Critical review of Crafting Strategy

Introduction Strategic management contains various subjects and topics, most of which do not have the consistent identity (Ketchen, Boyd and Bergh, 2008). It is no doubt that there are still many debates towards strategy concept. In this essay, the article â€Å"crafting strategy† will be reviewed. This is analysed by putting the article in to a wider debate about strategy, then discussing its main strengths and weaknesses. Placing of the article in the wider strategy debate This article’s view fits the debate of prescriptive and emergent strategy.According to Whittington, prescriptive strategy is a rational approach in which planning plays a vital role, and it is more appropriate for large and mature industries (2002). However, Mintzberg challenged this perspective, saying that the process of strategy is distorted by the planning that misguides the organisations (1987). The differences between prescriptive and emergent strategy can be identified in two points. Prescrip tive strategy means formal planning, which involves an analytic process by top executives to set up a long-term mission and later undertaking by staff (Ansoff, 1965).However, in the view of emergent strategy, â€Å"It is not possible to develop a perspective of the future and formulate explicit objective in an unpredictable environment; instead, it is necessary to react in a flexible, opportunistic and accidental manner to new, unpredictable developments† (Idenburg, 1993: 136). In addition, due to the volatility and variability in market conditions, management decisions depend on information that is imprecise and fluctuated.As a result, an emergent strategic approach is more suitable for forms to conduct and business strategy should be adjustable instead of developing a prescriptive strategy with a foreseen result (Marlo, 2000). Moreover, the difference can also be shown by the attitude towards learning. â€Å"Purely deliberate strategy precludes learning once the strategy i s formulated; emergent strategy fosters it† (Mintzberg, 1987:69). Emergent strategy refers to the strategy formulation process which focuses on understanding of strategic learning and let the firm to experiment in a dynamic environment.Though agreement and compromise are part of the formulation process, there is an evident lack of knowledge in the performance system, which leads to a process featured with the emergency of meaning (Lowe and Jone, 2004). In terms of how learning applies to make the strategy, Mason (2007) states that emergent strategy making means all the employees utilise the flexible and strong adaptability to equalise structure and rapid change rather than responding to external change.The basic problem in strategy making is to achieve innovation and remain consistent and reliable strategy implementation. This may include adapt faster than other companies and responding and learning quickly from flaws. In another word, emerging organisation is able to improve employee 3 effectiveness, resulting in a positive influence to greater creativity and motivation in the organisational processes, and it, in turn, leads to better organisational performance (Huselid, 1995).In this article, it discusses emergent strategy, strategic reorientations and how to manage strategy. This is explained by compare and contrast with the deliberate strategy. Mintzberg’s article clearly belongs to prescriptive and emergent strategy debate and it gives strong support towards emergent strategy. Discussion of Strengths and Weaknesses This article involves some main strengths and weaknesses in terms of the strategy debate. In reality, there is no entirely prescriptive strategy or entirely emergent one, many approaches fall between these two extreme points.Most efficient strategy blends organisational learning with flexibility and deliberation and control, such as umbrella strategy and process strategy (Mintzberg, 1987). This idea fully reflects the complexity fo r the business world, even though Mintzberg has an ardent preference towards emergent strategy, there is no guaranty that this is the most suitable or perfect method for all business. Besides, other analyses also illustrate the importance of strategy-making blends autonomy and planning in emergent strategy mode.To be more specific, by combining those two modes, organisation is able to gain productive adaptive capability and optimal alignment in firm through adapting to unpredictable environment in emergent strategy mode and coordinating business activities to complete company’s efficiency in strategy planning (Andersen and Nielsen. 2009). Another strength of this article is the statement about strategic thinking. Fiona (2002) points out that the central to sustain competitive advantage is to have a creative and divergent strategic thinking.This fresh perspective represents a new way for managers to consider and evaluate the operation of organisation. Just as Mintzberg mention s, strategic thinking is captured by informal learning from diverse sources included experiences, leading to an integrated view towards the firm, and then synthesizing the learning into an image of the business direction (1994). In contrast, many administrators merely analyse the figures and graphs, but those are the analysis of past information and predictions, which hold a substantial risk for business.Moreover, strategic thinking displays a whole perspective of mutual influences between each part of the company and its related environment. It also considers the interlinked relationship of past, present and future in order to think in time and utilise newly emerging chances (Liedtka, 1998). However, there still exists criticism about this article as well. One drawback is Mintzberg failed to study the problems of emergent strategy in the business environment. To begin with, sometimes this strategy may consume too much time. As this process includes various 4 experiments, it keeps t rying to identify new method until it successes.No doubt that this involves a long period since no one can find a suitable compromise every time. Apart from that, each time firm tries a new strategy, it costs an enormous amount of resources such as labours or machines use, which is a waste of capital. As Ansoff point out, Mintzberg does not consider the consequence of using a trial and error approach in various programs. In fact, this approach costs hugely, and research presents that acquisitions can achieve better financial results by conducting a planned approach to diversification instead of trial and error one (1991). ConclusionIn summary, this article presents the crafting strategy that is a metaphor towards strategymaking, and it considers the process of strategy making as craftsmen make their clay, which gives readers a vivid image of how the strategy formulates and implements. This practice is valuable at both beginning of strategy development and strategy review processes ( Heracleous and Jacobs, 2008). However, as this article was written in 1987 and many revolutions have happened in these decades, more researches need to carry out to review whether this strategy still fits well in modern business.

Effectiveness of National and International Efforts Essay

Discuss the effectiveness of national and international efforts to tackle the problem of global climate change. Since the late nineteenth century, the view that global climate change is directly influenced by human behaviour has become increasingly accepted as scientists have provided better evidence for the relationship between the level of global carbon dioxide concentrations and global temperatures. A large number of natural phenomenon and processes are affected by climate change, and these in turn can have a negative impact on groups of people living around the world; i.e. The melting of the ice-caps is responsible for the decrease in the number of polar bears in the arctic, rising sea levels increase the risk and regularity of floods in low-lying areas like Bangladesh, and the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone failing to reach Niger, Chad and Sudan was responsible for a large prolonged famine in the 1980s. The magnitude of the number of countries affected mean that climate change is not just applicable to one nation; it is of international importance. Therefore, as climate change has increasingly become a global issue in recent years, a number of international organisations have been formed to monitor global climate change and to reduce and possibly reverse global climate change. International efforts incorporate a greater number of people than national efforts, and therefore they can have a much larger impact on trying to tackle climate change. However, tackling climate change is expensive, and for certain less economically developed countries- (LEDC’s), it would be unreasonable to insist that they should prioritise tackling climate change over some of their national problems, such as lowering the infant mortality rate and establishing a good healthcare system. Furthermore, international efforts to tackle climate change also face problems from the disparity of natural resources, which means that different solutions have to be used in different countries. Britain has a large amount of coastline, and can therefore generate s ustainable energy by using tidal barriers; a solution not available to land-locked countries such as Switzerland. The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group is a network of 59 cities ranging from Los Angeles in the U.S.A to Addis Ababa- the capital city of Ethiopia. Despite the aforementioned problems facing international efforts to tackle climate change, cities are ideally placed to influence climate change, as they consume over 2/3rds of the world’s energy and are responsible for around 70% of global carbon dioxide emissions. The C40 Group was formed in 2005 to give support to mayors hoping to cut greenhouse gas emissions in their own individual cities. The group is extremely effective, as increased discussions and communications between the leaders of a network of cities mean that the best and most effective ways of cutting greenhouse gas emissions can be copied from city to city. The group aims to ‘use collaboration, knowledge sharing and metrics to drive meaningful, measurable and sustainable action’. So far the group have put in place a range of policies such as using more-efficient lighting and building codes, and capturing methane from landfill sites; these should cut 248 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. In addition, as these cities grow and develop, so too does their capacity to tackle climate change, with the New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg claiming that they have the capacity to cut their carbon output by one gigaton (a billion tons) by 2030 in relation to the current predicted levels of carbon output for 2030. The achievements of the C40 group are in stark contrast to the results of international negotiations between countries, the majority of which have failed to reach binding targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and thus tackling global warming. In addition to the C40 group, a number of other international organisations work with cities to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. EMBARQ (The World Resources Institutes Centre for Sustainable Transport) has worked with Rio de Janeiro (a C40 cities member) to develop a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor. This public transport system will not only reduce pollution, but is also expected to help hundreds of thousands of Rio’s residents, providing them with safer transport and shorter commutes. The first corridor became operational on June the 6th, 2012, servicing around 220,000 people. The buses themselves are energy efficient, and therefore reduce the amount of energy used for public transport, and their emissions are also regulated to ensure that harmful gas emissions are minimized. In addition, the time taken to complete a journey has been cut dramatically through the introduction of bus lanes; this means that traffic congestion in the city has been eased, and the improved buses with their shorter journey times will encourage more of the city’s residents to use public transport, thereby reducing the number of vehicles on the road and further cutting greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. The city has plans for another 3 corridors, to further improve the public transport system, cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy consumption, thus continuing to tackle climate change. The BRT scheme in Rio de Janeiro was a local idea, completely funded by the city council, but it had international advice in how to set up and manage the system. One of the reasons why the scheme was put into place so quickly and effectively was because the international organisation it dealt with was an non-governmental organisation (N.G.O- EMBARQ) which specializes in sustainable transport, and much like the C40 cities group, EMBARQ was able to take ideas which had previously been applied in other countries and reproduce them in Rio de Janeiro. As an international co-operation between two organisations which were reasonably small, (as opposed to two countries), the target set was much more specific- reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption through improving the public transport . However, when a number of countries meet, such as at the RIO+20 conference (the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development), outcomes from discussions are vague, and whilst some ideas may start to be formed, very few actual schemes emerge from such discussions. For example, the primary outcome from the Rio+20 was the document ‘the future we want’, in which the heads of governments attending the conference simply renewed their political commitment to sustainable development. The document re-affirms their commitment to Agenda 21 and other action plans for sustainable development, which were agreed 20 years ago in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. This lack of action and inefficiency compares poorly against the effectiveness of collaboration between EMBARQ and Rio de Janeiro’s city council. The one major exception to this trend is the Kyoto Protocol dating from 2005, when 191 member countries collectively agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% on average for the period 2008-12. Despite what may seem an initially very promising agreement, the Kyoto Protocol does fall short on some aspects; it encourages use of bio-fuels and allows member countries to use land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF activities) in meeting their targets. Whilst bio-fuels do cut greenhouse gas emissions, huge areas of forestry (particularly in Indonesia) are being de-forested in order to make space for the production of crops to be used for bio-fuels. This practice is ultimately unsustainable, but has been encouraged by the Kyoto Protocol. Although the majority of international summits and discussions fail to result in collaboration amongst countries with regards to tackling climate change, a large number of national schemes have been formed due to Agenda 21 and other such documents. An example of this is the ‘carbon action plan’ introduced by the U.K government in December 2011. It has broken down the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions into a number of criteria, as detailed by Agenda 21, such as ‘reducing emissions from business and industry’ and ‘saving energy in homes and communities’. From these the UK government has established steps which will help it achieve the criteria set, and achieving these in turn will then cut greenhouse gas emissions. By breaking down the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions sustainably into achievable stages, the UK government can focus on specific targets which, once achieved, will result in them achieving their end objective. In addition, rather than dramatically changing current systems, or spending lots of money on one way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Carbon Plan takes into account a large range of solutions, which will be implemented gradually. This, like the step by step approach for the Bus Rapid Transit system in Rio de Janeiro, means that progress can constantly be reviewed to make sure that the carbon plan is on track, and that they are going about cutting greenhouse gas emissions the most sustainable way. Furthermore, the research done into preparing the carbon plan has also generated a number of other initia tives, such as the Green Investment Bank (GIB). This is a funding scheme initiated by the U.K government to attract private funds ‘for the financing of the private sector’s investments related to environmental preservation and improvement’. In short, they intend to set up a fund financed by major banks which will make investments in environmental technology, such as off-shore wind farms; this will help the UK government meet its target for reducing carbon emissions, and yet will be funded not by the U.K, but by a collection of banks, who will hope to make a long-term gain in their investment in environmental technology. However, the effectiveness of this scheme has been debated, with the World Development Movement claiming the GIB would be too small to attract the kind of investment needed to generate green jobs and industry in the U.K. In conclusion, the effectiveness of national and international efforts to tackle global climate change strongly depends on whether the solution used is realistic, well planned and appropriate to the context. Where the solution is all of the above, such as the BRT system and the Carbon Plan, they can be extremely effective; tackling global climate change and making other improvements, such as that to infrastructure in Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately, despite incorporating a larger number of people, international programs tend to be less effective than national efforts, as the latter are normally focused on specific outcomes rather than just the goal of ‘reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% a year’- as set by the Kyoto protocol. Nevertheless, some international co-operation has been shown to produce results, and the international aspect of tackling climate change shows governments and N.G.Os that they are working alongside a larger body of people to achieve the same end goal; therefore providing a framework upon which national schemes are shaped.

The Current Method of Cleaning and Sterilization Essay

The Current Method of Cleaning and Sterilization - Essay Example It is required to enhance the level of patient care and the health of the health care providers. WHO provide the guide lines on the development of these policies (Who.int, 2014). These guidelines provide complete information to the health care providers in the prevention and control of the infections that can be transmitted from one person to the other. These guidelines are generic in nature and they can be utilized by any country depending upon its individual needs. Â  (Jpma.org.pk, 2014) studied the role of infectious diseases in Pakistan and worked on the inexpensive improvements that can be made. The article put emphasis on the need for the development of surveillance system for infections and antibiotics which can provide bases to the establishment of further polices. The article also put attention towards introducing the culture of accountability in health care settings which can provide sound basis for the future. (Infectioncontroltoday.com, 2013) explains that for controllin g the spread of infections one require proper evaluation, analysis and removal of risk factors that contribute towards the transmission of the disease. When the major cause of the disease is the infectious organism then, prevention is far better than medicine and it could be as simple as washing your hands. The use of disposable instruments and the sterilization techniques depends on the type of instrument being utilized. The use of sterilization techniques can be economical in certain cases and simultaneously these could be the source of infectious diseases. (Sides Media, 2014) explains that infections and toxicity which arises after any ophthalmic procedure can lead to the wastage of a surgeon’s finest work and also can put the patient’s vision at risk. So it is the duty of the medical professional to make sure that surgery is performed with sterile instruments. Â  (Mddionline.com, 2014)

Mass Media and Its Influence on Public Opinion Essay

Mass Media and Its Influence on Public Opinion - Essay Example This project analyzes how mass media manages to both observe and influence public opinion as it relates to consumer-based and politically-based advertising. Mass Media Industry Social changes occurring across the world have radically changed how information sources are utilized for learning, entertainment, and knowledge-sharing. Social-based technologies, such as MySpace, YouTube and Facebook are now considered to be moving into the social mainstream, thus providing an excellent opportunity for opinion leaders to spread their personalized messages. â€Å"Wherever people are online, they are actively engaged in a wide variety of social media platforms, from blogs to social networking to video sharing† (Smith, 2009, p.559). Social media over the Internet is a significant revolution from traditional information sources such as newspaper and television as it relates to lifestyle and allows for evolution of thought from a variety of demographics. This is why this form of media is b ecoming more and more valuable to opinion leaders as it maintains the ability to reach a wide variety of consumers to present different advertising schemes and concepts. The content of messages now have changed with the use of mass media when considering social media outlets as it no longer has to be targeted to just one specific demographic, such as newspapers like the Wall Street Journal which is targeted to those who invest in stocks and bonds. It can be directed toward a global community, as a means to influence and persuade others to accept a particular advertising message. The electronic format of this type of media also allows for rapid changing of the message by the opinion leaders as a means to shift delivery in the event of changing social needs or beliefs across the world. In order to explore the issue more effectively, one should take into consideration the concepts of advertising in order to better understand the observational methods of those delivering the advertising content over mass media sources and how it manages to influence opinion of the community. Marketers have a strategy to ensure competitiveness of their products and also to maintain a competitive edge over other businesses that sell similar products or concepts and services. This strategy is referred to as positioning, which is â€Å"owning a place in the mind of a consumer. By understanding how a mind works, marketers can use it to their advantage and successfully drive demand for their products† (Trout, 2008, p.2). Marketers understand that there must be some element about their products or advertising strategy that is unique to all other competition and they rely on the ability to persuade consumers to accept and adopt their intended messaging. They do this by relating information to the individual’s lifestyle and then select a particular, very biased message that will be delivered to their specific target group. Now that the fundamentals of advertising messaging ha ve been understand as it relates to changing the mind-set of buyers, it can be explored how observation and influence occur as a product of this advertising strategy. In earlier years, marketers used traditional forms of mass media to deliver a singular, streamlined message that was not easily transformed or updated as it was generally in print. Today, with concentrated growth in the Internet, public opinion leaders can now create new,

Statue of liberty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Statue of liberty - Essay Example This poem captures precisely what the features of the statue symbolise; it emphasises that America is the land for all and that it constitutes a state that will take all from around the globe and accept them as Americans. Written in 1886, America was a great nation in the making, a scarcity of people meant that such literature was of great effect in tandem with the statue in inviting and encouraging people to come help build a great nation in the making. Standing at a colossal height, the statue oversees the American people and is looked up to by the American people as a mother to their society and the carer and educator of their lives; her colossal height and empowering height acts as a symbolic reminder of the awe-inspiring makeup of a great nation and her piercing eyes represents the convictions of the American people but, importantly, also acts as a God-like inspirer and guider to instil faith and remind the people of their responsibilities at times where moral and social corruption plagues the American society. The torch she carries ignites and fires into the sky the notions of freedom and liberty, the flames being seen and felt by citizens and guest alike (whether in proximity or not), and through its scorching heat defends against, and attacks, the plague of oppression and tyranny. At the same time, the chains at her foot represent Liberty crushing the chains of slavery. Yet the principles embodied within her are not exclusiv e only to the American people; the general appearance of the statue's head is reminiscent of the Greek Sun-god Apollo who dressed in a similar robe and having on its head a radiate crown with seven spiked rays of the sun's rays. Indeed, the seven spikes are representative of the world and its nations, reinforcing the statue's image as host to all around the world and guests of America and reinforcing America's position as the land of the free and leader of the world as the seven spikes on the crown represent the Seven Seas (Arctic, Antarctic, North & South Atlantic, North & South Pacific, Indian) and seven continents (North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Antarctica, Australia). Indeed, together with the scorching flames of the torch, the statue, located in the middle of the Hudson river, reinforces its characteristics as a statue for all (water and the ocean generally encapsulates the concepts of liquidity and freedom). To hear the Statue is to travel to it by ferry and hear at the height of her dictating posture the howling wind which

Emotional intelligence and appreciative inquiry to promote quality Research Paper

Emotional intelligence and appreciative inquiry to promote quality - Research Paper Example Therefore, in ensuring that nurses embrace this change, a leader should understand the level of social focus in responding to nurses about changing situations. For health institution to be competitive, this change is inevitable especially in the contemporary society where majority are moving to digital platforms. According to Sadri (2012), being emotionally intelligent allows one to build mental health resilience which helps in successfully managing change. In this case, as a nurse, I will use emotional intelligence as an effective tool for communicating change. It is certainly that I will advocate for training of all nurses. Emotional intelligence as a communicating tool will allow me manage emotions of nurses, cope with stress and uncertainty, and influence my leadership style particularly in deciding who, when and how the training will be carried out. The change I am initiating lies on the premise of achieving high standards as a nurse. Therefore, to achieve positive perspective among nurses, I will use appreciative inquiry tool to win over their resistance. In this case, nurses will be in a position to recognize the need for change and open up their minds to the world of discovery. A better understanding as a result perhaps will subject nurses to challenge for new possibilities (Cooperrider & Godwin, 2010). The two skills will help me as nurse to win over the emotions of nurses and make them be part of change which will reduce resistance to change. In the end, nurses will have confidence with that change being advocated thus facilitating positive

EATING AND WEIGHT DISORDERS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

EATING AND WEIGHT DISORDERS - Essay Example Obesity, a medical problem in its own right, can result from bingeing and poor food choices. Bulimics binge and then purge (get rid of food by vomiting, taking laxatives, or exercising excessively). Anorexics starve themselves, sometimes to the point of death. A disturbance in a person’s thoughts, here one actually fears gaining weight. This would mean an avoidance of regular eating just to remain slim, even sometimes when the subject is so thin that the health is at stake. The subject takes up self-starvation methods. 90 percent of most cases are reported in females, although there are cases of this nature in males yet most of them go unnoticed. It is most common among whites or in societies where there is a high demand on thin ladies or were the only qualification of beauty is seen as being thin. Also in careers that requires for one to be thin, dancing, fashion industry, theater , show business. Patients with anorexia could be spotted trying to hide or cover themselves by wearing baggy and heavy clothes although not so easily, however a well trained psychiatrist or doctor would straightforwardly diagnose the illness. The America Psychiatric Association classified it as a distinct disorder in 1980, Bulimia nervosa could result from patients with anorexia, in this case it does not matter if you are overweight or underweight, patients result in bingeing (large intake of low calorie foods within a short time interval). It is not a known cause of weight loss but it does result in gastrointestinal