Innovative Emerging Technologies Leveraging Social Media

Introduction to the Readings There are many ways of how technologies can be used to improve the quality of a human life. People believe that the concept of technology should be associated with something new. However, the idea of the technological worth is as old as a human society because technology refers to a kind of craft and the discussions that take place around arts (Woods Woods, 2011).Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Innovative Emerging Technologies: Leveraging Social Media specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This paper aims at discussing the role of innovative and emerging technologies in modern society and the ways of how social media can be used in business, communication, and other activities. There are three main readings that can help to comprehend the development of the technological aspect and discuss social media as the means to find and exchange information. The work by Nambisan and Nam bisan (2008) introduces social media as a chance to involve customers in product design, development, and support. McAfee (2006) discusses the worth of Enterprise 2.0 as a good chance to promote collaboration among employees. The project developed by Bernoff and Li (2008) describes the sources with the help of which people can stay connected with each other, share information, promote communication, and use technologies to improve their business affairs. Social Media Technologies and Its Worth for Business The project by Nambisan and Nambisan (2008) examines the concept of a virtual customer environment (VCE) and the number of benefits of the possibility to engage ordinary people, who perform the roles of customers, in such activities as product development, design, support, marketing, etc. The VCE initiatives that can be interpreted as various social media technologies help companies learn better their customers and analyze their needs and expectations. There are many methods that can be used to gather information, share experience, and introduce new ideas. Regarding the current technological progress and the opportunities available to people via the Internet, it is not appropriate to consider online technologies as the only ways of exchanging information. Such organizations as Nokia, Nike, and Microsoft want to develop close relations with their customers using different technologies and gathering as much information as possible. The access to information helps customers perform new roles in the organizations and become the partners, who are ready to provide many other customers with product support services (Nambisan Nambisan, 2008). Customers may share several types of experiences using technologies. For example, they can be pragmatic and use the opportunities to learn better the properties of products and services. Technologies and the possibilities available to customers also help to develop hedonic experience when customers enjoy and get pleasure from everything they are involved in. Rating systems, knowledge centers, forums, and customer recognition programs are the best examples of how social media and the technological progress may be combined.Advertising Looking for critical writing on other technology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Benefits and Challenges of Platforms and Channels for Users People like to share information and use the Internet to find or deliver something. They promote tweeting and using Facebook or MySpace but fail to understand how many platforms and channels should be used to make such communication possible (Resmini Rosati, 2011). The article written by Andrew McAfee is the source that explains a variety of technologies and their rightness in regard to knowledge work that has to be performed by people, who have to collaborate with technologies regularly. Among the existing variety of sources for communication, exchange of information, and discus sions of thoughts, it is hard to understand if all of them are appropriate for people and their obligation to use and develop knowledge. McAfee (2006) offers to use Enterprise 2.0 technologies as an alternative for people to overcome the potential threats and help knowledge people benefit not only use technologies but make considerable contributions that promote development and survival. There is an evident fact that there are more users of technologies in comparison to their developers. People find it normal to use the already offered ideas and technological achievements to meet their personal and professional needs. However, they make themselves blind in front of innovative and emerging technologies. McAfee (2006) underlines the potential of Enterprise 2.0 â€Å"to usher in a new era by making both the practices of knowledge work and its outputs more visible† (p. 28). Still, the situation remains to be complicated because even if being confident in the importance of a new p rogram, McAfee is not sure if the changes are appropriate for ordinary users and if people are ready for any kind of change. The Power of Social Web for People The final article is developed by Bernoff and Li (2008) to discuss the peculiarities of blogs, social networks, and other means of communication and their impacts on people and their achievements. Barney (2011) proves the fact new information and communication technologies have been developed considerably during the last decade. Bernoff and Li introduce groundswell applications as a concept to be terrified about and fascinated with. On the one hand, people want to benefit with such application due to the possibility to consider the cultural, political, and personal aspects of communication. On the other hand, people do not want to have access to all sources of information and know a little about what they can do with all those possibilities. People have different attitudes to the technological gifts. Some of them like to writ e and develop blogs. Some people are interested in reading texts. Many people want to use social network sites, share the latest news, and exchange personal information. A number of people cannot resist the opportunity to watch video online. In other words, online technologies may provide people with a number of options, and people are free to choose what they prefer.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Innovative Emerging Technologies: Leveraging Social Media specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, it is necessary to comprehend that technologies may be used for not only entertainment or meeting their professional goals. It is important to contribute to the technological development. It is time for people to start thinking about their abilities and stop paying and using services only. The development of groundswell applications is the change to conduct research, promote marketing, develop sales, etc. C onclusion In general, the usage of social media and innovative technologies is a burning topic for discussions. People are able to introduce various opinions and attitudes to the role of technology in a human life. Still, there is one common idea that is supported by Bernoff and Li (2008), Nambisan and Nambisan (2008), McAfee (2006), and many other researchers: people have to know how to develop appropriate relations with technologies and use them to meet their professional and personal goals as well as contribute the technological development by means of personal ideas and skills. Customers, managers, employees, and ordinary users of social media should not be afraid of the abilities they get with technologies but learn how to enlarge their chances to succeed from a technological point of view. References Barney, D. (2011). Communication technology. Vancouver, BC: UBC Press. Bernoff, J. Li, C. (2008). Harnessing the power of the oh-so-social web. MIT Sloan Management Review, 49(3) , 36-42. McAfee, A.P. (2006). Enterprise 2.0: The dawn of emergent collaboration. MIT Sloan Management Review, 47(3), 21-28. Nambisan, S. Nambisan, P. (2008). How to profit from a better ‘virtual customer environment’. MIT Sloan Management Review, 49(3), 53-61. Resmini, A. Rosati, L. (2011). Pervasive information architecture: Designing cross-channel user experiences. Burlington, MA: Elsevier.Advertising Looking for critical writing on other technology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Woods, M. Woods, M.B. (2011). Ancient communication technology: From hieroglyphics to scrolls. Minneapolis, MN: Twenty-First Century Books. This critical writing on Innovative Emerging Technologies: Leveraging Social Media was written and submitted by user Aurora Scott to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Impromptu Speech Activities for Elementary Students

Impromptu Speech Activities for Elementary Students Learning how to deliver an impromptu speech is part of meeting the oral communications standards. Use the following activities to help students practice their presentation skills. Activity 1: Speech Fluency The purpose of this exercise is for students to practice speaking clearly and fluently. To begin the activity, pair students together and have them choose a topic from the list below. Next, give students about thirty to sixty seconds to think about what they are going to say in their speech. Once they have gathered their thoughts, have students take turns presenting their speech to one another. Tip - To keep students on track, give each group a timer and have them set it for one minute for each presentation. Also, create a handout that students must fill out after their speech to give their partner feedback on the positives and negatives of their presentation. Possible Questions to Include in the Handout Was the message clear?Were the ideas organized?Did they speak fluently?Was their audience engaged?What can they do better next time? Topics to Choose From Favorite bookFavorite foodFavorite animalFavorite sportFavorite school subjectFavorite vacationFavorite holiday Activity 2: Impromptu Practice The purpose of this activity is for students to gain experience delivering one to two-minute impromptu speech presentations. For this activity, you can put students into groups of two or three. Once the group is chosen, have each group select a topic from the list below. Then allow each group five minutes to prepare for their task. After the five minutes is up, each individual from the group takes turns delivering their speech to the group. Tip- A fun way for students to get feedback is to have them record their presentation and watch (or hear) themselves on tape. The iPad is an excellent tool to use, or any video or audio recorder will work just fine. Topics to Choose From Any of the aboveGood newsExplain the rules of your favorite gameExplain how to make your favorite mealExplain your daily routine Activity 3: Persuasive Speech The purpose of this activity is for students to gain knowledge on how to give a persuasive speech. First, use the list of persuasive language techniques to give students examples of what should be included in their speech. Then, group students into pairs and have them each choose a topic from the list below. Give students five minutes to brainstorm a sixty-second speech that will persuade their partner to their point of view. Have students take turns delivering their speeches and then fill out the feedback form from Activity 1. Tip- Allow students to jot down notes or key words on an index card. Topics to Choose From Any current eventConvince listeners why you should be the presidentTry to sell the listeners the clothes you are wearingConvince the teacher to not give homework for a weekTry to convince the school board why they should have better food in the cafeteria Persuasive Language Techniques Emotional appeal: The speaker plays on peoples emotions, can manipulate the reader by triggering an emotional response.Descriptive language: The speaker uses words that are lively and vivid and engages the reader by inducing an emotion or producing a picture for them.Emotive language: The speaker uses language that plays on peoples feelings. There is a deliberate use of words to provoke an emotional response.Inclusive Language: The speaker uses language that engages the audience and sounds friendly.Alliteration: The speaker uses the same letter in two or more words to persuade by adding emphasis and reinforcing the meaning. (ex. cruel, calculating, and crooked)

The President of America John Fitzgerald Kennedy Research Paper

The President of America John Fitzgerald Kennedy - Research Paper Example Urged on by his pushy father, JFK joined politics in 1946 and went ahead to win election into the US House of Representatives as a Democrat and later into Senate in 1952. He won the 1960 party’s presidential nomination and later the presidency, becoming America’s youngest president at 43 and the first ever Catholic head of state. His presidency represented a generational change to the seat, giving it a youthful touch. On November 22, 1963, hardly 1,000 days into his presidency, JFK was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. He became the youngest president to die (White House, 2014). John F. Kennedy remains a hero even to the standards of modern times because of his political prowess, personality and family values and his stand on social justice. It is the political career of JFK that brings his heroism outright, him being a statesman and a courageous politician. In his book, Profiles in Courage, JFK noted that pressures from the public, the worry of future elections and the pressures from interest groups discourage politicians from working towards the attainment of their goals (Margaret, 2004). Indeed, he was a victim of negative publicity early in his political career. According to Brinkley (2013), these early years in politics had JFK’s political colleagues refer to him as a playboy who had his campaigns bankrolled by his wealthy father. Critics described him as being impatient, reckless and impetus. In fact, in the book, JFK: Reckless Youth, the author, Nigel Hamilton referred to him as a man with brains, good looks, money, and idealism but lacked a serious sense of purpose (LupaÄ ovà ¡, 2008). Despite these criticisms, JFK went ahead and convinced voters to elect him into the US House of Representatives. His political star shone further with his election into the Senate. In fact, his was said to be a distinctly innovative senatorial campaign. Furthermore, his campaigns targeted all the categories of the society, thus an all-inclusive campaign strategy that saw him elected twice into senate between 1953 and 1960. He went further to win, not just the Democrat presidential nomination, but also beat Richard Nixon to become America’s 35th president. This follows his charm that he used to convince voters that the Republicans had stagnated the county for eight years and therefore the need for positive change.

Hardware Infrastructure in Any Big Business or Federal Organization Research Paper

Hardware Infrastructure in Any Big Business or Federal Organization - Research Paper Example Project Objective: The project’s objective involves the identification of several needs and difficulties encountered during the process of managing information and Technology infrastructure basing on several factors. This involves the scope of the project together with the assigned deliverables. Factors to consider include technology comparison, financial budgeting, inventory assessment, and associated costs. Deliverables: 1. Determine efficiency of an organization’s resources 2. Determination of the reliability of an organization’s current assists 3. Determine the cost of infrastructure upgrade Milestones: The completion of the project has to take place before 2016. According to Chambers (2015), the instantaneous events associated with the IT project include; 1. Permits Approved- 20th October 2015 2. Assets inventory Taking – 20th October 2015 3. Determination of costs involved in supporting and maintaining hardware – 20th November 2015 4. Evaluation of probably available technology – 30th November 2015 5. Making of the financial budget – 5th December 2015 6. Final Inspection – 30th December 2015 Technical Requirements: The project considers many technical issues so as t successfully attain the desired objectives. The technical aspects touch on the availability, reliability, and the performance of the project (Ambler, 2004). 1. Determine the challenges of changing old/Obsolete Information Technology hardware infrastructure 2. Renew the IT infrastructure with an organizations budget

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

Confucius Biography - Research Paper Example His father was commander and died three years after the birth of Confucius. Nevertheless, Confucius got a good education and married at the age of 19. He also became a father of one son and two daughters. (Confucius Biography) Early Occupations During his youth he had to learn so many skills because fortunes of his family had declined. Confucius belonged to the aristocratic family then known as the shih. Confucius in his first occupation is said to have worked as keeper of the Lu granary. After working as a keeper in the market, he worked as a farm worker taking care of farm animals. He also gave his services to the governor of his district. Through his politeness, fairness and love for learning he quickly earned a good reputation for himself. His mother died in 527 B.C.E and then he involved himself in his most beloved pursuit of teaching. It was the period of zhou (Chou) dynasty when moral values prevailed at its nadir. Confucius criticized the disorder and deplored the moral stand ards prevailed within the society. (Ann-ping) When he was 35, ruler Duke Zhao of Lu initiated a war; however, he shifted himself to the neighboring country of Qi. Duke Zhao continued to take his advice but due to opposition of one of his council minister he refused to grant him the land and also stopped taking his advice. (Kotelnikov, Vadim) Teacher He firmly believed that old precepts of the sages can bring back the people to the high moral standards. His fame and name spread across the masses. Confucius became famous in Lu because he made sayings which were full of wisdom. People learned through his teachings. He also helped and advised the emperor on effective and fruitful ruling. He also came into contact with Lao Tzu; however, Lao criticized him for his arrogance. His course or lessons used to be mainly history, music, and poetry. He spent his lot of time on developing the ideas regarding the art of government. Gradually, he acquired a large following. Though many of his follow ers returned to Lu and continued accepting the positions with the Chi clan. It is construed that because of these followers he was invited to Lu. (Kotelnikov, Vadim) Effective Administrator When he was 50, the Baron of Qi approached him and sought his help against a rebellion but he refused to comply. New Duke of Lu then made him a city magistrate. The city prospered under his governance and he got promoted several times and finally became a Grand Secretary of justice and then at the age of 56, became chief minister of Lu. He was quite successful in his administration, introduced the reforms and dispensed the justice quickly. As a result, crimes were almost eliminated. (Kotelnikov, Vadim) Neighboring countries started worrying that Lu would become much powerful. They distracted the duke by sending gifts and dancers. On duke's improper behavior, Confucius resigned and left the country. (Kotelnikov, Vadim) A Great Traveler Confucius visited nearby states and travelled a lot in the hop e that some other ruler would take his heed and undertake measures of reform; however, all his efforts went in vain. Confucius wandered China with his disciples for 5 years and realized that his presence is not well tolerated. Once he was arrested and put into jail for five days. He was also pursued into the countryside by a group of soldiers arranged by jealous nobles; however, he was rescued by the king of a neighboring country. A Political Leader His great emphasis is said to be on political

Analysis of Marks and Spencer Plc

Analysis of Marks and Spencer Plc Marks and Spencer (MS) is one of Britains oldest and best known retailers of clothing, foods, home ware. MS employ more than 60,000 people worldwide, operate more than 450 stores in 30 countries, and serve tens of millions of customers every week. The company was first established by Michael Marks and Tom Spencer. Marks had immigrated to England in 1882 after fleeing anti-Semitic persecution in Russian Poland. Here he began to eke out a living selling goods on a stall in Leeds town market. Due to his lack of English he made a sign to go on his stall that read Dont ask the price, its a penny. His stall was so successful that by 1890 he had stalls in five cities across the country. Tom Spencer, joined Marks, in 1894. This partnership signified the advent of MS as we know it today. By the turn of the century the company had expanded to 36 branches nationwide. Following the deaths of Marks and Spencer, the running of the company fell into the hands of Marks 28-year-old son Simon. It was he that led MS to break with time-honoured British retailing traditionby eliminating wholesalers and establishing direct links with manufacturers. The company continued to grow and in 1926 it became a PLC. Two years later it launched its now famous St Michael brand and in 1931 in a drive to concentrate on goods that had rapid turnover it introduced food departments into stores. During World War II approximately half of the companys stores were damaged or destroyed in air raids. However the business rebuilt and in 1964 Simon Marks handed over the running of it to his brother-in-law Israel Sieff. In the subsequent decade MS began to expand abroad in North America and later Europe. Sieffs son, Marcus Sieff became chairman in 1972. He was replaced by Derek Rayner 12 years later. Rayner became the first chairman to be hired from outside the Marks family. During Rayners tenure as chairman MS expanded into financial services by launching their own charge card. Rayner retired in 1991 and CEO Richard Greenbury took charge. In the 1990s MS began to rapidly expand across Europe and into Asia, opening stores in Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary and Spain. In 1999 following growing criticism of Greenburys failure to expand the business fast enough and embrace new ideas he was succeeded by, Peter Salsbury. In that same year continued poor sales led Marks and Spencer to cut 700 jobs, close its 38 stores in Canada and part company with its clothing supplier of 30 years, William Baird. Following this continued poor performance the company, was subject to an unsuccessful takeover bid by Phillip Green of the Arcadia group. In response to this MS appointed Belgian Luc Vandevelde as CEO. The following spring MS announced a recovery plan to rescue the struggling chain, which involved selling off the majority of its global operations. Consequently, unhappy with the companys direction and its departure from older values, Marks and Spencer board members Sir David Sieff (the last remaining founder member), Sir Ralph Robins and Sir Michael Perry left the board in July 2001. Within a year and a half of Vandeveldes appointment profits began rising, but although at the time Vandevelde was credited with a revival, it proved to be short-lived, because by 2004 sales had fallen again and the brand had lost some of its credibility. In light of this it was felt drastic changes were needed and in May 2004 Stuart Rose, formerly head of Arcadia, was named CEO. Since his appointment Rose has instituted change programmes within the organisation and given it new strategic direction. The effects of these changes are already beginning to be seen and MS is showing clear signs of recovery. However it is too early to say whether this improvement is sustainable. MS was set up and run by a family for a long part of its history, its values and culture derived from that. For many years it was viewed as being very patriarchal and inward looking. The perception people had of the company up until the 1980s was of quality, affordability and reliability, embodied in the St Michael brand. During this time leadership of the business was very strong but inward focused. However, recent changes in the market place have presented a great challenge to the company which it is still addressing. PERCEPTION According to Huczynski and Buchanan it is our perception of reality that shapes and directs our behaviour, not some objective understanding of it. Marks and Spencers corporate objectives are incorporated in its mission statement. This outlines what the business is and what it should be. Mission statements set out in writing what the firm wants to achieve and often include information on the values of the business. MS outlines its core business as clothing and Food. Its financial objectives is to deliver shareholder value in terms of increase returns, but also in terms of increase sales and market share in retailing. It beliefs and values are outlined as Our customers continue to see Marks Spencer as the place to shop for special food, produced to exacting standards. MS also sees its workforce as an important part of its plan and also considers modernising its stores as a key corporate objective. Vision: The standard against which all others are measured Mission: Making aspirational quality accessible to all Values: Quality, value, service, innovation and trust MS also outlines its corporate social responsibility in its mission statement and considers the needs of other stakeholders too. Customer Perception Once established, from the customers point of view, MS was considered the epitome of quality, affordability and reliability which reached its apogee in the 50s and 60s when customers used to scramble to acquire MSs reproductions of catwalk fashion. MSs clothes lines became so popular that in the 50s limits were set on production as everyone wanted the affordable stylish Paris inspired 1950s glamour. This perception changed during the 90s. As ever increasing choice was available on the high street and a growing number of competitors emerged as rivals in MSs core markets. Retailers such as Top Shop, Warehouse and Gap offered more fashionable designs and labels, whereas others such as Next and Debenhams offered better value. Even food chains such as Tesco, Waitrose and Sainsburys began to encroach on MSs market share in the prepared food markets. In light of this people began to view the company as out-dated and old fashioned. This negative perception of the company is just now beginnin g to be counteracted for reasons which I will detail later in discussing leadership. Employee Perception From the stand point of employees MS was viewed as an employer of choice in the mid-20th century. People felt secure in their employment and viewed a career in MS as highly desirable. In the post-war period the company imposed a more explicit human relations policy. As Marcus Sieff, the incumbent chairman at the time, put it the chief executive has a duty to treat his employees as he would like to be treated himself, to do as he would be done by. This image was reinforced by the way MS treated its staff, stores were furnished with good staff canteens, rest rooms, medical and dental care, hairdressers, chiropodists, clean toilets and good training facilities. By the 1980s and 90s it had stopped being viewed as a viable career path and became characterised as dead-end job. This was reflected in the pay, management and promotional structures in place at the time. This is something subsequent CEOs have had to address. The Market A companys branding and marketing strategies are important tools in shaping the perception of it in the marketplace. Here, MS has never conformed to the norm s and actually created a virtue out of not advertising. Instead, MS relied until the 90s on word-of-mouth to promote the companys brand and image. This strategy is very cost-effective and renowned for being extremely powerful in influencing customer behaviour. As a recent study shows word-of-mouth is now the number one most-trusted source of product information on a global scale, with advertising a distant second. Seventy per cent of consumers across the globe trust friends, family, or other people first when searching for information or ideas on products to buy. MSs decision not to enter into mainstream advertising has reinforced its image of being a household name so famous, that like Rolls Royce it did not need to advertise since the quality of its goods and services were undisputed. The St Michaels brand was also very powerful with its connotations of religion which brings to mind values such as honesty, loyalty and devotion. Therefore a big departure came for MS around the turn of the century when they decided to launch one of the biggest advertising campaigns in retail with the slogan Your MS, embodied by well known models and celebrities from different ages such as Twiggy, Jodie Kidd, Shirley Bassey. This has been hugely successful and has the effect of putting the company firmly back in the hands of the public, giving them a sense of ownership and a stake in its success. CULTURE This is the set of beliefs and attitudes of both employees and management that helps to influence decision making and behaviour with in the organisation. The simple way of explaining culture is the way the things are done in a business. According to Huczynski and Buchanan an organizations culture focuses on the values, beliefs and meanings used by its members to grasp how its uniqueness originates, evolves and operates. Edgar Schein makes the distinction between three levels of culture within an organisation distinguished by their visibility to and accessibility by individuals, surface manifestations of culture, organisational values and basic assumptions. Organisational culture and values: The views of the original founder as modified by the companys current senior management In the case of MS we can see that the original culture derived from the founders and the founders family. In a sense you can say that they were family values, with an overtone of religion, let us not forget that St Michael is the champion of the Jews and that Michael Marks was a Jew. Culture in the early days was based on quick turnover, honesty, hard work and no frills attached. These values evolved into the companys culture which became paternalistic, an approach is commonly associated with family run businesses. The repercussions of this culture are such that if you are not in the family you cannot rise to the top. This has an effect all the way through the company right down to the employees on the shop floor. From the mid-19th century family organisations had the strongest sense of culture, one based on loyalty, paternalism and community. However in the 1960s, post war restructuring concentrated on capital mobility, acquisitions and mergers. The old forms of identification tended to break down and anyone who spoke of solidarity or loyalty was seen as archaic. With rapid organisational growth it became very difficult for firms to maintain the family touch. So by the turn of the 21st century Marks and Spencer had become vulnerable to hostile takeovers with its ever falling share prices and low profit margins. The inward looking culture of the company and the absence of strong leadership were blamed for its poor performance. Stuart Roses vision after he was given the position of CEO was to revert back to old values and simplify a culture which had become too confused and confusing. The type of culture of Marks and Spencer is a customer driven culture. Customer driven culture is where every where in the business makes a real effort to improve customer service, market research, employing right people, and training. The business is trying to up date the technology e- commerce. It also has a positive culture where staff and workers communicate well. They also regard change as opportunity than not a treat. I also found they are dynamic, this where a business is always looking to change the way they work. Always looking for new ideas. The way I have noticed this is by changing the displays to make it appeal more to customers. LEADERSHIP According to Huczynski and Buchanan leadership is the process of influencing the activities of an organized group in its efforts toward goal-setting and goal achievement. They go on to mention that leadership appears to be a critical determinant of organizational effectiveness. It is useful to distinguish between leadership and management. These two concepts are sometimes seen as synonymous as leadership is seen as one component of the management role. However, other commentators on the subject make clear distinctions between the two. Leaders are portrayed as someone who develops drives new initiatives, [whereas] managers achieve stability. Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus make the point that managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing. Due to the complex nature of this topic a great effort has been made to distinguish the qualities that make a successful leader. This line of research has been greatly influenced by the great man theory. This argued that leaders reach positions of influence from which they dominate and direct the lives of others by force of personality. In MSs history, men such as, Sir Marcus Sieff could be seen to fall into the great man category. Leadership in the early years was very much in the hands of the family and based on traditional family values. It was strong but essentially inward looking. By the late 90s when MS was in trouble there was a need for a change of leadership. Nowadays a more distributive form of leadership is required. One which creates a vision of a possible future that allows [the leader] and others to see more clearly the steps to take, building on personal capacities and strengths. Examples of these types of leader would be Luc Vandevelde and Stuart Rose. Under Vandeveldes leadership a recovery plan was put in place based on getting the company closer to its customers and returning the company to its core strengths. Recovery was based around focusing on the UK, selling only their own brand and retaking command of their supply chain. His vision was to return Marks and Spencers to its reputation for quality, value, service and innovation. Once articulated, the vision is shared through events designed to disseminate it. Thus we have Vandeveldes address to the shareholders and Stuart Roses mass motivational training for all of staff. They use catch phrases to describe and share what is already happening and to encourage others .In the advertising campaign Your MS Rose is embodying the key values and beliefs on which the newly revived MS is based. In differentiating the customer base and appealing to different sectors through sub-branding such as Per Una by Sir George Davis for the younger customer and Limited Edition for the more style conscious older customer, whilst maintaining the offering of high quality standard basics to everyone MS is becoming more competitive with other high street retailers. Also the advent of the Simply Food stores accentuates one of MSs traditional and continuing strengths- its food offerings. Management styles and culture The management style is the pattern of behaviour that he or she shows in carry out a management role over a period of time the most common management styles, are as follows: Autocratic Consultative Democratic Autocratic Autocratic management style is one where the manager is used to giving instructions like telling people what to do rather than asking them for their options. The manager is the only person contributing to the decision- making process. This style of management is more typical of UK management between 1970s and 1980s, although you are sure to find it today. A number of managers who started up with this approach find it difficult or impossible to change their ways. They are used to holding on power and do not understand how the process of empowerment might work. The result of this style is that members of the group often dissatisfied with the leader. This results in little cohesion, the need for high levels of supervision, and poor levels of motivation amongst employees. Consultative Consultative managers are ones who seek to consult other people before making a decision. Alternatively, they will seek to consult people before implementing a decision. This type of manager wants to draw on more sources of opinion him or herself. The consultative manager will have listening skills and also the ability to create the right sorts of channels to consult other people. In an organisation with a culture of consultation, there will be a series of mechanisms (e.g. newsletters, team briefing, suggestions boxes, etc.) that make it possible to get the feel of the concerns of other people involved in the decision- making, as well as to draw on their expertise. Democratic This is a third type of management style is the democratic one, which involves empowerment. This gives individuals and team responsibility to make decisions, usually within the framework. The team is then held responsible for the decisions that it chooses to make. The manager with this style will feel comfortable allow others to make decisions. The democratic manager will also have to have a good overall understanding of decisions being made, and will want regular feed back on results. However, they will be confidants that empower individuals and teams will use the responsibility given to them wisely. The management style of Marks and Spencer is consultative so this would mean, that leader consults with other before decision is made. There will be a group influence in the final decision; even through it is made by the leader. For example the marketing department, about weather to launch a new range of products may consider first than rushing straight into launching the products. The decisions are all taken in to account. The business of Marks and Spencer sometimes might use a mixture of Management Styles for example Marks and Spencer is consultative, the business might also be using democratic management style. Laissez-faire- This is where people are allowed to do what they feel correct, this is usually associated with medium status (e.g. Managing director Marketing Director) probably because they are experts in their field so they know what their doing. Marks and Spencer have a variety of management styles they often give a choice to the management but it depends upon where they are on the hierarchical scale. Those higher on the scale are autocratic and tell staff what to do, from the production line to the logistical designers. Those managers without managers below them are the ones which have to use an autocratic style because those below them have no knowledge on the field, while those around the middle are permitted to adopt a laissez-faire attitude to management, they are high enough in the company and have enough knowledge to use the style properly and to its maximum potential but the shareholders always have a eye on what there doing with any big decisions having a democratic vote on the item.

Cubas Nuclear Program :: essays research papers

Cuba does not possess nuclear weapons, and there are no credible reports of Cuban efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. Cuba is not reported to possess chemical weapons, nor are there credible reports of Cuban posession of long range ballistic missiles. Cuba is generally regarded as having a program of research on biological warfare agents, though the scope and focus of this effort remains obscure and controversial. In 1990, Cuba's air force, with about 150 Soviet-supplied fighters, including advanced MiG-23 Floggers and MiG-29 Fulcrums, was probably the best equipped in Latin America. In 1994, Cuba's armed forces were estimated to have 235,000 active duty personnel. Cuban military power has been sharply reduced by the loss of Soviet subsidies. By 1999 the Revolutionary Armed Forces numbered about 60,000 regular troops. Nuclear Weapons Tensions between the United States and Cuba peaked during the abortive "Bay of Pigs" invasion by anti-Castro Cubans supported by the United States on 07 April 1961. Taking advantage of Cuba's fear of further U.S. armed aggression against the Island, the Soviets persuaded the Cuba into closer economic and political links including military and defence arrangements. In the fall of 1962, there were unconfirmed reports that the Soviets were installing intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Cuba. When evidence confirmed these reports, the resulting confrontation between Soviet Premier Khrushchev and US President John F. Kennedy in October 1962 brought the world to the brink of war. Cuba is not a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It signed the Treaty of Tlatelolco, a Latin American regional non-proliferation regime, but has not ratified the treaty and brought it into force. Cuba has entered into an agreement with the IAEA to apply safeguards to individual nuclear facilities, including the partially completed Juragua nuclear power plant. The reactors that would be installed are of the VVER-400 type, an advanced model of the Soviet pressurized water reactor. There are serious concerns about the safety of the plant. However, since the plant does not appear to be economically viable, no international investors have been willing to provide funds for completion of the facility. Cuba has taken no action on the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and as of early 2000 was one of only four states that was not a signatory [the others being Israel, India and Pakistan]. Cuba's position towards the NPT proceeds from a view that the technical assistance aspect of the IAEA’s activities had not produced so many benefits as the nuclear safeguards aspect, which implies a notable imbalance in the Agency’s different sectors.

Effect of Economic Crisis Towards Politics in Malaysia

We have discussed the impact of economic crisis towards economy and social. But there are other consequences due to this subject. One of them is political. Malaysia is practicing the democratic system which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Democracy allows people to participate equally either directly or through elected representatives in the proposal, development, and creation of  laws (Roberts, H. Cox. 2012) However, the economic crisis could lead to the destructible of the stable political status in the country.Malaysia now days have lists of political parties that have the same aim which is to rule Malaysia. On the other hand, economic crisis is one of the crimp to these political parties to rule the country or even to the dominant political party such as UMNO. When the Asian financial crisis 1997 hit Malaysia, the impact was traumatic. There was economic and political turmoil. The stock market, the currency and the property mark et nearly collapsed. That in turn affected the overall economy.UMNO, the dominant political party in the ruling alliance, experienced political turbulence when its charismatic deputy president, Anwar Ibrahim, was expelled from the party when he disagreed with the then president, Mahathir Mohamad, over, among other things, Mahathir’s rejection of loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Yet, Malaysia was not that badly affected as compared to some of its neighbors. It did not experience the extent of the socio-political distress as occurred in Indonesia where the rioting that broke out ultimately led to the overthrow of Suharto.Nor was its economic sovereignty that deeply compromised as happened in Indonesia and Thailand when both countries were forced to accept the conditions imposed by the IMF for the acceptance of their loans. Besides, there is a major consideration of questions is the view purported by some quarters that Dr. Mahathir has â€Å"overstayed† h is tenure and that heir apparent Anwar would have been the right successor of a more liberal Malaysia. The questions being around at that time is does it true that Anwar rejection is the consequences of he brings the economic down term in Malaysia and idea in conserving loan from IMF or because Dr.Mahathir is feeling discomfort or unsecure due to the trusts and confident level of the people is falling down? This questions has delivered main elements of events of the recent two years is that possibly what transpired between Mahathir and Anwar climaxed as a second â€Å"battle royale† in Malaysia’s political history. There is more than a hint that underneath it all was a political contestation fought with intense intrigue and complexity; one reflection observes that the â€Å"Anwar group† (some call it the Anwaristas, as opposed to the â€Å"Mahathirists†) had indeed been conspiring to take the mantle of power by contrived means.Accordingly, it was a  "plot† exposed in time by Dr. Mahathir’s forces. But yet, to suggest a real political division between â€Å"Mahathirists† and â€Å"Anwaristas† in the Malaysian political scenario is too neat an explanation of reality, and certainly these inchoate groupings are not mutually exclusive. As may be expected, there are also the â€Å"fence-sitters†. As we noticed, Anwar expels is due to the economic crisis. But if we storming deeper, the existence of opposition of the ruling parties in Malaysia (Barisan Rakyat), namely Parti Keadilan Rakyat.Parti Keadilan Rakyat is formed in 2003 by a merger of the  National Justice Party  and the older  Malaysian People's Party. Keadilan was led by Dr  Wan Azizah Wan Ismail ( Anwar’s wife)  and increased its parliamentary representation from 1 seat to 31 seats in the  Malaysian general election, 2008  until the five-year political ban imposed on former Deputy Prime Minister  Anwar Ibrahim  was lifted on 14 April 2008. Here we can see the existence of one more political party in Malaysia due to economic crisis. Anwar Ibrahim has been expels from the party and he form another party through his wife in the period of he was arrested in jail.Through this brings up another question to Malaysian. Whether Parti Keadilan Rakyat is really stand up on representing the public fate and rights? Or else, is just because of Anwar’s agenda to be the Prime Minister is failed because he was expelled from being Deputy Prime Minister by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Then he forms up his own political party? No matter what the question is, we can see that the existence of Parti Keadilan Rakyat giving a huge impact on the political environment in Malaysia. Large portion of society putting their trusts on Keadilan Rakyat and this is the warning and a big challenge to the government Malaysia in uling the country very well. The Malaysia government, Barisan Nasional is doing their best to society be cause they believe that Keadilan Rakyat have their own strength and ability in overcoming the government. In conclusion, economic crisis brings up too many negative impacts towards our politics in Malaysia such as expellation of Anwar Ibrahim, unstable of ruling political party Barisan Nasional, the disunity of public trusts in ruling political party due to lost in trust of the leader on that time.However, the existence of main opposition party Parti Keadilan Rakyat brings a very great impact to government on how they rule the country due to the possibility and ability of Parti Keadilan Rakyat to gain the public trusts. Thus, economic down term really brings a negative impact toward Malaysia in short run, but however the subject brings a cause of positive impact toward Malaysia political environment in long term.

Industrial Revolution Essays - Factory, Manufacturing, Free Essays

Industrial Revolution Essays - Factory, Manufacturing, Free Essays Industrial Revolution Robert Chaplin History 112 Dr. Farrell 20 April 2000 Industrial Revolution One of the most significant personality changes that has occurred in the world took place during the 1700s to the early 1800s; the Industrial Revolution. It is described as a time of drastic change from hand made items to machine made goods. This meant basically that people had to learn how to manufacture goods in enormous factories instead of cultivating them from the land. The Industrial Revolution began in England because of their large demand for coal and iron. And since they had a large supply of this, England soon began to have to produce vast amounts across all of Europe. In the 1700s, England was one of the worlds leading producers of iron and coal and was considered as having the most colonial power. This is all due to their newly acquired colonies. The colonies currently known as the United States of America. The colonies provided a market for manufactured products. The markets helped stimulate the textile and iron industries in England. The colonies also gave England all of the

Free Essays on Learning Organizations

The Need for the â€Å"LEARNING ORGANIZATION† The nature of the environment has changed dramatically due to significant economic, social and technological changes over the past decades. Organizations today are confronted with increasing environmental turbulence arising from global competition, the introduction of new technologies, shortened product lifecycles and political and social pressures. Organizations, today must be flexible and learn to anticipate changes and respond rapidly. Today, learning makes the critical difference among organizations. Learning can hardly be described as a new characteristic of organizations. Organizational learning is as old as organizations themselves. What is new, is an increased awareness of the connections between learning and competitive ability as well as better insight into the conditions for effective learning. In the long term it is said that learning will only provide competitive advantage to organizations that learn faster and better than their competitors. Changes in the business environment have significant implications for learning and its role: What is a Learning Organization? A learning organization is one that seeks to create its own future; that assumes learning is an ongoing and creative process for its members; and that develops, adapts and transforms itself in response to the needs and aspirations of people, both inside and outside itself. At the heart of learning organization stands the belief that enormous human potential lies locked, undeveloped in the organizations. Central to this belief is the convinction that when all members of an organization fully develop and exercise their essential human capacities, the resulting congruence between personal and organizational visions, goals and objectives will release this potential. Peter Senge, known as Mr. Learning Organization, defines the learning organization as the organization â€Å" in which you cannot not learn because ... Free Essays on Learning Organizations Free Essays on Learning Organizations The Need for the â€Å"LEARNING ORGANIZATION† The nature of the environment has changed dramatically due to significant economic, social and technological changes over the past decades. Organizations today are confronted with increasing environmental turbulence arising from global competition, the introduction of new technologies, shortened product lifecycles and political and social pressures. Organizations, today must be flexible and learn to anticipate changes and respond rapidly. Today, learning makes the critical difference among organizations. Learning can hardly be described as a new characteristic of organizations. Organizational learning is as old as organizations themselves. What is new, is an increased awareness of the connections between learning and competitive ability as well as better insight into the conditions for effective learning. In the long term it is said that learning will only provide competitive advantage to organizations that learn faster and better than their competitors. Changes in the business environment have significant implications for learning and its role: What is a Learning Organization? A learning organization is one that seeks to create its own future; that assumes learning is an ongoing and creative process for its members; and that develops, adapts and transforms itself in response to the needs and aspirations of people, both inside and outside itself. At the heart of learning organization stands the belief that enormous human potential lies locked, undeveloped in the organizations. Central to this belief is the convinction that when all members of an organization fully develop and exercise their essential human capacities, the resulting congruence between personal and organizational visions, goals and objectives will release this potential. Peter Senge, known as Mr. Learning Organization, defines the learning organization as the organization â€Å" in which you cannot not learn because ... Free Essays on Learning Organizations The Need for the â€Å"LEARNING ORGANIZATION† The nature of the environment has changed dramatically due to significant economic, social and technological changes over the past decades. Organizations today are confronted with increasing environmental turbulence arising from global competition, the introduction of new technologies, shortened product lifecycles and political and social pressures. Organizations, today must be flexible and learn to anticipate changes and respond rapidly. Today, learning makes the critical difference among organizations. Learning can hardly be described as a new characteristic of organizations. Organizational learning is as old as organizations themselves. What is new, is an increased awareness of the connections between learning and competitive ability as well as better insight into the conditions for effective learning. In the long term it is said that learning will only provide competitive advantage to organizations that learn faster and better than their competitors. Changes in the business environment have significant implications for learning and its role: What is a Learning Organization? A learning organization is one that seeks to create its own future; that assumes learning is an ongoing and creative process for its members; and that develops, adapts and transforms itself in response to the needs and aspirations of people, both inside and outside itself. At the heart of learning organization stands the belief that enormous human potential lies locked, undeveloped in the organizations. Central to this belief is the convinction that when all members of an organization fully develop and exercise their essential human capacities, the resulting congruence between personal and organizational visions, goals and objectives will release this potential. Peter Senge, known as Mr. Learning Organization, defines the learning organization as the organization â€Å" in which you cannot not learn because ...

Internal analysis of SLS Beverly Hills Research Paper

Internal analysis of SLS Beverly Hills - Research Paper Example The Albert Ballroom at this place can be converted into a wedding hall that can accommodate up to 400 people. This place is decorated with huge chandeliers and light boxes that boast of adaptable lighting and colors to reflect different moods. In addition, there is a beautiful foyer that provides a perfect transformation from cocktails to dinner followed by dancing. The furnishings are elegant and typical of the genius of Starck. The catering at this hotel is far superior to the ordinary banquet fare. The objective is to provide a personalized multisensory experience. The wedding menus tend to be unique and are crafted by the Chef Josà © Andrà ©s and his team. Moreover, handcrafted cocktails and custom wedding treats by Patisserie are available (SLS Hotel, 2015). The SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills boasts of 297 sleeping rooms, 27 meeting rooms, and a 13,000 square feet meeting room space (Cvent, 2015). The service provided is appropriate and outstanding, whether it is the parking by the valet, room service or poolside service. The staff and management of this hotel make every effort to provide the client with a highly enjoyable stay at the hotel. This client had resided at this place in March 2015, and had arrived at that place, in connection with a business trip (Trip Advisor, 2015). This hotel does not charge a rental fee for the reception. The ceremony fees varies from $1,500 to $2,600. The venue permits five hours of event time, and this is excluding the time taken for setting up the show and then dismantling the same. With regard to weddings, the average expenditure varies between $26,101 and $44,222 for a ceremony and reception to be attended by 100 guests (Wedding Spot, 2015). The SLS Hotel Beverly Hills, which is a block distant from the Beverly Center and in the vicinity of the glittering storefronts of Rodeo Drive and the Grove, is ideally located at the intersection of Los Angeles style and Beverly Hills luxury. The customers of SLS Hotels are

Role of Business Ethics in Staff Motivation and Productivity Essay

Role of Business Ethics in Staff Motivation and Productivity - Essay Example It is of pragmatic that literature on business ethics provide adequate and specific information on the needs of leaders and managers as they are mainly responsible for ethics management in the work environment (Schwartz and Weber 2006). Ethics programs in organisations generally aim to integrate ethical guidelines into processes and procedures and establish the necessary values and behaviours for operations within the organisation. Business ethics in the workplace establishes and fosters a moral course particularly during unstable times (Kapstein 2004). Paying attention to ethics when an organisation is faced with changes allows managers and employees to have a moral guide for them to realise what is good or bad. This becomes specially critical in coping with conflicts, facing risks, and responding to ambiguous circumstances (Schwartz 2001). Continual support for ethics in the workplace enables leaders and members to become sensitive to how they ought to think and behave. Due to the emphasis on ethical principles in the conduct of activities and procedures, business ethics has been shown to produce favourable outcomes for the organisation. These include increased level of employee commitment, motivation, productivity, and performance (Ferrell 2004). Hence, the current study aims to examine the impact of business ethics in UK organisations especially on employees’ sense of productivity and motivation. 1.2 Background of the Organisation Wolseley UK, also formerly known as Wolseley Centers, is widely known as one of United Kingdom’s largest suppliers of building materials, with plumbing and building firms as their common trade customers, accounting for the largest share of their sales. It has been reported to distribute a substantial amount of materials to the international market and has continued to expand to 25 countries (Wolseley Annual Report 2009). Wolseley UK has set a number of policies with which the company aims to further enhance each of t heir business aspects. Quality policy remains to be an important objective through a reliable quality environment for both suppliers and customers, particularly by successfully meeting all contractual requirements. Health and safety concerns regarding their employees, customers, and the larger community have also become a top priority for Wolseley UK as the company intends to foster a healthy workplace wherein their employees’ attain a sense of well-being and comfort while their customers are assured of accident-free operations. Moreover, the company’s policies also highlight the importance of environmental care. Regarding their human resources, Wolseley UK aims to make the best use of every employee’s potential regardless of demographics, cultural, social, or economic differences, and attempts to provide opportunities for training and development. Finally, the company relies on a code of ethics that emphasizes the significance of fair competition, risk manageme nt, environmental protection, and interpersonal relationships with employees and customers (Wolseley 2010). 1.3 Research Aims and Objectives Owing to previous studies that have pointed out the favourable impact of business ethics on organisations, the current stud