Conspicuous Consumption and Veblen

How far is Thorstein Veblen’s theory, that the main function of dress is the display of wealth, still valid? Thorstein Veblen was a sociologist and economist who came up with the term ‘conspicuous consumption. ’ He was the author of the book ‘The Theory of the Leisure Class’ published in 1899 which spoke about the working class in America. During that time the working class was visibly aspiring to the ‘leisure class. ’ The Leisure class was known to be the emerging ruling class of that time, as they would consume and constantly engage in a public display of their status. The following essay is going to explore Veblen’s theory in relation to the display of wealth through dress. I aim to show the relevance of Veblen’s concept today whilst taking into thought the changes in class, consumption and consumerism. Veblen provided a few main ideologies in which he examines the notion of ‘dress’ as an â€Å"expression of pecuniary culture† Veblen (1994:15) He stated that the idea of ‘conspicuous waste’ proved the wearer had the freedom to purchase anything they liked without so much as any economical obstacles. Currently, ‘fast fashion’ feeds the desire to overcome need, and clothes are replaced before they are worn out. The seasonality of today’s fashion is the epitome of conspicuous waste as new trends come out every season which encourages one to throw out items that have gone ‘out of fashion. ’ Trends are changing faster than ever before (Fig 1). (Tesseras : 2010) states; â€Å"textile waste at council tips now accounts for 30 per cent, compared to just seven per cent five years ago. † The thrill of watching each season’s runway shows, to the pressure of ‘joining in’ and following the trends, (Fig 2) fast fashion promotes mass production and waste. Fig 1 Fig 2 Another principle of Veblen’s, is that of ‘conspicuous leisure’ which he defined as a non-productive use of time. Examples of conspicuous leisure include taking long ’unnecessary’ vacations to exotic places which are fully motivated by a social factor (Fig 3). †Time is consumed non-productively (1) from a sense of unworthiness of productive work, and (2) as an evidence f pecuniary ability to afford a life of idleness† (Veblen 1934 : 43) These are time-consuming activities that suggest an indifference to such mundane concerns as working for a living. (Fig 4) â€Å"The leisure rendered by the wife in such cases is, of course, not a simple manifestation of idleness or indolence. It almost invariably occurs disguised under some form of work or household duties or social amenities, which prove on analysis to serve little or no ulterior end beyond showing that she does not and need not occupy herself with anything that is gainful or that is of substantial use. (Veblen 1934: 69) Figure 3 Figure 4 â€Å"Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability†¦ No class of society, not even the most abjectly poor, forgoes all customary conspicuous consumption. †Ã‚   Veblen (1994 :  Chapter 4) In Veblen’s time during the late 19th century (Fig 5) and early 1900’s (Fig 6) woman’s wear was made to look as far apart from any work-wear as possible. Corsets, delicate fabrics and high heels all were worn to prove that they are entirely restricted from any laborious work and would make manual work very difficult. Affluent women crippled themselves in order to put on a convincing display of idleness, and as he put it made them â€Å"permanently and obviously unfit for work. † Veblen (1994: Chapter 7) The tight corsets and luxurious fabrics proved that they could afford to wear impractical clothing which was expensive to clean all for the sole purpose to acquire a certain level of status amongst the public. These consumers could easily fall into the ‘Nouveau Riche’ category which was an emerging class in the 19th century. Style would therefore play a key role in separating the wearer from the working class. â€Å"In addition to showing the wearer can afford to consume freely and uneconomically it can also be shown, in the same stroke, that he or she, is not under the necessity or earning of a livelihood, the evidence of social worth is enhanced to a considerable degree. Our dress, therefore, should not only be expensive, but it should also make plain to all observers that the wearer is not engaged in any kind of productive labour† (Veblen: 1994:105) Fig 5 Fig 6 Veblen’s most well-known principle related to his term ‘conspicuous consumption’ which describes the unnecessary purchase of services and goods which are bought for the sole focus of displaying and advertising wealth. This is done in the endeavour to maintain or attain a certain level of social status. Such goods are now collectively known as ‘Veblen goods’ which is a group of commodities. The fact that these goods are placed at such high prices is the very thing that makes them attractive to conspicuous consumers. Conspicuous consumption was certainly not limited to the western countries, in China, for example, girls in affluent families would have their feet broken and tightly bound so that they grew to have tiny â€Å"lotus† feet. These were thought to be very fashionable since the women who had them were unable to survive without the help of servants. This was a sign of wealth taken to the extreme (fig 7 Figure 7 Mass advertising was kick-started by the Americans when Paris could no longer be relied on for the latest fashions due to ban in exports in the early 1950’s. The Americans capitalised on this ban and created a new form of ‘American Fashion. ’ It was now the Americans’ turn to show the world what’s what. American images swamped the media. By the 1950’s the media had However, Elvis Presley, James Dean and Marlon Brando (Fig 8) now were coming onto the scene and headed the iconic ‘all-American’ rebellious look this decade brought about. Subcultures started to form, rebels and gangs adopted denim as a means of revolt against the want to fit the ‘mould’ the media portrayed. The Teddy Boys is a perfect example of such a subculture. The Teddy boys were largely working class men who wore clothes that had resemblances to that of the Edwardian era and would dress up for the evening. This look was strongly associated with American Rock and Roll and this look made it ok for people to start caring again for what they looked like since World War II in Britain. The look compromised of dark shades of ‘drape jackets’, waistcoats, high-waisted tight-fitting trousers exposing the wearer’s socks and velvet collars. In direct contrast to this, the upper and middle class â€Å"white collar† workers, were choosing to dress own during their leisure time, casting off the constraints of the suit they had worn to all week, resulting in a complete reversal of Veblen's â€Å"conspicuous leisure† theory, where the working classes are also rejecting the notion that just because they are involved in productive labour it does not mean they cannot dress socially above their class status. Figure 8 During t he 1970’s the Hippy movement began and as the hippies were mostly from wealthy backgrounds and middle to upper class families this was clearly yet another rebellion against Veblen’s theory. The 1980’s was the decade of ‘money loving’ and is often referred to as an excessive time of conspicuous consumption. The mentality in the 80’s was all about big money and spending (Fig 9). The economy had boomed, greed was good, women entered the boardroom with full force and it was all about power dressing. The yuppies were born due to conspicuous consumption and shopping malls began to sprout up everywhere. Figure 9 Today, there are still many examples of ‘conspicuous consumption’ and the studies on general modern consumption are so intricate, that almost all walks of life are targeted with today’s mass media. Adverts and billboards are everywhere telling the public what’s ‘cool’ and what’s not. Brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Moet ; Chandon sell a lifestyle. Moet ; Chandon (Fig 10) advert states ‘Be Fabulous’ and shows two beautiful well-dressed women climbing out of an expensive car with a bottle of champagne in one woman’s hand. An advertisement like this is basically trying to show the public what status could be achieved by purchasing a bottle of Moet ; Chandon. The term ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’ comes to mind, as studies show that many consumers purchase goods just to ‘show off’ and maintain a certain status amongst their friends. Figure 10 Veblen goods aren’t just restricted to clothes as the purchase of certain magazines, purely for the status they offer. Being seen reading a magazine like Robb Report or Conde Nast’s traveller may give the impression that one can afford what is featured in the magazine. Veblen also spoke about the way dress can prove many things. The wearer can give an impression that they can spend without much thought on the price. Veblen goods are still very much around, such as designer handbags, expensive wines and thousand-dollar watches. The luxury watch is an ultimate example of a Veblen good as the consumer really buys into the allure of a higher status. Companies like Rolex, TAG Heur and Omega have all used celebrities such as Roger Federer, Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Craig in his bond suit. Even though its purpose is very practical and can help with everyday decision making. These watches are aimed a business men with a high salary who identify or would like to identify with the sports stars and actors wearing these watches at the back of TIME magazine and the like. A Louis Vuitton bag for example just wouldn’t be viewed the same without the high price tag. Today’s fast fashion and mass production also encourages conspicuous consumption. However mass production has changed the outlook on man’s life and has created a singular type of existence which can be viewed as almost humiliating and that the products are what drives man. The trends we see from designers on catwalks are translated as quickly as possible into high street stores. It is not surprising that with the emphasis on keeping up with the latest trends which ties into ‘fitting in with society’ consumption of clothes has reached an all-time high. The quality of clothes however, is less of a feature than the over-all look of the item. In the Victorian times, garments had to be made of the best lace, but with today’s technology, garments can be made to look more expensive than they really are. Keeping up-to trend with accessories such and bags and shoes is still very expensive to do. Designer’s put their signature touches on shoes and bags which make them more lust after. Christian Louboutin’s shoes have the signature red sole, Louis Vuitton may feature an LV and a Mulberry bag could carry their characteristic tree on the logo (Fig 10). To be seen with any of these items offers a instantaneous status that comes with it. The recession did not bring about any less ostentatious designer bags from luxury fashion houses during the recession. Joseph Nunes, a marketing professor at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business recently stated in the  Journal of Consumer Psychology (2011) â€Å"A good chunk of America loves using products to signal their status. If the recession didn't hit them, their need for status outweighed their need to follow social norms. † Figure 11 Most high fashion haute couture designers have yet to cater for a poorer crowd, and still target people with a higher income. The current obsession with what celebrities are wearing can also dictate what a large group of the public choose to wear. This is where Veblen’s theory is still very much in place. Victoria Beckham, Alexa Chung (Fig 12) and Kate Moss (Fig 13) are all very much followed by what they wear. By buying into the current ‘celebrity craze’ where being seen with a Birkin bag can greatly increase ones chances of a higher social status, one is also buying into conspicuous consumption. Magazines devote much of their features to ‘Who’s wearing what. ’ Most celebrities still choose to wear designer labels, thus making the public lust after these individual items, and save up for them just to be part of ‘the craze. This feeds into the label-hungry shopper where Burberry’s checked pattern and Gucci’s brown, red and green stripe offers a satisfaction worth shopping for. Fig 12 Fig 13 Charity shopping has presented a new outlook on inconspicuous consumption and the consumer no longer needs to spend a lot of money to look fashionable and be part of the ‘in crowd. ’ Five years ago the thought of purchasing second hand goods would be flinched at. Fashionably vintage items can be found and are lusted after in charity shops. Now you don’t have to spend money to look good which Veblen surely did not foresee. Even the media has gotten involved and magazines feature articles on how to be a ‘smart charity-shopper’, how to recycle your own clothing and the art of buying ‘classic’ pieces which will last forever. A few notable factors have changed since Veblen’s time which presents a new outlook on conspicuous consumption. In the late 1800’s when looking at the display of wealth through clothes, one would look at the wearer’s fabric quality to determine their status. Good handmade lace and beautiful tailoring was a status of wealth. Now hints that determine wealth have become less subtle with the ntroduction of labels that indicate the garment’s worth. Logo’s like Ralph Lauren’s man playing polo on a horse (Fig 14) , Lactose’s crocodile, Burberry’s knight on a horse and Hermes horse drawn carriage. Many of these logo’s feature a horse, and this might be because of their age and may hint to a previous era o r because of the fact that the ownership of a horse is a luxury in itself and is very expensive to maintain. There is much thought that goes into labels and there is always a message and reason behind them. Nike’s logo for example features a tick which means it is ‘correct. Subliminal messages such as these, feature everywhere today and there’s no doubt that Veblen would have never anticipated this. â€Å"This antagonism offers an explanation that the restless change in fashion which neither the canon of expensiveness nor that of beauty alone can account for. † (Veblen: 1994:108) Figure 14 Veblen’s theory in the modern day can be seen as somewhat of a sweeping statement and is not entirely applicable to the present day. Veblen relied on the concept that only if you were of the nouveau class would you take part in looking fashionable, thus ignoring the middle class completely. The internet, television and magazines (Fig 15) have brought fashion to a significantly larger audience where not only rich people partake in frivolous buying. Figure 15 I believe Veblen’s theory is still applicable today in some instances. However, with the introduction of mass production and the changing attitudes in class as that of which I have mentioned. Wealth is still very much shown through dress, from the use of logos and labels which hint on how much the wearer has spent on their clothes. However today with so many fake products and good imitations of these well-known labels it may be impossible to know how much the individual spent on their garment. One thing remains the same however, the item was bought for the primary purpose of being ‘seen’ and acknowledged by others, fake or not. Designers pay celebrities to endorse their products or ‘be seen’ wearing them which indicates that Veblen’s theory has stood the test of time, it is still very much the taste of the wealthy that has an impact on fashion and dictates what sells and what doesn’t. Veblen wrote that the lower classes would imitate the dress of the leisure class which as shown, is still applicable to today. Mass consumption and mass production are amongst the features that have changed since Veblen’s time. Throughout the decades since Veblen’s time there has not been as much of an emphasis on individuality and self expression through clothes as there is now, and this is where Veblen’s theory slightly loses its relevance. The movement to express oneself without considering wealth as much in a liberal society. Other factors have started to replace the display of wealth such as, religion, age, music taste and gender. This is obvious because of the large amount of subcultures found today. I have shown how Veblen’s ideologies have lost and increased in relevance through the decades. Veblen was able to show how consumption can also be a symbol of social structure and that conspicuous consumption is relational and not functional and is a conscious display of affluence and status through the consumption of these garments. Bibliography Info Books * Malcolm Barnard (1996). Fashion as Communication. First ed. London: Routledge Publishers. (p59-64) * Thorstein Veblen (2005). Conspicuous Consumption. London: Penguin Books. p. 42-62) * Tim Delany & Tim Madigan (2009). The Sociology of Sports. North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc. Websites * Tricia Ellis-Christensen. (2010). What is conspicuous consumption? .Available: http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-conspicuous-consumption. htm. Last accessed 6th Dec 2010. * Dr. Paurav Shukla. (2010). Middle-aged consumers & luxury consumption. Available: http:/ /www. evancarmichael. com/Management/1066/Middleaged-consumers–luxury-consumption. html. Last accessed 5th March 2011 * Ben Steverman. (2011). Conspicuous Consumption Is Back. Available: http://www. businessweek. om/investor/content/jan2011/pi20110127_382340. htm. Last accessed 7th March 2011 * Lexic. (2011). Literary usage of Conspicuous consumption. Available: http://www. lexic. us/definition-of/conspicuous_consumption. Last accessed 9th March 2011. Quotes * Thorstein Veblen (1994). The Theory of The Leisure Class. New York: Dover Publications. (p. 256) * Lucy Tesseras, 2010. Fast fashion: a throw away trend? {blog} 12 July, http://www. supplychainstandard. com Available at: {Accessed at: 2nd March 2011} Joseph Nunes quoted by Ben Steverman (2011). Conspicuous Consumption Is Back. Available: http://www. businessweek. com/investor/content/jan2011/pi20110127_382340. htm. Last accessed 7th March 2011. Images: (Fig 1&2) Image . (2008). Shop the Spring Trends. Available: http:/ /fashiontribes. typepad. com/fashion/2008/02/shop-the-spring. html. Last accessed 8th March 2011. (Fig3) Couple on Yacht. (2010). Image. Available: http://www. corbisimages. com/Enlargement/42-18292911. html. Last accessed 9th March 2011 (Fig 4) John William Godward. (1900). Conspicuous Leisure. Available: http://en. ikipedia. org/wiki/File:Godward_Idleness_1900. jpg. Last accessed 8th March 2011. (Fig 5) Truly Victorian , (2010),  1899 Fashion Plate  [ONLINE]. Available at:  http://trulyvictorian. com/history/1890. html[Accessed 06 December 10]. (Fig 6) Chanarambie Victorian , (1905),  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Very Latest† back in the days of 1905  [ONLINE]. Available at:http://www. rootsweb. ancestry. com/~usgenweb/mn/murray/history/098-099. htm  [Accessed 06 December 10]. (Fig 7) Daniel Schwen. (2010). Footbinding. Available: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/File:Foot_binding_shoes_1. jpg. Last accessed 8th March 2011. Fig 8) Columbia Pictures/Courtesy of Getty Images, (1953),à ‚  Marlon Brando  [ONLINE]. Available at:http://www. stylelist. com/2010/05/25/joes-jeans-marlon-brando/  [Accessed 08 December 10]. (Fig 9) image. toutlecine. com, (1988),  Working Girl  [ONLINE]. Available at:  http://www. ellecanada. com/fashion/lights-camera-fashion/a/28965/4  [Accessed 08 December 10]. (Fig 10): Brandsizzle, (2006),  Moet & Chandon  [ONLINE]. Available at:http://www. brandsizzle. com/blog/2006/12/sexy_advertisin. html  [Accessed 08 December 10]. (Fig 11): Geek Handbags, (2009),  Mulberry Bag  [ONLINE]. 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Developments Leading to the Civil War, 1848-1861 Essay

By 1848, the slavery issue was already dividing the nation and various compromise suggestions had been put forth to no avail. The elections, however, avoided the topic and it won the presidency for Zachary Taylor. Finally, in September 1850 with what was to be known as the Compromise of 1850 finally won in the form of five laws. It was hoped that this would settle the slavery problem once and for all. However, especially controversial was the Fugitive Slave Act which â€Å"compelled northern citizens to catch runaway slaves† which they loathe to do. In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published which brought the horror of slavery to the forefront. Then in 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Bill was passed wherein they were to be organized as a territory with the slavery issue to be decided by popular sovereignty. It again opened great concern that slavery might extend to Kansas previously declared in the Missouri Compromise as a non-slave territory. An offshoot was the birth of the Republican Party dedicated to fight slavery. Also in 1854, the Democrats made moves to expand further south into Cuba using the Ossend Manifesto to pressure Spain to sell it and if successful, turn it into several slave states. In Kansas, there was chaos. Both pro- and anti-slavery scrambled to settle the area so they can take part in the territory’s vote on the slavery issue. For three years, there was much conflict and bloodshed. It became the â€Å"foretaste of civil war. † In the presidential election of 1856, Kansas was the chief issue. The Democratic candidate James Buchanan won. In 1857, the proslavery groups in Kansas set-up a convention and asked to be admitted as a state by and submitted the Lecompton Constitution to Congress. Buchanan endorsed it. However, Stephen Douglas fishing for the north’s support in his bid for the Senate fought for having it returned to Kansas and passed in a referendum. The people of turned it down. On March 6, 1857, the Supreme Court brought down its ruling on the Dred Scott case. Scott sued for his freedom on the grounds that he lived in both a free state and territory before retuning to Missouri. It was declared that he was a non-U. S. citizen, that he was his master’s personal property and according to the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, Congress had no right to take way personal property without due process of the law. This last ruling in effect declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. This led to violent opposition. The series of debates between Lincoln and Douglas on the slavery issue also brought it forward to people’s awareness and widened the rift between the North and the South. In 1859, John Brown together with 22 men, an anti-slavery radical, attacked the federal arsenal hoping to provoke an uprising by the slaves. His trial gained more sympathy from the North for his cause but increased the paranoia of the South. For some time, Southern leaders had said that their states would not stay in the Union if an anti-slavery president was elected. Abraham Lincoln who opposed the extension of the slavery in the Territories won in 1860 by popular vote. South Carolina promptly seceded from the Union. In the next two months, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas also seceded. They soon organized the Confederate States of America. On February 4, 1861 they adopted a constitution and elected Jefferson Davis president. Meanwhile, the Federal forts in the South were being taken over by the Confederates including Fort Sumter. Major Robert Anderson was holding it down and asked for provisions from the Federal government. On April 10, Jefferson ordered General P. G. T. Buearegard to get the fort to surrender. Major Anderson refused and on April 12, the Confederates shelled Fort Sumter. The Civil War has begun. Two days later, Fort Sumter surrendered.

Organizational Analysis: Apple Inc. Essay

Apple Inc. is an iconic United States technological company based in Cupertino, California. Apple is engaged in the development of World changing consumer electronic products such a mobile phones, music media devices, tablets, and personal computers. The company also sells and creates operating system software, peripherals and delivery of third-party digital content (iTunes) to consumers. Apple sells its products and services via it 250 U.S. and 140 international retail stores worldwide (Europe, Japan and Asia-Pacific), online stores and third-party wholesalers, retailers and resellers. As of September 29, 2012 Apple has 72,800 full-time employees and 3,300 temporary employees and contractors. Apple is one of the largest and most innovative companies in the world with increased net sales from $65 billion in 2010, $108 billion in 2011 and $156 billion in 2012. (Apple 10K) Two young entrepreneurs; Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded the company in 1997. They relied on each other different strengths to propel the business forward. Wozniak was the technical know person and Jobs was the visionary who knew how to conceptualize the product. One of their early computer products was called Apple II. The next big product that brought Apple to the forefront of the computer industry was the introduction of the first Macintosh computer reveled to the world in 1984. Apple spent over 30 million dollars on the advertising of the product, which also launched the famous and iconic television ad that ran during the Super Bowl. Over the years the company has survived management conflicts were Steve Jobs left the company for many years, but was brought back 1997 to help revive Apple from dismal stock prices and competitors. In short, under Steve Jobs leadership the company shifted its focus towards making the best innovative and uniquely designed products Worldwide for consumers. (WPost) Structure: Organizational structure that keeps Apple â€Å"alive† is uniquely different than other multinational companies, but they still follow distinct rules of a well-function organization. To help understand Apple’s structure, we first need to look what is the company’s purpose. Apple wants to be number one at creating some of the best and innovative products for consumers that brings life changing user experience to customers. Formalization – Apple is derived from the create quadrant of the CVF were they pay close attention innovation and envision the future, but at the same they also have a very formal structure that is running in full start-up mode at all times and they can still take part in spontaneous actions without the politics and red tape of normal large companies Centralization – One of the key drives of Apple’s corporation is that they are a highly collaborative company that works really well together in the decision making process, but I would also say they are combination of a highly centralized and decentralized type of business. Hierarchy – Consisted of Steve Jobs being the visionary and visible leader of the company till his recent death. The person now steering the ship is Tim Cook, who is a veteran Apple employee and has been appointed several times as stand-in CEO in the past. Apple has what would be considered a tall organizational structure, but still unique because of how they foster collaboration. Complexity – Like any large multinational company Apple has an array of 10 Top Executives, Board of Directors and a CEO Tim Cook (Apple bios). Integration – Apple is a highly integrated organization, but once again due to how collaborative the company is, different organizational units and sub-units work very well together to meet the core objectives and goals of the company. Leader-Follower Relationships: Apple is probably one of the best in the tech industry, even though Steve Jobs has passed away. â€Å"Entrepreneurial leaders leave a lasting imprint on the structures on the organizations they found,† which is the case with Apple being led by Tim Cook now. The management styles are a little bit different between the two men, but the revenue numbers speak for themself in this situation. Apple’s structure allows the current CEO to carry on with business as it did in the past with the exception of trying figure out what would Steve Jobs do in this scenario of keeping Apple a vibrant company. Steve Jobs watched companies like Walt Disney be non-productive after their CEO passed away and did not want that for Apple, so he explained to Tim Cook â€Å"don’t ever try to figure out what would I have done in a certain situation, just do what is right for the company† (MSNBC). I think this type of leader-follower relationship transcends throughout the Apple organiza tion very well. Stakeholder relationships on the surface seem to be in very good standings. Apple is a leader in so many ways with making superior products; they are number one, who doesn’t want to be a part of the Apple machine? For example, the recently opened Apple store in Grand Central Station, all forms of stakeholders are benefiting from that deal; consumers, employees, Grand Central, New York City etc. Multiply that by various locations around the world and we have a majority of happy stakeholders ready to follow with open arms all because of the structure of how Apple operates its company. Productivity and performance due the company’s organizational structure allows Apple to be number one. For example, when netbooks were all the rage and Apple was introducing the first iPad and started coining the phrase we are now entering into â€Å"post-pc era,† some people or industries did not take that statement serious, but look at the numbers now. 95% of all web traffic from tablets are from iPads and it is only increasing every year (AllthingsD). The benefit and cost of the current structure is very evident all over the world, especially when Apple has a new product launch. It’s like a cult following (in a good way). For example, people start lining up all over the world; to get their hands on whatever product is being released; online sales via Apples website will start to have a 3 to 4 weeks backorder on products because they are in such high demand. Basically the current structure allows Apple to achieve high net sales on all products being sold and keeps their position as number one consumer product seller in the world. Culture At Apple, the work culture was driven by a passion for new products with no end to challenges and opportunities. Apple became the pioneer of the â€Å"Work Hard Play Hard† ethic. The corporate culture at Apple was exemplified by its intense work ethics. Al though it’s work environment was relaxed and casual, there was a very strong commitment to company deadlines. Apple was based on an idea that self-motivated individuals will work harder if they do not have a boss micromanaging every action. This unique structure of Apple had allowed it to grow and react more quickly to changes than its competitors like IBM and Microsoft. The reason Apple took action to a quick responsiveness, is that it was much easier to get a project started if there are only a few people to obtain approval from. One view of Apple’s leader follower relationship can be explained by how quickly Apple initially grew. Due to the ability to have employees make decisions at the lowest possible level. Corporate headquarters made policy and oversaw all activities, but the local employees made the day-to-day decisions in countries all over the world. This type of top-down philosophy allowed for quick responsiveness and resolutions to situations without involving the corporate headquarters, thus avoiding corporate red tape. Analysts have been known to summarize the work culture at Apple as fun, yet demanding. â€Å"Culture helps focus individual effort directly on achieving the organization’s objectives.† (Greenwald, P207) The Apple experience as a stakeholder has always been about the user experience not just the technology, even though the majority of the market didn’t care about that Apple wanted to be different. Apple is a company that is in the business of making markets vs. addressing markets. The Apple ego is a belief that it is the best company in the world and it should carry itself that way, all its lenders, employees, software designers and customers understand its ego and for those who don’t like it found out it has become a call to arms for all of the company’s stakeholders. Another way to view Apple is that it doesn’t ask people what they need but gives them products they decide they want. Think about a simple question, does anyone need an iPhone or iPad? Not really, but a lot of people seem to want them. Apple’s culture is based on some basic facts that really drive its productivity performance. It is a vertical integration company where most of technology is developed in house for its key products and it will have key advantages over other less vertically integrated companies and Apple makes â€Å"cool† products. Attention to design and detail, fit and finish really distinguishes Apple’s products from competitors. The iPod was not the first digital music player and the iPhone was not the first smart phone and the iPad is not the first portable computing device. But having differentiated business models where Apple develops and innovates products with key features like the iPod+iTunes and iPhone+App Store provides a strong competitive advantage, where this process makes it difficult for competitors to match what Apple is producing in a timely fashion. Apples culture produces and offers very clear and simple set of products. It’s easy to understand the differences between their products, product families and the various configurations where many other companies complicate things unnecessarily. Apple’s employees had to run their own show and work in a challenging and creative environment. Apple adopted a style that was not too formal or hierarchical and a more results-driven approach, which worked best for them. Apple fostered a culture of secrecy. The demand for absolute secrecy and insistence on control were infused into the company culture right from the beginning. â€Å"My job is to not be easy on people. My job is to make them better.†(Steve Jobs, 2010) Human behavior The understanding of the human behavior at the Apple organization has truly shaped its design, structure, function and culture by the following points. * Apple employees understand that a key internal emphasis at the company is that it cares about the design of its products more than any other firm in the market, unlike Microsoft who has done a poor job of creating aesthetically pleasing products. Apple’s focus on design shows it understands what consumers want and how to meet those needs and desires, and it sets out to beat any and all expectations. The pressure falls onto an employee who doesn’t help the company meet those needs they may end up with another company sooner than later. * Apple is known to do everything differently; therefore employees need to forget what they ever knew about the technology world. Whether it’s the design of products, system for developing ideas for new products or the way it handles data everything is different at Apple. Employees who function similar to a past employer is a mistake that could cause trouble within the rank and file. * Apple takes it flaws to heart and listens when it hears people criticize its products. They respond with firm tone and harsh statements in ways that other companies in the industry would not dare to replicate. Apple doesn’t like being told that it’s wrong. * Apple will never admit defeat no matter how badly its products are getting beaten. The company seems to find ways of turning itself around and out of the hole with an right strategies business action that saves the day. Nowhere is that more evident than in the computing market. With the results that Apple is setting record profits. * Apple understands attention to detail is key strategy that will pay off in the long run. Apple goes that extra mile which has become a staple of the company’s vision and it’s something that it expects from its employees. * Apple’s focus on technology domination worldwide is everything that the late Steve Jobs aspired to be. It was his ultimate goal to not only compete with his competitors in the all the markets his company competes in but rather destroy them. He wanted to make it clear to the world that his company was the best and would beat them all. At apple he established a culture that would help him achieve his legacy. Communication and decision making styles We know that the form of communication within an organization is directly reflective of its structure. Information is transmitted through diverse methods such as speech, writing, symbols, and body language. (Greenwald, Organizations; Management without controls, 2008) At Apple, communication is what they sell and what they welcome. â€Å"Whether or not you as an Apple employee choose to create or participate in a blog, wiki, online social network or any other form of online publishing or discussion is your own choice. In general, what you do on your own time is your business. However, activities that affect your job performance, the performance of other Apple employees, or Apple’s business interests are still covered by company policies and guidelines. This applies whether you engage in these activities in or outside of work, and whether or not you identify yourself as an Apple employee.† (Heath, Alex, 2012) It is clear that Apple knows that it is to protect itself from the very creative minds it cultivates. This policy leaves no room for unnecessary overlap. Business is business and that is what matters. â€Å"Apple runs an extremely tight ship, with tiny product groups; just two engineers were given the task of writing the code to convert the Safari browser to run on the iPad, a task that on its face seems like a huge undertaking that other companies such as Microsoft or Google might have devoted dozens of people to.† (The Dictatorship, 12) Apple, as a formal organization has had a long history of capturing informal leaders. The previous excerpt is from an article, which also describes the gathering of 100 exclusive employees. They were not all at same pay grade and or security clearances but they could be trusted to keep dates and products a secret as well as to give their honest opinions. â€Å"Every executive action, product or project has a â€Å"DRI† – directly responsible individual – who carries the can (or laurels) for its outcome.† (Heath, Alex, 2012) â€Å"The creative process at Apple is one of constantly preparing someone – be it one’s boss, boss’s boss, or oneself – for a presentation to Jobs,† writes Adam Lashinsky, who calls him â€Å"a corporate dictator who makes every critical decision – and oddles of seemingly noncritical calls too†. (Heath, Alex, 2012) While Apple does subscribe to what may be considered a ‘normal’ type of policy and set of norms, we often learn of the overlapping, dictator-ran, bully-driven ship that shines through in their product releases and market bravado. Observations: Our observations of Apple employees are limited to Apple Store ® employees. Although we have included various reports and accounts of encounters between Steve Jobs and other executives, we find it necessary to compare the culture levels on the outer bands of this grand organization. Passing by the Apple Store in any mall, it is apparent how different the selling atmosphere is. The products are all sprawled out for customers to play with and engage in. There is nearly a 1:1 staff/customer ratio. They have a â€Å"genius bar† where any consumer holding a MAC product can bring their device to for assistance. The environment is alive and vibrant. These geniuses are the face of the company to the everyday employee and they are raised and bread by Apple. They are taught communication styles, they are integrated into the norms and values of the Apple brand and they execute a marketing and sales strategy that benefits the customers and the company. This is done through verbal communication, non-verbal communication and symbolic communication. The entire store is a symbol of Apple. The training manual for the Apple Genius explicitly trains the employees on nonverbal queues and communications to control each interaction (Biddle, 2012). Apple Inc. executives could teach a PhD level course in human behavior and how to influence. It. Just as with any other product or organization, saturation levels are pushed if we don’t pay special attention to how we grow our business. In the early stages, Apple was more of a novelty and so could afford to hire ‘like’ minds to mind their storefronts. Having to expand its numbers in an effort to combat other retailers for sales, Apple has had to let in a second tier of mildly interested individuals who would be just as happy working for Geek squad ® at BestBuy ® or any other tech driven retail outlet. The promise of â€Å"first dib’s† and other benefits are now comparable to family discounts received throughout the malls. This is not only acceptable but it is a welcomed change in personnel type for Apple ®. The dictatorship can freely set plans for stores without worrying about everyone trying to become the next ‘Steve Jobs’. Part 2 – Team Analysis Team Formation: The team assignment was posted to the module 3 team assignment, but did not clearly state who the teams were comprised of. In an effort to be proactive and to get started on creating a team, Jim reached out to the entire class to try and obtain volunteers to work as a team to complete the assignment. Team member volunteers emailed Jim expressing their interest. Thirty minutes after his initial email, our team was formed. Initially the team consisted of Jim Fiorino, Amber Winters, Jason Shanks, Khari Clarendon, Kevin Connolly, and Michael Keys. Shortly after we formed this team, Dr. Kymn clarified team assignments and sent out communication to the class helping to bring clarity to the assignment. Dr. Kymn honored our volunteer formed team, minus Kevin who had previously left our class. The team formed is a formal organization, working and communicating with each other according to standardized patterns recognizable by everyone (Greenwald, 2008) as students under the larger group we all belong to, the Empire State MBA program. The team selection process reflected our coursework in our Human Systems and Behavior class, as well as earlier class work specifically Competing Values Framework (CVF). Our team has charged itself with finding the perfect balance to the 4 quadrants of the CVF, COLLABORATE, CREATE, COMPETE and CONTROL. The entire team is a group of independent and busy individuals who are all focused on completing the assignment on time, and making sure that we all contribute equally to the assignment given. Team members agreed to be flexible and focused in this process with the ultimate goal in site, a successful organizational analysis. Organization Selection Process: A list of companies was suggested via course email by Michael Keys and was sent to the team for consideration. The list included The Apple Store, Home Depot, Target, Macy’s, and Gap stores. Through email discussions, it was decided by consensus that the group would analyze Apple stores. Mike in the role of team liaison, texted Dr. Kymn with our result, and our selection was approved. Self managing teams are defined as groups of workers assigned the responsibility for making decisions over the manner in which work will be carried out, setting schedules, assigning individuals to perform specific functions, and evaluating members’ performance (Greenwald, Organizations. Management Without Control, 2008). This is a true example of our team, we all need to manage our own time and make decisions that are going to support the timelines discussed on our conference call and complete the specific assignments (specific functions) described earlier. Team Roles and Tasks Roles naturally defined themselves as our team members learned more about each other. Jim’s initial outreach to the entire class identified him as our team’s natural LEADER and PROJECT MANAGER. He was charged with keeping the team on task, on time and on topic. He also promoted positive and timely communication, key to the success of any organization. Our group by nature, is limited to strictly verbal/written communication in our virtual learning environment. This communication mode is characterized by use of words and numbers. Verbal communication has clear advantages over other modes for the exchange of deliberate messages. Transmission of data is always a verbal process (Greenwald, 2008). Amber took on the role of EDITOR and PROOFREADER. A major challenge of the approach our team took to writing this paper was creating it in five voices. The role of editor is important to put the paper in one voice. She also is responsible for reviewing the paper of grammar and typos. The team members shared a few common roles. We all played the role of TEAM MEMBER, RESEARCHER and WRITER. By assigning sections to each team member, we were individually responsible for researching our portion. Following the compilation of our research, we were each independently responsible for writing our 2 page section. Team Responsibilities: After agreeing on the organization to analyze, Jim reached out to the team and we agreed to have a conference call on Sunday December 9th to discuss next steps and to assign the work. Prior to the call Mike had sent out an email stating that he had already completed sections A & B of part 2, which was a great way to get everyone motivated on getting this assignment completed early. During the conference call, the work was split up among the team. Mike already completed A & B, Jason was assigned C & D, Khari was assigned E & F, and Amber was assigned G. Jim volunteered to take all of part two, the team analysis. During this meeting it was agreed that all team members would try and write two pages on their sections to meet the minimum assignment target of ten pages if the content. We agreed that each of our sections were to be completed by Wednesday night and emailed to Jim all of our work can be consolidate and sent over to Amber to allow her time to complete her part of the assignment. During this conference call we all agreed that we will regroup on Wednesday December 12th, to make sure that we are all complete with our sections and to seek assistance if needed. Team Outcomes: Our successful organization, role structure and communication allowed our team to be productive and successful. There were no disagreements or conflict and we all agreed that we want to complete the assignment early, but be successful in doing so. The entire team worked collaboratively with good discussions through positive verbal communication. . All of us shared in ideas and agreed on a time commitment and schedule. People who are collaborative share the same objectives, mutual and equal contributions, and a sense of collectivity among the group, producing a work environment that is free of conflict and tension (Cameron, Quinn, Degraff, & Thakor, 2006). Our two page sections were all emailed to our TEAM LEADER on time. He combined them and sent them to Amber for review and editing and for the summary to be completed. All team members met their obligations as agreed. Team Assessment: Our team can be defined as a high performance team. A high-performance team can be defined as a group of people with specific roles and complementary talents and skills, aligned with and committed to a common purpose, which consistently show high levels of collaboration and innovation that produce superior results. (Hanlan, 2004). The high-performance team has individuals who are highly skilled and are able to interchange their roles and are flexible. Our team operated in this exact manner and had positive outcomes. By definition, this is a good description of our team. Teams that are successful translate their common purpose into specific, measurable, and realistic performance goals. Specific goals facilitate clear communication and help teams maintain their focus on obtaining results (Robbins & Judge, 2009). Our time lines that we discussed on the conference call set clear goals and challenged the group to make sure that we left enough time for Amber to review the work and complete her section. Difficult goals have been found to raise the performance of team members especially to avoid letting down another member of the team (Robbins & Judge, 2009). Forming teams is almost always more productive than having people work by themselves (Cameron, Quinn, Degraff, & Thakor, 2006). This is very true when you have a team like ours that was very collaborative throughout the entire process. Because we were able to work independently, we are able to bring our own ideas to our assigned sections. Many new ideas come from individuals being given the time and resources and allowed to work apart from the normal activities of the organization (Cameron, Quinn, Degraff, & Thakor, 2006) Team Grade: As a team, we have agreed that our work qualifies for a minimum of an A-. We completed the project as assigned. It is our belief we met the challenge of this project by applying the tools of this class successfully. Through organization, structure, communication, role defining and proactivity, we were able to avoid conflict and complete this project on time and in good quality. Our established set of norms that exist within the graduate structure of this class set a good base for the team members to start from. Our team led the class in team creation before the professor was able to clarify the approach. We consider ourselves leaders. We are sure the paper isn’t perfect, no product from any working team is. But what it IS, is a successful compilation of teamwork. SUMMARY: Apple Inc. is a perfect company to analyze through the human behavior lens because their founders understood and structured their company with human behavior in mind. They considered their people and the behaviors that were desired, but they also pay close attention to the consumers and their behaviors. Jobs maintained a company by building a structure, culture, set of norms and values that fostered creativity. He was a genius of people and technology. Jobs did this at apple under 7 rules of success (his norms/values). Rule one is passion, because most people fail because they don’t love what they do. Rule number two is build a team of great people, success hinges on the ability to identify talent and the know how of building successful teams. Rule number three is vision. One must never lose sight of the big picture. Rule number four is creativity; you have to think outside of the box in business and in practice. Rule number five is to learn to say no more often. It’s all about the power of focus. Rule number six is help customers reach their dreams. If you don’t solve a problem, if you don’t accomplish a dream, you don’t have a business. Finally, work on your marketing message (communication externally). Trumpet your success and deliver it in a way people want to hear about it. Don’t be the norm or fill the status quo. (Gallo, 14 O) Steve Jobs says â€Å"Apple is an incredible collaborative company.† Did you know that? Do you by chance know how many committees they have at Apple? ZERO! Teamwork is key to Apple. Teamwork, in terms of trusting that people that will deliver what they committed to without watching them all the time. Jobs set up a training environment that taught his people about people and how to interact with them and get them to achieve the desired result (sales). There is a cult like following not only because of the quality of product, but because of the great care the leaders at Apple took to create and maintain their company in a way that considers (and possibly manipulates) human behavior. Recommendations for Apple Inc. are a bit more complex. With Jobs passing, Tim Cook is just starting to get his feet wet in running and driving the company. Consumers and employees have a high expectation for apple. In terms of structure and communication, roles and culture, it seems Apple is a leader. It will continue to be important for Apple to define that fine line between taking advantage of their knowledge of human behavior and manipulating it for strictly gain. Their technology has also been a leader in the industry. However they have many competitors who are catching up and arguably, surpassing them. The question will be how so they stay ahead and keep their creative people happy. It may require a new out of the box thinking. With new leadership in Cook, it is likely that there will be changes. He will have to establish himself with his people and his consumers who so loved his predecessor. References Cameron, K. S., Quinn, R. E., Degraff, J., & Thakor, A. V. (2006). Competing Values Leadership. Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing. Greenwald, H. P. (2008). Organizations. Management Without Control. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Hanlan, M. (2004). High Performance Teams. Westport: Praeger Publishers. Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2009). Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall. All Things D. (2012, May 25). Mobile devices now make up about 20 percent of U.S. web traffice. Retrieved from AllthingsD.com: http://allthingsd.com/20120525/mobile-devices-now-make-up-about-20-percent-of-u-s-web-traffic/ Apple. (2012, December 9). Apple Press Info. Retrieved from Apple.com: http://www.apple.com/pr/bios/ Apple Inc. (2012, December 9). Investors Relaitons. Retrieved from Apple.com: http://investor.apple.com/financials.cfm MSNBC. (2012, December 7). Rock Center – Apple CEO on challenge of keeping company cutting edge. Retrieved from Video.msnbc: http://video.msnbc.ms n.com/rock-center/50112247#50112247 Washington Post. (2012, December 9). Apple: A history of one of the world’s most valuable companies. Retrieved from Washingtonpost.com: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/apple-a-history-of-one-of-the-worlds-most-valuable-companies/2012/02/29/gIQA1VFVmR_gallery.html#photo=1 Don Reisinger (2010) Apple’s Corporate Culture: 10 Lessons for Staying in Steve Good Graces, Enterprise IT Technology News, retrieved from: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/IT-Infrastructure/Apples-Corporate-Culture-10-Lessons-for-Staying-in-Steve-Jobs-Good-Graces-825505/

Auditing, taxes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Auditing, taxes - Essay Example A sample survey and research has revealed a disturbing 16 percent of the audits contain deficiency in maintaining professional ethics in practice. It is but natural for an environ of fast paced competitive economy to witness instances where the issue of ethics is blurred by blatant violations, deficiencies and compromises. JEEP is authorized to deal with deficiencies in audit, violations of code of conduct, testing of internal controls and compliances, and practitioners are under an obligation to cooperate with any investigative communication received from a statutory agency in matters pertaining to audit. Erring members and clients have the options of taking corrective measures, cooperate and comply with the regulatory agency's communications and enquiries, and document their compliance appropriately. Inadvertent errors are damaging and consequential too and corrective measures have to be approved and documented by JEEP. (Ibolya Balog; Thomas R Clay). It is the duty of every corporation and earning individual to pay taxes on the taxable income and sales. However, in the process of paying taxes, the taxpayer may be either parting with more information than necessary, or knowingly or unknowingly hiding information. The existence of additional information could prove to be an irritant later on even if it has no relevance. Getting to know one's minimum tax obligation is a good way of organizing precise tax plans and information. Taxpayers need not volunteer more information than what is required. (Blum Shapiro). Coming to the state tax departments, there is the tendency to vigorously pursue statistical data that help to generate maximum revenue. In other words, the state resorts to witch-hunting tactics by using statistical information to maximize revenue when its responsibility lies in ensuring compliance. Most of these statistical data may have come from extra information unwittingly provided by the taxpayer. With easy access to electronic information and statistical data, there is tremendous potential for the state to uncover purported instances of underpayment. The taxpayer can avert this possibility by confining his statements and figures to only the required level. The ideal option for the state is use of strategies that ensure compliance. (Rocky B. Cummings). Sources: Blum Shapiro, Year End Tax Planning Strategies, Tax Trends, November 2006, http://www.blumshapiro.com/pub/taxtrends/TaxTrends_November,2006.pdf. Ibolya Balog; Thomas R Clay, Ethics, Pennsylvania CPA Journal, Winter 2008; 78, 4; ABI/INFORM Global, p. 22, http://www.academia-research.com/files/instr/215148_PART(1).pdf. Rocky B. Cummings, Too Much Information, Tax Trends, Journal of State Taxation; Nov/Dec 2007, ABI/INFORM Global

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Financial Industry Megamergers Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Industry Megamergers - Research Paper Example One of them is connected with the regulatory agreements of megamergers which actually are dependent on the antitrust concentration. Hoenig (1999) is worried that when megamergers become the prevalent financial institutions, governments will be forced to close down those that become less influential, out of fear to create unsecure financial system. Thus, the government implicitly guarantees such mergers that might be uninsured depositors or creditors, which eventually lead to unstable and less efficient financial structure (Hoenig, 1999). Hoenig (1999) says that he is less optimistic about the challenges that occur in the merging processes. He also suspects that in the near future financial specialists have to cope with merger institutions that are "too big to fail" and advises that experts have to carefully balance between the "economic benefits of consolidation" and the "potential costs to the financial system (p.2)." Hoenig (1999) remarks that consolidation in the financial services happen in three dimensions: within the banking industry, between banks and other financial organizations and across national borders. Up to 1999, there is an apparent decline of banking institutions. In the 1980s the number of banks in the United States is about 12 thousand. The estimated number in 1999 is 7 thousand (Hoenig, 1999). The same trend is occurring in most of the European countries. In the U.S the alliance is between commercial banking and investment banking services. In Europe, the model unifies the banking and insurance operations (Hoenig, 1999). Hoenig (199) discusses that the primary reason for consolidation in the financial services industry is to overcome possible problems and weaknesses caused by real estate lending, for instance. Another important factor is the development of telecommunication and information technology which lowered the prices of the banking sector. Greater economies of scale are achieved through merging various services, forcing small companies to merge in order to increase the competition (Hoenig, 1999). Legal boundaries have also been removed, so that interstate banking is now feasible. International consolidation is a fact with many countries opening up their "domestic financial markets by liberalizing foreign ownership of domestic financial institutions (Hoenig, 1999, p.3)." Megamergers pose serious questions about the public policy, such as whether the consolidation is in the public interest. Thus, banking agencies and Justice Departments have to take into consideration public policies before confirming an acquisition (Hoenig, 1999). To satisfy the public interests banking organizations continue to be active even after merging especially in order to create good records for servicing their communities. Hoenig (1999) highlights that megamergers in the U.S do not have antitrust problems and follow the traditional merger recommendations, focusing on different range of financial activities. The new policy issues that Hoenig (1999) mentions concern the protections of the financial conglomerates guaranteed by the government as "too big to fall" institutions. This can lead to serious consequences. Because the activities of these megamergers constitute a large proportion of the country's payment system, possible

Hazardous Geographical Environments Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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Advanced Accounting Theory & Practice - Essay Example For that objective, the standard has classified different economic units as assets, equity, liabilities, income, expenses and cash flows. This classification is used to prepare and present different types of financial statements such as statement of financial position, statement of comprehensive income, statement of changes in equity and statement of cash flows. The IAS 1 provides different qualitative characteristics which are highly essential to be depicted by the financial statements. Fair presentation suggests that the financial statements faithfully represent the effects of the economic transactions and conditions which must be complying with the framework definition, recognition and measurement criteria for assets, equities, liabilities, income and expense as well. In the following parts of this paper, first key features of IAS 1 along with different types of financial statements have been accounted for. Subsequent to that, a description elaborating qualitative characteristics has also been included. It is followed by illustrative example representing how Royal Dutch Shell prepares and presents its consolidated statement of comprehensive income. Before the conclusion, critical evaluation of IAS 1 has been described to highlight the shortcomings of the accounting standard. International Accounting Standard (IAS 1) provides a framework for the Preparation and Presentation of Financial Statements. IAS 1 prescribes that the basis for presentation of ‘general-purpose financial statements’1, defined as statements develop to meet the needs of the users who require an entity to prepare reports tailored to their important information needs. This definition covers both consolidated and separate financial statements. Interestingly, IAS 1 does not specifically apply to the structure, content and form of interim financial statements, which are detailed in IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting, but many of its basic underpinnings such as consistency

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Balanced Scorecard and Strategic Decision Making - Essay Example It reflects the following core principles: (1) No single measure can provide a clear performance target or focus attention on all the critical areas of the business. (2) The Balanced Scorecard seeks to minimize the common problem of information overload on business leaders by limiting the number of measures used. (3) The approach is a way to clarify, simplify and then operationalize the Mission (Purpose/Values/ Behaviours/Strategy) at the top of the organization (Johnson and Kaplan 1987). The Balanced Scorecard is a measurement framework and concentrates attention on the four primary perspectives of corporate performance. Each perspective focuses on a particular question fundamental to the future prosperity of the overall business (Kaplan and Cooper 1997). Australian organizations have utilized different types of performance measurement covering financial, customer, internal and growth levels. From financial perspective, Australian organization use techniques to measure: profitability (Net Profit Margin and Return on Total Funds), Shareholder Income (Dividend Level and Dividend Cover), company's growth (Sales Trend (year on year growth)) and stability (Gearing (Debt: Equity) Ratio Interest Cover (times)). From customer perspective, it is possible to measure: Customer Care, quality, availability, brand values. From internal perspective, it is possible to measure Staff Retention and employees development, performance and communication. From growth perspective, it is possible to measure innovation and investment opportunities, creativity and company's performance (sales and profit) (Johnson and Kaplan 1987). For each of the Business Objectives the Strategic Key Performance Indicator (SKPI) represents the measurement tool. Related to each SKPI a stretching but achievable target level of performance should be set and clearly communicated to all relevant staff. To achieve this target, specific initiatives need to be identified, implemented and reviewed. The Balanced Scorecard therefore drives performance throughout the organisation. There is a direct line of integration between the Vision of the organization and the Strategy that is being pursued. It also provides the top level scoring' mechanism to ensure each aspect of the business is on-track' (Kaplan and Norton 1992). The financial ratios are applied to the business to examine current achievement and trends. They can also be applied to competitors to enable external benchmarks' of performance to be established. There are many potential ratios available but these comprise those that would be regarded as a core set' designed to provide an overall insight into the business and the challenges facing management. They reflect the typical approaches used by corporate management, business analysts and bankers (Lynch and Cross 1991). The analytical ratios can individually be helpful in the review of past performance, future projections or competitor comparison. In addition there are several vital linkages that should be recognized to further enhance understanding and insight. From an internal perspective the primary driver of performance and success is widely acknowledged to be the competence and commitment of the workforce at all levels. Employees are generally concerned with two aspects: It is these five aspects of Quality, Cost, Delivery, Safety and Morale (QCDSM)

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Business Writing Portfolio - Essay Example The schedule of part timer will be completed in one to three weekly shifts. The stores will open an hour later and will close an hour later. The stores will stay close on Sundays. We would like to inform to all our valued customers that there are going be changes in the stores schedule. The store will be closed on Sundays. From Monday to Saturday the store will open an hour earlier and close an hour later. The overall time that the store will be open will stay the same. Writing business communications is very different than writing academic papers. It is much easy to write business communications because in this type of writing one simply has to express direct messages to a particular group of people. Academic writing requires a lot research. Academic writings are typically much more extensive than business memos or communications. Business writing requires technical writing skills, while academic writing requires people to have extensive knowledge of the English

Geometry in Everyday Life Essay Example for Free

Geometry in Everyday Life Essay A solar water heater is the most competitive alternative to conventional water heating methods such as electric geysers and fuel-fed boilers. It makes an attractive and sustainable option, with its global distribution, pollution free nature, virtually inexhaustible supply and near-zero operational cost. Solar water heaters run on a free fuel (i. e. sunshine), thus saving on energy costs that help recover its initial cost in just 2-4 years. Hot water throughout the year: the system works all year round, though youll need to heat the water further with a boiler or immersion heater during the winter months. Cut your bills: sunlight is free, so once youve paid for the initial installation your hot water costs will be reduced. Cut your carbon footprint: solar hot water is a green, renewable heating system and can reduce your carbon dioxide emissions. Solar water heating systems use solar panels, called collectors, fitted to your roof. These collect heat from the sun and use it to heat up water which is stored in a hot water cylinder. A boiler or immersion heater can be used as a back up to heat the water further to reach the temperature you want. There are two types of solar water heating panels: evacuated tubes (as in the picture above) flat plate collectors, which can be fixed on the roof tiles or integrated into the roof. Larger solar panels can also be arranged to provide some contribution to heating your home as well. However, the amount of heat provided is generally very small and it is not normally considered worth while. Maintenance costs for solar water heating systems are generally very low. Most solar water heating systems come with a five-year or ten-year warranty and require little maintenance. Once fitted your installer should leave written details of any maintenance checks that you can carry out from time to time, ensuring everything is working properly. Perhaps the most important thing you can check for yourself from time to time is whether there are any leaks. If there are any leaks of anti-freeze (even if you can’t see any liquid) this will have a strong smell. If you notice this you should contact your installer. In general you should keep an eye on your system to check that it is doing what it has been designed to do. If you are not getting hot water or the solar pipework is cold (when the pump is running) on warm, sunny days then again you should contact your installer. For peace of mind some installation companies offer an annual service check. You should have your system checked more thoroughly by an accredited installer every 3-7 years, or as specified by your installer. It is likely that after this period of time the anti-freeze that is used to protect your system in the winter months will need to topped up or be replaced as it breaks down over time reducing the performance of your system. Anti-freeze lasts better if the solar water system is used throughout the year and not left unused during the warmest weeks of the year. This cost of replacing the anti-freezer is usually around ? 100. The other thing that your installer should check is the pump. In a well maintained system, pumps can last for ten years plus and usually cost around ? 90 to replace. Solar water heating systems can achieve savings on your energy bills. Based on the results of our recent field trial, typical savings from a well-installed and properly used system are ? 60 per year when replacing gas heating and ? 5 per year when replacing electric immersion heating; however, savings will vary from user to user. Typical carbon savings are around 230kgCO2/year when replacing gas and 500kgCO2/year when replacing electric immersion heating. Spherical reflector type cooker Spherical mirrors are the simplest type of concentrator and are easy to build and use. It is easy to focus sun rays, and if one opts for a moving vessel to meet the focus, cooking can also be done very easily. Such a design was suggested for the first time in the year 1961 by Stam (1961). He suggested a large reflector of 4. m diameter made of local material which could even include mud, and the reflector surface suitably smoothed with fine mud/cement and coated with aluminized polyester. An appropriate technology handbook describes a simple method of construction of the spherical mirror in the ground (a tall tripod with a long string to which a stone is attached at the tip, will act as a guide for excavating a hollow in the ground) and after finishing and stabilizing the interior, the reflector material could be stuck to make it into a spherical mirror. Such a mirror, of about 2. m in diameter, would do useful work for at least five to six hours a day. The cooking vessel could be hung from the tripod or a suitable stand and positioned to meet the focus. Dan Halacy (1974) suggests a similar design. He uses two full and several half cardboard ribs to fabricate the base and attaches mylar film as a reflector. This device was meant mainly for campers. Bamboo and/or other locally available materials could be used to fabricate such hemispherical baskets. Recently Prof. Quintone of the United Kingdom has taken up this design and is trying to popularize it in places likePeru. In his beautifully designed and illustrated site he presents detailed instructions on fabricating the design and using it. The cooker below is a simple steel bowl used for carrying sand, is coated with a reflector foil and a blackened cooking vessel is put in it. The entire assembly is covered over by a flat sheet glass. The design is very similar toSuryakund cited by Kuhnke et al in their book Solar Cookers in the third world. In Suryakund, the vessels are kept in a inverted glass jar. Like Suryakund, this cooker too would suffer from limitation of size. Unfortunately, this simple design has not attracted much attention, but on a very big scale, like in power generation (as in Marseilles, France), such a hemispherical mirror is being used (Jet Propulsion Laboratory 1981). Scientists ofAustralia (Anon. 1979) have presented a similar design. Margaret Koshoni developed the Cone Cooker to suit the needs of Nigerian women. Most people live in flats with balconies; the structure of the balconies will shade the CooKit and make a shadow. The Cone Cooker being placed on a stand has the advantage of elevation and the stand can be moved about without disturbing the cooking. Medved et al. , propose an interesting design (1996) called a SOLAR BALL. It is an inflatable plastic ball with lower part of reflective material. The cooking vessel is kept at the base. It is an interesting variation but there appears to be some serious limitations with reference to size of the ball as well as size and handling of the cooking vessel. Recently, the spherical geometry seems to have made a come back, and we see that at Auroville in India a 15 meter diameter mirror cooks food for over 1500 persons. A similar large solar bowl was built at the University of Mexico. photovoltaic solar cells PV cells are made from layers of semi-conducting material, usually silicon. When light shines on the cell it creates an electric field across the layers. The stronger the sunshine, the more electricity is produced. Groups of cells are mounted together in panels or modules that can be mounted on your roof. The power of a PV cell is measured in kilowatts peak (kWp). Thats the rate at which it generates energy at peak performance in full direct sunlight during the summer. PV cells come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most PV systems are made up of panels that fit on top of an existing roof, but you can also fit solar tiles. Solar tiles and slates Solar tiles are designed to be used in place of ordinary roof tiles. A system made up of solar tiles will typically cost around twice as much as an equivalent panel system, although you will save the money you would have spent on roof tiles or slates. Solar tile systems are not normally as cost-effective as panel systems, and are usually only considered where panels are not considered appropriate for aesthetic or planning reasons. Solar PV needs little maintenance – youll just need to keep the panels relatively clean and make sure trees dont begin to overshadow them. In the UK panels that are tilted at 15Â ° or more have the additional benefit of being cleaned by rainfall to ensure optimal performance. Debris is more likely to accumulate if you have ground mounted panels. If dust, debris, snow or bird droppings are a problem they should be removed with warm water (and perhaps some washing-up liquid or something similar – your installer can advise) and a brush or a high pressure hose (or telescopic cleaning pole) if the panels are difficult to reach. Always be careful if you are working above the ground or near the top of a ladder. Alternatively, there are a number of specialist window cleaning companies who will clean solar PV panels for you at a cost (of around ? 30 based on our research in March 2012) depending on the size of your array and location. Many of these companies use a water fed pole system which does away with the need for a ladder. Once fitted, your installer should leave written details of any maintenance checks that you should carry out from time to time to ensure everything is working properly. This should include details of the main inverter fault signals and key trouble-shooting guidance. Ideally your installer should demonstrate this to you at the point of handover. Keeping a close eye on your system and the amount of electricity it’s generating (alongside the weather conditions) will familiarise you with what to expect and alert you to when something might be wrong. The panels should last 25 years or more, but the inverter is likely to need replacing some time during this period, at a current cost of around ? 1,000. Consult with your installer for exact maintenance requirements before you commit to installing a solar PV system. Photovoltaics is the direct conversion of light into electricity at the atomic level. Some materials exhibit a property known as the photoelectric effect that causes them to absorb photons of light and release electrons. When these free electrons are captured, an electric current results that can be used as electricity. The photoelectric effect was first noted by a French physicist, Edmund Bequerel, in 1839, who found that certain materials would produce small amounts of electric current when exposed to light. In 1905, Albert Einstein described the nature of light and the photoelectric effect on which photovoltaic technology is based, for which he later won a Nobel prize in physics. The first photovoltaic module was built by Bell Laboratories in 1954. It was billed as a solar battery and was mostly just a curiosity as it was too expensive to gain widespread use. In the 1960s, the space industry began to make the first serious use of the technology to provide power aboard spacecraft. Through the space programs, the technology advanced, its reliability was established, and the cost began to decline. During the energy crisis in the 1970s, photovoltaic technology gained recognition as a source of power for non-space applications. A number of solar cells electrically connected to each other and mounted in a support structure or frame is called a photovoltaic module. Modules are designed to supply electricity at a certain voltage, such as a common 12 volts system. The current produced is directly dependent on how much light strikes the module. Photovoltaic solar plants work like this: As light hits the solar panels, the solar radiation is converted into direct current electricity (DC). The direct current flows from the panels and is converted into alternating current (AC) used by local electric utilities. Finally, the electricity travels through transformers, and the voltage is boosted for delivery onto the transmission lines so local electric utilities can distribute the electricity to homes and businesses. Solar-Thermal plants work like this: Solar collectors capture and concentrate sunlight to heat a synthetic oil called therminol, which then heats water to create steam. The steam is piped to an onsite turbine-generator to produce electricity, which is then transmitted over power lines. On cloudy days, the plant has a supplementary natural gas boiler. The plant can burn natural gas to heat the water, creating steam to generate electricity. Solar power plants use the suns rays to produce electricity. Photovoltaic plants and solar thermal systems are the most commonly used solar technologies today. ` Solar cells such as these are used in photovoltaic solar technology There are two types of solar power plants. They are differentiated depending on how the energy from the sun is converted into electricity either via photovoltaic or solar cells, or via solar thermal power plants. Photovoltaic plants A photovoltaic cell, commonly called a solar cell or PV, is a technology used to convert solar energy directly into electricity. A photovoltaic cell is usually made from silicon alloys. Particles of solar energy, known as photons, strike the surface of a photovoltaic cell between two semiconductors. These semiconductors exhibit a property known as the photoelectric effect, which causes them to absorb the photons and release electrons. The electrons are captured in the form of an electric current in other words, electricity. Solar thermal power plants A solar thermal plant generates heat and electricity by concentrating the suns energy. That in turn builds steam that helps to feed a turbine and generator to produce electricity. There are three types of solar thermal power plants: 1) Parabolic troughs This is the most common type of solar thermal plant. A solar field usually contains many parallel rows of solar parabolic trough collectors. They use parabola-shaped reflectors to focus the sun at 30 to 100 times its normal intensity. The method is used to heat a special type of fluid, which is then collected at a central location to generate high-pressure, superheated steam. 2) Solar power tower This system uses hundreds to thousands of flat sun-tracking mirrors called heliostats to reflect and concentrate the suns energy onto a central receiver tower. The energy can be concentrated as much as 1,500 times that of the energy coming in from the sun. A test solar power tower exists in Juelich in the western German state of North-Rhine Westphalia. It is spread over 18,000 square meters (194,000 square feet) and uses more than 2,000 sun-tracking mirrors to reflect and concentrate the suns energy onto a 60-meter-high (200 foot high) central receiver tower. The concentrated solar energy is used to heat the air in the tower to up to 700 degrees Celsius (1,300 degrees Fahrenheit). The heat is captured in a boiler and is used to produce electricity with the help of a steam turbine. Solar thermal energy collectors work well even in adverse weather conditions. Theyre used in the Mojave Desert in California and have withstood hailstorms and sandstorms. 3) Solar pond This is a pool of saltwater which collects and stores solar thermal energy. It uses so-called salinity-gradient technology. Basically, the bottom layer of the pond is extremely hot up to 85 degrees Celsius and acts as a transparent insulator, permitting sunlight to be trapped from which heat may be withdrawn or stored for later use.

George W. Bush Biography

George W. Bush Biography George W Bush Addison Davis On July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut one of our future presidents would be born his name is George W. Bush. Growing up, he was the oldest of six children from his mother and father, Barbara Pierce Bush and George Herbert Walker Bush. The Bush family has always been with politics, even in the 50’s. Bush’s grandfather, Prescott Bush, was a progressive Republican senator from Connecticut and a banker on Wall Street His father was also involved with politics, he was a businessman, diplomat, a vice president and president of the United States. At just two years old, George H.W. Bush decided to move the whole family to Midland, Texas where he would make it big in the oil business. Boy George mostly grew up in Midland and went to school there up until seventh grade when they moved to Houston, Texas. At that point George W. Bush was sent to Massachusetts to go to school at Phillips Academy. At Phillips Academy he was a Star Athlete playing baseball, basketball and footbal l. He was an alright student and occasionally got into trouble, but nevertheless, he was accepted into Yale with the help of family connections. At Yale, he put his social life in front of studies, but this being said he was still invited into the invitation only Skull and Bones society. Just before his graduation George enlisted in the Texas Air National Guard. He was again accepted with some help of a family friend. In 1970 George received his fighter pilot certificate, but on November 21, 1974 he was honorably discharged from the Air Force. After that, he decided to go back to school so, he went to Harvard Business School to get his Masters of Business Administration degree. After that he went back to his hometown to enter the oil business working with a friend. Later on, after he had had some experience with the business he started his own oil and gas firm. In 1977, he would meet his future wife Laura Welch, who was a school teacher and a librarian at the time. After just three months him and Laura decided to take the next step so George proposed and were married on November 5, 1977. After they were married, they settled in Midland, Texas, so George can continue to work on his business. Prior to his marriage George had a serious drinking problem and then joined the United Methodist Church and was a born-again Christian. In 1981, George and Laura had their first children, which turned out to be twin girls. Five years later, Bush sold his struggling oil business to Harken Energy Corporation for stock a spot on its board of directors. Around when this happened George had completely quit drinking and became deeply involved in his church. When George’s dad was running for president, George W. Bush and Laura moved his family to Washington, DC to help his father’s campaign. After George H. W. Bush won the election, George W. Bush and Laura Bush moved back to Texas and shortly after getting involved with investors trying to purchase the Texas Rangers . George W. Bush was quickly qualified as their leader and made amazing trades. After those trades the team did excellent and he eventually sold his team for seventeen times his initial investment. In 1992 after his father lost to Bill Clinton in a reelection, George W. Bush decided to run for governor of Texas as a Republican. His family reputation and his affiliation with the Rangers helped him win the 1994 campaign against Ann Richards. The election was tight the whole time, but George won the election with a fifty-three percent vote and was also the first governor to have a father as president. He was also the first Texas Governor to be elected to consecutive four-year terms. When Bush was a governor, he mainly appealed to republicans but also was well known for bipartisan governing. He combined personal responsibility and limited government. Since Bush was governor during a surplus he pushed for tax cuts and better education. He changed teachers’ salaries to student perf ormance on standardized tests and lowered the age of being tried in an adult court.[1] In 2000, Bush and his running mate Dick Cheney, who had been a former congressman and U.S. defense secretary under George H.W. Bush, had just defeated Al Gore and Joe Lieberman, U.S. Senator from Connecticut, by a very slim margin of 271-266 electoral votes even though Gore had beaten Bush with the popular vote by 48.4% to Bush’s 47.9%. This has been the fourth time this had ever happened in U.S. History.[2] One of the first things and one of the best domestic achievements Bush’s Administration worked on was public education. The first major initiative was the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002, this helped the public education system and raised test scores. Bush increased Peel Grants available to college students and they were raised to an all-time high. The tax relief package was another thing Bush was well known for. This package reduced individual taxes and doubles child tax credit and other reforms. On September 11, 2001 the most deadly attack on American soil happened unexpectedly and Bush’s Presidency was completely altered. On this day, terrorists from the group Al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes, two of the airplanes were ordered to hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Another was told to hit the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The final plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after the passengers made a bold move to overtake the hijackers. When this happened President Bush declared war on Terrorism. This became an assault on anyone who had the twisted mind to support terrorism around the world. As a result of this effort the Afghanistan War started in October of 2001 and then the War in Iraq in 2003. This was actually Bush’s greatest failures in doing this it made the United States look like we were marked by fear, confusion and vulnerability.[3] George Bush’s greatest domestic failure was the way he tried to handle Hurricane Katrina, his attempt was just too slow. Bush sent in federal troops in days after the catastrophe and it took even longer for the troops to get there because of the road conditions. People were dying on top of their roofs of starvation and thirst waiting for some type of evacuation. News teams got there the first day it all went down asking questions about why troops were not showing up to bring aid to all of the unfortunate people. Bush’s administration was heavily criticized for the way this was handled and it showed when Bush’s public support went from sixty percent to forty-nine percent within two weeks.[4] George Bush did not have a lot of foreign achievements, but one of the best has to be humanitarian aid in Africa. In 2003 President Bush announced the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, otherwise known as PEPFAR, was a global program to fight AIDS. This was the largest effort ever created to fight a disease. In July 2008 a reaut horization was passed to add funding to tuberculosis and malaria as well, all of this cost 48 billion U.S. Dollars. This is all a part of President Bush’s emphasis on foreign aid in Africa. Thanks to George Bush tons of Africans get thousands of dollars of medicine for free. [5] But like all presidencies they must come to an end. Many people were against him having bumper stickers saying â€Å"Bush Lied, People Died†. Other people thought he was a not really a republican. Despite all of that most people will still talk about President Bush and say he an average leader who achieved much redemption just as the United States gave up.[6] Bibliography â€Å"Bushs Biggest Achievements.† N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2008/08/bushs-biggest-achievements>. â€Å"Bushs Legacy.† N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21588363-best-account-yet-failed-presidency-bushs-legacy>. George Bushs Greatest Achievements and Failures.† Accessed December 7, 2014.http://siirispolitics.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-are-george-w-bushs-greatest.html. â€Å"George W. Bush,†, accessed December 7, 2014,http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/george-w-bush. George W. Bush.† N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. http://www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu/The-President-and-Family/George-W-Bush.aspx>. George Walker Bush. (2014). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 08:26, Dec 07, 2014, fromhttp://www.biography.com/people/george-w-bush-9232768. [1] George Walker Bush. (2014). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 08:26, Dec 07, 2014, fromhttp://www.biography.com/people/george-w-bush-9232768. [2] â€Å"George W. Bush,†, accessed December 7, 2014,http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/george-w-bush. [3] George W. Bush.† N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. http://www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu/The-President-and-Family/George-W-Bush.aspx>. [4] George Bushs Greatest Achievements and Failures.† Accessed December 7, 2014.http://siirispolitics.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-are-george-w-bushs-greatest.html. [5] â€Å"Bushs Biggest Achievements.† N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2008/08/bushs-biggest-achievements>. [6] â€Å"Bushs Legacy.† N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2014. http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21588363-best-account-yet-failed-presidency-bushs-legacy>.