Research Appraisal Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Appraisal - Research Paper Example Results from the research showed that complicated grief was predisposed by the following factors; female gender ,confidence interval, spouse relationship, parents–children relationship, lack of religious, unavailable family support, and history of mood co-morbidity. The authors have put enough work on previous literature concerning the research. Cotrrell and McKenzie (40) says people often neglect literature review and its importance of review and most times. As a matter of fact, they blame literature review for delay in starting the research. Literature review helps justify the importance of the research while at the same time put the research in historical perspective. This research has not indicated a clear hypothesis for the whole study. Nonetheless, the researchers have developed one null hypothesis stating that there is no significant relationship between variables. The other hypothesis states that female gender might be of increased risks for complicated grief compared with male. The authors have clearly established a relevant theoretical framework for the study. The authors argue that the death of cancer patients leaves their caregivers with complicated grief. The authors explain that this is caused by moments and times shared by the two parties. The authors develop a theoretical time it takes for an individual to grief the loss of a loved one. The study works with an average period of 8.9 months. This concept helps the study develop a time line for different activities. The authors have used an experimental approach in the study. The study has set out orderly procedures trying to verify or establish the validity of the hypothesis. Experiment is a better approach when establishing insight on cause-and-effect by demonstrating the consequences of manipulation of a particular factor. Nevertheless, this journal has its uniqueness in that it is one of the few nursing journals that do not have a clear hypothesis. Thus, researchers have

The True Nature of Paul's Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The True Nature of Paul's Case - Essay Example Then, various interpretations by critics using this reading will be proposed. A summarizing conclusion will express this student’s findings. Paul is introduced by Cather as a young man with brilliant eyes with a ‘glassy glitter’, a narrow chest of which he was rather conscious, and a propensity for lying. In an awkward situation at school, he immediately strikes the reader as a typical sexually-ambivalent youth uncomfortable with his whole life situation, especially when relating to male authority in general, and his father in particular (Cather 1905). His teachers have one prickly impression of him, and are bewildered by their own reactions to his confusing character. His ushering job brings him inordinate pleasure, and it is easy for the reader to picture Paul: â€Å"a model usher; gracious and smiling he ran up and down the aisles; nothing was too much trouble for him... his greatest pleasure in life, and all the people in his section thought him a charming boy, feeling that he remembered and admired them.† (Cather 1905). Hating mundane everydayness and bad domestic smells, Paul is disgusted by his father’s ambitions for him, aspiring instead for refined garments and maintaining that â€Å"a certain element of artificiality seemed to him necessary in beauty.† (Cather 1905) The reader gets the impression of an aesthetic man, with heightened sensitivity and disgust with coarseness, but not necessarily effeminate. He is very attracted to nightlife and guises of theatricality. But â€Å"always tormented by fear†, he is ultimately pushed to an act of embezzlement that finances his deepest desire: to impersonate a well-dressed young man in the New York high life. His wishes are not strange in a reading expressly seeking these traits in a protagonist: these are desires and needs of a homosexual still in the throes of determining the origins and causes of his actions, and deciphering what they mean. The

General Electric Change Management

General Electric Change Management The process by which organizations move from their present state to some desired future state to increase their effectiveness. The Goal is to find improved ways of using resources and capabilities in order to increase an organizations ability to create value. The change process includes improving organizational effectiveness at the four levels shown in the figure below. Major Types of Organizational Change Typically, the phrase organizational change is about a significant change in the organization, such as reorganization or adding a major new product or service. It can compass the following : Organization-wide Versus Subsystem Change Examples of organization-wide change might be a major restructuring, collaboration or rightsizing. Usually, organizations must undertake organization-wide change to evolve to a different level in their life cycle, for example, going from a highly reactive, entrepreneurial organization to one that has a more stable and planned development. Experts assert that successful organizational change requires a change in culture cultural change is another example of organization-wide change. Examples of a change in a subsystem might include addition or removal of a product or service, reorganization of a certain department, or implementation of a new process to deliver products or services Transformational Versus Incremental Change An example of transformational (or radical, fundamental) change might be changing an organizations structure and culture from the traditional top-down, hierarchical structure to a large amount of self-directing teams. Another example might be Business Process Re-engineering, which tries to take apart (at least on paper, at first) the major parts and processes of the organization and then put them back together in a more optimal fashion. Transformational change is sometimes referred to as quantum change. Examples of incremental change might include continuous improvement as a quality management process or implementation of new computer system to increase efficiencies. Many times, organizations experience incremental change and its leaders do not recognize the change as such. Remedial Versus Developmental Change Change can be intended to remedy current situations, for example, to improve the poor performance of a product or the entire organization, reduce burnout in the workplace, help the organization to become much more proactive and less reactive, or address large budget deficits. Remedial projects often seem more focused and urgent because they are addressing a current, major problem. It is often easier to determine the success of these projects because the problem is solved or not. Change can also be developmental to make a successful situation even more successful, for example, expand the amount of customers served, or duplicate successful products or services. Unplanned Versus Planned Change Unplanned change usually occurs because of a major, sudden surprise to the organization, which causes its members to respond in a highly reactive and disorganized fashion. Unplanned change might occur when the Chief Executive Officer suddenly leaves the organization, significant public relations problems occur, poor product performance quickly results in loss of customers, or other disruptive situations arise. Planned change occurs when leaders in the organization recognize the need for a major change and proactively organize a plan to accomplish the change. Planned change occurs with successful implementation of a Strategic Plan, plan for reorganization, or other implementation of a change of this magnitude. Drivers of Organizational Change : The most common vehicles for this sustainable change, in ascending order of magnitude of change, are Data Analysis, Process analysis, System Assessment and Customer Feedback. ÂÂ  Data AnalysisÂÂ  focuses on specific outcomes; product quality and process measurements. The data is analyzed using trend charts, histograms, scatter diagrams, Pareto analysis, etc.ÂÂ   Process AnalysisÂÂ  examines the whole process. Starting with high level flow diagram, detailed process steps are documented and analyzed. Some organizations analyze these detailed process steps further using task and wait times or cost of quality data.ÂÂ   System AssessmentÂÂ  audits the whole organization using a recognized award model (Malcolm-Baldrige,ÂÂ  CanadaÂÂ  Award for Excellence), an international standard ( ISO 9000 ), a business specific model ( CMM model for software development ) or an internal award criteria ( corporations President Award ).ÂÂ   Customer feedbackÂÂ  scrutinizes the organization from standpoint of its most important constituent, the Customer. Customer feedback may be voluntary ( complaints ), solicited ( satisfaction surveys ) or based on analysis of customer behaviour. Organization Change Management Process: Change managementÂÂ  is a structured approach to shifting or transitioningÂÂ  individuals,ÂÂ  teams, andÂÂ  organizationsÂÂ  from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at empowering employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment. The elements that comprise an organization are shown in the four quadrants: structure, work processes, people and tools. These are four key interdependent components. StructureÂÂ  is the traditional view of an organization. It is the faces and spaces diagram that is shown as an organization chart. It defines the boundaries of authority and decision-making and identifies the key personnel responsible for the business. Work processesÂÂ  describe how work gets done in an organization. They range from a few high-level cross-functional integrated core processes that drive the business down to detailed departmental processes and procedures. PeopleÂÂ  identifies the skill sets needed for the company and the numbers of people with various skills. The essence of this category is about getting the right people doing the right job in the right place. ToolsÂÂ  represents physical facilities and capital equipment hardware and software systems, management and reporting systems, written documents such as policies, procedures and manuals, and compensation tools. An organization undergoing major change should examine all of these quadrants and assess their alignment to its vision, its customers and each other. This will enable senior management to identify the leverage points that will create sustainable breakthrough change. COMPANY ANALYSIS GENERAL ELECTRIC The General Electric Company, commonly abbreviated simply to GE, is a major technologyÂÂ  conglomerate based in the United States. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, founded General Electric in Menlo Park, New Jersey, in 1878. It has gone on to become one of the most powerful and dynamic corporationsÂÂ  in the world, and as of 2008 was the tenth-largest company on Earth in terms of market capitalization. It is viewed by many as being the single most successful conglomerate, and was a conglomerate long before the practice became commonplace in the 1960s. In 1890, Edison started a company to bring together his various businesses all under one roof, and called it the Edison General Electric Company. Two years later Edison merged with his primary competitor, the Thomas-Houston Company, and they called the new company the General Electric Company. The move was largely a bid to combine their various patents, to allow for more profitabilityÂÂ  on both of their parts, as it allowed them to freely use the many smaller inventions each inventor had created in their larger projects. Over the years, General Electric continued to grow and produce different products for a wide range of applications. Many of Edisons early inventions formed the backbone of various General Electric lines through the 19th century, the 20th century, and down to the present day. Electric lighting, power transmission, medical equipment, and transportation were all areas in which Edison held patents and had formed small companies, and are all areas in which General Electric today has large holdings. Over the course of its 110-plus years of innovation, General Electric has amassed more than 67,500 patents, and the firms scientists have been awarded two Nobel Prizes and numerous other honours. Also during the same time, the organization has had transformational changes which can be characterized into three different eras namely : Late 19th Century: The Edison Era In 1878, Edison established, with the help of his friend Grosvenor Lowry, the Edison Electric Light Company with a capitalization of $300,000. Edison received half of the new companys shares on the agreement that he work on developing an incandescent lighting system. The major problem Edison and his team of specialists faced was developing an electrical lighting system for a whole community. The organization was flexible and as part of the evolutionary stage was in the growth due to creativity stage. The core focus areas were the power generation, household appliances, and lighting. Early 20th Century: By the turn of the century General Electric was manufacturing everything involved in the electrification of the United States: generators to produce electricity, transmission equipment to carry power, industrial electric motors, electric light bulbs, and electric locomotives. It is important to any understanding of the evolution of GE to realize that though it was diverse from the beginning, all of its enterprises centered on the electrification program. It is also worth noting that it operated in the virtual absence of competition. During the early decades of the 20th century General Electric made further progress in its established fields and also made its first major diversification. In 1903 General Electric bought the Stanley Electric Manufacturing Company of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, a manufacturer of transformers. During this time it was a highly centralized corporate firm. Postwar Growth and Difficulties During the post war era GE focussed on diversification both related and unrelated and ventured into new sectors such as nuclear energy. During the 1960s and 1970s GE grew in all fields. In 1961 it opened a research centre for aerospace projects, and by the end of the decade had more than 6,000 employees involved in 37 projects related to the moon landing. In the 1950s General Electric entered the computer business. This venture, however, proved to be such a drain on the companys profits that GE sold its computer business to Honeywell in 1971. By the late 1960s, GEs management began to feel that the company had become too large for its existing structures to accommodate. Accordingly, the company instituted a massive organizational restructuring. Under this restructuring program, the number of distinct operating units within the company was cut from more than 200 to 43. Each new section operated in a particular market and was headed by a manager who reported to management just beneath the corporate policy board. The sections were classified into one of three categoriesgrowth, stability, or no-growthto facilitate divestment of unprofitable units. 1981-2001: The Jack Welch Era GEs economic problems were mirrored by its managerial reshuffling. When John F. (Jack) Welch, Jr., became chairman and CEO in 1981, General Electric entered a period of radical change. Over the next several years, GE bought 338 businesses and product lines for $11.1 billion and sold 232 for $5.9 billion. But Welchs first order of business was to return much of the control of the company to the periphery. Although he decentralized management, he retained the system of classifying divisions according to their performance. His goal was to make GE number one or two in every field of operation. GEs Restructuring American economy was in a recession during the early 1980s when GE appointed Jack Welch, the new CEO of the company. Economy was plagued with high interest rate and strong dollar which resulted in highest level of unemployment rates since Depression. To leverage the performance of diverse portfolio of GE, the new CEO sent in new resolution to be better than the best and set in place a series of radical changes to restructure the company over the coming 5 years. The changes in GE came in three phases, commonly known as the first, second and third waves. The first wave Welch after taking charge, set the standard to be competent enough to stay at #1 or #2 position in the industry or disengage. According to Welch, this general #1 or #2 objective is a three circle concept of his vision for GE. Businesses were categorized as: Core (with the priority of reinvesting in productivity and quality) High-technology (challenged to stay on the leading edge by investing in RD) Services (required to add outstanding people and make contiguous acquisitions) In a span of 10 years, he wanted GE to be perceived as a unique, high-spirited, entrepreneurial enterprise, the most profitable, highly diversified company on earth, with world quality leadership in every one of its product lines. Managers at GE struggled to build #1 or #2 positions given the pain of the recessionary economy and level playing field provided by globalization. Welchs admonition to fix, sell, or close uncompetitive business most of the times led to the latter options. Between 1981 and 1990, GE generated $11 billion of capital by selling off more than 200 businesses and investing that money to make about 370 acquisitions in diverse fields. Inside the organization, Welch insisted GE to become more lean and agile. It resulted in cutting number of employees working in the organization at all the headquarters group, in the name of removing non-value add, non-effective and non-competitive work force. Welch eliminated the sector level, previously the powerhouse for the strategic control. By reducing the number of hierarchy from presently 9 to 4, took control of activities at the helm and all the business directly reported to him. The chain of command followed prior to this decision was CEO to sectors to groups to businesses. Now it is direct CEO to business. By undergoing delayering, destaffing and downsizing, GE eliminated thousands of workers. Though there was marginal increase in the revenues but the profits surged by two folds from $1.6 billion to $2.4 billion. For carrying out this drastic restructuring, Welch got a nickname of Neutron Jack, most prominently used by managers during the time when the CEO replaced 12 of his 14 business heads. Welch kept pushing for more changes, more he got into restructuring the more convinced he became for a bolder action. The second wave The second phase of change in GE came in three forms : |Cultural change | Globalization | Leadership development | Cultural change : The initial phase of change at GE was focused on organisational structure downsizing, restructuring and removing bureaucracy. However, it was the opinion of Jack Welch that sustainable high productivity requires the corresponding cultural change. Jack Welch desired a management style that was based on openness, candor and facing reality. The culture he wanted to create was characterized by speed, simplicity and self confidence. These were done using two mechanisms : WORK OUT BEST PRACTICES Work out: Work out was a result of a discussion between Jack Welch and a group of managers at the companys Management Development Institute. In an effort to recreate the forum of honest, energetic interaction, Jack Welch initiated Work out a forum in which superiors and subordinates could openly discuss ideas, proposals and get immediate feedback on the same. Implementation : The implementation team consisted of a small in-house team along with 24 outside consultants. Each consultant was in charge of a series of off site meeting based on the open forum. Groups ranging from 40-100 employees were incited to discuss their business and ways of improving it. The sessions lasted for three days. It began with a talk by the unit boss who left immediately after. The employees were then free to discuss their issues, guided by a facilitator. On the final day, the boss returned and was required to make instant decisions on the proposals and give approval to atleast 80% of them. By 1992, over 200,000 (two-thirds) of the employees had participated in work force, but the sessions were never documented in order to maintain its informality. However, the company clocked in annual growth rate of 4% in 88-92. (up from 2%) Best Practices: The objective of best practices was to learn from organizations that were having higher productivity than GE. Implementation : Nine firms were selected (including Ford, HP, Xerox and Toshiba) with different best practices. In addition to company specific tools and practices, the implementation team also identified common characteristics among the companies; a focus on effective process development rather than individual activities, customer satisfaction, treating suppliers as partners and the emphasis on high quality. These practices were thoroughly studied and training was given to all managers by integrating it into the work out teams. Globalisation The first phase of the strategic change in GE focused on building domestic capabilities. The second phase had a thrust on globalization. However, the impetus for globalization was given to the business head and there was no corporate globalization strategy that was imposed on them. However, Jack Welch ensured that the top management remained involved in the globalization plans. In 1987, the performance evaluation metric was modified to consider world market position. In 1989, the position of Head International operations was created in the corporate office. Along with a team of four, he was responsible for identifying and initiating new globalization plans in emerging markets. GEs globalization pattern was unique in the sense that all acquisitions and investments were made in regions immediately post a major economic downturn. GE followed an aggressive policy of inorganic growth in Europe, Mexico and East Asia By 1998, international revenues were at $42.8 billion dollars a 100% growth in five years. Global revenues were growing at three times domestic revenues and GE was forecasted to do 50 % of its business outside the USA by 2000. leadership development The third part of transformation focused on identifying and grooming future leaders of the organization. Identification : From April to May each year, Welch and three senior executives visited each business to review the progress of the companys top 3000 executives. Among these were an elite club the upper 500 who had been appointed with the personal approval of Welch. Welch asked business heads to identify all star performers and operated with the mindset that the executives were his resources and that the business heads merely rented them. Implementation : Welch radically transformed the compensation package for executives. The new package had stock options as a primary component in management compensation and the number of option recipients was increased from 300 to 30000. All professional level employees were given feedback about future positions they could hold and the specific skill required for that post. These were used in training and development of staff. GEs management development facility was given a shot in the arm with $45 million in funds and the hiring of top-class academics. The goal was to convert it into a holistic training centre from the current situation where it was considered a consolation prize for those who missed a promotion. Welch himself travelled to the facility twice a month to interact and teach GE employees. However, the most controversial of Welchs actions were those regarding a type of managers that he considered Type 4s. These are managers who consistently met performance targets, but were not aligned with the values of the organization. Typically, they were the autocratic bosses who forced performance rather than inspired it. Although they met their required targets, Welch removed these people for having the wrong values. A few years later, GE began evaluating their managers on a 360 degree feedback system for identifying training requirements, opportunities for coaching and career planning. Into the 1990s: the third wave Even at the times of slowdown towards the start of the decade in the industrial sector, Jack was committed to the task of building the company. Various initiatives he took: Boundaryless Behaviour Take a step further from initiatives aimed at strengthening GEs individual businesses, Welch created a focus on integrated diversity. He articulated his dream for GE in the 1990s as a boundaryless company, one standing for an open, anti-parochial environment, friendly toward the seeking and sharing of new ideas, regardless of their origins. Welch envisioned a boundaryless company to remove all barriers among engineering, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and customer services; no distinction between foreign and domestic operations. A boundaryless organization to ignore or erase group labels such as salaried, management or hourly, which poses a problem for people working together in an organization. Welch was fond of telling stories of how best practices could be leveraged by boundaryless behaviour. The ones where managers from Canadian GE identified a small New Zealand appliance maker, Fisher Paykel, generating products very efficiently in its small, low-volume plant. Welch was very clear of the culture he wants to bring to the organization. In his words, We take people who arent boundaryless out of job. If youre turf-oriented, self-centred, dont share with people and arent searching for ideas, you dont belong here. To enforce this, bonuses and options awards were linked to idea-seeking and sharing, not only limited to idea generation. One of the most remarkable examples the way expertise and ideas spread throughout GE was the companys integration model, which was developed after learning from post-acquisition review. The model guided the actions of managers in any part of the company responsible for integrating a newly acquired operation: starting from control of the operations to realigning the organization, and from identifying and removing blockers to implementing GE tools and programs. Stretch: Achieving the Impossible Welch reinforced his managerial expectation by making change to the GEs cultural norms. By introducing the notional behaviour of stretch to set performance targets, it vaguely defined the business targets, with no idea how to pursuit those. The objective behind this change was to change the way targets were set and performance was measured by creating an environment where everyone is searching for answers, and it is here one can prove his mettle. Though stretch targets brought in change but the traditional forecasting and objective-setting processes were not replaced. Managers still tried basic targets, adjusted to current situation in the industry differentiating it from the rigid plan implemented last year. The main catch was setting higher stretch goals for their businesses during the budget cycle. Those who are not able to achieve these higher goals are not punished but the ones who achieved were rewarded heavily with bonuses and stock options. Within a year of introducing this concept of stretch, Welch acknowledged progress. Prior to it, the goals were very miserly set like increase in the inventory turnover ratio from 4.73 to 4.91 or like maintaining the operating margin from 8.53% to 8.91%. Now its a different story altogether, where one aim at 10 inventory turns or an operating margin at 15%. Welch acknowledged that GE did not meet its two of its four-year corporate stretch targets: to increase operating margins from their 1991 level of 10% to 15% by 1995 and inventory turns from 5 to 10 times. However, after decades of single-digit operating margins and inventory turns of 4 or 5, GE did achieve an operating ,margin of 14.4% and inventory turns of almost 7 in 1995. He said we learned things faster than we would have going after doable goals, and we have enough confidence now to set new stretch targets of at least 16% operating margin and more than 10 turns by 1998. Service Businesses In 1994, Welch introduced a new strategic initiative to reinforce his one of the earliest goals of reducing GEs dependence on its traditional industrial products. Towards early 1980s he started moving towards services businesses through the acquisition of financial service companies such as Employers Reinsurance and Kidder, Peabody. As an estimate in year 1995, near about 60% revenue was generated by services division which Welch to grow to 80% later. In pursuit of this goal, he took second step by focusing on product services. In his annual strategic meeting he pushed his managers to participate more in food chain business. It was well informed decision in terms of customers always need of new high-quality hardware products but in future the slow demand of GEs product should be offset by supplementing it with added-value services. By 1996, GE had built an $8 billion equipment services business, which grew faster than the underlying product business. It was also the change of the view, changing the internal mindsets from selling products to serving the customers the best possible way. With this mindset company made 20 acquisitions and joint ventures in the service area which includes a $1.5 billion acquisition of a jet engine service business and the $600 million purchase of a global power generation equipment service company. Evaluation of GEs Strategy over two decades: GE has undergone over two decades of strategic change from profitless growth to an organization to reckon with. Strategy is always incomplete without its evaluation. The process followed at GE included both strategic leadership and entrepreneurship, that lead to host of changes at GE. Most of these changes centered on initiatives by Jack Welch. These initiatives involved Internal Corporate Behavior (bottom up approach) and Induced Strategic behavior (top down approach) for entrepreneurship. Strategic Leadership It is the ability to anticipate, envision, maintain flexibility, and empower others to create strategic changes as necessary. Multifunctional in nature, strategic leadership involves managing through others, maintaining an entire enterprise rather than a functional subunit; and coping with change that continues to increase in global economy. Because of global economys complexity, strategic leaders must learn how to effectively influence human behavior, often in uncertain environment. Strategic leaders must be considerate of entire enterprise, rather than just a sub unit and this should be enforced with a managerial perspective. The changes that followed immediately after instating of Jack Welch followed this Strategic Leadership and Strategic Change Management Process. Jack Welch had a vision for GE to number 1 or 2 in every domain that it operates. He wanted GE to operate leaner. He initiated people development process by work-outs along with inculcation of best practices across industries. He believed in increasing productivity through restructuring, removing bureaucracy and downsizing. The figure below details the steps that are required in maintaining effective strategic leadership. Effective Strategic Leadership Vision Mission Successful Strategic Actions Implementation of Strategies Formulation of Strategies Strategic Competitive Advantage Above-average Returns He corroborated his vision with successful strategic actions of formulation and implementation of strategies successfully. These strategic actions included Total Quality management, implementation of Best practices across industry, downsizing, work outs. He initiated the process of GEs going global. It opened GE to discover profitable uncharted territories across the globe. This helped him leverage on strategic competitiveness and resulting in above average returns. This can be assessed by the successful mergers and acquisitions that GE undertook under his leadership. It led to a strategic change in business portfolio of GE. Jack Welch not only undertook acquisitions, but it was coupled with divestitures. These successful implementation of strategies resulted in sustained competitive advantage for GE in accordance with the vision that Jack Welch had developed for GE. Strategic Vision TECHNOLOGY Industrial Electronics, Medical Systems, Materials, Aerospace, Aircraft Engines SERVICES GECC Information, Construction and Engineering, Nuclear Services The Three-Circle Vision for GE, 1982 CORE Lighting, Major Appliances, Motor, Transportation, Turbines, Construction Equipment Strategic Action: Jack Welch believed in being the leaders in the segment GE operate. This resulted in a radical change in business portfolio of GE. Following table depicts most of the acquisitions and divestitures of GE across two decades. This was done in line with Jack Welchs vision of making GE the best organisation across the globe. Major Acquisitions $21 billion Major Divestitures $11 billion Calma CAD/CAM Equipments Central Air Conditioning Intersil (semiconductors) Pathfinder mines Employers Reinsurance group Broadcasting properties Decimus (computer leasing) Utah International Kidder Peaboy (IB) Housewares (small appliances) Polaris (aircraft leasing) Family financial services Genstar RCA Records Thomson/CGR Nacolah Life Insurance Borg Warner Chemical Consumer Electronics Credit Cards Carboloy Roper NBC Radio Truck Leasing Lawn Equipment Financial Guarantee Insurance GE Solid State Financial News Network Ladd Petro Chemicals Thorn Lightning RCA Columbia Home Video Itel Containers Chase Manhattan Leasing House of Fraser Credit Cards Source: The Business Engine General Electric Financial Performance in the three Era : Borch Jones Welch 1961 1970 1971 1980 1981 1990 Sales 4666 8726 9557 24950 27240 52619 Operating profit 432 549 737 2243 2447 6616 Net Earnings 238 328 510 1514 1652 4303 RoS 5.1% 3.8% 5.3% 6.1% 6.1% 8.2% RoE 14.% 12.6% 17.2% 19.5% 18.1% 19.8% Stock MarketCap 6283 7026 10870 12173 13073 50344 SP Index 65.7 83 <

Fraud :: essays research papers

FRAUD MANY OF MY FRIENDS and acquaintances are still reluctant to use their credit-card numbers on the Internet, even to buy from well-known merchants over secure connections, and even when their credit-card issuers offer full protection against fraudulent charges. This side of the Internet fraud problem has received much more attention than the other side: that Internet merchants have no really effective way to protect themselves against credit-card fraud. Standard credit-card processing software will give the merchant an approval if the card account is valid, and has enough open credit to cover the sale. For cards issued by U.S. banks, there is an additional security feature called Address Verification System, or AVS. This compares the billing address associated with the card with the one entered by the merchant. The system works fairly well for goods shipped to billing addresses in the U.S. But there are two major gaps in protection. First, and most seriously, there is no AVS for cards issued by foreign banks. In other words, there is no way for a merchant to use the standard credit-card processing system to guarantee that a foreign credit-card transaction is valid. This forces them to use heuristic, and sometimes arbitrary, measures for fraud screening. My company, for example, won't fulfill orders from Romania, having been burned a few times too many. Customers with hotmail or other free, Web-based e-mail accounts have a point or two against them. Express shipping, ordering many items, and ordering the latest games (instead of reference or educational software) all reduce the likelihood that we'll accept the order. The case is similar for U.S. cards when the goods are shipped to an address other than the card's billing address. If we guess wrong and ship an order that turns out to be fraudulent - we usually find out months later - we get a "chargeback," meaning that the amount we received for the order is taken back from us. If we guess wrong the other way, refusing to ship a legitimate order, we risk alienating potential customers. My company manages to keep its chargbacks very low, but it's frustrating to be in this situation where there is no way to avoid doing the wrong thing from time to time. There are commercial fraud-screening services that filter credit-card transactions automatically, applying these and other checks, but they are not perfect. We have had limited success referring fraudulent transactions to collection agencies.

Twilight 21. PHONE CALL

21. PHONE CALL I could feel it was too early again when I woke, and I knew I was getting the schedule of my days and nights slowly reversed. I lay in my bed and listened to the quiet voices of Alice and Jasper in the other room. That they were loud enough for me to hear at all was strange. I rolled till my feet touched the floor and then staggered to the living room. The clock on the TV said it was just after two in the morning. Alice and Jasper were sitting together on the sofa, Alice sketching again while Jasper looked over her shoulder. They didn't look up when I entered, too engrossed in Alice's work. I crept to Jasper's side to peek. â€Å"Did she see something more?† I asked him quietly. â€Å"Yes. Something's brought him back to the room with the VCR, but it's light now.† I watched as Alice drew a square room with dark beams across its low ceiling. The walls were paneled in wood, a little too dark, out of date. The floor had a dark carpet with a pattern in it. There was a large window against the south wall, and an opening through the west wall led to the living room. One side of that entrance was stone – a large tan stone fireplace that was open to both rooms. The focus of the room from this perspective, the TV and VCR, balanced on a too-small wooden stand, were in the southwest corner of the room. An aged sectional sofa curved around in front of the TV, a round coffee table in front of it. â€Å"The phone goes there,† I whispered, pointing. Two pairs of eternal eyes stared at me. â€Å"That's my mother's house.† Alice was already off the couch, phone in hand, dialing. I stared at the precise rendering of my mother's family room. Uncharacteristically, Jasper slid closer to me. He lightly touched his hand to my shoulder, and the physical contact seemed to make his calming influence stronger. The panic stayed dull, unfocused. Alice's lips were trembling with the speed of her words, the low buzzing impossible to decipher. I couldn't concentrate. â€Å"Bella,† Alice said. I looked at her numbly. â€Å"Bella, Edward is coming to get you. He and Emmett and Carlisle are going to take you somewhere, to hide you for a while.† â€Å"Edward is coming?† The words were like a life vest, holding my head above the flood. â€Å"Yes, he's catching the first flight out of Seattle. We'll meet him at the airport, and you'll leave with him.† â€Å"But, my mother†¦ he came here for my mother, Alice!† Despite Jasper, the hysteria bubbled up in my voice. â€Å"Jasper and I will stay till she's safe.† â€Å"I can't win, Alice. You can't guard everyone I know forever. Don't you see what he's doing? He's not tracking me at all. He'll find someone, he'll hurt someone I love†¦ Alice, I can't -â€Å" â€Å"We'll catch him, Bella,† she assured me. â€Å"And what if you get hurt, Alice? Do you think that's okay with me? Do you think it's only my human family he can hurt me with?† Alice looked meaningfully at Jasper. A deep, heavy fog of lethargy washed over me, and my eyes closed without my permission. My mind struggled against the fog, realizing what was happening. I forced my eyes open and stood up, stepping away from Jasper's hand. â€Å"I don't want to go back to sleep,† I snapped. I walked to my room and shut the door, slammed it really, so I could be free to go to pieces privately. This time Alice didn't follow me. For three and a half hours I stared at the wall, curled in a ball, rocking. My mind went around in circles, trying to come up with some way out of this nightmare. There was no escape, no reprieve. I could see only one possible end looming darkly in my future. The only question was how many other people would be hurt before I reached it. The only solace, the only hope I had left, was knowing that I would see Edward soon. Maybe, if I could just see his face again, I would also be able to see the solution that eluded me now. When the phone rang, I returned to the front room, a little ashamed of my behavior. I hoped I hadn't offended either of them, that they would know how grateful I was for the sacrifices they were making on my account. Alice was talking as rapidly as ever, but what caught my attention was that, for the first time, Jasper was not in the room. I looked at the clock – it was five-thirty in the morning. â€Å"They're just boarding their plane,† Alice told me. â€Å"They'll land at nine-forty-five.† Just a few more hours to keep breathing till he was here. â€Å"Where's Jasper?† â€Å"He went to check out.† â€Å"You aren't staying here?† â€Å"No, we're relocating closer to your mother's house.† My stomach twisted uneasily at her words. But the phone rang again, distracting me. She looked surprised, but I was already walking forward, reaching hopefully for the phone. â€Å"Hello?† Alice asked. â€Å"No, she's right here.† She held the phone out to me. Your mother, she mouthed. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Bella? Bella?† It was my mother's voice, in a familiar tone I had heard a thousand times in my childhood, anytime I'd gotten too close to the edge of the sidewalk or strayed out of her sight in a crowded place. It was the sound of panic. I sighed. I'd been expecting this, though I'd tried to make my message as unalarming as possible without lessening the urgency of it. â€Å"Calm down, Mom,† I said in my most soothing voice, walking slowly away from Alice. I wasn't sure if I could lie as convincingly with her eyes on me. â€Å"Everything is fine, okay? Just give me a minute and I'll explain everything, I promise.† I paused, surprised that she hadn't interrupted me yet. â€Å"Mom?† â€Å"Be very careful not to say anything until I tell you to.† The voice I heard now was as unfamiliar as it was unexpected. It was a man's tenor voice, a very pleasant, generic voice – the kind of voice that you heard in the background of luxury car commercials. He spoke very quickly. â€Å"Now, I don't need to hurt your mother, so please do exactly as I say, and she'll be fine.† He paused for a minute while I listened in mute horror. â€Å"That's very good,† he congratulated. â€Å"Now repeat after me, and do try to sound natural. Please say, ‘No, Mom, stay where you are.'† â€Å"No, Mom, stay where you are.† My voice was barely more than a whisper. â€Å"I can see this is going to be difficult.† The voice was amused, still light and friendly. â€Å"Why don't you walk into another room now so your face doesn't ruin everything? There's no reason for your mother to suffer. As you're walking, please say, ‘Mom, please listen to me.' Say it now.† â€Å"Mom, please listen to me,† my voice pleaded. I walked very slowly to the bedroom, feeling Alice's worried stare on my back. I shut the door behind me, trying to think clearly through the terror that gripped my brain. â€Å"There now, are you alone? Just answer yes or no.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"But they can still hear you, I'm sure.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"All right, then,† the agreeable voice continued, â€Å"say, ‘Mom, trust me.'† â€Å"Mom, trust me.† â€Å"This worked out rather better than I expected. I was prepared to wait, but your mother arrived ahead of schedule. It's easier this way, isn't it? Less suspense, less anxiety for you.† I waited. â€Å"Now I want you to listen very carefully. I'm going to need you to get away from your friends; do you think you can do that? Answer yes or no.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"I'm sorry to hear that. I was hoping you would be a little more creative than that. Do you think you could get away from them if your mother's life depended on it? Answer yes or no.† Somehow, there had to be a way. I remembered that we were going to the airport. Sky Harbor International Airport: crowded, confusingly laid out†¦ â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"That's better. I'm sure it won't be easy, but if I get the slightest hint that you have any company, well, that would be very bad for your mother,† the friendly voice promised. â€Å"You must know enough about us by now to realize how quickly I would know if you tried to bring anyone along with you. And how little time I would need to deal with your mother if that was the case. Do you understand? Answer yes or no.† â€Å"Yes.† My voice broke. â€Å"Very good, Bella. Now this is what you have to do. I want you to go to your mother's house. Next to the phone there will be a number. Call it, and I'll tell you where to go from there.† I already knew where I would go, and where this would end. But I would follow his instructions exactly. â€Å"Can you do that? Answer yes or no.† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Before noon, please, Bella. I haven't got all day,† he said politely. â€Å"Where's Phil?† I asked tersely. â€Å"Ah, be careful now, Bella. Wait until I ask you to speak, please.† I waited. â€Å"It's important, now, that you don't make your friends suspicious when you go back to them. Tell them that your mother called, and that you talked her out of coming home for the time being. Now repeat after me, ‘Thank you, Mom.' Say it now.† â€Å"Thank you, Mom.† The tears were coming. I tried to fight them back. â€Å"Say, ‘I love you, Mom, I'll see you soon.' Say it now.† â€Å"I love you, Mom.† My voice was thick. â€Å"I'll see you soon,† I promised. â€Å"Goodbye, Bella. I look forward to seeing you again.† He hung up. I held the phone to my ear. My joints were frozen with terror – I couldn't unbend my fingers to drop it. I knew I had to think, but my head was filled with the sound of my mother's panic. Seconds ticked by while I fought for control. Slowly, slowly, my thoughts started to break past that brick wall of pain. To plan. For I had no choices now but one: to go to the mirrored room and die. I had no guarantees, nothing to give to keep my mother alive. I could only hope that James would be satisfied with winning the game, that beating Edward would be enough. Despair gripped me; there was no way to bargain, nothing I could offer or withhold that could influence him. But I still had no choice. I had to try. I pushed the terror back as well as I could. My decision was made. It did no good to waste time agonizing over the outcome. I had to think clearly, because Alice and Jasper were waiting for me, and evading them was absolutely essential, and absolutely impossible. I was suddenly grateful that Jasper was gone. If he had been here to feel my anguish in the last five minutes, how could I have kept them from being suspicious? I choked back the dread, the anxiety, tried to stifle it. I couldn't afford it now. I didn't know when he would return. I concentrated on my escape. I had to hope that my familiarity with the airport would turn the odds in my favor. Somehow, I had to keep Alice away†¦ I knew Alice was in the other room waiting for me, curious. But I had to deal with one more thing in private, before Jasper was back. I had to accept that I wouldn't see Edward again, not even one last glimpse of his face to carry with me to the mirror room. I was going to hurt him, and I couldn't say goodbye. I let the waves of torture wash over me, have their way for a time. Then I pushed them back, too, and went to face Alice. The only expression I could manage was a dull, dead look. I saw her alarm and I didn't wait for her to ask. I had just one script and I'd never manage improvisation now. â€Å"My mom was worried, she wanted to come home. But it's okay, I convinced her to stay away.† My voice was lifeless. â€Å"We'll make sure she's fine, Bella, don't worry.† I turned away; I couldn't let her see my face. My eye fell on a blank page of the hotel stationery on the desk. I went to it slowly, a plan forming. There was an envelope there, too. That was good. â€Å"Alice,† I asked slowly, without turning, keeping my voice level. â€Å"If I write a letter for my mother, would you give it to her? Leave it at the house, I mean.† â€Å"Sure, Bella.† Her voice was careful. She could see me coming apart at the seams. I had to keep my emotions under better control. I went into the bedroom again, and knelt next to the little bedside table to write. â€Å"Edward,† I wrote. My hand was shaking, the letters were hardly legible. I love you. I am so sorry. He has my mom, and I have to try. I know it may not work. I am so very, very sorry. Don't be angry with Alice and Jasper. If I get away from them it will be a miracle. Tell them thank you for me. Alice especially, please. And please, please, don't come after him. That's what he wants. I think. I can't bear it if anyone has to be hurt because of me, especially you. Please, this is the only thing I can ask you now. For me. I love you. Forgive me. Bella I folded the letter carefully, and sealed it in the envelope. Eventually he would find it. I only hoped he would understand, and listen to me just this once. And then I carefully sealed away my heart.

Dueling Computers

1. Do you think Apples comparison advertising between Mac and PC works? Why or why not? From a personal perspective, it almost seems as thought that everything that Apple does turns to gold in some sort, including their advertising campaign. This campaign better known, as â€Å"Get a Mac† appears to require thought at first glance due to the uncommon nature of comparing two objects, but is truly straightforward. Apples uncharacteristic way for comparison, I believe is the true reason for its success. This advertising ploy is somewhat comical but also gives life to two competitive computer operating systems, which in any case could be uninteresting. With this being said I absolutely think that apples comparison advertising between Mac and PC works, myself being proof. When this advertising campaign began I really did not know much about a Mac mostly due to the computers that I have owned were a PC. When I first saw this campaign the first thing that caught my eye was that PC’s were much more vulnerable to viruses as to Mac’s. Apple did a great job at showing this by simulating two actors as if they were computers. I believe this also caught the eye of the computer illiterate nation as well. These comparison commercials were easy to follow and made a very complicated product easy to understand. 2. How important do you think each of these elements of the commercial is to the campaign’s success: music, actors, dialog, setting, and tone? Although all of these elements work great in creating a successful commercial collectively in other campaigns, but I find some of them are not relevant to the success of Apple. For instance, I myself had to go to YouTube and research the elements of the commercials due to some not as appealing as other were. Music- Generally I think music is a key aspect in commercials and sets the mood for its entirety, but the music in Apple’s advertising campaign was somewhat vague and forgettable. While the music was somewhat dull it did allow for the understanding of the actors dialogue. Actors- Although these actors were not exceptionally well known as a superstar athlete or a movie star, they did appear in some other types of television. This I believe gives the television audience some sort of familiarity with the two actors. The actors did however work well together in showing the differences between the PC and Mac. Dialogue- This commercial used dialogue that a computer illiterate was able to understand. In my life experiences simple and to the point was always the best way of putting things, especially in a business type atmosphere. Setting- The setting of these commercials was a blank background. This I believe is a metaphor for the simplicity and user-friendly Apple products. Tone- The tone of the advertisement was somewhat vague but worked perfectly for Apple and its appearance. I do not think that this was a great element for this advertisement. 3. What audience that is Apple trying to reach with these ads? I believe the simplicity of these adds and Apples products are more focused toward the more technical handicapped individual, especially those of which that still use and own a PC. Their commercials look down on PC’s and give examples of why the apple product is better than others. Apple appears to keep much of their advertising extremely simple and easy to follow.