Hypothetical Research Proposal Social Psychology Essay

Understanding media in today’s world is more than intellectual exercise, it is essential survival skill in a world that has been absolutely changed by mass communication. Hundreds of studies have shown that viewing violence in the media can influence destructive behavior. This paper will review research involving the relationship between the media and violence. Since, women’s issue to violence embodies many areas of social life and is very much rampant and relevant in our society today; violence to women will be used for the representation for this paper. After taken into account, the finding will show that the rising of media and the violence among women in the society has strong significant effect. Introduction In 2003, Allan Menzies stabbed his best friend, drank his blood and ate part of his skull. Utterly this murder was different from the many horrible murders that are committed. Menzies claimed that the character, Akasha, from the vampire film Queen of the Damned had told him to kill his friend as a way of gaining immortality. Menzies was possessed with the film and had viewed it over 100 times before â€Å"acting on the orders† of the vampire queen (Robertson 2003). The case of Menzies certainly demonstrates the intimate relationship between media and violence. However, violence news is often selective and distorted, giving an inaccurate picture of violence in society. This observation has led Warr (2000:482) to argue that â€Å"violence rests on highly uncertain information about risk† In fact, Fields and Jerin (1999) carried out a comparative analysis of violence coverage in newspapers in fourteen different countries. In the US, they found evidence of misinterpretation, overrepresentation of violent, heavy reliance on â€Å"official† sources, false image of police effectiveness, uniform crime coverage, lack of educational value, racial prejudice and/or stereotyping, and little coverage of corrections. This is a significant finding as the majority of citizens only have symbolic rather than experiential knowledge about violence. Consequently, when the media are the primary knowledge distributors about violence, distortions such as these are readily available to construct public perceptions. And because the consequences of violence can be severe, these perceptions can lead to an increased concern about violence victimization. This â€Å"resonance† hypothesis argues that the media â€Å"cultivate† a threatening view of the world, which compounds preexisting violence (Bagdikian, 2000). Literature Review This literature review will introduce the theoretical perspectives that will guide this study in understanding the construction of a gendered crime â€Å"reality†. The key concepts of social constructioinism and feminist criminology will be explained and will be illustrated in relation to fear of crime. The connection between the media and fear of crime will be explain with an emphasis on the distortion of knowledge, audience effects, and media content and claims. Further, the effects of political economy on discursive transformations in the presentations of crimes will be address. Impact of the Media The media has the potential for far greater impact than interpersonal communication, if only because of the larger audience and the professional nature of the messages. The impact might be seen in audience pleasure or buying behavior or it might be seen in an unintentional effect such as young child’s imitating the violent behavior seen in a favorite T. V. show or video game (Rodman, 2006). This impact becomes the part of the feedback sent to the source, perhaps as news reports about studies into effects of media. Social Theory, Media, and Violence The relationship between violence and the media is complex. For example, Barak, (1994) finds that although the press does not present a consistently biased impression of media and violence through their process of selection, he discovers little evidence to suggest that this is very influential on public perceptions of, and opinions about, these phenomena. On the other hand, Sheley (1995) argues that the media responds to and stimulates violence and are probably the single greatest influence on public attitudes about the topic. However, both social constructionists and radical feminist criminologists see the mass media as particularly relevant when studying violence, as the meaning and significance attached to a violent event during its commission can be transformed entirely once it is communicated into society. As Stanko (1992:14) notes: The full social and personal consequences of violence can never be deduced from the simple enumeration of risks. Like other human experiences they necessarily involve representation, communication and attribution of significance and it is for this reason that the understanding of the character and uses of mass media may be able not simply to help explain the distribution of expressed fears but also to illuminate their nature and implications. The significance of this violence as it relates to culture needs to be taken into consideration in order to understand the transformations commonly found in media narratives over time. In addition, a â€Å"lack of sensitivity to media-generated reality-constructing processes has serious real-world implications† (Surette, 1998:271). Heavy violence coverage in the media can not only increase public fear, it can also direct much public discourse on the violent issue which leads to stereotypical views of violence, shapes certain violent as social problems, and limits violence control options (Barak, 1998:44). Working within the social constructionist paradigm, I argue that effect of violence is a social process rather than a social fact: reactions to violence are subjective and dynamic. Not only are these reactions based on the actions of certain social groups who have the power to set forth their own interests over others, and who employ â€Å"experts† to offer professional credibility to support their claims, but they are also based on dominant cultural ideologies. In turn, the media disseminates these â€Å"truth† claims as they see fit, creating a â€Å"conceptual reality† for public consumption. I consider this constructed reality and its relation to violence exploding: Who are constructed as deviant â€Å"outsiders? † What claims and claims-makers are central to the discourse? What preferred rules does the media maintain? Who is given the most voice to speak authoritatively? In the hierarchy of violence, what is the â€Å"master of offence? † Do the violent messages discuss possible solutions to violence? Are the violent messages sensationalistic? Are random violence reported the most often? Research Question and Aim of this Research This proposal will examine how the media constructs fear of crime for women, and explains why. It will employ both content and textual analyses to evaluate media representations of crime and their role in facilitating images of fear and safety. Moreover, I will utilize feminist criminology and social constructionism to allow an evaluation of claims-making activities and gendered crime myths. Ultimately, the aim of this research is to examine how the media are constructed as sites of fear for women. To accomplish this, I would like to answer the following questions: 1. Do crime messages signify fear of crime? 2. How do the media define fear and reveal its meaning to audience members? Is this â€Å"reality† contested over time, and if so, why? Hypotheses: The meaning associated with women’s danger and safety in news narratives are socially constructed through claims, sources, content and culture, making the â€Å"social reality of crime† a human accomplishment. Method Design I will analyze an issue of a three popular women’s magazines as my primary data for violent messages since it embodies many areas of social life, making it culturally significant. Moreover, magazines give a less fragmented picture of the total violence phenomenon than say newspapers, and their documentary style gives a more elaborate perspective than the information oriented style of newspapers. The analysis will be done through content analysis. Data Collection Procedure Magazines represented a variety of violence narratives as â€Å"newsworthy. † That is, these magazines found violence to be interesting or exciting enough to attract and inform consumers, and therefore violence narratives were considered important elements when producing the news. Among the violent messages such as; sexual brutality received almost one-half (50%) of the coverage. This included; rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment/discrimination. The reporters often evinced the personal accounts of those who were victims. This added an emotional dimension to the narratives; bringing to the reader an â€Å"eyewitness† account, rather than an â€Å"objective† report of the facts. Child abuse, which included physical and emotional abuse, followed closely in frequency (25 %), while domestic violence (8%) and murder (7%) remained minor but persistent narratives. Magazines reporters also wrote about criminal justice issues such as the death penalty and victimology (3. 5%). Violent such as burglary (3. 0%), juvenile delinquency (2. 0%), and illicit drug use (1. 5%) were infrequently in the news stories, and other crimes, such as fraud and kidnapping, were not mentioned in all three magazines. News, Sources, and the Production of Meaning Various sources of knowledge about violent, law and violence justice were represented in the news making process to create meaning. There were five types of sources used by reporters to construct violence narratives. First, government sources were cited in 60 percent of the violence articles. Representatives of the violence justice system, such as police, lawyers, judges, and correctional officials, were used as sources in nearly one-third (33%) of all violence articles. Less frequently, other government agencies, such as social workers and child welfare/ protection services were offered as knowledge sources by reporters (5%). As well, politicians, or elected officials, were occasionally used to supply knowledge (2%). Gender and Violence Narratives Media violence depictions were consistently gendered and women’s fear of violence was constantly constructed and reconstructed. â€Å"Intimate danger† was portrayed in 62. 6 % of the violence messages; â€Å"stranger danger† was highlighted in only 23. 2 percent of the news stories and 14. 2 percent of the narratives did not mention danger in all. In all time frames, intimate danger was more commonly constructed than was stranger danger. Intimate danger was present in over half of all articles. Overwhelmingly, familiar dangers were most newsworthy. Sex was ultimately connected to danger in the media discourses with over half (60%) of all violence messages signifying it. Over different time frames, sexual danger was present in 62. 5 % of all articles. A discourse of sexual inequality in an issue of the three different popular women’s magazines also contributed to the gendered nature of violence. One-fourth, (25%) of all crime articles connected sexual inequality to violence. This suggests that women’s fear of violence was linked to their subordinate status, and can best be understood in the context of broader social inequalities. In sum, the media instructed women to be most fearful people they knew in their own home, to fear violence of sexual nature and foremost, and to fear for themselves, but also for others. Violence and Media Coverage The crime reports in an issue of the three popular women’s magazines consistently supplied readers with the resources needed to understand and comprehend violence, particularly on a social and environmental level. By explaining the source and foundations for violence, journalists did not leave readers asking â€Å"why. † And by demonstrating how to cope with violence, audience members were given solutions that could ultimately be used to exert some control over their own lives. As a result, the news narratives presented violence as both avoidable and manageable. Further, violence accounts were presented in a manner that kept the audience informed about violent and violence justice issues without relying on dramatic flair. In sum, violence and violent justice was framed, in form and content, around an ideology of violence against women, this constructed a gendered nature of fear. This required sourcing the news in a specific manner in order to produce journalists` preferred meaning. For the most part, a central objective for journalists was to inform the audience about the broader social forces that influenced violence as it related to women: the violent event was a means to educate the reader about the foundation of crime and its prevention. Data Analysis and Expected Results In the production of news, news coverage was shaped according to the journalists` particular conceptions of violence. Extensive and various sources merged to define violent danger, establishing a version of the social reality of violent that differed considerably from other mediums of knowledge. For example, a sense of societal responsibility to end violence against women often guided the newsmaking process, unlike the majority of mainstream newspaper and television violent reports that individualized the predator criminal (Surette, 2004). The violence accounts in an issue of the three popular women’s magazines had a definite feminist agenda: to acknowledge the obstacles and inequality inherent within law and violence justice practices, and to support social and legal resolutions that eliminated male violence against women. By providing violence coverage from an experiential standpoint, and exposing myths commonly associated with women’s violence, journalists helped to reconstruct alternative violence news. In sum, two distinct patterns of news reporting will be observed throughout this research. Both patterns communicated violence and violence justice according to the journalists` â€Å"sense† of the issues: their preferred meanings, constructed through particular discursive arrangements, helped to construct different versions of the â€Å"reality† of violent risk. The dominant reporting style of the news in an issue of three popular women’s magazines promoted a feminist critique of women’s fear of violence based on women’s own experiences that downplayed indicators of fear and encouraged an informed understanding of the violence phenomenon. Rather than constructing random men as the source of danger, the â€Å"true† offenders will be reported to be sexism, ineffective laws, and a violence justice system that supported male violence against women. However, a minor and subordinate pattern of news reporting emerged that â€Å"mystified† the issue of violence and prohibited the consideration of contexts or alternatives. These constructions in the news coverage eventually reflected information and interpretations that supported official sources, changing the underlying ideology of social reform to self-responsibilization for violence. Conclusion In summary, by pursuing these research directions a greater understanding of the complex issues surrounding violence in the media will be advanced. Further knowledge about readers, news workers and policy makers will explicate the effects of gender, news production processes, and political influence on media images. Such multifaceted analyses serve to extend the understanding of media violence as a social construct. References Bagdikian, B. (2000). The media monopoly, 6th ed. Boston: Beacon Press. Barak, G. (1998). Newsmaking criminology: Reflections on the media, intellectuals, and crime. Justice Quarterly 5: 565-87. Barak, G. (1994). Media, process, and the social construction of crime. New York: Garlan

I Love U Rasna

1. How do you set a hypothesis for this study? Null Hypothesis, Ho: Rasna image not recaptured in the market. Alternate Hypothesis, Ha: Rasna image recaptured and brand is revamped in the market. 2. Explain various research processes involved in the study. The various research processes involved in the study are: a. They discovered untapped potential of soft drink concentrate by Market Research. b. Then they tapped the market by launching the Rasna and planned ad campaigns to increase the acceptability. c. They researched impact of the ad campaign on the mind of the customers. d. They also researched about the market share after the entry of Pepsi and Coke. e. After the decline of Rasna, the discovered new problems regarding customer changing needs (Problem Identification). f. Survey: a survey was conducted by AC-Nielsen to measure the consumer confidence in Rasna. 3. In your opinion what may be the perceived benefits of a new ad campaign? The new ad campaign has many perceived benefits which helped in the revamping of Rasna in the market. They are: a. The new brand symbol-‘a leaf’, symbolized freshness and naturalness which improved product acceptability among customers. . It targeted all segments based on age with the new tagline and the logo. This changed the previous perceptions about the product of being children oriented. c. The product also got very popular amongst children and hence, helped in increasing the market share. d. It established Rasna as a trustworthy product because of being endorsed by kids in the ads. e. It influenced the bu ying behavior of the parents as the ad campaign improved the product acceptability. f. A celebrity brand ambassador helped the brand connect to masses better. g. Customer involvement (slogan contests) also helps in gaining customer loyalty for a long term. h. Displaying a complete range of Rasna and highlighting it for all seasons makes it more value-added. 4. Comment on the list of promotional activities undertaken during the revamping process. Impact of promotional activities are: a. Double split technique- The ‘Ek ka Do’ concept targeted the prospective customers to provide them a trial pack and also portrayed it as a ready to use product. It also was affordable to lower sections of the society. . New Flavours- Introducing new flavours was another good promotional strategy to add some differentiation to the products to increase the sales. c. New Retailing Strategy- It helps in increasing the distribution channels of the products and targeting more and more customers. d. Slogan Contests- It enhanced the customer involvement with the product and helps in gaining long term customer relationship and loyalty. e. Celebrity Endorseme nts- The celebrity endorsements help in connecting with masses and attracts the attention of the customers.

Lying to an Nco

I am going to talk about in this essay is the seven army values and the importance of them to the army. In the US army we are taught to live by the Seven Army Values. They are broken down to us in the acronym â€Å"LDRSHIP†. Loyalty â€Å"Bear true faith and allegiance to the U. S. constitution, the Army, and other soldiers. † Duty â€Å" Fulfill you obligations. † Respect â€Å" Treat people as they should be treated . † Selfless Service â€Å" Put the welfare of the nation, the Army and your subordinates above your own. † Honor â€Å" Live up to the army values. †Integrity â€Å"Do what is right legally and morally. and Personal Courage â€Å" Face fear, danger or adversity (physical or moral). † We are all drilled on these seven army values from day one of basic training. First we commit them to memory. Then we learn to live by them. Lying is looked upon in society as one of the most deceiving and unforgiving acts known to man. The definition alone speaks volumes as to why a person, or a whole nation for that matter, would think of this act of incompetence in such a negative eyesight. To lie means to make an untrue statement with the intent to deceive, according to the Webster’s dictionary.It also means to simply create a false or misleading statement on purpose. There are also many synonyms to the word â€Å"lie,† such as: prevaricate, equivocate, palter, and fib. The word lie happens to be the most blunt of this group. â€Å"Prevaricate† softens the bluntness of a lie by implying quibbling or confusing the issue. â€Å"Equivocate† implies using words having more than one sense in an attempt to say one thing but to mean another. This is an attempt to mislead one without feeling as if one has lied. â€Å"Palter† implies making unreliable statements of fact or intention or insincere promises. Fib† applies to a telling of a trivial untruth.This is usually used when descr ibing â€Å"small lies. † People, for a wide plethora of reasons, tell lies. The most common reason is for one’s personal gain. As children, human beings learn that a simple lie will get you out of trouble or it will help in some kind of way. lies can be used inadvertently and without knowledge of the statement even being a lie. Either way, lying is not appropriate, even if it was unintentional, and the liar should apologize appropriately when they are caught in a lie.When a person resorts to lying to others they are only lying to themselves. A person that is dishonest once will usually lie again and again and many professions have developed reputations as having a great majority of liars in their field, which has led to issues of public trust, even with those that are truthful and honest. So why do people choose to tell lies? A lie usually starts out as innocent in nature but must be covered with a larger more complex lie and then another and soon the lies build up to a point that the person no longer knows the difference between what is true and what is a lie.Telling lies always leads to deceit; lack of trust, losing respect and in many cases the loss of a career. In the military, a non-commissioned officer, or an NCO, is an enlisted member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer, typically a sergeant or corporal. Being a private, they are of higher rank and deserve a higher amount of respect. While lying to anyone is unacceptable, lying to a person of higher rank, like an NCO, is even less acceptable. Not only does it give off the impression that the person of lesser rank does not respect his elders, but it also degrades the private's trustworthiness.Trust is everything. Without trust, we would not be able to head in to battle knowing that my comrades will always have my back. Without trust, we cannot respect one another. Duty to me is accomplishing a task that needs to be done, no matter how much you’d rather be doing something else. Whether you love it or hate it, the task is there to be done. If one does not fulfill their duties on a regular basis, then those around them have to pick up the slack, and any sense of loyalty begins to become tarnished.Everyone wants to be respected, it’s in our nature, but in order to obtain respect, first of all one has to respect oneself. Second, one has to show respect to others in order to gain respect from them. If one doesn’t show respect to someone, that person may often feel slighted and lose respect for the person who slighted them. Selfless Service is the act of performing a service without expecting any type of personal gain. One does the service for the benefit of other people, and out of the goodness of their heart or even out of a sense of loyalty to that person or those people.When things look their best, these are the people that you admire. When things look their worst, these are the people that you pray are by your s ide. If the seven army values were like a stairway or a pyramid, then Honor would be at the top step. It takes all seven of the army values and more to have a good sense of honor. Military bearing, also known as military discipline, is a state of order and obedience comprised within a command. This state of order involves cooperation by the will of an individual, and for the well-being of their team.Military discipline is a specialized application of habitual discipline demands given by a soldier of commanding rank, but is a state of obedience that follows instructions and functions even in the absence of a commander, and in the face of adversity. It is because of our organization’s need to maintain a state of constant order that lying can not, must not, and shall not be tolerated. I aim to one day be able to use the lessons learned from my mistakes as an example for future soldiers that may one day fall into my position.

Organizational Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Organizational Justice - Essay Example Organizational Justice is the term used to define people's perception of fairness in an organization. The majority of studies on justice were conducted in the 1960's, but the majority of studies on justice in organizations have been published since 1990 (Charash 278). As it is a relatively newer field, it is surprising the number of studies that have been conducted, Charash mentions 400 studies and 100 theoretical papers. It is therefore obvious that it is an important topic in Business Management. There are three main types of Organizational Justice; distributive, procedural, and interactional (Charash 278, Henle 248). Distributive justice emphasizes the perceived outcome of fairness, and is mainly related to the cognitive, affective, and behavioral reactions to particular outcomes. When an outcome is perceived as unfair, it will affect the employee's emotions and ultimately their behavior in relation to the organization. Distributive justice fails the measure the interpretation of the methods of an organization, it only addresses the outcome. Procedural justice shifted the focus from emphasizing not only the outcome as with distributive justice, but rather the perceived fairness of the process by which the outcome was achieved. (Charash 280). It is simply defined as the fairness of the process by which outcomes are determined. ... They are; (a) the consistency rule; (b) the bias-suppression rule; (c) the accuracy rule; (d) the correctability rule; (e) the representativeness rule; and (f) the ethicality rule. It is worth noting that perception of unfairness in an organization's procedure will result in reactions directed toward the organization as opposed to distributive justice, where the reactions will be directed toward the decision maker. The third type of Organizational justice is interactional justice. Interactional justice pertains to the human side of organizational procedures (Charash 281). It is best explained as the way management is behaving toward the recipient of justice; it relates to the communication process between the source and the recipient of justice. Because interactional justice is determined by the interpersonal behavior of management's representatives, reactions are generally directed toward those individuals as opposed to the organization. It is difficult to determine a measurement of the justice in an organization as the interpretations of justice are subject to an individual's opinion. However, there are some determining factors. Perceptions of justice are influenced by many different variables including (a) outcomes one receives, (b) organizational practices, and (c) characteristics of the perceiver (Charash 282). An organization can be perceived to be unfair if an individual receives an outcome that they perceive to be unfair (ie. Don't receive a promotion they feel they deserve). A set guideline or practice of an organization can be perceived as unfair, such as no health care until a year's employment. The perception of fairness is most drastically colored by the individual who is examining the judgment; if they expect health

TELENURSING Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

TELENURSING - Research Paper Example In the field of nursing, there have been such kinds of technological development that target to address the problems of long distance between the caregivers and the receivers of the care. This has led to the development of a telecommunication system in nursing that enhances communication and ensures that many people from distant places can receive care according to the plan. Tele-nursing is a technology that ensures that communication in the field of nursing is easier than when the nurses have to travel to the places where patients are situated. This technology has come to ensure that the services like consultation, patient education, examination of test results and, therefore, assisting the physicians to administer treatment and the technology are used in transmission of medical record from one place to another. This technology in nursing has a lot of benefits that can ensure that nurses are able to provide care to as many patients as they could at a low cost and within a short time (MEDINFO, Kuhn, Warren & Leong, 2007). Discussion Background Nursing practitioners offer a variety of services to their clients and in different places in the world. This means that these nurses are required to travel to different places to meet their clients and provide the services that they need and carry out a follow up to the things that they need to ensure that those clients recover from their ailments. At one time, a nurse may have more than five patients whose health statuses he or she needs to track and afterwards prepare a report that shows the history of the services they have offered. When patients are not located within the same locality, the nurse may have to travel too much, and therefore, he or she will spend a lot of money on transport to achieve his or her goals. This means that the development of a system that would reduce frequent movement to patients is good to ensure that they can receive nursing care at their convenient time. The development of tele-nursing i s a technological development that will ensure that many patients can access the required services from anywhere in the world (Briggs, 2007). Services offered through Tele-nursing Tele-nurses offer similar services as other nurses who use travelling mode to avail information to and acquire it from patients in a particular place in the world. This means that all people who need care from the nurses link up through telecommunication systems to get the information they need in their different situations. The services that these patients receive may vary according to the problem from which they are suffering and which may need immediate or delayed care. Briggs (2007) notes that the services that tele-nurses offer include professional consultancy in which a patient seeks information about a particular condition. The tele-nurse involved in a situation may choose from various media through which he or she can provide the information that his or her client needs. This could be through calli ng, sending text message, faxing, emailing or any other electronic method that conveniently transmit information from one place to another. Tele-nurses transmit medical records that physicians may need to enable them to administer treatment to a patient who seeks care from them. This will mean that they will not need to transport through physical means the records that they have collected about the patient for whom they are caring. Tele-nurses may transmit this information

IR case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IR case study - Essay Example Today Australia has shifted from this method to free trade system. The country holds many free trade agreements with many countries such as China, US, Thailand, Singapore, and Chile. China is the largest market for Australia’s exports and also is the largest source of imports for china. In fact this has seen many Chinese companies investing in Australia. The country also has free trade agreements with New Zealand which dates back to 1965. Due to the advanced economy, the country has seen development of service industries such as finance, banking, insurance, tourism, consorting, and entertainment industries. The government provides services such as welfare, health, education, and other business services. Of these services in Australia, finance, insurance, and banking are the best in terms of performance and also the fastest in terms of growth in the country. These service industries are the backbone of the country’s economy. However, in the past decade, mining industry was at the back of the country’s economic growth. Australia is the world’s number one in production of uranium, zinc, lead, brown coal, nickel, and zircon. It also ranks number two in production of silver, copper, and gold. These minerals are in high demand all over the world. China, for example, is the country’s number one destination for iron where it is in high demand. With the shift from protectionism to free market polic ies the country’s industries have grown at a very high rate. Equating industrial disputation according to the official statistics to industrial harmony would be misleading. This would be so because the two are not the direct opposite of the other. The causes of industrial disputes may be avoided and yet we might not have industrial harmony. Industrial disputes arise when there are disputes with the workforce or the representatives

Ask ls week 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ask ls week 2 - Essay Example These include a person, as a researcher, and other stakeholders. What are some of the things one ought to have or consider when conducting such a research? One of the most common challenges when conduction a research is personal bias which might for example in this case be attributed to the fact that the researcher had participated in previous financial services projects. In this regard, what are some ways of ensuring such bias does not affect the outcome of your research? One of the key considerations to have when conducting a research is knowledge of your chosen area of research. According to you, do you think such previous knowledge and involvement in your area of research could be of any advantage when conducting a research? If yes why and how? In order to have effective research outcomes, the researcher has to have some research skills (Coghlan and Brannick 2010). What are some of the skills that are required to have, and especially in relation to the current study? It is evident that your AR research would be faced by many challenges, more so because it involves your organization as an, AR manager and that the people to incorporate in your research are your junior officers (Greenwood and Levin 2007). In this regard, what are some of the challenges that you may encounter during your research? And how would you overcome such challenges? Having indentified the problem of women officers not progressing to management ranks at KNBS may draw some mixed reactions and especially from male counterparts. In fact, your research may be influenced by some bias and especially when dealing with gender issues (Coghlan and Brannick 2010). What are some of the research techniques required in order to avoid such bias? Before one initialises a research, there must be a motive behind the research. What are some of the issues that instigate a research? What are some of the things to consider when starting a research

Polish Migrant Workers within the UK Hospitality Industry Literature review

Polish Migrant Workers within the UK Hospitality Industry - Literature review Example (Dobson, 2009). Migration to a new country is often a tough decision and is based upon certain factors such as the social integration with other sections of the society, the overall economic prospects of finding earning opportunities as well as the security of the residence. (Ruhs & Anderson, 2007). These factors effectively determine whether any country or government is more open to the international immigrant workers or not and therefore all subsequent decisions by the mobile international labor force depend on such factors. Within the context of UK, this has been relatively more favorable for the immigrants until recently when economic hardships have forced the government to take steps to curb the immigrations and restrict the flow of economic workers from outside the EU zone. UK’s hospitality sector is one of the growing sectors in the country owing to the increasing number of tourists flowing into the country. It was because of this reason that most of the polish workers who came before 2006 mainly were inducted in different sectors including hospitality sector. Some estimates suggest that almost 22% of the Polish workers who came to the country before 2006 were employed in the hospitality sector thus making it one of the biggest sectors in the economy to have polish immigrant workers. Like all international workers, they also however, faced the different issues such as low wage, discrimination at the work as well as other work related issues which potentially can hamper their long term prospects. Cultural diversity is another important issue which has been highlighted in the existing literature in terms of the employment of the Polish workers in the hospitality sector of UK. This literature review will therefore present a comprehensive analysis of the existing literature on the polish workers in UK Hospitality sector. Hospitality Sector in UK In UK, Hospitality sector is defined along with leisure, travel and tourism sections of the industry also. It is because of this reason that the overall number of businesses coming under the sector is relatively large and diverse including hotels, pubs and night clubs, restaurants, events, membership services, gambling and visitor attractions. Hospitality sector in the country is one of the largest employers in the country with almost 400,000 workers working in the core hospitality sector. A closer review of the existing data would suggest that most of the workers in the hospitality sector are females whereas almost 8% of the workforce belongs to ethnic minority or the blacks. It is also important to note that the ratio of the full time and part time workers in the industry is almost same with 57% of the workers working on part time basis. (People 1st, 2009) The age profile of the workers working in this industry is really diversified however, majority of the workers are aged with significant portion of the workers over the age of 30. Further, it is also important to note that the most o f the workers in this industry are employed in the kitchen and catering related activities followed by chefs and cooks. Bar staff is the third largest group of employees working in this segment of the industry thus suggesting the overall diversity of the sector and the people working in the sector. (People 1st, 2009) It is also important to note that the overall ownership patterns in the industry in UK are also changing. Traditionally hospitality sector

Change Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Change Management - Essay Example Change Management Due to the unsteadiness of the business environment, companies around the world are trying to bring in some kind of changes in their functioning system so as to comply with the changing needs. These changes appear in many forms such as a change in the product portfolio of the company, alteration of the marketing and operations strategy, transformation of the distribution system and implementation of a new technology (Taylor, 2009). Furthermore, changes also appear in the external environment of the organization such as changes in the customer preferences, new rules and policies from the government, changes in the competitive landscape and industrial relations. Such changes in turn compel organizations to bring in internal changes so as to comply with the external factors (Cowan, 2005). Any such changes require effective management from the part of the company. This is the reason why change management is often defined as a structured approach for transforming an organization from its current position to a desired position for the future. A change in the organization is therefore deemed as an opportunity to embrace growth or an opportunity to survive in the market place (A. Mills, Dye & J. Mills, 2008). This study seeks to scrutinize the need for change in an organization and how the changes suggested will be achieved or implemented. In order to carry out the study and assess the need for organizational changes and present a plan to implement same, the study will choose an organization and will analyze it accordingly.... Virgin Australia Airlines: A Brief Overview Virgin Australia Airlines previously known as the Virgin Blue Airlines is an Australian based airlines service providing company. It operates under the brand name of Virgin. The company is considered as the second largest airline company of Australia in terms of the fleet size. The company was founded in the year 2000 by British businessman named as Richard Branson and Brett Godfrey. It is now based on Bowen Hills, Brisbane (Virgin Australia, 2013a). The company commenced its operation with only two aircrafts and both are operating on the same single route. Since, the inception the company has been recognized as one of the strongest aviation companies due to its sheer service offering and affordable pricing. Despite, affordable pricing the company has always focused on the leisure sector and tried to position itself as a carrier that offer high value for money (Virgin Australia, 2013b). In the year 2011, the company repositioned itself as à ¢â‚¬Ëœnew world carrier’. Since then the company has followed a business strategy in which it offers the ‘guests’ to avail no frill services in which they offer limited services and also offered customers with premium services in which customers need to pay a few extra bucks so as to get the additional services. With this strategy the company has been able to target a broader market. Currently the company caters to 50 destinations and serves 29 cities of Australia. The company remains highly proactive in the field of sponsorship and socially responsible activities. In the year 2011, the company again introduced certain new strategies where the employees are supposed to wear new uniforms, new

Public Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Public Relations - Essay Example Enabling linkages: The board of trustees, small team of employees, the government and the regulators constitute important publics for Telethon through the enabling linkage. The Telethon trust comprises a board of nine trustees who meet periodically to oversee the functions of Telethon. His Excellency Malcolm McCusker AO QC and Prof Fiona Stanley AC are the patrons of the trust. People who work assiduously for Telethon includes Steve Mummery, the general manager; Danielle Toolin, the events and marketing manager; Adriana Filippou, the accounts and phone room manager; Lauren Castledine, the administration and events coordinator and Fat Cat, the furry lovable cat of Telethon. Diffused linkages: The Sunday Times that provides editorial support round the year, local community, Golden West Network that beams the Telethon program across Australia, and Channel Seven Perth that sets aside $600,000 to air the Telethon weekend are important media publics. Functional linkages (Input): Scores of volunteers who lend a hand to Telethon to raise funds for the kids of Western Australia, donors like JWH Group that builds the Telethon Metropolitan and Regional Homes, In-Vogue and Country Builders that assist JWH Group, Satterley Group and Peet who provide land to set up the buildings, BankWest facilitates in collection of donations, AV Partners, Perth Expo Hire and Cliftons provide infrastructure for Telethon weekend. In addition to this numerous individuals and community groups including schools, clubs and local businesses which help in Telethon’s fundraising right through the year are important publics associated with Telethon due to functional linkages. Finally corporate houses are important publics as they help Telethon with sponsorships. Lexus Of Perth which organizes the Lexus Ball for Telethon year on year is a case in point. Functional linkages (Output): Numerous hospitals, research institutions, and other beneficiaries that get financial assistance from

Drinking Age Essay Example for Free

Drinking Age Essay You pack up all your belongings, say farewell to your hometown and your parents, and just like that, you start a whole new life that you have been looking forward to all your life. As you approach your first Friday night as a college freshman, you inevitably encounter the choice of going to your first college party and being able to drink without having to worry about your curfew for the first time. Needless to say, you make the decision to follow your floor-mates to a big party that they have been talking about for the whole week. Underage drinking situations like the above are common especially among college students. Underage drinking is currently determined by an MLDA, or legal minimum drinking age, of 21 throughout the United States. Despite this simple and straightforward law, however, an abundant amount of irresponsible minors tend to ignore this rule and continue to do what is ultimately an illegal action. Because of these ongoing actions, people have been questioning the law and whether or not the legal drinking age should be lowered. After a investigation of evidences and arguments, I firmly believe that the minimum legal drink age should be kept at 21 and not be lowered. Due to countless numbers of statistics, the social and physical effects, and the need to keep the younger teens away from alcohol, it is safe to conclude that keeping the drinking age at 21 is the best choice for our society. For more than 90 years, the topic of legal drinking age have surfaced and caused controversy. Because of this, there have been many modifications to the law from lowering the minimum age to 18 to giving the choice to each state to increasing the national minimum age to 21. According to an article from Economic Inquiry by Jeffrey A. Miron and Elina Tetelbaum, having all states to adopt an MLDA of 21 is regarded as an enormous contribution to life-saving effects such as decrease in driving fatalities among youths as well as in the number of binge drinking reported. When the individual states were allowed to lower their MLDA from 21 to 18 between 1970 and 1976, there were studies that â€Å"claimed that traffic collisions and fatalities were increasing in states that lowered their MLDA†. This helps to support the assertion that lowering the MLDA didn’t do much in lowering the number of traffic-related accidents, although it doesn’t directly prove the fact that lowering the drinking age causes accidents. However, Dee, who uses state-level panel data and controls for state fixed effects, prove the point that there is a direct correlation between the MLDA and the rate of traffic incidents. After years of studying the effects of different MLDA’s, he confirmed that having an MLDA of 21 as a matter of fact reduces total traffic fatalities among 18-20 year olds by about 11%. Not only were there findings in the reduction of traffic fatalities with an increased MLDA of 21, but there were also evidences that it helps to reduce the number of teen binge drinking as well. An article from the Journal of American College Health indicated that cases of binge drinking, which is defined as five consecutive shots for men and 4 consecutive for women, has been reported more frequently among college students living in dorms. However, according to the Economic Inquiry, moving away from MLDA 18 has been said to be associated with a reduction in heavy teen drinking of 8. 4%. They found that â€Å"nationwide increases in the MLDA†¦reduced youth drinking by about four percent relative to pre-existing levels† (Miron). Overall, these findings in statistics help with the assertion that the drinking age should be kept at 21 for the minors’ safeties. In addition to these statistics, there are also social reasons behind why the underage population should be forbidden to drink until they are 21. According to an article on the American Journal of Public Health, influences in underage drinking are contributing factors in unintentional social and health causes, such as sexual assault, violence, crime, overdose, and other related high-risk behavior. Since minors have not been fully developed as adults mentally, they are more likely to make irresponsible actions when intoxicated. This may lead to undesirable affects that could potentially influence them for the rest of their lives, and hence actions need to be done in order to keep minors from the alcoholic influence. Also in opposition, there is no scientific evidence made to date that suggests â€Å"a lower minimum drinking age would create conditions for responsible drinking or would lead young adults ages 18-20 years to make healthy decisions about drinking† (Wechsler). Therefore, we have no solid claim to support the MLDA of 18, whereas we have more than enough justifications in saying that the MLDA should be kept at 21. Lastly, my stance on the minimum drinking age is supported by the mere fact that having a lower drinking age will only cause the younger generations to be introduced to alcoholic beverages. An article from the Economic Inquiry points out â€Å"when the MLDA is 18, more high school students have access to alcohol through peer networks†. It is an inevitable circumstance that if the MLDA lowers down to 18, typical high school seniors will have access to alcohol; this can only mean that alcohol will be more accessible to high school underclassmen than if the MLDA is 21. This also means that, according the to the article, the law enforcement will have to monitor the drinking behavior of individuals aged 17 years and possibly younger—not only should this be an unnecessary action for law enforcement, but this is also a situation that everyone should be concerned about. Giving teens easier access to alcohol will only deter them from growing to their full potential. The higher the MLDA, the less likelihood we have that the younger generation will have access to alcohol. That way, we will also have the benefit of a possible reduction in alcohol-related traffic fatalities and binge drinking rates among youths as well as prevention of them being socially and physically influenced by alcohol. Therefore, it makes more sense to keep the MLDA AT 21 if we do not want the younger generations to have easier access to alcohol. Underage drinking—you see it everywhere and hear about it every time. Having to listen to the news on the most recent car accident caused by a drunk minor should not have to be a common thing if we implement the right actions. Many statistics out there evidently show that having a lower MLDA has a direct correlation to a higher chance of alcohol-related traffic fatalities as well as the rate of binge drinking amongst youths. Studies also show that underage drinking may lead to serious health or social causes to the minor, some of which include sexual assault, violence, and overdose. Lastly, lowering the MLDA will only help the younger generations to have access to alcohol due to their high school peers. Overall, I believe that the safest and the best choice for our society is to keep the MLDA at 21 and not be any lowered than it is now. As the future leaders of the world, I believe that youths and minors should be grown in the safest, healthiest, and the most influence-free environment that will help them grow to their full potential when they can.

Everyday Learning vs. Scientific Learning Essay Example for Free

Everyday Learning vs. Scientific Learning Essay There are many tasks that a child learns in their early life. Some of which include learning how to crawl, then walk and learning how to talk. I think a child learning how to talk and communicate is very important. That alone will shape them and how well they will communicate later in their life. Our system of language and the process of communication are closely linked. Communication can be described as any act by which one person gives to or receives from another person information about that persons needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge or affective states. Communication may be intentional or unintentional, may involve conventional or unconventional signals, may take linguistic or non-linguistic forms and may occur through spoken or other modes. Children learn communication from their parents. Communication is not something that can be studied; it is something that people have to learn by doing. As a parent, good communication needs to be emphasized as they are talking and listening to the child. A child can tell when a parent is not really listening to them, and this can create a big problem in the relationship. Children who feel misunderstood or feel like they arent being listened to will start to hold their feelings inside. This is the exact opposite of what good communication should be. Communication is necessary for everything we do in life and we learn it while we are children. The communication skills learned by children from their families will stick with them throughout their lives. In order to have a society of good communicators, it needs to start in the home. Parents need to start communicating with their children and need to show them how to communicate with others. This is a skill that will be valued all throughout life and is something that shouldnt be ignored. The skill of communication will be valued in every relationship throughout life. It is a necessity.

An Inclusive Education Debate Education Essay

An Inclusive Education Debate Education Essay The debate on inclusive education is bound to yield conflicting findings. Based on findings already reported in the research, and diversity in the process of inclusion, the field offers much scope for further study. First, the extent to which inclusion benefits students with various special needs whether they be academic, social, and functional in terms of life skills outcomes are yet to be ascertained. It is vital to assess this outcome of special education with reference to attitudes of the teaching community, infrastructure development, political back up and social supports to come to a conclusion about the benefits of special education in the inclusive setting. Special education research must hence intensify its emphasis upon student outcomes in relation to the general education classroom. The extent of teachers reception of the concept must be surveyed among students with special needs and the general student community to further generate data on the validity of the surveys taken on teachers. Only a two sided approach will help control against the urge to give socially acceptable views on survey questions as opposed to actual views to inclusion to ensure its success. This millennium is special in itself as its an era of accountability. It would be interesting to study the teaching communitys expectations of student outcomes for students of different disability types and degrees. This study may hold particular significance as it helps assess the attitude of teachers towards students with different types of special needs. In this study we have assessed teachers views on inclusivity, on collaborative efforts and improvement strategies and seen the overall gender based bias in views on these issues. Although supported by recent statistics, more research is needed to confirm these findings. Further, there is a need to further conduct correlative investigations on teachers attitudes and opinions of inclusion in relation to student outcomes in order to better understand how the concept of inclusion has been understood, evolved and practiced in todays educational forefront. It is apparent that teachers do have preferences and significant attitudes relati ng to the populations of students to whom they provide inclusive education. Both quantitative and qualitative attitude research may further delineate practical approaches to serve various student populations effectively. Education is not the only sector struggling with the tension between social justice-in rhetoric and social justice-in-practice. The education system has long moved past the conventional beliefs and stigmas that girls cant do that and the boys cant do this debates. Even in this age of globalization where gender inequality is taboo however, many teachers are protective of their turf in the curriculum and want to deny access to the curriculum by some learners. Hence the gender bias in education is still a topic whose limits are yet to be exhausted. Teacher stress in general and inclusive education is another field to be considered. In an age where stress and its ill effects are listed in every known field, the burden of inclusive education if any has to be assessed on the teaching community, the children with special needs and the general student population. In support of this theory, research shows that teachers feel ill equipped at times when they deal with the varied range of needs even though they play a key role in changing a students life (Forlin, Hattie Douglas, 1996). McGowan (1984, cited in Trent, 2002) estimated that approximately one quarter of teachers were experiencing acute stress and burnout. There is little evidence to suggest that teacher stress has diminished over subsequent decades. Though teachers play a major key role in shaping up the student generation, inadequacy and the feeling of frustration are the potential barriers to inclusive education. Such challenges are compounded where curriculum and assessment demands may appear inflexible. Pedagogical decision making is another key area of research that has to be widely explored. The real key to inclusivity is through wise pedagogical decisions that will save teachers from the stress of an unbending curriculum and the students from its burden. In fact, advocates of inclusion do not tend to focus upon inclusive education as a product but as a process (Robertson, 1999; Booth Ainscow, 2002; Winzer et al, 2000) founded very much on the democratic principles of mutual respect and collaboration (Jacobson, 2000; Marshall et al, 2002). Inclusive processes are becoming central to school effectiveness research and development. School communities must be invited to reduce the barriers to learning and participation through a collaborative investigation of the schools cultures, policies and practices and to set new priorities for development (Booth Ainscow, 2002). Hence the identification of these barriers and devising methods to overcome them gain prime importance if we expect inclusivity to gain success and acceptance. Initiatives for school effectiveness are attracting global attention for their potential to build collaborative learning communities that support individual learner success. A research-based framework must be laid down to guide teacher learning and development toward school improvement. Social justice, equity and inclusivity must be considered as the foreground and measures to investigate relationships between enhanced student outcomes and school-based management practices, both social and academic (Hayes, Lingard Mills, 2001) must be devised. The need to focus on alignment of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment are central to effective schooling. Educators need to shift their pedagogical focus from testing and reporting on outcomes to supporting and improving outcomes from schooling. The development of positive and self-fulfilling values within all participants in education depends on building learner confidence within a supportive learning environment. This is true for all learners whether they are experienced teachers participating in school improvement processes or whether they are learners who have been disadvantaged within the educational system. For inclusivity to gain its full strength, the educational system should be equipped with teaching fraternity with the following attributes that include: awareness of the history of injustice as a result of discrimination against diversity, recognition and acceptance, (Henderson, 2001); and the ability to collaboratively implement innovations. A system with these attributes will be able to accept difference as the norm and enrich schooling through sensitivity and responsiveness to the diverse contexts of students lives.

The New York Crystal Palace :: Architecture History

The New York Crystal Palace: The Great Exhibition of Art and Industry "The Crystal Palace is a partial picture of the age; an exposition of the comforts and luxuries, the manners and attainments which belong to our civilization." -B. Silliman & C. R. Goodrich (The World of Science, Art and Industry at the Crystal Palace, New York, 1854) On July 14, 1853, the Great Exhibition of Art and Industry began in New York City, New York, with the commemoration of the Crystal Palace, the central exhibition hall. The next day, President Franklin Pierce inaugurated the event with a grand ceremony. Secretary of War Jefferson Davis was also on hand. Modeled on the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, which had opened a few years earlier for the Exhibition of the Products of the Art and Industry of All Nations, New York's Crystal Palace was larger than its predecessor, and it inspired everyone who saw it. This exhibition included a display of sculpture that was probably the largest ever held in the United States up to that time. There was also a separate gallery for the display of paintings. It was the first world's fair to include a separate picture gallery as part of its exhibits. This image is Stuart's Topological Map of the Crystal Palace and Guide to the Revised Official Catalogue of the Exhibition of the Industries of All Nations. The map was prepared by Henri C. Stuart and published by G.P. Putnam and Co. for the use of visitors to the New York Crystal Palace. With the accompanying legend, visitors would be able to see the layout of all the exhibit classes in the building, as well as the entrances and stairways. As seen in this plan, all the room in the spacious building was used for displaying the different forms of industry. The position of the Machine Gallery in relation to the Crystal Palace can also be seen. The restrooms are between the Palace and the Gallery, adjacent to Saloon areas for the Gents and Ladies respectively. In addition, for the convenience of visitors, a note below the map states, "Wherever this sign (*) occurs on the diagram, is a prominent point of interest to the visitor." The sculptures displayed along the main naves are clearly labeled, so that one could use them as "You Are Here" signs to know where one was on the diagram.

Avatar Essay -- Film Review

Myths are supernatural or religious tales with cultural and historical backgrounds, often containing moral lessons that are valued by the culture they originated from. The movie Avatar is a modern myth, its popularity stemming from the inspiration it draws from familiar and widespread themes found in classical myths. Avatar reuses and refreshes these themes for current audiences. Ancient stories such as those of Icarus, Prometheus, Gilgamesh, and Hercules, as well as contemporary issues, represent many of the same themes that are revealed in Avatar. Avatar is the story of Jake Sully, a paraplegic marine that is sent to the world Pandora to take the place of his dead-brother's job as a Na’vi avatar pilot. The humans on Pandora use these avatars to communicate with the Na’vi and try to convince them to leave the Hometree, which is the pillar of life for the Na’vi; the humans want this so they can mine the element â€Å"unobtanium† the majority of which is located under Hometree. Jake initially pilots the avatar to achieve the military objectives that he is given, but over the course of the movie becomes initiated into the Na’vi culture through Neytiri and begins to disregard his orders. When the military commander finds out of Jake’s treason he gives the order to destroy Hometree and Jake is forced to reveal to the Na'vi his true intentions for piloting the avatar. This results in Jake being cast out of both the Na’vi and human societies. The humans then destroy the Hometree and man y of the Na’vi, Jake realizes that it is up to him to save the rest of the Na’vi and leads the resistance. To regain the trust of the Na’vi, Jake tames a Toruk, the most feared predator on Pandora. Through Jake’s leadership the Na’vi push back the humans and... ...is often seen as an invasion since many cities and innocent lives have been destroyed through this process. The outcome of this war is still being determined but based on the patterns of politics portrayed classical myths and Avatar it is clear that both sides will be greatly affected by the conflict. Avatar has been mocked as being highly derivative of other films and stories, but that merely shows how deep these same themes run in human psyche. Even in ancient times, the legends and tales contained similar issues and their heroes went through similar trials, showing just how important these things are to us as a race. The anxiety of doing too much and becoming too powerful is as widespread today as it was thousands of years ago. No matter the consequences we may face, humans will always try to reach just a little higher, and try to gain just a little more power.

Mental Categorization and Development :: Psychology Jean Piaget Essays

Mental Categorization and Development Missing Works Cited Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist, explained cognitive development in a way that may be useful in understanding the story of our story of evolution. He explained that in order to understand and function in our world, we organize thoughts and behaviors into systems, and are in a continual process of adapting our mental systems to better make sense of our surroundings. He calls these systems schemes and defines them as the basic building blocks of thinking, or tools for being able to mentally represent objects and events. They can be very simple like a scheme for throwing a ball, and get more complex like a scheme for playing baseball. Throughout development, new schemes arise and they become more organized to better make sense of the environment. Schemes become more complex and better organized through adaptation, which Piaget explains is a mixture of two different processes: assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation occurs when one makes sense of something in the environment by fitting it into an already established scheme. This may or may not work. For example, most things of similar body shape that swim in the water can be understood and fit into a fish scheme. However, when one encounters a whale, it may not fit into one ¡Ã‚ ¦s previous schemes, or what one understands to be a fish or a mammal. In that case, one has to accommodate, or change their schemes in order to make sense of new information. These processes most often don ¡Ã‚ ¦t occur in isolation, but are done together constantly to make sense of the world. In some situations, when the information we are getting from the environment is too complex, the information is left out entirely. As our understanding of the world expands, Piaget explains, it also divid es into categories. Expansion and fragmentation also seems to be a universal natural biological principal. Liquids and gases spread out to the boundaries of their containers, animals disperse on land, and humans have managed to explore even the uninhabitable territory of space. Animals often divide themselves into herds or flocks, while humans divide themselves into cultures, societies, and families. Expansion and division seem to be inherent and interconnected in other realms as well. The human constructs of religion and literature expand through time as they build on past stories. The more the wealth of knowledge, beliefs, and history expands, the more categories we define to separate them.

How Hardy and Steinbeck treat the theme of ‘outsiders’ in ‘The Withered Arm’ and ‘Of Mice and Men’ Essay

Hardy and Steinbeck both use the theme of outsiders strongly in their stories. The term ‘outsider’ means one who is not a member of a profession, party or circle or one not acquainted with or interested in something that is going on. A person can be an outsider for many different reasons for example loneliness, disability, gender, race, age, size and action. Steinbeck’s short story ‘Of Mice and Men’ was set on a ranch in California during the American Depression in the late 1930’s. The story is about two men Lennie and George. Lennie is mentally disabled so George looks after him. When Lennie and George first meet the boss’s son Curley he immediately feels threatened by Lennie’s size. Lennie and George go and work on the ranch because they want to save up their money so they can buy a ranch of their own. As the story progresses 2 other characters, Candy and Crooks, become interested in their idea and ask if they can help out. Lennie is given a puppy by Slim (another worker on the ranch). One time Lennie is petting it and does not know his own strength and kills it. Curley’s wife comes in and asks what is wrong he tells her what happened and that it only happened because he likes stroking things. She lets him stroke her hair because she thinks it is soft. Lennie gets carried away and won’t let go. Curley’s wife struggles so much that he breaks her neck. Lennie becomes so frightened that he runs away and just leaves the body. Curley sees his wife and says he is going to give Lennie a horrible death. George hears Curley and decides to kill Lennie himself quickly and painlessly. George finds Lennie and starts to talk about their dream ranch, he raises the gun and shoots Lennie in the back when he is not looking. Hardy’s novella ‘The Withered Arm’ was set in England in the 1800’s. It is about a woman named Rhoda who has a son with the owner of the dairy farm at which she works. But now the farmer does not want to know her and is married to a younger prettier woman. Rhoda wanted to know what the new wife looked like so she sent her son to go and see. The son came back and told Rhoda what she was like. Rhoda had a dream, she dreamt that Farmer Lodge’s new wife was sitting on her and she thrust her left arm with her wedding ring on into Rhoda’s face. Rhoda grabbed her arm and threw her to the floor. The next day the farmers new wife visited Rhoda and revealed to Rhoda some marks on her left arm. A few weeks later Gertrude (Farmer Lodge’s wife) came back to see Rhoda and showed her that the marks on her arm were getting worse. Months later Gertrude goes to see a conjuror who makes an egg mixture which shows Rhoda’s face and says that to cure her arm Gertrude must touch the neck of a man who has been hung before he goes cold. Rhoda and her son leave and were never seen leaving. Gertrude found out when the next hanging was taking place and she then travelled to the jail. After the hanging she was shown where the body was. As she touched the body somebody behind her screamed. Gertrude turned around and saw Rhoda and Farmer Lodge standing there. The dead boy was Rhoda’s son. A few days later Gertrude passed away with shock. There are four main outsiders in ‘Of Mice and Men’ and also in ‘The Withered Arm’. The outsiders in ‘Of Mice and Men are Crooks, Candy, Lennie and Curley’s wife and in ‘The Withered Arm’ they are Rhoda, Gertrude, Farmer Lodge and Rhoda’s son. Crooks is an outsider in ‘Of Mice and Men’ because he is black and everybody else on the ranch is white so he is branded as different. A moment in the story where Crooks’ loneliness is shown is when Lennie comes into his room: â€Å"You go on get outa my room. I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse and you ain’t wanted in my room† This shows that Crooks is not allowed to go in their rooms invading their private space so he does not want them coming in his room doing that, if he is not allowed to do it. An outsider in ‘The Withered Arm’ Rhoda. She is and outsider because she has a son with Farmer Lodge and does not talk to any of the other workers at the dairy farm, so they think she is stuck-up: ‘†¦as the milkmaid spoke she turned her face so that she could glance past her cow’s tail to the other side of the barton, where a thin fading woman of thirty milked somewhat apart from the rest.’ This is a part in the story where Rhoda is at work at the dairy farm and all the other workers are talking about Farmer Lodge’s new wife. Rhoda does not join in the conversation for obvious reasons, but as they talk the workers look over at her. Candy is another outsider in ‘Of Mice and Men’. He is an outsider because he is older than any of the other workers. A part in the story where Candy’s loneliness is visible is when his dog is taken from him and shot by some of the other workers because they are sick of the smell of it: â€Å"Candy did not answer. The silence fell on the room again†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Candy lay still staring at the ceiling† Candy did not want his dog to be killed because it was his friend, but when it is killed he feels lonely as if he has got no one left. Farmer Lodge is also an outsider in ‘The Withered Arm’. He is an outsider because he is older than any of the other workers and he is rich, which everybody else is not. When he marries his new wife Gertrude they see him as being lonely because he has married a younger woman. Curley’s wife is an outsider because in ‘Of Mice and Men’ she has just married Curley and moved to the ranch, which his dad owns. All the other workers think she must be lonely because she is always seen wandering around the ranch, she is never seen with Curley. Similarly Gertrude is an outsider in ‘The Withered Arm’ because she has just married Farmer Lodge and moved to his home. When she comes home with Farmer Lodge everybody is talking about her ‘Who is she?’ and ‘What does she look like?’ so this must make her fell as though people are talking at her behind her back. In ‘Of Mice and Men’ Lennie is an outsider because he has a mental disability and is looked after by George. He is also does not know his own strength and hurts Curley, this incident makes him feel more vulnerable to the other workers: â€Å"Lennie smiled with his bruised mouth. ‘I didn’t want no trouble,’ he said. He walked toward the door†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ In the same way Rhoda’s son is an outsider in ‘The Withered Arm’ because he is dominated by his mother and at the end when he is hung, he is wrongly accused of something because of injustice: â€Å"a young fellow deserved to be let off, this on does; only just turned eighteen, and only present by chance when the rick was fired’ This is the part in the story when Gertrude goes to see if there is any hangings happening the next day and is told about one, which is Rhoda’s son. The man who is telling her says he is innocent. Dreams are featured a lot in both stories. Lennie, George and Candy have a dream in ‘Of Mice and Men’ to own their own ranch: â€Å"We’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit-hutch and chickens.† Lennie and George at first are going to buy the ranch by themselves but then Lennie accidentally tells Candy, so George lets him help them. Curley’s wife also has a dream to become an actress and be respected. In ‘The Withered Arm’ Rhoda has a dream about Gertrude sitting on her with the wedding ring on: â€Å"the young wife, in the pale silk dress and white bonnet†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦the figure thrust forward its left hand mockingly, so as to make the wedding ring it wore glitter in Rhoda’s eyes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦swung out her right hand seized the confronting spectre by its obtrusive left arm, and whirled it backward to the floor† However in this story the dream comes true because Gertrude visits Rhoda and shows her the marks on her arm. In ‘Of Mice and Men’ the style is mainly conversational, we learn about events through dialogue. Through language we can tell that the boss is aloof to the workers. The language is like a child’s when Lennie is moving; he is described like an animal. This story is known as a novella. It deals with poor and working class people. In ‘The Withered Arm’ the style is also conversational, we learn about Rhoda at the beginning through conversation. It is third person narrative and in the past tense. This story is known as a short story. Through language we can also tell that the boss is aloof to the workers. This story also deals with poor and working class people. The settings are very similar, as they are both set on a farm in remote areas of the countries in which they are set. ‘The Withered Arm is set on a dairy farm in England but ‘Of Mice and Men’ is set on a ranch in California.

Informative Speech Outline Essay

* Introduction Attention getter * Are you proud to be a Malaysian? Well, I’m proud to be a Malaysian but what happened recently make me thinking? Our country, Malaysia has become a very popular and favourite spot for dumping, not the usual garbage dumping but it is – the baby dumping. Baby dumping means the act of throwing away the babies at any place without taken care the babies. Based on Bukit Aman Police Headquarters statistics, it was found a total of 580 babies were found dumped between years 2000-2006. This number of cases increase every year where as much as 65 baby dumping cases has increased to 83 cases in the year 2006. In the first five months, almost every day there are reports on dumped baby cases. Year 2010 also known as Year of Baby Dumping cases and this has brought a lots of question and issues. Surely, all of us have heard about fruit season and others, but do you ever heard of baby dumping season? New Year celebration and Valentine’s Day are known as mating season nowadays which leads to unwanted pregnancies among youth and obviously, leads to baby dumping cases which can be easily read in the mass media. Reason to listen * The news nowadays are so horrifying such as ‘’Body of Baby Found in Dustbin’’, ‘’Dogs Found Baby in Trash Bag’’ and many others. The case of baby dumping has been more serious from time to time in Malaysia. Thesis statement * Baby dumping especially among youth is a serious social crisis and has a chronic increase in Malaysia. Credibility statement * The baby dumping case has touched my heart upon seeing the pictures of the baby being dumped in a very unethical and inhuman way. * I have read and studied about baby dumping in Malaysia, and have done research on the Internet. Preview of main point * First I will discuss about the cause of baby dumping * Second, I will discuss about the effect of baby dumping * And lastly, I will discuss about the possible prevention of baby dumping cases I. There are several causes that may lead to baby dumping cases that have been identified from various studies Extreme celebration of certain events * The occasions were celebrated in a very extreme manner and indirectly encourage to free sex which resulted in baby dumping cases. * Those extreme celebration is originated from the west which ‘’did not sit well’’ with our culture in Malaysia. Sexual abuse * They are usually dumping their babies due to the feeling of being betrayed by the baby’s father and also the feeling of being used. * If the woman is being sexually abuse, they are tending to disposed before or after the child’s birth. Loosening of social problem * Due to high phase of modernisation and development, social control system has become loosening up. * Neighbourliness, which should become an agent of social control system to curtail the social ills has become waning. * Schools are also not being sensitive to the students as they are engrossed to the academic and examination result. * Parents did not well-supervise their child as they tend to believe that their children are good and due to time constraints as many parents are working. * Lack of sex education and pornography also leads to the baby dumping cases. Transition: Now that I’ve discussed the causes of baby dumping, I will now discuss the effect of baby dumping case. Baby dumping will directly affect three parties that are the mothers, baby and the society itself Effect to the mother * The mother’s may have the risk of death due to the bleeding during the child’s birth. * They will be expelled from schools or educational institutions * Will be charged for attempting murder if the baby were still alive and charge for murder penalty if the baby is dead. * Feeling pressure from family, friends and the surrounding and most importantly is the feeling of guilty. Effect to the baby * The baby unable to grow up in a proper way, feel unloved and alone. * They also may have the possibilities of having birth defect and low body immunity. Effect to the society * It will bring bad image to the society Transition: now that we had known the cause of baby dumping, let’s move on to the next main point that is the prevention of baby dumping cases. Responsibilities of preventing baby dumping cases lies on the shoulder of everyone Individual * By being close to the religion, it can prevent the youth from get stuck on social ills such as free sex that leads to baby dumping. * Take a maximum care and control yourself. Parents, society and schools * Parents and the schools need to play important roles to teach their child to become good in behaviour. * They need to educate their child, not frightening them so that if they are having problems and difficulties, they are not hiding it from the parents. * Teaching them to stay out from sexual relationships * Conclusion A. Review of main points * Today I have discussed about: i. The cause of baby dumping ii. The effect of baby dumping iii. The possible solution for baby dumping cases B. Restate thesis * Baby dumping especially among youth is a serious social crisis and has a chronic increase in Malaysia. Closure * As the conclusion, baby dumping cases will not end without any solution or intervention from all as we do not want any more babies to die. * It is true that baby dumping case is the prevention of baby dumping lies in the shoulder of the parents, school and society to tackle it, however, it stills boil down to individual responsibility. The youths need to take full control and take a maximum care towards their self. * Everyone has the chance to change their self. As quoted by Zig Ziglar; ‘’If you don’t like who you are and where you are, don’t worry about it because you’re not stuck either with who you are or where you are. You can grow. You can change .You can be more than you are.’’

Cheat Sheet for Strategic Management

M&A & Restructuring Strategies. Merger: Two Firms agree to integrate operations on relatively equal basis(usually 1 dominates another in mkt share/size/asset value) Hostile takeover: (delivers higher shareholder value than friendly acquires)(Preannouncement returns of hostile takeover anticipated with increase in bidder & target's share price). Diversification creates value by using excess resource. Restructuring used to correct with ineffective mergers/acquisitions. M used as means of growth to potentially lead to strategic competitiveness. ?ing ext env affect type of M used. M used cuz of uncertainty in competitive l. )Increase market power due to competitive threat 2)Spread risk due to uncertainty 3)Shift core biz to diff mkts 4)Manage industry & regulatory ? s. –> Increases strategic competitiveness & value. Shareholders of acquired firm earn above avg returns while shareholders of acquiring firm earn ~0 returns. Reflects investors' scepticism of projected synergies. Reaso ns for Acquisition 1)Increased mkt power(horizontal,vertical,related, sbjct to regulatory review & financial mkt analysis)able to sell good/service above competitive levels/costs of its primary or support activities lower than competitors.Buy competitor/supplier/distributer to Increase size, resource & capabilities. Horizontal Acq helps to exploit cost-based & revenue synergies. Better Most effective when integrate assets with acqed firm. Vertical Acqsitions controls additional parts of value chain. (CVS/Caremark)Related acquisitions(acqing firm in related industry). Create value thru synergy by integrating resource & capabilities. 2)Overcome entry barriers. Help gain immediate access to international markets. Higher the barrier, higher chance firm will acquire. )Cross-border acquisitions(made btwn companies with HQs in diff ctys) global M declined in financial crisis. Chinese companies seek horizontal cross-border acqtns of natural resource. India seek access to pdt innovation capa bilities & new br/distribution channels. 4)Cost of new product development & increased speed to mkt. Gain access to new pdts & to current pdts new to firm. Pharmaceutical firms. 5)Lower risk than developing new products. Acquisitions may become a substitute for innovation. Acquisitions shld always be strategic than defensive 6)Increased Diversification.Diff for companies to develop pdts that differ from current lines for mkts in which they lack experience. Acquisition strategies used to support unrelated & related diversification stgies. More related firms are, greater prob acq is successful. Horizontal & related acqs contribute more to strategic competitiveness. Cisco. 7)Avoid excessive competition 8)Reshaping firm's competitive scope(Lessen dependence on specific mkts) 9)Learn & developing new capabilities. Broadens their knowledge base & reduce inertia. Acquire good talent through cross-border acqtns.Seek to acquire diff but related & complementary capabilities to build own knowl edge base. Biological Drugs, AstraZeneca. Problems in achieving Acquisition success Greater success accrues to (select right target, avoid high premium by doing due dilligence, integrate operations,retain human capital to underst& target firm's operations) 1)Integration difficulties (cultures,diff financia & control systems, working relationships, resolve problems of status of acqed firm's executives) 2)Inadequate evaluation of target.Due diligence – Potential acquirer evaluates target firm for acquisition. Done by investment bankers,accountatnts,lawyers,mgmt consultants. Without due dilligence, purchase price is made by pricing of other ‘comparable' acquisitions than rigorous assessment of where,when,how mgmt can drive real perf gains. â€Å"bidding war† 3)Large & Extraordinary debt. Firms increase debt to finance acqtns. E. g. Junk Bonds. High debt increases chance of bankruptcy, downgrading credit rating & firm may divest some assets to relieve burden to remai n solvent. )Inability to achieve Synergy. Assets worth more when used tgt than seperately. Created by efficiences from EOS, EOSC & sharing resources. Private synergy(combining & integrating target firm & acquiring firm's assets yield capabilities & core competencies that couldn't be developed by integrating either firm's assets with another firm. Transaction costs to acquire & create synergies (indirect & direct) 5)Overdiversification Related diversification outperforms unrelated.Related diversification req more info processing, thus being overdiversified with smaller no. of biz units than unrelated. Scope created by over diversification causes mangers to rely on financial than strategic controls. Tendencyfor acquisitions to become substitutes for innovation. 6)Managers over focus on acqusitions Managers need to: search for viable c, complete due dilligence, prepare negotiations & manage integration process, can divert attention. 7)Too large –> Bureaucratic controls, stifling innovation.Effective Acquisitions Complementary Assets/resources(meet current needs to build competitiveness, high synergy & competitive advantage), Friendly acquisitions(lower premiums,faster & effective integration), Due dilligence(overpayment avoided), Maintain Financial slack(Acquired firm has slack, financing is easier/cheaper), Low-moderate debt(lower risk/financing cost),Sustained emphasis on R of acqing firm (maintain LT CA in mkts), Acqing firm is flexible (faster/effective integration for synergy) Restructuring (firm ? s its set of biz or financial structure).Deal with failure of acquisition/? s in ext or int env. Downsizing (reduction in no. of employee/operating units but may change the composition of biz in company portfolio) used when paid too high premium, reduce duplicate functional jobs. Downscoping(divesture,spin-off to eliminate biz unrelated to firm's core biz) Refocus on core biz Leverage Buyouts(party buys all of firm's assets with debt to take firm private). Restructure & sell. Management buyouts, Employee buyouts, whole-firm buy outs(purchase whole than part of firm). MBOs lead to downscoping, strategic focus, improved performance.Downsizing-;reduced labour costs(ST) -; loss of human capital/lower performance(LT). Downscoping-; reduced debt costs/emphasis on strategic controls(ST)-;higher performance(LT). LBOs-;emphasis on strategic controls/high debt cost(ST)-;higher performance/risk[creates ST & risk-averse managerial focus](LT) International StrategyRationale for international diversification is to extend product life cycle. 4 benefits of using international strategy: 1)Increase market size (size of international mkt affect firm's willingness to invest in R&D to build CA in that mkt.Firm prefer to invest more in cty with scientific knowledge&talent to produce value creating product & processes 2)increased EOS & learning (Firm able to exploit core competencies through resource&knowledge sharing btwn units & network partners across bo rders. New learning opportunities. BUT, firms need to have strong R&D system to absorb knowledge) 3)develop CA through location(lower basic cost of gds/services. Gain access to critical supplies/customers. Reduce liability of foreignness if low cultural distance) 4)return on investment (Generate above-avg ROI) International BL Strategies(cost leadership, differentiated, focus, integrated).Determinants of National Advantage: 1)Factors of production. Basic Factors. Advanced Factors(digital comm systems & educated workforce). Generalized factors(highway system/ss of debt capital). Specialized Factors(skilled personnel in specific indsty). 2)Dem& conditions(nature/size of buyer's needs in home market for industry's gds/services) Large mkt sgmt produce dem& to create scaleefficient facilities. 3)Related & Supporting Industries (Italy's leather-processing industry provides leather to produce shoes. Supporting indstry & design services contribute to success of shoe industry.Cameras & copie rs are related industries in Japan) 4)Firm strategy, structure & rivalry(Germany technical training system for continuous product & process improvements. Italy designers. Japan cooperative & competitive systems facilitate cross-functional management of complex assembly operations. US compt btwn computer & software producers increase development). The factors are likely to produce CA when firm develops & implements an appropriate strategy that take advantage of distinct cty factors. International CL Strategy (scope of firm's operations thru pdct & geog diversification) Unilever Multi-domestic Strategy.Decentralized decisions to SBUs. ! less knowledge sharing for firm as a whole =(no economies of scale,costly. Global strategy(centralized control at home office. SBUs interdependent to achieve integration across bizs) EOS. =( forgo growth opp in local mkts. CEMEX Transnational Strategy Flexible Coordination is required-Building shared vision & individual commitment thru integrated netwo rk. Starbucks China Environmental Trends :Liability of foreignness relative to domestic competitors. Regionalization(more similar culture, legal social norms)EU & NAFTA promotes regionalization.Internatonal Entry Mode 1)Exporting (exporters must establish some means of marketing & distribution) ! high transportation costs, tariffs, less control of products, pay distributer fee,diff to market competitive product/provide customization to international mkt, Exchange rates volatility. 2)Licensing (purchase right to manufacture/sell firms pdts by paying a royalty)~exp& returns based on prior innovation. low cost, low risk ! little control, low returns. 3)Strategic Alliances(uncertain env) ~shared costs/risks/resources, gain access to new technologies, no tariffs! roblem integrating btwn partners (2 cultures) 4)Acquisitions(quicker) ~quick access to new mkt ! high cost(debt), complex negotiations, prob merging with domestic operations 5)New Wholly Owned Subsidiary(Green Field venture) ~Ma x control, potential above-avg returns ! complex, costly, time consuming, high risk. Export,licensing & strategic alliance good for early market development. Joint venture/greenfield venture -> IP rights not protected, high need for global integration, growing no. of competitors. Strategic competitive outcomes 1)Enhanced returns.Decrease initially, then increase. Diversifying geographically into core biz areas positive effect on stock price. Offshore outsourcing created sig value-creation opp as firms move into flexible labor mkts. 2)Enhanced innovation. Exposure to new pdcts & mkts. Opp to integrate new knowledge into operations. Generation of resources to sustain innovation. Risks in international environment 1)Politcal Risk. Govt instability/regulations/corruption/conflict/war/conflicting & diverse legal authorities/potential nationalization of private assets/? s in govt policy 2)Economic risk.Govt oversigh & control of economic&financial capital/weak IP rights&protections impact FDI/terrorism/investment losses from political risk/security risk of foreign firms acquiring key natural resources or strategic IP. Cooperative Strategy(shared objective) Strategic alliance(firms combine resources&capabilities to create CA) Leverage existing resource/capabilities to develop additional resources/capabilities for new CAs. Collaborative/relational Advantage-CA developed through a cooperative strategy. 3 Types of Strategic Alliances: 1)Joint Venture.Siemens AG & Fujitsu -> Fujitsu Siemens Computers (Own equal % & contribute equally. 2 or more firm create legally independent company to share some resources/capabilities to develop CA). Optimal when firms need to create a CA that is diff from individual advantages & when highly uncertain hypercompetitive markets are targeted. 2)Equity. Baidu & Japanese telecom operator NTT DOCOMO (2or more firms own diff % of company they formed to create CA, e. g. many FDIs such as companies from multiple countries are making in China) 3 )Non-equity. HP (2 or more firms develop contractual relationship to create CA.Firm DOES NOT establish separate independent company thus don't take equity positions)-; less formal, fewer commitments & no intimate relationship. E. g. licensing/distribution agreements & supply contract. Reasons firm develop Strategic Alliances Allow partners to create value they couldn't develop alone & to enter markets faster with greater penetration. Firms lack full resources & capabilities to reach their objectives. Slow cyclemkt: Gain access to restricted mkt. Establish a franchise in a new mkt. Maintain mkt stability(establishing st&ards). Fast-cycle mkt: Speed up development of new goods/services.Speed up new market entry. Maintain market leadership. Form an industry technology st&ard(). Share risky R&D expenses. Overcome uncertainty. St&ard-cycle mkt: Gain mkt power(reduce industry overcapacity). Gain access to complementary resources. Establish better EOS. Overcome trade barriers. Meet competi tive challenges frm other competitors. Pool resources for large projects. Learn new biz techniques. BL Cooperative Strategy 1)Complementary Strategic Alliances (Vertical, horizontal) -firms share r&c in complementary ways to develop CAs. More value-creating than other strategies.Vertical(from diff stages of value chain e. g. Nintendo) Horizontal(same stage(s) of value chain to create CAs. ) 2)Competition response strategy(to competitor's attacks). Becuz they can be diff to reverse & exp t operate, strategic alliances are formed to take strategic than tactical actions to respond to attacks. 3)Uncertainty reducing strategy (new pdt mkts/emerging economies 4)Competition-reducing strategy (explicit/tacit collusions) Tacit collusion – Firms in industry indirectly coordinate their production & pricing decisions by observing each other actions/responses.Results in output below fully competitive levels & above fully competitive prices. !reduce service quality, on-time performance. Mu tual forbearance- Form of tacit collusion where firms dont take actions against rivals they meet in multiple mkts. Assessment: R integrated MUST be VCRN. vertical strategy have greatest probability of creating sustainable CA. CL Cooperative Strategy. Firm use this strategy to diversify in pdts offered/markets served. Diversify by means other than M. Require fewer resource commitments, greater flexibility. 1)Diversifying S/A !Highly diverse network of alliances can lead to poorer performance by partner firms. 2)Synergistic S/A(create EOScope across multiple functions/bizs btwn partners) 3) Franchising (contractual relationship to describe/control sharing of its R with partners) Advantages: Attractive strategy for fragmented industry(retailing,hotels,motels) where large number of small/med firms compete without one having a dominant share. Assessment: Alliance costs needs monitoring. International Cooperative Strategy 1)Cross-border alliance(firms with HQs in diff nations decide to co mbine some R to create CA & value).Incentives: limited domestic growth opp, foreign govt economic policies. China & India have strong preference to license local companies. Strategic alliance with local partners help firms overcome liability of foreignness. Operational advantages due to local market information. Network cooperative strategy (several firms form multiple partnerships to achieve shared objectives) Particularly effective when formed by geographically clustered firms. Gain heterogeneous info & knowledge from multiple sources. ! lock in partnerships precluding alliance with others.Stable Alliance network (mature industries where dem& is constant & predictable) Built primarily to exploit EOS/EOScope existing btwn partners e. g. airline industry Dynamic Alliance Network (frequent product innovations & short pdct lifecycle) Competitive risks: Inadequate contracts. Misrepresentation of competencies. Partners may act opportunistically. Partners fail to use their complementary resources. Holding alliance partner's specific investments hostage. Risk&Asset Management Approaches:Detailed contracts & monitoring. Develop trusting relationships -> create value.Managing cooperative strategies: Cost minimization(Firm develops formal contracts with partners specifying how strategy is to be monitored & how partner behavior is controlled) Opportunity maximization(Maximize partnership's value-creating opportunities) Corporate Governance – Set of mechanisms used to manage the relationship among stakeholders & to determine & control the strategic direction & performance of organizations.. It is concerned with: Strengthening effectiveness of company's board of directors. Verifying transparency of firm's operations. Enhancing accountability to shareholders.Incentivizing executives. Maximizing value creation for stakeholders & shareholders. Separation of Ownership & Managerial control. Allows each group to focus on what it does best: Shareholders bears risk that fi rm's expenses exceed revenue (shareholders will hold a diversified portfolio to diversify risk). Managers formulate & implement strategy & decision-making. Agency relationships(between firm's owner & top-level managers) Managerial opportunism seeking self-interest with deceit. An attitude & set of behaviors. Prevents maximization of shareholder's wealth.Product Diversification as Agency Problem 1)Diversification increase size/complexity & thus managerial compensation. 2)Reduces manger's employment risk as a firm & its managers are less vulnerable to reduction in dem& associated with a single/limited no. of product lines/bizs. 3)Managers have control of firm's free cash flows which they invest to diversify instead of giving to shareholders. Shareholders like a diversified position between dominant & related-constrained diversification strategies. Shareholders prefer riskier strategies & more focused diversification. Managers prefer higher levels of product diversification.Managers ma y prefer level of diversification that maximises firm size & compensation while reducing employment risk. Agency costs – sum of incentive/monitoring/enforcement costs, individual financial losses incurred by principals because of agents. 3 internal governance mechanism 1)Ownership Concentration (No. of large-block shareholders & total percentage of shares they own) X Diffuse ownership (large number of shareholders with small holdings & few large-block shareholders) Large-block shareholders are active in their dem&s that corporations adopt effective governance mechanisms.Ownership of many modern corporations now concentrated in h&s of institutional investors than individual shareholders. Institutional owners (financial institutions that control large-block shareholder positions) They are powerful governance mechanism. They have both size & incentive to discipline ineffective top-level managers. 2)Board of Directors (group of elected individuals to formally monitor & control ma nagers in order to act in owner's best interests) Insiders – Firm's CEO & other top-level managers. Related outsiders – Individuals not involved with firm's daily operations but have relationship with firm.Outsiders – provide independent counsel to firm & may hold managerial positions in their company. Outsiders have no firm info & thus emphasize use of financial than strategic controls to evaluate firm. Shifts risk to managers who make decision to maximise their interest & reduce employment risk. Enhance effectiveness of BOD 1. Increase diversity 2. Strengthen internal management & accounting control systems 3. Establish consistent use of formal processes to evaluate BOD performance 4. Creation of ‘lead director' 5. Compensation of director, reduce stock options. )Executive Compensation Use LT incentive plans. Effectiveness: don't link pay to financial outcomes. Manager may focus ST effects to enhance pay. Other factors also affect firm's performance whic h are not under manager's control. Market for Corporate Control (external governance mechanism. The market is a set of potential owners seeking to acquire undervalued firms & earn above average ROIs by replacing ineffective top-level management teams) Used only when internal controls fail. â€Å"Golden parachutes† help them leave while â€Å"Golden hellos† help them to get in the door of the next firm.Hostile Takeover Defensive Strategies â€Å"Poison pill† allows shareholders to convert their rights into large no. of common shares if anyone acquires more than set amount of target's stock to dilute percentage f shares acquiring firm must purchase at premium. Litigation – Lawsuits that help target company stall hostile attacks e. g. antitrust,fraud. Greenmail – repurchase of stocks from agressor at premium for agreement to no longer be targeted for takeover. Standstill agreement – Contract btwn parties in which pursuer agrees not to acquire a ny more stock for specified period for a fee.Capital structure change – Dilution of stock, making it costly for bidder to acquire e. g. recapitalization, new debt, share buybacks, stock selling) Corporate charter amendment – Ammendment to stagger elections of members to the BOD of attacked firm so that all are not elected same year, preventing bidder to install new board in same year. Corporate governance in Germany: 2 tiered board structure, place responsibility of monitoring & controlling managerial decisions & actions with separate groups. Banks exercise sig power as source of financing. Power sharing includes representation from community & unions.Corporate Governance in Japan: Cultural concepts of obligation, family & consensus. Close relationship btwn stakeholder & company through cross-shareholding can negatively impact efficiencies. Keiretsus: Strongly interrelated groups of firms tied tgt by cross-shareholdings. Banks are highly influential with firm's manager s. Global Corporate Governance: Relatively uniform governance structures, moving closer to US corporate governance model. Organizational Structure & Control. Organizational Structure – Specifies firm's formal reporting relationships, procedures, controls, authority & decision-making processes.Curcial to match structure with strategy! Controls guide the use of strategy, indicate how to compare actual results with expected results, & suggest corrective actions to take when the difference is unacceptable. Strategic Controls – Largely subjective criteria intended to verify that the firm is using appropriate strategies for theconditions in the external environment & the company’s competitive advantages. Strategic controls are concerned with examining the fit between: What the firm might do (opportunities in its external environment) What the firm can do (competitive advantages).Evaluate the degree to which the firm focuses on the requirements to implement strategy: B L:primary activities. CL(related): sharing of knowledge, markets, technologies across bizs. Financial Controls objective criteria used to measure firm's performance against previously established st&ards. Focus on ST outcomes. ROI, ROA, EVA(economic value addedmarket based measure). ! produces risk-adverse managerial decisions. Essential for unrelated diversification! Simple Structure (owner manager makes all major decisions & monitors activities) Few rules, limited task specialization, basic tech system.Functional Structure(CEO & limited corporate staff make decisions. Functional line managers present. functional specialization from active sharing. ! impedes comm. & cordination among functional areas. Multi-divisional Structure. Operating divisions represent separate biz / profit center. Top corporate officer delegates responsibilities for daily operations & business unit strategies to division managers. ~Ties together all operating divisions. Enables more accurate monitoring of p erformance of each unit. Facilitates comparisons between divisions.Stimulates managers to look for improvements. Matches between BL strategies & Functional Structure 1)For cost leadership strategyWalmart (simple reporting structure, few layers in decision-making & authority, centralized in a staff function. Job specialized.. 2) For differentiation strategy. Complex & flexible reporting relationship, freq use of cross-functional product development teams, strong focus on mkting & R&D. Few formal rules & procedures. Jobs not specialized. Decentralized. 3)For integrated cost leadership/differentiation strategy.Diff primary & support activities emphasized. Match between CL Strategy & Multi-divisional Structure(M-form) 1)Cooperative form for related-constrained. Centralized at corporate office; Extensive use of integration mechanism; emphasis on strategic criteria; linked to overall corporate performance. Frequent direct contact btwn division managers. Liason roles in each divisions redu ce time integrating with work occurring in other divisions. Matrix Organization might be formed(dual structure combining both functional specialization & biz product or project specialization.Cooperation among divisions implies loss of managerial autonomy -> managers hesitatnt to cooperate. Use strategic controls to evaluate manager on how well they cooperate. 2)SBUForm for related-linked strategy ! coordination between SBUs is hard. Diff to communicate complex biz model to shareholders. 3)Competitive form for Unrelated Diversification Strategy Decentralized to divisions; no integration mechanism; emphasize on financial criteria; linked to divisional performance. Finance & Auditing & Legal Affairs 2nd tier. Divisions 3 tier. ~internal competition creates flexibility; resources allocated to most potential division.Challenges the status quo & inertia. Motivates efforts due to funding if u are an efficient division. Matches btwn International Strategies & World-wide structure 1)Worldwi de Geog Area for Multidomestic Strategy. Decentralization to business units in each country. No integration mechanisms. Informal coordination ! inability to create global efficiency 2)Worldwide Product Divisional Structure for Global Strategy. Aims to gain EOS & EOSC;Centralized. Integrating mechanism important(e. g. Direct contact btwn managers, liaison roles btwn departments). inability to quikly respond to local needs & preferences; difficulty in coordinating decisions across borders. 3)Combination Structure for Transnational Strategy Global Matrix. ~flexibility in designing products & responding to customer needs. ! employee accountable to 2 boss. Difficult to be simultaneously loyal to both. Can be member of several functional or product group teams. Difficult & time consuming for approval. Hybrid Structure. (some divisions oriented to products while others oriented toward market areas) Matches btwn Cooperative Strategies & Network Structures.Strategic network (group of firms f ormed to create value by participating in multiple cooperative arrangements) can be a form of CA when operations create value that is hard to imitate. Used to implement BL, CL & International Strategies. Strategic center firm(main firm) does: Strategic outsourcing, seek ways to support members effort to develop Core competencies, Manage development & sharing of technology-based ideas(req formal reports of technology-orientated outcomes of their efforts),Emphasizes principal competition are btwn value chains & between networks of value chains.Centralized. Strategic network for BL Cooperative Strategy(horizontal,vertical Chp 9), CL Cooperative Strategies & International Cooperative Strategies(Distributed strategic networks -Several regional strategic centre firms are included in dist network to manage partner firms' multiple cooperative arrangements)