Understanding the Lord’s Prayer

Understanding the Lord’s Prayer â€Å"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one† (Matthew 6:9-13). Most people, religious or not, are familiar with this prayer. Some call it a prayer, some call it a chant, and some call it a meaningless set of words. No matter what the opinion is regarding the prayer, breaking it down can be thought provoking and difficult to fully understand.On the surface it is very simple, but below the surface the words have very deep theological implications. According to the New International Version Bible, Jesus said in Matthew 6:9, â€Å"This, then, is how you should pray. † However, a problem arises out of this interpretation. The actual Greek to English translation is â€Å"Make your prayers go like this. † In other words, the prayer is actually a template of how prayers should go (Rhodes). Often, the prayer is mistaken for something that should be recited word for word.It is not wrong to recite the prayer verbatim, however, God did not intend for people to recite the words as a meaningless ritual. Praying using Jesus’ template shows the following way to form prayers: To acknowledge who God is, to pray for his work to be done on earth, to ask for what is needed, to ask for forgiveness, and lastly, to ask for a way to deal with temptation and opposition (Rhodes). The words â€Å"Our Father,† in Matthew 6:9 are two of the most powerful words in the prayer. The definition of the word â€Å"Our† is: â€Å"Belonging to or associated with more than one person† (www. oogle. com). The body of Christ is a group of believers that are brothers and sisters in Christ. The first word â€Å"Our† suggests being a part of this body of Christ (Ruffin). The second word â€Å"Father† is the one whom is being addressed. A prayer should always start by recognizing that the Lord our God is the one being prayed to, but God also wants to be approached as a child approaches their loving father (Pastor Mike) because God desires intimacy (AllDeaf. com). God wants to be addressed as â€Å"Father† out of love and humility (Pastor Mike).The child needs to recognize their position as so, and God’s position as Father. â€Å"Hallowed be your name† (Matthew 6:9). This portion is acknowledging God’s worthiness and greatness (Ruffin) because â€Å"Hallowed† literally means: â€Å"To make holy† or â€Å"To demonstrate as holy. † When praying the words â€Å"Hallowed be your name,† it is praising His holy and worthy name. God is not a buddy or friend whom should be carelessly addressed, but neither is He distant (Pastor Mike). This concept is loosely related to why God is addressed as Father. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven† (Matthew 6:10). This section of the template is praying for God’s work on earth (Rhodes). The word’s â€Å"Your kingdom come,† is praying for the Lord’s guidance (Ruffin) on behalf of God’s kingdom (AllDeaf. com) to do everything unto the Lord. â€Å"Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,† is declaring that God is really in charge of everything. The word â€Å"Will† means the same as â€Å"Desire,† so praying for God’s will to be done is also praying for all the God desires to be done (Pastor Mike).These words are also asking the Lord to take over so that His children can operate by His answers and not their own because the key words is â€Å"Your will be done,† not â€Å"Our will be done† (Ruffin). â€Å"Give us today our daily bread† (Matthew 6:11). These words are asking for God to provide what is needed in order to sustain spir itual and daily needs (Ruffin). God may not give everything that is wanted, but he gives everything that is truly needed because God cares for His children. This line also points back to when God was leading His people out of Egypt and every morning He gave them enough manna to last through the day.God did not give them more than one day’s worth of manna, however, so that they would continue to rely on Him to provide (Pastor Mike). That is why the prayer is not, â€Å"Give us this week our weekly bread. † The prayer is â€Å"Give us today our daily bread,† so that God is continually relied on to provide. â€Å"And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors† (Matthew 6:12). Forgiveness is surrender (AllDeaf. com); God does not want His children to carry their own weight. That is why He created prayer. God created His children in His image, so as a forgiving God, His children must also be forgiving.In doing so, it shows love to one another a nd Christ. On the surface, it cannot get more straight forward than asking God to forgive sins, but below the surface something that is not so straight forward is the concept of fairness. Nowhere else in the bible does God talk about fairness. Looking at the verse the words, â€Å"Forgive us our debts,† is not the only thing that is said. It is phrased as a condition. It says, â€Å"Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. † Meaning God will forgive the sins of His children, if His children forgive each other. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one† (Matthew 6:13). This is the section of the template asking for a way to deal with temptation and opposition (Rhodes). This is asking the Lord to carry away the evil, and anything that represents evil. God wants His children to pray this, so they won’t succumb to the evil temptations of the world. Some people believe as though sin is the cause of the fall, but really sin is just the victim of temptation. Temptation is the true culprit, because that is what leads God’s children into sin. â€Å"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one† (Matthew 6:9-13). Some call it a prayer, some call it a chant, and some call it a meaningless set of words. Most people, religious or not, are familiar with this prayer, but the body of Christ lives and breathes this prayer. Repeat it and it becomes a meaningless ritual (Rhodes), pray the words and it becomes the foundation to the relationship shared with Christ.

The Influence of Globalization and Localization

* Discuss the influence of globalization and localization when it comes to marketing brands. Modern business imperatives dictate that companies adopt a strategy of marketing both locally and globally if they have to compete or capture a significant portion of the market. The concept of global village means that the global market is shrinking and barriers that used to be impenetrable are breaking down allowing for businesses to market their brands out of their traditional market strongholds. The effects of this is that companies will make a global presence but with a local flavor and close attention to the new local communities or markets that they are seeking to acquire. A case in point is the KFC brand. It has the advantage of solid brand name which gives it an instant recognition and market share, but for it to make a significant inroad and capture a majority market shares, it must think locally by tailoring its menu, management and marketing to the local communities. This seems to be the strategy employed by David Novak of the Yum brands in China. He not only realized that a local presence through local management staff and menu makes good business sense, it also ensures the survival of the brand away from its home base. Would the same success be achieved with a less-visible brand? Explain your rationale from the receiver’s perspective. A less visible brand will find it difficult to make an inroad into the market due to the fact that consumers will have a bit of trepidation to accept the brand. The brand will have to work itself up by creating loyalty, employing locals, improved quality and community involvement to gain acceptance. Through advertisement, promotional offers, affordable price and incorporating local delicacies in its menu, a lesser known brand can become a well-known franchise and a visible brand as well. * What steps might you take to achieve the same kind of success with an almost unknown brand? I think the lesser known brand will do well by thinking locally by taking into consideration the sensitivities of the local communities it operates in, employ the locals, be a good local corporate citizen, incorporate the local delicacies on its menu so as to appeal to a wider variety of clients. Also, in its pricing, it must take into consideration the buying power and spending habits of the people to make sure that its products are within local reach. * Discuss the influence of globalization and localization when it comes to marketing brands. Modern business imperatives dictate that companies adopt a strategy of marketing both locally and globally if they have to compete or capture a significant portion of the market. The concept of global village means that the global market is shrinking and barriers that used to be impenetrable are breaking down allowing for businesses to market their brands out of their traditional market strongholds. The effects of this is that companies will make a global presence but with a local flavor and close attention to the new local communities or markets that they are seeking to acquire. A case in point is the KFC brand. It has the advantage of solid brand name which gives it an instant recognition and market share, but for it to make a significant inroad and capture a majority market shares, it must think locally by tailoring its menu, management and marketing to the local communities. This seems to be the strategy employed by David Novak of the Yum brands in China. He not only realized that a local presence through local management staff and menu makes good business sense, it also ensures the survival of the brand away from its home base. Would the same success be achieved with a less-visible brand? Explain your rationale from the receiver’s perspective. A less visible brand will find it difficult to make an inroad into the market due to the fact that consumers will have a bit of trepidation to accept the brand. The brand will have to work itself up by creating loyalty, employing locals, improved quality and community involvement to gain acceptance. Through advertisement, promotional offers, affordable price and incorporating local delicacies in its menu, a lesser known brand can become a well-known franchise and a visible brand as well. What steps might you take to achieve the same kind of success with an almost unknown brand? I think the lesser known brand will do well by thinking locally by taking into consideration the sensitivities of the local communities it operates in, employ the locals, be a good local corporate citizen, incorporate the local delicacies on its menu so as to appeal to a wider variety of clients. Also, in its pricing, it must take into consideration the buying power and spending habits of the people to make sure that its products are within local reach. Numerous theorists discuss cultural concepts. Using this information as a basis, discuss the concepts you would want to analyze and evaluate in order to prepare you and other company executives for the upcoming meeting. * Which of the concepts you discussed would be the hardest to analyze? Why? * Describe a worst case scenario involving the muddling of culture concepts. What steps could you (or your company) take to ensure something similar never happens to you? Numerous theorists discuss cultural concepts. Using this information as a basis, discuss the concepts you would want to analyze and evaluate in order to prepare you and other company executives for the upcoming meeting. There are so many issues that come to mind when preparing for a meeting with a foreign business audience. The first thing would be to know the audience and the cultural, social background to be able to formulate an adequate communication strategy to make the message clear and understandable. There is always the issue of cultural differences that have to be bridged. This translates into what to say and how to say that will not generate any misunderstanding or negative feelings. Understanding the verbal and non-verbal cues that are important in cross cultural exchanges is very important. For example, there is a definite difference between a Japanese or Korean business concept and communication and that of an American. Therefore, advance knowledge and preparation for any meeting between people from these cultures is very critical. What is the gender perception in each culture? Would I send a female to go do a business deal in a culture that has a less favorable view of women in power? What is the most appropriate language to use and what is the distance to maintain when discussing are the issues that would have to deal with. Any company that has a diverse business- be it internal or external must have a policy and procedure manual on how to deal with such diverse base. * Which of the concepts you discussed would be the hardest to analyze? Why? While one may be able to analyze the cultural, socio-graphics and other concepts, being able to nalyze the individual specific reaction in a real situation as personal differences come to play. Certain non-verbal cues may be very hard to analyze and it will be left to he participants to figure out the meaning of each non-verbal gesture to avoid misunderstanding and potential conflict. * Describe a worst case scenario involving the muddling of culture concepts. What steps could you (or your company) take to ensure som ething similar never happens to you? A worst case scenario would be where beliefs and world views are so opposite that communication is impeded. An assumption of superiority by one side over the other may be a recipe for disaster and a deal killer. I had an experience back home in Africa when I received some people from England as I was accustomed to doing. There was always a feeling of being patronized by my European counterpart by not respecting my cultural taboos and on many occasions I had to call them to order and insisted on things being done with mutual respect. I think, preparing my experts on how to behave and respect the cultures of others by not being judgmental and patronizing is definitely one thing to do. Recognizing the non-verbal cues of approval or disapproval is key to avoiding conflict when negotiating. Assignment 1: Communication Process (due by Sunday before midnight). Find a Web site that has an â€Å"About Us† section or a â€Å"Press Release† section. Write a three to four (3-4) page paper addressing the following: 1. Identify the Web site, the sender, and perceived receiver. 2. Analyze the integrated business communication. 3. Assess the media richness of the section. 4. Describe how the message is framed. 5. Identify opinion leaders. 6. Make recommendations for improving word choice.

Speech on Beauty Myths

The great philosopher Confucius once said, ‘everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it’ but why? Why do we not all see the beauty surrounding us? Why is outward appearance so important? Why are our heads filled with beauty myths? Beauty myths are beliefs about qualities, which constitute beauty or attractiveness. We tend to think of our attraction toward certain physical qualities to be natural but they are learnt proven by the conceptions of beauty varying between cultures and across time, with media to blame.As society we assume that images we see in media that are highlighted and common are beautiful such as the tall, skinny, toned, ‘flawless’ models why else would they put them there? If a certain characteristic isn’t common in media then it can’t be beautiful. Media teaches us what beauty supposedly is and closes our eyes to beauty not physically shown. There are 3 main functions of media to provide news and information, entertain and educate. Presently our society depends on the media for information and communication and as part of our daily routine.Most of the decisions we make are based on what we know as fact our assumptions and our experiences such as work where we know what to do because we have studied it and from our own experiences however in routine life and household chores we rely on media to keep us updated on news and facts, on what is important and what we need in order to get through our day and be accepted in society. We put so much trust in media but by doing so are we putting ourselves in harms way? On average a person is exposed to over 1,500 advertisements a day. 1,500 ads we are led to believe are factual and real because we have put so much trust in the media.We start to believe that we need that cream to have flawless skin like that girl in the ad and we need that perfume to be as amazing as the next Marc Jacobs model. But the fact is that 100% of photos in professional magazines have be en retouched whether by changing the lighting in order to improve the quality and definitions of models or even giving a model a whole new head. What we see is not reality. Beauty is something that is looked at differently throughout the world for example if you look at the culture of Australians compared to the cultures of Saharan people there are vast differences in their ideals throughout.Each has it’s own concept of ideal beauty. Some things that come to mind would be weight, fashion, and tone of skin. Though each culture has its own specific parts and body shapes they prefer its like we have been trained to think a certain way from a young age all pertaining to which culture we are apart of. Research shows that some Asian woman after moving to Australia take on body image and dieting not common in their own countries. Media has people changing themselves and their idea of beauty in order to fit in. Not only has the media an effect on beauty across nations but also across time.From corsets to bikinis, from fair skinned and voluptuous to tanned and toned and frightfully frail. Our perception of beauty is learnt and changes due to what we see in the media and shown as fashionable but is media changing this for the better? 20 years ago models weighed 6% less than the average woman now models weigh a huge 23% less than the average woman with only 5% of woman actually able to obtain this weight naturally. How is this positively effecting woman and young girls? Its not. 45% of woman that are a perfectly healthy weight think they are overweight and 20% of woman that are underweight are dieting.Media is killing us with these perceptions of beauty and it’s taking over our minds, our ability to perceive what is right and healthy and the ability to say, â€Å"No, how I am is fine†. Everyone is different. Our idea of perfection and absolute beauty that we learn and which is portrayed in magazines and advertisements is generally unattainable but we still strive to look like these people that only 5% of our society actually look like. This small minority is said to be beautiful by the media leaving the rest of us in shame of how we look because we cant be beautiful if we don’t look like them.Isn’t true beauty found on the inside you could be the most ‘beautiful’ girl in the world according to the beauty media teaches us but if you are the nastiest most wicked girl as well are you still beautiful? We are all thinking no but if you saw this person I bet we would be jealous of her we would want to look like her and be as beautiful as her†¦ that’s disheartening that the most wicked girl can still be classed as ‘beautiful’. This is what media is teaching us about beauty that it is all about the outside and nothing to do with our nature and personality. `Though we are taught what beauty is research has been done to show that humans are attracted to people with more symmetry feature s and that this something that we are born with not that we learn so the media is not solely responsible for beauty myths. Woman being attracted to masculine men is something that goes back to to medieval times where the more masculine the man the more strength and ability to look after and protect a family males are attracted to young woman as they show fertility and as a reproducing species this is important as older woman are unable to conceive.There has been research to show we are born attracted to certain features but majority are still learnt as we grow up in a certain society. Media should portray fact not transform reality so that beauty is categorized. Do this by portraying models realistically, all different shapes and sizes cultures and races so that our perception of beauty isn’t all the same and showing that differences are beautiful and stopping the beauty myth that what we perceive physically attractive and beautiful is not natural it’s learnt.

Homicide criminal law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Homicide criminal law - Essay Example e criminally liable if his conduct was the factual cause of Tom’s death and the consequence of death would not have happened â€Å"but for† Sanjay’s conduct. If we apply the â€Å"but for† test to the current situation, arguably Tom would not have been in hospital with severe internal injuries if had not been for Sanjay’s actions, therefore under the â€Å"but for test†, it is more than likely that Sanjay’s conduct will have satisfied the requirement of factual cause of death. However, it is also evident from the facts that Tom subsequently died of a blood transfusion at the hospital as a result of receiving the wrong blood type, which the doctors failed to notice. As a result, Tom died and this begs the question as to whether Sanjay was in fact the legal cause of death or whether the failure to give Tom the correct blood type in the transfusion was in fact the cause of death. Under the legal causation test, it is not necessary for Sanjay’s conduct to be the sole cause of death however it must be the substantial cause and have made a significant contribution to Tom’s death3. Ultimately, this is determined according to the facts of each case, however case law has established that the original wound must still be operating and a substantial cause at the time of death4. With regard to the current scenario, the doctors failed to administer the correct blood type in the transfusion and therefore one could argue that it was their failure was the substantial cause of Tom’s death. However, UK courts have been reluctant to break the chain of causation in cases where medical negligence is involved. A prime example is the case of Smith,5 where the victim was stabbed by Smith but died due to medical negligence. Despite there being a 75% chance of recovery but for these events occurring, the courts still held that the chain of causation was not broken. Although a different approach was used in the case of Jordan6 where negligent medical treatment was

Pit Stop Case Report Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pit Stop Report - Case Study Example Though the company was expecting to generate cash flows from the restructuring of the company, it had to incur $52 million cost due to the termination of the operating leases or due to the closure of the pit shops. The report is an attempt to analyze that the closure of the operations should be classified as discontinued operation, and to establish which procedure should be undertaken by the company in that situation. Closure of the Pit Store Auto World had two different segments: the Auto Boyz centre and the pit stop centers. The company submits their financial statements as per the US GAAP method. They followed the requirements as mentioned in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) standards. As per the FASB statement number 131, the company discloses its financial reporting about different statements (FASB, â€Å"Summary of Statement no. 131†). It has been found in the financial statements of the company that the company’s net sales and operating earnings ar e mentioned segment-wise. As per the FASB standard 146, the company also meets the criteria and it has to reveal the costs associated with the retirement or disposal of assets (FASB, â€Å"NEWS RELEASE 07/30/02†). ... flows after disposal and the cash flows can be classified as direct cash flows, then the operations cannot be referred to as discontinued operations. When the company is generating cash flows after disposal and the generated cash flows can be classified as indirect cash flows, then the operation can be called as discontinued operations. In the case of Auto World, the company is not generating cash flows which can be classified as direct cash flows, so the operation can be classified as discontinued cash flows (Jarnagin 36-37). Due to the closing of the pit stop shops, the company management estimated that the restructuring and other charges would be $52 million. The charges were due to the termination of the operating leases and also included some other costs. The accountants of the company should not include this cost as the cost in the segment of the pit stop centre because the cost is from the discontinued operation. So the accountants should include and disclose this cost in the income statement of the company for the next quarter. Recommendation The decision of the management is right as they want all of their services to be available under one roof, which will be more profitable for them and attractive to customers. To avoid the pre tax of $52 million, the company management should use the pit stop stores as stores including both the pit stop stores and the Auto Boyz centers. They should continue operating until the contract with the lessor is terminated, and then they can relocate their branch or extend the contract with the lessor. In this process they don’t have to incur the cost due to the termination of the operating lease, but they have to incur little cost due to the stoppage of operation and the relocation of stores. Conclusion Auto World has taken the

Global Marketing Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Marketing Strategy - Assignment Example The second part of the study will be discussing the experience of 24/7 Stop as the primary provider of non-food commodities in the country. This part of the study will be covering the existing strategies that 24/7 Stop is engages in, such that they stay on top of the non-food retail industry. The paper will compose of the analysis of the company itself as well as the industry that it thrives in, particularly the non-food sector of the retail industry. The tools to be used in this examination include the analysis; analysis of its PEST and Porter's Diamond Model . The last part of the study will consist of a set of recommendations formulated by the researcher based on the results of the tools used in the analysis of the industry and the company. Thailand has done remarkably well since the beginning of the economic reform movement in 1978 (Wu, 1996). Between 1979 and 1995, Thailand's GDP grew at an average annual rate of 9.5 percent. Thailand's exports grew even faster and Thailand now ranks among the world's top 10 exporting economies. Moreover, Thailand's entry into the WTO will make Thailand's door even more open. Both foreign investment and foreign trade are expected to increase (Chow, 2000). Foreign firms will begin to penetrate Thailand's financial and telecommunication sectors. Trade will increase in both directions and Thai tariffs will be lowered and Thai goods will have better access to world markets open to members of the WTO. Using foreign competition to stimulate the domestic economy is a major objective in seeking to join WTO, as explicitly stated by the government Bangladesh has become a pioneer in the international garments industry as she is a major exporter of garments in the world which is very helpful in the country because it contributes not only to the country's GNP but also for a number of reasons like for example it had created a number of jobs. The country had created many new jobs of about 1.5 million, mostly for women - have been created by the country's dynamic private ready-made garment industry, which grew at double-digit rates through most of the 1990s. Despite the country's politically motivated general strikes, poor infrastructure, and weak financial system, Bangladeshi entrepreneurs have shown themselves adept at competing in the global garments marketplace. Bangladesh's exports to the U.S. surpassed $1.9 billion in 1999. Bangladesh also exports significant amounts of garments and knitwear to the EU market. The country has done less well, however, in expanding its export base-garments account for more than three-fourths of a ll exports, dwarfing the country's historic cash crop, jute, along with leather, shrimp, pharmaceuticals and ceramics (Bangladesh Garment and Exporters Association, 1997). Bangladesh' overview in their economy has made significant strides in that sector since her independence in 1971. Although the economy has improved vastly in the 1990s, Bangladesh still suffers an image crisis due to her civil war period of early 1970s. Despite major impediments to growth like the inefficiency of state-owned enterprises, a rapidly growing labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, inadequate power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms, Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed's Awami League government has made some headway improving the climate for foreign investors and liberalizing the capital markets; for example, it has negotiated with foreign firms

The Impact of Steady Increase in the Interest Rate in the UK Coursework

The Impact of Steady Increase in the Interest Rate in the UK - Coursework Example These effects caused by a low inflation, low interest, but highly tax economy are the outcomes that are current and continuing to thwart economic competitiveness and equilibrium across the UK manufacturing base. This assignment, therefore, seeks to consider some of the reasons for the causes and effect of an increase in interest rates that are now providing causal effects across the economy. In particular the economy of the USA, that has been a focus of concern across financial sector industries in the UK. Commenting on the effect that world interest rates have on domestic interest rates, Mr King said that: â€Å"We look at the balance between demand and supply, we ask ourselves what goes into that balance and there is no doubt that what is happening in the rest of the world is a key input into that assessment. However, the way in which overseas interest rate changes affect our judgment is solely as an input into that judgment.† â€Å"†¦all central banks are very clearly focused on meeting their own price stability objectives. Of course, they take the rest of the world into account, but they do not say ‘Oh gosh, Jean-Claude has put up interest rates, perhaps we ought to keep up with him’; it is not like that† (House of Lords 2006 p.10). Therefore, the economics of equilibrium is a force that has to be recounted in that the elasticity of the economy is a crucial aspect of financial housekeeping in all World economies and despite the fact, an economy must predominately consider its own fiscal policies, rather than being affected by other economic decisions.

International business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

International business - Essay Example FCPA has played a major role in discouraging corruption in international business. Transparency International index also reveals countries that have been involved in corrupt international deals. Scandinavian countries have been listed as the countries which are mostly corrupt in terms of international business. US is listed 19th in that list from the data released in 2013. However, this does not mean that American Companies do not engage in this malpractice. Currently WalMart is under investigation for bribing Mexican officials with over $ 30 million to open their stores in that country. It is no wonder WalMart has gained roots in Mexico. Wal-Mart has extended its operations to Mexico therefore posing so much threat to Comercil a Mexican retail chain shop. Wal-Mart has been a strong competitor especially since NAFTA’s lifted its tariffs which were posing a significant threat to WalMart operations. Mexico joined GATT which has liberalized the trade space allowing free entry and exit of businesses. FCPA aims at training and employing more officials in order t o avert this malpractice. This will only be possible if the FCPA works together with the department of

Out of town Brown Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Out of town Brown - Essay Example Furthermore, she should explain to the reporter that when the Chief Probation Officer designated her as officer-in-charge, he did not give her authority to discuss the officers recommendations on any case under their watch. In the event where the reporter press Joan to make comments on the probably sentence of the offender, Joan should refrain from making any comments on this matter and ask the reporter to just wait for the official proclamation of the sentence of the offender on the scheduled date. Joan should never attempt to discuss her officers recommendations regarding the sentence of the "kiddie killer" until such time when such sentence has already been made final. Making any premature comments at this point will only raise speculations from the media and may put the Collier County Probation Department in a bad light. In the event where Joan elects to discuss the sentence of the "kiddie killer" with the reporter, she should make it clear to the reporter the reasons behind the sentence. First, she should be able to explain to the reporter that the present mental condition of the boy. Second, she should be able to make the reporter understand that the boy committed the crime after he was subjected to abuse by the victim for several years. Joan should make the reporter understand that the crime committed by the offender is not just one of those random acts of violence but rather it is a result of long years of mental and physical abuse. Third, Joan should make it clear to the reporter that based on expert evaluation; the boy is a low risk for recidivism which makes him relatively harmless to the people around him. Since he is as much a victim of the offense as was his stepfather, he should be given due considerations. A community-based sentence which will allow the boy to slowly reintegrate into soc iety and live a normal life is the most humane way to deal with

Understanding Human Behavior is critical to organizations Essay

Understanding Human Behavior is critical to organizations - Essay Example Understanding Human Behavior It also forms a foundational block for the leadership skills of an individual. It is reported that it can be easier for one to understand others when he understands himself (Beach 28). This is usually referred to the people surrounding the individual. As a leader, one is required to portray a strong sense of self-discipline in order to attain the self-assessment values, which eventually leads to continuous improvement. The leaders should ensure that certain aspects are put into practice before engaging into other people’s affairs. The first aspect is the practice of what one preaches. This implies that leaders are expected to tell people what to do while at the same time do the same thing. They are expected to take ownership of the statements they give to people on the things they expect from them as they are expected to behave the same. Therefore, they are the ones to set these standards. The second aspect is based on the belief that change is always okay. It is good to make changes to the intended target if the leader is in a position of identifying the reason for having a different path (Millan and Melissa 51). These points can be useful in the implementation of the self-evaluation tools used by leaders individually or for the organization. If a leader decides to take a professional image, he should know that the implication is usually positive or negative. Leaders should be well equipped in knowing their weaknesses and strengths, which will help them as they take advantage of the whole concept. They will take their time on improving their weaknesses and using the skills, they have acquired to improve their strengths. This can be done by practicing their coaching skills at the same time implementing their mentorship skills. For a long time, scholars have been arguing in indicating the possibility of an individual being his own leader (Beach 36). This can be supported by the initiative that leaders are suppose to implement rules and helping their emplo yees under the same principles which guide them. This is difficult for many leaders as they are expected to take ownership of all the problems affecting the organization together with the people working in it. This helps the other employees to have self-management, which is comprised of self-leadership. This is the type of mechanism that majority of today’s leaders use in making decision for their workers in the organization. Another argument raised by scholars implies that this is applicable to all the leaders. However, this can be refuted as some leaders have a strong implication of themselves, which will have a different view in establishing their weakness or strength. This is applicable when attempting to look at the changes they are required to undergo. Another benefit of having a self-assessment as a leader is the readiness of production of ideas (Mawson 69). There are cases where individuals will have numerous ideas but will be unable to air them out to the public. Thi s situation is attributed to several factors such as being introvert, low self-esteem or being scared. On the other hand, a self-assessed individual will not accept and will brush them off before they initiate the ideas. Another argument that has always been raised in regards to self-assessment is the genetic association with the leadership skills. It is asserted that there is a strong interaction amongst genetic influence and leadership when it is a question of entrepreneurial skills and running of businesses.

Qunatitative Decisions in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Qunatitative Decisions in Business - Essay Example All of these topics are related to quantitative decisions in business. Plan. Problems are the groundwork of modeling that is why understanding and identifying problems are necessary before commencing with a plan. If problems are already at hand, then relevant data should also be gathered together. These two elements are needed in the formulation of spreadsheets model and in doing some calculations by hand. This initial calculation will give a background of results to be followed by second hand calculations for a checking of results, and finally the sketching of spreadsheets layout before entering the various elements. Build. After the planning stage is the building of spreadsheet model, wherein the sketch layout is moved into the new worksheet in Excel for finalization. Always start with a small version and thoroughly examined the model if the logic are working accurately before expanding to a full-scale model. Test. The manageable version of the model is being tested to determine the accuracy of results. If ever there are major problems along the way like the giving of unexpected results or the changing of values, all of these can be easily corrected because of the model’s manageable size. Build. The process of building and testing often moves back and forth especially if errors occur several times. If the testing of the small version of model verifies accuracy then it is time to build a much larger spreadsheet. There could only be a full-scale version of the model if satisfaction has already been attained. Analyze. It is not impossible to encounter problems at the evaluation stage even if the model has been into several tests. At this stage, the results of the tests in the small version and full-scale version are thoroughly examined. This is to make sure that the output cells give the accurate answers and inadequacies are being revealed. If

Maintaining Natural Ecosystem Essay Example for Free

Maintaining Natural Ecosystem Essay The ecosystem is composed of all living (biotic) organisms functioning together with the non-living (abiotic) organisms in the environment. Ecosystem is very important in the lives of the human beings because it provides the needs of the people. Biodiversity in the ecosystem holds distinct advantages so that the ecosystem will function properly. Biodiversity increases the resilience in ecosystem, thus it is important that the ecosystem is being well taken cared of. Nowadays, through the massive development in the field of science and technology, the protection and maintenance of our ecosystem took a backseat. The consequences of national development are reflected in the current state of the planets ecosystem. Most of the countries put a rather bigger emphasis on the development of their economy and technology while dislodging the importance of keeping the ecosystem stable. Human actions are the most fundamental part in studying the changes in the ecosystem. The actions and development hastened by human beings are the critical factors that have contributed to the adverse changes and degradation of the planets environment. Thus, if this issue is not addressed properly, the risks of environmental destruction shall increase at the most alarming stage. This brings into light the importance of gaining the knowledge on how to conserve and preserve our environment. There is no exemption on who should gain awareness and responsibility in maintaining the natural ecosystem stable. Conservation and preservation of the ecosystem, though both are equally important, are two different agendas. Conservation entails â€Å"sustainable use and management of natural resources† (â€Å"Conservation and Preservation† 2000). On the other hand, preservation of the ecosystem is an attempt to maintain untouched environmental resources of the planet in its current condition (â€Å"Conservation and Preservation† 2000). Both processes are important in order to protect the ecosystem from further human destruction. Though these two differ in the objectives, both are aimed at keeping the ecosystem stable and functioning. Conservation of the Ecosystem There are different ways of conserving the natural resources in our ecosystem. Natural resources are either renewable or non renewable, as such, conservationists campaign for several methods on how to help conserve the environment. Forest reserves like trees are renewable resources. These can be conserved by making sure that trees are not totally consumed before they can be replaced (â€Å"Conservation and Preservation† 2000). As such, environmentalist groups conduct â€Å"green† projects which are aimed towards reforestation. On the other hand, the conservation of non-renewable resources are also equally important. Non-renewable resources include the environments fossil reserves. Fossil fuels are distinctively important in the economy, and thus, people must learn how to conserve it in such a manner that the future generations will still have enough resources left to serve their needs. In addition, forests and natural habitats should also be conserved. Biodiversity is dependent on natural habitats like rain forests. Such habitats provide the world with food and wood stocks that are important to world consumption (â€Å"Conservation and Preservation† 2000). And as such, conservation of these resources is very delicate to the progress of humankind. In this light, there have been agreements signed in order to ensure the conservation of the ecosystem. These agreements across different countries are expected to come up with development planning, which shall minimize the utilization of resources from the environment without a distinct strategy on how to replenish the resources. Forests and natural habitats are being restored in order to create an avenue for the continuation of biodiversity. As such, species in the ecosystem are also given ample protection for illegal hunting and consumption to ensure genetic diversity. And most importantly, people must learn the how to employ sustainable use in any forms of natural resources present (â€Å"Agreement on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources† 1985). Preservation of the Ecosystem The massive technological development and expansion of industries in the world have caused the planets natural ecosystem to shrink and diminish. Industrial expansion has driven away natural habitats and natural landforms which over time have been developed to cater the needs of capitalist expansion and development. Lands were being developed to become industrial sites, tourist spots, sites for housing projects and other human development programs (â€Å"Conservation and Preservation† 2000) Thus, in order to commit towards the preservation of the ecosystem, interagency environmental management initiatives are being done to assure this goal. In line with this, state governments have agreed to provide protection under the law in order to ensure that natural habitats and landscapes are being protected from land conversion projects. To ensure this, natural habitats and important ecological sites within a country are being mapped, including land formations and water systems. These areas are being given strong protection and are maintained by government agencies that are entrusted to provide protection and maintenance programs in environmental sites. Values of Maintaining Ecosystems The planets ecosystem is one of the most important gift given to the human race. The economic growth of every country relies on the abundance of the natural resources endowed within their territory. Every person existing in the world owes his or her development and the privileges he or she receives to the gifts provided to the people through the rich natural resources we have. Thus, every means of protecting, preserving and conserving it should be given ample importance and priority. References â€Å"Agreement on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. † (1985). Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Retrieved July 24, 2008, from http://www. aseansec. org/1490. htm Conservation and Preservation. (2000). Encyclopedia of the Atmospheric Environment. Retrieved July 24, 2008, from

Competing views of the entrepreneur

Competing views of the entrepreneur The term entrepreneur has become to have a broad definition over the years, with many authors debating over the types of characteristics that make up a person who can be classed as entrepreneurial. The word originally came from the French meaning one who takes between but over the years the term has developed with varying definitions from academic literature, the media and often people classed as entrepreneurs themselves, causing great difficulty in finding a universal definition. In the late 18th Century, Cantillion and Say from the French school of thought were amongst the first to recognise the role of the entrepreneur. Cantillion first defined entrepreneurs as a risk taker, buying at a certain price and selling at an uncertain price. (Cited in Blaug 1986:220) Jean-Baptiste Say backed this up by stating entrepreneurs are the pivot of the economy, a vehicle for economic change. Deakins and Freel (2009). In the years to come, further concepts of entrepreneurs were developed and argued amongst academics. By examining the differing opinions from a broad spectrum of authors since the role was first distinguished, through the years where the meaning has become diverse and arguments have surfaced over the true meaning of entrepreneurship, I hope to make clear whether the term is so unclear to render it worthless or find some way of giving it some true common definition in todays society. To investigate the varying opinions and definitions of the entrepreneur successfully, it is important to compare views on all aspects of being an entrepreneur. By Looking into how entrepreneurs have ideas for new ventures, the effects on the economy, the number of entrepreneurs and the types of ideas they have and ways they become entrepreneurial. As a starting point it seems all academics and speakers on the subject regard entrepreneurs as opportunity spotters Shapero A (1975) develops this further stating In almost all of the definitions, there is agreement that it includes initiative taking, organising and reorganising of social and economic mechanisms to turn resources and situations to practical account and the acceptance of risk or failure Muzyka and Birley (2000:31) add to this idea stating No one should call themselves a successful entrepreneur until they have captured an opportunity. The basis of entrepreneurial debates is based around two main perspectives from contrasting authors of the Austrian school of thought; these include the Kirznerian perspective founded by Israel Kirzner and the Schumpeterian perspective introduced by Joseph Schumpeter. The origin of this long standing debate was around information and whether or not entrepreneurial opportunities were derived from new information (Schumpeter 1934) or access to previously inaccessible information. (Kirzner 1973) Kirzner explains how people use the information they possess to come to decisions about the best way of combining their resources in forming a good or service offering to a market. However if this combination of resources is not operating to full efficiency, there is potential to use a different combination of resources in order to make a greater profit. Gaglio and Katz (2001) consolidate this idea by explaining how entrepreneurial opportunities involve the creation or identification of new ends and means that have gone unnoticed by other market participants. However the conflicting Schumpeterian view focuses on new information, arguing that changes in technology, political forces, regulation, macro-economic factors and social trends create new information, used to create a new combination of resources to generate increased profits. (Schumpeter 1934). For example deregulation in the airline industry as Thompson (2004:301) explains when new airlines were allowed to fly into and out of Heathrow for the first time since 1977, it allowed access to new information for potential entrants to penetrate the market. Furthermore improvements in technological processes have led to entrepreneurial activity in the evolution of music players for example, from the audio cassette player through to the mass multimedia players of today, such as the IPod. Schultz (1975) argues that entrepreneurship is an equilibrating process, whereby situations of disequilibria caused by market participants not operating at maximum efficiency are dealt with by entrepreneurs acting on access to the necessary information to bring about equilibrium. Very much like Kirzner (1973) who both state that the entrepreneur reallocates resources using the most efficient method. However dissimilar to Kirzner, Schultz argues that the process takes time and equilibrium is often brought back about by trial and error or human resource investment. (Iversen et al 2008) Klein and Cook (2005:4) explained this in their research on the human capital approach to entrepreneurship, using farmers as an example of how they must deal with a sequence of many differing changes, especially in such an atomistic industry, making any adjustments much lengthier. In stark contrast to this approach, Schumpeter (1934) argued that entrepreneurship brings about the process of creative destruction, which Ellison (2002:136) defines as the dynamic disequilibrium wrought by the innovating entrepreneur, with his creative rather than adaptive responses to opportunities. Schumpeter suggested that entrepreneurs disrupt the existing system by shifting production constraints and brining about new technology which puts an economy into disequilibrium. Swedburg (2000:46) further explains Schumpeters theory of entrepreneurship by stating that the entrepreneur puts together a new combination; combining already existing materials and thereby produces something novel and innovative. However Steyaert and Hjorth (2004) explained how Schumpeters Disequilibrium reflects the existence of informational asymmetry about new sources of profit potential meaning that certain groups of people might have access to information ahead of others which opens up opportunities. Knig ht (1921) argued that if change could be predicted producers could plan ahead and thereby efficiently eliminate any profit potential. As Mises (1949:297) develops this stating how, profit opportunities arise from changes unforeseen by the majority. Schumpeter (1934) used his creative destruction theory to proclaim the temporariness of the entrepreneur, he assumed that entrepreneurship was a temporary attribute to an individual, as a wave of creative destruction that displaced old methods resulted in brisk imitation by competitors. Parker (2004:41) explained how after creative destruction, ultimately stability would be restored and entrepreneurship would reach a temporary cessation before the next wave of creative destruction. McDaniel (2002) agreed with Schumpeters idea in that when a new product enters the market that is new and unique is gives the entrepreneur a temporary position as monopolist. Conversely Scranton (1993) puts forward the notion of serial entrepreneurs and there existence since the dawn of industrialisation. Serial entrepreneurs are those who constantly buy and sell businesses to stay entrepreneurial. Hall (1995) narrows this broad definition proposing how the individual owns one business after another but o nly own one at a time. This type of entrepreneur challenges Schumpeters temporary entrepreneur and suggests that individuals can be constantly entrepreneurial Theorists further debate the frequency of entrepreneurial opportunities and how and why individuals decide to go from employees to employers in an entrepreneurial manner. Chapman and Marquis (1912:293) were amongst the first to investigate employing classes being recruited from wage earning classes. Schumpeter (1961:102) argued that entrepreneurship was a rare occurrence, as it stems from innovation, the ability to carry out new combinations. However in contrast Kirzner (1979) explained how entrepreneurial acts were much more common. Aldrich (1999) agreed with Kirzners statement due to the fact that most opportunities are constructive to established ways, which links back to argument on entrepreneurship being an equilibrating or dis-equilibrating process. When an entrepreneur decides to exploit an opportunity, again there is no universal definition on their motives. Oxenfeldt (1943:109) points out that real entrepreneurs confine their adventures to lines of business that they were previously engaged in as an employer or employee. Knight (1921) agrees stating Those with prior experience in an industry as a customer or supplier often have a better understanding of how to meet demand conditions in that market place. However as Hamilton and Harper (1994) argue, this goes against the theoretical entrepreneur as omniscient, profit-orientated, opportunistic and versatile. Nonetheless as versatile as an entrepreneur might be, Baumol (1993) highlights that when people cannot fully know the full range of options facing them, the calculation of an optimum within a given set of constraints is impossible Mark Casson has tried to develop a modern theory of entrepreneurship, by fusing together entrepreneurial attributes and theories of many of the older authors. One major area of his work was in the supply of entrepreneurs. Casson (1982) distinguished between two groups of entrepreneurs, those who value their leisure at less than the prevailing real wage and those who value it more. He explains how the latter group have a strong chance of becoming an entrepreneur, if the returns of entrepreneurship rises above the real wage rate. Eisenhauers (1995) model of the decision to become an entrepreneur is very much like Cassons as it is also based on the expected utility derived from income and the working conditions of employment vs self-employment. However Casson (1982) stressed that any supply of entrepreneurs are qualified entrepreneurs who are defined as having access to the necessary resources in order to back their thought, such as wealth, contacts or the relevant financing in place, t herefore for Casson, entrepreneurship is much more of a resource, whereby firms or individuals with the capital can invest in individuals with entrepreneurial ability. A real life example of this would be the BBCs Dragons Den programme whereby successful entrepreneurs who have created multi-millionaire empires, invest their masses of capital, in smaller scale entrepreneurs looking for investment in their ideas. Kirzner (1973) has a differing opinion, he expresses that entrepreneurship is not a factor of production and entrepreneurial alertness is non deployable and costless, meaning that no resources are needed to detect entrepreneurial opportunities, he also discarded the use of supply and demand curves with entrepreneurs. As much as opportunities can be spotted, the supply of entrepreneurs to an economy depends on their willingness to act upon them. McClelland (1961) identified that a major factor in an individuals willingness to act was motivation and the need for it in achievement. When individuals decide to exploit opportunities, there are further debates between academics over the types of entrepreneur. Schumpeter had the stance that only certain, extraordinary individuals have the ability to be entrepreneurial, Hanusch and Pyka (2007:289) explained his point in that extraordinary effort required to work out a scheme of innovation, the need to escape from deeply embedded modes of thinking and acting and the task of inducing many other people to make changes. Marshall (1994) defined his entrepreneur as someone who had a thorough understanding of their industry and are natural leaders, claiming that very few can possess all of the skills required to be entrepreneurial to a high enough extent, very much like Schumpeters extraordinary person. However, unlike Schumpeter, Marshall (1994) implies that people can be taught to acquire the skills necessary to be an entrepreneur. Schumpeter (1934:85) goes on to describe his entrepreneur as rational, egotistical and self -centred to an extent that is peculiar and rare by nature. Barnes (2000:65) described this as an individual in setting in that this self centeredness is a disconnection from the constraints of tradition and habit that allow new combinations to commence. Dissimilarly to this is the view of Kirzner (1973) who thought that anybody can be an entrepreneur, since it presupposes no special initial good fortune in the form of valuable assets as the new entrepreneur is not protected at all. In todays society , many entrepreneurs agree with Kirzner, explaining how anyone can become an entrepreneur, one of Britains most popular entrepreneurs Duncan Bannatyne wrote an autobiography entitled Anyone can do it which highlights how he rose to success and makes references to how it is possible for others today. Knight (1921) states only that the entrepreneur is a risk taker meaning that the entrepreneur is prepared to take on an element of risk for the chance of a reward of profit, this being the revenue generated for taking on uncertainty. Knight developed his idea of the entrepreneur being a risk taker by clarifying the difference between risk and uncertainty. Risk being where differing outcomes can be forecasted to some degree with uncertainty being where outcomes cannot be envisaged. Brockhaus (1980b) disagreed with Knight, he could not see any difference between the risk taking levels of new entrepreneurs from those of managers or the general public. Schumpeter (1934) agreed and expressed that risk can just be part of business ownership and not an entrepreneurial attribute; he expressed how it was the lender of capital who was at risk rather than the entrepreneur. Although Hull et al (1980) found in their study that entrepreneurs have a greater tendency to take risks, with Palmer (1971 ) suggesting that the testing of entrepreneurs be directed most towards the measurement of an individuals perception and handling of a risk. Say (1803) also highlighted the notion of the entrepreneur taking risk in bringing different factors of production together, with Say (1803) being one of the first to regognise the role of the entrepreneur and the characteristic of being a risk taker still being used in literature today, this can be seen as a strong characteristic of any entrepreneur. George Shackle (1970) described the entrepreneur as creative and imaginative. Rickets (2002) developed this idea stating that the imaginative idea comes from the exercise of developing alternative future states of affairs. Shackles View (1970) centralises on the role of uncertainty and how the imaginative entrepreneur can visualise how best to arrange resources in a changing uncertain world. In other words uncertainty gives rise to opportunities. Shackles work was based around Cantillions early ideas of entrepreneurship being buying at a certain price and selling at an uncertain price. However Earl (2003:68) strongly criticised Shackles ideas stating how this creativeness that he emphasises should be more focused to the work of Schumpeter who brought about creative destruction and the idea of the entrepreneur being extra-ordinary and special as appose to the intermediary idea of authors such as Cantillion and Kirzner. One of the main areas of debate between academics is over the type of act that can be classed as entrepreneurial. Schumpeter (1934) is strongly remembered for his theory of the entrepreneur being an innovator, this relates to the ideas discussed before regarding Schumpeters (1934) entrepreneur shifting production constraints and bringing about new processes and technologies, he defined entrepreneurs as the creators of change in the sense that they have a vision and the urge to be successful in achieving it. An example of this could be James Dyson who produced the worlds first bag-less vacuum cleaner which in tern rendered the Hoover almost worthless. Fagerburg and Mowery (2005) made an important distinction between invention and innovation, invention being the first occurrence of an idea, with innovation being the first attempt to carry it out into practice. Edquist (1997) defined technical innovations as the introduction of new knowledge or new combinations of existing knowledge int o the economy, from this Sternburg (2000) highlighted the importance of innovation, supporting Schumpeters idea of the innovating entrepreneur, with his stance of business growth stemming from the companys ability to constantly innovate. Drucker (1985) like Schumpeter also, agues that innovation is the tool of entrepreneurs, however he goes on, that entrepreneurship is also about improving total quality and adding value. An example of this being the McDonalds chain, in that they did not create anything new when the business began in 1940, offering the same as many American restaurants at the time. However through the application of management concepts, most notably their Speedy service system which added value and created a new industry as such, to Drucker (1985), this is entrepreneurship. Kirzner (1973) had very different views on the roles of his entrepreneur in that he believed they were alert to profitable opportunities for exchange. His idea of the entrepreneur was one of an intermediary in a supply chain, in other words a middle man between individuals. As previously mentioned the Kirznerian (1973) entrepreneur seeks imbalances in the market and aims to eradicate them with their entrepreneurial action. An example of a Kirznerian entrepreneurial action was the launch of Accommodationforstudents.com, founded by two students in 2000, who noticed imbalances in the market place through the personal difficulties they had in finding accommodation throughout their studies. This validates Marshalls (1994) theory that having a thorough understanding of the industry is necessary to entrepreneurial success. Kirzner (1978) explained how his ideas were often based around those of Ludwig Von Mises after being his assistant for some years. Mises (1951) explains how profit emerge s from the entrepreneur that can judge the future prices of products more than others do and therefore buy any factors of production at low prices before they increase. It is also alleged that this activity takes place within an economy with limited resources and production confines. This can be illustrated using the production possibility frontier below. Kirzner (1973) argues that activities take place within the curve and his entrepreneur pushes activities to their maximum to reach the edge. Yet Schumpeter (1934) suggests that the entrepreneur pushes the curve outwards with the introduction of new technologies and methods as production possibilities in the economy therefore increase. An example of this in action could be the now ever mainstream use of the internet in business operations, over the past ten years this has allowed mass expansion of business operations with companies being able to operate in global markets. Landstrom (2005:15) Knights (1921) theory on risk and uncertainty being part of the entrepreneurial personality inspired other academics to investigate entrepreneurship from small firm management. Deakins and Freel (2009) use Knights assumptions of an entrepreneur being responsible for ones own actions, to make the proposition that managers who assume this responsibility are consequently performing entrepreneurial functions. However Shailer (1994:34) states how managers do not necessarily fit any of the current popular definitions of entrepreneur and concludes that whilst 90% of owner managers are obliged to fill the role as capitalist, only 20-40% will act as entrepreneurs under common definitions. Abundant amounts of research has been carried out between so called managers and entrepreneurs, a study by Miner et al (1989) found that entrepreneurs scored significantly higher on self-achievement than managers. Furthermore Mill (1848) appeared to believe that the inclusion of risk bearing distinguished th e term entrepreneur from manager, Shackle (1955) approved and highlighted the uncertainty element of the entrepreneurial process. One example of this might be in terms of wages, an employed manager of a firm is guaranteed a wage, whereas entrepreneurs have the uncertainty of their businesses performance. Ricketts (2002:80) comments on how once a venture is established, the scope for entrepreneurship does not cease, as continuous change in the economy requires adaptation by the firm, which results in the need for some entrepreneurial talent; Meaning that entrepreneurship can emerge from within companies. Galbraith (1967) introduced the concept of large firms being more successful than small firms in technology based industries, Schumpeters (1934) theory developed on this theme, with his notion of entrepreneurs emerging from within businesses, initiating change from inside a firm. He called these individuals Intrapreneurs. His idea was based on the fact that larger organisations have better infrastructure in place; established research and development facilities, high levels of available finance, connections with stakeholders of the business and the companies experiences. This idea was supported by Wu (1989) who described the firm as a collection of entrepreneurs. However drawbacks of the Intrapreneur can also exist, by transferring some power, to unproven individuals could perhaps be risky and put your reputation at threat also successful intrapreneurs may very well demand larger proportions of profit if they see their ideas taking off successfully. (Virtual Advisor 2009). An example of intrapreneurship having problems occurred at Xeron, whereby employees working on an idea were discarded when they suggested new software. The employees went on to develop this and created Adobe, one of the most popular digital post-script readers. Although at Google, employees are given 20% of their time to come up with new ideas which as resulted in services such as Gmail and Adsense, rendering the scheme a success. http://sgentrepreneurs.com/events/2009/01/24/after-ceo-unplugged-intrapreneurship-at-nus-entrepreneurship-week/ Miner et al (1989) and other authors views on managers and entrepreneurs http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=0FxO_Wsh30kCpg=PA100dq=entrepreneurs+as+managers#v=onepageq=entrepreneurs%20as%20managersf=false http://www.jstor.org/pss/255515 RISK, PALMER AND MILL QUOTES Wu (1989) describes a firm as a coalition of entrepreneurs, which agrees a production policy, an organisational structure, and a rule for sharing the residual profits. (page 80 of Ricketts) Galbraith (1967) concept of large firms more successful that small firms in technology based industries, however this concept is more associated with Schumpeter Schumpeter argued that there were 5 sources of entrepreneurial change: 1) The introduction of a new or improved good 2) The introduction of a new method of production 3) The opening of a new market 4) The exploitation of a new source of supply 5) The re-organisation of business management processes. (1934) DYSON: Schumpeterian Following Audretsch (2002), we argue that the absence of a generally accepted definition of entrepreneurship reflects that it is a multidimensional concept, involving aspects of uncertainty-bearing, innovation, opportunity-seeking, management and enterprising individuals. Main thoughts References Aldrich H E (1999) Organisations evolving, London: Sage Barnes B (2000) Understanding agency, London: Sage. Page 65 Baumol W J (1993) Entrepreneurship, Management and the Structure of Payoffs, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Blaug M (1986) Entrepreneurship before and after Schumpeter, in economic History and the History of economics. New York: New York University Press. Pages 219-30 Brockhaus R H (1980b) Risk taking propensity of entrepreneurs, Academy of management journal, 23,3, 509-20 Casson M (1982) The Entrepreneur, Oxford: Martin Robertson and co. Chapman S J and Marquis F J (1912:293) The recruiting of the employing class from the ranks of the wage earners in the Cotton Industry, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Vol 75 No 3 pp293-313 Deakins and Freel (2009) Entrepreneurship and Small Firms, 5th edition, Berkshire: Mcgraw-Hill. Drucker P F (1985) Innovation and Entrepreneurship, New York: Harper and Row. Earl P E (2003) Information, Opportunism and economic coordination, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing. Page 68 Edquist C (1997), Systems of Innovation Technologies, Institutions and Organizations, London: Pinter Eisenhauer J (1995) The Entrepreneurial Decision: Economic theory and empirical evidence. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 19(4), 67-79 Ellison A P (2002) Entrepreneurs and the transformation of the global economy, Cheltenham: Edward Elder publishing Limited. Page 136 Fagerburg J and Mowery D (2005), The Oxford Handbook of Innovation, Oxford : Oxford University Press Gaglio C and Katz J (2001) The psychological basis of opportunity identification: Entrepreneurial alertness. Small Business economics, 16, 95-11 Galbraith J K (1967) The New Industrial State, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Hall, P. (1995) Habitual owners of small businesses, Small Firms Partnership for Growth, London: Paul Chapman, pp. 217-230 Hamilton R T and Harper D A (1994) The Entrepreneur in theory and practice, Journal of economic studies, 21(6) pp 3-18 Hanusch and Pyka (2007) Elgar comparison to neo-Schumpeterian economics, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing. Page 289 Hull D, Bosley, J and Udell, G (1980). Renewing the hunt for the heffalump: Identifying potential entrepreneurs by personality characteristics. Journal of Small Business, 18, 11-18. Iversen J R Jorgensen Nikolaj Malchow-Moller (2008) http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/171539783_2.html Kirzner I (1973) Competition and Entrepreneurship, Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Kirzner (1978) The Economic Point of View: An Essay in the History of Economic Thought, Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Kirzner I (1979) Perception, Opportunity and profit, Chicago: University of Chicago Press Knight F (1921) Risk, Uncertainty and Profit, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. Klein P and Cook M (2005) T.W Schultz and the Human Capital Approach to Entrepreneurship, Division of applied Social Sciences. Available from: http://web.missouri.edu/~kleinp/papers/06011.pdf. [Accessed 21st November 2009] Landstrom H (2005) Pioneers in entrepreneurship and small business research, USA: Springer. Marshall A (1994) Principles of Economics, Philadelphia: Porcupine Press, 248-250. McClelland D C (1961) The Achieving Society, D Van Nostrand co, Princeton NJ McDaniel (2002) Entrepreneurship and Innovation; An economic Approach, United Kingdom: M E Sharpe. Mill J S (1848) Principles of Political Economy, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Milner J, Smith N and Bracker J (1989) Role of entrepreneurial task motivation in the growth of technologically innovative firms, Journal of applied psychology, 74 (4), 554-60 Mises (1949) Human action: A treatise on Economics. New Haven: Yale University Press. Page 297 Mises L V (1951) Socialism: An Economic and Sociological Analysis, New Haven: Yale University Press. Muzyka D and Birley S (2000) Mastering Entrepreneurship, 2nd edition, United Kingdom: Pearson Education. Page 31 Oxenfeldt A R (1943:109) New firms and Free Enterprise: Pre War and Post War Aspects, Washington: American council on public affairs. Palmer M (1971) The Application of Psychological Testing to Entrepreneurial Potential, California Management Review 13, 32-38. Parker S (2004) The economics of self employment and entrepreneurship, England: Cambridge University press. Page 41 Ricketts (2002) The Economics of Business Enterprise: An Introduction to Economic organisation and the theory of the firm, third edition. Page 80 Say (1803) A Treatise on Political Economy, or the production, distribution and consumption of wealth, New Jersey: Transaction publishing. Schumpeter J (1934) The theory of economic development. New York: Oxford University Press Schumpeter, J. (1961). Theory of Economic Development.Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press. Page 102 Scranton P (1993) Build a firm, start another: The Bromleys and family firm entrepreneurship in the Philadelphia region, Business History. Shackle (1955) Shailer G (1994) Capitalists and entrepreneurs in owner managed firms, International small business journal, Vol 12, no 3, pp 33-41 Shapero A (1975), The Displaced, Uncomfortable Entrepreneur, Psychology Today, Vol. 9 pp.83 133 Sternburg R (2000) Innovation networks and regional development evidence from the European regional innovation survey (ERIS): Theoretical concepts, methodological approach, Empirical basis and introduction to the theme issue, European theme issue, European planning studies, Vol 8, pp389-407 Steyaert C and Hjorth D (2004) New Movements in entrepreneurship, United States: Edward Elgar publishing. Swedburg (2000) Entrepreneurial: The social Science View, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Thompson J L (2004) Strategic Management, 4th edition, London: Thomson Publishing. Page 301 Virtual Advisor (2009) Fostering Intrapreneurial Ideas, Available from: http://www.va-interactive.com/inbusiness/editorial/bizdev/ibt/intrapre.html#6, [Accessed 8th December 2009] Wu (1989) Bibliography Bannatyne D (2009) Anyone can do it, London: Orion Publishing Group. McDonalds (2009) Our History, Available from: Historyhttp://aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company/mcd_history.html, [Accessed 2nd December 2009] SG Entrepreneurs (2009) After CEO Unplugged-Intrapreneur at NUS Entrepreneurship Week, Available from: http://sgentrepreneurs.com/events/2009/01/24/after-ceo-unplugged-intrapreneurship-at-nus-entrepreneurship-week/. [Accessed 8th December 2009]

Professional and Therapeutic Communication Reflection

Professional and Therapeutic Communication Reflection Willian Roger Dullius Nurses have determined the communication and interaction for nursing since Florence Nightingale in the 19th century. The method to provide the communication depends on the place where it is applied having a focus to interact and satisfy the client’s needs, once that communication is the basis of health promotion and prevention (Fleischer, Berg, Zimmermann, WÃ ¼ste, Behrens, 2009). Throughout this paper, I will answer the questions one and two, which are related to the class NUSC 1P10. Reflection can be defined in numerous ways. Firstly, it can be defined as an active process, which has different aspects of interpretation. Secondly, it can be an action to reflecting or a stage of being reflected. Thirdly, it can be defined as thoughts about something where require careful considerations. Finally, reflection can be defined as a process of observation in a specific action. All of these definitions reflect to a cognition’s method in a specific circumstance related to the person (OBrien, 2014). As a purpose of reflection in the context of teaching and learning, the reflection’s process provides a positive outlook on the material, which has been studied and analyzed. The moment of reflection also provides an opportunity for the student to look at what they have done in class. Thinking about what, why, when, where, how to do something such as assignment is a way to develop the critical thinking, which is an essential for the academic student. As a result, the reflection is responsible to develop the self-observation and self-evaluation in order to improve the academic skills as well as personal skills. Gardner (1986) also argues that the reflection is a fundamental part of the learning process for everyone, which is daily developed. The reflection provided an important contribution to my learning in the class. When we did reflections through this course in lectures or in class lab, I could think about my mistakes and after to analyzing why I did them, I corrected them. For example, when I was doing my weekly lab reflection reviewing my working, I could improve my paper. Fixing them, it contributed to change the way how I respond those activities considering my expectations. In another example, during the lab activity, I had numerous challenges. One of them is that I was looking for the patient considering his disease process. However, I should be looking for whole client’s history instead of just the disease process. After reflection about my practice, I could reflect more broadly in respect of the client’s history (looking more for social determinants than process of disease). I also made mistakes related to questions and language barriers, so reviewing these challenges aspects I could understand what was necessary to change and how to perform and provide my communication skills (see Appendix A). Still, reflecting on my lab activities, I could see a language difference between the first to last day (see Appendix B). It is explicit that I had an improvement because of in the beginning the semester, some activities which required interaction in group (talking and listening), were developed with low successful expectance; however, working to improve and reviewing words to pronounce and adding in the correct method did a change in a variety of aspects in my perspective of class’s interaction. Nevertheless, considering my background in communication skill, I have begun to look at a broad perspective of interaction among client and health professionals as well as with general people. In this course, a friend had a problem. Analyzing, doing a summary and paraphrasing, using the reflection’s process, I could help him. Instead of I give my opinion or solution to his problem, I motivated him to reflect his own history under the problem. Thus, he could find by himself how to cope that problem. After that, I gave him some feedback (evaluation) about that situation. In fact, looking my methodology and evaluating this process, I could understand and see in practice how the reflection’s process is helpful and it is a way that improves the communication skill. In relation to the question two, my communication skills have changed over this term because during this term I could review my thoughts and understand that communication is essential my daily activities with emphasis in my professional career. According to Burke, Boal, Mitchell (2005), the communication is present not only in terms of professional and patient, but it is an essential on health team. It needs to be present among health professionals providing better care for their clients. For example, when we are discussing health promotion and prevention, the communication is, basically, the basis to develop activities. Hence, the communication is a skill that needs to be built considering their environment. In this process, I could note improvements in my communication skill such as in the client’s response where I, as a nurse, need to provide concise responses related to the conversation, so it will initiate affective responses to me, as a nurse, and for the client, who needs to be cared (see Appendix C). In addition, people need to consider the cultural aspects of each other during the communication, which means, it is necessary to relativize and not to generalize in the communication process. In this course, I could experience in our lab and lectures activities how students perceive health considering the client’s background, which enabled us to better assess those clients. Nonverbal communication is another skill that I have improved throughout this course. In the past, I did not give importance to client’s gestures during my assessment. However, in this course I could see how it is important. Sometimes, the body of the client does agree with his speaking and as a nurse I might get this minor detail and try to understand the real situation that the patient is involved. Another skill that I learned refer to SOLER. Using the SOLER’s technique, I could improve my communication with the patient because it provides more confidence; however, I know that it requires practice. To learn about SOLER was an amazing because in my country, Brazil, I have never learned about it. Thus, as it was new for me, I need to improve more. Although it is not taught in my course, I understand that is extremely important, so I will use in my clinical practice and to share this information with my professors in Brazil. Likewise, my listen skill has also improved during our course. Now, I incentive the client talks as much as possible. I stay in silence to just hear him/her speech. As a result, I can better analyze and evaluate those aspects and conditions related to the client, providing a better assessment. Thus, I can identify how I have changed my listening in order to better assess the client during the interview. In the past, I listened with superficial; however, now I have developed a deep and adequate time throughout my nursing assessments. Another skill that I have improved is the paraphrasing, which was not accurate in my academic skill because it is not common in my native language. In fact, I am aware that it is hard for me to paraphrase well, so I have introduced in my daily communication to practice and improve it as much as possible. In brief, throughout this course, I could notice improvements in my communication skills, which were done through the reflection’s process after those activities developed during the course. Thus, combining theory and practical aspects must provide better understand and improvement in the student’s skills. Communication is an essential skill in the human beings, and it is raised with daily activities and reflections. References Burke, M., Boal, J., Mitchell, R. (2005). Communication for better care: improving nurse-physician communication. Education For Primary Care, 16(2), 217. Fleischer, S., Berg, A., Zimmermann, M., WÃ ¼ste, K., Behrens, J. (2009). Nurse-patient interaction and communication: A systematic literature review. Journal Of Public Health (09431853), 17(5), 339. doi:10.1007/s10389-008-0238-1 Gardner, R. (1986).The psychotherapeutic techniques of Richard A. Gardner. Cresskill, N.J.: Creative Therapeutics. OBrien, R. (2014). Expressions of hope in paediatric intensive care: a reflection on their meaning. Nursing In Critical Care, 19(6), 316-321. doi:10.1111/nicc.12069 Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C

Big Brothers Essay -- essays research papers

Becoming a mentor can have a tremendous impact on the life of a youngster. Children need someone to look up to that doesn’t necessarily need be a part of their immediate family. Sometimes they have no siblings, or maybe their siblings or parents are busy. Perhaps they have no grandparents to do things with. These children are the ones that spend their afternoons in crowded after school programs where they may not get the attention the crave. This may lead to isolation and oppositely over hyperactive children starved for attention. In other cases, some children who are not so fortunate as to be offered after-school programs are subject to the world outside all on their own. In too many cases, these are the children that become statistics. These are the children who turn to drugs or crime, be it out of fear, or simply to feel accepted. Accepted in the wrong crowds still may comfort a lonely child. One of the most renowned mentoring agencies is a non-profit organization called big brothers/ big sisters of America. A man who saw a young boy sifting through the trash for food created this establishment over 90 years ago. He took the boy home, fed him, and then met his poverty-stricken family. From that point on, he became a mentor to the little boy, and this inspired him to form the organization for other boys, and in following years, a group of Christian women created a program for little girls. The soon joined forces and became the big brothers and big sisters of America. I...

The Fate of The Donner Party Essay -- American History, Cannibalism Th

Desperate times call for desperate measures. This advice has been used as a way to justify questionable actions in times of despair for many years. Following the advice, the Donner Party did whatever they could to survive. Stuck in a snowstorm, the group is believed to have reverted back to animalistic ways, and devoured each other to survive. While no one knows the truth of that fateful winter, many agree that cannibalism was their main form of survival. Though the Donner Party’s travels were not well documented and many details remain controversial, it is evident that they resorted to cannibalism to survive. During their western voyage, the group notoriously known as the â€Å"Donner Party† inevitably became trapped in a snowstorm in the winter of 1846 and 1847. Originally, the group set out for California in search of new opportunities. Figure 1 shows the path that the party followed to arrive in their set destination. After departing from Springfield, Illinois, the Donner’s first stop was in Independence, Missouri where they joined the rest of their traveling companions. The party had then planned on arriving at Fort Bridger to join another expedition, but they were too late and the expedition left without them (Johnson, 1). They left from Fort Bridger on July 31, 1846 using their own navigation skills in hopes of landing at their destination (Diamond, 2). When an unfortunate snowstorm hit, the group was left stranded. To make matters worse, they were split up between Truckee Lake and Alder Creek. They struggled during this time for they had few supplies and a limited fo od source. Of the 81 person party, only 45 survived the horrendous conditions (Johnson, 1). That number of casualties may seem fairly typical based on the condit... ... alone is irrational let alone poor reasoning to enforce the disagreement. They did most likely consume wild animals but were in no way dependent on them. Out of desperation, the Donner Party had to have resorted to cannibalism. The Donner Party experienced harsh measures and had to come to extremely important decisions regarding survival. Many still deny the possibility that the party resorted to cannibalism in spite of a serious lack of proof and virtually no records of the events stating otherwise. On the other hand, many just â€Å"want to tell the story of their life over those final months, not just of cannibalism. [They] wasn’t to restore the humanity to the members of that party – and to their descendants† (Bailey, 1). Despite such controversy, the party has ultimately been linked to cannibalism, and based on the events, that is most obviously what occurred.

Malcolm X :: essays research papers

Malcolm X is born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska. His life is full of discrimination and racial violence. When Malcolm as a child he moved to Michigan with his family where they continue to experience persecution and violence. White people murder Malcolm’s father and forced his mother into a mental hospital. Malcolm moves to Boston, to live with his half-sister, Ella. In Boston Malcolm quickly becomes involved in urban nightlife. Malcolm was into gambling, drinking, doing drugs, and dating an older white woman, Sophia. He then moves to New York, where he begins working as a hustler in Harlem. Malcolm’s various jobs there include running numbers, selling drugs, and steering white people to black brothels. When life becomes too dangerous is Harlem, he returns to Boston, where he becomes a house burglar and is eventually arrested. In prison, Malcolm transforms himself, converting to the branch of Islam promoted by the Nation of Islam. Inspired by faith, Malcolm stops us ing drugs, he reads voraciously, prays, and studies English and Latin. The prison releases Malcolm on parole. Malcolm rises quickly from the rank of temple assistant in Detroit to the Nation’s first national minister. Malcolm X becomes known throughout the United States, even outside of Muslim circles, as a fiery advocate for black unity and militancy. The Nation of Islam’s leaders resent and fear Malcolm despite his allegiance to their cause, and they suspend him from the organization. The Nation of Islam’s frustration with Malcolm intensifies, and Malcolm begins receiving death threats. After a divisive argument with Elijah Muhammad the leader of Nation of Islam, Malcolm leaves organisation.

Essentials of Planning Study Guide

CHAPTER 4—ESSENTIALS OF PLANNING MULTIPLE CHOICE 1. Planning is a. a complex and comprehensive process involving interrelated stages. b. organizing, implementing, and controlling. c. finding the best person for a job. d. communicating effectively with stakeholders. 2. Strategic plans are designed to a. implement operational plans. b. establish day-by-day procedures. c. shape the destiny of the firm. d. carrying out the functions of management. 3. The purpose of tactical planning is to a. establish a general purpose for the organization. b. translate strategic plans into specific goals and plans for organizational units. . tell entry level workers what to do on a daily basis. d. compensate for past mistakes. 4. Branch manager Hector establishes recycling goals for his branch to support the company's strategic goal of being a good environmental partner. What is Hector doing? a. tactical planning b. strategic planning c. long-range planning d. vision formulation 5. A study of CEO failure indicated that 70 percent of the time their failures were attributed to a. poorly developed plans. b. poor execution, not poor planning. c. over-ambitious plans. d. lack of adequate cost controls. 6.A manager controls the plan when he or she a. creates a vision statement. b. creates a mission statement. c. establishes a budget to pay for the action plan. d. checks to see how well goals are being attained. 7. A contingency plan is implemented if the a. strategic plan is too modest. b. control processes do not work. c. original plan cannot be implemented. d. action plan succeeds. 8. Which one of the following is a component of true business strategy? a. a high level of operational effectiveness b. a set of activities common to other firms c. giving customers trade-offs d. aving quite different activities to make similar products for different markets 9. A key difference between a vision and a mission is that a. b. c. d. the mission relates more to today's realities. a mission is set farther into the future. a vision does not deal with products or services. a vision deals more with operations. 10. A recommended procedure for formulating strategy is for top-level managers to a. form a small committee to do most of the work. b. gather inputs from large numbers of people. c. perform the task themselves during a retreat. d. base strategy on fixing customer complaints. 1. The purpose of the strategic inventory is to help the manager a. size up the environment accurately. b. determine how much inventory is on hand. c. involve workers at all levels in formulating strategy. d. develop operating plans. 12. Which one of the following strategies should be classified as a business-level strategy? a. strategic alliances b. diversification of goods and services c. product differentiation d. sticking to core competencies 13. The purpose of a SWOT analysis is to assess a. strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. b. strategy, weaknesses, options, and time. . sa tisfactions, worst options, and trade-offs. d. successes, winners, and ominous threats. 14. Which one of the following is not one of the five competitive forces that business strategists are supposed to take into account? a. competition among business units within the firm b. the power of customers to affect pricing and reduce profit margins c. the threat of similar or substitute products d. the power of suppliers to influence the company's pricing 15. The firm's purpose and where it fits into the world is identified by the a. strategy. b. policy. c. mission. d. objective. 16.McDonald's states that it would like â€Å"to satisfy the world's appetite for good food, well-served, at a price people can afford. † The preceding reflects McDonald's a. cost-leadership strategy. b. mission. c. annual goal statement. d. advertising campaign. 17. Krispy Kreme donuts, a well-known donut retailer (but much smaller than Dunkin Donuts), most likely emphasizes which one of the following busi ness strategies? a. cost leadership b. product differentiation c. strategic alliances d. high speed 18. When two pharmaceutical firms get together to market a drug, their strategy is referred to as a. igh speed. b. cost leadership. c. product differentiation. d. a strategic alliance. 19. Suppose that Starbucks opens a nation-wide chain of carwashes, called Starbucks Car Wash. After two years, the executive team sells of the car washes, and invests the cash back into building more Starbucks stores. The strategy illustrated is referred to as a. high speed. b. sticking to core competencies. c. product diversification. d. a strategic alliance. 20. A functional strategy for becoming and remaining a successful organization is to a. form a strategic alliance. b. ind and retain competent people. c. get to market faster than others. d. export products. 21. Assume that Motorola developed a cell and camera phone so small it comes with a strap to wear on the wrist like a watch. Which strategy d oes this product launch most likely fit? a. cost leadership b. product differentiation c. focus d. high speed 22. Save-A-Lot has become one of the most successful grocery chains by serving the poor and offering low prices. This is an example of a. focus strategy. b. premium pricing. c. product differentiation d. cost leadership 23.Policies serve as guidelines to action a. that still allow for some interpretation. b. that must be followed quite strictly. c. for workers below the top-management level. d. mostly in the areas of finance and human resources. 24. Management by objectives (MBO) includes a. reviewing group members’ proposals. b. creating action plans to achieve objectives. c. establishing unit objectives. d. all of the choices. 25. Part of Domino’s Pizza’s original success was based on getting pizzas delivered more quickly than competitors. This strategy is called a. strategic planning b. cost leadership c. ocus. d. high speed TRUE/FALSE 1. T The first step in the planning process is defining the present situation. 2. T In planning, measuring external threats is part of defining the present situation. 3. F The major thrust of business strategy is to achieve a high level of operational effectiveness and efficiency. 4. T An exit strategy might be part of the contingency plan. 5. T A firm's strategy is a master plan for achieving its goals and objectives. 6. T A major aspect of the nature of business strategy is to choose a unique set of activities to deliver a unique value. 7.T The mission of the Grand Union supermarket chain is probably to provide food, beverages, and related merchandise (all of high quality) to the general public. 8. T The purpose of crowdcasting is to obtain widespread input into the development of business strategy. 9. T To bring about a successful SWOT analysis, it is important to be clear about what you are doing and why. 10. T Firms must constantly change in order to be aligned with their key environments. 11 . T The major purpose of the strategic inventory is to help the manager size up the competition, the customers, and the technology necessary to compete effectively. 2. T Corporate-level strategy is concerned with the total direction of the enterprise and the selection of specific businesses. 13. F A SWOT analysis is often used to decide upon which weapons and tactics will be used to deal with a corporate crisis such as a contaminated food product. 14. T One of the five competitive forces is the power of customers to affect pricing and reduce profit margins. 15. F Corporate-level strategy helps answer the question, â€Å"Which businesses should we enter? † 16. F One of the competitive forces identified by Michael Porter is the power of charities to extract money from a corporation. 7. F The experience of General Motors in diversifying into financial services illustrates how sticking to core competencies is the most effective business strategy. 18. F The Rolls Royce and Mercede s Benz automobiles are examples of a cost leadership strategy. 19. F Nike and Apple get together to produce a soccer ball that plays tunes when in motion, illustrating a functional-level business strategy. 20. T An example of the business strategy of sticking to core competencies is for a company like Papa John's Pizza to concentrate on selling pizza and related food and beverage items to the public. 1. T A medical products firm specializes in the manufacture of prosthetic arms and legs, thereby illustrating a focus strategy. 22. T A rule is a specific course of action or conduct that must be followed;. 23. T Operational planning often focuses on the short term. 24. T An MBO program involves people setting many objectives for themselves. 25. F In management by objectives, the objectives start at the bottom of the organization and move upward. ESSAY 1. Explain the nature of business strategy, including its four major components.Use a real or hypothetical company in at least two place s in your answer. ANS: A strategy is an integrated overall concept and plan of how the organization will achieve its goals and objectives. According to Porter, business strategy has four components: Strategy involves more than operational effectiveness; Strategy rests on unique activities (Southwest Airlines’activities focus on low-cost, convenient service); A sustainable strategic position requires trade-offs (Dollar General has low prices but lacks an inviting store atmosphere); and Fit drives both competitive advantage and sustainability.PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: pp. 123-125 NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking, Strategy 2. Several laptops were stolen from an office by a group of people pretending to be part of the cleaning company. Every laptop stolen contained sensitive client data. After the theft, all clients had to be notified that their personal information may have been compromised. The breach of security prompted 25 percent of the company’s clients to close their accoun ts. 1. What are policies and rules? 2. Could policies and rules have prevented this situation? Explain ANS: 1.Policies are general guidelines to follow when making decisions and taking action; they are plans. A rule is a specific course of action or conduct that must be followed; it is the simplest type of plan. Ideally, each rule fits a strategic plan. 2. If the company had policies and rules on how computer ID and passwords should be stored, and how laptops should be secured, these problems would most likely have been avoided. PTS: 1 DIF: D REF: pp. 140-141 NAT: AACSB: Technology, Information Technology 3. Write a memo to managers in your company, explaining an MBO program that your company intends to implement.ANS: An MBO program involves sequential steps: Establishing organizational goals; Establishing unit objectives; Reviewing group members’ proposals; Negotiating or agreeing; Creating action plans to achieve objectives; and Reviewing performance. PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: p. 143 NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking, HRM 4. Using the planning model, how would you plan an event for 500 people. ANS: The steps of the planning model include: 1. Define the situation (a birthday); 2. Establish the goals and objectives (good food, good music, good setting, 500 friends); 3.Analyze the environment in terms of aids and barriers to goals and objectives (aids: many people to help, ballroom with a nice atmosphere available–barriers: high costs); 4. Develop action plans to reach goals and objectives (list calls to be made to florist, restaurant, musicians); 5. Develop budgets (establish cost per person for food and beverage, cost for centerpieces, cost for musicians); 6. Implement the plans (reserve the ballroom, musicians, send out invitations); 7. Control the plans (oversee the food service, the music, the seating. ) PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: p. 119 NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking, Strategy