Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 24

Management - Essay Example odel, which has since long dominated the people management strategies adopted by managers in workplaces to constantly keep their employees motivated in order to derive better performances. However, during the past couple of years organizational management has undergone significant transformation in the manner in which it seeks to motivate its employees. The traditional methods of offering extrinsic rewards or economic benefits to the employees in order to keep them motivated and garner higher productivity and hence revenues, has become obsolete ever since the introduction of the concept of intrinsic motivation, which is required in today’s workplace. One of the most commonly discussed economic ideologies is the fact that it emphasizes on the aspect of personal economic gain as a key motivating factor within an organizational environment. Various eminent theorists and authors such as Ed Schein, Abe Maslow and the likes have stated that employees have a higher-order personal needs which govern their behavior. There is a wide amount of literature which claims economic rewards as a key motivator however the evidence on higher employee productivity on account of intrinsic rewards has been mounting in the past couple of decades (Thomas, 20022). Extrinsic benefits or rewards commonly include monetary compensation as a primary tool of enhancing employee performance. However, despite its widespread acceptance, especially among the managers who view it as a most effective means of improving worker productivity, this method has attracted severe criticisms recently. A significant proportion of these criticisms are mainly on account of wide spread research, which offers empirical evidence regarding the failure of extrinsic motivation to ensure and sustain, long term organizational performance (Perry et al. 20093; Ingraham 19934; Kellough and Lu 19935; Milkovich and Wigdor 19916). Furthemore, it has also been observed in past researches that debates concerning employee

Genral planning (related to the city that you choosed) Essay

Genral planning (related to the city that you choosed) - Essay Example This paper focuses on land use planning as an important element in the general planning of the city of Los Angeles. With a population of nearly 3.8 million people as per the 2010 census, Los Angeles city is currently the most populous city in California. The city is known all over the world as a center of entertainment, culture, trade and technology. As home to the Hollywood entertainment industry, Los Angeles is also home to many of the world’s celebrities. The general plan of Los Angeles was primarily designed to be a strategy of the future growth of the city using the population forecasts as the basis of planning. Consequently all the elements of a city’s general planning are intended to accommodate the future populations in a way that enhances environmental conservation. Just like many other cities around the world, demographic and spatial changes such as transport congestion are proving to be the major challenges facing sustainable land use in the city of Los Angeles and its environment (Davis, 23). As a result, land use planning in Los Angeles has been largely based on the principles of sustainability in an attempt to mitigate both the present and future challenges regarding the dynamics of urban land use. Additionally land use planning in the city of Los Angeles is also designed to promote the growth and development of both the residential neighborhoods and commercial districts of the city with regard to the future growth in population. The general planning of the city of Los Angeles has designated specific locations to be used for particular new land uses. The land use in these locations is determined by the respective community plans. A number of land use categories in the city of Los Angeles are in the areas that were originally designated for industrial, commercial and residential uses. It is however worth noting that the

The Cause of Drug Abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The Cause of Drug Abuse - Essay Example Additionally, it is possible to treat drug addiction and enable people to go back to their normal lives. Drug addiction can be considered as a chronic disease that causes obsessive behavior in spite of the negative consequences to the individual and those around them. It leads to changes in the structure and functioning of the brain (Allen 67). Many individuals indulge in drug abuse voluntarily at first, and lose self control overtime, thus negatively influencing their lifestyle. Some root causes of drug abuse include curiosity, exposure to drug addiction from media and friends, genetic predisposition to addiction, lack of self-esteem and depression. According to a famous saying, â€Å"curiosity killed the cat.† This is true in the case of drug abuse (Lowinson 48). People addicted to drugs are curious about its effect on them. They think that drugs can be so much fun. With it, they can be someone else because they can do things they cannot do when they are not under the influence of drugs. The media serves as one of the most influential factors to the way people behave nowadays. According to Castillo (48), the media portrays drug abuse as similar to being cool. For instance, pop artists who have the most number of fans are those who look or were reported to be drug users (e.g., Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, etc. Conversely, there are a few people who can serve as role models in the contemporary society. Peer pressure is also among the leading causes of drug abuse in the contemporary society (Lowinson 48). This is especially true for young people who use drugs to feel cool, fit in a certain group and impress their friends. For example, if one’s friends smoke marijuana or engage in alcoholism, there is a big chance that the person will take part in similar behavior just to be accepted. Peer pressure is the urge to do what one’s friends are doing is very common among teenagers who are desperate to impress their friends and be accepted in a

Native Americans and European Colonists Essay Example for Free

Native Americans and European Colonists Essay At the start of the seventeenth century, Native Americans greeted European settlers with much excitement. They regarded settlers as strange, but were interested to learn about the new tools and weapons Europeans brought with them. The native people were more than accommodating to the settlers, but as time passed, Europeans took advantage of their generosity. â€Å"Once these newcomers disembarked and began to feel their way across the continent, they forever altered the course and pace of native development. † Native Americans and Europeans faced many conflicts due to their vast differences in language, religion and culture. European settlers’ inability to understand and respect Native Americans lead to many struggles that would eventually erupt into violent warfare. Many natives thought the armed Europeans would be able to protect them from their more powerful native enemies. In many cases, Europeans did help natives in warfare. Samuel de Champlain, a critical figure in the establishment of the New France colony, aided the Montganais, Algonkaian and Hurons in their fight against the Iroquois. Champlain and his tribes used European firearms to frighten and defeat their enemies. â€Å"The Iroquois were much astonished that two men should have been killed so quickly, although they were provided with shields made of cotton thread woven together and wood, which were proof against their arrows. † In decades to come, Europeans were not be so friendly toward Native Americans, using firearms to take native lands and resources. Native Americans relied on â€Å"gift exchange† system that allowed different tribes to specialize in the production of a certain goods. They would trade their goods with other native tribes. Native Americans hoped to incorporate Europeans into this system. For a while, natives did trade skins and hides, receiving wampum, sacred blue and white shell beads, in exchange from the settlers. â€Å"Exchange is meant not only the trading of material goods but also exchanges across community lines of marriage partners, resources, labor, ideas, techniques and religious practices. † Natives generously shared their belongings, supplies, food, and the skills necessary for survival in the New World with the settlers. In exchange, settlers gave Natives disease, death and robbed them of their lands. Within ten years of the first arrival of European settlers, the Natives welcome had worn out. The settlers had appeared on the scene with two objectives in mind in regards to the Native Americans: obtain their land and convert them to Christianity. Europeans judged natives for their different language, their lack of clothing, and the absence of government and religion in their society. The Europeans established their own set of laws on native soil and held natives accountable to these laws. Any breach of European law by Natives residing in the area resulted in public humiliation, a practice unfamiliar to Native society. More complications accumulated due to their vast differences in language, religion and culture, but it was the differing views of land, that caused violent conflict. With more and more Europeans arriving in America, they needed more land to settle and grow crops. Also, at this time, the demand of tobacco was greatly increasing. The tobacco industry amounted for most of the settlers’ exports. To grow tobacco, settlers needed large plots of land. In the Native American’s eyes, the land was to be shared with the European. Natives had no understanding of the selling of land to European settlers. Europeans used this to their advantage, acquiring large plots of land without fully explaining the terms of the negotiation to the natives, or properly paying them. At first, natives sold land to Europeans, believing that this agreement would still allow them to use the land. Later, they realized that Europeans were rapidly establishing private uses on these lands. Colonists strongly objected to native settlements on the lands that they hoped to establish businesses on. Many more problems arose since the arrival of Europeans in America. Europeans introduced a variety of deadly diseases to North America that Native Americans had never been exposed to before. The colonists and explorers brought measles, smallpox, cholera, and yellow fever, which drastically devastating the Native American population. â€Å"The collected wisdom of generations could vanish in a matter of days if sickness struck older members of the community who kept sacred traditions and taught special skills. † Not only did the natives fear for their own lives, they feared for the future generations of native people. They feared that their traditions and culture would be forever lost. The relationship between Native Americans and Europeans began as a way for Europeans to learn about the lands they wished to inhabit. Natives can be given credit for teaching the first settlers how to survive in the new land. Due to the greed and arrogance of the European settlers, relations with natives turned sour. This struggle of co-existence would continue into the nineteenth century, resulting in the devastating mistreatment of Native Americans. [ 1 ]. James H. Marrell, â€Å"The Indians New World,† Major Problems in American History, (Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012), 17. [ 2 ]. Samuel de Champlain, The Works of Samuel de Champlain (Toronto, 1925), 89–101. [ 3 ]. Neal Salisbury, â€Å"The Indians Old World,† Major Problems in American History, (Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012), 25. [ 4 ]. Collin G. Calloway, â€Å"Voices from the Shore,† The World Turned Upside Down, (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1994), 21. [ 5 ]. Marrell, â€Å"The Indians New World,† 18.

Reasons Behind The Growth Of Eurocurrency Markets Finance Essay

Reasons Behind The Growth Of Eurocurrency Markets Finance Essay The Eurocurrency market Ñ onsists of banks, which Ñ alled Euro banks that aÑ Ãƒâ€˜Ã‚ ept deÑâ‚ ¬osits and make loans in foreign currencies. Eurocurrency is a deÑâ‚ ¬osit held in the bank outside the Ñ ountry in whose currency the deÑâ‚ ¬osit is dominated. The deÑâ‚ ¬osit can be Ñâ‚ ¬laced in a foreign bank or in the foreign branch of a domestiÑ  US bank. For à Ã‚ µxample, dollars deÑâ‚ ¬osited in a bank in Switzerland arà Ã‚ µ Eurodollars, yen deÑâ‚ ¬osited at a US bank are Euro yen, etc. The Eurocurrency market is dominated by US dollar or the Eurodollar. The deposit need to be held at a European bank or in Europe. Eurocurrency is used for lending and borrowing. The Eurocurrency market often provides a cheap and convenient form of liquidity for the financing of international trade and investment. The main borrowers and lenders are the commercial banks, large companies, and the central banks. By raising funds in Eurocurrencies it is possible to secure more favorable terms and rates of interest, and sometimes to avoid domestic regulations and taxation. The deposits and loans were initially on a short-term basis but increasing use is being made of medium-term loans, particularly through the raising of Eurobonds. This has to some extent replaced the syndicated loan market, in which banks lent money as a group in order to share the risk. The Eurocurrency market is dominated by US dollar or the Eurodollar. Occasionally, during the 1970s and 1980s, which were a weak dollar period, the Euro Swiss Franc and the Euro Deutsche Mark markets increased in importance. The Eurodollar market originated post Second World War in France and England thanks to the fear of Soviet Bloc countries that dollar deposits held in the US may be attached by US citizens with claims against communist governments. A Eurocurrency is a freely convertible currency deposited in a bank located in a country which is not the native country of the currency. Restrictions on convertibility take many forms limiting the amount that can be exchanged, the currencies into which exchange is possible, the uses for which foreign exchange can be obtained, or the range of holders who are allowed foreign exchange. The Eurocurrency market has grown rapidly mainly due to the existence of various US regulations that have raised costs and lowered returns on domestic banking transactions. In other words, the Eurocurrency market has become popular because of the absence of restrictions from the government which have led to attractive deposit rates for savers and attractive loan rates for borrowers. This means that banks can offer higher interest rates on Eurocurrency deposits than on deposits made in the home currency. Similarly, banks can also charge lower interest rates to Eurocurrency borrowers than to those who borrow the home currency. The spread between the Eurocurrency deposit and lending rates is less than the spread between the domestic deposit and lending rates giving Eurocurrency banks a competitive edge over domestic banks. The Eurocurrency market began to develop in the 1950s, when the Eastern Bloc countries were afraid the United States might seize their holdings of dollars. It means that instead of depositing their dollars in the United States, they deposited them in Europe. Additional dollar deposits came from Western European central banks and companies that exported to the United States. The other long-running disadvantage was a Regulation Q. This prohibited the payment of interest on demand deposits, as well as authorising the Federal Reserve to set a maximum interest rate payable on savings and time deposits in US banks. The level of interest rates in the money supply was raised through slowing down the growth of the money supply. However, while money market interest rates rose, the interest rates payable on time deposits, were held down by the ceiling. Investors moved their time deposits from the banking system, causing the banks to experience a shortage of funds. The banks then looked to the E urodollar market for funds, and in 1966, when money was tight, borrowing from European Branches of US banks by their head offices rose by $2.5 billion. Nevertheless, banks began to regard the market as a substitute source of dollars even when Regulation Q was not effective as in 1967. Funds raised through this method were then used to continue lending to customers in the US. Regulation Q stimulated the growth of the Eurodollar market in two ways: firstly, it reinforced the market`s ability to offer higher interest rates on deposits. Two other reasons why they could offer higher interest rates were that Euro banks operated on lower margins; and the effect of domestic reserve requirements. Secondly, the growth of the market was stimulated because of the demand for dollars from commercial banks in the US in order to go around domestic credit restraint policies. In 1957, the market surged again after changes in British laws. In the 1960s, the market grew once again when, after changes in US regulations discouraged US banks from lending to non-US residents, would be borrowers of dollars outside the United States turned to the Euromarkets a source of dollars. The next big increase in the Eurocurrency market came after the 1973-74 and 1979-80 oil price increases. OPEC (Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) members avoided potential confiscation of their dollars by depositing them in banks in London. The dramatic growth of flight capital to Swiss and other banks, encouraged by the development of financial centres such as Luxembourg in which regulations ensured the protection of the anonymity of lenders. The growth in supply of funds to the market was the use by central banks of the market in order to increase returns on their holdings of international reserves. However if there had not also been a large demand from borrowers for Eur odollar, the market would not have grown so rapidly. The reasons for the large demand from the borrowers include a US government discouragement from 1963 of borrowing by foreign companies directly from the US market through the imposition of a tax that increased the cost of borrowing in the US for borrowing in most of the industrial nations. The fact that the euro banks were free of the reserve requirements imposed on domestic banks, allowed them to maintain a lower spread between borrowing and lending rates. Another important reason of a large demand is a US government limitations on the amount of capital that US transnational corporations could shift out of the US to invest abroad, forcing them to borrow outside the US and providing the market with a major group of very creditworthy borrowers. The domestic and the international markets have two major components: the inter-bank mechanism, and the channelling of funds from initial depositors to ultimate borrowers. However, in the Euro-markets, the former plays a far more important role, with respects to the latter, in which the markets introduced important innovations. The general efficiency of the inter-bank mechanism in allowing banks access to funds at very short notice, as well as allowing them to place funds in the market for very short periods to earn some interest, helps to reduce the transactions and information costs in the Eurocurrency markets. This also allows them to operate on smaller margins. Two innovations, which are associated with lending to non-banks, and which have facilitated the expansion of the Euro-currency markets, are roll-over credits and the syndicated loan system. The introduction of roll-over credits reduces the risk of interest rates moving against a bank when it tends to borrow short and long-term. It enables banks to offer higher interest rates on short-term deposits, whilst at the same time being able to commit these funds long-term, through reducing the risk of making losses if deposit rates should rise again. On the borrower`s side of the market, such roll over credits imply that interest rates at the time of borrowing are less important, because if they should fall over the course of the loan, the borrower should reap the benefits. The second innovation is that of syndication of loans. A syndicated credit is a loan in which a group of financial institutions makes funds available on common conditions to a borrower. It allows credits of larger sizes sometimes over $1 billion, to be put together, a factor that was especially important in the financing of national balance of payments deficits. In the lender`s point of view, it reduces the risks of international bank lending , through diversification of loans to political entities. It also provides more protection against selective defaults: unwillingness of a nation to repay its debts will be met with pressure from several countries, whose banks are involved. Negotiations were also feasible, because at the same time, there are few enough creditors involved. On the other hand, a possible danger of the process, which has become increasingly recognised, is that in the event of a default, the repercussions will be spread over a wide part of the Euro-currency system. This has raised questions regarding the stability of the international banking system. There are certain important consequences of the rise of the Eurocurrency markets. The first is the shift in the financial system from one depending on a state to manage the flow of international liquidity, to a system where liquidity is provided by private banks. The international financial systems were threatened with a lack of credit, there is now, excess international liquidity, and private bank lending provides this. In 1980, the US inter-bank loan market stood at $74 billion, this almost doubled to $170 billion by 1995. The international inter-bank lending market by contrast had grown to $5.8 trillion by June 1995.

What does Bronte wish us to understand about early 19th century :: Essays Papers

What does Bronte wish us to understand about early 19th century society from our reading of the first ten chapters of Jane Eyre? In the early chapters, Bronte establishes the young Jane’s character through her confrontations with John and Mrs. Reed, in which Jane’s good-hearted but strong-willed determination and integrity become apparent. These chapters also establish the novel’s mood. Jane is an invented character but there was such a thing as mis-treated children. One type of abuse was the abuse directed to Jane by the Reed family. Jane’s’ aunt makes her life a misery. Jane is starved of love and affection. Mrs Reed finds fault with Jane because she wasn’t a content child. Jane says, â€Å" She really must exclude me from privileges intended only for contented, happy little children.† Mrs Reed gives an unbelievable amount of cruel treatment to Jane; for example, Mrs Reed has a new set of rules exclusively for Jane. John Reed is a child that behaves in an abusive way. No adult in the household stopped John’s behaviour. â€Å"He called his mother ‘old girl’†¦reviled her for her dark skin†¦ and he was still ‘her own darling’.† John vandalized the place; insulted and disrespected his mother despite this; he was still her own darling. John steps out of line, and is despicably behaved. â€Å"John Reed†¦large and stout for his age†¦with flabby cheeks. He ought to have been at school; but his mamma had taken him home for a month or two, ‘on account of his delicate health’.† This states that John is meant to be in school but his mother feels that his health is fragile, whereas he eats too much and doesn’t do enough exercise. Mrs Reed is unintentionally abusing her own children by over indulging them; this is another form of abuse. Mrs Reed’s children grow up unbalanced and we see towards the end of the book, that John commits suicide. Mrs Reed isn’t teaching her children how to differentiate between right and wrong. There is an extreme contrast between Jane and John’s abuse. Another aspect is that John abuses Jane physically. John attacks her, and for the first time she fights back scratching and crawling. The fact that Jane lashes out at John changes things, even though John attacks her first. The book that Jane chooses off the shelf is called ‘Bewicks History of British Birds’. She describes the books as, showing â€Å"death white realms†¦shadow. The words in these introductory pages†¦gave significance to the rock standing up alone in a sea billow of and spray; to the broken boat stranded on a desolate coast; to the cold and ghastly moon glancing through bars of cloud at a wreck just sinking.

Final Team Case Essay

Case Background Co-Founders Dave Packard and Bill Hewlett started Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 1939 inside a small one car garage behind Packard’s house. The two finished their studies as electrical engineers at Stanford University in 1934 and became close friends. They decided to start their own business â€Å"and make a run for it†, formalizing their partnership January 1, 1939. (The HP Way). They decide the company’s name with a coin toss that one car garage became the office of Hewlett-Packard. At the time it was started HP had $538 in working capital and little more than a couple hundred dollars worth of assets. It was in that garage that HP’s legacy was born, when Bill and Dave created the first HP product – the Audio Oscillator HP200A. Following the invention of their first product, the pair moved into a small building down the street from their famed garage and hired their first employees. â€Å"Walt Disney Studios placed an order for eight HP 200B audio oscill ators for the movie Fantasia—HP’s first big sale.† (High Tech: Winning Success In Silicon Valley). Another milestone was reached in 1940 when HP sent out its first ever Christmas bonus in the amount of $5. This Christmas bonus set the tone for all bonuses to come, as it quickly turned into a production bonus and soon helped to shape the company wide profit sharing plan that HP adapts. In 1942 HP builds its first ever company owned building, and in order to protect themselves build it so that it can be easily converted to a convenience store should the electronics industry fail. One of the most important milestones for the company was reached in 1947, as HP became a true Corporation. HP also caught attention for their Management by Walking Around and Open Door Policy programs. In 1957 HP had its initial public offering of stock and wrote their first set of corporate objectives, which set the tone for their management style as a company. In 1958 HP made its first â€Å"sizeable acquisition when they purchased F.L. Moseley Company†, which further expanded their product line. ( Maddox). The late 50’s and 60’s were an extremely important time for HP as a company as it was during this time that they became a global company by building a manufacturing plant in Germany. It was also during this time that they created their Division Separation structure where they separated profit and loss accountability  between divisions. This division was thought to help keep employees nimble while fostering motivation and creativity. During the 60’s HP further developed itself by entering into the medical field with the purchase of Sanborn Company. They also had their stock listed on the New York and Pacific Stock exchanges and were listed in Fortune 500’s top companies at 460. It was also during the 60’s that HP created its first computer, which was used in house to control company tests. HP also creates their first scientific calculator around this time, which also gained critical success. Further helping promote HP products Dave Packard was appo inted U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense in 1969. In 1977 John Young became president of HP replacing Bill Hewlett. In the early 80’s HP took much more interest in the personal computing industry as it was during this time that they create the first mass marketed personal computer. They also enter into creating printers for use with their personal computers, the printers HP manufactured during this time set the standard for the direction in which printers would evolve. In 1987 Bill Hewlett retired as vice chairman of the board of directors, his son Walter Hewlett and David W Packard (son of Dave Packard) step up to take his place. In 1992 Lew Platt became HP president and CEO who was the first president and CEO of HP to not be a member of the Hewlett or Packard family. In 1993 Dave Packard relinquishes his chair of the board of director’s position to Lew Platt. Possibly one of the most damaging events hits HP in 1996 when Dave Packard one of the original founders dies. In 1999 Carly Fiorina becomes President and CEO of HP. In 2002 HP merged with Compaq Computer. This merger created an â€Å"$87 billion entity† which operates in more than 160 countries and has almost 150,000 employees. (Dykman, Davis, & Lamb). â€Å"Quite a change from a company which 70 years ago started in a 1 car garage shack with 2 college kids who had $500 to work with!† (Hewlett Packard Company) Today, HP provides consumers a wide range of products and services from digital photography to digital entertainment and from computing to home printing. This comprehensive portfolio helps the company match the right products, services, and solutions to their customers’ specific needs. Hewlett-Packard’s Vision Statement We strive to improve the environmental performance of our customers, our supply chain, and our own operations. We give people the tools and solutions  to build a better today while preparing to address the challenges of tomorrow. Motto: Purpose Statement To lead in the marketplace by developing and delivering useful and innovative products, services and solutions. Mission Statement Committed to global responsibility by being economic, intellectual and a social asset, demonstrate commitment to our employees by promoting creative work that reflects our values, and earn customer respect and loyalty by consistently providing the highest quality and value while achieving finance growth. Values Statement HP’s values embody the qualities, beliefs, and principles that will ensure organizational success. â€Å"It is necessary that people work together in unison toward common objectives and avoid working at cross purposes at all levels if the ultimate in efficiency and achievement is to be obtained.†-Dave Packard Trust and respect for individuals We work together to create a culture of inclusion built on trust, respect and dignity for all. Achievement and contribution We strive for excellence in all we do; each person’s contribution is critical to our success. Results through teamwork We effectively collaborate, always looking for more efficient ways to serve our customers. Meaningful innovation We are the technology company that invents the useful and the significant. Uncompromising integrity We are open, honest and direct in our dealings. Issue Statement In order for the company to remain one of the world’s leading producers of the latest technological advances, HP must face the following issues head-on: 1. Their ability to remain a top tier leader in the technology industry through innovative products 2. Strive in meeting the continued needs of various shareholders by increasing HP shares 3. Maintain customer loyalty by producing quality yet reasonable prices and exemplarily  customer service 4. Finding ways to reduce our global footprint worldwide through advances in green solutions Management Question: What does CEO, Meg Whitman, need to do to retain and recommit HP to the PC business and reintroduce products her predecessor discarded? Stakeholder Analysis * Communities * Customers * Employees * Investors * Legislators and regulators * Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) * Suppliers * Universities Stakeholder Expectations and Expectation (See Exhibit 1.1) Stakeholders Key Issues With the unwavering success of new entrants into the market HPs stakeholder’s main issue is their ability to be innovative and competitive in the market. Competitors such as Apple has gained a significant competitive advantage in the technology industry forcing HP to evaluate how they do business. SWOTS Strengths * Hewlett-Packard (HP) is a global provider of personal systems, imaging and printing products, and technology solutions. * It is the largest player in the inkjet and laser printer market. * HP is also one of the market leaders in the global PC market. * HP has a very strong distribution Hewlett-Packard’s primary strength is its business position. The enterprise has a large amount of cash in hand about $10 billion. * Hewlett-Packard is a global enterprise and especially after its merger with Compaq, the company became world’s biggest computer hardware and peripherals  consort in the world and has ranked 20th in the Fortune 500 list. * Hewlett Packard is operating in more than 170 countries including both developed as well as under-developed. * Being a global dealer of computer hardware, it gives HP many advantages like dominating printers market, both laser and inkjet. The company attracts and focuses on consumers from even newly found markets all around the world, multinational corporations, non-governmental organizations etc. * The company competes both at local and international level. * It has increased its competitiveness through policies and strategies that supports free-market economies. * HP is a leading supplier in the growing IT markets. Weaknesses * HP uses the Windows platform in all its I-PAQ phones. Incidentally, I-PAQ phones have been much criticized for not being very Windows friendly in a lot of user forums. * The inability to react quickly to changing market conditions and demands is a weakness of HP. * The company was in a long term debt for many years which kept it from investing in different growth opportunities. * The touch pads of the notebooks of Hewlett Packard like the dv series, dm3, and Envy lines needs improvement. These touch pads are either finicky, unreliable, or are difficult to use because of friction. * The mouse buttons on various HP supplied machines are said to be clumsy to use, too. * Poor shelling life of HP products plagued some mainstream systems and net books. * The past acquisition of Peregrine made the HP’s portfolio even more diverse and complete but HP Open View’s lack of mainframe management capabilities created several problems. * Another weakness was that it did not yet hit a CMDB product that includes discovery and mapping. This cause many customers to switch the brand. Opportunities * Expansion in alternative client computing architectures and other emerging mobile computing devices gives a good opportunity for HP. * The mobile phone market is forecasted to grow tremendously. * The recent acquisition of EDS puts HP at a strong position in the computer market and makes it portfolio more impressive. * Hewlett-Packard was able to generate large number of revenues and profits from its different deals and  raised more than six billion which it can use to pay off its debts as well as invest in different research and development activities. * If the products by the company are supplied at reasonable prices, there will be more chances of growth as the demand would increase. * The company has formed Customer Solutions Group that helps in selling the complete IT solutions, products and services by HP. Threats * Hyper-competitive environment – Companies such as Dell, Toshiba, Lenova Group and Acer are formidable competitors for HP. * It competes in terms of price, brand, quality, technology, distribution and range of products, among other factors. * Other mobile operating systems such as Symbian, iPhone, and Linux are on the rise and they too pose a threat to HP. * Operating in global market means many competitors and therefore, the company has to be at the forefront of changing technologies as well as addressing the changing customer demands and needs. * The global economic recession is also a threat for the company’s sales and profits. The prices have also fallen as the stock markets are at historic low positions. * Many other competitors including Dell are entering the printer business whereas IBM has become a market leader. 3. Organizational Design Analysis Division of Labor in the Ambidextrous Orgainzation: Organic characteristics such as decentralization and employee freedom are excellent for initiating ideas, but these same conditions often make it hard to implement a change because employees are less likely to comply. Employees can ignore the innovation because of decentralization and generally loose structure. HP has such problem and it is necessary to overlay the ambidextrous approach, which speaks to incorporate structure and management process that are appropriate to both creation and the implementation of innovation. The ambidextrous approach looks at HP’s design elements that are important for exploring new ideas versus the design elements that are most suitable for exploiting HP’s current capabilities. Exploration means encouraging creativity and developing new ideas, whereas exploitation means implementing those ideas to produce routine products. HP can be designed to behave in an organic way for exploring new ideas and in a  mechanistic way to exploit and use the ideas. Research under HP could use an ambidextrous approach by designing for both exploration and exploitation perform better and are significantly more successful in launching innovative new products or services. Through research, using this model as an overlay, HP’s creative department should use the organic structure to expand its capabilities such as reducing their global worldwide footprint through advances in green solutions. The economy of China has been growing at a robust rate since last few years. China’s recently released five-year plan signifies a new phase of growth through the expansion of domestic consumption, driving a low-carbon economy, fostering innovation and achieving balanced social and economic growth (Datamonitor PLC, 2012). The growth of HP’s mobile tablet PC market, entry into the smartphone market expects to grow strongly in the coming years. The growth is expected to be driven by the demand from the US and Asia Pacific regions. In 2010, the market was led by the North American region with approximately 35% market share. By 2014, Asia Pacific region including China expects to lead the tablet PC market (Datamonitor, 2011). In February 2011, HP launched the HP TouchPad, a 9.7-inch tablet PC that runs on webOS 3.0. The company plans to make available this product in the coming months. The company’s increased focus on the tablet PC segment will enable it to benefit from the growing market (Datamonitor, 2011). HP entered the smartphone market with the acquisition of Palm, a provider of smartphones powered by the Palm WebOS mobile operating system, in July 2010. The launch of new smartphones with an updated version of WebOS will enable the company to effectively compete with each other players in the market, including Apple and Google (Datamonitor, 2011). In addition, provide the healthcare markets with products beyond the capabilities of their competitors. HP has been focusing on providing healthcare solutions in recent times. In January 2010, the company and McKesson collaborated to work on electric health record (EHR) adoption at independent physician practices. HP’s solutions targeting healthcare sector will enable it to increase its revenues in the company years (Datamonitor, 2011). The creative department could use an organic structure to explore and  develop new ideas to face intense competition from Apple, RIM, and Nokia. Under an organic structure, HP will be able to react quickly to those competitors having a positive effect on revenues and profitability of the company in the long run. Looking at the mechanistic structure HP could exploit capabilities and apply routine implementation of innovations. An example of this looks at HP leading market position in the global printers market. HP ships more than one millions printer per week. Strong market position in various market segments provides economies of scale for the company, including increasing their customer base (Datamonitor, 2011). The Four Types of Change Provide a Strategic Competitive Wedge: Managers can focus on four types of change within organizations to achieve strategic advantage. These four types of change are technology, products and services, strategy and structure, and culture. These factors provide an overall context within which the four types of change serve as a competitive wedge to achieve an advantage in the international environment. HP has an unique configuration of products and services, strategy and structure, culture, and technologies that can be focused for maximum impact upon the its c hosen markets. Technology changes are changes in an organization’s production process, including its knowledge and skill base, that enable distinctive competence. These changes are designed to make production more efficient or to produce greater volume. Changes in technology involve the techniques for making products or services. They include work methods, equipment, and workflow. In the case of HP, the competitive-intelligence (CI) chief of HP has focused his intention to offer free shipping for printer cartridges, its development of â€Å"print status monitor software which will prompt customers to purchase replacement cartridges,† and numerous technical specifications. Only but a few minor errors, the CI team had nailed everything: prices, specs, software details (Varchaver & Burke, 2007). Products and services changes pertain to the product or service outputs of HP. New products and services are normally designed to increase the market share or to develop new markets, customers, or clients. If correctly  applied, HP can bring together existing technologies in a new way to serve a new market. HP has a broad product portfolio. HP’s services segment offers consulting, outsourcing and technology services across infrastructure, applications and business process domains. Its services encompass the data center and the workplace (desktop); network and communications; and security, compliance; business continuity; warranty support; technology consulting and systems integration solutions (Datamonitor, 2012). Strategy and structure changes pertain to the administrative domain in an organization. The administrative domain involves the supervision and management of management, policies, rewards systems, labor relations, coordination devices, management information and control systems, and accounting and budgeting systems. Strategy, structure, and systems changes are usually top-down–that is, mandated by top management–whereas product and technology changes often come from the bottom up. To make the strategy successful, they identified a new set of key performance metrics to track how effectively the company was meeting goals of competitive costs, high quality, and great service. This change also proved to be successful in the long run. A culture change refers to changes in the values, attitudes, expectations, beliefs, abilities, and behavior of employees. Culture change pertains to changes in how employees think; these are changes in mindset rather than technology, structure, or products. Culture change can be particularly difficult because people don’t think their attitudes and beliefs easily. The four types of change are interdependent– a change in one often means a change in another. The structural change was an outgrowth of the technology change. HP is an independent system, and changing one part often has implications for other parts of HP. Porter’s Competitive Strategies- Michael E. Porter studied a number of business organizations and proposed mangers can make the orgainzation more profitable and less vulnerable by adopting either a differentiation strategy or a low-cost strategy. Appling a low-cost leadership strategy means managers choose to compete through lower  costs, whereas with a differentiation strategy the orgainzation compete through the ability to offer unique or distinctive products and services that command a premium price. Each strategy can vary in scope from broad to narrow. That is, an organization can choose to compete in many market and customer segments or to focus on a specific market or buying group. Appling this model to HP revels the organizations focuses on low-cost leadership strategy with a broad scope where HP provides goods and services to customers at cheaper prices. HP uses the low-cost strategy with their printer / copier product line where tight controls to produce products more efficiently than its competitors. Low-cost leadership strategy using a broad scope is concerned primarily with stability rather than taking risks or seeking new opportunities for innovation and growth. For HP, this means it can achieve higher profits than competitors because of it can efficiency and lower operation costs. Also, this strategy puts HP in a better position to prevent loss of market share. 4. Identification and Evaluation of Alternatives 1. Encourage technology change by using skunkworks Pros: Focuses on breakthrough ideas for HP Give highly talented employees time and freedom to keep HP on the cutting edge This group could be highly autonomous and secretive while creating Cons: May create a subculture under HP’s vision Risk of skunkworks wasting resources and come away with nothing to show Ideas may be behind competitor’s organization’s skunkworks teams 2. Empower employees through the bottom-up approach Pros: Employees are motivated to figure out the best ways to get their jobs done Supports the right culture that drive high performance Employees at all levels feel part of the vision / change or the organization Cons: Employees ideas could go nowhere Ideas could get lost between the layers of management Employees may become focused on â€Å"looking for shortcuts† in the process 3. Discover a distinct pattern of tailoring innovations to customer needs by using the Horizontal Coordination Model Pros: Increases the amount of new product development Improves the different possible developed products Gives HP the edge in meeting customer needs and circumventing manufacturing / marketing ideas Cons: If not properly applied, the connections is lost between employees and customers If not properly applies, the coordination between departments are not shared Must be driven by top managers to function well 5. Recommended Alternatives- Based on the models and discussed alternatives, I recommend HP will be best able to adapt to the changing external environment by proceeding with the Horizontal Coordination. This means HP’s technical, marketing, and production employees share ideas and information. All departments would have a say if / when a product gets introduced in the market. Specialization means every department are highly competent at their own tasks. Boundary spanning means each department under HP vision will be linked with involvement on new products and has an excellent linkage with relevant sectors in the external environment. Under boundary spanning, employees are aware of recent scientific developments and personnel are closely linked to customer needs. Horizontal coordination stresses the importance of sharing ideas between technical, marketing, and production. I would not recommend using skunkworks or the bottom-up approach. Skunkworks has a great possibility of developing a subculture that may not support HP’s overall vision. Using the bottom-up approach may go dry after employees discover their ideas are going unnoticed or getting lost while traveling through the layers of management. 6. Implementation and Conclusion Elements for Successful Change- Regardless of the type or scope of change, there are identifiable stages of innovation, which generally occur as a sequence of events, through innovation stages may overlap. For a change to be successful implemented, HP’s mangers must make sure each element occurs in the organization. If one of the elements is missing, the change process  will fail. 1. Ideas. Change is an outward expression of ideas. Ideas can come from within or from outside the organization, 2. Need. Ideas are generally not seriously considered unless there is a perceived need for change. A perceived need for change occurs when managers see a gap between actual performance and desired performance in the organization. 3. Decision to adopt. The decision to adopt occurs when managers or other decision makers choose to go ahead with a proposed idea at HP. 4. Implementation. Implementation occurs when HP’s members actually use a new idea, technique, or behavior. Materials and equipment may have to be acquired, and workers may have to be trained to use the new idea. This is the most difficult part for HP. Until people use the new idea, no change has actually taken place. 5. Resources. Change does not happen on its own; it requires time and resources, for both creating and implementing a new idea. Employees at HP must provide energy to see both the need and the idea to meet that need. In conclusion, strong market position in various markets segments provides economies of scale for the company, besides increasing its chance of winning customers. However, intense competition will adversely affect the revenues and profitability of the company in ling term (Datamonitor, 2011). Works Cited 1. Daft, R. (2010). Organization Theory & Design. (11th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning. 2. Datamonitor. (2011). Hewlett-Packard Company 3. HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY Palo Alto, California. (2008). Microwave Journal, 51(7), 120-126. 4. Hewlett Packard Company. 2007 November 19. 30 March 2008 . 5. High Tech: Winning Success In Silicon Valley. (1984). Ebony, 40(1), 37 6. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.hp.com/go/history