The Stupidest Angel Chapter 18

Chapter 18 YOUR PUNY WORM GOD WEAPONS ARE USELESS AGAINST MY SUPERIOR CHRISTMAS KUNG FU Molly slipped out the back door of the cabin and around the outside wall until she could see the tall figure standing before her picture window. The fallen wires had stopped sparking out by the street and the stars and moon barely cut through the darkness at all. Strangely enough, she could clearly see the man by her front window because there was a faint glow shining around him. Radioactive, Molly thought. He wore the long black duster favored by sand pirates. Why, though, would a desert marauder be out in a rainstorm? She assumed the Hasso No Kamae stance, back straight, the sword held high and tilted back over her right shoulder, the sword guard at mouth level, her left foot forward. She was three steps from delivering a deathblow to the intruder. The sword balanced perfectly in her grip, so perfectly that it seemed to weigh nothing at all. She could feel the wet pine needles under her bare feet and wished that she'd put on shoes before dashing out into the night. The cold rain against her bare skin made her think that maybe a sweater would have been a good idea as well. The glowing man looked toward the opposite corner of the cabin and Molly made her move. Three soft steps and she stood behind him; the edge of her blade lay across the side of his neck. A quick pull and she would cut him to his vertebrae. â€Å"Move and die,† Molly said. â€Å"Nuh-uh,† said the glowing man. The tip of Molly's sword extended a foot beyond the stranger's face. He looked at the blade. â€Å"I like your sword. Want to see mine?† â€Å"You move, you die,† Molly said, thinking that it wasn't the sort of thing you should have to repeat. â€Å"Who are you?† â€Å"I'm Raziel,† said Raziel. â€Å"It's not the sword of the Lord, or anything. Not for destroying cities, just for fighting one or two enemies at a time, or slicing cold cuts. Do you like salami?† Molly didn't quite know how to proceed. This glowing sand pirate seemed perfectly unafraid, perfectly unconcerned, in fact, that she was holding a razor-sharp blade against his carotid artery. â€Å"Why are you looking in my window in the middle of the night?† â€Å"Because I can't see through the wooden part.† Molly snapped her wrists back and smacked Raziel in the side of the head with the flat of her blade. â€Å"Ouch.† â€Å"Who are you and why are you here?† Molly said. She snapped her blade back to threaten another smack, and in that instant Raziel stepped away from her, spun, and drew a sword from the middle of his back. Molly hesitated, just a second, then approached and snapped her blade down, this time in a real attack aimed at his shoulder. Raziel parried the blow and riposted. Molly swept his blade aside and came around with her blade for a cut to the left arm. Raziel got his sword around just in time to deflect her blade down his arm instead of across it. The razor-sharp tashi took a long swath of fabric from his coat, as well as a thin slice of flesh down his forearm. â€Å"Hey,† he said, looking at his now-flapping sleeve. There was no blood. Just a dark stripe where the flesh was gone. He started hacking, his sword describing an infinity pattern in the air before him as he drove Molly back through the pine forest toward the road. She quickstepped back, parrying some blows, dodging others, stepping around trees, kicking up wet pine straw as she moved. She could only see her glowing attacker, his sword shining now as well, the darkness around her so complete that she moved only by memory and feel. As she deflected one of the blows, her heel caught on a root and she lost her balance. She started to go over backward and spun as if to catch herself. Raziel's momentum carried him forward, his sword swinging for a target that a second before had been two feet higher, and he ran right onto Molly's blade. She was bent over forward; the blade extended back across her rib cage and through Raziel, extending another two feet out his back. They were frozen there for a moment – him bent over her back, stuck together with her sword – like two dogs who needed a bucket of water thrown on them. From a crouch, Molly yanked the blade out, then spun, ready to deliver a coup de grace that would cut her enemy from collarbone to hip. â€Å"Ouch,† said Raziel, looking at the hole in his solar plexus. He threw his sword on the ground and prodded the wound with his fingers. â€Å"Ouch,† he said again, looking up at Molly. â€Å"You don't thrust with that kind of sword. You're not supposed to thrust with that kind of sword. No fair.† â€Å"You're supposed to die now,† Molly said. â€Å"Nuh-uh,† said Raziel. â€Å"You can't say nuh-uh to death. That's sloppy debating.† â€Å"You poked me with your sword, and cut my coat.† He held up his damaged arm. â€Å"Well, you came creeping around here in the middle of the night looking in my windows, and you pulled a sword on me.† â€Å"I was just showing it to you. I don't even like it. I want to get web slingers for my next mission.† â€Å"Mission? What mission? Did Nigoth send you? He is no longer my higher power, by the way. This is not the kind of support I need.† â€Å"Fear not,† said Raziel, â€Å"for I am a messenger of the Lord, come to bring a miracle for the Nativity.† â€Å"You're what?† â€Å"Fear not!† â€Å"I'm not afraid, you nitwit, I just kicked your ass. Are you telling me you're an angel?† â€Å"Come to bring Christmas joy to the child.† â€Å"You're a Christmas angel?† â€Å"I bring tidings of great joy, which shall be to all men. Well, not really. This time it's just to one boy, but I memorized that speech, so I like to use it.† Molly let her guard down, the tip of her sword pointed at the ground now. â€Å"So the glowing stuff on you?† â€Å"Glory of the Lord,† said the angel. â€Å"Oh piss,† said Molly. She slapped herself in the forehead. â€Å"And I killed you.† â€Å"Nuh-uh.† â€Å"Don't start with the nuh-uh again. Should I call an ambulance or a priest or something?† â€Å"I'm healing.† He held up his forearm and Molly watched as the faintly glowing skin expanded to cover the wound. â€Å"Why in the hell are you here?† â€Å"I have a mission –  » â€Å"Not here on Earth, here at my house.† â€Å"We're attracted to lunatics.† Molly's first instinct was to take his head, but on second thought, she was standing in the middle of a pine forest, in freezing rain and gale-force winds, naked, holding a sword, and talking to an angel, so he wasn't exactly announcing the Advent. She was a lunatic. â€Å"You want to come inside?† she said. â€Å"Do you have hot chocolate?† â€Å"With minimarshmallows,† said the Warrior Babe. â€Å"Blessed are the minimarshmallows,† the angel said, swooning a little. â€Å"Come on, then,† Molly said as she walked away muttering, â€Å"I can't believe I killed a Christmas angel.† â€Å"Yep, you screwed the pooch on this one,† said the Narrator. â€Å"Nuh-uh,† said the angel. â€Å"Get that piano against the door!† Theo yelled. The bolts on the front door had completely splintered away, and the Masonite buffet table was flexing under the blows of whatever the undead were using for a battering ram. The entire chapel shook with each impact. Robert and Jenny Masterson, who owned Brine's Bait, Tackle, and Fine Wines, started rolling the upright piano from its spot by the Christmas tree. Both had been through some harrowing moments in Pine Cove's history, and they tended to keep their heads in an emergency. â€Å"Anyone know how to lock these casters?† Robert called. â€Å"We'll need to brace it just the same,† Theo said. He turned to Ben Miller and Nacho Nunez, who seemed to have teamed up for the battle. â€Å"You guys look for more heavy stuff to brace the door.† â€Å"Where did they get a battering ram?† Tucker Case asked. He was examining the big rubber coasters on the piano, trying to figure out how to lock them. â€Å"Half the forest has blown down tonight,† said Lena. â€Å"Monterey pines don't have a taproot. They probably just found one that they could lift.† â€Å"Turn it on its back,† Tuck said. â€Å"Brace it against the table.† The ram hit the doors and they popped open six inches. The table hooked under the heavy brass handles was bending and beginning to split. Three arms came through the opening, half a face, the eye drooling out of a rotted socket. â€Å"Push!† Tuck screamed. They ran the piano up against the braced table, slamming the doors on the protruding limbs. The battering ram hit again, popping the doors open, driving the men back, and rattling their teeth. The undead arms pulled back from the gap. Tuck and Robert shoved the piano against the door and it shut again. Jenny Masterson threw her back against the piano and looked back at the onlookers, twenty or so people who seemed too stunned or too scared to move. â€Å"Don't just stand there, you useless fucks! Help us brace this. If they get in, they're going to eat your brains, too.† Five men pointed flashlights at each other in a â€Å"Me? You? Us?† inspection, then shrugged and ran to help push the piano. â€Å"Nice pep talk,† said Tuck, his sneakers squeaking on the pine floor as he pushed. â€Å"Thanks, I'm good with the public,† Jenny said. â€Å"Waitress for twenty years.† â€Å"Oh yeah, you waited on us at H.P.'s. Lena, it's our waitress from the other night.† â€Å"Nice to see you again, Jenny,† said Lena, just as the battering ram hit the door again, knocking her to the floor. â€Å"I haven't seen you at yoga class†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Clear the way, clear the way, clear the way!† called Theo. He and Nacho Nuà ±ez were coming across the floor from the back room carrying an eight-foot-long oak pew. Behind them, Ben Miller was wrestling a pew across the floor by himself. Several of the men who were holding the barricade broke ranks to help him. â€Å"Cantilever these against the piano and nail them to the floor,† Theo said. The heavy benches went up on a diagonal against the back of the piano and Nacho Nuà ±ez toenailed them to the floor. The benches flexed a little with each blow of the battering ram, but they held fast. After a few seconds, the pounding stopped. Again, there was only the noise of the wind and the rain. Everyone played flashlights around the room, waiting for whatever would come next. Then they heard Dale Pearson's voice at the side of the chapel. â€Å"This way. Bring it this way.† â€Å"Back door,† someone shouted. â€Å"They're carrying it around to the back door.† â€Å"More pews,† Theo yelled. â€Å"Nail them up in the back. Hurry, that door's not as heavy as the front, it won't take two hits like that.† â€Å"Can't they just come through one of the walls?† asked Val Riordan, who was trying to join in the effort to hold the line, despite the handicap of her five-hundred-dollar shoes. â€Å"I'm hoping that won't occur to them,† Theo said. Supervising the undead was worse than dealing with a construction crew full of drunks and cokeheads. At least his living crews had all of their limbs and most of their physical coordination. This bunch was pretty floppy. Twenty of the undead were hefting a broken pine-tree trunk a foot thick and as long as a car. â€Å"Move the goddamn tree,† Dale growled. â€Å"What am I paying you for?† â€Å"Is he paying us?† asked Marty in the Morning, who was hefting at midtree, on a jagged, broken branch. â€Å"Are we getting paid?† â€Å"I can't believe you ate all the brains,† Warren Talbot, the dead painter, said. â€Å"That was supposed to be for everyone.† â€Å"Would you shut the fuck up and get the tree around to the back door,† Dale yelled, waving his snub-nose revolver. â€Å"The gunpowder gave them a nice peppery flavor,† Marty said. â€Å"Don't rub it in,† said Bess Leander. â€Å"I'm so hungry.† â€Å"There will be enough for everyone once we get inside,† said Arthur Tannbeau, the citrus farmer. Dale could tell this wasn't going to work. They were too feeble, they couldn't get enough strength behind the battering ram. The living would be barricading the back door even now. He pulled some of the more decayed undead off the tree and pushed in those who seemed to have much of their normal strength, but they were trying to run up a narrow set of stairs carrying a thousand-pound tree trunk. Even a crew of healthy, living people wouldn't be able to get purchase in this mud. The tree trunk hit the door with an anemic thud. The door flexed just enough to reveal that the living had reinforced it. â€Å"Forget it. Forget it,† said Dale. â€Å"There are other ways we can get to them. Fan out in the parking lot and start looking for keys in the ignition of people's cars.† â€Å"Drive-thru snackage?† said Marty in the Morning. â€Å"I like it.† â€Å"Something like that,† Dale said. â€Å"Kid, you with the wax face. You're a motorhead, can you hot-wire a car?† â€Å"Not with only one arm,† Jimmy Antalvo slurred. â€Å"That dog took my arm.† â€Å"It stopped,† Lena said. She was checking Tuck's wounds. Blood was seeping through the bandages on his ribs. Theo turned away from the pilot and looked around the room. The emergency lighting was starting to dim already and his flashlight was panning them like he was looking for suspects. â€Å"No one left their keys in their car, did they?† There were murmurs of denial and heads shaking. Val Riordan had a perfectly painted eyebrow raised at him. There was a question there, even if it was unspoken. â€Å"Because that's what I'd do,† Theo said. â€Å"I'd get a car up to speed and crash it right through the wall.† â€Å"That would be bad,† said Gabe. â€Å"That parking lot had two inches of water and mud the last time I saw it,† Tucker Case said. â€Å"Not every car is going to get up to speed in that.† â€Å"Look, we need to get some help,† Theo said. â€Å"Someone has to go for help.† â€Å"They won't get ten feet,† Tuck said. â€Å"As soon as you open a door or break a window, they'll be waiting.† â€Å"What about the roof?† said Josh Barker. â€Å"Shut up, kid,† Tuck said. â€Å"There's no way up to the roof.† â€Å"Are we going to cut off his head now?† said Josh. â€Å"You have to sever the spinal column or they just keep coming.† â€Å"Look,† Theo said, playing his flashlight across the center of the ceiling. There was a trapdoor up there, painted over and latched, but it was definitely there. â€Å"It leads to the old bell tower,† Gabe Fenton said. â€Å"No bell, but it does open onto the roof.† Theo nodded. â€Å"From the roof someone could tell where they all were before making his move.† â€Å"That hatch is thirty feet up. There's no way to get to it.† Suddenly the high chirp of a barking bat came from above them. A half-dozen flashlights swung around to spotlight Roberto, who was hanging upside down from the star atop the Christmas tree. â€Å"Molly's tree,† said Lena. â€Å"It looks sturdy enough,† said Gabe Fenton. â€Å"I'll go,† said Ben Miller. â€Å"I'm still in pretty good shape. If I have to make a run for it, I can.† â€Å"Right there, that proves it,† said Tuck, an aside to Lena. â€Å"No guy with tiny balls would volunteer for that. See how the dead lie.† â€Å"I'm driving an old Tercel,† Ben said. â€Å"I don't think you want me trying to make a run for help in that.† â€Å"What we need is a Hummer,† said Gabe. â€Å"Yeah, or even a friendly hand job,† said Tuck. â€Å"But that's later. For now, we need a four-wheel drive.† â€Å"You really want to try this?† Theo asked Ben. The athlete nodded. â€Å"I've got the best chance of getting out. Those I can't outrun I'll just go through.† â€Å"Okay, then,† said Theo. â€Å"Let's get that tree over to the middle of the room.† â€Å"Not so fast,† said Tuck, patting his bandages. â€Å"I don't care how fast Micro-nads is, Santa still has two bullets in his gun.†

Psychosocial Stage Essay

Psychological development is generally accepted as product of the interaction among social and psychological forces which directly affect and shape the personality of every individual (Erikson, 2000). This may also encompass changes in self-control, and prosocial behavior. In relation to this, Erik Erikson established a unifying theory on the social and psychological aspects of human development throughout life span. In his eight developmental stages, each individual should, from infancy to senescence, accomplish psychological tasks in line with his or her social experiences. In addition, his theory, often called as â€Å"the stages of man,† is primarily grounded on the notion that every individual develops self-images through others’ perceptions and his or her own perceptions (Erikson, 2000). Erikson described the development of personality and the process by which an individual acquires societal role and shapes his or her identity. In contrary to Freud’s psychosexual emphasis, Erickson accentuated the development of one’s attitudes, skills, and the sense of responsibility. Further, Erikson argued that individuals undergo the different developmental stages, each with crisis or dilemma, and expected to resolve specific conflict in every stage. Unresolved conflicts in the previous stage will pass on the succeeding stages which impart negative traits in one’s personality (Erikson, 2000). On the other hand, as an individual successfully confronted every developmental crisis, he or she achieves positive traits or psychological attributes. Generativity versus Stagnation Erikson viewed â€Å"development† as a continuous process of facing the complexities of life (Santrock, 2002). A young professional, for example, to ensure success and intimate relations, he or she must perceive and accomplish the task of creating and caring his or her life role or style. Erickson’s 7th stage of psychosocial development, generativity versus stagnation, coincides with the middle adulthood period of humans. As defined by Erikson, generativity is the desire to take an active role in establishing the society and nurturing the youth to ensure the continuity of human generation (Lerner, 2002). In this stage, individuals should develop concern for the next generation in order to prevent personal stagnation (Santrock, 2002). While some individuals accomplish this through active community involvement and participation, some contribute for the welfare of the society through responsible parenthood. In any means, the dynamic that must be attained is the outward shifting from the well-being of one’s self to the consideration and care for the humanity. As such, the strength of care is achieved through creating, parenting, volunteering, and mentoring. For instance, by means of genuine care and concern, the generative religious teachers indoctrinate traditional religious view on development. Generative adults, on the other hand, may take responsibility on the cycle of life by leading and guiding their children in the first five stages of psychosocial development (Santrock, 2002). Meanwhile, a key element of â€Å"generativity versus stagnation† is the continuity of stages and cumulative implications of various experiences in life (Santrock, 2002). The adults’ sense of generativity is stimulated by encouraging and supporting the future of the next generation. However, individuals who fail to bestow the continuity to the next generation may possibly become engorge with his or her personal needs, disregard the needs of other individuals, and eventually become stagnated. Influences on my Personality The psychosocial development constructs of Erickson encompasses every experience of an individual that processes and shapes his or her personality, generativity, and perceptions. These processes are deemed universal; that is, although individuals experience family, social, and cultural life differently, the variations are minor. The minor variations account for other individual variables such as socioeconomic status, age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, education, and culture (Lerner, 2002). Hence, the psychosocial processes in the middle adulthood show variations on themes but of similar dynamic of change. Erikson outlined these changes in every developmental stage through specific conflicts or tasks that one needs to attend to or resolve. As such in middle adulthood, generativity versus stagnation is the conflict that needs to be resolved. However, as the resolution of conflicts in the early adulthood influences this stage, the outcome in this stage will directly affect the late adulthood period (Lerner, 2002). As well, as individuals are expected to provide inspiration, care, and guidance for the youth, they are also challenged to acquire productive roles for the societal development and continuity. Generativity then should not only be confined in parenting but should stretch out to community involvements through projects, leadership, and commitment. It must be deemed with respect to the manner by which an individual handle his or her relations with his or her family, societal institutions, friends, relatives, and with other individuals. Whereas every social behavior is determined by myriad of factors, the commitment and concern for the welfare of the next generation must be the primary motivation in all those aforementioned social responsibilities and activities (Lerner, 2002). As I learned the middle adulthood psychosocial stage of Erikson, about 35-40 years of ages, I examined the present state of my personality in terms of generativity and stagnation. That is, I assessed my self if I am productive in my field of endeavor and geared towards inspiring and guiding my children and other youngsters and young adults. I became concern with the achievement of generativity for Erikson argued that it is crucial for a positive outlook during midlife. As such, I formulated my developmental goals of preparing my self for my senescence period and caring for and guiding the youngsters for adulthood. However, life experiences in this stage of life are not identical among individuals; some are still single adult while others are happily married or divorced during this period. Generally, the middle adulthood has developmental discontinuity and continuity. In particular, psychological attributes like cognitive functioning may rapidly change while the others such as intelligence and personality may attain stability during midlife (Lachman, 2001). I realized then that in defining life’s success, experiences in midlife have significant roles. During middle adulthood, every individual compensates for and copes with life’s losses which tend to be apparent as senescence life approaches. As revealed by psychological researches, life satisfaction is at its peak in midlife; this is the period of life where subjective happiness and well-being are rated best as compared to other stages of life (Lachman, 2001). Thus, midlife is known as the prime of one’s life, where most middle adults are at the summit of their family and professional careers, and income generation. In addition, middle adults experience a very satisfactory psychological well-being; they have positive outlook in life, autonomy, and aim for both personal and professional growth (Lachman, 2001). They perceived midlife as the period where one should function best. Thus, my consciousness on my work performance, multiple-role playing, and parenting styles were awakened. Nevertheless, at the other extreme of middle adulthood are the midlife crises. Based on psychological reports, middle adulthood is battered by worries in life such as the feelings of individuals of life losses and failures, non-achievement and underachievement, and trivial and non-essential goals (Lachman, 2001). Yet, amidst these crises and as compared to other stages of life, middle adulthood is the period of less depression and higher well-being. In this period, most individuals attained their professional and personal goals. Those who are susceptible to environmental factors, limited resources, and poverty, are at risk to psychological and physical distress (Lachman, 2001). It was then clarified in my mind that during midlife, individuals may either enjoy the fruition of their respective labors or suffer the cumulative deficits of their life due to unresolved conflicts in previous stages. Therefore, middle adulthood, as generativity versus stagnation implies, is not only a period of fulfillment and accomplishment but also a transition period for the past and present events of life basically influence the later life’s transition. Midlife is the stage of life when individuals, more frequently, have already decided for a lifestyle and other social context like vocation, routine, neighborhood, and support network. Thus, I postulated that personality molds the life of an individual, rather than life experiences shapes the personality of an individual. In particular, only specific aspect of personality is altered by dramatic life events during middle adulthood. For example, career or marriage failure, affliction due to mental or physical disorder, and death of a loved one may alter the behavioral trait of an individual which in turn only causes minor shifts in personality but do not reflect in the holistic personality structure. Moreover, the concept of midlife crisis, perceived as inevitable in middle adulthood, was found to be false (Lerner, 2002). Even though midlife is a stage of reflection, increased anxiety, midcourse correction, and unpredictable transformation, researches revealed that during middle adulthood, individuals still undertake the shifting of life perspective from birth until to their last years to live (Lerner, 2002). The nature of an individual’s response to midlife challenges is largely affected by personality attributes and less by the individual’s present developmental stage or chronological age. As proposed, the enduring nature of midlife crisis is possibly related to the capability of an individual to cope with the tragic life events and in the end still considers his or her self as fairly fortunate. In sum, Erikson suggested the importance of finding oneself in another during midlife developmental stage. By merely serving oneself or own family, an individual becomes engorge with his or her personal needs, disregard the needs of other individuals, and eventually ends as stagnated. Hence, I must not confine my self in looking at and working only for the welfare of my family. Bringing up my children into the best that they can be is inadequate contribution for the welfare of the society. I need to acquire the sense of altruism in order to contribute whatever resources I have, actively involve myself to community projects, and to extend whatever support I can give for the welfare of the next generation. In addition, since midlife crisis is inevitable in middle adulthood, I realized that in order to face every travail, empathy and support to others are crucial so as to establish a network support where I can lean on as I resolve any form of midlife crisis. References Erikson, E. H. (2000). The Erik Erikson Reader. Coles, R. Ed. New York: Norton. Santrock, J. W. (2002). Life-span development. New York: McGraw-Hill. Lachman, M. E. (2001). Handbook of Midlife Development. New York: John Wiley. Lerner, R. M. (2002). Concepts and Theories of Human Development, 3rd ed. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Technology and Operations management

Introduction Operations management involves careful planning and organizing of activities and processes to be carried out in an organization. In managing the operations, an organization has to control and assess the use of the available resources. Technology has been employed to help manage the operations hence achieve quality improvements in organizations. Technology use requires special knowledge and expertise for a success. Currently technology has been used to enhance management processes in many institutions. To benefit from technology use qualified technical resources are required (Belout, 2004). All the projects in an organization have to be managed well for a success.Project Management Project management is process by which resources involved in a project are carefully and systematically organized to help achieve accomplish a specific task. Project management therefore involves clear definition of the goals and objectives to be achieved using the available resources. Project management is done in phases. The phases start from information gathering, developing and implementing plans, assessments and maintenance (Free management Library, 2009).To successfully determine the project scope and plan, an organization requires special knowledge and expertise. When right skills and expertise are used, user’s satisfaction will be met or exceeded. Project management therefore requires process improves to meet customer satisfaction and business process reengineering to achieve quality. Through business process, reengineering customer satisfaction can be met and even exceeded (Stanleigh, 2009).Technology and operations management Project management processes vary depending with the type of project and the goals to be achieved. According to Stanleigh (2009), projects are unique hence when managing projects each requires specific processes or resources to be used. Operations management involves efficiency hence quality production. To improve on operations an or ganization has to employ management practices in many aspects. Quality and project management has to be carried through planning well and employing qualified staff.Proper planning leads to proper usage of resources hence avoid wastage. Improved efficiency enhances improvements in quality productions. Business operations can be reengineered and technology use adopted. Technology use for instance automation of processes has lead to elimination of some production processes by eliminating some processes, effective resource consumption and efficient production (Jackson & Klobas, 2008).Conclusion Management is very fundamental in all organizations. Management should be done in all operations carried out in an organization. Management of operations will ensure efficiency in resource usage hence quality productions. To achieve a continuous improvement, innovation and technology use has to be encouraged. Technology management has benefited many organizations. Through technology use, producti on processes have been reduced. Businesses reengineering has led to elimination of non-productive processes (Jackson & Klobas, 2008). Technology use hence leads to effective resource use and production processes.Reference: Belout, A. (2004). Int. J. of Project Management, 22(1), 1—11. Viewed on 29th May2009. Available at Factors influencing project success: the impact of human resource managementFree Management Library. (2009). Project Management. Viewed on 29th May 2009.Available at http://managementhelp.org/plan_dec/project/project.htmJackson, P. & Klobas, J. (2008). Int. J. of Project Management, 26(4), 329-337. Viewedon 29th May 2009. Available at Building knowledge in projects: A practical application of social constructivism to information systems developmentStanleigh, M. (2009). Process Management vs. Project Management. Viewed on 29thMay 2009. Available at http://www.bia.ca/articles/pj–pm-vs-pjm.htm Technology and Operations management Introduction Operations management involves careful planning and organizing of activities and processes to be carried out in an organization. In managing the operations, an organization has to control and assess the use of the available resources. Technology has been employed to help manage the operations hence achieve quality improvements in organizations. Technology use requires special knowledge and expertise for a success. Currently technology has been used to enhance management processes in many institutions. To benefit from technology use qualified technical resources are required (Belout, 2004). All the projects in an organization have to be managed well for a success.Project Management Project management is process by which resources involved in a project are carefully and systematically organized to help achieve accomplish a specific task. Project management therefore involves clear definition of the goals and objectives to be achieved using the available resources. Project management is done in phases. The phases start from information gathering, developing and implementing plans, assessments and maintenance (Free management Library, 2009).To successfully determine the project scope and plan, an organization requires special knowledge and expertise. When right skills and expertise are used, user’s satisfaction will be met or exceeded. Project management therefore requires process improves to meet customer satisfaction and business process reengineering to achieve quality. Through business process, reengineering customer satisfaction can be met and even exceeded (Stanleigh, 2009).Technology and operations management Project management processes vary depending with the type of project and the goals to be achieved. According to Stanleigh (2009), projects are unique hence when managing projects each requires specific processes or resources to be used. Operations management involves efficiency hence quality production. To improve on operations an or ganization has to employ management practices in many aspects. Quality and project management has to be carried through planning well and employing qualified staff.Proper planning leads to proper usage of resources hence avoid wastage. Improved efficiency enhances improvements in quality productions. Business operations can be reengineered and technology use adopted. Technology use for instance automation of processes has lead to elimination of some production processes by eliminating some processes, effective resource consumption and efficient production (Jackson & Klobas, 2008).Conclusion Management is very fundamental in all organizations. Management should be done in all operations carried out in an organization. Management of operations will ensure efficiency in resource usage hence quality productions. To achieve a continuous improvement, innovation and technology use has to be encouraged. Technology management has benefited many organizations. Through technology use, producti on processes have been reduced. Businesses reengineering has led to elimination of non-productive processes (Jackson & Klobas, 2008). Technology use hence leads to effective resource use and production processes.Reference: Belout, A. (2004). Int. J. of Project Management, 22(1), 1—11. Viewed on 29th May2009. Available at Factors influencing project success: the impact of human resource managementFree Management Library. (2009). Project Management. Viewed on 29th May 2009.Available at http://managementhelp.org/plan_dec/project/project.htmJackson, P. & Klobas, J. (2008). Int. J. of Project Management, 26(4), 329-337. Viewedon 29th May 2009. Available at Building knowledge in projects: A practical application of social constructivism to information systems developmentStanleigh, M. (2009). Process Management vs. Project Management. Viewed on 29thMay 2009. Available at http://www.bia.ca/articles/pj–pm-vs-pjm.htm

The Impact of a Pandemic (SARS) on Tourism Essay

The Impact of a Pandemic (SARS) on Tourism - Essay Example Introduction Mexico has suffered a huge blow from the outbreak of swine flu in 2009. There has been a drop in the number of tourists from countries including Canada, U.S. and others. The prime reason behind this serious damage to the country’s economy is the outbreak of H1N1 virus a year ago. This virus is commonly known as swine flu. The Mexican economy has declined by 40% in 2009. The economy of Mexico was at its highest peak in the year of 2008.1 The recovery process, however, is on and is being done in a strategic manner. There is a new report on swine flu, which says that the virus H1N1 has surged down in southeastern part of the country these days.2 The southeastern part of the country is the homeland for some of the most popular and beautiful resorts in Mexico. This also includes Riviera Maya and Cancun.3 The effect of swine flu is not limited to Mexico only. Various other nations have started to feel the effect of swine flu. This paper will place a close look at the im pact of swine flu on the tourism industry of Mexico. It will also consider the impact of Swine flu beyond Mexico. For that, it will consider Kenya. Finally the paper will discuss some solution to this problem. Analysis of Swine flu’s impact on Mexican tourism industry The Mexican tourism industry is one of the worst sufferers from the outbreak of swine flu. The effect of swine flu in Mexico was not only limited to micro level, rather it affected the country at macro level. The effect of swine flu in Mexico was not limited to limited to the closure of a few hotels; rather the entire tourism sector was affected badly through the spread of H1N1. Dismal condition of the tourism sector of Mexico affected the entire economy of the country as well.4 The fall of revenue in the tourism sector of Mexico was 43% in 2009 on account of swine flu. It is said that the tourism industry in Mexico is the third largest industrial sector in the country. As far as foreign exchanged program is con cerned, its performance was quite good in 2008 although there were downturn in the global economic market. The increase in revenue from the foreign tourism was 3.5% in 2008. On the other hand, there was a rapid downfall in the revenue by 43% in 2009. This happened due to loss in business after the significant spread of swine flu in the country. This situation had an awful effect in the resorts like Cancun and Riviera Maya. The occupancy of hotel in Cancun was 75%, which dropped down by 20% during May and by early June. This fatal situation made 22 hotels of Cancun to stop their business operation5. The patterns made by air-travels have also changed during that particular year showing tourism slump. There was a decline in air traffic by 50%. This was reported by Grupo Aeropuertuario del Sureste (ASUR).6 The air trafficking was not only affected from the fear of swine flu, but there are some other facts as well. First, as a measure of prevention, the government, airport authorities, l ocal, national as well as international health organizations implemented various types of security checks on the airports. The security system became so complicated in Mexican airports that foreign travelers started to hesitate to visit Mexico. The system incorporated different sorts of complex virus check in order to ensure that no viral infected outsider enters the nation.7 Second, government also imposed

Academic differences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Academic differences - Essay Example In regard to various factors that promote learning, it is evident that the standard in Umass Lowell is relatively better than my former school. It is also worth to note that age factor is important in explaining the differences observed. A comparative personal assessment in terms of effort put towards private study shows a big difference between my current learning and previous school. Back in Emirates National School I put very little effort towards studying since I simply attended classes and after that went back home to have fun with age mates. Even in the evening I could not spare some time to go through my notes and refresh my mastery of the class work unless there was a test. This could be explained by my childish mentality which had little knowledge of the importance of learning. Besides, workload was very small that I had little stress over homework and possible underperformance at the end of the term. In Umass Lowell, it is a different case since I am virtually occupied throughout the week. I am committed to attaining and maintain better results, and this means I revise my class work every day and preview notes for the next class. I am now aware of the significance of my education and am focused to achieve the highest available grade. In Umass Lowell, I lack time to relax as I used to do in my former school since my studying schedule is tight till into the night. It is worth noting that in my former school, competition was low as most of us took learning for granted and had not learnt of the significance of private study. In my current school, the opposite is true since competition is very stiff, and one has to go the extra mile of private study and extensive revision to keep up with the pace. Any attempt to relax may compromise ones grades and even attract academic warning and in extreme cases discontinuation. The curricular structure of Umass Lowell is more comprehensive and organized to initiate hard work amongst the teaching

Mary Seacole Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mary Seacole - Research Paper Example Because historians did not begin to study this great women until 1970s, a lot of the information regarding her life was lost with time. All the work done on Mary Seacole, whether in academic papers or in popular media can be dated to within the last 30-40 years. But, even at this late date, historians have dug enough to give us a pretty accurate picture of Mary Seacole's life from her birth to her death. Through the dedicated work of several writers over the past few decades, we know a lot more about Seacole today than we did even twenty-five years ago. Yet, there remain a number of gaps in our knowledge regarding Mary Seacole and as a result of the fact that her life and achievements were completely ignored after her death and hence lost in the mist of time, there is little hope of scholars and historians learning much more about this forgotten heroine. Of the hundreds of books and articles written on Seacole, this essay has shortlisted two books and an article to discuss Seacole's contribution to history. Robinson has done a thorough job of researching Seacole's life and the various influences on it. Her book is much more complete since Robinson takes the pains of putting together bits and pieces of information from various sources to come to conclusions that help us better understand Seacole. Ramdin too analyzes Seacole's life. However, he is almost entirely dependent on her autobiography and as result, Ramdin's book is more a retelling of the Seacole story and does not add much to the canonical information available about Seacole. Since very limited information is available about Seacole, mostly because of lack of interest in her life, it is normal to ask why Seacole's story was lost in time while Nightingale became the inspiration of nurses around the world. Seaton attempts to answer this question and look at the various attempts made in the last few decades to restore her memory. The historians working on Mary Seacole have a tough time finding and validat ing information related to this heroine of the Crimean War. Almost everything that we know today about her life is through her autobiography, "Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole". But historians like Robinson have been able to glean a wealth of information from other primary things "reported in transcripts...[of] a court case, recorded in her will, and printed in letters published in Punch and The Times." (Robinson 7). For example, Seacole does not mention her maiden name or her father's name anywhere in her autobiography. But based on her will, records of army personal posted in Jamaica around the time Seacole was born and "an entry Kingston Registers of Death of a spinster, Louisa Grant",(10) Robinson was able to deduce to that Seacole's father was named James Grant. Similarly, even though Seacole never mentions the year of her birth, and her birth was never registered, her death certificate helps Robinson place her birth around the year 1805. The first chapter of Robinson's boo k also discusses the presence and influence of several other people in her life including her mother, and a grandmotherly lady who is not identified by name. Robinson also takes pains to explain Seacole's social status in the little Jamaican island as well as in Britain, which she apparently visited as a teenagers. All these details are extremely important in an introductory chapter about a women who

Ahad Ha'am's Idea of the Spiritual Center Research Paper

Ahad Ha'am's Idea of the Spiritual Center - Research Paper Example He is also known as the founder of Cultural Zionism and strived for "a Jewish state and not merely a state of Jews.† He left an extensive impact on Hebrew culture, with his equivocal political imprint. The collection of his essays comprises of the four-volume ‘Al Parashat Derakhim (At the Crossroads; 1895–1914), remain among the most influential ever written by a modern Jewish intellectual. The leading figures of twentieth-century Judaism labelled him as a ‘prime inspiration’. They include Israel’s first president Chaim Weizmann, Hebrew University chancellor Judah Magnes, poet Hayim Nahman Bialik, Kabbalah scholar Gershom Scholem, and theologian Martin Buber. Ahad Ha’am's idea was his most famous; this was known as cultural Zionism. It was based on the establishment of small settlements in Palestine which aimed at resuscitating the Jewish spirit and culture in the modern world. According to Rabbi Dr. Louis Jacobs, Ginsberg saw what he cal led "absolute spirituality" (ruhani ha muhlat) as the very essence of Judaism, which had always set its face against material concepts of the divine. In the vision of cultural Zionism, a small number of Jewish cadres speaking Hebrew as well as who were well-versed in Jewish culture would settle in Palestine.

Sampling on HCC gollf clubs (market research) Essay

Sampling on HCC gollf clubs (market research) - Essay Example If one person is interested, she or he may be able to provide names of other potential participants. This type of recruiting is known as the snowball technique (Lindlof, 1995 as cited by Barnett). Other considerations include demographics. A further question is whether to target a heterogeneous (everybody is different) or homogeneous (everybody is as similar as possible) sample. Most researchers prefer a homogeneous group with the common threads being the issues for discussion (Vaughn, Schumm, & Sinagub, 1996 as cited by Barnett). In this approach it is believed that having too many different voices could detract from the overall purpose. Those advocating heterogeneous groups argue that focus groups should capture a range of opinions, and that participants should feel able to present their perspective free from the fear of appearing different. In a heterogeneous group everybody is, by definition, different. It is important to consider whether focus group members will know each other or whether they will be complete strangers. The degree of familiarity unquestionably impacts group discussions. For the purpose of this research we will consider membership lists and will also contact the Government bodies to get information lists about the people of the area to get idea of people preferences. Since the membership in HCC golf club is very low already, membership lists can support the research purpose but we cannot rely on it. The heterogeneous samples should be selected in order to gain the knowledge about the different preferences of the customers so that the areas should be effectively addressed. It is preferred that group members should not be familiar with one another in order to try to prevent acquaintances from influencing comments. We will select adults aging between 18-49, with different income levels, backgrounds and status in order to get a broader perspective regarding the tastes of the target

Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Article Review - Essay Example The American culture and traditions condone how vulnerable youths become to drug abuse. It is important to note that the health problem has been quite around for a very long time (OWN, 2014). Unfortunately for drug us, it affects a lot of people as they engage in it during their youth, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA*) states that at least 9 out of 10 who are said to be addicts started drinking, smoking, or using any other drug before they reach 18 (CASA Columbia, 2011). Drug abuse has had profound effects on the society. CASA maintains that teen drinking, smoking, and overall drug abuse has been very damaging to millions of people in the community and that there have been costly long range consequences. America reports homicides, increased general crimes due to drug use and abuse. Teen drug abuse remains the most expensive yet preventable health issue for the community. The American community has implemented measures to ensure that teen drug abuse is dealt with. Educating the youth on detrimental effects of drug addiction can be, conducting routine screening, and provision of appropriate treatment to the affected are among the many ways that have proven useful in combating drug abuse (Estep, 2013). Ending Adiction Changes Everything. (2011, June 29). Retrieved Jan 4, 2015, from http://www.casacolumbia.org/newsroom/press-releases/national-study-reveals-teen-substance-use-americas-1-public-health-problem Estep, B. (2013, November 30). Kentuckys response to drug epidemic is yielding some good news. Retrieved from Kentucky.com:

Report 1b Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Report 1b - Essay Example This report tries to put across some of these concepts that media has impacted to people. The ideas are sampled from the comments made by other students on the same and other sources whose link is given for one to get more information on the same Social responsibility is vital fo companies as this make it survive as it intarracts with the community. Sustainability of the enterprise requires an active social responsibility that attracts more customers to deal with the enterprise http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=395681. This elaborates the need of incorporation of social resposibility for business sustenance and advantages in competition although the stategy may lead to a lowprofit making (DuBrin, 2012). The other vital link illustrates the enhancement of gender diversity by Microsoft in the workplace. There is exploration of diversity in gender at workplace in the Microsoft office. Through this the company has achieved gender leadership diversity with women in executive positions (DuBrin, 2012). Diversity in workplace is important in improving innovativeness and overall performance. Transformation in work environment using initiative ‘New World of Work’ that enables employees to work from any place using technology. This diversity improves productivity of the employees http://www.humanresourcesonline.net/enabling-gender-diversity-workplace/. This explains not only the gender diversity but also diversity culture of working with new technology.this information is relevant in current diversity issues in workplace. Gilli comments that the ethical of the food companies. (Kattasova, 2014) Here there is the case environmental context of leadership and ethics in addition to social responsibility. There is the highlighting of theses issues through rating firms basing on their different activities. Its facilitated through a mean of ensuring strict

The Gay and Lesbian Movement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Gay and Lesbian Movement - Research Paper Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that politically, the gays and lesbians have been given a chance to lead other groups of people as they have been elected in some of the elections were carried out in the United States. These people have been elected as state legislators and as congressmen, and thus they have been able to get into high positions in the country. There are also communities which help in ensuring that the gays and lesbians needs are met. There has also been an establishment of businesses that helps in the making sure that the needs of these people are met and they live well and satisfied. The gays and lesbians have made a mainstream on the media such as television, in the music industry, and have also appeared in films which every other member of the society watches (Rimmerman 2). However, society does not consider gays and lesbians to be vital, and some of the public issues which the society may need to address are not addressed by the peop le who are in this movement. For example, the gays and lesbians are not allowed to carry out some activities such as adopting children, teaching in the public schools, and also taking care of foster children and serving in the public arena such as in the armed forces and as guards. During the early times, the gays and lesbians believed that they would progress if only they involved themselves in the media and had a connection with the public. Therefore, they would protest and fight for their rights and involved in political activities in order to ensure that they get attention from the other members of the public, and thus they believed they would get to progress in all their undertakings as the movement was being established. They did all that they did in order to ensure that they no longer hid from the public, and nether would they be afraid of getting to the public with their status. They would not live in silence any longer and thus would ensure that they have become visible and everyone else knows of their existence (Rimmerman 84). The issue of gay and lesbian movement has been controversial to the social life of the community. This means that there are factors which have to be considered in ensuring that the message of the existence of the movement is received well by the social community. Conflicts exist between the rights of the Christians and the rights of the gays and lesbians (Rimmerman 122). The Christian community in the United States is said to be composed of people who are anti-gay, and thus the two movements cannot come together either socially nor politically to bring out a notion of power. Differences between gay and lesbian, on one hand, and queer, on the other Gays and Lesbians are those people who are sexually attracted to people of the same sex. This means that a man may be sexually attracted to another man or a woman may be sexually attracted to another woman. On the other hand, the word queer explains an individual who is attracted to a nother individual of the same sex, but it does not have to be sexual attraction. Queers can be bisexual meaning that they are not content with the type of relationship that they involve themselves in.  

Medical Marijuana Legalization Essay Example for Free

Medical Marijuana Legalization Essay Are there medicinal benefits of marijuana? Could there really be more to the cannabis plant than â€Å"getting high? † Yes, the cannabis (scientific name for â€Å"marijuana†) plant does in fact have medical uses, and there is much more to this extraordinary plant than consuming it to experience its psychoactive effects. However, most Americans are unaware of the present day medicinal applications of cannabis. From migraines to multiple sclerosis, cannabis can help. The cannabis plant is grown naturally and contains no added chemicals, making it ideal. In modern medicine, the cannabis plant has many medical uses. Cannabis was legal to consume in the United States up until 1937, when the â€Å"marihuana tax act of 1937† made possession or transfer of cannabis illegal throughout the United States under federal law, excluding medical and industrial uses. The American Medical Association was not in favor of this legislation. Before this law was passed, marijuana was legal and quite popular in the United States. Martin Booth explains in his book Cannabis: A History, that In the 1880’s â€Å"hashish† parlors were very popular in America and it was estimated that their were around five hundred of these parlors in New York at the time. From 1850-1942 cannabis was listed in the U. S Pharmacopoeia as a useful medicine for nausea, rheumatism, and labor pains; it was also easily obtained at the local general store or pharmacy. More than 20 prescription medicines containing marijuana were sold in U. S. pharmacies at the turn of the 20th century, and marijuana-based medications were commonly available until cannabis was taken out of the U. S. Pharmacopeia in 1942. Then in 1970, the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, classified marijuana as a Schedule I drug. According to this act a schedule I drug means three things: the drug has high potential for abuse, the drug has no currently accepted medical use in the U. S, and there is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug under medical supervision. Other schedule I drugs include heroin, LSD, peyote, MDMA (ecstasy), and mescaline. The once medicinally valued cannabis plant is now classified with drugs in which have completely different and much more harmful effects. Marijuana cannot be classified with the other schedule I narcotics because it can be beneficial to many people with a number of different diseases or health problems. Marijuana can cure migraines, Doctors in California report they have cured over 300,000 cases of migraines with medical marijuana (medicalinsurance. org marijuana-health-facts). The American Association for Cancer Research has found that marijuana actually works to slow down tumor growth in the lungs, breasts, and brain considerably. Studies also suggest that use of medical marijuana helps lower intraocular pressure in the eyes of glaucoma patients (glaucoma. org /treatment/should-you-be-smoking-marijuana-to-treat-your-glaucoma-1. php). Marijuana is also a muscle relaxer that has antispasmodic qualities that have proven to be a very effective treatment for seizures (nimh. nih. gov). Marijuana works to stop the neurological effects and muscle spasms that come from multiple sclerosis by protecting nerves from the damage caused by the fatal disease (multiple-sclerosis. emedtv. com). Marijuana is so beneficial that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) actually used part of the plant. The main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC for short. The FDA isolated a single molecule cannabinoid pharmaceutical; it was called Marinol and was used for treatment of nausea and vomiting in cancer chemotherapy patients who did not respond to conventional antiemetic treatments, according to the article Medicinal use of cannabis in the United States: Historical perspectives, current trends, and future directions. From the same article the doctors talk about another medication with similar effects of marijuana, except this one is a synthetic molecule shaped similarly to THC. ) It’s called Nabilone and has been approved since 1985 for use with nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy in cancer patients. As of 2011 there are currently sixteen states and Washington D. C. that support medical marijuana. The sixteen states include: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. Our federal government on the other hand, does not agree with these state laws and continues to prosecute medical marijuana users because it remains illegal under federal law. The medicinal uses of the cannabis plant have been around since our country was founded, yet in present time, marijuana â€Å"presents no known medicinal value†. The founding father of our nation George Washington, said, â€Å"Make the most of the Indian hemp seed, and sow it everywhere! It has been used in America since our country was founded, but as of now our country cannot come to terms of agreement regarding the cannabis plant. Marijuana can be used to treat or relieve symptoms of many diseases and discomforts, but for now its still illegal and preventing many Americans from getting their medicine. Marijuana has many uses but our federal government cannot see that or chooses not to believe it, regardless, it is still a very applicable medicine. Medical marijuana is used in other countries includin g our neighbor up north, Canada. So, why is it still illegal in America? If marijuana were to be legalized in the United States for medical purposes, our country would greatly benefit. Marijuana is one the purest most natural substances known to many yet it is referred to as a â€Å"drug†, however over fifty percent of Americans think that medical marijuana should be legalized. Sometime in the near future our country will recognize all the medical benefits of this magnificent plant, but until then it is still a federal crime to use and possess.

Cultural Changes To Organisations Apple Case Study Business Essay

Cultural Changes To Organisations Apple Case Study Business Essay This essay was primary design to examine the important of the cultural changes to organisations using Apple as a Case Study, gathering different systematic approach with variable models, then having examined the core aspect of culture, the leadership quality, organisation structure, performance management and the human resource strategy, to analyse possible outcome of any chosen approach for the predicted changes. It was discovered that there is no one way approach to the end result, in recommendation to this complexity nature however, conclusion where made, that sacrifice have to be made to get rid of the bad aspect of the organisation to retain this goods, that it is rather totally impossible to have a holistic and unique organisation without some form of setback if organisations objectives are to be achieved. More so the recommendations made where in great consideration of Apples corporate culture. What is culture of Apple? Apple incorporation is todays one of the biggest if not the biggest organisation culture change trend master, in the past few years apple as being in the light of it totally perceive genius ways of getting thing done with a different, however Apples corporate culture is constantly changing as a result of changes to its leadership/CEO from time to time. Apples corporate culture is characterise by its intense work ethic and casual work culture (case study p.3) observers also noted that Apple culture is centred on secrecy and very hard discipline for employees that void the rule by sharing information. To gain an in-depth understanding of this we must dwell into Apple historical background, it pros and cons, and the possibility of future management. Therefore the empirical question would be what is the culture of Apple? What is culture? Culture has been describe by many authors, school of thoughts, theories to mention a few in relation to its conceptual usage, it has been described for example as the dominant values espoused by an organisation, the commonly held and relatively stable set of beliefs, attitudes, values and norms that exit throughout an organisation the basic assumption and beliefs that are share by member of an organisation. In recent time culture has been refer to as the way things are done around here. Lynch (2006, p.37) culture refers to the shared understandings and meanings of that members have concerning an organisation. Rather as individuals have distinctive personalities organisation have their own particular culture. Some will be friendly, relaxed and informal while others will be highly formal aloof and hostile. Also Drenna(1992).in senior.B (1997).p101)says culture is what typical of the organisation, the habits the prevailing attitudes, the grown up pattern of accepted and expected behavio ur . The main feature of culture is that even though there are many organisational differences there seem to be share understandings within them. Culture tends to build gradually in rational thinking of groups with the system which later forms a sub/dominant culture. Using Handy (1993) cultural model, handy opine that A culture cannot be precisely define, for it is something that is perceived, something felt handy (p. 191).however he pointed out the four type of culture in organisation which are explain in fig1.1. Type Metaphor Characteristics Power Culture A web Control from centre; political and entrepreneurial ,personal power serves the figure-head and the leader Role Culture The Greek Temple Classical structure; bureaucratic; role identity position power predominate, serves the structure Task culture A net Valued individual expertise and contribution focus on completing the job, both personal and position powers are important; high level of collaboration base on group unity. Person culture A cluster or galaxy Combine of a lose collection of individuals-pursuing own goal but share common facility, power not necessary a focus because members are experts in their own field. This culture serves the individual. Fig1.1 The four culture type highlights how power and control are utilized by organisation and of whose interest are they serving? certainly theres an element of power culture at Apple inc, as noted in the case study, Steve entrepreneurship style had giving way for personal ideology and more-or-less gain control over the system, he is characterise as Apple a mirror image of Apple, of course we can say this is of Advantage, but the bad aspect is the span of control and politic associated with Steve upon returning back in late 1990s, when he changed the culture back to the way its use to be when he was at the apex Apple. Also the Role culture could be link with eras of Sculley, and other leaders who try to formalize the structure by imposing their own rule, neglecting the important of project groups, which is central to the Task culture even though individual expertise at Apple is crucial to its innovation the only existing collaboration is based on secrecy. A typical reflection of Apple is t he individual culture we may say is the Person culture as different geeks work tiredly to bring about a unique invention based on their expertise. Is the culture good or bad for Apple? According to, Van backer(case study p.10), ( Backer)an analyst at Gartner inc, noted when Apple goes out to hire somebody, the no 1 criteria isnt how much experience you have or who you know .its whether they think you will fit into the culture. Secrecy seems very good for Apples corporate culture as it brought good market value for the product, innovation, and keeps customer loyalty going, the downside of this though is the culture of Secrecy had eaten deep into both the internal and external environment of Apple, they became so paranoid that employee were not allow to share internal information, they call it the surprise factor (case study P.11 1). Clearly this will affect employees engagement and leads to de-motivation of individuals, another is legal ethics surrounding secrecy that leads to big bail out in legal battle, which of course is bad for the corporate image and share profit. Reasonably any changes to the secrecy culture without due care may affect performance and alter t he structure. Nevertheless the culture seems unique but can it function without structure, the leadership, performance and strategy? Ideally, we can communicate this by a thorough analysis of the model below; take note that the model is a non linear model as all the elements are inter-related and interdependent. Fig1.2 A model of relationship between culture, leadership, performance, strategy and structure. The model explained that culture is interdependent with the other four linked organisational behaviour, that any alteration at the centre point (culture) will have a major effect on the these linked elements in any direction, in a simple form an alteration of culture as a result of leadership change will also result in structural change, impacted the strategy, and affect the performance, the rebounds effect may occur in vice-visa order, which in turns brings complexity rather than flexibility. As organisation faces difficult obstacles in providing systemic changes to culture, the most successful organisations are belief to be those with a clear understanding of the important changes from the four elements; this view is supported by various scholars, Cameron and Quinn (2006) emphasis this life cycle shift in culture that had developed in Apple over time. Noticeable in the case study is the commentators reference to Apple as a unique culture, analysts argued that Steve the CEO of Apple is the best marketer in the world, this is good but his leadership style suggests a different view. For instance secrecy is the pinnacle of Apples strategic marketing culture. The initial exit of Steve saw a change in leadership that resulted in different performance and strategy, when Sculley was brought on by Steve to help, as a manager, this itself would obviously alter the Structure, because the strategy was not yielding good results. Which cause a drastic change of performance as the new leader struggle to change the previous culture. Apple was known to appreciate and value its employee, it worth noting that whereas motivational theories such as B.F Skinner (1974), Mintberg (1979), have highlighted the importance of reward and value as the ideological stimuli that motivate individual to work, in contrast, at Apple any universal concept of motivation might not work, because of how Apple justifies its reward system with a do or die culture. More so the structure at Apple Inc is becoming complex as it evolves into a different pattern over the years. FIG2 Hierarchy and Flat structure THE EFFECT OF STRUCTURE The above is an illustration of a standardize structure of organisation formulated by many scholars over the year to explain organizational functionality; the flat is more prominent to entrepreneurship, with suitable element of informal, charismatic, and informal leadership quality but grapevine in nature while the other is ideal for a larger organisation, this was centred by the work of Mayo (1934) in Hawthorn study and was later confirmed by Huczynski and Buchanan,(2007 p.460). It is said the right structure must support strategy, be appropriate-reflecting the goals of individual or the organisation. It must remain flexible and be permissive to communication. However, of all the supportive research is the work of Canadian academic, Henry Mintzberg. According to Mintzberg (1979) an organisational structure is the sum total of the way in which it divides its labour into distinct tasks and then achieve coordination between them. also structure is define as the established pattern of relationship between the components parts of an organisation, out lining both communication control and authority patterns .supportive to this also is Wilson and Rosenfeld(1990) explained that structure distinguishes the parts of an organisation and delineates the relationship between them. This is supported by Apples trend in organisation structure which is more complex than initially perceived, for instance Apple is seen as the pioneer of work hard play hard ethic. Equally important is the frequent changes in culture as different leaders tried to adopt a different approach to reorganise the structure, it is interesting that analyst said Apple adopted a style that was not too far too formal or hierarchical and that the approach was more result-driven.the other bad effect of Apple structure is it tend to yield to favouritism, unfairness and biases, this bad thing of having a formal structure, as employees complain of organisational politics within the system, this will no doubt de-motivate staff morale. In ugly circumstances as a reference to the case study, any poor performance at Apple will not be consistent with its culture; it is important to say that any change in culture will resort in change in structure, however if the structure cannot survive without the culture then where do we inject the leadership style to bring about ultimate performance? Apple structure is neither hierarchy nor flat we could say its more of a hybrid or matrix, the flat is more organic which is prone to bureaucracy according to Max webber in analyst of organisation he had identified the principle of bureaucracy as a continuous organisation that is bound by rules. Webber outline the importance of ideal bureaucracy to an organisation as positive and rational unlike the other which he described as domination as charismatic authority and traditional authority .thus we are likely to adjust the culture to fit the structure as the case of Apple might be, ideally the Adhocracy culture may be implemented. Apples ideal culture Vs Structure Cameron and Quinn (2006) gave an insight into what an ideal adhocracy culture is, they went on to say that there are four types of culture develops within different dimension, the four culture namely the Clan culture, the Hierarchy Culture, the Market Culture and the Adhocracy Culture. The assumption were that organisation were in business to develop new ideas, new product and thus be able to respond to the hyper turbulent world, therefore the major task of management would be to forester creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation. The good picture is Apple structure is informal which promotes cratetivity, and recognises the important of leadership charisma, its a bitter end as this can only work effectively in smaller organisation. Adhocracy have been characterised as tents rather than palaces in sense that they are temporary and response to situational changes rapidly, taking advantage of flexibility and ambiguity. As Apple is a technological industry which must learn to adjust and respond to change in product and market value, Apples culture is dynamic because of the visionary and risk of it leadership effectiveness, as their focus is leading edge of new products and producing unique and original product. However is important to state that the transformation of Apple largely rely on leadership quality and employee commitment to it structural and cultural changes whenever the needs arise. Fig 2.1 A representation of Apples organisation formation structure. AGENT OF TRANSFORMATION AND THE IMPACT OF LEADERSHIP Leadership as a concept has been an interesting centre piece to different fields of thought, to the ordinary man; a leader is just a symbolic head, but as a supportive element by theorists and analysts a definite category of classification; it is said the most important type of leaderships are of the following: the charismatic, the traditional, the situational, the appointed, the functional and the principle centred leader for the purpose of this essay we will look at leadership from management perspective, according Cole(2004), leadership is define as the following: leadership at work is a dynamic process whereby one individual in a group is not only responsible for the group results but actively seeks the collaboration and commitment of all the group members in a achieving group goals in a particular context and against the background of a particular national culture INNOVATORS The leadership style of Apple is highly represented by their iconic CEO Steve that is highly regarded for his innovative, creative and marketing strategies. Using classification of leadership, his style could be linked as the transformational leader according to Burns (1978), which is characterised by the transformation of organisation, creativity and innovation with the purpose to engender commitment. This is genuinely good for Apple, However the simplicity of his approach could resort in the downfall of his perceived personality and organisational performance, for instance if this was ideal for the organisational culture then the question would be the sited instances of global workforce revolting against the culture of secrecy used by Apple as an accepted way to move the company forward. The side effect of Steves charismatic role at Apple is what happens when he leaves the organisation! Will this mean theres no other possible replacement for his strategy and the portrait of Apple i s damages for good? If apple is to maintain its status quo as the number one most valued company in the world then it needs to engage itself in some form of leadership reorientation as over the past decade different management/leaders have tied to change the culture of apple and its structure only to head back to the starting point which is where they are today, Steve job certainly must be doing some right, concrete evidence suggest that Steve job must have outperformed his expectation to the board of management as emphasized in the case study. CONSTRAINTS the ripple effect of change of leaders/managers at Apple inc emphasis the need for change in culture, however this changes also brought about change in structure as each leader tries to implement his/her own ideology, arguable is the internal problem that apple faces from its reorganisation, for instance the appointment of Sculley who was credit for making Apple one of the biggest and fastest-growing corporation in the US.(case study p.5 ).A series of failure in the early 90s again brought another power shift when the board decided it time for leadership change and Micheal pindler was appointed in 1993 to replace Sculley, Spinder also fail to perform as expected ,Amelio could have being the one man that brought the last drastic change into apple because of his focus on Apple product line and workforce reduction but fail follow Apples corporate culture, once more Steve was back in business to turn things Around. A key point to his transformational leadership style, nevertheless it wou ld appear that the board were more interested in performance rather than leadership quality or style; however performance cannot be divorced from leadership. THE ACHIEVER Performance, theres no generalised definition of performance; it has being said that performance cannot be easily defined as you cannot measure or manage it. However few management researchers have noted the core different of performance from other fields in comparison to management sectors. Performance is more adapted to performance management day in day out, therefore performance could be agreed to be of relevance to situational changes. Armstrong and Baron (1998) define performance management as a strategic and integrated approach to delivering sustained success to organization by improving the performance of the people who work in them by developing the capability of team and individual who work in them.. Therefore, it provides avenue for knowledge on organizational objectives and goals and a spectrum to manage and train individual in order to achieve to such objectives Armstrong stress that performance is strategic because it is concern with broader issues facing organizational effectiveness. As evidence in the case study the market value of Apple against the backdrop of its financial performance over the years in Exhibit VIII, it is clear that in the past decade there being a major profit share in the company, more so recently Apple posted all time record revenue with increase earnings of 78 percent, as of July 2010. Apple posted record revenue of $15.7 billion and also quarterly profit of $3.25 billion, (APPLE press release 2006). Surely the share holders would be very pleased with the result. These results compare to workforce engagement and the strategy used to achieve result cannot be overlooked, Apple was known to appreciate its employees. It was consider a great place to work for people who are personate about what they did. (Case study p.3) also experts felt one of the key success to Apples performance is its ability to attract and retain key personnel in technical, marketing and staff positions. Nevertheless financial performance in one comfort zone for the company identity externally, but does this speak the same for the internal general audit of employee of Apple who work tirelessly for over 60hours to get this results out. The secrecy involved creating the competitive edge and the sighted instance of the Chinese employees that commit suicide then how engaged are the staff of Apple incorporation. In reality if we alter the strategic approach of performance which rely on secrecy and long hour working ethic, surely this would revert the profit standing of Apple ,therefore this cant be achieved although the element of secrecy may be bad, this however may not be change as the entire strategy and organisation culture rely on it to survive. The unique culture of Apple which is base on the leadership style of one man approach: Steve jobs, can it survive after the exit of jobs. its plausible to say yes as jobs himself claim he had trained others to manage whenever he is no longer available, however the determination of each individual could result in systemic failure of the culture as every leader approach with a different goal setting. If the goal serve as the basis for motivation, and the goals are set by managers, industrial standard or base on negotiation, how then do you motivate individual, researchers Add a few more noted that one can be motivated by target set against the others while you could be de-motivated by over pressured standard. levison (1972)highlights this in Asinine attitude towards motivation, in relation to reward or punishment to motivate workers, more so borrowing the work of Hygiene theory of motivation by Herzberg (1968),which he claim that the most important motivator or satisfier are Achievement Recognition Work itself Responsibility Advancement. While the following called hygiene factors or dissatisfies Company policy and administration. Supervision-the technical aspects. Salary. Interpersonal relations-supervision Working conditions. Herzberg pointed out that these factors were intrinsically related to the content of work, i.e. with intrinsic challenge, interest and the individual responses generated by them. If applied to Apple, how do we justify the working condition of staff who work for long hours to get the job done, or does the secrecy atmosphere bring about individual motivation or fear of punishment has whoever fail to comply to the culture is noticeably punished, the reward scheme in apple for those that come up with innovative technology like iphone, mac ipad could result in esteem of individual while the punishment approach on the other hand is detrimental to the public image of Apple as any failure leads to sacking individual or leakage of secret will automatically result in dismissal. Therefore we could say any universal concept of motivation might not work in Apple cooperate culture base on perceived punishment and reward of staff performance, thus Apple cooperate culture is zero experience and no stability of staff until now though it has worked for the company. Even though the strategy may be consider risky. Apple target young staff recruits with less commitment and more glory seeking rather than experience. However is worth saying the older generation are not mush expandable. This could be explain using Maslow (1956) Hierarchy of needs, which he associated the important of needs to motivate individual, starting from basic needs called physiological needs, follow by safety needs, then love needs, esteem needs, and self actualisation. He emphasis that as one needs is fulfil we move up to another. A key point to Apple Staff retention Goal setting (locke,shaw sari latham 1981)A change in goal will foreseen a better Apple as a company, for example Apple has always focus on improving on a previous product i.e. Iphone1,2,3..4.e.tc while not come up with something entirely different and innovative. Even though Apple came up with a micro palm device name ipad, it still relied entire on the old operating system which is gradually facing out as competition grows in the technology industry. Again the past ten years down the line Steve Jobs was back the in same job at the apex of the company after many failures of different managers at various stages of cultural development within Apple inc. even though Jobs is making money for apple for now the question is will same strategy that fails at the initial past decade in culture, work for the future? A do or die culture was Apples it ideal for apple? For instance sculley tried for Apple for about five years, thus due to cultural strategy of sculley, the board got rid of him. At this juncture the answer would be it all depends on many factors conserving strategy culture and variable element to forecast the future. THE OVERALL STRATEGY Ohmae (1982), comment that what business strategy is all about is, in a word, competitive advantage. Without competitors, there would be no need for strategy, for the sole purpose of strategic planning is to enable the company to gain, as efficiently as possible, a sustainable edge over its competitors. different academics, have define strategy in reflexion of objective and organisational goal with viable attribute to structure. Chandler (1962) defines strategy as the determination of the basic long-term goals and objectives of an enterprise, and the adoption of courses of action and allocation of resources necessary for carry out those goals. In a simple word strategy must encompass various aspect of organisational defitions, create analysis while making choice before implantation and return back to analyse result. This is represented in strategic process below .by Johnson and scholes (2006). The strategy process Strategy Analysis Implementation Choice HRM Finance operations sales/marketing All the above are based on structure and corporate culture, therefore the overall strategy at Apple is subjected to many reviews taking in to consideration their strength, i.e. secrecy and brand packaging, the unique and trend product, and the possible side effect that comes with ethical issues like radiations, one man culture-Steve, an alteration will result in change in performance, therefore this are necessary tool for Apple to keep, if they are to maintain continues brand and global advantage. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION Base on reviews of different model in relation to the impact of corporate culture at Apple the following conclusion can be made: There is a significant effect of Apples corporate culture on leadership, performance and reward, strategy and structure. There is also significant impact of the corporate culture on the internal and the external environment. The following recommendations are opinionated: There should be a minimal structural adjustment to Apples corporate culture; management should make sure to reduce dissonance, workers are allowed in decision-making process and team interaction be also allowed. Employee should be made adequately aware of the organisational gains, loses, management policies and goals and a reasonable reward scheme in place to motivate workers. Has secrecy is both good and bad for the organisation it should be kept at a level that encourage performance and it share understanding among the employees and manage since is a necessary evil that cant be gotten rid of. Leadership role should also in context of management training to retain future management and valuable culture.

Business Aligning And Business Impact Information Technology Essay

Business Aligning And Business Impact Information Technology Essay There are many views on what constitutes business strategy. Definitions for business strategy and its features include the following. A business strategy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ should encapsulate a statement of an organisations mission or vision so that there is a clear and consistent point of focus (King, 1978); à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ provides a deliberate plan of action (Kaplan Norton, 1996: Henderson Venkatraman, 1993, King 1978); 2)Definition of IS/ IT Strategy Figure 1: IS/IT Strategy. The figure describes the where, what and how of the planning Source: Source: Edwards, Ward Bytheway, 1991; Ward Peppard, 2002, p.41 IS Strategy IS strategy can be defined as a strategy to implement information systems that recognizes organizational requirements, in other words demand for the information and systems to support the overall business strategy and its plan to gain or maintain the advantage (Rackoff, Wiseman Ullrich, 1985; Ward Peppard, 2002; Edwards, Ward Bytheway, 1991). An IS strategy should include the business needs for the future aligned closely to the business strategy. It should also define and prioritize the investments needed to achieve the application portfolio. IT Strategy IT strategy is the supply to the demand created by IS strategy. It outlines the vision of how the organizations demand for information and systems will be supported by technology (Ward Peppard, 2002). They further suggest that the IT strategy is concerned with the IT capabilities and services like IT operations, systems development and user support. Luftman (2003) refers to the IT strategy as a set of decisions made by IT and functional business managers that either enable or drive the business strategy. It leads to the deployment of technology infrastructure and applications, and human competencies that will assist the organization in becoming more competitive. Figure2: Inputs and outputs of IS/ IT strategy Source: Edwards, Ward Bytheway, 1991 Literature on IS and IT Strategy In view of Clarke (2005), The role of Information Systems (IS) has developed during the years. The original formation was of automation of existing manual and precomputer mechanical processes. This (automation of existing manual processes) was quickly replaced by the rationalisation and integration of systems. In both of these forms, IS was regarded primarily as an operational support tool, and secondarily as a service to Management Clarke (2005) further suggests, Information Technology (IT) had been critical to the implementation of an organizations strategy. The dominant sense in which the term is used is that a strategic information system (SIS) is an information system which supports an organization in fulfilling its business goals. Ward and Griffiths (1996, p1) say that it is essential for the organizations to understand how the role of technology based information systems has evolved. With time, organizations have realised that there is a need to approach IS/IT more tactically by understanding the role of IT in business, and making IT a part of business. As suggested by Ward and Peppard (2002, p1) the organizations are looking at the application of technology not only to underpin existing business operations but also to create new opportunities that provide them with a source of competitive advantage and propose a strategic approach for managing their systems. Kearns and Lederer (2003) have supported the critical and strategic role of IS/IT by stating that, Recent surveys of CEOs (Chief Executive Officer) have shown that, despite numerous failed investments, information technology has assumed a critical and strategic role in their organization. If IS/IT is to fulfil its role, the CIOs (Chief Information Officer) need to adopt Strategic Information Systems Planning. SISP began during 1970s and organizations began using IS/IT in ways that changed the functioning of their businesses. Bruns and McFarlan (1987) thought that, Information Technology has done more than just enhancing the existing processes within the organization. IT has provided the spark that caused the managers to rethink their business strategies. The organizations that have changed their control systems and structures have seen a transformation in the effectiveness of the business processes. Bruns and McFarlan (1987) further suggest that, they have found ways to channel the power of information to the muscles of their corporations. IS/ IT- Business Alignment For an organization to achieve competitive advantage it is important that the business use IS/IT to support the main business processes and become dependant on IS/IT. It is also important that there is IT participation in business planning (BP) and vice-versa. Chan and Huff (1993) say alignment of an IS plan and the business plan is very important and it leads to IS efficiency and value. A closer look at the aims for adopting a IS/IT strategy according to Ward and Peppard (2002) suggests that the SISP process is used for aligning IS/IT with business and gain competitive advantage from business opportunities created by using IS/IT. However, not all IT projects are implemented and many factors have been identified that contribute to IT failures. One of the main failures that have been highlighted is that the 14 failure to implement is due to the planning process and its practices (Hartono et al.2003). Another major problem that has been seen in SISP is failure to translate goals and objectives into action plans (Teo Ang, 2001 in Hartono et al., 2003) and lack of support for IT architecture and also the duration of SISP have been viewed as factors contributing to low rate of implementation. According to Reich and Benbasant (1996) is a process. It is unique to each organization and uses both the IT and business knowledge to support business objectives. Thus, it is important to bring IT into the main business stream and let IT function as an entity in the business. For this to happen, the senior executives in the companies must work together and define the business needs and frame an IS/IT and business strategy to support the business goals and objectives. Thus, for an organization to achieve competitive advantage and improve business performance it is important to align its IS/IT plan with the business plan, and IS/IT systems should be used in accordance with the resources and the capabilities of the organization in times of environmental changes. SISP is a way to implement those IS/IT systems not only to achieve competitive advantage but also for proper functioning in the ever-changing business environment. Business Aligning and Business Impact of IS IT Because of the complexity of the strategic information systems planning process and uniqueness of each organization, there is no one best way to tackle it. Vitale, et al. (1986) classify SISP methodologies into two categories: impact and alignment. Impact methodologies help create and justify new uses of IT, while the methodologies in the alignment category align IS objectives with organizational goals. 1) Impact Methodologies Value Chain Analysis: The concept of value chain is considered at length by Michael Porter (1984). According to him, every firm is a collection of activities that are performed to design, produce, market, deliver, and support its product. All these activities can be represented using a value chain. Porter goes on to explain that information technology is one of the major support activities for the value chain. Information systems technology is particularly pervasive in the value chain, since every value activity creates and uses information. A firm that can discover a better technology for performing an activity than its competitors thus gains competitive advantage (Porter, 1985). Thus value chain analysis: (a) Is a form of business activity analysis which decomposes an enterprise into its parts. Information systems are derived from this analysis. (b) Helps in devising information systems which increase the overall profit available to a firm. (c) Helps in identifying the potential for mutual business advantages of component businesses, in the same or related industries, available from information interchange. (d) Concentrates on value-adding business activities and is independent of organizational structure. Strengths: The main strength of value chain analysis is that it concentrates on direct value adding activities of a firm and thus pitches information systems right into the realm of value adding rather than cost cutting. Weaknesses: Value chain analysis suffers from a few weaknesses, namely, (a) It only provides a higher level information model for a firm and fails to address the development and implementation issues, (b) Because of its focus on internal operations instead of data, it fails to define a data structure for the firm. 2) Alignment Methodologies Business Systems Planning (BSP): The methodology focuses on business processes which in turn are derived from an organizations business mission, objectives and goals. Business processes are analyzed to determine data needs and, then, data classes. Similar data classes are combined to develop databases. The final BSP plan describes an overall information systems architecture as well as installation schedule of individual systems. Steps in a BSP study are: Barlow (1990) and Ledrer and Sethi (1988) have discussed strengths and weaknesses of BSP. Strengths: Because BSP combines a top down business analysis approach with a bottom up implementation strategy, it represents an integrated methodology. In top down strategy, BSP develops an overall understanding of business plans and supporting IS needs through joint discussions. Weaknesses: (a) BSP requires a firm commitment from the top management and their substantial involvement. (b) It requires a high degree of IT experience within the BSP planning team. ((e) Major weakness of BSP is the considerable time and effort required for its successful implementation. About the Assignment The past few decades have witnessed major changes in the way we do business. Increased competition and the pursuit of ever-greater performance have forced businesses to focus on quality, efficiency, and productivity, while encouraging innovation and creativity. In addition, there have been significant changes in global economies and in the structure of the business worlds that exist in those economies. As a result, a variety of disparate approaches and methodologies for evaluating and restructuring business enterprises has emerged. The terms reengineering and business transformation have taken on amazing significance. In many company like Dell, those terms mean the complete assessment, restructure and redesign of entire businesses, including information technology (IT) and Information System its Management (IS) In Below assignment we are going to focus on Business strategies and Information strategies of Dell Company, we are also going to look into Advantage and Disadvantage of Business strategies, Information System and Information Technology in general. Company Overview Dell, a Delaware corporation, was founded in 1984 by Michael Dell on a simple concept: by selling computer systems directly to customers, Dell could best understand their needs and efficiently provide the most effective computing solutions to meet those needs. Dell is based in Round Rock, Texas, and conducts operations worldwide through its subsidiaries. Unless otherwise specified, references to Dell include its consolidated subsidiaries. Dell operates principally in one industry and is managed in three geographic segments: the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific-Japan regions. Vision Statement: Its the way we (Dell) do business. Its the way we (Dell) interact with the community. Its the way we interpret the world around us-ours customers needs, the future of technology, and the global business climate. Whatever changes the future may bring our vision Dell Vision will be our guiding force. Dell needs full customer satisfaction. In order to become the most successful computer company, they need the newest technology and loyal customers. Mission Statement: Dells mission is to be the most successful Computer Company in the world at delivering the best customer experience in markets we serve. In doing so, Dell will meet customer expectations of: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Highest quality à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Leading technology à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Competitive pricing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Individual and company accountability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Best-in-class service and support à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Flexible customization capability à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Superior corporate citizenship à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Financial stability http://retailindustry.about.com/od/topusretailcompanies/p/dellincprofile.htm Business Strategy of Dell Dells business strategy combines its direct customer model with a highly efficient manufacturing and supply chain management organization and an emphasis on standards-based technologies. This strategy enables Dell to provide customers with superior value; high-quality, relevant technology; customized systems; superior service and support; and products and services that are easy to buy and use. The key tenets of Dells business strategy are: A direct relationship is the most efficient path to the customer.  A direct customer relationship, also referred to as Dells direct business model, eliminates wholesale and retail dealers that add unnecessary time and cost or diminish Dells understanding of customer expectations. At www.dell.com, customers may review, configure and price systems within Dells entire product line; order systems online; and track orders from manufacturing through shipping. Customers can purchase custom-built products and custom-tailored services. Dells flexible, build-to-order manufacturing process enables Dell to turn over inventory every four days on average, and reduce inventory levels. Dell is the low-cost leader. Dell maintains the lowest cost structure among its major competitors, and to pass those savings to its customers. Non-proprietary standards-based technologies deliver the best value to customers.  Dell believes that non-proprietary standards-based technologies are critical to providing customers with relevant, high-value products and services. Focusing on standards gives customers the benefit of extensive research and development from http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/826083/000095013405004423/d22995e10vk.htm Information Systems Strategy of Dell Information systems were critical to Dell. The information systems supported the Dell Direct business model by providing a range of tools from order entry to production integration. Information systems provided the means for delivery of instant information to employees through e-mail or over the intranet. And information systems were a way to connect suppliers to the business, to collect and analyze information collected from the marketplace, and to support decisions on everything from hiring practices to product offerings to pricing. IT is an enabler to make the business model work, The backbone of the information system was an architecture called G2 (See Exhibit 3). Data Engine Message Broker Application Server Wed Based Client Application G2 Model The G2 architecture was an object-based infrastructure, with a web browser front end interface. It had a single point of connection and was built in small pieces. There was local control of functionality but a global view of the business. The primary components of the G2 architecture were commonly available applications such as Microsoft office, database engines, and Internet servers. The G2 architecture was similar in design to the Dell organization structure, which was also built in small pieces, with local control but a global view of the business. The Dell business model resulted in a different production profile than other business models. The direct model implied that every production run is unique in some way, and hence every lot was of quantity one. http://www.kppartners.com/documents/zerotime-dell_case_study.pdf Analysing Business Aligning in Dell To show Business aligning in Dell we will use value chains analysis The value chain in place at most firms assumes a make-to-forecast strategy. That is, standard products are produced from long-term forecasts of customer demand. And in the case of Dell Computer corporation Michael Dell made business model, which allows the company to build each product to order. Dell is well-known for its ability to mass-produce computers that are customized to a customers order. This production and operations process is known as mass-customization or, in a value-chain context, a build-to-order (BTO) strategy. In its build-to-order strategy, Dell assembles the product only after the customer has placed the order, . At Dell, this process depends on computer systems that link customer order information to production, assembly, and delivery operations. BTO frequently requires a change in organizational culture, managerial thinking, and supplier interactions and support. Inevitably, the process begins by acquiring a better understanding of customer demand; then improvements in information flow will produce the ability to increase responsiveness in all areas of the value chain. http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/msabet/c12_Turban_0471705225.pdf Advantage and Disadvantage Of Business Strategies There are numerous advantages you can extract from the marketplace if you know how. And the marketing plan is an excellent tool for identifying and developing Business strategies for extracting these advantages. 1) Advantages of Business Strategies of Dell: Identifies needs and wants of consumers Determines demand for product Aids in design of products that fulfil consumers needs Dells inventory turnover rate of 60 times per year compares to 12-15 times for most indirect vendor. Dell can develop direct customer relationship. Dell knows who the end user is, what equipment it has bought from Dell, where it was shipped, and how much the customer has spent with Dell. Dell uses that information to offer add-on products and services, to coordinate maintenance and technical support, and to help the customer plan its PC replacement and upgrade cycle. 2) Disadvantages of Business Strategies of Dell: Leads to faulty marketing decisions based on improperly analyzed data Creates unrealistic financial projections if information is interpreted incorrectly Identifies weaknesses in overall business plan http://inventors.about.com/od/licensingmarketing/a/advantages_mark.htm Advantage and Disadvantage of IS and IT 1) Advantages of information technology and Information System Dell Inc Dell Inc company realizes Internet-associated efficiencies throughout its business, including procurement, customer support and relationship management. At www.dell.com, customers may review, configure and price systems within Dells entire product line; order systems online; and track orders from manufacturing through shipping. At valuechain.dell.com, Dell shares information with its suppliers on a range of topics, including product quality and inventory. Dell also uses the Internet to deliver industry-leading customer services. For instance, thousands of business and institutional customers worldwide use Dells Premier Dell.com Web pages to do business with the company online. http://e-learning.dmst.aueb.gr/mis/Cases/Dell/index.htm 2) Disadvantages of information technology and Information System for Dell Inc The Internet has also created entirely new markets and formed the basis for thousands of new businesses and that is biggest disadvantage for Dell Inc. Internet technology is based on universal standards that any company can use, making it easy for rivals to compete on price alone, due to which profits have gone down. Information is available to everyone on internet, due which it raises the bargaining power of customers, who can quickly find the lowest-cost provider http://www.prenhall.com/behindthebook/0132304619/pdf/Laudon%20Feature%203.pdf Barriers in implementation of IS and IT in Dell Company Dell Co business model was unique in its way and the company did not had time to think differently because the company was growing by about $1 billion every 9 weeks. Dell had a limited time for classroom training of new Information systems to employees. The Dell business model resulted in a different production profile than other business models. The direct model implied that every production run is unique in some way, and hence every lot was of quantity one. Dell was not able to have a centralized structure, because the local business units had to have their own IT people. As such, the information systems were highly decentralized. No programmers reported directly to the CIO. Instead, each division and business had some IT people. http://www.kppartners.com/documents/zerotime-dell_case_study.pdf Conclusion Dell has increased the opportunity for revenue and the increased access to information, which potentially translates into new product and service offerings. The advantage to the customer is the traditional one-stop-shopping arrangement for products and services, offloading these tasks from information systems organizations, and freeing the IS management up to concentrate on core business issues rather than procurement and services. http://i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secure/en/Documents/FY10_Form10K_Final.pdf Recommendations To get a successful IS and IT Strategy program will rely on (1) Senior managements commitment; (2) The full support and participation of the IT IS team (3) The competence of the IS and IT team, which must have the expertise to apply the specific site and system, identify mission risks, and provide cost-effective safeguards that meet the needs of the organization; (4) The awareness and cooperation of members of the user community, who must follow procedures and comply with the implemented controls to Safeguard the mission of their organization (5) An ongoing evaluation and assessment of the IS IT-related mission risks. http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-30/sp800-30.pdf Authors Reference Barlow, J.F., Putting Information Systems Planning Methodologies Into Perspective, Journal of Systems Management, July, 1990, pp. 6-9. Bruns Jr., W. J., McFarlan, F. W. (1987). Information technology puts power in control systems. Harvard Business Review, 65(5), 89-94. Chan, Y. E., Huff, S. L. (1993). Strategic information systems alignment. Business Quarterly, 58(1), 51-55. Clarke, R. (2005). The path of development of strategic information systems theory. Retrieved 24/04/2011, from http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/SOS/StratISTh.html Edwards, C., Ward, J., Bytheway, A. (1991). The essence of information systems. London: Prentice Hall. Retrieved from 24/06/2011 http://www.coda.ac.nz/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000context=unitec_scit_di Hartono, E., Lederer, A. L., Sethi, V., Zhuang, Y. (2003). Key predictors of the implementation of strategic information systems plans. ACM SIGMIS Database, 34(3), 41-53. Henderson, J.C. Venkatraman, N. (1993) Strategic alignment: Leveraging information technology for transforming organisations, IBM Systems Journal, Vol 32 No 1, pp 472-484. King, W.R. 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