3 Types of Redundancy to Avoid

3 Types of Redundancy to Avoid 3 Types of Redundancy to Avoid 3 Types of Redundancy to Avoid By Mark Nichol Redundancy in a sentence is annoying, and it is also a nuisance. Conveying information in more than one way, or by repeating wording, is consciously or subconsciously distracting to the reader and contributes to compositional clutter. Note in the discussions and revisions following each example how the sentence in question can be improved by deleting such infelicities. 1. Like Smith, Jones also owns a family-run business. When an additive word or phrase such as like or â€Å"in addition to† introduces a sentence, using also to bridge the complementary phrases is redundant: â€Å"Like Smith, Jones owns a family-run business.† 2. Many components, such as asset balance, deposit balance, and interest income, etc., should be sensitive to the change in the macroeconomic environment. Use of a phrase like â€Å"such as† or â€Å"for example† (or the corresponding abbreviation e.g.) is redundant to etc. (or â€Å"and so on†): â€Å"Many components, such as asset balance, deposit balance, and interest income, should be sensitive to the change in the macroeconomic environment.† (Or â€Å"Many components- asset balance, deposit balance, and interest income, etc.- should be sensitive to the change in the macroeconomic environment.†) Note, however, that i.e., which means â€Å"that is† (or â€Å"that is† itself), pertains to clarification and not to listing of examples, so it is not redundant to etc. 3. But the policy is not solely about consumers; it is about what the law calls a data subject. A data subject is defined as a living individual to whom personal data relates. Avoid ending one sentence and beginning the subsequent sentence with the same word or phrase, which generally occurs when a word or phrase is introduced and then immediately defined: â€Å"But the policy is not solely about consumers; it is about what the law calls a data subject, which is defined as a living individual to whom personal data relates.† 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 Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Dialogue Dos and Don'ts15 Great Word GamesHow to Address Your Elders, Your Doctor, Young Children... and Your CEO

The Fundamental Reality essays

The Fundamental Reality essays "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." Throughout time, man has taken for granted, that his reality and things that have appeared true, are real. At one point man has ventured to challenge those things asking, what is reality? What is real? What is truth or something that is true? We can first try to define reality by the following: Re-al-ity n 1:The quality or fact of being real. We then ask ourselves, what is a fact? Fact n 1: A thing that has actually happened or is really true. Well then what is truth? Truth n 1: An established fact. It appears that we are contradicted with a boundless cycle of definitions, making it difficult to obtain a legitimate definition. Therefore, I will attempt to define the fundamental reality by criticizing some ideologies and supporting others. These ideologies include some of the two most disputed and upheld theories of; Platos theory of perfect forms and Aristotles theory of substance. At the base of the tremendous philosophical contribution that Plato made to Western thought, was his theory about the "Perfect Forms". To Plato's way of thinking, the "reality" that we see directly around us is merely a shadowy reflection of a "higher reality; one found well beyond our day-to- day world. This contrast between earthly reality and ultimate or ideal reality was a very important matter to Plato and to all those who have been influenced by his thought ever since. The world around us that our senses perceive directly is an ever-changing, coming-and-going array of "particular things": The tree in our front yard, our neighbor next door, the cars going by, the beds and chairs in this house, the meal we are just about to sit down to, the yellow-orange sunset this evening, the song that we heard on the radio this morning, etc. Being thus ever-changing or "impermanent, these "particulars" are not truly real. Then what is real he thought? Nothing on earth.   B...

Revealed Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Revealed Religion - Essay Example (Gatiss2005) Judaism, Christianity and Islam are examples of revealed religions. Revelation may be direct (insertion of meaning directly into the heart of the prophet), behind a veil (as spoken to Moses), or through an agent — the angel Gabriel. In Christianity, the revelation is direct. â€Å"It is a union between the Soul of man and God to convey the mind of God to man to be revealed in the Holy Bible.† Jesus was born at the height of Roman power, when Augustus Octavian was the emperor. Judea was by then a part of the Roman Empire, which being secular, required that the Emperor be looked on as divine. Judaism is a monotheistic religion, and its followers could not accept this. Apart from this, the Rabbis were divided on the issue of interpretation of the Scripture. Some also predicted the arrival of a messiah. Not much is known of the historical figure, Jesus. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are dated around forty years after the death of Christ, and although they emphasize the events leading to Christ’s death, they also talk about the revelations by God to Christ. Christ was against the highly ritualistic practices of Judaism. He was against the accumulation of too much of wealth, stating that this came in the way of a person’s readiness to embrace the after-life. He preached the message of unconditional love — a lofty ideal indeed. After Christ, his apostles sought to spread his word.... Paul, the decline of the Roman Empire, and the abject poverty of many of its subjects was one of the factors that led to the popularity of Christianity. A religion that offered succor (everlasting life) from the daily grind, and did not subscribe to elaborate and costly practices appealed to the common man. In the latter half of the third century, Christians were persecuted, and many martyrs went willingly to their death. In 313 AD King Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which not only stopped the persecution of Christians, but encouraged the consolidation and spread of the religion, and the evolution of a distinct Christian identity. The first Ecumenical (worldwide) Council (called for by Constantine) held in Nicaea in 325 AD laid the basis for a uniform Christian dogma like the virgin birth, resurrection and the concept of the 'Trinity' (a union of the Holy Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in Godhead) By the end of the fourth century, Christianity was established as the most important religion in Rome. The Bishop of Rome gained primacy in the Catholic Church, and Latin, the local language became the language of worship. The Roman legal system also became the basis for Church canon (law). In the western part of the Empire, the Roman Catholic Church established itself, and in the eastern, the Greek Orthodox Church gained strength. By the end of the 6th Century, Christianity had established its elf as a powerful force, under the control of a powerful church. (Fiero) A monastic order evolved in Christianity. The first order was set up in Southern Italy -sometime towards the close of the fifth century - by Benedict of Nursia. The doctrines of simplicity and poverty, celibacy, and the barring of women were established. Women were barred from holding

Hume's critique of the concept of natural rights. How far do you agree Essay

Hume's critique of the concept of natural rights. How far do you agree with this critique - Essay Example However much Hume is critical of Locke's notion of what is natural, there is much incorporated in the view that could essentially be described as Lockean. Finally, this analysis will close with an analysis of literature which is critical of Hume's critique. The question will be asked as to whether or not, Hume is not essentially setting up a straw man as he criticises Locke? Is Hume doing Locke justice will be a question examined in the closing of the analysis? Finally, this analysis will close by arguing that the radical scepticism of knowing, when implied to the self demonstrates to am impossible situation. Where Locke believed that the self was substance with attributes, Hume maintained because of his scepticism that it could not be known at all. That is the logical outcome of his logic, and the closing of this paper will examine why that it is so. Whether it is Hume discussing Locke, or just Locke discussing something like private property one has to understand what Locke argued to be a natural right. Moreover, to understand what Hume understood by natuin more detail, his particular views on private property when he criticized Locke on this and a number of different areas connected to the our relationship to to the external world. One of the interesting aspects of Locke’s view on private property. ... [Locke 21]. As we shall see for Hume, this is point of criticism which is often described in terms of the distinction between what 'ought' to be versus what is? The state of nature is in practise for Locke, unstable in its essence, and this follows from his claim that humans, unless coerced, often infringe on the natural rights of others. [Locke 10] It is soon apparent in the Second Treatise, that in order that humans or a community enjoy their natural rights, and for the sake of creating stability, they must join together and form a ‘social contract’. The function or the purpose of this contract, is to form a civil society in which humans will maintain their natural rights, within a government that has been established to enforce laws for the end of protecting those rights, and in turn, to adjudicate or legislate disputes. This law of nature gives humans their natural rights, and within this, we all have a right to life and a right to some liberty, as long, however as o ur actions do not infringe upon the natural rights of others: â€Å"the state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions† [Locke 9]. Before the creation of civil society, or in the state of nature, ma has a right to amass or acquire private property only in so far he has a use for it. For example, a man has a right to as much food as his family might need, but he has no right to a surplus of food which might perhaps spoil. Thus, the way in which problems are resolved in a community of equals, is that a ruler serves the purpose or the function of providing the

Role of Clothing in Product Branding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Role of Clothing in Product Branding - Essay Example Marketing communication has been defined as a means utilised by organisations in seeking to inform, and persuade consumers about the presence of their product and brands. Undertaking marketing communication involves identification of effective communication channels, which shall be utilised to facilitate the communication. The communications channels utilised by organisations in delivering marketing communication could either be personal or non-personal. Persona communication involves the utilisation of individuals like the case of direct sales, while non-personal communication is commonly contained in different forms of media utilised in advertisements. The choice of communication channel utilised by organisations is determined by the target market. When communicating to the general public, non-personal communication channels become effective. Upon identification of a target market, personal communication is utilised to make emphasis on the message presented through non-personal com munication.The aspect of marketing communication traditionally consisted of development of printed materials, which formed marketing collateral. This approach to communications marketing has been fundamentally transformed in seeking to capture the attention of the target market. Modern marketing communication, however, seeks to capture the customer through psychological elements, like colour, which create an aspect of appeal among the customers. Marketing communication is effectively utilised in achieving strategic elements like branding.

Sony Corporation Innovation All The Way Business Essay

Sony Corporation Innovation All The Way Business Essay The report is an evaluation of the organization structure implemented by Sir Howard Stringer in October 2005. The transition of Sonys organization structure from Transnational structural to multidivisional structure has been analyzed in detail. Goold and Campbells five tests have been conducted to determine the appropriateness of Sir Howard Stringers structural choice given his desire to make Sony a more innovative and flexible organization. The risks and benefits of the structural choice has also been assessed. The report displays the cultural web of Sony before and after Sir Howards arrival. It was derived that the Reconstruction type of strategic change had been used to bring about the transformation in the organizations culture. Consequently, Sir Howard adopted the Education and Communication and the Collaboration/Participation styles of strategic change implementation. In conclusion, it can be seen that the stock share value has increased during 2005-2007 which means that Howard Stringer was doing a good job at implementing his change. Acknowledgement We thank Heriot-Watt for giving us the opportunity to enhance our learning in Strategic Project Management by means of this group assignment. We would like to give a hearty thanks to our Professors at Heriot Watt, namely Dr. M. A. Salama and Dr. Michael Clarke for their time and guidance for completing this assignment. We would like to thank the university librarian Ramakant for his cooperation in providing us the appropriate books and journals for reference. We would also like to thank our families and friends for their support through out the completion of this assignment. We could not have done this without them. PM Stars Incorporated Introduction As a part of this report let us start by introducing Sony Corporation. SONY Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game consoles, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Sony was founded on 7th May 1946. The representative corporate executive officers at Sony as of today as Howard Stringer(Chairman, CEO and President), Ryoji Chubachi (Vice Chairman) and Nobuyuki Oneda (Executive Deputy President and CFO). (Sony Global (2009) has provided the above information). Sony Corporation (commonly referred to as Sony) is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and one of the worlds largest media conglomerates with revenue exceeding  ¥ 7.730.0 trillion, or $78.88 billion U.S. (FY2008). Its name is derived from sonus, the Latin word for sound. Sony Corporation is the electronics business unit and the parent company of the Sony Group, which is engaged in business through its five operating segments-electronics, games, entertainment (motion pictures and music), financial services and other. Sonys principal business operations include Sony Corporation (Sony Electronics in the U.S.), Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Ericsson, and Sony Financial. As a semiconductor maker, Sony is among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders. The companys slogan is make.believe. (Wikipedia (2009) provided information regarding Sony Corporation). Company Strategy Vision (2005): make Sony cool again Vision (2009): make.believe When Howard Stringer joined as the CEO of Sony Global Japan he made new strategies and used those strategies to restructure the organization to be in-line with these strategies. Firstly, he looked at the core competencies of the company and focused mainly on the electronics, games and entertainment sector. He established a growth strategy saying, Our target is for the Sony Group to achieve consolidated sales of over 8 trillion yen and an operating profit margin of 5% (electronics 4%) by the end of fiscal year 2007. NewsBlaze (2005) published the company strategy from the fiscal year 2005 to 2008 as given in Appendix C of this report. The three-year revitalization plan/strategy was as follows (in brief): Restructuring the Electronics Organization Eliminated the corporate silos and bring more focus on competitive growth. Improving Sonys Profit Structure Cost Reductions Sale of Real Estate, Stock and Non-Core Assets Strengthening Sonys Current Electronics Business Focus on areas of the Electronics business by bringing profitability in television by the second half of 2006. Focusing Resources on Growth Strategy Making the HD World and Major Profit Pillar Launching of a range of high-definition products in 2006. Focusing on Intelligent Interoperable Products Developing network-enabled products and applications Strengthening Technology Development Creation of Home and Mobile Platforms Concentrating Investment on Semiconductors and Key Component Devices Next-Generation Display (OLED) Enhancing Software Development Group Convergence Strategy Pursuit of mobile entertainment Establishment of Cell Development Center Group Strategy by Individual Sector focus on: Games Entertainment Motion Pictures Music Mobile Phones Financial Services Network Services, Retail Retail Business Note: Refer to Appendix C for a detailed Company Strategy. Organizational Structure Corporate Structure of Sony Corporation From the analysis on the organizational structure that Howard Stringer was trying to implement in 2005 we can see that it was clearly a multi-divisional structure. This structure has been further worked on since 2005 and there have been slight changes to the same. Multi-Divisional structure (M-form) The multi-divisional structure is also known as the product structure where the divisional structure groups organizational function into a division. Each division works as an independent section within the company and the divisional structure contains all the necessary resources and functions within it. Each Division will have its own sales, engineering and marketing departments. (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2009). The organizational structure in 2005 that Howard Stringer was trying to implement is a hybrid structure which is as follows (Please refer to Appendix A for the assignment of each person in the division): Figure 1 Sony Organizational chart (as of Oct 2005) (Source: Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, 2008) Please refer to Appendix B for the new Organization Structure as of 1st July. From the organizational structure above it can be seen that Howard Stringer was attempting to implement the multi-divisional structure. He had assigned Ryoji Chubachi to handle the main Electronics business and Chubachi had implemented the multinational matrix structure. We will not go into details of the matrix structure but will explain it below in brief. In case of the Multinational Structure of the organization we can see that there were a few business units that were put together in order to increase their responsiveness in the market. There were five committees created across all these business units and business groups. This gave a better integration of knowledge, flexibility and the ability to analyze these units across its procurement, technology, product strategy, sales and productive business outcomes. Strategy and Organizational Structure When Howard Stringer took over the Sony Global Corporation in 2005 he gave strategies for each product in the company. The strategies are stated above in the Introduction section of this report. As per the strategies implemented we can see clearly that he had devised different strategies for each core product that Sony was providing and so he also divided the companys organizational structure the same way. Thus, we see that the company is become more flat and each division is reporting to the Headquarters. As in a multidivisional organization such as Sony, the divisions become flexible as in the sense that they are able to merge, add or close divisions. This is apparent in the fact that Sonys Mobile division merged with Ericsson to produce Sony Ericsson range of mobiles. It can also be seen that Sonys Music Entertainment division had a 50-50 joint venture with Bertelsmann Music Group naming Sonys Music division as Sony BMG Music Entertainment and in August 2008 Sony bought Bertelsmanns 50% shares and Sony renamed its Music division as Sony Music Entertainment. Ergo, it is apparent that because of Sonys multidivisional structure each division is able to work as its own company which is flexible enough to have joint-venture projects as in the case of Sony Ericsson and the company is also able to make the decision of buying over another company such as the Bertelsmann Music group. When Howard Stringer took over Sony he also closed down a chain of restaurants and other non-core business companies that Sony owned. With a multidivisional structure in place Sir Howard Stringer was able to control and oversee each division from a distance by monitoring the business performance of each division. If we look at the advantages of a multi-divisional structure we can see that because the structure is divided by product lines it allows each division to grow and specialize on their competences. We can see that each division has actually become its own company like the Sony Electronics Inc., the Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. As we will see in the redundancy test later in this report we can see that each of the companies that are based in each country have their own head offices. This means that there are many parent levels in this organization which means that many of the supporting departments such as HR and IT will be redundant but due to the large organization structure of the company Sony needs these headquarters to be set-up. Although the knowledge sharing and cooperation between the business units become very limited but Howard Stringer has tried overcoming this by placing five strategic committees across the business units which are the product, technology, production, procurement and sales. Thus standardizations and centralization has helped to reduce effort and poor coordination. Also, with Howard traveling around Sonys operations at a rate of 30,000 air miles a month (Nakamoto 2006) is building spirits and reflecting in the eyes of the employees all around Sony. Goold and Campbell Tests We will use the Goold and Campbell last 5 tests to determine the appropriateness of Howard Stringers structural choice given his desire to make Sony cool again (Clayton 2005). The Specialist Cultures Test: The Organization Structure: Specialist Culture test Figure 2 The Specialist Culture test In the Specialist Culture test we placed Sony between Good and Very Good as Sony has an Engineer-driven culture (Edwards, Lowry, Ihlwan, Hall 2005). Sony is an engineering culture (Paczkowski 2008) says Howard Stringer and they really take care of their engineers. Engineers have the freedom to think and come up with new designs. When a certain project was untaken engineers from all the different departments met in one place to finish that task. This shows that there is no organizational contamination of the specialist engineer culture test. The Difficult Links Test The Organization Structure: Difficult Links Test Figure 3 The Difficult Links Test Shared know-how Links Sony holds Knowledge-sharing sessions and several other activities company wide. They host forums to enable interactive discussion about the company news and they engage their employees in company developments and in-the-Know at all times as claimed by them on their website. Sony also provides all documents, policies, lessoned learned and all other types of documents on their intranet sites. Shared Tangible Resources Links Though with a multidivisional organization with so many parent companies the amount of duplication of work increases but after Sir Howard Stringer came into Sony he divided all core businesses by products into separate units that would report to the Corporate office and setup a corporate RD unit to reduce the duplications and also brought in standardized engineered products to help the reduction of cost. Pooled Negotiating Power Links Sonys Mobile division merged with Ericsson to produce Sony Ericsson range of mobiles. Ericsson had the latest mobile technology and Sony had the vast experience in consumer electronics and entertainment like music, pictures and games. Bringing them both together in a 50-50 joint venture gave Sony power in the market. This would help both the companies generate economies of scale. It can also be seen that Sonys Music Entertainment division had a 50-50 joint venture with Bertelsmann Music Group naming Sonys Music division as Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Financial analysts covering the merger anticipated that up to 2,000 jobs would be cut as a result, saving Sony BMG approximately $350 million annually (Wikipedia, 2009) Coordinated Strategies Links After Sir Howard took over he put together the Electronics Unit which consisted of: The Semiconductor Business unit Core component Business Unit BP Business Group Audio Business Group Digital Imaging Business group VAIO Business Group Video Business Group TV Business Group Connect Company He strategically placed all these units and groups together in order to establish Sony as a leading player. They wanted to develop a semiconductor and core components group thus they put these two relevant new business units under the Electronics Unit. With this new engineering structure Sony wanted to increase their internally sourced components, centralize their engineering functions and reduce their cost by consolidating and cutting down their manufacturing sites. Vertical Integration Links By coordinating the flow of its internally sources components and by standardizing designs through out the company Sir Howard has managed to reduce cost and enhance product development. New-Business Creation Links Vertical integration is very obvious in the Sony business as they try to enter the digital world they are buying companies and doing joint ventures to meet the specific needs of their customers and that is to bring the mobile, music, gaming and video entertainment together. Sony is in a good position to do a backward or forward integration in case it decides to do so. The structure is flexible enough to accommodate that. The links are best handled through self-managed networking among units n top management should leave this up to the unit rather than impose to-down coordination process. The Redundant Hierarchy Test: The Organization Structure: The Redundant Hierarchy Test Figure 4 The redundant Hierarchy Test The reason we have placed them between satisfactory and good is because although the company had many parent levels in the organization they were able to reduce the redundancy through standardizing they internal sourced components. Sony also standardized its designs across the different units and in its core business which was the Electronics Business they had five committees across each group which were the product, technology, production, procurement and sales. This centralization has helped to reduce effort and poor coordination. Also, with Howard traveling around Sonys operations at a rate of 30,000 air miles a month (Nakamoto 2006) he tends to increase the communication gap between the different groups and companies at Sony. The Accountability Test The Organization Structure: The Accountability Test Figure 5 The Accountability Test The reason we have placed them between good and very good is because in the multidivisional structure the overall structure of the company is flat. Thus, most of the units are directly reporting to the corporate office. This increases the responsibility and accountability of each unit heads. The Flexibility Test The Organization Structure: The Flexibility Test Figure 6 The Flexibility Test The reason we have placed them between good in the case of its flexibility is because Sonys structure after Sir Howard Stringer had made it flexible for the company like the Sony Mobile business unit to merge with Ericsson Sonys Music Entertainment division had a 50-50 joint venture with Bertelsmann Music Group. Sony also sold many of its non-core assets like the restaurant chains etc after its restructuring since it made it easy by moving these non-core business units out of the way to concentrate on the core business. The Risk and Benefits of the Multidivisional Structure As we found out through our analysis that Sony Corporation has a multidivisional structure and Goold and Campbells five tests of good general design principles helps us to see what risks and benefits that Sony Corporation faced when Howard Stringer took over. The Benefits   In Electronics group Sony placed centralized decision-making power over key areas under the Electronics CEO. This change assures coordination and focus across newly defined business groups. Exact horizontal coordination in main areas- product planning, technology, procurement, manufacturing, and sales and marketing-will allow fast and streamlined decision making across product lines. Concentration on particular business area (Games, Entertainment, Electronics, Mobile phones) Flexible (Sony Corporation can focus its resources on different business groups, which depends on market situation, add, close or merge divisions ) Specialization of competence (We can see that each division has actually become its own company like the Sony Electronics Inc., the Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.) Ability to give clear direction and make a working environment that draws out the unique talents of employees and helps them to reach their full potential Encourages general management development Ownership of strategy (As per the strategies implemented we can see clearly that he had devised different strategies for each core product that Sony was providing and so he also divided the companys organizational structure the same way) Investment in core businesses Sony divisions enable to work in tandem for their mutual advantage (to develop new-age products). The Risks Conflicts between divisions Additional cost of the center Difficulty of co-operation between business groups (due to the large organization structure of the company the knowledge sharing and cooperation between the business units become very limited but Howard Stringer has tried overcoming this by placing five strategic committees across the business units) Divisions might grow too large (as we said before each division has actually become its own company like the Sony Electronics Inc. or the Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and there is a risk of them grow too large) Power is centralized As CEO Sir Howard Stringer recalled in a 2005 New Yorker article, the engineers started to suffer from a damaging not invented here syndrome, even as rivals were introducing next-generation products such as the iPod and Xbox. As a result of their belief that outside ideas were not as good as inside ones, they missed opportunities in such areas as MP3 players and flat-screen TVs and developed unwanted products-cameras that werent compatible with the most popular forms of memory, for instance. Looking at the above risks and benefits we can see that though there were a lot of risks in the structure Sir Howard needed to make a decision and he made this decision with the help of allies in the company and he also took help from persons who were made in-charge of changing the IBM structure many years back. They were successful in doing so and since Sir Howard was declared President of Sony Global we can say that he is still in there and is still fighting and restructuring to put Sony back on to globe again. Sony is today coming up with new customer focused products rather than products that are innovative but it is not what the customer wants. The Cultural Web Before Howard Stringer Organizational culture sometimes influences the organizations strategy if taken for granted. Culture has played a role in Sonys current financial difficulties. They had power blocks which hindered the flow of communication and corporation between the management, designers, production and marketing. The Cultural Web, developed by Gerry Johnson and Kevan Scholes in 1992, provides one such approach for looking at and changing your organizations culture. Using it, you can expose cultural assumptions and practices, and set to work aligning organizational elements with one another, and with your strategy. The Cultural Web identifies six interrelated elements that help to make up what Johnson and Scholes call the paradigm the pattern or model of the work environment. By analyzing the factors in each, you can begin to see the bigger picture of your culture: what is working, what isnt working, and what needs to be changed. The six elements are: Power Structures: Sony had a culture, were long serving executives have very strong influence on the organization. At their annual general meetings all these executives take up the front seats whiles the lower ranks are relegated to the back. Many of the working seniors did not even discuss their share values and did not have the involvement in the business. Control Systems: Sony emphasized on budget plans and emergency fixes as their main control systems. Quality was not really emphasized, they believed in getting the work done with the least amount of cost. Lower level staffs were not awarded for their achievements or bonuses given at the end of the year. All these were aimed at controlling cost. Organizational Structure: They had the functional/Transnational type of organization where the CEO sits at the top and all functional heads report to him. They believe in top management taking all the decisions without the involvement of the junior level engineers. These caused lack of communication and co-operation between the various units and more of delegation to get the problem solved. Stories: Sony had gone through continuous restructuring for the past 9 years to improve their financial positions. Sony was not customer focused. They did not invest in non-core businesses and lacked new-age products even though they had very good and talented engineers. Although Sony believed in harmony of the people and the company but with all this restructuring the morale of the employees was down and this was evident when there was a comment that there is sparkle in the eyes of the employees after Howard Stringer took over. Rituals Routines: As per the Japanese culture of respect Sony had a ritual that it never fired its high rank executives even after retiring. The senior managers were made Advisor (Gunther, 2006) and each of them had their own secretary, a car and driver and they also had the authority to second-question people who were actually working at Sony. At Sony the ritual was that if an engineer came to know about a fault in the product they would let the seniors know they would just fix the problem and just do it. Thus seniors were not involved in the business Symbols: There was a symbol of seniority when the company never really retired its senior managers and also in the fact that during annual meetings the seniors would be given the preferred and best seats in the hall while the others were given uncomfortable seats to symbolize the importance that Sony gave to its senior managers. To create the harmony they want and give employees a range of different health and wellness programs. Some of those (as taken from the Sony Site) are as below: They provided On-site fitness centers On-site flu shots On-site cafeterias Wellness fairs 100% medical and dental plans Health risk assessments Gym discounts Stop Smoking programs Nutrition information Ritual Routines Respect for senior managers Work in Harmony giving employees the best working environment. Seniors never got fired. Engineers got the freedom to do what they wanted to. Engineers did not inform senior managers of faults they just fixed it. Stories Continuous restructuring Morale was down Believed in the harmony of the environment and the peoples freedom of working in that environment Symbols Senior management given big pays No one really gets retired Health related programs and discounts available. Complete Medical covered. The Paradigm Respect for Seniors Emphasis on Harmony through-out the company Health and wellness programs, discounts and medical coverage Engineer-driven Culture New innovative products Power Structure A lot of power was given to seniors in the company who were not involved in the day to day work. Less responsibility on the shoulder of the seniors managers as responsibility was not taken Control Systems Budgets Emergency Fixes Organizational Structures Transnational Branches/devolved Delegative leadership style Engineer-driven culture Figure 7- Cultural Web before Howard Stringer became CEO of Sony Global Sony Corporation mainly focused on giving the best environment to its employees especially its engineers who were the minds behind the innovations. A high level of respect was kept between the senior and junior employees in the company. Various Health and wellness programs and benefits were available for employees. Sony was an engineer-driven culture which put what the engineers thought and innovated before what the customers wanted or what the market demanded. The Cultural Web After Howard Stringer Power Structures: Howard was made the new CEO thus giving power of the company to him. He was able to make changes but very smartly Howard made Chubachi his right hand man since he was aware that he was the first non-Japanese CEO of the company. His power can be seen in the fact that Howard is now President of Sony in 2009. Control Systems: There was a more cost control in the company through reduction of employees in many of the sites. Manufacturing companies were consolidated and shut down in many areas. Rewards and bonuses based on group performance (not seniority) after Howard Stringer had taken over. Organizational Structure: With the structural changes that Howard had made to the company Sony had a flatter structure. Management was made to be more involved in each of the business units of the company. There was more responsibility given to senior and middle management. Stories: As per Chubachi, it was said that since Sir Howard had taken over there was a sparkle in the eyes of the employees. The over all morale of the company was better. After Howard came people were still not sure if they knew where they were leading to but they understood the company strategy which was to make the company cool again. People were more excited. Rituals Routines: After Howard came he dissolved the advisory board that consisted of 45 senior mangers who had a say in the company even after they had retired. Main customer who had used Sony products for a long time where now giving their inputs on the Sony products. Engineers were given more appreciations. Success was being celebrated through Award ceremonies, Christmas parties, training programs and knowledge sharing sessions. Symbols: After Howard came he dissolved the advisory board that consisted of 45 senior managers who had a say in the company even after they had retired. Each of them had a secretary, a car and driver and probably many other benefits. The gap between the senior management and the juniors was being reduced. Ritual Routines Good communications Customer involvement Appreciations Giving praise Celebration of success Stories Reduced Gap between the senior managers and juniors. People were more aware of the company strategy. Symbols Senior management who had retired where not taken care of by the company. Promotions based on group performance The Paradigm Respect for Seniors Emphasis on Harmony through-out the company Health and wellness programs, discounts and medical coverage New innovative products Power Structure Engineers given limited power Management given more responsibility along with current power. Restructuring of power in the company Control Systems Budgets Partnership agreements Financial controls Organizational Structures Multi-divisional Units based on market priority and business needs. democratic leadership style Figure 8- Cultural Web after Howard Stringer became CEO of Sony Global From the above cultural web we can see that Sony did not undergo major paradigm changes but did move from a transnational structure to a multi-divisional (Electronic department was a matrix) structure. Sir Howard Stringers Change Management Change management is also known as Change control. It is usually referred to the process by which the change of a system/process/organization is implemented in a controlled manner. If we look at the above Cultural Webs before and after Sir Howard Stringer took over Sony we can see that in order to bring the changes as per the paradigms shown above he had to adopt a Change Management program. Organizational change management processes include techniques for creating a change management strategy which is getting everybody involved in the change process. Engaging senior managers as change leaders, they become the sponsors of the change program. You also need to build awareness of the need for change (communications) getting everybody to understand why the need for change. Developing skills and knowledge to support the change (education and training), helping employees move through the period of change (coaching by managers and supervisors), and methods to sustain the change (measurement systems, rewards and reinforcement). Howard Stringer had instituted all these processes for his change management, but due to the dominance culture

Free Essays - The Grace of God :: Personal Narrative Essays

The Grace of God The Revolution Has Begun - Stop giving your authority to Christ & the Void & the Imagination- you are it, now, the God...you are needed - stop hiding yr. Light in a bushel. - Allen Ginsberg to Neal Cassady My mother was Catholic, and although she raised us as Episcopalians, I always felt that she wanted to go back to her baptismal religion. There was always a loyalty in her to her heritage. I sensed this as she explained to me her belief that everyone is born with a purpose. You need to seek out your destiny, she said. I do not agree with my mother. Destiny unfolds as you live your life. Your purpose is to follow what you care about, and in turn, what you care about will make progress. True love entails the same thought. There is no "the one" for each of us. We begin to know someone and that develops into love, and that person becomes "the one" because there is no one else who could ever be what he or she has become to you. Nothing is preset, but rather, unravels. In that sense, you create your own life, your own fate, your own God. And if you create it, you are it. Everything in your life comes from within you, even your religion. That is the only hole proof comfort to the frailties I mentioned before. Believe it if you wish. I do. Sometimes. I used to stare at my ceiling in the dead of the night and trace the edge where the walls meet with my eyes, my only fear, that the line might blur, or worse, become too sharp. What do I think of in the dead of the night? I think of God. Because darkness is upon me and I have no other protection from the horrors that lurk in my mind. I have no other protection from the edge of my walls, the extremities of my reality, becoming blade-like sharp.

Music Baritone Sax

The History of the baritone saxophone was very interesting to research giving that I have played this beautiful instrument for 4 years. Finding a little more about the history of this beautiful instrument was a very interesting time. The baritone saxophone features a low pitch. It is a single reed instrument that is made from brass and has a tapered conical bore. Despite the baritone's low pitch, its music is written in treble clef instead of bass clef. In modern music, the baritone saxophone is usually the largest sax featured in contemporary ensembles alongside its more common cousins, the alto and the tenor saxophone.The saxophone was invented in 1841 by Belgian manufacturer and instrument maker Adolphe Sax. His intent was to create a new instrument that would fill the gap between the loud woodwinds and the brass instruments. In 1844, Sax introduced his saxophone to the public during the Paris Industrial Exhibition. In February of that year, Berlioz conducted a concert that perfor med his choral work, â€Å"Chant Sacre,† which featured segments that included the new saxophone. Near the end of 1844, the saxophone enjoyed a successful orchestra debut in Georges Kastner's opera â€Å"Last King of Juda† at the Paris Conservatory.Adolphe Sax obtained his original patents in 1846 for the baritone variation of the saxophone along with thirteen of its cousins, including the tenor, bass, alto, contrabass and sopranino saxophones. The following year, the first saxophone school was opened at the Gymnase Musical, a military band school. Ten years later, Adolphe Sax wanted to share his love and knowledge of music, so he took on a professorship at the Paris Conservatory. â€Å"Also, in 1866, Sax's patents expired, leaving the way open for the Millereau Co. o obtain patents for their own variation of the saxophone that featured a forked F sharp key†. In 1881, Adolphe Sax extended his patent for the baritone sax and other variations, and made changes to the design of the instruments. In response to its growing popularity, Gus Buesher was the first person in the United States to build a saxophone in 1885. Over the next few years, the baritone and other variations underwent more design changes, â€Å"such as the addition of the right hand C trill key and the invention of the single octave key†.Adolphe Sax died in 1894, but his legacy lived on when his son, Adolphe Edouard, continued his life's work. During the 1900s, the baritone saxophone enjoyed increasing popularity, and was incorporated into Jazz bands and other musical formats. It was also used in classical compositions, but rarely for orchestral music. Notable orchestral exceptions include Richard Strauss's â€Å"Symphonia Domestica† of 1903 and Charles Ives's â€Å"Symphony no. 4,† composed from 1910 through 1916. Famous musicians who played the baritone sax include Harry Carney, Pepper Adams, Valentin Alvarez, Bruce Kapler, Lou Marini and LeRoi Moore. â⠂¬  In conclusion the Baritone Sax is a beautiful instrument that should be appreciated. Giving such a beautiful tone. By far the baritone sax is my favourite saxophone giving it shape, color, quality of tone and pitch, and allowing a player to have the control to play with dynamics. I hope you have learned alittle more about my instrument thank you.

Walmart essayEssay Writing Service

Walmart essayEssay Writing Service Walmart essay Walmart essayBased on the cases described above, how would you describe the managerial philosophy of Walmart? What principles are involved? What are the over- riding aims, values, and goals of Walmart?Walmart’s managerial philosophy is profit-oriented that means that the company puts its marketing interests prior to ethical norms and standards. The company uses utilitarian principles to reach its over-riding aims, values and goals, which lead the company toward taking the competitive advantage in the marketing using any means to reach the target end.How would you decide, in any of the cases mentioned above, whether or not Walmart had been acting in a socially responsible way? What considerations would help you to decide?The company would refuse from bribery in Mexico, if it acted in a socially responsible way. This is the only possible way because bribery violates basic social and ethical norms and misbalances the performance of the company and its social responsibility. The c ompany cannot bribe, with the one hand and provide social support with another.Does it matter to you, as a potential customer or a potential employee, whether Walmart has acted unethically? Why or why not?It does matter a lot whether Walmart acts ethically or not because the neglect of basic ethical norms is the ultimate manifestation of disrespect to a potential customer or employee. I would not buy from or work at the company that violates ethical norms.For a corporation as complex as Walmart, with some activities that can be described as unethical and some as ethical, is it ever possible to make a blanket ethical judgment about its operations?It is possible to make a blanket ethical judgment about Walmart’s operations because the company should have corporate ethical norms and standards determining the conduct of its managers and employees worldwide.How might Walmart executives defend their actions after they learned of the bribery in Mexico? Would your judgment change if bribery was a common business practice in Mexico?Walmart executives justified cases of bribery by the high level of corruption in Mexico. However, even if bribery was a common business practice in Mexico, such practices are unacceptable for the company conducting socially responsible policies.Walmart’s wages are above the legally required minimum wage, and health benefits are not legally mandated. Are there reasons for a business to take actions that are not required by law but that might reduce profits?Such actions are acceptable as long as they are within the framework of the social responsibility of the company and stand for interests of employees and local community members.Does Walmart have any responsibilities to its suppliers other than those specified in their contracts?Formally, Walmart have responsibilities determined by contracts but also the company should be able to respect ethical norms and standards.

Jet Copies Narrative Essay Example

Jet Copies Narrative Essay Example Jet Copies Narrative Essay Jet Copies Narrative Essay Essay Topic: Narrative The JET Copies assignment is similar to the Bigelow Manufacturing Company machine breakdown example in the textbook. Hence the example was used as a guide. Days to Repair Simulation Process In simulating the number of days to repair, first a table was created based on the information given in the Repair time and Probability information table as found in the case. The created table was defined as â€Å"Lookup† in the array information for VLookup function in Microsoft Excel. Next, based on the probability information provided, a Cumulative Probability column was generated by adding the probability numbers given (each with the number above it) and distributing the probability to the number of possible repair days from 1-4. For example, a . 20 probability corresponds to 2 repair days. Next, simulating the repair times, random numbers were generated in Microsoft Excel, with the VLookup function referencing the â€Å"Lookup† table; and based on the range of the random number generated returns the associated number of repair day(s). Interval Between Successive Breakdowns Simulation Process According to the continuous distribution information provided, interval between successive breakdowns is 0-6 weeks. Based on the Bigelow Manufacturing example, the formula for continuous probability function for the time between breakdowns is f(x) =x/18, 0 x 6 weeks. To simulate the interval successive breakdowns, random numbers were generated and the result multiplied by 6 and Square root. This gives the number of weeks between machine breakdowns. Cumulative Time was also generated adding the result of the generated square root and stopping just a bit above 52 weeks for the one year simulation requirement. Lost Revenue Simulation Process An actual loss number was not provided according to the case. It only gave a range from 2000-8000 copies that they expect to sell per day at 10 cents each. It also indicates using a uniform probability in the same range. Based on this, a random number was generated between 2000 and 8000. Next the random number was multiplied by number of days to repair and . 10(cost of each copy). The adding up the total gives the total loss that could be expected in a year. Putting it Together The first step is working on the breakdown interval. This means generating the random numbers for the simulation with the Cumulative Time needed to run the simulation, in this case 1 year. Next step is adding the Repair Time assumption and simulating by generating the random numbers for this portion. The next process is generating the range numbers for calculating the loss revenue for the days the copier is down. Additionally, the number of repair times is multiplied by the cost of a copy and by the random number generated. This is done for each week until it is just about 52 weeks. Answer to the Case Study The Total Revenue that would be lost according to the simulation is $14,235. 20. JET Copies should purchase a backup copier since the simulated total lost revenue exceeds their threshold of $12,000. However, because this simulation was only conducted for a year, simulation for multiple years should be conducted and an average of these results examined as was the in the Bigelow Manufacturing example to accommodate for variations. Another option to explore is for JET Copies to obtain historical from other companies that have used the same copier outside of the University.

Capital punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Capital punishment - Essay Example Those opposed to capital punishment do not believe that the government should be vested with the power to put any of its citizens to death. Opponents also maintain that the practice is racially biased, overtly costly and does not achieve the intended outcome. Historically speaking, the rational for punishing criminals has been to avenge the crime, to protect society by imprisoning the criminal, to deter that person and other potential offenders from the commission of crimes and to obtain reparations from the offender. Throughout the history of civilization, this rational has not changed substantially. The four fundamental reasons society punishes can be classified into two areas. One is to obtain desired consequences which includes protecting society, seeking compensation and deterrence. The other, retribution, or vengeance, involves punishment for a wrong perpetrated on society (Wolfgang, 1998). Those that subscribe to retribution as justification for the death penalty often invoke the Bible’s reference to ‘an eye for an eye.’ Aggression must be met with aggressive punishment (Olen & Barry, 1996: 268). â€Å"This use of punishment is society’s way of striking back at one who has disturbed the emotional and et hical senses of a people† (Lunden, 1967: 232). Interestingly, those that use the quote from the Old Testament to justify the use of the death penalty as moral either overlooked or ignored the passage in the New Testament where Jesus rebuffs this statement explicitly then reminds his followers to instead to ‘turn the other cheek.’ However, the ‘eye for an eye’ justification is still used by many today. Those that hold this view are certainly correct when they say that the death penalty insures that the criminal will not commit another crime against society. In addition to a vengeful act, the death penalty is the ultimate preventative measure (Olen &

Operations Decision Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Operations Decision - Research Paper Example The managers need to develop the skills of handling all the operational problems that arise during the course of decision making. It is important that all the environmental factors are taken into account so that the managers have all the information about the internal and external factors important for the organization’s improved performance and make effective decisions with utmost ease. In order to achieve the maximum level of operational efficiency, the managers need to make sure that they allocate the resources appropriately and utilize them in the best possible manner; the decision for resource allocation is very crucial and it is important that all the factors are properly taken into account. In case of small companies, the environment tends to be less competitive and the decisions can be made on the basis of intuition that require minimum quantitative analysis; while, in the case of large organizations that are operating in a huge market, the managers need to use both qu alitative and quantitative methods so that economical decisions are taken (Matasniemi, 2008). ... y in the case is the Operational Research method as it is the most scientific method of identifying the problems that arise in the management of operations of the business that comprise of employees, machines, material, resources along with macro environment factors such as government, defense, business and industry (Banarjee, 2012). Inline Skating Industry The company â€Å"Skating International† has its own market and currently, there are few competitors that are making foils and sails that are used by few skaters. The brand name is â€Å"Achievers† and it will be the only brand that will provide superb quality skating shoes at reasonable prices. The main aim of the company is to provide the customers with skating accessories that will help them in fulfilling their desire of having exceptional sensation towards enjoying skating. Research has shown that the companies that are manufacturing these accessories don’t use the sails that must be designed for skating; in fact, the sails are suitable for skateboards and windsurfing. Although there are many manufacturers of skates but still there is no single company that is manufacturing the skates’ accessories. The products that are being offered by the company will be Skate Sails, Blade Boots and Skate Aid. All of these products will be made from superb quality raw materials so that they are durable and the customers get their value for money. Competitor Analysis In order to survive in the dynamic environment in which changes are taking place at an accelerating rate, it is important that the companies do their environmental analysis on an ongoing basis. The skate sales have increased drastically in the last couple of years and the distribution within and outside the country has doubled as well. Although Skating