Building the Cuyahoga River Valley Organizations

MBA 563: Organizational Assessment and Intervention Case Study #2: Building the Cuyahoga River Valley Organization Edie Druktenis March 28, 2013 This case focuses on the development of the Cuyahoga River Valley Organization (CRVO) which is charged with caring out the Cuyahoga Valley Initiative (CVI). The initiation of this organization began with an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2000.The article discussed the history, natural beauty, and industry in the Cuyahoga Valley located in northeastern Ohio. The valley is rich in natural resources and allows for access to land and water transportation networks that helped it to be positioned as a center for many of America’s early industries such as Quaker Oats, B. F. Goodrich, and Firestone. Much of this industry that was located in the valley generated toxic waste leaving the Cuyahoga River like a dump.The area is on the mend after the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972 but it struggles economically due to the loss of j obs and the movement of the middle class away from the urban areas of the valley to the suburbs. Because of the value of the natural resources and remaining industry in the Cuyahoga River Valley area, an idea was started by the Cuyahoga Valley County Planning Commission after reading to article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer to create an initiative involving many regional resources to transform and regenerate the valley.This effort is called the Cuyahoga Valley Initiative (CVI). Paul Alsenas, Cuyahoga County Ohio Planning Commission Director, engaged Sally Parker, founder and principle of Currere, a company specializing in organizational strategy and development. Parker’s objective was to engage community leaders, organizations, and industries in discussions to help determine the type of organization needed to take on the CVI. Parker’s first move was to engage members of the community in dialogue to find out the best way to design the CVI.Through multiple interviews, a design team was established that ultimately determined the appropriate structure of the new organization would consist of a networked system of people and organizations. Since the essential element of the system was coordination, the valley would be comprised of four different networks of organizational capacity working together to in partnership to effect change (Cummings & Worley, 2009, pg. 734). To administer these partnerships, the Cuyahoga River Valley Organization (CRVO) was created.The CRVO would be the administrative oversight for the work of the triad (consisting of government, business, and foundation representatives), the Network Partners (consisting of organizations and individuals committed to enable the work of the valleys transformation), and the valley projects (chosen and awarded to address the most pressing needs of the valley). Parker’s next task was to form a new entity that would become the CRVO. In reviewing the case and information from other class sour ces, I believe I would have handled the creation of the CRVO in much the same way the CVI was formed.I would have suggested that the first step would be to create a shared vision because this is considered one of the key elements in most leadership frameworks. After a vision was established, it will be important to establish the core ideology of the organization as this would be the basis for the organizations basic beliefs. Then it would be important to construct a future for the organization that could be envisioned those employed by or associated within the CRVO. The envisioned future would consist of establishing expected outcomes and a desired future state.Another important initiative at the onset of establishing the CRVO would be to develop political support. This had already been done with the CVI but to establish the CRVO and the entities it was to administer, Parker needs to gain support from key stakeholders and influencers. She needed to identify who she thought could be the best influencers and assess their change agent power then engage them on the â€Å"sale† of the CRVO entity to outside organizations and future stakeholders.Establishing a process to move from the current state of the organization, in this case, nonexistent, to a newly formed structure would require the management of a transition. To do this a road map for the establishment of the new organization would be created citing the specific activities and events that had to occur. After the establishment of the road map, planning a method for commitment to the organization’s development would be done. Once the commitment is established, structures to manage the change would need to be created.This would involve looking for people who have the power to mobilize resources and promote change and of course, people who were willing to stay the course during the rough times that often occur when change is happening. Staying the course would require the CRVO to provide a system to support the change agents and influencers in the CVI community helping them to develop new competencies and skills to generate support for the mission and reinforce behaviors required to maintain the vision and mission of the CVI.Decision making during and after the establishment of the CRVO would have to be more open and engaging than in most traditional organizations. Since the CRVO is being established to assist with a vision of a much larger community effort, decisions can’t be made without the buy in and acceptance of the main stakeholders. The main office of the CRVO could be established and the function of this office could be managed much like any other office, more bureaucratic.However, the decisions that would be made that would impact the triad, network partners, and valley projects would require decision making efforts that were more exploratory and required the acceptance of trial and error outcomes. The CRVO would implement decisions made by the stakeholders that focused on the implementation of initiatives, projects and other interests of member organizations. Because there are so many stakeholders and entities involved in the mission of the CVI, the CRVO would likely work best with an organizational structure that resembled a vertical market network.These networks are typically composed of many organizations linked to a focal organization that coordinates the movement of the activities of all involved. In the case of the CRVO, it is being established to do just that, coordinate the activities of the triad, network partners, and projects. The advantage of network based forms of organizations include flexible and dynamic response to dynamic environments, allows for focusing of resources on the customer and market needs, permits rapid expansion, and can produce synergistic results (Cummings & Worley, 2009, pg. 31). Given the large number of entities involved in the CVI that the CRVO will be providing administrative oversight of, it is cr itical that the organizational form of the CRVO be flexible and this is easier to do in a networked environment. Since the organization will consist of groups of individuals who will come together to discuss issues and come to resolutions, the human resource processes will need to focus on interpersonal and group interactions. To do this, the most critical areas to focus will be the communication processes.Establishing clear lines of communication from the CRVO to the areas is administers will ensure everyone is on the same page. Since there are so many different entities involved in the CVI, to ensure collaboration and completion of objectives that will likely be short term, self managed teams composed of representatives from member organizations could be established. These teams could come together to focus on specific tasks or projects for which they would be in control of the structure needed to gain the outcome. Very little oversight would be needed by the leadership of the CRV O.That is why I think establishing the use of self managed teams is important. Teams can be established to focus on projects and initiatives decided by stakeholders that do not need to be paid employees. These teams can be volunteers assigned tasks that are given deadlines and objectives by the management of the CRVO but do not need direct supervision and direction. The leadership of the CRVO should consist of a board of directors comprised of members of the community, the triad, and network partners. I believe this is essential to the success of the CRVO.Engagement of the stakeholders is critical to success so having representatives from each of the organizations that would benefit from the establishment of the CRVO is critical. A Chief Operating Officer or Chief Executive Officer should be recruited to oversee the operations of the CRVO. This individual would serve as the main catalyst for ensuring all stakeholder needs are met. It would have to be a charismatic individual who cou ld easily establish relationships with the CVI partners and understood the vision well enough to ensure projects approved were appropriate and that communication to all parties was clear and meaningful.The obstacles to establishment of the CRVO are numerous. Because there are so many entities involved in the CVI, issues relating to power and coordination could arise. Because so many of those involved are from positions of power within companies and local government, conceding that power when performing work associated with the CRVO could pose and issue if the individual is unable to let go. Coordiation among stakeholders could also be an issue as many of the folks are going to already have jobs or other commitments that make getting together to serve on teams difficult.Another area to consider is that member organizations and companies could have policies and laws that conflict thus making collaboration and consensus hard to come to. Last, keeping the autonomy of the CRVO might also be an issue. Again, the number of individual entities related to this organization each with its own agenda could make the establishment of an independent organization with its own objectives hard. While obstacles are always going to exist with any new effort, there will also be facilitators to help move the effort forward. In my opinion, the stakeholders of the CRVO are the biggest facilitators in the effort.All involved in this effort have a vested interest in making it work. By committing to the mission and vision of the CVI and consequently the administrative arm, the CRVO, these stakeholders are stating that they believe in what they are trying to do and will support it. They will be able to use their association with the CRVO to promote and encourage its growth. The design team that helped establish the format for the CVI will also serve as facilitators to the establishment of the CRVO as they were the creators of the original ideas and can promote its virtues to others in th e community. My concerns in conducting this task are numerous.First, there are so many entities involved in the establishment of the CVI. While they all believe in the same outcome, they all will not want to commit to getting there the same way. It would also be a concern that all also have personal, business, or government agendas they want to meet and these agenda items could easily be mixed into their contributions to the CVI creating issues for the overall mission. I would also be very concerned about communication. Again, the involvement of so many entities over such a large area means communication has to be tailored to ensure the message is being heard the same all over.Lack of proper communication can ruin well intended efforts. I would hope that this task would result in an organization that is flexible, proactive, and nimble that can respond quickly to stakeholder needs. I would also want to ensure that the mission of the CRVO is communicated effectively to all involved an d the communities it will impact to ensure buy in of the mission and objectives. WORKS CITED Cummings, T. & Worley, C. (2009). Organization Development and Change. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Project on Demat Account

The term Demat, in India, refers to a dematerialised account. For individual Indian citizens to trade in listed stocks or debentures. The Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) requires the investor to maintain a Demat account. In a demat account shares and securities are held in electronic form instead of taking actual possession of certificates. A Demat Account is opened by the investor while registering with an investment broker (or sub broker). The Demat account number which is quoted for all transactions to enable electronic settlements of trades to take place.Access to the demat account requires an internet password and a transaction password as well as initiating and confirming transfers or purchases of securities. Purchases and sales of securities on the Demat account are automatically made once transactions are executed and completed. | | Advantages of Demat The demat account reduces brokerage charges, makes pledging/hypothecation of shares easier, enables quick ownership of securities on settlement resulting in increased liquidity, avoids confusion in the ownership title of securities, and provides easy receipt of public issue allotments.It also helps you avoid bad deliveries caused by signature mismatch, postal delays and loss of certificates in transit. Further, it eliminates risks associated with forgery, counterfeiting and loss due to fire, theft or mutilation. Demat account holders can also avoid stamp duty (as against 0. 5 per cent payable on physical shares), avoid filling up of transfer deeds, and obtain quick receipt of such benefits as stock splits and bonuses. Indian Market ScenarioIndian capital market has seen unprecedented boom in its activity in the last 15 years in terms of number of stock exchanges, listed companies, trade volumes, market intermediaries, investor population, etc. However, this surge in activity has brought with it numerous problems that threaten the very survival of the capital markets in the long run, most of whic h are due to the large volume of paper work involved and paper based trading, clearing and settlement. Until the late eighties, the common man kept away from apital market and thus the quantum of funds mobilized through the market was meager. A major problem, however, continued to plague the market. The Indian markets were drowned in shares in the form of paper and hence it was problematic to handle them. Fake and stolen shares, fake signatures and signature mismatch, duplication and mutilation of shares, transfer problems, etc. The investors were scared and were under compensated for the risk borne by them. The century old system of trading and settlement requires handling of huge volumes of paper work.This has made the investors, both retail and institutional, wary of entering the capital market. However, lack of modernization become a hindrance to growth and resulted in creation of cumbersome procedures and paper work. However, the real growth and change occurred from mid-eightie s in the wake of liberalization initiatives of the Government. The reforms in the financial sector were envisaged in the banking sector, capital market, securities market regulation, mutual funds, foreign investments and Government control.These institutions and stock exchanges experienced that the certificates are the main cause of investors` disputes and arbitration cases. Since the paper work was not matching the rapid growth so there was a need for a better system to ensure removal of these impediments. Government of India decided to set up a fully automated and high technology based model exchange that could offer screen-based trading and depositories as the ultimate answer to all such reforms and eliminate various bottlenecks in the capital market, particularly, the clearing and settlement system in stock exchanges. 1] A depository in very simple terms is a pool of pre-verified shares held in electronic mode which offers settlement of transactions in an efficient and effective way. Object Of Demat System India has adopted this system in which book entry is done electronically. It is the system where no paper is involved. Physical form is extinguished and shares or securities are held in electronic mode. Before the introduction of the depository system by the Depository Act, 1996, the process of sale, purchase and transfer of shares was a huge problem and the safety perspective was zero.Demat Benefits The benefits are enumerated as follows: . Its a safe and convenient way to hold securities . Immediate transfer of securities is there . There is no stamp duty on transfer of securities . Elimination of risks associated with physical certificates such as bad delivery, fake securities, delays, thefts etc. . There is a major reduction in paperwork involved in transfer of securities,reduction in transaction cost etc. . No odd lot problem, even one share can be sold thus there is advantage .Change in address recorded with DP gets registered with all companies in which investor holds securities electronically eliminating the need to correspond with each of them separately; †¢ Transmission of securities is done by DP eliminating correspondence with companies; †¢ Automatic credit into demat account of shares, arising out of bonus/split/consolidation/merger etc. †¢ Holding investments in equity and debt instruments in a single account. Benefit to the Company The depository system helps in reducing the cost of new issues due to less printing and distribution cost.It increases the efficiency of the registrars and transfer agents and the Secretarial Department of the company. It provides better facilities for communication and timely services with shareholders, investor etc. Benefit to the Investor The depository system reduces risks involved in holding physical certificated, e. g. , loss, theft, mutilation, forgery, etc. It ensures transfer settlements and reduces delay in registration of shares. It ensures faster communication to investors. It helps avoid bad delivery problem due to signature differences, etc. It ensures faster payment on sale of shares. No stamp duty is paid on transfer of shares.It provides more acceptability and liquidity of securities. Benefits to Brokers The depository system reduces risk of delayed settlement. It ensures greater profit due to increase in volume of trading. It eliminates chances of forgery – bad delivery. It increases overall of trading and profitability. It increases confidence in investors. Demat conversion Converting physical holding into electronic holding (dematerialising securities) In order to dematerialise physical securities one has to fill in a DRF (Demat Request Form) which is available with the DP and submit the same along with physical certificates one wishes to dematerialise.Separate DRF has to be filled for each ISIN Number. The complete process of dematerialisation is outlined below: †¢ Surrender certificates for dematerialisation to your de pository participant. †¢ Depository participant intimates Depository of the request through the system. †¢ Depository participant submits the certificates to the registrar of the Issuer Company. †¢ Registrar confirms the dematerialisation request from depository. †¢ After dematerialising the certificates, Registrar updates accounts and informs depository of the completion of dematerialisation. †¢ Depository updates its accounts and informs the depository participant. Depository participant updates the demat account of the investor. Demat Options Banks score over others Around 200 â€Å"depository participants† (DPs) offer the demat account facility. A comparison of the fees charged by different DPs is detailed below. But there are three distinct advantages of having a demat account with a bank — quick processing, accessibility and online transaction. Generally, banks credit your demat account with shares in case of purchase, or credit your savi ngs accounts with the proceeds of a sale on the third day. Banks are also advantageous because of the number of branches they have.Some banks give the option of opening a demat account in any branch, while others restrict themselves to a select set of branches. Some private banks also provide online access to the demat account. So, you can check on your holdings, transactions and status of requests through the net banking facility. A broker who acts as a DP may not be able to provide these services. Fees Involved There are four major charges usually levied on a demat account: Account opening fee, annual maintenance fee, custodian fee and transaction fee. All the charges vary from DP to DP. Account-opening feeDepending on the DP, there may or may not be an opening account fee. Private banks, such as HDFC Bank and UTI Bank, do not have one. However, players such as ICICI Bank, Globe Capital, Karvy Consultants and the State Bank of India to do so. But most players levy this when you re -open a demat account, though the Stock Holding Corporation offers a lifetime account opening fee, which allows you to hold on to your demat account over a long period. This fee is refundable. Annual maintenance fee This is also known as folio maintenance charges, and is generally levied in advance. Custodian feeThis fee is charged monthly and depends on the number of securities (international securities identification numbers — ISIN) held in the account. It generally ranges between Rs 0. 5 to Rs 1 per ISIN per month. DPs will not charge custody fee for ISIN on which the companies have paid one-time custody charges to the depository. Transaction fee The transaction fee is charged for crediting/debiting securities to and from the account on a monthly basis. While some DPs, such as SBI, charge a flat fee per transaction, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank peg the fee to the transaction value, subject to a minimum amount.The fee also differs based on the kind of transaction (buying or sel ling). Some DPs charge only for debiting the securities while others charge for both. The DPs also charge if your instruction to buy/sell fails or is rejected. In addition, service tax is also charged by the DPs. In addition to the other fees, the DP also charges a fee for converting the shares from the physical to the electronic form or vice-versa. This fee varies for both demat and remat requests. For demat, some DPs charge a flat fee per request in addition to the variable fee per certificate, while others charge only the variable fee.For instance, Stock Holding Corporation charges Rs 25 as the request fee and Rs 3 per certificate as the variable fee. However, SBI charges only the variable fee, which is Rs 3 per certificate. Remat requests also have charges akin to that of demat. However, variable charges for remat are generally higher than demat. Some of the additional features (usually offered by banks) are as follows. Some DPs offer a frequent trader account, where they charge frequent traders at lower rates than the standard charges.Demat account holders are generally required to pay the DP an advance fee for each account which will be adjusted against the various service charges. The account holder needs to raise the balance when it falls below a certain amount prescribed by the DP. However, if you also hold a savings account with the DP you can provide a debit authorisation to the DP for paying this charge. Finally, once you choose your DP, it will be prudent to keep all your accounts with that DP, so that tracking your capital gains liability is easier.This is because, for calculating capital gains tax, the period of holding will be determined by the DP and different DPs follow different methods. For instance, ICICI Bank uses the first in first out (FIFO) method to compute the period of holding. The proof of the cost of acquisition will be the contract note. The computation of capital gains is done account-wise. Opening an account Steps involved in o pening a demat account First an investor has to approach a DP and fill up an account opening form.The account opening form must be supported by copies of any one of the approved documents to serve as proof of identity (POI) and proof of address (POA) as specified by SEBI. Besides, production of PAN card in original at the time of opening of account has been made mandatory effective from April 1, 2006. All applicants should carry original documents for verification by an authorized official of the depository participant, under his signature. Further, the investor has to sign an agreement with DP in a depository prescribed standard format, which details rights and duties of investor and DP.DP should provide the investor with a copy of the agreement and schedule of charges for their future reference. The DP will open the account in the system and give an account number, which is also called BO ID (Beneficiary Owner Identification number). The DP may revise the charges by giving 30 days notice in advance. SEBI has rationalised the cost structure for dematerialisation by removing account opening charges, transaction charges for credit of securities, and custody charges vide circular dated January 28, 2005.Further, SEBI has vide circular dated November 9, 2005 advised that with effect from January 9, 2006, no charges shall be levied by a depository on DP and consequently, by a DP on a Beneficiary Owner (BO) when a BO transfers all the securities lying in his account to another branch of the same DP or to another DP of the same depository or another depository, provided the BO Account/s at transferee DP and at transferor DP are one and the same, i. e. identical in all respects.In case the BO Account at transferor DP is a joint account, the BO Account at transferee DP should also be a joint account in the same sequence of ownership. Disadvantages of Demat The disadvantages of dematerialization of securities can be summarised as follows: Trading in securities may becom e uncontrolled in case of dematerialized securities. It is incumbent upon the capital market regulator to keep a close watch on the trading in dematerialized securities and see to it that trading does not act as a detriment to investors.The role of key market players in case of dematerialized securities, such as stock-brokers, needs to be supervised as they have the capability of manipulating the market. Multiple regulatory frameworks have to be confirmed to, including the Depositories Act, Regulations and the various By-Laws of various depositories. Additionally, agreements are entered at various levels in the process of dematerialization. These may cause anxiety to the investor desirous of simplicity in terms of transactions in dematerialized securities.However, the advantages of dematerialization outweigh its disadvantages and the changes ushered in by SEBI and the Central Government in terms of compulsory dematerialization of securities is important for developing the securities market to a degree of advancement. Freely traded securities are an essential component of such an advanced market and dematerialization addresses such issues and is a step towards the advancement of the market. Transfer of Shares between DPs To transfer shares, we need to fill the Depository Instruction Slip Book (DIS).Firstly we need to check, whether both Demat account's Depository Participant is same or not(CDSL or NSDL) If both of them are different, then we need an INTER Depository Slip (Inter DIS). If they are same, then we need INTRA Depository Slip (Intra DIS). For example: If we have one Demat account with CDSL and other Demat account with NSDL, then we need an Inter DIS. Generally, brokers issue Intra DIS, so do check with broker. Once we identify the correct DIS, fill the relevant information like scrip name INE number quantity in words and figures nd submit that DIS for the transfer to the broker with signatures.The transferor broker shall accept that DIS in duplicate a nd acknowledge receipt of DIS on duplicate copy. Do try to submit that DIS when market is on. Accordingly, date of submission of DIS and date of execution of DIS can be same or a difference of one day is also acceptable. For transfer, you shall also pay the broker some charges. Remember: DIS is almost like a cheque book. Accordingly, it can not be misused if issued blank. So deposit only a completely filled in Slip to broker. Do cut out unfilled rows so that none can fill them later on.

Diversification Strategies Essay

Diversification is a form of corporate strategy to increase profitability of a company through greater sales volume obtained from new products and new markets. It occurs either at the business unit level or at the corporate level. It is a risk management technique that mixes a wide variety of investments within a portfolio. It attempts to smooth out unmethodical risk events in a group so that the positive performance of some investments will neutralize the negative performance of others. Companies may diversify for strategic objectives, expected outcomes, valuable comparison between strategy and expansion. Some companies diversify by conquering new positions through mergers and acquisitions whiles others diversify when there are not much growth opportunities for the market they are in. There are many reasons for pursuing a diversification strategy, but most pertain to management’s desire for the organization to grow. Companies must decide whether they want to diversify by going into related or unrelated businesses. They must then decide whether they want to expand by developing the new business or by buying an ongoing business. There are advantages to diversification, beyond simply expanding one’s product line. For example, a diversified company is potentially better insulated against a loss of revenue in one business tranche. Diversification strategies are used to expand firms’ operations by adding markets, products, services, or stages of production to the existing business. The purpose of diversification is to allow the company to enter new lines of business that are different from current operations. When the new venture is strategically related to the existing lines of business, it is called concentric diversification. On the other hand, when the new and the old businesses are unrelated it is classified as Conglomerate diversification which occurs when there is no common thread of strategic fit or relationship between the new and old lines of business, meaning the new and old businesses are unrelated. Compare and contrast the two businesses—core business, their size, financials, global presence, use of e-business (marketing, sales, etc. ). Johnson & Johnson Inc. – Successful  Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical company founded in 1886, manufacturing sterile surgical supplies. Its core business is the manufacturing of medical devices and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is listed among the Fortune 500. The corporation has grown to have more than 250 operating companies in 60 countries employing approximately 116,000 people, producing medicines and medical devices, as well as consumer products like sanitary goods, baby shampoo and dental floss. National Semiconductor Corporation – Unsuccessful National Semiconductor Company has an international reputation for semiconductors. The pioneering chip maker offers a variety of integrated circuits (ICs), especially analog and mixed-signal (blending analog and digital functions) chips. Its products focus on analog chips, which transform physical information – light, sound, pressure, even radio waves – into data that a computer can use. National Semi’s chips are used in wireless, networking, medical, solar, automotive, and industrial applications. It gets more than 75% of sales from customers outside the US, largely to contract manufacturers that serve its OEM customers. In the 1970s, the company tried to make electronic consumer products in addition to the semi-conductors that went inside them. Compare and contrast their outcomes (one successful, one unsuccessful) Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson is a diversified healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets products in three primary lines of business: Pharmaceuticals (41% of sales), Medical Devices and Diagnostics (35%) and Consumer Products. Since the 1900s, the company has pursued steady diversification. It added consumer products in the 1920s and created a separate division for surgical products in 1941 which became Ethicon Inc. It expanded into pharmaceuticals with the purchase of McNeil Laboratories Inc. , Cilag, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and into women’s sanitary products and toiletries in the 1970s and 1980s. In recent years, Johnson & Johnson has expanded into such diverse areas as biopharmaceuticals, orthopedic devices, and Internet publishing. Recently, Johnson & Johnson has purchased Pfizer’s Consumer Healthcare department. The transition from Pfizer to Johnson and Johnson was completed December 18, 2006. National Semiconductor Corporation The company wasn’t suited for retail manufacturing, and was crushed by companies that were. By the time digital watches became popular in America; National had been driven from the marketplace, suffering losses that overshadowed its success in semiconductors. Analyze the three primary reasons for the different outcomes. First, Johnson & Johnson diversified into items that are strategically related to the company’s existing lines of business. Johnson & Johnson is a diversified healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets products in three primary lines of business: pharmaceuticals, medical devices and diagnostics and Consumer Products. On the other hand, National Semiconductor Corporation entered into the production of unrelated products which is not common thread of strategic fit or relationship between the new and old lines of business, meaning the new and old businesses are unrelated. Second, Johnson & Johnson diversified through mergers and acquisitions of new companies. For instance, it expanded into pharmaceuticals with the purchase of McNeil Laboratories Inc. , Cilag, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and into women’s sanitary products and toiletries in the 1970s and 1980s. In recent years, Johnson & Johnson has expanded into such diverse areas as biopharmaceuticals, orthopedic devices, and Internet publishing. Recently, Johnson & Johnson has purchased Pfizer’s Consumer Healthcare department. The transition from Pfizer to Johnson and Johnson was completed December 18, 2006. On the other hand, National Semiconductor Corporation entered into diversification to make electronic consumer products in addition to the semi-conductors that went inside them. They did not embark on growth strategy through acquisition and mergers. They had stiff opposition and were crushed by companies suited for retail manufacturing. Lastly, Johnson & Johnson diversification strategy is well matched to the strengths of its top management team members which are factored into the success of that strategy. On the other hand, National Semiconductor Company top executives did not manage diversification effectively. Recommend two actions the unsuccessful one could have made to make their diversification venture successful First is that National Semiconductor should ensure a diversification strategy which is well matched to the strengths of its top management team members and factored into the success of that strategy. Different diversification strategies require different skills on the part of a company’s top managers, and that factors should be taken into consideration before firms are joined. For instance, the success of a merger may not depend only on how integrated the joining firms become, but also on how well suited top executives are to manage that effort. Secondly National Semiconductor should diversify into related products where they can control the market. To conclude, I must say that if diversification strategy is done strategically to relate to the company’s existing line of business or diversified through mergers and acquisitions of new companies with the support of its top management team members, then its objective of growth and risk taking can be achieved.

Teaching about Religions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 20

Teaching about Religions - Essay Example The course ids fit for high school students who need to gain familiarity with different ideologies and belief systems exhibited by different religions. Introducing the course at the high school level will produce students with open minds and who exhibit tolerance for the religious beliefs of other people. In order to successfully implement this project, there is a need for all stakeholders involved to approve the introduction of the course. This memo describes both the primary and the secondary audience, which comprises of different levels of stakeholders. The primary audience includes the board of the school, parents, teachers, and the students. The school board is the key decision maker in a high school setting. There is a need for the board to understand the potential outcomes of introducing a course that teaches students about the different religions and countries. The board comprises of people with professional experience and expertise, who have the vision of ensuring that the school registers a positive impact on the society. Evidently, introducing this new course serves to register an immensely positive impact. Moreover, the school board should consider the relevance of the course and determine whether the school has the required resources by offering the course. It is critical to consult staff and parents because of their position in the school’s decision-making process. The staff’s opinion is critical because they will actively participate in the delivery of the course content to the students. Parents need to be aware of what their children learn in school and should form part of the student milestones in the education system (Lester, 2011). Students from the ultimate stakeholders because they stand to benefit from the course. Therefore, it is significant to consider their opinion on the potential benefits of the course to their individual and social lives.

Trends in Health Information system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Trends in Health Information system - Essay Example Handwritten notes and manual entries cannot ensure healthcare quality. By digitizing healthcare especially the records of patients, and automating the back office management operations, a foundation for efficient patient care as well as economic savings in future can be laid down. Innovations like multimedia collaboration tools, VoIP and wireless services would grant the medical staff access to patient records and use communication tools from anywhere. By installing an intelligent wireless broadband network of technologies like WiMAX, WiFi, HSDPA, etc real time video communications can also be supported (Turisco and Case, 2001). Once information is digitized, then through a collaborated environment of mobile health computing devices (MHCDs) and wireless internet technology, the information can be recorded into EHR, accessed or transmitted from anywhere within the health care institution or beyond owing to wireless services (Waegemann & Tessier, 2002). Moses Cone Hospital near Greensb oro and WakeMed in Raleigh has installed wireless connectivity and are satisfied with the effective improvement in quality of patient care it has brought with it (‘Nine Tech Trends’, 2005). National interconnectivity allows for maintaining community health services in association with various health centers, providing facilities beyond premises of the hospital.

LOG502 MoD 5 TD Logistics Alternatives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

LOG502 MoD 5 TD Logistics Alternatives - Essay Example The considerable cost savings can outweigh the speed used by shippers to move goods by trucks. In addition, intermodal is an environmentally friendly transportation mode (Browne et al. 4). By the use of intermodal transportation, organizations can reduce carbon footprint. Intermodal logistics parks allow shippers to have access to standardized transit schedules. It translates into capacity, reliability, and safety advantages. Moving the freight to intermodal allows companies to restructure their reverse logistics. Intermodal logistics parks provide cost savings, greater capacity, increased reliability, and significant safety and green advantages. Intermodal freight transportation can be costly because of the number of transportation modes. Intermodal logistics parks involve high costs that are linked with moving freight by the use of different modes of transportation. In addition, the absence of communication and equipment’s idle time may increase costs of transportation. Equally, equipment moving from one place to another empty adds to the costs. The costs incurred are expenses paid to employees and fuel costs. (Browne et al.

The challenges of finding talent in pharmaceutical MNEs Essay

The challenges of finding talent in pharmaceutical MNEs - Essay Example Powell and Lubitsh (2007) conjecturally pointed out that talented human resource pool is the supportive pillar for organizations and organizations also know the fact that developing talent can benefit them in long term manner. Collings and Mellahi (2009) highlighted the importance of finding right talent for MNEs. According to these research scholars, MNEs maintains a large portfolio of business spanning in different countries and they need the intellectual and participatory help from its employees in order to incorporate innovation and adapt to changing environment. In addition, Cappelli (2008) also stated the same views; they claimed that if employees failed in their job, it means some parts of organization also fail. Therefore, finding appropriate talent is the major and minor premise in developing and retaining talent. Schuler et al. (2011) claimed that the talent challenges have become a significant human resource issue for global firms. The biggest problem is whether the organi zation is able to get the right people in the right place at the right time. Collings and Mellahi (2009) suggested that MNEs could not find their most talented employees and where they are located around the world. Abbasi et al. (2010) stated that talented human capital is the most organic and living asset for organization and there is no doubt that a firm can achieve competitive advantage by using the talented human capital. Abbasi et al. (2010) concentrated their study on pharmaceutical industry and came to the conclusion that finding talent in pharmaceutical industry is not an easy task. According to them, pharmaceutical industry is a sensitive industry in terms knowledge integration or technology integration. Developing a medicine needs sheer amount scientific knowledge and natural talent for innovation and unfortunately, very few pharmaceutical companies have the opportunity to access talented human resource pool (Abbasi et al., 2010). According to Richard (2001), number of pha rmaceutical MNEs has been increased in recent times due to increase in merger and acquisition activities. As result of this industry boom, need for talent has increased manifold for pharmaceutical MNEs in order to ensure smooth operation. Increasing labour market demand is cause of concern for pharmaceutical MNEs and interesting fact is that, McAlearney (2006) classified pharmaceutical industries as late adapter contemporary human resource management activities (HRM) such as training and development, global talent management (GMT) etc. In such context, it will be challenging for pharmaceutical MNEs to meet the labour market demand for talented professionals. Although, topic like ‘finding talent in pharmaceutical industry’ is exciting one but surprisingly very few researchers have tried to shed light on the topic from literary viewpoint. Apart from the research work of Abbasi et al. (2010), literature on â€Å"talent management in pharmaceutical Multinational Enterprise (MNE) is pretty scarce hence in this paper, the researcher will try shed some

Six Sigma and DMAIC Imporvement Process Coursework

Six Sigma and DMAIC Imporvement Process - Coursework Example There six sigma has proven to an effective tool for improving performance. Basically, the effective adoption of the six sigma facilitates quality improvement and efficient performance (Pande & Holpp, 2002). For a clear understanding of the benefits accrued from using the six sigma it is important to study its five phase, which are expressed as DMAIC. The five phase are definition of the problem (D) measuring/mapping the process (M), analyzing the cause of the problem (A), improving the situation (I) and finally controlling the implantation of the solution (C). The purpose of this study is to evaluate an article that focuses on a case study of an aluminum company. The issue of quality improvement has been very controversial among various companies. In essence, every company strives to outdo the competitors by producing unique products that are perceived to be of top quality. From the case study, it can be identified that the company faces considerable competition from other firms producing similar products. Earlier studies reveal that the six sigma model is an infective approach to quality improvement. Apparently. From the case study, it can be identified that the author recognizes the importance of six sigma in problem-solving. In addition, the author points out that DMAIC is an appropriate procedure to solve the problems facing the company. In essence, various scholars encourage the use DMAIC in solving business challenges (Breyfogle, 2003). It is important to note that businesses are usually exposed to problems and that these problems have to be solved cautiously to mitigate adverse consequences. Apparently, the quality of a product is an important component as far as generation of profits is concerned (George, 2002). In essence, a company whose products are of high quality enjoys a better market share compared to that whose products are of low quality. Both the author of the article and the existing studies argue

Fashion - customer service can help in build the loyalty of a brand Essay

Fashion - customer service can help in build the loyalty of a brand - Essay Example The paper "fashion - customer service can help in build the loyalty of a brand" talks about how the customer service can help in build the loyalty of a brand. The luxury fashion retailing sector of Hong Kong is exceptionally well developed hence one of the fashion capitals of Asia. The fast growing expenditure from Chinese tourists has turned Hong Kong into a regional distribution hub for popular designer brands around the world, providing a great variety of high-end fashion brands and luxurious products in the market. With the Chinese tourists continuing to pour in, the product demand is high. Many high-end retailers try to provide extra services to retain their customers. Top brands try to find ways to capitalize on the buying interest of their customers and provide quality customer service due to the limited space. Besides globalization, many prestigious retailers are turning their focus to generating a greater profit from their existing customer base by developing brand loyalty. Such ideas are also backed by a number of researchers. Homburg, Koschate & Hoyer (2005) stated that brands were benefited from brand-loyal customers due to repeated patronage and their tendency to pay premium prices for additional services. The findings of Graner and Sterling (2003) further strengthened the incentive for retailers to develop brand loyalty as they found that retaining 5% more customers would boost profits by 25% to 125%. Quality customer services provided by the business are essential.

Same Sex Marriage Essay Example for Free

Same Sex Marriage Essay Same sex marriage is a socially recognized marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Status of LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) in the Philippines is discriminated because they said it is sinful being that one. Many of them are being killed, can’t find job or can’t go to school because they are not accepted by people. In the Philippines, same sex marriage is strictly prohibited because Catholic Church don’t agree with that, based on the bible, there are only two gender, a man and woman. There are also many people who are very conservative so they don’t like people who are Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual because they think that they are immoral and also culture of the Philippines makes that prohibit. I actually support and agree with the same sex marriage though Catholic Church prohibits that. I believe anyone should marry who they want. Age doesn’t matter and gender sure doesn’t either. If two people are in love for the right reasons, then they should be allowed to marry without being harassed. The government doesn’t have any right to tell you who you can and who you can’t marry. I believe everyone should be guaranteed the right to be happy as long as they aren’t harming anyone else or imposing any other rights and I just don’t see how this harms anyone else freedoms. It is not right that people judge those Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual because we have the right to choose what we want in life. Assuming I’m a lesbian, I don’t actually care what people think about me as long as I don’t do any harm for them and I am civil. I won’t mind what they say because I’m living for myself and for my happiness not with them, so why I should mind people that don’t contribute any good things in my life. People who want to marry the same gender should be true to themselves and to others, they should fight for their rights and don’t mind what others tell them.

Five Forces Analysis Of The Gresham Hotel Dublin Tourism Essay

Five Forces Analysis Of The Gresham Hotel Dublin Tourism Essay The Gresham Hotel, Dublin, is a four star quality accommodation and service hotel, located on OConnell Street in the heart of city center. At these days are employed 183 employees in the Gresham hotel Dublin, which is included all part time, casual and senior staff, all over the departments. The Gresham Hotel Dublin is part with other 4 hotels of Gresham Group located across Europe; they are situated on the city center of Hamburg, London, Brussels, Cork and Dublin. Type of business The Gresham Hotel is a Public Limited Company, means that all the debs of the business are cleared by the business and money is not taken out of the owners ´ personal funds. The Gresham Hotel is a separate legal entity from the owners. The company is permitted to offer shares to the public and must include the words Plc as part of company name. The Gresham Hotel, OConnell Street, is a four star hotel and this kind of business is based in service. They provide a wide range of facilities where all customers are well welcome with four star services. They also organize events such as weddings, parties and type of business nature. In each department of this organization is a Wide Span of Sontrol, the Manager/Supervisor is in charge of a large number of employees. It is also a Tall structure as the company has many levels of hierarchy. My duties in this company has the same standard as an employee which any reporting has to be made to the manager/supervisor ,following the manager/supervisor reporting to Duty Manager and this one reporting to Human Resources and finally the Human Resources to Director. This company is divided in many departments which are; Toddys bar-food and beverage, where I am present doing my work experience, my duties is mainly customer care. This department works fourteen people which two of them are supervisor. Writers bar-the main bar of the hotel which also serve food Kitchen department- this department runs all department involving food. Catering and Banqueting department- this department is responsible for all events Accountancy department Gallery restaurant- where at present is used for breakfast as this restaurant have been closest. External influence on organisation PEST The PEST analysis is a useful tool for understanding market growth or decline, this method is used to scan for the external, macro environment, factors that influences on any company. PEST analysis stands for; Political factors- include government regulations Economic factors affect the purchasing power of potential customers and the firms cost capital Social factors- include the demographic and cultural aspects Technological technology is vital for competitive advantage, and is a major driver of globalization. On The Gresham Hotel analysis, the external factors that may affect the company are; Political Opening and closing times this regulation set up the opening and closing hours in a business. Smoking ban -it is forbidden smoking indoors by law and affects the company in certain way. Economic Interest rate- due the economic situation nowadays, the interest rates defines people of spending or saving money. Unemployment levels- due the economic situation turndown, a number of customers decrease derived to increased of unemployment levels. Sociological Lifestyle change- nowadays the people pay more attention to product/service ´s price (cheaper option), drinking at home and also they start going later and spending less time in pub. Cultural- Drinking alcohol is an everyday part of adult life in Ireland. Nowadays customers spend less on drinks, drinking more at home. Technological Nowadays the technology more than ever is vital for competitive advantage. The technology has an impact on any company, such as tillà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Provide a quicker a efficient service to a customer Some duties as stocktaking can be changed by technology, saving time and money Technology offer to customer other facility ways such as booking a room, purchase vouchers, etc. The labor can be switched by technology PORTER FIVE FORCES Five Forces Analysis assumes that there are five important forces that determine competitive power in a situation.These are: Competitive Rivalry Majority of competitors have the similar strategies , indicating high competitive rivalry Differentiation between their main products/service is low, indicating high competitive rivalry. There are no substitute products available to customers, indicating high competitive rivalry. Many competitors have more or less the same size. Bargaining power of suppliers We realize, the fewer suppliers choices we have, more power they are over the company, and how easy it is to drive their prices up. Uniqueness product-The Guinness is an example of a powerful brand; the Guinness is supplied by a unique supplier, Some product based on food is supplied for a few choices companies where provide a unique service to a company. Bargaining power of customers Here we can see how easy it is customers to drive the prices down. The customer may have bargaining power when; When there is no substitute or a little differentiation over the product/service food and beverage is similar to those of someone else. switching to another product/service is not costly Price sensitive at this days, more than ever the customers are more sensitive to a product/service prices. Threats of new entrants A threat of new entrants is high if; Low barriers to entry economies of scale government legislations to encourage them to enter the industry differentiations on their product/service capital Threat of substitute products The treat of substitute is high when the product/service substitutes offer benefits similar and also when it is ease at customers can switch with low or no cost. Product/Service when a substitute product/service falls Cost of change no cost/low cost of switching a product/service Internal External influence on organisation SWOT The SWOT analysis is very important tool for carrying out a good strategic planning, and it is a powerful tool of the marketing. When it is a matter of companies that compete in a same market target, it is important that they detect the threats and opportunities in the company, by studying the external environment. It is also of fundamental importance that they evaluate the weaknesses and strengths points of the company, studying of its internal environment. During the analysis, when a strong point is realized, they must be emphasized to the utmost, and when a weak point is realized, the organization must act to control it or, at least, to minimize its effect. This technique is interesting, that means change, which very often contributes to the growth or not, it would be depended on the performance to correspond to the objectives of the organization. Strength Brand name this brand is well know national and international Location- located in city center 4 star hotel- this hotel provides a 4 star service and accommodation Wide range of facilities- Writers Bar, Toddy ´s Bar , fitness studio, SPA and restaurant 23 Business facilities Complimentary WIFI access in all conference rooms, Quadriga interactive TV systems in all rooms provides PPV movies, internet, music. 288 tasteful bedrooms, containing everything the discerning traveller would need, including spacious work desk Dedicated butler service for the meeting rooms Registration Lobby Fully air conditioned A range of audio visual equipment for hire Secreterial services www.gresham-hotels.com/dublin-city-hotels/business_facilities.asp Weaknesses Restaurant 23 remain closest, as the only restaurant available and considering a 4 star hotel, it creates a high impact on customers expectations. High cost product/service- nowadays, customers are more sensible to product/service prices, discontentment has been expressed by customers relating to product/service price to high. Poor employee ´s motivation- employee are unhappy with the management style, consequently will have impact on their organization Technology no updated- it causes a slower service and sometimes misunderstands between employees and customers because of it. Lack of marketing expertise ´s Opportunities New technology arrivals- nowadays there is a need of new technology, it means modernization to make the company more efficient. Marketing department- would be a great opportunity for growth and profit. Restaurant -reopen the restaurant in the hotel. New ways of advertising and promoting (radio, TV,Internet)- would let the people know about their offers and promotions for short and long term. Threats New regulations/tax- there is a threat of more regulations and higher taxes. World economy recession- would affect directly the hospitality economy and consequently the competition becomes higher between competitors. Price wars with competitors-the hospitality ´s competition is very high and price wars may become a huge threat. Strikes- the Gresham Hotel like other companies are minimizing their spending, changing their behavior with employees, consequently would be a threat for this organization. The Swot analysis above may help The Gresham Hotel growth by capitalizing on opportunities using their strengths and eliminating their weaknesses and threats. CONCLUSION This Environment Analysis was based on the Gresham Hotel, overall the company in many aspects has competitive advantage over their competitors. At the end of environment analysis where was scanned internally and externally by Swot, Pest and Porter Five Forces analysis we can understand better the Gresham Hotel ´s position facing to its competitors. Some disadvantages such as no restaurant available, heavy environment between managements and employees are in my opinion huge weak provoking a high impact on their company. The company has a good reputation among their customers and it has resources and vantages to face to its competitors if they capitalize on opportunities using their strength and eliminating their weaknesses and threats it would contribute for company ´s growing. RECOMMENDATIONS I would recommend more investment on marketing resources and also in technologies, which I truly believe they are main keys for company growth. It is essential that there is a good team spirit at work, therefore I believe that the management should reach an agreement between staff and managements interests.