Key issues facing my organization over the next five years

Amwal was formed in 1998 as a financial planning firm for the women of Qatar under the patronage of HE Shiekha Mozah, the wife of the Emir of Qatar.   As a result of Amwal’s success and reputation it was transformed into a fully licensed investment bank in 2005.Amwal, like most of the investment banks and asset management firms in the region, has benefitted from the unprecedented economic growth, high oil prices, and surplus wealth. The GCC countries are expected to grow over seven percent in the next five years. Qatar is one of the top GCC countries in economic performance.   As such, Qatar’s economy is expected to grow 13% in 2008 as a result of sustained oil prices and the country’s ambitious gas industrialization initiatives.Following Russia and Iran, Qatar has the world’s third largest gas reserves. In terms of energy, these reserves are expected to last for more than 200 years. This growth is not temporary in nature and is expected to continue ov er the long run. During former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan’s recent visit o Jeddah, he was quoted saying that the oil boom would â€Å"go on forever†.All of these factors have resulted in a mushroom effect on the growth of different kinds of financial institutions in the region.   Existing banks are expanding rapidly, new banks are being set up, and many international players from US, Europe, and Asia are setting up shop in this region. In the last two years nearly 280 financial intuitions have surfaced in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).In the current market scenario, I believe that Amwal will face the following challenged as it strives to become a world class investment bank:  Carving its own identity and differentiating from its regional peersAmwal has a very strong shareholder base that includes prominent local and regional organizations.   For this reason Amwal’s identity sometimes is overshadowed by affiliation with one of i ts shareholders in the multiple   transactions that Amwal actually facilitates.   As a new investment bank Amwal leveraged its shareholder base to its benefit.   However as we grow it is imperative that we carve out our own identity that will build a strong brand recognition in the region. This is important because it will help Amwal to differentiate itself from its regional competitors, who often operate on similar grounds and similar strengths.   This will occur over the mid   to long range period as Amwal builds on successful deals, takes steps to increase social responsibility, and invests in its employee resources.Competing with global names such as Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley and Goldman SachsDue to economic growth and initiatives to develop the capital markets, GCC countries have been successful in attracting global names such as Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Barclays etc. This presents a unique challenge for a local bank like Amwal to remain compe titive due to its relative inexperience as compared to the multinational investment banks. GCC countries have embarked on a major capital expenditure initiative, developing their infrastructure and other major projects. Qatar alone will spend over $100 billion(U.S.) over the next five years.   This will help to position Amwal as a local expert with global capabilities.Hiring and retaining key staffDue to the spur in new market entrants, banks are competing for the best human resources and often find themselves short of a healthy bench-strength. This has been mainly due to the high turnover, shortage of seasoned professionals, and a general preference to employ western educated professionals with regional experience. This problem is more prevalent for local banks with limited resources.These local banks are rely heavily on key staff such as the senior manages of investment banking and asset management. Amwal is not immune to this problem and has recently developed a policy of retai ning good employees and encouraging its staff to develop further expertise by sending them for training and allowing time off from work for academic studies.   Amwal will face a key challenge of retaining staff and hiring more professionals due to circumstances beyond its control including regional factors such as increased competition and the higher cost of living.Need for a better corporate governanceAnother challenge is creating the right balance of power and accountability between the board of directors, senior management, shareholders,   and internal operating departments.   Amwal has grown tremendously over the last few years and is now planning for its own Initial Public Offering (IPO) early next year to support its current growth and future goals. During the initial years of operation, Amwal’s management style was very centralized with authorities and powers limited to a few key individuals. While this is very common among most local and regional institutions li ke Amwal, this structure usually leads to a financial and strategic gap upon the exit of these key individuals.Amwal has come a long way since its transformation into an investment bank and have developed business policy principles, guidelines, internal and external regulations and monitoring mechanisms. However, as we continue to grow, expand our global reach, and prepare for the IPO, I believe these measures would need to be constantly reviewed and enhanced as they are critical for conducting proper corporate accountability and enhancing business prosperity. Another prevailing impediment is the lack of proactiveness of the local governing bodies that need to substantially enhance the regulatory framework, develop stricter industry guidelines, and encourage transparency.   As an industry leader, Amwal is in a unique position to have a positive effect on the creation of the regulatory industry in the region.ConclusionThese observations are not only unique to Amwal.   Since we ar e in a constantly changing environment it is critical that local and regional institutions identify these challenges and develop a strategic plan to respond to them.   I believe that Amwal is well placed and uniquely positioned for this challenge with its sound business model and comprehensive long range strategic plan.

Comparison of Parent-Child Relationship in Two Novels

The Parent-Child relationship in Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been, written by Joyce Carol Oates and in In the Gloaming, written by Alice Elliott Dark are two different demonstrations of relationships that parents and children have with one another. In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been the Parent-Child Relationship was strained and distant in In the Gloaming, the Parent-Child Relationship was close and open. In Where Have You Been, Where Are You Going? Connie and her mother were always having conflicts with each other.Connie was a very beautiful girl and Connie thought her mother was jealous of her beauty. Her mother was probably not jealous of Connie but concerned and thought she would attract the wrong attention. Connie’s mom constantly made remarks about Connie’s makeup and how her hairspray smelt. Connie’s mother often ridiculed Connie when Connie looked in the mirror by saying, â€Å"Stop gawking at yourself. , who do you think you are? You th ink you are so pretty. † Connie would become so angry with her mother, she even wished her mother dead.Connie never liked to speak to her mother and did not want to be around her mother. In the presence of her mother Connie could not be herself so when she was away from her mother she would act and dress inappropriate for a 15 year old girl. Connie’s motivation for dressing provocatively was to attract attention from boys. Unbeknownst to Connie her mother was right, looking and dressing inappropriate would eventually cause Connie extreme danger. In the story In the Gloaming the Parent-Child Relationship was very different.Instead of being strained and distant the relationship are strong and loving. Laird’s mother was a compassionate mother who was so determined to make her son happy that it became an obsession. The only thing Laird’s mother cared about and thought about was making Laird happy. Laird and his mother often talked at enormous length about life , love and happiness. Laird’s mother was extremely open with Laird about her life. Laird also enjoyed talking to his mother about life, love and dreams. The dialogue between Laird and his mother would often become very personal.Laird was always thinking about his mother. Laird always wanted to know what she cared about and always wanted his mother’s opinion. Every night at sunset Laird, his mother and his father would eat dinner together. After dinner Laird’s father would go to his study work while Laird and his mother talked about everything. Laird and his mother would look out of the window and watch the sunset, the sky would turn a heather color, they would refer to this time of night as the â€Å"gloaming†. The gloaming became more than a sunset it became a symbol to Laird and his mother.Laird and his mother looked forward to their special time when nothing else mattered but themselves and their conversation. Laird’s mother treasured this speci al time because Laird was very ill and would soon die. Laird needed to know everything about his mother before he died and Laird’s mother needed to know everything about Laird before he died. So, every night they would sit and talk for hours. Laird was the love of his mother’s life, he and his mother were inseparable until the day he died. The relationship between Connie and her mother may have been different if one of them was ill.Furthermore, the relationship between Laird and his mother may have been more strained if Laird had not been ill and needed his mother so much. The Parent-Child relationship can be very different and at times very difficult. Some children see their parent’s in a different point of view than their siblings. The relationship can be a positive experience or a negative experience. Laird and his mother’s conversations became something to look forward to. Connie’s conversations with her mother became something she resented and dreaded.

International finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International finance - Essay Example In fact, the creation of International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) as well as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), had both been the consequences of the conference. The innate characteristics of the conference had been – Firstly, the conference stressed upon the fixation of upper and lower limits for the exchange rates of any domestic currency. Such a system would help in reducing possibilities of financial distress owing to fluctuations in the rate of exchange. The upper and lower limits of the rate of exchange are on the other hand, made the domain of the national government with regard to their respective current account positions. To be precise, the domestic governments were allowed to make adjustments to up to 10% below or above the pegged rates of exchange. The domestic currency of any nation was made completely convertible with any other currency to ease foreign trade. Lastly, all nations were made members to the International Monetary Fund so as to make the latter’s task easier to conduct at times when a financial crisis takes place. The system collapsed during 1970s, though that did not mean that the whole world converted itself into a system of floating exchange rates. For instance, the nations underlying European Union follow a fixed exchange rate regime where they maintain a fixed rate of exchange with the Euro as well as between themselves (Alderman, 2011, ‘Europe’s Challenge: Fostering Growth Amid Austerity’). Answer to Question 2 According to the concept of uncovered interest rate parity (UIP), the difference between the rates of returns on domestic and foreign bonds must be equal to the expected change in the rate of exchange

Mass Media and Its Influence on Public Opinion Essay

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

The ethical topic is Doctors giving narcotic orders for nurses to Essay

The ethical topic is Doctors giving narcotic orders for nurses to carry out to addicts even though the doctors know their patie - Essay Example The conclusion will be evident that nurses must keep the patients’ best interests at heart as they seek to be the patient advocate and do no harm. Ethical Dilemma: Doctors Giving Orders for Nurses to Carry Out to Addicts Even Though the Doctors Know Their Patients Are Addicted to the Narcotics There are many documented instances where nurses have been placed in ethical situations when it comes to following doctors’ orders. One of these situations is whether or not to carry out those orders if they mean giving narcotics to known addicts. Revised over the years, the Nurse’s Association’s Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements strictly conveys the importance of accountability and patient advocacy. Primary to the subject matter of this article are several Provisions directly stated in the Code. In Provision 2, â€Å"The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group or community.† Provision 3 st ates, â€Å"The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient,† And Provision 4 reads,â€Å"The nurse is responsible and accountable for individual nursing practice and determines the appropriate delegation of tasks consistent with the nurse’s obligation to provide optimum patient care.† To gain a clearer understanding of the scope of ethics in relation to the subject matter, a definition of some terms would be beneficial. â€Å"Ethics† is defined by Merriam-Webster as â€Å"a set of moral principles: a theory or system of moral values† (ethics, 2011), while the American Heritage Dictionary defines a â€Å"narcotic† as â€Å" an addictive drug, such as opium, that reduces pain, alters mood and behavior, and usually induces sleep or stupor† (narcotic, 2011). In the article â€Å"Nurses Struggle with Ethical Dilemmas,† Christine Mitchell (RN, MS, FAAN, Director of Ethics at Bo ston Children’s Hospital and Associate Director of Clinical Ethics at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts) is quoted as saying, â€Å"The important thing is for nurses to listen to their inner voices and ask themselves, ‘Are we doing the right thing?’ Pay attention to that voice.† (Boivin, 2009) In seeking to do the right thing, the nurse must minister to the whole person, as Marg Hutchison quotes Joyce Travelbee in â€Å"Unity and Diversity in Spiritual Care,†A nurse does not only seek to alleviate physical pain or render physical care - she ministers to the whole person. The existence of suffering, whether physical, mental or spiritual is the proper concern of the nurse.† (Hutchison, 1998) In adhering to this principle, the Hospice Patient’s Alliance focuses on five rights of drug administration that apply to nurses employed in any medical setting. These rights, as listed in the article â€Å"Dangers of Leaving Medicat ions Out† include the right patient, drug or medication, dose of medication, route of administration, and time (frequency). (The Hospice Patient’s Alliance) The nurse must, therefore, forever be aware of the patient’s best interests. It is obvious that serious consequences could occur if either of these rights was violated. In the process of giving medication to patients, the nurse might question why the doctor would prescribe narcotics to a known addict. There lingers the possibility that the nurse may be unaware of the total reasoning behind a doctor’s orders. Perhaps the patient is seeking chronic pain relief. Perhaps it is a

International Justice Cooperation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

International Justice Cooperation - Essay Example Human beings at birth are necessarily good and his identity is defined entirely by events that occur thereafter as popularly adhered by the Tabula Rasa Theory. Contrary to this, man is considered neither good nor bad at birth but the forces acting for and against him molds him into what he is to become. The greater need for self-gratification has blanketed the goodness and differing individual personalities has created an offensive attitude to the civilized society. On the incidence of crime, low self-control may predispose criminal acts such as forcible rape, terrorism, stealing among others. Violent crimes however do not necessarily account for the possibility of low self-control acting alone on the individual. A variety of factors is believed to enhance the incidence of the violence in mankind that tends specifically recruit others to form a stronger criminal group. Recognizing the increasing scope, intensity and sophistication of crimes brought about by globalization as a mattress for drug operations, trafficking of arms and humans and laundering, has made the UN acknowledge the true nature of crime prevention. Efficient criminal justice systems have set standards and protocols that require cooperation to counter international syndicates. It is not surprising that at times even our own police force is pressured to deal with crimes beyond their territories and jurisdiction. In the process they have tried to wither the stringent rules other territories endeavor in order to protect that safety of their citizens albeit accused of crimes. Sometimes, even our justice system turns a blind eye and a deaf ear towards this common problem besieging the society. All forces should work hand in hand down to the lowest ranks of the state police to the highest echelons of the countries justice system in order to curb the massive criminal forces acting against positive development and in particular to the populace. Weakness in our justice systems serves to only strengthen the urge to continue the spate of crimes knowing that the legal system inhibits cooperation between judicial authorities that exploit criminality to their advantage to the detriment of the society. Alternative approaches to reform and behavioral modification should give rise to a discussion on a multi-disciplinary approach and theories to prevent the recurring incidence of criminal deviation before it has a chance to spread itself like a malady that afflicts everyone Akers (1991)1. The Center for International Crime Prevention2 is the United Nation's arm for crime prevention, justice and reform. They work with the member states to strengthen laws and promote criminal justice systems to combat the threats of organised crimes such as terrorism, corruption, drugs, human trafficking and so on. Based on the rule of law, effective justice systems ensure the respect for human rights in the national and international levels. The Criminal Justice Reform Unit assists States in developing strategies to reform all the aspects of their criminal justice systems, with particular emphasis on vulnerable groups3. It is understood that strategic information-sharing, institutional capacity-building and mutual support in law enforcement, training and extradition measures are necessary for countries to break up the thriving global empire of organized

Are American students grossly unprepared for college Statistics Project

Are American students grossly unprepared for college - Statistics Project Example to answer the question what fraction of first year students enrolled in all higher learning institutions between 1999/2000 and 2003/2004 and the fraction that was reported to take remedial courses (Dina 10). Besides, the researchers are trying to find out the reasons behind their course of action. The target population is the fresh undergraduates that are first year students being enrolled in private and public institutions. This is the same population the author is trying to draw conclusion from based on various characteristics. The sample in the study is a section of the first year and fourth year students in the higher learning institutions. The sample is not a representative of the population because it did not consider the continuing students. There are differences according to the control and level of the institution, according to selectivity of the institution, student characteristics, and differences by the degree program or the study field in regard to the remedial course taking in higher institute of learning. There were notable four distinctions in the proportion of undergraduates who got enrolled in remedial courses for every academic year. The researcher found that based on the reports of students for remedial courses in the study there was proof that the rate of remedial courses being taken by students might have gone down since 1999/2000. This might not be a logical conclusion given that the variables used were not exhausted. Hence causal conclusion cannot be taken. However, this is a valid conclusion based on the research design. The results can be used by the institutions and the ministry of education to seek the best policies to adopt in the higher education course programs. The statistical analyses that were used to draw conclusion for the study include: establishment of statistical variance and standard deviation. This was conducted from the information that was collected over telephone and interviews of the population sample which is the

Nursing as a Vital Component of Health Delivery System Essay

Nursing as a Vital Component of Health Delivery System - Essay Example The essay "Nursing as a Vital Component of Health Delivery System" talks about the importance of nurses in health and medical area who through personal care, compassion, and positive attitude, provide patients and their families with an inner strength to cope with illnesses and ensure that their health related needs are taken care of with efficiency. Strength based approach of nursing is much better than deficient approach because it has an optimistic outlook towards the sickness. It uses positive features of the patient and carer to help them to cope with the situation through improved understanding and acceptance so that they will use tools that facilitate better care or use tools for self-help, as the case may be. Freely and Gottlieb has asserted that in a strength based approach, the nurse-client relationship is a ‘partnership’ that ensures and honors basic human rights in health care relationships. The most interesting fact is that the approach empowers patients and care to seek ways and means for recovery. The approach is conducive for developing mutual trust and feeling of self worth which helps them to integrate into the mainstream population. The understanding and acceptance of the situation help to create an understanding for the requisite physical and emotional support. The nursing guidelines also assert that ‘building a nurse-family partnership is central to strengthening and supporting families. The emotional and moral support of the family goes a long way to inculcate confidence within the person.

RR communications Essay Example for Free

RR communications Essay At RR communications, it is obvious there is a problem that needs to be handled if they are to avoid losing customers. The problem lies with the decentralized operations where each business unit has a mandate to operate independently. The business units have the power to make and implement new projects and make decisions without having to involve the whole firm. This has led to many problems such as customers complaining of having receipts for each of the four products offered by the company and would prefer having one receipt for all their transactions. Due to the division among departments, the company has been unable to meet reporting requirements for the Sarbanes Oxley Act. It has proved obvious that a shared IT service, which is standardized among all the units, is needed to ensure everything goes well. The first problem we see at RR Communications is that there is a definite lack of centralized and concise IT governance. Currently all of the separate functions of the company have their own individual leadership with no central leadership. For this reason, each of the sections takes actions and makes decisions based only on how it affects their own particular departments. There is no coordination to ensure that the act of one area does not negatively affect the rest of the firm. This in turn has led to a significant lack of uniformity across the organization, which is hurting customer relations. There are unified databases and each section maintains their own set of records; this is causing great frustration among their customers who continually have issues when dealing with more than one area. Much of the division of departments has been caused by a lack of central leadership. The CEO of the firm has failed to unify the department or assert any control over the individual IT vice presidents. Even though they reported to him, each had acted entirely independently. This continuous failure of leadership has caused the department heads to develop a sense of isolation and self-survival. Even though a new executive VP of IT has been appointed to bring unity to the firm, there has been severe resistance as each department feels it will suffer. The lack of centralized management for so long has caused significant discord between the departments that will take considerable effort to overcome. In addition, this company attitude has filtered down from the VPs to the middle and lower management creating an overall atmosphere that is dangerously disjointed. Even the suggestion of bringing together the database systems and management has caused a near  mutinous uprising and rejection of leadership. The current managerial atmosphere has been around so long, the attitude of individualism has been deeply imbedded in the corporate culture. While, individual thinking is useful to foster innovation and creativity, when the entire organization acts to satisfy only its individual requirements, the firm overall will suffer. Unless this attitude can be overcome, any attempt at bringing unity to the company will fail. From the technical standpoint, RR Communications is suffering from a severely fractured information management system. Every section of the company maintains its own individual customer databases, which are in incompatible formats. If a customer maintains relationships with more then one division, they get bills from each individual area. Customer issues often fail to get resolved because the departments do not communicate or share information. This is causing problems with diminished customer satisfaction. In addition, without a centralized database, full customer information and statistics are impractical to collect. In addition to suffering by not being able to collect detailed records, the company is facing regulatory issues by not being able to provide complete information on the company’s activities, and significant resources are being wasted to assemble simple reports. Currently management and associates at RR Communications believe that a collective solution is impossible, and any attempt to do so will cause them to suffer. While it may be true that the initial implementation of such a system will require a significant collective effort, the end result will be well worth it. It is also clear that much of the perspective of management is extremely short sided; projects are selected only based on a very narrow and limited benefit view with no regard for their long-term viability. As more and more systems have been patched together to fulfill immediate gaps, the overall collection of programs has become a cumbersome, inefficient, and unmanageable mess. A truly efficient system would be one that is all-encompassing and communicates across all facets of the organization to deliver a unified and fully integrated information system that can add real value to the firm. One other major issue at RR Communications is the proliferation of rouge projects completed without oversight or regard for how they will affect the firm. In a large company every project should be examined to determine how it could provide value to the organization before being launched. At RR  Communication projects are being launched that benefit only select areas and may in fact be causing a significant negative impact to the rest of the firm. The company currently does not have a steering or operating committee to oversee and exert control over these projects. Without any form of centralized control and governance, these rouge projects will continue to sabotage the effectiveness of the organization. Lack of common information and enterprise IT strategy has caused several problems for the business and the IT departments of RR communications. Customer service has suffered and customer dissatisfaction has grown. Lack of common information has made it difficult for management to monitor the businesses as a whole. Business units are unable to exchange information and remain unaware of the other divisions’ work. There is little sense of how the divisions work together to meet the company’s overall goals. The accounting problems make it difficult to present shareholders with accurate financial information, and the system is not cost-effective in any case. Furthermore, each division working at individual level to attain its success makes them rigid and unable to adapt to changing requirements; under these circumstances even the implementation of new technology will be extremely difficult. The organization cannot operate efficiently as a whole or at division levels, and the costs are bound to keep increasing. Analysis: As many annoyed customers can probably agree, being transferred from one department of the company to another over and over again to resolve a simple issue is one of the main reasons many companies lose customers. This is certainly an issue at RR Communications. The main cause of the problem seems to be the division of the different business units. This lack of unity is caused by a faulty commission system that rewards individual performance over company profit. The fact that the four CIOs refuse to work together and resort to sabotaging the efforts of the others, serves to show that they are more interested in their own selfish financial goals. While the president of the company may have been a visionary and brilliant entrepreneur, he lacked the managerial skills to recognize the need to have a unified commission system which would foster participation in a common goal, and thus a common  commission which is interdependent on all four business units would be most beneficial to the company. Unifying IT Resources The most important problem for RR Communications to correct is a significant deficiency of successful information management, reflected by the confused state of their customer information databases. Currently customer data is disbursed in separate databases for each section of the company, so that data from one department is not available to another. Thus, customers are forced to maintain relationships with multiple departments and receive billing from each. This separation means that valuable information resources are not being effectively utilized, hurting the firm’s productivity and efficiency. To improve the state of information capital at RR Communications, a complete overhaul of the current systems will be necessary, from both an IT and business standpoint. Information represents a vital asset to any company. This can be in the form of customer accounts, sales records, research development, financial statements, etc. However, in order to realize full benefits, the same information must be readily accessible by all individual units, so that the company can leverage it in the most efficient manner. The first step to correct the issues at RR Communications is to create a unified data architecture that combines all information resources into a central database that is accessible to all sections of the firm. By providing a centralized database clients will be better served by allowing complete access to customer records throughout the company. This will also improve reporting abilities, lower administrative costs, and greatly increase the value of information resources. To achieve the greatest benefit to the company, RR Communications could consolidate its data from multiple silos into a unified enterprise data warehouse (EDW) (Smaltz, 2011). This architecture provides multiple benefits including a single location for all information storage reducing the amount of duplicated efforts. This also greatly improves the integrity of data by providing a ‘single version of the truth’ (Smaltz, 2011). When data is spread throughout multiple databases, invariable some of it will differ. For example, a customer’s address may have been changed in one department but not another. These differences can prove costly to a company. A centralized EDW means that only one record should exist for each customer and reduce  data discrepancies. Having such a centralized system would also satisfy customer needs in a more efficient manner and would help to cross-sell products, which in turn would result in higher profits and more profit for the company. By allowing customers to have a single point of contact, and sharing information by standardizing software and databases across the organization, information will flow more freely and readily available thus giving the employees the ability to communicate in real time with accurate data and maximizing customer contact to increase profits. Having a decentralized IT function is not conductive to achieve an enterprise vision because by keeping the separate business units separated, it keeps pertinent information out of reach of other business units, and thus allows missed opportunities to maximize profit. Also, the lack of communication among the units creates chaos and disorganization in the organization and gives precedence to individual goals above company goals, which in turn will end up hurting the overall enterprise vision and may even spell the end of the enterprise altogether. Finally, having a decentralized IT function creates customer frustration such as in the case of getting several bills for different products. This frustration may cause the company lost customers and lost profits. Information Stewardship Information Management Policy The difficulty in implementing this solution is the current state of the databases scattered about the firm; many are in incompatible formats, so that significant effort will need to be invested to bring together all of this data into a single, shared IT service system accessible to all. In addition, not all data is equally valuable to each unit. Efficiency necessitates allowing employees access to the information that is most pertinent without inundating the various departments with extraneous details. For this reason, whatever IT solution is implemented must be able to adapt dynamically to the storage and retrieval needs of each department. Another challenge to creating a centralized system is the role of information stewardship. Information stewardship involves the ownership and control of information to reduce discrepancies and redundancies. To maintain the consistency and accuracy of data, information stewards need to be appointed. â€Å"Information stewards are businesspeople. They should be responsible for determining the meaning of information ‘chunks’ and their  business rules and contextual use. They should be responsible for the accuracy, timeliness, consistency, validity, completeness, and redundancy of information† (McKeen Smith, 2009, p. 76). A serious challenge to the consolidation of data at RR Communication will be consolidating all of the disparate information from around the firm into a single enterprise data warehouse. It is very likely that there will be duplicate information, conflicting records, incompatible data formats, and other inconsistencies that will not lend themselves to easy integration. However, the reduction in duplicate and conflicting information will be vital to the success of RR Communication. Duplicate data means an increase in administrative work and overhead, a nd conflicting and inconsistent information means the company is not performing at optimum levels. The reduction of duplicate data, or data deduplication â€Å"can improve the performance of virtual systems, reduce network traffic and cut the costs associated with data protection. In addition, deduplication allows backup data to be replicated more efficiently to other sites for disaster recovery† (Symantec, 2011). Duplication increases the amount of data a corporate network must process, reducing efficiency and increasing costs. Storage costs increase as the same information may be stored and backed up across multiple databases, again wasting resources. Finally, duplication of data significantly increases the amount of labor required to utilize it in any useful manner. Clearly, RR Communication will need a significant amount of data deduplication to create a useful, consolidated enterprise data warehouse. To facilitate the proper stewardship of information, an information management policy needs to be created that addresses these issues in a way that prevents such confusion and disarray. An information management policy will dictate the rules and guidelines for how information is handled, who is responsible for maintaining and updating it, and outline the policies and practices to do so (McKeen Smith, 2009). To begin to unravel the data mess at RR Communications they should define an encompassing information management policy that will effectively address the issues of what information is retained, who is responsible for updating it, how it is to be maintained, and who should have access to it. Critical to the success of this policy will be the involvement of management from all functional areas of the company. Each should be given the opportunity to contribute to the policy,  and each individual needs should be addressed. In addition, the problem with this solution will be gaining acceptance from the different functional areas of the business. There will obviously be conflicts of ideas and differences of opinion in how the policy should be created and enforced. To improve the effectiveness of the policy it needs to be thoroughly enforced from top management down. This means to gain compliance, RR Communications’ CEO needs to set the example and pressure all levels of management below to do the same. Another strategy to encourage the support of the divisional presidents for the shared customer service is by creating awareness that the free information flow would be beneficial for all and would simplify business processes, thus allowing then to increase their bottom line, and thus their bonuses. Finding opportunities to demonstrate small success would help show the support being given to the divisions. To aid in compliance, a large corporate training program should be initiated to ensure the policy is well known by all associates. Gaining compliance by all of the business areas will be the most difficult part of this solution; the ingrained attitude of self-preservation that exists at RR Communication will be difficult to overcome. However, change is not impossible, but only by dedication of management. The initial implementation period will be the most difficult, and if enforcement waivers the policy may fail. Creating Useful Information from Raw Data One characteristic of an enterprise system is ensuring seamless integration of a company’s information among all divisions, including financial and accounting Markus, M.L., Tanis, C. (n.d.). Hence, to achieve a successful enterprise system, a company must have its IT systems centralized to ensure information runs smoothly and is relevant among all divisions, especially the financial and accounting information. Considering the accounting problems brought up at the final meeting, the company obviously needs to implement a centralized IT function. Moreover, it will be far more expensive to have an enterprise system with a decentralized IT function, which is contrary to the aim of achieving an enterprise system. While a centralized information management system will indeed offer benefits at RR Communication, if there is no way to utilize and interpret that data, it is useless; this is analogous to being data rich and information poor. Just  because a company has loads of data does not mean that is fully informed. A company such as RR Communication collects vast quantities of data, but having the resources to convert that into useful information can be an extreme challenge. At RR Communication, they are facing a double-sided problem; they have neither a collective data warehouse, nor do they have any effective information management. Once the problem of centralization has been addressed, information management can be. One potential way to improve the use of massive amounts of data is using a metadata repository. A metadata repository functions much like the card catalog of a library; while it does not specifically contain the information, it provides an index of what is available, including the relevant points on what it contains, as well as a pointer to locate the information (Moss Brodie, 2002). This index provides an extremely valuable resource tool to quickly locate pertinent information. In addition, the metadata repository should be designed with the ability to hook into other systems that are developed to provide information to mother systems as necessary. Establishing this framework now will offer increased benefits as more systems are built off the central repository. Addressing Corporate Culture As seen in RR Communications, lack of common information and enterprise IM strategy can cause several problems to the business and the IT department. RR Communications has encountered serious customer service problems, due to lack of common information and enterprise strategy. In addition, lack of common information makes it hard for the overall management to monitor the businesses. Business units are unable to exchange information, and none is aware of the other divisions’ work. The company is not in a position to strengthen its brand since no divisions work together. To remedy this, a unification of the firm needs to take place from more than just an IT standpoint. The disjointed nature of the firm’s information assets reflects a deeper separation of the personnel at RR Communications. Departments work for their own ends with naught but passing concern for their effects on the company as a whole. This lack of cohesion manifests itself in the behavior of the CIOs, divi sional managers, and even the employees, and has resulted in the severe fragmentation of corporate culture. The fragmented IT systems are only a symptom of a much larger problem. Before addressing the IT  problems at RR Communications, the underlying culture of the business needs to be transformed. This begins at the very top, with the president of the company and the highest leaders; they need to be the first to set the example, and it is clear their current attitudes have set the company on the disastrous course it is on. Removing the CIO team which has hampered the company’s efforts at unification up until now was a good step, but serious considerations now need to be taken to prevent things from getting worse. Other associates could easily see firing the CIOs as a usurping of departmental sovereignty; however, they need to use this as an opportunity to show that the company can be brought together without sacrificing any of their needs. To capitalize on this opportunity the president and vice president should bring together the next level of management into a council of members to set the direction and culture of the firm in a way that promotes unity and mutual respect. This council should be responsible for creating and fostering an atmosphere that shows the benefits of the firm functioning as one. They need to prove to the management and associates that their departments will have a say in decisions, and their needs will not be overlooked. To improve the odds of acceptance, the council should be selected from leaders that have proven themselves as examples of good leadership and who are respected in the firm. Key to the success of this council will be keeping everyone on equal footing and ensuring that no one area is given preference over another, especially in the beginning. It is obvious that certain departments will have greater needs then others, and sometimes priority will need to be given to one area; however, if this behavior is present from the outset they will receive much resistance from the firm, as this will reinforce existing fears. Once a unity of the firm has been established, people will be more flexible to accept changes after they see the benefits. It will be up to the president and vice president as leaders to maintain these policies and be the example. As demonstrated in previous cases, the president has been lax in demonstrating himself as a leader and this could prove damaging to any such plans to unify the firm. Leadership must begin at the top, and the success or failure of a company often reflects the abilities of its leadership. Implementation Challenges The advantages of a shared IT system eliminate some of the above-mentioned  problems. A single centralized and standardized IT operating system will enhance quick decisions across all the departments, since all units will be looking at the same data. Furthermore, with a shared service, customers will not have to visit different databases for the same company; rather, all their queries and purchases can be done from one site that will serve them with all that they need from the company. Another advantage will be easy monitoring of the divisional units—their individual performances as well as their contributions to the whole company. Another advantage for the company will be the ability to monitor financial operations, since all operations will be reflected on one database centrally (Amces, 2010). To implement the shared service strategy, it will be important to seek support of the divisional presidents, considering they will be in charge of the units, which are the moneymaking branches. Their willingness to participate in the construction of the shared service will benefit the whole company. The first step to the implementation of this strategy will require assurances that it will benefit the whole company far more than the current system that is facing opposition from not only the customers but also other stakeholders such as the suppliers. In turn, since employees’ remuneration is awarded on performance, improved performance for the whole firm will be an added advantage. Since the divisional heads are used to being in control, it is important to remind them that having a shared service will not mean the imposition of decisions from above. Rather, the shared service will make the operations of the whole organization work in harmony for the purpose of easy monitoring customer convenience. They should be included as part of the implementation team, so they can offer input on what they may not want to change. For instance, many are worried they will have to do away with specific projects. Ensuring them that these projects will continue after implementation of the shared service would increase their support, as would helping them understand that the new, shared system will enhance the harmony and efficiency of whole organization; eventually they will come to see that their roles will remain mostly the same. Another way to improve the odds of success to a centralized data structure is by appointing a team to oversee the maintenance of the data warehouse fr om an enterprise level. Ideally the members of this team should be comprised of analysts from the important functional areas of the company. This can help gain buy-in from the company  due to the fact that the members of this team have already proven themselves to be knowledgeable and capable in their previous environments (Smaltz, 2011). In addition the benefit of incorporating these individuals is that individual departments will feel that they have representation in the new system, and that their interests are protected. This will increase the potential for global acceptance in the program. Another way to increase compliance with the new systems is to implement an incentive program that would drive associates to achieve the best results. Incentive programs drive people to reach specific targets by offering them tangible rewards beyond their current compensation. At RR Communications, an incentive program could be implemented to increase compliance and adoption of a new centralized system. For example, the company could offer monetary bonuses to departments that lower their operating costs using the new system the most. Another more abstract idea would be to have a small bonus program for departments that offer ideas to enhance the productivity of the system. Many of the departments have complained that a shared system would cause them to be overlooked; however, offering this type of inventive would both encourage them to make enhancements of the system while simultaneously demonstrating that their opinions count. Positive reinforcement, such as an inventive program, help gain the compliance of the workforce in a much more efficient way then punishment or negative reinforcement. There are governance mechanisms and metrics that can be used to encourage the implementation and use of a shared enterprise data system. The governance that needs to be put in place is the alignment of divisional units with the IT department. The metrics must be aligned with transparency to ensure that IT is in congruence with business operations. The governance mechanism should involve all departments focusing on regulatory issues, risk alleviation and opportunity enhancement. The metrics used should be concerned with making divisional data fit into an enterprise system. These metrics will identify areas of weakness and avenues of improvement. To quote an analogy, â€Å"Rome wasn’t built in a day;† and it will take significant time and effort to remedy all the problems at RR Communications. Close governance and metrics will aid in any improvement plan. Recommendation: It is evident that RR Communications need an intervention in its customer  service center. The lack of a centralized customer care center is making it hard to provide unified services to customers. More so, a lot of time is wasted by customers who have to be referred to different department for billing. Customers are forced to have several accounts with the company for each division since each division is held with its independent operations including billing (Smith McKeen, 2007). This makes it hard for customer care provision. Considering consumer service is very crucial for any business, RR Communications need a centralized customer service center. A centralized service center will have many benefits to the whole organization such as cost reduction, time saving, good management of customers’ data or information, and customer satisfaction. I recommend a centralized customer service center for RR communications for its advantages as predetermined below. The divisional IT service means having separate audits for every division. Having each division with an individual audit is expensive for the company since several auditors will be needed. Eliminating the divisions will save some costs that would otherwise be used for the services of the auditors at every division. With a single it department, data can be fed there and only one audit team will be required for the whole company. This also means reduced time for audits since with divisions audits have to be put together after each department has completed its audit (Smith McKeen, 2007). Coordination among the auditors will be efficient since information is collected from one point where all information concerning company accounts is stored. Therefore, having a centralized service center will enhance such operations across the whole organization. In addition, with a centralized customer service center as well as IT, it will ensure information is collected at one point making it easy to access information concerning any department from any point within the company without having to refer to the division in charge. Hence, for the auditors, complying with the set Sarbanes Oxley act will be easy since information about customer billing and accounts of the whole firm will be centralized ensuring accuracy. Having the customer service centralized enhances business operations and processes, ensuring best practices such as timely audits are realized. With data consolidated in one central place, information can be exploited to breed new opportunities for the company. When data is at one place for all the divisions, it is easier to have a broader picture  concerning how the divisions can create a new opportunities. Exploiting these opportunities jointly among the divisions is better than going individually. Moreover, security can be more enhanced with a shared service center since monitoring will be done by one entity. This will further reduce costs associated with having each division taking responsibility of storing and maintaining its own data. Considering that RR communications is currently having several softwares, consolidating information together for the whole company is hard. Smooth flow of information across departments to ensure easy sharing is vital; not only for the whole com pany, but for divisions too, considering information consolidation is a fundamental instrument for doing business. Consolidating the IT services to one centralized structure will require removing of service center hardware from each division to one central department that will mitigate risks and have a common structural design as well as policies that are easily reviewable for updating. A common security procedure will reduce risks associated with information breech. Through the same procedures and practices, the company can reduce file systems redundancy within the organization and enhance efficient document retention as well as reduce costs. Another reason to have one service center is to match the technical capacity of the company with its vision. At the current divisional independence, the divisions exploit their own visions that are not in congruence with the organization’s vision and mission. Considering the company’s vision is to have a consistent brand across all the divisions, it is necessary to have cross-shared services across all divisions to achieve this vision. The vision can be achieved through cross- sales of all the company services to its customers, as opposed to each department having its selling strategy. Having a shared sales service will serve to reduce the costs incurred when divisions do it individually hence creating a better chance for profit across all departments. Having a central service center will ensure that the overall vision of the company is followed since the central service center will be inclined towards the vision of the whole company. This way, each division can have a chance of benefiting form other divisions, hence the company as a whole (Smith McKeen, 2007). Having a single service center will allow easy outsourcing for the organization. Currently, businesses are outsourcing majority of their operations to other professional companies for reductions  of costs. With independent divisions and IT strategies for each individual division, outsourcing will be quite complicated. Having a central service center to oversee all requests will enhance efficiency as well as value. More so, through the consolidation of IT services and information at one common place will reduce security risks associated with outsourcing services. This will further ensure reliability and security of information. A consolidation of information and IT services will enhance cross-services for customers such as billing (McKeen Smith, 2011). The company divisions at current circumstance hold their information secret from each other, making it a competition within the divisions that raise the problem of billing where customers have to be referred to other divisions for other services. With the consolidated information, customers will only need to visit one department from which other information concerning other divisions can be met. This will improve the perception of their whole company as a brand and the standing of the company can be improved as well as customer satisfaction. There is need for the company to realize that in the current world information is one of the drivers of businesses, which all businesses need to survive. Having each division with its own information center reduces the chances of the company improving in the future since the harmonious climate needed among the divisions for this achievement is minimal. Having stipulated the advantages bound to arise or reasons why a central service center should be achieved, it is important to consider how RR can be able to implement this recommendation with ease and least resistance from the divisions. This is the first most likely problem to arise during implementation. Hence, the first step should be generating support form all divisions, which has been quite hard up to now especially from the managers who are self centered and concerned with their earnings that depend on their performance. The managers also have a negative attitude towards merging of information and data among the divisions through one central service. A three-point strategy can be used to gain their support. It includes financial strategy, mitigation of risks associated and compliance to regulation. Financial point can emphasize the advantages the shared service is bound to raise, which will for the benefit of all the divisions and organization as a whole. Risk mitigation will arise from security of information through monitoring by one entity in a standardized  way, while regulatory will be concerned with abiding to set accounting rules of the Sarbanes Oxley act which the company has been having problems with (Schwartz, 2007). The next step would be to lay out the vision of the company and show why it cannot be achieved with division of operations among the divisions. This will impart some reasoning among the leaders, and support fore all divisions should be ensured. The main aim is to make everybody in the divisions aware of the role they will play and their stake to ensure thee is compliance and acceptance of the strategy to build a one services center (McKeen Smith, 2011). One of the problems that could arise after implementation of a shared service center is ease of adoption. Some employees who have been used to the old system will require to be trained how to work harmoniously with a single service center. Many will be required to handle more information concerning not only their divisions, but also other divisions. Hence, there will be need to have them trained to provide a central service to the customers. Another problem would arise for the culture set by the independent divisions prior to the implementation of a single service center. The current culture is of rivalry among the divisions considering they have been competing among themselves. Killing the culture will be a little hard. To deal with the problem the company will have to sta rt early through brining people together and coming up with tasks that can be incorporated in all divisions that allows all members to interact. The shared tasks will enhance cooperation among the different divisions. Conclusion RR is having problems because of lack of a common service center. All divisions are held with their own operations that aim at achieving divisional goals at the expense of corporate goals. The company is lacking a strong unified brand to sell to customers since all divisions are accounted for independently. This has made it obvious that a shared service will be the best for solving these issues. RR needs to put in place an alignment of their IT services with the business units. Transparency must be encouraged and joint responsibilities of IT ad businesses to achieve shared service center (smith McKeen, 2007). The company should also have a common enterprise vision for their systems. All the departments should be included with emphasis on joint business opportunities and risk mitigation. The top  management should be in forefront to creating an atmosphere of improvement continuously with a key focus on customer service to ensure the shared service center is successful. References McKeen, J. D., Smith, H. A. (2009). IT Strategy; Issues and Practices (2nd Edition ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. McKeen, J. D., Smith, H. A. (2011). IT Strategy; International edition (2nd Edition ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Moss, L., Brodie, M. (2002, July). Data Rich, but Information Poor? Retrieved October 26, 2011, from Information Management: http://www.information-management.com/issues/20020701/5341-1.html Schwartz, K/D. (2007). IT Governance Definition and Solutions. Retrieved from http://www.cio.com/article/111700/IT_Governance_Definition_and_Solutions#what Smaltz, D. H. (2011, July/August). Are You Leveraging Your Data or Is Your Data Leveraging You? HIT Exchange , pp. 8-9. Smith, H. A., McKeen, J. D. (2007). Shared Services at RR Communications. Queens School of Business. Symantec. (2011, May 2). Deduplication and Efficient Data Storage. Retrieved October 26, 2011, from PR Newswire 1. List the advantages A single customer service center will yield both financial and human resource savings for RR Communications by eliminating the allocation of duplicated resources to the multiple divisional and regional customer service centers. With valuable resources freed from these multiple customer service centers, the company will be able to allocate more resources to its value added activities and improve operational efficiency. RR Communications run four divisions, each with a distinct but a complimentary product. They are internet, mobile, landline, and cable TV service. There is a deregulation in the telecommunications industry and its becoming a norm for competitors to offer multiple services like RR Communications. RR Communications’ customers  have been complaining about double billing because the four divisions have no working collaboration and thus, no way of knowing when the other division may already have sent the bill. A single customer service center will consolidate the da ta of the customers of all divisions and by addressing the problem of inaccurate billing, it will potential save the loss of dissatisfied customers to the competitors. A single service center will also yield growth opportunities by marketing the company’s other services to customers that they may not already have and offer discount incentives on the purchase of multiple products. A single customer service center will allow comparison among the company’s divisions in terms of product quality, customer satisfaction, and retention rates so that more resources could be allocated to troubled areas. A single customer service center will also make it easy to gather data about the company’s divisions and store them in standard formats for management analysis. By having access to all the relevant information about the customers, the customer service center will be better able to address customers’ questions and market company’s products which would not have been possible with separate customer service centers. It will also be convenient for the customers to call only one place for all their questions and thus, will increas e goodwill for RR Communications. 1. Is it possible to achieve an enterprise vision with a decentralized IT function? The answer to this question really depends on what the meaning or intention is behind the idea of an enterprise vision. If this simply means of having certain departments existing and able to complete their tasks and accomplish their goals, basically that the enterprise is functioning, than the answer is certainly. As demonstrated in the case study, there were multiple divisions for IT that were each doing their own thing, and while it wasnt pretty, compatible or optimal, everything did, technically, work allowing each department to function. As soon as the vision of an enterprise expands to a desire to work more efficiently, unify tools and platforms, have stronger compatibility or be one company a decentralized IT function becomes a massive hindrance. Turning to the case study again, each department was replicating the efforts of the other departments by finding their own software/data vendors, creating unique database systems and having their own support staff. This not only made it difficult for clients who  needed assistance, but meant there was excessive spending, and an inability for multiple departments to come together to function as a a single entity within the enterprise. 2. What business and IT problems can be caused by lack of common information and an enterprise IM strategy? There are numerous business and IT problems that can arise from the lack of common strategy. In terms of IT there can be duplication of efforts, systems and tools leading to not only multiple expenditures to yield the same results, but this may mean there is no strong outline of how systems are set up or designed, there may be no map detailing the hardware and software in place, which makes it far more difficult to not only run inventory, but ensure that new expenditures are needed and not (again) duplicating tools that have already been purchased or implemented. When different software and hardware solutions are used across departments, this also leads to difficulties in compatibility. When the organization wants to implement something new, it would be difficult if not impossible to determine if it can be integrated into the existing tools, or this may result in unanticipated technical errors arising from compatibility issues. Business problems stem primarily from an inability of data to be effectively shared across groups, thus limiting the ability of various departments to work together. Not only could this cause rifts to form between various groups, but it also means that there could be issues with data consistency. This is especially troubling for client data, as a change in one department may not be updated elsewhere due to data being stored in different databases, the inability for data to be updated across databases, and even opens up the potential for technical errors causing data that is normally consistent to suddenly become dispar ate from similar data elsewhere. Additionally, when the business requires technical assistance it is likely to be difficult to find the correct person with the knowledge needed to resolve a particular issue if that department is using specialized systems that are not consistent across the organization. 3. What governance mechanisms need to be put in place to ensure common customer data and a shared customer service center? What metrics might be useful (think service level agreements, etc.)? Common customer data will require a standardized database, as well as regular auditing procedures to ensure that data is only being modified/updated by those individuals who are supposed to have access, as well as verifying  accuracy for these modifications. Customer service really depends on the objectives of the company. I worked on an inbound phone line at a call center for 3 years while this was technically brokerage service, arguably it was a cutomer service center. Training had to be farily comprehensive so we could assist clients with almost any issues they had, and on top of that reps have to know what departments specialize in certain topics in case they need help figuring out what happened or resolving a complicated problem. On top of that, there is regular review and QA of random c alls to ensure representatives are giving correct informaton and assisting the client based on the standards and expectations set by the organization. Call reviews are measured on a scale where there are certain objective actions that are required on every call, then measured more subjective terms such as professionalism. I work with a tremendous amount of shared customer data, and everything is monitored, recorded and subject to audit procedures. There is always the abilty to find out who did what, when, and every phone call is recorded and maintained for a period of time. This of course protects the client as much as it helps protect the firm. As far as data is concerned, I dont know if there are specific service level agreements in place, but I do know that there is regular testing of what is referred to as host fallback where all the primary systems are taken down for a period of time, then brought back up. While this is frustrating for reps and clients who need access to the data, the very small number of times I experienced an unscheduled outage the backup systems performed well, all reps knew how best to work within the confines of the backup system, and the discussion with clients about why certain things could not be done went far more smoothly than if regular testing was not performed. The case study this week describes the classic example of an organization which is heavily decentralized into distinct lines of business (each with its own IT group) that realizes their need for a flexible and responsible IT function, a common view of the customer, and the elimination of redundant systems

Reducing plagiarism Essay Example for Free

Reducing plagiarism Essay The Council of Writing Program Administrators(2003) states that plagiarism is one of the most common issues seen in the colleges and universities. The school administration and teachers are concerned about this as it is affecting the students work. The problem with plagiarism is not only limited to the course work, but it started affecting the student publications, blogs, and research work according to the WPA council(2003). Every problem has a solution if tried to resolve, in the same way we can try to control this issue by implementing strict rules in schools and creating awareness among students about the importance of their own ideas. Plagiarism is presenting other’s ideas or work as one’s own. It is a form of cheating people by showing someone else’s effort as one’s own by taking away their credit and ignoring them. To gather certain information students refer to many sources, but they should try to understand the data and present it as understood along with citing the sources. Plagiarism is of three categories: intentional plagiarism, unintentional plagiarism, and self-plagiarism. Intentional plagiarism is stating others idea or work as one’s own without citing them. Unintentional plagiarism is ignoring or wrongly citing the small quotes or phrases taken from other sources. Self-plagiarism is submitting the same work for separate classes without actually doing them. The resources are there to utilize, but they are being misused. A work assigned to student in their academics helps in improving their knowledge by spending time on it to learn various topics and improve their thinking and individual ability. However, the situation is that students tend to plagiarize the work without learning or putting in any effort to understand what they do. This is resulting in the loss of ability to think among them; they are tending to make the work easier by copying instead of learning things. All these are resulting in reducing the standards in students so; the school administrations should take action against this by, teaching students the importance of one’s own originality, the need to learn things and implement strict rules against plagiarism. Controlling a problem is possible with small efforts, so does plagiarism. Teachers cannot solely provide a solution for this; students also need to put in their effort to reduce this problem. There are a few solutions to this issue: †¢Citation can reduce plagiarism. Citing the sources from where data is retrieved, shows that the student has put in the effort to learn the topic, moreover, in this  way the credit for original author is given. †¢Highlighting the small quotes or phrases taken from other sources and citing them would help is reducing plagiarism. †¢The school authorities should implement strict rules against plagiarism and make students aware of it. Teachers can have discussions with students regarding their academics and help students to overcome their problems. Some students’ plagiarize as they have fear in them that they cannot do a perfect work on their own and some as they cannot manage their time. Such students should speak to their teacher or adviser about how to overcome that fear and manage time, so that they can develop their own ideas. †¢Teachers should create awareness among students regarding the importance of developing one’s own thinking capacity. They should make the student aware of what issues might arise by plagiarism so that they would not choose it. †¢There are many tools available on the web to check for plagiarism, students can use them to avoid plagiarism and schools can use it to verify if it is the student’s original work. †¢Lastly, students should try to develop their interest towards their academics, which would help in reducing plagiarism. Knowledge is something, which increases by working on it, rather than copying and displaying someone else’s work as one’s own. The student should know the value of originality and try to improve it rather than ignoring it. Most importantly, credit is to be given for others work when using it in one’s own work by citing, which helps in reducing plagiarism.

The Purchase Of Detergent Powder In Brazil Marketing Essay

The Purchase Of Detergent Powder In Brazil Marketing Essay Following is the consumer behaviour with respect to the purchase of detergent powder in Brazil explained through consumer decision making process. Product Choice Evaluation of options Information Search Problem Recognition Post-purchase Evaluation Problem Recognition: According to Solomon et al (2009) the problem recognition occurs when there is a gap between the desired state and actual state of a consumer. From the case inferred that, People in north-east region of Brazil wash clothes more frequently and they see cleanliness of clothes is part of their culture. They will change their detergent powder if they felt that their clothes are not clean enough. Most of the families own a washing machine in south-east region. People in this region perceive doing laundry as a duty and find ways to make process easier. They will change their detergent powder if it is not to their expectations. Information Search: Solomon et al (2009) stated that once the problem is recognised consumer will do an internal and external check to find possible solutions that might solve his problem. Women in the north east region wash their clothes in public laundry. This gives them the option of taking advice from their peer group in choosing the detergent powder, or point of purchase advice from the store owners or from their past experience apart from information through advertisements. On the contrary, Southeast consumers wash their clothes alone at home since most of them own a washing machine. Therefore, their information search is restricted to television advertisements and the advice from small store owners. Evaluation of options: Solomon et al (2009) stated that once consumers identify the possible solutions they will evaluate the alternatives using their respective convincing attributes to find the best solution which can solve their actual problem. The prominent attributes for majority of the Brazilian consumers are price, power of the detergent, brand and their past experience. Product Choice: According to Solomon et al (2009) while making the final choice on purchasing or using a product consumer is influenced by some factors. There are three main categories which will influence the consumer decision, 1. Internal influences 2. Situational influences 3. Social Influences 1. Internal influences on consumer decision From the case inferred that people in north-east region are highly sensitive to price than to the brand itself. Whereas in south-east region people are more brand conscious and go by their top-of- mind awareness. 2. Situational influences on consumer decision The Belk (1975) cited in Sydney et al (2000), has defined five situational variables which can influence the consumer purchase at a particular moment and place. They are Antecedent states, task definition, physical surroundings, temporal perspective and social surroundings. While purchasing a detergent powder, people in north-east region are influenced by the antecedent states (Brand preference and price sensitivity) where as in south-east region people are influenced by physical and social surroundings like display place of detergent powder in the store. 3. Social influences on consumer decision Solomon et al (2009) stated that consumer evaluative criteria generally vary across social class because of their variations in education, attitudes, values, income and communication style. Most of the women in north-east region are under same economy class and share a common washing practice of washing their clothes in public laundry. Therefore, their decision on purchasing detergent is directly influenced by these social groups. Post-purchase Evaluation Solomon et al (2009) stated that after purchasing the product consumer will evaluate how good a choice it was. The result of this evaluation is consumer satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the product. Table1 shows the list of attributes used by Brazilian consumers to evaluate detergent powder. Table 1 North-east Region South-east region Ability to clean and whiten clothes. Smell of a detergent powder. Ability to remove stains. Easy packaging. Ability to clean and whiten clothes with less effort. Key industry players in Brazil detergent powder market: Unilever at a glance: Unilever has started its operations in 1929 and launched its most successful brand OMO in 1957. Unilever is the leader in detergent market of Brazil with an 81% market share achieved with brands like OMO (Favourite brand of Brazil), Minerva (brand sold as detergent and laundry soap) and Campeiro (cheapest brand of Unilever). Unilever wanted to increase sales by adopting penetration strategy. For the same, they launched their favourite brand OMO with four extensions viz. OMO Multicao, OMO Progress, OMO Cores and OMO Maquina. Each brand had its unique characteristics to target the diversified consumers. Procter and Gamble at a glance: Procter and Gamble started its operations in 1988 and acquired a Brazilian company Bombril in 1996 which has brands like Quanto, Odd Fases and Pop. With his formidable RD migrated Quanto towards Ace and Odd Fases towards Bold, Ace and Bold are PGs popular global brands. Procter and Gamble is in second place of Brazilian detergent market by holding 15% of market share. Procter and Gamble strategy is to enter the market by acquiring the local firms and their distribution channels. This seemed a cost effective strategy than developing own distribution channels. Local Manufacturers: A local brand Invicto is holding a 5% of market share in Brazilian detergent market. Invicto is the cheapest brand in north-east region of Brazil. Invicto follows a concentrated marketing strategy through mainly targeting the low-income consumers. Unilever SWOT Analysis: Strengths: High Brand Recognition: Unilever brands are highly recognised in the north east part of the Brazil. Market Penetration: High percentage of consumers in north east region of Brazil bought at least one unit of OMO or MINERVA which are the brands of unilever. Top of Mind Awareness: we have best results for the top-of mind awareness for unilever brands in north east part of Brazil. Unilever is a worldwide recognised company with a portfolio of 1600 brands which includes 45 key detergent brands. As of 1996 Unilever is a leader of the detergent market sector in Brazil by holding 81% market share. Pioneer of consumer goods industry in Brazil. Weakness: The price of OMO is perceived as high than all the detergents available in north east part of Brazil. The cheaper brand of unilever Camperio is perceived as a low-quality brand in the market. Except OMO, the other brands of unilever are perceived as low quality than the main competitor brands Bold Ace. Unilever is facing a big distribution problem in distributing his brands to the approximately 75,000 small outlets spread over north east region of Brazil, which are the key shopping areas for low-income consumers. Opportunities: Federal and local governments providing tax incentives to companies investing in the north east region of Brazil. The detergent market in north east region of Brazil is growing with an annual rate of 17%. Women in north east region wash clothes more frequently and they see cleanliness of clothes is part of their culture. Strong economic recovery in 1995-1996 leads to increase the purchasing power of low income consumers by 27%. Threats: Standardization of strategies is not possible with the socio-culture differences among the two region of Brazil. Threat from local brands is higher which are cheaper than the Unilever brands. There is a high competition from porter gamble with good worldwide marketing expertise. Market Segmentation: In a study by Sally Dibb and Lyndon Simkin (1991) stated that different customers have different needs and desires. It is not possible to satisfy all customers with a single product or service. Companies are shifting from mass marketing to target marketing strategy where the focus will be on a particular group of consumers. This process of dividing market into different groups is called market segmentation. The process of segmenting the market consists of three main elements. Segmentation Targeting Positioning Segmentation: The market can be segmented in many ways. Table 2 shows the different options for marketers to identify different segments in the market. Table 2: Demographics Socioeconomics Geography Physiological and behavioural differences among consumer Age, Sex, family, race, religion. Income, occupation, education, social class. Country, region. Purchase behaviour, consumption behaviour, attitude to product, lifestyle and personality Segmenting by Socioeconomics: In north-east region the per capita income was only around 2,250$. 40% of people in north-east region are illiterate. The lifestyle, culture and religion of people in this region were influenced by African culture. In south-east region the per capita income was around 6,600$ (more than double of north-east region). Only 15% of people in south-east region are illiterate. Most of the south-east part was influenced by European culture Segmenting by Psychological and behavioural differences among consumer: 73% of women in north-east region think that bleach is necessary to remove stains and use detergent powder primarily to make the clothes smell good. Where as in south-east region only 18% of women think bleach is necessary to remove stains. Frequency of washing clothes is higher in north-east region than south-east region. North east region people of Brazil find cleanliness of clothes is part of their culture. In south-east region most women uses washing machine for cleaning clothes, for them cleanliness of clothes is less important for self-esteem and social status. In a study by Sally Dibb and Lyndon Simkin (1991) stated that segmentation definitely will help to identify the different consumer segments but slapdash implementation will leads to failure. The segmentation process must satisfy the following criteria. Segments must be identifiable, executable, stable, marketable and controllable. In this case Unilever should segment the Brazil detergent powder market in to north-east region and south-east region. Targeting: Once identified different market segments, managers has to make decisions about how many and which customer groups need to target. In a study by Sally Dibb and Lyndon Simkin (1991) stated that the decisions would be like, Concentrating on a single segment with one product/retail brand Offering one product/retail brand to a number of segments Targeting a different product/retail brand at each of a number of segments Because of socio-cultural differences among the two regions of Brazil the standardization or undifferentiated targeting strategy will not work. The tailor made and differentiated marketing strategy will give the best results. Positioning: Positioning is not about doing something to the product it is what is created in the minds of the targeted consumers. In a study by Sally Dibb and Lyndon Simkin (1991) stated that the challenge here is to translate the needs and wants of the targeted consumers into a tangible mix of product, price, promotion, distribution and service levels with maximum appeal. North-East region: Most of the people in this region are illiterate and low income people. Most of the people in this region believe cleanliness of clothes is part of their culture. To satisfy the above needs of the consumers and to achieve higher market share in this region unilever management has to position their product as low price with high quality. South-East region: Most of the people in this region use washing machine to wash their clothes, cleanliness of clothes are less important for self-esteem and social status. People in this region are not price sensitive towards detergent powder as long as it has good quality. To satisfy the above needs of the consumers and to achieve higher market share in this region unilever management has to position their product with high quality. Portfolio Analysis: BCG (Boston Consulting Group) Matrix: BCG matrix helps marketers to find the potential brands in the market. BCG matrix for Unilever detergent brands in north-east region of Brazil. Stars: Question Marks () OMO Campeiro Cash Cows: Minerva Dogs: Brilhante High Market Growth Rate Low High Low Relative Market Share Diagram Adopted from BCG Matrix (Solomon, fifth edition) Stars: OMO has a dominant market share in north-east region of Brazil. Because OMO has a potential growth, managers have to design strategies to increase market share in the competitive environment. Cash Cows: Minerva which is the only brand to sold as detergent powder and laundry soap it has a reasonable market share in north-east region. Question marks (): Camperio has a low market share in north-east region. People perceive Camperio as a low-quality product. To increase the market share Unilever has to reposition his Camperio brand in north-east region. Dogs: Brilhante has a zero market share in north-east region. Its better for Unilever to stop the marketing of this brand in north-east region. BCG matrix shows us on which brand Unilever has to invest to increase its market share in north-east region. But how and what actually we have to do to increase the market share, marketing mix will help firm to accomplish its objectives by using product, price, promotion and place decisions. Marketing Mix: Product: North-East region: Camperio is perceived as a low-quality detergent which is the cheapest brands of Unilever. Repositioning of Camperio with new packaging and with new advertising message like Improved Quality with low-price in this region will help to increase the marketing share of Unilever. Repositioning of existing brand would be easily recognised by the targeted consumers than launching the existing brand. Repositioning of existing brand would not lead to any incremental marketing costs. In this region most of the people using OMO and the results showing that consumers are well satisfy with the quality of the product. Even the low-income people like Maria would love to buy OMO, only because of their tight budget they are going for cheaper brands. Solution to the above problem is selling the detergent powder through small sachets. Price of the product can reduce due to the small quantity which will not cannibalise the existing product. All the low-income consumers will highly satisfy when they get their high quality product in low price. The idea of selling the detergent powder in small sachet will eventually help unilever to increase their market share. Packaging should be simple and distinctive and should be based on culture that is the colour selection and the graphics. South-East region: In south-east region OMO and Minerva will go well as the people in this region are not price sensitive. Price: Use Pricing Strategy to defend its strong competitors and reposition Camperio brand with more attributes than that of competitor with less price to retain and gain the market share. Promotion: The advertising message should be different for north-east region and south-east region because there is a cultural difference and variation in literacy rate within the two regions. As Brazilians are more television watchers Unilever should go with 70% of media advertising with more emphasis on product price and availability in its different packaging sizes. In south-east region advertising message should concentrate more on product benefits. In north-east region they should go for extensive media advertising emphasizing more on product price and availability of packaging sizes to wipe out the negative perception among the consumers. In north-east region most of the people are illiterate they often depends on the advice of a retailer while purchasing a product. Marketers of unilever can use a push strategy in this case to promote their product, providing some incentives on number of sales to distributors and retailers. Place: Extensive distribution is necessary in north-east region by making the product available in small stores. Unilever management should provide some employment to the women in north-east region as sales girls to sell their products which will ultimately help to increase the word of mouth among people and sustainability of marketing. In south-east region most of the people decision on detergent powder resembles as habitual decision making, in this region point-of-purchase (ex: displaying of cigarettes near cash counter) display will help to increase the sales.

Important Role of Women in Homers Odyssey Essay example -- The Role o

   For the Greeks, Homer's Odyssey was much more than just an entertaining tale of gods, monsters, and men, it served as cultural paradigm from which every important role and relationship could be defined.   This book, much more so than its counter part The Iliad, gives an eclectic view of the Achean's peacetime civilization.   Through Odyssey, we gain an understanding of what is proper or improper in relationships between father and son, god and mortal, servant and master, guest and host, and--importantly--man and woman.   Women play a vital role in the movement of this narrative.   Unlike in The Iliad, where they are chiefly prizes to be won, bereft of identity, the women of Odyssey are unique in their personality, intentions, and relationship towards men.   Yet, despite the fact that no two women in this epic are alike, each--through her vices or virtues-- helps to delineate the role of the ideal woman.   Below, we will show the importance of Circe, Calypso, Nausicaa, Cly taemestra, and Penelope in terms of the movement of the narrative and in defining social roles for the Ancient Greeks. Before we delve into the traits of individual characters, it is important to understand certain assumptions about women that prevailed in the Homeric Age.   By modern standards, the Ancient Greeks would be considered a rabidly misogynistic culture.   Indeed, the notoriously sour Boetian playwright Hesiod-- who wrote about fifty years before Homer-- proclaimed "Zeus who thunders on high made women to be an evil to mortal men, with a nature to do evil (Theogony 600)."   While this view may have been extreme even for the Greeks, they were convinced of the physical and intellectual inferiority of women.   Thus, they believed that it was better for all--... ...ocial structure of a defunct culture that was just as complex, if not more complex, than our own.   It defined and sustained Greek society for hundreds of years; much like the Bible once did in Christian nations.   Yet, despite its archaic nature, The Odyssey remains fresh two and a half millennia after its conception.   Homer's world has woven the fantastic together with the ordinary in such a way that it will never fall apart.   In a significant sense, The Odyssey is immortal.    Works Cited: Fagles, Robert. The Odyssey.   New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1996. Katz, Marilyn.   Penelope's Renown. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1991 Hesiod.   "Theogony."   Perseus. Web. 24 Mar. 2015 http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0130 Morford, Mark.   Classical Mythology.   5th edition. White Plains, NY: Logman, 1995.    Important Role of Women in Homer's Odyssey Essay example -- The Role o    For the Greeks, Homer's Odyssey was much more than just an entertaining tale of gods, monsters, and men, it served as cultural paradigm from which every important role and relationship could be defined.   This book, much more so than its counter part The Iliad, gives an eclectic view of the Achean's peacetime civilization.   Through Odyssey, we gain an understanding of what is proper or improper in relationships between father and son, god and mortal, servant and master, guest and host, and--importantly--man and woman.   Women play a vital role in the movement of this narrative.   Unlike in The Iliad, where they are chiefly prizes to be won, bereft of identity, the women of Odyssey are unique in their personality, intentions, and relationship towards men.   Yet, despite the fact that no two women in this epic are alike, each--through her vices or virtues-- helps to delineate the role of the ideal woman.   Below, we will show the importance of Circe, Calypso, Nausicaa, Cly taemestra, and Penelope in terms of the movement of the narrative and in defining social roles for the Ancient Greeks. Before we delve into the traits of individual characters, it is important to understand certain assumptions about women that prevailed in the Homeric Age.   By modern standards, the Ancient Greeks would be considered a rabidly misogynistic culture.   Indeed, the notoriously sour Boetian playwright Hesiod-- who wrote about fifty years before Homer-- proclaimed "Zeus who thunders on high made women to be an evil to mortal men, with a nature to do evil (Theogony 600)."   While this view may have been extreme even for the Greeks, they were convinced of the physical and intellectual inferiority of women.   Thus, they believed that it was better for all--... ...ocial structure of a defunct culture that was just as complex, if not more complex, than our own.   It defined and sustained Greek society for hundreds of years; much like the Bible once did in Christian nations.   Yet, despite its archaic nature, The Odyssey remains fresh two and a half millennia after its conception.   Homer's world has woven the fantastic together with the ordinary in such a way that it will never fall apart.   In a significant sense, The Odyssey is immortal.    Works Cited: Fagles, Robert. The Odyssey.   New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1996. Katz, Marilyn.   Penelope's Renown. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1991 Hesiod.   "Theogony."   Perseus. Web. 24 Mar. 2015 http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0130 Morford, Mark.   Classical Mythology.   5th edition. White Plains, NY: Logman, 1995.