Research Topics

The models of utilitarianism and Kantian philosophy are among the mostly used ethical stories involving morality

I.                   Introduction The models of utilitarianism and Kantian philosophy are among the mostly used ethical theories involving subjects relating to morality. This study intends to look into these ethical theories and examine their basic premise when they are applied in issues relating to modern life. To this effect, the study will be using the perspective of the said models with respect to their stand on discrimination as reflected in the Weber case. II.                Kant’s Ethics The notion of moral autonomy was established into modem philosophy by Immanuel Kant in the later part of the eighteenth century. Kant was certain that the autonomy and dignity of the individual compelled that the person observe those laws provided by him or herself. (Guevara, 2000, 66) To possess laws impressed on one from the external, even when the external law provider is God, is to be in the miserable state of heteronomy. This was a far-reaching notion, and superficially it would appear to bring about disorder. This is accurate considering the probability of having numerous diverse persons providing law to them, won’t this consequence in numerous different laws. In the case of the Weber case, one may consider discrimination is at all times immoral. However, another individual may think otherwise. Another individual may think that it is only allowable when it is really in awful situations. Basically, the model of Kant states that even supposing that people have diverse personalities for a lot of functions. Everyone have an equal lawgiving character, coined as Practical Reason. (Guevara, 2000, 93)  Thus, then several individuals don’t ratify several laws. This is basically what is noted in the tenets of the case of Weber. There exists a single law for everyone. Disorder is barred; independence and universality are settled, existing contentedly in concert ever after. Whether one concur with this model or not, it reminds people that the idea of moral autonomy makes no sense with the exception of the idea of self. If one is to comply with only oneself, then all anchors on the manner in which one conjure up this self.   III.              Affirmative Action and the Deontological View To a certain extent, the issue of affirmative action is indistinguishable with mere preferential treatment of a certain group of individuals. To this end, affirmative action is merely a glorified version of preferential treatment. Preferential treatment is essentially wrong so as other concerns cannot cause it to be morally reasonable. Preferential treatment is morally erroneous unerringly akin to discrimination. Consequently, to contend that preferential treatment can be morally reasonable if it has respectable social outcomes is in the vein of saying that discrimination can be morally acceptable if it has good social end results. This is obviously wrong; discrimination would still be erroneous even supposing it essentially encouraged usefulness or some other social nobility. Likewise, preferential treatment is morally wrong in spite of its end results. Preferential treatment, consistent with this less categorical account is similar to discrimination and thus erroneous in no less than a single context. That is to say, both preferential treatment and discrimination depend on immaterial characteristics, which is morally offensive. This does not denote, nevertheless, that preferential treatment essentially is wrong all things measured, as other concerns may make a preferential treatment policy (such as affirmative action) acceptable in any case.   IV.            Utilitarianism Different to Kant, John Stuart Mill had faith in an ethical hypothesis acknowledged as utilitarianism. (O’Rourke, 2001, 113) Utilitarianism is a different model in which the key object is to clarify the character of ethics and morality. There are a lot of formulations to this model. Utilitarianism is anchored on utility, or doing what constructs the most happiness. It affirms that the deeds of an individual are supposed to be found on the principle of greatest happiness. This standard claims that ethical deeds demand the utmost quantity of happiness for the most number of individuals. Mill’s main position is that one is supposed to direct his or her decisions by what will provide more satisfaction. He deems that an individual is supposed to constantly intend to acquire gratification and discard pain. Therefore, the formulation is that the morality of an action can be held honorable if the outcome creates the furthermost overall utility for everybody who may possibly be openly or in some way influenced by the action. Utilitarianism concentrates on the results of an action as opposed on the inherent and central character of the action or the motivations of the agent.   V.               Conclusion The Kantian moral premise and Utilitarianism both tries to clarify how one can perform ethically, nonetheless they vary in the manner in which they gauge morality and in the employment of rules. Kantianism states that an action is considered moral if it is carried out for the benefit of duty and if its principle can be considered as a common norm. Kantianism can consequently be perceived as a rational and commonsensical premise in which judgments can be completed. Utilitarianism, alternatively, would merely perceive the action as ethically allowable if the cost of that deed generate maximum utility and happiness for all concerned. Utilitarianism has no general collection of rules on to which morality is anchored.   A major criticism of affirmative action is that such programs go against deontological rights, either the fundamental right of the personnel who is most eligible for a specific job to occupy that position, or the right of the managers and company owners to employ whoever they believe is most capable for the job they have offered. It would be complicated to defend the standpoint that the personnel have a right to that work for which they happen to be even preferably fitting. Even though it could be reasonably contended that employees or employers have certain rights which are endangered by affirmative action, rights are by no means definite. Concern of the utmost good, or reverence for more basic deontological rights or responsibilities, customarily permits acceptable limitations on the rights of people in society. Affirmative action limits an manager’s or company owner’s right to hire individuals at will; nonetheless, this limitation is necessary for the reason that it points to the greater good, a society liberated from unreasonable discrimination. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

The models of utilitarianism and Kantian philosophy are among the mostly used ethical stories involving morality

I. Introduction The models of utilitarianism and Kantian philosophy are among the mostly used ethical theories invol...

Personal Development Analysis

1. In life what you have been doing?   I have been working as a human resource officer. This job was close to the course I had in college. The Human Resource officer position requires one to have good people skills because he will relate with different kinds of people. The human resource officer makes sure that all activities done by the personnel are in agreement with the goals of the company. Moreover the HR officer provides a bridge of communication between the upper management and the personnel. Lastly the HR officer gives feedback and suggestions on the performance and activities of the personnel.  The position was opened because of the need for some changes in the company particularly on the relationship between the management team and the personnel. Before any hiring was done, various individuals from within and outside the organization was interviewed and tested to see if they fit the requirements for the HR officer position. After some time the commendable applicants that includes me was put into few more interviews and tests to sort out the most qualified for the job. In the interview phase before I was hired, strategic selection was used by the HR group of our company wherein they focused on using interactive means.    The hr team of the company gave various types of questions to all applicants and each was given considerable time to provide answer to the questions. The hr team made sure that there was minimal pressure given to the applicants. The questions of the HR team of PCCW focused on gaining the applicant’s background particularly on the educational achievements, the former employers, the birthplace of the applicant and other personal information.  The questions of the HR team were focused on determining the work ethic of the applicants, how the applicants deal with all kinds of people in the organization, how does the applicant survive a stressful event and how the applicants handle various situations in the company.  The hr team adjusted to every type of answer given by the applicant particularly on how they responded to a situation that happened in the old job.  When there were three of us left, we were given practical examination to see who can perform well under various situations. After I was chosen for the position, the management team gave trainings and advices on how the Hr officer position can be done well. During my first few days in the job I tried to do my best in performing my tasks. I tried to mingle with the members of the team and try to create a connection with them. The first few days were not that easy. Some of the team members were aloof and difficult to work with. Some of the team members of the HR group had their own culture. Their culture created some barriers between us.  In my first month insubordination and lack of camaraderie were the main issues.  I tried to solve it through constant and informal communication with them. At some point I was able to break the barrier and prove that we can work well together.  The learning’s I acquired in the job helped me increase my confidence levels.   The hr position helped in improving my communication skills with people and my grasp on how management should be used to different types of individuals. This HR position helped me understand the importance of culture to organizations and how culture can alter the strategies used.   2. What have you learnt about yourself through these experiences? The first major incident as an HR officer involves miscommunication with the team members.  This happened after a circular on new policies in coming to work came out and this was misinterpreted by some personnel. This resulted to some personnel refusing to follow the policies. This was resolved through a meeting with the personnel and explaining the need for changes in some of the policies. The second incident as an Hr officer involves the poor management of individual differences. This happened when a policy on uniform was implemented; the new policy offended some people with unique perspectives. To solve the problem, the policy was altered to meet the differences of employees. The incidents as well as the issues in the first few months in the job helped me to learn the true value of planning and communicating with others. Without proper planning and communication I might not able to solve such issues.   All experiences helped me to understand how I can handle all types of problems. It gave me a better outlook of myself as a problem solver.  The different experiences I have helped me develop a system that will maintain my composure during difficult situations. This system that I developed focused on the proper use of breathing techniques.    It made sure that I will not lose my temper during difficult situations. It made sure that I do not stain my relationship with the team members. As a HR officer I learned decision making and its importance to the firm. Decision making process is done when the group member wants to make new goals, create changes to the current strategies and change something about the project. All of the other groups in our company have this and it is the best way to settle problems within the group. The decision making process must come up with the best result to prevent more problems to come. The decision making process should be done accordingly and with so much care to prevent any personal issues between members of the group. As part of the decision making process one member would give his/her suggestion. This would then be followed by a small discussion on how the suggestion would help in achieving the goals of any project or problem solving endeavors. After all the sides are heard the group will vote to determine if they will follow the suggestion or not.  As a HR officer I learned the importance of communication. In the team I belong to communication was a vital aspect. The members of the group made sure that they communicated well with each other to achieve the goals. Each member asked first before taking any measures that will change the outcome of any activity or decision making.  The members of the group were free to communicate any issues they have me or the other members of the group. The members of the group allowed for the free flow of ideas and beliefs. The members of the group gave a piece of their mind on a certain part of an activity; this helped in making sure that the group performed above standards. Whenever one wants to say something to the other member of the group they were free to do so, but they were asked to say it in a polite manner. Aside from personal communication other communication techniques like interactive and automated communication systems were used.   3. How have you developed your skills during the practice of management skills module? Once upon a time there were no managerial sciences. Managers managed according to commonsense based on their day-to-day experience. A few of these managers chose to set down the lessons of their experience on paper in the form of codes, principles and laws of management. They intended these to serve as guidelines or even mandatory instructions for future managers to follow. Then one day social scientists started to investigate managerial behavior and organizations. As a result of their researches they concluded that the codes and principles were inadequate because they did not seem to hold up when subjected to rigorous logical and empirical scrutiny (Thomas 2003). The processes of effective management and organization looked to be much more complex and much more difficult to capture in the form of scientific laws and generalizations than the early management writers had thought Formal concepts and tools were important for people but were not sufficient in themselves to yield effective management. Managerial expertise was best understood as a product of certain personal characteristics and experiences and was developed in specialized form in local contexts (Thomas 2003).    General Managers relied less on formal processes of planning, organizing, motivating and controlling than upon the pursuit of broad-ranging and informally specified agendas of problems and issues which were pursued through extensive networks of organizational contacts rather than through the formal organization structure. One of the best ways that managers can increase the level of motivation among the personnel, team members or subordinates is to be effective leaders. When overall business success is related to leadership qualities and capabilities, it is clear that effective leadership can and does make a difference. Leadership qualities assume great importance in the professional work environment because professionals are highly sensitive to how they are managed. Managers must lead in an environment that is constantly changing. Employee commitment is needed to make change work; consequently the people orientation is always an important part of successful change. Although professionals may be prone to accept change because of their level of education and accomplishment, these same characteristics may actually increase their resistance tendencies (Shell 2003).    The large investment in their own training and skill development will cause high sensitivity to how changes affect individual skill application and career development. Changes that are perceived to impact negatively in these areas are likely to meet strong resistance. Leaders of professionals need particularly strong skills in communication so that needed change is integrated into a future vision of success and growth for both the organization and professional. Additionally, these leaders need to understand the change process and how professionals are likely to react to it. Many managers delve into the subject of organizational change without fully understanding the theory, principles, or the art of the process involved (Shell 2003). They merely attempt, in piecemeal fashion, to copy some general techniques that are reported in the literature, such as work teams, empowerment, visioning, or total quality management. Most often such attempts are disappointing. Frequently the unexpected and unwanted side effects produce results that are the opposite of those intended. Unfortunately, this is often the case when a quick fix is attempted on a complex organizational system (Kanji 2002) The PMS module helped me to have a vision for the company and the subordinates. The vision needs to meet the overall goal but it should not cause discomfort in the organization. PMS module gave me a background on the importance of a vision and what would compose of a good vision. It helped me formulate a vision that is appropriate to the firm’s situation. The PMS module helped in showing the appropriate leadership skills and a leadership styles that I need. The leadership skills and styles meet the needs of the organization. The leadership skills and style that I learned is vital to standardize and maintain my relationship with the team members. It is important that I choose well the styles I intend to use and the skill I will implement in the firm. PMS helped me make the right choice in styles and skills. PMS helped in determining which styles and skills complement the vision of the firm. The PMS course helped me to be ready for all eventualities such as the need for change, emergence of problems, the onset of miscommunication, the effects of personal differences, stressful instances and changing external environment. The eventualities can be internal and external issues that hamper the company’s operations.  PMS gave ideas on how to handle the different issues and problems. PMS course provided a framework on how each issue can be solved.   4. How to develop the abovementioned skills? Today’s organizations must develop and reinforce cultures committed to educating managers and their employees about why and how people differ in the ways they think, communicate, and approach work, which can help all members of the organization develop a healthy respect for diversity and at the same time facilitate mutual understanding. Managers and their employees must learn to communicate effectively with one another if an organization is to take advantage of the skills and abilities of its diverse workforce (Sims 2002). Different managers and employees may differ in their styles of communication, language fluency, and use of words. They may differ in the nonverbal signs they send through facial expression and body language, and in the way they perceive and interpret information. Educating them about different ways to communicate is often a good starting point. Managers and their employees must learn how to be open to different approaches and ways of doing things. This does not mean that they need to suppress their personal styles. Rather, it means that they must not feel threatened by other approaches and perspectives, and they must have the patience and flexibility needed to understand and appreciate diverse perspectives (Sims 2002).   This all begins with the development and reinforcement of the organization’s culture, a culture committed to creating an ethical climate that encourages the understanding and appreciation of diversity. Talk of developing smart workers and workplaces is a subset of the much wider context of talk about the massive changes in the world of work in terms of cultural change, and the need to change workplace cultures. Such talk has become ubiquitous and, often, more or less unthinking. Yet notions like culture are complex and demanding, and efforts to enhance workplace culture will be repaid by giving such key informing concepts the attention they deserve (Gerber & Lankshear 2000). Many workplaces simply do as much skills development as possible, believing that such activity must ultimately yield productive outcomes. Workplace reformers and educators rarely study exemplars in detail, or investigate how collectives actually combine to become effective teams. A crude sporting analogy is widely assumed without understanding that beyond certain skill levels most ‘top shelf’ teams win or lose as a consequence of other cultural variables. Skills development is, in fact, the minimum criterion in establishing the team. Beyond that point, skills development is never the determining factor in the effective life of the team. Moreover, workplace change is often pursued with little understanding of the psychology of collective behavior and motivation, and forgetful of the fact that, whereas many team analogies are based on participants voluntarily partaking in the activity, the team environment in most workplaces is coercive (Gerber & Lankshear 2000).   Likewise, paradigm cases of top performance teams seek out and develop skills based on the requirements and objectives of the team: that is, they have very clearly defined skills requirements and strategies for achieving them that are internal to the team’s existence, composition and raison d’être. In contrast, in the world of workplace change, skills requirements and strategies are often generic, pre-packaged, and elaborated from outside the team. In a highly resource constrained internal environment owner-managers may be more likely to employ individuals who are able to perform effectively and quickly with minimal induction training or additional skills development needs. Loss of any investment made in knowledge and skills development may also be a very real fear among owner-managers in a labor market in which employees may find it more feasible to exit in order to secure career progression rather than achieve this within the firm. The threat may be exacerbated if key individuals have the potential to leave to set up in competition with their former employer. Therefore the assessment of current skill levels is likely to be crucially important; in this scenario questions may be raised about the status accorded subsequent skills development (Beaver & Stewart 2004). To develop the skills in the second question, I need to make sure that I maintain a good relationship with personnel. The relationship with personnel can be both personnel and professional but it must stay within allowable limits. Another thing that I should use to develop skills is to accept ideas from the personnel. To make sure that the company will be managed well, managers like me need to gather all commendable ideas that can be used to make the best decisions. The thing that I can do to improve my skill is manage my stress levels. Stress level management has been a vital factor for the success or failure of firm. Managers like me need to know how to manage their stress and the stress of other people in the organization.  Managing stress levels reduce a person’s problem of being too emotional.   References Beaver, G & Stewart, J (eds.) 2004, HRD in small organizations: Research and practice, Routledge, New York. Bowers, CA, Edens, E & Salas, E (eds.) 2001, improving teamwork in organizations: applications of resource management training, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ. Burack, EH 1993, Corporate resurgence and the new employment relationships: After the reckoning, Quorum Books, Westport, CT. Clardy, AB 1996, Managing human resources: exercises, experiments, and applications workbook, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ. Ellis, CW 2005, Management skills for new managers, AMACOM, New York. Gerber, R & Lankshear, C (eds.) 2000, Training for a smart workforce, Routledge, London. Humphrey, B & Stokes, J (eds.) 2000, The 21st century Supervisor: Nine essential skills for frontline leaders, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. Kanji, GK 2002, Measuring business excellence, Routledge, London. Shell, RL 2003, Management of Professionals, Marcel Dekker, New York. Sims, RR 2002, Managing organizational behavior, Quorum Books, Westport, CT, Thomas, A 2003, Controversies in management: Issues, debates, answers, Routledge, London.       Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Personal Development Analysis

1. In life what you have been doing? I have been working as a human resource officer. This job was close to the course I had in college...

Strategic Management: The Case of eBay

Strategic Management: The Case of eBay     1.0 Introduction With achieving sustainable competitive advantage as the goal, organisational changes are considered to be an important part of the development process of a particular company. Aside from globalisation, technology also plays an important role in the changes among modern organisations. Technological boom, specifically through the dotcom and World Wide Web, had become one of the inevitable ways in obtaining a wealth of information about a certain issue or topic. For the organisations, the Internet was perceived to be a significant avenue for doing business and marketing per se such as being done by eBay with their online auction. Individuals are able to obtain and purchase their needed and wanted items directly, without the hassle of traveling and physically looking for the products through online auctions. Strategies are deemed important in responding to various internal and external threats and problems which can directly and indirectly impact organisational decision making. This report purports to present and discuss the case of eBay through investigating the strategies that the company employs. Likewise, the paper will also address the building blocks unique to the company. How eBay operates despite the fierce competitive nature of online auctioning business will also be addressed.      2.0 Company Background Founded on 1995 by Pierre Omidyar, eBay was considered a pioneer in the online auction industry whereby people are brought together on a local, national and international basis to serve the purpose of creating a person-to-person community where ever individual could have an equal access through the same medium which is the Internet. eBay offers wide varieties of products and services for bargain hunters, hobbyists and collectors and sellers, changing the way people engage in trading hence eBay had changed the face of e-commerce from its inception. eBay participates in the demand-based or dynamic pricing segment of online commerce where transaction prices are determined entirely by buyers. The auction is the most familiar form of demand-based pricing (Bunnell and Luecke, 2000, pp. 8-9). As Bunnell and Luecke (2000) put it, eBay has become the world’s leading auction market and one of a handful of major dotcom companies to actually turn a profit while also expanding the e-commerce industry (pp. 4-6). Today, eBay is continuously the brand preference with over 39 market presence and with billion of the total value of sold items on the site’s trading platform.   3.0 Current Strategy of eBay Basically, eBay introduced several crucial innovations tailor-made for the internet at the business level, a strategy which was conceived to be an improvisation. One being the online auction business model wherein eBay served as the value-added facilitator of trade between a buyer and a seller in a highly individualistic manner. The online auction model developed by eBay marked an important extension of e-commerce, offering millions of individuals a low-cost opportunity to engage in a new type of economic activity. Gomes- Casseres (2001, p. 2) firmly believes that eBay had built an online person-to-person trading community in the Internet. In addition, there had been a growth in the organisational structure which was primarily manned by Pierre as the visionary and his colleague Jeffrey Skoll as the strategist and then further growing to include Meg Whitman and other teams, striking a balance between over- and under-structuring. The integration of new systems and practices was seen to be a way to creating value than just focusing on efficiency of the people and the processes with further focus on internal innovations (Brown and Eisenhardt, 1998).   Throughout the history of eBay, regeneration and experimentation were both inherent, which were seen to be instrument of innovative processes and responding to competitive schema. EBay had developed proprietary software capable of supporting a robust, scalable user interface and transaction-processing system which can handle all aspects of the auction process. EBay users can browse through listed items in a fully automated way. The sellers are allowed to list items that they want to sell while the buyers bid on items of interest. The items on eBay’s site are arranged by topics and each type of auction has its own category. It sends e-mails when users register for the service, when they place a successful bid, and when they are outbid, and it communicates the outcome of auctions in which they participate. The same system sends daily status updates to active sellers and bidders and maintains user registration information, account information, current auctions, and historical listings. All of this information is archived to a data warehouse.   Further, eBay has been bounded by two things: a clear mission to be the world’s largest person-to-person online auction company, and a focused strategy with five key elements: expanding the user base, strengthening the eBay brand, broadening the trading platform by increasing product categories and promoting new ones, fostering community affinity and enhancing site features and functionality. EBay must realised to live in the present and so strategies must be refreshed and realigned basically through clarifying the purposes of the company itself. Priorities and responsibilities must be well-established (Brown and Eisenhardt, 1998) and for eBay, there are three main strategies implemented which are: building strategic partnerships at all levels of value chain, seeking customer feedbacking and working on with the information collated and monitoring the external environment. Within eBay, functions were further subdivided intended for overseeing strategic direction and growth, business model and site development and community advocacy as well as strategic planning and analysis, competitive analysis, new business planning and incubation and customer support operations.   When Whitman arrived in 1998, brand building recognition at eBay was prioritised. The related problems of consumer product marketing were divided into two: first was clarifying what eBay stood for by which in their judgment is a personal trading community and second, brand building exercises or marketing per se. EBay made acquisitions in order to support its growth as a supplement to word-of-mouth and public relations advertising into tapping opportunities through national magazines and online alliances. These acquisitions aid in the expansion and improvement of the company’s services. EBay’s boldest and most costly effort of gaining greater name recognition began in August 1998, when it entered into a three-year marketing deal with America Online (AOL) aiming at further enhancement of the site and value-adding features to be established. Other online allies include Kinko’s, First Auction, Z Auction, Netscape and GO.com.   Broadening the products and services portfolio was another priority strategy for eBay, reaching to almost 3, 000 categories. At the onset, eBay utilised content-specific chat rooms and bulleting boards to provide real-time interface between buyers and sellers; customised home pages were also sought. EBay also collaborated with an online portal of the collectibles in exchange of affiliation referrals for Collecting Channel. Regional auctions were also established, focusing mainly on profitable markets in the US. It is believed that these regional auction sites could localise products while also providing buyers with the advantage of cutting off shipment or delivery charges. Such strategy was known as co-adoption where eBay diversified the firms into units and then collaborated with individuals within the system. Such action was known to be an element of expanding the traditional business model where eBay now shifts its focus on exploiting economies of scale and scope and extending offerings to new market segments (Brown and Eisenhardt, 1998).   The sense of community was further developed through designing an online tool with which could address more personal yet secure interactions between buyers and sellers and which is embedded on trust. Interest-based chat rooms were created, allowing a more transparent interface among individuals. These Feedback Forums, however, did not guarantee an honest community and so fraud and other illegal activities were witnessed. Synergism as another co-adoption strategy was realised. A SafeHarbour program was launched with features including Mister Lister bulk-listing tool, help boards, and My eBay, which allows a user to track multiple auctions simultaneously and also About Me, which allows a trader to customise home pages. EBay’s share of the total system consists of Sun database servers running Oracle relational database management systems and a suite of Internet servers that operate on Microsoft’s Windows NT. Generally, the most important chore-reducing features have been added through arrangements with partner firms or third-party suppliers such as iShip, Mailbox Etc., Wells Fargo and E-Stamp. These are long-term strategies for eBay as the company launches more experimental products and services and creating more alliances toward nascent markets and emerging technologies (Brown and Eisenhardt, 1998).      4.0 Building Blocks at eBay 4.1 Time Pacing EBay belonged to an otherwise chaotic market, time pacing is important in the sense that any mistake that could impact real-time interfaces could affect the credibility of the company (Eisenhardt and Brown, 2008). Indeed, there are specific times when eBay was not able to respond to the ever-growing demand of traders as evident by 22 hours downtime mainly because of server problems leading to the crashed of the website in 1999. This had made eBay believed that advantage is indeed temporary and so the need to continuously look for new source of advantages (Brown and Eisenhardt, 1998). The sense of urgency was thereby developed but eBay was realised to be lacking strategic capabilities of responding to changes during that time especially because eBay was attempting to do all things at the same time. For instance, the website crashed due to the fact that the auction house is managing the processes of flow of users on the site, processing new members, accepting bids and managing huge database of list of categories while also integrating new products and services information. Nevertheless, when problems like this occur, eBay acts promptly and respond through adding workforces whom will oversee specific functions while also avoiding problems such as this.     4.2 Edge of Time In continuously evolving to be the business of tomorrow, eBay could still rely on its business model but could also consider expanding it. Black (2007) mentioned that e-commerce is becoming increasingly important to consumers, sellers, and entire communities and online marketing has become and will continue to become a full and complete business model for other companies. The increasing importance of e-commerce and the use of the Internet, led many online companies, such as eBay to engage in online auctioning. Ten aspects are attributed to the success of eBay, namely, commitment, well-spent funds, an effective and persistent marketing and public relations, great products or services to sell, not selling of junk, great customer service, efficient and pleasant facility, polished listings and photos, paying attention to details, and good recordkeeping (Mansfield 2006). These ten aspects are perceived to be contributory to the success of eBay in the industry as the leading online auction house, and determine its edge over its competitors.   4.3 Edge of Chaos The success of eBay has inspired other online companies to engage in the same business, of perceiving the same attention that it receives from consumers. With this, several competitors can be pointed out, which are also online companies that engage in the same services that eBay offers. Amazon.com and Yahoo! Auctions are the two main rivals. Amazon.com was the second largest online auction house, which is perceived to be a competitive threat to industry leadership position of eBay, is also a one-stop-shop online auction site. Compared to the business model of eBay which is trader-centric, that of Amazon.com’s is more inclined as profit-oriented. On the other hand, Yahoo! Auctions was the first online navigational auction house over the Internet, a reputation that sets its identity apart from the other two main auction houses. The advantages of eBay over Amazon.com and Yahoo! Auctions are three-fold: wider portfolio with over 3, 000 categories, low to zero transaction costs and information-support, manifesting that changes inside eBay are diverse and emergent (Brown and Eisenhardt, 1998).   In comparison with perhaps Fable, this report maintains that although eBay has proved to be lacking in strategic time pacing at certain point, experimentation and regeneration have been the survival strategies. Fable was more focused on short-term successes, missing the opportunities for new products growth. In opposite, one of the primary objectives of eBay was to strengthen products and services portfolio as evident by the incessant acquisitions of alliances and partnerships to boost categories and site features and functionality. Compared to Fable which is highly dependent on ‘repeated layering’, eBay is an epitome of a well-developed organisational structure where the top management especially Pierre was willing to accept what he cannot do for eBay and resorting to seeking the help of strategists such as Skoll and Whitman. For eBay, change is an opportunity that must be taken advantage instead of seeing it as a threat (Brown and Eisenhardt, 1998). Finally, Fable was not able to reap the benefits of changes but for eBay, the company is equipped with the capability to transition while maintaining a superior performance.   5.0 Conclusion   EBay is well aware that in order for the company to maintain its competitive advantage and make it sustainable in the long run, the company must take advantage of the changes at the corporate, organisational and business levels. EBay embraces the five building blocks which are applied randomly throughout eBay’s history: improvisation, co-adaption, regeneration, experimentation and time pacing as evident by the strategies discussed. The company also embraces the 10 principles of competing on the edge about strategy, organisation and leadership.   6.0 References   Black, G S 2007, ‘EBay Users and Non-Users: Comparison and Implications for eBay Entrepreneurs’, at Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Annual Conference, Austin, Texas.   Brown, S and Eisenhardt, K 1998, Competing on the Edge: Strategy as Structured Chaos, Harvard Business Press.   Bunnell, D and Luecke, R A 2000, The EBay Phenomenon: Business Secrets Behind the World’s Hottest Internet Company, John Wiley and Sons, New York.     Eisenhardt, K M and Brown, S L 2008, ‘Time Pacing in Markets that Won’t Stand Still’, Harvard Business Review.   Gomes-Casseres, B 2001, ‘The history of eBay’, International Economics and Finance, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1-2.   Mansfield, R 2005, eBay to the Max: Be a Trading Post Owner, Trading Assistant & Power Seller, Que Publishing. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Strategic Management: The Case of eBay

Strategic Management: The Case of eBay 1.0 Introduction With achieving sustainable competitive advantage as the goal, organisatio...

A Critical Analysis And Evaluation Of The Pain Assessment Methods Used In Non- Communicating Critically Ill Patients.

A Critical Analyses And Evaluation Of The Pain Assessment Methods Used In Non- Communicating Critically Ill Patients.   Introduction It has not been long since nurses have had specialized training especially on patient management; these specialized trainings include the situation in which they are more likely to find themselves, thus affecting how they will react to the situations presented before them. The differences of their actions mean very much to the patients, and thus they must learn how to distinguish the different factors and be able to help their patients in achieving the best method of improving their health and returning to their vigorous states. This paper discusses the pertinent issues related to pain assessment among Non- Communicating Critically Ill Patients. critically analyzing the current concerns in the nursing practice to present the applications and implications of the issues and provide sound recommendations.     Issues on Pain Assessment among Non- Communicating Critically Ill Patients Nurses are advocates and health educators for patients, families, and communities. When providing direct patient care, they observe, assess, and record symptoms, reactions, and progress in patients; assist physicians during surgeries, treatments, and examinations; administer medications; and assist in convalescence and rehabilitation. Nurses also develop and manage nursing care plans, instruct patients and their families in proper care, and help individuals and groups take steps to improve or maintain their health. While state laws govern the tasks that the nurse may perform, it is usually the work setting that determines their daily job duties.  Pain assessment is a key aspect in the nursing management and delivery of care within the clinical environment in which nurses utilize many aspects of knowledge including that of the underlying pathophysiology, pharmacological knowledge of the drugs available for use, and knowledge of the patient being assessed. Such use of the wide range of knowledge is important when caring for a variety of patients to ensure accurate pain assessment based on sound judgment to achieve a pain-free status whenever possible and ensure that the patient achieves the best possible treatment (Walker, 2003). According to Riker & Fraser (2000) there are several advantages of monitoring the patients’ sedation outcomes. These include (a) reductions in intensive care unit (ICU) stay, (b) duration of mechanical ventilatory support, and (c) some diagnostic tests that will assess the function of the central nervous system. However, there are issues that are in need of attention so as to address the proper and accurate procedures of assessing pain among Non- Communicating Critically Ill Patients.. These include the difficulties encountered in assessing pain and the accuracy of pain assessment tools and methods. Several studies have been conducted in the discipline of medicine and care giving in order to improve the condition of the patients who are suffering from discomfort due to their physical condition before or after undergoing medical procedures. These studies were conducted so as to determine the accuracy of the tools and measures of determining the discomfort levels of the patients in order to help the patient recover easily and immediately from the illness that he or she is experiencing as well as to contribute to the ways of overcoming the difficulties of pain assessment. Some of these studies which investigated the cases of Non- Communicating Critically Ill Patients. are briefly presented below.              Assessing pain and sedation in nonresponsive patients is a challenge primarily because of the confounding effect of sedation on objective indicators of pain. As such, clinicians might interpret incorrectly because the behavioral responses to pain and anxiety/agitation have many similarities. Hence, additional research is needed to establish the validity, sensitivity, and specificity of pain indicators in sedated patients. Moreover, in the case of nonresponsive sedated patients, clinicians should integrate actual or potential risks of pain and risks of pain-related functional impairment into their pain assessment (Puntillo, 2004). According to Puntillo (2003) pain assessment and management for critical care patients, present challenges to clinicians and researchers as pain assessment methods and clinical trials of pharmacological interventions continue to investigate procedural pain assessment methods. There have been studies that investigated the validity and reliability of pain assessment tools that medical practitioners are currently using.   Salmore (2002) conducted a study on estimating the comfort levels of sedated patients who undergone gastrointestinal examination in order to determine the validity and reliability of the Colorado Behavioral Numerical Pain Scale in which interrater reliability showed 82% agreement on the observations made on the patients. The study likewise included the participation of nurses from other hospitals and a medical person from an ambulatory facility which illustrated a 92% agreement that the words described what they observed during a gastrointestinal examination and 94% felt it was a better descriptor of pain than a patient self-report numerical scale.   Reference Riker, R. and Fraser, G. L. (2000) Monitoring Sedation, Agitation, Analgesia, Neuromuscular Blockade, and Delirium in Adult ICU Patients Department of Critical Care, Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine.   Salmore, R. (2002) Development of a New Pain Scale: Colorado Behavioral Numerical Pain Scale for Sedated Adult Patients Undergoing Gastrointestinal Procedures. Gastroenterology Nursing. 25(6):257-262.   Walker J. (2003) Philosophy, knowledge and theory in the assessment of pain. British Journal of Nursing; 12(8):494-501           Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

A Critical Analysis And Evaluation Of The Pain Assessment Methods Used In Non- Communicating Critically Ill Patients.

A Critical Analyses And Evaluation Of The Pain Assessment Methods Used In Non- Communicating Critically Ill Patients. Introduction...

Presupposition and Footnotes in Literary Classics

Introduction             Classic literature offers a number of plots and themes that readers can both enjoy and learn from. The content of these works however, often contains deeper truths and meanings that readers must translate. Commonly referred to as presupposition, this theory implies that certain contents of literary works have presumed knowledge, which is stressed by means of placing footnotes or endnotes within the works. Similar to academic use, footnotes can also be use as a literary device to provide additional details or explain a particular section of the literature.   This does not only help in elaborating the truth behind the text but also in providing useful knowledge. Some works may contain brief or lengthy footnotes; other works are even written entirely in footnotes. The use of these footnotes however, tend to vary depending on how they are used. In this essay, the theory of presupposition will be discussed. In addition, citing presuppositions through footnotes in various literary classics will also be cited. Finally, the effect of using footnotes will be identified as well through literature examples.   Presupposition The theory of presupposition falls under the field of linguistics and pragmatics. This concept is based on the assumption that the truth behind the literary text is taken for granted. This theory occurs in natural language and happens when the speaker says something that is assumed to be true by using other assertions. Thus, if the text indicates that “My wife is pregnant”, the presupposition here is that the speaker has a wife; in the same way, if the speaker asks, “Do you want to try again?”, it is assumed that the receiver has tried doing the task at least once. In some literary classics, several presumed knowledge can be found. However, as the truth behind the context is at times difficult to decipher, authors make use of footnotes so as to elaborate on these presuppositions. Footnotes in this case, are used in written works as a literary device.   Footnotes and Literary Classics There are actually a number of literary classics that made use of footnotes for this purpose. Other literary works had in fact utilized footnotes extensively; an example of this is the The Third Policeman authored by Flann O’Brien. In this work, the author focused on discussing de Selby, a fictional philosopher, by means of lengthy footnotes that appear to almost take out the main plot.   While footnotes are often used in literary classics to explain its presumed content, the author of this work utilized this literary device to add incongruity to the work. Ibid: A Life written by Mark Dunn on the other hand, has the entire work written in footnotes. Here, the footnotes have been used to add both humor and seriousness in the work’s message. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace made use of over 400 endnotes in this literary classic; some of the endnotes were about 12 pages long each.   One of the popular literary works that made use of footnotes for the elucidation of presumed knowledge is James Joyce in Ulysses. There are a number of reasons why the author had used footnotes as a literary device in his work. One of which is the fact that the book has been translated in over twenty languages such as Gaelic, Arabic, Icelandic and Malayalam. Considering that that the setting of the work is different from foreign readers and may be perceived differently, footnotes then serve as a useful device for explaining the real context of the novel.   In addition, Ulysses is a novel that based primarily on allusion, Irish humor and puns. The novel was structured wherein a literary analogue is not present most of the time; explanatory footnotes are then used to elaborate. In China, the book was translated by Wen Jieruo and Xiao Qian; the author opted to explain the peculiarities contained in the book through the use of footnotes. A total of 5,991 footnotes were actually used in the final translated book so as to let millions of readers in China to be enlightened by this literary work (China through a Lens, 2002).               The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien is another classic literature that is made of footnotes. One of the reasons why considerable footnotes had been used in this work is due to the biblical and mythological elements contained in the series. One of the important presuppositions in this literary work is the division of men from the elves. In this work, it has been indicated that death is the only one that divides the elves from humans. This is because death accidentally comes to the elves, whereas it part of human nature. In this literature, there is a clear implication that elves are somehow higher beings than humanity as immortality is considered a feature of divine creatures (Casey, 2004).   However, Tolkien noted that while this is so, this is not the ulterior motive of this characterization. The author treated death not as a punishment for lesser beings but as God’s gift fro human beings. Basing it on biblical writings and beliefs, death is considered a gift as it enables human being to finally be at peace and be with God. Thus, in this footnote, it is implying that readers must know the nature of death as well as God’s divine plan for humanity in order to understand this presupposition.   Effects of using Footnotes             The use of footnotes, as implied in the examples given above, has a number of purposes as a literary device. In the case of Ulysses for instance, footnotes are placed in order to allow the readers, particularly those without any background about Irish culture, to understand and appreciate the local puns and humor integrated in the story. The placement of footnotes is advantageous especially if the work is translated in numerous languages and distributed to highly diverse cultures. Presuppositions in the text become difficult to decipher especially if the reader do not know the basis of its assertion; the footnotes then assist the readers in understanding them.               Footnotes are also advantageous for the readers as it encourage them to read further about the context or basis of the literary work. A good example is Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. The series itself made use of characters based on mythology; explanatory footnotes then direct the readers on the mythological aspects they could focus on for further reading. The book is also made up of various religious insinuations that readers, especially those with a different belief, may not comprehend. The use of footnotes then allows readers to understand the deeper meaning behind these religious concepts; in turn, the use of these explanatory footnotes is then useful in informing others about different religions and cultures.               There are also certain drawbacks in using footnotes for literary classics. As explained by Wen and Xiao (China through a Lens, 2002), the use of footnotes in literature tend to complicate the story’s content most of the time. The story of The Third Policeman is one good example for this drawback. This novel actually contains lengthy references and footnotes that it appears as if the footnotes itself could have been the story. Critics of the novel noted that the footnotes do not particularly support reader comprehension as they are focused on giving nothing but senseless ideas about the de Selby, the main character. It is then a wonder for some readers whether these footnotes only suggest the unreliability of the narrator as he selects discoveries and theories that discredit de Selby or if de Selby is just insane.               Aside from the irrelevance, the footnotes in this work also appear serious yet unnecessary. It is then a usual tendency for readers of this work to get lost from the main topic or plot of the novel. Rather than provide additional or useful information, presuppositions are not explained and readers often have different interpretations of what they had read. The lack of elucidation through footnotes then results to confusion or disinterest. The work also tends to have a lesser impact on the readers without the proper use of footnotes.   Conclusion             In this brief essay, presupposition has been explained as a concept where the truths behind the text concept are only implied through assertions. Readers should then identify these presumptions in order to gain the deeper meanings behind the texts. In the case of literary classics, where myths, legend and historical facts are incorporated, these presuppositions must be clarified for the readers to understand. This is done through the use of footnotes. Footnotes in these literary works allow readers to understand cultural settings that are different from their own. The placement of footnotes also encourages readers to conduct further reading in relation to the topic. However, these effects are not observed if the footnotes are used to complicate the plot or story itself. It is then essential for authors to optimize these footnotes by using them to assist the readers’ understanding and learning.   References: Casey, D. (2004, February). The Gift of Iluvatar: Tolkien’s Theological Vision. Australian EJournal of Theology. Retrieved April 3, 2006 from http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/dacasey/Tolkien.htm   Life of Love, Letter and Joyce (2002, July 12). China through a Lens. Retrieved April 3, 2006 from http://www.china.org.cn/english/NM-e/38565.htm Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Presupposition and Footnotes in Literary Classics

Introduction Classic literature offers a number of plots and themes that readers can both enjoy and learn from. The c...

PRETEND THAT YOU WORK IN A CENTER FOR ABANDONED CHILDREN AND YOU ARE A SOCIAL WORKER. JUST PUT JOURNAL ENTRIES EVERYDAY, LIKE A DIARY BUT OF A WORKING PERSON.

1.make a deep reflection of your daily activities in the center. 2. put some time in and time out 8:00-5:00 daily PRETEND THAT YOU WORK IN A CENTER FOR ABANDONED CHILDREN AND YOU ARE A SOCIAL WORKER. JUST PUT JOURNAL ENTRIES EVERYDAY, LIKE A DIARY BUT OF A WORKING PERSON.  8:00 Am  10 May 2011 Today is my first day at work here at the Shelter for All.   We are a non-profit organization that cares for abused, abandoned, neglected and troubled children/youth. Our center provides the following services: <ul type="disc" style="margin-bottom: 0in"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #111111; line-height: 200%"> 	 	Temporary/emergency housing for abused, abandoned, neglected or troubled 	children, many in need of medication/pharmaceutical administration.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #111111; line-height: 200%"> 	 	Meeting the needs of special education children.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #111111; line-height: 200%"> 	 	Long-term independent housing.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #111111; line-height: 200%"> 	 	Placement of children by the Juvenile Courts, Job and Family Services 	Department, and other placing agencies.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #111111; line-height: 200%"> 	An 	alternative to institutionalization for mildly troubled children, 	developmentally disabled and the physically challenged.</li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="color: #111111; line-height: 200%"> 	 	Animal Education Therapy Program.</li> </ul> 5:00 PM Long, long day for me.  But a successful one.  The majority of the day was spent getting familiar with the premises and getting to know the children who are at the center and meeting all the personnel.  I would say that everything went off to a good start.  They have started something wonderful for these beautiful children.  Abused and neglected children appear to have no sense of security to help them acknowledge and resolve their emotional pain.  Here at the center we enforce a positive approach by helping the children take pride in their selves and we teach them socially appropriate behavior.  The staff and therapists work towards self-sufficiency for each of the children while all the time using discipline, love and other positive reinforcements.  We want the children to realize that there is a tomorrow and to have them surrounded in a secure environment. 8:00 AM 31 May, 2011 Almost one month at this center and believe me every single day is precious time spent with these special children.  One of our primary objectives is to break the present cycle of abuse and disruption and to help every child live a normal and fruitful life. The sound of children laughing and talking is music to my ears.  Those are the signs of happy children.  It makes me happy that we have contributed to helping these children get their lives back again. 5:00 PM There is one girl I have taken an interest in.  She was physically and sexually abused by her step-father for several years.  At one point he almost killed her and that is how she ended up in our center.  I met her when I first arrived at the center.  She had not yet recovered from her wounds and had bandages everywhere.  I have never encountered such a battered spirit before.  This girl was so scared of everything including her own shadow!  We’ve had to separate her from the rest of the group because we are working to heal her first and gain some confidence before reintroducing her to the group. After a lot of therapy sessions and one on one session, she is starting to heal.  I think next week we will try to introduce her to a group to join some of the group projects we are doing. 8:00 Am 10 June, 2011 Field trip day!  More later as I need to organize the troops to get on the buses and to make sure everything we need is taken care of.  Logistics!  I hope we do not have a breakdown from any one of the kids. 7:00 PM Today was a mega-early day.  But what great excitement for everyone.  We had a field trip to one of the farms.  It was a wonderful day- the sun was out and it was breezy.  There were a total of 2 buses and 60 kids!  Everyone was abuzz with excitement.  Such joy to see the happiness on their faces.  We only had one incident where 2 boys had it out with each other because one would not give what the other wanted.  Besides that, everything went off without a hitch. At the farm the children were able to interact with some animals at the petting zoo.  Being with animals is therapeutic.  The children can relate to the fragility of the baby rabbits and gerbils they got to play with.  They also learned about bees and the different products created from the bees’ honey.  The children got the chance to identify the queen bee in a colony.  The farm also provided them a snack with some bread and fresh honey. There were some games we played which promoted team cooperation.  One of the children’s favorite was eating the apple game.  It involved 2 children, an apple on a string, and the object of the game was to finish eating the apple.  All in all it was a successful day and everyone is looking forward to the next field trip.      Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

PRETEND THAT YOU WORK IN A CENTER FOR ABANDONED CHILDREN AND YOU ARE A SOCIAL WORKER. JUST PUT JOURNAL ENTRIES EVERYDAY, LIKE A DIARY BUT OF A WORKING PERSON.

1.make a deep reflection of your daily activities in the center. 2. put some time in and time out 8:00-5:00 daily PRETEND THAT YOU WORK IN...

FINANCIAL MARKETS AND LONG TERM FUNDING

What are American Depositary Receipts (ADRs)? They are shares of a non-US company that is bought by an investment bank in the foreign markets for the purpose of trading in the US markets.  When non-US share purchase is done, investment banks register them to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and have the option to transfer the daily trading operations of the shares to depository banks[1].  ADRs are also viewed as certificate that evidences the quantity of share ownership of a corporation beyond its own market.  They can represent either certificates or real securities and their price are quoted in the purchaser’s currency as well as governed by host country policies.  The investment banker also has the option to keep its foreign shares public or private.  Typically, ADRs are sold by to wide range of investors and those with minimum investment capability (i.e. 0 Million worth of stocks)[2].    According to several studies, listed-ADRs are exchanged with higher values compared to those that are not listed.  Further, cross-listing ADRs also performed positively with regards to value of the firm because of the benefits of forecasting and scope of analysis.  In contrast to embryonic stage of ADRs, these two later stages are considered more mature and aggressive giving them the capacity to increase liquidity, shareholder base, information, disclosure and lessen volatility, cost of capital and variability in analysis[3].  However, these benefits are limited to investment banks under sponsored ADR programs especially to trade in certain US markets such as NYSE.  Under these program, investment banks have obtained specific rights of a common stockholder (i.e. right to vote)[4].     Advantages of ADRs? For Macquarie Bank, they can provide diversification facility which can minimize investment risks in the home markets.  They also adopt the Bank’s local policy and national regulations which enhances upper hand over information and familiarity.  As a result, trading issues are more manageable and contracting to foreign companies is relatively easy.  There are also zero custody charges and in fact the foreign company is liable for paying the Bank in its effort and risk to shoulder transaction risks/ costs in issuing foreign stocks in its own market.  Foreign securities will also have lower-than-home valuation when traded in the host market making them more lucrative to speculators and as well long-term investors. Under sponsored ADRs, the Bank also receives dividends first before distribution to ADR holders[5].    What are the regulation problems? Although the Bank has potential benefits, there are also regulatory bottlenecks.  For example, in the advent of litigation against the foreign company, a win in US court may not assure compliance and necessary remedy for the case in favor of the Bank.  There is a need to settle the matter in the home country of the foreign firm.  However, transaction costs that attached to the process can be substantial to affect not only the financial position of the Bank but also its international portfolio.  Further, regulations of foreign countries vary greatly to US environment.  Specific issues to consider are the period of clearance and settlement of trading, efficiency of trading reports and rules of safeguarding shares in depository banks[6].   What are the potential risks in ADR investments? In currency exchange issues, the value of ADRs is affected by the changes in economic variables of the foreign country.  Generally, their value rises when foreign currency dropping while decreases when foreign currency is increasing.  Second, there is a tendency for reduced liquidity when ADRs are purchased by an inexperienced investment or depository banks.  The lack of knowledge may cause ADRs to be viewed by the host market as risky and no recourse is applied to minimize such impression.  Third, ADR holders must pay tax in US dollar denominations even if they are in the home market.  As a result, this increases their risks to currency fluctuations[7].   ADRs are not commonly traded on large exchanges such as NASDAQ and NYSE rather on bulletins which make their price with larger variance.  In effect, establishing investment decision based on data can be difficult especially when the investor has a pre-determined price in mind[8].  For the investors in the host market, information about the foreign company may also take a long time before presentation.  Therefore, there is a risk of outdated data and relevance to timely decision-making.  There are also bank charges being implemented by depository banks who are handling the operational processes of ADRs.  These fees could reduced the dividends and affect the liquidity of shares.  These banks traditionally pass the costs of operations to host investors[9].                                  Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

FINANCIAL MARKETS AND LONG TERM FUNDING

What are American Depositary Receipts (ADRs)? They are shares of a non-US company that is bought by an investment bank in the foreign mar...