How Much Influence Does the President Have over the Legislative Process?

How much influence does the President have over the legislative process? (15) Many powers that the President has, Congress will be able to check due to the checks and balances imposed by the Founding Fathers. The fact that the Government has separation of powers, it is hard to gain the agreement between the legislative branch and the executive branch which the President needs. One could argue that the president does have influence over the legislative process to an extent, but it is significantly restrained by the checks and balances put in place which the Founding Fathers imposed. A key part of the legislative process is having a bill proposed. Whilst the President does have the power to do this, we must question how much influence he has over this. Congress has the power to amend, delay and even block the bills. The power to set the legislative agenda does not mean that the process will go according to plan. Even flagship legislation can fail, such as Congress defeating President Clinton’s flagship legislation which was intended to reform the health care system in 1994. Congress can also delay a bill through filibustering, which is where any senator/senators can talk for as long as they can on a bill (essentially talk a bill to death) unless 60 of 100 Senators vote to bring the debate to a close. A President may choose to veto a bill, which would exercise the Presidents influence. However, Congress could choose to override it, which then questions how much influence the President then has over the legislative process The president has some choices as to what to do with the bill before it is passed. The President could simply just sign it into law, which is what could happen if he wanted to take some credit for the bill and agree on it all. However, he could just leave the bill on his desk, which shows he would have very little influence on the process, and could indicate that he may know a veto would be overridden. Overall, the President does have some influence over the legislative process, however if he were to veto legislation, he could face criticism in the media and this could affect his popularity and therefore to an extent, the President has some influence over the legislative process.

Occupied America Essay

The logic of â€Å"Not just pyramids, Explorers, and Heroes.† The main purpose of this chapter is to explain the evolution of the Mesoamerica civilizations through the Preclassical and Postclassical periods, explain the evolution and impact that agriculture had during the first stages of the civilization and how that fact was the main factor of the change from nomads to sedentary and also to describe the changes in the development of the classes and differences of gender and the creation of the â€Å"cities† and urban centers. Everything explained chronologically to a better understand of the topic, evaluating every aspect of the culture, as the author says â€Å"Time represents the knowledge a people have accumulate.† (2) What the author was question I think in this chapter was the main characteristics of the most important or more highlighted cultures in Mesoamerica, talking also briefly about the similarities whit other civilizations around the world but putting more attention that what the â€Å"evolution† or progress of people in Mesoamerica means because he talks from the Olmecas to the Aztecs and some other cultures that were an important part of the history of those civilizations and the generation of a new urban population as stated â€Å"Food surpluses made possible â€Å"specialization of labor† and the development of complex social institutions such as organized religion and education.† (2) I do believe that the most important information that we have to remember are not necessarily the exact time or the exact characteristics of each civilization but which one was first and which one appeared later chronologically, by an example knowing that the Olmeca’s are known as the mother culture because it is known as the oldest culture of all, and then the Mayas appeared with some similarities in their hieroglyphics and some traditions, or as how the religion and beliefs about Quetzalcoatl of the mother culture was expanded towards some other civilizations of Mesoamerica, and not stopping here but also remembering the importance of each of one and also their differences. Getting to understand their progress through the time, and how this civilizations developed a new urban system by creating centers and actual cities formed not only by pyramids but also homes and schools, how is that their progress created a society that advanced. And also the changes every culture ha d by how the hierarchies worked and how some people were more powerful than others by the â€Å"primogenitor† right.

Rights of Third Parties Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Rights of Third Parties - Case Study Example Contract is an agreement or set of promise between two or more persons which is binding and therefore legally enforceable. It covers transactions like buying and selling, employment of staff, partnership agreement and so on. It can also be described as: "an agreement which is legally binding on the parties to it and which broken may be enforced by action in court against the defaulting party. Existence of contract - Damages sought by claimants on the basis of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty in respect to diverted insurance premiums - Negotiations between the parties taking place after proceedings issued - Letter sent by claimant asking whether defendant accepted responsibility for the fraud - Letter signed and returned by defendant but with caveat - Whether binding agreement concluded between parties. Willis Management (Isle of Man) Ltd v Cable and Wireless plc [2005] 2 Ll L R 597 (CA/UK) A trust is an equitable obligation, binding a person (who is called a trustee) to deal with property over which he has control (which is called the trust property) either for the benefit of persons (who are called beneficiaries or cestuis que trust) of whom he may himself be one, and any one of whom may enforce the obligation, or for a charitable purpose, which may be enforced at the instance of the Attorney-General, or for some other purpose permitted by law though unenforceable. Pettit Equity and The Law of Trusts 8th ed. (1997) p 24. CONSTITUTION OF TRUSTS Constituting the Trust - act of vesting the trust property in the hands of the trustee. If inter vivos transferor will vest the property concurrent with declaration of trust, If testamentary property will vest upon testator's death in executors/administrators, - Rule - if trust not constituted, it is invalid- Problems: A declares trust in favour of B on Day 1, but doesn't transfer $$ to trustee until Day 5. - Rule - until the trustee receives the property, trust incompletely constituted invalid - Curative: On day 5, trust valid & operative b/c trustee has property - Settlor can be compelled to transfer property they promised to place in trust - where S received valuable consideration for promise to create trust RIGHT OF THE THIRD PARTY The Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act, which was given Royal Assent on 11th November 1999, radically changes a fundamental principle of English law, namely that only those who are parties to a contract can enforce rights under that contract - the 'privity of contract' rule. The Act applies to virtually all contracts. Therefore the construction industry must consider its impact on all its contracts - building contracts, subcontracts, consultants' appointments, collateral warranties, insurance policies, bonds, adjudication agreements etc. Right of third party to enforce contractual term: The third party must be expressly identified in the contract by name, as a member of a class or as answering a particular description but need not be in existence when the contract is entered into. This section does not confer a right on a third party to enforce a term of a contract otherwise than subject to and in accordance with any other

Marketing service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing service - Essay Example Attempts need to be made by the companies to bridge the gap. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Introduction 4 Service Encounter 1 5 Service Encounter 2 7 Service Encounter 3 9 Service Encounter 4 11 Service Encounter 5 13 Conclusion 15 References 16 Appendices 18 Introduction Services are the economic activities rendered by one party to another party. The heart of service is considered to be the encounter taking place between the server as well as the customer. It is during this phase when the emotions tend to come into contact with the economics in real time and hence people evaluate the quality of service (Chase & Dasu, 2012). The chief objective of the report is to evaluate the service encounters from one’s perspective as a customer and hence to analyze the recorded situations by making use of the relevant theories and concepts. Service Encounter 1 While having a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) internet connection with Dodo Company in the year 2012 with a contract of two years, I found that the company disconnected my internet within a month of the contract. I tried to fix the problem with the company and despite several attempts made by the company to resolve the issues faced by me, it was not capable of coming out with a feasible solution. Hence, I experienced a negative service encounter with the company. ... It can be mentioned that the disconfirmation of expectations paradigm has been considered as most accepted model that can be successfully applied for examining the issues related to consumer satisfaction/ dissatisfaction (Fisk & Young, 1985). Customer experiences with the product causing negative emotions can lead to substantial damages to the companies in relation to their reputation as well as their association to their customers. When a customer experiences a negative service encounter, the result of such experience is generally anger or frustration which has been the case with me in relation to Dodo Company. Although the company realized the problems that I have been facing with the services and tried to fix it up however, it had not been meeting up to the expectations (McGrawHill, 2012). One of the underlying facts related to services is that satisfaction tends to have an impact on usage continuance intentions. A customer is most likely to continue using a product only if he/she is satisfied with the product or service. It can be observed that since the service rendered by the company was not up to my expectation, I planned to discontinue using the services of the company. Hence, such circumstances reveal the fact that the companies must make all the attempts to satisfy the customers so that they do not stop consuming the services. Discontinuation might lead to several damages to the company in the form of decline in revenues and retardation of the brand image as well. Dodo needs to ensure that they do not breach the contract that they make with the customers and try to fix all the problems within the stipulated time (Miao, 2008). Service Encounter 2 While visiting McDonald’s, I ordered for a coffee and banana bread

My Religion Lab Assignment 4, Thirteen Principles of Faith

My Religion Lab 4, Thirteen Principles of Faith - Assignment Example The second principle listed above pertains to the unchanging nature of the Torah. The ninth principle states that the Torah will always remain unchanged. The Jewish view the Torah as the law given to them by God through his prophet Moses. The Torah should not be altered in its state as it is a divine law ordained by God. No human being has any authority over adding, subtracting or altering the Torah from its original state. Jewish faith also believes that God will not change the law by giving them another Torah. One of the strongest principles of Jewish faith establish the place of Moses as a prophet of God. The principle asserts that Moses is God’s prophet. Moreover, Jewish faith practitioners view Moses as the greatest of God’s prophet to have ever existed in the history of their faith. The supremacy of Moses is established by his role in leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt through God’s divine guidance. Furthermore, God gave the Torah to Moses who then passed it to the people. The Torah became God’s law and Moses God’s greatest practices. These principles affirm the fundamentals of Jewish

Ethical presentation PowerPoint Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Ethical - PowerPoint Presentation Example where Starbucks promotes equal opportunity in its hiring practices, makes recruiting decisions based solely on job-related criteria and does not use forced labor. To quote Starbucks; b. Ethical Sourcing – Starbucks takes a holistic approach to ethically sourcing the highest quality coffee. Their purchasing decisions includes supporting farmer loans and forest conservation programs to areas where they buy their coffee. Through this ethical purchasing practice, Starbucks is able to help foster a betterfuture for farmers and help create a more stable climate forthe planet. In the business aspect, this ethical practice also helps to provide the company a long†term supply ofthe high†quality beans it has been offering to its customers. c. EnvironmentalStewardship – Starbucks share their customers commitment to the environment. One of its core values is the belief in the importance of caringfor our planet and encouraging others to do the same. It envisions that by 2015, all of its cups will be made up of reusable or recyclable materials. It also endeavors to significantly reduce its environmental footprint through energy and water conservation efforts, recycling and green construction. d. Community Involvement – Starbucks endeavors to be a socially responsible member of its community wherever it may conduct business. Fromthe neighborhoods where its stores are located to the ones where its coffee is grown –Starbucks believe in fostering thriving communities. Bringing people together, inspiring change andmakinga difference in people’s lives – it’s allpart of being a good neighbor. Also, it aims to contribute one million hours each year to the communities in 2015 (Starbucks). Starbucks implement a zero tolerance compliance to its ethical standards. Any suppliers who fail to adhere to Starbucks their ethical practices are discontinued from doing business with the company. During an audit of its suppliers in 2011, the assessment found that 38

Marine Smith Electronics and Boat Repair Case Study

Marine Smith Electronics and Boat Repair - Case Study Example Customer loyalty and commitment is important for us. Marine Smith has a lot of competition however it is ready to compete ahead and differentiate itself by offering hassle free but a full stocked repair. The customers will be provided with guaranteed boat repair in least possible time. We will have a customer oriented focus on the business; our employees are trained and are held responsible for providing superior services, developing a long lasting trust bond with the customer. This is important because in electronic and boat repair business trust and honest counts more then image of repair facilities. We will focus on both upper and lower class but few of our item prices will be more as depending upon its standard and quality. Marine Smith electronics and boat repair will stand against the barriers and remove them as time passes and the company grows, we expect the business to prosper in the next 3 years. MarineSmith Electronics and Boat Repair will provide electronics and boat repair services to all of Orange County. MISSION STATEMENT Our goal is to successfully penetrate the Orange County market and secure a loyal customer base that recognizes MarineSmith as the leader in Electronics and Boat Repair. ... Our objective is to have at least 95% customer satisfaction in the areas of honesty, reliability, and quality workmanship. Business philosophy is that for the first time we will provide quality workmanship. PRODUCT MARKET AND INDUSTRY Based on our plan we have decided to increase our net profits likewise. The total registered boats in Orange country are 4684 and there usage is divided as in chart Most of the boats are used in recreational activities and so our main focus will be on this area. Our services would be marketed towards boat owners, and being famous for tourism with around 45 million international and domestic tourist (Anaheim Orange country), it has a bright market and loyal customers in the country. COMPANY SUMMARY Marine smith electronics and boat repair is a new company and is a limited liability corporation. The economic growth of the last several years has resulted in increased disposable income. Many people have chosen to spend part of their increased income on their recreational activities. As a result, the need for reliable and convenient repair services has substantially risen as well. Marine Smith will position itself to capitalize on the growing need of the middle and upper class market for quality services in the Orange country. The company will be owned by Mr. Slaurie Smith. The initial startup cost would be as follows,

Brands Deal With Fluctuating Markets at Las Vegas Trade Shows Article

Brands Deal With Fluctuating Markets at Las Vegas Trade Shows - Article Example One of the things that stand out from the article that is an indication that it will affect the overall fashion trend or the consumers behaviors is unemployment.2 According to the article, the unemployment rate dropped to 5.7% from 6.6%.3 It shows a strong indication that more people will have the money to spend on the apparel. As more people are employed and earn some cash, their spending also increases which is good for any business. The businesses will no longer rely on the entrepreneurs to buy the products as it will have an expanded consumer base including those who were not employed. In conclusion, consumer’s purchasing power is critical for business because it make them trap their spending. Increasing trend of employment among the consumers is a good predictor that sells of apparel will increase because many consumers have money to spend. Employment will also influence the consumer behaviors because they will be buying as per the

Antitrust Case Study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Antitrust Case Study - Research Paper Example The agreement was signed on 17th February 1983 by the chairmen of Toyota and GM, and triggered one of the biggest and most controversial antitrust investigations in recent history. The vital question was whether it was plausible that the joint venture would actually lead to an increase in domestic small cars that were manufactured more efficiently, with good insights that GM and other firms could use in their plants, or whether it could lead to the regulation of pricing and other conduct between GM and Toyota and merely supplant less-anticompetitive options that GM could have employed in order to realize its objectives. The examination of these question shed light on a number of issues: the changes in behavior that could crop up from the joint venture, the scale of the efficiencies resulting from the venture, economic impacts of the joint venture, and the options available to GM. Some new tools were developed in order to evaluate and examine the joint venture, but they did not result in an agreement with regard to its consequences. Key words Antitrust, GM, Toyota, joint venture, small cars Analysis Most proposed joint ventures, acquisitions, and mergers above a particular size require that, under the stipulations of the Hart-Scott-Rodino premerger notification act of 1976, the Department of Justice and the FTC (Federal transition Commission) be notified. This process provides both agencies with time to investigate a proposed arrangement before it is consummated. In this case, the FTC was mandated to carry out the investigation. In April 1983, Toyota and GM filed initial information and responded to calls for additional information during the summer (White, 1991). The investigation was referred to as one of the most intensive and extensive antitrust examinations ever conducted. The final judgment was delivered by five FTC commissioners, and was founded on different memoranda from a consulting economist, the Bureau of Competition (the legal personnel), and the Bu reau of Economics. The two bureaus recommended that the joint venture be approved, but the consultant’s report recommended that it should be contested. In December 1983, and based on these analyses, the FTC commissioners voted 3-2 provisionally to allow the joint venture to be effected, subject to a few minor revisions. Final approval was confirmed by the same margin (3-2) in April of 1984. The fact that there were no court proceedings means that Toyota and GM did not formally account for their positions. In addition to this, there was no direct merging of the issues between the critics and proponents of the joint venture, and not even a public disclosure of evidential paperwork (Cole & Andrea, 1987). The only thing that existed was a set of documents amounting to 1364 pages that the FTC released in January of 1984. Cooperative Behavior and Market Definition This is the first issue in the analysis of the joint venture, and involves the possibility of cooperative behavior in t he appropriate market. This called for a determination of the geographic market and appropriate product and then an evaluation of the likelihood that the companies in that market might cooperate in a way that would hurt market efficiency and consumers. Clearly, if the

Comstat Transforms American Policing Research Paper

Comstat Transforms American Policing - Research Paper Example Quoting Director Jeff Godown again, Compstat is a â€Å"philosophy of crime control. It is less about procuring state-of-the-art equipment than about adopting a state of mind that police really do count in reducing crime.† The fact that no specialized equipment or computer software is a prerequisite for implementing the Compstat program makes it easier for different police departments across different cities to make use of it; as Godown said, it is basically just a â€Å"philosophy† that needs to be followed. Venturing further into his address on the â€Å"Compstat Process: Four Principles for Managing Crime Reduction,† it is learnt that many members of the law enforcement sector have had â€Å"the opportunity to attend training sessions and/or workshops on the principles, practices, policies, and procedures,† of Compstat, and that â€Å"the CompStat process is not a single state-of-the-art computer equipped with a special software program†; therefo re, not only is the Compstat model adept at tackling the issue of crime, it is flexible, adaptable, and can be used by any police force in any part of the country. According to HabibOzdemir in his article on â€Å"Compstat: Strategic Police Management for Effective Crime Deterrence in New York City,† the best quality of the Compstat model is the importance given to accountability.For Samuel Walker, he has expressed in his paper that â€Å"accountability is an element of American policing,† and â€Å"lawfulness and legitimacy, in turn, are essential if the police are to achieve their goals.† of reducing crime and disorder.† Returning to Ozdemir’s paper, â€Å"Compstat makes operational commanders accountable for being aware of their decisions and empirical results of

Ten Commandments for CEOs Seeking Organizational Change Essay Example for Free

Ten Commandments for CEOs Seeking Organizational Change Essay In our ever-changing, fast-paced world, competitive relationships Can shift quickly when companies respond too slowly to increased competition in their industry group. Succeeding in such a competitive and changing environment demands that CEOs reshape their organization to meet todays challenges and competitive realities. But responding to change remains highly elusive because there is a natural resistance to change at all levels within the organization, including at the top. CEOs and other members of the executive suite need to take a hard look at their existing organization and culture, ask tough questions about its appropriateness for the current competitive environment, and take concrete, implemental steps to forge a preferred culture and drive it downward throughout the entire organization. But therein lies the challenge, for few management teams both establish a comprehensive strategy for remaining competitive and take a hands-on approach to implement change internally. By not getting involved, they signal to employees that the change really isnt very important. A key premise of this article is that cultural change or any organizational transformation is essentially a top-down activity. It cannot be delegated. If the CEO perceives the need for change, makes it a top priority, and gives it a great deal of time and attention, the organization will change. By the same token, if the CEO offers only limited lip service, needed changes just wont happen. This article outlines how the CEO can be an enthusiastic sponsor of change by paying enough attention to implementation to make the transformation take place. Reynierse and Leyden (1992) provide a case study incorporating these steps. 1. Strategy-Driven The process I am advocating will be relatively ineffective without a strategic framework to provide competitive advantage. This process is not a substitute for such a strategy. Rather, the strategy is the starting point that establishes the context for all other steps. However, strategies will be relatively ineffective when management pays insufficient attention to their impact on the work forcefor ultimately it is the work force who will implement the strategy and make it succeed or fail. The point is that unless such a strategic plan is implemented and executed effectively, it will not be fully realized in the competitive marketplace. An overview of this process is depicted in Figure 1. A companys business strategies, plans, and goals are the starting pointnot the endof this exercise. They formalize the CEOs vision, setting the tone and establishing direction for the company in both the long and short terms. They provide a context for all other activities and decisions, establishing the limits for making many choices along the way. In addition, they determine the direction and boundaries for building the new organizational culture, including molding employee expectations. Resources are scarce in every organization, and management must accept the fact that it cant do everything. Strategic choices reflect judgments about where companies think they have marketplace competitive advantage so that plans implemented here enable them to grow faster and earn more than their competitors in these market segments. Similarly, the resources dedicated to building the organization are determined by this strategic focus. 2. Top-Down Involvement If something is important, a good rule of thumb is to have a top-down approach to getting it done. Ideally, then, the CEO must get involved. If the CEO attends to the organization, it will improve and gain competitive advantage. Conversely, if the CEO gives it scant time and attention, little organizational growth will occur. In short, the CEO who enthusiastically sponsors a broadly conceived program for building the company is more likely to succeed and reap the benefits down the road. A company-wide initiative needs an enthusiastic and supportive CEO who does not hesitate to play a continuing role during the change process. But where is the top? And who is the CEO? Building organizations is often better served by dealing with chunk-sized bites rather than the whole company. Particularly for large companies, it often makes better sense to deal with natural strategic business units (SBUs) rather than the entire company. At one level, there are often unique problems or opportunities in a unit or company division. At another level, it is most meaningful for those involved to deal with issues that directly concern them and their business unit. The approach I am advocating includes determining the firms core values and mission. It is unlikely that every SBU or company division will share the same core values or mission. Individual business units often have unique customers, competitors, product maturity, strategies, and objectives. These units need the autonomy to develop their own focus. For such cases the division executive is functionally the CEO for that unit and can provide the vision, enthusiasm, and driving force for success. Throughout, however, the CEO must remain interested and provide broad support for what is taking place. Even when the primary leadership role resides elsewhere, the CEO must be an advocate for change and reinforce actions taken at these lower levels. 3. Organizational Assessment Periodically it is valuable to take an objective snapshot of the broader organization. This not only provides information about the companys strengths and limitations but can also identify how those strengths and limitations measure up to the mission and the core values. Effective organizations have employees who share these values, and a carefully conceived organizational assessment will identify pockets of agreement and resistance. Several techniques, including surveys, interviews, and focus groups, are used for these organizational assessments. The organizational dynamics survey (Reynierse and Harker 1986) has been particularly effective, because it provides an objective measure of the underlying values that mold organizations. For example, the surveys broad customer orientation category taps a cultural value related to making customers a priority and satisfying their needs. Surveys are particularly important because they get every employee involved; everyone has the chance to be heard. Surveys also provide an opportunity for management to pay attention to employees concerns and to build their trust. This is achieved when management openly communicates with employees regarding key issues and responds to problems by taking timely, corrective action. At the same time, establishing trust is the first step in getting employees to buy in to managements broader vision. 4. Clarify Core Values Peters Waterman (1982) have one all-purpose bit of advice for management figure out your value system. Decide what your company stands for. Today many frequently echo this management theme. Identifying and clarifying core values are central to this approach as well. When they are integrated with a companys business strategies, core values help provide a focused mission. All too often, companies or their natural business units lack focus; their employees are confused about what the company stands for and what it is trying to achieve. However, when the focus and the mission are clear, they can drive the entire organization or SBU. Mission statements ideally should be brief, concise, and to the point. They should identify primary business activities, integrate key strategies, and reflect the firms core values. When we speak about core values we are dealing with many attractive virtuesMcLaughlin, McLaughlin Lischick (1992), for example, identified more than 100and it is tempting to include as many as possible. In my experience, however, an organization can give proper attention to only a fewsay, three to fiveclearly stated core values. Anything more will be too diffuse and will only confuse employees and dilute managements efforts. In other words, management has to make some hard choices, and established strategies provide the context for focus. There are no shortcuts; there is no generic mission statement. To build a focused organization, the management team has to participate in the process. We use a value clarification exercise when working with top and senior management. This exercise consists of 30 corporate values that are relevant (and credible) for business and industry. Each is defined and serves as an effective probe, placing key issues on the table for discussion. Some representative examples are shown in Figure 2. Because many are presented with a different thrust or emphasis, they can generate a provocative and lively discussion. This value-clarification process gains agreement for key priorities and direction, and fosters team-building through shared values and mission. Similarly, it lays the groundwork for resolving internal differences between functional groups that may have varied goals or priorities. Finally, it sets the stage for driving the process downward through the entire work force so other employees can buy in and share the focused mission as well. The risk in all this, says Peters (1992), is that management does such a good job that these values become fixed, even though they no longer are appropriate. The necessary caveat here is to return to strategy and competitive marketplace reality. Very simply, if the strategy is no longer appropriate and requires changes, the core values and focused mission probably need to be changed as well. They must therefore be revisited and modified as necessary to be congruent with any new strategies. A case can be made that because clarifying core values is so central to this approach, it should occur earlier in the process. There are benefits, however, of having it follow the organizational assessment step because this gives management another opportunity to respond to the input and reactions of the work force. Their perceptions of what the company really values are important and may indicate that changes are needed. 5. Work Force Involvement and Participation One of the advantages of the employee survey approach to assessing an organization is that all employees have the opportunity to participate and express their opinion. In other words, at an early stage in the process they have the chance to level with management, provide an employee perspective, and establish an agenda for later stages. While we begin the more intensive activities at the top with senior management, we involve lower-level employees, particularly lower levels of management, as quickly as possible. Although every situation will be different and will require different solutions, management should be vigilant for opportunities to involve new participants. A valuable tool is the use of focused task forces to address any priority issues that may have emerged from the organizational assessments or team-building sessions. This permits additional employee involvement at the problem-solving and solution-generating stages of the exercise. A fundamental assumption is that a focused organization requires a work force that shares this focus. The key to successful implementation, then, is the steps that are taken to drive the process downwardto downstreamso that all employees feel they are a part of this focused mission. Implementing managements vision demands paying attention to employees, managing their expectations, and responding to their concerns. Building the firm requires taking action steps that promote the core values and focused mission. I call these steps the culture carriers. It is through them that senior management can reinforce values consistently and frequently. Put another way, the culture carriers provide direction for marketing the core values and mission with all employees. The five culture carriers we have identified are summarized in Figure 3 and will be discussed separately. 6. Inspirational leadership Our studies of corporate culture indicate that there are two ways management stays in touch with what is going on in the company: 1. By visiting work areas and being visible to their employees. This is inspirational leadership at its best and is similar to the idea of Managing by Walking Around (MBWA), as developed by Peters Waterman (1982) and Peters and Austin (1985). 2. Through the balance sheet and financial focus. In general, however, many top executives emphasize financial performance and focus to the extent that they neglect their leadership roles. The broad process for organizational change outlined here provides structure for MBWA and for being a cheerleader. Although executives tend to underestimate their leadership effectiveness, they in fact exert considerable power by virtue of their leadership positions. As DePree (1989) observed, Leaders need to be concerned with the institutional value system. Each time they go out to a work area and talk to an employee or group of employees represents an opportunity to exercise influence and reinforce the companys mission and core values. This clearly communicates to employees what is important to the organization and what is expected of them. When the CEO or division head is leading the charge, everyone quickly picks up on it, and any ambiguity regarding what is taking place is quickly removed. The results are multiplied when this leadership role is being exercised by the entire management team. As an example, the management team of one of my client organizations made a contract with one another during a planning retreat to spend 15 minutes a day walking around, getting to know employees, and talking with them in each of their subordinate organizations. Though initially they were ambivalent and self-conscious about their task, it soon became an accepted and high-priority activity. They would confront each other daily by asking, Have you spent your 15 minutes walking around yet today? This, together with several other steps, quickly led to a turn-around in an otherwise demoralized work force. It was an important step for management to become informed, get on top of operations, get in touch with its people, and communicate direction. 7. Communication Put as simply as possible, employees cannot accept or implement top managements vision if they are unaware of it. Frequent formal and informal channels of communication are needed with all employees to introduce the focused mission and core values and reinforce them over a period of time. Executives must make liberal use of meetings, video presentations, posters, newspaper articles, brochures, and so on. If there is a rule of thumb, it is that you cant do too much in this area. Some of our clients have successfully used kick-off meetings in which they celebrated the focused mission and core values, gave every employee a wallet-sized card containing the mission statement, and provided other symbolic itemspins, coffee mugs, pencils, hatsthat focused on elements within the mission and its values. Primarily held to share information, the meetings were also used to rally employees and build enthusiasm for the new organization. The informal mixing that occurs at such kick-offs is also a va luable time for management to energize employees and talk with them further about the focus. 8. Financial Focus Well-ran companies have a strong financial focus that emphasizes both profitability and cost containment. It can play a significant resource allocation role that simultaneously provides increased funds and resources to programs that support the core values while denying (or at least sharply reducing) funds and resources to established programs that are less important to the mission. How capital is invested and what activities are expended carry important messages to employees. It is necessary to examine investment decisions in terms of a strategic standard that includes the companys core values and focused mission. Having done so, it may be necessary to withhold capital or budgetary expense dollars for those projects that fail to qualify under this standard. When capital investments and highly visible expenses are consistent with the values and mission of the company, they will provide support for and reinforce this focused mission among employees. But when inconsistency abounds, emp loyees will be confused and may withhold their support.

Religion and Morality

Religion and Morality 1- Religion and Morality. Actually, to know the relationship between religion and morality, we need to define each. First of all, morality has three principal definitions. At the first one, morality is the belief concerning what is moral and what is immoral that means also what is right and what is wrong. In this definition, the descriptive usage, morality is created from society, philosophy, religion and/or conscience. Also, we need to know that the immoral actions here cause clear harm. At the second definition, normative and universal sense, morality refers to an ideal code of belief and conduct which would be preferred by the sane moral person but under specified conditions (Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy, 2002) that means the preference of the person plays an important rule. If the action is preferred to be immoral, therefore, it is immoral and if the action is preferred to be moral, therefore, it is moral but of course under certain circumstances. For example, it is common in some societies that eating with your own hand and grabbing the food is not acceptable, so it is in their society immoral and that could mean that if people see you while eating like that, they will stop unless you really stop doing it any more. At the last definition, morality is equal somehow to ethics in which ethics is the study of morality philosophically and morality deals with values which are studied by ethics. For exam, if you dont steal, therefore, this is moral or ethical action (the same) or we can say you are morally or ethically right. On the other hand, the definition of religion can be a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs, and practice that give meaning to the practitioners experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity, or ultimate truth (Geertz, 1982). Also, we can mention that the definition of religion can differentiate from people to others. For example, the religion for Muslims can mean the best way to live the life, because Allah has sent all his massages which received by the prophets who make us understand what is going on? and what are we? and other things. But for others, religion cannot be that thing which can be related to everything in the life. Also, others could relate the religion to afterlife. Somehow religion control behavior, for example, it is not allowed to listen to songs which may influence someone too much with non useful feelings such as too much of love (negative love), therefore, the person may isolate somehow and his productivity for the society will be finished, but instead of that the religion will suggest the person to listen to songs that stimulate him to do something useful for the society. Many opinions were made and discussed through ancient time and modern time according to many religions and religious scholars about the strong relationship between religion and morality. Some of them said that the religion including Allahs books (the religious books such as Quran, Bible, etc), the Teachings of the prophets, and the classification and details of the scholars who came after prophets are the resources of morality, in other words, we can say that every action are directed by religion and if there are some actions which are new, we can do a Measurement between those in the religious books and the new ones. But the question is why? And the answer comes from Muslims who say that the humankind and life and even everything in the world were/are/are being made by Allah who knows what is suitable for human themselves. For instance, cheating is prohibited in Islam according to what prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said the one who cheated is not from us. This example is a di rect one. Another action like taking drugs, Muslims here depend on Measurement, therefore, the wrong and the right actions are studied carefully for a suitable time and under specific conditions before we can say it is moral and immoral. And after all, Muslims found that the drugs are as same as wine, which is prohibited and mentioned in Quran, because of its bad effects on humankind, so the drugs are prohibited and it is immoral to take it. (Well even though, sometimes some Muslims dont apply this values and standards). On the other hand, some philosophers said that the religion does not cover all things that are related to morality, in other words, morality here is not directed by religion, but the religion is a part of morality and we can say here that if you do something religiously or not, it is moral either way (Surely under conditions). So they believe that morality can act without religion. They believe that there are things that we can change and create, so we as humans will put the standards for these things, For example, the animals right. The animals right is the idea that the most basic interests of animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of humans (Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica, 2007). Accordingly, the animals should be treated like human, for instance, they may have right to get a passport, so they can pass the borders with a permission and also you can add to the animals right the rights for living, eating,. etc. 2- Conventional and Reflective Moral Standards. Conventional moral standards are those which we get them from society and they did not change, they may not change, and they may be right or wrong. In other words, conventional moral standards are set of moral things in a society which have been thought to every person in that society. Also, we can define it in another way which is a concept of proper behaviour that reflects the values of a particular social or political context, Distinguished from a moral understanding which is authoritative across space and time (Gumbertb, 2008). For example, in some societies the girl should stay virgin till she gets married, regardless the religion rules. So from the beginning, it is known that staying virgin for a girl is a must and that means if she breaks the rule, she will be punished (we are not going to discuss this issue because it is out of topic). After this we can assume that staying virgin is right to do, so it is moral, and steel or remove virginity knowing that the girl have done som ething wrong is wrong to do, so it is immoral. On the other hand, it is not that big case in other societies. So, we can say that the conventional moral standards can be a behavior. Another example is that in some regions people will not mention their moms names because they feel like it is not important and it may be sensitive although they will mention it if it necessary for the police man, for example. Accordingly, people start doing this thing especially when they face a situation or case. In 1985, Kohlberg who created the stages of moral development mentioned that conventional but in reasoning concept in which the self enters society by filling social roles. Individuals are receptive of approval or disapproval from other people as it reflects societys accordance with the perceived role. They try to be a good boy or good girl to live up to these expectations, having learned that there is inherent value in doing so. ( We are not going to discuss it because it has psychological reasons) is really exists and everyone in the society should apply it. For instance, people in GCC countries are so generous, so all next generation are also generous. So we can assume that the generous has developed to be a common behavior in that society and who does not admit it and do it will damage his/ her fame among people, therefore, it is moral to be generous, and it is immoral to be not generous (stingy). Also, we have to mention that we have like a common related world conventional moral standards. Actually, these standards appeared because of the ease of communication between two or more societies or groups of people in such a way the behavior or action that are traditionally being used in societies may transfer to others. For example, when I was searching in Google months ago, I discovered that Spanish people write ( gagagaga ) when they laughing instead of ( hahahahahaha or lol ) which are commonly used, and back then I discovered also that some guys are using it without knowing that. Actually, I was surprised because it is too fast (I mean how can?). So, the media are playing important role in delivering not only behavior but also almost everything. Reflective moral standards can be those in which the person does them because he knows that they may cause damage to another person, in other words, the person will not do things that hurt others because he thinks about others rights. For example, if the teacher of an high school class gives the all student the same marks like B+ the weak student will not complain, but the good student will definitely complain because he has been harmed and also it is not fear, therefore, the teacher should assure that it does not hurt good students, and he should stop doing such an action. So, we can say that if you are going to harm, stop acting, but if you are going to benefit, dont stop because harming is immoral and benefiting is moral. Another example is that a government will not allow oil companies to drop their fragment oil in the sea because it may hurt the fishing process in which fishermen fish fishes from water and in order to not harm the environment. Indeed, many killing cases were happed because of breaking the reflective moral standards, one case in which one high school boy killed another one. The police men were asking him but it was useless. Then they went to that high school to investigate. They discovered that all students who were friends to the killer said that he has been kicked after the school was finished since he entered the school by group of students. Then the investigators assume that the group of students which kicked him helped him to develop hate, and this hate was huge enough to let him kill one of them. After that the police men closed the case without imprison the killer, yet they gave him psychological appointments and tests in the hospital. Actually, Conventional and Reflective moral standards are related so much in such way they are useful for us to find the moral standards. Basically, we mean that the moral standards are gathered from what we can called it society standards plus the standards in which we do not harm anyone. Also, we can add that the somehow the conventional and reflective moral standards are not same. Conventional standards are discuss things that are inherited from the society and related to human behavior, but Reflective standards are related to the relationship between the person and either individual or group of people. Accordingly, we can do everything that is right, yet we do not stop others rights. 3- Professional ethics and Morality Morals and the expression, moral values are generally associated with a personal view of values. Personal morals tend to reflect beliefs relating to sex, drinking, gambling, etc. They can reflect the influence of religion, culture, family and friends (Lichtman, 1995). That means morality is carrying the rule in which we should follow. For example, when we say dont smoke, dont cheat, or dont harm people, we expect anyone to say that it is a rule that we should apply. Also, we can say that the rule like dont cheat because it is wrong for many reasons like..etc or drive slow because it is right for certain reasons, so many people know them as dos and donts or what is right to do and what is wrong to not do. For instance, when we go to a public place like mall, we should not smoke because it is wrong to do in such place. Also, the morality is influenced by a lot of things such as culture, religion, behaviour, traditions etc. So we can find that morality is giving us the rules in which we should apply. On the other hand, Professional ethics are slightly different from Morality. Professional ethics concerns the moral issues that arise because of the specialist knowledge that professionals attain, and how the use of this knowledge should be governed when providing a service to the public (Chadwick, 1998 ). That means how the moral issues, values, and standards are used and it gives the explanations about the cases under certain circumstances. In other words, the right action is right this what morality is carrying but the reasons, situations, and circumstances are discussed in a certain professions ethics. For example, what is right in business may not be right in teaching. Also we can add that the wrong action is decided in the same way. Therefore, we have ethics in each profession. So we can find that professions play an important rule to connect morality and professions. In fact, the morality has an integrative relationship with professional ethics and it is tough to distinguish between them even when we write their definitions. Actually, morality provide us with rules that comes from many resources and then professional ethics take these rules and change, explain, or edit them, accordingly, ethics have many types according to professions. For instance, in our university it is not allowed to cheat according to the AIP (Academic Integrity Policy) and knowing that cheating is prohibited as a moral standard; we can see how the moral standard is acting like professional ethics which is the teaching ethics here. So applying the ethics can lead us to achieve the moral standard in our university. Another example is that a new company want to make a rule list for its workers. They would look at the moral standards, and then they will create or fabricate the rules in such a way it will be suitable for workers, and also it will not harm anyone unless he/she harms the company. In other words, we can find that the company uses the moral values to create its own ethics which is the companys ethics. On the other hand, people use morality as well as ethics in which they have the same meaning or they are equal to each other. They use morality to decide which is good and bad and which is white and black, yet they use ethics to decide the same thing in the same way (commonly use). REFERENCES 1- Professional ethics (2004). The Wikipedia online encyclopaedia. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Professional_ethicsaction=history 2- Morality (2009). The Wikipedia online encyclopaedia. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moralityaction=history 3- Gumbertb (2008). What is Conventional Morality? Answer.com (the worlds leading QA site). Retrieved October 28, 2009, from http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_Conventional_Morality 4- Religion ethics Religions (2009). BBC. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/ 5- Lichman.J, (1985).Whats the difference between ethics and morality? Arent my personal moral values enough to guide my decision making?. What do you stand for?. Retrieved October 27, 2009, from http://www.scribblers-ink.com/professional_ethics.html 6- Stephen M. (2004). Morality and Ethics: An Introduction, dynamic chiropractic, Retrieved October 27, 2009, from http://www.dynamicchiropractic.com/mpacms/dc/article.php?id=46121 7- Kohlbergs stages of moral development, (2006).wikia. Retrieved October 26, 2009, from http://psychology.wikia.com/index.php?title=Kohlberg%27s_stages_of_moral_developmentaction=history 8- Religion vs. Morality, (2009). Events at Stanford . Retrieved October 25, 2009, from http://events.stanford.edu/events/202/20235/ 9- Morality without religion, (2009), Harvard, Retrieved October 24,2009, from http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~mnkylab/publications/recent/HauserSingerMoralRelig05.pdf

Analysis Of Huawei And Its Core Competencies Management Essay

Analysis Of Huawei And Its Core Competencies Management Essay Huawei Technologies was founded in 1998 by Ren Zhengfei who is a former Peoples Liberation Army officer and telecom engineer. It was incorporated as a private enterprise which manufactures telecommunications equipments for domestic Chinese companies at a much lower price than its international competitors. And since the beginning, Zhengfeis vision was to build innovation capability into the company. However, contrary to the Chinas policy of exchanging market for technology, Zhengfei is convinced that having a joint venture with foreign companies would only cause the Chinese to lose their domestic market and not enable them to acquire foreign technologies. In performing an internal analysis, it is important to have a global mind-set, which is the ability to analyse the internal environment in ways that are independent on the assumptions of a single country, culture, or context. In addition, the businesss portfolio of resources and the bundles of heterogeneous resources and capabilities have to be analysed so that they are be leveraged on if need to. Business Fundamentals Accounting Huawei Technologies had annual revenue of US$6.7 billion and a net profit of US$470 million in 2005. This is an increase from annual revenue of US$5.8 billion and a net profit of US$470 million in 2004. Huaweis net profits in 2002 and 2003 were US$110 million and US$380 million respectively, and it had a net profit margin of 4% in 2002, 10% in 2003 and 8% in 2004. No doubt, Huaweis net profit margin drop by 2% in 2004, Huawei is still generating profit. Finance There are short-term financing and long-term financing options available. Huaweis financial support from the state-owned Chinese Development Bank in the form of a US$10 billion facility and US$600 million from the Export-Import Bank of China are both forms of long-term financing. Risk Management There are three major types of business risks; price risk, credit risk and pure risk. As Huawei has markets overseas, there is bound to be some price risk involved when there is any fluctuation in foreign exchange rates as their receivables and payments are transacted in foreign currencies. Hence, Huawei can use hedging to manage its price risks. In addition, pure risk is assume to be present in virtually any industry and there are four types of pure risk that affect business; damage to assets, legal liability, workers injury and employee benefits. Organisation Design Huawei practice departmentalization as its workforce is spilt into departments such as Research Development (RD) and production. It is also a mechanistic structure as there is high specialization and centralization. Human Resource Management Since its beginning, Huawei had been emphasizing on building a strong RD team and it had been recruiting employees of high caliber with exceptionally high salary by Chinese standard. Operations and Supply Chain Management The success of most businesses is their ability to identify the customers needs and to come up with products that fulfills the necessary requirements. These products will then have to be produced at economically viable costs. As Huawei manufactures and ships its products both locally and overseas. Thus, it is vital that Huawei monitors its operations and supply chain management to ensure that its products remain profitable and that bullwhip effect be controlled. Product Development Huawei has the foresight to invest and develop in new technologies in the industry which gives it a quantum leap in the market from its competitors. Resources, Capabilities, and Core Competencies Resources, capabilities and core competencies form the basis of competitive advantage. Resources create organizational capabilities when group together and in turn, capabilities result in the core competencies of a firm, and these are the foundation of competitive advantage. Tangible Resources Financial Resources As previously mentioned, Huawei has the financial support from the state-owned Chinese Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China. With their financial support, Huawei received a US10 billion facility for its international expansion over five years and US$600 million respectively. Organisational Resources Huawei has departments such as RD, production and marketing which form up the basic organization structure of the company. Huawei also integrates its marketing employees into its main RD team so that the customers needs can be better communicated to the RD headquarters responsively. Physical Resources Huawei has research centres located in China and overseas. For example, it has a 21 storey research center at its headquarters in Shenzhen and six other research laboratories in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Huangzhou, Xian and Chengdu; a software development centre in Bangalore (India) and research facilities in Moscow (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden) and the Silicon Valley in California. Technological Resources Huawei had a large number of patents under its name. It had more than 8,000 patent applications by late 2004, with 800 of them applied in more than 20 countries, including the United States and Europe. In fact, in 2004 alone, Huawei had more than 2,000 patent applications which put it on par with its international rivals in the same industry. Intangible Resources Human Resources Since establishment, Huawei had focused its resources to build itself a strong RD team. Starting off with 500 RD staffs and 200 production staffs, Huawei had a workforce of 24,000 employees by late 2005 with 48% of them engaging in RD works. In addition, the education level of the companys employees was higher than the average worker in China. More than 85% of its workforce had a bachelors or higher degree, and about 60% had a masters or PhD. Innovation Resources Huawei undertook joint RD laboratories with foreign companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Texas Instruments, Intel, e.g., focusing on different telecom techniques. These joint development efforts were used to complement Huaweis innovation capabilities. Reputational Resources Huawei has a large customer base in China with the major telecom companies being its customer. In addition, Huawei is one of the major suppliers for equipments for the China Telecoms ChinaNet Next Carrying Network, known as CN2, which is the core network for the countrys next-generation business and consumers services. Capabilities Capabilities exist when there are resources on hand that have been deliberately integrated to achieve specific tasks. Huawei had a strong team of RD staff which comprises of 48% of its total employees. In addition, Huawei recruits employees of high caliber, with more than 85% of its employees having at least a bachelors degree and 60% having a masters or PhD. Thus, Huawei is able to come out with innovate products, hence holding an exceptionally high number of patents by Chinese standard. In addition, coming from a military background, Ren Zhengfeis connection with the Chinese military helps create a guanxi network which is extremely helpful to Huawei. Being based in China, Huawei is able to manufacture and offer products at a lower price (typically 30% lower than those of established suppliers). Core Competencies Core competencies are capabilities that are a source of competitive advantage for a company over its rivals. Huaweis first competence is its RD. Because of the inexpensive labour force in China, Huawei had an advantage over its international competitors. In addition, Huawei integrates its marketing people into its RD team, thus the needs of telephone companies and service providers could be communicated through the marketers to the RD department in the shortest time. Another core competence which Huawei had is its close relationship with the Chinese military. This close relationship enables Huawei to create a guanxi network which few other competitors could rival and which helps Huawei to secure big contract orders in its initial years and huge financial loans from the state banks. A third core competence is Huaweis products low price as compare to its competitors. In summary, Huawei would need to maintain these core competencies in the long run to have a sustainable competitive advantage. Valuable Rare Costly to Imitate Non-substitutable RD à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Close relationship with Chinese military à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ Price à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ *Must meet at least 3 criteria to be a competitive advantage (CA). Value Chain Analysis Using the value chain analysis, we will analyse which are Huaweis operations segments that create value and those that do not. It is essential to understand these issues, as a business will only earns above-average returns when the value created is greater than the costs incurred to create that value. Primary activities Huaweis primary activities are marketing and sales, inbound logistics, outbound logistics and operations. Support activities Huaweis support activities are firm infrastructure, human resource management, service, technological development and procurement. Activities which are not of competitive advantages to Huawei can be outsourced to external vendors so that resources can be put to better use within the company. SWOT Analysis Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths Huawei have a strong RD team and high caliber employees which gives it an edge over its competitors. Being based in China, Huawei is able to manufacture and offer products at a lower price (typically 30% lower than those of established suppliers). In addition, with a low-cost workforce, Huawei spends less in RD but achieve comparable results with foreign technology companies who spend more. Ren Zhengfeis connection with the Chinese military enables Huawei to have the support from the Chinese government which is essential to working in China. Weaknesses Being a Chinese company, Huawei will be view in a different light compared to other companies from other countries. In general, the perception was that Chinese vendors were mainly relying on western engineering methods and were turning the higher margins and complex products into standard commodities. Thus, Huawei would have to move beyond this to be view as a serious global competitor. Huaweis lawsuit with Cisco gives rise to the issue that Huawei has infringed Ciscos patents and copyrights by copying its user interface, user manuals and source codes which inevitably affects Huaweis reputation in the United States. Key Success Factors Huawei is able to be successful as in general the Chinese market is a closed industry and foreign companies would need to joint ventures with local Chinese companies in order to enter the market, which will involve large equity investments. In addition, being a home-grown company, the Chinese will prefer to buy their products from Huawei, thus giving it an advantage in such a big emerging market. Furthermore, with Ren Zhengfeis connection to the Chinese military, it would have an unfair advantage over other companies. Secondly, since the onset, Huawei had focus on employing high caliber employees to form a huge RD team. Together with joint RD with other leading foreign companies, this has enables Huawei to come up with innovative products. Question 2. Perform an external analysis of Huawei. Based on your analysis, identify the possible opportunities and threats encountered by Huawei. (30 marks) Business Fundamentals Economics China overtook the United States to become the largest telecom market in late 2002 and by 2004; Chinas telecom industry had US$112 billion in business transactions. This is equivalent to an annual growth rate of 34.9% which was 3.7 times Chinas gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 9.5%. In addition, Chinas telecom equipment market will continue to grow annually at a compound rate of 10.9%, from US$30 billion to US$45 billion between 2004 and 2008. Stakeholder Management There are two major groups of stakeholders; market stakeholders and non-market stakeholders. Market stakeholders are also known as primary stakeholders and they include the employees, customers, suppliers and distributors of Huawei. Non-market stakeholders, also known as secondary stakeholders are people whom are affected by Huaweis actions but without being directly involved with any economic transactions with it. Marketing Huawei had to be aggressive to win contracts and typically, their products are about 30% cheaper than established brands. In addition, Huawei offer incentives when pitching for sales for major contracts. The External Environment The external environment of a company is divided into three major areas; the general, industry and competitor environments, each focusing on different aspects. The General Environment PESTL Model The general environment comprises of dimensions in the broader society that influence an industry and the firms within it. Using the PESTL model, we will gather the information and analyse each segment and its implication. Political Huaweis founder; Ren Zhengfei was from the Chinese military and this connection had created a guanxi network which few competitors could match. This relationship had helped Huawei secure big contract orders with the military during its early years. In addition, financial supports from state-owned banks were given to Huawei for its expansion plans overseas. However, this connection to the Chinese military had also affect Huawei, as a number of distributors in the United States were skeptical about the influence Huawei was subject to, and they were cautious of any implications. In addition, due to ownerships restrictions in China, most foreign firms would need to have a joint venture with local Chinese companies before they can enter the market. Hence, Huawei had an advantage in this aspect. Economics Huawei was the largest telecom equipment manufacturer in China with annual revenue of US$6.7 billion in 2005, and a net profit of US$470 million. At the same time, its market capitalization was estimated to be up to US$10 billion. Sociocultural Despite Huaweis efforts to fit into the United States culture, Huawei still met with difficulties when it first started operating in Plano, Texas in 2001. For a start, the Americans had difficulty pronouncing the companys name to the extent that Huawei had to come up with a working name. However, this caused confusion as the new name was not adopted nor promoted consistently and the Americans were confused by two different names belonging to the same company. To make matter worse, Huaweis employees had difficulty adapting to the Texas accent and their local culture. Huawei itself has a unique corporate culture within the company. Due to Ren Zhengfeis military background, he had instilled military style training for new employees and his employees were urged to learn from the behavior of wolves. He wants Huaweis marketing department to be aggressive, just like a pack of wolves. Technological Technological advances in the internet boom continued till 2006, and the technology choices and service requirements of service providers were getting more diversify. As previously mentioned, China had overtaken the United States to become the largest telecom market and hence, telecom service providers were now focusing on network improvement and value-added services rather than on infrastructure development. Huawei had the foresight to venture early and invested heavily in the third-generation (3G) mobile communications technology and it started its own research and development (RD) in Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) in 1995. And over the next few years, Huawei invested more than US$370 million in wide-band CDMA (WCDMA) technologies with a dedicated team of 3,500 RD employees deployed throughout research centres in China and other countries. In 2003, Huawei formed a 3G research joint venture with Japans NEC and Matsushita and entered the mobile handset market in early 2004 to familiarise itself with the 3G industry in future. At the same time, a joint venture was also formed with Siemens to test TD-SCDMA (Chinas home grown standard) mobile handsets and networks equipments. As a matter of fact, Huawei had invested one-third of its RD spending on 3G technologies for the past two years. Legal Huawei was sued by Cisco in the United States six months after setting up a subsidiary there. It had allegedly infringed a number of Ciscos copyrights and patents and Cisco was seeking damages in the lawsuit, which includes the discontinuation of Huaweis Quidway routers, and the impoundment and destruction of all Huaweis routers and manuals in the United States. By the time Cisco dropped its lawsuit in July 2004; many sales contracts which Huawei was pitching for were lost. To make matter worse, a Huaweis employee was caught taking photographs of high-tech equipment from Fujitsu in a trade show in Chicago in June 2004. The Industry Environment The Five Forces of Competition Model The intensity of competition and the profit potential of an industry are the functions of the five forces of competition; the threats of new entrants, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, threat of substitute products and rivalry among competing firms. Threat of New Entrants There is a low to medium risk for Huawei for the threat of new entrants in the industry. Chinas telecom industry had grown to become the largest telecom market in the world and most of the leading global telecom equipment firms had already started operations in China by setting up joint ventures with local Chinese companies. Among the multinationals in China now are leading global telecom equipment firms such as Motorola, Nokia, Lucent Technologies and Siemens. Thus, it is already a competitive market with little room for new players. In addition, as previously mentioned, foreign companies wanting to enter the Chinese market would have to set up joint ventures with Chinese companies due to ownership restrictions and this usually involve equity investments. Hence, it is capital intensive for a new player to enter the market. Bargaining Power of Suppliers No evidence found in the case study. Bargaining Power of Buyers The buyers have a high bargaining power. Phone subscriptions had increased to 390 million mobile phone users and 348 million fixed-line users by October 2005. As there was low switching costs for customers, telecom service providers are focusing on network improvement and value-added services to win customers and make existing customers stay. In addition, Chinas telecom equipment market has been forecasted to grow at a 10.9% annual compound rate between 2004 and 2008, from US$30 billion to US$45 billion. Threat of Substitute Products There is a low threat of substitute products as there is basically no substitute for the industry. There is currently no other products that can offer the same usage and convenience offered by the telecom equipment industry. Rivalry Among Competing Firms There is a high rivalry among competing firms. Beside the influx of multinationals telecom enterprises, there are also a number of domestic companies that are becoming competitive. There is little differentiation among competitors and hence, customers have low switching costs. Besides Huawei, there are three more companies; ZTE, DTT and GDT that have started to emerge. Both Huawei and ZTE were expected to enter further into international markets in the near future, going neck-to-neck with the established multinational enterprises for the same customers. The Competitor Environment Intense rivalry creates a need for Huawei to understand its competitors and their objectives, strategies, capabilities and assumptions. To help Huawei prepare for a response to its competitor, four dimensions (future objectives, current strategy, assumptions and capabilities) about the competitor should be found out and understand. SWOT Analysis Opportunities and Threats Opportunities Having already facing difficulties entering the United States market, Huawei can present itself better in the United States by collaborating with some of the United States companies. In this way, customers will not perceive Huawei as a low-cost vendor. In addition, as long as Huawei delivers reliable equipments, quality service and continues its product development, it will pose a formidable opponent to foreign companies. Threats Huawei have to be wary of competition from companies from low-cost countries where they pose a direct threat. Question 3. Identify the business level strategy adopted by Huawei and discuss the strategic actions implemented by Huawei in supporting this strategy. (20 marks) Huawei had adopted an integrated cost leadership/ differentiation strategy for its business level strategy. With its focus on RD and owning more than 8,000 patents, Huawei is able to differentiate their products in many ways. In addition, being located in a low-cost workforce country, Huawei is able to have their products manufactured at a much lower cost compared to others. Huawei engages in both value-creating primary and support activities that enables them to simultaneously pursue cost leadership/ differentiation strategy. By having an efficient production, low costs can be maintained while creating products of unique value give rises to differentiation. Primary activities As mentioned in question 1, Huaweis primary activities are marketing and sales, inbound logistics, outbound logistics and operations. Marketing and Sales Huawei priced their products about 30% cheaper than other established brands and to make it more attractive, Huawei offers attractive incentives as a sales package when pitching for major contracts. Support activities Huaweis support activities are firm infrastructure, human resource management, service, technological development and procurement. Firm Infrastructure Huawei had a good infrastructure that enables it to effectively and consistently identify its external threats and opportunities, resources and capabilities and support core competencies. It had a very good relationship with the Chinese military which is paramount to its success in China. Human Resource Management Huawei focus on having high caliber employees to build up its RD team. With more than 85% of its employees having a bachelors degree and above, Huawei ensures that they are highly paid by Chinese standard. In addition, due to Ren Zhengfeis military background, new employees are put through intensive military style training for the initial months. Service To offer unparallel service to its customers, Huawei hires local personnel in customers home country as part of its strategy to tailor technologies and services according to customers needs. Technological Development Huawei ventured early and invested in third-generation (3G) mobile communications technology and it started its own research and development (RD) in Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) in 1995. With a dedicated team of 3,500 RD employees deployed throughout research centres in China and other countries, Huawei invested more than US$370 million in wide-band CDMA (WCDMA) technologies over the next few years. In addition, to familiarise itself with 3G industry, Huawei formed a 3G research joint venture with Japans NEC and Matsushita in 2003, and entered the mobile handset market in early 2004. At the same time, Huawei started a joint venture with Siemens to test TD-SCDMA (Chinas home grown standard) mobile handsets and networks equipments. Procurement Huawei has research centres both in China and overseas. It had a 21-storey research centre in Shenzhen, and six other research laboratories in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Huangzhou, Xian and Chengdu; a software development centre in Bangalore (India) and research facilities in Moscow (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden) and the Silicon Valley in California. Flexibility Flexibility is needed by firms in order to complete both primary and support activities that allow the production of differentiation products at relatively low costs. Three sources of flexibility are: Flexible manufacturing systems, information networks and total quality management systems. Flexible Manufacturing Systems Flexible manufacturing systems enable a firm to produce a variety of products in moderate quantities with minimum human intervention. Through either patent-mining or reverse engineering, Huawei had turned high-profit and complex products into standard commodities. In addition, to offer better differentiation products, Huawei hires local personnel in customers home country to tailor technologies and services according to customers needs. Information Networks By linking companies with their suppliers, distributors and customers, information networks provide another source of flexibility. Ren Zhengfeis relationship with the Chinese military had helped Huawei to have a close guanxi network which other competitors do not have, and this had helped Huawei to secure big contract orders. Furthermore, Huaweis major customers in China were the big players in the industry such as; China Telecom, China Mobile, China Netcom and China Unicom. Huaweis networks in China has over 400 million people across the country, occupying 25% of the mobile network market shares and supplying 80% of all SMS from China Mobile. Total Quality Management (TQM) Systems TQM emphasizes the companys commitment to the customer and to continuously improve process through usage of data-driven, problem-solving approaches from empowerment of employee groups and teams. Huawei is able to simultaneously reduce cost while making use of its ability to develop innovative products. This increases their flexibility which is beneficial to implementing an integrated cost leadership/ differentiation strategy. Question 4. What other strategic actions would you recommend to Huawei to compete better in the future? Justify your answer. (20 marks) Besides the current strategic actions which Huawei is already implementing, I would suggest that Huawei consider acquisition where Huawei will buys a controlling, or 100% interest in another company to make it Huaweis subsidiary business within its portfolio. They are several reasons for acquisitions and we shall look at each of them: Increased Market Power Market power exists when a firm is able to sell its goods or services above competition levels or when the costs of its primary or support activities are lower than those of its competitors. Hence, to increase its market power, Huawei can use horizontal acquisition where it acquires company competing in the same industry. Overcoming Entry Barriers Presently, Huawei experiences problems entering the United States market. Hence, by making a cross-border acquisition, Huawei can overcome these entry barriers and gives it more control over its international operations. Cost of New Product Development and Increased Speed to Market Acquisitions allow Huawei to gain access to current and new products that are unique to the acquired firm. Returns are more predictable as the performance of the acquired firm products can be observed and assessed prior to acquisition. Lower Risk Compared to Developing New Products As the results of an acquisition can be easily and accurately estimated than that of developing a new product, Huawei will find that there are lower risks involved. Increased Diversification Huawei can find it easier to develop and introduce new products through the acquired firm as it may be difficult to develop products that deviate from their current product lines. Reshaping Firms Competitive Advantage Competitive rivalry can affects Huaweis profitability. Thus, to reduce the effect of an intense rivalry, acquisitions actually reduce Huaweis dependence on one or more products or markets. This will in turn alters Huaweis competitive scope. Learning and Developing New Capabilities Acquisition can allows Huawei to gain new capabilities which it does not currently possess. Through acquisition, Huawei can broaden their knowledge base and reduce inactivity. In addition to acquisition, Huawei can also have a nonequity strategic alliance with other companies. A nonequity strategic alliance is a form of alliance where two or more companies have a contractual relationship such that they share some of their unique resources and capabilities to create a competitive advantage. This is used in more uncertain situations, and companies do not establish any independent company and hence do not have any equity positions. Through nonequity strategic alliance, Huawei can have licensing agreements, distribution agreements, and supply contracts with other alliance companies. Usually, outsourcing commitments are specified in the form of nonequity strategic alliance. In conclusion, I would recommend that Huawei consider acquisition and nonequity strategic alliance as its business strategy in the future so that it can better compete with other competitors.

Measuring Customer Service at American Express :: essays research papers

Measuring Customer Satisfaction at American Express   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American Express is a world wide travel related service company. American Express works with both consumers and business with their financial planning as well as offers numerous amounts of credit card products and travel assistance. They have many products and services that are used throughout the world by consumers and businesses. As American Express moves towards the future, like most credit card companies, they want to be competitive and responsive to the needs of the consumer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  American Express sends out customer service surveys to the card members that call in to the telephone service center. The surveys are sent out randomly with a coding on the bottom of the survey so that the results and comments are given back to the correct employee. The employees are aware that any card member that they speak to could receive a survey. With this said, each employee goes through extensive training on the telephone behaviors that must be demonstrated while speaking to card members. The employees also go through extensive training on the policies and procedures that each card product and service has. This training is to ensure that each card member is handled with the most utmost professional behavior and their issues are handled correctly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once the surveys are returned to the company, they are returned to the Customer Satisfaction Action Team. This team reviews the surveys, separates them by employee and then by the results.. The results are separated by â€Å"Excellent† and â€Å"Very Good† and then â€Å"Fair† and â€Å"Poor† marks. The card members that score a â€Å"Fair† or â€Å"Poor† mark on the survey is called back by one of the team members and the issue is discussed further to find out why the survey was marked that way. The comments that the card members make on the surveys are returned to the employee’s team leaders. The team leader gives the feedback to the employee and discusses with them their best practices or opportunities that need to be worked on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This tool is an excellent way to get in touch with our card members and to see how they feel the company is doing and what they feel is going right and what needs to be worked on. By doing this the company can take this information and better the customer satisfaction by either up training of employees are reviewing and possibly changing the policies or procedures.

Postion Paper: Nature Vs. Nurture -- essays research papers

Position Paper: Nature vs. Nurture   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The controversy of nature vs. nurture has been going on for many years, and a decision has not yet been reached in which one is the most affective. Using the results of the countless tests done, everyday situations, and the twins experiment, I will prove that nature is a larger contributor to the outcome of our personalities than nurture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Firstly, many psychologists and Universities, such as Harvard, conducted countless test to determined which traits of our personalities seemed to be inherited, and which seemed to be developed from our own life experiences. For most of the traits measured, more than half the variation was found to be due to heredity. Among these traits were things such as leadership abilities, traditionalism, obedience or lack of, and surprisingly enough, the strict enforcement of rules. An not all the things tested were based on stature and parental ways. Some that tested out at least 50% due to heredity included a sense of well-being, zest for life; alienation; vulnerability or resistance to stress and fearfulness or risk-seeking. All these factors have to do directly with our personality. Our goals for achieving and future were another thing that tested out to be largely due to heredity and genes. The need to achieve, including ambition and inclination to work hard towards goals is an example of that. All these points simply prove that there are very many trai...

DNA Report :: Biology

Many people have heard about this mysterious DNA molecule but don’t know much about it (what it is, where it’s located, what it does, etc.) In this report it will state the basics and investigate this mysterious molecule: deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA is a thin chainlike molecule found in almost every cell (Rubenstein, 2006), and is used in developing and functioning all known living organisms (â€Å"Wikipedia†, 2009). DNA is a Hereditary Material in a human body, (â€Å"U.S. National†, 2009), genomes determine hereditary (Rubenstein, 2006). The main goal for DNA is long-term storing of information (â€Å"Wikipedia†, 2009). Basically DNA is biological information exchanged from adult to child through reproduction (â€Å"National Human†, 2008). DNA is formed in the nucleus of a cell (â€Å"National Human†, 2008). Most DNA is found in the nucleus and a small amount is found in the Mitochondria. When DNA is found in the nucleus it is considered to be Nuclear DNA and when DNA is found in the Mitochondria it is considered Mitochondrial DNA (â€Å"U.S. National†, 2009). Humans always get 50% of DNA from your mom and 50% of DNA from your dad through reproduction; although only Mitochondrial DNA is from your mom because during fertilization egg cells only keep Mitochondria (â€Å"National Human† 2008). Sometimes DNA can be found in bacterial cells and in viruses (Rubenstein, 2006). DNA is made of many different resources found in a human body; chemicals, bases, and more. Deoxyribonucleic acid is made of three basic chemical building blocks; a Phosphate group, a Sugar group, and 1 of 4 nitrogen bases. DNA is made of 3 billon bases (National Human, 2008), 99% of these bases are the same in all humans (â€Å"U.S. National†, 2009), and the order and amount of the bases determines that humans unique self (Rubenstein, 2006). Bases are connected by hydrogen bonds, base pairing is very specific; Adenine only with Thymine and Cytosine only with Guanine (â€Å"Comptons†, 2008). Each DNA that contains instructions, that makes protein, is considered a gene; gene size varies from 1 thousand bases to 1 million bases (â€Å"National Human†, 2008). A gene carries genetic information during reproduction (â€Å"Wikipedia†,2009). DNA consists of thousands of chemical units called nucleotides (Rubenstein, 2006). Nucleotides are linked together by covalent bonds; linking phosphate of one to sugar of the next (â€Å"Comptons†, 2008). Like genes the exact amount and order of Nucleotides varies, making the person only themselves (Rubenstein, 2006).

Identifying and defining problems Essay

Leaders are at the forefront of every organization. They are looked upon by their subordinates in initiating the plans and goals of the organization. In essence, leaders are the guiding light of every organization whenever the latter is experiencing financial and economic woes, turmoil within the organization or disruption in the organization’s work processes. A leader has the power to lift an organization out from the ashes of ruins and into the world of success. But with great power comes great responsibility, hence a leader should have, within him, the element of skill in identifying and defining problems. Whenever an organization, say a company or a corporation, loses its edge in competing in the market wherein it is situated, there is a need for it to innovate and change. Therefore, it is the leader’s duty to instill discipline among the employees, so as to push the whole organization into motion. Although â€Å"it’s difficult to put together a group with enough power to guide the effort or to convince key individuals to spend the time necessary to create and communicate a change vision†, (Kotter, p.36) a leader should have a sense of empathy with the organization’s employees, so as to let him be aware of what the whole organization is feeling about the whole effort of innovating and changing the organization. For problems to be identified and defined there is a need for the cooperation of both the managerial leaders and the rank and file employees. In undertaking a change within an organization, people often â€Å"underestimate the enormity of the task; the work requires great cooperation, initiative, and willingness to make sacrifices from many people. † (Kotter, p. 35) Empathy comes into play here. When the people within the organization know that there leader is to be trusted, they would not hesitate to cooperate in the leader’s efforts. Innovation and change will come eventually. The absence of a major visible crisis, low overall performance standards or a lack of sufficient performance feedback contribute to complacency which, in turn, contributes to laxity in doing the work processes below quality standards. Leaders should be adept at noticing or recognizing these sources of complacency so as to remove any hindrance to an organization’s effort to innovate and change. Add to this, as requirement for a leader, the skill of good listening; for through this, misinformation within the organization would be greatly decreased. It is said that opportunity is problem turned inside out; hence organizational problems often open many windows for innovation and change. The first step in managerial problem solving is problem and opportunity identification. Tushman and O’Reilly (2002, p. 40) said that just as physicians first focus on their patients presenting symptoms, managers must identify their organization’s critical problems. This done, they can then diagnose the causes of these problems and, in turn, take action to address them—while avoiding unexpected side effects. Similarly, once opportunities are identified, managers can analyze those aspects of the current organization that will get in the way of achieving the unit’s aspirations. With the authors’ idea in mind, a leader should know the actual assessment of the organization so that he can properly implement the right strategy to a particular unit in an organization. In doing this, a leader or â€Å"manager (and his or her team) needs to be clear about the strategy, objectives and vision of the unit. Such clarity is the bedrock of managing innovation and change. Only when strategy, objectives, and vision are defined can managers move on to an honest appraisal of the current performance of their organization. † (Tushman & O’Reilly, p. 41) After the mission and goals have been set and are clear in the minds of the unit members within the organization, efforts should be made in determining how the proposed strategies will fare considering the current performance of the organization. This will provide a situation wherein the management can gauge whether the mission and goals of the organization are realistic or not. As Tushman and O’Reilly have stated, organizational performance gaps are the differences between desired and real performance. These performance gaps can be termed as opportunity gaps. When we arrive at knowing these gaps, we would really be able to clearly formulate a clear and definite strategy to use in a particular situation. But strategies won’t materialize on their own; it needs painstaking efforts to be able to arrive at these strategies. What can a leader do about this? A good leader knows that he cannot steer the whole organization, especially if it is a big one, towards its goals on his own. He needs the help of all his subordinates. It is needed for the leader to encourage the management and the rank and file employees to join him in formulating and implementing these strategies for innovation and change to be realized. It is a fact that â€Å"creative thinkers tap into their imaginations by combining and recombining ideas or concepts to make new connections. Creative thinking is really about discovering new connections through the use of the imagination, diverse stimuli, and ‘creative-connections power tools’. † (Dundon, p. 42) In addition to these approaches for identifying and defining problems and opportunities for innovation and change in an organization, Dundon stated (2002, p. 64) that a preferred method for idea generation is having an â€Å"Innovation Group† which, because of its comprehensiveness and rigorous design, goes beyond the more common brainstorming method. This allows discussing and formulating ideas at a higher level within the group. Once these approaches have been taken, what a leader should do now is to carefully evaluate how the organization reacts to these implemented strategies so as for him to make necessary corrections when the need arises. ABSTRACT There are many approaches to identify and define problems that confront a particular organization. These problems would not be addressed and be made visible without the guidance or skill of a good leader. Hence, it is needed that a leader is knowledgeable of the processes of an organization, empathic and, best of all, a great innovator himself who believes in positive results that innovation and change bring to an organization. Sources: 1) Dundon, Elaine (2002). The Seeds of Innovation. New York, American Management Association 2) Kotter, John P. (1996). Leading Change. Massachusetts, Harvard Business School Press 3) Tushman, Michael L. , & O’Reilly, Charles A. (2002). Winning Through Innovation. Massachusetts, Harvard Business School Press.

Impressionism in Conrad and Joyce

Impressionism in Literature: Joseph Conrad & James Joyce. This essay attempts to give a brief comparison between two of the major representatives of the English Modernism, James Joyce and Joseph Conrad. Although these two writers come from very different backgrounds, they share the rejection of conventional realism and the search for new way to approach reality. In doing this, I will focus on the presence on Impressionistic ideas and in the new methods they will employ to depict reality. First of all, a swift definition of Impressionism in literature hooked be given.Many critics have argued that both in Jockey's and Concord's writings we could find impressionistic ideas, a new methodology of acknowledging the human experience. Impressionism have is origins in a exhibition in 1984 of a group of painters in which Monet stood out. Although the group was not especially homogeneous, they characterized by represent the way in which one person sees something at one moment in time, impressio ns of a particular and singular moment. They focused in the censorial aspect of how human beings experience the world vying great stress to subjectivity.In order to do this, they employ light and color which produce a censorial impact on the onlooker. In this liking way, literature tries to adapt the new techniques of painting to writing. They also stress subjectivity rejecting the old traditional emphasis upon order, thought and clearness. They provide us with a new perspective of the relation of individual with everyday world relaying on the censorial aspects of the experience. Apart from that, we find another particular characteristics in impressionistic writing: They rejected traditional emphasis on order and clearness, usually related with the conventions of Realism.Ambiguity prevails through the narration being the reader who has to form his own conclusion about the story The moment and the ephemeral is also very important. Description usually are told in a kind of accidental report, when the event are occurring. The details of the action are described through the eyes of the character when still happening and not when he/she has already processed the action (delayed decoding). This technique gives also a sense of ambiguity. The landscape is usually scribed with uncommon adjectives that are more concerned with human emotions than with depiction of the scenery.This and the repeatedly usage of images of fog, haze, mist or light and shadows produces a kind of dreamy and mysterious atmosphere where things seem to be blurred. Now, we come to analyze the following passage of Concord's Heart of Darkness on the basis of Impressionism. â€Å"l saw a face amongst the leaves on the level with my own, looking at me very fierce and steady; then suddenly, as though a veil had been removed from my eyes, I made out deep in angled gloom, naked breast, arms, legs, glaring eyes – the bush was swarming with human limbs in movement, glistening bronze color.The twigs shook, swayed, and rustled, the arrows flew out of them, and then the shutter came to. † Here, Concord's impressionist style permits the the reader to experience the events at the same time that Marrow does. The technique, commonly denominated as delayed decoding, tell us the details of the action before the protagonist has processed the action itself. This give us sensation of confusion, as we have to re-read the passage to really see hat is happening.Actually, this is quite similar to the painting techniques of Impressionism by which the clearest image of the picture can be only seen from certain distance of the canvas. In the following passage, also taken from Heart of Darkness, we can see the special characteristics of impressionistic descriptions. â€Å"The sun set; the dusk fell on the stream, and lights began to appear along the shore. The Chapman light-house, a three-legged thing erect on a mud-flat, shone strongly. Lights of ships moved in the fairway a great stir of lights going up and going down.And farther west on the upper reaches the place of the monstrous town was still marked ominously on the sky, a brooding gloom in sunshine, a lurid glare under the stars. † Here we have a description of the setting where prevails the use of light. In every line appear a reference to specific light (sun, dusk, light-house, stars, glare†¦ ). The description of the atmosphere of the setting is very detailed which produces the effect of certain mood, a kind of mysterious image.Moreover, we find many reference o water (stream, shore, mud-flat, fairway) that makes the image blurred before our eyes. In t he collection of short stories Edibleness, specially in â€Å"Arab† and â€Å"Beeline,† sense perception, like sight, sound, touch, smell, are very important. The descriptions make the reader feel the sensations described, the smells, the sounds†¦ This might be the one most outstanding feature of Joyce ‘s descriptions in Ed ibleness. In the following passage of Arab, we can find this references to receptions: â€Å"It was a dark rainy evening and there was no sound in the house.Through one of the broken ones I heard the rain impinge upon the earth, the fine incessant needles of water playing in the sodden beds. Some distant lamp or lighted window gleamed below me. I was thankful that I could see so little. All my senses seemed to desire to veil themselves and, feeling that I was about to slip from them, I pressed the palms of my hands together until they trembled, murmuring (†¦ )† So although both Joyce and Conrad share the same interest on the subjectivity, on how their characters experience reality, we can state that they differ slightly in the way of achieving this AOL.In this examples, Joyce focuses on all the senses to transport the reader into the experience of his characters whereas Conrad visual descriptions reminds the reader of one of the main characteristics of Impressionist pain tings : the interest on atmosphere and lighting effects. Bibliography. Kroger, Maria E. â€Å"Literary Impressionism† De. : New Haven, CT : College ; University Press, 01973. Slapstick, Mercedes. â€Å"Literary Analysis of Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad. † Helium. ;http://www. Helium. Com/items/855651- Impressionism in Conrad and Joyce First of all, a swift definition of Impressionism In literature would be given. Many critics have argued that both In Joyce ;s and Conrad ;s writings we could find impressionistic ideas, a new methodology of acknowledging the human experience. Impressionism have is origins in a exhibition in 1984 of a group of painters in which Monet stood out. Although the group was not especially homogeneous, they characterized by represent the way In which one person sees something at one moment in time, impressions of a particular and singular moment.They focused in the censorial aspect of how human beings experience the world vying great stress to subjectivity. In order to do this, they employ light and color which produce a censorial impact on the onlooker. In this liking way, literature tries to adapt the new techniques of painting to writing. They also stress subjectivity rejecting the old traditional emphasis upon order, thought and clearness. They provide us with a new perspective of the re lation of individual with everyday world relaying on the censorial aspects of the experience.Apart from that, we find another particular characteristics In Impressionistic writing: They rejected traditional emphasis on order and clearness, usually related with the conventions of Realism. Ambiguity prevails through the narration being the reader who has to form his own conclusion about the story The moment and the ephemeral is also very Important. Description usually are told in a kind of accidental report, when the event are occurring. The details of the action are described through the eyes of the character when still happening and not when he/she has already processed the action (delayed decoding).This technique gives also a sense of ambiguity. The landscape is usually ascribed with uncommon adjectives that are more concerned with human emotions than with depiction of the scenery. This and the repeatedly usage of images of fog, haze, mist or light and shadows produces a kind of dr eamy and mysterious atmosphere where things seem to be blurred. Now, we come to analyze the following passage of Concord's Heart of Darkness on the basis of Impressionism. L saw a face amongst the leaves on the level with my own, looking at me very fierce and steady; then suddenly, as though a veil had been removed from my eyes, I made out deep in angled gloom, naked breast, arms, legs, glaring eyes – the bush was swarming with human limbs in movement, glistening bronze color. The twigs shook, swayed, and rustled, the arrows flew out of them, and then the shutter came to. † Here, Conrad s impressionist style permits the the reader to experience the events at the same time 1 OFF us the details of the action before the protagonist has processed the action itself.This give us sensation of confusion, as we have to re-read the passage to really see what is happening. Actually, this is quite similar to the painting techniques of Impressionism by which the clearest image of th e picture can be only seen from certain distance of the canvas. In the following passage, also taken from Heart of Darkness, we can see the special characteristics of impressionistic descriptions. â€Å"The sun set; the dusk fell on the stream, and lights began to appear along the shore. The Chapman light-house, a three-legged thing erect on a mud-flat, shone strongly.Lights of ships moved in the fairway a great stir of lights going up and going down. And farther west on the upper reaches the place of the monstrous town was still marked ominously on the sky, a brooding gloom in sunshine, a lurid glare under the stars. † Here we have a description of the setting where prevails the use of light. In every line appear a reference to specific light (sun, dusk, light-house, stars, glare†¦ ). The description of the atmosphere of the setting is very detailed which produces the effect of certain mood, a kind of mysterious image.Moreover, we find many reference o water (stream, sh ore, mud-flat, fairway) that makes the image blurred before our eyes. In t he collection of short stories Edibleness, specially in â€Å"Arab† and â€Å"Beeline,† sense perception, like sight, sound, touch, smell, are very important. The descriptions make the reader feel the sensations described, the smells, the sounds†¦ This might be the one most outstanding feature of Joyce ‘s descriptions in Edibleness. In the following passage of Arab, we can find this references to receptions: â€Å"It was a dark rainy evening and there was no sound in the house.Through one of the broken ones I heard the rain impinge upon the earth, the fine incessant needles of water playing in the sodden beds. Some distant lamp or lighted window gleamed below me. I was thankful that I could see so little. All my senses seemed to desire to veil themselves and, feeling that I was about to slip from them, I pressed the palms of my hands together until they trembled, murmuring (†¦ ) † So although both Joyce and Conrad share the same interest on the subjectivity, on how their characters experience reality, we can state that they differ slightly in the way of achieving this AOL.