Embryonic Stem Cell Research Essay - 1451 Words

Advancements in medical technology has allowed for a new understanding of stem cells and further developments in research. The use of stem cells in regenerative medicine may hold significant benefits for those suffering from degenerative diseases. To avail such advancements in stem cell research could see the alleviation or complete cure of afflictions that take the lives of millions worldwide each year. (McLaren, 2001) A stem cell 1 is able differentiate into any somatic cell found in the human body, including those identical to itself. Differentiation is a cellular process whereby a stem cell will divide into a specialised cell, for example a neuron2. To harness the unique cellular function of a stem cell could mean the cultivation†¦show more content†¦(Pera et al, 2004) The bodies specialised cells, a product of stem cell differentiation, cannot be replaced through natural regeneration. The further exploration of ES cell research will allow scientists to harness stem cell differentiation and compensate for the bodies inability to regenerate specialised cells. (Fuchs, 2008) For example, ES cells hold the potential to regenerate the spinal cord. Common and debilitating injuries to the spinal cord result in paralysis, more accurately known as paraplegia and quadriplegia. ES cells may be used to repair an impaired spinal cord, restoring movement and quality of life to those suffering from paralysis. (Rosenfeld et al, 2004) The prospects for regenerative spinal cord repair is one of the many positive outcomes of ES cell research if exploration is allowed to continue. Ethicists often advocate for the use of human embryos in ES cell research due to their fate after successful IVF treatment. With the successful fertilisation of an IVF patient, remaining embryos that would have been used in further fertilisation attempts are kept in storage indefinitely. (Morgan, 2006) Many couples opt to donate their spare embryos to ES cell research, as they do not believe that their fertilised zygote is in fact human life. A human embryo remaining from IVF treatment is only used in ES cell research one to five days afterShow MoreRelatedEmbryonic Of Stem Cell Research Essay1576 Words   |  7 PagesEmbryonic Stem Cell Research Francois Rabelais, the famous Renaissance humanist, once said, â€Å"Science without conscience is the death of the soul† (Rabelais, Francois). Since the late 1960’s, this has been the stance for opponents of embryonic stem cell research. This is saying, if we are willing to take a fertilized embryo and kill it before it has even had time to develop, where is our conscience, our heart? We consider this form of stem cell research to be immoral and unethical. ScientistsRead MoreEmbryonic Of Stem Cell Research942 Words   |  4 PagesEmbryonic Stem Cell is when you have to destroy the egg inside, thus rendering that egg to become a human. The Stem Cell is put into a petri dish where it will be cultured and feed nutrients (Bethesda). The Stem Cell is almost like a blank code, It can replenish a part of the body that is hurt or has a disease (Bigloo). Stem cells can be programed any where in the body to fix the issue. When the stem cell divides it will keep pro ducing till the part of the body is back to normal (Bethesda). StemRead MoreThe Debate Of Embryonic Stem Cell Research1292 Words   |  6 PagesEmbryonic stem cells research is the most debated type of stem cell research. The moral standings of embryonic stem cell research have been debated since the research started. The side against the research claims that it is wrong to value one’s life above another and that the elimination of the most basic form of life is murder. While the side supporting the research claims that the research could bring about the cure for many types of diseases and help save the lives of millions. Embryonic stemRead MoreThe Debate Of Embryonic Stem Cell Research1460 Words   |  6 Pages I believe that embryonic stem cell research should be allowed in the United States. From previous encounters with the topic I have learned that the many benefits that can come from stem cell research are without a doubt astounding and unimaginable. There are simpl y endless possibilities that can arise if the research was allowed to be conducted. From giving back vision to rebuilding tissue, any advance in stem cell research would be beneficial to the medical world. With the help that the advancesRead MoreEmbryonic Stem Cell Research Essay710 Words   |  3 PagesResearch on stem embryonic stem cells We live in a world where genetic sciences have gone beyond laws, and past the imagination. We have come to a point where we don’t know anymore what is right, and what is wrong. We have to decide. In fact, studies are made on embryonic stem cells that for now have the purpose to better our overall health. These stem cells are extracted from extra IVF embryos; they are used and destroyed. While it’s true that this research could cure serious illnesses as Parkinson’sRead MoreThe Debate Of Embryonic Stem Cell Research931 Words   |  4 Pages Embryonic stem cell research is the study of stem cells derived from the undifferentiated inner mass cells of a human embryo. For many years now, the ethics of embryonic stem cell research has been argued. A recent advance in this line of research is the ability to clone the embryonic stem cells, which allows for researchers to create a completely compatible embryonic stem cell to the individual’s tissue type. Though thi s new science may be very beneficial, not everyone can agree on the ethics ofRead MoreThe Debate Of Embryonic Stem Cell Research1711 Words   |  7 PagesEmbryonic stem cell research is a hot topic of debate in our modern age, as scientific development continues to push the boundaries of ethics. The debates lies in whether or not it is helping or hindering society, as the procedure involves the manipulation of a human embryo. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are derived from a week old human embryo (blastocyst), often developed from unused in vitro fertilised eggs. They are pluripotent, meaning they are capable of undergoing directed differentiation andRead MoreHuman Embryonic Stem Cell Research1625 Words   |  7 PagesProduction and the Scientific and Therapeutic Use of Human Embryonic Stem Cells, the Pontifical Academy for Life presents the field of stem cell research with a statement regarding the official Roman Catholic position on the moral aspects of acquiring and using human embryonic stem cells.  They have declared that it is not morally legitimate to produce or use human embryos as a source of stem cells, nor is it acceptable to use stem cells from cell lines already established. Thus, bringing up the conflictingRead MoreHuman Embryonic Stem Cell Research2490 Words   |  10 PagesFederal Government to fund stem cell research through the National Institute of Health. There are various types of st em cells, but the policy issue mainly covers human embryonic stem cells. This policy revokes President George W. Bush s executive order 13435 which put heavy limitations on federal funding for stem cell research. Although this policy has already taken effect, there are still bans and immense regulation on particular methods of human embryonic stem cell extraction that involve theRead MoreEmbryonic Stem Cell Research Essay1429 Words   |  6 Pagescure a disease? Embryonic Stem Cells can be used to treat many different diseases, but some people have their opinion that using these stem cells in medicine is unethical because they are coming from a human embryo. There are countries that have banned the use of embryonic stem cells in medicine, and in America there are people arguing that it should be banned here. But what about all of the lives these stem cells are saving, what if research continues and these embryonic stem cells end up being a

Elder And The Elder Justice Act - 1863 Words

Elder abuse happens more often than we think. It comes in the forms of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, neglect, exploitation and abandonment. I will give you the Elder Justice Act facts on policies, demographics, and how it affects the population. Following the facts, will be the issues of the Elder Justice Act. After discussing the issues, there will be possible alternatives/solutions, recommendations and possible outcomes of the recommendations. Then there will be a detailed discussion about future implications and long term outlook. The Elder Justice Act was passed on March 23, 2010 as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) as the first piece of federal legislation to allow funds to address elder abuse, neglect and exploitation nationwide (Federal Laws, 2015). Part I of the Elder Abuse Act is the Elder Justice Coordinating Council made up of federal government representatives charged with the responsibility of coming up with programs for the promotion of elder justice. They have to provide recommendations to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services on the issues of abuse, neglect and exploitation of the elderly. Then there are 27 professionals from the general public who are to give recommendations to the Coordinating Council as well. Part II of the Elder Justice Act talks about funding and enhancing long-term care. Long-term care is important because you need programs committed to training long-term staff,Show MoreRelatedElder Justice Act Essay869 Words   |   4 Pagestraining to be in compliance with the regulations and ensure all around resident safety. Elder Justice Act The Elder Justice Act amendment establishes new requirements for employees and individuals associated with long-term care facilities. These requirements create shorter reporting deadlines for reporting crimes and abuse and higher fines for non-compliance. All staff will Abuse, neglect, and exploitation: Elder Abuse and Mandated Reporter This training will enforce the Health Insurance PortabilityRead MoreAnalysis Of The Elder Justice Act1226 Words   |  5 PagesCongress passed he Elder Justice Act as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to combat the cases of elder abuse in the United States (FindLaw, n.d.). The EJA was implemented by congress, and signed by President Obama on March 23, 2010 (FindLaw, n.d.). The Act was proposed due to the report by the U.S. Department of Justice (FindLaw, n.d.). Dong (2012) noted that the â€Å"The EJA will also be responsible for issuing human subjects protections guidelines to assist researchers and establishingRead MoreThe Abuse Of Older Adults1439 Words   |  6 Pagesacknowledge is the abuse of older people. For so many years, elder abuse has been a hidden yet growing problem in the United States. This problem is recognized as a tragedy that impacts older adults of all races, cultures, sexual orientations, social class and geographic areas. Additionally, this is a critical public health problem that has negative consequences on the health and well-being of older adults. Although the definitions of elder abuse vary, the U.S Administration on Aging (AOA) describesRead MoreWhat Policies Affect Elders Who Hoard And Protect Them Against Neglect812 Words   |  4 Pages It is estimated that 700,000 to 1.2 million elders in the United States (U.S.) suffer annually, from maltreatment at the hands of others or themselves (Fulmer, n.d.). To prevent such mistreatment, the U.S developed national elder abuse policies, such as Elder Justice Act and The Adult Protective Services Act. In this paper, I will address how these policies affect elders who hoard and protect them against neglect. Additionally I will address the detection, investigation, and intervention of hoardingRead MoreEssay about The Rise of Elder Abuse582 Words   |  3 Pagesassessments of the increasing rate of established cases of elder abuse suggest that the issue of elder abu se will continue to grow without significant means for deterrence and intermediation. Due to age-related declines in cognitive functioning and other vulnerabilities such as difficulties with mobility, isolation, medication, and dependence, older adults are uniquely attractive to criminal predators (Lindberg, Sabatino, Blancato, 2011). Elder financial exploitation is an especially cumbersome matterRead MoreElder Protection And Abuse Prevention Act807 Words   |  4 PagesElder Protection and Abuse Prevention Act Introduction The â€Å"Elder Protection and Abuse Prevention Act† was introduced by Richard Blumenthal, who is a senior senator from Connecticut. The bill was introduced to the House of Senate on April 5, 2016 and it is at the first step in the legislative process. The purpose of this bill is â€Å"to amend the Older American Act of 1965 to authorize federal assistance to state protective services programs, and for other purposes† (govtrack.us, 2016, para. 2). SinceRead MoreChild Abuse And Spousal Abuse828 Words   |  4 Pagesspousal abuse. A term that is not heard often is elder abuse, which is unfortunate due to the fact that it is a fairly common occurrence. It was estimated that in 2009, one in ten elderly Americans were victims of elder abuse within the previous year (Acierno, 2010). Even though elder abuse is prevalent here in America, it is seldom that this phenomenon is actually discussed. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, there are seven types of elder abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychologicalRead MoreThe Aging Population and the Health Care Act796 Words   |  3 PagesThe Aging Population and the Health Care Act Introduction The Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act (PPACA) is federal legislation designed to increase the rate of health insurance coverage and reduce the overall costs of healthcare. Along with the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act it represents the most significant government expansion and regulatory overhaul of the U.S. Healthcare system since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965 (Vicni Stempel, 2012). The PPACARead MoreThe Global Epidemic Of Elder Abuse Essay1743 Words   |  7 Pagesin 10 older adults experiences some form of elder abuse, but only one in 25 cases is reported to social services agencies† (Dong, 2012, p. 2151). Elder mistreatment can occur in a variety of settings including domestic and assisted living. Elder abuse includes psychological, physical, and sexual abuse; neglect to include both caregiver and self-neglect; and financial exploitation. With the vast explosion of the aging population in today’s society elder abuse can no longer loom in the shadows. LiteratureRead More Elder abuse Essay1577 Words   |  7 PagesElder Abuse Elder abuse has been present in our society in the past times; however, it has been the hidden problem and under recognized by our community. It is really challenging for people to understand the severity of this problem unless one encountered it in one’s life. Society began to really acknowledge this issue because of the cases that have been reported. There are varieties of categories of elder abuse that are reportable to a healthcare provider; however, many cases are still left unreported

Impact of Child Abuse Essay Example For Students

Impact of Child Abuse Essay The impact of abuse reaches all levels of a childs emotions. The two most common emotions are confusion and guilt. Confusion is usually the initial reaction of the child. They will usually wonder what is going on or if this is right or wrong. For a young child these types of questions can be a huge burden on their physcological development. Once the abuse begins the victim experience a tremnedous conflict with their emotions. They feel pleasant due to the attention they are recieving from the parent, as well as the sensual pleasure. On the other hand they experience pain, guilt, and anger for what is being done to them. The questionif this is right or wrong is the greatest conflict within the childs mind. The abuse feels so wrong yet the abuser insits its okay, taking advantage of the childs mistrust and naivety. Below are the thoughts of an abused victim as she thinks back to her abuse and questions her father. It is an example of this mistrust as well as the confusion which goes through a childs mind. Since I was a little ten-year-old child, I had to deceive and hide from the world and my mother that my father took a sexual interest in me. Remember how you taught me that art of deceit? First you put me in a situation that had to be kept a secret then you pledged me to secrecyAs a ten- year-old child, what was I supposed to do? You are an intelligent man-you figure out the options available to a ten-year-old in that position. (Dolan 58) Guilt is also a huge emotional trip for the child. The abused will feel tremendous guilt for a numerous reasons: they feel they did nothing to stop the abuse therefore they are responsible and it should continue, they felt uncomfortable but the abuse was sometimes pleasureable, or they somehow deserved and/or caused the abuse. A victim will usually feel this way when their self-esteem has diminshed and they have no more answers for what is happenning. The following quote illustrates that guilt makes the child unable to clearly see reality. It also gives insight into the mind of the abused. A nine-year-old girl had a nightmare and went to her fathers room for comfort but instead he sexually abused her. The girl then concluded that she caused the abuse by going to his room. The abuse thereafter continued and she now felt she deserved for it to continue. (Green 24) Another major source of guilt comes from the mother. Often when the mother is told about the abuse she will not want to believe the accusations and will blame the child. Other reasons for why the mother may pass guilt are that she may feel weak adn unable to challange the husbands actions and therefore she looks over the husbands faults and looks to the child for blame and/or the mother doesnt want to lose her husband. She does not want to give up the security provided by her husband and will block out the abuse. For these reasons much of the child abuse in the United States and else where goes unreported and continues. Reports show that out of the one to two million children abused every year in the United States only about half that number is reported to anyone. Man cases are teh most common cases that go unreported, less than 30%by current estimates. Also about 11,120 of those cases reported have been because of the death of the child. The amount of child abuse is staggering to think about, let alone deal with. By the age of eighteen one in three girls will have been sexually molested and one in six boys will have been molested in that same age. .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607 , .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607 .postImageUrl , .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607 , .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607:hover , .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607:visited , .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607:active { border:0!important; } .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607:active , .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607 .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u9907cd8d2f125b35566c990207142607:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Fahrenheit 451 (563 words) Essay These include physical abuse, sexual abuse, mental abuse and neglect. (Lesar 419) One reasons why abuse is on the up rise every year could be that families are undergoing a number of important structural changes. Families are smaller than in the past, with fewer children and sometimes with only one parent; parents have children at a later age; more couples live together without the being married. All these factors could in some way contribute .

Islam and Western Europe Essay Example

Islam and Western Europe Essay WHAP CH. 9 10 Reading Instructions: Copy this exam into a word document answer the questions. Email me your document. Due by 11:59 on 12/10 (Tuesday Night). Multiple Choice Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question. C 1. Islam had roots in which set of religious or philosophical traditions? A) Hinduism, Buddhism, and Manichaeism B) Legalism, Daoism, and Confucianism C) Judaism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism D) Sufism, Sikhism, and Greek rationalism D 2. In Western Europe from 1000 to 1300, power was divided among A) ords, vassals, and serfs. princes, warriors, and farmers. the pope, royal officials, and scholars. kings, nobles, and church leaders. D 3. What initiated the division within Islam between the Sunnis and Shias? A) Fear that Muslims in conquered lands were going native and abandoning Islamic teachings B) The imam Alis new revelation and elaboration of the teachings of Islam C) The belief that Husayn, the son of All, was the real messiah D) Disagreement over who should assume leadership in the Islamic world C 4. Which of the following statements expresses a view of women found in the Quran? A) Women were always to remain veiled and secluded. Women were solely to blame for the existence of evil in the world. C) Women were spiritually equal to men. Women were socially equal to men. B 5. Disagreement over which of the following contributed to the split between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church? A) A church hierarchy of patriarchs, bishops, and priests Veneration of icons The missionary impulse The religious authority of the Bible B 6. We will write a custom essay sample on Islam and Western Europe specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Islam and Western Europe specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Islam and Western Europe specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Which of the following is an example of the Byzantine Empires influence on Eurasia? A) Acceptance of Latin as the international language of diplomacy B) Transmission of ancient Greek learning to Western Europe and the Islamic world C) Control of the trade routes along the Silk Roads and across the Sahara D) Spread of Eastern Orthodox Christianity to North Africa and Central Asia D 7. In the eleventh century, the religious culture of the Byzantine Empire had a significant impact on A) the rulers of the Axum state in Ethiopia. the Nestorian church in China. e Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe. Slavic-speaking peoples in the Balkans and Russia. B 8. Which of the following characterizes the spread of Christianity throughout Western Europe from 500 to 1000? A) Christian missionaries destroyed pagan temples and idols. Earlier cultural practices were absorbed into the Christian tradition. C) The Church focused on converting people in the countryside. Coercion was never used because th e Church did not condone the use of force. B 9. Which of the following was a long-term impact of the Crusades in Europe? A) I ne crusades weakened slgnlTlcantly tne Innuence 0T lurKlc-speaKlng peoples In Islamic world. B) Spain, Sicily, and the Baltic region permanently Joined the world of Western Christendom. C) Animosity from the Crusades ended the flow of Muslim learning into Europe. D) People from the Middle East migrated to Europe in large numbers. C 10. Which of the following is an example ofa role assumed by the ulama? A) Rulers Warriors Judges Doctors A 11. During the period from 1000 to 1300, the rulers in which region held the least power? A) Western Europe The Byzantine Empire China Russia B 12. What advantage did the Byzantine Empire have that enabled it to survive as a political entity for a thousand years longer than the western part of the Roman Empire? A) Assimilation to Germanic culture More territory under its control A longer frontier A stronger military C 13. Besides Islam, which of the following was also a target of Western European crusaders? A) Protestantism Roman catnollclsm Eastern Orthodox Christianity Buddhism D 14. Why was the city of Mecca important? A) Jews, Christians, and Muslims all regarded it as the Holy Land. B) It was the only city in pre-lslamic Arabia that enjoyed a high degree of social equality. It was a crossroad for all the major long-distance trade routes. D) It was the site of the Kaaba where pilgrims congregated. In contrast to the spread of Buddhism and Christianity, the early spread B 15. of Islam A) occurred at a much slower pace. gave rise to a large empire. was limited to the immediate vicinity of its birthplace. was checked by surrounding older civilizations. B 16. Which of the following describes the relationship between politics and eligion in Western Europe from 500 to 1300? A) Rulers were appointed by the pope of the Catholic Church. Rulers provided protection for the Church in return for religious legitimacy. C) The ruler was the head of both the state and the Church. The pope was the head of both the state and the Church. A 17. The Arab Empire that accompanied the spread of Islam stretched from A) Spain to India. Mesoamerica to Madagascar. the Andes to the Himalayas. the Gulf of Mexico to the Red Sea. wnlcn 0T tne Tollowlng was period from 600 to 1 500? A) Anatolia West Africa India Southeast Asia tne most tnorougnly Islamlzea region In B 19. Sufi practitioners facilitated the conversion to Islam of people living in Anatolia and India by A) promoting the enforcement of the sharia by local Islamic rulers. B) emphasizing personal experience of the divine, rather than the law. C) initiating campaigns to close Christian and Hindu schools. freeing large numbers of slaves who agreed to convert. C 20. Which of the following religious traditions blended elements of Hinduism and Islam? A) Sunni Islam Shia Islam Sikhism Sufism

Essay on Married Couples

Essay on Married Couples Essay on Married Couples â€Å"Marriage Matters† The article, â€Å"Marriage Matters,† by Linda J. Waite, was featured in The Responsive Community in the summer of 1996. Throughout the article, Waite explains the physical, emotional, and financial benefits of being a part of a functioning marriage. Waite proclaims that we have been watching a steady decline in the popularity of marriage since the 1950’s. In that day and age, over two thirds of all men were married, black and white. By 1993, the tables had almost turned completely. Two thirds of black men and 40% of white men were not getting married. Waite believes that the decline in marriage is directly correlated with the rising popularity of cohabitation: living with someone in a sexual relationship without getting married. This causes more and more babies to be born into families with only one parent, which raises concern for the well being of both the child and the parent. Marriage not only provides personal security; it provides massive health benefits as wel l. Economist Lee Lillard conducted a study of married couples for over 20 years. Married couples, at any given point in time, have much lower risks of dying than those that are not in a relationship. He also found that single men, regardless of marital history, die much faster than women who are not in a relationship. On another note, married men are much less likely to abuse alcohol and other substances due to their feeling of responsibility that comes with marriage. Married men and women will reap significant financial benefits as well. Due to structure and routine that marriage provides, men and women are allowed to specialize. Instead of doing a little bit of everything, men and women will generally succumb to their gender roles, making it easier for men to focus most of his attention on work which will eventually lead to an increase in pay. This becomes even more prominent in a less traditional family where both partners are employed, giving the unit a dual source of income. On a more risquà © topic, sexual satisfaction increases dramatically on both physical and emotional levels within a marriage. Married couples, as well as cohabiting couples, enjoy very active sex lives. However, married couples have much better emotional and physical pleasure than those in a cohabiting relationship. Partners will spend years learning what their partner enjoys in the bedroom and will make it their goal to do it to the best of their ability. Cohabiting relationships will attempt the same thing, but

Assigned a new project Ask your boss these questions ASAP

Assigned a new project Ask your boss these questions ASAP If you’re committed to doing your very best at work each day and taking every opportunity to show your bosses and colleagues that you’re dedicated and serious about your job, then when you get assigned to a new project you know that it’s a great opportunity to show your stuff. You likely get excited by the possibility of hitting the ground running and will stop at nothing to ensure that every facet of the project is completely successful. If this sounds familiar, then you know that it usually takes a strong start for a project to finish strong. This means that you need to have a good handle on the core, fundamental aspects of the assignment. You’ll want to kickstart your work leaving no stone unturned and no question unanswered- because any lingering doubt or confusion at the beginning can fester, grow, and spread, and make a successful completion increasingly less likely.Although the nature of work projects can vary greatly, based on a wide range of facto rs (including industry, size, and scope, to name just a few), there are some basic questions that you should ask and have answered before getting things going. We suggest asking the following questions whenever you’re assigned to a new project to help ensure a successful result.â€Å"What are the goals of the project?†Of course, knowing a project’s goals is key to being successful. After all, we can’t congratulate ourselves for building a helicopter (though impressive) if the goal was to build a boat, can we? We need to know the purpose of the project and what it is expected to achieve before we can begin determining what a positive result even looks like. Whenever you get started on a project, make sure that whoever is in charge clearly communicates to you the goals of the project- it’s the logical starting point for the next step, which is determining how to make those goals an achievable reality.â€Å"What are the key target dates?†Anothe r crucial piece of any project puzzle is knowing the project timeline- this includes the final date for completion as well as all project milestones and deliverables along the way, especially the ones you’re responsible for. Once you know what is expected of you and when you’re expected to deliver results, you can plan accordingly.â€Å"What is my role in the project?†Getting clarity up front regarding your specific role for the project is crucial. When it comes time to deliver, you want to be sure that there are no surprises in terms of what’s expected of you. This becomes especially important for large projects with multiple stakeholders and deliverable windows.â€Å"Who are the other stakeholders involved in the project?†A crucial component for success on many projects- especially large ones with multiple components- is to make sure that everyone involved knows all of the other key project stakeholders, and to establish a regular and efficient f low of communication. When you’re getting started on a new project, always make sure you know all the players involved and how best to keep in contact with them.There you have it, a few crucial questions that you should get answers to when you’re beginning any new work project. Of course, you’ll likely have additional questions that are specific to the project you’re currently working on, but getting answers to these fundamental ones will help ensure that your project gets off on the right foot, stays on track, and is ultimately successful.

How technology, with particular emphasis on the internet and Essay - 2

How technology, with particular emphasis on the internet and computers, has changed world culture - Essay Example This communication explosion is the biggest cultural impact of the new technologies. Beneath the surface of this virtual world of avatars, wikis, blogs, and tweets, however, there are some deeper cultural changes which have both good and bad consequences. On the positive side, applications like video-conferencing and instant messaging are very useful in the world of work because they facilitate group discussions without the need for expensive real life travel. This saves time, and reduces the carbon footprint of any business. In terms of family and social relationships, these technologies also allow more frequent contact between individuals, even when they are located in different places, or even different countries. This can enhance family stability. Students can access a far wider range of learning resources, and older people can join leisure and interest groups, which offer friendship in pursuing hobbies, dealing with illnesses, and finding any number of other beneficial services. The internet exposes everyone who can afford to be connected, to a vast array of information sources and different points of view. One big negative change in the world has been a widening of the gap between rich and poor people. In Africa, for example, and in some deprived inner city areas of the developed world, there are many people who are excluded from these exciting opportunities because they do not have the resources to pay for equipment and broadband charges. This cultural divide can cause resentment and friction between developed and less developed countries or regions. For those who do enjoy the many benefits of the new technologies there are significant dangers which must be taken into account. Parents are rightly concerned about criminals, or even other children, who might contact their children inappropriately and promote immoral, illegal or other potentially harmful activities. There are internet

Home visit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Home visit - Essay Example When the cardiac output decreases, the heart is not able to circulate the blood from the lungs and other body parts leading to the inadequate supply of oxygen and nutrients (Grand Canyon University, 2014). Hypertension is a chronic medical condition that occurs in instances when the force of the blood against the artery wall is high causing various health complications such as heart disease and coronary artery disease. Atrial fibrillation is a sporadic and a rapid heart rate that usually causes poor blood flow to the body. The atria and the ventricle chambers beat out of coordination in an irregular pattern causing the poor flow of blood. Dyspnea refers to the sensation of labored or difficult breathing that heralds serious complication in the lungs or the heart. Increase inaccumulated fat may result to obesity and it is usually signified by an increase in weight. Cheat pain may herald the occurrence of heart problem though may occur because of chest infections. According to the simulated â€Å"Home Visit with Sallie Mae Fisher† video, the following evidences reveal the four major complications affecting the patient. Sallie Mae Fisher has a history of the chronic congestive heart failure whereby in the past six months she has been hospitalized four times in order to receive medication of her deteriorating heart failure. Her problem with hypertension is evident from her history because her blood pressure is 90/56 (Grand Canyon University, 2014). Her history with atrial fibrillation indicates that Sallie Mae Fisher has the ailment. Sallie Mae Fisher’s dyspnea condition is evidenced by the fact that the previous Saturday she was discharged from the hospital after a three-day stay to treat the condition. Her complication with obese is indicated by the 8- pound increase in her weight. The continuous exacerbation of Sallie Mae Fisher’s CFH evidence the chest pain she is undergoing. In order to manage her ill condition, Sallie Mae Fisher is required to observe

Customer Relationship Management and Systems Essay Example for Free

Customer Relationship Management and Systems Essay 1. What concepts in this chapter are illustrated in this case? Symantec Corporation started out with good intentions. Shortly after acquiring Veritas it began an ERP rollout that was designed to standardize and unify the Symantec and Veritas information systems. The goal was to create a single ERP system, within which all of the company’s extensive network of resellers, integrators, distributors, and customers could place orders for over 250,000 different products Symantec offered in the same way. That follows the basic concept of enterprise systems which are based on a suite of integrated software modules and a common central database. When new information is entered by one process, the information is made immediately available to other business processes. Although companies can rewrite some of the software in ERP systems, the software is unusually complex and extensive customization may degrade system performance, compromising the information and process integration. If companies want to reap the maximum benefits from enterprise software, they must change the way they work to conform to the business processes in the software. Although Symantec and Veritas had each used Oracle E-Business Suite 11d prior to the merger, both used highly customized versions of the systems that made integration a daunting task. An overhaul of the combined company’s enterprise systems was needed to join together Symantec and Veritas’s data from key business processes. Enterprise systems help large companies enforce standard practices and data so that everyone does business the same way worldwide. Enterprise systems help firms respond rapidly to customer requests for information or products. Unfortunately, the two companies bungled the implementation of the enterprise system almost from the beginning. 2. What management, organization, and technology factors were responsible for Symantec’s difficulties in overhauling its ERP systems? Management: Most of the issues were due to the company’s shortsightedness in implementing Project Oasis. The initial reaction to the launch of the new system was decidedly negative. Once customers reached a Symantec employee, they could spend up to 20 more minutes troubleshooting problems, and were often told that there was nothing that could be done. There was simply too much change occurring all at once for typical customers to handle. Partners were unhappy with Symantec’s slow response to many of the problems. Organization: The company was unprepared to meet the increased demand for customer support after the rollout. Symantec neglected to coordinate the development of its new ERP system with the launch of other products from different divisions within the company. The changes to the licensing system were not coordinated with the rest of the project. Customers were unhappy with changes to the stock-keeping unit product system (SKU system). Symantec had overlooked the needs of many customers while designing a technically sound but user-unfriendly ERP system. Technology: Both companies used highly customized versions of Oracle’s E-Business Suite 11d prior to the merger. Users struggled to process the large amount of information provided to them and were overwhelmed by the increased number of steps, all of them new, required to place orders. Some smaller distributors and partners didn’t update their systems to handle the new SKUs and were unable to submit purchase orders electronically. After the rollout, licensing became much more difficult for Symantec’s customers and partners, forcing them to wait multiple weeks before receiving their licenses. 3. Was Symantec’s response to the problem adequate? Explain your reasoning. The company initiated a follow-up project named Project Nero. The goal of the project was to recapture the loyalty of customers who were disenchanted by the changes brought about by Oasis. The project reached out to customers and fixed the problems with the information systems to improve response times and streamline operations. The company began by adding over 150 new customer representatives to handle the increased volume of calls, reducing wait times and increasing customer satisfaction. Executives traveled the country to improve relations with angered customers and partners. The company introduced a master list of product releases readily available and standardized its communication methods between departments regarding new projects and change management. Symantec used Net Promoter methodology to measure and increase customer loyalty. The results identified specific criticisms and customer problems and dramatically aided Symantec in correcting those problems. Project Nero helped the company weather the worst of the crisis. However, the company does not release the results of its Net Promoter surveys to the public so the extent to which it has repaired its reputation is unclear. 4. What would you have done differently to prevent the implementation problems that arose at Symantec? Student answers will vary but some of the principles that should be included in their answers are: Even the most careful planning and well-designed systems can quickly go awry if customers are unable to make use of the new system. Enterprise applications involve complex pieces of software that are very expensive to purchase and implement. The total implementation cost of a large system, including software, database tools, consulting fees, personnel costs, training, and perhaps hardware costs, might amount to four to five times the initial purchase price for the software. Enterprise applications require not only deep-seated technological changes but also fundamental changes in the way a business operates. Business processes must be changed to work with the software. Employees must accept new job functions and responsibilities. Most implementation projects fail or experience enormous problems because executives, managers, and employees did not understand how much organizational change was required. Specific Symantec problems that perhaps could have been avoided: †¢ Communicate with employees better to counteract the negative attitude towards the project. †¢ Communicate with customers and distributors better about the upcoming changes. †¢ Make sure all of the systems that were changing were coordinated throughout the organization. †¢ Not change as many systems all at the same time. Even though stretching the implementation out over a longer period may have cost more money, perhaps it would have prevented some of the massive problems overall. 5. If you were a partner or customer of Symantec, would you have switched vendors in response to the ERP overhaul issues? Why or why not? Student answers will vary. Some principles to keep in mind are: Enterprise applications introduce switching costs that make it very costly to switch vendors. Companies become dependent on the vendor to upgrade its product and maintain the installation. Many of Symantec’s partners and smaller distributors were reliant on Symantec and perhaps could not afford to switch vendors. That would mean they would have to switch all of their internal systems at great cost. Customers are often reluctant to switch vendors based on historical relationships. If the problems seem temporary, the customers will hang on. If the problems seem insurmountable, some customers will desert the sinking ship.

Early American Colonies Essay -- American History

The Massachusetts colony, otherwise known as the ‘Massachusetts Bay colony’ was originally settled by Puritans in 1630. They were plagued by the religious persecutions of King Charles I and the Church of England. Weary from this dogged torment, they left England under the leadership of John Winthrop. These original colonists quickly established many small towns in the name of high religious ideals and strict societal rules. They also planted churches, spread Puritanism and religiously educated the masses, as these were some of their goals. A utopian society that other colonies looked upon with high regards was the ultimate goal. The charter that gave the Puritans freedom to leave the England had a significant loophole-the colony did not have to have a leader that represented them in England. This new government was placed in the seemingly capable hands of a governor, deputy governor and eighteen assistants, all of which were considered to be ‘freemen’. They then established a representative democratic government by which only property owning freemen who were members of the church could have a vote. The formulation of this kind of government was an early indicator of the colonists desires to be free of Britain. Winthrop was elected the first governor of the colony and he further enabled the colony to be virtually independent of Britain by laying a framework legislature that included a simple system of checks and balances along with representation. Boundaries, taxes and strict rules were also established, further severing the ties that bound the colony to England. Even though it was tragically flawed and did not last, it was a clear break from Britain’s monarchy. The flaw in the system was the element of human greed and K... ...tober 29, 2010, from http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USABmapM.htm Massachusetts Colony. (n.d.). Colonial Ancestors - Colonial Genealogy Records and History Information to Find Colonial Ancestors for Your Family Tree. Retrieved November 2, 2010, from http://colonialancestors.com/ma/colony.htm Massachusetts Colony. (n.d.). Colonial Ancestors - Colonial Genealogy Records and History Information to Find Colonial Ancestors for Your Family Tree. Retrieved November 2, 2010, from http://colonialancestors.com/ma/colony.htm THE QUAKER PROVINCE: 1681-1776. (n.d.). The Pennsylvania General Assembly. Retrieved November 9, 2010, from http://www.legis.state.pa.us/wu01/vc/visitor_info/pa_history/II.htm Untitled Document. (n.d.). the Quaqua Society -Financial and Career Assistance for Home Educators. Retrieved November 1, 2010, from http://www.quaqua.org/pilgrim.htm

My Views and Observations on China Essay

The class trip to China was very enlightening, and I learnt many interesting things about International businesses and relations in China during my visit. Some of these surprised me, as they were issues that I hadn’t really considered before my visit. When I left for China, I knew that the Chinese market was one of the fastest growing economies in the world along with India, but I had no idea that it would be so difficult for International companies to get involved in doing business in China. This is something that I only learnt during my trip. However, despite the delays and possible problems that an International Company may have to face, I was still very impressed with the country and I believe that the potential for growth would still outweigh the issues involved. Therefore I would be very interested in doing business in China, and in fact, I have already started looking into doing just that. The first thing that stood out the most in every talk and site visit we made, was just how much the Chinese Government influences businesses in Mainland China. As a communist government, they are very influential, and have a say in almost every business practice that goes on, so much so that the economy is directly related to the government. Dr. Jian Yuan and Dr. Sun were both very outspoken on this matter during their presentations. They both mentioned that this much influence by the government could be the source of problems like labor laws, policy problems and an unfair distribution of wealth. Labor Laws in China are very strict and it is difficult to lay people off. However, the cheap cost of labor in China could also be seen as an advantage for foreigners, who can therefore lower their production costs much more than if they were using labor from their own country. These low labor costs are a direct result of the huge population and the sheer numbers on available unskilled workers. Another problem that can affect foreign businesses due to the influence of the government is that, as a communist government, they have complete control of information sources. This means they control not only the media, but also the internet, and companies are unable to do business via websites etc. However, this is only a problem for some businesses, and your chosen business would have to take this into account before you made your decision. In Hong Kong however, there is complete transparency and therefore this is no longer a problem if you decide to work there. Dr. Sun said that he realized that the government was omnipresent and that Nationalism is the key to understanding the Chinese mentality, but hopes that in the future there will be a change to a multi party system as there is in Taiwan. He also said that since 1979 there have been radical changes in China, and that it is getting better every day. Chinese people have also started to look toward the government to change its policies, and therefore I think that if you are able to get started in China, despite the current problems, you may be able to expand in the future if the changes continue the way they have been going and China becomes a more free country. Currently, it is quite difficult for an international company to become involved in the Chinese economy. From my interview with Mr. Jonathan Siboni, the CEO of DEAL (Developing Euro-Asian Links), I learned that there are only three ways that foreigners can set up a company in China. The first being that you only set up a representative office in China, and do not actually do any business such as retail in China. The second possibility has only been available since 2006, and that is to set up a WOFE (Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprise). This is advantageous for foreigners, but there are limitations set by the government. The final possibility is to set up a Joint-Venture, which is when a foreign company and a Chinese company join together to set up a company and then split the profits between themselves. In some sectors, this is still the only form of company that foreigners can set up, and in my opinion it is the best option. The principle of Guanxi, or relations, was discussed often by many speakers. This is the theory that it is vitally important to form good relations with other people in order to be successful at business in China. Another topic that was often discussed, was that the culture is very important to the Chinese and that you would have to fully understand it if you ever wanted to succeed in the Chinese Market. By forming a join-venture with a pre-existing company, Chinese members of the joint-venture would be available to explain the cultural intricacies that are vital to the business, and they would also already have formed many valuable guanxi (relations), that would help your company immensely. The Chinese people themselves were another factor that influenced my decision to do business in China. The huge population is larger than that on America and the EU combined and this means there are a high number of unskilled laborers out there that are looking for jobs and training. They are very hard working people and they take pride in their work and want to do a good job. At the shoe and textile factories, we saw that the average working hours were from 8am to 8pm, and all this hard work would definitely increase production. The visit to Ground Floor Engineering also showed that they are also very fast workers, which would also positively influence production. The huge population also means that there is the possibility of an enormous target market and a huge demand for your product. The Wal Mart that we visited, catered for a market of 7 million people per week, and because of this, had sales figures in 2006 of US $ 747 Billion. This large number of consumers is a definite draw card for anyone wishing to invest in China. There are also problems with the people. One of which is the huge language barrier, as only a very small population understands English, or any language other than Mandarin, and even fewer are able to read it. This could be another area, where having a Chinese business partner who understands the language would be very helpful. However, with training and careful selection of workers, this is not enough of a problem to put me off doing business in China. If you were doing business in Hong Kong, it also becomes less of a problem, as people here are more highly skilled and many are fluent in English as a second language. This is in part due to the fact the Hong Kong used to be a British Colony. Question 2: The Chinese Culture is very different from any other culture that I have ever experienced before, and although I did notice a few similarities with my home country of Morocco, I mainly realized just how different the cultures of both America and Morocco are to that of China. This was something that I had not been expecting to such a large degree. Firstly, I noticed that the Chinese people are very proud of themselves, their country and their history, and this influences not only everything that they do, but also their relations with foreigners. They are also very sensitive to the actions of others and easily offended by small things that you wouldn’t have thought they would be. For example, when sharing a meal with a Chinese person, it is considered polite to always leave something on your plate uneaten, as this indicates to them that you have eaten enough. If you eat all the food that you have been served, they take it to mean that you are still hungry, and this could be insulting to them. This is in direct contrast to all other countries I have been in, where it is considered polite to eat all that you have been served. They also never forget their history, and still think about being defeated by the European Countries and by Japan. This may affect the way that they deal with people from other countries and culture. Another thing that I noticed is that structure and hierarchy is very important to the Chinese. The CEO of Days Inn told us that in a company or business, everyone knows exactly who is ranked above them in the business hierarchy, and insubordination is not tolerated. In meetings, it is polite and expected that people enter the boardroom in order of Hierarchy, with the most senior and important people entering fist. Seats at the table are also according to hierarchy, with the boss or host sitting in the middle of the table, facing the door. This is very different from American culture, where they try to promote a sense of equality and camaraderie between members of the company. For instance, while you know who you report to and who you are supposed to being taking direction from, there is a sense that you are both equally important to the company and that you would be able to speak freely and openly with your boss. The importance of Gianxi (relations) in China was surprising to me. In all countries, it is important to have good working relations with those around you and with your suppliers and clients, but in China, it is impossible to do business without them. The CEO of Days Inn told us that he needed 50 licenses from the government in order to start the hotel, and that if he didn’t have good Gianxi relationships with influential people, this process would have taken much longer, and may never have gotten through. This seems to follow the old saying â€Å"It’s not what you know, It’s who you know† whereby in American culture, people believe that it’s more important that you are good at your job, and if you are it shouldn’t matter who you know, or what important contacts you have. Rather, there should be equality and you should succeed because of your skill. The idea of â€Å"Face,† or Mianzi, being important to a business or individual was also very new to me. The CEO of Days Inn told us that giving face is a mark of personal pride and is the basis of an individual’s reputation and social status. Losing face is very embarrassing and it is vital not to lose face in the business world if you want to succeed. A public insult or chastisement is a way of losing face, and even something as small as contradicting someone in front of someone else, or declining an invitation on a weak pretext can lead to a loss of face. This idea goes hand in hand with the idea of Gianxi, as a person who has lost face and has a bad reputation, would have a very hard time forming relationships with people that could help there business. Another cultural difference between the East and West is that Westerners are much more straight forward and frank with you, whilst the Chinese are much more conservative and it is difficult to know what they are really thinking. A Chinese person will never tell you â€Å"No† as they think it is rude, and this makes it very difficult to determine whether someone you are working with really agrees with you or just doesn’t want to offend you. Saying â€Å"No† to someone can lead to a loss of Mianzi (face) and therefore someone will often say â€Å"inconvenient† or â€Å"difficult† rather than saying â€Å"No. † This is very different from the West, where people are told to say what they think. Another aspect of Chinese culture is that they hate confrontation, and will generally go out of their way to avoid it, even just in a business setting. They also dislike doing business with strangers and formal introductions are necessary before they will do business with you. This is again where Gianxi become necessary, and is very different from American culture, where they will do business with anyone, as long as it will benefit their companies. At the silk market, evening market and ladies market, I was surprised to find a similarity in culture between China and my home country of Morocco. In both countries, bargaining is an important part of the culture. It is a tradition, and people enjoy it and are not really happy to shop without it. They like to feel that they are working to get the best price, and take it as a sign that they are using their skills to get the best price. It is almost like a game to them, and if someone doesn’t bargain, they get disappointed. This is the same in Morocco, where markets or â€Å"souks† are a place where people come together to shop and bargain for good deals. The biggest difference in the cultures between China and other countries that I noticed was when we went on a visit to a local village. Here, the people were mostly isolated, and had little to no contact with the outside world, and very little knowledge of westerners. They were also poorly educated, and had mainly spent the majority of their lives living in the Village, involved in local farming. They were very poor and sometimes only had gas and water twice a week. They also ate and behaved very differently from the more civilized and educated people in Beijing. When we arrived, they looked at us like they had never seen people like us, and wanted to touch and feel us to see what the differences there were between us and them. The visit to the village also brought into light the class issue that is part of the Chinese Culture, and how people are treated differently according to level of education, class and their jobs (Master/Servant relationships). They don’t seem to think that there is anything wrong with differentiating between people in this way, and see rural people as being below city people. This is different from the West, where people try to think in terms of equality and equal opportunities no matter your race, station in life, gender or class.

Hyperion Financial Management: Performance Tuning Guide

For comprehensive tuning information for the PM System, please refer to the [email  protected] Hyperfine PM, Fusion Edition Performance and Tuning Guide. Top of Document This document is written for people who monitor performance and tune the components in an PM/BI environment. It is assumed that readers know server administration and hardware performance tuning fundamentals, web servers, java application servers and database. Introduction to Oracle Hyperfine PM System Performance To maximize Oracle Hyperfine PM System performance, you need to monitor, analyze, and tune all the components.This guide describes the tools that you can use to monitor performance and the techniques for optimizing the performance of Oracle Hyperfine PM System components, for example Financial Management, Sybase, Reporting and Analysis and Planning. Performance Terminology This guide uses the following performance terms: Scalability The system's ability to perform within specification under increasing use r load, data load and hardware expansion. Latency The time between the issuing of a request and the time when the work actually begins on the request. Think time The time a real user pauses to think between actions.Resource utilization A consumption metric, for example, the percent of CPU usage. Response time A time metric, for example round-trip time it takes the server to deliver a Web page. Throughput A rate metric (requests per unit of time), for example, requests per second, bits per second. For example, if an application can handle 20 customer quests simultaneously and each request takes one second to process, this site has a potential throughput of 20 requests per second. Understanding Key Performance Drivers To optimize your deployment, you must understand the elements that influence performance and scalability.A factor that dictates performance is called a key performance driver. Knowing how the drivers behave in combination further enhances your ability to deploy Oracle Hy perfine PM system optimally, based on the unique requirements of each deployment. Hardware Capacity – Factors such as number of servers, quantity and speed of processors, available RAM, network speed etc. Technical Platforms Tuning – Fine tuning other third party software required for installing and running Oracle Hyperfine PM products; for example: relational databases, Java application servers, Web servers, Server / Client Operating System and browsers.Business Application Design – Application design is an important factor in system performance I. E. Structure, size, and use of product features in designing applications' databases, reports, Web data entry forms, calculations and consolidations. Business Process usage – Activities carried out by users in the normal flow of your business cycle. Business process usage has three components: User activity-?Activities available to users for data load or data entry, database processing (consolidations, copy, c lear, and so on), and reporting and analysis. Rate of user activity – A number of transactions executed by one user per one hour.User concurrency-?Number of users for each activity being carried out simultaneously. Tuning Recommendations for Financial Management Performance tuning Oracle Hyperfine Financial Management is a complex and iterative process. To ghetto started, this document includes recommendations to help you optimize your Oracle Hyperfine HEM system reference. Note: tuning has to be done for a particular production workload. Tuning can be conducted when workload is generated by load generation tools like Oracle Application Testing Suite (TATS) or Load Runner by HP.This document touches on several areas that provide a quick start for performance tuning Financial Management, including: Tune Operating Systems parameters Tune HTTP Server parameters Tune HTTP Server Compression / Caching 4 Tune Oracle Database Parameters Hyper-Threading / SMS Considerations Note: whi le the list in each of the above stated section is a useful tool in tarring your performance tuning, it is not meant to be comprehensive list of areas to tune. You must monitor and track specific performance issues within your implementation to understand where tuning can improve performance.Top Of Document Diagnosing Performance Problems When a performance issue arises, it is critical to first determine the cause prior to taking any corrective action. Oracle does not recommend changing performance-related parameter settings or taking other actions until an extensive analysis of the problem has been performed. Using Monitoring Tools Oracle strongly recommends using monitoring tools to collect performance ATA as part of the diagnostic process. Monitoring the WFM application server, web servers, database server(s) and network layers provide useful performance data.The recommended tool to monitor the WFM application process performance on the Windows server side is Microsoft Performanc e monitoring. Steps for configuring Performance Monitor to gather the counters specific for HEM application can be found here: HTTPS://support. Us. Oracle. Com/pop/faces/secure/km/ Documentation's. JSP? Id=953294. 1 Performance counters to monitor include: Us beseem Counter Guidance Memory Memory: Free System â€Å"Warning† when Free System Page Table Entries is Page Table Entries less than 8,000 â€Å"Critical† when Free System page Table Entries is less than 5,000.On WFM systems if you enable KGB without proper tuning as per recommendations stated in section â€Å"Tune Windows /KGB†, you will notice 5000 PET as initial value after the reboot. Memory: Available Should be no lower than 20% to 25% of Installed Maybes physical memory. In these cases, carefully monitor Paging activity. Memory: Page This counter should be below 1,000 at all times. Reads/sec Processor processor: % processor Total processor utilization should be lower than about Time Total to 80%. Pro cessor: % Processor Each processor instance should be lower than about 5 Disk 70% to 80% utilization.

Fiber Optic essays

Fiber Optic essays As the Application of fiber optic become more and more widespread, fiber connections are not just an interconnection of digital device any more; it is changing the way of local communication. Fiber optic is now gradually become the singular cabling medium by replacing the variety of copper cable types and much of the microwave spectrum due to its faster and better performance. Coaxial cable, adequate for very limited distances @ 270Mbps, will become useless compared to fiber optics gigabit rate. Fiber optic will predominate the cabling system not only for broadcast video or audio production, but also for sound reinforcement, display, timing and general administrative data networks. We will see fiber optic dominate local communication before 2005. Moreover, the move from analog to digital transmission schemes has converted traditionally freestanding and unrelated systems into services potentially sharing a common network, such as cable TV providers not only offer video, but also internet and telephone services. Even though the distinctions between terminal equipment types have begun to blur, however, there are some advantages, such as, people can take pictures, reads his or her email, and makes phone calls with a cellular handset. Furthermore, in the new generation, cameras, editors, control equipment, will combine with fiber optic systems to create ultra-compact flyaway units. We will find fiber optic component everywhere around us. By now the most of the technical reasons that fiber is the future are based on distance, bandwidth, size, weight, ground isolation, immunity to noise, etc. However, possibly the most important and least recognized feature of fiber optics is its ability to transmit any type of signal. Looking forward to the future, fiber optic technology will not only apply to cabling system, but also as a component of devices in the new generation. ...

Nabisco Brands History and Timeline

Nabisco Brands History and Timeline In 1898, the New York Biscuit Company and the American Biscuit and Manufacturing Company merged over 100 bakeries into the National Biscuit Company, later called Nabisco. Founders Adolphus Green and William Moore, orchestrated the merger and the company quickly rose to first place in the manufacturing and marketing of cookies and crackers in America. In 1906, the company moved its headquarters from Chicago to New York. Favorites like Oreo Cookies, Barnum’s Animal Crackers, Honey Maid Grahams, Ritz crackers, and Wheat Thins became staples in American snack foods. Later, Nabisco added Planters Peanuts, Fleishmann’s margarines and spreads, A1 Steak Sauce, and Grey Poupon mustards to its offerings. Timeline 1792 Pearson Sons Bakery opens in Massachusetts. They make a biscuit called pilot bread that is consumed on long sea voyages.1801 Josiah Bent Bakery first coined the term crackers for a crunchy biscuit they produce.1889 William Moore acquires Pearson Sons Bakery, Josiah Bent Bakery, and six other bakeries to start the New York Biscuit Company.1890 Adolphus Green starts the American Biscuit Manufacturing Company after acquiring forty different bakeries.1898 William Moore and Adolphus Green merge to form the National Biscuit Company. Adolphus Green is president.1901 The name Nabisco is first used as part of a name for a sugar wafer.1971 Nabisco becomes the corporate name.1981 Nabisco merges with Standard Brands.1985 Nabisco Brands merges with R.J. Reynolds.1993 Kraft General Foods acquires NABISCO ready-to-eat cold cereals from RJR Nabisco.2000 Philip Morris Companies, Inc. acquires Nabisco and merges it with Kraft Foods, Inc.

Case Study Changing Nestle Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Changing Nestle - Case Study Example Efficient CEOs like Helmut Maucher and Brabeck-Letmathe initiated radical changes in the organization. Large-scale and transformational changes are necessary for maintaining organizational survival. Clardy says about the organization change as, â€Å"the field organization change was long equated with organization development (OD), whose proponents were up-front with the bona fides of their approach: full disclosure, informed consent, inclusive participation, and so on.†(Rothwell, Stavros, Sullivan & Sullivan, R. A, 2009, p. 12). The OD includes the dispositions to improve their organizations by applying knowledge from the behavioral sciences—psychology, sociology, cultural anthropology, and other related disciplines. Analyzing the changes taken place in the Nestle shows that the firm had undergone both the first order change and second order change. In a first order change, the firm makes only some changes in terms of transactional and organizational climate. On the ot her hand, Nestle had undergone a second order change in terms of transformational changes. Some of the important organizational changes were as follows. First order changes 1. Nestle started to transfer executives Switzerland to United States. 2. Nestle concentrated on the strengthening and centralization of its IT departments. 3. Started to purchase local subsidiaries in local markets and began to expand globally. Second order changes 1. Nestle completely refurbished the executive board with ten executives replaced (Palmer et al, 2005) 2. Nestle started to diversify its markets through their introduction into cosmetic and pharmaceutical markets. 3. Nestle introduced the acquisition and merger of several companies. The second order change is more evident in the organization. Transformational change had taken place as the organization switched from entrepreneurial to a wider and more professional management. An important transformational change that had taken place in the organizatio n was involvement in other fields of business through product diversification. In the same way, the acquisitions and mergers provided them accelerated growth, and increased popularity and reputation. However, throughout the course of change, the company took extra care in sustaining employees’ loyalty, impression, motivation, self belongingness, and positive behavior, even though the management had applied some ‘mid-management change theory’. As Palmer et al (2005) state, the change occurred in Nestle, emphasized by Peter Brabeck-Lemathe as incremental change. It is based on his leadership mindset, which focuses on substance over style, with strong dedication, and long term approach to growing business. In contradiction to Peter’s concept of incremental change on Nestle’s overall business, the incremental change was not incremental at all. Its market had expanded due to the aggressive acquisition of a number of food industries and due to the automat ion and integration of all its worldwide operation to facilitate better coordination in an aggressive strategic move; and the move had ended in closing 38 factories and cutting $1.6 billion in cost while improving the company’s ability to obtain volume discount, which Peter meant was incremental (‘Peter Brabeck-Letmathe-1944’). The three important lessons coming from the frontline are downsizing through retrenchment and down scoping,

Chemistre HW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Chemistre HW - Essay Example In the case of ammonia, the amount of hydrogen bonding is limited by the fact that each nitrogen only has one lone pair. In a group of ammonia molecules, there arent enough lone pairs to go around to bond with all the hydrogens available. This is why the boiling point of water is higher than that of ammonia. All known terrestrial life requires water as a solvent. This has led to speculations about whether water is the only liquid capable of maintaining life. The idea that an extraterrestrial life-form might be based on another solvent has gained traction over the years. Ammonia is a classic example. Could life exist on a planet dominated by oceans, lakes, and rivers of ammonia? Ammonia has some problems as a basis for life. The  hydrogen bonds  between ammonia molecules are weaker than those in water; this makes ammonias  heat of vaporization  be less than that of water by half. The surface tension of ammonia reduces  to a third of the water. Ammonia has a lot of the same molecular properties as water that is essential for life on earth. I propose that life may evolve in an ammoniated medium the same way life on Earth grew in a hydrated one. As scientists we are yet to discover ammonia-based life. Therefore we cant discount that ammoniated aliens can or don’t exist. In the absence of absolute evidence, we are tasked to research on this issue more keenly. Even if ammonia-based organisms do not exist by our terrestrial standards, it does not mean that it cannot happen

Global strategic management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global strategic management - Research Paper Example rkets as centres for consumerism and innovation, improvement of productivity in the developed market, expansion of global networks, the issue of sustainability and the strengthening of role of state as a business partner (McKinsey, 2014). The purpose of this paper is to describe these forces in details to find their expected outcome on the future of the business. There may be many other forces that can shape the nature of the business and society in the future. However, this paper only limits itself to the five above mentioned forces as they are expected to create maximum impact on the business activities. Global forces have been described as external forces which creates significant which are beyond the control of the business. The global business environment is filled with examples where business enterprises have missed global trends and they have not been able to survive in the long-run. For the last ten years there has been a massive change in the consumer market. The role of the Western economies especially the U.S.A. as a dominant centre for consumerism and innovation has fallen. This has been accompanied by an equivalent rise of the emerging economies as a centre for consumerism. It has been observed that Asian countries especially India, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Latin American countries like Brazil, Argentina and Chile have made significant progress in terms of overall GDP growth of the country and the overall level of standard of living (Vlad, et al., 2011). The per capita income of the middle-class people have increased considerably in these countries. This in turn have raised the purchasing power of the people and boosted consumerism. In an empirical research that has been done by Kharas and Gertz (2010) that in the decade of 80’s and early 90’s the high income countries of the OECD which had accounted for 80% of the global output and captured majority of the world economic growth rate. It has been estimated that by 2009 the share of the

King Lear Shakespeares Essay Example for Free

King Lear Shakespeares Essay Dylan Thomass Do not go gentle into that good night was influenced by William Butler Yeatss Lapis Lazuli and William Shakespeares King Lear but the villanelle bears a stronger resemblance to Shakespeares play. The attitudes toward how an individual lives in the face of impending death, explored by Thomas, are similarly examined with the portrayal of Gloucester and Lear. Dylan Thomass Do not go gentle into that good night has been noted to bear the influence of and even echo W. B. Yeats, especially Lapis Luzuli, and, secondarily via this poem, Shakespeares King Lear. One scholar notes its Yeatsian overtones (Fraser 51); another judges Thomass villanelle to have much of the concentrated fury of expression which the poetry of the older Yeats contained, but more tenderness and sympathy (Stanford 117), and goes on to say. , citing Lapis Lazuli, that Yeats described the poet as one who knows that `Hamlet and Lear are gay' (118). William York Tindall cites not only Lapis Lazuli but also Yeatss The Choice as sources (204). Another scholar seems to skip over Yeats entirely (though his own phrasing echoes line 1 of Lapis Lazuli), seeing the Grave men/blind tercet (which contains the injunction to be gay) as perhaps invok[ing] the Miltonic (Tindall also mentions Milton 205) and the effect of the phrase be gay as rather hysterical sentimentality (Holbrook, Dissociation 53); of the earlier Wise men/lightning verse, however, he says The images are merely there, histrionically, to bring in the phrase `forked no lightning to give a Lear-like grandeur to the dirge (52). I would like to propose that Do not go gentle into that good night bears a much stronger and more direct connection to Shakespeares play than is suggested by references to Yeats or to Lear-like grandeur. I would like to propose that the attitudes towards deathor, more precisely, the attitudes towards how one lives in the face of impending deaththat Thomas explores in this poemthe implied attitude his speaker attributes to his direct audience, and the one he urges be adopted in its placeare similarly explored in King Lear and dramatized in the characters of Gloucester and Lear. I also propose that the voice we hear in Do not go gentle may not be a directly lyric speaker but an obliquely drawn persona, that of Gloucesters son Edgar. Further, when read in the shadow cast by King Lear, the tone of Thomass poem grows dark indeed. Do not go gentle into that good night is addressed to Thomass father, David John, known as D. J. According to biographer Paul Ferris, D. J. was an unhappy man a man with regrets (27); born with brains and literary talent, his ambition was to be a man of letters, but he was never able to advance beyond being a sardonic provincial schoolmaster in South Wales, feared for his sharp tongue (26-33). After his first serious illness, thoughcancer in 1933A mellowing is said to have been noticeable soon after; his sarcasm was not so sharp; he was a changed man (104). As he grew more chronically ill in the 40s, mostly from heart disease and with one of the complications being trouble with his sight, the mellowing intensified: As Ferris puts it, It must have been [D. J. s] backbone of angry dignity that his son grieved to see breaking long after, when he wrote `Do not go gentle into that good night' (27), and the poem is an exhortation to his father, a plea for him to die with anger, not humility (259). The poem was first published in November, 1951, in Princess Caetanis Botteghe Oscure, on consecutive pages with Lament, a dramatic monologue spoken by an old man on his deathbed who recalls his rollicking youth and middle-age spent in the pursuit (and capture) of wine, women, and song, but who has married at last in order to obtain a caretaker, and must suffer pious comforting in his final, helpless days. (Bibliographic evidence suggests the two were also composed, or at least finalized, more or less simultaneously; Kidder 188.) In the letter to Caetani that contained Do not go gentle, Thomas remarked that this little one might well be printed with [Lament] as a contrast (qtd. in Kidder 188). As Ferris suggests, it would be difficult to over-estimate D. J. s influence on his son: . . . the pattern of [Dylans] life was in some measure a response to D. J. Thomas and his wishes. For the early books that Dylan Thomas read, the rhythms he absorbed, and probably for his obsession with the magic of the poets function, he was indebted to D. J. (283). Prominent among those early books read by Thomas are the works of Shakespeare. In 1948 (and Thomas might have begun his, as usual, protracted drafting and revision of Do not go gentle in 1945, after D. J. suffered a nearly fatal illness; Tindall 204), Thomas wrote a journalist that D. J. s reading aloud of Shakespeare seemed to me, and to nearly every other boy in the school, very grand indeed; all the boys who were with me at school, and who have spoken to me since, agree that it was his reading that made them, for the first time, see that there was, after all, something in Shakespeare and all his poetry. . . (qtd. in Ferris 33; his ellipses). That Thomas was familiar with and admiring of Shakespeare is, of course, no surprise, but his direct linkage of his father with Shakespeare, particularly at this point in time, is interesting, and he demonstrated more than familiarity with King Lear: In 1950, during one of his reading tours in America, he spent an evening with novelist Peter de Vries (who would later use Thomas as the basis for the poet Gowan McGland in Reuben, Reuben) and, among other conversational gambits, declaimed some Lear (de Vries, qtd. in Ferris 233). That he was equally well-immersed in Yeats is verified by the fact that poems by Yeats were among those he performed on his 1950 tour of

SADC: Recent Developments and Achievements :: History

SADC: Recent Developments and Achievements Introduction Regional groupings such as SADC aims to bring neighbouring countries into a league or association or union where they will be able to work together in terms of matters concerning politics, economics and development, the ultimate being regional integration. The concept of regional integration is nothing new. During biblical times the Canaanites comprising of different countries formed a union to deal with the invading band of Israelites from Egypt. The intention of regional integration is to form a centre that will promote the interests of all the member countries - as the old adage says ‘there is strength in numbers’. In Africa, regional integration is necessary considering that the majority of African countries are small, weak and poor. Integrating the countries of Africa will help them in dealing with the issues of globalisation that poses a serious threat poor nations. In international stages such as the United Nations, World Trade Organisation, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank the voices of smaller countries such as Lesotho, Swaziland, Seychelles, Benin, etc are not heard. With regional integration we are assuming that smaller countries such as Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana can come together and form one community like the SADC. Doing this they can form a collective powerful force that will enable them to deal with such burning issues like eradication of poverty, globalisation and social epidemics like HIV/AIDS. Looking at the cases of Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Angola can highlight the benefits of regional integration. Tanzanian economy has stagnated since the eighties and failed to develop. It is only now that it is active member of the SADC that its economy is beginning to grow. DRC and Angola that have been ravaged by political shenanigans where warlords and rebels were the order of the day are learning from the other member countries like South Africa, Botswana that are politically stable. Communities such as the SADC have organs of politics and economic developments – organs that deal with the promotion and creation of democratic cultures while on the other hand facilitating economic developments to member countries. SADC’s Decentralised Approach Before 2001 the countries forming the SADC have identified many common challenges. These challenges are divided into sectors and are illustrated in the following diagram. Environment and land managementInland fisheries, forestry and wildlife Tourism Culture, information and sport Marine fisheries and resources Finance and investment Human resources development Industry and trade Employment and labour Food, agriculture and natural resources Water conservation and distribution Transport and communication

Operations Management Essay

1. How should quality be defined at this restaurant? Outline which quality tools you would use to assess the situation at The Raja’s restaurant. Quality of service is the most important aspect to a customer. The concept of quality can be defined in various ways. By definition â€Å"Quality is consistent conformance to customers’ expectations† (Slack, Chambers and Johnston, 2004). Each customer has expectations of different quality standards and quality service. In The Raja Tandoori restaurant quality has been declining recently. An example of this is patrons have to wait as long as 45 minutes to be seated, in addition to this it can up to 40 minutes more to get a good meal served to the table. The dimensions of service quality are reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangible factors (James A. Fitzsimmons et al, 2004). The customer survey results indicate that 87% of customers believe the quality of food at the restaurant is excellent. Also, the dining experience is very good; being represented by 81% of customers. However, 78% of customers have expressed that they found the waiter to be only at satisfactory standards, this is likely to be due by the lack of staff experience. 70% of customer responses showed that they were served within a reasonable time. The 30% could be justified due to the poor quality of ingredients being delivered; restricting the chef in meal preparations. (See appendix 1 for workings). However, there are some good aspects such as the variety of food, waiters are always available and on the look for any requests, there is also the additional service of hot flannels are being brought to refresh diners. Many quality tools can be used to assess the situation at The Raja’s restaurant. Total Quality Management (TQM) is a way to approach â€Å"the organisation of quality improvements† (Slack, Chambers and Johnston, 2004). TQM is a process of involving everyone in an organisation in continuously improving products and processes to achieve on every occasion; quality that satisfies customers needs (John Naylor, 2002). â€Å"It seeks to integrate all organizational functions†¦to focus on meeting customer needs† (http://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c031008a.asp). TQM was introduced by Feigenbaum (1957) and developed further by Deming, Ishikawa, Taguchi and Crosby. W. Edwards Deming (1950’s) introduced 14 points for quality improvement. He wanted to focus on the product instead of the process. Continuous Improvement (CI) emphasises quality and reduces cost. The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle (see appendix 2) is important in inspecting quality in one stage of the quality improvement process. The owner of The Raja restaurant can emphasise the importance of quality by having better teamwork skills and more employee involvement that can ultimately lead to a quality service. Kaoru Ishikawa developed quality circles which imply on the importance of group roles in working and learning. Teams of 3-5 members can be set up at the restaurant; their aim is to identify the causes of quality failure. Each team could focus on a certain aspect such as the quality of food or service. To assess problems of quality at the restaurant cause-and-effect diagrams (fishbone diagrams) can be used. This can help find the cause of problems by working backwards to find a possible cause of a quality problem. Below is a cause-effect-diagram for the effect of the poor service at the restaurant. TQM has an emphasis on meeting customer expectations; the Raja restaurant needs to establish this in order for it to be successful. At peak times customer meals should be prepared within the typical time limit of 25 minutes instead of 40 minutes. The variety of food that is made available to customers also needs to be considered, the wider the variety made available may ultimately attract more customers. There have also been delays in clearing tables this ultimately leads to delays in seating people. All these problems result in poor quality of service. The central foundation of the restaurant is based on customers, it is customer based service, hence the importance of improving quality. Errors that emerge from the service of the restaurant lead to inefficiency and this in turn results in poor service to customers. As the cook mainly controls the quality of the food it is essential that all ingredients are available, recently the purchase of ingredients for the restaurant have not been good enough. The lettuce has appeared wilted and the tough chicken has had more meat than bones. This has ultimately led to certain dishes not being made available. It needs to be established that each individual operation contributes to the overall success of the restaurant. Requirements of customers and the restaurant itself need to be defined for example the quality and speed of service and what customer expectations are. Mystery shoppers can be used at peak times to find out exactly how service needs to be improved. Each individual contributes to quality; therefore each person has the ability to improve quality. Members of staff need to be given empowerment to make suggestions. All staff should be involved in the improvement of performance in the restaurant; this can lead to a better team. The benefits of empowerment are: * Better customer service * Satisfied customers * Employees feel more secure about the job * Promotes ‘word-of-mouth’ advertising and customer loyalty The costs of quality are prevention, appraisal, internal and external failure costs (see appendix 3). It is essential to train and develop employee skills to suit the requirements of the restaurant. Identify problems and correct them before they have occurred. Negotiate with suppliers to improve the quality of ingredients. The ultimate goal is to increase quality of service in the restaurant, once this is achieved costs will fall. A quality strategy needs to be implemented into the Raja restaurant to provide long-term goals which are relevant to the restaurants aim. This can be achieved by implementing groups, such as quality circles and setting certain tasks and aims. Training employees is another strategy this could focus on eliminating errors and improving quality. 2. How would you improve the service experience for customers of the Raja? Following the definitions quality is a very important issue that needs to be taken into consideration for every movement that a business does, nevertheless there is also design, layout and production to be considered, is having this in mind that we overlooked at Raja’s situation. To keep up with new business and competitors you need to innovate, differentiate, create something special and unique, a customer that has an experience is likely to return and therefore be loyal to your business as well as recommend it to others. The Raja’s Restaurant needs to be re-modernised, the old wall paper should be scrapped and in its place should be something more welcoming and pleasing, giving the feel of a calm and clean environment. The layout should also be changed making a separate entrance between the dining in customers and those who just want to take the food away, one type of customer should not interfere with the other so a distinction should be made clearly. There is even the possibility of expanding the business and introducing a take-away menu where customers could place orders over the phone and have it delivered to their address that would leave even more space for customers who prefer dining in and would also increase customer numbers. Whilst many customers may enjoy listening to the radio, many others may not, it will be good to have a mixture of music, compiling a good CD collection as well as the traditional radio station, and this is likely to please almost everyone as it gives a feel of a balanced environment. Use the free parking as an advantage and make customers aware of this facility, especially on Fridays and Saturdays nights when high streets are crowded with people going to different places and parking space is limited. The Raja needs concentrate on its service speed, customers don’t like waiting and if the waiting is long they might find it easy going elsewhere, to make sure quality issues are resolved they need to reduce waiting time, focusing especially over weekends when demand is higher. In order to do that waiters should not have to help in the kitchen, fetching food, be involved in any form of food preparation or do any food sequencing for the chef. More kitchen staff needs to be employed, employing more staff will mean higher costs but it will also mean higher turn over of tables. Having more kitchen staff also means you can have more food variety and new dishes can be introduced, a new menu can be designed following seasons variations, this should prevent customers from being bored and keep coming back to try new things. As we expect the number of customers to grow we need to also plan for more waiters to be working on the waiting area, service should always be at high standard and customers should never have to ask for anything. Making sure there is good quality service means people will feel satisfied and return more often. Cost reduction is another important issue, if your ingredients are expensive your food will be expensive and it will attract fewer people, working with a single supplier that can provide good quality ingredients, fresh and reliable goods will automatically reduce cooking time, speeding up the process, also bulk buying is cheaper and a deal can be negotiated for ingredients that are bought more often. Big suppliers can also deliver, that should save even more time so management can focus on planning and improving other things, such as appraising staff and overlooking problems. Proper training should be provided to all members of staff; everyone should comply with the Health Safety Regulations for food and always maintain standards, the working environment should always be clean and well maintain, this will not only make working easier but will also show an improvement on the visual aspect. All staff should be properly dressed for their functions and always make sure they are running their tasks smoothly. Managers should concentrate in individual performances as well as team performances, having a good and healthy work environment will motivate employees and customers will notice it. After introducing this big transformation, if performance is still low promotional schemes can be created to bring customers back, a loyalty card with a discount percentage is likely to attract many people and give them the impression they are getting another advantage here that they can’t have elsewhere.

Ibm Human Resources

1. Introduction IBM is one of the most successful technology and consulting companies in the world. In 2012, its brand name is in second place in international brand equity rankings, just behind Coca Cola. With its 433,362 employees it is operating in 170 countries and able to generate profit of $15. 85 billion per year. The company itself has been founded in 1911 trough a merger of three technology companies. In 1924, the company’s name was changed to International Business Machines, abbreviated to IBM.Initially, the company was engaged in tabulating equipment and data management and later on was able built a strong market position in the computer and semiconductor production. The IBM PC, introduced in 1981, was one of the company’s major successes. In the 1990s, however, the enterprise experienced stagnating earnings from its operations and therefore developed a transformation strategy. From 2000 onwards, IBM changed its business model towards technology services and consulting. This shift has enabled IBM to achieve a rise of EPS from $3. 32 to $13. 44 in 2011.Simultaneously to this strategic shift, IBM has also changed its international structure and moved from a multinational to an integrated enterprise, thereby saving $6 billion. This paper will analyze the HRM implications of this strategic shift. For this purpose, it will first elaborate on the business model and the strategic focus of the company. Second, it will consider the strategic HRM focus and the general blueprint that IBM has developed for its workforce. Third, it will outline a variety of HRM practices in the fields of knowledge management, compensation and HRM effectiveness. . IBM Business Model 2. 1 Customer Value Proposition At the core of its business stands IBM’s desire to help clients to become more innovative, efficient and competitive through the application of business insights and IT solutions (10 K-filing 2011). The company’s regular clientele mainly consi sts of institutions, both in the commercial as well as in the governmental and educational sector. IBM offers hardware, software and service integrated solutions (KM Worlds, 2011) that support the client to deepen the knowledge about his business through the smart use of information technology.This knowledge enhancement creates value by reducing the operational costs and presenting further revenue opportunities for the client on the one hand, and ensuring superior financial results to IBM’s shareholders on the other hand. 2. 2 Key Resources In general, IBM's key resources consist of intangible assets rather than tangible products, processes or manufacturing capabilities. Its human capital pool and research and development capabilities can be considered as the by far most important of these intangible assets.Concerning the human capital pool, IBM employs 433,362 high-skilled people, thereby being the world's second largest employer, behind Wal-Mart Stores (2,200,000) and even before McDonald’s (420,000) and Hewlett-Packard (349,000) (Fortune, 2011). IBM's workforce has steadily increased in recent years with growth rates of 6,8% in 2010 and 1,5% in 2011 and the firm invests heavily in the development and compensation of its workforce. Since 2002, it has paid over $100 billion in non-salary benefits to its employees.However, in the following years, crowd sourcing could lead to IBM drastically downsizing its workforce and utilizing subcontractors for the work currently performed within IBM. Its permanent workforce could shrink by more than 75% of its current state as a result of the HR transformation process. IBM’s second major assets are its R capabilities. Alone since the year 2000, IBM has invested $70 billion into research and development and has created 10 global research labs. These major investments paid off in 47,000 patents that IBM could generate within the last 10 years.Roughly 70% of these patents were issued for IBM's software an d service. For the major pillars of its current 2015 strategy, Business Analytics and Cloud, IBM employs 400 and 1000 researchers respectively. The IBM computer Watson, a learning system generating answers in normal language, is one of the major breakthroughs of IBM's R investments. Further, research and development was conducted in the field of nanotechnology, systems, analytics as well as the cloud. In general, R investments are concentrated around high-value, high-growth opportunities in order to sustain IBM's technology leadership position.Not only enable the R&D invests IBM to accumulate a great amount of knowledge about state-of-the-art technology and define new technology; due to its history, it also holds huge knowledge about storage capacities, computing power and semiconductors, as IBM’s business was formerly centered on computer production. Furthermore, since its foundation in 1911, IBM has created unique relationships with its clients and knowledge of the markets and has therefore gained strength in the field of Sales and Distribution.This strength exhibits all characteristics that a resource needs to provide a sustainable competitive advantage: They are valuable, rare and costly to imitate due to high path dependency. IBM operates in 170 countries with the G7 countries and a number of developed countries as its major markets. IBM’s brand name is also a major asset of the company. In current reports, IBM ranks second just behind Coca Cola and possesses aggregated brand equity of $69. 905 billion in 2011. This strong brand equity contributes to the relationship and the trust clients have towards IBM. . 3 Key Processes IBM utilizes the above-mentioned assets to operate in five segments, namely the Global Technology Services (GTS), Global Business Services (GBS), Software, Systems and Technology (ST) and Global Financing (GF). The GTS division deals with providing IT infrastructure services along four major dimensions, namely strategic o utsourcing services, Global Process Services, Integrated Technology Services and Maintenance. These services range from consulting on IT projects to the development of a complete IT infrastructure for a company.Within the GBS division, IBM employs the IBM software in order to consult its clients in strategy, process and technology questions. It entails a broad range of services, from Strategy & Change over Supply Chain Management, Customer Relationship Management to IT-services. By offering such a huge product portfolio, IBM is able to cover the complete value chain of its clients and provide all-integrated services for them. Whereas the former division deals with the applicability of the software, the Software Division itself is devoted to the development and writing of the IBM software.Particularly in this field, IBM employs its complete human capital and R&D capabilities, formerly explained under the key resources. The salient software that enables IBM’s clients to integra te processes, communication and logistics within their companies are Lotus Software, Rational Software, Tivoli Software and Security System Software. The Systems and Technology division takes advantages of IBM’s knowledge about computing power and provides clients with the opportunity to employ huge storage capabilities and computing power. Similarly, it assists clients with the latest semiconductor technology, product and packaging solutions.In contrast to the other four segments, the Global Financing division is not engaged in primary software development and client consulting, but rather acts as IBM’s bank. It offers financial instruments to the firm’s clients to facilitate the purchase and licensing fees for IBM’s products. Besides these segments and on the operations side, IBM uses its R&D capabilities to identify new market trends and continuously innovate. To support innovation, IBM heavily engages in the acquisition of companies that possess uniqu e technological skills. In 2011 alone, the company paid $1. billion for acquisition and plans to expand its acquisition to a total amount of $20 billion by 2015. What can be considered as one of the major efforts of the last year is the vertical and horizontal integration of IBM’s operations. These efforts are part of the enterprise transformation strategy aiming to make IBM the premier globally integrated company. For the vertical integration, the company attempts to control the whole value chain of its product. It has therefore invested in advanced semiconductor manufacturing in Fishkill, New York, and a global delivery centre in Columbia, Missouri.Roughly $35 billion are spent through the supply chain in an effort to procure materials and services globally. For the horizontal integration, IBM currently integrates its nationally fragmented units and has realized gains of $6 billion over the last years through increased productivity. 2. 4 Profit Formula The profit IBM is ext racting from its operations can be considered along three dimensions, namely along the segments, the actual products and the markets. Concerning the segments, Software, although not the biggest revenue driver (23,49% of total revenue), generates $14. 07 billion of profit margin and thereby accounts for 43,68% of the company’s profit. The reason is its high margin of 88,5%. GTS, Systems and Technology and GBS are following with 28,31%, 14,95% and 10,99% respectively. Global Financing falls behind and only constitutes 2,07% of profits. Value is created to the client through hardware/financing, services and Software at IBM. Over the last decade, Hardware/Financing has sharply lost importance and today only accounts for 16% of segment profit ($3. 6 billion) compared to 41% for services ($9. 3 billion) and 44% for software ($10. 0 billion).The traditional G7 countries and other developed countries are still the most important revenue and profit drivers. New growth markets currentl y account for only 22% of geographic revenue. However, the portion is rising and is expected to be 30% by 2015. In terms of overall profit growth, the growth markets ($1. 9 billion) – namely BRIC countries, but also Africa and Latin America – are only close behind the major markets ($2. 2 billion). To sum it up, software sales and licensing as well as operations in the major markets are the greatest profit drivers with the growth markets steadily increasing. . 5 Challenges and Opportunities Before IBM engaged in its transformation in 2000, it had mainly focused on computer and semiconductor production. Business and Technology services only constituted a minor part of the strategy. Since 2000, the company has sharply expanded its technology services and nowadays builds its business model around these services. In 2011, 85% of its pretax income came from software and services compared to 65% in 2000. Especially in recent years, a significant amount of new technologies ha s evolved.Cloud Computing, Information Management Systems and Open Source are only some examples of these new trends. As IBM fundamentally relies on anticipating trends and utilizing newest technology to deliver value to its clients, these trends exposes IBM to unique opportunities and challenges in adopting them. Simultaneously, the major G8 countries, which were and currently are IBM’s main revenue drivers, have stagnated in the last years. In contrast, nearly 40 growing countries grew at double-digit numbers in recent years.These emerging markets will be responsible for 60% of global GDP growth in the upcoming years. But not only do the BRIC countries account for this number, but other emerging markets as well. IBM estimates that 60% of growth markets revenue is earned outside the BRIC countries. As these countries are still at the elementary stage of their technology revolution, they become opportunities for technology companies currently operating in mature markets. 2. 6 Strategy In effort to address these challenges, IBM has developed a four-pillar strategy laid down in its 2015 roadmap.The first three pillars refer to new technology trends that IBM is responding to, namely Cloud Computing, Business Analytics and Smarter Planet. The Cloud refers to IBM’s engagement in creating the enterprise cloud. Only from 2010 to 2011, it has been able to more than triple its cloud revenue. Currently, 1 million enterprise users are active in the cloud, enabling IBM to analyze $100 billion in commerce transaction each year. Similarly, business analytics enable the clients to analyze and mine data and realize relationships concerning their respective customers preference and patients outcome.Almost 9000 consultants are employed by IBM to deliver a revenue increase of 16% from 2010 to 2011. Whereas the former two services are targeted at commercial clients, Smarter Planet enables governmental institutions to operate more efficiently. IBM classifies these se rvices as the â€Å"infusion of digital intelligence into the world’s systems† (annual report IBM, 2011). In 2000 cities, the company is engaged in developing Smarter Law Enforcements, Smarter Water and Sewer Systems and Smarter Transportation, as well as further services.Also in this segment, IBM is reporting a rapid growth of almost 50% compared to 2010. The last pillar of the strategy addresses the emerging markets. In 2012, IBM operates in 170 countries. The emerging countries are becoming increasingly important and currently contribute 22% to its geographic revenue. Until 2015, the company aims to increase this percentage to 30% and has recently invested in 100 of these new markets, among them China, Brazil and Africa. 3. Strategic International Human Resource ManagementFor some time now, IBM is undergoing a transition from a multinational orientation to a globally integrated organizational structure. In the old model, every country unit followed its own policies, procedures and processes. Thus, high inefficiency and redundancy was present in the organization. In 2003, Randy MacDonald, the senior vice president of human resources at IBM, and Sam Palmisano, IBM’s CEO at the time, recognized the need to shift from a product to a process driven organizational model, and thus become more globally integrated.This shift became necessary because the organization had to react to the increasing globalization of its supply chain. This change in the company’s orientation also implies a change in the importance of the firm’s HR function and the role of strategic international HRM (SIHRM). Taylor, Beechler, and Napier (1996) define SIHRM as â€Å"the general philosophy or approach taken by top management of the MNC in the design of its overall IHRM approach†. Therefore, IBM had to make sure there was a good fit of the firm’s new strategy with its overall goals. Taylor et al. 1996) pointed out the tension that exists in strategic international HRM between the concepts of integration and differentiation. Integration is described as the need for interunit linkages, which implies some form of overall company strategy that unites all individual country units. Differentiation on the other hand is necessary for successfully operating in the local environment, thus it means adapting the product or service to the specific local needs and requirements. Taylor et al. (1996) identified three generic orientations, which they call the adaptive, exportive, and integrative orientations.A company that focuses on the adaptive view is emphasizing the need to differentiate, and therefore tries to adapt to the local environment. There is little or no interunit exchange of ideas on HRM policies and practices, so the units work rather autonomous. The second approach is exportive, which means that the parent company transfers the parent firm’s HRM system to all its affiliates, which leads to high internal consiste ncy. The integrative orientation is a combination of both the adaptive and the exportive view, and thus tries to balance the dual need for integration and differentiation.IBM initially believed that the firm’s HRM practices are context generalizable, and followed a rather exportive orientation in the past. However, the shift from a product to a process view and the increasing need for global integration also required changing the firm’s orientation in order to build an integrative SIHRM model. The new objective of the HR department therefore was to place business functions where they are best located and allocate the right people to the right job at the right time. The program that is supposed to facilitate this process is called the IBM Workforce Management Initiative (WMI).The aim is to build a HR and talent management system that will enable the effective and smooth management of human resources across the various business units (IBM Case Study, 2010). Randy MacDona ld started the HR reorganization process by separating core from noncore, back office tasks (IBM website, 2010). The idea behind this process was to enable HR professionals to focus on core activities that are value adding for the business, such as designing policy and internal business consulting. The noncore administrative services are now being performed by the IBM Managed Business Process Services (MBPS).This centralization helped to create a global system that enables IBM to manage international projects globally and allows the HR department to implement changes throughout the organization much quicker and more homogeneously than it was possible in the past. Nowadays, country and regional HR managers at IBM both work together in order to adapt to local needs, while still keeping it in line with the overall company strategy. On the other hand, administrative roles are standardized and are being done by global employee service centers, which is also more useful for managing inter national assignments and employee records.This way, HR professionals are able to focus on core activities such as talent management and are able to make use of synergies by exchanging ideas on best practices throughout the organization. Farndale et al. (2010) have studied the various structures and roles of HR departments in multinational corporations through the use of case studies on 16 MNCs, amongst which has also been IBM. The researchers describe IBM’s transition from a HQ-dependent to â€Å"a more interdependent transnational orientation† (Farndale et al. , 2010), which is in line with the integrative orientation described by Taylor et al. (1996).Interdependence as a mixed approach is a much more complex relationship than the pure models of independence or dependence on the firm’s headquarter, and therefore formal control mechanisms become less useful. The researchers suggest the use of informal mechanism, for example the creation of a strong company cultu re and company-wide knowledge management. IBM recognized the need for more integration and interdependence, and starts to give more autonomy to local businesses and therefore more possibilities to adapt to local needs. Rather than giving orders that have to be obeyed, the parent company’s HR department develops broader principles.The local units then are able to apply these guidelines, as they deem right. 4. Blueprint Among the several blueprints Baron and Hannan (2002) propose, in the opinion of the authors of this article, IBM used to follow a commitment blueprint until around 2000, primarily because of its focus on attracting people based on their personal belonging and identification with the company. IBM selected people based on values and cultural fit and has been known as a place that was committed to its employees. It has been awarded as one of the best companies for workingwomen and used to have a â€Å"no layoff† policy until the 21st century (Boudreau, 2010) .IBM was able to build a reputation as an employer with enlightened human resource practices and was therefore able to attract talented young people with the right fit between personal and organizational values. The shift from a product based company to a solution based company in the year 2000, however, also forced IBM to change its HRM blueprint to the star blueprint in order to be more in line with the new direction and strategy of the company. Among other things, the proposal to reduce IBM’s workforce by 299,000 workers made clear that a commitment blueprint is not feasible anymore.Even though IBM plans to re-hire those workers as partners, a committed workforce as it used to be cannot be expected in the future. IBM now focuses on attracting the most talented workers with long-term potential, that can be trained and developed to current and future needs (Boudreau, 2010). Moreover, due to IBM’s consultancy work, IBM provides challenging and interesting work for its current and prospective employees. All these findings are in line with the star blueprint proposed by Baron and Hannan (2002).Despite the fact, that changing the blueprint of a company is accompanied by a negative effect on organizational performance (Baron & Hannan, 2002). Earnings per share rose sharply after the change in IBM’s blueprint. Moreover, financial performance and pre tax income increased from 2000 until 2010 (IBM, 2011). All in all, it is reasonable to say that IBM successfully changed its blueprint from commitment to star. 5. Knowledge Management at IBM It becomes obvious from the above discussion that IBM critically relies on its human capital pool and its research and development capabilities.In order to exploit these intangible assets, knowledge management is essential to the company’s success. â€Å"IBM [†¦] requires true enterprise-wide knowledge exchange and collaboration†, as KMWorlds puts it, one of the most advanced evaluators of cor porate knowledge management. In 2005, IBM has been awarded the KMWorld’s reality price for its efforts towards knowledge management since 1994. Parallel to Hansen et al. (2005), IBM’s efforts towards knowledge management will be considered along two lines: within-team networks and intersubsidiary networks.Concerning the first aspect, the company has launched a number of tools and collaboration platforms that enable teams to effectively cooperate and exchange knowledge. Among the most salient of these initiatives are the Collaboration Central, Bluepages and Xtreme leverage. Whereas Collaboration Central is a company-wide portal providing remote teams with currently 50,000 online team rooms to share information and work collaboratively, Xtreme leverage is a tool providing software sellers with access to intellectual capital, expertise locations and community facilities for IBM’s global software brand.Concerning intersubsidiary networks (ISN), KnowledgeView, the wo rldwide asset Reuse Program, Bluepages and Jams are excellent examples of IBM’s knowledge management. To provide a summary of these tools, KnowledgeView is a knowledge-sharing centre targeting Business Consulting Services and enables exchange of information and experience among all consulting units. In contrast to the general nature of the information, specific business success stories are entered into the worldwide asset Reuse Program and are accessible to all employees.Bluepages offer an opportunity to search for personal profiles throughout the company supporting the employees to find a group of experts to work on a specific business solution. Lastly, Jams aggregates information on specific business topics. Besides these major initiatives, IBM has heavily invested into wikis, called QED wiki, and Dogear, a social bookmarking system. All these ISNs increase the â€Å"knowledge sought† (Hansen et al. , 2005) by employees at IBM.Similarly, the opportunity not only to e xchange explicit, but also tacit knowledge through personal meetings enabled by Bluepages sharply decreased knowledge transfer costs (Hansen et al. ). To coordinate all these networks, the enterprise has established â€Å"IBM collaboration and knowledge†. This department led by Karen Ughetta consists of 10 employees continuously aiming to find new ways, in which knowledge can be transferred within the company. Collins et al. (2006) argue that such efforts improve the social climate of a company and via increased knowledge exchange and collaboration lead to superior financial results.These argumentations seem appropriate when considering IBM. Only to provide some examples, the Worldwide Asset Reuse Program has led to $81 million in cost savings and a $63 million increase in asset revenue as well as a $2. 6 billion increase in service revenue. Xtreme leverage has enabled employees to reduce the finding time for experts from 1 week to 8 hours and therefore opportunity cost savin gs of $50 million. And KnowledgeViews lead to the faster exchange of knowledge and consequently saved $42 million in opportunity costs. 6. Actions and Interest AlignmentThe concept of action alignment is defined as the alignment of employee actions with the objectives of a firm’s strategy. Aligned actions therefore, are not part of the routine job, but rather the ability and capability to understand the big picture of the company and its environment and contributing to the attainment of firm goals (Colvin & Boswell, 2007). To achieve action alignment, employees need to have the awareness of the firm's strategic objectives and a shared mindset towards it. According to Colvin and Boswell (2007), specific strategies need specific employee capabilities.IBM tries to achieve this by either hiring the right employees through assessment centers, talent forums or firm acquisitions or by training and developing existing employees to obtain the capabilities needed to attain IBM’s strategic goals. At IBM China, for example, training and development consists of cross-cultural mentoring programs, individual development programs and management training. Moreover, IBM makes use of several online training programs, including a global campus, which gives employees the opportunity to choose among different online classes.In the year 2008, IBM spent about $1700 per employee to ensure that workers have all required capabilities (IBM. com, 2012). In addition to capabilities, employees also need to have the opportunity to apply their knowledge and capabilities (Colvin & Boswell, 2007). IBM achieves this by empowering employees and giving them a say with regard to value formulation and feedback rounds. The â€Å"Your IBM† program is aimed at new employees and tries to spread the history, values and goals of IBM in order to create a shared mindset among all employees, ensuring that every employee has the opportunity to contribute to the firms well-being (IBM. om, 2012). However, without interest alignment, action alignment, in form of capabilities and opportunities, will not realize its full potential. Colvin and Boswell (2007) define interest alignment as the set of extrinsic and intrinsic benefits that employees derive from their work and employment. Extrinsic benefits mainly consist of compensation, but also include employment security and opportunities for career advancement. Intrinsic benefits, on the other hand, include the employee’s belief in the organization’s strategy it is seeking to achieve.By reason of IBM’s 100th anniversary, IBM recently issued a one-time equity grant to nearly 400,000 non-managerial employees to recognize the commitment of its workforce and therefore increase the extrinsic benefits of its employees (IBM. com, 2012). IBM also uses profit sharing and pays bonuses to non-managerial employees. Software engineers and IT specialists derive around 3% of their total salary from profit sharing and bonuses. On the contrary, jobs like computer programmers and computer system analysts do not derive any compensation in form of profit sharing or bonuses except the one-time equity grant mentioned earlier.All those compensation packages are in line with the reasoning of Colvin and Boswell (2007) about how to align employees’ interest with the organization. In addition to compensation, employment security is also part of the extrinsic benefits. Peacock (2010) notes that IBM wants to reduce its workforce from around 399,000 permanent employees to 100,000 by 2017 to complete their HR transformation. This move is grounded on IBM’s overall transformation from a product-based firm to a solution-based firm, which requires more global flexibility (Boudreau, 2010).Even tough, IBM would re-hire the 299,000 workers as contractors, this still does not assure the same employment security as permanent employment. In this regard, IBM is not in line with the reasoning of Colvin and B oswell (2007) and would to some extent decrease the extrinsic benefits to employees. Contrary to that, Noe et al. (2010) state that employees these days know that companies cannot provide the same employment security they used to provide. Employees rather desire employability, i. e. they want the company to provide training and development to help ensure that they can find other employment opportunities in case of lay-offs.IBM training and development practices are consistent with the concept of employability and it can be assumed that although IBM cannot ensure employment security, the training they offer gives their employees the security of employability. On top of compensation and employability, IBM offers wide arrays of medical benefits to its employees. These practices not only increase the extrinsic benefits, but also increase the intrinsic benefits in form of lifting IBM’s image. Colvin and Boswell (2007) state that intrinsic benefits increase when employees perceive that the organization has an image, which reflects their own personal social identity.By promoting education in weak communities, by being environmental friendly and by offering health care plans to its employees, IBM does lots of things to ensure that its image is consistent with the social identity of its employees (IBM Corporate Responsibility Summary, 2010). All in all, based on the evidence in the discussion above, it is reasonable to assume that action alignment and interest alignment between IBM and its employees is rather high. The preceding discussion mainly describes the alignment between IBM and its non-executive employees.In the proceeding section, this paper now analyses the compensation package of IBM’s executives with the help of Stroh et al. ’s (1996) determinants of variable pay. Stroh et al. found that managers in highly programmable jobs will receive a lower proportion of their compensation in the form of variable pay than managers in less programmab le jobs, whereas managers in highly turbulent organizations will receive a higher proportion of their compensation in the firm of variable pay than managers in more stable organizations.Moreover, there is evidence that managers in organizations with human resource policies that encourage long-term relationships will receive a smaller proportion of their salary in form of variable pay than managers in organizations without such policies. In the case of IBM, one can say that due to nearly 100 acquisitions made by IBM (IBM. com, 2012) and the turbulent environment IBM is operating in, organizational turbulence is rather high.Managers’ task programmability can be regarded as low since IBM offers most of its solution in form of consultancy. Lastly, based on the fact that IBM wants to be more flexible and therefore needs to cut its workforce by 299,000 workers, it is reasonable to assume that IBM human resource policies do not encourage long-term relationships. Taken everything tog ether, one would expect a large proportion of total managerial compensation to be variable in form of bonuses, profit sharing and stock-grants.Appendix 1 shows that in 2011, IBM’s CEO and Chairman Palmisano received 92% of his total compensation in form of variable pay (29% annual incentives and 63% performance share) and IBM’s Vice Presidents received 87% of their total compensation in form of variable pay (20% annual incentives and 67% performance share). Overall, this is consistent with the findings of Stroh et al. (1996). 7. The use of HR Measures and Indicators It is important for HR departments to track how effectively and efficiently their practices and programs have been implemented throughout the organization.This helps them to justify their existence, since â€Å"HR departments are increasingly expected to operate as a business within a business† (Ulrich, Younger, & Brockbank, 2008). By measuring the impact of HR practices, the firm is also able to rec ognize deficits and counteract them. The shift within the HR profession towards a focus on strategic HR also implies the assumption that certain HR practices have an influence on overall firm performance (Huselid, Yackson, & Schuler, 1997), and therefore might even be a source of competitive advantage to the firm. Ulrich et al. 2008) recommend to not only base the evaluation on traditional measures such as the cost and benefits of certain activities, but instead to judge the performance of the HR activities based on the impact they have on overall firm strategy. In recent years IBM has undergone a transformation from a traditional multinational enterprise to a more flexible and global structure, which IBM calls a globally integrated enterprise (GIE). The company therefore needs to develop a diverse workforce with a global mindset, which is supported by common corporate values.For a GIE to be successful it is necessary to have a collaborative environment that takes multiple diverse v iews into account, as well as a less hierarchical and more flexible organizational structure. IBM does this by employing employees at all career stages and let them participate in the decision making process. An example of this employee involvement was a global online â€Å"jam†, where the employees themselves discussed about the company culture and developed specific corporate values (IBM, 2010) as well as skills required to work successfully in a GIE.The HR team should identify some measures to determine the success of the implementation of this new corporate identity. It is important to assess the skill development and improvements in relevant employee competencies over time and measure improvements in employee satisfaction, which could be done through frequent and extensive employee feedback. The HR department also recognized that in order to put these new global skills and views into action, employees needed â€Å"exposure to a wider range of global experiences† ( IBM, 2010). This would be especially valuable if it happens earlier in the careers.IBM developed a global mobility and international assignment framework, which offers specific programs and online tools to facilitate this globalization process. In order to assess the impact of this new framework, IBM should track the number of participants in these global experience projects, the number of available places for such projects, and the retention rate of former expatriates. Corporate HR departments frequently face the threat of the not-invented-here syndrome, as local units might feel overwhelmed by orders from outside.In order to prevent this reluctance, the HR department at IBM has created an integrative approach that fits to the strategic HRM perspective the company has taken on in recent years. The HR department takes all sorts of sources into account, such as corporate HR professionals, regional managers and general staff members. 8. Conclusion In recent years IBM recognized the ne ed to shift from a product view to a process oriented view, which includes a focus on providing services and solutions. This shift was necessary due to the increasing globalization and the stagnating computer market.The shift in IBM’s business view also required a change in IBM’s perception of its HR department. It is not longer seen as a mere department that supports business by executing traditional HR tasks such as selection, training, and reward, but has become a strategic part of the company. IBM has moved from an international organizational structure to a globally integrated company, and the HR department successfully developed a framework that facilitates the collaboration of corporate as well as regional and country-based HR teams, in order to guarantee a consistent company culture and create a globally integrated enterprise.This point of view is also reflected by IBM’s change from a commitment to a star blueprint. IBM now provides interesting and chall enging work for its employees and is more focused on selecting talented employees with a long-term potential than on employees with the best values and cultural fit. IBM’s HR department should make use of specific measures to track the effects that its operations have and justify any efforts with regard to creating a integrative, global workforce for the company in the future.