Culture and Organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Culture and Organisation - Essay Example At the time, the company was generating revenue that amount to over 21.5 billion euros per year during which time it had the biggest market share in the UK (Wei & Zhou, 2007). Currently, IKEA operates around 301 stores in over 35 countries. Most of the stores are in Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia. This billion dollar company was founded in 1943 by Mr. Ingvar Kamprad (Edvardsson & Enquist, 2008). It is owned by Stichging INKGA group although the company is partly controlled by the founder’s family. INKGA group is a charitable foundation registered in the Netherlands. The company’s main competitors include Argos, Asda, Next, Debenhams, Tesco, and John Lewis (Moon, 2004). There exist many ways through which companies can gain a competitive advantage over other companies. With the current economic uncertainties in the market, it is critical that companies get to engage in activities that will ensure their continued success in the market. Since economies from different part of the world are failing, one thing to do to ensure that a business is not affected and can stand the test of turmoil is to spread risks. In other words, most companies are not putting their eggs in the same basket. This means they are promoting their brand through establishing stores in as many countries as possible. One of these companies, and one that this paper will be discussing in detail is IKEA. As put by Porter, sustainable competitive advantage is one of the most sought after things by companies today (Porter, 2008). It requires that a company ensures that its level of profits are maintained if at all the company aims to be sustainable. As stated by Christopher (2012), â€Å"the most profitable competitor in any industry sector tends to be the lowest-cost producer or the supplier providing a product with the greatest perceived differentiated values.† This is, however, affected by important factors such as culture as will be discussed below. The issue of communication is

The Key Resources In Management Information System Information Technology Essay

The Key Resources In Management Information System Information Technology Essay Information is defined as a fact that has been processed and organized in to a meaningful knowledge. It is a message that were received and understood and a knowledge that acquired through study, experience and instruction. Information also can be identify as concept that has many meanings, from everyday usage to the technical settings. The concept of information is closely related to notions of constraint, control, data instruction, and knowledge. Information has its own value and it can be very valuable when it is delivered at the right time, the right place and to the right person that need it. For an example, an investor can use the information about current economy to invest in a profitable business. If they got the wrong information about the business as they invest in a company that is almost bankrupt and they didnt know about it, they might loss and lose their money. Next information also is a very valuable asset in business field because it can determined whether an organization will make profit or loss. This is because any confidential information related to a company can be used against if the information fall into the wrong hand such as their competitor. So, information can be so powerful. A valuable information have several characteristic. This characteristic can show how much value the information is. There is the example of a valuable informations characteristic: Accessible A valuable information can be easily access by the authorized users so that it can be obtained when it is needed. Accurate The information must be accurate because it it will be used to support decision maker. If the information is inaccurate, its also will cause a wrong decision making. Complete It is contained with all the important fact. This can support in decision making too. Flexible The information can be used for a variety purpose so it can be a multipurpose information Reliable The information come from a reliable rsource and can be trusted by user. Secure It is only can be accessed by an authorized user. Timely The information can be obtained when it is needed. Verifiable The information is confirmed by many sources. Information give a lot of advantages to the users. It can be used in a meaningful way needed by the users. The advantages of information include: Support decision making A useful information will support in the decision making made by the user. It will help with the accuracy of the information that can be used by the user to make a decision. For an example, a person can make a wise choice in buying a peanut butter from two different brand by knowing both of the products price.. A Guide for a better planning and control It can be a good guildliness for making activities or control a performance of a work. For an example, a certain rules and policy is made to be followed by a companys staff to maintain or increase their production. Enhance knowledge and skills The advantages of an information is it can enhance users skill and knowledge by provide an information such as tutorial, instruction and guidelines. For an example, a musician can enhance their skills by learn from a tutorial video from Youtube.com. Besides advantages, an information also have their disadvantages. It is: Information overload Too much information can be a problem for user because there are too many information that cannot be handled and the reliability and the accuracy is unknown. Overemphasize decision making Information can overemphasize users judgement in making their decision if it is too much of information. It also can disturb users rational in making their decision especially in a critical and pressure circumstances. Unanticipated effects The decision made by the user that based on an information may have an unpredictable result. For an example, a fisherman decide to go to the sea because the weather forecast said the day will be fine. But, on the day he go to the sea, it was unpredicted rain happen. Information technology Information technology can be defined as a study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information system, particularly software applications and computer hardware. Information technology also deals with the use of computer and computer software to securely convert, store, protect, process, transmit, input, output and retrieve information. In other words, Information Technology is a work that involve with electronic devices such as computer, hardware and software. Advantages of Information Technology: Globalization IT has brought the world closer together and allowed the worlds economy to become a single interdependent system. Thats mean, we can share any information quickly and efficiently and we also can reduce the barriers of linguistic and geographic boundaries among countries. Communication With information technology, communication has become cheaper, quickerade more efficient. Nowadays, we can communicate with anyone, anywhere in the world just by text message, e-mail, web chatting and video conferencing. Cost effectiveness IT has helped to computerize the business process thus streaming business and make them extremely cost effectivemoney making machine. This can increase the productivity and make profits. Bridging the cultural gap Information technology has helped to bridge the cultural gap by helping people from different cultures to communicate with one another, and allow for the exchange of views and ideas. More time IT has made it possible for businesses to be open 24 hours a week, all over the world and also allowed us to make purchases from different countries easier and it is convenient. Moreover, you can have your goods delivered right to your doorstep with having to move a single muscle by using IT such as E-commerce. Creation of new jobs the best advantage of information technology is it create a lot of new and interesting jobs. The example of the new job creation is like computer programmers, systems analyzers, hardware and software developers and also web designers. Disadvantages of Information Technology: Unemployment While information technology have streamlined the business process, it also has crated job redundancies, downsizing and outsourcing. Its means that a lot of lower and middle level jobs have been done by using technology such as computer and machine and its causing more people to become unemployed. Privacy Information technology may have made communication quicker, easier and more convenient. But it has also bought along privacy issues. From cell phone signal interceptions to email hacking, people are now worried about their private information becoming public knowledge. Lack of job security Industry experts believe that the internet has made job security as a big issue since technology keeps on changing with every day. It means that a person has to be in a constant learning mode to make sure their job is secure. Dominant culture Information technology may have made the world a global village, but it has also contributed to a culture dominating another week culture. For an example, we can see now that young teenagers all over the world has been influences by the west cultural such as their acting, dress up and behaviour. Their languages also have become overshadowed, when English becoming the primary mode of communication for business and everything else. People People also have their role in the management information system. People are needed to manage the information and the information technology. They can process the information in a way that the computers cannot do. This is because they have a different way of thinking by considering many element before making a decision. The role of people: Resercher People become a researcher when they read any information, process, and use it to find a solution for a problem. For an example, a scientist make a research to find a cure for H1N1 virus. Contributor People can contribute and share the information that they have for goods. They contribute may have been the most important thing to something that they are contributing to. For an example, a motivator share his knowledge about stress management to a companys staff. It is important for the staff because they can do their work without stress and this can increase their productivities. Founder People can be a founder by manipulating information and turn it into a new foundation. They process old information and come out with a new information. This is important because we need to update and advancing our knowledge and information. People also have their advantage and disadvantages. It is: Advantage Sharing information People can share and exchange their information with each other to enhance their knowledge. By knowledge sharing, one can improve they thinking way and lead to a positive decision making and also lead to a positive result. Manage information People can manage their information to a meaningful and creative way different from computers. People also know when and how to use the information according to the circumstances. Create information People can create new information by doing a research. They can come out with more useful information Analysis information People can analysis any infotmation instantly and wisely. This can help them to make a quick decision making. Disadvantages Misuse of information Misuse of information can happen when the information is used by people in a wrong way. For a example, people use the information in hand to cause problem such as a computer-intelligence use their expertise to scam people using online business. Leak of information Leak of information can happen when the people incharged is not doing their job or leak the information themselves. This happen a lot in business field when the business information of a company was leaked to their competitor. This cause the company loss their profits. So, from all of the 3 key resources above, it is decided that information is the most important key because it is the base for Information technology and people. Without information, IT will have no use and people cannot make a wise decision in their life. This is because without information, technology cannot develop by itself. They need to use information to create and develop any new technology. Information nowadays have its own price. For examples, a company is buying information from an outsourcing company to increase their productivity and also their profits. People also is buying information such as newspaper, magazine and educational books. Information also is very valuable when it comes to the right time, right place and to the right person. It can be use to assist in support decision making especially in an emergency situation . And for the least important between the 3 key resources is people. This is because people can make mistakes in using the information and that can cause a very big problem. Next, people is easy to influenced by other element such as emotion in making a decision. This can make them choose a wrong or inaccurate decision. Then, all the skill, experience, expertise, and knowledge that a person have, cannot be backup. If something happen such a death, the informations will lose. Problem that we have nowadays is not many people have a skills required by a company to hire them such as skills in computer-based and others. This will make the employer hard to hire them and it will cost them a lot more money to send the staff for training or take a course. So here, people are the least important element in managemt information system challenge.

A Lustful Seduction in To His Coy Mistress :: essays research papers

Seduction most commonly refers to the use of sexual desire in order to persuade an object of affection to change their behavior and meet the desire of their seducer. Andrew Marvell’s ever so passionate poem, â€Å"To His Coy Mistress†, entirely implies the motive to bed a young lady (531). The question raised however, is just what is the attitude of the speaker towards his mistress? Is he acting out of love or lust? And who indeed is the narrator? Could it possibly be Andrew Marvell or an imaginary character that readers can be swept away into the magical enchantment of his lyrical poetry? The foremost indication as to who the narrator may be is in the title. The title is: To Coy His Mistress, not: To Coy My Mistress. For in that case, the word â€Å"my† in the title would portray that Marvell was writing a personal piece, and as it is known, it is not. Perhaps it was Marvell’s intent to satisfy readers by creating an immortal imaginary lover as the protagonist. Therefore, allowing readers to be in awe of his magnificent language and take pleasure in the intentions behind it (531). But just what are those intentions? Is this dominant male’s intention toward the mistress out of love or lust? What the narrator does clearly portray to the audience is that this is a straight forward poem. The male says that, if immortal, he would with pleasure spend all the time on heavens and earth wooing his mistress. But, time is not immortal and nor are they, that he suggest she willingly give herself to him and fulfill his seize the day urgency (531). Using clever literary devices and enchanting imagery the scene is set for him to go forth with his seduction. The persuasive seduction begins in the narrators high remarks of his mistress, An hundred years should go to praise Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze, Two hundred to adore each breast, Bust thirty thousand to the rest. An age at least to every part, And the last age should show your heart. (13-18) Such a whimsically beautiful description, could only be written out of love, correct? If he loved her for all of her entirety why would he write the following stanza? For, Lady, you deserve this state, Nor would I love at lower rate. (19-20) It is here that it can begin to be questioned if he truly means all he declares? If he speaks so highly of his mistress why would he not love her at any lower rate and love her for all that she is? A Lustful Seduction in To His Coy Mistress :: essays research papers Seduction most commonly refers to the use of sexual desire in order to persuade an object of affection to change their behavior and meet the desire of their seducer. Andrew Marvell’s ever so passionate poem, â€Å"To His Coy Mistress†, entirely implies the motive to bed a young lady (531). The question raised however, is just what is the attitude of the speaker towards his mistress? Is he acting out of love or lust? And who indeed is the narrator? Could it possibly be Andrew Marvell or an imaginary character that readers can be swept away into the magical enchantment of his lyrical poetry? The foremost indication as to who the narrator may be is in the title. The title is: To Coy His Mistress, not: To Coy My Mistress. For in that case, the word â€Å"my† in the title would portray that Marvell was writing a personal piece, and as it is known, it is not. Perhaps it was Marvell’s intent to satisfy readers by creating an immortal imaginary lover as the protagonist. Therefore, allowing readers to be in awe of his magnificent language and take pleasure in the intentions behind it (531). But just what are those intentions? Is this dominant male’s intention toward the mistress out of love or lust? What the narrator does clearly portray to the audience is that this is a straight forward poem. The male says that, if immortal, he would with pleasure spend all the time on heavens and earth wooing his mistress. But, time is not immortal and nor are they, that he suggest she willingly give herself to him and fulfill his seize the day urgency (531). Using clever literary devices and enchanting imagery the scene is set for him to go forth with his seduction. The persuasive seduction begins in the narrators high remarks of his mistress, An hundred years should go to praise Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze, Two hundred to adore each breast, Bust thirty thousand to the rest. An age at least to every part, And the last age should show your heart. (13-18) Such a whimsically beautiful description, could only be written out of love, correct? If he loved her for all of her entirety why would he write the following stanza? For, Lady, you deserve this state, Nor would I love at lower rate. (19-20) It is here that it can begin to be questioned if he truly means all he declares? If he speaks so highly of his mistress why would he not love her at any lower rate and love her for all that she is?

Blue Highways Essay

The beginning to an end, and round again, for Least Heat Moon was when he lost his teaching job. He figured he had two choices – to sleep the matter over or to go crazy. He chose neither. Instead, he decided to take a self-fulfilling journey in search of â€Å"places where change did not mean ruin and where Time and Man and Deeds connected. † Least Heat Moon took a circular route from one end of the United States to another using the back roads or the blue highways because he believed that â€Å"life does not happen along interstates. † He likened Life to a circular route that comes round again, to start over and anew. Least Heat Moon came from the Sioux tribe and like most Native Americans believed that those who embrace the new by discarding the old do not deserve to be honored. His trip gave him the opportunity to meet and talk to people, in the process learning from their experiences. In most cities he visited, people ask about his job. Inasmuch as he had just lost his, Least Heat Moon was vague with his replies and was tempted to answer differently each time. Someone from Grayville, Illinois thought people with nothing to do was common in any part of the country, while someone from Shelbyville, Kentucky distinguished job from work and from occupation in terms of motivation, time and money. He saw people moving and renovating homes in Kentucky. They were log cabins of 1807 and Bob Andriot took pleasure in preserving them for another two hundred years. Bob has something from the past that he is making into something new to pass on to the future. Bob’s kind is so unlike those in Frankfort which was named after their local hero, Stephen Frank. From the old Frank’s Ford it became Frankfurt out of convenience without regard of its historical significance. The entire look of Frankfurt was similarly modernized. Kentucky’s name became associated with Col. Harlan Sanders and his crispy-fried chicken. Least Heat Moon dined in Claudia Sanders Dinner House. Least Heat Moon believed nothing beats the delicious and authentic regional food served in local cafes like they did three decades or so years ago. The Hammonds of Palisades made building a boat their life, a dream made true by their relentless pursuit of it. He lodged and dined at the Shakers’ Trustees Hall, which was built in1839. The Shakers have not outlived their building for their unrealistic views of life and adversity towards progress. On the other hand, Ida, south of Appalachia, was slow to progress because of its isolation. At Gainesboro, Least Heat Moon found that even if he was traveling alone he was to an extent sociable because of the chance that he will meet someone at every stop. At Shepardsville Road, Madison Wheeler refused to part with his old store’s signage despite a tempting offer for the simple reason that he wanted to keep his name. Least Heat Moon was invited to sup at Wheeler’s table, something that Least Heat Moon appreciated noting that those who â€Å"live on little are the ones to ask you to dinner. † In Nameless, Tennessee Least Heat Moon spent an evening with the Watts who showed that him simple pleasures that last and stay in the heart like buttermilk pie, old music, hot bread and a doctor who â€Å"calms like the hand of the Lord. † He made several futile attempts to meet and talk to Native Americans, Hopi or Navajo, for fear of rejection. At Echo Cliffs in Arizona he noticed that White Men in station wagons bought beads from Indians, when it was the White Men in wagons who sold beads to Indians before. When history is repeated, there is a twist in the course of events. In crossing Colorado, the Spanish missionaries of 1776, navigated the Vermillion cliffs in 10 days, ate cactus and 2 horses, made steps to climb and cross 400-ft walls. Least Heat Moon made his in 20 seconds, sitting down. What was terrifying to the Spaniards was magnificent to Least Heat Moon. What was a hurdle to the Spaniards was a breeze for Least Heat Moon. There were 2 observation towers containing reminders of WWII in the southern part of Rehoboth Beach. The young would have no idea at all, but had they been born earlier they would have been among the fallen heroes. Glen Marshall of Smith Island found running a boat a good job because he had no boss to take orders from. , which to him was better than money. Alice Middleton thought that Island Belle brought progress to their island by bringing in provisions, news, medicine, and mails as well as transported the sick and the dying. It was their equivalent to the cars of America. Kendrick Fritz was a Hopi Indian studying Medicine at the Southern Utah State College. Fritz re-acquainted Least Heat Moon on their shared heritage. Fritz said that prejudice against Indians came from seeing them make trouble and that already made them a savage in the eyes of the White Men. The Indians hated the White Way but they enjoy their pleasures as much. Fritz would go back to Tuba, to his people, to practice medicine and money will never be a consideration. To a Hopi, religion is praying for harmony, as well as rain and crops, and a good life. A common symbol among Native Americans is the emergence or the â€Å"road of life. † People go through birth, death, and rebirth. The symbol is also about the journeys we take as well as the â€Å"cosmic patterns that human beings move in. † The Hopi Way teaches that every one is a part of one whole, a greater family. A hunter is forgiven if he hunts and kills for food, for â€Å"only life can feed life. † In the Hopi religion a person is not just one but a part of many things and that if he respects himself then he respects all things too. A person must not set himself above the rest as that would set him apart. The Hopi Way is the Way of the Spirit which is everywhere. Through his encounters with people Least Heat Moon gains insightful knowledge that it serves no purpose to hold on to the past for it will never return, but, it would be regretful if the past is totally forgotten. It is within man to renew the past, not as a repetition but an exciting variation, like the log cabins with beautiful interiors. The present should always connect to the past for there will always be something to learn from and improve on. Without Claudia Sanders kitchen, the world would never know taste of the famous Col. Sanders chicken. The rich cultural heritage of Least Heat Moon seen through the eyes and heard from the lips of Kendrick Fritz replaced his fears with pride and a deeper appreciation of the beautiful journey he had made. It gave him the answers to the questions he sought when he started out and the meaning of the â€Å"wrong turns and blind alleys †¦ fumbling and chance discoveries† he made in his trip. Walt Whitman’s Song of the Open Road from his Leaves of Grass collection was a reinforcement of the enriching lessons that came along to Least Heat Moon in his travels. Whitman’s verses spoke from the past to Least Heat Moon’s present. Despite the distance he had covered Least Heat Moon’s journey is not finished, because he discovered that â€Å"a true journey has no end. † Works Cited Least Heat Moon, W. (1982). A Journey into America. Blue Highways. An Atlantic Monthly Press Book. Little, Brown & Company. Boston/Toronto.

Candle Light Glass Menagerie

The Power of Light A Candle light is the most primitive of lights, but it serves a different purpose than illuminating a room in The Glass Menagerie, written by Tennessee Williams. Williams uses the contrast between light and darkness to symbolize and emphasize the powerful moments that occur in the play. Although Williams uses these mechanics, the candle light of course has deeper meaning within the context of the story. Being the weakest of lights, the candle light is easily extinguished, but that small, weak light has some form of hope against the overbearing world.With Laura being as fragile, he candle symbolizes her hopes and dreams that are which snuffed out from society. Throughout the play, Williams also uses candle light imagery to describe Laura and her emotions. The candle light represents hope and how it is lost, but the character who demonstrates this most is Laura. Light, in any form, brings some form of happiness to people. Laura demonstrates her happiness when she sha res a tender moment with Jim. Being reclusive and removing herself from society, Laura is unable to interact with people, but only on certain circumstances when â€Å"light† illuminates through her.This â€Å"light† that is being referred to is the inner hope that Laura has. She desperately wants to guard this hope though, in fear of it being extinguished. This is very apparent when Laura says, â€Å"Oh be careful – if you breathe, it breaks! † (Williams 1281). Laura is referring to her glass unicorn, which also represents her, but any form of power like a breath could possibly break the unicorn which refers to her own candle light of hope. Laura desires Jim and hopes that his feelings for her remain true.As Jim continues to enlighten Laura, she announces, â€Å"l trust you with him! Hold him over the light, he oves the light! You see how the light shines through him? † (Williams 1281) Laura's hope is continuing to grow as she suggests Jim to take hold of her unicorn. With the unicorn representing her, and the light illuminating through the unicorn, Laura has officially given herself and her hope into Jim. After he admits that he is to be married, the hope that is inside Laura is extinguished.At the end of the play, Tom speaks solely to his sister, and tells her to â€Å"Blow out [her] candles† (Williams 1289). Tom means that there is no hope left for Laura, and she will be stuck with herself for the est of her life. Wanting to find new things in life, Tom has decided to leave, and realizes that with him leaving Laura has no chance to find another â€Å"gentleman caller† and so her lights of hope are extinguished. The author uses light and darkness to symbolize and to emphasize the dramatic moments of the play.The desperation and highly charged emotions in this play are linked to the symbolism of the light getting dim or going dark Just like the status of the unstable Wingfields. The candles are a way for the au dience to understand that soon all wlll go aarK. Easlly Dlown out, tne candles prov10e a very temporary moment of light, when Laura shares a tender moment with Jim, before her hopes and dreams are extinguished. There are several ways of looking at the candles. First, they establish a more muted tone – you might even call it romantic.That less harsh light perhaps allows Laura to be more open with Jim; it gives her courage. That might lead to an interpretation that the candles symbolize hope. Hope that Laura might be able to connect with Jim, hope that Amanda's dream of a Gentleman Caller providing a uture for Laura, hope that if Laura is taken care of, Tom will be able to strike out on his own and leave the shoe warehouse, etc. It makes Tom's final line more heart- breaking – â€Å"blow out your candles, Laura. There is ultimately no hope for this socially and physically (at least in her mind) handicapped young woman. There is no place in our society for such a misfit. the last scene of the play, Tom tells Laura to blow our her candles, and here the candles symbolizes Laura and her familys hope. This can be seen by how it makes contrast with the world lit by lightning, and how he author uses candlelight to describe Laura. First of all, the candlelight stands in contrast to a world lit by lightning in Tom's final words.