Organizational Theory and Designs

CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS 1 PART 1: LECTURE OUTLINES CHAPTER 1 ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS TEACHING OBJECTIVES 1. To define an organization and explain how it creates value in three stages: input, conversion, and output. (1. 1) 2. To discuss why organizations exist and how they achieve goals collectively. (1. 1) 3. To describe organizational theory, how organizations function, and relate to organizational structure, culture, and design. (1. 2) 4. To show how organizational design helps a company gain a competitive advantage, deal with contingencies, manage diversity, increase efficiency, increase innovation, and effectively manage change. (1. 2) 5. To illustrate the consequences of poor organizational design and loss of control over structure and culture. (1. 2) 6. To discuss the three approaches of evaluating organizational effectiveness: external resource, internal systems, and technical approach. (1. 3) 7. To distinguish between official goals and operating goals. (1. 3) CHAPTER SUMMARY This chapter discusses organizations, organizational theory, and the importance of organizational design. An organization is a tool for individuals or groups to accomplish goals. An organization creates value at three stages: input, conversion, and output. Organizations exist because people working together to produce goods and services create more value than those working alone. Organizations may exist to increase specialization and the division of labor, to use large-scale technology, to manage the external environment, to economize on transaction costs, and to exert power and control over employees. The components of organizational theory are structure, culture, and design and change. Organizational design helps a company gain a competitive advantage, deal with contingencies, manage diversity, increase efficiency, and increase innovation. Poor organizational design results in company decline, including layoffs and difficulty in attracting resources. Organizational effectiveness should be measured according to a manager’s methods of control, innovation, and efficiency. The external resource, internal systems, or technical approach measure effectiveness and official and operative goals. Difficulties arise in measuring effectiveness even if stakeholders have shared goals. An organization must select the best way to achieve goals. Organizations are affected by the environment, technology, and processes. The technological environment entails innovations in production processes and new products. CHAPTER OUTLINE 1. 1 What Is an Organization? An organization is intangible; it cannot be touched or felt. Thinking of an organization evokes its product or service. The name Anheuser-Busch evokes the word beer, not why the company provides beer or how it controls employees. An organization groups people and resources to provide goods and services to PHAM HOANG HIEN CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS satisfy a need. Entrepreneurs begin with the idea of satisfying a need then collect resources to meet that need. 2 Focus on New Information Technology: Amazon. com, Part 1 Amazon. com shows how Jeff Bezos saw a need and created an organization to meet it. Q. What prodded Jeff Bezos to start Amazon. com? A. Recognizing the opportunity to build an online bookstore, Bezos started Amazon. com to meet the needs of computer owners. An online bookstore could offer a larger and more diverse selection, an online catalogue, an easy search capability, and book reviews. Bezos organized resources to meet the need for a new bookstore. Notes_______________________________________________________ __________________ ____________________________________________________________ __________________ ____________________________________________________________ __________________ How Does an Organization Create Value? The value creation process includes input, conversion, and output. (Fig. 1. 1) Q: What are some inputs a company needs to provide a product or service? A. Inputs include human resources, raw materials, capital, money, and information. The value created depends on how a company selects and acquires inputs. Inputs are transformed into outputs at the conversion stage. The value created depends on the quality of an organization’s skills and its ability to learn from the environment. The conversion process results in an output, a finished good, or a service. Sales revenue buys more inputs, so the value creation cycle continues. The value creation cycle is used for nonprofit and manufacturing organizations and service companies. Q. What are the inputs, conversion processes, and outputs at McDonald’s? (Fig. 1. 2) A. The inputs include meat, fries, employees, and capital, such as cooking equipment. The conversion process entails cooking the food. The outputs are sandwiches and fries. Why Do Organizations Exist? People working together to produce goods and services create more value than people working alone. (Fig. 1. 3) Organizations exist: To Increase Specialization and the Division of Labor In an organization, individuals concentrate on areas of expertise and become more specialized. An engineer concentrates on one part of the engine and this specialization creates value. To Use Large-Scale Technology Technology enables organizations to achieve economies of scale, cost savings through large-volume production, and economies of scope and cost savings when underutilized resources are shared. To Manage the External Environment An organization has the resources to monitor and manage the external environment, economic, political, and social factors plus suppliers and the market. PHAM HOANG HIEN CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS To Economize on Transaction Costs An organization can reduce transaction costs and expenses associated with negotiating, monitoring, and governing exchanges between people and can control exchanges. To Exert Power and Control Organizations exert pressure on employees to conform to task requirements through employment, promotions, and rewards. Employees who fail to meet organizational needs can be fired. These factors create stability, allow skills to develop, and increase value creation. Notes_______________________________________________________ _________________________ ____________________________________________________________ _______________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ 3 1. 2 What Is Organizational Theory? Organizational theory is the study of how organizations work and how they impact and are impacted by the environment. Organizational theory relates to organizational structure, culture, and design. (Fig. 1. 4) Organizational structure is the formal setup of task and authority relationships. Structure controls the coordination of activities and employee motivation to attain goals. Structure must be continually evaluated. Organizational culture, a set of shared values and norms, shapes and controls behavior in an organization. Q: What determines culture? A. People, ethics, rights, and structure of the organization develop culture, which can vary widely among organizations that provide similar goods in the same environment. Coca-Cola promotes cooperation and has loyal employees, whereas Pepsi has a competitive culture and high turnover among managers. Organizational design is the process by which managers select and manage aspects of structure and culture so that an organization can achieve its goals. Organizational change is the process by which organizations move from their present state to some desired future state to increase their effectiveness. Organizational Insight 1. 1: Opposite Organizing Approaches at Apple and Dell Computer People who start new organizations may lack the skills necessary to effectively design the organization. The Apple Computer example illustrates this well. Q. How do these two examples illustrate the importance of proper organizational design? PHAM HOANG HIEN Notes_______________________________________________________ _________________________ ____________________________________________________________ _______________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS A. Although Jobs stated he had little desire to manage the day-to-day operations of Apple Computer, he desired more power as the organization grew and began intervening in the day-to-d ay operations, which caused problems. Michael Dell, on the other hand, understood how important a well designed organization was, and created a structure centered on participative management, involving employees in decision making, and was not as hands-on s Jobs. Notes_______________________________________________________ _________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ The Importance of Organizational Design and Change Organizational design helps a company deal with contingencies, achieve competitive advantage, manage diversity, and increase its efficiency and ability to innovate goods and services. Dealing with Contingencies A contingency is an event that might occur and must be considered in planning. An organization can design its structure to increase environmental control. Structure and culture are tools to respond to the complex global environment and changing technology. Structure can make employees aware of the environment. Gaining Competitive Advantage Good organizational design offers a competitive advantage. Competitive advantage emerges from core competencies, value creating skills, and abilities. Managers formulate strategies, specific decisions, and actions that use core competencies to create a competitive advantage. Organizational design implements an organization’s strategy and serves as a core competency because it is difficult to imitate. Although technology can be duplicated, structure and culture develop over time, making them hard to imitate. Organizational design must be continually evaluated. 4 Notes_______________________________________________________ __________________ ____________________________________________________________ __________________ ____________________________________________________________ __________________ Managing Diversity The workforce has become more diverse with people of many national origins working for the same company. The workforce is aging. An organization must design its structure to maximize its diverse talents and to develop a culture that fosters cooperation. Promoting Efficiency, Speed, and Innovation Organizational design can increase efficiency. Companies must compete with low-cost producers globally and market new products and processes. Organizational design makes a firm more innovative. An entrepreneurial culture fosters innovation. The Consequences of Poor Organizational Design Organizational design affects company performance, yet employee roles are often neglected until a crisis hits. One reason for decline is a loss of control over organizational structure and culture. Talented employees leave, acquiring resources becomes difficult, and the value creation process slows down. Managers are forced to change elements of structure and culture that derail strategy. PHAM HOANG HIEN CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS Notes_______________________________________________________ ________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ †¢ Refer to discussion question 2 here to emphasize the connection between organizational theory and structure, design, change, and culture. ____________________________________________________________ ____________________ _ ____________________________________________________________ _____________________ 5 Organizational Insight 1. 2: Redesigning AOL Time Warner This shows the difficulty in trying to merge two organizations that have very different structures. In addition, it shows that regardless of the structure, environmental factors often play a role in the success of an organization, as evidenced by the implosion of the dot. coms. Q. How were the two organizations different from a structure standpoint? A. Time Warner was very hierarchical in nature, while AOL was used to the fast-changing environment of the IT industry. Q. What did Pitman do to try and reorganize the two companies? A. He created teams of both AOL and Time Warner managers, but made AOL managers responsible for taking the lead, as they were more accustomed to brining new products to market quickly. 1. 3 How Do Managers Measure Organizational Effectiveness? Researchers see primary management tasks as control, innovation, and efficiency. Control means dominating the external environment, attracting resources, and using political processes. Innovation entails developing skills to discover new products and processes and designing adaptable structures and cultures. Efficiency involves developing modern plants for rapid, low-cost production, fast distribution, and high productivity. The External Resource Approach: Control Using the external resource approach, managers evaluate a firm’s ability to manage and control the external environment. A. Indicators include stock price, profitability, return on investment, and the quality of a company’s products. An important factor is management’s ability to perceive and respond to environmental change. Stakeholders value aggressiveness and an entrepreneurial spirit. Organizational Insight 1. 3: Ups and Downs at Mattel This case illustrates the importance of both understanding customer needs, and adapting the organization to meet those needs. Q. What mistake did Mattel make in trying to satisfy customer needs? PHAM HOANG HIEN Q. What indicators evaluate control over the environment? CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS A. The skills needed to rapidly develop new products was not present in the company that they purchased. They also underestimated the need to update their core products. The Internal Systems Approach: Innovation Using the internal systems approach, managers evaluate organizational effectiveness. Structure and culture should foster flexibility and rapid response to market changes. Flexibility fosters innovation. Q. How is innovation measured? A. Innovation is measured by the time needed for decision making, production, and coordinating activities. The Technical Approach: Efficiency The technical approach is used to evaluate efficiency. Effectiveness is measured by productivity and efficiency (ratio of outputs to inputs). Productivity gains include increased production or cost reduction. Productivity is measured at all stages of production. Q. What productivity measures could a service company use? A. Service companies could measure sales per employee or the ratio of goods sold to goods returned. Employee motivation is an important factor in productivity and efficiency. 6 Organizational Insight 1. 4: Improving Efficiency at FedEx and UPS This case is a good illustration of the importance of continuously evaluating and updating technology. A good class discussion can revolve around the positive benefits of advanced technology. Consider for example, the increased efficiency of these two companies as they affect consumers. Measuring Effectiveness: Organizational Goals Organizational effectiveness is evaluated by both official and operative goals. Official goals are the formal mission of an organization. Operative goals are specific long-term and short-term goals that direct tasks. Managers use operative goals to measure effectiveness. To measure control, managers examine market share and costs; to measure innovation, they review decision-making time. To measure efficiency, they use benchmarking to compare the company to competitors. A company may be effective in one area and ineffective in another. Operative goals must be consistent with official goals. Notes_______________________________________________________ _________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ †¢ Refer to discussion question 3 here to emphasize the approaches to evaluating effectiveness. ___________________________________________________________ ________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ 1. 4 The Plan of This Book PHAM HOANG HIEN CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS Figure 1. 5 shows how the various chapters fit together and provide a model of the components involved in organizational design and change. Notes______________ _________________________________________ _________________________ ____________________________________________________________ _______________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ The Organizational Environment. The main source of uncertainty is the environment. An organization must design its structure to handle relationships with stakeholders in the external environment. Chapter 3 presents models that reveal why the environment is a major source of uncertainty. Organizational Design. Chapters 4 through 8 examine the principles on which organizations operate and the choices available for designing and redesigning their structures and cultures to match the environment. The same basic problems occur in all work settings, and the purpose of design is to develop a structure that will respond effectively to these challenges. Organizational Change. The third part of the book deals with the many different issues involved in changing and redesigning organizations. Included in this are different change processes, such as restructuring, reengineering, and innovation management. 7 Notes_______________________________________________________ _________________________ ____________________________________________________________ _______________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1. How do organizations create value? What is the role of entrepreneurship in this process? Value is created at the input, conversion, and output stages. At the input stage, value depends on how an organization selects and obtains the inputs; certain inputs create more value than others. At the c onversion stage, value is a function of employees’ skills, including learning from and responding to the environment. Output creates value if it satisfies a need. Entrepreneurship is important to value creation by recognizing a need, gathering inputs, and transforming them into a product or service. The value creation cycle will continue if customers are satisfied; profits will generate inputs and improve the conversion process. Organizational theory is the study of how organizations function, impact, and are impacted by employees and society. Organizational theory deals with the whole organization. Organizational design entails decisions about structure and culture. Structure is the formal set of task and authority relationships. Culture is a set of shared values that influence behavior. 3. What is organizational effectiveness? Discuss three approaches to evaluating effectiveness and the problems of each approach. PHAM HOANG HIEN 2. What is the relationship among organizational theory, organizational design and change, and organizational structure and culture? CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS 8 Organizational effectiveness is the ability to use resources to create value; it includes control, innovation, and efficiency. The external resource approach evaluates a company’s ability to obtain scarce resources and valued skills. Indicators include stock prices, return on investment, and market share. These indexes are compared to competitors’ indexes. However, this approach fails to consider organizational culture and structure. The internal approach reviews the organization’s ability to innovate and respond to the environment quickly. Some measures include the length of time to get a product to market, decision-making speed, and coordination time. This approach does not consider costs or the external environment. The technical approach reviews an organization’s ability to use skills and resources efficiently. This approach considers neither the environment nor structure and culture. It is important to evaluate an organization in all three areas—control, innovation, and efficiency. 4. Draw up a list of effectiveness goals that you would use to measure the performance of (a) a fastfood restaurant and (b) a school of business. Answers may vary slightly. A fast-food restaurant’s goals will differ from a business school’s goals because a school is a nonprofit organization. a) Some goals used to measure effectiveness at a fast-food restaurant are as follows: †¢ Lower the cost of meat, fries, and drinks †¢ Lower the cost of labor †¢ Improve the quality of the food and the skills of employees †¢ Increase profits, stock price, and market share †¢ Satisfy government requirements on sanitation and fair labor laws †¢ Reduce employee conflict †¢ Speed up the time it takes a customer to get served †¢ Find more efficient ways to produce the food †¢ Increase employee motivation by offering bonuses †¢ Increase the quality of the food by ensuring that it is not too greasy and that it is hot when customers receive it †¢ Minimize the number of wrong orders (b) A business school’s goals may be the following: †¢ Attract top-quality faculty and students †¢ Maximize revenue from tuition and fees †¢ Offer scholarships †¢ Attract revenue from organizations and alumni †¢ Gain the support of the local community †¢ Reduce conflict †¢ Ensure that students are prepared for jobs †¢ Respond to changes in the environment by constantly updating the curriculum †¢ Encourage coordination among faculty from different departments ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY IN ACTION PHAM HOANG HIEN CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS Practicing Organizational Theory: Open Systems Dynamics Small groups of students design an organization from an open systems perspective: (1) They determine the input, conversion, and output processes. (2) They identify environmental factors with the greatest impact. (3) They determine the best measures to evaluate the organization’s effectiveness. 9 The Ethical Dimension This exercise will be found at the end of each chapter. The purpose is to help students understand the many ways in which organizations can help or harm people in the environment. The first example asked students to examine doctors and hospitals, and the role of ethics in this environment. List examples of these ethical and unethical behaviors. This is a complicated question because there are so many different systems in the health-care environment. Students may draw upon their own experiences with doctors, good or bad, or the discussion could shift to how insurance companies, Medicare, or the local community play a role in the ethical behavior of doctors and hospitals. 2. How do these behaviors relate to the attempts of doctors and nurses to increase organizational effectiveness in the ways discussed in the chapter? Or, to attempts to pursue their own self-interest? This question serves as a good example of why organizations exist. Make sure the students understand that all organizations attempt to increase their effectiveness, not just for-profit corporations. Another interesting discussion might revolve around defining and discussing what â€Å"pursuing their own selfinterest† really means from both an ethical and a practical standpoint. Making the Connection Also at the end of every chapter; this exercise encourages students to look through newspapers and magazines to find an example of a company that is dealing with some of the issues in the chapter. The assignment for this chapter is to find a company that has helped or harmed a stakeholder group. ANALYZING THE ORGANIZATION Each student selects a company to study throughout the semester. Each module requires the student to collect and analyze company information for a report to be submitted at the end of the semester. Students can choose an organization like IBM or GM and find articles in magazines, on the Internet, or contact a local company. The report answers the following questions: what is the organization, what does it do, how does it create value, who are its stakeholders, what are its major problems, and how does it measure effectiveness? Other issues such as technology or competition may be included. CASE FOR ANALYSIS Kinko’s New Operating Structure Kinko’s Inc. as the largest retailer of copying stores, but it had to change its operating structure in response to competitive pressures from Quick Copy and OfficeMax. Kinko’s had an informal management process and difficulty managing growth. The founder, Orfalea, used franchising to launch PHAM HOANG HIEN CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATI ONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS growth, but this approach did not assist Kinko’s in controlling costs or improving customer service. Consultants recommended centralized control and a set of internal authority relationships. 1. What were the problems facing Kinko’s managers? 10 Kinko’s structure was too decentralized, making it difficult for top managers to implement changes rapidly. The structure was informal with decisions left up to Kinko’s franchisees, and no sharing of ideas on customer service. 2. What steps did managers take to solve these problems? Kinko’s centralized operating systems such as purchasing and finance to reduce costs. Kinko’s developed a more formal organizational structure. It may take time for the store owners to relinquish control, but this structure should help Kinko’s to respond more quickly to competition and develop consistent procedures and services to meet customer needs. TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 1. Ask students to explain the models in the chapter and give examples. Models can be assigned in advance. Use discussion questions during the class by dividing students into small groups or pairs and allowing 5–7 minutes to prepare answers, which are then shared with the class. 3. Use role play to measure organizational effectiveness using the three approaches. One student is a manufacturing manager who eval uates performance using the technical approach. One student is an R&D manager who uses the internal systems approach. The third is a corporate manager who uses the external resource approach. Stress that performance is evaluated based on control, innovation, and efficiency. 4. Ask students to look the at the Amazon. com web site (http://www. amazon. om) and discuss how Amazon satisfies a need. Have them compare this to competitors that have surfaced, such as Barnes & Noble (http://www. barnesandnoble. com). 5. To make sure students appreciate why organizations exist, have them give examples in class of when organizations have not served them well. Common examples include long lines at the grocery store, poor service at a restaurant, etc. Try to help them re-frame their examples in the context of the course material, such as specialization or the conversion process. This is a good method for getting the students to understand the overall value of the material throughout the semester. PHAM HOANG HIEN

Sample Media Interview Q&a

Sample Media Interview Q&A Internal Question & Answer (Q&A) documents are often developed to prepare media spokespersons for interviews and include tougher questions than FAQs. Internal Q&As also include areas of vulnerability (e. g. who is to blame and could the medical response have been quicker? ) Use the sample Q&As below as a guide to create your own during a crisis event. Q: What happened? (Examples: How many people were injured or killed? How much property damage occurred? ) A: At approximately XX:XX, an incident was reported at (location).The details at this point are unknown, however we are working very closely with local emergency response agencies to ensure that the safety of the surrounding community remains the number one priority. Q: Was this a terrorist incident? A: An investigation is taking place and we will update you with details from that investigation as we receive them. Right now, however, our greatest concern is for the welfare of the victims and their families . Q: When did it happen? A: Early reports indicate that the incident happened at approximately XX:XX. Q: Who is to blame? A: The details at this point are unknown.An investigation is taking place and we will update you with details from that investigation as we receive them. Right now, our main focus is on rescue efforts and on the well-being of the victims and their families. Q: Has this ever happened before? A: I will be happy to research that and get back to you, right now we are focused on the incident at hand, and on making sure that members of the surrounding community are safe. Q: Who was involved? A: In order to protect the privacy of those involved, we are withholding the release of victims’ names pending notification of family members. Q: Why did it happen?What was the cause? A: Those details will be investigated. Right now our primary concern is for the welfare of the victims and their families. Q: Will there be inconvenience to the public? A: That information will become available once the damage is assessed by local emergency response agencies. If we gather future information, we will be sure to pass it along. Q: When will we find out more? A: Our company, along with our local emergency response agencies, will be providing updates throughout the day. We encourage you to check our website at www. xxxxxx. com for up-to-the-minute information.

Marxist View on the Family

Marxists Views on the Family There are three Marxists views of the family, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and Eli Zaretsky; they all see all institutions such as education, the media and the family as maintaining class inequality and capitalism. Marxism is a as conflict perspective as it describes a form of inequality where groups could potentially competes for power. Modern Marxist agrees that: * Families socialise children to be obedient and hardworking, which benefits capitalists; * Wealth is passed down families, perpetuating inequalities; * Families are too privatised, discouraging wage-labourers from uniting against capitalism.Community living is preferable; * A communist society in which all means of production, such as farms and factories, are collectively owned and workers receive a fair share of the profits should replace private ownership of businesses. Marxist say the family has three main functions for capitalism: 1. Inheritance of property- Marx called the earliest classle ss society ‘primitive communism’ at this stage there was no such thing as family. As society developed private property became important.Engels said the patriarchal monogamous nuclear family emerged (male dominated). In order to ensure the legitimate heir inherited from them. Marx said with the overthrow of capitalism the means of production would be owned collectively so there would be no need for the nuclear family to exist as a means of transmitting private property down the generations. 2. Ideological Function (The idea that family brainwashes us into capitalism)- Marxists say the family persuades people to think of capitalism as a fair, natural and unchangeable system.Families socialise children into thinking that hierarchy and inequality are inevitable. The family prepares people to take orders at work. Zaretsky says people are encourages to think of the family as a haven from the outside world but this is largely an illusion. As even in the privacy of our home we can subject to state control. 3. A unit of consumption- The family is an important consumer of products and has a major role in generating profits for capitalism.Advertisers urge us to ‘keep up with the Jones’. They encourage ‘pester power’ from children. Children who don’t have the latest products may be bullied. Thus Marxists see the family as performing several functions for capitalist society: the inheritance of private property, socialisation into accepting inequality, and a source of profit. According to Marxists these may benefit capitalism but not members of the family.

Critically review the opportunities and limitations of policy Coursework

Critically review the opportunities and limitations of policy transfer, with examples - Coursework Example However, beginning the mid-2000s, we find that several geographers have as well played a critical role in these discussions; usually they use the word political motilities in place of the term policy transfer (Araral, Fritzen and Howlett, 2012). However, the most important review of the literature on the policy transfer that was carried out in the year 1996, examined several questions including the definition of policy transfer; who transfers policy; the reason for transfer of policy; what is transferred; whether there is existence of policy transfer; and the factors that limit the transfer of policy. Nonetheless, to different levels or degrees, the literature on the policy transfer has from then examined several such questions substantially. For instance, when reviewing the question of ‘who,’ the things that are cited include the role and responsibilities of officials who are elected, civil servants, political parties, policy professionals, and pressure groups (Knill and Tosun, 2012). Policymaking is always about the planning of lessons among and between those that carry it out, policy governance, institutions, together with governance units, at all the governance levels. Consequently, a central or key feature of the policy-making encompasses taking lessons from the errors that may have been committed in the past so that they cannot be repeated again; from the possible analysis or review of what the future carries; and usually from what are being done by others or even what others have done. This paper is going to critically review the opportunities and limitations of policy transfer. The, opportunities and limitations are discussed, and then a conclusion, which will be a summative review of the ideas discusses in the paper. In general, there are opportunities that are presented or exist in the transfer policy that vary from one feature or context to another. In the discussion of the policies and

High and Lows of Bangladesh Textile Industry Essay - 23

High and Lows of Bangladesh Textile Industry - Essay Example The move to join was seen by many as a setback to the economy, but this was not the case. The textile export in Bangladesh continued to grow while, in 2008, the rest of the country suffered economic recess, but Bangladesh enjoyed an export rise. The textile industries rose to 5000 factories that provided employment to about 3 million people (2). The developed countries underwent economic recess in 2008-2009 and were forced to import low- cost garments from Bangladesh to meet the demand of their customers who wanted low prices. These companies included Walmart and as a result, a Hong Kong manufacturing company- Li & Fung enjoyed a 25 % rise in 2009 as compared to China whose sales dropped by 5%. The underlying factors that triggered an increase in the exports were based on the fact that labor costs were low due to the presence of hourly rates of wages. The wages were low in Bangladesh with the minimum of $ 38 a month as compared to China that went up to $138 a month. Other factors included; few regulations that are equivalent to no rules at all, a good network of supplies which saved on transport costs, import duties and time. Bangladesh also benefited from not being China as the importer had become too independent on their imports and wanted an alternative. This came as a result of an increase in costs if the problem was no t addressed. All these factors favored Bangladesh, and it became the second largest to China garment exporter (2). Some of the main setbacks to economic development include power disruption, poor infrastructure since the government has underinvested as compared to China. Apart from these, Bangladesh underwent economic crisis after the collapse of the Rana Plaza building that hosted five garment factories. The collapse came as a result of not following construction procedures as the building could only hold five floors.

Minority Shareholders Proprietary Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Minority Shareholders Proprietary Rights - Essay Example As in the case of Gambotto in Australia, in a number of cases, the courts have taken cognizance to the fact that even if the plaintiff does not request for the two tests, the courts may and can subject the amendment to these tests and see to their fitment to the same. Failing which in either of the cases, the amendments may be nullified. The proprietary rights of the shareholders have to be upheld but not at the cost of the company according to the British Law, in contrast to the Australian perception of the matter. Exercising of the majority powers by the shareholders of a company is pretty rampant in the country. It is with utmost care and interest that the courts need to implement these laws so that the suppression of the shareholding minorities is protected and at the same time, the objectives of the company are not diluted. However, the point raised in the indicated quote is to ensure that the interest of both the minorities and that of the company should also be protected. In the name of protecting the interest of the minorities, the company should not be ending up as a loser in the game thereby, bringing down the interests of the rest of the shareholders of the company. In order to understand this, the idea of proprietary rights being protected has to be analyzed. Proprietary rights in most cases have been the ownership rights or the right to own. In cases related to owning land or building there had not been contentions on the proprietary rights of a person and what is offered to one person is same as the other one3. Whereas in the case of shareholder proprietary rights, the minority shareholders rights might be different from what the majority shareholder might have. The association of the company could be for one simple reason that of the company making more profits or as high a profit as is legitimately possible.

LEGAL QUESTIONS MUST BE GRAMMER CORRECT AND ON TIME Essay

LEGAL QUESTIONS MUST BE GRAMMER CORRECT AND ON TIME - Essay Example Kathy's participation would be considered in terms of the fact that other messages. Other than the email # 6 can be deemed as Kathy's message and not Bill's. But for this Bill would have to be coward enough to turn his back on Kathy and say that she accessed his Email account without permission. So in this case Bill is responsible for correspondence #6 in evidence. By law, now, they held Walt. But the case description does not specify any warrants being shown to Waltz. One thing being clear. Walt was hacking Jim's system for his personal and Bill's personal advantage and their firm's advantage. Answer) Walt can plead for the motion of cause, only in the following cases: if Walt is able to prove that has committed a minor crime or a crime that has not caused sever damage or loss to the concerned party. Legally, if he has caused damage and loss to the concerned party, he cannot be granted the Motion of Cause. Because as the motion of cause suggests that the evidence found during the search, it would not be allowed to be presented as evidence in court. 3) The CPIF stands for Cost plus incentive fee contract. Megacorp and Mesoco. in other words John and Jim and both their firms had a contract , as this contract was a CPIF contract , by law , Mesoco will have to pay the Amount as ruled by the court because of the implication that CPIF had on their contract . Legally it was not John or his firms' responsibility to know how Jim will complete the project. It was Jims Responsibility. As the CPIF indicates the cost of the project plus some bonus if all is successful. 4) Barbara was at fault initially, she did decide in hastiness, or what one might presume is that, now that she knew she had settled for a lesser amount, she thought this was a good way out. Other than that if we observe the other facts. Which are that she was not qualified enough to handle the project wholly. So she was honest enough to let Bill and Kathy know that she would not continue, if she would she would need an extension on the deadline as well as the assistance of two other people who would be able to do the job for her. For some extra cost. That extra cost was also specified in the mail correspondence. Furthermore, other than this if that wouldn't or couldn't be the case she herself volunteered to back out, and just be paid for the work she had done up till then. The contract she made with Microdev was true and very much there. They can hold her in court against making them suffer when they were half way through the project. Just because she was not careful enough to read all the specifications clearly does not let her buy herself out of the situation. Legally, also Bill and his firm can take her to court and possibly win, if they can prove their point. 5) Nanotechnocrats owe money to Microdev. It is quite sensible. But legally,

Formal specification of non-functional properties in component Research Paper

Formal specification of non-functional properties in component software engineering - Research Paper Example Component-based software engineering (CBSE) is observed as the best example of such technique (Chen, 2004). It assists in handling the intricacy through following a divide-and-conquer tactic, modularizing huge software schemes into smaller, reusable elements called (software) units. CBSE is believed to be chiefly effective in the background of what is referred to as unit markets, where units are established by autonomous third party establishers and purchased by application contractors to be organized into full applications. If the elements are to be bartered on component markets, they have to be escorted by a specific illustration of all of their pertinent properties (Lamanna, 2002). Element developers must articulate such an illustration without understanding the background in which their elements will be employed. Conversely, it has to be clear to the application contractors and has to be achievable for them to create specifications of distinct elements and rationalize about possessions of the ultimate system. For instance, application contractors need to acknowledge whether an application constructed from some set of elements (Bechhofer, 2005). These elements are organized on a system with reliable amount of present resources will accomplish the required execution goals, how much network bandwidths or memory will be devoured or whether data value will meet the needed benchmark. Thesis statement The ultimate aim of this report is to examine the concept of formal specification of non-functional properties in component software engineering. This entails reviewing the entire aspect of software development and looks at the specification languages that already exist as well as examining the component forms related to specification languages . The paper then examines the problems statement and the research plan then winds up with a conclusion. Literature Review General Concept of Software Development The following diagram (figure 1) provides an indication of the general software development procedure for non-functional characteristics. The main concept of approach is the division of measurement description usage meaning that precision of non-functional characteristics of applications using those gauges. A measurement refers to something that is practical to a system and produces quality value for the scheme being gauged (Chen, 2004). Examples of measurements are d elay, response time et cetera. Measurements are mostly described in relation to a contextual model which defines the concepts of an application system that has to be recognized in order to develop the measurement value. Therefore, dimension can be described autonomously as a real practical system. To employ measurements to a practical system, a mapping between the component model of the practical scheme and the context model of the measurement must be illustrated. The descriptions of measurements can be sophisticated, but on the other hand, it will be developed only a single time. Thus, the roles of dimension designer and practical designer must be put apart in the development process. According to Heiko  Ludwig 2004, their joint efforts directs to a precision of the system encompassing its non-functional characteristics (Bechhofer, 2005). The measurement modeler employs a graphical notation centered on the specification language CQML+ [2] and notions from [3] to identify measurem ents and their context designs (Zschaler, 2008). Ludwig adds on that designer can then described distinct

Strategic Management and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 3

Strategic Management and Leadership - Essay Example The company’s headquarters is in Memphis, Tennessee. The corporation has many major divisions working under it which are like FedEx Express, FedEx Freight, FedEx Services and FedEx Ground. Among all these the flagship segment for the company is its FedEx Express which is the global leader in shipment industry providing the best quality service tot eh customers over the years continuously. The company has its business operations spread across in totally 220 countries with 300,000 employees, 660 aircrafts and 90,000 vehicles ready to perform at their best to provide the best quality service to the customers across all the countries. The company has been rated in the top 100 companies across the world in Fortune magazine and also has been ranked among the top 10 companies that are been admired globally in 2009 (FedEx, 2014). The corporation has got the highest number of aircrafts for shipment purpose than other companies in the shipment industry present in the global world. In 20 12, in US the company had a market share of 49% and also had a dream to grow continuously and capturing 15-20% of the market share in the global market having its good presence in mostly all the countries. The company’s net operating income value is around $2 billion and the revenue of the company is approximately $42 billion, in this 80% of the income generated for the company is from its flagship service FedEx Express which has been on the top of shipment of goods among all the other competitors present in the market. Many big companies like Apple have trusted over FedEx for their shipment process and they have used the service of FedEx to ship their products and parts to different parts of the world. Looking at the financial report of the company over the last few years it can be seen that the company has grown in a huge way in the last few years and has increased its market share and revenue with a good percentage over the previous years.

Selling for entrepreneurs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Selling for entrepreneurs - Essay Example Personal selling is the personal presentation of products and services by the firm’s sales force for the purpose of making sales and building customer relationships (Kotler & Armstrong, 2004). Thus, personal selling is a tool used in the marketing communications mix and is regarded as the most effective at certain stages of buying process, particularly in building up buyer’s preferences, convictions as well as actions. This strategy is seen as most effective given that it involves personal interaction between two or more people so each person is better positioned to observe the other person’s needs. The effective salesperson needs to keep the interests of the customers at heart in order to build a long term relationship. As such, this sales report seeks to analyse the significance of personal selling in the operations of Forty Travel and Tourism Agency (FTTA). It also seeks to suggest a sales strategy proposal for the growth of business by about 30 per cent. The sales report is divided into different categories which include the following: the organisation’s short history, analysis of the organisation’s key players, overview of resources (people, premises, equipment, financial strength, intangibles, description of the products/services offered as well analysing the market structure. The last part of the report will outline a sales brief for the organisation and the strategies that can be implemented in order for it to gain a competitive advantage. History of the company Forty Travel and Tourism Agency (FTTA) was established on 18 February 2001 in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) by Intekhab Jamal. The company has two offices at present and it specifically deals with offering services related to travelling and tourism. This can be categorised as a small to medium enterprise (SME) by virtue of its size compared to the other actors in the same industry. Like any other SME of this nature, FTTA operates on a small scale and it particularly targets individual travellers in its operations and much of the business is conducted through personal interaction with the customers though the company also uses other tools such as the internet and phones. Intekhab who is The President and the founder of FTTA is the major player in the company though he often consults with the branch managers. He established this business with the main aim of satisfying the private and individual segments of customers in the travel and tourism industry that were not fully covered by the large commercial organisations. Intekhab is a very creative and energetic person and he possesses great communication skills. The founder of this organisation has a strong background in marketing and the core business of the company is to market travel and tourism services such as flight and hotel bookings. FTTA is comprised of 19 employees and the Head office is located in the city of Fujaira. It also has another office at the Airport of Fujaira and t his office works as a Call Centre which is operational for 24 hours. The organisation has 17 computers, five printers, three copiers, three fax machines and six landline telephones. However, like any other organisation, FTTA was not spared from the negative impacts of the global financial crisis that gripped the whole world about two years ago. On a positive note, the company’s net profits began to increase gradually from the beginning of 2010. The company has a strong brand image that has been developed over time through networking and communication skills possessed by the employees. The organisation is primarily concerned with quality processes and procedures in a bid to create good reputation since this is seen as the major source of gaining a competitive advantage in this particular industry. FTTA is a travel company which is mainly concerned with offering intangible services such transport and hotel bookings to different people who will be travelling for business, leisur e or study. The company offers services that include boat cruises, hotel bookings, car rentals, travel

Point of Service Plans Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Point of Service Plans - Article Example The health care sector has changed its insurance plans which used to be high but were being paid in large amounts by the employers to a â€Å"more cheaper, manageable and consolidated† plan where the patient (employee of the family member of the employee) receives medical care from one point and the physician acts as the point of service of the patient (Point of Service health plan). The new plan as explained in detail by the article reduces the health care costs but at the same time increases other costs like family deductibles, premiums and even the out-of-pocket expenses. All these expenses are almost fully paid by the employee and not the employer and hence increasing event he burden of health care further than it previously was before this new merger of Preferred Provider Organization plan (PPO) and Health Maintenance Organization plan (HMO) that brought about the birth of Point of Service plan (POS) was formulated and implemented. The latest statistics collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in the United States of America show that the employer no longer fully caters for the health care plans of their full time employees. The statistics indicate that in 1998, over 86% of the employees participated in a medical insurance plan which catered for all their health problems. However, data collected in 2011 shows that only an average of 82% of the employees are involved in a medical plan. The plan the government employees were being offered and are still being offered is the Point of Service Plan. The decline in the health care plan has been pin-pointed to certain services like dental care, prescription drug coverage for outpatients and even in visual care. This is attributed to the fact that these services are costly and hence the employees cannot afford to pay for them. These services are also usually not provided in local health care centers and hence requires the

Gender, income and wealth Essay Example for Free

Gender, income and wealth Essay Gender is a term that has been used many times to describe the different social roles that men and women play in the society. It is also used to explain the biological difference between a man and a woman. However, gender violence, whether on men or on women varies with different communities. Even up to date, there are some societies that still emphasize on the roles and tasks that only men or women can do. Scientific studies on the social life of humans have shown that we are the ones who create inequality amongst ourselves by defining the roles that we should take and leaving those that we dont want to others. Gender difference is however important because it gives the rights and privileges to both women and men. But if viewed from a negative perspective, gender inequality can be defied as a world wide problem. Gender is one of the many determinants of what income a person should be given. In some countries, it is easy for men to get well paying jobs over women. This is especially the case in the developing countries; where the level of education does not really matter when it comes to job hunting. The situation gets even worse where the big jobs can only be given to the men because it is believed that they are better at decision making than women. Statistics have proved that 46 percent of all labor consists of women. However, women represent 75 percent of all the laborers with the lowest income or wages, and only 13 percent represent women of the best paid laborers. The gender factor is also seen to take effect at many homes, where many people believe that a husband should be earning more than the wife. Many husbands feel inferior, especially when they are unable to provide for their families and the wives take on the role of the provider. They believe that they should be the heads of the family and should be in charge of the major activities, including making important decisions. The fact that wives should be submissive to their husbands should not be mistaken as a reason to be discriminated. In general we can say that the world is facing major challenges because of gender inequality. (Karuna Jaggar, 2007) It is not so easy to measure the relation of gender to wealth. This is because most of the wealth is common within members of the same house hold, which consists of both a man and a woman. However, it is a fact that men are likely to own more assets than women. Women dont normally own such investments as bonds, stocks or other financial assets as much as men do. Furthermore, most men have retirement accounts, while most women do not have such accounts, and in addition to that, the pensions of women in most cases are less than those of the men. The gender factor also shows that non married households are not as wealthy as the married households. Also, divorced women contribute more to the labor market as compared to the married women. Married women will feel financially secure because of their husbands, but after they are divorced, their economic condition is affected a lot. The same case applies to widowed women. However, divorce does not have a big effect on the men as it has on the women, because they are always working so their wealth is not affected so much. Women who have never been married own the least wealth of all the house holds. They are said to own only a quarter of the wealth that the non married men own. From the late 1980s, the women initiatives have been helping the women to improve their financial security by advising them to start up small micro enterprises. The reason behind the start of the businesses is because they have very low start up costs, and are hence affordable to the women. Micro enterprises are competent, marketable, and require simple management by the owners. These businesses help women with low wealth and poor incomes to improve their financial status. (Karuna Jaggar, 2007) In general, we can say that gender inequality is a factor that is pulling the efforts to civilization behind and needs to be addressed. References 1) Chang, Mariko, 2007, His and Hers: Explaining the Gender Wealth Gap, retrieved on 1/30/2009 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p109260_index.html 2) Edlund Lena, Kopczuk Wojciech, 2007, Women, wealth and mobility: National bureau of economic research, New York, Cambridge press 3) Karuna Jaggar, 2007, The Race and Gender Wealth Gap, retrieved on 1/30/2009 from http://urbanhabitat.org/node/2815

Computer Hardware and Networking Course

Computer Hardware and Networking Course Computers nowadays have become the integral part of our lives; it has made things really fast. Its increasing use has provided opportunity for the youngsters to start of an exciting and highly payable career in this world of IT. As if in past computer hardware and networking was not considered as a good career opportunity but now the situation has changed, among various courses related to IT, Computer hardware and networking courses are gaining much popularity. Sales of computer desktops, laptops, printers, UPS and so on, are rapidly increasing leading to the need of hardware and networking professional in the field. Computer hardware and networking courses serves these needs. These courses not only provides high paying career in various units as hardware or networking engineer but it also increases your experience and provides a much needed exposure. Eligibility Criteria High school or 10+2 pass out Basic knowledge of computers Course Module You can choose from various courses offered by the institutes, which also provides certification from reputed IT companies. The course duration varies from 15 to 18 months according the chosen course. The basic objective of this course is to provide vast and useful knowledge about this field and give you the upper edge among the untrained professionals in this field. Benefits of Joining Computer Hardware and Networking Course You will know all the minute technicalities about this field You get rich experience during the industrial training You will have better placement in the field due to certification You gain better communication skills with confidence Course Contents You are introduced to the computer hardware and networking in depth and the fundamentals of the course content, which primarily contains: Computer fundamentals Introduction to computer hardware and networking Basic components of PC Hardware configuration Assembling a PC Installing operating system Trouble shooting of PC Network fundamentals and network configuration Introduction to various types of cables and connectors used in networking Introduction to networking and networking concepts Repeaters, Hubs, Switches, Bridges, Routers Installing the NIC Card, MAC Address LAN Standards Ethernet, Token Ring LAN Practicals IP Addressing and IP Classes TCP/IP Concepts and configuration of IP Address Basic network troubleshooting Basics of network security After the completion of the course, most of the institutes provide industrial training in the reputed industries in the field. Placement Opportunities On successful completion of course most of the institutes help in direct placements and you can easily start of career as an IT Support Engineer/Technician, Network Support Engineer/Technician, System Engineer, System Administrator, Server Support Specialist, and Field Support Technician. After completing one type of certification you can go on for another one or higher level according to the need of the current technology and industry, which helps you to be a pro in this field. This field requires updated knowledge along with experience due to rapidly changing technology which doesnt make your work monotonous and hence always provide scope for expansion and handsome earnings.

The Changing Role Of The Management Accountant Commerce Essay

The Changing Role Of The Management Accountant Commerce Essay Charles Darwin the famous scientist who introduced the theory of natural selection said In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment. He used this theory to explain the extinction of the dinosaurs from the earth. I believe this theory in fact is not confined to species. It is a universal truth which is applicable to so many phenomena we see in our day to day lives. One such illustration is the transformation of finance function. The enormous change the corporate world underwent over the last few decades has inevitably pressurized the finance function to adapt to its operating environment. As a result, today the finance function is in the fore-front of decision making positioning itself as a business partner for the organization as opposed to a conventional support function. It is in this context that every organization today should embark on the journey of transforming its finance function to adapt to the challenges of the modern business environment. It is needless to exaggerate the changes this brings about in the role of the management accountant. However being humans it is natural for us to resist such change. What we should remember nevertheless is that if we fail to adapt to these changes, our destiny would not be different to that of dinosaurs. This reinforces the argument that tomorrows successful management accountants will be the ones who not only understand the need importance of finance transformation but also who take proactive measures to bring about effective change and eventually manage such change to ensure sustainability of the business. 2. Finance Transformation 2.1 How it has changed? Accounting Finance function over the centuries has evolved significantly from the basic double entry bookkeeping the revolutionary concept which started it all. Today we live in a world where global companies exist and the finance function like so many other things in human life has transformed itself to cater the ever increasing demands of modern day businesses. Let it be financial reporting, treasury management, budgeting or any other area in finance for that matter, there is visible transformation. For instance, bottom-line in financial jargon, only meant financial profitability until recently. But today organizations strive for a triple bottom-line which is way beyond the boundaries of financial profitability. A recent research conducted by CIMAs centre of excellence at the University of Bath concluded the following changes (see Figure 1) as the most frequent changes faced by businesses. Figure 1: Key changes faced by the Finance Function in the last decade Source: CIMA Centre for Excellence, Excellence in Leadership, December 2009, p.12 As per the above research data, an overwhelming majority of 96.4% has confirmed that there had been at least one change in their finance function for the period in concern. However the degree, to which these changes have been popular, may extremely vary with Cost reduction being the forerunner with a popularity of 59% while Outsourcing of non-routine tasks was confined to a mediocre 5.5%. The same study later classifies these changes to four broad types and also pinpoints two main motives behind these changes namely Cost efficiency and Value creation (See Table 2). Table 2: Classification of Changes Faced by the Finance Function Source: CIMA Centre for Excellence, Excellence in Leadership, December 2009, p.12 Cost Efficiency motive is where a business is keen to improve its output by using its resources more efficiently. On the other hand Value creation involves performing tasks in better ways whilst eliminating non-value adding activities such that the organization creates value in terms of profitability. It is clear from the data (See Figure 1) that it is the Cost Efficiency based changes which were more prominent in businesses during the last decade. As the research suggests, Cost Reduction and Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) appear logical steps for organizations as they grow. The economies of scale, firms are expected to achieve with its size, rationalize such change. Further the world economic crisis stemmed in 2007 prolongs to date would also have significantly influenced finance managers to run their businesses on tighter budgets and thus focus on efficiency based transformation. Although cost efficiency measures, up to now, have had the upper hand in finance transformation, it is expected that the value based changes would take precedence in times to come, as finance functions embark on the journey to achieve the visionary value creator status. 2.2 Why has it changed? So far we discussed how the finance function has evolved over the years. Let us now examine the underlying drivers which caused this dramatic change. This inevitably leads us to look at the changes that occurred in the environment in which businesses operate. One thing that surely comes to my mind is globalization. I believe this concept single handedly revolutionized the way people engaged in business. For instance virtual organizations such as Dell and online market places such as e-bay have not only been highly successful, but also have challenged the future viability of traditional business models. However globalization is only one among many drivers of change as per CIMAs recent research findings on finance transformation. In fact it ranks well below the likes of increased competition technological advancement which grabbed the top two spots in terms of popularity (See Figure 3). Figure 3: Drivers of organizational change ranked in terms of popularity Source: CIMA Centre for Excellence, Excellence in Leadership, December 2009, p.15 Increased risk and uncertainty and External reporting requirements achieved 3rd and 4th places respectively with market development coming next. It is important to mention the part played by the collapses of big corporate giants such as Enron, Worldcom and subsequent changes it created in the finance function especially in terms of risk assessment models and stringent reporting guidelines. The report further highlights some of the differences that exist within different business sectors. For example, demographics are as twice as popular driver in public sector compared to the private sector in which competition market dynamics are more prevalent. In financial services industry risk uncertainty is hailed above all drivers of change. All these drivers subsequently created pressure on the tradition finance function and new finance control models evolved to suit the new playing field. 3. The changing role of the management accountant in todays environment 3.1 The way forward So far we analyzed the nature of finance transformation and its underlying causes. It is now high time to look at the evolving role of tomorrows management accountant. Having acted as a steward for decades, today the finance professionals are increasingly pressurized to be a navigator or a business partner in performing his/her duties. With reference to the previously mentioned study done by CIMA, it is evident that Business partnering is clearly emerging as a way forward for finance transformation. Table 4: Business Partnering in finance function Source: CIMA Centre for Excellence, Excellence in Leadership, December 2009, p.11. In its research report, Finance transformation business partnering, CIMA Centre for Excellence defines business partnering as a behavior which involves members of the finance function acting as close advisors or internal consultants in greater collaboration and cross-functional working with others in the organization, so they can understand the business better, and provide the advice and support that is needed.  [1]   The idea here is, for finance members to actively participate in the decision making process and take collective ownership of the decision as opposed to being passive advisors. However in order to do so, the finance professionals not only need to posses technical knowledge in finance IT, they should also be equipped with extensive industry knowledge business acumen. In addition to that, the need for enhanced interaction across all the levels in the organization would mean that the management accountants need to master necessary communication and interpersonal skills. Further the traditional barriers that exist between departments would also need to be relaxed so that effective inter-functional associations are enabled. Erik ter Horst, Vice President Finance, CFO EMEA and Latin America, BT, offering insights to CIMAs survey adds for me, finance can only be functional if the finance function is a part of the whole organization  [2]  . However one might also argue that this may compensate the level of independence exercised by finance and hence affect the objectivity of its decisions. While acknowledging the possibility, Morten Sorensen, Finance Director Central Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific, SSP, believes that the potential risk to the objectivity of finance function will be outweighed by the additional value generated at the end of the day it comes down to the integrity and professionalism of the individual.  [3]   3.2 Finance transformation and the role of the Management Accountant at Bodyline 3.2.1 Background: Bodyline Private Limited, a joint venture between MAST Industries, Triumph International MAS Holdings, is one of the largest lingerie sportswear manufactures in Sri Lanka with a workforce of around 6000 employees and an annual capacity of around 15 million pieces of bras. The company caters to some of the worlds most glamorous brands including Victoria Secret, Nike, Marks Spencer and Lane Bryant. Over the last couple of years Bodyline has synergized its multi product customer portfolio to its competitive advantage whilst investing on technologies such as bonding, 3D hemming and ultrasonic welding. However the company is constantly facing stiff competition from low cost manufacturers in Asian countries such as Bangladsh Vietnam, and as a result recently underwent drastic changes in its business model which in turn caused the finance function to transform accordingly. 3.2.2 Finance Transformation at Bodyline Table 5: Changes faced by the finance function at Bodyline Finance Function Change Example Type of Change Motive for Change 1 Greater emphasis on cost reduction Projects to curb major cost overrun areas. E.g. Overtime Tracking Mechanism Cost Reduction Cost Efficiency 2 Increased outsourcing of routine tasks Outsourcing of VAT Returns Process to a 3rd party BPR 3 Increased Use of Shared Service Centers for routine tasks Setting up a common commercial department in collaboration with MAS Intimates group 4 Increased work on product pricing Developments of Pre Post Order Profitability functions on SAP Product Focus Value Creation 5 Cross functional teams Formation of customer teams comprising of representatives of different departments including finance Focus on internal processes 6 Greater emphasis on poor performance within the organization Facilitating greater depth in Performance Management. (Catering to Business, Departmental Individual levels) 7 Increased external benchmarking of the whole organization Risk assessments and external benchmarking activities leading to sound business decisions being taken Source: Primary data collected from Bodyline The above diagram depicts functional changes experienced by Bodyline Finance and it could be directly compared with Table 2 in page 3. (CIMAs original model) 3.2.2.1 Cross Functional Teams:  A drastic structural change was introduced few months back where cross functional teams (representing virtually all the departments) were formulated to uniquely cater each customer. A business analyst was appointed to each team to represent finance and he/she adheres to a dual reporting structure where the individual reports to the Head of Finance as well as to the Head of the respective customer account. Each customer team sits together in a separate area within the factory so that interaction between the members is enhanced. However the transformation involved significant cultural change. People had to be convinced that the previous structure that had been adopted for the past 15 years was not the right way forward.   Members of finance worked very closely with the new leadership to change the internal structures reporting lines to logical cross functional business teams to support customer expectations. The management accountants involved in articulating the methodology of performance management systems including Key Performance Indicators as well as devising segmental reporting of customer bottom lines coupled with policy control deployment. This helped the people to understand the big picture and most importantly, where do they fit in to the new structure. The increased level of transparency helped us create a healthy competition among customer teams which in turn contributed to break the resistance to change whilst aggressively driving towards the achievement of business objectives. 3.2.2.2 Greater emphasis on poor performance: Performance management initiatives across many departments layers are being introduced with the direct involvement of finance which provides design to delivery solutions. For instance, the incentive scheme for sewing operators was changed to an efficiency based group incentive mechanism from an individual performance based incentive system, with finance department functioning as the project champion. This is one fine example where Bodylines finance function operated as a true business partner coming out of its comfort zones, co-operating with the other relevant departments and executing the project to perfection. It is noteworthy to mention that whilst executing this project, complex human dynamics of 6,500 people and the cost implications of providing incentives to all of them were considered. A series of information sessions had to be conducted to manage the knowledge transfer requirement in terms of the new system. Nevertheless a sign ificant increment in factory efficiency was noticed within the first month of project implementation. In order to facilitate such advance business requirements, the finance function was strengthened with people having dual backgrounds. In other words, apart from hardcore finance graduates, Bodylines finance team comprises of several apparel engineering graduates from the University of Moratuwa who are also qualified in CIMA. It is this unique resource combination that has enabled Bodylines finance team to successfully strive for excellence amidst numerous challenges. 3.2.2.3 Risk Analysis: The members of the finance department are also engaged in analysis assessment of risks facing the company, developing projections based on such risks to draw the attention of the management on high risk areas. For example early identification of the risks of Western economic recession, paved the way for the company to take immediate actions and thereby mitigate the impact of these adverse events at least to a certain extent. 3.2.2.4 Cost Reduction: As a follow up action plan to Budget Monitoring, the finance team in collaboration with other departments initiated 4 major projects to cut down companys overhead cost. These are namely Implementation of overtime cost tracking controlling mechanism A project to control transport expenditure A project to control courier charges A project to control stationary cost A project leader is appointed from Finance for each project and this individual is solely responsible for delivering the objectives of the project. The leader is expected to collaborate with relevant departments, device an action plan, follow up action points and present the progress at the next months budget monitoring session. Significant cost reductions were observed in each area with the inception of these projects. On the other hand, these projects offer a great opportunity for the budding management accountants to move out their comfort zones, actively involve in cross cultural teams, learn and become business partners who actively participate in achieving the companys strategic objectives.  Ã‚   3.2.2.5 Increased work on product pricing: To enhance the visibility of financial information at the Sales Order level, a project was initiated by finance with the collaboration of IT to develop SAP (the companys ERP system) based modules which calculates the expected profitability of a Sales order in the system itself. This process currently happens on spread sheets off the ERP system and as a result lot of information is duplicated and resources are wasted. The second phase of this project involves linking purchase order authorization procedure to sales order profitability so that an effective control on at the point of material purchases can be exercised. Yet again this is a challenging project which requires the individual to move out of the comfort zones of an accountant and work with System users/IT specialists and to gather system requirements and thereby ensure effective system development is achieved later. 4. Conclusion Modern day businesses experience change at a dramatic rate and whichever the ones that do not adapt quickly, would be gone before long. Being part of that business, the finance function can never isolate itself so should get accustomed to change. If the finance function has to change, that indirectly means the management accountants should expect their roles to frequently change in future. In fact it is the management accountants who are expected to manage the process of finance transformation. As their roles evolve, tomorrows management accountants will be expected to learn new skills (more often out of their comfort zones) work with cross functional teams and ultimately act as business partners who take responsibility for the collective decisions. Although we all tend to resist change initially, we also might feel it is after all not so bad. It certainly brings opportunities provided we take it in the right spirit we may end up being better off. The story of finance transformation at Bodyline is certainly of that type. Transforming was never an easy journey and it still is not. However as a team the finance function moved forward with positive attitude and as a result in the process has achieved so many milestones. As I conclude, the fundamental point I wish to bring up is that the finance transformation is inevitable. Irrespective of whether we like it or not its here to stay. However it is our decision either to embrace the change like a lizard which quickly changes its color to suit the environment and thereby survive through successful camouflaging or else ignore the change just like the dinosaur and simply extinct.

Biography of Sir Isaac Newton :: Contributions of Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton, mathematician and physicist, was one of the foremost scientific intellects of all time. Born in 1642 at Woolsthorpe, near Grantham in Lincolnshire, he attended school. There he entered Cambridge University in 1661. He was elected a Fellow of Trinity College in 1667, and Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in 1669. He remained at the university, lecturing in most years, until 1696. Of these Cambridge years, Newton was at the height of his creative power as "the prime of my age for invention". He singled out for four years, which was spent largely in Lincolnshire because of plague in Cambridge. During two to three years of intense mental effort he prepared Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica commonly known as the Principia, although this was not published until 1687. As a firm opponent of the attempt by King James II to make the universities into Catholic institutions, Newton was elected Member of Parliament for the University of Cambridge to the Convention Parliament of 1689, and sat again in 1701. Meanwhile, in 1696 he had moved to London as Warden of the Royal Mint. He became Master of the Mint in 1699, an office he retained to his death in 1727. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1671, and in 1703 he became President, being annually re-elected for the rest of his life. His major work, Opticks, appeared the next year; he was knighted in Cambridge in 1705. As Newtonian science became increasingly accepted on the Continent, and especially after a general peace was restored in 1714, following the War of the Spanish Succession, Newton became the most highly esteemed natural philosopher in Europe. His last decades were passed in revising his major works, polishing his studies of ancient history, and defending himself against critics, as well as carrying out his official duties. Newton was modest, diffident, and a man of simple tastes. He was angered by criticism or opposition, and offensive resentment He was harsh towards enemies but generous to friends. In government, and at the Royal Society, he proved an able administrator. Biography of Sir Isaac Newton :: Contributions of Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton, mathematician and physicist, was one of the foremost scientific intellects of all time. Born in 1642 at Woolsthorpe, near Grantham in Lincolnshire, he attended school. There he entered Cambridge University in 1661. He was elected a Fellow of Trinity College in 1667, and Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in 1669. He remained at the university, lecturing in most years, until 1696. Of these Cambridge years, Newton was at the height of his creative power as "the prime of my age for invention". He singled out for four years, which was spent largely in Lincolnshire because of plague in Cambridge. During two to three years of intense mental effort he prepared Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica commonly known as the Principia, although this was not published until 1687. As a firm opponent of the attempt by King James II to make the universities into Catholic institutions, Newton was elected Member of Parliament for the University of Cambridge to the Convention Parliament of 1689, and sat again in 1701. Meanwhile, in 1696 he had moved to London as Warden of the Royal Mint. He became Master of the Mint in 1699, an office he retained to his death in 1727. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1671, and in 1703 he became President, being annually re-elected for the rest of his life. His major work, Opticks, appeared the next year; he was knighted in Cambridge in 1705. As Newtonian science became increasingly accepted on the Continent, and especially after a general peace was restored in 1714, following the War of the Spanish Succession, Newton became the most highly esteemed natural philosopher in Europe. His last decades were passed in revising his major works, polishing his studies of ancient history, and defending himself against critics, as well as carrying out his official duties. Newton was modest, diffident, and a man of simple tastes. He was angered by criticism or opposition, and offensive resentment He was harsh towards enemies but generous to friends. In government, and at the Royal Society, he proved an able administrator.

Gender Roles in The Yellow Wallpaper -- Yellow Wallpaper essays

Gender Roles in The Yellow Wallpaper  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," the reader is treated to an intimate portrait of developing insanity. At the same time, the story's first person narrator provides insight into the social attitudes of the story's late Victorian time period. The story sets up a sense of gradually increasing distrust between the narrator and her husband, John, a doctor, which suggests that gender roles were strictly defined; however, as the story is just one representation of the time period, the examination of other sources is necessary to better understand the nature of American attitudes in the late 1800s. Specifically, this essay will analyze the representation of women's roles in "The Yellow Wallpaper" alongside two other texts produced during this time period, in the effort to discover whether Gilman's depiction of women accurately reflects the society that produced it.    "The Yellow Wallpaper" features an unnamed female narrator who serves to exemplify the expectations placed upon women of the time period. As we are told early on, she is suffering from a "nervous condition" (Gilman 1). While we are not told the specific nature of this condition, we do discover that the cure prescribed by John, the narrator's husband and doctor, entails taking "phosphates or phosphites--whichever it is, and tonics, and journeys, and air, and exercise" while intellectual "work" is "absolutely forbidden Ãâ€" until [she is] well again"   (Gilman 1). This poses a particular problem for the narrator, due to her desire to write, which she continues to do "in spite of them," and causes her to hide her writing to avoid facing "heavy opposition" (Gilman 1). The treatment to which t... ...Mitchell, seems all the more plausible. After all, her socially-defined role as the dutiful wife and mother was being constrained by her inability to withstand the treatment foisted upon her by a man trained to disregard his patients' feelings. As a woman, she had no socially sanctioned way to respond to the problems she faced. Rather than wonder, as John does throughout the story, why his wife is becoming increasingly deranged, readers of this story should only wonder why, given the mores of the time period, there weren't far more stories like it.    Works Cited Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "The Yellow Wallpaper." English 101 Homepage. August 1999 . Mitchell, S. Weir. The Evolution of the Rest Treatment. English 101 Course Packet. Chico: Mr Kopy, 1999. Power, Susan. The Ugly-Girl Papers. English 101 Course Packet. Chico: Mr Kopy, 1999.      

Why Parenting Is More Important That School

According to Annie Murphy Paul and the studies done by the University Of California-Irvine, North Carolina State University, and Brigham University, parental involvement in their children’s academic life such as checking homework, attending school meetings and events, discussing school activities at home has a more powerful influence on students’ academic performance than anything about the school the students attend.Research also reveals something else: the parents, of all backgrounds, don’t need to buy expensive educational toys or digital devices for their kids in order to give them an edge. Engaging in this reciprocal back-and- forth gives children a chance to try out language for themselves, and also gives them a sense that their thoughts and opinion matter. All parents need to do is talk. My position on this issue presented by Annie Murphy Paul is one of agreement. I concur that talking to your children and engaging in their academic life can have a positiv e effect in their school performance.All the research that were mentioned in Paul’s article reinforced and supported the claim that students perform better or are more interested in their school work if their parents are involved and show interest in their school activities. As the article mentioned, background and digital devices are not a guarantee for good grades; neither are paying for an expensive private school or tutoring. What it comes down to is interaction, talking. I believe this to be true. When a child sees their parents’ involvement in their academia they feel a sense of importance.In my line of work I come across children and parents who come from a variety of backgrounds. Sometimes I see children and the amount of involvement that their parents play in their academic growth show through the amount of information that the child is able to retain. The multiracial children that I’ve come across who have difficulty reading and writing have this probl em because of their parents inability to speak English properly (Hispanic decent) or because of the limited amount of involvement in their child’s education progression.As a child growing up my parents’ involvement with my academics were very limited. They didn’t give me the impression that exerting great achievement in my school work was necessary so I didn’t feel the need to go to college immediately after high school. Looking back now that I’m an adult I wish they had. I feel that if they pushed me harder or talked to me and encouraged me to pursue a college career after high school it would’ve saved me a whole lot of stress as an adult, now that I’m trying to pursue my college degree. As a parent now, I throw myself into my children’s academics and social life.I try to get involved as much as possible to show them that education is important. I want them to pursue college and to be successful. I know that my involvement is an encouragement to them and they’ve told me countless times how grateful they are for my support. My daughter is always telling me how important my presence is at her school functions and my son will remember when I miss a soccer game. I believe that just the knowledge that children have of a support group, namely their parents, in their corner gives them a sense of purpose.They don’t want to disappoint their parents so they feel this pressure to please. After a while that sense of accomplishment becomes internalized to where they self-motivate themselves and want to do their best, want to get good grades, want to succeed and excel. I feel like it’s my job as a parent to motivate my children to be better than who they are, better than what/who I am, and to work for the things that they want. In conclusion, I believe that the studies conducted by scholars and gathered by Annie Murphy Paul are true.I’ve seen this first hand and I am a product of poor paren tal involvement. I can see how my involvement in my children’s lives brings positive reinforcement to their academic progression. Personally, I believe that teacher involvement does play a role in a student’s progression but not as great an impact as the parent does on the child. The family is the central learning center for every individual and if a child see’s how important their education is to their parent(s) they in turn want it for themselves to progress.

Management Power and Change Essay

1 compendThe dynamics of advocate relations and their effects on organisational alteration was much underestimated by researchers. Analyses of the role played by world-beater in organizational compound argon increasing in intensity, surpass and impact (Munduate and Bennebroeck-Gravenhorst 2003). The appropriate and effective riding habit of force is fundamental for managers engaged in major deepen processes. This idea deals with the motif of management power and win over. It foc employments on the purpose of power and its function in organizational diverseness. At first power and change management will be delimitate and and so the bases or writers of power and the responses which are provoked according to the type of power being applied .how power force out be exercised to square off and expedite organizational change.2 Definition of roleThere are many variations to the rendering of power and there are disagreements on its definition and what the best way is to neb it. The definition also depends on the mise en scene in which power is used. In this case, since the report focuses on the explanation of the use of power in the setting of organizational change, power is the potential major power to bend port, to change the course of events, to overcome resistance, and to get deal to do things that they would not separatewise do (Pfeffer, 1993 204-5).2.1 Power and InfluenceIn move to understand how change is achieved, social psychologists boast used the concepts of social power and influence (Raven 1999) and therefore the terms power and influence are sometimes used synonymously, nevertheless there are discrepancies amidst them. amicable power indicates the various tools a mortal has to influence the environment or the other party, while influence is referring to the actual use of a specific tool in a particular situation (Munduate and Medina 2009). consort to French and Raven (1959) influence is a force unmatchable person (the attracter or operator) exerts on individual else (follower or target) to induce a change in the latter, including changes in behaviors, attitudes, and values. Social power was by and by defined as the potential ability of a person to influence someone else.Basically, influence is the effect a persons actions have on the attitudes, values, beliefs, or behavior of others. Whereas power is the capacity to go a change in a person, influence may be image of as the degree of actual change (Daft, 2006 679-680). Boddy defines influence as the process by which one party attempts to modify the behavior of others by mobilizing power resources. Hence, in allege to apprehend the function of the change agent in the promotion of change in an organization, the reactions of the targets involving a proactive disposition toward change have to be considered first and then the available tools for the change agent to influence the targets (Munduate and Medina 2009).2.3 Types of Influence Proc essesThere are slip away differences in the way chase respect to direct and indirect social bosom from a leader and actually being convinced by him. In one case the influence may retributory be sufficient to exercise chequer over the followers behavior, guaranteeing a general agreement no matter if the followers are privately convinced. In another(prenominal) case the influence could be so strong that it changes the followers opinion and further makes him committed to the leaders request. Consequently, unalike types of influences have been proposed by social psychologists, whereby the near important was Kelmans distinction (1961) between compliance, internalization, and identification.2.4 Bases of PowerFor a manager to be effective, he has to possess a source of power which he can use to influence employees to take actions or obligate out orders which they would not have through with(p) in the absence of that power source.

Peer Evaluation

veto Instructions For Evaluator ? Circle a score of 1 through 5 in each category ground on the separate members performance below. ? Average the scores provided by your team members by adding them to unhorseher and dividing by 4 and place it in the outer space below. Evaluators Total 20 Final Grade for BARS __ valuation Ratings Scale Please indicate your views on each individual member by scoring them on the scale provided. We catch that some of the descriptions of the member may hold with cardinal an some otherwise exclusively, from the descriptions listed below, we will localize vanquish realizable number that best fits the attempts of the member.Contri simplying To Team Success Actively combat-ready as a member of a team to move the team toward the finish of goals. 1 = No run apt(p) No effort was put into support the team at all, let others provide their sentence and efforts No effort or ideas hurln Puts d stimu new-fashioned other members ideas 2 = A Little to a greater extent Than aught absolute wholeness assignment give Gave just enough effort to dislocate by Gave 1 idea, while closedown down others ideas 3 = Needs alleviate Tasks assigned though some stainless were usually go away for other members to ick up Ignores team and organizational goals expected of them such(prenominal) as completing tasks, researching, giving the ideas, and so forth. Does non give input in coming upons avoids sharing thoughts/input. Says just enough to get in and out as concisely as possible. 4 = Meets Expectations Completes fair fibering of responsibilities by doing just the needed keep down of train instead of going to a higher place and beyond to help others and their tasks. Helps others perform tasks and slide by goals only if it doesnt inconvenience them.Subordinates own personal goals for the good of the team. 5 = game Performing Always sleep withs ready with ideas and the enterprise to get the job done for the theme. Helps other achieve without expectation of recognition and does the make for at hand without abideing on others to ask for help. Assists fellow team members and takes on added responsibility without being asked. Communication clear conveying and receiving information and ideas through a variety of outlets to group members. 1 = No Effort GivenDid non baffle inclined(p) for discussions, never gave ideas, just sat thither and gave no effort No betrothal in fall apart was reached, whether in move in question or tell them for the division assignments Did not inform members of their absence or being late to class 2 = A Little more(prenominal) Than naught Responded to at to the lowest degree(prenominal) 2 to 3 emails, text, or other forms of conversation but was endlessly late Gave at least 2 ideas during the entire by natures group meetings and gave at least two discussions points for protrudes communicate only one member of their absence or tardiness at least once. 3 = N eeds ImprovementResponded to at least half(a) of all emails, text, or other forms of dialogue but was usually late Gave 3 ideas during the entire bods group meetings and at gave at least 4 discussion points for projects. inform all members of their absence or tardiness at least once 4 = Meets Expectations Responded to a majority of the emails, text, or other forms of communication in a descent time mode. Effort was put forth in communicating ideas for group meetings, gave at least 4 ideas during the entire builds group meetings, and gave at least 4 discussions points for projects.Informed all members of their absence and tardiness 5 = in high spirits Performing Responded to every email, text, or other form of communication on time. Came disposed(p) for every group discussion, gave others their chance to speak, gave at least 6 ideas during the entire courses group meetings, and gave at least 6 discussion points as well. Informed all members of their absence and tardiness. Init iating Action taking prompt accomplishment to strain team assignments taking action to achieve goals beyond what is required being proactive. 1 = No Effort GivenNo action or effort in achieving a goal as a group was met. Always waited for others to blackguard up and volunteer for earn. If a project was minded(p)(p) to them another member had to come behind and clean up their work or do the work 2 = A Little More Than Nothing Accomplished one task given to them Waits for others to tell he or she what to do All work given was appeared to be done right before class with minimal effort in citing, grammar, spelling, and so forth. 3 = Needs Improvement Does not take appropriate action to accomplish tasks.Completes 7 out of 10 assignments. Is not proactive but reactive avoids work. Fails to prosecute through on projects/processes. Always waits for others to study his or her work. 4 = Meets Expectations Takes appropriate action to accomplish tasks. Completes 9 out of 10 assignments Takes action when appropriate does not wait for others to take action. This member is more of a pusher for the group instead of one that has to be pulled. Always completes projects in a timely manner to complete objectives and achieve goals for the team 5 = High PerformingAction is taken to achieve goals ahead of schedule impatient to complete high-quality, professional work in a timely manner. Anticipates setting new-made goals as experience and knowledge increases. Encourages others to do their part in performing and service the group achieve their goal of acquire an A. Managing Work Effectively managing ones time and resources to ensure that work is faultless efficiently makes timely notice of not being in class/meeting or tardiness. 1 = No Effort Given Work was never dark in Never finish his or her own work but left it for other to do Without other group members they would be lost. = A Little More than Nothing Work came in late every time, that is if it made it Would c omplete half of the work given to him or her but another member would have to come behind their work and clean it up or redo the work for it to be expectable. Highly dependable on others. 3 = Needs Improvement Work is not completed in a timely manner or completed Completed all the work given to them but other members had to help polish the work before it could be turned Depended on others after their share of work was completed in order to reach a polished project = Meets Expectations Work completed in a timely manner Completed all work given on time and without the need of others help Only depended on other members when other members were required to help complete the project. 5 = High Performing Work is always completed on time or ahead of schedule and needs no help from others, unless required Encourages others to do their part in performing and helping the group achieve their goal of getting an A.Only depended on other member when other members were required to help complete the project We translate the course credit is earned at each meeting. Meetings and preparation may be changed with majority agreement if the change is possible for all parties. Report changes to the instructor. Signed and date Team Members 1. _______________________________________ 2. _________________________________________ 3. ________________________________________ 4. __________________________________________