Describe how your place of business uses different forms of Essay - 1

Describe how your place of business uses different forms of communication - Essay Example I work for Wal-Mart, a company dealing with processing and sale of grocery products across the country. Communication is crucial in the purchases and sales department as it enables fast procurement of raw materials and capital goods. Additionally, good communication allows management of inventory in all company’s retail outlets and delivery of the processed goods to customers. The most prominent form of communication used in this department is oral communication. It involves calling via the cell phone to make queries and helps in resolving misunderstandings that are frequent in the department (Chaturvedi 47). Also, one can speak directly to the members of staff in charge of any operation in the company. When procuring raw materials, I usually call via the phone to request for certain materials before placing a detailed purchase order in the supplier’s inventory. Written communication is another form of communication that is commonly used in the department. Paper-based communications give a clear message that can be filed in the offices (Chaturvedi 48). With the advanced technology, we usually draft papers in a digital format and send them via e-mail to the intended recipient. In the department, purchases orders are sent to the suppliers via e-mail, as well as, the details of the materials required together with their specifications. In response, the different suppliers send delivery notes to the department in the event of delivering materials. Written messages are sent to customers informing them that their invoices have been received. Face-to-face communication is also applied in the department operations as it enables clear understandings among the parties involved. Speaking directly to someone saves time and reduces subsequent communications especially when there are organizational conflicts. When customers complain of delivery of broken or substandard goods they are advised to visit the premises for a talk with the manager. Meeting

SingTel Group Essay Example for Free

SingTel Group Essay SingTel Group is Asias leading communications group, providing a diverse range of communication services and solutions, including fixed, mobile, data, Internet, info communications technology, satellite and pay TV. They are listed as the largest company in Singapore Exchange by market capitalization. They are also listed on the Australian Securities Exchange as a result of our acquisition of Optus, the second largest communications provider in Australia on September 2001. In addition, the SingTel Group is a long-term strategic investor in six regional mobile operators in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan and Bangladesh. To serve the needs of multinational corporations, SingTel has a network of 36 offices in 19 countries and territories throughout Asia Pacific, in Europe and the USA. The SingTel Group serves about 383 million mobile customers in 25 countries. In Singapore, SingTel has 130 years of operating experience. SingTel has played an integral part in the development of the country as a major communications hub in the region. Today, SingTel continues to shape the digital media and ICT market in Singapore. Despite full liberalization since 2000, SingTel remains the leading mobile, broadband and fixed line operator and in July 2007 ventured into home entertainment with the launch of mio TV. In September 2010, SingTel launched high-speed fibre services, with distinctive applications focusing on entertainment, convergence and productivity enhancement for home and business users. SingTel is a long term strategic investor. As a strategic investor, they work closely with their affiliates to grow the business, by leveraging their scale in networks, customer reach and extensive operational experience. SingTel’s affiliates benefit not only from the relationship with SingTel. By being part of a larger group, they are able to share experiences and insights from one another. These learning help affiliates as they navigate challenges and take advantage of opportunities in their own markets. In the future, the Group continues to review new investment opportunities in Asia and emerging adjacent markets and will be financially disciplined in its evaluation of new investments. (Sustainability Report, 2010) Purpose of the analysis As the Asia Pacific‘s best multimedia solution group, SingTel believe that creating and delivering value to customers, employees and shareholders is fundamental to their business. They are making communication easier, faster,  more economical and reliable by breaking the barriers of distance, price, time and technology. Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) has over 130 years of operating experience and has played an integral role in the development of Singapore as a major communications hub in the region. SingTel are doing well to bringing the best-in-class global communications solutions to customers. So, the purpose of this analysis to provides an overview of SingTel’s approach, priorities and performance in the area of sustainability for business operations and how they work with their regional associates. Their policies and programs are covered under four key areas – Marketplace, People, Environment and Community. Moreover, remaining success for many years, SingTel has been competing with many players within specialty market. This paper is to analysis the different factor of Singapore environment affects on the specialty telecommunication industry and competitive environment of SingTel and its core competences in order to win in the market battle 2. Macro environment analysis There are many factors in the macro-environment that will affect the decisions of the managers of SingTel. Tax changes, new laws, trade barriers, demographic change and government policy changes are all examples of macro change. The PESTEL model will evolve in Singapore market in order to understand the influences and demands, which will help the company to pursuit of the organization goals and sustain the business. It also provides the flexibility for the company to have effective response to adapt the external environment. 2.1. Political- legal Recently, â€Å"the Liberalization and Privatization of Telecommunications in Singapore† supported by Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS). The telecommunications industry as well as SingTel particularly entered a phase driven by fast-changing technology, which is stimulated by the demands of increasingly sophisticated end-users. To meet these demands, there has been a worldwide trend towards privatization, liberalization and deregulation in the telecommunications industry. This trend has created many opportunities, as well as challenges for SingTel. Liberalization, deregulation and competition thus offer a viable approach to ensuring the provision of better quality of services at highly competitive prices. SingTel also stimulate  more innovative services aimed at satisfying the needs of different market segments with custom-made solutions. In Singapore, the liberalization policy is aimed at increasing consumer choice and stimulating greater efficiencies in the use of scarce resources. In 2009, the Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has made a decision with regard to SingTels exemption request for the Business and Government Customer Segment and Individual Markets. This helps SingTel to seek exemption from the application of Dominant Licensee regulation to its provision of telecommunication services in six individual markets, all retail telecommunication services to customers in the business and government customer segment with an annual spend on telecommunication services of at least S$250,000. (IDA Singapore, 2009) Singapore has one of the most advanced Information and communication technology (ICT) networks in the world with very high levels of access. This has been possible due to the small size of the country as well as rising levels in income and government commitment to telecommunications excellence. SingTel was originally a monopoly on the ICT field until the market opened up to the other companies. (NUS.edu.sg) 2.2. Economics Economic situation is one of factor affecting to SingTel business directly. Globalization has jumped national boundaries, opened and increased trade and business has also an opportunity for the company. Thus, the using of telecommunications device and services has increased globally and the trend is expected to continue. This provided SingTel the opportunity to invest oversea, to enlarge the market and maintain profitability. Recently, the Singapore government has invested heavily in diversifying the economy. The business sector will create good environment to support and motivate the workforce as well as establishing the legal and financial business framework. All the economic sectors will continuously grow such as tourism industry, financial service, consultant service and retail. The growth in various economic factors presents the opportunity for SingTel to increase business locally. Furthermore, the telecommunication services are closely linked to economic activities in Singapore and region. So, SingTel need to have a good preparation to take the full advantage of effects such as the change of income and consumer spending habit. 2.3. Social – culture Singapore Culture is unique with four major ethnic groups: Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians. They are still strongly believed in their traditional value although the younger generations has started to adapt with the western culture. Especially, there is a phase in the mindset of Singaporean that â€Å"kiasu† means â€Å"afraid of losing out to other†. With this mindset, many young Singaporean has worked hard to expect high income and pursue the new and modern technology. They are always changing in their lifestyle, purchase behavior and the demand the high standard of quality and services. These present an opportunity for SingTel increase their revenue by offering the new and customized the product and services A change is taking place in the mobile industry. Customers are increasingly engaged with their smart phones and Internet devices to perform functions for work and leisure anywhere, anytime. Richer applications and services will be delivered over mobile networks. In fact, for many regional and rural customers in the developing markets, they will be accessing the Internet for the first time through their mobile phones. SingTel has seen this fact and moved to meet customer demand. 2.4. Technology Technology has changed and developed rapidly and continuously nowadays. New services such as Internet Telephone and the increasing of telecommunication users are the reasons for company to invest developing new technologies in products and services. In the current business, SingTel covers telephone line, e-commerce, Internet and mobile services. But SingTel has indentified e-commerce and Internet-based activities, which there are significant growth with customer segments. So, the technological investments are an integral part of SingTel’s strategy for long-term growth. Also, the high investment in proven technology was the critical factors made SingTel succeed in the past. 3. Key Opportunities and Threats of SingTel In the telecommunication industry with 4 main external environment factors that are affecting SingTel, it creates the opportunities as well as the threat for SingTel. Opportunities Threats Singapore has highest income per capita in Asia Singapore is the most advance information technology hardware infrastructure in the world. Merger and acquisitions The higher penetration rate in Singapore Refocused its oversea in investment in Asia Trend of deregulation and privatization. Customer demands and expectations. Rapid growing of technological changes The economic crisis StarHub and Mobile1 as new competitor Faced competition from foreign callback service. Government creates competition. 3.1. Opportunities Because of high demand of the market and the operating environment of SingTel is very competitive, which means that the company can see the environment will the same or more challenger in the future. However, the company still has opportunities to maintain the status as leading telecommunication company in Singapore and the region. Firstly, Singapore has highest income per capita in Asia. This affects on the purchase behavior of customer tend to use internet and telecommunication service in daily life as well as in the workplace. Secondly, Singapore is the most advance information technology hardware infrastructure in the world. This is a good condition for the telecommunication industry development generally and for SingTel in particularly. It was not just in Singapore market also it is the SingTel strengths to enter oversea market. Such as SingTel also offers hybrid satellite-fibre solutions to penetrate customer needs in Asia Pacific, USA, Europe and Middle East markets. Moreover, SingTel brings more than 25 years of experience in delivering industry-leading satellite communications. The innovative solutions empower to offer state-of-the-art communication solutions that will create value and optimize communications for customers. Especially, the trend of deregulation and privatization were opportunities for SingTel to take a big step in improvement quality and price of service in the highly competitive environment. 3.2. Threats Demand is growing so it will create a more intense competition among telecommunication companies. StarHub and Mobile1 are considered as major competitors of SingTel. Thus, the expectation of customers is increasing toward the demand of quality and service standards. Even when SingTel invest in but never found out service solution to customer, it will become very difficult to access them, especially when the company wants to penetrate markets in developing countries. During the recession of the world economy has greatly affected the SingTel development. At this time, when the effect of currencies by the inflation and the pricing storm in product and service, the people have to narrow their demand. Additionally, the merger of SingTel to Asian countries strongly influenced by the global recession. This has greatly affected the sales of SingTel in the region. The foreign callback service was a threat affect to SingTel when the price of this service is even cheaper than SingTel service. Also, when SingTel is joining their business globally, they must follow the various regulations and laws in different countries. These provisions tend to be stricter with foreign companies in this industry because the government wants to protect their local industry. This is also a challenge for many companies included SingTel. 4. Competitive environment analysis By application of Porter’s five forces model, it helps to find out the business strategy problem of evaluate the investment value of SingTel. An understanding of this, it suggest for SingTel to know which key success factors are necessary to cope with the competitive forces. C:\Documents and Settings\Nguyen Dung\Desktop\porterfiveforces.gif 4.1. Threat of Substitute Products (High) The importance of fixed line is slowly decreasing as a convenience method. The threats of substitute for fixed line telecommunication is high and replacing by VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and mobile phone applications, which can be a benefit for reducing communication and infrastructure costs. However, the fixed line telecommunication is still using widely in almost company included SingTel. This is proved its convenience and efficiency by coming of interim price and non-price term for fixed line telecommunications services under the new telecommunications access regime. These services are currently used as inputs by competitive communications companies to provide voice, facsimile and broadband internet  products to consumers and businesses. 4.2. Power of buyers (High) Buyer affect a company through their ability to force down price, bargain for higher quality and more services and play competitors against each other (Wheelen and Hunger, 2010). The bargaining power of supplier is high for SingTel because of the increase of various communication and low switching cost. Customers can choose to use internet telephone over fixed line service. In Singapore, there are two big competitors as StarHub and Mobile1, where SingTel have to consider to their products and services. The customer has many alternatives in the standard and undifferentiated between SingTel products and others. 4.3. Power of Suppliers (Moderate) On one hand, there is a balance of power between suppliers and telecommunication companies in Singapore, so the power of suppliers is moderate. On the other hand, suppliers are not able to compete directly with present customers because of the geographically extensive networks and the effort to make long term contracts can be difficult for the telecommunication market. 4.4. Threat of New Entrants (Low) Every potential entrant into telecommunication industry is required a license issued by the Telecommunications Authority of Sing Singapore (TAS). Meanwhile, as the security issues are highly sensitive in the operations of telecommunication services, the Singapore government will scan very carefully before accepted the license. Moreover, the new entrant required capital as a key factor and the new entrant can measure the sufficiency of financial resource. As the market dominated by SingTel that is equal to others companies. Given the entrance barriers are high, so the effort of a new player in telecommunication industry is low. 4.5. Intensity of Rivalry (High) There are several factors related to intense rivalry. The number of competitors has increased while the industry’s growth has slowed down, have caused the strong industry rivalry. M1 being the main competitor that have huge resources and strong power. SingTel have to watch each other carefully to step among their competitors. Moreover, as the products and services  characteristics that required the high investment as well as low mobility of fixed costs and infrastructure make it difficult for the company position in telecommunication market. 5. Core competencies In order to be successful, SingTel human resource and brand image must be value, rare, imperfectly inimitable and non- substitutable compare with other companies in same industry (Barney, 1991). Value: SingTel’s successes are based on customer focus. By understanding their needs and anticipating to them, SingTel enhance business success by offering to customer value and quality service, meanwhile they are always looking for the creative and innovative ways of doing business and sharing a passion for making a difference. Moreover, leadership team and employees are the most important assets for the company. By working as one team with share goals, they are developing strong bonds by communicating and sharing knowledge. By contributing value to everyone, this encouraged the open discussion and commit to an agreed position. As the leadership and superior position, their performance is achieved through pursuit of personal excellence. They seek continuous improvement and take pride in what they do. Together, they celebrate the success and achievements. Therefore, human resources are most valuable resource of SingTel. Policies to bring the training programs for staffs and managers to not only aware of their responsibility to implement and set the example in the implementation of the value of the company, also train them have a vision of the future business. Rare: Beside the commitment to provide a healthy and safe environment for employees, SingTel created an environment to get human resources where the people were not only achieved the goals, also the people can work in the harmony and share value to take responsibility and make commitments to customers. This will become very rare if not any company can do this while the business moral is slowdown toward benefit ahead. SingTel is committed to reducing environmental footprint through concerted practices. They address and focus on managing environmental protection, resource conservation, waste reduction and the impact of operations. These internal processes will allow the company to monitor, assess and mitigate the significance of any adverse impact of business on the environment, society, customers and employees. By addressing the social concerns that are critical to the well-being and  sustainable development of the communities in which SingTel operate. SingTel supports a wide range of programs focused on two strategies: SingTel Touching Lives Fund (STLF) is our corporate philanthropy program in Singapore to support community programs and disadvantaged children and young people. Support community development to prevent disaster relief and reduce illness in the communities in which SingTel has a high potential impact. Imperfectly inimitable: Through integrating best-in-class human resource practices for talent recruitment, retention, development and employee welfare, the company nurture and groom future leaders to power SingTel’s sustainable growth. SingTel attract the top talent around the world because of the employee diversity is integral to business success as every employee bring their unique skill and work experience to enable grow the global market. To ensure equal employment opportunities within the company based on non-discrimination and fair employment policies, all employees are selected on merit and their ability to perform the specific job functions. So, the human resource strategies were the sustainable competitive advantages that no company can imitate. Non- substitutable: Staying ahead of the competition in this dynamic telecommunications industry is an ongoing challenge for SingTel. Therefore, the element of non-substitutable is the necessary weapon to compete on the marketplace. The SingTel efforts will focus on the new market and satisfied customers. With SingTel, is not only committed to action when the things broken, but it is a long way to desire customer and make them smile to SingTel product and service. It was also the investing for future to adapt the flexibility of the market needs. Moreover, if without the ability to commit to good governance, will not be tied with the members to go on long road full of challenges and hardships. SingTel recognize good corporate governance and transparency are critical to ensuring the long-term success and protecting shareholder interests. This also aligns with the corporate objective to strengthen market leadership and corporate reputation. 6. Conclusion Based on the position of specialty telecommunication industry, as well as SingTel capabilities and core competences, they are doing well, but SingTel should make the strategic actions to overcome threats. Firstly, concentration is an effective strategic action to reduce cost, where SingTel  need to realize the weaknesses in business strategy. Through improvement structure of operations and the scanning continuously of internal economic, SingTel can in the long run reduce production, distribution and service cost to the advantage of the consumer as well as the company. If SingTel can do this, SingTel will achieve status of the lowest cost telecommunication services provider. This allows the company to increase the competitive advantages. Secondly, Research and Development (RD) is an investment to company’s future because when the current product lines outdated by their competitors, they will lose sufficient. RD will useful for engineering work that it give own wholly and safety as well as provide the lower per unit cost. This helps SingTel to pursue cost leadership position and against the potential competitors.

Jürgen Habermas’ The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere Ess

In this essay I will discuss Jà ¼rgen Habermas’ â€Å"The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: Inquiry into a category of bourgeois society† (1962), and the ideas presented surrounding the public sphere. What I will investigate is whether or not the post-modern phenomenon of new media (e.g. the internet) could in fact present a new-wave of public sphere, or is just another platform for mass-media. I will also explore the public sphere model, and discuss its decline (due to either political or economic reasons). I will look in particular at the 21st Century, and the evidence of a possible public sphere in the modern day, as well as the factors which could have extinguished the public sphere in the early part of the 20th Century, not just looking to Habermas’ philosophy but also other social commentators like Noam Chomsky & Del Sola Poole. The â€Å"Public Sphere† (Habermas 1962) is a term coined by German sociologist and philosopher Jà ¼rgen Habermas, as he believes, the public sphere social structure directly proceeded feudalism in European society. It comes from the two separate factors of the â€Å"public† ( referring to public authority – the state) and the â€Å"private†(referring to the idea of economy, society and the family) coming together for rational critical debate about the world around them. Habermas believes that this was initially started with the â€Å"literary public sphere† which allowed people of all social standing to discuss art and literature, usually in public places like coffee houses and salons. From this branched the political public sphere, where private people (not working for the government, or influenced by it) came together to use reason critically and analysed (and often opposed) ideas present in government. W... ...tion.† Outhwaite, W. ed (1996)† The Habermas Reader† Cambridge UP Crossley, N. & Roberts, J.M (eds.) (2004) â€Å"After Habermas: new perspectives on the public sphere†. Oxford University Press Curran, J (1978)† The press as an agency of social control: an historical perspective.† G, Curran, J. & Wingate P. (eds) Newspaper History: from the 17th Century to the present day. London: constable print Atton, C (2002) â€Å"News cultures and new social movements: Radical journalism and the mainstream media, journalism studies† Brendon, P. (1982) â€Å" The Life and death of press barons†. London: Secker & Warbug Koss S (1984) â€Å" The Rise and Fall of Political Press in Britain: Vol 2- The Twentieth Century† Chapel Hill and London: University of North Carolina Press, Herman S & Chomsky N (1988) â€Å"Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media† London: Vintage press

The Injustice of Slavery: A Peoples Resistance Essay -- Slavery Essays

The Injustice of Slavery: A people’s resistance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The history of the United States is filled to the brim with an abundance of significant events. Over the course of this nation’s young history there have been numerous social institutions. Many have been a necessity in our development. However, the US was home to one of the greatest atrocities committed on mankind. The institution of slavery is not only the most embarrassing but most sever infraction on the natural rights of man. At times there were in excess of three million black Americans enslaved in this country. It was not the dismal living conditions nor the bleak existence they lived that led them into a resistance of slavery. It was the theft, the unlawful striping of their right to life, liberty, and happiness that justly encouraged their resistance. The dehumanization of the black population in the US during the 19th century was a gross moral departure from the so called equality our nation has always strived for.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  No true American can find any sort of conflict in sharing the opinions of our forefathers. The US has its foundation built in the words of the Declaration of Independence. We live in a nation where â€Å"all men are created equal, and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights-among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.† In supporting slavery, masters dehumanized themselves and denounced the goals of America. A natural righ...

Statement of Work for Wild Wood Apartments Essay

History: Wild Woods Apartments is a property management company. They own around 20 different building, each of which is composed of anywhere from 10-60 different units. Each building has a lot of information to maintain such as occupancy, leases, payments and maintenance requests and expenses. This is expected to be done by the manger on site and then they are to send a report to cooperate every quarter. Every quarter, cooperates receives the information form all 20 sites and has to then manage that. Doing all of this paper work and managing by hand or even in spreadsheets is very inefficient and wastes time. Creating a database that can record and organize all of this pertinent information would help both the managers, cooperate and even the tenants. Scope: The Wild Wood Apartments Database will manage leases, maintenance requests and expenses, and rent amount and payments. The information will be kept secure and the information will only be viewable to those that have a need to se e it. It will track tenants that have already paid rent and ones that are late. It will also track when a maintenance request is submitted and when it is completed. Constraints: The database will be good for managers to be able to manage a tenants rent and maintenance requests. It will show when a maintenance request is submitted and when it was completed. It will not show the status of the maintenance order as it is being completed, or if they are waiting for supplies, etc. It will show the managers when a tenant is late on a payment but will not show the tenant with they are current or not. Objective The objective is to create a database for Wild Woods Apartments that can help them organize all of their properties information into one system t help streamline some of the work both the onsite managers have to do as well as the cooperate workers. The objective is to make the database record and use all of the important information in once place The objective is to be able to use the database for managers to be able to generate the quarterly reports with ease. Tasks and Timeline Gathering Data: This task will consist of gathering of current data to find what information fields will be needed. It will also consist of a questionnaire. Time allotted: 2 weeks Deliverables: a text with the questionnaire on it, and a list of the required data. Analyzing Data: Analyze the data to find the most efficient way to organize and display it Time allotted: 2 weeks Deliverable: a sample layout of how the information will be used Normalization: A model will be made using normal entities and relationship Time allotted: 3 weeks Deliverable: A diagram showing the relationships and entities Building the physical database: The model will be turned into an actual RDBMS system. Time allotted: 4 days Deliverable: a schema of the database Testing and security: test data will be entered and the system will be tested to make sure all of the rules and the security protocols are working properly. Time allotted: 5 days Deliverable: A record of the tests ran and the results Database Completion and Installation: Any final changes will be made and then the database will be put on the server. The test data will be removed and the network connections will be tested. Time allotted: 2.5 Weeks

Cell Phone Ban

Cell Phone Ban Cell Phone Ban The main purpose of road-traffic safety is to reduce harm (property damage, injuries, and death) resulting from vehicle crashes on public roads. Annually, the harm that results from road crashes is greater than that caused by other means of transport, for instance, sea, off-terrain, space, and air. A recent news report indicated that, for every four crashes, a driver using a cell phone causes one. Drivers who use hands-free devices and cell phones are distracted by the conversation. Paul Tetlocks report revealed that driving while using cell phones has caused almost 10,000 deaths in 2011 (Hahn, 1999). The fatalities have been estimated to be 100. In the light of crash fatalities, a ban should be imposed on drivers who text, use hand-held devices, and cell phones while driving. A drive around any town will reveal that cell phone usage threatens the lives of other motorists and pedestrians. In addition to that, people engage in several activities as they drive. Some acts are performed because of convenience calls. Drivers will always want to engage in small risks, in the context of productivity. Tuning the car audio, taking care of sibling wars in the backseat and sipping a cup of coffee are some of the distractions that may cause fatal crashes. A cost-benefit analysis of crash fatalities can be quantified in two approaches. The first model uses the loss in capital or human productivity. This model caters for all the direct losses that are associated with personal injury or fatality. For instance, in 2001, Niki Taylor, a supermodel and mother of twins had a fatal accident because the driver used a cell phone while driving. In this incident, Niki stands to lose her livelihood because she was critically injured. The second model involves the Willingness To Pay (WTP) model. The WTP model involves the estimation of the direct and indirect expenses incurred by the persons involved in accidents as well as those in the larger community. This model caters for the property and capital that people loose during accidents, as well as losses that other motorists incur. In the recent past, several states in America and other nations across the world have imposed bans on drivers who use their cell phones. In the context of this issue, some mobile phone companies have resulted to the introduction and aggressive marketing of hands-free devices. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that the drivers who talk while driving are four times likely to cause an accident (Tom and Ray, n.d). However, if a driver uses hands-free device, the chances of crashing is three times. Most legislators have argued that, the introduction and marketing of hands-free devices does not help in the reduction of accidents. A distraction is a distraction no matter the source and it drags someone from concentrating on driving. In conclusion, any proposed laws on human safety should focus on banning all forms of distractions while driving. The legislation should aim at eliminating any behavior that distracts drivers. Recent and future developments in the motor-vehicle industry should be thoroughly scrutinized. Motor vehicle engineers and designers want to make cars with more distractive devices than cell phones. They want to install computers that send and receive e-mails, stock quotes, and call. Although people feel that they should not be controlled on what they do in their cars, there is a need to evaluate convenience versus safety. The Government should take measures on the motor vehicle industry and push for legislation that will make guarantee road safety (Tom and Ray, n.d). If people overlook their selfish interest of inconvenience, then they may start to support laws that safeguard lives and property.

Macro-Environmental Analysis Essay Example

Macro Macro-Environmental Analysis Paper Macro-Environmental Analysis Paper Essay Topic: Marketing An organisations marketing environment can be defined as the actors and forces external to the marketing management function of the firm that impinge on the marketing managements ability to develop and maintain successful transactions with its customers (Kotler, 1997). In order to fully analyse Marss marketing strategy, it is important to look at its marketing environment first, which is made up of a micro-environment and a macro-environment. According to Kotler (1984), the macro-environment consists of the larger societal forces that affect micro-environment (internal). The micro-environment, on the other hand, consists of the forces close to the company that affect its ability to serve its stakeholders (external). Macro-Environmental Analysis Macro-environment, in Marss case, refers to the whole European ice cream market, since it is beyond the immediate environment but can nevertheless affect Mars as a company. European Ice Cream Market Capital requirement in advertising and branding is extremely high in the ice cream market. The spending is responsible for developing brands and generating effect on consumers decision-making process. For the premium ice cream where Mars has positioned itself, launching heavyweight advertising is of more importance, in an effort to create particular brand imagery by convincing consumers of its quality. In the ice cream market, the power of buyers and suppliers has been seen less strong as in other markets, because of the lack of concentration of its buyers and suppliers. Instead, buyers of ice cream has spread widely across all ages, although children are always the primary consumers. The threat of substitution may take forms of product-for-product substitution or substitution of need by a new product or service (Johnson Scholes, 1997). Ice cream, as a fulfilment of needs such as light hunger, refreshment, indulgence, fun sharing and thirst quenching, might be substituted by biscuits, chocolates, crisps, or some traditional snacks in some European countries. In competitive terms, there are two leading companies who dominate most shares in the European market, Unilever, headquartered in the UK and Netherlands, and Nestle, a Switzerland-based company. It indicates the unbalance of competitors. The attractiveness of industry is particularly high when the market growth rate is high (Johnson Scholes, 1997). Even up to the year 2000, the market was predicted to grow at around 5% per annum, especially in the super premium market where the growth rate is over 15%. This is unusual in mature European food markets. The high level of grow rate intensify the competition among various market players. It might also attract potential entrants, which, on the other hand, result to an even more intensive rivalry. However, rivalry can be alleviated to some extents through differentiation strategy. According to Naylor (1999), differentiation refers to the added value in which strategic business unit expects its customers to appreciate. The extra value offered by the company must also be valued by customers more than the extra cost it takes to provide it. In the ice cream market, the offerings of premium and super premium ones are regarded as kinds of differentiation. In this way, some companies will aim to gain market share by focusing on premier or super premium segment whereas the rest will fight for economy ice cream segment, thereby reducing the intensity of competition within the market. Finally, if the exist barrier is high enough, it can increase the competition as well. It is especially a concern of family firms, such as Mars. They tend to not leave the marketplace if this is the only business that they are in (Finlay, 2000). By taking all this factors listed above into account, the opportunity and threat for Mars can be categorised below. Opportunity After looking at the market in the general way, it is time to relate it to Mars company. Europe is relatively a stable environment, which provides a secure market for business, in terms of political factors. As its market share is spread evenly across Europe, Mars benefits a lot from the trading agreements, including EEC, EC, EEA, as they further lower the tariff and create customs union (Brooks Weatherston, 2000). Therefore, the prices of Mars Ice Cream tend to uniform all around the Europe. The expected increase in personal disposable income over a couple of years will also help Mars as consumers will have the necessary funds to realise their desires, and be more likely to go for high quality and more expensive products. The rise in personal disposable income helps the fast expand of Marss premium ice cream market, and indicates that this segmentation will still be beneficial to Mars in the future. As a recent trend, the traditional family meal time has now been challenged. It is largely due to peoples busy working lives. Therefore, it becomes common to find different family members eating different foods at different times. As an easy-to-prepare and ready-to-eat dessert, ice cream has obviously attracted a large number of consumers. Ice cream can be taken back to home and served in flexible portions (take home) or rather consumed immediately (impulse). Deseasonalisation has considered being a tendency in recent years. It implies the less dependency on the hot weather, which, in some European countries, last for quite a short time. Marss Ice Cream has been sold all over the Europe, thus producing deseasonalised items is of more importance on companys agenda. The production of the ice cream is subject to the use of advanced technology in areas like prevention of fat accumulation and coarse texture, sweetness, or drawing temperatures. It, in some ways, raises the threshold of entering ice cream industry, thereby protecting the existing companies, including Mars, from a too fierce rivalry competition. Continued innovation is also a key issue here. Unlike a stapler or cigarette, ice cream is the kind of product which needs continued refreshment and constant innovation in its taste, flavour, texture or ingredients in order to maintain consumer interest and encourage sales and repurchasing. The ability to conduct it relates to the technology as well, which re-invigorate the product portfolio. This kind of requirement has put Mars onto an advantage position since the company has been well-known for its ability of innovation. Threat The biggest threat refers to the counter-offensive defence strategy (Kotler Singh, 1981) employed by Unilever against Mars, since Unilver has effectively prevented Mars from accessing its freezer cabinets. It is done by supplying smaller outlets with free freezer cabinets, which are exclusive to other brands, thus increasing and enhancing its retail outlets. Since macro actors are more difficult to manage and control, a proactive action is required in order to survive in the market. Overall, the European ice cream market is a stable, growing, but highly competitive environment. Stale always indicates that the low level of changeability, higher level of predictability and visibility. Therefore, a prescriptive strategy can take place. Micro-Environmental Analysis Micro-environment is the internal factors that impinge directly on Mars. Mars Ice Cream Mars is highly profitable in confectionery and prepared petfood areas, acting like the market leader in these two categories. However, since the growth rates of these two industries are not high enough, its confectionery and petfood can be regarded as cash cows. The profit generated by its cash cows is actually used to support its question mark, namely Mars Ice Cream (see Figure 1). According to Mars, the ice cream has not generated significant profit since its launch in late 1980s. Mars Ice Cream, enjoying only 5% to 10% market share in Europe, demonstrates an ambiguous future in this growing ice cream market. In this scenario, the company should decide whether to continuously fund it in order to increase market share, or withdraw it from the marketplace as it erodes the companys profit. Therefore, It is said that Mars Ice Cream is a question mark. However, in its product portfolio, no star or dog has been observed. It might imply the unbalance of its current product offering. Strength Probably the major strength Mars has demonstrated for years is its innovation ability. It refers to what Lynch (1998) calls as distinctive strategic element relevant to competing in the marketplace. However, during the early 1990s, this strategy was borrowed by Nestle, a major competitor of Mars. For that reason, the advantage of being able to innovate is a competitive advantage of Mars instead of a core competence. By adopting Porters (1985) model for generic strategies, Mars concentration on a segment of the market is categorised as differentiation (see Figure 2). One of Marss strategies was to price the ice cream at a premium level, which proves to be highly successful. By doing so, Mars has implemented a flanking attack by concentrating distinct market segments that are not adequately served by Unilever and Nestle (Kotler, 1997).

The Integration Of Psychology And Theology Research Paper Example

The Integration Of Psychology And Theology Research Paper Example The Integration Of Psychology And Theology Paper The Integration Of Psychology And Theology Paper The Integration Of Psychology And Theology Psychology and Christianity have been at odds for as long as they as they have coexisted. This book tries to explain how the two can be integrated and be able to work together. The authors, John D. Carter and Bruce Narrmore, go through several ways of combining these two ideas that seem so far apart, but are actually, in theory, connected. The first chapter is about the possibilities of integrating psychology and theology, and some of the misconceptions that some Christians have toward psychology. Psychology has become such a big force in the past decades that there is no way that Christians can just ignore it. The two choices that they are, is to either integrate the basic principles of psychology with our theology, or completely throw it away. Christians cannot do the latter because psychology is a science that explains how we as humans take things and how they affect us. Christians sometimes tend to go with the choice of completely throwing it out, but what they don?t realize is that the basic principles of psychology and the basic principles of the Bible do not disagree. It is the theories of these psychology, model, pg, think, two, way, version, secular, basic, against, christianity, because, principles, christians, christian, ways, truth, out, integrate, go, different, between, authors, about, understand, theology, several, role, need, integration, first, book, believe, assumption

The good the bad and the ugly parts of being a nursing assistant in Essay

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EFutures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

EFutures - Essay Example In line with the use of internet, the unbounded system thinking is useful since the internet itself offers different challenges and conception which must be given enough consideration to have a successful outcome. The interpretation is partial simply to the judgment producer awareness additional issues could not be incorporated to be evaluated or assessed. Therefore, this is able to be observed as individual of the breakdown of inductive-consensual technique.   As well, one more difficulty of employing this method of assessment is that, the decision-maker can have a propensity to decide a convinced inspection with no some explanations. In this way, this can outcome to produce larger as well as difficult troubles. This simply involves, that utilize of inductive-consensual will not be flourishing if the judgment producer will not be capable to assemble as greatly confirmations desirable to validate all observations. In this section I will present the detailed analysis of the Podcasting technology through the implementation of the Inductive-Consensual methods of enquiry. Here the main reason to implement these methods of enquiry is the presence of approach that allows us to have a result foundational on a limited set of observations regarding the implementation of Podcasting. By means of Inductive-Consensual methods of enquiry devised observations, simply one wrapping up have to be measured.   In this technique, I will access the data through three techniques: The word podcasting obtains its recognition from Apples iPod, however to produce a podcast or even to listen to one, it is not compulsory to have an iPod, or some portable music player for that play any role. In simple words, Podcasting is a modern and up-to-date sort of online media delivery. You distribute chosen audio files by means of the internet and permit your users to subscribe by means of an RSS feed to repeatedly obtain

Research and Statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research and Statistics - Essay Example The undertakers of the research may not be cognizant of the underlying level of understanding of the questions by the respondents because there is no personal contact with them. There are specific questions contained in the questionnaires, the researcher may miss important information that could help to deduce the attributes of the people that are the topic of research (Kothari, 2005, pp 47-50). Interviewing is a qualitative method of research where there is a conversation between the researcher and the interviewees. It is a strategy used by researchers to deduce the experience of the targeted group by asking a set of relevant questions via the telephone, the internet or in physical contact with them. The interview should be clear, interpretative, knowledgeable, and critical and should remember the subject matter. Interviews can target individuals (personal interview) or target a group of people (group interviews). An example of interview is the one to investigate the thoughts children have about education and their mental state regarding this issue. This may be to assess the mental state of children (Rubin & Babbie, 2011, pp 82-84). Interviews have their limitations. It might be difficult to plan the time and meeting point for the interview. The participants can reschedule the interview or worse even sabotage it. Interviewers have the task of making the interviewees feel comfortable. There are instances where interviewees are hostile to the interviewers based on race, culture or even personal feelings (Tarantino & Peary,1998, pp 65-70). The main purpose of the research is mainly to define effect the expectations would have on the performance of the children in the reading test. This is a mental hypothesis; increase in the performance of the children with increased expectation in the reading test. The dependent variable within the research is the performance of the prevailing children and it is measurable. It is mental since it is

Prostate Cancer Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Prostate Cancer - Annotated Bibliography Example The article goes further to suggest that physical activities are crucial at this point because they improve one’s psychological and physical well being. In addition, a physical activity intervened lifestyle slows or reverses a declined quality of life. This study suggests that no research so far has ever attempted to evaluate an improvement multiple QOL domain intervention in prostate cancer patients under androgen ablation therapy. The study used a randomized control trial design for active life after cancer to evaluate the efficiency of physical activities interventions in the improvement of QOL of patients under this therapy. In addition, a group of lifestyle program of a 6 month behavioral skill training group was compared to a standard care and educational support program. The objective of this study was to present baseline information that would exemplify the QOL of the chosen sample. The findings indicated that married participants were less psychologically distressed a s compared to those who were unmarried. The limitation to the study was that the researchers experienced challenges in recruiting the participants. This study is relevant to the case study presented because Massri needs to perform more physical activities in addition to his golf to improve his health status. He is lucky to be married to Aziza, hence; he is likely to be less psychologically and physically distressed. Hoyt, M.A., Stanton, A.L., Bower, J.E., KaMala S. T., Litwin, M.S., Breen, E.C. & Irwin, M.R. (2013). Inflammatory biomarkers and emotional approach coping in men with prostate cancer. Brain, Behavior and Immunity, 32, 173-179. doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2013.04.008 The objective of the above article was to establish whether emotion coping is connected with psychological and physical health outcome improvement. The study was specific to prostate cancer related stressors in comparison with previous research, which was characterized

Cocooning. Consumers are shielding themselves from the harsh, Term Paper

Cocooning. Consumers are shielding themselves from the harsh, unpredictable realities of the outside world and creating safe, - Term Paper Example Tutor Signature: Date: Cocooning: â€Å"Consumers are shielding themselves from the harsh, unpredictable realities of the outside world and creating safe, â€Å"homelike† environments†. Introduction The following research is related to the topic cocooning. The report includes the discussion about the term and its implications in the current consumer behavior. The research also includes the implications of the term and the factors impacting the consumer’s behavior. Finally a conclusion has been drawn in the research. Cocooning Cocooning can be said to be as the condition or trend when people socializing less and retreating themselves in their home more. This trend has become popular after the significant commercialization of the electronic shopping. The consumers are shielding themselves from the unpredictable and harsh realities of the outer world and are retreating themselves into the safe, cozy and home like environments. People are more looking at the home saf e home concept. People and consumers have changed their buying habits because of the high fear of the crimes and no longer like to shop after dark. People are highly frightened by what they see. All the people are looking for developing safer ways to guard themselves against the mad world by burring themselves deeper into the more protective shells and the safe places like cocoons (Moe, 2012). Consumer behavior is changing with a rapid pace. These trends are presenting threat and opportunities to the large variety of organizations. With the changing lifestyle of people the buying behavior of people are changing drastically. People are becoming more career oriented and have very less time for shopping and other activities. There is a high change in the cultural trends of the consumers buying behavior. The cocooning consumer behavior trend is taking high positions in this competitive market place. The behavior of the consumers is changing with a high pace. With the cocooning behavior taking place the organizations need to go online. The cocooning consumer’s behavior is promoting the online shopping trend, and this will take high priority in the coming period (Danziger, 2005). Cultural trends affecting the consumer behavior With the changes in the buying patterns and the promotion of the cocooning behavior of the people there is a high increase in the online shopping behavior of the people. People are all the markets are looking for convenient way of shopping from the comfort of their homes. The organizations are looking for alternatives using which they can easily grab the customers and can entertain the customers buying behavior. People buying behavior has changed drastically in the recent years they have adopted several online buying means like fingertip shopping etc. people are looking for places which acts like cocoon for them. They want everything in the comfort of their homes. The heart of the every cocoon is the bedroom and the bath. People want pl aces where they can easily distress and get recharged. Smart homes are the need of the day which can make the lives of the people easier. People are more attracted towards the ways which can make their shopping experience more pleasant and easy, as compared to the previous visiting system. People look the lives as the homes and gardens are the last places where they want to control their lives. People in the current market period want everything on a click. They do not want to visit the stores and look for buying things. People

Prostate Cancer Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Prostate Cancer - Annotated Bibliography Example The article goes further to suggest that physical activities are crucial at this point because they improve one’s psychological and physical well being. In addition, a physical activity intervened lifestyle slows or reverses a declined quality of life. This study suggests that no research so far has ever attempted to evaluate an improvement multiple QOL domain intervention in prostate cancer patients under androgen ablation therapy. The study used a randomized control trial design for active life after cancer to evaluate the efficiency of physical activities interventions in the improvement of QOL of patients under this therapy. In addition, a group of lifestyle program of a 6 month behavioral skill training group was compared to a standard care and educational support program. The objective of this study was to present baseline information that would exemplify the QOL of the chosen sample. The findings indicated that married participants were less psychologically distressed a s compared to those who were unmarried. The limitation to the study was that the researchers experienced challenges in recruiting the participants. This study is relevant to the case study presented because Massri needs to perform more physical activities in addition to his golf to improve his health status. He is lucky to be married to Aziza, hence; he is likely to be less psychologically and physically distressed. Hoyt, M.A., Stanton, A.L., Bower, J.E., KaMala S. T., Litwin, M.S., Breen, E.C. & Irwin, M.R. (2013). Inflammatory biomarkers and emotional approach coping in men with prostate cancer. Brain, Behavior and Immunity, 32, 173-179. doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2013.04.008 The objective of the above article was to establish whether emotion coping is connected with psychological and physical health outcome improvement. The study was specific to prostate cancer related stressors in comparison with previous research, which was characterized

Leadership of Richard Branson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leadership of Richard Branson - Essay Example He treasures his employees’ insights in order to evaluate his success or failures and forge ahead. The trait enables the employees to learn from among themselves, from the industry and also from the mistakes they make in order to reach their desired levels. The company’s strategy stipulates â€Å"†¦reach for the skies and screw business as usual.† The company values learning for the realization of its strategy. In addition, the leader carry’s a notebook in every sitting so as to listen and jot down vital views in order to transform the ideas into actual strategies (Dearlove, 2007). c)Being passionate- the entrepreneur is occasionally passionate in everything that he does. Based on Dearlove (2007) he continuously engages the employees to be happy and passionate in their activities in order to achieve. His confesses that his $5 billion worth has been propelled by his passion and fun at work. The employees are paid below the market wage-price but are still loyal and passionate to the company. 2.a)Adventuring- Richard is highly adventurous both in business and social life. The entrepreneur is occasionally spontaneous in his business endeavors and never backs down for fear of criticisms or failures. In Dearlove (2007) the company has over 400 companies and partnerships which have aggressively attacked the market in order to attain new heights. The company has instilled the entrepreneurial spirit in its people; who are frequently advised to try new things. The adventuring spirit is supported by the company’s policy ‘to screw the rules and make mistakes’ since rules were made to be broken. b) Minimal bureaucracy- The entrepreneur is a down to earth person who despite his billions, occasionally engages with the employees or other members of the community in a cup coffee, community or corporate social responsibilities. Virgin group has an open social policy where the management

Duties of Students Essay Example for Free

Duties of Students Essay The responsibilities of students include: preparing a programme of work at appropriate intervals in each academic year in consultation with supervisors and ensuring that any deviation from the programme is reported without delay to the supervisors; Discussing with the supervisors the type of guidance and comment they find most helpful and agreeing a schedule of meetings; taking the initiative in raising problems or difficulties, however basic they may seem; maintaining the progress of the work in accordance with the stages agreed with the supervisors, including the presentation of written material as required in sufficient time to allow for comments and discussion before proceeding to the next stage; informing the supervisors of impending requirements related to expenditure within the budget; providing a formal annual report to the Faculty Graduate Research Committee (RD 47 form). And other progress reports as required; completing a Training Needs Analysis and maintaining a Personal Development Plan using the facilities provided by the University; attendance at the post-graduate training modules in Research Methods offered by the Faculty or centrally provided in collaboration with the Graduate School; attendance at the programme of personal skills training for post-graduate researchers offered by the Graduate School; planning when they intend to submit their thesis, taking due account of the opinion of their supervisors; Before submission, clearing any laboratory area in which they have been working, including the safe disposal of surplus chemicals and other materials; maintaining a repository of all primary data concerned with the research programme, either in notebooks or computer disk or machine print-outs, for retention until any publications from the thesis have completed the relevant peer review cycles; writing the thesis is the students own responsibility. Students are expected to have a good command of the English language. Students are strongly advised to show drafts of their thesis to the supervisors so that the appropriate advice and comments may be given well ahead of the date for formal submission; student representation on the Faculty Graduate Research Committee is important, so you should ensure that you know who your representative is. It is important to keep written records of the work done, progress with related studies and outcomes from supervisory meetings. Together with the written reports to supervisors and, of course, any publications in conferences and journals, these notes are invaluable for the preparation of the transfer report and in writing the final thesis.

Innovative Practices For The Coworking Movement Sociology Essay

Innovative Practices For The Coworking Movement Sociology Essay One of the grimmest predictions about the future was described by Robert Putnam in his work on social capital. He envisaged low likelihood of participation in community life, smaller groups of friends, even less happiness, and lower perceived quality of life (Putnam, 1995). Furthermore, the enthusiasts of globalization and internet predicted that since people do not have to be together in order to work together, so simply they will not be (Florida, 2003). Both of these statements are deemed fallacious when recent innovative developments like coworking spaces are considered. Instead of dividing people and further rupturing community life, they reintroduce collaboration and community building through establishing an innovative office design that is being implemented worldwide. This paper will be based on theoretical definition of social movement by Mario Diani (2000). The reasoning why this definition is the most useful will be presented in following sections. Then, Dianis (2000) defining attributes will be applied to coworking as a movement, and from this analysis, the conclusion will naturally flow that the following thesis is supported: coworking can be seen as a social movement because it satisfies its definitional elements i.e. networks of informal integration, shared beliefs and solidarity, and collective action. For the analysis of coworking, mixed methodology will be used: informal observation and interviews at three coworking spaces: betahaus Berlin, Hub Amsterdam, Coworking Cologne, and one emerging coworking space Hub Berlin. Additionally, available secondary sources will be analyzed: research and case studies present in literature, internet network data, websites, and forums. The focus will be, however, on the internet sources due to the novel ty and continuous transformations of the movement. Coworking has been present for centuries, but the first forms of collaboration appeared in the beginning of the 20th century. Artists from around the world gathered in Paris to live and work. One of the establishments, La Ruche, was created by Alfred Boucher to accommodate live/work space for artists. The place became a community and was centred on work of its residents (Jones, Sundsted, Bacigalupo, 2009). Bizzarri (2010) mentions associated offices that appeared in United States of America during the crisis of 1929. These offices gathered workers from the same or various professions working in one office as a cost-cutting strategy. She links the crisis of 1929 to the recession of 2008 as a catalyst of bourgeoning coworking spaces around the world (Bizzarri, 2010). The term coworking was first used by Bernie DeKoven in 1999 to describe virtual connectivity i.e. online tools of collaboration (DeKoven, 2000). In a context of a physical space, it was used by Brad Neuberg in 2005 (Alas, 2010) even though coworking spaces, in fact, already existed before that time. The vigorous spread of coworking did not start until the already mentioned crisis of 2008. Nowadays, it is extremely hard to assess the size of the movement with different incarnations of coworking emerging. For example, Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto was launched in 2004 and merges both coworking philosophy and multi-tenant nonprofit centre principles (Centre for Social Innovation, 2010). What exactly is coworking? It can be used in three different ways as Jones, Sundsted, and Bacigalupo (2009) state: [As] a proper noun to describe a movement the core values of coworking are A verb to describe an activity Im coworking with my friends at local cafe. An adjective to describe a space Souk is a coworking space in Portland' (p. 8). Movement Coworking movement has many principles that are shared between its members. The main value is that coworking spaces are about social connectedness, gathering, sharing, and collaborating. There are, however, a number of conditions that must be satisfied, in order for a viable coworking space to operate. Jones, Sundsted, and Bacigalupo (2009) describe it as a coworking recipe: Start with community. Blend like-minded people of different backgrounds together thoroughly. Add openness. Share ideas, thoughts, knowledge and problems in equal parts. Sprinkle collaboration on top. Ingredients will meld together to create new flavour. Add healthy amounts of sustainability. This will help maintain the recipes structure and prevent it from falling apart. Wrap in accessibility. Make sure all ingredients are given proper opportunity to interact. Enjoy! (p. 15) The movement build on such principles also is directed against isolation that streams from the type of work the coworkers are performing. Usually, it is some form of knowledge creation, data transformation, or a creative industry-related work. Sometimes, the members of the movement express unacceptability of corporate culture and its work structure (typical 9-5 jobs in artificially separated cubicles). Coworking as a movement has either outspoken or implied social change as a value. First of all, it is changing work/live relationship, and leads to sustainability in many ways. Second, the coworking members work often on projects related to social innovation and change. The honourable mention of social change-related coworking spaces is network of the Hubs (Centre for Social Innovation, 2010)Â  [2]Â  . Bizzarri (2010) underlines that one of the innovative factors of coworking is the sociality of the work and the value of relations face to face (p. 204). This aspect is crucial in coworking movement, because its enthusiasts aim at creating a thriving community rather than simply a workplace. Activity As previously mentioned, coworking incorporates individuals with mostly knowledge creation type of work and designers or artists. In most cases, they are not employed by the same organization, but sometimes small businesses are a part of a coworking space. Additionally, there is a high degree of independent work involved, but there is also a collaboration factor. People from different professions and types of work engage in dialogue, exchange ideas, and add an interesting perspective to problems defined by others, in order to create innovative ideas and become more productive. Coworking space becomes a place where unlimited intellectual resources are stored, and it multiplies ones network of professional and informal connections which is beneficial to individual work life and mental health. Various individuals have different patterns of use of coworking spaces. Freelancers sometimes need only a desk with internet connection and a telephone. Artists might need bigger space and flexibility. Some might use coworking spaces on a full-time or part-time basis, and some only for once in a while drop-in sessions. These offices also target people (so called nomad workers) who travel and frequently change their place of living so they cannot maintain an office. This initiative has also a myriad of occupations, and they include professionals from diverse sectors. Additionally, they come from different organizational structures: start-ups that cannot afford and office yet, small businesses that choose not to have own office, non-profits, freelancers, sometimes individuals that work for large companies as consultants, etc. Space The organization of the shared working environment is very important for a proper operation of a coworking office. Hibbert, Kimble, and White (2010) from the School of Architecture and Design at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee wrote an engaging manual on designing a coworking space with a number of technical pointers. In general, it should be flexible and have an open design, so it can accommodate many different events and activities through moving furniture, and separators that play a role of walls. Additionally, coworkers should have access to it at any time of day or night which sometimes is not possible due to security concerns. Coworking spaces usually have following amenities: internet, photocopy and printing, fax machines, mailbox, kitchen facilities, meeting rooms, coffee/tea machines, storage, and sometimes audio-visual equipment. Spaces at different stages of development might not have all of mentioned amenities or have more advance office equipment. Coworking spaces can accommodate members by offering them private storage place, or sometimes offer them separate office depending on the characteristics of the space. Different patterns of use mean different level of financial contribution for the maintenance of the office. Coworking spaces have a tiered system depending on the amount of time spent at the office, and sometimes the area needed for operations. Usually, coworking spaces do not make a profit, and at times they can run only with the help of grants and subsidies. Social Movement Definition A lot of social and political phenomena have been called social movements in the past, many of them not rightfully. There are so many theories that it is very difficult to pinpoint the exact definition of a social movement. Theoretical frameworks like collective behaviour, relative deprivation, resource mobilization, rational choice, political opportunity structure, new social movement, political process, and framing, all of them define social movements in diverse ways and focus on their different facets (Pickvance, 2003). Many buzz words surround the term social movement: collective action, social change, status quo, and social conflict among others. These terms are themselves difficult to define. Therefore, the plethora of ambiguities allows for calling numerous phenomena social movements, when they are really not. Mario Diani (2000) in his paper The concept of social movement analyzes four different theories in order to find a common thread between them and to arrive at all-encompassing, but yet detailed definition of the notion. The author bases his definition of collective behaviour perspective (Ralph Turner and Lewis Killian), resource mobilization theory (John McCarthy and Mayer Zald), political process approach (Charles Tilly), and new social movements theory (Alain Tourraine and Alberto Melucci). Some of these theories are contradictory in their assumptions and definitional elements. For example, Charles Tillys definition is very constrictive while it focuses on the excluded as the ones trying to get access to established polity and political process (Tilly, 1978 cited in Diani, 2000) which would be only one type of social movement according to other theories. Melluci (1977, cited in Diani, 2000), conversely, sees them as not always concurrent with political conflict, but that they might be dormant and engaged in cultural production. Diani (2000) posits that all of these theories focus on different aspects of social movements; resource mobilization theory and the political process approach look at their development rather than the causes of their emergence. New social movement theory tries to place social movements within larger structural and cultural changes (Diani, 2000). Even though these four theories might be different in certain aspects, Diani finds four common threads that all of the theories emphasize: Networks of informal interaction Shared beliefs and solidarity Collective action on conflictual issues Action which displays largely outside the institutional sphere and the routine procedures of social life (p.162) The last factor, lack of institutionalization, is disputed by Diani, who believes that some degree of institutionalism might play a role in social movements development while some movement begin in institutionalized organization or maintain the movement in a dormant stage under auspices of an institution still exerting social change and cultural production. Therefore, it is not included in the final definition. Diani presents a caveat that the institutionalization is a factor that should be closely observed because it might overpower the influence of a social movement. Additionally, an important distinction is made: while Sierra Club might be a part of an environmental social movement, itself it is not social movement and should not be regarded as such. Furthermore, political parties fulfill the requirements of Dianis definition, but he underlines that they act at the level of interest representation, and this functional level does not let them to be regarded as social movements. Fro m the discussion on these aspects and other implications of theoretical boundaries, Diani (2000) arrives at following definition: Social movements consist in networks of informal interaction between a plurality of individuals, groups and organizations, engaged in a political and/or cultural conflict, on the basis of a shared collective identity (p. 168). Diani (2000) disregards a number of characteristics in his definition that are usually associated with social movements i.e. extra-institutional tactics, civil unrest, disruptive political protests, use of power, etc. He claims that these aspects are simply characteristics of the varieties of social movements, and should not be included in the main and all-encompassing definition. Similar to Diani, definition of Goodwin and Jasper (2009) sees longevity of a movement more important than protests or riots: Social movements are conscious, concerted, and sustained efforts by ordinary people to change some aspect of their society by using extra-institutional means. They are more conscious and organized than fads and fashions. They last longer than a single protest or riot. There is more to them than formal organizations, although such organizations usually play a part. They are composed mainly of ordinary people as opposed to army officers, politicians, or economic elites. They are protesting against something. (Goodwin Jasper, 2009, p. 3) Therefore, the definitions are comparable and do not invalidate other theorists claims. In some degree, Goodwin and Jasper (2009) put more importance on extra-institutional means, protests, and riots; however, this does not make Dianis claims (2000) unsound, but further strengthens its validity and all-encompassing nature; in effect, this theoretical basis will be used to analyze coworking as a social movement. Urban Social Movements Urban social movements are a type of social movements that focus on structural transformation of the urban system and space (Castells, 1977 cited in Pickvance, 2003). Interest in this type of movements has been quite strong, but partially separated from the main discourse on social movements. As Pickvance (2003) discusses, urban social movements theories place emphasis on the effects rather than mobilization factors or the interaction between social movement and political systems. The intrinsic focus of urban social movements theories is the effects of various events, protests, and exposure to given principles and values. Castells (1977, cited in Pickvance, 2003) elaborates that the effects are rather seen in their potential rather than real outcomes. In other words, immediate consequences might be limited and not identifiable; however, changes in consciousness among participants and potential future support may be favourable to the viability of a social movement and the actual long term social changes. For this reason, writing on urban social movements was developing separately from the mainstream discussion on social movements, even though the main influence that contributed to its development was the rise of interest in new social movements. Pickvance (2003) elaborates: Although some writers have classed urban movements as new social movements, more usually urban movements have been categorized as an old social movement like the labour movement, because of the allegedly material character of their demands (p. 106) This typological distinction is quite important for the theoretical basis against which social movement might be tested against. It shows that social movements theories are diverse and that they describe approaches that result in dissimilar definitions. This predicament is important when discussing a given social movement that might fulfill the definitional elements of one theory and not the other. It also demonstrates that some social movement theories are developing outside the mainstream theoretical discussion, and a collective attempt at deriving a uniform definition is simply not present or still in very preliminary stages. Using Dianis definition (2000) presents a number of dangerous predicaments. It might seem too broad and all-encompassing. It puts emphasis on the common threads of the four main theories and presents relatively detailed boundaries of its definitional elements, however, there is still a degree of uncertainty and vulnerability in its possible use. Additionally, there is a tendency to use certain theories for movements with which we agree and different ones with which we disagree. In case of Diani, his definition is general, and different nuances are not accounted for in it, therefore, it might be quite unproblematic to recognize any movement or trend that resembles social movement as one of them. Application of the theoretical framework Common elements found by Dianis (2000) in the four main theories of social movements are to be examined in this section and applied to coworking as a potential social movement. Definitional nuances and evidence how coworking serves these elements are to be presented in an organized manner. First, coworking is recognized as built on the basis of networks of informal interaction. Second, shared beliefs of coworking as a movement are discussed: what they are and how they are implemented. Third, it will be shown to that extent social movements partake in collective action on conflictual issues and potential conflicts and adversaries will be identified. Finally, the relationship of the movement with institutional aspect and routine procedures of social life will be examined. Even though this last theme is not included in the final definition presented by Diani (2000), its evaluation is essential while it helps assessing coworking as a social movement against the theories that value lack o f institutionalization as an important feature of the definition. Networks of informal interaction First element of the definition concerns the relationship between its members: [it] is a network of informal interactions between a plurality of individuals, groups, and/or organizations (Diani, 2000, p. 8). All thinkers in Dianis analysis realize the importance of networks. Also Goodwin and Jasper (2009) and Castells (1977, cited in Pickvance, 2003) recognize informal interaction between people as an important requirement for a social movement. Especially, McCarthy and Zald (1977, cited in Diani, 2000) talk about different categories that characterize the organization of social movements: they mention social movement organizations, constituents, adherents, and bystander publics, all of them important members adding to the social movement. Diani (2000) characterizes this element as: Tightly clustered networks which promote the circulation of essential resources for an action (information, expertise, material resources) as well as of broader systems of meaning. Thus, networks contribute both to creating the preconditions for mobilisation and to providing the proper setting for the elaboration of specific world-views and life-styles (p. 163). Theorists in the recent time were discussing a lot about information flows in a network society. Castells (2001, cited in Bizzarri, 2010) pointed to the information and communication technologies as changing the relation between discretion and control in the organization of working. The most focus is placed on the value of knowledge, the role of knowledge as capacity of action, the openness, the mobility, the collaboration, the accumulation of social and cultural capital, the flexibility of workers to adapt their skills to different situations and jobs (Bizzarri, 2010, p. 198). Many pointed this innovativeness and its importance in workplaces. This notion is recently present everywhere, governments switch to network governance, participatory decision making, and horizontal collaboration. In this organizational setup, people from different sectors, organizations, occupations, and departments work together (citation needed somewhere here). A lot of these collaboration methods are cente red on the abilities of information and communication technologies. Coworking is based on this idea. It brings people with different experiences to a common space to work and socialize, but the technology is only a tool not a mean in coworking space. Centre for Social Innovation (2010) in the booklet Emergence stresses the importance of relying on a network as a strategy of well operating coworking space. The organizational design is structured on production, distribution, and access of information, all of the members of the space are supposed to learn from each other. It resembles a bit wikipidia model, or open-source software, where all of the interested individual contribute to create and accomplish bigger projects. Coworkers work on individual work assignments, and such an open structure of their work is simply not possible, however, there exists possibility to constantly consult with other and collaborate on each others project. People coexist in a physical space and that aspect is very important. Similarly to government-made horizontal collaboration, coworking spaces have usually flat organizational structure (Bizzarri, 2010), therefore there is no decision makers, all of the decisions are made communally. In some spaces, the governance structure might be rather heterarchycal, and it will have some members overseeing certain aspects of a coworking space, so, for example, there will be a person dealing with administrative side of coworking space operations, there might be a communications person, technical maintenance, cleanliness, etc. However, these positions are not introduced in order to create a hierarchy with some people in power or not, but is done to ensure adequate operations of a space. Many of the changes that are happening in organization theory come from a bigger movement of industrial changes that call for a networked interaction. Wilson (1995) underlines that the geography of a new competitive model is more flexible than mass production and involes creation of netoworks which is so important to innovation diffusion (p. 646). In fact, industrial districts that aggregate small and medium sizes enterprises are perfectly able to compete with large commercial firms (Wilson, 1995). This is due to their network character and sharing resources. Even though those firms might be centred in a given geographical region, they are still open for the global influences. Wilson (1995) mentions endogenous development approach which emphasizes the unique factors of the spatial milieu in which the activity occurs, while at the same time recognising the embeddedness in the larger structures (p. 649). Coworking is a space that does not enclose the members because their work focuses on external environments: clients, companies they work for, families, and friends. It is a system that brings them together and creates a community that shares many things. Coworking is not only about working in a shared space; it has also a social element to it. Endogenous development must include non-economic values a behavioural and socio-psychological change from homo economicus to homo sociales. John Friedman (1988) reflects the same idea when he calls for a transcendence of the division between life space and economic space (Wilson, 1995, p. 650). This is very important for people at coworking spaces. Coworking space is not only a place to work at and collaborate, it is also a place where people become socially involved with each other on a higher level than usual work places. Many coworking spaces have once or twice a week common meals, some of them even introduce that custom daily. This has profound effect on their relations. Addionally, coworking spaces introduce workshops and events that are not targeted at professional development only. They are also open to the community; so for example, they will invite a yoga instructor, or will have workshops on mental health, leadership, good food and living. In some degree, this agrees with Wilson (1995) discussion of regulationist writing that shows that the wage and strength of the union will decrease and more pressure will be focused on human development and less tangible factors than productivity: behaviour, cultural and social changes. In short, it is the beginning of change fr om the mechanistic and deterministic to holistic and interconnected (Wilson, 1995, pp. 653-654). Coworking spaces have this idea embedded in them. They are not workspaces anymore; they are a way of life. Shared beliefs and solidarity Social movements are characterized by the fact that its members share beliefs and a sense of belongingness which is definitely visible in coworking spaces. The boundaries of coworking spaces are not defined by the physical borders of the office, but by the collective identity shared by people who are members, visitors or simply supporters of a coworking space. Diani (2000) describes this aspect as: Collective identity is both a matter of self- and external definition. Actors must define themselves as part of a broader movement and, at the same time, be perceived as such, by those within the same movement, and by opponents and/or external observers. (p. 164) Collective identity helps to define the boundaries of the movement, but does not mean that the movement is homogenous. There is still a plethora of ideas, orientation, opinions, and perspectives in the coworking movement that can come from the shear fact that coworkers come from different occupations and are exposed to different theories, experiences, and perspectives. Citizen Space is one of the first coworking spaces. It was created in San Franscisco by the movement leaders Tara Hunt, Chris Messina and Brad Neuberg. Its website has a section entitled Our Philosophy and it contains Collaboration: One of the great benefits of working in a coworking space is that you will meet all sorts of people with all sorts of knowledge. Openness: We believe in transparency and openness. In a world where people are free, but ideas are not, only a few benefit. When ideas are free, everyone benefits. Therefore, we encourage open spaces and discussions. Sorry, no NDAs allowed.Community: We thrive on connections and mutual support here. It is important that everyone give into as well as benefit from the strong (international) community coworking has become. Accessibility: In order to be fully open, we must make the effort to be accessible to all. This means that we endeavor to create both a financially and a physically accessible space. We are committed to this prin ciple and welcome feedback on how we can make it even more accessible. All of those values are shared between other members of the coworking movement. These are basic principles that spring from the model work that is present in the coworking spaces. Collaboration cannot be closed; it always has an open model. As Wilson (1995) named future innovations as a new sense of purpose and process on a local level (p. 645), this is in fact what joins those people together in a relatively uniform and with minimum conflict. The people that surround the movement are mostly creative workers that are new leaders in todays economy. They are mostly self-employed people, nonprofits, innovation searching individuals who in turn advance urban movements and economies (Schreck, 2006). This class of people, knowledge creators, Florida (2003) calls the creative class. They drive innovation and current global economic growth trends (Hibbert, Kimble, White, 2010). They are employed in many professions, but their main purpose is to create new ideas, technology and creative cont ent. In addition to changing the landscape of the economy, knowledge creators seek new ways to configure their work environment to promote individuality and allow for more flexibility. They demand the autonomy of working anywhere and the social interaction of a traditional office. (Hibbert, Kimble, White, 2010, p. 43) In general, it is the members of creative class who are the most prone to join the coworking movement. Additionally there is a degree of entrepreneurship present in coworking spaces. A lot of members are entrepreneurs, some of them focus on social change. It was the most visible in Hub Amsterdam where the wall of members highlighted the social change focus of its members. Coworking itself is entrepreneurial initiative, and therefore it characterizes its members. Diani (2000) puts a pressure on the entrepreneurial aspects of social movements by citing Gusfield (1981): Social movements condition and help constitute new orientations on existing issues, in so far as they contribute to the existence of a vocabulary and an opening of ideas and actions which in the past was either unknown of unthinkable (Gusfield, 1981, p. 325 cited in Diani, 2000, p. 9) Conclusion Paragraph of this section Collective action on conflitual issues Diani (2000) finds that all four theories share also an aspect of collective action on conflictual issues. He writes: Social movement actors are engaged in political and /or cultural conflicts, meant to promote or propose social change either at the systemic or non-systemic level (Diani, 2000, p. 166) This factor consists of two parts: collective action and conflictual issues and theorists differ in what exactly this means. Some theorists put a specific emphasis on conflict situation as a fundamental element of the concept (Turaine, Melucci, Tilly). Other look at the social movement as leading to social change and that is, according to them, the main aspect of the concept (Turner and Killian, McCarthy and Zald, Pickvance and Castells). There is a number of ways we can understand conflict. It can be a conflict on political, social, or cultural sphere, but it does not necessarily have to engage in an open conflict, protests, and active dispute at the systemic level. It might be also conflict with political decision makers, civil rights dispute, etc., but Diani (2000) also mentions: Several authors maintain that the true bulk of social movement experience has to be found in the cultural sphere; what is challenged is not only the uneven distribution of power and/or economic goods, but socially shared meaning s as well, that is the ways of defining and interpreting reality. Social movements tend to focus more and more on self-transformation. (p. 165) Therefore, social movements focus as well on conflicts that arise in a private sphere, on the individual level. It attacks the way we think about ourselves, our self-definition, and lifestyle choices. The second part of the actor is collective action which can be understood as some sort of activity that leads to achievement of a goal or a set of goals by more than one person, in this case, a social movement. Diani (2000) does not address the issue whether the activity should be overt and proclaimed. Dormant social movements might not actively engage in open collective action, but might affect individuals in a more covert way, similarly to how Pickvance (2003) describes the effects of urban social movements. This might not be an issue for Diani (2000) however; some caution will be taken when a favourable judgement is granted in the absence of full evidence. In regards to conflict and collective action, coworking as a social movement has not, in some degree, openly proc

The Business of the Ford Corporation :: Ford, automobiles, business,

The state where I live is ‘Ford Country†. There are many Ford auto products such as autos and trucks driven daily. Although I am not fully familiar with the intricacies of the Ford Corporation, the business dealing with this organization is endless. Ford’s marketing department responsibility lies with one state where there are 6 other competitors in the Ford organization, its product price is the area where a difference advantage for the Ford Company can occur. The ability to achieve such a goal for the Ford organization begin with the auto manufacturer production capacities and prices of its highest-volume cars, the target market and the buying patterns of its customers. Using the 4Ps –Production, and the Ford organization, the banks might watch the auto manufacturers sticker prices and the prices which the auto sales for. Plus, the Ford Company knows its sudden excess capacity in production of its auto has created capacity overload. As a result, the Ford organization competitive environment has prevented Ford and other auto makers from increasing its prices. As marketing director, Ford’s production of auto’s will continue but with less models. For instance, last year the Ford auto maker was able to hold the production line on its prices.[2].On the other hand, because of strong competitive environment, this prevents the Ford organization from increasing the autos and trucks prices [3]. The Ford organization can differentiate its product from rival competitors using price. The company can only offer lower price, by reducing the current line of autos and trucks costs. The marketer wants to consider the immediate an d future plant productions of autos made in its other plants. Especially, if certain auto and truck engine production plants will distinguish to meet Ford’s manufacturing according to each Ford production plant state engine need, thus, Ford can further differentiate its auto product. For example, in states where auto and trucks fuel emission engines are a concern the company will want to address this need of the customer. For example, Ford will want to reduce the emission cost of its auto and trucks in states such as California, New York and Massachusetts, or cut out the consumer cost.

causes world war 1 :: essays research papers

It can be said that the First world war was caused by the alliance system, which has a very weak argument, the alliance system had very little to do with the first world war, it did to some extent cause the size of the war, but its argument in my opinion is very weak. Many other causes lean towards the side against the alliance system causing the first world war, which I believe is credible. The alliance system did cause the size of the war as it caused countries to be pulled in. First made in the Franco- Prussian war. Alliances held countries to some sort of standard and normally required something of each participant. The triple alliance signed by Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy bound each country to give military support in a case of war or â€Å"if any one member of the alliance was at war with any two great powers other members would come to aid†. When the entente was made it did not intend for reciprocal arrangements for support, though it did allow wide variety of arrangements negotiations to take place, one negotiation would have been of support in war. But by 1911 A.J.P Taylor said â€Å"the entente was in the process of disintegration.† and was not seen as strong, because of the triple alliance Germany came to Austria’s aid willingly, which plunged Germany into war. When Germany declared war on France and Russia, Austria- Hungary was pulled into that battle to fulfill their part of the alliance. This had four major powers fighting. Alliances pulled countries into war because if they were not followed a threat of retaliation would be expected. On the other hand. Other causes include Nationalists wanting freedom, causing the Slavs to ultimately assassinate the duke and causing hate towards to Austrian empire. Nationalism was also a major cause of war, it caused problems especially in Austria- Hungary and France. This same nationalism had brought Germany together a one country and who took Alsace- Lorraine from the French in 1870- 1871 in the Franco- Prussian war, and in recent times the Moroccan crisis which left the French with hatred as an attitude towards the Germans, the thought of revenge was also one that was favored by the French nationalists. While this unrest was happening in France, nationalism was also causing problems in the areas of Austria- Hungary, over here the nationalists were slavists