Financial Statement Essay: Internal & External Users Essay

Abstract Whether or not myself or anybody else who may or may not be going to school to be an accountant, it’s still important to know the basic fundamentals of more than just a business and/ or company but the numbers as well. Any success comes from the time, patience, passion, potential, and MONEY. Money is most important because without it, how can anything become an investment. We have to learn the four basic financial statements to set ourselves for a future. Even if there are ones who are going to be internal users- such as managers or external users- ones who are creditors and investors that may use financial statements to use as a tool of decision making. In this essay, I have discussed the importance of financial statements and the usefulness that it is to both internal and external users. Identifying & describing the four basic financial statements. The backbone of financial accounting is arranged in four different financial statements. The first would be a balance sheet, in which the purpose of this financial statement is presenting a picture at a point in time of what the business owns (assets) and what it owes its (liabilities). The second, an income statement, which shows how successful your business is performed during a period of time and this is where you report all the revenues and expenses. Third, the retained earnings statement, which indicates how much of previous income was distributed to you and the other owners of your business in the form of dividends- shares, and how much was retained in the business to allow for further growth and increase. Lastly, a statement of cash flows, which shows where your business obtained cash during a period of time and how much cash was used. How financial statements can be useful to internal users. Financial statements would be useful to internal users because managers are those who plan, organize, and run an entire business; they have to be able to present summarized financial information, which is a financial statement. It is important for them to know because numbers matters when it comes down to any type of business. They have so many important questions that needs to be asked and answered; for an example, â€Å"Is cash sufficient to pay dividends to Microsoft stockholders,† which is a Finance question. All the information has to be detailed on a timely basis. Also, for internal users, accounting provides internal reports, such as forecasts of cash needs for the next year. How financial statements can be useful to external users. External users are investors- owners, creditors, and investors. Financial statements are very important when it comes down to external users. Investors buy and sell stocks based upon their own belief of a company’s performance in the future; they are always interested in a company’s past net income because it does provide information for predicting how well the company’s will do. For an example, The United Airlines, creditors will ask â€Å"Will United Airlines be able to pay its debts as they come due?† Concerns all depends on the past, present, and future of a company’s success of its net income because if investors and creditors didn’t have assurance in different types of businesses then the economy would suffer. Many prospective company’s look to receive loans and borrow money so they can invest into something they have been planning over a period of time but, doesn’t have the funds to cover it so they are in need of sources to finance their vision. It takes money to make money. References Kimmel, P. D., Weygandt, J. J., & Kieso, D. E. (2011). Financial accounting: Tools for business making (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Intro To Philosophy 1030-202 Essay

Socrates was not a Sophist; he never took money for his teaching, and rejected sophistical arguments.For one thing, the sophists taught for money. Socrates did not. For another, the sophists used language to win arguments and to sway people’s opinion regardless of the truth. Socrates used language to attain the truth. Socrates lived as an independent man. he did not want to go under any category. He was not paid for his â€Å"irony† and maieutics. Therefore he was not a sophist, as being a sophist was having a profession. Socrates was genuinely worried about why the young men were so disappointing. Socrates’ young students had been a particular disappointment to him. If Socrates could figure out exactly how the fathers had failed to properly educate their sons, he could save the city and restore Athens to its former glory. Socrates’ interesting idea was that human excellence was really a kind of knowledge. Sophists were skilled in elaborate argumentation; were they would try and make the argument they were focusing on the stronger side, even if it was wrong or weaker. This often made them seem devious as they were working only for the benefit of themselves and their students, who were aiming to become high profile speakers or politicians. Socrates was unlike this in that his main focus was not on argumentation or speaking, he rather focused on questioning virtues to understand morals and ethics. He believed that all opinions were valid which also opposed the views of the Sophists who assumed that the wisest of people were genuinely correct and only they had the ability to teach. The main goal of socrates was unlike that of the sophists. The aim of the Sophists was varied around material possession and desire. They believed knowledge is a means to power and is to be used for political or material gain. Socrates believed his questions would encourage personal growth and create a better society as a whole who would understand philosophy and ethics. Him only questionig rather than focusing on teaching separates him from the Sophists. This is due to the fact that questioning isn’t a real method of teaching and Socrates himself stated â€Å"I know one thing, that I know nothing†. This puts him on the same level as his interlocutor and gives him an insight to other opinions. In Ancient Greece, the sophists were a group of teachers of philosophy and rhetoric. This group of Greek philosophers and teachers in the 5th century BC, who speculated on a wide range of subjects flawed arguments superficially correct in its reasoning, which deliberately invalid argument displaying ingenuity in reasoning in the hope of deceiving someone. There was a difference between the two, sophists showed that equally good arguments could be advanced on either side of any issue; they were skeptics who doubted that there could be any certain or reliable knowledge. On the other hand, socrates was committed to the pursuit of truth and considered it his mission to seek out certain knowledge. Unlike philosophers before them, Sophists claimed to be wise enough to teach whatever you might want to know as long as you. Socrates said he was a citizen of the world. Whether in Athens or elsewhere he was meditating, and he was helping others finding their true selves. Furthermore, Socrates did not travel from city to city seeking new students to teach. He was the opposite in that he remained loyal to his home town of Athens. This is evident as he started becoming popular amongst the people who would often regard him as ‘annoying’. His popularity therefore proves that he wasn’t a travel like the sophists. Socrates has some attributes of the Sophists, such as having students, his overall method and aim was contrary to theirs. Socrates himself states in his apology â€Å"I do indeed admit that I am eloquent. But in how different a way from theirs!† which reinforces the fact that he may be good in rhetoric but his goal is not to teach argumentation and political skills. As a result it is clear that Socrates wanted to simply question people on ethics and morals and not teach for material or prolific gains.

Comparison of two readings on terrorism. Links to each article is Essay

Comparison of two readings on terrorism. Links to each article is attached in instructions - Essay Example For instance, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) group of India suffered from its close association with Pakistan (Carter, 2012). To illustrate this fact, the author uses data collected on 648 terrorist and insurgent groups that were in existence between 1968 and 2006 globally. The results show that although such sponsorship helps to supply the group with much needed resources, this has a negative effect on the group. Based on the results, the author concludes that a terrorist group with a sponsor does not help to avoid elimination. In addition, sponsorship with a safe haven increases the likelihood of internal wrangles. As a policy implication, the author asserts that forceful elimination of such groups becomes relevant as they age. In the article by Lyle Pienaar (2008) focuses on state sponsored terrorism in Africa, focusing on the case of Libya and Sudan. In the article, the author begins by defining state-sponsored terrorism, which mainly involves acts of violence against non-combatants for social or political gain. According to the author, this form of terrorism is the most dangerous due to the funding, training, intelligence and firepower provided by the state. The author further names the countries identified by the United States as the state sponsors of terrorism and the measures that have taken against them. Such countries include Syria, Cuba and South Korea. The article also discusses the historical roots of the international and state sponsored terrorism in Africa, which became a major issue in the late 1960s. More importantly, the author notes that during the post-Cold War period, terrorist activities became rampant in Africa, and were conducted by either groups seeking political independence and oth er domestic agenda or groups forming part of a bigger global terrorist organization. One of the two African countries highlighted in the article for their state sponsorship

Consequences of Partisan Polarization Research Paper

Consequences of Partisan Polarization - Research Paper Example From this study it is clear that partisan polarization inhibits the building of legislative coalitions, resulting to legislative gridlock. Partisan polarization is ideologically biased, and this negatively affects social and economic policies. Partisan polarization negatively affects the efficient operations of government offices making the government incur many costs. Partisan polarization has changed the equilibrium of powers among national institutions at the expense of the Congress. Judges and executives are now acting unilaterally without the consent from the legislatures. Partisan polarization has led to an increasing conflict between the Red states and the Blues states. Hence, partisan polarization has almost paralyzed every aspect of the country including political and social aspects, which are the core of government operations and functioning.This report highlights that  polarization may bring about greater variation in policy. Sometimes, it can produce new policy initiati ves, and then roll these new policies back. However, there exists a dispersion in the policy-making system in America, which makes it theoretically reasonable to believe that the central effect of polarization result in less public policy.  Systems of bicameralism and power separation need an extraordinary level of consensus to vote for a new legislation. Therefore, the systems quite often require that the enacting coalitions be bipartisan. Experts have used two theories to explain patterns in significant legislation in the post-war period.  

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Research Paper Example e character and behavior of animals (23) The author further describes this type of art and influenced by observation of animals and their behavior under particular circumstances (Art Galleries Switzerland 24). Regardless of the assumption in the similarity between animal characters and real events, Skoglund’s art work is effective and appropriate to communicate to her audience. The art work titled Fox Games displays the exact characteristics of Skoglund. The art work incorporates appropriate color and installation and presentation of the art work. Skoglund uses fox described objects to set the art work into the required plot expectation (1). The fox installations represent the animal itself. She is also able to display the violent nature of foxes by placing different foxes at different position other denoting violence and fighting. Skoglund uses color to enhance audience and art connectivity. Foxes are normally regarded as dangerous animals and color red represents this notion effectively. Hung Liu is a Chinese artist whose most artwork is influenced by her personal experience since her childhood. As a child she had she had to witness many tribulations that affected China including eviction from their homes due to war and political instability (Hallmark 56). Liu studied art and he paid tribute to great artists in China. His acknowledgement of art made her an artistic symbol in China as she got numerous teaching opportunities in universities and colleges (Hallmark 58). She travelled to the United States where she further continued with her artwork and gain global acknowledgement for her presentation and great taste in art. Her art work are based on photography and painting based on ancient Chinese traditions and perception on the society (Art Scene Chinas Par 3). Her presentation of the Chinese tradition in the modern art galleries have gained significant and the influential in the Chinese social circles. In reviewing her 1995 painting titled Customs, Liu uses

Destination Alliances Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Destination Alliances - Article Example The article "Destination Alliances" talks about the alliances - market strategies whereby two or more organization join to share marketing strategies or to promote concepts, services, or products. Alliance marketing is suitable for any business as long it finds an organization that shares mutual goals.A destination marketing organization (DMO) or convention and visitors bureau (CVB) is an organization that supports a town, city, region or country with the aim of increasing the number of visitors. DMO and CVB also promote the development or markets a destination through convention sales, tourism marketing, and services. Apart from targeting a high number of visitors, DMO and CVB also targets increase of business travelers which brings about overnight lodging for a destination, shopping revenues, and visits to restaurants. These organizations are funded by the country’s taxes. Convention and visitors bureau is considered to be the most important tourism marketing organizations i n their respective tourist destination. Philadelphia is referred as the world heritage city in the United States of America. It is a home to many national historical sites related to the foundation of the United States and it is among the 22 UNESCO World Heritage sites. It is in Philadelphia courageous visionaries crafted the modern day democracy. It harbors the independence hall, the liberty bell, the first and second bank of the USA, the president house where George Washington and John Adams spent most of their presidencies.

Concepts in Homeland Security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Concepts in Homeland Security - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that partnership between DHS and FBI is important to promote a â€Å"whole community† approach to ensure that every nook and corner of the homeland is safe. The partnership between DHS and FBI and many other agencies enhance the preparedness against low predictability events. This is why professionals in FBI raid jackets can be seen at every other terrorism event despite the fact that DHS is the primary homeland security agency. â€Å"Black Swan† means such a disastrous event whose predictability is very low and its consequences are extremely catastrophic. The disastrous outcomes are high. Some good examples include terrorist attacks, natural and environmental disasters of high scale, and economic failures. The terrorist attack of 9/11 was a big Black Swan event in the history of US because of its zero predictability and high catastrophic outcomes. It was a terrorist attack which could not be anticipated, and thus, preparedness was zero and zilch. So, Black Swan is related to preparedness in a sense that it helps security agencies take measures to implement such classical risk assessment and management policies that help us sort out some of the most predictable events. We can ask ourselves questions, like how predictable is a disaster? What kinds of disasters have been occurring in the neighborhoods or cities in the past? What are the chances that the disaster will become a major event? What can be the level of damage? How much will be the cost for rehabilitation? How will resilience be ensured? What plans and actions can be taken to avoid or deal with such a disaster? These questions will lead us toward preparedness.

Critical Analysis of Primary Sources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critical Analysis of Primary Sources - Essay Example The High Imperial Commissioner is almost envious of the fact that, England is always on the verge of development from its history to present. Major arguments of Zexu’s letter to the Queen of England However, the High Imperial Commissioner is not happy with the fact that, it is through trade that opium has penetrated to China, and affected a great percentage of its populace. In fact, Zexu (pp.3) complains that England is much more concerned with profits and not the harm that results from the sale of such harmful products. Worse still, the emperor did not stop at considering the woes by the Chancellor but was quick to brush him away. The High Imperial Commissioner of China complains that his country has dedicated a lot of energy to alienating use of opium in their country. In the letter to the Queen, Zexu (pp.4) complains that it is not fair that the country prohibits opium use in their country but is of interest to sell the same drug to other countries, China inclusive of them. The fact that England is well conversant with the harms of opium makes it extremely difficult for the Chancellor to comprehend. In his argument, it would be interpreted that the Chancellor would want England to reciprocate the efforts made by China to export useful goods to humankind. All the exports have been indicated to be of use to the country, unlike what England has been exporting. This, Zexu (pp.4), quotes to be inclusive of agricultural produce, Chinaware, amongst others. The fact that, England uses the imports from China to make as much as possible, results to the Chancellor’s need to ban their exports to England, as well as ban the markets for sale of Opium in the country. From an analysis of the major arguments portrayed by the Chancellor of China, it is valid to argue that that British government is out to manipulate other purposes of benefit to their own country in terms of acquisition of profits from ‘unfair’ commerce. Opium war is yet to undergo n umerous processes prior to complete abolition since it is only cultivated in suburbs that not only need to survive, but are not concerned with how much impact opium has on human life (Zexu, pp.5). The queen must take to her concern the ban on opium through complete uprooting these plants in all areas that are seen to flourish the business. Palmerston’s letter to the Chinese Ministers- Major arguments In his dispatch, British State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Palmerston (pp.7) aims at responding to the China’s emperor complains on the pains inflicted on China by Britain. In the message, he aims at portraying the idea that the British government has already made a move to react on the case by sending a troop to apologize on behalf of the disturbing comments made by some of the British officials in the course of duty in the area. This move can arguably been indicated to improve the relations between China and Britain. This majored on the need by the British government t o maintain the good relationship that the two countries have enjoyed for a long period of time. The Chinese government had no issues on the Britons living in the country, but it dawned on the Chinese government that the Britons were taking advantage of the good will by the Chinese, through taking part in trade, and then shift the profits to its own country. With no treaty

Crime trend Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Crime trend - Essay Example This system of punishment has evolved over the centuries from barbaric methods to correctional ones that would help the offender to get rid of his anti-social tendencies and get rehabilitated into the society where he was earlier a misfit. Public attitudes towards an offender have changed but are not altogether different from what it was, that of a sinner, in earlier times. This is important as it would help one chart the course of the changes in the criminal justice system. One also needs to take into account the changes that have taken place in the society while examining the criminal justice system. These may include the pervasiveness of technology in every aspect of the modern life. Courts and the police too have begun to take into account the evidence and assistance offered by technology to the extent that it is a part of modern life in every respect at this point of time in history. The scaffold in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter represents what the Puritan syst em of justice in America was at a certain point of time in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The criminal justice system has come a long way from accusing a person without having a proper legal framework. It has also enshrined in this framework the notion of equality that should be the basis of justice in any civilized country. This has been compounded by the expectations of the public in recent years from the criminal justice system where it has become an electoral in almost every country in the world. The nation state has thus been instrumental in creating an environment where everybody would be judged through a secular and modern code of law and order that enables equality in justice and punishment. Equality is however, not always the case when it comes to the distribution of justice. Racial profiling is one of the most important obstacles in the process of criminal justice. This involves the process whereby people of color are discriminated against while the process of just ice is carried out. This may happen on a road where a person of color is stopped just because of their race. This represents deep rooted attitudes of racial superiority that is a part of certain sections of the police (Three faces of Racial Profiling, n.d.). This is an example of how race impinges on the institution of justice in everyday life. This may then extend to include proceedings at courts where a person of color is discriminated against when it comes to credibility, especially when pitted against people who are of White races. This can then be extended to the situation of poor people, those who are often not able to afford lawyers for themselves. The trend of racial profiling has decreased in the past few decades; however, the situation of poor people has not radically improved. This can then also be connected to the situation of people who are doubly deprived or dispossessed. This refers to the condition of poor people of color in the United States of America. They are the n at the receiving end of both their race and class position as a result of prejudices. The failures of the criminal justice system in several cases can be attributed to the rising frustration and helplessness that is felt by these communities in relation to the attitudes of the American middle classes and legal system. This can be seen in the rising number of people who feel that joining a gang may be their only way out of a system

Escalation in Global Outsourcing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Escalation in Global Outsourcing - Term Paper Example The SLA issues along with the implementation team that was also struggling to achieve the development deadlines set for the approaching project waves raised great concerns on the part of C&C. As a result, several nations go-live had to be delayed (Kovasznai&Willcocks, 2012). Other problems encountered by XperTrans were the overreliance on salespeople instead of experts to counsel their company. Thus, the salespeople on the ground were amazingly convincing, claiming that XperTrans had fantastic capabilities and if they bagged the deal, they would build the aircraft while flying it (Kovasznai&Willcocks, 2012). Therefore, XperTrans relied too much on salespeople having no experts with global service operation experience and made a commitment to offer a level of service that they had not yet offered to any customer before. XperTrans had also set a very ambitious timeline and had promised C&C to execute an almost similar HR outsourcing solution, developed in US, to the European, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region without first verifying the model’s viability (Kovasznai&Willcocks, 2012). As XperTrans came to realize later, â€Å"American companies signing global deals have a very narrow minded vision, they don’t quite still understand that yo u can’t do it the same way in 44 countries as you do it in one† (Kovasznai&Willcocks, 2012, p.12). Thus, the individuals having high-level viewpoints as well as high-level decisions fundamentally lacked information regarding what precisely would be needed. XperTrans failed to consider differences in languages as well as the fact that every EMEA country had its own distinctive legal system. Thus, this misunderstanding later caused a lot of problems when the system went live. Due to project’s complexity, ambitious timelines, exceptionally strict SLAs, inconsistent resource planning, as well as a lack of sufficient level of in-house know-how, all the Wave A Nations suffered severe difficulties (Kovasznai&Willcocks,

Leaders in Innovation Assessment Essay Example for Free

Leaders in Innovation Assessment Essay As stated in the assessment instructions, in the field of organizational leadership, many models are used as a means of examining what qualities and skills make an effective leader. Although there is a variety of models I have decided to analyze the behavioural and the transformational theory models. Reviewing the resources recommended for discovery and delivery skills, I learned how those skills have a direct impact on an effective leader’s performance in innovation organization. The discovery skills are based on associating, questioning, observing, experimenting, and networking they are also referred as the DNA of innovation. Delivery skills also play in the innovation process with their four key skills which are analyzing, planning, detail-oriented implementing, and self-disciplined executing. In the body of this paper I will unfold my research on those skills and identify its correlation with innovation. I will also be assessing the strengths and weaknesses on my ability to support innovation in an organization. Leadership Models Supporting Innovation Over the years, a number of leadership theories have been established including: trait, behavioural, contingency, and transformational theory. My analysis will be on behavioral and transformational. Behavioral Theories As described in Doyle and Smith (2001) early researchers ran out of steam in their search for traits, they turned to what leaders did and how they behaved, specially towards followers. They moved from leaders to leadership and this became the dominant way of approaching leadership within the organizations in the 1950s and early 1960s. Different patterns of behaviour  were grouped together and labeled as styles. This became a very popular activity within management training perhaps the best known being Blake and Moutons Managerial Grid (1964; 1978). Various schemes appeared, designed to diagnose and develop peoples style of working. Despite different names, the basic ideas were very similar. The four main styles that appear are: Concern for task. Here leaders emphasize the achievement of concrete objectives. Concern for people. In this style, leaders look upon their followers as people their needs, interests, problems, and development. Directive leadership. This style is characteriz ed by leaders taking decisions for others and expecting followers or subordinates to follow instructions. Participative leadership. Here leaders try to share decision-making with others. The behavioral theory has many assumptions which conclude that leaders can be made rather than born. This theory has a direct approach with innovation in the organization. With the managements concern for their employees it gives everyone in the organization the motivation to innovate. Innovation is all about adaptability and with the behavioral theory leaders are made, which means that they can adapt to any situation that they are confronted with. The following grid model was developed by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton in the early 1960s The grid clarifies the magnitude in which a leader focuses on these dimensions determining the leadership style that they relate to. Some leaders are more concerned with getting the tasks at hand completed successfully in a timely manner. Other leaders prefer creating solid interpersonal relationships with their employees, because by being an oriented leader the employee’s performance will be higher. For example, if you have a high concern for completing a task and achieving results with little concern for having a relationship with people, you would be an authority-obedience manager. Another example: if you have little concern to complete a task or interact with people, you would be an impoverished manager. Transformational Theory Transformational leaders are those leaders who transform followers personal  values and self-concepts, move them to higher levels of needs and aspirations (Jung, 2001), and raise the performance expectations of their followers (Bass, 1995). This leadership has four components; charismatic role modeling, individualized consideration, inspirational motivation, and intellectual stimulation. Using charisma, the leader instills admiration, respect, and loyalty, and emphasizes the importance of having a collective sense of mission. By individualized consideration, the leader builds a one-to-one relationship with his or her followers, and understands and considers their differing needs, skills, and aspirations. Thus, transformational leaders articulates an exciting vision of the future, shows the followers the ways to achieve the goals, and expresses his or her belief that they can do. (Bass, 1990) Incorporated by (Cohen and Levinthal, 1990; Damanpour, 1991) has been suggested that transformational leadership is an important source of organizational innovation, empirical studies have not examined the moderating role of this contextual factor while investigating the relationship between transformational leadership and innovation. In addition to external support for innovation, support within the organization, in terms of an innovation supporting climate and adequate resources allocated to innovation might also be an important contextual factor that plays a role in this relationship. Transformational leaders have been suggested to have an impact on innovation. Transformational leaders enhance innovation within the organizational context; in other words the tendency of organizations to innovate. According to (Elkins and Keller, 2003) transformational leaders use inspirational motivation and intellectual stimulation which are critical for organizational innovation. They also promote creative ideas within their organizations and their behaviors. Blake , and Jane (n.d.). Discovery and Delivery Skills In recent studies it has been identified that the ability of a person’s creative thinking comes one-third from their genetics; and the other two-thirds of innovation skill set comes through learning (Dyer, Gregersen,   Christensen, 2009, p. 63). To begin with, a person is given a skill set that they will analyze till understand, then practicing, experimenting, and lastly gaining confidence in one’s capacity to create. The following details will demonstrate by skills how innovative entrepreneurs acquire their innovation skills. The following five skills set that constitute the â€Å"innovators DNA†: associating, questioning, observing, networking, and experimenting. Discovery skill 1: Associating is the ability to successfully connect seemingly unrelated questions, problems, or ideas from different fields, is central to the innovator’s DNA. Discovery skill 2: Questioning the power of provocative questions. To question effectively, innovative entrepreneurs do the following: ask â€Å"why?† and â€Å"why not?† and â€Å"what if?† Discovery skill 3: Observing the behavior of potential customers. In observing others, they act like anthropologists and social scientists. Discovery skill 4: Experimenting, innovative entrepreneurs actively try out new ideas by creating prototypes and launching pilots. Discovery skill 5: Networking is devoting time and energy to finding and testing ideas through a network of diverse individuals gives innovators a radically different perspective. Delivery skills play in the innovation process, improving their discovery, and encouraging themselves and their organizations to take a long-term view. The delivery skills consist of four keys terms: analyzing, planning, detailed-oriented implementing, and self-disciplined executing. At times delivery skills are relatively more important during the maturity growth of a business. Analyzing: examine methodically and in detail the constitution or structure of something or information. Planning: the process of making plans for something. Detail-oriented implementing: capable of carrying out a given task with all details necessary to get the task well done and executed. Disciplined-executing: acting in accordance, and performing an act successfully. The synthesis of, discovery and delivery skills are critical for delivering results and translating an innovative idea into reality for organizations. According to Dyer, Gregersen, and Christensen, (2011) it is vital to understand that the skills critical to an organization’s success  vary systematically throughout the business life cycle. For example, in the start-up phase of an innovative venture, the founders are obviously more discovery-driven and entrepreneurial. Discovery skills are crucial early in the business life cycle because the company’s key task is to generate new ideas worth pursuing. Thus, discovery skills are highly valued at this stage and delivery skills are secondary. However, once innovative entrepreneurs come up with a promising new business idea and then shape that idea into a bona fide business opportunity, the company begins to grow and then must pay attention to building the processes necessary to scale the idea. Strengths and Weaknesses in Discovery Delivery Skills Strengths Discovery Skills Weaknesses Associating: I’m always coming up with new ideas to improve things. Experimenting: Like with observing I also like to experiment, but I quickly become frustrated after getting something wrong after a couple of tries. I would like to give myself the ability to keep trying with a positive mind that I will get to the right solution. Questioning: When it comes to questioning I don’t have a mute button. I like to ask enough questions because it helps me come up with the best solution. Networking: I have no networking skills. I’ve had the opportunity to do this in my place of work, but I never take the time to do it. Observing: This skill is definitely one of my strongest. I observe everything that goes around me always finding a better way to solve an issue. StrengthsDelivery SkillsWeaknesses Planning: I enjoy planning, especially when the plan in process will be a success to an issue. Analyzing: I lose interest very easily when I have to sit down for a long period of time to analyze something. Detail-Oriented: When I’m given and assignment I make sure I executed just as it was asked. Discipline-executing: I always make sure I perform to the best of my ability as asked of me following all regulations and procedures to be successful. Having good associating, questioning, observing, planning, detail-oriented, and discipline-executing skills will not only be beneficial for me, but also  for the organization that I work for. Due to the fact that innovation is a critical aspect for organizations, senior executives are always seeking for candidates with these types of skills because it will contribute to their ability to innovate and be successful in the business with strategically ideas since executives don’t feel responsible for innovating. Unfortunately due to that fact; that my weaknesses with experimenting, networking, and analyzing will hinder my ability to support innovation in an organization at 100%. Although I’m not as concerned even though my weaknesses will delay any project I might be working on, but with trial in error I can convert those weaknesses into strengths. As stated in the innovators DNA, practice, practice, practice. Though innovative thinking may be innate to some, it can also be developed and strengthened through practice. Conclusion Through the models and detailed explanations we have learned how the behavioral and transformational theories are a big part of innovation and organizations. The roles of discovery and delivery skills are crucial in an organization to innovate with ideas, research, and these skills are a company’s success to innovate and succeed. I feel comfortable with my discovery and delivery skills, my role now are to practice and work on my weaknesses. A candidate with all the skills in place; is better than one with just a few. References Barnard, C. (1938), new definition of leadership. Retrieved from http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/theories/leadership_theories.htm Bass, B. M. (1990). From Transactional to Transformational Leadership: Learning to Share the Vision. Organizational Dynamics, 18(3): 19-32. Bass, B. M. (1995). Transformational Leadership. Journal of Management Inquiry, 4(3): 293 298. Behavioral Grid Retrieved from http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/classical-leadership-theories-lesson-quiz.html#lesson Cohen, W. M. and Levinthal, D. A. (1990).Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on Learning and Innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35: 128-152. Damanpour, F. (1991). Organizational Innovation: A Meta-analysis of Effects of Determinants and Moderators. Academy of Management Journal, 34: 555-590. Doyle, M. E., Smith, M. K. (2001). Classical models of managerial leadership: Trait, behavioral, contingency and transformational theory. Retrieved from Infed Web site: http://www.infed.org/leadership/tradional_leadership.htm. Dyer, J. H., Gregersen, H. B., Christensen, C. M. (2009, December). The innovators DNA. Harvard Business Review, 87(12), 60–67. Dyer, J. H., Gregersen, H. B., Christensen, C. M. (2011). The innovators DNA: Mastering the five skills of disruptive innovators. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press. Elkins, T. and Keller, R. T. (2003). Leadership in Research and Development Organizations: A Literature Review and Conceptual Framework. Leadership Quarterly, 14: 587-606. Jung, D. I. (2001). Transformational and Transactional Leadership and Their Effects on Creativity in Groups. Creativity Research Journal, 13 (2): 185-195 Transformational model Retrieved from http://strategyofnarayan.blogspot.com/2013/04/assignment-of-week-23.html

Indochina Essay Example for Free

Indochina Essay The South Vietnamese government had a substantial amount of success in keeping power up until 1968, surprisingly. This was done in a number of ways such as; government policies, fighting tactics/strategies and the aid of other countries e. g. America. On 26th October 1955 Ngo Dinh Diem won a referendum which appointed him as the President of South Vietnam (This was a rigged vote) and gave Emperor Bao Dai the boot. Although the country wasn’t really a democracy anymore it was more like an oligarchy that implemented a totalitarian regime. Over the next coming years Diem and his followers built his army up going against the communists in their own country, carry out a new campaign known as the Denunciation Campaign. This campaign convinced people to report anyone to the government who were in favour of communism by means of supporting the Viet Minh or anyone who had fought against the French. By August 1956, Diem made it illegal, in a decree known as Ordinance 47, to be a communist or to associate with one and it is estimated that because of this decree 12 000 people were killed and 40 000 were imprisoned. Although the way the government went about getting rid of communist was seen as harsh, today it can be seen that this tactic could have greatly contributed to government being as successful as they were in keeping power up until 1968. From the moment the Geneva Conference ended in 1954, America was South Vietnams backbone. This can be proven in a letter sent from President Eisenhower of the USA to Ngo Dinh Diem which states that the United States wanted to help with the welfare, stability and strength of the government of South Vietnam. America’s contribution to South Vietnam took form in many different ways, such as; 1. America sent over a thousand military personal to South Vietnam to assist in training and building up there armies. 2. From July of 1957 to June of 1958 America paid ALL of the South Vietnamese cost for their army, 80% of government expenditures and 90% of all imports. 3. The USA provided each refugee coming into South Vietnam with $89 America was a big reason in why South Vietnam was so successful in keeping power up until 1968, without their knowledge, military and financial power South Vietnam would have fallen to he Communist very early on in the war. Another reason the Government being as successful as they were in keeping power was their fighting strategies and tactics, although to many people some of these strategies and tactics can seem harsh and inhumane they actually helped South Vietnam a lot in keeping their government up and running and it has been documented that North Vietnam’s war tactics/strategies were just as inhumane as the South. The South Vietnamese government along with the help of the Americans implemented five main war strategies and tactics. These include; Counterinsurgency, Combat Troops, Search and destroy, Chemical warfare and Pacification. Most of these were very successful on the battlefield and proved to keep some sort of stability in the government. The South Vietnamese government was sufficiently successful in their bid to keep power up until the Tet offensive in 1968. Although without the help of the American government the country would have failed to keep their power well before this. The tactics and strategies implemented by both governments defiantly helped keep the country afloat and rain in some sort of government stability.

Analysis of Schick Company

Analysis of Schick Company Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to provide a diagnosis analysis of Schick giving the major issues that are confronting the company and the attendant implications for the company. Schick was established in the year 1990 and registered in Southampton as a private limited liability business following the outcome of the collaborative research efforts of three university professors namely; Prof. Chen Ding, Prof. Karl Otto Ludwig and Prof. Andrew Marsh resulting in the design and manufacture of energy saving refrigerators during the period noted for environmental consciousness and high energy prices among others. Given their technical and engineering background, over time, the business became one of the market leaders renowned for its design and environmentally friendly home appliances and enjoy recognition as a 21st Century Role Model in the year 2014 given its unique capability for growth and profitability while setting global standards in innovation, corporate social responsibility, and Responsible Leadership. The demise of the three professors in a tragic road accident in Munich marks the end of an era coupled with the eventual management change of Mr. John Marsh Son of Professor Andrew Marsh as the new CEO who introduced changes in the overall structure of the company including the termination of the four management professionals. Within a short period after this failed leadership and mismanagement resulted in a critical situation which brought the company close to struggling for dire survival as its bedevil by challenges confronting it. The realisation of this reality informs the need for fundamental strategic change, hence the appointment of an independent analysis of current situation. A cursory look and critical evaluation of current conditions revealed a strategic shift from the founding owners ethos creating a non-tangent between value, resources, and environment because of a major shift in the business objective and strategy from environmental protection and corporate social responsibility to a short-term profit maximization and benevolence leadership style. This has several negative implications both internal and external which range from loss of credibility and trust of staff and other stakeholders, lack of strategic investment in the business future, to cost-cutting that resulted in poor design and product safety standard. Internally, there is a high-power distance organisation culture and leadership style currently whereby the CEO displays a coercive power that tends to alienate other stakeholders and serve as a barrier to adequate crisis management and the future business of Schick. Consequently, there is the need for a general review of management ethos and strategies to regain its lost credibility and image necessary for the survival of the business. Introduction This report is intended to provide an independent diagnosis of the Schick[1] issues affecting and to provide a detailed evaluation of the present and future implications of these on this company. Registered as a private limited business with the head office in Southampton in 1990 to manufacture domestic white goods, Schick has been in successful business for over 25 years and with laurels nationally and internationally for its innovative environmental friendly energy saving products, responsible leadership, and corporate social responsibilities. However, things took a new turn in January 2015 with the demise of the founders in an auto crash and Mr. John Marsh taking over the management of the business. From this stage, Schick started experiencing changes and challenges resulting in its poor image and reputation because of the shift in strategic management ethos of the business that led to product fire and death incident. Consequently, this report took a detailed analysis of the major issues with the attendant implications for the future survival of Schick before the summary conclusion of the main findings which leads to the prospective action required in response to them. Case diagnosis and analysis of implications The examination of Schick home appliances revealed a series of issues that are hereby provided in this abbreviated SWOT Analysis[2] below and further discussed in this report Figure 1: Abbreviated SWOT Analysis Strengths: Global operating platform. Strong brand name. Economies of scale. Strong sustainability focus. (manufacturing in China) Wide range of products Weaknesses: Lack of responsible leadership. Short-term profit focus. Poor business strategy in terms of innovation, value and core competencies. Weakening bargaining power over distributors. Lack of corporate social responsibility research development facility commitment. Negative publicity poor company image Opportunities: Increasing concern and demand for environmental energy saving appliances. Growing Asian market new market in Africa. New acquisitions business alliance. Potential inventions. Governmental cooperation and potential funding. Growing concern about climate change and investment in fast-growing product categories, e.g. air conditioning Threats: Increasing competition. Lower return on investment. Economic uncertainty (BREXIT). Reduce skilled workforce due to migration Changes in laws and regulations. Cheap goods from other countries i.e. Japan Change in customer preferences and demand The crisis in Schick stems from the change of leadership culture and style. This, in turn, brought about a change of the companys management ethos and style as the business now focuses on short-term profit maximization strategy through cost reduction and undermines major consideration for other stakeholders. This manifested in a decision to eliminate staff training and development programme, reduce funding for the research and development unit of the business which stands at the heart of the business future strategic investment absence of which leads to the risk of innovation, and development that would further grow the business and increase profit (Koch, 2010). To put this in the context of profit maximization, a scholar states that To argue that all firms aim to do nothing else but maximize profits has not better basis in logic or intuition as to argue that all students aim only to maximise examination marks (Hawkins, 1970, pp. 129-140). In other words, it is not ideal to focus on profit maximization especially within a short span of time. Management style adopted by the Mr. John Marsh is akin to autocratic leadership style associated with rigid control and top-down decision making characterised by hierarchical organisation structure (Schein, 2004; Whetton, Cameron, 2016) whereby the leader makes most important business decisions without the input of his employees. (Enderle, 2009; Northouse, 2016). Efficient decision making is of great benefit especially when urgency is required. But autocratic leaders tend to reduce the morale of his staff and very quickly begun alienating both the directors and employees of the company (Lewin, et al 1939; Cook, 2008). This was compounded by the news of the Schick directors termination which caused a widespread shock, concern, and unrest. This is further reflected the organisational culture best described as power culture (Hardy 1978 cited by Hughes, M 2010), with Mr. John Marsh at the centre of power From the above, it can be stated that the psychological contract Schick and its employees has been damaged and undermine their sense of individual autonomy particularly among Munich staff when given the news of the proposed cuts in research development laboratory as well as training and development that not only give room for social interaction but knowledge exchange that leads to safe innovative product design that contributed the make the company an household name for silk, efficient, safe and reliable product that creates a background for the business profitability. (Mone, London, 2010; Abdoli, Pourkazemi, 2012). Equally of note is the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, also known as the Brexit referendum, which took place on Thursday 23 June 2016. This is a critical moment for Schick given all the uncertainty and forms surrounding exit (Global Counsel October 2015) compound matters, as about 50% of the employees in Southampton were of Polish origin, majority of these Polish staffs are concern that they would not have a future at Schick the Brexit situation and employee engagement issues in the company particularly the termination of the four director which they reasoning that if Mr. John Marsh could sack the directors who had help build the company, he certainly could do same to them as well and as such could not be trusted to protect their interest as employees in the event of changes imposed following the formalisation of Brexit. (The Guardian July August 2016). In turn, this creates skills gap and further made worse by Mr. John Marsh management decision to do away with the operational arrangement in China that gives the business access to the Asian market. The Chinese manufacturer which had established its own market, reputation and distribution channels in Asia was equally concerned about the impact of Mr. John Marshs leadership on its profitability. By 15th July 2016, the agreement was reached limiting Schicks operations to only Southampton and focused on the UK and Northern European market, now apparently more difficult given the UK exiting the common European Union market and without a research development unit (Lorca, Garcà ­a-Diez, 2004). The situation at Schick combined with the uncertainty in the UK, the weak pound sterling could increase the companys production cost and reduce its profit margin (Lorenczik, et al. 2016). Regarding its customers, the situation could be likened to that implicit contract that is akin to the employee psychological contract mentioned earlier that was damaged by Schick by not meeting norms, and value expectations given the fact that the company was synonymous with global standards setting in product quality and corporate social responsibility has been badly affected by the attempt to stimulate sales and regain lost credibility in the marketplace, which made Mr. John Marsh used a previous design for washing machines discarded by the research development laboratory in 2015 and the attendance fire and death. This accident event effect was poorly managed (Varadarajan, et al 2006; Carroll, 2013). In addition, Schicks main distributor responsible for the distribution of the faulty washing machine which caused the fire had to terminate its contract with Schick following the negative publicity and the poor management of the situation by Schick. The company option, therefore, coul d have been to take action in recalling the affected products and make press statement to express regret over the incident and give reassurance of its total commitment to the corporate ethos; safety reliability that would demonstrate good communication, business ethics and values in consideration of corporate social responsibility that could help restore stakeholders confidence and loyalty (Daly Moloney, 2004; Le, et all 2014). The future of the business is not sure if Schicks narrow market focus is considered as the Brexit could restrict access to northern Europe. But there is growing market demand for white goods in Africa (KPMG, 2016) if connection with china could be re-established and adequate funding provided for research and development. In order to address the issue of staff trust and loyalty, as all staff felt unable to carry on working for Schick given recent events which will also lead to skills shortage and loss of competitive advantage, there is the great need for corporate culture and leadership style. Since staff only remained at Schick due to the memory of the three professors and all they had achieved, there is a need to build on this loyal sentiment through a robust employee involvement as it were to increase employee engagement and participation (Hyman, Mason, 1995). In summary, Schicks established reputation for sleek, modern, innovative energy-saving white goods achieved through a devotion to research development, corporate social responsibility, and responsible leadership, has fallen from grace in short time under the management of Mr. John Marsh bringing about the following challenges;. The sacking of the directors created a leadership gap and caused grave concern amongst employees and other key stakeholders. The sale of its research development Laboratory had not only compromised Schicks innovative capability but placed customers at risk and reduce it comparative competitive advantage as a market leader. The leadership style and short term profit focused approach to business led to the loss of confidence in Schicks leadership both within Schick and in the marketplace. Schick experienced high staff turnover at over a short period of time which created major gaps in knowledge and expertise.   The well-publicised fire caused by Schicks new washing machine has seriously ruined its image and reputation in the marketplace resulting in its main distributor terminating its contract, these created a strategic drift and a situation of lost organisation with environmental and resource value tangent (Kew Stredwick, 2008). Conclusion The good old Schick is now confronted with enormous challenges and crisis breaking point. Diagnosis exposed the major issues affecting it which need urgent attention for its future business existence consequently, the need to revisit and change the narrow business strategy of short-term profit maximisation, high-power distance structure to furnish considerations for other stakeholders interest with regard for corporate social responsibility, good business ethics and responsible leadership all of which call for immediate action plan and implementation to ensure the survival of the company. [1] All information relating to Schick in this report and not stated otherwise are drawn from: Sockalingam, S (2016) Distressing times at Schick home appliances. Unpublished coursework case study, Glasgow Caledonian University. [2]The information provided in the abbreviated SWOT Analysis (figure 1) is drawn from the Appendices. Full SWOT Analysis, PESTLE Analysis, stakeholder Analysis, Cultural Web, and Porters five forces of comparative position model respectively.

The Conflicting Societies in Lord of the Flies Essay -- Lord of the Fl

The Conflicting Societies in Lord of the Flies Throughout the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, many different conflicting societies develop. These groups of young English schoolboys have conflicts between them for many different reasons. Some of them are so spread apart in age that their beliefs and actions are very different. Other groups are conflicting because they have different opinions about who the leader of the entire group should be. The groups also argue about what their priorities should be while trapped on the island. These conflicts continue to grow until the very end, when one group finally gains supremacy. From the very beginning it can be seen that the boys have already begun to divide into two groups. When Ralph calls the first meeting the boys have together by summoning them with a conch shell, he decides they should vote on a leader. A boy named Jack Merridew thinks that he should be the chief because he is "chapter chorister and head boy." (22) Another boy nominates Ralph for leader, because he is the one that called for the meeting. When it comes time to vote, the choir members vote for Jack, while all the other boys vote for Ralph. After he is elected leader, Ralph tells Jack that he is in charge of his choir. Jack tells Ralph that they will be the hunters, and Ralph agrees. This causes the boys to be divided into one group led by Ralph, and the hunting group made up of the choir members, led by Jack Merridew. Being organized and civilized is very important to Ralph. He dec... ...cause a Navy ship spots the fire, and rescues the boys. The novel Lord of the Flies shows how one group, when put under certain circumstances, can be completely transformed. The group starts out as a group of schoolboys who try to work together in order to survive. They try to use the skills they have been taught as civilized human beings to do whatever they can to be rescued. However, things fall apart very quickly. They lose sight of what they are trying to accomplish, and lose hope of being rescued. The evil nature within the boys comes through, taking over their minds. All they can think about now is hunting and killing. Even the most responsible ones are transformed into savages, or they are murdered.

Waiting :: Papers

Waiting I'm ill again. It doesn't surprise me. Deja vu. I had to catch the bus from outside school, after persuading my teachers that I was going to a doctors appointment and not just skipping lessons. I have been waiting on these hard back plastic seats for nearly an hour just for one other doctor in this world to give me some antibiotics and send on my way home. This time I have come to the hospital because Mum thinks the infections getting serious, I cant notice the difference though. The hospital is a lot different from the doctors in town. I suppose its bound to be though. On the wall in front of me there is a big clock, and every minute I sit here it seems to go slower and slower. There are Doctors rushing everywhere. I don't really think I want to be a doctor. You have to be good at science. I'm not. A man has just walked in through the automatic sliding doors, which allow an artic wind to run right through my body. He is wearing big black boots with a headscarf tied loosely around the big matt of curly hair left messily on his head. Pulled tightly over his big fat stomach is a t-shirt saying Greenpeace on it. His trousers are black and come to just above his ankle. He reminds me a lot like the man that used to own the music shop in town. A young boy follows him. I think it must be his son as he too has curly hair and is wearing a similar t-shirt saying Greenpeace. He doesn't look at all happy. His arms are tightly folded and you can see he has been crying. I bet his Mums expecting a baby and he doesn't want it to be a girl. Yes I am right, they have just made their way towards the labour ward. They'll be waiting a long time in there. Every so often a policeman will walk past. They all look so bored, like me. I used to want to be a police lady, but not anymore.

Health Promotion Essay -- Healthy Lifestyle Essay

Health by definition is the complete physical, mental and social well-being (Burch, 2001). In the past health has been defined as the absence of disease. Health promotion enables people the ability and resources to improve and control their overall health. Being able to adjust and adapt to various social and physical environments in day-to-day activities is a trait of a healthy individual. Health promotion is not just the responsibility of those individuals in the health field. An individual?s well-being reflects whether or not that person has a healthy lifestyle. Therefore health promotion becomes an issue for employers, retailers, sports and policy makers among others because issues such as safety and environmental factors will have an influence on the well-being of an individual (Ottawa Charter, 1986). Collaborative and coordinated efforts to provide safer goods and services, and a cleaner, more enjoyable environment should be the goal for all. The goal of all involved sho uld be to provide a healthier environment that will provide a better well-being for the population. Promoting health requires the detection of any barriers that would hinder the health promotion process and removal of them. Promoting health is, also, educating the public to current health issues. There are various aspects of health promotion. Health promotion can be applied to any group or environment. A few of the more popular places and populations we see health promotion being addressed more often are the workplace, community, among adolescent, and the elderly. However, I believe the most effective and important place to begin health promotion is within our school systems. Promoting a healthy lifestyle, bettering quality of life, and prev... ...r 1, 2001 from Expanded Academic Index ASAP database. Manson, S. M., (1997). One small step for Science, one giant lead for prevention. American Journal of Community Psychology, 25, 2, 215. Retrieved October 1, 2001 from Expanded Academic Index ASAP database. 1Center for Disease Control, (2001). Healthy Aging: Preventing Disease and Improving Quality of Life Among Older Americans. Retrieved October 1, 2001 from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/aag-aging.htm 2Center for Disease Control (2001). School Health Programs: An investment in Our Nation?s Future. Retrieved October 1, 2001 from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/ataglanc.htm Healthy People, (2001). http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/ Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986). First International Conference of Health Promotion. Retrieved October 1, 2001 from http://www.who.dk/policy/ottawa.htm

Analysis of Strategy Formation Essay

Strategy is difficult to define. There are many popular and debated definitions available. One idea is that strategy is top management’s plan to attain outcomes consistent with the organization’s mission and goals (Mintzberg, Ahlstrand, & Lambel, 1998). Another definition is that strategy is an integrated and coordinated set of commitments and actions designed to exploit core competencies and gain a competitive advantage (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson 2013). Some argue that strategy cannot be defined at all because many professionals including researchers, practitioners, and theorists all have different thoughts on what strategy is, how it is formulated, and how it is implemented (Dewit & Meyer, 2010). However, all of these ideas have something in common: a strategy is a roadmap for getting from here to there. It is important to understand that strategy is not a single concept, but rather a process made up of many pieces. For this paper, I will define strategy as a roadmap or blueprint for obtaining a competitive advantage. In this analysis of strategy formation I will examine the most important issues involved in strategy formation and explain why they are important, define how corporate-level strategies relate to business-level strategies and functional-area tactics and how these pieces support each other, and finally, I will outline the primary inputs to strategy formulation in a firm. But, before we answer these questions it is important to share a brief history of strategy. The word strategy originated from the Greek work strategos. Strategos was coined when Kleisthenis developed a fresh set of organizational structure in ancient Greece in order to promote a better army. The direct definition of the singular stratos means to lead (DeWit &Meyer, 2010). Essentially the concept is derived directly from a need for a higher organizational structure, change and leadership development. Warfare was pas the point of simply winning a battle but instead was focused upon the coordination of units and tactical approaches to battle (DeWit & Meyer, 2010). When we look at how strategy is formed today we also see a parallel in that firms must coordinate corporate-level, business-level and functional-level tactical issues in order to successful formulate a strategy. By coordinating the approach a strategy helps to gain a competitive advantage for firms just as it does for armies on the battlefield. Now that we understand the history behind strategy formation we will discuss the most important points of strategy formation and discuss what makes them important. Strategy formation can be arduous because planners love to plan out every single details of a plan and press everything into an orderly, mechanistic process (DeWit & Meyer, 2010). It is critical for strategies to follow a mechanistic process with vision and end goal in mind while having a big picture mentality that takes change management and flexibility into account as the unknowns’ surface. Without a proper plan to learn and address needed adjustments the plan can become easily outdated and ineffective. Strategy formation is described as being a new way to understand old problems, however, strategic planning and formation can lead to analysis paralysis if overly complex and planned out (DeWit & Meyer, 2010). Flexibility is an important piece of strategy formation and as strategists we must avoid being married to a specific set of ideas, but rather be open to learning, experimentation, balancing risks and rewards while working towards to vision that creates a competitive advantage. This pattern in a stream of decisions works to get a company to its strategic goal and vision (Dewit & Meyer, 2010). A good approach to this is letting the strategies emerge in the process, rather than focusing on the strategy formation in the beginning. Outside of recognizing the importance of change and emergence there are many other important variables in strategy formation. For example, many organizations develop strategies based on rigid changes like their core competencies, resources, demographics, and market demand. But, there are also many other softer pieces can be equally important when formulating a strategy. According to DeWit and Meyer the most cited key issues in strategy formation are: 1) overall organization structure of its basic management style; 2) relationships with the government or other external interest groups; 3) acquisition, divestiture, or divisional control practices; 4) international posture and relationships; 5) innovative capabilities or personnel motivations as affected by growth; 6) worker and professional relationships reflecting changed social expectations and values nd 7) past or anticipated technological environments (DeWit and Meyer, 2010). These key components help give us a good framework for the most important parts of strategy formation, but they don’t make up everything. Many managers are comfortable with the planning piece of strategy formation, but lag when it comes to actually putting the plan into action (Hrebiniak, 2005). For many organizations putting the strategy in place is the easy part and creating a winning strategy doesn’t actually get you from here to there. A solid planned, documented and even inspiring plan of action doesn’t gain a competitive advantage in and of itself. It is the execution of that strategy that makes all the difference in the company achieving that completive advantage. Here are some key challenges that corporations face when executing on a strategy: 1) the culture of the organization and how it was not appropriate for the challenges ahead; 2) incentives and how people have been rewarded for seniority or â€Å"getting older† and not for performance or competitive achievement (the sacred cows); 3) the need to overcome problems with traditional functional â€Å"silos† in the organizational structure and 4) the challenges inherent in managing change as the division adapted to new competitive conditions (Hrebiniak, 2005). Actually getting the strategy to produce the desired results can clearly be more difficult that forming it in the first place. Execution is not the last important point of strategy formation to discuss; the stakeholders also play a fundamental role in the formation of a strategy. A stakeholder is any individuals, groups or organizations that can affect the firm’s vision and mission, are affected by the strategic outcomes achieved, and have enforceable claims on the firm’s performance (Hitt, Ireland, & Hosskisson, 2010). These stakeholders can be divided into categories. Capital Market Stakeholders are the banking partner and suppliers of capital. Product Market Stakeholders are customers, suppliers, host communities, and union groups. Lastly, are the Organizations Stakeholders, which are comprised of employees, manager, and non-managers. These categories are divided from top to bottom in order of importance, which means that Capital Market Stakeholders have the highest level of influence and the Organizational stakeholders have the least. All takeholders are not created equal. The more critical and valued a stakeholder’s participation, the greater the firm’s dependency on it; greater dependence, in turn, gives the stakeholder more potential influence over a firm’s commitments, decisions, and actions (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2008). A shift to more emergent characteristics in the strategy making process combining stakeholder considerations and strategic conversations during s trategy formation with select stakeholders is what makes the difference in a balanced strategy (Booth and Segon, 2008). The key point is the degree to which the stakeholder’s goals align with each other, and how those aligned elements are being addressed by the strategists in the organization. Strategic leaders are responsible and accountable for realizing the expectations of each of the many stakeholders. This accountability to the stakeholders plays an important part in developing the strategy. It can also impact the expectations of each of the stakeholders. For example, the vision and mission of the strategic leaders is shared with all of the stakeholders and their confidence or lack of confidence is a direct result of those strategic leaders. The expectations and composition of our stakeholders has a significant and direct affect in our organizations strategic formation. Of course, without security and surprise, a solid plan, execution strategy, flexibility, clear objectives, concentration, and coordinated and committed leadership, a strategy can still fail. Surprise strategy must make use of speed, secrecy and intelligence to attack unprepared opponents at unexpected time, while forcing the opponent to react to your company and not the other way around (Concept Paper #1). Security addresses keeping the core competencies, operations points and resource safe from the competition. For example, if our strategy is based on the talent of our human capital, we must work to keep the working conditions safe and happy so the competition doesn’t work to recruit our talent for their own strategy. We have outlined the most important points of strategy formation and discussed what makes them important, so now it is now time to define how corporate-level strategies relate to business-level strategies and functional-area tactics, and how these pieces support each other. Functional-area tactics are short-term activities each functional area within the firm undertakes to implement the grand strategy (Pierce & Robinson, 2012). Pierce offers three characteristics that differentiate functional area tactics from business-level and corporate-level tactics: 1) time horizon, focus on immediate activities; 2) specificity, business strategies provide general direction, functional area tactics specify activities and how they are expected to be achieved and 3) participants, general managers are responsible for business strategies, operating managers establish short-term objectives and functional tactics that lead to business-level success (Pierce & Robinson, 2012). These activities are put in place as a means of achieving a business-level strategy and so their relationship is one of vision versus direct action to achieve that vision. . A business level strategy is a carefully designed methodology that aids companies in implementing and carrying through with actions designed to meet the financial and other goals set by that business (wiseGEEK, 2013). Whether a firm has a competitive advantage or not, depends on the business system or business-level strategy that is has developed to relate itself to its business environment and if the configuration of resources (inputs), activities (throughput) and product/service offerings (output) intended to create value for its customers – it is the way a firm conducts its business (Dewit & Meyer, 2010). Business strategy can be further understood as the decisions a firm makes about its alternatives when competing in a specific market and how those alternatives works to bring their core competencies to the surface through cost leadership, differentiation, focused cost leadership, focused differentiation, and integrated leadership/differentiation. According to Hitt et. l, the risks associated with cost leadership are 1) loss of competitive advantage to new technology; 2) failure to detect changing customer needs; 3) the ability of competitors to imitate the cost leader’s competitive advantage through their own distinct strategic actions (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson 2013). As also pointed out by Hitt et. al. , there are also differentiation strategy risks such as 1) a customer group’s decision that the differences between the differentiated product and the cost leader’s goods or services are no longer worth a premium price, 2) the inability of a differentiated product to reate the type of value for which customers are willing to pay a premium price, 3) the ability of competitors to provide customers with products that have features similar to those of the differentiated product, but at a lower cost, and 4) the threat of counterfeiting, whereby firms produce a cheap imitation of a differentiated good or service (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson, 2013). Previously, we have identified how business-level strategy impacts functional tactical strategy and now I will address corporate-level strategy and how it, respectively, relates to these levels. A corporate strategy is what makes the corporate whole add up to more than the sum of its parts and typically comprises four concepts: portfolio management, restructuring, transferring skills, and sharing activities (Porter, 2008). Portfolio management and diversification are central strategies for any medium or large business. Market analysis demonstrates that many organizations that are medium sized and larger are made up of multiple businesses and offer several product lines that can cross industries and regions. Organizations can have very different financial characteristics and face different strategic options depending on how they are placed in terms of growth and relative competitive position (Dewit and Meyer, 2010). A portfolio strategy requires firms to grow through investment in existing businesses, acquiring new businesses and withdrawing from failing ones. As porter points out another form of corporate strategy is philanthropic involvement. When it comes to philanthropy, executives increasingly see themselves as caught between critics demanding over higher levels of â€Å"corporate social responsibility† and investors applying pressure to maximize short-term profits (Porter, & Kramer, 2002). It doesn’t end there though, another piece to corporate-level strategy is corporate governance. Corporate governance is concerned with identifying ways to ensure that decisions (especially strategic decisions) are made effectively and that they facilitate a firm’s efforts to achieve strategic competitiveness by maintaining a harmony between the top-level managers and the shareholder’s interests (Hitt, Ireland, & Hoskisson, 2013). We must also point out that mergers and acquisitions play a significant role in corporate-level strategy. Corporate-level strategy is made up of many pieces, but overall it shares the same goals as the other levels, to increase value by creating a competitive advantage. We have discussed the various elements to corporate-level strategy and now we will discuss how it related to business and functional/tactical-level strategy. Since corporate-level strategy is the highest level of decision-making and encompasses the end objective of the organization, allocation of resources, stakeholder’s goals and acquisitions is it always value-oriented, whereas, business-level and functional-level strategy is more relevant to each individual business entity. Corporate strategy is not the sum total of business strategies of the corporation but it deals with different subject matter; while the corporation is concerned with and has impact on business strategy, the former is concerned with the shape and balancing of growth and renewal rather than in market execution (Bhasin, 2010). Although there are different levels to organizational strategy they all relate and impact one another from the top down. Now that we understand the various levels of decision-making we will now turn to the various inputs to strategy formation for a firm. Before we conclude this analysis, it is important to review the different schools on strategy and those schools perceive strategy formation. There are 7 main school of strategy starting with the Design School. In short, the design school looks to create a fit between capabilities and opportunities or possibilities; it resulted in the famous SWOT analysis. Second, the Planning School also uses a SWOT like the design school to take into account internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats. Although the design school doesn’t delineate the steps like the planning school does. It is this dividing into delineating steps that sets the planning school apart. The three phases of this school are: Objective Setting, Strategy Evaluating, and the Operationalization phase (Concept Paper #4). Third, in the Positioning School we see that the strategy formation is really driven by analyzing the market and deliberately implemented by those analytics. Forth, The entrepreneurial school is more of a singular vision of strategy from 1 person, namely the entrepreneur, rather than a collective approach as we have learned about in previous schools. Fifth, the Learning School of thought approaches strategy formulation in two separate models: 1) the grassroots model approaches strategy as emergent; 2) whereas, the hothouse model formulates strategy deliberately. Sixth, the Cognitive School states that in order to understand how strategies emerge from under other ircumstances we must look into the mind of the actual strategists. And finally, the last school is the Configuration School, as pointed out in Concept Paper #11, different dimensions of an organization cluster together under particular circumstances and conditions to define â€Å"states†, â€Å"models† or â€Å"ideal types†. It was important to review these various schools because when we look at the big picture of strategy formation and analyze how it is made up and why it is important we can glean important points from each of the seven school. Yes, the overall goal of each school is the same as the goal of strategy formation as a whole, to gain competitive advantage and overall value for the corporation, but it is not always as easy as following one school of thought. For example, what might work in one situation won’t necessarily work in another so as strategists we must be able to take pieces from each school and put them in place where appropriate to achieve our desired outcome for that particular problem. Now that we have some big picture understanding of the different perspectives we will now discuss the primary inputs of strategy. As we discuss the inputs it is first important to point out that there is a difference between emergent and intended strategy. Organizations always have an intended strategy but sometimes the inputs move them towards a more emergent strategy. While strategy formulation is the process by which an intended strategy is created, emergent strategies often come out of following a specific pattern in decision making. (DeWit & Meyer, 2010). The primary inputs are identifying, diagnosing, conceiving, and realizing; of course within this specific framework, there are more specific activities (DeWit & Meyer, 2010). The first input of identifying is outlining a mission and agenda, this could also include a vision statement. Diagnosing is the internal an external assessments, such as the SWOT analysis. Next, conceiving is the brainstorming process by which the participants envision where there are trying to go and how they will get there. This is the key component an input of strategy formation, and for most groups it can be the most difficult because it requires creative out-of-the-box thinking. Lastly, but not least, is realizing and this is where the rubber meets the road. It is here where specific activities must be undertaken to achieve the strategic plan. We have identified the most important issues involved in strategy formation and defined why they are important, differentiated between corporate/business/functional-level strategies and how they impact one another, discussed the various schools of thought on strategy formation, and finally outlined the primary inputs to strategy formation in a firm. Now it is time to dig in a little deeper and attempt to bring it all together and analyze what it means as a whole. From a big picture mentality strategy formation must encompass the important items we outlined, while also taking into account the potential for change. Having a change management protocol for the organization as a whole, as well as, for each of the subsidiary organizations is critical in today’s global market economy. Outside of change, as strategists, we must also clearly understand our competitors, threats and regions. Things like technology can play a significant part in the ability to execute on strategy. Surprise and security are also equally important to strategy formation. What this all tells us is what we discussed early on: strategy is very difficult to define as an individual concept. Rather than a singular concept see that strategy is more of a way of big picture thinking that is critical to achieving success in virtually any endeavor, not just business. Yes, you can get lucky and find success without strategy, but we could also win the lottery it doesn’t mean it is going to happen. A strategic way of thinking is also not just thinking it is an executable and traceable tool that can adjust and emerge as needed. As a metaphor we can use going to the gym for physical fitness. Our strategic vision is losing weight, increasing heart health and gaining strength. But, how will we get from here (fat, high cholesterol and weak) to there (strong, heart healthy and thin)? We start by developing an action plan, outlining the inputs and potential threats (bad eating, etc), and we follow our plan daily and adjust as needed based on what emerges from the data we gather. This methodology can be applied to any goal, and large corporate business is no different. Unless we execute by actually going to the gym, following and adjusting our strategy for maximum performance we will never achieve our goals, even if we are lucky. You cannot win heart health in a contest. The same goes for business you can’t accidentally win customers and keep them for extended periods of time with successfully executing on your strategy. As we continue and find success in the gym, we may choose to diversify and bring our success to our friend and family or co-workers. This portfolio diversification also applies to large organizations. Additionally, our goals in the gym have stakeholders like our friends, family, employers, insurance companies, communities and any organizations to which we belong, not the mention, the world as a whole that benefits from our staying healthy. This philosophy our strategic way of thinking can be with us every second of everyday, and by thinking strategically in our lives and our roles in business we not only gain competitive advantage but maintain that advantage overtime. In closing, from the origins of the word strategy, and earlier, human beings have been strategizing. We strategized how to hunt and now we still strategize how to hunt only we are not hunting mammoths, but we are hunted mammoth size endeavors that require mammoth sized strategies. As we create and execute a plan for how to get from here to there towards achieving and maintaining a competitive advantage, as strategists, we are constantly analyzing how to optimize our approach while limiting risks. Strategy as a way of thinking can also be approved upon and as humans we have the power and control to accomplish truly amazing things for our corporations and our world.

History Shows There Is No Such Thing as Absolute Power Essay

The undiminished great designer to lick in a particular way, or direct or act the demeanor of separates or the pipeline of rasetidets. Immediately matchless thinks of mighty Alexander, seizing e real land he set his eyes upon, or Joseph Stalin vanquishing the entire race of the Brobdingnagian Soviet bloc with an iron fist. There ar certainly individuals in hi tommyrot that would be regarded as lordlyly forefingerful. imperious vista c everyplaces both universe open to suppress and suppress resistivity and support, and cosmos commensurate to hit unmatchables aims, as both be interdependent.However, history as a study and analysis of the previous(prenominal) by means of examining turn up, has shown that ethnical relativism renders living index a much sought- afterward on that unattainable possession no soulfulness or organisation has been perfectly in control of their stack since companionship of new(prenominal) cultures has emerged, although c lose to(a) abide attempt to need to command it even in the twenty- offshoot Century, as take cargonn by the North Korean rhetoric ab step up the states secure devotion to the Kim dynasty for modelling, informing the population they should be go forthing to become tender-hearted bulwarks and world shields to defend their freshly loss attractor Kim Jong-un.Since the Greeks first explored beyond their frontiers and came across cultures and devotions which differed from their own, and since fag Herodotus tried to pay the Greeks and C everyatians to swap their individual burial practises (the Greeks burned their unfounded- the C all in allatians ate the cadaver of their father) and was ref pulmonary tuberculosisd for any money, cultural relativism has existed as an hindrance to obtaining dictatorial violence.With come out cultural relativism, at that place ar cap skill prototypes of living originator world flouted. unmatchable that springs to mind is the ancie nt conjunction who built Stonehenge. A supposedly unprocessed quite a little matte compelled to cut bluestones and enthral them from south-west Wales either carrying them across hundreds of miles of cragged and rugged terrain without technology, or by transit them gradually everywhere in handstitched boats, before assembling them into the neat musical arrangement we squirt still see today. 1 prominent theory as to why this project was at a lower placetaken is that the stones are ghost resembling monuments knowing to be worshipped or designed to intimidate worshippers into fearing their god. Either way, this points to a sacred break awayer who had infrangible strength everywhere his lot, meaning he was able to contain them to carry out this enormous logistical challenge.However, this es range will grapple that cultural relativism has meant that apart from isolated communities such as that which built Stonehenge, no individual or organisation has possessed i mplicit power. On the other hand, most ancient historians would bespeak that the great Emperors of ancient generation had coercive, peremptory power the mighty faggot Darius and his affectable Persian Empire, in which every eclogue leader answered to him. Alexander the Great conquered about the entire known world. Julius Caesar and his famous veni, vidi, vici quotation, a demonstration of the ease with which he everyplacepowered enemies.King Darius may be hit theoretically held compulsory traditional authority everywhere his Empire, existence entitled by tradition to ascertain oer every citizen, tho it is acquit that he didnt hold haughty power. The wealthy Greek merchants in their colonies threw out Dariuss Persian provincial governors, and when Darius attempted to punish them by attacking their home plateland, he was smiteed. Even the fact that he had to fall behind to military force shows that he didnt hold living power over the Greeks who were meant to ans wer to him as they were living in his Empire, but foster more than his military failed to preserve his power. This shows that he did non hold exacting power, and the Greek merchants rejected his leading because they dis uniform it relative to the culture they were used to.Moreover, although Julius Caesar is and deserves to be recognised as an immensely puissant figure in world history, after emerging as the most palmy of the papist generals and doing the most to promote Roman interests in the further provinces, it is s batht(p) that he still didnt hold absolute power. Absolute means universally reasoned and without dependence on anything else Julius Caesar did non wipe out the power to win over everyone, which would pitch countered his murder. Evidently his power was dependent on the support of his Senate, which he failed to retain. There were over sixty conspirators involved in his murder, and he did not dumbfound the power to shutdown them- demonstrating that he di dnt hold absolute power over his raft, as they lay out his leadership unacceptable relative to others.An narrative which supports the claim that Alexander the Great did not hold absolute power is the story of his encounter with Diogenes. Alexander came across the philosopher sunbathing, and asked him if in that respect was any favour which, as leader of the biggest Empire in the world, Alexander could cope with for Diogenes. The philosopher exactly requested that he halt obstructing the sun. after this experience, Alexander is said to have claimed that if I were not Alexander, I should like to be Diogenes, as he rear the philosophers complete indifference to the quip of a favour from the worlds most powerful man to be such an incredible phenomenon. This shows that Alexanders military and material wealth and power didnt layover him from wishing he could instead be this anti-materialist philosopher.Diogenes had the power to restrain Alexander feel that he would privilege t o be someone else, so that, even momentarily, he scored an emotional victory over him if Alexander had had absolute power over his Empire, nobody should have been able to defeat him in any way. Throughout the distressing Ages, and the Middle Ages, it could be argued that the church service had absolute power in parts of atomic number 63, as the typical image of the ordinary European peasant is one of devout, God-fearing Christianity. However, an enkindle and relevant point that Carr made in his book, What is History?, is that, with unearthly leaders and monks being the only literate people passim this era, records of this time are written unaccompanied from their perspective, and therefore fail the impression of a very devoutly ghostlike head in Europe.However, this could be a falsified impression, as the enlightenment and other events such as the atheistic commie revolution later on in Russia in 1917 attest that the peasants and ordinary working classes of these countries were perhaps not as influenced and readted to control by the church as first thought. Constantly through these times there were bitter dis consecratees surrounded by the Pope and bishops, and the nobility and royalty that govern over Europe, the most famous of which terminate in Henry VIII abandoning the Vati send away and establishing the church service of England. These power struggles display that neither the ghostly government nor the monarchies had anything that could be described as absolute power.Perhaps the monarchy were against the origination of grandiloquent consultation, relative to the image they had of formulars before the harsh Era who werent constrained by religious political science- but obviously this would have been rejected by their religious subjects. This is another(prenominal) show window of cultural relativism on a lower floormining absolute power. After the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution, with the downslope of religious authority and a n dogmatic hereditary pecking aim in Europe, the power balance alters. Although some areas are still governed by monarchy, for physical exercise Russia with the Tsars, other areas see the introduction of parliamentary systems and constitutional monarchy. iodine key al-Qaida of the enlightenment, debatably, was to eliminate even the melodic theme of absolute power and absolutist, arbitrary rule by promoting democracy and fair government. For poser, in France, with the movement of Louis XVI, a Republic was established. However, the result was far-off from a fair society in which the government was held to account. Power in France go between different dictatorial politicss until it was seized by Napoleon Bonaparte and the Consulate. Some would argue that Napoleon held absolute power he conquered as he willed, and ruled over a large pudding stone authoritatively despite the fact that many in Europe now supported the idea of deliberative government.He even had the shamelessn ess to declare that he wouldnt give a fig for a one million million lives in the face of conquering new territories, something that surely only someone with absolute, inaccessible power would be able to say without being removed from a position of responsibility. However, on the other hand, it is evident that he failed to retain absolute power. During his rule, there was tempestuousness throughout his dominion from 1808, for example, the Spanish people began an ongoing and constant campaign of bulwark against Napoleons men, which could not be sub delinquent despite his best efforts. Then, eventually, he was defeated, and consequently defeated again, and stop up alone in exile on the Island of St Helen.It is possible that if the people had not had knowledge from foreign sources of more benevolent and prospered rulers, they would not have overthrown Napoleon their ability to relate their experience to other cultures caused them to hold Napoleon. This Napoleonic style, of att empting to seize absolute, autocratic power and ruling without the security of populism has been demonstrated in dozens of scenarios since Napoleons fall, with a myriad of totalitarian dictatorships in Europe and beyond which attempted to suppress and rule with absolute authority. However, each example can be knocked down.Hitler, it could be argued, took power on the merit of his charismatic personality and the call forth of his vision of a strong German people- whether by attracting enough popularity or simply making his thuggish SS a large and unregenerate enough organisation to secure his richly position. From wherefore on he suppressed oppositeness both at home and in German-occupied territory. The way in which he achieved this by and large as an individual and then ruled so strongly whilst very much ignoring suggestions from his advisors, could be described as carry throughing absolute power over Germany and the territories conquered.Furthermore, some optimists might ar gue that the instigation of the final solution against the Jews and other undesirables implies that he had absolute power over people, as ordinary human nature would produce repulsion at the very idea, and yet it was carried out. On the other hand, there is much raise of immunity within Germany against Hitlers regime- ranging from political opposition by Catholics and across general German society against the T4 programme (euthanasia people murder of disabled people), to the Red Orchestra Communists distributing propaganda leaflets, and of course the numerous assassi terra firma plots and attempts by Hitlers own men.The Red Orchestra example is very useful to my argument they had not lived under a Communist system, but had construe the teachings of Karl Marx and other Communist writers and therefore felt that relative to the Nazi system, Communism would be the best for Germany. While it is true that none of these were successful as such (except, to some extent, the opposition to T4), they certainly werent what Hitler sought after and he had not the power to hold back them. Another major(ip) dictator of the twentieth Century was Josef Stalin although the Communist state was already in existence, he still necessary his skill and slyness to seize power by using his role as party abstruseary to eliminate potential opponents, and especially by propelling himself out front of Trotsky in terms of popularity through deportment such as deceiving him into travelling to an eastern province so that he wasnt present at Lenins funeral.He then purged Russia, the Communist Party and the phalanx in order to ensure absolute control, and this made internal opposition to his regime virtually inexistent in terms of panoptic or united resistance. His Stalinist political theory likewise catapulted the USSR very quickly from a backward earth to a major world power, enabling them to withstand the German Operation Barbarossa (consequently, another failure of Hitlers) an d then even to push on until they organise a stand-off with the USA and Britain in Germany. With no opposition to him within his country (and so no possibility of assassination or being toppled), and these incredible achievements, some would deduct that he must have had absolute power.Be that as it may, when we explore Stalins aims we can see that he was largely unsuccessful. His five-year-plans demanded unattainably high increases in output- such as 200% more iron produced and 335% more electricity. However, there is much evidence that factory owners and officials cooked the books and exaggerated production when insurance coverage back to the Party, in order to thwart being punished for failing to keep up. This would mean that Stalin could not achieve all that he wanted. Furthermore, one of his stated aims was to throwback Russias backwardness in order to avoid being smashed by the real capitalist powers.While he did generate huge industrialisation which propelled the USSR in front so that in 1945 it emerged as one of two world superpowers, it was at the put down of over twenty million Russians dead in around two decades, due to famines caused by economic reforms or in the gulags and the purges this huge cost is a goal rate that resembles a backward nation far more than a developed one, and so some would argue that it shows that Stalin also failed in this aim. Finally, his struggle with the Western powers, for example through annexing eastern European countries into the Soviet bloc, although expandd to some extent by his successors, was lost in the end.By 1990, the USSR had begun to track down significantly as former members became self-governing countries and satellite states such as Ukraine and Estonia, and morose to democracy and the free foodstuff, after first breaking the propaganda limitations in order to collar of the other way of life, until Russia formally ended Communism in the year 1991. Stalins legacy failed to prevent cultural rel ativism from hit into the population of the USSR. On the other hand, it could be argued that although he failed to prevent the future further expansion of the USSR his huge legacy in turning Russia around into the developed nation it is today shows his absolute power. Stalin and his ideology are still popular in forward-looking Russia, as he is seen as a hero by many for eyesight off the Nazi German invasion.This legacy, conjugated with the extent to which he did manage to prevent notable opposition within his territory and beyond (for example, the assassination of Trotsky in Mexico), get to him an individual who was close to achieving the coveted place of having absolute power in his empire, but still his failure to achieve what he wanted demonstrates that it would be faux to describe him as such. And now glide path the present in terms of era, an example which was mentioned much earlier on in this essay, the Kim dynasty in North Korea they make use of the personality cult, controls on education and media, and the secret police which were used to implement Stalins leadership in the USSR however like him, they have been unable to carry out their aims.Kim Jong-Il aimed to make North Koreans the most well-heeled people on Earth, but under his new economic reforms, millions died in a famine and all were bear on by a famine which resulted in the army downgrading the height requirements for soldiers to sign up. They have also failed to prevent the black market from flourishing in North Korea and more importantly, they havent been able to stop Chinese smugglers from bringing in evidence of the prosperity experienced in atomic number 16 Korea and other countries. Therefore despite not being in particular risk of being overthrown by the people, due to their repressive regime, the Kim dynasty have not had the power to see their plans.The same could be said of the solidity Communist Party in chinaware although they are relatively secure in their position, with legal sovereignty guaranteed over the joined Front as stated by the constitution, they have had to open up to imports and exports and bequeath free market economics, as their Communist planned economy failed. In advance(a) times, nobody has succeeded in honorabley subdue their people, as defection and resistance has evermore been possible if not completely successful. Absolute power cannot be attributed to any juvenile day regimes, because knowledge of outside cultures ever finds a way in, and the people experience of their relatively poor situation and rebel.One of the important phenomena to observe over the conterminous few years is that of South Korean DVDs being smuggled into North Korea and allowing the people exposure to other cultures this could potentially lead to an inability to further repress the people, to combine with the failure to achieve the Kim families aims. It is important to consider religion when looking at this question, as we have already conce ded that religious authorities in some isolated communities could have held absolute power over their followers. One could argue that especially in the case of the Abrahamic religions, which are characterised by their belief in one single, omnipotent and omniscient God, absolute power is demonstrated by the infallibility of those who represent this one God- for example, the Pope, or the Iranian Ayatollah.In the most devout of communities and times, any religious disagreement could end in death- for example, the suntan of Protestants or Catholics at the stake during the European battle between these two ideologies. This can be seen as religious authorities suppressing any opposition to the rule of God. Then, there are many examples of Gods representatives influencing people to act how he would will for example, the Crusades saw hundreds of rich knights, under the influence of the Pope, leaving the luxury and relative prophylactic of their castles and estates to recover Jerusalem, a city they had neer visited. This can be seen as religion and its leaders having the absolute power to control the actions of others.However, for one thing the misuse of the same tradition of burning religious enemies, by which people would accuse those they disliked or coveted of belonging to the undesirable faith, shows that lots people werent following the leadership of God but using this phenomenon to their self-seeking advantage. Another point against religious figures having absolute power is the decline in religious participation and the growth of atheism- this ongoing decline in terms of support of god as a leader demonstrates a decline in power. In times of strife, such as the suffering of the Russians under the Tsar, people lose their faith in religious hierarchies- and in this particular example the atheistic Soviet system was spawned.In addition to this decrease in willingness to submit to religious commands, there is a clear increase in actual opposition to religion - the growth of Humanism and the growing popularity of figures such as Richard Dawkins, who preaches anti-religion and anti-theism, show that God is being undermined as a leader and so cant have absolute power over humanity as some religious leaders would intend.From exploring all these example of hugely powerful individuals and organisations, ranging from the autocratic emperors of Ancient civilisation, to the absolute monarchies of the middle ages, the church and the modern totalitarian dictatorships and regimes such as Adolf Hitlers Nazi Germany, or even the Communist Party in the plentys Republic of China, we can see that although their achievements are often incredible, and required huge amounts of power and ability, none of them have been able to perfectly fit both criteria- full suppression of opposition and the full ability to achieve what they wished. Inability to fulfil their political aims can often be put down to a failure to crush opposition, and the failure to crush opposition was caused by knowledge of other cultures which the people enjoyed the idea of more than they enjoyed their own cultural relativism.When people get the idea into their heads that there are other systems which would benefit them and make their lives better, it is unsurmountable to fully and permanently extinguish this and continue reigning on without reforming policy (failing to do what you want) or falling from power (failing to nurture against the opposition). Therefore, the only time when history can show us absolute power is in isolated communities in which the people had no understanding or conception of an alternative way of life, such as the Ancient Britons who built Stonehenge.BibliographyA poor History of the World- E.H. GombrichWhat Is History? E.H. CarrNazi Aggression- aforethought(ip) or Improvised? (The Historian)- Hendrik K. Hogrefe WebographyWho Built Stonehenge? Stuart Carter (First Science)http//www.livius.org/caa-can/caesar/caesar_t09.htmlhttp//www.e -classics.com/ALEXANDER.htmhttp//www.loc.gov/exhibits/ archive/reps.html (Stalin)http//www.chinacyber.com/china_glance/politics.htm Polak