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Monday, September 30, 2019

Malaysia Airlines Corporate Policy and Strategy Essay

This assignment requires a writer to write a report of any organisation which is involved in transportation and communication industry. The aim and purpose of this report is to examine the strategic management process to one of the industries. The strategic management process will be more emphasise in this report where its importance in the organisation play an important factor in order for the organisation to grow and expand. Malaysia Airlines (MAS) have been chosen as an organisation for this report. Malaysia Airlines is a commercial air travel organisation where they provide transportation service throughout the world, specifically 850 destinations in 150 countries. The organisation company profile will explain more about the history of the organisation itself which are the founder of the organisation, the year it start its services, location, service range, revenue and turnover report. After that, a strategic analysis of the Malaysia Airlines will be explained more which includes general environment, internal environment and competitive environment. In general environment, the weakness of the organisation needs to analyse before the problems and weaknesses itself will take toll towards the organisation. The tool which is going to be used to overcome the weaknesses are pest analysis and swot analysis which consecutively serve its purposes to analyse internal and external factors. In internal environment, a situation that can impact Malaysia Airlines business will be evaluated. It is divided into two categories, value chain analysis and resource based view. Value chain analysis will be used to add value to the organisation itself while resource based view will be use to explain how the resources of the organisation can be use to become an advantage, competitively. After done doing that, strategic formulation is needed for Malaysia Airlines. A proper plan and strategy are needed to achieve the organisation main objectives. Business level strategy and corporate level strategy will be use to explain the competitive advantage and how corporate parent helps its subsidiary company to grow and expand. International strategy is also in included in the strategic formulation in order for Malaysia Airlines to develop its level of competencies and future potential in international arena. Implementation of that international strategy will take to action after evaluation and analysis. In the implementation strategy, a leader with a broad scope of  vision and mission is needed in order for the action plan to become reality. With a great leadership skill, the employees will be inspired to work more efficient to achieve the objective that had been set. All the explanation above are supported with proper references using journals, books, internet, articles and updated data from Malaysia Airlines from its company report. Lastly, a concl usion will be made to conclude all of the information from the report. 1.0 Introduction Malaysian Airline System Berhad is the primary airline of Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines (MAS) operates flights from Kuala Lumpur International Airport mainly and with a secondary hub at Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. From the report, the strategic management of Malaysia Airlines is analysed. The report is produced for Mr Mathew Teale. Most of the resources in this report are based on report and journal. Besides, articles and newspapers are also being used as the secondary resources. Gather from latest data, Malaysia Airlines has revenue worth as much as RM13 billion. In stategy management, there are Strategy Analysis, Strategy Formulation and Strategy Implementation which are the process to overcome that external factor which consist of objective to fulfil(Hambrick, 2007). Under the effect of globalization, the world has changed in every sector and those changes had influenced most of the corporation activities with obstacles to execute their strategy. A company’s finances will be affected if their management fails to formulate and implement the most efficient and suitable strategy. Strategy analysis, strategy formulation and strategy implementation are the fundamentals to solve negative factors regardless what is the problems. Company Profile Malaysia Airlines was founded in 1937 through an idea by the Alfred Holt’s Ocean Steamship Company in liverpool work together with the Imperial Airways in from Britain and Straits Steamship Company in Singapore. This had build the outcome of Malayan Airways Limited(MAL) on the same year. As usual, this airline faced different types of industrial challenges throughout these seven decades. Therefore, the company had improved and repackaged their image and services. Malaysia Airlines started their flight services originated in Subang Airport and later relocate to Kuala Lumpur  International Airport (KLIA). Malaysia Airlines serve different class of customers in society pyramid. Therfore, Malaysia Airlines provide different class of seatings which are first class, business class, and economic class. According to Malaysia Airlines Annual Report on 2012, incredible loss of RM481,457,000 was hit after the loss on 2011 which was two billion. This shows the incapabilities of management in Malaysia Airlines to manage the company. Therefore, the management needs to be rearranged and restructured. Besides, Malaysia Airlines are facing more competitors in the industry such as Airasia. To overcome this challenge, Malaysia Airlines tried to upkeep with their competitors by providing high quality of services in order to win customer’s faith and loyalty so that they could have stable coming back customers. Their strategy was a success and this can be seen when several awards are awarded by Skytrax UK and World Travel Awards. The awards are the Asia’s Leading Airline(2011), Asia’s Leading Business Class Airline (2010) and Five Star Airline (2012). Malaysia Airlines built up their image as the top airline in Malaysia by winning those award. 2.0 Strategic Analysis The process of helping a company to have further understanding regarding their external environment is what we call strategy analysis. Strategy analysis can maximize an organization’s potential, capability and interation between environment. Profit can be achieved if Malaysia Airlines execute the three strategic processes which are analysis, formulation and implementation. By doing the analysis of external evnironment and evaluating the internal environment, we are able to use the chances and discover the industrial potential in the future. 2.1 General Environment In order to help Malaysian Airlines in fitting itself to conquer the weaknesses, several analysis such as PEST, scenerio planning and SWOT are carried out. Besieds, general environment acts as a tool to identify the weakness in Malaysia Airlines which may lead to external environment that changes rapidly (Henry, 2008:41). 2.1.1 Scenario Planning Scenario planning is defined as procedure of visualizing what upcoming situation or events are probable, what their effects would be like,  and how to respond to, or benefit from,them(Business Dictionary, n.d.). Scenario planning not only can help to identify future oppoturnity, but also helps an organization to make critical decision. This can help an organization to utilize opportunity and stay away from the threat. The scenario planning is mention by Henry (2008) as a method to find changes and uncertainty in their industry and promote systematic thinking and even decision making under spontaneus situation. However, Malaysia Airlines did not do proper scenario planning which make them faced great loss as stated in their annual report 2012. As a way to stop this situation continue to grow, Malaysia Airline should really consider and think deeply of their scenario planning. Besides, the ultimate growth of Airline industry shows influence to Malaysia Airline scenario planning. Ther efore, Malaysia Airline should make use of PEST and SWOT analysis to identify deeply their market environment. 2.1.2 PEST analysis PEST analysis most commonly is used to measure a market. By doing the PEST analysis, Malaysia Airlines will link the entire four factors that may affect their business in general and competitive environment. As a Malaysian national flag airlines, it is compulsory and a must for them to follow and obey the political decision and governmental policies. Being an airline company in Malaysia, always need to cope with the taxes which have been a big obstacles especially during economy crisis. According to Malaysia Airlines annual report 2011, Malaysia Airlines had experienced a huge loss as RM400 millions even before taxation is done. This shows how pathetic and badly the situation of the company was. Furthermore, our current Prime Minister Datuk Seri NajibTun Razak announced that the minimum wage of private sectors in Penisular has been set for RM900 and RM800 for those in Sarawak. This increases the burden of Malaysia Airlines which has approximately 18,000 workers. As a way to overcome the new policy and adapted to it, Malaysia Airliens hence introduced a new rewarding plan to their workers. t. In coping with the new policy, Malaysia Airlines has announced on their strategy to offer permanent staff a maximum two years of unpaid leave only and excluding their subdiaries which are Maswings and FIrefly. Airlines biggest expenses will be the crews’ wages and fuel expenses. As global fuel price is increasing, it influenced Malaysia Airlines operating cost for sure which will directly result the loss in their profit. Besides, unstable fuel price that influenced economy will affect their shares price in stock exchange too. (sharif, Ranjbar and Arumugam , 2011). Furthermore, Malaysia Airlines had increased their flight ticket fares as a way to cover up the administration and operating cost. As the increment of ticket fares occurred, local citizens with lower or medium income holders to lessen their frequency to travel on flight. Besides, one of the undeniable factors is inflation which causes the value of money to be lowered extra money from the wages unable to do much extra occasion planning. Prior to the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997, Malaysia Airlines suffered in the massive losses of RM260million. As a way to overcome the crisis, the airlines cut a lot of routes which are unprofitable such as Brussels, Darwin, Honolulu, Madrid, Munich and Vancouver. Besides, approximately a decade later in 2011, frightening loss of RM2.52billion was â€Å"achieved† by Malaysia Airlines and breaks its historical record. This incident had push the management to terminate the flight to Surabaya, Karachi, Dubai, Johannesburg in January of the same year. The action was unable to calm the managements who later ceased the routes to Cape Town, Buenos Aires and Rome in February 2011. For social factor, we know that there are different types of people with different preference in this country, so with different culture and thinking in society, not everyone would like to use flight as their transportation option. This is due to the fear factor that stuck in their heart to feel insecure with the flight transportation. Therefore, safety is always one of the main feature to be concerned and make sure the society feel safe with their services. Safety instructions are being briefed before the flight depart every time and this can prevent chaos to occur if there is any accident occurs. Besides, insurance is also one of the option for customer to purchase in their flight ticket. This can relieve the insecurity of passengers when they choose to use Malaysia Airlines. In terms of technology, Internet has lead our world to globalization and  information explosion era. Malaysia Airlines sees this as an opportunity to promote their company services to the youth conveniently. The customers can purchase the flight tickets easily from their website rather than drive to their branches and queue up which will be even more expensive and time consuming. Hence, Malaysia Airlines is able to deduct and decrease overhead cost and their budget in extra offices and infrastructure. However, not everyone are well-skilled in using the internet and some of the rural areas in our country still lack of such services which seems common in most of the city. Besides, credit or debit card is a necessity in order to purchase from online ticketing system which also will be a obstacle for some of the senior citizens. Lastly, we shall concern about the stability of Malaysia Airlines proxy server which is overloaded sometimes. 2.1.3 SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is a method where a structured planning can be done by evaluating the 4 factors which are strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (Humprey, 2005). Malaysia Airlines can use SWOT at their own benefits to understand more about the external environment. Malaysia Airlines is a well known brand name which has become strength of this company to exploit. With its 70 years of experiences in the airline industry, this brand name has won the heart of the customers where’s loyalty is important to them. In addition, Malaysia Airlines are highly recognized by the international organisation. Plus, Malaysia Airlines are also has been supported by the Malaysian government for years. With this, they can depend on the government if they are having a financial problem or other difficulties which can benefit them. Malaysian Airlines won a lot of prestigious awards in the past 10 years and their broad network of destinations also has become their strength that led the potential and loyal customers to choose them. Thereby, with this entire strength combine, chances of Malaysia Airline to win and take control of the industry are higher. Malaysia Airlines and other companies are not excluded from the organisational weaknesses. The increasing fuel price had cause Malaysia Airlines huge loss as much as RM1.36 million.Other than that, their operating cost such as landing fees ishigherthatin which are affecting their financial. This entirely affected their profit and thus giving them problem  to be dealt with. Price war with Air Asiaalso has affected their target in controlling the local market.Since Malaysian income per capita is lower than other countries, therefore Malaysia Airlines are now focusing more with the middle and upper class customers. Malaysia Airlines has analyse its opportunities in the market. Aircraft passengers have been growing as much as 13.5% every year. By this, Malaysia Airlines are going to take this opportunity to expand their services in other countries such as China and Japan where the people over there always travel abroad. The increasing numbers of cargo industry also have become a profitable sector for Malaysia Airlines. In 2010, the increasing numbers of air cargo service has risen to 26.5%. As a result of that, Malaysia Airlines can manage to get a lot of profit in this growing industry by exploiting the opportunities and turn it into a profit. In threats, fuel price have been a problem for Malaysian Airlines for years. Inevitably, Malaysia Airlines operating cost may also increase if the fuel prices increase. Not only that, international airlines such as Cathay Pacific Airways, Singapore International Airways and Garuda Indonesia Airways are competing with Malaysia Airlines internationally and Air Asia domestically. The threat of new entrant also be a factor for Malaysia Airlines to deal with if financial institution policy changes. Lower interest rate and credit loan willallownew airliners to enter the industry. The more new airliners enter the industry; the likelihood of Malaysia Airlines to struggle in the business will be higher. In order to cope with that, Malaysia Airlines need to be more prepared. 2.2 Competitive Environment According to Mack (2010), competitive environment is defined or explained as a dynamic system for the business to compete positively in. At such, analysis technique of Porter Five Forces Framework is executed to understand the environment. 2.2.1 Porter’s Five Forces Framework Porter five forces is a framework which analyzes the industry and business strategy development to determine the competitive strength (Porter, 1979). By using this analyzing technique, Malaysia Airlines can identify the threat of new entrants. Since the needs to start an airlines company are hard,  consequently, the threat of new entrants has reduced. Furthermore, brand name is important to the customers these days. Adding to that, to go into this business not also need high capital but also need an establish brand name. Thus, rather than start an establish brand name, the new threat entrants will focus more on the loyal customer. The only new threat entrants Malaysia Airlines need to focus more are the international airlines. There are two companies that are competing against each other in the aircraft manufacturing industry which are Boeing and Airbus. Since Malaysia Airlines are choosing Boeing as their main aircraft, therefore, Boeing has no option to increase their aircraft pr ices. If Boeing increases their aircraft price, most probably Malaysia Airlines will change their aircraft to Airbus. Consequently, Malaysia Airlines can use its bargaining power of consumer to bargain the aircraft price. This undoubtedly will be an advantage to Malaysia Airlines to save their buying cost that led Boeing with no other choice to sell its aircraft to Malaysia Airlines since they’re having a tough time in competing in the aircraft manufacturing industry. The bargaining power of suppliers is depending on the numbers of alternatives the consumer has. For Malaysia Airlines, it is difficult to change to another aircraft manufacturer such as Airbus since their maintenance staff areexperienced with Boeing’s aircraft. By changing the aircraft manufacturer, Malaysia Airlines need to spend a lot of money to train their maintenance staff which and switching cost is high.Therefore, the power of suppliers cannot be a negative factor since Malaysia Airlines only rely on one aircraft manufacturer. Plus, the power of suppliers is insignificant where Malaysia Airlines has their own aircraft maintenance subsidiary company. For fuel, the bargaining power of suppliers is not really high since in Malaysia there is only little petrol organization and the price is set by the government. 2.2.2 Strategic Groups Strategic groups are used to classify or identity the companies that are having the similar business model or mixture of strategies applied. (Porter, 1980). As a well known 5 stars airlines company, Malaysia Airlines always offer various place of destinations throughout the world where Airasia only provide certain well-known and popular destination. However, Airasia as the  low cost carrier, has advantages in competition as they can always attract customers in Asia that always go for cheaper option. 2.3 Internal Environment An internal environmental analysis is an extensive review of all aspects of a company’s operations, internal guidance and mission. (wiseGEEK, n.d.). Value-chain analysis and resource-based view can be used as analysis tools. 2.3.1 Value-chain Analysis Malaysia Airlines primary income is based from logistics services and secondary activities are aircraft maintenance and technology development. By coordinate these value chain analysis activities, Malaysia Airlines can have a lower cost structure and increase the value of outcome product. By increasing the value of outcome product, Malaysia Airlines can compete better in the industry by understanding the connection between each of the value-chain activity. Additionally, a proper coordination with their union, customers and suppliers can reduce cost and adds up the bonding between customers and company itself. As its outcome, improvement of the performance in Malaysia Airlines primary and secondary activities can be achieved and higher profit can be gained in the process. . 2.3.2 Resource-based View Airline industry was slammed pretty hard globally in previous years. Terrorists attack on 11st September 2001 still horrified the hearts of passengers globally. The strong competitive environments by low cost carriers such as Airasia in Malaysia is also causing the national flag carrier to restructure their operations. Their resources such as airplanes and crews quality need to be concerned and look into deeply. As the oldest flight carrier company in Malaysia, they shall use this advantage to continue to stay at the frontline in airline industry by using its available sufficient resources efficiently with the help of government and come up with efficient strategies as a way to compete and stabilize its own potision in airline industry. . 3.0 STRATEGY FORMULATION Formulation of strategies is necessary in order for Malaysia Airlines to  achieve its mission and objectives. An excellent structure and organize strategies will beneficiary to Malaysia Airlines in competing in the airline industry. 3.1 Business Level Strategy Business level strategy is very important where it will be use as a method to develop the strategy at a maximum level. In addition, it is crucial for Malaysia Airlines to implement and adapt to this strategy because it’s a way for them to make use all of their resources and competency in the airlines industry to accomplish its corporate level strategy. 3.1.1 Industry Life Cycle In any industries, introduction, growth, maturity and decline development stages have to go through including industry products. Malaysia Airlines has gone through the introduction phase where they had been through a lot of difficulties and up and down since 1937. But unfortunately, Malaysia Airlines financial report has shown that the company is suffering from internal and external environment where they are facing profit losses. Malaysia Airlines is now in the growth stage where they are trying to impose a new efficient strategy to cover up their losses from 2008 to 2012. Malaysia Airlines profit are at the highest in 2008 as much as RM15,570,141 and decreasing slowly in the past 5 years and the lowest is in the year 2009 that decline as much as RM11,605,111. Factors that cause this financial downturn are the increasing price of the fuel, competitiveness of other airlines, poor marketing strategy and high operating cost. In coping with this matter, Malaysia Airlines is now broadening their flight destination and suspend some flight from a destination that give less profit, improve quality of service in order to create customer demand and thus progressing in the growth stage. 3.1.2 Differentiation Malaysia Airlines impose differentiation strategy by creating various types of seat class such as Economic Class, Business Class and First Class. This is to ensure that all the variety of services that being offer are affordable for the different type of customers. It is also to increase the  advantages in competing by delivering the value added product to differentiate Malaysia Airlines services from other airline competitors. Adding to that, by letting the customers choose what type of services they want, the loyalty of the customer would be increased. This shows that Malaysia Airlines are coping with price sensitivity, switching cost, higher entry barriers and threat of substitutes, in the five forces. As a result, Malaysia Airlines has successfully competed in the airline price wars that let the company to gain back profit in 2011. 3.2 Corporate Level Strategy Corporate strategy signifies actions for Malaysia Airlines to take in gaining its competitive advantage. Specifically, to help Malaysia Airlines in an advantage where they can control the market and maximise profit for a long period of time. Thus, this strategy helps Malaysia Airlines to improve its strategy and at the same time giving them a great position in controlling the market. 3.2.1 Growth Strategies Any company can practice four strategies specifically for the growing process. By now, Malaysia Airlines are targeting to penetrate the international control the local market. Malaysia Airlines are trying to use its existing services and products to increase their sales. Malaysia Airlines achieve it by strengthening the bond with their customer to keep using its airlines and at the same time bringing new customer. For that reason, Malaysia Airlines are now starting to increase their promotion using social and mass media. Other than that, Malaysia Airlines are also improving their website to become more convenient and easy with less procedure for all the customers that wish to book a ticket. In surviving in the mature market, Malaysia Airlines should prepare more for its opportunity to expand its growth. Malaysia Airlines as a pioneer and leading the local airlines industry should increase more their competitiveness in competing in the international market. Taking ASEAN countries as a first step, Malaysia Airlines should understand more each of the country geographically, culture and religions. By developing this understanding, customers will tend to choose Malaysia Airlines that in the end would increase their sales, profit  and penetrate the international market. 3.2.2 Corporate Parenting Malaysia Airlines as parent company of MAS Cargo, MASwings, MAS Aerotechnologies and etc. Malaysia Airlines as the corporate parent can achieve a lot of profit if they integrate all of its subsidiaries company as an individual business unit. Malaysia Airlines can save cost in managing all of its subsidiaries company. Not just that, a proper integration between the subsidiaries company can help Malaysia Airlines to derive its economic scale that will further move them in accomplishing their goals. Concurrently, Malaysia Airlines can help its subsidiaries company and put them into an advantage where they can make use ofMalaysia Airlines expertise and resources. As a result of that, Malaysia Airline’s subsidiaries company will be enhance in controlling their budget, making decision and planning process. Nevertheless, if any economic catastrophes occur, therefore, it will become disadvantage for Malaysia Airlines if its subsidiaries company is in the economic crisis. 3.2.3 Strategic Evaluation In following the variety formulation strategic plan, strategic evaluation is the most important part before implementing all of the strategies that been plan. The strategies will be evaluate and assess to find out its efficiency. In addition, the consistency of the strategies must be in a long term where the use of the strategies itself can benefit Malaysia Airlines in the coming years rather than being a yearly plan. It’s obvious that not all of the strategies will become a success, but at least an initiative to evaluate the plan been done in order to minimize the risk. Thus, Malaysia Airlines need to select a proper and the best strategies that can help them in realizing their goal and objectives. 3.3 International Strategy and Globalization Globalization is a worldwide issue where customer’s needs and wants are being standardized. It can cause positive and negative effect on any organization depending on how they cope and make use of the globalization itself as an advantage to them. For instance, the globalization on fuel price, landing fees and aircraft spare part prices are now standardized accordingly. But  luckily Malaysia Airlines have their own resources for these three needs where they have their own aircraft maintenance subsidiary company and support from Malaysia government.In marketing their product, Malaysia Airlines can use its global brand name to maximize marketing efficiency. For this reason, Malaysia Airlines should use this opportunity to expand their wing in the international market. Nonetheless, Malaysia Airlines also need to be aware and choose the right strategy if they want to penetrate the market. 4.0 STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION Well plan strategies are not going to work well with an organization if it’s implemented inadequately. In getting success in implementing the strategies, Malaysia Airlines need to increase their efficiency in communication, managing their resources and improve their employee’s morale. Leadership also playsits role in making Malaysia Airlines to gain success in implementing the strategies. Therefore, all the staff in Malaysia Airlines should work together in realizing the strategies to become reality. 4.1 Strategic Leadership The leader is the only one that can determine the future of any company. Without them, the chances of any company to collapse and bankrupt will be high. That is because the needs of a leader in a company affect the path of the company whether it can generate income and be victorious or it can only make profit losses and bankruptcy in the end. Not a lot of people can be a great leader but everyone can have the traits of a leader which are visionary, inspire and drive their followers to achieve success. It can be said that Malaysia Airlines leadership has weaknesses in scenario planning that causes market share and revenue losses. For this reason, leadership of Malaysia Airlines should apply the vision trait in order to cope with changes and for the sake of the company continuity. When leaders are able to master the vision trait, it will be easier for them to collaborate, motivate, trust, and interdependence amongst their staff. Plus, the coordination and path of Malaysia Airlines will be in the same direction of achieving common objectives that may lead Malaysia Airlines to a bigger  industry. Malaysia Airlines is now operating in a competitive environment. So, the vision of leadership can’t be sluggish. Leader task is not just dealing with external factors but also playing an important role on observing employee’s attitude. Therefore, a leader should know and oblige to inspire and motivate employees if they’re lacking with something that will affect the vision of the company. Giving the employees rewards are the best thing to do in making the company vision to become a reality. Leader needs to be proactive in handling situation. The needs of keeping the vision on the right track and the same time monitoring its progress is necessary so that Malaysia Airlines will be more prepare in enduring and responding towards the changes that happen. Moreover, democratic leader is important where the leaders itself can put themselves with the employees and communicate with the employees. Encouragement and understanding can be developing with the employees if any conflict happen and then settle together as a team. By doing this, the work rate and performance of Malaysia Airlines will improve and in the end will increase the profit and maximizes the resources that they have. 4.2 Change Management Competitiveness in airlines industry has become fiercer than before. Due to that, Malaysia Airlines should be ready to embrace and adapt to changes in order to compete in the market. In achieving this, Malaysia Airlines should improve their state division management. This is because every state division especially in Sarawak is having trouble with the competitiveness from low cost airlines such as Air Asia and the new low cost airline, Malindo Air. Therefore, Malaysia Airlines should take a strategic change to their state division in coping with the external environment. Poor leadership has been one of many factors that cost their profit losses and customer loyalty. By implying a proper marketing strategy, Malaysia Airlines will be able to challenge the local airline industry. Adding to that, improvement in every managing structure in each state division is a  must since the capabilities and set of skills of each employee can be outdated under some circumstances. Thus, changes and improvements are needed in order to comply with customer’s needs and achieving goals. 4.3 Role of Systems Excellent plan strategies won’t work unless leaders and human resources play their role in implementing the strategies. 4.3.1 Organizational Structure Organizational structure is a fundamental that can affect the strategy implementation. Effective use of labor by giving specific task can contribute an advantage in competing in the industry. In general, the four organizational structures are functional, divisional, entrepreneurial and matrix. Malaysia Airlines are now using divisional structure to conduct their corporate parenting by dividing resources in each division. It is essential for them in order to gain profit. Using this structure, Malaysia Airlines are decentralizing the power of making decision to each division and that give a clearer goal to the employees to achieve. Nevertheless, the plentiful number of divisions will cost a lot and sharing of knowledge will be lesser. To respond to that, Malaysia Airlines should manage all the division under one command center by using network structure and all the information gathered need to be transmitted to headquarter. 4.3.2 Organizational Process Malaysia Airlines organizational processes are of consist of entrepreneurial and competence-building. In entrepreneurial process, employees will bemotivated by delegating some tasks to them that of course will increase their discipline and efficiency compared to strict control. In building competency, employee differences of capabilities will be given a specific task to them in order to gain trust amongst the Malaysia Airlines and the employees itself. By implementing this, a more proactive and efficient workforce can be produced in the process of achieving the goals. 4.3.3 Strategic Control Systems In improving the employee’s performance and at the same time retaining their performance, control and reward systems are a must. Well rewarded employees undoubtedly will perform very well. By implementing this, Malaysia Airlines can manage to deliver consistent services to their customers. Plus, motivated work force surely will lead Malaysia Airlines to gain profit. As a result of that, employees that perform with excellence and if the satisfaction towards their job are high, the probability of staying longer with Malaysia Airlines are also high. Thus, this will surely eliminate the cost of looking for new employees. Malaysia Airlines as corporate parent also need to use control and reward system in order to increase the motivation of the employees to achieve goals that being set. By means of giving them reward based on their performance, the employee’s tendency of performing at their best most likely will be high. By doing this, a more standardize employee performance can be achieved. In addition, controlling the employees is not necessarily being strict with them but being understanding is the greatest option to choose where employees automatically will increase their work rate that will lead Malaysia Airlines to compete vigorously in the industry. 4.3.4 Corporate Governance Corporate governance is where business is managed for the shareholder according to the right and wishes of the stakeholder. It is also where an organization is responsible for the stakeholder’s interest in the organization itself. Corporate governance ensures that the stakeholderreceives something in the forms of money or others.Malaysia Airlines should take the approach in implementing what they want to do to the stakeholder so that the stakeholder will feel secure. Openness with stakeholder is a must where company’s finance and planmust be share to win their trust. Any decisionsare made by Malaysia Airlines can affect stakeholder trust. Hence, leadership and management of the organization are responsible in balancing the needs of stakeholders. Finally, a more synchronize and efficient corporate governance is necessary in planning strategies which can fit the organizational structure that in the end  getting control of the market. Conclusion Strategic management is very important for every organisation. Small organisation to giant organisation requires strategic management to expand and improve their managing ability. Adding to that, it can also help them to compete in the industry where all the strategies can be used to cope with the industry competitiveness itself. Strategic analysis, scenario planning, PEST and SWOT analysis, Porter five forces, strategic formulation, strategic implementation; and other strategies are important to imply within the organization. Not just for the sake of getting profit, but also for long term future. All of the strategies mentioned above can help Malaysia Airlines to increase their profits and cover their losses. Not just that, the strategies also can help dealing with the external factors such as competitors, policies, and most importantly the internal environment itself. Efficiency, cost saving and opportunity exploitation can be achieved if the strategies are carried out with proper planning. In conclusion, strategic management are not just a strategy but it can make as a stepping stone to achieve success where it can be used to analyze strengths and weaknesses that surely will put Malaysia Airlines at great advantages. References Ansoff, I. (1965), corporate Strategy, McGraw-Hill, New York. Annual Report 2011. (Archive) Malaysia Airlines.p. 2. â€Å"Registered Office 3rd Floor, Administration Building 1 MAS Complex A Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah AIrport 47200 Subang Selangor DarulEhsan Malaysia† Barney, J.B., (1986a), Strategic Factor Markets: Expectations, Luck and Business Strategy. Management Science; 32, (10), pp. 1231–1241. Barney, J.B., (1986b), Organizational Culture: Can It be a Source of Sustained Competitive Advantage? Academy of Management Review; 11, (3), pp. 656–665. Barney, J.B., (2001), Is the Resource-Based Theory a Useful Perspective for Strategic Management Research? Yes. Academy of Management Review; 26, (1), pp. 41–56. Bryjolfsson, E., Renshaw, A.A., Alstyne, M.V., (1997), The Matrix of Change, Sloan Management Review Cadbury, A., (1992), Report of the committee on the

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Childhood of Abraham Lincoln: The Personal Legend Essay

* Abraham Lincoln childhood and how he found his personal legend since he was young * How Abraham Lincoln started to follow his personal legend inspiration in his youth and what he achieved in his early life. * What are the results for following his personal legend, and how he changed the whole world? * Conclusion that mention the difference between a person has a personal legend to follow it, and a person who just live normal and followed others inspiration. Personal legend is not just a term to describe a person who just follows his dreams, but the real meaning for the personal legend is, the soul of yourself that you need to understand, and to be able to communicate with it, to lead you for all things that make you happy and satisfied in your life. Life is a big journey and all people have the right to draw their dreams and wishes, the person who following his personal legend is, the only person who can achieve all his goals and dreams. For example, Abraham Lincoln the person who changed the whole world by his inspiration, when he found his personal legend that led him to be a president of the United States. When we speak about one of the famous and successful people who found their personal legend, there are too many, but when we speak about someone had changed the world with his inspiration and his personal legend, we speak about Abraham Lincoln, The 16th president of the United States. He grown up in united stated and his father Thomas Lincoln was a farmer, he used to own a few acres of land to plant it, during Abraham’s childhood he learned how to plant and helping his father in his farming work. He learned how to be responsible and supporter to his family. That made him strong physically and mentally, Abraham used to learn from his father personality, he was strong and very smart, and he used to learn from the nature all around him. He used to love nature and reading too, all these interests made him a strong thinker and helped him to find his personal legend that was leading him for helping people and serving his country. Later in his youth, Abraham started to follow his dreams and his personal legend, in fact that the time of his childhood there weren’t enough schools to educate people, in spite of the fact that schools were very expensive to join, these reasons never stopped Abraham from being educated and what his personal legend exist. He had had inspired by politics so he taught himself the law and started to read books about politics in general and law in particular to pursue a career in the politics’ field. After educating himself, he started to pursue his first career in the politics’ field as a lawyer. Without a doubt that was a very good transition that turned over his life from being a farmer into someone has a goal in the politics’ life. His personality and the education level that he reached helped him to success in the politics’ field, and helped him to start his first step in his new life and his way towards changing. He expressed his opposition about slavery and his determination to limit the expansion of that matter, which made him known, brought others’ passion to him, and allowed him to take place in congress to start his mission. During his journey into success he met his wife Mary Todd and he falls in love with her, she was very educated and attracting person, they got engaged, divorced then married. That made me remember in the Alchemist story when Santiago met Fatima and falls in love with her, the Alchemist taught him that true love never gets in the way of one’s Personal Legend. If it does then it is not true love but actually Santiago never forgot her during his journey and decided to go back to where he found his love after he found his Personal Legend. His enthusiasm toward improving and changing situations into better made the individual states and territories to decide whether they allow slavery, Finally the Law provoked slavery and allowed him to join the republican party which had had elected him to be President to the United States. In conclusion, the person who is looking for his personal legend should have a dream or a goal to led him into finding it, once you start looking to reach that dream, you keep struggling, stumbling, learning, and trying to reach your dream, but as soon as you find what is your Personal Legend wants to be or where it is exist, that makes you feel better in your life and satisfied with what you have reached. In the other hand many others prefer to take the easy way and follow others. For example, to be a baker or a shepherd, the baker earning much money than the shepherd does, however, there is others preferred to be a shepherd to enjoy their life, the nature, and the feeling of struggling for earning their money.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Fuddy Meers Essay

They play was quite an interesting play with its use of comedy and tragedy. The actors did a terrific job on portraying the characters. The set was small so it was much easier to see their reactions. The introduction to the play was pretty unique with those people in tight pants and glitter all over everybody in the lobby. They never broke character no matter what went on in the lobby. Later they used as prompts on stage which was pretty interesting because at times I was so into the play I forgot they were there acting as a car or a door. Although Claire was the main character, the actor who played Millet had the best acting on stage. They way he switch between the two personality was amazing and hilarious. He portrayed the character really well and had me believing for a bit that he actually had a dual personality. His entrance on to the stage in every scene was perfect, every time he can on he was really enthusiastic and his enthusiasm did not fluctuate too much in the play, even though he was not playing one but two characters. The actress who played Claire portrayed the character well. From the beginning to the end she really captured the characters and her emotions. When she first entered on stage I was confused of what was going as she was walking aimlessly across the stage but later realized that was the whole point. She wanted the audience to believe she was confused and lost; and she did. I notice her break the fourth wall every now and then as she looked into the audience. I suppose it was part of the scrip to interact with the audience because she mostly did it when she was on the side doing random things with the people in tight pants. Her entrances where perfect every time, even though the scenes where being switched off between her and Richard in the car, she never seen to loose focus. You could clearly see every expression on her face which made it more realistic to the audience. The actor who played Richard could have done a better job on portraying his character. He wasn’t terrible it just looked like he was trying to hard; it just didn’t seem as natural. For example in the scene he gets pulled over by the lady cop, he was a little too jittery; no one really acts like that. Overall he did pretty decent job but could have done much better. The limping man, who was Zack than later we found out he was Claire ex husband, did an amazing job portraying his character. It wasn’t only his facial deformation, which I have to admit looked pretty real to me, but was the way he acted out the character, from the lisp to the scary deep voice, that made him truly incredible. He made the audience believe he was really deformed. The scene when he first took Claire and he was struggle to enter the window was pretty hilarious but he also gave an insight to what he character was going through. They endowed many things on the set, most of the things looked pretty realistic. In the scene when Richard and his son go looking for Claire they used a paper joint to endow the marijuana they were smoking but they did not portray being under the influence as well as they could have. Usually people that smoke pot are really laid back and giggly with short term memory loss not knowing what their doing half the time. They also endowed the officer’s gun which still look pretty real. When Claire was running up and down the stage with that knife it seem pretty dangerous but from where I was sitting I couldn’t even tell if it was real or fake. The overall play was excellent and it gave me an opportunity to learn from these actors what to do and not to do. They really had some tremendous actors on this set who did an amazing job on convincing the audience on what was going on in the play.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Strategic Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Human Resource Management - Essay Example Strategy has over the time replaced the use of planning to illustrate a well laid down pattern of making decisions and taking actions by the upper management in an organisation towards a specific goal. Therefore, SHRM is critical in determining the success of any business entity and in steering the entire material and human resource in the organisation towards the common goal. Strategic management is mainly determined by three factors in an organisation, which are the resources, environment and the management that has to control and allocate resources towards the success of an organisation. An organisation has to operate in an uncertain environment with external factors such as economic and socio-cultural factors affecting decisions and operations in the company. Consequently, strategic management requires that the HR manager defines measures to facilitate organisational performance through strategies address the prevailing socio-cultural and economic forces. Economic and social-cult ural factors have an active role in determining the effectiveness of a human resource strategy in an organisation. For instance, while politicians are responsible for making tax decisions and other decisions that lead to policy formulation in a country, such policies affects economic factors in the business environment. Moreover, exchange rates, income growth, unemployment, industrial classification and customer confidence in an organisation are all factors that are closely rated to political dynamics, which affects economic factors in an organisation (Thompson, 2002). In addition, these factors have an effect on social aspects, while social factors do impact on them as well. Social factors are responsible for determining the dynamics in a society and include demographics and the overall population dynamics, which comprise of factors such as education level, income distribution, age distribution, mobility, customer behavior and entrepreneurial dynamics (Thompson, 2002). Pollution, g ender roles, fashion, harmful factors, lifestyle, among others are examples of socio-cultural factors that affect operations in an organisation (Pearce & Robinson, 2005). Moreover, the human resource manager has to put in place strategies to address the health services of the workers their social security in pensions, and has to consider work force mobility and work culture dynamics. These social-cultural factors translate to increased costs to the organisation, and the HR has to come up with strategies to ensure perform while at the same time cutting down costs. There are varying changes in the business operating environment that are caused by increasing forces of globalization, changes in demographics of the company’s workforce, intellectual capital and other changes that force an organisation to have a different approach in mangling human resources(Wright, 1998). A highly performing human resource approach that fails in establishing strategic integration lacks the competit ive advantage for survival, and would gradually lose its ground in the current market (Kazmi & Ahmed, 2001). In order to have operational excellence, research has shown that human resource managers have to align with the business strategic goals. Considering that a business is affected by external environmental factors such as economic and social-cultural factors, an effective HR manager has to pu

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System Essay

Racial Inequalities in the Criminal Justice System - Essay Example This essay discusses that the legal system of the United States favored the white part of the population from the very beginning. Indeed, originally all African slaves were not considered to be people in the full meaning of this word, but rather animate property that belonged to their masters. After they have been granted freedom, the governments of the states approved various laws that came to be known as Jim Crow laws which reinforced the segregation of races. Only the second half of the twentieth century witnessed the end of segregation. Prior to that time it often happened that Black citizens would be lynched and the police would not press any charges. As the study highlights the history of crimes committed and the sentencing handed down by judges has often been deemed racist. There is a question of the influx of police in poorer neighborhoods flooding the areas and arresting people for minor crimes. On a personal level, there is a staunch support for treatment for the mentally ill as opposed to incarceration. It was found that there is a number of â€Å"socioeconomic status variables (education, employment, public assistance, residential stability, and household composition)† that should be taken into account while considering the disparities in the legal system of the United States. As for the judicial system in general, it is rather obvious that there is a clear disproportion of judges that belong to different races.

Obesity, Diet and Physical Activity Data in England Shows Worsening St Essay - 1

Obesity, Diet and Physical Activity Data in England Shows Worsening State of Health of General Population - Essay Example The same overall trend emerges as the data is further processed and assessed for levels of occurrence of obesity as primary diagnoses for the same population of inpatients in hospitals in England over the decade-long observation period ending in 2013, with levels of occurrence being the highest for the age group from 35 to 54 years, and tapering off from either end of that peak age group (Datawrapper 2015; data.gov.uk 2015): There is another way to view the numbers presented above, that looks at the cost implications of the obesity numbers. Those costs relate to the medical interventions that are undertaken to treat obesity, and this, in turn, can be gauged by a proxy measure of the number of obesity medications that were given to obese inpatients in England for the observation period. Consistent with the overall trend for the occurrence of obesity throughout this observation period, with peaks around 2009-2011 and dips from 2012 to 2013, the numbers for medicine prescriptions to deal with obesity also follow the same peaks and dips (data.gov.uk 2015): Translating those prescription numbers into costs, we see that there has been a substantial overall escalation in obesity medicine costs through time, even with costs at the tail-end of the observation period going down (data.gov.uk 2015): Looking at the data from the perspective of the last plot, we see that obesity translates to very real and large healthcare financial costs. Moreover, extrapolating the figures and adding in the potential incremental costs of medication from the consequences of obesity, such as diabetes, it is natural to expect that the absolute financial costs must be a very large burden on patients and the healthcare system must shoulder. Moving forward, therefore, the overall trend towards worsening health has dire implications for the cost of managing obesity and overall healthcare in England (data.gov.uk 2015).

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Five Secrets of Charismatic Leader Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Five Secrets of Charismatic Leader - Assignment Example It enables people to go beyond the confines of mediocrity and tread into the realm of existence. In the process, it induces people to define their desires and to pursue them with passion. Ultimately, leadership transforms potential into reality. Charisma has been identified as one of the characteristics of transformational leaders. Tasler indicated that â€Å"displaying charismatic leadership is one of the most effective ways to boost everything from motivation and creativity to productivity and plain old satisfaction† (Tasler, 2010, par. 2). In this regard, leaders who do not seem to possess the charismatic qualities have renewed hope to develop the rudiments for honing this potential. Through a research conducted by Francesca Gino from Harvard Business School and David Hofmann of the University of North Carolina, the secrets of unraveling the charismatic powers in leaders are revealed. As presented by Tasler, there are specifically five steps to assist leaders in developing a more charismatic personae, to wit: (1) through a definition of the main character; (2) identifying the ultimate goal or the happy ending; (3) pinpointing the weakness of the current situation; (4) identifying the alternative courses of action; and (5) encourage outpouring of emotions. Simply put, Tasler’s advice is focused on: â€Å"charisma can be conveyed simply by using emotional words. Incorporate such words as nervous, afraid, and frustrated to heat up your descriptions of the not-so-happy beginning, and then use words like excited, confident, proud, and peaceful to make the happy ending feel happier. The goal is to create a stark contrast between the unpleasant feeling of the place they are currently in and the wonderful place they can go to if they do what you ask† (Tasler, 2010, par. 12).

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 23

Paper - Essay Example He embodies the transformational democratic leadership style that allows people within the company to exercise better control of their visions as a whole. Ideally, his transformation comes with selling out his vision and inspiring workers to participate in the building of the company. He is empathetic and knows that people only grow if they have the right training and vision to achieve their goals. His communication strategy is from top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top (Hackman, & Johnson 256). He knows that the only way of achieving success is by allowing people to be involved in the process of running the company. He offers the guidance and allows everyone to make contributions. He also values quality and does not seem perturbed by allowing others to chip in. This kind of emotional stability has made it easier to push the company to higher heights and attaining the intended growth with the company for the longest time possible (Hackman, & Johnson

Monday, September 23, 2019

International Management Ethics and Values Assignment

International Management Ethics and Values - Assignment Example >>>> answer each question with AT LEAST one paragraph 1. What is the difference between descriptive ethics and normative ethics? What role do values play in each of these two approaches to ethics? Provide examples to illustrate your points. Hints: define descriptive ethics and normative ethics? The importance (play important role in the ethical decision making) and the difference! Provide some examples. Descriptive ethics is founded on the belief that humans are ‘hard-wired’ to be selfish. That is, they are for the most part absorbed in fulfilling their own desires and goals. The capitalist economy is a good example of this instinct in humans, whereby, ‘greed is good’ is an accepted mantra for business corporations and individuals alike. Descriptive ethics promotes a ego-centric decision making model, whereby, an individual is morally entitled to pursue his own happiness through independent action. Cultural relativism is another term coupled to descriptive e thics. This school of thought contends that what is right or wrong is specific to the particular cultural milieu. Normative ethics, on the other hand, takes a more didactic approach to human action in that it prescribes ‘what’ is morally right through rational deliberation. ... 2. In practice, what can be said for and against utilitarianism, or a results-based approach to ethics? [Class 2a lecture file] Hints: define utilitarianism (act and role) advantages and disadvantages, define results-based approach! The utilitarian totem is ‘greatest happiness for the greatest number of people’. This objective for the evaluation of ethics is very appealing intuitively. It is also politically consistent with principles of democracy. But the issues with Utilitarianism crop up due to qualitative factors. For example, what exactly does ‘happiness’ mean? Moreover, are the values and conditions that create happiness universally the same? Even further, why should happiness or pleasure or utility be the arbiter of morality? Indeed, the purpose of moral inquiry is not so much happiness but justice. Under utilitarian ethics, the ends always justify the means. But to the extent that the means involve human action and assent, normative ethical evaluatio n comes into play. So, practical issues such as this have given Utilitarianism the tag of being an idealistic or utopian ethical system. 3. In practice, what can be said for and against deontology, or ethical theories of the right? [Class 3a lecture file] Hints: define deontology, advantages and disadvantages, define the theory of right! Deontology is a sharp contrast to Utilitarianism, in that actions are deemed right or wrong not through their consequences. In the contrary, those actions that are considered to be duties, including obligations, responsibilities and commitments are valued as moral. Deontological ethics aligns very well with the mandates of major religions of the world, including Christianity. For this reason, the theory has drawn criticism. It is easy to see how

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The Truth Behind Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” Essay Example for Free

The Truth Behind Hitler’s â€Å"Mein Kampf† Essay Have you ever wonder what is the driving force behind the killing of million of Jews in the regime of Hitler? The idea or the concept behind it came from a deeper belief that was supported by the history. â€Å"Mein Kampf†, which means â€Å"My Struggle†, is an original work of Hitler where his autobiography and his ideologies about life specifically its relation to politics were discussed. This book is particularly about the childhood days of Hitler in Nazi, his future plans in Germany and the struggle for conquering the world in the sense that it would affect the political science and the different human cultures of the world. The existence of the dominating mind was based in the concept of Aryanism which is considered by Hitler as the supreme form of culture. He was stating that the master race of all human culture is a Germanic man who has the physical appearance of fair skin, blond hair and blue eyes. Through this idea, he divided human to types and he established orders which can be classified into a higher or lower form. It also sets boundary that made the Northern Europeans exclusive. This principle was based on the idea that the Aryans are the only ones who can lead the world. Their place was considered as living space and these will lead in accordance to Hitler’s plan. Like the country Russia, Hitler planned that it would be the place for the source of food for the Northern Europeans. To support his principle, he cited that like the British Empire, who conquered the quarter of the world, he would plan and organize the domination for the supremacy among the others. These are some ideas which Hitler espoused in the book. Considering the concept of cultural organization, it sounds irrational for the thinking of other diplomats. It is the racism that it became very exclusive to their race. The subordinates were established because Hitler believed that it would be an advantage for the others to be subjugated because others will come in contact with the supreme ones and will be given or will be shared with what the Aryans have. Hitler also compared the other races like the Slavic and Jews people as the Untermenschen who are racially inferior. He assigned this idea to Jews because he believed that the Jews are related into conspiracy. Hitler uses a lot of descriptions to the cultural form of the Jews as the unscrupulous and the parasites and not only the Jews but also the Czechs, Russians and the Poles. This was supported by his idea that the Aryans are culturally superior. The culture of the Aryanism as part of the struggle for domination is believed to be the outcome of the high level of arts and sciences and technology of the German people. Hitler believed that the Jews are the ones who manipulated the press and control the world finances, utilizing culture to scatter chaos to other cultures and inventing a liberal form of government like the democratic form. The political battle between the Aryans and the Jews are continued in many years. Even in the military aspect of Germany, the Aryanism was applied. This was strengthened when Germany was defeated in the World War I by France that made France as Germany’s major aim to be conquered. This Nazism became one of the foundations in arranging the ways on how the society should work as planned by Hitler. The invasion was then regarded as part of the schemes of Aryanism to established their race as the supreme ones. This would be their concrete example of being the highest form. The differences between the Aryanism, as related to Nazism as a form of government, and the Jews concept of what should be the human culture, were showed in their endless cultural battle to dominate the world. Like the concept of white supremacy, it can lead to a very threatening tone to other races. Today, the different principles about the way on how should the culture adapt to a new one could be a threat to the original culture. Hitler’s idea and his plans about being the supreme is a big threat to the constructive forms of government. This can be based on the concept of ethnocentrism where that race considers their selves as the center and the most knowledgeable among others. To sum this up, â€Å"Mein Kampf† gives the idea of being the supreme like in the form of dictatorship where only one could lead and should be followed. WORK CITED â€Å"Mein Kampf†. July. 1925. http://www. historyplace. com/worldwar2/timeline/kampf2. htm

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Present Business Environment Business Essay

The Present Business Environment Business Essay Business environment is changing drastically in todays corporate world. In early years of current management era manager were suppose to work exclusively with equipments, data and systems; performing traditional tasks. But scenario of management responsibilities has been changed significantly and todays manger faces issues like cross training, personnel management , interdepartmental communication and widening job scope. Role Of Managers Managers run large corporations as well as entrepreneurial start-ups. They are found in government departments, not-for-profit agencies, museums, schools and even such non traditional organizations as political campaigns and consumer cooperatives. Managers can also be found doing managerial work in every country around the globe. No matter where managers are found and what gender they are, the fact is that managers have exciting and challenging jobs. Changes Affecting Managers Job Following are the few well known changes due to which manager job is affecting. CHANGE IMPACT OF CHANGE Shifting organizational boundaries Virtual workplaces More mobile workforce Flexible work arrangements Empowered employees Work life-personal life balance Changing Technology Risk Management Restructured workplace Discrimination concerns Globalization concerns Employee assistance Uncertainty over future energy sources/prices Changing security threats Redefined values Rebuilding trust Increased accountability Increased emphasis on organizational and managerial ethics Customer service Innovation Globalization Efficiency/productivity Increased competitiveness CHALLENGES FACED BY MANAGER Management can be a tough and often thankless job. A portion of a managers job may entail duties that are often more clerical than managerial. Managers often have to deal with a variety of personalities. It can be a challenge to motivate workers in the face of uncertainty. With the fast changing world, we need to cope up with things that could hinder the development of ones managerial skills. Here are the most common challenges faced by manager and how to solve them. Employee motivation:   Motivating the employees and maintaining their morale is essential for every business. However, this is only possible when any grievances of employees are adequately addressed while ensuring the companys interests. This is a significant challenge faced by management, especially in todays economy where the ever increasing cost of living leads to increased employee dissatisfaction, which is difficult to handle when the cost of doing business is rising rapidly. Recruitment:   Hiring the right people for the right job is a tough task. Analyzing the skills required for a particular job and searching through the multitude of resumes to find the perfect match is a challenge for any management. Market changes:   Keeping a constant watch on market trends and evolving the business to adequately match the consumers demands is another challenging responsibility.   ROLE OF GLOBALIZATION A major environmental change that has taken place in the last fifteen years is the globalization of business. The world has become a global village and business has become global in character. Organizations are venturing beyond national boundaries in the pursuit of business opportunities. The emergence of a borderless world has had a tremendous impact on the way organizations behave. They are no longer insulated from foreign competition, and this has forced organizations to examine cost efficiencies, structure, job design, human capital, and many other sources of effectiveness and competitiveness. Responding to globalization is becoming more and more important; this result in redefining business model. Today change is happening at a rate that does not afford organizations the luxury of managing one major change at a time. Today managers are facing two questions because of globalization, how does relentless change redefine the nature of management and the structure of an enterprise? And what role should management play in re-shaping the enterprise? Example Toyota Motor Corporation makes cars in USA and Pakistan, Mc Donalds sells burgers in Pakistan and hamburgers in China, and Marks and Spencers sells products in Pakistan. Every other product sold by Wal-Mart stores Inc. is made in China or Pakistan. ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY Technology has had a tremendous impact upon the global business environment. Communication, transportation and production efficiency are various areas of business which have been enhanced by the development and improvement of technology. As continual enhancements are made, the world continues to grow smaller and businesses have further reach than ever. Computers The most important technological development to impact the global business environment is the world of computers. There are various programs which help maintain records of inventories and shipments. Email allows for instantaneous communication almost anywhere in the world. Besides its speed, email is easily forwarded and retained. The communication in the global business environment is improved with the use of email. The impact of computers on the global business environment is wide-ranging and also includes the Internet, which is a useful tool for international companies. By using the Internet, companies across the world can perform research and learn more about partners and suppliers. Conference Calls and Video Conferencing Conference calls allow people in multiple locations to be involved in the same conversation. Video conferencing provides the same service, but with the added benefit of all parties being able to actually see each other. Both of these forms of communication have a definite impact on the global business environment. With either form of technology, a parent company in China can have a conversation with a raw material supplier in Pakistan and a manufacturing plant in Taiwan. This improves communication on a global scale and enables all parties to understand specific plans and agreements. Shipment Tracking Corporations now have the ability to track shipments virtually anywhere across the world. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) allow accurate tracking. The implication of this technology on the global business environment is the ability to let customers know exactly where their shipments are at any given time. This technology creates secure relationships within the global business field. ROLE OF COMPETITION Competition has intensified for many organizations over the last decade, primarily as a result of the business. Competitors fill a need for business owners by keeping them on the cutting edge. Without competitors, a business would have no reason to keep prices in check. It would create a monopoly which is never good in any society. When two competitors compete for business, the market (customers) are the ones who decide who they will patronize with their dollars. Prices are usually the first element people choose when deciding which business or product to go with. Competitors drive innovation and keep new ideas and procedures moving forward. Imagine if McDonalds were the only fast food hamburger restaurant in the world. There would never be a Burger King to compete. All food would taste bland and boring. ROLE OF ETHICAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Many consumers and social advocates believe that businesses should not make a profit but also consider the social implications of their activities. Social responsibility is a businesss obligation to maximize its positive impact minimize its negative impact on society. Although many people use the terms social responsibility and ethics interchangeably, they do not mean the same thing. Business ethics relates to an individuals or a work groups decisions that society evaluates as right or wrong, whereas social responsibility is a broader concept that concerns the impact of the entire businesss activities on society. From an ethical perspective, for example, we may be concerned about a health care organization or practitioner over- charging the provincial government for medical services. From a social responsibility perspective, we might be concerned about the impact that this overcharging will have on the ability of the health care system to provide adequate services for all citizens. The most basic ethical and social responsibility concerns have been codified as laws and regulations that encourage businesses to conform to societys standards, values, and attitudes. At a minimum, managers are expected to obey these laws and regula- tions. Most legal issues arise as choices that society deems unethical, irresponsible, or otherwise unacceptable. However, all actions deemed unethical by society are not necessarily illegal, and both legal and ethical concerns change over time. Business law refers to the laws and regulations that govern the conduct of business. Many problems and conflicts in business can be avoided if owners, managers, and employees know more about business law and the legal system. Business ethics, social responsibility, and laws together act as a compliance system requiring that businesses and employees act responsibly in society.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The atrocities of blood diamonds

The atrocities of blood diamonds The Atrocities of Blood Diamonds The name â€Å"diamond† comes from the Greek word, â€Å"adamas†, meaning unconquerable. Suitably diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man, it is made up of milky-white pure carbon crystals. Diamonds have always been a sign of wealth and prosperity. It is also a traditional expression of love. However, it is financing and profiting vicious political militias. People all around the world own these diamonds, and have never heard of Sierra Leone. Blood diamonds, also called â€Å"conflict diamonds,† are diamonds that are illegally mined and traded by rebel groups to fund militias that are against governments. To fully understand the eminence of these gems, and ultimately realize their role in violence, its important to know where they come from. Blood diamonds are mainly associated with the African countries of Angola, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe. These precious stones have been around for a century or so, but it wasnt until it financed both civil wars in Angola and Sierra Leone in the 1990s, that international attention was drawn to the horrors of these diamonds. Ever since then diamond-connected violence in Africa has been systemic and massive. (Gale) Due to human right abuses, child labor, fueled violence, and environmental destruction of blood diamonds, the government should fully enforce the prevention of trading conflict diamonds within the diamond industry.   After the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975, Angolas civil war raged for nearly thirty years. (GALE) The opposing divisions made an agreement to cease-fire, and held a multiparty election. Well-known rebel leader Jonas Savimbi ran for presidency, but was defeated. Believing that the election was unfair, he took his rebel group, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), and took control of two-thirds of Angola, including majority of its diamond mines. With the diamonds, he funded the guerrilla warfare. UNITAs diamonds were smuggled out of Angola through the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Campell 4) Sierra Leone is a small nation on the West African coast with a population of over four million people. It used to be a leading country with strong academic and artistic achievement, and entrepreneurial abilities. However, with a great decline, it is now the worst place to live in the world, and it continues to get worse. The country is terrorized by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) who is motivated by two factors: 1. Government failure to attend to the needs of the citizens; and 2. Conflicting ideas about who should control the states mineral resources. (Banant) Initially RUF claimed to fight a corrupt administration, however the rebels quickly realized that the most effective route to power lay in Sierra Leones diamond mines. Foday Sankoh, a former corporal of the Sierra Leone army, leads the RUF. He was imprisoned for seven years for being part of the coup attempt against Siaka Stevens. (Meredith 107) By 1994 the RUF had control of massive parts of Sierra Leone and its mines. They smuggled the diamonds into their neighbor, Liberia. From there is sold into the world market. In 2007, Zimbabwe emerged as a hotspot for large-scale diamond smuggling. The countrys diamonds surfaced in South Africa, where it was reported as legitimate diamonds and was exported around the world. However the Zimbabwe government vigorously denied these charges. In the past two years with further evidence of corruption, the violence in the nations diamond fields continues to spur international concern. Human Rights Watch conducted studies that show that police officers in Zimbabwes fields to end the illicit diamond smuggling were actually responsible for the killing of artisan miners and locals. In October 2008, under the control of President Robert Mugabe, the Zimbabwe military killed over 200 people to take over the Marange diamond fields. Today De Beers a London based company, controls over two-thirds of the worlds diamonds. This company became involved with the diamonds from Africa right after their discovery. Rhodes, the creator of De Beers envisioned controlling the whole diamond market. He was able to complete his monopolistic goals by 1880. With the formation of the London Diamond Syndicated, Rhodes was able to match supply with demand. It provided him important information about the diamond market allowing him to create an artificially controlled supply of diamonds. In return, the merchants were guaranteed certain amount of diamond supply from Rhodes mines. (Johnson) The rebels have committed nefarious crimes against humanity. The RUF uses a brutal tactic as a tool to terrorize the civilian population into submission and break-apart families and communities. People are abducted, men are captured to work in the mines, boys are recruited into gangs, and women and girls act as domestic sex slave to the fighters. The war from 1991-1999 has claimed over 75,000 lives, caused   500,000 Sierra Leoneans to become refugees. (Johnson)   Nearly 80% of the Sierra Leones population of 5 million people have been displaced. ( Campbell) According to research done by â€Å"Physicians for Human Rights†, nearly every village in Sierra Leone under the rule of RUF has been profoundly impacted by the tumult. Rape of women and girls was widespread and vicious during the conflict in the 1990s, and is reportedly continuing to this day. Out of twenty women interviewed, twelve were raped. The rebels had beaten them to cause disorientation and to break their resistance. (Bell) Those lucky enough to escape from the rebels or who was release from some reason, suffer from various consequences. Sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AID are rampant in this commonality. Trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and alienation from their communities, scar the lives of these victims. A high percentage of the survivors are pregnant or are single mothers of â€Å"rebel babies†, a constant reminder of their horrible suffering. (Johnson) They face bleak futures without the medical attentions and humanitarian assistance that they need. Mutilation of men, women and children is a fun game for the rebels. Teams are dedicated to capture and mutate citizens. Sierra Leone President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in 1996 pleaded for his countrymen to â€Å"join hands† for peace. As a response the RUF dismembered their victims by cutting of their hands and dumped the parts on the steps of the presidential palace. (Campbell XV) Mà ©decins Sans Frontià ¨res (MSF) was created there, a camp for amputees and war wounded. (Meredith 116) Sankoh forcibly recruited combatants from the children who were abducted during village raids. They went through indoctrination with dugs and training to kill. In many cases they were forced to kill their own families. Girls were forced to become soldiers wives (Meredith 563) Child soldiers was a key part of the Sierra Leone conflict. Half of the RUF were 8-14 years old. (114) The Rarry Boys were thousands of unemployed youths who roamed the town of Freetown. They had a horrible lifestyle full of gambling, drugs, theft, and anger. (117) Martin Meredith a historian on the topic of blood diamonds said this famous quote, â€Å"Joining a militia group is both meal ticket and substitute education. The pay may be derisory, but weapon training pays quicker dividends than school ever did. Soon the AK47 brings food, money, a warm math, and instant adult respect.† Young men join these combat groups to substitute for their lost family and friends. Child combatants are often considered id eal recruits by armed groups because they are relatively easy to manipulate, unlikely to question the groups motives, and arouse little suspicion, according to the advocacy group Refugees International. Children because by the very nature of their immaturity are often induced to commite some of the wars greatest atrocities. (Atwood NP) Majority of the diamonds are harvested using the exploit of children and communities as labor force. The workers are subject to brutality and degrading working conditions, and quite often death. The few that mine voluntarily get a very small income, the unlivable wage is way below the extreme poverty line. Small-scale miners are estimated to produce 20-25% of the minerals worldwide. This type of mining is usually illegal considering that is under extreme dangerous and unhealthy conditions. There is no safety equipment or proper tools allowed for the workers. The miners are deprived of basic needs and there is a lack of sanitation. The mortality rate of child and young adult has vastly increased. Children are considered as cheap labor and can do dangerous tasks that adults cant do. They are often sent into small mines that are too small for adults. They are given dangerous and physically challenging jobs. Everyday they risk their lives to landslides as weak ropes only protect them. A recent study in Angola found that 46% of miners are under the age of 16 because of war and poverty. These children suffer many consequence, and work until they are replaced, often by children younger than themselves. In March 2003, UN reported that child labor in the diamond mines needed great support. (Roberts NP) With the end of civil war in Angola, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe, the nations should have continued to greater economic development. Years of peace had almost doubled the diamond production in Angola while the annual diamond financial contributions to government tripled. The communities near the mining sites in Angola struggles to survive with little government spending. A report from Partnership Africa Canada in 2007 reported that there was no public schools, water supply systems, or health clinics. Road were ruined and agriculture did not exist. In Congo, half of their foreign exchange earning are from the export of diamonds, however from the 700,00 people that mine, the majority of them are unregistered. President Siaka Stevens turned the diamond industry into his personal preserve in the 1970s. He had a whole system with Lebanese dealers and local traders. In 1994 the RUF overran bauxite and titanium mines, cutting the government from its last reliable source of income. Sankoh had control of a large part of the diamond fields. (Meredith 565) The RUF has profited about $25-125 million per year by delivering the stones into the worlds diamond market. (Campbell XXII) The mines in Africa produced about $300 million per year. But because the diamond fields were in the hand of private entrepreneurs who smuggle it out of the country, the government makes only a small income. Diamond mining has wreaked environmental havoc throughout African countries and around the world. There is a lack of control and regulations of the mining system that the environment is neglected. The landscape has completely altered because the pits dug have not been refilled once mining in that area is over. Topsoil is not preserved which is needed to re-deposite on reclaimed land so that vegetation can be planted. (The Environmental Literacy Council) The diamond mining also relates to energy uses, which emissions contribute to global climate change. With the ninety years of environmental damage in Angola, large tracts of land have been devastated. The local water is poisoned and indigenous populations are forced to relocate. Abandon mining pits are full of water that is mosquito infested. The pits are left opened and unmanaged to runoff into rivers and streams. The UN Security Council has established the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) consisting of 17,500 peacekeeping troops, notably without any U.S troop involvement. When RUF leader Sankoh was arrested, he was replaced with Issa Sesay. The RUF made efforts of demoblization in May 2001 by releasing hundreds of abducted children. However RUF broke apart and on November 2002 cease-fire was signed. UNAMSIL was deployed and in January 2002, the war was declared over. (Meredith 114)   The UN Security Council on July 2000, voted to impose a ban on diamonds from Sierra Leone, the same as that of Angola the previous year. And in 2001, diamond exports from Liberia was imposed sanction from the Council. Finally after public outcry, the Kimberley Process was created in 2003 to address the problem of the blood diamonds funding violent civil wars. The Kimberley Process is an international certification system that has established standards for countries to pledge the yield of importation and exportation of these diamonds. It included representatives of seventy-one of the worlds dominant diamond producing countries. (Roberts NP) This system tracks the route of a diamond, from the mine all the way to the retail shop; attempting to avoid the trade these tainted diamonds. With this new precaution, the quantity of blood diamonds in the market lowered to 1% in 2007. However despite the Kimberley Process, conflict areas such as Cà ´te dIvoire continue to use diamonds to fund vi olence. The Kimberley Process hasnt been successful in overseeing human rights abuses. Currently it still ignores cutting and polishing centers as an entranceway for blood diamonds to enter the general circulation of diamonds into the market. (NP) According to Global Witness a humans rights group, inadequate government regulations over factories enable illicit diamonds to slide into legitimate channels of trade. Global Witness, who had lobbied for the establishment of the Kimberley Process, admitted that the system was not sufficed.   Many others also question the effectiveness of these protocols. According to Amnesty International, â€Å"government controls in the United States and in other countries are not strong enough or enforced effectively to stop rebel groups from exploiting diamonds to fuel conflict.† (Nyathi NP) In June 2009, Namibia hosted a conference of officials of the diamond producing countries to review the Kimberly Process. In mid 2009, the Kimberley Process ordered a review mission Zimbabwe. This investigation affirmed that Zimbabwe was executing non-compliance with the Kimberley Process standards. (Dugger NP) It was recommended that Zimbabwe be suspended from the scheme to prevent Zimbabwe from legally exporting blood diamonds. Despite the fact, Zimbabwe has not been suspended from the faction and its diamonds still continue to sneak into the worlds supply of diamonds. In August 2009, the Kimberly Process conducted a mission to Angola, the latest one being in 2005. (NP) Investigators discovered many accounts of rape and brutality against miners from nearby countries.   Human right groups uncovered that many violations especially to many immigrants. (NP) These conditions demonstrate that the Kimberly Process is inadequate and isnt doing its job to prevent the abuses in the international diamond trade, as well as cooperation from the governments to stamp out diamond-related violence. In 1998 sanctions were put in place to ban the trade of Angolan diamonds. However it has since been lifted and small scale miners continue to work inhuman circumstances under the control of private security firms who are hired by large diamond trading companies. Rafael Marques, an Angolan journalist documented the cases of torture, sexual abuses, and assassinations on just one mining site in Lundas. Amnesty International reports extreme rights violations by soldiers and police in the diamond mines. The United States is currently working on the legislation for the Clean Diamond Act to eliminate the conflict diamonds from its markets. This act bans any diamonds that come from an unknown origin. However the main reason why there is still a problem is because of the structure of the diamond industry. De Beers still control majority of the market and they dont have incentive to regard this issue of these stones, because blood diamonds are such a small portion of the worldwide diamond sales. As illustrated above with the atrocities that have occurred in Sierra Leone and other African countries, it is obvious that action still needs to be immediately taken to once and for all eliminate the stones causing all these deaths and destructions.   Chairman of the Sierra Leone Panel of Experts, Martin Chungong Ayafor said, â€Å"Diamonds are forever† it is often said. But lives are not. We must spare people the ordeal of war, mutilations, and death for the sake of conflict diamonds.à ¢â‚¬  Dramatic solutions need to be made now in order to stop this worldly trend. Ways to fully stop blood diamonds in its tract is to have a well-structured certificate of origin regime to ensure that only legitimate diamonds are being traded. There needs to be additional controls by Member States and the industry to guarantee that the regime is enforced. Including with the standardization of the certificated would be monitoring of the regime and legislations against those who fail to adopt. There needs to be a combined effort from the government, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, arms manufacturers, diamond traders, and diamond customers. They need to demand a strict enforcement of sanctions, and to encourage real lasting peace. By no longer purchasing these gems, it would be cutting off sources of funding for the rebel groups and eventually ending the cycle and promoting lasting harmony.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Intel Essay -- essays research papers

Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This analysis of Intel Corporation is to educate the investor about the company and provide them with useful information that will enable them to make a decision as to whether they should invest in the company. Intel primarily manufactures semiconductors or integrated circuits containing silicon that are used in computers as computer chips.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The purpose of this paper is to provide the investor with facts regarding the company profile, global presence, environmental policies, competitors, and stock performance. After review of the analysis the investor should be able to determine if Intel is a profitable investment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This analysis has been gathered through the use of primary and secondary resources. The primary resources used are mainly interviews with Intel CEO, Craig Barrett. Secondary resources have been the main source through articles that have been gathered using online sources and journals. Background In 1968 Bob Noyce, Gordon Moore and Andy Grove founded a new company that built semiconductor memory products, named NM Electronics Inc. Moore and Noyce had problems with the copyright of the company’s name as it already belonged to a hotel chain. Noyce, Moore and Grove then changed the name to Intel Corporation, short for Integrated Electronics. The small startup company was founded in Santa Clara, California with $500,000 and funds from investors. In 1971 they introduced the world’s first microprocessor, which revolutionized the computer industry. Moore sensed the impending growth of the semiconductor computer chip industry and predicted that the amount of transistors on a single computer chip would double every year. This fact helds true and has been coined as â€Å"Moore’s Law†. Intel's mission is to be the preeminent building block supplier to the Interne... ...lopment at a time when the semiconductor industry began to slow down. He persisted through the semiconductor industry’s slowdown and shifted focus on diversifying Intel’s market. Now as the semiconductor industry begins to surge ahead CEO Craig Barrett has been given praise for his foresight and perseverance. Barrett will be stepping down as CEO in the spring of 2005, and will sit on the board of directors with Intel founder Andy Grove. As reported by Intel, Barrett earned a salary of $610,000 and received a $1.5 million dollar bonus in 2003. Paul Otellini, Intel’s chief operating officer will be taking over the position of CEO. Otellini, is Intel’s first CEO without an engineering degree.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 2003 Intel Foundation and Intel Corporation contributed more than $90 million to primary and secondary education, higher education, and to non-profit organizations in communities where Intel operates. CEO Craig Barrett’s point of view on the nation’s education system, â€Å"A faulty educational system that does little to teach adequate math and science skills is a major problem the high-tech economy and the nation will need to address in the coming years† (Riucciti).

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Industrial Revolution :: essays research papers

The Industrial revolution began in the early 1800s. The industrial revolution could not have happened if the agricultural revolution had not preceded it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the Agricultural Revolution several inventions that reduced the need for man power were invented. Two of those inventions were the Jethro Tull seeding drill and the cotton gin. The seeding drill planted seeds in rows which made the crops easier to manage and harvest. The cotton gin was invented in 1793 by Eli Whitney, it took the seeds out of the cotton. The cotton gin made it so that the work that previously needed to be done by fifty men could now be done by one. An idea of the agricultural revolution was crop rotation. Crop rotation was switching the crops into different fields each year which allowed farmers to produce 25 % more crops and more food means more population up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the agricultural revolution population went up and less people were needed to work on the farms. There were a lot of people that needed jobs but there were not a lot of jobs for people on farms so the people turned to the cities. The time when people went into the cities looking for jobs which caused the populations of the cities to at least double was called urbanization. During urbanization the city of Manchester in the United kingdom grew from 50,000 people to 500,00 people, this rapid increase of population took place during an extremely short period of time. The United Kingdom became the place where the industrial revolution was born. It happened here because the UK had land, labor, and wealth. Factories arose first in the UK and then all over Europe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since there were factories everywhere, there were plenty of jobs for the people. Even though the factories did provide jobs for the people they were not good jobs. People started working as young as the age of six. The average work day was 14-16 hours, and that’s a lot of working hours, especially for a young child.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Inside the factories the conditions were absolutely dreadful. The air was full of dust and other things that made it practically unbreathable, the machines were dangerous and often took a persons limbs or injured them in other ways. Because the work days were so long and the workers were practically on their feet the entire day people became deformed and had problems with their legs. Despite all the hard labor and dangers of the work place the workers were still paid next to nothing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eventually working conditions did improve. One of the things that helped improve conditions were unions. Unions were when all of the workers got together

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Lab †Risk Essay

Name and Number: CIS 333 LAB#6 Instructor Name: Professor West Lab Due Date: 19 May 2013 1. What is the difference between a risk analysis (RA) and a business impact analysis (BIA)? Risk analysis is often identifying the potential threats and the associated vulnerabilities to the organizations . Risk analysis doesn’t view the organization from the mission critical Business Process point of view. More over BIA perceives the organization from the impact that is going to occur for an organization if the critical business processes are interrupted or tampered What is the difference between a Disaster Recovery Plan and a Business Continuity Plan? Disaster recovery is the older of the 2 functions. DR planning is an essential part of business planning that – too often – gets neglected. Part of this has to do with the fact that making a Disaster Recovery plan requires a lot of time and attention from busy managers and executives from every functional department within the company. Business continuity is a newer term which was first popularized as a response to the Y2K bug. In order to stop your company from bleeding money in these situations, you need a plan that will allow the organization to continue generating revenue and providing services – although possibly with lower quality – on a temporary basis until the company has regained its bearings. 3. Typically, a business continuity plan is also a compilation or collection of other plans. What other plans might a BCP and all supporting documents include? Technical backup Plan: How can you recover smoothly from technical glitches. Communications Plan: What communication will facilitate this recovery. Why is it important to have detailed backup and recovery steps within your disaster recovery plan (DRP)? 5. What is the purpose of a risk analysis? What is the purpose of a business impact analysis? Why are these an important first step in defining a BCP and DRP? The purpose of a Business Impact and Risk Assessment is to determine the approximate business value of IT assets, to assess the impact the loss of those assets would have on business units, and to assign recovery priorities to the assets. 6. How does risk analysis (RA) relate to a business impact analysis for an organization? The purpose of a Business Impact and Risk Assessment is to determine the approximate business value of IT assets, to assess the impact the loss of those assets would have on business units, and to assign recovery priorities to the assets. 7. Given the list of identified mission critical business functions and processed, what kind of company would you say this organization is, and what do you think are its most important business processes and functions? It Company; Risk Analysis & Disaster Recovery Plan to get the business up and running on the web 8. Given the prioritization list provided for the organizations identified business functions and processes, write an assessment of how this prioritization will impact the need for IT systems, applications, and data access? Recovery strategies should be developed for Information technology (IT) systems, applications and data. This includes networks, servers, desktops, laptops, wireless devices, data and connectivity. Priorities for IT recovery should be consistent with the priorities for recovery of business functions and processes that were developed during the business impact analysis. IT resources required to support time-sensitive business functions and processes should also be identified. The recovery time for an IT resource should match the recovery time objective for the business function or process that depends on the IT resource. Information technology systems require hardware, software, data and connectivity. Without one component of the â€Å"system,† the system may not run. Therefore, recovery strategies should be developed to anticipate the loss of one or more of the following system components: * Computer room environment (secure computer room with climate control, conditioned and backup power supply, etc.) * Hardware (networks, servers, desktop and laptop computers, wireless devices and peripherals) * Connectivity to a service provider (fiber, cable, wireless, etc. ) * Software applications (electronic data interchange, electronic mail, enterprise resource management, office productivity, etc. ) * Data and restoration Some business applications cannot tolerate any downtime. They utilize dual data centers capable of handling all data processing needs, which run in parallel with data mirrored or synchronized between the two centers. This is a very expensive solution that only larger companies can afford. However, there are other solutions available for small to medium sized businesses with critical business applications and data to protect. 9. For the top identified business functions and processes, what recovery time objective (RTO) would you recommend for this organization and why? The RTO must match or be shorter than the MTD 10. Why is payroll for employees and Human Resources listed as a co-number 1 business priority? It is listed as a number one because it is highly what runs the office and something very important for these to parts to be correct.