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The Rights Of The Canadian Democracy - 1930 Words

The right to vote in a fair election is fundamental to Canadian democracy. While protected under law, there are tactics which have been used to prevent individuals from exercising this right. In the 2008 and 2011 federal elections, some voters received fraudulent â€Å"robo-calls,† instructing them to vote for candidates who were not running for election, or directing them to incorrect or non-existent polling stations. This was a calculated act of voter suppression presenting serious consequences for democracy in Canada. First and foremost, it was a deliberate attempt to deprive Canadians of their right to vote. As such, victims of these calls, as well as many other citizens, were left feeling disillusioned with our electoral system and mistrustful of politics in general. This has not been aided by the fact that only one person was ever charged in connection with the scandal. What that has proven, however, is that it is possible to utilize robo-calls to commit election fraud w ith relatively little consequence. The use of robo-calls poses a harmful impact to Canadian democracy by denying citizens their right to vote, fostering distrust in politics, and setting a dangerous precedent for future electoral fraud. For voters in the riding of Saanich–Gulf Islands, the 2008 federal election was, to say the least, unusual. The NDP candidate, Julian West, withdrew from the race after the media reported a bizarre incident from 1996, where it was alleged that West had exposed himself to aShow MoreRelatedThe Canadian System of Goverment863 Words   |  4 Pageswas a conservative approach to government and politics, although democracy was clearly lacking. Fast forward to modern Canada, where franchise has been opened to all citizens regardless of race, gender and sex and yet a true picture of democracy is often lacking amongst society. 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As a result, mandatory voting has gained the attention of many political scientists and political analysts. While there are good reasons to worry about Canadians’ diminishing voter turn-out, it is also fair to say that mandatory voting will not prove beneficial to the future of Canada’s democracy. Although mandatory voting will increase the voter turn-out, it will not create an informed voterRead MoreSummary of Two Articles : Democracy Canadian-style Part I and Coal India Ltd Floats Expression of Interest for Overseas Coal Assets749 Words   |  3 PagesDemocracy Summary In the article Democracy Canadian-style Part I: Abroad (Walberg, 2013) the Canadian democracy takes orders from its US-Euro masters to invade countries in order to set up mechanisms for elections when necessary. It uses its foreign diplomatic services to support the needs of Canadian corporations abroad and facilitate the efforts to produce profits. 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Core values of the democracy such as freedom, equalityRead MorePlato And Aristotle s Life And The Formation Of The Universe899 Words   |  4 PagesBefore developing one of the first democracies that existed on the earth, Athens had other forms of government, including monarchy (though that did not last very long). Even if there were other civilizations that were more established and advanced than the Greeks, they had produced â€Å"vast literatures on every human practice, as well as speculations about the origins of life and the formation of the universe†. But, tracing back to ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, is the traditionRead MoreShould Public Voting Rights Be Allowed?1488 Words   |  6 PagesMadeline Gropman, 104354669 Dr. Collier 02-45-100 25 November 2015 Should Everyone in Canada Be Allowed to Vote? Voting rights have been historically considered the heart of democratic citizenship wherein they hold the value that those controlled by the law should have a say in its conception and establishment. I believe that permanent Canadian residents, who have not yet gained citizenship, should be allowed to vote in municipal elections because universal suffrage is considered one of the most

Capital Asset Pricing Model

Question: Discuss about theCapital Asset Pricing Model. Answer: Introduction: The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is a model which is used to describe the relationship between the risks and returns for assets such as stocks. Therefore in theoretical terms it enables to assess the required rate of return from a particular asset. It basically helps the investors to analyse and assess the profits they may gain from assets such as securities and whether a particular asset should form a part of their diversified portfolio or should be sold off from their portfolio. Therefore the said model enables the investors to take more informed decision with regards the assets which are very sensitive to the market movement and these risks cannot be diversified also. What isCapital Asset Pricing Model Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM ) was introduced so as to enable determination of prices of individual stocks and a portfolio as a whole. It was formulated by Jack Treynor in the year 1961 1962, William F. Sharpe in the year 1964, John Lintner in the year 1965 and Jan Mossin in the year 1966. Thus it was introduced by four eminent economists separately. One more version of CAPM was developed named Black CAPM by Fischer Black in the year 1972. The CAPM is required by a portfolio manager who helps the investors decide about their portfolio. His main work is calculation of the equity capital to a company. Thus the said method enables quantification of the expected perils and thus enabling conversion of the possible risks to expected returns on equity. The theory has various assumptions to be taken into consideration while calculating the expected return from the risks that the securities possess. Firstly it assumes that the financial markets is full of investors who are well informed, highly educated and are prudent buyers and sellers. Second assumption states that the investors are very much concerned about their money and expect to earn a premium for the extra risks they assume while investing(Fama, French, 2004). Thirdly all the investors are considered to be moving ahead towards the same period for planning their investments. Fourthly there are no taxes or concessions or commissions applicable. Lastly it is assumed that there is just one risk free rate and the investors borrow or lend in that rate only (Mullins, 1982). The formulae for calculating the return from a asset from the expected risks is : r* =kRF+b(kM-kRF) r*= Required rate of return kRF= Risk free rate kM= Average market return b= Beta Coefficient of security (Wogner, 2015) The said formula is also known as Security Market Line Formula. Relationship Between Security Market Line (Sml) And Capital Market Line (Cml) The Security Market Line is a line which correlates the return an investment fetches in relation to the risks attached. The measurement used for risk by the SML is beta. The SML diagram below clearly indicates that the line begins with nil risk attached to an investment and as the line is moving diagonally upwards the risk attached to an investment increases with an increase in the risk also. Thus risk and return are directly proportionate to each other. Therefore an investor with a low appetite for risk would prefer investing at the beginning of the SML and those with a higher risk appetite would prefer to invest at the middle or above that of the SML. However a change in the SML line is caused due to the risk premium expected by the potential investors. Thus a shift in the SML can occur if there are changes in the expected economic growth on a real time basis, the capital market conditions and the inflation rate (-, 2014). Therefore it can be very rightly said that in the world wherein CAPM is applicable all the assets are a part of the SML. The Capital Market Line (CML) is a line which portrays the rate of return of an efficient investment portfolio after taking into account the level of risks attached for a market portfolio and the risk free rate of return. Therefore this line basically speaks about not only the risks attached to a particular stock i.e. unsystematic risks but also how the risks affect the functioning of the overall market i.e. systematic risk. Thus whenever an investor build up his investment portfolio his basic idea lies to gain the maximum possible return with minimum possible risk attached. But the said idea situation does not exist always because of the attached volatility and unexpected performances and movements of the stocks, therefore increased risk can also lead to magnification of losses. Therefore the CML can be described diagrammatically as under: From the above two definitions it is clear that there exists a relationship between the SML and CML in a Capital Asset Pricing Model. Both the concepts are related to the extend that many a times the SML is said to be a part of the CML while calculating the risks associated with securities. The CML connotes the risk and the return for the entire portfolio of stocks whereas the SML reflects the risk and returns associated with individual securities which form a part of the overall portfolio. The measurement basis of risk is however not same. The CML uses the standard deviation and the SML uses beta. Therefore the capital market line focuses mainly on the performance of the overall portfolio whereas the SMLs focus is narrowed down to only individual securities. Advantanges of Capm The Capital Asset Pricing Model theory has various advantages and uses that enables the investors to decide upon which securities to buy and how to build up a healthy and a profitable portfolio. They are: The calculations offered by this model is the simplest and stress tested which provides a wide array of outcomes. This in turn builds confidence amongst the investors to invest in a healthy portfolio. Presence of a diversified portfolio helps to eradicate the unsystematic risk. This is the only model which takes into account the systematic risk. It is important to consider the said risk is an unforeseen risk which should not be neglected or ignored and should form a part of the risk assessment theory. Thus this method is considered to be the most reliable amongst all as it enables comparison of the companys performance with regards the market performance as whole (Sigman 2005). Lastly the said method is useful for appraisal of the investment portfolio as a whole as the discount rates offered by the said model is superior than those offered by other models. Due to this it establishes a strong linkage between return an investor expects from his investment and the systematic risk attached to the investment. Disadvantanges of Capm However, the said model has got criticisms also due to some disadvantages attached to it. The same are as follows: The said model does not consider the volatile nature of securities and uses a commonly accepted risk free rate on short term government securities without factoring in the changes that place in the yield on a daily basis. The assumptions basis which the said model stands is unrealistic. Such as finding of a security which is free from all the risks is very difficult in todays scenario. The next incorrect assumption is that the lending and borrowing rates are same which is highly impossible. Thus in such situations CAPM may fail to capture the risk of investment with the help of beta (Lee, Su, 2014). Beta is used to measure basis the past information. Analysis has proved that the beta of individual assets is unstable thus the past data are not strong indicators of the risk that the securities would pose in the future. Alternative Models The CAPM model is highly regarded and accepted world-wide, but there are other methods also used to determine the return against the risks attached to investments. Such as the Gordon DDM (Dividend Discount Model), Multi-Beta Models and Market Price Based model. These methods offer better methodologies of measuring risks and returns of the investments. Gordon DDM or the Gordon Shapiro Model: As per the said model the price of the stock is determined by taking out the net present value (NPV) of the future dividends per share that is likely to accelerate at a constant rate and that the growth rate will remain unaltered. Thus this model cannot be used where the dividend of the companies are erratic in nature or where the companies do not pay dividend only (Damodaran, 2015). Multi-Beta Model: Two alternatives fall under the Multi-Beta Models. The Arbitrage Pricing Model which is similar to the conservative portfolio theory but unlike the CAPM theory it takes into consideration multiple sources of market risk and each risk as a separate beta estimated to it. The second alternative to it is The Multifactor Model which uses the past information of the stocks in question and relates it to the specific macro economic variables and thus assigns beta to the individual companies against these macro economic variables (Krause, 2001). Market Price Based Model: There exists instability in the estimation of Beta which is highly volatile in nature. One of the alternative is to let go of the correlation fully and then estimate the price of stock by dividing the standard deviation with the average of standard deviation across all stocks. This method is a more stable method than the CAPM which uses Beta. Conclusion Thus on a concluding note it is clear that CAPM is a very age old model which investors and the portfolio managers have been relying upon. Yet the same has some advantages and disadvantages to it which cannot be ignored. Being the most tried and stress tested model economists prefer it even though it is based on assumptions which may seem to be unrealistic. As per my recommendation although various other refined models have come up yet the CAPM dominates. According to me a portfolio manager should use Capital Asset Pricing Model and over and above the same he could use other methods as well. The alternate methods are also acceptable but no model is full proof each have their own pluses and minuses which should be considered while analysing a portfolio. References: Damodaran, A., (2015), The Dividend Discount Model, Available at https://people.stern.nyu.edu/adamodar/pdfiles/eqnotes/ddm.pdf (Accessed 08th September 2016) Fama, E.F., French, K.R., (2004), The capital Asset Pricing Model: Theory and Evidence, Journal of Economic Perspectives, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 25-46 Jylha, P., (2014), Margin Constraints and the Security Market Line, Imperial College Business School, Available at https://www.cbs.dk/files/cbs.dk/paper_petrijylha.pdf (Accessed 08th September 2016) Krause, A., (2001), An Overview of Asset Pricing Models, University of Bath School of Management, Available at https://people.bath.ac.uk/mnsak/Research/Asset_pricing.pdf (Accessed 08th September 2016) Lee, M.C., Su, L.E., (2014), Capital Market Line Based on Efficient Frontier of Portfolio with Borrowing and Lending Rate, Universal Journal of Accounting and Finance, vol. 2, no.4, pp. 69-76 Mullins, D.W., (1982), Does the Capital Asset Pricing Model Work?, Available at https://hbr.org/1982/01/does-the-capital-asset-pricing-model-work (Accessed 08th September 2016) Sigman K., (2005), Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), Available at https://www.columbia.edu/~ks20/FE-Notes/4700-07-Notes-CAPM.pdf (Accessed 08th September 2016) Wogner, J., (2015), Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM): Definition, formula, Advantages and Example, Available at https://study.com/academy/lesson/capital-asset-pricing-model-capm-definition-formula-advantages-example.html (Accessed 08th September 2016)

Value Analysis free essay sample

The value of a product will be interpreted in different ways by different customers. Value is subjective. Just as beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, value is highly dependent upon perspective. Frequently, the analyst will discover that the different perspectives will lead to conflicting definitions of value. But usually its common characteristic is a high level of performance, capability, emotional appeal, style, etc. relative to its cost. This can also be expressed as maximizing the function of a product relative to its cost: Value = (Performance + Capability)/Cost = Function/Cost Value is not a matter of minimizing cost. In some cases the value of a product can be increased by increasing its function (performance or capability) and cost as long as the added function increases more than its added cost. The concept of functional worth can be important. Functional worth is the lowest cost to provide a given function. However, there are less tangible selling functions involved in a product to make it of value to a customer. INTRODUCTION TO VALUE ANALYSIS Lawrence Miles conceived of Value Analysis (VA) in the 1945 based on the application of function analysis to the component parts of a product. The technique simultaneously pursues two complimentary objectives: †¢Maximizing the utility provided by the product or service †¢Minimizing or eliminating waste. The analysts goal is to eliminate as much of the non-value-added elements as possible by reengineering the design of the product or process. Equally important, the analyst also considers the possibility of substituting functionally equivalent elements for the value-added elements of the product or process design. In the latter case, a substitution is justified when the functionality of the element is maintained or enhanced at a reduced cost to the producer. Value analysis may be applied to the design and redesign of products, services, and processes Component cost reduction was an effective and popular way to improve value when direct labor and material cost determined the success of a product. The value analysis technique supported cost reduction activities by relating the cost of components to their function contributions. Value analysis defines a basic function as anything that makes the product work or sell. A function that is defined as basic cannot change. Secondary functions, also called supporting functions, described the manner in which the basic function(s) were implemented. Secondary functions could be modified or eliminated to reduce product cost. Finally, design changes may be proposed to eliminate, reduce, or replace elements that fail to add sufficient value to the overall product or process. As VA progressed to larger and more complex products and systems, emphasis shifted to upstream product development activities where VA can be more effectively applied to a product before it reaches the production phase. However, as products have become more complex and sophisticated, the technique needed to be adapted to the systems approach that is involved in many products today. As a result, value analysis evolved into the Function Analysis System Technique (FAST) VALUE ANALYSIS METHOD: Identifying the function in the broadest possible terms provides the greatest potential for divergent thinking because it gives the greatest freedom for creatively developing alternatives. A function should be identified as to what is to be accomplished by a solution and not how it is to be accomplished. How the function is identified determines the scope, or range of solutions that can be considered. That functions designated as basic represent the operative function of the item or product and must be maintained and protected. Determining the basic function of single components can be relatively simple. By definition then, functions designated as basic will not change, but the way those functions are implemented is open to innovative speculation. As important as the basic function is to the success of any product, the cost to perform that function is inversely proportional to its importance. This is not an absolute rule, but rather an observation of the consumer products market. Few people purchase consumer products based on performance or the lowest cost of basic functions alone. When purchasing a product it is assumed that the basic function is operative. The customers attention is then directed to those visible secondary support functions, or product features, which determine the worth of the product. From a product design point of view, products that are perceived to have high value first address the basic functions performance and stress the achievement of all of the performance attributes. Once the basic functions are satisfied, the designers then address the secondary functions necessary to attract customers. Secondary functions are incorporated in the product as features to support and enhance the basic function and help sell the product. The elimination of secondary functions that are not very important to the customer will reduce product cost and increase value without detracting from the worth of the product. The cost contribution of the basic function does not, by itself, establish the value of the product. Few products are sold on the basis of their basic function alone. If this were so, the market for no name brands would be more popular than it is today. Although the cost contribution of the basic function is relatively small, its loss will cause the loss of the market value of the product. One objective of value analysis or function analysis, to improve value by reducing the cost-function relationship of a product, is achieved by eliminating or combining as many secondary functions as possible. VALUE ANALYSIS PROCESS The first step in the value analysis process is to define the problem and its scope. Once this is done, the functions of the product and its items are derived. These functions are classified into basic and secondary functions. A Cost Function Matrix or Value Analysis Matrix is prepared to identify the cost of providing each function by associating the function with a mechanism or component part of a product. Product functions with a high cost-function ratio are identified as opportunities for further investigation and improvement. Improvement opportunities are then brainstormed, analyzed, and selected. FUCTION COST MATRIX APPROACH: The objective of the Function Cost Matrix approach is to draw the attention of the analysts away from the cost of components and focus their attention on the cost contribution of the functions. The Function Cost Matrix displays the components of the product, and the cost of those components, along the left vertical side of the graph. The top horizontal legend contains the functions performed by those components. Each component is then examined to determine how many functions that component performs, and the cost contributions of those functions. Detailed cost estimates become more important following function analysis, when evaluating value improvement proposals. The total cost and percent contribution of the functions of the item under study will guide the team, or analyst, in selecting which functions to select for value improvement analysis. VALUE ANALYSIS MATRIX: A variation of the Function-Cost Matrix is the Value Analysis Matrix. This matrix was derived from the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) methodology. It is more powerful in two ways. First, it associates functions back to customer needs or requirements. In doing this, it carries forward an importance rating to associate with these functions based on the original customer needs or requirements. Functions are then related to mechanisms, the same as with the Function-Cost Matrix. Mechanisms are related to functions as either strongly, moderately or weakly supporting the given function. This relationship is noted with the standard QFD relationship symbols. The associated weighting factor is multiplied by customer or function importance and each columns value is added. These totals are normalized to calculate each mechanisms relative weight in satisfying the designated functions. This is where the second difference with the Function-Cost Matrix arises. This mechanism weight can then be used as the basis to allocate the overall item or product cost. The mechanism target costs can be compared with the actual or estimated costs to see where costs are out of line with the value of that mechanism as derived from customer requirements and function analysis FUNCTION ANALYSIS SYSTEM TECHNIQUE Function Analysis System Technique is an evolution of the value analysis process created by Charles Bytheway. FAST permits people with different technical backgrounds to effectively communicate and resolve issues that require multi-disciplined considerations. FAST builds upon VA by linking the simply expressed, verb-noun functions to describe complex systems. FAST is not an end product or result, but rather a beginning. It describes the item or system under study and causes the team to think through the functions that the item or system performs, forming the basis for a wide variety of subsequent approaches and analysis techniques. FAST contributes significantly to perhaps the most important phase of value engineering: function analysis. FAST is a creative stimulus to explore innovative avenues for performing functions. Bytheways set of original questions for FAST includes the following: 1. What subject or problem would you like to address? 2. What are you really trying to do when you? 3. What higher level function has caused to come into being? 4. Why is it necessary to? 5. How is actually accomplished or how is it proposed to be accomplished? 6. Does the method selected to cause any supporting functions to come into being? 7. If you did not have to perform, would you still have to perform the other supporting functions? 8. When you, do apparent dependent functions come into existence as a result of the current design? 9. What or who actually? The FAST diagram or model is an excellent communications vehicle. Using the verb-noun rules in function analysis creates a common language, crossing all disciplines and technologies. It allows multi-disciplined team members to contribute equally and communicate with one another while addressing the problem objectively without bias or preconceived conclusions. With FAST, there is no right or wrong model or result. The problem should be structured until the product development team members are satisfied that the real problem is identified. After agreeing on the problem statement, the single most important output of the multi-disciplined team engaged in developing a FAST model is consensus. Since the team has been charged with the responsibility of resolving the assigned problem, it is their interpretation of the FAST model that reflects the problem statement thats important. The team members must discuss and reconfigure the FAST model until consensus is reached and all participating team members are satisfied that their concerns re expressed in the model. Once consensus has been achieved, the FAST model is complete and the team can move on to the next creative phase. A system exists because functions form dependency links with other functions, just as components form a dependency link with other components to make the system work. The importance of the FAST approach is that it graphically displays function dependencies and creates a process to study function links while exploring options to develop improved systems. There are normally two types of FAST diagrams, the technical FAST diagram and the customer FAST diagram. A technical FAST diagram is used to understand the technical aspects of a specific portion of a total product. A customer FAST diagram focuses on the aspects of a product that the customer cares about and does not delve into the technicalities, mechanics or physics of the product. A customer FAST diagram is usually applied to a total product. VALUE ADDED ASSESSMENT: The function of each design element is then reviewed against the operational definition of value to determine whether and how it contributes to the worth of the product or process. Although each situation is unique, several functions are commonly considered to be non-value-added. The following list is a small sample of highly suspect verbs: †¢Administration: allocates, assigns, records, requests, or selects. †¢Waiting or delay: files, sets up, stages, updates, or awaits. †¢Motion or transportation: collates, collects, copies, delivers, distributes, issues, loads, moves, or receives. †¢Oversight or control: approves, expedites, identifies, inspects labels, maintains, measures, monitors, reviews, or verifies. †¢Rework or repair: adjusts, changes, reconciles, repairs, returns, revises, or cancels However, identifying non-value-added design elements is only one aspect of the value assessment. The value-added elements should also be appraised. For example, assume that our evaluation has determined that the function of a bolt is to attach-component. Our initial analysis reveals that this is a secondary function that supports the overall operation of our product and is therefore value-added. However, during the information-gathering phase of our analysis we discovered that several warranty claims can be traced to the failure of this bolt. Based upon this information we should then consider whether a substitute component might provide a higher level of value. In this situation we might consider a bigger, stronger bolt. If the revised design leads to fewer failures, our customers might experience fewer field failures. In addition, even though the new component presumably costs more than the original, we may find the overall product profitability improved if the reduced warranty claims offset the higher production costs. We might also choose to extend our analysis to consider other functionally equivalent components to the original bolt. Returning to our example, the function of the bolt was to attach-component. Several other design elements might perform the same fastening function at either a reduced cost or improved performance level. A more complete analysis might consider substituting a screw, a rivet, adhesive, or even a weld for the troublesome bolt. Each potential substitution has its own implications for production costs and stakeholder satisfaction. VALUE ANALYSIS AND DESIGN PROCESS The analysis of value is intrinsic to the design process. Design professionals evaluate materials and systems as part of the process of responding to the clients needs. The resultant design is really a series of recommendations to the client that address constructability, program requirements, and life-cycle costs including operational and maintenance expenses. Generating alternatives to produce the greatest worth for the client often takes skill sets beyond those of design professionals. A team approach can best incorporate the expertise of value and constructability consultants into any analysis that the designers of record provide. Used properly, value analysis can increase the return on investment and create greater overall project value for the client. Assessing Functional Alternatives The basis of value analysis is an organized effort focused on achieving the lowest life-cycle costs consistent with required performance, reliability, quality, and aesthetics. This organized effort should acknowledge that the design teams participation will result in additional time and liability exposures, and the professional service fee should be increased accordingly. Usually, the best results are achieved when value analysis begins early in the design process. Beginning at the schematic design development phase, initial and long-term expenses as well as construction costs can decrease through use of more cost-efficient materials and reduction in construction time, increasing the clients profitable use of the facility. Avoiding the Cost-Cutting Mentality Mere cost cutting is not true value analysis. Cost cutting that results in a loss of quality and functionality does not qualify as the systematic identification of a components true function. And this does not provide a components essential function at the lowest overall cost. Most value analysis ideas involve some compromise on quality, but performance, quality, and cost must be weighed against each other before agreeing on changes. If the solution is developed early enough in the design process, the overall benefit to the client will be greater. Achieving True Benefits Reducing project construction costs, improving project schedules, and decreasing operational and maintenance costs can be a significant challenge. The first step in meeting that challenge is to make sure the client has a well-prepared budget and a clear program. Then the value analysis process, conducted early in the design phase, can have positive results. Gaps in the clients program or insufficient funding can lead to significant problems during construction if not addressed up front. Value analysis should not be a one-time effort, however. The design team must review and evaluate each proposal on the basis of project goals, technical considerations, implementation consequences, and both initial operations and life-cycle cost savings. The design team also is responsible for defending quality to the client and explaining the downside of any value analysis ideas. A client must be able to express informed consent when deciding on design team recommendations. All stakeholders in a construction project must understand the procedures and timing of value analysis if the process is to achieve a true benefit rather than illusory savings to the client. Value analysis is an important analysis tools. This methodology leads to improved product designs and lower costs by: †¢Providing a method of communication within a product development team and achieving team consensus †¢Facilitating flexibility in thinking and exploring multiple concepts †¢Focusing on essential functions to fulfill product requirements †¢Identifying high cost functions to explore improvements As organizations across the globe leverage mobile solutions to extend beyond their initial use for mobile email, significant opportunities for strategic differentiation begin to materialize along with tremendous quantitative and qualitative benefits. Such benefits bring exceptional value not only to the intended mobile user base but also to a larger set of workers across the organization in the form of streamlined workflow and improved business processes. SAP America created and deployed an extension of its mySAP Customer Relationship Management (mySAP CRM) application to its mobile sales force on their BlackBerry devices. This undertaking yielded the following results: An initial deployment of a Web-based portal provided the necessary gateway between desktop and the mobile application for many users. The visibility and usage of the portal allowed for a better overall understanding of business processes and ultimately contributed o increased adoption of the subsequent mobile application. The plan to use the SAP xApp Mobile Sales composite application on BlackBerry sought to present a My Opportunities view and enable updating of customer and company contact information, viewing and modifying of in-process opportunities, changing status and close date, adding members to a virtual account team, viewing an opportunitys internal order number, and providing revenue modification at the line-item level. The SAP team completed a rapid deployment and delivery cycle that brought mobile CRM to nearly 100% adoption in six months. An initial phase of deployment had yielded little adoption by the sales force due to slow performance and unwieldy security policies. Additional enhancements, such as single sign-on features and improved ease of use, significantly increased user adoption. Key hurdles to overcome included heavy reliance upon support staff, combined with inefficient communication and workflow mechanisms among account executives, managers, and virtual account teams.

Inter-cultural and cross-cultural management Essay Example

Inter-cultural and cross-cultural management Paper This paper is about the development of a deep understanding of the concepts of international business and global management by giving a broaden exploration of inter-cultural and cross-cultural management and the idea of doing business across cultures. The paper presents a brief commentary on the broad range of issues facing firms doing business across cultures and, in particular, the obvious differences observed or/and encountered in doing business in United States as opposed to doing business in Europe-including some cross-cultural communication issues, management development issues, interacting with American customers and ethical issues. In fact, this document attempts to compare how business is done in the US to how business is done in Europe. The paper borrows mainly from Elishmawi (2001), Francesco Gold (2005) and from several other sources that are indicated at the end of this document in the List of References. 2. Managing Cross-Cultural Differences in International Business Elishmawi (2001), Czinkota et al (2002), and Mead (2004) claim, separately, that as companies become increasingly global, clashes between managers of different cultures are occurring with greater and greater frequency. Many of these clashes could be avoided if people were simply more aware of how people from other cultures perceive them and how those cultures differ from one another. Two distinct tasks become necessary: First, to understand cultural differences and the ways they manifest themselves, and, second, to determine similarities across cultures and exploit them in strategy formulation. Success in new markets is very much a function of cultural adaptability: patience, flexibility, and appreciation of others beliefs. We will write a custom essay sample on Inter-cultural and cross-cultural management specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Inter-cultural and cross-cultural management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Inter-cultural and cross-cultural management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Laroche (1999) and Elishmawi (2001) warn that differences in approaches, values and expectations between customers, suppliers and team members with different cultural backgrounds have lead to many projects failures. Laroche (1999) insists that miscommunication across cultural lines is usually the most important cause of cross-cultural problems in multinational projects. Elements of culture are language (verbal and non-verbal), religion, values and attitudes, manners and customs, material elements, aesthetics, education and social institutions. Different scholars, including Laroche (1999), Elishmawi (2001), Czinkota et al (2002), and Francesco Gold (2005) agree on six fundamental patterns of cultural differences: Different communication styles, different attitudes toward conflict, different approaches to completing tasks, different decision-making styles, different attitudes toward disclosure, and different approaches to knowing. They give some guidelines for inter-cultural success: learn from generalizations about other cultures, but dont use those generalizations to stereotype, write-off, or oversimplify your idea about others. Practice, practice and practice; that is the first rule in order to get a better cross-cultural communication. Dont assume that there is one right way (yours!! ) to communicate or to do business. Dont assume that breakdowns in communication occur because other people are on the wrong track. Listen actively and empathetically. Try to put yourself in the other persons shoes. Use this as an opportunity to develop an understanding from the other point of view. Remember that cultural norms may not apply to the behavior of any particular individual. We are all shaped by many, many different factors. Be aware of possible current power imbalances-and have openness to hearing each others perceptions of those imbalances. It is necessary to understand each other to work together. 2. 1 National Culture, Attribution and Ethics: Gopalan Thompson (2003) assert that cross-cultural management researchers have observed that when presented with similar ethical dilemmas, managers raised in different cultural environments exhibit divergence in their perceptions, interpretations, and eventual solutions. Cross-cultural management scholars have noted that managerial values, beliefs, norms, and attitudes are impacted by national culture causing managers to conceptualize human natures, relationship to natures, work, time, inter-personal relationships, space, and language very differently (Adler 1986, Hofstede 1993, and Francesco Gold 2005). It works as follows: Source: Figure 1: Gopalan Thompson 2003, page: 314 2. 2 What international business managers should do: International business managers should understand that cultural competence must be recognized as a key management skill. Cultural incompetence, or inflexibility, can easily jeopardize millions of Euros or dollars through wasted negotiations, lost purchases, sales, and customers; and poor customer relations. Cultural risk is as real and vital as commercial or/and political risk during expansion and beyond expansion of international firms. Ethical issues are differently perceived from one culture to another. And ethical issues may really affect business and other management aspects. 3. Psychological Contracting and Human-Resource Development. Sparrow 1998 explores the role of human-resource development managers in defining and maintaining employees psychological contracts. This approach has received a great attention, mostly in US and UK, because it was discovered that cross-cultural differences in HRD processes are associated with contracting. Studies of the psychological contract tend to raise as many questions about the dynamics of employee behavior as they answer. And, they provide a good tool for understanding the management of workforce across cultures. Failure to insure internal work cohesion may destroy any firm. Rousseau 1990 defines the psychological contract as the set of expectations held by the individual employee that specifies what the individual and the organization expect to give and receive in the working relationship. Contracts are open-ended agreements concerned with the social and emotional aspects of exchange between employer and employee. They represent a set of unwritten reciprocal expectations. And, they are viewed increasingly as deep drivers of motivational theories because changes in the contract are assumed to have implications for employee behaviors in response to organizational attempts to manage careers, rewards, and commitment. Therefore, the issue for HRD practitioners is no longer just one of managing careers, but one of dealing with breaches in the psychological contract (Rousseau, 1995). 3. 1 . The Psychological Contract in its Broader Social Setting: Rousseau 1995 claims that the impact of national culture and institutions would be normally equated to the notion of social contract. However, even at the individual level, the content of psychological contract and the management frames of reference that create, socialize, sustain, or breach it clearly bear an impact of each societys social contract. 3. 2 . Cross-Cultural Differences: Lachman (1997) demonstrates how culture acts as an explanatory factor. His work gives a proof that Sparrows approach is scientific and that the contracting model and concept deserves our serious attention. And that the same approach can be applied even to any other business management across-cultures. Comparative HRD academics draw attention to some marked social differences in the expected attractiveness of the concept. There are three most distinctive European Management Models: Anglo-Saxon, French and Germanic. To a common perceived threat, the main European national business systems will follow different trajectories of response. Sparrow 1998 asserts that within Europe, the strong and culturally distinctive (homogeneous) management models in France, Germany, and Scandinavia stand opposed to the Anglo-Saxon model. The Anglo-Saxon model would include UK, US and Canada. However, example e in 5. 1 (Kim Samuel Johnson of Canada) demonstrated that we must be careful because there exist differences within the Anglo-Saxon countries, themselves. In fact, as Elishmawi (2001) advises us clearly, there are no two identical business models between two countries. Some brief examples: 1. Scholars, including Elishmawi (2001) and Sparrow (1998) claims that in the US and UK, management is seen as essentially an interpersonal task focusing on getting things done. In rejection of elitism, people are seen as having primary importance as individuals. Personal experience rather than experience codified in the national culture forms the basis of effectiveness and performance. 2. Lawrence (1993) argues that German managers have difficulty with the idea that management is something that can be analyzed and generalized across the whole firm. So, they do not manage in general, but are instead seen to manage something. They like formal authority and value very mach technical competence and functional expertise. 3. Sparrow (1998) sustains that French organizations are staffed by a highly bright cadre of technical experts and are managed by the application of rationality. They apply less charisma, pugnacity, capacity to communicate and motivate. 3. 3 Recommendation to International Managers There are different and distinctive management models within Europe, itself, and between Europe and US. Furthermore, the internal efficiency of Argogen Biotech SA may be weakened if managers and workers in the new markets are not on the same wavelength. The firm should take those differences into consideration when expanding. The French model will never work in US, if unchanged and re-adapted. It would not work in the rest of Europe, England, Japan or Canada, either. 4. Different National Cultures and Diversity Francesco Gold (2005) assert that some countries, such as the United States, have a long history of dealing with people who are different, and as a highly individualistic country, US values these differences. Other countries, such as Japan, have been isolated from other cultures, and today are relatively homogeneous. Elishmawi (2001) notes that doing business with Europeans requires many skills: proper etiquette, a keen business sense, and the ability to read nuances of verbal and nonverbal communications, to name a few. In addition, the diversity of European cultures forces the foreign businessperson to acquire skills they possibly never had before. It might seem for many that dealing with all Europeans is the same. It is definitely not however, as for example, French, German, British, Italian, Swiss, Dutch cultural values are very distinctive. Strangely, for example, Americans, French and Russians highly value self-reliance, while Germans, Swiss and Spanish place high emphasis on reputation! Thus, when dealing with Europeans, it is useful to be aware they are various. 4. 1 Recommendation to International Managers: The firm Leadership needs to know that the perception of diversity in each of its new foreign markets is different. Failing to make required strategic arrangements to utilize diversity as a competitive advantage may end up with considerable losses of money, time and deals for the firm. In the United States, there are fundamental traditions of valuing equality and equal opportunity. And, although relationships among members of different racial and ethnic groups have not been always harmonious-and are not even today-law, social, and corporate policies over 50 years have made numerous attempts to address equity and diversity issues. So, the US legal system has more experience in dealing with racial and ethnic issues than most of European countries. 5. Doing Business with Americans and Expanding into US Market Elishmawi (2001) finds that since the end of the Second World War, US have played an important and influential role in the development of the global economic system. Consequently, American cultural values are prevalent throughout the globe, and countries and cultures that have wanted to do business with or compete against American companies, have sometimes found it necessary to adopt American business culture values and norms. Elishmawi (2001) argues that doing business with Americans, however, or adopting American methods of conducting business, is not always easy. Czinkota et al (2002) assert that the significant importance of the US economy and the subsequent respect for the US economic model has been accompanied by a corresponding fall-off in the efforts by US companies and their managers to understand and respect other ways of conducting business. Misled by the sense that the world is becoming even more American and reassured by the increasingly universal ability of counterparts to speak English, many US managers do not fully comprehend how cultural misunderstandings can sour relationships and sabotage deals.

An Old Woman. Essay Example

An Old Woman. Essay Example An Old Woman. Essay An Old Woman. Essay The poem is highly symbolic and very common placed in its subject matter. The poet was impressed by the temple of Kandoba at Jajori and the poem is thus against this setting. An Old Woman is a graphic picture of a beggar woman. Having lost the promises of her past, she is reduced to her present state. As the speaker views her squarely, he, in a sort of revelation, becomes aware of the decay which has set in her person and which is extended to the decaying tradition symbolized by the hills and the temples. Without using many words, the old woman forces the narrator to look at her from closed quarters. It is then that he realizes the hypocrisy of society and the decadence of the social system that has ruined the old woman to a beggar. he finds that the social fabric is destroyed, architectural features go into ruins. Human values are forgotten. The old womans condition reduces the narrator to a small status when he feels as insignificant as that small coin in her hand. This poem humbles us to remember our responsibility to society. It reveals the callousness, a failure on our part to take care of the elderly, protect our heritage and preserve our values. In the rush of materialism and the desire to achieve, one takes all that one can from society, but giving the same back is largely forgotten. So the cracking hills, crumbling temples, crumbling of social order is directly a result of our negligence, our failure to act responsibly. Somewhere, the materialistic world has made man selfish, trapping him in a race to accumulate. When society has to face this onslaught, cracks appear, but selfish man forgets to repair the cracks, forgets to salvage lost values, thereby creating a dilapidated social fabric.

Facility Planning-Part I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Facility Planning-Part I - Essay Example d.). 9.1% and 6.2% of the population are persons above 65 years and under 5 years respectively, which are the age groups most susceptible to lifestyle and infectious diseases (‘Lee County, Alabama’, 2012). The community takes pride of its education, with a well-supported K-12 system and a successful Auburn University (‘About Us’, n. d.). In fact, 85.2% of persons above 25 years are high school graduates, and about 30% of this population has college diplomas. It is a very good residential location, as it is close to major markets in Atlanta, Birmingham and Montgomery (‘Lee County Tourbook’, n. d.), although 19.2% of the population are below the poverty line (‘Lee County, Alabama’, 2012). Local businesses also flourish in the area (‘Lee County Tourbook’, n. d.). Meeting more than 100 patients a day and 45, 000 visitors a year (Andrus, 2012), the emergency department of the East Alabama Medical Center needs to meet the varied complaints of its numerous patients. In fact, the number of patients of emergency departments in United States hospitals increased dramatically (26%0 in ten years since 1993 (Versweyveld, 2006). The most common emergency situations involve injuries, cardiac cases, as well as chest and abdominal pain (Otto, 2011). The changes in emergency room implemented most recently were motivated by the desire to hasten the turnover time among hospital departments, to decrease mortality from sepsis and to minimize hospital expenditures (Andrus, 2012). Because of the vast number of patients that visit the emergency room each year, the administration of EAMC wanted to increase the efficiency of health care in the emergency department by decreasing the number of patients that should be attended by a health care provider at any one time. One of the ways that this was done was through the establishment of a remote