Three Metaphors, the Birth Rate, and Solutions Research Paper

Three Metaphors, the Birth Rate, and Solutions - Research Paper Example In a bid to solve its own problems, the self-contained village in Ireland closes the doors for any possible aid from foreign quarters. It is aimed at ensuring that the region’s internal problems are given a local solution through the cooperation of the haves and the have-nots. To consolidate its resolve, the region has developed a five-step solution that demonstrates the manner in which the locked region plagued with severe poverty could do if the rich and poor people really collaborate to achieve the desired emancipation of the poor: â€Å"I do not, of course, want to dispute the contention that governments of affluent nations should be giving many times the amount of genuine, no-strings-attached aid that they are giving nowI agree, too, that giving privately is not enough, and that we ought to be campaigning actively for entirely new standards for both public and private contributions to famine relief† (Singer 402-13). If this should be the case and the poor should be made part and parcel of the developed solution, then essential moral or proper Christian assistance will not be dissipated on producing inadvertent consequences like diseases, population explosion, famine, environmental corrosion, and hunger among others. Basically, the five-point solution involves the following initiatives: taxing absentee landlords; purchasing furniture and clothes produced only in Ireland; averting lavishness and conspicuous consumption to boost one’s discretionary income available for charity; prevailing upon landlords to be merciful to their tenants; and, finally, the working poor, once they become modest shopkeepers, have an obligation to remain modest merchants, regardless of the meagerness of their income.

Temporary monopolies and intellectual property rights Essay Example for Free

Temporary monopolies and intellectual property rights Essay What are the arguments for and against allowing temporary monopolies by allowing intellectual property rights? What forms of intellectual property exist for designs, and how are these different from patents and copyright? Knowledge and creativity are essential components in product innovation, and significantly contribute toward sustaining a competitive edge. Allowing temporary monopolies by allowing intellectual property rights have both pros and cons. Advantages of allowing a temporary monopoly by allowing intellectual property rights offers the benefit of protection from other competitors from benefiting from the innovation, and provides the opportunity to research and develop a product, and regain the costs involved in the process, to include make a profit. Disadvantages of allowing a temporary monopoly by allowing intellectual property rights include a decrease in potential in optimal creativity and innovation simply because no challenge exists typically produced when there are competitors. In addition, the consumer does not have the ability to explore and compare like and similar products, eliminating the opportunity to purchase the product of choice, to include purchase at a lower cost. Various forms of intellectual property exist for design. These include patent, copy and trade rights. A patent right allows for exclusive design and manufacturing, and protects the product from being sold by another competitor without license. Copyrights protect the original creativity of the inventor, and Trademark protects the design, the uniqueness of the product when sold in the competitive market. Reference: Tidd, J. Bessant, J. (2009). Managing Innovation Integrating Technological Market and Organizational Change, 4th Edition. (John Wiley Sons Ltd).

Need Importance Of Organization Commerce Essay

Need Importance Of Organization Commerce Essay Organization is the foundation upon which the whole structure of management is erected.Organization is associated with developing an outline where the overall work is divided into manageable components in order to facilitate the achievement of objectives or goals. Thus, organization is the structure or mechanism that enables living things to work together. In a static sense, an organization is a structure or machinery manned by group of individuals who are working together towards a common goal. Examples of organization: Corporations, governments, non-government organizations, armed forces, non-profit organizations etc. The term organization has been used in four different senses; Organization as Framework of Relationships:Organization refers to the structure and interactions among various job positions which are created to realize certain objectives. Organization as a process: Organization is viewed as a dynamic process and a managerial activity which is vital for planning the utilization of companys resources. Organization as a System:Organization is also viewed as a system. System concepts recognize that organizations are made up of components, each of which has exclusive properties, abilities and reciprocated associations. The constituent elements of a system are linked together in such complex ways that actions taken by one individual have far reaching effects on others. Organization as a Group of Persons:Organization is very often viewed as a group of persons contributing their efforts towards certain goals. Definitions: Organizations may be defined as a group of individuals large or small thatare cooperating under the direction of executive leadership in accomplishment of certain common object. -Keith Davis Organization is a system of cooperative activities of two or more persons. -Chester Barnard Organization is the form of every human association for the attainment of a common purpose. -Mooney and Reily Organization is a harmonious adjustment of specialized parts for the accomplishment of some common purpose or purposes. Haney In its broadest sense, organization refers to the relationship between the various factors present in the given endeavor. Factory organization concerns itself primarily with the internal relationships within the factory such as responsibilities of personnel arrangement and grouping of machines and material control. From the standpoint of enterprise as a whole, organization is the structural relationship between various factors in an enterprise.- Spriegel 1.1 Need / Importance of Organization A renowned industrialist of U.S.A Andrew Carnegie when sold his company United States Steel Corporation , showed his confidence in organization by saying Take away our factories, take away our plants, our avenues of transportation, our money, leave nothing but our organization and we shall establish better factories.Since ages and all walks of life, organization has been playing a significant role. The importance of organization is as stated below. A tool for achieving objectives:Organization is an important tool in the hands of management for accomplishing the objectives of an enterprise. It facilitates administration and management: A sound organization increases efficiency, avoids duplication of work, avoids delay in work, improves managerial skills and motivates employees to perform their duties. It ensures optimum use of human resource: Good organization establishes individuals with interests, knowledge, skills, abilities and viewpoints. It enhances creativity: A well-conceived and comprehensive organization is the source of creative thinking and initiation of new ideas. Prevents Corruption: Enterprises which lack sound organization most of the times have problem of corruption. Sound organization helps to prevent corruption by raising morale of the employees. As a result of which employees are encouraged to work with higher efficiency, commitment and honesty. Fosters growth of enterprise: Good organization plays a key role not only in growth but also in the expansion and diversification of an enterprise. Eliminates overlapping and duplication of efforts: In a situation, where the distribution of work is not clearly identified and the work is performed in a haphazard manner there will be duplication and overlapping of efforts. As a good organization requires that the work be clearly assigned amongst employees, such overlapping and duplication is to be eliminated. Coordination: Various jobs and positions are linked together by structural relationship of the organization. The organizational process exercises its due and balanced emphasis on the coordination of different activities. 1.2 Principles of Organizing For timely and systematic completion of work it is must for every organization to adopt some techniques or principles. Thus these principles would be the deciding factor for the success or failure of an organization. Principle of Objective:All the enterprises whether large or small, set certain central objectives. Every element of the organization and organization as whole should be geared to the central objectives identified by the enterprise. Principle of Specialization: Precise division of work facilitates specialization. According to this principle, division of work among the employees should be based on their knowledge, skills, abilities, capabilities and interests. This would lead to specialization which would in turn lead to efficiency, quality and elimination of wastage of resources. The Scalar Principle: This principle is sometimes referred to as the chain command. There must be clear lines of authority running from the top to bottom of the organization and linking all the individuals in the organization. The Principle of Authority: Authority is an important ingredient of the organization structure. It is the tool by which the manager can create an environment where an individual can perform with greater efficiency. The Principle of Span of Control: This principle states that there is a limit to the number of subordinates that report to one superior. Supervision of too many people can lead to trouble and confusion. Also the superior will not be able to spare time to supervise each of his subordinate. It will also lead to increased complexity of the organization structure. The span of control depends upon a number of considerations. It is easy to supervise a large number of subordinates involved in routine jobs and working in the same room, whereas it is difficult to supervise highly diverse and specialized personnel scattered widely. The ability of the employee, their willingness to assume responsibility and the attitude of management towards delegating and decentralization should also be analyzed in detail while making a decision on span of control. The Principle of Unity of Command: This principle is basically about avoiding dual reporting. It states that every individual employee working in the organization should be kept in the supervision of one boss only. This principle eliminates the possibility of conflicts in instructions and fosters a feeling of personal responsibility for work. The Principle of Definition: Each individual in the organization should be made aware about his / her responsibilities, duties, authorities and relations with the other job positions in the organization structure. Principle of Unity of Direction: The basic motive for the existence of organization is the attainment of certain objectives. Major objectives should be split into functional activities and there should be one objective and one plan for each group of people. The Principle of parity of Authority and Responsibility: The responsibility for execution of work must be accompanied by the authority to control and direct the means of doing the work. The Principle of Supremacy of Organizational Objectives: The organizational goals and objectives should be given wide publicity within the organization. The people contributing to it should be made to understand that enterprise objectives are more valuable and significant and one should give higher priority to organizations objectives in comparison to personal motives. 1.3 The Process of Organizing 6 7 5 4 3 2 1 Fig. 4.1 Steps in Organizing From the Fig. 1.1 it is clear that organizing is a process involving multiple activities. The details of all these activities are as follows: Fixing the objectives of the organization: The top level management holds the responsibility of fixing the overall objectives of the organization whereas the middle level management fixes the departmental objectives and lower level management fixes the day-to-day objectives. The objectives decided by each of the level of management should be both specific as well as realistic. Finding activities must for achieving objectives: Once the objectives are fixed, the strategic level of management determines different activities that are required to be performed in order to accomplish the set objectives. This is a crucial stage as it helps to eliminate duplication, overlapping and wastage of efforts. Grouping the similar activities: All the activities which are similar in nature are grouped together to form departments. This is also termed as departmentalization. This leads to specialization. Ex: All the activities that are directly or indirectly related to management or development of the human resource like training, performance appraisal, recruitment are grouped together to form the Human Resource Department. Defining responsibilities of each employee: At this step the responsibilities of all the individuals working in the organization are clearly defined. This would ultimately lead to selection of right candidate for the right job. This brings about efficiency since each individual is aware about what he/ she has to do. Delegating authority to employees: In a situation where two or more individuals are working together for a common purpose it becomes necessary to clearly define the authority relationship among them. Each subordinate should know whom he has to report. Also each superior should be aware of the authority he has over his subordinates. Providing employees with required resources: After defining authority relationships, the employees must be provided with all the resources that are required for achieving the objectives of the organization. Coordinating efforts of all to achieve goals: This is the last and most important step in the process of organizing. Here the efforts of all individual employees, groups and departments are fetched together and coordinated towards the mutual objective of the organization. Ex: Let us consider a simple example where a company has decided to have one day picnic for its employees. Here it is clear that the objective is arranging picnic. The HR department would then list all the activities to be carried out for the successful execution of picnic. These activities would then be grouped based on the similarity, for instance arranging for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the day of picnic. Each of the members of this committee would in turn be assigned a particular responsibility like selecting the menu and so on. Each of the members will also be given authority with the assigned responsibility for efficient execution. Each of the committee formed, like the refreshment committee will then be allocated a budget to enable them to carry out the assigned duties. And most importantly efforts of all the committees or individuals must be coordinated to meet the central objective that is successful arrangement of picnic. 1.4 Organization Structure An organization structure specifies the various job positions and depicts how the same are formally divided, grouped and coordinated. It provides an appropriate framework for authority relationships. It is a means to help the management to achieve the organizational objectives. It can also be considered as the viewing glass or perspective through which individuals see their organization and its environment. An organization can be structured in many different ways, depending on their objectives. The structure of an organization will define the ways in which it functions and executes. Organization structure allows the expressed allocation of duties for different functions and processes to different entities such as branch, department, workgroup and individual. Organization structure affects organizational action in two major ways. Firstly, it provides a basis on which the standard operating procedures and routines rest. Secondly, it determines which individuals get to participate in which decision making process and thus to what degree their views shape the organizations actions. There are several reasons why designing an organizational structure is such an important aspect. Organization structure has a crucial impact on the organizations ability to Deal with contingencies Achieve a competitive advantage Effectively manage diversity Increase its efficiency and ability to innovate new goods and services 1.4.1 FormalOrganization The formal organization refers to the structure that is designed and prescribed by the management of the enterprise. It is defined as a hierarchical concept of subordination of entities that collaborate and contribute to serve a common goal.A formal organization has its own set of rules and regulations that are to be followed by each individual in the organization. It depicts clear lines of authority and the superior-subordinate relationship also each of the individual is assigned specific duties and responsibilities. In a formal structure there are predefined objectives and the individual efforts are diverted towards achieving these objectives. According to Barnard, Any organization shall be considered formal at the stage when the activities of two or more persons are coordinated consciously to achieve the definite objective. Ex: College, Hospital, Company etc. Features of Formal Organization Authorities and responsibilities are clearly defined. It does not consider the emotional aspect. It is predetermined and purposefully created. Based on delegation of Authority. It provides for division of labor. Organizational charts are followed. Advantages It promotes discipline in the organization. It provides a basic structure of division of work and responsibility. Without such a structure it becomes very difficult for employees to agree between themselves on the duties and responsibilities of every individual. It gives a clear cut idea about the authority and responsibility of the individuals. Thus formal structure reduces confusions and brings clarity in working. The dependency is not on a single person. Decreases the possibilities and occasions of conflict. The formal organization helps to keep the firm operating despite of the changes in the work force. Eliminates duplication of work which in turn leads to effective utilization of resources. Disadvantages: At times the formal organization causes reduction in initiatives of the person working in the organization. It does not consider the emotions aspect. It may cause delay in work. 1.4.2 Informal Structures This is a shadow organization made up of the informal, but often critical, relationships between members of the organization. The informal structure has its presence in all the formal structures. Informal structure depicts the way in which individuals communicate and relate themselves with others beyond the formal structure. The informal structure develops through various frequent instances like having regular interaction, lunch, coffee with colleagues. According to J.L Massie, Informal organization is any human group interactions that occur spontaneously and naturally over long period of time. Features of Informal Organization The informal organizations are not depicted in the organizational chart. The informal organizations do not have any particular structure. It denotes human relationships beyond the formal organizational structure. Informal organizations are outcome of voluntary associations. The informal organizations develop out of personal preferences, beliefs, habits and understanding. Advantages: It is effective channel of communication in certain cases. It develops a sense of belongingness among the individuals. The gaps and deficiencies that exist in the formal organizations can be filled up by the informal organization. The members of informal organizations help each other in case of unforeseen events or emergencies. Informal group forces the manager to plan and act more carefully than he would otherwise. Informal organization is a check and balance on unlimited use of authority by a manager. Disadvantages: It operates based on the group psychology. The interests of the formal and informal groups may clash, leading to conflict making the job of managers difficult. The informal organizations may fall prey to rumors. It may cause problems by resisting changing at certain occasions. Fig. 4.2 Formal and Informal Organization Difference between formal and Informal Organization: Sr. No. Basis Formal Organization Informal Organization 1 Structure Predefined Undefined 2 Relations Formal Relations Personal Relations 3 Purpose To achieve organizational objective For social satisfaction 4 Dynamism Rigid Flexible 5 Leader Manager Voluntarily chosen 6 Communication Slow Fast 7 Nature Official Sentimental 8 Example Departments in the organization Group of trekkers 1.5 Types of Organization Structures Functional Structure The concept of functional organization was proposed by F.W. Taylor. In functional structures, individuals having identical skills and performing similar tasks are grouped together into formal work units, generally called departments. Members of functional departments share technical know-how, interests and responsibilities. Employees within the functional division of an organization tend to perform in areas of their expertise. The functional structure may differ according to the major functions of a business. Fig. 4.3.1 Functional Structure for Business Entity Fig. 4.3.2 Functional Structure for a Hotel Fig. 4.3.3 Functional Structure for a College Advantages: Specialization: The organizational efficiency increases as each of the employee performs the task as per his specialization. Reduced Workload: As each of the functional head is responsible for only one function work load is reduced. Flexibility: It is easier to accommodate a change with little or no difficulty. Improved Control: As each employee is in charge of one function only, it is easier to spare time to supervise all his / her subordinates. Mass Production: Due to specialization and standardization it becomes feasible to go for large scale production. Disadvantages Complex Relationships: An individual has several superiors due to which accountability for results cannot be easily fixed. Also cross functional relationships create confusion. Inefficient Administration: As same groups are controlled by various specialists, there is inefficient administration. Expensive: As large number of specialist need to be hired it adds to increase in cost. Ineffective Coordination: Each of the functional managers is bound to think only from the perspective of his / her department rather than the whole organization. Delay in decision making: Several functional specialists are involved in the process of decision making as a result of which decisions may be delayed. Divisional Structure In the divisional structure the organization is organized into various divisions based on four criteria product, market, process and location. Thus divisional structure is most suited for the organizations having a wide range of products, area of operation, work processes or customers. Each of the division has its own set of functional units like marketing, manufacturing, finance, HR etc. and is self-contained. Type Emphasis Example Product Goods Provided / Services Catered Market Target Customers / Clients Location Location at which activities are carried out Process Activities of same process Fig. 4.4 Divisional Structure based on product, market, location and process Advantages: Highly Flexible: Divisional structure can respond more quickly to the changing environment. Specific: Expertise focused on specific product, market, process or location. Coordination: The divisional structure leads to better coordination across functional departments. Clear Accountability: Divisional structuring provides clear correlation between the expense and profit of the individual divisions. The business objectives of the divisions can be formulated more objectively and the expectations can be better agreed. Ease of operation: Greater ease to modify the size by adding or deleting divisions. Disadvantages: Reduced economies of scale: Duplication of efforts across divisions leads to increase in the operating and administrative cost. Rivalry: Divisional structures may also result into rivalry as the divisions compete for resources. Divisional Affiliations: The employees feel more affiliated towards their own divisions and would still lack affiliation to the organization as whole. Supremacy of divisional goals: The divisional goals may have priority over the organizational goals. Matrix Structure: The matrix structure comes into existence when one organization structure is superimposed by the other. In this structure an employee is answerable to two immediate supervisors: a functional supervisor and a divisional supervisor. The functional supervisor is charged with overseeing employees in a functional area such as marketing or engineering. Divisional supervisors manage specific projects. They absorb employees from various functional areas to complete their project teams. The diagram below depicts the absorption of employees from Operations, Finance, and Marketing for project A and B. These employees report to both Managers at that point of time. President Manager -Finance Manager Marketing Manager Operations Manager Projects Project A Project B Fig. 4.5 Matrix Organization Structure Advantages: Flexibility: Increased flexibility in adding, removing or changing the activities to meet the changing needs. Motivation: If it is identified that a particular project is lacking proper motivation then it is provided to the concerned department. Development of skills: Since cross functional teams are formed, it leads to development of skills of the employees. Better Service: There is always a product or project manager answerable to the queries. Improved Strategic Management: Top level managers are freed from routine tasks to focus on strategic issues. Disadvantages: Power Struggle: Conflicts occur as there is overlapping of responsibility and authority. Slow decisions: The speed of decision making retards as there is shared decision making in the matrix structure. Increased Confusion: As there is dual reporting in matrix structure, it causes confusion. Increased Administrative and Managerial Overhead: Due to the duplication of routine activities the administrative cost increases and as specialized managers are hired for each of the projects and functions the managerial cost also increases. Professional Developed sidelined: Professional development is not given a priority due to time constraints of the project, so team members forgo opportunities to develop and improve. Network Structure: A network structure is a cluster of various organizations that coordinates its actions through agreements and contracts instead of hierarchy of authority. Rather than hiring individuals to perform all of its business activities, a company using the network structure depends on outside companies. The organizations using a network structure own only the core or essential components of the business and outsource the rest. It may, for instance, hire an outside advertiser to advertise its products. The network structure reduces costs and brings in flexibility because it utilizes external help as and when required. Creating a network-based company, however, means losing control over whatever processes the company has outsourced. Manufacturing Financial Consultancy Information Technology Core Group Advertising Agency Training Consultancy Fig. 1.6 Network Organizational Structure Advantages: Flexible: The most important advantage of network structure is that, it can quickly respond to the changing environment. As the business grows, organizations can enter into new partnerships and vice-a-versa. Cost Effective: As only the essential part of business is owned by the company and the other operations are outsourced, less number of individuals need to be hired leading to reduction in overheads. Efficiency: The overall efficiency of the organization increases as the tasks are outsourced to expert organization. Disadvantages: Coordination Problems: As the business functions are outsourced to different companies sometimes it would become difficult to coordinate all of these activities. Loss of control: There is always a fear of losing control over the core activities which would lead to uncertainties in the relationship. Political Pressure: The change in political scenario affects the organizations bearing network structure to a large extent. Increased Pressure: If there are problems of unemployment in the parent company due to outsourcing there are likely to be pressures on government to effect policy changes in this respect. Line and Staff Organization: The oldest and simplest form of organization is line organization. Line functions are those which have direct responsibility of achieving the objective of the venture. In this form of organization, a supervisor exercises direct control over a subordinate, authority flows from top to bottom of the organization. Here the chief executive heads the organization. This type of organization is also called as scalar organization. The concept of staff organization was developed by F.W Taylor. The objective of functional organization is to offer specialist services in the organization. Under this plan, specific functions common to all the departments are placed in the hands of an expert of that function. The line-and-staff organization combines the line organization with staff departments that support and direct line departments. Most medium and large-sized firms exhibit line-and-staff organizational structures. The distinguishing characteristic between simple line organizations and line-and-staff organizations is the multiple layers of management within line-and-staff organizations.   Company Secretary CEO Manager Marketing Manager -Finance Manager Operations Line Authority Staff Authority Fig. 1.7 Line and Staff Organization Advantages: Top managers relieved from routine work: In this organization line authorities focus on execution of work and are relieved from thinking function. Expert Advice: Line authorities are not autocrats as they are to take the advice from the experts or staff position. Efficiency: This results greater efficiency as the line managers spend much of their time on line functions. The line managers function more efficiently as they get support from staff positions. Easy Coordination: Thisorganization ensures co-ordination automatically as the line managers work along with staff officers. Disadvantages: Confusion: Line and staff organization are ambiguous in terms of organizational relationships, responsibility and authority. Conflict: Conflicts are common in line and staff organizations owing to unclear definition of authority the structure entails. Ineffective and erroneous Decision Making: It is not uncommon for line managers to feel threatened by the advice of staff members. In this case, line managers are liable to make decisions without staff member consultation. Such decisions are not always successful. Slower decision making: Decision making is slower in a line and staff organization due to its complexity and layers.   Costly: Most of the line and staff executives are experts in their fields and their appointment leads to heavy expenditure. Virtual Organizations The virtual organization is a network of independent enterprises, suppliers, customers linked by Information Technology. The virtual organization networks are usually temporary in nature. The significant attributes of virtual organizations are as mentioned below: Technology: The geographically dispersed partners connect to each other via electronic networks. Flexibility: It offers flexibility as the partners can link up as and when required. The structure evaporates as soon as the requirement is over. Efficiency: As each partner brings in his core proficiency the overall efficiency of the organization is bound to increase. Borderless: The boundaries that traditionally separate a firm from its customers, competitors and suppliers are eliminated. Advantages Boundary less: They are appropriate for affinity groups that are geographically dispersed. Suitable for short term initiatives: They are suitable and tailored for short-term initiatives with clearly defined objectives. Flexible: Virtual organizations are highly responsive to changing environment. Cost effective: As there is no physical existence there is little or no organizational overhead. Disadvantages Dependency on Technology: As the virtual organizations depend on Information Technology for coordination and interaction their efficiency may be affected by the limitations and problems inherent to these technologies. Difficult to manage: Since there is no physical existence, i

class size Essay -- essays research papers

In 1998, President Clinton sparked a debate when he "proposed the first national effort to reduce class size in the early grades." People who supported this proposal argued that the result of smaller classes (especially in the younger grades) would be more effective teaching and learning and higher student achievement. Critics say reducing class size is costly and that decreasing class size does not mean that teacher effectiveness will improve, and other less expensive alternatives could be used that might achieve the same educational goals. Today, this debate continues. To say every district should reduce class sizes is wrong. Each district is different and has different needs, but one goal all districts share is to maximize teaching and learning in their schools. If a district believes reducing class size is the best way to achieve this goal, and they have the money, the facilities, and the teachers, reducing class size should be done, but if a district believes the money that wou ld be spent on reducing class size could be better spent on alternatives to achieve this goal, reducing class size should not be done. Critics mainly oppose reducing class size because of the shortage of buildings and quality teachers and the conflicting research that has been done. Decreasing class size means more classrooms need to be built, and more teachers need to be hired. In some districts, this could be a problem because they have a problem hiring quality teachers as it is, and they might...

Low Cost Strategy Essay

Low cost strategy is one of the three generic marketing strategies. Companies use this strategy to offer low price in its products/services by focusing on various points in its value chain activities. In order to be a successful low-cost competitor in a competitive environment, companies focus on several issues; which all pass from the ways of margin improvement (in terms of increasing revenue and reducing cost) and asset effectiveness (in the sense of minimizing working capital and maximizing winning on asset). In other words, we can say that low-cost competitors focus on efficiency in its all activities by redefining and cutting costs in their value chain. Here are different attributes which low-cost strategy focused companies make or follow in order to be competitive and have sustainable low-cost strategies: †¢ Forming partnership in some activities which is too costly for the company to do by itself and/or outsourcing manufacturing activities to low-cost countries. For example, Huawei Technologies (which is importing and developing PBX telephone products) made partnership with 3Com and Siemens so enter new markets and also by using its some other competitive strengths it outcompetes Cisco (well-known global network manufacturer) within 5-6 years. †¢ Minimizing complex and expensive activities such as, research and development, product design and marketing; and standardizing products and designs. †¢ Having no-extra service but with the best use of asset utilization. For example, Southwest Airlines lowers its costs by no-frill services but also achieve to maximize its profits by returning the plane from the gate to the air within very short time (about 20 minutes). †¢ Combining low-price with product differentiation. For example, Japanese retailer Muji as a competitor to Wal-Mart and IKEA. It is very important for a low-cost strategy focused company to identify and deal with other low-cost competitors as early as possible before they become strong and successful competitor in market. Therefore, companies should consider their external environment especially its competitors in order to be able to become more competitive and gain more market share as a low-cost provider. There are 4 ways of analyzing competitive environment: 1) Identifying company’s low-cost rivals: Possible by detecting and responding potential low-cost competitors on time; based on focusing low-cost strategies against to the company. 2) Performing a total cost analysis: Made by identifying a potential threats from companies which are more efficient in their product and service costs. ) Developing all potential scenarios: Company makes what-if scenarios by clear understanding of the market and competitor’s sustainable capabilities in order to prepare better for future. 4) Determining company’s best strategic moves: In this case company uses its what-if scenario understandings in a way to be able to compete and beat its low-cost rivals. While developing company’s strategic moves to gain higher market share and sustainable competitive edge, managers should develop both short-term tactics and long-term strategies. Short-term tactics allow company to make stronger its strengths and also gain time for the needed analysis to be able to develop long-term strategies while keeping low-cost rivals in a position that does not threats the company. These tactics include offering low-price product/services or providing some other sale incentives, several legal actions such as patent infringement lawsuits, product/service differentiation and lastly focusing more attractive and profitable customers by letting unprofitable ones to rivals. These short-term tactics also, allow company to maintain market share as well as gain sustainability in its actions. Long-term strategies adjust companies to changing market conditions and also allow them to pursue after new market opportunities. These strategies might be riskier than short-terms’ but bring more profits. Long-term strategy includes offering differentiated products, expanding products/services, entering into new geographical areas, becoming low-cost leader or having low-cost subsidiaries, investing in technology and lastly improving customer services. As an example, IBM was selling personal computers as a first mover but then it started to sell differentiated product of software by offering service solutions as well when Dell and Gateway started to sell lower priced personal computers. Overall, in order to be able to successfully compete with other low-cost rivals and have sustainability as a low-cost competitor in the market; Firstly, company must analyze its internal and external environment by defining its own and also competitors’ market positions and potential threats to the company. Secondly, company must be action oriented by using its strengths and competitive advantage to eliminate early detected potential threats for the company in future. Lastly, company must develop a strong plan of action to support its successful competition in the market by entering into the new markets and developing new products on the time and also adapting other necessary tactics as quick as possible.

Thesis Ethernet and Network Essay

Thesis Ethernet and Network Essay Thesis: Ethernet and Network Essay EVOLUTION OF CAT WIRING CAT-3 Wiring: The original CAT-3 wiring was popular in the early years of the ‘90s. This wiring was unshielded and was utilized in many computer networks, until it was replaced by the similar, but higher-quality CAT-5. CAT-3 had the capacity of carrying data at speeds up to 10MB/sec at a bandwidth of up to 16MHz. CAT-4 Wiring: This wiring never gained much popularity due to the fact that it was quickly unseated by CAT-5, shortly after it was introduced to the market. This wiring had the capacity to transfer data at 16MB/sec at a bandwidth of up to 20MHz. CAT-5 Wiring: This type of wiring was very popular throughout the ‘90s, once when it replaced CAT-3 and CAT-4. Its ability to carry audio and video data made it ideal for computer networks and use in Ethernet cable applications. CAT-5 wiring has the capacity to relay information at speeds of up to 1GB/sec, at bandwidth frequencies of up to 100MHz. CAT-5e Wiring: CAT-5e wiring is an enhanced version of CAT-5 wiring in that it has the same data rate (1GB/sec) and bandwidth frequencies (100MHz), except CAT-5e allows for data to be relayed at distances of up to 1,000 meters. Standard CAT-5 wiring only allows for signal relays up to 100 meters, without the use of devices such as connectors or repeaters, to allow for additional distance. CAT-6 Wiring: CAT-6 wiring was a revolutionary step towards complete cable functionality, with data rates of 10GB/sec at frequencies of up to 250MHz; however, the original CAT-6 is only capable of supporting these requirements over distances of 37 meters or less before it is exposed to alien cross talk. CAT-6a Wiring: CAT-6a is able to support 10GB/s data rates, at a distance of 100 meters. That’s nearly three times the distance of standard CAT-6 cable. Also, CAT-6a cable raised the bar for operating frequency range, allowing for function at bandwidths up to 500MHz. CAT-7 Wiring: CAT-7 cable has provided a more reliable solution to 10GB/sec data rates over 100 meter distances at frequencies up to 600MHz. CAT-7 wire is the closest replacement to fiber optic cable, as far as efficiency goes; however, singlemode fiber optic cable signals have the ability to relay signals across miles and miles, without the use of repeaters. Vocabulary Term | Definition | 1000Base | Ethernet cable with a bandwidth of 1,000 Mbps. Also known as gigabit cable. | 100Base | Ethernet cable with a bandwidth of 100 Mbps. Also known as fast Ethernet cable. | 10Base | Ethernet cable with a bandwidth of 10 Mbps. | Adapter | A part that allows a device to be electrically or physically connected to another device. Network interface cards can be used as adaptors for network cables. | Antenna | An apparatus for sending and receiving radio signals. Wireless routers have an antenna instead of cable. | Backbone | The main line of a communications network that supports all the data being transmitted. | Bandwidth | The amount of information or data that can be sent over a communications channel in a given period of time. The higher a channel's bandwidth, the more information it can carry. | Boundary | The separation point between network segments. Boundaries are usually set by devices that control the data, such as routers and gateways. | Bridge | A hardware device that connect two networks and breaks the segments of one network into smaller groups. Bridges filter incoming traffic and decide whether to forward or discard it. | Bus | A network configuration in which all the nodes are connected to a common line with two endpoints. Bus topology is easy to connect and does not require a lot of cable. | Carrier Sense | The ability of a network device to "listen" to the network to determine if any other devices are trying to transmit data. | Carrier Sensing Multiple Access With Collision Detection | An Ethernet communication protocol in which devices check the network to see if it is clear before transmitting data. | Coaxial Cable |