Necessary Leadership Alberto Fujimori Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Necessary Leadership Alberto Fujimori - Essay Example When Alberto Fujimori was elected President of Peru in 1990, the country was suffering from massive external debt which could not be paid, uncontrolled hyperinflation, non-existent international reserves, and food shortages (The World Bank, 1997). Basic government services like education, health, and basic infrastructure had been neglected and were eroding away. The government was perceived as weak, and two terrorists groups, Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) and the MRTA (Movimiento Revolucionario Tupac Amaru), were competing for control of the country. Both of these groups had formed alliances with Peruvian drug dealers. Violence and intimidation were common, and law-biding Peruvians were very afraid of what the future might hold for their country and their lives. As one commentator noted, "The intense violence of the 1980s created a content in which many Peruvians were willing to cede citizenship and other rights to an extremely personalistic, authoritarian regime in exchange for or der and stability" (Jo-Marie, 2006 p32). Alberto Fujimori was the "extremely personalistic" and politically unknown candidate that was elected president in 1990. After his election, Fujimori vigorously attacked Peru's economic and crime problems. Even Fujimori's critics conceded that Fujimori's policies brought Peru's hyperinflation under control and got the nation's legal economy moving again (Jo-Marie, 2006).Critics also admit that it was under Fujimori that the leaders of Shining Path and MRTA were captured and the guerilla warfare that had characterized terrorist activity in Peru was virtually eliminated (Jo-Marie, 2006). At the same time, the Fujimori administration increased spending on social programs, built schools, repaired or created new infrastructure, and provided funds for community-based economic development (Jo-Marie, 2006). These were all necessary steps in correcting Peru's economic problems and making it safe from terrorists.Fujimori's actions, however, were severely criticized as an abuse of power by his political opponents and by those who saw his policies as violations of human rights. After being reelected to a third term in 2000 under questionable circumstances, Fujimori went into exile in Japan and eventually resigned as President (Peru's Fujimori Resigns, 2000). Since his resignation, additional charges of corruption, death squads, and other abuses of power have surfaced, leading the current Peruvian government to call for Fujimori's extradition from Japan so he may be tried on criminal charges in Peru (Judge Blocks Fujimori Extradition , 2007). AnalysisLeadership in Challenging Times Any reasonably competent elected official can lead during times of peace and economic prosperity, when the only real duty of government is simply not to do anything that would interfere with economic growth or destabilize the peace. Effective leaders can make the most of these opportunities; ineffective leaders allow circumstances to erode and lose the gains that were made during prosperous times. As noted above, Fujimori came into power at a time when Peru was enjoying neither peace nor economic success. Data from public opinion polls

Marketing Simulation Essay Example for Free

Marketing Simulation Essay The rest of the sales force time would be equally divided between the segments B, C and D. Change in Strategy: During simulation, we studied the effects of percentage increase of sales force time for each market segment individually along with decrease in list price. As we proceeded with the simulation, we found that * A decrease in list price and an increase in percentage sales force time for segment D would be more fruitful in the short run as it will increase the overall sales volume and overall profit much more than in the case where sales force concentrates more on segment A. This is because the overall market share of highly price sensitive customers in segment D and â€Å"small volume customers† is almost three times of segment A’s market share. * So, even though the profit margin in segment D and â€Å"small volume customers† is lesser than that for segment A, the overall profit was greater because of the scope of much higher sales volume. * Hence, we decided to increase the sales force percentage time for segment D to 40% and for segment A to 30%. We decreased the sales force time percentage for segments B and C to 15% each. Also, we reduced the list price from $142 to $136. Challenges during simulation: During simulation, the primary challenge we faced was to decide on the key parameters that should be changed and the level of change in each of these parameters to get optimum profit and higher market share. Key decisions: Since our initial strategy was to increase the sales volume of segment A, we decided to concentrate on sales force time percentage parameter for each segment and the list price of the motors. We studied the effects of percentage increase of sales force time for each market segment individually along with decrease in list price on the overall profit of the company. Solution Analysis Decrease in list price from $142 to $136 and increase in sales force time percentage to 40% for segment D and to 30% for segment A. As we proceeded with the simulation, we found that * A decrease in list price and an increase in percentage sales force time for segment D would be more fruitful in the short run as it will increase the overall sales volume and overall profit much more than in the case where sales force concentrates more on segment A. This is because the overall market share of highly price sensitive customers in segment D and â€Å"small volume customers† is almost three times of segment A’s market share. * So, even though the profit margin in segment D and â€Å"small volume customers† is lesser than that for segment A, the overall profit was greater because of the scope of much higher sales volume. * Segments B and C sales force time was reduced because of the high competition that MM faces in these categories on the basis of the rmal resistance parameter. Hence, in the long run, MM can target for higher profit margins than for higher sales volume if it concentrates the sales and market research resources to segments A, B and C. The main challenge with this approach is that it would difficult to attract customers from these segments who are already loyal to competitors and would require much more effort from the sales team and the product development team to come up with a product that caters the needs of these segments especially segments B and C where MM has yet to prove its overall competitiveness. Learning and experience This simulation exercise helped us to validate whether our suggested solution was an optimal one and also helped us to arrive at new solutions through experimentation which finally led to change in our overall decisions and strategy. It also showed us how varying a single parameter can change the overall market share and overall profits of the company. Finally, it reinforced the theory behind segmentation of customers according to their buying behavior to achieve optimal marketing strategies.

English Literature Antigone Characters Ismene

English Literature Antigone Characters Ismene Antigone Characters Ismene Antigone Antigone by Sophocles is theatrical work that reflects upon Greek mythology and culture. Antigone has several themes and circumstantial settings that can be indirectly referred or related to in modern society. Sophocles uses various and strategically placed characters to present his play as well as his themes. The play mainly revolves around Antigone who acts alongside her elder sister, Ismene. Both are daughters of Oedipus and Jocasta. From the start, the audience is given a vague idea of both Antigone’s and Ismene’s characters. Both sisters have suffered the anguish of having lost their brothers, Eteocles and Polyneices. It is at the beginning of the play that we see Antigone’s braveness. She notifies Ismene of her intentions to bury Polyneices despite the fact that such an act is punishable by death, for Creon considers Polyneices to be a traitor and that by not having his body buried, Polyneices suffers a posthumous punishment. She makes this declaration whil e being fully aware of the penalties involved and this brings to light several other things about her character. The audience is able to see that she is confident in her actions and will justify anything that she does. Meanwhile Ismene can be viewed as being afraid and uneager to agree to an action. She confronts her sister’s statements by saying, â€Å" But think of the danger ! Think what Creon will do ! † (34, Prologue). This statement by Ismene create a vague feeling in the audience that Ismene is a pessimist. This view is further reinforced when she says, â€Å" And do what he has forbidden ! We are women / We cannot fight with men, Antigone ! † (46-47, Prologue). Hence Ismene is seen seeking a way out by giving excuses that are in a sense linked to negative stereotypes and this makes a reflection of her pessimistic nature. Antigone’s actions at the beginning of the play reflect her impulsivness and rash manner in handling situations. Rather than try to confront Creon regarding the burial of her brother she goes ahead to bury him. Her impulsive manner is also seen when she doubts Ismene’s promise that she will not divulge any information to anybody else regarding Antigone’s plans to bury her brother. She does this despite the reasonable consideration that Ismene is her only sister and family member left. Her actions at this point also reflect on her indifference in carry ing out actions that reflect on others. She does not seem to care about the fact that burying her brother may have unfavorable consequences on Ismene who would lose her sister and at the same time be in a dilemma. Ismene would have to risk telling the authorities and get her sister prosecuted so as to be a true patriot and to save her own life or keep mum and be prosecuted for aiding and abetting an offense alongside her sister whom she will eventually loose, regardless of what she decides to do . This scenario presents a strong argument that Ismene is considerate and rational as she eventually decides to keep Antigone’s plans secret and continues to do so even when Antigone attacks her. She responds by saying, â€Å" But a loyal friend indeed to those who love.† (85, Prologue). This demonstrates Ismene’s passive and unvengeful nature. Antigone bears responsibility well and can therefore be seen to be responsible. When brought before Creon, she admits her actions in burying Polyneices without much ado, she audaciously confesses, â€Å" I do. I deny nothing † (52, ODE I, Scene II). She goes ahead and justifies her action, and calmly makes it clear that she is not afraid of the punishment due to be imposed on her.. In contrast Ismene bears a sense of responsibility just like her sister. When brought before Creon, she admits her role in Antigone’s ‘crime’ without hesitation, she says, â€Å" Yes, if she will let me say so. I am guilty. † This and the ensuing exchange that follows between the sisters also brings to light other aspects of the sisters personalities. One of the aspects that is brought out by this exchange is that of loyalty. Both Ismene and Antigone are loyal to each other even in a situation where it is at the expense of death. Ismene is ready to die alongside her sister. At the same time Antigone cares too deeply for Ismene and does not want Ismene to suffer the punishment of death. The idea that loyalty exists between the two sisters is reinforced by the fact that Ismene, while in the face of death, defends her sister. When Antigone is declared as having lost her mind by Creon, she says, â€Å" Grief teaches the steadiest minds to waver, King.† (153, ODE I, Scene II). Other events that had occurred earlier in the play portray this feeling of loyalty and the sisterly love that exists between Ismene and Antigone. Both sisters place family duty above everything else. Ismene’s earlier caution at the beginning of the play can now be interpreted as an act of sisterly love and concern. Eurydice who is Creon’s wife cum queen and Antigone are emotionally impulsive. Antigone commits suicide when she is sentenced to death and confined to a vault of stone. Eurydice in turn commits suicide when she hears about the death of her son, Haemon. Hence both characters can be seen as compulsive and quick to act rather than face the harsh reality of suffering. All in all it can be said that Sophocles primarily uses the various characteristics presented by Antigone, Ismene and Eurydice to develop his play. Although of these characters are the same gender their characteristics differ greatly and this lies in with the underlying themes of the play.

Symbolism in Fahrenheit 451 :: Essays Papers

Symbolism in Fahrenheit 451 Light, especially fire, and darkness are significantly reoccurring themes in Fahrenheit 451. Guy Montag, the main character, is a fireman, but in this futuristic world the job description of a fireman is to start fires wherever books are found; instead of putting them out. Montag takes a journey from a literary darkness to a knowledgeable light. This journey can be compared to the short story Allegory of the Cave by Plato, in which a prisoner experiences a similar journey. An example of light, in reference to knowledge, occurs just after Montag meets Clarisse for the first time. "When they reached her house all its lights were blazing" (9). Since Montag had rarely seen that many house lights on, I interpreted those lines as saying "that house is full of knowledge and enlightenment; not like the rest of the houses around here which are always dark." Clarisse went on to explain to Montag that her mother, father, and uncle were just sitting around and talking. This was also something th at wasn't very commonplace in the city. Fire is an important element of symbolism in Fahrenheit 451. Fire consumes minds, spirits, men, ideas, and books. Fire plays two very different roles in this book. The role of a destructive, devouring, and life ending force, and the role of a nourishing flame. The first role that fire plays in Fahrenheit 451 is apparent from the very beginning of Bradbury's novel. "IT WAS A PLEASURE TO BURN. It was a pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed" (3). In these first two sentences, Bradbury creates a sense of curiosity and irony because in the story, change is something controlled and unwanted by the government and society, so it is very unlikely that anything in Guy Montag's society could be changed. The burning described at this point represents the constructive energy that later leads to catastrophe. A clear picture of firemen is first seen when the narrator says, "With his symbolic helmet numbered 451 on his stolid head, and his eyes all orange flame with the thought of what came next, he flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black" (3). Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which books burn and is symbolically written on the firemen’s helme ts, tanks, and in the firestation.

Management and Employment Relations

The history of management is being traced with difficulties and it is only seen as a modern conceptualization. This difficulty contributes to its ideally possiveness nature. In premodern past context it is traceable back to Sumerian traders and builders of the pyramids of ancient Egypt. Full exploitation and motivation of slaves faced problems. Many pre-industrial enterprises in their small-scale nature were never compelled to face issues of management. With increased scale of commercial operations devoid of mechanized record keeping and recording, management functions were unavailable. Management as an act involves the process of directing and controlling a group of people for purposes of achieving coordination and harmony of the group towards attaining a goal, which is far beyond the scope of individual efforts. Potential human resources, financial resources, technological resources and natural resources are deployed and manipulated through management[1]. The possibility of personifying the act of management also exists whereby the person or a team of persons performing this act is or are referred to as management and has to do with power by its nature and position. Functionally, management entails the art of getting things done through people: action of weighing a quantity on regular basis and adjusting the initial plan and the action taken to reach the overall intended goal. The functions and roles of management therefore entail planning, organizing, leading or motivating and controlling or coordinating all resources in the working place[2]. Management falls under the following categories: human resource management, operations or production management, strategic management, financial management and information technology management.   Human resource management carries the grater weight in employment relations. Its importance is seen in understanding and developing its context concept, to assess and explain its impact on organizational performance and employment well being and to contribute to the dissemination of good practice. The role of management in employment relations can be explained by the context of communication in the work place. Employees must be treated with applicable laws and regulations of the countries and regions in which it operates. Communications between management and employees is essential in conveying management policies to employees and encouraging employees to voice their options[3]. This impacts the active rather than passive agency role of the management being the representative of the employer. These concepts are of vital importance in employment cycle. Employment in this context refers to the contract between two parties one being the employer and the other one the employee. The employee refers to a person in the service of another. Under any contract of hirer express or applied, oral or written where the employer has the power or right to control and direct the employee in the material details of how the work is to be performed[4]. In a profit oriented setting the aim of the employer is creation of valued produces at reasonable cost, and providing rewarding employment opportunities for employees. In unprofit setting the ultimate goal is to keep faith of the donors. Other areas of employment include the public and household sectors. It is in view of this harmony that the active role of the management should be felt in any working environment. Communication between management as the employers’ representative and employees should show shared responsibilities called co-determinations. There are specific areas of concern and address during the discussion between the two parties they include; pay of wages, bonuses, the work environment, disputes, work schedules, grievances, health and safety, working hours and production targets. The aim of these discussions is an achievement of a more harmonious working relationship sometimes-major employment relations dispute may arise. Whenever problems start to arise in a company a successful management-employment relations involve striking a balance in nearly all situations. The employer has the right to manage that is the ability to plan for the future so that the company can continue moving to make profits and to keep employees motivated. Form the employees’ viewpoint best possible conditions must be secured and good living standards made not a dream. High labour turnover, bad time keeping, high levels of absenteeism, slackness of individuals, poor working, deliberate time working in similar practices are evident in situations where employees are unhappy with the working conditions[5]. Other evidences of discontent will be revealed in complain, friction, ignoring rules and apathy for unappropriate management system to gain the intended meaning must strive to attain the following qualifications: attraction of the most qualified employees and matching them to the jobs for which there are best suited since this is significant for the success of any organization[6]. However, there arises some technical problems in many large enterprises due to their size this aspect of too large size of an enterprise deter possible close contact between top management and employees this connection is otherwise provided for by human resource managers training managers and labour relations managers. In an effort to enhance immorality and productivity while limiting job turnover, helping organization increase performance and improve business results they are of vital help to the organization they also help the firms effectively in using employees skills, provide training and development opportunities, improve those skills and improve employees satisfaction with their jobs and working conditions. Dealing with people through physical interaction is an important part of the job although some jobs in the human resources field require only limited contact between the people outside the office. The importance of management in employment relations on an active capacity is further highlighted through creation of labour unions and its incorporation in the constitution in the name of labour laws. This has been evident in all regions countries and states all over the world for the purpose of improving the quality of working life for individuals and creates condition for business success. Employers, employees and unions must deal with one another in an honest and open atmosphere. This in essence bears results such as follows: promotion of good employment relation and cultivations of mutual respect and confidence between employers, employees and unions. It also sets the environment for individual and collective employment relationships. It also sets out requirements for the negotiation and content of collective and individual employment agreements. It also provides prompt and flexible options for resolving problems in employment relations. There are a number of undiresable trade union action such as withdrawal of good will, go slow, working strictly to the rules set out in work rule books and sticking rigidly to only doing tasks set out clearly in a job description, refusing to work overtime, going on a strike and many others[7]. All this actions reduce companies’ profitability and its ability and fulfill orders, they harm employment prospects, reduce wages of employees they lead to festering discontent and cause problems for customers and economy as a whole. This is a practical scenario in the current working places and it reflects negative picture of interaction in the working places. It is therefore, very important to create a harmonious working environment for the benefit all the concerned. Good practices and models of a harmonious working practice should be exhibited in a true structure of employment relation. In an effort in building trust as a manager it is paramount to display the following characteristics: keeping promises, have ethics, telling people the truth, being fair and honest, treating employees as adults while showing appreciation for their ideas and for the work they do, involve employees in planning and problems solving, give employees important work and support them to implement. In an effort to achieve a successful structure of management – employment relations’ labour or employment laws have been enacted. Labour laws Labors laws also known as employment laws refers elaborately to a body of administrative ruling and prescient which focuses to address the legal rights and restriction on the working people and their organizations and as such it mediates may aspects of the relationships between trade unions, employers and employees. They are in some countries restricted to ununionized work places, as is the case in Canada. But in most other countries no such restrictions is made. Two broad categories of labour laws exist; collective labour law which relates to tripartite relationship between employee employer and union. Individual labour law concerns employees’ rights at work and through the contract for work[8]. Employment laws include all areas of the employer employee relationship except the negotiation process covered by labour law and collective bargaining. It consists thousands of federal and state statues, administration regulation and judicial decision.   Most of these laws such as minimum wage regulation were enacted as protective labour legislation. The functioning and origins of labour laws is oriented towards strikes, pickets, boycotts, unofficial industrial action Labour laws in Australia The federal parliament in Australia is empowered by the constitution to make laws concerning conciliation and arbitration for the settlement and prevention of industrial disputes extending beyond the limit of any one state. The laws made with respect to trading and financial corporations fall within the limits of the commonwealth and foreign corporations. Industrial relations systems and wages setting have been enhanced by this system also known as work choice, which came into operation in 2006[9]. Work choices legislation act in Australia The most comprehensive shakeups of industrial relations since federation were the results of the successful introduction and passing of work choices legislation in Australia in December 2005[10]. The industrial and employment circulars underwent permanent and long-term changes. These changes are explained in the following dimension: federal systems of industrial relations were successful and completely replaced with the unitary system of industrial relations: an emphasis on Australian economy away from the wages and conditions; transitional arrangement and changes to Awards and Agreements; awards were reduced drastically, Australia Fair Pay Commission was set up with the main aim of determination of minimum wages and conditions of employees, the powers of Australian Industrial Relation Commission were greatly reduced to an extent of being rendered redundant, flexible work practices were introduced and the ability to cash out some benefits such as annual leave[11]. The consequences were some problems with work place health and safety application; new dismissal provision which were less straightforward as they may have been trumpeted. New transmission of business rules that is buying and selling business plus all the people incorporated in the business. Union restriction and the scrapping the no disadvantage test. All these changes brought about complexity and consequently bearing some effects on businesses along the following orientations. Small business holders were subjected to the understanding of the broader concepts of employer obligations to the employees applicable to their unique business situation.   The employers take great care before taking a step towards termination of an employee’s service. Great care, advice and consultation became a prerequisite since the work place legislations empowered the employees to claim compensation against unlawful dismissal and discrimination. These laws applied to the especially small business with as less as a hundred employees and therefore constitute the retail in Australia. The workforce legislation in Australia further favoured these minority employees in the retail industry in a sense that the cost of defending discrimination and dismissal claim by the employer is dramatically higher than the unfair dismissal itself. In conclusion; the changing of the awards and agreements provided for by the work choice legislation added a layer of complexity to the businesses which extended upto the end of the transitional face which extended up to five years. An investor intending to buy a business was supposed to be ready for the transmission of business changes and the business owner had to grapple to the new layer of complexity. References Catanzariti, J. & Baragwanath, M. 1997. Workplace Relations Act: A User-friendly Guide. Manly, NSW, Newsletter Information Services. Cranny, C., Smith, P. & Stone, E. 1992. Job Satisfaction. New York: Lexington. Creighton, B. & Stewart, A. 1994. Labour Law – An Introduction. 2nd Ed. Leichhardt, NSW. Federation Press. Guite, T. 1999. Strategic Human Resource Management. 3rd Ed. McMillan Publishers. London. Lee, M. & Sheldon, P. (eds.). 1997. Workplace Relations, Workplace Law & Employment Relations. Sidney. Botterworths. Mullins, L. 2005. Management and Organizational Behaviour. 7th Ed. Harlow. Prentice-Hall. Nilson, C. 2003. How to Manage Training: A Guide to Design and Delivery for High Performance. 3rd Ed. New York. Amacom. Pocock, Barbara & Masterman-Smith, Helen. 2005. Work Choices and Women Workers. Journal of Australian Political Economy No.56. Teicher, J., Lambert, R. & O’Rourke, A. (eds.). 2006. Work Choices: The New Industrial Relations Agenda. Sidney, NSW: Pearson Education Australia. Walter, J. 2006. Strategic Management. Theory: An Integrated Approach. McMillan Publishing Ltd.          [1] Walter, J. 2006. Strategic Management. Theory: An Integrated Approach. McMillan Publishing Ltd. PP.70-73. [2] Nilson, C. 2003. How to Manage Training: A Guide to Design and Delivery for High Performance. 3rd Ed. New York. Amacom. PP.103. [3] Mullins, L. 2005. Management and Organizational Behaviour. 7th Ed. Harlow. Prentice-Hall. PP.51-58. [4] Catanzariti, J. & Baragwanath, M. 1997. Workplace Relations Act: A User-friendly Guide. Manly, NSW, Newsletter Information Services. PP.17. [5] Guite, T. 1999. Strategic Human Resource Management. 3rd Ed. McMillan Publishers. London. PP.41-43. [6] Cranny, C., Smith, P. & Stone, E. 1992. Job Satisfaction. New York: Lexington. PP.31-34. [7] Lee, M. & Sheldon, P. (eds.). 1997. Workplace Relations, Workplace Law & Employment Relations. Sidney. Botterworths. PP.27-37. [8] Creighton, B. & Stewart, A. 1994. Labour Law – An Introduction. 2nd Ed. Leichhardt, NSW. Federation Press. PP.9-16. [9] Teicher, J., Lambert, R. & O’Rourke, A. (e ds.). 2006. Work Choices: The New Industrial Relations Agenda. Sidney, NSW: Pearson Education Australia. PP.103-125. [10] Pocock, Barbara & Masterman-Smith, Helen. 2005. Work Choices and Women Workers. Journal of Australian Political Economy No.56. PP.124-143. [11] Teicher, J., Lambert, R. & O’Rourke, A. (eds.). 2006. Work Choices: The New Industrial Relations Agenda. Sidney, NSW: Pearson Education Australia. PP.103-125.   

Critically discuss to what extent Porter’s Diamond Essay

Critically discuss to what extent Porter’s Diamond is a useful concept in explaining home and host location strategies of international business? Illustrate your answer with reference to at least two case companies. The main aim of International business is to build and sustain competitiveness for economic value creation in both domestic and overseas markets (Besanko et al. 2007). Internalization business theory however has a variety of models that can identify the environmental analysis of specific countries. These models are used for companies to internationalize and find the right location(s) overseas by taking; institutional, cultural fit and success opportunities into consideration. These models also give in-depth information on locations that the companies have chosen. A very well-known framework is the Porter’s Diamond which was found by Michael Porter in 1990. This report will discuss the advantages and disadvantages to determine a company’s home and host location decision by analyzing two high street retailers – French E.Leclerc and UK’s Sainsbury’s. Porter’s Diamond Model (1990: 73 ) states that nation’s competiveness depends on the capa city of its industry to innovate and upgrade this however depends on the productivity level of the nation. From a company’s point of view a national competitive advantage means that it would have to depend on the nation to implement a home base to improve their existing products and services such as; technology, features, quality as well as being able to compete with international industries. Therefore, the advantage of this model is that it identifies the four factors that develop the essential national environment where companies are born, grow and as mentioned above sustain competitive advantage (Porter, 1990:78). The idea of this model is useful because it allows organizations to carry out the necessary research and identify which countries would be good enough to internationalize. As you can see from the Porters Diamond diagram the first factor is the factor condition, this factor is about production such as land, raw materials, capital infrastructure etc. these are not inherited, but developed and improved by a nation for instance skilled labor (Porter, 1990:79). In order to sustain competitive advantage it will depend on the factor creation ability. For instance, E. Leclerc started as a small rented warehouse â€Å"Leclerc established a chain of outlets across the country, single-handedly changing  the landscape of shopping in France†(www.independent.co.uk) â€Å"Critical evaluation of development and role of Balanced Scorecard in production and service organizations† Excerpts from HBR-1 (1992): â€Å"The Balanced Scorecard – Measures That Drive Performance,† Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, Harvard Business Review, January-February 1992, pg 71-79. Page 76-77: †¦ Analog Devices, a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of specialized semiconductors, expects managers to improve their customer and internal business process performance continuously. The company estimates specific rates of improvement for on-time delivery, cycle time, defect rate, and yield. †¦ †¦Over the three-year period between 1987 and 1990, a NYSE electronics company made an order-of-magnitude improvement in quality and on-time delivery performance. Outgoing defect rate dropped from 500 parts per million to 50, on-time delivery improved from 70% to 96%, and yield jumped from 26% to 51 %. Did these breakthrough improvements in quality, productivity, and customer service provide substantial benefits to the company? Unfortunately not. During the same three-year period, the company’s financial results showed little improvement, and its stock price plummeted to one-third of its July 1987 value. The considerable improvements in manufacturing capabilities had not been translated into increased profitability. Slow releases of new products and a failure to expand marketing to new and perhaps more demanding customers prevented the company from realizing the benefits of its manufacturing achievements. The operational achievements were real, but the company had failed to capitalize on them. †¦ Excerpts from HBR-2 (1993): â€Å"Putting the Balanced Scorecard to Work,† Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton, Harvard Business Review, September-October, 1993, pg 134-147. Page 142: †¦ Analog Devices, a semiconductor company, served as the prototype for the balanced scorecard and now uses it each year to update the targets and goals for division managers. Jerry Fishman, president of Analog, said, â€Å"At the  beginning, the scorecard drove significant and considerable change. It still does when we focus attention on particular areas, such as the gross margins on new products. But its main impact today is to help sustain programs that our people have been working on for years.† Recently, the company has been attempting to integrate the scorecard metrics with hoshin planning, a procedure that concentrates an entire company on achieving one or two key objectives each year. Analog’s hoshin objectives have included customer service and new product development, for which measures already exist on the company’s scorecard. †¦ Excerpted from JMAR (1998): Innovation Action Research: Creating New Management Theory and Practice, Robert S. Kaplan, Journal of Management Accounting Research, Vol. 10, 1998, pg. 89-118. Page 99-101 â€Å"†¦For the balanced scorecard, the initial idea also came somewhat serendipitously, but also not completely by accident. The need for improved performance measurement systems had been widely recognized during the 1980s. Many articles, books and conferences documented the limita ­tions of relying solely on financial signals for improving business perform ­ance. The adoption of total quality management, just‑in‑time production systems and synchronous manufacturing all created a demand for im ­proved performance measures that would support companies’ continuous improvement initiatives. Therefore, much work had already occurred by 1990, the time when the balanced scorecard concept initially emerged (Berliner and Brimson 1987; Howell et al. 1987; Kaplan 1990b). Much of the need for improved operational performance measurements had been satisfied by measures such as part‑per‑million defect rates, yields, cost of nonconformance, process cy cle times, manufacturing cycle effectiveness, throughput times, customer satisfaction, customer complaints and em ­ployee satisfaction. What remained missing was a theory for how the myr ­iad of nonfinancial performance measures now being used on the factory floor could be reconciled with and achieve comparable status to the finan ­cial measures that still dominated the agenda of senior company executives. Fortunately (again), a skilled practitioner, Arthur Schneiderman of Analog Devices, contacted me to assist his company with launching an activity-based costing project. In our initial  conversation, I learned that he had developed an innovative approach, the half-life system, to measure the rate of improvement of his company’s TQM program. As part of my research agenda (see step 1 in exhibit 1), I asked for and received approval to visit Analog Devices and write a case about their initiatives. During my visit, I learned that Schneiderman had also developed and implemented a corporate scorecard that senior executives were using to evaluate the company’s overall performance and rate-of-improvement . The corporate scorecard included, in addition to several traditional financial measures, some metrics on customer performance (principally operational measures related to lead times and on time delivery), internal processes (yield, quality and cost) and new product development (innovation). This corporate scorecard, evolved, as we shall see, into what came to be called the balanced scorecard. †¦ †¦ by teaching the Analog Devices case to executives, I learned quickly that Analog’s corporate scorecard was of much more interest to them than the half-life method, the original focus of the case. †¦ †¦ even more initial learning came from testing the ideas directly with a set of companies that participated in a yearlong project on performance measurement with the Nolan, Norton & Co. The project attracted senior financial and planning executives from a dozen companies who met on a bi-monthly basis throughout 1990. Analog’s corporate scorecard captured the interest of the participants. Throughout the year, they experimented with it in their organizations and reported back to us on the results. The concept proved successful in many of the pilot sites and turned out to be the prime output from the year-long research project. In the process, the original corporate scorecard, which focused mostly on operational improvements (on lead times, delivery performance, manufacturing quality and cycle times) had become transformed into a much more strategic organizational performance measurement system, characterized by four identifiable perspectives (financial, customer, internal business process and innovation and growth). †¦ Page 109: †¦ The balanced scorecard implementations being done at the end of 1995, as integrated strategic management systems, were far more advanced than the initial formulation, as a complementary nonfinancial measurement system, at Analog Devices or the companies described in our initial article (Kaplan and  Norton 1992). In six years (1990-1995), Norton and I had made three cycles around the knowledge creation cycle. The half-life of improvement of the balanced scorecard knowledge base was much shorter than for activity-based costing. †¦

Pieter Brueghel essays

Pieter Brueghel essays If someone were to think of one of the great Flemish painters, Pieter Brueghel might come to mind. Often referred to as Pieter Brueghel the Elder, he was the most important member of his family and a great painter in the 16th century. Pieter was born around 1525 in what is thought to be the town of Breda, which is now in The Netherlands. He went on to later be an apprentice to a leading Antwerp artist named Coecke van Aelst in 1551. Brueghel then traveled to Italy, and later lived in Antwerp for about 10 years before permanently settling down in Brussels. In 1563 he went on to marry Mayken, Coecke van Aelsts daughter. This relationship with the van Aelst family drew him to the peasant and allegorical themes that he painted. The scenes of landscapes and peasant life in Brueghels paintings are full of great detail and convey the stress and absurd kinds of lifestyles during this period of the 1500s. His paintings also portray the many weaknesses found in humans. Brueghel created his own style that holds special meaning. He painted many different subjects such as Biblical scenes, mythological portrayals, and social satires. Although he painted many different themes, it all falls under the school of Flemish Renaissance. Renaissance paintings are very realistic with figures in natural settings using precise detail. The renaissance style is represented in some of Brueghels very famous paintings. These include The Peasant Dance, The Wedding Feast, and The Landscape with the Fall of Iracus. In addition to his paintings Brueghel became known for the engravings that were made from his original paintings. ...