Failure in successful organizations Marconi - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 3032 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Masterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Dissertation Proposal The Case Study of Marconi The following dissertation proposal previews and scouts ahead the major issues and themes involved in an exploratory study of the management failure of successful companies: in particular, the company Marconi. The central investigation of the proposal is this: how can a multi-billion pound companies like Marconi (similarly Enron, Parmalat, Bearings Bank etc.,) collapse so spectacularly and catastrophically. To what extent, and in what ways, did the management team of Marconi contribute to the collapse of the company? Which factors were decisive for failure: leadership, strategic errors, technological incompetence, public image mishandling? The proposal suggests a possible methodology according to which to a detailed investigation of the failures of Marconi may be explored; this methodology centres upon interviews and questionnaires undertaken with former Marconi staff and other managem ent professionals. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Failure in successful organizations: Marconi" essay for you Create order Further, the dissertation proposal reviews and suggests the key literature that should form the base of this exploratory investigation. Moreover, the literature review delimits the major theoretical and practical principals of management that emerge from the literature and asks how these might be applied most usefully to an understanding of the management failures of Marconi. A provisional bibliography is supplied as the basis for the full dissertation and investigation. The dissertation proposal suggests that results from these investigations should be analysed using PSS data analysis, graphs, charts, data-sheets and a variety of other forms of representation. Finally, the dissertation proposal suggests a conclusion section in which will be discussed possible implications of this Marconi investigation and the avenues for future research that it might open up. CONTENTS PAGE  ® Abstract  ® Contents Page  ® Section 1: Marconi Introduction  ® Section 2: Research Question  ® Section 3: Research Aims Objectives  ® Section 4: Methodology  ® Section 5: Literature Review  ® Section 6: Discussion Analysis  ® Section 7: Bibliography  ® Section 8: Conclusion Section 1: Marconi Introduction In 2001, at the height of the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"internet boomà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, Marconi was worth  £34 billion, its shares  £12.5 each, and it employed more than 90,000 staff; one year later the company was worth less than  £50 million, its shares 3.6p each, and it employed less than 3,000 staff (Brody Dunstan, 2004). The obvious question: what engendered the calamitous collapse of one of Britainà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s most respected and successful companies? To what extent were the management of Marconi responsible for the plummet of the company share-price? What was the role of leadership of the company, headed by Lord Simpson, in the free-fall of Marconià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s value? What were the key strategic errors that brought about the collapse? Did Marconià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s managementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s handling of the crisis à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  particularly the handling of its public image à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ worsen the crisisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ seriousness? Was Marconià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s management guilty of a nave and too rapid transition into the telecommunications sector? Each of these questions are fascinating for the management student; and the pursuit of answers to these questions promises to uncover much valuable information about the causes and consequences of management failures in multi-billion pound companies. Although this dissertation shall focus on Marconi, it will be useful and enlightening to compare the management failures of Marconi with those of other spectacularly failed companies such as Enron, Parmalat, WorldCom, Bearings and so on. This comparison allows an analysis of whether Marconià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s failures were endemic, or whether they were typical failures of companies of such a size. Section 2: Research Questions The general title for this dissertation proposal is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"An exploratory study of failure in successful organizations: the case study of Marconià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢. From this broad title, a more specific and refined research question is put forward, namely: Was the spectacular failure of Marconià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s management due more to individual error, to strategic mistakes, to technological incompetence or to mismanagement of public image? Phrasing the research question in this way gives the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"exploratory studyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ four clear areas of investigation whilst leaving open exploration of further unnamed factors. The dissertation itself can treat each of these areas à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  individual error, strategy, technology, publicity à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  equally, or it can undertake an in-depth investigation of a single factor . Preliminary Discussion Statement of Facts Turning to consider in turn each of these causes of failure at Marconi. Individual Error. Before 1997, under Lord Weinstockà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s leadership, Marconi had a celebrated reputation as one of the most financially prudent, conservative and reliable companies on the London stock-exchange. Lord Weinstock had concentrated Marconià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s business around its defence contracts, and this approach had led to a gathering of cash reserves of  £2.6 billion and the future health and prosperity of the company seemed assured. But in 1997 Lord Weinstock was succeeded by Lord Simpson; a manager with a radically different style and interpretation of the future direction that Marconi should take. Five years later Marconi shares were worth 3.6p and the company had debts of  £4 billion. Strategic Mistakes. Once at the helm, Lord Simpson immediately began a rapid and expansive re-orientation of Marconi towards the telecommunications sector, where he envisaged Marconi as a specialist supplier of telecommunications equipment and services. Lord Simpson sold much of Marconià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s defence subsidiaries to BAe for  £6 billion so as to acquire telecommunications businesses. Lord Simpson bought Reltec for $2.1 billion, Fore Systems for $4.5 billion, and six further companies totalling  £265 million. Initially, during the internet boom, this decision led to a flourishing of the company, and in 2001 Marconi was worth an all-time high of  £34 billion. Nonetheless, when the miraculous conditions of the high-tech years began to wane, and when sales were slipping and customers buying Marconià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s products more hesitantly, the wisdom of this transit to telecommunications began to look much more dubious. This decision finally proved disastrous. On July 5th 2001, Marconi suspended its shares for an entire day à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  a highly unusual move for a major FTSE company. The next day, Lord Simpson announced that Marconi profits would be 50% lower than in 2000; extremely angry investors panicked and began to sell their shares immediately, causing a 54% drop in the share-price of the company. Technological Incompetence. After a few weeks of the crisis, the Marconi board finally realised that it must consolidate financial affairs for all of its companies; though it realised at the same time that doing this would be an extremely complicated and difficult matter. Desperately, in April 2001, thirty days before releasing its annual results, Marconi announced a restructuring plan that would be orchestrated by John Mayo. The central task of this restructuring was to be the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ elimination of duplicate information systems through the implementation of a single company-wide systems platformà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Brody Dunston, 2004: p68). John Mayo announced a $250 million deal with Oracle to provide this system; Oracl e was chosen because à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å" . . . of the vision and understanding of our integrated business requirements, combined with the ability to implement them very fastà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (Brody Dunstan, 2004: p.69). Nonetheless, the incompatibility of Oracle technology with Marconi businesses and Oracleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s lack of experience in this field led to an unsatisfactory system implementation and to the stalling of Marconià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s revovery. Publicity Mismanagement. Until the very eve of the crisis, Lord Simpson personally assured both Marconi share-holders and the stock-market that all was financially well with the company. Moreover, while other CEOs sensed the slowing of the market and took defensive measures accordingly, Lord Simpson continued an expensive acquisition of further communications companies. Further, the Marconi management insisted on restructuring and protecting their bonuses at a time when the company was losing billions. Section 3: Resear ch Aims Objectives The research aims and objectives of this dissertation will be as follows. (1) To set-down empirically testable hypotheses that will allow the corroboration or refutation of the dissertation research question. (2) To gather data à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  interviews, questionnaires, literature etc., à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  about the management failures that led to the collapse of Marconi. (3) To analyze the extant academic literature to see how theoretical principles and practical examples can be usefully applied to the Marconi case-study. (4) To analyze the results of the dissertation by a variety of PSS analysis graphs, charts, data-sheets and other forms of representation. (5) To present an authoritative and lucid discussion of the principal results of this investigation. (6) To elucidate the possible future investigations of management failure that might be undertaken on the basis of this dissertation. Section 4: Methodolo gy The following methodology will be employed to gain answers to the questions posed by this dissertation proposal. As far as possible, the writer will arrange interviews with present and former members of staff at Marconi. These interviews will provide an invaluable first-hand source of information. In addition to interviews, questionnaires will be sent to other Marconi employees à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  thus widening the possible numbers of responses and so first-hand information. First-hand information will be supplemented by the management literature listed in the Bibliography section of this dissertation proposal. Management theory and practical applications relevant to the Marconi case-study will be derived from the academic books and journal articles discussed here, and these sources will allow for an interpretation of the causes and consequences of failure at Marconi. Gathered data will be analysed using PSS analysis, graphs, tables, pie-charts and other means of represen tation. The discussion of results will be undertaken in by essay analysis according to the four main aspects of the research question listed above: individual error, strategic mistakes, technological incompetence, and mismanagement of public image. The future consequences of these results will be put forth in the Conclusion section of the dissertation. Section 5: Literature Review In Section 7 of this dissertation proposal a provisional bibliography has been given as the basis for the full dissertation; this reading least will be supplemented by additional books and articles as they emerge from initial reading for the research questions. It is necessary here to discuss and speculate upon several issues raised by the literature material for this dissertation. Firstly, there is a paucity of academic books dealing specifically with the causes of the management failures of Marconi; there are many books which tackle the question at a general level. The dissertation will need the refore to rely heavily upon these general books, inferring appropriate management theories and examples to apply to the particular case study of Marconi. Further, it will be advantageous to make use of texts that discuss the collapse of other formerly highly successful but now defunct companies: for example, Enron, WorldCom, Parmalat and so on. Here, Brody and Dunstanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s The Great Telecoms Swindle: How The Collapse Of Worldcom Finally Exposed The Technology Myth may be of particular use. The book categorizes the typical and characteristic reasons for the failure of huge multi-national corporations; from this analysis it is possible to infer how similar Marconià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s were to the general model of failure. Of the general books, the following may be particularly illuminating for the Marconi case study. For a discussion of the stagnation of the telecommunications market in the early 2000à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s three books are recommended. For a general over view of the subject: A. Doldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s (2002) The Essential Guide to Telecommunications charts the history of the telecommunications industry and its oscillating fortunes in the 1990à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s and early 2000à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s. Waltersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (2004) Spectacular Collapses: A History of Corporate Fraud and Fiascos and Jamesonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s (2003). Ecstasy to Despair: Stagnation in the Telecommunications Industry both give excellent analyses of the unrealistic expectations placed by senior managements on the telecommunication companies, and then of the responses of various companies to this stagnation. The strategic errors and theoretical misapplications made by Marconi are explained at the general level by two seminal texts: Geshonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s (2001). Telecommunications Management: Industry Structures and Planning Strategies and Silvermanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s (2002) Technological Restructuring and the Logic of Corporate Diversity. Geshonà ¢Ã¢ ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s book introduces the subject of telecommunications management, its special features, its dangers, and the variety of management strategies that are most successful within the telecommunications sector. In the late 1990à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Lord Simpson presided over Marconià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s transition from a defence manufacturer to a telecommunications specialist; Silvermanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s work highlights the logic behind such a transition, and explains the technical difficulties and pitfalls encountered when restructuring a company around a technological base. From this analysis, it is possible to highlight the strategic errors of the Marconi management team. Excellent accounts of the extent to which individual ambition, negligence and error can precipitate the failure of once successful companies are given in: G.R. Griffinà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s (1991) Machiavelli on Management: Playing and Winning the Corporate Power Game and M.P. Spencerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s (1995). Corporate Misconduct: The Legal, Societal and Management Issues. Both Griffin and Spencer examine the huge managerial freedoms given to company chairmen and CEOs and the consequences for companies when such colossal figures make disastrous errors of judgement. Such considerations are particularly relevant to Marconi, where its corporate leadership was safe and secure under Lord Weinstock, but then degenerated and faced a total loss of financial respectability under Lord Simpson. On the question of the management of Marconià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s public image during the crisis, S.M. Oliverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s (2004) A Handbook of Corporate Communication and Public Relations: Pure and Applied is perhaps the best work of its kind. Oliver cites ten à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"golden principlesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ of management of public image, ranging from à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Rule 1: Do not excel credibility. Be honestà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Rule 6: Create and draw from a reservoir of good will à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, and the application of these rules to Marconi shows that its management ignored or abused nearly every one of these rules. For instance, Lord Simpson publicly reassured investors of the financial soundness of the Marconi until the very last minute; thus Maroni far excelled its credibility and Lord Simpson was far from honest. The dissertation will use books like Oliverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s to show how the mismanagement of Marconià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s public and media image exasperated and compounded the individual and strategic errors of Marconià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s management team. It will explain how the tarnishing of public à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"perceptionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ of Marconi led to investors abandoning their shares in the company and their refusal to reinvest when the crisis was palliated by emergency measures. Finally, there are innumerable internet articles, spread over the past four years, which discuss the reasons for the management failures of Marconi. Th is abundance of internet sources is both an opportunity and a danger; the opportunity is that of gathering specific information about Marconi from analysts and commentators from the time of the collapse itself; the danger is the usual one associated with internet sources: their reliability. The profusion of articles on the internet, and the extreme ease with which they can be posted, often raises serious questions about the reliability and authoritativeness of these sources. Such sources must be used with some caution, and a greater margin of error acknowledged in their use. By using the above sources and others listed in the bibliography section of this dissertation proposal, the management student would have a sufficient and ample body of theory and practical examples upon which to construct his own case study into the management failures of Marconi. Section 6: Discussion Analysis Results from interviews and questionnaires will be analysed quantitatively and qualitative ly, using a variety of graphs, charts, diagrams, data-sheets and other means of representation. Interview and questionnaire sheets will be placed in appendices at the end of the dissertation. The discussion of these results will centre upon the four central causes of management failure in Marconi hypothesised in the Research Question section of this dissertation proposal: individual error, strategy mistakes, technological incompetence, and public image mismanagement. These hypotheses will be discussed in separate sections, where the individual literature relevant to that hypothesis will be brought to bear. A Literature Review section will highlight particular issues and special characteristics associated with the literature of the case study of Marconi; it will further discuss questions of source reliability, origin and so on. The final implications of these results will be determined and set in fresh relief in the Conclusion section of the dissertation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  possibl e further future investigations that might be carried out on the back of this dissertation will also be discussed in the conclusion. Section 7: Suggested Bibliography Academic Books, Journals Articles à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Dewig, A.S. (1914). Corporate Promotions and Reorganizations. Harvard University Press, Massachusetts. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Brody, K Dunstan, S. (2004). The Great Telecoms Swindle: How The Collapse Of Worldcom Finally Exposed The Technology Myth. Oxford University Press, Oxford. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Callaway, R.L. (1999). The Realities of Management: A View From the Trenches. Oxford University Press, Oxford. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Dold, A. (2002). The Essential Guide to Telecommunications. Javelin Press, New York. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Drucker, P.F. (1954). The Practice of Management. Harper Row, New York. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Geshon, R.L. (2001). Telecommunications Management: Industry Structures and Planning Strategies. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, New York. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Gratton, L. (1999). Strategic Human Resource Management: Corporate Rhetoric and Human Reality. Oxford University Press, Oxford. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Griffin, G.R. (1991). Machiave lli on Management: Playing and Winning the Corporate Power Game. Praeger Press, London. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Grunig, J.E. (1992). Excellence in Public Relations and Communications Management. Clarendon Press, Oxford. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Jameson, J. (2003). Ecstasy to Despair: Stagnation in the Telecommunications Industry. Clivedon Press, Dublin. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Klein, J.I. (2000). Corporate Failure by Design: Why Organizations Are Built to Fail. Quorum Books, London. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Mace, M.L. (1961). Management Problems of Corporate Acquisition. Harvard University Press, Massachusetts. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  McChahery, J. (1994). Corporate Control and Accountability. Clarendon Press, Oxford. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Oden, H.W. (1997). Managing Corporate Culture: Innovation and Intrapreneurship. Quorum Books, London. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Oliver, S.M. (2004). A Handbook of Corporate Communication and Public Relations: Pure and Applied. Routledge, London. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â ‚¬  Silverman, B.S. (2002). Technological Restructuring and the Logic of Corporate Diversity. Routledge, London. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Spencer, M.P. (1995). Corporate Misconduct: The Legal, Societal and Management Issues. Quorum Books, London. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  Walters, B. (2004). Spectacular Collapses: A History of Corporate Fraud and Fiascos. Pneumbra Books, New York. Section 8: Conclusion The aforementioned dissertation proposal, by focusing in-depth on a single company, Marconi, promises to uncover much valuable information about the causes and the types of management failures that can lead to the collapse of vast multi-billion pound and once highly successful companies like Marconi, Enron, WorldCom and others. As is evident from the drastic job losses forced upon Marconi, the collapse of multi-billion-pound companies has profound consequences for their employees, for the companies themselves and for stock-markets and economies generally. Understanding the causes of s uch management failures is therefore vital for educating and training future managers to avoid repeating these hugely costly errors. The present dissertation proposal intends to examine four principal causes for the meltdown at Marconi, and by doing this discover which factor was of the singular greatest importance in bringing about the downfall of Marconi. It is further hoped that the results of this dissertation investigation will become a spring-board for other similar investigations into the failures of other companies similar to Marconi.

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Analysis of Japanese Horror Genre Essay Conventions and Achievements of the Japanese Horror Genre Analysis Japanese society is rarely valued as a compassionate society, willing to alleviate suffering of others as oppose to other societies and cultures. The high suicide rate in this country justifies this. The lack of empathy can be portrayed in the media in the form of movies. Japanese horror has become increasingly popular throughout the years and has gained many loyal fans. Many people prefer Japanese horror to Hollywood horror as Japanese horror tends to have a tenser atmosphere. They are different to the typical horror movie and have an edge to them. This is not necessarily because there is more blood or gore; purely because they have a realistic value as well as the chill factor. People often watch horror movies because they are in need of a good thrill; its a safe, entertaining way to get the blood pumping. Over the last centaury horror movies have progressed rapidly. In the 1930s, Frankenstein became notably popular. Its distinct storyline had movie fans captivated in the latest movie phenomenon. Frankenstein is about the consequence of man playing God with nature. Its born of the scientific discoveries of the time such as electricity. Many people felt they were blasphemies and would lead to abominations like Frankensteins monster; people were powerfully influenced by movies. Decades passed and it seemed as though inhuman creatures such as Frankensteins monster and Dracula were not enough to captivate audiences for much longer. Nor were the aliens and creatures from unknown planets which were undoubtedly popular in the 1950s. Even the tender, prime youths trapped in Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer were becoming more and more predictable and prosaic. A new breed of horror movies soon became sought after; Japanese horror. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Japanese Horror Genre specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Japanese Horror Genre specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Japanese Horror Genre specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Japanese horror catered the needs of movie addicts with a whole new dimension of bloodcurdling, eerie, and spine-chilling happenings. Their storylines unique, as oppose to the typical American horror movie. With authentic characters and chilling spirits the Japanese directors achieved something American movie makers couldnt achieve; a heartfelt, sincere display, whilst sustaining the terror and tension. In a world which is indeed our world, the one we know, a world without devils, sylphides, or vampires, there occurs an event, which cannot be explained by the laws of this same, familiar world. These are the words of Tzvetan Todorov. He said that in our minds we believe that there is no such thing as supernatural beings such as vampires and sylphides but there is always a chance that they may be present, always that small chance that they might in fact be existant. Todorov is asserting that we do question our intuition and sometimes we do let our imaginations run loose. Reputable examples of the Japanese horror: Ju-On and Dark Water In Ju-On a curse is present as conscious if immaterial being. The curse conceived of a grudge, is brought to life by a man who brutally murders his wife in her attic. Consequently, the house remains occupied with a phantasm, Kayako, which will not tolerate anyone entering the house. She seeks her vengeance by eradicating anyone entering the house in the same way her husband did to her; dragging them into her attic and murdering them. Kayakos son, Toshio, whose death was elusive, appears as a motif. He is the most obtrusive hint that danger is close by. He appears on his own which symbolises family breakdown and reveals a sense of discomfort and concern. Dark Water Movie Overview In Dark Water a mother, Yoshimi, is under a great deal of stress; she is fighting to keep custody of her daughter, Ikuko, battling a divorce case and is trying to get her life back on track by getting a new job and moving into a new apartment. After moving into the new apartment, subtle hints reveal that in fact the place is homing something supernatural. The movies share similar conventions. In Dark Water and Ju-On the faces of the supernatural beings are hidden. By doing this, the audience do not connect with the character and the character is portrayed as mysterious and dark. The audience are less likely to feel empathy towards something they cannot see. It makes the audience feel that the character has something to hide, that in fact they are pure evil. Additionally, the usage of light is eminently effective in both of the movies. Ju-On Movie Overview In Ju-On the lighting is divine in the sense that it entrances the audience into believing the whole home is infected with a ghostly spirit. This is achieved by the dark spells and filtered blue lights. It makes it the perfect setting for a supernatural being to be lurking around. In Dark Water the lighting also worked equally as well. The dark, shadowy scenes always alerted the audience to be aware. The use of primary colours worked well too, the yellow coat and the recurring red bag. Primary colours work well because they are dominant and important; these signs were dominant and important. Both of the movies start with an establishing shot focusing on home. There is a sense of irony here as home is supposed to be somewhere people feel safe and secure but not in these movies. The home seems to create more problems. Dark Water starts with a mother and daughter rushing off home trying escape the pouring rain falling down on them. As they reach their apartment the rain seems to have followed them inside, water is leaking and they seem incapable of escaping from the water. The establishing shot is of a mother and daughter looking up to a building. The building is presented as a tall, towering construction leaning over the helpless victims entering it. Immediately, the building has an unpleasant stigma attached to it. This building is revealed to be a future home. The building seems to dismiss the true values of a home; its not a warm, inviting dwelling but a dark, eerie place. This scene is accompanied by non-harmonious, discordant and non-diagetic music. The murmur of deep sounds builds up tension in the atmosphere. The sound is unsettling and unnatural; it is subliminally pushing the connotation of supernaturalism. This effect was created to build up suspense and make the audience feel as though they know something out of the ordinary is going to happen. Mitsukos presence is displayed in many forms by the movie maker Hideo Nakata throughout the movie before her appearance. The signifiers of Mitsuko are effective because the audience are left in suspense waiting for the mystery to unravel and are constantly captivated by the reoccurring motifs. One of the most lucid motifs of Mitsukos existence is the yellow coat. Amongst the dark, eerie atmosphere this bright coat portrays change and importance. Also, the reoccurring red bag that keeps appearing every time Yoshimi tried to get rid of it shows that Mitsuko is persistent; she wont give up. Other signifiers which arent as apparent include footsteps, shadows and posters. The prime motif was the presence of water. Whenever the water is present the music accompanying the scene is discordant and non-diagetic implying that evil is present or close by. These sounds add to the tension creating an unearthly feel. M R James wrote, Two ingredients most valuable in the concocting of a ghost story are, to me, the atmosphere and the nicely managed crescendo. He believed that building up to the climax slowly and effectively then revealing the mystery is a very important quality in a horror movie. Dark Water follows this model as the build up is slow and unobtrusive at first with the motifs and when we do reach a climax it is apparent as the music changes and the whole atmosphere becomes tenser. The build up is most successful in Dark Water in the bathroom scene. Ikuko moves towards the sink and turns the tap. She sees hair in the sink. The reaction shot captures her reaction as she drops the glass and moves back quickly. The tap continues to run. Elsewhere, Yoshimi is near the water tank. It is indented, the result of which seems incapable of creation by any mere human. A high angle shot of Yoshimi shows she is being watched. Meanwhile, back in the bathroom Ikuko is watching the bath fill with dirty water, she tries to turn the tap but it seems to be stuck. The bath overflows with dirty water and bubbles appear. A high angle shot is in place when Ikuko is grabbed by the head and forcefully pushed under water. This shows that something was watching her. A low angle shot captures her struggling. Throughout this scene the music plays an effective role; as the build up to the crescendo occurs the music gets louder and faster showing that something extreme was taking place, placing great emphasis on the importance of this scene. Using the reaction shot the audience managed to sense Ikukos fear. By using the high angle shot the audience were aware of the eerie presence which loomed through the scenes. The audiences response to this would be that they would feel tension as the build up reached the crescendo and they would feel sorry for Ikuko witnessing such a situation. Also, they will feel shocked as they probably didnt think that Ikuko would get pulled into the water. Hideo Nakata placed great emphasis on the tension in this movie as he probably had the same beliefs as M. R James, that building up the tension then revealing the threat was an effective way to keep the audience drawn to the movie. Both Ju-On and Dark water end with the death of the central characters, this is not what audiences would usually expect. This is because in most movies its always the good character that defeats the bad character. Yoshimi dies in Dark Water because she realises she would have to sacrifice her own life in aid of Ikuko having a chance of survival; she knew Mitsuko would not give in. Throughout the movie it seems as though bad luck seems to follow Yoshimi; first her divorce, then her custody battle and settling into a strange apartment. Throughout the movie it seems as though she is being followed by an undying spirit, the high angle camera shots represent this. Yoshimis death is consistent with the language of the movie. One of the most heartfelt scenes was the final scene in which Ikuko desperately wanted her mother but her mother, Yoshimi, was with Mitsuko. The imagery of water surrounding Ikuko displayed one of the movies main motifs, badness being present. In this case was the fact that Ikukos mother was hugging this freak of a girl rather then her own daughter. Although the reasonings behind this were sincere, the audience felt a great deal of sympathy towards the little girl. Dark Water is showing the bad side of Japan which is often sheltered. It indicates the common problems which are often hidden. They are often hidden because Japanese society is strict and orderly. It is now becoming very modern and urban, a paradox as there are many old suspicious beliefs in place, although, Japan it self is quite modern, there is a clash. Honour and respect are key points in Japanese society. There is a worry that younger generations will dismiss these values and the older generations will look down upon this. Dark Water presents to us that although Japan seems to come across as an almost perfect society it experiences problems like any other society such as child abuse, neglection, divorce and adultery. In conclusion, I found this movie successful in sustaining the mystery and the build up was good too. This movie was a change to the typical movie in which the evil character is defeated and the good character lives on as a hero. This excited the viewer as they did not know what was coming next. Also, the lack of clarity is effective. Going back to the words of Tzvetan Todorov, there is an uncertainty and the audience do think twice on the happenings of this movie. Hideo Nakata achieved portraying the breakdown of Japanese culture effectivly in the form of child neglection and divorce. This would schock conventional veiwers. All in all, the movie captivates veiwers, keeps them glued to their seats and gives them a whole new insight on Japanese society with a unique twist.

Know More About Consonant Sounds and Letters in English

Know More About Consonant Sounds and Letters in English A consonant is a  speech sound thats not a vowel. The  sound of a consonant is produced by a partial or complete obstruction of the airstream by a constriction of the speech  organs. In writing, a consonant is any  letter of the alphabet except  A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes  Y. There are 24 consonant sounds in English, some voiced (made by a vibration of the vocal cords) and some voiceless (no vibration). Consonants Versus Vowels   When spoken vowels have no obstruction in the mouth, as opposed to consonants, which do. In his book Letter Perfect, the author David Sacks described the difference between speaking consonants and vowels this way: Whereas vowels are pronounced from the vocal cords with  minimal  shaping of expelled breath, consonant sounds are created through obstruction or  channeling  of the breath by the lips, teeth, tongue, throat, or nasal passage.... Some consonants, like B, involve the vocal cords; others dont. Some, like R or W, flow the breath in a way that steers them relatively close to being vowels. When consonants and vowels are put together, they form syllables, which are the basic units of pronunciation. Syllables, in turn, are the foundation of words in English grammar. Phonetically, however, consonants are much more variable. Consonant Blends and Digraphs When two or more consonant sounds are pronounced in succession without an intervening vowel (as in the words dream and bursts), the group is called a consonant blend or consonant cluster. In a consonant blend, the sound of each individual letter can be heard. By contrast, in a consonant digraph,  two successive letters represent a single sound. Common digraphs include G and H, which together mimic the sound of F (as in the word enough), and the letters P and H, which also sound like an F (as in phone). Silent Consonants In a number of cases in English, consonant letters can be silent, such as the letter B  following M (as in the word dumb), the letter  K  before  N  (know), and  the letters B and P before T (debt and receipt).  When a double consonant appears in a word,  usually only one of the two consonants is sounded (as in ball or summer). Stop Consonants Consonants can also serve as a means of bracketing a vowel, stopping their sound.  These are called  stop consonants  because the air in the vocal tract is completely stopped at some point, usually by the tongue, lips, or teeth.  Then to make the consonant sound, the air is suddenly released. The letters B, D, and G are the most frequently used stops, though P, T, and K also can serve the same function. Words that contain stop consonants include bib and kit. Stop consonants are also called plosives, as their sounds are small explosions of air in the mouth. Consonance Broadly,  consonance  is the repetition of consonant  sounds; more specifically,  consonance  is the repetition of the consonant sounds of accented syllables  or important words.  Consonance is frequently used in poetry, song lyrics, and prose when the writer wants to create a sense of rhythm. One well-known example of this literary device is the tongue twister, She sells seashells by the seashore. Using A and An   In general, words that begin with vowels should be introduced by the indefinite article an, while words that start with consonants are set off with an a instead. However, when the consonants at the beginning of the word produce a vowel sound, you would use the article an instead (an honor, a house).

How To Form Compound Nouns in Spanish

How To Form Compound Nouns in Spanish A puzzle in Spanish is a head-breaker (rompecabezas), and someone who reads books a lot is a book-warmer (calientalibros). These two words are among the more colorful compound words that have entered the Spanish vocabulary. Most compound words are more mundane and self-explanatory (a dishwasher, lavaplatos, for example, is just that). Compound  words, known in Spanish as palabras compuestas, are quite common. They are frequently coined, sometimes for humorous effect, although not all impromptu compound words survive or become widely known. An example is comegusanos, a worm eater, which you wont find in a dictionary but will find in occasional use through an Internet search. How To Form Compound Words As you may have  noticed, the compound words being discussed in this lesson are formed by taking a verb in the third-person singular indicative and following it with a plural noun (or, rarely, a singular noun when it makes more sense to do so). For example, cata (he/she tastes) followed by vinos (wines) gives us catavinos, a winetaster or barhop, depending on the context. Often, these words are the equivalent of the English verb followed by a noun and -er, as in rascacielos, skyscraper. (Rascar means to scrape, and the skies are the cielos.)  In English, such words can be written as one word, a hyphenated word or two words, but in Spanish these compound words always form one unit. Words formed in this way are masculine, with rare exceptions, although they are sometimes used in the feminine if they refer to women or girls. Also, the plural of these words is the same as the singular: a can opener is un abrelatas, but two or more are los abrelatas. If the noun part of the word begins with an r, it is typically changed to an rr, as in quemarropa from quema ropa. Although no collection of compound words can be complete, on the following page is a list of some of the most common along with many that have been included merely because theyre humorous or otherwise interesting. Where the English translation doesnt convey the origin of the Spanish word, a literal translation of the Spanish is included in parentheses. Note that in some cases not all possible meanings of the Spanish words are included. List of Compound Words These are among the most common (or, in a few cases, humorous) compound words in Spanish. It is far from a complete list. abrecartas - letter openerabrelatas - can openerapagavelas - candle snufferbuscapià ©s - firecracker (it looks for feet)calientalibros - bookworm (he/she warms books)calientamanos - handwarmercalientapià ©s - footwarmercalientaplatos - dish warmercascanueces - nutcrackercomecocos - something that confuses or brainwashes (it eats coconuts)cortacuitos - circuit breakercortalpices - pencil sharpener (it cuts pencils)cortapapel - paper knife (it cuts paper)cortaplumas - penknife (it cuts feathers)cortapuros - cigar cuttercuentagotas - medicine dropper (it counts drops)cuentakilà ³metros - speedometer, odometer (it counts kilometers)cuentapasos - pedometer (it counts steps)cuentarrevoluciones, cuentavueltas - counting machine (it counts revolutions)cuidanià ±os - babysitter (he/she cares for children)cumpleaà ±os - birthday (it fulfills years)dragaminas - minesweeper (it dredges mines)elevalunas - window openerescarbadientes - toothpick (it scratches teeth)esc urreplatos - dish rack (it drains dishes)espantapjaros - scarecrow (it scares birds)guardarropas - clothes closet (it keeps clothing)lanzacohetes - rocket launcherlanzallamas - flame throwerlanzamisiles - missile launcherlavadedos - finger bowl (it cleans fingers)lavamanos - bathroom sink (it washes hands)lavaplatos, lavavajillas - dishwasherlimpiabarros - scraper (it cleans mud)limpiabotas - shoeshine (he/she cleans boots)limpiachimeneas - chimneysweep (he/she cleans chimneys)limpiacristales - window cleanerlimpiametales - metal polish (it cleans metal)limpiaparabrisas - windshield wiper (it cleans windshields)limpiapipas - pipe cleanerlimpiauà ±as - fingernail cleanera matacaballo - at breakneck speed (in a way that it kills the horse)matafuegos - fire extinguisher (it kills fires)matamoscas - fly swatter (it kills flies)matarratas - rat poison (it kills rats)matasanos - medical quack (he/she kills healthy people)matasellos - postmark (it kills stamps)pagai mpuestos - taxpayerparabrisas - windshield (it stops breezes)paracaà ­das - parachute (it stops falls)parachoques - bumper (it stops crashes)paraguas - umbrella (it stops water)pararrayos - lightning rod (it stops lightning)parasol - sunshade (it stops sun)pesacartas - letter scale (it weighs letters)pesapersonas - scale for people (it weighs people)picaflor - hummingbird, lady-killer (he/she pecks flowers)picapleitos - shyster lawyer (he/she encourages lawsuits)pintamonas - bad painter, an incompetent person (he/she paints copycats)portaaviones - aircraft carrier (it carries aircraft)portacartas - letter bag (it carries letters)portamonedas - purse, handbag (it carries coins)portanuevas - one who brings newsportaplumas - pen holdera quemarropa - at point-blank range (in a way that burns clothing)quitaesmalte - enamel or nail polish removerquitamanchas - dry cleaner, stain remover (it removes stains)quitamotas - flatterer (he/she removes defects)quitanieve, qui tanieves - snowplow (it removes snow)quitapesares - consolation (it takes away sorrow)quitasol - sunshade (it removes the sun)quitasueà ±os - anxiety (it takes away sleep)rascacielos - skyscrapera regaà ±adientes - unwillingly (in a manner that causes the snarling of teeth)rompecabezas - puzzle (it breaks heads)rompeimgenes - iconoclast (he/she breaks icons)rompeolas - jetty (it breaks waves)sabelotodo - know-it-all (he/she knows it all)sacabocados - punch tool (it takes out bites)sacaclavos - nail removersacacorchos - corkscrew (it pulls out corks)sacadineros - trinket, small scam (it takes money)sacamanchas - dry cleaner (it takes away stains)sacamuelas - dentist, quack (he/she pulls teeth)sacapotras - medical quack (he/she removes hernias)sacapuntas - pencil sharpener (it sharpens points)saltamontes - grasshopper (it jumps hills)salvavidas - certain safety devices (it saves lives)secafirmas - blotting pad (it dries signatures)tientaparedes - one who gropes his/her way (he/she feels walls)tirabotas - boot hook (it stretches boots)tiralà ­neas - drawing pen (it draws lines)tocacasetes - cassette playertocadiscos - record playertrabalenguas - tongue twister (it ties tongues)tragahombres - bully (he/she swallows men)tragaleguas - long-distance or fast runner (he/she swallows leagues; a league is a little-used measurement of distance, equal to about 5.6 kilometers)tragaluz - skylight (it swallows light)tragamonedas, tragaperras - slot machine, vending machine (it swallows coins) Key Takeaways A common type of compound noun is formed in Spanish by using a third-person singular indicative present-tense verb and following it with a plural noun attached to the verb.Such compound nouns are often the equivalent of noun verb -er in English.Such compound nouns are masculine, and the plural form is identical to the singular.

International marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 8

International marketing - Essay Example This article aims at addressing the various styles used by organisations in building relationships as well as providing a comparison between Britain and India with some recommendations concerning the best practice for dealing with cultural differences for an international marketer. The various reasons for entering in B2B relationships influence the style used by the organisation in building the relationship. These styles may take the form of partnerships, strategic alliances, joint ventures, interlocking directorates, trade associations as well as the establishment of trade networks (Bagdoniene & Zilione 2009). Currently, because of the process of globalisation of world trade, most companies tend to diversify their operations and operate in more than one country and hence the establishment of networks continues to gain more popularity over the other methods. However, the organizations that intend to establish networks require the skills required for building and maintaining such networks. This means that the ability and the capability of establishing networks depend largely on the knowledge and experience of the management team. An organization deeply rooted in a country like Britain where the labour is more skillful is thus likely to develop networks more eas ily than an organisation deeply rooted in India where labour is less developed. This means that the necessity to acquire more skills in Britain is less than in a country like India. This means that in Britain, the move to acquire more managerial skills is lower and hence less likely going to engage in partnerships with the aim of gaining knowledge and skills. While organizations operating in India are most likely going to collaborate with a substantial organisation to acquire skills to deal with the managerial problems, it faces in the current globalised economy in which intense competition is the most describing feature (Ghemawat &

Marketing challenges about hotel industries in Cyclades island Essay

Marketing challenges about hotel industries in Cyclades island - Essay Example The subject deals with the point of view of two broad streams of knowledge – economy, and, marketing, with a heavier inclination towards challenges in tourism marketing in general, and, towards the Cyclades Islands in particular. Business Week in one of its articles asked â€Å"What a poor country to do?†, and said, â€Å"Ask the average economist how a country can lift itself out of poverty, and the answer will be simple: Educate your populace, squelch inflation, open your economy to free trade and investment, and then sit back and watch gross domestic product soar† (businessweek.com, 1997). True to its assertions, it is not that simple. Many poor economies, especially those dependent on tourism have made a mistake in relation to this. Greece’ ascension to the EU could do no miracles, and now talk of leaving the Eurozone is back in the air, though the majority of Greeks do not approve this(Wall St. News, 2011). As Theodore Levitt pointed out back in 1960 in his famous article Marketing Myopia, â€Å"Every major industry was once a growth industry. But some that are now riding a wave of growth enthusiasm are very much in the shadow of decline. Others which are thought of as seasoned growth industries have actually stopped growing. In every case the reason growth is threatened, slowed, or stopped is not because the market is saturated. It is because there has been a failure of management.† Levitt (1975) in his classic railroad example argued that today the railroads which were once a craze in the U.S. have been replaced by a developed transport system. He describes this as a trend wherein people were convinced that they were not a part of the transportation business as â€Å"they presumed themselves to be in the railroad business.† Then he further explains that they believed this to be a development that was â€Å"railroad-oriented instead of transportation oriented; they were product-oriented instead of customer-orient ed† (Levitt, 1960). Even after more than five decades, Levitt’s arguments appear to be as valid and relevant as they were then, in all industries, and in all parts of the world. The hotel industry in the Cyclades Islands is no different. Therefore, as in the railroad case, the problem is not with the railroads, but with its understanding about its own fundamentals, in what business it was. In relation to this the fundamentals, the present review of literatures will try to answer the research question â€Å"what are the marketing challenges for the hotel industry in the Cyclades Islands†. The review will first shed light on the nature and characteristics of service industries, followed by a study of the marketing challenges in them. It will subsequently make a review of what researchers say about the marketing cha

Behaviour Self Management Essay Example for Free

Behaviour Self Management Essay Behaviour Self-Management Project to Increase Studying Behaviour Behaviour Modification is a technique or approach used by behavioural psychologists to modify a particular behaviour and is largely used in a clinical or educational setting, particularly with those with learning disabilities (Atherton, 2011). Moreover, it also considered to be a treatment approach, as it substitutes undesirable behaviours with desired ones through the process of positive or negative reinforcement (Gary, 1988). Furthermore, behaviour modification has been used to treat numerous mental problems such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), phobias, enuresis, generalised anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder and many more. Subsequently, this technique has also been used to correct maladaptive behaviours by changing undesirable behaviours such as smoking, overeating, nail biting and others, as it aims to encourage the substitution of good behaviours such as studying, weight loss and etc (O’Donohue and Ferguson, 2006). The principles of behaviour modification were first developed by B. F Skinner, who had formulated the concept of operant conditioning. Skinner, had developed the concept of positive reinforcement or punishment, whereby behaviours are changed or encouraged through a reward system. Furthermore, the operant conditioning theory also states that for learning to occur, it is important that the subject is an active participant (Sheldon, 1982). In addition, behaviour modification was also formulated by Ivan Pavlov and is famously known as classical conditioning, as it is merely based on a stimuli-response formula. Besides that, Albert Bandura also contributed to behaviour modification principles, through his theory of social modelling (Baldwin Baldwin, 1981). The theory states that learning occurs as a result of copying or imitating other people, and is termed as vicarious learning. Additionally, the theory also states that external reinforcers are important because it enables learning to occur independently of the reinforcements. Consequently, behaviour modification underlies a number of theoretical positions such that human behaviour can easily be influenced by the presentation of consequences and could be strengthened if the behaviour is followed by rewards, as well as substandard if followed by negative consequences (Guez Allen, 2000). Moreover, human behaviour is not only controlled by internal factors, but is also driven by external factors such as social rewards like praises or gifts. Thus, the principles of behaviour modification is different compared to other techniques in changing behaviours, because it addresses the surrounding factors as well as individual factors that can promote or derail behaviour change. Additionally, behaviour modification has also proved its effectiveness in increasing student’s appropriate classroom behaviours. A study had employed behaviour modification in two second grade Negro girls in a demonstration school for the culturally deprived (Wasik, Senn, Welch, Cooper, 1969). Data collected in the study was based on type, duration, and frequency of teacher’s verbal interactions with the student. The study also had implemented an ABAB design, whereas treatment included positive social reinforcement when appropriate behaviours occurred. Punishment had included the use of timeout from social reinforcements, as these behaviours were contingent on inappropriate attention getting behaviours. It was observed that after 25 days, desirable behaviour in the classroom had increased remarkably from 80. % in baseline to 99. 20% in treatment and continued to remain high even after three months. Therefore, this shows that behaviour modification is an effective method to increase desirable behaviours. Target Behaviour It is essential and important that the target behaviour an individual wants to change is operationally defined. The particular behaviour would also require assessment, through collection of the baseline data. Furthermore, the behaviour that I want to change is to increase my studying behaviour, which is a behavioural deficit. Ever since I was in school, I was always known to study towards the end of the semester and could generally be considered as last minute studying. Subsequently, I would tend to be easily distracted by external stimuli such as watching movies or series on the computer, calling up friends and talking for hours as well as easily persuaded to go out. I have been known since young to be very outgoing, thus whenever friends call and ask me to meet up with them, I am bound to go. Therefore, it usually delays my ability to follow my studying schedule that I have created before the semester starts. Moreover, my main antecedent that unable me to complete my suggested two hours studying per night every weekday is also because I have a tendency to download movies or series on the computer and wasting 4 hours or more watching it. There are also consequences that I face because of my procrastination to study, because after watching these series, I would only tend to study less than an hour or not at all if I am tired. Consequently, I would cram all the materials during study week and end up being exhausted. This also is a reason as to why I tend to get ill during exam week, because it causes me to have high level of stress and in turn would affect my health. Hence, these are valid reasons as to why I feel like I need to change my behaviour and start studying more hours as I should so that I would not be stressed out during exams. Besides that, stress could also cause ulcers and the common cold, which in turn could be a setback to me during exam week as I am prone to get ulcers. Additionally, it would also allow me to focus more to improve my grade ratings to my expectations as I will soon complete my undergraduate program. Other than that, increasing my studying behaviour would also allow me to get sufficient sleep and rest for the upcoming exam and it would also benefit me in terms of managing my time efficiently. Method Design The design that I have chosen for this particular self management project is the ABAB reversal design. This design represents the attempt to first measure the baseline, the treatment that follows the initial baseline, the introduction of the second baseline as well as the reintroduction of the treatment again. Additionally, this method of application helps identify the effects of treatment and measure what happens when treatment is removed. Hence, this research design would help establish whether functional relationship exists between the target behaviour and intervention. Materials The materials used in this project include a structured diary that is recorded in the computer, behaviour contract, handphone, post-it notes, playing cards and reminders. Procedure Additionally, for this particular behaviour modification project, the operational definition is first defined as reading pages from the textbook and underlining as well as understanding sentences in the text and reading notes from the lectures for two hours. Furthermore, the behaviour would be recorded through self monitoring during baseline and treatment period as the behaviour does not occur frequently throughout the day and it only occurs during the period when no one else is around to observe. The observational period is recorded in the natural setting, which is in the study room at my home, and it is where studying behaviour typically occurs. The type of behavioural recording used is the duration recording, whereby studying behaviour is observed for two hours, between 8. 30p. m to 10. 0p. m on weekdays only. Next, in order to increase studying behaviour during weekdays, a generalised conditioned reinforcer, which is the token economy system is used because it reinforces the behaviour and minimises the need to use reactive strategies to deal with setbacks as well as it enables the ability to pair up with a variety of other reinforcers. In addition, the token economy is a playing card with my housemate’s signature on it, and one card would be given each day, whenever the desired behaviour occurred at least 2 hours a day. Furthermore, the acquired tokens would be eligible to trade with certain privileges and would be forfeited if the behaviour does not meet the expected requirements. Hence, a variety of backup reinforces are used in exchange with the accumulated playing cards on every Friday to determine the type of privileges that would be given and further information is provided in the behavioural contract (Appendix A). Besides that, punishment would be provided if I fail to meet the expected requirement. Additionally, the schedule of reinforcement chosen for this particular project is fixed interval, whereby studying behaviour is reinforced only if it occurs for at least two hours. The behaviour occurrence would also be recorded in the computer, as the behaviour occurs at home in the study room. Besides that, during the treatment period, my friends and housemate have also promised to give me social support and reinforcements. In addition, various types of response and stimulus prompts are also used in this project. Verbal prompts such as reminders to study are used by friends and housemates to evoke the desired behaviour in myself. They will do this by not persuading me to go out with them and reminding me to study instead. Furthermore, environmental prompts are also used in this project such as post its on the mirror, computer in the study room and class file that I carry to class every day, as well as using the hand phone to set alarm to study. In addition, within prompt fading was used in the second treatment period, for response prompts, whereby friends and boyfriend provided fewer verbal prompts as the week progressed during treatment period. Next, stimulus fading was also used in the second treatment period for environmental prompts, whereby on the first day, removal of alarm clock would be used and for subsequent days, one post its would be removed from either the mirror, computer or class file until the last day of treatment. Results The baseline and treatment data was collected for a period of four weeks and intervention was applied during treatment 1 and treatment 2. Figure 1: Studying behaviour in baseline and treatment weeks. Figure 1 shows that during the first baseline, studying behaviour did not occur at all for the first two days, one hour for the third, again none on the fourth and two hours on the fifth day. Hence, the average studying hours for the first baseline week is 0. 4 hours or 24 minutes. Furthermore, this could be clearly seen in the structured diary attached for the first baseline (Appendix B). Next, intervention took place in the second week, whereby various strategies were used to increase studying behaviour. Results showed that studying behaviour had occurred for two hours for the first and second day, one hour for the third day, two hours for the fourth day, and none on the fifth day. This shows that studying behaviour had increased to an average of 1. 4 hours a day and that there was an increase of 50% from the initial baseline to the treatment period. Moreover, the self management project had returned to baseline on the third week and results showed that studying behaviour had occurred for 2. hours on the first day, one hour on the second, none on the third and fourth and two hours on the fifth day. Thus, the average studying behaviour was 1. 1 hours a day for the second baseline period. Although the average hours were less compared to the treatment period, however, there was definitely an increase compared to the first baseline period, whereby average hours were only 0. 4 hours. Next, intervention was again applied and the second treatment results showed that studying behaviour occurred for one hour on the first day, 2. hours on the second, two hours on the third, one hour on the fourth, and two hours on the fifth day. Hence, the average studying hours is approximately 1. 7 hours a day. Thus, this also shows that there is an increase of studying behaviour between the second baseline and second treatment period. Besides that, there is also a staggering increase from the initial baseline and second treatment period, that precedes to fluctuate in the second baseline, when intervention was removed. Discussion  The behaviour modification project to increase studying behaviour was definitely a success because the graphs showed an increase in hours of studying as compared to the baseline data, thus indicating that there us a functional relationship between the target behaviour and the procedure. Furthermore, it is clear that the token economy system was a contributor to the success of increasing studying behaviour because once token economy was removed in the second baseline; the target behaviour had decreased tremendously. In addition, the target behaviour had increased when the second intervention was applied in the fourth week. Moreover, the use of reinforcements and punishment also helped me to keep myself motivated and determined to achieve the weekly goal that was set. Besides that, the use of within stimulus fading helped me generalise my behaviour to the subsequent weeks ahead, hence I had gradually adjusted myself with getting used to having less and less prompts throughout the week. However, there were also some limitations in this project, whereby, the duration of treatment intervention is too short to allow the behaviour to fully adjust and be generalised without the use of prompts. In addition, self monitoring was used during observation of behaviour for the baseline data. Observer may not be trained enough to record her own behaviour, hence data may not be as reliable as compared to having an inter rater observation. Moreover, the implementation of reinforcement contingency was my housemate, and sometimes the reinforcements were given a day later because she is not around. This has affected the effectiveness of the token as a reinforcing consequence as some deliveries of the token did not occur immediately after the response occurred according to the expected schedule. Furthermore, due to the delay between the response and token, it could have also affected the connection strength of the behaviour. In conclusion, behaviour modification is definitely an effective treatment method to help increase, decrease or develop new behaviours and it is applicable to use in a variety of problematic behaviours.

Reigning In Hermits: The Conflict Between Individualism and Participation :: Essays Papers

Reigning In Hermits: The Conflict Between Individualism and Participation In the wake of Enlightenment thinkers like Hobbes and Locke, who asserted the primacy of the individual as the possessor of rights and emphasized the resulting legal equality of all men, the question arose of how an individual who originates in a state of nature interacts with society. Early 19th Century writers had an advantage in answering this question over the original thinkers in the form of a grand experiment in Enlightenment theory currently being conducted in America. Here, for the first time, was a democracy run by consent of the governed, all of whom were equal individuals before the law and, according to the dominant religious tradition, before God. The more thorough this leveling, Alexis de Tocqueville argued in Democracy in America, â€Å"the less [men] are inclined to believe blindly in any man or any class†¦all having the same means of knowledge, truth will be found on the side of the majority† (Tocqueville, 435). At the same time that the power of self-sty led authorities fades in both public and religious life and people are more apt to simply tow the line, he sees the ties that once created interdependence in aristocracies—economic dependency and social hierarchy—weaken, resulting in the isolation of the individual from public life, or, â€Å"individualism† (Tocqueville, 506-7). Tocqueville’s apprehension towards individualism was not merely a passing worry—he saw in its extreme form the potential for despotism to replace democracy. â€Å"Despotism, by its very nature suspicious, sees isolation of men as the best guarantee of its own permanence† (Tocqueville, 509). This tension between personal isolation and participation in civic life surfaced in other contemporary works as well, including Charles Finney’s â€Å"Lectures on Revival of Religion† and Ralph Emerson’s â€Å"On Self Reliance,† in which the former argued in a vein similar to Tocqueville’s that the nature of democracy will always create this conflict, and the latter disposed of democracy in favor of the individual. Tocqueville’s own reconciliation of the individual’s natural inclination toward isolation is found in his analysis of the nature of knowledge in democratic societies. On a purely practical political level, there must, he argued, be certain beliefs held in common by all citizens in order for common action to be taken to administer government (Tocqueville, 433). Local government is the individual’s closest connection to the public sphere, and the same selfish impulse that leads to individualism will make it necessary for him to form political associations to secure his interests.

Personal work planning Essay

Perform research on the topic of personal work planning. In your own words, explain the importance of creating and maintaining personal work plans. If you are not working, but are part of an association or know of an organisation, please answer the question accordingly. A work plan is an outline of a set of goals and processes by which a person can accomplish those goals, offering the reader a better understanding of the scope of the project. Through work plans, you break down a process into small, achievable tasks and identify the things you want to accomplish. Creating a work plan can make people understand their job objectives, goals, and help to achieve goals and tasks efficiently. Maintaining work plan can help people solve problems more easily, work efficiently. Source: http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Work-PlanFor a period of 2 weeks keep a personal paper-based or electronic (e.g. personal digital assistant) journal related to your job role. At the end of each day, make entries to answer the following questions: What were the most important activities that needed to be achieved today? tag the order number on the dry clean items check every order if match with the order ticket write the price of each dry clean item on the order ticket record every order including item description, numbers of items, and price place the cleaned items to the order bag the finished orders customer services: pick up dry clean items and drop off cash collect record the order which has been pick up answer incoming phones How do these relate to my job description, responsibilities and accountabilities? Job descriptions: Shop assistant in Dry Cleaners. Tag and bag the dry clean items. Check the dry clean items accordingly with order ticket. Record the orders including drop off and pick up. Customer services and answering phones.My job activities are the activities and responsibilities according to my job descriptions. When I am doing my job,  my accountabilities are being concentrate, being careful not to make mistake, always smile to customers, being efficient. How do these related to the overall objectives and goals of the organisation? The overall objective and goals of the organisation: effectively and efficiently dry clean services My major job responsibilities and accountabilities are doing my job effectively and efficiently so these are related to the objectives and goals of the organisation. What measures of success apply to these activities? Job finished time Feedback from the manager and customers Was my time used effectively to contribute to the achievement of these tasks and activities? Why or why not? Yes, I do multi tasks when I am working. Use the personal work journal you created in question 2 of this assessment. write a short report reflection on how effective you are at personal work planning and organising. ( 1 page maximum) Introduction I am a shop assistant in Dry Cleaners. The shop provides same day services, and delivery service. I usually finish job by 3pm every day. The job activities, description, responsibilities.  My work start to tag dry cleaning items, checking orders, record the orders. At the same time, serve customer when customer come into the shop. When one order been done, bag the order. If the phone rings, answer the phone. The job activities I achieved are according to my job descriptions and responsibilities. I understand clearly what are the responsibilities, and things should be done every day. When I am doing my job, my accountabilities are being concentrate, being careful not to make mistake, always smile to customers, being efficient. The organisations goals and objective is providing effectively and efficiently dry clean services. When I am working, I always be multi-tasks, working efficiently and effectively. Every day we finish cleaning clothes around 2pm. My job finishes by 3pm. Conclusion I understand my job clearly and planning the procedures of my job activities. Through the job finish time, I can know I have done my job efficiently. Through the feedback of my manager, I know I have done my job effectively. Based on your what you’ve learned from this chapter, design a number of recommendations and strategies, that you can implement in your personal work planning and organising to improve any areas of your work performance and the management of your individual time. Indicate how each of these recommendations and strategies will enhance your capability to plan and organise work. (1 page Maximum) Record customers contact details: we can contact with them if we have any problems of the dry clean items or inform them to pick up when the order is ready. Clean up the finished and unpick up orders customer left for long time : More spaces in the shop Put doonas and blankets in order: I can find the order easier when customers come to pick up.

Sample Test

Jill has called on Marcia's Cosmetics for several years. She has always been friendly to Marcia but treated the other staff with indifference. When Marcia retired, Jill lost the account for what key reason(s)? |   | a. | It was time for a new sales representative. | b. | No one knew her. | c. | No one was educated about her products. | d. | Jill's communication style was different from the new buyer's. | e. | Jill failed to develop good personal relationships with key people. | | 2. | Kenny works for a firm selling modern log homes and frequently conducts an open house at the site of a newly completed home.Kenny does this in order to:|   | a. | choose the right setting. | b. | save travel time. | c. | cover one idea. | d. | appeal to all senses. | e. | plan for the dynamic nature of selling. | | 3. | Most Yes responses come on the ________ closing attempts. |   | a. | 2nd or 3rd| b. | 8th or 9th| c. | 1st or 2nd| d. | 4th  Ã‚  or  Ã‚  5th| e. | 6th or 7th| | 4. | Which one of the following sources would be best if you were considering exporting to an international country and needed foreign country and market information? |   | a. | Canadian Trade Index| b. | Canadian Foreign Investment Guide| c. | Fraser's Canadian Trade Directory| d. Department of Industry, Trade, and Technology| e. | Export Development Corporation| | 5. | Ivana has been hired by the Zenith Company as a professional buyer because of her many negotiation tactics. When she says, â€Å"We like your proposal, but our budget is only $7 500,† this is an example of a:|   | a. | a challenge tactic. | b. | take it or leave it tactic. | c. | a direct tactic. | d. | budget limitation tactic. | e. | let's split the difference tactic. | | 6. | Tara is developing a presentation strategy. She includes establishing objectives for the sales presentation, providing outstanding customer service, and:|   | a. preplanning activities. | b. | overhead design procedures. | c. | developing the presale presentation plan. | d. | enquiring about referrals. | e. | developing a prospect base. | | 7. | If a salesperson were attempting to involve the customer in a presentation for a diamond ring, s/he might:|   | a. | ask if there are any more questions. | b. | encourage the customer to try it on. | c. | explain the store's installment plan of payment for the item. | d. | lay the ring on black velvet to enhance its brilliance. | e. | inform the customer of the gem's clarity. | | 8. Patrick Jones is a skilled networker because he meets as many people as he can, tells them what he does, and:|   | a. | likes to network. | b. | asks everyone he meets for a referral. | c. | does business while he networks. | d. | pays for all entertainment costs. | e. | does  not  do business while networking. | | 9. | The most widely used method for negotiating buyer concerns is the:|   | a. | indirect denial. | b. | direct denial. | c. | trial offer. | d. | spin method. | e. | superior be nefit. | | 10. | Miguel has had three estimates on a home alarm system and the prices are all very close.The last sales representative has indicated if Miguel purchases the alarm now he will receive a 10% discount. The type of close used is:|   | a. | a summary benefits close. | b. | a late close. | c. | an assumption close. | d. | a special concession close. | e. | a minor point close| | 11. | Thomas works in the area of customer service. His duties include:|   | a. | closing sales. | b. | to encourage customers to spend more money. | c. | to enhance the role of the product. | d. | to prevent customers from buying competitors' products. | e. | to work one on one with clients. | | 12. | Another name for full-line selling is:| a. | suggestion selling. | b. | partnering. | c. | cross-selling. | d. | upselling. | e. | value-added selling. | | 13. | Emma knows that a potential customer has four basic qualifications: 1) they need the product, 2) they are able to afford the purchase 3 ) they are willing to buy the product, and 4):| | a. | they will refer others to buy the product. | b. | they will use the product. | c. | they will return for other products. | d. | they are part of a buying centre. | e. | they are authorized to buy the product. | | 14. | Heather has improved her problem solving capabilities over her ten-year sales career.This capability translates into:|   | a. | lower closing rates. | b. | having more happy customers. | c. | selling more expensive products. | d. | longer sales cycles. | e. | more referrals. | | 15. | â€Å"How has the high turnover in your company affected the morale of your employees†, is an example of a:|   | a. | confirmation question. | b. | pleasure question. | c. | probing question. | d. | general survey question. | e. | specific survey question. | | 16. | The length of time devoted to the social contact depends on:|   | a. | whether or not you like the buyer. | b. whether  Ã‚  the buyer is serious about buyi ng. | c. | whether you are feeling sales call reluctance. | d. | whether conversion has happened. | e. | the type of product or service sold. | | 17. | Jason is a photocopier sales rep. He likes to compare the speed of the copier to a â€Å"Concord aircraft†. Jason's goal is to make the presentation more:|   | a. | interesting. | b. | witty. | c. | memorable. | d. | persuasive. | e. | informative| | 18. | The price-cost comparison is most appropriate for:| | a. | inexpensive purchases. | b. | inferior quality products. | c. | transactional buying situations. | d. products with short usage or service life. | e. | products with long usage or service life. | | 19. | Research studies indicate that the referral approach is effective because:|   | a. | customers know that the viewpoint of a third party is always accurate. | b. | customers seldom trust a salesperson, but do trust a third party. | c. | customers will be far more impressed with your good points if they are present ed by a third party rather than by you. | d. | customers always respect the opinions of a third party. | e. | customers don't want to take the time to really get to know sales reps. | | 20. Simon uses confirmation questions; questions used to determine if information is correctly understood:|   | a. | hardly ever. | b. | throughout a sales call. | c. | at the end of a sales call. | d. | at the beginning of a sales call. | e. | in the middle of a sales call. | | Test Name: T2 Example F2012  | 1. | e. Jill failed to develop good personal relationships with key people. | 2. | a. choose the right setting. | 3. | d. 4th  Ã‚  or  Ã‚  5th| 4. | e. Export Development Corporation| 5. | d. budget limitation tactic. | 6. | c. developing the presale presentation plan. | 7. | b. encourage the customer to try it on. 8. | e. does  not  do business while networking. | 9. | a. indirect denial. | 10. | d. a special concession close. | 11. | c. to enhance the role of the product. | 12. | a . suggestion selling. | 13. | e. they are authorized to buy the product. | 14. | e. more referrals. | 15. | c. probing question. | 16. | e. the type of product or service sold. | 17. | d. persuasive. | 18. | e. products with long usage or service life. | 19. | c. customers will be far more impressed with your good points if they are presented by a third party rather than by you. | 20. | b. throughout a sales call. |

CSR

CSR CSR New trends and focuses that companies are trying to employ Concepts of social responsibility or alternatively corporate citizenship have formed a predominant business lexicon hence attracting the attention of the academicians especially due to advents of the technological advancements of the 21st century. Nelson and Jane (2004, p.3) notes that, â€Å"over the past decade, however they have grown to encompass a more complex, multidimensional and global set of issues, with strategic implications for both business leaders and policy makers.† The current trends in the CSR, encompasses organizations orientations so as to enhance CSR integration to form part and parcel of corporate strategies. To achieve these, the corporations attempt to mainstream CSR functions to transform them into fabric of values that remain evenly integrated within the business enterprise of the company.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on CSR specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The trends focus pinpoints on the need to â€Å"breakdown the silos, adopting a strategic vision, implementing and operationalization of CSR on a global basis, addressing CSR as a risk management as opposed to one that can be electively be avoided and addressing social risks in the context of total risk management† (Nelson Jane, 2004 , p.10). More critically, the modern trends are oriented to solve communication challenges: becoming cognizant of impeccably different communication demands for various stakeholders, and making decisions on appropriate strategies of communication. Among other crucial changes in the perception of the CSR concept include: self regulation and juggling regulation, solution of legacy issues that jeopardize the trust of future stake holders, strike of balance between the long term and short term business market pressures and â€Å"creating new forms of public/private collaboration and partnerships† (C apriotti Moreno, 2007, p.90). Consistent with the established demands that require to be fulfilled by the emerging businesses laid on the foundation of the CSR programs, the trends include focusing of CSR on the dimension of being a risk management tool by the potential investors. They further include the inculcation of social responsibility in the investment of funds of speedily developing the component of mutual benefit fund industry and addressing the interrogative of the governance crisis matters of the corporate CSR fund. Further trends entangles taking into consideration â€Å"reinsurers increasingly nervous and vocal concerns about climatic change† (Burke Logsdon, 1996, p.500). Consequently, NPF business establishment to aid the CSR programs with the intent to develop green products of an organization has chances of success due to support by various government and international policies of putting into place mechanisms to deal with the problem of environmental degrad ation.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Reasons why companies do not engage in more CSR The reason why companies do not engage in CSR activities can be broadly divided into government and financial institution and reasons related to human resources. Falck and Heblich (2007, p.249) notes that, â€Å"the first and greatest barriers to the broader adoption of CSR practices are of an institutional or governmental nature – the lack of an appropriate regulatory framework and the lack of government involvement, followed by a mix of financial and government related barriers.† In one or other impediments to success of CSR inclusions in the companies’ strategic plans are perceived to result to increased operation costs of an organization, absence of results that are visible from companies’ main business objective: to involve in activities that places it at a more competitive edge through profit generation, and lack of financial linkages. Barriers related to human resource entangles â€Å"lack of staff (middle management) incentives, (followed by current Government policy), cultural differences, employee resistance and management resistance† (Porter Kramer, 2006, p.81). In the light of all the corporate fare to incorporate CSR, the main ones include: escalated operating costs, hiked perceived risks, more exertion of stakeholders’ interests, competitive disadvantage, evidence of regulatory authorities interventions, decreased productivity coupled with devastating impacts to the companies’ profits with a consequence of diminished quality levels of company’s product qualities. Current risks for in-house CSR Risk associated with the application of CSR or current risks for in-house CSR fall into six categories entangling the issue of compliance, operational, employment market, extrinsic busines s relationships, reputation and stock markets. All these risks surrounding implementation of CSR programs need to be impeccably and or closely monitored and controlled if at all CSR initiatives have to be aligned with the corporation strategic plans of operation.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on CSR specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Some of the issues that need to be ardently addressed include â€Å"conflicting global laws and regulations that pose potential risks when organizations implement CSR initiative† (Sharma Talwar, 2005, pp. 35-45). Omissions, violation of laws governing CSR disclosures, in adequate performance in comparison with the goals and objective of the company have the capacity to cause substantial harm to the company’s reputation or brands. Other issues included in the spectra of CSR initiatives risks includes failing to give consideration to integration of objectives of CSR i nto the product , services and manufacturing process and non compliance to the established regulations on CSR. According to Matten and Moon, â€Å"Companies could also lose investors if they don’t qualify for socially responsible investment and reduce their pool of potential employees who don’t want to work for organizations without social and community commitment† (2008, pp. 40-42). Worse still a company may be in operation under relationships with organizations such as supplier companies, customers, among other business partners who do not pay any concern to CSR principles. Social media reputational risk Within a spectrum of stake holders, discontent exist with regard to ‘state of play’ in spite of amicable formulation of initiatives and standards to guide CSR globally. â€Å"NGOs and action campaigners want corporations to be legally responsible and accountable for human rights violations and CSR lapses† (Mullerat, 2005, p.40). Strides mad e with the aid of advocating green business or sustainability initiatives, various draw backs have been registered especially when addressing social and labor risks attributable to operations of corporations and in general those who are afflicted by them either for good or bad.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Going green can solve some of the challenges. However, this attempt may not be sufficient to ensure substantial company health since ignorance to non-green CSR concerns exposes a company to reputational and financial risks. As Fombrun, Gardberg and Barnett notes, â€Å"This is definitely a case where going green can leave you in the red management might suffer thinner coffers and embarrassment from a CSR oversight† (2000, p.101). Adequate capacity that ensure support, provide counseling and legal advice services so as to implement and sustain effectively CSR programs to companies while not disregarding stake holders that are sought to be protected so as to maintain social reputation of the organization. Society’s perception of companies linked to revenue Focusing on profit is agreed upon by many economists to amount to paramount businesses’ indulgencies. This is necessary for the success of any company. Nevertheless, how does the society perceive such companies ? According to Luo and Bhattacharya the word profit serves â€Å"to project images of greed, exploited workers, and rich capitalists† (2006, p.14). In the eyes of the consumers: who comprise what the company may term, as the target group for its products, have never welcomed the term profit with good regards (Trevino, Nelson, 2007, p.23). The society in most situations tends to focus mainly on cash profits as opposed on accompanying value it receives. To many members of the society, profit is attained at an expense of somebody else’s welfare. â€Å"Reducing company profits by contributing more to community organizations is frequently applauded by the public but however, company contributions almost always are made with some hope of a return or benefit to the company† (Carroll, 1991, p.43). Consequently, companies have come to the realization that to attain long term success, they ought to adjust their social corporate behavior enormously to levels that are cohe rent with societal anticipations in terms of norms and values. Increased corporate concerns in social interest alongside with the media in CSR Has got also the capacity to foster companies to embark on practices that help to cover their negative image before the eyes of the society. Michael Porter – perceived benefit Over a long time, capitalism ideologies had been deemed as a major causative of success of profit making organization since they are anchored on the need to maximize profits. Porter and Kramer believe â€Å"companies have been perceived to be prospering on behalf of the wider community† (Porter Kramer, 2011, p.3). Companies, on realizing the magnitude of blame they receive in contributing to societal failure, have embarked on methodologies of correcting the existing gap through deployment of value sharing tactics. With reference to Porter and Kramer’s work, companies deserve to extend their efforts beyond tradeoffs and create shared value between t hem and the society through â€Å"re-conceiving products and markets, redefining productivity in the value chain, and building supportive industry clusters at company’s locations† (2011, p.7). He further suggests that not all profits are equal where by profit that entails social purposes integrated within it depicts a greater form of capitalism that has the capacity to create community prosperity and company’s positive cycles. How companies propose business plans for internal CSR There is no specific plan for internal CSR for adoption universally by every corporate. â€Å"Each firm has unique characteristics and circumstances that will affect how it views its social responsibilities; and each will vary in its awareness of CSR issues and how much work it has already done towards implementing a CSR approach† (McWilliams, Siegel Wright, 2006, p.13). Proposed Plans streams widely from the corporate existing knowledge in certain other fields for example envir onmental management and quality control and assurance. With reference to, the work of Dicken (2006), â€Å"The framework follows the familiar plan, do, check and improve model that underlies such well-known initiatives as those of the International Organization for Standardization in the areas of quality and environmental management systems† (p.73). Plans are engineered to be flexible since any viable CSR implementation framework demand to have components of social, economic and environmental decisions, as the need to go green is critical. The decision making task is planned by many companies to stem from the board of directors to officials of the organization and finally to the contracted partners charged with supplies tasks. This is perceived as necessary since CSR program need be agreeable and coherent with all organizations stakeholders. As Ira and Jane (2003) lament, â€Å"A properly governed firm can reap optimal benefits for itself and its shareholders and in turn for those who are affected by the firms activities† (p.41). The plan contains six essential elements, which depending on the complexity level of an organization; some may be skipped while their implementation has already been begun. the plans entails conducting corporate social responsibility assessments, developing CSR strategies, developing commitments to CSR, commitment implementations, verifications and reporting the progress of the plans and finally evaluation so as to provide room for improvements where necessary. Competitive analysis CSR is a diverse field. In the private sector, within an organization CSR departments are placed within anything ranging from compliance, legal or public relations. In the public sector, USAID, UN, international labor organizations have all endorsed CSR career options. On the other hand, in the non-profit sector, â€Å"There are a wide variety of NGO’s, industry associations, think tanks, and academic institutions engaging in learning and/or advocacy within the CSR arena† (David, 2004, p.57). Social responsibility business groups and Harvard business schools for social enterprise do specialize in this arena. However, important element that ensures thriving in any business venture, whether profit oriented or non-profit making is the products differentiation. Therefore, the presented idea is viable in a free competitive environment inasmuch as the products remain well thought of clearly distinguished from what is on offer by charitable organizations. References Burke, L., Logsdon, J., 1996. How corporate social responsibility pays off. Long Range Planning, 29(4), pp 495-502. Capriotti, P., Moreno, A., 2007. Corporate Citizenship and public relations: The importance and interactivity of social responsibility issues on corporate websites. Public Relations Review, 33(7), pp. 84-91. Carroll, A., 1991.The pyramid of corporate social responsibility: Toward and moral management of organizational stakeholders. Busi ness Horizon, 34(3), pp. 39-48. David, B., 2004. How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Dicken, P., 2006. Global shift Reshaping the Global Economic Map in the 21st Century, London: Sage. Falck, O., Heblich, S., 2007. Corporate social responsibility: Doing well by doing good. Business Horizons, 50 (1), pp. 247-254. Fombrun, C., Gardberg, N., Barnett, M., 2000. Opportunity Platforms and Safety Nets: Corporate Citizenship and Reputational Risk. Business and Society Review, 105(1), pp 85-106. Ira, A., Jane, N., 2003. Profits with Principles: Seven Strategies for Delivering Value with Values. New York: Currency Publishers. Luo, X., Bhattacharya, C., 2006. Corporate social responsibility, Customer satisfaction, and Market value. Journal of Marketing, 70 (4), pp. 1-18. Matten, D., Moon, J., 2008. ‘Implicit’ and ‘explicit ’CSR: A Conceptual Framework for a Comparative Understanding of Corpor ate Social Responsibility’. Academy of Management Review, 33(2), pp 40–42. 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