To be loved or feared as a leader - 1706 Words

TO BE LOVED OR FEARED AS A LEADER? Leaders in fields ranging from military and politics to business and even education have been posed with the choice of instilling love or fear among their respective followers. Traits like warmth and trustworthiness of a leader instill love among followers and fear of a leader originates mostly from his strength and competence. Although there are numerous other traits in a leader, warmth and strength are the most influential. According to psychology, a major part of other people s perception about a person is determined by these two dimensions of personality (Cuddy, Kohut and Neffinger, 2013, p. 56). The dilemma of the choice between these two is inherently present in the nature of the two extremes†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, there s the story of the General who went way beyond the call of duty to personally know all of the officers training under him (Cohen, 2008, p.149). The General s gesture was one of pure warmth. This could be se en as an argument in favor of applicability of the love model in any organization regardless of its function and dynamics. Lastly, I would refer to the discussion in class where it was established that interpersonal skills that come from emotional intelligence and emotional quotient are much important for managers than technical skills that use academic intelligence and intelligence quotient. Based on the arguments so far, it would be safe to say that leadership can have much more to do with warmth and empathy than it is accredited for. And that the love model, like the fear model cuts across culture, fields and time. There is ample evidence to support both of the models of leadership under various circumstances. What determines the effectiveness of leaders is their ability to get an emotional response from followers. The response can be of fear or of love. According to Gittell, Ledeen and Maccomby (2004, p.15), what matters is the decision making. If the decisions taken by the lea der are fair, people will respond to both warmth and strength. But If the decision making is arbitrary, people will cease to respond to either emotion. However, experts differ in their opinions about whether fear is moreShow MoreRelatedTo Be Loved or Feared as a Leader? Essay1710 Words   |  7 PagesTO BE LOVED OR FEARED AS A LEADER? Leaders in fields ranging from military and politics to business and even education have been posed with the choice of instilling love or fear among their respective followers. Traits like warmth and trustworthiness of a leader instill love among followers and fear of a leader originates mostly from his strength and competence. Although there are numerous other traits in a leader, warmth and strength are the most influential. According to psychology, a major partRead MoreIs It Better to Be Loved or Feared as a Leader?1774 Words   |  7 PagesWhether a leader is feared or loved has been a debated issue by philosophers for many years. You could argue that a leader being loved is better because of the trust and motivation sides of things, or you could say to be feared is better because people follow rules and orders better. What is the role of government in human society? Whether being ruled under democracy, dictatorship, or autocracy all of these types of governments do however have one thing in common. All of these types of leadershipsRead MoreMachiavellis Views on Leadership- It Is Better to be Feared as a Leader than Loved 697 Words   |  3 PagesAccording to Machiavellis view of how to be an effective leader, a ruler should be one who is feared but not hated. Machiavelli states that fear is better than love because love is unreliable. All of the reasons that Machiavelli gives relate to how human nature controls men and drives them to commit crimes in order to reach their goals and satisfy themselves. Before the organization of Italy as a country, it was broken into city-states one of which Machiavelli called home. He was a FlorentineRead MoreNiccolo Machiavelli : Better For A Prince To Be Feared Than Feared In The Prince1516 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Niccolo Machiavelli (1810) asks whether it is better for a prince to be loved or feared in The Prince. The purpose of this essay is to argue that it is better for a prince to be feared than loved since the duty of a prince is to remain in power by any means necessary, using the example of Tsar Ivan. Supporting evidence of conflicting viewpoints will be analysed and evaluated throughout to help reach this judgment. The use of contemporary examples: President Trump and Colonel GaddafiRead MoreAnalysis Of Niccolo Machiavelli875 Words   |  4 Pagesholding his power in control without nourishing any hatred on themselves as a leader. A ruler sets an impression, reflecting how their subjects behave by his actions. Niccolo Machiavelli wrote his treatise â€Å"The Prince,† in 16th century Italy. As a political theorist, Machiavelli put his concerns towards cruelty and clemency and argues whether or not it is better to be loved than feared. Machiavelli advises future leaders arguing what makes an ideal ruler and the impact rulers would have on politicsRead MoreMachiavelli: The Power of Fear Essay845 Words   |  4 PagesNiccolo Machiavelli stressed that â€Å"one ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved†¦for love is held by a chain of obligation which, men being selfish, is broken whenever it serves their purpose; but fear is maintained by a dread of punishment which never fails.† He felt that a true leader must be cunning and deceptive, winning the hearts of his people through power and influence. If he could not be liked, he couldRead MoreTotalitarianism In The Prince By Niccol Machiavellis The Prince934 Words   |  4 Pagesthe novel those who follow Machiavelli’s teachings are not evil because in order to be a good and powerful leader one is required to show strong leadership, maintain domination for the benefit of citizens, and at times be feared ra ther than be loved. Machiavelli thoroughly explains that rulers should lead their people in how the world is instead of how it   the world should be. A strong leader is not concerned necessarily about what is right or wrong, but about what is most practical and effectiveRead MoreNiccolo Machiavelli s The Qualities Of The Prince And Lao Tzu1198 Words   |  5 Pages Government: A Profound Leader Since the being of time, humans have sought out law, or government. Governments have been set in place all throughout the world to try to maintain peace and order. As easy as it sounds, governments can be demolished without the right leader. However, that is the catch, what makes a good leader? Niccolo Machiavelli’s â€Å"The Qualities of the Prince† and Lao-Tzu’s â€Å"Tao-te Ching† gives some ideas on how a leader should control their government. Although Machiavelli’sRead MoreMachiavellis The Prince and its Role in Politics in the Renaissance757 Words   |  4 Pagesbeen debating over time. Machiavelli maintain the thoughts which is the essential for the cruel to a successful leader. To those of view points according to Machiavellis thoughts are the arguments that a prince is to be clement or cruel, to be feared or loved. Those significance are appeared in his written and plays the main role in his viewpoints. It is common to every leaders that wants to be thought as clement but not the cruel in his citizens mind. A good repetition of clement is notRead MoreThe Prince by Machiavelli1057 Words   |  5 Pageswere every prince should rather be feared than to be loved, study war and always be ready for it, and that in the case of two states in war always pick a side and never stray away from it. These characteristics were present in a strong and merciless ruler who used the three features above to govern over an entire country. Joseph Stalin might be seen as a mass murder, but his achievements and contributions to Russia proved that by being feared rather than loved, studying war and perfecting it, and

Theology of Revelation Essay - 2358 Words

Introduction Trinitarian theology within the book of Revelation is not at first sight easily recognisable amongst the plethora of images and prophecies that are recorded. The beauty of John’s theology is that the Trinity is deeply embedded in the text so that the reader must dissect the book in order to glimpse the theological beauty that is present. This essay will seek to explore the threads of the Holy Trinity that appear in the book of Revelation by looking at the characteristics of God, the specific Christology of John and the role of the Holy Spirit in the book of Revelation. In looking at each of these three areas as distinct yet overlapping threads I hope to give a succinct and scholastic Trinitarian theology of Revelation.†¦show more content†¦The first is, ‘the one who is, who was and who is to come.’ This is a â€Å"threefold phrase that serves to indicate the eternal nature of God, who exists before, after and above all other powers.† The second ti tle is the ‘first and the last’, this can be seen in Revelation 1:17, 2:8 and 22:13; relating to this is the third title of ‘the beginning and the end’. Both titles show God’s character as eternal in duration and as being in control. The last title is ‘the alpha and omega’, which according to Aune takes on, â€Å"the notions of pre-eminence and superiority.† The second grouping looks at how God is connected with things. For example this can be seen in the phrase, â€Å"the one who is seated on the throne.† Woodman points out that, â€Å"John’s point is clear: the emperor may sit on an earthly throne, but God is on the ultimate throne in heaven.† How God is connected to the throne is therefore not just a fact that is noted by John, but a metaphor of God’s ultimate rule and power. The throne by way of representation shows another characteristic of God. The third grouping is concerned with God’s b eing and attributes. These are many and varied and often overlap with Jesus and the Spirit but one area that is unique is the voice of God. This is recorded for example in chapter sixteen, â€Å"Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, ‘Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God.’† A voice does notShow MoreRelatedThe Theology, Christology and Pneumatology of The Book of Revelation1741 Words   |  7 PagesThe Theology, Christology, and Pneumatology of the Book of Revelation are highly reflective of the social, political and religious context in which the book was written. Within the text, we find expressed the views of an author, and Christian community in general, challenged by the power and ideology of Rome, as well as having to re-imagine and re-comprehend their God, and divinity in general, in light of the revelation of Jesus Christ and the work of the Spirit among them. Before beginningRead MoreChristian Theology And The Biblical View Of Special Revelation2036 Words   |  9 Pages â€Å"Christian theology has had to protect the biblical view of special revelation against many perversions. Platonic preoccupation with â€Å"eternal ideas† accessible by rational contemplation alone, plus the disregard of history as a meaningful arena. † Acknowledging and identifying the Four Horseman in Rev. 6:1-8 King James Version is no different in the body of the church today. Many venues have tried to explain and teach expansions views of their current teachers/shepherds that really do not qualifyRead MoreChristian Theology And The Biblical View Of Special Revelation1961 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"Christian theology has had to protect the biblical view of special revelation against many perversions. Platonic preoccupation with â€Å"eternal ideas† accessible by rational contemplation alone, plus the disregard of history as a meaningful arena. † Acknowledging and identifying the Four Horseman in Rev. 6:1-8 King James Version is no different in the body of the church today. Many venues have tried to explain and teach expansions views of their current teachers/shepherds that really do not qualifyRead MoreGod s Word And Identity : How We Decipher True From False Revelation? Essay1742 Words   |  7 PagesFalse Revelation Pass or Fail Class (P/D/F) Michael Fegins ET1000- Liturgical Shape of Christian Life December 22, 2016 How can a person know whether or not his or her revelation of God is valid? I believe that one can find answers in the writings of James Cone. In his writings, A Black Theology of Liberation, Cone writes a chapter entitled, â€Å"The Sources and Norm of Black Theology†. One of the sources that Cone mentions, as sources of black theology, is revelation. WhatRead MoreEssay on THEO 201 Quiz 1 study guide804 Words   |  4 Pages Things that were said before. What are the three presuppositions of prolegomena? 1: There is a God. 2: Truth exist. 3: A person can know the truth. What is the contemporary usage of the word â€Å"theology?† The science of religion or doctrine of the church. What is catechism? The study of theology stimulated by questions. What are five presuppositions for the task of theologizing? 1.there is a God and he has revealed himself. 2. That there are laws that are self-evident. 3. That man has theRead MoreWhat Is Theology Essay1008 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is theology? What does it explain if anything? According to the encyclopedia, it is related to the Greek Religion. In Christianity, the systematic study of the nature of God and Gods relationship with humanity and with the world. Although other religions may be said to have theologies, this is a matter of controversy within, for instance, Judaism , which holds that God is unknowable. This article will therefore confine itself to Christian theology. The development of theology in ChristendomRead More what is theology Essay995 Words   |  4 Pages What is theology? What does it explain if anything? According to the encyclopedia, it is related to the Greek Religion. In Christianity, the systematic study of the nature of God and Gods relationship with humanity and with the world. Although other religions may be sai d to have theologies, this is a matter of controversy within, for instance, Judaism , which holds that God is unknowable. This article will therefore confine itself to Christian theology. The development of theology in ChristendomRead MoreThe Philosophy And Philosophy Of Ibn Al- à ¸ Arab Æ’â„ ¢765 Words   |  4 PagesCategory: Religion/Philosophy/Islamic Philosophy and Theology The main themes of the book consist of epistemological tools, i.e. revelation, the human intellect, inspiration-unveiling used by Ibn al-Ê ¿ArabÄ « and Ibn Taymiyya, and a theological subject, the divine names and attributes that they have detailed elaborations on it. Synopsis: The purpose of the book is to focus on potential similarities found in epistemological hierarchies of Ibn al-Ê ¿ArabÄ « (d. 1240) and Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328), and reflectionsRead MoreEssay about Knowing God1371 Words   |  6 PagesGod: The Doctrine Of Revelation Theology is the instruction concerning God or the deliberation of God.(Grenz, 2000, p.2) It endeavors to disclose the identity of God, the habitation of God, and the character, origin, position and importance of God. Humans commonly acquire information in three ways: through their senses, through their logic/reasoning, and through their faith which denotes confidence in the information given by another.(www.angelfire.com/nt/theology/theology/02rev.html) TheologiansRead MoreChristian Theology And Feminist Theology1699 Words   |  7 Pagestheologians to define the word â€Å"theology,† it is likely that they would hear ten different answers. Even within the various types of theology, for example, Christian theology, there are a wide spectrum of attitudes and beliefs. Even more so, if one were to compare evangelical theology with feminist theology, the differences would add up quickly. Two modern day theologians, Stanley Grenz and Catherine Keller, well known in their respec tive fields, have approached their theology from different backgrounds

Critical Issues in Business for Literature Review- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theCritical Issues in Business for Literature Review. Answer: Introduction Today in the globalizing world, organizations are more concerned for managing and maintaining different business operations. Maintaining and managing the business operations is essential for organization to achieve e goals set for the organization success. Organizations operate in several tasks at a time that requires an efficient management system. In the process of achieving organization success in the global market these operation play a critical role as thee different operation at a time make an organization unique and successful. According to Nallusamy, (2016) this much importance of managing multiple operation of an organization makes it more important for organizations to analyse and revise its management system from time to time to make it more effective and efficient. Such strategic changes made in the organization management system of an organization helps it to take it on the heights of success in the global market. This literature review is a brief analytical understanding about several management learning that are essential to be understood for professionals to plan a strategic and efficient management system for an organization. Different factors that need to be consider for an effective system like, pervasive issue in business leadership, sustainability of the business, professional ethics of the organization, risk management, and other different global agenda that are important from business point of view for the organization growth. The research made to understand all the business leadership essentials of an organization and presented in this report shows different viewpoint of several researchers from the literature of business and management. Business leadership According to Huda, Mat Teh, Nor Muhamad, and Mohd Nasir, (2018) Business leadership in terms of an organization is defined as a technique of managing and directing a number of people to work for an organization in such a way that working together they can achieve the organization success meeting the organization goals and objectives. Globalization has made it an important aspect for organization to select people only with high efficiency and lead them in a right direction. Leading people is not that much easy therefore organizations need leaders of best quality with high efficiency. Leading people in right direction plays most important role in achieving the success as people working for the organization are the only critical element of an organization helping it for the same. When it comes to measure the success of an organization leadership of the organization plays a critical role (Tyssen, Wald, and Heidenreich, 2014).Leading people is all about encouraging people to enhance their effectiveness as well as their efficiency on terms of their productivity for the organization. Leaders with better leadership qualities need to regenerate and keep people enthusiastic for work along with directing them with proper guidance. Leadership issues Organization comprises of a number of people given different roles to them has better leaders to lead all these people in an effective manner. Each employee working for the organization needs some support and guidance at any stage of their work. This support and guidance people seek from the organization leaders is essential to make their work effective and efficient. According to Bird, and Mendenhall, (2016) in this process leaders need support and guidance of a diverse range, therefore leading so many people with different role assigned is not an easy task for leaders. Such diverse expectations of organization employees from their leaders justify the role of leaders in achieving the success for any organization. This also clears that leaders do face several issues that affect their efficiency and product as well. Yahaya, and Ebrahim, (2016), state that along with managing people leaders also responsible to manage other operations of the organization consisting of internal and exter nal operation and relation with market resources. According to Covin, and Miller, (2014) managing so many operations at a time creates a lot of challenges too for leaders including the management of their own work. Analysing all the responsibilities and roles of leaders in an organization, key challenges that leaders face while playing their role in an organization are as following: Developing people Inspiring employees Leading different teams Developing managerial effectiveness of the organization Guiding changes that need to be made for organization growth Managing internal stakeholders Developing people Developing people is defined as training people to execute their work in an efficient way so that they can enhance their productivity and effectiveness as well. In doing so, leaders need to deal with various challenging while monitoring and providing coaching to the employees. Inspiring employees Inspiring employees is a challenge for leaders as they need to motivate employees and make them feel satisfied with their work. Making employees feel like satisfied with the job is best way to motivate them but is also one of the most difficult tasks for leader. Leaders need to play with the psychological factors of employees to make them feel the same. Leading different teams Leaders are appointed to lead different teams that are supposed to perform different tasks. This requires having an understanding of a diverse range of operation and managerial styles to manage different teams at the same time. In this process of leading several teams at the same time leaders have to perform various tasks like, team building, team development, managing team, and monitoring teams. Specific challenges that leaders faces while leading different teams at a time include how to provide support, how to manage bigger teams, how to differentiate among different teams in terms of their requirements, and most importantly how to co-ordinate them in an effective manner. Developing managerial effectiveness of the organization This is the typical management issue that every leader has to face depending upon the responsibilities and size of the organization. Leaders have to manage their time and work in such a way that they can manage their work in such a way that makes the organization to achieve its managerial goals. Leaders have to manage the organization operations timing to achieve the maximum productivity of the organization as an individual. There are some other issues or challenges that the leadership of an organization face like, prioritizing among different activities, thinking for strategic changes, making decision for business growth, and managing the business in such a way that the organization can cope-up with the market changes along with ensuring the success as well. These leadership issues need to be tackle with much effectiveness as these are the business success drivers of an organization. Managing internal stakeholders Business management is not only about managing its employees and operation to get success. Leaders need to maintain a good relationship among the internal stakeholders of the organization. For this leaders are supposed manage the business policies, politics, and image in the market so that the organization gets a complete support from the stakeholders. These challenges also include getting managerial support, getting a smooth buy-in support from other departments. Sustainability and ethics of business According to Buxel, Esenduran, and Griffin, (2015), sustainability of a business is defined as continuing the work or business that the organization is doing over the time, as long as possible. This states that sustainability of a business is dependent on the strategic changes that are made to update its business policies and operation time to time. Beckmann, Hielscher, and Pies, (2014), states that since customer interest is the most important factor to make any business sustainable, organizations have to think about the maintaining the customer interest in their business. In this order to improve the sustainability of any business, a time to time evaluation of organization and its operation is much needed. To evaluate different factors affecting the sustainability of any business there are several tools and theory practices that can help an organization to evaluate its effectiveness. These tools are essential to be used to evaluate and assisting the organization to move in a right direction so that it can achieve the success in its own terms of objectives. This kind of help provided with these sustainability evaluating tools help an organization to take a competitive advantage too in the globalizing world. In corporate terms the sustainability of an organization is defined as corporate sustainability. This corporate sustainability has grown dramatically in terms of recognition and importance due to the globalization of corporate world. This concept of corporate sustainability is used by organizations to balance their business performance among several domains like, economic, social, and environmental. In the process of sustainable development every business has a big responsibility to identify its sustainability factors. In last 15 years, a number of solutions and standards have been developed to evaluate and identify the social, economic, environmental, and sustainability performance like, Advisory group on Corporate Social Responsibility, ISO, and many more (Gomes, Kneipp, Kruglianskas, da Rosa, and Bichueti, 2015). Along with sustainability development of a business it is important to follow business ethics that are essential for any organization. For organizations, operating or doing business in an ethical way means to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong. From this differentiation organizations have to choose the right choice. Chell, Spence, Perrini, and Harris, J.D., (2016), state that in general practice it is not easy to define thee business ethics in the form of hard-and-fast definitions. Organizations do business to give a competitive return to its shareholder along with treating its customers fairly to make it more sustainable. When it comes to the business ethics all the factors that may affect the environment and community in any manner are to be considered while preparing its business strategies. Along with all these considerations organizations also have to follow some standard codes of behaviour or ethics to create a better work environment for its employees as well as customers (Vitell, 2015). Risk and security Doing business is not that much safe. Every business has different types of risks associated with it. According to Salmela, (2016), in the process of making a business successful and sustainable, risks associated with the business are need to be managed in an effective way. These risks may be the key changers in the process of achieving the success and taking a competitive advantage. These risks associated with any business are influenced by various factors like, sales volume, input costs, economic climate, government policies and regulations, and competitions. Therefore, organization having higher business risks must follow a capital structure that provides a lower debt ratio. These business risks are classifies in different ways. Risk based on its effect are classifies as strategic risks, operational risks, financial risks, and hazardous risks. According to Ashenden, and Lawrence, (2016), ensuring the business security against such risks, an effective risk management has to be followed by the organization. This risk management consists of different elements like, identifying risks, analysing, and assessing risks. These risks must be analysed on the basis of their associated threats and opportunities. These risks are associated with different factors like, price fluctuations, political events, accidents, supply chain problems, and economic events as well. In order to ensure the business security, management of the organization has to manage these risks in such a way that they make no impact or less impact on the business. For this a number to tools and practices are used by the organization to prepare a strategies management system (Wong, and Brooks, 2015). Globalization and international agenda Voegtlin, and Scherer, (2017) states that the business changes that are making a company operating in one country to operate in multiple countries is called globalization of the business. This suggests that the word globalization refers to the changes that are moving the whole business from being self-contained countries and making the whole world integrated in terms of business. These changes that are dragging the world into the globalization have several impacts on the businesses. According to Tuca, (2015), these impacts can be categorised into two main categories as: Production globalization and market globalization. Lorange, P., Ichijo, K. and de Onzoo, S.I., (2018), states that globalization is the process of declining the barriers for companies in selling their products in other then their home countries. This suggests that such change of doing business in multiple countries will make it easier for companies to increase their sale by making business in several countries. In thi s process countries are reducing their tariffs and also lowering the restriction for crossing borders to make this more effective. According to Rahman, and Miah, (2017), production globalization can be defined as sourcing of material from multiple companies to make the business cost effective in terms of annual revenue. In this literature Rahman, and Miah, (2017), states that doing so makes it easier for companies to compare different prices of same material available from different countries and sourcing the material from the country suitable for the organization business. Entrepreneurship, and enterprise in business According to Hjorth, and Holt, (2016), states that entrepreneurship in a business can be scare in some cases as there is no guarantee of success in entrepreneurship without an effective and strategic planning that requires a lot of efforts from the organization management and after this it is associated with a number of risks. Risks in entrepreneurships are way more than that of in an established business. In case of enterprises number of risks associated with these is less. In the literature, Belwal, Al Balushi, and Belwal, (2015), state that the enterprises perception in students regarding business is completely different. In their literature they suggest that students in Oman have a perception that entrepreneurship is way more effective and can achieve new heights of success in a different manner. Their perception shows that entrepreneurs are more creative and innovative in terms of technical use for doing business. such innovation can take their business to new heights. Conclusion Above literature review concludes that there several business issues that are to be considered for a successful and sustainable business especially in the current globalizing environment of world for business. This current scenario of the world business has increased the importance of leadership in organization to take a competitive advantage and make their business more successful. In this process of making a business more competitive and sustainable challenges faced by leaders in managing the business in an effective way also need to be managed effectively. Literature on leadership issues of a business, discussed in the above literature review suggests that these issues must be considered with higher priority to make the business successful and sustainable in long term. Different issue of leadership also need to be handled according to their impact on the business. This process of managing issues of business also contributes in the sustainability development of the business. References Ashenden, D. and Lawrence, D. (2016) Security dialogues: Building better relationships between security and business.IEEE Security Privacy, 3, pp.82-87. Beckmann, M., Hielscher, S. and Pies, I. (2014) Commitment strategies for sustainability: how business firms can transform trade?offs into winwin outcomes.Business Strategy and the Environment,23(1), pp.18-37. Belwal, R., Al Balushi, H. and Belwal, S. (2015) Students perception of entrepreneurship and enterprise education in Oman.Education+ Training,57(8/9), pp.924-947. Bird, A. and Mendenhall, M.E., (2016) From cross-cultural management to global leadership: Evolution and adaptation.Journal of World Business,51(1), pp.115-126. Buxel, H., Esenduran, G. and Griffin, S. 2015) Strategic sustainability: Creating business value with life cycle analysis.Business Horizons,58(1), pp.109-122. Chell, E., Spence, L.J., Perrini, F. and Harris, J.D. (2016) Social entrepreneurship and business ethics: Does social equal ethical?.Journal of business ethics,133(4), pp.619-625. Covin, J.G. and Miller, D. (2014) International entrepreneurial orientation: Conceptual considerations, research themes, measurement issues, and future research directions.Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice,38(1), pp.11-44. Gomes, C.M., Kneipp, J.M., Kruglianskas, I., da Rosa, L.A.B. and Bichueti, R.S. (2015) Management for sustainability: An analysis of the key practices according to the business size.Ecological Indicators,52, pp.116-127. Hjorth, D. and Holt, R. (2016) It's entrepreneurship, not enterprise: Ai Weiwei as entrepreneur.Journal of Business Venturing Insights,5, pp.50-54. Huda, M., Mat Teh, K.S., Nor Muhamad, N.H. and Mohd Nasir, B. (2018) Transmitting leadership based civic responsibility: insights from service learning.International Journal of Ethics and Systems,34(1), pp.20-31. Lorange, P., Ichijo, K. and de Onzoo, S.I. (2018) Business Globalization: The Nightmare of Populism and the Hopes Brought by Technology. InBusiness Despite Borders(pp. 1-20). London: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. Nallusamy, S. (2016) Frequency analysis of lean manufacturing system by different critical issues in Indian automotive industries. InInternational Journal of Engineering Research in Africa, 23, pp. 181-187. Rahman, S.M. and Miah, M.D. (2017) The impact of sources of energy production on globalization: Evidence from panel data analysis.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews,74, pp.110-115. Salmela, H. (2016) Analysing business losses caused by information systems risk: a business process analysis approach. InEnacting Research Methods in Information Systems(pp. 180-216). London: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. Tuca, S. (2015) Global Governance Vs. National Sovereignty In A Globalized World.CES Working Papers,7(1), p.193. Tyssen, A.K., Wald, A. and Heidenreich, S. (2014) Leadership in the context of temporary organizations: A study on the effects of transactional and transformational leadership on followers commitment in projects. Journal of Leadership Organizational Studies, 21(4), pp.376-393. Vitell, S.J. (2015) A case for consumer social responsibility (CnSR): Including a selected review of consumer ethics/social responsibility research.Journal of Business Ethics,130(4), pp.767-774. Voegtlin, C. and Scherer, A.G. (2017) Responsible innovation and the innovation of responsibility: Governing sustainable development in a globalized world.Journal of Business Ethics,143(2), pp.227-243. Wong, S. and Brooks, N. (2015) Evolving risk-based security: A review of current issues and emerging trends impacting security screening in the aviation industry.Journal of Air Transport Management,48, pp.60-64. Yahaya, R. and Ebrahim, F. (2016) Leadership styles and organizational commitment: literature review.Journal of Management Development,35(2), pp.190-216.

The Cause Of The Great Depression Essays - Financial Crises

The Cause Of The Great Depression The economic expansion of the 1920's, with its increased production of goods and high profits, culminated in immense consumer speculation that collapsed with disastrous results in 1929 causing America's Great Depression. There were a number or contributing factors to the depression, with the largest and most important one being a general loss of confidence in the American economy. The reason it escalated was a general misunderstanding of recessions by American policymakers of the time. The U.S. economy was booming in the 1920's. Stocks prices soared, as they were bought on margin for as little as 10% down. Market speculation is cyclical-that is, if one stock appears profitable, you buy it, which causes the price to rise and others to buy as well. However, the economy was not stable. National wealth was not distributed evenly. Instead, most money was in the hands of a few families who saved or invested rather than spent their money on American goods. Thus, supply was greater than demand, and some people profited, but others did not. As such, the bubble had to inevitably burst, since the stock market boom was very unsteady and people borrowed money on false optimism. Black Tuesday in 1929 was that bubble burster. In the summer of 1929, a few stock market investors began selling their stock. They predicted that the bull market might end soon, leaving them in debt. Seeing these few investors begin to sell, others soon followed to minimize their losses, creating a domino effect, which exacerbated the situation. Regardless of the governments attempt to place the modern equivalent of tens of billions of dollars into certain banks, the liquidation continued, as folks wanted out quickly at whatever cost. Many people lost as much as ten times their initial investment, which shook consumer confidence. In an effort to cover their margins, people rushed the banks in masses, demanding their money. Soon, banks began to run out of cash and went bust. With the economy falling in shambles and companies defaulting on loans, nearly all private and corporate investment ceased. Companies couldn't afford to expand, and in fact, many had to consolidate in order to cover the margins on their loans. This meant postponing hiring and laying workers off, which caused unemployment to skyrocket. With people now willing to work for less money, wages lessened too. At the same time prices rose in an attempt by companies to make some amount of profit off the goods. Because the governments' prevailing economic theory was based on laissez-faire economics, the government believed that recessions were self-correcting. Eventually unemployment and inflation stopped declining, but not before the U.S. lost 1/3 of it's output and 25% of the workforce was unemployed. In the end, it was World War II that brought us out of the Great Depression. With war at hand, the government began pumping massive amounts of money into the economy. Production and inflation increased. More jobs were available and wages rose. At the war's end there was a brief recession while the economy reacted to a loss of the money the government had been pumping in, but the big picture demonstrated American optimism for victory was high, and as such the faith of Americans in their country followed their increased patriotism. The market had finally corrected. Economics

Google Business Analysis Research Paper

Google Business Analysis Research Paper Free Online Research Papers The ability to create quality strategy forms the basis of every organizational success. Strategic creation and implementation shapes management and corporate successes with effectively formulated strategies being the essence of organizational profitability. Although scholars agree that the right strategy is not all that is needed for success (implementation is also important), it is nonetheless imperative and forms the foundation of the effective management process. The strategy must, therefore, be well understood by every stakeholder in an organization since in most cases; an organization operates and is aligned around its strategies. With the complexity of the global search industry, an in-depth study of Google.com Company’s formulation process offers a conclusive understanding of the organizational strategy creation process due to its multifaceted approach of wide-ranging theoretical prescriptions. Proper analysis of Google’s strategy creation offers by extension imp ortant insights on the denominators and underlying dynamics behind the contemporary global IT industry. Starting with a company summary, this paper critically assesses the strategic creation process for Google.com. Classified as one of the five most popular sites on the internet, Google.com was visited by a unique user base of over 380 million visitors in May 2008. The company was started simply as a research project by two Stanford graduate students Sergey Brin and Lawrence Page in 1996. The two sought to develop a search engine that produced a better display for search results. The domain name, Google.com, was registered in 1997 and Google Inc. incorporated on September 1998. As the world’s leading search engine and one of the fastest and largest growing technology companies in the world, furthermore, it faces massive competition from companies such as Yahoo and MSN hence an analysis of how it formulates its strategies would offer further insights on what market is successful. Google earned an estimated $3.64 billion from the United States online ad revenue, an estimated 69% of all paid search-related advertising. Its market cap has overtaken that of IBM and even Chevron with an estimated value of $132 billion. It has a surplus of over $7.6 billion all of which are lacking any defined usage, has its stock is predicted to reach $600 billion by the end of this year (2008) and is one of the top 10 web brands in the United States. The above summary is an indication of a model company, its success of which is attributed to its management, wide line of product, market domination, favorable financial position, favorable business strategy, strong competitive advantage, excellent organizational control, and innovative research and development strategies. How such a company formulates its strategies, in relation to the existing theoretical framework is a matter of natural interpretation. How Strategy is created in Google Google.com implements strategic planning as a deliberate process in which with the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders, top executives periodically formulate the firm’s strategy. Its strategic planning process is guided by its mission that in turn prescribes its objectives. Based on the objectives, the existing situation is analyzed leading to the strategy formulation, Battelle, (2005, p. 162). Based on a field review of its strategic creation process using Mintzberg’s Ten Schools of Thought, the configuration school, the only one classified under the integrative category, best describes its strategic creation process for Google.com. This is because the company’s strategy formation process over the years has been a transformative one. A transformative one as it has integrated the claims of other schools but at different processes in the organization, hence with a closer analysis of Google’s strategy creation process, elements of different schools o f thought can be identified at different stages. The situational analysis also forms a critical foundation of Google.com’s organizational strategy. The Environmental school is observable in this situation as Google has over the years implemented a cross-section of its strategies in reaction to prevailing environmental conditions. Google analyzes its external and internal environments thereby describing its strengths, weaknesses in addition to existing opportunities and threats. It is through the situational analysis that large amounts of information on the company are gathered and which forms the basis of strategy formulation. It is based on the formulated strategies that the implementation process occurs. Strategic Ideas, tools and Techniques Research by Kostrzewa, (2003, pp. 62) indicates that a closer analysis of the Google strategy creation process was in line with Mintzberg’s second category or the process-oriented schools. The school with the most evident correlation with Google’s strategy was the cognitive school. Google’s strategy is formulated around the basic strategic concept of quality, customer satisfaction, and growth and has over the years served to organize the framework for the management system of the company. It has further integrated performance management system which is considered important in the alignment of its operation around its strategy. These systems have been designed during strategy design processes in an attempt to promote Google’s products as unique. Google, therefore, tries to create cognitive maps in which individuals have a global perspective of a Google world, a world exceptionally different from that created by other related companies similar products. As listed on the company’s website, Google’s operations have been guided by the philosophy of not settling for the best, Google, (2008. p. 1). Google’s mission is to be a world leader in information provision. This is to make information accessible and useful. It has displayed continued innovativeness with the introduction of multiple products into the markets. Certain products, such as Google Ad Sense, were without a doubt, a success for the company, advertisers and web owners in general, Lohr, (2007). All this is based on a strategy aimed at creating in potential client’s minds, an aspect of real or virtual reality. The company has managed to remain competitive through multiple acquisitions of popular competitors. To the present, the company has acquired more than 30 companies since its inceptions, a strategic step interpreted as creating a competitive bias towards the cultural school since most of the acquisitions have been largely popular websites on the cultural domain thereby. This is advantageous to the company as it gives it a more culturally inclusive appearance. Some of the acquisitions that have been instrumental to the growth of the company include the 2003 acquisition of Applied Semantics Inc. which enabled them to develop an advertising campaign that has earned them billions of dollars in advertising revenue to the present. The 2006 acquisition of Writely, an online processing firm led to the development of Google docs which since its inception in 2006, has seen a rise in its revenue. Google further acquired YouTube, in 2006 for a record $1.6 billion which has seen it dominate the online video industry. All the listed acquisitions in addition to its renowned status as a world leading free provider of search engine have provided Google with a platform for creating an impression of a collective and cooperative organization, hence the support of the cultural school in its strategy formulation. Although individual approaches can be identified in Google’s strategy creation processes, a rather integrative approach, combining several approaches have been Googles key success secrets as it has managed to constantly transform it by subscribing to ideal strategic and timely changes. The Company has made efforts to acquire competitors in a bid to remain competitive in the global IT market. An example is the 2007 acquisition of DoubleClick, an advertising competitor for a record $3.1 billion. It also acquired Tonic Systems which enabled it to acquire the capacity to convert Microsoft PowerPoint files into HTML and PDF documents. This boosted its competition with Microsoft which had gained a considerable market base based on its Microsoft Office product. Furthermore, this integrative and constantly changing approach can be viewed in Google ability to offer a wide range of products a reflection of its technologically sound and alert team of innovators. Continuous intensive rese arch is undertaken in the Google laboratories, online text locations or in the Google.com website itself. Products are generally of high quality and utility. Google strategic priority is the integration of desktop and internet search yet its biggest competitor is Yahoo followed by Microsoft, Ask.com and American Online respectively though on the variety of Google’s products and services, it is difficult to exactly determine its competitors. Yahoo provides similar products such as e-mail services, maps, financial analysis, advertising, search and yahoo toolbar but still, its products are not similar in many ways to those of Google. Google’s strategy to provide unique services thereby attracting specific clique of individuals has largely paid off. For example, comparing Microsoft to Google, Microsoft offers to search and other few online services similar to those offered by Google through its main line of business is the design and sale of software and operating systems. Competition comes into focus due to the recent launch of Google Docs Spreadsheets and Google Gears, presentation software that challenges the dominance of Microsoft Windows. In terms of Sales, Products and Geographical distribution, Google accounts for over 50% (Estimated 58.4%) to be exact of market share in nearly all its products. By market share, Google beats its competitors by far. With the stated estimated market share of 50%, Yahoo, Microsoft, Ask.com and AOL each have an estimated market share of 28.5%, 10%, 5%, and 4% respectively, Khaki-Sedigh, Roudaki, (2003). Elements of the entrepreneurial school are also observable on Google’s organizational strategy. A considerable proportion of the company’s control has also been governed by the solid executive control with the focus being given to chief managers led by the company’s top executives. There has been the rewarding of the well-performing management team since 2002 with the managers who are underperforming being demoted or reshuffled hence a general focus on management. The organization has also adopted the clan control mechanism. Although Google’s employees have many things in common the company has continuously emphasized visionary leadership. They share many values, expectations and goals hence tend to work in harmony with one another; a harmony created by the aspect of strong visionary leadership. This has been displayed in the less formal approach in which the Google team approaches issues. The intergraded approach used by Google has ensured greater cost savings, increased efficiency, better product quality, enhanced customer service and a happier cohesive workforce who work in harmony to produce positive results; hence although its strategy is based on the cognitive school, the entrepreneurial school is certainly considerably evident on its strategy formulation process. The company has had a rather integrated approach to achieving in its strategy formulation process; applying both bureaucratic, market and clan control mechanisms. Google has a board of governors and a core management team together with specialized well-documented rules and regulations implemented through a formal authority that serve to guide employee performances. This bureaucratic type of approach has been applied mildly and has served to regulate Google employee’s behavior thereby leading to better results, limited budgets, better performances as displayed in statistical reports and employee performance records. Google was ranked as the best company to work for in the 2006 survey by the Fortune magazine in 2007, Fortune, (2007, p. 1). The assertion of power school is therefore evident in Google’s strategic formulation as the company has managed to properly manage its employees. It has succeeded in creating a generally good working environment for all its employees through some critics see this as making them lose a considerable proportion of daily tasks. It has been characterized by offering its employees a large degree of freedom thereby tapping their creativity towards the improvement of both its products and services. Hence the assertions of the power school are evident in its strategy formulation. According to Battelle, (2006, p. 99), Google’s strategies have been guided by its desire to increase profitability through the increment of sales while maintaining or reducing the cost of goods sold. Estimates show that Google’s net income grew from $100 million in 2002 to $ 3.077 billion in 2005. Its cost of goods sold was generally constant being maintained at approximately 40% of sales. On common base analysis, Google had a 2,412% increase in sales in the five year period between 2002 and 2006 with a net income increment of over 3,088% within the same period, Battelle, (2006, p. 99). This effective strategy formulation process has resulted in considerable cash surplus resulting from balances in short and long-term investments. Google has neither short nor long-term debt through the IPO offered an increase in capital surplus in 2004. With the continued rise in its share prices, Google’s capital surplus has continued to rise over the years furthermore being a service-oriented company, Google has no looming inventory. On the basis of ratio analysis, Google’s sales increased from 1.2 in 2002 to 29.05 in 2006. Over the past five years, Google has had more money at hand than they know what to do with, an attribute that has been seen on its rather many strategic acquisitions furthermore Google’s profit margin fluctuated between 2002 and 2003 but increased steadily to an estimated 60.2% in 2006, an aspect attributable to its effective strategy formulation process, (Johnson, Scholes, Whittington, (2008, p. 4). Driven by large revenues from advertisement, Google.com has invested massively in its Research and Development Budget. Its research findings are a critical component of its strategic formulation process. Varied sections of Google have had different approaches to attaining solutions to various world problems such as new technological advancement, pharmaceutical research, and online advertisements, Pringle, Allison Dowe, (1998, p. 379). Google has invested massively in research and development though it was not classified under the top ten RD spenders until 2007. This followed from massive increments in the company’s spending on Research and Development when spending increased by over 73% to a record-breaking $2.1 billion in the year 2007 compared to the budget in 2006. Since 2007, it is estimated that Google’s RD spending has stayed above 13% of its total revenue which is a representation of more than double the amount spent prior to the year 2002. Massive research is b eing undertaken on how Google can enter into other business projects such as Android, TV Ads, and other projects to further boost its growth. Summary and Conclusion As a result of its advanced strategy formulation process, its better display of search results, the simple approach that was incorporated in the searching process, Google has grown in popularity and acceptance the world over. Presently, the company employees are in excess of 10,000 people from all the continents of the world. It is the largest company offering Search-related advertising yet Search Related advertisement is the fastest growing of all the online ad businesses with an estimated annual growth rate at 41%, Pringle, Allison Dowe, (1998, p. 378) Although Google’s strategy creation results from consultation of wide-ranging stakeholders in the organization, stringent rules aimed at protecting some of its products and services are still prescribed by its top management. For example, in 2005 the top management introduced a trend that required all Ad Sense members to sign a gagging clause. The clause has restricted web owners from unfairly benefiting from the proceeds gained from advertising. Google has been continuously innovative, being innovative and the first to implement its strategies. For example, it was the first company to implement the Ad Relevancy strategy, a strategy that ensured it provided broad matching on all search terms. It further went ahead to set a system in which a single price was set on all ads, Moran, Hunt, (2006, p 22). Conclusively, although the execution is more important, good vision evident in the creation of effective strategies are the primary essentials to management success. The strategy should be understood and interpreted in terms that are understandable and that can be acted upon. With a strong reputation and familiarity, good speed in its search procedures, user-friendliness in its product output, relevance in ranking of its search results together with technologically advanced additional services which are multidisciplinary in nature, available multiple opportunities seen in the ever-increasing online advertisement, higher usage volubility as it gains more customer base across the global domain, and the introduction of new products, Google will surely continue to dominate the market for certain undefined periods of time. Definitely, Google Inc. has been a role model to technological businesses and still has great potential as a company. Work Cited Battelle, J. 2005. ‘The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture.’ Portfolio Hardcover. Brin, S. Page, L. 1996. ‘The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hyper textual Web Search Engine.’ Paper presented to the Computer Science Department, Stanford University. Google, 2008. ‘Corporate Information: Quick Profile.’ Available at: google.com/corporate/facts.html Johnson, G., Scholes, K., Whittington, R. 2008. ‘Exploring Corporate Strategy, Text Cases’, 8th edition, prentice-Hall. Kaplan, S. R. and David P. N. 2001. Building a Strategy-Focused organization. Ivey Business Journal. Available at: iveybusinessjournal.com/view_article.asp?intArticle_ID=286 Khaki-Sedigh, A., Roudaki, M. 2003. ‘Identification of the dynamics of the Google ranking Algorithm’, paper presented at the 13th IFAC Symposium On System Identification, available at: www.iranseo.com/ studies/google_ranking_algorithm.pdf Kostrzewa, T. 2003. ‘The Evolving Search Industry: Will the Big 3 of MSN, Yahoo and Google Lock Hold the Future of the Sector? A Strategy Perspective.’ Available at: http://allyallez.co.uk/MscThesisKostrewaBig3.pdf Lohr, S. 2007. ‘Google Deal Said to bring U.S. Scrutiny’ New York Times, May 29, 2007, Available at: nytimes.com/2007/05/29/technology/29antitrust.html?ex=1181880000en=c3dae549fa6381adei=5070 Moran, M., Hunt, B. (2006), Search Engine Marketing, Inc. – Driving Search Traffic to your Companys Web Site, IBM Press, Armonk, NY, Mintzberg, H, Ahlstarnd, B, Lampel, J. 1998. ‘The Strategy Safari’ Prentice Hall, Harlow, U.K. Pringle, G., Allison, L., and Dowe, D.L. 1998, ‘What is a tall poppy among web Pages?’ Proceedings of the 7th International World Wide Web Conference, Brisbane, April, pp. 369-377 Tregoe, B. and Zimmerman, J. 1980, ‘Top Management Strategy,’ Simon and Schuster. Research Papers on Google Research PaperDigital Marketing Mix Google EssayGene One the Transition from Private to PublicInternational PaperGap Analysis: Lester ElectronicsDeveloping Branding StrategiesConflict Resolution TacticsWhat are Stock OptionsDr. Edward Deming EssayA Marketing Analysis of the Fast-Food RestaurantDistance Learning Survival Guide

Stationery, Cemetery, and Shepherd

Stationery, Cemetery, and Shepherd Stationery, Cemetery, and Shepherd Stationery, Cemetery, and Shepherd By Maeve Maddox Stationery Both stationery (n.), meaning writing paper, and stationary (adj.), meaning not moving, go back to the same source that gives us the noun station (a stopping place; a place where someone or something stands). In the Middle Ages a stationer was a tradesman who had a shop, as opposed to one who carried his stock around with him. Originally the word was used in a general sense to denote any shopkeeper, but came to be associated with booksellers in particular. Finally, stationer came to mean someone who sells writing materials, i.e., stationery. TIP: Stationery, like paper, is spelled with er. A parked car is stationary. Like park, the adjective stationary is spelled with ar. Cemetery This seems to be an especially endangered spelling. I have a local real estate map that spells cemetery incorrectly dozens of times. Ive even seen an official cemetery sign with the incorrect spelling. TIP: Knowing that cemetery comes into English from French cimetià ¨re may help writers recall the correct er spelling. German Shepherd Browse the pets for sale in any classified section and you will see the word for the dog spelled sheperd, shepard, and shephard. At least two of these misspellings for the dogs name are common spellings for family names. For the dog, however, the spelling is shepherd. TIP: The dog was originally bred to help in the herding of sheep or cattle. The word shepherd comes from sheepherd. A shepherd herds sheep. Think herd. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Good At, Good In, and Good With35 Genres and Other Varieties of FictionComma Before Too?

Circular Distributors Marketing Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Circular Distributors Marketing Services - Essay Example Now a days with the easy availability of information, companies generally wishes to target individual customers rather than going for a mass population. Therefore it has provided a huge opportunity for the firms indulged in supplying of services. Apart from providing information about the consumers to their clients these organisations on behalf of the client also communicates the messages to the target consumer group. The report is principally focused on the market analysis of Circular Distributor’s Ltd. In this process the report will try to make an analysis of their service offerings and portray it in a meaningful way. The report will also try to put out a new service development strategy for the company. Apart from this the dissertation will also highlight some of the ways to implement the newly developed strategy. Circular Distributor’s Ltd: A Brief Overview Circular Distributor’s Ltd. is an organisation which is considered as the pinnacle of information prov iding service industry. The company is in business for more than 50 years. The company mainly work as the supplier of services to the target consumers of their clients. ... Therefore it is highly recommended that that service organisations should constantly keep an eye on the turbulent marketing environment and take necessary steps in order to respond quickly to the demanding situations. The company is mainly in the business of providing direct marketing services for its clients. These include selling of informational services, door to door delivery and later came up with different publications. The company is also in a strong association with its client Lever brothers, for them the company has delivered around 10 million free samples to different households throughout the United Kingdom. The important and noticeable publications of the company include Emma’s diary, one step-ahead publication, Emma’s diary pre-school guide and married life. Each of the variants was meant for different segment of customers. For example Emma’s diary was only intended for pregnant women (Emmasdiary, n.d.). Since the company is associated into diversifi ed business lines there will be availability competitors from different segments, but the major competitors of the company are Claritas, ICD and Experian. Market Analysis: Circular Distributor’s Ltd. Circular Distributor’s Ltd. started its marketing operations in the form of scatter gun approach but later changed to distribution mode. The company generally delivered promotional leaflets as well as Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) like soaps, shampoos and tea bags among others to the households of different consumers. But such system is considered quite one-dimensional in current scenarios and therefore some new techniques were necessity for the company to survive in the long run. And with the course of time industries like FMCG had more exciting

Leading the Way - A Marketing Plan for Sustainable Competitive Essay

Leading the Way - A Marketing Plan for Sustainable Competitive Advantage - Essay Example Apple may have to invest a great deal of financial and human capital effort into performing market research to gain new market interest, something the firm is not experienced with as, historically, Apple has chosen to focus on developing existing markets through product development strategies. Marketing Strategy and Analysis for Apple, Inc. 1.0 Introduction Apple, Inc. has long been considered a pioneering company; an innovative organisation that develops unique products with features and benefits unavailable by competition that gives the business a positive market position. Marketing has been one of the fundamental success factors for Apple, especially in relation to launch of the iPod, iPhone and iPad, methods of differentiating the business from other competition. Marketing is defined as being all-inclusive of all activities related to commercial exchanges that involve advertising, branding, distribution, establishment of pricing structures, and responding to consumer behaviour pa tterns (McCall 2003). Apple successfully utilises marketing in order to build relationships with consumers that lead to brand loyalty, attachments that have consumers favouring Apple branded products over other competitive products offered by such competitors as Samsung and Blackberry. Apple focuses on building a brand, a holistic representation of the business that is reflective of quality and internal corporate values. Branding is a strategy that creates the ability to build connectivity between internal market-centric assets and important target markets that allow a business to nurture its resources effectively (Abimbola 2001). Apple maintains a brand strategy that reflects emotional appeals, building a brand personality that emphasises such consumer-centric concepts as â€Å"inspiring passion and hope, power-to-the-people through facilitating technology, imagination and liberty regained† (Robinson 2012, p.2). This is how loyal markets view Apple as a leader in the technol ogy industry. 2.0 Responses to competitor activities Apple uses marketing as a tool to create perceptions in desired target markets that Apple products and services as superior to competitor brands. Apple is adept in creating pioneering products that have relatively long product life cycles as competitors are not able to quickly replicate the features and benefits of Apple branded products. Apple, in the early 2000s, was able to gain favourable market attention and brand preference with diverse markets by being the first-to-market. According to marketing theory, the publicity associated with pre-launch activities set up the foundation for brand loyalty. When a first-mover achieves positive gains with an innovative product, they actually define the product category and are seen as a model by which consumers evaluate late movers (Agarwal and Gort 2001; Liberman and Montgomery 1988). Apple is not generally taken to creating marketing strategies as a response to competitive efforts, but to build proactive methodologies of promotion that enhance its public brand reputation through media coverage. The former CEO, Steve Jobs, used to serve as a relevant and trusted celebrity endorser that engaged many diverse consumer

A Manifesto for Sustainable Design Essay Example for Free

A Manifesto for Sustainable Design Essay This manifesto proposes an approach to sustainable design that I am interested in exploring during my time studying architecture. The idea of sustainability is a complex one, not without apparent contradictions. This makes it difficult to define in a wholly satisfactory manner. For the purposes of this manifesto I will advert to the definition proposed by Jason McLennan who asserts that sustainable design: â€Å"seeks to maximize the quality of the built environment, while minimizing or eliminating negative impact to the natural environment. † I find this definition particularly useful in the emphasis which it places on quality. By quality, in this context, I mean an approach to building which emphasises not only thoughtful design but also the careful use of materials; these considerations are crucial to achieve sustainable development. â€Å"Quality† as the architect Thomas Sandell says â€Å"is always sustainable†: this holds particularly true if we return to the most basic meaning of that adjective – â€Å"long lasting.† My manifesto would involve seven basic considerations: a structure should be layered, generous, contextual, connected to nature, innovative, stimulating and idealistic. I propose to examine each of these points in turn, aware that they can be generally grouped under the heading of sensitivity. As I see it, a sensitive approach to architecture is one that fundamentally responds to the issues of site, user and impact, while not excluding other concerns – and all this in a way that is considered, thoughtful and restrained. These, then, are the fundamentals of my approach to design. 1. Layered According to T.S Eliot, â€Å"Genuine poetry communicates before it is understood†: I believe the same holds true for genuine architecture. It affects us at a pre-conscious level and its impact transcends the immediate, sensory, effects of the building. As I see it, architecture is not a matter of superficial effects. Its must transcend that which is little more than eye-catching gimmickry. A good example of what I would consider a layered design is Erik Gunnar Asplund’s Woodland Chapel built in 1922 (Fig. 1). Located on the grounds of the Woodland Crematorium in Enskede outside Stockholm, it was built to accommodate the funerals of children. At first, the chapel seems unremarkable in its elemental simplicity – as Simon Unwin puts it â€Å"without pretentions to being anything more than a rudimentary hut in the woods.† However, in quiet and richly suggestive ways, Asplund imbues this seemingly uncomplicated building with a poetic sense of an ancient and timeless place for burial. As J.R Curtis puts it, this apparently simple chapel was: â€Å"guided by underlying mythical themes to do with the transition from life to death, the procession of burial and redemption and the transubstantiation of natural elements such as water and light. There were echoes too of Nordic burial mounds and of Christ’s route to Calvary.† Fig. 1 Erik Gunnar Asplund, Woodland Chapel, 1922  One striking aspect can be found in Asplund’s sensitive treatment of the theme of resurrection. The idea is usually made explicit through the use of iconography; Asplund, however, evokes the notion of rebirth through his use of subtle association. The Chapel, for example, has only one source of light, which comes from above. The eye is therefore drawn upwards, to the heavens. This effect is accentuated by the pervasive darkness of the building. Like Robert Venturi, Asplund opts for â€Å"richness of meaning rather than clarity of meaning.† As a result, his Woodland Chapel has an uplifting rather than a depressing effect. His Chapel becomes an affirmation of life rather than an acceptance of defeat, and this appeals to me very much. It is no surprise to discover that Asplund himself – in a 1940 article on his crematorium building in Byggmà ¤staren – referred to the Woodland Cemetery, in which the Chapel lies, as a ‘biblical landscape’. Whatever else it is, the Bible is a book of hope. 2. Generous â€Å"Design is people† Jane Jacobs Jane Jacobs’s fundamental commitment to ordinary human beings is something I admire. Generous architecture offers an approach which puts everyday people at the forefront of the design. This is an inclusive architecture which does not limit itself only to the client and/or private users of the building.  Nobody is excluded. An example of this kind of what might be described as â€Å"generous† architecture can be found in Norwegian firm Snà ¸hetta’s Oslo Opera House on the waters of the Oslo Fjord, completed in 2007 (Fig. 2). Fig. 2 Snà ¸hetta, Oslo Opera House, 2007 Snà ¸hetta are concerned with the social dimension of architecture and this design imaginatively reinterprets the traditional opera houses that â€Å"conventionally limit their public spaces to exterior plazas or grand lobbies, often only accessible during opening hours.† What is striking here is that their Opera House succeeds in giving back to the city a public space. The sloping rooftop becomes a new public area: a recreation space and viewing platform that you can walk on, sit on, sunbathe on, even snowboard on. As a result anyone, whether interested in Opera or not, can enjoy the space. The building has been called a social democratic monument† by founding partner of Snà ¸hetta, Craig Dykers – and one can see why. In a recent television interview, Dykers went on to remark: â€Å"There is a sense of being able to place your feet onto the building that gives you a sense of ownership. At a certain point you no longer see the building as an architect’s building but as your own building† This is the kind of architecture which interests me. The fact that this building is sited in the middle of a highly populated area shows what can be done to help people live a fuller life – including those who have no focused interest in the Arts. This approach seems particularly relevant as more and more people live in cities and comes as a reminder that a city need not be a soulless, inhuman place. 3. Contextual â€Å"Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.† Eliel Saarinen Architecture is inextricably rooted to place. An awareness of context then, would seem to be a sine qua non but unfortunately this is not always the case. An understanding of the social, historical, environmental, cultural and human qualities of a place is vital to building to best effect. By  Ã¢â‚¬Å"contextual†, then, I mean an architecture that is sensitive to the history and memory of the site. This would by no means exclude an awareness of the buildings that surround it. I admire Alvar Aalto for his understanding of the importance of relating design to the most significant features of the local site: the kind of features that are, as Michael Trencher puts it, â€Å"either physically self-evident or historically and culturally relevant.† Aalto’s design for the Enso-Gutzeit Headquarters in Helsinki, (1959-62), affords a good example of this approach (Fig. 3). Fig. 3 Alvar Aalto, Enso-Gutzeit Headquarters in Helsinki, 1959-62 The site for this building was in the old, Neo-Classical centre of the city and Aalto sought to respond to Engel’s buildings on the harbour and to the Church on a nearby hill. Arising out of his respect for the site, the scale of Aalto’s office building derives â€Å"both its horizontal and vertical character from the nearby historical buildings, hence its symmetrical, formal faà §ade.† A more recent example of contextually sensitive design is afforded by Grafton Architect’s proposal for the new Faculty of Economics for the University of Toulouse, still under construction. While envisaging their project, the architects walked from one side of the city to the other, â€Å"gauging the character of the brick facades, the polygonal towers, the transitions from streets to courts and the underlying spatial patterns.† The resulting design offers a sensitive response to the layered history and unique geography of the site. As founding partner Shelley McNamara has put it, the building â€Å"weaves into the mesh of the city.† 4. Connected to Nature â€Å"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.† Frank Lloyd Wright By nature I mean a world predominantly uninterfered with by man. Building in a way that is sensitive to what is natural, its resources and habitats is a key issue in current debates about sustainable design. That said, it is nearly one hundred years since Frank Lloyd Wright offered architectural proposals showing how to live in harmony with the environment. He called this â€Å"an organic architecture†¦of nature, for nature.† Lloyd Wright also understood the connection between nature and  well-being: â€Å"the closer man associated himself with nature, the greater his personal, spiritual and even physical well-being grew and expanded as a direct result of that association.† It is hard not to agree wholeheartedly with Lloyd Wright’s philosophy. As I see it, Architecture must connect to the natural world—not just in terms of the use of resources or in merely avoiding the negative impact of building on the environment—but also, as importantly, in terms of what a connection to nature can offer. His design for the Kaufmann Residence at Falling Water provides an obvious example of Lloyd Wright’s respect for nature and the natural world (Fig. 4). Fig. 4: Frank Lloyd Wright, Falling Water, 1935 At Falling Water, as Neil Levine remarks: â€Å"you do not ask where the house ends and the natural environment begins.† This sensitivity is present throughout his oeuvre, so that his buildings often seem to grow out of the environment and never appear at odds with it. 5. Innovative There is often an assumption that to be truly innovative is to break away from all that went before, to create something totally new. I do not agree. As I see it, the most interesting avant-garde architecture has always been steeped in an understanding of the past. As T.S Eliot said â€Å"To be totally original is to be totally bad.† Just as every human being comes from parents, so every new idea owes something to what has gone before. While not rejecting the achievements of the past, Le Corbusier understood that new challenges require innovative thinking. He proposed radical ideas to enrich modern living, â€Å"from private villas to large scale social housing to utopian urban plans.† Yet his inexhaustible inventiveness, â€Å"that heretical habit, driving-force of all his artistic desires† was always rooted in an understanding of what had gone before. His 1955 design for the Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut, in Ronchamp, (Fig. 5) provides a good example, though it marked a profound change in direction from his earlier works and a move away from standardization and the machine aesthetic adverted to in Towards a New Architecture. J.R Curtis even suggests that â€Å"a nostalgia for the giant ruins of antiquity† began increasingly to show itself in Le Corbusier’s  imaginatively forward thinking work. Fig. 5 Le Corbusier, Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut, 1955 In a manner similar to the approach of Asplund for his Woodland Chapel, Le Corbusier sought to evoke religious emotions through the play of space, light and form rather than relying on traditional iconography. In my opinion, what particularly makes the building exciting is its mixture of old and new, its daringly original design linking with an organic awareness of past forms. Curtis suggests a synthesis of influences: from Hadrian’s Villa to the mud buildings from the Mzab in Algeria, to Dolmens and Cycladic buildings, to the Parthenon itself. Out of an awareness of these sources, Le Corbusier manages to invent a new vocabulary. Other examples of this syncretism mixed with an innovative approach can be found in his designs for the Villa Madrot in Le Prdet, the Pavillon Suisse in Paris and the Duval Facory in Saint Die. The result has been described as â€Å"a wholly new formal idiom†Ã¢â‚¬â€ and one which owes its impact to the combination of the past and the wholly modern. An interesting contemporary comparison is The Sea Organ, in Zadar Croatia by Nikola BaÃ… ¡ic, built in 2005. The architect consulted master organ makers and Dalmatian stone carvers in his wish to create an experimental installation on the quayside to create a natural musical organ powered by the waves of the sea. Underneath its elegant white stone steps are 35 musically tuned tubes, through which the waves create random harmonic sounds. This kind of architecture excites me: strikingly innovative, yet sensitively grounded to the history of the site and traditions of the local people. 6. Stimulative Stimulative architecture, I would define as that which lifts the spirit, making us feel more alive. It surprises and challenges us even as it makes us appreciate more the needs it fulfils. Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s design for the Glasgow School of Art affords a good example (Fig. 6). Built in two phases from 1897-1899 and 1907-1909, the School still excites not least by its subtle playfulness. Around every corner the visitor is struck by something unexpected. Fig. 6, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Glasgow School of Art, 1899 On a closer look, a fusion of opposites emerges. Materials range widely and include leaded stained glass, exposed concrete and painted softwood. Their interplay is matched by an unexpected synthesis of light and dark, mass and plane, the old and the new, the solid and the void. As a result, the building imparts what Denys Lasdun calls â€Å"the brooding air of frozen excitement.† The fundamental stress lies in its manipulation of space. It seems to provide an example of what David Brett describes as a kind of â€Å"poetic workmanship† where structure, features, interiors and furnishings become â€Å"subject to a unifying system of forms, metaphors and unconscious associations.† 7. Idealistic This concept ranges widely and includes respect for people coupled with a hope to advance and uplift. It is the opposite of cynical or purely utilitarian. A building finally is more than something purely functional. It should have a spirit and not turn its back on artistic considerations. I would argue that idealism is the underlying principle to all the approaches of the architects above. Even if idealism is a difficult idea to define, it still has a reality and nowhere is it, and conversely the cynical, more obvious than in architecture. â€Å"The ultimate goal of architecture†, said Aalto in 1957,†¨Ã¢â‚¬Å"is to create a paradise†¦ every house, every product†¨of architecture†¦should be a fruit of our endeavour to†¨build an earthly paradise for people.† This idea appeals greatly to me and would be one of the basic impulses behind my approach to architecture. Conclusion In conclusion, the seven points of this manifesto provide an overview of some approaches to sustainable design that I am interested in exploring during my time studying architecture. These basic considerations propose a design that is layered, generous, contextual, connected to nature, innovative, stimulating and idealistic. These approaches can be loosely grouped under the idea of sensitivity, that is a respect for people, nature, site and  precedent. Examples of these considerations can be found in the work of architects, both past and present: from the timeless profundity of Asplund’s Woodland Chapel to the striking innovations of Le Corbusier and more recent examples from Grafton Architects Toulouse Economics Department and Snà ¸hetta’s Oslo Opera House. This is a manifesto for a lasting architecture. The bottom line is that sustainability is not a design aesthetic, as Robert Stern points out: â€Å"it is an ethic, a basic consideration that we have to have as architects designing buildings†¦ in 10 years were not going to talk about sustainability anymore, because its going to be built into the core processes of architecture†. List of Illustrations Fig. 1: Erik Gunnar Asplund, Woodland Chapel, 1922 (Source: http://www.fubiz.net accessed January 12, 2012) Fig. 2: Snà ¸hetta, Oslo Opera House, 2007 (Source: http://www.mimoa.eu accessed January 12, 2012) Fig. 3: Alvar Aalto, Enso-Gutzeit Headquarters in Helsinki, 1959-62 (Source: http://www.fubiz.net accessed January 14, 2012) Fig. 4: Frank Lloyd Wright, Falling Water, 1935 (Source: http://www.mimoa.eu accessed January 12, 2012) Fig. 5: Le Corbusier, Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut, 1955 (http://farm4.static.flickr.com accessed January 20, 2012) Fig. 6: Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Glasgow School of Art, 1899 (Source: http://www.glasgowarchitecture.co.uk accessed January 12, 2012) Bibliography Allen, Brooks H. (editor), Le Corbusier: Essays, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987 Anderson, Jane, Architectural Design, London: Thames Hudson Press, 2011 http://www.architectural-review.com accessed November 22, 2011 http://bigthink.com accessed December 12, 2011 Blundell Jones, Peter, Gunnar Asplund, London: Phaidon, 1995. Blake, Peter, Frank Lloyd Wright: Architecture and Space, London: Penguin Books, 1964 http://www.blackwoodgallery.ca accessed November 11, 2011 Brett, David, C.R Mackintosh: The Poetics of Workmanship, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1992 Brooks, Bruce, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1867-1959: Building for Democracy, Hong Kong: Taschen, 2006 http://www.coldsplinters.com accessed 22 November, 2011 ‘Craig Dykers Interview’ GRITtv on youtube.com, 12 November, 2011 Curtis, William J.R, Modern Architecture Since 1900, London: Phaidon, 1996 Eliot, T. S., â€Å"Dante.† in Selected Essays New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1950 Elkin, T., McLaren, D. and Hillman, M., Reviving the City: towards sustainable urban development, London: Friends of the Earth, 1991 Gill, Brendan, Many Masks: A Life of Frank Lloyd Wright, New York: Putman, 1987 http://www.graftonarchitects.ie accessed October 25, 2011 Heinz, Thomas A., The Vision of Frank Lloyd Wright. London: Chartwell Books, 2000 Hertzberger, Herman, Space and the Architect, Rotterdam: 010 Press, 2000 Hoffmann, Donald, Frank Lloyd Wrights Fallingwater: The House and Its History, New York: Dover Publications, 1978 Honour, Hugh, A World History of Art, London: Laurence King, 2005 http://imodern.com accessed January 22, 2012 Jencks, Charles, Le Corbusier and the Continental Revolution in Architecture, New York: The Monacelli Press, 2000 Maddex, Diane, Frank Lloyd Wright: Inside and Out, London: Pavilion, 2002 Middleton, Haydn, Frank Lloyd Wright, New York: Heinemann, 2001 McLennan, Jason, The Philosophy of Sustainable Design, New York: Ecotone Publishing, 2004 Pallasmaa, Juhani, The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses, Wiley-Academy, 2005 Pearson, Paul David, Alvar Aalto and the International Style, New York: Whitney Library of Design, 1978 Quantrill, Malcolm, Finnish Architecture and the Modernist Tradition, London: Taylor Francis, 1995 Ray, Nicholas, Alvar Aalto, London: Yale University Press. 2005 Ryan, Zoe, Open: New Designs for Public Space, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004 www.sandellsandberg.se accessed November 22, 2011 http://www.spatialagency.net/ accessed November 21, 2011 Tempel, Egon, New Finnish Architecture, New York, Washington: Frederick A. Praeger, 1968 http://www.treehugger.com accessed November 22, 2011 Trencher, Michael, The Alvar Aalto Guide, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1996 Unwin, Simon, Analysing Architecture Venturi, Robert, Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture New York: Museum of Modern Art Press, 1966 Wolschke-Bulmahn, Joachim, Places of Commemoration, Washington: Dumbarton Oaks, 2001 [ 1 ]. McLennan, Jason, The Philosophy of Sustainable Design, New York: Ecotone Publishing, 2004, p.5 [ 2 ]. www.sandellsandberg.se accessed November 22, 2011 [ 3 ]. Eliot, T. S., â€Å"Dante.† in Selected Essays New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1950, pp. 199-237 [ 4 ]. Unwin, Simon, Analysing Architecture, p.255 [ 5 ]. Ibid. p. 256 [ 6 ]. Curtis, William J.R, Modern Architecture Since 1900, London: Phaidon, 1996, p. 113 [ 7 ]. Wolschke-Bulmahn, Joachim, Places of Commemoration, Washington: Dumbarton Oaks, 2001, p.1016 [ 8 ]. Venturi, Robert, Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture New York: Museum of Modern Art Press, 1966, p.16 [ 9 ]. Johansson, pp. 59-60 [ 10 ]. http://www.blackwoodgallery.ca accessed November 11, 2011 [ 11 ]. Anderson, Jane, Architectural Design, London: Thames Hudson Press, 2011, p. 129 [ 12 ]. Ryan, Zoà «, Open: New Designs for Public Space, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004, p. 28 [ 13 ]. Ibid. p. 29 [ 14 ]. ‘Craig Dykers Interview’ GRITtv on youtube.com, 12 November, 2011 [ 15 ]. Eliel Saarinen, Time Magazine July 2, 1956 [ 16 ]. Trencher, Michael, The Alvar Aalto Guide, New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1996, p.34 [ 17 ]. Quantrill, Malcolm, Finnish Architecture and the Modernist Tradition, London: Taylor Francis, 1995, p. 122 [ 18 ]. Tempel, Egon, New Finnish Architecture, New York, Washington: Frederick A. Praeger, 1968, p148 [ 19 ]. http://www.architectural-review.com accessed November 22, 2011 [ 20 ]. http://www.graftonarchitects.ie accessed October 25, 2011 [ 21 ]. Middleton, Haydn, Frank Lloyd Wright, New York: Heinemann, 2001 [ 22 ]. Brooks, Bruce, Frank Lloyd Wright, 1867-1959: Building for Democracy, Hong Kong: Taschen, 2006 p. 12 [ 23 ]. Ibid. p.

Self-Awareness of The Sandboxs Characters :: The Sandbox Edward Albee

Symbolic Self-Awareness of The Sandbox's Characters Through his one-act play The Sandbox, Edward Albee has extended the allegory; his characters not only exist as symbols, but are more than vaguely aware of themselves as such. As caricatures rather than characters, they maintain a consciousness of their presence on stage as well as the stereotypical rules and emotions they are meant to display. Specifically through Mommy and Daddy's vacuous and immediate shifts to "appropriate" attitudes, Edward Albee issues his value statement. In effect, Shakespeare's assessment that "All the world's a stage,/And all men and women merely players" has been reanalyzed and extended by Albee, culminating in a work which declares the conventional conception of death as affected and contrived. Almost deceiving in its straightforwardness is the opening note on Mommy and Daddy and the "pre-senility and vacuity of their characters." Daddy's ensuing questions as to what is to be done, and Mommy's resulting composed answers set in motion the implication of an end-of-life ritual whose spiritual meaning has long since passed away. At one point, Daddy asks Mommy if they should conduct a conversation. Mommy responds, "Well, you can talk, if you want to...if you can think of anything to say...if you can think of anything new." Daddy's rejoinder in the negative establishes early on that his and Mommy's existences, and therefore actions, are hackneyed, artificial, mundane, and devoid of any true, personal meaning. By the air of preparation which pervades the play, and by Grandma's death in the end, a connection is made, and The Sand Box is duly noted as Albee's address on custom surrounding the coming of life's passing. The creation of an W W W W W W in which the actors are aware of their presence of stage breaks ground for Albee's take on society's engagement in role-playing. Requesting appropriate background music, and making remarks on lighting, Albee's characters cannot escape discredit regarding the genuine. Similarly, Albee greets the close advance of death with the suitable stereotypes of sudden darkness, violin playing, "a violent off-stage rumble," and Mommy's brief tears. Inevitably, the sincerity of Mommy and Daddy has been cast in doubt and all subsequent words and actions bear resemblance to conventions. Self-Awareness of The Sandbox's Characters :: The Sandbox Edward Albee Symbolic Self-Awareness of The Sandbox's Characters Through his one-act play The Sandbox, Edward Albee has extended the allegory; his characters not only exist as symbols, but are more than vaguely aware of themselves as such. As caricatures rather than characters, they maintain a consciousness of their presence on stage as well as the stereotypical rules and emotions they are meant to display. Specifically through Mommy and Daddy's vacuous and immediate shifts to "appropriate" attitudes, Edward Albee issues his value statement. In effect, Shakespeare's assessment that "All the world's a stage,/And all men and women merely players" has been reanalyzed and extended by Albee, culminating in a work which declares the conventional conception of death as affected and contrived. Almost deceiving in its straightforwardness is the opening note on Mommy and Daddy and the "pre-senility and vacuity of their characters." Daddy's ensuing questions as to what is to be done, and Mommy's resulting composed answers set in motion the implication of an end-of-life ritual whose spiritual meaning has long since passed away. At one point, Daddy asks Mommy if they should conduct a conversation. Mommy responds, "Well, you can talk, if you want to...if you can think of anything to say...if you can think of anything new." Daddy's rejoinder in the negative establishes early on that his and Mommy's existences, and therefore actions, are hackneyed, artificial, mundane, and devoid of any true, personal meaning. By the air of preparation which pervades the play, and by Grandma's death in the end, a connection is made, and The Sand Box is duly noted as Albee's address on custom surrounding the coming of life's passing. The creation of an W W W W W W in which the actors are aware of their presence of stage breaks ground for Albee's take on society's engagement in role-playing. Requesting appropriate background music, and making remarks on lighting, Albee's characters cannot escape discredit regarding the genuine. Similarly, Albee greets the close advance of death with the suitable stereotypes of sudden darkness, violin playing, "a violent off-stage rumble," and Mommy's brief tears. Inevitably, the sincerity of Mommy and Daddy has been cast in doubt and all subsequent words and actions bear resemblance to conventions.

Presumed Innocent until proven Guilty Essay

More than 20 years ago, Troy Davis, an African-American man from Georgia, was convicted of shooting and killing a police officer and was sentenced to death. Several years later, seven out of nine eyewitnesses completely revoked their stories. There was a clear lack of evidence that had proven him of his innocence, and therefore he was linked to the crime out of pure assumption. His legal team argued that he was just in the â€Å"wrong place at the wrong time† but Davis was ultimately executed based on the original jury verdict. Troy Davis maintained his innocence until his death by lethal injection in 2011. His last words to the family of the murdered officer were, â€Å"All I can ask is that you look deep into this case so you can really find the truth†. This man, Troy Davis, is one of thousands of people worldwide that have been victims of this situation, being presumed guilty until proven innocent. He was not just put into prison, being deprived of his liberty and dignity; he was sentenced to death, being deprived of his life! Recent case studies show that in the United States alone more than 4% of all convictions are wrong. From 1973-2004 there were 7482 people who were sentenced to death and of those, 117 were innocent. Each year, 10 000 innocent people are wrongly convicted in the United States. Right there and then, innocent men and women are left with no futures. This is why I believe that all men should be rather presumed innocent until proven guilty, as sentencing an innocent person to death, is an even more guilt-bearing act in my opinion. If you look around you, you are surrounded by life. It is the most valuable thing on our planet Earth. You are a representation of life yourself. Growing up and developing your life takes years, yet can be taken away from you in an instant because of something as stupid as false accusation? Who, then, is the real criminal? A man like Oscar Pistorius is a man fighting for his life in high court because he murdered his girlfriend Reeva. Although the reasons to why he pulled the trigger seem preposterous, there is no clear, 100%, factual evidence stating whether it was premeditated murder or not. At the end of the day, he murdered an innocent young girl

Reasons Why Mayella Ewell is a Dichotomous Character Essay

Mayella Ewell is a dichotomous person because she is like any other girl that wants to fit in. The one that wants to be something she’s not. She wants to be beautiful, accepted, have friends. She is tired of people thinking she’s dirty or feeling unwanted, like an outsider. She’s alone in a big room of people and cannot take it anymore. The first reason why she is a dichotomous character is she wanted to be accepted, but she can’t because she is unwanted by many people in Maycomb because of her last name, Ewell. The last name, Ewell is known by the people of Maycomb because the Ewell’s are sloppy and dirty and do not care about anything. So just because she’s a Ewell people judge her as dirty and poor, when really she tries to fit in with everyone by cleaning up her appearance and growing flowers. Then, here she goes not know what the word, â€Å"friend† even means. She only had one friend which was Tom Robinson, but she betrays him by lying to everyone in Maycomb saying he beat her up, when really it was her dad. She does this because she would rather save her abusive father than saving an innocent black man’s life, even if he was nicer than her father. Just these two comparisons do not tell you why she is a dichotomous character, the last one is very important because she pretty much shows you the main reason why she brayed Tom Robinson. She has this big, careless family that everyone in Maycomb doesn’t care for and her she is alone in her own family of nine people. They do not care for her, but she cares for her dad and younger siblings by giving them money for ice cream. No one feels her pain except her, and with that pain what makes you think she wouldn’t have two different personalities.

The Sullivans matrix report Essays

The Sullivans matrix report Essays The Sullivans matrix report Essay The Sullivans matrix report Essay Sullivans matrix introduces different ways to classify the IT/IS environment of an organisation. Within this matrix, there are four environments: Traditional, Opportunistic, Complex and Backbone. The idea of this report is to describe how the IS/IT environment of Inditex fits into Sullivans matrix. According to Ward Peppard (2002) organisations with a traditional IT/IS environment have a highly centralised control of their IT resources. IS is not critical to the business and IT is solely used to improve efficiency on a system-by-system basis. McAfee (2004) raises many points in his article to suggest that the IT/IS of Inditex fits into this Traditional environment. Inditex see IT as merely an enabler for their business. McAfee (2004) confirms this theory as he states that The role of IT, then, is to support the process (McAfee, 2004). Ward Peppard state that within a Traditional environment, IT is simply used to support business processes and to improve the efficiency of the organisation. Another point which supports the theory is that Inditex have an excellent IT and business alignment. business goals always shape the companys use of technology, never vice versa (McAfee, 2004). This portrays Inditex as being entirely business-led where organisational goals invariably define technological innovation. This ethos confirms their desire not to waste money on new systems which do not provide a business value or solution to a specific business problem. McAfee relates to this theory as an inside-out approach. To sum up the arguments, Inditex has one principle which fully shows that their IT/IS environment is Traditional: computerisation is standardised and targeted. You can see this on the low IT budget which is estimated 0. 5% of revenue and the IT staff of 50. Despite Inditexs focus on the Traditional environment, there are also subtle undertones of Sullivans other three IT/IS environments displayed within the organisation. For example, there are factors which show that elements of Inditexs IT/IS environment is Complex. They are dependent on their PDAs which can also be difficult to manage. In addition they are also largely decentralized, because each store manager has to manage his PDA. This is also the case with regards to their POS systems. Inditex is a company with branches around the world. This makes it difficult to manage each POS in every store. In some points, the IT/IS environment of Inditex also displays Opportunistic aspects. In the case of Inditex the attributes for a Complex and Opportunistic environment are very similar. However, one of the more important factors to consider is the teamwork and cooperation conducted within Inditex. Their success is mainly based on the decision making abilities of their staff. This strategy is ensured as technologists work with line managers to understand what the business requires and then start proposing solutions which shows that the workforce is closely integrated and dependent more upon teamwork and decision making than IT capabilities. This type of culture is defined by Ward Peppard (2002) as being an Opportunistic trait as they state that integration of systems occurs due to user-user cooperation occurs within this type of environment. We also examined whether Inditex had aspects of a Backbone IS/IT environment. This may be a factor as the business processes are highly customised, thus the stores may be dependent on PDAs for instance. However, we do not have enough information from the article to be sure whether traits of the Backbone environment exist within their structure. In the late 1990s when other organisations spent vast sums of money on new technologies, Inditex withheld a Traditional framework. Great success has ultimately been achieved while The relative absence of computers throughout Inditex is nothing short of amazing (McAfee, 2004). Inditex has minimized the use of technology to their business needs and therefore they perform efficiently. In our opinion it is not important to classify which IT/IS environment Inditex has. It is more important that the IT/IS environment matches the business environment and the business needs so that IT can become a value creator in the organisation. There are different types of information, which organisations have to handle. Examples of such information types include business process information (which documents any information about the processes of the organisation), information relating to physical-world observations (which relies on new technologies like GPS or RFID) and biological data containing biometrical information of their customers or employees. Government institutions also use public data like CCTV for public surveillance but the most important data types are those which indicates personal preferences or intentions which is often used by those within the retail market. Once these types of information have been collated, an organisational culture must be established to determine the way in which information should be stored, managed and shared within the organisation to adhere to the goals and objectives set out within the information strategy. Essential for the success of any information management strategy is the existence of an appropriate information culture. An information culture can be defined as the values, attitudes and behaviours that influence the way employees at all levels in the organization sense, collect, organize, process, communicate and use information. (Ward Peppard, 2002 p470) There are four types of information culture defined by Marchand (1995): Functional Culture Within this culture it is the managers prerogative regarding which information is made available to the staff. It also follows a hierarchical structure regarding information sharing. Sharing Culture In this culture there is flat structure which is utilised to encourage trust and openness in order to share information between management and staff members. This culture is based on emotions such as trust which can be either advantageous or detrimental to the operation of the organisation or department as these emotions can frequently change. Enquiring Culture This culture may be used as an effective prediction to provide guidance for future developments. It is based on a sharing culture where managers and staff collaborate while it enables the organisation to reduce the time-to-market of their products. Discovery Culture This culture adds to the enquiring culture and focuses on analysing the gathered information. This helps to provide the organisation with a view of changing environments, competitor performance, areas of possible expansion and potential market entry for the future etc. These cultures are mostly found as combinations in organisations. Organisations have different information assets and their staff members have different information needs. Therefore, in order to use these information assets appropriately you need a customised culture which is aligned to the information needs of the organisation. Tesco provide us with a good example of this cross-over in culture definition as information is generally produced at the managerial level and distributed amongst the workforce while it can also be shared amongst line managers and employees at all levels throughout the organisation. An enquiring culture is also used to develop certain areas of the business to enable future profitability while a discovery culture is in place for Tescos attempted entry into markets such as insurance, banking and Internet broadband. All of these points convey Tesco as a multi-culture organisation where different sectors of their business follow different cultures. As we have discussed, the behaviours and attitudes of a workforce can have a profound effect on the success of an organisations performance. For this reason, the information culture must match the requirements of employees in order to facilitate a successful information strategy. Trust and receptiveness are just two behavioural traits which must be monitored in order for employee acceptance. The importance of considering these factors is agreed by Ferguson et al. who state that sustainable competitive advantage will rely on two very human characteristics: insight and trust (Ferguson et al. , 2005 p58). From this point, we can conclude that the consideration of human aspects is vital for the strategic success of information and without an information culture, it can be very difficult to monitor and influence the behaviour and attitudes of the workforce. References Ferguson, G., Mathur, S., Shah, B. (2005). Evolving From Information to Insight. MIT Sloan Management Review, 46(2), 51-58. Marchand, D.A. (1995, 8 December). What is your companys information culture? Financial Times, pp. 10-11. Ward, J., Peppard, J. (2002). Strategic Planning for Information Systems. West Sussex, England: John Wiley Sons