The Distortion of Image in Americas Top Model Essay

Reality Television Essay In this contemporary society, many individuals are getting hooked and exposed to numerous kinds and different genres of reality television shows. Most of the producers of the reality television seem that they are aiming to give us entertainment and show us what â€Å"reality† is through their programs. However, these shows are intended to persuade, influence, and manipulate its viewers in many ways. In Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV, Jennifer Pozner examines how reality TV shows such as America’s Next Top Model can have a strong influence in today’s society. America’s Next Top Model is a popular modeling and competition show that aims towards a group of people, particularly women.†¦show more content†¦She also reveals how there are many competitions and makeover shows, like America’s Next Top Model, which portray how women are only judged by their physical appearance. For example, in the beginning of each c ycle/season of America’s Next Top Model, the contestants who aspired to become famous models are required to get different makeovers that the judges believe will look better on them. In Cycle 14, producers featured the girls within the standard and ideal heights of the modeling industry (5 ft. 7 in. and taller). One of the contestants named Tatiana Kern, who was 5 ft. 10 in. tall, was being judged by how her legs looked very amazing, but her eyes were too bland to stand out. As a result, Tyra Banks and the other judges eliminated her because they thought that she could have had the prettiest pictures in the competition and she had the potential; however she did not know how to get that skill of being beautiful yet (â€Å"Smile and Pose†). Unfortunately, the viewers watching the show accept the ideal standard of beauty that Tyra Banks and other judges promote. Most viewers, particularly women, will never achieve these â€Å"unrealistic† beauty standards due to t he fact that Tyra and the other judges set their own unobtainable perception of beauty. Overall, reality television shows like America’s Next Top ModelShow MoreRelatedThe Current Solution American Citizens910 Words   |  4 Pagesdeport her family (Guerrero). This horror was all too soon realized for Diane when she was merely 14 years old: after coming home from school one day, her family was nowhere to be found; the immigration officers had robbed her of them (Guerrero). On top of dealing with the emotional distress of separation, no government official had taken note of her; she was on her own (Guerrero). Diane was only spared by the fact that she was born on American soil, making it the nation’s obligation to classify herRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of The Mass Media And Body Image998 Words   |  4 Pageson an individual’s body image. 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Machiavelli Essay - 1825 Words

Machiavelli I would rather be in hell and converse with great minds than live in paradise with that dull rabble. In his lifes writings, Niccolo Machiavelli, sought out the strength of the human character, and wrote according to his own rules; trying to better the political philosophy of his time. Machiavelli, a fiercely independent Renaissance man, advocated the prosperity of Italian politics, and wanted Italy to rise above the rest of the world. Machiavellis writings dealt with many issues that had not been attacked in his time, and utilized his distinct brand of political philosophy to try and change the politics and government that shaped his era. The Prince, regarded as his most controversial and successful work, spelled†¦show more content†¦Piero de Medici died the same year that Machiavelli was born and his son Lorenzo took over where his father left off (Ridolfi, Roberto p.6). The next years of Machiavellis life included many dramatic experiences that altered the way that he viewed government. The Medici family was overthrown, and the power of the government changed hands when the French, lead by Louis XII invaded Italy (The Prince p. viii). Through decisions made by the Church and Pope Julius II, the Medici family came back to restore order and take up where they left off. It was through these actions that Machiavelli was viewed as unfit for any type of political position and was forced into exile. The Prince, written in 1513, was started during this time of expulsion in order to once again become in the good graces of the Medici family. Unfortunately, that wouldnt happen and he wouldnt return to Florence until 1526, only to die a year later in 1527. Throughout Machiavellis career, he was exposed to a variety of politics; politics of the church, of the Medici family, and politics to stay alive. He had to leave Florence and retire to his country home in San Casciano in order to save his life for his conspiring with the Boscoli-Capponi anti Medicean plot, and recognizing that military (Ruffo-Fiore, Silvia p.v). Machiavellis intentions were always in favor of uniting Italy, but his ideas and actions werent always seen in that light.Show MoreRelated Machiavelli Essay1597 Words   |  7 Pages quot;The term Machiavellian refers to someone who is unscrupulous, cunning, cynical, and unprincipledquot;(Goods 1998). Many scholars agree that this particular adjective would have dismayed Niccolo Machiavelli, the man from whom the term is derived. In reality he has been attributed as being one of the brightest lights of the Italian Renaissance through his works as not only a writer, but also as an influential philosopher of history and polit ical thought. His most famous work The Prince hasRead MoreThe Machiavelli And Machiavelli s The Prince2348 Words   |  10 PagesI have always found great interest in the infamous Niccolo Machiavelli and his ways of thinking; my eye was drawn to him long before I knew I would be studying at Colorado State and even before I had any interest in politics. It was from young man know as Tupac Shakur, and let me tell you it is great to finally understand who Machiavelli is and the things he has done for the outlook on politics after hearing about how much respect and praise he got from the iconic rapper of the 1990s. In this paperRead MoreMachiavelli as a Humanist1886 Words   |  8 Pageswho is concerned with the interests and welfare of humans. Niccolo’ Machiavelli can be thought of as a humanist. Although opinions on this differ greatly depending on whom you speak with. Machiavelli’s life consists of so many examples and lessons that he has learned throughout his lif e. Through my paper, I intend to examine his perception of morality based on his political writings and life experiences. Niccolo’ Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469 and died in 1527. Although we do not knowRead MorePrinciples Of Machiavelli1615 Words   |  7 PagesIn the 16th century Niccolo Machiavelli presented Lorenzo de Medici with his most prized possession, â€Å"The Prince†. At this time, it was custom to present the prince with your most prized possession, in order to gain their friendship. Machiavelli spent much time studying past rulers and wrote â€Å"The Prince† in which he describes how one acquires and maintains power. At the time, The Prince was not well accepted as it went perceived to go against the Catholic Church. However, today the prince has beenRead MoreAnalysis Of Machiavelli774 Words   |  4 PagesChasity L Wireman Dr. Michael A. Lazarus HIS 102-W1: Western Civilization II 10/25/2017 There are many reasons why Machiavelli is widely considered the beginner of modern political thought, one of the many is he studied strictly the politicians, and businessmen. Machiavelli recognized the political playing field as a vile place only for the most dominating and cunning of political giants. One of Machiavelli’s most famous work, On Principalities, or known by the other title, The PrinceRead More Machiavelli Essay1438 Words   |  6 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Niccolo Machiavelli, one of the great political minds of the 15th century, accomplished what many mathematicians today only dream of, having one’s name used as an adjective. To be Machiavellian is to demonstrate characteristics of expediency, deceit, and cunning and as Machiavelli wrote in, The Prince, these are the qualities of a great leader. The Prince was published in 1531, creating great controversy with other political thinkers of the time. Machiavelli completely ignored theRead MoreThe Relat ionship Between Machiavelli And Machiavelli s The Prince1075 Words   |  5 Pagesand turmoil, philosophers are able to give their critiques on government and human nature as a whole. Socrates and Machiavelli, both philosophers in what it means to be a proper leader and the role of the people within a society, share contrasting views. Machiavelli, alive during the time of great political turmoil in Italy, is immortalized through his writings in The Prince. Machiavelli was able to use what the political shortcomings he witnesses during his time period as a guide to deciphering theRead MoreThe Prince, By Machiavelli1517 Words   |  7 PagesIn The Prince, Machiavelli doesn’t hesitate to recommend that a ruler employ conventionally immoral methods against his own subjects to maintain authority over them, but he does imply that whatever a ruler does should ultimately benefit the community. A Prince’s actions may be cruel, manipulative, or otherwise immoral, but they put him in the position to govern. On occasion, Machiavelli even suggests that gaining power through immoral acts is the best way to improve a community because immoralityRead MoreThe Prince By Niccolo Machiavelli1472 Words   |  6 PagesPrince by: Niccolo Machiavelli really tries and is successful at dividing politics and ethics to decipher the characteristics of a good and bad political/government ruling leader in this novel. In this reading, I seen 5 points that Machiavelli talked about, and those were: Free Will, Being Hated vs Goodwill, Virtue, A Good Military, and finally Human Nature. These are a necessity to the recipe that Machiavelli is making in this book. In the first few chapters of the book, Machiavelli begins to talkRead More Machiavelli And Plato Essay1564 Words   |  7 Pages Niccolio Machiavelli (Born May 3rd, 1469 amp;#8211; 1527 Florence, Italy.) His writings have been the source of dispute amongst scholars due to the ambiguity of his analogy of the amp;#8216;Nature of Politics; and the implication of morality. The Prince, has been criticised due to itamp;#8217;s seemingly amoral political suggestiveness, however after further scrutiny of other works such as The Discourses, one can argue that it was Machiavelliamp;#8217;s intention to infact imply a positive

There are many paradigms on the origins of strategy Free Essays

string(151) " fortune therefore the executive board at the time pointed towards a cost reduction drive as a urgent step towards retrieving some of its profit back\." There are many paradigms on the origins of strategy. Critically evaluate the various schools of thought existing in both the prescriptive and emergent schools. Use each of the schools as ‘Lens’ to analyse organisation known to you. We will write a custom essay sample on There are many paradigms on the origins of strategy or any similar topic only for you Order Now A strategy is a statement of intent, defining where an organisation wants to be in the long term. It is about understanding what processes are involved and how to avoid difficulties to help plan successful strategies. Strategy was once defined as â€Å"the art of planning and directing large military movements and the operations of war.† However, from an organisation point of view it is about mapping out the company’s future and setting out which of its products or services they will tackle to which market and how this will be done. When an organisation has a strategy it enables them to ensure that decisions made on a day-to-day basis fit in with its long term interests. Strategies are also important as any decisions an organisation makes today can have a negative impact on its future results. A strategy will also help encourage employees, departments etc to work together to achieve common goals There are many beliefs on the origins of strategy and many authors have written about this. In 1996, Michael Porter wrote an article that appeared in the Harvard Business Review in which he argued that competitive strategy is was about being different. He also stated, â€Å"It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value† Porter (1996) Porter believed that strategy was about having a competitive advantage, distinguishing your products and services in the eyes of your customers, and about adding value through a mix of activities different from your competitors. According to Benjamin Tregoe and John Zimmerman of Kepner-Tregoe, Inc defined strategy in their book â€Å"Top Management Strategy† as â€Å"the framework which guides those choices that determine the nature and direction of the organisation† They believed that an organisation should select products or services to offer and the market to offer them in. However, Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) brought together elements of existing prescriptive and emergent schools of strategic thought into ten separate schools. The first three schools are grouped under the heading ‘Prescriptive Schools’ which consisted of the design, planning and positioning schools. These schools believed in how strategies should be formulated rather than how they necessarily do form. The next six schools are grouped under the heading ’emergent schools’. These schools consist of the entrepreneurial, cognitive, learning, power, cultural and environmental schools. These schools concentrate less with prescribing ideal strategic behaviour, but more with describing how strategies are in fact made. Finally, the final school to be mentioned is the configuration school, which combines the methods and beliefs from all the previous schools mentioned. By describing each school in turn, we can critically evaluating each of these schools, then we can then go onto to use each of the schools as a ‘lens’ to analyse different organisations. The first of the prescriptive schools is the ‘Design school’ and this approach regards strategy formation as a process of conception, matching the internal state of the organisation to the external state of the environment. The origins of this school can be traced back to two writers Philip Selznick who in 1957 discussed the need to bring organisations internal state with its external opportunity whilst writer Alfred Chandler in (1962) recognised the design schools idea of business strategy and its connection to structure. The philosophy of this strategy formation is that it seeks to establish a fit between internal potential and external possibilities. The managing director, Dr Surendra, founded Rasmi electronics in 1974. They have grown to become one of the world’s major filter manufacturers as well as being a major supplier of low voltage lighting transformers, energy lighting etc The strategy precedes structure in this type of organisation. Within the company they still adopt a hierarchal structure in which all decisions from marketing to production is made by the MD. They continually look for new market opportunities, which are a high priority within the company, by analysing the global market on a global basis and the strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis is a common tool that is used. However, in 2002, Rasmi Electronics designed a series of filters in which they distributed via a company called OmronYaskawa. They did not successfully analysed their market in Spain and this lead to another rival company producing a similar product. Fortnuatley due to the relationship Rasmi Electronics had with the customer this manage to keep the contract. This type of strategy formation places a great importance upon the ability to forecast the future external environment otherwise the strategy will be unsuccessful. According to Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) the advantage of this type of school is that it forces consideration of external factors and will be more appropriate in organisation that needs re-orientation. Around the same time as the design school, the planning school also originated. The main influence was by a writer H. Igor in his book ‘Corporate Strategy’ published in 1965. Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) classified this strategy formation as a ‘Formal Process’. It follows a precise set of steps from analysis of the situation to the development and exploration of various alternative scenarios. â€Å"If we examine these principles closely, we find that the classical theorists were in effect designing the organisation exactly like they were designing a machine† (Morgan 1997) This type of strategy is normally developed by a team of specialists who specifically trained in the science of developing strategies. An example of this was seen in a company called Oldelft. Oldelft is a small high tech company whom operates in a global market. They specialise in products requiring advances knowledge of optics, electronics, electron optics etc. Their products normally have a short product life cycle and competition was both global and fierce. In 1975, the company saw a decline in their fortune therefore the executive board at the time pointed towards a cost reduction drive as a urgent step towards retrieving some of its profit back. You read "There are many paradigms on the origins of strategy" in category "Papers" However, at the time Oldelft had no adequate staff available that were trained or had the knowledge to do an overhead analysis they therefore decided to recruit a policy advisory council ‘Beleids Advies Radd) (BAR). This was the first of many different groups that Oldelft recruited between 1975 and 1981 all reporting to the executive board. The different groups, which were set up saw the process become more important than the product and according to Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) this type of process can lead to no place for creativity. Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) advised that it was important that an organisation had a formal strategic planning department within the organisation. In 1981, Oldelft saw its first successful strategic planning school come into operation and is was lead by a man called Ab Baas. Ab Bass made it compulsive for managers to contribute towards the planning cycle and by contributing information about the business segments within the organisation and the external factors. In this school of thought, the method in which strategy development occurs is by thorough strategic planning methodologies and scenario analysis. The company compiled a completed situation analysis, which was made up with an analysis of the industry maturity and the weighing up of the business segments competitive positions. Eventually this lead to Oldelft to recover its former profitability and even saw an increase in RD expenditure. The final school of the prescriptive is the positioning school in which Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel state it is the strategy formation as an analytical process. This approach is very much influenced by Michael Porter. His works looks at placing organisations within the context of the industry in which they are. It also looks at how the organisation improves competitively within that industry. In 1995 Easyjet airlines a low fair airline introduced low cost flights within the European market. Haji Ioannou the owner of Easyjet believed that by reducing prices will lead to more people flying. He also believed that positioning is company was concerned with establishing the company in the mind of the customer, in a position relative to other airlines in the market The formation of this strategy is a mixture of defensive and offensive moves. Easyjet regularly uses the ‘Guerrilla promotional approach’ to advertising by using distinguishing attacks on the airline establishment and in a serious of PR stunts. The principle is that the structure of industry drives strategic positions, which then drives the structure of an organisation. In the summer, 2002 Easyjet faced its first problem in the fact it was growing to fast within its market. This meant there was a difficulty in recruiting and training pilots and flights crew, which influenced the consumers, has believed this would affect the safety on the flights etc. Easyjet admitted that they should have looked at the various elements that depend on each other and how they change over time. By doing a SWOT analysis, this would have given an insight of the internal resources and the main features of the competitive landscape in which it operates. Some of the tools and methods used within this company are Michael Porter’s Generic Strategies and the ‘Profit Impact of Market Strategies’ (PIMS). In addition, according to Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel (1998) is that the advantage of this school is that it emphasis on the analysis and calculation of the previous mentioned tools can be very strong support to the process of developing the strategy however; it should not become the process. The fourth school Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel go onto to discuss is the ‘Entrepreneurial School’ in which is the first of the group under the ‘Emergent Schools’. This approach regards strategy formation as a visionary process, taking place within the mind of the charismatic founder or leader of an organisation. An organisation that forms strategy as a visionary process, is the company called ‘Fortnum and Mason’. Fortnum and mason is an established food hall for over 300 years and is family owned. The chairperson is currently ‘Jana Khayat’ whom took over after her father who stepped down in 2000. â€Å"To choose direction, a leader must first have developed a mental image of a possible and desirable future state of the organization† (De Wit, 1998) The company is now in the process of going international and are intending to open their first shop in Tokyo later on this year. However, going international has cost the company a drop in profits of 40% due to their reshuffling of their distribution channels to make going international possible. Mintzberg, Ashland and Lampel (1998) advise that this school of thought does not really use any tools or methods for strategy development as it is normally in the mind of the visionary. Even though going international is a big risk for the company, they do feel however, the vision, which has been imposed from many generations of the ‘Khayat’ family, is what will get them through this. Jana Khayat feels strongly about her vision and brand, which she has printed in her new book. She stated in a recent interview with the Sunday Times â€Å"It’s a mission of intent: where we should be. It is very easy for a store like Fortnum and Mason to become a pastiche of itself† (Khayat, 2004) The advantage of this school of thought is that it does acknowledge the tremendous input that a visionary genius can make to the organisation. However, problems can occur, as other employees of the organisation will not have an understanding on how the vision is created as this is normally done in the mind of the leader. There is also no real ability for the organisation to carry on after the visionary has left the company. The next of the emergent schools is the ‘Cognitive School’ which strategy formation is seen as a mental process. The viewpoint of this school of thought is that strategy development is an act of cognition. It is about understanding how the mind works and processes information is the key to understanding strategy development. Cambridge broadband started in 2000 as a group of experienced individuals with a collective aim to deliver the worlds leading broadband fixed wireless access system. The group consists of the best engineers, academics, and commercial management in the industry. Cambridge broadband attracts these people, as they believe that it is an ideal environment to explore their diverse and highly developed talents. The collegiate atmosphere brings an informality that encourages creativity, According to Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) this strategy formation is a cognitive process that takes place in the mind of the strategist. The CEO, Peter Wharton believes that Cambridge Broadband will become world leader in their industry by using the knowledge and expertise of its team to provide up to date technology and to increase its customer base. Many of the ideas they have come up with have been from using tools such as cognition maps, frames, and Schemata, which are terms used about the mental representation of events and situations. They are data structures for representing both generic and specific concepts about the outside world. The advantage of this school is that is shows great promise even though the school of thought is that it is still relatively underdeveloped. However, the focus to date has been upon strategy formulation as an individual rather than a collective process, which can be more difficult to understand and manage. The learning school is the sixth school Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel go on to discuss. This school of thought regards strategy formation as an emergent process, where the management of the organisation pays close attention to what works and doesn’t work over a period of time, and includes these ‘lessons learned’ into their overall plan of action.. â€Å"†¦most organisations seem to have severe learning disabilities; most â€Å"die† before the age of forty† (Morgan, 1997) The Kao Corporation is a company, which has a strong learning culture. Dr Yoshio Maruta president of Kao Corporation believed that an organisation is not only learned but also learned how to learn. He stated â€Å"An educational institution in which everyone is a potential teacher’ (Dr Maruta, 1990) He believed that the success to his company at the end of the eighties what the ability to integrate and enhance their effective marketing and information systems through learning. This resulted in them producing new products ahead of their Japanese and foreign companies becoming the largest branded and packaged group in Japan by 1990. Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) argued that the paradigm is that strategy in an organisation emerges because of trial and error from learning within the organisation. This was evident when Kao operation decided to become international. They were potentially a significant competitor therefore, decided that product division developed its own strategy for international expansion. However, the company’s business portfolio and strategic infrastructure varied from market to market It is important that the organisation is familiar in that the strategy must be consonant with the patterns of behaviour and responses that are inbuilt within the organisation. In addition, it is important to be aware that strategy changes and evolves over time. There is however a danger that a lack of urgency or a lack of discipline may predominate and nothing significantly changes within the organisation. Hence, the decision to become international was not successful. Kao operation blamed this on the lack of international experience, fewer human resources assets, especially in top management and had far less accumulated international knowledge than their western competitors had. The have since invested into 10 day training schemes which all managers need to attend to develop a broader and international outlook and advised they did not have enough talented people especially at management level . The next school to be discussed is the Power School which this school of thought regards strategy formation as a process of negotiation. The development of this strategy is the process of negotiation between the power holders of an organisation or sometimes it can be between the organisation and the stakeholders. An example of this strategy formation can be seen within the University of Durham, in which negotiations take place within the micro power elements such as the individuals and groups within the organisation and negotiation is often done by political analysis and collective bargaining. This commonly seen within the University when negotiations about pay rise, policies etc are done with the trade union representatives. The interdependence the University of Durham has with its external environment is called ‘Macro power’, which is when negotiations take place with the stakeholders etc. The university as part of their mission and strategy is to serve the international, national, and regional communities by understanding and engaging with the needs of its stakeholders. Power is clearly a building block in the development of strategy within this school of thought. This type of strategy would benefit large or mature organisations where power structures are well established. However, there is a tendency for organisation who adopts this type of strategy to have a narrow view in that all strategies are about power struggle or as a power exchange. The eighth school to be discussed by Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel, is the Cultural School this approach look at strategy formation as a collective process, which involves different groups and departments within an organisation. The reflection of the strategy, which is developed, is of the corporate culture of the organisation. The origin of culture was discovered by management in the 1980’s, coming over from Japan. â€Å"†¦is the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes ine group or category of people from another† (De Wit, 1998) A company with a strong culture is Argos, which is one of the UK’s largest non-food retail chains, with annual sales exceeding à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3bn. After the takeover, Terry Duddy became Managing Director with the challenge of improving the firm’s performance. He has done this by strengthening the brand, the quality of customer service, and the corporate culture The development of this strategy is the process of social relations, which take place within the beliefs and understandings shared by the employees of an organisation. He stated that it was challenging yet essential that the organisation reflected its strategy and focus on the customer. A key element of the new approach has been the corporate culture at Argos and the building of an environment, which is normative and cohesive. The commitment of Argos employees to these values seems extremely high in its 2003 ‘Speak Out’ employee survey; the company found that among its employees 82% believe the company wants to beat its competitors whilst 74% believe strong teamwork is a major contributor to the Argos performance. The concepts for this strategy development come from the values, beliefs, and corporate culture etc within the organisation. The organisation needs to be aware that the corporate culture however vague and ill defined, is a very significant variable that can affect the culture of the organisation. However, this school of thought does tend to favour the consistency and continuation of the existing culture within the organisation and this may discourage necessary change. Argos also continues to work at building what it calls its ’employer brand’ – a clear set of values representing the attitudes and beliefs of its employees. In 2003, after consultations with staff, these values were stated as change makes us better and more successful The Environmental School is the ninth school and here strategy formation is seen to be a reactive process. The organisation needs to respond to the forces of its environment otherwise it may be become extinct. A company who are well known in responding to their environment are the company ‘Rolls-Royce’, which was first, established in 1984 and is now operating within four global markets. The success of the company is due to the rapid and substantial gains in the market share. They believe they have built a strong business by growing organically and through successful acquisitions. In the beginning of 2003, the aero engine division of Rolls-Royce introduced ‘Grid computing’ to help reduce airline flight delays and achieve cuts in the cost of engine Maintaince. Due to a successful university research project on ‘Grid Computing’ it has now became a major part of Rolls Royce’s future I.T. Strategy. According to Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel (19998) traditionally the contingency theory was used within this school of thought however more recently organisations have ended up in cluster’s within distinct ecological – type niches, in which they tend to remain until they die out. Similar to the positioning school the environment school is aware of the importance of environment as context, although it does recognise that the death of the business entities or indeed the entire industry is a natural or even expected fact. Rolls-Royce believes that the knowledge they will learn from the research into ‘Grid Computing’ will enable then to understand a utility-based computing systems and how they can make money from it. However, the definition of the environment is often so complex that companies like Rolls-Royce will find it difficult to usefully analysis. In addition, it accords too much control to the environment therefore; two different organisations that are competing within the same industry can have vastly different strategies. The final school Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel discuss is the configuration school, which is often seen as the school, which unites all of the previous mentioned schools together. This strategy formation is seen as a process of transforming the organization from one state of decision-making structure into another. Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel (1998) stated the key to this strategy if for the organisation to recognise the need for the transformation, however to be able to do this without damaging the organisation. In 1992, Serge Kampf executive chairperson of Cap Gemini Sogeti (CGS) decided for the company to continue to compete successfully it was important that CGS and the large number of acquired firms should be moulded into a coherent transnational company. Some of the problems CGS would face were the creation of a new organisational structure into a dual organisation, improving service to clients and reduce reporting levels. Serge Kampf believed that all parts of the company needed to work the same way to function as a transnational organisation. This would inevitable force major changes within the organisation. Between 1992 and 1993 even though changes were being made CGS saw there worse year in 1992 when competition mauled the company and they had to lay off 600 employees for the first time in 25 years. This is when 81 managers throughout the organisation made a decision to launch a full-scale transformation of the entire company. The team of 81 managers were responsible for transforming working habits and implement new tools such as the sales funnel throughout the organisation. They also launched a 7-axis development plan to help restore CGS profitability. These changes was not appreciated by the competitors and shareholders as the process of transformation of an organisation with 20,000 employees would not be done short term. However, CGS did succeed it the transformational of their company, as they have succeeded in remaining profitable in 2003 in what was an extremely difficult market, implementing restructuring measures, which significantly reduced operating costs and prepared it to enter 2004 in the best possible condition. Since 1965, the amount of publication and attention within strategic management has varied within the different schools mentioned above. Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, and Lampel (1998) illustrated how the schools take their place around and within the formation of strategy. In each of the schools of thought that have mentioned, the process of strategy formulation is regarded as something of a ‘Black Box’. However, the cognitive school did come close. None clearly describes how an individual or an organisation is able to leap from the collection and analysis of information to the conceptualisation of alternative courses of action. However, overall by looking at the schools together you can see why an organisation may favour one school from another. Overall, each of the schools offers some useful concepts, and some strong points to aid understanding, but has its disadvantages as well. â€Å"Strategy formation is judgemental designing, intuitive visioning, and emergent learning; it is about transformation well as perpetuation; it must involve individual cognition and social interaction, cooperation as well as conflict; it has to include analyzing before and programming after as well as negotiating during; and all of this must be in response to what can be a demanding environment† (Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel, 1998) How to cite There are many paradigms on the origins of strategy, Papers

Diversity Action Plan free essay sample

Within every culture, exists subcultures. These groups are people whose familiar heritage is from somewhere else, but they were born and raised among the people of their culture in a new land. FedEx sees this as an advantage, because their customers are from different backgrounds and they have to show this in their workforce. Since this is a worldwide organization, and they have deliveries that reflect this, they have to make sure that each site reflects the cultural diversity of the organization. Diversity Groups At FedEx, the commitment to diversity goes far beyond mere words. The company puts their values into action every day, supporting groups whose programs benefit the employees and suppliers of FedEx, along with the communities served. Affinity Groups The purpose of these groups is to promote cultural awareness, education, and information regarding these cultures at FedEx to ensure inclusion of all employees. Each network group operates as a separate entity, features a chairperson and other group officer positions as needed, and meets monthly and sponsors/co-sponsors at least one corporate diversity forum with CCA annually(FedEx Diversity Plan, 2007). We will write a custom essay sample on Diversity Action Plan or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This information is accessible to all employees via the company’s intranet. In addition to the affinity groups and meetings, FedEx leadership communicates the importance of diversity information via emails, the company’s website, and a quarterly diversity newsletter. These groups include: The Asian Network Group The African-American Network Group The Hispanic Network Group The Women’s Network Group FedEx Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT), and Friends Network Opportunities Perceptions of life may take a little effort. However, one of the best ways to promote a ealthy respect for different opinions in the office and generate new ideas. Diversity can create both problems and opportunities. Possible problems include a lack of understanding of inter personal skills. Leadership and managers being out of touch and inexperienced and lacking of appreciation for difference in cultures. Diversity in a group of people refers to differences in their demographic chara cteristics, cultural identities and ethnicity, and training and expertise. Diversity leads to better performance because diverse perspectives will add a creative rim (Hamilton, Nickerson. Owan, 2004).

7 Redundant Adjectives

7 Redundant Adjectives 7 Redundant Adjectives 7 Redundant Adjectives By Maeve Maddox Redundancies abound in everyday speech: phrases that say the same thing twice. For example, two of the most common expressions that include a redundant adjective are â€Å"free gift† and â€Å"closed fist†: Credit cards  offer free gifts  to new cardholders.   Still she came at me, so this time I  hit her with a closed fist. 1. free gift A gift is a thing given willingly to someone without payment. The adjective free is redundant. 2. closed fist A fist is by definition a hand with the fingers folded inward toward the palm and held there tightly, typically in order to strike a blow or grasp something. The adjective closed is redundant. 3. verdant green The adjective verdant derives from a Latin word meaning â€Å"green.† Verdant came into English from a French word meaning â€Å"becoming green.† The English meaning of verdant is â€Å"green† or â€Å"green with vegetation.† An enthusiastic fertilizer manufacturer advertises a product that will provide the consumer with â€Å"a verdant green lawn.† Either verdant or green will do. 4. rubicund red The adjective rubicund derives from a Latin verb meaning, â€Å"to be red.† Something that is rubicund is red or reddish. This description from fan fiction can do without one of the adjectives: â€Å"Drawing rivulets of blood, his fingertips glowed a rubicund red.† 5. overused clichà © The blogger who wrote this sentence could have saved an adjective: â€Å"The overused clichà © I hate the most is ‘off the beaten path.’† In reference to language, a clichà © is an overused expression. 6. unexpected surprise A surprise is an unexpected occurrence. The phrase is not uncommon on the Ngram Viewer, and is frequent online: An  unexpected surprise  greeted us upon our  arrival  home. Life is full of unexpected surprises. A foreigner in the dining hall was an  unexpected surprise. As â€Å"unexpectedness† is part of the definition, it’s enough to say that something is a surprise. 7. universal panacea Panacea derives from a Greek word meaning, â€Å"cure-all† and is defined in English as â€Å"a universal remedy.† Because panacea contains the meaning universal, it’s not necessary to tack universal onto it, as in this sentence written by a journalist: â€Å"When Henry Grady was inviting Northern capital South, we were much more certain that industrialization was the universal panacea for all economic and social ills.† Panacea is sufficient. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:35 Synonyms for â€Å"Look†Email EtiquetteTypes of Plots

The U.S. Food Safety System

The U.S. Food Safety System Ensuring food safety is one of those federal government functions we only notice when it fails. Considering that the United States is one of the best-fed nations in the world, widespread outbreaks of food-borne illness are rare and usually quickly controlled. However, critics of the U.S. food safety system often point to its multi-agency structure which they say too often prevents the system from acting swiftly and efficiently. Indeed, food safety and quality in the United States is governed by no less than 30 federal laws and regulations administered by 15 federal agencies. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) share primary responsibility for overseeing the safety of the U.S. food supply. In addition, all states have their own laws, regulations, and agencies dedicated to food safety. The federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is mainly responsible for investigating localized and nationwide outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. In many cases, the food safety functions of the FDA and USDA overlap; particularly inspection/enforcement, training, research, and rulemaking, for both domestic and imported food. Both USDA and FDA currently conduct similar inspections at some 1,500 dual jurisdiction establishments facilities that produce foods regulated by both agencies. Role of the USDA The USDA has primary responsibility for the safety of meat, poultry, and certain egg products. USDAs regulatory authority comes from the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, the Egg Products Inspection Act and the Humane Methods of Livestock Slaughter Act. USDA inspects all meat, poultry and egg products sold in interstate commerce, and re-inspects imported meat, poultry, and egg products to makes sure they meet U.S. safety standards. In egg processing plants, the USDA inspects eggs before and after they are broken for further processing. Role of the FDA The FDA, as authorized by the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and the Public Health Service Act, regulates foods other than the meat and poultry products regulated by the USDA. FDA is also responsible for the safety of drugs, medical devices, biologics, animal feed and drugs, cosmetics, and radiation emitting devices. New regulations giving the FDA the authority to inspect large commercial egg farms took effect on July 9, 2010. Prior to this rule, FDA inspected egg farms under its broad authorities applicable to all food, focusing on farms already linked to recalls. Apparently, the new rule did not take effect soon enough to allow for proactive inspections by the FDA of the egg farms involved in the August 2010 recall of nearly half a billion eggs for salmonella contamination. Role of the CDC The Centers for Disease Control leads federal efforts to gather data on foodborne illnesses, investigate foodborne illnesses and outbreaks, and monitor the effectiveness of prevention and control efforts in reducing foodborne illnesses. CDC also plays a key role in building state and local health department epidemiology, laboratory, and environmental health capacity to support foodborne disease surveillance and outbreak response. Differing Authorities All of the federal laws listed above empower the USDA and FDA with different regulatory and enforcement authorities. For example, food products under FDAs jurisdiction may be sold to the public without the agencys prior approval. On the other hand, food products under USDAs jurisdiction must generally be inspected and approved as meeting federal standards before being marketed. Under current law, UDSA continuously inspects slaughter facilities and examines each slaughtered meat and poultry carcass. They also visit each processing facility at least once during each operating day. For foods under FDAs jurisdiction, however, federal law does not mandate the frequency of inspections. Addressing Bioterrorism Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the federal food safety agencies began taking on the added responsibility of addressing the potential for deliberate contamination of agriculture and food products - bioterrorism. An executive order issued by President George W. Bush in 2001 added the food industry to the list of critical sectors that need protection from possible terrorist attack. As a result of this order, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 established the Department of Homeland Security, which now provides overall coordination for protecting the U.S. food supply from deliberate contamination. Finally, the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 granted the FDA additional food safety enforcement authorities similar to those of the USDA. Cooperation with State and Local Food Safety Systems According to the U.S. Department Health and Human Services (HHS), more than 3,000 state, local, and territorial agencies are responsible for food safety in retail food establishments within their jurisdictions. Most states and territories have separate departments of health and of agriculture, while most counties and cities have similar food safety and inspection agencies. In most states and local jurisdictions, the department of health has authority over restaurants, while the agriculture department is responsible for food safety in retail supermarkets. While the states inspect meat and poultry sold in the state where they are produced, the process is monitored by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Under the Wholesome Meat Act of 1967 and the Wholesome Poultry Products Act of 1968, state inspection programs are required to be â€Å"at least equal to† federal meat and poultry inspection programs. The federal FSIS takes over responsibility for inspections if a state voluntarily ends its inspection programs or fails to maintain the â€Å"at least equal to† standard. In a few states, state employees conduct meat and poultry inspections in federally-operated plants under federal-state cooperative inspection contracts.

Tesco in India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tesco in India - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that India is amongst the largest countries based on size and population across the world. Its population is more than 1 billion. There is a wide range of economic, as well as, social classes, religions, cultures, languages, and geographies within India. Therefore, it is important for any business operating in India to meet the wide range of consumers’ needs. The extremely large population reflects the opportunities for global businesses, especially the retail stores to invest within the country. Â  Tesco started its operations in 1929, in Britain. It is the leading food retail chain in the country and the third largest globally. In the 1980s, it was amongst the global retail chains that tried the concept of large supermarkets out-of-town. The company has come up with several innovations since the 1990s, including new store concepts, i.e. Tesco Metro and Tesco Express. Tesco Metro is a city store that serves all the needs of the con sumers. Tesco Express was the petrol station store in the United Kingdom. In 1995, the company introduced a Clubcard, which is a shopping card for its loyal customers. It was the first card of the kind in the United Kingdom. The company launched online selling in 2000, through its website Tesco.com. It started spreading globally in 1994. Currently, more than 50 percent of the company’s space is its international operations. Since 2000, the company has started focusing on non-food items, which, for example, has made it the leading retailer of CDs.

Select one skill from the Year 1 Essential Skill Clusters that you Essay

Select one skill from the Year 1 Essential Skill Clusters that you achieved in your first practice placement and had signed by y - Essay Example She also gave me pointers on how I could improve in my next placement. The mentor also provided feedback from the patients, and through such feedback, I found out that the patients liked me talking to them and smiling at them. In general therefore, I performed well. Part 1: Gibbs Reflective cycle Description (What happened?) The incident involved my clinical placement with a community hospital which houses 19 inpatient beds, an A & E Department, Physiotherapy, and X-Ray/Ultrasound facilities. Their services include rehabilitation for patients having gone through accidents or minor injuries with a team of professionals including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and social workers/case managers. During this placement, I was able to apply various skills and take part in various nursing interventions. One of the activities I was able to participate in is the handover during multidisciplinary team meetings. The meeting comprised of various nurses and other healt h professionals caring for different patients. To protect patients’ confidentiality in accordance with the NMC Code of Conduct, patients’ consent for care were sought before any essential nursing services were offered (NMC Code of Conduct Domain 2.8). I administered care to patients in the ward, assisting in wound cleaning and vital signs monitoring. The handover multidisciplinary meetings were done weekly with nurses bringing all the folders for the patients in the bay and giving a handover to everyone attending the meeting. I participated in giving handovers to about two patients a week. Members of the team ask questions about the patients I would be handing over, and I would explain what I can about each patient. At times, my mentor would help me explain further about each patient. The patients’ attending physicians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, dieticians, and social workers were present in the meeting. I reported about the patientsâ₠¬â„¢ vital signs, oftentimes indicating possible changes and unstable levels for patients. I also expressed that some patients had a low threshold for pain. The Gibbs reflection style was used for this paper because it provides an orderly and detailed process of reflection. It also allows for an in-depth assessment of details and interventions used during the incident being evaluated. Feelings (What I was thinking and feeling) I felt like my contribution to the team was an important contribution and I was also assured with the fact that the other members of the team listened and welcomed my comments and contribution to the handover meetings. I also listened to them as they shared their expertise on patient care. At times however, I found the discussion intimidating because the members of the team are experts in their field. I felt however, that I needed to be more assertive during these discussions in order to ensure that my contributions to the discussion would be heard. Evaluation (What was good and bad about the incident) What was good about the incident was that it taught me that the contributions of the team in the care of a patient are effective means by which improved patient outcomes can be gained. By attending the handover multidisciplinary meetings, I was able to endorse the patient and communicate their essential needs based on my assessment. With the assistance of my mentor, I was also able to be effective during the handover meetings. What was bad about the experience was that there were

Congress and Presidency in the United States Essay

Congress and Presidency in the United States - Essay Example The federal government of the United States is divided into three branches that are intended to perform separate functions independently. These branches are the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. However, the legislature is more powerful since it has the role of oversight and making laws that affect the operations of the arms of government. The president, on the other hand, is the head of state and plays a significant role in the coordination of the executive to deliver its mandate to the citizens. Therefore, there is a dependency created by the Congress and the presidency, and they share legislative powers (Dewhirst and Rausch, 2009). While the doctrine of separation of powers was intended that the three arms act autonomously, it has turned out over time that it is a system of shared powers. According to Richard Neustadt, a president is a person trusted by the public to offer viable solutions to problems. Thus, he or she should work not as a master, but as a coworker with the elected leaders in the Congress (Lee, 2012). In this regard, the primary duties of the presidency are to persuade the Congress to legislate on crucial matters. Similarly, the Congress also depends on the president to signs bills into law, thereby making the sharing of power more conspicuous. Nevertheless, there are constitutional provisions that allow the Congress to pass bills into laws. For instance, if the president fails to sign a draft bill in 10 days, it automatically becomes law.

Development of Early Child Narratology

Development of Early Child Narratology Aims: I aim to evaluate how the structure and composition of early child narratology develops and evolves with age. To conduct this evaluation I will approach local primary schools for examples of short narrative texts written by Key stage 1 pupils (4-7), to serve as empirical data. I will assess these texts by employing the six part Labovian narrative model and analysing the presence and frequency of narrative components, evaluative temporal indicators and markers. Background: This study builds on many other works as the Labovian model is now frequently used to assess narratology in children, (see Kernan, 1977; Eaton, Collis and Lewis, 1999). The idea of linguistic and narrative development in children is also a popular issue. One study that specifically charts the evolution of child narrative with age is â€Å"Telling stories of experiences: Narrative development of young Chinese children† a study by Chien-JuChang in which young Chinese children were visited in their homes at age 3 years and 6 months and then at 3 month intervals for the next 9 months. Their individual development in three key areas (narrative structure, evaluation, and temporality) was evaluated with the conclusion that â€Å"Chinese children, generally speaking, include more narrative components, evaluative information, and temporal markers in their narratives over time. However, the growth patterns and rates of change for each child on each narrative measure vary.† Hypothesis: My hypothesis is that as a child is introduced to more narrative texts, and comes to identify narrative components, that he or she will employ them more frequently and more readily in their own narratives. Thus, I hypothesise that there will be a marked increase both in the inclusion of these features in individual narratives and in the cohesion between the narratives of the evaluated children (their similarity to each other) in the older age ranges, as they adapt and adhere to literary and narrative norms. I believe that there will be a greater proliferation of linguistic devices and conventions, as well as more narrative components, in the older childrens narratives. Although I will not specifically be studying the effects of ethnicity or socio-economic background I believe that these factors will skew the data slightly as my hypothesis centres on the fact that the children will have been exposed to similar volumes and types of narrative material. This may well not be the case for pupils from a different cultural background or a less affluent family environment. Data: The data I will use for this investigation will be collected from local and, hopefully, schools which are more widely distributed throughout the country, to give a representative sample of empirical data. I will approach the schools to provide short texts from every early years age group so that I have approximately 50-100 short texts from pupils aged from 4 to 7 with a similar number for each age group. I will specify that I would like work from a cross section of abilities, genders, ethnicities, and socio-economic and cultural backgrounds so as to have a representative sample of narratives for an age range. I will also request that the gender, ethnicity and socio-economic group be specified for each child included in the study as, although I am not directly studying the consequences of these factors on the narratives, it would be informative and useful to see if they affect the cohesion of the data in any way. All texts will be included as an appendix to the final extended essay and the appropriate permissions will be obtained from the schools and, if necessary, from the parents of the children whose work is used. Methodology: As previously defined I will employ the Labovian 6 part narrative model to assess the texts. This will be both a quantitative and qualitative analysis as it will deal not only with the evolution in the number of narrative components in each text but also their function and type. The results of the analyses will be presented in tabulated form. Initially I will fill in a table to give the main characteristics of each narrative and then tabulate the overall results. An example of a narrative text and a simplified table are given as an appendix. My work so far: I have investigated a number of studies covering similar subject areas and approached schools in my local area to see if they would be willing to provide samples of work The response so far is encouraging. I have also obtained some examples of writing from neighbourhood children and analysis of these texts seems to back my hypothesis thus far. Naturally I will be unsure until I study the larger volumes of empirical data foreseen by my study. Timescale: Owing to the complexity of obtaining the data and analysing it, this project will be quite time consuming. I believe I will require one month to obtain the work and the various permissions and a further month to analyse the texts and tabulate the results. I will then need a further two weeks to present my conclusions, draft and check the final copy. Annotated Bibliography Applebee, Arthur 1978. â€Å"The Childs Concept Of Story: Ages Two To Seventeen†. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. This book defines the â€Å"interaction of children and stories†. Various chapters discuss the stories told by primary school children, their organisation and motivation as well as children’s responses to stories and story telling. It also contains a number of appendices giving information about the methods for data collection and analysis employed by Applebee throughout his investigations. Chang, Chien-Ju 2004: â€Å"Telling stories of experiences: Narrative development of young Chinese children† Applied Psycholinguistics, 25: 83-104 Cambridge University Press This presents a study in which young Chinese children were visited in their homes at age 3 years and 6 months and then at 3 month intervals for the next 9 months and their individual development in three key areas (narrative structure, evaluation, and temporality) assessed. Gutierrez Clellen, V. F., Quinn, R. (1993). Assessing narratives of children from diverse cultural/linguistic groups. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 24, 2-9. This article discusses the issues surrounding cultural and ethnic background and the impact on a child’s narrative development. This supports my claim that linguistic and narration conventions are learnt and states â€Å"narrative contextualization processes are culture-specific† Kernan, K. T. (1977). Semantic and expressive elaboration in childrens narratives. C. Mitchell-Kernan and S.Ervin-Tripp (Eds.), Child Discourse. New York: Academic Press, 91-102. This paper was presented at the Child Discourse Symposium at the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association (Mexico City, Mexico, November 1974) and presents a theoretical and ground breaking discussion of children’s narrative discourse and the acquisition of discourse competencies. Labov, William., and Waletzky, Joshua. 1967. â€Å"Narrative analysis: oral versions of personal experience.† Essays on the Verbal and Visual Arts, ed. June Helm, 12-44. Seattle: University of Washington Press. Seminal and scholarly text discussing the basics of narrative analysis detailing the six point model, etc. Pena E. D., Gillam R. B., Malek M., Ruiz-Felter R., Resendiz M., Fiestas C., and Sabel T. : Dynamic Assessment of School-Age Childrens Narrative Ability: An Experimental Investigation of Classification Accuracy J Speech Lang Hear Res, October1,2006; 49(5): 1037 1057. This article provides useful and information about analysing the â€Å"macrostructural and microstructural aspects of language form and content† (in this case in narratives given by first and second grade students describing a picture book.) Appendix one – example narrative (direct transcript) On Saturday, Daddy, Mummy, Jamie and me went to the park to go on the swings. It was really cold so Daddy bought me and Jamie a hot chocolate to warm us up. It was really funny because Jamie dropped his down his jumper and had to wear Daddy’s jumper. It was to(sic) big for him and he looked really funny. I went on the swings and the roundabout and the slide and then Jamie and me sat on one side of the sea(sic) saw while Daddy sat on the other. Mummy took pictures of us. Then we went to the sweet shop and bought some jelly babies. They are my Mummys favourite and I like them to(sic). Then we went home and watched ice age 2 and then we had tea. Then we went to bed. We all had a lovely day and Daddy said it was nice that me and Jamie didn’t shout at each other. Jenny, age 6 Example tabulation Table 1 – Labovian concepts Table 2 Common markers Used by the child in her narrative

Essay --

Cifunsa Cifunsa pertenece al Grupo Industrial Saltillo uno de los grupos industriales mà ¡s grandes de Mà ©xico, fundado en 1928. Y como su pagina web lo dice, CIFUNSA es una de las fundiciones de hierro independientes mà ¡s grandes del mundo. Ofrecen alta calidad en la fabricacià ³n de productos con precios competitivos y servicio de clase mundial. Propà ³sito: "Contribuir al à ©xito de nuestros clientes proporcionando los mejores productos y soluciones de ingenierà ­a." Misià ³n: Fabricar piezas de hierro maquinadas y/o ensambladas para la industria en el mercado global, creando valor para nuestros accionistas, clientes, personal y comunidad donde participamos, en un ambiente de seguridad, trabajo en equipo, à ©tica, disciplina y mejora continua. Visià ³n: Ser reconocida como una empresa de clase mundial rentable y competitiva que ofrece productos de fundicià ³n de hierro maquinados. Con la persona que fui no me supo decir cuantas personas trabajan ahà ­, ni el estimado de ganancia anualmente, pero el Grupo Industrial Saltillo da empleo aproximadamente a mà ¡s de 9,000 personas y tiene ingresos anuales de mà ¡s de $860 millones de dà ³lares. Tienen varias plantas, las plantas 2, 3 y 4 està ¡n ubicadas en Saltillo Coahuila. La planta 5 està ¡ ubicada en Irapuato. En el centro del paà ­s desde donde facilita las entregas a las plantas automotrices de la regià ³n del Bajà ­o en Irapuato, Silao, Querà ©taro, Aguascalientes, Toluca y Guadalajara. Esto da a CIFUNSA una gran ventaja para la exportacià ³n de sus productos hacia los mercados automotrices en la regià ³n NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) y Europa, manteniendo un portafolio de negocios balanceado exportando directa o indirectamente 85% de su produccià ³n. Polà ­tica ambiental: â€Å"En Cif... ... a 2011. Administracià ³n por procesos: Se sigue implementando la administracioÃŒ n de procesos a nivel taÃŒ ctico y operativo en todos los Negocios. Para ello, se trabaja en la consolidacioÃŒ n de los planes de venta y operacioÃŒ n, desarrollo de nuevos productos, innovacioÃŒ n y mantenimiento, entre otras acciones. Gestià ³n de riesgos: Para elaborar planes de mitigacioÃŒ n o eliminacioÃŒ n de riesgos, se debe contar con informacioÃŒ n que permita identificar las eventualidades que ponen en riesgo las operaciones y proyectos estrateÃŒ gicos. En 2012, los Negocios del Grupo alcanzaron el nivel 3 de competitividad, en una escala de 5. Este indicador denota que el balance entre las fortalezas y debilidades operativas permite lograr los objetivos comprometidos. Grupo GIS presenta una innovacià ³n tecnolà ³gica inigualable, la cual los hace ser là ­der del sector en las à ¡reas que se especializa.

Developing Managers in Business Essay

â€Å"Success in the knowledge economy comes to those who know themselves, their strengths, their values, and how they best perform† (Peter Drucker) The main aim of this report is to focus on a particular management development programme and by identifying how it works to determine whether it has been effective in developing the manager for its business. The report looks at how certain management development programmes have been used to become shift/duty manager for a particular organisation. It identifies a range of formal and informal approaches that have been used to ensure effective outcomes. It also includes examining the main external and internal factors that have influenced management development. Furthermore the report identifies any shortcomings and changes that are required to improve the process of developmental management. The main method used to conduct this report was obtaining first hand information from a shift/duty manager at a local food industry; however, relevant literature resources have also been used to support views, evaluations and recommendations made. Rosemary Stewart who has been noted for studies of organisations and managers in action. Based on: Managers and their Jobs, (1967/1987) identified four approaches to defining the term management. Theses are as follows: 1. Theoretical approach: – this is based on the development of theories of management, using approaches focused on political, economical, sociological, psychological or anthropological theory and philosophy. 2. Descriptive approach: – has been given a very simple definition, ‘the job that managers and supervisors do’. 3. Comparative approach: – based on the hierarchical organisation and structure within an organisation, also focused on comparison and evaluation methods: 4. Action-based approach: – this focuses more on the way that those defined as managers spend their time: management as the activities carried out by managers What is management development? According to Lessem, R (1990) â€Å"developmental management is humanistic in essence† in other words the developmental manager values the whole team and values them for their inter-dependence. In order to fully understand the concept of management development it is essential to know of its historical roots. In the workplace individuals and managers unaware of certain behaviour patterns will unintentionally damage their personal effectiveness. When a manager understands the unique differences between individuals then they are in a more powerful position. They are better able to manage, understand, and lead people towards higher level of productivity, lower frustration, higher morale, and better retention rates. The type of management development programme focused on in this report is ‘basic management training from shift/duty managers’. The course itself was split into residential and in-store training with a mentor. The total residential training lasted for eight days at a national training centre and head office. The time limit given to complete the modules specified for this particular programme was twelve weeks, in-store with a mentor. However, twelve weeks being a rough guide as some required more time and candidates regularly completed the modules outside this limit. The course was tailored not only for people with experience but also for example graduates who would have had little or no experience in managing a shift. However, as this particular programme was centred towards the duty manager level its main focus was around people management, whereby it would deal with; staff motivation levels, training, receiving and giving feed back, appraisals etc, rather than actual business management i.e. managing a profit and loss account. There were seventeen modules that needed to be completed, below is a table explaining briefly what these modules were: Modules: Programme: 1-3 Orientation and Getting Started. (was completed during residential) 4-5 Cleanliness, Sanitation and Food Safety. Begins by basic training as would be for all members of staff within the organisation, then becomes more involved in how to effectively manage a team to ensure food safety and cleanliness standards are high as they are constantly observed and monitored. 6-7 Safety, Security and Crisis Management. How to ensure the safety of staff and customers on shift, including health and safety. Basically teaches the manager how to deal with anything from a power cut to an armed robbery. 8-9 Product Excellence. Begins quite basic as to how to identify an out of date product, then becomes more in depth regarding basic stock control, ordering procedures etc. 10-12 Basic Human Resource and Labour Management. Dealt with how to effectively manage a team, including exercises on legal responsibilities of a manager with regards to discrimination, grievance procedures and disciplinary action as well as staff training issues, coaching, how to motivate a team and managing cost of labour on a shift-to-shift basis. 13 Service Recovery. How to prevent, anticipate and deal with customer complaints and how to effectively observe and analyse team member performance to reduce the risk of a complaint. 14 Opening the Restaurant. 15 Shift Change. 16 Closing the Restaurant. The above three points (14-16) are self explanatory. Trainee managers were expected to work through these whilst observing the mentor complete the tasks in order to see how the aspect of previous modules were put into practice for example; stock control, security, cost of labour etc. 17 Floor Management. Dealing with problems prior to them becoming formal complaints or even accidents. This included the ‘figure of eight walk’, prioritising new unexpected tasks and team member recognition. The modules were very general, however, before putting theory into practice observation played a vital role, whereby trainees were to observe their mentors completing certain tasks in order to learn how to tailor tasks to suit the environment. Upon completing the training there was a test followed by an interview with the Area Manager in which the test results were discussed and the standards of completed modules were assessed. The informal approaches used whilst completing the management development programme was the mentor advising best practices for within the restaurant. The formal approaches used were the completion of modules and work books as well as observations where both candidates were observing the mentor and the mentor observing the candidate. The programme in itself prepared the trainees for a position as duty manager. The programme was learner centred and in some cases lack of motivation or resources meant that it lasted longer than the original given deadline of twelve weeks. There were both external and internal factors that influenced the development of duty/shift managers working. The main external factors were that being a food preparation industry, there were many laws and government regulations pertaining to food, safety and obviously regulations for health and safety and employment laws that needed to be learned and put into practice. The main internal factors that influenced management development were the standards set by the company which every manager and team member were expected to have extensive knowledge of. This covered every aspect of the business from the way tables were set to uniform standards to dealing with complaints in a professional manner, which involved more in depth training for management trainees. Although the training provided to trainee managers was quite extensive, practical experience gained via mentors seemed more knowledgeable, as stated quite clearly in the quote below from a previous trainee manager: â€Å"I feel that I learned a lot from the course, the modules and the work books as it introduced me to a lot of legal aspects of the food industry which I would not have learned otherwise, but I found that I learned more from the time spent with my mentor about how to be a manager that team members respected†. As recognised by A.Mumford (1993) there are five stages in the ‘evolution of thought about what managers do’; these are [1] The generalisation stage [2] The scientific stage [3] The management by objective stage [4] The contingency/ realistic stage [5] The competency stage †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Many organizations are turning to behaviour assessments and personality trait testing for both hourly workers and managers. Back in the late ’90s, only 5 percent of 500 companies used some type of assessment. Today, that figure is climbing to 65 percent. A year 2000 study by American Management Association showed nearly half of 1,085 employers polled use at least one assessment in their interviewing process. Assessments can help: * Individuals identify their strengths, know which jobs they are best suited for, and design a development plan to overcome shortcomings. * HR managers predict a job applicant’s success before they are hired. * Business owners understand the temperament and work style of individual employees and managers. * Supervisors can give performance feedback to people in a style they understand and accept for improving performance and accelerating professional development. * People enhance communication, understanding, and improve personal relationships. * Sales managers select, hire, develop, and motivate super sales people. For example a company would use the assessment process to improving their hiring and recruitment process. If for instance, previously they made decisions based on the candidates resume and then hired the person based on their ‘gut’ reaction. Once hired, many of these new people created friction, had bad work ethics, and their attitudes had a negative impact on their co-workers. Conclusion: Developing people is less expensive than firing them. By understanding behaviour differences an organization can align an employee’s motivations with the company’s mission. Assessments also help individuals reduce conflict and get along better. Furthermore, co-workers appreciate each person’s unique strengths and abilities. With this knowledge organizations and managers can maximize the abilities of their workforce in ways to help make all employees star performers. References: > Lessem, R. (1990) Developmental Management: principles of holistic business Oxford, Basil Blackwell > Managers and their Jobs (Penguin, 1977, new edition 1988); > The Reality of Organisation (Penguin, 1972, new edition 1986); > The Diversity of Management 1994.

Tips for breaking through the barrier - Emphasis

Tips for breaking through the barrier Tips for breaking through the barrier You probably have something in common with everyone else whos ever had writers block: you eventually got going. The problem is, that may well have been because your report was due first thing the next morning and the alternative was the Job Centre. But imagine if something other than blind necessity could break through that wall of fear. If only there was something you could do to stop yourself spending the entire night before the deadline writing in a cold sweat and submitting something substandard. There is, says Emphasis CEO Rob Ashton. The key is to make the act of writing seem less threatening. In the writing process there comes a tipping point where the pain of not doing it outweighs the perceived pain of doing it, says Rob. The key to overcoming writers block is to bring forward that point to now, rather than midnight before its due in. Try these strategies to help you break through the barrier and youll be finished before you know it. Trick yourself Its actually possible for one part of your brain to fool another that it isnt afraid, according to Mark Forster, author of Do It Tomorrow and Other Secrets of Time Management. Forster suggests using the technique of telling yourself, Im not really going to write the [piece in question] now, Ill just and fill in the blank with an easy beginning task. For example: Ill just launch Microsoft Word, or Ill just get the research folder out. This simple act can be a breakthrough. Once youve taken that first action, you will have got over the initial step, says Forster. You may well find that you are hardly even aware that you are moving on to take some additional action. Map it out Facing down a whole unwritten document may be sending chills down your back, but the process of getting on with it can easily be broken down into non-threatening actions. One of these drawing a mind map is also a useful tool to make sure youve covered every who, what, when, where and how. Know your reader The best writing knows its audience, and realising how much you do know about your reader is a great motivational tool as well as helping you to write a document that will do its job. Filling in a reader profile questionnaire is another safe as well as highly effective place to start. Work in bursts When breaking through the block, youll feel less overwhelmed if you know youre going to stop at a certain point. Set a timer with an alarm for a short period of solid work, followed by a few minutes break, then a slightly longer stretch of work and so on. The more stressed you feel about the task, the shorter each burst of work should be. Gradually increase the work time between breaks until you reach your optimal length of time generally this will be no more than about 40 minutes. Stopping at the alarm even in mid-sentence may actually give you the urge to return to your writing. The mind craves completion and will want to get back to the task, says Forster. This helps you to build up a strong momentum. Listen to the Audio Tips interview with Rob Ashton here. And find out whats going on in our heads when writers block strikes here.

Strategic Management Toyota Japan

Strategic Management Toyota Japan Introduction Toyota is one of the most popular companies in the automobile industry. This company started from a very humble beginning, but due to strategic planning, it has managed to achieve its organizational goals. Japan is the company’s headquarter, and this being its parent branch it has played a major role in inspiring the establishment of other branches (Chester, 2004).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Management: Toyota Japan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Now that the company is ranked among the top organizations in the world, there is more work to be done to ensure that the position is retained. This is because there are other companies that are struggling to achieve the same goals. Currently Toyota manufactures a wide range of vehicles including Rav4, Prado, and Pajero among many others (Kendra, 2009). This paper focuses on Toyota’s company, particularly strategic methods and tool s that have led to its superior performance. Policies of Toyota Japan Every organization has its own tailor-made policies that all employees must adhere to, and this is meant to guarantee the achievement of organizational goals. Without clear policies, an organization is most likely to divert to other concerns that were not included in the master plan. It is therefore important to employ salient policies that would act as the guidelines when the going gets tough (Johnson Scholes, 2008). For instance, if a passenger decided to commute to a given destination and it happens that the vehicle breaks down, he/she will look for another mode of transport to ensure that he/she gets to the intended destination. According to Dess and Allan (2006), Toyota mainly focuses on long-term goals regardless of whether those goals will hinder the achievement of short-term goals. This was evidenced back in 1973 during the oil crisis that caused many customers who had purchased Toyota models to replace t hem with other models. This was because the big cars were consuming a lot of fuel and thus, were not considered pocket friendly. In the years that followed, the company had to pay high taxes for it to export vehicles to other markets. The management of Toyota thus decided to collaborate with General Motors (GM). This move was logical because it would help in cutting back on the costs that were incurred on the exports.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Additionally, Bremner and Dawson (2003) argue that Toyota was initially established as Toyoda and thus the brand name had to be changed for this company to be assimilated with its regional market. It was perceived that the initial brand name was not appealing to the local consumers probably because of its sound. It was then proposed that the brand name be renamed to Toyota, which sounded much better and uplifted the rep utation of the logo and the brand. This approach was logical because it made it easy for Toyota to penetrate the Asian market due to its familiarity and association with the local dialects. At Toyota, the processes of production flow in a sequential manner and this is meant to unveil any underlying problems that can cause the quality of its products to be compromised. The policies of Toyota clearly states that in case a problem or a fault is discovered in the course of production, the processes should be halted until the problem has been solved. In the year 2009, Toyota recalled quite a number of vehicles that were believed to be having faulty accelerator pedals. Although the initiative cost the company dearly, it was considered to be noble because the image the company would have been tainted and the monetary fine would have been heftier (Valdes-Dapena, 2010). Lynch (2006) points out that strategic management in an organization’s set up requires collective participation of a ll the employees. This aspect is greatly emphasized at Toyota in Japan. This is because if decisions were made in a hurry, the participants would not grasp anything that is contained in the plan. The gradual process of making decisions is important because it creates room for the options provided to be analyzed. Besides, dialogue prepares the employees and the other stakeholders to be prepared for the changes that may cause changes regarding how things are done. Likewise, Toyota’s head office has established indicators that are used to dictate when the level of production should be increased and vice versa. Kendra (2009) agrees that this is because the automobile industry is a very dynamic sector and if the vehicles that are manufactured within a specified period are not sold, they will accumulate as dead- stock.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Management: Toyota Japan specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This implies that Toyota must regularly analyze the relationship between demand and supply by referring to its inventory system; this is through lean manufacturing. For instance, when the oil crisis struck in 1973, then it would have been illogical for the company to continue making the big trucks while it was apparent that the market was moving towards a new trend. Apparently, the demand of Toyota Prius is on the increase compared to other models. This argument has been cemented by the financial reports of 2010, which clearly indicate the sales of this particular vehicle model had increased (Micheline, 2010). Possible Causes of Future Changes When referring to strategic management, it is important to understand why the changes come about. The major inhibitor of changes is the environment that businesses exist. This is to say that organizations can be influenced to embrace the changes with the aim of conserving our environment. International organizations are exerting a lot of pr essure on manufacturers to make products using materials that are not harmful to the environment (Johnson Scholes, 2008). As far as this issue of environment is concerned, Toyota has had to adjust itself because there have been numerous awareness campaigns on the importance of eco-friendly products. Toyota therefore realized that if it did not adopt the new trend, it would soon be ejected out of the automobile business. Vehicles have been found to be the most notorious agents of pollution and thus, the manufacturers have been advised to come up with models that emit minimal amounts of carbon (Lynch, 2006). Toyota has already introduced hybrid plug-in vehicles, which are powered by a lithium battery and gasoline simultaneously. This suggests that such vehicles are fuel-efficient and at the same time eco-friendly. This is what the consumers in the automobile industry have been looking for. Toyota has therefore upped its game by integrating the needs of the consumers with their produc ts.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is also obvious that the stiff competition in the automobile industry have also played a major role in inducing Toyota to employ a strategic plan. Chester (2004) points out that other companies like Ford are also making fuel-efficient vehicles besides Nissan and Honda brands. In business world, an organization must be on the look out to spot the emerging trends or risk being left out. Strategic management is purely driven by speculations because most people might think that Toyota is overreacting, but then if this company was to sit back and wait for the day when the demand for electric vehicles will swell, then it is bound to fail in its mission. This is because opportunities tend to favor the entities that are more crafty and prepared. In fact, this period is used to evaluate Toyota’s preparedness in handling the changes. This is because the company needs to be certain that the plans will work in its favor. However, it is important to have a backup plan because other cha nges could occur and hinder the realization of an organization’s mission (Dess Allan, 2006). For instance, the recent earthquake has greatly affected Toyota’s branch in Japan. This latest development reveals that humankind has no control over nature and thus backup plans should be put in place to ensure organizational goals are realized. There is a common phrase at Toyota that puts its managers under obligation to familiarize themselves with the situations as they unfold. This requires them to spend ample time with the employees. This is thought as the surest way of ensuring that all stakeholders are committed to the success of the organization. Competitive Positioning Toyota is completely committed to improving the quality of its products, but this initiative has cost the corporation a lot of money because the vehicles that are eco-friendly require more resources to manufacture. However, Vlasic and Fackler (2008) state that the situation is expected to remedy itself, as more customers purchase the new breed of vehicles. Among the changes incorporated lately, include the making of automobile engines that are powered by electricity and gasoline. This has placed Toyota at the top of the rankings compared to similar vehicles that are being manufactured by her competitors such as Ford. This is because Toyota’s models tend to be unique because the other brands that employ the same approach are only powered by electricity. Besides, Toyota has introduced automatic parking systems in its vehicles that are meant to assist Motorists Park their vehicles hustle-free. More features are yet to be incorporated in Toyota models because customers make their choice of a model depending on its specifications (Kendra, 2009). Furthermore, the approach of value improvement has really helped Toyota to reach greater heights. Similarly, the customers of Toyota have responded positively because they are always interested in unique products. Toyota has therefore wo rked had to earn its recognition as a household name. In fact, the government of Japan has acknowledged the progress of Toyota and this has resulted in Toyota being awarded the contract of manufacturing and maintaining the motorcade that is normally used by the mayor. This noble gesture by the government is truly an honor because it acts as an endorsement that will continue to develop the company’s portfolio (Valdes-Dapena, 2010). Other Open opportunities Toyota is looking for other areas that are yet to be exploited. Valdes-Dapena (2010) asserts that the need to diverse has been brought by the speculations that the future markets of vehicles could decline as new technologies continue to be developed in the transport sector. Toyota has already proposed a joint venture with Mitsubishi to manufacture airplanes for regional airlines. This is a smart move because the demand for air transport is increasing and only the entities that will align themselves to the growth of that indu stry will reap the benefits. For Toyota to make it in this venture, it has to observe the possible competitors such as Boeing, identify what is missing in their products, and incorporate the missing concept in its aircraft models. Although Toyota is a mature organization in the automobile industry, that growth is yet to be realized in the new ventures and thus, patience is required for growth to be experienced. Other areas that are potential for exploitation by Toyota include the manufacture of healthcare products such as assistive aids for the disabled (Kendra, 2009). Marketing The strategy employed by an organization in marketing its products is what helps in uplifting the image of its products (Lynch, 2006). Toyota has been able to penetrate the local market through re-branding. According to Micheline (2010), Toyota has managed to thrive in automobile business by developing models that are meant for both low and high-end markets. The success of Toyota would not have been realized if there was no balance between the two markets. The vehicles intended for low-end market have lesser specifications compared to the models intended for high-end markets. The Century Royal is a particular model that is specifically designed for the mayor of Japan. If Toyota were to concentrate on luxury vehicles, its sales would decline gradually because there are more prospects in the low-end market. In addition, Toyota has been using the field events such as motor sports to market itself. The company incorporates its models such as the Lexus in the local races including Formula 3, Super GT, and formula Nippon. Toyota makes money by making the engines of automobiles that participate in these races and uses them as an avenue for advertising itself. Engaging in the races was not enough and thus, another strategy had to be established to ensure the local market for engines remained stable. This entailed developing the models that are appropriate for racing. Besides, more talents had to be developed to ensure that the sport did not run out of talented drivers. This goal was achieved by establishing a program for nurturing drivers into seasoned motor sport drivers. The program is commonly known as TDP (Toyota Young Drivers Program) (Johnson Scholes, 2008). The technological institute was established to act as a reservoir of skills that are needed in this company. Though the initial founders of this initiative are non-existent, the project has served its intended purpose. The talents are derived from learning institutions, such as high schools and other tertiary institutions. The students who demonstrate competitiveness while still in high school are offered scholarship opportunities to enable them pursue further education and thereafter use their skills while working at Toyota Corporation. The initiative is more of a corporate social responsibility program. The program can be used as a succession plan for Toyota because the current crop of employees will one day retire and thus, they will have to be replaced by new skilled employees. Although the programs are expensive, the money is paid back when the trained individuals are absorbed into the company. Likewise, Toyota has its own rugby team known as Verblitz team. This team is sponsored by Toyota and therefore is a medium of marketing. This is done by making the players put on jerseys that are printed with the company logo and emblem. Johnson Scholes (2008) argue that the education programs are not only focused on inspiring upcoming talents, but also the existing employees. This is because the changes in the environment cause their skills to depreciate and thus they need to be regularly updated. As time moves by, the approaches that were once used as solutions cease to be useful and thus, new approaches have to be brought on board and this can only be acquired by investing in continuous learning to promote organizational development. Aspects of Strategic Management Goal Setting Toyota has been able to achieve its organizational goals because it had set the goals from the start. The managers and employees of this corporation are aware of what needs to be done to get to the company’s destiny. The goals are categorized into two: long-term and short-term. Short-term goals take less than five years to be experienced while long-term goals take more than five years. When the company was established the founders had one long-term goal, and it involved setting up a learning institution and in fact the goal took more than twenty years to be realized. Besides, Toyota had short-term goals that included increasing its market share within Japan and beyond its national boarders. This goal was near from being accomplished when the oil crisis struck and temporary goals had to be set (Vlasic Fackler, 2008). Analysis Analysis is another important aspect of strategic management because it enables an organization to get a clear picture of the happenings as they unfold and make t he necessary changes to be able to cope with the challenges (Lynch, 2006). Toyota has been very observant of the situation in the industry. Being analytic has helped Toyota to understand the needs of the customers. There are other companies in Japan that deal with automobiles. These other companies are competitors and Toyota has to analyze their operations and as well as their products. By being analytical, Toyota has been able to identify other opportunities that are yet to be exploited. However, before Toyota decided to venture into other resources it must have analyzed its strengths and weaknesses. This is because if the weaknesses outweighed the strengths then there is no point of venturing into other fields such as aviation, which are more complicated, and very demanding. Strategy Formation According to Dess and Allan (2006), strategic management requires an organization to have a clear vision of future expectations. Toyota has been visionary on the market and that is why it ha s developed options of venturing into other areas. When the options were first drafted, they must have been allocated priorities depending on the availability of resources that are needed to implement the decisions. The electric vehicles were accorded the first priority because the market is changing drastically unless Toyota evolves with the market, then its products would be rendered useless in the automobile industry. The other options implemented include the development of robots used in the healthcare and entertainment industries. The above stated priorities were implemented because Toyota has the ability and the capacity that is required to implement them. This implies that Toyota has enough work forces skilled in this sector because if there were no skilled personnel, then the idea would have to wait until when the situation was favorable. As stated earlier, the plan of making an aircraft is a long-term goal, but then negotiations are underway and they involve other like-min ded entities. Mitsubishi is an appropriate partner in this venture because it also deals with automobiles and therefore the two parties are compatible with each other. Currently, Toyota needs to merge its resources with those of Mitsubishi in order to realize its goals. However, this partnership may not last long because each entity would want to be independent in future (Micheline, 2010). It is therefore certain that there will be a merger between Toyota and Mitsubishi. Toyota has been successful in its mission because it has involved its members who include employees and stakeholders in decision-making processes; this approach must be reflected in its merger with Mitsubishi. Strategy Implementation Once a strategy has been established, an organization needs to embark on the mission of implementing the decisions that are contained in the strategy. Before implementing strategy, an organization must review the available resources just to be sure they are in good shape to deliver the desired results (Johnson Scholes, 2008). For Toyota to be able to challenge its competitors, it must have upgraded its equipments to meet international standards. The staff at Toyota has been inspired to improve their skills. The availability of skilled personnel has cautioned the company from outsourcing its tasks. The main reason behind Toyota’s success lies under its goal setting strategies. From the look of things, Toyota has all along remained committed to fulfilling its long-term goals. Similarly, other companies in this industry have diverted their initial plans at the onset of challenges. It is this attribute of soldiering on that has enabled Toyota to excel in its ventures. In strategic management, it is important to note that short-term challenges and solutions do not last long, and it is therefore important to focus on long-term solutions. When the environmental and international organizations raised concerns about the amounts of carbon emitted by vehicles, Toyota thought of a solution that could solve the problem entirely. Short-term solutions are very expensive to implement because the processes have to be repeated regularly and they may not work as expected (Dess Allan, 2006). In this regard, Toyota established a production system commonly known as Toyota Production System (TPS).The system is used to manage inventories and in improving the quality of production. By having such a system in place, the company can be certain that there are minimal errors and that the customers only get what they require. When the suppliers of Toyota deliver the raw materials that are to be used in the manufacture of automobiles, the TPS is invoked to evaluate the materials and components needed and discard the others. In fact, this idea was borrowed from a very different field and hence it had to be configured to meet the needs of Toyota. Leadership at Toyota The success of Toyota is owed to its efficient leadership structures. The mangers at Toyota have go od working relationships with their employees in their respective departments. This enables the two parties to communicate effectively and thus, move collectively towards a common destiny. This kind of interaction favors teamwork because it strengthens the bondage among employees and their superiors. From another concept, it favors innovation because the employees are free to incorporate their skills into their tasks (Johson Scholes, 2008). In fact, at Toyota, every employee is regarded as his/her own inspector – employees should not wait until the supervisor is physically present to implement a decision when things are not in the right order. This has instilled a strong sense of belonging, which makes employees to work as if they owned the company. Respect is highly emphasized at Toyota and this means that everyone commands respect regardless of his/her position in the company. Conclusion Toyota has emerged as one of the most successful companies in the automobile industry. Having defined goals has helped Toyota to overcome the challenges as opposed to other companies that have resorted to remaining dormant. For the current success to be retained, Toyota must remain focused because the competitors are also designing new models that are intended to compete with those of Toyota, and hence more efforts must be directed towards remaining ahead of the game. Besides, the approaches that have worked in Japan’s branch should be extended to regional offices so that the entire organization can become uniform, such that the images of the other branches reflect the image of the parent branch. References Vlasic, B. and Fackler, M., 2008. Car slump jolts Toyota halting 70yrs of gain. New York Times. [online]. Bremner, B.B. and Dawson, C., 2003. Can anything stop Toyota? An inside look at how its reinventing the auto industry. Business week. November 17. Chester, D., 2004. Lexus: The Relentless pursuit. Singapore: John Wiley Sons. Dess, G. L. and Alan, B. E. , 2006. Strategic Management: Text and Cases. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Johnson, G. and Scholes, K., 2008. Exploring Corporate Strategy. 8th ed. London: Prentice Hall. Kendra, M., 2009. Toyota passes GM as world’s largest automaker. The Washington Post. January 22. Lynch, R. (2006), Corporate Strategy. 4th ed. London: Prentice Hall. Micheline, M., 2010. Toyota pays its $16.4 million fine over pedals. The New York Times. [online]. Valdes-Dapena, P., 2010. Witnesses: Toyota problems could be electronics. CNN. [online].