The Strengths Needed in the Position You Seek Essay

The Strengths Needed in the Position You Seek - Essay Example In order to become a successful and well-known manager in a corporate organization, four strengths are extremely essential. These are, motivating the employees, high-level of communication skills, proper delegation of responsibilities, good organizing skills to deal effectively with the challenging situations. Only then, a manager might effectively control and manage the employees thereby amplifying the prospects of the organization in the market among others. Due to the enhancement of the profit margin and reputation, the wage package of the manager might also get enhanced thereby boosting the prospects of the career in the future age. However, among all the above-mentioned strengths, high-level of motivational and communication skills are present within me that might prove effective in amplifying my underlining leadership skills to a certain extent. As a result of which, my rate of dominance and supremacy within the organization might get enhanced that may prove extremely beneficial for me. But at the same time, proper delegation of the responsibilities as well as effective negotiation power is also equally essential in order to become a successful manager. However, as these skills are not present within me, these are essential to be developed so as to manage the organizational goals and objectives efficiently among others. Only then, an organization might operate successfully in the market. In spite of these, my teachers or my friends always encourage me to organize or control any show or activity as I am extremely good at tackling any situation.

INTERMEDIATE MACROECONOMICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

INTERMEDIATE MACROECONOMICS - Essay Example The ASF line was a vertical line with interest rates measured along the y axis. Thus, the ASF line was unresponsive to changing interest rates at a given level of output (GDP). Both Money and Supply are unresponsive to interest rate changes as well. It is assumed that the GDP is at a profit-maximizing level. Hence, any change in the level of APE will not be complemented by a similar rise in ASF. This is because when APE increases, and the buyers hunt for cash through funding, the ASF remains the same as money supply and the velocity of money are taken to be unresponsive to any changes in interest rates. In order to cope with this excess demand, the banks will offer higher interest rates, and keep going higher till it overshadows the excess demand. Even though demand was high, there was no real increase in expenditure because APE was unresponsive, and thus businesses never had any incentive to raise prices or output; hence, GDP remained the same too. The APE curve will shift back to i ts position eventually owing to increased interest rates which curb demand. Same is the case when APE falls; price and output are unaffected. It is only when the ASF, being a vertical line still in classical macroeconomic theory, shifts to the right or left is the price and output of product (GDP) affected. When funding (ASF) increases, interest rates fall which in turn raises APE. The economy will find a new equilibrium ahead of the current GDP, giving an incentive to producers to increase prices (producers in this version of the macroeconomic theory are taken to be satisfied at current level of output). Once prices are increased, it curbs funding (ASF), which in turn increases interest rates. When rates are increased, the APE falls until all three, interest, ASF, and APE are back at the initial equilibrium. Hence, it could be concluded that a rise in ASF would only cause inflation without any chance in output or employment. As such, a fall in ASF would result in a loss of APE, cau sing loss of demand and higher interest rates. Businesses will counter with lower prices, causing ASF to rise again and APE to go back to its original level, without any change in output or employment. This was the same case with any fall in GDP, so that if output fell, and prices rose, resulting in less ASF, all businesses had to do was readjust their costs and consequently prices of goods in order to increase expenditure (APE) back up again and with the help of lower interest rates, ASF to rise up back to its original level. Output would remain unaffected. According to classical macroeconomic coordination, all these changes were to take place over a period of time. However, the Great Depression of 1929 saw unparalleled levels of unemployment and loss of GDP which brought a change in theories since. The first change was on the control of expenditure. It was seen that when APE rose, the corresponding change in interest rates would not be able to fully engulf the new rise in demand. Some demand would be funded affecting the conditions of the market, causing temporary rise in output and inflation. On the contrary, if APE fell, interest rates would also remain unchanged until manufacturers responded by cutting costs and prices. However, the macroeconomic coordination’s tendency to find the equilibrium by altering the prices to reach GDP at full-employment is faced with two problems. Firstly, APE can fall to such

A Modern Generation - Who are They Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Modern Generation - Who are They - Essay Example The novel unveils that the decline of traditional culture has encouraged a narcissistic individualism which places the self at the centre of our concerns. Increasing cultural diversity has led to a general relativism, not just in matters of taste or morals but even in matters of fact. This novel so popular because it no longer expect there to be one single authoritative truth; instead there is what works for you and what works for me. The main character of the novel, Winter Santiago, is a prototype of a modern girl struggling for independence and personal identity. She describes: "Every teenage girl wants to cut loose and get close to the fire, but I was like a pot of boiling milk with the lid on" (Sister Souljah, 2000, p. 5). Success for Winter Santiago means fight in whatever direction. To the attainment of any end worth living for, a symmetrical sacrifice of her nature is compulsory upon her. But adult life persuades her to change her mind, and the novel records the changes of her wild nature caused by the death of her mother and imprisonment of her father. Typical for modern youth, the self of Winter and self-identity of her family is constructed in relation to the other, i.e. significant outsider, who thereby defines the self. Though the author attempts to incorporate the totality of being and hence the other. She describes: "Everybody understood that our family had the neighborhood locked down, it wasn't worth the trouble" (Sister Souljah, 2000, p. 6). Racial difference is irreducible, and it reveals the ambivalence and hybrid nature of modernity in every character: Ricky Santiaga, Porsche, Mercedes and Lexus, Midnight and Lauren. This novel can be seen as a kind of awakening of the main character, Winter, faced with harsh realities of life. These developments have put into question traditional assumptions about the unity and supposed homogeneity of a person. On the other hand, Winter Santiago becomes a symbol of imagination continually struggling and contrasted with crude reality. Her changing views and self-identity help to repres ents the eternal warfare between virtue and sin, good and evil. This book appeals so much to young adults, because it creates the eternal inconsistency between the aspirations and the occupations of a human being and his dreams. Most characters of the novel (including Mercedes and Lexus) have approved loosing hopes not on the ground that they made people go on crazy movements, but because they were idealistically poor. The contrast between rich and poor, morality and guilt is on the one hand idealism, but on the other hand realities of modern culture. Construction of the novel divided into different frames appeals to readers and their perception of the book. The plot is based on polar opposites who often aspired to realize the ideal of reality: poor vs rich people. This novel unveils how a life can treat a person, Ricky Santiaga and Winter Santiaga, when they make the wrong steps. In their doctrine, human beings have an instinct or a drive toward what is real which is impeded by the barriers of nature and custom. This novel appeals to young adults and graduate students through its simplicity. Colloquialisms and slang words appeal to emotions of readers reflecting modern culture and language. The psychological impact of sin is heated by morals and traditions existing in modern society and preached by members of our society. The physiological value is

Strategic Assessment of Wal-Mart for an ITM class Essay

Strategic Assessment of Wal-Mart for an ITM class - Essay Example Many others are of the view that the current problems were because of Wal-Mart’s failure to incorporate state-of-the-art IS/IT technologies in its operations. Being a business technology consultant hired by Wal-Mart, I do believe that Wal-Mart is in trouble mainly because of its failure to incorporate suitable IS/IT technologies in its activities. Offline businesses are currently giving way for online businesses or e-commerce. It is important for Wal-Mart to give more attention to online businesses. â€Å"Wal-Mart has assembled a team of 70 developers, computer engineers and researchers — dubbed @WalmartLabs — in an aggressive attempt to position itself at the forefront of social and mobile commerce† (Wal-Mart: The Next Tech Giant?). However, its e-commerce platform still needs more fine tuning to attract more visitors. Just like Amazon and Google, it is better for Wal-Mart to enter into the search engine business so that it can expand its business portfolios as well as enhance its retail business. Shopperception is a new IT related technology evolved out in recent times to check the consumer behaviours and buying habits. â€Å"Shopperception recognizes the customers when they check-in and it remembers previous buying habits and can predict what the customer is likely to want on this visit† (Israel). Wal-Mart should use this technology extensively in its retail outlets to help the consumers. â€Å"The Wal-Mart network, connecting more than 2,400 stores and 100 distribution centers worldwide. At Wal-Mart, we dont implement technology for its own sake," says David Flanagin, Director of Network Engineering† (The Wal-Mart Story, p.1). From the words of David, it is evident that Wal-Mart is not much keen in using technologies to improve the efficiency of its global activities. It should be noted that efficient working of a supply chain is necessary for Wal-Mart to

Strategic Management and Leadership of General Motors Case Study

Strategic Management and Leadership of General Motors - Case Study Example GM, along with strategic partners manufactures automobiles and trucks in thirty-four nations, and trade and service these vehicles through its numerous brands.   Its biggest national market in the United States. China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, and Germany are the other nations which follow America in this context.   GM’s OnStar ancillary is one of the leading industries in vehicle safety, security and information facilities. On 10th July 2009,  General Motors Company obtained functions from General Motors Corporation. The General Motor Corporation established its place in the automobile manufacturing industry with the manufacturing of luxurious cars, which are classy at the same time superior from the other rival manufacturers of automobiles. Due to their high brand name and reputation in the market, the cost prices of cars from General Motors are generally very high and sometimes unreachable for general customers. (Global Operations, n.d.; General Mot ors, n.d) The General Motors Corporation held the first place as an automobile manufacturing company with respect to its sales for around 77 years until; Toyota took its place in the year 2008. The downfall of the company from the number one position is due to its negligence in terms of designing new innovative cars. There was a lack of creative innovations in terms of designs as they only have done some slight or minor changes in the designs to satisfy the customers. Some are of the view that the downfall is due to the poor strategic management of the company. The company faced difficulties in coming up with the internal and external pressures, like the accessibility of loans for the customers, the pressure from the Government and Labor Unions, crisis of oil, other competitive technologies such as electric cars, etc. (Global Operations, n.d.; General Motors, n.d) These difficulties clearly suggested that the company needs to re-strategize its  operations.

Strategies to become successful adult learners Essay Example for Free

Strategies to become successful adult learners Essay Weve spent more than two decades of our life in a classroom, learning the basics of  mathematics, science, language and the arts. Now we are mature, responsible adults. But somewhere along the way, something goes wrong. We get fired, we lose our job, and we arent able to provide for our family. What are we to do now? Most if not all adult learners partake in adult courses seeking out new things to learn in order to cope with specific life changing events such as getting married, getting a job, being fired, or losing a loved one. They are attracted to new information that is usually related to the events in their personal life, and because they know they can use it in their own jobs or interests. (Zemke, 1984) Considering these then makes becoming successful learners as easy as 1-2-3. First thing you have to remember is that you are learning as a means to an end, not as the end itself. There is a finish line waiting for you at the end of the really long, sometimes strenuous road. Motivate yourself to learn new things. A good source of motivation is active participation. Dialogue between student to teacher and student to peers  is crucial in a good classroom environment, so make practical use of it. (Lieb, 1991) My final tip in becoming a successful adult learner is to enjoy every second of it. Don’t stress yourself if you haven’t grasped the topic yet. Try again. We only spend more than two decades of our lives in a school classroom we spend the rest in a much more competitive world the classroom of life. References: Lieb, R. (1991). Principles of Adult Learning. VISION. Retrieved on February 1, 2008 from http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm   Zemke, R. and Zemke, S. (1984). 30 Things we know for sure about Adult Learning. Innovation Abstracts Vol. VI, No. 8. Retrieved on February 1, 2008 from http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-3.htm

The Resources And Capabilities Of Kodak Commerce Essay

The Resources And Capabilities Of Kodak Commerce Essay The Eastman Kodak company, otherwise known as Kodak, provides imaging products and services to the photographic markets. It was founded in 1881 by a man named George Eastman, who created the first dry plate formula which he then patented. Eastman believed that new products should be highly user friendly and should be targeted at reaching regular everyday people, making photography something everybody could do and enjoy. By 1884 Kodak had become a popular household name. George Eastmans early success was due to one of his first creations, the roll film, Eastman believed that this creation would be as convenient as the pencil. In 1888 George Eastman put the first simple camera into the hands of the world consumer with the slogan you press the button, we do the rest (Eastman, 1988). Eastman developed principles and values in order to make Kodak a success, these guiding principles and values are; low cost mass production, the importance of quality, international distribution and the belief that growth can only be achieved through continuous improvements in research and development. George Eastman also expressed Kodaks competitive philosophy as, Nothing is more important than the value of our name and the quality it stands for. We must make quality our fighting argument. (Eastman, 1988). By 1902, Eastman Kodak was producing 80 to 90 percent of the worlds Celluloid film. By the 1930s, the company operated dozens of huge, specially designed film-making machines at its Kodak Park plant. The Eastman Kodak company has continued to grow and change with technology, creating new products and processes to make photography simpler and more attractive. Today Kodak is known not only for photography but their images are used in commercial marketing across the world and the entertainment sector, enabling the use of technology, imagery and information to change how people and businesses communicate with each other. Capabilities. Organisations are not identical as they have different capabilities. If an organisation is to gain a competitive advantage, it will do so on the basis of capabilities that its rivals do not have, or have difficulty in obtaining. Strategic capability is the resources and competences of an organisation needed for it to survive and prosper. Kodak is a market leader but to become a market leader Kodak had to adapt and change with the world as new technology became increasingly superior. The biggest problem with an increase in technology was the digital age. Kodak was the market leader in pre-digital age imagery and photography which included film, photo paper and chemical development. The digital age brought the development and increase of technology to which Kodak could not compete. The Kodak Value Chain Pre-digital Age The diagram below demonstrates Kodaks strength in almost all areas of the traditional photography process. film camera video camera Image capture Processing Storage Printing Projection Retailer processing at retail stores reprints (Gavetti, 2005) To overcome this important stage in the companys life cycle Kodak had to refer back to the initial guiding principles and values George Eastman developed for the company which were low cost mass production, the importance of quality, international distribution and the belief that growth can only be achieved through continuous improvements in research and development. By using these principles and values as a guide to improve the company and push themselves into the digital age, the diagram below shows the changes that needed to be made in order for Kodak to successfully enter the new age digital market. The Kodak Value Chain Post-digital Age. At home: printers inkjet consumables, paper Online (paper) At retail stores Online (email, Internet) -digital camera Video camera Film camera Retrieval Image capture Digitalisation Storage Transmission Printing Digital Cameras software Scanner at home Kiosks at retailers Digital mini-labs Online services Hard disk Floppy disk / CD Removable storage (e.g. Memory stick) Manipulation CPU manipulation Projection *coloured box shows Kodak was only partly involved at this stage. (Gavetti, 2005) To gain a competitive advantage, organisations must reposition themselves in order to take advantage of a changing market, or in some cases hold on to their normal resource base. There are two different views, the Resource Based View (RBV), otherwise known as the inside out perspective and the Market Based View (MBV), otherwise known as the outside-in perspective. The resource based view of strategy is the competitive advantage and superior performance of an organisation which is explained by the distinctiveness of its capabilities. In 1959 Dr Edith Penrose developed the idea that firms compete on resources and not their market positioning which supports the resource based view. Another supporter of the resource based view were Prahalad and Hamel who in 1990 suggested that, resources that are valuable, rare or are in some form difficult to imitate form the core-competencies that enable an organisation to compete successfully. In 1985 Michael Porters Competitive Strategy journal suggested that firms should persistently take their environment as the starting point in order to determine an appropriate strategy, thus supporting the market based view. In 2003 Kodak decided they needed to apply the market based view as a strategy to finally revolutionize into the digital age. Kodak made many alterations and changes in order to successfully gain a share in the new market. Dynamic capabilities are an organisations abilities to renew and recreate its strategic capabilities to meet the needs of a changing environment. Dynamic capabilities may take the form major strategic moves such as acquisitions or alliances by which new skills are learned. In 2004 Kodak completed the acquisition of Scitex Digital Printing, and sold its remote sensing systems to ITT Industries. A strategic partnership was formed with Verizon Wireless. The Eastman Kodaks company also acquired voting rights in Chinon Industries, through its Japanese subsidiary. Kodak acquired the image sensor business from National Semiconductor, and also closed its plant in Australia. At the end of 2004 Kodak, Fuji Photo Film and Konica Minolta Photo Imaging formed a picture archiving Kodak and sharing standard group (to enable the preservation of digital photos and motion images on CDs, DVDs and other types of media). To address the development of the information age in cellular technology Kodak achieved an agreement with Cingular Wireless and Nokia to develop services for mobile phones with cameras. Resources. A resource is a person, asset, material or capital which can be used to accomplish a goal. Tangible resources are the physical assets of an organisation such as plant, labour and finance. Intangible resources are non-physical assets such as information, innovation and knowledge. To sustain a competitive advantage a firm must have unique resources. Kodak has many resources. When the company was founded George Eastman patented the creation of the dry plate formula, this asset was the beginning of the success of Eastman Kodak as a market leader. George Eastman was himself one of the main resources of the company; it was his ideas, innovations and creations that created the company and made it the success it is. He not only created the start of photography but he created a guide for the company, a set of principles and values for the company to follow to be successful. Kodaks company logo is a resource as Kodak was the first to integrate its name and look into a symbol with their red and yellow trade dress colour. Employees such as managers with valuable knowledge are an important resource especially managers that have been hired since the managerial re-structure who have up to date knowledge in the digital age. Of course all the other workers and employees (labour) are just as important to keep the company going, workers with the necessary skills and experience that run the company and plants in a successful and efficient manner. Kodak has a lot of equipment, some of which Kodak has had to change and has had to be updated since the change and increase in technology in the digital age. Finance is also a main resource as without it there are a lot of other resources you cannot have; finance affects the entire running of the business. Innovation is a key resource, not only was it important for the creation of the company but it is vital for the future of it. To a greater or lesser degree, innovations either enhance or destroy competencies that a firms already possesses (Utterback, pg183). An example of innovation by Kodak is the razor blade strategy that George Eastman applied at the beginning of the company. Kodak sold cameras at low prices in order to generate profit from the sales of films for the cameras. The digital age shook the Eastman Kodak company. Kodak was stuck in the past not unable but unwilling to change with the rest of the world as technology increased and advanced. Kodak had the ability to take control when the digital market emerged but chose not to because they believed nothing could be as pioneering or as popular and as the film. The beginning of the change into the digital age was in 1981, Sony launched the introduction of the first filmless digital camera called the Mavica. Films were becoming outdated and this was what Kodak needed to realise. Had Kodak taken control and made the change at the right time, Kodak would be in a completely different situation, however Kodak was too late to recognise the need for change and when they finally realised they needed to change in order to survive they were slow to react which in the end cost them the market leadership. Competencies. Competencies are the skills and abilities by which resources are deployed effectively through an organisations activities and processes. Core competencies are competencies used to achieve competitive advantage in ways that others cannot imitate or obtain. Competences are created as organisations combine humans and technology. If correlated together perfectly these competences will change over time as both knowledge and technology develops. Chandler worked and developed this theory further in both The Visible Hand (1977) and Scale and Scope (1990). The link between humans and technology can be seen within the Kodak company, for example, recently Kodak have made changes to their managerial structure which has enabled them to gain new managers with knowledge and experience in digital photography and Kodaks continuous networking strategy facilitates business opportunities with like-minded business people. An example of networking for Kodak is when George Eastman marketed the first commercial transparent roll film in 1889, the impact ranged beyond consumer and professional photography. For one thing, it enabled inventor Thomas Edison to develop the first motion picture camera in 1891, and by 1896 Kodak was marketing film specially coated f or motion picture use. Prahalad and Hamel (1990) said, Resources that are valuable, rare or are in some form difficult to imitate form the core-competencies that enable an organisation to compete successfully. The knowledge-based view creates a new competence to the organization which is the ability to create and share knowledge which gives the organization a competitive advantage. Grant believes that competencies are created from the incorporation of knowledge. However an important point has to be made, it does not matter how much valuable knowledge you have or how expensive your equipment is worth if you do not know how to use your resources efficiently. As a common rule, competency-enhancing innovations are just as likely to develop from established firms as from outsiders. Competency-destroying innovations, however, almost always come from outsiders. The necessity to develop new competencies in anticipation of future developments is an important factor of long-term business success and George Eastman seems to have recognised this requirement which is one of the reasons why Eastman is also recognised as a successful innovator. Conclusion. The Eastman Kodak company was described as, an example of repeat strategic failure it was unable to grasp the future of digital quickly enough, and even when it did so, it was implemented too slowly under a continuous change strategy and ultimately it did not fit coherently as a core competency'(Mendez,2005). It is amazing to think how Eastman became a global market leader instead of the Germans, as the Germans were the leaders in the science of optics, chemicals and design of cameras. However German products were usually expensive and produced in small numbers whereas George Eastman struck a desirable balance between cost and quality. For example, Eastman quickly replaced his original Kodak camera with his No. 1 model because the former shutter system was inherently costly to make. Eastman focused on his financial and HR on an international mass market and large-scale production. There are some similarities with Eastman Kodak and Henry Ford who incorporated the Ford Motor Company in 1903. A firm is said to have a competitive advantage when it is implementing a value creating strategy not simultaneously being implemented by any current or potential competitors. (Barney, 1992:102) When Thomas Edison asked Eastman to produce a special film for the newly invented motion picture camera, Eastman already had the competencies needed to develop it, he simply had to lengthen and strengthen his strips of film and add holes to connect the movie cameras sprocket. The importance in the development of new competencies in anticipation of future developments is a vital factor of long-term business success. All of George Eastmans early attempts at colour photography failed, and these failures encouraged him to establish RD in the Eastman Kodak Research Laboratory. The idea of competency is essential to the survival of all firms as they encounter change. During the time it took for the transformation of the Eastman Kodak company to transform into the market leader it is, many other successful companies disappeared in a time of technological change. The capabilities, competencies and resources of a company are the key factors that give a company the competitive advantages to enable them to be successful and gain market share. This has been apparent throughout the research taken on the Eastman Kodak company. However even with these capabilities, competencies and resources, no matter if you are a market leader or a small company barely breaking-even, if you do not use these competitive advantages efficiently and do not recognise the need for change your company is going to suffer just as the Eastman Kodak company did. Word count: 2,281