MARKETING ACROSS CULTURES Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MARKETING ACROSS CULTURES - Assignment Example If one looks at the culture of the country then it is found that it is a mix of western and Hispanic cultures. Other advantage of the country lies in the fact that it is a stable democracy and the market offers size and diversity that should be very much appreciated. However it is very difficult to find a single distributor or agent that can cover the huge market. Mexico is one of the two largest markets in the Latin America and is a market that is characterised by high growth potential on one hand but a risky economic and political environment. It is also found that the legal system in Mexico is very different from that exists in UK and it is also found that the culture of the country is also very different. It is also found that the external environment of the company plays an important role in the company deciding on the marketing strategy. In order for the company to expand in the Mexican market it is important for the company to develop and try to maintain close relationship with the customers and partners of the business. It is found that the Mexicans in general prefer to receive direct communication in the form of direct telephone calls and face to face meetings. It is also found that the companies in Mexico are extremely conscious of the price and also tend to seek financing activities and also desire exclusive agreements. It is also found that the businesses value service and flexibility. For entry into the market the company can either use equity modes or non equity modes. Equity modes that the company can use to enter into the market will be in the form of Joint ventures, or wholly owned subsidiaries (Peng, Wang, Jiang, 2008). Non equity modes of entry that the company can use will be in the form of exporting to the country and contractual agreements (LÃ ©vesque and Shepherd, 2004). Each of the modes that are said above has unique advantages and disadvantages associated with it (Sakarya, Eckman and Hyllegard,

HST 321-Modern History of China(Final Examination Take-Home Component) Essay

HST 321-Modern History of China(Final Examination Take-Home Component) - Essay Example This difference of ideologies between the reds and the experts, affected every aspect of Chinese life and more specifically it was key in the revolutions that were witnessed in the history of china. The ideologies were also seen to be affecting the literature in China. In fact, from the year 1949 when the when the communist leadership led by the Chinese Communist Party, there was a change in the education system so that it included the changing the curriculum of literature from the liberal literature to the study of systematic Chinese literature. This of course affected the literature and arts that are produced by the people who studied the two different curricula. The aim of the CCP was to make sure that the education system resembled that of the Soviet Union since both were communist states. Apart from changing the curriculum for those that were studying the government under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party also tried to control the literature produced by the established writers and actors. Literature or arts that did not seem to be revolutionary or that went against the communist ideologies which were actually redness in this case was unaccepted and could not be published. Writers and artists were urged to take a stand and pick a political standpoint in their literature, literature that seemed to be lukewarm were seen by the government as empty and could not pass the required message to the readers and was therefore not published. The only form of literature that could be published are those that praised the communist ideologies or those that called the readers to act against anti- socialistic ideas. The government was doing all this in order to try and maintain the people’s minds on the communistic ideas. The communist government did not want the scientist or other scholars who included the artist who were open minded about both the socialism and communism to

Politics of Globalisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Politics of Globalisation - Essay Example Both the system considers the state as the primary unit of analysis and the analysis is based on the absolute and relative goals of a state (Cafruney & Ryner, 2003). Neoliberalism is actually a theoretical approach to the study of institutions also described as neoliberal institutionalism. This ideological concept was developed in the mid 1980’s as a reaction to the dominance of the neorealist theory. The followers of neoliberalism strongly believe that international cooperation is possible and is very important for the progress of states in the international scenario. Neoliberalism lays foundation of the ideology on the concepts from neorealism according to which the states are rational, unitary actors which look to maximize their utility in an anarchic international system. ... ecisions made by the international institutions and international bodies when they are against their interests and restrict them from carrying out certain economic or strategic operations. States are the principal actors in the world politics and they use international organizations to create social orders which can be helpful in achieving shared goals and objectives. These cooperative processes and operations include the production of collective goods, collaborating for regional peace and security concerns and establishing effective communication between states to achieve collective goals. The institutional and regime control represents a major progress in the understanding of international and regional cooperation but in these institutions and regimes have failed to establish their effective role and existence in the modern scenario of international relations. The most important achievement of the regime theory and the institutional approach is the analysis of power dynamics and po wer distribution in the international politics but this also act as a negative point against neoliberalism when it fails to justify the misconduct on part of the powerful states in the international politics when they suppress the interests of smaller states (Atasoy, 2009). In a purely ideal and proper neoliberal model of international politics the states are supposed to establish a cooperation and interaction between themselves on the basis of reciprocity but the actual scenario is far from being ideal in which the power states use the smaller states for their own interests and exploit their resources and materials without giving them the due share in the benefits and development achieved on the basis of the resources of these smaller states. Such an approach by the international strong

The Damage Of A Disorganised Organisation Business Essay

The Damage Of A Disorganised Organisation Business Essay The assignment focuses on the outcomes of the study of the module-Organizational Behaviour which deals with the importance of the organizational principles in any company linked to its success in long run. I have focussed myself to study the Case of Oticon Ltd. in reference to change of organisation structure bringing in success. Though the objective of the study is to analyse the organisation in the context of dynamics of change affecting its very functioning with respect of organizational issues, the limitation of the study is inability to take up all issues considering organisation behaviour. Oticon, is a Danish firm, which was founded in 1904 by William Demant, is a leader in manufacturing hearing aids in Europe and the rest of the world. During the 1980s, a small American company, which designed a new and innovative model of hearing aids, entered aggressively in the market, and caused decreased sales for Oticon. The reaction of Oticon was immediate, as they decided to reconstruct the whole structure of the company, so as to boost their efficiency and profitability. The process lasted for almost three years, and resulted to major changes, which helped Oticon to regain profits, and become again a leader in their sector. Oticon is a good example of what D. T. Hall (1996) called The career is dead, long live the career and the boundary career construct (Arthur Rousseau, 1966). Key features of traditional career management like earmarking of management potential, formalized development programs, the use of promotions and organizational symbolism (e.g., privileges) etc. were simply not applicable in the spaghetti organization with no hierarchical structure, no traditional management positions, no high-flier program and not even an HR function. The nickname spaghetti organization reflects the complex, informal and almost anarchistic characteristics of the project organization, as it was initially implemented at Oticon. The path which Oticon choose to regain its ground and the initiatives taken in terms of Organizational Behaviour has been assessed in this assignment. For the purpose of analyzing the focus was laid down on 3 key aspects of organization behavior which are organizational structure, management of change and organizational culture and climate which can be correlated to the case. 2. Organizational Structure According to Sheldon: Organization is the process of combining the work, which individuals and groups have to perform with the facilities necessary for its execution, that the duties so performed provide the best channels for the efficient, systematic, positive and coordinated application of the available efforts. Koontz and Donnel have defined organizational structure as the establishment of authority relationships with provision for coordination between them, both vertically and horizontally in the enterprise structure. A good organizational structure has the following features: The structure should lay down a formal reporting hierarchy from lowest level to higher level of management. Identical activities should be grouped for each department so that equipment, processes and expertise can be developed at one place under the guidance of a departmental head. Coordination of various activities is laid down and specification of the coordinating authority be placed. Individual, group and departmental goals should be laid down with specific time frame. Monitoring of goals is essential to achieve the objectives. 2.1 Forms of Organization Structure Mechanistic form Organic form Comparative evaluation of mechanistic and organic form of organizational structures can be summarized as under: 2.1Centralization and Decentralization Apart from the forms of organizational structure discussed above the decision makers of the organization could be categorized into centralization and decentralization based on the form of organizational structure the board of directors or the higher management decide for the benefit of the organization, but in certain cases of management decisions this may or may not prove beneficially in long run and change is expected if it needs to change its horizons and expand its business. The concept of centralization refers to reservation of authority for decision making at top level of management i.e. the decision lies in the hands of Board of Directors/MD. Lower levels are responsible for implementing the decisions or one can say to abide by the decision ordered by the higher level. They are basically operators or implementers. In general, the authority is not delegated to the lower levels. The subordinates carry out work towards accomplishing their destined task. If at all there is a hurdle or operation is halted due to some reason, then the matter is referred to an appropriate authority that has the power to take appropriate decision to resolve the problem. Centralization can be viewed or implemented where the organization structures do not have many layers and it is relatively flat. It is majorly noticed where the subordinates are rightly not trained to handle key specific/ higher jobs, where there is a lack of trust in subordinates and the intricacy or the magnitude of work that demands centralized control. Decentralization on the other hand refers to authority being delegated to various levels of organization for making appropriate decisions for making the process quicker and efficient. In decentralized organizations, the individuals at lower levels are allowed to make decisions pertaining to their jobs which give them autonomy. Authority in this case does not flow with the same rate to each of the levels of the organization structure. It is important to note that each level should have appropriate authority for decision making when need arises and that one does not have to wait for upper level to take decisions at each level. An organization which has flat organizational structure is ideal to have a decentralized command and control especially in the current environment where specialization, information technology, competencies, work teams, group culture and systems prevail. It develops a sense of responsibility among employees, efficient time management, improves productivity, team sprit, motivation and brings the feeling of oneness among work groups. Greater decentralization offers employees higher level of job satisfaction as they have autonomy at work in decision making process. They can respond to a particular situation quickly. Charlisle suggested the following guidelines to determine whether there should be centralization or decentralization. (a) Mission, goals and objectives of the organization: Those organizations where democracy exists prefer decentralized structure in decision making process in turn, small organizations have a centralized structure. (b) Size of the organization and complexity of the work. Large organizations with diverse production lines and conglomerates with companies involved in different fields should be decentralized. (c) Geographical location of customers: Organizations which cater for customers which are geographically located far apart should have decentralized organizational structure. (d) Competency: If the top management is highly skilled, knowledgeable and experienced and has the capacity to handle more activities at one time, then the centralization is recommended. (e) Communication: If the communication between the management and employees is efficient, then the decentralization is recommended. This will enable problem solving and accord a sense of autonomy amongst workers. 2.2 Organizational structure and Oticon Oticon was initially following the Mechanistic Form of organization structure with centralized decision makers until it faced a stiff competition in terms of market leadership until Kolind the new CEO of the company had converted the same mechanistic form of organization structure into decentralized organic system of organizational structure which yielded fruitful results to the success of company in long run. Though the top management is highly skilled, knowledgeable and experienced and has the capacity to handle more activities at one time, then the centralization is recommended but the situation demanded Spaghetti organization. The introduction of Spaghetti form of organization structure was a tough task indeed as it needed everyones (board of directors, stakeholders, etc.) consent for implementation and the situation for Oticon demanded immediate decision to change its structure for its very survival which also links with the management of change which is discussed in relation to organization structure in the following paragraphs. 3.0 Management of Change It is known fact that change is inevitable. Nothing is permanent except the change but it is the duty of the management or organization to manage change properly and orderly. Organizations must incorporate suitable changes if the situation so demands or when the need arises. Change is a continuous phenomenon. It is to be noted even in most stable organizations change is necessary just to keep the level of stability. The major environmental forces, which make the change necessary, are Technology, Market forces and Socio-economic factors. Showing resistance to change can prove fatal for the very existence of the organization. According to Barney and Griffin, the primary reason cited for organizational problems is the failure by managers to properly anticipate or respond to forces for change. 3.1 Change Process Kurt Lewin proposed Three Stage Model of the change process for moving the organization from present position to the changed position. This is as under: Stage 1: Unfreezing: Creating motivation and readiness to change through (a) Disconfirmation or lack of confirmation. (b) Creation of guilt or anxiety. (c) Ensure subordinates of psychological safety. Stage 2: Changing through cognitive restructuring: Helping the client to see things, judge things, and feel things differently based on new point of view obtained through. (a) Identifying with a new role model, mentor, etc. (b) Scanning the environment for new relevant information. Stage 3: Refreezing: Helping the client to integrate the new point of view into (a) The total personality and self concept. (b) Significant relationship. 1. Unfreezing: Process of unfreezing makes individuals ready for change. Lewin believes that employees must be informed in advance of impending change and that they should not be surprised. Unfreezing entails unfreezing the old behaviour or situation. Edgar Schein took this excellent idea propagated by Lewin and improved by specifying psychological mechanism involved in each stage of the model. Unfreezing involves creating motivation and readiness to change by creating an environment of disconfirmation of existing psychological safety in the changed pattern of behaviour. This can be achieved by making announcements, meetings and promoting the idea throughout the organization through bulletin, boards, personal contacts and group conferences. The unfreezing process basically cleans the slate so that fresh behavioural patterns, customs, traditions can be imprinted which can then become a new way of doing things. 2. Moving: Once unfreezing process is completed, moving takes place. Moving is incorporating change. Persons undergo cognitive restructuring. The process is carried out by the following three methods as proposed by Kelman: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Compliance: Compliance is achieved by introducing rewards and punishments. It has been established that individual accepts change if he is rewarded or punished. This is a behaviour modification tool. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Identification: Members are psychologically impressed upon to select their role model and modify behaviour. If a leader can act as a role model the change is easier. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Internalization: It involves internal changing of individuals thought processes in order to adjust to a new environment. Members are advised to carry out soul searching and adopt a new behaviour. 3. Refreezing: It is related to integrate the new behaviours into the persons personality and attitude. It is referred to stabilization. The change behaviour must necessarily fit into the social surroundings. Refreezing takes place when the new behaviour is adopted in a normal way of life. New behaviour must replace the old on a permanent basis. New behaviours must be re-enforced continuously so that it does not diminish. Change process is not a one time process but it is continuous hence unfreezing, change and refreezing must also be continuous. 3.1 Steps In Managing Change Organizations must plan to implement change in a systematic manner. It must identify the field in which the change is required whether it is strategic, structural, process oriented or cultural change. Changes can also be affected in all the areas concurrently, but it must be managed appropriately so that there is no bottleneck effect. Once the need for change is identified and the area in which it is to be implemented, the following steps have been suggested by Greiner. Develop new goals and objectives: Objectives and goals are derived out of mission statements, objects may need revision due to change in external or internal forces. Select an agent for change: It is the responsibility of the management to entrust execution of change to appropriate authority. A manager may be given this responsibility. Diagnose the problem: Diagnosis is the first step to implement change. If an organization has a large number of employee turnover then the data must be collected and made available to the consultant so that the reasons for turnover can be identified and appropriate corrective measures taken. The process of identification of problem is not simple as it appears and requires research. Select Methodology: It is comparatively easy to implement material change as a part of change of a system. What is important is to protect the emotions they must be made party to select methods so that it is easier to implement at a later stage. Develop Plan: If the organization wants to reduce employee turn over, it may like to carry out comparative study of other organizations in respect of job content, reward system, employee performance, appraisal system, promotion criteria, training development and the strategy adopted by the organization for its growth. Strategy for implementation: Timings of implementation of change is very crucial. If the change is related to internal employees, it must be communicated at an appropriate time so that there is no resistance to planned change. Implementation of Plan: Once the decision to implement the plan and communication through which the plan is to be implemented is decided, it is the responsibility of the various departments to implement the same. This may need notification, briefing sessions or in-house seminars so as to ensure acceptance of all the members of the organizations specially those who are likely to get affected. Employee reactions in attitudes, aspirations, emotions and behaviour must be canalized in positive directions due to change. Evaluation Feedback: The result of the change must be evaluated and suitable feed back obtained. If modification to training development causes decrease in employee turnover, the objective of change would deemed to have been achieved. If the results are contrary to the expectation, then a new change may be required to diagnose cause. 3.2 The Change Process in relation to Oticon: Think the Unthinkable The change process in Oticon was initiated with the recruitment of a new CEO, Lars Kolind in 1988, who was given the full responsibility for implementing changes, and who bought the change which was unthinkable. After a two-year period of rationalization and cost-cutting, which has achieved savings in sales and administration costs of 20 percent, Lars Kolind announced in early 1990 a unique package of innovative and radical initiatives in terms of organizational structure, job design, information technology, and physical layout of the company. Oticon was rebuilt as a networking organization and became the worlds technologically leading audio logical company; and within five years was listed on the Danish stock exchange. The recommendations for the change process was described in a 10-page memo called Think the unthinkable, which was written by the new CEO and distributed to all staff in March 1990. The proposed changes are described: 1. To Increase the competitiveness by utilizing human and technological resources in a more efficient way, reducing the overhead costs, which at that point of time exceeded the actual production costs; 2. The objective is to replace the hierarchical job structure where in each employee is involved in number of projects at the same time considering each project as a business unit with its own criteria. 3. To reduce the written paper communication by establishing electronic scanning of all incoming mail and introducing comprehensive information technology systems, networks, etc.; 4. To disown traditional managerial jobs and transferring managerial authority to the project groups or the individual employee; 5. An open space office to be created where physical mobility persists where in each person has a cart or trolley, a cabinet on wheels containing the computer, the phone, and a limited space for files that can be moved around in the office. 4.0 Organizational Culture and Climate Edgar Schein defined culture as A pattern of basic assumptions invented, discovered or developed by given group as it learns to cope with its problems of external adoption and internal integration worked well enough to be considered valuable and therefore, to be taught to new members as a correct way to perceive, think and feel, in relation to those problems. Wagner III and Hollenbeck have defined organizational culture as the shared attitude and perceptions in an organization that are based on a set of fundamental norms and values and help members understand the organization. Organizational culture is not inherit form of an organization, it has to be invented and later developed over a period of time. It enables employees to perform within the framework of the organizations culture. Environment plays a dominant role in developing the culture and so does demographic factors. Once the culture is developed, it virtually becomes a peoples organization from a functional point of view that promotes risk-taking among managerial cadre and generates novel ideas. It promotes communication that improves productivity and job satisfaction. 4.1 Organizational Climate According to Bowditch and Buono Organizational culture is with the nature of belief and expectations about organizational life, while climate is an indicator of whether those beliefs and expectations are being fulfilled. Employees in the organization keep studying the management philosophy and various actions they take to deal with organizational factors that are of a routine nature. These include the following: (a) Selection Process of the employees. (b) Leadership style and approach to solve problems of the employees. (c) Wage administration. (d) Attitude to implement change and incorporate latest technology. (e) Job description. (f) Organizational structure and frequency to modify the same based on need. (g) Performance evaluation. (h) Promotion policy and its implementation. (i) Efforts involved in promoting creativity and innovations. (j) Availability of resources for research and development. Overt factors can be measured and fair assessment can therefore be made about the intentions of the management and efforts they are putting in to build an appropriate organizational climate. While on the other hand covert factors can not be quantified being of subjective nature. Likert has carried out studies on organizational climate by isolating six different variables namely decision making, leadership style, motivation, goal setting, communication and control. Each variable was then evaluated on four dimensions. Each of the dimensions can then be studied on the five-point scale enumerated above. Based on the inputs so received on the specific study of a particular variable an appropriate conclusion of the prevailing organizational climate can be drawn. Suitable remedial measures then can be initiated to modify the climate to desired level. According to Edgar Schein Culture is the most difficult organizational attribute to change. He specified three cognitive levels of organizational culture: What can be seen and known, Organizational mission and value, Tacit assumptions which is the deepest level and the most difficult to explicate. In the years before the change Oticon management had bureaucratic nature of the organization and corporate culture. It was more off hierarchical organization with importance given to people rather than position. Oticon after year 1991 became more task culture, it developed into customer focus organization and started to be project orientated, where departments disappeared, individuals were expected to contribute to the organization and got recognized influence in the group. In short it was made more important what you do and not who you are. 5. Conclusion Various companies have tried and tested teamwork organization unsuccessfully but what were the key elements that were responsible for the success of teamwork in Oticon? A lot of companies want to implement teamwork in their processes, as working into teams has several advantages such as creativity, innovation, speed, and better productivity. Moreover, teams with more freedom in their ideas and way of working, seem to be more productive and creative than others with stricter rules. In the case of Oticon, there are several key elements which were responsible for the successful implementation of teamwork. Firstly, the employees were fully informed about the changes and the new working situation. In addition to this, some of them participated to the process of restructuring the company. Even in the meetings there was the employees presence so as to be closer to the new decisions. It is important to be mentioned that it was necessary for the employees to practice in PC use, so they were encouraged to take a PC home so as to practice in their free time too. Another aspect of this change was that because of the Spaghetti organization, all the departments were abolished, and the companys structure was based on the projects. By this, employees were motivated, as they were encouraged to come up with new ideas for new projects, and become leaders of these project teams. So, the company promoted creativity and innovative ideas among their workers and gained in productivity, as the employees felt satisfied and ready to contribute more, because they were active members in the development of the organization. The organization of the company became more elastic, that gave freedom to employees duties; as they could co-operate and even more, work in the same offices, by moving their desks. Oticon also gave the freedom to project leaders to select on their own the team members, according to their specifications, in a more informal way, the selected team members had the right to refuse to take part in the project. This means that the people, who are in the team, are by their will, so they are more dedicated in the goal, and loafing effects are avoided. Furthermore, it is important to be mentioned that team meetings were frequently arranged, and the way the meetings were conducted, were organized by the team itself, in the frame of given freedom. So, teams decided in which way they could be more productive, and, be frequent meetings and good communication, the success was inevitable. On the contrary, meetings between senior management, and project groups had taken place only once every three months in order to present their results and take feedback. A three year preparation period before the completion of the new structure was enough time for the idea to mature, and the organizations members to adapt to the new working conditions. Finally, the fully autonomous groups were one of the most important factors of success, as strong connections were built between the team members, which ameliorated the collaboration. Moreover, team members had the opportunity to work in several projects simultaneously, which allowed them to exchange and share ideas and information between connected projects. All in all, the not formalized structure encouraged all employees to contribute in the development, be having the right to give to their employers, new ideas and projects, without the fear of criticism. Evaluation of the Outcomes, and the Present Today, over two decade after the changes were inaugurated, overall management ideology and practice have largely remained the same, but a number of specific changes have occurred. The organization has been professionalized by defined projects in the sense that fewer people are now assigned as project team leaders, with a proper  career path, and that a training program in project management has been launched thus making it more selective and exclusive to become a project manager. The role of functional experts has been maintained, but has developed into more traditional business units or staff functions. The CEOs thought of creating a paperless organization has proved to be too idealistic. Lars Kolind, the man behind the change of thought process in 1990-91, retired in 1998 and was replaced by Niels Jacobsen, who had been with the company from 1988 and co-managed the company with Lars Kolind until his retirement.

Ghost Story of the Landon House Essay examples -- Urban Legends Ghost

Landon House: Urbana, Maryland Urban legends and ghost stories play an important role in society. Supernatural and â€Å"uncanny† events are evident in the folklore of every culture. Stories of the supernatural, such as ghosts and magic, are typically passed down as oral traditions from generation to generation. With the advent of mass media, such as television and the Internet, ghost stories can become easily popularized. The realm of ghost stories and urban legends is divided among skeptics and believers. However, â€Å"the lack of verification in no way diminishes the appeal urban legends have for us,† (Brunvand 2). Whether one believes in ghosts or not, it is not uncommon for some people to blame peculiar happenings on the supernatural. This is not unlike the unexplained chill that goes up you spine or makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck. Regardless whether a ghost story is fantastical or ostensibly based in truth, the overall impact of the story on the listeners depends on t he delivery of the orator. When prompted for a ghost story or urban legend of our town, my girlfriend pointed to the Landon House as a source for several ghost stories and supernatural happenings. I was told this story while driving back from the movie theater at about one A.M. The route back to our homes ironically leads past the Landon House. We both also live approximately one mile from it. As we turned off the highway, onto the deserted back roads, she began the story: For as long as anyone can remember, late at night at the Landon house a white figure of an old woman carrying a candle has been seen walking through the hallways of the second floor. Passersby claim to witness the flicker of a candle in a window long after the fina... ... story and compare it to those that already exist. As any story gets passed along, the minor components will always vary with the stable elements will remaining the same. The symbols in the Landon House ghost story, specifically the old woman, the civil war soldiers, and the dogs, show that our society believes that repeated actions transcend time, that death leaves its mark, and that disturbing the peace of spirits tends to â€Å"awaken† them. Works Cited Brunvand, Jan Harold. The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their Meanings. New York: W. W. Norton, 1981. Cannon, Timothy L., Nancy Whitmore. Ghosts and Legends of Frederick County. Frederick, Maryland: Studio 20 Inc., 1979. Dunne, Patrick. "Ghost Stories Haunt Landon House." The Frederick Newspost 27 Oct. 2005. 6 Apr. 2008 http://www.gazette.net/stories/102705/newmnew200912_31894.shtml.

Balanced Scorecard Essay

1. State your organization’s supply chain strategy, e.g., â€Å"to provide customerwith high level of service while contributing to corporate profitability.† The company’s supply chain strategy is â€Å"to meet customer needs and advance our technology leadership while creating value for our customers at large. â€Å" 2. Provide one or two goals for each of the four balanced scorecard categories (customer, financial, internal, learning and growth.) 3. Provide at least one performance measure to match each of your goals Please refer to the following 2 pages. Operate IFS(Integrated Finance System) in efficient and effective way to conduct serial training and guarantee most of staff members trained and aware how to use it and benefit from it. Percentage of training records 95% yearly Financial & HR to contact an IFS user survey quarterly and increase the users satisfaction survey rating Percentage of increasing comparing with last quarter 5% quarterly Financial & HR Learning & Growth Recruit, develop and retain valuable staff to hunt abundant qualified candidates for interview and recruitment in order to meet the needs of functional departments. Percentage of completing recruitment 95% quarterly HR to review most of staff’s performance and compare their salaries to benchmark in the market and make a adjustment or explanation Percentage of completing adjustment/explanation 98% yearly HR Transfer knowledge of network security to conduct serial training and guarantee most of staff members aware it. Percentage of new employees completing security awareness training 95% yearly Security & HR to conduct an exam related to the concerning issues to network security. Percentage of employees who pass the exam. 95% yearly Security & HR

Literary and Critical Analysis of the Yellow Wallpaper Essay

Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote the Yellow Wallpaper in 1892, the theme of which was feminism and individuality and how one woman dealt with the neurosis of her mind created largely by the expectations of society. The spiral to her breakdown began from her baby’s birth and in today’s time it would be seen as postpartum depression but at the time when the book was written the woman was seen as being highly strung. Gilman creates the plot around the yellow wallpaper in the protagonist’s room and how her obsessive mind personifies the wallpaper. The deterioration of the woman’s mind is signified through the disintegration of the state of the wallpaper. The story was written at a time when the main role of the woman in society was creating a home for her family. Her sense of worth and her values were all gauged against the way her home functioned. In this strive for perfection of the home the women of the time usually lost their own sense of self and it is this struggle to maintain a sense of self that usually caused the most stress. This build-up of stress is what is signified in the book. When the book begins, Gilman immediately makes it clear that the protagonist, as the woman, is inferior to her husband, John, the physician. When she feels ill the solution for John is telling her to stay in bad, not to use her imagination and stop writing. To him her writing anything is something useless and unnecessary. However, to her, writing is her one release. It is with her being able to write that she is able to let go of her pent up feelings. She writes, â€Å"Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. But what is one to do? † (160). This last phrase underlines the state of mind and the actual state of mind of the women on the era. The woman is resigned to her inability to go against the societal norms no matter how unhappy it makes her. She has given birth to a baby and instead of feeling good she is feeling down. Her Husband and everyone around her thinks rest is the best answer and they confine her to her room. She knows that this confinement is not making her happy and she needs something to distract her, â€Å"Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good† (1279), yet she is helpless to counteract her husband’s orders. It is through this repression of her true self that her mind starts to break. The stress of hiding her true feelings and maintaining the semblance of normality, going against her true nature, while all the time believing that she was in the wrong in wanting more. The instances of this sort of conflict are shown throughout the book, â€Å"I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort, and her I am a comparative burden already† (162). The yellow wallpaper is the only thing she has to break the normality. Initially she dislikes it, â€Å"I’m really quite fond of this big room, all but the horrid paper† (1281). But as time passes and the wallpaper is the only thing of interest in the room she starts looking at it with interest. What initially started as a game in seeing the different patterns of the wallpaper changes into a real psychosis, and her state of mind is defined through her thoughts, â€Å"There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down† (1281). The most integral part of the story comes from the fact that the identity of the woman is never revealed. It is as if her name has no value and she herself is of no consequence and it is the people around her that define her. The story of the Yellow Wallpaper shows the role of woman in society in America in the past. It shows how a woman did not have control of her destiny and how a man could only see her as a possession not as an individual. The callous attitude of the husband who sees her state of mind as the weakness of women is the defining factor of the whole situation. By refusing to accept the woman’s mind as an individual and independent factor of her body and confining his wife to solitude, John the husband aggravates her situation. Her need to talk and write is belittled, her need to expose her emotions repelled by everyone around her. This causes her to get depressed. She does not know how to control herself, she becomes hysterical and needs help but the only help comes from her husband, and comes in a condescending manner that does not help matters. Many critics have given their own point of view and Gilman(1898) wrote in Women and Economics, ‘[regarding women]the same human energies and human desires and ambitions within. But all that she may wish to have, all that she may wish to do, must come through a single channel and a single choice. Wealth, power, social distinction, fame, -not only these, but home and happiness, reputation, ease and pleasure, her bread and butter,-all, must come to her through a small gold ring (Gilman, 57). The fact of the time was that men were considered the patriarchs and they were the ones in control. There was no concept of partnership. The woman in Gilman’s book seems to be conflicted in her concept of her role as a wife. she understands the expectations of societal norms but due to her own character she cannot in her mind accept them as norm. As she writes, â€Å"John laughs at me, but one expects that in marriage† (Gilman, 1973 pp. 9). It is as if women have no value and are mere objects. The woman seems to accept that but unconsciously is rebelling to this â€Å"ridicule† of women. The objectification of women and the judgment passed upon by men causes the woman in Gilman’s book to be constantly projecting an image of herself that is not real. She is reacting to what people expect rather than being what she really is and this is creating a conflict in her own self that she is struggling to overcome and yet cannot. I can feel myself under the gaze of someone whose eyes I do not even see, not even discern†¦ From the moment this gaze exists, I am already something other, in that I feel myself becoming an object for the gaze of others. (Gilman 1973 pp. 215). The struggle to maintain her identity while keeping her ideas hidden and in lieu with the norms is something she is unable to maintain and the disintegration of her mind shows the pressures she is under. The final deterioration of her mind is shown through her referring to herself in as somebody else. â€Å"‘I’ve got out at last,’ said I, ‘in spite of you and Jane’†(Gilman, 436). Critics suggest the woman has created an alter ego where the conventional self, the â€Å"rational self,† and the second is â€Å"the raging and uncontrolled madwoman† (Owens 77). Greg Johnson says that when the anger gets out of control the patriarchal influence is triumphed over (522). Realizing that the suppression of self is creating a regression of the mind the narration ends with the woman sleeping and creeping around the nursery like an infant (King and Morris 30). Victorian women did not have any control over themselves and it was this lack of control that is depicted in the Yellow Paper making it a distinctively feminist novel. Through the ripping of the wallpaper the woman destroys her conventional self and survives through the survival of her new identity or rather rebirth of her new self. References †¢ Gilman, Charlotte Perkins, The Yellow Wallpaper, The Feminist Press, 1973. †¢ Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. Women and Economics: A Study of the Economic Relation Between Men and Women as a Factor in Social Evolution Small, Maynard & Co. , 1898 †¢ O wens, E. Suzanne. â€Å"The Ghostly Double behind the Wallpaper in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s ‘The Yellow Wallpaper. ’† †¢ King, Jeannette and Pam Morris. â€Å"On Not Reading between the Lines: Models of Reading in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper. ’† Studies in Short Fiction 26. 1 (1989): 23-32. †¢ Johnson, Greg. â€Å"Gilman’s Gothic Allegory: Rage and Redemption in ‘The Yellow Wallpaper. ’† Studies in Short Fiction 26. 4 (1989):521-30.