MULTINATIONAL CORP-EVOL & CUR ISSUE Movie Review - 1

MULTINATIONAL CORP-EVOL & CUR ISSUE - Movie Review Example The country’s policy maker on financial and economic matters, the Fed has adopted lax standards as pertains to trade and lending standards. The Fed had adopted a policy that would stir activity in the economy by increasing the leverage ratios for commercial banks and other financial institutions. The Banks took advantage of this policy by borrowing capital in bulk and use the capital to create massive amounts in subprime loans (Barnett). This made mortgages very affordable and many citizens opted to build or buy their house on a mortgage(s). The amount of household debt in the United States quadrupled by the time the housing bubble burst. In a bid to clamp down on the rogue nature of banks and avoid the housing debt from growing any further, the Fed tightened its policy on the banks’ leverage ratios. This adjustment would cause the commercial banks to increase the cost of financing mortgages. This proved to be a challenge for many Americans as the new repayment stipulations increased the cost of the mortgage by over 100%. Huge defaulters in payments had their property repossessed causing the burst of the housing bubble. This bubble was mainly triggered by the increase in disposable income for savings. During the 2000 to 2007 period, there was a great increase and growth in the global fixed income securities. This increase in disposable income encouraged the development of economic bubbles all over the world. As these factors came into play, each bubble burst one after the other as such a business model is not sustainable over time. This led to the overall decrease in the value of assets. When the fall in value occurred, most banks opted to cut back on lending leading to the credit crunch. This caused a general inability of consumers and governments to borrow stifling investment and consumption. This led to the general decrease in business for companies and corporates as demand considerably decreased (United States Financial Inquiry

Introduction Of Information And Communication Technologies Commerce Essay

Introduction Of Information And Communication Technologies Commerce Essay In this era of modernisation, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) play a vital role in businesses and firms of all sizes. The term ICT has progressed and evolved to include many aspects of computing and technology, and has indeed become very distinguishable. In this essay, the ways in which the introduction of ICT affects power relations in the workplace will be discussed. First, a definition of the phrases ICT and power relations in the workplace will be provided. In what follows, I will establish the particular effects that ICT directly brings to the workplace namely surveillance, a change to organization structure, increased communication as well as how it skills and deskills workers. Explanation on how these effects subsequently affect power relations in the workplace will then be provided. The Information Technology Association of America defines ICT as the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware. ICT involves converting, protecting, transferring, keeping and receiving information. This is all done with the aid of computers and software. On the other hand, power refers to the ability to translate influence or make a difference. The actions of one person affect that of another. According to Foucault (1988), within the field of power relations, what one person does affects a second, which affects a third, and so on. The characteristic of power relations is that, as agents in the structure, some men can more or less determine other mens conduct, but never exhaustively (David Owen, 1994). Power relations precipitate all the strategies, the networks, the mechanisms, all those techniques by which a decision is accepted and by which that decision could not but be taken in the way it was. Foucault goes on to say that Power relations are multiple; they have different forms, they can be in play in family relations, or within an institution, or an administration or between a dominating and a dominated class. In this essay, it can be summarized that power relations in the workplace means the ability to affect how other people w ithin the workplace do work. Surveillance The introduction of Scientific Management, also known as Taylorism saw an era where managers strived for control over workers. The introduction of ICT to the workplace has allowed managers to practice methods of worker surveillance that have never been seen before. ICT has given managers the ability to pry on their staff by doing things like keystroke counting, listening in on phone conversations (to monitor quality of service provided by staff), telephone call accounting (registering information about the time, duration, destination and cost of phone calls), entry and exit controls using smart cards (which give information on staff whereabouts), electronic cash registers and product scanning systems (provides details on who handles what merchandise, volume handled and how efficiently), the reading of electronic mail and the use of video cameras for video surveillance (After ILO, 1993, pp. 12 13). In the past, managers were only able to monitor the performance of whole departments by monitoring things like quantity and quality of products produced. However, new information technologies have enabled employers to gather highly detailed performance related data regarding not only the work but each individual worker itself. This can now be done on a minute by minute basis and often without the employee being aware (Gandy, 1993; Lyon, 1994). The information gathered by managers is most of the time too overwhelming to go through stringently. Power relations become relevant when this vast information about worker performance is collected. This is because managers must now decide if or how to use the information gathered on worker performance. Due to the economic demands to become more efficient and more profitable, managers are pressured to use the information at hand to hopefully enhance performance and efficiency of workers (Susan Bryant, 1995). Managers or employers will be able to take courses of action based on the worker performance information. For instance, reprimanding individual employees for dismal performance or changing standard operating procedures. One of the side effects of this is that it legitimizes decisions to further intensify worker surveillance for the benefit of profitability and efficiency. Modern surveillance in the workplace can be modelled after Jeremy Benthams Panopticon the prison complex designed whereby prison guards would be able to watch prisoners without being watched back (Zuboff, 1988). Nevertheless workplace surveillance using ICT differs from Benthams Panopticon because workers are certain that they are being watched all the time. The constant visibility and unverifiability that employees experience through workplace surveillance may have significant positive implications on the way they work (Zuboff, 1988, p. 321). A phenomenon that Zuboff refers to as anticipatory conformity often happens because of the mere existence of surveillance. Since workers are aware they are consistently being watched, a culture of self discipline tends to take place to reduce the risk of unwanted discovery. This is interesting because it allows change in the way workers work without management having to take extra action. This worker self discipline helps prove Foucaults argument (1979) that sooner or later, individuals become bearers of their own surveillance. (Lyon, 1994, pg. 133) Even if workers dont willingly self discipline themselves, it is highly likely that because of the readily available system generated information about each others performance, peer surveillance and intervention will get to them before management intervention will (Laabs, 1992; Lyon, 1994). As employees become more and more accustomed to surveillance methods, employees may be able to get away with doing less by working around existing sys tems to avoid detection. However, such occurrences are deemed to be less likely to happen compared to trends of conformity (Zuboff, 1988). It may also be argued that surveillance encourages workers to work harder and to become more productive as their efforts are now more easily recognized by management. This means that individual workers are more likely to be rewarded for putting in extra effort. Furthermore, employees are less likely to be put at fault for the wrongs of others. This phenomenon also happens automatically because of the existence of surveillance in the workplace without any direct intervention from management (Zuboff, 1988). The last two points show how the existence of ICT in the workplace (which allows for worker surveillance) may allow for management to relax control over workers and at the same time expect positive returns whilst having to exert less authority or power in the workplace. Communication and Organization Structure The introduction of ICT has allowed us to interact at almost same speeds a matter of seconds regardless of whether we are a few meters or a few miles away from one another. In the past two decades following the birth of utilities like e-mail and ultra fast internet connections, the workplace has experienced a significant change in operating procedures and structure due to this advancement in communication capabilities. Firms are now able to function on a transnational basis. Managers from firms are able to operate from their home countries without having to incur the financial, physical and opportunity cost of leaving their home country (or at least less often). The ability to communicate over distances and at such great speed has allowed managers to run things thousands of miles away on a real time basis. The complexity of a firm may change from that of vertically complex to horizontally complex due to the ability of managers on top of the hierarchy to communicate with more people at a greater ease. The need for extra layers of hierarchy to delegate tasks becomes unnecessary because of better communication technology. Workers at the lower end/bottom of hierarchy may find it easier to pitch ideas because there may be less red tape to go through before their idea can be proposed. On the other hand, CEOs may find that instructions are conveyed to their subordinates more clearly and effectively because these instructions need not be passed on to too many levels of management before it reaches everyone. The ability to communicate with ICT may also affect the centralization of a firm. A centralized firm is one where decisions in the organization are concentrated at one point. The introduction of ICT will become a catalyst to the decentralization of a firm (John Bratton, 2007). With ICT, it is much easier for senior management to solicit information and ideas from workers down the hierarchy. This is because, as mentioned, the means of communication make conveying and soliciting an idea much simpler than before. Prior to this, a physical meeting with high level management would be needed to pitch an idea; which means that it would virtually be impossible for a low rank worker to contribute any ideas to the firm. With the improved ability to communicate amongst workers and management, senior management might be willing to give more decision making autonomy to workers since their input would be more accessible. This has a major impact on power relations in a firm because communication ma y allow for control to be relaxed as decision making input may come from both sides of the hierarchy. Having said that, the extensive use of e-mail and electronic communication in the workplace means people seldom ever have to meet (Argyll and Cook, 1976). Not physically meeting takes away the ability to analyze the personal construct of others (Adam Webber, 1981). Personal construct theory deals with a range of professional social skills that enable people to analyze interactions from different perspectives and make judgements about peoples personalities and meanings. These skills are drawn from physical interaction with individuals. The effects of this are adverse because little or no consideration will be taken about workers feelings and personality. Deskilling and Enskilling Argument Deskilling is defined as a reduction in the proficiency needed to perform a specific job, which leads to a corresponding reduction in the wages paid for that job (Bratton, 2007). In the Taylorist context, the deskilling argument focuses on the division of mental and physical labour and the breaking up of complex tasks into smaller, more discrete ones. The logic of capitalist production requires the constant transformation of techniques of production. This involves an increase in mechanization, automation which results in the displacement of skills (Penn Scattergood, 1985). The workforce becomes even more degraded and deskilled. For instance, fast food or retail outlets have electronic tills that scan, calculate and tell the cashier how much money to return to the customer as change. The cashiers job is repetitive, relatively simple and easy to keep an eye on because everything is electronic. The main goal of this is to not only ensure worker efficiency but to increase the degree of control the management has over workers. Very little is taken into consideration about worker satisfaction or fulfilment. Harry Braverman notes that the goal of the labour process under capitalism is to generate managerial control for maximization of efficiency and profitability (Glenn and Feldberg, 1979). Due to the fact that workers under this condition only concentrate on specific tasks, they lack the skills to do things out of their job requirement, perhaps because they have neglected and hence have forgotten about those skills. On the other hand, let us consider the enskilling argument. Enskilling is described as changes in work often involving technology that result in an increase in the skill level of workers (Bratton, 2007). Many individuals would have been retrenched due to technology making certain manual jobs automated. However, for those who still have their jobs, their job scope would have increased. ICT enables more people do more things. For instance, an editor in a publishing house in the 1970s would only have enough expertise and minutes in a day to be in charge of reading and editing hand written manuscripts whilst having to send them back and forth to the author through traditional postal mail. With ICT, manuscripts may be written, edited, and transmitted digitally; which saves time. ICT also makes it easy enough for the 21st century editor to acquire other hands on skills such as video editing and graphic design; tasks that would have formerly been left to specialist in those fields. In addition, one would be would be required to exercise many other discrete competencies such as copy editing, marketing skills and negotiating ability (Barry, Chandler, Clark, Johnston, Needle, 2000). Here, it is possible to notice an increase in skill variety, task identity and task feedback. The increased skill of the worker allows managers to give more autonomy to them. This effectively means that management may loosen its control over workers relaxing power relations between management and workers. However, some have argued that this enskilling of workers allow managers to control workers to a higher extent because tasks are now centralized on less individuals compared to when they were spread out over large amounts of people in scientific management. Conclusion I have displayed how the introduction of ICT to the workplace has caused an increase in worker surveillance, a greater capability to communicate and the enskilling/deskilling phenomena. I have then shown how the mentioned effects of ICT have affected power relations within the workplace by altering the magnitude (increase and decrease) of control, authority and influence management has over workers.

Planning and Strategy Essay -- Business, Planning

In any retail operation or company, planning is a very important factor for the success of any endeavor in that it involves the actual anticipation and organization of what needs to be done and how it should be done to reach an objective.(Retailing, pg.40) Strategic planning involves a company or firm to adapt its resources to the actual opportunities and possible threats of the ever-changing retail environment, and, if used properly, a good strategic plan can help retailers achieve and maintain a beneficial balance of its resources and possible opportunities to come. There are, in fact, four major components in proper strategic planning that could assists any retailing company in achieving their goals which are to develop a mission statement, define specific goals and/or objectives, identification and analysis, and to develop a basic strategy. (Retailing, pg.42) I aim to determine, analyze, and document how a fast-paced, up-and-coming retail establishment by the name of Citi Tren ds, which is a fast-growing, value-priced retailer of urban-style fashion accessories and apparel chain store for today’s urban families, implements these particular strategic planning techniques into their operations management and business objectives. Citi Trend’s mission statement is as follows, â€Å"Citi Trends is the go-to place for incredibly low-priced, real urban brands and urban-style fashion for the whole family. You'll find Rocawear, Apple Bottoms, Coogi, Dereon, Akademiks, Mecca, Baby Phat, Ed Hardy and more for up to 60% off mall prices. As of this minute, we have over 480 stores in 27 states. As of May 2005 Citi Trends became a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq exchange with the symbol CTRN. Citi Trends' headquarters are located in hi... ...ring that their customers gain efficient circulation through their merchandise. (Retailing, pg.498) This type of environment is ideal for Citi Trends in that it provokes customers to wish to browse, and Citi Trends has strategically placed signs to provide its customers with cues as to where each department begins and ends. Citi Trends has been in the apparel retail business for over 58 years now with over 480 stores operating throughout 27 states in the United States. They have proven that they know how to adapt resources to their opportunities and are aware of and handle any and all possible threats to its company’s objectives. With their good strategic plan they were able to adapt to an ever changing retail environment to be able to achieve and maintain a certain balance of its resources; thus positioning themselves for accelerated and profitable growth.

College Athletes Essay

Athletes, under the age of 21 years, should be eligible to be drafted into a professional sports team. Playing in a professional sport is a career and setting a limit based on age to when someone can start his or her career is absurd. â€Å"Currently, to be eligible for the NBA Draft, a player has to be at least 19-years-old or one year removed from high school. † (Jessop. 2014) In the one year removed from high school, the athlete can choose to attend college and declare if he or she would be eligible to be drafted after that year. There are many benefits for athletes to graduate from college before starting his  or her career in a professional sport, but that decision should be left solely to them without age restrictions. â€Å"The vast majority of players feel a player should have the right to make a living. If he has the talent and wants to make money to help his family, he should have that right. It’s just a matter of principle. † (Broussard. 2010) Pursuing and completing a college education is a huge reason why many people feel athletes under the age of 21 shouldn’t be eligible to play professional sports. Having a college degree can be extremely useful because of the amount of opportunities and  options available to graduates. However, as much as attending college is encouraged in today’s society, college isn’t a route everyone chooses. â€Å"In 2011, the most recent year for which statistics are available, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 68. 3 percent of students who graduated high school in 2011 were enrolled in college. † (Thompson) The choice to attend college or not attend college is a choice that comes across of the path of many. Why should athletes be held to a different standard of education? A fear that many have with younger athletes entering the professional sports arena  is their risk for injury. â€Å"The NFL and NCAA claim that the NFL age requirement protects young athletes by shielding them from physical injury, requiring them to mature emotionally, and receive an education before entering the world of professional sports. † (Bianchi. 2008) Injuries can happen to anyone, anywhere, at anytime. If a collegiate athlete suffers an injury while playing in a game or practice, the injury can greatly decrease or even eliminate his chances of being drafted into a professional sport. The athlete with potential  to play in a professional sport will no longer have an opportunity to do and might possibly lose their scholarship. If an athlete gets injured playing in a professional sport, at least they would be getting paid and have benefits. Why risk the opportunity to play in a professional sport? If an 18-year-old athlete has the talent to play in a professional sport and have the opportunity to earn money and support their family, age should not be the reason to stop him or her from doing so. Many college student athletes receive scholarships for attending college but (EXPERIENCE with examples).

Multi Decision-Makers Equalizer Essay

A multi objective and multi decision-makers decision support system, which finds a balanced solution among different proposals made initially by the decision-makers, is presented here. The software, denominated multi decision-makers equalizer, balances the interests of the different decision-makers by inducing them to accept losses in certain objectives in exchange for gains in others. The method uses neither parameters of preference with an indirect meaning, such as the weights of relative importance, nor averages. It does not call for all the information at the beginning of the process, but through an iterative process of learning and exchange of information, it offers different possibilities. To begin with the decision support system helps each decision-maker, independently, to define his preferred alternative. The alternatives defined by the decision-makers will compete then among themselves, in a collective negotiation process, in order to define the final alternative to be implemented. (Drucker, 2005) In this initial stage of the process, a model named â€Å"Equalizer† helps each decision-maker, independently to find a non-dominated solution, in such a manner that the values achieved for the objectives are balanced according to his preferences in a similar way to that of the well-known equalizers of a music stereo component. In which, using visual aids, the decision-maker navigates over the Pareto Frontier. Given a point, the decision-maker can choose to improve one objective at the expense of another, increasing or diminishing the values achieved for the objectives to those he would be willing to accept. Once the new levels of achievements have been defined for certain objectives, the system obtains new values for the others, guaranteeing that the combination of the values achieved for the objectives is feasible and efficient (or non-dominated). This methodology assists the decision-maker in the understanding of the relationships in the feasible region of the problem being analyzed. During the search, the decision-maker is presented with information such as constraints, limitations, feasibilities, and efficient interchanges. It allows the decision-maker to begin learning and training process and progressively to select the preferred solution. In this manner he will be able to understand the system as an interrelated one, and to determine the levels at which he must sacrifice some objectives in order to improve others, and to observe the consequences of possible decisions. The method allows each decision-maker to propose to the whole group his preferred alternative. Once completed, the Multi decision-Maker Equalizer identifies the region for negotiation, which includes all the proposals, that is the part of the feasible region that envelops all the proposals, and assigns ranges of values for the objectives. The system defines a balanced solution according to these ranges as a temporary solution to the conflict. It is evaluated by all decision-makers, and if there is no agreement to the proposed solution, a new negotiation process is started. The method will allow each decision-maker, independently, to interact with the system, looking for a way to impel the process toward his interests, by making sacrifices in some objectives which may not be so important to him, but that could be very important to the others. Once the new proposals have been made, the method looks for a new agreement. The process is repeated until a definitive solution, which satisfies all the decision-makers, is reached. it is easier for a consensus to be reached. The method serves as a balancing mechanism, not only for the values achieved for the objectives but also for the decision-makers interests. Execution of Decisions The continuing reorganization of the bank’s procedures and departments was fueled by a growing understanding of the bank’s administration as an organic whole or system. Various organization charts, process charts, and routing diagrams documented this idea. They showed the management’s insight into the fact that its internal and external products were the result of the systematic processing of data and information through the whole organization. Moreover, this insight served to align more efficiently the primary criteria of the bank’s performance (with respect to making profit by satisfying its clients) and secondary criteria having to do with, for instance, balancing work speed and time taken for deliberation during the processing of actual transactions by employees. As far as we can deduce from the information available, this was not explicitly aimed at in ROBAVER. The new technology was not used to allow further division of labor or to remove employees further from decision making that would involve primary criteria. Employees were not made more automaton-like by the new technology. On the contrary, as we noted before, the direct contact that was established between the employees and customers meant that even at the lower levels of the organization, primary criteria had to be taken into account when making decisions. Summarizing, three of the four elements we distinguished have been shown to be present in the context of the reorganizations of ROBAVER in the introduction of the punched-card and other information technology. Improving the structure of the organization, and especially the communication flows, served to increase the accountability of the various departments, managers, and individual employees and also the possibilities of central management to monitor and control the organization as a whole in accordance with primary criteria. The more precise division of labor and tasks and functions of the employees at the departments allowed some measure of scientific management and the development of secondary criteria used to steer the behavior of employees. However, this was done in a way that encouraged the employees to make decisions involving, at least in part, primary criteria and taking the overall interests of the organization into account. In general, the employees were stimulated to come up with ideas useful to the organization. (Howard, & Matheson 2006)