Strategics management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Strategics management - Research Paper Example Evaluation of a strategy is also an inherent part of strategic management because without knowing whether the current strategy is working or not, no firm can set and achieve goals. In this essay we will discuss how strategic management skills can be applied by managers. It is important for managers to define the purpose of the organization. Vision of a firm informs the employees and the customers about the purpose and value of the firm (Mind Tools, 2011). It is an essential part of application of strategic management skills to design vision of a firm so as to guide employees regarding their behavior. Customers can also learn through vision of a firm about how can they be benefitted by the firm. Usually vision of a firm is defined in a sentence or a statement commonly known as the vision statement. It entails the long term purpose of the firm and how employees are supposed to operate in the company. Strategic management is all about taking strategic decisions and strategic decisions have certain characteristics. Strategic decisions are of high magnitude, they have a long term focus, and they require high level of commitment (Haberberg & Rieple, 2007). Vision statement is also a strategic decision because it has all above three characteristics. Objectives of the firm are more specific short term targets. Strategic management skills are applied to define short term targets for the firm and short term targets are important for a firm because they serve as steps that can lead the firm to the long term targets. Firms also require regular assessment of their position and for that short term targets serve useful. Vision of a firm is a broadly defined purpose of the organization, on the other hand objectives are short term targets that can be measured empirically and are specific. Managers should always check whether the firm is treading on the right path or not, and vision and objectives help managers in

Essay --

â€Å"Courage is fire and bullying is smoke.†--Benjamin Disraeli. Bullying is more connected to smoke than just as aftermath. Bullying, compared to smoke, is widespread and causes destruction in every life it touches. The tormentor envelopes their victim in fear and a sense of uneasiness that cannot be divided into categories--such as some websites claim--but instead, one because all the bully can do is connected to his or her victim in one way or another. Bullying touches many people in close proximity to one another . In fact, recent surveys have found that approximately 60 percent of students enrolled in middle school have been bullied in some form (Statistics: Is Bullying). The facts show that once started, bullying is incredibly difficult to stop, and wreaks havoc in every life it touches. Bullying affects middle school students in numerous ways. Some of the most common being physically, emotionally, and academically. Bullying, such as smoke, can cause serious health problems to students in middle school. Many bullies choose to physically harm their victims in a form of bullying called physical bullying. â€Å"Physical bullying involves real bodily contact between a bully and his or her victim for the express purpose of intimidation or control over the victim† (What Is Physical). This interaction develops into a feeling of satisfaction for the bully because their have done what they intended to accomplish--establish anxiety into the life of the suffer. However, the pain does not end there for some students. Many students suffer from imperfections in their bodies due to the physical contact. Some of which includes bruises, cuts, and scars, leaving a constant reminder of middle school for the rest of their lives. Physical bullyi... ... who are repeatedly bullied receive poorer grades and participate less in class discussions. Some students may get labeled as low achievers because they do not want to speak up in class for fear of getting bullied. Teachers can misinterpret their silence, thinking that these students are not motivated to learn† (Wolpert). Without doing well in school, many students are hurting their chances to be successful in life. Bullying causes a students to feel like they do not have fulfillment in their lives. Because of bullying, many students suffer. Because of bullying, many middle school students suffer in more than one area, just as smoke can affect a persons health in more than one area. It affect student’s body, mind, and school work. To help correct this, peers need to step up if they see someone being bullied, for the health of the bully, victim, and community.

Against School: A Corrupted System

The educational systems purpose is to prepare people with the necessary skills and knowledge so that they can excel and function properly in today’s society. John T. Gatto challenges that idea and begs the question is 12 compulsory years of standard schooling consisting of six classes a day, five days a week, nine months a year needed? Gatto refers to George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln as they were not formally schooled and yet were very successful. According to Gatto’s, there are three main purposes to formal schooling, â€Å"1) To make good people, 2) To make good citizens, and 3) to make each person his or her best. † (Gatto 3) Gatto believes that the current educational system actually contradicts these three ideals. He claims that there are six basic yet specific functions that intend to hold back and limit the progress and overall success of a student. Of the six functions there are three serve specifically to limit and hinder a students progress. The diagnostic and directive functions, the differentiating function, and the propaedeutic function all seemingly serve to cripple a students success but when analyzed some do hold some truth but in the end they are merely irrational and ridiculous accusations made by Gatto. The diagnostic and directive functions are defined as a litmus test to test where a particular student â€Å"fits† in society based on grade percentages. These percentages are logged and stored permanently in our student records which are then passed on the post secondary schools to place students in their â€Å"proper societal roles† (4). During my freshman and sophomore years in high school I can not help but remember teachers classifying â€Å"ap† students and high academic achievers as those who were going to be â€Å"successful†. My math teacher often referred to more difficult questions as the â€Å"doctor† or â€Å"lawyer† question in an attempt to scale the difficultly of the question. What if one can not do the question? Does that mean that person should be classified as remedial or can not attain the success of a doctor or lawyer? Of course not, the simple idea of that is completely irrational. However, once reassessing and making them less extreme, Gatto’s diagnostic and directive functions can be found anywhere in the academic system whether it be perquisite knowledge for grade twelve programs or university entrance. While this function may seem absurd, Gatto’s differentiating function is one that can be related to actual everyday life. The differentiating function is a more practical function. It states that, â€Å"once a student’s role has been â€Å"diagnosed† through standardized testing, they are to be sorted by role, and trained only so far as their destination in the social machine merits. † (5) The functions practical use is especially seen in post secondary schooling where a more refined and â€Å"specialized training† takes place. We see this in any standard entry test for a specific program such as the SAT, LSAT or MCAT. Based on a students performance on these forms of testing they are then place in their respective programs allow them to focus specifically on areas of study that are important to them. At my old high school there was a standard entry test, SSAT, that examined various categories of schooling (math, reading, writing etc†¦) Depending on how you did on the test would determine not only whether or not you are eligible for acceptance but whether or not you qualify to take ap courses, because if u do not posses the proper knowledge taking a more advanced course would be counter-productive and in fact hurt your academic career. Once one has analyzed the differentiating function there is some truth to it but when one looks at the propaedeutic function, it is completely incorrect. The propaedeutic function is completely incorrect and misleading. According to Gatto, the purpose of the propaedeutic is to create a class of â€Å"elite caretakers †¦ taught to manage this project, how to watch over and control a population deliberately dumbed down and declawed† (5) He’s saying that those who already control the population are going to educate children so that when they grow up they can control the population and train more children to do the same. At this point it seems like Gatto is trying to throw something that is completely and utterly irrational out there trying to catch people off guard and hope to attract some followers. The simple thought that people were training young children to know how to manipulate people in such a way that they simply do not challenge authority and do exactly as their told to is ridiculous. At no point in my life have I ever felt that someone or an organization is trying to limit my personal abilities to comply with this absurd function. Teachers constantly enthuse student to be all they can and achieve as high as they can, not that its ok if u cant because we already got it figured out. While other of Gatto’s functions may have held some truth this particular function is completely incorrect Gatto believes that those who control the way society runs are trying to create a norm in the educational system. That student’s are pre-destined before they are given the ample chance to excel and achieve. Gatto explains that schools traditionally have three purposes: 1) To make good people; 2) To make good citizens; 3) To make each student find some particular talents to develop as best they can. These are all fine standards but because of government schools have become prison like even in there cell block style construction. Gatto’s approach is very liberal and has opened my eyes to certain matters especially the way that educational system is poorly constructed (with it being bases on grades) and how it is mismanaged leading to sub-par performance and disappointing â€Å"success† rates. It is this poorly constructed system and a corrupted way of running it is what I think Gatto was truly trying to revile.

The Danger of Using Literature and Fiction as a Historical...

Literature and fiction can be dangerous to use alone as a historical source. However, in looking at it with an analytical and open mind and incorporating it with textbooks, readers can gain tremendous knowledge from literature. Looking at the portrayal of a topic by an author is important. All authors write with specific audiences in mind, and with an intention or point. Understanding the point that authors strive to convey can reveal a great deal about opinions and perspectives of the time period. Literature is absolutely essential to world history. The insights in fiction go far beyond that of textbook learning. Gender roles, the role of the court, and romances are effectively portrayed in fiction, and convey insights that are different from those in a textbook. The role of males in Aristocratic Japan and Italy was far superior to women. Both Heian Japan and Renaissance Italy accepted a sexual double standard. For example, extra marital affairs were normal for men. They were even openly discussed. In Italy, though men could only have one wife at a time, there were high death rates, so many people married more than once in their lives. Wealthy Japanese men most commonly had concubines. Although Christianity in Italy had prohibited concubines, wealthy men did have mistresses, who did not have any legal standing. Heian Japan believed that the first wife was most important, but polygamy was still popular and accepted. Unlike the exploitive lives of wealthy Japanese andShow MoreRelated King Arthur Essay1157 Words   |  5 Pagesidentify the historical Arthur have been unsuccessful, since he is largely a product of fiction. Most historians, though, agree that the real Arthur was probably a battle leader of the Britons against the Anglo-Saxons i n the sixthth century. In literature, King Arthurs character is unique and ever changing, taking on a different face in every work. There is never a clearly definitive picture that identifies Arthurs character. It is therefore necessary to look at a few different sources to get betterRead MoreFeatures of Metafiction and Well Known Writers of the Genre Essay3025 Words   |  13 Pagesworld? The ontology of â€Å"any fiction is justified/validated/vindicated in the context of various theories of representation in the field of literary art and practice. Among these theories the seminal and the most influential is the mimetic theory. The theory of mimesis (imitation) posits that there is a world out there, a world in which we all live and act, which we call â€Å"the real world†. What fiction does (for that matter any art) is to try and (re) present this world using narrative techniques (orRead MoreVictorian Novel9605 Words   |  39 Pagesshape and development. It was the novel that was the leading form of literature in the 19th century England. The term ‘novel’ itself was a simple narrative form, which in opposition to its forerunner, the ‘romance’ focused on the affairs of everyday life such as scientific discovery, religious debate, politics or colonial settlement. Though there are many arguments among critics which dates frame the period of Victorian literature, it is commonly accepted that it was the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901)Read MoreEssay about Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 4512103 Words   |  9 PagesBradbury conjures up in Fahrenheit 451 using science fictional elements to convey the importance of remembering, freedom of speech, and less reliance on machinery. Science fiction was the best medium to help Bradbury express his ideas because it provides the proper balance of fiction and non-fiction which other genres cannot. Although science fiction is classified strictly as fiction, it has elements of both non-fiction and fiction. The genre of fiction encompasses mystery, horror, actionRead MoreThe Sonnet Form: William Shakespeare6305 Words   |  26 Pages the speaker characterizes the disease; in the second, he describes the relationship of his love-disease to its â€Å"physician,† his reason; in the third, he describes the consequences of his abandonment of reason; and in the couplet, he explains the source of his mad, diseased love—his lover’s betrayal of his faith: My love is as a fever, longing still For that which longer nurseth the disease, Feeding on that which doth preserve the ill, The uncertain sickly appetite to please. My reason, theRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 PagesPlot When we refer to the plot of a work of fiction, then, we are referring to the deliberately arranged sequence of interrelated events that constitute the basic narrative structure of a novel or a short story. Events of any kind, of course, inevitably involve people, and for this reason it is virtually impossible to discuss plot in isolation from character. Character and plot are, in fact, intimately and reciprocally related, especially in modern fiction. A major function of plot can be said to beRead MoreThe Use of Literature in Teaching English as a Foreign Language6056 Words   |  25 PagesThe Use of Literature in Teaching English as a Foreign Language By: Amr Alhemiary Abstract This research aims at emphasizing the use of literature as a popular technique for teaching both basic language skills (i.e. reading, writing, speaking and listening)and language areas(i.e. vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation) in our times. Reasons for using literary text in a foreign language classroom, suitable situations for teaching literature and main criteria for selecting suitable literary textsRead MoreDeparture, Initiation, and Return Essay4222 Words   |  17 PagesBerlin without the message being intercepted before he is captured. Yu Tsun, although a flawed hero, is the storys hero nonetheless, and the story outlines his attempt to fulfill his mission. Borges short story follows a mythological structure using Joseph Campbells three main stages of the heros journey: departure, initiation, and return. Along the way, Yu Tsun, quite by accident, discovers a tale of multiple paths, labyrinths both physical and metaphorical. He learns of the concept of howRead MoreMedieval Poetry3509 Words   |  15 PagesMedieval literature is a very diverse subject. The term covers the literature of Europe during the period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginnings of the Renaissance in the 15th century, spanning a period of roughly 1,000 years. As a result, it is difficult to make generalizations about medieval literature. It is, nonetheless, possible to identify a few general trends. Allegory and symbolism are common in medieval literature, perhaps more so than in modern writing. Religious and philosophicalRead More Relationships in a World without God Essay2213 Words   |  9 Pagesscientific method was that of phenomenological reduction. Although Sà ¸ren Kierkegaard accepted the paradox of being defining itself, as a scientist, Heidegger could not accept this paradox. According to Heidegger, a concept must be defined without using itself as reference. The difficulty of definition was confronted by defining Being as a collection of concepts. In his essay â€Å"The Fundamental Question of Metaphysics† the central question he asks is â€Å"Why is there anything at all, rather than nothing