Thursday, September 19, 2019
The Relationship between Rhetoric and Social Conflict :: essays research papers
The Relationship between Rhetoric and Social Conflict In society there are daily occurrences that happen as a result of rhetoric, which then question and mold our individuality. How we react to these responses define us as a society and can then cause us to have a conflict socially. These occurrences challenge our perceptions allowing us to think independently about each issue. Without the linkage of rhetoric and conflict, we would have a difficult time justifying our understanding of these issues. A reaction to rhetoric can also characterize us from each other in a way that creates a singular identity. This individuality combined with the identities of others, make up our community and allow rhetoric and conflict to occur almost naturally. To further explain why rhetoric and conflict are so important we must understand the importance of this issue, in trying to relate everyday activities as examples of rhetoric and conflict. Our Society creates certain rhetorical ideologies, which are contained in social institutions, such as churches, communities, or clubs, in which conformity is a must. These ideologies bring people together to stand behind a common interest and fight for their own beliefs, morals, and values. It is when these social institutions collide with each other that social conflict is formed and problems arise. In order to understand the relationship between rhetoric and social conflict one must be able to define these terms adequately. Rhetoric is the ability to use words effectively in order to receive a response that is either positive or negative. To create a positive response, a person might appeal to the emotions of another who is sympathetic to the situation or who is currently involved with the same experience. They may use familiar experiences and memories to help the response take its shape. An example of this would be in the article ' The Cigarette as Representational Ideograph in the Debate over Environmental Tobacco Smoke'; by Mark Moore. Moore describes both sides of this controversy of smoker and antismoker rights, but when reading this article both sides are conformed to their own beliefs and support them quite well. 'Smokers discuss their rights as an American and their right to liberty, while anti-smoking activists talk about the hazards of second hand smoke discovered by scientific knowledge'; (Moore 48). The ideas of both sides make up an ideology, which is expressed over and over again through their justifications. Only a smoker can sympathize with a fellow smoker when explaining the right to be able to smoke in public.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Poseidon :: essays research papers
Poseidon is a god of many names. He is most famous as the god of the sea. The son of Cronus and Rhea, Poseidon is one of six siblings who eventually "divided the power of the world." His brothers and sisters include: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, and Zeus. The division of the universe involved him and his brothers, Zeus and Hades. Poseidon became ruler of the sea, Zeus ruled the sky, and Hades got the underworld. The other divinities attributed to Poseidon involve the god of earthquakes and the god of horses. The symbols associated with Poseidon include: dolphins, tridents, and three-pronged fish spears. Poseidon was relied upon by sailors for a safe voyage on the sea. Many men drowned horses in sacrifice of his honor. He lived on the ocean floor in a palace made of coral and gems, and drove a chariot pulled by horses. However, Poseidon was a very moody divinity, and his temperament could sometimes result in violence. When he was in a good mood, Poseidon created new lands in the water and a calm sea. In contrast, when he was in a bad mood, Poseidon would strike the ground with a trident and cause unruly springs and earthquakes, ship wrecks, and drownings. Poseidon was similar to his brother Zeus in exerting his power on women and in objectifying masculinity. He had many love affairs and fathered numerous children. Poseidon once married a Nereid, Amphitrite, and produced Triton who was half-human and half-fish. He also impregnated the Gorgon Medusa to conceive Chrysaor and Pegasus, the flying horse. The rape of Aethra by Poseidon resulted in the birth of Theseus; and he turned Caeneus into a man, at her request, after raping her. Another rape involved Amymone when she tried to escape from a satyr and Poseidon saved her. Other offspring of Poseidon include: Eumolpus, the Giant Sinis, Polyphemus, Orion, King Amycus, Proteus, Agenor and Belus from Europa, Pelias, and the King of Egypt, Busiris. One of the most notorious love affairs of Poseidon involves his sister, Demeter. Poseidon pursued Demeter and to avoid him she turned herself into a mare. In his lust for her, Poseidon transformed himself into a stallion and captured her. Their procreation resulted in a horse, Arion. Poseidon is Greek for "Husband" (possibly of wheat), and therefore it is thought that he and Demeter (goddess of wheat) are a good match because they reign as the god and goddess of fertility.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Leadership Examples in IT industry in India Essay
Azim Hashim Premji (born 24 July 1945) is an Indian business tycoon and philanthropist who is the chairman of Wipro Limited, guiding the company through four decades of diversification and growth to emerge as one of the Indian leaders in the software industry. After the demise of his father, Azim Premji took charge of WIPRO when he was 21 instead of taking up a high paid job. He believes in the concept of come easy go easy. A money earned was of far more value to him instead of five found. He never let success overwhelm him and constantly learnt from his failures and built an empire which does not need an introduction. He never stopped leaning and is the best example of humility in the software industry. He always strived to find better ways to innovate and treated excellence as journey rather than destiny. He evaluates with calm mind and does whatever is the most appropriate. At an age when most of the businessmen would retire and live a peaceful life away from stress, he is still active and inspires his employees to not only work but also enjoy the entire process. He is an idol for todayââ¬â¢s generation and an epitome who shows us on how to live life without compromising on our core values. His desire to stretch and achieve which seem beyond oneââ¬â¢s grasp is the most inspiring characteristic. His down to earth nature is visible from his charities. Nandan Nilekani is considered among the most successful business leaders from India. He has several accolades and awards to his name which are proofs of his tremendously rich leadership in fostering Infosys first and now the UIDAI. Nandan Nilekani was born in Bangalore, Karnataka on June 2, 1955 as the younger son of Durga and Mohan Rao Nilekani. He grew up as a typicalà middle class child high on traditional and moral values. As a child, Nilekani was extremely brilliant and had good leadership skills. He graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai and joined the Mumbai based software firm Patni Computers where he came into acquaintance with Mr. N R Narayan Murthy who later founded Infosys Technologies with Nandan and his associates. Nilekani was known for his bold leadership style and risk taking behaviour. He co-founded Infosys Technologies with his colleagues and a starting capital of $250 after three years with Patni. Despite having considerably less experience, he moved to the US in 1981 handling the marketing and development effort for Infosys. In 1987, he came back to India and in March 2002, he took over as the Chief Executive Officer of Infosys Technologies. Nilekani stressed in bringing about an excellence in execution within Infosys. He transformed the business at Infosys by division into verticals such as financial services, healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, etc. emphasizing on values such as timely completion of projects on budget, hiring of high quality employees, excellent training programmes and high client and employee satisfaction. It was under his leadership that the global delivery model emerged as it is known today. Nilekani recognised the global nature of Infosys as it was emerging with a high number of employees and huge bio-diversity. Under his leadership, Infosys was awarded several awards such as ââ¬Å"Best Company to Work forâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Indiaââ¬â¢s Best Managed Company Awardâ⬠. His entrepreneurial skills inspire the present generation to take all responsibilities head on and increase the hunger of success. AZIM PREMJI 1. Explain the personality of the leaders based on Big 5 model. Cite instances to support your view. Big Five Model states that five basic dimensions underlie all others and encompass most of the significant variation in human personality. The following are the Big Five factors on which the personality of Azim Premji is evaluated against: The Big 5 personality traits are: (OCEAN) 1. Openness to experience: (Openness to new ideas) Azim Premji has been very open to ideas and experiences. After the death of his Father in 1966, the 22-year old scion to the hydrogenated-oil manufacturing firm returned to manage the business and diversified the company into other areas such as lightning products, soaps, etc. Also, the coming-up of Wipro as the leading IT Company was foreseen by Azim Premji. 2. Conscientiousness: (Show self-discipline and aim for achievement against expectations) In the span of 50 years, Wipro has transformed to one of the leading R & D service providers of the world. One of the popular Azim Premji anecdotes was when he attended his first annual general meeting. A shareholder doubted Premjiââ¬â¢s ability to handle business at such a young age and publicly advised him to sell his shareholding and give it to a more mature management. This spurred Azim Premji and made him all the more determined to make Wipro a success story. His conscientiousness can also be seen in the focused efforts the CSR initiatives that the ââ¬Å"Azim Premji Foundationâ⬠undertakes. 3. Extraversion: (Energy creation from external means; gregariousness) Azim Premji is considered to be an introvert. He maintains a measured engagement with the media. This can also be discerned from the relatively less number of news articles on Azim Premji (about 3000). 4. Agreeableness: One of the most famous quotes by Azim Premji is ââ¬Å"We must have faith in our own ideas even if everyone tells us that we are wrong.â⬠Also, he was one of the few corporate leaders in India who spoke out against the populist CSR measures taken by the Government of India. 5. Neuroticism: (Tendency to experience negative emotions) Azim Premjiââ¬â¢s ability to manage the business in the face of difficult situations is a proof of his emotional stability. Time and again, he has shown dedication to his work and duties; even when faced with a grave personal loss (death of his Father). 2. What are the values of the organization or group the leaders represent? What are their personal values? Substantiate your claims by evidence. Wipro had 3 Values as stated on its Website (Popularly known as SPIRIT OF WIPRO): Intensity To Win: For Wipro It is not about winning at all costs, neither is it about winning every time, nor about winning at the expense of others. It is about working together to create a synergy; realizing that I win when my team wins, my team wins when Wipro wins, and Wipro wins when its customers win and when its stakeholders win. It is about innovating all the time. It is a continuous endeavor to do better than the last time. It is the Spirit of fortitude, the Spirit of never letting goâ⬠¦ ever. This is evident from the product extension of Wipro in various fields possible from its flagship product of vegetable oil to lightning products, from Computer software to FMCG product like soap. For this spirit of Play to win made Wipro achieve following: Wipro ranks 11th in the first edition of Interbrandââ¬â¢s ââ¬ËBest Indian Brandsââ¬â¢ study, 2013. Global Telecoms Business recognizes Wipro with the ââ¬ËWholesale Service Innovation Award 2013â⬠² for their unique IT R&D Partnership Project. Wipro cited as a Leader in Sustainable Technology Services by Independent Analyst Firm. Act with Sensitivity: At its highest vision, respect for the individual is unqualified. The core of this sensitivity lies in understanding that every being, however different, is equal. The spirit of democracy underlies our notion of sensitivity. It believes in true respect meaning creating conditions in which every individual grows to realize his/her promise and potential. As quoted on its website ââ¬Å"We are responsible for, and have an obligation to live in harmonyà with, our ecological environment. We should actively act to preserve nature, and refrain from any action that harms ecology.â⬠This Act with Sensitivity led them to bag the following awards: Wipro is the highest ranked gadget maker in Greenpeaceââ¬â¢s latest green guide to electronics 2012. Ranked 2nd in the Workplace Diversity & Inclusivity category in Indiaââ¬â¢s Best Places to Work For Study -2012 conducted by Great Places to Work Institute. Unyielding Integrity: Integrity is a commitment to searching for and acting on the truth. ââ¬Å"Truthâ⬠is a word with many manifestations ââ¬â it means keeping oneââ¬â¢s word; it also means understanding and realizing the highest vision of oneself. As quoted on website ââ¬Å"I am the litmus test of my integrity. For integrity is the manifestation of conscience.â⬠Wiproââ¬â¢s code of conduct for employees says it all: Donââ¬â¢t do anything that youââ¬â¢re unwilling to have published in tomorrowââ¬â¢s newspaper with your photograph next to it. Itââ¬â¢s that kind of Integrity that has catapulted Premji and Wipro to unprecedented heights. Personal Values: Azim Premji, the businessman, practices what he preaches. When it comes to upholding personal values, thereââ¬â¢s no margin for error. He followed 2 principles throughout his life. They are: Value For Money: If ââ¬Ëvalue for moneyââ¬â¢ was a guiding principle of Premjiââ¬â¢s life, so was his practical nature. Although Wipro was well regarded, stories current in Bangalore at that time about Azim Premji related to his ââ¬Ëcareful about moneyââ¬â¢ habits. Azim Premji flew economy class and there was this tale about him taking an auto from the airport after disembarking from a flight and not finding his car. Everybody in Bangalore knew that he was a rich guy who was extremely simple and would do things such as borrowing magazines from the staff periodical pool with the promise of returning them later. It was not unusual for Premji to land up at the premises of customers for a sales pitch for his computers. If a good order could be bagged ââ¬â and this could be anywhere in India ââ¬â Premji disregarded his high status and became a salesman. Integrity: This was the value which he admires the most. One of the incident for which this principle is found to be evident in Premji is when Wipro managers speak in awe of the time they received a terse message that their chairman was flying down to Bangalore for a meeting. It was clear that something major was in the offing. Premji came straight to the point. A senior general manager of the company had been given marching orders because he had inflated a travel bill. The manââ¬â¢s contribution to the company was significant; the billââ¬â¢s amount was not. Yet he had to go for this solitary lapse. It was, Premji stressed, a matter of principles. 3. What are some of the major conflicts that these leaders have confronted? Who were the stakeholders? How did they resolve the conflict? Were they able to live up to the expectations of all stakeholders? Conflict of Wipro:- In 2000 Wipro came out with an IPO of American Depository Shares (ADS) in the United States. Wipro offered a commonly utilized and Securities and Exchange Commission approved Directed Share Program (DSP) that allowed employees and clients of Wipro to purchase ADSs at the IPO market price. Their clients also included the World Bank staff to whom Wipro allowed to purchase shares at market price. The Programââ¬â¢s objective was to involve employees and customers with the public offering to expand recognition and brand of Wipro, but the World Bank in June 2007 determined that this was a conflict of interest. The World Bank deemed the IT firm ineligible to bid for direct contracts from IT sector for the period 2007-2011. The multilateral lender banned Wipro in June 2007 from doing business with the group under its corporate procurement program. Effects of ban on Wipro by World Bank:- The ban came to light in January 2009. Shares of Wipro were down by more than 10% when news came out after two years of ban. Employees of Wipro were under fear after what happened in Satyam. They were worried about future of their career as well as the future of the company. Leadership of the Chairman of the company ââ¬â Mr. Azim Premji:- At this time, Mr. Azim Premji led Wipro from the front. He wrote a letter to 1,00,000 employees of Wipro. He denied allegations of providing improper benefits to Bank staff. He gave assurance to employees that all participants in the program signed a conflict of interest statement and their purchase did not violate any ethics or conflict of interest policies of their company. He said business ethics is their top priority while dealings with all stakeholders of Wipro. According to his letter, Wiproââ¬â¢s success over the decades has been built on the foundation of its values. Mr. Azim Premji was able to gain confidence from employees of Wipro. Wipro passed that difficult phase and continued their success story. World Bank lifted the ban on Wipro in 2011. It is now the fourth largest IT Company in India. Azim premji has shown us what effective leadership can do. 2. What are the CSR initiatives that these leaders support? Give examples. CSR Initiatives taken by Azim Premji: Azim Premji has already given 25% of his wealth to charity. Azim Premji has become the first Indian to sign up for the ââ¬Å"Giving Pledgeâ⬠, an undertaking by large-hearted billionaires to dedicate a majority of their wealth to philanthropy. Azim Premjiââ¬â¢s biggest CSR initiative has been the establishment of ââ¬Å"Azim Premji Foundation.â⬠Azim Premji Foundation: Azim Premji Foundation was established in 2001 with a vision to contribute to education that facilitates a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society. Their approach has been to focus all their resources and efforts on systemic change and improvement in quality of education in the government schools. The foundation has focussed on following areas while working with the government: Teacher Education Azim Premji Foundationââ¬â¢s teacher education programs have sought to build capacity in the existing education functionaries in terms of theirà perspectives, subject matter knowledge, competencies and motivation levels. Since inception, they have worked with over 50,000 government school teachers across 8 states. Education Leadership and Management Azim Premji Foundation has developed about 3500 education functionaries in the state of Karnataka, including principals of schools in a unique effort involving training of master development facilitators for extended periods of time through classroom training and field projects. Examination Reforms Following Azim Premji Foundationââ¬â¢s work in the area, about 8 districts in 5 states have changed the way they conduct examinations for students up to 5th standard and the state of Karnataka has introduced external competency based evaluation. Technology in Education The Foundation initiated the Computer Aided Learning programme in the year 2002 to harness the potential of computer technology for education. The objectives of the programme were to make learning enjoyable and assessment fun, for all students. To this end, the Foundation created syllabus-based bi/trilingual multimedia content. It is probably the largest developer of Digital Learning Resources that address curricular issues of children from classes 3 to 8 in 18 languages (including four tribal languages). 2.5 million Children in 20,000 schools have used these resources across 16 states. Other Initiatives by Wipro: Wipro Care: ââ¬Å"Wipro Caresâ⬠engages with communities in our proximate locations. The primary objectives of Wipro Cares are to support the developmental needs of marginalized communities in cities and towns where Wipro has a large presence. They have four core areas of work ââ¬â education, health care, environment and disaster rehabilitation. Wipro Cares is currently engaged in 12 projects across India. Through its five health care projects in three states of India, Wipro Cares is providing more than 50,000 people access to primary health care. More than 70,000 children benefit from the sixà education projects in five Indian cities and one Indian village. Their project in social forestry has helped plant more than 50,000 trees and has at the same time provided livelihood to around 40 farmers. Employee engagement is an integral part of Wipro Cares where they encourage employees to volunteer with our partners, acting thus as catalysts in bringing about positive change. Apart from these core areas, as part of the long term process that is typically involved in the rehabilitation of communities affected by natural calamities, Wipro offers its employees the opportunity to engage meaningfully with the affected communities. Mission 10X: Mission10X is a not-for-profit trust of Wipro, launched on September 5, 2007, with an aim to enhance the employability skills of engineering graduates in India. It aims to achieve this by collaborating with academicians & leading educational institutions across the country. The Mission10X Learning Approach empowers engineering faculty with innovative teaching techniques using which they can help learners in imbibing higher level of understanding of subjects, application of concepts learned and development of key behavioural skills. Since its launch, Mission10X has gained tremendous recognition and momentum in the field of engineering education. Mission10X has reached out to over 1,200 engineering colleges across 25 States in India and has empowered over 23,000 engineering faculty members. Ecoââ¬âEye: The core of Wiproââ¬â¢s social and community initiatives is focused on responsible and deep engagement with all stakeholders ââ¬â present and future generations. Eco-eye is the way they see themselves and their engagement with stakeholders ââ¬â on the journey to more sustainable business practices. The initiative focuses on reducing ecological footprint of their business operations, engagement with employees and supply chain, partners and customers to create a more sustainable society, and transparent reporting/disclosures. The ecological dimensions of their operations are focused on energy efficiency, water efficiency, waste/pollution management and recently enhancing biodiversityââ¬âthey have set stretch targets for each of them. Moving beyond mere compliance with laws and regulations, engagementà with employees focuses on health and safety, people development, and increasing diversity and inclusivity at workplace are their important considerations. Close collaboration with suppliers to reduce their own ecological footprint and help meet and exceed labour and human rights norms is a key focus area. NANDAN NILEKANI 1. Explain the personality of the leaders based on Big 5 model. Cite instances to support your view. Big Five Model states that five basic dimensions underlie all others and encompass most of the significant variation in human personality. The following are the Big Five factors on which the personality of Nandan Nilekani, co-founder and ex- CEO & ex-MD of Infosys is evaluated against: The Big 5 personality traits are: (OCEAN) 1. Openness to experience. Nandan Nilekaniââ¬â¢s career graph shows him to be a risk taker. He started his career in an IT firm as an engineer which he later quit to start his own business with his five other colleagues. Then, from an entrepreneur, he became a technocrat in the government in charge of transformational projects. Now, speculations are rife about his joining government by contesting elections from Bangalore constituency. He has also authored a book on ideas that have made India titled ââ¬ËImagining Indiaââ¬â¢. In his own words he describes his journey so far as from being an ideator to a change initiator. 2. Conscientiousness The biggest trait of a highly conscientious person is that he is reliable and responsible. Nandan Nilekani scores high on this parameter. Only a person who is deemed responsible and dependable can be made the chief of the biggest initiative by government. Other than that, he has also served as a member of the National Knowledge Commission, formed by the prime minister to reform higher education in India. In his stint at Infosys, its revenues grew fivefold. This shows the immense trust that the shareholders have on his leadership capability. He is well organized and persistent in his efforts.à He has managed to issue 380 million AADHAR cards so far which is consistent with his target of 400 million AADHAR cards by 2013. 3. Extraversion Nandan Nilekani is an extravert because he exudes gregariousness, is assertive and sociable. In 1981, Nandan Nilekani along with Narayan Murthy and five others co-founded Infosys. If he wouldnââ¬â¢t have been an extravert then probably he would have still remained as an employee of ââ¬Å"Patni Computersâ⬠where he worked initially with the other co-founders of Infosys. Also, on his last day at Infosys, he made a speech that brought his assertive nature to the fore. It read ââ¬Å"I am generally very articulate but this is not the day or place where I can be articulate. Iââ¬â¢ve been wrapped up in Infosys for 28 years. My only identity is Infosys. I will be going to lead a programme to give identity to every Indian. But today I am losing my identityâ⬠¦But, in my new role, Iââ¬â¢m supposed to work with 600 government departments knowing fully well that no two government departments get along with one other.â⬠Also people close to him and the employees who have worked under him know him as a good orator and communicator. 4. Agreeableness Nandan Nilekani ranks high on the agreeableness dimension. He is known to be cooperative, warm and trusting. Mohandas Pai, co-founder of Infosys and a close aide of Nilekani says that he listens to all stakeholders, but has the capacity to take decisions. Also when he left Infosys to join UIDAI as its chief, many of his employees too left Infosys to join him in UIDAI. Even in UIDAI, he willingly subscribes to its rules, but at the same time also constantly looks for openings to subtly sell his ideas. 5. Neuroticism Nandan Nilekani is a positively stable person. The desire and urgency to serve a larger good has seen Nilekani and his wife, Rohini, give away hundreds of crores of their personal wealthââ¬âwhich Forbes estimates at $1.3 billion (about Rs. 9,000 crore), as of March 2013, largely from their Infosys shareholdingââ¬âto educational institutions, and organisations that work to address some of the basic human needs. Some of this thinking is influenced by Nilekaniââ¬â¢s father, Mohan Rao, a manager in a textile companyà and a Nehruvian. Nilekani is considered the Bill Gates of our very own silicon valley for his benevolence and Samaritan acts. 2. What are the values of the organization or group the leaders represent? What are their personal values? Substantiate your claims by evidence. Hard work & sacrifice: I learned the value of give and take. I learned that there is the need to sacrifice your own wants in favour of someone else. I also believe in the popular saying: Let all living beings prosper. Another feature that this leader represents is the quest for knowledge. He stresses that success depends on continual learning. He also believes in the fact that ultimately hard work pays. He says that value system is very important as it acts as a guiding light in times of darkness, confusion and self-doubt, and when faced with moral dilemma. Leadership by example: Nandan Nilekani believes that transferring the values and beliefs of the organization to the next generation leaders is one of the most important functions. He is actively involved in the companyââ¬â¢s leadership development workshops and mentoring activities. He believes that future leaders need to learn how to set direction, to create a shared vision, encourage execution excellence, embrace inclusive meritocracy. Ethics: The company recognizes the importance of nurturing relationships that reflect our culture of unwavering ethics and mutual respect. The company behaves ethically and honestly in all its interactions ââ¬â with the clients, partners and employees. Right of Liberty: The company has unwritten rules. Everybody knows that if we want to work as a team we have to be transaction based. We start every transaction on a zero base. It is perfectly feasible for us to disagree on a transaction but we start the next transaction without any bias. Only an argument that has merit wins; it has nothing to do with hierarchy. Disagreeing is in the nature ofà things. When you bring a set of people who have respect for each otherââ¬â¢s competence in certain areas and youââ¬â¢re transaction-oriented then it can work as it has in our case. In Infosys, we have consciously brought about a respect and dignity for every individual. Pursuit of Excellence: We at Infosys take a long-term view of our business and life. We remember that success is, generally ephemeral. We remember that we are only as good as the results of our last quarter. Infosys has always placed a premium upon recruiting people with a high learnability quotient. Personal Values: Excerpts from an interview with the Indian Express ââ¬Å"When I address new hires, the main thing I talk to them about is the value system. I tell them that even in the fiercest competitive situation they must never talk ill of customers. For heavenââ¬â¢s sake donââ¬â¢t short change anybody. Never ever violate any law of the land. It is better to lose a billion dollars than a good nightââ¬â¢s sleep. It is a true meritocracy.â⬠Once Nandan Nilekani was having lunch with Mihir S Sharma. They ordered something to eat and Nandan waited patiently for the food to arrive. The steward finally arrives. He received an education in how Important People are treated in restaurants. Heââ¬â¢d rather be unimportant: mainly because it is assumed Important People are Too Busy to Order. The steward asks them if they want vegetables, chicken or meat, and tells them heââ¬â¢ll do the rest. Before he can interpose a panicked reply, Nilekani says: ââ¬Å"dim sum.â⬠The steward rushes off, and brings them a random selection. Theyââ¬â¢re terrible: undercooked and flavourless. Nilekani calls the steward over, and asks for the restaurantââ¬â¢s hottest sauce. The steward points to one on the table. Nilekani Smiles and picks up the sauce on his own. He understands that even the steward is a busy man and can get frustrated by his job. This clearly indicates the degree to which Nilkeni understands human behaviour and respects others. One, stay a technocrat, as he has been since 2009, when he was handpicked by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to lead a project to issue unique identity numbers to every Indian. Two, come in as a member of the Rajya Sabha, which does not require a mandate from the people, and be a minister like Jairam Ramesh or even Manmohan Singh. Three, in what will be the most challenging personally and professionally for Nilekani, a member of the Lok Sabha, elected by the people. This indicates value of excellence in Mr. Nilekani. Former Infosys chief and chairman of Unique Identification Development Authority of India Nandan Nilekani and his wife Rohini have announced Rs. 50 crore philanthropic grants to the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) to fund the establishment of a School of Environment and Sustainability. This indicates the generous nature of Mr. Nilekani. The principle of building and implementing great ideas that drive progress for clients and enhance lives through enterprise solutions. Mr. Nilekani has constantly endeavoured in bringing to life great ideas and enterprise solutions. His efforts in developing a unique identification project which aims at issuing identity to all Indian residents is commendable. 4. What are some of the major conflicts that these leaders have confronted? Who were the stakeholders? How did they resolve the conflict? Were they able to live up to the expectations of all stakeholders? Nandan Nilekaniââ¬â¢s life seems like a smooth ride if you have a look at it. He has handled the conflicts in his personal or professional life so properly that you will feel like they werenââ¬â¢t even there. But, there were some brickwalls which he had to overcome. The two biggest conflicts in his life were: ââ¬ËTo take care of newly started Infosysââ¬â¢s interests in USââ¬â¢ and of course, ââ¬Ëthe UID or Aadhar card project implementationââ¬â¢. To take care of newly started Infosysââ¬â¢s interests in US: After walking out of Patni with Narayan Murthy and co-founding the Infosys with him, Nandan Nilekani moved to US to take care of Infosysââ¬â¢s interest there. He was the face of the Infosys in US and did a brilliant jobà in expanding its business. This part doesnââ¬â¢t necessarily seem as a big conflict but this was a really important phase for Infosys before it went public in 1993. Even when Infosys went public in 1993, no one picked up the stock. Among the first people Nandan Nilekani tried to sell the Infy stock before the Initial Public Offering was his IIT Bombay senior by one year, and now Union minister, Jairam Ramesh. So, I think the answer to this conflict in question is more related to his personality and his ability to give his team or co-workers a direction towards improvement through simple and logical questions that would properly analyse their work as well as its efficiency. Mr. Nandan Nilekani has a quick mind but at the same time he is very patient and a superb listener. He is quick in doing 360 degree analysis about any problems and is quick to ask the questions on exact points too. With these qualities he expanded the number of Infosysââ¬â¢ clients as well as provided them work the quality they needed. Even though, he makes it look effortless, itââ¬â¢s his experience, his quizzical & quick mind and his innovative thinking that makes this possible. With all these traits, he contributed to Infosys immensely and became its CEO in 2002. It was Nilekani who put Infosys on the global map and coined the phrase ââ¬Å"flat worldâ⬠, which inspired Thomas Friedman to title his book ââ¬ËThe World is Flatââ¬â¢. The UID or Aadhar card project implementation: When Nandan Nilekani began working on providing a unique identification number to half of Indiaââ¬â¢s billion-plus people four years ago, he ran into a wall of problems. The main criticism was that 120bn rupees (à £1.72bn; $1.89bn) project was also the worldââ¬â¢s biggest biometric exercise. Not surprisingly Mr Nilekani, info-tech whizz turned head of the Unique Identification Authority of India, faced tough questions over access and misuse of personal information, surveillance, profiling, securing of confidential information by the government and threats of budget cuts. A parliamentary panel even trashed the idea, saying it would be ââ¬Å"misusedâ⬠. When all these were cleared the whole project was called directionless. The major stakeholders in this case were: He himself, Government, Opposition, Indian population and UIDAI. Nandan Nilekani persevered really hard, day and night to answer these questions and handled each one of them professionally and answering them with his actions. As his wife said in one of theà interview, ââ¬Å"For 30 years Infosys consumed him and now it is UIDAI.â⬠Thatââ¬â¢s how much he is involved. When the certain journalists went for the interview at his house, Nandan and Rohini Nilekani had just returned from a workshop at the National Law School in Bangalore where he had brainstormed with a group of legal experts on how to create the legal framework for the UIDAI. A week before that he was in Bihar where he had had a 90-minute lunch meeting at chief minister Nitish Kumarââ¬â¢s house. The day after the interview, Nilekani was flying off to Mumbai to meet the Maharashtra chief minister. In the four months before the interview took place, he had met 12 CMs to explain to them the intricacies of the UID project and ask for their support in enrolling people into the program. When he was interviewed about all this and why did he take up a project that was risky and that might face such a huge criticism, he said it was mainly because he was restless. He mentioned, ââ¬Å"I thrive on challenges and new intellectual issues. I had to show that I could execute something outside my normal world. So there was that desire to prove myself again.â⬠There was one more reason ââ¬â the feeling that he needed to give something back to the country. Nilekani was aware that he came to this job with a certain ââ¬Å"brand perceptionâ⬠. He was famous and wealthy and while these two attributes can help in opening many doors, there were people inside the government who did not believe that he understood the problems and issues of the poor. That is why he launched what he called an ââ¬Å"outreach programmeâ⬠where he made the first move in reaching out to various organizations and departments inside the government and public sector. Nilekani has been able to successfully complete the UID project and it has shown far reaching benefits. It has improved the delivery of social welfare programs, lead to more inclusion of the underprivileged, brought down the governmentââ¬â¢s transaction costs and plugged leaks and fraud in welfare schemes. But the implications of Nilekaniââ¬â¢s role go far beyond the UID. He was one of the most high profile hires made by the Manmohan Singh government in the project. There were two implications ââ¬â if he succeeds, a lot more people from the private sector and academic world will step forward to work with the government but if he fails that movement could slow down, which is why so many people across the country were watching this move so closely. Mr Nilekani was well-aware of the risks. As he himself says, ââ¬Å"In the private sector, nine out of 10 start-ups usually fail and the UID too is like aà start-up.â⬠He knew that his prior success didnââ¬â¢t guarantee success in this world and if he didnââ¬â¢t deliver the consequences would be large and four years on, Mr Nilekani ââ¬â the famous co-founder of Infosys, the $7bn Indian info-tech behemoth ââ¬â believes he has been able to allay fears. One of his biggest strengths at Infosys was building consensus and breaking down a complex problem and get people to identify the specific parts where they could not agree. The other was his supreme networking skills. And he put both of them to good use in UIDAI. He certainly silenced the critics with superb execution of the project, cleared all the doubts of the stakeholders and Indian people and even grass root politicians and provided people with Aadhar Card ââ¬â their UID. 5. What are the CSR initiatives that these leaders support? Give examples. Nandan Nilekani himself is not an organisation or is not heading any profit making organisation so it is not mandatory upon him to devote 2% of his earnings towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. In fact he has right now devoted his complete time towards society by spearheading the UIDAI project. He is the chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIADAI). This project is aimed at creating a complete database of the Indian population in order for the government to reach out to the masses in a more effective manner. Besides this Mr. Nandan Nilekaniââ¬â¢s wife Rohini Nilekani has been involving herself into a lot of social work which could be indirectly termed that she has been doing on his behalf. Recently Mrs Rohini Nilekani raised about Rs 163.58 crore by selling 5.77 lakh of her shares of the IT services company for philanthropic work. Mrs Rohini Nilekani recently stated that she has taken philanthropic initiatives in multiple sectors such as education, water, environment and governance among others. The proceeds of the sale of shares, post tax, are being deployed towards these and other philanthropic contributions. This was just a one-off social task undertaken by them. Besides this on a full time basis they have a non-profit organisation named Arghyam. Arghyam grants funds to organisations, which implement and manage groundwater and sanitation projects in India. Arghyam has made grants to recipients in 22 states of India since 2005, the year of its founding. Arghyam, a foundation she set up with a private endowment, toà work on water and sanitation issues in India. Apart from this Mrs Rohini Nilekani is also Founder-Chairperson of Pratham Books, a charitable trust which seeks to put ââ¬Å"A book in every childââ¬â¢s hand.â⬠All these initiatives it could be assumed are being undertaken by her but it cannot be denied that the source of income or the free movement of all projects undertaken by her have a bearing signature of her husband which can be easily noticed. When Mr. Nandan Nilekani was asked the reason for his leaving Infosys it was found out that he had a feeling that he needed to give something back to the country. It was feeling that lead him to develop the countryââ¬â¢s first unique identification scheme that hopes to cover all of India in phases and give a unique number as exists in all other developed countries. Mr. Nandan Nilekani like his wife does not believe in philanthropy is the way to alleviate poverty and inequality. He rather believes that social work for the country can only be carried out by working with the government. He has also been trying to enter into politics and has a belief that if one academically successful man is able to enter politics and is able to help India there would be more who would get into it. A person who is working for the government in a selfless manner is the most apt example for social responsibility being carried out and Nandan Nilekani is doing that thing in the best possible manner there could be. REFERENCES ââ¬ËValue for moneyââ¬â¢ ââ¬â an article on Azim Premji in Times Of India (03 December 2010) http://www.azimpremji.org.in/biography.htm http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/focus-clear-purpose-must-for-successful-csr-azim-premji/article5170761.ece http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-09-26/news/42426952_1_azim-premji-foundation-mandatory-csr-csr-committee http://www.careers360.com/news/3778ââ¬âTake-charge-of-your-career-destiny http://www.azimpremjifoundation.org http://www.wipro.com/india http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2009-01-13/news/28480654_1_azim-premji-ethics-or-conflict-conflict-of-interest-statement http://m.indianexpress.com/news/world-banks-4yr-ban-on-wipro-ends/811019/ http://www.indiacsr.in/en/?tag=nandan-nilekani View as multi-pages
Monday, September 16, 2019
Philosophy in our daily lifes Essay
This essay will discuss how can we apply metaphysics to our daily life as students, including activities and philosophical situations that take place through the week. The writing will have a special focus on metaphysics, on how it highly impacts and relates to a high school studentââ¬â¢s daily life, by using tools regarding this topic by Alain Badiou, Van Inwagen, Plato, Aristotle and The Matrix. Philosophy is the invention of new problems, however not all situations can be philosophically analyzed. That is why a current philosopher from metaphysics explains in his text ââ¬Å"The Eventâ⬠how are these situations identified, because currently a very crucial and polemique problem is that most of people think that philosophical situations are constantly affecting us in every single thing we do, which leads most people to mistaken normal standpoints as philosophical situations. Due to that, the author of ââ¬Å"Thinking the Event â⬠has made this writing to help people to stop using the term philosophy wrong. The three aspects that differ a normal standpoint with a philosophical situation are choice, distance and break. The first aspect means either picking to think or not thinking, when a complex and not regular situation takes place, which means choosing to research and get to know well the problem, or leave it how it is and walk away; the second requisite for a phil osophical situation is the distance, which is the comparison of the actual situation which is commonly detected as the truth and its farness from the power, which in regular situation there is no real distance or disagreement; the last condition is the break, which basically is to realize and accept how different is the event from reality as we know it. Cyber bullying and bullying are new problems that have grown exponentially in the twenty first century, because of the constant invention of technology and social networks. The stage of high school is a highly concentrated area of both types of bullying and other forms of molesting, however all of these according to the program of Bullying Stops With Me, oneà out of four students is bullied, from which eighty percent of the times ends in physical aggression. To identify if this is a philosophical situation, the three requirements need to be present. The first one is the choice to think or not to, of why the bully is attacking the bullied; the second one is to find the distance between power and truth, in this case the power represented by the bully who is doing this because of any type of problems he has internally, that he projects towards the bullied, who represents the truth that has no reason to deserve the treatment of this teenager; the third is the break, which is being able to differ how bullying by this boy is so far from the ideal situation where he has no real problems with the bullied, who has to deal with the aggressive discharges from the damaged kid. The three conditions for a philosophical situation to be detected have been successfully proven, in a given event in a high school studentââ¬â¢s life. This has been an example of a daily problem that many students experience in their studies at school, which after analysis it has been able to be categorized as a philosophical situation. After knowing how to differentiate regular problems from philosophical situations, it is easier to go deeper into philosophy and learn from one of its branches, which is metaphysics. Van Inwagen defines metaphysics as the study of ultimate reality, which shows a brief explanation of the topic, but still it contains a deep meaning in each word that conforms this definition given by the author. One great mind of this branch of philosophy is Plato, student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle, who has deeply influenced many authors and philosophy as we know it today. Many high school students go through a very rough stage in their lives where the image of each person is always compared with the ideal one. These images are created or known through the ones that photoshop editors pick as perfect. They have a huge impact on the lives of high school students, which have created a substantial amount of problems to junior high students such as anorexia and bulimia among other problems because of the authors and editors and the figures that they have created to be the perfect ones and the ones that everybody should aspire to be. Plato discusses the ideal form or intelligible world and its influence on matter. This point taken by the greek philosopher relates to the perfect picture earlier discussed, of how the ideal image of a woman or man should be, which in consequence affects the matter or the scholars on their body, because theyà want to resemble to those icons that the editors have created. This point is also taken by the movie of The Matrix when Neo is in the white room, seen as the residual image (perfect form of himself) which can be related to the ideal model that the world has cr eated of the human body, compared to the natural apppearence when he is in the real world, where he appears bold and his body is different. The relation of the photoshop form, the residual and the figure on the Matrix from the intelligible (Plato) world are things that highly influence a studentââ¬â¢s life, which show how we are strange prisoners from these images, because these pupils are not common prisoners with shackles and in a prison as Plato mentions on his text The Allegory Of The Cave. Plato mentions the phrase ââ¬Å"We are strange prisonersâ⬠because of the uncommon slavery that the world has made us be. This philosopher who lived thousands of years ago saw this polemique, that back then was present and after centuries it still is present in a high school studentââ¬â¢s life and in a movie such as The Matrix. The film shows everyone as a prisoner from the program (the matrix), that was made by the machines to have all humans controlled so that they could take their energy. Taking into account this motion picture earlier mentioned, there is a relation between the real lives of each person in the matri x with the prisoners of The Allegory of the Cave. This text is about slaves shackled without any movement, who have been like that all of their lives, inside a cave where they see these shadows and a stories about them on a wall before them, with a fire behind to illuminate these shapes. One day the master decides to free one of the slaves who is taken outside the cave by force. Once the prisoner is out it narrates how difficult it is for him to get used to the light of the sun and the unusual world before him. For him to be able to adjust to these changes he starts by just seeing shadows, from that the moon and at the end the Sun. After his experience he gets back to the cave and he tells the other slaves what he lived and experienced, who later mocked him. At the end he gets to the conclusion that he rather be a poor servant with that knowledge than back in the shadows with ignorance. The Allegory of the Cave has six important symbolisms that relate to the lives of many high school students. The first one is the cave, which is the society, the knowledge and costumes that most of the people consider as the absolute truth; the second is the fire, representing the knowledge that society gives to each person, which shapeà many lives of scholars through their acceptance of these; the third one is the prisoners that symbolizes the students; the fourth is the shadows, that are the things that learners think they know, which are perceived through their senses; the fifth is the shackles, representing the comfort zone where undergraduates stay due to the fear of being judged; the final is the light, where they can actually find the real knowledge. These symbolisms represent to be part of many of the lives that high school students have through their three years of study, because a great amount of these undergraduates constantly accept rules or truths that others implement on them. These situations reveal one very important problem that they experience when they try to belong to a group. They take the information that group gives them (fire symbolism) and thatââ¬â¢s what they use as reference point to other activities they face through their day. As consequence they become strange prisoners from that information that is given to them, not allowing them to come out to the light (real knowledge) and experience the real world, which is way to different and more filled up with information about the world. In some cases there are students that notice that they are slaves of information that the groups give them and they decide to leave all that information behind and experience the real world, however for many it is very hard to get accustomed to the real world and its information due to the dramatic change, which in consequence leads them back to the world of shadows. Another greek philosopher named Aristotle, who made a huge impact on western philosophy discusses on his studies the four causes that lead a person to be virtuous. These causes are the material (material of what and object is composed of), the formal (the potentiality of what it can become or work for), the efficient (tools that shape the object) and the final (its purpose). These four causes are the ones that through reason lead people to accomplish their total actuality (ultimate purpose). The four causes are deeply related to a scholarââ¬â¢s life, as does any other human being, which can lead them to be virtuous people through the completion of the stages, however when teenagers try to fit in a club the causes seem to be farther away because of the shape that their lives take once they commit to belong to a group. High school is about fitting in and belonging to a society, where he or she relates to the people within, nonetheless these people usually try to belong to the high and social groups, which dictate a set ofà norms in order to be part of it. These rules are usually doing drugs, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and relations hips with the opposite gender. They usually lead the subject to an acceptable place within the group, yet these requisites lead the person to move further apart from their causes and to a virtuous life. Peer pressure assumes an important role in this case, principally because the teenager desires so bad to belong, that he or she will do anything to accomplish their goal. This situation has created polemique, because once you enter high school no person wishes to be at the bottom, without being recognized socially, which builds another wall between the subject and the final cause depending on the type of group that a person wants to belong to and how far are the ideologies of the group from the ones of the person. Van Inwagen, a metaphysician debate on how appearances tend to be deceptive and that reality stands behind all these appearances. These, disguise the reality and they do this type of ââ¬Å"schemeâ⬠through the misleading of what people sense. Many social groups and images that photoshop has ideally formed have highly disguised the truth of perfect and ideal body. In the case of groups they show how not having parents is better (appearance), yet these people suffer of psychological problems and loneliness (reality) which they tend to hide with the amazingness of not having elderly people caring for you, leading scholars to have problems with their parents because of the attention and concern that they have for them that it is bad seen in the teen society. Another case that can relate to the point of Van inwagen of appearances being deceptive is drinking and smoking, which is seen in social high school groups to be fine and without consequences (appearances), however drinking and drugs are another way to balance their lack of attention in parenthood (reality). For photoshop they disguise these models with perfect body, teeth, hair, skin among other things when the reality is that these models just stand there and let the photographers take pictures of them, which later are incredibly edited and placed on magazines and big announcements that serve the purpose of projecting an ideal form to sell advertisements among other things. Another important situation of an undergraduate is the effort and results they tend to have at school. Many students consider high school as a social network that leads them to a happy stage of their lives by partying and skipping classes, nonetheless they forget the importance of their education when theyà fa il classes, which can be occasionally improved, however the way that students deal with failure is why they cannot succeed. Plato teacher of Aristotle debates that an unexamined life is not worth living because even though people experience some discomfort or pain this is only temporary and it is worth it due to what comes next. The ââ¬Å"temporary painâ⬠can be seen in this case as studying more and partying less, that eventually would lead to having good grades, getting into a good college and being successful. Yet if they remain in an unexamined life of ignorance they will live a different type of pain, which will remain there for all of their lives. This last phrase of different type of pain is related to a scholarââ¬â¢s life when he fails classes and eventually school, leaving him without his or her studies, leading to a bad employment and misery. That is why in the Allegory of the Cave, Plato in his conversation with Glaucon mentions how the slave that was set free and comes back to the cave says that he would rather live being a poor servant of a poor master with all the knowledge that bac k in the shadows. This shows in the studentââ¬â¢s life that if he went out to the real world and saw what he could become and the truth about it, he would not rather be an ignorant teen that only parties who remains in the shadows because he can not see what can happen if he remains the same. To conclude this essay, it has been seen the different aspects that a teenager boy or girl on high school can have and how are they related to the different authors and movie of metaphysics. These authors have one thing in common which is seeking the truth, however their methods to guide them to the goal differ. The two main authors are of greek background, Aristotle and Plato. Aristotle focuses his methods and theory on the sensible realm and later on the intelligible realm, unlike Plato who uses these concepts the other way around focusing on the world of forms or ideal world and its influence on the natural realm. It is for each person to decide the view on which they stand, which could be philosophy being a set of footnotes of Plato; Aristotle being superior than Plato, because he took Platoââ¬â¢s ideas and improved them; or Plato focuses on abstract ideas and Aristotle is concentrated on concrete objects and its development, changes and purposes. This views are for each person to the decide focusing mainly on undergraduates and their philosophical situations and how they wish to deal with them by either choosing one of the views or remaining in the shadows. Bibliography BIBLIOGRAPHY Cohen, Marc. The Allegory of the Cave. 11 July 2013. 12 September 2014 . Cohen, S. Marc. Aristotleââ¬â¢s Metaphysics. 11 June 2012. 12 September 2014 . Paul, John. 2 July 2013. 11 September 2014 . Stanford Universuty. Metaphysics. 10 September 2007. 11 September 2014 . Thesaurus.com. Synonims. . Unknown. Notes on Alain Badiouââ¬â¢s Thinking the Event. 22 June 2012. 12 September 2014 .
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Case Sharp Printing Essay
Three years ago the Sharp Printing (SP) strategic management group set a goal of having a color laser printer available for the consumer and small business market for less than $200. A few months later the senior management met off-site to discuss the new product. The results of this meeting were a set of general technical specifications along with major deliverables, a product launch date, and a cost estimate based on prior experience. Shortly afterward, a meeting was arranged for middle management explaining the project goals, major responsibilities, the project start date, and importance of meeting the product launch date within the cost estimate. Members of all departments involved attended the meeting. Excitement was high. Although everyone saw the risks as high, the promised rewards for the company and the personnel were emblazoned in their minds. A few participants questioned the legitimacy of the project duration and cost estimates. A couple of R&D people were worried about the technology required to produce the high-quality product for less than $200. But given the excitement of the moment, everyone agreed the project was worth doing and doable. The color laser printer project was to have the highest project priority in the company. Lauren was selected to be the project manager. She had 15 years of experience in printer design and manufacture, which included successful management of several projects related to printers for commercial markets. Since she was one of those uncomfortable with the project cost and time estimates, she felt getting good bottom-up time and cost estimates for the deliverables was her first concern. She quickly had a meeting with the significant stakeholders to create a WBS identifying the work packages and organizational unit responsible for implementing the work packages. Lauren stressed she wanted time and cost estimates from those who would do the work or were the most knowledgeable, if possible. Getting estimates from more than one source was encouraged. Estimates were due in two weeks. The compiled estimates were placed in the WBS/OBS. The corresponding cost estimate seemed to be in error. The cost estimate was $1,250,000 over the senior management estimate; this represents about a 20 percent overrun! The time estimate from the developed project network was only four months over the top management time estimate. Another meeting was scheduled with the significant stakeholders to check the estimates and to brainstorm for alternative solutions; the cost and time estimates appeared to be reasonable. Some of the suggestions for the brainstorming session are listed below.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Celebrating the Piano
This finest wood made this stringed low keyed, quiet musical instrument in 1157 Continuously sings quiet flowing harmonies Monotone pianississimo, pianoissimo, piano and mezzo piano lullabyââ¬â¢s Keep sounding from the pianoââ¬â¢s vibrations. Flutes, saxophones and original pianos were used to create this harmonic based musical piece. The piano provided the ongoing harmonic sounds throughout the song. The overall tone was very simple, smooth and unaccented. The saxophone played lines four and five to highlight the action of the piano. The altos and tenors sang lines four and five adding more emphases on the pianos purpose. The sopranos sang the entire song. The flutes played the first three lines, to provide the introduction. Classical Musical Era; Play that funky music and make me dance with piano forte musical notes The strings are becoming more versatile through musical eras Play harmonic soft flowing lullabyââ¬â¢s for me The strings are taking us from the baroque to classical eras Still producing monotones, the musical sounds are altering my moods The harpsichord is taking us from one musical era into another Now adding more confusion and options to musicians The string dominated instrument is changing and creating musical history Dual musical instrument resulted from economic changes The string dominated musical instrument is requiring multitasking The 1750-1825 musical era developed The string dominated musical instrument is progressing through musical eras The harpsichord, now allowing the vibrations from the piano sounds to be heard by plucking strings, emphasized all even numbered lines. During the classical musical era, the bass played throughout the song, also providing the harmonic structure. An additional regular piano provided ongoing melody. To emphasize the variety and contrast, the violin interchanged with wind instruments, flutes, saxophones and xylophones. This musical piece used sopranos, since it was an opera. Romantic Era; Playing softly flowing harmonic sailing music In childrens darkened quiet room late at night Playing energetic, jazzy, upbeat, high and low notes While running through the water on a brightly lit sunny beach in mid daylight Quiet romantic monotone music piano music with lights down low Loud blaring music in nightclubs Comes from the piano progressing into a clavichord Playing dual notes or sounds simultaneously Various brass, or wind, instruments; trumpets, horns, trombone and tubaââ¬â¢s were used to bring out the obvious contrasts, and highlight the extreme tempos in this musical selection. Several different pianos were used, the classical piano, the clavichord and harpsichord in this piano concerto. The softer musical versions or the melodies were played on the lyrics accenting softness, lightness. The louder pianoââ¬â¢s, horns and trumpets accented the ââ¬Å"louderâ⬠lyrics, which played slower, bass notes. No singers were used for this musical selection. The focus was primarily on musical instrumentation. Modern Music; Play me a pop, rap, jazz, classical tune A ballad and a tempo Fom jazzy ragtime To Classical Chariots of Fire Play me a tune with lots of percussion Play me a tune with whole notes, quarter notes, half notes eighth and sixteenth notes Play it in 4/4 à 2/4 3/4 and 6/8 time Play the classic take five in 5/4 time This amazing piece of wood From the piano, harpsichord, clavichord to the organ Never fails to entertain in these modern times This was a full modern concert including various sheet music with mixture ofà time signatures and strings, percussions wind, electronic instruments. Tap dancers were used contributing their won percussion. Singers, sopranos, altos, tenors and bass singing voices were used, each given specific roles to show the versatility of the different versions of the piano. à à Tambourines, drums and clavichord were used to provide percussion on every line.à Belters were used everytime the purpose of the piano contrasted. There are no specific standards for modern music. It is whatever the musician wants to play. Originating in Paris, modern music can be primitivism, impressionism and expressionism, a combination of all historical musical eraââ¬â¢s.
Friday, September 13, 2019
Business Strategy for Analysis of Wesfarmers
Wesfarmers is one of the leading organizations in Australia, and as a 102 year old organization, Wesfarmers has been dominating the retail market of Australia as well as New Zealand. Besides, the organization, headquartered in Perth, Western Australia, the organization deals with the production of fertilizers, chemicals, industrial products and many more. The organization employing as many as 2,00,000 people across Western Australian and New Zealand, the organization boasts of 4,00,000 shareholders, and owing to the diverse market, the organization has even greater prospect to flourish in future. Keeping this in consideration, it is important to conduct the environmental analysis of the organization (David and David 2016). The importance of environmental analysis of an organization cannot be overemphasized. It helps an organization to comprehend and analytically evaluate the strategies necessary for the survival and growth of an organization. As far as Wesfarmers is concerned, the internal analysis of the organization will help it in identifying the factors within the organization that can enable the organization enjoy sustainable competitive advantage. Hence, the application of the SWOT analysis method is highly beneficial here. With the help of the SWOT analysis method, Wesfarmers will be able to gain an insight into the strength, weakness, opportunity as well as threat of the organization (Grant 2016). à ·Ã à à à à à à à Wesfarmers enjoys a diversified market, and as such the organization, with a huge variety of diverse business, comprising of Coles, Target, and many more, can easily experience persistent growth without the impact of industry downturn. à ·Ã à à à à à à à The organization is one of the most reputed organizations in the world, and it has earned huge brand recognition over the years. à ·Ã à à à à à à à The organization enjoys an exceptionally high growth rate in the market. à ·Ã à à à à à à à The organization has as many as 4,00,000 shareholders. à ·Ã à à à à à à à The organization has a strong presence in Australia, and hence as a large scale industry, the organization encounters strong business risk. à ·Ã à à à à à à à The profit making capacity of the organization is not as strong as it could be and the operating profit of the organization has been suffering a steady rate of decline since the last few years. For example, from the year of 2006 to 2007, the net profit of the organization dropped from $772.5 million, to $618.1 million (Kenny 2013). à ·Ã à à à à à à à à à The organization also operates in a highly competitive market. à ·Ã à à à à à à à The current financial crisis of Australia may harm the financial stability of the organization (Yuan 2013). à ·Ã à à à à à à à Global expansion will help the organization enhance its revenue and profitability, and as a widely recognized organization, it will be easier for Wesfarmers to establish itself beyond Australia and New Zealand. à ·Ã à à à à à à à The organization can enhance quality and its service. à ·Ã à à à à à à à The income level of the consumers is at a constant increase. à ·Ã à à à à à à à The cost of the raw material is increasing rapidly in Australia. à ·Ã à à à à à à à Huge competition from rival organizations, such as Woolworths, MetaCash Limited, Myer, and others (Biddle 2016). It is crucial for Wesfarmers to analyze the stakeholders of the organization. The organization has a huge number of stakeholders, such as shareholders, consumers, employees, government and media. The stakeholders are the main assets of any organization, and hence understanding their expectations is highly important. The consumers of any organization play an important role, and hence insufficient consumer involvement can be highly detrimental to the growth of an organization. The organization has conducted sufficient market research, which has helped it to evaluate the expectations of the consumers in a highly competitive market. The organization has recently invested an enormous amount of money for offering its service via online channels (Hackshall 2013). The organization has improved its optimism about retail sales, via the introduction of online shopping platforms. Besides, the employees also play a vital role in the organizational success of Wesfarmers. The organization has been providing on-job training so as to help the employees improve and enhance their professional skills. The quality of the workers increases with the opportunities they get to groom and enhance their professional skills. Further, the organization also employs a diverse workforce that allows it to hire people from various ethnic groups, such as Aboriginal Island and Torres Strait Island as well.à One of the best features of the employee engagement policy of Wesfarmers is that the organization adopts a diverse workforce, not only in terms of cultural diversity but gender diversity as well. As far as the consumers and the employees are concerned, Wesfarmers is successful in exercising a positive impact on the stakeholders. The organization communicates and updates each piece of information as well as the relevant procedures to the concerned stakeholders.à The managing authority of Wesfarmers believes in adopting the most effective communication strategy that will help it in communic ating each of its strategies or achievements to the stakeholders. Hence, the organization prepares and submits annual as well as half-yearly reports and announcements via the ASX (James 2013). Apart from the internal factors, Wesfarmers is also required to identify and assess the external factors of an organization, bot at the micro as well as in the macro level. The major advantage of the external environmental analysis is that it will help Wesfarmers understand as well as to evaluate the size and opportunity of growth in the market, the intensity of the competition existing among the rival organizations, and to estimate the impact of the market condition on the profit earning capacity of the organization. In order to conduct an external environmental analysis, Wesfarmers is primarily required to conduct the PESTEL analysis. The PESTEL analysis of an organization explains the framework of macro-environmental factors, such as the political factors of the economic factors that directly influence the growth or profitability of an organization. The PESTEL analysis of Wesfarmers is as follows: Political: By the political factors, is implied the extent to which the government of a country plays an important role in influencing the business of an organization, in the form of taxes, or other legal regulations. Coal mining is an important department of Wesfarmers, and it should be remembered that the federal government of Australia has made it mandatory that the exploitation of the mining industry has to be approved by the state government of the respective state. The government t policies of Australia are more focused on the elimination of the trade protectionism, and restrictive policies, and as a result free trade can be conducted by the foreign organizations much more conveniently by the foreign organizations. This policy of free trade may not facilitate the economic growth of Wesfarmers, as a large number of non-Australian retail sectors may get easy entry into the market. This can definitely imply huge competition for Wesfarmers (Antonini 2016). Economic : The economic factors of an organization , such as interest rates, exchange rates, inflation rate can largely affect the growth of an organization. Service sector plays an important role in the market of Australia, and in fact it is noteworthy that 71.1 % of the GDP of Australia is being contributed by the service sector only. Finance and service are the two most important service organizations in Australia, an keeping this into consideration, it can be stated that the insurance market of Wesfarmers can enjoy a highly profitable position in the market of Australia. Social: The social environment of Australia also plays an immensely important role for the future growth of Wesfarmers. Social factors such as demographics, cultural trends, population analytics play an important role in the success of an organization. It is important to note here that most of the citizens of Australia tend to rely on one-stop shopping method.à The Australians usually prefer to buy the necessary items in large quantity once in every week, so that it can suffice for the rest of the week. Hence, it is favorable for Wesfarmers to have the supermarkets and departmental store chains in Australia (Chan et al. 2013). Technological: . It should be remembered that sustainable method of conducting business, plays an extremely important role in Australia. Hence, organizations such as Wesfarmers also are required to rely more on technologically progressive means of production that can help the nation maintain its ecological sustainability in future. Keeping this in mind, it is important to note here that Wesfarmers has adopted the use of low emission coal technology which is an innovative change that is expected to sustain the business in future. Coal mining, energy, chemicals and fertilizer production are some of the most important areas Wesfarmers works in, and hence good technological foundation as well as continuous innovation is highly needed for the future development of the enterprise (Luftman 2013). Legal : There is a variety of new laws ruling and governing the trade system of Australia, such as the labor law business laws, resource law and many more. The organization is required to abide by each, while conducting trade. Environmental : Ecological sustainability plays an integral role in the process of conducting business in Australia, and hence organizations such as Wesfarmers has been creating value for its consumers for its shareholders via sincere engagement for a wide range of environmental issues, such as prevention of environmental pollution, conservation of energy, and many more. It is noteworthy here that the organization operates its business activities in accordance with the 10 Community and Environmental Impact Principles that sets the guideline to the organization for energy efficient means of production. The in initiatives undertaken by the organization, for ensuring community well-being, decreasing product packaging, or maintenance of ecological sustainability help the organization conduct business smoothly in Australia (Islam et al. 2016). In order to adopt the most effective strategy required to enhance the competitiveness of the business organization, the Five Forces Analysis of Wesfarmers is needed: Threat of New Entrants : Wesfarmers is one of the most recognized organizations in Australia, that deals with the production and retail trade of various items, such as energy, industrial and safety chemicals, fertilizers, hardware, insurance and many more. Hence, it can be understood that Wesfarmers has a higher entry obstruction as far as its competitors are concerned. Owing to its recognition, and brand awareness as well as its diverse market, the threat of new entrant is low (Dobbs 2015). Supplier Power: Wesfarmers avails its resources from different markets, as a result of its diverse variety of products it deals with, however it should be remembered that there is only a limited competition in the supplier market of Wesfarmers. Hence, this can be a major obstruction for Wesfarmers, as the organization is depended on too many suppliers at a time (James 2013).à Buying Power : Wesfarmers regularly conducts sufficient market research to understand the changing expectations and modern trends of the buyers. The organization also promotes its sustainable approach of conducting business that fetches further recognition to an already recognized organization like Wesfarmers. Hence, the buyer power is moderate, given the strategy adopted by Wesfarmers, despite the competitive market the organization operates in (Hubbard 2014). Competitive Rivalry: Wesfarmers is still one of the most recognized organizations of Australia, and it is needless to state that the organization is absolutely dominating the Australian retail market. The organization is already enjoying competitive advantage in the region, and hence the risk of competitive rivalry is low for the organization (Silva 2012). Threats of Substitutes: The threat of being substituted was undoubtedly high for Wesfarmers even in the last few years, however, the organization has adopted environment friendly, energy efficient method of production and has introduced a very high quality consumer service that can is sure to provide the organization with competitive advantage. Hence, the threat of substitute is low (Booth and Coveney 2015). From the above analysis, it can be concluded that Wesfarmers enjoys a very strong position in Australia, and the organization has a huge prospect to flourish in future as well. The environmental analysis of the organization is a strategic tool that helps in assessing and analyzing the internal as well as external factors that facilitate or threaten the market condition of the organization. Wesfarmers is one of the leading names in the retail industry of Australia, however, it is important for the organization to be aware of its strength, weakness, competencies and other requirements so that it can bring about the desirable improvement in the organization. Again, at the same time, the organization will need to adopt the necessary strategy to sustain itself in a highly competitive market, and hence the organization must also conduct external analysis to have a comprehensive knowledge about the economic trends of the market, rival giants as well as the opportunities and threats in the r etail market of Australia. Antonini, C., 2016. An empirical analysis of environmental externalities incidence on financial performance. Biddle, I., 2016. The Wesfarmers/Woolworths duopoly war: The Bunnings vs. Masters battle.à Busidate,à 24(3), p.3. Booth, S. and Coveney, J., 2015. ââ¬ËBig Foodââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬âThe Industrial Food System. Inà Food Democracyà (pp. 3-11). Springer Singapore. 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