Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Group Project - Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Group Project - Leadership - Essay Example ent within the organization along with the hiring of individuals that helps the organization to develop their basic conceptual framework of theory and principle. Environment in an organization is the atmosphere in which the employees of an organization work as a team rather than to be on their own as individual to achieve a goal. Where as, culture of an organization consists of same beliefs, concepts, norms and values. Altogether, they make the organization’s personality. Though, it may be clear that culture is an environment of the organization that makes employees feels comfortable to share their ideas and beliefs while working as a single team. The experienced executives and founders of the company can bring it in and enhances it via other employee by giving them training for none but to sense. Culture is negotiable, that is, a whole team can together change the culture of the organization as if the strategies goes against the will of employees they never own them and though it effects the achievement of the goal instantaneously. Culture may be weak or strong, it may be said as different views and norms sometimes may create subculture in different departments of an organization and this may lead to a non-successive organization. A culture in an organization can be made effective in a manner that all the employees of the company works whole heartedly to achieve the goal as a single team. It can only be done when besides keeping a formal relation among the co-workers they have full freedom to share their ideas and beliefs. They should be paid a deserving salary and moreover rewarded with incentives and bonuses. Their seniors should appreciate them. All employees should know very clearly about the culture of the organization and though a part of it that senior makes their juniors trained fully and welcome them to show up confidently. Formulation of policy and administration involving people to provide decisions and supervise the culture and tasks performed

Monday, October 28, 2019

Gender Issues in Sri Lanka Essay Example for Free

Gender Issues in Sri Lanka Essay Gender issues In general, when considering third world countries, most would say that they have some very similar characteristics. Third world countries are often thought of as places that are impoverished, have significantly high birthrates, are economically dependent on advanced countries, and have not evolved socially in regards to equal rights issues. Although many of these characteristics do apply to Sri Lanka, the latter has definitely evoked some discussion on the topic of gender issues in underdeveloped countries. Issues such as decision making in the household, educated women and their role in society, and attitudes towards women in employment will be discussed. As stated earlier, most would agree that from a distant perspective Sri Lanka would seem to be socially underdeveloped in regards to equal rights. One way that this misconception is debunked is by looking at the roles of male and female in the household. There are many variables to take into consideration when looking at roles of family members and who has the balance of power; for instance, if the wife is working or not could be considered at both ends of the scale. If she is working than her husband may feel that because she is making a financial contribution she has more of a right to make important economic decisions that may effect the family. On the other hand he may feel as though her being away from the children is a detriment to their upbringing, and in turn is placing a burden upon the family leaving the wife with few domestic decisions. Another variable that has to be considered is if the residence is with the husbands family or if it is with the wifes family. In this case one would assume that whichever house was being resided in would have the balance of the say towards family decisions. The last variable that will be considered is that of marital duration. Does a longer marriage necessarily mean that the financial and domestic decisions of the household will become split evenly between the husband and wife? The answers to these questions were the focus of a study conducted by Anju Malhotra and Mark Mather in 1992. The study showed that when the wives were working, regardless of whether or not they shared their wages or kept them, they had an increase say on financial matters. However, the domestic decisions were not nearly as great, especially if the wages earned by the wife were kept for herself (Malhotra et al. 1997: 620). When looking at the balance of power in regards to household arrangement, the study found that the wife had almost no say on financial matters when living at the husbands parents house but did have some say on domestic issues. The opposite it true for when the family resided at the wifes parents house. The wife typically had a significant say on financial and domestic matters with the latter outweighing the two (Malhotra et al. 1997: 620). As far as marital duration is concerned, it seems as though as the family grows together there is somewhat of a role reversal. The husband becomes more concerned with domestic matters and the wife takes some responsibility for the financial decisions (Malhotra et al. 1997:620). These findings led my research group to believe that the people of Sri Lanka are generally very similar to those of western societies in regards to household decisions. Education is not something we think about when speaking about developing countries, many assume that it is just not an option for underprivileged people. Although that is the unfortunate truth that effects many third world countries, it does seem that Sri Lanka is on its way to recovering itself. For many years the gender gap between male and female scholars needed to be decreased. In the early 1980s the percentage of the total amount of people with university degrees that were women was barely above 40%. A more alarming fact might be that the percentage with post-graduate degrees was barely above 25% (Ahooja-Patel K. 1979: 217). The majority of women pursuing a degree usually did so in the fine arts category or the education and teacher training fields, many staying away from disciplines such as business or engineering. Although these numbers may seem staggering Sri Lanka has shown some promise in terms of social welfare. Programs are now in place to encourage female education and to decrease the inequalities women face today. In the early 1990s the gender gap between literate males and females was only a 5% difference (Malhotra et al. 1997: 602). Many believe that the more westernized Sri Lanka becomes the more independent the thoughts and wills of women will expand, creating a country of little inequality. Women in the work force today in western society face many barriers; this is after years of trying to refine the social economic status of women. In Sri Lanka, because of its poor economy, employers may have actual complaints that may affect the profitability of their business. In general in Sri Lanka, men are usually preferred over women as employees. Some employers complain that because of the possibility of the need for time off to bear children that it may disrupt the flow of the work force. Many men could feel as though women were being treated with undeserved favoritism, which could cause conflict. Others feel that the financial burden of having to install proper facilities to accommodate women could create too much of a loss that they would not be able to overcome it. The topic of most discussions seems to revolve around the Maternity Amendment Act of 1978, which states that women workers are entitled to six weeks maternity leave with pay. It also states that they are allowed two nursing breaks of one hour each or two breaks of one half hour each when a day care center is available (Ahooja-Patel K. 1979: 219). Women cannot, under the law, be fired for any reason that stems from them being pregnant. An unfortunate fact that is slowly being eradicated is that many women are just not qualified for the jobs that are available in Sri Lanka. Because of the gender gap in education and training that has plagued Sri Lanka for years this trend will surely continue until the inequality has subsided. In many ways Sri Lanka has come very far in terms of gender equality when discussing kinship and education. However, womens economic situation has shown to be less favourable. The people of Sri Lanka acknowledge that women have a place in the work force but financially cannot accommodate them. Until the economic growth of Sri Lanka can develop further, people will continue to have the survival of the fittest kind of attitude, which will continue to alienate and repress the women or Sri Lanka.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

John Brown :: essays research papers

Born in Torrington, Connecticut on May 9, 1800, John Brown was the son of a wandering New Englander. Brown spent much of his youth in Ohio, where he was taught in local schools to resent compulsory education and by his parents to revere the Bible and hate slavery. As a boy, he herded cattle for General William Hull's army during the war of 1812; later he served as foreman of his family's tannery. In 1820, he married Dianthe Lusk, who bore him 7 children; 5 years later they moved to Pennsylvania to operate a tannery of their own. Within a year after Dianthe's death in 1831, Brown wed 16-year-old Mary Anne Day, by whom he fathered 13 more children. During the next 24 years Brown built and sold several tanneries, speculated in land sales, raised sheep, and established a brokerage for wool growers. Every venture failed, for he was too much a visionary, not enough a businessman. As his financial burdens multiplied, his thinking became increasingly metaphysical and he began to brood over the plight of the weak and oppressed. He frequently sought the company of blacks, for 2 years living in a freedmen's community in North Elba, N.Y. In time he became a militant abolitionist, a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, and the organizer of a self-protection league for free blacks and fugitive slaves. By the time he was 50, Brown was entranced by visions of slave uprisings, during which racists paid horribly for their sins, and he came to regard himself as commissioned by God to make that vision a reality. In August of 1855, he followed 5 of his sons to Kansas to help make the state a haven for anti-slavery settlers. The following year, his hostility toward slave-staters exploded after they burned and pillaged the free-state community of Lawrence. Having organized a militia unit within his Osawatomie River colony, Brown led it on a mission of r evenge. On the evening of May 23, 1856, he and 6 followers, including 4 of his sons, visited the homes of pro-slavery men along Pottawatomie Creek, dragged their unarmed inhabitants into the night, and hacked them to death with long-edged swords. At once, "Old Brown of Osawatomie" became a feared and hated target of slave-staters. In autumn 1856, temporarily defeated but still committed to his vision of a slave insurrection, Brown returned to Ohio. There and during 2 subsequent trips to Kansas, he developed a grandiose plan to free slaves throughout the South. John Brown :: essays research papers Born in Torrington, Connecticut on May 9, 1800, John Brown was the son of a wandering New Englander. Brown spent much of his youth in Ohio, where he was taught in local schools to resent compulsory education and by his parents to revere the Bible and hate slavery. As a boy, he herded cattle for General William Hull's army during the war of 1812; later he served as foreman of his family's tannery. In 1820, he married Dianthe Lusk, who bore him 7 children; 5 years later they moved to Pennsylvania to operate a tannery of their own. Within a year after Dianthe's death in 1831, Brown wed 16-year-old Mary Anne Day, by whom he fathered 13 more children. During the next 24 years Brown built and sold several tanneries, speculated in land sales, raised sheep, and established a brokerage for wool growers. Every venture failed, for he was too much a visionary, not enough a businessman. As his financial burdens multiplied, his thinking became increasingly metaphysical and he began to brood over the plight of the weak and oppressed. He frequently sought the company of blacks, for 2 years living in a freedmen's community in North Elba, N.Y. In time he became a militant abolitionist, a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, and the organizer of a self-protection league for free blacks and fugitive slaves. By the time he was 50, Brown was entranced by visions of slave uprisings, during which racists paid horribly for their sins, and he came to regard himself as commissioned by God to make that vision a reality. In August of 1855, he followed 5 of his sons to Kansas to help make the state a haven for anti-slavery settlers. The following year, his hostility toward slave-staters exploded after they burned and pillaged the free-state community of Lawrence. Having organized a militia unit within his Osawatomie River colony, Brown led it on a mission of r evenge. On the evening of May 23, 1856, he and 6 followers, including 4 of his sons, visited the homes of pro-slavery men along Pottawatomie Creek, dragged their unarmed inhabitants into the night, and hacked them to death with long-edged swords. At once, "Old Brown of Osawatomie" became a feared and hated target of slave-staters. In autumn 1856, temporarily defeated but still committed to his vision of a slave insurrection, Brown returned to Ohio. There and during 2 subsequent trips to Kansas, he developed a grandiose plan to free slaves throughout the South.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Candide Response

Arthur Johnson Western Letters – Professor Fayard Response Essay 2 10/29/12 Arthur Johnson Western Letters – Fayard 10/29/12 Response Essay #2 Francois-Marie Arouet De Voltaire shows in many instances in Candide that he does not buy into the idea of the Enlightenment. With Voltaire’s simple mockery of the idea of a perfect world with a perfectly good God, it is evident that he does not appreciate the idea that everything happens for a reason.Despite Voltaire holding these extremely negative views on whether or not there is a good God, if there is a God at all, he puts in place a character in Candide that arguably contradicts his hateful and pessimistic views on the idea that everything happens for a reason. Voltaire places an old lady in Candide, whom clearly suffers greatly, but continues to get out of her tragedies and makes the decision to continue on living life because living is worth every bit of pain and suffering that comes.This old lady contradicts Volta ire’s negative views on the idea that everything happens for a reason because she continually escapes from her tragic experiences. The old lady continues to reinforce the idea that there is a purpose for everything and that good will eventually come out from even the most evil of situations and scenarios. The old lady not only contradicts Voltaire’s hateful outlook on the idea that everything happens for a reason, but she to an extent revamps and matures Pangloss’ outlook on optimism.Instead of thinking that everything is great and perfectly good, the old lady believes that there are some horrible things in life, but living is worth every bit of struggle that comes along with it. In theory it would be safe to come to a conclusion that would suggest that the old lady believes that despite of all the horrific and brutal events that come with living, there are greater things in life that make suffering a worthwhile price. This idea would also fall into the idea tha t everything does indeed happen for a reason.The old lady used to live a promising life as the daughter of the pope and a princess, who was once seen by many as one of the most beautiful people women ever, a woman who had a body as beautiful as â€Å"the Venus of Medici†. For a better graphic, the Venus of Medici was a Hellenistic life-size classical statue, much like the Venus de Milo, that was a depiction of the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. The old lady was at one point in her life a modern day celebrity, but all of what she had going for her was stolen, and yet she continued to live.The old lady while in conversation with Candide and Cunegonde says â€Å"Imagine my situation, the daughter of a pope, only fifteen years old, who in the space of three months had been exposed to poverty and slavery, been raped almost daily, had seen her mother torn to pieces, had endured war and famine, and who is now dying of the plague in Algiers. As it happens, I didn't die† (Vo ltaire). Voltaire also makes a strong emphasis on the old lady losing one of her buttocks, but despite that she continues to get on her horse, and ride it with just one of her buttocks.The old lady has clearly suffered tremendously. She has been through more hardships and trials than Candide and Cunegonde ever have, even though they seemed to have suffered a lot themselves. Despite all of the pains and sufferings that this old woman has been through, she consistently chose not to loathe in self-pity, and also chose life over death one hundred out of one hundred times. If this old woman did not sincerely believe that there was a reason to live and suffer, then why in Heaven’s mind would she ever decide to continue to live a life full of painful and tragic events?Simply putting it, she would not be in her right mind to continue on living a life of pain and suffering if there was no greater payout or at least a small reason for her pains and sufferings. The old woman’s re ason for living, the old woman’s payout for all of her pains and sufferings, and the old woman’s reason for not loathing in self-pity and ending her life was because she enjoyed living life too much. The old lady says to Candide and Cunegonde, â€Å"a hundred times I wanted to kill myself, but always I loved life more† (Voltaire).On the contrary the old lady also mentioned that the notion of loving life while it is miserable is equivalent to holding on to existence in horror, but still clinging on to it or to fondle a serpent that devours until it has eaten our hearts away. The old lady labeled this notion that she carries and that many others carry as ridiculous, extremely weak, and one of human’s worst instincts. Yet, she still decided to endure the hardships, live in her self-labeled â€Å"weakness†, and continued on living a life that pays her with reasons in wanting to live out her life.There is never a crystal clear glimpse of why the old wom an loves living so much, but she does defy Voltaire once more at the end of Candide. While in conversation with Candide in the final chapter, the old lady says to Candide â€Å"I should like to know which is worse, being raped a hundred times by negro pirates, having a buttock cut off, running the gauntlet in the Bulgar army, being flogged and hanged in an auto-da-fe, being dissected and rowing in the galleys—experiencing, in a word, all the miseries through which we have passed—or else just sitting here and doing nothing? (Voltaire). Voltaire places Candide’s garden in Candide as another form of mockery to the idea that everything happens for a reason and their world is the best of all possible worlds. Despite Voltaire inputting the garden as a mockery to Candide’s â€Å"ignorant and ridiculous† philosophy on life, the old lady was not any happier than she was when she was being raped, flogged, beaten, or hung. The old lady was just as â€Å"mis erable† as she was during all of her actual tragedies and hardships she faced, and yet she still continued to love living life and not loathe in her self-pity.The old lady’s life is a testament to there being a reason to the events and tragedies that occur in life. All of the hardships, pains, and sufferings that enter the lives of people happen so that people can grasp and understand the greatness and love for living life. Much like the old lady, people have to endure the pains and sufferings of life because living and experiencing life is worth every ounce of lost blood, sweat, and tears.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Transformational Leader Profile

Transformational leadership is a topic of immense interest these days.   Many individuals possess the makings of a transformational leader but do not know exactly what it means, or how to realize their own ambitions in order to change human lives.   In this sense, observing able leaders with proven leadership abilities is an excellent resource for inspiration.   For example, American TV host and celebrity leader, Oprah Winfrey presents one of the most remarkable personalities in the American media.   Her path has not been easy, but thanks to her skills and leadership potential she has exerted influence on the lives of many people. What Is Transformational Leadership The concept of transformational leadership evolved in juxtaposition with that of transactional leadership.   In The Model of Transactional and Transformational Leaders (1978), a transactional leader is defined as one who, â€Å"approaches followers with an eye to exchanging one thing for another: jobs for votes, or subsidies for campaign contributions† (Burns, 1978).   From this statement we learn that the role of the transactional leader derives itself from the types of structures that an individual participates in. In contrast, a transformational leader, â€Å"recognizes and exploits an existing need or demand of a potential follower†¦(and) looks for potential motives in followers, seeks to satisfy higher needs, and engages the full person of the follower† (Boje, 2000).   Transformational leaders can range from being intellectual, to heroic; even normal everyday individuals with a dream and the will to make it come true as well. In most cases, transformational leaders tend to radically change the viewpoints of the societies they live in.   A transformational leader possesses the capabilities and desire to develop a vision and inspire other people to follow it.   As a result, a profound cultural change occurs that reshapes the existence of many people impacted by their leader’s actions. Oprah Winfrey as a Transformational Leader Oprah Winfrey has become a remarkable personality in the media, acting in many various spheres.   She is not only a TV host: she also poses as, â€Å"magazine founder, educator and philanthropist† and â€Å"one of the most respected and admired public figures today† (Harpo Productions, Inc., 2006).   Starting from humble beginnings, Oprah succeeded in becoming one of the best-known American celebrities of modern television. She exerts dramatic impact on the lives of people in this country and those living beyond its boundaries. At the time Oprah Winfrey started her career on TV, she was the first African American woman â€Å"to anchor the news at Nashville’s WTVF-TV† (Harpo Productions, Inc., 2006).   As her online website produced by Harpo Inc. tells us, she obtained this job after she gained experience at WVOL radio in Nashville, Tennessee. After a succession of jobs, Oprah was appointed to lead her first talk show, AM Chicago, broadcast in the morning.   Surprisingly to many, with her talent, Oprah soon eclipsed the revered Phil Donahue as her show became even more popular than his. (Harpo Productions, Inc., 2006)., Oprah found luck in the television world, as television viewers soon fell in love with her personality and motivating shows. Even the politics of the broadcasting networks could not deny her popularity. Since then her success has been driven by her ability to impress people with her talents. Oprah’s transformational leadership comes from her success in refashioning herself and overcoming her traumatic past. Kyra Kirkwood (2005), tells us in her, Business Hero: Oprah, article that the television star was born on Jan. 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. During her childhood Oprah suffered from physical and mental abuse when living with her mother.   The unhappy relationship between herself and her mother caused young Oprah to run away from home at the age of thirteen.   She left her mother to go on to Nashville, â€Å"to live with her ultra-strict father† (Kirkwood, 2005). Many would have remained troubled for a lifetime by an unfortunate experience of this magnitude.   However, Oprah’s inner strength allowed her to cope with it.   Moreover, as a true transformational leader, she shares her experience with others in order to help them take hold of their lives.   Her words console many women who try to cope with the social models of submissive behavior. Although derogatory and unwanted, society continues to mold women into these confusing roles.   Oprah, as stated by Kirkwood (2005), remembered in her adult life the following things about her childhood victimization: . . . one knows part of the process for me as an adult has been recognizing that my inability as an adult female to say ‘No,’ my disease to please as a female, is the same thing that caused me to be victimized as a child.   Many times, I would get myself into situations as an adult where I did not want to hurt anybody’s feelings or want anybody angry with me. (Oprah, as quoted by Kirkwood, 2005). Transformational leadership surfaces in the statement as testament that Oprah is able to recognize the root cause of her problem and rise above conventional wisdom that she has learned from her environment.   As a leader, she takes applies her wisdom and offers the knowledge from the lessons she has learned to help others. She develops a more general vision of women’s predicaments and the resulting psychology, and makes her vision known to the public. She encourages people to give voice to their emotions when they get abused, â€Å"You tell everybody until somebody listens to you† (Kirkwood, 2005).   In this way Oprah emerges as a leader who, through her success story, transforms the lives of many women. She continues showing viewers the path of success she had to travel from a gloomy and stressful beginning. Oprah Teaching Leadership One project in which Oprah directly commits to spreading knowledge of how to be a female leader is through her participation in, and founding of, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls-South Africa.   The Academy founded in cooperation with Nelson Mandela, the South African Ministry of Education Professor Kader Asmal and Guateng MEC of Education Ignatius Jacobs, is to become the basis for women’s leadership in South Africa   (Harpo Productions, Inc., 2006).   There girls can learn to make a contribution to their environment in order and take advantage of their inborn talents. With this project, Oprah makes a commitment to change the lives of girls, hoping to empower them with knowledge and skills they may otherwise have left undeveloped.   Students of the school take a stand against the male-dominated world saying that the biased social setup is to end soon and that women are â€Å"prepared to share power† (Harpo Productions, Inc., 2006). Oprah’s project intends to teach students how to share power effectively.   With this effort, she demonstrates the true transformational quality that is going to affect the lives of the girls in the remote parts of the world. The goal revolves around taking them out of their habitual roles and teaching them to add a new dimension to their lives.   Although the girls may not seen Oprah that often, they will undoubtedly be inspired by meetings with her. Having her for a role model, and continuously following her example will impressively affect their lives. Influencing the Lives of People Oprah’s reach goes far beyond the lives of a group of girls in South Africa.   Hosting an influential show in a nation as large as the United States, her words are heard by millions of viewers each day.   What sets her apart from other talk show hosts and makes her a transformational leader is that people do not just listen to her words for entertainment; they often take them as a guide to action, a powerful guide that motivates many good deeds. In her show in 1997, she â€Å"encouraged viewers to use their lives to make a difference in the lives of others, which led to the creation of the public charity Oprah’s Angel Network in 1998† (Harpo Productions, Inc., 2006).   So far the organization has been responsible for the collection of over $50 million that was utilized for the construction of shelters and homes. These structures now house women and youth all around the world.   Activities such as this have helped change the lives of many people who have been blessed with the charity funds. Perhaps even more important was Oprah’s influence on those who moved forward to help the cause when she appealed to the public.   People who otherwise did not give thought to charity as a way to help others now became active donors of the network, helping others reach their goals and improve quality of life.   This action represents a very good use of the TV show as a way to change people’s mentality for the better. Consequently, new horizons opened to them for moral development instead of just another television program entertaining them with stories. In fact, this is the main strength of Oprah’s show.   She likes to present her viewers with a story that is not merely entertaining but also has a deep moral message or presents a challenge.   The ensuing debate can become a trigger to many, spurring them to re-evaluate their opinions and reconsider views. In doing so, Oprah does not act as a boring moralizer; she presents herself as the same down-to-earth, sympathetic woman she was in her first days on TV.   Awards and financial success have not made her lose her head or become arrogant.   In fact, her spiritual closeness and understanding of the people she addresses in her show makes her message both powerful and penetrating.   Analyzing her leadership ability, one can say that she possesses superior communication skills that make her ideas appealing to a wide variety of people. Oprah takes every opportunity to reach the hearts and minds of people.   Thanks to her appeal to the audience, her productions in almost every environment soon become popular.   For example, her publication called Oprah’s Magazine currently is one of the most popular women’s publications with an audience of 2.4 million readers a month (Harpo Productions, Inc., 2006). When she launched Oprah.com website on women’s lifestyle, it also gained popularity. It now reports to average 64 million page views and more than three million users per month, plus receives approximately 12,000-15,000 emails each week.   She is also the creator of Dr. Phil syndicated show with Harpo Productions, Inc., co-founder of Oxygen Media cable television network, founder of Oprah and Friends radio channel on XM Satellite Radio, and producer of the musical Color Purple that was launched in 2005 in Broadway Theater in New York City (Harpo Productions, Inc., 2006). This broad variety of activities demonstrates Oprah’s multi-faceted talents and interest in affecting people’s lives in many different ways using various means available. Oprah’s Influence on My Personal Leadership Style I believe that Oprah’s impact was instrumental in helping me shape my personal leadership style.   Her ability to be appealing without appearing pompous and pretentious is something I try to imitate when developing my personal communication skills.   I think well developed presentation and communication skills are the key to successful leadership, and Oprah Winfrey is an excellent model of both.   Maintaining an unassuming and emotional style, she can address her audience on serious issues, and I think it would be excellent to learn this skill as well. My life was also affected by observing Oprah taking responsibility for other people’s destinies, as in the case of the academy she founded for South African girls.   I agree with her idea that when one sees thing’s being far from perfect, one should learn to say â€Å"No† and take some positive action to remedy it.   In this sense, I am trying to follow Oprah’s socially active position on things. At the same time, I also find her leadership attractive because she perceives people with her heart just as much as with her mind.   In my view, this is the most effective path to transformational leadership. It includes giving people emotional support and warmth and trying to help them become more secure emotionally.   Oprah’s kindness and caring attitude are among her strongest qualities as a leader, and these I would like to emulate. Oprah Winfrey is the kind of person who realized her potential in the face of adverse circumstances.   Her talent put her in public spotlight, making her a leader with power to transform the lives of millions.   She used her clout with the public very wisely and responsibly, inspiring many to reconsider their lives and empowering them to do good to other people.   This, in my opinion, makes her a truly transformational leader whose achievements are to be admired. References Bass, B. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectation. New York: Free  Press. Boje, D. (2000).   Transformational Leadership.   Retrieved on June 6, 2006, from Harpo Productions, Inc., (2006).   Oprah Winfrey's Biography. Retrieved on June 6, 2006 from http://www.oprah.com/about/press/about_press_bio.jhtml Kirkwood, K. (2005) Business Hero: Oprah. The My Hero Project. Retrieved on June 6, 2006 from http://myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=oprahhero ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

SDLC Essay Example

SDLC Essay Example SDLC Essay SDLC Essay To solve the operational problems of various organizations, a number of system development life cycle (SDLC) methodologies were created. The SDLC describes the several stages involved in developing information systems, which usually includes software requirements analysis, systems design, systems development, system testing, and release and maintenance. The waterfall methodology was the first SDLC methodology created. It involves a sequence of stages or phases where each phase has to be accomplished first before you proceed to the next. Then, the output of an accomplished stage becomes the input for the next stage (Kay, 2002). A number of problems were encountered in adopting this methodology, one of which is that the system requirements must be specified in advance (Kay, 2002).Hence, many other SDLC methodologies were developed. First, the prototype development SDLC is a cyclic version of the waterfall methodology wherein a prototype is created, tested, and iterated as necessary unt il an acceptable prototype is achieved. The rational unified process (RUP) takes an â€Å"an iterative, requirements-driven, and architecture-centric approach to software development† (Kruchten, 2004 cited in Ambler, 2005). Based on the SDLC spiral method, the RUP’s system development is organized into four phases where each stage consists of executable reiteration.The rapid application development (RAD) emphasizes on developing a high-quality system faster by creating a prototype as early as possible to be tested and refined (Kay, 2002). RAD, however, works best only under certain conditions, such as when the end-user is a small group. Finally, the agile development methodology consists of four phases: iteration 0, development iterations, release, and production. One of its advantages is â€Å"the feedback cycle between the generation of an idea and the realization of that idea† is shortened, thereby minimizing the risk of misunderstanding (Ambler, 2005). Meanw hile, Microsoft solutions framework is a flexible framework designed to provide business-driven solutions considering the following approaches: Project Management, Risk Management, and Readiness Management.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Must america exercise world leadership essays

Must america exercise world leadership essays MUST AMERICA EXERCISE WORLD LEADERSHIP? The issue of Americas role as a world power was brought on by the Cold War and the vacuum left by the Soviet Union after their collapse as a world power. The two views that are that are being looked at dont consider leaving weak countries to fend for themselves, they just have differing views as to how to handle a post Cold War world. The first view wants America to be the only super power and lead the fight for democracy, while the other wants to use other powerful countries and to share the responsibility in he same fight. William Kristol and Robert Kagan are the authors of the first article dealing with this issue. They see the ending of the Cold War as an opportunity to mold the world in Americas image. Shortly after the Cold War, the first Desert Storm showed our military capabilities. This period of time is looked at as the height of American influence on the world. The authors call this period of time a unipolar moment. Bob and Willy see this as the opportunity to march all the way to Baghdad and kick out Saddam; this was over ten years ago. They see Bush #1s failure to do so as the start of the end of this unipolar moment, and therefore the end of a good chance for a new world order to us. Even China was admiring our military power, and not posing a threat to us. After we let Saddam continue in his harsh ways of governing, other dictators then started to try to take over neighboring countries. Milosevic started his war on Slovenia and Croatia and North Korea started to produce nuclear w eapons. They had nothing to worry about because no one was there to stop them. China started to be belligerent towards the U.S. and they began to build their military powers. They blame the Clinton administration for dealing lightly with China. They think that he should have called for changes in their oppressive governments, and that he should have pushed had fo...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

How to Write an Economics Essay

How to Write an Economics Essay How to Write an Economics Essay Writing a good essay in economics is usually vital given its importance, and the fact that economics is a mandatory subject that is taught in most business courses. Writing an economics essay is likely to be integrated into most examinations, projects or even assignments. For one to produce a very efficient and quality economics essay there are some procedures and guidelines that must be followed. First and foremost, the instructions for the topic must be read attentively and carefully. This is to understand what the question is asking and what the examiner wishes the writer to write or produce in the final draft. This is followed by identification of the relevant topic in question. A good Economics essay cannot be functional if the writer does not understand the topic of origin. Also note that every topic has its own technical terms to be used when writing your economics essay. The next step is checking and determining the time allocated for the questions. This is to enable the writer to produce the essay in a timely manner. It is notable that most essays have a time length or time span for presentation. Therefore, a writer who wishes to write this kind of essay must be able to plan and budget for the time allocated in order to produce a valid economics essay. The word count or number of pages must also be checked and adhered to, if there are any stipulations for essay length. The writer has a duty not to produce a very short or a very long essay given that very long essays might lose the meaning attached to it due to its length. At the same time, very short essays might also distort the theme as it might limit the number of facts one can mention about the topic. The relevant economic models must be well noted to integrate all the required definitions. Economic essays should have particular theories of economy, in line with their assumptions, as well as diagrams to show flow of information from one model to another one. In economics, theories, diagrams and some specified assumptions are vital in exhibiting the kind of economic model in application. Moreover, in some cases, for one to produce a very good economics essay there is a need to apply relevant case studies to highlight the essay. Case studies in economics essay are as important as the models and diagrams being used. Notably, a good economics essay must be able to integrate the use of well-labeled diagrams, well-defined theories, and effectively drawn assumptions, plus case studies to effectively discuss the topic and prompt the examiner to give you a good grade. Get professional Economics essay help from paper experts at writing service. We write quality custom essays on any Economics related topics!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Athenian Democracy Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Athenian Democracy Paper - Essay Example Hence, the people had no say or no choices regarding the laws made for them and were forced to follow what was laid out for them by the autocratic leadership. However, democracy is a different branch of leadership, which aims to account for the opinions and needs of the people that the laws are being made for and they do not give the leader the right to oppress the people in any way. The leader or so-called government is answerable to the public regarding the laws, policies, and procedures taken. While this form of leadership seems just and fair, it has been in existence for a long time (Tharley, 1996, pp. 32-36). â€Å"Democracy† is a word taken from the Greek language and refers to a system of being â€Å"ruled by the people†. This system originated in Athens, Greece and has been prevalent for approximately 2500 years now. Before this time, people were ruled according to other systems for a period of approximately 4000 years. Hence, democracy has not been perfected ye t as regards to other systems as it is relatively newer than the previous forms of rule (Tharley, 1996, pp. 26-28). However, Athenian democracy had its advantages and disadvantages while it prevailed as a system. Beginning in approximately the 5th century B.C., democracy has been practiced in varying forms and with different levels of thoroughness and understanding. However, it was regarded as one of the best systems till date (Laurex, 2006, pp. 167-168). The Athenians thought that the people should be given free will to express their ideas and this was carried out on a ten-day basis in an Assembly that constituted of all the male adults over the age of eighteen. The system was efficient and fair as all citizens were given equal rights to vote and common people were making laws for themselves. Another advantage was that were no protocols or extravagant arrangements made for elections or prolonged campaigns. Money was not wasted in this manner and ordinary people of the land got toge ther and collectively decided upon laws for the whole land (Jones, 1953, p. 16). This was a reasonably good system and it worked well with the Athenians. The main reason for the continuous success of this system was the morality and righteousness of the citizens. Extremes were absolutely avoided in politics and the very first lawgiver of Athens believed in promoting the â€Å"greater good† which meant that all decisions were taken to benefit society as a whole instead of focusing upon individual goals. This feeling or phenomenon is greatly missing in society today and this notion is not prevalent in today’s politicians who are mainly seeking to promote selfish goals and their own individual benefits. The greater good for the benefit of society is missing and as society may want to play a role in their own governmental activities, they are not given active participation or due say in today’s democracy (Jones, 1953, pp. 13-14). However, looking at the Athenian sys tem from a modern perspective, it can be said that while the system was fair in most regards and encouraged equal participation regardless of status, caste, or any other means of discrimination, it was biased against females. Females were not given due recognition if any at all in the Athenian system of democracy as mainly all the males over the age of eighteen were elected to assemblies and were given the opportunity to vote and make laws for everyone in the land.

Grand Alliance after World War II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Grand Alliance after World War II - Essay Example The seeds of suspicion sown on both sides and the anxieties of a cooperative post-war worldview resulted in the exaggerated misinterpretation of the motivations of the adversarial ideologies. At the foundation of the split in the Grand Alliance was the mutual fear that each adversary had expansionist policies as its driving force behind their foreign policy. While the Soviets professed a desire for coexistence and cooperation, the West discounted these attitudes and instead focused on Soviet demands for influence in the Near East, Middle East, and Far East (Roberts 21). The United States held the position that the Soviets had a program designed and driven by their goal of world domination. With the post-war Soviet encroachment into Eastern Europe, Kennan's policy of containment had realigned British and American thinking to accept a more aggressive policy of rollback. By the end of 1946, Truman and Attlee were both in agreement that the Soviet Union " posed a direct threat to Western interests and were agreed on the pressing need to modify Soviet behaviour" (White 35). The United States and Britain discounted the ability to negotiate with the Soviets. Soviet statements a nd activities promoting themselves as an equal partner were interpreted as expansionist and aggressive. Stalin was Stalin was also suspicious of the West's motivations and interpreted their foreign policy as being designed to dominate the world stage and the Soviet Union. At the foundation of this mistrust was the atomic bomb and the West's refusal to share nuclear technology. Stalin understood the implications of possessing the atomic bomb, and the fact that the Americans and British had kept it a secret prompted the Soviets to embark on an intense program to develop their own nuclear technology triggering the beginnings of a nuclear standoff (Zubok and Pleshakov 44-45). Stalin would not accept being anything less than an equal partner in the Grand Alliance and was willing to postpone any premature confrontations before getting the bomb. This put the Soviets into the position of retuning to the old Leninist model of igniting revolutions in Iran, Greece, and elsewhere aimed at increasing communist influence and providing the USSR with greater national security (Zubok and Pleshakov 45). Stalin's a ctivities were a response to the unrealistic perception of the threat that the West posed to the Soviets. The mutual suspicions and reactionary fears on both sides began during the war and were a product of wartime necessity. At the heart of the situation was the division of Europe and the Soviet influence in the Eastern satellite countries. The political landscape in Europe was born out of the realities of providing security in Europe during the war. Wartime agreements among the Grand Alliance had given political control of Eastern Europe to the Red Army as a means of providing security for the region during the war and had been bolstered by the growing impact of the communist party in these countries during the post-war period (Roberts 18). By March, 1946 former Prime Minister Churchill was denouncing the growing Soviet influence and gave a speech in Fulton Missouri which coined the phrase 'iron curtain' (Roberts 14). While there was still a spirit of cooperation among the Alliance, the policy of mistrust was

Friday, October 18, 2019

Building Code Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Building Code - Essay Example These are further defined in the following: 1. Exit access - refers to the part of the means of egress system that leads to an exit from any occupied portion of a building or structure. Halls, corridors, aisles and other paths which can be traversed for escape can serve as exit access. 2. Exit - refers to the part of the means of egress system separated from other interior spaces of buildings by fire-resistance rated construction and equipments as required to provide a protective path between the exit access and the exit discharge. This includes exit exteriors and passageways, exterior exit doors at ground level, stairs and ramps and horizontal exits. Building codes specifies several items of concern in the means of egress system and requires those concerned to comply with the requirements such as illumination of signs, minimum sizes of doors, stairs, ramps and the amount of time it takes to travel from the exit access to the exit discharge.

User Interfaces for Environmental Decision Support Systems Article

User Interfaces for Environmental Decision Support Systems - Article Example Cleaning products were distinguished using eight environmental and health associated scheme features. These features are as follows. I.  Skin Irritation: availability of chemicals in the cleaning of manufactured goods that creates the basis of swelling of skin or redness. Quality values vary from the most significant to the least preferable ones which entail insignificant, minor, reasonable, or physically powerful implications.II.  Food chain exposure (FCE): the ingredients employed in cleaning manufactured goods that have the possibility of being brought in to the food chain through being eaten up with smaller aquatic vegetation and animals that are eaten by larger animals. Bio concentration factor (BCF) is the measurement factor that is computed to acquire food chain (Maciag, Hepting, and Slezak 36). III.  Air Pollution Potential (air): manufactured goods that may have volatile organic compounds (VOC) meaning that compounds that have possibility to shape impressive pollutants like smog. These pollutants are extremely disastrous to human life. IV.  Product Contains Fragrances (frag): the fragrances that are included in the cleaning of manufactured goods to improve, or mask, their ‘natural’ odor. V.  Product Contains Dye (dye): is the dye that has been included to the cleaning of manufactured goods to modify the color of the product. VI.  Product uses Recyclable Packaging (rec): it is the cleaning of manufactured goods that are wrapped up using recyclable packages (Maciag, Hepting, and Slezak 41).... II. Food chain exposure (FCE): the ingredients employed in cleaning manufactured goods that have the possibility of being brought in to the food chain through being eaten up with smaller aquatic vegetation and animals that are eaten by larger animals. Bio concentration factor (BCF) is the measurement factor that is computed to acquire food chain (Maciag, Hepting, and Slezak 36). III. Air Pollution Potential (air): manufactured goods that may have volatile organic compounds (VOC) meaning that compounds that have possibility to shape impressive pollutants like smog. These pollutants are extremely disastrous to human life. IV. Product Contains Fragrances (frag): the fragrances that are included in the cleaning of manufactured goods to improve, or mask, their ‘natural’ odor. V. Product Contains Dye (dye): is the dye that has been included to the cleaning of manufactured goods to modify the color of the product. VI. Product uses Recyclable Packaging (rec): it is the cleaning of manufactured goods that are wrapped up using recyclable packages (Maciag, Hepting, and Slezak 41). VII. Product is a Concentrate (con): it is the cleaning of manufactured goods that are wrapped up using minimized packaging, like packing cleaned manufactured goods in a recyclable plastic bag, which operates like a refiller for use in its original wrap up. VIII. Product Reduces Exposure to Concentrate (exp): the refining of products that minimizes exposure to concentrated wrap up. Students from the University of Regina were employed to conduct various tasks, among them being to accomplish the pre-task and post-task questionnaires. In the post task questionnaires, participants had to rank the features of the system using four point scaling (insignificant, somewhat

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Ethnographic and Community Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethnographic and Community Analysis - Essay Example However, with the changing nature of the world, education has become a prime reason for which people move from one place to other. Owing to this aspect, cultural and ethnic diversity can be apparently observed to be prevailing in educational institutions (Parvis 120-130). In order to depict their specific identity and main cultural heritage, students in educational institutions form clubs based on culture or ethnicity. The Saudi Students Club (SSC) is one of amid those cultural clubs which exist in various educational institutions. It has been noted that the mission and the vision of the club in Boise State University (BSU) is to promote knowledge along with awareness of culture and historical significance of Saudi Arabia. The sole aim of the group is to remove cultural and ethnic barrier between students from Saudi and students belonging to other community within the university (3Boise State University, â€Å"Enjoy Saudi Culture at Sept. 27 Celebration†). THESIS STATEMENT The principle intent of the paper is to analyze SSC at Boise State University (BSU). Contextually, the paper would present the sameness and the differences that exist between the members of the groups. This would be performed through practical understanding and research. THE SAUDI STUDENTS CLUB (SSC) IN BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY (BSU) As mentioned earlier, almost every university has clubs based on diverse culture or nationality. The Saudi Students Club (SSC) is quite common in this regard in various universities. Usually, these groups aim at promoting the interest and the welfare of the richness of culture and history of Saudi Arabia. Other cultural groups also set similar kind of objectives for their existence. The SSC in various universities also seemed to be inclined towards ensuring formation of greater affiliation amid the students and the faculties. In this regard, the group strongly believes that by forming greater association between the students and the faculties, the students o f Saudi and others belonging to diverse culture along with community can develop their overall performance and career by a considerable level. Apart from that, such cultural and ethnic groups also work towards maintaining understanding between two nations which further impacts beneficially on the welfare of overall community of the university. Correspondingly, the SSC of BSU also depicts their presence with similar kind of objectives. It has been noted that out of 579 international students in BSU, 262 of them are from Saudi Arabia. This aspect depicts the strong presence of Saudi students in the university. The SSC of BSU intends to develop an environment within the university wherein people from different cultures can recognize and respect each other’s culture and ethnicity. Contextually, the group celebrates Independence Day of Saudi Arabia, observe the festival of Eid within the institute and organize various other cultural events wherein each and every member of the univ ersity is heartily welcomed and their valuable ideas are greatly valued. Notably, the group also assists the newly joined Saudi students in the university every year by helping them to get acquainted with the prevailing atmosphere of the university and ensures a better future by forming greater association between them and BSU. In precise, it can be stated that the SSC in BSU intends to develop a strong affiliation between the Saudi students and students of other community in the same campus. The main principle of the club is to assist new and existing students of Saudi community so that they could be able to reap significant benefits both socially and academically. This aspect might permit the Saudi students to succeed in their academic career by a certain degree. Ahmad Almotairi, the President of the SSC

Locating Resources Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Locating Resources - Assignment Example The site offers readings about the effects of alcohol to health, side-by-side with policies that would create a win-win solution for alcoholic drinks producers and the consumers. Most of the resources regarding alcohol use are published by medical experts. But there are also resources by policy-makers with regards to the use and distribution of alcohol and making feasible interventions in preventing its misuse. The International Center for Alcohol Policies or ICAP is a non-profit organization that is supported by major alcoholic beverage manufacturers such as Heineken, Carlsberg, and Anheuser-Busch, and aims to reunite scientific and medical data with the responsibilities of these vendors in promoting proper use of alcohol by the consumers (International Center for Alcohol Policies, 2012). Upon browsing the ICAP website, reading resources such as the effects of alcohol in the body, interventions for alcohol abuse, journal articles about the effects of alcohol, and other publications related to the use and distribution of alcohol in many locations. There are also tools for policy-makers in creating guidelines and other rulings regarding alcohol distribution a nd consumption that could create win-win solutions for both the alcoholic beverage producers and the consumers. Resources for brewers and manufacturers such as those that align with the World Health Organization’s policies are also present, especially since the brewers are also held accountable with the use of alcohol, apart from the consumers themselves. Lastly, articles that were authored by ICAP experts and published in other respected journals are also available. While the website of ICAP is an indispensable tool for all people interested in alcohol and its effects, its main target audiences are policy makers and manufacturers of alcoholic beverages, since they deal with the business and legal aspect of product distribution. These people must be

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Ethnographic and Community Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethnographic and Community Analysis - Essay Example However, with the changing nature of the world, education has become a prime reason for which people move from one place to other. Owing to this aspect, cultural and ethnic diversity can be apparently observed to be prevailing in educational institutions (Parvis 120-130). In order to depict their specific identity and main cultural heritage, students in educational institutions form clubs based on culture or ethnicity. The Saudi Students Club (SSC) is one of amid those cultural clubs which exist in various educational institutions. It has been noted that the mission and the vision of the club in Boise State University (BSU) is to promote knowledge along with awareness of culture and historical significance of Saudi Arabia. The sole aim of the group is to remove cultural and ethnic barrier between students from Saudi and students belonging to other community within the university (3Boise State University, â€Å"Enjoy Saudi Culture at Sept. 27 Celebration†). THESIS STATEMENT The principle intent of the paper is to analyze SSC at Boise State University (BSU). Contextually, the paper would present the sameness and the differences that exist between the members of the groups. This would be performed through practical understanding and research. THE SAUDI STUDENTS CLUB (SSC) IN BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY (BSU) As mentioned earlier, almost every university has clubs based on diverse culture or nationality. The Saudi Students Club (SSC) is quite common in this regard in various universities. Usually, these groups aim at promoting the interest and the welfare of the richness of culture and history of Saudi Arabia. Other cultural groups also set similar kind of objectives for their existence. The SSC in various universities also seemed to be inclined towards ensuring formation of greater affiliation amid the students and the faculties. In this regard, the group strongly believes that by forming greater association between the students and the faculties, the students o f Saudi and others belonging to diverse culture along with community can develop their overall performance and career by a considerable level. Apart from that, such cultural and ethnic groups also work towards maintaining understanding between two nations which further impacts beneficially on the welfare of overall community of the university. Correspondingly, the SSC of BSU also depicts their presence with similar kind of objectives. It has been noted that out of 579 international students in BSU, 262 of them are from Saudi Arabia. This aspect depicts the strong presence of Saudi students in the university. The SSC of BSU intends to develop an environment within the university wherein people from different cultures can recognize and respect each other’s culture and ethnicity. Contextually, the group celebrates Independence Day of Saudi Arabia, observe the festival of Eid within the institute and organize various other cultural events wherein each and every member of the univ ersity is heartily welcomed and their valuable ideas are greatly valued. Notably, the group also assists the newly joined Saudi students in the university every year by helping them to get acquainted with the prevailing atmosphere of the university and ensures a better future by forming greater association between them and BSU. In precise, it can be stated that the SSC in BSU intends to develop a strong affiliation between the Saudi students and students of other community in the same campus. The main principle of the club is to assist new and existing students of Saudi community so that they could be able to reap significant benefits both socially and academically. This aspect might permit the Saudi students to succeed in their academic career by a certain degree. Ahmad Almotairi, the President of the SSC

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Comparison of the retail for Soda for Kroger and Circle K Essay

Comparison of the retail for Soda for Kroger and Circle K - Essay Example In comparison and contrast to Kroger, Circle K utilizes a much more aggressive level of advertising with respect to their own line of soft drinks. Publicity, direct marketing, sales and promotion, advertising, and interactive marketing all play a prominent role with respect to the degree and extent to which Circle K products are represented to the individual consumer within society. Interestingly, with respect to store design and display, Circle K helps to differentiate and separate the product that they are promoting as compared to Kroger. As such, rather than displaying Circle K’s line of soda directly alongside its competitors, it is represented within an entirely different section of the store; lending it to be understood/interpreted by the consumer as not only a replacement product but somehow incomparable. Once again, the retailer’s competitive advantage is with regards to low-cost. However, in addition to this low cost competitive advantage, Circle K is also able to offer the consumer with the tangential benefit of a great many different choices as compared to the

Monday, October 14, 2019

Science a boon or a bane Essay Example for Free

Science a boon or a bane Essay In my view, I think that science is a boon as -well- as a bane, science is a world of knowledge. Each and every problem has a solution in science and each and every problem is created by science to our environment and our Eco system. There is a saying that anything over in use is harmful. In the same way science if overused is harmful. Knowledge can be used in a good way and also in a bad way same thing in science it can be used in good way as well as in a bad way. It depend on us how we use it, there are many advantage and disadvantages in it.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Challenges Faced By The Nomura Securities

Challenges Faced By The Nomura Securities Nomura Securities was founded in 1925 by Tokushichi Nomura II and it was the first Japanese securities company to establish an office outside Japan in 1927. Nomura Securities Co. Ltd is a subsidiary of Nomura Holdings. Inc, a Japanese financial holding company. Nomura Securities is the leading Brokerage house and Investment bank in Japan and performs equity and fixed-income trading, underwriting of stock and bond issues, MA advisory services. Until October 2008, most of Nomuras operations were mainly restricted within Japan and having made a number of unsuccessful attempts to expand into other key markets, the acquisition of Lehman proved to be a watershed deal. In order to expand its operations globally Nomura took over the Asian, European and Middle Eastern (EMEA) operations of Lehman brothers, an American investment bank after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Barclays took over Lehman brothers North American Operations. The acquisition of Lehman Brothers is expected to help Nom ura reach its goal of becoming one of the top five independent successful global investment banks. Before the acquisition of the Lehman businesses Nomura had an 18,000 strong workforce although a large part were based out of Japan, and greater than 90 % of its revenue from its local operations. After the acquisition, it retained over 8,000 former Lehman staff which meant Nomura had a difficult task in hand to integrate two very different corporate cultures. The union was termed as marriage of Tokyo and Wall street.'(FT.com, 2008) This was the first time when such a union had been attempted in the investment banking arena. The firm is still in its cultural transitional phase and its trying its best to overcome its teething problems. 1.2 Operations Nomuras operations are divided into three regions:- Asia-Pacific including Japan and India- Regional headquarter is in Hong Kong. Its operations are spread across 12 countries in the region. Americas- Regional headquarter is in New York. It operates from 6 strategically located offices in North and South America. Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Regional headquarter is in London. The operations are spread across 18 countries in the region. The banks global headquarters is in Tokyo, Japan. All of Nomuras business lines are coordinated globally and the regional heads report to their Tokyo-based business heads. Source: http://www.nomuraholdings.com/investor/summary/financial/data/2009_2q_leh.pdf http://www.nomuraholdings.com/investor/library/ar/2009/pdf/ar_all.pdf 1. 2 Vision Its long term vision is to become the top independent global investment bank. Source: http://www.nomura.com/europe/about_nomura/index.shtml Expansion of operations could render a firms organisational structure to become more complex as decision making takes more time. In order to make the decision making process faster and effective Nomura decided to reaffirm its matrix management style of organisation. Nomuras approach to decision making is quite centralised. Centralization means that the responsibility of making decisions is limited to those at the top of the organisations hierarchy. (Gordon, Pg 403)Decision making at Nomura is top down which consists of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on the top followed by the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and then five CEOs for each of its business division. The CEOs of business divisions are responsible for all the decision making of their division taking into consideration the management values adopted by the Nomura group as a whole. All these heads are based in Japan. To oversee the companys European operations theres also a European Regional Head. 2.1 Matrix Structure Matrix structure is an integration of a Functional and a Market Oriented structure. Functional structure groups people according to their skill set. It allows division of labour as specialisation which makes the organisation more effective. On the other hand in a Market Oriented structure employees are grouped according to product, project, client or geographical area. A Matrix structure team has two heads i.e. one being the functional head and other a regional head. Matrix structure helps in flexibility of employees as per the changing needs of the organisation. It also aids in prompt decision making and brings about diversity in skills and ideas. At Nomura, employees are grouped according to their expertise in various functional lines as well as relative experience in client servicing. The Lehman acquisition although brought in strong operational diversity and better branding the resultant organisational structure was mammoth and complex an HR nightmare possibly. Nomuras post-Lehman operational structure looks more diversified both from a product offering as well as a geographical stand-point; Nomura has three reportable geographic segments with a stronger talent pool and a broader franchise i.e. Asia-Pacific, Americas and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). It has appointed CEOs every business division stationed in Tokyo with every region having a regional head as well as a regional divisional head. 3. Organisation Culture Organisation Culture is defined as a set of shared values and beliefs that interact with an organizations people, structure, and systems to produce behavioural norms. (Harvey Brown, Pg 69) Every organisation has a unique culture. Nomura traditionally has been a conservative investor and largely risk-averse which seemed poles apart from the usual wall-street philosophy. The distinctions between Nomuras Japanese and American Corporate cultures are cited below: Employment Tenure- Employees in Japan are more likely married to their firms with most firms expecting to retain talent through long-term employment schemes. American firms, on the other hand have their eyes firmly set on profitability and return. Promotions- In Japan promotions are based on age and seniority whereas in America promotions are based more on performance. Payroll- Japanese Companies usually pay their employees a fixed salary with low or very little bonus whereas American firms have fixed salaries and employee bonuses are decided according to their performance. Decision Making- In Japanese companies decision making is top down whereas in American style companies managers have more delegation and authority. Therefore decision making in American firms is prompt. Attitude towards risk- Japanese are risk averse whereas Americans are more aggressive. Work Culture- Japanese work culture is very stiff in terms of dress code and punctuality to work whereas American culture is more flexible. Nomura hired 8,000 former Lehman employees. In order to keep the Lehman operations running Nomura had an uphill task of retaining Lehmans employees which meant it needed to change its organisation culture. Source: http://globalization.suite101.com/article.cfm/japanese_corporate_culture 4. SWOT Analysis Strengths- Lehman had a strong position in Europe and it had well developed IT and RD platforms. It possessed high velocity trade machines. Lehman was very active and was one of the best in the markets aided by a very skilled work force which gave Lehman a competitive edge. 95% of Lehmans employees accepted job offers given by Nomura. It is imperative for Nomura to effectively utilize the skill set and knowledge base in order to enhance its business prospects and also achieve economies of scale by resource integration. Weakness- Nomura needed to protect its human capital resulting in high employee costs right at the outset very much in line with Lehman tradition of keeping up higher pay outs. Nomura also needed to build its client franchise from scratch given its lack of presence in the EMEA region and also battle a growing reluctance from clients to trade with a relatively fresh and un-proven broker-dealer. It also initially suffered the baggage of the Lehman bankruptcy, which made it extremely difficult to convince clients and regulators as well as to its viability as a solvent counterparty. Opportunities- One could say that the recent credit crisis provided Nomura with a unique prospect of re-inventing itself. Additionally Nomuras traditional Asian advantage enabled it to push its franchise far more aggressively having added talent from Lehman. Nomura currently has a sound platform to launch a strong client-focussed business. Joint operations will create synergies and generate higher revenues as Nomura can be cost effective in running combined operations. It has a diverse set of services as well as workforce which can help them specialise in niche markets as well as create innovative products in investment banking. Threats- Market conditions are currently volatile across Europe while recovery in the Americas has been painfully gradual. Nomura continues to sustain high operational costs. Although Nomura is desperately trying to mould itself into a global player the inherent cultural clash remains, which could de-motivating for the employees. Source: http://n.ethz.ch/student/rebibr/projects/Lehman-Nomura.pdf 5. Organisational Change Organisations have to change in order to stay competitive. Changes in an organisations environment in terms of competition, new clients and diversity in workforce force an organisation to make changes to its culture. However these changes are significant to Nomuras goal to become a world-class investment bank. Organisational change represents any alteration to existing cultural fabric of an organisation. It happens when a company is growing and going through evolution in terms strategy. Nomura is adopting a behavioural approach to change i.e. its a planned change and it improves communication, group behaviour, leadership skills, and power relations by changing employees knowledge, skills, interactions and attitudes as well as the organisational culture.'(Gordon, Pg.460) The Organisational change was done in four Phases:- Create Synergies Promote efficiency Start Joint Operations Ex- Lehman staff Join Nomura PHASE 1 PHASE 2 PHASE 3 PHASE 4 Phase 1-Retain Lehman employees in order to smoothly run the acquired business. Phase 2- Integrate infrastructure as Nomura took over Lehmans Information Technology (IT) platform and Global Services in India. Phase 3- Making sure that the combined infrastructure and Operations are running efficiently. Phase 4- Joint operations will create synergies and generate high revenues. Source: http://www.nomuraholdings.com/investor/summary/financial/data/2009_2q_leh.pdf 5.1Changes in Nomura Compensation Structure- Nomura is seeking to follow Lehmans compensation structure of paying high performance bonus of its employees in line with global investment banking standards. Although Nomuras old employees were given a choice to choose Lehmans compensation structure of low basic pay and high performance bonuses. Over half of their old staff chose the Western compensation system which is very different from the traditional Japanese pay structure. Job Security- Earlier Nomuras employees had a better job security although compensation levels were average and very different from the Wall Street philosophy. With the current structure the employees would be offered performance-based bonuses and higher total compensation although the job security would be relatively absent. Complex Matrix- It has adopted a complex Matrix type of organisation structure to achieve flexibility and prompt decision making. Decision Making- Regional and Divisional managers are given more delegation. Traditionally decisions were taken in groups. Managerial Changes- Traditionally most of the senior managerial positions were handled by Japanese but recently three non Japanese Managing Directors have been appointed who are ex Lehman staff. Changes in Job Scope- In the past positions were decided according to age and seniority and now more emphasis is based on the skill set of the employees and their performance. The takeover of Lehman by Nomura looks like a reverse takeover as Nomura is trying to follow Lehmans Organisation cultures rather than super-imposing its own culture. This is because it realises the value of the ex Lehman staff as they can give them a competitive edge over other investment banks. Therefore its making sure that the ex Lehman staff is satisfied working at Nomura so that they can perform well and stay in the job. Another reason for adopting these changes could be that in the past Nomura had made some failed attempts to expand its business operations outside Japan. 5.2 The Change Process The change process of Nomura could be explained with the help of Kurt Lewin Model. The model describes the change process in three stages which are as follows:- 1. Unfreezing- Creating awareness of a need for change and create the right environment for change. Giving old Nomuras employees an option to change their compensation structure is a method of unfreezing as its older employees realise that their counterparts from Lehman will be earning higher. This could have put pressure on Nomuras employees to perform according to Lehmans expectations and thus forcing them to change to the new culture. 2. Change- Making the change. In Nomura this was done through changing its management structure, educating employees and motivating them to work together as a team. The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Nomura, Mr. Takumi Shibata acknowledged that there were cultural differences in integrating the two companies but they were focused to work as one team, one firm. 3. Refreezing- A firm has to cement the change and make it its organisation culture. In Nomuras case, they are still undergoing change as the takeover took place only a year and half back. However the progress so far achieved has been no less spectacular given the hard line differences and size of operation. Source: http://www.mansis.com/freeze.htm Nomura Annual Report 2009 6. Organisational Development Techniques Organization development is a system-wide application of behavioural science knowledge to the planned development and reinforcement of organizational strategies, structures, and processes for improving an organizations effectiveness.(Cummings and Worley, Pg 2) Nomura believes in upgrading the skills of its employees through its employee development programmes. This is done so that an employees potential could be maximised at work. Employees are given authority to demonstrate their skills, abilities and they are evaluated on the basis of their performance. In order to enrich the careers of its employees Nomura initiated comprehensive education and training programmes. In 2006, it launched a Happy career and life project which aimed to help its employees maximise their potential. Nomura initiated training in global business etiquette in seven of its offices worldwide including Japan so that the employees could understand the differences in culture and background. This was done to increase responsiveness among its employees so that they understand the importance of building relationship with customers and fellow employees. In 2008, Nomura established Diversity and Inclusion offices in Europe and Asia Pacific. Diversity and inclusion is about respecting human rights and offering equal opportunities within organizations regardless of gender, age, race, faith, or values and harnessing peoples talent.'(Nomura Holdings Website) This programme was introduced to unleash employee potential and capitalize on value. Under this Nomuras Human Resource department will analyse the HR processes such as promotion, recruitment and performance management so that their diverse workforce is well managed. In order to prevent discrimination based on age, race and gender Nomura orga nised 29 training sessions and over 14,000 employees attended the training. Nomura has also created support systems for its female employees in terms of proving more childcare leave and offering assistance with the day care expenses of infants. Source: http://www.nomuraholdings.com/csr/stakeholder/employee/diversity.html http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2010/04/investment-bank-nomura-launches- multi-strand-equality-strategy.htm 7. Conclusion Nomuras long term aim is to become a World class investment bank. After the acquisition, Nomura has achieved market gains in Asia (excluding Japan) and Europe. They are aggressively building business in the US market. Nomuras revenue from markets outside Japan has increased significantly after the acquisition of Lehman Brothers operations in Europe and Asia. Net revenue from its Asia and Europe divisions surpassed Japan in two of the four quarters for the first time. Clearly the integration has benefited Nomura as its revenue from its overseas operations has increased significantly. The Acquisition has generated immense synergies and its helping Nomura to achieve its goal of becoming a World Class Investment Bank. The two firms complement each other in terms of products, geographical locations and customers. Till now the acquisition has proved to be a good one but in the long run Nomura will have to address to a lot of challenges in terms of culture while maintaining balance between American and Japanese culture to keep its new as well as its old employees satisfied. It was easy for Nomura to retain ex Lehman employees as when the takeover took place as the market conditions were bad but once the market conditions stabilise employees might look for greener pastures. Therefore, Nomura has to a task of retaining its employees in the long run as employees are its biggest assets. Source:http://www.financeasia.com/News/174347,nomuras-emergence-as-a-global-investment-bank.aspx?refresh=on 8. Recommendations Most of the success stories on Wall Street have been of firms following a singular cultural philosophy across their businesses. Although the sweeping changes at Nomura have been largely well received by its employees, the company is a long way from realising its potential in the market-place. It needs to inculcate the performance-based compensation spirit amongst its Japanese employees while at the same time relying on Japanese practical wisdom of conservatism. Also behavioural changes in terms of better group dynamics, equal-opportunities irrespective of race, sex and age should be inculcated given the largely male dominated Japanese society. Nomura should take the culture change slowly as it has to keep its employees in Japan in high spirits. They might feel less motivated and think that new employees are more important to the company. Rather than the top management deciding how to change the organisation culture the decision should be taken collectively involving all its employees. Nomura should not get too carried away by the increase in revenues in overseas markets. It has to make sure that the upward trend in revenue generation continues without any holdups. Nomura should not get too Americanized in terms of risk adverse attitude. American banking approach allows managers to take risks which can be very disastrous. It should follow a mixture of Japanese risk averse and American risk adverse attitude in other to run the operations successfully without any turbulence in these volatile economic conditions. Lastly, there should be team building activities in which new and old employees should play an active part. Both old and new employees should work together as a team in order to make Nomura a successful global investment bank.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Scales Of Justice :: Free Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scales of Justice shows a police force where there is a culture of corruption. The parts of the TV program that we saw were made up of two parts, The Job, and the Game. The Job is about a new probationary officer named Webber, and how he is forced to accept the corruption that occurs in the force, and ends up getting fired. The Game takes corruption to a new level involving higher powers such as MP’s and non-uniformed officers. They both are good examples of how it is a culture for them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The corruption that occurs in the Job is nothing unusual or abnormal, even to some of the higher ranked officers. Much of it involves accepting small bribes and breaching the code of conduct that is involved in being a policeman. For example, on more than on occasion, Sergeant Borland drinks and smokes while he is on duty. He then ended up influencing the new officer, Webber, to drink on duty. There is also an instance where Borland was offered an insufficient bribe so he locked the guy up and took him to court. He then influenced Webber to testify and say that he saw the man offer the bribe, which he didn’t see.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many times it is shown that officers avoid crime because there is too much paperwork to go with it. While Webber and Borland were on duty, the saw a moving car collide with a parked car, and Webber was told to do a U-turn. This was because if they caught the guy that did it, they would have to do several hours of paperwork. There was also a scene in the show when Borland told Webber about a time he found a corpse in a river, and they dumped in back inside because it would be too much of a hassle dealing with it.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Business partnerships and their benefits to organizations, suppliers, and customers Essay

Introduction A business partnership is an alliance of two or more parties that take on in a business venture in which the earnings and losses are divided equally. The legal description of a partnership business is an alliance of two or more people to collaborate as co-owners of a company for income. The formation of a partnership necessitates a deliberate alliance of parties or businesses that co own the company and aim to conduct it for profit. Partners can shape the partnership by written or verbal agreement. A partnership accord often directs the partners’ dealings with each other and to the company. Each partner has a right to share in the profits of the partnership. Unless the company accord asserts otherwise, associates share profits equally. Additionally, partners must donate equally to joint venture losses except if a partnership accord offers another arrangement. Each partner is also required to participate equally in the management of the partnership. A popular vote settles disagreements involving the administration of the partnership. On the other hand, some choices such as letting in a new partner or force out a partner entail all the partners’ undivided consent. Every partner owes a fiduciary obligation to the firm and to copartners. This duty necessitates that an associate ought to deal with copartners in good faith. It also requires that an associate should report to copartners for any profit that he or she obtains while engaged in partnership business. Each partner also has a responsibility of trustworthiness to the partnership. Unless the copartners assent, a partner’s obligation of loyalty constrains the partner from utilizing partnership assets for personal benefit. It also constrains the partner from rivaling with the partnership, taking on in self-dealing, or seizing partnership opportunities. It is a fact that firms that participates in the business system as partners complement the company and its suppliers, thereby increasing the value to customers. Business partnerships’ benefits to companies, suppliers, and consumers Firms that participate in the business system as partners allow for minimal formalities and regulatory and reporting requirements required in conducting business deals. Although partnerships are governed by statute, the required statutory formalities are few. A concise written partnership agreement is a good investment in almost any circumstance. However, it is not required, and a partnership may be formed by a verbal agreement between two or more people and can be implied by behavior. State statutes vary with regard to partnerships filing requirements and other formalities. The pertinent state statutes must always be reviewed and must be complied with. Most states do not require partnership registration with the secretary of state or other state official before commencing business. However, a certificate of assumed name or similar document is usually required when the partnership will be transacting business under an assumed name, trade name, or fictitious name (Schneeman, 2007, p.73). Minimal formalities ensure that a partnership business is able to do business with its suppliers smoothly without having to jump major hurdles. This saves a lot of time and resources for both the organization and its suppliers (Practicing Law Institute., and United States, 1971, p.47). This smooth operation between the company and its suppliers ensures that the customers are provided with quality services or products in a timely fashion, thus benefiting the organization, its suppliers, and customers. With partnerships, there is participation and flexibility in management. Unless one or more partners waive their rights, every partner has equal power and authority to manage the partnership affair. Partners of smaller partnerships may find this appealing if they have varied backgrounds and areas of expertise, and all wish to participate actively. All partners are allowed to act freely on behalf of the partnership, with few restrictions. Larger partnerships on the other hand are allowed the flexibility of putting the management of the partnership into the hands of the best individual or group of individuals for the job. According to Bradley, firms which participate in the business system as partners are both competitors and collaborates with respect to their suppliers. Participation and flexibility in the management of an organization ensures that only the best suppliers are targeted as partners. For example, British Airways and Singapore Airlines compete for passengers but they played a partnership role in the development of the Airbus superjumbo for which both are major customers. Organizations need to develop partnerships with the best suppliers to leverage their expertise and technologies to create a competitive advantage. Learning how an organization’s suppliers are performing can lead to superior visibility, which can offer prospects for more collaborative involvement in value-added activities. Many organizations are tracking product and services quality, on-time deliveries, customer service efforts and cost-control programs as part of the supplier rating system. This information can be used to develop supplier programs that will improve supply chain management, thus creating more value for consumers. Participation and flexibility in management creates knowledge environments for managers in firms that participate as business partners. Knowledge environments for administrators look like experience environments for clients. Innovations in knowledge environments must reflect the granularity of managerial experiences, just like innovations in experience environments must reflect the depth of consumer experiences. To create more value for consumers, organizations must continually create new knowledge. The opportunities to do so may come from solving a particular problem, for example, reducing the recharge time for a battery pack in a particular cell phone configuration. The opportunity may also come from identifying major emerging opportunities, for example, the explosive growth of market for cell phones in China and India. To make this happen, organizations must create knowledge environments that facilitate the discovery and action in the new competitive space through participation of partners and flexibility in management processes. This creates value for the company, its suppliers, and its customers. Firms in a business system that participate as partners have the added advantage of shared management. A partner will have other partners to rely on to provide expertise in needed areas. Decisions can be made jointly after thorough discussion. This feature of shared decision-making can also be a disadvantage when a quick decision is needed. Partners must consult with each other on significant issues. Partners have the advantage of appointing a certain partner as managers of the business. They can be delegated the authority to make certain decisions by themselves. Shared organizational management by business partners enables purchasing management. This refers to all activities necessary to manage supplier relationships in such a way that their activities are aligned with the company’s overall business strategies and interests. It focuses on structuring and continuously improving purchasing processes within the organization and between the organization and its suppliers. For example, before applying to be a Volvo supplier, an interested supplier must understand and agree on Volvo’s core values. This helps to eliminate any misunderstandings on the quality of products that the company offers. This benefits the company, its selected suppliers and creates value for its customers. In the business system, shared organizational management by firms in a business partnership enables the development of customer loyalty. Customer relationships are built on the basis of trust. Repeat business gets generated only when customers believe their suppliers and perceive them as creating more value. Loyalty is created only when the customer perceives fairness, equity, and transparency in his or her relationship with the seller. This is possible with a shared organizational management by businesses in a partnership agreement because all parties involved create strategies that improve customer relations, ensuring that they remain loyal to the organization. This generates more profits for the organization. Business partnerships require a low cost of organization. There are no minimum requirements for starting a partnership. The startup costs, including any required state filing fees, tend to be lower than those for corporations are. This in itself is a great advantage for small businesses wishing to form business partnerships. Additionally, the low cost of organization ensures that the partnership business has enough resources to conduct numerous transactions with many suppliers. This means that the supply of any needed raw materials is constant. This ensures that the production of goods or services goes on smoothly without hitches. For the company’s consumers, this is a great advantage for them because the production of goods or services will be relatively cheaper. This means that consumers will have access to the products or services at a relatively cheaper price as compared with other organizations, thus benefitting the organization, its suppliers, and customers. In the business system, business partnerships enable the partner organizations to raise capital easily. Because two or more firms contribute financial resources, business partnerships can raise funds more easily for operating expenses and business expansion. The partners’ combined financial strength also increases the firm’s ability to raise funds from outside sources. This ability of a firm to raise capital easily is an advantage for nonfinancial stakeholders such as suppliers, customers, employees, and the community in which the firm operates. They have no direct monetary stake in the company and no direct influence on the firm’s financial policy. This means that they have no decision or voting power. They only have a state in the firm’s financial health. Nonfinancial stakeholders are interested in the firm’s investment options because they can be hurt by its financial difficulties. Specifically, a firm’s capital structure choices can affect nonfinancial stakeholders by affecting the probability of default on their explicit and implicit claims on the firm and by influencing the firm’s production and pricing decisions. Consequently, firms in partnership may be forced implicitly to take the interests of their nonfinancial stakeholders into account in formulating financial policy. The capital structure of a business partnership can serve as a signaling device to these nonfinancial stakeholders and thereby affect their behavior. A firm’s financial condition can affect how suppliers and customers perceive its reliability. Therefore, the ability of a business partnership to raise capital easily from many different sources means that its suppliers and customers trust its ability to make profitable business for all involved parties. This benefits the firm and its suppliers, and consequently, creates value for its customers. Firms participating in the business system as partners combine a variety of diverse skills and expertise. Partners share the responsibilities of managing and operating the business. Combining partner skills to set goals, manage the overall direction of the firm, and solve problems increases the chances for the partnership’s success. Ideal business partnerships bring together people with complementary backgrounds rather than those with similar experience, skills, and talents. This enables the firm to view the diversity of skills in labor as an asset rather than a cost. These are the skills and expertise in employees that contribute to the firm’s level of productivity. With a business partnership therefore, production of goods or services is of a high quality. This benefits the organization and creates worth for its customers, thus leading to its success. Firms that participate in the business system as business partners increase the size of the organization. In businesses, size matters. Corporations that are big enough to control significant shares of sales and profits in one or more industries and enjoy tremendous financial and organizational advantages over small businesses. Financially, large revenue streams mean big budgets, enormous purchasing power, and great bargaining advantage with suppliers of goods and services. Organizationally, the bigness of an organization facilitates the development and application of specialized human and technological resources. Additionally, this enables the organization to determine its future sourcing strategy for every spend category. The organization is able to decide whether to reduce or expand its supply base, and where the suppliers should come from. The company is also able to decide on the type of relationship it would need to pursue with its suppliers. The company is then able to decide on the type of contract it would put in place in its dealings with suppliers. This ensures that the company has a constant supply of raw materials throughout the year. This means that the products and services produced by the company will be of high quality and would meet the consumer demands. This benefits the organization and its suppliers, and creates value for its customers. In the business system, business partnerships lead to reduced price competition. This according to Bradley means that the decisions made by one company affect and are affected by decisions made by other firms. If one company decides to reduce its prices, it will force other companies to do the same. Modern industries remain full of aggressively price-slashing firms. Modern corporate capitalists are compelled by the market to pass the benefits of productivity improvements to customers through price cuts. Failure to do so would mean that rival firms would soon copy an organization’s innovations and lower their prices, thus forcing them to run out of business. Full-fledged price wars are now so anathema that, even in the most competitive industries, corporate wisdom is to try anything and everything before entering into even a single round of unrestrained price-cutting. Corporate capitalism means price inflation. From a corporate capitalist’s perspective, such steady, mild inflation is a good thing. Major firms can bank on being able to charge a bit more for next year’s model than for this year’s and on taking in a bit more revenue for the same output. This is achievable when corporations form partnerships (Dawson, 2003, p.24). The bargaining power of a firm over its suppliers is crucial because it can improve the price, quantity, reliability, and timely delivery of raw materials. The company’s power increases the more the inputs are commodity items and are subject to price competition. The company, rather than the supplier should add the value. For example, a restaurant buys commodity items like vegetables, meat and drinks, all of which are readily available and subject to intense competition. It has power over suppliers and adds the value by processing them into expensive meals. This also creates value for the consumers because the company will have the ability to produce top quality products. Business partners enjoy income tax benefits. The net income or loss of the partnership is passed through to the associates, according to the partnership accord. The partnership is required to file a partnership return form annually with the revenue services in their countries, but no income tax is owed by the partnership itself. Rather, the partnership’s return indicates the income earned by the partnership and allocated to the individual partners. A partnership is not taxable as a separate entity. The partners on income derived from the partnership pay a single tax. Additionally, because the income of the partnership flows through to the individual partners, if the partnership experiences a net loss, each partner’s share of that loss may be written off on the partner’s individual income tax return. Conclusion A business partnership is an association of two or more parties engaged in a business enterprise where all parties involved share the profits and losses equally. This type of association creates benefits for the organizations involved and its suppliers, thereby creating more value for its customers. The minimal formalities required in starting a business partnership enable the company to deal easily with its suppliers without major red tapes. This enables the company to produce products and services in a much quicker way. Partnerships enable flexibility in management. This ensures that only the targeted suppliers are selected for business partnerships. 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