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

The Major Laws of Chemistry

The Major Laws of Chemistry Navigating the world of chemistry is much easier once youve got an understanding of the fields basic laws. The most important ones briefly summarized below, describe the foundational concepts and principles of chemistry. Avogadros LawEqual volumes of gases under identical temperature and pressure conditions will contain equal numbers of particles (atoms, ions, molecules, electrons, etc.). Boyles LawAt a constant temperature, the volume of a confined gas is inversely proportional to the pressure to which the gas is subjected: PV k Charles LawAt a constant pressure, the volume of a confined gas is directly proportional to the absolute temperature in Kelvin: V kT Combining VolumesRefer to Gay-Lussacs Law. Conservation of EnergyEnergy can be neither created nor destroyed; the energy of the universe is constant. This is the First Law of Thermodynamics. Conservation of MassMatter can be neither created nor destroyed, though it can be rearranged. Mass remains constant in an ordinary chemical change. This principle is also known as conservation of matter. Daltons LawThe pressure of a mixture of gases is equal to the sum of the partial pressures of the component gases. Definite CompositionA compound is composed of two or more elements chemically combined in a defined ratio by weight. Dulong–Petit  LawMost metals require 6.2 calories of heat in order to raise the temperature of one gram-atomic mass of metal by one degree Celsius. Faradays LawThe weight of any element liberated during electrolysis is proportional to the quantity of electricity passing through the cell and also to the equivalent weight of the element. First Law of ThermodynamicsThe total energy of the universe is constant and can be neither created nor destroyed. This law is also known as conservation of energy. Gay-Lussacs LawThe ratio between the combining volumes of gases and the product (if gaseous) can be expressed in small whole numbers. Grahams LawThe rate of diffusion or effusion of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its molecular mass. Henrys LawThe solubility of a gas (unless it is highly soluble) is directly proportional to the pressure applied to the gas. Ideal Gas LawThe state of an ideal gas is determined by its pressure, volume, and temperature according to the equation: PV nRT where P is the absolute pressure, V is the volume of the vessel, n is the number of moles of gas, R is the ideal gas constant, and T is the absolute temperature in Kelvin. Multiple ProportionsWhen elements combine, they do so in the ratio of small whole numbers. The mass of one element combines with the  fixed mass of another element according to certain ratios. Periodic LawThe chemical properties of the elements vary periodically according to their atomic numbers. Second Law of ThermodynamicsEntropy increases over time. Another way of stating this law is to say that heat cannot flow, on its own, from an area of cold to an area of hot.

Texas HB15 & the Abortion Debate Research Paper

Texas HB15 & the Abortion Debate - Research Paper Example The problem in this situation depends on the individual’s own moral views on abortion and the legitimate functions of the State with regard to personal privacy. The reason that it is considered a state issue in Texas is primarily due to the concentration of anti-abortion leaders in the political representatives of the state and their advocacy of this bill. It can be stated that there is no national or local cry from women popularly who are seeking government regulations to control their personal reproductive decisions, but rather a minority group of political conservatives are seeking to apply their moral views to society through this legislation that would introduce mandatory testing and reporting requirements into the medical process of abortion. HB15 â€Å"Relating to providing a sonogram before an abortion; providing penalties,† was introduced into the 82nd Legislative Session of Texas because local anti-abortion advocates believed that they had the political suppor t to push the bill through, but the larger issue is whether this minority has the right to impose their morality on others through the restrictions advocated in the bill, or whether these powers are inconsistent with the individual’s right to privacy. (Texas Tribune, 2011) ... rested parties in this debate are all women particularly who believe it is their right to self-determine their reproductive choices according to their own morality, rather than that of a Republican, â€Å"moral minority† that seizes power through political control of the House and uses this power to pass anti-abortion legislation. The anti-abortion advocates behind the bill are trying to save the life of every unborn child out of their ideological opposition to abortion fundamentally. The problem is that anti-abortion advocates cannot accept that other individuals may have moral standards and views that are different and with that the right to self-determine their lives according to their own definition. The counter-argument to this is that abortion is murder and people must do anything they can to stop it. The reasoning behind the mandate for women to receive a sonogram in the case of an abortion is to morally shame the woman by making her listen to a fetal heartbeat before s he undergoes the procedure. In this instance, the anti-abortionists are interested in humiliating women and forcing them to walk through a bureaucratic system of State control due to the moral views of the anti-abortionists. Policy positions: What are the different policy proposals for the various interested parties? Name the preference for each and what they will gain by having their policy enacted and what they will lose by having another policy enacted. The Dallas News reported on the legislative details of HB15 and the debate in the House over the bill, writing: â€Å"Women in Texas must be offered a fetal sonogram and hear a heartbeat before having an abortion under legislation approved by the Senate on Thursday. The legislation, hailed by abortion opponents as a way to entitle women to more