Case 7 Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

7 - Case Study Example CVS Corporation’s mission is to improve the livelihoods of its customers through innovation and provision of exceptional health and pharmacy services to enhance safety, affordability, and ease of access. The company’s economical audit performance will determine the devolution of its strategies. Other sources of funding, however, are to implement crucial strategies. The company’s strategic plans, however, are uncertain. Emergence of new Strategies that prove vital may call for refunding. The company aims at strengthening its position in the market. Despite the economic constraints experienced in the past two years, the company is still acquiring strategies to acquire new market. The company also intends to diversify its services in the market. Because of the high rate of technological growth in the world, the company intends to digitize its service delivery. Subsequent innovations aimed at improving the company’s performance will couple technological establishment. The implementation would be parallel to online sales for the company. The company identified a seasonal trend in their sales in the previous years. To counter that, the company aims at acquiring different companies. The companies will relate directly or indirectly to CVS. The company is developing strategies to enable it develop its own product brand. One of the objectives of CVS is to achieve a global expansion. This strategy implementation will enable CVS to venture into the foreign markets outside the U.S. This will be vital in the stabilization of the capital flow for the company. A license will be vital in this expansion for it will enable the company to take the full risk of the international market. Compared to the previous case study, this current study acquires the form of a business plan. The vision and objectives of the company provide an insight as to where the company is heading. The efforts required to achieve the company’s mission reflect the

Buying your first home Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Buying your first home - Assignment Example Buying your very first home may be intense but worthwhile. Though you may consider it an investment, you may decide, however, if it would be a lifestyle investment or a financial investment. Whatever it is, homeownership is a worthwhile venture.First time home buyers need to consider many things before finally buying. These things are embodied in a handbook: Guide to First Time Home Purchases. A comprehensive guide consisting of step-by step instructions and recommendations, you cannot help but take note and appreciate its contents. For instance, you will find reminders such as setting your goals in order to have a focus on your single project - your home; controlling your debts so that there will be no problem during the payments of monthly amortization; working your money so you have to withdraw your savings from a low-interest bank and deposit in a high interest yielding bank for fast growth; checking your credit rating for a good credit history; doing your homework by comparing i nterest rates of lending companies, if you opt to make a home loan; and last but not the least, getting your entitlements which means that in some countries, there are bonuses for first time home buyer through a loan. These features make the 'Guide to First Time Home Purchases' worthwhile.The competence statement, "Can understand the broader context of first time home purchases" is a moving statement that inspires first time home buyers to carry out the project. ... Goal setting means aiming for something. When you aim for something, it includes affordability. Affordability does not only refer to budget related conditions, it could also be related to strength. If you are healthy and strong, you can afford to work continuously and earn income. For budget conditions, affordability can work for you "keep in mind that any existing or current debt will reduce the amount that you can loan for your home" (Money Magazine, 2006). To carry the project, ask yourself if you can afford to spend that much and if not, you should be willing to live in a house which is cheaper and within your personal budget. II. RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES For this research work, the researcher used the descriptive method to gather data about the present conditions and to interpret these data through contrast, comparison, and relationships. A questionnaire which is designed by the researcher was utilized as an instrument to collect some data relevant to the research. Informal interviews with home buyers during the distribution and retrieval of the questionnaires were conducted. Printed books and internet articles related to the study were also read. III. RESEARCH FINDINGS Related literature and studies for this particular study were reviewed. The review provided necessary information in formulating the method and procedure used in undertaking the research. A. Literature Review Sheller (2008) commented that in buying a house the buyer must know that housing rates may remain steady for a year, goes up next year, and higher next year; it never go down. It is different from stocks whose prices are not fixed - it could be high

After Visiting Local Museum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

After Visiting Local Museum - Essay Example Visiting the museum, I had two agendas, one was an academic agenda, while the other was having a good time in the place and getting to know more about different things about the Native Americans. What caught my attention most was the atmosphere of the museum. The outside of the museum was serene and extremely quiet. The compound was dotted with different types of trees and shrubs that gave the compound an anaesthetic look and feeling. Its paved walkways gave the museum a decent feeling and look, which was captivating to the visitors. There were different species of flowers planted in close intervals, with the well-trimmed glass surrounding its compound. The first instance, the place looked less of a museum, with the neat compound with the extra efforts extended towards making it a beautiful place to captivate the attention of the people and the visitors. The outside walls of the one storey building housing the museum were red, with large windows that let in adequate light into the interior of the museum. The architectural design of the museum was very similar to that of a learning institution. Its interior walls were coloured bright, making it brightly lit from the inside. The arrangement of the collection was appealing. The arrangement of the collection pieces were in accordance to their respective categories. The professionalism used in the arrangement and the labelling of the artefacts as well as cultural pieces was amazing. Not a single piece appeared mistakenly placed, as their descriptions matched with the categories placed in.

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Strategic Management - Essay Example The company’s fleet consisted of 245 aircraft and 40,627 employees at the end of 2009 (Datamonitor). The company earned approximately  £9 billion in revenue at the end of fiscal year 2009, 2.7% higher than the last year. 87% of this revenue came from passengers’ traffic while 7.5% and 5.4% came from cargo and other activities respectively (British Airways Annual Report, 2008/09, Data-monitor). The PEST analysis of British Airways highlights major influences on the airline industry. According to Sanderson and Luffman (2001), this environment analysis indicates â€Å"current strategies of competitors, the potential of new competition to enter the market, the behavior of suppliers and buyers, and the availability of substitute products† (2001, p.20). The competitive marketing environment continuously changes, therefore a well thought-out, composed, detailed and consistent analysis is necessary for best evaluation. The distressing incidents at the start of 21st century have turned out as the most difficult times for the airline industry. These incidents included the terrorist attacks in New York on September 11, 2001 and in London on July 7, 2005. Moreover, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have caused an extraordinary political instability in different parts of the world. Due to such political instability and security situation, European Union and United States formulated new security regulations which came into effect in summer 2006. Although governments have taken essential safety and security measures and controlled the activities at the airports effectively along with pricing and planning policies but even then the new political strategy reduced the customer’s traveling confidence on airline. During last few years, substantial regulatory reforms have taken place which has given more opportunities to British Airways and such other airlines. As far as, UK political

Article on Discipline Essay Example for Free

Article on Discipline Essay Discipline is not only necessary but also vital for any civilized society, as a matter of fact, discipline and Nature are synonymous with each other and whenever anything happens, which defies or interrupts the usual in Nature, it becomes a calamity, and similarly life without discipline can become chaotic. The term ‘discipline’ means any training intended to develop moral character or produce a particular pattern of behavior accepted by afferent institutions and society. Discipline is a way of life. It is vital in happing one’s personality. According to one school of thought, there are here forms of discipline i.e. expressionistic, impressionistic and self- discipline. If-discipline is usually considered to be the best form of discipline here in the term ‘discipline’ instead of standing as a rigid code of conduct obi strictly adhered to, denotes a process of normal growth and learning, of ways to monitor oneself. Self discipline is directly related to the concept of freedom and motivation. If a child is motivated and given the freedom to choose, discipline becomes a natural way of life. In modern times, discipline is misunderstood and misinterpreted by some students as rigid and fixed set of rules enforced by others and to be followed without any questions being asked. They feel it is encroachment of their freedom and rights. Discipline is not a term which is limited to institutions like schools and colleges only. Neither is it a weapon or tool in the hands of adults to control the younger generation or in other words seeking unquestionable compliance. Discipline is neither suppression nor a means to assert one’s authority rather it is intrinsic motivation in a person to control oneself, one’s emotion, and desires and live in a uniform and orderly manner. That everything in this universe has to follow certain rules, the Sun rises in the East’ and sets in the West, come what may, the cycle of seasons also follows a pattern, Night follows, dusk which follows day and dawn, thus, we humans are also governed by rules and following the same is another term for discipline. In schools, discipline can be exercised through the medium of morning assembly, time table, uniform, break, activities, various competitions and talk shows. An example of discipline is also the happening of activities in t he school premises in a particular order, right from promptness in reaching the school, wearing the prescribed uniform, abiding with the school rules, attending classes etc.  etc. When one learns to conform to a particular set of rules he understands the importance and need to follow a particular pattern in life and how veering away from them can make life difficult and confusing, All successful people understand the importance of discipline in their lives and enjoy the fruits of success. An undisciplined person is prone to temptations and can easily fall prey to a lifestyle which could lead to his failure and doom. Discipline, thus! is inevitable as it gives direction to live life in a harmonious, and orderly way.

National Innovation System Concept

National Innovation System Concept In a globalising world, is there any value in the concept of a â€Å"National Innovation System†? INTRODUCTION The progressive advancements in the different scientific fields and their applications in technology have become one of the most important corner stones for any nation’s wealth and economic growth. For technology and scientific research to be successful in all aspects, including the organisation and the collaboration between the different players in each technological camp, different governments and public and private organizations reached the conclusion that a whole structure of communication and cooperation should be established in order to reach the desired successes in what concerns research, development and the technological objectives that are ultimately the driving force for any economy and societal well-being within a state. One of the most important problems facing the policy making process was the lack of information regarding specific fields and the lack of knowledge in other fields. The need to have a certain kind of a long and constructive relationship between scientists and the technology specialists, on one side, and the policy makers, on the other, became more evident in the twentieth century as technological advancements (in all industrial fields and in sectors related to information technology) grew in extremely high speeds and in extremely high amounts. A stable and continuous flow of information concerning the ongoing changes that were (and still are) taking place in the research and development arena had to be maintained. This gave birth to the concept of National Innovation Systems which, in theory, should be the solution to the above mentioned problem. The idea behind the concept that was evolving is thoroughly explained by Mytelka as she stated that The 1970s and 1980s marked the passage from an era in which technological change was mainly incremental. Time was available to either amortize heavy tangible and intangible investments in new products and processes, or to catch up with a slowly moving technological frontier by mastering processes of production and distribution for what were relatively stable products. Protected national environments were both a blessing and a curse in that earlier period, since they provided time and space for infant industries to emerge but frequently little incentive for them to become competitive whether at home or abroad. At the same time, within the markets of developing countries, high levels of protection created the potential for oligopolistic market behavior by large, mainly foreign firms, which raised prices to local consumers and made exporting difficult. (15) National Innovation Systems The concept of ‘National Innovation System’ appeared as a prospective response to the necessity of having clear policies that shape the work and the interconnectedness between research, organisations, industries and governments in regards to science and technology research and the products that are expected to be received from that research. An innovation system is the result of the processes of research and development in any science and technology related field. In this context, we can understand that the innovation system involves the distribution, or spreading, of the needed information and knowledge bases regarding a given technology between the various entities that require having them. This should cover the governmental organisations, the interested centres of research, the universities, the industries and even the individuals. The need to create innovation systems on national levels became important in the 1970s and the 1980s. This is explained by Nelson and Rosenberg as they state the following: The slowdown of growth since the early 1970s in all of the advanced industrial nations, the rise of Japan as a major economic and technological power, the relative decline of the United States, and widespread concerns in Europe about being behind both have led to a rash of writing and policy concerned with supporting the technical innovative prowess of national firms. At the same time, the enhanced technical sophistication of Korea, Taiwan, and other NICs (Newly Industrialized Countries) has broadened the range of nations whose firms are competitive players in fields that used to be the preserve of a few and has led other nations who today have a weak manufacturing sector to wonder how they might emulate the performance of the successful NICs. There clearly is a new spirit of what might be called technonationalism in the air, combining a strong belief that the technological capabilities of a nations firms are a key source of their competitive prowess, with a belief that these capabil ities are in a sense national, and can be built by national action. (Nelson 3) It is evident that the concept was originally created in order to give more advantageous steps to science and technology related entities in what concerns competitiveness and the ability to survive and grow both inside the borders of the country itself and as a strong product export bridge to other countries. The main objective in this regard is economical; each country is required to establish the most suitable environment for scientific research and technological structures to flourish and, by doing so, to strengthen the economy of the country and the living standards of its people. The National Research Council defines ‘National Innovation System’ by stating that it â€Å"refers to the collection of institutions and policies that affect the creation, development, commercialization, and adoption of new technologies within an economy† (105). Another definition is that â€Å"the National Innovation System is a systemic model that shows dynamic interactions and pattern of processes that facilitate technology flow in the system, incorporating variables and players from all directions that affect the innovation process† (Hulsink 16). It must be noted here that the above mentioned process should contain, within it, all the elements leading to influence the whole technological sector within a country and this is specifically why there should be clear policies and laws regulating the way in which the system should function and how it should present the required results. Factors leading to the creation of a successful national innovation system are presented by Biegelbauer and Borras: â€Å"A national innovation system is a whole set of factors influencing the development and utilisation of new knowledge and know-how†. The authors emphasise the fact that education is an important element in the process of creating and implementing the system in question (84). For a national innovation system to be structured correctly, a thorough and comprehensive analysis should be performed on a national scale; this is because the system should be able to determine which elements are needed for growth and which policies are the most adequate. â€Å"National profiles are too complex and diverse to derive a unified representation of the system, posing the problem of defining and modelling the NIS. One useful way to deal with heterogeneous profiles of NISs is a taxonomic approach where national systems are classified into several categories† such as â€Å"large high-income countries, smaller high-income countries, and lower-income countries† or â€Å"large/rich countries, small/rich countries, and developing countries† (Park, Y. and Park, G. 403-404). According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, there are different policy making problems in what concerns the operational side of the national innovation system. â€Å"In General, the attention of policy makers moved away from an overall priority to fund the RD input to the economy, with additions along the way to the market to enhance technology transfer† and a special care was given in what concerns encouraging the collaboration and the methods of networked work and â€Å"the flows of knowledge into spin-offs and industrial use, institutional change, entrepreneurship, and improved market oriented financial systems† (14-15). The document of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development also explains that policy makers should take important factors into consideration, such as the relations and inter-dependences between a variety of market sectors, such as labour, capital, and product markets because they are the source of innovation and growth. Another important factor is that policies should also cover sectors that are not considered as related to markets, this can include partnerships in research and development activities (16). The policies in what concerns the system in question, for it to be successful on a national level, should take into consideration a variety of elements and keep them under continuous scrutiny. These elements include the amount and the quality of the performed innovation, the continuous growth in manpower (for what concerns the technological production process) and in the population (in what concerns the use of the produce), the level of growth of the economy itself with all what comes with that concerning new challenges in regards to raw materials and the human factor, the ability of firms to move from one sector into the other, according to the changes in scientific and technological advancements, independently. This creates a huge amount of work for policy makers and scientists and technology experts alike in order to keep policies efficient and effective, on one hand, and in continuous evolution and change, on the other, according to the changes on the ground and according to the changes forced by outside factors. National Innovation Systems Globalisation As clear from the concept’s name itself, the most important point to note is that it was created, and originally thought of, around the concept of a limited political and geographic entity; the country. It focuses on the ‘national’ aspect of the economical, scientific and technological sectors. In today’s world, that is certainly different from that of the 1950s and the 1960s, many changes have occurred that transformed our lives because of the tremendous advancements in science and its direct applications in technology; this includes the way we make business, the way we create products and offer new services, the way the manufacturing processes of certain products take place, and the way information and knowledge are being distributed and reached. It is now more obvious than any point in time in the past that a national system in relation to science, technology, research and industry, no matter how policies are accurately prepared and implemented, cannot survive if the international (or the global) element is not taken into consideration and if it is not dealt with adequately. Much less agreement exists†¦ on how precisely globalization and innovation interact, and what this implies for industrial dynamics and a policy-oriented theory of innovation systems An important weakness of innovation system theory is a neglect of the international dimension. There is a tendency to define a NIS as a relatively closed system, even when dealing explicitly with the impact of globalization. A central proposition rests on dynamic agglomeration economies: interactive learning requires co-location, hence a preference for national linkages. (Ernst 1) Ernst illustrates his point of view around the most developed (and the most developing) sector of industry in the world today, which is information technology. He asserts that electronics equipment and components, software and information services, audio and video, and communication technologies (this includes e-commerce and web services) are all beyond the rigid understanding of the traditional national innovation system as was originally conceived by individuals, institutions, and governments. The changes that happened in the last 25 years have brought new problems for the concept of national innovation system. According to Mytelk, this is due to two main factors: â€Å"First, over the past two decades, production has become more knowledge intensive across a broad spectrum of industries from the shrimp and salmon fisheries in the Philippines and Chile, the forestry and flower enterprises in Kenya and Colombia, to the furniture, textile and clothing firms of Denmark, Taiwan and Thailand. Second, competition has both globalized and become more innovation-based† (15-16). It is, on the other hand, important to note that firms benefit from â€Å"sharing knowledge and reduce costs by jointly sourcing services and suppliers† This on-going process of knowledge exchange will always have a positive influence on all the procedures and results of the flow of information and knowledge and will create more opportunities for co-operation in research and developments experiences and projects. â€Å"Local training institutions and a sound infrastructure can provide further benefits for companies. Moreover, rivalry between firms can stimulate competitiveness. To note also that life quality and other non economic factors can be just as important in determining growth† (Carrin et al. 24). It is necessary for the innovation systems to evolve according to the evolution of the various elements that shape research and technology today. For the concept of innovation system to survive with success, new factors should be introduced within its structure in order to enable it to keep its competitiveness and growth, keeping in mind that this should be done in a way that turns the changes that occurred because of globalization into advantages, not disadvantages. Ernst draws our attention to the bright side, stating that â€Å"globalization enhances the dispersion of knowledge across firm boundaries and national borders. Such dispersion however has remained concentrated, due to the continuous impact of agglomeration economies† (30). CONCLUSION The idea behind the concept of national innovation system, just as anything other theory or structure, should evolve†¦ And this is exactly what happened. Scientific research, technological endeavours, and industrial successes do not depend on the organisation of institutions and on the flow of information within the national boundary alone, they interact with realities created and introduced by a newly shaping world with no borders and no geopolitical boundaries. The policies that deal with the flow and exchange of information and knowledge should deal with international effects and beyond-the-borders factors that can, and will, ultimately influence the national realities. Since the time of the concept’s first presentation by Freeman (1987) and Dosi et al (1988), many changes took place in what concerns the analysis and the policies regarding its methods and implementation; this is due to the enormous changes that happened in the various scientific and technological fields. The concept of national innovation system is a precious tool that should not be dropped because of globalisation; instead, it should be reshaped to cover the elements that did not exist previously. It should encourage the collaboration and the continuous flow and distribution of information and knowledge within the country itself, and then within the regional and international space. NIS should be re-developed to cover national, regional, and multi-national corporational level. Works Cited Mytelka, Lynn K. â€Å"Local Systems of Innovation in a Globalized World Economy.† Industry and Innovation, 7.1 (2000): 15-32. Park, Yongtae and Gwangman Park. When does a national innovation system start to exhibit systemic behavior? Industry and Innovation 10.4 (2003): 403 414. Nelson, Richard and Nathan Rosenberg. Technical Innovation and National Systems. National Innovation Systems: A Comparative Analysis. Ed. Richard Nelson. New York, U.S.A.: Oxford University Press, 1993 3. National Research Council. Harnessing Science and Technology for Americas Economic Future. Washington, D.C. U.S.A.: National Academy Press, 1999. Biegelbauer, Peter and Susana Borras. Innovation Policies in Europe and the Us: The New Agenda Hampshire, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2003. Hulsink, Willem. Regional Clusters in ICT. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Boom Publishers, 2002. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Dynamising National Innovation Systems. France: OECD Publications, 2002. Ernst, Dieter. How globalization reshapes the geography of innovation systems. 24 May 1999. 06 September 2006. http://geein.fclar.unesp.br/reunioes/quinta/arquivos/140306_Ernst_99_globalization_1_.p df>. Carrin, Bart, et al. Science-Technology-Industry Network. September 2004. 07 September 2006. .

Electoral College System Essays -- Political Science

Analyze criticism of the "Electoral College" system and the alleged advantages and disadvantages of various reform proposals. The Electoral College is a system in which the individual voter does not actually vote directly for the president. When a person votes they are voting for an elector that has pledged their vote or allegiance to the running party. The Framers realized that without widespread communications available at the time and with other varying factors an "each vote counts" or "the popular vote" system would not be practical. Because of this they formed the Electoral College system, Under Article II of the US Constitution, although this system was never called this in the Article. This system has survived for over 200 years, with only two changes to it. These would be Amendment 12, and 23 of US Constitution. Many people have throughout the years said that the Electoral College is antiquated and needs to be changed, where as many others defended the Electoral College system. Some people believe the Electoral College system have many flaws, these can include electing a minority president, faithless Electors, the Electoral College causing a decline in voter turnout, the inequality of votes from large to small states, and the disadvantages for third parties. One large issue is that a president could be elected without the countries popular vote. One way this can happen is if three or more parties run splitting the Electoral votes so no one party can receive the majority of the votes. This has happened in 1824 and almost happened in 1948, and in 1968. If this does happen Amendment 12 states that the U.S. House of Representatives would then select the president from the top three. Another big issue is Electors t... ...at would like the votes to be split between parties. One of the last proposed changes is the "drop two" Electoral votes. In this proposal each states Electoral votes would be equal to their state Representatives. This system would function the same but just remove two Electoral votes from each state. This would still allow small states to over represent but would lessen the effects. Even though the Electoral College system has many flaws, it has worked for well over 200 years. Many people feel that the system is old and needs to be updated but the system was well thought out by the Framers. Ref: http://www.fec.gov/pdf/eleccoll.pdf http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Electoral_College http://jceb.co.jackson.mo.us/fun_stuff/electoral_college.htm http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/case/3pt/electoral.html#pro