...- 13 - Uditha Liyanage Abstract Strategy is often confused with planning. The many definitions and delineations of strategy, which highlight one or more aspects of strategy, while ignoring the others, have led to a state of confusion as to what strategy really is. This is evident in the content-analysis of the vision, mission and value statements of a number of companies. Not only were the analysedanalyzed company- - specific statements vague and general, they were also unrelated to one another. Specifically, the espoused values were generic and terminal in nature and unrelated to the tasks and goals at hand. To avoid the confusion in the minds of practitioners, and as reflected in the literature itself, a Strategy Quadrant (content), consisting of Stand, Standing, Shared values and Steps is proposed. The process of developing the 4Ss of strategy is delineated in terms of Mintzberg's "think/see/do first" processes (Strategy Triangle). The context ofcontext of strategy is defined in terms of stability and complexity (Strategy Duality). It is argued that, in complex and unstable contexts, the traditional mode of "think-first" deliberate strategies which set "thinking" apart from "doing" is becoming increasingly ineffective. The unpredictability of complex contexts, in which we operate, leave us with no choice but to be markedly adaptive rather than attempt to be overly prepared. Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) are the order of the day, and the organization's Standing...
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...nl Strategic Principles • Identify the strengths and weaknesses of a particular corporate strategy • Stakeholder engagement and growning power of civil society • Process by which strategic vision is conceived, communicated and institutionalized CSR Models Position Minimalist Self interested Responsible to Stockholders/ owners therefore… Maximizing profit Stockholders/ owners/ Do good when cost “controllers” furthers quest for growth and profit Those with social and legal contract Those who influence direction and fortunes Society as whole / future Goes beyond law to spirit of commitment Develop responsive strategies Solutions for social problems Social contract Stakeholder Management Stakeholder stewardship Strategy Tripod market based view resource based view Strategy performance institution based view Peng et al, 2009 Integrated Strategy Market analysis Management nonmarket analysis Market strategy proces Integrated Strategy nonmarket strategy proces Market environment Nonmarket environment Investment Fund: Will you invest in this company? Questions • What was Monsanto’s strategy and Why? • What were the implications of this strategy for the company? • Having the benefit of hindsight, what should Monsanto’s sustainability strategy have been back in 1995? What should Monsanto have done to implement this strategy during the first 5 years? Strategic dissonance Burgelman and Grove, 1996 The Many Faces...
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...and dual-pivot Quicksort: a. Create 100,000 random keys (of type long) and sort them. Repeat this 100 times. b. Compute the average CPU time taken to sort the keys for the four methods. c. Comment on the results and compare them to the average-case complexities discussed in class. As we discussed in the class, all these sorting algorithms I used for testing have the same average-case complexities with O (n log n). But the data I got which shows in the upper diagram illustrate that Quick sort is the most fast sorting method especially when you need to sort a large amount of data. Dual-pivot quicksort is also fast than merge sort and Heap sort. Heap sort can be used when the pending data between 1000-1000, 000, and for Merge sort is the first choice when there are more than 1M data. 3. Do the following for the four sorting methods of #2, and for Radix sort: a. Create 100,000 random strings of length 4 and sort them using the five sorting methods. b. Repeat (a) 10 times Compute the average CPU time taken to sort the keys for the five methods. c. Repeat (a) and (b) with strings of length 6, 8, 10. d. Create a table with the results and compare the times with the average-case and worstcase complexities as studied in class. The length of string is 4: The length of string is 6: The length of string is 8: The length of string is 10: The upper diagrams and tables show that when the length of string changed, the total using time of five kinds of...
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...Capitalizing on Complexity Insights from the Global Chief Executive Officer Study This study is based on face-to-face conversations with more than 1,500 chief executive officers worldwide. Samuel J. Palmisano Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer IBM Corporation Letter from the Chairman 3 A note to fellow CEOs In the first chapter of this report on dealing with complexity, the CEO of an industrial products company calls the economic environment of 2009 “a wake-up call.” I agree. I’d only add that it was just the latest in a series of alerts that sounded during the first decade of this new century. In a very short time, we’ve become aware of global climate change; of the geopolitical issues surrounding energy and water supplies; of the vulnerabilities of supply chains for food, medicine and even talent; and of sobering threats to global security. The common denominator? The realities — and challenges — of global integration. We occupy a world that is connected on multiple dimensions, and at a deep level — a global system of systems. That means, among other things, that it is subject to systems-level failures, which require systems-level thinking about the effectiveness of its physical and digital infrastructures. It is this unprecedented level of interconnection and interdependency that underpins the most important findings contained in this report. Inside this revealing view into the agendas of global business and public sector leaders, three widely...
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...microwaveable food company could follow when selecting pricing strategies for making their products as inelastic as possible. Provide a rationale for your response. After researching, Mark Laceky Has a good plan that managers can follow in anticipation of raising prices when selecting pricing strategies for making their products respond to a change in price less elastic. He has six (6) price planning strategies: 1-Plan Pricing from Two Starting Points The two points he considers are supply and demand. The supply side would take into account raw material, labor and packaging cost. The demand is where you would consider the elasticity. When prices are less elastic, managers should concentrate on a marketing mix for their low-calorie frozen microwaveable foods. When the manager is considering aspects of their product, they should consider customer loyalty. When customer loyalty is a factor, you are able to charge more because customer loyalty makes market demand less elastic. 2-Put in Place an Ongoing and Flexible Process Managers must review and monitor competitive pricing and the changing of consumer shopping behavior for microwaveable foods. MICROWAVEABLE FOODS 3 3-Take a Portfolio Approach The portfolio approach would be having the manager understand and be able to relate the pricing strategy with the broader strategic goals for...
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...------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents ------------------------------------------------- Table of Figures 2 ------------------------------------------------- Executive Summary 3 ------------------------------------------------- Objectives for Compensation System 3 ------------------------------------------------- Strategy for Internal Alignment 4 ------------------------------------------------- Job-Based Plan 5 ------------------------------------------------- Compensable Factors 6 ------------------------------------------------- Internal Structure 11 ------------------------------------------------- Picture of the Structure 19 ------------------------------------------------- Execution Manual 20 ------------------------------------------------- Evaluation of Recommendations 22 ------------------------------------------------- Credits 23 ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- Table of Figures ------------------------------------------------- Table 1 FastCat Compensable Factors 7 ------------------------------------------------- Table 2 FastCat Technical Complexity/Know How 8 ------------------------------------------------- Table 3 FastCat Sales and Support 9 ------------------------------------------------- Table 4 FastCat Innovation 9 ------------------------------------------------- Table 5 FastCat Accountability 10 ------------------------------------------------- Table...
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...STRATEGIC THEORY FOR THE 21st CENTURY: THE LITTLE BOOK ON BIG STRATEGY Harry R. Yarger February 2006 This publication is a work of the United States Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, section 101. As such, it is in the public domain, and under the provisions of Title 17, United States Code, Section 105, it may not be copyrighted. Visit our website for other free publication downloads http://www.StrategicStudiesInstitute.army.mil/ To rate this publication click here. ***** The views expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. This report is cleared for public release; distribution is unlimited. ***** Comments pertaining to this report are invited and should be forwarded to: Director, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, 122 Forbes Ave, Carlisle, PA 17013-5244. ***** All Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) monographs are available on the SSI homepage for electronic dissemination. Hard copies of this report also may be ordered from our homepage. SSI’s homepage address is: www.StrategicStudies Institute.army.mil. ***** The Strategic Studies Institute publishes a monthly e-mail newsletter to update the national security community on the research of our analysts, recent and forthcoming publications, and upcoming conferences sponsored by the Institute. Each newsletter also provides a strategic commentary...
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...OPRE 6379: Team Assignment CASES CASE 1: Hewlett-Packard: The Flight of the Kittyhawk, Clayton M. Christensen, 9-697060, March 2003 CASE 2: Creating Project Plans to Focus Product Development, Steven C. Wheelwright and Kim B. Clark, Reprint number 92210, HBR March-April 1992 CASE 3: Innovation Versus Complexity: What is Too Much of a Good Thing, Mark Gottfredson and Keith Aspinall, Reprint R0511C, HBR November 2005 CASE 4: Microsoft Office 2000, Alan MacCormack and Kerry Harman, 9-600-097, June 2000. CASE 5: Product Development at Dell CorporationCorporation, Stefan Thomke and Vish Krishnan, 9-699-010, January 1999 Case Presentations Nov 3 – Nov 10 – Nov 17 Nov 24 Dec 1 – Case 1 Case 2 Case 3, Case 4 Fall Break Case 5 Case Assignment Team 1-Case 4 Team 2-Case 3 Team 3-Case 4 Team 4-Case 1 Team 5-Case 2 Team 6-Case 5 Team 7-Case 5 Team 8-Case 3 Team 9-Case 1 Team 10-Case 2 Team 11-Case 5 Each team to read all case studies and prepare a 25-30 minute class presentation on power point on ONLY the case study assigned to the team - addressing the questions listed below. You may turn in the ppt presentation with the speaker notes or a word document answering the questions. The questions are guidelines for the team to address in the presentation. Each team should have a few overview slides on the case to introduce the case to the class. All the students are expected to have read all the cases. All the ppt from the teams will be available to all the teams...
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...2.4 Business Units ■ 2008 2012 2011 2012 A Brief History of Recruiting Illustrative Requisition Fillers ■ Process Masters ■ Talent Advisors ■ The Future of Recruiting? Recruiting impacted by: ■ Shrinking talent pools; ■ ■ ‘Spraying and praying’ through printed job advertisements Taking orders from hiring managers Using online technology Building pipelines of passive talent Executing processes effectively ■ Building business acumen and labor market expertise Influencing decisions Becoming credible business partners ■ ■ ■ New technology; and Increased candidate mobility. ■ © 2013 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved. RR4956913SYN 4 The best recruiting leaders play a pivotal role in driving organizational recruiting performance, but most still have a lot of room to improve. Organizations led by the most effective recruiting executives are up to 28% more effective than others. A wide range of performance exists across recruiting executives, and the vast majority still have a lot of opportunity to improve. A WIDE RANGE OF PERFORMANCE EXISTS AMONG RECRUITING EXECUTIVES Impact of Recruiting Executive Performance on Organization’s Recruiting Effectiveness1 Executives with Lowest Versus Highest Levels of Effectiveness in Key Recruiting Behaviors ∆ = 28% ■ ■ 8685 84848383 82828180 7979 79 78 787878 7776 78 767675 757575 757574 7474 7373 74 72727271717171717070 Low-Scoring High-Scoring...
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...iBM 1. 2. Analyze IBM strategies, to remix their businesses in order to move to the emerging higher-value spaces, in Macro and Micro environment level 3. IBM strategy PESTEL analysis in Macro level Five forces analysis in Micro level Recommendation Conclusion SOWT analysis Complexity analysis 4. o IBM understood Value was shifting in the IT industry, driven by the rising tide of global integration, a new computing paradigm and new client needs. o Economies of developing nations were growing rapidly, driven by historic investments in fundamental business infrastructure. Enterprises were looking to tap skills and expertise available all over the world and to integrate their operations globally. o Change in computing architecture was rippling across the data center and the network, along with a proliferation of technology infused into all aspects of work and life. Companies were seeking to integrate advanced technology with their business processes and operations, not only to reduce costs, but to enable innovation and growth. o IBM remixed their businesses in order to move to the emerging higher- value spaces by focusing on software and IT industry. IBM Strategies 5. IBM Strategies Hardware And Services Software IBM sold the personal computing department To Lenovo 6. PESTEL Analysis for Macro environment factors Social Political Technological Environmental Economic Legislative 7. Iraq War in 2003, affected world economy, and IBM stock fell down. Technology affects directly...
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...Synopsis of Communication Theories: Constructivism, Organizations, & Accommodation Josh Garcia Central Michigan University Synopsis of Communication Theories: Constructivism, Organizations, & Accommodation Throughout this course, several theories of communication were covered. Being able to communicate effectively is a critical component in the development of establishing meaningful relationships among people and places, as well as the exchange of information. In order to establish effective communication skills, it is necessary to analyze the system of ideas that have been designed among several scholars. However, this paper is specifically focused on the discussion of three theories, which were found to have relevant viewpoints. Throughout this paper, the theory of constructivism, the critical theory of communication in organizations (CTCO), and communication accommodation theory (CAT) were examined. Constructivism Theory Constructivism is a communication theory, which is focused on the identification of individual differences among people’s ability to communicate effectively in social situations (Griffin, 2012). Jesse Delia is credited for the development of constructivism theory. Delia’s theory of constructivism implies there is a difference between people who are interpersonally successful, opposed to those who are not. Delia’s theory of constructivism is focused on being able to better understand the differences among individuals who communicate more effectively...
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...Ryan Parsons Student ID #: 1237934 Assignment #1 | Spa Works | Memorandum To: | John Smith, President | From: | Ryan Parsons | cc: | | Date: | January 8, 2014 | Re: | New Integrated System – Committee Members | | | Hi John, The purpose of this Memo is to notify you that I have selected the committee members for the development of the new system that you have charged me with overseeing. Here is the list of the individuals selected for this committee: * Jillian Koch – Spa Manager Jillian is 29 and currently manages the spa on Parkland Dr. She has been with Spa Works for 5 years and was very excited to be part of this committee. She believes that this is a great opportunity to have some input to make the new system more user friendly for her employees. She seems to have a great relationship with her employees, and should be able to excel in the team environment of this committee. * Joe Carlson – Fitness Center Manager Joe is 31 and currently manages the Fitness Center on Quinpool Ave. Joe has a background with Computer Systems from University and I thought this might be a great asset for this committee. Joe has some great ideas about what is needed or needs to be improved in the new system from the Fitness Center perspective. As a member of this committee, Joe will be the liaison between the committee and the Fitness Center personnel and will be expected to contribute ideas for the system that will benefit the three fitness centers. * Elizabeth Vogel – Accounting...
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...economically dynamic but socially disintegrated; others have been equitable but stagnant; several are both stagnant and unintegrated. Even as the economic outlook appears to brighten, the fact remains that many organisations can no longer operate as they had been. A key feature of this changing landscape is the need for organisations to restructure. Here are seven broad restructuring principles to help make any restructure a successful one. 1. Align structure to strategy All restructures must align to strategy. This may seem self-evident, yet a significant number of organisations fail to do so. For example, if local conditions are a predominant factor, then stress local sales and marketing functions rather than a centralised behemoth that then tries to matrix with local elements. 2. Reduce complexity Simply put, complexity costs. Whether it is a complex organisational structure, a complex product offering or complex transactional processes, the added cost of complexity can be a drag on performance. To mitigate complexity, there are three considerations that help with...
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...Mechanistic versus Organic Structures a. Mechanistic Structure is appropriate for organizations focusing on a cost- minimization strategy through tight control, extensive division of labor, high formalization and centralization. The information network is limited and employees rarely participate in decision making process. b. Organic Structure is decentralized and has low complexity and formalization. It has an extensive information system, and employees rarely participate in decision making. It tends to be flexible and adaptive. c. Structure in function of the organization’s fundamental strategy. 1) Innovation Strategy focuses on developing important new product or services. An organic structure provides the flexibility for this strategy. 2) Cost-minimization Strategy imposes tight controls over expenses and reduces product prices. The mechanistic structure is appropriate. 3) Imitation strategies are not adopted by true innovators but rather by organizations that move into new markets after smaller competitors have demonstrated the potential for success. Limitation best suited to a structure that combines mechanistic and organic. d. Structure is also a function of 1) Size. Larger organizations tend to be mechanistic because greater formalization is needed. Strategies also change as sizes changes. Growing organizations often expand activities within their industry. 2) Technology. An organic structure may be...
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...This paper will outline a plan that managers in this company could follow in anticipation of raising prices when selecting pricing strategies for making the products response to a change in price less elastic. Next, this paper will examine the major effects that government policies have on production and employment, predict the potential effects that government policies could have on the company, determine whether or not government regulation is needed to ensure fairness along with identifying the major reasons for government involvement in a market economy, provide two examples of government involvement, examine the major complexities that would arise under expansion via capital projects and propose key actions that the company could take in order to prevent or address these complications. Lastly, this paper will suggest the substantive manner in which the company could create a convergence between the interest of stockholders and managers and indicate the most likely impact to profitability of such a convergence. Outline a plan that managers in the low-calorie, frozen microwaveable food company could follow in anticipation of raising prices when selecting pricing strategies for making their products response to a change in price less elastic. Forecasting is a crucial part in the anticipation of raising prices and selecting pricing strategies. Analyzing what triggers a change in price elasticity is vital as well. In order for the outcome to be at its best, the company’s...
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