The Cuba-Soviet Unions Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Cuba-Soviet Unions Relations - Essay Example Various conflicts have been witnessed in history between nations in the world. During such conflicts, the other nations that are not directly involved in the war often take sides and support their allies against the enemy nations. The situations often lead to further enmity among the rival groups and develop into social and political unrest in the whole world. Such wars led to research and subsequent developments of deadly weapons by nations that could destroy the whole world. Various crises in the world have been seen that follow a period of conflicts between rival nations especially if the rivalry has erupted between two or more industrial powers that are key drivers of the world economy. There are different types of war that can be experienced between two or more nations. These are Hot War, Warm War, and Cold War. A Hot War occurs when there is a complete disagreement between nations and all the attempts to have a peaceful dialogue have failed. It is characterized by physical confrontations between the armies of the rival nations. Warm war is a situation where there is room for dialogue and it is actually being carried out. Meanwhile, the defense of each side is undergoing preparation for the possibility of war that might break. Cold War occurs between two nations that are actually rivals but do not want to face each other one on one as was witnessed between USSR and US catalyzed by the Cuban revolution, more so when U.S refineries refused to process Soviet Union’s oil . Instead, the nations support their allied conflicting nations through weapons and manpower during the wars. The Cold War As has been pointed out earlier, this type of war occurs silently betwe en two nations through other nations that they support. The Cold War refers to the relationship that America and the Soviet Unions had after the World War II until late 1980s. During the Second World War, both the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) and America appeared to be on one side probably due to their common enemy, Nazi Germany2. It would be thought that there would be a good relationship between the two industrial powers after the end of this war. However, it turned out that the two nations were not friends anyway. Their postwar relations and the ideological differences would result into the Cold War. The difference between the foreign policies of the United States and the policies of Soviet Union led to war3. Despite the two nations have such differences, they have never engaged each other in combat war4. The distrust that grew stronger and stronger between the two nations was due to the difference in leadership and governance that was practiced by the two nations, a nd which led to their ideological differences, as either nation flexed muscle to dominate the world5. America was a capitalist state while Soviet Unions was a communist state and this determined their allies and the differences6. The American government was democratic and characterized by free and fair election whereas that of Soviet Unions was autocratic with restricted or no elections. There was a lot of freedom of speech and expression in America compared to the censored moves in the Soviet Unions. The anti-communist states would then be allied to America while pro-communist states would side with the Soviet Unions. During the Cold War period (1945-1991), America would supply weapons to the nations that were invaded by Soviet Unions or other countries supported by the Soviet Unions. Countries like South Vietnam were against the communist culture and received support from America during the war whereas North Vietnam supported communist states and received support from the communis t states like Russia. The government of the United States authorized the support of various anti-communist movements in the countries that were likely to be influenced by the communist movement of

Knowledge management plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Knowledge management plan - Essay Example Julphar’s has recognized that the importance of knowledge is in how it is used and maximized in decision support and to provide an edge in customer care (Shannak, 2010). Julphar has already made a big step in recognizing the importance of automation, information and its relation to knowledge as it influence organizational culture (Petrides, 2004). These learning have made Julphar a leader in the industry and continuing along these lines it will remain so in the decades to come. In order to achieve this it is important to provide Julphar a systematic approach on how to build its knowledge base from its current one. This paper will recommend approaches and implementation strategy to make Knowledge, Information and Technology available to the company to augment its natural pool of human talents. A well defined technology assisted implementation not only consider warehousing information and knowledge or providing technology assisted productivity tools it also consider the organization’s culture and the need for a structured implementation strategy (Schlogl, 2005). Julphar use its knowledge base by capitalizing on the lesson learned by other people within the organization so as not to repeat the same mistake. Instead of re-inventing the wheel the focus becomes improving the vehicle. The knowledge management system therefore guides in executing and developing innovative strategies for all. Julphar’s Knowledge base also enables its customer service department to provide goods and services on time to meet its customer’s needs. In terms of supplier relation, Julphar is able to provide additional information and experiences regarding its manufacturing processes. This enables Julphar with the help of its service providers and suppliers avoid manufacturing defects and improve its product’s quality. Feedback mechanism as an essential entry to the knowledge base is a good source of input in developing products while enhancing

Empire State Building Essay Example for Free

Empire State Building Essay The Empire State building is one of the landmarks of New York. The overall design is very sleek and simple yet it managed to stand out from the other skyscrapers in the city. Its â€Å"low key Art deco style† combined with the â€Å"steel frame and steel claddings† have distinctly set it apart from the various urban elements of the city (Matthews). The Palace of Versailles in France is a clear example of Baroque architecture. Its opulent interior and grandiose design epitomized the essence of Baroque which is highly ornate and complicated. From the landscape to the huge massive structures, Versailles has exquisitely exuded splendor and luxury (Walton 161-173). The Petronas Towers in Malaysia is considered as one of the tallest buildings in the world. The design of the buildings was intended to showcase the cultural influences of the Malaysians. It used â€Å"Islamic arabesques and repetitive geometries characteristic† which reflected Islam architecture which is the dominant religion in the country (Skyscraper. org). Works Cited Matthews, Kevin. â€Å"Empire State Building. † 2008. Greatbuildings. com. 5 March 2009 http://www. greatbuildings. com/buildings/Empire_State_Building. html â€Å"The Petronas Towers. † n. d. Skyscraper. org. 5 March 2009 http://www. skyscraper. org/TALLEST_TOWERS/t_petronas. htm Walton, Guy. Louis the X1V Versailles. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1986.

Course : Thematic Independent Study

Course : Thematic Independent Study Topic : Strategic planning Essay 1 question : How does strategic planning create a competitive advantage for an organisation? Name : Tamryn du Preez Supervisor : Kunofiwa Tsaurau Due Date : 18 October 2010 Words : 4 160 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction. pg 4 Definition of strategic planning.. pg 4-5 Preparation for strategic planning.. pg 5-6 Timing.. Who should be involved? .. Input.. Preparatory work. Planning the agenda/process Strategic planning process pg 6-7 Gathering Information.. Developing mission statement. Setting goals and objectives. Identifying actions and allocating resources. Implementing the plans Monitoring the progress.. Evaluating the progress.. Contributions of Strategic Planning pg 7-9 1.5.1 Financial Benefits. 1.5.2 Nonfinancial Benefits.. Strategic planning techniques pg 10-11 SWOT analysis Scenario Planning.. PEST analysis.. Forecasting Competitors analysis Sensitivity analysis. Strategy planning at different levels.. pg 11-12 Corporate level Business Level Operational level Types of strategic planning time horizon.. pg 12-13 Long-term planning.. Intermediate planning.. Short- term planning.. Components of strategic planning pg 13 Strategy and culture Internal and external.. Balanced scorecard perspectives Market focus.. Conclusion pg 14 Referencing and Bibliography. pg 15-16 1.1 INTRODUCTION: Today many organisations face challenges to keep up with the rapid changes in the world. These changes are taking place mainly because of technology, which creates and leads to a faster contact between people, economic markets, governments and larger organisations. This advancement pace of technology does bring in its benefits and its disadvantages. Therefore it is vital that organisations always remain aware of the changes in their environment and adapt accordingly in order to remain competitive and to distinguish it from the competitors by creating a competitive advantage. This study reviews the literature of strategic planning in order to gain insight on how an organisation can lead to a competitive advantage. In order to gain a thorough understanding of the topic the study will identify how strategic planning will help a management team understand exactly what strategic planning is, how to plan strategically and how to ensure that strategic planning is implemented in your organisation. The importance of this topic is to identify how strategic planning is important not only for the survival or growth of an organisation but also on how it can help the organisation lead to having a competitive advantage over the competitors that choose not to follow a process for strategic planning. The strategic planning process is a step by step course set in place in order to help guide the organisation in been successful. This review also clearly identifies how strategic planning contributes to the success of an organisation and how it can be seen as a competitive advantage. It provides a deeper understanding of strategic planning techniques that are used to help managers make the best possible decisions with information that is available to the company. LITERATURE REVIEW This is the main body of the essay and it reviews all the academic literature related to the subject of strategic planning. The aim is to review the critical points of current knowledge including substantive findings as well as theoretical and methodological contributions of strategic planning. 1.2 Definition of strategic planning: Strategic planning is an organisations process of defining their strategy or their direction, and making decisions on allocating resources in order to pursue the strategy, this includes capital and people (Bradford R.W and Duncan JP, 2009). Different business analysis techniques can be used in strategic planning. Strategic planning is the formal consideration of an organisation future course (Bradford R.W and Duncan JP, 2009). Strategic planning is a sets out the overall direction for the business, is broad in scope and it covers all the major activities within an organisation (Boddy D, 1988). According to Shapiro J, 1996, strategic planning is the overall planning that facilitates a good management Process. According to Geyer Y, 2006, strategic planning is a process that an organisation follows that is disciplined and thorough. Geyer Y, 2006, indicated that strategic planning takes note of the internal dynamics of an organisation and the external dynamics of the world. Strategic planning analyses whether the organisation is effective in its objectives and goal (Shapiro J, 1996). According to Shapiro J,1996 strategic planning establishes whether the organisation needs to change its direction in order to fulfil is purpose or create a competitive advantage. McNamara C, 2002, added that strategic planning identifies where the organisation wants to be at some point in the near future and identifies how it is going to get there. The strategic part of the planning process continues to adapt to the current changes of the organisation (McNamara C, 2002). Strategic planning is considered to be a comprehensive plan that is designed to connect all of the firms decisions and their activities (McNamara C, 2002). Strategic planning is the ability to make decisions for the future, and is considered to be a systematic assessment of the benefits and costs, and clear rules for decision making (McNamara C, 2002). 1.3 Preparation for Strategic Planning: Authors Shapiro, J. (1996), Ducker P. (1996) and Gibson C.K (1995) proposed how preparation is critical to result in good planning. These authors all concurred that without preparation it is difficult for an organisation to maintain their strategic focus. According to the authors, timing, who should be involved, input, preparatory work, and lastly planning the process should be prepared and this is critically discussed below. 1.3.1 Timing The questions to ask here according to Timing is, When do you need to do a strategic planning process? How often do you need to do a strategic planning process? At what point in an organisational or project cycle do you need to do a strategic planning process? How long should a strategic planning process be? (Shapiro J, 1996). 1.3.2 Who should be involved? The key questions to be asked is who will participate in the strategic planning process and who should facilitate the strategic planning process (Shapiro J, 1996). The management team of the project or organisation needs to be understood by all the staff and board members and they should all be involved in the planning process (Shapiro J, 1996). According to Ducker P, 1996, administrative staff should be involved because they need to understand the organisations issues and problems. 1.3.3 Input According to Shapiro J, 1996, strategic planning process looks at the big picture, it is useful to get external input into the process. It is easy for those involved in the work of the project or organisation to lose sight of the overall picture and to think about the issues from the point of view of our own work only (Shapiro J, 1996). Ducker P, 1996, added that getting someone with a wider view and wider concerns may open doors to new ideas and ways of thinking. 1.3.4 Preparatory work This is a review of an organisations work and of the internal functioning that is needed to be done (Shapiro J, 1996). According to Shapiro J, 1996 the review of the work can be done by an external evaluation before the strategic planning process in order to feed into it. The review of the internal functioning of the organisation can be done by an external review conducted to find the right people that will come with useful information (Shapiro J, 1996). 1.3.5 Planning the process According to Shapiro J, 1996, it is important to know what an organisation wants to achieve and what has to be done to achieve these outcomes. It is also important to know what additional issues need to be dealt with in the time available (Shapiro J, 1996). Preparing for the strategic  planning  process  helps an organisation ensure that when they implement the strategy it is a success (Gibson C.K, 1995). 1.4 Strategic planning process: According to the authors Boddy D, 2005 and Wirth R.A, 2009 the planning process can be viewed as a circular flow of topics and action steps. Boddy D, 2005 mentioned seven steps in the strategic planning process which includes gathering information, developing a mission statement, setting goals and objectives, identifying actions and allocating resources, implementing the plans, monitoring the progress and evaluating. These seven steps are critically discussed below. Figure 1 Strategic planning process Evaluating the progress Gathering Information Develop mission statement Monitoring the process Setting goals and objectives Implementing the plans Identify actions and allocate resources Source: David Boddy, (2005), Third Edition, Management An Introduction, Pearson Education Limited, Europe. 1.4.1 Gathering Information According to Boddy D, 2005, this is any information that an organisation can use to guide their choices in building a strategic plan. The information can be collected internally or externally (Boddy D, 2005). Gathering information can collected as primary information that has not yet been conducted or secondary information, which is data that has already been collected (Boddy D, 2005). 1.4.2 Developing a mission statement According to Boddy D, 2005 this is a broad definition of an organisations operation and scope, it aims to distinguish it from other organisations. A clear plan depends on the ultimate purpose of the task (Boddy D, 2005). By developing a mission statement it is a way of the organisation to express a realistic vision of what the future could be if the plan were to succeed (Boddy D, 2005). 1.4.3 Setting goals and objectives These are set in order to identify the desired outcome for the individuals, groups, and the entire organisations (Boddy D, 2005). According to Boddy D, 2005, the goals and objectives turns the generalities of the mission statements into a specific commitment- what is to be done. Goals and objectives provide a focus for an organisation and it used to measure the actual performances (Boddy D, 2005). 1.4.4 Identifying actions and allocating resources According to Boddy D, 2005 this is the part of the planning process that involves deciding what actions need to be taken in order to achieve the objectives and it identifies who will do them. The fifth step is implementing the plan. This step also includes one to decide on possible actions which are affected by what the firms objectives are (Boddy D, 2005). 1.4.5 Implementing the plans Boddy D, 2005, emphasised that a good plan is not worthwhile until something happens and people implement the plan, by acting to make the plan visible. David Bobby added that planning helps by inducing confidence in a process, leading to high levels of acceptability from those involved. Planning is a necessary part of success, but it is not sufficient if it is not put into action (Boddy D, 2005). 1.4.6 Monitoring the progress and evaluating the result Boddy D, (2005) stated that the final stage in developing a plan is to set up a system that would allow people to monitor the progress towards the goals. Boddy D, 2005, added that managers can evaluate progress by using a programme overview chart. The overview chart gives a snapshot of the progress and indicates the areas where there are issues and it shows the expected completion date (Boddy D, 2005). 1.5 Contributions of Strategic Planning: According to the authors David FR. (2001), Hayes B. (2003), Zuckerman A. (2000), Shrader, C.B. (1993) and Almond K. and Barlow J, (2002) there are principle benefits of strategic planning that helps an organisation formulate better strategies through the use of a more systematic, logical and rational approach to a strategic choice. These authors have mentioned the financial and non financial benefits which are critically discussed below. 1.5.1 Financial benefits of strategic planning According David FR, 2001, strategic planning allows an organisation to be more productive rather than reactive in shaping its own future; it also allows an organisation to initiate and influence activities. Researchers indicate that companies using a strategic planning concept are more profitable and successful than those that do not use the concept. Businesses that are using strategic planning concepts have shown an improvement in their sales, profitabilitys, and in their productivities compared to those firms that are not using a systematic planning activity (David FR, 2001). Firms that use the planning system theory generally exhibit superior long-term financial performances relative to their industry (David FR, 2001) The Strategic planning concept and tools provided that there is a cost effectiveness that yields better interest deposit rates (Hayes B, 2003). According to Bill Hayes, 2003, strategic planning has shown to result in an improved or an increased customer service due to the firm been able to produce high quality performances. This is because the companies using a strategic approach are able to make more informed decisions with good anticipation of short and long-term consequences (Hayes B. 2003). According to Zuckerman A. 2000, strategic planning has helped companies to identify and prioritize their opportunities for financial improvement, mainly revenue-generating plans. This in turn has showed to offer the greatest opportunity for significant long-term benefits (Zuckerman, A, 2000). The relationship between strategic planning and company performance lies at the very heart of the discipline, yet no clear summary statement has been made about the numerous empirical findings dealing with this subject (Shrader, C.B. 1993) 1.5.2 Nonfinancial benefits of strategic planning According to David FR, 2001, strategic planning helps avoid financial demises and it also offers other tangible benefits, such as enhanced awareness to the external threats, improved understanding of the competitors strategies, reduced resistance to change, it shown to provide a clearer understanding of performance-reward relationship, and it increases employee productivity. The strategic planning process also helps with identifying and rationalizing the need for change to all managers (David FR, 2001). According to David FR, 2001 strategic planning has allowed organisations to financially identify what it is they want to accomplish in the long-term. Strategic planning allows the management team to assess future assumptions and alternatives. The management team can look at the company as a whole rather than just been focused on their individual responsibilities. Individuals in the credit union will strive harder to achieve objectives they help set. Strategic planning has helped companies to improved their planning eliminates ambiguity and enhance the teamwork and culture (David FR, 2001). According to the authors Almond K. and Barlow J, 2002, strategic planning has helped increase the ability of management to make decisions that will assure long-term financial institution survival and growth of the firms. Strategic planning has also increased the firms ability to control long-range direction, as it has allowed the board to focus on key strategic issues, as opposed to management problems (Almond K. And Barlow J, 2002). According to Almond K. and Barlow J, 2002, strategic planning serves a variety of purposes in organizations, including to: Clearly define the purpose of the organization and to establish realistic goals and objectives consistent with that mission in a defined time frame within the organizations capacity for implementation. Communicate those goals and objectives to the organizations constituents. Develop a sense of ownership of the plan. It has resulted in the firms using the most effective organizations resources by focusing the resources on the key priorities (Almond K. And Barlow J, 2002). According to David FR, 2001, strategic provided firms with a base from which progress can be measured and establish a mechanism for informed change when needed. Strategic planning also has helped managers to listen to everyones opinions in order to build an agreement about where the organization is going (David FR, 2001). Almond K. And Barlow J, 2002, states that strategic planning has provided a clearer focus for the organization, thereby producing more efficiency and effectiveness. Almond K. And Barlow J, 2002, also mentioned that strategic planning can benefit you company as it can be seen as the glue that keeps the board members together. Strategic planning produces great satisfaction and meaning among planners, especially around a common vision (David FR, 2001). David FR, 2001, also added that firms using strategic planning has indicated results of increases in productivity from increased efficiency and effectiveness, strategic planning also has helped management solves major problems in the organization by been able to address different strategies. According to David FR, 2001, strategic provided at the end of the day allows an organization to be more proactive than reactive in shaping its own future. Historically, the principle benefit of strategic planning has been to help different organizations to formulate better strategies for their business through the use of the more systematic, logical and rational approach to strategic choice (David FR, 2001). 1.6 Strategic Planning Techniques: According to the authors Boddy D. (2005) Bacal R. (2002) and Salem M. Al Ghamdi, (2005) there is a wide range of strategic planning techniques available to gather information for strategic planning. There are six planning techniques identified by these authors and they are the SWOT analysis, scenario planning, PEST factors, competitive analysis, forecasting, and sensitivity analysis. 1.6.1 SWOT Analysis According to Boddy D. (2005) a SWOT Analysis is an analytic tool that is used to help summarise the organisations main strengths and weaknesses that are relative to the external opportunities and threats. Bacal R, 2002 added that it helps identify the external and internal factors in order for the business to know the environment better. Boddy D. 2005 added that managers need to focus only a few trends and events that are likely to be important for the business growth. 1.6.2 Scenario planning Bacal R, 2002 stated that scenario planning is a fancy term for a very logical process the what if process. Boddy D. (2005) added that it is not an attempt to predict the unpredictable but it is a way to consider multiple and equal plausible futures for an organisation. These scenarios are not just based on a hunch; they are logically consistent but different from each other (Boddy D. 2005). 1.6.3 PEST Analysis According to Bacal R, 2002, the PEST analysis is another tool that is similar to the  SWOT analysis, but is more focused on the external environment and the important factors out there that can affect the present and future of a business. The PEST acronym stands for: political, economic, social and technological (Boddy D. 2005). These factors can affect your business either directly or indirectly (Boddy D. 2005). 1.6.4 Competitive Analysis According to Bacal R, 2002 a competitive analysis involves looking at those companies that compete in the same market place as you do. Bobby D. (2005) stated that organisations need to look at the critical aspects of a strategy that must be achieved to secure a competitive advantage. A competitive analysis is really a subset of doing an environmental scan (Bacal R, 2002). 1.6.5 Forecasting According to Boddy D. 2005, forecasting is predicting the future of the business. Forecasting is based on the analysis of past trends such as input prices, sales patterns or demographic characteristics (Boddy D. 2005). All forecasts are based on assumptions and managers can assume the past trends will continue (Bobby D. 2005). According to Boddy D. 2005 forecasts rely on extrapolation of past trends and therefore organisations need to question their inherent assumptions as they interpret the results. 1.6.6 Sensitivity analysis According to Boddy D. (2005) this is a method that is used to test the assumptions of key variables in a plan in order to increase the confidence in the choices a business wants to make. According Bacal R. (2002) sensitivity analysis can be useful to provide recommendations for the decision makers. Sensitivity analysis helps enhance the communication to the decision makers and increases them understand the system (Boddy D. 2005). 1.7 Different levels of strategic planning: According to the authors Burk Wood M. 2004 there are three different levels of strategy namely corporate level at the top, business level is the middle section and lastly operational level which is the lower level. Each level has different responsibilities and goals and this will be critically discusses below (Burk Wood M, 2004). Figure 2 Organisational levels Corporate Level Business Level Operational Level Source: Marian Burk Wood, (2004), Marketing Planning principles into practice, Pearson Education Limited, England. 1.7.1 Corporate level The Corporate Level looks at the companys Vision, goals, philosophy and the culture of the organisation and determines planning accordingly (Burk Wood M, 2004). Corporate strategy refers to the overall strategy for a diversified company (Burk Wood M, 2004).It is concerned with the mix of businesses the company should compete in, and the ways in which strategies of individual units should be coordinated and integrated (Burk Wood M, 2004). 1.7.2 Business level According to Burk Wood M, 2004, strategic planning at this level is concerned with the firms mission, business goals and the firms competencies. Burk Wood M, 2004, added that an integrated and coordinated set of commitments and actions are used to gain a competitive advantage. This is done by exploiting the core competencies in a specific product market which is done on business level (Burk Wood M, 2004). 1.7.3 Functional level Occasionally, plans will be made at the  functional  level, to allow managers to specialize and to increase managerial accountability (Burk Wood M, 2004). Burk Wood M, 2004 stated that at a functional level managers will be concerned with coordinating manufacturing, marketing, human resources, finances, research and development, and information systems (Burk Wood M, 2004). 1.8 Types of strategic planning: According to Morton L.P, 2009 and Lenehan P.F, 2002, strategic planning is the long-term process that determines the path for business owners to reach their goals. The other two business planning processes are more short term (Linda Morton, 2009). Below the time horizons long term, intermediate term, and short term will be critically discussed. 1.8.1 Long term planning According to Lenehan P.F, 2002, the long-term planning process should strengthen both management and the board of directors. The objective is to have everyone leave the off-site meeting with an understanding of the game plan for the next 5 years, which will be updated at an annual off-site planning meeting (Lenehan P.F, 2002). 1.8.2 Intermediate planning Linda Morton states that Intermediate-term planning  includes strategic objectives and has a time horizon of from one to two years. It outlines how the strategic plan will be pursued (Morton L.P, 2009). In marketing, intermediate plans are most often used for campaigns, with the goals and purpose of the campaign supportive of one of the business long-term goals (Morton L.P, 2009). 1.8.3 Short term planning Short term planning  includes operational objectives for specific departments and individuals and has a time horizon of one year or less (Morton L.P, 2009). A short term plan allocates resources and outlines objectives to meet the intermediate plans and the strategic planning process (Morton L.P, 2009). Morton L.P (2009) stated that short term planning allocates those resources day-to-day for business development. 1.9 Components of a strategic plan: According to Oslen E, 2007 there are several different components of strategic planning that needs to be explained to your planning team. The components are strategy and culture, internal and external, the balanced scorecard perspectives, and market focus (Oslen E, 2007). 1.9.1 Strategy and Culture According to Oslen E, 2007, an organisations culture is made up of people, processes, experiences, ideas and attitudes. A strategy is where the organisation is headed. A company cannot have a strategy without a culture or vice versa. The culture is the core of the business, and if it is not in order, the best strategy in the world cannot work for the company (Oslen E, 2007). 1.9.2 Internal and External According to Oslen E, 2007, the strategy is external when you gathering information from a companys customers, competitors, industry and environment. The external information can help a company identify the opportunities or threats that they might face. Through employee surveys, board assessments and financial statements are ways to identify the companys strengths and weaknesses that are internal (Oslen E, 2007). 1.9.3 Balanced scorecard perspectives According to Oslen E, 2007, the balanced scorecard is a framework that is used to develop the firms goals and objective in four areas. These areas are financial, customers, internal business processes and the employees (Oslen E, 2007,). The financial, internal processes and employees are the internal factors of the balanced scorecard whereas the customers are the external perspectives (Oslen E, 2007). 1.9.4 Market focus According to Oslen E, 2007, the growth of a market comes from focusing on the customers and delivering superior value to them consistently year after year. Built into a companys strategic plan is market-focus framework, this is vital because it ensures that the company is focused on growing (Oslen E, 2007). According to Oslen E, 2007 by focusing on the market a company will understand the needs of the customers. CONCLUSION: A strategic plan is simply a tool to be thought of as a guide or map. It has a starting point which is todays conditions and environment. It has an ending point, where the company wants to be in terms of success in the future. Strategic planning is a process that answers the question of how is the best, most likely way to be successful as defined by the stakeholders and allowed by the customers and embraced by the employees. While there is one way presented on how to conduct the strategic planning process it is by no means the only way. The process has to fit the culture, resources and style of the company. It must reinforce the confidence of management to make consistent, workable decisions. The benefit of a strategic planning discipline is that it facilitates effective decision making, better selection of tactical options and it leads to a higher probability of achieving the owners or stakeholders goals and objectives. High quality information is critical to the success of the strategic plans of any organisation. All other factors can be in place, but if the information is inconsistent in any way, then success is much less likely. If success is achieved it may well be at a high cost. High quality information must be acknowledged as one of the organisations main concern. Adopting a continuous development and improvement approach to the information gathering and interpretation process is essential.  

Psychological Estrangement in Shakespeare’s Hamlet Essay -- Tragedy of

Psychological Estrangement in Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" In Shakespeare’s "Hamlet", the main character, Hamlet, is burdened with attaining revenge on his murdered father’s behalf from the king of Denmark, King Claudius. In attempting to kill Claudius, Hamlet risks enduring estrangement occurring within himself at multiple psychological levels. The levels of estrangement that risk Hamlet’s psychological sense of identity are religious estrangement, moral estrangement, estrangement from countrymen, estrangement from his mother, and estrangement from women in general. Hamlet feels self-actualized from following basic religious principles of living. This is shown by Hamlet’s refusal to commit murder thus preventing Hamlet from committing suicide at a time when he felt like doing so to avenge his father’s death because both murder and suicide are considered sins (Cahn 97). " To be, or not to be, that is the question:/ Whether’ tis nobler in the mind to suffer/ The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune/ or to take arms a sea of troubles†¦", (Act III, I.) Hamlet is questioning if it is worth living in such misery or not as everyday he is burdened with trying to avenge his father’s death. At this stage Hamlet is suicidal and risks himself being estranged from his religious principals as he begins to think of suicide. If Hamlet were to kill Claudius, he would be violating a central religious principle against murdering another human being. Both suicide and murdering King Claudius would make him feel guilt at having violated religious coda, thus representing estrangement at the level of his religious consciousness (Knight 14). As Hamlet has the duty to avenge his father’s death by killing his father’s murderer, the King, Hamlet risks estrangement at the religious level. Hamlet is also principled in a moral sense. To kill a king would mean violating his internal conviction against committing crimes that might harm the hierarchical order of a state's government (Scott 56). This is one of the reasons that Hamlet with a sword in his hand does not kill Claudius while he finds him in an act of praying. Deceit is also one of the main moral issues Hamlet has to face in order to avenge his father’s death that violates his moral conviction of being loyal. Hamlet risks estrangement from his moral sense as he decides to put on an antic disposition in order to tric... .... These facts disturb him by making him feel weary and estranged of women’s' emotional weaknesses, which in turn make him feel weary of women in general. That weariness of women threatens his sense of self-actualization, because it is much more difficult for him to carry on a normal sex life if he feels estranged by women in general; a heterosexual man who is unable to carry on a normal sex life with women (Cahn 91). In attempting to kill Claudius, Hamlet risks psychological estrangement that he will likely experience psychological estrangement occurring on multiple levels. He would feel estrangement of his bond of motherly love, his bond of womanly love, his bond of friendship, his bondage to his religious and normative principles, and his bond to his professional colleagues. Many different forms of estrangement occurring simultaneously risk his psychological sense of identity. The realization that he faces such enormous pressures shapes his seemingly bizarre behavior in the play, and makes him struggle against the awesome weight of his obligation to destroy Claudius. All of this, of course, is in addition to his basic fear of being executed if he attempts to kill Claudius.

These Truths, Self-Evident :: Voting Personal Narrative Election Essays

These Truths, Self-Evident Yesterday†¦ Election Day†¦ Like many virtuous and civic-minded citizens I cast my ballot—our quirky little tradition, overthrowing the government every two years—yet despite my best efforts the Republican Party swept the House of Representatives and the United States Senate. I want to use a rude word right now. I don’t understand Republicans, and I don’t understand their policies; this isn’t to say that I don’t understand their aims and objectives—I do. However, I cannot stomach what they stand for. I cannot stomach those who would deny women control over their bodies, deny homosexuals the right to legally recognized love. I cannot fathom those who would cut taxes on the superrich, creating Jazz Age class divisions that separate citizens with insurmountable walls of money. But despite my disgust for most things conservatives stand for, I cannot bring myself to dismiss them. President Bush currently holds a 63 percent approval rating from the American public, and I do not choose to believe 63 percent of the citizens of my country are stupid. And despite the way I complain, I really sit down here to rant. My problem stems from the fact that everything these religious zealots hold sacred radically conflicts with every belief I hold sacred and dear. Salman Rushdie knows a little something of religious zealotry. After the publication of his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, the Indian novelist got a bit more than the usual outcry from the extreme religious right. Objecting to the negative portrayal of the prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, and the Koran, Islam’s holy book, Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran called on all righteous Muslims to execute the writer as well as the publisher of the book. For more than ten years, Rushdie hid from publicity and assassination, all on account of his slander of so-called â€Å"sacred† texts. It is reasonable to surmise that Rushdie has a pretty strong opinion of that which is declared sacrosanct. In 1990, the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London invited the Booker Prize-winning novelist to deliver the prestigious Herbert Reed Memorial Lecture; those protecting him decided that he should not go in person. Perhaps not being â€Å"able to re-enter [his] old life, not even for such a moment† (Rushdie 340), fueled Rushdie’s rhetoric; for whatever the cause, the occasion birthed a lecture of rage: â€Å"Is Nothing Sacred?† In this discourse, Rushdie discusses his views on the vitality and importance of literature, and whether it is, supposedly like religion, inherently sacred.

Earth Science Final

Describe the difference in stellar evolution of stars the size of our sun with that of stars 4+ times larger than our sun. Include all of the steps and the causes of each step. A nebula, an immense cloud of hydrogen gas and dust, condenses into smaller regions of matter. On occasion, one of these regions collapses under the force of its own gravitational attraction, often triggered by an outside force, like a nearby supernova-an explosion of a star. After the collapse of a cloud, atoms begin gravitating together to form a condensed center.The condensed center is a protestor. As gravity pulls in more gas and dust, pressure builds, causing the protestor core to heat up. Clouds and matter begin to rotate around the protestor and flatten due to their rotation. They surround the protestor like a rotating disk. The protestor continues to grow and its core continues to heat. When the core is hot enough, nuclear fusion begins. The start of nuclear fusion is technically the beginning of a sta r's life. Eventually, when the nuclear energy runs out, the star dies.Depending on the size and mass of the star, it can go through many stages and die in different ways-one of those ways being a supernova. . Choose a region or landscape, describe the landforms in it, the drainage pattern, how the geology influenced the landscape, and the sacrificial processes that influenced it as well. Much of the region of western New York State north of the Pennsylvania border has dendrites drainage because rock layers are flat and there are few faults or folds to divert streams.A region that has prominent parallel and perpendicular faults, repeated folds, or a strong rectangular Jointing pattern will display a rectangular drainage pattern. Anoints are cracks in bedrock along which no significant movement has occurred. They may be related to expansion or regional forces acting on bedrock. ) Streams seek the lowest areas of folds, fractured rocks along faults, or the weakest surface bedrock locat ions. Annular drainage is a pattern of concentric circles that are connected by short radial stream segments.This type of drainage occurs in an eroded dome A radial drainage pattern resembles the spokes of a wheel. Streams flow away. Climate is the other major factor in landscape development. A humid climate favors chemical weathering, which produces rounded, less angular landforms. Most of the hill slopes of New York State are rounded and gentle because f the relatively humid climate. A moist climate also allows plants to grow and protect soil from erosion. Desert areas sometimes have a stepwise profile, with flat hilltops and terraces separated by steep escarpments.The climate of New York State does not change very much from place to place. All of New York has a moist, temperate, mid-latitude climate. Therefore the landscape differences in New York State are not the result of differences in climate. The variations seen in the New York landscape are caused by geological factors. 6. Link Ocean currents and the weather conditions of 3 specific regions. In each case, describe how the weather patterns of the place are influenced by one or more ocean currents.Winds, water density and tides all drive ocean currents. Coastal and sea floor features influence their location, direction, and speed. Earth's rotation results in the Acropolis Effect which also influences ocean currents. Similar to a person trying to walk in a straight line across a spinning Merry-Go-Round, winds and ocean waters get deflected from a straight-line path as they travel across the rotating Earth. This phenomenon causes ocean currents in the Northern Hemisphere to veer to the right ND in the Southern Hemisphere to the left.Rica, Chile lies within one of the driest regions on Earth called the Tacoma Desert. Ocean currents keep clouds and fog Just off the coast, so most rain falls into the nearby ocean. Dethroned, Norway has a temperate climate. Summers and winters are remarkably mild for their l atitude. Rainfall is very heavy. The local harbors are free of ice most of the winter. Seattle, Washington has a mild climate with temperatures moderated by the sea and protected from winds and storms by the mountains. This area is often cloudy with light rain.