An Introduction to German

Ethics Paper Bioethics And Medical Ethics - 1101 Words

Amanda Keith May 10, 2016 BIOETHICS MEDICAL ETHICS PHILOSOPHY 345 Case Study #4 (1) What is the central ethical issue in the case? Chuck Held is an emergency room nurse who is being paged to the Emergency Room since an outbreak of a more virulent form of H1N1 has been confirmed in his city. He has a family, consisting of a 2-year-old son, two golden retrievers and a partner, whom is also a nurse working in another area of the hospital. He worries that he may be quarantined when arriving at the hospital. The central ethical issue is whether or not nurses, like Chuck Held have a duty and moral obligation to treat patients during an outbreak of a highly contagious virus. (2) Who are the †interested† parties? The interested parties include Chuck Held, an emergency room nurse who has been paged to report to the ER. His family, consisting of his partner, dogs and son would be affected if he were to become quarantined at the hospital. Furthermore, the healthcare professionals at the hospital and the ER patients are both interested parties, both affected by the outbreak. All healthcare professionals have the ethical dilemma of whether or not to treat patients during an outbreak and the ethics committee has a duty to oversee compliance among healthcare staff and to resolve any disputes. (3.) How would you resolve the ethical issue? An outbreak of a more virulent form of H1N1 in the city has led to the question of whether or not it is the nurse’s duty to treat. ThisShow MoreRelatedLeadership Roles And Management Functions Of Nursing Theory And Application By Marquis And Huston1185 Words   |  5 Pages Ethics Paper Katelin Bethany Jackson NSG 488 Leadership 19 September 2017 â€Æ' Ethics Paper Massage the Dilemma When reviewing our text, Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing Theory and Application by Marquis and Huston, in preparation for this paper on ethics I thought it imperative to establish an accurate description of what ethics is. Marquis and Huston define ethics as the following: Ethics is the systematic study of what a person’s conduct and actions should be withRead MoreMiss Evers Boys Film critique Essay1029 Words   |  5 Pagesto have conducted a study among 600 black Americans from the years 1932 to 1972. This study was done in Macon County. This paper will exclusively explore the critique the Miss Ever’s Boys film using ethical frameworks. 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When asked ifRead MoreHealthcare Business: The Legality of Introducing a New Structure for Organ Donation2843 Words   |  11 Pagesï » ¿Title of paper: Healthcare Business Legality Introducing a new structure for organ donation Students name: Course name and number: Instructors name: Date submitted: January 23rd, 2012 Introduction The legal and ethical business practices that are maintained to be the standardized rules in primary industries are also critical for the successful, legal and ethical execution in the healthcare industry so that the patients can choose the right healthcare provider and structure. To furtherRead MoreConfronting Deep Summary1517 Words   |  7 PagesNelson, L. Meyer, M., (2005). Response to Commentators on â€Å"Confronting Deep Moral Disagreement: The President’s Council on Bioethics, Moral Status, and Human Embryos†. The American Journal of Bioethics, 5(6): 14–16. Nelson Meyer discusses coming to a compromise on the disposal of the extracorporeal human embryos (EHEs). One should not link the extracorporeal human embryos to the possibility of developing into a real human. As long as the human embryo is outside of the human body, it doesRead MoreParental Decision-Making Essay example1517 Words   |  7 PagesGuttmacher Report on Public Policy, current laws in the United States of America indicate that minors under the age of eighteen, unless medically emancipated, must have the medical consent of their parent or parents before any health care decision can be made (Boonstra Nash, 2000). These laws do not include health sensitive medical care like prescriptions for contraception, abortion of fetus, pregnancy care or drug addiction rehabilitation. Pediatric nurses are in a unique position that serves as theRead MoreEssay on Embryonic Stem Cells Research1005 Words   |  5 PagesStates. Some people think that it is morally and religiously in correct as they are killing a human life at the first stage of life. While some think it is ok because the human life to them starts at the fetus or when the fetus can feel pain. In this paper we are going to discuss the total aspect of embryonic stem cell research: how the government takes play in the study of embryonic stem cells, how embryonic stem cells have help out people so far, and what are embryonic stem cells. Hopefully with this

Getty Museum Report Essay Research Paper Getty free essay sample

Getty Museum Report Essay, Research Paper Getty Museum study Getty Center is a topographic point to see and bask art in alone scene that features dramatic architecture, tranquil gardens, and breathtaking positions. The Getty Center is surrounded yet somewhat removed from the metropolis, arousing both urbanity and peaceable contemplation. It is located at the really high extremum of the mountain, which is perfect position of the environing country. The Getty centre is over two-hill top ridge ; stand inside the museum Entrance Hall s cylindrical space-which callback the surging rotundas of many great edifice of the yesteryear. Even thought the Getty centre is in private owned but dedicated to the ocular humanistic disciplines and the humanistic disciplines and it has a batch more to offer to its visitants, than any other museum I of all time visited though out my life-time. The Getty provides chances for people to more to the full understand, experience, value, and continue the universe # 8217 ; s artistic and cultural heritage. Getty museum trip starts at the really underside of the train station, which is built to transport visitants at the top Arrival place country, which is located environing the Green trees and country is made of Marble architecture. As we Enter into the Building the A form of metal frame is built which show Welcome to visitants. The museum it self is separated into four different subdivision which are North Pavilion, South Pavilion, East Pavilion and West Pavilion, which has its ain type of aggregation of art and sculpture from the past history. As walked in at first sight we spotted a North Pavilion, which is filled with fantastic exhibition of discoloration glass picture, which is done by creative person called of D rer, and Holbein was the learner, which worked right by side of his maestro. D rer introduced to the medium the same huge capaciousness, sculptural mold, and deepness of look that are found in his pictures and prints. Stained in Glass was a renaissance art signifier, although widely thought of mediaeval art, discoloration glass flourished during Renaissance, particularly in Germany and Switzerland. Most of the picture reveals information about Renaissance s painting epoch. They have achievements of Renaissance panel picture and printmaking, but they may non cite images of stained glass. Nevertheless, D rer, Holbein, and their southern German and Swiss coevalss designed some of the most glorious plants in the history of the medium. In the discoloration picture which were about Grecian s spiritual symbols and God and male monarchs. They are more like narrative stating images. Stain glass images has the values of the colourss which shows true position of a colour scene when visible radiation is appeared from the dorsum of the portrayal or landscape. It has Sculpture of Greek s Gods which were made of bronzy stuff, which are looking to be like made with machines but they are manus made sculptures. In this marquee they had stain glass picture, and on the 2nd floor picture was from 1500-1600, and the picture were framed with wooden frames with aureate screen on it. Few other painting on canvas and slate. In this edifice I like the picture of day-to-day life scene of genre at ( 1509 ) the creative person was Baccio Della Porta, its was painted in Italy. This image depict the position of other sides and country and its chief focal point is on heterosexual on object instead than other natural position of the portrayal. The Renaissance creative person s ability to humanise the diverse, and fulfill the natural. In the portrayal creative person is seeking to acquire viewer s attending by holding line design which leads to see to look at each image from the one point of position to another position, and this image of St. Joseph, female parent and two childs stated chief focal point from the female parent and so that unseeable line starts to pull attending from the female parent to left side kid so kid is view to another kid. From all of the picture at particular exhibition I liked the picture of ceramic from 1400-1600 abduction of Helen. Which was created by Francisco xanto Avelli. It was originated in Italy, and the median of this picture was Tin-glazed Earth ware. In this image the chief focal point is on the girl of God is being abducted in ship. South Pavilion is aggregation of place furniture of from the yesteryear, which unique design of its ain sort, which are rare to happen in the market. This edifice is contains most of the place furniture which shows how Furniture creative person were more progress, and they used to be cosmetic minded people during that period of clip. The work of art from 1770-1785 shows that neoclassic period of clip, which is more into to architecture and furniture design than more into the pictures, so comes transitional manner which relates to the unrecorded graduated table and proportional of ancient architecture. In this Building I like the most about a tabular array, which was made of piece of assorted wood and set them together by gum, which is more impressive than any other furniture. East marquee is aggregation of Gallic tapestry from 1690-1705, the development during the Rocco clip. Dutch A ; Famish picture. 1600-1675. It has aggregation of abduntant its originated in Nether land, it has portrayal of still life and painted in high grade of naturalism for delectation of merchandiser category. It besides has portrayal of landscape and genre and scene of day-to-day life. West marquee is the aggregation of the art of furniture and of old manner Daybed 1932-1835, made by Flippo Pleagib, originally is the work of art from the Italy. The Daybed combines the elements of the assorted beginnings. And the design is appears to be from Egyptian manner which really alone to all other furniture manner of painting manner of the stupa cloth. Decorated chairs, Mirrors, Pottery, and sculpture, and the statue of the Fetus and the God of love, and the statue of the goddess Venus of the birthrate, which represents the symbol of the birthrate to immature adult females. As we walked out of the West physique we came across the garden, which is portion of the work of art, as visitant is walked across it, the green shrubs are planted in the centre of the Garden. Over all the Getty museum is a topographic point to see the visualising the facet of the right significance of the creative person s point of position and larn how a art work can be narrative stating as the stating a A Picture is deserving thousand word and its is truly of import when creative person picks different type of puting or back land, and this truly demo how a creative person truly feels about the picture, and by art we are able to decrypt the yesteryear of history of the civilisation which existed in early old ages. 32e

Ecological Restoration free essay sample

Considering how these aspects are different to different regions, it becomes difficult to develop a term that everyone can agree on unanimously. The campus lagoon, 94 acres in total, is â€Å"surrounded on the north, east and west by the Main Campus of UCSB and is bordered on the south by the Pacific Ocean. † The floor of the lagoon contains a depth of about 40 feet of loose and incompact layers of sand, slit, and clay comprised of partially decomposed organic matter. Habitat types that the lagoon includes are salt marshes, coast live oak woodlands, coastal dunes, vernal marshes and coastal sage scrubs. Archaeologists have determined that mankind had inhabited this area for about 9,000 years (UCSB Campus Lagoon). The restoration of Manzanita Village, Campus Point and the degraded wetlands will be focused on. Their descriptions, future goals and future actions will be discussed to have a better understanding of the sites. Daylight streams, Kudzu plants and riparian buffers strategies will be explained to illustrate how they will improve water quality, diminish erosion and decrease pollution, respectively on these sites. The Pacific Ocean and the campus lagoon border Manzanita Village. The restoration began in 2002 as a way to diminish the impact it made on the vernal pool and vernal marsh habitats on the site (5 Year Performance). The site is considered a Mediterranean climate zone and the soil consists of clay (Bitting). Currently, there are six acres of restored coastal grassland, vernal pool, vernal marsh and coastal sage scrub and more than 80,000 native plants have been replanted to increase species diversity (CCBER). The expanded wetlands have also significantly increased the number of birds, animals, reptiles and amphibians. Much of Campus Point is covered with an ice plant, Carpobrotus edulis. These plants grow year round and individual plants compete with native plants by forming mats up to 40 cm thick and 8-10 m in diameter. Examination shows that this ice plant has a very dense tough root system concentrated in the upper 50 cm of the soil, and that new roots form at each node as the plant spreads outward (D’Antonio, 886). In 2006, CCBER planted 2,000 acorns along Campus Point with hopes that in 15 to 20 years a small oak woodland habitat will be reestablished (CCBER). The eastern edge of the Lagoon, near San Nicolas Hall and Parking Lot 5, is dominated by Kikuyu grass, a rhizomatous plant with matted roots. Data from 2009 illustrate that even at that time, the site was completely covered in non-native Kikuyu grass (San Nicolas Slope Restoration Monitoring). Kikuyu grass favors moist areas and therefore it occurs in hydric soils. A Mediterranean climate, the site records rainfall averaging 16-20 inches per year. A myriad of different birds also inhabit the riparian and coastal sage scrub habitats as seen on wildlife surveys done monthly of the site due to the Lagoon Survey requirement (San Nicolas Habitat Restoration Plan). If Manzanita Village does not undergo restoration, the confined underground pipe systems will eventually cause decreases in flow capacity, escalation in flow rate and water pollution, resulting in floods, erosion and loss of natural resources. Goals for this restoration include improving water quality by subjecting water to air, sunlight, vegetation and soil, all of which aid in neutralizing toxins and reconstructing riparian habitat so more wildlife can inhabit the site as well (Koshaley). In some cases, daylighting streams on school grounds have led not only to ecological restoration but also to the advancement in students’ knowledge regarding other outdoor ecological programs (Ubran Stream Daylighting). Because the coastal bluffs on the Campus Point are eroding, more action needs to be taken in order to slow down this natural process. The goals for this site are to â€Å"restore the soil and reduce erosion† (Kudzu). Individual Kudzu stems can grow to about 20-30 m in one season so it should not be used in abundance in the future because it can become a detrimental invasive weed with serious ecological and economic effects (Sasek). With a restored wetland being designed on the way, inland buffer zones should be created â€Å"to provide an opportunity for wildlife to move inland† (Kostyack). Wetlands need to be restored because damage to them can obstruct wetland functions, such as water quality safety, habitat for fish and other wildlife, and flood prevention (Wetland Restoration). Goals for wetland restoration include reducing the outcomes of human disturbance on wetlands and increase in diet for wildlife (Wetland Buffering Plantings). To continue into the future, all of California’s shoreline wetlands require buffer zones around them to allow for steady migrations of each wetland as ocean levels increase (Bridgers). Currently, the Manzanita Village site contains 1,300 linear feet of bioswales (CCBER). An alternative, or addition to the bioswales could be daylighted streams. Because there are underground pipe systems that connect Manzanita Village to the lagoon, streams can be daylighted so that their flow of formerly concealed rivers, creeks and streams can be partially or fully exposed (Koshaley). The daylighting of living streams can occur in several ways. Various implications of creek daylighting are discussed by Brown and Schueler (2004), Pinkham (2001), Wolfe and Mason (1999).

Why I Wish To Pursue Higher Education Essay Example

Why I Wish To Pursue Higher Education Paper I believe myself to be a lifelong learner. Therefore, I consider both formal education and practical experience to be essential for my personal growth. Besides, I am convinced that it is education alone that is necessary to solve all problems of the world. Learning is the preliminary step in the right direction – that is, to solve all world problems. I trust the fact that learning can improve personalities, and refine human behavior as well as attitudes. Before completing my Bachelors degree in Interior Design from a private college in Saudi Arabia in the year 2005, I spent the summer of 2004 working as a trainee for a local interior design establishment. It was a marvelous experience, as it helped me muster my confidence to successfully complete my senior project in order to attain my degree. My senior project involved designing a Diving Center from scratch, all by myself. It was a creative experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. Moreover, it taught me a great deal about my own potential, as well as intelligence. Most importantly, I learned that I am capable of initiating and completing large-scale creative projects on my own, whereas countless others might experience lack of confidence in similar situations. Perhaps it was my experience with immense responsibility that inspired me to enter the world of business and finance in July 2005. I have been working with HSBC as a Customer Service Representative since. It is my job to guide customers to the right products after inquiring into their needs. I have been trained as a Teller. We will write a custom essay sample on Why I Wish To Pursue Higher Education specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Why I Wish To Pursue Higher Education specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Why I Wish To Pursue Higher Education specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer What is more, I have been honored with a couple of awards from the bank. My managers have often praised me as a responsible banker with high social intelligence. Apart from managing my responsibilities in the workplace, I have taken a number of computer courses after completing my degree. I have also successfully passed the Test of English as a Foreign Language. In addition, I have continued my reading habit that encompasses a large number of subjects. At present, I am prepared to join a higher education institution. I would like to attain a higher degree so as to move forward in my career. I am confident that higher education would open up a new world of opportunities for me. Additionally, it is vital for me to continue learning before I am able to establish myself in a position to educate the others. While a huge number of people might desire higher education only to earn higher salaries, I believe in serving the community with the knowledge that I have gathered. My successes at academic institutions and work have motivated me to take up leadership roles in future. I envision myself as a high achiever. Hence, I would not only endeavor to perform brilliantly at my higher education institution, but also as a professional after completing a higher degree. I believe that it is only lack of education that is keeping humanity from taking the next step in its evolution. The wars, the famines, and the poverty around the globe are lessons that are prompting us to move ahead with enlightened minds. The world requires a greater number of motivated and educated people. For this reason, I am confident of the fact that I can add value to my world through higher education.

MrAntonio42@yahoo.com essays

MrAntonio42@yahoo.com essays Significant Social Issues Teens Face When a person thinks of a drug abuser one usually pictures a person that looks like they had just jumped out of a garbage bin. What most people do not realize is that most drug users are the people who have steady jobs and are professionals such as doctors, lawyers, and nurses. Drug abuse doesnt necessarily mean the person abusing is abusing illegal drugs. Prescription drugs and or over-the-counter drugs are also abused. Facing everyday problems in these recent years many people turn to drugs as an escape from the existence they hold. Drug use has rapidly increased in the last twenty years and has become a national crisis. More people are experimenting with drugs at a younger age. Due to the rapid increase in drug abuse, our government has looked to rehabilitation as a form of prevention and education to an alternative to jail. Using drugs in these days are becoming more and more common among younger people everyday. The most common drugs experimented with are tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana. These are gateway drugs. It is almost as if you can ask anyone between the ages eight and fifteen if they smoke weed or drink Hennessey and the answer is a frightening yes. Young people start using and abusing drugs with older friends who offer it to them and make it look like the in thing to do. These inexperienced teenagers feel the need to fit in with the crowd so badly that they do not think about the effects or the consequences the drugs will have on them in the long run. Teenagers not only learn and experiment with their peers, but sometimes they learn at a very early age because of their parents habits. I have seen many cases where the teenagers are allowed to sit down with their parents and smoke or drink. I could never sit down and drink with my mother. That goes to show you how using drugs is more casual. In the 1950s mor...

Growth Regulation Hormone Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Growth Regulation Hormone - Assignment Example The specific receptor of GH (GHR) is a 638-aminoacid protein, a receptor of the extrinsic tyrosine kinase group encoded on chromosome 5. It consists of an extracellular part to bind GH, a trans-membrane sequence and a cytoplasmic part. The GHR-JAK2(Janus tyrosine kinase) activation of signalling molecules can result in different cellular responses, some of which involve the activation of transcription from target genes, while others involve metabolic changes. Introduction Growth Regulatory Hormones are those hormones secreted under the control of the endocrine system. They include the Growth Hormone, somatostatins, somatomedins (IGFs) and others which are important in regulating the various aspects of growth in the body. The most important of these is the Growth Hormone (GH) which will be studied in details in this review. It is secreted from the anterior pituitary under the command of Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone of the hypothalamus and is regulated and modulated by various othe r hormones and exert its growth promoting actions by activating various signalling pathways and cross talk mechanisms which will be elucidated in this review. In this review we will specifically focus on GH and its relation to other hormones and molecular mechanisms regulating growth in the body.[1,2,3,] Growth Regulatory Hormones: A Preview Regulation of body growth is under the control of the endocrine system, which is a coordinated system of hormones secreted by special glands in the body. These hormones regulate every aspect of growth, metabolism and sexual functions also. The chief hormones regulating body growth are: Growth hormone (GH) GH, also called the somatotrophic hormone is the key regulator of growth in the body. They increase the synthesis of various proteins and elongate the bones at the growth plates. In childhood and adolescence it causes increase in height. There are other roles also like increasing the muscle mass, calcium retention in the bones and stimulating t he immune system. Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone (GHRH) The endocrine system is finely regulated for secretion of various hormones by feedback mechanisms. Thus GHRH is secreted from the hypothalamus controls the secretion of GH secretion from the pituitary gland.This means when GH pulse is low, increased GHRH secretion cause pineal gland to revive the pulse of GH and when GH pulse is high GHRH secretion decreases. Somatostatin Also called the Growth Hormone Inhibiting Hormone (GHIH) it decreases the amount of GH in the body. It is also secreted from the hypothalamus and tightly controls the release of GH in association with GHRH. Estrogen and Progesterone These hormones start the growth spurt seen in at the beginning of puberty by activating GH. They also functions to seal off the growth plates when a person reaches his adult height. These hormones start the growth spurt seen in at the beginning of puberty by activating growth hormone. They also function to seal off the growth pla tes when a person reaches his adult height. [1,2,3,4] Background of Growth Hormone Secretion Growth Hormone is secreted in a pulsatile manner from the anterior pituitary gland. It is a peptide hormone consisting of 191 amino acid residues and contains 2disulphide bonds. The 20kda and 22kda isoforms are the important ones. There are 5

The influence of senior management involvement on the effectiveness of Essay

The influence of senior management involvement on the effectiveness of management training in selected Saudi Arabia (KSA) SMEs - Essay Example pany programs in order to ensure a higher level of success for the organization as a whole, as well as develop the attitudes and behaviours of the staff members (Alliger et al., 1997). However, previous researchers have only focused on the process of achieving organizational success, without emphasizing on the participation levels of the employees, let alone the participation and involvement of the senior management. This study is of significance because first and foremost, the labour force in Saudi Arabia is comprised of 55 percent of small and medium enterprises (or SMEs). What is even more significant is that for such companies, the involvement of senior managers in development activities and programs is more as compared to larger companies and companies in the public sector. However, due to the company’s size, organizational structures and developmental programs are not as formal as they should be, hence the need for senior management intervention (Storrey, 2004). This stu dy has shown that there are a number of benefits to be achieved from a higher level of involvement of senior managers in training programs. According to Mazzorol (2003), when employees observe the active participation of their managers, they are more empowered and motivated to be open to change. At the same time, the managers themselves are also able to have the opportunity to communicate more with their subordinates and gain feedback which would be beneficial for the company’s overall development. Isaac et al. (2001) further states that by being involved, senior managers have the chance to encourage and motivate their employees to improve their attitudes and behaviours with regards to work and accomplishing tasks. One problem with training programs is that there is a risk that the trainees will not learn anything. When this happens, the company would have wasted its finances, time and effort in order to implement such programs. Thus, by being actively involved in these progr ams, managers

The Importance of Self-Expression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Importance of Self-Expression - Essay Example This is what Charlotte Perkins Gilman explained in her literary work in 1892, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†. With her own personal experiences on this predicament, she narrated her poignant tale of suffering, depression and nervousness. She asserted that vitality can be achieved only when pent-up emotions are given the right of self-determination. In her case, or of her narrator, suppression of emotions and lack of mental stimulation jeopardized her sanity and further worsened her mental illness rather than curing it. The monotony in her life turned out to be detrimental in her psychological well-being. As aforementioned, a mind needs an outlet to express the imagination it holds. This imagination is meant to be projected and communicated. Hence, a simple idea existing in mind can provoke a reaction and convey it in a coherent, lucid form. Be it in a form of art, words, plain gestures or even attitude, these expressions are a form or a medium for communication. If this connectio n is held back, only trouble brews inside the mind without any release or escape. Without release, mind and body, both go in a state of helplessness and lunacy. And this is what the narrator of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† experienced. In her case, insanity took over because of her powerlessness to control her life. The constant reminder of not exhausting herself from any mental or physical work by her physician husband, John, situates her in a mental asylum. His patronizing attitude and lack of understanding about her feelings reduces their relationship into â€Å"...trust me as a physician?† (Gilman 278) one. Rather than interacting and understanding his wife’s problem, he abandons her to isolation of the house to cure her depression. Assuming that isolation from work and an idle mind would heal depression was actually not the right conjecture here. It’s because of this her imagination soars to new heights. With nothing worthy to do except stare at objec ts around her, she falls for the menacing yellow wallpaper in her bedroom. The horrid wallpaper then becomes her personal consolation and a subservient object of her undivided attention. She obsesses about discovering the intricate patterns and for the first time feels the thrill of the power to solve the enigmatic wallpaper patterns. The connection she feels after every discovery of the patterns is what excites her. This is how normally a sane person would react too. The need to express and share discoveries is ubiquitous and expressing one’s self or one’s perception is profound. Without self-expression, the communication process simply stops. The silence then becomes darkening and intimidating. And then eventually, the purpose of living easily succumbs to the black hole of nothingness. If this can disappoint a sane person, then the narrator of the â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† was already a victim of nervousness. The burgeoning desire to confront her problems pe rmits her to discover means of expression. But the restrictions imposed on any mental and physical work shun her mental capability. This provokes her to find reprieve in keeping a secret diary. By jotting her feelings, she finds a relation with the ‘dead paper and a great relief to my mind’ (Gilman 272). As she figures that her insight on any mundane task isn’t appreciated or understood by any of her family member, she resorts to writing. It becomes her sole companion who without any questions listened to her whine about her

Advantages of using CNG

Advantages of using CNG Appeared like a monster for the first time in 1999 and threatened all Egyptians, it was huge, dangerous and cruel. So the Egyptian government declared the war against it, and started to take serious actions. Now its 2009 but no change, its still there darkening the skies of Cairo from October to December causing a lot of environmental and health casualties. Apart from the gray looking skies and awful smell spreading in cities, the Monster causes Respiratory problems. Mahmoud Abdel Majeed, head of Abbasiya Chest Diseases Hospital, said, People suffer from breathing difficulties, coughing and sometimes respiratory failure which requires artificial respiration. Adding that children and the elderly were the most at risk. Most of you now know who the monster is, its the BLACK CLOUD. Funny enough that its not a natural phenomenon but it is mainly caused by us!! According to some statistics its said that 40% of the pollution is from the burning of rice straws, another 23% from vehicle fumes as Cairo now has about 4.3 million vehicles in its streets. Factory emissions also cause 23% and 6 % from burning of wastes. We need solutions! One of the solutions is to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a fuel for cars instead gasoline. Natural gas cars are not different from gasoline fuelled cars except that the natural gas cars are fuelled by CNG not gasoline. And its mechanism is so simple; when u start your engine, the CNG enters a regulator that reduces the pressure before entering the fuel-injection system. The gas is then mixed with air and injected into the cylinders of the engine where its ignited by a spark plug resulting in an explosion which is used to drive the piston. CNG is not only good for the environment but also as for individuals there are other benefits. Using CNG is a new revolution which has economical, environmental and technical pros, yet not all people use CNG as a fuel for their cars for different reasons. CNG is quite economical; its about third of the price of regular gas, good news for the low paid and taxi drivers. Also people who own a natural gas car will have some tax incentives; the government makes them pay fewer taxes as a reward for contributing in protecting the environment from pollution. Further more, the cost of maintenance of natural gas cars is very low in long term compared to that of gasoline cars. From all sides, CNG is quite more economical than gasoline. The main advantage of using CNG as a fuel is because its environmentally friendly. Since it is the cleanest burning fossil fuel, as methane burns cleaner than petroleum fuels. According to a report by the Air Pollution Research Department at the National Research Center in Cairo, it was found that, compared to petrol, CNG has a vital potential to reduce carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide concentrations in exhaust released from electronic fuel-injection and well-carbureted engines by an average of 73 percent and 66 percent, 39 percent and 31 percent and 21 percent and 19 percent, respectively. With these figures, CNG became a friend to the environment and people as well, since it causes no or less negative health effects than the petroleum or gasoline. Using CNG also has some technical advantages. CNG gives a high compression ratio, which means that most of the fuel is burnt. The advantage of high compression ratio is that it gives the engine a higher horsepower ratio resulting in a high performance engine. One of the best things about CNG is that u can convert your car to be natural gas fuelled. The conversion process is an easy process; it is simply fitting storage tanks in the trunk of the vehicle and installing injection nozzles in the engine. After this u will have a bi-fuel vehicle! Bi-fuel vehicles have the capability to switch between using gasoline and other fuel like CNG manually or automatically to run the car, what do we need more!! But what makes some people refuse or afraid to convert their cars to natural gas cars? Well, like everything in the world, CNG has some disadvantages too. First, the conversion process can be costly as he/she will have to buy the conversion kit and pay for the mechanic who will convert it. Yes CNG is cheaper in price, but this is when you refill your car but when it comes to conversion, it can be costly. Another disadvantage is

Chromatography Essay -- Essays Papers

Chromatography is a method of separating and analyzing complicated substances. This is done in two phases, a mobile phase and a stationary phase .During the stationary phase, said substance is stationary, while during the mobile phase, the substance moves in a specific direction. During the mobile phase, the substance is filtered through the stationary phase. The stationary phase in necessary in order for the substances to be separated even though it doesn?t involve movement of the substance because it filters the substance through the stationary phase.. Since the substance is made of different, specific substances, each can go though the process of chromatography at different rates. This causes the components of the substance to be moved over materials made for absorption at different times. This makes the different components of the substance absorb at different rates. This is done numerous times and is a very precise method of separation. This process can be used to separate a w ide variety of things, and can be used to separate most volatile or soluble substances. This process is used many like because it is gentle enough to separate delicate solutions, like those of proteins. There are many types of chromatography, the types of which are as follows: Gas Chromatography, Liquid Chromatography, Ion Exchange Chromatography, and Affinity Chromatography . Gas Chromatography uses a pressurized gas camber to filter gasses by either thermal conductivity or flame ionization. There are three types of gas chromatography: capillary gas chromatography, gas adsorption chromatography and gas-liquid chromatography. Capillary gas chromatography used more often than any other type of gas chromatography. In this form of chromatography... ...ntro to Chromatography." 25 Feb. 2008 Environ/CHROMO/chromintro.html> Carrier, Rebecca, and Julia Bordanaro. "Gas Chromatology." 25 Feb. 2008 Carrier, Rebecca, and Julia Bordonaro. "Liquid Chromatography." 25 Feb. 2008 Carrier, Rebecca, and Julia Bordanaro. "Ion Exchange Chromatography." 25 Feb. 2008 Carrier, Rececca, and Julia Bordonaro. "Affinity Chromatography." 25 Feb. 2008 "Chromatography." Shaffald Hallam University. 25 Feb. 2008

Buying My First Car Essay

A Bit of Memoir We rounded the corner and there it was, the stout, perfect looking black Jeep Cherokee that my dad and I had just driven and hour to look at. It looked like every other one that I had seen in pictures, but there was the feeling that this one could possibly be mine. The week before, I had been furiously searching Craigslist and Jeep Forum classifieds looking for a Jeep, particularly a Cherokee with low miles, little to no rust, and the right price, between the years 1997 and 1999. With the tight guidelines that I had for the car, it made it hard to find one. However, acquiring a Cherokee was only the first part; I had many plans once I had one of my own, plans to lift it and put some big mud tires on it, along with some other jeep essentials. My friend had his lifted Cherokee for a few months, and I had wanted one just like it for quite a while. After calling up multiple private sellers and used car dealerships, I had found one not far from me. A used car dealership had three Cherokees, all with low miles, and relatively fair prices. My dad and I decided to go check them out, with the hopes of being able to talk the salesman down a few hundred dollars. After driving a half hour or so, we arrive at the dealership, and there, parked in the front three spots were the jeeps. We made our way over and I was instantly checking them all out, making sure that I kept my cool. The salesman comes out, a big guy who looks like he could be on steroids, and he and my dad started talking. Instantly, like any used car salesman, he goes right into telling us about how awesome these Jeeps are, that they’re in perfect condition. We had narrowed down the three jeeps to one, and naturally we wanted to take it to a local mechanic. Most people would have no problem with this, but this guy did. After he refused to let us take it to our mechanic, we were turned off. In addition, he had given us a price on the phone, and then he told us a higher price when we were there talk ing face to face. At that point we were out of there. I was truly upset; I had mgotten my hopes up that I would be driving one of those Jeeps home. My dad told me not to be upset, and that we would find another one that same day. Still at the dealership, we were still sitting in our parked car; both of us on our iPhones looking up classifieds near our area. I find one that looks good, and it’s only a ferry ride away. This one was from a private seller and she had just listed it up that morning, so my dad called her up immediately. We told her we could come to see it that day, and she agreed. We raced to catch the next ferry, which we barely made. Driving off the ferry ramp, we headed to the address the lady gave us. We ended up in a somewhat rough neighborhood, but we decided we came too far to turn around because of some Mexicans with baggy shorts down to their ankles and flat brim hats. We finally got there, and there it is, sitting on the side of the road outside a small conventional house. The lady walked out her front door, and I was already looking under the jeep and checking it out. Everything is checking out, the miles were low, there were very little signs of rust, and I was getting excited. Eventually I was behind the wheel and out for a test drive. The engine ran a little rough, but it was nothing I couldn’t fix on my own. So my dad and I are sitting in the car on the other side of the block, and he asks me if I want it. I, of course, said yes, and we went back and worked a price out. Even though the lady only came down from her price a mere 50 dollars, we still ended up making the deal. Finally, my own car, and the exact one I wanted. I drove it all the way home with no plates, riding on the hopes that the police weren’t out that night. It was exciting to finally be driving the car that I would call mine. I was already imagining the I remember parking it on the ferry and looking at it from the upper deck of the parking garage. I got it home and everyone came out the front door of my house as I pulled down the driveway. It seemed as if my family was more excited about it then I was, which puzzled me. I felt proud of myself for finding the Jeep and being able to bring it home the exact same day. All the weeks of searching for a car had amounted to this one day, where it all happened in a matter of hours.

Kino character analysis in The Pearl essays

Kino character analysis in The Pearl essays The perception of a persons character and credibility is based on ones actions and reactions, while facing various situations. The impressions that are developed by people based on the interpretations that are given reveals the characteristics that one holds and portrays throughout ones life. These ideas and standpoints are heavy perceived in the actions of Kino in John Steinbecks The Pearl. The novel is a portrayal of Kinos self- centered acts, and his unwillingness to succumb to the reality of his poverty stricken society. Kino feels that if he fights for what he believes, he will be brought to the status of respect and peaceful living, but instead the evil that is brought out of him leads to the demise of his family. In The Pearl by John Steinbeck, Kino is on a journey to find wealth and success, while taking this journey he proves himself to be a loving protector, very determined; however, naive to realities of his life. In the first chapters of the novel Kino is presented as a loving protector of his family. He seems to a good husband who wants nothing more than to support his family. The love that is reflected shows him to be the man that will do what is necessary to take care of what is important to him. As he supports his family, he protects them on many occasions, Kinos hands leap to catch it... Kino had it, had it in his fingers, rubbing it to paste in his hands. He threw it down and beat it into the earth floor with his fist... but Kino beat and stamped the enemy until it was only a fragment and a moist place in the dirt(5-6). This is an example of his selfless love that he presents himself to have for his son. The ability to risk ones life in order to save someone else is the characteristic that makes him the protector and loving person to his family.. The fight and determination that Kino reflects throughout the novel was that of a warrior. When he sees the demise and ...

Strangers on a Train Essays

Strangers on a Train Essays Strangers on a Train Essay Strangers on a Train Essay Essay Topic: The Stranger Chris Colangelo Film as an Art Form 32660 Frank Foster Strangers on a Train Word Count 1559 1. Guy Haines is a pro tennis player from Metcalf that feels tennis is not what he wants to do with his life and that politics is what he is meant for. Guy doesn’t drink or smoke much but will do so on occasion, Guy is very friendly and modest about his fame. When Guy meets Bruno on the train for the first time he doesn’t want to be around him for very long as Bruno tends to intrude into Guy’s personal life. It makes Guy upset. Guy’s wife has been cheating on him and wants a divorce and Guy doesn’t want to talk about it with Bruno. Guy has a weird sense of humor as he sarcastically says things like, â€Å"I thought murder was against the law† or â€Å"sure Bruno, sure they’re ok†. Guy has acquired a significant financial gain from his tennis playing and when he goes to Metcalf to meet with his wife to finalize the divorce, she double crosses him and literally tries to ruin his life for her personal gain. Guy gets so angry about his wife’s double crossing he tells her she will pay and while on the phone with his girlfriend, Anne Morton, he says he could strangle her or break her neck. Even though Guy is very upset by his wife’s actions, he was alarmed to find that Bruno had killed his wife and called Bruno a crazy maniac and tells Bruno that he is going to the police, but when Bruno tells him that he will be viewed as an accessory to murder Guy regretfully agrees not to go to the police and acts like he doesn’t know anything. Guy sometimes can’t control his feelings toward Bruno and at one point punches Bruno in the face for making a seen at a party. Guy is dating Anne Mortan who is a senator’s daughter which makes him look as if he were dating her as a way into politics. Guy gets easily offended at the mention of such accusations. Guy cares about keeping Anne Morton and her family out of the mess of the murder. He also cares about keeping a good public image to help him get into politics. Guy is a bad liar. When the phone is brought to him and he finds out it was Bruno he quickly hangs up the phone and when asked who it was he said,† There must have been a mistake, it wasn’t for me†. Clearly showing suspicion by the fact that Guy is a bad liar tells a little about his character, he is just a typical honest man that likes to play tennis. . Bruno Antony is a very wealthy man from Arlington but not by his own work. His family is rich and Bruno simply lives off of his family’s wealth. Bruno is very talkative and cares about his mother who is mentally ill. Bruno likes to smoke, drink, and gamble and that is the behavior that got him kicked out of three colleges. Bruno believes that you should do everything before you die to an un realistic level. Bruno’s father thinks that Bruno is a bum and is determined to get Bruno a job if it’s the last thing he does. Bruno can’t stand that his father has so much money and insists that Bruno get a job like a normal person. Bruno often thinks about different ways to kill his father and the thought is relaxing to him Bruno even says, â€Å"I used to put myself to sleep at night figuring it all out†. Bruno is a psychotic man; he thinks and plots about murder, often creating a plan and running through it in his mind. When Bruno meets Guy on the train for the very first time he already knows everything about Guy; his tennis career, his interest in politics, his divorce, his girlfriend, everything. Bruno reads about everything and everyone. Bruno likes Guy and wants to be Guy’s friend even though Guy doesn’t seem to have any desire to be around Bruno. Bruno gets into Guy’s personal life and brings up sensitive things that he knows about. Bruno merely talks to Guy about the idea of swapping murders and even though Guy is repulsed by the idea, Bruno moves forward as if they had cut a deal. Bruno is very resourceful; he seems to always know where Guy is and how to get ahold of him. He also has no trouble finding Guy’s wife, Miriam. Bruno waits by her house, waiting for her to leave, he follows her and the two men she is with to a theme park. Bruno enjoys the thrill of the hunt. He loves following Miriam as if it were a game to him. Bruno flirts with Miriam using simple eye gestures and smiles, making it all the more easier for Bruno to complete his murder. When Bruno kills Miriam, he doesn’t just attack her from behind, he gets right up in her face and flicks the lighter to illuminate their faces, he looks right into her eyes and asks her if she’s Miriam. When she replies, he wraps his hands around her throat and strangles her to death with no remorse. When Bruno tells Guy about what he had done, Guy says he’s going to the police but Bruno quickly tricks Guy into thinking that if he goes to the police that he will be an accessory to murder as Bruno has nothing to gain by killing Guy’s wife so Guy must have convinced Bruno to kill his wife. Even though Bruno is very smart he is also very impatient. He shows himself to Guy even when he knows that Guy has police following him at all times. Bruno is under the impression that he had completed his end of the deal and Guy owes him the death of Bruno’s father. When Bruno finds that Guy has no intention of killing his father he decides to go back to the scene of the crime and plant Guy’s lighter to give the police evidence that would link Guy to the murder. Even after Bruno is shot and knows he is going to die, he still won’t admit to the murder and continues to frame Guy. 3. Guy and Bruno are very different men but they are similar in some ways. Bruno and Guy both feel that they have been wronged; Bruno by his father’s wanting him to work, and Guy’s wife cheating on him, then double crossing him and ruining his life for monetary gain. Both Bruno and Guy have money and they both want to be more in life than their current position. Guy wants to get into politics and Bruno wants to do something he feels is important. Both men are intelligent and use their intelligence to work toward their goals; Guy moving forward in his career and Bruno manipulating Guy to keep himself out of prison. Both men break the law and make foolish decisions; Bruno by killing Miriam and Guy by slipping out and ditching his police escort. 4. There are objects in the movie that link multiple characters together. The first is Bruno’s tie clip given to him by his mother. The fact that his name is on the tie clip is very important in itself because it becomes an identifier. Anne Morton notices this when Bruno talks to Guy out side when he is with Anne. Guy tells her that he has never met him before and that he was simply just a fan. But later, when at the tennis courts, Bruno introduces himself again as if they had never met. Because Anne saw Bruno’s tie clip she was certain that it was the same man and that something was up. Another object in the movie was Miriam’s glasses. After Bruno killed her he took the glasses and gave them to Guy as proof of the murder. Later in the movie, not the physical glasses themselves, but the mental image of the glasses Bruno had in his head reminded him of the murder. When seeing Anne’s sister Barbara who looked a little like Miriam, the glasses reminded him of the murder and he had a flashback to the crime. This was obvious to Barbara and when Barbara told Anne about it, she said she had noticed it too. This was one of the key pieces in Anne discovering that Bruno killed Miriam. 5. The object use for the resolution of the story was Guy’s lighter that had tennis rackets and A G engraved on it. This is very important because it clearly can be proven to belong to Guy and would put him at the scene of the crime if Bruno had placed it there. Bruno knew this and was very careful when someone asked for a light on the train. Bruno pulled out a box of matches even though he had the lighter in his hand. Bruno didn’t want anyone to see him with the lighter and it would lose its ability to link Guy to the murder. At the end of the movie the lighter was used to prove that Bruno was planning on planting the lighter on the island to frame Guy. That one single Item was what cleared Guy’s name.

Team Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Team Work - Essay Example e in providing services to the organization’s clients to be able to create a good relationship between employer and employee through initiating motivational plans, which are aimed at ensuring that the employee’s commitments are rewarded to enhance their satisfaction, which will ultimately translate to high quality productivity as well as encouraging employee low turnover. It results from the commitment, inclusion, and motivation of employees. Satisfaction efforts depend on the number of employees in an organization that is, a few employees are catered for easily while it is strenuous to cater for a large number of employees. In the case of WooWoo Widget Production Company, which has fifty employees a motivation plan is necessary to provide time-to-time pay and compensation plans in terms of money for achievements. Further, the plan must create opportunities relevant to employees’ talent and skills to enable them in the long-run get assurance for their job security (Janssen & Van Yperen, 2004). It is notable that, WooWoo’s main manufacturing challenges include product imperfection, high operational costs, and delivery delays. Therefore, the company should involve its employees in appraising operational inefficiencies that result to the escalation of costs (Schermerhorn et al., 2012). Thus, the amputation of such challenges motivates empl oyers and employees hence bringing about job satisfaction. Diligence, proper recruitment, and training are incentives for the realization of high quality work. The motivational plan structure should embrace such incentives and, therefore, make employees own the company dream, which can trigger increased productivity that is important for company success. In addition, the employers must keep track of their personnel progress in terms of training and emotional catering because some of the factors causing poor quality are not necessarily within the workplace. For instance, some employees may have family problems that in some

Random choose 1 out of 14 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Random choose 1 out of 14 - Assignment Example Charlie took a taxi and started rolling over the city to see the different places he remembers. His thoughts started taunting him as he though of how he had spoiled everything for himself at the city. He claims that he wasn’t realizing any of his actions. It was two years when all this occured, everything was gone and Charlie himself was gone too. Charlie and his daughter Honoria were both happy to see each other after a long period of ten months. Charlie was welcomed at her sisters in laws place where her daughter stayed in the care of Marion. As the discussion between Charlie and lincon started, Charlie explained how he was doing well now and how things are now better than ever. His last years income was bigger than it was when he had money. He told Lincoln of his interest on bringing her sister fro America to keep the house for him. This explains how Charlie is starting to get life over again. Charlie is responsible now on his drinking habit. Earlier on he used to spend most of the time in bars where he wasted a lot of money. He remembered when giving thousand-franc notes to an orchestra and hundred-franc notes given to a door man for calling a taxi. He has changed to drink everyday which leads him to deny Marions cocktail offer. This astonishes Marion but she hopes that Charlie will stick to that character. In this paragraph we see that Charlie has become responsible enough compared to olden days when he used to squander a lot of money. Charlie is showing much love to her daughter that he is determined give her anything she wishes for that day. He offers to take her to vaudeville and later on to the toy store. Her daughter seems to understand the financial situation they were in and considers only going to the vaudeville. Charlie was strict in the past but now he reached for new tolerance because he has to be the mother and father of her daughter. Charlie indulges her daughter in

The meaning and influence to Amazon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

The meaning and influence to Amazon - Essay Example The meaning of leadership at Amazon†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦6 4.1 Strengths of leadership styles at Amazon†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..7 4.2 Weakness of leadership styles at Amazon †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 5. Reflection of leadership and its strategies at Amazon†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.9 6. Organizational leadership and the effectiveness of the organization†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.10 7. Leadership style of Amazon company†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.......12 8. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦......14 9. Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦15 1. Executive summary Organizational success depends on effective leadership styles such as autocratic, lazier faire and democratic leadership, transformational leadership is the most effective in attaining organizational shared objectives. Leadership refers to the act of articulating a shared vision and influencing the efforts of the followers towards attainment of shared organizational goals. Leadership structures at Amazon Company can be identified by two specific concepts personal and the organizational. With respect to the two factors above, Amazon Company mainly concentrates on long-term benefits of the firm. Besides, the orga nizational leaders’ acts on behalf of the entire company not only within their areas of interests but are also expected to extend the assistance across the branches without limiting their operations around their roles. Amazon has skilled leaders who focus on achieving the long-term benefits despite the pressure from competitors like wall mart and other rival firms. Amazon, an online seller is very much pessimistic to the roles played by its leaders and this has led the organization to embrace the Kotters framework of confidentiality in management. The CEO Mr. Bezos had set the in initial leeway that organizational success is unsustainable without ethical code of conduct. Moreover, he articulated that leadership factor indicates a direct strategy to the success at Amazon Company due to leadership style that is very much particular to a significant effect on performance on both the employees and the organizational productivity. The type of leadership that is practiced at Amazon is termed as participative or democratic. Through this leadership style, all members of the organization are recognized as partisans to the decision making process, this helps in determining what is perceived to be right concerning the organizational development. 2. Introduction All forms of organizations recognize leadership as a vital aspect for their success. With respect to this, leadership therefore acts as a crucial link that instigates change amongst the members of the organization. Several articles have pointed out that leadership influences the efforts of followers in the organization by acting as an element that binds all the stakeholders towards the specific goals and objectives of the organization. Even though leadership styles may vary, all organizational leaders must poses some specific characteristics that aims in changing the entire organization with the main perspective of ensuring sustainable output development. For somebody to be branded as a good leader then, he must poses distinct roles that that can be used as

Relocating Margaret Thatchers in the Workplace Essay Example for Free

Relocating Margaret Thatchers in the Workplace Essay Working environments are dimensions in which the individual’s skills, talents and production capabilities are put into the test. The war-like situation manifested in corporate arenas continues to post a challenge to each and every individual. It is a legitimized jungle wherein only the strong remains and the weak perish. Thus, for every struggle that is addressed, this spells sweet victory for the triumphant warrior. It is for this aspect that Karsten described the workplace a source of one’s â€Å"sense of self, power and prestige (162). † As the individual continue to climb the corporate ladder, his or her â€Å"sense of self, power and prestige (Karsten 162)† continue to increase. This is most especially true in scenarios wherein leadership roles are assumed and performed. However, a critical examination shows that holding power, garnering respect and expressing authority have exclusively remained in the hands of men. The opportunity to lead has been an exclusive right of males and women, despite of the strong campaign to uphold equality, are continuously pushed to the periphery. Women leadership remains a critical issue in the corporate environment. Despite of the efforts to render equal opportunities to both men and women, the actions taken, remained futile. Women as leaders are still seen from a derogatory perspective. As Spade and Valentine described, work places are no less than â€Å"gendered institutions† that operate under â€Å"inequality regimes (341). † Under this context, it can be argued that the so-called â€Å"inequality regimes† mentioned in this discussion, is no less than the hegemonic and oppressive patriarchal orientations that are highly manifested in various work spaces. Drawing on Dahrendorf’s distribution of power and authority (Lemell Noll, 52), it is evident that many working environments deprive women from having equal chances or access to positions that demand an exercise of power and control. Also, power legitimacy as for the case of women leaders are often questioned or blatantly ignored. While it is true that women have managed to acquire managerial positions, Ely et. al expressed that only 1 % of these females are CEOs of Fortune 500 companies or establishments (161). Likewise, Ely et. al mentioned that in terms of governmental positions and functions, only a small percentage of women can be observed. The seemingly under representation and to a certain extent—total absence of women leaders in the corporate world is triggered by society’s patriarchal culture. The practices seen in the business world reflect the manipulative and discriminating orientation of the patriarchal system. Under this context, societal roles and functions are highly determined by gender. Men are seen as the stronger sex whereas women are the exact opposite. Women are constantly confined into domestic roles. They are mothers and wives whose values and worth are best exemplified in the bedroom and kitchen. Thus, their entries into the workplace or business environments are often seen as a threat. In addition to that, this scenario highly contradicts the so-called â€Å"normative behaviors (Ridgeway 223)† of world. Leadership in business environments translates to performing firm decision, asserting authority and showing direct control, if necessary. Needless to say, these traits or characteristics are often played or portrayed by men. On the other hand, the idea of being a mere â€Å"follower† is relegated to women. Therefore, in the event wherein a woman leader practices authority, utilizes power and make decisions, these scenario is immediately dismissed as a violation of the canonical norms not only of the workplace, but also of the overall social structure (Ridgeway 223). The problem with women executives or leaders is that their socially-constructed roles are mixed with their corporate or work-related functions. The merit of their leadership skills and capabilities are based on how well they perform their overtly stereotyped duties and obligations. When women act like leaders, the patriarchal system immediately questions their efficiency via insisting the women’s highly biased and gender-based tasks (Ridgeway 223). As Ridgeway stressed, women leaders are initially seen as a woman, then a leader (223). Gender would always come first and leadership capabilities are only secondary. There are several ways in which women are prevented from acquiring leadership positions in the workplace. The first one is illustrated by the â€Å"glass ceiling concept (Goethals Burns 77). Under this context, women are blatantly deprived of acquiring leadership positions via unequal distribution of chances and opportunities (Goethals Burns 77). This is despite of eliciting commendable work-related achievements and success. The glass ceiling acts as a barricade that prevents women from being hailed as managers and executives despite delivering good results and performances (Haslett, Geis Carter 128). In addition to that, it is also evident that women are placed into positions or departments in which they cannot possibly harness their leadership skills (Goethals, Sorenson Burns 77). They are subjected into roles that do not engage into actual corporate management and decision making. Therefore, in the event in which women are recommended for promotions, their skills and experience readily lag behind. Or in such cases, a woman must shoulder the entire burden of exerting efforts and energy to prove themselves, but with no assurance that they will be selected. But then again even if some women were able to secure their positions on the corporate hierarchy, Goethal, Sorenson and Burns shared that this is no less than a defense mechanism used to avoid accusations of gender discrimination and inequality (77). Aside from the glass ceiling, the persistence of the seemingly omnipotent â€Å"old boy network (Goethals, Sorenson Burns 77)† is also instrumental in the under representation of women leaders. A critical examination of the old boy network clearly shows the strong attempt of men to protect their own interests (Sanchez et. al 240). There is the intention to keep power in the hands of the few and eliminate new players. This basically explains the degree of favoritism in promotions. Men often receive high preference compared to women not because they are better or more productive. Instead, this is just a way to preserve the patriarchal rule. Since majority of senior executives are men, their power legitimacy is highly acknowledged and recognized. This kind of prestige is then used by males to control, manipulate and safeguard their interests. Thus, to ensure that their power and authority shall remain, these executives are more likely to choose male protegees—individuals, who like them, present a common set of beliefs, ideologies and value systems. Lastly, the limited access of women to building social networks lessens their chances of being corporate leaders (Goethals, Sorenson Burns 78). Goethals, Sorenson and Burns mentioned that â€Å"informal gatherings† is a way for women to connect with other individuals in the business organizations (78). It is through these activities that women can further improve their social and communication skills—two of the most significant traits that leaders should acquire. However, these opportunities are hardly given to women. Other than obstructing women to create meaningful relationships and camaraderie, this scenario also inhibits females from having their own mentors and role models (Klenke 185). Mentors and role models serve as a support system. Through them, valuable knowledge and insights are shared and transmitted. Mentoring relationships help potential leaders devise sound decisions and appropriate solutions. Unfortunately, this right is highly exclusive to men. The struggles and challenges faced by women leaders in the corporate system is yet another gender issue that should be readily addressed. Leadership roles should not be equated to gender-based functions. Equal rights and opportunities should be provided to both genders and should not be an exclusive privilege of men. It should be stressed and remembered that leadership efficiency is determined by skills and performances, never by gender. Works Cited Sanchez, Penny; Philip Hucles; Janis Sanchez-Hucles and Sanjay Mehta. â€Å"Increasing Diverse Women Leadership in Corporate America: Climbing Concrete Walls and Shattering Glass Ceilings. † Women and Leadership Transforming Visions and Diverse Voices Eds. Jean Lau Chin; Bernice Lott; Joy Rice and Janis Sanchez-Hucles. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2007 Ely, Robin; Erica Foldy; Maureen Scully and The Center for Gender in Organizations Simmons School of Management. Reader in Gender, Work and Organization. Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2003 Goethal, George; Georgia Sorenson and James MacGregor Burns. Encyclopedia of Leadership. California: Sage Publications Inc, 2004 Haslett, Beth; Florence Geis and Mae Carter. The Organizational Woman. New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1992 Karsten, Margaret. Gender, Race and Ethnicity in the Workplace. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006 Klenke, Karin. Women Leadership. New York: Springer Publishing Company, 1996 Lemell, Yannick and Heinz-Herbert Noll. Changing Structures of Inequality: A Comparative Perspective. Canada: Mc-Gill Queen’s University Press, 2002 Ridgeway, Cecilia. Gender Interaction and Inequality. New York: Springer –Verlag New York Inc. , 1992 Spade, Joan and Catherine Valentine. The Ka

The Pritting Press Essay -- essays research papers

In 1440 a man by the man of Johannes Gutenberg invented movable type, or as we know it, a printing press. Prior to 1440 everything read in Europe was copied by hand or copied from wooden blocks carved from hand. This was very expensive and time consuming. The only people who were literate were those of the church and a small percentage of nobility. Since the printing press came out, how would this effect European culture and the way things worked?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The printing press had many effects on Europe. Very few peasants could read and besides that there wasn’t much to read but scriptures. The things that were being read were hand written and of course this took a long time and so not many people wanted to take the time to do it. Monks spent there days and nights copying and writing scriptures in solitude. At the time Latin was the only language the bible was written in, this was about to change.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The time the printing press was invented was the era of the Renaissance. The Renaissance era is known for inventions and art and new ideas. The printing press was just one of the many inventions that came out of the Renaissance era. I believe this to be one of the biggest inventions to come out around this time because it changed everything and the way we read now. I am sure that someone else later would have thought of this but for the time if brought on new ideas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some of the ideas that came about we...

Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power in Usa

NUCLEAR POWER GEOGRAPHY HOMEWORK 10/27/2012 DAISY SOWAH FORM 5W PROS AND CONS OF NUCLEAR POWER IN THE USA Worldwide, there are 441 nuclear power plants that supply about 16 percent of the world's electricity. There are currently 104 operating U. S. nuclear power plants that produce over 20 percent of U. S. electricity. ADVANTAGES a) Nuclear power generation does emit relatively low amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). The emissions of green house gases and therefore the contribution of nuclear power plants to global warming is therefore relatively little. USA is currently responsible for a quarter of all carbon dioxide emissions – an average of 40,000 pounds of carbon dioxide is released by each US citizen every year – the highest of any country in the world, and more than China, India and Japan combined, the increased used of nuclear power will do well to curb these emissions. b) High Load Factor – Nuclear Power Plants have very high load factors in excess of 80%.Th ey can generate power almost 24/7 and only require shutdown for periodic maintenance c) Huge   Potential –Nuclear Energy Potential is almost infinite compared to the limited and peak features of other forms of   energy like Wind,Geothermal,Oil,Gas and others. Only Solar Energy can be said to have more potential. d) Low Electricity Cost – The Electricity produced from Nuclear Power is quite low at around 3-5c/Kwh making it very attractive to construct hydro plants e) Low Fuel Cost – Large amounts of Nuclear Energy can be produced from the fission on radioactive elements like uranium.The costs of nuclear fuel is relatively   very low compared to other energy sources like coal and gas. Also uranium prices currently are quite low making the nuclear electricity price even lower. About $100 a poundof uranium but a barrel of Brent crude oil is $114 a barrel but lasts for a much shorter period of time CHALLENGES 1. Nuclear and Radiation Accidents – This is the biggest con for Nuclear Energy and has been repeated 3 times in the last 30 years in Japan, Russia and USA.The fear of a repeat is so great that despite all the safety arrangements touted by the nuclear equipment operators and suppliers, Nuclear Energy faces an uncertain future The worst nuclear accident in U. S. history took place on March 28, 1979 at the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania. A cooling system failed, causing a partial meltdown, but a full meltdown was averted and there were no fatalities. However, despite the positive outcome and despite the passage of more than 30 years, the incident remains fresh in the minds of those who are old enough to remember it. 2.Nuclear Waste Disposal – Again a massive problem as the spent Nuclear Rods of Nuclear Reactors are prohibitively costly and difficult to dispose of. Spent nuclear fuel is initially very highly radioactive and so must be handled with great care and forethought. (10'000 years according to United State s Environmental Protection Agency standards). There is no foolproof way to dispose nuclear waste fuel after it is used in the Nuclear Reactors. The area around Nuclear Waste Sites can be dangerous to humans for hundreds of year as complex nuclear elements have half lives running into many years.The United States had accumulated more than 50,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel from nuclear reactors. Permanent storage underground in U. S. had been proposed at the Yucca but that project has now been effectively cancelled. There is presently no adequate safe long-term storage for radioactive and chemical waste produced from early reactors, such as those in Hanford, Washington, some of which will need to be safely sealed and stored for thousands of years. 3. Regulations – The Regulations for Nuclear Energy Power Plants are many and cumbersome due to the massive risks of a failure of a nuclear reactor.This greatly increases the costs of generating nuclear power. It also leads to a long time in the actual start to the completion of a Nuclear Plant . 4. Fuel Danger – Uranium which is the main fuel used in Nuclear Fission Power Plants is limited to a few countries and suppliers. Its use and transport is regulated by international treaties and groups. 5. Nuclear power is reliable, but a lot of money has to be spent on safety – if it does go wrong, a nuclear accident can be a major disaster. Despite a generally high security standard, accidents can still happen.It is technically impossible to build a plant with 100% security. A small probability of failure will always last. The consequences of an accident would be absolutely devastating both for human being as for the nature. The more nuclear power plants (and nuclear waste storage shelters) are built, the higher is the probability of a disastrous failure somewhere in the world. People are increasingly concerned about this – in the 1990's nuclear power was the fastest-growing source of power in much of the world. In 2005 it was the second slowest-growing. 6. The energy source for nuclear energy is Uranium.Uranium is a scarce resource, its supply is estimated to last only for the next 30 to 60 years depending on the actual demand. March 11, 2010 nightmare scenario: Terrorism at a nuke power plant. Nuclear meltdown. Level 7 core damage blows through the 6 foot thick reinforced containment structure releasing highly radioactive elements into the atmosphere and surrounding environment. 7. Nuclear power plants as well as nuclear waste could be preferred targets for terrorist attacks. No atomic energy plant in the world could withstand an attack similar to 9/11 in New York. Such a terrorist act would have catastrophic effects for the whole world.

Sony Case 1991-2003

Exploring Corporate Strategy CLASSIC CASE STUDIES Restructuring Sony Vivek Gupta and Konakanchi Prashanth The electronics and media giant Sony was struggling through the late 1990s and early part of the 21st century. With each disappointment, it seemed that Sony’s management launched another restructuring of the company. By 2003, commentators were beginning to ask whether restructuring was part of the solution or part of the problem. How should Sony be managing its strategic renewal? G G GAs conditions change, Sony has to change accordingly, because their conventional strategy won’t transcend to the Internet-enabled model. 1 Mitchell Levy, author of The Value Framework INTRODUCTION For the first quarter ending 30 June 2003, Japan-based Sony Corporation (Sony)2 stunned the corporate world by reporting a decline in net profit of 98 per cent. Sony reported a net profit of ? 9. 3 million compared to ? 1. 1 billion for the same quarter in 2002. Sony’s revenues fell by 6. 9 per cent to ? 1. 6 trillion for the corresponding period.Analysts were of the opinion that Sony’s expenditure on its restructuring initiatives had caused a significant dent in its profitability. In the financial year 2002–03, Sony had spent a massive ? 100bn on restructuring (? ?500m; ? a750m). Moreover, the company had already announced in April 2003 about its plans to spend another ? 1 trillion on a major restructuring initiative in the next three years. Analysts criticised Sony’s management for spending a huge amount on frequent restructuring of its consumer electronics business, which accounted for nearly two-thirds of Sony’s revenues.In 2003, the sales of the consumer electronics division fell by 6. 5 per cent. Notably, Sony’s business operations were restructured five times in the past nine years. Analysts opined that Sony’s excessive focus on the maturing consumer electronics business (profit margin below 1 per cent in 2002†“03), coupled with increasing competition in the consumer electronics industry was severely affecting its profitability. 1 2 ‘Sony Analyzed via the Value Framework’, Mitchell Levy, posted on www. ecmgt. com, October 2002. Sony was established in 1946.The company invented the video recorder, walkman and mini-disc recorder. It is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications and information technology products. Sony has also forayed into diverse fields like music, television, computer entertainment and motion pictures. The company is engaged in five main lines of business – electronics, games, music, pictures and financial services. This case was prepared by Vivek Gupta and Konakanchi Prashanth of the ICFAI Center for Management Research, Hyderabad, India.It is intended as a basis for class discussion and not as an illustration of either good or bad management practice.  © V. Gupta and K. Prashanth, 2004. Not to be reproduced or quoted without permissi on. Exploring Corporate Strategy by Johnson, Scholes & Whittington 1 Restructuring Sony Table 1 Sony’s financials (1991–2003) Year ended March 31 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 * ? 100 = approx. A0. 75. Source: Annual Reports 1991–2003, www. sony. net. Sales & Operating Revenue (? bn)* 3695. 51 3928. 67 3992. 92 3744. 8 3990. 58 4592. 56 5663. 13 6755. 49 6804. 18 6686. 66 7314. 82 7578. 26 7473. 63 Operating Income/loss (? bn) 302. 18 179. 55 126. 46 106. 96 ? 166. 64 235. 32 370. 33 520. 21 338. 06 223. 20 225. 35 134. 63 185. 44 Net Income/loss (? bn) 116. 92 120. 12 36. 26 15. 30 ? 293. 36 54. 25 139. 46 222. 07 179. 00 121. 83 16. 75 15. 31 115. 52 However, Sony’s officials felt that the restructuring measures were delivering the desired results. According to them, the company had shown a significant jump in its profitability in the financial year 2002–03.Sony reported a net income of ? 115. 52bn in the fiscal 2002–03 compared to ? 15. 31bn in 2001–02. (See Table 1 for Sony’s key financials in the past 13 years. ) A statement issued by Sony said, ‘The improvement in the results was partly due to the restructuring of its electronics business, especially in the components units. ’3 At the beginning of the new millennium, Sony faced increased competition from domestic and foreign players (Korean companies like Samsung and LG) in its electronics and entertainment businesses.The domestic rivals Matsushita and NEC were able to capture a substantial market share in the internet-ready cell phones market. Analysts felt that the US-based software giants like Microsoft and Sun Microsystems and the networking major Cisco Systems posed a serious threat to Sony’s home entertainment business. BACKGROUND On 7 May 1946, Masaru Ibuka (Ibuka) and Akio Morita (Morita)4 co-founded a company called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineer ing Corporation) with an initial capital of ? 190,000 in the city of Nagoya, Japan.They gave importance to product innovation and decided to offer innovative, high-quality products to their consumers. The founders introduced many new products like the magnetic tape recorder, the ‘pocketable radio’, and more. By the 1960s, the company had established itself in Japan and changed its name to Sony Corporation. During the 1960s, the company focused on globalisation and entered the US and European markets. In the 1970s, Sony also set up manufacturing units in the US and Europe. During this period, Sony developed and introduced the Walkman, which was a huge success.It significantly boosted Sony’s sales during the 1980s. By the mid-1980s, Sony’s consumer products were marketed in Europe through subsidiaries in the UK, Germany and France. 3 4 ‘Financial Results for the Second Quarter, FY 2002’, posted on www. sony. net, 28 October 2002. Akio Morita was a graduate in physics, while Masaru Ibuka had a degree in electronic engineering. When Morita joined the Japanese navy as a Lieutenant, he met Ibuka at the navy’s Wartime Research Committee. Exploring Corporate Strategy by Johnson, Scholes & Whittington 2 Restructuring SonyTable 2 Sony’s businesses (1994) Business Electronics Product Groups/Companies Video equipment Details Comprises 8mm, VHS, and Beta-format VTRs, laserdisc players, broadcast and industrial use video equipment, Hi-Vision-related equipment, and videotapes. Comprises CD players, Mini Disc system, headphone stereos, personal component stereos, hi-fi components, digital audio tape recorders/players, radio-cassette tape recorders, tape recorders, radios, car stereos, car navigation systems, professional-use audio equipment, audio tapes, and blank MDs.Comprises colour TVs, Hi-Vision TVs, computer displays, professional-use monitors, satellite broadcast reception systems, projector systems, and large colour video display systems. Comprises semiconductors, electronic components, cathode ray tubes (CRTs), telephone and telecommunications equipment, computers, computer peripherals (including floppy disk systems and CD-ROM systems), home video game systems, batteries, and FA systems. Includes Columbia Records Group; Epic Records Group; TriStar Music Group; Sony Music International; Sony Classical; Sony Classical Film & Video; Sony Wonder; Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.Includes the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Companies; Sony Television Entertainment; Columbia TriStar Home Video; and Sony Pictures Studios and The Culver Studios. Sony Retail Entertainment includes Sony Theatres. Comprises the insurance business of Sony Life Insurance Company Limited and the finance operations of Sony Finance International. Audio equipment Television Others Entertainment Music Group – Sony Music Entertainment Pictures Group – Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (SPEI) Insurance and Finan ce Sony Life Insurance and Sony Finance InternationalSource: Sony Annual Report 1995, www. sony. net. In 1989, Norio Ohga (Ohga) took over as the chairman and CEO of Sony from Morita. Under Ohga, Sony began to place greater emphasis on process innovations that improved efficiency and controlled product costs. By 1994, Sony’s businesses were organised into three broad divisions – Electronics, Entertainment and Insurance and Finance (see Table 2). Each business division was in turn split into product groups. The electronics business division was split into four product groups, which produced a wide variety of products.The entertainment division, which consisted of the music group and the pictures group, made music videos and motion pictures. The finance division consisted of Sony’s life insurance and finance business. The company’s growth was propelled by the launch of innovative products and by its foray into the music and films business. Restructuring of electronics business (1994) Under Ohga’s leadership, Sony witnessed negligible growth in sales during 1990 and 1994. Sales and operating revenues improved by only 2 per cent during that period.However, the net income and operating income registered a drastic fall of 87 per cent and 67 per cent respectively. Analysts felt that the stagnation in the electronics industry coupled with factors such as the recession in the Japanese economy and the appreciation of the yen against the dollar led to the deterioration in the company’s performance. Exploring Corporate Strategy by Johnson, Scholes & Whittington 3 Restructuring Sony Table 3 Sales performance of the electronics business (1991–95) (in ? bn)* Year/ Business 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 * ? 100 = approx. A0. 75. Source: Sony Annual Report 1995, www. ony. net. Video Equipment 928 896 828 669 691 Audio Equipment 882 948 928 841 899 Televisions 552 593 634 618 709 Others 619 793 772 817 909 It was noticed that in the e lectronics business (see Table 3), the revenues of the video and audio equipment businesses were coming down or were at best stagnant, while the television and ‘Others’ group were showing signs of improvement. The ‘Others’ group, which consisted of technology intensive products such as computer products, video games, semiconductors and telecom equipment, was performing very well and had a growth rate of nearly 40 per cent.In order to focus on the high growth businesses, Sony announced major changes in the structure of its electronics business in April 1994. Sony’s management felt that the ‘Group’ structure, which had fuelled the company’s growth in the 1980s, was proving to be redundant in the dynamic business environment of the 1990s. In the new structure, the product groups of the electronics businesses were regrouped into eight divisional companies. The eight companies were the Consumer Audio & Video Products Company, the Recor ding Media & Energy Company, the Broadcast Products Company, theBusiness & Industrial Systems Company, the InfoCom Products Company, the Mobile Electronics Company, the Components Company, and the Semiconductor Company. The restructuring exercise laid special focus on the products that formed the ‘Others’ group. Each divisional company had its own goals and was responsible for all its operations (production, sales and finance). The presidents of the divisional companies were authorised to decide upon the investments to be made up to a prescribed limit. They could also take decisions regarding the HR issues for all employees up to the level of divisional director.In addition, they were made responsible for the financial performance of the companies headed by them. Sony’s presidents were expected to perform a role similar to that of CEOs and were accountable to shareholders. The restructuring of Sony’s electronics business was aimed at improving the companyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s focus on high potential products and expediting the decision making process to make the company more responsive to changing market conditions. Following the restructuring, the number of layers in the decision-making process was reduced from six to a maximum of four layers.Commenting on his responsibilities within the new structure, Ohga said, ‘First of all, I would like for the divisional presidents to run their companies as if they were reporting to shareholders once a year at a shareholders’ meeting. My role will be to review their strategies, examine any points I feel should be questioned and provide advice when and where necessary. ’5 The main goals of Sony’s newly formed organisation system were explained in a memorandum entitled ‘The Introduction of the Company within a Company System’ (see Table 4).Explaining the rationale for the new system, Ohga said, ‘By revitalising its organization, Sony aims to introduce appealing p roducts in the market in a timelier fashion while further strengthening cost-competitiveness companywide. ’6 In 1995, after the implementation of the divisional company structure in the electronics business, changes were announced in Sony’s management structure. Under the new framework, Sony was to be led by a team of executives at the top management level.The team included the Chairman & CEO, Vice Chairman, President & Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Officers and the presidents of divisional companies. Analysts felt that Sony’s management took this measure to reduce the company’s reliance on 5 6 ‘From a Business Group System to a Divisional Company System’, posted on www. sony. net. As quoted in the 1995 annual report, posted on www. sony. net. Exploring Corporate Strategy by Johnson, Scholes & Whittington 4 Restructuring Sony Table 4 Five main goals of the new systemG To further enhance core businesses while developing new ones. G To i ntroduce an organisational structure in which sales and production work closely together and respond quickly to market changes. G To simplify the structure to clarify responsibilities and transfer authority, thus ensuring quick responses to external changes. G To reduce the levels of hierarchy in the organisation. G To encourage the entrepreneurial spirit in order to foster a dynamic management base for the 21st century. Source: ‘From a Business Group System to a Divisional Company System’, posted on www. ony. net. a single leader. In March 1995, Nobuyuki Idei (Idei) was appointed the President and Chief Operating Officer of Sony. Despite the organisational changes, the financial performance of Sony deteriorated in 1995. For the fiscal year ending March 1995, Sony reported a huge net loss of ? 293. 36bn. The write off of goodwill during 1994, the poor performance of the Pictures group and the strength of the yen were regarded as major reasons for this loss. During 1994, the yen was at an all-time high against the dollar, making Sony’s exports uncompetitive.Analysts also felt that Sony’s consumer electronics business lacked new, innovative products. Given this poor financial performance, the top management of Sony decided to integrate the company’s various domestic and global business functions such as marketing, R&D, finance, and HR. The functions of its numerous divisional companies were thus brought under the direct purview of headquarters. Idei also decided to strengthen the existing eight-company structure and to lay more emphasis on R&D in the IT field. He felt that Sony needed to focus on developing IT-related businesses.Accordingly, Sony’s management reorganised the existing structure to create a new ten-company structure. THE TEN-COMPANY STRUCTURE (1996) In January 1996, a new ten-company structure was announced, replacing the previous eight-company structure (see Table 5). Under the new structure, the previous Consumer Audio & Video (A&V) company was split into three new companies – the Display Company, the Home AV Company and the Personal AV Company. A new company, the Information Technology Company, was created to focus on Sony’s business interests in the PC and IT industry.The Infocom Products Company and the Mobile Electronics Company were merged to create the Personal & Mobile Communications Company. The other companies formed were the Components & Computer Peripherals Company (formerly called the Components Company), the Recording Media & Energy Company, the Broadcast Products Company, the Image & Sound Communications Company (formerly called the Business & Industrial Systems Company) and the Semiconductor Company. Table 5 Basic features of the ten-company structure G A new company structure to promote quicker, more effective operations that better reflect market changes.G The establishment of an Executive Board to reinforce headquarters and corporate strategy and mana gement functions. G The appointment of new companies and groups for entering into the IT and telecommunications businesses. G The consolidation of marketing functions. G The establishment of Corporate Laboratories for new business development. G The training of promising young talent to foster future managers. Source: ‘Sony Announces a New Corporate Structure’, posted on www. sony. net, dated 16 January 1996.Exploring Corporate Strategy by Johnson, Scholes & Whittington 5 Restructuring Sony In order to devise and implement the corporate strategies of the Sony Group, an Executive Board was created. The board was chaired by Idei. The other members of the board included the Chief Human Resources Officer, the Chief Production Officer, the Chief Marketing Officer, the Chief Communications Officer, the Chief Technology Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Executive Deputy President & Representative Director and the Senior Managing Director.In an attempt to consolidate th e marketing operations of Sony, the marketing divisions that belonged to the previous organisational setup were spun off to create three new marketing groups – the Japan Marketing Group (JMG), the International Marketing & Operations Group (IM&O) and the Electronic Components & Devices Marketing Group (ECDMG). The JMG was responsible for all marketing activities in Japan for five companies – the Display Company, the Home AV Company, the Information Technology Company, the Personal AV Company and the Image & Sound Communications Company.The IM&O was responsible for supporting all overseas marketing efforts for these companies. The ECDMG oversaw the worldwide marketing operations for the Semiconductor Company and the Components & Computer Peripherals Company. Analysts felt that this consolidation was done to separate Sony’s Japanese marketing operations from its worldwide operations so that the company could operate in a focused manner. To centralise all the R&D e fforts of Sony, the previous R&D structure (in which each company had its own R&D division) was revamped and three new corporate laboratories were established.The laboratories were the Architecture Laboratory (responsible for carrying out R&D for software, network and IT-related technologies), the Product Development Laboratory (R&D for product development in AV businesses) and the System & LSI Laboratory (R&D for LSI and system design, the basic components of hardware products). In addition, a new D21 laboratory was established to conduct long-term R&D for future oriented technology intensive products. Sony also gave emphasis to grooming young, talented people to take up top management positions. The company also introduced the oncept of ‘virtual companies’ – temporary groups consisting of people from different divisions for launching hybrid products. Sony applied this idea when developing the latest generation Mini Disk players. For the financial year 1995†“96, Sony registered a 15 per cent increase in revenues and became profitable again. In April 1998, a new organisation, Corporate Information Systems Solutions (CISS), was established to realign and upgrade Sony’s information network systems and its global supply chain. The CISS comprised an advisory committee of individuals from management consultancy firms and Sony’s CISS representatives.The committee members advised the President on technological and strategic issues related to CISS. Representatives of the CISS were placed in all divisional companies to accelerate the implementation of corporate IT projects. During early 1998, Sony formed Sony Online Entertainment in the US to focus on internet-related projects. In May 1998, Sony changed the composition of its board of directors and established the new position of Co-Chief Executive Officer (Co-CEO). Idei was appointed Co-CEO. Idei reshuffled the management system to facilitate speedy decision making, improve effi ciency, and provide greater role clarity to managers.The new system separated individuals responsible for policy-making from those who were responsible for operations. Under the new system, Idei was responsible for planning and designing Sony’s strategies and supervising the growth of e-business. Along with Ohga, he had to supervise the performance of the entire Sony group. President Ando was made responsible for overseeing Sony’s core electronics business, while Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Tokunaka was made responsible for the company’s financial strategies and network businesses.In addition, the top management positions of Sony’s global subsidiaries, which were previously called Corporate Executive Officers, were redesignated Group Executive Officers. Explaining the rationale for these changes, a Sony spokesman said, ‘These changes are aimed at making Sony’s management more agile’. 7 7 ‘Sony Names Management Team’, by Yoshiko Hara, EE Times, 9 May 2000. Exploring Corporate Strategy by Johnson, Scholes & Whittington 6 Restructuring Sony Table 6 Sales performance of Sony’s businesses (1995–99) (in ? bn)* Year/Business 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 CAGR (4 years) ? 100 = approx. A0. 75. Source: Sony Annual Report, 1999, posted on www. sony. net. Electronics 3027 3283 3930 4377 4355 8. 55% Game 35 201 408 700 760 215% Music 481 506 570 660 719 10. 5% Pictures 282 317 439 643 540 17% Insurance 113 207 228 291 339 31% Others 52 78 88 84 81 11. 7% The implications From 1995 to 1999, Sony’s electronics business (on which the restructuring efforts were focused) grew at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8. 55 per cent (see Table 6). The music business had a CAGR of 10. 5 per cent while the pictures business had a CAGR of 17 per cent.Significant gains were, however, recorded by the games and insurance business. The games business registered a CAGR of 215 per cent, while the insurance business registered a CAGR of 31 per cent. In the late 1990s, Sony’s financial performance deteriorated. For the financial year 1998–99, its net income dropped by 19. 4 per cent. During that period, Sony was banking heavily on its PlayStation computer game machines. It was estimated that the PlayStation (Games business) accounted for nearly 42 per cent of Sony’s operating profits and 15 per cent of total sales for the quarter October–December 1998.In the late 1990s, many companies across the world were attempting to cash in on the internet boom. At that time, Sony’s management felt the need to establish a link between its electronics business (TVs, music systems, computers) and its content-related businesses (music, video games, movies and financial services) by making use of the internet. The management felt that in future, the revenues generated by internet-related businesses might even surpass those earned through the consumer electronics busin ess. It wanted to use the internet as a medium for selling its electronic products as well as its content (music, movies and so on).In order to achieve this, Sony announced another reorganisation of business operations. Analysts felt that Sony was in a good position to exploit the opportunities offered by the internet since the company already had an established position in the electronics and content-related businesses. THE UNIFIED-DISPERSED MANAGEMENT MODEL In April 1999, Sony announced changes in its organisational structure. Through the new framework, the company aimed at streamlining its business operations to better exploit the opportunities offered by the internet.Sony’s key business divisions – Consumer Electronics division, Components division, Music division and the Games division – were reorganised into network businesses. This involved the reduction of ten divisional companies into three network companies, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) Company an d the Broadcasting & Professional Systems (B&PS) Company (see Exhibit 1). SCE Company was responsible for the PlayStation business while the B&PS Company supplied video and audio equipment for business, broadcast, education, industrial, medical and production related markets.The restructuring aimed at achieving three objectives – strengthening the electronics business, privatising three Sony subsidiaries, and strengthening the management capabilities. The restructuring also aimed at enhancing shareholder value through ‘Value Creation Management’. 8 8 It aimed at creating value by dividing the group into networked autonomous business units such that the resources within the Sony Group complemented each other. Exploring Corporate Strategy by Johnson, Scholes & Whittington 7 Restructuring Sony Exhibit 1 The unified-dispersed management modelSource: ‘Sony Announces Organization Structure for New Network Companies’, posted on www. sony. net, 29 March 1999 . Strengthening the electronics business The three network companies created were the Home Network Company, the Personal IT Network Company and the Core Technology & Network Company. Each network company was governed by a network company management committee (NCMC) and a network committee board (NCB). The NCMC was responsible for developing management policies and strategies. Its members included the officers and presidents of the concerned network company.The NCB was responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the network company while keeping in mind the overall corporate strategy of the entire organisation. Each NCB was chaired by the concerned company’s President & CEO, Deputy President, President and Representative Director, two Executive Deputy Presidents and Representative Directors, and Corporate Senior Vice President. The new structure aimed at decentralising the worldwide operations of the company. The corporate headquarters gave the network companies the authority to function as autonomous entities in their corresponding businesses.To facilitate more functional and operational autonomy, the corporate headquarters also transferred the required support functions and R&D labs to each network company. To give a further boost to Sony’s electronics business, the management created Digital Network Solutions (DNS) under the purview of headquarters. The role of DNS was to create a network business model by charting strategies and developing essential technologies for exploiting the opportunities offered by the internet. The basic aim of creating DNS was to develop a network base that would provide customers with digital content (such as music and movies) and financial services.Privatising Sony’s subsidiaries As part of its strategy to promote functional and operational autonomy and to devote more attention to units which contributed significantly to its revenues and profits, Sony decided to convert three of its companies â€⠀œ Sony Music Entertainment ( Japan), Sony Chemical Corporation (manufactured printed circuit boards (PCBs), recording media and automotive batteries), and Sony Precision Technology (manufactured semiconductor inspection equipment and precision measuring devices) – into wholly Exploring Corporate Strategy by Johnson, Scholes & Whittington 8 Restructuring Sony owned subsidiaries of Sony.In addition, Sony converted SCE, which was jointly owned by Sony and Sony Music Entertainment ( Japan), into a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony. Strengthening the management capability To strengthen the management capability, Sony clearly demarcated the roles of headquarters and the newly created network companies. Accordingly, distinction was made between the strategic and support functions. Sony’s headquarters was split into two separate units – Group Headquarters and Business Unit Support. The role of Group Headquarters was to oversee group operations and expedite the allocation of resources within the group.The support functions, such as accounting, human resources and general affairs, were handled by the network companies so that they could enjoy more autonomy in their operations. Significant long-term R&D projects were directly supervised by the headquarters, while the immediate and short-term R&D projects were transferred to the concerned network companies. In order to evaluate the performance of the network companies, a value based performance measurement system9 was introduced. The implications While pursuing its restructuring efforts, Sony started developing products which were compatible with the internet.Its electronic products, such as digital cameras, personal computers, music systems, and Walkman, were made web compatible. Through its website, www. sony. net, consumers could participate in popular television game shows, listen to music, and download songs and movie trailers. Sony also ventured into e-business with the acquisition of Sky Perfect Communications. 10 While focusing on offering internet-enabled products, Sony also attempted to increase internet penetration by offering internet connection at lower cost and higher speed to consumers in urban areas. Sony’s restructuring efforts in 1999 were well received by investors.Following the announcement of the restructuring programme, Sony’s stock prices nearly tripled. This positive trend continued even in 2000. By March 2000, its stock prices were at a high of $152. Having already offered its PlayStation game console on the internet, Sony successfully launched its PlayStation 2 (PS2) video game console in Japan in March 2000. The PS2 sold 980,000 units within the first three days of its launch. However, Sony still faced problems since its other businesses, including electronics, movies, personal computers, and mobile telecommunications, were not performing well.Analysts felt that the low internet penetration rate in Japan (estimated to be 13 per cent in 199 9) was proving to be a major hurdle for Sony. Consequently, Sony’s financial performance deteriorated by the end of 1990s. For fiscal 1999 –2000, Sony’s net income fell to ? 121. 83bn compared to ? 179bn in the fiscal 1998–99. This resulted in a major fall in its stock prices. By May 2000, Sony’s stock prices fell by 40 per cent to $89. Analysts were quick to criticise Sony’s efforts towards transforming itself into a web-enabled company.They commented that the company had created more hype rather than taking a few significant steps in this regard. In response to these financial problems, Sony announced a reshuffle in its top management. Idei became the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sony. Ando, who headed Sony’s PC division, was 9 A system that helps in effectively determining the cost of capital. The measurement is based on economic profit, which is calculated by subtracting the cost of debt and equity from the operating pr ofit after tax. Sony planned to use this system of measurement to set targets and evaluate business unit performance.The performance was to be linked, in future, with management compensation. 10 A popular satellite broadcasting company in Japan which owned Sky Perfect TV and had successfully ventured into the internet service provider (ISP) business by launching the website, www. so-net. This website enabled online shopping, interactive games, fortune telling as well as stockbroking. Exploring Corporate Strategy by Johnson, Scholes & Whittington 9 Restructuring Sony made the President, while Tokunaka, who previously headed the PlayStation unit, was made the Chief Financial Officer of Sony.Sony also undertook a massive cost-cutting exercise. Its global manufacturing facilities were reduced from 70 in 1999 to 65 in 2001. Sony planned to further bring down the number of manufacturing facilities to 55 by the end of 2003. This move would result in the elimination of 17,000 jobs. While im plementing these measures, the company had to deal with severe resistance from employee unions and local governments (in areas where jobs would be eliminated). Despite the above measures, Sony’s financial condition did not show any significant improvement in 2001.The company was severely affected by the slowdown in the IT industry during 2000–01, which led to a decline in the demand for its computer-related products. As a result, in spite of a 9. 4 per cent increase in revenue in the fiscal 2000–01 (mainly due to the improved sales of the PlayStation games console) Sony’s net income dropped significantly from ? 121. 83bn in the fiscal 1999–2000 to ? 16. 75bn in the fiscal 2000–01. Analysts commented that Sony required a new business model. The company had immediately to take concrete measures to increase its net income.Sony’s management also felt that with the emergence of net-compatible devices like cellular phones, audio and video g adgets and laptops, PCs were losing their charm. It felt that in the emerging age of ‘broadband’11 the demand for the above products was likely to increase in future. Sony’s management felt that in order to boost profitability and exploit the opportunities offered by the broadband era, there was a need for yet another organisational restructuring. RESTRUCTURING EFFORTS IN 2001 Sony announced another round of organisational restructuring in March 2001.The company aimed at transforming itself into a Personal Broadband Network Solutions company by launching a wide range of broadband products and services for its customers across the world. Explaining the objective of the restructuring, Idei said, ‘By capitalising on this business structure and by having businesses cooperate with each other, we aim to become the leading media and technology company in the broadband era. ’12 The restructuring involved designing a new headquarters to function as a hub for Sony’s strategy, strengthening the electronics business, and facilitating network-based content distribution.New headquarters to function as a hub for Sony’s strategy Under the new structural framework (see Exhibit 2), Sony’s headquarters was revamped into a Global Hub centred on five key businesses – electronics, entertainment, games, financial services and internet/ communication service. The primary role of the Global Hub (headed by the top management) was to devise the overall management strategy of the company. Sony’s management decided to integrate all the electronics business related activities under the newly created Electronic Headquarters (Electronics HQ).In order to achieve the convergence of Audio Video Products with IT (AV/IT convergence), Sony devised a unique strategy called ‘4 Network Gateway’. Under this strategy, the games and internet/communication service businesses were combined with the electronics hardware busine ss so that innovative products could be developed and offered for the broadband market. The three businesses were under the supervision of Ando. In order to provide support services for the entire group, a management platform was created, which consisted of key support functions in diverse fields such as accounting, finance, legal, intellectual 11An acronym for broad bandwidth, it is a high-speed, high-capacity data transmission channel that sends and receives information on coaxial cable or fibre-optic cable (which has a wider bandwidth than conventional telephone lines). This channel can carry video, voice and data simultaneously. 12 As quoted in the Annual Report 2002, www. sony. net. Exploring Corporate Strategy by Johnson, Scholes & Whittington 10 Restructuring Sony Exhibit 2 Sony organisational chart: electronics-related business (as of 1 April 2001)Source: ‘A New Group Structure for the Next Stage of Integrated, Decentralized Management’, www. sony. net, 29 March 2001. copyrights, human resources, information systems, public relations, external affairs and design. The management platform was later split into the Engineering, Management and Customer Service (EMCS) Company and the Sales Platform (which comprised the regional sales companies and region-based internet direct marketing functions). The management platform was headed by the Chief Administrative Officer, a newly created position.Sony’s management also converted the product-centric network companies into solution-oriented companies by regrouping them into seven companies. Group resources were allocated among the network companies on the basis of their growth potential. Exploring Corporate Strategy by Johnson, Scholes & Whittington 11 Restructuring Sony Strengthening electronics business To enhance the profitability of the electronics segment, Sony’s management decided to give emphasis to product development efforts. The management felt it was also essential to enhance the quality of the electronic devices manufactured.In order to achieve this, Sony’s management devised an innovative business model called the Ubiquitous Value Network,13 which connected the company’s existing hardware, content and services through an agency of networks. Sony planned to develop a wide range of products which could be connected through this network. Network-based content distribution Like the electronics, games and internet/communication service businesses, the entertainment and financial services businesses were also developed in a network compatible manner to facilitate electronic content distribution.In the entertainment business, music and movies were converted into a digital format and distributed over the internet (apart from being distributed through traditional channels such as music stores and theatres). In Japan, Sony Music Entertainment launched online music through its website. This website allowed customers to download popular songs for a f ee. In the financial services business, Sony Life Insurance Japan launched the ‘Life Planner’ consultancy system which offered personalised financial services online to its customers.Sony Life Assurance Japan also went online and started selling its insurance policies over the internet. The implications Soon after the reorganisation, Sony launched some innovative products to cater to the broadband market. For instance, in 2001, the company launched a series of internet-compatible mobile phones. However, the product was unsuccessful (owing to problems in the software used in the mobile devices) and in early 2002 Sony had to recall three batches of phones sold to Japanese companies. In consequence, Sony had to write off $110m in the quarter ending June 2002.In April 2003, Sony announced another major restructuring exercise (to be carried out in the next three years) in order to strengthen its corporate value (see Exhibit 3). Following this announcement, Sony was reorganis ed into seven business entities – four network companies and three business groups (see Exhibit 4). These business entities were given the authority to frame short-term and long-term strategies. According to analysts, the company’s financial performance did not improve in spite of the frequent restructuring by Sony’s management.For the financial year 2001–02, Sony’s operating income fell by a significant 40. 3 per cent while its revenues registered a marginal increase of 3. 6 per cent. According to a BusinessWeek report, sales of Sony’s most profitable products – the PlayStation and the PS2 game consoles – were likely to fall (see Exhibit 5). Due to Sony’s poor financial performance, the management planned to further reduce the number of manufacturing facilities and shift some production activities out of Japan.Analysts also criticised Sony for being a diversified business conglomerate engaged in several businesses from semiconductors to financial services. They felt that the company should focus on a few highly profitable businesses like games, insurance, and audio-video equipment and hive off the unprofitable businesses. Analysts felt that spending huge amounts of money on restructuring was not justified, particularly since the restructuring exercises had not yielded the expected results. In 2001, restructuring efforts had cost the company ? 100bn; and the proposed restructuring in April 2003 was expected to cost another ? 40bn. 13 The Ubiquitous Value Network is an environment in which PC and non-PC consumer electronics devices are seamlessly connected to each other and to the network, giving users access to all types of content or service, from anywhere across the globe. Exploring Corporate Strategy by Johnson, Scholes & Whittington 12 Restructuring Sony Exhibit 3 Sony organisational chart (as of 1 April 2003) Source: ‘Sony Announces Executive Appointments and Organizational Reforms Effec tive as of April 1, 2003’, www. sony. net, 31 March 2003. Exhibit 4 Responsibilities of network companies and business groups No. 2 3 Network company/ business group Home Network Company Broadband Network Company IT and Mobile Solutions Network Company 4 5 6 Micro Systems Network Company Game Business Group Entertainment Business Group Responsibility To create a new home environment with networked electronic devices centred on next-generation TV Development of next-generation electronics devices and linkages to Game devices To realise a connected world with PC and mobile devices and strengthen the B2B solutions business To enhance key devices and modules as core components of attractive set products To promote Game businesses for the broadband era To develop entertainment content businesses based on pictures and music and develop a new content business model for the network era To integrate various business units providing services based on direct contact with customers (fina nce, retail, etc). Strengthen synergies and develop attractive new business models for customers through the application of IT. 7 Personal Solutions Business Group Source: ‘Sony Announces Executive Appointments and Organizational Reforms Effective as of April 1, 2003’, www. sony. et, 31 March 2003. Analysts also felt that the convergence of consumer electronics, PCs and the internet was not only opening up new opportunities for Sony but also creating more competition for its core businesses. As Sony took steps to strengthen its networking capabilities, the company faced new forms of competition in both domestic as well as foreign markets. For instance, in the US, software giants like Microsoft and Sun Microsystems (as well as a few startups) were planning to enter the home entertainment market. Exploring Corporate Strategy by Johnson, Scholes & Whittington 13 Restructuring Sony Exhibit 5 Break-up of Sony’s businesses (31 March 2002)Business Electronics Games Insu rance Films Music Others Sales ($bn) 35. 6 7. 4 3. 7 4. 6 4. 5 0. 6 Operating profits ($m) 125 578 91 147 203 NA Source: ‘Can Sony Retain the Magic’, by Irene M. Kunii & Cliff Edward, BusinessWeek, 11 March 2002. Even Cisco Systems, which provided network solutions, had started manufacturing consumer electronics products. A BusinessWeek report said that Sony lacked any distinctive competencies in the internet-related businesses. It was neither an aggregator of content like Yahoo! , nor a limited-product vendor with an efficient distribution network such as Dell. Exploring Corporate Strategy by Johnson, Scholes & Whittington 14