How to Write a Halloween Essay to Impress Even Dead People

How to Write a Halloween Essay to Impress Even Dead People If you are going to write a Halloween essay, then you need the instruction which will help you start.   If you face difficulties, you can count on professional help from our company. Halloween is a unique festival. American children adore it because they feel free dress the way they like. In addition, people give them candies or fruit presents when kids say â€Å"trick-or-treat†. Almost every person in America even other countries in the world like Halloween because it is full of Haunted Houses, terrifying stories, parties, interesting traditions. Still, students don’t know what to write about how to make their story spooky worthy of A+. ORDER YOUR HALLOWEEN ESSAY Choose a good topic for your Halloween essay. Think of what your target audience would like to read about Halloween create a title. Compose the outline to bring your ideas on Halloween in order. Find catchy facts on Halloween. For example, find out why people wear scary costumes or why Halloween is the time of the dead. Your paper about Halloween is to be well-structured (an intro part, the body, conclusion) include the required number of pages words. Pay attention to other important details such as formatting, writing style, other issues which your college requires. Different Topics to Consider An essay on Halloween should dwell upon some striking or at least interesting topics. Here are some related topics which can help you describe one of the most popular holidays of the year. Things You Didn’t Know about the History of Halloween. Will People Celebrate Halloween in the 21nd century? The Best Ways to Have Fun on the 31st of October. The Great Tradition Unites Families: Carving a Pumpkin Designing It. Why Do Some People Consider Halloween Celebration to Be Immoral? Remember one - thing there shouldn’t be just presented some facts or statistics on Halloween, you are to show the analysis of the problem your personal point of view. These things play the main role in essay evaluation so get rid of all distractions and start working. Facts to Use When Writing the Academic Assignment on Halloween Essay writing about Halloween requires vivid catching facts. Research the topic, write down the most trustworthy sources (both web printed), be ready to analyze use them in your paper. Here are some sample facts to follow. Samhain was a Celtic holiday devoted to their God of death. Celts put on heads skin of animals, made a huge sacred fire, sacrificed animals to their God on the last day of October at night which also stood for their New Year’s Eve. They said goodbye to warm summer harvest met cold winter. There were also Druids who tried to predict the future. They believed that spirits could visit the Earth that night inhabit the body of some living being. Soon the Roman Empire occupied Celtic territories the traditions have changed greatly since then because of assimilation. Romans celebrated All Saints’ Day on the 1st of November. 2000 years have brought new customs. Today costumes of witches, ghosts, favorite TV book characters have replaced those made of animal skin heads. People carve jack-o'-lantern to drive the ghosts away from their houses organize huge parties. People in colonial New England seldom celebrated Halloween because their beliefs differed greatly. Today there are no Druids who can predict the future but females believe that they can divine their intended husband’s name using apple skin, mirrors, thread. The origin of â€Å"trick-or-treating† dates back to All Souls’ Day in England. People promised to pray for the relatives who had been already dead. They baked pastries which they called â€Å"soul cakes†, gave them to poor hungry persons. Today families buy sweets to please kids commemorate the dead. Try to avoid sources which express a personal point of view or sound unnaturally. It’s better to turn to valid reliable ones. Check what sources your college considers to be good what not. For instance, some tutors hate when students use Wikipedia ban this source. How to Start How to Finish Every essay has its introduction (the beginning), its body (the passage explains the thesis statement), its conclusion (the part which summarizes everything mentioned above). That’s really important to start finish the essay properly. As a rule, experts recommend using citations, proverbs, short stories, some wise words, anecdotes, or impressive facts/ statistics both at the beginning at the end of the writing assignment about Halloween. One more essential issue is the thesis statement which you should present in the introductory part. It must be informative brief. Connect all parts of your essay logically. Each sentence should support the main idea presented in the thesis statement. The introduction the conclusion are the shortest parts of the work the body is the biggest one. If you need to attach some files do that according to the college requirements. Use the appropriate format of pictures, diagrams, etc. Be sure that you know how to arrange the bibliography section, footnotes (if needed). Consider the Style of the Essay Dealing with essay writing on Halloween, it’s very important to pay attention to its style. There are four major styles: narrative, descriptive, expository, persuasive. Each style has its peculiarities. If you prefer the narrative one, then tell a story that happened in your or somebody’s life on Halloween. Make it vivid impressive. This style requires ‘I’ sentences letting the reader become the witness of the events. Choosing the expository style, you’d better present only evidence about Halloween. It’s the analysis of the topic, it doesn’t involve human feelings emotions. PROFESSIONAL ESSAY HELP Descriptive writing of a Halloween essay is about creating a true-to-life picture. It must make the reader smell, feel, see, hear, taste the things you describe. If you write a persuasive paper you should be ready to convince the reader that your point of view is the right one. Make it sound logical using facts, examples, statistics. Interview an expert present his or her words in the paper.

How to Make a Cloud in a Bottle

How to Make a Cloud in a Bottle In the real world, clouds form when warm, moist air is cooled and condenses into tiny water droplets, which collectively make up clouds. You can mimic this process (on a much smaller scale, of course!) by using everyday items found in your home or school. What Youll Need: A clear bottle, mason jar, or another see-through container with a lidA dark-colored piece of paperHot waterIceMatches Warning:  Due to the use of hot water, glass, and matches, young children are cautioned not to do this experiment without adult supervision. Getting Started First, rinse your glass to make sure it is clean. (Do not use soap and do not dry the inside.)Add hot water to the jar until it covers the bottom by 1 deep. Then swirl the water around so that it warms up the sides of the jar. (If you dont do this, condensation may immediately occur.) Youve just added one of the key ingredients for cloud formation: water.Take the lid, turn it upside-down (so that it acts as a small dish), and place several ice cubes in it. Place the lid on top of the jar. (After doing this, you may see some condensation, but notice theres no cloud yet.) The ice adds another ingredient needed for clouds to form: the cooling of warm, moist air. Carefully light a match and blow it out. Drop the smoking match into the jar and quickly replace the lid of ice. The smoke adds the final ingredient for cloud formation: condensation nuclei for the cooled water droplets to condense onto.Now look for wisps of cloud swirling inside! To see them better, hold up your dark colored pa per behind the jar. Congratulations, youve just made a cloud! After youve and named it, lift the lid and let it flow out so that you can touch it! Tips and Alternatives For younger children: If you prefer not to use matches, you can substitute air freshener spray in step # 4. Lift the lid of ice, spritz a small amount into the jar, then quickly replace the lid.Advanced: Use a bicycle pump to change the pressure and see even more clouds.  Going further: Try using other sizes of dust particles. Design an experiment to determine the best size of dust particles to use. You could also test different water temperatures. Now that youve learned some basic principles of how clouds form, its time to up your knowledge. Study these cloud photos to learn the ten basic types of clouds and what weather they forecast. Or explore what the many storm clouds look like and mean.         Updated by Tiffany Means

Case study draper Manufacturing Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Draper Manufacturing - Case Study Example Additionally, the company does not enjoy financial stability and growth, but is facing some serious financial, economic and environmental challenges. On the economic front, the increase in the oil price passing the point of $60 per barrel negatively impacts over the cost of the company as the petroleum is a basic raw material component for mattress. Second, the Gulf hurricanes severely damage the TDI, the chemical consumed to develop polyurethane foam. In addition, the Draper manufacturing also faces some competitive challenges from the competitors. In the recent times, there has been growing tendency to import low priced Asian products, which bring more challenges for the company. Workforce diversity is going to be there, and it cannot be termed as a problem for the growth of the company. In conclusion, the Draper manufacturing faces business challenges rather workforce diversity

Development, impacts, implications of a contemporary political movment Essay

Development, impacts, implications of a contemporary political movment for change (Environmentalism) - Essay Example The beginnings of an environmental crisis which looms large over the world can perhaps be traced to the Industrial Revolution in Europe which led to natural resources being used, often indiscriminately, for the purpose of scientific progress (Reynolds, A Brief History of Environmentalism, n.dd). At a parallel level, European colonies in Asia, Africa and Latin America were also subjected to much ecological damage for industrial growth. Though Henry David Thoreau pioneered environmentalist thinking in the USA, it was John Muir who laid the foundation of the Sierra Club in 1892 through which the government received ample financial aid for it to undertake wilderness conservation measures (Reynolds, n.d.). The emergence of environmental activists such as Wangari Mathai from Kenya shows that environmental concerns cannot be divorced from an engagement with the imbalances of power engendered by colonialism. In contemporary times ecocriticism has become an integral part of most academic disc iplines. It has been particularly influential in the field of postcolonial studies where scholars have found a close connection between the discursive and economic power wielded by the West and the environmental damage inflicted by Western nations upon the nations of the Third World. The first breakthrough in American environmentalism came with Rachel Carson’s work Silent Spring (1962) which spoke of the impact of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), a commonly used pesticide on the environment. The work created immediate controversies and numerous American industrialists clamoured for its ban, accusing the author of baseless indictments. However, the work caused enough stir for President John F Kennedy to order a thorough investigation into its claims. The research revealed the hugely detrimental effect that DDT had not merely upon the physical environment but also on human health since it was commonly used as an agricultural pesticide. Following this the use of DDT was ba nned in the USA (Lear x-xi). This is an important episode in the history of environmentalism for it fortified American environmentalist movement besides proving the efficacy of protest movements led by seemingly politically disempowered individuals against multinational conglomerates. It is a sad fact that even today, several countries continue to use DDT and many such pesticides. These continue to affect the lives of millions of people and their health even today. The reasons for this can be traced to the lobbying power of the corporate firms that produce these pesticides and the lack of civic action on the part of the citizens of these nations. This can be remedied to an extent through the spread of awareness of environmental issues. In short, the issue of environmentalism needs to extend its reach to these nations in order for it to be an effective tool. In the 1970s began the era of international cooperation on the subject of ecological conservation, the manifestation of which w as the Earth Summits summoned by the United Nations. The first among these was held in Stockholm in 1972 and was titled â€Å"UN Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm† (â€Å"Earth Summit,† The United Nations Official Website n.p.). These forums of international debate and discussion have laid bare not merely the urgent need to incorporate the

Strategy vs Structure in Strategic Management

Strategy vs Structure in Strategic Management Strategic analysis: Strategy versus Structure for International Competitiveness Introduction The strategy structure relationship, that was previously considered reciprocal, is now recognized as being considerably more complex, and there is some agreement that structure can and does have a profound impact on strategy through its direct effect on the strategic decision making process (Bourgeois Astley, 1979; Burgelman, 1983; Fredrickson, 1986). In understanding the role of strategy and structure in international business, one must understand that what has essentially changed is the context within which business operations take place. The well developed and complex associations between structure and strategy in classical studies of firms are also central to research in international business, but the nature of business has changed, and so have the relationships. As such, issues have arisen over the best way for international firms, operating in global marketplaces, to best align their strategy and structure to serve numerous distinct markets, whilst maintaining a global identi ty. This paper looks at the development of business strategy and structure over time, highlighting how the relationships have changed, the implications for organisational behaviour, and how firms can alter their behaviour to best gain competitive advantage in international markets. International Strategies Business strategy refers to how firms compete in an industry or market (Varadarajan and Clark 1994; Walker and Ruekert 1987). The two historically dominant frameworks of business strategy are the Miles and Snow (1978) model, which focuses on intended rate of product-market change, and the Porter (1980) model, which focuses on customers and competitors. Miles and Snow (1978) developed a comprehensive framework that addresses the alternative ways that organisations define and approach their product-market domains and construct structures and processes to achieve competitive advantage in those domains. Miles and Snow identify four archetypes of how firms address these issues: â€Å"prospectors† continuously attempt to locate and exploit new product and market opportunities, â€Å"defenders† attempt to seal off a portion of the total market to create a stable set of products and customers, â€Å"analyzers† occupy an intermediate position by cautiously following prosp ectors into new product-market domains while protecting a stable set of products and customers, and â€Å"reactors† do not have a consistent response to the entrepreneurial problem. In contrast, Porter (1980) proposes that business strategy should be viewed as a product of how the firm creates customer value compared with its competitors, and how it defines its scope of market coverage. Walker and Ruekert (1987) observed that though each of these strategy typologies has inherent strengths, i.e., Porters external focus and Miles and Snows internal focus, each is also limited. To address this, Walker and Ruekert proposed a hybrid model that synthesizes the two foci in a typology that consists of prospectors, low-cost defenders, and differentiated defenders. However, although Walker and Ruekert’s article has been frequently cited in the marketing and management literature, the distinctions between low-cost defenders and differentiated defenders have only recently been supported in empirical analysis (Slater and Olson, 2001). Following on from these initial developments, over the last few years researchers have quite successfully addressed and explicated the various forms of international strategy, and these forms are generally well accepted in the literature. There is now considerable agreement among international business scholars that most firms embarking upon or undertaking international business operations are cognizant of the twin pressures of global integration and local responsiveness. To this end, the integration-responsiveness framework suggested by Prahalad and Doz (1987) has provided a valuable theoretical tool to better understand international strategic behaviours of firms. More recently, we have seen many successful applications of globally integrated strategies (Parente, 2003; Parente Kotabe, 2003). According to Yip (2003), global companies have developed more sophisticated and flexible versions of international strategies and organisational processes, which successfully embraced globaliz ation. Organisational Structures Organisational structure refers to an organisation’s internal pattern of relationships (Finley, 2000). Structure has been characterized by a number of dimensions and illustrated by using a variety of types, like functional or divisional (Fredrickson 1986), however, there are three dimensions of structure: centralization, formalization, and complexity, which have received more attention than any others (Fry, 1982; Fry Slocum, 1984). Each of these dimensions appears to have great implications for strategy and strategic decision making, and are dominant characteristics of the well known structural types (Fredrickson, 1986). Centralization refers to the degree to which the right to make decisions and evaluate activities is concentrated (Fry Slocum, 1984; Hall, 1977). A high level of centralization is the most obvious way to control and coordinate organisation decision making, but places significant cognitive demands on those managers who retain authority (Fredrickson, 1986). Min tzberg (1979) has discussed this issue by suggesting that an individual does not have the cognitive capacity or information that is needed to understand all the decisions that face a complex organisation. The degree of formalization specifies the extent to which an organisation uses rules and procedures to prescribe behaviour (Hage Aiken, 1969; Hall, 1977). Therefore, formalization has significant consequences for organisational members because it specifies how, where, and by whom tasks are to be performed (Fredrickson, 1986). A high level of formalization has the benefit of eliminating role ambiguity, but it also limits members’ decision making discretion. Complexity refers to the condition of being composed of many, usually, though not necessarily, interrelated parts. Hall (1977) suggests that there are three sources of complexity: horizontal and vertical differentiation, and spatial dispersion. Therefore, an organisation that simultaneously has numerous levels, broad spans of control, and multiple geographic locations would be considered as highly complex (Fredrickson, 1986). The Interaction Between Strategy and Structure Whilst strategy and structure have been studied in isolation for a great many years, and are now relatively well understood, what is less understood is the international role of organisational structure and its relationship with international strategy (Finley, 2000). International strategies are the forms and types of actions firms follow to fulfil their long term business objectives. Organisations involved in international business activities usually have two major forces impinging on them. One is the need to standardise products on a global basis, and the other is to respond to local country or local market demands. International strategies may be characterized in different ways, and the integration-responsiveness framework developed by Prahalad and Doz (1987) has extended the conceptualization of industry pressures to incorporate generic strategic responses. The framework suggests that organisations develop their strategies and structures based on the emphasis they place on either one or both forces. At the most basic level, organisational structures are established to coordinate work that has been divided into smaller tasks. Mintzberg (1981, p. 104) noted, â€Å"How that coordination is achievedby whom and with whatdictates what the organisation will look like.† Walker and Ruekert (1987) further hypothesized that firms that follow different generic business strategies adopt different structural designs. Vorhies and Morgan (2003) studied the relationships among marketing organisation structure, business strategy, and performance in the trucking industry. Both of these studies demonstrated that different marketing organisation characteristics are more or less appropriate for different business strategies. The forms of structures typically defined by formalization, centralization, and specialization, which as Walker and Ruekert (1987 p. 27) noted â€Å"seem particularly important in shaping an organisation’s or departments performance†, are also applicable in d ifferent ways to different strategies and geographic factors. For example, in studying the development of America’s dominant industrial organisations, Chandler (1962) observed that major increases in unit volume, geographic dispersion, and vertical and horizontal integration were eventually followed by changes in structural form. Several studies following Chandler’s work confirmed an association between these two variables, in that structure generally followed strategy (Fouraker Stopford, 1968; Rumelt, 1974). In spite of the wide spread acceptance of the structure follows strategy relationship, there is a significant body of literature that suggests that structure has a significant and major effect on strategy (Fredrickson, 1986). Bower, for example, characterized structure broadly as the context within which decisions are made, and observed that â€Å"structure may motivate or impede strategic activity† (1970, p. 67). This view is also supported by other researchers who contend that structure constrains, or in another set of circumstances, enables, strategic choice (Bobbitt Ford, 1980; Duncan, 1979; Hedberg, Nystrom Starbuck, 1976). To understand why it is logical for strategic action to be affected by structure, one must understand the relationship between decision making and structure (Fredrickson, 1986). March and Simon (1958) addressed this critical aspect of the relationship by suggesting that an organisation’s structure imposes boundaries of rationality that accommodate members’ cognitive limitations. By delimiting responsibilities and communication channels, structure allows organisations to achieve organisationally rational outcomes despite their cognitive limitations (Simon, 1976). Structure also allows management to control the decision making environment and facilitate the processing of information (Fredrickson, 1986). The structure-strategy relationship is well explained by Bower when he states that â€Å"when management chooses a particular organisational form, it is providing not only a framework for current operations but also the channels along which strategic information will flow † (1970, p. 287). As a result, the relationships between business strategy and organisational structure become massively complex when considered in the international context, and thus require organisations to strategically examine their fundamental behaviours in order to best align their strategy and structure, without becoming lost in the complexity. Strategic Organisational Behaviour Organisational behaviour refers to organisational members’ work-related activities (Ouchi 1977; Robbins 2002) and, according to Snell (1992), management attempts to influence organisational behaviour through the use of control systems. Control is any process that helps align employees actions with the firm’s interests (Snell 1992; Tannenbaum 1968). Control theory (Snell 1992) identifies three major categories of control mechanisms: behavioural control (e.g., establishing and monitoring of sets of actions), output control (e.g., goal attainment measures), and input control (e.g., training). When applied within an organisational context, control theory posits that management attempts to direct employee behaviour to enhance the probability of desired outcomes. As Snell notes (p. 292), â€Å"Advocates of the behavioural perspective posit that different strategies require different behaviours.† Snell also notes that this view of the link between strategy and behaviour is useful because it provides a clear explanation of why behaviour should be linked to strategy and because it posits a testable set of behaviours. As a result, strategic behaviours have the potential to create superior performance through enhancing the execution of business strategy and identifying the relevant organisational structure (Slater and Narver 1995). There are four behaviours which are all claimed to offer potential competitive advantage to firms. These are customer-oriented behaviours (Deshpandà ©, Farley, and Webster 1993), competitor-oriented behaviours (Armstrong and Collopy 1996), innovation-oriented behaviours (Hurley and Hult 1998), and internal/cost-oriented behaviours (Porter 1980). It is important to understand that these strategic behaviours are not mutually exclusive and that it is common for firms to engage in multiple sets of behaviours simultaneously (Slater and Narver 1995). Furthermore, different combinations of emphases will likely prove more or less beneficial for firms that adopt different business strategies. Customer-Oriented Behaviours Firms with a strong customer orientation pursue competitive advantage by placing the highest priority on the creation and maintenance of customer value. As such, these firms engage in the organisation wide development of and responsiveness to information about the expressed and unexpressed needs of both current and potential customers (Deshpandà ©, Farley, and Webster 1993). Because of the constantly refined market-sensing and customer-relating capabilities of the customer-oriented firm, it should develop strategies and a structure to anticipate customer need evolution and to respond through the development of new customer value-focused capabilities and the addition of valuable products and services (Day 1994). Competitor-Oriented Behaviours A different perspective on competitive advantage is simply to beat the competition (Day 1994). This orientation places a priority on the in-depth assessment of a set of targeted competitors, focusing on targeted competitors goals, strategies, offerings, resources, and capabilities (Porter 1980) and on the organisation wide dissemination of the information generated from this assessment. The result is that managers develop competitor-oriented objectives rather than economic or customer-oriented objectives (Armstrong and Collopy 1996). The behavioural goal of the firm is to match, if not exceed, competitors strengths, both in strategy and structure. Innovation-Oriented Behaviours Another perspective is that firms build and renew competitive advantage through radical or discontinuous innovations. An innovation orientation indicates that the firm not only is open to new ideas but also proactively pursues these ideas (Hurley and Hult 1998) in both its technical and administrative domains An innovation orientation encourages risk taking and enhances the likelihood of developing radically new products. March (1991) argues that firms must be aware of the possibility that an innovation orientation may not allow for the follow-through that is necessary to reap the benefits of earlier innovations fully, unless their strategy and structure are aligned with both the generation and utilisation of innovation. Internal/Cost-Oriented Behaviours Porter (1980) argues that there are two basic sources of competitive advantage. The first is the differentiation advantage that a firm derives from the customer-, competitor-, or innovation-oriented behaviours. The second is the cost advantage that a firm derives from internal orientation and structure, with internally oriented firms pursuing efficiency in all parts of their value chain (Porter 1985). They attempt to reduce costs in primary activities, such as logistics, operations, and sales and marketing, and also attempt to reduce costs in support activities, such as procurement, research and development, and administrative functions. These firms pursue operational excellence, through their strategy and structure, that they can translate into higher sales through lower prices or higher margins. Whereas experimentation is the hallmark of firms with an innovation orientation, exploitation is the hallmark of internally oriented firms (March 1991). Conclusion International business has produced some incredibly competitive and complicated markets, with numerous potential problems for organisations, but also numerous opportunities for firms that can best adapt to their marketplace. However, such is the level of complexity in these markets, that firms who try to engineer specific, rigid strategies and structures will likely find themselves left behind by the latest shift in the market or technology. As a result, firms competing in international markets would be best advised to focus on the organisational behaviour, or behaviours, that best match their capabilities, and let these behaviours drive their strategy and structure to provide the most sustainable competitive advantage possible. Unfortunately, there is currently a paucity of available academic evidence on the most relevant behaviours for firms to best secure competitive advantage under the myriad market conditions, and this should be a key area for future research, as it may soon bec ome a strategic issue of significant importance. Equally, organisational behaviour as a field of study is vastly complex, with ongoing debates between theorists around organistic versus mechanistic structures, the role of teams, and the best styles of leadership needed in an organisation. In particular, organisational behaviour tends to suggest that organistic structures will be required in uncertain, rapidly changing markets, however mechanistic structures will be required in markets where the pace of technological developments is slower (Burns and Stalker, 1961). Thus, more research is needed into the consequences of an organisation in a relatively fast moving market making strategic organisational behaviour choices which would be better facilitated by a more hierarchical, mechanistic structure. Similar research would be recommended into the roles of leaders, and teams within organisations, in implementing and driving these behaviours forward. However, regardless of the need for further research, it is clear that firms can no longer merely define a strategy, focus strongly on it, and expect their strategic focus to guarantee success. Likewise, in the international business world, firms should no longer focus on having a well defined structure, regardless of whether it is organistic or mechanistic. Instead, a key recommendation of the strategic organisational behaviour approach is that firms should concentrate on best aligning themselves to the most appropriate behaviour for their industry. In manufacturing, this is likely to be more internal, or cost oriented, in technology it will tend to be primarily innovation oriented and in professional services a strong customer, or client, orientation would be best. However, it is vital that firms do not neglect the other behaviours: those that are not their primary focus, as these remain important, and can help maintain a balance approach to strategy and structure, offering sustained competitive advantage in international markets. References Armstrong, J. S. and Collopy, F. (1996) Competitor Orientation: Effects of Objectives and Information on Managerial Decisions and Profitability. Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 33, May Issue, p. 188. Bobbitt, H. R. and Ford, J.D. (1980) Decision maker choice as a determinant of organisation structure. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 5, p. 13. Bourgeois, L. J. and Astley, W. G. (1979) A strategic model of organisational conduct and performance. International Studies of Management and Organisation, Vol. 6, Issue 3, p. 40. Bower, J. L. (1970) Managing the resource allocation process. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Burgelman, R. A. (1983) A model of the interaction of strategic behaviour, corporate con-text, and the concept of strategy. Academy of Management Review, Vol. 8: p. 61. Burns, T. and Stalker, G (1961) The Management of Innovation. London: Tavi-stock. Chandler, A. D. (1962) Strategy and structure: Chapters in the history of the American industrial enterprise. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Deshpandà ©, R. Farley, J. and Webster Jr. F. E. (1993) Corporate Culture, Customer Orientation, and Innovativeness in Japanese Firms: A Quadrad Analysis. Journal of Marketing , Vol. 57, January Issue, p. 23. Day, G. S. (1994) The Capabilities of Market-Driven Organisations. Journal of Marketing, Vol. 58, October Issue, p. 37. Duncan, R. (1979) What is the right structure? Decision tree analysis provides the answer. Organisation Dynamics, Vol. 7, p. 59. Finley, P. (2000) Strategic Management. Prentice Hall. Fouraker, L. E. and Stopford, J. M. (1968) Organisation structure and the multi-national strategy. Administrative Science Quarterly; Vol. 13, p. 47. Fredrickson, J. W. (1986) The strategic decision process and the organisational structure. Academy of Management Review; Vol. 11, Issue 2, p. 280. Fry, L. W. and Slocum, J. W. (1984) Technology structure, and workgroup effectiveness: A test of a contingency model. Academy of Management Journal; Vol. 27, p. 221. Fry, L. W. (1982) Technology-structure research: Three critical issues. Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 25, p. 532. Hage, J. and Aiken, M. (1969) Routing technology, social structure and organisational goals. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 14, p. 368. Hall, R. H. (1977) Organisations: Structures and processes. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice- Hall. Hedberg, B. L. T. Nystrom, P.C. and Starbuck, W. (1976) Camping on seesaws: Prescriptions for a self-designing organisation. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 21, p. 41. Hurley, R. F. and Hult, G. T. M. (1998) Innovation, Market Orientation, and Organisational Learning: An Integration and Empirical Examination. Journal of Marketing; Vol. 62, July Issue, p. 42. March, J. G. (1991) Exploration and Exploitation in Organisational Learning. Organisation Science, Vol. 2, Issue 1, p. 71. March, J. G. and Simon, H. A. (1958) Organisations. New York, NY: Wiley. Miles, R. E. and Snow, C. C. (1978) Organisational, Strategy, Structure, and Process. New York: McGraw-Hill. Mintzberg, H. (1981) Organisation Design: Fashion or Fit? Harvard Business Review, Vol. 59, Issue 1, p. 103. Mintzberg, H. (1979) The structuring of organisations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Ouchi, W. G. (1977) The Relationship Between Organisational Structure and Organisational Control. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 20, Issue 1, p. 95. Parente, R. (2003) Strategic modularization in the Brazilian automobile industry: An empirical analysis of its antecedents and performance implications. Doctoral Dissertation, Temple University, August 2003. Parente, R. and Kotabe, M. (2003) Strategic modularization, evolution of sourcing strategies, and performance implications. Proceedings Academy of International Business; Monterey, CA. Porter, M. E. (1980) Competitive Strategy. New York: The Free Press. Prahalad, C. K. and Doz, Y. L. (1987) The multinational mission. New York, NY: Free Press. Robbins, S. P. (2002), Organisational Behavior, 10th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Rumelt, R. P. (1974) Strategy, structure and economic performance. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Simon, H. A. (1976) Administrative behaviour (third edition). New York, NY: Free Press. Slater, S. and Narver, J. (1993) Product-Market Strategy and Performance: An Analysis of the Miles and Snow Strategy Types European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 27, Issue 10, p. 33. Slater, S. and Olson, E. M. (2000) Strategy Type and Performance: The Influence of Sales Force Management Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 21, Issue 8, p. 813. Snell, S. (1992) Control Theory in Strategic Human Resource Management: The Mediating Effect of Administrative Information. Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 35, Issue 2, p. 292. Tannenbaum, A. S. (1968) Control in Organisations. New York: McGraw-Hill. Walker, O. C. and Ruekert, R. W. (1987) Marketing’s Role in the Implementation of Business Strategies: A Critical Review and Conceptual Framework. Journal of Marketing, Vol. 51, July Issue, p. 15. Varadarajan, P. R. and Clark, T. (1994) Delineating the Scope of Corporate, Business, and Marketing Strategy Journal of Business Research, Vol. 31, Issue 2, p. 93. Vorhies, D. W. and Morgan, N. A. (2003) A Configuration Theory Assessment of Marketing Organisation Fit with Business Strategy and Its Relationship with Market Performance Journal of Marketing, Vol. 67, January Issue, p. 100. Yip, G. S. (2003) Total Global Strategy II. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prentice Hall.

Impressionistic Painting and Music Essay

Looking at the painting of the great Impressionist painter Claude Monet entitled Impression: Soleil Levant and listening to Claude Debussy’s Claire De Lune produces a potent mixture of tranquillity of the senses. This is because the eyes see a very relaxing image in Monet’s Impressions Soleil Levant; while the ears find a very relaxing tune while listening to Claire De Lune. Both works of art possess certain characteristics that made both of them an ideal tool for making the person feel relaxed, tranquil and steady. For Monet, this is found in his style, as well as his use of color. Monet was not afraid to mix warm colors (like red, yellow and hues of orange-red) with cool colors (particularly blue and shades of white) (Web Museum, 2006). What makes it all the more relaxing as an image as a whole is the fact that the combination of these colors created an image combining land, sea and sky. The image of a tranquil and peaceful sea with very little moving ways detected by the eye only through the reflection of the light in it is often a very relaxing image. The colors used to create the image improved the feeling. Debussy, for his part, utilized the power of slow tempo and the use of a solo piano in effectively evoking the hearts of the listener via his melodic (even dramatic) piece Clair De Lune (Last. fm, 2009). The shared similarities of the two may include the presence of something constant that do not break away from a pattern: Debussy played Claire De Lune in a consistent tempo, never going any faster or any slower in any time during the piece. If there were any noticeable breaks from patterns, it was not a break in tempo or speed of the musical piece as it was being played. In this piece it is noticeable how Debussy often resorted to using pauses in between the playing of the slow tempo and the slow rhythm of the music; while the image made by Monet creates an image of a still water; the boat seemed to lay still somewhere in the middle; while everything else – the sky, the waters, the land in the background, all seemed unmoving, as if frozen in time or captured by a moment of peace and stillness of the soul. Debussy’s and Monet’s work are also similar in the sense that they are neither happy nor sad. Some paintings, as well as musical pieces, instantly evoke extreme or polar emotions which the artist/composer might be looking for as effect or result, either displaying happiness or sadness. But in Impressions: Soleil Levant and Claire De Lune, the feeling is somewhere between happiness and sadness. Another similarity is the absence of textual cues to guide the audience/viewer/listener regarding what he or she should feel upon being exposed to the works of art. In Monet’s work, there are no images or no parts of the painting that indicate anything. There are no aspects that contain text which may trigger emotions that the painter may or may have not consciously placed in the painting. It is no secret that some paintings use textual components to assist the viewer/audience in reaching the specific emotion or reaction towards the work of art. But it is not present in Monet’s work, giving the audience a freer hand with regards to reacting without the intrusion of visual textual cues. This is the same case for Claire De Lune. While most (if not all) of the classical music pieces are focused mainly on featuring sounds coming from one or several musical instruments, still, the absence of accompanying lyrics or voice over to the musical piece allows the audience to react to the music on his/her own, in a personal way and not influenced by text or words heard during while listening to the musical piece. An abrasive, scandalous or powerful word found in Monet’s work and a scream, shrill, or powerful utterances of vocal sounds placed inside Claire De Lune, no doubt, has the power to alter the impression that it can make compared to its original state. The beauty of these two works of art is that both relies purely on letting the audience be affected in his or her own personal way through the use of the basics of their own forms: color and image for Monet’s Impressions: Soleil Levant; and the a solo piano performance and pure musical instrument audio for Claire De Lune of Claude Debussy.

SWOT Analysis - Case Study - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1716 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Marketing Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Case study Summary of case The studied company was Company X that located in Latvia. It was a subsidiary company of Company P that conducted its business in 27 countries, hired 11, 800 people and supplied metal-based components, systems and integrated systems to the construction and engineering industries. Company X was a middle-size manufacturing and construction company which set up in 1995. It had about 110 employees and classified as top five construction firms in Latviaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s construction industry according to its operating income. It implicated in few types of projects lately, the projects were housing and hi-tech buildings, infrastructure and mass transmit projects both in Latvia and aboard. Company X attempted to enhance project progress tracking and resource management in multi-project environment. In the past, different business functions of Company X such as accounting, production, marketing and purchasing used different informatio n systems. The old system used by the company had it own ways to gather and kept information according to needs. Short of functional integration causes difficulties in transmission of message and collaboration between different business functions is problem of the old system. Prefabrication and construction processes were work processes of Company X. The two processes operate concurrently. If production factory did not supply building materials on schedule, company need to bear cost of delay at construction perspective. However, if the materials produce too early or when they not needed then company need to bare cost to store the excess materials such as warehousing. Operation of the materials of Company X became complicated and influenced progress of others projects in a multi-project environment since prefabrication process and construction processes must be complement to each other. Company X began a two months assessment and research to find out was there possibility to pr esent and apply an ERP system in year 2007. A project group was formed by the company in order to handle ERP implementationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s matters. Manager from IT department became project manager of the group. Besides, the group also involved three personnel from production, accounting and sales departments and one outsourcing vendor. When the system assessed by the company, employees kept received latest information about the system and they encouraged to give feedback on the new system. Eventually, the chosen system was iScala as other representatives at other countries use this system. A central ERP manufacturing group was established after Company X decide to use the system. The group consists of four department representatives from the company, three external IT consultants and two IT consultants from parent company. Individuals that elected for the group were people from specific department who were familiar and understand regarding ERP systems. Besides, they had atte nded and participated in professional activities with respect to such system. They also participated in the assessment discussion. (Tambovcevs, 2012) Strength Company X able to determine staffs who talent in Information Technology (IT) and who can easily adapt to new technology system of company. Staffs are most important and valuable assets (Duncan, 2013). Every company needs manpower to operate and conduct business process smoothly. Staffs are people who contribute and help company to achieve organizational objectives and gain profit. After staffs of Company X learn and adapt new system and technology it increases core competencies and distinctive competencies of company. Core competencies are competitive advantages for company which not easily imitate by competitors (Core Competencies Working Definition, 2010). Distinctive competencies are a companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s special ability to create and send value to consumers which help to differentiate your company from comp etitors and ensure your success will be continuing in long-run (Distinctive Competence or Nothing, n.d.). Resource-Based View (RBV) is method to analyze and identify strategic advantages of a firm based on combination of assets, skills, capabilities and intangible assets such as brand name, reputation and technology knowledge. Each company hired staffs with different level of skills, capabilities, knowledge, behavior and attitudes so each company have different and special group of human resources, which will bring different level of achievement. (Pearce Robinson, 2013) As Company X let staffs go through training to learn the new system, it indirectly increase IT knowledge of them which will increase satisfaction of staffs because some staffs like to learn new things and gain new experiences. Besides, operation process that using new system will go smoothly as staffs always practice how to use the system. Weakness Implement new ERP system in Company X may cause conflict between ERP consultant and staffs of the company. The consultants think the system is a way to solve companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s problem but staffs feel old system is very convenient for them because functions of the old system are what the company needed (Molla, Loukis, Licker, 2005). So, the staffs consider the new ERP system of Company X is more difficult to use so they unwilling to learn use the system. It increase implementation period of the system as well as increase cost of implementation of company. In addition, if the staffs still not willing to use new system, it will reduce sales, efficiency of companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s work process and company performance. (Molla, Loukis, Licker, 2005) If a company wants to successfully implement ERP system, it needs to find out the main factor that causes the implementation to be fail. (Gattiker and Goodhue, 2005). According to Bobek and Sternad (2010), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ERP trainingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  affect acceptance of end user for ERP system. If staffs willing participate formal and informal training, they are more skilled to use ERP system (Bobek Sternad, 2010). Acceptance of end user for new ERP system is most important factor to determine whether the system is successfully implement in company. (Seymour, Makanya BerrangÃÆ' ©, 2007) Opportunity During a company implement a new ERP system, it will change job description and skills require by company. In addition, certain new position may generate whereas certain position will be remove by the company. (Danford, 2010) Company X can implement a talent management program when it implements ERP system. The talent management program assists company to guide staffs throughout the process of implement ERP system. It train and develop staffs to adjust and get ready themselves to new positions and roles after implementation of the new system. (Danford, 2010) By implement talent management program, Company X able to determine talented staffs, staf fs with unique skills and skills need for a new position. Apart from that, Company X can set up new compensation or reward plan for staffs that learn how to use the new system. Staffs always want their contribution will be rewarded by company. Reward is driving force for staffs to give their best contribution to company (4 Ways to Reward, n.d.). As staffs satisfy with company they would not leave and betray the company (Martins, n.d.). After Company X implements new ERP system, job requirement of company will change. The change is due to Company X want to hire right candidates for right position which enable Company X to save cost of hire wrong candidates. Threat Younger generation such as Generation Y (Gen Y) have high turnover rate which is 70 percent of Gen Yà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s staffs quit their first job within two years of joining a company. (Expericnce.com) They decide to leave a company may not due to money but other reasons such as they feel employer do not trust them, they do not feel like a part of a group or team, they want immediate feedback from superior about their work, they like to use technology products and have flexible time to work. (Maffin, n.d.) After Company X let Gen Y staffs go through training, they know how the new system operate. Then, if they decide to leave Company X due to not satisfy with the company or have better promotion from competitors. It may cause a great loss to the company in terms of human resource and knowledge that they learn from Company X. Staffs who leave Company X and work for competitors may disclose what system use by Company X and how the system runs to competitors. Company X will not have competitive advantages to compete with competitors in market. So Company X need and try to satisfy the staffs especially Gen Yà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s staffs in order to compete with competitors. (Dantes, Hasibuan, 2011) Recommendation Company X should capture opportunity, overcome threat and strengthen its we akness to have higher achievement. Company X needs to reduce conflict between ERP consultants and staffs by involve senior executives in process of implementation the new system. Trust is willingness of a person to take risk and do favor for another person or party (Mayer Davis, 1999). Trust of employees towards senior executives is a key element to decide success of failure of a company and welfare of employees (Shaw, 1997). According to many studies, employees trust senior executives in the company and willing to change their attitudes that desire by the executives (Albrecht, 2002). The executives are role model for employees (Improving Talent Management Outcomes, 2007). As senior executive of Company X also learn and use the new ERP system, the staffs will follow their actions because the staffs trust them and perceive they are right. Company X need to ensure it has good compensation plan for employees at different level in order to satisfy and motivate them to give best effo rts for company and to complete their works which will increase efficiencies and enhance performance of the company. Generation Y have been identified as to be highly educated and they willing to accept challenges. Company need to provide promised reward to them if they really achieve a target or goal. If they do not receive the rewards, they will felt not valued by organization and lowering trust between organization and employees (Fernandez, 2009) which may cause them to leave the company. Gen Y like non-cash rewards such as flexible work condition and flexible working time (Schawbel, 2011). They also hope company give holiday as reward after they complete their work successfully. (10 Excellent (non-monetary!) Incentives, 2013) Company X has to provide rewards that need and want by the staffs in order to increase their satisfaction towards company and organizational commitment. As staffs satisfy with Company X, they are more willing to contribute and work for the company. Th ey will give their unique opinion and best advice to increase companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s performance and profit. In addition, staffs that have high level of organizational commitment also means they are more loyal to the company (Al-Aameri, 2000). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "SWOT Analysis Case Study" essay for you Create order