Hong Kong Disneyland: Where Is The Magic Essay

The case study, â€Å"Hong Kong Disneyland: Where is the Magic†, analyzed Disney’s strategic decision to expand their product into Hong Kong. Disney entered into a joint venture with the Hong Kong government to build their third international theme park. The following analysis reviews why and how Disney entered the South-East Asian market using the CAGE analysis. We review the strategic management issues and decisions that were made as complications arose from the entry into Hong Kong market and opening of the new Hong Kong Disney. Also, we provide the major takeaways from Disney’s entry into the South-East Asian market. Hong Kong Environment By 1999, the year of Disney’s announcement, it was clear Hong Kong was in the throes of a recession for the first time in 20 years. Just two years earlier the Asian financial crisis swept through Hong Kong as reflected in the material drop in property prices and the 1998 contraction of the GDP from first quarter’s 2.6% to 5.1%, 6.9%, and 5.7% in the following quarters resulting in an overall reduction of 5.1%, nearly reversing in full the growth observed in 1997. The pain was felt in all sectors of the economy. While wages stagnated, spending on superfluous wants dropped significantly including tourism – Disney’s target sector in Hong Kong. Total spending dropped 2.4% from 1997 to 1998 though inbound visitors from China crept up 13.1% over 1997. Nevertheless, China’s population was booming and Hong Kong was the beneficiary of their tourism dollars at a time Disney was excited to gain direct access to the fastest growing country in the world. The American market for Disney was mature. They carefully managed the evolution of their theme parks in such a way that uniquely positioned them to branch out into growing markets with a seemingly seamless approach, which they observed in their successful Tokyo endeavor. Their proprietary theme park experience was an untapped opportunity in Hong Kong. Theme parks in general were not in short supply in Asia in the late ‘90s, highlighting their popularity. Between 1994 and ‘99 2,000 new parks were built in China alone. Disney had the benefit of coming in with an established brand and product to take advantage of the popular theme park sector. Since the Disney name and all that comes with it were internationally popular and the notion of the American Dream was popular in Asia, the cultural and even language differences were thought to be largely inconsequential. Decision to Go Global The American market was stagnant which made expansion into global markets an attractive option. Disney has great success operating as a holiday destination so setting up shop in a large city abroad filled with tourists would create a great potential market. One of Disney’s boasted strengths was their ability to create a happy and magical place, where their guests can relive fond memories and become inspired. Disney has been very successful using architecture, landscaping, costumes, music, entertainment, attractions, merchandise and food to create exotic, fairy tale like, and adventurous atmospheres within one theme park at the same time. The parks in America were extremely well managed and organized in which the guest routes throughout the park were pre-determined and the staff had been rigorously trained. The company was confident with local research and hired expertise they could easily adapt for Chinese culture differences and have similar success as Tokyo Disney. The company planned to make a few modifications to Disney’s current management style to meet local expectations, such as architecture and menu items. Disney did not see Ocean Park as a serious competitor and therefore made few changes to their marketing plan. The park was established in 1977, and was marketed as a nature-centered park though performance was described as â€Å"lackluster† and â€Å"not aggressive enough† where advertising and product development were concerned. Disney priced tickets at nearly double the price  of Ocean Park’s tickets and gave little incentive to travel agents for tickets booked. Target: Hong Kong After two vastly different experiences opening international Disney parks, an ownership venture into an Asian country was a given. Tokyo Disneyland had been extremely successful from day one with little demand for cultural assimilation; Disney was ready to open their own park in Asia. In the early 2000’s Hong Kong was showing signs of recovery from the recession. In 2004, the economy experienced an 8.1% increase in GDP and in increase in local consumer spending and confidence. That same year the region also received an enormous number of tourists a year, approximately 21.8 million visitors with 12.45 from mainland China. With the expansion of the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) the growing presence of the Chinese visitors could be counted on. It was a known fact that the Chinese enjoyed visiting theme parks from the massive number built throughout the mainland in the 90’s. However, the only attraction park in the region was becoming outdated and was no longer viewed as a main attraction. The region’s government was interested in joining Disney in a joint venture which would ease some of the financial concerns of company expansion. With the growing presence of Chinese tourists, one direct competitor, and involvement of the regional government Hong Kong was a very attractive market opportunity. Joint Venture Decision Entering foreign markets is accomplished via three major approaches: export/import, licensing, and/or foreign investment. Disney had experience with all methods prior to entering Hong Kong with varying degrees of success. They have exported products throughout the world, used a licensing approach to enter Japan, and a direct investment approach to enter France/Europe. In deciding the entry mode to Hong Kong, past experiences may have contributed to selecting joint venture as the best entry mode to Hong Kong. The overwhelming success of Tokyo Disneyland suggests licensing is not the best strategy. Disney was not able to fully capitalize on the success of Tokyo Disneyland. They only collected licensing fees, thus missing out on  the opportunity to enhance revenues by limiting their stake to just licensing fees. The success of this entity was at least partially due to the ‘aspirational quality’ of American culture exhibited by the Japanese. Further analysis of past market entry experience suggested direct investment may not be the best option either. Disney chose direct investment when entering the European market being a controlling shareholder in the Euro Disney entity. Euro Disney found itself saddled with large debt struggling to survive. Unlike the Japanese experience, the French believed Disney was practicing cultural imperialism through its operation. Needless to say the French do not share the same aspirational quality of American culture as the Japanese. In looking to Hong Kong, Disney had to look at these past experiences to find a happy medium between the success of Tokyo and the less successful entry to Europe. Thus a joint venture with the government of Hong Kong was born. This entry mode allows Disney to share more risk, unlike Euro Disney, but also reap a greater benefit in the event Hong Kong proves to be as successful as Tokyo Disneyland. The joint venture setup with the Hong Kong government should, in theory at least, allow Disney to avoid the cultural missteps of Euro Disney while making entry smoother and paving the way to greater profits. Having selected a joint venture as the entry method, was their entry successful? The price to enter the park was nearly double the competition. Not necessarily a problem until you look at survey results showing ~70% of respondents expected a lower admission price. Coupled with a poor commission structure for travel agents, Disney was off to a rough start once the park opened. Even before the park opened there were problems. Public criticism was directed at the nature of the joint venture; operating the park as a private entity with public funding was not well-received. Fire ant colonies were found throughout the property. Testing of firework displays led to complaints from area residents and local officials. In response, Disney  refused to use a less noisy system used in other Disney properties as they argued they were following local regulations. This inflexible approach led to animosity between the company and locals. Additionally, packs of wild dogs were using the park as a location to scour for food leading to visitor safety concerns. Attempting to learn from their experience in France, Disney endeavored to integrate local customs and practices into park design including using feng shui. However, the decision to offer shark’s fin soup caused another problem. Local conservationists argued this was a status symbol and not a local custom. They pointed to the competition not offering this delicacy as a good example. Once the park opened, there were further issues. Reaching park capacity, turning people away and long queues were unforeseen operational issues resulting in further headaches for Disney. Despite looking to their past for guidance, taken as a whole, Disney’s initial entry into Hong Kong was not very successful. Lessons Learned Disney has numerous lessons to be learned from the opening of the Hong Kong theme park, some of which were available to them before making the Hong Kong decision based on their moves into other countries. The common theme among these lessons is that Disney needed to better understand the context of their business venture before starting, throughout the implementation process and post opening. In the case of Disney and Hong Kong, the relevant context includes competition, supporting industries, the cultural setting, and understanding the target customers’ wants and measurement of satisfaction. The first lesson the Walt Disney Company learned while expanding into Hong Kong is to understand pricing structure. Their main competitor, Ocean Park was more aggressive in sales on mainland China by offering better commission rates to travel agents. The university study showed expectations for adult pricing ranged would be in the range of HK$200 – HK$300 while the actual price was HK$295 on weekdays and HK$350 on weekends. This pushed potential  guests out of the Disney market to lower priced Ocean Park. The second lesson learned from the Hong Kong Disney expansion is a better understanding of the overall Honk Kong theme park marketplace. Disney seemed to be fighting back. They were not acting proactively towards employee union work conditions, green initiatives, animal rights activists and the â€Å"Disney Hunters† who brought to light inhuman labor practices. Disney spent a lot of time repairing its reputation from marketplace issues rather than projecting the Disney image to potential guests. The third lesson learned is an operational issue. Disney should have had smaller more manageable openings, leading to larger crowds. Opening the park to maximum occupancy for a charity event was noble but created only downside risk to Disney operations. They saw quickly they could not handle the crowds in every aspect. After the fact they basically blamed their customers believing the problems stemmed from a lack of understanding the flexible ticking system. The last lesson learned is for Disney to be more local in all regards. First, hire local high level managers to run parts of the operation. This could have avoided several issues like the Chinese New Year ticketing problem, management turnover, inspections and catering menu options. Also, the Hong Kong people working on the project would not have felt they were being forced to manage to the Disney policies. In summary, Disney’s strategic decision to enter into the Hong Kong market via joint venture with the government was a logical decision. Tapping into the China market, home to the worlds most populated country and a fast growing economy, Honk Kong Disneyland seem destined for success. However, as with past international expansions Disney faced a whirlwind of cultural, economic and management issues that tainted the original vision to spread Disney magic into South-East Asian market

Organizational Transformation Issues In A Health Care Clinic

CONTENTS:Pages ASSIGNMENT BRIEF 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 GLOSSARY OF TERMS 4-5 1. 0. INTRODUCTION 6 1. 1. OBJECTIVES 7 1. 2. METHODOLOGY 8 2. 0. LITERATURE REVIEW 9-25 3. 0. ANALYSIS 26-30 4. 0 REFLECTION 31 REFERENCES BIBLIOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT BRIEF:ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSFORMATION ISSUES IN A HEALTH CARE CLINIC (CASE STUDY). EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This paper is based on the case study Organizational Transformation in a Health Care Clinic where focus, is the many organizational transformational issues that take place during an organisational development and transformational change of the Health Care Clinic. According to Anderson and Ackerman (2001:39-40 & 50), transformational change is defined as a â€Å"completely new way the organization and its people see the world, their customers, their work and themselves. For organizational change to be successful the procedure would require changes that would affect employees’ behaviour, how they think and the organization’s culture thus raising many transformational issues such as leadership issues, communication issues, training and development issues, and cultural issues. GLOSSARY BehavioursThe way in which people in the organization act in terms of what they do and say that brings the strategy and desired culture to life ControlsWhat gets measured and rewardedChange To alter, modify or transform CultureThe totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs of an institutions FacilitateTo make something easier to do GoalsThe objectives or targets that the organization is trying to achieve LeadershipThe ability to guide, direct and influence persons ManagementPersons in charge of organizing and controlling the affairs of a business or a sector of a business MissionThe purpose of the organizationOrganizationA body of persons organized for some specific purpose Organization Development (OD)A primarily behavioural science approach to planned organizational change that is composed of traditional OD and mainline OD ( Krell 1981) Organizational Transformation (OT)Change that involves transformative changes in the fundamental nature of the organization and requires completely new ways of thinking, behaving and perceiving by members of the organization Realignment To readjust or change something to fit different circumstances StrategyThe approach that the organization is adopting to achieve the goals that support the strategy ValuesThe underlying principles and ethics that drive the organization Vision A picture of a desired future state that is sufficiently appealing and compelling to drive change forward 1. 0. INTRODUCTION:ORGANISATIONAL TRANSFORMATION can be defined as â€Å"a fundamental shift in the way business delivers value to its customers and stakeholders resulting in dramatic change strategy, processes, technology and utilisation and management of human resources to meet the needs of the global economy†. ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT is a system wide application and tra nsfer of behavioural science knowledge to the planned development, improvement and reinforcement of the strategies, structures and processes that lead to organisational effectiveness. Many organizations of today go through changes because of circumstances, wanting to become more developed and/or advanced or simply because of wanting to move with the time.Management of the health care clinic initiated an organizational development programme because of problems originating from the application of modern technology to the jobs of medical technologists. It was discovered that employees of the biochemistry department were greatly dissatisfied because of their feeling of having their skills underutilized, having cultural differences with other staff members, having communication barriers and not having job challenges present. The organizational development staff and the manager agreed that job redesign should take place to bring more autonomy, control, feedback and meaningfulness to the w ork for the employees of the clinic.Over a period of two years evaluation of the results by the organizational development staff found that job characteristics and satisfaction declined for both groups that were involved in the transformational change process. Changing environments of an organization has effect on the organization and the organization’s environment thus creating many transformational issues. Transformational issues include leadership issues, cultural issues, communication issues, cultural issues and training and development issues. 1. 1. OBJECTIVES: 1-To identify the organizational transformational issues that are involved in the change in the health care clinic 2-To evaluate change implementation and intervention strategies at a health care clinic. 1. 2. METHODOLOGY:The researcher in the context of this case study has opted to use the phenomenological approach as opposed to a positivistic approach (Collis and Hussy 2003). Triangulation-â€Å"the use of more than one method or source of data in the study of a phenomenon so that findings can be cross checked† Bryman (2008 pg. 700) Triangulation method of data collection will be used collecting qualitative and quantitative data from both primary and secondary sources for example using unstructured questions and interviews. A variety or literature, theoretical and analytical tools and techniques will be used. The research conducted being a case study the data collection will be consequence on the evidence as suggested in the case study. Random sampling s suggested by Saunders et al cannot be validated, in that for quantitative research the sample size must be of at least 95% in order to obtain realistic or quantifiable data and it may be dangerous and less accurate to do otherwise. 2. 0. LITERATURE REVIEW The core issues which will guide the facilitation of policy development, plans and programs for the organisational will include the under mentioned factors: Lewin’s(1951) fo rce field analysis demonstrates the two key external forces that push organisations into change situations but counteracting, resisting forces are often arisen from inside organisations when the changes are attempted and that change occurs when the driving forces out number resisting forces.This force field is propagated on the idea that social situations can be seen as equilibria that are periodically disturbed when changes to the situation are attempted. The concept of change as modification of these forces keeping a system’s behaviour stable. The two groups of forces are those striving to maintain the status quo and those pushing for change. A state of ‘quasi-stationary equilibrium’ as coined by Lewin(1951) is achieved when both sets of forces are almost equal and current behaviours and attitudes are maintained. FIG. 1 BELOW REFERS. Kurt Lewin (1951) identified three stages of behaviour modification in a simplistic change management model is seen in the table 1 below. LEWIN(1951)THREE STAGE MANAGEMENT TABLE. (TAB. ) UnfreezingIs concerned mainly with selling the change and provides a motive for groups and individuals to change their attitudes, systems, behaviours values and structures. The unfreezing stage will be greatly accelerated if it is recognised that the need for change is immediate, clear and the survival of the organisation depends upon it. MovingIs concerned with recognising what the new attitudes and desirable practise, norms and behaviours should be and communicating it and encouraging others in the organisation to embrace and own it as new job requisites. This aspect can occur through assimilation and exposure to new concepts or from individuals with different perspectives. RefreezingThis stage is the final and stabilising stage of the change implying reinforcement of the new behaviours.Evoking positive reinforcements such as rewards and praise. For negative reinforcement such as sanctions for indiscipline or deviant attitu des. Source:Mullins,Laurie J. (1997) Management and Organisational Behaviour 9th. Edition. FT/Prentice Hall . Again, Lewin(1951) suggested that for change to be successful there must be group activity. Unless group norms are transformed there will be no sustenance to individual actions and without reinforcements change can be short-lived. Employees are beginning to accept that the time has come for change and the changes must be made so that the organisation can remain viable. Schein (1988) model of change outlined the pivotal role of the change agent.Schein (1988) delineated each stage of Lewin’s (1951) model by expressing the dynamics of individual change and how imperative it is for change agent to manage these changes (see table 2 below) the change agent can be seen as the coach, facilitator and motivator assisting individuals through the change can be seen as the coach, facilitator and motivator assisting individuals through the change. According to Schein’s(1988) model the first stage the change agent assists with motivating the individual by disconfirming their behaviours, attitudes and performance. Stage two emphasises the need to get employees to perform tasks differently and actually engaging belief that changing norms and working habits can effectively improve their performance.At Stage three the change agent helps the employee to change his thought patterns by integrating new and well defined behaviours. Self conceptualisation and reinforced performance standards are confirmed. Schein (1988) believes that none of these stages are susceptible to self management but need the intervention of change agents. In furtherance, Cummings and Worley (2005) planned change concept outlined how change can be implemented in organisations. This action research model places heavy emphasis on gathering and diagnosing data prior to action planning and implementation and on assessment of results after action is taken. The action research model describes change as a cyclical process involving joint activities between employees and organisational ractitioners. Figure 2 below compares Lewin (1951) change model to other models of planned change such as the positive model and the action research model all of which describes the phases by which planned change occurs in organisations. Initiation of successful organisational change modified restructuring strategies and organisational efficiencies can be envisaged through these theories. In this model many steps overlap and interact in practise. This simple model has been used to analyse and manage change and can be useful at times. However, it tends to treat people as the objects of manipulation and does not involve them in the change process at all.All three approaches emphasises the application of behavioural science knowledge, involve organisation members in the change process to varying degrees and recognise that the interaction between an organisation and a consultant constitutes an i ntervention that affects the organisation. Lewin’s(1951) change model approach differs from the other two models in that it deals with the general process of planned change whereas the others target specific organisational development(OD) activities. To manage strategic change effectively, it is important to understand its causes. Two main classifications of the causes of change are outlined by the following theorists: 1) Tichy’s(1983) four main causes of strategic change 2) Kanter, Stein and Jick’s(1992) three dynamics for strategic change. According to Tichy (1983) four main triggers for change:TICHY(1983) TRIGGERS FOR CHANGE †¢Environment- shift in the economy, competitive pressures and legislative changes can lead to demands for strategic change. †¢Business relationships-alliances, acquisitions, value chain linkages or core competencies. †¢Technology †¢People-new entrants may have different educational or cultural backgrounds or expectati ons that require change. Source:Mullins, Laurie,J. (1997) Management and Organisational Behaviour 9th. Edition FT/Prentice Hall. (TABLE 3) Tichy(1983) suggests that change is not only inevitable in such circumstances but can be managed to produce effective results. Kanter, Stein and Jick(1992)identified three causes of strategic change: Environment-changes here compared with the situation in the organisation can lead to demands for strategic change.Life cycle differences-changes in one division or part of the organisation as it moves into a phase of its life cycle that is different from another division may necessitate change. Typically, change issues related to the size, shape and influence of such parts and involve coordination and resource allocation issues between them. Political power changes inside the organisation-individuals, groups and other stakeholders may struggle for power to make decisions or enjoy the benefits associated with the organisation. For example, shifts in s trategy from production oriented to customer oriented would be accompanied by a shift in the power balance between those two functions.The researcher suggested that the causes were constantly shifting, sometimes slowly and at other times faster. Kanter, Stein and Jick’s(1992) theory can be directly related to the Health care clinic as the organisation go through the process of change as it relates to the external environment changes so too must the organisation, as one part of the organisation change so too must other parts of the organisation change to ‘catch up’. Internal and external factors influence changes. Kanter, Stein and Jick (1992) identified three major forms taken by the change process. They linked these three categories of people involved in the change process, to produce a three stage process for managing change.These three forms were: 1)The changing identity of the organisation. 2)Coordination and transition issues as an organisation moves through its life cycle. 3)Controlling the political aspects of the organisation. The three major categories of people involved in the change process: I. Change strategists-those responsible for leading strategic change in the organisation. They may not only be responsible for implementation. II. Change implementers –those who have direct responsibility for change management. III. Change recipients- those who receive the change programme with varying degrees of anxiety depending on the nature of the change and how it is presented.Kanter, Stein and Jick(1992) offer one way of structuring and managing aspects of the change process. However, these categories of people only give limited indicators of how to manage the process. Kanter, Stein and Jick’s(1992) model may be suited to major changes than the more common ongoing process. According to Cummings and Worley (2005) there are five major activities involved in order to lead and manage change and they are done in the order in wh ich they are performed. These in order of priority are: ? Motivating change. ?Creating a vision. ?Developing political support. ?Managing the transition. ?Sustaining momentum. A major point to note is that in this model, overcoming resistance to change is required early in the change.The change process in the organisation can be severely affected by resistance to change. People tend to very reluctant to move from their perceived ‘comfort zone’ to some unforeseen place as it relates to change thereby begging the questions of whether their contributions will mean anything for them in the future. Albrecht (1983) provided an interesting model of change in which organisations undergo the change cycle. Individuals also experience symptoms of change response cycle. This cycle is prevalent when change is dictated or imposed by management and internal and external forces. ( Table 4 below refers. ) (TABLE4) Source:Cummings, Thomas G. nd Christohper G. Worley,(2005) Organisation D evelopment and Change 8th. Edition-,Thomson Southwestern. The six box model of change was introduced by Weisbord (1978) as a diagnostics tool to measure organisational effectiveness and looks at the inter-related elements within the organisation. Purpose. Is the representation of the organisation and an understanding of the employee’s agreement and commitment to it. Leadership.. – Includes the style and integrity of the employee and their ability to be goal oriented. Structure . -Displays the organisational chart, reporting styles and systems, job responsibility and delegation of authority Relationship. Are those of the employees in the organisation together with their norms, behavioural patterns, conflict management and their degrees of inter dependence Rewards. -Represent what the organisation needs to rewards both in real and psychological terms and include incentives for ‘doing the right thing’ Helpful Mechanisms. -Are the different and varied formal p rocedures and management systems that monitor and coordinate the organisation’s work. . According to Kotter(1995) there are eight steps to transforming an organisation. Source:Cummings, Thomas G. and Christohper G. Worley,(2005) Organisation Development and Change 8th. Edition-,Thomson Southwestern.Kotter(1995) suggests † that for change to be successful 75% of the company’s management needs to buy into the change and really work hard at step and spend significant time and energy building urgency before moving into the other steps. Don’t panic and jump in too fast because you don’t want to risk further short term losses, if you act without being properly prepared, you could be in for a bumpy ride’’ As a result of change many times there is the issue of conflict arising. Conflict is inevitable just as change and assuming that organisational goals are broadly dersiable , there are two aspects of conflict that are relevant and leaders mus t take cogniscance of. According to Hunt (1986) conflict can be highly desirable, it can energise relationships and clarify issues. Conflict can be constructive as well as destructive. the constructive effects of conflict are hat it can introduce different solutions to problems, power relationships can be defined more clearly,it can encouragecreativity and testing of ideas,it focuses attention on individual contributions, it brings emotions out in the open and it provides opportunities for the release of hostile feelings that may have been, or may be, repressed otherwise. Conflict can have negative effects as it may distract attention from the task, it can polorise views and dislocate the group, odjectives may be subverted in favour of secondary goals,it encourages defensive or spoiling behaviour,it may result in the disintegration of the group and it can foster emotional, win-lose within the group. Job design involves the planning of the job. This includes its contents, the methods of performing the job and how it relates to other jobs in the organization (Rahim 2001).Job design and redesign main focus is to put together the needs of the employees that are involved in the different jobs with the production necessitate of the organization in mind. One of the main aims of job redesign is to supply the organizations workers with significant work that fit effectively into the flow of the organization. Enriching, enlarging or simplifying are also goals of job redesign. For the improvement of performance job redesign theory focuses on, job rotation and job enlargement. As in the case it was shown that the general feeling of the employees of the clinic was that there was an absence of job challenge and that technology had simplified the work to be done.According to Herzberg’s theory of motivation, workers motivation to work depends on the nature of the work and how challenging it is. Lack of this challenge will allow employees to become disenchanted with thei r job thus having a negative impact on organizational transformation. Having job challenges will help in motivating the employee to work. Adair (2004) believes that motivation comes from within a person but is fuelled by external factors eg. having work challenges to be able to align themselves to achieve a specific goal, (the goal being a challenge but yet it is attainable by the employee). Job rotation where the employees will be allowed to work on different tasks or in different departments.This will increase job satisfaction and would have helped the employees as they would have had the opportunity to perform different tasks, thus inhibiting boredom on the job. Learning will also take place as employees also learn new tasks and have different responsibilities with job rotation. Job enlargement whether horizontal or vertical would also lead to a more successful organizational transformation as it would also help in giving the employees a challenge as they will have more to do. Ti me is also extended so that the challenge of doing more is realistic. Self esteem will be contributed to as the employee would be entrusted with exercising judgement thus having added responsibility for tasks.Job design and redesign is mainly done by the management of the organization who are responsible for making decisions about how to design those jobs ( Mintzberg 1973) as they see fit. Although managers would have more influence and control over job design than they do over structure, technology, culture, relationships and people ( Hackman & Oldham 1980), the time and attention of managers would still be greatly needed (Dutton &: Ashford, 1993). Pfeffer(1994) believed that the depending on how managers make decisions about job design, it can be a liability or a potential source of competitive advantage for organizations however, many managers often use simplified work as the default approach to designing jobs (Campion &: Stevens, 1991). 3. 0. ANALYSIS/FINDINGS:The researcher in her analysis of the case study of the particular health care clinic sought to ascertain where the problems were and attempts to ascribe the requisite solutions. There were certain strengths as well as considerable weaknesses associated with the case study. It was found that Lewin’s(1951) models were followed to the letter in the structure of this health care clinic and that factors outside these frameworks were not used thereby creating obvious gaps. TECHNOLOGY: Tichy’s(1983) four main triggers of successful strategic change identifies technology as an important driver in the change. As is the situation in the case study it was found that with the advent of new modern technology strengths as well as weaknesses are abound.The medical technologists in the bio chemistry department were either inept with the new technology or were not prepared for the imposition of the new technology thereby dissatisfaction was wide spread, which can be seen as another weakness. Technologi cal shifts can substantially impact on the quality or content of the work and may ultimately influence the factors that affect survivability of the organisation. SOURCES OF DISSATISFACTION Paragraph 2 of the case study identifies several sources of dissatisfaction among the technologists that were of concern. The under mention identifies the concerns together with the possible cause and effect and likely solutions. Under utilisation in their work†-this can be seen as a weakness in the organisation and could have been possible as the OD staff failed and or neglected to take into consideration issues such as job design and redesign RAHIM (2001), job rotation, job enrichment, job enlargement and job evaluation on employees at the health care clinic. â€Å"Communication within the laboratories was insufficient†-it is apparent that the communication channels between laboratories were severed or perhaps were insufficient. As such the OD experts should have embarked on team bu ilding workshops and organisational development seminars and sufficient enough training and development exercises. Work wasn’t evenly distributed†- this would suggest that there was a certain lack of supervision in the laboratories and there was a failure to have equity distribution in assignment and management of tasks. The issues of capacity management and production planning are areas that OD experts should have looked at. â€Å"Medical staff didn’t treat them with the respect that they deserve†-this clearly suggests that the medical staff felt that the technologists were their subordinates and felt that way because the technologists may be less remunerated as compared to the medical staff. As such OD staff should take into consideration issues such as reward management systems, merit recognition eg. Employee of the month, performance pays system, team based pay and a comprehensive performance related merit system of remuneration. The advent of technolo gy had had simplified the work to the point that it no longer seemed to require the level of training common among medical technologists†-this would suggest that technologists should have had enhanced training in other skill sets or multi skill training which would give them the extended capacity to build manpower capacity. â€Å"Studies in personnel management literature†-there is no such evidence in the case study to suggest that there were any studies in the personnel management literature carried out. â€Å"Job challenge was a primary cause of job turnover†-this is an issue really of job retention as opposed to job attrition. By looking at performance appraisal strengths and weakness can be determined.In looking at job turnover OD require job retention, job security and career and talent management. LEADERSHIP: The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes. (TONY BLAIR, 1994) Are leaders born or made? Trait (1950) theory seems to sug gest that leaders are born and not made, yet Stodgill(1949) and Mann (1959) suggests that there are few relationship between the traits possessed by leaders and their performance. The Trait (1950) theory that leaders are born failed under scrutiny (Zaccaro, 2007). Kirkpatrick and Locke (1991) having examined existing literature on leadership suggests that there are six leadership traits.They are: 1-Drive 2-Leadership motivation 3-Honesty and integrity 4-Self confidence 5-Cognitive ability 6-Knowledge of the business As in the case study there is no clear indication as to the leader (Weisbord 1978) of the change process as it is reputed that the OD staff had discussions with the managers. Clearly no one took charge of the change process from the onset of the planned change. There is no evidence to suggest whether the OD staffs were adequately qualified to conduct such a change process or whether the interviews were conducted professionally. COMMUNICATION Communication is a key compon ent in the facilitation of any change process.For this reason communication is heightened importance when change is needed. Bordia et al (2004) suggests that communication during change is vital to manage employee uncertainty and feelings of loss of control. As was the case in this case study there is hardly any evidence to suggest that there was a proper reporting structure so that information on the change initiatives were being communicated to the technologists by the OD experts. To this end came the issue of the readiness for change as this is an important indicator to coping with resistance to change so suggests Armenakis, Harris and Mossholde(1993). Communication strategies need to emphasize two messages.They are: 1- The need for the change, that is, indicating what the organisation is doing as opposed to what it should be doing and 2- The ability to change successfully, that is, it is important that the employees believe that the change could be done thereby encouraging them to make the extra effort. TIMEFRAME: Apart from using volunteers to assist in the analysing of the data which is in itself questionable as there is evidence that they are overworked and not properly remunerated. The OD staff administered questionnaires which asked for confidential opinion as opposed to change or job analysis questions and there is no indication of its contents. These questionnaires sought only quantitative data.Whether the truth will be written on those questionnaires is anybody’s guess as there is no validation of the data. There is no clear definition as to the timeline for the project and no implementation plan. The random sampling data collecting took two months seems to be incredibly long for such an exercise. To suggest that two years later the OD staff evaluated the results of the change program was incredulous to say the least as this was certainly not an effort in organisational transformation but rather an incremental change plan. This was an exerci se that was limited in scope, time and cost thereby failing to meet its objectives. RESISTENCE TO CHANGEResistance to change is a widely used term that generally gives a bad or a negative connotation. It us usually asked of employees to change something in the organisation that they may have been comfortable with for their entire life. That change will not come easy at all, there will be some anguish and fight and may even be the source of collective group action like strikes and industrial action by employees. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Ford and Ford(2009) suggests that resistors to change should not be overlooked but that resistance should be taken in a positive light and accepted as a form of feedback that can actually build and encourage the change process.Pockets of resistance can also be found with the Lewin (1951) model of unfreezing, moving and refreezing. As the activity of unfreezing comes to an end resistance is usually found as employees attempt to move. This i s quite natural as without proper communicating many are unsure of their future especially the employees who have fallen into their comfort zone. As with the case study there was a definite feature of resistance to change. 4. 0. REFLECTION: This change process was a failure from its inception because the very basic of protocols were not adopted. The OD staff sought to enlist volunteers who do not have the requisite educational capacity to carry out that vital function of collecting and analysing data.The human resources department should have been the ones directly involved in the change process. The change agent should have been engaged who is a highly trained professional in organisational development to lead the drive towards organisational transformation. In this case study the data collected would at best be unscientific and unrealistic to say the least. Change, whether planned or emergent can take a number of forms, each of which requires a different type of action. Utilising collective methods of action research together with capacity building and the will to include people in the change process will go a long way in achieving successful change.In conclusion it must be said that there are unprecedented opportunities and challenges in the health care industry for which organisational development (OD) practitioners must be aware of and as such there can be significant positive growth and development by linking strategic activities of the organisation towards the direction of organisational transformation. Organisational transformation can also be achieved by being able to facilitate integration of people and processes across traditional department and organisational boundaries and by acknowledging competencies and integrity. REFERENCES: ATKINSON, P. E. (1990) ‘CREATING CULTURAL CHANGE’ MANAGEMENT SERVICES VOL. 34 NO. 7, PP. 6-10.BPP PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION- ORGANISATIONS AND BEHAVIOUR SUPPORTIND FOUNDATION DEGREES, MANDATORY UNIT 3 P. 185.. CU MMINGS,T. G. AND WORLEY,C. G. (2005)’ ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE’, 8TH. EDITION,THOMPSON SOUTHWESTERN. P. 509. HANDY, C. B. (1993)’ UNDERSTANDING ORGANISATIONS’, 4TH. EDITION KOTTER, J. P. AND COHEN, D. S. (2002)’ THE HEART OF CHANGE’, HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PRESS MAYLOR, J. (2004) ‘MANAGEMENT 2ND. EDITION’, F T/ PRENTICE HALL ,PP. 69-74. Mc LEAN, A. AND MARSHALL, J. (1998) ‘CULTURES AT WORK, LOCAL GOVERNMENT TRAINING BOARD’. MULLINS,LAIRIE, J. (1997)’MANAGEMENT AND ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR 9TH. EDITION FT/PRENTICE HALL SENIOR, B.AND FLEMING, J. (1993). ‘ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE’, 3RD. EDITION, FT/ PRENTICE HALL. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bradford & Burke. 2005. Re-Inventing Organisation Development, Wiley Publication. Cummings & Worley. 2004. Organisation Development & Change, Thomson Publishing French & Bell. 1999. Organisational Development: Behavioural Science Interventions for Organisation Improve ment, Prentice Hall Publication. French, Wendell,Bell, Cecil& Zawacki, Robert. 2004. Organization Development & Transformation: Managing Effective Change, McGraw-Hill Publication Stacy, Ralph. 2000. Strategic Management & Organisational Dynamics: The Challenge Of Complexity, FT/Prentice Hall.Morgan, Gareth. 2006. Images of Organisation, Sage Publication. Handy, Charles. 2002. Age of Un-reason, Pitman Handy, Charles. 1993. Understanding Organisations, Penguin Schein, Edgar. 1998. Process Consultation Revisited, Prentice Hall Schien & Gallos. 2006. Organisational Development, Jossey Bass Publication Burnes, Bernard. 2004. Managing Change: A Strategic Approach to Organisational Dynamics, Prentice Hall. Oppenheim, A. N. 1992. Questionnaire Design, Interviewing and Attitude Measurement Vansina, Leoplod & Vasina-Cobbaert, M. J. 2008. Psychodynamics for Consultants & Managers: from Understanding to Leading Meaningful Change, Wiley Publication.

Audit Assurance and Compliance Case Study

As per the specific roles and responsibilities of independent auditors, it can be said that the independent auditors have the accountability to prepare as well as present financial declarations based on the accurate historical data of the organization and by considering the company’s financial as well as trading standpoints (Glover et al. 2014). However, the financial announcements of the company need to replicate the actual financial condition of the firm during a particular period of time founded on the flows of cash, functional results, incomes as well as gains along with income and profits (Kend et al. 2014). Nevertheless, in certain cases, particular events or else circumstances might crop up after the specific date of authorizing and declaring the pecuniary reports of the firm. Therefore, it becomes important to adjust and incorporate the effects of these events in the financial declarations in the upcoming financial reports that is to be declared by the corporation. In addition to this, the independent auditors also have the need to attach significance to the events that take place prior to the process of preparation as well presentation of the financial declarations and take into account the material impacts of the events on the preparation of the financial statements related to the organization (Schmidt et al. 2016). Thus, there is pressing need for conducting obligatory adjustments for the purpose of disclosing several critical facts regarding the financial soundness of the organization during the specific period of time. As per the effective adjustments in the financial statements made during the period September 2002, the incidences triggered by the disclosures or else non disclosures can be indicated to the consequent events that involved several parties. As per the case study, it can be hereby ascertained that EFL had to bear huge amount of losses owing to the bankruptcy of the corporation Impulse. It can further inferred that this specific loss is mostly caused due to the non-disclosure of proper financial information of Impulse by the auditing and accounting firm King & Queen of Impulse Pty Ltd. Based on the norms and principles of auditing, it can be hereby inferred that the actions steered by the auditing firm King & Queen was immensely unethical. Consequently the auditing firm is accountable to the financing company EFL for the losses it has suffered by disbursing huge amount of loans to the company Impulse based on the financial reports of the firm (Messier Jr 2016). B.The analysis of the case study reveals the fact that King & Queen might not face legal charges based on certain condition. The independent auditing company would not face any legal charges in case if it delivered the right information concerning the financial condition of the firm Impulse to the EFL at the time when EFL asked about written explanation in quest of advice from King & Queen related to the financial condition of the firm. King & Queen had the need to provide credible financial information regarding the firm Impulse to the financing firm EFL if it had clearly written regarding their decision for disbursement of loan based on the financial announcements presented by the King & Queen. However, if EFL agreed to disburse loans to Impulse even after receiving and knowing the actual financial information regarding the company Impulse, then EFL cannot hold King & Queen responsible for the bitter consequences. However, as per the conditions stipulated under the â€Å"paragraph s (93 to 97) of â€Å"PCAOB Auditing Standard No 5†, the auditing corporation King & Queen had the need to undertake an assimilated audit of the financial announcement of the company Impulse in a bid to generate an appropriate financial statement of the firm and to declare about the real health and financial soundness of the company (Moroney et al. 2014). In addition to this, there was also need for maintenance of internal control related to the particular approach of the firm regarding auditing. The maintenance of internal control can help in delivering the direction associated to the consequent events as mentioned in the in the case study. The internal control in organization can also help in proper audit of financial reports and provide proper advice to the auditors. The right guidance to the auditing firm King & Queen can help in averting different liabilities that are associated to the different consequences of events as stated above. The auditing therefor, also needs to abide by the guidelines related to the associated to auditing standards for undertaking the practices of audit as well as their approaches of audit (Stuart 2012). The auditing firm such as King & Queen can adhere to the stipulations conditioned under the Australian Auditing Standards mentioned under the Section 336 of the Corporation Act (William Jr et al. 2016). In this case, King & Queen, the firm performing audit needs to review and audit of financial reports in addition to other financial information as per the conditions laid under the ASQC 1. In addition to this, they also need to maintain compliance with the ASA 102 that mentions the ethical obligations that need to be satisfied at the time of performance of audit, reviews as well as other types of assurance engagement of the firm (Eilifsen et al. 2013). Furthermore, the King & Queen also had the need to comply with the stipulations provided as per the section ASA 220 for maintenance of quality control of a particular audit of a financial statement together with other historical information (financial information) (Auasb.gov.au 2016). In addition to this, the auditors also need to maintain compliance with the directives mentioned under ASA240 for understanding the responsibilities of the auditors associated to fraudulent actions in a specific audit of financial declaration and take into consideration the regulations of ASA 250 for understanding the laws of auditing a financial report (Auasb.gov.au 2016). C.As rightly indicated by Glover et al. (2014), auditing independence deals with two wide aspects that can be discussed for comprehending the nature as well as characteristics of auditors. As such, there remains difference between the actual independence and perceived independence of auditing when considered in terms of appearance. Therefore, in a bid to attain goals as well as objectives of auditing, both the actual as well as the perceived independence is imperative from the viewpoint of the contributions of auditing. Louwers et al.   (2013) asserts that actual independence refers to the operations of the auditors that get impacted by the thinking potential. To put it simply, the actual independence of auditing is primarily reliant on the in dependent state of mind of the particular auditors. The state of the mind of the auditors exert considerable impact on the functioning as well as approaches of different auditors. This in turn affects the way auditors deal with particular sit uations associated to their auditing practices (Arens et al. 2012). Thus, freedom in the decision making can be observed during the time when directors of firms tries to negotiate positions of the auditors. The actual independence of auditing that depends on mental state of individuals is very difficult to enumerate. Therefore, this can be very challenging to gauge the objectivity of particular auditors. However, perceived independence of auditing can be considered as the grey area between the normal black and white aspects of the auditing and is based mainly on perceptions (Duncan and Whittington 2014). D.As rightly mentioned by Carson et al.   (2013), there are several important regulatory requirements along with auditing standards associated to the process of auditing as developed by Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC). There are several directives as well as regulations stated in the regulations of ASIC that the independent auditors take into consideration for undertaking their actions (O’Donnell K. et al.   2015).    As mentioned in the first scenario, Bob has duplicated and at the same time used the financial information provided in the books of the company â€Å"Club Casino† in a bid to prepare university assignment task. Bob essentially removed the probable references that are related to the Club Casino that has the probabilities of breach of audit as Bob did not notify Clun Casino for any such kind of practices. Thus, it can be said that Bob is an independent auditor who needs to get approval from Club casino regarding the utilization and employment of financial information for satisfying the primary educational requirements. Bob also need to comply with the ethical requirement as stipulated under the ASA 102 (Auasb.gov.au 2016). Bob needs to adhere to the regulations in order to comply with ethical obligations during the performance of audit of firms. The second scenario explicates in detail the involvement of Wendy to the company Ace Limited. The company have the need for the auditor rotation as per the stipulations of ASIC. In addition, it is also imperative for the auditor to maintain adherence to the stipulations mentioned under ASA 220 Quality Control Aus A6.1 that specifies about the requirement of the auditor rotation (Auasb.gov.au 2016). The Corporation 2001 also mentions about the requirements of the rotation requirements necessary for meeting the ethical obligations of auditors (Auasb.gov.au 2016). Again, as per the guidelines of ASIC, there are several enforceable regulations for the auditors responsible for preparation as well as presentation of reports for main areas of different business actions and if the corporation is operating for more than 5 years. The third scenario refers to the assignment of Leo in the auditing procedure of organization Precision Machinery Limited. The scenario can help in comprehending the features of appointment that need to meet the capability and effectiveness levels. This is related to the quality assessment programs together with different disciplinary procedures of the professional accounting bodies. Therefore, it is important to adhere to the directives stipulated under ASA 220 for quality control of audit and assessment of quality of the particular audit evidence and ASA 510 Audit Engagement rules and regulations (Auasb.gov.au 2016). The fourth scenario indicates towards the occurrence particularly between Chan & Associates and the Classic Reproduction Pty Ltd. The present scenario refers to the application of registration requirements in the most suitable manner (Stuart 2012). Thus, it calls for the need of arrangement of full settlement actions for the particular claims related to the fees of auditing firm Chan & Associates. In addition to this, the present scenario also talks about the relation with Classic Reproductions for not fulfilling specific auditing requirements. Arens, A.A., Elder, R.J. and Beasley, M.S., 2012. Auditing and assurance services: an integrated approach. Prentice Hall. Auasb.gov.au. 2016. Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (AUASB) - Home. [online] Available at: https://www.auasb.gov.au/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2016]. Carson, E., Simnett, R. and Vanstraelen, A., 2013, September. Auditing the auditors: An international analysis of the effectiveness of national inspection regimes on audit quality. In The University of Auckland Business School Seminar. Duncan, B. and Whittington, M., 2014, September. Compliance with standards, assurance and audit: does this equal security?. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Security of Information and Networks (p. 77). ACM. Eilifsen, A., Messier, W.F., Glover, S.M. and Prawitt, D.F., 2013. Auditing and assurance services. McGraw-Hill. Glover, S.M., Prawitt, D.F. and Messier, W.F., 2014. Auditing & assurance services: a systematic approach. McGraw-Hill Education. Glover, S.M., Prawitt, D.F. and Messier, W.F., 2014. Auditing & assurance services: a systematic approach. McGraw-Hill Education. Kend, M., Houghton, K. and Jubb, C., 2014. Competition issues in the market for audit and assurance services: are the concerns justified?. Australian Accounting Review, 24(4), pp.313-320. Louwers, T.J., Ramsay, R.J., Sinason, D.H., Strawser, J.R. and Thibodeau, J.C., 2013. Auditing and assurance services. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Messier Jr, W., 2016. Auditing & assurance services: A systematic approach. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Moroney, R., Campbell, F., Hamilton, J. and Warren, V., 2014. Auditing: A Practical Approach. Wiley Global Education. O’Donnell, K., Hicks, B., Streeter, J. and Shantapriyan, P., 2015. Getting it right: directors’ assessment of information. Managerial Auditing Journal, 30(2), pp.117-131. Schmidt, P.J., Wood, J.T. and Grabski, S.V., 2016. Business in the Cloud: Research Questions on Governance, Audit and Assurance. Journal of Information Systems. Stuart, I., 2012. Auditing and assurance services: an applied approach. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. William Jr, M., Glover, S. and Prawitt, D., 2016. Auditing and Assurance Services: A Systematic Approach. Auditing and Assurance Services: A Systematic Approach. Looking for an answer 'who will do my essay for cheap',

Leadership------read the requirement i send you carefully Essay - 1

Leadership------read the requirement i send you carefully - Essay Example Japan, China and USA. Finally the study will be concluding with an insight the recommendations to the managers of the organizations to enhance the domestic as well as international leadership. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Definition 4 Differences between domestic and international leaders competencies 5 Domestic Leadership Competencies 5 International Leadership Competencies 6 Leadership in domestic and international business 6 Discussion 7 Leadership styles & culture studies 7 Cross Cultural Leadership Model 9 Comparison of Domestic and International Leadership 10 Japan 10 China 11 USA 12 Conclusion 13 Japan 13 China 14 USA 15 Reference list 16 Introduction Definition Leadership can be described as a procedure to have supremacy on the group performance in order to reach to the business objectives. It plays an important role within the functioning of an organization. The incorporation of leadership theories or models helps in reducing various organi zational issues (Howell and Costley, 2001; Johnson, 2000). In this twentieth century, it has been evident that leadership characteristics have high importance in the efficient functioning in an organization (Song, Wang, and Wei, 2007). For eliminating the organizational issues and bringing a change within the organization, it is essential that the managers incorporate various leadership characteristics in their functioning (Yukl, 2009; Rees and French, 2010). There are mainly two types of leadership adapted by the leaders within the organizations. One is transactional leadership and the other is the transformational leadership. In transactional leadership, the leaders first set the objectives and goals for all the subordinates and then plans for implementation of different rewarding and punishment techniques in order to encourage them in conducting their operational activities according to the organizational objectives and goals. In transformational leadership, the transformational leaders first identify the required change and then set one vision thereby bringing the change process Transformational Leadership and Domestic Leadership- The transformational leaders believe in imaginative leadership for influencing the subordinates. They believe in strengthening the bonding with the followers and thereby building compassionate relationship with them. The domestic leaders follow transformational leadership for motivating the followers and encouraging them in making better performance. It becomes easy for the domestic leaders to develop compassionate relationship with the subordinates as there is no existence of cultural diversification. Thus form of leadership does not rely on the monetary rewarding techniques such as incentives, bonuses etc. Transactional leadership and International Leadership - The transactional leaders make detailed planning of whatever us going to be executed. These leaders prefer efficient organizations with high quality employees. These lea ders motivate their employees by means of practical methods rather than inspiration. It is so because only inspiration does not work out to be effective for the employees at certain point of time. In such a situation, it is essential to satisfy them by means of monetary rewards such as incentives or bonuses. The international leaders follow this form of leadership as it becomes easy for them to influence the subordinates by providing monetary rewards. Satisfying their demands would

Research in Motion Company Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research in Motion Company Analysis - Assignment Example MICRO ANALYSIS a) Demand Factors: The factors that affect the demand for Blackberry greatly vary from country to country since the customer’s preferences and their association with certain brands change based on their perception. According to the study, the share of RIMs worldwide sales of smartphones declined to 14 percent in the period last quarter of 2011 compared to last quarter sales of 20 percent for the same period. On the other hand, Apple’s share remained stable at 16 percent while Android was able to drastically lift its sales almost threefold to about 33 percent. (Miller, 2011) This was mainly due to the fact that the demand for Blackberry devices fell sharply during the last year owing to the success of its competitors. The unprecedented success of Samsung Galaxy S2 coupled by the low prices other Android phones were available in the market; Blackberry’s sales were badly dented. Therefore, the competitors’ factor played a crucial and a signific ant role in determining the demand for Blackberry devices. ... uth shift to smartphone devices, the competition will only toughen and with new and cheap competitors emerging from all parts of the world such as ZTE and Huawei from China, Blackberry will have to rethink its strategy to sell high-end phones to elites since now even the middle class wants to buy such phones. Although, the distinctive feature of Blackberry that resulted in high demands initially namely the BBM service has now been overcome by software’s like Whatsapp and Viber which offer similar services free of charge. Moreover, among the customers who were interviewed to inquire about their preference for buying a new phone in the next 90 days, only 6 percent stated their inclination towards Blackberry devices. Their main comment was that Blackberry has lost its competitive edge both in its shape and appeal. They complained that the bulkiness of the set and the loss of its distinctive feature have contributed to this disliking in the recent past. (Evan, 2010) a) Supply Fact ors: In comparison to this, the supply of Blackberry devices has increased in the past year since the analysts predicted future growth. Factors affecting supply are the demand itself and the price of the device. Other important factors include the technology and raw materials. Materials required for such a device are very unique and expensive, for example, cameras, LCD screen and processors. Therefore, being a company located in Canada, it has generally good access to the most essential raw materials although at times it has to import these materials from other manufacturers who have firm control over these resources in various parts of the world. Blackberry also holds an advantage since RIM is the sole manufacturer of its devices, therefore, they pay special attention to its hardware and the

Case Scenario Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Case Scenario - Assignment Example The scenario points out the massive flow of pollutants from the boatyard towards the sea. On the other hand the oil containers drips oil into the sea that is a big danger for the marine life. In the scenario, there is a massive flow of pollutant emerging from the marina and going towards the sea contaminating water and endangering the marine life. The people that visit marina complain about the pollutants and the drainage of oil from the oil containers. In this way, the major responsibility of mine is to stop the flow of pollutants into the outer environment. I will have to apply rules and regulation for the restaurant to utilize the closed container for discarding the waste material (National Pollution Prevention Roundtable 2007). The material and shape of the waste containers should in this way that it can hold the heavy storms that occur seasonally in the area. However, there are several methods to build and buy such containers, like utilizing some heavy material in the waste container would solve the problem. The material could be of non-corrosive metallic material or some other material that can resist the heavy winds and storms and even the animal activity. The other problem with the oil containers that lie on the marina can be solved by utilizing a bigger oil container on the marina instead of many 50 gallon oil containers. Moreover, the utilization of bigger tank ensures no oil leakage from the tank. The tank remains properly sealed so that no oil leaks from the tank. A proper oil pumping system would ensure that oil is filled in the boats and other vehicle properly. There is a need to consider the environmental aspect, in order to control the pollution. The problem of the loose waste from the restaurant can be solved by warning the restaurant management to keep an eye on the loose waste and make rules that fine will be imposed if the restaurant continues the act. The increase in the number of waste containers will solve the problem.

How is the AIS (automatic identification system) effective in Kuwait Thesis

How is the AIS (automatic identification system) effective in Kuwait coast guard operation - Thesis Example These systems, particularly the AIS Class A, have provided a wide range of benefits such as effective vessel identification and the provision of accurate information to national security forces and the Vessel Traffic Management Systems, or VTMS. Moreover, the application of ship-to-ship AIS has become an increasingly valuable option for mariners to be used as an efficient instrument that will improve situational awareness (Norris 2006). Regulations to utilise AIS in all vessels fall under the international standards of improving the safety and security among maritime transporters through the provision of information regarding locations and vessel identities. Aside from national security, the AIS can also make its contribution to environmental protections and procedures that require the rescue of vessels vulnerable to threats or attacks (Norris 2006). 1.2 The Role of Kuwaiti Coast Guard Kuwait remains to be a small country that holds a strategic position, increasing its vulnerability. It is surrounded by Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia and is easily within a short distance of missile range from its three major neighbors (CS 2010). Due to Kuwait’s considerable wealth and large oil reserves as well as a lack of safe and secured routes for oil exports, it has become a target for the surrounding countries. Maritime boundaries with Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq have been an important concern for Kuwait, with the country encountering numerous maritime attacks over the years, particularly from Iran and Iraq (Knights 2005). Despite perceiving the hostility of Iraq and other neighboring countries, in 2008, the Kuwait’s naval forces signed the Khawr Abd Allah Protocols, or the KAA Protocols, which referred to a maritime bilateral military agreement for the coordinated use of the KAA waterway and acquire security and stability. Although Kuwait has established defense agreements with United Nations Security Council members and has utilised procurement programmes i n reinforcing these associations, the security of Kuwait has highly relied upon the US and has received from $3 million annually as financial assistance to combat terrorist attacks and meet other security objectives, with the Navy and its coast guards as part of such sanctions. This has allowed units to develop technologies through research and development programmes such as the detection and identification of incoming maritime irregularities (CS 2010). The Kuwaiti Navy includes an estimate of 2,700 personnel including 500 coast guards with its limited naval forces focusing on the protection of their coastline, support of customs, and implementation of missions against infiltration. The Kuwaiti Navy had been established immediately after Kuwait became fully independent from Britain (CSIS 2006). During the Persian Gulf War, the country’s military defenses were highly dependent on foreign contractors to provide their training, logistics, maintenance, and actual operations; cons equently, the readiness of the Navy and the rest of Kuwait’s defenses were at a poor level. At present, their equipment includes fast attack crafts, support ships, special operations patrol boats, interceptor crafts, diving support vessels, hydrographic support vessels and harbor tugs (CIA 2006). Tracking methods have also been emphasized to provide geographical information along

MKTG 406 = MID EXAM & FINAL EXAM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

MKTG 406 = MID EXAM & FINAL EXAM - Assignment Example This can be anything, a stable income or job, etc. The next level of needs which is requirement by the person is the need of love and society. The sense of belongingness is his concern at this stage. He or she starts a family and wants to become a part of the society. The next step in the level of needs is the requirement of self esteem. The person wishes to have a successful carrier and wants to be known for his success. He or she thinks himself or herself to be special. Once the self esteem stage has been achieved, the person goes on to the final level of needs known as the self-actualization. This need is way more important than anything; the aspirations come into play over here. Now having discussed the Maslow’s Hierarchy, let us go on to relating these 5 levels of needs with marketing. As the person goes through the different level of needs, he is always influenced by the some products or services at some point of time. In the first step where the person is looking for the basic needs such as food and shelter, he or she will try to select a food is cheap at the same time nutritious, the advertisement displayed or shown will play a major role in his choice. Similarly, in the second stage the person is looking for security and safety. The security can job or life insurance. Again in this situation, the various firms will try to divert his or her mind to purchase their product or services by saying how different and exclusive their services are. This way the person may or may not get manipulated in purchasing the above services. Again in the next three stages also there are various forms of marketing involved which are used against the consumers. For e xample Vodafone might call a person saying that he or she is their most valued customer and that is he or she is being offered a new mobile connection free of charge. This in return tends to affect the person emotionally and the person will most likely go ahead with the deal. Another

Health care joint ventures and competition law Essay

Health care joint ventures and competition law - Essay Example One of the major problems in applying antitrust analysis to joint ventures in the health care industry, as in other industries, is the inherent problem of properly defining a joint venture. The classic and most-often cited definition states that a joint venture is an enterprise in which two or more separate firms or entities integrate their operations such that the following conditions are met: (1) the enterprise is under the joint control of parent entities, which are not under related control; (2) each parent makes a substantial contribution to the joint enterprise; (3) the joint enterprise exists as a business entity separate from the parent entities; and (4) the enterprise creates or is intended to create a new capability in terms of providing new productive capacity, new technology, a new product, or entry into a new market. The term â€Å"joint venture† can be applied to a wide range of collaborative activity. The Department of Justice, in its Guidelines for Internationa l Operations, has defined a joint venture as â€Å"essentially any collaborative effort among firms, short of a merger, with respect to R&D, production, distribution and/or the marketing of products or services.† In the health care industry, agreements between hospitals and physicians to provide certain hospital-based services, such as anesthesiology, radiology, and pathology could be viewed as joint ventures.

The Most Important Signer of the US Constitution Essay - 2

The Most Important Signer of the US Constitution - Essay Example George Washington was born in February 1932 in Virginia and received basic English education from his mother since his father died when George was just ten years old (Lossing 55). He became a surveyor at the age of seventeen and at the age of nineteen, was appointed a state-adjutant, a position he soon resigned to move with his brother to the West Indies. His services to the state started officially when he was 21 and was sent as an emissary to dissuade the French from hostile maneuvers, a feat that earned him credit and recognition (Lossing 55). He served in the military until 1758 when he retired and married a young widow. He was a farmer for a short while until he was called into the legislature and later into the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia (Lossing 55). He also directed the army in the struggle for independence by the revolting colonies during the great revolution. From Washington’s skill and experience, he was unanimously led to lead the convention that sat to modify the current form of government, efforts that resulted in the formation of the current constitution and the federal government. He was later elected as the first president of the United States of America, a post that he held for 8 years, after which he retired and died peacefully at the age of 68 in his native Virginia (Lossing 56). Lossing, Benson J. Eminent Americans: Comprising Brief Biographies of Leading Statesmen, Patriots, Orators and others, Men and Women, Who Have Made American History. New York: John B. Alden, 1883. P.

Creative Song Assignment Essay Example for Free

Creative Song Assignment Essay The Creative Song Assignment was an interesting assignment, because I have zero experience in mixing music. It was an interesting experience, because it did take me out of my comfort zone. When I first started, I felt lost. I had no idea what I was doing, so I decided to do a little research to see how I can best complete this assignment. I finally settled on using a program called Audacity and the genres of hip hop and alternative rock. I chose a program called audacity, because it gives you an option of mixing different songs. I am sure that there are a lot of other programs better suited for this assignment, but I found this to be pretty easy to use. I really enjoyed playing around with the different settings. It took me a couple of days before I finally picked two songs to work on. I am sure that there are many more experienced people out there that can mix my songs better than me, but I think I did a good job considering my experience level. I decide to pick hip hop and alternative rock, because they are two of my favorite genres. I know that hip hop and alternative rock have been mixed before, so I felt an intrigue in trying to accomplish this myself. I knew that I wanted to use Radiohead’s Karma Police as my alternative, because that is one of my favorite songs. I had a difficult time picking a rap song, because the lyrics did not match up well together. I finally decided to just use a hip hop beat that I found on soundcloud. In my opinion, I felt that this was best, because you can hear the lyrics of the alternative song, but still hear the hip hop beat. The part that took me a while was trying to get the songs in sync perfectly. I really wanted to find a way to lower the alternative rock song’s instrumentals, but I could not do it. I think it would have sounded better if I could mix the hip hop beat with the Karma Police vocals. I am sure it could probably be done with professional mixing equipment.

Employment and its effects on high school and college students’ grade point averages Essay Example for Free

Employment and its effects on high school and college students’ grade point averages Essay Many students, parents, and educators have been seeking the so-called Holy Grail of learning for many decades. One question that has arisen out of this learning model is that of student employment? Many wonder if working a part-time job will affect a student’s grades, and if so, how much? The answer to this seemingly simply question, however, is more complex. A variety of factors must be considered when deciding if and to what extent a student’s grades are affected by his or her employment status. In recent years, the concept of the full-time student seems to be disappearing. From about age sixteen, an overwhelming majority of students, both high school and college, work while they attend school. This average is about 85% for most college students (Bradley, 2006). However, high costs everything from apparel to tuition drives these workers into their part-time jobs which are generally retail and service related businesses for an average of fifteen hours per week (Bradley, 2006). Generally, most studies do identify some differences in academic performance and attitude, but these differences are not as great as people once may have believed. Generally, studies find very few basic differences between working and non-working students, especially in college. However, the intensity of the job and the number of hours worked did seem to affect academic performance in many students at the high school level. Generally longer hours meant more stressors on the individual and had a negative affect on their grades, which translates into about a half of a grade point average(GPA) point lower than not working students or students who work only a few hours, perhaps on the weekends (Weller et al, 2003). Oettinger (1999) also found this to be true, and noted that minority students tended to be more affected by the GPA drop than white students. He noted his drop in GPA to be about . 20 points and to be most obvious in students working more than twenty hours per week. These studies corroborates a study done nearly twelve years earlier in which the researchers found, similarly, that students who put in longer hours at their jobs suffered lower grades, higher absenteeism, and less interest in school in general which was seen in negative behaviors while in school (Perils of Part-time Work for Teens, 1991). At the college level, these differences were less noticeable. Ironically, Bradley (2006) found that the grade point averages were highest for students who did not work AND for students who worked more than twenty hours per week. This seems to contradict the research done on high school students, suggesting that maturity and attitude may also play a part in the employment/grades debate. Research has also been conducted on academic attitude and perception as they relate to grades. In high school, students who worked longer hours did not seem to have much distress about their grades as a result of the employment: â€Å"Those who had jobs displayed no advantage over the others in self-reliance, self-esteem or attitude toward work† (Perils of Part-time Work for Teens, 1991). In addition, students who worked even seemed to report less school stress, possible because they had less interest in school, as mentioned above. Moreover, researchers explain this more blase attitude toward schools by the findings that students who worked were more likely to report avoiding difficult classing, cheating on exams, and copying homework from friends (Weller et al, 2003; Perils of Part-time Work for Teens†, 1991). This was not the case for university students. In college, students who worked perceived that their employment DID affect their grades even when the researchers found little or no interest in grades between non-workers and workers at the college level. Both working and non-working college students showed a high level of interest in their grades and expressed an overall desire to achieve a high level of academic performance. Students who did not work stated that did not do so in order to focus on their studies, and they believed that their studies benefited from this extra time. Again, though, the studies showed no difference in the GPAs of working and non-working college students (Bradley, 2006). Instead many researchers ponder how college students who work so many hours are able to keep similar GPAs to those that do not work. Bradley (2006) suggests that nonworking students may be spending similar time with other activities such as sports, extracurricular clubs, or even caring for dependents at home. He also proposes that the non-working students and the working students may be approaching homework and study in different ways. He notes that non-working students â€Å"may be most likely to adopt a ‘deep’ learning style, characterized by intrinsic interest in the subject content and a desire to maximize understanding of this content† and that working students â€Å"may be more likely to adopt an ‘achieving’ style aimed at maximizing grades through the effective use of space and time. † These learned differences could certainly account for the way different students juggle the demands of work. It is certainly helpful to note when employment can be an effect socialization tool aimed at building strong character and organizational skills and when it can be a definite academic detriment. Research shows that more differences exist for high school students than for college students, and that the majority of the college differences exist only in perception, not in actuality. This gives rise to the possibility of further research which could focus on the characteristics of working students who do keep their GPAs high.

Resource Based View in Business Management

Resource Based View in Business Management Introduction The resource-based view is defined as a business management tool utilized to know the strategic resources available to firm. The basic principle of the resource based value is that the basis for a competitive advantage of a company lies primarily in the application of the group of valuable resources at the firms disposal. In order to change a short-run competitive advantage into a maintained competitive advantage requires that these resources are heterogeneous in nature and not perfectly mobile. In other words, this will change into valuable resources that either perfectly imitable or substitutable without great effort. If these conditions are remained, the companys group of resources can help the firm sustaining above average returns. The recent dominant view of corporate strategy resource-based theory or resource-based view (RBV) of company is based on the theory of economic rent and the view of the company as a collection of capabilities. This view of strategy has a coherence and integrative role that puts it well ahead of other mechanisms of strategic decision making. The olden strategy models such as Michael Porters five forces model concentrates on the firms external competitive environment. Most of them do not try to look inside the firm. Instead, the resource-based perspective shows the need for a fit among the external market context in which a firm works and its internal capabilities. In contrast to the Input / Output Model (I/O model), the resource-based view is grounded in the perspective that a companys internal environment, in terms of its resources and capabilities, is more crucial to the determination of strategic action compared to the external environment. The resource based view suggest that a companys rare resources and capabilities give the basis for a strategy instead of concentrating on the accumulation of resources necessary to implement the strategy dictated by conditions and constraints in the external environment (I/O model). The business strategy chosen should enable the company to best use its core competencies relative to chances in the external environment. The resource-based view of the firm might be useful to the field of strategic management. The big benefit of this theory was it motivated a dialogue between scholars from a lot of perspectives, which they described as good conversation. From then onwards, the strengths and weaknesses of the resource based view have been vigorously argued in strategic management and other management disciplines. There are lesser discussions regarding the resource based view done in the field of information systems. The resource based view is used in the information system field on a few occasions, yet there is no effort up to date to comprehensive evaluates their weaknesses and strengths. The resource-based view also stands that companies possess resources, a subset which allows them to reach competitive advantage and later on giving them long term superior performance. Many studies of performance from company using the resource based view have found differences within the industries. This recommends that the effects of individual, firm-specific resources on performance can be crucial. Valuable and rare resources and whose benefits can be sorted by the owning (or controlling) company giving it with a temporary competitive advantage. That strength can be maintained over longer time periods to the extent that the company can protect against resource imitation, transfer, or substitution. In other words, empirical studies using the theory have strongly supported the resource-based view. One of the key challenges of resource based view related is to understand the meaning of resource. Many people are interested in the resource based view and utilized a few different concepts to speak about a companys resources. This includes assets, stocks, competencies and skills. Such proliferation of terms is a problem for research utilizing resource based view because it is usually not clear what the researchers mean by key terminology. To make things simple, it is better to clarify the terms in a relevant way. Together, assets and capabilities define the set of resources available to the firm. Assets mean anything intangible or tangible that the firm can utilize for producing and creating in its process to a market. Assets can be taken as a input or output of a process. It can also be tangible and intangible. In other words, capabilities change inputs into outputs of greater worth. Capabilities includes processes and skills. Since years ago, there are big collections of contributions in the areas of strategic management and economics which find to change the term of resource based view or utilize it as a framework to solve empirical questions. Meanwhile, the basic propositions of resource based view have increased explained. In summary, the initial contribution of the RBV of the company to date has been as a concept of competitive advantage. The start is with an assumption which the wanted outcome of managerial effort within the company is sustainable competitive advantage. Achieving such a level enables the company to earn economic rents instead. This also concentrates on how the company achieve and maintain advantages. The resource based view argues that the answer to such question stays in the possession of important resources which have certain characteristics like barriers to duplication and value. A SCA can be achieved if the company effectively uses the resources in its product markets. Resource b ased view focuses the strategic choice, charging the companys management with the crucial tasks of developing, identifying and utilizing important resources to maximize returns. The resource based view will be discussed later in the following paragraphs and also followed by a conclusion. Article 1 Corporate Social Responsibility: A Resource-Based View of the Firm Mehdi Taghian, Deakin University This section reviews the application of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) as an intangible dynamic resource, its application in the formulation of marketing strategies and its association with business performance, using the theoretical framework of resource-based view of the firm (RBV). CSR focuses on what is termed the triple bottom line people, planet, profit (Capaldi, 2005). Supporters of CSR believe that it is compatible with the traditional goals of a business and in fact can enhance a business. These supporters assert that CSR must become an integral part of the wealth creation process. Therefore, if CSR is managed properly, it should enhance business competitiveness and maximize wealth creation value to society. Also, when the economy is facing challenging times like now, there is greater not lesser need to practice CSR. The benefits of CSR will be discussed in detail in subsequent paragraphs. CSR initiatives can be in many forms, depending on the company. Some focus solely on environmental issues but there is a move towards community-based development projects (Tench et al, 2007). These projects perform a variety of functions for people in rural areas such as providing education for children and equipping adults with job skills. Other CSR initiatives occur in the form of providing healthcare and awareness of diseases such as AIDS and malaria. Based on these companies annual reports and other publications, such initiatives seem to be successful (Vernon and Mackenzie, 2008). Therefore, companies are encouraged to embrace CSR to fulfil their roles as good corporate citizens. Even though governments have not enacted legislature compelling businesses to embrace CSR, the accounting fraternity has taken the lead by instituting accounting standards and guidelines that compel MNCs to adopt some aspects of CSR. The guidelines are on environmental and sustainable reporting and demonstrate how acting green can be incorporated into a companys accounting system (ODwyer, 2003). Some of the more notable guidelines and standards promoting CSR are AccountAbilitys AA1000 standard, Social Accountability Internationals SA8000 standard, ISO14000 Environmental Management Standard and Global Reporting Initiatives Sustainable Reporting Guidelines. These standards and others have increased the awareness among accountants for the need for good CSR and sustainable reporting. Stakeholder Theory The stakeholder theory considers the impact of expectations of the different stakeholder groups to determine CSR. This is expressed by Drucker in his views on business ethics in that management is ultimately responsible to itself and society at large. These sentiments were re-echoed later by Freeman (1984, cited in Enquist et al, 2006) who said it was not just a matter of social responsibility or business ethics, but ultimately the very survival of the company hinges on it. Stakeholders are groups from whom the organization has voluntarily accepted benefits, and to whom the organization has therefore incurred obligations of fairness (Galbreath, 2009). A firms traditional stakeholders are its shareholders, employees, creditors, customers and the government. However, the scope has been expanded in recent years to include non-governmental organizations and the community as a whole. CSR is utilized as a management tool for managing the information needs of the various powerful stakeholder groups and managers use CSR to manage or influence the most powerful stakeholders in order to gain their support which is vital for survival (Freeman et al, 200, cited in Gyves and OHiggins, 2008). The key issue here is identifying the concerns of the various stakeholder groups which are often different, and how to satisfy them. Hence, the corporation is driven to act in a more ethical manner to avoid antagonizing powerful stakeholders. Scholars have cited five major strategic responses to institutional pressure for CSR, which range from the timid to the hostile. The first strategy is to acquiesce, which is to accept CSR values, norms and rules for the organization. The second approach is to compromise by partially conforming to CSR requirements while modifying it to suit organizational needs. The third strategy is to avoid or resist all CSR initiatives while the fourth method is a more active form of resistance to CSR initiatives through outright defiance. The final approach is by manipulation, which is by attempting to change global CSR standards. As can be expected, the last approach can only be employed by the largest and most powerful corporations. Furthermore, a CSR strategy can be considered as a core intangible dynamic resource within the resource-based view of the firm (RVB). It can provide a general framework for decisions regarding the design and adoption of other organisational resources that collectively characterise their marketing approach and direction. Article 2 The resource-based view of the firm: Ten years after 1991.(Technical) Ten years ago, Jay Barney edited a special forum in this journal on the Resource-Based View of the Firm (Barney, 1991). In his article in the special issue, Barney argued that sustained competitive advantage derives from the resources and capabilities a firm controls that are valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable, and not substitutable. These resources and capabilities can be viewed as bundles of tangible and intangible assets, including a firms management skills, its organizational processes and routines, and the information and knowledge it controls. In the intervening decade, the diffusion of the resource-based view (RBV) in strategic management and related disciplines has been both dramatic and controversial and has involved considerable theoretical development and empirical testing. As such, it seemed timely to organize a new special issue that attempts to assess the past contributions of the RBV as well as presenting forward-looking extensions. Barneys 1991 article was positioned relative to the structure-conduct-performance (SCP) paradigm in economics. Revisiting this article, Barney (2001a) discusses the implications of linking the RBV to the neoclassical microeconomics and evolutionary economics literatures. Situating the RBV in relation to neoclassical microeconomics would have helped address issues concerning whether or not equilibrium analysis can be applied in resource-based analyses, whether the RBV is tautological, and identification of attributes of resources and capabilities that lead them to be inelastic in supply. Positioning the RBV against evolutionary economics would have helped develop arguments concerning how routines and capabilities change over time. Barney points out that all three perspectives have been developed over the last decade and provide a body of related yet distinct resource-based theoretical tools that can be applied in different ways in different contexts. Mahoney (2001) revisits Conners (1991) paper to provide an alternative perspective on the similarities and distinctions between RBV and transaction cost economics (TCE), questioning Conners argument that the fundamental difference is that the former focuses on the deployment and combination of specific inputs while the latter focuses on the avoidance of opportunism. Mahoney argues that to continue to develop the RBV with the assumption of no opportunism ignores key issues. With opportunism, the presence of the firm facilitates superior knowledge transplantation relative to the market because of superior coding, better control of opportunistic behavior due to the authority relationship and superior information. RBV and TCE are viewed as complementary because the former is a theory of firm rents whereas the latter is a theory of the existence of the firm. The set of market frictions that explain sustainable firm-level rents would be sufficient market frictions to explain the existence of the firm. The problem of opportunism, however, has also been closely associated with recent literature on corporate restructuring, to which we return below. Revisiting their managerial rents model, Castanias and Helfat (2001) present an expanded classification of managerial resources and explain how it relates to (1) other classifications of managerial abilities such as those dealing with leadership qualities or functional area experience and (2) the fundamental resource-based characteristics of scarcity, immobility, and inimitability. The implications of this model for firm performance, appropriability of rents from managerial resources, and incentives for managers to generate rents are then analyzed. The authors argue that managerial resources, which cannot be imitated quickly or which may have imperfect substitutes, do not by definition generate rents, especially if effort and motivation are lacking or misdirected. They also suggest that the nature of managerial resources may need to change with the life-cycle of the firm and the industry for rents to be generated. Article 3 Out of the many theories of organizational behavior, one aligns itself well with the human capital view of people within an organization. This theory, called the Resource Based View (RBV), suggests that the method in which resources are applied within a firm can create a competitive advantage (Barney, 1991; Mata, Fuerst, Barney, 1995; Peteraf, 1993; Wernerfert, 1984). The resource based view of firms is based on two main assumptions: resource diversity and resource immobility (Barney, 1991; Mata et al., 1995). According to Mata et al. (1995), these assumptions are defined as: Resource diversity (also called resource heterogeneity) pertains to whether a firm owns a resource or capability that is also owned by numerous other competing firms, then that resource cannot provide a competitive advantage. As an example of resource diversity, consider the following: a firm is trying to decide whether to implement a new IT product. This new product might provide a competitive advantage to the firm if no other competitors have the same functionality. If competing firms have similar functionality, then this new IT product doesnt pass the resource diversity test and therefore doesnt provide a competitive advantage. Resource immobility refers to a resource that is difficult to obtain by competitors because the cost of developing, acquiring or using that resource is too high. As an example of resource immobility, consider the following: a firm is trying to decide whether they should buy an off-the-shelf inventory control system or have one built specifically for their needs. If they buy an off-the-shelf system, they will have no competitive advantage over others in the market because their competition can implement the same system. If they pay for a customized solution that provides specific functionality that only they implement, then they will have a competitive advantage, assuming the same functionality isnt available in other products. These two assumptions can be used to determine whether an organization is able to create a sustainable competitive advantage by providing a framework for determining whether a process or technology provides a real advantage over the marketplace. The resource based view of the firm suggests that an organizations human capital management practices can contribute significantly to sustaining competitive advantage by creating specific knowledge, skills and culture within the firm that are difficult to imitate (Afiouni, 2007; Mata et al., 1995). In other words, by creating resource diversity (increasing knowledge and skills) and/or resource immobility (a culture that people want to work in), sustainable competitive advantage can be created and maintained. In order to create human capital resource diversity and immobility, an organization must have adequate human capital management practices, organizational processes, knowledge management practices and systems, educational opportunity (both formal and informal) and social interaction (i.e., community building) practices in place Conclusion Based on the empirical writings stated above RBV provides us the understanding that certain unique existing resources will result in superior performance and ultimately build a competitive advantage. Sustainability of such advantage will be determined by the ability of competitors to imitate such resources. However, the existing resources of a firm may not be adequate to facilitate the future market requirement due to volatility of the contemporary markets. There is a vital need to modify and develop resources in order to encounter the future market competition. An organisation should exploit existing business opportunities using the present resources while generating and developing a new set of resources to sustain its competitiveness in the future market environments, hence an organisation should be engaged in resource management and resource development. Their writings explain that in order to sustain the competitive advantage, its crucial to develop resources that will strengthen their ability to continue the superior performance. Any industry or market reflects high uncertainty and in order to survive and stay ahead of competition new resources becomes highly necessary. Morgan agrees stating that, need to update resources is a major management task since all business environments reflect highly unpredictable market and environmental conditions. The existing winning edge needed to be developed since various market dynamics may make existing value creating resources obsolete.