Government Support of E-Business Essay

In this assignment I am going to explain how the government supports the development of e-business and I will use example to support my answers. Also I am going to produce a personal development plan to aid an individual to prepare for increased use of business online. Government e-commerce regulations about online business The E-commerce Regulations apply to businesses which sell goods or services to businesses or consumers through a number of different ways. These can include though the internet, by email or Short Message Service. Also the e-commerce regulation also includes advertisement through the internet, emails or SMS. The e-commerce regulations do not cover businesses who advertise through direct marketing by phone or fax. The regulations specify the vital information which businesses must give to customers when you sell online. The regulation provides several guidelines on advertising and promotions. â€Å"Commercial communications† must: * Be clearly recognisable as such * Say on whose behalf they are sent * Clearly identify promotional offers and any qualifying conditions. Government support for online businesses The government currently offers free training and helpful advice to businesses who are adapting to online business. Business Link is the government’s online resource for businesses. Business links website is very helpful which provides individuals and businesses with advice for setting up, funding and many other things. Government support for staff in an online business The government supports staff through providing employees with essential training such IT, maths and English qualifications. Learn direct provides individuals with these qualifications helping them to run their online business. Also there is a regulation such as the consumer protection distance selling regulations which is a type of protection applied to goods sold to a consumer by an individual through phone, mail order, the internet and digital TV. This regulation gives the right to receive clear information about the goods and a service being given before the 7 day cooling period is over. Security and data protection issues to be considered Several issues needs to be considered, the data protection act 1988, this is a type of law that protects the processing of personal information which is held on identifiable individuals. Many businesses need to comply with this act if they need to process and handle their customers personal data, this means that the business must be very open and not secretive about the use of the valuable data and make sure that they follow the certain rules for processing the information. Businesses can get support for security and data protection from the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which both offers online help and support. How the Government has helped to prepare customers for an online operation of a business The government has helped significantly to prepare customers for the online operation of a business by providing them with guidance from many different government funded businesses such as business link which is a very useful website to use for businesses which are just starting out online. Their website provides each business with nearly everything which will support them with their first few months of trade as an online business. Task 2- P7 Personal development plan- Unfamiliar issues when trading online What training is needed? IT training such as Microsoft office for programmes such as excel so that invoices and sales can be recorded on to a database. Microsoft word for any administrative letters can be created to send out to consumers and other businesses. Emails can be improved by showing the correct way of how to address emails in a formal manner, this well help to increase the standard of communication between online customer relations.   Microsoft outlook for keeping up-to-date with customer orders and the day to day running of the company, any important notes and messages can be left securely on Microsoft outlook.   The companies own software- employees must be shown how to use any company software so that they can source for product information about any orders which comes through any employee can deal with it and get it shipped out as quickly as possible. Searching for information on the internet, this is basically searching for the correct information which can help a business carry out their work. For example a home delivery company will need to search for customers addresses so that they know where they are going. What will the employee do after they have completed the training? Once the employee has completed the training courses they will become more multi skilled, this means that they will be able to carry out other activities within the business and become more confident when carrying out each job as they will know what to do. What do I have to do to help me meet this training need? The most important reason is to support each employee who is gaining extra training; this will make them more committed to carry out their job to the highest standard. To meet this training need all the courses need to be arranged so that they don’t clash with any important meetings or arrangements. A certain number of employees must attend each class. How long will it take to complete the training? I think that the training will take a few months to complete, as the training could be spread out so that each topic is covered in detail. How important is it this for the business and its development? This is important to the business and for its development because their level of customer service will increase due to employees knowing what to do and customer’s orders can be dealt with accordingly. Searching for product information for enquiries can easily be done as they will know how to use the company software to search the database. Whose support maybe needed to ensure that I am successful in my training? Business link will be a good support which will be needed if the training courses are successful as they provide you with extra information and advice on what you can do next. Also employees will be good supports as I am provide training courses for their benefits and for them to become more successful in their workplace. They need to know why I am providing the training courses and how it will affect their work. What difficulties might I have to overcome to be able to carry out this training? Employees may not want to attend the training courses so they won’t be able to carry out any extra work. To overcome this I may have to advertise the training courses and people who want to learn extra skills can attend the courses. In able to carry out the training it may have to be in employee’s spare time as the company may not be able to accommodate these courses during the working day as there won’t be enough staff there to carry out the day to day activities. Conclusion Overall in this assignment I have explained how the government supports the development of e-business, I have given some examples to support each point. Also I have produced a personal development plan to help an individual prepare for the increase use of e-business. Bibliography http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1075385095&type=RESOURCES http://www.learndirect.co.uk/about/about-who/what-we-do/ Power points on Moodle Richards, Catherine; Dransfield, Rob; Goymer, John. BTEC Level 3 National Business, Book 1. Harlow, Essex, GBR: Pearson Education Limited, 2010. p 421. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/yeovil/Doc?id=10386311&ppg=431 Copyright  © 2010. Pearson Education Limited. All rights reserved.

Information Technology Essay

Advancements in information technology have had many great benefits on society. It has revolutionized the phase of business and living around the world. Information Technology has made Local businesses become international due to a simple website. Information technology (IT) is the use of computers and telecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data. The term is commonly used as a synonym for computers and computer networks, but it also encompasses other information distribution technologies such as television and telephones. It is broadly considered to encompass the use of computers and telecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data. Several industries are associated with information technology, such as computer hardware,software, electronics, semiconductors, internet, telecom equipment and computer services (Chandler, 2012). Therefore, the purpose of this assignment is to discuss the wonders and horrors Information Technology has brought to us. It will first look at the wonders which Information Technology has brought, and then it will look at the horrors. It is from the wonders and horrors were a conclusion will be drawn from. Today information technology involves more than just computer literacy; it also takes into account how computers work and how these computers can further be used not just for information processing but also for communications and problem solving tasks as well. Information technology also involves the development, installation, implementation, maintenance, and the use of computer systems, software and networks for the processing and distribution of data (Daintith, 2009). Our world today has changed a great deal with the aid of information technology. The revolution in IT has itself been brought forth by a company of innovations in telecommunications and informatics, made possible by cheaper new lightweight materials such as optical fibers transmitting information faster. Information flows faster and less expensively throughout the globe, but it will take substantial time to reach full digitalization given the youth of IT (Achimugu et al; 2009). Things that were once done manually or by hand have now become computerized operating systems, which simply require a single click of a mouse to get a task completed. With the aid of Information Technology, we are not only able to stream line our business processes but we are also able to get constant information in ‘real time’ that is up to the minute and up to date (Vermaat,2004). The significance of Information Technology can be seen from the fact that it has penetrated almost every aspect of our daily lives from business to leisure and even society. The world has an estimated 350 million internet users. Over 90% of them are in industrial countries, although developing countries comprise about 85% of the world population (Berndt and Morrison, 1995). Today personal Computers, cell phones, fax machines, email and internet have all not only become an integral part of our very culture but also play an essential role in our day to day activities (Parker, 2003). Information Technology has brought a lot of wonders in our daily living. Some of the wonders include: Globalization – IT has not only brought the world closer together, but it has allowed the world’s economy to become a single interdependent system. This means that we can not only share information quickly and efficiently, but we can also bring down barriers of linguistic and geographic boundaries. The world has developed into a global village due to the help of information technology allowing countries like Chile and Japan who are not only separated by distance but also by language to shares ideas and information with each other. Communication – With the help of information technology, communication has also become cheaper, quicker, and more efficient. We can now communicate with anyone around the globe by simply text messaging them or sending them an email for an almost instantaneous response. The internet has also opened up face to face direct communication from different parts of the world thanks to the helps of video conferencing. Information Technology affects the way companies communicate and establish relations with their clients. In the fast moving and business environment, it is vital for them to interact with clients regularly and quickly to gain their trust and to obtain customer loyalty. With the use of internet and social networks, firms interact with consumers and answer all their queries about the products. Take for instance ‘ Barack Obama- USA President’ as the figure. With the use of networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, blogs, social bookmarking, the leader could approach to the world whenever necessary and the world can receive the news and updates which he has done or wants done within a short period of time. Cost effectiveness – Information technology has helped to computerize the business process thus streamlining businesses to make them extremely cost effective money making machines. This in turn increases productivity which ultimately gives rise to profits that means better pay and less strenuous working conditions. Additionally, to think and to research, we need resources to find what our past people has thought, what quotes they have left for us that is information and theory. Information can now be easily found by a single click in search engines such as Google and yahoo. Business Operations. With the use of technological innovations, business owners and entrepreneur understand their cash flow better, how to manage their storage costs well and enables you to save time and money. Bridging the cultural gap – Information technology has helped to bridge the cultural gap by helping people from different cultures to communicate with one another, and allow for the exchange of views and ideas, thus increasing awareness and reducing prejudice. More time – IT has made it possible for businesses to be open 24 x7 all over the globe. This means that a business can be open anytime anywhere, making purchases from different countries easier and more convenient. It also means that you can have your goods delivered right to your doorstep with having to move a single muscle. Increase the sense of Human Rights- The technology can remind of our human rights, basic needs and give updates where relief or worldwide help is necessary. During earthquakes, terrible floods, while co-operation is necessary the World Wide Web can help us to collect the donation by a desired amount. It is not possible to just figure out everything about the good and bad sides of Information and Technology within a page and article as because it has mixed with every aspects and corners of our lives. Rather, let us look at the side effects, bad sides (cons) which IT-sectors have brought to the Human Society Creation of new jobs – Probably the best advantage of information technology is the creation of new and interesting jobs. Computer programmers, Systems analyzers, Hardware and Software developers and Web designers are just some f the many new employment opportunities created with the help of IT. Information technologies of various kinds, together with globalization, are powerfully affecting the range of employment options for individuals in advanced and developing countries alike- and at various levels of education. Further, the classes of Information Technology that automate, disinter mediate and reduce costs of remoteness are also enabling the construction of increasin gly complex and geographically diverse global supply chains and networks (Spence, 2012) . Advancements in information technology have had many great benefits on society; however, this has not come without its downsides. Below are some of the horrors or disadvantages of information technology: Unemployment – While information technology may have streamlined the business process it has also created job redundancies, downsizing and outsourcing. This means that a lot of lower and middle level jobs have been done away with causing more people to become unemployed. Technology in an organization, company or business, the number of hours that a human works at that company is reduced. Technology is playing multiple roles. The replacement of routine manual work by machines and robots is a powerful, continuing and perhaps accelerating trend in manufacturing and logistics, while networks of computers are replacing routine white-collar jobs in information processing. For instance, the elimination of intermediaries in banking, online retail and a host of government services, to name just a few affected areas. This has even resulted in some people losing their jobs because technology is doing it for them. However this is beneficial for the organization as their profit is increased because they do not need to pay their workers as much because they are not required as much (Spence, 2012). Privacy – Though information technology may have made communication quicker, easier and more convenient, it has also bought along privacy issues. From cell phone signal interceptions to email hacking, people are now worried about their once private information becoming public knowledge. As IT Sectors have wined the people’s heart worldwide. People are here to share and store any kind of information, private date in their hard drives and private online databases. But due to some Cyber-Criminals, nothing is so safe both online and offline. If someone becomes a bit careless, he or she may needs to pay high for it especially when it comes to work related information (Saldarini and DeRobertis, 2003). Lack of job security – Industry experts believe that the internet has made job security a big issue as since technology keeps on changing with each day. This means that one has to be in a constant learning mode, if he or she wishes for their job to be secure. Dominant culture – While information technology may have made the world a global village, it has also contributed to one culture dominating another weaker one. For example it is now argued that US influences how most young teenagers all over the world now act, dress and behave. Languages too have become overshadowed, with English becoming the primary mode of communication for business and everything else Over reliance on technology – a lot of people believe that because computers and the Internet has become such a regular part of modern life, some people particularly children who grow up with it, will not be able to function without it. Some people think that the Internet is making people lazy, particularly when it comes to essay or project research as instead of reading books in a library, one can just perform a Google search. Loss of communication skills – with the ever increasing variety of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, a lot of people are worried that traditional communication skills will be lost. This worry is particularly about children who often engage in these websites because communication and interactive skills are not important with computers. Loss of personal touch – emails and instant messaging has replaced the old tradition of handwriting letters. And although this is advantageous because of time constraints, a personal touch and sense of feeling is lost compared to taking the time to sit down and hand write a letter. We can think, gather human principles (ethical knowledge) and make co-operative relationships between friends and families. But due to harmful aspects of (IT) people are becoming fully technological based. And it can bring huge damage to the society as its taking away the natural thoughts and organic ideas. Health problems – research has shown that technology can cause a number of problems with a person’s health. Many scientists, doctors and researchers are concerned about possible links between technology and heart problems, eye strain, obesity, muscle problems and deafness. Waste emitted from technology can pollute the environment which not only makes people ill, it also damages the environment. The online community is not safe for Family anymore- the family is the foundation of every nation. However, due to Information Technology, children under age may often share Cell Numbers, Private Email Address which can be hacked by people and can pass it to the criminals who have a blue-print to harm the society. And people are losing credit card privacy and other payment processing options. Again, there are some sites created by foul people, which can lead under eighteen teenagers to a different path – That Is going to bring Harm to the Nation. A very good example is the Iris Kaingu Video which circulated not only nationwide but also worldwide and was viewed by both young people and adults. In conclusion, one can safely say Information Technology has brought both wonders and horrors to our society. Things that were once done manually, or by hand have now become easier and faster by the introduction of computer technology in the workplace. Our world today has changed a great deal with the aid of Information Technology which has penetrated in almost every aspect of our daily lives and society. With all the good things about Information Technology, it has brought terrible horrors to some in our societies. A lot of people have lost their jobs because they have become irrelevant due to the introduction of computers in the workplace. It has contributed to the poor livelihood of people. Advancements in information technology have had many great benefits on society. It has revolutionized the phase of business and living around the world. Information Technology has made Local businesses become international due to a simple website. Information technology (IT) is the use of computers and telecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data. The term is commonly used as a synonym for computers and computer networks, but it also encompasses other information distribution technologies such as television and telephones. It is broadly considered to encompass the use of computers and telecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data. Several industries are associated with information technology, such as computer hardware,software, electronics, semiconductors, internet, telecom equipment and computer services (Chandler, 2012). Therefore, the purpose of this assignment is to discuss the wonders and horrors Information Technology has brought to us. It will first look at the wonders which Information Technology has brought, and then it will look at the horrors. It is from the wonders and horrors were a conclusion will be drawn from. Today information technology involves more than just computer literacy; it also takes into account how computers work and how these computers can further be used not just for information processing but also for communications and problem solving tasks as well. Information technology also involves the development, installation, implementation, maintenance, and the use of computer systems, software and networks for the processing and distribution of data (Daintith, 2009). Our world today has changed a great deal with the aid of information technology. The revolution in IT has itself been brought forth by a company of innovations in telecommunications and informatics, made possible by cheaper new lightweight materials such as optical fibers transmitting information faster. Information flows faster and less expensively throughout the globe, but it will take substantial time to reach full digitalization given the youth of IT (Achimugu et al; 2009). Things that were once done manually or by hand have now become computerized operating systems, which simply require a single click of a mouse to get a task completed. With the aid of Information Technology, we are not only able to stream line our business processes but we are also able to get constant information in ‘real time’ that is up to the minute and up to date (Vermaat,2004).

Intercultural Competence Worksheet Essay

1. What does â€Å"intercultural† communication mean to you? Intercultural communication to me means many things. It mainly means the way that people communicate throughout the different cultures that they derive from. Intercultural communication is basically the way that one person from a particular country would communicate with someone from America. Every culture has their own set of non-verbal gestures that could mean something completely different to an opposing culture. Verbal communication differs between different cultures and ethnic groups as well. Here is an example from Chapter One’s reading that I found to be quite interesting: â€Å"Latinos make up nearly a third of the populations of California and Texas, and they constitute at least 20 percent of the people in Arizona, Florida, Nevada, and New Mexico†. I live in Florida and found this interesting because the population of the town that I live in is well over one half populated with Latinos. We are forced to communicate and understand their cultures in order to better understand them on a personal level. Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal Communication across Cultures, Sixth Edition, by Myron W. Lustig and Jolene Koester. Published by Allyn & Bacon. Copyright  © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. 2. Define â€Å"intracultural† communication. How is this definition both similar and different to â€Å"intercultural† communication? According to Yahoo.com,†Intracultural communication† is often a trigger for stereotypes. First a definition of â€Å"Intracultural communication† is the type of communication that takes place between members of the same dominant  culture, but with slightly different values, as opposed to â€Å"intercultural communication† which is the communication between two distinct cultures. An example of intracultural communication triggering a stereotype would be if a person in the dominant culture, let’s say of the United States, spoke Ebonics. If a non-Ebonics speaking person hears Ebonics, a dialect of English with slang,they may assume the person is of low intelligence, and is a criminal or violent in nature. Ebonics is a language that is widely spoken among many African Americans as well as those from very southern states. For example, in my town we have what we call â€Å"Rednecks† who have their own language. I understand it but I have personally come into contact with people from up North who cannot understand a word of what that person is saying. http://voices.yahoo.com/intracultural-intercultural-causes-stereotypes-13680.html 3. What are some reasons and approaches behind mastering intercultural communication? Mastering Intercultural Communication can be master by the BASIC dimensions of Intercultural Competence. Here are the skills needed in order to master Intercultural Communication: Display of Respect- The ability to show respect and positive regard for another person Orientation to Knowledge- The terms people use to explain themselves and the world around them Empathy- The capacity to behave as though you understand the world as others do Interaction Management- Skill in regulating conversations Task Role Behavior- Behaviors that involve the initiation of ideas related to group problem solving activities Relational Role Behavior- Behaviors associated with Interpersonal Harmony and Mediation Tolerance for Ambiguity- The ability to react to new and ambiguous situations with little visible discomfort Interaction Posture- The ability to respond to others in descriptive, nonevaluative, and non-judgmental ways. These BASIC descriptions of behaviors are seen as cross cultural. What that means is that no matter the culture that a person may be in, these skills are always used in one way or another. Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal Communication across Cultures, Sixth Edition, by Myron W. Lustig and Jolene Koester. Published by Allyn & Bacon. Copyright  © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. Part 2: Intercultural Encounters Activity Instructions: Describe and analyze a recent intercultural encounter with someone of a different age, ethnicity, race, or religion. In at least 450 words, respond and include details to the following questions: 1. Briefly describe the person and the place. 2. How were you changed by the encounter? 3. What do you wish you had known to deal better with this intercultural encounter? A recent intercultural encounter that I was a part of was at my house in a conversation that I engaged in with my father in law. Our conversation was about his religion and how it differs from my particular faith. You see, my father in law is a very wise man in his mid-fifties. He has a lot of experience about a lot of interesting things. He was raised in the Jehovah Witness faith and talks about it every chance he gets. One evening, he was over at my house to enjoy a nice dinner with the rest of our family and something in the conversation was brought up about religion. My family and I, as well as his wife practice the Pentecostal faith. My father in law does not believe in it what so ever. As a matter of fact, he says that our faith goes against his completely. Now, while discussing the different aspects of his faith, I learned about why they choose not to participate in holidays or birthday activities. Jehovah Witnesses are seen as the people who believe that heaven is here on Earth, which is not true. When someone sees a Jehovah Witness coming to the door, what is it that they typically do? They slam the door in their faces and tell them to leave. To be honest, I was guilty of  the same exact thing until I learned more about how my father in law believes. All my life, I was taught about the Pentecostal faith; I was taught to not listen to Jehovah Witnesses because they â€Å"didn’t believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins on the cross†. Something that I learned thru this encounter to be entirely not true. Honestly, there have been so many times that I have apologized to my father in law for thinking that their faith was not holy, that they did not know our one true God. Boy was I wrong! I have been changed thru this encounter and the countless others that I have had to be more understanding of other’s religions and views of Christ Our Lord. Who really knows what the right religion is anyway? There are so many things that I wish I had known before judging people like my father in law. I did not give him a chance at all. His faith combined with mine has a lot of common characteristics; something I find to be very interesting. I ask him questions that I am curious about and he answers. I have also made friends with a very nice lady that attends his segregation and she comes to our house occasionally as well. He understands and respects my faith and doesn’t try to push his on me. I highly respect and love him for that.

Life in Britain is expensive.As a result many mothers have to work to Essay

Life in Britain is expensive.As a result many mothers have to work to pay the bills. This has caused the break-up of family life and had a disastrous effect on - Essay Example are for under 2 years of age has gone up by 33% in the past 6 years (Easier Finance, 2008) and the cost of electricity and gas is up by 16% compared to last year (The Times, 2008) to quote a few. This situation has resulted in more people in a family especially mothers going out to work in order to make ends meet as revealed by a recent study that 1 in every 3 parent’s work (Easier Finance, 2008). There has been a substantial increase in the proportion of married mothers going to work since the mid-1960s according to an article published by McRae, S. According to a recent survey, the number of women going to work as increased by 18% since 1993 (Easier Finance, 2008).A major reason identified for this is the increasing cost of living and in addition work also provides women confidence in themselves, a way of exposing their skills and also increased social contact (Orr, J, 1997). The publicly funded childcare mounts to only 2 % of children under 3 years of age. While earlier on mothers took up part-time jobs now they prefer to go for full-time jobs in order to make ends meet (Orr, J, 1997, Reynolds, T, Calleder, C, Edwards, R, 2003).This trend of both the parents going to work has affected the quality time they spend with their children (Easier Finance, 2008). A study conducted has revealed that children of working mothers showed lesser educational achievement due to lack of ma ternal care (Orr, J, 1997). The study also showed that among working mothers, children of mothers who worked part-time fared better in examinations compared to those whose mothers worked full-time reflecting the fact that the amount of time spent on children by the mother had an influence on the cognitive development of the child. Another new trend that is fast growing is the atypical working hours taken up by mothers. This includes working at weekends and in shifts during weekdays in order to manage both home and work. A Recent study has revealed that children get to spend less time with

Introduction to Organisations and Management Essay - 1

Introduction to Organisations and Management - Essay Example This case study is basically analyzing the behavioral approaches of the two different organizations and they are the Watsons Engine Components and H & M Consulting . This case will mainly focus on the competitive analysis of the organizational behavior between these two corporate entities. The organizational culture, behavior, leadership and motivational approaches and the interactive communicational processes will be given importance to prove the competitive analysis between these two organizations. Introduction: Organizational behavior is one of the most important factors in the organizational setting. The behavioral approach of the management towards the employees is the most important aspect of the human resource department. It is basically a practice of proper or suitable human behavior within the organizational setting (Griffin and Moorhead, 2009). The human behavior within the organization depends on many important factors and they are the organizational structure, motivationa l factors, job satisfaction, leadership qualities of the managers, communication processes and many more. In this case two companies; Watsons and H&M consulting follow different paths for the improvement of their organizational cultures. However, the Watsons follow the traditional approaches with the old fashioned organizational management techniques. ... It is basically into manufacturing parts for the cars. And this company requires people who are ready to accept changes. However, the present picture is different. It is a company which is managed by few top level managers. The managing director Gordon Watson is an aged man who rules the company. However, he is going to get retired very soon. The structure of the organization is very traditional and strictly hierarchical in nature. And the formation of the union is an astonishing act in a company of overall headcount of only 200. The centralized decision making process makes many of the lower managers unhappy regarding their recognition and power of controlling the teams. And many of the top level managers are also not happy with their jobs due to the dictating top level managers within the organizations. The organization is having 20 managers for only less than 200 working employees. This structure depicts the decentralization organizational structure where managers can take their o wn decisions. However, the real scenario is different and it is strictly hierarchical centralized organization. H&M Consulting: H&M consulting is a global consulting company which is into global management, development and engineering consulting. It is a very modern organization which has started its journey in 1989 with the great merger within two consulting groups. This organization has great visions towards the future and they follow their mission statement very intently. They are in a constant growth mode. It is practically more than 50 times larger than the Watsons; the H&M is having more than 13000 global employees. They follow the international business module as they are concentrating on the global format of the business. Acquisition and take-over are the technical tools for

BOOTS and ALLIANCE in talks over 7.5bn merger Essay

BOOTS and ALLIANCE in talks over 7.5bn merger - Essay Example Companies and Supermarkets now have the liberty to set up in-store pharmacies, which poses a danger to key pharmaceutical players like BOOTS and Alliance. In an analysis published in biotech-info.net- Due to the softening of rules and the law, BOOTS is facing stiff competition from other pharmaceutical retailing majors such as TESCO, which enjoyed and continues to enjoy a place of dominance and monopoly in the market. Tougher competition from the supermarkets has forced Mr. Baker of BOOTS to cut the price of his products in an attempt to prop up the so far lukewarm sales, although this has put some further pressure on the profit and operating margins. As such, both the firms have decided that it is time to join hands in order to compete effectively in the market and also to improve upon their current individual deficiencies. The present deal is expected to give the new firm an industry share of nearly up to 20%. But the present deal has been met with a lot of speculation especially f rom the institutional shareholders who generally regard such nil-premium mergers with skepticism. The companies, intend to seek support for the deal by outlining the capacity of the new merged outfit’s capacity to generate significant cost and purchasing synergies and boost margins. The company ascertains that it would be in a better position to handle the competition faced by it from TESCO. The company also proposes to start smoking and weight-loss clinics and creating beauty parlors in the group’s stores throughout Europe.

Evolution and its understanding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Evolution and its understanding - Essay Example While the existing models of evolution may not be able to account for every single question that a person may have regarding the origin of mankind and other forms of life on earth, it is definitely the most plausible explanation that can be offered at this point in history. The fact that it exists in contradiction to many of the central tenets of many religions must not hinder one from seeing the scientific nature of the theories of evolution. The beneficial nature of such a rational approach as far as the understanding of society is concerned is something that needs to be looked at and analyzed with great care and rigor.Believing in evolution necessarily may not lead one to believe evolution. By believing evolution, one would be asserting one’s belief in the scientific theories of evolution that is often considered to be a part of the heading of evolution. These would then mark out that person as a supporter of scientific rationality and the idea that the beginning of life wa s in unicellular organisms that then evolved into larger organism that then differentiated into more and more complex organisms. To believe in evolution would refer to a belief in a system of change that characterized the progress of mankind to its present position. This could then have been aided by any other force other than nature. It could be a supernatural force that may have enabled a particular form of progress and made possible a particular trajectory as far as the development of mankind is concerned.

Classy's strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Classy's strategy - Case Study Example It is important to better understand the process by consumers make decisions if Classy are to influence decision making. Employing a low price strategy can be highly profitable if it pushes more people to buy. Secondly, it is notable that Classy opened more stores and located them in prime retail areas. However, it cannot be gainsaid that the purpose of any business is to bring in customers, and this can only be accomplished through marketing/advertising. From the look of things, classy are operating in a very competitive market, and getting out information concerning the high quality and availability of tuxedos in their outlets will go a long way in increasing sales.  Another issue is the distinctive image as that of a formal wear store while the typical tuxedo consumer will most likely to go to a men’s wear store. Image is important and classy can create a different perception to customers by visual merchandising among other

Research paper on the 4th Amendment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

On the 4th Amendment - Research Paper Example Around 1760s, there was a rise in the amount of litigation against law enforcing officers, who, making use of general warrants did raids, searching for materials linked to publications of John Wike, in the process attacking both the King himself as well as the government policies. One of the most popular of such cases concerned John Entick, who had his dwelling intruded by Nathan Carrington, a messenger of the king, alongside many others, following a warrant given out by George Montagu-Dunk, instructing them to strictly and diligently look for the author responsible for publishing many weekly seditious papers as well as seize printed pamphlets, charts as well as other materials. However it was determined by Charles Pratt that both the search as well as the seizure was illegal; since the warrant instructed seizing of all Entick’s papers, both the criminal and the non-criminal ones, in addition to the warrant lacking probable cause to validate the search. Entick, therefore by ho lding that the law holds that every individual’s property is extremely sacred, and no person can infringe upon his neighbor’s secured place without his permission, set up the English guide that the government is restricted in interfering with one’s private property(Clancy, 2008). However, back in colonial America, homes did not have similar sanctity like their counterparts in Britain, since legislation had been clearly drafted to permit enforcement of the colonial master’s revenue-gathering policy in regard to customs, till 1750s.The only kind of warrant identified in justice handbooks was the general warrant. This gave the then authorities extreme power in searching for anything, with very limited oversight at any given time. The state of Massachusetts in 1756 passed a legislation that banned general warrants, representing the very first legislation in American history to curtail the enforcement of seizure power.

The Military Art Reseach Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Military Art Reseach - Research Paper Example With the passage of time, technology has grown and revolutionized the world. This revolution has changed the contemporary nature of war as well. Different wars have led to different consequences as its affect on politics, economy and psychology of the masses depends on the nature of war. Total war not only affects the political system of a nation but can also affect the social and economic system. Total war deploys strategies and resources to defeat the enemy in every way possible which may even include the psychology of people. In this paper, we will discuss the transition in the nature of war based on our study of Napoleonic, American Civil and Franco Prussian wars. All three of these wars mark the transition from limited to total war. These wars hold great importance in our history as they have produced dire consequences because of their nature. Napoleonic wars were a series of wars, fought between France and several other European states between 1792 and 1815. These wars are impo rtant in the respect that they earned the title of first total war in western history. Previously Europe had seen limited wars which meant that armies avoided large scale battles, civilians could hope for merciful treatment from the enemy, Enemy officers were considered as honorable adversaries at the time of settlements and the wars followed the codes of aristocratic honor. The French revolution broke this tradition of limited war. It overthrew the country’s aristocracy and waged war under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte against several European states. In the Napoleonic wars not only were young men supposed to participate in war but women, children and the aged were also required to channel their energies into war efforts. The statistical results clearly identify the catastrophic casualties of this total war. â€Å"More than one-fifth of all the major battles fought in Europe between 1490 and 1815 took place in the 25 years after 1790. Before 1790 only a handful of ba ttles had involved more than 100,000 combatants; in the 1809 Battle of Wagram, largest in the gunpowder age to date, involved 300,000. Just four years later the Battle of Leipzig drew 500,000, with fully 150,000 of them killed or wounded.† (â€Å"Napoleon's Total War†). France alone counted around one million war deaths. In these series of wars, the whole population was mobilized which meant that every citizen was supposed to participate in the war in one way or the other. The technological aspect of these wars that aided in the transition from limited war was the advent of cheap small arms and mobile cannons due to which the number of citizen soldiers increased. Almost forty six years after the defeat of Napoleon at waterloo, the world witnessed another total war at another geographical area that is America. American Civil war (1861-1865) was another series of conflicts between American Union and American Confederacy. Most of these conflicts took place in the southern states of America. â€Å"The Union lost about 360,000 troops during the Civil War and the Confederacy about 260,000. This is almost as many soldiers as have died in all other American wars combined.† (â€Å"Civil War Guide†). American Civil war became known as the first total war of modern history because it brought various social and financial changes in the system. The civil war initially started as a limited war but it gradually changed into total war. It was a war between the people and not

Compatitive Strategy and Innovation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Compatitive Strategy and Innovation - Case Study Example So what made them so different from the rest in the corporate jungle to bring about rather such exquisite products or service offerings that consumers lapped up them in time The answer well lies in the fact that these guys are not only great entrepreneurs, techno honchos, and brilliant chaps but rather they always understood that to stay ahead in the rat race of corporate tussle; you have to keep a tab on the pulse of the consumers. The key always lies among them. Again a different perspective can very well be that these guys were great practioners of marketing principles and understood the 4Ps' of Marketing very well enough to always come up with great products and services which mapped the consumer needs so well that today they are all in the list of Forbes 500. These people could create an idea which held the attention of millions together and then they had the brilliance to turn the attention into a long term association and loyal purchase. Apart from corporate and organizations, we also certainly can't ignore the everyday innovations we make in our daily lives, from mending a simple broken cigarette to finding ways how to make life simpler by implementing certain simple and unthought-of of innovative ideas and processes which actually makes life simpler and smoother. On the whole what I am trying to say is that innovation can be brought about by virtually anybody at any place and at any point of time, but to commercialize it one necessarily needs to take the corporate route. So let's see and understand how certain key players in our society have unraveled innovations to make life simpler and technologically progressive. To take a prime example we'll concentrate on Mr. Steve Jobs the CEO for Apple Inc. He along with Steve Wozniak started Apple Computers in their garage in 1976. From their onwards to revolutionizing the computer world with iMacs' and the music industry with his concepts in music download i.e iTunes' and iPod. We have seen a man change from being extremely bull headed to becoming one of the foremost leaders of the 21st century. From getting ousted from Apple to starting up NEXT and Pixar Animations, this is one person who has learnt from his own mistakes and has decided to take Apple to newer heights and as once envisioned as a youn g entrepreneur. When Steve Jobs was ousted from Apple Inc, it was pretty well known as to why he was removed from his post as Chairman. His overbearing and prejudiced management style and constant conflict with then CEO John Sculley (Steve Jobs Transforms Apple), as result by the time he left it was assumed that Apple was in good hands now. But the company may have had taken the decision in haste as it had removed one person from the organization whose core skills lay in product innovation. As a result when he joined back again in 1997 it was very well known that the organization needed some new product offerings apart from iMac Slim and its desktop variants. As a result by 2005 he had come

Bottlenecks in Process Essay Example for Free

Bottlenecks in Process Essay There are series of tasks needs to be completed for successful execution of the process. The slowest task in the successive steps of operation determines the capacity of process. As the neck of the bottle lessens the speed of flow in bottle, the slowest task in the process in called the bottleneck as it impedes the efficiency of operational activities through highest throughput rate or longest cycle time. Identification of bottleneck is necessary for correct analysis of process capacity, which can help in improving the overall performance of operational activities (NetMBA, n. d. ).Laundry is one of the tasks in the home that takes more time, because require a process to have it done. Cycle time is defined as time required for the completing the identified task if it is repeated. So, Pareto chart reflects that the main bottleneck in the process of laundry is sorting operation. The Sorting process has largest cycle time in the mechanical operation of the laundry except the automatic process of washing and drying operations, which has least scope of improvement without changing the equipment. The whole process can be in equilibrium if each activity consumes equal time. But this happens rarely.Bottleneck is important area of concern, which helps in taking necessary measures to improve the overall process. We can apply the five focusing steps to improve the performance of the system. The application of 5 focusing steps in theory of constraints. Five focusing steps are laundry preparation is defined as follows: 0. Goal of the System – In the process of laundry, the goal of the system is to wash and dry the cloths in minimum time. 1. Identification of the constraint – The pre-sorting of cloths using quick sorter is critical factor in reducing the sorting time in Laundry Process. 2.  Exploitation of the constraint – The overall output of the laundry preparation depends on the output of the constraint. If sorting process is taking too much time to do the laundry for each type of durable, delicate and normal cloths, other members has to compensate with compromising their leisure time to attend other tasks. 3. Subordinate other works to the constraint – Since pre-sorting the cloths can be done each day to put the cloths in drawer of appropriate label, it will reduce the overall process time of laundry on the day of laundry by unfolding the socks in available and taking care of detergents and liquid fabric softener. . Minimize the constraint – Some investment like products like quick sorter from market can improve the sorting time. It can be helpful in minimizing the constraint. 5. Iteration for further improving the system – If goal is not achieved, it can be started further from step 0 to improve the system by working on other bottlenecks also. 6. Change the system – If system does not respond to any techniques of improvement, it can be replaced by better system to get the best result. But that will be the last option. Conclusion  Using bottlenecks to improve the productivity off system in theory of constraints. Once bottleneck is eliminated or reduced to considerable extent, other task can be identified as new area of focus to improve the performance of the process. In my daily activities, next bottleneck in laundry process of unfolding socks is much faster than sorting. Hence, we can say that the main bottleneck has significant impact on the capacity of process whereas second bottleneck has limited concern in the efficiency of process. Reference http://www.netmba.com/operations/process/analysis/

Transactional Vs Transformational Leadership

Transactional Vs Transformational Leadership This essay is required to conduct a better understanding of leadership styles transactional and transformational leadership styles from researching on Richard Branson and Steve Jobs success, and discuss about different types of changes (incremental and radical changes) may occur in an organisation in order to learn change management methods can be applied to a real case (Virgin Group). Although both of the excellent leaders exhibit characteristics of both transactional and transformational leadership styles, this essay will identify Steve Jobs as a transactional leader and Richard Branson as a transformational leader with three reasons for each statement. This essay will identify and describe six examples of changes (incremental and radical) for each leader (three examples each type). At last, this essay will discuss about the concepts of change management and explain Kotters 8-Step Change Model by applying to a real case (Virgin Group). Transactional Leadership VS Transformational Leadership Good leadership is the key to the success of an organization. Transactional leadership is performance-oriented and transformational leadership is people-oriented. To be more specific, transactional leadership involves reinforcement to monitor and justify followers performances by using reward and punishment, while transformational leadership tends to inspire and motivate the followers loyalty and concentration by leaders charisma. Steve Jobs as Transactional Leader Transactional leaders characteristic behaviours are: (Barbuto, 2005) Contingent Reward Contingent reward is actually a usual way that most of the managers use to motivate teams, create positive competition and improve effectiveness. Steve Jobs had the impressive ability to notice talent and active employees and allocate them to the right place in the company. Each year, Jobs took his top 100 people on a retreat. It is not only a reward as a vacation, but also an acknowledgement from STEVE JOBS! In my opinion, acknowledgements from successful genius would be the best reward for my hard working. Management by exception Transactional leaders take actions based on the exceptions (performance) of the employees. Steve Jobs categorised his followers as either geniuses or bozos, and quickly firing those who fall in the latter camp (Greene-Blose, 2012). Another characteristic of transactional leadership would be the desire for control which is typical Steve Jobs style. His favourite presentation tools were a whiteboard and a Magic Marker, which gives him fully control in the conference. After his reinventing Apple, Jobs had several weeks of product review sessions. Finally he run out of patience and shouted the team to stop, grabbed a Magic Marker to the white board and wrote down four words: Consumer, Pro., Desktop and Portable. Then he said:Here is what we need! (Isaacson, 2012) This is Steve Jobs, full of power and passion, who gave clear incentives and strategies to his followers with his wisdom and visions. Richard Branson as Transformational Leader Transformational leaders characteristic behaviours are: (Barbuto, 2005) Idealized influence Richard Branson has become a role model for his followers inside or outside of his Virgin Empire by his own passionate and fearless life style. With his own words, You want to create something you are proud ofà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ That has always been my philosophy of business (Branson), Richard Branson broke many world records such as the fastest recorded Atlantic crossing by boat, the first Atlantic crossing by hot-air balloon, etc. He proved that anything is possible to his followers and the rest of the world with real examples. (Ocker, 2008) Inspiration motivation Richard Branson is a visionary leader with dreams and relentless work attitude which make those dreams come true. At the early stage of Virgin Group business, he once said:I want Virgin to be as well-known around the world as Coca-Cola. (Branson) After decades of time, the brand of Virgin have become world well-known, and covers many different areas of business which Coca-Cola wound not dare to try. Those kinds of ambitions and courage ties his group together and close, and leads him to keep on improving Virgin Group services and productions. Individualized consideration Richard Branson business maxim is staff first, customers second and shareholders third (Locke, 2009). One of his most famous and interesting story would be the lawsuit against British Airways for its protracted libel actions and ended with a settlement of about  £600,000 total. After Richard Branson got the money, he divided it to all his employees for their hard working. It was not only a reward, but more like sharing a triumph. On the other hand, the major reason of Richard Bransons business success is that he takes care of customers needs with innovations and consideration, such as placing a rubber ducky in each bathroom of Virgin-owned hotels in order to make guests feel ate home, putting Listening Posts in their record stores and allowing customers to listen to entire CDs before purchasing. (Richard Branson Virgin) In general, transformational leadership style is considered more as a friendly and flexible way to organize a company, while transactional leadership is considered more tough and efficient. It is hard to say which one is better. All the good leaders all over the world (include the two above) have the characteristics of the both leadership styles., such as Steve Jobs charismatic characteristics and spiritual motivating speech skills (Transformational), and Richard Branson strict management ways on the lower level positions in the organisation (Transactional). Transformational leadership does not replace transactional leadership but improves the effectiveness of transactional leadership from a different angle. (Bernard, Bass, Riggio, 2005) Incremental Changes VS Radical Changes Changes are inevitable in human lives as well as in business operations. Incremental change takes place over a long time period for development purposes, while radical change is more often triggered by a crisis or a business opportunity. There are several differences listed in the following table. Incremental Changes Radical Changes Reasons Business development Expansion Dealing with crisis Seizing a significant business opportunity Period Long period of time Short period of time Examples Improvement Such as TQM, new system implementation Revolutionary changes Such as restructuring, merger, take-over Approaches types May be small, slow, on-going May be onetime events, quick Respond and effect Hardly noticed by the management level Immediately adapt May cause resistance to changes Steve Jobs Incremental Changes Example1: Pixar In 1986, Steve Jobs bought The Graphics Group from Lucasfilm for $10 millions, changed the name to Pixar and started his career in animation manufacturing. With his visionary plans and technology support from his computer company NeXT, Pixar developed a software package called RenderMan (which has been widely accepted and used in filmmaking industry). RenderMan was implemented into the existing Pixar production line slowly in order to improve quality of the products. After ten years time, Pixar finally achieved an amazing success in the animation filming industry. It kept producing a series of animation films, beginning with Toy Story (1995), which led Pixars worth to over $1.5 billion. It took 10 years to implementing and perfecting the new software into production and transferring Steve Jobs leadership style into Pixars existing operation, and achieves a remarkable improvement at the end. This is an incremental change made by Steve Jobs. Example2: Digital hub strategy After Steve Jobs returning to Apple in 1997 as an interim CEO, he successfully brought Apple back to profitability with a amazing consumer desktop computer iMac. By facing negative predictions about proclaiming PCS would disappear within a couple of years, Steve Jobs continuously led Apple to keep on perfecting i products with the meaning of internet, individual, instruct, inform and inspire as the same way Apple always do. (Steve Jobs introductory 1998 iMac slide show) In 2001, Steve Jobs unveiled the Digital Hub Strategy to the public and in the next 10 years time he kept on launching a series of new products which extremely changed and led the trade of the whole world. (Kurian, 2012) There was an interesting event that Steve Jobs called himself as the iCEO of Apple instead of interim CEO humorously which entertained the public very much (Macworld San Francisco 2000). It was also a smart way to promoting i products while teasing with the board of Apple for rehiring him as a temporary executive officer. This huge successful change took 10 years to be accomplished followed by Steve Jobs leadership piece by piece. It maintained the old producing direction and improved production qualities. It was a long period on-going process of implementing Jobs wisdom into Apple Company. Example3: Retirement from Apple Steve Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003, but he kept on denying any serious problem. That is why everyone was surprised when Apple announced that Steve Jobs would not go on stage for the Macworld keynote in 2009, and he took six months off at the same year. Jobs finally resigned as CEO of Apple in 2011 but remained as the Chairman of the companys board, and he passed away after 6 weeks. (Kurian, 2012) There may be some radical changes involved for damage control purpose, but in general, Steve Jobs took care of his retirement carefully and smoothly to avoid negative impact within 3 years time. For instance, he distributed his responsibilities to other executives step by step, and before his final resign, he strongly recommended Tim Cook in written, that letter was released to the public later in order to retain faith. The whole process was carefully planned and implemented in a long time step by step. In my opinion, it can be an incremental change. Steve Jobs Radical Changes Example1: Macintosh VS Lisa In the early 80s, Apple was creating a business-oriented computer named Lisa under Steve Jobs supervising, but later after that, Steve Jobs thrown out of the Lisa project because of his bad temper. He was so angry and decided to take revenge by developing a small project called Macintosh in order to destroy the sales of Lisa. (Kurian, 2012) It was a radical strategy. Macintosh had user-friendly interface (point-and -click) which inspired other computer manufactories and changed the direction of computer industry since then, but it was not as welcome to the market as Jobs expected though. At that time, IBMs PC was more compatible with its cheaper price. Because this action was taken rapidly without well planning and careful market researching, Macintosh project failed. Example2: Staging a Coup There was another revenge taken by Steve Jobs after his removal from Lisa project, he tried to stage a coup. As we all know, he failed again. (Kurian, 2012) It was a restructuring plan, and he took actions rapidly. But without endorsement from Apple board of directors and support from other colleagues, he got fired from his own company. Example3: Reinventing Apple By 1996, Apple rehired Steve Jobs as an informal adviser to the CEO. At that time, Apple was keeping on losing money and Steve Jobs staged another coup. He successes this time and became an interim CEO in 1997.The first thing he had done after his promotion is cutting off the production lines and focused on four products. This effective decision brought the lost confidence back to the Apple community (Kurian, 2012). In the meantime, Jobs took other actions such as announcing a new slogan Think Different and launched an amazing project which brought Apples resurgence lately, the iMac. (Edwards, 2008) Those actions and decisions above are radical changes (restructuring and redesigning the production processes). They were new strategies to the company for solving a financial crisis in a short time period. Richard Branson Incremental Changes Example1: Virgin Atlantic There are some unique features Virgin Atlantic has while other airways may not have can be considered as incremental changes. Such as, serving a cup of ice cream while passengers watching movies during travelling in order to provide a better service. Virgin Atlantic does not provide meals for short distance flight in order to reduce ticket price. This kind of services is provided for improving quality of service. Example2: Virgin Group Because Richard Branson received a lot of support from his family and friends during hi early period of business stage (borrowed money from his auntie and supported by John Lennon), the whole Virgin Group services can be considered as a long term process for implementing Richard Bransons plan of giving back to the society and helping those people who has ambitious but doesnt have opportunities. Such as, Virgin Money provides a set of formalised documentations help people who need loans. Although Virgin Money U.S. did not work well in USA, Richard Branson helped millions of people with his good heart in UK. Those actions can be considered as Incremental Changes. Example3: Eco-friendly efforts In 2007, Richard Branson launched Virgin Earth Challenge dedicating in to environmental issues. He made several decisions that supervised the whole world, such as a $25 millions prize for inventors who comes up with a viable solution for scrubbing carbon gases from atmosphere. He also pledged to reinvest all profits from Virgin transportation business over the decade into developing ecologically benign fuels. This kind of actions may not affect other Virgin companies, but they will improve Virgin Groups reputation, it is also a long time period project. Richard Branson Radical Changes Example1: Virgin Records Shop At the beginning, Richard Branson started his records business as mail ordering company in London, and it went well. After a postal strike, the mail order business was crippled. Richard Branson was forced to seek new outlets and he opened his first retail store in Oxford Street in 1971. This was a strategy for dealing with a crisis situation, and operated immediately. It changed Virgin Records business process and structure. Example2: Selling Virgin Music Group Selling Virgin Music probably would be the hardest decision Richard Branson has ever made in his whole lifetime. This decision was made in order to get money to take Virgin Atlantic back into private ownership (Vinnedge, 2009). This change was forced by a financial crisis and included restructuring process. Example3: Closing Virgin Money U.S. Richard Branson launched a loan servicing company called Virgin Money U.S. in America in 2007, and began its withdrawal after 2 years (Lepro, 2010). Its social loans were transferred to Graystone Solutions. This time, Richard Branson misjudged the market and had to make the decision in order to limit the damage. Other reasons of this collapse might be the bad economy and different culture in America. This change included restructuring and take-over in a short time. To sum up the above examples and explanations, incremental changes are normally well planned and taken over by pieces, there is less possibilities of failure. Radical changes are immediate responses for a crisis or significant opportunity, there are chances of failure. Change Management in Virgin Group Story of Virgin Mobile In 2007, Virgin Group announced the completion of its biggest challenge which brought over 10 million customers and 13,000 employees merger of NTL, Telewest and Virgin Mobile under the Virgin Media brand. It is known as the largest Virgin Company in the world. This operation took more than two years to complete the whole the merger, and Virgin Group handled it carefully, especially on employees resistance. Reasons of employees resistance to this change and strategies It is necessary for leaders to understand that resistances to changes are normal. In order to deal with those obstacles, leaders have to identify reasons of employees resistances firstly and develop different strategies for different situations. Some common reasons are following: Fear Mostly, employees fear comes from uncertainty about their career. In this situation, employees were worried about if there would be a layoff or if they were qualified for the new company. Strategies: Virgin Group kept employees involved during managing changes. The high level of the management went done to the front line staff and listened to the staffs ideas and problems, and shared their own experiences. Richard Branson took care of individual needs carefully. Meanwhile, he also announced that if the employees no longer have the enthusiasm, they would be better to find a new job. As long as the employees performed with full responsibilities, they would always be considered as a part of the company. This kind of instructions increased the sense of the urgency, and motivated employees to move on positively. No faith in new process Former NTL and Telewest employees might have uncertainties about the new process of Virgin Group. Because NTL and Telewest Company had several years of struggling with the bad economy environment, they could not be sure whether the new company would lead them to improve the organisational performance. Strategies: Richard Branson gave responsibilities to his employees, and went to the front line personally to inform clear instructions. Establishing clear instructions and explanations, and demonstrating a picture of a better future would increase employees faith and certainty of the new process. Comfort personal preference Former NTL and Telewest employees had their own ways of daily operations, and the new company brought its new ways of doing business, so they might have the difficulties to adopt the new culture. Such as, those staff had their old way of dealing with customers calls by following the instructions and scripts strictly, while Richard Branson believes that each customer would have his/her unique problem, staff should help different customers differently. Strategies: Richard Branson threw away all the scripts and told call-center employees to help customers within one call if possible. In order to support their work, he allocated necessary resources to the font line. Lack of knowledge Although some former NTL and Telewest employees were expert in their old company, they might need to start from the beginning since the new company had its unique ways of doing business. Strategies: For this kind of anxiety, Richard Branson responded with three words only: Live and Learn! He provided resources and training programs for employees in order to create a positive learning environment, and he also encouraged communication among different levels of the management to understand individual difficulties. Lack of trust Virgin Group has different diversity of businesses and it used to prefer small piece of business, whether Richard Branson has the ability to lead the large company to make profit and keep growing would be unpredictable. This is the reason that some employees might have difficulties to adapt the changes. Strategies: Richard Branson kept developing new products and services, and led the company to profitability, such as more packages of Virgin Broadband, more channels and TV programs for Virgin Media Television, and etc. Those successes brought back the trust in several years, not immediately. Application of Kotters Change Model Create Urgency At this stage, it is necessary to deliver a message that the whole company really needs this change. The company has to provide solid reasons and convincing dialogues support this decision. To Kotters belief, this stage is the most important stage; lack of preparation would easily lead to a project failure. In Virgin Medias case, leader should show people NTL and Telewests poor performance reports and most importantly, the potentials, because no one will have faith in a failed business. With a brief introduction of development scenarios, leader should emphasise the opportunities and benefit from this merger. Form a Powerful Coalition In order to influence people to accept the change, leader needs a group of key people from different department to support the change management process. They dont necessary have to be who has legitimate power, but also can be expert, and other influential people. In Virgin Medias case, leader should select powerful and influential people from ex-NTL and ex-Telewest Company, and select good communicators from Virgin Mobile, in order to organise a supportive team. Once organised, the team needs to work together and continuing to create urgency in their own working areas. Create a Vision for Change The next step would be generating an overall vision about the change, including values and reasons of the change, short summaries, and strategies to execute that vision. In Virgin Medias case, leader should have a clear idea about what to do with ex-NTL and ex-Telewest, and why Virgin Mobile needs to conduct a merger with them. As the matter of the fact, Richard Branson was trying to build the first quadruple play  [1]   media company in UK, and after couple of years hard working, he did it. Communicate the Vision After creating the vision, leader should deliver the message to the team members, and with their help, the message can be distributed to all aspects of the company. The message should not be sent through meetings only, most importantly through daily communications among the whole company. In Virgin Medias Case, Richard Branson tried to communicate with employees as much as possible and motivate them to maintain in a positive working attitude. Those ideas and visions were implanted into employees mind during those communications. Remove Obstacles In order to ease employees resistance to changes, leader should avoid having resistance to employees resistance. Leader should be willing to listen and understand employees difficulties and find a way to help them walk through it. In Virgin Media case, Richard Branson provided clear instructions to all employees, and went to the front-line in person to listen to employees. He allocated necessary resources to them and tried to create a learning environment, in order to improve performance. Create Short-term Wins Celebrations for short-term wins would be the easiest and most efficient way to prove that we are doing the right things and we are doing things right. It is not only for motivating employees passion of working, but also for gaining trust. In Virgin Medias case, leader should recognize and reward people for their excellent performance and making changes happen, and encourage them to keep on working positively. Build on the Change Kotter believes that it is very important for leaders to avoid celebrating too early and being complacent about current short-term success. There would be always rooms for improvement. In Virgin Medias Case, Richard Branson kept on producing and developing new products and services, and tracking on employees performances all the time. He went through daily operations in details in person to seek for ways of improvements. Anchor the Changes in Corporate Culture Formalising the changes and including them as part of organisations culture would be the last step of change management process. This step can be considered as a closure and promotion. In Virgin Medias case, Richard Branson announced Virgin Groups success to the public all the time through different kind of channels, such as TV, radio, Virgin websites, blogs, magazines and etc. Conclusion After researching on Steve Jobs and Richard Branson life stories as a leader, this essay is conducted in order to gain a better understanding about the concepts of being an excellent leader. Leadership Style Steve Jobs was considered as a tough and strict (even dictatorial) leader, but he was also a respectful leader who could inspire and motivate followers by using his wisdom and charismas. Richard Branson is considered as gentle and flexible leaders, but he is very strict on day-to-day operations. As a leader, being transactional can improve employees performance while being transformational can improve effectiveness. Therefore, there is no one simple leadership style for one organisation. Both of the leadership styles are crucial to a business success. Types of changes Incremental change may takes place over a long time period for development and improvement purpose, while radical change may be triggered by a crisis or a business opportunity and generated in a short time period. Because incremental changes are normally well planned and taken over by pieces, there is less possibilities of failure. Radical changes are initiated immediately after realising a crisis or significant opportunity, so without a careful plan and on-going monitoring there are chances of failure. Change Management It is important to understand that employees resistance to changes are natural, but how to manage those negative feelings are critical. In general, leader should keep employees involved in the decision making, address their problems and seek for solutions, create a positive learning environment and make the change happen by working with employees as an example. Change management processes should be carefully planned and operated, especially the preparing stage (Create Urgency). A powerful coalitions positive support would make the operations accomplished smoothly, that is why selecting the right team member is very important. Leader and coalition should lead by examples, communicate with employees and deliver visions as much as possible. Do remember celebrating on short-term wins and establish big victory formally as companys culture.

NY Teaching Methods :: Essays Papers

NY Teaching Methods In recent years the National Science Education Standards ( National Research Council, 1996) have shifted from a traditional text book style of teaching to a more "hands-on" or otherwise known as constructivism. According to the standards, learning science is a process that students do, and not something that just happens to them. The standards are designed to outline what students need to know and understand in regards to science. The opportunity to learn science is given to all students. The interviews that we conducted both reflect two different teaching methods. Each teaching style is an example of how the standards are fulfilled in the class. In order to compare teaching styles we must first understand the differences between consturctivism and traditionalism teaching styles and what they each consist of. Constructivism is a theory about knowledge and learning which is drawn on results from current work in cognitive psychology. The focus is on structuring lessons around big ideas or primary concepts which include a broad range of activities that promote hands-on learning. For example, problem solving, concept development, and construction of learner generated solutions would all be considered key components of the constructivist teaching method. On the other hand, traditional teaching methods consist of teacher-talk and textbook derived lessons. The emphasis is on curriculum proficiency and either right or wrong answers. The interviews we did illustrate the difference between the two teaching methods. Our first interview was with Jodi Schwedes, a first grade teacher at Jamesville Elementary School. We first asked her what teaching methods she uses in her classroom. She said that she prefers using traditional methods of teaching. She believes young children need structure in order to be successful in the classroom. However, she also incorporates constructivism in her classroom by using cooperative learning. She finds that cooperative learning works best in small groups rather than large groups. This is because children learn more, understand, and pay more attention to the material being presented. We then asked her what teaching methods she thought did not work. She believes that there is no single teaching method that doesn’t work; or works best overall. She considers herself to be an instructor, educator, and facilitator in the classroom. She also feels that she can provide instruction in several different ways. On one hand she uses hands on learning to promote successful learning in mathematics, language, and science, yet she uses a more structured approach to other subjects.

Abstract: :: essays papers

Abstract: Currently, violence is commonly thought of as serious physical harm done unto another individual. Recently that definition has been rethought to now include milder forms of aggression. This is redefinition is key as instructors begin taking a fresh look at the problem of school violence, especially when it involves very young children. Aggressive children were once thought of as just going through a phase and eventually out-growing the aggressive behavior. But recent research has discovered that aggression in early childhood leads to much more severe behavior in later life. Because of these new findings, the purpose of this research paper is to discover the impact of early childhood violence prevention programs and if they would be successful in combating the issue of school violence. School violence is a rising epidemic occurring every day, in varying degrees, at schools across the country. School shootings that are being broadcasted in the media are the most extreme and rare forms that seems to attract the most public attention to the problem, while bullying and other "smaller" forms of violent acts that are happening more frequently don't gain the same type of media attention as the occasional shootings do. Parents across the nation are thinking, â€Å"not my child, not my neighborhood.† They do not believe that it could happen in their own backyard or in an expensive private school, but it does. Middle and high school students are finally beginning to receive information from school and community prevention programs that are designed to help them to identify and deal with violence in their schools. But there is an alarming new trend of school violence that is occurring with even younger children in elementary schools which is having a tremendous imp act on their behavior as adolescents and adults. Young children are becoming more and more aggressive towards their peers, which is directly escalating the problem of school violence and aggression in middle and high schools. Because of this, school violence prevention programs need to be implemented in early childhood educational settings in order to bring an end to the rising rates of bullying and school violence among kindergarten and elementary school-aged children and to prevent school violence later in life. Today, the term â€Å"violence† in American society is generally reserved for only acts of severe physical harm towards another person. Because of this commonly thought, narrow definition, many educators and parents only see the school violence problem as intentional interpersonal violence between middle or high school students or from a student towards a teacher.

Superiority of Races in Sinclair Lewis Babbitt Essay -- Lewis Babbitt

Superiority of Races in Babbit      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hatred, intolerance, prejudice, and narrow-mindedness are all terms that can be applied when describing someone who is a bigot.   By these terms George F. Babbitt, the protagonist in Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt, and many of his acquaintances are quite the bigots toward all those that appear different than he is especially immigrants and minorities in America.   The blame should not be placed squarely on these men's shoulders for possessing such hate filled beliefs, but their opinion of the matter is generated from the accepted notion, which had been approved of and passed down through the generations, that immigrants and minorities are far less superior than the "native" white men who have "always" lived in America.   The irony of this subject in the book is that although men of Babbitt's stature openly shared and joked with one another about their superiority to all other races, not one would ever admit that he was even by a small degree a bigot. By showing this to the reader Lewis was making the point that even though there were few that openly admitted to being a bigot almost everyone had some type of bigotry inside because to him it was an essential part of human nature.   Even though there is still racism in today's society it is not as widespread as it was during the time in which Lewis wrote.   Therefore Lewis' view of human nature is not entirely accurate when applied to modern society.  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although Babbitt never publicly articulated any racist type comments, his ideas toward immigrants and minorities could easily be affiliated with that of racial supremacy.   Although there was a brief period in which Babbitt did sympathize with the immigrant... ... Paul S, et al. The Enduring Vision: a History of the American People. 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. 950   Ezekiel, Raphael S. Introduction The Racist Mind: Portraits of American Neo-Nazis and Klansmen. New York: Penguin, 1995. xxviii-xxi. Lewis, Sinclair. Babbitt. 1922. New York: Bantam, 1998. 21+ 148-149 Leyden, Thomas James. "The Making of a Skinhead." Simon Wiesenthal Center. 1999. http://www.wiesenthal.com/tj/index.html>. Rpt. in Ethnic Violence. Ed. Myra H. Immell. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. 98   Pascoe, Elaine. Racial Prejudice: Why Can't We Overcome?. 2nd ed. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Franklin Watts, 1997. 21+ 33+ 79-80+ 99+ 116. Witkin, Gordon, and Jeannye Thornton. "Pride and Prejudice." U.S. News & World Report 15 Jul.1996. Rpt. in Ethnic Violence. Ed. Myra H. Immell. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. 74. Superiority of Races in Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt Essay -- Lewis Babbitt Superiority of Races in Babbit      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hatred, intolerance, prejudice, and narrow-mindedness are all terms that can be applied when describing someone who is a bigot.   By these terms George F. Babbitt, the protagonist in Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt, and many of his acquaintances are quite the bigots toward all those that appear different than he is especially immigrants and minorities in America.   The blame should not be placed squarely on these men's shoulders for possessing such hate filled beliefs, but their opinion of the matter is generated from the accepted notion, which had been approved of and passed down through the generations, that immigrants and minorities are far less superior than the "native" white men who have "always" lived in America.   The irony of this subject in the book is that although men of Babbitt's stature openly shared and joked with one another about their superiority to all other races, not one would ever admit that he was even by a small degree a bigot. By showing this to the reader Lewis was making the point that even though there were few that openly admitted to being a bigot almost everyone had some type of bigotry inside because to him it was an essential part of human nature.   Even though there is still racism in today's society it is not as widespread as it was during the time in which Lewis wrote.   Therefore Lewis' view of human nature is not entirely accurate when applied to modern society.  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although Babbitt never publicly articulated any racist type comments, his ideas toward immigrants and minorities could easily be affiliated with that of racial supremacy.   Although there was a brief period in which Babbitt did sympathize with the immigrant... ... Paul S, et al. The Enduring Vision: a History of the American People. 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. 950   Ezekiel, Raphael S. Introduction The Racist Mind: Portraits of American Neo-Nazis and Klansmen. New York: Penguin, 1995. xxviii-xxi. Lewis, Sinclair. Babbitt. 1922. New York: Bantam, 1998. 21+ 148-149 Leyden, Thomas James. "The Making of a Skinhead." Simon Wiesenthal Center. 1999. http://www.wiesenthal.com/tj/index.html>. Rpt. in Ethnic Violence. Ed. Myra H. Immell. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. 98   Pascoe, Elaine. Racial Prejudice: Why Can't We Overcome?. 2nd ed. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Franklin Watts, 1997. 21+ 33+ 79-80+ 99+ 116. Witkin, Gordon, and Jeannye Thornton. "Pride and Prejudice." U.S. News & World Report 15 Jul.1996. Rpt. in Ethnic Violence. Ed. Myra H. Immell. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2000. 74.

Grow a business: United Airlines Essay

Introduction Today we live in a global community as global citizens where we have become increasingly conscious about sharing the planet with people from other cultures and backgrounds. Not only can we use information technologies to e-mail, phone or fax friends, family and colleagues in other parts of the world, we can also use reliable and regular travel links to visit them, covering vast distances in a matter of hours. Whereas in the past travelling by air was, for many people, an experience more often than not associated with an annual family holiday, today air travel has become a way of life both for business and leisure. This case study focuses upon how United Airlines uses customers’ motivations for different types of services to segment the market and improve its competitiveness. In a service-based industry, customers and the services they require are at the centre of any marketing strategy. Besides offering convenient scheduling throughout its domestic and international routes, United seeks to attract high-yield customers and to earn their preference and loyalty. It has to compete with a range of other carriers across all routes and must decide how it is going to compete. For example, more frequent services, more destinations, more comfortable seating, superior food, lower prices etc. Managers at United Airlines constantly monitor competitor activity in order to maintain its market position whether through prices, schedules or route networks. Although airline travel experienced consistent growth since 1991, its business environment is susceptible to shock events. National governments, which may limit access to certain routes i.e. between Denver and Heathrow, where the Bermuda 2 agreement between the USA and the UK limits the number of carriers. With the help of questionnaires, United Airlines classifies its customers by their motivations. For example, some customers choose United Airlines because of price, while others choose the airline because of schedules, frequent flyer programmes or other forms of service. For United Airlines, successful segmentation enables targeting to take place. Learning outcomes: As a result of carefully reading this case study, students should be  able to: -provide a brief understanding of the notion of global citizenship -learn about the importance of customer service in targeting customers within a service-based industry -understand the principles and practices of market segmentation as well as the operation of a segmentation base -relate process and practices of segmentation to a large service-based business   understand the service life-cycle. Today we live in a global community as global citizens where we have become increasingly conscious about sharing the planet with people from other   cultures and backgrounds. In this global community where so many technologies are shared, distances and time barriers have shrunk. Not only can we use information technologies to e-mail, phone or fax friends, family and colleagues in other parts of the world, we can also use reliable and regular travel links to visit them, covering vast distances in a matter of hours. Whereas in the past travelling by air was, for many people, an experience more often than not associated with an annual family holiday, today air travel has become a way of life both for business and leisure. One frequently quoted estimate is that demand for air travel will double in the next 20 years. As a result more and more people do not just need regular air travel, but also the type of travel that meets their particular needs best. For example, unlike the manufacture of tangible goods such as shampoo or bread that have clear uses, providing travel opportunities is more sophisticated as it involves providing customer service to match the expectations of travel users. This case study focuses upon how United Airlines uses customers’ motivations for different types of services to segment the market and improve its competitiveness. United Airlines was formed in 1927 from four airlines – Boeing Airplane Company National Air Transport, Varney and Pacific Air Transport. From its roots as a USA domestic carrier, United Airlines expanded into international routes to become the world’s second largest air carrier. With hubs in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and key international gateways in Tokyo, London, Frankfurt, Miami and Toronto, United flies to 117 destinations in 26 countries. These schedules are obviously subject to change. United employs more than 80,000 people worldwide and carries more than 210,000 passengers every day. Its customers  have access to more than 729 destinations around the world through Star Alliance, the leading global airline network. By offering a range of customer-focused products and services, United has become an industry innovator. In a service-based industry, customers and the services they require are at the centre of any marketing strategy .Besides offering convenient scheduling throughout its domestic and international routes, United seeks to attract high-yield customers and to earn their preference and loyalty. It does this by providing a comprehensive network and an attractive frequent-flyer programme with enhanced product/service offerings. A company’s marketing environment can be complex. It includes opportunities that could enhance a business as well as threats from outside the organisation that affect the ability of managers to develop and maintain relationships with customers. United Airlines operates in a competitive market place.It has to compete with a range of other carriers across all routes and must decide how it is going to compete. For example, more frequent services, more destinations, more comfortable seating, superior food, lower prices etc. To compete successfully, United Airlines must provide its customers with greater value and satisfaction than its competitors. This involves finding out what aspects of service most matter to customers and then positioning.its services strongly in those service aspects. Managers at United Airlines constantly monitor competitor activity in order to maintain its market position, whether through prices, schedules or route networks. Although airline travel experienced consistent growth since 1991, its business environment is susceptible to shock events. The events of 11 September 2001 led to a decline in air travel for both business and pleasure. This decline is likely to be temporary, but it has had a huge impact upon airlines like United. Major airlines carry huge fixed costs. Faced with excess capacity, they have had to respond quickly in order to remain profitable. Airline operations are also affected by a number of regulatory bodies such as: * Aviation authorities that monitor maintenance, safety and standards. * The Air Transport Users Council, which promotes the wider interests of passengers. * National governments, which may limit access to certain routes i.e. between Denver and Heathrow, where the Bermuda 2 agreement between the USA and the UK limits the number of carriers. * Office of Fair Trading, which investigates the desirability of potential links between airlines. e.g. between bmi and United Airlines. Within markets, not all customers are the same – they have different tastes and want different things. As a result, particular markets can usually be further divided into discrete segments.Each group consists of people with similar needs and requirements. The organisation then develops strategies that are closely aimed at satisfying each customer group. This process is known as market segmentation. Through segmentation, United Airlines can identify market opportunities and meet it’s marketing objective.Segmentation gives an airline a better understanding of its customers, the services they require, where and when they want those services and how they would prefer to pay for them. United Airlines segments its market so that it can: * identify consumer needs and the proportion of customers who have those needs * develop products and prices to meet these needs * target communications at customers within each segment * allocate funds to support and develop each market opportunity. Market segmentation therefore enables United Airlines to maximise the efficiency of its marketing efforts by moving the company to use a different strategy for each market segment. Segmentation involves dividing up a whole market so that products and services can then be developed for each part of the market. Some companies divide up a market geographically, while others divide markets according to demographic details such as age, gender or occupation. The criteria used to divide the market is known as the marketing base.. United Airlines uses a form of psychographic segmentation to divide up the market for its services. This involves identifying the social class, lifestyles, opinions, interests, behaviour and attitudes of customers. Modern communication systems play a major part in this information-gathering exercise. With the help of questionnaires, United Airlines classifies its customers by their motivations. For example, some customers choose United Airlines because of price, while others choose the airline because of schedules, frequent flyer programmes or other forms of service. For United Airlines, successful segmentation enables targeting to take place. Targeting provides the focus for the activities of the business. It enables promotions and services to be aimed only at those who are most likely to respond positively to them. Passengers are communicated with through email which is becoming a focus for closely target marketing. The United Airlines business model can be compared to the classic 80:20 rule in Pareto’s Analysis. Based on experience of the airline industry, the model assumes that, for airlines offering a high level of service, 80of profit comes from 20of customers. The profit-generating customers are the ones who are prepared to pay a premium price for a premium service. They are the ones that the airline most needs to attract. There are clear differences between domestic segments and global segments. For example, international segments might differ by hours rather than  minutes in the US, and the cost of domestic travel is also significantly lower. In global segments United Airlines identified nine motivational segment profiles. These are: * Global executives: face frequent business travel and enjoy it because of the high level of service. * Schedule optimizers: must reach their destination by a certain time and select their flights accordingly. * Corporate troopers: use an airline and a class of travel that has been chosen for them by their company * Mile accumulators: go out of their way to take flights that will build up their air miles entitlement. * Reluctant travellers: do not enjoy travel and look for services that will make the experience bearable e.g. special privileges and frequent flyer programmes. * Tour takers: want everything arranged for them. * Quality vacationers: treat the travel as part of the holiday experience and so fly with carriers that provide superior services. * Travel seekers: love to travel and seek out new experiences. They want travel to be comfortable. * Frugal flyers: seek out the lowest cost carriers, but still expect their flight experience to be a good one. Having identified these segments, United Airlines had to decide on which ones to concentrate. One key factor was the potential of each sector to generate not only revenue but also profit. In some segments, such as global executives, the customer profile was clear-cut regarding who they were and  what they required so compiling a package of services for them was comparatively straightforward. However, some segments were less responsive to key benefits and it proved harder to identify precisely what they were most looking for. With global executives as the target segments the airline also developed packages for schedule optimizers, mile accumulators, travel seekers, corporate troopers and quality vacationers. Meeting customer needs In an industry in which the service provided is a major form of competition, the most successful airlines will be those who most accurately identify what different segments of their customer base want and are willing to pay for, and then provide it, usually within one aircraft. The end product is complex. For example, United Economy International provides services such as multi-course meals based upon consultation with celebrity chefs, brands name beverages, multi-lingual flight attendants, Mileage Plus ¨ programmes and entertainment systems. The services offered by United Business International and United First International include built-in entertainment centres and a greater amount of private space. In general, depending on the size of the company market position service providers can modify their offer more quickly than manufacturers can alter their products. United Airlines’ ability to fine-tune its services rapidly in response to changing customer needs enables it to retain its market position. Growth strategies also depend on a capacity for ‘rapid response’. Service adjustments may involve, for example: * expanding the range of services for some segments * modifying how a service is delivered * re-repositioning services in chosen segments * differentiating services even further from those of competitors * finding untapped markets for services. Like the product life cycle the service life-cycle needs constant injections of life to extend the growth phase and increase the profitability of the organization. Conclusion United Airlines recognizes that airlines need to be able to respond rapidly to changing customer requirements in what is a complex service industry. The company understands the role of technology in enabling it to amass the data it requires about customer requirements. In a heavily regulated and increasingly competitive market place with good prospects for long term growth, United Airlines successfully uses market segmentation to target distinct customer groups from whom growth opportunities can be developed