Organizational Change A Literature Review Essay

Organizational Change A Literature Review - Essay Example Being an ‘organism’ all organizations are prone to change; in fact change is part of its nature. Organizations always seek to maximize growth as much as longevity, and in order to ensure this growth and longevity a thriving organization must adjust in tandem with the changing times. But even as the organization seeks and adopts changes it may benefit from in the long term, these changes variably affect the lives and careers of the people who comprise it. For some the necessary adjustments are unsettling because they usually detract from the routines that organizational personnel have become accustomed to. Changes also tend to deviate from the longer-term expectations individuals have set for themselves under the conditions prior to the change, thereby creating anxieties and uncertainties that challenge the employee’s trust in his organization. Similar problems arise with respect to the organization’s other stakeholders which tend to threaten the successful adoption of the change. The literature review explores the complex issues that attend the adoption of change in organizations. Repercussions pertaining to the organization itself as well as its stakeholders shall be examined, and insights which shall be gathered from the wealth of academic literature on organizational change shall be integrated to support a furtherance of future studies. Drivers of organizational change There are three categories of forces which exert pressure for organizational change, according to Tichy (1982, as cited by Westover, 2010, p. 46), namely technical, political, and cultural forces. Technical forces refers to imperatives for change created by changes in technology and economic conditions in the environment, including the development of advance equipment, changing interest rates and increase in competition. Political forces pertains to pressures for change brought about by issues associated with power, influence, and resource allocation; these include issues of who holds authority, who are rewarded, and who are empowered to decide how rewards and resources are allocated. Finally, cultural forces refers to those pressures urging change as a result of a shift in the collective values and beliefs of people, that is, the demographic composition and cultural diversity of the labor pool and societal values (Westover, 2010). The change agent ( typically the human resources professional in an organizational setting) will perform a vital role, described in the subsequent discussion below, in bringing together both management and employees to effectively address these pressures by fostering effective change strategies. Numerous drivers of organizational change have been identified over the decades, but there has been a confluence of studies which incline towards some commonly cited factors. In a theory-building survey of academic studies, Whelan-Berry and Somerville (2010) have determined these to be: (1) the acceptance of a change vision; (2) leaders’ change related activities; (3) change related communication; (4) change related training; (5) change related employee participation; (6) aligned human resources practices; and (7) aligned organization structure and control processes (p. 182) Organizational structure as tool and barrier to organizational change According to Hannan, Polos and Carroll (2003), there are fou r types of processes that delay and may even prevent organizational change. These are: structural processes, that include the consequences of intricacy of the adopted change and the viscosity or sluggishness of response; institutional processes

Feasibility Report Guide Essay Example for Free

Feasibility Report Guide Essay Intro Samsung Electronics is based in Seoul, South Korea and operates in 65 countries worldwide with 157,000 people working for the company. Samsung Electronics products include semiconductors, hard drives, digital displays, home electronics, mobile phones, and others. All Samsung products have the same tone when the device is turned on, so that customers can easily get used to them and this tone is mentioned when Samsung products are being advertised as well. â€Å"Smarter Life† theme was introduced recently in Samsung that is based on the innovative approach in improving the company’s current products, and introducing new products to the market. For instance, Android-based Samsung Galaxy Player 50 is to be introduced soon, containing a range of innovative features the product is expected to change the current media players’ market condition significantly SWOT Samsung Samsung Strength as Becoming a world known brand (over 200 countries) RD (investing on scientific talents) Innovation (new digital technology) Customization (new products every year) New allocation of marketing resources (M-Net). Samsung enjoys the widest range of product portfolio which includes : Mobile phones Tablet TV/Audio/Video,Camera,camcorder, Home appliance Pc‟s,Laptop, peripherals, printer, memory cards and Well diversified and differentiated product line toother accessories meet changing customer needs . Samsung electronics has 4business areas to cover customer electronics needs. Practice the good leadershipBrand value through multiple sponsorships High market share that continues to growtheory (Mobile Phones and Design with an attractive styling that interestsmemory chip)and LCD the customer, as the result of the development of Samsung‟s new products that involve team of product designers. product variation Samsung’s Opportunities unique products and existing products introduce userwith variety friendly mobile phones could launch sub brandsat affordable price. to the company. Samsung’s Opportunities O open more stores Newmore customers O Launch creative products Technology, Innovative Products, and Creative Solutions. WeaknessAver age pr i ces of pr oduct s seem t o bea l ow qual i t y pr oduct s-Not pr o-act i ve intro oduci ng a newpr oduct s. low cost competitors in China2. legal war between Samsung and its competitors such as Apple nokia. ThreadsLow-cost competitors Samsung is facing threats from many other low cost companies in China. While Samsung was busy competing with others, Huawei a company which focus on low cost products; is now a leader in fixed-line networks, mobile-telecommunications networks, and budget smart phones. Market share- Samsung Mobile eyeing 60% marketshare in India. The Indian mobile handset market is estimated to reach 251 million units in 2013, an increase of 13.5% over this year. The threat of potential new entrants (Low)- New entrants would have issues with overcoming patent issues if they didn’t plan on investing in their own RD to create a unique product. These things together would require a new entrant to establish a competitive brand name while achieving economies of scale via investments in a supply chain process and developing a distribution infrastructure to remain competitive. The costs of accomplishing these things make a very strong barrier to entry. The threat of substitutes (High) Market share-Holding a revenue market share of 20.6%, Vodafone India is the countrys second largest telecom operator by revenue share after Bharti. Strengths: * Diversified geographical portfolio with strong mobile telecommunications operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and to some extent the US * Network infrastructure   * Leading presence in emerging markets such as India Weaknesses: * Little focus of impact of mobile on climate.   * Negative return on assets (ROA) under perform key competitors like ATT, Airtel, Uninor etc * US business not nearly as strong as European/rest of the world operations * 80% of its business is generated in Europe. Opportunities: * Improve accessibility to wide range of customers * Focus on cost reductions improving returns * Majority stake in Hutchison Essar in India * Research and development of new mobile technologies Threats: * Highly competitive market * Still lags behind major competitors in the India and other countries. * Extremely high Porter’s five forces Buyer power The bargaining power of buyers in the telecommunications industry is high due to the cutthroat competition and lack of differentiated products. The strong buyer power effectively reduces the cost prices in the industry though not to the level of its competitors. As such, Vodafone will keep making reasonable profits compared to its competitors. Supplier power Vodafone’s suppliers have a high bargaining power since the company operates with greater margins compared to its competitors. As a leader in the market, the market share is large meaning that it can easily absorb any price increments from the suppliers more than its competitors can. As such, Vodafone can easily maintain low prices from its suppliers and continue making profits (MarketLine, 2012, p. 9). Threat of substitutes Vodafone faces a considerable threat for products and services. The landline and CDMA services are fast declining while broadband services are fast becoming common. Video conferencing, VOPI such as Skype, Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger, email and social networking have emerged as substitutes to mobile services. However, due to the strong buyer power and effective economies of scale, Vodafone does not need to pass down the costs attributed to substitution to consumers (MarketLine, 2012, p. 8). Threat of entrants The threat of fresh market entrants is low because of barriers to entry. Companies wishing to enter the market must pay huge licensing fees coupled by spectrum availability and regulatory issues attached to the industry. Similarly, the costs of setting up network infrastructure are high, and the rapidly changing technology make is difficult for new entrants to cope. However, Vodafone can cope with this by maintaining high-level efficiency of its services to unrivaled heights. Industry rivalry Vodafone faces extremely high rivalry from its competitors due to the low call rate prices charged by its closest competitors. Similarly, the competitors constantly provide innovative products and services to the customers, which mean that Vodafone has to provide the same to its customers. Vodafone PEST Analysis. PEST analysis is a strategic tool used to analyse external factors affecting the business and stands for political, economical social and technological factors. The main political factors affecting Vodafone include EU Roaming Regulation that aims to decrease charges for mobile phone usages Economical factors also affect Vodafone main of which are the growth of GDP and the level of inflation rate within markets where the company operates. Generally any external economic changes affecting Vodafone can be classified as external economic factors. There is a range of social factors as well that affect Vodafone. For instance, changing work patterns that are becoming very popular make people work from home increasingly relying in communication technologies. Also, there are issues like people going ‘green’ and ageing population in developed countries that are going to affect Vodafone directly or indirectly. The impact of technological factors on Vodafone is without any doubt due to the nature of the telecommunications industry. Specifically, a technological innovation in communications and emergence of alternative means of communication such as online chatting, and Yahoo! Messenger are going to affect Vodafone strategy in a way that the company is left with a choice of either to form strategic alliances with above companies or to commit to considerable amount of research and development in order to introduce innovative products and services to the market.

Comparing God and AI in Neuromancer Essay -- Comparison Compare Contra

Parallels between God and AI in Neuromancer The world of "meat" provides the base for much of what happens throughout William Gibson's novel Neuromancer. The lives of characters are shaped by their flesh and blood experiences. The realm of artificial intelligence (AI) is the base for all of the events that are central to the life of a character. All events and lives are under control of the AI, and all things serve the AI's purpose. The matrix serves to mash the two realms together, in times and places where AI cannot physically control the meat. The relationship between these realms is a direct parallel to God's relationship with man. It is hard to disseminate exactly what Gibson wanted to portray in Neuromancer without obscuring it with doctrinal differences. However, it can safely be assumed that the AI is intended to "be God." This is no laughable assertion, since the behavior of the AI character, Wintermute, certainly acts in a god-like manner. When Case is first contacted by Wintermute, it is a very strange, supernatural encounter. Imagine how Case must have felt, to have been "chased" by ringing telephones (p.98), when behind each ring he knows that a very powerful force is waiting to impart information to him that will change his life. According to Christian tradition, God constantly tries to open a line of communication with humans, but an earthly obstacle prevents humans from "picking up the phone" and answering God's call. It could be said that it is fear of the unknown and fear of the inevitable or obvious that causes this separation, which would fall perfectly in place with Case's reasons for avoiding Wintermute. It could be said that Case's experience in the world of meat has caused him to be cr... ...'s mission. Case is contacted by the AI and told of his success. He is later informed that the toxin sacs imbedded in his body have been treated. What is seen here is the gift of a second life to Case by the AI. This second life is akin to what Christians expect in the afterlife- salvation from all evils such as drugs, lives lived in sin, and unrest in conscience. It is interesting to note, also, that Case uses his brain extensively, whether he is tickling receptors with amphetamines, searching for rhyme and reason in all that he knows about Wintermute, or sprawling his neurons out in the matrix. The apparent "boss" AI is named Neuromancer, and his name is a description of his character- one who deals with things of the mind. The AI gods, then, are interested in thoughts, beliefs, and decisions leading up to the earthly enactment of their will. Just like God.

America’s Unjust Drug War Essay

It has been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result; this statement fairly sums up the War on Drugs. Let us imagine a scenario of two men, one of them has killed 4 young women in cold blood, for ‘sport’ as he likes to say; the other man was caught with a large amount of an illegal drug. In prison it would not be unlikely for these two to share a cell, but my question is why? Why are these drastically different crimes seen as being worthy of the same punishment? According to a pro-marijuana web site, studies show that in Dallas, Texas â€Å"Possession of two ounces or less of marijuana is punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a fine up to $2,000. Possession of greater than two ounces is punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine up to $4,000† (â€Å"We Be High†). It seems to defy logic, and upon observation of the facts, it does. The War on Drugs, specifically the prohibition of marijuana, is an unnecessary drain on our country’s tax dollars and law enforcement agencies. Some would even say that these agencies have no right to tell us what we as US Citizens can put into our bodies in the first place. Not only that, but the skepticism and prohibition of marijuana is keeping people from exploring the amazing potential that it has in the medicinal field. If marijuana were legalized properly, not only would these problems begin to work themselves out, but the illegal market and the problems and dangers caused by the prohibition of marijuana would cease to exist. One fact that few in our country would refute is that our prison system is over-crowded and has been stretched in recent years to accommodate all the recent â€Å"criminals.† Along with all those which have committed true crimes against society such as murder and robbery, there are now citizens that have been found guilty of possession or di stribution of drugs. â€Å"In 2003, there were a record 755,186 marijuana arrests in the US – greater than the number of arrests for all violent crimes combined† (Miron). â€Å"In 1998, 65% of those were convicted of drug possession in state court and 71% of those convicted of drug trafficking were sentenced to incarceration† (Chin 10). Not only is being arrested and incarcerated for simple possession of marijuana a set-back in one’s life, but finding a decent job for an ex-con is very difficult (Rachels and Rachels). It is hard to believe that violent criminals and Marijuana dealers belong in the same facility; it is a waste of money to feed and clothe them. A popular philosophical argument for the legalization of drugs, such as marijuana, is that the Government does not have the right to tell us what we can and cannot put into our own bodies. Nowhere in the constitution does it state that all drugs should be illegal and should result in major fines or even jail time if one was caught in possession of the drug. In fact, it seems to be implied that people should be able to have the freedom to self medicate as they want to. From the utilitarian perspective, people tend to be happier when they have freedom, and the current drug laws reduce that feeling of freedom and happiness. Therefore, the government should not put restrictions on drug use (Rachels and Rachels). If someone were to make the choice to smoke cannabis, that would be their choice and doing so would not directly harm anyone else. After all, isn’t America the ‘Land of the Free’? Our country is filled with propagandists who warp the facts and percentages of drugs that they want to be illegal just so the drug seems more dangerous than it actually is. In fact, some people’s every day activities are proven to be more harmful than marijuana such as smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, obesity, having unprotected sex, and riding motorcycles (Rachels and Rachels). A popular argument prohibitionists use for this is that illegal drug use harms the user in a different way (Rachels and Rachels). However, all of these activities listed harm the user in some sort of way and isn’t that what really matters in the end? There are some people out there that truly believe (and try to convince others) that marijuana is a deadly substance when in reality there have been no deaths whatsoever from marijuana use (Herer). However, there are around 106,000 deaths from legal drugs that you can buy at any convenience store, including aspirin. Studies show that aspirin is responsible for anywhere from 108-1,000 deaths per year. Animal studies have shown that it is virtually impossible to overdose on marijuana (Hager). This has led scientists to conclude that â€Å"the ratio of the amount of cannabinoids necessary to get a person intoxicated (i.e., stoned) relative to the amount necessary to kill them is 1 to 40,000† (Hager). So in other words, in order to over dose on marijuana, someone would have to ingest 40,000 times however much one would have to smoke in order to get the â€Å"high† feeling. If legal drugs and every day activities pose a bigger threat on society than marijuana, then why is cannabis illegal while these things remain legal? Rather than criminalizing those who possess and sell marijuana, some have proposed a radical reversal in policy; that the government actually legalize marijuana and tax it. By allowing the illegal importation of drugs into the United States (a multi-billion dollar a year industry), we are allowing all of the profit to go to people who do not deserve it such as â€Å"criminals, killers, and dangerous organizations† (â€Å"The Economic Benefits†). â€Å"Legalizing marijuana in the US would save about $7.7 billion per year in enforcement costs, and it would generate between $2.4 and $6.2 billion in tax revenue, depending on whether pot was taxed normally or at the higher rate at which alcohol and tobacco and are now taxed† (Rachels and Rachels). All of this can be accomplished by simply repealing the prohibition laws in effect. Along with preventing prison over-population and creating another form of tax revenue, the legalization of marijuana could create a new and simpler class of analgesic, which by definition is a medicine used to relieve pain. In an experiment conducted at the University of California Davis, there were three different groups given three different substances. One was given 7% marijuana, the second was given 3.5% marijuana, and the last was the control group, which was given a placebo. The results showed that both the 3.5% group and the 7% group both experienced equal amounts of analgesic produced. While the people in the study did feel a type of high in using the marijuana as a medicinal aid, the fact that both levels used created an equal amount of analgesic means that there may be a way around the high feeling. Further testing might be a good idea to see if an even lower dose could still create an analgesic without the side effects of the ‘high’ feeling (â€Å"Journal of Pain†). The study also explains that marijuana does not tranquilize the pain, but helps to create an emotional distance from it. In other words the person can still feel the pain but just does not care as much as he or she normally would. Making marijuana a legalized drug would also mean that it would become a more controlled and regulated drug as well. However, one major concern of making marijuana a legalized substance is the possibility of young adults in society being exposed to it. While this is a valid argument against legalizing marijuana, people must realize that the fact that marijuana is currently illegal actually provides teens more opportunities to make money by selling it to their friends (â€Å"Top Ten Reasons†). However, making marijuana a legalized, controlled, and regulated substance would make it much harder for teens to get a hold of the drug. Miron expresses this fact, saying that â€Å"unlike drug dealers, licensed vendors would ensure that teens could not purchase marijuana, just as states that have implemented strict controls on underage tobacco purchases have seen sales of tobacco to minors fall dramatically† (Miron). A group of 12th grade high school students were asked how legalizing marijuana would affect them personally. 61% said they would not use the drug even if it were legal to buy and use. 15% stated they would use it as often as they do now, and 1.5% say they would use it less often. Only 5.5% say they would use it more often than they do currently while nine percent said they would try it. Though these percentages may seem like large numbers, it only amounts to around 14% (about one in seven) of the students surveyed who stated they would either try marijuana or increase their use if marijuana were to become legalized (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, Schulenberg). Another problem with people having to resort to the black market for the purchase of cannabis is the danger that accompanies it. The illegal market that has been established because of the combination of the demand and illegality of marijuana brings much violence along with it. It is common for drug dealers at this day and age to carry around and use guns and knives as means of protection. This results in the possibility of something bad happening to the buyer or innocent bystanders. If cannabis were to become legalized and controlled, innocent people would not have to worry about the dangers that they are currently faced with in the purchasing of marijuana on the black market. This flawed policy should have been thrown out years ago like the failed Prohibition was in 1933, but societal propaganda and a more weary population has kept it securely in its place as one of the priorities of conservative Americans. Hopefully with time and a more intense barrage of facts and logic, this failed war can end and help usher in a new age of understanding and control over the substances we now outlaw. Until then the United States Government will continue to burn money and lock away undeserving citizens. Work Cited Barth Wilsey, Thomas Marcotte, Alexander Tsodikov, Jeanna Millman, Heather Bentley, Ben Gouaux and Scott Fishman. â€Å"A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial of Cannabis Cigarettes in Neuropathic Pain.† The Journal of Pain. Web. 28 April 2010. Chin, Gabriel J. â€Å"Race, the War on Drugs, and the Collateral Consequences of Criminal Conviction.† Journal of Gender, Race & Justice, Vol. 6, p. 253, 2002. University of Arizona. Web. 1 May 2010. Hager, Paul. â€Å"Marijuana Myths.† Web. 3 May 2010. Herer, Jack. â€Å"Hemp: Fuel Food Fiber Medicine Industry.† HempCar. Web. 3 May 2010. Johnston, L. D., O’Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2009). â€Å"Monitoring the Future national survey results on drug use, 1975–2008: Volume I, Secondary School Students.† The University of Michigan Institute for Social Research. PDF file. 30 April 2010. Miron, Jeffrey A. â€Å"The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition.† Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition in the United States. Mar 28, 2008. Web. 1 May 2010. Rachels, James and Stuart Rachels. The Elements of Moral Philosophy. New York: Mcgraw-Hill, 2010. Print Rachels, James and Stuart Rachels. The Right Thing to Do. New York: Mcgraw-Hill, 2010. Print â€Å"The Economic Benefits of a Legal Regulated Marijuana Industry.† 2005. Web. 3 May 2010. â€Å"The Top Ten Reasons Marijuana Should be Legal.† AlterNet. High Times. Web. 3 May 2010. â€Å"WeBeHigh: A Traveler’s Guide to Getting High.† Web. 2 May 2010.

Importance of English in life Essay

Today no area of life is untouched by English. Be it communication in daily life, ascending the career graph, communicating in mass media, higher education, and no end. Our international relations are dependent on it. Our perceptions of people are dependent on the use of this language. We have become so much dependent on this language that even in our daily communication we find it difficult to speak our Indian languages and Hindi without the use of English words. So, the question naturally arises that what makes it so ubiquitous so omnipresent and so indispensable. English people ruled a vast swath of land in order to fulfill their imperialistic ambitions. It was said that in English rule, sun never sets, because the colonies were present across the globe. English people incorporated words from every language to express the diversity which also gradually became the part and parcel of it, it made the language rich. Now in modern science and technology, we are mostly dependent on this language due to very versatility it offers and encompasses the various kinds of thought well. Read more: Speech on importance of English essay But unfortunately we still see that in some parts English is treated as foreign language and some politicians and pseudo nationalists argue that we need to exterminate it and protect our culture and identity. These are the same people who will find it difficult to speak pure Hindi themselves. They do it with vested interests but it harms a large number of people, who remains lagging in their careers due to that. English has become utmost important now a days. Even we preach the concept of â€Å"Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam† and in this purview we see that English enjoys the familiarity of people from across the globe. So due to this advantage, it is rightly needed that it should be learn t by all to communicate well. It is also needed that we must respect our language as well but we simply cannot do away with English. Learning english is important for our daily life.. As we all know, English is the one of important language in this world. If we cannot speak English even a little bit, we are called as a very poor in this community. We also cannot improve our life if we worst in English. We will feel loser if we in the group that use English as a medium to speak. According to the research that have been made by the group of University Malay, 70% of undergraduate student especially Malay student are not use English as a medium to speak. It’s show that most of the student do not want to use English as a main language in their life. People always said that we must use our country language so that it indicate we love our country. The statement is not fault but we also must learn English for our future life such as to find a job, to communicate with foreigner, easy to understand if we find information through online and easy for student to survive in university life because most of the university in Malaysia use English as a medium to speak. One of the reason why we must learn English in our daily life is English is important to get a job. In this era, many people are jobless eventhough they have a degree. It is because they do not have a soft skill. Eventhough we got the best result in examination but we cannot speak in English, it is hard for us to find a job. Example is, if we want to work with a giant company such as Petronas, Sime Darby, Schlumberger and etc we need to face many process. One of the process is interview. Interview is one of the important process for us to face if we want to work with a giant company. Many giant company have a francais at the other country. So, they use international language that is English as a medium to communicate among the others. Therefore, they must do an interview in English to find an employee. If we have a soft skill like can speak fluently in English, the company will not hesitate to take us as one of their employee†¦.