Apple Inc. Study Essay Example for Free

Apple Inc. Study Essay 1. Executive summary Apple Inc. is a technology company, which designs, produces and sells goods of the Computer, Music and Mobile-phone Industries. It is differentiated by its brand-perception and identification. Over the last couple of years, Apple has become a cult-brand, thanking it’s iLife, iTunes, QuickTime and iMac lines. Apple Inc.’s short-term goals is currently increasing the sales  of the just launched iPad (the most innovative web=browser in market). In the long-run, Apple aims for the top of the market, becoming the number one leader. Apple Inc. has incorporated numerous features that are unique and well known in the market today. We consider that there are several Apple products with several appealing features such as: iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad. These products represent a revolutionary era for the development of Apple. By placing such products in the market, Apple Inc. has attracted a lot of customers in one way or another. Highly advanced technology, simplicity and design, and the sense of luxury are the main features integrated in these products. Moreover the comfort and convenience that these products provide are very crucial. â€Å"Think Different† One of the main reasons which inspired me to choose Apple Inc. is its unique, simple and luxurious image that Apple has created in the market over the years. â€Å"Think differently† which is an inspiring motto, made us believe that simplicity and creativity combined with luxury can lead to a successful and profitable company, such as Apple. Another component that we found to be challenging for us was to understand Apple’s goals, objectives and their secret of being successful. A very important fact about Apple products today is that these products are globally spread. This has created among us the idea that Apple products are no longer luxuries but real necessities due to the technological developments. Moreover, what has motivated us most to select Apple Inc., is the way we relate ourselves with its products. Each of us being an Apple consumer has build trustworthiness relationship with the products that this company offers. Owning an iPod or iPhone today definitely w ill make your life easy and simple. As mentioned above, 2010 came with the launching of the iPad, which is a totally differentiated product in the market. It is a web-browser, which also can be used as laptop, and can be useful in every aspect of educational and professional areas. Its price, compared to regular Apple prices, is pretty affordable ($499), which is an incentive for more buyers to purchase. This is the main goal of Apple in the current day. 2. Introduction According to (OPPapers, 2012).Apple Inc is an American multinational  organization located in 1 infinite loop, Cupertino, California 95014, in the middle of the Silicon Valley. It is focused on designing and developing the personal computers, other related software products, and the electronic products such as MP3 players and iPods. Apple Inc’s main products are iMac, iPod, iPhone, and its latest advanced product is iPad, which is on the verge of creating another revolution after iPhone. Apple Inc was founded in 1976 and since then Apple Inc has been leading the way in innovating new products, however it has encountered numerous ups and downs since then. Apple Inc produced the first ever extremely successful personal computer. It has been always on the forefront of innovating new products; however it has often struggled to maintain the hold on the market share in the product line. Lately, Apple Inc has transformed its image from an inventive computer manufacturer to a fully-fledged consumer’s electronic company. Some facts of its success can be calculated from its sales of $13.95 billion in the year 2005. In year 2005, Apple Inc had controlled 4.2% of the US market in PCs. Also, Apple iPods models had controlled 70% of the hard drive MP3 player market. Apple Inc enjoys the leading share in the handset market, generating over 71% of the industry’s profit with 6.5% of the international handset market. Apple unveiled its first iPhone on 9th January, 2007. The most recent iPhone, is iPhone 4S, and it was announced on 4rth October, 2011 and was released 10 days later. 3. APPLE Inc. According to (Scribd Inc., 2013) Apple has to be one of the greatest success stories of all time. The beginnings of Apple started with Wozniak assembling a simple built computer machine. It was in the summer of 1971 Wozniak 21 and Jobs 16 were introduced to each other by a mutual friend Bill Fernandez. Wozniak had shown Jobs his simple built computer machine and this impressed Jobs to the point Jobs believed he could sell it for a profit. It was here they would form a strong friendship because they not only shared a passion for computers, but because they were both known as outcasts and for the first time they had a great understanding, admiration and respect for each other‘s abilities, personality and intellect. They would begin the Apple project by selling some of their possessions: Wozniaks HP scientific calculator and Jobs Volkswagen, they raised $1300 and assembled their first prototypes in Jobs bedroom. When the project became too big for the bedroom  they moved the pro ject into Jobs familys garage, it was on a huge wooden work bench that served as their first manufacturing base. The computers were hand built by Wozniak and first shown to the public at the Home brew Computer club. After selling a number of the machines Apple was established on April 1, 1976 and went public on December 12, 1980. Apple has maintained its great success with its ability to understand what the consumer wants before the consumer even knows what they want; Apple effectively creates wants by their constant creative innovation and unique design which is stylish, user friendly and affordable. They have also been able to create a brand in the high technology world just as Chanel has in the fashion world. People can easily recognize an apple whether its the I-Pod, the I-Phone, the Mac Air or the I-Pad. It has become a product that defines ones identity in how they desire to be seen by society that is a person who is highly innovative, intelligent, stylish and apart of the in crowd. This is pure marketing genius. This marketing genius of Apple has seen this company outperform beyond the b usiness worlds expectations. While so many companies are struggling to break even in the current recession Apple is getting stronger by the day. Apple’s Most Successful Products and Services iPhone 4, iPadiPad 2, iPhone, iTunes, PowerBook G4, iPod, OS X, iMac, Quick time, Mac, Apple II. PRODUCTS and SERVICES Apple Store, Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTunes. Other Products and Services Desktops, Xserve, Notebooks. 4. Vision Statement It is especially important for managers and executives in any organization to agree on the basic vision that the firm strives to achieve in the long term. A vision statement should answer the basic question, â€Å"What do we want to become?† A clear vision provides the foundation for developing a comprehensive mission statement (David, 2011) a. Vision Statement of APPLE Man is the creator of change in this world. As such he should be above systems andstructures, and not subordinate to them. i. Explanation of APPLE’s vision  According to (Hamilton, 2011) Apple lives this vision through the technologies it develops for consumers and corporations. It strives to make its customers masters of the products they have bought. Apple doesnt simply make a statement. It lives it by ensuring that its employees understand the vision and strive to reach it. It has put systems in place to enable smooth customer interaction. It has put objectives in place to continuously move forward; implemented strategies to fulfill these objectives; and ensured that the right marketing, financial and operational structures are in place to apply the strategies. 5. Mission Statement â€Å"What is our business?† is synonymous with asking the question â€Å"What is our mission?† An enduring statement of purpose that distinguishes one organization from other similar enterprises, the mission statement is a declaration of an organization’s â€Å"reason for being.† It answers the pivotal question â€Å"What our business?† A clear mission statement is essential for effectively establishing objectives and formulating strategies (David, 2011). a. Mission Statement of APPLE â€Å"Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.† i. Mission Statement Analysis for APPLE Inc. Apple is mainly focusing at the following components of mission statement: 1. Apple may not be important to elaborate on its concern for its employees or to thoroughly outline its customers and targeted market. Apple is a trendy technology company which prides its self in providing easy to use electronics and efficiently run software systems. Because of this it is most important for Apple’s mission statement to focus on components like company philosophy, self-concepts, and current technologies. These aspects of Apple are what make it popular and successful today. 2. Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the  1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online music store. 3. Apple’s mission statement only includes descriptions of products and services and past and present technologies. 4. The mission statement from Apple is somewhat unconventional. It’s more of a brief history rather than a summary of the corporations overall purpose. It does however paint a picture of where Apple came from, how far it has come, and where it’s continuing to go. But for such a popular company it may be beneficial divulge into points like its self-purpose and their concern for public image. 6. Values As stated in (appleinvestor, 2012) Apple Values are the qualities, customs, standards, and principles that the company believes will help it and its employees succeed. They are the basis for what they do and how they do it. Taken together, they identify Apple as a unique company. These are the values that govern Apple’s business conduct: Empathy for Customers/Users Aggressiveness/Achievement Positive Social Contribution Innovation/Vision Individual Performance Team Spirit Quality/Excellence Individual Reward Good Management 7. External Audit The purpose of an external audit is to develop a finite list of opportunities that could benefit a firm and threats that should be avoided. a. External Analysis for APPLE Inc.  External environment determines the present situation of Apple Inc., and also helps find out the possible influences of the political, economical, and  social and the technological factors on the organization. b. PESTL Analysis for Apple Inc. i. Political Factors As stated in (CNetnews 2012) Apple Inc. has reportedly obtained 52% of its business from outside US in 2007. Due to the bad international relations, wars and terrorism might influence Apple Inc. in a huge way, and also the organization has no control over these factors. Apple Inc. manufactures a number of its parts and products from outside the US, like Czech Republic, Ireland, China, Korea and Cork. The bad political relations between US and the other world have bad outcomes for the Apple Inc. (CNetnews, 2012). ii. Economic Factors By the (Apple Inc., 2012) The global economic crisis had huge impact on Apple Inc. The inflation rate went high and so did the unemployment rate in the country, and since Apple Inc. products were viewed as luxury products, the customers started pending less on them. US dollar value keeps fluctuating, and thus again which have a bad impact on Apple Inc. products, however the company has purchased itself foreign currencies and thus, the economic effects on the company are minimized. Thus, Apple Inc. revenue has increased in the global market. iii. Social Factors Throughout the history of Apple Inc., two factors have been on the forefront of Apple Inc. products, the quality and the design of the product. Thus, globalization plays a very important role in Apple’s products. As the world cannot be imagined without the gadgets, thus Apple products have marked their presence on the international market. Also, as the purchasing power of the common has risen in various markets across the world the purchasing of luxury products have gone up, for e.g. the iPhone, iPods and the latest technology iPad. Possessing these items is considered as status symbols in many societies which have also increased the sales of Apple Inc. products. Another big social influence to Apple Inc. products is the rapid growth of the music industry, which have increased markets over the cyber space as well. The main virtual music store is the iTunes. Thus, in all Apple products have benefitted from the social factors as it has begun defining a modern individual lifestyle. iv. Technological Factors Apple Inc. has invested largely in its product research and development field and thus, Apple products are at the top of the new innovative products ranking. Apple Inc. has invested largely in its product research and development field and thus, Apple products are at the top of the new innovative products ranking. The technology has been fast changing in the world and the market for it has become gigantic, which has added to more and more competition and thus, as soon as technological change are concerned the product life cycle has been shortened drastically, which the Apple Inc. takes the advantage of by introducing newer products in the market, which ultimately lead the market. v. Legal Factors Nokia has filed various lawsuits against Apple Inc., claiming the violation of 13 additional patents by iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, this apart from US complains covering 24 Nokia patents. Also, in China Apple Inc. has been fighting the battle for its right to the iPad trademark. 8. SWOT analysis for APPLE Inc. SWOT analysis stands for Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat for a particular organization, which can help in formulating a strategy for its business and can also help in analyzing its internal environment (Strengths Weakness) and external environment (Opportunities Threats). a. Strengths According to (Wharton, 2012) The first and foremost strength of Apple Inc. is its technological edge over its competitors. IPhone have turned out to be a great success and has been associated with status in many of the countries. ITunes has turned out to be a wonderful revenue generating source and since it also sells with its own tool i.e. the iPod, thus, revenue has multiplied for Apple Inc. Another strength for the organization is that for every software that Apple Inc. produces, it introduces its hardware with it too, which leads to its expertise in both the industries. Apple Inc. products are classified as luxury items, thus its products provide enough room for it, so  that the competitor products are no longer a competition. The another strikingly advantage over competitor’s products, is the design of the Apple products, and which are also simple to use. The brand loyalty of its product and its super dedicated research and development department are also its major stre ngths. b. Weaknesses Weaknesses are the disadvantages that are hindrance in obtaining the business goals for the organization. The poor relationship with the market than Microsoft is surely a disadvantage to Apple Inc. Another point could be that the products introduced by Apple Inc. have very short life cycle, which concludes that the research and development department has to be constantly maintained, which requires huge capital. Apple Inc. has very low presence in the advertisements, and also it has very small market occupation as compared to its main rival Microsoft. Thus, all this leads to the fact that Apple Inc. gets very less business from its home country US, and major of its business is from outside the US. c. Opportunities According to (Marketingteacher, 2012).Opportunities can affect both the present as well as the future condition of an organization. Apple Inc. opportunities are the introduction of more and more PC viruses, on which Apple Inc. can capitalize on. The second opportunity is the population of the world is growing at a rapid pace and thus, this opens the front for many new markets, also the purchasing power of a common man has increased drastically, who can be pursued or impressed to buy the luxury Apple products. The online sales of the organization are increasing and also, the bonds and the partnership with the other organizations have been on the rise in the past few years. Products such as iPhone have create a new set of potential customers altogether which can be targeted in the future i.e. the young population who have a craze for any new technology gadget (MarketingTeacher.com 2012). d. Threats In the past few years, many competitors have come up for Apple Inc., especially in the field of laptops, like Dell, Sony, HP, and Toshiba. Another threat could be that many of the customers have started downloading  the music for free instead of purchasing at iTunes. The product expensiveness is itself a threat to the product, as substitutes at a lower price are always available. Long lasting recession could also be a threat to its products. Windows 7 software is gaining more market place after vista flopped and last but not the least, the technological advances that have been taking place every single day, is a big threat to Apple Inc. 9. Porter’s Five Forces Model Porter’s Five-Forces Model of competitive analysis is a widely used approach for developing strategies in many industries. The intensity of competition among firms varies widely across industries (David, 2011). a. Porter’s Five Forces Model for APPLE Inc. Porters Five force Model is a very powerful tool to understand the core of the power in a business or in a company. The Porter Five Force Model for Apple Inc. is shown below: Model 1: Showing Porter’s Five Forces Model at APPLE Inc. 10. External Audit An External Factor Evaluation (EFE) Matrix allows strategists to summarize and evaluate economic, social, cultural, demographic, environmental, political, governmental, legal, technological, and competitive information (David, 2011). a. Factors Evaluation (EFE) for Apple: EFE Matrix Model 2: Showing EFE matrix for APPLE Inc. 11. Competitive Profile Matrix The Competitive Profile Matrix (CPM) identifies a firm’s major competitors and its particular strengths and weaknesses in relation to a sample firm’s strategic position (David, 2011). a. CPM for APPLE Inc. Model 3: Showing CPM for APPLE Inc. 12. Internal Audit All organizations have strengths and weaknesses in the functional areas of business. No enterprise is equally strong or weak in all areas (David, 2011). a. Internal Audit for APPLE Inc. i. Internal Environment VRIO framework The VRIO framework can be stated as the value, rarity, imitablity, and organization as a whole. VRIO framework is extremely important for the internal analysis of Apple Inc organization. Resources and Competencies 14. SWOT Matrix The Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) Matrix is an important matching tool that helps managers develop four types of strategies: SO (strengths-opportunities) Strategies, WO (weaknesses-opportunities) Strategies, ST (strengths-threats) Strategies, and WT (weaknesses-threats) Strategies (David, 2011). a. SWOT Matrix for APPLE S-O Strategies Increase awareness through the web of the immunity of Mac products to worms and viruses. (S5, O1) Advertise using individuals that will link Generation X Y to the iTunes and other related products. (S1, O2, O4, O5, O6) Using movies and music groups that are geared towards Gen X and Y to promote computers and laptops. (S3, S5, O2, O5, O6) S-T Strategies Increase and promote the compatibility to Window operating system. (S5,T1) Promote the originality of Apple computers and the different style and stable system that is slightly more but worth the price difference in style, stability and speed. (S2, S5, T2, T4, T5) W-O Strategies Increase ties with Microsoft and Intel and their products.(W1, W2, W4 O2, O3) Promote to business the safety of having a worm and virus free computer by using Mac. (W2, W4, O1, O5, O6) W-T Strategies Improve relationship with Microsoft and Intel so that companies will see them as compatible. (W1, W2 T1) Increase productivity and turn around of high demand products to compete with Dell and HP (W5, T2) 15. The Strategic Position and Action Evaluation (SPACE) Matrix The Strategic Position and Action Evaluation (SPACE) Matrix is four-quadrant framework indicates whether aggressive, conservative, defensive, or competitive strategies are most appropriate for a given organization. The axes of the SPACE Matrix represent two internal dimensions (financial position [FP] and competitive position [CP]) and two external dimensions (stability position [SP] and industry position [IP]). These four factors are perhaps the most important determinants of an organization’s overall strategic position (David, 2011). 15.1 SPACE Matrix for APPLE Model 6: Showing SPACE Matrix for APPLE Inc. 16. BCG Matrix When a firm’s divisions compete in different industries, a separate strategy often must be developed for each business. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix is designed specifically to enhance a multidivisional firm’s efforts to formulate strategies (David, 2011). a. BCG Matrix for APPLE Model 7: Showing BCG Matrix for APPLE Inc. 17. Internal External Matrix The IE Matrix is similar to the BCG Matrix in that both tools involve plotting organization divisions in a schematic diagram; this is why they are both called â€Å"portfolio matrices.† (David, 2011). a. IE Matrix for APPLE Model 8: Showing IE Matrix for APPLE Inc. 18. Grand Matrix The Grand Strategy Matrix has become a popular tool for formulating  alternative strategies. All organizations can be positioned in one of the Grand Strategy Matrix’s four strategy quadrants. A firm’s divisions likewise could be positioned (David, 2011). 19. The Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) The Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM), which comprises Stage 3 of the strategy-formulation analytical framework. This technique objectively indicates which alternative strategies are best (David, 2011). a. QSPM for APPLE Model 9: Showing QSPM for APPLE Inc. 20. Finance/ Accounting Financial condition is often considered the single best measure of a firm’s competitive position and overall attractiveness to investors. Determining an organization’s financial strengths and weaknesses is essential to effectively formulating strategies. a. Financial Ratios for APPLE Sale Ratio Model 10: Showing sales ratio for APPLE Inc. Asset Turnover Ratio Model 11: Showing Asset Turnover ratio for APPLE Inc. Inventory Turnover Ratio Model 12: Showing Inventory Turnover ratio for APPLE Inc. Gross Profit Margin Ratio Model 13: Showing Gross Profit Margin ratio for APPLE Inc. 21. Conclusion It is concluded from the strategic management analysis at APPLE Inc. that technological industries are never easy to compete with. They have a lot invest at RD and have to be proactive in order to compete with their competitors in the industry. As for APPLE is concerned they have been working so well as it is shown form their products. As Apple Inc. is increasing also, those other businesses are increasing and trying to do something interesting for their own good. APPLE needs to make a drastic change. They don’t need to wait for people buy their products only when they are on sale but they need to focus more on the customer support and improve the areas they already have problems. 22. Recommendations Strategy 1 Open six computer retail stores (not just peripheral and accessories). Apple currently has stores opened throughout the United States with only peripheral and accessories for their computers. Adding the hardware should generate more hands-on awareness and use already established locations. This will increase product accessibility for those who wish to view items other than just accessories and increase awareness of the originality of Apple’s products. 2 percent increase over the next 2 years in sales representatives for the computer hardware. Strategy 2 Contract music spokesperson to attract the upcoming generation who are attending high school and college. This will invoke a sense of style and linking apple with a distinctive and memorable top 10 hit. This will stay in the customer’s awareness and influence future purchase decisions. Contracting one music spokesperson estimated $6 million. Strategy 3 Add more features to current products for greater Wintel compatibility. Features such as iTune software compatible with windows based computers, Office programs loadable from PC installation disk (This would require a software agreement with Microsoft). In late October 2003 Apple released an iTune software package that is PC ready. It will increase the United States market share at least 30 percent for the next 2-3 years. $50 million is the estimated cost for Research and Development. 23. References 1. David, F, â€Å"Strategic Management Concepts† 13 edition, Pearsons, 2011. 2. http://alvinalexander.com/blog/post/mac-os-x/apple-business-philosophy-mission-statement 3. http://writepass.co.uk/journal/2012/12/strategic-analysis-swot-and-bcg-matrix-of-apple-inc/ 4. http://blogs.hbr.org/fox/2013/01/apple-versus-the-strategy-prof.html 5. http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/swot-analyses/apple-swot-analysis.html 6. http://investor.apple.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1193125-12-444068 7. http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/01/by-the-numbers-apples-fiscal-2012-annual-report/ 8. http://www.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/pdf/Supplier_Code_of_Conduct_V3_1.pdf 9. http://myassignmenthelp.info/assignments/marketing-assignment-essay-writing-analysis-review-online-apple-swot-pestle-analysis/

Ethnomethodology And Interactionism

Ethnomethodology And Interactionism Ehnomethododolgy and interactionism have been two of the most emerging social theorys to come up from the 20th century. Interactionism was the one that initially started it with the emergence of Meade in the 1920s who emerged with a style of being pragmatism as its main core argument as well as analysis how we socially act with teaches other. Herbet blumer worked on Meade theory and he created symbolic interactionism through it. With their main aim of it being what is behind the subjective theory of humans, the social process and being pragmatic, this theory has then led to several divisions created throughout they include Phenomenology, Social Action, and Ethnomethodology. The view of ethno has created the biggest difference and has been viewed as analysis people everyday life and how people act which defines there social order and therefore it will be used to document to how the world works and operate unlike many other theorys not interested in putting people in separate reality o f using extreme types of cases. In addition the Ethnomethodology can be viewed as members of society must have some shared methods that they use to mutually construct the meaningful orderliness of social situations and that it differs from normal sociology as viewed what is important is the procedures over which social society is created One of the things that interactionist sociologists are different to macro sociologist such as functionalist and Marxist conflict theories. This can be viewed as the way they look at how the individuals act in situations instead of just analysing how they react to a social stimulant. In addition they tend to look at how different social actors understand the behaviour of theirs is significant as a way of understanding in the way social world constructed. One of these differences can be shown in the difference where etnomethodologist tend to be highly indifferent to subjective methods of research as not really thinking that they correctly define human behaviour in the manner they like. In terms of contrast to the normal style of sociology the ethno view doesnt attempt to make an theory or methodological appeal In addition does not view its subjective states as an individual or group of individual as well will refuse to use concept view such as value states, sentiments , goal-orientations as a way of referring to any types of actor or other actors. Therefore for an ethnomethodologistss the way in which you can fully realise social scenes is when the actual location would be under inspection. Therefore the role is to describe the personality of these activities not just accounting as just a person in a particular location but instead look at what happens , how it happens and why these moment tends be different . A difference between the two would be the use of symbols whereby interactionist tend to assume that the truth of symbols are then interpreted by various actor in social while ethno deliberately avoids these assumption to describe social scene and do not think symbol are necessarily used as constants in social scenes. One of the things that make ethnomethodology unique is the method behind its research is different as it tends to look at practical reasons and how that is different compared to the domain of talking interaction or other constituent activity system which believe are very limited and only get a small amounts of research through it . In addition they look in methodological research and how tends be viewed through either ethno-graphic or quasi-experiment which are different to the usual analysis of conversation and look at audio and video recording of on-going interaction. They believe methods of interviews are fake and dont really give the most fairest way of analysis human behaviour as also think can be based on false assumption such as camaridie in the interview which be viewed differently by the parties but it could lead to giving less accurate results. In addition one of the most important thing for the Interactions is how they analyse peoples social life , instead of the functional objective macro-organised structure of the social system where everyone has a place and just a certain role. This is important as it fits in with the interactionist philosophy of their theoretical perspective on the image of humans instead of just analysing society and viewing how that defines. Instead human are pragmatic actors who must continually change their behaviour to be able to respond to other actor and that the only way they we can adjust is because we have the power to interpret them either through symbolic ways or could be linguistic methods through those abilities able to adjust to respond accordingly. This is then enhanced by the way we can imaginatively rehearse other ways of action before to attempt to act. This is then aided by the ability to think and then react to our actions even viewing are selves at times as the symbolic objects. T herefore the interactionist theorist would view human as active, creative participants, who define and make the social world not just conformist passive players in this social world. One of the major differences would be how they both tend to view the difference in role taking It tends to be a key role in the method of interaction whereby it allows take other people views and how their actions lead us to interact in a certain way. Furthermore in other times interactions tend to look at improvisational use of rules where the social situation isnt working well which means then human change their role to try and improve the experience. However a ethno view is that they would prefer to go analyse their research through looking at different ways that people express themselves in conversation and the way that these methods are managed. In addition the way interactionist seem to learn is through participant observation whereby instead of just looking at survey and interview instead they will view that what makes it important is looking how they act in there day to day life and how being immersed in the live is the best way of being able to understand why people commit their action and how the process of the situation is communicated through the interaction. Therefor while they will be very close in terms of contact as a consequence they are explicit over how what they learned from the person can alter their views and thinking but will be objective when it comes to conducting the research One of the criticisms ethnomethodologistss have over the interactionist approach is that they believed that there tends to be an over reliance on the cognitive system approach . There logic is that normal people tend to grasp just normal situations and that is all they process, however when there is a specific event with horrific sequence they start thinking about their pre-conscious state which leads them to disrupt there normal pattern of social interaction in addition the ethno group believe that this only a temporary problem and very quickly will be to allowed to enable normal social interaction again with just a bit of work However in certain methods there tends to be certain similar aspects if you look at how they tend to be linked to a certain degree over the interactionist concern with the role of abnormality within the studies of social group and social relationships. Usually interactionist tend to look at the method of organization which stresses how positions in place work tend to be defined by its inherent informal structure. Therefore this had led to a view created by (Hughes, 1956) that beside every task division of labor rests a moral hierarchy of positions which dictate how per-sons are to relate. Therefore when usually this a study into the social organisations the interactionist will tend to look at how the social organization start with a formal structure and how that progress through a variety of different views and ideas which then as a consequence redefine those initial structures . These view on the structure complement the ethnomethodologistss which also emphasis that a formal struct ure cant be ignored and they are vital fundamental for social relationships. Furthermore ethnomethodologistss major view in this regard in this topic is that the productions of sociologist are similar to those in everyday life. They get to there point through a couple of ways, one of those tends to be tend that sociologists main concern is the affairs of the general people in the social order . Therefore when they start with their initial test they create a certain boundaries and certain rules which will define their method however during these test they will find throughout it anomalys or that the statistical test is not accurate or that what they observe does not actually fit in with their initial hypothesis or central concept . So therefore when they try to make there concept work with their hypothesis they will tend to rely on the documentary style of analysis whereby they look at there earlier view of daily interaction and look at how to help them reach a hypothesis The two views can also have fault lines in what they necessarily try to find as an interactionist are far more concerned with normal common sense question about how we live our lives , while the ethnomethodologistss tries to analysis on the meaning of the social and look at what behind what we all do . One of the major differences can be viewed between how language is differently viewed between the two ideologies as for the interactions language can be viewed as submitting signs of the person that represent the central aspect of the social life; while for the ethnomethodologistss it can be pointed to the person as a way of being the standard reality and how it is explained A criticism that has been used towards interactionism from the ehthno has come towards the Blumer approach and their assessment over how they failed to accurate describe how the social process in the vein that there was a total gloss on the usual human social interaction especially demanding that there should be a place for the minute description of behaviour especially language behaviour instead of the constant reference to mind or self , society which where conceptual goals coming from which then used the prepared account of the social life in the method of Blumer. Therefore it while there are similarities between interactionist and the ethnomethodologists especially as ethnomethodology would not be able to exist without interactionism as that is what started this brand of sociology which went against the functional sociologist style of before such as structuralism , functionalism , Marxism it started then as a new breed of sociology and ethnomethodology became a branch of it like Phenomenology did as well . Therefore whatever the difference will be there central point will always be very similar to each other .

u.s. grant Essay -- essays research papers

Ulysses Hiram Grant was born April 27, 1822, in a two room frame house at Point Pleasant, Ohio. His father, Jesse Root Grant, was foreman in a tannery and a farmer. His mother, Hannah Simpson Grant, was a hard working frontier woman. When Ulysses was a year old, the family moved to Georgetown. There his father bought a farm, built a house, and set up his own tannery. Jesse and Hannah had five more children there, two boys and three girls. Grant love horses and learned to manage them at an early age. When he was seven or eight he could drive a team and began hauling all the wood used in the house and shops. From that point on until he reached seventeen, Grant did all the work done with horses; such as breaking up the land, furrowing, plowing corn, bringing in the crops when harvested, and hauling wood. Three months each winter when work was minimized Grant went to a one room schoolhouse, and that's how he was educated until he went to West Point at age seventeen. When Grant turned seventeen, his father got him an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. The congressman who made the appointment did not know Grants' full name, so he left out Hiram and added Simpson. Simpson, was Grants', mothers' maiden name. Grant did not care for military life and never expected to stay in the army. He was good in mathematics and hoped sometime to teach. He was, however, the best horseman at the academy. He was Quiet, shy, and he made few friends. When he was commissioned, Ulysses was ordered to Jefferson Barracks, near St. Louis, Missouri. While stationed there he met Julia Dent, daughter of a slave owning Southern family . Within three months he proposed to her and was accepted. Since he had only his pay as lieutenant, the wedding was postponed. Grant was in almost every battle of the Mexican War. He fought on foot, observing many different commanders and how they lead their troops. This experience, he said, was of great value to him, because he became acquainted with nearly all the officers of the regular army. Some of them including the great soldier Robert E. Lee were to be on the Confederate side in the Civil War. Grant came back from Mexico a captain. He at once married Julia and took her to his new station, Sackett's Harbor, New York. During the Mexican War. This is where Grant formed the habit of drinking. At Sackett's Harbor he joined a t... ...ed in 1884 and left Grant penniless and humiliated. Ward was sent to the state penitentiary. To earn money, Grant turned to writing. Samuel L. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was then a subscription book publisher. He offered Grant a high royalty for his memoirs, and in 1885 Grant began to dictate them. A pain in his throat was finally diagnosed as cancer, but Grant went on, writing with a pen, to provide for his wife after he was gone. In the summer of 1885 Mrs. Grant took her husband to the Adirondacks near Saratoga. There he finished his `Personal Memoirs' about a week before he died on July 23. Written frankly, the work ranks high among military biographies. It was so popular that Mrs. Grant received nearly $450,000 from its sale. A granite tomb to Grant's memory was built on Riverside Drive in New York City, in 1959 it became a national memorial. Grant's life was like a roller coaster, in the beginning he started low and was regarded as a failure. He worked his way to the top, became the most honored general in the U.S., and was elected President of the United States. Then suddenly his life went downhill, his firm crashed, he developed cancer and died bankrupt. u.s. grant Essay -- essays research papers Ulysses Hiram Grant was born April 27, 1822, in a two room frame house at Point Pleasant, Ohio. His father, Jesse Root Grant, was foreman in a tannery and a farmer. His mother, Hannah Simpson Grant, was a hard working frontier woman. When Ulysses was a year old, the family moved to Georgetown. There his father bought a farm, built a house, and set up his own tannery. Jesse and Hannah had five more children there, two boys and three girls. Grant love horses and learned to manage them at an early age. When he was seven or eight he could drive a team and began hauling all the wood used in the house and shops. From that point on until he reached seventeen, Grant did all the work done with horses; such as breaking up the land, furrowing, plowing corn, bringing in the crops when harvested, and hauling wood. Three months each winter when work was minimized Grant went to a one room schoolhouse, and that's how he was educated until he went to West Point at age seventeen. When Grant turned seventeen, his father got him an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. The congressman who made the appointment did not know Grants' full name, so he left out Hiram and added Simpson. Simpson, was Grants', mothers' maiden name. Grant did not care for military life and never expected to stay in the army. He was good in mathematics and hoped sometime to teach. He was, however, the best horseman at the academy. He was Quiet, shy, and he made few friends. When he was commissioned, Ulysses was ordered to Jefferson Barracks, near St. Louis, Missouri. While stationed there he met Julia Dent, daughter of a slave owning Southern family . Within three months he proposed to her and was accepted. Since he had only his pay as lieutenant, the wedding was postponed. Grant was in almost every battle of the Mexican War. He fought on foot, observing many different commanders and how they lead their troops. This experience, he said, was of great value to him, because he became acquainted with nearly all the officers of the regular army. Some of them including the great soldier Robert E. Lee were to be on the Confederate side in the Civil War. Grant came back from Mexico a captain. He at once married Julia and took her to his new station, Sackett's Harbor, New York. During the Mexican War. This is where Grant formed the habit of drinking. At Sackett's Harbor he joined a t... ...ed in 1884 and left Grant penniless and humiliated. Ward was sent to the state penitentiary. To earn money, Grant turned to writing. Samuel L. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was then a subscription book publisher. He offered Grant a high royalty for his memoirs, and in 1885 Grant began to dictate them. A pain in his throat was finally diagnosed as cancer, but Grant went on, writing with a pen, to provide for his wife after he was gone. In the summer of 1885 Mrs. Grant took her husband to the Adirondacks near Saratoga. There he finished his `Personal Memoirs' about a week before he died on July 23. Written frankly, the work ranks high among military biographies. It was so popular that Mrs. Grant received nearly $450,000 from its sale. A granite tomb to Grant's memory was built on Riverside Drive in New York City, in 1959 it became a national memorial. Grant's life was like a roller coaster, in the beginning he started low and was regarded as a failure. He worked his way to the top, became the most honored general in the U.S., and was elected President of the United States. Then suddenly his life went downhill, his firm crashed, he developed cancer and died bankrupt.

Caring Moments Essay -- essays research papers

CARING MOMENTS The caring project our group chose involved taking a test. We felt test day was an unusually stressful event for everyone. We wanted to come up with a caring way that would help to alleviate some stress on our fellow students, the faculty, and ourselves. We decided to hand out peppermint candy on test day to help stimulate brain function. we felt this might help us all do well. We also talked to everyone and wished them well on the test which was a good way to help relieve stress. It also gave us an opportunity to meet some of our fellow students that we had never met before and it helped to ease the stress we all were under. We also passed out the peppermints to the faculty as they needed a stress reliever on test day too. They have to keep everybody under control and start the test at the appropriate time. We all felt like we were helping our fellow students through a stressful time. Shannon felt good inside knowing that the peppermint might help someone do better on the test than they might normally do. It made her feel wonderful inside seeing everyone talking to one another and enjoying the moment. Kristi felt we were giving out a caring part of ourselves every time someone took a piece a candy. Barbara felt pride in knowing she got a smile out of the students. She felt good knowing the words of encouragement, to each individual student, took a stressful moment and eased the tension. Kristi had a caring moment when a fellow student gave her a small gift. Kristi would carry a pink, â€Å"hello kitty† coffee cup with her to lecture every day. A classmate always complimented her on her cup each time she brought it. One day before a test her classmate handed her a pink, â€Å"hello kitty† pencil. The classmate said she was out and saw the pencil and it reminded her of Kristi. She bought it and gave it to Kristi.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This made Kristi feel very special and important. Kristi and the classmate never have a chance to talk outside of class. However, Kristi will always remember her classmate and have a special place in her heart for her, because of this gesture. Every time Kristi sees this classmate it brings a smile to her face. She feels warm inside knowing that someone thought enough of her to perform such a kind act.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Our group has decided to implement several caring ges... ...ow the health care team is interested in them as individuals and they are not just a body being patched up to be sent home. They need to know that their concerns and what they are going through matters to the health care team. Showing compassion and caring to the patient will build a positive, trusting relationship that will ultimately benefit both the patient and the team. The nurse needs to know that she has support form her colleagues as well, and that she is not alone. If she feels burnout with no moral support, it will begin to affect her job. This attitude will have a negative impact on her client as well as the other staff members. Just one negative non-caring act will affect everyone around her. However, if just one nurse shows a caring moment, big or small, to a colleague, it can change the atmosphere into a caring one which will radiate all the way to the patient. Caring is the gel that keeps the health care team working together. Everyone from the doctor to housekeepin g needs each other. Without the caring element they would all be doing their own thing and the team would fall apart. Therefore caring for each other is an essential step towards a positive nursing career.

Therapy, Not Punishment Essay -- Crime Consequences Essays

Therapy, Not Punishment Problems with crime have always been a concern to society. There are many different ideas about what causes it and even more ideas about how to stop it. Dr. Karl Menninger believes that our current prison system is not adequately addressing the motivation behind crime. In his article "Therapy, Not Punishment", Menninger says of the old prison system, "In its place should go a quiet, dignified, therapeutic programÉ" (544). He sets forth the claim of policy that criminals need to be treated with professional therapy. I don't think an introduction could be more clear than this. Menninger's ideas are directed toward a wide audience of generally law-abiding citizens. This article first appeared in Harper's Magazine, a general-interest magazine that provides collections of essays and fiction. The type of person who would read a magazine such as this would probably be an educated person who is interested in the affairs of the world around them. Menninger reveals his impression of the audience in his introduction, where he says, "And from these offenses the average citizen, including the reader, is deterred by quite different restraints" (537). Armed with this vision of his audience, he presents his argument in a logical, authoritative tone that invites the reader to make the inevitable conclusion that Menninger is right. Menninger begins to support his claim of policy by demonstrating the failures of the present penal system. He states, "Today it is no secret that our official, prison-threat theory of crime control is an utter failure" (537). He illustrates this assertion by pointing out that in England when pocket picking was punishable by hanging, pickpockets targeted the crowd that gathered to witness ... ... a solution to crime. This method prepares the reader well for Menninger's proposals. This logical progression through his views of the prison system is a large part of Menninger's clear, understandable tone. By keeping to his topic and remaining organized, Menninger contributes to his own credibility. He also draws credibility from his credentials and often refers to the psychiatric community as "we". Menninger wraps up his argument just as logically as it began by saying that society must make positive moves to rehabilitate criminals. His logical style and expertise provide an effective argument and reveal a well-planned solution to a serious problem.Cedric probably needed to mention that Menninger is often sarcastic and insults his opposition at least once. It is important to comment on what isn't working for a writer as well as what he does that is effective.

Being prepared for the new school year

As a proactive teacher new to the classroom I would want to be completely prepared for the entourage of first day students starting a new school year. I realize that in order to be totally prepared and ready for any problems that may arise I need to consider how to divert those problems before they manifest; by preparing myself and my classroom, and ensuring that both foster a conducive, positive learning environment I will be ahead of the game. The list of preparation tasks that I would undertake are as follows:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Make sure I have a full grasp of the curriculum and prepare as many materials and lessons as I can – for the first month at least, being sure to take all learning styles and strategies into account.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Make sure I know relevant personnel in the school, where they are located and how I get in contact with them.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Obtain a list of school regulations and procedures.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Make sure I know where supplies and resources are located and how they are obtained, including the library and computer facilities.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Make sure I know where and how everyday activities occur, such as where assignments are submitted, where the toilets are located and where to send students if they are ill.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Develop a plan or list of strategies on how I will deal with the little problems or concerns that may arise, such as late students, misuse of resources, special needs students and timetabling conflicts.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Determine a set of class rules – not too many – so that students understand what is acceptable behaviour in the classroom and what I expect of them. Display these rules in an easily accessible spot for students to see and for me to refer to at any given time.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Obtain class list and write name tags on desks ensuring a mix of student backgrounds and gender are integrated as much as possible, in an attempt to avert small cliques or groups developing.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Arrange desks so that students can work individually, in small groups or as a class, ensuring that all students can see me and the board easily.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Arrange all furniture and classroom resources so that they are easily obtainable by students without them having to climb over each other, furniture or other resources.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Locate, obtain and post pictures, posters and   any other materials relevant to the year’s curriculum, around the room.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ensure all facilities such as fans, lights etc. are in working order, if not ensure they are fixed before school commences. Finally while resting during the summer holidays I will endeavor to read up-to-date literature on classroom management and any other areas of interest or concern for my teaching year.

Effective HRM and its impact on an organisation Essay

Effective human resource is instrumental for ensuring the sustainable success of the organisation as a whole. Human resource is the most important resource in any investment. This is because it is the force behind the conversion of other resource into profitable products of services to the company. The roles of human resource management are to recruit, training, engaging, and retaining a strong workforce for the organisation (Jackson & Mathis 2008, p. 56). As an important role of an effective human resource management, it must seek to ensure that it attracts and recruit the best candidates to suit the requirements of the organisation. This gives the organisation a competitive advantage of sustainable realisation of its strategic plan. The other function of effective HRM is to train workforce. A trained workforce serves the ultimate purpose of providing quality services to the organisation. It is due to this that the function of effective human resource management to train the workforce remains of great importance to the organisation (Bates 2002). In addition, training should entail instilling a strong respect and uphold of the company’s corporate culture to new employees. This promotes accountability and reduces conflicts of interest. Effective HRM should invest much resource in developing and executing an efficient employee engagement policy. Employee engagement functions to encourage employee commitment towards the execution of the mission and objectives of the organisation (Bates 2002). This has the implication engaging employees as a function of effective HRM is a crucial factor in enhancing the competitive profitability of the organisation. The last important function of effective HRM is retention of the best employees in the organisation. With a strong workforce, a company is assured of meeting the demands of its customers as well as the dictates of its strategic business plan (Sempere, Lillo, & Lajara 2002, p. 13). This is because such a workforce enjoys the competitive advantage of innovatively resolving company problems. On the other hand, retention of employees save the organisation the huge costs involved in employee recruitment and training process. Thus effective HRM plays a pivotal role in the success of a company. Strengths and weaknesses of online recruitment Online recruitment practices are increasing becoming common in the modern business world. The practice enjoys the advantage of convenience. Online recruitment involves the access of potential employees from an online database, evaluating their qualification, and choosing the most suited candidate (Starcke 1996). This has the implication that online recruitment saves the organisation time. Just to be appreciated is the fact that the process of traditional recruiting entails conducting physical interviews with the candidates, an act which no doubt wastes time. Moreover, time is one of the most valuable resources in an organisation (Wuttke 2008, p. 34). This makes online recruitment to be of importance in saving time while getting the required talent. Other strength of online recruitments is cost effective and has provisions of variety of talents from across the globe. Online recruitment is entails the practice of candidate access at the click of the button, making less costly. On the other hand, the practice promotes diversity in an organisation as it provides the employer with a cross-cultural workforce from across the globe (Johannasen 2009). Such are instrumental in promoting innovation in the organisation. Nevertheless, online recruitment has a number of weaknesses. First, it opens a loophole for potential employment of unqualified candidates. Faking of certificates is not a new thing across the globe. Although the employer might realise of the certification problem, the costs and time incurred in facilitating the employment deal remains a major loss to the organisation (Younger 2007). Therefore, the practice fails to protect the authenticity of the information given by the candidates. Another weakness of online recruitment is that it involves too many candidates, an element that makes it demanding to make the right choice. Online job applications are quite many. Despite the specifications of qualification given by the employer many irrelevant applicants post their application. This means that the employer will be faced with the problem of sorting out numerous inappropriate and irrelevant candidates, an action that is no doubt time consuming (Jahannasen 2009). However, this can be easily resolved if clear description of job is made and the employers uses the candidate screening tools of the online job site board to limit candidate spam. Advantages of training and development to both organisation and individual Training and career development in an organisation is of great important to both the organisation and the individual. The organisation seeks to ensure the availability of reliable workforce to aid in the realisation of its strategic business plans. To achieve this goal, the company should train and development career (Wilson 2005). It is worth noting that different companies have different approaches to their businesses. Further, education seems to be the same for students of the same profession. This has the indication that the ultimate skill and experience enjoyed by employees reflect their training in a particular organisation (Wilson 2005, p. 102). Therefore, training and development will promote the effectiveness of the workforce in executing their duties. Another advantage of training and development is that it promotes employee commitment to the company mission and objective. Employee engagement practices are instrumental in promoting employee commitment to the mission and objectives of an organisation. According to the principles of effective human resource management, training of employees is one of the reliable tools of ensuring their satisfaction at the workplace (Bureau of Labour Statistics 2009). This is due to the fact that training eliminates the demoralisation aspects brought by failure to efficiently realise one’s expectations at the workplace. In addition, training gives employees an opportunity to achieve their professional career goals while earning a living. All these are important are important in meeting the social and economic responsibilities of both the individual and the organisation. Training and career development serves the important role of strengthening the reputation of an organisation. Reputation remains the best marketing tool for the products and services of any business. On the other side, the reputation of a company is defined by the effectiveness and reliability of its services to the customers (Aidele 2009, p. 76). This means that an organisation should have in place a strong workforce to meet its market demands. This calls for engaging in employee training and career development since such is vital tools in promoting innovative solving of problems. Still, providing training and development gives the organisation the competitive advantage of identifying the best talent for its workforce as it eliminates certification qualifications to engage in seeking actual capabilities of its employees. Why poor performance occurs and the strategies that can be used to overcome it Poor performance in an organisation is to be blamed to poor human resource management. This can be evident from failure of the HRM in its four main functions. Hiring discrimination practices which lead to recruitment of unqualified candidates compromises the reliability of the company workforce in providing quality services to the organisation. Another cause of poor performance is lack of training and engagement to employees (Booth 1993, p. 81). An informed and satisfied workforce gives reliable services to the company with a high degree of commitment. As an HRM function, employee engagement does not only promote commitment but also accountability of the employees in their duties. Therefore, poor performance can occur due to failure by the HRM in one or more of its functions namely; recruiting, training, engaging and retaining the best employees for the organisation. To overcome this problem, organisations should in formulating and implementing strong positive corporate culture to govern its human resource (Booth 1993, p. 89). This culture should dictate for giving employment opportunities on merit to mitigating incidence of recruiting unqualified and thus unreliable employees into the organisation. In addition, employee training must be given priority as it serves to equip the workforce with adequate knowledge on the operations and expectations of the organisation from them. This is important in mitigating operational mistakes of failures. Another strategy is employee engagement which seeks to enhance the commitment by employees to the mission and objectives of the organisation (Werner, Shuler, & Jackson 2008, p. 66). Most employees perform poorly due to failure by the company to care for their personal needs. However, the practice of employee engagement seeks to appreciate and address the social and economic concerns of individual employees as a way of ensuring their sustainable job satisfaction. The last strategy is striving to retain the best employees in an organisation. Most organisations lose reliable employees due to poor conflict resolution policies. This negates their sustainable development objectives, a problem that calls for implementation of an effective conflict resolution policies to eliminate resignations or conflict at workplace which compromises performance.