Managment-- managing change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Managment-- managing change - Essay Example The chosen company is a ship broking company that acts as the intermediate source between the ship owners and clients who want to transport their goods by means of ships. The clients present their requirement of the delivery time and the amount of dry commodities that are required to be transported. The sales executives of the chosen company browse through their database of ship owners whose service attributes and routes comply with the requirements of the client. The status of the shipment orders are tracked by the shipment tracking department until the orders reach their destinations. An interview was scheduled with the management executive who headed the technological change in the company. The analysis of the company’s transition towards technological infrastructure gave useful information about the strategies that are adopted in the real world. Journal papers, articles and organizational reports were also studied for the theoretical information about the respective topic. 2. Drivers of Change According to the information provided by the executive, the drivers of the change in the company can be categorized into two types; internal and external. 2.1 Internal Drivers The sales executives had to access the database of the ship owners whenever a shipment request was received from a client. It involved excessive traversals through the database and extensive calculations of several factors such as shortest route, cost effective route and rates of the routes. Such processing consumed lot of time of the sales executives, due to which they could not cater all the requests from the clients. Denial of service to clients often led to more business for the competitors. The calculation of the routes and costs was not always error-free since it involved manual processing. The shipment tracking department did not have a reliable system to track the status of the orders. Another aspect that led to the technological intervention in the company, involved the lack of a ny software application or tool to evaluate the performance of the company. The top management had to rely on the reports that were generated by the respective departments; these reports were manually made after the accumulation of figures for generated revenues, losses etc. The technological change had been a part of the company’s long term goals but never materialized since the top management was not totally committed to the cause. An organizational change cannot prove to be productive for the company if the support of the top management is not present (Joanne 2002). When the external, as well as internal factors accumulated, the top management decided to fully commit to the technological change in the company. 2.2 External Drivers Other companies in the ship broking industry had started to focus on the technological integration in their companies. The market positions of the competitors started improving since they were able to cater to more clients and earn more profits d ue to their organizational change. Clients of the modern times even prefer technological processes and operations since they are error free and fast-paced. External changes play a vital role in signaling the need for changes in the internal processes of the organization (Mackenzie n.d.). 3. Perspectives of Change Three systems were planned to be deployed in the organization. The relevance

Article Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Article Report - Essay Example The sequential, evolutionary aspect of experiences over time attaches the notion of a "moving perspective" on careers. Thus, not only does it transcend organizational dynamics in the new economic, technological and social realms, but goes beyond systemic boundaries. As it is, therefore, a person’s career is a key life constituency evolving around work and time. Apart from the provision of income, work offers a sense of purpose, challenge and self-fulfillment. It is a source of interactive life challenges via social networking that often powers on creativity with a sense of identity as an end result. Quite simply, career is a life journey with either the choice of a beaten path or another to navigate (Baruch, 2004). Andolsen’s article entitled â€Å"Six Steps to Your Successful Career Path† is an informative career guide that engenders navigation principles of self-assessment, decision making and life planning towards a successful career path for RIM professionals . Notably, the multifaceted approach of the modern career training is pushing the employer to the periphery out of the mainstream control of employee-skills (Baruch, 2003). The circumstantial phenomenon leaves â€Å"expertise† as the most treasured and sought-after strategic resource by the employer (Bartlett & Ghoshal, 2002; Andolsen, 2008). With a background of â€Å"a dusty filing system†, the scarcity of the prized resource has informed a structured career path for RIM practitioners aimed at attaining relevance in an era of a digitized managerial control. In a bid to start off RIM practitioners towards the foregoing painstaking journey, Andolsen provides a useful six-step career planning framework fully fitted with self-evaluative mechanisms for a dynamic career prospects (Andolsen, 2008). Six Steps to a Successful Career Path Self-Assessment Career is essentially a vehicle for the realization of the self. More accurately, it is a vehicle through which the individu al begins a constructive conception of the self in the sense of the world (Adamson, 1997). It is no wonder, therefore, that the interrogation of the self begins Andolsen’s six-step career planning framework for the actualization of a successful career in the field of Records and Information Management (RIM) (Andolsen, 2008). Accordingly, understanding oneself entails a thorough dissection of the inner strengths and weaknesses, which includes but is not limited to personality and attitudes, skills and achievements, knowledge and learning style, values, interests and entrepreneurism. Essentially, this crucial step lays bare the physical, emotional, intellectual, motivational characteristics that define the individual and personality. Occupational Research The above mentioned traits have a direct relationship with an individual’s work competencies. It is, therefore, imperative for personal, career interests and skills profile to have a matching relationship with positions available in the job market (Andolsen, 2008). Notably, such positions surface and disappear with the trending economic and technological shifts. Thus, to prevent false starts, career seekers should remain realistic in their career pursuits by updating their jobs skills through a fast, hands-on approach to valuable information. From simple web search to job shadowing, aggressiveness may prove a valuable resource in investigating options available in line with the personal traits. Decision

Implementing and Adopting Innovation: Case Study of Skype

Implementing and Adopting Innovation: Case Study of Skype The present assignment focuses on a real business situation which involves the implementation and adoption of innovation. The case study is comprised of four primary parts which explore the process of innovation development, the promoters of innovation, the internal and external reaction within business resources and the likely strategic implications and business model for further development which can be proposed. In this respect, the assignment explores Skype as an example of business organisation which adopts innovation on a continuous basis and the various strategic implications to which this behaviour is associated. Skype is an information communication technology (ICT) which is one of the most popular products used by different consumer segments in the process of communicating over the Internet. This platform provides users with the opportunity to communicate and interact via a low cost channel. The companys growth is promoted by the continuous internationalisation and globalisation of markets. Moreover, not only continuous internationalisation influences the development of Skype, but Skype itself can be seen as a promoter of globalisation removal of market and country boundaries. In this context, Skype has grown through the continuous application of incremental innovation. The company has been adopting innovative applications and targeting different customer segments through the products and services provided. However, the present assignment would not only explore these strategy approaches to competitiveness but primarily focuses on the organisational and structural innovation of Skype. The report particularly focuses on the acquisition of Skype by E-bay and the organisation implication this has. Pay Pal as another integrative part of this acquisition is also presented and discussed. Innovation Characteristics Innovation management and development has grown as one of the most popular fields within social sciences. It has attracted the interest of scholars for many years. For example, Schumpeter (1950) who is the pioneer within the discipline proposes that innovation is the development of a novel solution which alters past perceptions. Schumpeter (1950) characterised the process of innovation development with the concept of creative destruction explaining that innovation restructures the way past patterns are perceived through the implementation of novelty (Hospers, 2005). However, it is essential to be outlined that innovation is not only characterised by its novel characteristics but by the commercial importance which it has (Tidd et al., 2005). In other words, an innovative solution is both new and applicable to the respective market. Apart from the above mentioned characteristics, it is also important to be outlined that innovation can be recognised in different forms and degrees. For example, innovation can be seen primarily as incremental and radical (Afuah, 2003). Incremental innovation occurs when little novel changes are applied within an organisation (Tidd et al., 2005). It is often that incremental innovation is practiced on a continuous basis and thus is known as a process of continuous improvement which has applications in companies as Toyota and their total quality management (TQM) core strategic values (Afuah, 2003; Bessan and Francis, 1999). Contrary to the incremental innovation, the radical one is characterised with profound changes within an enterprise (Francis and Bessant, 2005). Apart from the degree of innovativeness, it is also important to be outlined that business organisations can exploit different types of innovation. The academic literature mainly outlines two main types such as product and process innovation (Boer and During, 2001; Damapur and Evans, 1984). As it can be logically proposed based on the names, the product innovation mainly concerns the products and the process innovation is implemented within the business processes to promote efficiency and effectiveness (DiLiello and Houghton, 2008). However, apart from product and process innovation, organsiational innovation is also seen as another essential type. In this context, the present analysis is specifically focuses on organisational innovation in the case of E-Bays acquisition of Skype and how this affected to the mutual organisational innovativeness. The organsiational innovativeness is mutual as this acquisition has affected both parties in a unique way (Hof, 2005). However, it should be also underlined that as E-bay has adopted and largely promoted the payment platform Pay Pal therefore the implications which Pay Pal has on Skype should be also considered (Vitzthum and Konsynski, 2009). The organisational impact which this acquisition has on Skype is substantial. On the one hand, Skype has been having significant popularity in Europe and Asia but lacked high exposure in the large American market. In this respect, as E-bay is one of the leading e-commerce platforms n the US therefore Skype would be able to benefit for such co-operation. However, the innovative characteristics of this venture do not come from the increased market exposure but from the integration of three different business models: Skype, E-bay and Pay Pal. This can be identified as a clear example of Schumpeters creative destruction, when old and orthodox patterns are substituted by novel behaviour (Hospers, 2005; Schumpeter, 1950). Furthermore, the characteristics of this organisational innovation not only should be identified within the structural implications only but also in relation to internal business resources. For example, organisational innovation promotes the interaction between different groups of employees which as a return increases the creative capability of the enterprise due to continuous knowledge-sharing and idea generation (Tushman and OReilly, 1997). This is the reason why, through this acquisition, Skype not only does gain the opportunity to get popularised within different markets but also benefit from the exchange of insight. Human resource management and in particular the collaborative performance of employees is essential to the promotion of innovation (Dodgson and Rothw, 1994). In other words, organisational innovation can promote the development of other types of innovation, such as process and product innovation as part of the internal collaborative processes. Triggers and Promoters of the Innovation The triggers and promoters of innovation can be divided into internal and external ones. The internal triggers in the present case are the desire of E-bay and Skype to grow in greater capabilities and competitiveness within diverse markets. As it was already outlined Skype had good exposure in Europe and Asia but lacked the same success in United States (Vitzthum and Konsynski, 2009). On the contrary, Skype as a prominent e-commerce platform in the US lacked significant exposure to European and Asian consumers as opposite to the intensive revenue generation in North America (Amber, 2000). Furthermore, the third element in this partnership, Pay Pal at the time of the merger was still in the beginning of its growth and therefore this collaboration looked highly positive to Pay Pals increased business capabilities and market reach. Apart from the internal drive which is always a highly influential promoter of innovation and business competitiveness, the external environment can be suggested to be another substantial stimulus to this acquisition. For example, globalisation and the continuously intensified communication between international customers influence technological development and therefore information and communication technologies as Skype have substantial opportunity to grow. Furthermore, another important trigger to the organisation is the increased market competitiveness. The adoption of innovation is generally associated to both positive and negative external sources. As it is in the present case, these are the market opportunities which the acquisition provides and the industrial competitiveness and threats which may have negative impact on the performance of the organisations. The internal and external sources of innovation, however, should not be perceived as ultimately separate entities. For example, the internal strengths of a business contribute to the business ability to exploit external opportunities and overcome external threats. In this respect, the resource based view (RBV) theory can be used as an analogue, suggesting that a firms strength derives from its internal dynamics and this promotes business continuous competitiveness (Barney, 2001). In the present context, it can be proposed that the current case of organisational restructuring and innovation affects the increased resource capabilities of the business and thus promotes the ventures greater competitiveness. Reactions to the Adopted Innovation As Joseph Schumpeter suggests, innovation is a phenomenon which causes disruption and change (Hospers, 2006; Schumpeter, 1950). This is the reason why, innovation and all processes related to its adoption creates certain internal and external reaction. In the present case, the reactions of E-bays acquisition of Skype and integration of Pay Pal cannot be assessed entirely from internal perspective as the author of the present report cannot access this internal information. However, there are certain outcomes which can be clearly recognised in the academic literature which can be conceptually and theoretically integrated in the current analysis. One of the primary reactions which can be identified in the internal environment of a company when innovation is adopted is the rejection by employees to accept the proposed change (Hiatt and Creasey, 2003). This is especially common in the cases of organisational restructuring which is resulted by mergers and acquisitions (Fedor and Harold, 2004). Employees perceive this as a risk to their career and job stability. However, the present acquisition cannot be recognised with any major physical and structural transformations and therefore it may not have had such a substantial impact over employees. Another reaction which can be identified with such a horizontal diversification and organisational innovation is seen within the external context and in particular in customers and competitors (Cook, 2004). For example, customers become interested in the collaborative propositions which the brands are likely to provide. For example, Skype has been continuously innovating and applying some incremental innovations and improvements due to the wider market share the company is exposed to. This is the reason why, Skype has developed various video and communication application within its platform to fit the needs of multiple customer segments. This is true innovation, not only it needs to be novel but it also need to have commercial and market value (Damanpour, 1991). Strategic Characteristics The present case reveals an innovative organisational situation the acquisition of E-bay of Skype. This is an approach of horizontal diversification by E-bay which not only does have substantial impacts on E-bay but on Skype as well. This is an example of the interconnectivity of innovation it cannot be conducted in isolation and it has effect on multiple business aspects. For example, the organisational innovation resulted in Skypes producing a continuous incremental innovation, developing and introducing new applications to fit the needs of various segments. The platform introduced multiple video streaming which is highly applicable to ordinary users, families and business conferencing. This multiple application of innovation is exactly the purpose and value of the phenomenon. It is important to be underlined that innovation is a powerful source of competitiveness but it needs significant internal commitment. This is the reason why, leadership can be recognised as essential promoter of innovative behaviour. Leadership is the process which motivates and inspires organisational commitment. In the context of incremental innovation, employees need to be continuously committed to promote the innovative performance of the business. Leadership, however, should not be confused with management as these are different approaches to people management, development and co-ordination. Management can be explained as the process of executing business processes and operations in an efficient manner whereas leadership is the approach of doing the right things identifying solutions where no structure guidance exists. This is the reason why leadership is needed to stimulate employees commitment to innovation (Alves et al., 2007). People management and team work are essential to innovation development as this process stimulate idea generation and knowledge sharing between different individuals which is synthesised in the creation of a novel and meaningful solution. References Afuah. A. (2003) Innovation Management. (2nd ed.) Oxford: Oxford University Press. Alves, J., Marques, M., Saur, I. and Marques, P. (2007) Creativity and Innovation through Multidisciplinary and Multisectoral Cooperation, Creativity and Innovation Management, Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 27 34. Anon (2008) Change management and employee motivation: the balancing act [online]. Available from: http://www.articlesbase.com/recruitment-articles/change-management-and-employee-motivation-the-balancing-act-672944.html [Accessed: 04/05/11] Barney, J. (2001) Is the Resource-Based Theory a Useful Perspective for Strategic Management Research?.Yes., Journal of Management, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 99 120. Barney, J., Wright, M. and Ketchen Jr., D. (2001) The resource-based view of the firm: Ten years after 1991.,Journal of Management, vol. 27, no. 6, pp. 625 641. Bennet, B (2009) Change management: Motivation [online]. Available from: http://billbennett.co.nz/2009/09/16/change-management-motivation/ [Accessed: 04/04/11] Bessant, J. (2003) High Involvement Innovation. Chichester: John Wiley Sons. Bessant, J. and Francis, D. (1999) Developing strategic continuous improvement capability, International Journal of Operations Production Management. Vol. 19, No. 11, pp. 1106 1119. Boer, H. and During, W.E. (2001) Innovation. What innovation? A comparison between product, process and organisational innovation, International Journal of Technology Management, Vol. 22, No. 1/2/3, pp. 83 -107. Cook, S. (2004), Change management excellence: using the four intelligences for successful organizational, Kogan Page Publishers. Available from: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Y9BcWvY-0SMCprintsec=frontcoverdq=change+managementlr=#v=onepageq=f=false [Accessed: 04/03/11]. Dahlgaard, J. J., Kristensen, K. and Kanji, K. G. (1998) Fundamental of Total Quality Management. London: Chapman Hall. Damanpour, F. (1991) Organizational Innovation: A Meta-Analysis of Effects of Determinants and Moderators, The Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 555 590. Damanpour, F. and Gopalakrishnan, S. (2001) The Dynamics of the Adoption of Product and Process Innovations in Organizations, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 45 65. Dewar, D. R. and Dutton, E. J. (1986) The Adoption of Radical and Incremental Innovations: An Empirical Analysis, Management Science, Vol. 32, No. 11, pp. 1422 1433. Fedor and Harold (2004) Effects of Change and Change Management on Employee Responses: An Overview of results from multiple studies [online]. Available from: http://www.cpbis.gatech.edu/research/workin g_papers/CPBIS-WP-04-02%20Herold_Fedor_Change%20 Management%20Fall%202004.pdf [Accessed: 04/04/11] Francis, D. and Bessant, J. (2005) Targeting innovation and implications for development, Technovation, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 171 183. Hiatt, J and Creasey (2003) Change management: the people side of change, Prosci. Available from: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id =zQTy8mk8kZYCprintsec=frontcoverdq=change+management#v=onepageq=f=false [Accessed: 04/04/11] Hof, R. (2005) Why ebay is buying Skype, Businessweek. Retrienved: 10/09, form: http://www.businessweek. com/the_thread/techbeat/archives/2005/09/why_ebay_is_buy.html. [Accessed: 05/04/11]. Hospers, J. G. (2005) Joseph Schumpeter and His Legacy in Innovation Studies, Knowledge, Technology Policy, Vol. 18, No. 3, pp. 20-37. Robinson, A. (1991) Continuous Improvement In Operations. Cambridge: Productivity Press. Schumpeter, J. (1950) Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy. (3rd ed.) New York: Harper Row. Leede, de J. and Looise, K. J. (2005) Innovation and HRM: Towards an Integrated Framework, Creativity and Innovation Management, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 108 117. Tidd, J., Bessant. J. and Pavitt. K. (2005) Managing Innovation. (3rd ed.) Chichester: John Wiley Sons Ltd. Tushman, M. L. and OReilly, C. (1997) Winning through Innovation: A Practical Guide to Leading Organizational Change and Renewal. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Van de Ven, A. H., Polley. E. D., Graud. R. and Venkataraman. S. (1999) The innovation journey. New York: Oxford University Press. Vitzthum, S. and Konsynski, B. (2009) EBAYs Acquistion of Skype SA: Valuing the Voice of the Buyer, The Communications of the Association for Information Systems, vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 89 104. Table of Contents References 9 Introduction to the Case study The present cases study focuses on Apple which is one of the leading and most innovative producers of technologies and entertainment devices. The company is continuously growing in size and is attracting greater market share. In this respect, the analysis focuses on the particular product and service innovation which are provided by the organisation to sustain continuous competitiveness. It is essential to be underlined that product and process innovation should not be perceived as separate entities (Afuah, 2003). It is often that business organisation incorporate both product and process innovation as interconnected elements of a mutual strategy of industrial competitiveness (Francis and Bessant, 2005). It should be also underlined that often, process innovation is stimulated as a natural outcome of product innovativeness, it appears as a logical and complementary derivative. It is also important to be mentioned that the present case study focuses on another essential element of the development and introduction of innovation, such as business leadership. It specifically focuses on the companys most prominent decision-maker and leader Steve Jobs, and analyses his approaches to business management and innovation leadership. Innovation Types and Characteristics As already revealed in the previous case study, innovation is a popular phenomenon which pioneer Joseph Schumpeter describes as the process of creative destruction. In other words, innovation is a novel solution which has commercialised applicability and significant market value (Hospers, 2005; Freeman and Soete, 1997; Kleinknecht and Mohnen, 2002). This definition clearly describes the innovation which is produced by Apple, one of the leading technological innovators. The company utilises a number of innovative products in its iPhone, iPad and iPod series of entertainment products. The innovative performance of the organisation can be recognised as highly distinctive. The company utilises and merges different types and degrees of innovativeness. The academic literature describes primarily two types of innovation such as, product and process innovation (Storey, 2000). However, often companies can utilise a mix of the two as it is in the case of Apple. The company has popular products as iPad, iPod and iPhone which are complemented by the innovative platform iTunes where users can download music and create playlists to play on their iPods. Moreover, there are hundreds if not thousands of applications which are created by Apple software developers which are downloaded and used on any of the iPad and iPhone devices. This is an example of how the company engages customers through a full life cycle they are provided with innovative products and service from the save brand which ensures long-term loyalty and re-purchase (Iacobucci and Calder, 2003; Kotler and Keller, 2008). The innovative management of products and services at Apple has been led by a management and leadership approach which can be identified with high level of confidentiality, secrecy and partial isolation. Contrary to the conceptual understanding in the academic literature that innovation is stimulate through continuous knowledge sharing and idea generation, Steve Jobs promoted an environment of micro-management and high level of internal control. However, this has led to paradoxical results Apple is continuously generating market share, profitability and above all customers loyalty (Daft et al., 2010). One of the explanations for this outcome can be related to the resource based view theory. Similarly to the previous case study on Skype and E-bay, Apple seems to be also taking advantage of the strength of its internal resources. The resource based view theory suggests that a companys success is derived from the uniqueness and competitiveness of its internal resources (Johnson and Scholes, 2008).This approach is closely related and relevant to the leadership and management initiatives practiced by Apples main decision-maker Steve Jobs. Jobs approaches to people management can be identified and strict but with high level of fairness. However, this leadership and management approach sustains certain risks as too much of micro-management and strictness may decrease employees creativity and innovative capabilities (Daft et al., 2010; Goleman, 1998). Employees are essential source to innovation development and therefore people management should stimulate an environment which promotes the expression of employees creativity and innovativeness, such as: team work; knowledge sharing; initiativeness; risk taking; company and market wide exposure (Rogers, 1995; Tushman and OReilly, 1997; Van de Ven et al., 1999). Innovation Promoters and Obstacles One of the primary promoters of Apples innovative capabilities is the significant strength of internal resources and capabilities. In other words, in order for a companys resources to be considered as contributory to the overall business competitiveness and innovativeness they need to be rare, unique and valuable not only to the particular organisation but to the market place (Barney, 2001). In this respect, the internal resources which are in possession of Apple perform in a highly competitive manner. In this context, one of the greatest promoters of the companys innovativeness is the leadership approach conducted by Jobs which focuses on growth of internal technological capacity and utilisation of internal employees skills. However, it should be underlined that this type of leadership and internal management can lead to certain problems in the company. On the one hand, the substantial commitment practiced by Jobs is a clear indicator of a strong leadership (Day, 2000; Gill, 2006). He is devoted to the wellbeing of the company and therefore he often practices micro-management. However, on the other hand, this micro-management approach can result in certain difficulties and obstacles to the production of innovation. This can reduce employees freedom to be creative and innovative, to take initiative and risks in their decision-making which are all important components in the process of innovation management and development (Daft et al., 2010; Slack et al., 2007; Tidd et al., 2005). Reactions and Restrictions to Innovation The reaction to Apples innovation can be divided into internal and external. The internal reaction is related to employees performance to the development and introduction of innovation. In the present case, Jobs is one of the primary stakeholders in this process of innovation development which can be suggested to restrict employees commitment to the process of innovation development. As it was already outline, innovation development is a process which requires a people management approach which stimulates employees creativity and innovativeness (Alves et al., 2007; Storey, 2000). Furthermore, especially in the case of a cumulative product and process innovation, employees need to be provided with company-wide exposure (Leede and Looise, 2005). In the present case, however, the manger of the company restricts employees involvement in multiple processes. This restricts the ability of employees to get inspired by different departments, responsibilities and ideas. This is fundamentally important to the process of idea generation and creative destruction, when old patterns and thinking habits are substituted by innovative solutions (Hospers, 2005). Another essential restriction which needs to be clearly outlined is the industrial isolation of Apple as compared to other brands. In other words, it can be suggested that Apple refrains from collaborating with other industrial players. On the one hand, this protection is needed in the cutting edge technological industry. On the other, hand, however, Apple misses out on opportunities for strategic partnerships, co-operative research and development, and industrial collaboration (Drucker, 1991). These are all essential components for the continuous and successful adoption of innovation. In other words, in order for a company to be able to produce product and process innovation it needs to have substantial exposure to the industry and market trends (Dodgson and Rothw, 1994). In this context, as it can be identified from Apples comparative industrial isolation which is product of Jobs autocracy management may result in certain long-term risks and unfavourable internal and external reactions. For example, employees motivation may decrease due to the lack of responsibility, ownership and team work to which they are exposed. This is the reason why, employees may become passively aggressive and thus cease being productive due to undermined professional morale. However, it is also important to be outlined that this operational isolation may also have impacts on the industrial competitiveness in the sector. Other technological companies may embrace a copy-cat approach and adopt Apples innovation, therefore Apple will face increasing competitiveness rather than fruitful industrial partnerships (Ettlie, 1999; Kleinknecht and Mohnen, 2002; Kotler and Keller, 2008). Strategy Development and Leadership Another important issue is the strategic development and continuous leadership approaches of the company. Apple is one of the leading providers of entertainment technological devices. The company utilises both product and process innovation which provides them with the opportunity to attract greater customers interest and stimulate customers loyalty which is essential to sustaining continuous revenue generation (Groucutt et al., 2004; Kotler and Keller, 2008). Apart from the combination of product and process innovation, it is interesting to be outlined that Apple also utilises different degrees of innovativeness. The academic literature outlines two primary degrees of innovative impact, such as radical and increment (Bessant, 2003). In this respect, the radical innovation produced by Apple can be recognised in the highly innovative devices which it produces. For example, the switch from walkman and CD player music devices to Apples iPod is radical. In the same sense it is the companys iPhone which is pioneer of the smart phones in the industry. However, this radical innovativeness is also accompanied by incremental novelty Apple produces different upgrades on the devices and new models are released each year. This type of industrial performance has highly influential marketing impact. In other words, customers are continuously engaged with Apples novel propositions and therefore their life time purchasing is extended (Hollensen, 2007). Another essential aspect of the management of the company is the leadership approach which is applied by Steve Jobs. As it was already identified, the decision-maker focuses on the management of an authoritarian approach of managing employees. This causes certain internal secrecy and business isolation. Although, secrecy may be justified as important and necessary condition to survive in the high-tech industry, business isolation cannot be recognised as a positive outcome especially in the context of innovation management (Francis and Bessant, 2005). Finally, the personal approach to management and micro-management deployed by Jobs is also another leadership choice which can be criticized. In other words, through his leadership approaches, Jobs does not promote and sustains intellectual capital within the organisation. For example, if he leaves the company all the ideas, rules, processes and perceptions will leave with him. The primary contributor to this unfavourable outcome will be the reduced engagement of employees on a company-wide level. Apple is currently one of the most innovative companies in the market but the business innovativeness needs to be continuously sustained and updated in order for the company to be able to adequately serve the needs of customers.

Newman And The English Major :: essays research papers

Newman and The English Major John Newman’s ideas of education, knowledge, and intellectual fitness are well-formed and truthful. As related to my major, English, it reveals some interesting trends and practices. Although the English major isn’t a real big money-maker, like being a lawyer or doctor, and it generally focuses on literature and creativity, the courses still concentrate on the utility of what is being learned. Although one can sometimes see the relationships between courses, and thereby understand them in respects to each other and draw some connection, this interaction is rarely stated explicitly in those courses. One of Newman’s key ideas is that liberal knowledge (knowing how to think with versatility) is necessary for the more effective and more adaptable use of particular knowledge. A class that has allowed me to think and learn in this way was ENG 3014, Theories of Literature. I took the class twice for the purpose of raising my grade; the first time with Dr. Campbell and the second time with Dr. Logan. In this class I learned various critical literary theories and how to apply them to any text, communication, or other form of expression. Although these theories are based on application, it is the application of a thought process; an analysis which can be adapted and imposed on whatever I choose, which I can choose at my leisure, not just useful in one specific situation. However, most classes only teach facts, lessons, and the direct applications for them. Even the general studies courses and survey courses are taught as thought all the knowledge taught were to be used, not knowledge to savor and help heighten the intellect or thought process. To get an Associate’s degree for example, one must fulfill certain requirements, such as â€Å"natural science.† Instead of the class being taught as a class on general knowledge, which would be insightful into the world around us, they are taught as though every student enrolled were interested in becoming a chemist or biologist, with not enough effort placed on stimulation of interest. The students who are not interested in pursuing the sciences further have no use for this â€Å"particular† information, and it is disused and forgotten. I know that there are all sorts of information that I’ve been taught but are too specific to be useful to me day-to-day and so have been forgotten. The problem is that particular knowledge is useless except in one particular realm or level of discourse.

Robinson Crusoe Critique

Filippo Volodin Robinson Crusoe And The New Middle Class Before analyzing Robinson Crusoe it is important to give a short background of the author of such an incredible novel. Daniel Defoe was born in 1660 and died in 1731 after a life of adventures and incredible experiences. He was raised to be very religious and his parents were strongly attached to the puritanism tendency that was spreading around Europe. These aspects and the strong education imposed by his parents will strongly influence Robinson Crusoe’s psychology.Furthermore, Defoe worked as a Merchant, Insurer and during his entire live he has been sent in prison several times for either small or serious issues. Having such an experience, Defoe strongly felt to be part of the New Middle class that was flourishing due to the new colonies and the economic boom of that period. In this way we can say that his personal experience, family education and the influence of the growing Middle class strongly gave to Defoe the im pulse to create a character such as Robinson Crusoe, who represents the typical New Middle Class person who can, using his brain and his talent, always succeed in life.Robinson Crusoe represents the prototype of the typical English Merchant, heartless and unceasingly looking for a profitable business to lead. This new type of figure continuously changes because of the unsatisfactory position it has in the society and always strives to find new ways to make profit. In fact, Robinson Crusoe reveals these characteristics, and his strong attachment to the religion, when he sells Xury to the Captain. He offer'd me also 60 Pieces of Eight more for my Boy Xury, which I was loath to take, not that I was not willing to let the Captain have him, but I was very loath to sell the poor Boy's Liberty, who had assisted me so faithfully in procuring my own. However when I let him know my Reason, he own’d it to be just, and offer’d me this Medium, that he would give the Boy an Obligati on to set him free in ten Years, if he turn’s Christian; upon this, and Xury saying he was willing to go to him, I let the Captain have him. † From this quotation powerfully comes out the strong education gave to Robinson Crusoe.Crusoe does not really care about Xury, even though he has served him loyally. This passage highlights the new situation of the Middle Class represented by Robinson Crusoe that championed individualism, seizing every single opportunity to have a personal profit, relying just on own powers and talents. Furthermore, agreeing on converting Xury into a Christian let us explicitly understand the importance of the Puritan education imposed to Defoe by his family with the consequent reflection of this approach on Robinson Crusoe, who just agrees after making sure that the Captain have to turn Xury into a â€Å"Good Christian†.Robinson Crusoe demonstrates to be the â€Å"new bourgeois-man† during his long stay at the isle. The island becom es the perfect field to completely release his middle class attitudes and the opportunity to show that he deserves to be saved by God’s providence. It is important to interpret properly the significant of the Island. Crusoe’s stay at the island has to be seen as the chance for Robinson Crusoe to prove his qualities controlling, manipulating and exploiting the Nature. Consequently, Crusoe starts to â€Å"recreate† the English society of the 18th Century, sticking to the Middle Class uses of efficiency and individuality.For instance, when Crusoe meets Friday he decides to impose him his way of living showing once again his necessity to impose the â€Å"English life style†. In fact, further on in the novel Robinson Crusoe teaches to Friday how to speak English and how to interpret the holy Bible. In the island comes out even the typical attachment to the Puritanism of the Middle Class represented by Robinson Crusoe who believed in the God’s Providence . Crusoe is convinced that God is the first cause of everything but he can change his destiny by acting following his brain and using his talents.To conclude, Defoe shows us a perfect hero who, following the Middle Class education and mentality, can face every problem and solving it using his brain and his talents. It is incredible how Defoe could impress in an unbelievable way the main aspects of the growing Middle Class. Like Robinson Crusoe demonstrates, and Defoe in first person firmly thinks, a person using his own skill and being always self aware of his possibility can emerge and always find a way to survive and succeed in life if he really wants and strives for that.

Disruption in Attachment

Attachments can often be disrupted between an infant and its primary caregiver and these particular children can find themselves growing up and developing outside the traditional family environment. Thus not forming attachments can have serious impacts on the development of the infant. Disruptions to attachments can take place due to the lack of physical and emotional attachment (Privation) and separation from the primary caregiver. In disruption of attachments there are long-term and short-term effects of separation.In short-term effects of separation, the infants are likely to respond to the separation from their primary attachment figure with a behaviour pattern in three stages; Protest, Despair and Detachment. Robertson and Bowlby investigated the effects of infants separated from their mothers and found that the distress felt by the infants fell into three categories (PDD). Conversely other researchers such as Barrett have argued that the childs initial response to separation is actually the effort to cope with the feelings produced due to separation.Protest is the beginning, when the child starts to cry, scream and protest with rage when the parent leaves them. The infant at this point will try to cling on to the parent and will reject all attempts by others to try and pick them up. Despair, is when the infants anger seems to have calmed down although they may still feel a little upset, the infant will lose interest in the environment around him and will again reject attempts by other people to console the infant.Lastly there is detachment, at this point if the separation has continued the infant will have started to engage with other people but may still seem cautious, they will also reject the caregiver on reunion and engage with signs of anger. The reaction to short-term was shown by Robertson’s in their study of 17 months old John who was placed in a residential nursery for nine days, where he was neither mothered by the nurses nor protected fr om other children who attacked him, eventually he became very distressed and at reunion with his mother he rejected her.A few long-term effect of separation are; separation anxiety, extreme clinginess (the child will try their best to stay with the primary caregiver as much as possible, wherever they may go), detachment (the child will refuse any physical love such as being hugged, this may be to prevent the primary caregiver from leaving next time), the child will also be more demanding of their attachment figure. On the other hand not all children respond the same ay to separation, some infants may become more stressed or less distressed than others, factors that affect the child’s response are: the age of the child, the type of attachment they share with their primary caregiver, the gender of the child, with whom the child is left with and the quality of care they receive, the infants experience of previous separations. Schaffer and Callender studied the behaviour of 76 ba bies aged between 3 and 51 weeks of age.Their findings where that the seven months showed little clinging and upsetting behaviour however between 12 and 18 months of age the strength of the infants response had increased primarily due to the fact that they may have developed the idea that their primary attachment figure always returns. A securely attached child has a higher chance of coping with separation than an insecure-ambivalent type. Lastly, boys seem to react more strongly to separation than girls.A small number of children experience privation, which is the lack of any attachment at all in their early childhood development. The two types of studies carried out in order to inform us about the severe effects of privation are; case studies of infants who have been brought up in very bad conditions where they were also unable to form any attachments, and the studies of children who have been raised in institutionalised care.Koluchova reported a case study of twin boys who were b orn in Czechoslovakia and brought up in care soon after their mother had died and their father and step-mother had inhumanely treated them, they were severely malnourished, when they were discovered they had no speech and they were also beaten and starved in an unheated cellar away from human activity, this caused them extreme health conditions. They were later adopted by two sisters and gained average intelligence, they attended a mainstream school and there early damage had been repaired with no cognitive issues.Case studies can raise a major ethical issue of making the children who were involved feel as if they were just part of a psychological experiment and were used merely as objects of research, later on in life. Case studies may not always appear accurate, because digging up the past of the participants and concluding from case study research may not always be accurate. However in natural experiment this issue is overcome foe example: Tizard and Hodges study of the long-term effects of emotional privation.Institutionalisation refers to the various behavioural patterns of children who have been raised in institutions, orphanages and children’s care homes. Tizard and Hodges carried out a natural experiment where 65 children were brought up in a children’s home until they were four. For this period of time the children and staff were prohibited from forming attachments with one another, only so the children would not get upset if the person left. Due to the lack of attachment the children did not show fear of strangers, they ran to any adult that entered and cried when they left.This behaviour pattern is known as a disinhibited attachment. When the babies were restored, adopted or remained in the children’s home they were given (participants, teachers, peers, parents etc. ) assessments to complete via questionnaires or interviews. Tizard and Hodges found that the adopted group formed stronger bonds with their parents than the restored infants. This may have been because the restored children felt neglected. The restored children also had worse relationship with their siblings.Nonetheless, all three groups formed very weak peer to peer relationships. The study uses a range of research methods to collect information which is very beneficial for a final conclusion. One major disadvantage of a longitudinal study is the problem of participant attrition, and this was also a problem for Tizard and Hodges research. Ethical issues involved high sensitivity when it came to family relationships and the researchers had to make sure they were extremely cautious during the follow up interviews.They also had to make sure that the participants were in no pressure to continue with the research. In spite of the severe effects of institutionalisation and privation, if infants are removed at six months such as the Romanian orphans (Rutter et al study) tend to make better developmental progress. Children are able to recover from the se only if they are placed under a loving and caring environment after institutionalisation/ privation and they need an opportunity to form a strong bond with an adult who provides them with sufficient attention.