Inquiry Based Learning

buy custom Revision Plans for Previously Submitted Assignment essay

buy custom Revision Plans for Previously Submitted Assignment essay Changes to the previous assignment From the previous assignment, I justify the recommendations for business objectives, management responsibilities, funding and IT governance issues. The assignment should have addressed more issues as discussed in the following paragraphs. Current level of architectural maturity The previously submitted assignment discussed the current level of architecture maturity as business modularity architecture. To add to this, the organization works on allied-unrelated operational model that emphasizes each business containing the fundamental exertion essential to create advantage independently. Matters of common interest are acknowledged and operated among the businesses. It has developed uniform policies that span across many businesses and help synergies across them to be established. Some support is shared across the businesses (Jeanne, Peter David, 2006). Technical Economies of Scale Termed as Recommendations to address IT capabilities in the previous assignment is a very important aspect of achieving an economy of scale. To add to the recommended strategy, it is essential to emphasize the need to use modern facilities that automated production at lower costs. A challenge in this strategy is the initial costs.However, I would like to point out that the final productivity will depend on this. The Proctor and Gamble, which is a well-established long-time market player, can work out on this strategy. However, the organization must not be too fast in adopting a technology as this can cause difficulties for employees in all operations. Not all technologies are suitable for implementation in organizations, therefore meeting thorough preparations is necessary before the change can be initiated (Chris, 2008). Managerial Economies of Scale The previous assignment answered the question of who should be made responsible for certain management tasks. An improvement on this will be based on the geographical area of work and the kind of customers. The management activity in the organization should be based on the diverse needs of the customers and the employees. The organization should encourage management activity to be centred on understanding clients requirements and needs. It also should train managers on how to handle stress business environments. This decision is very important for the organization to develop and maintain comparative advantage. Risk Bearing Economies of Scale The company should embark on advancing on its risk management and introducing diversity in its products. It should as well pay attention to education and research in order too improve the quality of its product. Spreading the risk is an important approach to using economies of scale and working long-term perspectives. Commercial Economies of Scale Another approach to improve on the economy of scale lies on the purchases. The organization can work on their delivery rates to encourage more purchases from them. It can implement systems such as the just-in-time inventory management for this purpose (Jeanne, Peter David, 2006). Ordering in bulk is another approach to control raw materials purchase. The rationale for these changes is to create a platform for developing a cost effective production and a saving scheme. Global Interactions As suggested in the previous assignment, the organization should work on better communication while encouraging digitization of the firm. While considering these factors, the organization should consider the minimum economy of scale. If at some point it has too many employees, the income will be negatively affected. When the products are too many or the locations are too many, the company may lose control and be overtaken by those companies that provide alternative products. These changes are very important for the organization to achieve and use economies of scale, which is getting primary goods for lower costs and earning high revenues. Buy custom Revision Plans for Previously Submitted Assignment essay

Is Social Media Beneficial for Our Society or Not Essay

Is Social Media Beneficial for Our Society or Not - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that social media is not about the exploitation of technology but service to the community. Social media websites have captured our lives. It is not easy to imagine the times when there were no Facebook or Twitter. Almost fifteen years ago, people had to wait months just to hear from each other. However today, the scenario is totally different. Nowadays, people spend more time social networking than actually meeting them in person or doing any other activity at home. With the advent of social media integration in our lives, there is a growing concern regarding its impact on our society as a whole. Like everything else in the world, social media too have both positive and negative aspects to deal with. The biggest portion of its influence on our society is however counted more on the positive side. The world has shrunk and the possibilities to interact across boundaries have become widened. It was never so easy to communicate all around the globe within seconds. Social media has surely brought us closer to many different parts of the world, especially for those who have been doing global businesses. â€Å"By bringing together people who share interests, no matter their location or time zone, social media has the potential to transform the workplace into an environment where learning is as natural as it is powerful.†Ã‚  Among numerous social media websites available today, two names always strike our minds instantly when talking about social media interaction or integration in our society.... Proponents of websites like Facebook and Twitter, suggests that these platforms have promoted online communities to have an easy interaction with friends and family living apart. They also offer teachers, students and mentors create online assistance and distance learning which a huge benefit for our society is. It is also greatly popular in disseminating useful, important or urgent information instantly and accurately. Facebook and Twitter have also been widely used for social wellness and awareness programs. They are not only cost effective mediums of spreading the word and getting assistance, but also helped thousands and millions of people to work for the evasion from the evils of our society. Among the numerous business and marketing benefits, it has also helped tremendously in providing opportunities to empower business women (Small Business - Chron.com). Besides being highly beneficial for the business purposes, marketing, promotion, and spreading positivity to help reduce man y social stigmas, social media has definitely proven itself to be a great tool in enhancing and improving a person’s living standard and quality of lifestyle. It has enabled numerous individuals to maintain an easy, trouble free and more organized lifestyle than before. It has improved the satisfaction towards life through minimizing many threats of health issues. It has been observed on a large scale that due to the emergence and integration of social media websites into our lives, friends and family on social media now have the best way to utilize the trend impact, propagating and assisting with workout, diet controlling, and in achieving goals related to the termination of smoking or

A Comparison of Structured Analysis to Object-Oriented Analysis Research Paper

A Comparison of Structured Analysis to Object-Oriented Analysis - Research Paper Example The structured approach got accepted and started being widely used for development and system analysis. Then, a methodology was created that helped the development of applications with the object oriented languages. This approach came to be known as the object oriented analysis and design. A comparative analysis has been conducted with respect to these two methodologies, along with their basic infrastructure and techniques. The structured approach enables the analyst to split a complex project into smaller and controllable parts. This approach is based on the step-by-step execution of the phases. The start of an activity in a phase will depend on the completion of activities in the preceding phase. It is based on a top-down, hierarchal approach that produces logical and organized systems (Holon Institute of Technology, n.d.). The structured nature of the design facilitates efficient project management, resource management etc. OOAD approach follows an object oriented approach instead of a functional one that is followed in SSAD (Pefkaros, 2008). An object in OOAD is considered to be any place, person or thing that can have the following aspects related to it; Structured approach promotes the concept of clear steps from the initiation of the project till the end; these steps are conventionally planning, analysis, design and implementation. Whereas the object oriented approach does provide any such specific number of phases. There are no clear steps from analysis to design. Structured System analysis and design is process oriented whereas object oriented system and design is data-oriented. There exists a clear separation between the between the data and the processes of the system in the structured approach, while the data and the processes of the system are encapsulated into objects (Pefkaros, 2008). OOAD seems more flexible and adaptive to changes as compared to SSAD. There can be many benefits gained from

Discuss the major barriers to entry of new firms into an industry and Essay

Discuss the major barriers to entry of new firms into an industry and how these barriers can either give rise to or maintain a monopoly company - Essay Example Such firms face little or, in some cases, no competition at all. Each firm in perfect competition is a price taker. This means that changes in output by one firm do not shift the industry supply curve sufficiently to alter the price. If the whole industry makes more or less output, the supply will shift and the price will change but not if one firm increases or decreases output, this means each firm can sell all it wants at the given market price. This also indicates that marginal revenue equals price. Since each unit is sold for the same price in such a market structure, marginal revenue also tends to stay constant therefore giving us a straight horizontal line. However, a monopolist faces a downward sloping demand and is able to set either the price or the output, but not both. A profit maximizing monopolist would choose the output where marginal cost equals marginal revenue. This output will be somewhere over the price range where demand is pricing elastic and will be sold at the price consumers will pay. In most instances, the total revenue for such firms are higher than the cost hence enabling monopolies to earn abnormal profits in the short run as well as the long run. In order for a firm to maintain its monopoly power and abnormal profits there must be barriers to the entry of new firms. Barriers to entry are specifically designed to prevent potential firms from entering into a market. They provide firms a degree of market power without losing their existing market share. Barrier to entry anything that allows incumbent firms to earn supernormal profits without threat of entry (Boyes and Melvin, 220-222). The barriers that can be used to create or maintain a monopoly include: The high fixed cost or setup cost can be the toughest obstacle to tackle. The barrier here is access to capital. Only large firm will be able to fund the necessary investment. An established monopoly is likely to have developed specialized

Resource Based View Strategy Formulation

Resource Based View Strategy Formulation Resource-based view (RBV) is a tool to determine strategic resources and how it affects the performance of the firm based solely on reviewing its internal environment while the external environment remains fixed. Firms using RBV competes in terms of their resources and capabilities. The aim of this paper is to study the factors that influence firms performance. The RBV emphasizes on the firms resources as the essential elements of competitive advantage and performance. It assumes two assumptions in examining sources of competitive advantage which are that the firms are heterogeneous in terms of the resources they control and that resource heterogeneity can continue over a period as the resources used to implement their strategies are not easily portable across firms (Bridoux, F, n.d).. The RBV method of analyzing firms performance is focused that other vital factors tend to be disregarded. Resources are not valuable of themselves; instead they are valuable because they allow firms to perform activities that in return create advantages for them. The competitive value of resources can be enhanced or eliminated by changes in technology, competitor behavior, or buyer needs which an inward focus on resources will overlook (Sheehan, N Foss, N, 2007). Resource uniqueness is essential as this differentiates between the firms. However, resource uniqueness is not sufficient to achieve sustainable competitive advantage and thus the resources must also be valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable and non-substitutable. RBV suggests that business processes that exploit valuable but common resources can only be a source of competitive equality; business processes that exploit valuable and rare resources can be a source of temporary competitive advantage; and business processes that exploit valuable, rare, and costly-to-imitate resources can be a source of sustained competitive advantage (Bridoux, F, n.d). The merits and demerits of RBV as the best strategy route One of the important contributions of RBV is the ability of it to measure and identify the internal environment of the firm. The importance of using RBV as a strategy route is to be able to work the inside-out approach. This means that companies using RBV focus on their internal strengths more as it is the root of their competitiveness. Furthermore, RBV recommends that effective management of operations can create uniqueness in the firms resources. Louis Vuitton is one firm in a competitive industry which has the edge over their competitors because of their product uniqueness. Louis Vuittons expertises are their design skills and manufacturing efficiency (R. Duane Ireland, Robert E. Hoskisson, Michael A. Hitt, 2008). While they may not be able to control the external environment, Louis Vuitton can use the RBV model and analyze their position and work on their strategies. Many organizations have been faced with dilemmas on how to use their resources strategically. Organizations that fail to efficiently convert their resources and capabilities into business processes cannot expect to recognize the potential competitive advantage of these resources. The RBV has little contribution in terms of predicting firm performance because of its nature of being tautological (Truijens, O. (n.d) and its focus is too narrow. Also, as a measure which only focuses on the internal environment, the RBV cannot be taken as the best strategy route. Many firms which focus mainly on the internal environment encounter competitive disadvantages to their business. For example, when IBM, a successful company achieved its success many of their competitors entered into the market. IBMs competitors included other big names such as Hewlett Packard (HP), Dell and Compaq (McNeilly, 2000). IBM did not pay close attention to their competitors because they were focused greatly on their in ternal strengths and not those of their competitors. Some other firms which have experienced failures from the strategies are Marlborough. Marlborough took the price cut strategy too far as they did not consider their competitors possible moves. The CEO of Marlborough started a price war by reducing their prices to attract consumers and gain more market share. However, their competitors also followed in reducing their prices which resulted in Marlborough facing losses. (McNeillly, 2000). RBV is not the only factor which determines performance of the firm. In industries such as the airline industry, other external factors such as timing and marketing are also essential. Entering into the industry requires good timing and this can be influenced by the economic position and consumer choice of quality and lower price. For example, Southwest airlines which are one of the well-known low cost carriers in the United States used the niche market strategy to maintain competitive advantage from its rivals. They avoided large airports, focused mainly on short flights which are ideal for families and business people, as well as excluded seating requirement and on flight meals to reduce their cost (Anonymous, 2010). Porter also mentions the common strategy of lowering cost, and product differentiation allows firms to access its strengths. Firms achieve superior positions based on being a cost leader or earning price premiums at the activity level (Anonymous, 2010). In the cost leader method of achieving sustainable competitive advantage, the firm would sell its products either at the average price to earn profits or below the average price to gain market share. The broader market usually adopts cost leadership. Wal-Mart is a cost leader. Their strategy was to form a close relationship with their suppliers which allowed them to reduce cost when purchasing in bulk (Walden University, 2010). Differentiation is another strategy mentioned by Porter. Firms produce products that vary from others and have unique features to compete against their competitors. This uniqueness of the product also allows firms to charge higher prices for their product. However, there are a few different types of differentia tion strategies. The few common ones include differentiation based on additional features, packaging, and design and positioning (Scribd, 2011). Louis Vuitton is an example of a firm that applies differentiation through design and positioning. Exploring processes, capabilities and the ability to appropriate rent and Porters industrial analysis Porters framework discusses the role of firms in formulating appropriate competitive strategy to achieve superior economic performance, and competitive approach. Also, the source of profits is not to be found in the firm but rather in the structure of the industry, especially the nature and balance of its competitive forces (Bridoux, F, n.d). However, the assumption of any relationship between firm performance and rent generation may be inaccurate. The RBV states that performance consists of rent generation and rent appropriation and we cannot predict firm performance from rent generation only. One such example is IBM. IBM assembled the strategic capabilities that built most of the modem for the personal computer industry. Yet Intel and Microsoft were ultimately able to appropriate a lot more of the related rent (Russell W. Coff, 1999). The factors that allow resources to generate rents should be valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable and non-substitutable. This issue was addressed by identifying the conditions under which a firms resources become valuable by bringing the external environment into the resource-based view. Through nurturing the internal competencies and applying them to an appropriate external environment, a firm can develop a viable strategy. Thus, for a firms resource to become valuable, it must allow the firm to exploit opportunities or neutralize threats in the firms environment (Russo, M Fouts, P, 1986). Resources as an option or real options refer to resources which are bought in present time and are either used or kept to be used in a later period. For example, land can be bought and used right away or it can be kept for use later. Real options create strategic flexibility for firms and when used effectively they can retain or increase in value. These types of resources are very useful in indus tries that have high competitiveness and use high technology. The pharmaceutical industry is one industry where there is high competitiveness. Firms such as Johnson Johnson, and Pfizer invest hugely in research and development in order to develop large numbers of drugs which can used to treat different illnesses although most of the time these drugs fail. Due to the uncertain nature of the products, these firms have to focus widely (R. Duane Ireland, Robert E. Hoskisson, Michael A. Hitt, 2008). However, firms resources on their own accord do not contribute to competitive advantage. Thus, these resources must be combined to form capabilities which in turn develop into core competencies and are used by firms to create value. Capabilities result from combining resources. Honda uses its capabilities in product design, engineering and manufacturing. Moreover, they place a great deal of emphasis on their workforce. Honda encourages their engineers to dream. This allows their employees to discover new things which add to their knowledge. This knowledge in turn will simplify their daily work. Core competencies are the capabilities which the firm pursuits and performs well. Core competencies have a competitive edge when the firms add value and outperform their competitors. The factors of core competencies which lead to a competitive advantage are valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable and non-substitutable (R. Duane Ireland, Robert E. Hoskisson, Michael A. Hitt 2008). Conclusion In conclusion, the RBV cannot be accepted as the best strategy route due its nature of being narrowly scoped and ignorant of the external environment. This measure does not provide accurate information on the firms performance. However, in a stable industry the RBV can be considered as one of the best strategy route. A firms performance should undertake many other factors which include timing, marketing, and advancement of technology, competitor behavior as well as the needs of consumers. I disagree that RBV is the best route as external factors are also very crucial in determining the performance and rent generation of firms as other external factors must also be considered. Porters external environment analysis focuses on the external factors that affect a firms performance. Dynamic industries focus more on the external environment thus preferring to use Porters theory In order for the RBV method to be more effective and efficient; it has to be studied along together with the exter nal environment. That way, firms are aware of their resources and capabilities and can nurture the internal competencies to apply them with appropriate external environment, which will allow the firm to develop practical approaches.

5 Court Cases :: essays research papers

I. Name and Citation STATE OF FLORIDA, versus SEMINOLE TRIBE OF FLORIDA II. Key Facts In this complaint, the the Tribe was operating "electronic or electromechanical facsimiles of games of chance" and that such operations constituted class III gaming as defined by IGRA. These games were operated despite the absence of a compact between the Tribe and the State regarding the regulation of class III gaming. The State also alleged that the Tribe planned to construct a new facility on its lands in order to conduct additional class III gaming. III. The Issue Does the operation of such games without a Tribal-State compact violate both federal and state law? IV. Holding and Vote No (Opinion by Justice Stevens) V. Reasoning Congress abrogated tribal immunity from state suits that seek declaratory or injunctive relief for alleged tribal violations of IGRA; (2) the Tribe, by electing to engage in gaming under IGRA, waived its immunity from a suit to require compliance with the statutory conditions precedent to class III gaming; and (3) tribal immunity does not necessarily extend to actions seeking prospective equitable relief. Congress may abrogate a sovereign's immunity only by using statutory language that makes its intention unmistakably clear, and that ambiguities in federal laws implicating Indian rights must be resolved in the Indians' favor. The Supreme Court has made it plain that waivers of tribal sovereign immunity cannot be implied on the basis of a tribe's actions, but must be unequivocally expressed. Accordingly, we reject the State's argument that the Tribe's immunity does not necessarily extend to this action for prospective equitable relief. The district court's holding that sovereign immu nity bars the State's suit against the Tribe is affirmed. I. Name and Citation ALDEN et al. v. MAINE II. Key Facts Congress lacks power under Article I to abrogate the States' sovereign immunity in federal court, the Federal District Court dismissed a Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 suit filed by petitioners against their employer, respondent Maine. Subsequently, petitioners filed the same action in state court. Although the FLSA purports to authorize private actions against States in their own courts, the trial court dismissed the suit on the ground of sovereign immunity. III. The Issue Does the federal government have authority under Article I to abrogate a State's immunity in it's own court? IV. Holding and Vote Yes. (vote 5-4) (Opinion by Justice Kennedy) V. Reasoning The Constitution's structure and history and this Court's authoritative interpretations make clear that the States' immunity from suit is a fundamental aspect of the sovereignty they enjoyed before the Constitution's ratification and retain today except as altered by the plan of the Convention or certain constitutional Amendments.