Pride And Prejudice The Board Game Is A Fresh And...

Pride and Prejudice: The Board Game is a fresh and interactive way to either become introduced to Jane Austen or enjoy the story of Pride and Prejudice as it takes place. The goal of the game is to earn or buy all the needed tokens and then move your respective couple to the church for marriage. Important aspects of the game are the couples moving as a unit, appearances of the game characters, gaining regency life and novel tokens, and marriage, which is the object of the game. Just as â€Å"the business of [Mrs. Bennet’s] life was to get her daughters married† (Austen 4), the business of the player’s game is to get their couple wedded. The game allows for up to four players, meaning there are four couples, which operate as a unit, from which†¦show more content†¦It is clear that the appearance of Mr. Darcy is likely based off Colin Firth’s depiction in the 1995 TV series. Other than that, many of these characters seem drastically different from t heir novel counterparts. Jane Bennet, who is described as the prettiest Bennet sister, is simply not as beautiful in the game’s depiction. In fact, all of the women, except for Charlotte, have wide and almost ghastly smiles on their faces. These smiles make them appear comical, and even creepy. Lydia Bennet, who is the youngest sister, looks much older in this game than she should. Ironically, the most normal-looking woman in these depictions is Charlotte Lucas. In fact, it could be argued that Charlotte looks the most normal because she is not so over-dramatized that she looks like a clown. Although each member of a couple can be moved independently of one another as the game is played, only one can be moved at a time in a single turn. This lends to the importance of both a husband and a wife in Jane Austen’s novels. While not every couple may be a happy one, the game acknowledges that marriage is a team effort, reflected in the fact that neither the wife or the husba nd have special moves or power plays that they can make during the game. And although the backs men and women’s cards depict different sets of tokens, either member of the couple can acquire any of these pieces, giving each person an equal amount of power. This is keeping withShow MoreRelatedSuccessful Women Hr in India13762 Words   |  56 Pagesmatured to handle complex business situations. To start with, successful women should not use being a woman as an excuse for not succeeding†¦ It is easy to resort to because –I am-a-woman mentality when things are not going your way. Instead, take pride in your abilities and stand up for your competence and strength. Women entering work today do realistically accept that the entire society, is not restraining and constraining, nor are all the men. 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Analysis Of Hbo s Newest Drama Essay - 2175 Words

HBO’s newest drama has tons of buzz around it. The new show, West World, focuses on an alternate world that humans can travel too. The alternate world is set in America’s wild west and filled with robotic human named â€Å"hosts†. The host’s only purpose is to entertain the human guests. Guests come in the park for many different reasons but their main intent is to have sex with and murder the humanoid hosts. All the hosts are programmed to follow a certain path everyday and lead the guests on different adventures through out the park. Although the hosts have been programmed they are incredibly life like in both appearance and action. The show has brought up many cultural and philosophical questions--many of them reflecting the desires of human nature. The show attempts to address topics about ethical values of humans, and robotic creation. Although the show is based in what seems to be the future, it is a future that we are rapidly approaching. With the a dvancement of technology and creation of robots the ethical principles brought up in the show are rather important. West world serves as an important reflection not only of the ugly violent nature of humans, but also as an ethical compass for a future we could be approaching. One of the most common themes in West World is the ugliness of human nature. This alternate world is set in the wild west. The wild west was a place with no rules. Everyone was free to do just about whatever they wanted. That is part of lure of going toShow MoreRelatedExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pagesmain issues inï ¬â€šuencing the competitive position of a number of organisations in the same industry with a relatively short case. For a case that permits a more comprehensive industry analysis The Pharmaceutical Industry could be used. However, if the purpose is more focused – illustrating the use of ‘ï ¬ ve forces’ analysis – the TUI case study or I llustration 2.3 on The Steel Industry could be used. Some cases are written entirely from published sources but most have been prepared in cooperation with

RALS Rostering Project Business Project Evaluation

Question: Describe the RALS Rostering Project for Business Project Evaluation. Answer: Part One Project Name: The Globex Rostering system Team Members Names Contact Details 1. David +61111111111 2. Nick +61222222222 3. Josh +61333333333 4. Sam +61444444444 Note: The names may be replaced with the students names Project Overview Due to the current technological advancement globally, many companies are moving away from manual systems to computer-based systems. Enterprises have recognised the need for customer-oriented services as one way of improving efficiency in services delivery and gain competitive advantage in the todays competitive markets ( Zidane, Johansen, Anandasivakumar , 2015). Even Non-Profit making organizations such as Globex has to moving from manual systems into computer-based systems. This project on the development of the computer-based program is based on a request by the by the management of Globex International. The system would be used purposefully to keep track of the volunteers who work at the Riverina Agricultural and Lifestyle Show (RALS) to enhance management of personnel. As a long term client for the Virtucon, Globex made a formal request to the former to commence the development of the new rostering system. In response, Virtucon has accepted the request and promised to develop a user-friendly system while observing cost effectiveness and usability (Turner, 2016). As a reputable organization, Virtucon is known in developing computer-based systems that go beyond the fundamental requirements mentioned by the client. Most of the customers are satisfied with the services provided by Virtucon; this was the basis of the decision by Globex to contract the company. The Globex Rostering system will improve the efficiency of coordinating all the activities delegated to the volunteers. The basic features of the system would basically record and store the Volunteers personal details like full names, contact, residential areas, physical address, and professions. Besides the personal information, additional information listed below would captured using the system as well; Key responsibilities, interests and roles. Volunteers qualification details which should be supported by academic and professional certificates from recognized academic institutions and reputable organizations. For instance, the qualification details of the security officer working with the child check department and first aid personnel would be stored (Cover, 2012). The current employees of the volunteers. Such organizations will include Rotary, Red Cross, St. Johns ambulance, the World Bank and the ICV among other others. The information is important because it would allow retrieval of the volunteers performance and behaviour information to ascertain their credibility of working with the Globex (Samset, 2013). Globex is dedicated to protect their clients against any form of victimization that would arise from unqualified volunteers. A timetable showing the time and days assigned to each volunteers Outline the duties assigned to each volunteer. Lastly, the system would give room for adding more information about the volunteers are deemed fit by Globex. This will be possible by including a Add Info Icon on a volunteers page. Team Charter Project members skills and assigned duties The project team was constituted based on the project roles and requirements. Each member has a distinctive role assigned to them. The roles are clear outlines to; a) avoid redundancy where two or more members find themselves performing similar jobs without their knowledge (gudda, 2011); b) allow proper time management- the system should be developed, tested and implemented within a period of six months. Therefore, there is the need to allocated duties to each member as a method of beating the deadline; and c) avoid non-execution of given tasks which might have been forgotten during the preparation stag (Morell, 2016). Task assignment will be done at the initial stage of project planning. The following are the roles to be performed by each members. The tasks were assigned based on the members profession, knowledge, skills and experience. David will provide technical support David is a qualified ICT personnel with vast experience in computer systems. Therefore, his role would be providing advice on designing the computer system and computer networking. David has the responsibility of advising other members on issues such as networking diagnosis, search engines, handling security and privacy issues. This member is very important to the success of project design, development, and implementation and upgrading (Pierce, White, Emery, 2011). Nick has been assigned the communication role The role of communication has been assigned to Nick. He has the responsibility of coordinating communication between other team members to enhance effective flow of information between them. Communication barrier was identified as a hindrance to the project design and to avoid any form of inconveniences the role of communication director was introduced. As a communication director, Nick will be required to be good listener and communicator and possess the ability of resolving conflicts when they arise. He is open-minded, respectful, friendly and confidence. In simple terms, Nick understands his role perfectly well (Don Passey, 2014). Josh assigned the role of team leader As the team leader, Josh will coordinate all the activities of the group such as check the progress against the timeline, liaising with Globex to inform them on the teams progress and taking corrective actions when a problem arise during the process. He has the responsibility of making strategic decisions that supports the project, Josh has vast experience in personnel management and provision of visionary leadership skills (Don Passey, 2014). Sam has been assigned the role of system designing Sam is a qualified system developer with over 15 years working experience. He will work hand in hand with David to ensure that the designed system meets all the requirements listed by the Globex. Team Commination The team have already discussed and agreed on the meeting place and time. It has been agreed that team will be meeting on Wednesdays and Fridays each week at the companys conference hall located within the ICT department. The Wednesday meetings are scheduled to commence at 10 am and last for 4 hours. During the time, the team members would be reviewing the progress of each member in performing their assigned duties. Urgent issues such as corrections would be noted done, and each member requested to make the necessary changes (Turner, 2016). On Thursdays, the members involve themselves on their personal responsibilities. Nevertheless, they are required to make the discussed changes before the second meeting on Friday at 4 pm at the same venue. The Friday meetings would last for two hours, and the members would review whether the changes have been made as discussed. Likewise, any arising issues would be discussed during the period. Lastly, each member would be assigned new tasks to be executed during the flowing week ( Zidane, Johansen, Anandasivakumar , 2015). All the communication between the members would be carried by Nick, the Communications Manager. He is required to take minutes discussed during the meetings and conduct follow-ups with members. The meetings would be used to discuss the essential resources and its Upon Josh to make sure that the resources are availed to the members on time ( Zwar, Mendelsohn, Richmond , 2014). Rules and Expectations All the team members are expected to have a shared vision aimed at completion of the project. Teamwork is highly advocated for. We look forwards to collaboration and working together towards achieving goals. The rules governing our relationship are well captured in our meetings as well as in the companys policies, rules and terms of engagement documents (Cover, 2012). I have had positive experience with the teams that I worked with previously. We work was objective based and guided by customers requirements. I also learned to be a good listener and take the views of other people seriously without forming personal grudges when my viewed have been questioned. We believed that the team had to disagree, to agree and base our decisions on objectivity and evidence. I look forward for the same kind of relationship in the task ahead (Don Passey, 2014). Team Values The team will guided by values such as objectivity, confidentiality, respect for others, honesty. Commitment, integrity, and loyalty. Codes of ethics The team will be guided the ethical principles of sincerity, upholding integrity and objectivity, honesty and acting with Utmost good faith. Governing Rules The team members should abide by the rules stated below; Members must abide and respect the decisions taken during the meetings. Agreement can only change such decisions; Conflicts of interests can only be resolved by all members; Penal actions will be taken on members who miss two consecutive meetings without apology; Members who fails to execute their duties/ tasks will be expelled and his role assigned to a new members agreed upon by the remaining members; All the meetings shall be chaired by the team leader but any member shall be selected to be the chair during his absences All the assignments should be completed in accordance with the project plan. Each member is accountable for his/ her actions. Signatures All members are signatories to the team charter. Likewise, each member should sign the agreements documents to ascertain that they have read and understood the term of engagement listed thereon. Part Two: Learning Cycles Organizer Scribe What is your view concerning the past group meetings? Do you think the team is on the right path towards achieving the project goals? Rate the team success on a Scale of 0-10 (with 0 indicating poor achievements and 10 indicating excellent achievements). Rationalize your choice. What factors are likely to hinder the group from achieving its goals? Give suggestions on the best ways of improving the teams performance The learning cycle would allow members to share their personal views on the progress of the project. The roles of an organizer of the learning cycles would be rotated to give all members equal participation in the system development. Part Three: Communication Plan The stakeholders who are directly involved in the system developing project are the Virtucon, and the Globex Corporation. Other stakeholder include the Riverina Community Volunteering organizations and other Non-Government organizations. Any communication with be channelled by out tem leader through the management of Virtucon (Morell, 2016). Globex remains as the principal while Virtucon is the Agent according to the contracting law. The Globex Corp is remains the owner of the project and should be briefed on the progress on a weekly basis. Other the other hand, we, the team members, have the responsibility of informing Virtucon about our progress. The communication between and Virtucon will be facilitate by the communication director (Scott, 2016). PART FOUR: Annotated bibliography Zidane, Y. J., Johansen, A., Anandasivakumar , E. (2015). Project Evaluation Holistic Framework. Application on Megaproject Case. The journal article is published on a yearly basis to address the holistic approaches in system development and evaluation. The journal exclusives addresses the issues such as sustainability, relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and cost -effective and how they can be applied in each stage of system development. The authors believes that these are the key factors that can be used to evaluate the success of all the phases of system project. The identifiable phases include conception, front-end analysis, planning, designing, engineering, procurement, construction, closing, implementation and evaluation. I recommend the journal because it has been diversified to meet of the requirement as stipulated under each phase of system development. Morell, J. (2016). Evaluation and Program Planning. An International Journal. This journal is published yearly and addresses the emerging issues in the field of project management, development, and evaluation. The contributions made in this journal are collected from different experts with a broad range of experience in the field of system design, development, and evaluations. The main objective of the journal is to help system planners and evaluators in improving the application of their professions by gaining new skills. Turner, R. J. (2016). International Journal of Project Management. The journal published by Rodney Turner in 2016 provides a comprehensive and a broad range coverage on project management. The journal is published Eight times in years and offers a detailed analysis of project technicality, design, practices, and holistic management of system development. The journal is detailed with topics such as the human aspect of system development, case studies, theories, and practices. This information can be applied in areas such as strategic planning, agricultural projects, information systems, and system design and leisure projects among others. b) Check (x) if completed Activities Completion Date Acceptance Date Deliverables Statement of Work Change Management Plan Budget and Cost Project Plan Other 1. Functional needs have been fulfilled successfully 2. Technical needs have been fulfilled successfully 3. Testing done accordance to accreditation and certification 4. Security and Controls needs have been met 5. Implementation of Support agreements 6. Implementation of Data Archiving Plan 7. Implementation of Data Backup and Recovery 8. Established maintenance Plans 9. completed Licensing Agreements 10. completion of Management Procedures and Account Authorization 11. Successfully implementation of deployment Plan 12. Formal acceptance of the completed system by the Customer C) Project Evaluation Plan Evaluation Type Timing Evaluation Questions Expected Results 1.System planning 1Month Did the planning meet the Customers requirements? Success 2.System Designing 1Month Did the designing meet the Customers requirements? Yes 3. Engineering 1 month Did the engineering meet the Customers requirements? Yes 4. Procurement 1 Week Did the required resources supplied in time? Yes 5. Development 2 months Did the development meet the Customers requirements? Yes 6. Completion and Delivery 2 Weeks Was the customer satisfied with the final system developed? Yes 7. Implementation I week Was the system implemented successfully? Yes Part 5: I have participated in many system development projects. Therefore, I had no difficulty in understanding what was expected of me. All through the group project, I have learned to a good listener and considerate about other people's views and opinion. During the project period, we would disagree to agree later. Each on of use considered his/ her views to be weightier than that of others. However, at the end of the project, we learned to appreciate every member of the group and used evidence-based analysis to examine each idea generated by the group member. I acknowledge that I learned several leadership skills by taking part in this project. Consequently, I have learned that a person's views are influenced by their social beliefs, background, upbringing and religious belief. We based our decisions on evidence and practical to ensure the success of the project. I am happy to state that everything went according to the initial plans thanks to the dedication, honesty and Utmost good faith attributes portrayed by the team members. The team consisted of experts who knew what was expected of them I can proudly state that portrayed quality leadership all through the process. For instance, Josh, the teal leader ensured that there was a conducive environment for all the other members to perform. He coordinated all the activities exemplary well without any flaws. He was ready to listen and take considerations of our views. Ours was teamwork. I would gladly accept any opportunity to work with this team in future. b) The necessary techniques, skills, methods that an ICT project manager requires in the IT profession An organization manager, irrespective of the industry he/ she is operating in, should have particularly characterized to succeed. An ICT is not exempted from leadership skills such as; a) being a team player, b) a good listener, c) Outstanding communication skills; d) integrity; e) professionalism; f) honesty; and g) visionary among others. An ICT Manager must be skilled in software development processes. Gone are the days when a manager would give instructions and expected the employees to obey. Nowadays, managers are supposed to lead by example. A manager should be a pace-setter and a role player. Being working the talk, the manager sets a good example to be emulated by the employees. This is a vital attribute of a good manager. Second, a manager should readily listen to the opinion and views of other members of the organization. Being a manager does not mean that you are an expert on everything. Being a good listener provides an opportunity to learn new skills and have diversified views of handling issues. A good listener will be a good communicator. A manager should not be authoritative but rather develop an environment where he/ she can discuss issues with other team members. As discussed earlier, a successful manager should have the attributes of being honest, visionary, act with integrity, and practice professionalism. With this fundamental skills, An ICT manager would win the hearts of the junior staff. Likewise, an ICT manager should understand the programming skills, and possess the ability to apply the common engineering software tools. The manager must also possess the ability to plan, develop, monitor and evaluate the success of a given system software. Lastly, the manager should possess the ability for offering solutions to some of the technical issues facing team members or the subordinate staff. References Zidane, Y. J., Johansen, A., Anandasivakumar , E. (2015). Project Evaluation Holistic Framework. Application on Megaproject Case. Zwar, N. A., Mendelsohn, C. P., Richmond , R. L. (2014). Tobacco smoking: options for helping smokers to quit. Australian Family Physician, Volume 43(No.6), 348-354. Cover, F. (2012). Project Management Techniques and Innovations in Information Technology. IGI Global. Don Passey, A. T. (2014). Key Competencies in ICT and Informatics: Implications and Issues for Educational Professionals and Management: IFIP WG 3.4/3.7 International Conferences, KCICTP and ITEM 2014, Potsdam, Germany, July 1-4, 2014, Revised Selected Papers. Springer,. gudda. ( 2011). A Guide to Project Monitoring Evaluation. AuthorHouse. Kerzner, H. R. (2005). Project Management: A Systems Approach To Planning, Scheduling, And Controlling. New Jersey: Wiley. Morell, J. (2016). Evaluation and Program Planning. An International Journal. Pierce, J. P., White, V. M., Emery, L. S. (2011). What public health strategies are needed to reduce smoking initiation? Strategic directions and emerging issues in tobacco control. Retrieved from https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/21/2/258.full Samset, K. (2013). Project Evaluation: Making Investments Succeed. Tapir Academic. Scott, D. J. (2016). Project Management: A Quick Start Beginner's Guide For The Serious Project Manager To Managing Any Project Easily. New Jersey: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform . Turner, R. J. (2016). International Journal of Project Management.

Strategic Analysis Of Estia Health Aged Care †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Strategic Analysis Of Estia Health Aged Care. Answer: Introduction: The report is prepared to conduct strategic analysis of an Australian public listed company that is Estia Health aged care by focusing on business of residential aged care. Discussion incorporates the background information of organization in terms of its size, history, ownership business scope, major markets and major products and services of selected organization. Macro environmental analysis of industry in which Estia Health aged care operates is demonstrated in the report and this will assist in drawing implications for organization in terms of opportunities and threats. Competitive analysis of industry is undertaken using the model of Porters five forces. Resources providing sustainable competitive advantage to business are identified by the application of VRIO that helps in determining strategic capabilities of organization. Background information on Estia Aged Health care: History: Estia Health Aged care (EHC) is one of the largest aged care providers to resident of Australia that was established in year 2005 (estiahealth.com.au 2018). Organization is historically present in four states of Australia that is Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia and the group is well positioned to pursue and identify opportunities for acquisition in each of these states. 88% of residential aged care is placed in these four states of Australia. Prior to merger of company in year 2014, the company has a history of expanding into number of facilities and places where it operated (estiahealth.com.au 2018). Business components and aggregate number of places of Estia increased to 3203 in year 2014 compared to 1264 in year 2008. In year 2015, Estia entered into contracts for acquiring further five facilities and the expansion have been achieved via the expansion of existing facilities, acquisitions and new facilities development. Increased revenue per bed and increa sed occupancy rates have been achieved by acquisition of nine facilities and development of further three facilities over the period of 2012 to 2014 (Gioia, 2014). Major products and services: Focus of organization is to provide resonate choices to families and residents, helping in organizing program for families, straightforward services by creation of family codes. The family code is incorporate some elements such as always approachable, creating happiness, pushing limits, generating daily best and saying something by seeing something. Dedicated services and increased bed proportion are the focus of organization in terms of their services and products (E. Dobbs, 2014). Well being and health- Entertainers and concerts Active games, bus trips and air and crafts Guided and physic exercise Religious services Clinical care- Personal care 24 hour nursing care Occupational and physiotherapy Arranging on site visits for external medical practitioners Administrative pharmaceutical and woundmanagement Dining and nutrition- Dining and family meals Nutritional requirement and dietary needs Major markets: Estia aged health carries out its operation in fragmented and growing industry and the expanding existing facilities of business intends to provide beneficial opportunities to company. Organization has market capitalization of $ 931.51 million. In the current scenario, organization operates in four states of Australia with the target of reaching 10000 beds through targeted acquisitions and development of strong organic pipeline by year 2020 (estiahealth.com.au 2018). Care requirement in the country will be driven by increased age of residents and with increase in industry growth, Estia is required to grow at double rate. Size and Business scope: The organization has 5910 operating place, have more than 700 employees and 68 facilities across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Story of its rapid and recent growth is based upon three residential aged business consolidations and each of it having modern facilities, strong reputation and experiencedmanagement (estiahealth.com.au 2018). Objectives of Estia are to provide their customers with aged care services with highest standards in a supporting, innovative and caring environment. Supporting regional networks of home across Australia, using corporate centres for delivering their results, state of art clinical care utilization, people and financial system are the operational efficiency of organization. These would help in ensuring that the group serves complex and higher quality services with increase in demand. Some of the fundamental concepts for fulfilling the purpose of organization are providing quality care using specialized healthcare terms, innova tion, access to helpful advice and providing caring and inclusive experience that aged care in meeting the needs of aged family. Estia health has many homes in several states of Australia, they are well placed for meeting the demand of increasing healthcare, and they have a well-defined and clear strategy for enhancing the existing home and increasing bed capacity. Company for driving future earnings undertook a material capital-spending program and this would help in business enhancement (Dess et al., 2016). In order to focus on high quality assets, the organization recognized the needs for stabilizing business and strategy refinement. Macro environmental analysis: Macro environmental factors influencing the operations of Estia Aged Healthcare are evaluated using the PESTEL analysis. Political factors- Health care in Australia is a joint responsibility of state and federal government and the political framework of the healthcare sector is in state of unrest. The potential for future cooperative arrangement between healthcare organizations and federal government is undermined by the budget outcome that is representing massive shift in cost to states. The state of political environment is impacted by change in Commonwealth arrangement and ending their traditional form as they are exposed to sovereign risk (Bettis et al., 2016). Operations oh healthcare companies such as Estia is impacted by the political conditions prevailing in Australia. Increased cost for government might reduce the access of health care organizations to government funding. Economic factors- The highest performing sector economically is the healthcare sector of Australia. Growth of healthcare sector is double the pace of growth of gross domestic product of country. In terms of public private partnership and ability of healthcare sector to attract overseas talent, Australia is ranked top three. In order to serve Australian public and to become strong contributor to economic development, healthcare companies are required to consider their roles by boosting their research and development potential and reducing unnecessary expenditures (Jenkins et al., 2017). Socio-cultural factors- The practice and operations of healthcare companies is impacted by two main changes in social environment. Ageing of the population is the first factor followed by a big sociological shift influencing residents to move to individualized care. Current healthcare system requires drastic change due to prevailing unsustainability. Mandating co payment for medical care is likely to increase medical cost for families. However, funds generated from mandating of co payment will help in expanding medical research by assigning capital fund (Barney Hesterly, 2015). Leadership of Estia is also affected by culture and educational level of Australian residents. Therefore, it is essential for Estia to revise the strategies in increasing medical cost for acquiring strong customer base. Technological factors- The advancement in modern technology has considerable impact on healthcare industry of Australia. There is an increased scope for expanding use of technologies that will bring variations in cost effectiveness of companies. Accelerating ageing population, income growth, and expectation of communities, subsidised consumer price will place increased pressure on public and private health system resulting from interaction of technological advances with increasing health services demand that are driven and bet available treatment will make a potential mix (Certo et al., 2016). In recent years, medical technology advancement have been a major driver of increased health spending and this has contributed to increased spending on part of health organization on technologies and thereby reflect a significant increase un number of people being treated and improved treatment. Environmental factors- The health system of Australia is great compared to other countries and the environmental factors are now aligned and present due to shifting to patient centric and coordinated care. The income of traditional healthcare providers is threatened by shift in preference for localised care. Complying of organization with environmental laws will help in reducing carbon emissions and comes with several health benefits for population. Organizations operating in healthcare industry should comply with the environmental laws and standards (Frynas Mellahi, 2015). Legal factors- Operations and business of healthcare industry is influenced by legal factors of region where the organization is operating. Some of the laws impacting the operations of organization such as Estia healthcare in Australia are antitrust law, copyright, health and safety law, data protection law, discrimination law and consumer protection. Healthcare practitioner is required to comply with privacy policies. Privacy act of Australia set out the principles that are applicable to public and private healthcare service providers. Any overseas hiring of healthcare talent should have proper disclosure and practitioners are obliged to make confidentiality of patients (Henderson et al., 2017). Industry analysis: The analysis of industry of residential health age care is done by the application of Porters five forces. It is a tool of strategicmanagement for understanding the level of competitive forces of industry and accordingly help in development of strategy. Suppliers bargaining power- For themanagement of business of health organization such as Estia heath care, this particular variable is utmost critical. Most of companies in heath organization buy their equipments from numerous suppliers. Margins earned by organizations in industry can be reduced if the suppliers are in dominant position. Powerful suppliers in the industry can extract higher prices from the firms that help in lowering the profitability position of company (Trigeorgis Reuer, 2017). Buyers bargaining power- The bargaining power of buyers is quite limited in the field of healthcare. They seek best and quality care from the health organizations and due to existence of fewer good players in the health industry, buyer does not enjoy a high bargaining power. Customers bargaining power can be reduced by building large customer base that helps in streamlining production process and sales of organization. Bargaining power can also be limited by making rapid innovations of new products and providing offerings on existing products (Rothaermel, 2015). Threat of substitutes- The profits of company is greatly impacted by types of services offered by other health organizations prevailing in the industry. Depending upon the types of services offered by health organizations in the industry, the threats faced varies from low to medium. If the value proposition offered by company is considerably different from the present offering of health industry, then the substitute threat is substantially higher. Existence of rivalries- There is an increased demand for health services driven by ageing and growing population of Australia. Estia faces a very intense competition in the industry in which it operates because of increasing healthcare players. Increased player in the industry is attributable to economies of scope, access to funding provided by government and usage of effective methods of controlling cost. Overall profitability of company reduces due to prevalence of increased players in the industry. Threat of new entrants- In the health industry of Australia, there are moderately high barriers because of higher cost of capital and building of new hospitals in locations that are nearby viable locations. The strategy that could be viable for new entrants to enter into this particular industry is by way of acquisition. New entrant require substantial amount of funds for acquiring diversified geographical markets (Hubbard et al., 2017). It can be concluded that new entrants would find considerable amount of difficulties unless they enter by employing appropriate strategy and have adequate capital for investment. From the analysis of aged healthcare industry of Australia, it can be inferred that the main driving force in the competitive environment is increasing growing and ageing population. Estia aged healthcare enjoys a fewer threat of new entrants due to several difficulties faced and many prerequisites for entering into industry. However, the group experiences increased competition from their rivalries due to availability of various facilities such as government funding and economies of scope. Therefore, it is required by Estia to take measures for building substantial differentiation and rather than just competing for smaller share of market, they should prefer collaboration when it seems feasible for enhancing their market size and serving old age Australian residents. Internal strategic capabilities and analysis: Estia health aged care has grown to be one of the largest aged care providers in Australia and enhance their service offerings that range from boutique services to community like villages. Strategic capabilities of organization are diagnosed by determining the four criteria that provides the basis of achieving sustainable competitive advantage (Greenspan, 2015). Values- Value network and value chain can be used to perform the diagnosis of tool that is considered valuable to customers. Value chain helps in understanding the cost position of Estia health aged care and the value of each activities that are being delivered. The primary activities of this particular health organization are to provide residents and their families in an inclusive, safe and caring environment and providing support whenever they required. On other hand, supporting activities is to make diversification across homes that make home personal to residents and providing assistance that helps in finding the right place. Homes are designed in such a way that it provides support to changing personal requirements of residents in a dignified and seamless way. Residents are involved with the activities and people they love by maintain independent and well being of hard work. Rarity- For determining the rarity criteria, it is required to perform competitor analysis of Estia Health aged care. The unique criteria of Estia compared to other healthcare providers in the Australia are that each of homes has their distinct personality. Such distinct personality represents employees and residents within along with maintaining highest clinical care standards. It is well understood by organization that Australian residents need choices and each of services and programs are designed in a way that is easily adaptable by homes for supporting the preferences and needs of residents care and their family and friends (Peteraf et al., 2014). This uniqueness feature of homes of Estia supports the rarest criteria. Inimitability- Inimitability of strategic capabilities of an organization can be explained in terms of casual ambiguity, complexity, culture, history and change. Continuous improvement is pursued by organization in all aspects of personal and health care as an effort to keep themselves ahead of competitors. Estia always indulge themselves in innovative activities for enhancing residential care of Australian residents. In recent years, no competitors of Estia have provided diversified healthcare service to residents and this diversification is far from non-imitable. The current number of operational beds offered by Estia health aged care is 2705 and total number of current facilities at 34 (estiahealth.com.au 2018). Estia that has an extensive portfolio of facilities acquires business of quality aged care service models. This acquisition provided Estia an opportunity to expand their business into Qld and market of New South Wales. Service offering by Estia has always increased and this might place small operators at competitively disadvantageous state when an appropriate aged home care is to be chosen by residents. Factors that lead to higher valuations of health care companies involves potential of selling value added items, having multiple facilities, locating facilities in areas where demands are unmet, food standards and high care, quality refurbishments, good base of nurses and ability to deve lop and scale facilities (Wheelen et al., 2017). Organizational support- Various platforms will continue to be used by Estia for their growth enhancement such as Greenfield expansion, Brownfield expansion, acquisition of single facilities that will help in meeting the acquisition criteria of Estia. Some other measures incorporate making improvement in existing operations and acquisition of new facilities intended to increase occupancy rate and revenue. The dining facilities offered by Estia are nutritionally balanced for meeting the needs of residents. Chefs that incorporate seasonal and local produce reflecting residents personal preferences create interesting options (Varabyova Mller, 2016). The lifestyle of coordinators at Estia has close association with clinical teams for ensuring that programs are tailored for meeting the needs of residents. Employees are always encouraged for supporting the interest of residents including the management, kitchen, and maintenance, clinical and domestic teams (Brooks et al., 2015). Clinical c are at Estia is an ongoing process that includes regular medication, specialist dementia care, pain management programs, high level of personal care and medical services such as pharmacy, physiotherapy, optometry, dental and podiatry. The growth of Estia has been supported by its continuous expansion during the past three years that is acquisition of Padman Healthcare and Cook care group (Ginter et al., 2018). Estia is taking advantage of the capability of changing their service lines. With increased acquisition of other healthcare providers, organization is pushing themselves for reaching new patient populations and creation of new service lines (Foss Hallberg, 2014). VRIO analysis of Estia Health aged care: Value Rare Imitable Organizational support Competitive implication Yes No Yes Yes Competitive advantage over small health care providers. It can be exploited if the competitors imitate such diversification of services. Conclusion: The healthcare industry of Australia is becoming intensely competitive due to increased number of healthcare providers. In order for organization to sustain their competitive advantage, it is required to keep upgrading their service and enhancing products and service lines. Macro environmental analysis of healthcare industry depicts that the ageing population of Australia has been attributable to increased demand in healthcare services. In a continually changing environment of high demanding expectations of age care, organizations are required to focus on strategies and practical solutions for achieving best value in terms of procurement. Analysis of strategic capabilities depict that Estia provides valuable services to its customers and their strategy of diversification of their service line is somewhat imitable. Therefore, in this regard appropriate steps should be taken to maintain and build their speciality and uniqueness. Estia Health is involved in major acquisitions that have led to its significant growth and efforts should be taken for responding to challenges they face by providing greater choice to patients, curtailing cost through process of procurement and streamlining of operations. They should be able to find opportunities for strategically sourcing products and services of aged care. Growing demand of healthcare and increasing players in healthcare market might pose threats to the business of Estia. Therefore, it is recommended to respond appropriately for sustaining their position and further increasing their market size and number of residents being served and thereby contributing to economic situation of Australia. References: Barney, J. B., Hesterly, W. (2015). Strategic management and competitive advantage concepts and cases. Pearson. Bettis, R. A., Ethiraj, S., Gambardella, A., Helfat, C., Mitchell, W. (2016). Creating repeatable cumulative knowledge in strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 37(2), 257-261. Brooks, P., El-Gayar, O., Sarnikar, S. (2015). A framework for developing a domain specific business intelligence maturity model: Application to healthcare.International Journal of Information Management,35(3), 337-345. Certo, S. T., Busenbark, J. R., Woo, H. S., Semadeni, M. (2016). Sample selection bias and Heckman models in strategic management research. Strategic Management Journal, 37(13), 2639-2657 Dess, G. G., McNamara, G., Eisner, A. B. (2016). Strategic Management: Creating Competitive Advantages, ch3 pp74-106. Dobbs, M. (2014). Guidelines for applying Porter's five forces framework: a set of industry analysis templates. Competitiveness Review, 24(1), 32-45. Estia Health Aged Care: Australian Aged Care | Aged Care Facilities | Residential Aged Care Facilities | Nursing Homes. (2018).Estia Health. Retrieved 20 February 2018, from https://www.estiahealth.com.au/ Foss, N. J., Hallberg, N. L. (2014). How symmetrical assumptions advance strategic management research. Strategic Management Journal, 35(6), 903-913. Frynas, J. G., Mellahi, K. (2015). Global strategic management. Oxford University Press, USA. Ginter, P. M., Duncan, J., Swayne, L. E. (2018).The Strategic Management of Healthcare Organizations. John Wiley Sons. Gioia, D. A. (2014). A 1st-Order/2nd-Order Qualitative Approach to Understanding Strategic Management. Primer: Qualitative Research in Strategic Management. Greenspan, R. (2015). Walmart: Five forces analysis (Porters model). Panamore Institute. Henderson, J., Willis, E., Xiao, L., Blackman, I. (2017). Missed care in residential aged care in Australia: An exploratory study. Collegian, 24(5), 411-416. Hill, C. W., Jones, G. R., Schilling, M. A. (2014). Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning. Hubbard, G., Rice, J., Galvin, P. (2014). Strategic management. Pearson Australia. Jenkins, M., Ambrosini, V., Collier, N. (Eds.). (2016). Advanced strategic management: A multi-perspective approach. Macmillan Education. Johnson, T. L., Rinehart, D. J., Durfee, J., Brewer, D., Batal, H., Blum, J., ... Gabow, P. (2015). For many patients who use large amounts of health care services, the need is intense yet temporary.Health Affairs,34(8), 1312-1319. McKiernan, P. (Ed.). (2017). Historical Evolution of Strategic Management, Volumes I and II (Vol. 1). Taylor Francis Morden, T. (2016). Principles of strategic management. Routledge. Morschett, D., Schramm-Klein, H., Zentes, J. (2015). Strategic international management (pp. 978-3658078836). Springer. Peteraf, M., Gamble, J., Thompson Jr, A. (2014). Essentials of strategic management: The quest for competitive advantage. McGraw-Hill Education. Rothaermel, F. T. (2015). Strategic management. McGraw-Hill Education. Trigeorgis, L., Reuer, J. J. (2017). Real options theory in strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 38(1), 42-63. Varabyova, Y., Mller, J. M. (2016). The efficiency of health care production in OECD countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-country comparisons. Health Policy, 120(3), 252-263. Wheelen, T. L., Hunger, J. D., Hoffman, A. N., Bamford, C. E. (2017). Strategic management and business policy. pearson.

An Apple for the Teacher

An Apple for the Teacher The tradition of putting an apple on teacher’s desk was allegedly started by a grade-school student who polished a red apple and placed it on teacher’s desk just before the class start. The â€Å"apple polisher’s† intention was to ask for a better grade or bribe the teacher with a bright and shiny red apple. REMEMBERING OUR FIRST STAGE OF EDUCATION Apple as a Symbol of Teaching in Different Countries The apple has been the symbol of teaching for many years but used differently some parts of the world. For instance, seems so different from the original apple polisher’s intention, students in Europe who cannot afford school fees traditionally bring an apple for the teacher as acceptable payment in kind. In Nashville, Tennessee, U.S, a crystal apple award is given to a teacher â€Å"who made a difference†. Moreover, the apple according to literature represents the happy relationship between teachers, students, and their families and from a teacher’s perspective, an apple on their desk is an appreciation of their hard work and a gift from people who like and see them as noble professionals. Teaching is the most demanding of all profession but according to a teacher with more than thirty years in service, teaching is the most rewarding and noble profession of all. For one thing, teachers help younger generation survive the challenges of present and future by transferring their knowledge and skills. The reward on the other hand such as simple a bear hug from students, an apple on the desk, a birthday card with a note, and so on is far greater than the demands. Teaching Is the Noblest Profession of All Teaching is a profession that is conceptually and ideally noble. Compared to another profession, teaching has a multitude of dimensions and it is considered to be the only profession that requires becoming a qualified practitioner.  For instance, teachers must undertake sound professional training before they can teach, undergo induction training at work and update their knowledge and skills through continuous education. Moreover, teachers are mostly engaged in human development activities. Qualified teachers normally mastered the knowledge of the subject, the pedagogy, teaching techniques, dedicated to students’ learning and betterment of our society. The professional and cultural dimensions of teaching made it an even  more difficult profession. However, the most inspiring justification for being an exceptional and noblest profession is the reality that monetary consideration in teaching is often secondary. One of its primary principles is selflessness and required by the code of ethics to maintain dignity and avoid controversies in and out of school. In fact, aside from maintaining a high standard of personal appearance, a teacher’s own life should reflect dignity in education, act as people with superior educational skills, blameless, obedient, and neutral to any social, economic, and political issues. Despite enormous demands and pressure, teaching is a poorly paid profession, teachers do not usually have similar public respect that other professionals enjoy, considered professional but not autonomous at the workplace, they normally need to work in the evenings and on weekends, perform enormous clerical activities, and in most occasion dealing with poor working condition. JUNK FOOD IN SCHOOL

Verbal Noun - Definition and Examples

Verbal Noun s A noun that is derived from a verb (usually by adding the suffix -ing) and that exhibits the ordinary properties of a noun. For example, in the sentence His firing of William was a mistake, the word firing functions as a verbal noun (A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language, 1985). As Sidney Greenbaum notes in The Oxford Companion to the English Language (1992), Verbal nouns contrast with deverbal nouns, that is, other kinds of nouns derived from verbs, such as attempt, destruction, and including nouns ending in -ing that do not have verbal force: building in The building was empty. They also contrast with the gerund, which also ends in -ing, but is syntactically a verb.In traditional grammar, the expression verbal noun has often been treated as a synonym for gerund, but both terms are out of favour among some modern grammarians (Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar, 2014). Examples and Observations: The atmosphere at home had become difficult as we approached our opening of the Shrew.(Sian Phillips, Public Places. Faber Faber, 2003)His acting  the part of Othello was distinguished by a breadth and grandeur that placed it far beyond the efforts of other actors.Even in fiction, the Joads misery is best captured in vignettes: Mas colloquies with Rose of Sharon, the rollicking dance at the government camp, Uncle Johns sending the dead baby down the river, images easily translated into film.  (Susan Shillinglaw, Introduction to A Russian Journal by John Steinbeck. Penguin, 1999)Margureitte Radcliffes afternoon testimony was taken up with her typing of the confession, the choice of paper, the crossed-out portions, the manner in which she had inserted the paper into the typewriterall questions from Andy Weathers.  (Ann Rule, Everything She Ever Wanted. Simon Schuster, 1992)The building of the British Empire may be said to have begun with the ascent of Queen Elizabeth to the thr one.   The dead might as well try to speak to the living as the old to the young.  (Willa Cather, One of Ours, 1922) Nominal Qualities of Verbal Nouns Though derived from a verb, a verbal noun is strictly a noun, and it exhibits nominal properties: it takes determiners like the and this, it permits adjectives (but not adverbs), it permits following prepositional phrases (but not objects), and it can even be pluralized if the sense permits. Example: In football, the deliberate tripping of an opponent is a foul. Here the verbal noun tripping takes the determiner the, the adjective deliberate and the prepositional phrase of an opponent, but it exhibits no verbal properties at all. In other words, tripping, in this case, is a perfectly ordinary noun, behaving just like any other noun, with no verbal properties in sight. Compare the last example with one involving the unremarkable noun attack: In football, a deliberate attack on an opponent is a foul.  (R.L. Trask, Mind the Gaffe! Harper, 2006) -ing Forms English . . . has a verb plus -ing form, rare in the multiplicity of its functions and in its complexity. No two grammars appear to agree on the appropriate terms for these forms: gerund, verb noun, verbal noun, participial clause, participial adjective, present participle, deverbal adjective, deverbal noun. Moreover, often one or another of its uses is omitted.  (Peter Newmark, Looking at English Words in Translation. Words, Words, Words: The Translator and the Language Learner, ed. by Gunilla M. Anderman and Margaret Rogers. Multilingual Matters, 1996) Gerunds and Verbal Nouns Gerunds are defined by two properties, the first making them verb-like, the second noun-like: (a) A gerund contains (at least) a verb stem and the suffix -ing.(b) A gerund has one of the functions that are characteristic of nounsor rather, . . . a gerund heads a phrase with one of the functions that are characteristic of NPs . . .. The combination of verb-like and noun-like properties given in (a) and (b) underlies the traditional characterisation of gerunds as verbal nouns. Note, however, that this latter term, verbal noun, implies that greater weight is attached to (b) than to (a): a verbal noun is primarily a kind of noun, not a kind of verb.  (Rodney D. Huddleston, Introduction to the Grammar of English. Cambridge University Press, 1984) Possession and Verbal Nouns You are familiar with gerund clauses as in this sentence: 30a We watched Mark winning the race. Compare this sentence: 30b We applauded Marks winning of the race. 30b contains a verbal noun, formed like the gerund by adding -ing to the verb but differing from the gerund in the kind of construction it appears in: the subject of the verbal noun is typically possessive and the object of the verbal noun is preceded by of, as in the example. All verbs form a gerund by adding -ing. . . .The next group of sentences contains verbal noun clauses in subject and object positions. As the examples show, when the verb requires a preposition before an object, the verbal noun keeps that preposition but if the verb does not have a preposition, the verbal noun inserts of. 31 I enjoyed our conversation. (We conversed.)32 Your response to that question was brilliant. (You responded to that question.)33 The companys employment of many people has added to our local economy. (The company employs many people.)34 The president will soon announce her selection of a new cabinet officer. (The president selects a new cabinet officer.) If the verb has an overt subject, that subject becomes a possessive form before a verbal noun, as shown. If there is no overt subject, the verbal noun is preceded by the.​  (Charles W. Kreidler, Introducing English Semantics, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2014) Also Known As: -ing noun

Hanes Brand Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hanes Brand Analysis - Case Study Example This text shall examine Hanes brand and strategies to make it effective and completive it is in its market. Several instruments and brand analysis such as the SWOT analysis (Fine, 2009) and the Porters five forces analysis shall be used to give guidelines and possible suggestions on possible strategies to be employed a. Description of industry and market segment The clothes and apparel industry in which the company deals with has good growth prospects both in the United States and in international markets (Textile international outlook). It is critical to examine the greater industry trends in general and then narrow down to the market segment of the company’s focus. The company is in the clothing and fashion industry which is a very sensitive industry and fast changing. Branding is also a key critical success factor for any company or individual in that particular industry. The company’s focus is in a small fraction of the fashion industry dealing mainly with innerwear and a bit of outerwear. The innerwear and hosiery markets have grown substantially with increase in brand names from the traditional big names. There has also been an increase in designs and innovations in this industry. The leading trends are the use of new and innovative fabrics and designs with major firms investing heavily in developing new materials and designs. The markets are dominated by large wholesale producers and distributors and very few small scale industry players. There has been growth in this market by middleclass and upper-class individuals who have more spending power with the relative stabilization of the global economic outlook. Globally the underwear markets for the year 2010 grew by 11% in the US according to the global underwear report of 2010 (Global Underwear Market Report 2010, 2010) b. Market Dynamics Important elements of this market that need to be noted that it has been established by the global underwear market report that the market in the United Ki ngdom was worth a massive 2.57 billion British pound. The apparel market segment like the larger fashion industry is very volatile and changes very rapidly. However it could be noted that there is a predominant brand loyalty by many of the customers of this markets. Since this is an industry in which large volumes have to be distributed it require proper distribution channels and companies such as Hanes brands need to seek more local marketing strategies to achieve substantial sales increase. The apparel industry is quite easy to start and thus provide quite a challenge of completion and is a real threat. For Hanes brands competitors comes mainly from other established brands. Completion may also arise from mergers of several competitors to create larger firms that can extent more massive branding campaigns. The future of the industry seems bright according to surveys due to the increase in economic stability as predicted in world economic outlook by the IMF (international monetary fund) and this in turn increases the spending power of individual and hence more demand for luxury items such as branded apparels and underwear. The increase in brand awareness and development of more designs in the industry has greatly increased the prospects for the industry. Many areas and opportunities have been developed in the recent past in terms of specialization. However with globalization and entry of the

Personal Point of View on Commanding Wife, Downfall Assignment

Personal Point of View on Commanding Wife, Downfall - Assignment Example As the author declares "every man wants a beautiful wife. I got one. Every man wants a brilliant and tough woman. I got one. Every man wants a woman that can stand up for herself. I got one. What else do I need? Twenty years later, she controls my thinking, she has modernized me, changed me from the cowboy man I used to be. I no longer wear my hats and boots like before. I am used to being in suits and matching ties. I am a different person. I am more responsible, and I have to consult her before making any decision. Do I fulfil the requirements of the men being masculine and domineering in the patriarchal society? What has become of me? Everyone keeps saying that I am being controlled like a small child? Is that so? [Pause] Has my life become well with my commanding wife or not? On a contrary thought, my commanding wife has helped me a lot. I was a wreck before, a drunkard, a useless bastard. I did very little to make my life better. All I did was sit†¦sit in the ranch and drink. Waste the whole day with friends in the motel†¦drinking and partying was the way of life. Look at me now, I have a job, I even built a house. I did not know I had so much potential. What was I waiting for? For my parents to push me around? No way†¦ they got tired of me a long time ago. See what my commanding wife, she took me as I am. I was a no one. I am now a living testimony of change. Why are people condemning her? I just do not understand how people think and behave. If I live a bachelor, they complain, if I marry, they say I am not man enough. I am tired. So tired [pause]. The good thing is that I love my wife. Whether commanding or not, she is my life, she is my support system. I admit that without her my life is useless. Actually, I do not know what I would d o if she left my world if she said she would live. I would surely die. My commanding wife, you are me, you are my life, and you are who that I dream of†¦ [Singing]. "

Global Communications Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Global Communications - Case Study Example Information provided by Wall Street shows that there are issues in the telecommunications industry. This industry is becoming more competitive as newer companies such as cable companies enter into the market. This has brought a challenge to the existing industry leaders to find new ways to keep one step ahead of the new competition coming in. Global Communications is one company that is feeling the heat. Their stock has dropped more than 50% in the last three years, from 28% to 11%. Because of this decline the company is now looking at different ways to cut their costs, advance their technology and their expansion opportunities. The company's leadership team has created a strategic plan they feel will bring Global Communications back to the front line of the industry. They have ideas of some new products for their customers and some services that would put them on the global telecommunication map. Their plan also has cost saving opportunities to permit these ideas without impacting the company's bottom line and they will also improve the company's profitability. The plan has been presented to the Board of Directors and they approved the plan. Now the leadership team has to put the plan into action quickly to prevent the company from losing any more profits. There are several issues that Global Communications need to review before they begin to impl... Second, job and salary issues that will affect the employees when strategic plan goes into place. Another issue will be language barriers due to outsourcing to India and Ireland. The complete explanations of the company's issues are outlined on Table 1. There are also opportunities that Global Communications should focus on when implementing their strategic plan. The first opportunity is to look at the communication gaps that they have between themselves, the employees and the union. The second opportunity they need to focus on is exploring different employee retention programs as well as compensation programs. Lastly, they need to analysis their unit cost savings and expected profits by outsourcing their technical call center. The complete explanations of the company's opportunities are outlined on Table 1. Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas The definition of a stakeholder is one who has a share or interest in an enterprise. Stakeholders in a company may include shareholders, directors, management, suppliers, government, employees and the community (free dictionary, 2006). Using this definition any individuals that have any type of connection with Global Communication whether they are employees, stockholders, customers, suppliers are stakeholders. These individuals could play a part of the role in implementing the company's strategic plan. The ethical dilemmas that Global Communication could face are listed on Table 2. Frame the "Right" Problem The problem statement for Global Communications so far is: Global Communication will become the world's most respected leader in the telecommunications industry by providing extraordinary customer service globally and the best

Strategic Development Study of Caterpillar Inc

Strategic Development Study of Caterpillar Inc INTRODUCTION This report presents the Strategic Development Study of Caterpillar Inc. Caterpillar Inc. founded on 15th April, 1925 in California, United Stated. Caterpillar is involved in designing, manufacturing, marketing and selling heavy equipments, machinery and engines and it is also involved in selling financial services to the customers all over the world. Caterpillar is the worlds largest manufacturer of manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines. The organization is serving worldwide and is providing employment to around 104,490 employees. Its products includes Bulldozer, Excavator, Wheel Loader, Haul Truck, Diesel Engine etc. and its services includes Financing, Insurance, Maintenance and Training. The developmental strategies used in the past, present strategies and the strategic planning for the future development of the Caterpillar, are discussed further in this report. Strategic Planning is about the finding the best solution for future problems to be faced by the organizations that not only solves the problems but should also proves to be beneficial to the organization. Caterpillar value statement is We have the people, processes, tools and investments to deliver the quality, reliability and durability customers expect from Caterpillar in each new product introduction. This strategic planning report focuses on three major tasks: Describe the strategies deployed by the organization in the past and their resulting outcomes i.e. the strategic development history of the company. Undertake the evaluation and appraisal of the companys current strategic situation with reference to the companys strategic macro industry and competitive environment and companys endowment of its resources and capabilities. Explore, evaluate and access the strategic choices available and recommend the best strategic plan available for the organization. STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT HISTORY OF CATERPILLAR It has been more than 85 years that Caterpillar is serving its customers and hence ranked worlds number one in its own industry. The company has been developing every year and has maintained its position into the market. In 1980s, Caterpillar came very close to bankruptcy but still it manages to come back as a high tech globally competitive growth company. The company has now proved itself as the worlds largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines. Companys Establishment In April 1925, the financially strong C. L. Best merged with the market leader Holt Caterpillar to form Caterpillar Tractor Co. Caterpillar is involved in manufacturing of heavy equipments used in construction and mining that are recognizable with CAT logo. Because of the intensive competition over the market share, in 1963, Caterpillar forms the joint venture with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. which is ranked 2nd in Japan for manufacturing construction and mining equipments. Caterpillar agreement with Shanghai Diesel in China was helpful in improving the market share of Caterpillar as it was a technology sharing alliance. Come back of Caterpillar from Recession In the year 1981, Caterpillar faced huge economy downtown and was very close to bankruptcy. For 3 consecutive years, the recession costs around $1 million a day to the company which further forces the company to reduce the employment. There were three reasons for this crisis i.e. global recession, strikes and unfavorable currency exchange rates. Company faced many competitors that time including Komatsu Ltd. as the prime competitor. To overcome this recession, the company CEOs introduced various strategic measures like cutting costs, employee reduction, out sourcing of machinery, parts and their components, introduction of modernization, diversification of product line and reorganization of companys structure. These measures were very important that time to save the organization to become bankrupt. Later on the organization worked really well and managed to generate the highest revenues. George Schaefers encouraged the executives to respond to recession. Caterpillar outsources 80% of its parts and components and further they used their brand names for selling the outsourced products keeping the quality control of the products. They doubled their product line in just 4 years from 150 to 300 equipments with an introduction of small and light weighted products along with the customer diversification as well. Caterpillar also focused on repairing its relationship with the labour as they experienced many strikes because of the cost cutting the company successfully achieved the target of an healthy employee and employer relationship. Also employee involvement program was launched by Schaefer in 1986 that involves employee satisfaction, quality improvement and increasing efficiency level. This program was termed as Employee satisfaction Progress i.e. EPS. EPS helps in reducing the rate of absenteeism, decline in labour grievances, saving in costs of upto $10 million and increases employees loyalty. Plant with the future (PWTF) is launched a s a modernization program. Shift from batch production to flexible work cells proved to be good for the organization. The technological improvements and PWTF program resulted in high quality of products, increased efficiency level and high productivity. As a result of all these efforts put by the organization, the Caterpillars 30 worldwide plants managed to cut the inventory level by 50% and manufacturing space by 21% in just 3 years. Also Caterpillars world market share goes up to 50% and its revenues increased by 66% from the year 1985 to 1990. Caterpillar beat the Komatsu by having total sales of over $11 billion in the year 1989, which were nearly twice the sales of Komatsu. The company takes the advantage of the growth in global demand for heavy construction industry at a steady rate of 4.5% in the 1990s and was successful in making its way towards the top most position. Schaefer proves to be the best manager of any manufacturing company of heavy construction equipments. After five year tenure of Schaefer as CEO, Donald Fites becomes the next CEO of Caterpillar Inc. Donald brought leadership style to the organization. He further focuses on reorganization plan that involves the customer needs on priority basis. Research and Development In 1904, Benjamin Holt solved the problem of driving tractors smoothly in moist soil faced by farmers in California by manufacturing a tractor with gasoline engine instead of steam engines that are much lighter in weight and that tractor was nicknamed as Caterpillar. By 1915, the Holt tractors were sold in around 20 countries. Further they formed a company named Caterpillar by merging with best company in tractors. Caterpillar was the first company that introduces diesel engines on a moving vehicle. In 1931, the company created separate engine sales group for the marketing of diesel engines to other equipment manufacturers and they further replaced it with sales and marketing division for serving better range of customers. The company was highly involved in manufacturing replacement parts as well because it generates over a quarter of the total revenue because of two main reasons i.e. sale of replacement parts is more profitable than the whole machines and the replacement parts marke t was less cyclical than that of original equipment. After World War 2, the demand for Caterpillar products increased to reconstruct the disaster happened in Europe because of the 2nd world war. Finally in 1960s, Caterpillar becomes the leader of the heavy construction equipment industry. Further in 1965, Caterpillar expanded its operations to Britain, Canada, France, Brazil, Australia, India and Japan. In 1983, the company starts providing financial services as well. There has been huge diversification in the product line to overcome the recession in the year 1985 to more than 300 products. As the company was developing and diversifying in its operations, it changes its name to Caterpillar Inc. In 2001, Caterpillar was the first company that launches 6 Sigma that helps the organization in improving its quality to the best level. Caterpillar starts sustainable development in the year 2005 as it responded to the Asian tsunami disaster and earthquakes in South Asia. CURRENT STRATEGIES OF CATERPILLAR Caterpillar Inc. is the worlds number one manufacturer of construction and mining equipments, diesel and gas engines and natural gas turbines. The organization is developing day by day and continuously expanding their business. Its market is not only limited to Europe but Caterpillar is selling its products all over the world like China, India, America, Russia etc. Caterpillar serves its customers with the highest quality product at a very reasonable price and also involved in good customer relations. Caterpillar is manufacturing its products at 110 plants worldwide and is selling its products in nearly 200 countries. Caterpillar made its sales through independent dealers that contribute around 66% of the total sales. Caterpillar uses many business strategies for its development and to compete effectively with its competitors. For the evaluation and appraisal of companys current strategies, various strategic tools are used like PESTEL Analysis for analyzing the macro environment, SWOT Analysis for analyzing the capabilities efficiency of resources as well and Porters Five Force Analysis is used to analyze the market, customers, competitors, suppliers etc. PESTEL Analysis For evaluating and analyzing the macro environment of the organization, the PESTEL Analysis tool is used. There are various macro environmental factors that affect the workings of an organization like Political factors, Economical factors, Social factors, Technological factors, Environmental factors and Legal factors. Let us now discuss in detail that how these factors affect the working of Caterpillar Inc. Political Factors Political factors are one of the main factors that affect the operations of the organization. Every country has its own governments with different laws and legislations, rules and regulations, import and export policies etc. As Caterpillar is operating and serving the customers worldwide, it should be aware of the political factors. Economical Factors The economic factors includes the recession, inflation, growth in GDP, growth in population etc. In 1980s, the recession hits Caterpillar badly as it was very close to bankruptcy but somehow it manages to overcome that economic downtown. The rise in the prices of raw material, diesel, petrol, import and export costs etc. is big problems for the organizations. A rise in raw material prices increases the manufacturing costs in Caterpillar and to maintain a balance, the organization has to increase its prices. Social Factors Caterpillar is operating in many diversified countries. Hence it becomes essential to consider the social factors while framing the business strategies. Each and every country has different societies with different values, culture, religions, attitudes etc. the company has to maintain a balance to avoid any kind of discrimination into the organization. Technological Factors A manufacturing organization like Caterpillar needs ongoing technological advancements. It should be updated with all the latest technologies to compete in a better way and maintain its position into the market. Caterpillar is always using the best technologies for manufacturing its construction equipments. Moreover it has invented many new products with the best quality and price range among the whole market. Environmental factors The Caterpillar has moved towards the sustainable development i.e. they are focusing on new technologies and innovations to increase the efficiency and productivity of the organization by not impacting the environment and also providing guidelines to the customers for doing the same. Their mission is to enable economic growth through infrastructure and energy development, and to provide solutions that protect people and preserve the planet. Legal Factors The various laws and legislations of the country in which the company is operating cannot be ignored. The laws related to import and export, employment laws, labour laws, should be taken care of. A lawful and legal organization can effectively survives in long run. SWOT Analysis The SWOT Analysis shows the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats available with the organization and provides an opportunity to the organization to use its Strengths and Opportunities for the betterment of the organization and keep the organization safe from its weaknesses and outside threats. Let us discuss the SWOT Analysis of Caterpillar. Strengths The main strength of Caterpillar is that it is a global leader in its own industry as it is worlds largest manufacturer the construction and mining equipment, diesel and gas engines and natural gas turbines. It is ranked as number 44 among all the organization in 2009 by Fortune 500. It has the highest revenue generation and highest share value in the market as well. It has a strong financial condition as it can grab the worldwide opportunities available. Caterpillar has 110 plants worldwide and is serving around 200 countries which show its huge customer diversification. It has a strong dealers worldwide network which contains over 200 full line dealers that helps the organization in capturing about 60% of the market. Weaknesses In recent years the company has faced many downtowns. The sales volume of the company is decreasing since 2003 which results in less revenue. Also the long term debts of the company have been increasing. The company does most of its sales through its independent dealers. Dealers show a very less confidence towards the Caterpillars new forecasting system. Opportunities Caterpillar has good opportunities of growth in developing countries like India and China. These countries demand lot of construction equipments and engines as well. Again the growth in the population demands more construction. Entering into joint ventures and acquisitions provides good opportunities for the companys development. In 2004, the company formed Caterpillar Power Generation Systems in association with Solar Turbines Incorporates to market the products of both the companies which further reduces the manufacturing costs of the firm and makes the organization more competitive. Threats The outside threats cannot be ignored as they affect the organization adversely. The recent threats faced by Caterpillar include the rise in the prices of raw material especially metal prices. This increases the manufacturing cost and further decrease the organizations profits. The demand of the mining equipments depends on the population growth and Gross Domestic Product growth which is very uncertain. The deal between Caterpillar and United Auto Workers finishes in 2004 which enable strikes and disruptions in work. Hence such contract expuration are great threat to the organizations. Porters Five Forces Porters Five Forces is a business strategy that is formed by Michael E. Porter. He points out the five forces available in the macro environment that affects the abilities and capabilities of an organization. These five forces are threat of new entrants, intensity of competitive rivalry, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of customers and finally bargaining power of suppliers. This helps an organization to be aware of the outside environment and make their business strategies accordingly. The further discussion on Caterpillars Porters Five Forces is as follows: Threat of New Entrants The threat of the new entrants in very low for Caterpillar. Caterpillar is into manufacturing the construction equipments which requires a huge capital and resources. It is difficult for any new entrant to invest that much into this industry when it knows that there are already highly competitive firms available. Caterpillar should compete continuously with its competitors to maintain its position into the market. Intensity of Competitive Rivalry Caterpillar faces a high competition into the market and the other competitors can overcome Caterpillar anytime if they lose focus or using bad business strategy. Caterpillar has around 50 competitors worldwide that controls around 80% of the market. Threat of Substitutes There is nearly no threat of substitutes for Caterpillar as it is involved into the manufacturing of such unique construction and mining equipments. Bargaining Power of Customers The customers have a moderate bargaining power as most of the sales are done through independent dealers and pricing is done according to the markets. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Again the suppliers also have a moderate bargaining power. For manufacturing construction equipments, there is a need of steel or other heavy raw materials which are difficult to transport and also costs very high. Hence an increase in the prices of raw material is a big issue for the organization. FUTURE STRATEGIC PLANNING OF CATERPILLAR Caterpillar has set various targets for future and is seriously involved into the achievement of those targets. The organization has set its strategy as Vision 2020. This strategy sets the stage for the next phase of the companys leadership and growth in the global industries it serves. The visions and missions set by Caterpillar are very practical and will provide further development to the organization. In the past 80 years, Caterpillar has proved itself to be a well established business with effective management and business strategies that helps the organization to maintain its profits and position into the market even at the time of recession. The organization knows the ways of beating the recession and wins back its position into the market. Caterpillars future strategic visions are like becoming a recognized leader in its own industry everywhere, the products, services and solutions provided will helps the customers to succeed, making use of the organizations distributions system as their competitive advantage, maintaining good labour relations and acquiring highly talented people. The organization has set various targets for its next five years i.e. providing the best return to its shareholders, hiring and maintaining the best talented people into the organization and becoming a global leader everywhere they do business. These targets are already achieved by Caterpillar to great extent. The 100% achievement of these targets needs more efforts. Caterpillar is now focusing towards more sustainable development i.e. making the efficient and effective use of the resources available without impacting the environment and also works for the society as a whole. Caterpillar has named as one of the top 10 industrial supply chains in 2010 on Gartners Inc. top 10 list. Also the Caterpillars Chairman and CEO, Doug Oberhelman named into the top 50 people in business according to Fortunes 2010. Hence Caterpillar is actively involved in the development of its business and competing at its best into the environment. Future Recommendations Caterpillar should be opening new markets all over the world as an expansion of its business mostly into the developing countries as around 80% of the population lives there and they demand for such construction equipments on high basis. Also the diversification into the product line and customers is important for further growth. Lack of diversification reduces the sale which has already suffered by the organization. The diversification of the products done by the organization in the past proved to be very profitable. Marketing has become an essential part of any organization. Successful marketing plays an important role in gaining competitive advantage. A wide spread distribution service network is important is essential in competing with heavy construction equipment industry. Joint ventures are important to expand the new markets and diversify into new products. This is important for the growth and development of the organization and to cover a large number of customers. Recently the global economy downturn decreases 25% of the Caterpillar sales. The ability to rebound the economy plays a significant role in the profitability maintenance of the organization. The other critical issues for the organization like changes in the prices of raw material, changes in the government monetary and fiscal policies, the credit risk involves into the financial services provided by Caterpillar etc. should be given special attention as their affect on the organization can proven to be the worst. Continuous growth and development initiatives are important for the maintenance of the topmost position into the market. Like entering into the new markets, diversification of products and services, customer diversification, sustainable development, new distribution channels etc. The full usage of its Strengths like companys strong reputation, dominating among the industry, good financial condition for upto date technology and beating any competition and diversified business competencies, will provide a competitive advantage to the organization.

Business Plan for Concentric Network Corporation :: Business Management Web Hosting Essays

Business Plan for Concentric Network Corporation Concentric Network Corporation provides complete, easy-to-use Internet business solutions for small to medium-sized companies and customized Virtual Private Network and data center services for larger organizations. Concentric's portfolio of services for small to medium-sized companies includes high-speed DSL access, Web hosting and e-commerce. For larger organizations, the company offers dedicated Web hosting services and VPN solutions that enable an organization to securely and reliably communicate with its offices, mobile sales force, business partners, vendors and customers. Concentric offers a comprehensive portfolio of Web hosting and e-services for small and medium-sized businesses, as well as high capacity data center solutions for larger enterprises or Internet-centric companies. Concentric Web Solutions make it easy to do business on the Web and are engineered to grow with customers businesses as they expand. The ConcentricHostâ„ ¢ portfolio includes highly reliable Web hosting, e-commerce, domain parking and e-mail services for individuals and small to medium-sized businesses with services based on shared or dedicated NT and UNIX servers. The ConcentricHost line includes EasySite, the first template-driven Web site builder that comes complete with content, graphics and colors and enables customers to build a site with no HTML or Web design experience. Sites built with EasySite can also be easily upgraded to a full e-commerce store. Concentric for Small Business Server is a complete suite of Internet access and hosting services for Microsoft ® BackOffice ® Small Business Server customers. ConcentricCenterâ„ ¢ includes reliable and high-performance dedicated hosting, distributed server hosting, e-commerce and data center services for larger enterprises and Internet-centric companies. Concentric's Peak Protection service is ideal for companies that do not want to rely on a single hosting provider, Internet Service Provider, or an internal data center for hosting and data center services. The service intelligently balances traffic between Concentric hosting centers and other server locations while providing fail-over insurance. Concentric also offers complete programs for resellers from small Web developers to large telecommunication companies looking to resell co-branded or completely private labeled hosting and e-commerce services. Access Services: Concentric offers a full-range of high-speed dedicated access services to connect multiple, dispersed network sites, providing Internet, intranet and LAN access across a VPN. Most of these services have latency and throughput guarantees and are priced based on average usage. Options include FullChannel T1â„ ¢ and T3, FlexChannel T1â„ ¢ and T3, LECFrame Relay, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), and wireless services.

CVS Structure Essay

Module 6: Question 1: Draw a chart of your organizations domain. List the organization’s products and customers and the forces in the specific and general environments that have an effect on it. Which are the most important forces that the organization has to deal with? Part A: Draw a chart of your organizations domain. CVS Pharmacy Specific Environment General Environment An organizations domain is the goods and services, and customers of the organization. Every organizational domain consists of a specific and general environment. In CVS Pharmacy’s specific environment are its suppliers and customers. In CVS Pharmacy’s general environment are governmental regulations, advancements in technology, and economic forces. Part B: List the organizations products and customers and the forces in the specific and general environments that have an effect on it. What are the most important forces that the organization has to deal with? CVS Pharmacy offers products in the front store and the pharmacy. Products in the front store range from health and beauty products, over the counter medications, cleaning supplies, school supplies, seasonal items such as Halloween or Christmas decorations, and food and beverages. Some services offered in the front store is the photo station where customers can print photos and make albums for themselves or loved ones. Great customer service is to be given to all customers from the time they enter the store until the time they leave the store. Products offered in the pharmacy are prescription only medications and ordering medications online that cannot be found in the  front store. Some services offered in the pharmacy are immunizations such as flu shots, pneumonia, and shingles shot, MinuteClinics, patient consultations, and directing customers into a good Medicare Part D plan. CVS Pharmacy is directed towards many different customer bases. Some customers come into CVS to keep up their good health by getting their medications and becoming informed on what they are used for and how to take them. Other customers just come into CVS to do a little bit of general needs shopping. In CVS Pharmacy’s specific environment falls its customer and suppliers. These forces have a huge effect on how successful the company is or becomes. Customers play a huge role in keeping CVS alive. In 2012, CVS Pharmacy’s net revenues increased by 15 percent to a record $123.1 billion and its operating profit increased by 14.2 percent to a record $7.2 billion. Without our customers, CVS would not be able to operate. Suppliers are another huge part of CVS’s specific env ironment. In the pharmacy, our main supplier is McKesson. If we are not able get the products that we need for our customers, we will end up losing these customers to different pharmacies. Every day we place an order with McKesson to get in the medications need to fill customer’s prescriptions. Without our suppliers, we would not have any products to offer our customers. In CVS Pharmacy’s general environment are technological advancements which play a big role in keeping CVS alive. Technology is always changing and in order to keep up with the fast-paced environment, CVS needs to keep implementing the best technologies they can to keep customers interested. One huge technological advancement is ordering and managing your medications online. This lets customer easily order their medications from home and be alerted when their prescriptions are ready for pickup. Governmental regulations also play a role in CVS’s general environment. There are many rules and regulations that need to be followed in the pharmacy. One specific regulation that we must follow are HIPAA laws. This helps protect the customer from outsiders viewing any of their personal information. I think the most important forces that CVS has to deal with are keeping customers happy and getting the supplies they need from their suppliers. Question 2: Analyze the effect of the forces on the complexity, dynamism, and richness of the environment. From this analysis, how would you characterize  the level of uncertainty in your organizations environment? Part A: Analyze the effect of the forces on the complexity, dynamism, and richness of the environment. Environmental complexity is a function of strength, number, and interconnectedness of specific and general forces. CVS has many stakeholders including employees, non-governmental organizations, suppliers, clients, investors, shareholders, analysts, consumers, local communities, civic organizations, trade organizations, government and regulatory authorities, and the media. With all these stakeholders within the organizations specific and general environment makes communication and collaboration very difficult. There are a lot of voices to be heard and getting everyone interconnected and on the same page is not an easy task. CVS would fall under a complex environment. Environmental dynamism is a function of speed of change and how much change is occurring between specific and general forces. CVS is constantly changing and growing in today’s world. CVS knows they need to stay innovative and keep up with new technologies in order to stay the nation’s premier integrated pharmacy services provider. One example of CSV growing and changing is adding a new feature to their mobile app. CVS adder a new drug interaction checker as part of its top-rated CVS Mobile app. This is an industry first. This feature allows customers to quickly and easily check for potential drug interactions by comparing over-the-counter (OTC) products with their prescriptions and other OTCs on their smartphones. CVS would fall under a dynamic environment. Environmental richness is a function of quantity of resources in the organizations domain. Richness refers to the quantity of resources readily available in the organizations domain. CVS has readily available resources at all times. We are able to order from our outside vendor, McKesson, Sunday through Thursday to receive the medications we need Monday through Friday. We have a contract with them and they supply all our medications on a daily basis. CVS would fall under a rich environment. Part B: From this analysis, how would you characterize the level of uncertainty in your organizations environment? As stated above, CVS has a complex, dynamic, rich environment. While having a rich environment would lead you to believe that there was little uncertainty within the organization, having a complex and dynamic environment leads you to believe that there was much uncertainty within the organization. Overall, from my analysis above, I believe that CVS Pharmacy operated with an uncertain environment. Question 3: Review your analysis of organizational structure. How has your organization designed its structure to match the environment in which it operates? For example, how do its degree of differentiation and its use of integrating mechanisms reflect the uncertainty of its environment? I defined CVS Pharmacy’s organizational structure to be organic. CVS has decentralization within the organization. Decentralization happens when top management’s decision making has been delegated to lower managers. The pharmacist has the discretion to offer gift cards to unhappy customers. This in turn makes the customer happy and hopefully they will return to CVS in the future. The pharmacist also has the discretion to price match with other pharmacies. If Walgreens has a lower cash price for a certain medication then we can offer that price to the customer if they ask for that to be done. CVS, for the most part, is highly formalized. This is an attribute of the mechanistic model of organizational structure but as I said earlier, we are predominately organic. The technicians and employees do not have a lot of discretion to deviate from their job duties. There are rules and regulations that they need to follow otherwise they could be terminated. CVS has a very complex structure. There is great special dispersion; it has high vertical differentiation, and high horizontal differentiation. CVS has designed its structure to match its environment. I said earlier that CVS operates under a dynamic environment and in turn has designed its structure to be organic. CVS’s use of integrating mechanisms reflects the uncertainty of the environment. CVS Pharmacy is highly differentiated. CVS has various levels of management that the operative core need look up to. CVS also has over 7000 stores nation-wide creating great spatial dispersion. Some integrating mechanisms used by CVS Pharmacy are specific jobs, policies, and  standards that employees must follow. Employees at CVS are not allowed to make their own rules/tasks. Employees are given specific jobs that they are to get done and if they are not completed, there are consequences. As the lead pharmacy technician, I am in charge of inventory. Our warehouse order needs to be completed on Wednesday by 3pm. I need to use my time wisely to make sure that this gets completed otherwise there will be a lot of supplies and medications that we do not receive. This is not good for the customer or the organization. Employees also have certain policies and standards that they must adhere to otherwise they will most likely be terminated. Employees need to act with honor and integrity and they need this to follow through to the customer even if they customer seems to be out of line. CVS is differentiated and in turn, they follow an organic structure. Question 4: Draw a chart of the main inter-organizational linkage mechanisms (for example, long-term contracts, strategic alliances, mergers) that your organization uses to manage its symbolic resource interdependencies. Using resource dependence theory and transaction cost theory, discuss why the organization chose to manage its interdependencies in this way. Do you think the organization selected the most appropriate linkage mechanisms? Why or why not? Part A: Draw a chart of the main inter-organizational organizational linkage mechanisms (for example, long-term contracts, strategic alliances, mergers) that your organization uses to manage its symbolic resource interdependencies. Symbiotic resource interdependencies include reputation, cooptation, strategic alliances (long-term contracts, networks, minority ownership, and joint ventures) and mergers and acquisitions. CVS has taken the strategic alliance, long-term contract interdependency. CVS has been in a long-term contract with McKesson for a long time. CVS is McKesson’s single biggest customer. In 2012, CVS accounted for an estimated 18.5% of the company’s U.S. core drug distribution revenues. Part B: Using resource dependence theory and transaction cost theory, discuss  why the organization chose to manage its interdependencies in this way. Do you think the organization selected the most appropriate linkage mechanisms? Why or why not? Resource dependency theory is the ability to exercise more control over resources and distribution channels which means establishing interdependencies with other organizations. Transaction cost theory helps you choose which interdependency to choose when your bureaucratic costs equal your transaction costs. Both of these theories help organizations choose which interdependency is right for them. CVS chose to hold a long-term contract with McKesson. I think this was an appropriate and beneficial way to manage their interdependency. These long-term contracts help build relationships between the parent company and the supplier. When announced that CVS was going to renew its contract with McKesson, McKesson’s statement said that it was â€Å"extremely pleased to continue the relationship†. Question 5: Draw a chart of the main inter-organizational linkage mechanisms (for example, collusion, third-party linkages mechanisms, strategic alliances) that your organization uses to manage is competitive resource interdependencies. Using resource dependence theory or transaction cost theory, discuss why the organization chose to manage its interdependencies in this way. Do you think the organization has selected the most appropriate linage mechanisms? Why or why not? Part A: Draw a chart of the main inter-organizational linkage mechanisms (for example, collusion, third-party linkages mechanisms, strategic alliances) that your organization uses to manage is competitive resource interdependencies. Competitive resource interdependencies include collusion and cartels, third party linkages, strategic alliances (long-term contracts, networks, minority ownership, and joint ventures) and mergers and acquisitions. CVS has followed the mergers and acquisitions interdependency. In March of 2007, CVS Corporation and Caremark Rx, Inc. merged together creating the nation’s premier integrated pharmacy services provider. The combined company, renamed  CVS/Caremark Corporation, unifies the nation’s largest pharmacy chain with a leading pharmaceutical services company, creating the opportunity to deliver unique products and services that will help manage costs for employers and improve access and choice for consumers. Part B: Using resource dependence theory or transaction cost theory, discuss why the organization chose to manage its interdependencies in this way. Do you think the organization has selected the most appropriate linage mechanisms? Why or why not? Resource dependency theory is the ability to exercise more control over resources and distribution channels which means establishing interdependencies with other organizations. Transaction cost theory helps you choose which interdependency to choose when your bureaucratic costs equal your transaction costs. Both of these theories help organizations choose which interdependency is right for them. CVS chose to go with the merger interdependency. I think this was an appropriate and beneficial way to manage its interdependency. This merger allowed CVS to begin delivering substantial benefits to shareholders, customers and employees. CVS was able to offer end-to-end services, from plan design to prescription fulfillment, as well as the opportunity to improve clinical outcomes, which results in better control over healthcare costs for employers and plan providers. The merge improved the delivery of pharmacy services and healthcare decision making, enabling consumers to benefit from unparalleled access, greater convenience and more choice.