New Media and Consumer Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

New Media and Consumer Behaviour - Essay Example The new media not only offers various benefits for consumers but also has allowed the consumers to promote their goods and services. Popular social and networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, eBay, YouTube etc. have made possible for the normal consumers to become suppliers and vendors through the new media. These revolutionary advancements challenge the typical business models which have been there since decades. The traditional ways of developing strategies, finding customers, marketing and advertising don’t seem that useful now. (HENNIG-THURAU ET AL.2010; EVANS & BRATTON.2008) SOCIAL MEDIA- THE NEW MEDIA: Social media is also called Web 2.0 which allows users to interact with each other through new technologies. The new technology has empowered the users which now allow them to share information in a way that wasn’t possible before. Social media includes networking sites, consumer review sites, online communities, journals and blogs controlled by individuals and com panies. Now days people need to involve in ‘conversation’, that is talk about the thing offered. ... Joiners utilize the sites, blogs etc by using them while spectators are silent viewers of the content who view and read the content uploaded by different participants. Inactive participants are online but they don’t take part in the conversation any aspect. Businesses now realize the importance of actively participating in these conversations and influencing user’s minds for marketing their products. (HAWKINS, MOTHERSBAUGH & MOOKERJEE.2011; EVANS & BRATTON.2008) New media can be explained as â€Å"Websites and other digital communication and information channels in which active consumers engage in behaviors that can be consumed by others both in real time and long afterwards regardless of their spatial location.† (HENNIG-THURAU ET AL.2010). New media is made up of interactive communication and information channeling platforms. According to mentioned explanation the new media allows users to exchange information anytime anywhere irrespective of their location. Thi s information can be utilized not only today but also in the long term. New media is digital which makes it cost effective. Like old means of exchange of information, there is no cost involved in producing digital copies as it can be accessed by millions of people on internet. Consumers, thorough the new media can actively participate in giving feedback about every aspect of value chain. New media is visible, that is any feedback, comments, reviews and blogs can easily be traced. The biggest advantage offered by the new media is the real time access and exchange of information at anytime. The feedback posted and received in instant through chats, videos, blogs and reviews, making it easier for other readers to make an opinion regarding the product. Additionally new media has made interaction possible among

Ernie Davis Essay Example for Free

Ernie Davis Essay A three-time All-American halfback and 1961 Heisman Trophy winner, Ernie Davis would go on to win MVP title in both the Cotton Bowl and the Liberty Bowl, and was inducted into the College Football Hall Of Fame in 1979. He was the first African American man to win the Heisman Trophy, and to be picked 1st overall in the NFL draft. His career was cut short when he was diagnosed with cancer in 1962. Athlete. American Football player. Ernie Davis was born on December 14, 1939 in New Salem, Pennsylvania, USA. He is the first African American man to win the Heisman Trophy and the first black athlete to be chosen 1st overall in the NFL Draft. A three-time All-American halfback and 1961 Heisman Trophy winner, Davis set yardage and scoring records at Syracuse University. He would go on to win MVP title in both the 1960 Cotton Bowl and the 1961 Liberty Bowl, and would be inducted into the College Football Hall Of Fame in 1979. His honors and accomplishments on the gridiron were matched only by his adversity off the field; As a black athlete playing many games in the south, he was the victim of racism on several occasions. The most publicized incident occurred when he was selected as the Cotton Bowl MVP in 1960. Davis was told by organizers that he would be allowed to accept his award at the post game banquet, and would immediately have to leave the segregated facility. Ernie refused to receive the award, and his entire team agreed to boycott the banquet. A man of firsts, Ernie Davis was the first African American man to win the Heisman Trophy, the first to join the prestigious Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity (a nationally recognized Jewish fraternity) and, in 1962, became the first African American player to be picked 1st overall in the NFL draft. Tragic Death Although the details are somewhat disputed, Davis contract was considered to be the most lucrative ever offered to an NFL rookie. His teammates and supporters looked forward to seeing Ernie sharing the backfield with the great Jim Brown, breaking countless records and leading the Cleveland Browns to a decade of victorious seasons. Those seasons would never come, however, as Ernie was diagnosed with acute monocytic leukemia during preparations for the 1962 College All Star Game. Although treatment had begun immediately, the disease would prove incurable and Ernie died on May 18, 1963 Having never played a professional football game. Both the House and the Senate eulogized him, and his wake was in The Neighborhood House in Elmira, New York, where more than 10,000 mourners paid their respects. Accolades from JFK His character and his athletic accomplishments caught the eye of John F. Kennedy, who had followed Ernies college career and made several attempts to meet the star. In 1963, when he heard Ernie would be honored by his high school with a school holiday, the president sent a telegram reading: Seldom has an athlete been more deserving of such a tribute. Your high standards of performance on the field and off the field, reflect the finest qualities of competition, sportsmanship and citizenship. The nation has bestowed upon you its highest awards for your athletic achievements. Its a privilege for me to address you tonight as an outstanding American, and as a worthy example of our youth. I salute you. Ernie Davis was the subject of the 2008 Universal Pictures film The Express, based on the non-fiction book Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express, by Robert C. Gallagher.

The Value of Life in The Most Dangerous Game Essay -- Most Dangerous G

The Value of Life in The Most Dangerous Game  Ã‚   He is hunched down in the bushes, a .22-caliber pistol in his hand.   His blood-red lips split open in a smile as he watches his prey writhing, blood spouting from the wound, dry green leaves becoming wet crimson.   Then, with a terrible pleasure, he places the gun against the skull of his prey and fires one last round.   The hunter, brimming with sadism, drags his kill behind him, leaving a trail of blood behind on the ground.   Human blood.   This premise of man hunting man is one set up by Richard Connell’s short story The Most Dangerous Game.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The dominant theme to this story is that all life is to be respected and preserved.   A proof for this is that the protagonist, Rainsford, is at first disrespectful of animals when he hunts.   He is then placed into the animal’s role in a twisted hunt, and—due to the horrors he experiences—becomes more respectful.   More support to back this claim is that General Zaroff, the epitome of disregard for life, is defeated by Rainsford at the end.   However, this is not the most accurate theme of the story, and these examples also support another theme:   animals, and life in general, are not respected and never truly will be, and we should all come to terms with this fact.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Let us primarily take into consideration the aspect that Rainsford at first cares not for animals, but his view is altered by his experiences with Zaroff.   First, we must prove that Rainsford really did not care for animals.   Let us look at the conversation on the boat between Rainsford and Whitney.   Here is a quote:   Ã‚   â€Å"[...] Great sport, hunting.†   Ã‚   â€Å"The best sport in the world,† agreed Rainsford.   Ã‚   â€Å"For the hunter,† amended Whitney.  ... ...en that—and then takes Zaroff’s things, including his style of hunting, it is apparent that Rainsford has become worse, even as bad as General Zaroff.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conclusively, as the main character of The Most Dangerous Game fails to learn from such a horrible experience the value of life, a society that has not been subjected to such an experience will also not know the value of life.   Our disrespect has gotten even to the point where our children are killing their fellow children.   The value of life in all its forms has not been discovered by all of society, and it never will.   We must learn to cope with that fact, or we will all be, in the words of Sanger Rainsford, huntees of our own nature. Works Cited: Connell, Richard. "The Most Dangerous Game." Structure, Sound and Sense . Eds. Laurence Perrine and Thomas R. Arp. 4th ed. New York: Harcourt, 1983.

Rich culture Essay

Japan is known for its rich culture. Among its many customs and traditions, music is considered to be one of the most essential parts of its culture. The Japanese’ passion for music, particularly traditional folk song music, continues to be a part of their daily lives. Despite the fact that their musical culture has gone through evolution as a result of change in lifestyles and mass media development, they still look at music as an important part of their heritage. For the Japanese, folk music is a medium through which they are able to express their inner feelings, ideas and thoughts. It is also through these songs that they are able to relate their experiences in life and the many ways that they deal with them. These songs depict their daily ways of living such as farming, fishing, mining, and even religious events, to mention a few. To date, traditional folk songs still exist in the different provinces in Japan. It is common among the older generations and sung mostly for recreational purposes. Harich-Schneider believes that because of the influences brought about by Western music and global modernization, Japan’s traditional folk songs are no longer as popular as it was in the ancient times. Over the years, fans and professional folk song singers have decreased. However, the tradition is sustained not only in art music but in the rich variety of folk traditions all over Japan (E. Harich-Schneider: 1973). Just like the Japanese, music plays a vital role in the American culture particularly in the lives of Native Americans. Their music also depicts their regional traditions and customs, history as well as the education of tribes in North America. Rooted in the folk music of many countries such as Ireland, England, Africa, and Scotland, their folk songs introduced the birth of American folk dances such as the buck dance and square dance. Although still dependent on each of North America region’s tradition, their folk songs have developed and taken numerous regional styles especially in the kind of instruments used. Each region still maintains some of the more popular folk songs despite the differences in repertoire and style. Contrary to the perception that traditional folk songs are now unpopular among the Americans, they are actually still alive and well in many parts of the country. Musicians and bands all over the nation are putting great efforts to continue the folk songs tradition. One of these includes the establishment of folk music schools that provide instruction in old-time music. In California, there are summer camps for children and adults as well as families that offer many different concepts of folk music instruction. These programs, which are also available in other US states, saw an increase in people wanting to learn folk music. It can be noted that the Americans are committed to keep this unique tradition alive. Despite the thousands of songs and tunes that have evolved over the years, American folk musicians still heavily rely on this tradition and learn new folk songs. As has been the tradition, folk song writers aim to engage the listeners and evoke their emotions just like how the older counterparts did many years ago. The American traditional folk songs will continue to evolve for as long as there is music. Because it is the sound of the people, it will go on telling tales of their daily lives, the challenges they faced as well as the history of their struggle and triumph in the country, albeit in a more modern fashion. Hence, it can be stated that while both Japan and America put value in their traditions, the latter seems to enjoy folk songs more as they have implemented ways to keep this custom alive not only for the benefit of today’s generation but for the future, as well. On the Taiko drummers, it is indeed an artistic demonstration of superb blending of stick work during performances. Exhilarating energy and amazing speed during Taiko drumming is required. Similarly, percussion instruments such as drums and flutes also occupy an important role in the music of Native Americans. Like the Taiko drums, Native American drums are also huge and played by a group of individuals. The action required when playing these drums is high and often requires great strength. References: E. Harich-Schneider, A History of Japanese Music (1973). http://www. ctmsfolkmusic. org/about/programs/MusicInSchools. asp Japan is known for its rich culture. Among its many customs and traditions, music is considered to be one of the most essential parts of its culture. The Japanese’ passion for music, particularly traditional folk song music, continues to be a part of their daily lives. Despite the fact that their musical culture has gone through evolution as a result of change in lifestyles and mass media development, they still look at music as an important part of their heritage. For the Japanese, folk music is a medium through which they are able to express their inner feelings, ideas and thoughts. It is also through these songs that they are able to relate their experiences in life and the many ways that they deal with them. These songs depict their daily ways of living such as farming, fishing, mining, and even religious events, to mention a few. To date, traditional folk songs still exist in the different provinces in Japan. It is common among the older generations and sung mostly for recreational purposes. Harich-Schneider believes that because of the influences brought about by Western music and global modernization, Japan’s traditional folk songs are no longer as popular as it was in the ancient times. Over the years, fans and professional folk song singers have decreased. However, the tradition is sustained not only in art music but in the rich variety of folk traditions all over Japan (E. Harich-Schneider: 1973). Just like the Japanese, music plays a vital role in the American culture particularly in the lives of Native Americans. Their music also depicts their regional traditions and customs, history as well as the education of tribes in North America. Rooted in the folk music of many countries such as Ireland, England, Africa, and Scotland, their folk songs introduced the birth of American folk dances such as the buck dance and square dance. Although still dependent on each of North America region’s tradition, their folk songs have developed and taken numerous regional styles especially in the kind of instruments used. Each region still maintains some of the more popular folk songs despite the differences in repertoire and style. Contrary to the perception that traditional folk songs are now unpopular among the Americans, they are actually still alive and well in many parts of the country. Musicians and bands all over the nation are putting great efforts to continue the folk songs tradition. One of these includes the establishment of folk music schools that provide instruction in old-time music. In California, there are summer camps for children and adults as well as families that offer many different concepts of folk music instruction. These programs, which are also available in other US states, saw an increase in people wanting to learn folk music. It can be noted that the Americans are committed to keep this unique tradition alive. Despite the thousands of songs and tunes that have evolved over the years, American folk musicians still heavily rely on this tradition and learn new folk songs. As has been the tradition, folk song writers aim to engage the listeners and evoke their emotions just like how the older counterparts did many years ago. The American traditional folk songs will continue to evolve for as long as there is music. Because it is the sound of the people, it will go on telling tales of their daily lives, the challenges they faced as well as the history of their struggle and triumph in the country, albeit in a more modern fashion. Hence, it can be stated that while both Japan and America put value in their traditions, the latter seems to enjoy folk songs more as they have implemented ways to keep this custom alive not only for the benefit of today’s generation but for the future, as well. On the Taiko drummers, it is indeed an artistic demonstration of superb blending of stick work during performances. Exhilarating energy and amazing speed during Taiko drumming is required. Similarly, percussion instruments such as drums and flutes also occupy an important role in the music of Native Americans. Like the Taiko drums, Native American drums are also huge and played by a group of individuals. The action required when playing these drums is high and often requires great strength. References: E. Harich-Schneider, A History of Japanese Music (1973). http://www. ctmsfolkmusic. org/about/programs/MusicInSchools. asp

Natural Sciences Essay

What is it about theories in natural and human sciences that make them so convincing? During the course of my Biology HL syllabus, I came across the theory of the fluid mosaic model. I instantly considered this theory to be absolute and accurate. This level of certainty was created with the first reading of the theory, and evoked the question as to what makes the theories formulated in natural and human sciences as convincing as they are. Both Natural and Human scientists take pride in the fact that their work is the result of long, precise and experimental research and the fact that their theories are able to overcome the skeptical approach of human nature and produce enough certainty in people to accept their work without further questioning. I will attempt to state and explain the reasons for this creation of such certainty by incorporating three areas of knowledge. Firstly, natural sciences and how they are so convincing despite the lack of certainty. Then I will elaborate on the human sciences and how its theories are debatable and the difference between the two sciences. Lastly I will intrude into the ethical aspect of the knowledge issue, as conflicting emotions and reason are essential in creating the faith and belief in the theories formulated by these explicit and evidence rich areas of knowledge. We as humans are generally skeptical about various sources of information, but this skeptic approach does not apply to science as we consider all scientific information to be true and from a reliable source. This approach reveals the fact that evidence and understanding of the concept is a key factor assisting the reasoning of the mind. While studying Taxation in microeconomics, I realized that theories that are said to produce a certain effect are not realistically proven or implemented in the real world. For example, a theory in taxation states that, if a tax is imposed on a producer with inelastic supply then the entire tax incidence is borne by the producers themselves. But, in reality such a situation does not exist, the producers generally raise prices to higher levels where the revenue is more than sufficient to pay the tax imposed on them, which means that the consumers actually bear the brunt of the new taxation policy. We accept such theories at first as they are said to be formulate by a reliable source and seem to be probable. So why do the theories from these areas of knowledge appear so convincing to us despite the uncertainties that are presented by them? Why are they accepted as the truth even before they are completely evaluated? It is evident that the reason we trust science as a reliable and infallible source of information is because we believe in science. This belief has led to the creation of faith towards science, which has compelled us to accept all that science offers without a doubt of reason. The psychology behind this belief exclaims that we believe in science the same way as we believe that our new car is not going to explode on its first travel. Cars stay safe more often than not and science in the same way has proven itself accurate many more times than it has been proved wrong. The belief and faith induced by scientific theories has been developed over time through constant provision of proof and evidence, which are the basic requirements for human beings to trust in something. While studying and understanding theories regarding sub-atomic particles, which are practically invisible, such as the VSEPR theory or the theory of hybridization, I don’t question the strength of the theory itself as it is a result of extensive research and has overcome the challenges posed by many to prove them wrong. Thus, the efforts to prove the theory wrong and the failure to do so have actually strengthened the belief in science, thus providing a logical and universal explanation justifying the theory formulated. Also, human nature suggests that we need to believe in something, and more often than not people choose the logical, experimental and evidence rich path provided by science. We tend to believe in the ideals a majority believes, be it a country, a city, a community or even our immediate family. For example, if your family believes that the economic crisis will eventually affect your future, even you tend to follow â€Å"convention† and believe in the same thing. Taking the example of the cure for cancer, people at first did not believe that cancer was ever curable due the number of deaths that had amounted. Their belief that the drug developed, actually cured cancer was eventually strengthened as the positive evidences kept increasing. Today if a scientist says that he has developed a new cure for cancer, people would believe in the drug as they know science has accomplished it before, and hence can probably achieve the same feat again. In the natural sciences, research begins with a hypothesis which is followed by experiments and later proof of whether the hypothesis is accurate or is invalid. In contrast to this, we observe that in many experiments conducted, the results vary marginally and hence hamper the certainty of the research, which means that scientists have o rely on various degrees of certainty based on their recorded values to establish the overall certainty of a research project. This implies that many of the theories being applied today are not of absolute certainty, thus the use of such theories can be attributed to our belief and faith in science as a reliable source of information. Shifting the focus to my second area of knowledge which is human sciences, I’d like to state its primary objectives to help understand the formulation of the theories more effectively. The aims of virtually all human sciences are the same: to explain human behavior, formulate theories to predict it, and then develop remedies for the problems identified by those predictions. They use the same scientific method as natural sciences but cannot hypothesize the reactions of the human beings, as each of them respond to the research questions in different ways and depict different and forms of emotion and reasoning depending upon the kind of questions asked. Most research in human sciences begins with intuition which then leads to proof. Here, the scientists believe that a particular stimulus would produce a certain behavioral effect on a person or a community that is being experimented upon and the statistics collected are processed to analyze the change in behavior. These theories regarding human behavior are accurate for a majority of the trials but often there are exceptions which destabilize the foundation of the theory, which again affect the belief people have in the theories in human sciences. Taking an example from economics; the Keynesian and the Monetarist views are contrasting market development methods which argue the role of the government in regulating the market function in the economy. One proposes intense government intervention whereas the other proposes minimal intrusion by it respectively. Till the 2007 global recession the markets followed the monetarist model but the immense financial problems caused and market failures recorded called for a reform which turned the governments towards the Keynesian model. This signifies that more often than not the theories in human sciences stand, but they can be overcome and felled with the inclusion of a strong stimulus. And if the theories prove ineffective there would always be another theory formulated as backup which could be applied and the same expected results could be yielded. The economic example presented here stresses on the fairly large margin for error present in the human sciences, which primarily differentiates it from natural science which are purely dependent on proofs and evidence. Also the common element prevalent in both these sciences is that of research period. Theories of both sciences require a long and strenuous research period to incorporate all the hypothesis, observations, experiments, and data collection, which are required to prove the theory. These similarities and dissimilarities introduce us to the ethical concept of certainty which plays a vital role in balancing out the conflict between emotion and reason. We perceive science to be a reliable and an accurate source of information due to its extensively experimental, research dependent and foolproof nature, i. . we are emotionally inclined towards the sciences as they have the proof to back up their theories. But as we see from the examples, they do not offer complete certainty as there is always an exception to a particular theory and hence by reason, our belief in science should be far less than it actually is. The simple explanation to this would be that reason favors science as it has proven itself more often than not and as we have observed, failure to prove theories wrong increases and strengthens our belief in its relevance and accuracy. Thus we can conclude by answering the primary question staged in the introduction as to what makes theories formulated by the sciences so convincing. The extensive research involved and the proof presented in favor of the theory play a major role in developing the certainty, this is well complimented by the belief and faith science has cultivated in human beings and the strong the emotional and reasonable backing that has been made available by this belief in them.

Der Hessische Landbote By Georg Buechner(In German Essays

Der Hessische Landbote By Georg Buechner(In German Essays Der Hessische Landbote By Georg Buechner(In German) Der hessische Landbote Der hessische Landbote ist eine politische Flugschrift, die zum Widerstand gegen die herrschenden Verhltnisse allerdings nicht zu konkreten Aktionen aufruft. Der hessische Staatsetat bildet das argumentatorische Grundgerst, indem die Einnahmen aus Steuern und sonstigen Abgaben (ber sechs Millionen Gulden) den Ausgaben gegenbergestellt werden. Die einzelnen Positionen (Ministerium des Innern, der Finanzen, Militr, Pensionen etc.) werden aufgefhrt und mit einem Kommentar versehen, der aufzeigt, wie die Gelder der Untertanen zu deren Unterdrckung und zur Bereicherung der oberen Schichten verwendet werden. Schlielich wird das zahlenmige Miverhltnis zwischen den Pressern und dem Volk (10.000 zu 700.000) unterstrichen. Das Flugblatt schliet mit einem allgemeinen, religis gefrbten Ruf nach Freiheit und Gerechtigkeit. Georg Bchner wollte sich damit gegen die Obrigkeit aussprechen, was jedoch dazu fhrte, dass er nach Strassburg fliehen musste.

American Democracy Essay

American Democracy Essay American Democracy Essay Democracy is a political arrangement that, at its most basic, demands that there be collective decision making and equality in the mechanisms of coalition building and deliberation (Christiano, p.1, 2008). The strictest definition would imply that decisions are made directly by the citizens and no electoral process is employed to select legislative representatives who would, in turn, make decisions for the citizens (Christiano, p. 2, 2008). Where representatives are elected to make decisions on behalf of the electorate, such a system is defined as a republic. Although a republic system is not entirely a pure democracy, it is built on democratic principles and normative theory would argue that this distinction is irrelevant as it can be accommodated into the very definition of democracy: practical democracy can involve the election of representatives or it can involve the direct decision-making powers of a citizen class (Christiano, pp.2-4, 2008). In fact, democracy, and its more practical offshoot republicanism, both demand that there be equal political opportunity and voice and a government responsive to the demands of its citizens. Democracy is justifiable for three main reasons: it forces law and policy makers to consider the opinions, rights, and interest of virtually all interest groups within a society (strategic reason), it provides for enhanced decision making abilities as it is better able to direct decision making efforts more appropriately/correctly (epistemological reason), and it improves the collective character of citizens as they are aware that failure to think through new rules or elections could lead to catastrophic results (character improvement reason) (Christiano, pp. 2-3, 2008). The system of democracy as practiced in America holds several principles in high regard, and as such, qualifies it to being referred to as a democracy. These are: the rule of law, inalienable human rights and freedoms, a separation of powers between the three arms of government, a representative system that makes laws and acts as a check and balancing point for the Execute, the Judiciary that polices over the general population and the legislative and executive branches, a responsive government, a multi-party system, civil society freedoms, citizen and political equality, and universal suffrage (Christiano, p. 4, 2008). The American political system creates an opportunity where interest groups can compete for power. This party-based system is the basis of competition for legislative and executive mandate by the elite in the democracy system (only a few people are elected to represent voters and are thus known as the democracy elite). This system is manifest through periodic elections where voters (those who satisfy the criteria for voting, but each of whim has an equal right as the other) (Christiano, p. 9, 2008). Elections are the means by which the citizenry assesses the democratic leadership: the voters may punish or reward the leadership depending on if they were responsive to their demands or if they were responsible in their leadership. Since elections occur only in cycles, the civil society and a free press are important components of the democratic system: they challenge malpractices and expose bad leadership. The Judiciary polices over the other arms of the government: instances of where the Supreme Court ruled that a particular (Executive) policy or (Congressional) law was illegal are countless (Okpala, p. 2, 2009). Indeed, democracy is a rule by the law. As such, everybody and every institution are at the behest of the law and no one can act in contravention of it without a punitive measure. Despite this, penal punishment cannot be exacted without following due process: the accused has rights and these are protected through a fair trial process. Furthermore, every citizen has inalienable rights, many of which are revolutionary in the American context. There are social, economic, and political rights and demand that nobody should be discriminated against for any reason, be it race, religion, or any other standard of discrimination. Though the people are the supreme source of power, they are not allowed to reject the authority of the government. Additionally, every citizens should practic e own rights and freedoms without unjustly interfering with that of others. These are the premises of democracy that are evident in the American democratic model (Okpala, p. 4, 2009). The American party system has been dominated by two parties, namely, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party (Intelligencesquaredus, p.1, 2011). Though these parties have dominated American politics in one way or the other for the past two centuries, there are third parties that have an influence over provincial voting patterns. These parties range from the hilarious United States Marijuana Party to the peripheral Communist Party of the United States. These parties, numbering in the tens, could play a watchdog role or raise awareness on a number of interest issues such as taxation and healthcare. Examples include the Constitution Party that has a presence in over 30 American states and the regional Alaskan Independence Party. Despite their presence, they are generally minor and are dwarfed by the influence and resourcefulness of the two dominating forces in American politics. This two-party system ahs been the hallmark of American politics: going into the 19th century, the political arena was at the stranglehold of the Federalists and Republicans who, for all intents and purposes, were not so different in their political philosophy while the mid-19th century political crisis that eventually led to the American Civil War was due to the breakdown of the two party system of the Whigs and the American Party (that is, the Second Party System). The Whigs would eventually form the Democratic Party in opposition of the South’s clamor for an end to the onslaught on slavery. These distinctions, nevertheless, became only concrete in the post- World War I period when the Republicans managed to dominate national politics for the better part of a decade (1921-1933) (Intelligencesquaredus, p.1, 2011). Political p ositions solidified hardened even further during the Reagan era to yield the present dispensation. An understanding of this history is important because only by knowing the weaknesses of this two-party system will one be better able to appreciate its inherent faults. American history is replete with instances of how this system broke down to yield either a violent confrontation (American Civil War) or a legislative assault. An example of the latter is the impasses generated by inability of the Republicans and Democrats to reach a conclusive deal on fiscal policies in the Obama administration (Intelligencesquaredus, p.2, 2011). In effect, this two-party system has only made America ungovernable. Political compromises are becoming much more difficult to reach and with the resurgence of the Tea Party phenomenon, it is only responsible to assume that Right-wing Republicans may overshadow the conservatism of the Grand Old Party, in turn, making legislative negotiation impractical and ineffective. Clearly, the silent majority of conservative party members are muffled at every election cycle (Intelligencesquaredus, p.1, 2011). Additionally, this two-party system does not provide the electorate with sufficient alternatives, which leads to dampened voter sentiment and participation. This system is susceptible to manipulation by Big Business, meaning that public interest may be sidelined. The American model is, in this sense, far from perfect. This system is hugely dependent on the ability of citizens to make informed decision during voting. This is not always the case in electoral systems like the American one (Okpala, p. 3, 2009). Voters are held hostage by special interests and emotions and make irrational electoral decisions. The electorate is usually won over by the most charismatic candidates, meaning that it is not the most qualified candidates that usually make it to office. In addition, those adept at winning election cycles end up dominating politics. The mass media is especially culpable. It distorts the truth about certain candidates and policies, and drowns the electorate with biased, ‘expert’ information (Okpala, p. 5, 2009). Indeed, the electorate does not have the capacity nor resolve to govern a country. This is best exemplified by the present conundrum: the election cycles have failed to address the failure of public management and force leaders to make tough choices on such important issues as the financial crisis. The electorate the world over, whether in debt-stricken Greece or in America, lack the resolve to make tough decisions and usually pass the baton to the murky world of elite democratic leaders (Okpala, p. 11, 2009). Leaders brave enough to propose tough measures such as austerity and equitable taxing of the rich and wealthy find themselves unpopular. Leaders are also incentivized to prop up populist polices to shore up their popularity. This is usually done by ramping up the entitlements spending. Entitlements, in turn, push the deficit burden and, despite this retrogressive development, the electorate still elects such leaders (back) into office. The democratic system also creates persistent minorities. These are the class of the electorate that loses after every election cycle. A candid example is the Indigenous Americans that live amidst a highly urbanized and developed society (Okpala, p. 9, 2009). What this has done is that it has marginalized their interest and as a result, minorities have lower standards of quality of life, have greater inequalities of income, lower access to and success in education, and political marginalization. The end result is usually referred to as majority tyranny, but even in the absence of it, minority communities still experience largely insurmountable odds in accessing resources and influencing the course of policies and laws (Okpala, p. 8, 2009). In the U.S., however, majority tyranny is not a huge problem as affirmative actions polices, an indication that the minorities have been historically sidelined, are attempting to re-dress this issue. Another challenge with democracy in America is the effect of legislative and judicial over-reach. A number of American states are now seeking to limit voting rights come the 2012 election cycle. Georgia, for example, is seeking a reduction in the time available for voting to a mere 21 days. South Carolina, on the other hand, is seeking to place restriction on voters by demanding that they produce identification documents during voting. These restrictions are unashamedly aimed at restricting the ability of a number of interest groups from voting (Okpala, p. 8, 2009). The proponents to these voting changes claim that it will crack down on the (assumedly) fraudulent voters, that is, African-Americans, college students, Hispanics, the disabled and urban dwellers. This makes it hard for these groups to vote as they generally do not either have access to driving licenses (the disabled and urban dwellers where they public transport) for instance or identification documents themselves (such as Hispanics).The democratic model is not the best political arrangement, but easily beats the other political system for its attempt to be inclusive and representative. Do you need a custom essay on Democracy? At you can order high-quality custom written essays starting at $12/page!

An Exercise in Identifying Paragraph Breaks in Essays

An Exercise in Identifying Paragraph Breaks in Essays This exercise will give you practice in paragraphingorganizing sentences into unified paragraphs in a coherent essay. InstructionsWhen originally published in 1913, this humorous essay by Homer Croy was divided into 17 paragraphs. The essay has been reprinted here without any line spaces or indentations.Either on your own or in a group, decide where the paragraph breaks should be, and be prepared to explain why. When youre done, compare your version of the essay with the original version of Bathing in a Borrowed Suit. Keep in mind that many arrangements are possible and that your version of the essay may have more than or fewer than 17 paragraphs.   Bathing in a Borrowed Suit by Homer Croy (1883-1965) The desire to be seen on the beach in a borrowed bathing suit is not so strong in me as it once was. An acquaintance, under the guise of friendship, lured me out to his beach one day, saying that he had full rights to the most popular ocean in the world. I had heard his ocean spoken highly of, and I accepted. Unfortunately I forgot to take my bathing suit, but he said that that was nothingthat he had one that would fit me as the paper on the wall. As I recall it those were his exact words. At last he found it in the basement, where it seems that the mice, to get the salt, had helped themselves rather liberally to its none too strong fabric. From the holes in the suit it was easy to see that the party had been a merry one and had not broken up till a late hour. The suit had never been planned for a person of my general architecture. Roughly speaking, I am fashioned along the lines of the Woolworth Building, with a slight balcony effect about the thirty-third floor. The suit had been i ntended for a smallish person given to bathing principally by himself. It was, in its present state, mostly a collection of holes rather insecurely held together with yarn. The waist would have been tight on a doll, while the trunks looked like a pair of pulse-warmers. I tried to find a place to get into the suit, but it stuck together like a wet paper bag. At last I got part way in only to find that my arms were sticking through where a couple of mice had polished off a meal. Finally I felt that I had the suit on and looked in the mirror. I drew back in startled surprise. There were two foreign marks on my body. One I recognized after a moment as being where my collar button had rubbed, but the other was larger. It was a dark splotch as if I had run into the bureau. But, on looking more closely, I saw that it was the bathing suit. Even under the most favorable circumstances, when attired in a bathing suit, I dont live long in the memory of strangers. Rarely ever is my photograph taken by a shore photographer and put up in his exhibition case, and prac tically never does a cluster of people gather around me, talking excitedly with bursts of involuntary applause. My friends were waiting on the lawn for me to join them. Taking a firm grip on my courage I walked out into the yard. The ladies were gaily chatting and smiling until they saw me, when suddenly they closed the conversation and turned to gaze far out over the blue horizon to a dim, distant sail. The ocean looked only a couple of blocks away, but we seemed to walk miles. I was the cynosure of all eyes. I had never been a cynosure before, and in fact didnt know that I had any talent in that line, but now, as a cynosure, I was a great success. When some rude boys came up and began to make personal remarks in the tone that such remarks are usually made in, I abandoned the rest of the party and hurried for the water. I plunged in, but I plunged too hard. My suit had got past the plunging stage. When I came up there was little on me besides the sea foam and a spirit of jollity. The latter was feigned. Something told me to keep to the deep. My friends called me and insisted that I come asho re to play in the sand with them, but I answered that I loved the ocean too well and wanted its sheltering arms around me. I had to have something around me. I must get back to the house and into my clothes. I worked down the beach until I was out of sight, and made a break for the solace of the basement from whence the suit had come. Many people were out walking but I did not join any of them, and as they stared at me, I began to walk faster and faster. Soon I was running. A large dog that I had never seen before rushed at me. I turned around and gave him one lowering look, but he evidently did not catch it, for he came straight on. I looked around for a rock to use for something that I had in mind, but somebody had removed all the desirable ones. So I turned my back to the ill-bred creature and started on. However, this did not cut him the way I had hoped. Instead, he came on with renewed interest. I did not want him to follow me, but this seemed to be his intention, although he had received no encouragement on my part. I sped up and tried to lose him, but my efforts were fruitless, and to make it mor e unpleasant he kept up a loud, discordant barking which jarred on my sensitive ear. I gained the yard and plunged against the door of the house, but some thoughtful person had closed it. I ran around to the rear, but the person had done his work well. So I ran back with some vague hope that the door would be open, although I knew quite well it wouldnt be. My surmises were right. Back the dog and I ran together, while curious passers-by began to stare. I soon found myself almost out of breath, but the dog seemed to be quite fresh. However, I ran back again. At last I came upon a basement door that was open, dived in and shut the door after me. I took particular pains to do that. I continued to remain in the basement. Although the time hung heavily on my hands I did not stroll out to chat with the townspeople. In the course of time my friend returned and looked at me strangely. Arent you feeling well? he asked pityingly. No, I answered sadly. I feel kind of run down. But why did you get in this basement? he asked. It belongs to the man next door. Of late I get all th e bathing I want with a sponge behind closed doors. I would rather have a sponge that has been in the family a long time at my back, than a strange dog similarly located, with whose habits I am not familiar. Bathing in a Borrowed Suit by Homer Croy originally appeared in Life magazine (July 1913) and was reprinted in Our American Humorists by Thomas L. Masson (Moffat, Yard and Company, 1922).

Management effective worplace relationship Essay

Management effective worplace relationship - Essay Example This can lead to the third step in the relationship of mutual respect. A respecting relationship demands each person to contribute enough respect that it can be reciprocated back from the other person. Jose lack the skills of communication and hence his collogues don’t have real understanding and mutual respect. Unilateral respect in relationships is temporary and superficial. Mutual respect that can lead to trust is much deeper and must come from communicated understanding. Once a relationship has experienced mutual respect it is possible for the participants to experience enduring relational trust. This is a feeling that binds people together over time and through trials. The absence of trust causes confusion, worry, inaction and fear (Buzzle.com, 2006). Ans 2. Many of the problems that occur in an organization are the direct result of people failing to communicate. It leads to confusion and can cause a good plan to fail. Communication is one of the most key elements of leadership. Good communication skills need to be learned to effectively become a good leader or manager. When communication occurs, it becomes easy to accurately convey relevant operational information and thoughts to the team members. In this case Jose withheld some information and delayed giving other information to Jacinta and Toby because he thought that if the complete information is passed on he will not have any value. He lacked self confidence and lacked leadership skills. He also thought that by giving the information late (second day) he would be able to finish his part of work (all paper work), but he lacked the sense of proper time management. He should have thought that if he passes the information to Jacinta and Toby earlier than he does currently, simu ltaneously they could work and save a lot of time. When his team consists of people like

Research paper about Worlf of Warcraft online Essay

Research paper about Worlf of Warcraft online - Essay Example So when Blizzard announced that they were going to reveal their next project this September, the speculation ran rampant, as usual, as fanboys and industry dorks alike started guessing at the possibilities. STARCRAFT 2? Massively multiplayer DIABLO? A first-person shooter? The answer was finally revealed on September 2 at ECTS in London--and, as usual, everyone was wrong again. Coming next from Blizzard is WORLD ΟF WARCRAFT, a massively multiplayer RPG set in the WARCRAFT universe. And although no one expected this, it is as exciting an announcement as they could have made. Finally, Blizzard is swooping down from that eagle-eye view and letting us play inside one ÃŽ ¿f their fantasy universes. Finally, instead ÃŽ ¿f commanding troops from above, we get to be mighty heroes ourselves, creating cur own personal legends. It is Blizzard most ambitious game to date--and over the next 10 pages, the green-skinned CGW peons are ready to take you on a tour ÃŽ ¿f the now-living kingdom ÃŽ ¿f Azeroth in this exclusive first look, Zug zug! As any serious WARCRAFT geek knows, Blizzard has long had a huge story in place for its flagship universe--but most ÃŽ ¿f that story never appeared in the games themselves. But the WARCRAFT I and II designers were obviously frustrated story-tellers, because they packed the manuals and subsequent novels with details ÃŽ ¿f a deeply thought-out fantasy world (somewhat reminiscent ÃŽ ¿f Raymond Feists great Riftwar Saga) that has just begged for further enrichment. Blizzard tried to build on the story in the never-released WARCRAFT ADVENTURES, and the fact that theyre coming back to it again--this time in an online RPG--just proves the level ÃŽ ¿f their obsession. (Bessià ¨re 530-5) "The simple fact is that WARCRAFT is our flagship gig," said Chris Metzen, longtime Blizzard veteran and "keeper ÃŽ ¿f the arcane flame" ÃŽ ¿f all WARCRAFT continuity. "DIABLO kicks ass, STARCRAFT kicks ass--Im partial to

Escape from Tomorrow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Escape from Tomorrow - Essay Example In relation to other films of the same genre, Moore puts effort in pointing at cultural freedom. The director does not seek permission to shoot the film in Disney World but the movie manages to come out to the public to attract attention because of its relevance. Films by other directors that are in the same genre do not exploit freedom and override some concepts that are necessary in the family theme (Amy, 2012, pg. 106). Moore categorically presents his main character Jim with all the characteristics that contemporary fathers and husbands go through. The author goes ahead to indicate to the audience that the delusions of Jim lead to his death. Movies and films in the same genre as Escape from Tomorrow have a happy conclusion unlike Moore’s story where Jim dies in his delusions. Another similar film similar to Escape from Tomorrow is Mary Poppins that has the context of the family and a theme that points out problems within the family set-up (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25xPAyNLQv4). Comparing the two movies, Moore concentrates more on the resultant effects that outside influences have on the family institution. Mary Poppins has a micro aspect that concentrates on happenings within the family set up, how problems arise and consequences of continuous disagreements within the family. Making comparisons of movies of the same genre opens up severalthemes that might have been overlooked by the producers themselves (Laurie, 2013, pg. 120). From the two films, the common aspect is problems that exist in families caused by both internal and external factors.

Communication in Economics Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communication in Economics - Article Example â€Å"Dark pools† simply means the simulated exchanges that are created by banks through conjuring with big potential clients to buy or sell massive deals without changing the price as per the current financial market prices. These side deals are effectuated privately for the selfish benefits of the culprits in the banking industry and the deceitful clients. The main purpose of this vice is to cushion the clients from the possible losses of the main exchanges in a quest to reap profits that are equally shared by both perpetrators (Iniman para 1). The truth about dark pools is that it is a highly profitable venture. The illegality about it reveals that the sector is money-spinning occasioned by different transactions. The most predominant selling venture in â€Å"dark pools† is the attraction of massive share slugs that usually pools established shareholders into buying shares or trading their shares (Iniman para 3). However, there are no legitimate standards that are followed in these transactions of shares. The financial data about these transactions is only relayed to the public after the business is completed. The opportune reporting, which is done after the completion of the transaction, is always a tactical move to ensure that the perpetrators are not affected by the price. This is because an early report about the shares transactions usually raises attention to the truthful stakeholders in the industry to fluctuate the price basing on the buyers and sellers willingness to transact (Iniman para 3). The bigwigs who indulge in these illegal transactions are currently overriding in the U.S and Europe banking quarter. They utilize â€Å"dark pools† as a smokescreen on their way to raking millions of dollars from the shares business with no fear of making loses because of the nature of operations (Iniman para 3). It is palpable that most

Business to Business Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business to Business Marketing - Case Study Example Storage Open Market Modified Rebuy /New Task Toys and sporting Barbie Lego Fisher Price Bratz HotWheels Straight Rebuy Women's wear Contempo Girl Express Secret Love Bonds Solutions Sports Now Bub2b Beachley Straight Rebuy 2.0 NETWORK SURROUNDING KMART 3 Overview of Products acquired from Upstream Supplier: The supply chain of a company contains three parts: 1) The upstream that which includes suppliers and their sub-suppliers and their sub-suppliers etc. 2) The internal supply chain which includes all the processes used in transforming the inputs received from the above suppliers to the outputs, from the time the inputs enter an organization to the time that the product(s) go to distribution. 3) The downstream which includes all the activities involved in delivering the product to final customers, including the "afterlife" that is, where the product ends up after it has served its useful life - recycle, reuse, refuse, etc. K-MART is one of the largest retail networks of the world. In view of keeping the organizational purchasing process transparent and systematic, K-Mart utilizes a "Supplier Diversity Program" by Diversity Business.com. They have completely outsourced their vendor management to Diversity Business.com. K-Mart believed in Supplier Diversity and for this they have a specific Supplier Diversity Program. Supplier Diversity Mission Statement "Kmart is committed to improving the economic position of minority owned businesses. Our diverse store locations require that we go above and beyond to meet our customers' expectations. It is our goal to actively seek qualified, reliable, minority owned vendors that can provide a strategic advantage to Kmart." (www.diversitybusiness.com) It... 2) The internal supply chain which includes all the processes used in transforming the inputs received from the above suppliers to the outputs, from the time the inputs enter an organization to the time that the product(s) go to distribution. 3) The downstream which includes all the activities involved in delivering the product to final customers, including the "afterlife" that is, where the product ends up after it has served its useful life - recycle, reuse, refuse, etc. K-MART is one of the largest retail networks of the world. In view of keeping the organizational purchasing process transparent and systematic, K-Mart utilizes a "Supplier Diversity Program" by Diversity Business.com. They have completely outsourced their vendor management to Diversity Business.com. "Kmart is committed to improving the economic position of minority owned businesses. Our diverse store locations require that we go above and beyond to meet our customers' expectations. It is our goal to actively seek qualified, reliable, minority owned vendors that can provide a strategic advantage to Kmart." (www.diversitybusiness.com) It can be seen that it would be difficult to analyze which one of the numerous suppliers is more important for K Mart.

Communication in Economics Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communication in Economics - Article Example â€Å"Dark pools† simply means the simulated exchanges that are created by banks through conjuring with big potential clients to buy or sell massive deals without changing the price as per the current financial market prices. These side deals are effectuated privately for the selfish benefits of the culprits in the banking industry and the deceitful clients. The main purpose of this vice is to cushion the clients from the possible losses of the main exchanges in a quest to reap profits that are equally shared by both perpetrators (Iniman para 1). The truth about dark pools is that it is a highly profitable venture. The illegality about it reveals that the sector is money-spinning occasioned by different transactions. The most predominant selling venture in â€Å"dark pools† is the attraction of massive share slugs that usually pools established shareholders into buying shares or trading their shares (Iniman para 3). However, there are no legitimate standards that are followed in these transactions of shares. The financial data about these transactions is only relayed to the public after the business is completed. The opportune reporting, which is done after the completion of the transaction, is always a tactical move to ensure that the perpetrators are not affected by the price. This is because an early report about the shares transactions usually raises attention to the truthful stakeholders in the industry to fluctuate the price basing on the buyers and sellers willingness to transact (Iniman para 3). The bigwigs who indulge in these illegal transactions are currently overriding in the U.S and Europe banking quarter. They utilize â€Å"dark pools† as a smokescreen on their way to raking millions of dollars from the shares business with no fear of making loses because of the nature of operations (Iniman para 3). It is palpable that most

Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 3

Proposal - Essay Example In web designing all the mistakes made must be identified in good time in order to avoid challenges. Creating a website is not a problem to most of the web designers but making it to be of use is the main challenge. This also includes the power of the website to have a good interface for the customers to love it and increase traffic attendance. Most of the web designers in technology assume that they create a website for themselves by introducing their own interest factors forgetting the needs of the users hence making the website to become dormant. In such sites, there will be no users and traffic will be very low even when new users will be invited to the website. A website designer can make errors when designing the website and assume simple mistakes that will make users to avoid logging online into the website. It is the duty of a web designer to ensure that all constraints and procedures of the website are well followed. Any website designed must be included with a source search engine to be the main reference to the new users joining the website. As a web designer, you must include all the search tools needed in the website and have the right search function. One of the major search engines we have is Google which must be included into the website. Not necessarily, Google search engine, but there also exists other se arch engines like Yahoo and Bing. Most designers prefer to come up with their own search engines to avoid unnecessary advertisements. For a good website there must be an excellent readability and legibility in a way that the interface is well designed and attracts the customers reading the website. All the rules and regulations of the website must be well analyzed and understood by the users in the website. This captures the idea of the website to have a good constructed language that is commonly use by many of the users. Example of a common language is the USA English language that must be used in most of the design sections of

Project Goals And Objectives Essay Example for Free

Project Goals And Objectives Essay Company Background The ABLE TOOLS CORPORATION is a well-known organization that actually operates to be among the pioneer organizations in the field of tool production and distribution. The market o the said corporation remains to be the ones involved in construction activities. In terms of being prepared for emergencies though, the company has less control of the situations that are likely to arise in the future without any notice to the organization which may as well affect the overall operations of the business in their target market.   The memo that follows outlines the different issues that need focus in the process and how are the said issues going to be dealt with by the organization later on. Possible Issues to Arise The issue on weak marketing approach that would likely affect the performance of the business within the market that they are serving is indeed a supposed well-treated issue on the part of the marketing and management departments of the organization. The attention that they are likely lacking in this area of concern would absolutely cause the failure of the entire organization once not given the right treatment. Strategic Goal Meeting the said challenges in the organization’s operations is likely one of the most important goals of the entire business group. However, the question is the strategy that is to be implemented to solve the problem. Obviously, the supposed goal is expected to be focused in increasing the profit of the organization through marketing procedures amidst the increasing competition happening in the market.   The idea is to make a procedure by which an effective marketing strategy implementation could at least handle the challenge of facing the both the new and old competitors in the field. It is indeed challenging enough to handle the external issues concerned within this situation, however, it should be noted that there are also internal elements affecting the same situation that could affect the entire strategy to be used to actually handle the said organizational issues. Tactical Goals There are several tactics of approaching the problem. However, to be able to come up with the right process of dealing with the issue, it should be understood how the elements of operation of the issue should be controlled. In this case, marketing procedures and enhancing their audience and market effect would require the involvement of the balancing of fiancà ©s as well as expenses of the proceedings concerned with the said approach. Likely, to understand better, the process to be handled here requires one to have a better understanding of how to handle the cost of marketing while not hurting the profit of the business so much and giving better profit chances at the same time to the organization’s operational returns. Issues and Concerns Possibly, what need to be addressed in this problem are those that are highly concerned with the creative approaches that the organization is possibly taking. Understandably, such approaches are expected to have a strong impact on the process by which the organization progresses in its own field of industries. The marketing process and the marketing medium to be utilized should be well chosen and created so as to ensure that whatever it is that needs to be balanced in the process would be given attention to within the completion of the planned business disaster recovery plan. With the said procedure, it is expected that each element in the process would be attended to by the administrational management carefully so as to ensure that the values and the concerns of the business are given the right amount of focus during the process. Balancing the ways by which the said elements are affected directly by the planned solution should be given careful understanding by the administrational personnel handling the said situations in actual applications for the sake of better progress of the entire organization in the market. References: Cummings, E., Haag, S., McCubbrey D. (2005). Management Information Systems for the Information Age. McGraw-Hill Ryerson Higher Education. Buchanan, Sally. Emergency preparedness. from Paul Banks and Roberta Pilette. Preservation Issues and Planning. Chicago: American Library Association, 2000. 159-165. ISBN 978-0-8389-0776-4 Hoffer, Jim. Backing Up Business Industry Trend or Event. Health Management Technology, Jan 2001.

Marketing Management of Nokia

Marketing Management of Nokia Dr. Jim McCleskey Introduction    Nokia is a Finnish corporation, which is founded in 1865. At beginning they started as a ground wood pulp mill. In 1967 this Corporation was founded by merging the companies. In 1978 it has started to explore digital phone network. Mobile network was founded in Scandinavia in 1981; which was initially for car phones. In 1994 Nokia introduce the 2100 series, whose sell 20million phones around world. Up to 1998 Nokia became world leader in mobile phones market. From 1996 to 2001 Nokias turnover increases from  £6.5bn to  £31bn. Nokia introduces first mobile phone with a built-in camera in 2001, called Nokia 7650. After a year Nokia launches its first 3G phones, Nokia 6650. 3G technology phones can be used for browsing web, download music, watch TV and much more. Overview of the Case Nokia entered India market with services of mobile phones in 1995. It was leading name for cell phones in India working with an aim to connect people. Indias telecom sector opened up to private companies after a year Nokia entered to the market. Nokia made giant assembly plant of Vis and component suppliers, by hand with cheap labor, 8000 full time jobs out of a figure of 30.000 mostly women were hired (MNSambit, 2010). First Indian ringtone Saare Jahan Se Accha- was on the phones in 1998. As we all know India is the 2nd most populated country in the world so we can understand why Nokia choose to be in that market. In 2000 Nokia introduced its first phone with a user menu in Hindi, in Nokia 3210. In 2002 Nokia introduced their first camera phone for Indian customers. So Nokia was absolutely determined about dominating the telephone sector in India. For the latest information about the mobile subscribers that we can find out is that there were 500 million subscribers in India. Mobile phone sector in India is gigantic with 118 million mobile users and 85 million of this users are Nokia users. While reaching this amount of users Nokia didnt just stay in only one sector they did wire cables, rubber works, in-house electrical device and etc. this helped them to extend all-over the world. Marketing Issues and Concepts Nokia was directly concentrating on the Rural India. The total targeted population they estimated were almost 100 million. The users were commonly males. But female users were also not commonly less. The users of the Nokia phone was aged between 25 and 50, which is the segment that makes up 80% of the Nokia mobile phone market. Nokia targeted to stay in the market for more than 30 years. But as we know the era of Smartphones appeared. So teenagers and mostly business class people start to ask for something different and something new. Nokias decline starts when its rivals arrives in 2004 on arrival of smartphones, Nokia 9210 was the first mobile phone with an organizer. Nokia developed the mobile phones with Symbian OS, with which capabilities were expended. But Apple came up with IOS on their IPhones; which brought new definition to smartphone. Apple introduced iPhone in a way like minicomputer that could make phone calls. Nokia didnt upgrade their phones like the iPhone and still u sing Symbian OS. Nokias market shares move more downwards when Samsung came into market with their smartphones. At that period Nokia didnt do anything to change itself. Nokia was sticking with the old version of mobile phones that were mainly about calling people. Nokia was unable to notice that they were just making some updates about checking e-mail, surfing and on messaging. In 2011 Nokia has united with Microsoft. The new Windows Phone was going to replace the Symbian OS with smartphones. It was estimated that the union would make Microsofts Windows Phone a stronger rival against iOS and Android. This new phone by Nokia was called Lumia line. Lumia line sale was increased more than 1 million before 26 January 2012. Continuously in second quarter sales reached up to 5.4 million Windows Phones. The sales of the Lumia line went up, in the second quarter of 2013 Nokia announced that Lumia sales were 7.4 million, which was a new record for Nokia. In 2013 Nokia get back to profit afte r a series of losses, Microsoft buys Nokias handset business for  £5.44bn. Nokia not only failed to realize competition from Apple, Samsung, Sony, and Blackberry in high end smartphones, they also failed to notice the stiff competition in the lower segments of phone (KaranKamboj, 2014). We can easily say that, Nokia dramatically lost its place on market share. The less you keep up with the case the less you live. Even if they had the slogan of Know our Past, Create the Future they couldnt figure-out the consequences of ignoring the Smartphones and they couldnt create their future. Questions Should Nokia pursue full market coverage, market specialization, product specialization, selective specialization, or single-segment concentration? Why? According to Forbes newspaper Nokia has been losing its market share in a faster rate. In 2009 Nokias market share in India was 54% and it declined to 36.3 % in middle of 2010. With this decline the market share dropped to 20% in 2016 (Trefis Team, 2016). Nokia has tried to keep its market share by a product specialization inventing dual SIM card system. As a result, cell phones with dual SIM card become very popular till the smart phone invention. Nokia had limited social networking system or smart phone industry system which caused rivals to increase their market share in India. Therefore, Nokia should concentrate more on below marketing. Single-segment concentration will not be enough to compete with others. Product specialization, selective specialization- in order compete with other carrier Nokia needs to increase social networking feature. Market specialization- Nokia has been inventing its tools to different demographic groups. Providing icon-based menu consisting of pictures and Hindi SMS Saral Mobile Sandesh. Full market coverage- since entrance to Indian market Nokia has been widely working with telecommunication to use the network. Should Nokia provide post-purchase service by identifying the service that consumers value the most, and the relative importance of each? Any marketing need to provide post-purchase service/s in order to know what consumers value. Nokia has been opened Nokia Priority Dealers across the country and Nokia Concept Stores. Would technological convergence lead to technological obsolescence? Any technological convergence lead to technological improvement to Nokia. Since other competitors/rivals Samsung and Apple by adding a new and improved technological convergence tools they have been increasing their market shares. For instance, social networking system. Will responding to heightened competition with a number of models lead to product cannibalization in Nokia? Since day by day a competition is increasing tremendously, therefore Nokia has been introducing new models of handsets such as Lumia, Asha, Nokia X, Nokia E series to respond to high demand of consumers. However, all series have their different profit margin. In order to compete and increase its market share Nokia needs a technologic cannibalization more often and balanced. Conclusion Nokia has been an industry leader for many years however the market has changed quickly and Nokia must right itself. There is a significant risk for Microsoft it should deliver a world class OS or otherwise the customers will turn to Apple and Android.(MNSumbit,2010) When Nokia had a scenario and tried to increase their market share on a Lumia series they aimed to stand on market for a long duration. And Lumia series was Nokias appliance to challenge with smartphone market. But Nokia didnt respond on time and get late to introduce Lumia series, if they would respond on time, in 2007 or 2008, they would have a greater market share as compared to its existing position. But Nokias market share will grow because Nokia is introducing smartphones of substantial quality for almost every budget. e.g. Nokia Lumia 520 is a cheap smartphone, which can do everything unlike expensive Lumia. But its features are of less quality. Samsung brings a wide range of smartphones in market to increase their market share. Samsung is going to capture market with their different models. Nokia is also supposed to use that strategy to increase their market share; produce every budget Lumia versions of the consumer. Nokia still needs to compete with the recent and future tre nds. If not they are not going to adjust with the market they will make loses as we learned from the history. References Mishra,S. (2010). Nokia Case Study [PPT format]. Retrieved from http:// http://www.slideshare.net/mnsambit/nokia-case-study-52866723?next_slideshow=1 Kamboj,K. (2014). Failure of Nokia [PPT format]. Retrieved from http:// http://www.slideshare.net/karankamboj313/failure-of-nokia Raghavan Srinivasan, S., Ramakrishnan, S., & Grasman, S. E. (2005). Marketing intelligence. Kapil Nayan, K., Mukherjee, J. (2011). Case Studies in Marketing. Team T., (2016). Great Speculations.

Essay --

How Practitioners in Multi-Cultural College Environments Might promote the Changes Associated with College Attendance. There are a number of ways for practitioners in multicultural environments to promote changes associated with college attendance. It is very important to recruit minorities in our predominantly white institutions as it is crucial to present an inclusive and welcoming environment. Accommodating a diverse student body is also essential. Implementing programs to retain minority students is also imperative when it comes to promoting college attendance as it is important to retain the students that have been recruited. However, there are additional ways to promote changes associated with college attendance which involves: Implementing a culturally diverse curriculum to include a mandatory course in which students from diverse backgrounds meet and exchange ideas and information; creating a signature bridge program for underrepresented minorities who are becoming freshmen; creating a diversity symposium to get the institute leadership team behind the concept of promoting the changes associated with college attendance. Implement a culturally diverse curriculum to include a mandatory course in which students from diverse backgrounds meet and exchange ideas and information. The implementation of a course to accommodate students of diverse backgrounds will foster communication amongst the varying ethnicities and encourage or increase attendance amongst minority students. The racial and ethnic diversity that symbolizes the interpersonal environment provided by close peers clearly affects students in a distinctive manner. Compared to aspects of a student's interpersonal environment defined by academic ability, values, ... ... ethnic diversity. There are additional diversity related efforts to include the development of cultural awareness and racial understanding (such as taking ethnic and women's studies courses, participating in ethnic student organizations, and attending cultural awareness workshops), these interracial interactions are informal and relevant to all students on a diverse campus, not just those few who choose to participate in formal courses or workshops. The potential for student body diversity to positively affect cross-cultural knowledge and understanding, through the mediating interpersonal context of best friends, appears to be a promising effect of college within the reach of all students. Retaining minorities who are already students at these predominantly white institutions is very important and programs and initiatives should be implemented to make this happen.

Content Management System

The Problem: It's Background A Content Management System (CMS) Is a computer program that allows publishing, editing and modifying content as well as maintenance from a central interface. One of the examples of Content Management System (CMS) is â€Å"blogging†. Blogging Is the act of posting content on d blog or posting comments on someone else's blog. Blogging is very popular today because it allows people to interact with each other.Blogging has also become a popular Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tool because search engines Ilke Google and Yahoo know that a blog Is frequently pdated with content or visitor comments, so their spiders visit blogs frequently looking for new content to include in their index. Additionally, blog content can be delivered automatically via electronic RSS (Really Simple syndication) data feeds. Visitors subscribe to a blog's feeds in order to stay up to date with content that's being posted on subjects that interest them.Blog feeds are then read by what's known as blog teed reader software, widely available for tree, so users can scan tor recent blog posts of interest on the blogs to which they subscribe. The purpose of his project proposal was to develop and Implementa CMS. This CMS will help us to inform easily the daily activities ot one person, the incoming events, news and some related topics. CMS will provide two users: The administrator and the user. Both administrator and user can post an article to that CMS, can also comment to some article that the other user posted, can also upload and download files.Manually posting the events or announcing is some problem encountered by those people who cant relate to those topics. Since the manual posting of event and announcing is always committing ontroversies after the process and some of us wants' to suggest about on what we want to see or happen on that event . So the researchers came up with an Idea of developing an Content Management System. This is very useful to ever yone especially to those busy people. They can browse the announcement anytime, everywhere with the use of Internet. A software application used to upload, edit, and manage content displayed on a website.A content management system can perform a variety of different tasks for a website including regulating when content is isplayed, how many times the content Is shown to a speclflc user, and managing how the content connects or interacts with other elements of the website. The idea behind developing a Content Management System was to Improve the public communication ot people and to give Ideas, sharing knowledge, suggestion and the freedom to express their thoughts. Statement ot Objectives In general, the main objective of the project was to develop a Content Management System. SpeclTlcally, tnls study almea to: 1 .Design a system that will easily provide accurate information of articles to the ser. 2. Decrease the time spent for manually posting information. 3. Decrease the space in managing articles and money consumed for manual posting of articles. 4. Version and control over the documents and the contents – reused or not. Significance of the study The developed Content Management System hopes to make contribute to the following: User – It is beneficial to the user by using the system and through this study it proves that the technology has a great effect to have an easy way of living.Administrator – It is easier for the Admin to post announcements, events nd related information. It gives less effort to communicate. Researcher – Found the findings useful as it served as basis in their future similar studies and this study provided them some insights and encouragement to do better systems that will contribute to their institution. Future Researcher – This study can contribute to them as their basis and reference in constructing similar study. Scope and Delimitation The system focused on the development a Content Management S ystem.It provides accurate information to all users and satisfies the needs of the user. The system rovides a user-friendly environment and greater consistency and accuracy. The system entitled â€Å"Content Management System† can be use to everyone. In this CMS, the user can choose categories, create her/his own article and she/he can post it. By posting the article, the other user can view/read the posted article. They can comments on that article, say what they want, give compliments, ECT.This project proposal includes uploading and downloading files. The limitation of the system is that, the categories are fixed. The user is required to choose categories so that they an create article and it will be post on the categories they choose. And only the Admin can manage to edit or delete the posted topic. Definition of terms To ensure better understanding on the parts of the readers, the standard and operational definition of terms in this study is hereby given: Accuracy â€⠀œ The quality of being near to the true value.Article – A piece or section that is part of a larger written work such as a magazine or a document. Blog – is a website consisting of post appearing with the most recent entry appearing first Blogging – The process of writing a blog, an online Journal in hich you share your thoughts about a particular subject with readers Categories – Provide a helpful way to group related posts together, and to quickly tell readers what a post is about.Comments – A statement of fact or opinion, especially a remark that expresses a personal reaction or attitude CMS (Content Management System) – A web based database that can be accessed by computes Database – A collection of information that is organized so that it can easily be accessed, managed, and updatea a- Inls Is tne process In wnlcn data Is sent to t your computer.Files – Is an entity of data available to system users (including the system itself and its application programs) that is capable of being manipulated as an entity (for example, moved from one file directory to another Robustness – In the context of computer software, robustness is the resilience of the system, especially when under stress or when confronted with invalid input. System – A collection methods, procedures or techniques united by regular interaction to form an organized whole. Uploading – This is the process of sending information to another computer.

There are many paradigms on the origins of strategy

There are many paradigms on the origins of strategy. Critically evaluate the various schools of thought existing in both the prescriptive and emergent schools. Use each of the schools as ‘Lens' to analyse organisation known to you. A strategy is a statement of intent, defining where an organisation wants to be in the long term. It is about understanding what processes are involved and how to avoid difficulties to help plan successful strategies. Strategy was once defined as â€Å"the art of planning and directing large military movements and the operations of war.† However, from an organisation point of view it is about mapping out the company's future and setting out which of its products or services they will tackle to which market and how this will be done. When an organisation has a strategy it enables them to ensure that decisions made on a day-to-day basis fit in with its long term interests. Strategies are also important as any decisions an organisation makes today can have a negative impact on its future results. A strategy will also help encourage employees, departments etc to work together to achieve common goals There are many beliefs on the origins of strategy and many authors have written about this. In 1996, Michael Porter wrote an article that appeared in the Harvard Business Review in which he argued that competitive strategy is was about being different. He also stated, â€Å"It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value† Porter (1996) Porter believed that strategy was about having a competitive advantage, distinguishing your products and services in the eyes of your customers, and about adding value through a mix of activities different from your competitors. According to Benjamin Tregoe and John Zimmerman of Kepner-Tregoe, Inc defined strategy in their book â€Å"Top Management Strategy† as â€Å"the framework which guides those choices that determine the nature and direction of the organisation† They believed that an organisation should select products or services to offer and the market to offer them in. However, Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) brought together elements of existing prescriptive and emergent schools of strategic thought into ten separate schools. The first three schools are grouped under the heading ‘Prescriptive Schools' which consisted of the design, planning and positioning schools. These schools believed in how strategies should be formulated rather than how they necessarily do form. The next six schools are grouped under the heading 'emergent schools'. These schools consist of the entrepreneurial, cognitive, learning, power, cultural and environmental schools. These schools concentrate less with prescribing ideal strategic behaviour, but more with describing how strategies are in fact made. Finally, the final school to be mentioned is the configuration school, which combines the methods and beliefs from all the previous schools mentioned. By describing each school in turn, we can critically evaluating each of these schools, then we can then go onto to use each of the schools as a ‘lens' to analyse different organisations. The first of the prescriptive schools is the ‘Design school' and this approach regards strategy formation as a process of conception, matching the internal state of the organisation to the external state of the environment. The origins of this school can be traced back to two writers Philip Selznick who in 1957 discussed the need to bring organisations internal state with its external opportunity whilst writer Alfred Chandler in (1962) recognised the design schools idea of business strategy and its connection to structure. The philosophy of this strategy formation is that it seeks to establish a fit between internal potential and external possibilities. The managing director, Dr Surendra, founded Rasmi electronics in 1974. They have grown to become one of the world's major filter manufacturers as well as being a major supplier of low voltage lighting transformers, energy lighting etc The strategy precedes structure in this type of organisation. Within the company they still adopt a hierarchal structure in which all decisions from marketing to production is made by the MD. They continually look for new market opportunities, which are a high priority within the company, by analysing the global market on a global basis and the strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis is a common tool that is used. However, in 2002, Rasmi Electronics designed a series of filters in which they distributed via a company called OmronYaskawa. They did not successfully analysed their market in Spain and this lead to another rival company producing a similar product. Fortnuatley due to the relationship Rasmi Electronics had with the customer this manage to keep the contract. This type of strategy formation places a great importance upon the ability to forecast the future external environment otherwise the strategy will be unsuccessful. According to Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) the advantage of this type of school is that it forces consideration of external factors and will be more appropriate in organisation that needs re-orientation. Around the same time as the design school, the planning school also originated. The main influence was by a writer H. Igor in his book ‘Corporate Strategy' published in 1965. Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) classified this strategy formation as a ‘Formal Process'. It follows a precise set of steps from analysis of the situation to the development and exploration of various alternative scenarios. â€Å"If we examine these principles closely, we find that the classical theorists were in effect designing the organisation exactly like they were designing a machine† (Morgan 1997) This type of strategy is normally developed by a team of specialists who specifically trained in the science of developing strategies. An example of this was seen in a company called Oldelft. Oldelft is a small high tech company whom operates in a global market. They specialise in products requiring advances knowledge of optics, electronics, electron optics etc. Their products normally have a short product life cycle and competition was both global and fierce. In 1975, the company saw a decline in their fortune therefore the executive board at the time pointed towards a cost reduction drive as a urgent step towards retrieving some of its profit back. However, at the time Oldelft had no adequate staff available that were trained or had the knowledge to do an overhead analysis they therefore decided to recruit a policy advisory council ‘Beleids Advies Radd) (BAR). This was the first of many different groups that Oldelft recruited between 1975 and 1981 all reporting to the executive board. The different groups, which were set up saw the process become more important than the product and according to Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) this type of process can lead to no place for creativity. Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) advised that it was important that an organisation had a formal strategic planning department within the organisation. In 1981, Oldelft saw its first successful strategic planning school come into operation and is was lead by a man called Ab Baas. Ab Bass made it compulsive for managers to contribute towards the planning cycle and by contributing information about the business segments within the organisation and the external factors. In this school of thought, the method in which strategy development occurs is by thorough strategic planning methodologies and scenario analysis. The company compiled a completed situation analysis, which was made up with an analysis of the industry maturity and the weighing up of the business segments competitive positions. Eventually this lead to Oldelft to recover its former profitability and even saw an increase in R&D expenditure. The final school of the prescriptive is the positioning school in which Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel state it is the strategy formation as an analytical process. This approach is very much influenced by Michael Porter. His works looks at placing organisations within the context of the industry in which they are. It also looks at how the organisation improves competitively within that industry. In 1995 Easyjet airlines a low fair airline introduced low cost flights within the European market. Haji Ioannou the owner of Easyjet believed that by reducing prices will lead to more people flying. He also believed that positioning is company was concerned with establishing the company in the mind of the customer, in a position relative to other airlines in the market The formation of this strategy is a mixture of defensive and offensive moves. Easyjet regularly uses the ‘Guerrilla promotional approach' to advertising by using distinguishing attacks on the airline establishment and in a serious of PR stunts. The principle is that the structure of industry drives strategic positions, which then drives the structure of an organisation. In the summer, 2002 Easyjet faced its first problem in the fact it was growing to fast within its market. This meant there was a difficulty in recruiting and training pilots and flights crew, which influenced the consumers, has believed this would affect the safety on the flights etc. Easyjet admitted that they should have looked at the various elements that depend on each other and how they change over time. By doing a SWOT analysis, this would have given an insight of the internal resources and the main features of the competitive landscape in which it operates. Some of the tools and methods used within this company are Michael Porter's Generic Strategies and the ‘Profit Impact of Market Strategies' (PIMS). In addition, according to Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel (1998) is that the advantage of this school is that it emphasis on the analysis and calculation of the previous mentioned tools can be very strong support to the process of developing the strategy however; it should not become the process. The fourth school Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel go onto to discuss is the ‘Entrepreneurial School' in which is the first of the group under the ‘Emergent Schools'. This approach regards strategy formation as a visionary process, taking place within the mind of the charismatic founder or leader of an organisation. An organisation that forms strategy as a visionary process, is the company called ‘Fortnum and Mason'. Fortnum and mason is an established food hall for over 300 years and is family owned. The chairperson is currently ‘Jana Khayat' whom took over after her father who stepped down in 2000. â€Å"To choose direction, a leader must first have developed a mental image of a possible and desirable future state of the organization† (De Wit, 1998) The company is now in the process of going international and are intending to open their first shop in Tokyo later on this year. However, going international has cost the company a drop in profits of 40% due to their reshuffling of their distribution channels to make going international possible. Mintzberg, Ashland and Lampel (1998) advise that this school of thought does not really use any tools or methods for strategy development as it is normally in the mind of the visionary. Even though going international is a big risk for the company, they do feel however, the vision, which has been imposed from many generations of the ‘Khayat' family, is what will get them through this. Jana Khayat feels strongly about her vision and brand, which she has printed in her new book. She stated in a recent interview with the Sunday Times â€Å"It's a mission of intent: where we should be. It is very easy for a store like Fortnum and Mason to become a pastiche of itself† (Khayat, 2004) The advantage of this school of thought is that it does acknowledge the tremendous input that a visionary genius can make to the organisation. However, problems can occur, as other employees of the organisation will not have an understanding on how the vision is created as this is normally done in the mind of the leader. There is also no real ability for the organisation to carry on after the visionary has left the company. The next of the emergent schools is the ‘Cognitive School' which strategy formation is seen as a mental process. The viewpoint of this school of thought is that strategy development is an act of cognition. It is about understanding how the mind works and processes information is the key to understanding strategy development. Cambridge broadband started in 2000 as a group of experienced individuals with a collective aim to deliver the worlds leading broadband fixed wireless access system. The group consists of the best engineers, academics, and commercial management in the industry. Cambridge broadband attracts these people, as they believe that it is an ideal environment to explore their diverse and highly developed talents. The collegiate atmosphere brings an informality that encourages creativity, According to Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) this strategy formation is a cognitive process that takes place in the mind of the strategist. The CEO, Peter Wharton believes that Cambridge Broadband will become world leader in their industry by using the knowledge and expertise of its team to provide up to date technology and to increase its customer base. Many of the ideas they have come up with have been from using tools such as cognition maps, frames, and Schemata, which are terms used about the mental representation of events and situations. They are data structures for representing both generic and specific concepts about the outside world. The advantage of this school is that is shows great promise even though the school of thought is that it is still relatively underdeveloped. However, the focus to date has been upon strategy formulation as an individual rather than a collective process, which can be more difficult to understand and manage. The learning school is the sixth school Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel go on to discuss. This school of thought regards strategy formation as an emergent process, where the management of the organisation pays close attention to what works and doesn't work over a period of time, and includes these ‘lessons learned' into their overall plan of action.. â€Å"†¦most organisations seem to have severe learning disabilities; most â€Å"die† before the age of forty† (Morgan, 1997) The Kao Corporation is a company, which has a strong learning culture. Dr Yoshio Maruta president of Kao Corporation believed that an organisation is not only learned but also learned how to learn. He stated â€Å"An educational institution in which everyone is a potential teacher' (Dr Maruta, 1990) He believed that the success to his company at the end of the eighties what the ability to integrate and enhance their effective marketing and information systems through learning. This resulted in them producing new products ahead of their Japanese and foreign companies becoming the largest branded and packaged group in Japan by 1990. Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) argued that the paradigm is that strategy in an organisation emerges because of trial and error from learning within the organisation. This was evident when Kao operation decided to become international. They were potentially a significant competitor therefore, decided that product division developed its own strategy for international expansion. However, the company's business portfolio and strategic infrastructure varied from market to market It is important that the organisation is familiar in that the strategy must be consonant with the patterns of behaviour and responses that are inbuilt within the organisation. In addition, it is important to be aware that strategy changes and evolves over time. There is however a danger that a lack of urgency or a lack of discipline may predominate and nothing significantly changes within the organisation. Hence, the decision to become international was not successful. Kao operation blamed this on the lack of international experience, fewer human resources assets, especially in top management and had far less accumulated international knowledge than their western competitors had. The have since invested into 10 day training schemes which all managers need to attend to develop a broader and international outlook and advised they did not have enough talented people especially at management level . The next school to be discussed is the Power School which this school of thought regards strategy formation as a process of negotiation. The development of this strategy is the process of negotiation between the power holders of an organisation or sometimes it can be between the organisation and the stakeholders. An example of this strategy formation can be seen within the University of Durham, in which negotiations take place within the micro power elements such as the individuals and groups within the organisation and negotiation is often done by political analysis and collective bargaining. This commonly seen within the University when negotiations about pay rise, policies etc are done with the trade union representatives. The interdependence the University of Durham has with its external environment is called ‘Macro power', which is when negotiations take place with the stakeholders etc. The university as part of their mission and strategy is to serve the international, national, and regional communities by understanding and engaging with the needs of its stakeholders. Power is clearly a building block in the development of strategy within this school of thought. This type of strategy would benefit large or mature organisations where power structures are well established. However, there is a tendency for organisation who adopts this type of strategy to have a narrow view in that all strategies are about power struggle or as a power exchange. The eighth school to be discussed by Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel, is the Cultural School this approach look at strategy formation as a collective process, which involves different groups and departments within an organisation. The reflection of the strategy, which is developed, is of the corporate culture of the organisation. The origin of culture was discovered by management in the 1980's, coming over from Japan. â€Å"†¦is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes ine group or category of people from another† (De Wit, 1998) A company with a strong culture is Argos, which is one of the UK's largest non-food retail chains, with annual sales exceeding à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3bn. After the takeover, Terry Duddy became Managing Director with the challenge of improving the firm's performance. He has done this by strengthening the brand, the quality of customer service, and the corporate culture The development of this strategy is the process of social relations, which take place within the beliefs and understandings shared by the employees of an organisation. He stated that it was challenging yet essential that the organisation reflected its strategy and focus on the customer. A key element of the new approach has been the corporate culture at Argos and the building of an environment, which is normative and cohesive. The commitment of Argos employees to these values seems extremely high in its 2003 ‘Speak Out' employee survey; the company found that among its employees 82% believe the company wants to beat its competitors whilst 74% believe strong teamwork is a major contributor to the Argos performance. The concepts for this strategy development come from the values, beliefs, and corporate culture etc within the organisation. The organisation needs to be aware that the corporate culture however vague and ill defined, is a very significant variable that can affect the culture of the organisation. However, this school of thought does tend to favour the consistency and continuation of the existing culture within the organisation and this may discourage necessary change. Argos also continues to work at building what it calls its 'employer brand' – a clear set of values representing the attitudes and beliefs of its employees. In 2003, after consultations with staff, these values were stated as change makes us better and more successful The Environmental School is the ninth school and here strategy formation is seen to be a reactive process. The organisation needs to respond to the forces of its environment otherwise it may be become extinct. A company who are well known in responding to their environment are the company ‘Rolls-Royce', which was first, established in 1984 and is now operating within four global markets. The success of the company is due to the rapid and substantial gains in the market share. They believe they have built a strong business by growing organically and through successful acquisitions. In the beginning of 2003, the aero engine division of Rolls-Royce introduced ‘Grid computing' to help reduce airline flight delays and achieve cuts in the cost of engine Maintaince. Due to a successful university research project on ‘Grid Computing' it has now became a major part of Rolls Royce's future I.T. Strategy. According to Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel (19998) traditionally the contingency theory was used within this school of thought however more recently organisations have ended up in cluster's within distinct ecological – type niches, in which they tend to remain until they die out. Similar to the positioning school the environment school is aware of the importance of environment as context, although it does recognise that the death of the business entities or indeed the entire industry is a natural or even expected fact. Rolls-Royce believes that the knowledge they will learn from the research into ‘Grid Computing' will enable then to understand a utility-based computing systems and how they can make money from it. However, the definition of the environment is often so complex that companies like Rolls-Royce will find it difficult to usefully analysis. In addition, it accords too much control to the environment therefore; two different organisations that are competing within the same industry can have vastly different strategies. The final school Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel discuss is the configuration school, which is often seen as the school, which unites all of the previous mentioned schools together. This strategy formation is seen as a process of transforming the organization from one state of decision-making structure into another. Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel (1998) stated the key to this strategy if for the organisation to recognise the need for the transformation, however to be able to do this without damaging the organisation. In 1992, Serge Kampf executive chairperson of Cap Gemini Sogeti (CGS) decided for the company to continue to compete successfully it was important that CGS and the large number of acquired firms should be moulded into a coherent transnational company. Some of the problems CGS would face were the creation of a new organisational structure into a dual organisation, improving service to clients and reduce reporting levels. Serge Kampf believed that all parts of the company needed to work the same way to function as a transnational organisation. This would inevitable force major changes within the organisation. Between 1992 and 1993 even though changes were being made CGS saw there worse year in 1992 when competition mauled the company and they had to lay off 600 employees for the first time in 25 years. This is when 81 managers throughout the organisation made a decision to launch a full-scale transformation of the entire company. The team of 81 managers were responsible for transforming working habits and implement new tools such as the sales funnel throughout the organisation. They also launched a 7-axis development plan to help restore CGS profitability. These changes was not appreciated by the competitors and shareholders as the process of transformation of an organisation with 20,000 employees would not be done short term. However, CGS did succeed it the transformational of their company, as they have succeeded in remaining profitable in 2003 in what was an extremely difficult market, implementing restructuring measures, which significantly reduced operating costs and prepared it to enter 2004 in the best possible condition. Since 1965, the amount of publication and attention within strategic management has varied within the different schools mentioned above. Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) illustrated how the schools take their place around and within the formation of strategy. In each of the schools of thought that have mentioned, the process of strategy formulation is regarded as something of a ‘Black Box'. However, the cognitive school did come close. None clearly describes how an individual or an organisation is able to leap from the collection and analysis of information to the conceptualisation of alternative courses of action. However, overall by looking at the schools together you can see why an organisation may favour one school from another. Overall, each of the schools offers some useful concepts, and some strong points to aid understanding, but has its disadvantages as well. â€Å"Strategy formation is judgemental designing, intuitive visioning, and emergent learning; it is about transformation well as perpetuation; it must involve individual cognition and social interaction, cooperation as well as conflict; it has to include analyzing before and programming after as well as negotiating during; and all of this must be in response to what can be a demanding environment† (Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel, 1998)