Comparative Education on Business Strategy †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Comparative Education on Business Strategy. Answer: Introduction The study of the organizational culture of any organization is a complex undertaking because every organization has its own unique culture different from others. For instance, the way employees respond to any change can vary from organization to organization, the structure of organizations may not be similar, among many other differences. The organizational culture, therefore, is everything that involves an organization, from how it is structured to, its corporate social responsibility. Change, on the other hand, is a way of adopting a different culture that did not exist within an organization (Brooksbank, 2011). Change in an organizational set up is accepted either to be practiced or rejected through resistance. When thinking about change in an organization, the management must get ready to face challenges that may come alongside such changes. Organizational culture involves a number of events occurring in an organization in relation to how such organization responds to its own emp loyees and the entire society within which it operates. Change management simply means the transition of companies, people, groups, projects etc., from one form to another. It is important to note that in the Meck Insurance Company, this process of change has some alterations that may be allowed in to be used such as operations, finances, promotions or even other aspects of business management. These changes are generally meant to enable the organization or the company to achieve its goals or objectives. However, if such changes do not benefit the organization as a whole, resistance begins to prevail and the changes may be dropped accordingly. In addition, the change management is also intended to help the organization focus and remain within its budget that would be expected to bring higher returns and to enable the organization to achieve its goals and objectives. It is important to note that people of different carders run organizations and they have to work as a team in order to achieve the objectives of the organization. Managers sim ply want their organizations to be exemplary among the best performing among their competitors. They, therefore, will always strive to initiate changes that would lead them to the realization of the goals of the organization and to perform better in the world of business. However, accepting changes the way they are and immediately may sometimes turn to be a tall order. If changes, cannot be adopted as expected by the managers, they begin to find challenges, which, sometimes may need time to come clear to the minds of the employees and other stakeholders (Phelps, 2012). If a scenario, where other stakeholders feel they do not want to adopt the changes, the management would be forced to devise ways that they will use to convince them to accept the changes. Every organization has its unique culture, which may be different from other organizational cultures. It is worth noting that different organizations have different ways of recruiting, hiring, and retaining employees. Additionally, different organizations have their own ways of relating to the society, and how they handle their customers. Concisely, the organizational culture serves as the blueprint of the organization as a whole. However in Meck Insurance Company, there are a number of organizational changes, that come as time progresses and they may be adopted or declined. These changes are subject to discussions by the concerned parties before they are allowed in to be applied in the organization (Nash, 2015). However, if the people championing such changes are dictators, they may not allow discussions and would force such changes on employees and wait for the impacts they would yield. Many changes may face serious resistance and others may not meet any resistance at all. In the c ase where there is no resistance to the changes, the process of adopting new organizational culture be faster thereby making the transition period shorter (Phillips, 2011). On the other hand, it would cause more problems if there were a resistance to such changes. One of the areas that have realized many constant changes like in Meck Insurance Company is technology. Technological changes are being realized almost every day, and old organizations like the Meck Insurance with old employees, are finding it hard to accept, adopt and embrace these changes. Sometimes, the process of adopting and finally embracing the changes take quite long. Funny enough, sometimes it forces the management to include some young minds in the workforce to help them understand the technology (Loudenback, Kelley, 2013). Unfortunately, sometimes it forces the managers to drop issues to do with technological changes or move at an extremely very slow pace in implementing such changes because of the adamant or slowly reacting employees. However, there are bundles of benefits that come along with the technological changes, like main the work easier and cutting in the cost of labor, other organizations may be forced to ignore these benefits or explore them in future. Finally, organizational culture and change play an important role in understanding the organizations and their environment, including their perception of changes that may occur. The management, therefore, has a responsibility to see to it that any change expected to take place in the organization is communicated to the stakeholders in good time and good explanation about the changes is given to employees (Jenster, Hover, 2014). The gap between the employees and the management in the context of organizational culture and the changes should be properly bridged as to ensure that each stakeholder is brought to the board so that each person gives his or her side of the story about the changes. Theories and models of organizational change management The process of managing change is a complex undertaking that requires a clear mind. It is important not to implement change strategies that are irrelevant to the main objectives of an organization. The management of organizations should ensure that the change strategies are focusing on a suitable plan of action that is intended to be attained by the organization (Peter, Olson, 2010). Change management is a complex process that needs expertise, finance, and a commitment to start and run. It calls for the total commitment of every stakeholder in the organization, but the members of such an organization must be ready for some effects brought about by the changes. These effects may be negative or positive impacts. Therefore, it is necessary for the management to understand clearly what they need the change to do, the impacts it will have on the employees, and how the changes will be advantageous to the institution. The theories of change management revolve around the psychological aspec t of human being, business set-up, and engineering (Cadogan, 2009). This is the reason why some models are derived from an organizational background while others are thought as having their foundation on individual behavior. Therefore, the organizational change management can be profiled into two types, for example, the individual change management and the organizational change management. Several theories have been adopted to help us understand the change management in depth. These theories look at the fundamental aspects in which management and change occurring in organizations is founded. Kurt Lewin, who explained that change process is divided into three stages, described the individual change management. The initial stage being the level known as unfreezing (Bharathi, 2016). It involves undoing and disorienting the forces that exist in the mind of a human being. At this stage, the defense mechanism has to be bypassed in order to disorient the mindset. In organizations, there must be anti-change mind-set and pro-change individuals, therefore, their defense mechanisms have to be broken in order to see the changes succeed. In doing this, there is always resistance to such changes but persistence is required to enable changes to go through (Jain Jain, 2012). The second stage is the where the change now occurs. This stage is characterized by a lot of confusion and tra nsition to the next level. We can also admit that at this stage, we are required to alter the old methods but we still lack what to replace the old methods (Desa and Basu, 2013). The last stage is called the refreezing stage. This level sees the new mindset as now coming to terms with the changes and an individual comfort level is coming back to the previous state. However, other psychologists argue that this three-stage model oversimplified the change management and they claim that this model focuses more on physics than on the behavioral science of human being. The individual three-stage change management is also described by Hughes as a way of exiting from an original state, where new things are adopted to replace old methods. Other researchers, Tannenbaum and Hanna suggested a change procedure where there is a move from homeostasis and clinging on through diminishing and allowing it go to rebirth and moving on. Post invented the model by ADKAR for individual change management after a research he carried out in 1000 organizations from close to 60 nations (Dobni, Dobni, Luffman, 2001). His model looked at five areas that form the fundamental building blocks for change management. The five areas help an individual realize successful change management in an organization. According to him, the five fundamental building blocks include awareness- to represent the reasons why change is required, desire-to represent the support and participate in the change, and knowledge of how to change is equally important in the process of change management. Further, he described ability as a fourth area that is viewed as for the implementation of new skills and behaviors (Hopkins, 2013). Lastly, the final fundamental building block of change management according to ADKAR is reinforcement, which is adapted to make sure that the change is sustained as long as it is benefiting the organization. Organizational change management The organizational change management involves processes and tools for the management of people at the focus of an organization level. In an organization, there must be structures and different approaches to any change that the members of the institution are required to adopt. Such tools and structures are meant to ensure an effective transition of employees or the organization as a whole through the change process. The organizational culture, therefore, is everything that involves an organization, from how it is structured to its corporate social responsibility. Change, on the other hand, is a way of adopting a different culture that did not exist within an organization (Ferrell, 2016). Change in an organizational set up is accepted either to be practiced or rejected through resistance. When thinking about change in an organization, the management must get ready to face challenges that may come alongside such changes. Organizational culture involves a number of events occurring in an organization in relation to how such organization responds to its own employees and the entire society within which it operates. It is the responsibility of the management to explore and detect changes in the entire business environment. This will help the management to come up with changes that that can be initiated in the form of programs. It is thus necessary for the management to be aware of the effects of any change before it is initiated in the organization and on the employees as well. It is important to know the impact of the changes on the employees behaviors, work procedures, technology, and motivational aspects (Dobni, Dobni, Luffman, 2008). The management must critically evaluate and review the reaction the employees will have before they talk about any change program that will provide to employees as they move through the process of giving in to the change. The change program is finally expected to be inseminated and implementation is done throughout the organization. After successful insemination and implementation, the program should be evaluated for effectiveness and adjustments did where nece ssary. It is worth noting that different organizations have different ways of recruiting, hiring, and retaining employees. Additionally, different organizations have their own ways of relating to the society, and how they handle their customers. Concisely, the organizational culture serves as the blueprint of the organization as a whole. However, there are a number of organizational changes, that come as time progresses and they may be adopted or declined. These changes are subject to discussions by the concerned parties before they are allowed in to be applied in the organization (Chisnall, 2012). However, if the people championing such changes are dictators, they may not allow discussions and would force such changes on employees and wait for the impacts they would yield. Many changes may face serious resistance and others may not meet any resistance at all. In the case where there is no resistance to the changes, the process of adopting new organizational culture be faster thereby making the transition period shorter. On the other hand, it would cause more problems if there is a resistance to such changes. Technological changes are being realized almost every day, and old organizations with old employees are finding it hard to accept, adopt and embrace these changes (Andrews Russell, 2012). Sometimes, the process of adopting and finally embracing the changes take quite long. Funny enough, sometimes it forces the management to include some young minds in the workforce to help them understand the technology. Recommendations in relation to cultural change management. Unfortunately, sometimes it forces the managers to drop issues to do with technological changes or move at an extremely very slow pace in implementing such changes because of the adamant or slowly reacting employees. However, there are bundles of benefits that come along with the technological changes, like main the work easier and cutting in the cost of labor, other organizations may be forced to ignore these benefits or explore them in future. Finally, organizational culture and change play an important role in understanding the organizations and their environment, including their perception of changes that may occur. The management, therefore, has a responsibility to see to it that any change expected to take place in the organization is communicated to the stakeholders in good time and good explanation about the changes is given to employees (Doole, Lowe, Kenyon, 2016). Resistance is a common practice in many organizations, but is recommended that the management should be in a p osition to explain to the rest of the employees the benefits of adopting changes so that a lot of resistance and an unnecessary tension, which may be detrimental to the well-being of an organization, can be lowered at the implementation stage. Conclusion Change management is a key aspect of every organization and the management is sometimes put to task to implement programs that are neither beneficial to the organization nor to the society. It is therefore important that the management scan thoroughly to ensure that changes that need to be adopted by their organizations are the ones that are really in need. This will again give them an opportunity to study understand the change before it is allowed to take effect. As have been explained in the essay, Meck Insurance employees should be fully involved in the whole process so that any unnecessary opposition and doubt is removed. However, many changes go a long way in helping the organization achieve their set objectives or goals, therefore the process should be given ample time to finish its cycle. During this time, the stakeholders can find enough time to scrutinize the change, make recommendations, and necessary adjustments. References Andrews Russell. (2012). Organizational culture: strategy, evaluation, and Impact. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 2(1), pp.33-44. Bharathi, A. (2016). Business strategy. Higher Learning Research on Management, 6(4). Brooksbank, R. (2011). Business Management and Ethics. Management Intelligence Planning, 12(4), 10-14. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02634509410060695 Dobni, B., Dobni, D., Luffman, G. (2001). Behavioral approaches to Business Management. Learning Intelligence Planning, 19(6), 400-408. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02634500110405405 Desa, G. and Basu, S. (2013). International Business Management Principles. Strategic Environmental Journal, 7(1), pp.26-49. Cadogan, J. (2009). Business management and change. Los Angeles [u.a.]: Sage. Chisnall, P. (2012). Education and organizational management: Systematic business management. Long Range Planning, 13(1), 99. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0024-6301 (80)90070-9 Dobni, B., Dobni, D., Luffman, G. (2008). Behavioral approaches to learning Strategy implementation. Learning Intelligence Planning, 19(6), 400-408. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/02634500110405405 Doole, I., Lowe, R., Kenyon, A. (2016). International education policies on Organizational management strategy. Andover, Hampshire: Cengage Learning EMEA. Ferrell, O. (2016). Business Development and Learning. [S.l.]: Cengage Learning. Hopkins, D. (2013). New emphases in business administration, culture, and change. Business Management, 6(6), 410-419. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0019-8501(77)90003 Jain, S., Jain, S. (2012). Business management evaluation. South Melbourne, Victoria: Cengage Learning Australia. Jenster, P., Hover, D. (2014). How to focus on management principles to serve change. Planning Review, 20(4), 32-36. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/eb054365 Loudenback, L., Kelley, E. (2013). Comparative Education on business strategy. Journal of Education, 36(4), 113. https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1250442 Nash, E. (2015). International Education Principles of Management. New York: McGraw Hill. Peter, J., Olson, J. (2010). Native Education in Management and Organizational Culture. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Phelps, E. (2012). Education Policies. Industrial Development and business ethics, 10(4), 307-309. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0019-8501 (81)90042-0 Phillips, D. (2011). Business management issues: Where Business and Culture meet. Journal Business Education, 11(5), 13-16. https://dx.doi.org/10.1108/eb060080

Learn the American System

Learn the American SystemIf you are interested in taking an American System essay sample, you can find a number of websites that offer free samples. This is a great way to get an overview of the American System essay format.When you take an American System essay sample, you are learning an easy way to write an essay that will stand out from others. This essay format is a great way to increase your writing skills. It is not as hard as it sounds, and you can practice writing an essay for years to come. The structure of the essay is very simple and you can write it with a high level of efficiency.The essay has a well known format that follows the cliche phrases that people write these days. You learn the format, structure, and language patterns before you begin writing the essay.One of the most attractive features of an essay sample is that you do not have to worry about grammar and syntax. You do not have to worry about those tedious details. That is why the American System is called ' easy.' Most students will be able to write an essay for the American System on their first try.Another benefit of taking an essay sample is that you can use the sample to help you improve your writing. When you take a few practice tests, you will start to see the structure of the essay and the styles that many people use. That is the most important aspect of writing a good essay.As you progress through college, you will probably encounter people who know much more than you do about English. The more confident you become, the better you will become at communicating ideas to others. When you find yourself stuck on an essay topic, the American System is a fantastic way to get back on track. This is an essay format that will leave you feeling comfortable and creative.Finally, the essay sample allows you to read through sample essays so that you know what the essays are like and the style of writing they contain. You can use this knowledge to learn the right approach to essay writing tha t will increase your confidence and enhance your writing.

10 Success Lessons from Successful People

10 Success Lessons from Successful People We all have a different definition of success. Some people define success by having a loyal family and children. But most of the world would identify it as achieving power and wealth. Here are some tips from successful people, you can use in college, future career and personal life. If You Want to Learn Something – Just Do It. â€Å"The best way of learning about anything is by doing.† Richard Branson Richard Branson is a very successful English businessman, whos inspiring a lot of young people to start their own business and stop being afraid of doing something new! Richard can give us valuable advice – you cant learn about anything without actually doing it. You can read a lot of books on how to ride a bike, but unless you start riding it, you wont be able to know how to do it well. Develop Yourself â€Å"If I really want to improve my situation, I can work on the one thing over which I have control myself.† Stephen R. Covey How can people control others without knowing how to control themselves? If you want to be successful and improve some things around you – start with yourself. Every person should improve themselves before trying to influence the others. Very often it becomes the hardest thing to do. Everybody can see mistakes in others, but when it comes to yourself – its hard to notice anything wrong. Be Persistent I have not failed. Ive just found 10,000 ways that wont work. - Thomas A. Edison Thomas Edison is one of the most successful American inventors. If his new invention didnt work right away, Edison started trying so many times, until it worked. Simple as that. You shouldnt give up as soon as something doesnt go your way. Edisons key to success is to be persistent and confident. Eventually, youll be able to achieve great results. Many people give up without understanding that next try could be successful. Love What You Do â€Å"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. † Steve Jobs Many people settle on their lousy jobs and work until retirement. It is not necessary! Everyone has a thing they love to do. It can be programming, singing or writing, it doesnt really matter. Your work will be truly successful only if youre passionate about it. Start chasing your dreams, try different jobs. If youre young, you have a lot of possibilities to choose from. Steve Jobs doesnt want you to settle until youre sure its what you want to do! Work Hard â€Å"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.† – Colin Powell Colin Powell is right. You may think there are some secrets to success you dont know. Or that you have to be talented in one area to achieve wonderful results. To be honest, it is result from very hard work and learning from failure. It is important to learn from mistakes to not let them happen again. Before you start doing something, you need to prepare, research and work as long as it takes. Dont Procrastinate â€Å"Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.† Wayne Gretzky No more â€Å"Ill start on Monday/tomorrow/next month/year† words! Its now or never. We all know what it is to be a procrastinator. You just cant do anything, you want deadline extension, even if it takes less than an hour to do something. Stop looking for excuses! Successful people dont procrastinate. This is their key to success. Be Passionate Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion. Tony Hsieh Weve all heard about Zappos – a company with the happiest employees. Tony Hsieh realized that he didnt have to chase the money. He should find his passion and go for it! If you manage to find that passion, youll see it can bring money as well. Tony used to spend days, not even hours at work, because he loved it! If youre not ready to devote most of your time and energy on your work, maybe its not for you. Choose Wisely â€Å"It is our choices, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.† J. K Rowling You may have some great abilities and talents. But the most important thing is what you do with those abilities. You need to make a lot of choices in your career and they define who you really are. So make sure they are the right ones. Dont let others influence your choices and stay true to your principles. Revenge Your Enemies by Being Successful The best revenge is massive success. Frank Sinatra Be ready to hear a lot of meaningless critics. But listen to Sinatras words – the best revenge is to show all these people how successful you are. There is no need to worry about someones mean words. All you should do is forget about the bullies and show the world youre better than them. Stay Focused The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.† – Bruce Lee Bruce Lee was a wise man, who thought it was important to stay focused all the time. You should think only about things, which matter and ignore all the distractions. There are some long-term goals you should think about, so be focused on them. Decide whats important to you and motivate yourself to reach all your goals. You wont find some extraordinary secrets to success. The most important part is to work hard, believe in your dream, be persistent and dont listen to meaningless critics. Be confident and dont let others stop you. And always practice! Even the most talented people had to spend hours every day to become great. So get rid of procrastination and enjoy improving your skills! Any success tips you would like to share? Dont be shy! Go to the comments below!

11 Skills To Be Successful In A Content Marketing Career

11 Skills To Be Successful In A Content Marketing Career â€Å"What are you ever going to do with that?† That’s the usual response I’d get when people would ask what my college degree was in (it was art and art history). There would be a prolonged moment of silence and then that question. I don’t know if that prolonged moment of silence was in honor of the memory of what they thought was now-gone employability.  I can promise you that as I got older and there was more distance from my college graduation, I fretted less. Because in the ensuing years, I learned that the answer to that question was: quite a lot. Sometimes a skill is not just a skill. Thats what youll discover as you work toward a successful content marketing career. 11 Skills That Will Make You Successful In A Content #Marketing Career via @JulieNeidlinger Your Content Marketing Skills Add Up To A Lot Getting your art degree, it turns out, doesn’t only make you a prime candidate for being a professional artist, but it also spawns the ability to defend your work in front of a room of critics. You know the skill of B.S. (yes, it’s a real skill) and can create something out of nothing. As a content marketer, you're holding onto skill sets that go beyond â€Å"simply† being a content marketer. So, the next time someone asks you what you do as a content marketer, rest assured you have some solid answers. 1. You Write, Which Many People Cannot Do This skill is huge. Don’t ever undersell yourself as a content marketer, because your ability to write is paramount. Oddly,  writing  every day makes me forget that not everyone is a writer. I assume everyone is writing constantly and am shocked when I come across someone struggling with their writing. Reading long posts and comments on Facebook, for example, is stunning at times. I’m not interested in correcting grammar or making people feel embarrassed (many bizarre words and typo errors can be blamed on type assist on mobile devices), but I am genuinely surprised. In the past 5 years, the ability to write has noticeably declined among college students. #mindblownIn the past five years, the ability to write- which also includes vocabulary, grammar, and analysis- has noticeably declined among college students. 26% of college graduates  have deficient writing skills. That’s college graduates, we’re talking about. It’s easy to think writing great copy is just about stringing together the right words, but there is a huge analysis factor. Good writers have to be able to analyze their own ideas  and the ideas of others. Writing also involves communicating persuasively as well as clearly. Too often, good writing is seen as something that is clever rather than clear. Snappy and clever is fine, but not at the sake of clarity. And, of course, good writing is done in a way where you inform people while making every reader, no matter their skill and knowledge level, feel welcome. The fact that content marketers, out of necessity, are constantly writing means they are always in a state of practice. The sheer amount of times you put pen to paper (or word to screen) means that you are exercising your writing muscles and brain cells. Perhaps this is why I am surprised by the lack of writing skills I come across in others: They simply do not write every day. Your ability to write puts you at an extreme advantage in this world. Improve Your Skill: How To Write Content That Sells: The Anatomy In A 6-Figure Post How To Write Awesome Blog Posts With The Science Of Appeal How To Write For Your Intended Audience 2. You Create Under Pressure And With Others In a content marketing career, you're frequently at the mercy of the winds of trends, breaking news, and ever-changing technology. That means you get used to creating under some level of pressure. There’s no letting up, no break- because your audience is just one yawn away from leaving you (or so you think). You never know who will say what to you on social media, and you have to figure out a response in the moment that is both appropriate and genuine. Unless you’re a solo content marketer, you’re also pretty good at working with others. You delegate duties, plan timelines, and brainstorm. You have the ability to hit the ground running and think on your feet- with or without a team at any given moment. Improve Your Skill: How To Save Time Writing Blog Posts How To Rock A Content Development Process That Will Save You Tons Of Time 3. You Handle Criticism And Critique Criticism and critique are not the same thing.  Both can be valuable. As a content marketer, you know how to handle both criticism or critique, whether that means knowing how or when to respond, or if you should respond at all. You can identify what you should take seriously and which battles to fight. You know how to participate in amicable disagreement, or you knowing when to avoid it entirely.

An IT strategy focused on maintaining a cutting-edge technology Essay

An IT strategy focused on maintaining a cutting-edge technology position - Essay Example The alignment of IT and business strategy of the firm is considered as one of the most important challenges for the managers.Without this alignment of both the strategies,it is relatively impossible for the firms to actually ensure that they retain and develop cutting edge technologies to help them stay ahead of the game. Without having access to the better IT technology, it is relatively impossible for the firms to continue to dominate the market. It has also been argued that those firms which initially focused upon perfecting their IT technology and making it more effective grew faster than the firms which initially focused upon the alignment of their IT and business strategy. This line of thinking therefore suggests that it is important to compromise on the alignment of the IT and business technology if the firm is actually able to first effectively improve its technology. One way or other, it is really important that without having cutting edge technology, it would be really inef fective for the firm to support the overall business strategy of the firm. This paper will therefore argue that without having access to the cutting edge technology, it may be entirely difficult for the firms to support their overall business strategy. IT Strategy The technology strategy of a firm is typically related with the development of tactics and tools related with the use of information technology within the firm. The critical focus of such strategy always remains on the acquisition and development of strategies which can allow the firms to develop their competitive advantage out of the information technology. It is however, important to understand that this strategy must also be leveraged through the people as without effective and efficient human resource, the firm may not be able to translate this strategy into a successful strategy. Traditional view of how technology should be utilized and how the technology strategy can actually be designed is based upon how effectively it can support the overall business strategy of the firm. One of the concerns has also been focused upon the optimization of the firm’s spending on the information technology. This line of thinking therefore often compromises the way IT can actually provide the real benefits to the firm. Over the period of time, it has been therefore argued that the overall business strategy should be the driving force for the IT strategy of the firm. This has however, been without the assessment that poor technology can actually fail to support the overall business strategy of the firm. It is therefore important first to ensure a seamless integration and alignment of both the IT and business strategy of the firm with each other. Access to the cutting edge technology It is argued that the access to the cutting edge technology as well as its effective deployment by the organization is necessary in order to allow the firms to better understand their market. The market insight and analytic abil ities provided by the cutting edge latest technology therefore allow the firms to not only better understand themselves but also better design and develop their strategies which can suit to the market where they are operating. One of the key aspects of having access to the latest technology is to gain the competitive intelligence allowing firms to better leverage their business strategy. Developing the capability of competitive intelligence can only be possible with the help of having access to the cutting edge technology. Old and outdated technologies may lack the capability to provide the same level of analytic insight to help firms to actually have a re-look at their business st

Analysis of Women Victimization Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Women Victimization - Assignment Example This dismal of women of color by white women stands as a roadblock to the connection between women. More so, such assumption about black women exposes all women to various degrees and forms of patriarchal oppression in society, some of which as women they share and some of which they do not. The issue of sexism among native women activists is of much concern. It is important that we eliminate the problem of sexism, as they tend to marginalize women in society. Feminism and activism contribute a lot to feminist politics since they question the legitimacy of the United States as an appropriate form of governance. For instance, many racial justice organizations in America rally against hate crimes resulting from the September 11 attack under the name â€Å"we are Africans too†. Issues such as sexism and feminism should unite all women because it forms the basis of their history. Ironically, this is not the case, as native women do not refer to themselves as feminists because they argue that the word feminism is a white concept that should be recognized with white women. Therefore, they assume that the claim of feminism as white then implies that native feminist politics is similar to the feminist politics of other communities. These perceptions have for a long time divided women thus, making it hard for them to work together and fight issues such as patriarchal oppression that affect them in society. Women such as Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Sarah Palin, and Tahita Jenkins followed what they believed was true and were not coerced to interact with other women because of their race or color. According to Plato, women should not be discriminated or oppressed because all people are equal, whether female or male. For instance, Plato asserts that while women are caring and rearing children, men should take care of other duties.   

Critique Of Business Plan For SMES

Critique Of Business Plan For SMES 1. Introduction Business plans are increasingly being necessary for SMEs leaders in advanced organizations as their leaders search for to broaden strategic judgments throughout the corporation in order to create superior co-ordination through connecting the business plans to different parts of the organization; to leverage on the strategic development of different parts of the total organization; and to develop a more methodical approach to making big changes within the sections of the enterprise (Richardson and Hawkins, 1995). Change has been happening all over the world economies. Entrepreneurs themselves are considered to be forceful catalysts for revolutionize (Kuratko Hornsby, 2009). The pressure of business planning on firm performance has received broad attention from management researchers. Past research indicates a positive relationship between planning and organizational performance (Sarason and Tegarden, 2003). While it may seem that business planning is a very open and formal process, research into smaller businesses has identified that in practice it can be haphazard and informal (Cuthbert Johnston, 1997). Different views and types of business plans catch the attention of the business world; different types of critics are perceived as it unsupportive for the purpose of strategic development within organisations (Mintzberg 1994). This study therefore attempts to rectify this imbalance by examining the relationship between business planning and organizational performance in a SMEs environment. Author tries to bring out critique of business planning with the experience using the consultancy business plan and theory and practice of business plans in the ligh t of SMEs. 2. Background to the Study The consultancy project based on a start up photography business belonging to Katalin Galuska. Staff of two, with plans to expand to a full-time operation within the next 3 years. The company is at initial stage, established as a home-operated, full-time sole proprietorship. It is the intention of the company to develop novel business units and broaden the client base so as to become a renowned photography business in York. Three team mebmers proposed plan brings out suitable opportunities for the Galushka to focus on devloping a photography brand in coming years.We have made a effort to realized this by using diffrent business tools. The study based on this experience with in business planning context. 3. Formal and Informal Business planning According to Mintzberg (1987), the approach of a firm can be conceptualised as a plan such as position in the marketplace, vision with reference to the prospect and the firms state or as a form for actions within the decision making process. At the same time the rigid strategic management literature implies that there is a beneficial link between strategic planning and company performance; with coincide from planning to performance (Greenley, 1995). A proper business plan for a sound business concept aids organizations to succeed in business goals. It keeps firms cash and time by focusing the core business operations by adding more control over the cash flows, marketing and operations. It also boosts the capital requirements of the business (Rhonda and Kleiner 2003). The procedure of business planning is where the top management examine both the internal environment and the external environment to carry out a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis and evaluate the extent of the company mission (Wheelen and Hunger 1991). In contrast Georgellis at el (2000) study on PEST and SWOT proved that over 90 percent of the firms in within the sample had not use or heard of a PEST analysis and 80 percent of a SWOT analysis. Although 82 percent of firms had practiced competitive analysis in their planning process. In the consultancy project we found that client is not much focused on SWOT analysis. The main aspects of business planning are extensive time periods, formality, the use of planning instruments, and regular manage of plans. This type of planning can brings out performance by generating relevant information, by creating a better understanding of the important environment, and by reducing uncertainty (Hodgetts and Kuratko, 2001). As a example; MAS holdings in Sri Lanka is the largest intimate apparel manufacture in South Asia over 44,000 employees and won many international awards such as; Vendor of the Year by Victorias Secret in 2006, 2005: Excellence in Social Responsibility Award for womens issues by American Apparel and Footwear Association (www.ifc.org). According to the director of corporate branding and strategies, the secret behind the success is whole-systemized planning which include women empowerment (Anon 2008). Delmar and Shane (2003) express the view that by incorporating a systematic planned approach brings out better results for an organization perform ance than others who are doing informal is ambiguous. In Toyota, Fujio cho, the president says that Total Production Systems practices are based on well planed core principles created values, beliefs and business planning methods and he further states those have become competitive edge over the years. So, for Toyota, culture is more important and they drive organisation benefiting from their strong homogeneous planed culture (Liker, 2004). Another view is that business planning is more effective as a version of past decisions than as a program for future once. It can be used as a fraction of the efforts of the organization to develop new steady assumptions of itself that add in the mix of recent efforts into a moderately wide array of planned goals (Mintzberg 2000). Though, extreme dependence on systematic business planning compared with the need for the management self-rule and organizational learning in an era where compliance and flexibility are vital to cope with the rapid rate of environmental change (Anderson 2000). Many commentators believe that differences of culture at Daimler and Chrysler made its merger more difficult without long term plan. But In August 2000, Daimlers chief executive of cars, Jurgen Hubbert, was quoted in The Economist: we have a clear understanding: one company one vision, one chairman, two cultures. Finally with the acknowledged existence of two cultures, DaimlerChrysler truly become one company with one vision is now operating as Chrysler. Emergent strategy and flexibility may give the best opportunity yet to meld the cultures (Sculler Jackson 2001, pp. 248). It is evident that even without a formal long term plans some strategies become success. 4. SME Vs Business plans Entrepreneurs have a very important function in the economy; they provoke relatively much employment creation, productivity growth, and produce and commercialize high-quality innovations (Praag and Versloot 2007). Thus, Gibson and Cassar (2002) stated that Entrepreneurs required connecting in planning. In pragmatic perspective Andries and Debackere (2006) explained new ventures experience significant difficulties in finding a viable business model, and they often need to adapt their initial business plans. It is evident in Galukasha photography business where client is struggling with business planning their photographic venture and resorting from many government and private organizations for assistance. SMEs development plan is a multifaceted process in which the entrepreneurs engaging in a business plan with a vision for growth, possibly deriving of market opportunities. At the same time owner managers require gathering ample resources to enable growth to happen and acquire right strategic balance (Kemp and Verhoeven, 2002). The practice of planning and knowledge management in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) varies from that of an outsized organisation (Wong and Aspinwall, 2004). Apart from that Desouza and Awazu (2006) explains SMEs try to adapt simple planning and unofficial rules and procedures. They reduce most of standardised procedures like planning. It leads to more adaptable strategies in various situations. SMEs similarly have a different scope which aims on operational, fairly than strategic, processes. They are more skilful at using implicit knowledge for planning. Research exemplified that whilst the business is at initiative approach stage the entrepreneur act as more than just a leader who prepare plans, he or she can be act as a marketer and a sales agent, a public relations officer, a financial controller and so on, occupying numerous roles and wearing many different hats simultaneously (Cope, 2001; Fuller-Love, 2006). It is significant that entrepreneurs in no way initiate the preparations for a business plan without first having some sort of skills and training in the field. Entrepreneurs launch new ventures with the intention of attaining a certain level of success and viability of the plans (Barringer, 2009). In consultancy project it was evident that the client was running art workshops and was also involved in a commissioned wedding photography session as hobby. It is worth mentioning that she also facilitated eight stop motion animation workshops as part of the British Librarys Inside Story exhibition at Hillcrest Primary School in Leeds. That also provided the foundation to go for a business plan to initiate her own photography venture in the future. Shane and Venkataraman (2000), and the entrepreneur does not generate future plans in isolation or only from the resource of technological, political, or socio-demographic turbulences in the environment. As an alternative, these types of opportunities are common creations which leverage and developed from different interaction. Further more, opportunities arise from the creativity of individuals, who carry out dissimilar activities based on a continuous understanding of each others sense and activities in addition to the appearance of the material environment. In consultancy project it was experienced that there is no proper system for acquiring competitor information due to budget and time constraint. As a example in competitor analysis it is worth to do mystery shopping kind of marketing research technique for the purpose of getting qualitative information. In complex business environment the availability and access to quality and reliable information is essential. This enables small business to keep the pace with the large companies for shaping their strategies when implementing a business plan ( Franke, 1999). Apart from that most of information in plan is impact by the unpredictability of the future. Further future cannot always be extrapolated in the course of data based in past relationships, because there are drivers of change in social systems that are multiple and inconsistent in nature (Berkhout and Hertin, 2002). On of classic example for failures in business plan is Navan tourist Centre in Northern Ireland. The centre closed i n 2001 after more than  £5m in public funding ran out. The public account committee stated that this failure is due to unrealistic visitor number forecasts. The Navan Centre was opened in July 1993 and is regarded as a premier archaeological site in Northern Ireland. The forecasted visitor numbers were 160,000 for next years. In reality, annual visitor numbers never exceeded 50,000 and averaged 33,000 over eight years (www.bbc.co.uk). There is a famous anecdote in business world; a shoe sales person going in a rural Amazon jungle community to searching that no one of the locals are wearing shoes. Is this a impossible market with no probability, or a major market for growth? Over time, market potential will change. Its beyond the organizational planning and controls (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006). Thus Goodwin and Wright (2001) suggest that in a unpredictable environment, anticipating methods of past trends are implausible to produce consistent forecasts of the medium- to long-term. They also suggest that since such type of forecast is often brings out as single point predictions, it is hard to weigh up the level of ambiguity within the forecast. Taking into consideration these limitations of predictors, the matter is how can firms deal with the apparent insecurity about the future state of the external environment by planning? Mainly of SME owner/managers are doing marketing planning through their ordinary and informal networking activity, through all their normal communication activities, such as interacting and participating in social, business and trade activities (Gilmore 2001). Galuksha photography owner, develop her networks with the different people and organizations by the workshops. She incorporates most of business planning ideas in the plans though the knowledge acquire by this type of events. As an example she has participated York St John university workshop in entrepreneurship. Similarly analysers who involved in business plans are take the advantage in the sense of utilizing the best qualities of protectors and prospectors. Analysers use informal, adaptive strategies to create alignment (Kearns, 2007). In consultancy project where all fight with traditional photographic market such as wedding , family portrait and events photography ,consultants suggested to move to PET photography market which untapped by most of players in York. Similarly, incorporating marketing to smaller firms is a spontaneous approach. SMEs marketing activities are greatly depends on conventional practices and experiences. Any efforts to formulate a marketing plan using standard marketing concepts are throwing away in newly established firms. Small business marketing plans are wholly reliant on the intensity of the practice and awareness of owners/managers (Huang and Brown, 1999). Study on Dutch SMEs, business planning process expressed that a few number of firms had formal, written business plans, whilst roughly a half check their plans at least yearly (Gibcus and Kemps, 2003). The whole idea behind the above argument in entrepreneur business planning is that opportunities are considering and strategies are used to take advantage of such opportunities without a formal plan or an informal plan. Burns (2007) illustrates that most of the small firms involving with the business plans as a tool to obtain capital. This however can be considered as two sided argument. In spite of the survival of the view that business plans are essential to securing capital gain for businesses, Different view is that investors look business plans totally insignificant and consequently try to disregard them. The comprehensive idea from this is that business plans will unable to use as a tool for funding (Bowers, 2009). It was experienced that in the consultancy project client require to a obtain loan form the bank by using the business plan. According to a study among 135 winners of the Australian Entrepreneur of the Year in 2004 awarded by Ernst and Young, found most (72 percent) believed the major input to their business was the owners vision in place (Mazzarol 2009). Further another study founds that 70 per cent of the smaller enterprises, reported via time span of one to three years, and 92 per cent confirmed to even plan for more than three years without having much thought. Another interesting fact that, planning in smaller enterprises is hardly ever aided by planning models, since the majority of the SMEs stated that they planned by instinct, and did not use planning models (Stonehouse and Pemberton, 2002). Wickham (2001, pp 143) explains the vision of a entrepreneur as a picture of the new world he or she wishes to create. It is a picture into which the entrepreneur fits an understanding of why people will be better off, the source of new value that will be created, and the relationships that will exists. Vision exists in the tension between what is and what might be. All in all such critically structures planning are clearly incongruous in time of uncertainty, the setting of longer-term objectives and vision is compulsory for the continued existence and evolution of an organization (Stonehouse and Pemberton, 2002). Sarasvathy (2001) convoluted entrepreneur planning processes as a creativity process. The first type is when entrepreneur has a goal to develop a enterprise and he or she is aggressively looking for opportunities and the second one is when there is no way to search for opportunities, but the person has an aim of solving an emerging issue and can put into practice it after. The Austrian approach differently brings out that, occasionally people dont looking for opportunities, but because they have an admission to particular information, it can allow them to spot opportunities others unable to capture. As a example, In consultancy project it is evident that the company is at initia l stage, established as a home-operated, by means of her passion in art photography field. Her intention of the company is to develop novel business units and broaden the client base so as to become a renowned photography business in York. In proposed emergent idea plan brings out suitable opportunities for the Galushka such as PET photography and online to focus on developing a photography brand in coming years. This type of creative ideas can be arising by creativity of the people and belief in rule by small numbers (predictions done from a small amount of information) (Simon et al., 1999) and self-importance (Fitzsimmons and Douglas, 2005) be likely to reduce the view of risk associated with initiation and therefore support individuals to act entrepreneurially without a formal plan. 5. Conclusion Above findings point out that there is a paradox of formal and informal planning in small firms. Whilst the use of formal business planning and focus on core strategies in small firms is little, however it cant be suggest that SMEs are not involving in planning actions since they usually carry out in informal ways and leads to success. This brings out that within the context of the business planning, firms need to locate ways of dealing with the unpredictability of their future external environments. The most significant point is that not the drafting of a business plan, except a SMEs leaders ability to think and act in a strategic way. Cummins et al., (2000) explains elements such as readiness to change are also part of the informal planning process which is integral to SMEs; where proaction require to SMEs involvement in prediction and anticipation in their planning activities, with a view to acting moderately than reacting. Similarly Merrilees and Frazer (2006) found that highly w inning entrepreneurial franchisees exhibit hidden marketing success in relation with their personalities, force to creativity, and ambition.