Analyst Report on Bridgestone Tyres Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analyst Report on Bridgestone Tyres - Essay Example The net income Bridgestone Corp performed extraordinarily In Europe where sales increased by 17% followed by Americans where sales increased by 1%. However, the net sales in Japan remain unchanged compared to 2011. The total assets of the company increased by 14% to 3,038.3 billion in 2012; this increase in the assets by financed by a 12% increase in the total liabilities and 3% increased in the total equity. The company returns showed a strong growth as well. The return on stockholders’ equity increased by 4.6 percentage points to 13.7% and return on assets increased by 2.2 percentage points to 6.0% in 2012. The company promises significant returns as well as strong value addition in future. Company Profile Ticker symbol: 5108.T Mission Statement: Serving Society with Superior Quality Corporate headquarters: Tokyo, Japan Date of Incorporation: March 1st, 1931 Public Auditor: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited Name of CEO: Masaaki Tsuya Name of CFO: Koki Takahashi Stock classifi cations: Common Stock Authorized: 1,450,000,000 shares Issued: 813,102,321 shares Exchange: Tokyo Stock Exchange Dividends: 21.9 billion Industry Profile Market Sector The company belongs to the Consumer Discretionary Sector. It is a sector of the economy that comprises businesses that sell non-essential products or services. Leaders Toyota Motor Corp Comcast Corp Amazon.com Inc Industry The company belongs to the Auto Components Industry. The industry comprise companies that supply low value to high value component to auto makers around the world. Stock Comparison with Competitors Bridgestone Corporation’s stock has shown a remarkable growth since January 2012 as compared to Pirelli’s and Goodyear’s stock as shown in the figure. The graph notes some of the major events – dividends, earnings and news. The news article states that the company has invested billions of yen into the research and development to produce tyres with maximized durability and value . The company, currently, has invested millions of yen into a new North American desert plant to extract a new form of natural rubber for tyre manufacturing. This stresses that the company continues to strive hard fpr excellence. The graph shows that company has continued to announce dividends and interim dividends at year ends and half year ends respectively. This has strengthened the belief of the investors in the stock value. Likewise, the company announced promising earnings which has allowed the company to maintain number one position in the global tyre market. Both the dividends and earnings have an impact on the stock price – in this case, the company’s stock price has risen par the competitors’ value after continuously posting strong earninsg and dividends. Market Capitalization Company Market Capitalization Bridgestone Corp 20.24B Goodyear 3.9B Continental 27B Michelin 14.4B Market capitalization is basically the market value of the company’s out standing shares. It determines the size of the company which allows for conclusion on asset allocation and risk factor. The analysis shows Bridgestone Corp has the largest capitalization compared to its three giant competitors – Goodyear, Continental AG and Michelin. With the capitalization of â‚ ¬20.24 billion, it falls in the ‘large cap’ pool of companies with a strong asset allocation and less risk. Global Presence Bridgestone Corpo

Literary analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Literary analysis - Essay Example Welty portrays the treatment meted out to the old woman in an eloquent manner, such that, the real life scenarios and the hardships faced by people due to factors like race, sex, religion and color can be clearly related with the story. The beginning of the story is so wavering that one tends to feel that there is no goal in the story, but at the end of both the story and the journey of Phoenix, one gets to understand the ultimate goal that Welty tried to present. Hardship, racism, solitude and indomitable love towards her grandson build the theme of the story, running their roots till the last part of it. Before progressing towards analyzing the literary aspects of the story being told, it is well worth to mention how well Welty has taken efforts to express the hardships faced by the woman in terms of her physical abilities. "Her eyes were blue with age," and "She carried a thin, small cane made from an umbrella, and with this she kept tapping the frozen earth in front of her" (Welt y 1941) clearly express about her being blind and having to take every step with an umbrella stick. That the protagonist is very old with almost a complete lack of physical strength is expressed by the author through the words, â€Å"Her skin had a pattern all its own of numberless branching wrinkles†. ... (Dan 1973) The plot begins on a chill morning, with the winter reaching its peak in the month of December. As Phoenix begins her walk, she expresses her feelings about the wild animals that she could meet in her journey. She indicates to those animals that she has a long road ahead to travel. Although the author expresses it as a direct interpretation towards the animals, indirectly, it is also to indicate the readers that she is suffering from senility. Another example shown by the author to instill this point in reader’s mind is when she sees a scarecrow and gets afraid thinking it to be a ghost. To add more credibility to this point, the author also doesn’t forget to mention that this is a path that Phoenix used to travel frequently in past. It is important to understand the abundant amount of information that author is trying to deliver through this single scenario. At first, she tells about her physical hardships, then about the hallucinations, her long journey and most of all, her determination to be in focus towards the goal irrespective of the disabilities. Welty has carved out exquisitely the characters of the supporting cast of the story. Be it the grandson, the hunter and the nurse, their characters are portrayed in a way very similar to how old age people are treated in day to day life. The use of figures of speech like â€Å"mouth open like a littlebird† (Welty 1941), to explain the condition of her grandson, vitalizes the readers and brings out a sense of joy in them. Once Phoenix crosses the hills, she stumbles on a hunter’s dog and meets with the hunter. Despite the hunter’s helping hand, the author brings

IS HOMOSEXUALITY A VALID SEXUAL IDENTITY Research Paper

IS HOMOSEXUALITY A VALID SEXUAL IDENTITY - Research Paper Example This paper will explore one of the main issues that reside in ethics, that is, whether homosexuality is immoral, and if it ought to be considered as a valid sexual identity. The author of this paper will argue that homosexuality should be accepted as a valid sexual identity because none of the arguments presented against homosexuality are valid. This paper will primarily deal with the nature and harm argument as presented by John Corvino. After of which, the author shall then present her analysis regarding the said issue at hand. For, upon proving that the arguments against homosexuality are by far, invalid, the author have as well shown both the importance of moral reasoning, and more importantly, that there exists no reasonable ground to deem homosexuality as something out rightly immoral. The Nature and Harm Argument At this day and age, homosexuality is inevitably growing in all parts of the globe. And along with this is the growing number of differing opinions about the said mat ter. This section shall address the associated harm and unnaturalness charge that the opponents of homosexuality advocate. For, it is for this reason that homosexuality is deemed as something immoral. In what follows is an analysis of the so-called nature and harm argument presented by John Corvino, in his defense of homosexuality. â€Å"Many who object to homosexuality argue that it is unnatural and therefore immoral† (Vaughn 231). ... The idea that animals could provide us with a sexual standard is simply amusing. And even if it were possible, it would not prove that homosexuality is immoral 3. The underlying thought here is that all innate desires are good ones and should therefore be acted upon. However, regardless of something being innate or not, it doesn’t follow that one should or should not act upon them. Likewise, determining the origin of the respective feeling or desire will not determine whether it is moral or immoral to act upon them 4. Since people can and do use their sexual organs to procreate, it does not follow that they should not use them for other purposes. And granted that homosexual intercourse utilizes sexual organs for other purposes aside from procreation, it does not follow that their act of fulfilling that purpose is immoral. 5. When some act is disgusting, it does not mean that it is wrong and thus, immoral. Therefore, the charge against homosexuality as something â€Å"unnatura l† is, according to Corvino, longer on rhetorical flourish than on philosophical cogency. Upon analyzing the flow of the argument from nature, it seems that the underlying thought of the entire argument rests upon a false assumption, i.e. that any act, which is not in accordance to nature is therefore immoral. And despite the fact that there could be no logical connection between the unnaturalness and immorality of any given act, Corvino’s line of defense does not give any justice to the status of homosexuality as that which does not contribute any immoral consequences. In other words, he merely argues against the contention of homosexuality as something unnatural, but does not provide another argument or alternative that shows philosophical cogency. It

The California Gold Rush Essay Example for Free

The California Gold Rush Essay Before the Gold Rush of 1849, California was a sparsely populated, unimportant territory of the United States mostly inhabited by the people of Mexico. However, that all changed when on January 24, 1848; carpenter and small time sawmill operator James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget in the American River that would forever change the history of California and America1. Not only did the Gold Rush lead to California’s admittance into the Union in 1850, it also rekindled the idea of the American Dream. Hundred’s of thousands of people poured into the state by the lure of quick and infinite riches. As a result of the Gold Rush, California eventually became an advanced technologic, and agrarian state, which would help pave the roads to urban development and a very capitalistic economy. The California Gold Rush jump-started the development of California as a state, and ignited the belief of the American Dream once again. In a year’s time of the discovery of gold in the American River, the provincial Gold Rush of 1848 transformed into the global Gold Rush of 1849 making national headlines across the world. Historian Hubert Howe Bancroft best described the Gold Rush as; â€Å"a rapid, monstrous maturity† which propelled the population so progressively that on September 9th, 1850 California became the thirty-first state admitted into the Union2. By the year 1851, over 255,000 people had immigrated to the Golden State spurred on by the hopes of finding gold and achieving the American Dream3. From these hundreds of thousands of aliens that flocked to California during the Gold Rush most were young men eager to risk their lives venturing to the Mother Lode in hopes of becoming miners and starting a new life. These men, called the â€Å"49ers†, would play a vital role in the transformation of the state, as they would soon become the pillar for the powerful mining economy in California4. In addition, the ban of slavery in California opened up a window of opportunity to those from other continents. Soon ships from Asia, Australia, Europe and South America were left stranded in the San Francisco Bay as everyone sought to achieve their own version of the American Dream in the Gold Rush as well. In the early stages of California’s state hood, gold mining was the keystone of the Californian economy. Originally, many gold miners who came to California were apart of larger mining companies that at first brought organization to the gold fields5. Nonetheless, as the pressure to find gold mounted each day with the number of people coming to California increasing, it soon became every man for himself; and as a result many of these organizations failed. However, the mining process was complex, required lots of man power, and as gold was becoming harder and harder to find; the introduction to certain technological advances revitalized the Gold Rush and California as a state. The introduction of Hydraulic mining by French Canadian, Anton Chabot in 1850 and later perfected by Edward Matteson a 49er from Connecticut, had everlasting effects on the mining industry as well as the environment6. By damming river and streams miners were now able to use the newly created waterbeds for their industrial hoses, which would spray water furiously onto the riverbanks eroding the ground until gold was spotted7. As a result of Hydraulic mining, mining organizations became powerful again and a sense of unity and prosperity was restored to the gold fields. The Gold Rush also started a new market for technology as now more people stopped mining, and thought of other ways they could make a living. Worker unions began to form, as mining companies needed laborers to maintain and manufacture new machines as wells as divert and dam rivers8. However, not everyone made their fortune in the mining industry. In 1853 Levi Strauss, a German immigrant came to California with aspirations of striking it rich in the gold fields. After a year of no luck, Levi and his family decided to open a general goods store in San Francisco that would sell dry goods and clothing to the miners. His store was a hit, as miners poured in to buy tents and other necessities for mining. One item in particular, denim pants known today as â€Å"jeans† sold like wild fire amongst the 49ers, as they were durable and did not rip. By the end of the Gold Rush, nearly 594 $ million in gold ingots (estimated around 10 $ billion in 2001 dollars) would be shipped out from California towards the east coast alone9. Not only did the Gold Rush create a prosperous mining climate, it also indirectly lead to an even more booming agrarian economy; that in 1869 surpassed mining in employment and then later in 1879 became the leading element to the California economy10. By the late 1870’s, there was nearly 600,000 thousand people living in the Golden State11. In order to feed so many mouths so quick, many people that could not make it as a miner or in the now blooming cities decided to settle on plots of land and become farmers. Most preferred the farming lifestyle opposed to a miner’s life because it was safer. In addition, due to California’s vast natural resources, fertile abundant land and great weather, growing food and raising livestock was easy compared to the eastern United States and other parts of the world. The Gold Rush also permitted the cattle industry to once again flourish in the west as a cattle boom from the north was guided to California for sale to the miners12. Soon afterwards, cattle ranches were set up in Southern California and provided an economic boost to the rest of the state13. In addition to the cattle industry doing well, by 1880 great wheat ranches had expanded throughout Colusa County and produced nearly half a mission bushels of wheat a year14. As a result of the wheat industry expanding, in the 1880’s and 1890’s irrigation districts had been introduced to California along with newly refrigerated railroad cars, which perhaps did the most to advance California towards becoming an agrarian powerhouse in the United States15. With a lucrative economy that was producing food and money, the urbanization of California happened much earlier than intended. With the mass migrations of workers pouring into mining towns and cities, the ones with the best strategic position ended up becoming the most successful. As a result, San Francisco, Sacramento and Las Angeles became the most powerful cities on the west coast because of the Gold Rush16. However, with the establishment of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869, California now had a direct contact with the rest of the United States and as a result every town in California economically and socially prospered17. With the advanced development of technology, an interstate road system was built which helped distribute the urbanization of California more thoroughly18. In addition to roads, the technology that was invented in the Gold Rush now could be applied to the development of the advancement of irrigation. In 1900, San Francisco and Los Angeles built a system of dams and aqueducts that would bring running water to their respective cities19. The result of this project would for years to come stabilize the infrastructure of these two cities20. Soon, markets, architecture and literature would flourish in cities across the state as California transformed from a rural state, to one of the most powerful states in America. As time progressed, cities in California were now looking to export their goods to the rest of the world. Banks had already been established in California during the 1850’s as a place for miners to store their gold and by 1855 Wells Fargo Bank controlled about ninety percent of the transporting of gold in the state21. California possessed a highly successful banking system, but now with the help of the transcontinental railroad and the port cities, the Californian economy was now turning towards capitalism22. With a well-organized society and economy in California, industries were booming. Cities like San Francisco led the way with the exportation of goods to other countries and the eastern part of the United States23. California soon started to enter trade relationships with Asia, Europe and other continents as it exported gold, fine goods and food at a rapid rate24. As trade blossomed, so did education and literature. Soon, schools, churches, universities and newspaper companies were sprouting up all along California. This all in term led to California becoming a melting pot of different cultures just like other great states in the U. S. The Gold Rush of 1849 directly led to California’s admittance and prestige as the thirty-first state admitted into the Union. Not only did the Gold Rush bring hundreds of thousands of people to the Golden State, it also kept them there. With advancements through technology, the mining industry in California would become the strongest in the world at its time25. Also, as the mining economy grew strong, the agricultural economy grew even stronger because of the Gold Rush. With these advancements, people were able to build permanent empires through the urban development of California. As cities prospered at the benefit of the Gold Rush, California was able to grow stronger and smarter as a state through capitalism and trade with foreign countries. The Gold Rush of 1849 jump started the development of California as a state and achieved people’s goals of the American Dream. Bibliography: Gibbs, William. California Gold Rush (1848–1858). Open Collections Program: Immigration to the US, California Gold Rush, 1848-1858. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 May 2013. Ketchum, Liza. The Gold Rush. Boston: Little, Brown, 1996. Print. Lloyd, J. D. The Gold Rush. San Diego: Greenhaven, 2002. Print. Martinez, Lionel. The Gold Rushes. The Gold Rushes. N. p. , n. d. Web. 20 May 2013. Starr, Kevin. California: A History. New York: Modern Library, 2005. Print.

Online Rerservation System Essay Example for Free

Online Rerservation System Essay Online hotel or resort reservations are becoming a very popular method for booking hotel or resort rooms. Travelers can book rooms from home by using online security to protect their privacy and financial information and by using several online travel agents to compare prices and facilities at different hotels. 1 Hotel or resort reservations systems, commonly known as Online Reservation System (ORS) is a computerized system that stores and distributes information of a hotel, resort, or other lodging facilities. It is an assistant for hoteliers to manage all of their online marketing and sales, where they can upload their rates and availabilities to be seen by all sales channels that are using an ORS. Sales channels may include conventional travel agencies as well as online travel agencies. A hotelier using an online reservation system easens his or her tasks for online distribution, because an ORS does everything to distribute hotel information to the sales channels instead of the hoteliers.2 Here in the Philippines, the biggest hotels and resorts are using the same technology. But, in some far flung provinces, some hotels and resorts are still using manual reservation system. They use signages and some print advertisements for their marketing; and log books and some paperworks to record customers’ data. One of these establishments is the Double Mother’s Mayon Spring Resort which is located in Barangay Buyuan, Legazpi City. It was established by Lilian Pareja, a native of Albay Province, on March 8, 2008. She built the resort to fulfill her dreams of having one. Double Mother’s Mayon Sprong Resort has full amenities like: 15 rooms with toilet and bathrooms, all are airconditioned; 21 cottages; a convention hall for special occassions, and can accommodate up to250 persons;2 swimming pools; slides; restaurant with videoke; and a rent-a-car. The resort is one of the most affordable resorts in the province yet has a quaility of a five star place. The room price range from P 750.00 to P 5,000.00 per 24 hours of stay. The cottages are priced P 300.00 a day. And, the package program of their convention hall is P 25,000.00, with all the amenities included. The resort has varied of customers: from locals to foreigners. The main attractions of the resort are the full view of Mayon Volcano and the spring water coming from it. Tourists came in the province all year round. For 2 years that the resort was created, all transactions were made manually by the front desk personnel. After the reseachers meeting with the manager and talked about this study and its benefits to the resort, they immediately agreed as thevenue for the study. The resort understands â€Å"the role of information systems and technologies in company’s management and daily operations has been widely acknowledge and assessed as positive†.3 Research has shown the importance and unprecedented growth potential of e-commerce and its role as a new electronic distribution channel.4 It has been also well agreed in the literature that establishing an online presence and adopting e-commerce business models increases company’s competetiveness, profitability, and efficiency. Statement of the Problem The Double Mother’s Mayon Spring Resort has no online presence and computerized system for their establishment. All their marketing and transactions are made manually, and because of this, it costs them time, money, and lack of customers. The researchers will find ways to answer the following questions: 1. How to attract tourists from other provinces and countries? 2. How to launch a marketing campaign that is low in cost? 3. How to provide aswers to the questions of would-be-customers without lifting a phone or having a face-to-face contact? 4. How and where to keep files accurately and effeciently with confidentiality? 5. How to retreive files and print reports easily?  6. Will it be possible to easily monitor the sales on daily, weekly, or monthly basis? 7. How to compute the bill of the customers accurately? Objectives of the Study This study aims to solve the current problems of Double Mother’s Mayon Spring Resort when it comes to Marketing/Advertisement and Management system. The researchers aim to achieve objectives, such as: 1. To attract tourists from other provinces and countries by developing and launching a program or website for information and online presence. 2. To launch a low cost marketing and advertisement campaigns that reaches a wide audience by having an online information and connected with other websites and government agencies connected with hospitality industry. 3. To provide answers to would-be-touristsby having a detailed Frequently Asked Questions coulumn on the resort’s website. 4. To keep files secured, accurate, and efficient by developing a database with passwords that only the administration and owners knows. 5. To retreive files and reports easily and automatically. 6. To save money and time for efficient and accurate transactions. Scope and Delimitation The study will provide answers to the problems of Double Mother’s Mayon Spring Resort when it comes to marketing and effectively managing the business. This will limit the study on the online presence and reservation system. Significance of the Study This study is important to all stakeholders, to the business and to the hospitality industry. 1. The study will make the business of resort thrive for installation of new system and technologies for doing marketing and management. 2. It will be a great help for the employees of Double Mother’s Mayon Spring Resort because it will make their work easier and efficient. 3. There will be less paperwork and their will be less time consumed. 4. The management can manned their manpower to do other things rather than do the time consuming procedures of traditional marketing and reservation system. 5. Assessing the customer’s record will also be easier, faster, more precise and accurate. 6. It will also make the establishment more efficient in terms of providing faster and more efficient quality service. 7. The tourists will have an option of reserving a room or package with the resort’s online presence. 8. The would-be-customers can save time, energy, and money in looking for the right resort or service. 9. This will benefit students and future researchers to serve as reference in conducting researches of similar nature and topic. 10. This will also help the researchers to widen their knowledge and provide them personal experience as they make and work on this study.

Change is inevitable

Change is inevitable Question Provide a critical analysis of an organisational change which you have directly experienced. You may select one element or aspect of the change for a particular discussion. You will be expected to use the main concepts of the relevant parts of the literature on managing change, to diagnose, account for, and explain the change. Consider what lessons can be learnt from that initiative on the strengths and weaknesses of programmatic approaches to change. Introduction Everyone says change is difficult. It is difficult to conceive because one must inevitably deal with people issues and uncertain future. The more so to implement because consequences can be difficult to predict, harder to track and therefore can create a dynamic all of their own. Is this really so? Is it not true that we are living in an era though which dramatic changes of productivity, technology, brand, image and reputation are common place? Thus reaffirming the words of Heraclitus the Greek philosopher who said â€Å"Change is the only constant thing in life† Change is inevitable but often its easier said than implemented because every change faces resistance in some form and carries with it certain consequences. A classic example would be my experience working in MARG Ltd, one of Indias biggest infrastructure company today. I was given the role of a â€Å"Business Analyst† in 2007 immediately after I graduated engineering. It was my first job, my first real life bu siness experience. I was a part of the company for 2 years. The following parts of my essay consist of all the changes the organization went through in the areas of structure, culture and technology. However considering the requirements of the essay a detailed analysis is written on structural change which is an internal change model. The first part identifies the problem due to monumental growth of the organization in terms of financial support received and the subsequent increase in huge human capital required to carry out the projects. The second part consists of the literature review pertaining to the structural change the organization witnessed followed by a brief critical analysis of the entire scenario. The conclusion consists of the mistakes made and lessons learnt followed by a personal reflection on the dynamics of change management. In April 2007 MARG Ltd consisted of 400 employees. By October 2007, the organization grew to 3250 employees with multiple branches exploding in 7 different cities throughout India. That is nearly 9 times its growth in human capital. This happened due to an investment of USD 12.6 million received from deutsche bank for a total land asset of 12400 acres including 2 potential Special Economic Zones and a port infrastructure development. Being a company with only 2 verticals namely Real Estate Residential and Real Estate Commercial, it diversified into 6 verticals consisting of (a) Real Estate Residential, (b) Real Estate Commercial, (c) Port Development, (d) Industrial Clusters, (e) Special Economic Zones and (f) Power generation with about 500 employees in each vertical. Now each vertical had more employees than the entire company had in April. The earlier organizational structure was a traditional functional structure. This structure can be illustrated by the companys activities group ed into departments such as personnel, Marketing, Finance, Sales, Legal and Civil Operations. All the functional departments excluding finance which had a CFO as its business head had 1 CEO reporting directly to the Chairman, 2 Vice presidents (1 for Real Estate residential and 1 for Real estate commercial) reporting to the CEO and the rest of the team reporting to the VPs. This was a simple structure which had its advantages during that phase of the organization. A complete coordination was achieved as the entire operations of the company were achieved through the CEO overseen by the chairman. This structure allowed for the development of employee expertise in all areas, it provided career paths for professional staff involved and finally there was an effective utilization of personnel across various departments (Carnall, C. 1990). However this structure created pressure on the organization for its further growth in the aspect of geographical dispersion, project diversification and increase in human capital. Hence there was a structural change needed in the form of a matrix structure. The chairman decided on this structure as it offered equal importance on the market and the functional focus to the organizational work. Also most academics have believed that such structure is favourable for large construction, aerospace and computer software companies (Hardy, C. 1994). This favours organization which deals with more than one complex project and where there is a need to coordinate and develop project and various specialist activities. As the demand for various specialist inputs is variable over the completion time lines of the project, this structural change seemed to be the best possible solution which not only promoted the effective deployment on a project when needed but also offered the adaptability over time so that resources can be easily switched between projects. The advantages of a structural change of this nature were (a) it identified the project man agement structures, (b) provided accountability for the project, (c) allowed development of cohesive and effective teams of specialists working towards the objectives of a key project, (d) provided for the professional and career development of specialist staff, (e) and most importantly they provided for the flexible use of specialist staff (Carnall, C. 1990). However every choice carries with it certain consequences and uncertainties. The consequences on the negative side which were later realized was that there was difficulty of handling such a matrix structure in terms of reconciling the need for flexibility with the need for project coordination and control. Now this reconciliation required good working relationships between project and functional management which did not exist. This is because about 90% of the employees were fresh entrants. They did not know the people they were working with. Most of them were fresh graduates and never had any previous work experience in infrastructure. Some of the experienced employees who joined recently were not from the industry. Also the biggest issue was that the employees who have been present since the start of the organization felt threatened with the implementation of the new structure as this does not give them the accessibility they had before with their Chairman. The people who had report ed to their respective bosses had now had to report to somebody else. For example the CEOs had to report to the newly appointed Executive Directors, Vice presidents had to report to business heads who in turn had to report to the CEOs. The entire working relationships and comfort zones of various employees were disrupted by the new structural change. Though people understood the need for such a change and that it was required for the benefit of the organization considering its monumental growth, people feared the loss of power and control thus giving rise to insecurities and conflicts. Based on the literature review the 3 main problems identified in the organization with such a structural change were the struggle between; Centralization vs. Decentralization: Being a company with functional structure, the process was a centralized one where the coordination was more straightforward with decisions being made by the chairman at clearly recognized points within the organizational structure. Also the senior management were in a comfortable position with established policies that they are used for many years. It suited the chairman for he had control over all the day to day activities, most decision making and a convenient resource allocation. In this model the centralization of power and control of procedures was focused on the chairman ( Brooke, T. 1987). But however in order to go to the next level of growth and meet the market demand, it was necessary for the organization to be decentralized. With 6 verticals and a man power of 3250 this seemed to be the sensible choice. With as many as 27 projects spread over 6 verticals, delegation was the key factor in meeting objectives. Delegation can reduce the am ount of stress and overload experienced by the senior management. When senior management is overloaded, the exercise of control is diminished. With delegation it was possible for the senior management and the chairman to move away from day to day activities and focus on long term planning and creating a vision. Also it helps the bottom line management in providing opportunities to make decisions and attain personal satisfaction by matching their personal goals with that of the organization. It assists the management development in widening the on job skills of managers and prepares number of people who are capable of undertaking senior positions in the future. It also provides flexibility, with the establishment of sub units it helps in improved controls and performance measurements and accountability can be identified (Bartlett, C. 1991). Control vs. Commitment: This aspect is important for the overall effectiveness of the organization. MARG had a control model where work was divided into specialized tasks. Performance expectations were defined as ‘standards that define the minimum acceptable performance. No attempt was made to establish maximum or potential performance. With the matrix structure, it was necessary to bring the commitment model. But that meant changing the attitude and expectations of the employees. In this model, job profiles were redesigned to be broader and teams rather than individuals and the each business unit was held accountable for performance. This also involved that people rely on shared goals for coordination; influence was based on expertise and information and not on position anymore. Performance expectations were set relatively high. Continuous improvement was expected and monitored. At the same time lot of motivational programs were incorporated as a part of the business managemen t. The organizational structure was designed to be flatter to enhance performance and commitment (Walton. 1987). This gave birth to reward policies, open door policies and performance management systems. This also seemed to enhance employee management relations. Change vs. Stability: Its a common notion that in a changing world every organization must change to survive and prosper. However while this happens its also mandatory to deploy people to produce goods and services to the market as usual, even if we are demanding extra effort from them as they experience change. This is where it is essential that a balance is maintained between change and stability (Chandler. 1962). This often refers to the transition phase between when the change is implemented and the consequences arrive. The transition phase is normally uncertain in a number of areas. Every employee might react differently to changes. The response is not the same always. MARG experienced similar difficulties. Even though awareness for change was established and people understood the need for change, the existing employees couldnt handle a shift in their normal routine and they had give up on their control and power. To bring about a structural change and yet retain the harmony and employee satisfaction seemed to be a challenge for the company. Even though the problem was identified and the corrective measures were taken to overcome them. There was a hurdle in problem solving and it was the blocks in the minds of the employees. These can be categorized as follows; (a) Perceptual Blocks: This involves the employees stereotyping. They saw what they expected to see. They only saw the new structural change as a threat and not as an opportunity to increase their performance or making use of the opportunities to go up the corporate ladder. There were tendencies to delimit the problem area too closely thus defining it narrowly. Thus they never faced the real problem which was their motivation and commitment. Also there were difficulties in using all the sensory inputs (Adams. 1987). The employees felt that they were overloaded with information on changing structures and the reason for it. With fresh job descriptions and new recruitment there were lot of things happening in the organization and the employees couldnt use all the information for their benefit. (b) Emotional Blocks: This involves fear of taking risk, incapacity to tolerate ambiguity and employees preference to judging rather than generating ideas (Olsen. 1986). The existing employees were afraid to take risks and execute the expected tasks for they feared redundancy and felt insecure that if they failed somebody else in the company would take their place and felt loss of appreciation also as a possible outcome. The matrix structure was put in place quickly and it carried with it certain complexities. The available data was overloading and employees felt it was misleading, full of opinions and had different values. In trying to analyze the available data, they missed out on promising opportunities and self development. Finally they were constantly judging the ideas and solutions put forward by the new members and the new bosses. This lead to early rejection of ideas in their minds resulting in organizational objectives not being met. (c) Cognitive Blocks: This aspect doesnt deal with the employees but is associated with the inadequacies of the management. This comprises of incorrect use of language, inflexible use of strategies and lack of correct information (Janis. 1989). Since the top management were from different backgrounds and industries they were using incorrect languages which portrayed a completely different picture for an infrastructure company. Most senior professional come from a comfortable and set environment which had established process, systems and protocols. Also most of them come from traditional companies. Hence there tendencies to stick to what they know and were stuck with their earlier methodologies. This did not suit the current of MARG as it was still in its transition phase and in early phase of establishing fresh policies and process. In spite of the challenges faced, continued focus resulted in establishing a firm matrix structure with all the employees aligned to the objectives of the organization. There were numerous mistakes made but it also lessons were learnt. This section outlines all the mistakes made, the lessons learnt and finally identifies a change model MARG followed in academic language. The time gap between which the change was planned and executed was very quick. Though its understandable that it was need within a quick span of time it shook the organization by its roots with resistance from all sides. One of the major mistakes was that the chairman being used to getting himself involved in the day to day activities continued to do that even with the new matrix structure and this resulted in the displeasure of CEOs, Executive directors and VPs. This affected their decision making as they would have to wait for the chairman to make every decision. Employees developed their own negative perceptions o f structural change and criticized every plan and ideas without thinking about its benefits. MARG followed a clinical approach earlier where the set limited employees and the comfortable environment made it efficient for success through a psychological contract between the employees and the chairman (Bell. 1995). Employees security was established through personal relationships. However with the new structure it was necessary to adopt a linear approach. In this approach change was implemented as a linear process where the managers were expected to identify organizational adaptations ahead and the new systems developed would propel the organization towards static equilibrium thus resulting in stability (Stacey. 1996). The problems as mentioned earlier were solved in 3 stages. First step was unfreezing. Creating awareness among employees for the need of change and the benefits it would bring not only to the organization but also to the employees. Then comes the step moving. Here new i deas are tested and existing process is revamped. This is followed by refreezing where new behaviours, skills and attitudes are stabilized and commitment to change is achieved (Lewin. 1997). The last step was done in 4 stages. First was the conceptualizing process then the motivation process, the commitment process and finally the implementation and evaluation phase (Kotter. 1988). As a result the organization was able to produce the following after a series of trial and error method; (a) established a sense of urgency for change. (b) Created a guiding coalition. (c) Developed a vision and strategy. (d) Communicated the changed vision. (e) Empowered employees for broad based action. (f) Generated short term wins. (g) Anchored new changes in future (Kotter 1996). All this was possible by working through the blocks and with a series of trial and error method the expected result was obtained. Though the price for such a change was key employees and CEOs resigning, with the objectives b eing met it was a lesson learnt for future transformational change. In the current market scenario it is mandatory for such rapid and monumental changes to handle the increasing demand. As Argryis (2004) said â€Å"If the rate of change outside the organization is faster than the rate of change inside, the end result is nigh†. Hence such rapid monumental changes are needed and every change will always carry with it certain uncertainties and challenges. But thats the only way for organizational development. Bibliography Adams, J.L. (1987) Conceptual Blockbusting, pp 18 pp 43, Penguin Publications Argryis, C. (2004) Double Loop learning and organizational change, pp 104, Wiley Publications Bartlett, C.A. (1989) The critical path to change, pp 57 pp 79, Prentice Hall Publications Burnes, B (2004) Managing Change, pp 61 pp190, Prentice Hall Publications Carnall, C. (1990) Managing Change in Organizations, pp 14 18, pp 120 -pp 142, Prentice Hall Publications Chandler, A. (1962). Strategy and Structure, pp 97 180, MIT Publications Dawson, P. (2003) Organizational Change, pp 43- pp 54, Routledge Publications French, W.L (1995) Organizational Development, pp 55 pp 90, Prentice Hall Publications Hardy, C (1994) Managing Strategic Action, pp 290 pp 320, Sage Publications Janis, I.L. (1989), Dynamics of Change management, pp 119 -pp 123, Mc Graw Hill Publications Kotter, J.P (1996) Leading Change, pp 55 64, Harvard Business School Press Lewin, K. (1997) The cognitive and behavioural elements of organizational change, pp 210 pp 241, Sage Publications Stacey, R (1996) strategic Management and Organizational dynamics, pp 199 207, Prentice Hall Publications Olsen, S. (1986). Strategic Control and Organizational Design, pp 145 pp 151, Mc Graw Hill Publications Wilson, D.C. (1992) A strategy for change, pp 25 pp 90, Routledge Publications

Essay on Lies and Self-realization in A Dolls House -- Dolls House es

Lies and Self-realization in A Doll's House    In Ibsen's play,   A Doll's House,   the characters willingly exist in a situation of untruth or inadequate truth that conceals conflict.   Nora's independent nature is in contradiction to the tyrannical authority of Torvald.   This conflict is concealed by the way they both hide their true selves from society, each other, and ultimately themselves.   Just like Nora and Torvald, every character in this play is trapped in a situation of untruth. "A Doll's House", can be misinterpreted as simply an attack on the religious values of Ibsen's society.   While this is certainly an important aspect of the play, it is not, however, Ibsen's main point.   "A Doll's House" established a method Ibsen would use to convey his views about individuality and the pursuit of social freedom.   The characters of "A Doll's House" display Henrik Ibsen's belief that although people have a natural longing for freedom, they often do not act upon this desire until a person or event forces them to do so. Readers can be quick to point out that Nora's change was gradual and marked by several incidents.   A more critical look reveals these gradual changes are actually not changes at all, but small revelations for the reader to see Nora's true independent nature.   These incidents also allow the reader to see this nature has been tucked far under a facade of a happy and simple wife.   In the first act, she admits to Christine that she will "dance and dress up and play the fool" to keep Torvald happy (Ibsen).   This was Ibsen's way of telling the reader Nora had a hidden personality that was more serious and controlling.   He wants the reader to realize that Nora was not the fool she allows herself to be seen as.   ... ...in A Doll's House is the importance of the individual and the search for self-realization.      Works Cited Brunsdale, Mitzi. "Herik Ibsen."   Critical Survey of Drama.   Ed.   Frank N. Magill.   Englewood Cliffs, NJ:   Salem Press 1986. pg982. Clurman, Harold.   Ibsen.   Macmillan, 1977, pg223.   Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism.   Ed. Sharon K. Hall. Vol. 8.   Detroit:   Gale, 1982. pg154. Heiberg, Hans. 1967. Ibsen. A Portrait of the Artist. Coral Gables, Florida: University of Miami. Ibsen, Henrik. "A Doll’s House." Perrine's Literature.   Forth Worth:   Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998.   pp. 967-1023 Shaw, Bernard.   "A Doll's House Again."   The Saturday Review, London, Vol. 83, No. 2168, May 15, 1897:   539-541.   Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism.   Ed.   Sharon K.   Hall.   Vol. 8. Detroit:   Gale, 1982. pg.143.