Google Case Study Essay

Google was founded in 1999 and has been around in your everyday life ever since. Ranging from search engines to books to email, Google is somehow incorporated in your lives everyday. Originally beginning with their focus on search engines and algorithms, Google has since widened their availability of products. In 1999, when Google first came about, the company’s mission was: Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. 15 years later, this is still the mission of the company. According to the article, it will take upwards of 300 years to obtain and organize all of the world’s information. That being said, it is safe to say Google has a long way to go but are they headed in the right direction? Google, just like any other company has goals and objectives. Some of their goals include: Growth Develop and maintain the â€Å"perfect† search engine Provide innovative products early and often To organize information and make the web faster and better for everyone (These will be discussed in strategies and throughout the case analysis) Strategies Google is no different from Burger King or from LA Fitness. All companies share a same goal, regardless of the industry they are in: market share and growth. Google’s main goal is to continuously grow and dominate the market/industry and be a leader for years to come. Upon entering the market in 1999, Yahoo and AOL were some of leaders in the industry. Google immediately changed that by becoming working at becoming a player in the industry. As of 2009, Google had 65.6% share of all US searches and 90% of all international searches. Meanwhile, the closest rival (yahoo) had only  17.5%. Since the very beginning, Google came about to change search engines everywhere. They wanted to offer a faster search engine that provided more relevant results, incorporating history of search, keyword frequency, and important pages. Thus began the creation of paid listings. At the very beginning, paid listings were advertisements all around the page: top, bottom and in the margins. Additionally, cost per click (CPC) came about as well. Advertisers began to pay for clicked links by consumers to compete for position on search results pages. The higher their link was on the results page, the more likely it would be clicked. Google changed this aspect into a cost per impression, meaning if the ad is viewed and nothing clicked, then the client is still charged a fee. Google also developed a CPC rate based on actual clicks to expected clicks forecasted by Google themselves. In 2003, Google began advertising editorial content along with blogs, something that had not been done by any competitor yet. AOL ended up giving Google the rights to advertise on their website costing Google $1 billion and giving AOL $330 million advertising credit. Over the years Google has encountered many rivals and competitors ranging from Yahoo and Bing to Ebay and Amazon. These rivals came about due to the innovative products created at Google. Google purchased companies such as YouTube, DoubleClick and Channel Intelligence while coming up with products such as cloud applications, Google Docs, Gmail, Google Finance and so much more. Google was leaving their main focus of search engines and dabbled into other categories in the industry. To some, this could be seen as dangerous and deadly to the company itself. Not for Google, anything they touched turned into gold. Google Docs immediately challenged Microsoft Office while Gmail challenged any and all free email websites. Google has also come out with tablets and mobile phones of late, allowing them to compete in yet another industry. Some might ask what is so appealing about all of their products? In my personal experience, I would say the ease of use is what appeals to me. Anytime I have used a product of Google, it is so easy to use and has lots of capabilities. Some might see this ease of use as a competitive advantage. When it all comes down to it, developing the â€Å"perfect† search engine is their main focus. Google has a philosophy that says, â€Å"Do one thing really, really well.† That is why the main focus of the company is developing the perfect search engine and organizing the world’s information.  Through paid as well as free listings, Google has developed a faster and more accurate way to sort search results. This will continue to be their focus in the future and Google hopes to master the art of the search engine. Google Culture and Values During its existence, Google has proven to be loyal to a certain set of values, principles and culture. In my opinion, this can be swayed as part of their business strategy as well. As part of there culture, they make these three things consistently known: 1. â€Å"Don’t be evil† – Do not compromise the integrity of search, effective advertising without being flashy, and do not allow ads on webpages that have no relevance. At Google they have a firm set of beliefs and this is an important one. Google makes sure to do things the right way and follow their moral and ethic code. They do not take advantage of publishers, clients or the customers. Google is here to provide a service as well as products and they do so in an honest way. 2. â€Å"Technology Matters† – Technology rules everything. Developing a faster and more accurate search query could only be done so through new and advancing technology. Google developed custom hardware to decrease costs a nd improve speed. 3. â€Å"We make our own rules† – The founders at Google ran the company in a different and unconventional way. They were very secretive to outsiders, only unveiling things that they were required to and nothing more. This leads into their unconventional governance structure as well. Governance at Google was an interesting situation when it came to the IPO. They decided to offer dual class equity, giving 10 votes per share of Class B and Class A receives 1 vote per share. Assuming that majority of people will sell their shares anyways; that left the CEO Schmidt and the founders, Brin and Page, with 80% control of the vote. This allowed them to control the strategy and direction of the company. They made it very well known the direction the company was headed in and that anyone who invests is not only investing in Google, but the idea and direction that Brin, Page and Schmidt want to go in. 4. â€Å"Do one thing really, really well† – This is basically a quote that Google has and will always live by. When Google first came about, the main focus of the company was providing a better search engine than what already existed. Google created algorithms that allowed for  quicker and more relevant search results. Between these algorithms and the deals Google scored with companies, they quickly jumped into majority market share. To this day, Google still acquires companies and has deals with clients to continuously improve search quality on and day-to-day basis. Do not expect this to ever change. There are other points that Google lives by but these four are the most important and outline their every decision, their every move. Situation Analysis SWOT Strengths 1. Brand Recognition – Everyone knows and has heard of Google. People have begun to use the company’s name as not only a proper noun but also a verb, â€Å"Googled it or Googling it†. To be so popular not just in the form of a search engine, but with all the products offered, that is a huge strength. Reputation is everything. 2. Acquisitions – â€Å"If you can’t beat them, join them†. That is a popular quote heard from time to time. Google has dominated the market since entry in 1999 and lots of companies have fallen to this quote. Google acquires competitors (current and possible future) from time to time, such as YouTube, DoubleClick and Channel Intelligence. This increases their reach towards possible new target markets, increasing revenue and profit. Most importantly, it increases market share. As a company absorbs competition, one would assume their market share becomes absorbed as well. 3. Algorithms – Google created an algorithm to link pages together that deserved attention. This allowed for faster and more relevant search results leading to Google becoming a true threat to competitors. Irrelevant results always swamped and spammed customers. Google found a way to trim this down and it also became a competitive advantage. 4. Free Services – Google offered free software to optimize advertising campaigns. Google Analytics allows companies to focus spending on specific keywords that are more popular so they are more likely to lead to sales. Weaknesses 1. Variety of products – I very well could have considered this one of their strengths as well. I firmly believe when Google came about, their main focus was to improve the quality of the search engine. Since then, Google has developed a wide variety of products ranging from books, email and videos all the way to mobile phones, operating software and Google docs. Offering a myriad of products and services can cause a company to lose their main focus. 2. Legal issues – Google seems to not be bothered by their legal issues. From copyright infringement (books) to searches by trademarks, Google has faced legal issues throughout their existence. There was a class action lawsuit in which Google ended up settling for $45 million with book authors/publishers for copyright infringement. In addition to that, placing competitor ads when a company is searched did not sit well with companies such as Geico or American Airlines. It created customer confusion and led to possible loss in sales for the clients of Google. These suits were also confidentially settled. 3. International Reputation- These legal issues were not solely domestic. Litigation for companies overseas ended in a different result, with the courts siding with multiple trademark holders rather than Google. Book scanning was resolved domestically as well but the results were opposite once again overseas. It seems as though Google has a poor reputation as a result of these legal issues overseas. Opportunities 1. Mobile Devices – Google has created an Android phone that is currently competing with top market mobile devices. They also have come up with Google Glass and tablets. There are more opportunities in this industry and large room for improvement on their existing products. Apple may dominate this part of the industry but it is not farfetched to think a company like Google cannot deplete Apple’s market share. 2. Full Service Portal – Yahoo currently offers a full service portal inclusive of sports, finance, email, calendar, tasks, etc. Google already individually offers some of these products. Maybe getting into the idea of a full service portal could be their next step? 3. Improving existing products – After initial releases of products, Google can weigh the popularity and success of each product. They  will know what is failing, what interests society and what they can/should improve on. Innovation is not only creating new products but also improving existing ones. 4. Advancing Technology – Google has acquired many companies throughout their existence, which allowed them to use new and uncharted technology. There is always new technology and Google is a multibillion-dollar company allowing them the possibility of purchasing if not creating this technology themselves. Adapting to new technology allows Google to gain an advantage over others in the industry Threats 1. Replacement Advertising – Google began advertising on search pages. Since the start of web advertising, we have come a long way. Now there are mobile phone apps that include advertising as well as social media sites. This could begin to threaten the market share and revenue of Google 2. Privacy Laws – As we know, Google is no stranger to legal issues. Privacy has begun to threaten Google in many different forms. One common for was through Gmail. Advertisements were chosen based on what the email said but no one was actually looking; there was simply an algorithm in place to extract that information and process it. The search history can be accessed and people think this invades their privacy as well. Your search history is available for up to 18 months. 3. Substitution- With the variety of products offered, each one has one or more competitors. If legal issues continue to rise or prices become too high, it is possible that customers switch from Google to their competitors. The threat of substitution is high in the sense of products other than search. Some would say they do not see a difference between Yahoo, Google and Bing BUT this is not a threat because as of 2009, Google had 65.6% of all US searches. If there is no difference, then where is the threat of this number to decrease? Why would anyone switch from the current search engine that they use? Competitive Advantage and Resources Resources and competitive advantages seem to go hand in hand here at Google. A key resource is the employees. Google has approximately 48,000 employees; this calls for a wide variety of knowledge and talent. Each employee brings  something different to the table. Google stresses individualism and personal projects. If 48,000 people are striving to improve the company and create new possibilities, that would make employees a phenomenal resource. Another resource is their algorithms. As I have stated throughout this discussion, Google created algorithms to create a faster, more dependable and relevant search engine. Developing these algorithms allowed them to sustain a competitive advantage. In fact, some competitors even wanted to purchase the use of these on their engines (Yahoo and AOL)! Instead, Google went ahead and created a search engine becoming a direct competitor. Another resource, which might actually seem odd, is the founders and CEO of the company. They run Google in an unconventional way but it has really paid off. They developed a set of values and pounded this culture into all heads at Google. Technology is another resource used at Google. Technology in general is always changing and people constantly have to adapt. Google is a driver of technology and constantly brings products to the market. Google uses technology to succeed as well as incur a profit. The above resources can also be considered competitive advantages for Google. The algorithm that was created set Google apart from competitors and allowed them to enter the market. They immediately began obtaining market share and competitors could not compete with that type of search engine. Brand recognition is another competitive advantage. If people were to give me the option to use Bing, Yahoo or Google, I would hands down always use Google. Not that I can tell a difference but simply because I am accustomed to it. It is well known and developed in so many facets of the industry. Another competitive advantage that Google has is its free software. The competitors cannot afford to offer free services to clients, which gives Google a leg up on the competition. It allows Google to tap into new markets, further tap into current markets and please current clients. Data scraping abilities (which I have direct contact with) is another competitive advantage. The data scraping capabilitie s at Google are unbelievable. The resources they have here allow them to analyze every bit of data possible. This leads to better and more accurate services for clients, enhanced keywords, and an enhanced overall experience for clients. Porters 5 Forces Threat of new entrants – Some would consider this high but I think it varies depending on which segment you are discussing. In the search engine segment, I would say the threat is low but when you look at the multitude of products offered elsewhere, there is always a high threat. Costs to enter could be high in some segments while low in others. While profits are attractive and could result in new companies entering the market, Google as a dominant firm can turn these potential threats away. Threat of Substitutes – This has the same basis as threat of new entrants. Depending on the product, the threat could be high or low. Cell phones and tablets have a ton of possible substitutes out there and that can cause customers to switch brands. Varying prices of products or differences in quality can cause a high threat of substitution as well. Rivalry- High. There are rivals in every segment of Google’s business. Search engine has Yahoo as its biggest competitor but not limited to just them. There is also Bing, AOL, and other small competitors. The existence of innovation and new products keeps the rivalry intense amongst competitors in the industry. Similar products and similar goals keep the rivalry constant Bargaining power of suppliers – Low. The main suppliers of Google are engineers. Due to the number of engineers, the supplier has low bargaining power. Google has 48,000 employees and if engineers feel they can do better elsewhere, then Google will find replacements. Being such a large and successful company almost has Google on a pedestal. Who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to work for them? Bargaining power of consumers – Also varies based on what product is being discussed. When you discuss tangible products such as mobile phones or tablets, power is high. When it comes to search engines, Google Docs, Gmail, etc, power is low. Although there are other substitutes to these items listed above, the interface and software of Google sets it apart from  the rest. The threat of switching is non-existent. Critical Success Factors – these are factors that are necessary for a company to achieve its mission. For Google, the following are CSF: Speed and accuracy- The faster results can be displayed with accuracy then the more likely that people will use Google. This is how Google set themselves apart from the industry. New algorithms allowed for more relevant results at a quicker pace. Quality search results – As I stated above, the algorithm allowed for relevant results. People were being spammed by random links not relevant to what they were looking for. Innovation- Google is constantly bringing products to the market and attracting new target markets. Not only are they bringing new products to light, they are changing and improving existing products Culture – This is a CSF for Google because it sets them apart from competitors. Google stands by their beliefs and their culture 100%. They do not deter from these beliefs regardless of the situation. It allows them to think outside the box and differently than competitors Ease of use – Older generations are not completely acquainted with the use of technology and probably never will be. The ease of use could help close that gap tremendously and allow for Google to tap another market. The multitude of products, software, hardware or tangible products need to be easy to use. Even my generation has trouble with software and hardware, it is like a second language to some! Alternatives and Recommendations A few possible alternatives that Google can do are become a full access portal, increase personal time to 20% (making it a 60-20-20 system) and focus on improving existing products. Becoming a full access portal will allow Google to take some additional market share from Yahoo. Currently Yahoo offers finance, sports, mail, news, etc. all in one place. Google needs to put this into action. The pros of this are that Google already has these things but offers them separately. Google has the Gmail option, finance, news, maps, books and much more. It already has the pieces and just needs to combine them into  one place. This should not be hard with all the talented engineers on staff. Another pro is that the market share is bound to increase. Google already has many loyal customers to different segments of the market. Some might use Yahoo for things not currently offered in the same place. If Google offers sports where it has email and finance (for example), it could take away customers from Yahoo. A con is that this is a big risk. If the interface is not easy to understand or follow, people might abandon these options altogether and go directly to a competitor. Increasing personal time spent on projects to 20%, changing the culture to a 60-20-20. Currently Google encourages personal projects and stresses to work on a 70-20-10 basis. Google says they do not mind spending money now if it can lead to possible wealth over time. For this idea, there are a few cons. Employees could get caught up in their personal ideas and projects leaving the important ones assigned by managers past due. This could also be seen as free time and some might take advantage of it as a break from work in general. Another con is if 48,000 employees are working on their own projects 20% of the time, it might not be time well spent amongst everyone. Even if everyone is working diligently on a project, these projects might not pan out and that is a lot of wasted time. One of the biggest pros is high risk, h igh reward. Google is willing to take a risk after evaluating projects developed by employees. Allowing them to work on personal projects 20% of the time can create more opportunities to â€Å"hit big† for Google. Another pro is the encouragement of creativity. Personal projects call for creativity and this can then transfer over into the 60-20 time spent elsewhere. My last suggestion is to focus on existing products rather than continue to increase the amount of products they have already. Google came about and was focused on search but since then have brought multiple products to the forefront of the market. While they have been mostly successful, existing products can still be tweaked to gain maximum exposure. The main pro of this suggestion is that the kinks and problems existing could be resolved. Google could perfect already popular and existing products with the possibility of taking demand from competitors. Another pro is redirecting their focus back to the original product and the main source of revenue. Search was the first product of Google and even today it makes up the majority of the revenues (including advertising since they are hand in hand). Some cons are that they could be missing out on the next big thing. Putting all focus on existing products might have Google miss out on a hot new product that could really bring a big boom to the company. Another con is there might not be much more additional potential to focusing on existing products. They have acquired companies and competitors throughout their time and this is one way to focus on existing products. Another recommendation is pretty simple and quick to the point. Get rid of products that do not have high value to the company. The scope of the product line is wide and I do not think it is possible that all are value-adding products to Google. While some might be reaching large audiences and bringing high profits to the company, there are always some that are not doing so well. While they still might be making a profit, the workforce could be used elsewhere and that might have a higher value than the non-core product. Resources and time could be used elsewhere to perfect other products or to create new and innovative ones. The con is that while it might not be adding â€Å"value†, the product is still bringing in a profit. Google is very successful and would not have a product existing that currently has costs outweighing benefits. They are too smart for that. Giving up on a product might not be the correct decision just because it is not bringing in expected amounts of money. My recommendation would be to combine the 60-20-20 option with the focus on existing products option. While the 60-20-20 idea can cause a lack of focus, intertwining it with the existing products idea allows that focus to still be there. Employees can incorporate work on existing products in that additional 10% of time as well. Allowing companies to work privately on anything could prove to be a bad idea but pairing it with existing products will benefit the company. Imagine 48,000 employees focusing on existing products. The sky is the limit and Google can really blow competitors out of the water. I decided the full service portal is not a good suggestion. The risk of it not being easy to access and maneuver around does not outweigh the benefits. Customers already use a variety of products regardless if they are all in one location. If putting theses product in one place backfires due to difficulty of use, customers may go to Yahoo and begin using their portal. Google already has a sense of customer loyalty so  why try and change something that is working. Implementation The recommendation at hand here is to increase personal time to 20%, making the culture at Google 60-20-20 while maintaining focus on existing products. To begin this recommendation, Google should select a percentage of employees to test this out. Of 48,000 employees, they cannot have everyone working on personal projects right off the bat. It might lead to laziness and lack of effort across the board. Google should select maybe 5% of the workforce and allow them to allocate additional time towards personal projects. Google can then compare it to prior months focus on core business and see if they still maintained focus. If this was successful, then little by little introduce the workforce to this new concept. Another part of this implementation would be to have different shifts. Everyone cannot work on personal projects at the same time. Setting aside different shifts for the personal time could prove pivotal to the success of this idea. Google likes the idea of these creative concepts and have used them before. Gmail is an example of the â€Å"personal project† and now that has flourished into a leading email in the industry. Google has no problem investing in long shots and extending to 20% would do just that. Another part of the recommendation was to put focus on existing products and tweak or perfect them. To begin implementation, analysts at Google need to perform an industry analysis and provide some data on the competitors that exist with similar products. Google needs to have numbers and data comparisons so that they know how their products are doing in comparison to possible substitutes. After analyzing the industry, Google would send out customer surveys. All customers are in a database and have their emails, addresses, phone numbers, etc. on file. Google will find a way to reach the customer, send them a short survey on what they like, what they don’t like, what needs improvement and other beneficial questions. To figure out what needs improvement, you MUST talk to the users of the product. Upon finding out what is liked, what needs fixing, Google must assign a task force to tackle the job. This can now be intertwined with the 60-20-20 change stated above. While it may be a core business task, the idea of how to fix a problem or tweak a product can  be completed during the 20% personal time. Once the task force has been assigned, the product will be evaluated by everyone on the task force. They will be encouraged to give blunt honest opinions on the product as well. These employees are more knowledgeable than the everyday user so they might have different ideas that could be acknowledged as well. Once the survey period has ended for both customers and employees, brainstorming must begin. Individualism is encouraged but working in teams can help brainstorming run more smoothly. Ideas will be bounced around and once they can settle on what needs to be done, the â€Å"how† part takes place. Strategies on changing, marketing, and promoting the new product need to be derived and approved by managers. Once the strategies are derived, products will begin to go through the makeover process. Throughout this makeover process, Google will begin marketing and promoting the changes that are coming. The public will become aware, arousing curiosity as to what Google did to make this amazing product even better. This will lead to some hype and Google, like usual, will please the customers and the public. Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. They have been doing this since 1999 and have a long way to go. Focusing on existing products by fine-tuning them will help change the world forever. Allowing new and great ideas to develop internally and then possibly taking a risk is what makes Google great. Google is an innovative company, changing many segments of many industries ever since Day 1. Just as the article says, everyone fears Google†¦as they should.

Implement Marketing Strategies and Tactics Essay

Briefing stakeholders- Persons involved directly or indirectly with the organisation or project. BBQfun will be the leading outdoor-lifestyle retailer, catering to the growing need for furnishing new and renovated dwellings in the greater Brisbane area. Board of directors- BBQfun’s board of directors need to approve the plan, customers specific needs, prepare a report of high population in Greater Brisbane area, new homes and renovated homes growing from a base of 50,000 per year, low employment. Human resources staff-Human resources staff may need to adjustment demographic factors like – * Male and female population * Age segment that makes up 50% of the Brisbane new and renovated house markets, according to the chamber of commerce * High percentage of young professionals who work in the central Business district. * An average household income of over $130,000. Services marketing- Marketing based on relationship and value. BBQfun will position as a broad assortment, quality, unique outdoor –lifestyle retailer. Brisbane customers appreciate high quality and uniqueness will recognise the value and unique offerings of BBQfun. Manager- BBQfun’s manager looking for security in purchasing and house proud factor in outdoor lifestyle purchasing. Marketing and non-marketing personnel- The success of any marketing activities is equally shared between both external and internal customers group. BBQfun’s basic market need is for quality, fashionable and unique outdoor –lifestyle items that caters to the house- proud needs of our market. The success of the marketing plan of BBQfun’s many aspects are responsible for this like- advertising personnel, manager, public relations personnel, sales manager, sales team, staff, and supervisors. Objectives of the plan- * Increase sales from $15 millon per year to $20 million per year in the next three years. * Increase our loyalty customers list from 10,000 to 16,000. * Establish brand recognition in Brisbane so that at least two in three people recognise our brand in a random survey taken in 12 months’ time. * Continue increase gross profit margins. Roles and responsibilities-BBQfun’s responsibility is to provide customers with the most extensive assortment of quality outdoor-lifestyle products available in the market. Second, easy to manage long term repayment plans make unique, imported and high quality outdoor-lifestyle affordable to all. Performance measures- it is very important to know the performance measures of the BBQfun’s. There are four main steps for measuring – Customers- BBQfun’s excellent staff that is highly skilled and knowledgeable about outdoor lifestyles. High customer loyalty among repeat customers.BBQfun’s great retail space that is bright, functional and efficient. Customers can see the quality of the product as it is displayed in the store. Financial-BBQfun’s advertising budget is set at $250,000 for the year. Continue to finance the easy manage long term repayment. The imported products make up 33% of the assortment. Internal business process- BBQfun wants their products and service meet customer needs so BBQfun try to new dwelling population, shopping patterns requiring easy access and customer car parking counts. Learning and growth-BBQfun has created an outdoor- lifestyle range of retail products that are differentied and superior to competitors. BBQfun provide 3 year guarantee is unique in the market place. BBQfun want to grow their business in the commercial, suburban neighbourhood or urban retail district. BBQfun‘s will do direct mail and local advertising. BBQfun has 15-20 full time staff, plus casuals. Marketing strategies and the resources-A marketing strategy is the foundation of a marketing plan; it integrates an organisation’s marketing objectives, goals, policies and actions.BBQfun’s 3 types of marketing strategies- Defensive strategies- BBQfun’s mission is to provide customers with the most extensive assortment of quality products available in the market. BBQfun continue to finance the easy manage long term repayment plan for customers. Developing strategies-BBQfun’s developing strategy is increase sales from $15 million per year to $20 million pe r year in the next 3 years, increase loyalty customers list from 10,000 to 16,000. Attacking strategies- BBQfun’s customers are mostly aged between 20 to 50, making up 50% of the new and renovated dwelling market. Outdoor lifestyle stores have been very successful in stand alone, extensive car park access, close to new housing estates being established. By offering a superior service in range and uniqueness, BBQfun will excel relative to the competition and achieve goals. Resources -Elements that are utilised to assist the process like- human, information and communication technology, financial and physical. * Human resources relates to the people. BBQfun’s marketing plan and strategy related to the people because this is a outdoor lifestyle retailer company. BBQfun’s customers are male and female and high percentage of young professionals. * Financial- BBQfun’s advertising budget is $250,000 for the year. BBQfun will try to get articles about BBQfun into the BrisNews magazine. BrisNews magazine has seen a dramatic increase of sales immediately after the article was published. * ICT – For advertising purpose BBQfun is using local letter box, radio, and magazines. BBQfun‘s will do direct mail and local advertising, with coupon inserts in the BrisNews magazine likely to be the most successful of the campaigns. Communication and team building strategies- Effective communication is essential in any workplace and is essential for building or improving business and work relationships. Team building strategies are also essential in effectively running an organisation or team. BBQfun’s objective is to create customer awareness regarding their services offered, develop that customer base, and work toward building customer loyalty and referrals. The message of BBQfun is easy access outdoor-lifestyle products in Brisbane. This message will be communicated through a variety of methods like- direct mail. BBQfun will also use ads and inserts in Brizzy magazine. The 5Cs of effective team building are- Clear expectations-If we want to implement successful team building strategy then clear expectation is very important. In a team every person knows the role they are expected to play as well as the roles of other team members. Each and every member of the team needs to understand how and where they fit in the organisational structure. Channels of communication- Team building strategy cannot achieve without open channels of communication. It involves everyone like directors, managers, team leaders and team members. It helps to create working atmosphere and encourage to employees to discuss the problems amongst themselves. Conflict resolution-When a group of people working together then differences emerge into the open. By communication they try to solve the differences. If they can’t resolve their problems without assistance then implement mediation with an impartial third party and organise a workshop on this subject. Consequences- Make sure each team member feels responsible and accountable for team achievements. Understand the individual contribution and give them appreciation if they are doing well. In this way it encourages them for individual creativity. Celebrating achievements as a team- Every employee or team member plays an important role in the success or failure of an organisation. So need to celebrate achievements as a team. Marketing mix- BBQfun’s marketing mix is comprised of these following approaches to pricing, distribution, advertising and promotion and customer service. Strategies for monitoring marketing activities- The marketing plan require the monitoring of all marketing activities in order to analyse their performance. Implementation strategies for effective and accurate monitoring processes need to be considered and implemented. BBQfun’s each aspect of marketing plan should be monitored and evaluate. These aspects are important to achieve goal- Timeline, Resource, Costs, sales, contacts made relationship. BBQfun‘s single objective to position BBQ as the premier outdoor –lifestyle store in the greater Brisbane area within 5 years. BBQfun wants to create customer awareness regarding their service and work toward building customer loyalty and referrals. The direct mail campaign will be away to communicate directly with the consumer in this way BBQfun create a good relationship with customers. It is envisaged that new products will be developed on a regular basis in line with changes in customer taste which is targeted at every 12 months. By getting feedback from these firms then changes is possible in the product. Feedback, decision making process of customers is very important aspect for the development of the product. Local business owners are often part of an informal fraternal organisation where they support each other’s business. BBQfun recently become a member of the outdoor Lifestyle Association. BBQfun’s marketing manager is responsible for marketing activities and has the authority and responsibilities over all company activities that affect customer’s satisfaction. .

Saving Private Ryan Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Saving Private Ryan - Movie Review Example To create this point of view, Spielberg had to show us shots of Captain Miller looking at something and then shows us how the captain reacts to what the captain witnesses. This subjective point of view, not only appears during the first epic battle scene but also in other battle scenes throughout the film. There is another remarkable battle scene later in the film where the soldiers encounter German troops in the bombed-out remains of a French town. Spielberg is keen to show the viewer that men who fight in the war put their life on the line for others, not for heroism, but because it is their duty to do so. He clarifies this point by using Captain Miller’s point of view. Miller is a delightful, soft-spoken individual that experiences the horrifying violence of the battle scene as he sees other soldiers lose their lives. As the leader of his group, Captain Miller lets us in on the importance of winning the war and at the same time shows the viewer on his determination to complete his mission of saving Ryan’s life so that he can go back home.  One controlling motif in the film is the use of noise and silence. This motif is clearly brough t out especially since Spielberg uses Captain Miller’s point of view. There are moments of blasting noise around the soldiers, especially during the battle scenes. In these moments, the soldiers have to carry on regardless of the fact that they cannot even hear themselves or their captain. During the battle, there are also moments when Miller is oblivious to all that is happening around him and even though he can see everything clearly, it seems like everything around him is on mute. This happens during the first battle scene on the beach where a soldier tries to ask him for orders, and he snaps out of the silence back to the noise.  

Offer and acceptance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Offer and acceptance - Essay Example Any person who feels that the partner has failed to honor a promise can always seek a legal compensation for the breach. For a contract to occur, there must be other preludes that come in the first place, a contract can only be construed following successful offer advanced by the offeror to the offeree and the offeree responds by agreeing with the terms set by the offeror. The offers made by the offeror to the offeree in most cases are time bound and without communication from the offeree within the specified time, the offeror may consider the offer not considered by the intended person (Elliott, and Frances, 1999). The other important factor in contracts is the mode of communication, if it is determined by the offeror to the offeree, then he/she is bound to use the same means of communication when accepting the offer. If the stated means is not used, then the offeree may not claim breach of contract by the offeror incase there is no response. To understand the formation of a contrac t in commercial law, it is important that we understand into details the components of what makes a contract enforceable legally. In this reference, we are going to look into details what constitutes an offer and acceptance in the formation of a contract, the distinguishing factor between an offer and invitation to treat with reference to presence or absence of an offer to warrant acceptance communication. Offer It is normally made by the offeror to the offeree, it stipulates the terms of the contract and in this sense, the recipient who is the offeree should examine all the factors relating to the terms of the offer and make a judgment to accept or not (Emerson, 2004). Once the offerer has made the acceptance, the contract becomes legally binding. This states that any breach of the terms from the either parties can be determined in the court of law for compensation. Offer can be made orally, faxed, emailed, or written and sometimes the offeror may insist on specific means of commun ication to be used by the offeror when making return communication. This must be adhered to and in the case of non-compliance and the offeree uses another means, contract is said not to have occurred (Emerson, 2004). Invitation to treat is sometimes confused for offer; it simply denotes the willingness of an individual to negotiate a contract with an interested party. Circumstances under which invitation to treat are considered includes, auctions, exhibitions, window displays, and advertisements (Keenan, Denis, and Sarah, 2007). They do not form part of a contract since they are not considered as offer. After the communication of an offer to the intended recipient, the offeree is expected to internalize the offer before making acceptance. The offer should be accepted by the offeree as it reads and any alteration on the offer will be considered counter attack on the offer and kills the spirit of the offer in culminating into a contract. If the offeree considers any change of the term s as communicated by the offeror, they should make up for an add which along with the unaltered initial offer should be communicated to the offeror for consideration (Keenan, Denis, and Sarah, 2007). It is important to note that the communication of the offer can be revoked before the offeree makes the acceptance. This communication will have to be addressed to the offeree individually

Material Appropriate to Pathophysiology Term Paper

Material Appropriate to Pathophysiology - Term Paper Example As stated before, pathophysiology necessitates the use of knowledge of basic physiology and anatomy, and it based on the loss or change in the normal functioning and structure of the body. Majority of the disorders affecting a certain organ or system display common symptoms and signs that are directly related to the organ’s normal function and structure (Dyer and Gould 2). Shock Shock is a common term used to define the state of poor perfusion of oxygen-rich blood into the tissues. The poor perfusion happens if one of the three major elements of circulatory system are compromised, that is, the capability of the heart to pump blood into circulation, the vascular system integrity, and the volume of blood in the circulatory system. A chain of events will start if the condition is not treated, and it may be fatal. The three elements mentioned can be affected resulting in impaired delivery of oxygen-rich blood and a decrease in blood pressure (Myers, Neighbors, and Tannehill-Jones 92). Shock is classified into four classes, which include hypovolemic shock, cardiogenic shock, vasogenic shock, and septic shock. Hypovolemic shock is as a result of loss of plasma or loss of blood from the circulating blood. In patients with burns, the inflammatory reaction results into edema with shift of protein and fluid from blood into the neighboring tissues, and constant loss from burn wound region because of skin loss. Peritonitis causes hypovolemia when inflammation and infection in the peritoneal membrane lead to fluid shift from the blood into a different compartment. Dehydration can minimize circulating blood pressure and blood volume. Cardiogenic shock is linked with cardiac impairments such as arrhythmias or left ventricle acute infarction. Obstructive shock (a subcategory of cardiogenic shock) is caused by pulmonary embolus or cardiac tamponade that blocks or obstructs blood flow through the heart (Dyer and Gould 317). Vasogenic shock (or distributive shock) causes c an be classified in a variety of ways such as vasogenic (neurogenic) shock and anaphylactic shock. Neurogenic shock develops from fear, drugs, pain, or the loss of SNS (sympathetic nervous system) stimuli resulting from spinal cord injury. This type of shock can also be caused by metabolic dysfunction like insulin shock, severe acidosis, and hypoglycemia. Anaphylactic shock develops from rapid general vasolidation because of the large amounts of histamine released in severe allergic reactions. Septic shock can occur in individuals with severe infections, especially infections with gram-negative endotoxins, such as Pseudomonas, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli (Dyer and Gould 317). Shock state is defined as a syndrome instigated by acute systemic hypoperfusion that result in vital organ dysfunction and tissue hypoxia. All types of shocks are characterized by insufficient perfusion to fulfill the tissues’ metabolic demands. End organs do not get adequate blood flow, therefore, initiating cellular hypoxia, and eventual organ damage. This phenomenon is well defined by the multisystem organ dysfunction syndrome. Organs of vital importance include the kidneys, heart, and the brain. A decrease in higher cortical function shows diminished perfusion of the brain. This leads to changed mental status, which ranges from agitation and confusion to flaccid coma. The heart plays a significant role in circulating shock. Cardiac dysfunction is worsened by depressed coronary perfusion and global perfusion.

The New Supervisor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The New Supervisor - Essay Example In case there is a technical problem, he should be in position to understand the problem and work out solutions. The new supervisor must guard against complacency, improper use of time, getting bogged under rules and procedures, and overstress (McNamara, Carter, 2009). In addition, he must possess a robust personality. This means he must possess a distinct attitude that radiates quality, quantity and safety in the work place. It is a measure of confidence that he has in himself and those working under him have in him. He must be able to effectively take charge and carry his team with him to meet targets successfully and regularly. This function may be routine. But sometimes there may be problems. Problems in quality, problem with a particular staff or worker, an accident, and these may require careful handling. The supervisor must be mentally alert to these and other problems that could arise and deal with them effectively. Establishing discipline is the primary responsibility of the new supervisor. This is the first fundamental in the style of the supervisor's operation. However, discipline must not be made a rigid, impersonal taskmaster. Discipline is a factor that has the entire team work for results in a time bound manner. The second fundamental is respect. The supervisor must earn and retain the respect of his entire team. ... Discipline is a factor that has the entire team work for results in a time bound manner. The second fundamental is respect. The supervisor must earn and retain the respect of his entire team. There will be plenty of opportunities to earn respect and the chief tool is attitude. The supervisor's attitude is being watched by his subordinates as well as the higher ups. There is tremendous merit in the strategy of waiting. However, it is not a waiting doing nothing. The supervisor must be master at the art of delegating. Delegation is the third fundamental of supervision. This shows how well the supervisor is acquainted with his team. Delegation involves not only assigning tasks but also quality time spent by the supervisor with each member of his team so that he gets to understand their unique abilities. Motivating is the fourth and final fundamental of the supervisor's style of operation. The speed and efficiency of the team depends on their thoroughness and ability to foreclose deals. A motivated team has its supervisor to thank for. Depending on the attitude and abilities of the supervisor the team scale dizzying heights or perform below par. Dealing with Special Situations Handling a team is not always an easy job. There are various problems to face and overcome. The supervisor must master the art of staying positive in difficult situations. Difficult situations do not always come from external sources. They can happen from within. A team member may hold grudges and this may be cause for the team to perform below its standards. There may be discord among two team members. The supervisor may not be in a position to handle all discords. But he can certainly handle the ones that come in the way of the team's goals. There are challenges in working with other

Managing Communication in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing Communication in Business - Essay Example This scenario strengthens the need for effective cross-cultural communication, which would bring synergy among the workers towards the achievement of common goals (Montana & Charnoy 2008). This paper attempts to understand the process of communication as affected by cultural differences, and how the barriers of communication can be tackled in order for the organizational goals to be achieved as planned. The concept of cross-cultural communication is actually nothing new, as stated by LeBaron (2003) in a study, where it is concluded that communication process is basically cultural, considering the ways that each person has learned to speak and to give nonverbal messages, each carrying the essential factors of context, individual personality, and mood that interacts with a variety of internalized cultural influences affecting the various choices in life. This concept is summarized by Edward T. Hall, a known expert of cross-cultural communication, in this statement: â€Å"Culture is communication and communication is culture† (Hall, 1959, p. 186). In an environment of multicultural diversity, it is quite a challenge to ensure proper understanding and smooth communication processes between and among the people who have to work together towards the achievement of common goals. LeBaron (2003) further explains that despite all the good intentions of communicators, miscommunication is always likely to happen, especially at instances where there are significant cultural differences between the communicators. According to Rogers, Hart and Mike (2002), cross-cultural or intercultural communication is an intricate web of several factors affecting each other, but mainly based on cultural differences or idiosyncrasies, thus the eventual serious study of it by communication experts in the late 1960s. Significant aspect of this field of study is the examination of

Continental Philosophys Search for Balance Essay

Continental Philosophys Search for Balance - Essay Example "Such absolutizing, he charged, lent itself to generalizations of broad critical scope with respect to the idealistic procedure of hypostatizing the Idea and brought about (as allegorical derivatives from it) certain concrete political and social determinations, such as family, classes, and the state powers...In Marx's view," Hegel's dialectic "was mystifying and alienated inasmuch as Hegel did nothing but sanction, by a method inverted with respect to real relationships, the alienation of all the concrete historical and human determinations" (Rossi). Existentialism with "Soren Kierkegaard in the first half of the 19th century. He was critical of Hegel's philosophical system which analyzed Being (or existence) in an abstract and impersonal way. Kierkegaard was concerned with the individual's subjective experience of what it is to exist as a human being. For Kierkegaard the individual constantly has to choose what s/he is to become without recourse to the findings of science and philosophy" (Jones). Existentialism would eventually come to its most potent expression in the writings of the Frenchman Jean-Paul Sartre.... ..Politically Sartre claimed he was a Marxist and thought that freedom had both political and individual dimensions." Sartre, who in contrast to Kierkegaard was an atheist, coined the Existentialist credo, "Existence precedes essence". "What Sartre meant by the phrase 'existence precedes essence' is this: If there is no cosmic designer, then there is no design or essence of human nature. Human existence or being differs from the being of objects in that human being is self-conscious. This self-consciousness also gives the human subject the opportunity to define itself. The individual creates [oneself] by making self-directed choices" (Jones). There remained echoes of Hegel to be heard within Sartre. "The first Sartrean thought which has been derived from Hegel is the view that if there is to be any Truth in man's understanding of himself, it must be a Truth which becomes. Truth is thus something which emerges." With this assertion we hear "an obvious trace both of Hegelian dialectics and the Marxist tenet of the knowability of man. The second thing in Sartre which can be traced back to Hegel is the claim that what Truth must become is a totalization. We find in Hegelian dialectics that the synthesis is a totalization of the truth found in both the thesis and the antithesis. In the same manner, we find in Sartre asserting that the Truth in man is a Truth not just about his existence but also about the situations surrounding his existence" (Decino). Twenty-first Century Continental philosophy has come to be "preoccupied with two alternative formulations" that seem to transmute the Hegelian dialectic: desire given kinetic energy as jouissance and desire given kinetic energy as power. "These two views oppose and complement each other. They form a frame within which

Taylorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Taylorism - Essay Example Taylorism is the name given to Taylor's Scientific Management or the Classical Perspective. In a statement, Taylor said that "The principal object of management should be to secure maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with maximum prosperity for the employee" [6]. This means that there should be a win-win situation for all the parties involved while no body would feel at a loss. In Taylor's view, the task of factory management was to determine the best way for the worker to do the job, to provide the proper tools and training, and to provide incentives for good performance. He broke each job down into its individual motions, analyzed these to determine which were essential, and timed the workers with a stopwatch. With unnecessary motion eliminated, the worker, following a machinelike routine, became far more productive. [5] With Taylor's radical theories of employee motivation and increased productivity, the organizations started to test them and gained favorable results. His theories began to change how organizations functioned. Before this time organizations were usually setup in homes or in formal businesses where the workspaces were open. There were no barriers to communication and ideas could flow freely among employees. Taylorism abruptly changed this feature of organizations. He proposed the concept of working in enclosed spaces so that each employee could get his or her own personal space. Also this was a way to cut down on social loafing in the organization. By this theory of 'division of labor', companies now assort work to each worker according to his skills set and capability to handle the type of work. [1] [3] According to Becker and Steele, "Taylorism has been a significant part of organizations from the early part of the century and has been polished by major American corporations for the last seventy-five years." [2] Some of the changes that are visible today in modern garment manufacturing are: [1] [3] [8] Hierarchical leadership Just like in every organization, garment manufacturing organizations also involves several chains in the organizational hierarchy. These levels include the management level who own and make high end decisions about which type of cloth, which style and how much to produce and whether to sell it locally or export it. The lower level employees actually work and oversee the mechanized production of the garments. Split locations for manufacturing and office work Generally there are a few locations where actually the garments are made and where the top

Improving Health and Wellness in Students Essay Example for Free

Improving Health and Wellness in Students Essay Rising consumerism is a problem that has a profound effect on children today.   Children and adults watch television and are inundated with commercials that urge viewers to buy the latest technological gadgets that replace outdoor activities and exercise.   As well, the latest candy, ice cream, and other unhealthy products are cast in between cartoons that capture children’s attentions and their parents are pressured to please their children and buy them material objects to satisfy them rather than engaging them in healthy activities and studying much of the time. Many parents are working and have little time to spend with their kids, sitting in front of the television together or encouraging kids to quietly play with their gadgets (play stations, computers, and others), so parents can relax may become the norm.   To make up for this lack of involvement many parents guiltily give in to children’s whims and buy them candy and unhealthy food, to save time â€Å"fast-food† replaces a healthy dinner and that much needed time at the dinner table to interact and be involved in their childrens lives. An efficient school program would not only target the youth, but their parents, as well then.   â€Å"Operation Pause the PlayStation† will be aimed at educating parents and children separately on issues involving obesity and other unhealthy behaviors.   It is probable that parents of children, who are not obese, will be less receptive and unlikely to come to these after-school classes. But, it is postulated this involvement program will be less receptive if it were labeled as a program for troubled kids.   Therefore this program will have the contingency that children will not be able to pass to the next grade level unless parents attend (this is fitting as the program should be implemented at the end of the school year before children have summer break and may be more sedentary and involved in unhealthy activities without the benefit of healthy school lunches and physical education). Therefore, parents and children should attend at least three classes that tackle these problems.   Class one should tackle the â€Å"McDonaldization of Society† and demonstrate that busy working families do not mean to do their children harm when settling for fast food, but that fast food is unhealthy and can lead to obesity and/or unhealthy learned behaviors that will follow children into adulthood. â€Å"Giving in† to children and buying them unhealthy food to fill the void that is left from lack of quality time, should also be addressed.   Most importantly, the lack of parental involvement in school activities due to rushed lifestyles should be addressed.   This class will be a sort of forum, as well, not meant to single out any parent, but an opportunity for parents facing the same kinds of strain to network with one another and see that they can be part of a healthy solution. Class two should encompass the overuse of technical gadgets (including television) that interfere with healthy activity.   Teachers of these classes that can be taken from high school level health classes and may choose films or other forms of media that deal with these issues to show that, in a sense, these parents and their families are â€Å"victims† of consumerism. Outside of class, more and more children are watching more and more TV, to the point that they are watching approximately 40,000 TV commercials annually. (The CEO of Prism Communication notes, â€Å"They aren’t children as much as what I like to call ‘evolving consumers’† (Heiner, 2006). Deconstructing these facts that lead to sedentary and possibly unhealthy behaviors in children from a larger, systemic base will, also, help parents to realize that they are not being singled out, but instead part of a consumer culture that demands this type of behavior. While the parents are involved in the first two classes, high school level physical education and health teachers should teach the children about food pyramid and what different foods do to help the body grow and be strong.   They should, also, focus on different exercise techniques that are fun and help to keep children in shape.   The two courses should help children to begin to think beyond McDonald’s and PlayStation and the children will take what they learn and teach their parents. This is what class three should be revolving around, a fun and light-hearted end to the requirement.   Here students will tech their parents what they have learned as far as healthy eating and a better overall lifestyle.   The parents will, most likely, appreciate that their children are making an effort to improve their lifestyles and will continue where the classes left off.   Additionally, there should be representatives from various summer camps and programs that are inexpensive , so that even children in poverty could attend.   The YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, and other organizations should promote what they have to offer at this time and, hopefully the summer will serve as a break from studies, but a beginning to more healthy behavior. In conclusion, problems with obesity and unhealthy behavior are systemic.   We live in a consumer culture that causes both the old and young to sometimes believe that having â€Å"things† is essential.   Hurried lifestyles, as well, from long work hours, and especially in single-parent households may lead to turning to â€Å"fast food† and a lesser interest in school activities.   Competing with friends to have the most up-to-date technology may lead to parents having pressure put on them to provide these unnecessary gadgets and relaxing may start to take the form of television watching or other technological time.   These problems are not unique to any one group, but all parents and all children are at risk.   â€Å"Operation Pause the Playstation†, should help change attitudes on this. References Heiner, R. (2006).   Social Problems: An Introduction to Critical Constructionism.   New York: Oxford University Press. Insidehighered.com.   Advanced Placement Still Ascending.   (2007). Retrieved February 18, 2007 from       http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/02/07/ap.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Leone, Peter Drakeford, William.   Alternative Education: From a Last Chance to a Proactive Mode. (1999).   Reprinted with permission of The Clearing House: Volume 3, Number 2, November/December 1999: The Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation. Published by Heldref Publications, 1319 18th St. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036-1802. Copyright 19.   Retrieved February 18, 2007 from http://www.edjj.org/Publications/pub_06_13_00_1.html. Payne, R.   (1996).   A Framework for Understanding Poverty.   p. 59.   Highlands: aha! Process, Inc.

Practical Experience And These Approaches Business Essay

Practical Experience And These Approaches Business Essay Difference between analytical/Planned and emergent approaches. We explore the differences among the concepts of Analytical and emergent strategy. Critics challenged the traditional analytical-approach impossibility of forecasting, introduces emergent approach. Strategic planning no more remains a ritual where future is assumed to remain more-or-less similar (Grant, 2003). Analytical/planned approach Planned strategy requires clearly articulated vision and associated plans, presence of formal controls to impose them, in a stable totally predictable/controllable environment (Mintzberg and Waters, 1985). We can argue the three characteristics of a planned approach as a) precise mission of the firm, articulated to its staff in an unambiguous manner, e.g. become the market-leader in the cloud-computing domain in next 5years, b) existence of a shared organisational intention among the staff at all level, e.g. meet the CMMi ML-5 or Six-sigma quality standards in all deliverables, c) these collective-intentions must be realized irrespective of any environmental [external] forces, e.g. Tata-group places quality above all other aspects, often at the expense of profit. In planned strategy, leadership, devices a plan, articulates it precisely and strives for its implementation in a surprise-free environment; external-factors are not considered for any distortion of this plan. It is non-res ponsive to external-factors e.g. newer technology, change in customer-choice, government policy change etc. Though this could be applicable to Army, but surely not in modern business-environment. Does an organisation could have a totally predictable/controllable business-environment? No, referring to Shell oil-spill in Bonga oilfield, BP Deepwater-horizon oilspill in Gulf of Mexico, the financial turmoil in US during 2010 affecting business [both financial and IT domain]. Referring to the recent incidents of Boeing-Dreamliner [787-series aircrafts] which has been grounded worldwide, short after its much hyped-release, due to major technical problems. Concluding, firms normally have almost none or little control over the environment where it operates and hence purely analytical approach is not advisable. Emergent approach Vision could provide a holistic view of firms direction, with room for adaptation, i.e. the ultimate vision could emerge during the journey itself Mintzberg and Waters (ibid). In an emergent approach feedback is welcome on past actions, opportunities and threat and thus firms vision can be re-developed considering all these factors en-route. Flexibility to external factors and adaptation to turn the threats into opportunities are pivotal in emergent approach. We can consider this as an bottom-up approach, a necessary component of the strategic planning process, as it ensures that information from all parts of the organization is included in the decision-making process (Plant, 2006). We can refer to matrix project based organisation structure (Brooks, 2009) in this context where information flows freely and decision is taken considering all inputs. Transformational leadership can nurture such an environment from where strategies could emerge, e.g. leadership [captaincy] in a football or cricket match- with the common vision [win the match] leader need to formulate strategy based on the ground-situation which is totally unpredictable and uncontrollable [e.g. an injury of a key-player, rain, wind]. Differences Identified Formal plans, precise intention, centralised leadership in a controllable and predictable environment where as emergent is adaptable to new threats/opportunities, shared beliefs, collected vision and respondent to external inputs. We can refer to Gumps success in life in the movie Forrest Gump as emergent style. For a deliberate approach become successful the business environment, must be perfectly predictable and/or under the full control of the firm Mintzberg and Waters (ibid). Analytical/planned assumes a controllable/predictive environment which is almost impossible to have in recent high-tech, turbulent, boundary-less business environment. In an emergent approach the actions need to be consistent over time Mintzberg and Waters (ibid). But these are two extremities; pragmatic approach should be in between these. The presence of feedback (Roger, 1996) and the continuous strategy-formulation via learning is two key aspects in my view of emergent approach over deliberate one. Often emergent approach is perceived by many that management is out of control; instead it establishes a feedback loop, a matrix structure which is open, flexible and a responsive learning organisation. This maturity to react to external factors makes emergent approach the advantage. But too much emergent can bring trouble on the other hand. Practical experience and these approaches I was working with a MNC-Bank in Benelux region, local government has mandated them to implement stringent security-measures to enhance its risk-exposure after the credit-crisis in 2010. Our vision was at very high-level and the threats/opportunities were unknown, as we progress down the program we take input from our environments [e.g. government regulatory bodies, Banks staff, industry best-practices] and formulate the path to implement the vision during the journey. Had we chose an analytical approach it would have failed as we did not have any hint on the external factors [what measures we need to implement, what are the external security threats, what are the significant Bank assets that needed security etc] and unpredictability of ground situation. We were challenged by both external factor [like government regulation, cyber attack] and internal factors [legacy of the departments, preparedness of the Bank staff, apprehension over possible lay-off etc] . planned approach percei ved by the staff as imposed as there is less chance for feedback and re-formulate the strategy but only strong adherence to that planned tasks, in our environment [the MNC Bank, our customer] that wont work, we needed to motivate the staff and persuade them assuring that these measures wont affect them in any way. Once this sensemaking was done, their feedback was taken, workshops arranged to brainstorm on the challenges and we collectively turned those threats into opportunity and our programme was endeared by staff and once we had a motivated workforce rest was easier. It was also for us a learning experience as the concept of emergent approach opens the possibility of strategy formation by learning process, Mintzberg and Waters (ibid). Such a learning behavior is especially important when an environment is too unstable/complex to comprehend, or too hard to predict- as was the case with the Bank, stakeholders were four vendors, mandating government-organisation, six internal-depa rtments spread across two countries and competing with each other. Emerging approach, we took helped us to enhance our understanding of the situation over-time and to respond to an evolving reality, Mintzberg and Waters (ibid). . Analysis of Benefits Pragmatic strategy-development need to combine both deliberate, and emergent approaches, Mintzberg and Waters (ibid) at first leadership need to establish a vision to direct its staff and a path to realize the same, at the same time it is highly important that strategy responds to the external factors during the journey. We can conclude that the emphasis may change from time-to-time based on situation demand but both are needed to succeed. It depends on the situation and business-domain too. An umbrella-approach, devised based on the ground-situation, which is partially deliberate and partly emergent, is the ideal to follow. Analytical/planned approach In a manufacturing unit [e.g. steel, car, aircraft] or in Banking/Insurance domain the planned/analytical approach would be successful as they operate in Bureaucratic structure (Brooks, 2009) where Standard Operating Procedures are followed religiously with little scope of innovation. So are the government firms, hospitals [to some extent] and sports organisation. Once planned people unquestionable follow the instructions and stringent control implemented to realize the pre-defined path. Monopoly business [former Nokia, Blackberry over mobile market, IBM and its mainframe, Microsoft and its windows] could be a good place for successful deliberate approach implementation because the firms have to some extent control over their environment [market] and they are not challenged aggressively by external factors [e.g. Nokia until HTC, Samsung flooded the mobile market]. In Army/Police departments could follow deliberate [planned] strategy but during the actual war-field they need to util ize the feedback loop and change tactics based on ground-situation. Emergent approach Emergent approach, which is being developed over time in collaboration with and accommodating the changing reality, it is a front-line approach, tends to solve actual issues In the modern volatile, fast-moving, boundary-less market, firms need to be more agile to obtain the competitive-edge over competitors, this makes emergent approach more pragmatic and beneficial in a slow-growth market too. We can view emergent strategy as a set of actions, or behavior, consistent over time Mintzberg and Waters (ibid). in the traditional deliberate approach idea was generated by individual [or a few leaders at the top-most rank] whereas in emergent it emerges en-route, collective ideas surely would be better than a single-one. Front-line staff and middle-managers who can spot a threat early [being close to production-line/customer] and swiftly react on that [to turn it to an opportunity] this enables the firm to withstand the threat- this is paramount in emergent approach (Moore, 2011).

Overcomming Obstacles in Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathebane :: Kaffir Boy Mark Mathebane

Overcomming Obstacles in Kaffir Boy    In the book Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathebane there are many obstacles that Mark the   protagonist has to overcome. The first of his problems was to get through school in his poor South African ghetto. The second was to achieve his goal and receive a tennis scholarship to an American college.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mark’s father is one of the major antagonist, he was opposed anything to do with Mark getting an education in a school. He was a very traditional man and he didn’t like anything that had to do with the â€Å"white man†. He thought it was nonsense to get a whiteman’s education and he wouldn’t provide the money that was necessary to get Mark through school. Mark was helped through this situation by his Mother who was the person who wanted Mark so desperately to attend school. She decided to go against Mark’s Father and send Mark to school. She then had to get a job which was illegal for her to do so because she didn’t have the required pass from the South African government. With the little money that his mother made and some money that his grandmother gave him he was   able to pay for his schooling or at least some of it. He often was without the required materials like a school uniform and books. This then resulted in Mark being beaten at school. These beatings became so intense and often that Mark thought about dropping out of school. His Mother helped him decide that he should stay in school because she knew that an education was the only way out of their life of poverty. Through the support of Mark’s Mother and grandmother Mark found success in school. He almost always was ranked in the top of his class and received scholarships to continue on in school. At the end of Mark’s schooling he receives a job offering in South Africa for him to work as a   manger of the company, he decides to accept this job for the time being because his family needed the money to send his brothers and sisters to school. Mark end up successfully making it through school and ending up being one of the top in his class.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second major conflict in the book was that Mark wanted to get a scholarship to an American college.

Henry Thoreau’s Influence on Martin Luther King Jr. Essay -- Essays Pa

Henry Thoreau’s Influence on Martin Luther King Jr. Henry David Thoreau was a great American writer, philosopher, and naturalist of the 1800’s who’s writings have influenced many famous leaders in the 20th century, as well as in his own lifetime. Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1817, where he was later educated at Harvard University. Thoreau was a transcendentalist writer, which means that he believed that intuition and the individual conscience â€Å"transcend† experience and are better guides to truth than are the senses and logical reason (Prentice Hall 1174). Thoreau is well known for writing Walden Pond, Excursions, The Maine Woods, Cape Cod, and A Yankee in Canada. In 1849 Henry David Thoreau wrote an essay called Civil Disobedience which little did he know would influence great leaders such as Mohandas Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and US civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929. He graduated college with honors and developed a talent for public speaking. A man by the name of Edgar D. Nixon saw King’s public-speaking gifts as great assets in the battle for black civil rights in Montgomery, where the bus system was about to be boycotted on account of Rosa Park’s incarceration. King slowly became a well-known civil rights leader that gave many speeches and non-violent protests. This is about the time that King studied the writings of Henry David Thoreau, especially Civil Disobedience. Throughout the history of the United States, there have been many times when citizens have felt the need to revolt against the government. Times of revolt where when Henry Thoreau was alive and during the civil rights movement of the 1950’s. The reasons for ... ...st laws performed by the government. King actually adopted Thoreau’s teachings and ideas of direct action and used them in leading the movement to end racial segregation in the United States. Henry David Thoreau was a brilliant transcendentalist writer, who not only influenced people of his time, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, but many great leaders in the past century. Civil Disobedience paved away for non-violent protests that were more effective in changing unjust laws. Martin Luther King Jr. followed many of Thoreau’s teachings and which made segregation no longer a problem in America. Two other great leaders that Thoreau influenced were Mohandas Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela. Thoreau inspired reforms and the overturning of unjust laws and customs. If it weren’t for Henry David Thoreau and Civil Disobedience, many unjust laws might have been still in effect today.

History evacuation course work Essay

The two sources are different, source B is a picture taken during the war in1939 the year in which the war had started in September. It seems to have been used as a government propaganda source. The photo is to encourage people to evacuate their children, also to get people to look at the people in the picture see the faces in the picture and look at their spirit and get them to follow the example. I have made this conclusion because the picture looks as if it has been taken from high up and at an angle looking down, also all the people are waving and they all look happy and the formation they’re walking in is pretty organized. The government wanted this because they wanted people two evacuate. Source C is a teacher being interviewed in 1988 remembering what happened the teacher tells us about the start of the journey at the train station about the mothers trying to shout to there children good bye because they wont see them for a long time. The teacher might not remember every thing because its 50 years after the event so his memory would be patchy or might only focus on just the bad points in instead of the good. This source was probably made for teaching aides or an archive because sources e and f are also dated 1988. I think that source C is the most valuable source as evidence as what happened because source b was probably set up by the government to get people to agree with them that children should be evacuated this was important to the government because they don’t want children among the casualty list also they want to keep that generation because in ww1 they lost a generation of men. Source C is someone who was their giving their opinion on the matter this is valuable because someone is recalling the truth as they saw it happening before them. The extract comes from a book called Carries war it was written in 1973 by Nina Bowden. The book is a children’s novel it has been written to entertain children. This would affect the book by changing facts and figures because she needs to make it more interesting. The context of this story is the evacuees Carrie and nick being taken back to there evacuation home by there carer Miss Evans before this scene they would have had been at the train station being issued to there cares. Miss Evans thinks that the evacuees Nick and Carrie are poor Carrie and Nick think that it’s funny and aren’t really bothered. The characters think this because the children saw evacuation as a big adventure but the adults saw the children as smelly little things. The conditions some of the children come from were terrible the houses were terraced close together and very poor quality. I think this source is not very reliable at all it is a story it is a story it is made to entertain little children problems would be that the facts may be different and could that the author doesn’t have a clue.

Madonna and the Child with Saint Peter and Saint John

The National Gallery of Art in Washington D. C. holds a wide selection of works of art from ancient times. Among these are Madonna and the Child (expressed in tempera on panel) and Madonna and the Child with Saint Peter and Saint John the Evangelist (also expressed in tempera on panel). The themes of both works are similar in that both contain an interpretation of the Virgin Mary (Madonna) and her interaction with the Christ Child. However, the differing contexts in which these are placed add further levels of meaning to each individual piece as depicted by each artist. Despite this, similarities also exist between the two paintings, and these similarities range from the use of color and lighting, to the sizes and perspectives used by the artists. Therefore, superimposed upon the differences in style, context and (to an extent) subject matter; similarities of color, lighting and perspective are to be found in these two works of art. The work Madonna and the Child was most likely painted some time between 1320 and 1330 AD. This was done in the late Byzantine Period in Italy by the artist Giotto, whose style is considered to be anticipatory of naturalism. The panel that holds this particular work represents Giotto in the later stages of his career and demonstrates the sobriety and restraint of an artist that had already spent his enthusiastic flare. Nardo (who died in his twenties), on the other hand, displays his 1360 painting in much brighter and vibrant colors that are typical of his youth and enthusiasm. While in Giotto’s work one detects the deliberate strokes of a talented artist that seeks to display the natural portrait of a woman and her baby caught in motion, in Nardo one also sees the talent, but with a less naturalistic tint. Nardo represents a return to the more traditional portrait-like paintings where subjects appeared poised specifically to be captured in the medium. Therefore, whereas in Giotto’s painting, the hands of the mother and child are caught in the act of brushing by her chest, Nardo’s painting depicts mother and child in absence of motion. Furthermore, Nardo’s painting includes the apostles on the side in adoration of these persons as saints, while Giotto represents them more on the side of human persons spontaneously experiencing life in solitude. The colors and lighting techniques used by these two artists offer themselves up for scrutiny. Contrast and conceptualization are used to a large extent in both the Giotto and the Nardo paintings. Giotto uses a method of alternating between gold and black to emphasize the importance of the Madonna. A conceptual interpretation of the colors might also demonstrate that the Madonna is herself covered by a black shroud of humanity, though her gold-tinted skin demonstrates the worth of the person within the shroud. The colors used for the Christ child corroborate this and elevate Him in relation to his mother, as he is given no dark-colored garment to attenuate the golden nature represented in the color of his body. In a similar fashion, the Nardo depiction of the Madonna, Peter and John features a stark black background that has the effect of focusing the eyes of the viewer upon the portraits within. Yet, the pictures of Peter and John on either side of the Virgin take on less significance because of a reduction in their sizes and of the contrast between their color and that of the wall in front of which they stand. This has conceptual value in that is denotes that the Madonna and the Christ Child take more precedence than the apostles. The mother and child’s position at the center also highlights this idea. One gets several feelings when one views these two paintings in the gallery. The immensity of the subject and the beauty of the golden and reddish colors give the idea that one is in the presence of highly exalted persons. Yet, one also gets the idea that the persons being viewed (especially in the Giotto painting) are also natural and in the middle of living their lives. With Giotto, the viewer has the sense that he/she witnesses â€Å"a quite drama† in which occurs â€Å"the human interaction between a mother and a child† (National Gallery). In contrast with this, the Nardo portrait gives a more contrived picture which resembles the posing of the two for a portrait. According to interpretation by the Gallery’s art historians, â€Å"Nardo’s Virgin, despite her soft expression, appears removed from human concerns.† The Virgin is, in this picture, aware of being under the scrutiny of others: the Saints Peter and John that flank her on each side, and the artist himself for whom she poses. Works Cited Giotto. Madonna and the Child. (Tempera on Panel). Samuel H. Cress Collection. National   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gallery of Art. Washington D. C., 1320/1330. Nardo di Cione. Madonna and the Child with Saint Peter and Saint John the Evangelist. Samuel   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   H. Cress Collection. National Gallery of Art. Washington D. C., 1360. National Gallery of Art. â€Å"Byzantine Art and Painting in Italy during the 1200s and 1300s.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Madonna and the Child. (Giotto.) Samuel H. Cress Collection. National Gallery of Art. Washington D. C., 1320/1330.      

Indian Farmers Agony

Indian Farmers Agony: Brimming Rice and Half PriceDr. Arvind Kumar,Associate Professor( Economics)Govt.M.G.M.P.G.College, Itarsi Dr. Archana Sharma, Associate Professor(Zoology) Govt.M.G.M.P.G.College, Itarsi In the universe, omnivorous human breed is best among all creatures, created by Almighty. Genesis extricated from the globe because of unavailability to sate their vital need. Existence of human life extremely depends upon agriculture. Food is inevitable for human life†¦ Numerous record and vocal famines in human history, have accounted millions of millions premature deaths. Therefore, foodstuffs have ever been primary concern of humanity. Therefore, our dependence upon agriculture is of utmost importance. Golden epoch of farmers and career Agriculture; backbone of economy: Farmers is an axle, around which all agricultural and industrial activities revolve. There is higher correlation between agriculture and development —whether it be household consumption, industrial, and governmental utilization or need to earn foreign cash to import national necessities. Present scenario: Nervous farmer; of late, nobody wants farming as profession cheerfully. It is very unfortunate to know that ‘ANNADATA' (Provider of food) under arrest of serious financial stress, many farmers in India, have committed suicide owning to debt. Crime Records Bureau of India in its 2012 annual report acknowledged 13,755 farmers suicide (11.2%) of overall suicides committed in India. Although The National Mental Health Association of the USA States †No matter the race or age of the person; how rich or poor they are, it is true that most people who commit suicide have a mental or emotional disorder†. Suicide is not a matter of economics. Same inference drained by the data released by World Health Organization in 2011.whereas agrarian country ,India's suicide rate was 13 per 100000; at the same time as that of industrialized nations,were often higher or comparable, South Korea 28.5, Japan 20.1.,etc. ( HINDUSTAN TIMES April 24, 2017).†¢ All above reports seems to be partially true; only to small extent. It is practical, financial stress can fetch not only mental agony but also in various cases, emotional stress as well. Financial paucity is core cause of, numerous political- socio-economical -psychological disorders. It is just a matter of time†¦..when these theories diminish and go to a nightmare. †¢ Climate change; price – output paradox: Most of the farmers in India are marginal farmers. Government of India's annual report 2016-17 Estimated average size of holding, 1.15 hectare. Farmer's heavy reliance on weather brings uncertainty of yield. Weather plays vital role for especially marginal farmers. If typical weather is friendly, harvest is good; otherwise, almost poor output is predictable. Most suicide of farmers had reported from water- scarce states like Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh etc. †¢ Increasing input cost of production: Agriculture input cost is increasing, rather than output revenue. Management and hiring laborers and latest tools and techniques is costlier to the farmers. Apart from this, usual seeds and crop protecting insecticides and machineries to grow crop and harvesting, such as-tractors to plow, tube- wells to irrigate are nightmare for farmers. Thus, horrific scenarios worry farmers. †¢ Marketing of agricultural production: Majority of farmers are still illiterate. They are neither strong enough to fight with strong gamut of intermediaries, traders and corrupt marketing machineries nor organized to do so. Their crop in the mandis or market place sold manipulatively before their eyes and they are mere spectator. Thus, primarily twist their arm and force farmer to rush localized moneylenders for debt and fulfill their urgent need of time. Climate change plays vital role in farmers well being. Dilemmas of farmers been portrayed as†¦. Influence of population; there is very crucial correlation between agriculture and population. Condorcet and Godwin produced such works, which promised to create heaven on earth. Mercantilists as well as Physiocrate,—-Mirabeau, had always regarded numerous population advantageous . Godwin was so confident and optimistic that he proclaimed, â€Å"Government even in its best state is an evil†. He anticipated such a society in which after breaking the bonds of property, of passions and marriage would live happily on only half a day's work. Such optimism have some force, and hold true even after a long time†¦.After a rapid growth in the population over the years, there is plenty of food grain in the world, if managed , distributed, skillfully and impartially, keeping humanity above all— cast, creed and beyond geographical boundaries , to the needful of every people of the earth. Farmers have always obtained either semi- crop, due to several explicit and implicit factors. Semi- prices due to socio- economical and political reasons. He is always lagging behind in the facilities of education, health and transportation even after a long time of independence. Meanwhile tries to minimize input cost of labor, this comes at the cost of engaging whole of his family members for the sake of survival of the family, resulting uneducated, unskilled progeny. During the next cycle of division of farms among the heir of farmer's, descendants work either as manual labor or just a marginal farmer to be anxious, wait and watch, hoping government help and waivers. In Such a horrible scenario, after toiling day and night, it becomes very burdensome to earn bare- bread without butter .Coming out from the vicious cycle of poverty is not possible without welfare and sensitive government. Thus, government intervention to revive farmer's economic condition is urgent need of time and always solicited. Government efforts and intervention: Our government has ever been reacted positively on farmer's woes and wounds.Relief packages; As and when required government-provide relief packages to the needy farmers. Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, or Gujarat or any states of India all helped sometimes or any other. Debt- waiver schemes: At the time of crop failure, due to any natural calamities, such as over pouring and scanty precipitation or drought, respective state governments and Indian government or both many times waived off farmer's loan. Soil health card: For better productivity, soil health card issued to the farmers for their farms.Integrated scheme for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM) effective since 01.04.2014National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)Model Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2017Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS)Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) SUGGESTIONS: As discussed above, it is obvious that, farmers suffer a lot, from vicious cycle of climate change and price determination mechanism of input and output. If Climate favors, brings fortune in the form of good productivity and yield of crops. All together, due to weaker retaining power of their farm product; bring their bumper crops at a time in the market increase supply, resulting poor pricing; due to application of demand and supply laws of economics; connivance of intermediaries, scheming traders and bureaucracy; what is the outcome of this all-copious crop? Farmers bitter experience of unproductive farming, securing semi price for abundant crop. Half- baked price for full- baked rice. Therefore, there is an urgent need to address farmer's despair in India. Following measures may taken to embalm their miseries— 1) Rainwater should be harvest with full vim and vigor on large scale. Rainwater harvesting tools and techniques should be subsidized and easily available to the farmers.Education and advertisements, Should imparted among the citizens of India to save even single drop of water. Although, this is herculean task and need a lot of finance, yet would prove very fruitful in long run. 2) Twenty -four hours subsidized electricity for irrigation should be provided to the farmers 3) Dependence on chemical fertilizers should gradually mitigated and be substituted with organic fertilizers to sustain fertility and productivity of land. 4) Ceiling of minimum farm size norm, for cultivation should be determined. Below this farm size limit, cooperative farming should be mandatory. 5) Farmland must be saving essentially from any misuse. Every possible attempt should carry out to save agricultural land. High- rise buildings in place of independent dwellings be preferred and permitted like China, to save extra land. Agricultural land should not utilize rather saved from industrial and residential land misuses. 6) It is evident ,due to unawareness and self esteemed

Compare And Contrast Songs Essay

The two songs â€Å"Indian Reservation† by Paul Revere and The Raiders, and â€Å"Seminole Wind† by John Anderson expressed emotion, culture, and religion. â€Å"Indian Reservation† song has more of an ‘upbeat’ tempo, and the lyrics that the band sang are a personal view of a Native American or Cherokee tribe. The lyrics seemed angry as they sang about how the Cherokee tribe turned into a mess by becoming â€Å"Americans†. For example: when the song said , â€Å"and all the beads we made by hand, are nowadays made in Japan,† The song shows that the Cherokee tribe’s hard work was importantÍ ¾ but, the â€Å"American† people took over the Cherokee’s work and did not appreciate what they once created by hand. The Cherokee people are proud of what they accomplished in their way of life. The song â€Å"Seminole Wind† by John Anderson has a very country vibe to it. The song has a less ‘upbeat’ toneÍ ¾ however, the rhythm of the song flows well. The lyrics to this song have a more descriptive language to it. When John Anderson was singing, one can easily picture what he was singing about. â€Å"Seminole Wind† has many metaphors and they all have special meanings. Another metaphor is that, the song talks about having destroyed land rather than looking as if their tribe turned into ‘Americans’.

GDP †A Gross Deception

Capitalism concentrates on production of wealth more than distribution of wealth to satisfy the needs, which is secondary in their view. Therefore, the capitalist economic system has one aim, which is to increase the country's wealth as a whole, and it works to arrive at the highest possible level of production. It considers that the achievement of the highest possible level of welfare for the members of society will come as a result of increasing the national income by raising the level of production in the country, and in enabling individuals to be able to take the wealth, by being left free to work in producing and possessing it. So for capitalists the economy does not exist to satisfy the needs of every individual, rather it is focused on satisfying the needs of the wider community by raising the level of production and increasing the national income of the country. It believes that through the availability of the national income, the distribution of income among the members of society occurs, by means of freedom of possession and freedom of work. So it is left to the individuals to obtain what they can of the wealth, everyone according to what he has of its productive factors, whether all the individuals or only some individuals are satisfied. This is the so called â€Å"trickle-down effect†, a now-discredited theory of distribution which holds that the concentration of wealth in a few hands benefits the poor as the wealth necessarily â€Å"trickles down† to them, mainly through employment and as a result of investments made by the wealthy. In most cases, this policy failed, as the benefits were pocketed by a few. GNP is used widely by the capitalist nations as a measure of total production of all goods and services produced in a nation (usually annually) and central to a government’s national income accounts. GNP was introduced during World War II as a measure of wartime production capacity, since then the Gross National Product (since changed to Gross Domestic Product – GDP) has become a nation's foremost indicator of economic progress. Yet the GDP was never intended for this role. It is merely a gross tally of products and services bought and sold. However it is now widely used by policy makers, economists, international agencies and the media as the primary scorecard of a nation's economic health and well- being. Yet in this role it has many serious flaws. 1. The GDP ignores everything that happens outside the realm of monetized exchange, regardless of its importance to well-being and the society. Hence values (humanitarian, ethical, spiritual) other than material values go entirely ignored. 2. The GDP records every monetary transaction as positive, so the costs of social decay and natural disasters are tallied as an economic advance. For example the terrible effects of crime are recorded positively as adding billions of dollars to the GDP due to the need for locks and other security measures, increased police protection, property damage, and medical costs. Hurricane Andrew was a disaster for Southern Florida USA, but the GDP recorded it as a boon to the economy of well over $15 billion. 3. GDP ignores the drawbacks of living on foreign assets. Where governments have increased their spending by borrowing from abroad, this raises the GDP temporarily, but the need to repay this debt becomes a growing burden on the national economy. This downside of borrowing from abroad is not reflected in the GDP. 4. The GNP was turned into the GDP – a change that was deceptive and exploited by the Capitalist nations. Under the old measure, the Gross National Product, the earnings of a capitalist multinational firm were attributed to the country where the firm was owned and where the profits would eventually return. Under the Gross Domestic Product, however, the profits are attributed to the country where the factory is located, even though the profits won't stay there. This accounting shift has deceptively turned many struggling nations into statistical boomtowns. Statistics which are used in aiding the push for globalisation and free trade. Conveniently, it hides a basic fact: that the western Capitalist nations are walking off with the resources of poorer nations and calling it a gain for the poor. 5. Above all GDP ignores the distribution of income. In effect the GDP hides the fact that a rising tide does not lift all boats. From 1973 to 1993 in the USA, while GDP rose by over 50 percent, wages suffered a decline of almost 14 percent. Meanwhile, during the 1980s alone, the top 5 percent of households increased their real income by almost 20 percent. Yet the GDP presents this enormous gain at the top as a bounty to all. Furthermore the average number of poor people averaged more than 30 million people over the last 40 years in the US, with an average of 15% of the population being poor. In the meantime, the gross national product continued to increase drastically, over the same period. The GDP grew from $400 billions to $10 trillions from 1959 to 2000. This very large increase in the national product did not contribute to the resolution of poverty. More than 30 million people continue to be poor. Hence Capitalism superbly increases the production of products and services, and hence wealth. However this completely fails to resolve the poverty of the individuals. The number of poor people continues to grow. In reality therefore GDP as a measure of a nation’s economic well being is really a deception. It begins to explain why people feel increasingly gloomy despite official claims of economic progress and growth. In Islam, the economic problem is focused on distributing the means of satisfaction for individuals i. e. the distribution of the funds and benefits to the members of the nation or people, not on the needs which the nation or the people require without having any regard to every individual within the nation. In other words, the problem is the poverty which occurs to the individual not the poverty which occurs to the nation. The concern of the Islamic economic system is focused predominantly on satisfying the basic needs of every individual, not the study of producing economic commodity. Islam makes the subject of study, the basic human needs of man, as a human being, and the study of distributing the wealth to the members of society to guarantee the satisfaction of all their basic needs. Unlike capitalism it is aware that the treatment of the poverty of a country, through raising the level of production, does not solve the problem of poverty for individuals. Rather, Islam advocates the treatment of the poverty problems of all the individuals, and the distribution of the wealth of the country among them by addressing their basic needs first, thus motivating all the people of the country to work in increasing the national income.