Contemporary Issues in Management Gender and Leadership

Introduction Issues associated with gender and leadership have been discussed for several decades though the debate on the matter is still on-going. Researchers note that the rate of female leaders is steadily increasing worldwide but male leaders significantly outnumber female leaders (Virick Greer 2012; Page 2011). It is also important to note that researchers’ attention has not decreased and they consider the issue focusing on a variety of aspects. Thus, researchers look into the correlation between culture and gender ratio in the business world.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Contemporary Issues in Management: Gender and Leadership specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Leadership in such spheres as business, governmental and union organisations, health care and education obtain considerable attention. Researchers also analyse successful stories of effective female leaders and reveal major trends in manage ment and leadership. It is necessary to add that different methodologies and approaches are used to address the issue. However, some questions remain unanswered and a bunch of gaps is yet to be filled. Major Topics Considered In the first place, it is important to consider the scope of topics analysed. Admittedly, similarities and differences between male and female leadership still get a lot of attention. At that, Kent, Blair and Rudd (2010) state that gender does not affect leadership behaviours. The researchers claim that female and male leaders are equally effective. Moreover, female and male leaders can equally contribute to the development of an organisation (Timberlake 2005). However, it is still clear that males are reluctant to lose their leading positions and female leaders have to face the ‘glass ceiling’ in the contemporary society. Wang and Kelan (2013) report that even though there is a quota in Norway, the number of female leaders increases surprisingly i nsignificantly. Even though legislation secures rights of women and ensures they have equal opportunities, development of female leadership is still rather insignificant. Researchers also note that culture affects empowerment of women. Thus, Van Emmerik, Wendt and Euwema (2009) emphasise that societal culture has a considerable impact on gender ratio within organisations. Interestingly, less effective male leaders are less likely to choose a female as their successor if diversity climate is unfavourable, though effective male leaders tend to choose females as their successors irrespective of the atmosphere within the organisation. It is necessary to add that the researchers define diversity climate as â€Å"collective perceptions of the extent to which an organization is viewed as having fair employee policies and integrates underrepresented individuals into the work environment† (Virick and Greer 2012, p. 577). Importantly, Block and Crawford (2013) emphasise persistence of stereotypes which prevent development of female leadership. Snaebjornsson and Edvardsson (2013) claim that such concepts as nationality; gender and leadership styles are interrelated. Therefore, female leadership faces a lot of obstacles globally.Advertising Looking for essay on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Apart from generalising, researchers consider gender issues in specific spheres. For instance, female leadership is increasing in the sphere of public services in the UK. Remarkably, Anderson et al. (2006, p. 555) focus on female leadership in the British Army stressing that women are characterised by â€Å"interpersonally oriented leadership style†. The number of women leaders in organisations is still insignificant compared to the rate of women in the labour movement. At the same time, the researchers stress that female leadership can contribute greatly to the development of unions. The spheres o f health care and education have also acquired a lot of attention. Lantz (2008) notes that female leaders are not numerous in the sphere of health care though 40% of work force in this field is constituted by women. It is necessary to note that leadership in education has acquired significant attention but there is still gender bias and females do not want to be leaders. Women tend to remain team workers. Even women, who are active and often come up with effective solutions, tend to be subordinate to less active male leaders. Wayne, Vermillion and Uijtdehaage (2010) state that females should be encouraged to strive for leading positions as women can contribute to development of organisations though they remain rather inactive. Reynolds (2011) also claims that it is crucial to encourage females to become leaders and education should play the core role in this process. Young females should understand that they are able to make the difference and they should long for leading positions instead of withholding their ideas and remaining in the shadow. Swan, Stead and Elliott (2009) contribute to the analysis of the role of learning in gender diversity and leadership by identifying the gap in leadership learning and outlining the role feminist approach can play in education. Teachers should affect development of gender leadership awareness and provide an account of several female leaders’ experience. Clearly, gender and leadership have become a disputable issue and researchers consider numerous spheres, though there are still a number of gaps. Major Gaps in the Field Some researchers have touched the correlation between nationality and leadership. However, numerous questions remain unanswered. First of all, little attention is paid to particular nationalities or regional differences in gender leadership trends. For instance, researchers have touched the correlation between societal culture and gender leadership. Nonetheless, it can be useful to consider the way cultural peculiarities affect people in different countries. Diversity is one of the major characteristics of the contemporary world. Therefore, it can be beneficial to look into leadership behaviours of Asian and Arabic women in western countries. Furthermore, it is possible to trace female leadership (of western as well as Asian and Arabic women) in Asian and Arabic countries.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Contemporary Issues in Management: Gender and Leadership specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is also possible to pay more attention to particular spheres or even departments within organisations. Researchers should identify the rate of female leaders in different industries, organisations and companies. This can help to reveal factors contributing to development of female leadership. It is also necessary to examine similarities in leadership behaviours in different fields. Researchers can consider particu lar experiences of successful female leaders. This will enable scholars to reveal specific factors that positively affect development of female leadership or even certain qualities effective female leaders should have to succeed. The role of education has acquired a lot of attention, but it is still necessary to develop specific strategies which can be utilised to encourage females to occupy leading positions. Admittedly, such aspects as nationality, cultural background, peculiarities of an industry should be taken into account during development of these strategies. Methodology It is also necessary to pay special attention to methodology. Researchers resort to numerous methods and analyse qualitative as well as quantitative data. The articles reviewed can be grouped into three categories. The majority of articles are based on literature review. Thus, researchers review scholarly articles and articles in mass media. This approach helps to reveal major trends existing in the contempo rary society. It is easy to trace concerns and aspirations of people in different spheres. Researchers also consider the way the issue is approached. Importantly, literature reviews help to identify gaps in the study. Nonetheless, this approach is characterised by a number of limitations. For instance, researchers focus on specific topics and can leave out some important sources. When it comes to secondary research, there are chances that researchers provide erroneous conclusions or distorted data. Finally, it can be difficult to trace all the trends existing in the world as researchers often review articles written in one language (e.g. English). At the same time, different regions are characterised by different trends. The second group of articles is characterised by analysis of statistical data. For instance, Anderson et al. (2006) analyse statistic data received from the assessment centre. Other researchers use data obtained from several surveys held in the 1990-2000s (Lantz 200 8; Kaminski Yakura 2008). This approach is effective for identifying precise numbers and rates. Thus, researchers acquire substantial quantitative data for their analysis.Advertising Looking for essay on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Again, it is possible to trace a variety of trends existing in the society. Nonetheless, this approach still has certain limitations. First of all, it is difficult to cover all regions and all strata of the society. Moreover, generalisation is often associated with proximity and distorted data. Finally, quantitative data cannot be enough for developing certain strategies and solutions as it is difficult to explain factors which led to this or that trend. Some researchers focus on qualitative research methods. Questionnaires and interviews help researchers to analyse numerous trends as people explain their choices. This approach enables researchers to acquire substantial data on people’s attitudes towards numerous situations. Though, the approach also has some limitations. First, it can be hard to generalise as particular groups of people take part in the survey. It is also necessary to add that the number of participants is limited. Hence, it is important to combine different approaches and methods to obtain sufficient data. It is also noteworthy that researchers tend to focus on different aspects of the issue. Nevertheless, topics chosen are often in line with trends existing in the society. Sometimes these trends make the research quite one-sided. For instance, excessive interest to feminist approach often leads to surveys based on this method while other approaches are abandoned. Relevance to Management It is necessary to state that the correlation between gender and leadership has a great impact on management as researchers focus on business, public sphere and education, i.e. contexts which are relevant to management. Researchers stress that diversity is the key to successful development of any organisation. Though, it is necessary to add that some researchers believe female leaders are more effective (Anderson et al. 2006). Extensive research shows that female and male leaders can achieve high results when they cooperate with each other and try to work on projects together. Nevertheless, the research also reveals numerous stereotypes which jeopardise effective participation of female leaders in development of organisations. These stereotypes are yet to be removed to help businesses to develop. Finally, research covers issues associated with education. Thus, it has been acknowledged that it is crucial to remove stereotypes and make females more active. The sphere of management will benefit from the development of educational strategies aimed at encouraging females to strive for leadership. Lecturer’s Work It is necessary to note that Carole Elliott has contributed greatly to development of the research as she focuses on a very important aspect of the issue. The researcher concentrates on the role of education in development of female leadership. Elliott notes that education can diminish negative role of stereotypes in the societal culture. The researcher stresses that females can become active if their educators show th em the best way to do it. Elliott claims that females (in the majority of cases) believe in the stereotypes created and do not rely on their skills, experience and knowledge, but let males be in charge. Education can affect development of female leadership as women will be encouraged to strive for leading positions. The researcher also considers specific strategies and approaches to enable educators to affect young people’s mind-sets (Elliott Stead 2008). This research can be regarded as an attempt to encourage females to occupy leading positions. The tools revealed in Elliott’s work can be employed by educators in numerous fields. Thus, female leaders can succeed in a variety of spheres such as business, industries, public sector, governmental organisations, healthcare and educational institutions. Conclusion On balance, it is possible to note that the correlation between gender and leadership has acquired significant attention. It has been acknowledged that societal culture plays a significant role in development of female leadership. Nevertheless, the research still has certain gaps and it is necessary to pay more attention to regional peculiarities and development of female leadership in different regions and different spheres. At present, people have understood that female leaders are equal to male leaders. Though, the society (and even women) is not ready to forget about stereotypes and change trends in leadership. Nonetheless, researchers note that the change has started and on-going research will positively affect development of female leadership. Reference List Anderson, N, van Dam, K, Lievens, F Born, M 2006, ‘A construct-driven investigation of gender differences in a leadership-role assessment center’, Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 91. no. 3, pp. 555-566. Block, RA Crawford, KC 2013, ‘Gender stereotyping of leadership behaviors: social metacognitive evidence’, Psychology and Social Behavior Research, vol. 1. no. 1, pp. 9-17. Elliott, C Stead, V 2008, ‘Learning from leading women’s experience: towards a sociological understanding’, Leadership, vol. 4. no. 2, pp. 159-180. Kaminski, M Yakura, EK 2008, ‘Women’s union leadership: closing the gender gap’, The Journal of Labour and Society, vol. 11. no. 1, pp. 459-475. Kent, TW, Blair, CA Rudd, HF 2010, ‘ Gender differences and transformational leadership behaviour: do both German men and women lead in the same way?’ International Journal of Leadership Studies, vol. 6. no. 1, pp. 52-66. Lantz, PM 2008, ‘Gender and leadership in healthcare administration: 21st century progress and challenges’, Journal of Healthcare Management, vol. 53. no. 5, pp. 291-303. Page, ML 2011, ‘Gender mainstreaming – hidden leadership?’ Gender, work and organization, vol. 18. no. 3, pp. 318-336. Reynolds, K 2011, ‘ Servant-leadership as gender-integrative leadership : paving a path for more gender-integrative organizations through leadership education’, Journal of Leadership Education, vol. 10. no. 2, pp. 155-171. Snaebjornsson, IM Edvardsson, IR 2013, ‘Gender, nationality and leadership style: a literature review’, International Journal of Business and Management, vol. 8. no. 1, pp. 89-103. Swan, E, Stead, V Elliott, C 2009, ‘Feminist challenges and futures: women, diversity and management learning’, Management Learning, vol. 40. no. 4, pp. 431-437. Timberlake, S 2005, ‘Social capital and gender in the workplace’, Journal of Management Development, vol. 24. no. 1, pp. 34-44. Van Emmerik, H, Wendt, H Euwema, MC 2009, ‘Gender ratio, societal culture, and male and female leadership’, Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology, vol. 1. no. 1, pp. 1-21. Virick, M Greer, CR 2012, ‘Gender diversity in leadership succession: preparing for the future’, Human Resource Management, vol. 51. no. 4, pp. 575-600. Wang, M Kelan, E 2013, ‘The gender quota and female leadership: effects of the Norwegian gender quota on board chairs and CEOs’, Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 117. no. 1, pp. 449-466. Wayne, NL, Vermillion Uijtdehaage 2010, ‘Gender differences in leadership amongst first-year medical students in the small-group settings’, Academic Medicine, vol. 85. no. 8, pp. 1-6. This essay on Contemporary Issues in Management: Gender and Leadership was written and submitted by user Eden Kerr to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Human Cloning- for Heavens Sake! essays

Human Cloning- for Heavens Sake! essays Cloning has literally crossed the limits of exploitation of nature, by the human race. For centuries man has been producing, so called solutions to the problems it has, which in turn produce even greater problems. Cloning is one of the them. The most important reason for getting so much help in terms of funds and fame is that its a process of making an identical clone of a person, which really excites the people. I still dont get it how the act of making a clone of a person is ever going to benefit the human race problems. Just because it is a great bio-technological advancement, it is seen as boon to human life. From the scientific point of view cloning is not a simple process as it is portrayed. Till date human cloning is still in its infancy. Loads of research is done first on animals for experimenting the process of cloning. And once the scientists start the experimentation would produce abnormal and dysfunctional clones. The news of cloning of the sheep; Dolly was flashed across the papers like a miracle occurred. But the news of the number of abnormal and dysfunctional clones the scientists produced in the process was totally concealed. Unless cloning is banned, any lay scientist or quack would go ahead with the cloning process and even might produce totally different kind of virus. The kind and variety of viruses that are released in the atmosphere has increased since man started such advancements; especially bio-technical advancement. Talking about human ethics, cloning totally degrades the laws of nature. Cloning is totally stealing the right of nature to produce life with a right balance. The past has taught man a lot of lessons like the production of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. These advancements were made even when their terrible effects were known. But still the scientists went ahead with it and now the present generation has to deal with the after effects. ...

To critique a research article from a professional journal Essay

To critique a research article from a professional journal - Essay Example is historical, perhaps in memory of the role of hygiene in preventing the spread of infectious diseases based on the experiences of Snow and Chadwick in 19th century London (Course Notes). The second may well be described as a curious interest on a topic so basic but commonly neglected – even in a country like Switzerland that is known for being fastidious about cleanliness – as to be ironic. These made the article an entertaining and educational read and increased the author’s appreciation of evidence-based practice, or EBP, in the medical field. As defined by Sackett, et al. (1996), EBP is â€Å"the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.† When medical practitioners and health care professionals learn to combine in a balanced way what they learn from clinical experience and research findings, they are able to improve the knowledge of their profession so as to practice it in the best way possible for their patient’s benefit. Learning to critique a research paper is an important part of this process of improvement because it trains the practitioner to discern which of the prodigious amounts of information or evidence are useful and, at the same time, helpful for the patient. We first look at the question, the answer to which is the rationale for the research study. We then proceed to critique the different parts of the paper and end with a set of recommendations. Most social research begins with a general problem that needs to be narrowed down to a specific research question that can be addressed in a single study. Any reader of a paper that clearly attempts to answer the basic question: â€Å"why do physicians fail to practice good hand hygiene? (Pittet et al. 2004, 2)† will initially register a degree of shock and ask, â€Å"What? Doctors do not wash their hands?† The article’s background reveals that a specific problem was identified – less than half of the

Proposal about an article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Proposal about an - Article Example However, organization culture of the two firms proves to be incompatible and will likely yield the greatest conflict of interest. It has been an issue of pubic debate in respect of Burger king takeover of Tim Hortons in Canada for various reasons. The article explores the cost cutting strategies of Burger King which is possible in the United States. It is therefore portrayed as having a possibility of carrying this culture into Canada after merger with immediate layoffs which will result into unemployment and reflect on retrogressive economic consequences. The culture of Burger King is clearly conflicting the Canadian overwhelming spirit of team work and favorable social welfare of the employees as practiced by Tim Hortons. Burger king is known for gambling with diverse brands which is likely to conflict with Canadian based Tim Horton with a strong brand identity. It is therefore critical to note that the author of this article addresses reality of merging or firms in respect of cultural

Google Brand Strategy Essay Example for Free

Google Brand Strategy Essay This paper will give you an inside look as to how Google Inc. has evolved into a multi-billion dollar empire since it was first developed in 1996 by two Stanford University graduates working out of a garage. The paper will also compare Google to its strongest competitors in the search engine, web advertising and mobile phone industries. The paper will also reveal what the key elements to success are in those industries. The paper will also detail the resources and key competencies that Google has to make them the leading internet search engine with over 60 percent of market shares. The paper will also discuss the business model and strategies used by Google to help them become one of the fastest growing companies in history. The paper will also touch briefly on some of the threats and weaknesses they face in the marketplace. The paper will also include a recommendation to Google’s top management to help them sustain its competitive edge and financial success in the industry. Background History and Company Growth In 1996, Stanford students Larry Page and Sergey Brin teamed up to develop a new search engine they named BackRub. They chose this name because of the engines ability to rate websites in relevancy based on metatags and keywords. Backrub was quickly gaining popularity and in 1998 Yahoo’s cofounder, David Filo talked Brin and Page into leaving school to put their focus making Backrub a major part of Yahoo. Backrub was later named Google, which was taken from the word googol. Googol is mathematical term for a number represented by the numeral 1 followed by 100 zeros. The founder of Sun Microsystems was the first person to invest in Google with $100,000 in August of 1998 which raised $1 million by the end of September. Google was named â€Å"Top 100 Web Sites and Search Engines for 1998† by PC Magazine and was recorded successes at record pace. Google saw potential for profits in other segments of the market and made innovative ideas to gain market share. In 2000, their innovations included wireless search technologies, search capabilities in ten languages, and Google Toolbar browser. Google expanded its product line again in 2004 with the launch of Google News, Google Product search, Google Scholar and Google Local. Google’s index of web pages also grew to more than 8 billion and increased its country domain to more than 15. Google then entered the mobile phone market in 2004 when they created a feature allowing users to text a search request and Google would provide results to the search. Google Earth was created in 2005, which was later enhanced in 2010 when it included an Earth View mode allowing users to view 3D images of various locations at ground level. Between 2005 and 2010, Google also added Book Search, Music Search and Video Search. Google created features for its website to include Gmail software, web-based calendar, web-based documents, spreadsheet applications and language translations to accommodate 51 languages. Discuss competition in the search industry. Which of the five competitive forces seems strongest? Weakest? What is your assessment of overall industry attractiveness? Google has been able to sustain its competitive advantage because of the strong relationships they have built with Internet users, advertisers and websites. In 2010, Google was the most visited website with more than 147 million internet users visiting their site on a monthly basis to search for information. Google’s management believes its strongest rivals are Microsoft and Yahoo, although market share rankings from June 2006, June 2009 and May 2010 showed Google has more than twice their competitors combined. Yahoo was first founded in 1994 and in 2010 held the top third position for most visited search engine site. Almost any information available on the web can be viewed through Yahoo’s portal. Yahoo has many of the same features as Google such as, personal calendar, email, news, weather, television listing and online photo albums. Yahoo has also partnered with mobile phones allows users to search from their mobile devices just as Google has done and the searches performed through Yahoo accounted for 35 percent of the market in 2010. Yahoo’s many features and services have generated revenues from many sources. Yahoo’s relationship with Google goes back to 2000 and has at times been cooperative and other times adversarial. In fact, Yahoo was one of Google’s first customers, but in 2002 they parted ways when Yahoo purchased other companies to develop search engines and since then they have been considered rival companies. Another of Google’s top competitors is Microsoft whose revenues in 2009 were approximately $58.4 billion, with $14.6 billion net income. They were able to make these impressive profits through sales of computer software, consulting services, video games hardware and online services. Microsoft’s computer software Windows 7 and Microsoft office raked in half the company’s revenues in 2009 and most of its operating profits. Their online sales of $3.1 billion showed a loss of $2.3 billion during 2009. The online services generated income came from banner ads on the company’s MSN web site and other affiliated sites, as well as search-based ads displayed with Bing results. Microsoft entered the search engine industry during 2004 in an effort to compete with Google. This happened because Microsoft noticed job postings for Google were nearly identical to Microsoft specifications. Microsoft believed Google was attempting to design software applications that compared to Microsoft office such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Google is well aware of the competitive pressures created by its rival and they fully understand what it takes to hold the competitive edge. They created a strategy that would allow themselves to hold their own against its rivals. In their mind, if the competition could do it, so could they. Competition stems from all sorts of directions for Google. They must compete against their rivals like Yahoo and Microsoft in the search engine industry, new entrants to this industry, the product innovations of their rivals, as well as the bargaining powers their rivals may have that they do not. One of the biggest forces of competition is website traffic. If Google can get more internet users to visit their site over MSN or Yahoo, they will have more bargaining power with advertising sales. Google must also obtain qualified employees with the capabilities to compete with the new and innovative products that Microsoft continues to create. Because the search engine sites are so alike, this causes the rivalry between competitors to increase because the products are less differentiated. What are the key factors that define success in the industry? What are the key competencies, and resources of successful search engine companies? Success in the search industry can be defined by looking at several different factors. One of the most obvious signs of success is revenue growth. Googles revenues from its websites have grown from $792,063 in 2003 to $15,722,486 in 2009 as stated on its 10-k reports. Revenues from licensing have grown from $45,271 in 2003 to $761,759 in 2009. However the value of their stock reached the high point in 2008 at just over $700 per share and has dropped to below $300 in 2008, gained a little in 2009 and dropped again in 2010 to around $450. Some analysts believe Google’s recent decline in revenue and earnings stemmed from their decisions to increase stock prices in order to achieve revenue and growth earnings that pushed the boundaries of their corporate philosophy of making money without doing evil. In order to be successful, Google must continue to develop innovative products at features to better meet the needs of its customers. They need to offer these products at lower prices than their competitors as well. Have Google’s business model and strategy proven to be successful? Should investors be impressed with the company’s financial performance? How does the company’s financial performance compare to that of Microsoft and Yahoo? Google’s innovative products and business acquisitions have all played a part into their strategy directed at increasing the company’s market share in internet advertising. The addition of these products has increased traffic to Google’s website, and therefore, has given them more opportunities to advertise to Internet users. The strategy to dominate the internet advertising market was designed to be worldwide. China was a market that they were particularly interested in taking over since they have more than 300 million users. Unfortunately for Google, China was not as interested in this and they were faced with challenges from their local search provider, Baidu and the Chinese government. As of 2009, only 31 percent of China’s internet users searched using Google and 64 percent used Baidu. Googles business strategy included creating new products and features for the mobile phone industry. In 2010, 234 million people owned mobile phones, with 30 percent having internet access from their devices. Google first introduced its Android operating system in 2008 free of charge to any phone manufacturer marketing mobile phones with internet capability. The applications included the operating system had Wi-Fi capability, email, web-based calendar, Google Earth maps, and GPS. T-Mobile was the first to use Googles Android operating system with the launch of G1 in September 2008. The G1 had many of the same features as Apples iPhone, but much less expensive. The Android operating system was extremely successful with its market share, increasing from zero in 2008 to 13 percent in May of 2010. Another area of Googles business strategy focused on computer software programs used by businesses. Senior management believed the programs would move from local hard drives to the Internet. These is referred to as cloud computing. The market was believed to grow to as much as $95 million by 2013. The move would offer many benefits to corporate users such as lower software acquisition costs, lower computer support costs, and easier collaboration amongst employees in different locations. Google first launched its beta version of free word processing and spreadsheet in 2006 and later relaunched in 2008 to compete with Microsofts Office products. In 2008, Google launched its Chrome Browser and Chrome operating system, specifically to accommodate cloud commuting applications. The Chrome browser was created with a multiprocessor design that allowed users to operate spreadsheets, word processing, video editing and other applications simultaneously. Each tab opened a new window so if one crashed the other applications running would not be affected. Also in 2009, Google made agreements with Acer, Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo to start production of netbooks that used Chrome OS and Chrome browser to access cloud-based Google apps software. Googles business strategy also included expanding into the television market. In 2010, Google teamed up with Intel, Sony, Logitech, Best Buy, DISH Network, and Adobe to develop Google TV. Google TV was built on the Android platform, running the Chrome browser to search live networks and cable programming that streamed videos from providers such as Netflix, Amazon on demand videos, and YouTube. Google TV users would be able to use their televisions to browse the web and run cloud based applications. Googles business strategy also focused on the addition of targeted advertising placed alongside search results on its website. Google Adwords increased annual revenues from $220,000 in 1999 to more than $86 million in 2001. These ads were prices using an auction system, where uses bid on keywords that described their product or service. What are the company’s key resources and competitive capabilities? What competitive liabilities and resource weaknesses does it have? What opportunities exist? What threats to its continued success are present? In order for Google to have continued success in the search engine industry, they need to have resources and capabilities to create competitive advantage over its rivals. Many of theses resources needed for success are intangibles. They included human assets and intellectual capital. This means having employees with experience, education, creativity and innovation to develop new products and features to compete with its rivals. Another important resource is their company image. Googles 10 principles of Corporate philosophy includes You can make money without doing evil. Their image is different from many other businesses. Google believes in conducting business in unconventional ways. They believe their work should be challenging, but fun. The company puts emphasis on team achievement and individual accomplishments that contribute to the companys overall success. They work in a place where there is great communication and camaraderie in order to have the tools necessary to produced Google users with the information they are seeking. Google also believes being great will not make them successful. They must anticipate the future needs of its user and develop innovate product and services in order to be successful in the search engine industry. Building relationships or alliances with suppliers is another key component of success. These relationships can help to reduce costs and enhance product quality and performance. A perfect example of this relationship is Google offering its Android operating free of charge to mobile phone providers or its collaboration with Sony, Logitech, Best Buy and DISH network to develop Google TV. Some of the tangible resources needed for success include financial assets, technological assets and organizational resources. Google must have cash and marketable securities in order to finance new products and investments as well as pay dividends to its stock holders. Some technological assets are its copyrights and production technology. Production technology refers to the processes used to develop new products to compete with its competitors. Organizational resources included the companys workstations and servers used in developing these products. Some of the threats that Google faces in the industry include new entrants in the market and product innovations from its competitors. Overall, Google has done a relatively good job in competing with the development of competitors products. They created the Android operating system in order to enter the mobile phone industry and they are developing new applications for cloud commuting to compete with Microsoft office software. They need not worry too much about the entrance of new businesses as they have developed a brand and corporate image that has already earned loyalty from many consumers. What recommendations would you make to Google’s top management team to sustain its competitive advantage in the search industry? How should it best capitalize on its strategic initiatives in mobile phones, cloud computing, emerging markets, and other venues? Because Googles rivals are competing with relatively the same products, I would suggest to Goggles top management to focus in conducting business in an ethical manner that conforms with the business philosophy. They have received much criticism recently because of their impressive revenues growth during the recession. They need to focus on building their brand image that consumers are appealed by. I would also suggest finding ways to offer products and services at a lower price to its consumers in order to dominate the market. With products being so comparable and easily substituted they need to compete on price. It would be in Googles best interest to focus on the markets in the United States and Canada , rather than in China. China does not want them competing there and they are spending too much time and money trying to get in when there is plenty of opportunity here. The only thing they are gaining from this is bad publicity. It would be in the best interest of the company to put much of their focus on the thing they do best and that is the search engine. Google should stay with the industries they have performed well in, such as search engine and mobile phones. Their biggest competitor, Microsoft, is the leader in innovative products and they will most likely be more successful than Google in the cloud commuting market because businesses are familiar with their products and have already created a following where Google has not. They should focus on the areas they do well in and leave the other markets to competitors. Management needs to add features to make their current products more appealing to consumer rather than looking for new markets to enter. References Thompson, A., Peteraf, M., Gamble, J., Strickland III, A. J. (2012). Crafting and executing strategy. (18 Edition ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Thompson, A. A., Peteraf, M. A., Gamble, J. E., Strickland, A. J. (2012). Cases m for crafting and executing strategy. (19 ed., Vol. 1). The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

An Inspector Calls :: English Literature

An Inspector Calls: Set In 1912; written 1940's but a play for the millennium. What important issues are raised by the play? How does Priestly use the Settings, Characters and Events to convey? I've been studying the play 'An Inspector Calls' that is concerned about problems and issues of year 1912 and used the characters of the play to allow his feelings of the time to be put across to others, in 1912 and now. Many of the problems faced then are still around today and will be probably will be in years to come, despite him trying to make changes in the way we think. However the play was wrote in 1946, just after the Second World War, he was trying to make people aware of what was going on and how this shouldn't happen again. At the time there were a lot of coal miners on strike for having low wages, working, living and conditions also Dockers for the same reasons nothing was done. The poor were manipulated by the rich into what they wanted, for instance take the World War Two Germany the much stronger, powerful and richer country, against poorer countries such as Poland and there was many more countries in similar situations. The play was attempting to get across, that we need to look after the people and things around us no matter how small, as it's not acceptable to use them to our advantages: Remember this. One Eva Smith has gone but there are millions and millions of Eva Smith and John Smiths still left with us. There were always people there to look after or at least realise about the 'Eva Smiths' in the world. In a world scale other countries came into help the poorer countries but notice its always too late in a way, people have already been hurt, In the play there was Sheila and Eric Birling and of course the inspector. A more recent event like this took place in 1982, the Falklands. Argentina invaded the Islands, thinking nothing would be done because they're so small. The British advanced to help their fellow men, and stopped the conflict in its tracks. They made Argentina pay for it, in the death of their own men, 'then they will be taught in fire and blood and anguish', The Inspector (page 56). I think the ideas of Priestly were heard by the people, but still have not embedded themselves into today's society: Nonsense! You'll have a good laugh over it yet. We've been had, that's all. Birling(both p70) This is only Mr Birling's general opinion but this could also be the

Economic Status of The United States in 1950 Essay

Emerging victorious from World War II five years earlier, the United States in 1950 was reaping the benefits of a growing economy – benefits that were actually derived out of the country’s participation in the War. The destruction and mayhem brought by the global conflict also brought with it several positive contributions to the economy. Some would even argue that the country’s participation in World War II actually saved it from the Great Depression. To understand the economic boom of the 1950s it is necessary to appreciate the positive impacts that were borne out of World War II. The foundation for the economic expansion and growth experienced in 1950 and several years after that were laid during World War II. To fund and support the country’s war time efforts, it had to recruit millions of American soldiers to be sent to the war front as well as to be stationed at home. Factories had to be built to produce war materiel – guns and ammunitions, military transport, tanks, fighter planes and bombers, etc. To man the factories women and older people had to be recruited as most of the able-bodied men were at war. WWII created jobs and gave life to many industries and energized a nation. Among the industries that prospered during and immediately after the war were the newspaper industry, the agriculture industry and even Hollywood. Industries that produced transport and plant machineries also prospered. Throughout the War, women, for the first time, were given the opportunity to work outside their homes and participate in nation building. The participation of the women in the labor force started to increase during this time. The War also provided opportunities that would later be manifested in the 1950s. Take for example many of America’s products went overseas – introducing themselves to new markets. Many had actually feared that the end of the War would lead the country back to depression. With production of military supplies coming to an end, this fear had its basis – for the entire economy was propped up by all that had to do with the global conflict. Fortunately, this was not the case. The victory relished by the nation brought about confidence in the government and the economy. The common consumer best exhibited this confidence as the strong consumer demand spurred economic growth after the War. Leading towards the 1950s, industries that experienced a surge in growth included the automobile industry and the housing industry, and new industries experienced fantastic births – industries such as aviation and electronics. There was also another outcome of WWII that contributed to post War growth – the Cold War between U. S. and the U. S. S. R. Many of the military industries that sprouted during the war continued to do big business after it. As communist block emerged as a military power in Europe, America had to arm itself against what it considered as a threat. Huge investments were made in the defense of the country. Such investments meant jobs, factories, huge spending – all contributed to the boom of the 1950s. The economic success of the country probably influenced its leaders to advocate the replication of an open economy at the international level. This is best evidenced by the country’s spearheading the establishment of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Gross Domestic Product and Per Capita GDP  In 1950, the country’s GDP was at $293. 8 Billion (in current dollars). At that time, Per Capita GDP was $9,573. 00 – making the United States the number one country world wide in this aspect. By 1996, GDP was at $13. 194 Trillion. Per Capita GDP was at $43,800. 00 – however, the country ranked only at 10th place world wide in this respect. Post World War II scenario showed that too few economies survive the war while a great majority, especially in Europe, was greatly affected. Many developments starting in the late 1970s toward the early 2000s enabled other countries to overtake the U.  S. in terms of Per Capita GDP. As Per Capita GDP is influenced by population, countries that had significant economic growth coupled with low birth rate were able to surpass the U. S. in this indicator. However, the U. S. remains the most powerful economy in 2007 taking into consideration other indicators. Employment and Unemployment In 1950, the civilian labor force was about 58 million strong. Only 5. 3 percent of the labor force was unemployed. 41. 6 million of the labor force at that time were males, while only 17. 34 million were females. By 1996, the labor force grew to about 142 million while unemployment rate as at 5 percent. 76 million were males while 66 million were females in the labor force. In the 1950s, the number of workers in the services sector caught up with workers in goods production industries. The same time also saw the rise of white-collar jobs and the strengthening of labor unions. Awareness on labor rights was on a rise. The biggest impact experienced by the labor force was the increase in women’s participation in employment activities. Accordingly, women have literally poured nto the labor force starting in 1950. By 1990, women’s participation in the labor force would nearly double. On the other hand, men’s participation would drop over time. Per Capita Personal Income In 1950 the Per Capita Personal Income was pegged at $1,501. 00. By 2006 this rose to about $36,600. 00. Though marked by huge difference in amount, it can be noted that $1,501. 00 in 1950 could by more goods and services than the $36,600 in 2006 as illustrated by the CPI rates for both years. Consumer Price Index and Inflation With 1967 as base year, CPI in 1950 was registered at 72. – meaning that a basket of goods and services bought in 1950 were 72. 1 percent of the price of the same goods and services bought in 1967. By 2006, the CPI was at 603. 5. This meant that the same basket of goods and services bought in 1967 would cost 603. 5 percent more in 2006. Inflation rate in 1950 was at a steady 1. 09 percent. In 2006 the rate was at 3. 24 percent. Emerging Industries 1950 saw the emergence of new industries that were anchored on new technologies. Among these is the aerospace industry. The great success of the heavy bombers during the war emphasized importance on innovation. Improvements in engine design, metallurgy, and arms technology helped advance the industry as well as improve manufacturing procedures. The onset of the Cold War ensured that the industry was there to stay. At its peak, the industry hired hundreds of thousands of workers in four major factories. The industry was also fueled by a $3 billion government spending. Other industries that grew during this time were boosted by other industries. Take for instance the housing boom experienced after war. New homes meant additional furniture and appliances as well as new cars. The consumer-led growth likewise spread to other areas. The introduction of television to the masses spurred the growth in electronics. There were also after effects in the growth of industries. As the demand for homes and cars increased, many Americans were lured out of central cities to the suburbs. The construction of better highways also contributed to these phenomena. Farmers though were facing tough times. As people left farm lands, lesser people were left behind to do farm work. This led to a drop in the productivity of the farm sector. Innovations and the Transformation of Business  At a personal level, 1950 saw the introduction of the first hand held T. V. remote control – a device that would be seen as a necessity in many households for years to come. Color TV also emerged thru the issuance of a license to CBS Network. Another innovation is the introduction of the first credit card – Diners – also an item that would come across as a necessity in modern times. The first pagers were also developed in 1950. In the business front, 1950 would usher in an era marked by consolidation of large companies. Businesses would combine to create bigger, greater businesses. Example, International Telephone and Telegraph bought Sheraton Hotels, Continental Banking, Hartford Fire Insurance, Avis Rent-a-Car, and other companies. Notable Events and Personalities Notable events of 1950 included the following: Start of the Korean War – influenced greatly by the U. S. and USSR at opposite sides, North and South Korea would tangle in a three-year war that highlighted the tension during Cold War regime. Development of the Hydrogen Bomb – raged by the atomic bomb testing by USSR, the government pursued the development of a hydrogen bomb. Senator Joseph McArthy – started the Red Scare in halls of the U. S. Senate – making accusations that the State Department was filled with Communists or their sympathizers. The Senator’s actions led to the adoption of the term McCarthyism – describing intense anti-Communists sentiments. This period coincided with and fueled the onset of the Cold War between America and the USSR. Thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or sympathizers during this time – Americans in various sectors of the society. History would later judge these accusations as reckless and baseless. While Senator McArthy gained considerable media mileage at the start of his â€Å"campaigns,† he would be later unmasked as a grandstanding antic who had little or no evidence to back up his accusations. Many of the people Senator McArthy accussed suffered greatly. Many loss their jobs, had their careers ruined while some were even unjustly imprisoned. Conclusion The end of World War II led to the end of the Great Depression and the start of a long period of economic expansion through the 1950s. It is quite ironical that the most destructive war in history would contribute to the emergence of the strongest and biggest economy in the world. The confidence on the economy was obviously brought about by the country’s victory in the War. Tempered by strong collaboration between the government, businesses and the consumers, the U. S. emerged from the War a lot stronger and economically strengthened. Industrial expansion during wartime brought economic impetus that would be carried on even after WWII. The fact that most of the major economies were slow to recover from the after effects of the conflict placed the United States at absolute and relative advantage over both its allies and its enemies.