Predicting the Presidential Election with Baseball

Predicting the Presidential Election with Baseball Can the winner of the World Series predict who will become President of the United States? If the American League wins, will that mean a win for the Republican candidate? If the National League wins, does that mean a Democratic president for the next four years? A 24-Year Hot Streak Up until  the 1980 presidential election, it appeared that the World Series was an accurate predictor of the presidential race. From 1952 to 1976, whenever the  American League won the World Series, the President to win in that years election was a Republican. If the National League won, then the election went to the Democrat. However,  the Series hot streak ended with the 1980 election. That year, the Philadelphia Phillies, a National League team, won the Series and Ronald Reagan, a Republican, won the White House. Since then, the World Series has accurately predicted the presidential race 5 out of 9 times, giving is a batting average of 0.555 (or round it up to 0.556, if you must). Thats a very good average for baseball but otherwise is not much  better than flipping a coin. Seven-Game Sage The Series is a better predictor of presidents when it goes to seven games. In all of the following election years, the Series got it right. If an American League (AL) team won, so did the Republicans; if a National League (NL) team won, the next president was a Democrat. And the winners were... 1924: Washington Senators (AL) and Calvin Coolidge (R)1940: Cincinnati Reds (NL) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (D)1952 and 1956: New York Yankees (AL) and Dwight Eisenhower (R)1960: Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) and John F. Kennedy (D)1964: St. Louis Cardinals (NL) and Lyndon Johnson (D)1968 and 1972: Detroit Tigers (AL) and Richard Nixon (R) Another (Brief) Streak The Series got hot again in 2000 and accurately predicted the next four presidents, starting with George W. Bush. Actually, it was only two presidentsBush and Obama, both of whom won reelectionbut you cant fault the Series for that. In 2016, it was almost too close to call. The Cubs (National League) won, but so did Trump (Republican). Maybe the Series was banking on the popular vote, which was won by Democrat Hilary Clinton. Darn that electoral college! Other Sure Things? Many Americans swear by patterns and coincidences to help them predict presidential elections. Other examples of predictors from past and present years include the following: If the Washington Redskins win the week of the election, this means a win for the incumbent party. This has held true since 1936.Whichever candidates likeness is on the halloween mask that sells the most will be the next president.  When companies produce competing products, the one that sells the most is supposed to predict the winner. For example, if a company has cups with images of the Republican and Democratic candidates, the one that  outsells the other would be a predictor.If the Dow Jones Average goes up between  August and October, this predicts a win for the incumbent.If the Los Angeles Lakers win the the championship, then the Republican candidate will win. Obviously some of these predictors have a greater basis in reality than others. While most people would say that the Lakers or the Redskins winning is more chance than anything else, the state of the economy does have a huge impact on the presidential election. After all of these predictors, are we any closer to knowing who will win the next presidential election? The answer, of course, is no. However, one thing is fairly certain: to cover their bets, it is more than likely that the Republican candidate will be rooting for the American League team and the Democratic candidate will be cheering on the National League team when the first pitch is thrown in the 2020  World Series.

Porters Five Forces Explained

Porters Five Forces Explained To describe a competitive environment in a business sphere specialists use Porters five forces analysis. Read what it is, its advantages and disadvantages. Porter’s Five Forces is a fundamental framework that describes the competitive environment. Which competitive environment? Actually, all of them. The basic simplicity of the Five Forces Analysis is what makes it so useful, and why it has become a staple of business and management studies over the past 30 years. If done properly, the Five Forces Analysis can accurately describe any competitive environment at any level. This article about Management/Economics was written by one of our expert writers. If you are looking for an article on Management, Marketing or Economics, is your best bet. Order now and our professionals will write the article you need in accordance with all your requirements. You may like:  Currency Exchange Rate Management and Speculation  |  Management Essay Writing What Are the Five Forces? The visual representation of the Five Forces is most likely familiar to most management students.The degree of competition in a particular market or industry is determined by four primary forces, which are described in relative terms such as strong or weak, or low-medium-high. One thing that may be misleading about the Five Forces framework is that in its familiar form as shown here, it gives the impression that the four forces that affect the intensity of competition act separately when in fact they are all interconnected in sometimes complex ways. In fact, the intensity of competition itself has an effect on the strength of the four forces that define it, which is why the analysis is called the Five Forces. Defining the Five Forces The easiest way to understand what each of the Five Forces is describing is to think of them in the simple context of what would make each of them â€Å"strong† or â€Å"weak†: Factors Contributing to Strength Factors Contributing to Weakness Power of Buyers Fewer buyers Few buyers who purchase a large part of the firm’s output Buyers can easily switch to different product Many buyers Buyers do not have great influence on product or price Buyers cannot easily switch to different product Power of Suppliers Fewer suppliers High cost to change suppliers Strength of buyers can increase power of suppliers over distributors Product is very common or standardized Low cost to change suppliers Weak buyers can decrease power of suppliers over distributors Threat of Substitutions Product is a commodity Weak brand loyalty Few suppliers Product is unique or specialized Strong brand loyalty Many suppliers Threat of New Entrants Common technology Weak brand strength Distribution channels are easily accessible Difficult or proprietary technology required Strong existing brand identification High scale needed Intensity of Competition High costs to exit the industry or market High fixed costs Strong brands Low exit costs Low capital investment or fixed costs Weak brands   These factors are simple examples and are certainly not the only ones that play a role, but should illustrate, at least, how the strengths and weaknesses can affect one another. Application of the Five Forces Analysis The Five Forces analysis is most often used as a tool for external, i.e., third-party analysis of a competitive environment, which is not surprising as it was developed from a thoroughly academic perspective – Michael Porter first devised the Five Forces analysis during his work at the Harvard Business School in the early 1980’s, and despite his characterizing it as a â€Å"strategic management tool†, the methodology has never quite shaken off its textbook charm. In actual practice, the Five Forces analysis is too basic for use as a strategic planning aid for established companies; to put it rather indelicately, if a company is lacking the information a Five Forces analysis provides about its current industry or market, the company probably has more problems than can be solved by the analysis. The Five Forces analysis is, however, a very good assessment to conduct when considering entry into a new market, and is usually included in properly-written business cases . Shortcomings of the Five Forces Analysis The most important thing missing from the Five Forces analysis is any sort of internal perspective, which other assessment tools such as the SWOT analysis do take into consideration. That is not necessarily an oversight – Professor Porter’s focus was on the competitive environment, and from that perspective the Five Forces analysis is set in the proper context – but one criticism that has sometimes been raised in the years since it was first developed is that the Five Forces analysis provides only vague and weak links between the external and internal environments. That can be a problem because the internal environment and activities of the firm do have an impact on competitive forces; without the use of a complementary analysis tool, the Five Forces analysis by itself does not identify or assess what that impact may be. Another potential difficulty in making productive use of the Five Forces analysis is that its conclusions are qualitative; the strength of the various forces can only be described in a relative way, and are subject to interpretation. For example, a relationship between an auto manufacturer and a tire maker that supplies the tires for all the automaker’s new cars could be described in a couple different ways in a Five Forces analysis: The power of the buyer (the automaker) could be described as high because it purchases a large part of the tire manufacturer’s output. The power of the supplier (the tire maker) could alternatively be described as high, depending on how specialized their tire is. The power of both the supplier and buyer could be affected one way or the other by the brand loyalty of consumers to the tire brand or the auto marque. For the student researcher or market analyst, then, the challenge is to fully investigate the underlying conditions that make a particular force â€Å"strong† or â€Å"weak†, and justify a conclusion that does not contradict a conclusion about one or more of the other forces. On the other hand, when one of these contradictions cannot be resolved even after a thorough investigation and analysis, it reveals a critical issue for the firm or market in question, and this can be an opportunity – for the academic researcher, it is likely that the problem will be a solid new area for study, and for businesses, it is likely a problem whose solution will give them a strong competitive advantage. If you need to analyze a scientific work in greater detail contact our writing department to avoid confusion and save your time. 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Herbicide X Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Herbicide X - Case Study Example The results ultimately proved that the level of concentration is enough to cause cancer to the rats. The same concentration of Herbicide X is being used by farmers to control the weed as this is highly effective. In view of this, Herbicide X poses extreme threat to the humans as it is used in the same dosages as found to have affecting rats. Herbicide X is sprayed in the farms twice, once in the spring and the second time in fall. This means that farmers are exposed to the Herbicide X twice in a year that increases the health risk associated with this pesticide. It is quite scientific to assess the risk of any hazardous chemical first on animals such as monkeys, rats, cows. It is certified and confirmed by several peer-reviewed studies that Herbicide X is toxic in the given dosages and cause deadly disease like cancer. It is quite appropriate to conclude that it indeed poses a threat to the human life too, especially when humans are exposed twice in a year with the same level of concentration that affected rats. Moreover, it has also been found that Herbicide X remains in the environment for at least 3 months before it disintegrates into harmless substances; it is slow in biodegradation and not eco

Reflective paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Reflective paper - Essay Example My view on organizational atmosphere of participation has also changed and I now see them as supportive and open to participate in community development. The concept of community has nurtured self determination and community mobilization in me. This has enabled me to gain influence and control and partners and a player in community action and decision making. By participating in community development, one can weigh on the costs involved and know if the activity is viable. With the knowledge of cost in mind, one can use it in the development of appropriate incentives. The community concept has sharpened my relation skills and I can now easily interact with members of the community which has made me have a broader knowledge of my environment. As a facilitator, I have been in a position to guide and model dialogue processes proving information when needed and intervene in case of breakdown in the process of communication. Besides, I have learnt not to be neutral and engage myself fully in processes of dialogue. Such facilitation catalyzes community participation and engagement (Butcher et.al, pp58) The community development and community practices have always been at the core of social work concept in towns. The reasons why community in social work is important are: community work aims at uniting people who were previously not organized into coalitions and effective groups that work as a group with an aim of pursuing a common social agenda, secondly, community work aims at strengthening traditional neighborhood, kinship and friendship ties and developing new structures in the society which are important for the daily operation of a society and lastly, community based activities provides the best structure that is efficient and cost effective for the service of the poor (Butcher et al, 1994) Community is very crucial in social work because the community is their objective. Social work

Thematic Art Review (Formalist) Essay Example for Free

Thematic Art Review (Formalist) Essay Visual arts which make use of unusual media and technique, such as collage or origami, tend to   both benefit from and be challenged by the medium and technique involved. A viewer is apt to react first to the medium and technique and perhaps, because of this, thematic or expressive ideas may be perceived as secondary to the impact of a given work. However, by contemplating given works, such as the   Origami NOW! collection of works at PEM, from a   more deeply considered point of view, the thematic and expressive elements of the work begins to overshadow the once-dominant aspects of medium and technique.    Finally,the alert viewer will realize that, in fact, a harmony of technique nd expression, media and idea has been reached in the most capably articulated works, while in less-capable works, a lack of balance restricts the viewer to a predominantly technical appreciation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For example, a piece from the Origami NOW! exhibition such as Eric Joisels Pangolin   is very effective at eliciting a response of admiration and even surprise of wonder at the technique involved in sculpting (or more properly: folding) paper into the shape of a convincingly realistic animal form which suggests an armadillo. On the other hand, although the animal offers a meaningful gesture, as though it is eating or drinking, the overall impact of the piece fails to gain any truly expressive or meaningful energy. It is simply a technically admirable piece.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By contrast, Joel Coopers Gemini, is a deeply expressive piece which evokes stone relief carvings in origami. The faces are, themselves, primitive and expressive, but the thematic impact of the piece is much deeper than the surface level facial expression of the pieces central figures. The piece derives important impact from its sub-text of transference: ancient stone to ephemeral paper, which makes a statement about human civilization and history and the ephemerality of human monuments, and arty itself, while simultaneously elevating the ephemerality of the medium and technique (origami) to a sympathetic relationship to ancient art and antiquity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Yet another piece, Spike Sphere, by   Thomas Hull, straddles the line between expressiveness and technical precision without ever falling precisely on one side or another. In effect, Hulls piece is the most harmonious of those examples of origami on exhibition at PEM. The overt impact of Hulls piece is that of geometrical expressionism, using a complex geometrical shape to express theme. In my opinion, Hulls Spike Sphere is meant to represent no less than the entire human cosmos in a single figure of origami. I said human because the piece reflects a particularly human concept of wholeness as in other geometrical abstractions: globes, the atom, stars, galaxies and even some scientific models of the multi-verse.     Hulls figure is spherical and colored like a budding flower, but spiked suggesting pain, danger, emotional response. This precise configuration of human emotion and abstract form, coupled with organic coloring and an holistic gesture elevates Hulls piece to the highest levels. This work is a masterpiece which reveals the origami, as a medium, embodies much more than the stunned admiration for technique and cleverness associated with folding paper creatively and expressively.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The impact of placing such a diverse collection of works that all make use of a similar medium and technique shoulder to shoulder in an exhibition   like the Origami NOW! exhibition is to invite the viewer to explore the full range of capacities that a medium and technique have to offer. From simple constructs which showcase technique over thematic expression to thematic all driven pieces which test the boundaries of the associated techniques and medium, the   Origami NOW! exhibition is superbly put together and dynamically stimulating for those viewers patient and perceptive enough to gauge the full impact of these   richly imaginative works.

Free College Admissions Essays: We Must All Be Part of the Solution! :: College Admissions Essays

We Must All Be Part of the Solution! Â   Sara had always been my best friend. It didn't matter that she was different. We had fun together. Then we started middle school and our whole world was flipped upside down. Â   Sara and I were thrown into a larger school with more people than we had ever seen at one school at the same time. After a few fear-filled weeks, I became comfortable in my new surroundings and was doing well. I wish I could say the same for Sara. I didn't understand why she was having so much trouble. All the work we did was no harder than the things we had done in grammar school. The only real difference was how the material was presented to us, and I didn't see how that could affect her learning. Â   I was worried about Sara; she was getting teased a lot and always appeared so sad. She told me that she had a problem that she was working on with her guidance counselor. Sara asked if I would go with her to the guidance counselor. I went to see Mrs. Vance with Sara. Mrs. Vance told us that Sara's evaluation revealed a language disorder. Â   Sara had an impairment in the ability to use words. Mrs. Vance said that when Sara read, she understood what the words meant. When speaking or writing, however, her words didn't always come out the way she meant them to. That explained why Sara got the answers wrong to questions she knew. Â   I found out that 1 out of every 10 children in America have language disorders. These problems may mildly, moderately, or severely impair the learning process. Students with these kinds of learning disabilities may exhibit a wide range of traits, including problems with reading comprehension, spoken language and writing. These problems are not the result of a lack of intelligence, rather they are resultant from an obstacle to communication of ideas. Â   After our meeting, I sat down to talk with Sara. At first she was embarrassed, but after a few minutes I got her to talk. We spoke about her disability, study solutions, and ways to help her do better in school. I offered to help her in any way that I could. We started studying together. I read aloud to her and wrote in large, dark print.

Compare and Contrast the “White Public Opinion” Essay

Public opinion is simply the complex of preferences expressed by a significant number of persons on an issue of general importance. Blacks were included in national polls and surveys in numbers reflecting their proportion of the population, but typically these surveys yielded too few respondents to produce valid and reliable findings or to explore opinion differences internal to the black community in terms of such things as gender, class, age or region. Black opinion was seen as a mere derivative, secondary and less important compared to white opinion. Research shows that White Americans are not racist in the old fashioned way; instead they resent or are hostile to blacks because of the whites’ commitment to basic or core American values, particularly individualism. White Americans resist equality in the name of self-reliance, achievement, individual initiative and they do so not merely because the value of individualism provides a socially acceptable pretext but because it provides an integral component of the new racism. It’s a perceived belief that whites are more intelligent and better than blacks, but the problems facing the black community have been ignored, because they feel like the black community is inferior and don’t have anything better to do. So therefore they refuse blacks the resources they need for a good foundation, like education, jobs and so on. The pervasive and deep sense of alienation from and distrust of the American government as well as the deep racial divide between blacks and whites was reflected in public opinion on hurricane Katrina. There is a lack of attention and urgency in handling the problems which are facing the black community, both in the past and present. Another powerful function of the press was to attack and remake the stereotypes and negative characterizations that the white press visited on the community. They see the issues affecting the black community and use it to pass negative comments and judgments against them, Instead of addressing the situation and seeking amends. The mainstream or white media tend to ignore the internal life of the black community, thus the black media serve as a vehicle of intragroup communication and solidarity. The mainstream or mass media gathers and reports news of interest to the mass public, which are mostly middle class whites. Since the 1950’s, content analysis of the mass media has consistently shown that the routine, day-to-day coverage of African Americans is predominantly negative and stereotypical; blacks are portrayed as poor or criminal and they are shown as entertainers or athletes. The fact is that, black Americans have being fighting for equal rights and opportunities for some time, but discrimination against minorities still exist. We have to keep fighting for any changes we want done in our community and take it upon ourselves to transform some of those issues, because the mass media focus on the problems facing the majority of the American problems in the white community.

Todays Highly Competitive Business Environment Commerce Essay

In todays extremely competitory concern environment, there are a batch of companies that are viing with each other for concern and besides these companies have to be cognizant every now and so of a new market participant emerging with new thoughts, technological inventions and techniques that can hinder those bing market participant ‘s concern aspirations. The key to success for concerns is to be able to place that competition and to react to it, be able to invariably develop, get and accommodate, i.e evolve harmonizing to the market demand. This has bought frontward the construct of corporate entrepreneurship. The civilization of corporate entrepreneurship has to come from within the direction of administrations. With the intense competition among concerns, the modern-day manner of direction has given to strategic leading. Corporate Entrepreneurship is the civilization of advanced thought from within people in the administration that ensures sustained growing of companies ( Ra y & A ; Ramachandran 1996 ) . The motivation for entrepreneurship comes from the impulse to heighten client satisfaction ( Ramachandran 2003 ) and besides plan better for the hereafter. The motivation for entrepreneurship can besides be a response to the altering market scenarios that concerns face, whether it is from competition from challengers or in the chase of new concern chances. This sort of entrepreneurship was foremost started at Continental AG by Dr Von Grunberg, who fostered the thought of advanced thought among all staff at Continental when he started as the Chairman of the executive board in 1991. This corporate invention bought frontward the thought of profitableness among each concern unit of Continental AG. The company moved from a scheme of enlargement by acquisition to a growing scheme by profitableness. For this sort of advanced thought ( corporate entrepreneurship ) companies need leaders who are able to anticipate alterations, predict and program for the hereafter. This is what is known as strategic leading. Strategic leaders have multiple accomplishments but most of import among them are the interpersonal, conceptual and proficient accomplishments. They are besides adept at pull offing alterations. Under Dr Von Grunberg ‘s strategic leading, the company â€Å" put about implementing a re-orientation of the company ‘s concern † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . He encouraged the thought of entrepreneurship among all concern units of Continental AG and urged the company to â€Å" endeavor for the prima place in engineering † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) as his sharp vision envisaged the spread and chance for the future technological market. He felt that the Sur market was saturated and Continental could hold non survived merely by being a Sur provider entirely. He put frontward a program for future merchandise and procedure inventions towards being a systems supplier by re-structuring the Research and Development division ( R & A ; D ) at Continental AG, it started to demo consequences, Continental AG moved in front from its dark yearss at the beginning of the 1990 ‘s and re-invented itself in the market. Corporate scheme must be in the custodies of strong leaders in the company and their strategic thought drives a company frontward. Strategic leading is non merely concerned with giving way to present schemes but besides future schemes for the company and programs in topographic point for those schemes. Strategic leading besides motivates employees by giving them the right way in front and fixing them better for the hereafter. 1b ) The 1990 ‘s saw a serious recession in Europe and the universe tyre industry was besides hit by this recession. Vehicle enrollment declined and the market shrunk. Continental was faced with bead in net incomes, units running on losingss and the coup d'etat command of Pirelli. This prompted a strategic alteration in its external and internal policies. Before looking into Continental ‘s strategic alteration, the factors responsible for those strategic alterations in Continental ‘s policy demand to be looked at and is discussed in the nest paragraph. In malice of the hard times talked about in the earlier paragraph, Continental pursued growing scheme and as a consequence suffered immense losingss ( 65 million euro in 1991 ) ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . Pirelli, a rival of Continental at that clip wanted to try a coup d'etat of Continental which was non successful and at the terminal it was settled with Pirelli controlled block of portions being transferred to a bank pool and the going of Executive board president Horst W. Urban on May 10, 1991. Continental was besides confronting troubles incorporating the companies/tire trade names like Uniroyal, Semperit, General Tire etc acquired as portion of its growing scheme. â€Å" There were besides hapless net incomes in a figure of corporate divisions † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001, p740 ) . The company construction of Continental was bureaucratic and centralistic ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . The corporate construction was managing â€Å" functional duties † alternatively of being market and client oriented. Most of the direction were involved largely in transporting out administrative responsibilities and lacked entrepreneurial skills/energy and strategic leading and that besides came down to the employees. To prolong in the extremely competitory market, Continental needed strategic alteration and those strategic alterations implemented by Continental are discussed in the following paragraph. More importance to profitableness and invention Continental shifted its focal point from being growing by acquisitions to more on stabilising the company ‘s profitableness and invention and no farther acquisitions. The inventions, Continental stressed would be achieved by the company through its ain entrepreneurial forces ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . Dr Von Grunberg presented a 10 point plan which was designed to put more accent on company directors holding a clear net income orientation and besides be a leader in inventions and engineering. Restructuring the functional orientation in the tyre country Functional restructuring for the tyre country in 1992 saw the old â€Å" board countries of ‘Tire production ‘ and ‘Marketing/Sales ‘ responsible for auto and truck tyres † being dissolved and replaced by merchandise driven â€Å" board degree divisions of ‘Passenger Tires ‘ and ‘Commercial Vehicle Tires/Environment/Research ‘ . Net income orientation of service maps The demand for profitableness besides applied to serve maps like Information engineering. Continental AG outsourced its IT functions to another company which was jointly run by IBM and Continental. Marketing administration of auto tyre division Continental AG acquired a figure of trade names in the 1980 ‘s like Uniroyal, Semperit, General Tire, Viking etc. Their profitableness was looked after by a separate direction squad. One of the major jobs these trade names were confronting was that they were seemingly aiming the same clients and in fact seemed like each other ‘s rivals. Continental AG realised that and adopted a stance of market orientation, a displacement from trade name orientation at the terminal of 1993. Managers were given much more authorization in their parts and they were made â€Å" accountable for the consequences † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . They were besides given clip and infinite in covering with clients and understanding their demands. Cardinal coordination of decentral activities Even though decentralization of the assorted units/activities were pursued, cardinal functional countries like control, finance, engineering, buying â€Å" were retained as cardinal units † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . Dr new wave Grunberg â€Å" continued to exercise direct influence † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) peculiarly in affairs of investing.2a ) How Continental fostered strategic invention ( use Porter ‘s value concatenation understanding )Any company who is looking to last in the long tally in the market must be able to rethink and reinvent its planning procedure in order to keep sustainable competitory advantage in the market. Whether it be through distributing the civilization of corporate entrepreneurship among direction and staff, through advancing strategic leading or through furthering strategic inventions. Inventions are portion of nucleus competences of houses and are indispensable for competitory advantage ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . A careful analysis of Porter ‘s value concatenation ( a utile tool to analyze a house ‘s nucleus competences ) would uncover two really of import facts. The activities in which a house can prosecute competitory advantage can be either by making a superior cost advantage by which it offers the market and its clients a existent value for money or by distinguishing its constituents, merchandises and services from its rivals. Continental was faced with tough times at the beginning of the 1990 ‘s with the economic recession and its failure to react to altering times by redesigning its schemes and policies. However with Dr. Von Grunberg as the president of the executive board it identified the countries to turn to as respects to company schemes and focussed on furthering strategic invention civilization in the company with respects to core competences of distinguishing its constituents, merchandises and services from its rivals. Initial scheme of Continental after the assignment of Dr Von Grunberg in early 1991 ( as the Chairman of the Executive Board ) was to concentrate on the entrepreneurial strength and invention potency of its staff and directors. However that scheme changed with clip, â€Å" following the acquisition of Teves, ITT industries brake and chassis operations in 1998 † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) when Continental went â€Å" beyond its ain operations into the value ironss of providers † ( Kotler 2003 ) in chase of systems supplier position ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . Through endeavoring for technological promotion Continental was looking to distinguish itself from its rivals and one facet which Dr Von Grunberg felt that the company could do a difference is in the promotion on the technological forepart. He urged for invention from single employees from every individual section of the company. The attempts bore fruit and resulted in a new tyre line, Eco-contact in 1992 and development of a one phase Sur edifice machine in 1994 ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . Continental invested to a great extent in Research and Development ( R & A ; D ) even during the crisis ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) and focussed on merchandise and procedure inventions ( instance analyze 7 ) within the tyre industry. A new engineering Centre was built up in Hannover, Germany. â€Å" The R & A ; D resources from Semperit and Uniroyal were all brought together in Hannover † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001, p744 ) . Therefore more than 1000 applied scientists and technicians were working together in presenting â€Å" market orientated inventions for car/truck tyres and automotive systems † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001, p744 ) . There were besides â€Å" research-development-engineering ( RDE ) meetings † where the research workers were confronted â€Å" with the demands of directors from market and client units to further new concern thoughts † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . Towards a systems provider for automotive industry Continental AG and its direction under the leading of Dr Von Grunberg in the 1990 ‘s realised that providers of complete systems ( alternatively of tyres or constituents merely ) will play the dominant function in the automotive industry of the hereafter ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . The provider market of constituents and tyres was shriveling at that clip. It was at that clip that Continental realised that it could long longer remain as a direct provider of production of tyres merely. It needed to â€Å" integrate proficient human body constituents to organize complete systems to provide to the automotive industry † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001, p745 ) and the acquisition of Teves â€Å" to make a superior value bringing web † ( Kotler book, p71 ) Formation of a separate board country Automotive systems The board of Continental AG founded a separate board country in 1994 called the ‘Automotive Systems ‘ headed by Albert Beller, a former director at ITT Industries who had extended experience in the human body concern ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . From production of 10000 tyres in 1994 in a affair of two old ages production increased to three million tyres ( 3 million ) . There were besides developments of series of advanced merchandise thoughts for the human body that came along during this clip, viz. TPMS, CECC, CASS, SWT merely to call a few ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . These developments of advanced merchandise thoughts formed the footing for future value add-on and growing2b ) Compare and contrast Corporate administration and corporate societal duty patterns at Continental AG and Goodyear tyreCorporate administration at Continental AGCorporate administration is the manner a corporate is governed, the set of regulations, policies and processes that dictate the manner a comp any is administered or run ( University of Sunderland Handbook 2004 ) . Continental AG follows certain corporate guidelines, administration and codification of behavior which make up the Corporate administration patterns at Continental AG in conformity with subdivision 161 of the German Stock Corporation Act ( AktG ) . The Continental AG Executive board is in duty for the direction of the company as a whole. The executive board is formed of members who portion the assorted duties. The caput of the executive board is the Chairman of the Executive board and is responsible for giving the company the way it needs, including concern policy and overall direction ( www.conti-online.com ) . The Supervisory board is responsible for naming the Executive board and besides supervises and advises the Executive board. The supervisory board is besides represented by a Chairman who along with the president of the executive board discusses the company ‘s scheme and growing. The corporate administration patterns since 1990 ‘s under the able stewardship of Dr Von Grunberg disintegrated the centralized construction of operation of Continental AG and made concern units and concern directors more accountable to the net incomes and losingss sing their units. This developed more transparence in operation at Co ntinental AG. The Corporate Guidelines of Continental AG was reflected in the new Continental policy, the BASICS, the Continental AG corporate guidelines. It has reflected the vision, overall focal point by value creative activity ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) , concentrate on stakeholders, merchandises and services, corporate spirit, values and self-image of the Corporation since 1989. Code of Conduct of Continental AG Continental AG introduced a Worldwide Code of Conduct in 1996 that describes the basic values and rules which are adhering for all Continental employees during their mundane work and when covering with co-workers, clients and other company stakeholders ( www.continental-corporation.com ) . This was to further a long term successful relation with company stakeholders and clients.Corporate Social Responsibility patterns at Continental AGContinental AG understands the fact that a company ‘s success is non merely defined by its growing and profitableness but it besides defined by its societal duty, its lovingness for the society and the universe in general. Continental AG is committed towards sustained societal duty, called the Corporate Social Responsibility ( CSR ) ( www.cont-online.com ) . Continental takes into history environmental and societal facets into history in planing its merchandises and makes certain that its merchandises guarantee safety and convenience in route traf fic ( www.continental-corporation.com ) . The company is committed towards handling its staff in a responsible mode, guaranting they are happy, in good wellness and can keep a balance between personal and professional life. The company besides offers farther making and preparation and development chances for its staff. Continental AG besides supports and promotes resource salvaging merchandises to do certain that the environment is looked after.Continental AG works with the wider societal community in back uping programmes and undertakings on instruction, public assistance and athleticss ( www.cont-online.com ) . Continental AG follows the model of International Global Reporting Initiative ( GRI ) guideline in pulling up its Corporate Social Responsibility Report.Goodyear Corporate administration patternsGoodyear has a corporate administration commission to supervise all corporate administration activities. The commission consist of three or more managers appointed by the Board of Directors ( www.goodyear.com/corporate ) . The commission listens to stockholders suggestions for board members and besides reappraisals and assesses the corporate administration guidelines to do recommendations to the Board. Goodyear ‘s corporate administration patterns has led to innovative thought, merchandise optimisation and optimisation of client satisfaction and is apparent in its new policy of seven strategic drivers ( leading, concentrate on hard currency, low cost construction, leveraged distribution, constructing trade name strength, merchandise leading and advantage supply concatenation ) to better integrate and organize the concern activities so that they are more net income oriented, concentrate more on presenting client satisfaction, focal point on clients appeal on Goodyear ‘s cardinal trade names and better co-ordination with the supply concatenation for streamlined telling procedure concentrating on client and low operating cost ( www.goodyear.com/corporate ) ..Corporate Social Responsibility patterns at GoodyearGoodyear tyre is committed towards the society at big and besides the environment. Goodyear realises that to be a universe participant it must pay same attending to the environment as it pays to success and net incomes. Goodyear follows all relevant environmental wellness and safety guidelines non merely in relation to its workers but besides maintaining in head the planetary society and community in the topographic point in which it operates. The committedness to zero waste landfill in 2006 all was implemented to extinguish all waste from landfills ( www. goodyear.com/corporate ) . Initiative was besides taken for the decrease in the the usage of dissolvers, advancing energy efficiency and commanding wastage of H2O. Goodyear undergoes legion plants all over the universe affecting immature kids, adult females, backward communities to aware them of the dangers in route traffic and the safety measures that will do this universe a better and healthier topographic point to populate in. Some of the enterprises are adult females with thrust, trial coin kits, Nelson Mandela Business alliance to back up the HIV/AIDS people in Africa, kid safety place programme. In decision the corporate societal duty patterns at Continental are more concentrated towards safety and good being of its employees and the society at big, while the corporate societal activities of Goodyear tyres are more focused on the wellness and safety policy and advancing safety to the society at big. 3a ) The construction at Continental AG was extremely centralized and bureaucratic before 1992. This sort of stiff construction made Continental AG concentrate more on functional duties and as a consequence distanced itself from the market and its clients. This sort of construction did non let the chance to look into the wellness of the single units in the company and as a consequence it was hard to happen out or track the beginnings and grounds behind losingss and besides to keep person accountable for the losingss. However the restructuring of the functional construction in 1992 saw the board countries of ‘Production Tires ‘ and ‘Marketing Gross saless ‘ existent in the functional construction in 1991 being dissolved into ‘Passenger Tires ‘ and ‘Commercial Vehicle Tires/Environment/Research ‘ . Alternatively of giving separate duty to a selling team/department/unit, the new construction allowed both divisions to look into their produc tion and besides selling duties. The directors were responsible for reasonably much everything for their divisions and they were given far more freedom and liberty to show them and were responsible for the profit/losses. This fostered the civilization of invention and new thoughts non merely among directors, but besides the directors and the board encouraged entrepreneurial energy among staff. The concatenation of bid was much clearer ( organizational construction ) and this transparence made it possible to put targets/profit demands on top direction in those divisions. In 1996 â€Å" the organisational split up of the rider tyre division into the extremely profitable replacing concern unit and loss devising original equipment concern † made it possible to place the loss doing country from the net income devising country. The loss doing original equipment concern was brought back to gain doing under the leading of Dr. Kessel, who besides promoted the entrepreneurship among al l degrees of the company. But this organizational shingle up was of import as the company was able to work individually on that peculiar country and by 1997 it paid dividends. From 1992 onwards the direction at Continental AG felt that with the shrinkage of provider market in tyres and constituents, it could long longer remain as a direct provider of production of tyres merely, the automotive industry market was traveling more towards â€Å" providers of complete systems † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . It needed to â€Å" integrate proficient human body constituents to organize complete systems to provide to the automotive industry † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001, p745 ) and the acquisition of Teves â€Å" to make a superior value bringing web † ( Kotler book, p71 ) . The board of Continental AG founded a separate board country in 1994 called the ‘Automotive Systems ‘ headed by Albert Beller, a former director at ITT Industries who had extended experience in the human body concern ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . The formation of a separate section ‘Continental Automotive systems ‘ in the corporate construction put greater acce nt on supply of complete systems and led to the development of advanced thoughts and entrepreneurial accomplishments for merchandises like TMPS, CECC, CASS, SWT etc. 3b ) Dr Stephen Kessel assumed the board chairmanship on June 1, 1999. He knew that it was a difficult occupation following in the footfalls of Dr. Von Grunberg, who was enormously successful in maneuvering Continental from its dip in the early 1990 ‘s and turn it into a net income devising company with an entrepreneurial mentality ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . The major challenge for Dr. Kessel was keeping the corporate place of Continental and besides to keep the entrepreneurial energy among employees at Continental. He introduced a new policy known as BASICS which is creative activity of value that benefits all stakeholders with a clear vision and overall focal point ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . Dr Kessel initiated a â€Å" company-wide balanced scorecard procedure for the intent of set uping certain guidelines within Continental † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001, p752 ) . In this he involved every individual section and devised a balanced scorecard for every individual concern uni t, which was to be reviewed yearly. â€Å" This provided a better handling of the corporate divisions utilizing fewer public presentation figures † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001 ) . Dr Kessel besides played a important function in procuring Continental AG ‘s technological border on competition and taking place in footings of technological invention with the â€Å" freshly founded Strategic Technology unit join forcesing tyres, human body, brakes and proficient merchandises determining company ‘s re-orientation to a systems provider † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001, p752 ) . He was besides instrumental in acquiring the â€Å" original equipment concern unit † back to gain doing with entrepreneurial activities and â€Å" acceptance of a strategic policy † of non clasping under the â€Å" automotive industry ‘s pricing policy † ( Bruch and Vogel 2001, p753 ) .

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Essays (4945 words) - Computing

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Essays (4945 words) - Computing MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT ( MGT 6255 ) CASE STUDY ON MISSED OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS: MICROSOFT, DELL, INTEL, ATT, AND VIRGIN AMERICA AIRLINE Report prepared by: Abdulla Abdulqader Al- Attas (G1430873) Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u HYPERLINK \l "_Toc446759270" 1.Microsoft Corporation PAGEREF _Toc446759270 \h 3 1.1.What opportunities Microsoft missed or what did Microsoft do wrong? PAGEREF _Toc446759271 \h 3 1.2.What Microsoft should have done? PAGEREF _Toc446759274 \h 4 2.Dell PAGEREF _Toc446759275 \h 6 2.1.What Opportunities Dell Missed Or What Did Dell Do Wrong? PAGEREF _Toc446759277 \h 6 2.2.What Dell should have done to avoid this crisis? PAGEREF _Toc446759278 \h 7 3.Intel PAGEREF _Toc446759279 \h 9 3.1.What Opportunities Intel Missed Or What Did Intel Do Wrong? PAGEREF _Toc446759281 \h 9 3.2.What Intel should have done to avoid or overcome this crisis? PAGEREF _Toc446759282 \h 10 4.ATT Mobility PAGEREF _Toc446759283 \h 11 4.1.What Opportunities ATT Missed Or What Did ATT Do Wrong? PAGEREF _Toc446759285 \h 11 4.2.What ATT should have done to avoid or overcome this crisis? PAGEREF _Toc446759286 \h 12 5.Virgin America PAGEREF _Toc446759291 \h 13 5.1.What Opportunities Virgin America Missed Or What Did Virgin America Do Wrong? PAGEREF _Toc446759297 \h 13 5.2.What Virgin America should do to avoid or overcome this crisis? PAGEREF _Toc446759299 \h 13 Reference PAGEREF _Toc446759300 \h 15 Microsoft Corporation In 1975, a Harvard drop-out had a vision to see Microsoft operating system software on every personal computer desktop. Today, Microsoft has accumulated an impressive portfolio of resources, alliances, global operations, customers and critics. That made Microsoft being listed in the Fortune 100 and dominated the operating system world and a leader in multiple industries. Microsoft core business is to manufacture, license, and supports software products for computing devices and games solutions. Both Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office Suit are the most profitable products. Since the 1990's, it is the most profitable IT company worldwide with 93,000 employees and supported by a strong partnership with the likes of IBM and HP, to progressively dominated the home computer and enterprise operating system market. Microsoft has also entered the computer hardware market under home entertainment products such as the Xbox 360, TV cable MSNBC. The company's initial public stock offering (IPO) was in 1986; the ensuing rise of the company's stock price has made four billionaires and an estimated 12,000 millionaires from Microsoft employees. While the initial start of Microsoft was impressive, however for the past 10 years it has missed many opportunities to maintain that leadership position, particularly when Bill gates stepped down from being Microsoft CEO and passed the helm to Steve Ballmer. What opportunities Microsoft missed or what did Microsoft do wrong? There are many opportunities that Microsoft has missed, however, we have highlighted the key products that if Microsoft made the right strategy on the products below, those other opportunities would have followed since they can be considered as added value to these key products. Mobile While, Microsoft dominance reached to a level that every screen will flash its logo and virtual desktop on every computer devices. This was mainly contributed by creating a strong partnership with major computer and server makers (hardware maker). That strategy lasted until mobile device started taking customers eyes from computer screens away. Customers have developed a new lifestyle to smartphone devices rather than having 15-inch laptops to access their corporate or personal emails and to do their tasks and it was replaced by a 6-inc device using a single hand. The smartphones threat to the personal computer is growing by about 50 percent annually. Previous Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had Windows Mobile on the market way back, but it was never a great product. Ballmer also struck a late partnership with Nokia, and the product has some neat advantages but it all smacks of too little, too late. Tablet Before Amazon and Apple introduced (kindle and iPad, respectively), Microsoft introduced to the market e-book software back in 2000. However, the screens during that time were not easy on the eye to read for hours, until Amazon introduced Kindle with a light screen to read e-books. Music One of Microsoft greatest competitors Apple was on the brink of closure until it introduced iTunes and iPod, which was a platform to download legal music and share it. Apple took what they learned from

The Origin of the Modern Calendar in Ancient Egypt

The Origin of the Modern Calendar in Ancient Egypt The way in which we divide the day into hours and minutes, as well as the structure and length of the yearly calendar, owes much to pioneering developments in ancient Egypt. Since Egyptian life and agriculture depended upon the annual flooding of the Nile, it was important to determine when such floods would begin. The early Egyptians noted that the beginning of akhet (inundation) occurred at the heliacal rising of a star they called Serpet (Sirius). It has been calculated that this sidereal year was only 12 minutes longer than the mean tropical year which influenced the flooding, and this produced a difference of only 25 days over the whole of Ancient Egypts recorded history. 3 Egyptian Calendars Ancient Egypt was run according to three different calendars. The first was a lunar calendar based on 12 lunar months, each of which began on the first day in which the old moon crescent was no longer visible in the East at dawn. (This is most unusual since other civilizations of that era are known to have started months with the first setting of the new crescent!) A thirteenth month was intercalated to maintain a link to the heliacal rising of Serpet. This calendar was used for religious festivals. The second calendar, used for administrative purposes, was based on the observation that there was usually 365 days between the heliacal rising of Serpet. This civil calendar was split into twelve months of 30 days with an additional five epagomenal days attached at the end of the year. These additional five days were considered to be unlucky. Although there is no firm archaeological evidence, a detailed back calculation suggests that the Egyptian civil calendar dates back to circa 2900 BCE. This 365-day calendar is also known as a wandering calendar, from the Latin name annus vagus since it slowly gets out of synchronization with the solar year. (Other wandering calendars include the Islamic year.) A third calendar, which dates back at least to the 4th century BCE was used to match the lunar cycle to the civil year. It was based on a period of 25 civil years which was approximately equal 309 lunar months. The Leap Year in Ancient Egypt An attempt to reform the calendar to include a leap year was made at the beginning of the Ptolemaic dynasty (Decree of Canopus, 239 BCE), but the priesthood was too conservative to allow such a change. This pre-dates the Julian reform of 46 BCE which Julius Caesar introduced on the advice of the Alexandrian astronomer Sosigenese. Reform did, however, come after the defeat of Cleopatra and Anthony by the Roman General (and soon to be Emperor) Augustus in 31 BCE. In the following year, the Roman senate decreed that the Egyptian calendar should include a leap year, although the actual change to the calendar didnt occur until 23 BCE. Months, Weeks, and Decades The months of the Egyptian civil calendar were further divided into three sections called decades, each of 10 days. The Egyptians noted that the heliacal rising of certain stars, such as Sirius and Orion, matched the first day of the 36 successive decades and called these stars decans. During any one night, a sequence of 12 decans would be seen to rise and was used to count the hours. (This division of the night sky, later adjusted to account for the epagomenal days, had close parallels to the Babylonian zodiac. The signs of the zodiac each accounting for three of the decans. This astrological device was exported to India and then to Medieval Europe via Islam.) Egyptian Clock Time Early man divided the day into temporal hours whose length depended upon the time of year. A summer hour, with the longer period of daylight, would be longer than that of a winter day. It was the Egyptians who first divided the day (and night) into 24 temporal hours. The Egyptians measured time during the day using shadow clocks, precursors to the more recognizable sun dials seen today. Records suggest that early shadow clocks were based on the shadow from a bar crossing four marks, representing hourly periods starting two hours into the day. At midday, when the sun was at its highest, the shadow clock would be reversed and hours counted down to dusk. An improved version using a rod (or gnomon) and which indicates the time according to the length and position of the shadow has survived from the second millennia BCE. Problems with observing the sun and stars may have been the reason the Egyptians invented the water clock, or clepsydra (meaning water thief in Greek). The earliest remaining example survives from the Temple of Karnak is dated to the 15th century BCE. Water drips through a small hole in one container to a lower one. Marks on either container can be used to give a record of hours passed. Some Egyptian clepsydras have several sets of marks to be used at different times of the year, to maintain consistency with the seasonal temporal hours. The design of the clepsydra was later adapted and improved by the Greeks. The Influence of Astronomy on Minutes and Hours As a result of the campaigns of Alexander the Great, a great wealth of knowledge of astronomy was exported from Babylon into India, Persia, the Mediterranean, and Egypt. The great city of Alexandria with its impressive Library, both founded by the Greek-Macedonian family of Ptolemy, served as an academic center. Temporal hours were of little use to astronomers, and around 127 CE Hipparchus of Nicea, working in the great city of Alexandria, proposed dividing the day into 24 equinoctial hours. These equinoctial hours, so called because they are based on the equal length of day and night at the equinox, split the day into equal periods. (Despite his conceptual advance, ordinary people continued to use temporal hours for well over a thousand years: the conversion to equinoctial hours in Europe was made when mechanical, weight driven clocks were developed in the 14th century.) The division of time was further refined by another Alexandrian based philosopher, Claudius Ptolemeus, who divided the equinoctial hour into 60 minutes, inspired by the scale of measurement used in ancient Babylon. Claudius Ptolemaeus also compiled a great catalog of over one thousand stars, in 48 constellations and recorded his concept that the universe revolved around the Earth. Following the collapse of the Roman Empire, it was translated into Arabic (in 827 CE) and later into Latin (in the 12th century CE). These star tables provided the astronomical data used by Gregory XIII for his reform of the Julian calendar in 1582. Sources Richards, EG. Mapping Time: The Calendar and its History. Oxford University Press, 1998.General History of Africa II: Ancient Civilizations of Africa. James Curry Ltd., University of California Press, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 1990.

Is speed of growth important to facebook's success Essay

Is speed of growth important to facebook's success - Essay Example an Heiliger, vice president of technical operations at Facebook when he spoke to CNET News.coms Dan Farber in an interview on July of 2008 (CNET News.com 2008). Today, the statistic shows 300 million active users whom the 50% of that users are logging on to Facebook at any given day (http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics). What makes this social networking site so cool and engaging? What makes it so different from any other sites that has the same platform? What are the factors of its success? If speed of growth is the major factor of the Facebook’s success, there must be reasons then that this speedy growth is taking place. 1. User friendly interface – compared to other social networking media, Facefook is so much easier to use. According to Regnard Raquendan, (web and usability consultant), the key that holds the success of Facebook is its usability (http://webstandards.raquedan.com/?p=251). Its applications are very easy to learn, no wonder even older people find it easy to use. Its efficiency is quite remarkable; it performs actions fast, from friend recommendations to displaying of mutual friends. Its graphic design and layout is consistent. People are satisfied with its simplicity (Rquendan, 2008). 2. Strong links – in the world of technology, strong links means the capability to connect with other people and institutions easily or effortlessly. Strong links allow people to have direct communication with other people. In social point of view, these strong links are equivalent to families, close friends and colleagues. Weak links namely friends of friends, acquaintances, co-church members, and many others like these are also social links no matter what. In connection with Facebook, it is this power to connect people is the one that contributes to its success. It can easily link people together, and those who are not close to each other have now the opportunity to know each other better, and become true friends. It has the ability to