies hence earning an

A Long Journey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Long Journey - Essay Example Auster differs from Nathaniel in one aspect, he find himself in a state of oscillation, moves from one place to another and talks with his friends on different things about his father, recollecting those limited moments which he had spent with his father. His talking style also switches from one point to other. This may also be due to the sudden death of his father. As far as the fact is concerned Auster’s father was not a sick person, but he suspects that the reason could be the reflection of his maternal grandfather’s murder. The flash back shows some violence that had happened in his family.His search relies on finding a father from the memories of his childhood days spent with him. He goes to the house where his father lived and finds out the old photos. Auster is reminded of those days through that photo, where he stands along with his father. His search is not only to find out his father but he wants to get a clear notion of father and son relationship. In pursuit of his father he sees his inside. The following comment would help in understanding the search of Auster â€Å"A sense of deep meaning and self-determination† [1]says the review regarding The portrait of an Invisible Man. Though some critics comment as Auster has lost his continuity.†Auster seems to have lost his sense of continuity†[Review Summary]. As it is very clear that Auster cannot find his father flesh and blood and more over his sanity teaches him the reality Auster considers his father as an invisible man. When he starts recollecting he feels his father’s presence, when the death news rules over him he realizes he cannot come back. Here lies the theme that his father is an invisible man. Nathaniel’s father dies leaving alone his two families and a eleven year old son, who in none but Nathaniel himself. His search goes in terms of finding

Social Media - Facebook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Social Media - Facebook - Essay Example Facebook service, created by Mark Zuckerberg, was launched in 2004. At the time of its launch, the sole purpose of the service was to help Harvard University’s students in educational matters. However, it gradually started expanding to other universities as well. Alba and Stay mention that â€Å"Facebook is a networking platform† (24). Today, Facebook has become one of the widely used networking services, having nearly 800 million users all over the world. The name ‘Facebook’ is indebted to the university administrators in the USA, who used to provide books to their students to know each other in a better way. The thesis statement of this paper is that ‘Facebook is beneficial because it connects people’. However, some people think that Facebook does not help people establish any real relationship. My personal point of view over the issue is in accord with the statement that Facebook is beneficial for people. The influence of Facebook can be eva luated as beyond a website, but as an innovative tool to measure one’s social acceptability and the ability to mingle with the masses without any inhibition or inferiority complex. Claim 1: Facebook enables interaction between people from different backgrounds, cultures, and countries. Evidence: Everyone above the age of 12 can join Facebook. There is no limitation of gender, class, race, or social status. Facebook provides facility to the people to know each other and develop healthy relationships. Facebook, like international brotherhood, extends to other spheres an innovative platform to communicate with friends and meet new people, exchange valuable information, spend leisure time in a more useful way, new experiences, view videos and games, as well as regular updating of relationships. Claim 2: Facebook enables political interaction between people. People can share information and opinions on both international and domestic politics with each other. Evidence: The recent revolutions in Egypt, Jordan, and other Islamic countries are an authentic evidence of political interaction through Facebook. Today, politicians make use of social networking websites to launch their political campaigns. Politicians address the public through these websites and communicate their passion and ideas regarding development of their specific nations. The common thought about Facebook is that these websites enable fast and secure global interactions not only for the public, but also for the politicians. Many politicians use these websites to create virtual presence and to share their thoughts and ideas with prospective voters. Social networking websites played a great role in the political success of Barack Obama. People shared their views with each other and created over 50,000 events on the websites to bring success to Obama’s campaign. Political interaction between the voters and the politicians has also become easier through social networking websites. Voters c an easily share information with each other in order to decide whom they should vote in elections. Politicians can make people aware of their political agendas in order to convince them and to get their support in elections. Almost half of the picture of the election results can be seen through the favorite politicians’ statistics available on Facebook and other social networking websites. Claim 3: Facebook establishes long lasting relationships between people, such as marriages, friendships, and business relationships. Evidence: It is evident from the social researches that Facebook helps people find good life partners to live with. People are also able to find suitable businesses partners.

Industrialization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Industrialization - Essay Example Development is a vast phenomenon that involved more than increasing per capita output. Real development can only be harbingered by eliminating poverty, unemployment and inequality. The theory calls for reviewing structural issues like dualism, population growth, inequality, urbanization, agricultural transformation, education, health, unemployment and many other unanswered issues that must be reviewed on their own merits, and not merely as appendages to an underlying growth thesis. Industrialization on the other hand is a process of social and economic change where human societies are transformed from a pre-industrial (an economy where the amount of capital accumulated is low) to an industrial state. (Industrialization). This social and economic change is closely related to the technological innovation, particularly the development of large-scale energy production. Industrialization may also be related to some kind of philosophical change, or may be to a different attitude in the perception of nature, though if these philosophical changes are caused by industrialization or vice-versa is a subject often debated. Industrialisation has generated its own health problems, like noise, air, water pollution, malnutrition, dangerous machines, impersonal work, isolation, poverty, homelessness, and even substance abuse. Health problems in industrial nations are caused by economic, social, political, and cultural factors also. Industrialisation has become a major medical issue around the world, and hopefully will become less of a problem over the period to come. Psychology of Soviet Economists: Soviet economists were primarily of the opinion that those factors of production that are relatively plentiful have a low marginal productivity and hence a low price as compared with factors that are relatively scarce. Consequently those lines of production or those technical forms of production, which use relatively more of the plentiful factors and economize on the scarce ones, would have the lowest costs. This lead to a drop in labor rates, as a country like Russia had more labor. The strength of the above mentioned factor theory is undoubtedly its strong appeal to common sense, it is apparent common sense to adapt your development plans and methods so as to make the most use of those economic factors that are most plentiful, like labour in this particular case, but there can be a humanitarian argument added to it that to do this will create the maximum employment in conditions where there is a large reserve of unemployed. The immediate objection to it that strikes the mind is th at the factor proportion theory, in common with any comparative cost doctrine derived from it, is a static theory, which refers to a particular factor endowment at a given date. It will be inappropriate to derive there from a criterion of development, since we are dealing with dynamic situations, where the factor endowment is subject to change the essence of development for example, is a growing accumulation of capital and hence a change in the capital-labour ratio. ( Dobb Maurice, Was Soviet Method of Industrialization Really Contrary to Economic Principles) The choice between the factors of production depends on the

Case Study -( The Social Environment and Human Behavior) Essay - 1

Case Study -( The Social Environment and Human Behavior) - Essay Example This has implications on the higher economic classes from the lower. a. The greater availability of screening against abnormalities in the infants born to the elite (than in the lower economic classes) will cause a higher proportion of brighter, stronger children to the upper income class, giving them better chances for succeeding than the lower classes b. Better birth quality among the rich will tend to concentrate wealth in a small sector of society, since children born to the rich will be better qualified for the higher paying positions. Wealth distribution is thus compromised. The direct problem of the case is how to address the problem of the deterioration of Baby Kim’s health and development. The immediate question that must be resolved is whether or not Kim’s continued separation from parent should be terminated, and Kim returned home to her parents. The separation of a child from its parents is always an important issue, because it is normally presumed that parents are the best source of sustenance, support, and love for the child. The state should have an extraordinary reason, based on strong and compelling evidence, that the parents could not provide the proper care for their own child before it takes such a child away and relegates her to foster care. In this case, there appears to be no strong or compelling reason for Kim to be taken from her parents. The matter of methamphetamine use prior to Kim’s birth is not an overriding issue, since Kim’s mom would have been allowed to keep her had she agreed to sending her younger son to day care. Her refusal to send him to day care was the cause for her separation from her children and for Kim’s relegation to foster care. There is no evidence that Kim’s parent neglect their children’s care in any way whatsoever. The home is well maintained, the sons are healthy, happy and bright. In no way does any evidence show that Kim’s parents, specially her mom, is an unfit

Social Theories of Development and Learning Essay

Social Theories of Development and Learning - Essay Example Asthe report stresses classroom and behavioral management is the study which provides a number of theories of child development and learning as well as a range of various practical tips of how to make teaching-learning process in classroom settings the most productive. Classroom management is basically a set of classroom rules that help to make the studying process safe and effective avoiding any disciplinary disruptions. This paper discusses despite the great number of strategies and techniques which have been developed to assist a teacher, a today’s educator often feels frustrated because of the inability to control his/her learners and/or teach them the required material. Knowledge of classroom and behavior management is essential for having a well-structured and effective study session. The relationship based on mutual respect and understanding between a teacher and a child is essential part of good instructional program realization. A teacher can take up various roles, but the major one would be that of an instructional leader and classroom manager. It has to be stressed that effective classroom managers are not born, but made. Learning a second language in dual language program is different from that of regular learning a foreign language which can be found in regular school. This program can give much more than mere acquisition of vocabulary, a set of grammar rules or practical syntax. T he language is learned and practiced in real life context which requires critical thinking and problem solving using a second language. A study made by neuroscientists proves that bilingual children have better mathematical skills. Besides, Kovelman, Baker, and Petitto claim that bilingual brain develops a kind of a â€Å"neural signature† which is absent in the monolingual brain (153). Finally, such second language acquisition may lead to revelation of â€Å"the biological extent of the neural architecture underlying all human language† (Kovelman, Baker, and Petitto 154). However, teachers have to be trained and taught how to apply the bilingual program in the classroom settings of because of peculiarities of instructions and task of the program. Observations Analysis The instruction within Dual Language Program which I have observed proved to be very effective. Children of each

Personal Statement for Masters Degree of Computational Finance Essay

Personal Statement for Masters Degree of Computational Finance - Essay Example As I walk down the crowded streets of downtown Chicago, I am always left wonderstruck at the high rising skyscrapers. I imagine the elegant office interiors and debonair lives of CEOs and Presidents of various affluent companies nested in these massive buildings. And then I stand there feeling totally elated because I know it is the wonderful field of Finance that has resulted in these modern wonders. From a singleton in a society to the society itself and consequently the world at large; everyone is affected by the variables of finance. And it is this very power and reaches that the field of finance possesses, inspires me every minute to master its various nuances. Whenever I retrospect my own life, I distinctly see the roller coaster ride that I have been through. I have faced innumerable challenges, including certain events so critical and stressful, that it could have ended my career in a miserable state, had I not managed them effectively. But I have carved my way out of every problem I faced, and today I strongly believe that I possess all the skills necessary to take up any challenge and surface to the solution successfully. Quite interestingly, on observation, it is evident that the most important causes for my success in all the challenges I have faced are my alacrity for finance, management, and mathematics. My decision to take up finance as my major for my under-graduation was not by chance, but rather by choice. Since the very beginning of my school days, I have been proficient in mathematics. I have always remained to be a topper of my class in all mathematics-related subjects. I have always wanted to enter and consolidate in a field that blends both mathematics and finance. At the outset, I must confess that my GPA does not fall in the very top percentage of my class. However, I strongly feel that my GPA does not truly reflect my knowledge in the domain. I have taken advanced courses during my under-graduation which justifies the fall in my final GPA.

Commercial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Commercial Management - Essay Example Peace Gardens were the first to open in 1998. The Millennium Galleries showcases cultural themes involving visual arts, craft and design. The Peace gardens and illuminated fountains put on a spectacular show during the night. Unique architecture in the form of stylish arches, winding pathways, glasshouses and tropical plants blend in to produce a spectacular sight. The Peace Gardens, Millennium Square and Winter Gardens are part of the Gold Network of attractive public spaces. They form a powerful hub and are the point at which the major route to the city centre from the station and the pedestrian link between the two universities intersect. The grant awarded to this project amounted to ?22,700,279 and the total cost incurred in this project has been ?45,221,155. Aims and Objectives: The primary objective of the project was to help the city of Sheffield regain its status as one of the top localities in Europe by making it more attractive to residents, outside investors and visitors. The aim was to do this by creating a lively, high quality, safe and sustainable city centre lively city centre for living, leisure, learning and retail. This was a key site which had been under-utilized in terms of commercial and public usage. The project was also aimed at expanding the Economy of the City in order to create new jobs and allow growth. High quality offices were to be designed in the city centre from where high profile functions of companies could be performed. A bustling hub of financial and professional services would also promote an investor-friendly image necessary to boost the local economy. Eventually all the economic growth would have allowed employment opportunities for the local community. In order to support the projected commercial and tourist activity, infrastructure was required. Projects like ‘Station Gateway’ and ‘New Retail Quarter’ were designed to improve accessibility, movement and linkages in the city. How successful has t he project been? One of the questions the OGC 5 Gateway asks is whether the project is a success or not. Apart from a few shortfalls the project has largely been a success. The futuristic design of the City Centre has largely been successful in attracting local and foreign businesses. Tourists and students have also been drawn to the city giving a boost to the local economy. The Gateway is also interested in knowing in weather the business case in which investment is made is even valid. The business case for this venture still holds great value as it a profitable venture. City buildings and infrastructure were old and an improvement was required. A significant amount of the revenue was generated from this part of the city so it was necessary to develop this prime location. After the opening of the Millennium Galleries, ninety percent of Sheffield Museums and Galleries Trust income was generated by it alone, prior to the re-opening of the Weston Park Museum. Two-thirds of apartments were already sold even though a brick had not been laid, though 40% have passed to institutional investors. Economic activity has increased and more commercial outlets have set up their offices at St. Paul’

Business Research Process Essay Example for Free

Business Research Process Essay Abstract The business research process is an important tool that can help the marketing in a business. By using the steps of this process managers are able to make decisions based on the study of the consumer and target audience. It is also important to identify the competitors in order to stay profitable and competitive. Business Research Process The business research method involves the studying of all parts of a company, the customers, and the market to make important decisions for the business. The strengths and weaknesses of a company are evaluated but especially how a customer views their goods and merchandise. Management studies the competition and the industry that which they are a part of. As part of the management at AZ Alarm Company, I make use of the business research process myself. The first step in this process is to identify the significant competitors in the industry. In the alarm industry it is important to know what other companies are offering so that we stay competitive and bring in new customers while still making a profit. Most of this information is readily available and easy to obtain. The second step in the process is to study the customer or consumer. Doing this enables management to find out what the needs and wants are in order to create new products. By analyzing this information it is also to be determined the amount of money someone is willing to spend on these services. After this information has been gathered it is ready to be analyzed. Companies sometimes use the SWOT (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. This method enables a business owner or management to enhance their strengths and to figure out what needs to do to change their weaknesses into strengths. Opportunities need to be taken advantage of and utilized because they will not always be available. The target audience also needs to be taken into consideration. If a business is marketing to people that will not use or benefit from their product or service they will not be able to meet their full potential. This can also affect their profit and gain immensely. All of the steps in the business research method are only effective if the information is used and applied to develop and better their marketing strategies. Collecting and analyzing data is something that is ongoing and should be done continuously. As times and technology change so does a consumers wants, needs, and preferences. At AZ Alarm we are always to striving to have the newest and latest technology but also at a competitive price so that we stay on top. References Cooper, D., Schindler, P. (2011). Business research methods (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Suttle, R. (2013). The Steps in a Business Research Process. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/steps-business-research-process-3294.html Suttle, R. (2013). What Is a Business Research Process?. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/business-research-process-3279.html

Fedex Express In Vietnam Commerce Essay

Fedex Express In Vietnam Commerce Essay This thesis aims to evaluate and formulate business strategy for FedEx Express in Vietnam to further promote the companys competitive advantages. Fred R. Davids Comprehensive strategic management Model is used for this strategic formulation. At the first stage of this process, FedEx Vietnam quantitative evaluations of internal, external environments and its Competitive Ability Profile are created. A strategic group of five managers and specialists who are knowledgeable in air express transportation industry is formed up to determine factors of each matrix and weight/ score of each attributes of these components. Data from this input stage shows the companys Internal Factor score shows companys weakest points are operating under agency contract. FedEx External Factor score reveals the company is responsive to external environment. However the level of responsiveness to competitors and administration style in Vietnam is not high. In Competitive Profile Matrix, FedEx ranks the second position among the four market leaders. The areas that company needs to look into for improvement is customer service and marketing. With the data from input stage, SWOT matrix and Grand strategy matrix are used to formulate all applicable strategies. At final stage of the formulation process, all alternative strategies that were selected in matching stage are put in Qualitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) to determine which strategies out of given alternative strategies are more attractive. With the result, the thesis goes to some recommended tactics for some key functions to implement the two selected strategies for FedEx in Vietnam. RATIONALE THE RESEARCH As an infrastructure service, air express transportation playing more and more important role in the global economy. In Vietnam, the economic booming and dramatic growth of international trade bring very high demands for air express transportation. This demand is critical in both terms of transportation capacity and quality of service. Being in Vietnam for more than 17 years, FedEx Express the world leading air express transportation company, has been operating under agency contract with Seabornes Logistic. This business model gave FedEx an excellent access to Vietnam market at start up. However after more than 17 years of development, in new business context with stronger competition and higher customer demand the company is facing with following challenges: Gap between customer needs and the ability of the operation team Various customer demand for value added service versus the current core products Harder competition from main competitors This situation requires FedEx VN to review its strategy for necessary adjustment in order to maintain the good growth and steadily expand its market share. And that is my purpose to choose this topic for my thesis. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The research has 3 main objectives: Review strategy formulation models and theories that are applicable to the practical business. Evaluate FedExs competition ability in the context of Vietnam air express industry. The research will propose recommendations for FedEx business strategy in Vietnam from now to the year 2018. This research will answer the following questions: Why FedEx need to change its business strategy in Viet Nam? What is attractive strategy for FedEx Vietnam to 2018? RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Fred R. Davids strategy formulation framework is used for the strategy evaluation and selection. The model includes three stages: input stage, matching stage and decision stage. In the input stage, a team of strategists with participation of fifteen members from regional and FedEx Express Vietnam sales, marketing, customer service and operation management was formed up. The team discussed and agreed on list for internal factors (for Internal Factor Evaluation IFE Matrix), external factors (for External Factor Evaluation EFE matrix) and key success factors (for Competitiveness Profile Matrix). After the three matrices created, members of the team score weight and rate of each component factor independently. The collective IFE, EFE and CPM are made up by average the score from each team member. These matrices then are brought to team discussion for final review and comment. Secondary data from FedEx profiles, industry surveys/reports and related information from Internet was used for the team analysis and evaluation. In the matching stage, outcome of the input stage is used to generate feasible alternative strategies. SWOT matrix and Grand Strategy Matrix are the two techniques in this stage. Result of matching stage is a consolidated work sheet with all alternative strategies. The strategies which are applicable in both matrices are picked up for analysis in Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM). In QSPM strategist can determine which strategy is most attractive to the firm base on attractive score. This is the last stage of the process. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS The research is for business strategy of FedEx Express in Vietnam from now to 2018. However strategic management is a continuous process containing of strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation. But in the scope of this research, the thesis will focus on some business strategies recommendation for FedEx Express Vietnam only. Given the scope of the thesis, detail implementation plan and evaluation/feedback for continuous improvement which are equally important to ensure a successful strategy were not deeply mentioned in the research. Without evaluation and feedback, management cannot get all employees involved in the strategic management process and hence cannot take full advantage of the process. CHAPTER I: THEORICAL FRAMEWORK Strategy and Business Strategy Definitions Strategy is not a new concept. In modern economy, when talking about business, strategy is usually the first thing to be mentioned. It is considered as cornerstone of business which determines failure or success of a firm. Thereve been a lot of definitions by scholars and researchers over the world. In an article What is strategy? on Havard Business Review in 1996  [1]  , Micheal E. Porter defined strategy as creating fit among a companys activities. The success of a strategy depends on doing many things well not just a few and integrating among them. If there is no fit among activities, there is no distinctive strategy and little sustainability. Regarding corporate strategy, a definition by Kenneth R. Andrews in 1998  [2]  supposed Corporate strategy is the pattern of decisions in a company that determines and reveals its objectives, purposes and goals and it produces the principle policies and plans for achieving those goals, and defines the range of business the company is to pursue. Strategy also defines the kind of economic and human contribution it intends to make to shareholders, employees, customers and communities. Another definition by John A. Pearce in 2000, a strategy reflects companys awareness of how, when and where it should compete, against whom it should compete and for what purpose it should compete. In all mentioned definitions, strategy and business strategy are almost the same in a corporate or entrepreneur scope. So, in general, a business strategy defines how a business/firm will go to succeed in its industry and market against its competitors. So, it should represent the ways that the management can make to define and secure the future of that business. In particular, a business strategy defines the scope of business, objectives, offering values, competitive advantages to meet customer needs as well as succeed now and in the future. Furthermore, a business strategy should include both objectives to be accomplished and the actions must be done to follow that direction. Business Strategy Management Business strategy management is defined as the set of decisions and actions that result in the formulation and implementation of plan designed to achieve a companys objectives. In general, business strategy management process includes three steps: Figure 1: Strategy management process Source: Strategic Management, Statistic Publishing House 2007  [3]   The formulation step includes analysis of current situation, forecast of future status to select and set up an appropriate strategy. Implementation is a process to achieve strategic target(s) by using strategy formulation that set out in previous step. To make the strategy working well, an important step is evaluate and adjustment. At this phase, the implementation is analyzed to see if there is any area that firms need to change to make the strategy more adaptable. Business strategy management helps enterprise clearly determines its objectives and how to archive it. It is instrumental in archiving high performance, cost effective and action oriented. With setting up of short term objectives in supporting for long-term ones, the process involves all members of the company, from front line employee to senior management level. This in return will enhance the firm to prevent troubles. Manager will get support from subordinates in forecasting of the strategic planning and in monitoring of the implementation stage. The involvement of employees in strategic formulation also improves their knowledge of the productivity reward relationship in all strategic plans hence, it heightens their motivation. The strategy management also helps the firm better adapt to changes of environment. The movement of environment, especially for those fast moving factors, usual creates opportunities as well as risks to the firm. Continuous strategic management which requires managers to analyze and forecast of the near and far future environments, helps manager to better manage and make the best of opportunities while minimize the risk that firm may have to face with. However, business strategy management process usually requires a lot of time and effort from managers. This might has a negative impact to operational responsibilities. Manager must be trained to minimize this impact by scheduling their duties to allow necessary time for strategic activities. Business Strategy Formulation Process: To give out strategic decision, it requires a comprehensive study on internal and external environments of a firm in regard to the firm objectives. Going to further details of the formulation process, it can be divided into 3 stages: Figure 2: Strategy formulation process Source: Strategic management concept and case, Fred R. David 2007  [4]   Input stage In this stage, firm has to gather all basic input information that is required to formulate strategy. They include External Factor Evaluation Matrix (EFE), Internal Factor Evaluation Matrix (IFE) and Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM). External Factor Evaluation: EFE summaries and evaluates both macro and industry (micro) environments. Base on that evaluation, strategist can determine opportunities and threats to have appropriate solution. The aim is to promote opportunities and avoid or reduce impact of the threats. Macro Environment: PEST model is a good tool for evaluation. The components of this model include: Political: The direction and stability of the political factors are major consideration of managers in formulation strategy. Political factors define legal and regulatory frame in which the firm operates in. It includes law and regulation on fair trade, minimum wage, pollution, patent, trade mark and many other actions. Economics: This regarding the nature, environment and direction the countrys economy in which a company operates. The factors to be evaluated include interest rate, inflation rate, finance policy, unemployment, risk level of investment, level of integration of the economy to world economy or to international organization that it is member of, trade balance, GDP growth rate and trends in growth of each economic sector. Social: demography, social structure, life style, education, religion, etc are social factors that affect a firm. Technology: Technological change can have a big impact on the industry that a firm operates. Creative technological adaptations can lead to possibilities for new products, for improvement of existing product. Industry environment: Michael Porters Five Force Model is the tool for this analysis. Competitors: This is the major determinant of competitiveness of the industry. Factors to be evaluated are number of competitor, rate of industry growth, economic of scale, sustainable competitive advantages and fixed cost allocation per value added etc. Suppliers: The bargaining power of suppliers is measured by determining supplier switching cost versus the firm switching cost, degree of differentiation of inputs, present of substitute inputs. Customers: Bargaining power of customers is the ability of customer to force prices down, ask for more higher quality service and play competitors off each other. The level of this power depends on customer volume, switching cost, availability of substitute products and differentiation of products. New entrants: The new entrants bring threat of higher level of competition. This threat is measured through barriers to entry, switching cost, economics of scale, product differentiation, capital requirement etc. Substitute products: The existence of replacement product brings in threat of customer to switch to other alternatives. The determined factors are relative price of substitute, customer propensity to substitute, buyer switching cost, product differentiation. Figure 3: Industry environment (Porter Five Forces Model) Porters Five Forces Source: Mindtool.com  [5]   After gathering information, all external factors are quantitatively evaluated with weight and rating score. Weight of a factor would indicate the relative importance of the factor to be successful in the firms industry. A weight assign to a factor can be from 0 to 1 with condition that total weight of all factors is 1. Rating score measures responsive level of the firm to respective factor. It ranges from 1 to 4 with 1 = poor response, 2= below average response, 3 = above average response and 4 = superior response. Figure 4: Steps to develop EFE matrix Select key external factors. Weigh importance of the factors from 0 to 1. Total weight of all factors must be equal to 1 Rate the level of response of the firm to each external factor from 1 to 4 with 4 is the highest rate Calculate weighted score for each factor (TAS). TAS = factor weight * rate Total weighted score for the firm The total weighted score (TAS) is equal to weighing score time rating score. The firms EFE TAS is sum of all external factors. This TAS shows the responsiveness of the firm to the external environment. If the score is 2.5 up, it means firm response to the environment well. Internal Factor Evaluation IFE summaries and evaluates major strengths and weaknesses in all areas of a firm. This includes: Human resource: The areas to be evaluated are ability to formulate and implement the firms strategy of it management at all level, readiness of the work force to implement that strategy, capacity of the organization structure in adapting with the changes of business environment. Tangible asset: Finance resource, facility, vehicle, raw material, etc. These items are normally reflected on company balance sheet Intangible asset: These are not assets that we can touch and see, but they are very often critical in creating the firms competitive advantages like brand name, company reputation, technical knowledge, patent and trade mark. Functional groups: Capacity and performance of each function of the firm like marketing, sales, finance, RD, operation, quality managementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Similarly to EFE matrix, the IFE matrix is developed via 5 steps Figure 5: Steps to develop IFE matrix Select key internal factors. Weigh the importance of the factors from 0 to 1. Total weight of all factors must be equal to 1 Rate the level of response of the firm to each internal factor from 1 to 4 with 4 is the highest rate Calculate weighted score for each factor (TAS). TAS = factor weight * rate Total weighted score for the firm The total IFE TAS of the firm shows how strong the firm is. If it is from 2,5 upward, it means the firm is in strong status. Competitive profile Matrix CPM identifies a firm major competitor and their particular strengths and weaknesses in relation to a sample firms strategic position (David, 2007). Different from EFE, critical success factor in a CPM are broader. They dont include specific or fact data and even just focus on internal issues. The critical success factors in a Competitive Profile Matrix also are not grouped into opportunities and threats as they are in EFE. This provides internal strategic information that is also very important to the firm. Matching stage By matching and aligning key external and internal factors, this stage will generate all feasible alternative strategies. The technique use in this stage includes Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) Matrix, Grand strategy Matrix. Other matrices like Strategic Position and Action Evaluation (SPACE) Matrix, Internal-External (IE) Matrix, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix can be considered to use in this matching stage. SWOT Matrix The SWOT analysis was made popular by Andrew (1965). Through evaluating of components of a firms internal and external environments, this analysis enable the firm to approach its most feasible and applicable strategy to get its strategic objectives. By answer the question how the company makes the most of its strengths, circumvent its weaknesses, capitalize on its opportunities and manage its threats, SWOT model provides an efficient tool for the company long range planning base on qualitative analysis rather than merely base on quantitative forecast (Edmund P.  Learned, 1965). SWOT matrix presents a mechanism for facilitating the linkage among company strengths weaknesses threats and opportunities in the market place. It also provide framework for strategy formulation with its 4 types of strategies: SO (Strengths-Opportunities) strategy, WO (Weaknesses-Opportunities) strategy, ST (Strength-Threats) strategy and WT (Weaknesses-Threats) strategy (Figure6). Figure 6: SWOT/TOWS Strategic Alternatives Matrix External Opportunities (O) 1. 2. 3. 4. External Threats (T) 1. 2. 3. 4. Internal Strengths (S) 1. 2. 3. 4. SO Maxi-Maxi Strategy Strategies that use strengths to maximize opportunities. ST Maxi-Mini Strategy Strategies that use strengths to minimize threats. Internal Weaknesses (W) 1. 2. 3. 4. WO Mini-Maxi Strategy Strategies that minimize weaknesses by taking advantage of opportunities. WT Mini-Mini Strategy Strategies that minimize weaknesses and avoid threats. Source: Mindtools.com  [6]   Manager can develop these 4 strategies by answering: SO How can his firm use its strengths to take advantage of the opportunities? ST How can his firm take advantage of its strengths to avoid real and potential threats? WO How can his firm use its opportunities to overcome the weaknesses you are experienced? WT How can his firm minimize its weaknesses and avoid threats? Grand Strategy Matrix Grand Strategy Matrix can be used by firm to select applicable strategies from all 15 principal grand strategies base on evaluating of two dimensions: competitive position and market growth. The two dimensions of Grand Strategy Matrix make up a 4 quadrant axis. Quadrant I is for firms which have strong competition position and operate in rapid growth industry. Aggressive strategies like market penetration, market development, and product development strategies are effective choice for the firm to further promote its competitiveness. The firm can also choose vertical integration to acquire business of its supplier or customer if it has excessive resources. If the firm in this Quadrant is too heavily committed to a single product, it can reduce the risk by using concentric diversification to expand its business through acquiring or generating related business in term of technology, market or product. Quadrant II represents for firms that have a weak competitive position in a rapid growth industry. These firms must evaluate its present position to the marketplace and determine what make them to be ineffective in competing in the market. The firms should firstly apply intensive strategies like market penetration, market development, product development to improve it competitiveness. Using horizontal integration to acquire similar firm(s) operating at the same stage of the product-marketing chain is also a suitable alternative in case the firm lack of a distinctive competence or competitive advantage. In the worst case when there is no chance for competitiveness improvement, divestiture or liquidation should be considered. Quadrant III is for firms operate in slow-growth industries and have weak competitive position. To avoid of further lost or even bankruptcy, the firm must take drastic changes. Retrenchment should be the first strategy that the firm considers to cut cost or reduce asset. Other options for firms on this quadrant are divestiture or liquidation. Quadrant IV is for firms that have a strong competitive position but are in a slow growth industry. Diversification to more promising growth areas is the efficient strategy in this case. The firms can pursue concentric diversification strategy to expand its business to related areas or conglomerate diversification strategy to acquire business that not synergic to its current one but have high profit margin. Figure 7: Grand strategy Matrix Rapid Market growth Quadrant II Slow market growth Strong competition Position Weak competition Position Quadrant IV Quadrant I Quadrant III Source: Formulation, Implementation and Control of Competitive Strategy, Pearce/Robinson, 2000 Decision stage At this final stage of strategy formulation, Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) is used to evaluate feasible alternative strategies identified in Stage 2 with input information from Stage 1. Evaluation through QSPM reveals the relative attractiveness of alternative strategies and thus it is base for selecting specific strategies. This technique allows top managers to assess alternative strategies objectively based on a firms internal strengths/weaknesses and external opportunities/threats (David, 1986). In QSPM, left column consists of key internal and external factors from Stage 1, and the top row includes feasible alternative strategies from Stage 2. Information of key internal/external factors and weight of each factors are extracted directly from the EFE Matrix and IFE Matrix. The top row of a QSPM includes alternative strategies derived from matrixes that used in Stage 2. These matching tools usually generate similar feasible alternatives (David, 2007). QSPM determines best strategy to the firms by calculating total attractiveness scores (Multiply Attractiveness Score with Weight of each factor for each alternative strategy) and sum Total Attractiveness Scores of each alternative strategy in the QSPM table. As mentioned above, weights of the internal and external factors are directly transferred from IFE and EFE matrix in Stage 2 and Attractiveness Scores (AS) are defined as quantitative values with 1 for not attractive, 2 for somewhat attractive, 3 for reasonably attractive, and 4 for highly attractive. Figure 8: Qualitative Strategic Planning Management (QSPM) model Internal factors Weight Strategy alternative Strategy 1 Strategy 2 AS TAS AS TAS 1 2 3 External factors 1 2 3 Total attractive core Total Attractiveness Scores will show the relative attractiveness of each optional strategy, considering the impact of the adjacent internal or external critical success factor. The higher the Total Attractiveness Score, the more attractive the strategic alternative is. The Sum Total Attractiveness Scores reveal most attractive strategy in each set of alternatives (Figure 8).

The Sense Of Community Cohesion In Britain Sociology Essay

The Sense Of Community Cohesion In Britain Sociology Essay Socio-anthropologists hold the opinion that people think, feel and act in certain ways based on the environment in which they have grown. The environment in this context could be inferred as the community that has influence their make-up or identity. In recent times, public debates in the media by politicians, journalists, experts and other stakeholders have focused on what is or constitute being British. These debates have sharply bordered on socio-religious identities, and raised questions such as: Does religious beliefs supersede community bonding? To what extent is ones loyalty to the community in which one lives?. Other debates have been on profiling and condemnation of racially motivated violence and harassment, a hand wringing debate on institutional racism following the publication in 1999 of the Macpherson Report into the death of Stephen Lawrence (Amin, 2002). Government policies and legislatives on equal opportunity to highlight awareness of sense of community, presuppose that the very fabric of the concept of community is weakened and threatened in our contemporary Britain. Community is A body of people having common rights, privileges, or interests, or living in the same place under the same laws and regulations (http://www.brainyquote.com/words/co/community146100.html) The meaning of the word Community has changed over the years. Smith (2001)explores the theory of community in the article entitled Community and highlighted on why the attention on social capital and community may be important. the use of the term community has remained to some extent associated with the hope and the wish of reviving once more the closer, warmer, more harmonious type of bonds between people vaguely attributed to past ages (Elias 1974, quoted by Hoggett 1997: 5). People lived in groups sharing faith, religion and other social norms during pre industrialization era. Community was redefined after this when people became workers in industries. They were many studies about community in the middle of the 20th century leading a deeper analysis of the term. The free Dictionary however defines individualism as a belief in the importance of the individual and the virtue of self-reliance and personal independence. This definition  highlights on the word belief anything held as true. Thus in this context the individuals opinion is held in high esteem and supplants that of any others. Hofstede (1991) in his cultural dimensions describes individualism as pertains to societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her immediate family. Hofstede scaled Britain on high individualism index of 89, and that people thinks in terms of I and not We. Researchers found that Britain was the most individualistic society in the world one that valued the self over the group more than any other country.(Richard A, 2009) According to the Kwintessential website certain traits are common to countries that have high individualism. personal goals and achievement are strived for, it is acceptable to pursue individual goals at the expense of others, individualism is encouraged whether it be personality, clothes or music tastes and finally the right of the individual reign supreme; thus laws to protect choices and freedom of speech. (http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/intercultural/individualism.html) A recent report for the Childrens Society highlights the above facts. Leading experts today identify excessive individualism as the greatest threat to our children. In a landmark report on A Good Childhood, commissioned by The Childrens Society and published by Penguin, they show that childrens lives have become more difficult than in the past, and they trace this to excessive individualism. (http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/whats_happening/media_office/latest_news/14758_news.html) Other organisations like Joseph Rowntree Foundation have express the fear over the changes that are taking place in Britain. They have classified excessive individualism as a social evil. The JRFs recent public consultation revealed a strong sense of unease about some of the changes shaping British society. This Viewpoint continues the discussion about modern social evils on the theme of inequality. Chris Creegan argues that until we can reconcile the problems of excessive individualism, consumerism and greed at the heart of contemporary society, life opportunities will continue to be lost, limited and wasted. (Creegan C, 2008) To enable all different groups to get on well in all communities, community cohesion should take place. A cohesive community is one that affords the people in the community knowledge of their rights and responsibilities. People from different backgrounds in this community should have similar opportunities. They must also trust their local institutions like the police and the courts. They should believe that the local council will offer fair services to all in the community and not for instance place all new immigrants looking for accommodation from social landlords into areas that are deprived and unwanted by the rest of the community. The community must recognize the contributions of both new arrivals and those already settled and not be intimidated by the change it brings. A typical example is the arrival of the Polish immigrants. Some people in Britain could not recognize the skills, experience and knowledge they brought to the nation but rather were fearful that they had taken jobs from the British. Also, that there are positive relationships between people of different backgrounds at school, work and home. According to Ted Cantle Community cohesion à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦micro-communitiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦mesh into an integrated whole. These divided communities would need to develop common goals and a shared vision (Home Office, 2001b: 70). In his recommendations, Cantle draws on the importance and the need for Social networks and social capital, social order and social control, social solidarity and reductions in wealth disparities. Worley (2005) also demonstrates how the concept of   community is vi tal to the community  cohesion, and suggests that whilst the  concept of community is highly ambiguous, it has continuing significance in New Labour policymaking.   Excessive Individualism is concerned with each one for him/herself and God for us all and therefore undermines the sense of community cohesion in Britain. People have become increasingly self-reliant. Families are not so extended anymore but reliant on one, two or the most three people. People are not in contact so much with their relatives and tend to rely on their immediate family only. Family homes are acquired to accommodate the immediate family and not the extended family. People hire child minder, nannies and do not rely so much on their relative anymore. Everyone aspires to be rich or amass wealth that will meet his and her families needs. Some researchers have even blamed the recession on individualism. From the public consultation we did last year, there was a strong sense that the decline of community has corresponded with a rise in individualism. Participants suggested that people increasingly look after their own individual or family interests without considering the needs of society or the community. (Urwin J, 2008) People are no more interested in what the community achieves but what they the individuals can achieve. Even industries encourage people to be individualist by offering DIY packages which take attention from tradesmen to the individual. Thus a sense of togetherness is non existent. If the advent of industrialization has promoted individualism, then what about information age. Computerization, in terms of games development such Wii, Playstation and Xbox 360 are all means and mediums that does not encourage people to go out and socialize in the community, rather it encourages people to engage with themselves. Online shopping has brought the benefit of purchasing items from the comfort of our homes; however, this goes a long way to kill social interaction. Most social activities are now targeted at the individual in his home. People have become lazy at forming relationships with others especially those who live in urban areas. The East end of London was once a upon a time described as dark in the night and dark in day dark in the day meaning it was not lit up by the middle classs Christianity. That has diminished in todays Britain leaving little bulbs of religion here and there making religion or faith very individualistic.And yet the old east end is often held up as the epitome of community. Peoples values vary and individual behaviour has become very personal and cant be corrected by community as before. You cant correct other peoples children without being murdered or abused. Everyone keeps themselves to themselves and its hard to get to know your neighbours. There are some very sweeping generalizations in these preceding statements they referencing or at least phrased with greater nuance. This is what happened in Oldham, Burnley and Bradford when communities lived in different areas went to different schools and had little to do with each other. Whilst the physical segregation of housing estates and inner city areas came as no surprise, the team was particularly struck by the depth of polarisation of our towns and cities. The extent to which these physical divisions were compounded by so many other aspects of our daily lives, was very evident. Separate educational arrangements, community and voluntary bodies, employment, places of worship, language, social and cultural networks, means that many communities operate on the basis of a series of parallel lives. (Independent Review Team, 2001; 9) Peoples inability to relate to others goes a long way to affect community cohesion. It creates fear, tensions and misunderstanding which is what was experienced in Bradford, Burnley and Oldham. Fears about the overwhelming and negative effect of diversity on social cohesion and national identity have been expressed by journalists and policy makers alike. For example, David Goodhart, the editor of The Prospect, targeted his February 2004 article at the detrimental impact of ethnic diversity in modern Britain on the sense of community and solidarity among citizens, and on the viability of the British welfare state (Goodhart 2004), while Trevor Philips, Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, reiterated this argument by stressing the need for strengthening common values and core Britishness (Baldwin and Rozenberg 2004). (http://www.nuff.ox.ac.uk/Politics/papers/2005/NLetki_social%20capital%20and%20diversity_final.pdf) This paragraph is all a quote authors citing other authors. It needs some link to your argument pulling out those elements that directly bear on it. Having said all of the above, community cohesion issues are multifaceted and function differently in specific areas. There are many parts to building community cohesion, from tackling inequalities to developing peoples understanding and tolerance of others. (http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2627) Excessive individualism is not the only factor that works against community cohesion. There are other factors like integration which needs to happen for new residents and existing residents to understand and accept one another. In the Cantle report the issue of intergration came up and the comments were as follows: The other problematic issue is that of levels of integration/segregation. Again there is a perception within the established white community that minority communities do not do enough to integrate into what they see as British culture or society, instead forming a separate community (a view which seems at odds with the observed white flight when such integration is attempted). Yet to an extent segregation will always occur through choice- whether naturally gravitating towards people who share your views or seeking minority-specific facilities such as places of worship or particular shops and services that would not be financially viable in a more dispersed community- and this is not necessarily a cause for concern. The Cantle Independant Review team notes: (Wntrmute 2003) A cohesive community must also have the ability to create opportunities to bring people together, confront myths and intolerance so that people in the community can realise their full potential. Every area is unique and will therefore face different challenges. Britain has a rich diversity in towns, cities, urban and picturesque villages. Community cohesion must be able to meet the differing needs of its residents before cohesion can be promoted. For community cohesion to function well there needs to a sense of safety. People must feel safe and welcome. There should be jobs so that establish residents do not start to blame new residents of taking their jobs. Social trends have also influenced the experience of poverty within England. For example, unemployment figures are roughly comparable with those of the 1970s, but changes in social structure (more single home owners or single parent families) mean that a greater number of homes lack a source of income. The UK is the only EU country in which households with children are more likely than households without children to include no one with a job. This is attributed to the high proportion of UK lone parents without a job. (from the Social Inclusion National Action Plan) (Wntrmute 2003) Lack of jobs in certain communities in Britain has created a gap of have and half not in communities. Priorities should be given to regenerating run down areas in the community to promote community cohesion. If run down areas are not regenerated residents will start to become bitter and it will create tensions in the community. This will also attract businesses to the area which will in turn impact on the community. The provision of affordable housing will also help promote community cohesion. Housing is recognised as a major determinant of the shape of communities (Independent Review Team, 2001; Home Office, 2001) In communities like Slough where there has been a large in flux of immigrants, there are accusations that local residents are being passed over in social housing. Also, when there is housing, communities do not break up and move away looking for housing elsewhere. In recent times, we have seen young people move away from villages because properties there are too expensive. Residents in the community should also be provided with the opportunities for training for jobs. This will boost confidence and enhance job seeking opportunities. There should be good transport links in the community. This should put the community on the map. Make people get to places quickly and conveniently. Give access to shops and amenities. There should be good environmental improvement which will enhance communities. An insert of cultural and leisure facilities should aid the promotion of a cohesive community. Cultural and community centres which promote belonging. Britain is now made up of people from different backgrounds and for them to get on well together community cohesion must happen. This will however, be difficult if excessive individualism is prevalent. Having said that, community cohesion cannot be undermined by excessive individualism alone other factors like housing, poverty, race etc are contributing factors. . .

History of the Spanish Language Essay -- history, official language

A language, much like a person, is molded over time by different experiences, and is influenced by the languages which surround it. History has taught us time and time again that all it takes is one action to change the course of a language. During the battle of Hastings, King Harold II was shot in the eye by the Norman invaders; resulting in the Norman-French language all but taking over English in the 11th century AD. This seemingly insignificant event would forever change the way that English is spoken. Similar to English, Spanish is from the Indo-European family of languages. Unlike English however, Spanish is derived from a category of the Romance Languages, of which it is the most widely spoken today. The Spanish language is also known as Castilian, which is the dialect from which Modern Spanish is derived, and originated in the Iberian Peninsula of Spain. Today, Spanish is the official language of: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Spanish has evolved, in a multilingual environment, over the course of the last 2000 years, beginning with Vulgar Latin, it evolved into medieval Castilian in the 8th century, it then became Early Modern Spanish during 15th century, finally it became Modern Spanish from the 16th century on. The Second Punic war, beginning in 218 BC, was the second major war between the Roman Empire and the Carthage. Around the same time, the Roman Empire deployed troops to the Northeastern peninsula of Spain to keep reinforcements, from the Carthaginian South, from getting to Hannibal’s armies in Italy to assist them. In A Histor... .... An Introduction to Vulgar Latin,. Boston: D.C. Heath &, 1907. Google Scholar. 21 Nov. 2011. Web. 4 Nov. 2015. Green, Jennifer L. "The Development of Maritime Law in Medieval Spain: The Case of Castile and the Siete Partidas." The Historian 58.3 (1996): 575. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 Nov. 2015. . Penny, Ralph J. A History of the Spanish Language. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2002. Print. Rodriguez Gonzalez, Felix. "Anglicisms in Contemporary Spanish. An Overview (1)." Atlantis, Revista De La Asociacià ³n Espaà ±ola De Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos 21.1-2 (1999): 103. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 Nov. 2015. .

Kids :: essays research papers

Introduction: A) Broad discussion of topics: Discuss Kristin's thesis 1. Evolution and understanding of it Macro vs. Micro VIST framework Darwin/Mayr 2. Tools-language Open vs. Close ended questions How vs. why questions Best way of asking to reveal causal framework -explain causal framework: Essentialism (Gelman), Teleology (Keleman), Bloom, and Theory of Mind Ultimate Cause (natural) Why questions Proximate cause How questions 3. Children's and adults understanding of biology/evolution/metamorphosis Evans Species-proximity to humans Mayr 4. Natural kinds vs. artifacts 5. Creationist-God...wanted, created, gave, made Naturalistic-need, adaptations, evolve, growth Intelligent design- intention, purposeful B) Rationale for this study 1. Give close-ended questions to younger children so they can understand the broad questions and because they may not be able to ellaborate or communicate well enough. Hood/Bloom: When children start answering causal questions of parents and when they start asking questions of their own. C) Hypothesis (still being established...have to wait until finished coding Kristin's data to predict the results of mine) Method subjects: 20-25 Age: 5 and 6 years Gender: 1/2 male and 1/2 female open-ended questions -divided into how and why - questions taken from coding results of previous study done by Krisitn - analyzed and took the most typical explanations Present the most frequent of those close-ended questions presented to older age group with 1 explanation per pattern : 4 reasoning patterns: (Will be inserted in paper with actual questions once the data has all been coded and analyzed from Kristin's study) Questions altered to fit all items Use item used with older kids to see if they are giving the answers the older kids did. Procedure 4 parts of the procedure will be given sequentially: 1. Warm-up 9 items (pictures) looking at interacting Ask child if the card is an animal or a human to see if they understand 2. Card practice agree/disagree face cards 3. Open-ended questions "how/why do you think..." between subjects footnote Kristin's study 4. Close-ended questions 3 humans, 3 butterflies, 3 frogs, 3 mammals, 3 artifacts order randomly determined without replacement once item is chosen: They will be told

Comprehensive Plan Part II: Implementing Chnage Essay

The hard work is done, the decision has been made which software vendor that is going to be used, now you’re ready to take the plunge in the world of electronic medical record. Most electronic medical record implementation will proceed on time with involvement of their participants and able to achieve their goals, others will find it a struggle, only obtaining partial success or in extreme cases no success at all. Many implementations issues are common in small and large organizations alike. With larger organizations due to their complexity, are more likely to have team issues and small organizations due to their limited resources and experience, will falter especially with technology issues. Everyone within the organization will play a part in the success and failure of the electronic medical record implementation, some will play a bigger part than others, but they will need to ne acknowledged and clearly understood from the beginning. Electronic medical record project will definitely need good management, but will need a vast involvement of stakeholders, a motivated team and having excellent communication plan in place. EMR’s are very complex and you will need to understand the capabilities and determine how it can be used to improve current paper based office processes. Expectations and Goals Setting measurable and specific goals that you want to accomplish will help assist in what constitutes failure or success. â€Å"Establishing goals that are ambitious, but achievable, can be motivating. Yet it’s important to understand your user’s needs and to make sure they understand and share the stated goals. Otherwise they might not play along, destroying your implementation plans†. Kenneth G. Adler, (2007). It is  always best to monitor and communicate progress or terms of achieving those goals. Having an implementation team composed of key stakeholders that can design and monitor the implementation process, a project manager should be able to direct the actual implementation and should be able to collaborate, rather than being a dictator. Tactics It can’t be said enough how important it is to plan for the eventual outcome of your EMR implementation. Write the plan down, use all resources that are available to ensure the success of the plan, a key factor of planning is to have a workflow redesign. The electronic medical record implementation will allow the opportunity to improve some of the less efficient processes through automation and with fewer steps. This will also allow to determine if the process can be improved by comparing it to a workflow diagram that was created of the EMR process that will accomplish the same thing. Roles in Change The ultimate goal in change management will be to engage employees and encourage them to adopt the new way of doing their jobs. Whether it be job role, organizational structure change, systems or all of the above, successful change will be greatly depended upon its employees are willing to change their daily workflow and behavior. This is the essence of change necessary for an initiative to be successful and deliver value to the organization. The deployment of electronic medical record really doesn’t concern technology but more about equipping the organization in order to attain its goal and objectives through providing employees, and patients with the technical capabilities that will promote the use of new inventions. Implementing the electronic medical record involves engaging everyone to the change process. Implementing electronic medical record into the organization will mean making Relationship Between the System, Process, Professional, and Personal Roles, and the Effect to the Project Change The main goal in change management is to involve employees, encourage, and to support them as they adjust to the new way of doing their job. The  change will only be successful when the organizational systems, processes, organizational structure, and job roles and other essential aspects has been considered. This simply means that all employees must change their workflow and behavior. This is very crucial of change management to be able to initiate and mobilize the needed changes for the success if the organization in obtaining their objectives and goals. Management will be responsible for enabling and managing change for everyone so that they can move together and in unison in order to obtain the goals of the project. Management should the process of change within the organization which will be affected by various forces such as technical and scientific knowledge, the roles of the professionals, changing technology, and changing demographic trends in the organization. â€Å"Organizational changes requires change in the status quo and the need to implement new paradigms. Every element in the organization has to be redesign and examined to ensure that they fit the intended purpose and to deliver results. The elements which compromise an organization are the tools, people, work processes and the structure. Structure is the traditional boundaries of decision making and authority and it identifies the vital personnel who are responsible in driving the business forward†. Organization Change Plan, (2012). Employees are the ones who will need a set of skills within the organization. The work processes will determine how the work is done at every level and department. The tools needed to determine the resources needed in supporting the change process will be the necessary equipment and physical facilities ranging from managing and reporting stem. Written documents of policies, hardware and software tools, manuals, procedures and tools of compensation. Communication Techniques Communication is a very important factor in the change process. Having frequent verbal and written messages will help the organization to describe the desired goals. It is up to the senior management team to inform employees why the introduction of the electronic medical record has to be achieved and what could happen if this change is not made. Management must also convey to employees a clear and concise expectation from the beginning and to explain how they will support and prepare them for the success to  come. Effective communication will require the use of new methods and efforts to improve performance in the organization. Management should be able to plan, motivate, solve conflicts, negotiate and to apply a style of leadership which is participative, and be able to create and provide an agreeable work climate through integrating and coordinating the internal communication. Every stage of the electronic medical record implementation require the need of effective communication techniques. Communication face to face with every employee of the organization would be very electronic medical record. This will help clear up any misconceptions and myths which employees would have concerning the change process. This will also help employees in the organization to have confidence in the process and to clear any doubts such as losing their job among many other misconceptions they may have. The primary goal of communication techniques is essential to reinforcing the process of change. The goal of electronic medical record is to gain and fulfil enthusiasm throughout the entire organization which will involve each employee and the setting up realistic approach of managing the project. Conclusion The strength and opportunities should be a positive influence that should exploit to efficiently implement the project. Threats and weaknesses can hinder, harm or destroy the electronic medical record implementation. Monitoring is a key factor at the implementation phase this is to ensure that the project implemented is on schedule. â€Å"Monitoring is also important to ensure that activities are implemented as planned. This  helps the implementers to measure how well they are achieving their targets. This is   based on the understanding that the process through which a project implemented has  a lot of effect on its use, operations and maintenance†. Phil Bartle, PhD,  (2014). When a project implementation is not on point, there will be a need for project managers to ask themselves this question, what is the best way to get there? There is however a very close and mutually supportive relationship between monitoring, implementation, and planning. None of these can be isolated from the other two, upon doing any of three the implementation and planning have to cater to the other two. It is essential that you remember all the tools needed in order to get to the goals and objectives of the organization References Adler, K.A., MD, MMM, (2007). How to Successfully Navigate Your EMR ImplementationRetrieved from www.aafp.org Bartle, P., PhD, (2014). Monitoring, Planning and Implementation. Retrieved from www.cec.bc.ca/cmp/module/mm-imp.htm Organization Change Plan, (2012). Retrieved from www.customwritingtips.com