Sase study on leadership skills Essay

Mary Herzen felt lucky to be hired for the supervisory position in the Patient Services Depart-ment at North side Hospital. She had lost a similar job at Central Hospital three months earlier. Chris Sapiro was Mary’s boss and had conducted the selection process. It took him five months to fill the position as a result of the internal job-announcement and job-interviewing procedures. Two employees in the Patient Services Department had applied for the supervisory job: Juanita Ramirez, 32, who had been in the department for eight years, and Sue Williamson, 26, who had less experience. Both were rejected because they were not seen as strong enough to be promoted. Chris told Mary about this when he met with her on Mary’s first day on the job. He suggested that Juanita might be a problem and told Mary to handle it the way she saw best. He then took her to the department, introduced her to the staff, and left her to settle in. Later that day, Mary held meetings with each of her new employees. The meeting with Juanita turned out as predicted: she was defensive, uncommunicative, and noncommittal. For example, Mary wanted to learn what Juanita’s job duties were, but could not get adequate replies. Finally, in exasperation, Juanita began arguing that it was Mary’s job to tell Juanita what to do. Mary replied that they would have problems if this was as well as they were going to communi-cate. Juanita then told Mary that she had not been promoted because she was Hispanic, and accused the hospital of discrimination. She began to cry and said she was not going to answer any more questions. Answers to Case Questions 1. Should Chris have informed Mary about the internal applicants before offering Mary the job? Yes. It is important to give job applicants all relevant information about the job for which they are applying. This is especially true for information that might be considered negative. The bulk of research in this area makes it clear that â€Å"realistic job previews† are very important for creating the most favorable initial job conditions. 2. Was meeting with each employee as part of Mary’s orientation a good idea? Although Mary’s idea was backed by good intentions, problems resulted. In general, individ-ual and group meetings both have advantages and disadvantages, and whether one would work better than another for a new supervisor is a matter of personal judgment. One obvious advantage of a group meeting is that certain messages from the new supervisor can be given to everyone at the same time. Another advantage is that the presence of a group has the potential to pressure employees into opening up and sharing what is on their minds. In Mary’s situation, a group meeting could have been especially helpful in this regard, creating an environment in which Juanita felt additional pressure to be more forthcoming. It should also be noted that a new supervisor can also follow up a group meeting with individual meetings, thus combining the two methods. 3. Evaluate the agenda Mary used. How could it be improved? Again, the general intention was appropriate, although the execution was not as good as it could have been. The purpose of the introductory meetings is to initiate dialogue. Mary needed to share information as well as receive it. A more suitable agenda would have Mary share information on such matters as her personal background and goals, her leadership style and practices, her priorities for the near term, and how she would like to work with the employees. She should ask each employee for informa-tion on their job duties, where they stand on projects, any particular problems they are experiencing, and anything else they can tell Mary that would help her supervise CASE STUDY 2: Right Boss, Wrong Company Betty Kesmer was continuously on top of things. In school, she had always been at the top of her class. When she went to work for her uncle’s shoe business, Fancy Footwear, she had been singled out as the most productive employee and the one with the best attendance. The company was so impressed with her that it sent her to get an M.B.A. to groom her for a top management position. In school again, and with three years of practical experience to draw on, Kesmer had gobbled up every idea put in front of her, relating many of them to her work at Fancy Footwear. When Kesmer graduated at the top of her class, she returned to Fancy Footwear. To no one’s surprise, when the head of the company’s largest division took advantage of the firm’s early retirement plan, Kesmer was given his position. Kesmer knew the pitfalls of being suddenly catapulted to a leadership position, and she was determined to avoid them. In business school, she had read cases about family businesses that fell apart when a young family member took over with an iron fist, barking out orders, cutting personnel, and destroying morale. Kesmer knew a lot about participative management, and she was not going to be labeled an arrogant know-it-all. Kesmer’s predecessor, Max Worthy, had run the division from an office at the top of the building, far above the factory floor. Two or three times a day, Worthy would summon a messenger or a secretary from the offices on the second floor and send a memo out to one or another group of workers. But as Kesmer saw it, Worthy was mostly an absentee autocrat, making all the decisions from above and spending most of his time at extended lunches with his friends from the Elks Club. Kesmer’s first move was to change all that. She set up her office on the second floor. From her always-open doorway she could see down onto the factory floor, and as she sat behind her desk she could spot anyone walking by in the hall. She never ate lunch herself but spent the time from 11 to 2 down on the floor, walking around, talking, and organizing groups. The workers, many of whom had twenty years of seniority at the plant, seemed surprised by this new policy and reluctant to volunteer for any groups. But in fairly short order, Kesmer established a worker productivity group, a â€Å"Suggestion of the Week† committee, an environmental group, a worker award group, and a management relations group. Each group held two meetings a week, one without and one with Kesmer. She encouraged each group to set up goals in its particular focus area and develop plans for reaching those goals. She promised any support that was within her power to give. The group work was agonizingly slow at first. But Kesmer had been well trained as a facilitator, and she soon took on that role in their meetings, writing down ideas on a big board, organizing them, and later communicating them in notices to other employees. She got everyone to call her â€Å"Betty† and set herself the task of learning all their names. By the end of the first month, Fancy Footwear was stirred up. But as it turned out, that was the last thing most employees wanted. The truthfinally hit Kesmer when the entire management relations committee resigned at the start of their fourth meeting. â€Å"I’m sorry, Ms. Kesmer,† one of them said. â€Å"We’re good at making shoes, but not at this management stuff. A lot of us are heading toward retirement. We don’t want to be supervisors.† Astonished, Kesmer went to talk to the workers with whom she believed she had built good relations. Yes, they reluctantly told her, all these changes did make them uneasy. They liked her, and they didn’t want to complain. But given the choice, they would rather go back to the way Mr. Worthy had run things. They never saw Mr. Worthy much, but he never got in their hair. He did his work, whatever that was, and they did theirs. â€Å"After you’ve been in a place doing one thing for so long,† one worker concluded, â€Å"the last thing you want to do is learn a new way of doing it.† QUESTIONS: ï‚ · What factors should have alerted Kesmer to the problems that eventually came up at Fancy Footwear? Could Kesmer have instituted her changes without eliciting a negative reaction from the workers? If so, how? Case study 3: Mini Case Study on Leadership and Dysfunctional Management â€Å"Trouble in a Mental Health Center† Alessandro Cavelzani, Ph.D., Psy.D. Ten years ago, a well-known and highly respected hospital located in the center of Rome, opened its Mental Health Center dealing patients with anxiety issues and depression. The administration and its staff included a lead psychoanalyst and four psychologists who were serving as unpaid interns. The leader of the Center supervised the interns who meet weekly in order to help them solve difficulties with patients and to offer clinical suggestions,based on his years of experience. Despite their busy schedules, the interns were required to prepare weekly written reports about their patients for the supervision session with the lead psychologist. The four psychologists felt comfortable, supported, and generally happy with their training. In the past ten years, the Mental Health Center has grown tremendously. It has become well-known in Rome and abroad as a well-organized, professionally run mental health center for psychological treatment. Three years ago, the administrative leader of the Center retired. The Human Resources department of the hospital recruited and hired Dr.xxx, a well-known external psychiatrist, as the new administrative leader and chief psychiatrist for the Mental Health Center. The new Mental Health Center leader has been given a part-time (three days per week) contract because he has other professional commitments at the university and in his own private practice. The Center’s popularity has grown over time. Many local citizens and some foreigners have sought psychological treatment at the Center. To handle the increased patient load, Dr.xxx has increased staff psychologists-in-training from four to eight. In order to provide amore thorough treatment service, Dr. xxx has also added a second group of eight cognitive psychologist interns. Now there are sixteen psychologists-in-training, evenly split between psychoanalytic and cognitive psychologists.Dr. xxx’s many commitments have forced him to schedule supervision meetings with the psychologists approximately every two weeks. Now however the meetings are very tense.Many psychologists try to discuss patients enigma, but the scheduled time is insufficient to accommodate all sixteen psychologists. An additional problem concerns divergent professional philosophies about treatment plans (psychoanalytic vs cognitive), proposed respectively by the two different groups of psychologists. Often, it is almost impossible to reach a common understanding or to compromise on treatment plans for patients. Some young practitioners are voicing complaints that the supervision meetings are useless because Dr. xxx has limited time to help them with the most challenging patient dilemmas. As a result, now only five psychologists –fewer than a third- attend Dr. xxx’s bi- weekly sessions. The other practitioners argue they cannot do any pro-bono work, because they aren’t allowed to leave their offices to attend to

How far does this quotation sum up Priestleys aims and concerns in An Inspector Calls? Essay

‘We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.’ How far does this quotation sum up Priestley’s aims and concerns in An Inspector Calls? Priestley’s aim in An Inspector Calls was to send out a message to the audience about the ways in which the upper and working class treated each other during the early to mid 20th century and the importance of the effects this brings about which leads to the matter of being responsible for each other and how we are all the same as individuals. The quotation strongly sums up his message which is particularly shown through the role of Inspector Goole because it is arguably thought that Priestley has used the Inspector’s character as an alter ego to express his socialist views against a family such as the wealthy Birlings, although characters such as Sheila and Eric Birling soon prove support towards Priestley’s views. By judging the character of Inspector Goole and the way he treats the Birlings, we as the audience learn that he is in fact not a Police Inspector, because his assertive and impatient manner isn’t what a wealthy middle class family or anybody would expect from him. For example, in Act 3 the Inspector says to Mr. Birling, ‘Don’t start on that. I want to get on,’ which implies he has no respect for them despite their social status and it also implies he is in hurry, but there is no reason for any Inspector to rush because usually he would take all the time he needed. It was also his foreknowledge of Eva Smith’s death which made us question who the Inspector really was in the play because since the Inspector came in to interrogate the Birlings, Eva had always been alive as Gerald had called up the infirmary asking about the death after the Inspector had left, ‘No girl has died in there today. They haven’t had a suicide for months.’ More importantly, it was the confidence in the way the Inspector talked and how much he knew about the death before which made it seem as if he knew that Eva was going to commit suicide. The Inspector could probably have supernatural powers or he could be from the future to avenge Eva’s death, but either way he is a very mysterious character. Therefore, it does not make a different what the Inspector was, because the main purpose of his role in the play is to make the Birling family realise their responsibilities in society by forcing them to confess their experiences when they disregard the need to think of others – â€Å"You have no hope of not discussing it, Mrs. Birling.† This is why he said in his last speech, â€Å"We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other.† It is Priestley’s way of warning the audience that there is a society in where we are all responsible for each other. Mr. Birling is a British conservative man and like Margaret Thatcher, he believes ‘there is no such thing as society,’ and this clearly opposes Priestley’s message. However, Priestley has used dramatic irony to create a negative first impression on Mr. Birling – â€Å"I say there isn’t a chance of war. The world’s developing so fast that it’ll make war impossible.† When we hear this as the audience, we learn that Mr. Birling is a fool who is not to be trusted as his opinions are very wrong, because the play is set in 1912 but it was first presented in 1946 so by then two world wars had occurred. From this, we can tell that Priestley wants the audience to have a low opinion of the Birlings and Capitalist politics because he believes that the society in which the Birlings represent is unfair and will lead to horrible conflicts. He has shown this by making the Birlings feel guilty and be at fault for the whole situation. This is why he downplays the roles of Mr. and Mrs. Birling and Gerald Croft because they are of the older generation who all share the same capitalist views in life, for example, Mrs. Birling does not accept any responsibility for Eva Smith – â€Å"I accept no blame for it all,† and this phrase brings out her stubbornness, ruthlessness and impertinence. None of the three particularly want to accept responsibility because they are afraid of a ‘public scandal’ which would result in a fall down the social ladder. We can tell because Gerald is continuously trying to prove the Inspector wrong – â€Å"don’t you see, there’s still no proof it was really the same girl. How do we know she was really Eva Smith or Daisy Renton?† Then Mr. and Mrs. Birling agree and so they continue to find reasons to back him up – â€Å"The whole damned thing can have been a piece of bluff.† These phrases represent how after the Inspector’s presence, they still have not learnt anything which gives an even more negative response from the audience because it shows they are so blinded by the wealthy life they live in. However, as the audience we can try to view them as ‘members of one body,’ because the Birlings are only classified as people in the upper class since they are wealthy and this is what concerns Priestley because if we take the title away we can view them as ordinary people with disagreeable personalities, so it makes no difference who they are. Priestley introduces Karl Marx’s theory through Eric and Sheila Birling, and the theory is about the ideal class where everybody is one and the same. This is more evident in the role of Sheila Birling because she changes and develops the most throughout the play into a type of person which Priestley hopes the majority would follow and understand. Firstly, when Sheila first described her time at Milwards & Co. with Eva Smith she said, â€Å"If they didn’t get rid of that girl, I’d never go near that place again.† This is an example of the type of action Priestley does not approve of because it illustrates how wealthy people think they can easily mistreat people like Eva Smith, particularly if it’s for minor reasons – she was â€Å"in a furious temper.† This is also Priestley’s way of saying to the audience that people who work in very minor jobs or are a lot poorer should still be treated with respect. Nevertheless, Sheila starts to recognise and regret her mistakes – â€Å"If I could help her now, I would/ I’ll never, never do it again to anybody.† This response is the same with Eric Birling who also realises that what he did to Eva was wrong – â€Å"It’s what happened to the girl and what we all did to her that matters.† This change of behaviour shows us that upper class people can change for the better which demonstrates how they are just like everybody else and this proves Priestley’s point in the quotation where ‘we are members of one body.’ After the Inspector left, we get the impression that Sheila is a lot more reasonable and mature than her parents and Gerald Croft, because they are not used to receiving anything but respect due to their way of living. To change things, Priestley has made Sheila and Eric become examples of the new emerging generation of a more social behaviour towards life, and this change is proven near the end of the play where Sheila talks back against her parents and takes back the respect she has given them – â€Å"I’m not being childish. If you want to know, it’s you two who are being childish – trying not to face the facts.† Like the Inspector, Sheila repeatedly reminds her family how they are responsible for people like Eva Smith – â€Å"Between us we drove that girl to commit suicide/ But that won’t bring Eva Smith back to life will it?† Priestley was a supporter of the Labour party, and he frequently made broadcasts on the radio about the merits of socialism which we can see are strongly reflected in this play. We can tell that Priestley’s concerns come across via the role of the Inspector because they both have the same point of view which is why the quotation ‘We don’t live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other,’ sums up his message. He does not tell us who the Inspector is but I believe Priestley did this intently so that the audience could be the judge and reach their own conclusions about his identity. He has proved it possible through characters such as Sheila Birling that people can change to fit in. Priestley’s concerns are even relevant in today’s society where there are still people who need to be aware of their behaviour towards others around them which therefore, is concluded by the quotation from the Inspector’s last speech.

Financial Analysis of Victoria Secret Essay

INCOME STATEMENT ANALYSIS Victoria Secret appears to be a profitable company. Victoria Secret is part of L Brands whose operating income was at $ 211 million, up by $24 million from the last quarter. Specifically at Victoria’s Secret, sales increased by 4% to reach 5.4 billion but operating income decreased by 6% to 1.71 billion. It appears that Victoria Secret’s major expense was their Cost of Goods Sold, COGS, which totaled at 1.3144 billion. The gross profit percentage as at February 2013 was 47.87% (NASDAQ, 2014). BALANCE SHEET ANALYSIS Assets of Victoria’s Secret have steadily increased in the last three fiscal years. As at November 2013, return on Assets was at 12.73% up from 12.2% in January 2013. Return on equities has been high as well, at 105.39% in January 2012, up from 44% in 2011. Liabilities have also sadly increased in the last four years. Expenses have increased from $630 million in August  2013 to $645 million in November 2013 (L Brands, 2014). The Cost of Goods Sold has decreased however, from $1.527 billion in August 2013 to $1.314 billion in November 2013. Total liabilities were at $7.456 billion in November 2013, up from $6.933 billion in August 2013 (NASDAQ, 2014). STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY Retained earnings were in the negatives for Victoria’s Secret stockholders. As at November 2013 it was -$519 million. Common stock was at $153 million but treasury stock was at a negative of -$740 million (NASDAQ, 2014). STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS The net cash provided as a result of operating activities as at January 2014was at 1.279 billion dollars, while the net cash provided as a result of investing activities at -$106 million (L Brands, 2014). The net cash provided as a result of financing activities was also at a negative at -$78 million. The negative cash flows brought about by investing and financing activities imply that they have cost the company more money in their undertaking than they have brought in. However, the large cash flows brought in by operating activities are more than enough to cover the losses brought about by the other categories, so the negative cash flows do not worry me too much. FINANCIAL RATIO ANALYSIS After conducting the financial ratios for Victoria Secrets, it is clear to me that they are able to fulfill consumer demands while maintaining financial stability. Their Liquidity Measures ratios suggests that the company is able to adequately pay for the liabilities while investing assets  in a strategic manner. Net Working Capital to Total Assets results show that Victoria Secret is able to efficiently turn assets and cover short-term liabilities. The company is in fair health, however there is a decline in 2011-2013, suggesting a slight trouble turning their assets into cash fast  enough to cover their liabilities. For their collection period it takes about 7-8 days for Victoria Secret to collect cash, meaning that they collect cash quickly for reinvestment purposes. Victoria Secret depletes and replenishes their inventory at least five times per year to satisfy their consumer demand. Fixed Asset Turnover for Victoria Secret proves that they are able to use their fixed assets effectively towards sales revenues. They are able to generate $4 to $5 of sales for every $1 that is invested in fixed assets. Their debt/leverage measures the low debt to total asset ratio implies that Victoria Secret assets are financed more through equity rather than debt and that they are using a conservative capital structure; ultimately, by keeping their debts low and manageable, they have a financial advantage. However, Victoria Secret may not be taking advantage of their increase profits that comes with financial advantage. Victoria Secret’s gross profit margin is above industry norms, indicating that Victoria Secret is generating strong sales prices that are relative to their cost of goods sold. Victoria Secret’s operating profit margin ratio shows that they have complete and effective control of their operating costs, however their sales could be increasing faster than their operating costs. The net profit margin ratios suggests that Victoria Secret has a some cushioning that will help protect them in case of hard times. Victoria Secret is effectively managing and turning assets into generating earnings and income on new investments. Victoria Secret makes at least $2.50 per share and is generating a significant dividend for their investors, which leads investors anticipating a higher future growth. SALES FORECASTING During performing the sales forecast for Victoria’s Secret, I learned that for most part that Victoria’s Secret has an incline in their profits. They have however hit a few bumps here and there. The causes of this could be more cost for Victoria’s Secret purchasing materials and production of their products. Another reason for this could also be a slower rate in sales than usual. Like I said, for the most Victoria Secret has seen an incline in their profits and sales throughout the years. Performing the percentage of sales forecast for Victoria’s Secret, I established a forecasted sales of 5  percent which means that they would have to have a sales of $2,808 compared to their last years $2,675. This is a very feasible number for Victoria Secret to achieve, considering that majority of their money in assets outweighs their liabilities. The EFN, External Financing Needed, for Victoria Secret is $2,855. This indicates that Victoria Secret would need to obtain External Financing Needed to achieve the $2,808 forecasted sales level, which 5% more of their current sales revenue. SUBSTANTIAL GROWTH RATE ANALYSIS Victoria Secret has had a steady growth over the analyzed period. It has not been too slow or too fast, but one that shows that they are adequately handling the progressive growth of the company. This shows that Victoria Secret is paying close attention to all details of the organization. CONSEQUENCES FACED BY FIRMS THAT GROW AT A RATE THAT IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH THEIR SUSTAINABLE RATE Growing too fast as crazy as it may sound, does have potential consequences for the organizations. These consequences could come in the form of the organization not being able to fulfill customer demand, hire and/or train capable employees to accommodate for the growth, and difficulty in obtaining cash to support the growth. When an organizations too fast it will need more capital to support the growth. On the reverse side, a growth too slow can be as destructive as growing too fast. Slow growth can have the consequences of wanting or needing to expand their organization, however if they do decide to expand without the support of a sufficient revenue; then the organization runs into potential trouble with investors. If Victoria Secret grew at a rate where it was difficult for them to be consistent with their sustainable rate, then they would have either to find additional funding or consider eliminating some of their debt. IF THE FIRM GREW AT A RATE ABOVE OR BELOW THE SGR, HOW DID IT FINANCE ITS EXCESSIVE GROWTH OR REWARD ITS STOCKHOLDERS FOR THE UNDERPERFORMANCE Since Victoria Secret has a sustainable growth rate that is steady, they did not need to finance an excessive growth or reward their stockholders for an underperformance. Victoria Secret’s continued growth and success will depend on their ability to open and operate new stores and to expand and even remodel existing stores in a manner that is not only timely but also on a profitable basis. Accomplishing their new and existing store expansion goals will depend upon a number of factors, including their ability to collaborate with developers in order to obtain suitable sites for new and expanded stores, the hiring and training of qualified personnel, and the integration of new stores into existing operations. However, there are risks associated with these growths, which could be having a negative effect on their results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. FINAL ANALYSIS Upon my initial analysis on the financial performance of Victoria Secret, I assumed that were a profitable company. After performing the financial ratios analysis, forecast of sales analysis, and the substantial growth analysis; my assumption proved to be correct. Victoria Secret proves to be the most profitable business owned by L Brands. Granted Victoria Secret has had their fair share of bumps in the road, but because of their strategic financial plan, those bumps did not have a great deal of import financial for them. What I have learned from doing the financial analysis on Victoria Secret is that they are an organization who takes knowing their financial performance seriously. They know, understand, and most importantly can successfully create financial strategic plans can serves as a tool for their success, as well as prepare them in case of a â€Å"rainy day†. This is where majority of organizations fail in performing a financial analysis and preparing a financial strategic plan. Most organizations do not want to believe or even admit to the potential of having a â€Å"rainy day†, because in their eyes it sets them up for failure. Victoria Secret obviously knows the importance of embracing the idea of a â€Å"rainy day† and prepares for it, which is one of the many reasons they are such a successful organization. Conducting the financial analysis on Victoria Secret also proves that my prediction about how they are able to turn assets into income to can pay for their liabilities as well as have enough left over to reinvest back into the organization. Victoria Secret clearly understands that growth is crucial for the success of the organization while at the same keeping their growth maintainable without getting themselves into financial trouble. It is clear that Victoria Secret knows the importance of knowing how to do a financial analysis of their organization’s financial performance and using the analysis to build a strategic financial plan. I do believe that if Victoria Secret keeps a diligent watch on their financial performance and does regular financial analysis, they can continue to be a force to be reckoned with that they have been in the retail industry. References Baral, S. (2013). _The Challenge of Attaining Sustaintable Growth ._ Retrieved from http://prj.co.in/setup/business/paper77.pdf Business Town. (2003). _Pro Forma Balance Sheets._ Retrieved from http://www.businesstown.com/accounting/projections-balance.asp Business Town. (2003). _Pro Forma Income Statements._ Retrieved from http://www.businesstown.com/accounting/projections-statements.asp Hoovers. (2014). _Victoria’s Secret Stores, LLC. ._ Retrieved from http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/competition.Victorias_Secret_Stores_LLC.d793812b13b17deb.html L Brands. (2014). _Financials._ Retrieved from http://www.lb.com/investors/financial_information/financials.aspx L Brands. (2014). _SEC Filings._ Retrieved from http://www.lb.com/investors/company_info/sec_filings.aspx Lane, M. (2014). _Percentage of Sales Method._ Retrieved from Business Finance Online: http://www.zenwealth.com/businessfinanceonline/FF/PercentageOfSales.html Lutz, A. (2013). _Why The Lingerie Industry Can’t Compete With Victoria’s Secret._ Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/victorias-secret-will-beat-competition-2013-9 NASDAQ. (2014). _L Brands, Inc. Stock Report._ Retrieved from http://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/lb/stock-report

IS strategy development and implementation Essay

IS strategy development and implementation - Essay Example The IS strategy prioritizes the initiatives that are primarily designed to benefit the organization in the short run as well as investing in the long term projects. This IS strategy is like a plan or method that has been chosen in order to accomplish future goals of the organization. It helps in marshalling and planning resources for their most effective and efficient utilization. IS strategy defines competitive forces that determines the product or service ability of the organization to accomplish a strong strategic position in the market (Williams, 2007). For instance, the IS strategy in our case studies will determine competitive forces such as: entry, the ease of entry into the organizational market by other competitors, and whether they face some significant barriers. This will include barriers to market entry; threat of substitution, this will discuss whether there are particular services or products that can substitute the products and services of the organization in our case study; the bargaining power of the consumers, whether a small number of consumers are responsible for the better part of the organizational sales, and whether they can easily switch suppliers; the bargaining power of suppliers, whether the organization have various suppliers and whether there are substitutes to be used; and rivalry among the currently existing competitors, the intensity of the rivalry among the competitors and the way in which that competitors affect the ability of the organization to sustain profits. The developed IS strategy will deal with the above forces in both our case studies. According to Mr. Porter, a firm may take generic strategies in order to create much superior profits. Some of these strategies include: overall cost leadership, differentiation of products and services, and focus on the unique needs of the consumers. It is hence critical that organizations make clear strategy choices in their approach. This is what the implementation of IS strategy is l ikely to result in the organization. This paper therefore seeks to critically examine two main aspects of IS strategy development and/or implementation through the use of case studies to illustrate the arguments and conclusions. In so doing the paper will discuss how and why the IS strategy has been developed through the Venkatraman, and how and why the IS strategy has been implemented through ERP; CRM or MRP. The paper will do this through illustrating a literature review, explaining the two case studies and then giving a conclusion of the arguments in the paper. The case studies are of two different information technology firms that aim to address a serious economic organizational recession and plan the cuts in the public sector as well as the funding. The two firms are also looking up to achieving their long term goals using the IS strategy to be developed and implemented through the mechanism that will be described in this paper. Literature Review This section will illustrate ho w and why the IS strategy is developed as well as how and why the same strategy is implemented. According to the Strategic Alignment Model of Venkatraman, one determination that separates successful business from failed business is the ability to develop and analyze business strategy for success. Mastery of the steps of developing a strategy and creating a concrete business strategy approach to the business helps one to flourish with the business (Spinelli, 2005). The Strategic

The Fighter (film 2010) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Fighter (film 2010) - Research Paper Example Director David O. Russell’s seamlessly interweaves HBO raw footage of an addiction documentary, intimate psychologically complex family scenes, boxing training and spares, and professional boxing matches. All these elements serve to create a visceral, emotional, artistic experience for audiences as the story is framed within reality, yet we feel privy to private, behind-the-scenes moments and well as competing character perspectives. To vary the film quality of the documentary, daily life and training, and the professional matches and create an aura of authenticity, Russell employed a variety of techniques. He recreated footage from the HBO documentary High on Crack: Lost Lives in Lowell using circa 1990-1 Datacams. He filmed on the actual streets of Lowell and surrounding neighborhoods capturing local life and people—their postures, dress, and Name 2 attitudes. While Amy Adams and Christian Bale, are not Boston-natives, casting Mark Wahlberg as the Micky Ward secured a natural Boston accent from an identifiable Bostonian. In an interview with James Bell, Russell comments, â€Å"We were saturated in the people and the place† (para. 16). ... ed the HBO Datacams and sports film crews to create an authentic use of angles and distances from actors to enhance the believability of the fight scenes. Russell also used long takes to for pivotal fight scenes as Wahlberg had trained to build up the stamina for this type of film work. All of these factors tightly intersect to strengthen the authenticity of the film, draw audiences into the Boston-oriented world of this family, and create cinematic variety balanced by overall visual cohesion. Since The Fighter was based on an actual family’s experience, part of the reception inevitably includes how the family members react to their screen portrayals and image. While Ward and his charismatic brother accepted the film, as evidenced by their short clip at the film’s conclusion, many of the sisters did not agree with actresses cast to play them nor with their interpretations as a loud, brash, excluding unit of women. Also, the dominant matriarch Alice, who acted as mother and boxing manager to her two sons, greatly disagreed with her portrayal in the film. While during interviews actress Melissa Leo respectfully focused on Alice’s pioneering efforts as woman working in the Name 3 masculine world of boxing and engineered Dicky’s iconic match with Sugar Ray Leonard, Alice still felt the movie showed her to be more interested in making money off her sons, particularly Micky, as well as turning a blind eye to Dicky’s crack addiction. In general, few critics or audience members expressed dislike for The Fighter. Robbie Collin from News of the World and Kevin A. Ranson from MovieCrypt.com both disparaged Bales performance as egocentric and overshadowing of Wahlberg’s main character. However, many critics found Bale performance in keeping with the self-centered

Action Plan Development for Administration of Medicine Essay

Action Plan Development for Administration of Medicine - Essay Example The preparation of an action plan is quite vital in ensuring student and practicing nurses achieve their objectives. Thus, instead of worrying about the future, it pays to start planning for it through action plans. The main steps in the drafting of an action plan include the identification of objectives, the setting of achievable and measurable objectives, prioritisation of tasks and the identification of the necessary steps to achieving goals. The other steps include being able to effectively work under pressure and complete tasks in time. By writing down objectives, one’s goals and dreams are turned into plans, provided the plan is thought out, acted on and reflected upon. Importantly, a timetable would ensure a nurse’s action plan is effective, has clear-set goals and defined steps. This action plan on administration of medicine explores the areas in which I have tangible and sufficient coverage, knowledge and skills and the areas that need improvement. Moreover, th e action plan covers the strategies, interventions and the timetable by which the improvements will be achieved. Achievements in Drug Administration At this level of my nursing course, I have covered quite a vast area as far as medication administration is concerned. Most important in the areas covered are the general implications and principles of medication administrations. Although a common practice among nurses, medicine administration is a rather crucial clinical procedure, which refers to the manner in which medicine is delivered and controlled. In fact, the manner in which medicine is administered determines the probability of a patient gaining any clinical benefits or suffering diverse effects of medication (Doerr-MacEwen & Haight, 2006). Among the major areas of medication administration so far covered include the factors affecting drug bioavailability, types/routes of drug administration, and NMC’s guide for administration of medicines among other areas. Drug bioava ilability refers to the proportion of an administered medication, which actually reaches a patient’s systemic circulation and is distributed to the intended action site using the different routes of administration result that result in different levels of bioavailability. This is an important knowledge on medicine administration given that nurses should understand the best route that would yield the most bioavailability for a drug. For instance, drugs delivered through direct IV injection supposedly have 100% bioavailability. In addition, certain types of drugs are absorbed best in certain organs or systems of the body. For example, if administered so that they are absorbed by the gastrointestinal mucosa, certain medicines could end up having bioavailability comparable to that of an IV injected drugs. Unfortunately, many drugs lack the level of bioavailability by the oral route, implying that they their oral dosage is usually higher than if given parenterally, which refers to the administration of a medication into the body via routes other than the gastro-intestinal tract (Miller &Miller, 2011). These routes could be infusion, injection or implantation. Routes of Administration Routes of administration are the other concepts of administration of medicine that I have covered well so far. There are numerous routes by which medicine may be delivered into the systemic circulation of a patient, each with its strengths and weaknesses. It is thus imperative that nurses understand these routes’ implications, effectiveness, weaknesses, strengths, and patient experience.

Competition and competitiveness derive from different theoretical Essay

Competition and competitiveness derive from different theoretical frameworks and UK policy has failed to distinguish adequately between the two. Explain and discuss - Essay Example The competitiveness policy encourages on benchmarking whereby an entrepreneur visits another competitive entrepreneur and finds out on what he/she does in order to attain his/her success (Bristow 2010). In competition, every business is always straining to win the other by getting most of the customers on its side and not by merging and obtaining monopoly to exploit on the market. This is because if an entrepreneur exhibits monopoly power, he or she may exploit the market when there is no government interference. Marxian views competition as the act of competing for land, capital and workers alongside competing with other business and firms for profit making (Tan 2014). This means that a business unit must compete for the workers and it should provide reasonable pay for workers. Through this, they can be able to attract workers from other business units and this makes them have adequate labor. They should give their workers allowances and other benefits to encourage and motivate them. The business unit should not overwork the workers but instead they should give them a reasonable pay. Secondly, the business unit should also effectively compete for land as a factor of production. This simply means that the business unit should have enough money to buy adequate land since often businesses have to expand their premises. For a business to be successful then it should have adequate land to carry out its business activities and land is a competitive factor; hence they should strain to get the best available land according to the land use. Marketing business units should also strain to get land near their market while mineral based business units should strain to get land within their mineral extraction place and the market. Capital is the money needed to start and run a business. The business units should find the best financial institution where they can get access to loans and other financial support to run their businesses. Finally,

Customer Service Operations in the telecomunication in the UK Essay

Customer Service Operations in the telecomunication in the UK - Essay Example With the increase in the market for phones, several companies both retailing handsets and providing mobile phone services have cropped up, each struggling to gain a significant segment of the market. This mostly leads to mobile wars, especially among the service providers, as each of the companies fight to provide the latest, affordable and most valued services to their customers. There is also stiff competition among handset providers, who spend millions of dollars on research and development to provide latest features to their handsets to attract different segments of the market. Hence, it is not hard to find features such as mobile TV, GPRS, e-mail and internet features on most mobile phones. UK Mobile phone industry The mobile phone industry, like most corporate industries have brought both advantages and disadvantages to the modern society. Advantages brought by the advent of mobile phones includes easy communication which has led to expansion of businesses, the creation of diff erent kinds of jobs, sharing of knowledge among people of different regions of the world, it has helped in expansion of the academic world by making research and sharing of such knowledge easy and making it easier for business transactions to be carried out among other benefits. Disadvantages of mobile phones include increase in thefts connected with handsets and identities, mobile phones distract workers and students from carrying out their duties on time, especially due to social network services on internet-enabled phones, they cause distractions leading to accidents especially on the road and mobile phones have led to deterioration of personal communication which has been reduced to short message services, calls and e-mails among other disadvantages. It is however up to individual mobile phone users to determine whether mobile phones add value to their lives or they could do better without them. Being one of the biggest and fastest-growing industries in the world, the UK not exc luded, the mobile phone industry has had to be regulated and the fierce competition among stakeholders have given rise to codes of conduct which all the players have to adhere with. Service provision is an area in this industry that the companies in the industry overlook at their own detriment. Most consumers of the mobile phone industry usually look for specific services from their providers (Ericsson 2009). These may include low call and data rates, wide coverage and polite and helpful customer care representatives. Many companies have gone miles ahead and have come up with more creative ways to attract and retain customers. Methods used in increasing client bases for companies include offering corporate packages for companies, advertising, promotions and handset and service providers coming together to offer unique products to consumers. Service delivery however remains the biggest determinant of market share for companies operating in the mobile phone industry. Service Products Developing Service Products is one of the areas explored by players in the mobile phone industry to gain significant market share. This area involves coming up with new and useful products to attract consumers in the market (Blueflag 2010). For instance, at the beginning of the mobile phone era, most phones had very few features that basically included calling and texting features, digital and alarm clocks, calculators and calendars. However with time, mobile phones have