Assessing Quality of Care in Kinship and Foster Family Care by Jill Assignment

Evaluating Quality of Care in Kinship and Foster Family Care by Jill Duerr Berrick (2010) - Assignment Example Connection care has increased expanding consideration from specialists, policymakers and analysts. The consideration has been dazzled by the enormous quantities of kids being served in child care by kinfolk and the shortage of data accessible about the quickly developing game plan for care† (Berrick, 1997, p.273). As per Mokgosi (1997, p.7), â€Å"placement with more distant family or connection is getting broadly utilized as an elective position. Numerous kid government assistance specialists accept that kids will be better off if their consideration is given by relatives inside the network of starting point as opposed to by strangers.† For, detachment from inaccessible relatives may prompt the child’s disturbance, if unattended. Then again, Berrick claims, â€Å"on various measures identifying with the home condition, non-kinfolk homes were evaluated as more safe† (1997, p.273). The creator depicts kinfolk guardians as â€Å"older than non-permanent fami ly guardians and a gathering vigorously spoke to by single ladies of shading who are battling themselves with constrained incomes† (Berrick, 1997, p.273). While non-permanent family suppliers for the most part get ready for their new job as guardians, connection temporary parents all the more frequently fall into more established parenthood because of a squeezing family crisis. Patterns in this information point to the requirement for additional exploration in the field, that is, â€Å"the requirement for changes in approach and practice that may fortify the family and non-kinfolk assets at present accessible to subordinate kids are likewise suggested† (Berrick, 1997, p.279). In spite of the fact that the examination done by Berrick was intended to survey the quality in family and non-kinfolk homes, center thus will be given around its quantitative angle, in other words, as far as the exact examples found in the information gathered, to clarify the exploration marvels w ith respect to its numerical information. The essential technique utilized was review look into, which included meetings. The area staff drew an arbitrary example of 123 family relationship and 97 non-kinfolk homes from their child care databases. In this, a straightforward arbitrary inspecting technique for investigation was actualized. â€Å"Sampling is a specialized bookkeeping gadget to support the assortment of data, to pick in a proper way the confined arrangement of items, people, occasions from which the genuine data will be drawn† (Bless and Higson-Smith, 1995, p.85). In this investigation, the example was confined to those homes that remembered a kid for care between 5 to 12 years old. A letter portraying the extension and motivation behind the examination was sent on all family and non-kinfolk suppliers. Suppliers were offered a $20.00 payment for their interest. Notwithstanding, just fourteen family (11%) and 11 non-kinfolk (11%) suppliers reacted to the request.à ¢

Unleashing the Vortex of Marketing

Fundamentally, advertising rotates around the vortex of monetary profit blended in with the ceaseless labyrinth of open connection aptitudes and anticipating methods.â In first sight, it might sound simple to have an item sold on the marketâ€but on main problems and premise on declarations from the individuals who are under the pattern of promoting and business, the test arrives in a full turn of capacities and finesse.â Perceivably, a person who doesn't have the expertise to convince and make an element of scholarly association over the purchasers, at that point it might be assessed as a business or a maker with void pockets and shallow hands. The universe of trade is immense and dubious; one who doesn't get a pass to the â€Å"clear† vision on that field will in the end up on the meal with tough garments, per se.â In further outline, advertising resembles a â€Å"battle of tycoons† the objectives are on the centerâ€the consumersâ€and the likelihood of having that â€Å"target† jump on one’s sleeve is to exceed the various players of the realmâ€consequently a hard errand since there are the individuals who might be as capable as you are or rather one’s item is profoundly engaged by the customer in some occasion. Besides, the possibility that each client is in various markets at various occasions and better places isn't as sinful as it at first would sound. For example, paper distributers have since quite a while ago perceived that the greater part of their clients have more recreation time on Sundays to peruse the paper and appropriately have filled that release with a more noteworthy number and more extensive assortment of stories. Additionally, carriers, inns, and vehicle rental organizations find that the wants of their customers vary significantly relying upon whether they are going for business or for leisureâ€and contrast once more when they join the two. One official at a significant carrier commented, â€Å"We've even discovered that the necessities of business voyagers vary contingent upon whether they are going to or originating from a meeting.† In the clothing business, a given client could be in the market for easygoing wear at once and for business clothing at another (Vitale, 1998). Reference Vitale, J. G. (1998). There's a Customer Born Every Minute: P.T. Barnum's Secrets to Business Success. New York: AMACOM Books.  Â

Is ADD the Same Thing as ADHD

Is ADD the Same Thing as ADHD ADHD Print Are ADD and ADHD the Same Condition? The History Behind the Name Changes By Keath Low Keath Low, MA, is a therapist and clinical scientist with the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities at the University of North Carolina. She specializes in treatment of ADD/ADHD. Learn about our editorial policy Keath Low Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on June 08, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on February 10, 2020 ADHD Overview Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Living With In Children Nick David/Getty Images You may have heard the terms ADD and ADHD used interchangeably. Attention-deficit disorder (ADD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are indeed the same condition, its just that ADHD has had several name changes in the last three decades.?? This is because as more research is carried out, understanding grows and the name has been changed to reflect that knowledge. ADHD is now the official name of the disorder. However, many people still use the term ADD, which was the formal name from 1980 to 1987. Some people get angry or frustrated when they hear that ADD and ADHD are the same. They feel that the H, which stands for hyperactivity, doesn’t accurately describe them or their child. Understanding the evolution of the changes in the name can help. A Brief Timeline of the Changing Name of  ADHD The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is published by the American Psychiatric Association. Its the standard guideline that doctors, mental health professionals,  and clinicians use when theyre assessing and diagnosing ADHD and other mental health issues. Each new update and revision of the DSM is eagerly anticipated, as it can mean a big or small change in what each condition is called, and in the criteria for diagnosing them, including ADHD.   1980 The third edition of the DSM (DSM-III) was released and the official name for the condition became attention-deficit disorder (ADD). At this time, hyperactivity was not considered to be a frequent symptom. Two subtypes of ADD were identified: ADD with hyperactivityADD without hyperactivity 1987 A revised version of the DSM-III was released. The official name became attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This meant that hyperactivity was considered to be an important feature of ADHD. 1994   The DSM-IV was published, with a slight grammar change in the name. The official name was now attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The slash between attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder indicated something meaningful. You could have either or both subtypes. You didn’t need to be hyperactive to be diagnosed with ADHD. The three subtypes were called: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, combined type  Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, predominantly inattentive typeAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type                 2013 The fifth edition of the DSM was released (DSM-5). The three subtypes of ADHD remain the same, but now theyre called presentations instead of subtypes. They include:   Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, combined presentation  Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, predominantly inattentive presentation      Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive presentation.                         DSM-5 takes into account how symptoms present in both children and adults. This is good news, as it was felt that adult ADHD was being overlooked in the previous DSMs. How Mental Health Professionals Use the DSM Today Using the Term ADD You can still use the term ADD and people will almost certainly understand you. Many doctors, clinicians, and writers use ADD to mean inattentiveness and use ADHD to describe someone with hyperactivity. Some people use ADD and ADHD interchangeably. However, if you can make the mental switch from ADD to ADHD, it will help avoid potential confusion and keep you up-to-date with the most current terms. Basic Things You Should Know About ADHD The Hyperactivity Component Many people with inattentive ADHD feel that using hyperactivity in the name of the condition they have misrepresents their struggles. Often when laypeople hear ADHD, they automatically think hyperactivity and they don’t understand the subtleties of the different presentations. Of course, you don’t have to share your diagnosis with anyone, but if you choose to, you can elaborate a little and explain that its inattentive ADHD, which helps clarification straight away. Many adults with hyperactive-impulsive ADHD don’t feel that the H accurately describes them either. When we think of hyperactivity, a child who is very physically active and unable to sit still in class comes to mind. As an adult, hyperactivity might show itself in less obvious ways. For example, you may have workaholic tendencies, talk a lot, fidget constantly, or drive very fast. It also might be that you are not as hyperactive as you once were. The fifth edition of the DSM recognizes that a person’s ADHD presentation may change  during his or her lifetime. Hyperactivity in Adults With ADHD vs. Children

Different Kinds of Skills in Foreign Service Free Essay Example, 1250 words

Communication skills are critical to successful diplomacy. Communication abilities are important to successful relations. Therefore, in an attempt to improve employee self-confidence, engagement, and efficiency considerably, I used my communication skills to design a charter, set up a working group, and implementing a quarterly newsletter for the Office of the Chief Security Officer (OCSO). I put the inceptive OCSO Newsletter Working Group (WG) into service. As the Editor-in-Chief, I counseled WG affiliates regarding roles and tasks, publicized different newsletter templates, and suggested topics the group could use while developing each issue. Furthermore, I published Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), to give oversight and recognize roles, tasks, and technical guidance regarding principles and duties for employees who belong to the newsletter team. In addition, I organized and promoted an OCSO baseball social event that effectively brought 47 workers, friends, and family m embers together, resulting in promoting a work-life balance. My communication abilities have assisted in improving correspondence and situational awareness amongst workers reinforced the workforce spirit through the acknowledgment of organizational and entity achievements, as well as instituted continuity. Foreign Service Officers are often required to manage projects, demonstrating the ability to plan and organize, set priorities, employ a systematic approach, and allocate time and resources efficiently. We will write a custom essay sample on Different Kinds of Skills in Foreign Service or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page I focused on a number of assignments including the Program of Requirements of OCSO, Space Planning conferences, and Project Parameters Matrix.

Valentino Case Study Essay - 4601 Words

VALENTINOS PERSONAL INTRODUCTIONS AGENCY 1. VALENTINOS MISSION STATEMENT, THREE BUSINESS BENEFITS, SWOT ANALYSIS AND PESTLE ANALYSIS A. VALENTINOS The Valentinos Personal Introductions Agency is a well-established company that has been operating within the UK market since 1976 and with over 8 million single men and women in the UK between the ages of 18 and 64, and often living without the opportunity to meet potential partners, the company has been very successful. However the management of the organization have expressed a growing concern that is being felt regarding the 10 year old computer systems that are currently being relied upon and the negative affect that such outdated systems are having on the companies’ competitive†¦show more content†¦C. VALENTINO’S CURRENT POSITION (SWOT ANALYSIS) The SWOT analysis below highlights a number of salient factors that must be considered in evaluating the companies’ strategic position with regards to any possible threats or opportunities that may arise and it’s ability to take advantage or overcome these factors. Strengths 1. The Valentinos company and brand has been long established, and has exhibited consistent reputable integrity in it’s operations which is a highly salient factor in the decision making processes of potential consumers 2. There long established presence in the market also means that they have strong links with various suppliers such as with advertisements on public transport or in newspapers 3. The company also inhabit the market position of the price leader which makes them well positioned to take advantage of the growing number of price savvy and/or price conscious UK consumers (Telegraph, 2010) and trends within the UK population whereby more people are spending more time at home and are unable to find the time to go out and socialize (Euromonity, 2010a) 4. Valentinos unique combination of high technology and personal touch through the direct contact phone support services, has been critical in making the Valentinos Personal Introductions Agency a global industry leader 5. Valentinos also holds the largestShow MoreRelatedValentino Case Study1237 Words   |  5 Pagesyour hobby/project to briefly describe the ways in which the computer would be used (you are not to use more than 600 words for this). You should for example discuss the types of programs/packages that will be used. The computer will be used for study reasons and also to watch films, due to having a budget to maintain I felt it would have been expensive to put together a computer for multimedia and gaming purposes. Therefore I will be working closely with the budget and inspecting every componentRead MoreSwot Analysis on Dating Organisations Essay1665 Words   |  7 PagesAppendix Valentinos’ Case Study The following information was gained from an interview with Rudolfo, MD of Valentinos, a highly successful â€Å"Personal Introductions Agency†. Although they have been very successful and have made major investment in the Internet they are becoming increasingly worried about their market share and continuing profitability. They have asked you to advise them on their strategy and how they might further exploit technology. Their current technology was at the cutting edgeRead MoreHuman Papillomavirus ( Hpv )1286 Words   |  6 Pagesis a sexually transmitted infection with fourteen million new cases per year (Valentino Poronsky, 2016). These astronomical numbers make HPV â€Å"the most prevalent sexually transmitted infection in the United States† (Valentino Poronsky, 2016). HPV infections have been associated with causing multiple cancers. In 2006, the first vaccine against HPV emerged, Gardisil. In 2009 a second vaccine was approved by the FDA, Cervavix (Valentino P oronsky, 2016). Despite the development of the HPV vaccineRead MoreChange And Culture Case Study1570 Words   |  7 PagesChange and Culture Case Study By Fallon9586 | Studymode.com Change and Culture Case Study I Middle managers occupy a significant section of the organizational hierarchy. All managing roles work together to best meet healthcare demand and organizational goals. Middle managers bridge the gap between the professional staff and clinicians and senior management. During a merger the job of middle managers is important in transitions the two organizations into one. Middle managers make sure that the staffRead MoreEssay about Requirements Engineering and Management4041 Words   |  17 PagesKingston University London Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing MSc in IT amp; Strategic Innovation with Management Studies COURSEWORK MODULE Requirements Engineering and Management Valentinos Case Study MODULE LEADER DR J. Chattratichart Submission deadline 10am on 16 November 2012 Read MoreThe Challenges and Benefits of Using New Technology: User Protection and Privacy Concerns1531 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Internet as their primary form of communication. In the last few years, mobile phone technology has evolved to the point that this is becoming a preferred device for going online. (Pelau, 2010, pp. 101 116) Evidence of this can be seen in a study that was conducted by the Business Communications Review. They determined that mobile phone technology is becoming increasingly common within American households. As 50% of respondents said that they have at least one cellular phone for their householdRead MoreCompetency And Stand Trial Is Coming Into Question1729 Words   |  7 PagesThe competency to stand trial is coming into question in the case against Deasia Watkins. The CBS news article illustrated a 20-year-old mother who has allegedly decapitated her infant daughter. The police arrived to find Watkins’ 3-month-old child decapitated on the kitchen counter in the home of the child’s aunt that was temporarily caring for the child. Watkins appeared to be suffering from mental issues when she was found in bed covered in her child’s blood. Watkins has to be sent for treatmentRead MoreThe United States Of America1448 Words   |  6 Pagesunauthorized immigration is the attitude that some American citizens have through this problem, in some cases there is a favorable _________ toward the young people. Initiatives to help unauthorized youth that arrived to the country as children and â€Å"cumplen† certain â€Å"requisites†, so they can study or be part of the army without being deported (Hilfinger, Morris and Boyle, 2014). In other cases the is some contradiction on the economic impact, since some author consider that the immigrants reduceRead MoreAmerican Culture And Its Impact On American Society1599 Words   |  7 Pagesagain, they wanted to make a labor agreement with the Mexican government. The Bracero Program (1942-1964) evolved shortly after, which is also mentioned in another article called The Reshaping of Latino/Chicano Ethnicity of Undocumented Immigrants: The Case of LULAC’s Ethno-politics by Katsuyuki Murata. It states that this labor program allowed Mexicans to migrate to the United States as â€Å"temporary workers†. Mexicans were needed as cheap labor supply. By 1949, there were about 113,000 contracted MexicanRead MoreThe Effect of Child Abuse on The Emotional Development of the Infant1229 Words   |  5 Pagesor sexual maltreatment of a minor. Neglecting a child is another type of abuse, and includes malnutrition, abandonment, and/or inadequate care of a child’s safety. Additionally, any neglectful act can lead to physical or emotional harm and in some cases death of a child. Unfortunately, young children are the most vulnerable population to child abuse. Statistics indicate that victims in their first year of life had the highest rate of victimization at 21.9 per 1,000 children of the same age in the

Deviant Behavior Free Essays

A cross-cultural perspective on deviant behavior would show that there are certain actions which are deemed acceptable in one society but is considered as a deviant behavior in others. For example, in societies where the primary religion is Hindu, they prohibit people to kill or slaughter the cows, or more specifically the zebu (Schaefer, 2008). The cows are even allowed to feed on fruits in the market while other people have to feed on the small quantity of food left (Schaefer, 2008). We will write a custom essay sample on Deviant Behavior or any similar topic only for you Order Now Religious factors serve as the primary reason why the cows are treated in such a manner. From a functionalist perspective, the worship of cows is considered as an important part of the Hindu society and the purpose it serves the people when it comes to producing milk and agricultural purposes is very important to them (Schaefer, 2008). Other religions in other parts of the world do not have as high regard for the cows as the Hindus do that leads to a difference in the treatment of cows for the other societies. Likewise, the value of cows as food for the other countries plays a vital role on whether it is to be eaten or not. The perception of people with regard to the severity of the crime committed would have to depend on the reputation of the person and the nature of the crime done. There are certain stereotypes that every society holds vis-a-vis the role that the offender holds in a particular community. For example, a highly-respected person is suspected for the killing of a common person in the community. This would either create disbelief or condemnation of the person where people may either defend the person in belief that he/she could not do it or would express their utter disgrace for what he has done. On the other hand, on the other hand, if the killers were of less influence in the society, this would not be given particular attention especially by the media. However, as what happened in the novel â€Å"In cold blood† by Truman Capote, the status of those who were killed also affect the perception of people of the crime. References Schaefer, R. (2008). Sociology. (7th Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. How to cite Deviant Behavior, Papers

Karl Marx Essay Essays - Marxist Theory, Marxism, Marxian Economics

Karl Marx Essay Through out history money, wealth and capital have dictated a way of life to the masses. Wealth dictated the lives that the rich lived and the lives of the poor that worked for and surrounded them. In some cultures your class could never be escaped in life, you had to wait for your next incarnation, while in other cultures the idea of wealth transcended a life and allowed for growth from one class to another. This is the reality of a capitalist society that was first discussed by Karl Marx in the 19th century. When Karl Marx first penned his shaping works on communism, he assumed that the relationship between workers and capital would always be opposing. While most rejected his overall theories, they did not argue with the basic idea that the interests of workers would always be at odds with those of owners. This is one of Marx's only theories that has proven to be true. As a consequence, over the years, that thought has guided the marketplace in terms of deciding wages, working conditions and other worker centered benefits. The bourgeoisie (rich/owners class), by rapid improvement of production instruments and by powerful means of communication, drew all, even the most underdeveloped nations, into civilization through production. Their fast development and ability in many cases to exploit the worker allowed them to get a foothold in the market. So capitalism evolved into globalization. This is the major reason why all other systems, communism included, found themselves chasing the idea of wealth through production. According to Marx, the 'capitalist mode of production' is a product of the 'industrial revolution' and the division of labor coming from it. By virtue of this division, Marx's capitalist reality is more and more splitting into two great factions directly facing each other off; these classes are; the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The processes in which the two classes were formed and the setting in which they presently exist have molded their thinking and the products of their thinking. In other words, the 'human nature' of the members of both classes is largely shaped by their positions within the two groups. Given the conformist nature of the human person, considerable light may be thrown upon the major features of Marx's reality by means of an investigation of the types of 'human nature' that he assigned in this economic theory. In Marx's capitalist reality, division of labor is a necessary condition for commodity production. This division attacks the individual/worker class at the very root of their life so that they are converted into 'a crippled being'. By the process in which they are crippled they experiences acute alienation, which defines them forever. The alienation according to Marx has several dimensions. In the first, the worker is estranged not only from the act of production, but also from the products of his labor. Next, because the workers activities belong to another, namely the capitalist, the worker translates this separation as a loss of his self. Which abstractly means that he is estranging himself from himself through the act of production. In the last form, the alienation takes the form of estrangement of one man to another man. Partly because the division of labor creates a hierarchical structure among the workers themselves and partly for the previous reason that the workers are the p roperty of the capitalist and are seen as human capital. Nevertheless the non-worker, the capitalist, is also caught in his own web of alienation. But there is a difference between the two and how they interact. By virtue of the property relationship of the worker to non-worker. The non-worker in theory does everything against the worker, which the worker does against himself; but he the non-worker does not do against himself what the worker does to himself. So, whereas the worker's activity is a torment to himself, the capitalists' activity is his means of support and success. Division of labor and the human nature that it has molded in all its alienated and crippling forms are, therefore, fundamental and integral parts of the paradox of facts that Marx implanted in his reality regarding capitalism. But when Marx wrote this he did not realize or account for

Mosquitoes Through History

Mosquitoes Through History No man or beast has caused more human deaths than the dreaded mosquito. Scientists estimate that malaria alone has killed about one half of all the humans who have ever lived on Earth. With the diseases these vectors transmit including dengue, encephalitis and yellow fever, the mosquito is responsible for millions of deaths every year. It is no surprise that the World Health Organization declared these pests as "public health enemy number one." Because of the lethal potential the mosquito possesses, its influence in the course of history cannot be ignored. From the time of the early civilizations to the time of the two world wars, and until now when medical technology is improving in leaps and bounds, the mosquito remains a formidable enemy, becoming even deadlier in time.However, its integration in our history is not limited to its effects to human society; human history itself is at the root of mosquito's lethality.Plasmodium sporozoite traverses the cytoplasm of a...Scientists the orize that prior to the development of human villages, mosquitoes were much less of a threat to humans than in later periods. Aside from the relatively small number that interact with humans before contact with more concentrated settlements, the disease parasites they carried were less potent, and early humans had greater resistance to these parasites. However, at around the same time humans adopted a more settled way of life, conditions were ripe for a mosquito population boom. In time, the diseases they carried evolved, at a more rapid rate than our resistance to them. Because mosquitoes were biologically more resilient than humans, and because their great numbers favored natural selection, the mosquitoes have eluded our attempts to lessen their population or develop a definitive cure for their diseases. As humans improved insecticides, mosquitoes enhanced their resistance; as new medications for diseases were developed, the viruses...

Significant Inventors of the Industrial Revolution

Significant Inventors of the Industrial Revolution The inventions and innovations of the Industrial Revolution transformed the U.S. and Great Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries. Tremendous gains in science and technology helped Britain become the worlds dominant economic and political power, while in the U.S. it fueled a young nations westward expansion and built vast fortunes.   A Revolution Twice Over British innovations harnessed the power of water, steam, and coal, helping the U.K. dominate the global textile market of the mid-1770s. Other advancements made in chemistry, manufacturing, and transportation allowed the nation to expand and fund its empire around the globe. The American Industrial Revolution began after the Civil War as the U.S. rebuilt its infrastructure. New forms of transportation such as the steamboat  and the railroad helped the nation expand trade. Meanwhile, innovations such as the modern assembly line and electric light bulb revolutionized both business  and personal life. Transportation Water had long been used to power simple machines such as grain mills and textile spinners, but Scottish inventor James Watts refinements to the steam engine in 1775 launched the revolution in earnest. Up until that point, such engines were crude, inefficient, and unreliable. Watts first engines were used primarily to pump water and air into and out of mines. With the development of more powerful, efficient engines which would operate under higher pressure and increased output, came newer, better forms of transportation.  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Robert Fulton  was an engineer  and  inventor who had become fascinated with Watts engine while living in France at the turn of the 19th century. After several years of experimenting in Paris, he returned to the U.S. and launched the Clermont in 1807 on the Hudson River in New York. It was the first commercially viable steamboat line in the nation.  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Ã¢â‚¬â€¹ As the nations rivers began opening to navigation, commerce expanded along with the population. Another new form of transportation, the railroad, also relied on steam power to drive the locomotives. First in Britain and then in the U.S., rail lines began appearing in the 1820s. By 1869, the first transcontinental rail line linked the coasts. If the 19th century belonged to steam, the 20th century belonged to the internal combustion engine. American inventor George Brayton, working on earlier innovations, developed the first liquid-fueled internal combustion engine in 1872. During the next two decades, German engineers including Karl Benz and Rudolf Diesel would make further innovations. By the time Henry Ford unveiled his Model T car in 1908, the internal combustion engine was poised to transform not just the nations transportation system but also spur 20th-century industries like petroleum and aviation. Communication As the populations of both the U.K. and the U.S. expanded in the 1800s and Americas boundaries pushed westward, new forms of communication that could cover great distances were invented to keep pace with this growth. One of the first significant inventions was the telegraph, perfected by Samuel Morse. He developed a series of dots and dashes that could be transmitted electrically in 1836; they came to be known as Morse Code, though it wouldnt be until 1844 that the first telegraph service opened, between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. As the rail system expanded in the U.S., the telegraph followed along, literally. Rail depots doubled as telegraph stations, bringing news to the far-flung frontier. Telegraph signals began flowing between the U.S. and the U.K. in 1866 with Cyrus Fields first permanent transatlantic telegraph line. The following decade, Scottish inventor Alexander Graham Bell, working in the U.S. with Thomas Watson, patented the telephone in 1876.   Thomas Edison, who made a number of discoveries and innovations during the 1800s, contributed to the communications revolution by inventing the phonograph in 1876. The device used paper cylinders coated with wax to record sound. Records were first made of metal and later shellac. In Italy, Enrico Marconi made his first successful radio wave transmission in 1895, paving the way for the  radio to be invented in the next century. Industry In 1794, the American industrialist Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. This device mechanized the process of removing seeds from cotton, something that had previously been done largely by hand. But what made Whitneys invention particularly special was its use of interchangeable parts. If one part broke, it could be easily replaced by another inexpensive, mass-produced copy. This made processing cotton cheaper, in turn creating new markets and wealth. Although he did not invent the sewing machine, Elias Howes refinements and patent in 1844 perfected the device. Working with Isaac Singer, Howe marketed the device to manufacturers and later consumers. The machine allowed for the mass production of clothing, expanding the nations textile industry. It also made housework easier and allowed the growing middle class to indulge in hobbies like fashion. But factory work- and home life- still were dependent upon sunlight and lamplight. It wasnt until electricity began being harnessed for commercial purposes that industry truly was revolutionized. Thomas Edisons invention of the electric light bulb in 1879 became the means by which large factories could be illuminated, extending shifts and increasing manufacturing output. It also spurred the creation of the nations electrical grid, into which the many inventions of the 20th century from TVs to PCs would eventually plug. Person Invention Date James Watt First reliable steam engine 1775 Eli Whitney Cotton ginInterchangeable parts for muskets 17931798 Robert Fulton Regular steamboat service on the Hudson River 1807 Samuel F.B. Morse Telegraph 1836 Elias Howe Sewing machine 1844 Isaac Singer Improves and markets Howe's sewing machine 1851 Cyrus Field Transatlantic cable 1866 Alexander Graham Bell Telephone 1876 Thomas Edison PhonographIncandescent light bulb 18771879 Nikola Tesla Induction electric motor 1888 Rudolf Diesel Diesel engine 1892 Orville and Wilbur Wright First airplane 1903 Henry Ford Model T FordLarge-scale moving assembly line 19081913

Critical Review of Contemporary NPD Issues Essay

Critical Review of Contemporary NPD Issues - Essay Example Both the research findings acknowledge that the scale of a company’s operations is irrelevant to the chances of favorable outcomes related to the application of innovation, as Laforet (2011) suggests that the innovative capabilities of small and medium enterprises are comparable to that of large organizations. Another finding asserts that ideation has paradoxical managerial impacts by presenting both negative and positive consequences of the said process in organizations. The scale of the company however, does impact the choices it makes related to innovation, for example, why would a business wish to expand its ideation and innovation capabilities in the first place? Certainly as represented by the findings of the articles which are assessed, it can be noted that large organizations in comparison with small and medium enterprises realize the need to create a strategic fit between their resource capacities and assets as a comprehension of their ideation capabilities is directl y related to the distribution of resources which ultimately allows the formulation of an idea into an innovation. On the other hand, the objectives of a small or medium sized business in engaging in new product development maybe entirely associated with its objective of seeking success or to achieve short-term gain. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to critically analyze the competing ideologies of how New Product Development and Innovation should take place and how it actually takes place, which is either by entirely basing the framework of innovation at an organization upon the components of the ideation process or by engaging in an innovative practice by implementing system wide innovation procedures. Furthermore, the paper will also discuss the managerial implications of the articles’ findings by determining the variables and factors that are dependent upon the success of measures such as NPD, process improvement and ideation potential. Factors affecting innovation: Acc ording to Bjork et al. (2010) the foundation of innovation is idea generation or ideation which is dependent upon the level of creativity and inventiveness of the employees and groups within an organization. Once this principle is recognized by the management, it should try to develop channels through which employees can successfully voice their ideas, such channels can range from technology centered pathways or the utilization of teams that should range across functional departments of an organization. Cooper (2008) favors computer-based ideation techniques such as webpages which can allow external parties to supply ideas related to new products, such facilities are readily used by organizations such as Procter and Gamble which are at the forefront of an ideation revolution. Procter and Gamble’s Connect and Develop ideation model is an example of an open system that invites and welcomes idea stimulation from a range of contributors. Laforet (2011) presents a more traditional and conventional view of the factors that may influence innovation, this

The Skeletal System Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Skeletal System - Assignment Example The appendicular skeleton, on the other hand, as the name implies, consists of the appendages, which include the upper limbs and the lower limbs. The upper limbs include the humerus, the radius and ulna, and the carpals and metacarpals. The lower limbs include the femur, the tibia, the fibula, the tarsals, and the metatarsals. Other components of the appendicular skeleton include the shoulder girdles, consisting of the scapulae and the collar bones, or clavicles, and the pelvic girdle, made up of the coxal or hip bones, which include the ilium, ischium and pubis. The appendicular skeleton functions for helping the various joints of the body perform better and make the body run in a smoother fashion. The appendicular skeleton too functions for movement, locomotion and the performance of any tasks done by the arms, hands, legs and feet (â€Å"Axial and Appendicular Skeleton†). Detailed Functions of the Skeleton The functions of the skeleton include providing support for soft tissues, production of red blood cells, storage of minerals and lipids, and coordination of the muscular system to effect movement and support for the body, in order to carry out the will of the individual concerning any activity that requires physical movements (â€Å"The Skeletal System† 2013). As for support and physical movement, the structure of the bone in the form of a tubular shape with a hard and dense circumference and a hollow center is the one that efficiently and effectively affords maximum support for the body. ... As for support and physical movement, the structure of the bone in the form of a tubular shape with a hard and dense circumference and a hollow center is the one that efficiently and effectively affords maximum support for the body. Moreover, in terms of the protective support that it gives the soft organs, the skull protects the brain; the rib cage and sternum protect the lungs and the heart; and the pelvis and the pelvic girdle provide protection for the reproductive system. In terms of movement, the bones provide anchorage for the muscles. The origin is where the muscle is fixed to a bone, and the insertion is the moving point of attachment. Finally, still in terms of the movement function, bones meet other bones at joints in order to allow varying degrees of movement (â€Å"The Skeletal System – Introduction† 2013). Another function of the skeletal system, particularly the bone marrow, is to carry out hematopoiesis, or the process by which a single type of stem cell gives rise to all types of mature red blood cells in the body. In the adult human being, this is carried out by the bone marrows of the skull, and those of the ribs, sternum, vertebra, pelvis, and the proximal ends of the thigh bones or femurs (Ownby 2002). In terms of the storage of minerals and lipids, the bone is where several metabolically active minerals are stored, especially calcium, which is the most abundant mineral in the human body. Calcium is essential in regulating the intracellular activities of muscle cells and neurons. Moreover, lipids are stored in the yellow marrow of the bone. These lipids are essential in the regulation of body heat, for providing heat, and as a structural component of cell membranes (â€Å"Osseous Tissue and Bone Structure† 2013). 1.3 Structure of Bone Tissue

Chapter Summary of I Have Lived a Thousand Years, Growing Up in the Holocaust by Livia Bitton-Jackson :: essays research papers

Foreword: Elli Friedmann has returned 50 years later for a ceremony to the spot where she was once liberated by the American army. Living during the Holocaust, she has chosen to give us her story. Chapter 1-The City of My Dreams- Somorja, summer, 1943-March, 1944 Elli talks about daily life in her neighborhood. Her mother does not show any compassion for her. When Elli complains of this, her mother brings up excuses that are unconvincing. Elli believes her mother does not care for her and that her brother is the favorite. Hilter’s reoccurring radio broadcast give nightmares to Elli, whos family is Jewish. The nights when the Hungarian military police would come and stir trouble did not provide anymore comfort for Elli. One night, her brother, Bubi, comes home with news that Germany invaded Budapest, the town where he goes to school. But the next morning, there is no news in the headlines. The father sends him back to school. He learns the next day that a neighbor’s son who goes to school with Bubi has said the same. The day after, the newspapers scream the news of the invasion. Bubi arrives home, and the terror begins. Chapter 2- Hey, Jew Girl, Jew Girl - Somorja, March 25, 1944 Elli’s school has just closed. As she is leaving, a group of boys seem to be having a childish Nazi rally. She runs home and sobs for her normal life back. Chapter 3- The Tale of the Yellow Bicycle- Somorja, March 27, 1944 The â€Å"liquidation† process of the Jews in Elli’s town has begun. Everyone’s prized possessions must be brought to city hall, where they will also be registered. Elli has just gotten a new bike and does not want to give it up. After they come home, her father shows her and the rest of the family a spot where he has buried their most prized possessions. He tells her that he does not know who will survive. He then asks her if she will remember the spot. She yells that she does not want to be the only one to survive, and she does not want to remember. Chapter 4- The Tale of the Yellow Sun- Somorja, March 28, 1944 Every Jew must wear a yellow star and have a painted yellow star on their house. Elli does not leave the house for a week, and cannot believe the horrible things that have begun to surround her. There is an announcement that everyone will be receiving their school report cards and diplomas.

Advanced technology social interactions among young adults

Over the recent years, there has been an advance in technology that has greatly changed the way people interact socially and the way they work. Technological advancement in the communication sector especially has given rise to faster and improved modes of communication.One such mode of communication is the internet or world wide web (www). The Internet is a mode of communication that interconnects different independent networks to turn the world into one big village.This has been made possible through the invention of a new type of computers that have improved speed, high data storage capacity   and are small in size as compared to the older generation computers. They are also user friendly (Daniel J. Myers (2000).Thesis statement The Internet operates through communication software that enable the users to get access to the Internet. These are programs such as Mozillafirefox, Miocrosoft |Internet Explorer, Netscapes Navigator to name but a few. We also have programs that enable th e user to access information about any subject that he/she wishes to explore.Such programs are known as search engines and good examples are www.Google.com and www.yahoo.com. Such programs provide email and internet services. To add the list are Instant Messaging or chatting, blogging, Social Networking Sites and computer games among others.Telephone lines are used to interconnect different computers to enableflow of data or information. Through the   internet, communication has become faster and more reliable and a short text message (sms) is as reliable as a telephone call (Blaise W. Liffick, Ph.D.)Telecommunication sector has also benefited from the introduction of a convenient and fast mode of communication, the mobile phone. As the name suggests, this phone is portable and it ensures one of communication wherever you go as long as the area is covered by a network.Advanced technology has interconnected the computer, mobile phone and radio communication in such a way that a use r is able to listen to the radio online or through their mobile phone.The people who have embraced this kind of change in technology are the youth and this has greatly affected the way the that they interact within society. Improved computer literacy has favored the young people in that majority of them are computer literate and can understand the computer language.The youth for example are the dominant group that will be found at social networking sites. To understand better how advanced technology has affected the life of the young adult generation, we need to explore a bit into the different methods of communication.The mobile phone is the most easily accessible gadget used in modern day communication.   Millions of people worldwide especially the young adults have embraced this mode of communication and majority own mobile phones.A mobile phone has great advantage over a fixed telephone or computer in that it is portable and helps the user take communication wherever he or she goes. Communication has become faster and cheaper through calls or short text messages and people are now closely knit together through this network.Improvements to this service have given rise to radio and email communication through the mobile phone and one can now access the internet of listen to radio through the phone. Mobile phone communication means that information goes with you wherever you are.Through the mobile phone, it has become very easy to keep contact with colleagues such as former schoolmates, parents, friends etc.Everything has its own disadvantages and the mobile phone is no exception. Wrong information can easily be relayed through this mode of communication and lawbreakers have taken advantage of this.Unruly youths have been able to organize criminal activities in a faster and more organized manner making it difficult for the law to get them. The mobile phone has been a source of breakups in relationships as people disagree on phone. Young adults are most pron e to this kind of problem.The internet also known as the web or cyberspace has turned the world into one village by interconnecting and the world can now meet together on the internet.Anyone who can be able to access the internet has access to almost everything they need. Where young people previously referred to libraries and archives for information, they can now collect materials from the internet.  The internet works through a collection of web addresses or www which enable the user to access the internet . This is done through internet service providers who make these web pages accessible to the users. Various computer programs enable the user to carry out different functions over the internet such as chatting,   teleconferencing, blogging and email.The internet has become a source of employment for millions of young people around the world as they are the people working in the fields of networking, programming etc This means that a new social group that was not there befor e is now in existent and in operation. These groups have their own way of interacting and co-existing in their working and also social emvironment.E-mail is a mode of communication on the internet that links together subscribers who have registered on the internet. It allows a subscriber to receive, read, compose and reply mail online. This mode of communication is very popular with the young people as it is a more modern method of letter writing.It beats normal postage in that the reciepent   gets the information immediately. It is cheaper that a telephone call and carrys more information than a text message. The young adults have taken advantage of its convenience to update each other on different issues, to apply for schools and jobs etc.The email makes the distance covered by normal mail shorter, is faster and more reliable. We also have webmail the difference being that with an email you have to work online but with a webmail you work offline and get connected when sending th e information.The email service is now available through the mobile phone and this has made it even cheaper and more convenient as one does not have to visit a cyber room to send or receive an email (Joan Tunstall, J. (1999).Chatting   refers to a mode of communication over the internet in which two or more people in different localities can hold a conversation or discussion online by typing information on the computer.This is a style very popular with the youth as it is same as if people were talking face to face the only difference being that you cannot hear or see each other.Chat rooms created on the web have become meeting places fro many young people and they have also been able to make new friends through this channel. This has given rise to   new kind of social group that   communicates through chat rooms (Daniel J. Myers (2000).Blogging is another type of internet communication that is popular with the young people. This form of online publishing enables the user to ad d new information onto an already existing topic.Blogging is very convenient in that a new user can use an already existing blog to add new contributions to a certain topic. Blogging is very popular with people who wish to market their products as they have a fast means of letting fellow bloggers what’s on the market.The internet provides such programs as Windows Media Player that enables the user to play digital music through the computer e.g CDs, DVDs   and also listen to FM stations. Young people are fun lovers and they are now able to watch movies, listen to music and   radio through the internet.This can be done form the comfort of you living room or even in the office when relaxing. This has affected the mode of interaction amongst the youth in that they now no longer have to visit movie houses to watch movies but can borrow from the library .Download software programs also enable the young people to play various types of games which would otherwise have been un aff ordable in the real situation.Young adults are also able to share ideas through Social Networking Sites (SNSs). Social Network Sites are internet based services that enable people to created their own personal profiles. Examples are Mysapce and Facebook.These profiles can be shared with other persons within a closed environment. Users will be able to interact within the same user group although these sites can also be viewed by non-users. Users are able to upload such items as photos, videos etc.This mode of communication is used to enhance interaction between relationships that were already existing offline. Users of this service are introduced by others already in the service and thus the reason why young people are attracted to SNSs; because their friends are already on these sites.This work to create closed user groups. Social Network Sites grow in popularity among people of a certain country, race, sex or even community. SNSs   like CyWorld and Orkut for example are very popu lar in countries such as Korea, India and Brazil. An SNS will therefore enable a certain community or group to post and share comments as well as enhance friendships.The users are able to express themselves while at the same time interacting with others within an SNS   community. This mode of communication makes interaction easier and faster by reducing distance between the users (Ramy H.N., Moppett S. A (2000).Teleconfrencing is yet another mode if internet communication that has changed the way young adults interact. This refers to holding of meetings through the internet between groups at different geographical locations. Unlike in chatting, the parties involved are able to see and hear each other.Social forums   involving young people as well as academic exchange programs are carried out through teleconferencing.   This means that ideas are exchanged and solutions to various found while avoiding traveling costs.

Innovation and Design Strategy - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1491 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/09/11 Category Advertising Essay Did you like this example? Samsung Electronics: Innovation and Design Strategy Introduction: The case study commences with the integration of innovative design and brand management by Samsung Electronics which started a new trend in the electronics industry. As discussed in the case, initially Samsung was not much popular and lacked design identity but later it relocated itself by: * Improvement in the product development processes * Increasing their investments in RD and product design i. e. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Innovation and Design Strategy" essay for you Create order RD globalization. * By adopting right innovation strategies. By mastering the less tangible, more intuitive qualities of superior design. * By diversification of products and step by step or continual improvement. * Implementing Global localization strategy. * Achieving Vision of leading in digital convergence by using e-processes (electronic integration of processes by going online). All these methods were implemented by Samsung in order to improve its productivity and to gain competitive advantage over its competitors like LG Electronics, Sony, Apple Computer Inc. , etc. Despite this, Samsung is facing the challenge to stay ahead in competition in the near future. Consumer electronics industry is facing a tough competition and the need of the hour is to optimize the R D costs, having relevant information regarding the IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) while design outsourcing and using appropriate product design followed by appropriate market strategy. Case Analysis: As mentioned in the case, the background of Samsung can be discussed in a tabular form: * Started by Byung-Chull Lee in 1939 as an exporter of agricultural products. | * Samsung Electronics established in 1969 followed by product diversification. * Strategic Joint Ventures with NEC, Sanyo and Corning Glass work in 1970| * Brought 50% stake in Korea Semiconductor Inc. | * Acquisition of Korea Semiconductor Inc. in 1978 followed by the successful implementation of reverse engineered product design| * Vertical integration by developing their own IC’s DRAMS(Dynamic Random Access Memories in 1985 | * Focus on qualitative growth than quantitative growth in 1990| * Loosening of import restrictions by South Korean government| And Samsung achieved price competitiveness in 1991. * In 1992, Samsung established RD center in European markets. | * In 1994, Samsung established RD center in US markets. | * In 1997, Samsung cuts its Korean and overseas workforces due to Asian Financial crises. | * In 1999, Samsung was regarded as world’s premiere consumer goods and services industry By Forbes. | * In 2000, Samsung embarked vision to convert itself into a Digital- e company. | * Increased design staff and RD in 2004| In 2005, Samsung increased its design budget by 20%-30%| * In 2006, Samsung registered 17,377 patents worldwide| * In 2007, Samsung held dominant worldwide market share| Samsung Electronics’ integration of brand management, product design and investment in RD provided them advantages over its competitors. Hence, they improved step by step with the product diversification, Mergers and Acquisitions, vertical integration and implementation of new technology. They were aggressively involved in marketing and improving their brand image in the minds of their customers. The Samsung’s learning and leveraging matrix can be explained as: Dedicated business units e. g. Informal technology transfer | New venture department or division, e. g. †skunkworks( Investments in RD’s)| Independent business unit, e. g. Predivestment or potential spinout| Direct integration or business team ( Vertical Integration by developing their own IC’s)| Low Leveraging existing competencies High Innovation and product Design at Samsung Electronics Samsung Electronics leading position was contributed by the enlisted factors: * Creative people in the organization which contributed in the development of technology. * Co-operation between the business partners throughout the supply chain * Firms ability in exploring end penetrating into the new markets * Speed of innovation and product development. Along with this Samsung also increased the investments in their RD centers. After doing the trend analysis for the Exhibit 3 which shows the Samsung RD budget and percentage sales, We arrive at the conclusion that the Samsung’s RD budget increased till the year 2007 linearly. But there is decline in the percentage of sales in the year 2007, which suggests that the Samsung will need to rethink this strategy. There is an urgent need to optimize the cost related to Samsung’s RD expenditure to prevent the decline of sales in future. Samsung globalized their RD network worldwide to develop technologies which can be commercialized in the future. Basically the main idea behind the globalization of RD network is to: * Focus on innovation and generating new products for global market. There is a huge scope of product improvement. * This provides an access to the emerging markets. * Leverages the market opportunity for the firm. User- Centric Design Philosophy Samsung’s philosophy was to strike the balance between the reasons and feelings. This was done by them with the rationalization of the design of product by using geometric and technological par ameters and enhancing the design to the product so that it can make the emotional connection with the user. Their global localization strategy helped them to become a top class consumer electronics company. Marketing Samsung used electronic processes to achieve their vision of leading in digital convergence. The Convergence and integration between manufacturing, promotion distribution of electronics included releasing, promoting and marketing. This thing helped Samsung in improving: * Brand Image * Helped in product differentiation * Better value propositions or bundle of benefits to the customers. This graph shows net sales and operating profit of Samsung Electronics 2007 Samsung Electronics’ E-processes comprised of: The SCM, RD management and Customer management processes were integrated with ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning). ERP implementation provided them a wider access to the Samsung Electronics’ operations. This improved their overall processes and improved efficiency. Competitive Landscape: Landscape| SamsungElectronics| Apple ComputerInc. | LGElectronics| Nokia Corp. | Sony Corp. | MotorolaInc. | Product Offered| Consumer electronics(LCD TV’s,MicrowaveOvens, PC’s, etc. ) | PC’s, portable music players,Mobile communication devices, etc. | Consumer Electronics( mobile handsets,Front loading washing machines, AC’s, etc. )| Leading Mobile Comm. Company( started as wood pulp producers)| Electronic games,Motion pictures, Financial services, etc. Mobility solutions, mobile services, cellular comm. Devices ,etc. | Innovation DesignMarketing| Focuses on ‘Reason’ and Feeling to create a design and used global localization strategy to establish as a first class consumer electronic company(user centric)Digital convergence using E-Processes and efforts in improvi ng design by investing in RD| Occupies ‘feeling’ zone and emphasis on the simplicity of products in terms of design and usability. Improvement in design and product features| Concentrated on 5 areas:Mobile comm. digital appliances, digital displays,Digital media and home networking and design their products by using 4 values: Theme, style, interface and finishOriginally produced electronics for mass consumption but later transformed to produce premium consumer products for attracting premium customers and to gain brand image| Adopted telecom. as its core business designing was based on 3 principles: Simplicity,Relevance and ExperienceProduct categorization is done by: ExploreLive classic, classic, achieve and entry and communicating brand value to the customers| Creates value added products by doping 4 principles of design: Originality, Lifestyle, Functionality and UsabilityDo not rely on customer surveys and create value added user experience through feature design, concept development and eco- friendly sustainable design| Focus on two criteria’s for design the products for their consumers: personalization and socializationPaid attention on development of new revenue generating services and technologies and enabling customers to experience media mobility. | Comparison of percentage sales It is clear from the graph that both Nokia and Motorola are ahead than Samsung in terms percentage of net sales. This means that Samsung needs to redesign and reform their business network to gain competitive advantage from its competitors. Moreover in 2007, there is a slight decline in sales for Samsung which is a cause of concern. Though, Samsung is relatively doing well as compared to its competitors Apple, LG and Sony. Conclusion We can analyze the whole case by using Porter’s legacy which deals with innovation strategy. There are five forces to develop a competitive innovation strategy: The five forces are : * Relations with suppliers: It means that Samsung needs to improve their relations with the suppliers. This can be done with Suppliers relationship management and by bringing the suppliers on a single platform. * Relations with buyers: Customer is the king. There is a need to improve their relationships with the buyers or customers by developing appropriate marketing strategy, timely delivery of the products and supply chain management * New entrants: It is important for Samsung to analyze the threats from new entrants in the consumer electronic market. * Substitutes: With the emergence of chinese products in the market which can act as the substitutes for Samsung products . Hence, it is important for Samsung to implement Generic technology strategies which includes: * Cost leadership (e. g. Lower/cheaper material input, logisitics) * Differentiation (e. g. Enhance features, deliverability) * Cost focus (minimum features) * Differentiation (niche markets) * Rivalry among established firms: There is a strong competition between the already existing firms like Nokia, Sony, Apple, LG, etc. Therefore ,Samsung will have to improve its competitiveness in the market. In order to sustain its position in the near future Samsung will have to consider all the above mentioned points.

Fangtooth Fish Facts

Fangtooth fish are part of family Anoplogastridae and mainly thrive in depths between 1,640 and 6,562 feet in temperate and tropical waters. Their genus scientific name, Anoplogaster, is derived from the Greek words meaning unarmed (anoplo) and stomach (gaster). Ironically, fangtooth fish don’t appear unarmed at all due to their disproportionately large jaws and sharp teeth. Fast Facts Scientific Name: Anoplogaster cornuta, Anoplogaster brachyceraCommon Names: Common fangtooth, ogrefish, shorthorn fangtoothOrder: BeryciformesBasic Animal Group: FishDistinguishing Characteristics: Lower jaw that extends outwards with long sharp teethSize: Up to 3 inches (Anoplogaster brachycera) and up to 6-7 inches (Anoplogaster cornuta)Weight: UnknownLife Span: UnknownDiet: Small fish, squid, crustaceansHabitat: In temperate/tropical waters in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans, and off the coast of Australia and the British IslesPopulation: Not documentedConservation Status: Least Concern Description The fangtooth is a small fish with a laterally compressed body. Despite their small size, fangtooths have large heads and disproportionately long sharp teeth. Two sockets have developed on the sides of their brains to make room for the teeth when their jaws close. Large teeth enable the fangtooth to kill fish much larger than itself. Common fangtooth, Anoplogaster cornuta, on ice. Anette Andersen/iStock/Getty Images Plus Fangtooth fish colors range from black to dark brown as adults and are light gray when young. Their bodies are covered with prickly scales and spines. They can be found at depths anywhere from 6 feet to 15,000 feet but are most commonly found between 1,640 and 6,562 feet. When fangtooth are young, they tend to live in shallower depths. Habitat and Distribution The common fangtooth is found around the world in temperate marine waters. This includes the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, appearing off the waters of Australia and from the central to Southern British Isles. The shorthorn fangtooth lives in tropical waters from the western Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico to the western Atlantic. Diet and Behavior The fangtooth is a carnivorous and highly mobile fish, feeding on small fish, shrimp, and squid. When they are young, they filter zooplankton from the water and migrate closer to the surface at night to feed on crustaceans. Adults either hunt alone or in schools. Unlike other predators that ambush their prey, fangtooth fish actively seek out food. Fangtooth Fish (Anoplogaster cornuta) close-up of head showing teeth, from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. David Shale / Getty Images Their large heads allow them to swallow most prey whole, eating fish one-third their size. When fangtooths’ mouths are full, they can not pump water over their gills as efficiently. Thus, they produce large gaps between their gills and use their pectoral fins to fan water over their gills from behind. To find prey, fangtooths have lateral lines along each side of their bodies, which are important for detecting changes in temperature and movements of potential prey. They also rely on contact chemoreception, where they find prey by bumping into them. Reproduction and Offspring Not much is known about fangtooth fish reproduction, but they generally reach reproductive maturity at 5 inches for the common fangtooth. From June to August, males will latch on to females with their jaws and fertilize the eggs the females release into the ocean. Fangtooth fish do not guard their eggs, so these young are on their own. As they grow, they descend to deeper depths. As larvae, they appear close to the surface and by the time they are adults, they may be swimming at depths of up to 15,000 feet. Overlapping of depth and habitats occurs across stages of maturity. Species Fangtooth (Anoplogaster cornuta), illustrated view of a deep sea fish with a small body and disproportionately large head, and large teeth. Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images There are two known species: Anoplogaster cornuta (the common fangtooth) and Anoplogaster brachycera (shorthorn fangtooth). Shorthorn fangtooth fish are even smaller than common fangtooth fish, reaching sizes of just short of 3 inches. They are most commonly found at depths between 1,640 and 6,500 feet. Conservation Status The common fangtooth is designated as least concern according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, while the shorthorn fangtooth has not been assessed by the IUCN. Due to their appearance, they do not have any commercial value. Sources Baidya, Sankalan. 20 Interesting Fangtooth Facts. Facts Legend, 2014, https://factslegend.org/20-interesting-fangtooth-facts/. Common Fangtooth. British Sea Fishing, https://britishseafishing.co.uk/common-fangtooth/.Common Fangtooth. Oceana, https://oceana.org/marine-life/ocean-fishes/common-fangtooth.ï » ¿Iwamoto, T. Anoplogaster Cornuta. The IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species, 2015, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18123960/21910070#population.Malhotra, Rishi. Anoplogaster Cornuta. Animal Diversity Web, 2011, https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Anoplogaster_cornuta/.McGrouther, Mark. Fangtooth, Anoplogaster Cornuta (Valenciennes, 1833). The Australian Museum, 2019, https://australianmuseum.net.au/learn/animals/fishes/fangtooth-anoplogaster-cornuta-valenciennes-1833/.

Special Education For Special Needs - 1336 Words

Special education can become very costly even up to four times more than ordianry education. Many tools are needed such as speech pathologists, phychologists and teachers, and sometimes speech facilities and equipment Many schools feel they are not suited to work with the students therefore they are hesitant to take on the challenge. However, many parent’s opinions on special ed learning shows that they favor it over home schooling and other options. There are many different choices for parents with special needs children. However, there are so many different aspects that have to go into the decision of schooling and that’s where parents struggle. Special Needs schooling is becoming more common now that discoveries have been made of the benefits and necessities of special education, things like expenses, socia l advantages, advantages of working alone, the student’s opinion, the tools needed, and many other necessary factors go into the decision of learning in a social environment. The definition of special education is a specialized area of education which uses unique instructional methods, materials, learning aids, and the equipment to meet the educational needs of children with learning disabilities. Students are given an opportunity to learn material in a way that they can understand, meeting the needs of their disability. To teach a student with special needs the teacher must have at least a Bachelor’s Degree and then they can join a course on Special Education.Show MoreRelatedSpecial Needs For Special Education1028 Words   |  5 Pages Fitzgerald (2015) reported that it has been an increase of children identified with special education needs in different countries in Europe. One of the explanation for this influx is the definition of special needs recently changed, which caused more children to fall under that category. Since more children qualify for special education, professionals and parents need training and guidance on meeting the needs of those students. In Ireland, there is a challenge in finding the best comprehensiveRead MoreSpecial Needs For Special Education951 Words   |  4 Pagesthe total number of students with special needs in the United States has grown from 1990 through 2005. Studies from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) show that there are 4.8 million children enrolled in public schools who received special education between the ages of 3-21. The studies show that in 1990 the percent of children receiving special education in the school was 11 percent, while in 2005 the amount of students receiving special education grew to 14 percent. Actual studiesRead MoreThe Education Of Special Needs3725 Words   |  15 Pages The Education of Special Needs in Public, Private, and Charter Schools Jerissa R. Gregory Liberty University Abstract Education is important to all children, but teaching children with special needs entails the educator to examine and assess the social, behavior, intellectual and academic deficits of the student and devise an instructional plan that will support their excellence in these areas. Teaching in a classroom with children who have disabilities pertainsRead MoreSpecial Education Needs3359 Words   |  14 Pagesmeant by the term special educational needs; then I will talk about the history of my chosen topic which is autism; when it was diagnosed, who diagnosed it, how labelling can affect a child suffering from autism, and what treatments are available to assist autistic people in leading some-what normal lives. I will also write about the medical and social model, what they are and how they relate to SEN, I will then write about the SEN Code of Practice and special educational needs coordinators and touchRead MoreThe Effects Of Special Education On Special Needs Students1505 Words   |   7 Pagesand policies related to special needs students are set in place to assist in providing an appropriate education in the most least restrictive environment possible for special needs students. A Law is defined as a rule that is created by the government of a town, state or country. A law is created in hopes of settling a cause. Within the past 25 years laws pertaining to Special Education have evolved for the better of special needs students around the countryRead MoreThe Role Of Special Education For Children With Special Needs1289 Words   |  6 Pageschildren with special needs may experience good mental health in supportive environments that support their strengths. I believe that children beneï ¬ t from having positive relationships and feel a sense of belonging at school. These positive experiences are important for children with special needs. Like all teachers, special education teachers must be organized, patient and able to motivate students. Since they work with students who have one or more disabilities, special education teachers mustRead MoreChildren with Special Needs in Education1079 Words   |  4 PagesSpecial (adj.): better, greater, or otherwise different from what is usual. Children with special needs have some form of disability whether that be a learning, behavioral, physical, or emotional disability. These children need certain accommodations to help them reach their academic and social goals in school. There are many different types of disabilities, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Mental retardation, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and each one has a completely different effectRead MoreFunding For Special Needs Education946 Words   |  4 Pageseven a person at school with learning disabilities? What if I told you, the help that person need to learn better and assist them with their disab ilities would be taken away from them. Around the country budgets cut have been made, especially harming the programs for special needs students. The total amount that has been cut cross nation from this program, is ridiculous, $578,892,762 (www.special-education-degree.net). Here in Illinois, we have been one of the states that s been most struck by thisRead MoreSpecial Needs Children and the Special Education Program Controversy1409 Words   |  6 PagesSpecial education is such a broad and sensitive topic to talk about as well as the several issues that come with the Special education topic. And although there are a variety of issues, such as: special education children being accepted, segregated from their peers, the financial ability to support many special education programs, and the fact that a lot of teachers are not properly certified and do not know how to handle special needs children; there are also many resolutions. Special educationRead MoreEssay about Special Ne eds Education999 Words   |  4 Pageschild with mental retardation. Schooling for the disabled requires a special environment—one that only a few teachers have the gift to care for. Instead of looking out for the child’s needs, the government is focused on passing test grades and social skills. Mentally retarded children require a highly trained special education teacher, patience for behavioral issues, and are also required to pass standardized tests; public education for these students move at a faster pace than they can comprehend and

Integrated Performance Management Through Effective Management Control Free Essays

9 Integrated Performance Management through Effective Management Control WERNER BRUGGEMAN Performance measurement and performance management are vivid themes in the literature on management control. So, it is only natural that we investigate how this literature has contributed to the field of Integrated Performance Management. The purpose of this chapter is to describe how management control systems can be used to effectively manage company and business performance. We will write a custom essay sample on Integrated Performance Management Through Effective Management Control or any similar topic only for you Order Now First, we define the scope of management control and describe the link with organizational strategy. Then, we focus on the three elements of the management control system: (1) the management control structure; (2) the control process; and (3) the management control culture (beliefs systems). We will describe these three elements in greater detail and give an overview of the findings in mainstream contingency research studying the effectiveness of control systems in various environmental and organizational contexts. Management control defined Management control and the link with strategy Following Anthony and Govindarajan (1995), management control can be defined as a process of motivating managers to perform actions and activities in line with the goals and strategies of the organization. According to this definition, an organization is ‘under control’ when its members do what the management wants them to do. Management control comprises various tasks, among which are: Planning the future activities of the organization; Coordinating the activities of the various members of the organization; Communicating information; Evaluating this information; Deciding on the actions to be taken; and Influencing people to adapt their behaviour according to the company goals (Anthony and Govindarajan, 1995). Integrated Performance Management through Effective Management Control ? 153 From the definition above, it follows that management control plays a central role in managing the company’s performance and the implementation of its strategies. Therefore, it is of vital importance that management behaviour, which is stimulated by the management control system, is consistent with the strategy to be implemented (the so-called ‘intended strategy’ – see also Chapter 6). The starting points of the management control process are the mission, the vision and the strategies of the organization. We refer to Chapter 6 for a more thorough discussion of each of these concepts, but recapitulate them very briefly here. The mission of an organization is a description in general terms of the role of the company towards its stakeholders. It describes the reasons for the company’s existence, its strategic focus and values, as well as how the long-term goals should be realized. The goals are descriptions of the long-term desired future of the company. The mission and goals translate into strategies, which specify the way in which the vision aspired to should be reached. The strategy in turn is translated into concrete performance objectives or targets. This is usually done through formalized action plans. Management control and goal congruence The purpose of management control is to maximize congruence among the goals of the organization, its various entities and its individual managers. This is called goal congruence. The way in which managers react to management control information depends to a large extent on their personal goals. For effective management control, it is important to be able to measure the impact of these motivators, because they largely determine the behaviour of people in an organization, as well as the desirability of the consequences of their behaviour. Business Management Study Guide iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" src="https://phdessay.com/business-management-study-guide/embed/#?secret=mjiWZxsYbT" data-secret="mjiWZxsYbT" width="500" height="282" title="#8220;Business Management Study Guide#8221; #8212; Free Essays - PhDessay.com" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"/iframe The management control system should be designed in such a way that, whenever managers take decisions that fit into their personal goals, these decisions should also be in the interests of the company as a whole. In other words, the management control system must create the conditions to foster a feeling within the members of the organization that they can best realize their personal goals by contributing as much as possible to the realization of the general company goals. It is clear that the way in which managers are evaluated and financially rewarded for their performance plays a significant role in reaching ‘goal congruence’ (see also Chapter 13). Goal congruence is an important condition for effective performance management. The problem of goal congruence can be described in more detail in the following way. Corporate goals are translated into departmental goals, and in these departments people are working who also have their personal goals. A first problem that can arise is a lack of congruence between the corporate and departmental goals. For example, a department or division of a company can have a long-term vision that says it is desirable to stay small and be profitable (in other words ‘small is 154 ? The Integrated Performance Management Framework beautiful’). On the other hand, top management might be striving for a company goal of strong growth and therefore wants the division to grow. In this case, there is a lack of congruence between the different visions, and a number of meetings will have to be organized to align the goals and strategies. However, there is also the possibility that the division manager is opposed to the growth of his division because he is personally reluctant to make the required efforts. In this case, there is a conflict between the personal goals of the manager and the goals of the company. Role of management control in performance management Verifying whether the company (or the business unit or department) is on track is an important management function. Management control is an important instrument for motivating personnel to act in accordance with the goals and strategies of the organization. This motivation is one of the major driving forces of the performance and the value of the company. The management control system must be adjusted to the goals and the strategies of the company and it must be optimally aligned. The contribution of control to strategy implementation Robert Simons (1995) has outlined how management control can contribute to effective strategy implementation. In his book, Levers of Control, he introduced four key constructs that must be analysed and understood in order to implement strategy successfully: core values, risks to be avoided, critical performance variables and strategic uncertainties. Each construct is controlled by a different system, or lever, the use of which has different implications. These levers are: †¢ Beliefs systems, used to inspire and direct the search for new opportunities. †¢ Boundary systems, used to set limits on opportunity-seeking behaviour. There are three broad categories of boundary systems: business conduct boundaries, internal controls and strategic boundaries. 1 †¢ Diagnostic control systems, used to motivate, monitor and reward achievement of specified goals. Diagnostic control systems attempt to measure output variables that represent important performance dimensions of a given strategy: critical performance variables. These factors must be achieved or implemented successfully for the intended strategy of the business to succeed. Diagnostic variables should be measured, monitored and controlled, but reporting on them to higher management is on an exception basis only, when a value falls outside a normal control limit and corrective actions must be taken. Interactive control systems, used to stimulate search and learning, allowing new strategies to emerge as participants throughout the Integrated Performance Management through Effective Management Control ? 155 organization respond to perceived opportunities and threats. As a fourth lever of control, these systems focus attention on strategic uncertainties and enable strategic renewal (i. e. , emergent strategies). Figure 9. 1 Levers of control Source: Simons (1995: 159) Control of busine ss strategy is achieved by integrating these four levers of control. The power of these levers in implementing strategy does not lie in how each is used alone, but rather in how they complement each other when used together. Two of the control systems – beliefs systems and interactive control systems – motivate organizational participants to search creatively and expand the opportunity space. These systems create intrinsic motivation by creating a positive informational environment that encourages information sharing and learning. The other two levers of control – boundary systems and diagnostic control systems – are used to constrain search behaviour and allocate scarce attention. These systems rely on extrinsic motivation by providing explicit goals, formula-based rewards and clear limits to opportunity-seeking. These four levers create tension between creative innovation and predictable goal movement. This tension requires managers of effective organizations to know how to achieve both high degrees of learning (innovation) and high degrees of control (efficiency) (Simons, 2000: 304). Levers of control and the organizational lifecycle Developing an integrated control system does not happen overnight. Managers of small entrepreneurial firms perform their strategic control 56 ? The Integrated Performance Management Framework rather informally. As the business grows larger, however, informal processes become inadequate. Simons (1995, 2000) illustrates how the levers of control can be successfully implemented as a business grows and matures (see Figure 9. 2). Figure 9. 2 Introduction of control systems over the lifecycle of a business Source: Simons (1995: 128) I n their most recent book, Kaplan and Norton (2001) point out the importance of using the Balanced Scorecard (see Chapter 3) as an interactive control system. It is clear from Figure 9. 2 that an organization must have some experience with other control systems before it can exploit the Balanced Scorecard in this way. Diagnostic systems, boundary systems, and internal control systems are all necessary, but they do not create a learning organization aligned to a focused strategy. Some Balanced Scorecard implementation failures occurred because organizations used their scorecard only diagnostically, and failed to get the learning and innovation benefits from an interactive system. The CEOs of successful Balanced Scorecard adopters succeeded because they use the scorecard interactively, for communication and to drive learning and improvement. They set overall strategy and then encouraged people within their organization to identify the local actions and initiatives that would have the highest impact for accomplishing the scorecard objectives. (Kaplan and Norton, 2001: 350) Management control versus task control Anthony and Govindarajan (1995) distinguish management control, which ultimately is about implementing strategies, from strategic planning and control and task control: Integrated Performance Management through Effective Management Control ? 157 †¢ Strategic planning and control is the process of determining and evaluating the goals of the organization, and formulating or reformulating the broad strategies to be used in attaining these goals. Strategic control refers to the maintenance of the environmental conditions of strategies. Strategic control is used to evaluate the background of existing strategies and the environmental assumptions on which the strategies were formulated. It can also involve the reformulation of strategies. †¢ Task control is the process of ensuring that specific tasks are carried out effectively and efficiently. For example, internal audit and internal control are often associated with task control. Elements of a management control system In the previous paragraphs, we have described the importance of management control for strategy implementation and for performance management. In the remainder of this chapter, we go deeper into the details of the management control system and focus on its compounding elements. A management control system consists of three basic elements: (1) the management control structure; (2) the management control process; and (3) the management control culture. The first element, the management control structure, deals with the division of the organization into ‘responsibility centres’. A distinction needs to be made among the various types of responsibility centre, such as ‘revenue centres’, ‘expense centres’, ‘profit centres’, and ‘investment centres’. Determining the optimal structure is part of the task of management control. The second element in a management control system, the management control process, comprises the cycle of: planning for the expected input and output; measuring the results; comparing plan to reality; and, finally, adjusting if necessary. The third element is the management control culture or the beliefs systems. This is the combination of communal values and behavioural norms, which determine the behaviour of managers and staff. Choosing an effective management control structure To manage an organization according to certain objectives, you must first choose an appropriate management control structure. A management control structure is the system of basic principles for the functioning of the organization or the organizational structure in which the management control will take place. Hellriegel, Slocum and Woodman (1992: 5) define the organizational structure as ‘the structure and formal system of communication, division of labor, coordination, control, authority and responsibility necessary to achieve the organization’s goals’. 158 ? The Integrated Performance Management Framework Elements of a management control structure When defining the management control structure, the following questions must be answered: What are the various departments in the organization? †¢ What are the responsibilities of the various department managers? †¢ How are the activities of the various departments coordinated, and what are the coordination mechanisms? Defining the departmental structure In organizing for effective performance management, the company may choose a f unctional organization structure, a multidivisional structure, a matrix organization or a network organization structure. When choosing the functional organization structure, the tasks are grouped based on the functional specialty to which they belong. Traditionally, the following departments are presented in the organizational chart: ‘Sales and Marketing’, ‘Engineering’, ‘Production’, ‘Distribution’, ‘Purchasing’ and ‘Finance’. An organization can also be controlled within a multidivisional structure, which is a structure based on products or markets instead of functions. If based on products, we have a product-oriented department structure. The sales, development, production and purchasing activities with regard to a certain product are concentrated in one, individual department. On the other hand, the organization could also be structured around markets. In this case, all tasks that deal with a certain geographical market are grouped. The multidivisional structure groups management tasks in divisions, each of which focuses on a certain product or geographical area where the products are sold. Division managers are responsible for the daily operational decisions within their division. Top management no longer wants to engage itself in daily problems, but instead focuses on the important strategic decisions (e. g. , investment decisions, acquisitions and divestments). When designing a multidivisional structure, the business unit concept can be taken as a starting point. In this concept, the organization is structured around strategic business units or SBUs. An SBU is an operating unit of a planning focus that groups a distinct set of products or services sold to a uniform set of customers, facing a well-defined set of competitors. Many companies have a combination of functional and product- or market-oriented structures in their organizational structure. They prefer to work in a matrix organization. On the horizontal line, we find an RD manager, a production manager, a financial manager and a purchasing manager. On the vertical line, we see the various business or product line managers. They are responsible, first of all, for the marketing and sales of their product line, but they must also take care of the coordination between the various functional departments. Staff members in the various functional departments are thus led by two managers. Integrated Performance Management through Effective Management Control ? 159 Defining the responsibility of managers After determining the department structure by which the organization will be controlled, it is important to define the responsibilities of each department. A department or an organizational unit, led by a manager with clearly specified responsibilities, is called a responsibility centre. An organizational structure is therefore a hierarchy of responsibility centres. Delegated responsibility demands appropriate authority. When assigning the responsibility for a specific output to a certain department, this department should also have control over its output. So, responsibility requires the existence of ‘controllability’. Delegated responsibility also requires an appropriate ‘accountability’. A manager is considered to be ‘accountable’ when he or she is assessed according to the realization of his or her objectives. In other words, performance is monitored, and if his or her performance turns out to be bad, management will take the necessary actions. A responsibility centre is not only assessed on its output (which result has been achieved? ), but also on its input (how many inputs were used? ). In general, a responsibility centre should be assessed on two basic criteria: efficiency and effectiveness. Efficiency is the relation between output and input. The more cars that are made in a car manufacturing company with the same production costs, the more efficient the operation is. The cost per unit (i. e. , the total production cost divided by the number of units produced) is therefore an efficiency norm. Effectiveness expresses the extent to which the realized output is aligned with the goals and strategies to be realized. It could be that the sales department has become more efficient by selling more with the same people, but that the sales efforts were focused on markets in which the company has chosen not to be active for strategic reasons. In this case, the sales efforts were not effective, i. e. , they did not contribute to the realization of the corporate strategy. When designing a management control system, one must determine what efficiency and effectiveness mean concretely for each department and how these can be measured. Assigning responsibilities to the departments means determining the right performance measures. The responsibilities of the manager can be divided into financial, strategic and operational responsibilities. Performance measures must be defined for each of these responsibility areas. We call them financial, strategic and operational performance measures. With regard to the financial responsibilities, we can distinguish among the following types of responsibility centres: expense centres, revenue centres, profit centres and investment centres. †¢ Expense centres are departments that are responsible for the costs they have made (input), but whose output is not measured in financial terms. In a functional organization structure, typical expense centres are the production department, the RD department, the purchasing department and the financial department. Staff functions are also usually controlled as expense centres. 160 ? The Integrated Performance Management Framework †¢ Revenue centres are departments in which the output, but not the input, is measured in financial terms. Typical revenue centres are the sales departments. Their management task is not concerned with the costs incurred; instead, they strive to reach a turnover objective. †¢ In a profit centre, the manager is responsible for the costs and also for the revenues of the department. Thus, the ‘profit centre’ manager receives a profit report for his or her department. In investment centres, the profit as well as the investments (‘assets employed’) are measured. The department manager has the authority to take investment decisions and is also responsible for the profitability of the investments made. A typical performance measure for investment centres is the return on investment (ROI). Regarding strategic responsibilities, a managerâ₠¬â„¢s task not only involves realizing financial goals; the manager and his or her team may also be charged with contributing towards realizing the competitive strategy of their division and the general strategy of the company. For example, the general company strategy may be concerned with growth in all business units and with global operations. Choosing and formulating this strategy may be the work of general management, but translating it into the business unit may be the responsibility of the division manager. The division manager may also be responsible for defining and developing a competitive advantage (in the areas of quality, flexibility and customer service, for example) for his or her business unit. The manager may be responsible for constantly tracking the evolution of customer satisfaction and adapting the competitive strategy in time to this evolution. When strategic responsibilities are also delegated to a lower level in the organization, the manager responsible should be evaluated with regard to the level of success of the chosen strategies. Performance measures must be determined for this as well. The method of the Balanced Scorecard (see Chapter 3) may be of help here. Finally, regarding operational responsibilities, it is obvious that managers of responsibility centres are also responsible for managing daily operations. A number of ‘key performance measures’ can be defined for this, which are followed up closely by top management. The division manager may be asked to realize objectives with regard to inventory levels, processing times, products out of specification, revision times, etc. Restriction of responsibilities and freedom of action Each responsibility centre is restricted in its activity by a number of rules and procedures. Rules are formal expressions of the behaviours that are permitted and not permitted to the members of a department. Procedures are descriptions of steps to be followed in executing a task or in making decisions. Rules and procedures provide a detailed specification of the kinds of responsibility and freedom of action the responsibility centre has or does not have. They indicate how the responsibilities and freedom of action are restricted. The Integrated Performance Management through Effective Management Control ? 161 indicated restrictions can be expressed in a positive or negative way. Positive responsibility restrictions describe what the responsibility centre manager may do. Negative restrictions describe what the manager is not allowed to do. Some restrictions relate to responsibilities, others are involved with the manager’s freedom of decision. The freedom of an individual in an organization can also be restricted by general codes of behaviour, which result from existing laws, statutory provisions and ethical values. These are meant to prevent the potential mix of personal and company interests (e. g. , they indicate in what way confidential information should be treated). Restriction of responsibilities and freedom of action are all part of the boundary systems of a company. These are ‘explicit statements embedded in formal information systems that define and communicate specific risks to be avoided’ (Simons, 1995: 112). Coordination mechanisms When the department structure and the responsibilities of the various departments are defined, rules must be set up with regard to the actions between departments as well. The responsibility for realizing the global company goals and strategies cannot be split up into independent partial responsibilities. Departments and divisions must cooperate in various areas. Therefore, it is important that rules with respect to this cooperation be defined that motivate the managers maximally to target their efforts towards realizing the global company goals. There are two important kinds of rules that coordinate actions between departments: (1) formal coordination mechanisms (task forces, standing committees, integrating managers); and (2) transfer price systems. Choosing the optimal management control structure Designing the management control structure involves a number of choices. The decision can be made to manage in a functional structure or in a divisional tructure. Within a divisional structure, the divisions can be structured around products, markets, business units, or a combination of these. One can also choose to work in a matrix organization. Then, a choice must be made regarding the degree of delegation of responsibilities. A department can be led as an expense centre, a revenue centre, a profit centre or an investment centre. The responsibi lities of these centres can be restricted in various ways, and cooperation between departments can be coordinated by several coordination mechanisms and rules regarding transfer prices. In some companies, management control is characterized by a detailed set of formal rules, centralized decision power, limited delegated responsibilities and a strict hierarchy of authority. Such a structure is called mechanistic. At the other end of the spectrum, we have the organic organizations. They are characterized by few rules, decentralized power of 162 ? The Integrated Performance Management Framework decision, group decision-making, broadly defined functional responsibilities and a flexible application of the hierarchic relations. We can now ask the question: Do optimal choices exist? In order to answer this question, we must first define what makes a management control structure optimal. The answer to this question can be found in the description of the task of management control: the objective of management control is to motivate managers maximally to realize the corporate goals and to implement the strategies. So, a management control structure is optimal when it maximally stimulates the desired goal-oriented behaviour and minimally leads to undesired (or dysfunctional) behaviour. To be able to choose a management control structure, one must predict what the effect of the choice will be on the management behaviour and whether the expected effect is desired or not. For example: †¢ A company that wants to realize a competitive strategy of flexibility (custom-made work) in its business units wonders if it is optimal to manage the departments in a functional organization structure, in which the sales department is responsible for the turnover and the production departments (as expense centres) are responsible for the price of the products made. To be able to answer this question, we need to know to what extent the production managers are inclined to handle specific customer demands in a flexible way when the price of the products is the most important performance measure. †¢ Universities lead their faculties and departments as discretionary expense centres with respect to educational activities. In the short term, the deans and department heads are responsible for the costs of their faculties and departments, and not directly for the number of students and the revenues. As a consequence, the professors are not motivated to have many students, and they organize very few (if any) activities to influence and increase the number of students in the short term. Faculties and departments could also be managed as profit centres. The question is: What would be the effect on the management behaviour of deans, chairmen and professors? Would they act in a more commercial way? Would they lose their interest in research? Would this lead to overly aggressive competition among universities and, if so, is aggressive competition a corporate strategic choice within educational policy? To be able to make an optimal choice of management control structure, good insight into the strategy that is to be realized is crucial. The choice of the management control structure must be aligned with the strategic choices of the company. Knowledge of how managers will be influenced by certain structural choices is also important. One can learn from one’s own experience or from the experiences of other companies. In most cases, companies learn from their own experience. Setting up a management control structure is a dynamic process. The key is to look for Integrated Performance Management through Effective Management Control ? 163 both well-motivated and dysfunctional management behaviours in the existing structure. Ultimately, the process should yield new ideas for improving the structure to promote the desired behaviour and eliminate the dysfunctional behaviour. Experiences from other companies can also be helpful. A significant part of the literature on management control focuses on research of the general tendencies and patterns in management behaviour in various types of management control structure. A general conclusion is that there is no management control structure that is optimal for all control situations. The optimal management control structure depends on the situation. The research that studies which management control structure best suits which type of environment is called ‘contingency research’. This contingency research has focused on two major contingency variables: (1) the environment; and (2) a firm’s strategy. Study of the first contingency variable has helped identify the appropriate structures to fit the levels of uncertainty in the environment (Burns and Stalker, 1961; Lawrence and Lorsch, 1967; Galbraith, 1973; Drazin and Van de Ven, 1985). Structure is generally discussed in terms of mechanistic versus organic approaches to organizing, and it is believed that more organic structures are best suited to uncertain environments. These are structures that focus on ‘clan control’, i. e. , social control coordinated by integrative mechanisms such as task forces and meetings. Contingency research also shows that management control structures should be well suited to the company’s chosen strategy. Different strategies may require different control structures. A popular typology deals with the strategic mission of business units, which may vary from a ‘build’ strategy, to a ‘hold’ strategy, a ‘harvest’ strategy and, finally, a ‘divest’ strategy. The objective of a build strategy is to increase market share and production volumes, while a hold strategy tries to protect the existing market share and maintain the current competitive position. A harvest strategy focuses on maximizing cash flow and profit in the short run, even if this is at the expense of market share. Last, the divest strategy concerns the decision to withdraw from a certain business. Other strategy typologies that are often used in the management control literature come from Porter (1985) and Miles and Snow (1978) (see Chapter 6 for more information). Evidence from the strategy/organizational design research suggests that for strategies characterized by a conservative orientation (defenders), harvest and cost leadership are best served by entralized control systems, specialized and formalized work, simple coordination mechanisms, and directing attention to problem areas (Miles and Snow, 1978; Porter, 1985; Miller and Friesen, 1982). For strategies characterized by an entrepreneurial orientation (prospectors), build and product differentiation are linked to a lack of standardized procedures, decentralized and results-oriented evaluation, flexible structur es and processes, complex coordination of overlapping project teams, and directing attention at curbing excess innovation. 164 ? The Integrated Performance Management Framework Designing an effective management control process Phases in the management control process The management control process can best be represented by a closed loop control cycle (see Figure 9. 3). The process starts from the strategy of the company, from which the action programmes are derived. Once the programmes are set up and approved, their financial implications for the coming year can be expressed in a budget. At the end of the budget period, the actual performance is measured and compared to the budget. The results of this analysis are then reported to top management and used in the evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of the responsibility centres concerned and their managers. The management control process thus starts from strategic planning and target setting and consists of the following five phases: Figure 9. 3 The management control process Integrated Performance Management through Effective Management Control ? 165 †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Planning action programmes (programming); Preparing the budget; Executing the plan; Measuring performance, following up the budget and reporting; and Evaluating and rewarding. Important design parameters of the control process When used in an appropriate way, the budgeting process may motivate managers to improve performance. The motivating impact of the budget is influenced by the following parameters. The level of management commitment to budget targets First of all, companies may use the budget to assess the financial impact of their strategic action plans. In this case, budgeting is primarily used as a feed forward control mechanism and its primary function is to support the planning process (‘budgeting for planning’). Budget targets are an indication and show the direction in which the company wants to go, but managers do not feel a strong pressure to realize the targets. Budget targets can also be seen as commitments for the managers. In this case, the budget is used for control. Top-down versus bottom-up budgeting Budget targets may be imposed topdown by executive management (in consultation with the division managers, or not). Besides this, there is also a bottom-up process, in which each division sets up its own budget, yet within the general goals and directions of the company. The global company budget is then formed by combining the various sub-budgets. The level of participation during the budgeting process When setting up a budgeting process, an important parameter is the level of participation managers may have in the target-setting process. We can talk about participative budgeting when subordinate managers participate in the budgeting process and in defining the budget objectives. Participative budgeting involves back-and-forth communication between superiors and subordinates – they share information and converge on a mutually acceptable budget. It is generally agreed that involvement in setting up the budget leads to higher acceptance than when the budget is imposed fully from the top. Moreover, it is assumed that participative budgeting has a positive effect on the commitment of the division managers who have to realize the budget later on. The difficulty of budget targets It is necessary to think about guidelines regarding the degree of difficulty in realizing the budgets (‘goal difficulty’). Certain companies have a policy of realistic budgets, where the budget objective will be accepted if it most probably can be reached. Other 166 ? The Integrated Performance Management Framework companies prefer challenging budgets, where top management expects the division managers to work very hard. The basic assumption behind challenging budgets is that managers can always achieve more with their team than they think they can. The task of top management is to stimulate managers to try to excel themselves over and over again. In this situation, managers who submit realistic budgets are evaluated poorly beforehand and a more challenging budget is imposed on them from the top. Whatever the budget philosophy, a budget can be accepted if it holds sufficient task content, i. e. , if the team in the department will have to exert a lot of effort to realize the budget. As a general rule, the set targets ought to be realistic but challenging. This means that they may not be set unattainably high, which results in frustration and manipulation of data, but they may also not be too easily achievable, because then most of the performance stimulus disappears. Tolerance for budget slack It should also be verified whether or not the budget is too pessimistic. Some managers may be inclined to build a certain ‘slack’ into their budget. The phenomenon of budget slack occurs when a manager submits a budget in which a certain ‘buffer’ is built in so that the budget objectives are relatively easy to reach. Indeed, in a participative budgeting process the tendency might exist to ask more than one strictly needs to cover oneself against unforeseen circumstances or out of fear that top management will reduce the budget by a certain amount. For example, if the purchasing department fears that it will no longer be able to buy raw materials at the prices that were budgeted in the past, it can ask for extra means for this part of the budget. It can also be that managers prefer not to set the budget standards too high in companies where their bonuses are calculated on the degree to which they have reached their budget objectives. In all these cases, the general interests of the company are not respected because, by building in budget slack, the company funds are not optimally allocated. Fairness in budget target setting When assessing the budget, one should verify whether the task content of the budgets of the various departments are of equal value. The budget negotiation process is not only a vertical negotiation process in the organization, it is also a process of comparing the planned efforts of the various departments. Dynamic managers, who always work with challenging budget objectives, may become demotivated when they discover that other departments are tolerated when they exert less effort (i. e. , make less profit or be less productive). However, equally balancing the task content of the budgets of the various departments presents difficulties because the management problems may differ widely per department (e. g. , different management functions, product groups, markets, etc. ) and the concept ‘task content’ is difficult to measure objectively. The task content of a budget depends on the experience of the manager and his or her team. There is also a certain Integrated Performance Management through Effective Management Control ? 167 psychological insight involved here. Some managers, along with their teams, feel more quickly swamped with work than others. In any case, clear imbalances in the performances of the various departments need to be eliminated as quickly as possible. For instance, in a profit centre structure, where all divisions are making profits and a certain division is constantly in the red, a thorough restructuring plan must be set up in the short run to make the department profit-making as fast as possible. Tightness of budget control With regard to following up the budget, a choice can be made between tight and loose control. The tightness of the control is determined by the degree to which restrictions are imposed on the freedom of subordinates and emphasis is placed on reaching the predefined objectives. In most cases, it is assumed that tight control provides more certainty that the people in the organization will act as is expected of them. This can be done by determining the activities in detail, by following up very accurately the results of the departments, and by exerting pressure on the responsible managers to adjust quickly potentially unfavourable anomalies. With tight budget control, it is frequently (e. g. monthly) verified whether the real costs and revenues are in accordance with the planned short-term objectives. Undesired anomalies in the budget are not tolerated and must be eliminated quickly. The advantage of tight control is that managers become more aware of the importance of costs and profitability, and they actively seek ways to eliminate inefficiencies. However, tight control may a lso have undesired dysfunctional effects. Focusing on short-term results too intently may encourage managers to organize actions that optimize profitability in the short term, but that are disadvantageous in the long term. For example, in order to reach its budget figures, the purchasing department may decide to buy cheaper, but qualitatively inferior, raw materials. However, this may lead to significant quality problems in production and possibly to lower quality end products, which result in losing the goodwill of the customers. When the emphasis is primarily on reaching budget objectives in the short term, managers may also not be motivated to make the strategic investments that are necessary for the long-term survival of the company. Moreover, excessively tight budget control may lead to building in ‘slack’ when setting up the budget objectives or to playing accounting tricks to artificially boost the short-term results. On the contrary, with loose budget control deviations from the budget that arise in between are overlooked by top management, and there is a trust that potentially unfavourable anomalies will be eliminated by the divisional managers at the end of the budget period. The budget is used more for communication and planning, and there is less pressure to undertake immediate short-term actions to adjust the results. The use of budget performance in rewarding managers When setting up the budget, for managers of responsibility centres it is required that the 168 ? The Integrated Performance Management Framework proposed objectives be realized (although we know some companies that start paying bonuses when only 80 per cent – and even 60 per cent – of the budget target is realized). At the end of the year, the actual results are compared to the planned objectives and are further analysed by means of variance analysis. In this way, the budget is an ideal basis for evaluating the performances of the responsible managers. Managers who succeed in realizing the proposed objectives must be rewarded for their good performance. This reward may be of a financial nature (e. g. , bonus, salary increase or other financial advantages), but the reward may also be more focused on non-financial motivators, such as promotion, extension of responsibilities and recognition. A bonus for performance relative to the budget can be determined subjectively or by formula. To be effective, the reward system must be designed in such a way that it optimally motivates the managers to act in accordance with the corporate goals and strategies. Optimizing management control process policies A management control process (and more specifically, the budgeting process) is effective when it motivates managers on the various levels of the organization to perform actions in line with the organizational goals and strategies. From contingency research on management control, evidence suggests links between strategy and the characteristics of the management control process. Defenders, and companies with conservative, cost leadership strategies, find cost control and specific operating goals and budgets more appropriate than entrepreneurs, prospectors and companies with product differentiation strategies (Simons, 1987; Dent, 1990; Chenhall and Morris, 1995). Chenhall and Morris (1995) have found that tight control is suitable for conservative strategies; they also found tight control in entrepreneurial situations but, importantly, operating together with organic decision styles and communications. Some research has been focused on the relationship between the chosen competitive strategy and the management control process. Differentiation strategies are associated with a de-emphasis on budgetary goals for performance evaluation (Govindarajan, 1988). Govindarajan and Fisher (1990) found that product differentiation with high sharing of resources (between functional departments) and a reliance on behavioural control was associated with enhanced effectiveness. Bruggeman and Van der Stede (1993) found that business units implementing differentiation strategies based on a make-to-order strategy preferred loose control in budgeting, while business units with a cost leader strategy or a differentiation strategy based on standard products found tight budget control more suitable. They also found that bottom-up budgeting and a commitment to budget targets was considered optimal for all competitive strategies. Overall, Van der Stede Integrated Performance Management through Effective Management Control ? 169 2000) has shown that product differentiation strategies are associated with less rigid budgetary control, but this is also associated with increased budgetary slack. It has also been suggested that bonus systems must be suited to the strategy. Anthony and Govindarajan (1995) suggest that formula-based bonus determination approaches should be used with a harvest strategy and that subjective bonus determination is optimal for build strategies. Contingency research has also found relationships between characteristics of the management control process and the level of uncertainty in the environment. Companies operating in an environment of unpredictable change require an appropriate set of control process characteristics. Uncertainty has been related to performance evaluation characterized by a more subjective evaluation style (Govindarajan, 1984; Moores and Sharma, 1998), less reliance on incentive-based pay (Bloom, 1998), non-accounting style of performance evaluation (Ross, 1995), and participative budgeting (Govindarajan, 1986). As environmental uncertainty increases, using more participative budgeting increases performance. In contrast, when environmental uncertainty is low, participative budgeting ecreases performance. In situations where environments are stable and predictable, there is little informational benefit from participation because superiors have sufficient information to develop budgets. Companies may also operate in a hostile, difficult environment. This is an environment that is stressful, dominating and restrictive. Environmental hostility has been associate d with a strong emphasis on meeting budgets (Otley, 1978). Hostility from intense competition has been related to a reliance on formal control and sophisticated accounting, production and statistical control (Khandwalla, 1972; Imoisili, 1985). The optimization of target-setting approaches seems to be related to task complexity. Locke and Latham (1990) found that difficult goals lead to higher performance, but this effect is moderated by task complexity. The result leads us to expect that performance will be higher when managers are invited to work towards challenging targets, except when the performance task is too complex. The appropriateness of bottom-up budgeting has been associated with information asymmetry between superiors and subordinate managers (Shields and Young, 1993). When subordinates have much better information about their business than their superiors do, bottom-up budgeting leads to more accurate budgets, arising from the use of the subordinates’ better information. When top-down budgeting is used in the case of high information asymmetry, subordinates may reject the budget because it is not consistent with their information. Top-down budgeting is beneficial in situations where superiors have sufficient knowledge about the subordinate’s activities being budgeted. 170 ? The Integrated Performance Management Framework The role of beliefs systems The management control culture is the third and final part of the management control system. Managers’ behaviours and actions are not only influenced by structural and procedural elements, but also by the formal beliefs systems in the organization. Simons defines beliefs systems as ‘the explicit set of organizational definitions that senior managers communicate formally and reinforce systematically to provide basic values, purpose, and direction for the organization’ (Simons, 1995: 34). Beliefs systems are an important element of an organization’s corporate culture. The corporate culture is the set of values, beliefs and norms of behaviour shared by members of a firm that influences individual employee preferences and behaviours (Besanko et al. , 2000). Ouchi (1980, 1981; Ouchi and Johnson, 1978) considers culture as an alternative control system in the organization. He introduces the idea of clan control, by which he means control through an internal system of organizational norms and values. Culture influences the behaviour of individuals. Individuals who value belonging to the culture will align their individual goals and behaviours to those of the firm and pay more attention to selfcontrol. A culture that is intensively held by most employees is called a strong culture. Culture can support a company’s competitive advantage (Barney, 1986). It is supportive when the values espoused by the culture are very much in line with the chosen direction and the performance objectives of the firm (e. g. , a company with a product leadership strategy where all employees love to change things and learn from new experiences). In this case, we talk about a ‘high performance culture’. In other words, the culture is clearly aligned with the strategy of the firm. Of course, the opposite also holds. If there is a cultural misfit, culture can also be a source of persistently poor performance. This occurs when the values underlying the firm’s culture are in conflict with the chosen strategic direction. For example, a culture stressing efficiency, stability and routine behaviour will not support the implementation of a flexibility strategy. In this case, culture may be a barrier to change and managers will experience a ‘low performance culture’. So, it is important that the majority of the employees believe what top management believes. It is the task of management control to define a set of common beliefs. It frequently happens that top managers have explicitly expressed the vision, the mission, the goals, the key values and the strategies of the firm, but lower-level managers and employees do not share the underlying beliefs. Goal statements about creating shareholder value are experienced as ‘grand terminology’ when employees do not feel the passion of working on value-creating projects. A strategy of highquality products will not succeed if all employees are not convinced that they should work to ‘zero defect’ and do their work ‘right the first time’. Many flexibility strategies fail because people do not like ‘to change their Integrated Performance Management through Effective Management Control ? 171 Figure 9. 4 The origins of unhealthy corporate cultures Source: Kotter and Heskett (1992: 145) 172 ? The Integrated Performance Management Framework plans. ’ In general, successful strategy implementation needs beliefs systems supporting the chosen strategy. The beliefs of employees and managers may be hard to change, but they can be influenced by training sessions, by inspiring leadership, and by demonstrating the success of the new strategy and successful strategic projects. John Kotter and James Heskett (1992) have written a book about corporate culture and performance in which they propose a stepwise approach to the creation of a high-performance culture and focus on the origins of healthy and unhealthy corporate cultures. Their ideas are presented in Figure 9. 4 and Figure 9. 5. Figure 9. 5 The creation of a performance-enhancing culture Source: Kotter and Heskett (1992: 147) Integrated Performance Management through Effective Management Control ? 173 Conclusion Control and evaluation is the fourth component of our Integrated Performance Management Framework. In this chapter, we have shown the important role of management control for strategy implementation and for performance management. Developing an appropriate management control system is a prerequisite for effectively managing an organization. On a broader level, Simons (1995) has shown that control of business strategy is achieved by integrating four levers of control. These levers create tension between creative innovation (emergent strategies) and predictable goal movement (intended strategies). This proves the crucial role of control in the strategy implementation and performance management process. We then focused our attention on the three basic elements of the management control system: (1) the management control structure; (2) the management control process; and (3) the beliefs systems. We have analysed optimal management control structures and processes from a goal congruence perspective. That is, we have investigated how to design a management control structure and process that maximally stimulates goal-oriented behaviour and leads to minimal dysfunctional behaviour. Attention is also paid to how strategy affects the choice for a particular management control system. It is clear that management control also interacts with the organizational behaviour component. From Chapter 10 on, we investigate this fifth component in greater detail. Note 1 Business conduct boundaries are those that define and communicate standards of business conduct for all employees. Like the Ten Commandments, they specify actions that are forbidden. Internal controls are the policies and procedures designed to ensure reliable accounting information and safeguard company assets. Strategic boundaries define what types of business opportunity should be avoided, thereby drawing a box around the opportunities that individuals are encouraged to exploit. Strategic boundaries are installed to ensure that individuals throughout the organization are engaged in activities that support the basic strategy of the business (Simons, 2000: 289). How to cite Integrated Performance Management Through Effective Management Control, Papers