Sir Isaac Newton Essays (2693 words) - Copernican Revolution

Sir Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton Through his early life experiences and with the knowledge left by his predecessors, Sir Isaac Newton was able to develop calculus, natural forces, and optics. From birth to early childhood, Isaac Newton overcame many personal, social, and mental hardships. It is through these experiences that helped create the person society knows him as in this day and age. The beginning of these obstacles started at birth for Newton. Isaac was born premature on Christmas Day 1642, in the manor house of Woolsthorpe, 7 miles south of Grantham in Lincolnshire. It is said that ?Because Galileo, . . . had died that year, a significance attaches itself to 1642?(Westfall 1). Though his father had died before Isaac was born, he was given his father's name. He was born into a farming family that had worked their way slowly up the ?social ladder?. The Newton's were one of the few families to prosper in Lincolnshire(Westfall 1). At the age of three Isaac's life would take a drastic turn. When Isaac was three his mother, Hannah Ayscough, remarried to the Reverend Barnabas Smith(Internet-newtonia). Isaac and the Reverend never got along and the Reverend would not have a child that was not his living with him. Isaac stayed with his grandparents when his mother went to live with the Reverend in North Witham. His maternal grandmother raised Isaac until he was ten. It is believed that his mother's second marriage and her leaving caused many problems for Isaac as a child. While living with his grandparents he attended day school nearby in Skillington and Stoke. Many cousins and other family members in the area surrounded Isaac though, ?He formed no bond with any of his numerous relatives that can be traced later in his life?(Westfall 11). In 1653 his mother returned after her second husband died. With her she brought one half brother and two half sisters. Although it is not known, bitterness may have inflicted Isaac when his three new siblings arrived. Never the less, two years later at the age of twelve he was sent to Grantham to attend grammar school. While attending grammar school Isaac lived with the apothecary Mr. Clark(Westfall 12). Mr. Clark had three stepchildren from the first marriage of his wife, Miss Storer, who were also living in his house. In school and at home Isaac was apparently different and did not get along with any other bo ys. He was often in fights and remembered only one nice boy from school, Chrichloe. All the other boys seemed to hate him. He was more comfortable in the company of girls. He made doll furniture for Mr. Clark's daughter. From this Isaac's first and last romantic experience developed. ?Indeed, as the two grew older, something of a romance apparently developed between him and Miss Storer?(Westfall 13). From doll furniture Newton moved on to other little machines. He used all the money his mother sent him to buy tools and filled his room with the machines. He fell in love with Mr. Clark's library and would read as often as possible. At times he would spend so much time on projects that he would fall behind in school. When he realized he was falling behind all Isaac had to do was pick up his textbook and would immediately be caught up. Through his machines Newton became proficient in drawing and his inventions steadily became more elaborate. At the age of seventeen in 1659, Newton left Mr. Clark and had another life changing experience. When Newton was seventeen his mother took him out of school and brought him back to the family farm. Trying to teach him how to run the farm and manage the estate was a failure. Newton would always bribe a hired hand to do the work he was supposed to. When he was supposed to be in town selling produce he would go to his old room in Mr. Clark's house a nd read or play with his machines. In all of his spare time he returned to inventing and building machines. Newton's uncle and old schoolmaster saw that he was in the wrong trade and urged his mother to prepare him to attend the University(Westfall

Goal of Human Genome Project Essay Example

Goal of Human Genome Project Essay Example Goal of Human Genome Project Essay Goal of Human Genome Project Essay MOLECULAR BIOLOGY BBT 3206 HUMAN GENOME PROJECT NAME:PRABAKARAN SIVANANTHAN NRIC:881009-07-5703 880831-08-7097 What is a genome? A genome is an organism’s complete set of DNA, including all of its genes. Each Genome contains all of the information needed to build and maintain that organism. In humans, a copy of the entire genome more than 3 billion DNA base pairs is contained in all cells that have a nucleus. What was the Human Genome Project and why has it been important? The Human Genome Project was an international research effort to determine the sequence of the human genome and identify the genes that it contains. The Project was coordinated by the National Institutes of Health and the U. S. Department of Energy. Additional contributors included universities across the United States and international partners in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, and China. The Human Genome Project formally began in 1990 and was completed in 2003, 2 years ahead of its original schedule. The work of the Human Genome Project has allowed researchers to begin to understand the blueprint for building a person. : As researchers learn more about the functions of genes and proteins, this knowledge will have a major impact in the fields of medicine, biotechnology, and the life sciences. What were the goals of the Human Genome Project? The main goals of the Human Genome Project were to provide a complete and accurate sequence of the 3 billion DNA base pairs that make up the human genome and to find all of the estimated 20,000 to 25,000 human genes. The Project also aimed to sequence the genomes of several other organisms that are important to medical research, such as the mouse and the fruit fly. In addition to sequencing DNA, the Human Genome Project sought to develop new tools to obtain and analyze the data and to make this information widely available. Also, because advances in genetics have consequences for individuals and society, the Human Genome Project committed to exploring the consequences of genomic research through its Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) program. What did the Human Genome Project accomplish? In April 2003, researchers announced that the Human Genome Project had completed a high-quality sequence of essentially the entire human genome. This sequence closed the gaps from a working draft of the genome, which was published in 2001. It also identified the locations of many human genes and provided information about their structure and organization. The Project made the sequence of the human genome and tools to analyze the data freely available via the Internet. In addition to the human genome, the Human Genome Project sequenced the genomes of several other organisms, including brewers’ yeast, the roundworm, and the fruit fly. In 2002, researchers announced that they had also completed a working draft of the mouse genome. By studying the similarities and differences between human genes and those of other organisms, researchers can discover the functions of particular genes and identify which genes are critical for life. The Project’s Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) program became the world’s largest bioethics program and a model for other ELSI programs worldwide. For additional information about ELSI and the program’s accomplishments, please refer to what were some of the ethical, legal, and social implications addressed by the Human Genome Project? What were some of the ethical, legal, and social implications addressed by the Human Genome Project? The Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) program was founded in 1990 as an integral part of the Human Genome Project. The mission of the ELSI program was to identify and address issues raised by genomic research that would affect individuals, families, and society. A percentage of the Human Genome Project budget at the National Institutes of Health and the U. S. Department of Energy was devoted to ELSI research. The ELSI program focused on the possible consequences of genomic research in four main areas: Privacy and fairness in the use of genetic information, including the potential for genetic discrimination in employment and insurance. The integration of new genetic technologies, such as genetic testing, into the practice of clinical medicine. Ethical issues surrounding the design and conduct of genetic research with people, including the process of informed consent. The education of healthcare professionals, policy makers, students, and the public about genetics and the complex issues that result from genomic research.

The Generation Y of China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Generation Y of China - Research Paper Example The government of China uses media to govern the thoughts, emotions, and opinions of all people of China in generation and the generation Y of China in particular. The government of China is schizophrenic about the policy of media as the government â€Å"GOES BACK AND FORTH, TESTING THE LINE, KNOWING THEY NEED PRESS FREEDOM--AND THE INFORMATION IT PROVIDES--BUT WORRIED ABOUT OPENING THE DOOR TO THE TYPE OF FREEDOMS THAT COULD LEAD TO THE REGIME'S DOWNFALL† (Economy cited in Bennett para. 3). The government of China uses different kinds of methods to compel the journalists to impose the censors instead of acquiring the risk of punishment. The tactics used by the government include but are not limited to demotions and dismissals, suing the journalists for the libel, fining the journalists, and shutting the news outlets down. In addition to that, many journalists who have been considered to be overstepping the boundaries established by the government to educate the generation Y a nd provide them with unbiased information and facts have been imprisoned. â€Å"AS OF DECEMBER 2012, CHINA WAS THIRD TO IRAN AND TURKEY FOR MOST JAILED JOURNALISTS IN A SINGLE COUNTRY WITH AT LEAST THIRTY-TWO JOURNALISTS IMPRISONED† (Bennett para. 18). The government of China controls China’s Generation Y through media. ... 9). The Generation Y cannot tell what content is being hidden by the censors. The manipulations, in certain cases are subtle. This is evident from the fact that trying to use Google.cn to search the â€Å"Republic of China† leads them to the results about the history of China between 1912 and 1949 when the communists were not empowered and the mainland was referred to as the â€Å"Republic of China† whereas use of the same keywords on Google.com leads them to the sites in Taiwan. The Generation Y of China lives in a suppressed condition in an authoritarian state wherein the constitutionally paramount authority is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Members of the CCP possess nearly every top position in such institutions as military, police, and government. â€Å"REPRESSION AND COERCION, PARTICULARLY AGAINST ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN RIGHTS ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC INTEREST ISSUES, WERE ROUTINE† (â€Å"China (includes Tibet† para. 2). The authori ties impose tight restrictions on the freedom of practicing religion, assembling, and traveling of the members of the generation Y of China who are deemed politically sensitive. â€Å"POLITICAL LEGITIMACY IN CHINA OVER THE PAST THREE DECADES HAS BEEN BUILT AROUND FAST ECONOMIC GROWTH, WHICH IN TURN HAS RELIED ON A CHEAP AND WILLING YOUNG LABOR FORCE† (Feng 244). In the recent years, the government’s efforts to solace the public interest lawyers and the political activists have increased and the authorities are increasingly making use of extralegal measures to prevent the expression of independent opinions by the public. Such extralegal measures include but are not limited to soft detention, enforced disappearance, and house arrest. In addition to

Inflation and Debt Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Inflation and Debt - Term Paper Example Cochrane basically talks about how budget deficits and large amounts of debt results in inflationary threats, or that those lead to heightened risks of what Cochrane describes as the â€Å"run on the dollar†. The gist is that deficits in the future impact current inflation rates upwards, and Cochrane asserts that the Federal Reserve is powerless to deal with this reality. The Fed view of inflation is basically anchored on Keynesian concepts, and Cochrane further asserts that this, together with monetarist inflation concepts, is incapable of dealing with the inflationary threats that deficits bring to the table. Cochrane notes that the fiscal situation is dire in several respects, chief among them is that the culture of entitlement that lies at the core of American society ensures that the deficits in the future will continue to be large, as the expenditures to fund the â€Å"entitlements† alongside other expenditures are poised to dwarf government revenues. This is a re cipe for sustained deficits that need in turn to be funded either by debt or by printing more money. In the event that the public sees printing money as an inevitability, then the consequences include the greater likelihood of that â€Å"run on the dollar† (Cochrane). II. Fiscal Inflation Fiscal inflation in gist is simply inflation caused by fiscal policy, as when the government spends more money than it has, leading to borrowing, and to the printing of money to fund the deficits. Fiscal inflation can be seen as the flipside of large government spending leading to deficits in the budget, and the literature finds support in the assertion that the inflationary effects of large amounts of debt and of budget deficits are beyond the control of the Fed, which operates under the assumption that there can be no lasting inflationary pressures from activities that do not introduce liquidity to the market via the printing of new money (Cochrane; Ferguson). Debt and deficits, according to the view of the Fed, is not similar to printing fresh money, and does not have the same inflationary effect as the latter. This contrary view is borne out by the thinking that as long as there is no new money printed, and where the government has the power to issue debt to finance deficits in t he budget, then there is no threat of inflation. This notwithstanding the established correlation between increased government spending and the reduction in taxation to induce economic growth as

(B&M) Managing Sustainability Reflective Log Essay

(B&M) Managing Sustainability Reflective Log - Essay Example Sustainability affects each level of human life starting from the local neighborhood to entire planet. Issues Affecting the Human Beings in Relation to the Planet â€Å"In the late 1960s, a second imperative emerged alongside human rights: sustainability† (Vischer, 2006, p.51). It is beyond to mention that the natural resources have certain limited availability and the human beings would have to respect the limits. There are certain issues which are facing the human beings. According to a news piece, the issues have emerged in various areas. Climate Change Global warming has put its increasing impact on the global environment and in turn has led to the emergence of various threatening issues for the human race. The greenhouses gases like Carbon-di-oxide have been responsible for the same and thus increasing the temperature of the planet (Oracle ThinkQuest, n.d.). According to UK prime minister, one of the most significant environmental issues, which have emerged as significant threats for the human race, is climate change leading to growing number of storms, drought, flood and loss of significant species. The depletion of ozone has resulted from the emission of the fluorocarbons, chlorofluorocarbons and some more hazardous gas releasing from industries like manufacturing and chemical factories. This has ultimately caused UV rays to enter in the atmosphere of the earth. Penetration of these rays may lead to severe carcinogenic reaction in human bodies (The Views Paper, 2009). Natural Resources With the enhancement in the life styles, energy consumption has increased with decline in the natural resources. The world is now facing with an increasing crisis for this earth to retain the sustainable supply of the resources. Resource sustainability is a significant requirement in today’s world. The petroleum products, coal and mineral resources have also been intensively exploited to certain greater extent. If the situation persists like this, after a sho rt span of time, all these resources are expected to be non-existent in the near future. Biodiversity Loss Despite of an increase in the conservation efforts the biodiversity state experiences a decline in turn most of the indicators. The significant pressure on the biodiversity has continued to grow considerably. Even, there is no or less indication displaying a considerable reduction in the declining rate in the biodiversity across the globe. The following are the indicators which have raised enough concerns among the researchers and scientists. Even a number of scientists think that the Earth is approaching to enter into the ‘sixth great extinction phase’ (Kirby, 2004). Figure 1: Indicators Displaying Biodiversity Loss (Source: Shah, 2010) Figure 2: Factors Affecting the Environmental Sustainability (Source: Kirby, 2004) The above figures show the increasing amount of population growth with growing usage of cars, consumption of water, paper and fertilizers. With the enhancement in the social lifestyles, there has been huge loss of rainforest, growing amount of carbon-di-oxide concentration. At the same time, the fisheries have been exploited heavily. The

Case Study Stanbic Bank Tanzania Essay

Case Study Stanbic Bank Tanzania Essay Stanbic Tanzania is one of members of the Standard Bank Group. Idea of establishment of Standard Bank Group was brought by group of business men in 1857 due to economic prosperity in Port Elizabeth in South Africa, which was the major port and was used to the export of wool. The man behind the Idea was John Paterson who with fellow business men wanted to establish the Standard bank of Port Elizabeth. This idea did not work due to fear of competition from the existing of the two banks. Paterson sailed to England to search for support of British Investors. Patersons efforts were successful and in April 1860, a prospectus for The Standard Bank of British South Africa was published in London. In 1862 The Standard Bank of British South Africa was established. On 15 October 1862 the bank was incorporated and registered as a limited liability company. Its capital was fixed at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤1,000,000 with 10,000 shares of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤100 each. The Standard Bank of British South Africa op eration commenced in 1863 and Port Elizabeth remained to the Bank Head Quarters. In 1883 the word British was dropped from the name. In 1962 a subsidiary company was formed to carry business in South and South West Africa (now Namibia) under the banks old name. The name Standard Bank Limited was adopted for the holding company in England (subsequently to become Standard Chartered Bank plc). Standard Bank Group was established in 1969 as Standard Bank Investment Corporation the holding company of SBSA. Standard Chartered sold its 39% stake in Standard Bank Group in 1987, transferring complete ownership of the holding company to South Africa. The Standard Bank group, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, has total assets of about US$81 billion and employs about 35 000 people worldwide. Its network spans 17 sub-Saharan countries (including South Africa) and extends to 21 countries on other continents, including the key financial centres of Europe, the United States and Asia. In addition to banking, Standard Bank has a strategic interest in the insurance industry through its control of the Liberty Group, one of Africas leading life offices and financial services groups. The group has one of the biggest single networks of banking services in Africa. Through this network we offer a wide range of banking products and services which are delivered through more than 1 000 points of representation in 17 African countries (including Tanzania). We are active in international and cross-border transactions and in those areas liaise closely with Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking and Standard Bank London. We offer a wide range of financial products and services in the following markets: Personal We are committed to providing our customers with the security, convenience and value for money they expect from an international bank with African roots. As such, we offer you a range of products and services that enhances your banking experience. Business We recognise that as a Business Banking customer you lead a busy life. Through our comprehensive service offering we aim to simplify your financial transactions so you can spend more time on your business and less time on your banking. Corporate and Investment Our corporate structure ensures that we are able to provide customized products and services to both established customers as well as newer, entrepreneurial companies. By focusing on personalised solutions and ongoing financial product development, we are committed to delivering solutions that support our clientssuccess where it matters most. Stanbic Tanzania background Stanbic Bank Tanzania was established in 1995 by Standard Bank group to take over operations of the defunct Meridien Biao Bank Tanzania limited. Stanbic Bank Tanzania is one of the members under the Standard Bank group. The bank has eight branches: City branch in Dar es Salaam Main branch in Dar es Salaam Industrial branch in Dar es Salaam Mayfair branch in Dar es Salaam Arusha branch in Arusha Moshi branch in Moshi Mwanza branch in Mwanza Mbeya branch in Mbeya Stanbic Centre branch in Dar es Salam Vision and values of Standard Bank group Our vision We aspire to be a leading emerging markets financial services organisation. Stanbic bank core values Serving our customers Stanbic Bank aim to do everything in their power to ensure that their customers are provided with the products, services and solutions to suit their needs, provided that everything they do for them is based on sound business principles. Growing our people Stanbic Bank encourages and helps their people to develop to their full potential, and measure their leaders on how well they grow and challenge the people they lead. Delivering to shareholders The Standard bank understands that they earn the right to exist by providing appropriate long-term returns to their shareholders. The bank tries extremely hard to meet various targets and deliver on their commitments. Being proactive Standard Bank strives to stay ahead by anticipating rather than reacting, but their actions are always carefully considered. Working in teams The bank, and all aspects of their work, is interdependent. The bank also appreciates that, as teams, they can achieve much greater things than as individuals. They value teams within and across business units, divisions and countries. Guarding against arrogance Bank has confidence in its ability to achieve ambitious goals and celebrate success, but it must never allow itself to become arrogant. Respecting each other Standard Bank staff has the highest regard for the dignity of all people. They do respect each other and what Standard Bank stands for. The bank recognises that there are corresponding obligations associated with our individual rights. Upholding the highest levels of integrity The banks entire business model is based on trust and integrity as perceived by its stakeholders, especially their customers. SWOT analysis Stanbic strengths Performance oriented (rewards) staff. Stanbic Bank uses Performance index as a key to success. Staffs are rewarded based on their performance. This has built a culture which has encouraged the bank staff to deal more with corporate clients with big business. Portfolio diversification Competitive advantage on products offered by the bank. The Bank offer a wide range of products which are more competitive compare to other banks. Among other products includes, Capital and investment products, Assert and vehicle financing, Home loans, affordable agricultural loans with a guarantee up to 70% of the acquired loan. Networking with internationals hence meeting customers expectations. Standard Bank group operates in more than 37 countries worldwide hence form a large network with their customers. This means customer can easily operated to any of Standard Bank group branch conveniently. Security system in the branches. The Bank has invested much on Technology especially on security hence provide insurance of customer assets both financial and non financial Wide range of currency, due to its wide network coverage the Bank operates with a range of currency hence become more convenience to more of its customer compare to local Banks in Tanzania Weather index insurance in agricultural products. More recently Agriculture in Tanzania has become a top priority nation agenda. Stanbic Bank Tanzania offer affordable loans with guaranteed to 70 percent to its customers. Apart from that the bank has adopted Weather index insurance in connection with agricultural loans. This has attracted more customers to operate with Stanbic Bank. Weakness Small branch network in Tanzania,-Currently Stanbic Tanzania has on 11 branches in Tanzania which in this case do not reach its customer in most of the regions. Apart from small Branch networks, Stanbic Bank has been focusing more on corporate clients leaving behind the retail customer occupying the big populations in Tanzania. Opportunity Branch network expansion in other region Retail banking Competitive products not offered in other areas Threats Fraudulent as it not local as multinational organisation Competition Chapters 2 Organisation structure What is organisation? Organisation is defined as group of individuals, large or small that cooperate under direction of executive leadership in accomplishment of certain common objective (by Keith Devis). Louis defined organisation as a process of identifying and grouping the work performed, defining and delegating responsibility and authority and establishing relationship for the purpose of enabling people to work most effective together to accomplish the indented objective. Organisation can also be defined as form of any human association for attainment of common purpose. From above definitions it is clear that any organisation have main four components namely task, people, structure and Technology. Task is the purpose of an organisation existence. Every organisation has specific objectives to be accomplished that define its existence by producing outputs in terms of goods and services. People are the workforce or human part of the organisation which help in performing different function in the organisa tion. To ensure that different task are well coordinated organisation must have structure which tells the basic arrangement of people in the organisation. Technology is the intellectual and mechanical process used to transform inputs into products and services. Definition and types of organisation structure Mintzberg,( 1979:2) defined organisation structure as the sum total ways in which it divides its labour into distinct task and achieves the coordination among them Organisation structure is framework of policies and rules within which lines of authority, communication and rights and duties of people are identified and arranged. Mintzberg further differentiated Organisation structure to be formal or informal. Roles, power and responsibilities are delegated, controlled and coordinated through the organisation structure. Organisation structure also determines how communication is done between levels of management. The type of the organisation structure mostly depends on objectives and strategies set by of the organisation to achieve the objectives. In organisation with a centralized structure, most of the decisions are centered to the top management while in decentralised structures powers for decision making is distributed where departments have varied degree of autonomy. The organisation structure determine the approach in which it operates and its performance. The Structure allows the responsibilities for different functions and processes to be clearly allocated to different departments and employees. The structure also determines level of resources utilization, it also monitors the activities of the organisation and organisation structure promotes the accountability for areas of work. The erroneous organisation structure will hinder the success of the organisation business. Organisational structures should aim to maximize the efficiency and success of the Organisation. An effective organisational structure will facilitate working relationships between various sections of the organisation. It will retain order and command at the same time promoting flexibility and creativity The organizational structure is mainly influenced by internal factors such as size, product and skills of the workforce influence. The chain of command will lengthen and the spans of control will widen as the business of the organisation. The higher the level of skill each employee has the more the business will make use of the matrix structure to maximize these skills across the organization. Burns and Stalker (1961) introduced the notion of two different types of structure i.e. The Mechanistic structure which is characterised by rigid divisions of activities, clearly defined roles and hierarchically organised authority and The Organic Structure which consists of more fluid and flexible working arrangements. Organic Mechanistic Channels of Communication Open with free information flow throughout the organization Operating styles Allowed to vary freely Authority for decisions Based on the expertise of the individual Free Adaptation By the organization to changing circumstance Emphasis on getting things done unconstrained by formally laid down procedures Loose informal control with emphasis on norm of cooperation Flexible on-job behaviour permitted to be shaped by the requirement Decision Making participation and group consensus Highly structured, restricted information flow Must be uniform and restricted Based on formal line management position Reluctant Adaptation Emphasis on formally laid down procedures Tight control Constrained on-job behaviour Only superiors make decisions Firms with Mechanistic structures pursue centralised decision making arrangements, strict enforcement of adherence to rules and procedures, rigid control over information content and flows, and carefully designed reporting relationships (Slevin and Covin, 1997). Organic structure on the other hand, reflects an organisations emphasis on delegation, participation, creativity, openness and adaptability (Brouthers et al, 2000). Mechanistic structures are preferable for analyzing new products and processes and for implementing such entrepreneurial endeavors, as concentrated power often prevents imaginative solutions of problems. On the other hand Organic structures are enhancing the use of rational strategic decision-making by providing the flexibility needed to take advantages of market opportunities or minimize a competitive threat. The pursuit of shareholders value by private firms may be facilitated by the flexibility afforded by Organic structures. Hence it also proves the positive relationship between organic organization structures and private ownership Mechanistic organization tends to offer a less suitable environment for managing the creativity and the innovation process. On the other hand organic system is adapted to solve problem in unstable conditions, when new and unfamiliar problems arise. This entails the importance of designing an effective organisation structure which will be flexible and able to respond to future demands and development. The effective structure will be able to adapt changing environmental influences and also will be able to provide social satisfaction for employees in the organisation. A poor organisational structure make good performance impossible no matter how good individual Managers may be. Poor structures are likely to have low motivation and morale to employees, slow and poor decisions, not cost effective and they are likely not to quickly respond to new opportunities. There are two specific principal of general interest in when structuring the organisation i.e. the span of control and the chain of command which need to be balanced in designing the effective organisation structure although there is no a right combination effective to every organisation.. Span of control Mullins 2009 defines span of control as the number of subordinates who report directly to a given manager or supervisor. V.A. Graicunas developed a mathematical formula for span of control which show the limitation of number of subordinates who can effectively be supervised by a Manager. The number of subordinates is determined by total direct and cross relationships R= n (2n/n+n-1) Where n is the number of subordinates and R is the number of interrelationships. Urwick supported the idea of Graicunas and suggested that span of control should not exceed 5 and at most six direct subordinates whose works interconnect. However from Woodwards study span of control varies from organisations depending on type of technology and production systems. Mullins further pointed other factor influencing the span of control includes: Nature of the organisation, complexity of work, range of responsibilities, similarity of function Ability and personal qualities of the manager Amount of time manager is available to spend on subordinates Ability and training of subordinates Effectiveness of co-ordination nature of communication Physical location of the organisation Length of the command chain Importance of span of control With wider span of control: It is difficult to supervise subordinates effectively and may stress more the mangers Planning and development, training and control may suffer Wide span of control may limit opportunities to grow Too wide span of control may result to slowness to adapt to changes On the other hand with too narrow span of control It may lead to problem of coordination and consistency in decision making and hinder effective communication across the organisation Morale and initiative of subordinates may suffer due to close to a level of supervision It increases administrative costs It can lead to additional level of authority in the organisation creating unnecessary long chain of command. Chain of command This refers to the number of different levels in the structure of the organisation, the chain, or the hierarchical command. The chain of command establishes the vertical graduation of authority and responsibility and framework for superior-subordinate relationship. A clear line of authority and responsibility is necessary for the effective operations of the organisations. Few chains of command will help decision making and fasten communication in the organisation. Types of organisation structures Tall organisation structures A tall organisation structure has relative many levels of management and supervision with long chain of command from the top to the bottom of the organisation. Tall structure normally do not exceed 8 levels of management because number of levels decrease span of controls. The tall organisation structures have the following advantage Span of control is narrow where each manager has small number of employees to supervise hence easy to control. There is clear management structure There is clear distinction on function of each layer hence clear line of responsibility and control In the tall organisation structure there is clear succession and promotion ladder. However there is some disadvantage of the Tall organisation structure Freedom and responsibilities for each employee is very restricted There is slow decision making as approval may be required from each level of authority. Communication is slow as it takes place through many levels of management Tall structure has high costs of management as managers for each level are paid more than their subordinates. Flat organisation structure On the other hand unlike tall organisation structure a flat organisation have relatively few layers or may be just one layer of management. This means that there is shorter and wide span of control. Small organisations usually opt for flat organisation structure since it has small number of management layers. Flat organisation structure there is greater communication between Management and employees which influence better team spirit and it is less bureaucracy hence quick decision making. Flat structure has less cost of Management due to fewer level or layers of management. However among other constrain of flat organisation structure includes; Employees may be controlled by more than one manager hence employee may be confused on the reporting channels, Organisation growth may be hindered with this type of structure, Structure is limited to small organisations and hence do not fit to big organisations Function of each department or person could be distorted and amalgamate into the job roles of others.   Hierarchical organisation structure An organisation where employees are ranked at various levels within the organisation is known as hierarchical, each level is one above the other. At each level in the sequence, a person has a number of workers directly reporting to him/her, within their span of control. Under this type of structure there is a tall hierarchical organisation which has many levels and a flat hierarchical organisation will only have a few. The way authority is organized is a typical pyramid shape. A traditional hierarchical structure clearly defines each employees role within the organisation and defines the nature of their relationship with other employees. Hierarchical organisations are often tall with narrow spans of control, which gets wider as we move down the structure. They are often centralised with the most important decisions being taken by senior management.   Ã‚   In the twentieth century as organisations grow bigger, hierarchical organisations were popular because they could ensure command and control of the organisation. However with the advent of globalisation and widespread use of technology, in the 1990s tall hierarchical organisations began to downsize and reduce their workforce. Technology was able to carry out many of the functions previously carried out by humans. The Hierarchical Organisations have the following main advantages Authority and responsibilities are clearly defined There is a clear defined career growth of members of the organisation The hierarchical organisation structure create environment which favour effective use of specialist managers The structure makes employees to be very loyal to their department within the organisation. On the other hand hierarchical structure has disadvantages This structure tend to be bureaucratic and respond slowly to changing so as to meet customers needs and Markets within which the organisation operates Poor communication within the organisation especially for horizontal communication Poor decision making as it may only focus to individual department rather than the organisation as a whole. Centralised and decentralised organisation structure In a centralised organisation head office (or a few senior managers) will retain the major responsibilities and powers. Conversely decentralised organisations will spread responsibility for specific decisions across various outlets and lower level managers, including branches or units located away from head office/head quarters. An example of a decentralised structure is Tesco the supermarket chain. Each store of Tesco has a store manager who can make certain decisions concerning their store. The store manager is responsible to a regional manager. Organisations may also decide that a combination of centralisation and decentralisation is more effective. For example functions such as accounting and purchasing may be centralised to save costs. Whilst tasks such as recruitment may be decentralised as units away from head office may have staffing needs specific only to them.   Ã‚   Certain organisations implement vertical decentralisation which means that they have handed the power to make certain decisions, down the hierarchy of their organisation. Vertical decentralisation increases the input; people at the bottom of the organisation chart have in decision making.    Horizontal decentralisation spreads responsibility across the organisation. A good example of this is the implementation of new technology across the whole business. This implementation will be the sole responsibility of technology specialists Senior managers enjoy greater control over the organisation. The use of standardised procedures can results in cost savings. Decisions can be made to benefit the organisations as a whole. Whereas a decision made by a department manager may benefit their department, but disadvantage other departments. The organisation can benefit from the decision making of experienced senior managers. In uncertain times the organisation will need strong leadership and pull in the same direction. It is believed that strong leadership is often best given from above Disadvantages Senior managers have time to concentrate on the most important decisions (as the other decisions can be undertaken by other people down the organisation structure. Decision making is a form of empowerment. Empowerment can increase motivation and therefore mean that staff output increases. People lower down the chain have a greater understanding of the environment they work in and the people (customers and colleagues) that they interact with.   This knowledge skills and experience may enable them to make more effective decisions than senior managers. Empowerment will enable departments and their employees to respond faster to changes and new challenges. Whereas it may take senior managers longer to appreciate that business needs have changed. Empowerment makes it easier for people to accept and make a success of more responsibility. (http://www.learnmanagement2.com/) Matrix Organisation Structure Matrix organization is an attempt to combine functional and pure project organizations to couple the positive aspects of both and minimize the negative. Matrix organisation structure is widely used in many industries such as automotive industry. Each staff member is a member of 2 distinct organizations Advantages of matrix organisation structure Project as a point of emphasis PM takes the responsibility for managing the project. Project has reasonable access to all required resources without having to maintain them draws from the functional resource pool as required Less anxiety about what happens when the project is completed Response to client is as rapid as pure project Project has access to the administrative units of the parent firm to maintain consistency w/ policies, practices and procedures With several projects in work, matrix offers a better companywide balancing of resources Matrix organizations span the extremes of the organization spectrum from functional to pure project. Disadvantages include: Delicate balance of focus of decision making power between Project Manager and functional manager Multiple projects have to be monitored as a set to derive the benefits of a matrix organization Strong matrix organizations have problems shutting down projects similar to pure project organizations Division of decision making responsibilities between Project Manager (administrative decisions) and functional manager (technological decisions) is complex and not so clear for the operating Project Manager Project members have at least two bosses, the functional and the Project Manager. This can lead to confusion and disorder. Stanbic Bank Tanzania Organisation structure Based on aforementioned types of organisation structure and their feature Stanbic Bank Tanzania has adapted flat organisation structure with wider span of control and few levels of authority. In the Stanbic bank structure there is greater and quick communication between Management and employees which influence better team spirit and it is less bureaucracy hence quick decision making. The structure has less cost of Management due to fewer level or layers of management. However Stanbic Bank organisation structure has a number of disadvantages such as employees may be controlled by more than one manager hence employee may be confused on the reporting channels. This type of structure may hinder organisation growth as the case we have seen with Stanbic Tanzania with only 11 branches countrywide compared to other bank like National Microfinance Bank with 138 branch and was established 1997.function of each department in this type of organisation structure could be distorted and amalgamated into job of others. Flat organisation structure is normally limited to small organisation hence may not be suitable for a fast growing with large network Bank worldwide like Standard Bank group in which Stanbic bank is part of. Recommended organisation structure Chapter 3: Organisation culture and behaviour 3.1 Organisation culture Organisational culture is a system of shared values and beliefs about what are important, what behaviours are appropriate and about feelings and relationships internally and externally .Values and cultures need to be unique to the organisation, widely shared and reflected in daily practice and relevant to the company purpose and strategy. But there is no single best culture (http://www.cipd.co.uk/research/_visionandvalues). On the other hand Armstrong, (2007) defined organisation culture as the pattern of values, norms, beliefs, attitudes and assumptions that may not have been expressed but shape the ways in which people in organizations behave and things get done. Other definition for organisation culture includes: A pattern of basic assumptions invented, discovered or developed by a given group as it learns to cope with the problems of external adaptation and internal integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think and feel in relation to these problems. Schein (1985) Culture is the commonly held beliefs, attitudes and values that exist in an organization. Put more simply, culture is the way we do things around here Furnham and Gunter (1993) Culture is one of those terms that is difficult to express definitely, but everyone knows it when they sense it. One can tell the culture of an organization by looking at the office arrangement of furniture, what they boast about, what employees wear, language used etc. similar to what you can use to get a feeling about someones personality The concept of culture is principally important when attempting to manage organisation change. Most managers and other practitioners have realised that, despite the best-laid down plans, organisational change should include not only changing structures and procedures, but also changing of the corporate culture as well. Most of the literature generated over the past decade about the concept of organizational culture especially in regards to understanding how to change organizational culture. Organizational change efforts are noticed to fail most of the time. These failures have been related to lack of understanding about the strong role of culture and the role the it plays in organizations. That has become one of the important reasons that many strategic planners currently place more emphasis on identifying strategic values as the way they do mission and vision. Successful organisations are characterised by strong values and a strong guiding vision that communicates what behaviour is appropriate and what is not.

Effects of Medicinal Versus Recreational Marijuana Use :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Effects of Medicinal Versus Recreational Marijuana Use Is there a difference in the psychological/healing effects between the use of "recreational" marijuana and medicinal marijuana? Before researching this question, I could not understand what difference medicinal marijuana would have on cancer patients that was not already known through previous studies on the drug. I thought I fully understood marijuana's effects on the brain until the issues of medicinal marijuana arose. Prior to the research on the subject, I assumed that much of what is known now about the drug is due to the extensive research on its affects on Cancer and AIDS patients. If the use of marijuana is controlled for therapeutic purposes, are the effects different if used regular for non-medicinal purposes? This is the question I attempt to answer through extensive web research. In the past 5 years, there has been an increased debate about the use of medicinal marijuana in treating cancer and AIDS patients. Marijuana has been used in alternative medical treatment by doctors around the country and by patients themselves who seek relief from the pain caused by cancer and AIDS. Controlled use of marijuana has been used to treat a number of diseases: "AIDS. Marijuana can reduce the nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite caused by the ailment itself and by various AIDS medications. Glaucoma. Marijuana can reduce intraocular pressure, thereby alleviating the pain and slowing -- and sometimes stopping -- the progress of the condition. Cancer. Marijuana can stimulate the appetite and alleviate nausea and vomiting, which are common side effects of chemotherapy treatment. Multiple Sclerosis. Marijuana can limit the muscle pain and spasticity caused by the disease, as well as relieving tremor and unsteadiness of gait. Epilepsy. Marijuana can prevent epileptic seizures in some patients. Chronic Pain. Marijuana can alleviate the chronic, often debilitating pain caused by myriad disorders and injuries." (1) Institutions nationally have conducted studies on the use of medicinal marijuana on disease stricken patients. The Institute of Medicine published a journal on the use of marijuana and the effects it as a recreational drug and medicinal drug. Because the substance, when used medicinally, is monitored/controlled, the psychological effects on the patient is slightly different, and its effects also vary depending on the type of the disease the patient is suffering from. A complete report done by the National Academy of Sciences details the psychological effects of recreational and medicinal marijuana. In the 20th century, marijuana has been used more for its euphoric effects than as a medicine.

Importance of Personality Development and Influencing Factors

An individual’s ‘personality’ is their unique and relatively stable patterns of behaviour, thoughts and feelings. The key word is ‘relatively’. It implies that there is scope for change, that one’s personality is not necessarily constant. The influence of various aspects of our environment may affect our inherent behavioural traits, and can modify our personality. Personality development, therefore, is to allow new ideas to influence our personality, and to allow introspection to bring to the forefront latent qualities, effecting a change for the better. There are four aspects to an individual’s personality: body, mind, heart and soul. Several factors contribute to one’s personality, to the development of one’s personality. These are all integral to the above mentioned aspects. The recognition, and consequently, the maintenance and progress of these factors – whether physiological or psychological, whether internal or external – is essential for ‘personality development’. Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmities. Fitness is a measure of the body's ability to complete activities necessary for everyday life effectively and efficiently. The basic difference between the two is that health is a definite requisite for one’s life, while fitness is only a measure. Both terms are relative, but health is more of a necessity than fitness, especially for developing one’s personality. An important aspect of our personality is our intelligence. It is important to note that intelligence is not restricted just to the scholarly; it encompasses the various sides to one’s personality – linguistic, logical, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist, and spiritual, to name a few. And improvement is required in all these spheres for an overall development of one’s personality. Our ‘social skills’ or interpersonal relationships, our ability to establish, nurture and fulfill relationships with others around us – family or friends, plays a pivotal role in our lives. This ability, too, needs to be developed. Our Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ) – the ability to perceive, use, understand and manage emotions within ourselves and in others, is very important. Emotions are our responses to events around us, and are created by the combination of our thoughts, feelings, and actions. What is most important is that we create our own emotions. Our responses are shaped by our thoughts – by what we tell ourselves. As we clarify our understanding of our own beliefs and patterns, we learn that we are actually choosing our own lives. Feelings are the internal expression of the emotion and can be differentiated from body sensations and states: â€Å"feeling depressed. † The emotion ‘behind’ the feeling of depression: sadness or anger. Emotion, therefore, includes the situation, the interpretation or perception of the situation and the response or feeling related to the perception of the situation. Our speaking and listening skills are another important element. Speaking, or conveying our thoughts and emotions, and listening, or paying enough attention to what someone else has to say, both are essential for developing and maintaining relationships. Communication is a two-way process, and we need to be able to eloquently and adequately put across our thoughts to others, as well as be able to listen (hear, understand and judge) to the ideas of others. We express ourselves non-verbally too – through our postures and body language. This is also an important tool for communication. Our body language not only gives away our emotions sometimes, it also allows people to guess whether we are confident when we are speaking, whether we are actually listening to the other person, and so on. Our relationship skills are also influenced by our prejudices – opinions or judgements, frequently unfavourable, based on irrelevant considerations, inadequate knowledge or inaccurate stereotyping, and the consequent discriminations we make. People have prejudices for diverse reasons and these biases affect many spheres of their lives; they are negative manifestations of integrative power: instead of bringing or holding people together, they push them apart. Ironically, even prejudice and discrimination imply some sort of relationship, however. If there is no relationship people would be completely unaware of another person's or group's existence. The act of discrimination is an unjust practice or behaviour, whether intentional or not, towards a category of persons. These categories range from sex, ethnicity, nationality, religion, language, to class, and more recently, age and physical disabilities. Prejudices and discriminations are deeply imbedded at both the individual and societal levels, and will eventually result in the dissolving of society. The next important aspect that needs to be attended to is our academic and career requirements. We should adopt some basic â€Å"study skills† to successfully remember what we learn from an adequate period of time. The following is an example: P – Preview: get the overall picture of what is to be studied before doing it in any detail. Q – Question: ask questions while reading or studying; answering them will help to make sense of the material and to remember it more easily because the process will make an impression. R – Read and Review: read actively; to be able to answer questions you have asked yourself or questions the instructor has asked. A review is a survey of what you have covered, of what you are supposed to accomplish. S – Self Evaluation: testing yourself to see how much you have accomplished. T – Time Management: Time is the most valuable resource a student has. A good schedule keeps you from wandering off course. A good schedule, if properly managed, assigns time where time is needed. Certain methods and strategies can be adopted for more effective studying and more adequate preparation for examinations: making schedules first and sticking to them; reading and getting the main idea, extracting the important details and taking (or making) notes, reviewing and revising the actual substance, as well as the notes. After the more ‘material’ aspects comes, what some claim is, the ultimate intelligence. Spiritual intelligence is about the growth of a human being. It is about pondering over life's purpose. Just being in touch with that question is fulfilling. About having a direction in life and being able to heal ourselves of all the resentment we carry. It is thinking of ourselves as an expression of a higher reality. Finally there is the realization that there is an immensity within us. As we move along the path, deeper levels within us get unfolded, leading to fulfillment. Ultimately, we discover freedom from our sense of limitation as human beings and attain ‘moksha’. Indeed, this is a highly idealized perception of spiritual intelligence or spirituality; most humans are essentially spiritual beings asking such fundamental questions as â€Å"Who am I? , â€Å"Where am I going? â€Å", â€Å"What do others mean to me? â€Å", but spiritual intelligence itself is extremely relative. It can, perhaps, more simply be defined as the realization of one’s purpose in life and the achievement of the same, the feeling of being in control, of being aware of oneself and one’s environment. Life’s purposes are varied for different individuals, and it requires inspiration to be able to recognize them, and moreover, to live by them. We need to: Listen to our inner voice. It takes practice to hear our true desires. The passion will come as a whisper or serendipitous event hat reminds us of what is important and what makes us happy. Dwell in possibilities. Our passions could lead us in a lot of different directions to find fulfillment. We have to explore our lives and unearth all the things that bring us joy. Decide what kind of person we want to be. Rather than concentrating on what we want to do, we should think in terms of what kind of person we want to be, and let that guide our choices. The ultimate attainment of fulfillment will come naturally, in time, with the gradual awakening of our spiritual senses, like the well-deserved rest at the end of the day.

Marxism Today Essay Essays

Marxism Today Essay Essays Marxism Today Essay Essay Marxism Today Essay Essay Marxism in China China has been noted as a promising emerging country with its competitiveness being acknowledged by world economic giants. Over the decades China has been developing Marxism has been an attractive option for its leaders. Deng Xiaoping instituted many reforms that would see the state engage in Marxism activities and decisions. There were numerous foreign investment made, joint ventures, as well as the development of state-owned enterprises, which saw an increase in the nations middle class (Booth, 2013). Technology was rapidly adopted whereas the industries experienced massive changes in their methods. The working class, however, were paid low wages. There were also quite some workers making it easier for them to be exploited. China was characterized by rural-urban migration, which ensured that the oversupply of labor in the rapidly growing cities maintained the low wages. Marxism is attractive due to its model of having the economy expand and grow regardless of the uneven socio-econo mic developments. Capitalism saw Chinas economy grow so rapidly (Khan, 2013). The leaders may find Marxism is attractive as a way to maintain the status quo of the leaders while it can still benefit the whole economy if the skilled labor in China continues to offer their services at low wages.; Tocqueville would point out the challenges Marxism has brought on to China today. He would point out the need for liberty to be attained in China and not the pro-capitalist influential voices that continue to reign. Tocqueville would advise China to be more empathetic and sympathetic towards the disadvantaged. He would not fail to acknowledge China;s prowess in administration, which has led to efficient growth but would associate it with the lack of liberalism turning people into subjects rather than citizens. Tocqueville would still advocate for the government of China to be controlled by the learned aristocracy as to him it would allow solutions to be found on the current state of Chinas affairs (Liao, 2013). References Booth, A. (2013). The myth of decoupling: emerging economies hit a wall. In defence of Marxism, 5. Khan, L. (2013). The reality of Asias emerging economies. In defence of Marxism, 4. Liao, R. (2013). Tocqueville in China. Dissent magazine , 8.

Human Resource Importance of Individuals

Human Resource Importance of Individuals Introduction Human thinking, physical input and strategy have always been at the middle of human survival and development. Without such input, it’s difficult to fathom how development would have come by. However, since human beings have always been there, it has always been easy to dismiss their input as something which is easily replaceable through other people.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Human Resource: Importance of Individuals specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More With skills development and competition gaining center stage however, many companies now realize that human capital is far more superior that the monetary and the machinery investment that people make in businesses. This is because without an efficient human capital, then the machinery and monetary capital invested in a business cannot bear much fruit. Importance of individuals For business entities or organizations to exist, Stockley (2 ) notes that there has to be people to run them. Such include the organization/business owners, leaders, shareholders, employees, members and directors among others. Individuals come up with strategies of how business has to be run and hence the success or failure of the same largely depends on them. In the contemporary world, plain human capital is no longer enough to ensure that a business or an organization performs to its best. Faced with increasing competition and changes in the working environment, organizations have had to ensure they hire the best talent, train and equip them with the necessary skills and also motivate them well in order to ensure that the employees are retained in the company. In addition to the contribution that individuals make to an organization or a business establishment, Family Business Battleground (7) notes that â€Å"the collective attitudes, skills and abilities of people† make a significant contribution to productivity in the work place. T his means that even where groups are credited for good performances, the individuals who constitute the groups are responsible for the group outcomes. Even in the environment where technology is being adopted to improve performance and competitiveness in specific business fields, it is apparent that technological knowledge can easily be aped from one market player to the other. With human knowledge and skills which are better than the competitor’s, an organization is able to retain the competitive edge for longer. On a more self-assessing note, one realizes that technological development which is being touted as the solution to most of the challenges experienced in businesses today would not be possible were it not for the individual innovators and researchers who turned ideas conceptualized in their minds into tangible technological equipment, which are being used today.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Even in a world where artificial intelligence is predicted as a possible substitute to human intelligence in the future, Ahmed (10) notes that it can only be used to augment the knowledge possessed by people rather than replace it. This is because beside the skills and knowledge required to work in a specific environment, individuals also rely on their intuition and common sense in decision making, something that the artificial intelligence enable devices such as robots do not possess. Human input in technology has however led to the creation of artificial intelligence, which in turn has led to more efficiency and speed in the modern work place. Conclusion Most of the advances made in human development are courtesy of individual human input. As such, the individual remains a fundamental figure and the most important capital resource in the society to date. Ahmed, Asif. â€Å"Replacing Humans with Machines: The Insurance Industry has b egun to Leverage Artificial Intelligence to Cut Costs and Improve Efficiency. But Technology Will Never Completely Supplant Human Reasoning†. The Free Library by Farlex. March 2002. Web. Family Business Battleground. The importance of human Capital in Business. Dec. 2009. Web. Stockley, Derek. Human Capital Concept- Definition and Explanation. Feb. 2005. Web.

The case of triage after a disaster Research Paper

The case of triage after a disaster - Research Paper Example He also needs critical care and should be the second person to attend to avoid losing too much blood. Jason should be assessed for injuries on internal organs as the lacerations on the chest are quite deep (Lee, 2010). Mr. Campbell is suffering from high blood pressure and needs urgent attention as he has already began experiencing respiratory distress and chest pain. Owing to his medical history of cardiac disease, it may turn out to be fatal in a short while. He should be the third person to attend to. It is important to help him restore his normal blood pressure. Jane needs further medical evaluation to determine her mental and physiological state. Her condition requires nursing diagnosis as it is not clear what she is suffering from but it is evident that she has a problem. She should the fourth patient to attend to. Blake is suffering from relatively mild conditions. He suffered a fractured leg that has already been stabilised. Painkillers can be administered to him to relief hi s discomfort. He will be the fifth person to attend to if there is no other acute case that will emerge as he can wait longer but not too long to cause him a lot of suffering (Koenig et al. 2006). Physical assessment on Janet will begin with neurological evaluation considering factors such as changes in the consciousness level of the patient, anxiety, lethargy, confusion and incomprehension. It is also necessary to seek for the patient’s neurological health history to determine if she had previous experiences of anaesthesia and sensory disturbance among others. The intensity of these neurological aspects will be used to determine if there are functional disorders or indications of a medical problem. These assessments will help to understand if she is traumatised as a result of the disaster and the thought of ‘near death’ situation. If her condition is as a result of shock, she will be out of danger and it will be easy to resuscitate her. The somatic,

The Art of Business in the 21st Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Art of Business in the 21st Century - Essay Example Recognizing the value of information to the 21st century business, the paper recommends the use of ERP software for business. Every enterprise strives to be profitable and dominant in its industry, but it is only those firms that continually strive to understand their areas of operation through application of industry research and innovation that eventually register significant success. Michael Porter a professor at the Harvard Business School suggests a model that can enable business to understand the key drivers or factors, which can contribute to business success and competitive advantage. Porter’s value-chain model represents a framework that can enable a business analyze specific activities, which will create value and guarantee competitive advantage. First and foremost, the business has to analyze its inbound logistics and processes that include the processes of receiving goods and raw materials, storage and inventory control as well as transportation scheduling. The bus iness must aim at bringing efficiency and effectiveness by changing and improving inbound logistic processes. It therefore calls for innovation and creativity on the part of everybody within the organization. Inbound logistics represent one side of the coin, outbound logistics, which entails all the activities necessary to get the completed product to the clients, such as warehousing, order fulfillment, transportation and distribution management, must also be looked into. Streamlining inbound and outbound processes will guarantee efficiency. Another area that the business must seek to improve on a continually basis is its operations. This includes machining, packaging, assembly, equipment maintenance, testing and any other value-creating activities that seek to transform the inputs into the finished product (Porter 3). Customers need to be aware of the existing products that the firm produces. Therefore, marketing and sales department is an indispensable part any business that wants to be profitable. Sales and marketing entails all activities related with getting buyers to buy the product including pricing, channel selection, retail management advertising, selling and promotion. The business must also look into its service delivery. Service delivery involves all activities that aim at enhancing and maintaining a product's value. This also includes customer support, repair services, management of spare parts and upgrading. In addition to service delivery, the enterprise must streamline its procurement processes. These processes include the procurement of raw materials, servicing, spare parts, buildings and machines. A successful business also takes advantage of technology. Therefore, the business must be able to budget for technology development to support the value chain activities. Technology development initiatives may include research and development, process, automation as well as design and redesign. Lastly, the general management, legal, planning managem ent, finance, accounting, quality management, public affairs, which form the firm's infrastructure must be aligned in a way so as to provide for efficient business operation. Porter also continues to argue that a business is usually affected by a number of forces that will either act positively to ensure business success or if