Strategy in Practice â€Amazon

Strategy in Practice –Amazon STRATEGY IN PRACTICE – Amazon.com Introduction to Strategy In the Words of Johnson Scholes (2002), Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term which achieves advantage for the establishment through its configuration of resources within a changing environment and to fulfil stakeholder expectations. In some respects strategy can be seen as a reflection of the attitudes and beliefs of those who have the most influence on the organisation. According to Lynch (2000), the essence of corporate strategy is the identification of the purpose of the organisation and the plans and actions to achieve that purpose. Corporate strategy is often perceived as one of the most critical managerial activities that bring together the organisation’s internal resources and its external relationships with its customers, suppliers, competitors and the socio-economic environment in which it exists. In his conceptualisation of the Strategy concept Lynch (2002) clearly identifies three distinct aspects that have been discussed below: Resources Strategy – Companies, Businesses and firms hold or acquire a wide range of resources. A firm’s resources and capabilities include all the financial, physical, human and organisational assets used by a firm to develop, manufacture and deliver products or services to its customers Barney (1991). The purpose of strategy is to make the best use of the available resources so as to outperform competition. Environmental Strategy – The term environment includes every aspect external to the organisation. No organisation can gain competitiveness with a lack of vision for its environment. Focus that is restricted merely to what lies inside the boundaries of the firm is best criticised as incomplete and insufficient. Organisations need to and must be in synchronisation with their surroundings. It is here that strategy comes to play a major role. Adding Value – Lynch has stressed on the notion of value addition. Apart from the above corporate strategy must meet the need to add value to the supplies brought into the organisation. To ensure its long term survival, the organisation must take the supplies, add value to them through its operations and then deliver its output to the customers. The purpose of corporate strategy is to bring the conditions under which the organisation is able to create this vital additional value. It must also ensure that the organisation adapts to the changes in the environment so that it can continue to add value in future. In essence Strategy provides Decision Support (Grant, 2004) â€Å"to the extent that decision makers are limited by bounded rationality, strategy in the form of guidelines and decision criteria can enhance the quality and consistency of strategic decision making. It also helps in better decision making by pooling together the knowledge of many individuals and by facilitating the application of various analytical tools.† Strategy also acts as a Co-ordinating device. The many tools and components of strategy i.e. Vision, Mission, Objectives etc. bring together the entire organisation as a single locomotive headed in one direction. With all departments and personnel aiming towards the common goals, co-ordination can be achieved with greater ease. Strategy provides the organisation a target to work for. Strategy is forward looking; it establishes a direction to guide actions. It also sets aspirations for the company that can act as motivators for the whole organisation. The strategy function, as is evident from above, permeates through all organisational membranes to pervade into all levels and is not restricted to any particular zone. Practically all authors in field of Strategic Management acknowledge the prevalence of varied levels of strategy. Johnson Scholes (2002) believe that Corporate level strategy relates to â€Å"the overall purpose and scope of an organisation and how value will be added to the different parts (business units) of the organisation. It is also likely to be concerned with the expectations of the owners. It is the basis of other strategic decisions and may well take the form of a mission statement.† Corporate strategy deals with the ways in which a corporation manages a set of businesses together. (Grant, 1995) Business unit strategy is about how to compete successfully in particular markets. Business Strategy deals with the way in which a single business firm or an individual unit of a larger firm competes within a particular industry or market. Operational strategies are concerned with how the component parts of an organisation deliver effectively the corporate and business level strategies in terms of resources, processes and people. They deal with the day-to-day working of the various sections in a firm. Operational strategies are more about implementation than planning. Thus, â€Å"Strategic management involves understanding the strategic position of an organisation, making strategic choices for future and turning strategy into action. The strategic position is concerned with the impact on strategy of the external environment, internal resources and competences and the expectations and influences of stakeholders. Strategic choices include understanding the underlying bases for future strategy at both the corporate and business unit levels and the options for developing strategy in terms of both the directions and methods of development. Strategy into action is concerned with ensuring that strategies are working in practice.† (Johnson Scholes, 2002) This report aims to analyse the strategy in practice at Amazon.com. Amazon.com is one of the most successful e-businesses and undoubtedly the champion of all online retailers or e-tailers as they are often referred to. It has revolutionised the retail sector of business and is a subject of innumerable studies and research in the current e-commerce era. The material used for study has been drawn from the Amazon.com case study[1] and the web based portal for the company Amazon.com[2]. The report shall use existing theory as a basis to realise how strategy has worked for Amazon.com in practice. Although it is challenging to capture every aspect of the organisation’s life so far, effort has been made to cite relevant examples so to get a glimpse of its strategic approach. The Amazon.com Case A summary[3] of the Amazon.com case shall prepare the grounds to lay the analysis in the light of theories discussed. A number of strategic concepts shall be cited to gain deeper insights to particular issues. With the explosive growth in internet companies’ market capitalisation positions, one would ask if some hype is at play. But the trend data clearly reveal that the internet is for real. According to Forrester research the total value of goods and services purchased online exceeded US$43 billion in 1998. Amazon.com believes that it is well positioned to capitalise[4] on this growth. According to Media Metrix 16% of web users visited Amazon.com’s stores in December 1998. ‘In a very short period of time Amazon.com has become one of the world’s most recognised brands’, said Jaleh Bisharat, Vice-president, Marketing, Amazon.com. With Amazon.com’s current strategy combined with the ongoing recruitment of entrepreneurial top management team for each business segment, the challenge for Amazon.com is on the strategic implementation front. Bezos had always been fascinated with technology. He came up with the statistic that the electronic world would grow at the rate of 2300% monthly. Bezos said, when something is growing that fast, every second counts. Bezos considered selling a variety of products online, but he settled for books because the worldwide market is large, the price point is low and the range of titles is large. Being unsure of the ideal location, Seattle was chosen because it was the location of book distributor Ingram, which has continued to provide 60% of Amazon.com’s books. Seattle also provided a favourable sales tax climate and a high-tech workforce. â€Å"I know nothing about the book industry†¦I can get them to the customer and forget about bricks and mortar†, said Bezos in an attempt to raise funds for his venture. After its entry into the market, Amazon.com had no significant rivals and there were no dominant traditional players. Even at this time Amazon.com was providing a powerful search facility as well as a host of services not provided by other online competitors. Analysts warned of a volatile internet sector with strategic plans constantly being revised. Despite aggressive competitive entry, Amazon.com passed many milestones in 1997. The most notable of these was its ability to raise net proceeds of almost US$50 million in May. This enabled aggressive investment in building the business. Amazon.com focussed on establishing its executive team, which included the recruitment of Richard Dalzell of Wal-Mart. In the same year, 1997, Amazon.com offered the lowest book prices anywhere in the world. Extensive promotional relationships with other dominant internet players were concluded which reinforced Amazon.com’s momentum, e.g. Yahoo!, Excite, AOL etc. In 1998 the company launched music, video and gift stores in the US and expanded operations to UK and Germany. Jimmy Wright of Wal-Mart joined the company in the same year. Amazon.com’s expansion programme is evidence of a growth strategy via acquisitions, strategic relations and internal development. It received the Computerworld Smithsonian Award for having demonstrated vision and leadership in the innovative use of information technology. With its highly qualified top management team and the success trends, Amazon.com continued to enhance the total customer experience of shopping, giving them wider product range to choose from and more sophisticated services to complement them. The case study then goes on to list the various achievements of the company. It also provides detail information on the financial and personnel aspects of the organisation. These details have been passed over as they are beyond the scope of this paper. The Analysis of Strategic Practices The Basic Approach The Internet is one of the most fascinating products of the developments in information technology. It received mixed reactions from the public and the entrepreneurs. While most of them were overwhelmed with the possibilities and others called it â€Å"an over hyped mania†, only a few saw it as a business opportunity. Jeff Bezos had the vision that created â€Å"Ex ante limits† to competition (Peteraf, 1993) and gave Amazon.com the â€Å"First-mover advantage†. Among the various lenses or attitudes towards Strategy that have been theorised, Amazon.com’s approach can be regarded as that of an Ideas lens. The ideas lens (Johnson Scholes, 2002) sees strategy as a result of new ideas that can come from anywhere in the organisation. It promotes innovative thinking and does not inhibit experimentation. This is well evident in the very start-up of Amazon.com as an enterprise. Further, this approach is better characterised as â€Å"Emergent† than â€Å"Prescriptive† (Lynch, 2000). The dynamic nature of the internet environment makes a planned and prescribed approach unsuitable. Amazon.com’s strategy evolved largely during the course of its life depending on its position at that instant in time. In the words of Miles Snow (1987) Amazon.com as an entity is a â€Å"Prospector† who looks for new opportunities and is willing to take risks to be able to exploit the same. Stated in general, Amazon.com’s strategy is an ambitious one. Pattern of Strategy development In his business development Bezos attempted a â€Å"Transformational change† in strategy through the creation of an entirely new service. The change resulted in success because it created new expectations that did not exist earlier; Amazon.com was ahead of its time. Further, the ability to convert the transformational change into a business winner comes from the fact that as the strategy for the firm was emerging, there was little mismatch between the intended and the realised strategy (Mintzberg Walters, 1985). It is important to strike harmony among the understanding of the environment, identified opportunity, the strategy intended to capture such opportunity and finally the actual resultant strategy that was implemented. Without this happening, the transformational change would most often end in a failure. Stakeholder Mapping â€Å"Stakeholders are those individuals or groups who depend on the organisation to fulfil their own goals, and on whom in turn the organisation depends† (Johnson Scholes, 2002). For Amazon.com the major stakeholders were its customers, investors and Jeff Bezos himself. With respect to the Stakeholder Mapping drawn up by Savage et al (1991) Bezos and the investors can be referred to as â€Å"Dominant Stakeholders† while the customers would identify as â€Å"Dependent Stakeholders†. Environment The internet industry is characterised by a high degree of â€Å"Changeability† (Lynch, 2000) i.e. there is a greater number of new problems and each problem is more complex than in other sectors. Moreover it is not very â€Å"Predictable† due to a high rate of change and uncertainty of future circumstances. This made Amazon.com’s business environment highly turbulent. As a new entrant Amazon.com had to cope with all these difficulties; but once settled these factors acted as â€Å"Barriers to entry† (Porter, 1985) for its competitors. Culture Culture within an organisation consists of the shared basic assumptions that have worked well enough to be considered valid and passed to fellow employees over time (adapted from Schein, 1985). It refers to â€Å"the way we do things around here†. While there can be several factors affecting the culture at a work place, in case of Amazon.com it is the ownership and technological factors. Jeff Bezos is the leader of the organisation and also the cultural head bringing in ambition and motivation to the organisation. The work practices, routines, plans, the entire business is largely governed by the technological abilities inside and the advancements outside the organisation. The Cultural web is another important aspect that has a definitive impact on the strategy an organisation pursues. The Cultural Web (Johnson Scholes, 2002) consists of the Routines Rituals, Stories, Symbols, Power Structures, Control Systems and the Organisational Structure. For Amazon.com its brand name acts as a major symbol that binds together the various components of the system. It symbolises the scale of operations that Bezos aimed at, thus cultivating an aggressive work culture. If one was to draw out the power structure at Amazon.com, it would be a flat pyramid with Jeff Bezos at the peak. Although the investment came from outside, Amazon.com was his dream and â€Å"his† venture. He did not promise any profits in the first 5 years, but his faith in the idea won the investors’ confidence. All this clearly indicates the prevalence of a â€Å"Power Culture† at Amazon.com (Handy, 1993). Key Strategic Highlights Based on its first mover advantage Amazon.com was able to capitalise on the heterogeneity of its resources. It reaped benefits from the Ex post and Ex ante limits to competition (Peteraf, 1993). Its technological knowledge behind the search engine was imperfectly imitable for the competitors. Even if the rivals came up with substitute systems, the â€Å"first mover† position always allowed an edge in favour of Amazon.com. Employees and technicians at Amazon.com learnt to adapt and innovate better than the competitors, simply because the latter were merely copying what Amazon had done. The Knowledge at Amazon.com was rare, valuable, not easily imitable and well organised to allow the company to enjoy a resource based competitive advantage over its rivals (Barney, 1995). The technological skills were Amazon.com’s core competence that was used to create the Search facility – their core product which was at the heart of Amazon’s web based store/services – the end product (Hamel Prahalad, 1990). However, it also needs to be mentioned here that the Amazon.com was rich in dynamic capabilities (Teece, 1997) to be able to successfully carry out the above. The top management team which consisted ex-Wal-mart employees, were aware of their strengths as well as the business environment to be able to identify their core competence. They ensured carrying out the best use of their resources and maintained the momentum gathered from the initial push. Even with the best resources and opportunities a business may not succeed, if those managing it are not aware of their responsibilities. It is the management that lays out the strategy and takes all decisions that are critical to the overall success. Expansion Given the knowledge of Ansoff’s Matrix Amazon.com for a start pursued Market development i.e. offered the existing products to new markets. It also used Cost leadership (Porter, 1985) to expand its customer base. As the website served more and more customers over time, Amazon.com introduced new products to the existing market – a product development effort. Finally, with a secure market position Amazon.com was capable of Diversification i.e. offering new products to new markets. Not all of Amazon.com’s offerings were indigenous. It had partnered with several other wed based companies. While most of the early partnerships were aimed at gaining a greater exposure to the target audience, later excusive relationships were created to add to the existing list of products and services that were offered on the website. The motive behind these alliances was largely â€Å"Exploitative† (Koza, 1998). Such business alliances were primarily aimed at tapping into each others’ customer bases and render mutual benefits to the parties involved. Amazon.com’s approach to collaboration is well explained by the M-B-A (Make, Buy, or Ally) matrix. It allied with services such as Yahoo and Excite because the service was not important to Amazon’s business – it sought more traffic. However, in case of similar companies such as Bookpages and Telebook, Amazon.com preferred a â€Å"Buy† because of the importance to the business activity. It also had the requisite skills to run these companies. Amazon.com did not want to allow these smaller companies to grow and later pose a threat to them. Conclusion Amazon.com can be easily regarded as a strategy champion. It had all the components of a great Entrepreneurial tale, and shall be cited in many more academic works in future. However, it must not be overlooked that for the first five years Amazon.com did not make any profits. Moreover, with the growth in market share, loss per share also grew. If all other competitors would have grouped together to attack Amazon from all fronts, it could have been a different story. Essentially, Amazon’s first mover advantage was crucial. The fact that Amazon possessed the above resources and capabilities at the emergence of e-commerce is of vital importance. Therefore, it is questionable whether or not Amazon would have managed to achieve similar results if it were to launch today in 2004 in such a hypercompetitive market. Primarily, Amazon’s success was due to effective leveraging of its resources, especially knowledge and managing the capabilities derived from these resources. REFERENCES Barney, Jay B.. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage From: Journal of management vol 17 (1) 1991 p.99-120. Grant, R. M. (Robert Morris), 1948- Contemporary strategy analysis : concepts, techniques, applications / Robe.. 5th ed . Oxford : Blackwell, 2004 Johnson, Gerry. Exploring corporate strategy / Gerry Johnson, Kevan Scholes. 6th ed.. Harlow : Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2002. Lynch, Richard L.. Corporate strategy / Richard Lynch. 3rd ed. Harlow : Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2003. Mintzberg, Henry. Strategy safari : the complete guide through the wilds of strategic manage Harlow : Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2001. Mintzberg, H. and Waters, J.A. Of strategies, deliberate and emergent Strategic management journal. John Wiley and Sons Inc. Vol 6 (1985) p.257-272 Peteraf, M. The cornerstones of competitive advantage: a resource-based view Strategic management journal. John Wiley and Sons Inc. Vol 14 (3) 1993 p.179-191 Porter, M.E. From competitive advantage to corporate strategy. Harvard business review Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation, 1987 Prahalad, C.K. and Hamel, G. The core competence of the corporation Harvard business review. Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. Vol 68 (3) 1990 p.79-91 Schein, Edgar H. (Edgar Henry), 1928-. Organizational culture and leadership. 2nd ed. San Francisco, Calif. : Jossey-Bass, 1992. (Jossey-Bass management series). Teece, D. et al Dynamic capabilities and strategic management Strategic management journal vol 17 (7) 1997 p.509-533 Whittington, Richard, 1958- What is strategy and does it matter? / Richard Whittington 2nd ed . London : Thomson Learning, 2001 1861523777 Footnotes [1] Amazon.com – from start up to the new millennium, Stockport Street in Johnson Scholes (2002) [2] www.amazon.com [3] This is a self prepared summary using the information provided in the Amazon.com Case study by Stockport Street. The purpose of the summary is informative and allows connection with the report – it has therefore been included in the main text. [4] Such text in bold are exhibits of strategic highlights

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Euthyphro Good or bad, right or wrong, truth or lie, piety or impiety, just or unjust, honorable or dishonorable; these controversies are and always have been problematic for human beings. It is not as easy as it seems to draw a line between those antonyms, partly because people have cultural differences, dissimilar backgrounds, educational levels, values, believes, and views on religion, as in the case with Socrates and Euthyphro. Following the conversation of Socrates and Euthyphro, it is obvious that Socrates is a philosopher who relies on his philosophic point of view and believes that it is not normal to pursue your own father for murder, if he killed a non-relative. But vice versa, it is alright to press charges against your father, if the victim is a family member. As seen from Socrates’s proposition: â€Å"I suppose that the man whom your father murdered was one of your relative -- clearly he was; for if he had been a stranger you would never have thought of prosecuting him†. He is not only surprised about Euthyphro’s desire to bring his own father to court, but is also amazed that religion beliefs might be stronger then the relationship between father and son. On the contrary, Euthypro observes this case from a different point of view. For him it doesn’t matter, who is the murderer: â€Å"The real question is whether the murdered man has been justly slain. If justly, then y our duty is to let the matter alone; but if unjustly, then even if the murderer lives under the same table, proceed against him†. One can then ask: â€Å"What are the criteria for recognition of whether the murdered man has been justly or unjustly slain?† Socrates was in court awaiting trial on charges of impiety. The philosopher sarcastically agrees to be Euthyphro’s disciple, when Euthyphro suggest that he has deep knowledge of religion and of things pious and impious. It was important for Socrates to understand the difference between these terms, as he had to appear in court with justification of his actions (rash imagination and innovations in religion). Along their debate, Socrates is little-by-little persuading Euthyphro that the distinction between just and unjust, piety and impiety, honorable and dishonorable is very ambiguous and depends on how it is viewed and by whom it is viewed. Socrates points out that things and actions are not necessarily pious and holy when loved by Gods, because even Gods were frequently involved in immoral acts and very often even quarreled with each other.

The Power of Discourse in a Political Sex Scandal :: Politics Political Sex Gender Essays

The Power of Discourse in a Political Sex Scandal On August 12th, 2004 New Jersey Governor James McGreevey became this nation's first openly gay state governor. Several moments after he stated, "I am a gay American", he succumbed to intense political and public pressure by announcing his resignation from New Jersey's most powerful position. This announcement and resignation came after a week of intense allegations that McGreevey sexually harassed a male colleague whom he had appointed. While American politics are not foreign to sexual scandal, the political destruction and individual defeat which McGreevey currently faces is poignantly unique. Throughout his career, McGreevey has been formally investigated for unethical political practices on at least 4 occasions. One of the current investigations includes allegations of fraudulent campaign finance practices and nepotism within upper end political appointments. Despite the severity of these allegations, it was the charge of sexual assault from a male employee that forced his resigna tion and retirement from politics. In order to understand the severity of the sexual harassment allegations against McGreevey, it is necessary to look at the situation through the eyes of Rubin and Foucault. Not only did McGreevey's actions reflect the social sexual hierarchy described by Rubin, but through his secrecy and discretion McGreevey disrupted the powerful discourse of his position with political and public realms. In her essay "Thinking Sex", Gayle Rubin strictly outlines the rules of sexual conduct which currently exist in Western society. These rules have created a sexual hierarchy which places heterosexual, monogamous, married, reproductive sex at the top. Anything deterring from this position, is placed below in varying degrees. The allegations of sexual assault made against McGreevey not only announce publicly his sexual preference, but according to Rubin, place him at the very bottom of the sexual hierarchy. First and foremost, McGreevey is a married man. Any act of sexual advance towards anyone besides his wife can be seen as adulterous. Second, these sexual advances were made toward a male colleague while McGreevey remained in a heterosexual marriage. Thus, in the eyes of a bystander, he is eliciting homosexual behavior without claiming full affiliation with the gay community. Most importantly, the allegations of sexual harassment bring into question the consensual nature of his advances. As Rubin explains "A democratic morality should judge sexual acts by the way partners treat one another, the level of mutual consideration, the presence or absence of coercion, and the quantity and quality of the pleasures which they provide.

Foundation and Empire 3. The Dead Hand

Bel Riose interrupted his annoyed stridings to look up hopefully when his aide entered. â€Å"Any word of the Starlet?† â€Å"None. The scouting party has quartered space, but the instruments have detected nothing. Commander Yume has reported that the Fleet is ready for an immediate attack in retaliation.† The general shook his head. â€Å"No, not for a patrol ship. Not yet. Tell him to double – Wait! I'll write out the message. Have it coded and transmitted by tight beam.† He wrote as he talked and thrust the paper at the waiting officer. â€Å"Has the Siwennian arrived yet?† â€Å"Not yet.† â€Å"Well, see to it that he is brought in here as soon as he does arrive.† The aide saluted crisply and left. Riose resumed his caged stride. When the door opened a second time, it was Ducem Barr that stood on the threshold. Slowly, in the footsteps of the ushering aide, he stepped into the garish room whose ceiling was an ornamented holographic model of the Galaxy, and in the center of which Bel Riose stood in field uniform. â€Å"Patrician, good day!† The general pushed forward a chair with his foot and gestured the aide away with a â€Å"That door is to stay closed till I open it.† He stood before the Siwennian, legs apart, hand grasping wrist behind his back, balancing himself slowly, thoughtfully, on the balls of his feet. Then, harshly, â€Å"Patrician, are you a loyal subject of the Emperor?† Barr, who had maintained an indifferent silence till then, wrinkled a noncommittal brow. â€Å"I have no cause to love Imperial rule.† â€Å"Which is a long way from saying that you would be a traitor.† â€Å"True. But the mere act of not being a traitor is also a long way from agreeing to be an active helper.† â€Å"Ordinarily also true. But to refuse your help at this point,† said Riose, deliberately, â€Å"will be considered treason and treated as such.† Barr's eyebrows drew together. â€Å"Save your verbal cudgels for your subordinates. A simple statement of your needs and wants will suffice me here.† Riose sat down and crossed his legs. â€Å"Barr, we had an earlier discussion half a year ago.† â€Å"About your magicians?† â€Å"Yes. You remember what I said I would do.† Barr nodded. His arms rested limply in his lap. â€Å"You were going to visit them in their haunts, and you've been away these four months. Did you find them?† â€Å"Find them? That I did,† cried Riose. His lips were stiff as he spoke. It seemed to require effort to refrain from grinding molars. â€Å"Patrician, they are not magicians; they are devils. It is as far from belief as the outer galaxies from here. Conceive it! It is a world the size of a handkerchief, of a fingernail; with resources so petty, power so minute, a population so microscopic as would never suffice the most backward worlds of the dusty prefects of the Dark Stars. Yet with that, a people so proud and ambitious as to dream quietly and methodically of Galactic rule. â€Å"Why, they are so sure of themselves that they do not even hurry. They move slowly, phlegmatically; they speak of necessary centuries. They swallow worlds at leisure; creep through systems with dawdling complacence. â€Å"And they succeed. There is no one to stop them. They have built up a filthy trading community that curls its tentacles about the systems further than their toy ships dare reach. For parsecs, their Traders – which is what their agents call themselves – penetrate.† Ducem Barr interrupted the angry flow. â€Å"How much of this information is definite; and how much is simply fury?† The soldier caught his breath and grew calmer. â€Å"My fury does not blind me. I tell you I was in worlds nearer to Siwenna than to the Foundation, where the Empire was a myth of the distance, and where Traders were living truths. We ourselves were mistaken for Traders.† â€Å"The Foundation itself told you they aimed at Galactic dominion?† â€Å"Told me!† Riose was violent again. â€Å"It was not a matter of telling me. The officials said nothing. They spoke business exclusively. But I spoke to ordinary men. I absorbed the ideas of the common folk; their ‘manifest destiny,' their calm acceptance of a great future. It is a thing that can't be hidden; a universal optimism they don't even try to hide.† The Siwennian openly displayed a certain quiet satisfaction. â€Å"You will notice that so far it would seem to bear out quite accurately my reconstruction of events from the paltry data on the subject that I have gathered.† â€Å"It is no doubt,† replied Riose with vexed sarcasm, â€Å"a tribute to your analytical powers. It is also a hearty and bumptious commentary on the growing danger to the domains of His Imperial Majesty.† Barr shrugged his unconcern, and Riose leaned forward suddenly, to seize the old man's shoulders and stare with curious gentleness into his eyes. He said, â€Å"Now, patrician, none of that. I have no desire to be barbaric. For my part, the legacy of Siwennian hostility to the Imperium is an odious burden, and one which I would do everything in my power to wipe out. But my province is the military and interference in civil affairs is impossible. It would bring about my recall and ruin my usefulness at once. You see that? I know you see that. Between yourself and myself then, let the atrocity of forty years ago be repaid by your vengeance upon its author and so forgotten. I need your help. I frankly admit it.† There was a world of urgency in the young man's voice, but Ducem Barr's head shook gently and deliberately in a negative gesture. Riose said pleadingly, â€Å"You don't understand, patrician, and I doubt my ability to make you. I can't argue on your ground. You're the scholar, not I. But this I can tell you. Whatever you think of the Empire, you will admit its great services. Its armed forces have committed isolated crimes, but in the main they have been a force for peace and civilization. It was the Imperial navy that created the Pax Imperium that ruled over all the Galaxy for thousands of years. Contrast the millennia of peace under the Sun-and-Spaceship of the Empire with the millennia of interstellar anarchy that preceded it. Consider the wars and devastations of those old days and tell me if, with all its faults, the Empire is not worth preserving. â€Å"Consider,† he drove on forcefully, â€Å"to what the outer fringe of the Galaxy is reduced in these days of their breakaway and independence, and ask yourself if for the sake of a petty revenge you would reduce Siwenna from its position as a province under the protection of a mighty Navy to a barbarian world in a barbarian Galaxy, all immersed in its fragmentary independence and its common degradation and misery.† â€Å"Is it so bad – so soon?† murmured the Siwennian. â€Å"No,† admitted Riose. â€Å"We would be safe ourselves no doubt, were our lifetimes quadrupled. But it is for the Empire I fight; that, and a military tradition which is something for myself alone, and which I can not transfer to you. It is a military tradition built on the Imperial institution which I serve.† â€Å"You are getting mystical, and I always find it difficult to penetrate another person's mysticism.† â€Å"No matter. You understand the danger of this Foundation.† â€Å"It was I who pointed out what you call the danger before ever you headed outward from Siwenna.† â€Å"Then you realize that it must be stopped in embryo or perhaps not at all. You have known of this Foundation before anyone had heard of it. You know more about it than anyone else in the Empire. You probably know how it might best be attacked; and you can probably forewarn me of its countermeasures. Come, let us be friends.† Ducem Barr rose. He said flatly, â€Å"Such help as I could give you means nothing. So I will make you free of it in the face of your strenuous demand.† â€Å"I will be the judge of its meaning.† â€Å"No, I am serious. Not all the might of the Empire could avail to crush this pygmy world.† â€Å"Why not?† Bel Riose's eyes glistened fiercely. â€Å"No, stay where you are. I'll tell you when you may leave. Why not? If you think I underestimate this enemy I have discovered, you are wrong. Patrician,† he spoke reluctantly, â€Å"I lost a ship on my return. I have no proof that it fell into the hands of the Foundation; but it has not been located since and were it merely an accident, its dead hulk should, certainly have been found along the route we took. It is not an important loss – less than the tenth part of a fleabite, but it may mean that the Foundation has already opened hostilities. Such eagerness and such disregard for consequences might mean secret forces of which I know nothing. Can you help me then by answering a specific question? What is their military power?† â€Å"I haven't any notion.† â€Å"Then explain yourself on your own terms. Why do you say the Empire can not defeat this small enemy?† The Siwennian seated himself once more and looked away from Riose's fixed glare. He spoke heavily, â€Å"Because I have faith in the principles of psychohistory. It is a strange science. It reached mathematical maturity with one man, Hari Seldon, and died with him, for no man since has been capable of manipulating its intricacies. But in that short period, it proved itself the most powerful instrument ever invented for the study of humanity. Without pretending to predict the actions of individual humans, it formulated definite laws capable of mathematical analysis and extrapolation to govern and predict the mass action of human groups.† â€Å"So-â€Å" â€Å"It was that psychohistory which Seldon and the group he worked with applied in full force to the establishment of the Foundation. The place, time, and conditions all conspire mathematically and so, inevitably, to the development of a Second Galactic Empire.† Riose's voice trembled with indignation. â€Å"You mean that this art of his predicts that I would attack the Foundation and lose such and such a battle for such and such a reason? You are trying to say that I am a silly robot following a predetermined course into destruction.† â€Å"No,† replied the old patrician, sharply. â€Å"I have already said that the science had nothing to do with individual actions. It is the vaster background that has been foreseen.† â€Å"Then we stand clasped tightly in the forcing hand of the Goddess of Historical Necessity.† â€Å"Of Psychohistorical Necessity,† prompted Barr, softly. â€Å"And if I exercise my prerogative of freewill? If I choose to attack next year, or not to attack at all? How pliable is the Goddess? How resourceful?† Barr shrugged. â€Å"Attack now or never; with a single ship, or all the force in the Empire; by military force or economic pressure; by candid declaration of war or by treacherous ambush. Do whatever you wish in your fullest exercise of freewill. You will still lose.† â€Å"Because of Hari Seldon's dead hand?† â€Å"Because of the dead hand of the mathematics of human behavior that can neither be stopped, swerved, nor delayed.† The two faced each other in deadlock, until the general stepped back. He said simply, â€Å"I'll take that challenge. It's a dead hand against a living will.†

Identify and Explain Communication Relationships

Promote Communication in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings 1. 1 Identify the different reasons people communicate Communication is very important and can be non-verbal: making eye contact, body language and gestures, verbal: talking, singing, listening and responding, and written. People communicate usually to provide or receive information. The information provided can be passed on and used for teaching and learning. It is also used to share our ideas and thoughts, to interact with others, and to understand others.Communication allows us to make decisions, to inform others, to resolve conflicts and problems, and to meet social and physical needs. We need to communicate in a nursery especially, as it is part of child development. Communication allows for connection with a young child, and enabling positive relationships to build by sharing and relating information. We also use communication whilst experiencing different things, such as new fo od, which allows everyone to express their ideas and extend their vocabulary. . 2 Explain how communication affects relationships in the work setting Communication in the workplace is a system for sending and receiving messages. Communication is a process that enables us to have good relationships with parents, colleagues, and children. Good relationships can create a welcoming and secure atmosphere for the children. This then helps the child to settle in and feel relaxed. Children are ‘social learners’, and learn by copying other people.Adults working with them should model good communication, both speaking and listening, so children will learn from them. Children need to know that they are being listened to and heard. This helps them to build up trust with adults, and promotes better relationships. The more you learn how to listen to the child, the better you will be able to assess their abilities and interests, and planning for their next steps in learning and develo pment. You will also get to know them well and then you can support their emotional needs by being in tune with them.The better and sooner children learn to communicate, the more easily they will form friendships and their confidence and self-esteem will increase. Very young children often aren’t able to express their thoughts and feelings in words, so it is important that adults working with them can listen carefully, and help children to learn how to express themselves. Good relationships also benefit the quality of interaction between the setting and the parent. Parents are more likely to share information, make comments and take an interest in what their child has been doing.This also benefits the child as additional information will be passed on to help the practitioner meet the child’s needs. There also needs to be good communication between staff members in the setting so they can enjoy their work. A good relationship in a team means that during times of stress and difficulties, practitioners can support each other. If there is lack of communication between staff members, vital information may not be passed on, and the child’s safety could be affected. This could be what a child’s allergies are, or who will be picking the child up. ConfidentialityConfidential information is information of some sensitivity, which has been shared in a relationship where the person giving the information understood it would not be shared with others. This also means the discretion in keeping secret or private information. All childcare settings must intend to fully respect the privacy of children and families. It is good to try and ensure that all parents and carers can share their information in the confidence that it will only be used to enhance the welfare of their child. Settings can respect confidentiality in the following ways: Allowing parents to have access to files and records of their own children, but do not have access to information about any other child. * Staff will not discuss personal information given by parents with other members of staff, except where it effects planning for the child’s needs. All staff is aware of the importance of confidentiality in the role of the key person. * Any concerns relating to a child’s personal safety are kept in a secure, confidential file and are shared with as few people as possible on a â€Å"need to know† basis. Personal information about children, families and staff is kept securely in a lockable file. * Issues to do with employment of staff, whether paid or unpaid, remain confidential to the people directly involved with making decisions. * Students attending the nursery on placement are made aware of the confidentiality policy and are required to respect it. Multi-Agency Approach to Communication Unifying Communications for a Safer Response The Programme is funded jointly by the Department of Communities and Local Government, National Policing I mprovement Agency, Cabinet Office and the Department of Health.The Public rightfully expect a  quick and effective  response from the emergency services and responder community. Experience  of major incidents and large scale events have highlighted the requirement for responders to communicate more effectively. Common communications tools are available, including Airwave radio and data tools such as the National Resilience Extranet. Airwave is the common radio platform in use by the Police Service, Ambulance Trusts, Fire and Rescue Service and those responding within the Civil Contingencies Act, 2004.The exchange of critical voice and data information between emergency responders is essential to: * Maximise the opportunity for  an effective  provision of services to the Public * Minimise risks to the public and emergency services personnel * Alert personnel to an immediate hazard * Support decision-making by Commanders * Assist in the creation and maintenance of a Common O perating Picture (COP) * Deliver a common operational approach across borders at emergencies, incidents and events http://www. pia. police. uk Communicating with children It is important to communicate clearly with young children as it helps them to understand what is expected of them, and they also learn to become good communicators themselves. Good communication:- * Check that you have their attention * Make good eye contact * Use positive facial expressions and body language * Use a friendly tone of voice * Call children by their preferred name * Keep sentences to the point * Listen to what the child says them respond Do not be sarcastic * Think about children’s language level and needs * Remember that they may not know phrases and words such as ‘a couple’ To build a good relationship with children, it is important that you encourage them to interact with you. This should be in a relaxed and natural way. Sometimes rather than telling a child what to do, you ma y ask them what they think and allow them to make suggestions. Listening plays a vital role here and teaches the children how to listen.Adapting communication to meet the individual needs of children Every child is different, so it is important to think about the communication needs of each individual child, and then adapt your approaches accordingly. For example, a child who stammers will need more opportunities to talk calmly in unhurried situations, away from other children who may interrupt. Another example is a child who has English as a second language. In this case, you may need to simplify sentences or use visual cues. They may need a little more time to respond.If there are particular difficulties with a child, firstly you need to talk to parents as they know what works best for their child. If these strategies don’t work, you may need to contact a speech and language team to try and extend these strategies. For example, a visual approach alongside spoken word, to he lp children understand the meaning, or a pictorial system which allows the children to show what they want by photographs. A child with a hearing loss may benefit from communicating in areas that are well lit, and away from distracting background noises.Recognising communication differences and difficulties It is important to learn about what a particular child is use to. If you have parents of different cultures or nationalities in the setting, take note of how they interact and communicate with children. For example, a parent may kiss and hug their child more, so their child will be used to a much more active style of communication. The use of eye contact and body language also vary across languages and cultures. The gesture for ‘no’ may be different so it is good to learn by watching and taking an interest in the way parents interacts with their children.There are many reasons why a child may have delayed speech or communication difficulties. If early intervention ca n take place, it could make a significant difference. Environmental causes include: Parents/carers or practitioners being ‘too busy’ to talk to the children Lack of understanding by parents/carers or practitioners of the importance of talking and listening to children Meal times not being shared with adults Noisy home environment – radio always on Child being left alone for long periods of time Children with communication difficulties do not necessarily have any learning impairment.It is important to not assume that a child’s ability to understand, listen and learn is diminished because of difficulties in communication. It is also essential to ensure that the child is not being bullied or teased by the other children. If so, it must be prevented straight away as there are many effects such as a decrease in confidence and self esteem. Type of difficulty| Examples/Characteristics| Speech and Language Delay| A child with these difficulties follow the normal p attern for speech and language, but at a slower rate or later than usual. Emotional Problems| Being withdrawn and fearful of adults. A child with emotional problems is usually a result of abuse or neglect. | Expressive Difficulties| The child finds it hard to convey thoughts in words. For example, a child may say ‘chair’ meaning ‘table’ but does fully understand the difference between the two. | Stuttering| Most children go through a phase of not being able to pronounce words in the accepted way, repeating words and not being fluent. If a stutter does develop, it will be between the age of two and five years.Children who have a stutter have difficulty in coordinating the airflow in their mouths and the muscles around their mouths. Stressful situations, such as talking in front of a group, can make it worse. It is very important to allow the child to speak and not finish their sentences. You can help with props and provide lots of reassurance. Referral to a specialist may be required. | Specialists include: * Translation services * Interpreting services * Speech and language services * Advocacy services

Media Reaction Paper – West Side Story

Media Reaction Paper: West Side Story West Side Story was one of the first musicals this writer saw on Broadway. It was such a mesmerizing experience to live the culmination of the hard work performed by a group of very talented individuals that stemmed from a single idea. It was not until research was done for this paper that this student realized what a great cultural impact West Side Story was when it was first introduced to audiences. The book for West Side Story was written by Arthur Laurents in 1949. An interesting fact about this legendary story is that it was not always named West Side Story. The original name given this tale, based on Romeo and Juliet, was â€Å"East Side Story. † It was written as a rivalry tale between a gang of Roman Catholic teenagers named The Jets, and a gang of Jewish teenagers named The Emeralds. Because this topic of rivalry between the Jewish and Roman Catholic communities was redundant in the industry at the time, the creative team composed of Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein, decided to put the project on hold. Thus, they ceased work on the idea for a period of almost five years (Miller, 2006). After five years the creative team reunited to work on other projects and decided to revisit East Side Story and give it a completely new twist and decided to set it in Harlem, New York City (Miller, 2006). West Side Story depicts the love between a Caucasian teenage boy from the West Side of New York City and a young Puerto Rican girl from the same neighborhood. The characters were all from a poor neighborhood and hung out on the streets together. There were two gangs that were in constant conflict with each other: The Jets and The Sharks. Tony, the main character, is a member of the Jets, a gang composed of Caucasian teenage boys. He is however, different from the rest of the members and wants to work and someday go on his own way. Maria is the sister of the leader of the Sharks, a gang composed of teenage Puerto Rican boys. Maria and Tony meet and instantly fall in love and have to deal with the turmoil of being from different cultural backgrounds and the difficulty of having their love accepted by each of their groups. The relationship causes conflict in the neighborhood that results in violence and ultimately Tony’s death. West Side Story was considered a breakthrough for the Puerto Rican community. Very little exposure about the Puerto Rican culture and their presence in New York City had been portrayed in any type of media up to the time the play’s debut on Broadway. Although Puerto Rican’s were depicted with stereotypes that were not necessarily true about their culture, the story delivers a message of change. It describes racism as dangerous and as an obstacle to love. To have developed such a controversial story during times when segregation still existed in the United States was very brave. What softened the diversified and strong topic was the fact that it was a musical with very vivid choreography and colors andan upbeat script full of humor. This factor made the story more acceptable to the American people. The media has its ways to persuade the masses. Within the past century, the media has played an important part in the cultural changes in America. Television, radio, theater and written works have broken through the racism barriers to expose the many faces of the American population. Everyone is different and their cultural background makes a special contribution to the community of the world. West Side Story is a good example of a media piece that addressed America’s cultural diversity in a time when most people had no idea how multicultural our country really was. References Miller, G. (Wintr-Summer 2003). Arthur Laurents chronology. American Drama, p. 1(9). Retrieved November 10, 2009, from General OneFile via Gale: http://find. galegroup. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/ips/start. do? prodId=IPS

The story revolved around an unlikely relationship

The story revolved around an unlikely relationship between a boy and a 36-year-old wealthy man. Will was wealthy and trendy. He spent most of his days laying around and being self-absorbed.He was living off his late father’s royalties from his hit single, â€Å"Santa’s Super Sleigh.† He refused to do anything with his life. Bored and desperate to meet women who were desperate for sex, he went off to join a single parent’s group called â€Å"SPAT.† He pretended to have a son, until he met Suzie.At a company outing, Will met Fiona, an eccentric hippy vegan who had a 12-year-old sold named Marcus. He was the type of child who was bullied in school because of his weird haircut and his old-fashioned clothes that his mom chose for him.During that time, Will and Marcus did not like each other very much. It was during that time when, they discovered that Fiona tried to commit suicide. Marcus spied on Will during the day and discovered he was not a single pa rent since he did not have a kid. He tried to convince Will to befriend his mother, fearing that she would try to kill herself again This was because of his mother’s constant crying.Over time, Will allowed Marcus to visit him. He even gave him new trainers. The next day, they got stolen. Marcus had to explain to his mother how Will was trying to help him out socially. Marcus joined a talent show at school to sing â€Å"Killing me Softly† that was supposed to be his mother’s favorite song.Will tried to stop Marcus from doing so and races to his school knowing it was social suicide. He arrived but was not successful in persuading Marcus from performing. Seeing that Marcus was not doing well with the crowd, he came on stage with him playing a guitar. While the performance was not as successful, the friendship forged between Will and Marcus was. It served as a pivotal part in the story as the two turned each other’s lives around.Relationships. The story revol ved around the significance of relationships each character had in each other’s lives. The theme of the story was about how relationships can change your life. Mainly, it was Will’s life that was headlined.   He was living an empty life despite his wealth and free time.It was only when he formed a relationship with Marcus that his life gained meaning and substance. He began to care about someone other than himself as shown in how he brought him new shoes and when he performed the talent show with Marcus. If he did not meet Marcus, could he have changed his life alone? It was unlikely, as he did not realize then that he needed to.It was then that he apprehended that it was not good to live his life for himself alone. He saw how different it was when he did not knew Marcus. Once he had experienced having a real relationship with a person, he yearned for it and realized he needed people too. He felt the emptiness when Marcus was not around.At the same time, Marcus was c ruising through his life as a pushover. He did not know how to act with confidence because he did lack the chance to have a father figure. He did not have anyone whom he could have such an important relationship with.The time he had spent at Will’s house built the relationship between them, even if it was unwarranted. He was hanging out with him after school and it worked for them. The story showed that relationships did not need to be conventional for them to change a person’s life.The friendship that developed between Fiona and Will was also an unusual one. But she needed that relationship with Will in order to keep her sanity and avoid depression. Even if there were times wherein, he threatened her, she was grateful for the role he played in Marcus’ life. She saw that with Will around, she had a chance to make his life better.This showed how the relationships of the people we love have with other people affects our lives as well. People were also placed in ot hers lives for a purpose. It also showed that relationships were built over time. It was also strengthened by genuine concern and honesty.It was something that needed to be worked on. People needed a witness to their lives. The story revolved around relationships and the importance of human connection was to create a meaningful existence.Work CitedHornby, Nick. About a Boy. New York: Riverhead Books, 1998.