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Case Study about Charles Well

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(Institutional Affiliation)

Part 1- Value Chain Analysis

Michael Porter is the one of the first authors to use the term value- chain analysis in one of his books. Value chain analysis describes the activities an organization performs and links them with the competitive position of the organization. Value chain analysis describes all of the activities around and within an organization, and relates these activities to an analysis of the competitive strength of the firm. As it follows, this analysis evaluates which value each specific activity adds to the services and products of the organization. Economists developed this ideology upon the insight that a firm is more than a random combination of equipment, machinery, money and people. Only if organizations arrange these elements into, systematic activates and systems it will be feasible to create products and services for which the consumers will be willing to pay a certain price. Porter points out that the ability of a firm to perform certain activities and manage the associations between these activities is a competitive advantage source (Strategic management).

Porter distinguishes between support activities and primary activities. The primary activities distinguished by Porter are those, which are directly involved in the delivery or creation of a service or product. One can place these primary activities under five main groups. These are the inbound logistics, outbound logistics, operations, service, marketing and sales. Support activities are linked to each one of these primary activities, which help to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness. There are four different areas of support activities. These include technology development, procurement, human resource management and infrastructure. Under infrastructure are systems for finance, planning, information management, quality, and many more (Strategic management).

Value chain analysis is an essential tool for the organization to work out how they can create the greatest possible value for its customers. In business, consumers pay to take raw inputs, and to add and increase the value to them by changing them into something of greater value to other people. It is easier to see this in manufacturing, in which case the manufacturer increases value by taking raw material of little use to the final user and converting it to products or services that buyers are enthusiastic to give money for, like converting wood pulp into paper. However, this ideology is just as essential as in service industries, where individuals make use of inputs of knowledge, time, systems, and equipment to make services of actual worth to the customers. To analyze the specific activities through which organizations create competitive advantage, it is essential to model or to arrange the organization as a chain of activities that create value. As already mentioned, Michael Porter identified a set of interrelated generic activities ordinary to a broad range of businesses. The resulting model is the value chain (Strategic management).

Services

Organizations realize a profit depending on their ability to manage the associations between all the activities in the organization. This is to mean that an organization can only deliver products and services, which customers are willing to pay more than the total of the costs of the sum of activities in the value chain. These linkages are essential for corporate success. These linkages occur between the flows of goods and services, information and processes and systems for adjusting activities. As it follows, the linkages are about seamless information flow and cooperation between the activities in the present in the value chain. In most industries, it is unusual that a single organization is responsible for all activities from design of the product to production to final assembly of products to deliverance of complete merchandise and services to the ultimate consumer. In most cases, organizations are elements of a supply chain or a value system (Strategic management. The value chain).

Margin

Michael Porter introduced a generic chain model that is composed of a series of activities common to a wide variety of firms. Porter, therefore, came up with primary and support activities. The purpose of these activities is to offer consumers a degree of value that is more than the cost of the activities, therefore, resulting in a profit margin. The primary value activities include inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, sales, marketing, and service. In regards to the inbound logistics, the warehousing and receiving of raw materials and their distribution to manufacturers activities are required. Operations in this case refer to the processes of changing inputs into finished services and products. Outbound logistics, on the other hand, deals with the distribution and warehousing of finished goods. Sales and marketing is involved with the identification of the needs of customers and the generation of sales. Service in this case is concerned with the support of customers after the organization sells and distributes the services and products to consumers (Strategic management. The value chain).

The infrastructure of the organization supports the primary, which is composed of the organizational structure, company culture and control systems. Another activity that supports the main activities is the human resource management, which is composed of employee hiring, recruiting, training, compensation and development. Technology development is also another support activity, which includes such activities as integration of activities that support activities for creating value. Procurement is the last support activity that involves purchasing of inputs like supplies, materials, and equipment. The profit or margin of the firm, therefore, depends on it effectiveness in performing these activities effectively and efficiently, so that the amount that the consumer is willing to pay for the finished goods and services exceeds the cost of the production activities in the value chain (Strategic management. The value chain).

Part 2- Key Challenges Faced in Human Resource and Operations

Operational challenges are those challenges that include all of the step- to- step details which control how exactly various elements in the supply chain functions. One of the most common operational challenges is coming up with a manufacturing and production schedule that is well organized. A schedule for production affects numerous other variables and, therefore, must be designed carefully to fit appropriately into the whole picture. Other operational challenges and decisions include things like the process for planning daily activities and filling orders with all the activities involved in the supply chain. The shrinking world gives organizations numerous opportunities and benefits for business, but these are not without extending the scope of the organization’s logistic responsibilities. The days for depending on brokers to finish their end of the bargain managing a single facility are gone. Now organizations must act proactively in their efforts to put together the best possible circumstances for operations that are successful. This means addressing all of the issues and challenges that come with a supply chain that has numerous elements scattered all over the place (How a shrinking world).

Charles Wells Ltd has for a long time combined years of pub retailing and brewing with genuine spirit of enterprise and innovation. The organization has evolved to become an essential market leader in both industries and many have recognized the organization for its assimilation of change to remain competitive, yet retaining independence, by both consumers and trade alike. However, despite its success, numerous challenges, and especially those that have to do with operations have affected its excellence and competitive advantage. Other minor challenges with regards to human resource have also affected the effectiveness of the company in the market (About Charles Wells).

One of the main operational challenges that the Charles Wells has to do with the marketing and sales force of the company. The national sales force of Charles Wells Company has been selling services and products into the purchasing departments of a number of customers like major wholesalers and grocery stores. With this operational activity, a challenge arose. The challenge concerned with the fact that the national sales force had to ensure an increase and an improvement in the existing national distribution coverage and, therefore, the sales of all of its international brands by getting them in the front line of as many customers as possible. The strategy the company thought of using to deal with this challenge was to hire or recruit young staff that were fresh out of colleges and universities and to turn them into sales forces that were effective. Based at home, these sales forces would have to be mobile. They would also need to have the ability to communicate easily and work remotely hand- in- hand with the regional managers and the head office (Charles Wells’ adopts teleworking solution for mobile sales force).

The company came up with a solution. The solution was working from home; the sales force used PCs with modem Internet connection supplemented by fixed broadband Internet. They were also able to come by a CRM system that had some details of the customers. The database technology was extremely useful as it enabled the replication to the tablet PCs of the representatives so they could operate independently with the most current customer information and data available. To support this process, each member of the sales force was given a multifunction device that had several functions in one machine. The members could, therefore, print, scan and copy from one compact device, thus, reducing the impacts of technology within the home office and reducing the total space used, and most essentially print in either mono or color. This solution offered the company a number of benefits. The project to address this challenge was successful, as a result, of the close collaboration between network support, developers, users and sales management. As a result, the project is producing results, with numerous new listings. The results of the project are key elements to the success of the solution. This project is an excellent example of how IT and mobile technology strategies can be of use to numerous businesses such as Charles Wells Ltd in solving its technological and operational challenges (Charles Wells’ adopts teleworking solution for mobile sales force).

Part 3- Summary and Conclusion

Organizations have for a long time made use of the value chain framework for organizational strategic planning. The value chain framework indicates that the value chain of a firm is useful in understanding and identifying critical aspects to attain competitive strengths and key competencies in the marketplace. The model also shows how the value chain activities are connected together to ultimately establish the value for the customer. The five main activities and four support activities create a system that is interdependent that is tied together by linkages. Therefore, analysis of the value chain has to break down the main activities of the organization according to the activities stipulated in the framework, and assesses the potential for increasing value through the means of differentiation or cost advantage. Finally, it is essential to determine strategies that put their focus on those activities that would make it feasible for the corporation to achieve competitive advantage, which it can sustain.

The value chains of numerous organizations have gone through many modifications in the earlier years, as a result, of inventions, innovations and advancements in technology enabling change at an increasingly rapid pace in the environment of business. As we have seen in the case study, these rapidly changing technological environments in business have caused numerous challenges for the Charles Wells Ltd, which had to change its approach to sales and marketing by recruiting new sales forces, which were later trained using new technologies. The integration of mobile technology into the new marketing and sales tactics enabled the company to solve its challenges and turn its sales around to become more profitable. The company made came up with the solutions to its problems after breaking down the main activities of the organization according to those stipulated in the framework, and after assessing its potential for increasing value through the means of differentiation and cost advantage. As a result, the corporation was able to come up with solutions and strategies that focus on the wanting activities, and which upon improvement would enable the company attain competitive advantage.

References

About Charles Wells. Charles Wells Pub Company. Retrieved from http://www.charleswells.co.uk/home/about

Charles Wells’ adopts teleworking solution for mobile sales force. Together. Retrieved from http://www.brother.co.uk/display.cfm?id=124129&isAdmin=1

How a shrinking world creates new logistics challenges. Solusource. Retrieved from http://www.solusource.com/tominfo/WhitePapers/Shrinking%20World%20Creates%20Logistics%20Challenges.pdf

Strategic management. The value chain. QuickMBA. Knowledge to Power Your Business. Retrieved from http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/value-chain/

Strategic management. Value chain. NetMBA. Business Knowledge Center. Retrieved from http://www.netmba.com/strategy/value-chain/

Acuity-Driven Gigapixel Visualization

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Introduction

Acuity-Driven Gigapixel Visualization is a project that makes to compensate for the flaws that have been presented by advanced visual technology. The realization that advanced visual technology has limitations on user navigation as a result of the alternating user-surface distance between optimal and suboptimal is acutely projected in the study. Deriving basis on tests run on a Reality Deck with a gigapixel display of 1.5, a 3600 Horizontal FoV and a 33′ * 19′ * 11′ workspace, the project is a presentation of optimized visualization process of gigapixel data (Papadopoulos, 2013). The project also employs the use of tracking data gathered from the study to formulate synthetic usage scenarios to conduct an evaluation of performance of the proposed system. It is termed so because it uses an approach of guiding optimizations by analytically formulated visual acuity (Papadopoulos, 2013).

Methodology

The study projects the use of a shader based on local data in determining the appropriate LoD for implementation of the virtual texture on a GPU. Such determination is made by the virtual texture pipeline on the basis of spatial derivatives of the texture coordinates of the of the image plane:

The study proposes that decrease of the user’s retina’s visual angle directly affects its texture space.A geometry tessellation based on the F + C lens curvature and viewer’s proximity from the display is further proposed in the study. The factors enable the calculation of gigapixel adaptive parametrization comprised of both a view based and a lens based metric.An integration of the LoD selection that is acuity driven in a gigapixel visualization pipeline that is based on virtual texturing is then conducted for implementation. The tessellation scheme is also GPU implementable (Papadopoulos, 2013).

Results

The algorithm had a linear projection between the resulting tessellation and the proximity to the screen and also accurately captured the F + C lens structure (Papadopoulos, 2013). The participants as such achieved an average vision enabled through the use of either corrective glasses or lenses. This is confirmed by their ability to successfully pick out similar survey target pictures after being subjected to queries on demographic information. Comprehending the data and the participants’ reaction is simplified by the head-tracking props that they wear.

The Article’s Flaws

In its experimentation, the article projects the participants used for the study as bearing an average of 26 years, all of whom are graduate and undergraduate students (Papadopoulos, 2013). The study thus fails to examine the children whose visual ability is very significant for their conception of the concepts of the universe, considering that their retinas are immature and subject to changes of development. Moreover, elderly persons also have their visual ability on a constant reduction. The study should hence offer the flexibility to cover for all generations with visual impairment.

Well Presented Points

The post-hoc analysis of the positional tracking makes it possible to rate the reaction of the participants and easily comprehend their ADGV image quality in comparison to SVG. The analysis is quite detailed and gives a fine explanation for the results.

Project Revelation

The project presents a scheme that improvises technology to further improve visual capacity in a great dimension (Papadopoulos, 2013). The use of vertex shaders to displace the underlying mesh by utilizing OpenGL tessellation that enables the F lens to be stored and precumpted in a lookup texture is an interesting concept (Lewis and SPIE, 2013). As such, the system supports execution that is distributed and synchronized (Porter, 2006).

Significant Conclusions

The projects take to simplify the complex mesh by refining the image based on proximity to the object. The process makes its distinct from the more basic mechanisms that that uses perceptual criteria to achieve the same and as such presents comparison to work in the LoD field.

Future Focus

The project aims to focus on varied mage data and a larger sample size. However, they should also aim to include more variation of the ages of the participants to establish the reaction levels (Lewis and SPIE, 2013). Not only would such focus make it easier to comprehend the eye and head the correlation movement, but also make it more comprehensive in analyzing the reaction rates based on age (Seymour and Britton, 1989).

References

In Lewis, K. L., Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft,, & SPIE (Society),. (2013). Emerging technologies in security and defence: And Quantum security II; and Unmanned sensor systems X : 23-26 September 2013, Dresden, Germany.

Papadopoulos, C. (Dec, 2013). Acuity-Driven Gigapixel Visualization in IEE Transactions in Visualization and Computer Graphics (Vol 19, 12).

Porter, C. (2006). Tessellation quilts: Sensational designs from simple, interlocking patterns. Newton Abbot: David & Charles.

Seymour, D., & Britton, J. (1989). Introduction to tessellations. Palo Alto, Calif: Dale Seymour Publications.

Case study: Australia’s 2day radio station prank call

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What is the radio station going to do?

Due to the mounting pressure by individuals and organizations to close down the stations and fire the presenters, the station has decided that the djs will not air the show until further notice. The company decided to suspend all its advertisements until investigations about the tragedy are carried out (The Age. com.au, 2012). Rhys Holleran, Southern Cross Austereo CEO emphasized that their priority was to support the family and not judge whether the company should lose its broadcasting license or not (The Age. com.au, 2012).

What do you think they should do?

It is best that the company puts the two presenters out of limelight until things cool down. The presenters themselves should apologize to the public and the deceased person’s family. The presenters are definitely shocked by the experience and should be supported by the station and not criticized. However, the company should not try to portray the innocence of the presenters and itself before the heat reduces and conclusive investigations are conducted. The station should understand the reason why advertisers chose to suspend their commercials.

This event has become what we call, & quote; A Media Circus

Since the controversy, Many media houses in Australia and oversees have aired the story. Some include, Daily Mail, London Evening Standard, The Times, The Guardian, Daily Star, The Daily Telegraph and The Independent (The Age. com.au, 2012). Social networking sites like twitter and Facebook have been used to conduct opinion polls on the issue and seek public opinion over the matter.

If the radio station management does not take certain steps to make the situation better, the radio station might go out of business – what happened? What should they do now?

Advertisers who have suspended their commercials may retrieve them completely due to fear. There is need for the station to win back the trust of these advertisers lest the company stands to loses them. The station should also thrive to maintain its fun base intact by not justifying themselves. The station should also agree to any consequences bestowed upon them. A nice recovery effort would be to train its employee on ethics.

Are there media theories that apply (or should be applied) here? What mistakes were made?

The station broadcasted a private phone conversation without the participant’s acquaintance which is illegal according to ACMA Code of Conduct for Talkback and Interviews (Commercial Radio Australia Limited, 2011). The station abused person’s right to privacy by broadcasting Kate Middleton’s hospital detail on air. The nurse also violated the professional code of conduct by releasing private information of a patient’s condition though without consent this was a breach of professional ethics (Australian Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2008).

How people were hurt and then and what you think the Radio station SHOULD do in order to minimize the damage?

Kate Middleton was hurt by the exposure of her hospital detail to the public. Jacintha was hurt on realizing she had publicly denounced ethics. The family was hurt after the nurse committed suicide. The two djs who made the prank as well as the station were hurt and face the risk of being fired or losing the broadcasting license. The criticizers of the hoax call are also people hurt by the incidence. The hospital where the nurse worked suffered the loss of a qualified nurse. The radio station should support the victim’s family and publicly apologize.

Reference

The Age. com.au (2012) Global reaction after nurse who took prank call from Australian DJs found dead. Retrieved January 15th, 2013 from file:///C:/Users/Kirugi/Downloads/Prank%20call%20nurse%20found%20dead%20_%20Duchess%20of%20Cambridge%20Pregnancy.htmlAustralian Nursing & Midwifery Council (2008) code of professional conduct for nurses in Australia. Retrieved January 15th, 2013 from http://www.amsantmanual.com/proforma/hr/Code%20of%20Ethics%20for%20Nurses%202008.pdfCommercial Radio Australia Limited (2011) Codes of Practice & Guidelines. Retrieved January 15th, 2013 from http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/aba/contentreg/codes/radio/documents/commercial_radio-codes_and_guidelines_5sept2011.pdf

ACURA Strategy Development

ACURA is an acronym that represents variant customer-related strategies including acquisition, cross selling, up selling, retention, and advocacy (Biswas, 2014). It is an important strategy in ensuring that both consumers and firms are able to find value through approaches within each of the five strategies in ACURA. It allows firms to design a variation of related approaches including promotional deals, offers on products, bundling, attractive alternatives, and many other strategies to not only acquire but also retain consumers and win them back in case of loss.

Cross-selling and Up-selling Strategy

For the low budget young customer segment, Raiz Invest Limited should cross selling will be among the most effective means to increase revenue. For instance, Raiz could provide bundled products in an attractive package for example enabling mobile payments on its digital lending and credit platform. It could also provide insurance on mobile loans as a way to increase revenue for a market segment that is focused on the product and its benefits while remaining consciously sensitive of price. In light of this, the most applicable cross-selling strategy that Raiz can use on the low budget young consumers is promoting products that other people bought, including any available offers and related items for the same.

Ghoshal, Mookerjee, and Sarkar (2021) advocate for recommending related items in a cross-selling strategy as one of the most effective ways to get price sensitive consumers to purchase. Similarly, offering discounts on bundled products is noted by Jayalath and Premaratne (2021) to rapidly increase sales for young consumers. Other strategies that apply to Raiz’s cross-selling strategy would include promoting products that are essential to another product’s performance. For example, if a customer takes a mobile loan, Raiz could offer an insurance package against delayed payments as a way of adding value to the original product. In this way, revenue is generated and the customer sees value in both products. Therefore, a cross-selling strategy is recommended for the low budget young segment of Raiz’s market. Bundling, recommending products, recommending related products, offering discounts on products and bundles, and promoting products essential to another product’s performance are the most effective approaches.

Retention Strategy

Retention is defined by Mahmoud, Hinson, and Adika (2018) as the ability to get an acquired customer to buy a product again. For example, when a customer renews their insurance package every year with the same agency for five years. To increase customer loyalty among existing low budget young customers, Raiz will need to employ excellent customer service on its platforms, offer bundled discounts and surprise gifts, and have a personal relationship strategy. Other strategies proposed by Gomber et al. (2018) include fast support, personalized interactions, meeting customers where they are, incentivizing loyalty. And gathering feedback on a regular basis. The idea is to boost loyalty through creating buyer relationships.

Raiz will also need a win-back strategies for lost customers. It will encompass a “we fixed the issue” campaign that addresses the reason why customers stopped buying a product or switched to a rival organization. There will also be incentives provided to win back customers. For example, discounted prices on previous bundled purchased over a period of time. Lastly, social media personalized campaigns will target interactions with consumers (Renjith, 2017). Recovery strategies in the case of product or service failure for the low budget young consumers will include free products for a trial basis, discounts, apologies, and coupon. For the unprofitable customers, no action will be taken, but instead products will be bundled up to ensure that they are either able to move up their spending curve or exit altogether.

Objectives

The objectives are focused on attaining the following objectives as well as key performance indicators (KPIs)

Enable Raiz to increase its market share by 25% in the target segment including the low budget young group

Reduce the churn rate by 4% for the first quarter of operations

Raise the customer loyalty rate by 10% by converting current passives to promoters

Time-Scheduled Roadmap

For cross-selling and retention strategies for the low budget young segment, the following time schedule is recommended for Raiz to apply.

Phase Activity Timeframe

Phase 1 Bundling products in an attractive package In the next 12 months

Review and update of bundled products every 2 months

Phase 2 Promoting products that other people bought

Recommending related items Continuously for the next 12 months

Phase 3 Offering discounts on bundled products For the next 12 months

Weekly reviews

Phase 4 Promoting products that are essential to another product’s performance For the next 12 months. Review every month based on uniquely bundled products and highest moving products

Phase 5 Excellent customer service

Fast support

Personalized interactions

Meeting customers where they are

Incentivizing loyalty Continuous for the next 12 months

Phase 6 Surprise gifts Every week

Key Performance Indicators

The metrics for the low budget young segment is as follows

Cross-Selling Metrics

KPI Composition Sources Frequency

Sales effort spent Amount of time spent on the right products by sales representatives Time logged on phone calls and customer engagement Weekly

Activities per opportunity New pipeline generated efficiency Amount of time used to make interactions leading to new business Weekly

Win rate New business generated out of each cross-sell strategy Conversion rates leading to business Monthly

Attach rate Accurate forecasting of cross-sell and net new more accurately Higher numbers per period Quarterly

Renewal rate Selling products with a long term value Amount of repeat business per period Annually

Retention Metrics

KPI Composition Sources Frequency

Customer retention rate Calculated through getting number of customers at end of time period minus the number of new customers acquired during time period (divided by number of customers at the beginning of a time period) New customer entries Monthly

Churn rate The percentage of lost customers over a given time period Customer accounts Monthly

Existing customer revenue growth ratio Revenue generated from customer success, retentions, and loyalty effort Higher numbers of monthly revenue from retention efforts Monthly

Net incremental revenue Changes in net revenue earned Higher numbers per period Quarterly

Repeat purchase rate Percentage of customers returning to make repeat purchases Amount of repeat business per period Monthly

References

Biswas, S. (2014). Relationship marketing: concepts, theories and cases. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd..Ghoshal, A., Mookerjee, V. S., & Sarkar, S. (2021). Recommendations and Cross-selling: Pricing Strategies when Personalizing Firms Cross-sell. Journal of Management Information Systems, 38(2), 430-456.

Gomber, P., Kauffman, R. J., Parker, C., & Weber, B. W. (2018). On the fintech revolution: Interpreting the forces of innovation, disruption, and transformation in financial services. Journal of management information systems, 35(1), 220-265.

Jayalath, J. A. R. C., & Premaratne, S. C. (2021). Analysis of Key Digital Technology Infrastructure and Cyber Security Consideration Factors for Fintech Companies. Analysis of Key Digital Technology Infrastructure and Cyber Security Consideration Factors for Fintech Companies, 84(1), 8-8.

Mahmoud, M. A., Hinson, R. E., & Adika, M. K. (2018). The effect of trust, commitment, and conflict handling on customer retention: the mediating role of customer satisfaction. Journal of Relationship Marketing, 17(4), 257-276.

Renjith, S. (2017). B2C E-Commerce customer churn management: Churn detection using support vector machine and personalized retention using hybrid recommendations. International Journal on Future Revolution in Computer Science & Communication Engineering, 3(11), 34-39.

1885950297180Movie in Sociology

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Introduction

Sociology is the scientific study of societal life, social change, the social basis, and costs of individual behavior as well as investigating the structure of groups, organizations, societies, and people’s interactions within these situations. All human behavior is considered social thus making the main issue of sociology to range from the close family relationship, organized crimes, religious cults, shared beliefs of a common culture, sports sociology, and to the work sociology. Sociology provides many distinguishing perspectives on the world, breeding new ideas and criticizing old thoughts by tackling the most current taxing issues thus making it a rapidly expanding field whose potential is increasingly tapped by those who design policies and build programs.

The subject matter of sociology is to make our lives better by knowing the different societies, improving our way of thinking towards different people in the society and understanding the social processes that have brought the society of humans from their origins to where the society stands currently. Sociology has greatly contributed to many life aspects such as understanding and planning of society, keeps us posted on contemporary issues, enriching human culture, bringing our interest to the essential worth and dignity of man, and providing solution to societal challenges (Giddens & Sutton 2010).

Sociological Imagination

This refers to the concept of willingness of thinking beyond the conventional perspective by moving away from thinking in terms of the individual problems, focusing rather on the social circumstances that produce social problems to the individuals. It involves looking at issues in holistic or multidimensional point of view by examining both personal and social forces when explaining any phenomenon. Sociological Imagination entail the ability of an individual to stop considering things from a narrow perspective, but to perceive general social forces, characteristics as well as their reactions , and to apply their findings to everyday life (Kornblum & Smith 2011).

Social Issues and Personal Problems

A social issue refers to outside forces affecting an individual’s perception and opinion yet the individual has no control on. Social issues may be either desirable or undesirable depending on different societies with unusual perceptions and opinions regarding social behaviors (Kornblum & Smith 2011). As a result, social issues purely vary with particular society in question being that there is no uniformity in the social manners in different societies. A social issue is therefore any issue intimidating the values upheld by a society, hence distressing all individuals who involved in the society such as violence, justice equality, and poverty (Giddens & Sutton 2010).

Personal problem refers to an issue bothering or concerning an individual at a personal level and the ultimate decision to resolve, or repair that certain problem lies in an individual’s hand, even though possibly persuaded by the community. Personal problem is an issue involving an individual and the resolution to that problem would only benefit the person affected. On the other hand, a personal problem has everything to do with self efficacy since an individual has absolutely complete control of the problem from the very start (Kornblum & Smith 2011).

Movie

Philadelphia is an American drama movie that was released in 1993 and amongst the first conventional Hollywood films to acknowledge HIV/AIDS, homosexuality and homophobia that was written by Ron Nyswaner, and directed by Jonathan Demme (Pristin, 1996). The movie features two chief artists, stars Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, who perform with immense decency, that give it substance and convincingly address the AIDS plague seriously. (Pristin, 1996). Philadelphia movie irrefutably incorporates both the social issue and personal problems themes in an undeniable and clear manner thus making it the basis of addressing these issues in this piece of writing.

Social Issue Presented in film

The issue of discrimination, which is a social issue in the society, is presented in the Philadelphia movie in a very depressing and emotional way that makes whoever watches the movie keenly understand it. Discrimination presented in the movie is that of intolerance against the HIV/AIDS infected individuals. Philadelphia drama film is a story of Andrew Becket (Tom Hanks) who is a senior associate in a law firm and is pitilessly fired by the law company after realizing that he was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. It was disgraceful that the firm, where he had worked for a long time and as a senior person, was doubtful about his ability to discharge the duties of the firm (Pristin, 1996).

The film further attributes a social challenge of biasness, versus a personal problem of homophobia by revealing Andrew Beckett’s (Tom Hanks) homosexual act, which, for a long time, he has been hiding from the people around him, to keep away from being intimidation or having his reputation damaged. Andrew Becket understands that homosexuality is an act that is not common to the society especially after he had his colleagues negatively joking about gays, though it is his preferred way of doing sex. Andrew Becket therefore found it uneasy to disclose his situation to his fellow workers who were openly opposed to gay.

Truth about the social problem

HIV/AIDS and sexual orientations are some of the social issues discriminated against in the place of work, social events and homes because of their unpopular nature in the society. Additionally, the HIV/AIDS infected individuals are mostly assumed incompetent in discharging their obligations yet they too live as any other normal persons and can do anything done by HIV/AIDS negative persons.

Functionalism theory specifies that everyone in the society is vital, notwithstanding their sexual orientation or health status, being that they all contribute to the society (Kornblum & Smith 2011). No persons should not be discriminated against in the society due to their health status or sexual orientation since sickness does not interfere with an individual’s ability to work and ability to help in the society. It is important to treat every individual equal and with equal respect that they deserve for the mutual benefit of the society. Finally, the issue of personal opinions and perceptions in a society influences greatly affects people in that particular society and Philadelphia film has clearly shown this.

References

Giddens, A., & Sutton, P. W. (2010). Sociology: Introductory Readings. Cambridge: Polity.

Holtzman, L. (2000). Media Messages: What Film, Television, And Popular Music Teach Us About Race, Class, Gender and Sexual Orientation. Armonk, NY [U.A.: Sharpe.

Kornblum, W., & Smith, C. D. (2011). Sociology In A Changing World. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Pristin, T. (1996). Philadelphia Screenplay Suit to Reach Court. New York Times, n.p. HYPERLINK “http://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/11/business/philadelphia-screenplay-suit-to-reach-court.html” http://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/11/business/philadelphia-screenplay-suit-to-reach-court.html.

Moral Growth of Children

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Introduction

Morals is a set of beliefs, values, or ideologies that administrate how a human being behaves in two ways: by administering good conduct which is value to the others, moral values can be instilled in children in certain ways with the help of teachers. Teachers spend most of the time with the children, and as a result, their behavior impacts a lot on the children. The teachers can enhance good morals, by reminding the children daily of the importance of good morals. Providing guidance for the children, when they deviate from the good morals is another way, of building good morals in the children. When the children have a disagreement, the teachers should assist in reconciling the children, and teaching them of the importance of forgiveness, in that helping develop the morals.

The teachers have a role to play, in helping the children know what good morals are, and instilling the morals in them. This can be done in various ways, when a child does what is morally wrong; the teachers should device a way of making the children know, that what they are doing is wrong. Children may do something that is morally wrong, but when told in a polite way they can rectify and never do it again, thus developing good morals in the children. Understanding the following phases can help the teachers in developing good morals in the children.

Egocentrism

Egocentrism is a phase where the children mostly keep to themselves, and are mainly occupied with themselves. In this stage the children are mostly restricted to their own moral understanding of what surrounds them, and how they relate to the world (Best 2000).

Heteronym

Heteronym is the phase where the children begin to adhere to the rules, the children in this phase are now aware of the importance of the rules that are related to good behavior. At this phase, the child tries to follow the good behaviors, as they are aware that good behavior is appreciated by being given presents. The children are also aware that bad behavior and other vices are not wanted and can result in one being punished. It is at this phase that children need to be taught most of the moral educations so as to help them in their later life (Best 2000).

.Transition

Transition is the phase where the children begin to understand, and appreciate the importance of rules, the impact it has on their daily lives. It is at this stage that the children know how the rules make things run smoothly, how to strictly follow the rules, and even how to break the rules both at home, and school (Best 2000).

Autonomy

Autonomy is the final phase of moral growth, in this phase the children are concerned of their behavior. In this stage the children have a tendency of changing their behavior according to the current and emerging policy of moral code. It is at this phase that the children have the ability to appreciate the moral code.

Factors that can affect children moral growth either negatively or positively can be social, mental, family, peer influence, the school, and at times the society. Depending on the above factors, the influence can either be positive, or negative.

Family

The family plays a vital role in the development of children moral behavior. When a child is born the first people to influence the child behavior are the family members, this can be the father, mother, older siblings, grand parents, or even the various uncles, and aunties. The people who can influence most the children behavior are the parents, What the parents approve will be taken as the right thing by the children, and what the children disapproves are considered as wrong by the children. In this regard the parents should be very careful of what they approve or disapprove. It is paramount for the parents to remember that the children will follow what the parents do. The children foundation on good morals lies squarely in the family (Louv 2005).

School

The school also plays a vital role in the development of children; the children are mostly influenced while in school, the relationship between the children and the teachers, classmates, and the other senior students can impact on the children negatively, or positively. At this stage the children tend to believe that what they see the senior students do to be the right thing. It is at this stage that the children disregard what they had been taught at home and embrace what thee other students do. Moral education at this stage is vital as it helps the children in their later life (Louv 2008).

.Peer group

Most children are always curious, and are always looking out for new things. In this phase children tend to copy what the other children are doing. Bad company means the children will pick some very bad habits; on the other hand good company will ensure the children will pick good behavior (Louv 2005).

Society and culture

The way the society behaves around the children can either influence the children negatively, or positively, depending on how the society behaves. If the society condones bad behavior then the children will take the habits, if the society encourages good behavior the children will be of good behavior (Louv 2008).

Age

The children’s age is also a vital factor in shaping the children’s behavior. As the child grows from being a child to an adolescent they become broadminded towards some issues which are not accepted as right. At this stage the children are not entirely obedient as before, the children becomes somewhat defiant, and rebellious. This changes later in life as they embrace once more the things they had rejected.

Sex

Sex plays a vital role in shaping the children morals development. Girls tend to posses a sense of guilt and are remorseful; boys in the other hand are aggressive and are not always as remorseful as the girls. This is one area that has to be handled with care (Shumaker & Heckel 2007).

Teacher’s role

Teachers play a vital role, in shaping the children’s moral behavior, as they spend most of the time with the children. Most children tend to admire their teachers and copy their teacher’s behavior. That means that if the teachers are of bad character, the children will follow the bad characters. The teachers can also monitor the children’s behavior in school (Shumaker & Heckel 2007).

Conclusion

A child’s morals can be shaped or destroyed by various aspects from, the family, school, society, peer group, and age. The most vital institution in developing a child’s moral behavior is the family and more so the parents, that means the parents should encourage good behavior among themselves so that the children will also embrace the good behavior. The school administration should also ensure the children are of the best behavior when in school. Guidance and Counseling should also be readily available to the children, which will help the children to get advice on various issues anytime.

Reference

Shumaker, D. M., & Heckel, R. V. (2007). Kids of character: a guide to promoting moral development. New York: Praeger Publishers

Louv, R. 2008). Last child in the woods: saving our children from nature-deficit disorder (Updated and expanded. ed.). Chapel Hill, N.C.: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.

Best, R. (2000). Education for spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. London: Continuum

Louv, R. (2005). Last child in the woods: saving our children from nature-deficit disorder. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.

Student’s Name

Professor’s Name

Subject

Date

Moral Heroic Responsibility

Heroism is a product of courage coupled with altruism and sacrifice to leave a legacy behind that goes well beyond the normal scope of the rational human being. As a result, they leave behind a memory that leaves for many years after they die. Examples of heroes are Hercules who was a vicious killer feared by many, Asclepius who was the first doctor and Dionysus, the inventor of the fraternities of the Greek empire. To be remembered for a good deed or great achievement is a wish that most people have before they die. Morally, it is always good to be remembered in the hearts of many for a good deed. Every single human being on this earth has a moral responsibility to be a hero to someone or something.

At this age and time, it is virtually impossible to separate heroism from morality. They are bound together by an invisible thread that can only be seen by poring through the originality of the situational context. Testing the actions of people who act morally reveals an inner drive that is unparalleled which eventually breeds heroism. It happens inadvertently such that it coincides with heroism. It is, therefore, the responsibility of every human being to leave morally and leave behind a legacy in which they are a hero at something. Human beings need heroes since they help define the limits of their aspirations. Heroes are role models who possess the qualities that people look for in them. A good example is a person who regards Martin Luther King as their hero. They will have a different sense of heroism to a person who regards Osama Bin Laden as their hero. Morally speaking the two people had different legacies. They are both remembered for their actions to humanity. However, Osama Bin Laden quite contrasts the ideals of heroism by acting immorally to people who don’t subscribe to his ideas. Therefore basing the argument on morally leaving a legacy is quite shallow and misleading (Owens, Christabel, and Helen).

There is a hero inside every human being, and this makes them special and unique in their special way. The world would be a better place if every person strived to morally be a hero at something. It is, therefore, the moral responsibility of each person to act morally in the world. Acting morally quite contrast the ideals that most people hold about the definition of heroism. Heroism is doing something where you are taking great risks to help another person without really expecting something in return. However, the fact that there is a hero deep within a person should not make them feel superior unless their deeds are dedicated to leaving the world a better place. Naturally, human beings tend towards evil. They are wired towards watching something from a distance. This notion is often referred to as the bystander effect (Barber).

Many people perceive life differently depending on their experiences. Each person is a product of their experience. For instance, research was conducted by Ervin Staub on the motivators of heroism. His study had very significant findings. Most notably is the fact that those people who had gone through periods of suffering like assaults and violent assaults and natural disasters were wired towards acting heroically in the face of uncertainty. It is all about knowing the toughness of circumstances. People who have faced suffering and gotten help from well-wishers have a moral obligation to help others in the face of adversity. There is another category of people who have not had any bouts of suffering that is of great significance that they have to find a reason to act when they get in a situation where instances of heroism are bound to prevail. Therefore it’s not a moral responsibility to feel obligated to act in a way that the society expects unless one has a good reason backed up by a good background to do it (Staub).

The problem with most people is their devotion to heroism. Most people have devoted their attention to the wrong heroes. It is therefore essential that people leave behind a legacy that is admired by many in a positive sense. Leaving behind a morally acceptable idea of heroism that is widely acceptable by many should be the obligation of many. The main problem with the current society is that it is pervasive and skeptical about the whole idea of heroism. The corrosive culture tends to corrode all the positive aspects of heroism leave behind a facet that is not admired by many but a selected few. Most of the ideals have been betrayed by the leaders and heroes we look up to. Human beings should strive to leave behind the best version of them for the world to see and admire. It is all about expanding the sense of possibility and poring to other horizons. Ideals of heroism should not be too cramped such that they promote the immoral.

Due to the complexity of the immorality of some actions, people have often found a reason to defend an offensive or immoral thing however much it contrasts the expectations of many. Open minded people find it hard to take a side of the argument that supports morality despite them knowing well the magnitude of the immorality deep within their hearts. However to a rational human being heroism should be all about passion. Heroes experience the passion and in one way or another make it known to the outside world. Defining heroism to the standards of morality should well align to the expectations of the world from a humanistic point of view. If the passion of a person is immoral, they may find it hard to leave in the real world. It is important to be realistic in the current world. Their dreams need to be blended with the wishes of the people. As such, it should be a moral responsibility for people to be heroes to those who look up to them. The presence of other people may also derail the passions of people who would wish to be heroes to other people at something. Heroism should well be grounded on recognizing fully ones individuality in the face of opposition and morality.

Works Cited

Barber, Benjamin. Aristocracy of everyone. Ballantine Books, 2012.Owens, Christabel, and Helen Lambert. “Mad, bad or heroic? Gender, identity and accountability in lay portrayals of suicide in late twentieth-century England.” Culture, medicine, and psychiatry 36.2 (2012): 348-371.

Staub, Ervin. The roots of goodness and resistance to evil: Inclusive caring, moral courage, altruism born of suffering, active bystandership, and heroism. Oxford University Press, 2015.

Motorola and Verizon

Name

Institution

Motorola and Verizon

Vendors and retailers form alliance in order to benefits from each others superior quality services and products. When forming such an alliance, the partnering farm normally seek to make a powerful combination of superior qualities form both partners and create an unbeatable product that can withstand completion from other firms. The relationship between Verizon wireless and Motorola is a good example of this kind of alliance. Verizon is and multination telecommunication and broadband company while Motorola is also a global telecommunication brand which provides leading edge telecommunication technology solutions to clients worldwide-ranging from individuals, businesses to governments. In 2011, these two telecommunication giants teamed up to provide customers with unique telecommunication services (Pankaj, 2011). This was not the first time the giant teamed. As a retailer Verizon is doing a perfect job for Motorola.

First Verizon has a large commercial network that is of great benefit to Motorola. Verizon as carrier as access to large market which translate to million of consumers to whom the vendor sell its services (Solution Brief, n.d.). The partnership with Motorola means the Motorola technology (mobile devices) devices are easily distributed alongside Verizon’s services. To make this advantage real, Motorola has use it leading edge technology to develop phones designed to securely work on Verizon’s 2G, 3G and 4G networks safely (Jackson, 2011). The technology is unique, the best in the market, and Verizon can proudly sell the technoloy. This distribution is further supported by Verizon’s transportation ability. According to Walsh (2012) Verizon brought in to the alliance its market-leading nationwide transport muscle.

In addition to the distribution, the Motorola technology gets publicity through being marketed alongside the Verizon carrier services. For instance, devices designed by Motorola to ensure public safety integrity on Verizon’s 4G LTE network will be market to customers on the network. This way the vendor Verizon makes the customers aware of the Motorola technology. This is an effective publicity and marketing strategy since the probability of thousand of customers who are interested in their safety to buy the devices or technology is high.

Retailers are known to blend goods and increase the value. Certainly, Verizon will be able to boot the value of Motorola devices since, in addition to a market-leading nationwide transport muscle; Verizon brings into the alliance its applications development community. Verizon has a great community of application developers who develop application for mobile devices (Walsh, 2012). The provision of this application will enhance the utility that customers derive from using from using Motorola phones and communications devices. Being in an alliance Motorola can develop communication devices that have the ability to use popular applications. This is an enhancement that can make Verizon customer also become Motorola customer. The value addition service, therefore, expands that market for Motorola devices.

In conclusion, Verizon as a retailer provides several services to Motorola. Theses include publicity or advertising by providing Motorola devices alongside its services such as 3G, and 4G services. Once customers are made to understand the superior nature public safety provided by public safety the will buy the technology. With its large network across America, Verizon can effectively distribute Motorola devices. Finally, Verizon provide value additional services to Motorola products through provide application that can be used alongside the Motorola devices. Verizon equally benefits from the partnership especially the superior technology that Motorola has to offer. According to Walsh (2012) Motorola bring to the alliance “enterprise class” devices. Motorola is in control of the telecommunication industry’s leading public communication safety for the next generation (Basking & Schaumburg, 2011). It upholds standards base on LTE, safety control and public LTE network delivery. The safety capabilities are simply unbeatable.

References

Basking, N.J. &Schaumburg, Ill. (2011). Motorola Solutions and Verizon Wireless Enter Alliance to Bring LTE Advantages to Public Safety Customers Across the United States. Retrieved from http://mediacenter.motorolasolutions.com/Content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=13725&NewsAreaID=2&ClientID=1

Jackson, D. (2011). Motorola, Verizon establish public safety LTE alliance. Retrieved from http://urgentcomm.com/networks_and_systems/news/motorola-verizon-lte-alliance-20110223/

Pankaj (2011). Motorola Solutions and Verizon wireless from LTE Alliance for public safety. Retrieved from http://lteworld.org/news/motorola-solutions-and-verizon-wireless-form-lte-alliance-public-safety.

Solution Brief. (n.d.). Motorola Solutions and Verizon Wireless alliance deliver industry leading public LTE safety solutions. Retrieved from http://www.motorola.com/web/Business/Solutions/Business%20Solutions/Mission%20Critical%20Communications/LTE_for_Government_and_Public_Safety/_Documents/_Static_files/Motorola_Verizon_Alliance.pdf

Walsh, L. (2012).Verizon, Motorola Team on Mobile Entertainment. Retrieved from channelnomics.com/2012//02/24/Verizon-motorola-team-mobile-enablement/

(Name)

(Instructors’ name)

(Course)

(Date)

Case Study / Chapter Questions

Chapter 2

What is our major problem?

The main problem the company is experiencing has to do with the main executives agreeing on some strategies of taking the firm forward. Many of the executives agree on where the firm should be heading in both long- term and intermediate term, but there are little common grounds in how this can be achieved. Generally, the executives do not agree with each other.

Identify some symptoms of the problem.

There are several symptoms of this challenge. Firstly, the president of the company is losing control. Secondly, the frequency of conflicts occurring seems to be on the rise. Thirdly, some individuals are usually selected for any created new projects. Project managers think that only their ideas are the best, and lastly, more and more projects are missing their deadlines and surpassing the allocated budgets.

What is the major cause of the problem?

The central source of this difficulty is that all executives are working to benefit themselves and not the firm.

Provide a detailed action plan that attacks the problem. Be specific and provide examples that relate to HGC.

To solve this issue, more focus should be put to ensuring that everyone agrees to how different kinds of strategies are to be implemented, given the available resources to the firm. The plan should focus on putting all the executives to gear for the same results using specific strategies.

Chapter 3

What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of the functional, matrix and dedicated team approaches to managing projects?

The major advantages of using functional approaches include no change to the parent organization, there is maximum flexibility in- depth expertise can be used and normal paths of career are maintained within a functional division. Some disadvantages include lack of focus, poor integration and slowness. Some advantages of the dedicated approach include, it is simple, fast cohesive and it allows cross- functional integration. Disadvantages include, it is expensive, it results to internal strife, limited expertise in technology and it leads to difficult transitions post- project. Advantages of the matrix approach include, it is efficient, it allows for a strong focus on projects, for easier transitions post- project and it is flexible. Disadvantages include, it brings about dysfunctional conflict, infighting, stress and it is slow.

What distinguishes a weak matrix from a strong matrix?

The two are different in that in a strong matrix the manager controls most aspects of the firm’s project while in a weak matrix the manager usually acts as an assistant who draws the checklists and schedules, and collects information about work status and facilitates the completion of the project.

Under what conditions would it be advisable to use a strong matrix instead of a dedicated project team?

In cases where the department of a functional manager serves as a subcontractor in the firm’s project, in which case the department has more control over the specialized activities and work.

How can project management offices (Pos) support effective project management?

Project managers should have the ability to operate in a number of diverse organizational cultures. As it follows, they can support effective management of projects by interacting with their parent organization’s culture, with the clients of the project organizations and with a host of several other organizations involved.

Why is it important to assess the culture of an organization before deciding what project management structure should be used to complete a project?

Because different organizations have, different cultures and different approaches apply to certain cultures only. Not all approaches can work for any culture.

Other than culture, what other organizational factors should be used to determine which project management structure should be used?

The formal structure of a firm and how it chooses to manage and organize projects.

What do you believe is more important for successfully completing a project- the formal project management structure or the culture of the parent organization?

The formal project management structure because it deals more directly with the project and, therefore, affects the project more.

Activity: My Keywords

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Course Name and Code

Professor’s Name

Date

Topic: Poor performance and female students

Variation of identity- Poor performance by students

Specific identity- Females students

Synonyms

Poor performance- Underperformance, substandard performance, disappointing performance, or mediocre performance.

Female students- Female pupils, girl students, female learners, girl learners, students of the female sex, women learners, school girls, women students

Subtopics where I can mine for some keyword

Poor performance of girls in mathematics

School-based factors that affect girl’s performance

Factors affecting female student performance

Factors influencing academic performance of girls

Boolean keyword search

(“underperformance* OR “poor performance*) AND (“female students” OR girls OR Female pupils OR girl students OR female learners) NOT boys

After trying the Boolean keyword search on google

At first, the results were not helpful, and therefore had to refine them. At first, when I included all the synonyms, their results were generally on poor performance based on gender differences and therefore not specific to the female students; performance. Consequently, I had to use a few synonyms to get a helpful search result.