Global marketing and communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global marketing and communication - Assignment Example So, it can be said that globalization complements the standardization of company’s products in various markets around the world, and as a result plays a major role in the influencing and changing the consumer behavior of the masses in various markets around the world. There are some widely popular examples that can be quoted to demonstrate the globalization strategy of companies when they focused on treating the world as a single entity. It has to be noted that different category of products like beverage drinks, electronic goods, music products, clothing accessories implement the strategy related to globalization. The popular sports brand Adidas implements the strategy of globalization for the purpose of communicating value to its customers around the world (Pride and Ferrell, 2010, p. 194). Another company that increasingly categorizes the world as a single entity for the purpose of marketing its standardized products is the globally reputed beverage brand Coke which caters to consumers around the globe, with its widely popular product range which are homogeneous in all markets around the world (Czinkota and Ronkainen, 2007, p. 313). Various companies that have the clothing based product offering like that of Levi Jeans etc, also focus on standardization of its products while offering it to consumers in various markets around the world. Localization Localization happens when companies of a particular country focus on the process of going for market development by entering in to new markets in the country (Hines, 2000, p. 27). Talking in these regards, it can be said that the companies while focusing on the designing of... As a matter of fact, it can be said that there is a great demand for various new as well as existing products and services in the marketplace. In an attempt to cater for this demand, various companies around the world are focusing on fulfilling this demand by entering into new markets or catering existing markets by offering new values based products and services. This paper discusses in details the multiple processes that companies implement for the process of value generation for a wide range of customers while maintaining their levels of profitability. Conclusion As of today’s date in an attempt to survive the cut throat competition in the marketplace, the companies around the world firmly believe, that the process of entering into new markets through the carefully designed strategic moves related to product development, market development, product penetration and diversification will help them achieve significant amount of business growth in the upcoming future. So, the companies are looking forward to implement the various methodologies like globalization, localization as well as glocalization. On a concluding note, it has to be stated that in this particular assignment, the global brand Apple is taken because of the brand’s significant amount of presence in various markets around the world. The other important factors behind the selection of this particular global brand are the process of high brand equity as well as high consumer demand around the world.

Job Analysis; Descriptions and Specifications Case Study

Job Analysis; Descriptions and Specifications - Case Study Example Job analysis can be conducted using qualitative tools such as interviews with existing clients or quantitative tools such as surveys or comparison to similar job roles in the competitive job market at other companies. Once parameters of the skills and knowledge needed to perform a job have been identified, it becomes easier for HR professionals to determine new pay categories that are competitive or directly in-line with job role function. New performance appraisals can also be developed to help human resources track performance of the employee in this job to determine whether goals are being met based on research findings. The entire process can be research intensive, however it helps leadership understand each job role and have a form of documentation available that helps the business identify with strengths or weaknesses of the job or how to better allocate resources if redundancies between job roles are identified. After conducting research, the skills, knowledge and abilities needed to successfully perform the job are documented. This could include educational credentials or the mental and physical needs of the job, depending on the environment and the complexity of the role. For example, research might indicate that typing speed of at least 60 words per minute is required to manage multi-tasking activities in the job, therefore the new job description will indicate that interviewers should be looking for people with high manual dexterity and speed. Either through observation, interviews or other measurement tools, the description is designed to best fit what has been discovered about the skills needed to accomplish the job tasks successfully. Pay grades are then determined based on what has been identified related to skills and the job role. Job analysis would also determine whether performance goals are being met properly based on research

The effect of nitric oxide and cGMP on follecogenises Essay

The effect of nitric oxide and cGMP on follecogenises - Essay Example to female disorders, 20% of male origin, 27% resulting from abnormalities in both man and woman, while 15% of the cases could not be attributed to either partner (de Kretser, 1997). According to Evers (2002), five types of disorders leading to infertility have been recognised. They are summarised in Table 1. Ovulation disturbances are a common cause of subfertility in women (Snick et al., 1997). Ovulation problems due to disturbances in reproductive hormones present themselves as irregular or absent menstrual periods viz., oligomenorrhoea or amenorrhoea (Hamilton-Fairley and Taylor, 2003). Hormonal balance governing the ovarian cycle is a critical factor in female fertility. Several factors including stressful lifestyles, extremes in body weight, diet, certain hormonal diseases (e.g., pituitary gland tumours) and endocrine disrupting chemicals, such as PCBs and some pesticides can impact a womans hormonal balance and, thereby, the ovulatory pattern (Farr et al., 2004). Age is another important factor that influences female fertility (Maheshwari et al., 2008) which starts to decline around the mean age of 37.5 years (Hourvitz, 2009). Fecundity of a woman declines with age because of the loss of follicles from the ovary. Advancing age could lead to infertility in a woman on account of poo r oocyte quality related to a higher number of chromosomal aberrations and cytoplasmic malformations in the oocytes (Laufer et al., 2004). Furthermore, advancing maternal age could adversely influence the capacity of the oocyte to sustain early embryo development vis-a-vis biochemical and molecular processes promoting fertilisation, embryo formation and successful development to term (Gilchrist et al., 2008); Male infertility resulting in the reduced ability of the female partner to become pregnant is usually on account of low sperm counts, obstructive azoospermia or primary spermatogenic failure including reduced motility and/or abnormal morphology of sperm (Snick et al., 1997);

Assignment Questions and Answers Essay Example for Free

Assignment Questions and Answers Essay b) Explain the importance of the mission statement, the vision and the goal of an organization A mission statement defines what an organization is, why it exists, its reason for being. It helps guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making. A vision statement is a description of a companys values and its long-term goals. It helps an organization prepare for the future. A goal is an observable and measurable end result having one or more objectives to be achieved within a more or less fixed timeframe. It helps motivate members by clarifying and communicating what the organization is striving to achieve. Both the mission and vision statement help the organization focus on what is really important. Although the organization knows what it is trying to do to improve your community, its easy to lose sight of this when dealing with the day-to-day hassles that plague all organizations. The mission and vision statements help members remember what is important as they go about doing your daily work. The mission and vision statements also let other individuals and organizations have a snapshot view of whom the organization is and what it wants to do. When the vision and mission statements are easily visible (for example, if they are on the letterhead of your stationary), people can learn about your organization without having to work hard for the information. c) Discuss why an organization would carry out an environmental analysis, GAP analysis and SWOT analysis An Environmental Analysis evaluates internal and external factors affecting an organizations performance, especially its marketing effort. Internal factors are referred to as the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. External factors are opportunities and threats presented by forces outside of the company. In general, this information is used by strategic planners in forecasting trends a year or more in advance. This method is distinct from surveillance, which focuses on a specific area or time. A common synonym for environmental analysis is SWOT analysis, an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Another equivalent term is environmental scanning, referring to the ongoing nature of evaluating trends. In this type of analysis, internal strengths may include a stable workforce, proprietary systems and methods, and other factors. Internal weaknesses may include labor-union problems, obsolete equipment, or aging facilities. External opportunities can include new-market creation, beneficial alliances, and positive trade agreements. External threats may be comprised in part of negative governmental regulations, international conflict, or natural disasters. Using environmental analysis, an organization can evaluate the operating environment and establish organizational goals. They determine whether or not the goals are obtainable with existing strategies. GAP Analysis is the process through which a company compares its actual performance to its expected performance to determine whether it is meeting expectations and using its resources effectively. Gap analysis seeks to answer the questions where are we? (current state) and where do we want to be? (target state). Conducting a gap analysis can help a organization re-examine its goals to determine whether it is on the right path to be able to accomplish them. An organization will list the factors that define its current state, outline the factors that are required to reach the target state, and then determine how to fill the gaps between the two states. QUESTION 3 Discuss the main factors that should be considered to effectively implement the organizations strategic plan Implementation effectiveness can be measured by how well the business meets the financial projections set out in the strategic plan. To achieve effective implementation, a business must ensure that any changes initiated by the strategic plan are reflected in areas such as budgeting, reward schemes and information systems. The overall goal is to integrate the results of strategic planning with daily, weekly and monthly routines. The goals articulated in the strategic plan should drive marketing and sales efforts, human resources practices and research and development. These goals become a central part of the business by guiding daily operational activities.

Cipla Pharmaceutical Company Business Model

Cipla Pharmaceutical Company Business Model INTRODUCTION This is an essay to identify CIPLA a generic Pharmaceutical companys business model and to explain the reasons why the company has to change its existing business model. This is done by first identifying the term business model and then using the definition to explain the business model adopted by the company, also determining the inherent changes in world policies and economic environment that prompt the change of the present business model. The second part of the essay addresses the issue of the conflict between the big ethical pharmaceutical companies and the relatively smaller generic pharmaceutical companies business models. This is addressed by highlighting the big pharmaceutical companies business model and comparing the two models (which will reveal the nature of their competitive relationship) thereby identifying if there seems to be a convergence in their models and they are both becoming competitors in the same market or companies producing the same products but competing in different markets or companies where a symbiotic relationship has become inevitable for their survival in this present economic situation. Conceptualization of a Business Model. A definition of a business model is required to highlight the context to which CIPLAs (a generic pharmaceutical company) business model can be identified. Chesbrough and Rosenbloom (2002) describe a business model to be a concept where technology and potentials are changed into economic output through the market and customers, comparatively, Rayport and Jaworski (2001 cited in Wimmer 2004) defined a business model as the four choices of (1) a value proposition or a value cluster for targeted customers (2) a market space offering which could be products, services, information or all three (3) a unique dependable resource system and (4) a financial model. However Shafer, Smith et al (2005) suggests that a representation of a firms underlying core logic and strategic choices for creating and capturing value (p.202); is a design or creation, not an accident; what structures are in place to ensure firms capture value. Also Brink Holmà ©n (2009, p.109 cited in Lambert n. d.) explains tha t The business model concerns how a firm creates value, the internal source of the firms advantage and how the firm will capture value. Factually no sole definition can adequately cover all aspects of the term business model; however a combination of all the stated business model definitions will give a better explanation for the Generic pharmaceutical company business model. Firstly the focus will be on the definition of this model since most generic companies including CIPLA initially followed this business model before the need for change in 2005. The focus on India is also due to the fact that CIPLA originated from that country. The Basic Business Model of Generic Pharmaceutical Companies. The Generic Pharmaceutical Company (GPC) business model in India is characterised by the production and selling of copy cat pharmaceutical drugs discovered and developed by the Big Ethical Pharmaceutical Companies (BEPC) such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), this was achieve through the reverse engineering of the drugs invented by the BEPC and sold at lower costs. This was made possible in India due to the availability of cheap labour in the country and the favourable environment encouraged by the Indian government at the time, which allowed low restriction on process patents, limited multinational companies having equity share in pharmaceutical companies in India and imposed price ceilings on some bulk and formulation drugs. (Greene 2007) Financial evaluation of CIPLAs business model Using the Profit and loss account for 2000-2010, sales turnover steadily increases from 2000-2004 but in 2005 there is a decline of about 10% which can be attributed to the implementation of the WTO law that affected the number of drugs available for replication. This also affected the earnings per share which dropped from about 51 to about 13 in 2005. Investment and debt also showed a steep decline of over 100% from 2004 2005; this corresponds to the change in business environment which can infer a reduction of debt incurred for drug production. However the excise duty showed steady increase from 2000-2005 indicating company focus on domestic market but in 2006 there is a steady decline in excise duties paid and this can be as a result of increased exportation of drugs following a change in business model. Change in CIPLAs Business Model The era of this type of business model however draws to an end as various changes in the economic situation and world policy will threaten the very successful model in which the generics pharmaceutical companies in India have been thriving. In 2005 Indian government changed its law concerning patent drugs and fell in line with World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Related Intellectual Property Agreement (TRIPs) this limited the production of certain drugs that was filed as a patent from January 1, 1995(Greene 2007). Another important point is that the rate at which ethical pharmaceutical companies come up with new blockbuster drugs is declining, as the well known procedure for creating chemicals to treat ailments is not as productive as in times past (Martinez and Goldstein 2007). With a shift of investment from Research and development (RD) to marketing this trend will continue in the nearest future. This can be as a result of the immense cost to deliver a new drug to the market; costs can range from 802million 1billion over a period of 10-15 years (Mogalian, Myrdal 2004). Yusuf Hamied (CEO of CIPLA) stated in an interview that it was his belief that since the implementation of the law in 2005 their businesses where at risk of being taken over by multinational drug companies. Most generic companies in India adapted to this setback in their business model by transferring focus from domestic market in India and increase export of copy cat drugs to Western Europe and the United States, also entering into RD agreements, mergers and acquisitions of foreign drug companies and developing alliances with foreign pharmaceutical firms. CIPLA however chose a slightly different approach than most generic pharmaceutical companies in India by focusing on organic growth in India and only seldom indulging in strategic business alliances, technological services (such as knowhow transfer, plant supply etc) and in licensing with big pharmaceuticals. CIPLA however increased the exportation of generic drugs to countries like United States and Western Europe. Some points in CIPLAs corporate presentation in August 2009 highlight the companys focus: Business model based on international strategic alliances- Business focuses on organic growth and leads to reduced capital commitment and regulatory/litigation risks. RD targeted at ensuring efficient utilization of resources and focused at developing and launching niche products. The graph below shows a steady increase in the value of Indias pharmaceutical RD expenditure from 2001-2006 as a result of a shift in business model. Exhibit 1 Source: William Greene, US Trade Commission (2007) The emergence of Indias pharmaceutical industry and implications for the US generic drug market, US Office of Economics Working Paper 2007-05-A The graph above shows the increase in RD expenditure in the generics companies in India where they now focus on creating their own branded drugs. This approach was also used by CIPLA to better compete in the changing business environment. They boasted of new drugs like Imidara, Lopimune, Bifilin and many more (CIPLA seventieth annual report 2005-2006) Business models of Big Ethical Pharmaceutical Companies and rational for changes in the model. The big pharmaceutical company business model is the traditional pharmaceuticals company business model which comprises of large scale Research and Development departments which discover new drugs for diseases and the sale of those drugs to consumers .This is a rudimentary definition of their business model as it also entails many more components than those mentioned above for instance in recent times we see a shift of emphasis from the research and development to sales and marketing campaigns due to the competitive nature of the environment. Mogalinan and Myrdal (2004) describe the process of bringing out a new drug to entail the discovery of a new branded drug for which the company has to get approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by handing in a new drug application containing a report on the drugs efficacy and safety. The document also highlights dosage, strength and dissolvability of the drug. Once approved the company sells the drug exclusively under the brand name for as long as it is under patent protection. However a new external threat has evolved apart from the usual competition of rival companies in the form of Generics pharmaceutical companies. These companies as mentioned in prior section of the essay have used the process of reverse engineering to create cheaper replicas of the drugs produced by these big pharmaceutical companies and selling the drugs at cheaper costs to consumers. This has been of great profit to the generics companies as they had to indulge in little or no cost consuming research for the development of new drugs in the first place and the availability of low cost of production was just an added advantage to their business model. Martinez and Goldstein (2007) noted however the treat of the generic pharmaceutical wont be a problem if the big pharmaceutical companies were creating new block buster drugs, but that is not the case. Exhibit 2: The decline in RD productivity Though the industry doubled its investment from 2002 till 2006 in RD it yielded 43% less than it had in five years during the 1990s of chemical-based drugs. There is a change in the business environment for generic companies in India however with the 2005 adherence to WTO laws. They generics companies are focused on RD to produce their own patent drugs and generic drugs have become more accepted in Western countries over the years, with the rising costs of healthcare these governments are looking to cut costs and are therefore encouraging the adoption generic drug prescriptions to patients. Another major factor affecting the big pharmaceutical companies is the problem of expired patents. Companies like Pfizer that had a blockbuster drug called Lipitor a cholesterol lowering drug will be coming off patent in 2010 and this will allow the generics companies to bring in a cheaper replica of the drug which will reduce the sales of the company drastically. Similarly Martinez and Goldstein (2007) explain that the expiration of patent will affect big pharmaceutical profits adversely, where a drug formally grossing 90% 95% profit under patent protection will fall in profit when its goes off patent and generic companies offer the drug at a reduced price (sometimes the cost of production). Furthermore drugs meant to be under patent protection for 20years will fail to get to the market before 10years have already elapsed. *Sales data is from IMS World Review (except for China and Poland) ** Patented/generic split is from ESPICOM. Generic defined as a drug whose patent has expired ***2001 values for China; 2000 values for Poland; 2003 values for Brazil reflects patented/unpatented (unpatented includes branded unpatented, generics, similar) Sources: IMS; ESPICOM; Factiva; EGA; Mckinsey team Analysis This development will result in the increased encroachment on the market share of the big pharmaceutical companies, though we can see from the chart that countries like China, Brazil, India and Poland have higher percentage of generic drug usage than US, Japan, Germany, France and UK the problem of the global recession may cause an increase in the use of the generic drugs in these countries as well since developed countries like UK are hoping to cut costs on public expenditure like healthcare costs. Definition of relationships Based on these new developments in the business environment of pharmaceuticals companies and my research I begin to recognize a trend where big pharmaceuticals and generics have increasingly instances of working together in order to thrive in the new environment. This aids me in my definition of in tension asked in the question, I identify this as the type of relationship generating between the big pharmaceutical and the generics companies and we can see that it if morphing from a completely competitive one to a more competitive-collaborative relationship, where we can even see a convergence in their business models in some cases. We see the return of big pharmaceutical companies to India after the 2005 law passed by the government protecting their drugs, so they can benefit from the availability of cheap labor and low cost of innovative talent, they are even cooperating with the generics companies for Research and Development, in licensing and use of their distribution lines to transport their drugs to underdeveloped countries formally catered to by mainly generics companies. Companies such as AstraZeneca, Bristol-Meyers and GlaxoSmithKline have announced their intention to outsource a portion of manufacturing to countries such as India ,Eastern Europe and China since they believe it is of the same quality and at a cheaper cost to them (Martinez and Goldstein 2007). However though we see them working together big ethical pharmaceuticals companies still have some strategies to compete with generics pharmaceutical companies. Some defensive strategies of the big pharmaceutical companies are to develop new generic subsidiaries of their organization so as to be able to better compete with generics companies. By having their own licensed generic companies, they are able to limit the rate at which generics encroach on their market share for drugs that are off patents, they accomplish this by allowing their licensed patents to release generic copies of their blockbuster drugs into the market just before they are off patent thereby gaining market share before the other generic companies release theirs. Novartis CEO Dr. Vasella foresees bountiful opportunities for quick growth in generics as a result of impressive performance of its generic unit Sandoz which accounted for 20% of its overall revenue and grew about three times as fast as its initial operati on (Martinez and Goldstein 2007). Competitive strategies of the big pharmaceutical companies include investment in biotechnology and diversification. Biotechnology is of great appeal because of the inability for generics companies to create copies of the drugs as of now. Diversification on the other hand will allow the company to expand the range of services it offers its customers and allow it to get alternative sources of income. CONCLUSION In conclusion we make-out CIPLA business model to be the production of copycat drugs by reverse engineering of branded drugs and the sale of the generic drugs at cheaper prices to the Indian economy and any other country where the big pharmaceutical drugs do not have patent rights, however a change in the business model became inevitable in 2005 because of the Indian government adoption of WTO laws and caused a shift of the business model of CIPLA to focus more on RD for the production of its own Branded drugs and strategic alliances which entail cooperation with Big Ethical pharmaceutical companies through in-licensing and know how transfer. Another point to note is the change in relationship between the generic company and the big pharmaceutical where we see a competitive symbiotic relationship brewing, with increased dealings between the two types of firms where big pharmaceutical companies benefit from the cheaper cost of production and access to generic companies distribution pi pelines and generics gain from the in licensing agreements where they share profits with the bug pharmaceutical companies. However big pharmaceutical companies still maintain development of competitive strategies to combat the generic companies by creation of their own generic companies and increased investment in both diversification and biotechnology. Biblography Brink, J., Holmà ©n, M. (2009). Capabilities and radical changes of the business models of new bioscience firms: Changing Business Models of New Bioscience Firm., 18(2), 109-120. Chesbrough, H., Rosebloom R.S. (2002). The role of the business model in capturing value from innovation: evidence from XEROX Corporations technology spinoff companies. Boston Massachusetts. Harvard Business School. CIPLA Corporate presentation August 2009 Lambert, S.(n. d.) Business Models available from http://www.audiencedialogue.net/documents/Businessmodels_Lambert_000.pdf (accessed 15 December 2010) Martinez, B., Goldstein, J. (2007) Big Pharma Faces Grim Prognosis Industry Fails to Find New Drugs to Replace Wonders like Lipitor Mogalian, E., Myrdal, P. (2004) Whats the difference between brand-name and generic prescription drugs? USA.   The University of Arizonas College Rayport, J.F. , Jaworski, B.J. (2001). e-commerce. New York: McGraw Hill/Irwin. Shafer, S.M. Smith, J.H. Linder, J.C. (2005) The power of business models. In: business horizons. 48(3), 199-207 William, G. (2007) The Emergence of Indias Pharmaceutical Industry and Implications for the U.S. Generic Drug Market .U.S. international trade commission 05-A, 1-36. Wimmer, M.A. (2004) Knowledge management in electronic governance. 5th ed. IFIP International Working Congress. (2009) CIPLA Pharmaceuticals Yusuf Hamied: I Am Not Against Patents I Am against Monopolies. India [emailprotected], May 07 available from http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4374 (accessed 10 December 2010)

Comparing Gothic Romanticism in The Fall of the House of Usher and Lige

Gothic Romanticism in The Fall of the House of Usher and Ligeia The Gothic style found in the majority of Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories is obvious to the average reader. The grotesque, the desolate, the horrible, the mysterious, the ghostly, and, ultimately, the intense fear are all the primary aspects of the stories which are emphasized. But few writers remain uninfluenced from their contemporaries and Poe is no exception. He is clearly a product of his time, which in terms of literature, is called the Romantic era. Poe combines these two threads in almost all of his stories. For this reason critics often call Poe’s style â€Å"Gothic Romanticism.† The two stories â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† and â€Å"Ligeia† are very similar to Poe’s other short stories, in that they to have this thread of Gothic Romanticism. The Gothic and Romantic themes can be analyzed separately in each of these two stories but together these themes drive the plot and the ultimate success of each. One common characteristic of Romanticism is the importance of the intuitive and emotional and the rejection of the rational and intellectual. Such is the case in â€Å"Usher.† Those who are skeptical of Poe’s Romantic influences would use this aspect of Romanticism to claim that he is not a Romantic because throughout the story the narrator attempts to explain the unexplainable with the rational. An example of this is when the narrator attributes an â€Å"iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart† merely to the â€Å"combination of very natural objects which have the power of thus affecting us† (Poe, â€Å"Usher†). This argument is week because the narrator fails miserably to provide solid rational explanations for these â€Å"strange† events and f... ...ic thread seek to further Poe’s overall goal of terror. Either they develop the character in such a way that would increase the gloomy, mysterious, and supernatural mood of the stories, establish the mood through the setting, or help to further this mood in some other way. The combination of the Romantic thread in these two stories is no different. Poe uses various aspects of Romanticism, such as obscurity and the emphasis of emotion and intuition to increase the terror felt by the reader. But perhaps, the most important aspect of Romanticism is one which is also common in the Gothic tradition is the emphasis on one effect. In the Gothic tradition this single effect is that of terror. â€Å"Ligeia† and â€Å"Usher† are no different in that Poe establishes this terror through the use of his own style of Gothic Romanticism. 2177 1 Marlow Engl. 12 Sect. 37 Comparing Gothic Romanticism in The Fall of the House of Usher and Lige Gothic Romanticism in The Fall of the House of Usher and Ligeia The Gothic style found in the majority of Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories is obvious to the average reader. The grotesque, the desolate, the horrible, the mysterious, the ghostly, and, ultimately, the intense fear are all the primary aspects of the stories which are emphasized. But few writers remain uninfluenced from their contemporaries and Poe is no exception. He is clearly a product of his time, which in terms of literature, is called the Romantic era. Poe combines these two threads in almost all of his stories. For this reason critics often call Poe’s style â€Å"Gothic Romanticism.† The two stories â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† and â€Å"Ligeia† are very similar to Poe’s other short stories, in that they to have this thread of Gothic Romanticism. The Gothic and Romantic themes can be analyzed separately in each of these two stories but together these themes drive the plot and the ultimate success of each. One common characteristic of Romanticism is the importance of the intuitive and emotional and the rejection of the rational and intellectual. Such is the case in â€Å"Usher.† Those who are skeptical of Poe’s Romantic influences would use this aspect of Romanticism to claim that he is not a Romantic because throughout the story the narrator attempts to explain the unexplainable with the rational. An example of this is when the narrator attributes an â€Å"iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart† merely to the â€Å"combination of very natural objects which have the power of thus affecting us† (Poe, â€Å"Usher†). This argument is week because the narrator fails miserably to provide solid rational explanations for these â€Å"strange† events and f... ...ic thread seek to further Poe’s overall goal of terror. Either they develop the character in such a way that would increase the gloomy, mysterious, and supernatural mood of the stories, establish the mood through the setting, or help to further this mood in some other way. The combination of the Romantic thread in these two stories is no different. Poe uses various aspects of Romanticism, such as obscurity and the emphasis of emotion and intuition to increase the terror felt by the reader. But perhaps, the most important aspect of Romanticism is one which is also common in the Gothic tradition is the emphasis on one effect. In the Gothic tradition this single effect is that of terror. â€Å"Ligeia† and â€Å"Usher† are no different in that Poe establishes this terror through the use of his own style of Gothic Romanticism. 2177 1 Marlow Engl. 12 Sect. 37

Problem Formulation and Identification Process Essay

â€Å"It doesn’t matter which side of the fence you get off on sometimes. What matters most is getting off. You cannot make progress without making decisions† (Jim Rohn). In the corporate world, leaders are faced with decisions that can make or break the organizations they represent. Several methods, consensus, brainstorming, systematic, and democratic are used in the decision making process. This paper will investigate the decision-making processes most prevalent in each team member’s organization, compare and contrast them, and will show the most favorable aspect of each style. Consensus The name of my company is Envicor. Envicor is a plastics molding company that manufactures anything that can be made of plastic. This author was recently hired as the national sales manager to oversee Envicor’s newest product line, sporting goods equipment. This author’s job is to promote the sale of portable pitching mounds to a broad range of customers. When it comes to decision making, Envicor uses the consensus method. Consensus is a process using group decision making. The input and ideas of all participants are gathered and synthesized to arrive at a final decision acceptable to all. Through consensus, the company is not only working to achieve better solutions, but also to promote the growth of community and trust. Consensus takes more time, as many resources are investigated before a decision is made. Team members become committed to the decision through consensus. The consensus method gives everyone experience with new processes of interaction and conflict resolution. For consensus to be a positive experience, the group should have 1) common values, 2) some skill in group process and conflict resolution, or a commitment to let these be facilitated,3) commitment and responsibility to the group by its members, and 4) sufficient time for everyone to participate in the process† (C.D.T. 2009). The goal of Envicor is to expand our product line to as many customers as possible. After making contact with a catalog company, a meeting is called  in order to discuss the pros and cons of including our product in the catalog. In the meetings, each person gets a chance to give his or her opinion. Once everyone has spoken, a decision is made. By using the consensus method, the group is able to come together and make a decision based on each person’s opinion. Advantages and disadvantages exist when using the consensus method of decision making.. Some examples are:Strengths:†¢Encourages cooperation instead of competition†¢Garners trust and confidence; everyone is involved in the final decision†¢Everyone agrees to the final decision no matter whether a majority, minority, or lone voiceWeaknesses†¢Lack of experience may lead to inefficient use of the method†¢Lack of control in meetings, conversation goes off topic†¢No â€Å"ownership† when decision is not correct or no consensus made (Notes on Consensus-Decision Making). Consensus seems to work well for smaller companies because it allows them to actually talk out their decisions and come together. Bigger companies might struggle with this type of decision making process because there might be too many employees and it could waste a lot of time. Brainstorming In the brainstorming model, all employees use free thinking to create ideas that will later be used as part of the project’s process. Brainstorming is useful because it allows all employees, some with extensive experience, to give their input. All members’ contributions allow them to â€Å"own† their role within the group and therefore, believe they have been a larger part of greater good. Like other decision making processes, brainstorming has advantages and disadvantages. One advantage is that all decisions are reached by consensus of the entire group. The larger the group is in a brainstorming session, the better the results will be. Everyone works from his or her strengths, weaknesses, experience, and education to find the best results for the project. Next, by making the decision a group project, everyone has a chance to  participate in the decision making process. They are able to voice their objections and give alternative suggestions. This open forum allows ideas to flow freely, and sound decisions are made quickly. A disadvantage of brainstorming is similar to one of its advantages. With more than two or three employees making a decision, the result can become a point of contention and a fight for power within the group. The more people involved in the process, the greater the propensity for debate, creating the possibility of a stalemate. Another disadvantage of brainstorming is something called group think. This occurs when one member of a group makes a statement, and the others follow along. Nothing is accomplished because only one person is making the decision with no alternate suggestions. An open dialogue does not exist; therefore, solutions to problems are not properly explored. SystematicThe systematic approach to decision-making is rational and analytical. (Concise Handbook of Management) This approach employs existing data, and the goal of the decision is the focus of the steps taken to put the decision together. This author’s organization uses the systematic approach for making most decisions. A strength of using the systematic approach is that information used to reach the final decision is based on factual data. The goal has been clearly identified; the objective(s) have been defined; the impact of not addressing the issue has been established. A weakness of systematic decision making, an example of which will be described in the following paragraphs, is that the decision can become stalled in the process. Additionally, regardless of how much research is done, if all principal stakeholders are not engaged in the process, a negative outcome is possible. Several years ago this author’s company developed a product that was designed to align with current imaging procedures. The equipment is a dual-head injector for use in CT scan. The purpose of the dual-head is to provide Radiologists with the capability of using not only contrast media for the CT exams, but also saline. Benefits of having the saline option developed as  the clinical team became more familiar with the system, but initially the service team was concerned about damage occurring to the injector head if a saline syringe was not used. At that time, without consulting other stakeholders, the service and engineering teams went to work on a solution that would prevent this issue.Several years later, as the clinical team was successfully promoting saline usage, the engineering department began shipping a cap for the saline side of the injector. Yes, the issue had been clearly identified, the objective for the project was defined, and the impact of not addressing the issue had been determined. However, because all stakeholders in the decision were not involved, and because the process took so long, the decision and resulting action became a very expensive mistake. Democratic In this participative form of the decision making process the superior(s) gives complete ownership of the decision to the subordinates (Sager 1999). The democratic decision making process allows for the employees (stakeholders) to have ownership of the decisions that are made. The majority vote wins, which can lead to fast and effective decisions concerning the stakeholders. In this decision making process the adage regarding having strength in numbers reigns true. A drawback to the democratic process can be that no one person takes responsibility for the decision if something goes wrong. It may be hard to pinpoint how the decision came to such a conclusion if it does not work out for the benefit for the stakeholders. In using the example of the Health Insurance Accountability and Portability Act (HIPPA) of 1996, a vote for change by a group of individuals affected by the way health records were handled was applauded, then when implemented, the act became more a hindrance than a solution to a problem. In the vast health systems used there was a need to implement a privacy feature to protect patients’ information, so the HIPPA regulations were signed into law in 1996. HIPPA was implemented by a democratic decision making process and became popular with health organizations such as Medicare and well known health insurance companies. Later HIPPA’s biggest fans became its biggest objectors because the law made it impossible for anyone to get  health information on the patient, including the parent(s) or guardians of minor children and the elderly, unless there was a form signed by the patient, the legal guardian, or POA. HIPPA soon became more frustrating than helpful, and the majority who voted for its implementation became the majority opposing it. So in implementing the democratic decision making process for the good of the people to whom the power is given, it must be made known that â€Å"with great power comes great responsibility (Uncle Ben, Spider Man Pt1). Contrast and ComparisonProblems and issues are generally inevitable when people are working together. Each individual decision making process can allow for better management of those situations for building a better organization. This does not mean there will be an absence of issues, but whether or not the team resolves the problem effectively. Each decision making process described above demonstrates to the reader the importance of adhering to a process that will work for each organization. The consensus method shows how the power of agreement can lead to a good decision. However, this method can be time consuming and teamwork plays a major role. Brainstorming will allow for creativity and open ideas, but can also cause conflicts and debates among the group members due to so many independent ideas being presented. In the systematic approach to decision making organization is critical. This process bases decisions on factual information. The systematic process can be costly if all members are not involved in the final decision. Democratic decisions are made based on majority input. The stakeholders are in total control of the decision making process. Speedy and effective decisions can be made; however, problems can occur because not everyone who can vote will vote. Then if a decision has a negative impact on the group it can be hard to identify the owner of the problem. The authors of this paper have investigated four types of decision making, consensus, brainstorming, systematic, and democratic. Advantages and disadvantages of each type have been presented, and finally, all were compared and contrasted with each other. References â€Å"Consensus Decision Making.† Aids Coalition to Unleash Power. Retrieved May 19, 2009. http://www.actupny.org/documents/CDdocuments/Consensus.html†Notes on Consensus-Decision Making.† Retrieved May 19, 2009. www.vernalproject.org/papers/process/ConsensNotes.pdfScott, Jonathan T. 2009, Concise Handbook of Management: A Practitioner’s ApproachChapter 17: Managerial Decision Making and Problem Solving, p131- 138retrieved 5/19/09 from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ehost/pdf?vid=9&hid=106&sid=f7f74d3b-190b-4f87-ae2e-438809c65b35%40sessionmgr109McConnell, C. R. (2006). Umiker’s Management Skills for the New Health Care Supervisor. Ch 25 pp.337-345. Sager, K.L., & Gastil, J.,(1999). Reaching consensus on consensus Communication Quarterly. 47(1), 67-79.