Wednesday, November 27, 2019
The Meaning of Life Essays - Philosophy Of Life, Meaning Of Life
The Meaning of Life Essays - Philosophy Of Life, Meaning Of Life I believe the meaning of life is to give life a meaning. Throughout my entire life, I have wondered what the purpose is. Why am I and every other human being even on this planet in the first place? That brings me to my next question. Is there a God? If there is, why did he put us here? Any Christian asked will say our sole purpose is to serve God. First of all, what does that even mean? And second, I must ask why? Why would a supernatural being place us strategically on this planet strictly to serve him? That sounds pretty selfish to me. There has to be something more. Something concrete. Something greater. How could there not be? All my life I have worked hard to succeed. I have challenged myself and fought to do better than my best. Why? I asked myself. Why stress so much when Im only going to die in the end? Pessimistic, I know. Finally, I thought, maybe the meaning of life doesnt have to be so complex. Maybe the meaning of life is whatever we want it to be. Maybe the meaning of life is to give life a meaning. I do what I do because I want to do it. Its that simple. I do it because it means something to me. Everyone adds their own meaning to life. The meaning of life is never universal. The meaning of life is never complex. The meaning of life is actually quite simple to think about. Many people help the needy. Others play sports. Both activities add meaning to those lives involved. Purposes change, but the overall meaning of life will always stay the same. The meaning of life is simply to give life a meaning. This I believe.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
General Electrics under Welch
General Electrics under Welch Mission, Objectives, And Strategies Identifying. The mission of General Electricââ¬â¢s was to manufacture goods and prosper compared to other companies that operated into the same market.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on General Electricââ¬â¢s under Welch specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The main objectives of the company for the decades when Welch was the CEO concerned the initiatives introduced by him and the team of executives while every staff member was supposed to meet the goals and attain standards. The well-planned strategic development and implementation of the organisation introduced and maintained by Reg Jones, who became the GEââ¬â¢s CEO in 1973, was redesigned and eliminated by Jack Welch and replaced with ââ¬Å"real time planning built around a five-page strategy playbookâ⬠(Bartlett and Wozny 3). Some strategies of the company can be seen as cutting down the number of areas in which the company specialises which now equals seven segments such as ââ¬Å"aircraft engines, appliances, industrial products and segments, National Broadcasting Company (NBC), plastics, power systems, and technical products and servicesâ⬠(Pahl 11). At the same time, the business needed profound changes to be made because progress cannot be achieved using old strategies that do not reflect the modern situation. Besides, the country was in recession in terms of economic situation and the unemployment level was high when Jack Welch obtained a position of a CEO in GEââ¬â¢s. As claimed in the case by Bartlett and Wozny, ââ¬Å"better than the bestâ⬠was the major motto for Jack Welch as a new CEO of the General Electricââ¬â¢s and he applied this to all business units of the company (2). This motto can also be considered the strategies that occurred at the very beginning of his activities and in the period when the company was making it way to the global market in different secto rs of its specialisation. Another way/strategy to restructuring the company was an approach that gave Welch his nickname ââ¬Å"Neutron Jackâ⬠(Bartlett and Wozny 3); this tool was aimed at eliminating ineffective branches and leaving the ones that could be fixed or improved in some way.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this respect, Welch created the company that could be operated under his governance. Though the new ââ¬Å"standard for each business to become the #1 or #2 competitor in its industry ââ¬â or to disengageâ⬠was set by Welch, this was not the main strategy of the organisation as the company needed a more complex approach to its operations (Bartlett and Wozny 2). Integration of staff and implementation of corporate culture was another strategy introduced by Welch that was aimed at improving the interactions between different links of the same chain. The next phase in Welchââ¬â¢s decisions concerned the software as one of the important building bricks in companyââ¬â¢s restructuring and development. The interactions between each staff member as a link in the company were significant for the CEO and he tried to introduce the same relations into organisation as those typical of small firms where every person knows each other and can interact more effectively to add value to the company. As such, the ââ¬Ëwork-outââ¬â¢ sessions were presented and every staff member who had some suggestions concerning improvements in the company should have applied though the meetings were not documented to reduce bureaucracy. Increasing the standards of cultural adherence and individual value-adding, Welch implied that the staff members should be talented and aware of the companyââ¬â¢s goals using their skills and companyââ¬â¢s resources for personal development and growth of revenue. Welch saw the staff members self -reporting and self-assessing their personal value for the company and the ways this value-adding process can be improved (Bartlett and Wozny 3). The changes brought into the organisation by Jack Welch at the very beginning of his career as a CEO were mostly aimed at eliminating the structure to which the company and staff got used to but which should have been changed to fit the contemporary structure of the society and market taking into account the economic situation (the economy faced recession) and the need for technological innovations.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on General Electricââ¬â¢s under Welch specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The next innovation was the ââ¬Ëbest practicesââ¬â¢ tool which was aimed at learning from the most well-performing companies of that day and adopting their methods. In this respect, the employees started realising their mistakes and reviewing their approaches to work in order to fit the bill. The restructuring of the company at the beginning of Welchââ¬â¢s career at GEââ¬â¢s was planned to create a good ground for other changes enabling the company to go global. The globalisation of the company started rapidly and it took advantage of financial crisis in Asia to acquire many project as well as other companies and agreements all over the world. Personal and professional growth of employees was another important component in Welchââ¬â¢s strategy as he believed that competition he suggested for the company to be involved in had to start with the employees. So, the basis was created so that employees could develop their leadership and competition skills to meet the expectations of the CEO. Adapting the human resources to the objectives Welch had in mind was the starting point for implementation of competitive way of thinking and self-commitment. The coaching and training became the main activities managers carried out to develop the staff mem bers while the system of bonuses became more targeted at individual performance rather than on base salary and compensations. Services became another initiative by Welch that was promising in terms of value-adding and profitability. The ââ¬Ësix sigmaââ¬â¢ and ââ¬ËA playersââ¬â¢ were additional initiatives introduced by Welch to improve the productivity of the company and its quality on different levels. The final initiative introduced by Jack Welch was the e-business as the step forward and a new way of making business as effectively as it used to be fifty years ago. High performance level was supported and strengthened with the help of high level of integration within the company reached through culture and values adopted and implemented from the best-performing companies.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Talented team members were ââ¬Ëcultivatedââ¬â¢ in the organization through a set of tools and methods aimed at creating highly-integrated working staff adherent to companyââ¬â¢s values and able to act in accordance with its values and rules sharing the open vision of the world and companyââ¬â¢s perspectives. Evaluating effectiveness of initiatives. The effectiveness of strategies can be evaluated with the help of the revenue results after each strategy. However, it is possible to discuss the value of each strategy as they were often introduced at the same period and it would be complicated to trace their effect in revenue results. As such, the ââ¬Å"real time planningâ⬠appeared to be more than effective as decrease of bureaucracy was aimed at engaging more staff members in useful activities. Besides, it became easier to change the plan in accordance with the changes that took place in the market and the world. As such, the ââ¬Å"better that the bestâ⬠strate gy can also be considered effective because the staff members were motivated to outperform the goals and competitors. A part of this strategy was the ââ¬Å"fix sell or closeâ⬠(Syrett 3) approach aimed at reviewing the companyââ¬â¢s assets and finding some projects worth being acquired. Cultural integration was another effective strategy that can be divided into a number of smaller short- and medium-term goals such as coaching, sessions to report about possible options, and best practices adopted from other well-performing companies. All these tools and methods were designed to make the corporate culture stronger and more directed to the goals. In this respect, the self-assessment was used by each staff member to realise his/her value for the company and possible ways for improvement; ââ¬ËA playersââ¬â¢ was a kind of programme created to develop leadership skills and selecting the employees that met companyââ¬â¢s standards and shared its values. At the same time, t he ââ¬Ëbest practicesââ¬â¢ were adopted to make employees and managers see how things can be done instead of simply performing their professional duties. The ââ¬Ësix sigmaââ¬â¢ was another effective strategy that can be considered a part of the ââ¬Ëbest practicesââ¬â¢ methodology when the approach was adopted from AlliedSignal in order to improve the quality of work rather that productivity though the productivity increased as a result of the initiative. The services were taken into account as one more effective strategy that brought the company into the market of services provided to customers. Mission statement The mission statement was not formulated for General Electricââ¬â¢s though the history knows a lot of mottos and initiatives as well as visions of the situation and further changes by the CEO that can be combined into one mission statement. As such, it is possible to enumerate the basic strategies introduced by Jack Welch while obtaining a position of t he CEO in General Electricââ¬â¢s. Acquisitions made by the GEââ¬â¢s enabled it to operate in the global market (Peng 228) and spread its influence on other sectors including the branches that were not involved before but were promising for the company and its profitability. Besides, it made the company more open for other initiatives introduced as every branch located in a country different than the United States had a manger while senior executives controlled his/her activities from the headquarters though the company was not strictly centralised or decentralised. As such, the company used every opportunity to make successful acquisitions in different parts of the world. The mission statement of the company should include the best practices and the openness of the company for talented and skilful people who can adopt the values of the company and meet its standards. In addition, it is important to mention the cultural integration and ââ¬Ëreal time planningââ¬â¢ approach es that made the company the leader and multiplied its revenue. As such, the mission statement can look as follows: General Electricââ¬â¢s is a company with long history which does not bind its values because it stays open for fresh ideas that can influence the companyââ¬â¢s standards and contribute positively to its performance leaving space for further improvements. Formulation And Implementation Of Strategies The strategies were aimed at leading the company to successful performance in terms of financial revenue. Strategies. The strategies were already enumerated and assessed while their implementation took a lot of time and efforts. Jack Welch was a talented CEO full of energy to bring the changes into the company even if nobody supports his decisions. As such, the implementation of some strategies was not as active or pleasant as others. However, it is also necessary to note that the changes in the corporate culture also influenced the way the strategies are perceived. As such, the implementation of bets practices was active and effective as every employee tried to contribute to the overall performance and adjust the work he/she does and the way it is done to the new standards adopted from other well-performing companies. Challenges and difficulties for the CEO. Jack Welch faced many challenges and difficulties while taking the company forward in accordance with the principles he though can be applied to this business unit. Regardless of the economic recession in the period when Welch was starting to bring changes into practice, the initiatives were effective and created a good ground for further improvements and growth. One of the reasons for negative acclaims of the initiatives introduced by the CEO were the cultural values of the staff members. Though the culture was later improved as well, the challenges still existed; to be more exact, the culture was adopted to Jack Welchââ¬â¢s vision of the companyââ¬â¢s progress. More attention was giv en to employeesââ¬â¢ skills and environment for their development which can be considered a victory over the old standards and the way employees and the process of adding value is treated. Another challenge was the readiness of employees to follow the principles suggested and meet standards. External Situation The external situation concerns the issues and processes that are not related to the inner structure of the company. Opportunities. The opportunities that the external situation suggested for Jack Welch as the CEO of the General Electricââ¬â¢s can be enumerated in the following way: 1) acquisitions and divestitures; 2) the situation in the market and financial crisis as a chance to acquire other projects; 3) other companies to adopt the best practices. As such, the opportunities were numerous and the CEO only had to take advantage of them. However, as it was already mentioned, Welch had to change the employeesââ¬â¢ perception of the company, of their job, duties, and outcomes, and other aspects that matter in maintaining the company of such a scale. At the same time, the acquisitions and divestitures can be considered a good platform for development of global business relations if talking about acquiring foreign companies as well as partnership relations with the world leaders in different industries. Financial crisis enables the GEââ¬â¢s to gain a strong position at the Japanese market while the best practices adopted from well-performing companies improved the companyââ¬â¢s quality and increased the profit. Threats. The treats in the market include other companies that could take advantage of the GEââ¬â¢s potential failures if the initiatives introduced by Welch do not have the expected effect. Besides, some acquisitions could happen to be unprofitable and lead the company to ineffective financial performance which could also result in Welchââ¬â¢s resigning. Every practice adopted from other companies could occur to be inapplicable to the General Electricââ¬â¢s structure and operations. One of the most serious challenges was that the company would stay a domestic firm with no perspectives for growth though it managed to become the leading one in many industries and the ââ¬Å"#1 or #2 competitorâ⬠approach was effectively implemented in practice. Internal Situation The internal situation is related to the companyââ¬â¢s structure and opportunities or conflicts that occur there becoming the platform for more or less effective changes in the company and the market. Opportunities. The internal opportunities for the company include its talented and full of energy CEO Jack Welch, talented and open employees and managers, the values cultivated in the company, and the basis consisting of a number of diversified activities that were profitable and effective in terms of job creation and revenue growth. In this respect, the actions by Welch provided the company with chances for success in the domestic market and on the international arena. At the same time, the favourable economic growth of the US economy after recession and fast recovery can be also considered opportunities that contributed greatly to the companyââ¬â¢s profitability and growth. Talented employees and managers that were trained in the company that created the most positive environment for their open decisions, active interactions, and influential propositions are the second brick in the structure of General Electricââ¬â¢s. Besides, the changes that took place in companyââ¬â¢s culture in terms of values and the issue of how the process is carried out rather than what is achieved became the core concepts for development of a strong company. Threats. The internal threats mostly concerned the perception of the changes and the way they were introduced. As such, the corporate culture that existed before Welch obtained the position of the CEO in General Electricââ¬â¢s was not favourable for the introducing of the n ew values. As such, Welch had to use harsh methods and eliminate the structure to which the staff members got used to. Another threat was that other companies that operated in the domestic market could become more effective and gain the leading positions earlier than the GEââ¬â¢s targeting the market by themselves. Plausible Strategies The plausible strategies for the organisation may include some practices and methods that could have been implemented in the period of Welch being the CEO or as a continuation of effective performance started by this talented leader. As such, the strategies that could have been introduced then include the following ones: cooperation and partnership with the leading companies in the industry could have been developed whereas the partnership only occurred in the framework of the acquisitions and later global performance and the well-performing companies were regarded as sources of information about secrets of their success; the integrated culture sh ould have been changed at the very beginning of the change activity as the favourable climate would facilitate the perception of the changes while integrated culture was not the primary goal though it was an important step in carrying out the companyââ¬â¢s mission aimed at attractive people who can interact actively and think openly; technological development could have been introduced simultaneously with the integrated culture issues. As one can see, these are not exactly the new strategies to be implemented but rather the assessment and some alterations to the strategies that have been introduced and became effective regarding the gained experience and contemporary practices. The strategies that could be introduced after Welch include development of business relations with markets where the presence of the company is small and focus on the e-commerce as one of the core features of the modern market. In addition, corporate social responsibility can become an effective tool for attracting talented people with fresh ideas as well as interactions with the community and green practices as a way to make the industry safer for the outer world. Strategies To Be Implemented The strategies mostly include the ones that were not introduced in the GEââ¬â¢s yet. Initiatives. The strategies that should be implemented include the activities related to corporate social responsibility as it is reported to improve the companyââ¬â¢s performance and add value. This approach includes the feedback from customers and customer-oriented approach. Besides, the stakeholders as well as communities should be approached; this concerns the image of the company in the community. In addition, the environmental issues should be approached as one of the integral parts of the corporate social responsibility and contribute greatly to the positive image of the company and growth of its value as well. Justification. The customer oriented approach is important when dealing with people. Sp ecial importance to this method should be given in divisions that specialise in providing services because the services can always be improved using the customerââ¬â¢s feedback and taking into account suggestions and complaints. Charity and interactions with stakeholders can help the company improve its world-wide image and add value to company as the representatives of the community would appreciate the efforts the company makes in business and for the development of the community. The environmental protection can be considered one of the great ways to promote oneââ¬â¢s ideas using the environmentalist mottos. However, the company can use recycling and other concepts to really save the nature. Major Issues In Implementation International norms are important as a part of the corporate social responsibility as the company operates in the international market and interacts with foreign companies developing partnerships. In this respect, the company should be able to carry out th eir duties in terms of business contracts taking into account the international laws and laws that are considered valid in foreign countries. Besides, the customer-oriented approach requires more attention to the ways the feedback is received and analysed to improve the quality of services or goods. The way the stakeholders, partners, and community are approached should coincide with the companyââ¬â¢s corporate values though should also be adjusted for the parties concerned. As such, charity issues and different investment funds can be introduced to meet the expectations of the community while the stakeholders can be treated as partners with the same rights as the company. At the same time, it is necessary to remember about the employees who can be enabled to use the concepts related to the community-oriented approach for their families. For instance, a company can give loans for medical operations necessary for family members of employees. The environmental issues should be care fully approached in terms of recycling and energy-saving issues taking into account the energy branch of the company. Bartlett, Christopher A., and Meg Wozny. ââ¬Å"GEââ¬â¢s Two Decade Transformation: Jack Welchââ¬â¢s Leadership.â⬠Harvard Business School Review, 9-399-150 (2002): 1-24. Print. Pahl, Nadine. The Strategy Map for General Electric Medical Systems, 2002. Berlin: GRIN Verlag, 2009. Peng, Mike W. Business Strategies in Transition Economies. London: SAGE, 2000. Syrett, Michel. Successful Strategy Execution: How to Keep Your Business Goals on Target. London: Bloomberg Press, 2007.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
SECONDARY AMENORRHEA Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
SECONDARY AMENORRHEA - Assignment Example Pregnancy has been shown to be the primary factor leading to the development of secondary amenorrhea (Newson, 2013). The paper will discuss the possible causes of secondary amenorrhea in a female patient 20 and 45 years of age. It will also give a brief overview of each diagnosis with signs and symptoms. There are various causes of secondary amenorrhea; however, there are six major causes for the condition. The first major cause is psychogenic stress (Gindoff & Jewelewicz, 2015). Various forms of stress are said to lead to the development of amenorrhea. Stress is said to lead to increased production of a corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) (Gindoff & Jewelewicz, 2015). This alters the hormones responsible for menses. The cause has no particular diagnostic test. However, women with stress as a cause show increased basal plasma cortisol (Gindoff & Jewelewicz, 2015). The second significant cause for this condition is loss of weight. Those women that experience loss of weight may fail to menstruate. Lack of menstruation in this scenario is due to changes in hypothalamia (Gindoff & Jewelewicz, 2015). The condition may return to normal when one gains weight. Exercise is also a cause for secondary amenorrhea. Those women that involve themselves in sports have a higher chance of acquiring the condition (Gindoff & Jewelewicz, 2015). In this case, physical, hormonal, nutritional, psychological, and environmental factors exert a significant influence in developing the condition (Gindoff & Jewelewicz, 2015). In amenorrheic athletes, the cause is associated with high cortisol levels. Moreover, discontinuation of pill is associated with the development of the condition. Those women that stop taking contraceptives are most likely to develop amenorrhea (Gindoff & Jewelewicz, 2015). Also, some drugs are responsible for development of the condition. The hypothalamic or central nervous system effects of drugs leads to the development of the syndrome (Gindoff &
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Legal Disabilities of Women and Letters on the Inequalities of the Essay
Legal Disabilities of Women and Letters on the Inequalities of the Sexes - Essay Example ââ¬Å"Man has inflicted an unspeakable injury upon woman, by holding up to her view her animal nature, and placing in the background her moral and intellectual beingâ⬠(Grimke 2). From this statement, the woman has placed in the back in regard to her intellectual and moral being; she is viewed by her animal nature and not on her human being nature. The woman further worsens the situation by submitting to such derogatory statements. The author states that ââ¬Å"woman has inflicted an injury upon herself by submitting to be thus regarded; and she is now called upon to rise â⬠¦ and claim those sacred and inalienable rights, as a moral and responsible being â⬠¦Ã¢â¬ (Grimke 2). The being of the woman is like that of a slave and it is absorbed by her master. Grimke (1) asserts that ââ¬Å"all contracts made with her, like those made with slaves by their owner, are a mere nullityâ⬠. This indicates that any contract made between the man and the woman is futile; it cannot work since the woman has no legal rights. This can be illustrated by the following statement where men have convinced women that they do not possess any rights to investigate or examine the laws; ââ¬Å"they have persuaded us, that we have no rights to investigate the laws, and that, if we did, we could not comprehend them; they alone are capable of understanding the mysteries of Blackstone, &câ⬠(Grimke 1). The woman has been left by the man in regard to taking care of the family needs. The money that has been acquired through the marriage is spent by the man the way he pleases. ââ¬Å"Yet a man may spend the property he has acquired by marriage at the ale-house, the gambling table, or in any other way that he pleasesâ⬠(Grimke 2). From this statement it is clear that the woman has no right over the property spending. She toils hard to support the family regardless of her
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Organization & Operation of International Investment Bank Essay Example for Free
Organization Operation of International Investment Bank Essay Nowadays, banks seem to be springing up in the nooks and corners of every city in every country. The banks are no longer operating globally, in fact most of the big banks have marked their presence in most of the continents and yet they keep on expanding their business. There was a time when banking only meant providing loans to people or keeping their deposits but this is not the case anymore. Many different kinds of banks have sprung up offering diversified financial service that provide clients with investment and insurance products but the major ones are the commercial banks and the investment banks. The banks not only offer services to the customers and make their own money in the process but are in fact a vital part of the economy and its development as well. The purpose of the study is to make an analysis of the role played by investment banks; through their importance will come to light. The study will also be discussed with respect to the working of these bodies internationally. Introduction: The study deals with investment banks it is important to know how these institutions are different from commercial banks. Commercial banks are those institutions which accept deposits, provide business loans, and also offer other relevant services. Besides, they also provide the facility of making a variety of deposits through accounts like checking, time deposits or savings (Harvey, 2004). The purpose of existence of these institutions is to make a profit and the owners are a group of individuals, of whom some may belong to Federal Reserve System. Though the commercial banks provide services to individuals or clients, but their prime concern is to receive deposits and lend to businesses. An investment bank perform a range of tasks including issuance of securities (underwriting), management of portfolios of financial assets, trading securities (stocks and bonds), helping investors in buying securities and providing financial advice and support services; they are also involved in various proprietary functions in the financial markets, where they are their own clients (Lim, 26). It is mainly an intermediary who brings together sellers of stocks and bonds with buyers of the same. It differs mainly from the investment bank in the aspect that it has no inventory of cash deposits unlike a commercial bank. The companies usually use investment banks for achieving the same end as the commercial banks. If capital is required by a company, it may either obtain loan from a commercial bank, or buy equity or debt from investment bank. Commercial banks have availability of funds through depositors unlike an investment bank who, for this reason, have to spend considerable time looking for investors from whom they may obtain capital for clients. Literature Review: In the earlier days, banks were usually restricted to their local place of origin and only a few large ones had their branches in other countries but during the 19th century it was seen that many small banks failed in trying times for the reason that they were dependant on the fluctuations that local trades and industries went through; on the other hand larger banks which had their branches across the border were much secure as the risks were extended across a larger market and a broader range of borrowers. This is what gave rise and added to the popularity of international banking. Banks are involved in a wide range of services including the safe keeping of money and its transmission by different means like checks. At a primarily level, a bank takes the money from the customers and undertakes to repay it when demanded or when a prearranged period expires. But the roles of bank are no longer restricted to taking deposits or providing loans, there has been a great change in the nature of banks and their business has become more complicated over the last 20 years and this can be greatly contributed to the addition of various services pertinent to non-banking areas. This is the reason that major banks have taken control of bodies like merchant banks, estate agencies or hire-purchase companies, and have moved into areas like insurance and leasing (Geoffrey, 38-41). International banks operating overseas often suffer downward rating as seen the course of history that when a countrys creditworthiness is downgraded by international private agencies because of slacking public finances, it is followed by a similar rating of banks issuing shares because they carry large amounts of foreign currency government debt. The reason for this is that debt carries foreign exchange risk since the country is issuing it in a foreign currency thus increasing the probability of default in case the domestic currency depreciates; the countries who issue Eurobonds exercise acceptable sovereign credit ratings which permits them to float, in international markets, foreign currency bonds that have been underwritten by major international investment banks and carry investment grade AAA. Funds from the sale of securities return to banks and then may be invested partly in the provision of loans to the private sector or any other asset which carries a lower risk than that of foreign currency government debt (Shaheen Achkar, 353). A bank should work profitably but by no means it should turn into an organisation that is not trusted by its customers, employees or shareholders. Most of the customers across the globe consider banks with quiet suspicion and at times even with vocal hostility where they are considered evil and not a valued service industry and there is rarely a day when the tabloid press does not expose some apparent banking bungle or scam. Majority of the banks are bent opon extending their branch network and makreting their products. A customer who is anxious to just perform a simple transaction like cashing a cheque, often find himself/herself in the hands of a bank staff trying to make him go for the product of the week. The banks are no longer focused on creating a customer-oriented environment that may attract customers but are following the policy of ââ¬Ëindiscriminate sellââ¬â¢ which are driving out customers. Merely, expanding the branch network in different countries is not enough unless the bank succeeds in establishing a reputation for loyalty and trustworthiness with its borrowers. There are occasionally times when conflicts arise between the interests of a bank and its borrowers, but the key is to maintain mutual respect. Like the other organizations in service industries, customer satisfaction should lie at the core of a banks culture (John, 27). With respect to working of the investment banks, there is great reliance on analysts. These analysts are essential to the organization and working of investment banks. Because of the servies that they provide and avail, investors depend on analysts to perform a skilled analysis of security valuation, as it is usually the art and science which they are unable to perform themselves. At individual level, these analysts normally give coverage to a group of companies falling within the domain of particular industries. For this reason all major investment banks and even smaller commercial ones have their own teams of analysts who perform essential research on public corporations. These analysts do not contribute directly in generating material revenue for the bank. Instead, their services support two major groups. The first group is of professional and non-professional investors who give commissions to the banks by means of their orders to buy and sell securities. In this domain, what the analyst does is to spend time talking with investors in order to collect orders from them, which are not directly given to them but instead placed through salespeople working in the bank and with whom analysts keep in touch on a daily basis. The other important group in investment bank is the corporate finance department. This department is the vital contributor to revenues and profits earned by banks. The majority of revenue earned by the corporate finance is a result of underwriting and arranging financing (debt and equity) and providing services like mergers and acquisitions (MA) advice to the clients. The role of analysts in Corporate finance lies where they are seeked for the promottion and sale of capital offerings and MA deals to investors (Hayward Boeker, 1-5). In the past, investment banks have earned great benefits because of the high demand for its products and many existing macro trends prevalent in most of the countries. One such example is of disintermediation of traditional capital providers which facilitated the continued developments in the business arena of corporate bond and securitisaties; even on the investment side, there was disintermedation of traditional savings providers like banks or insurance companies, as a result a flood of funds rushed into equity markets which brought the need for execution of advice and transaction; another factor which contributed to the success of investment banks is the globalisation of corporations and investors. Another positive trend was the effort of continued restructuring by corporations and governments so as to achieve global competitiveness and thus requiring advisory services of the investment banks. The reaction of the banking industry to these trends was the decision to organise itself around the organizations that were product-orientated so as to take advantage of the situation. To put it in other words, the former range of services that were offered and product capability was amplified due to increased product demand (Kauffman Howcroft, 214). The international investment banks expanded their network across many countries as result of opportunities that were offered due to structural changes in the economy during the nineties in the form of privatization and ownership reallocation both in the financial and non-financial sectors (Messori 177). The function of international investment banks in terms of the banksââ¬â¢ own business is not awlays and necessarily the desire to be a major force in the retail mortgage market; but sometimes what they are instead aiming for is the building of their securitisation businesses. By expanding into the mortgage space beyond the local arena, a ready supply of new assets for securitisation become accessible to these banks directly, rather than this that they source loans in the secondary market. The benefit of securitising most of the loans of the bank in the mortgage business originates implies that the investment bank is capable of passing the risk of credit along to investors, and not only this but in turn also earning feed by means of arranging the securitisation transactions(Wood 36). An international investment bank often reaps the benefit of geographical co-location in many of the cases. The concept behind geographical co location can be illustrated by means of a ââ¬Ëlocal codeââ¬â¢ which promotes the idea that the knowledge which is specific to a certain place can be best acquired and utilized by marking your presence at that place. When talking of investment banksââ¬â¢ services, letââ¬â¢s say, its MA advisory service, such transaction requires knowledge that is of a non-cosmopolitan nature, meaning, that the availability of such knowledge is limited, which means that it is pertinent to local market besides being related to the professional knowledge of the international MA community (Schamp et al. 11- 615). Methodology: This research is basic in nature and is done to have a better understanding of the investment banks. The qualitative methodology of research has been used and is based on the use of secondary data, which is one that is gathered from existing data sources and has not been done by the researcher himself. For the purpose of collecting data for this research, articles/journals on the subject have been used. The use of secondary data saves time of doing all the research from a scratch and saves cost due to easily available of databases catering to the need and providing relevant information. The methodology takes effort in identifying the correct data and discarding the irrelevant ones; besides it authenticity may also be questioned at times. Property and validity of data: The data is secondary in nature, and has been obtained through reliable sources like published articles and research journals. The data is valid since it is not obsolete, relevant and authentic. Analysis of findings: Now, we will present an analysis of our findings in light of the literature review. Expansion banking beyond the boundaries:à The workings of banks on an international level has not always been the trend, in fact, the banks usually used to be local and work within limited cities and towns but over time, such banks turned out to be unsuccessful and the counted few ones who operated internationally were seen to be making success. thus the banks saw opportunity in expanding their branches and their network as a whole beyond local boundaries. The reason for the success was that when they operated in diverse foreign markets and dealt with diverse borrowers, the risk was no longer linked with a single market only and was thus reduced. Rise of investment banking: The traditional functions of bank were limited to making loans and taking deposits and transferring of funds but this is no longer the case. There are banks now providing non-traditional services like leasing, insurance, mortgages. The investment banks became well versed among the masses as a result of diversification of bank services and of the trends that were prevalent in the economy during the 19th century. These trends among others, included disintermediation of financial services and different restructuring in the economy like privatization or resource allocation among different sectors which facilitated the need for advisory services. Organization of international investment banks: The international investment banks are organized in a manner so as to reap the best benefits from their operation in the international markets. These banks deal with local securities among other things of the countries in which they operate. This provides them with a better understanding of the local market conditions but at the same time, unlike local banks, they are not oblivious of the international markets and can play smartly in both arenas. But the back draw of this international arrangement is often visible in the form of downgraded rating when the foreign country of their operation is going through some sort of economical crisis but even then this downgrading is better than those of the local investment banks who are purely organized around the local financial instruments in their operations. The international investments banks are organized in such a way that only makes them visible in the international domain but also provide them with a supply of new assets thus enabling them to pass the credit risk to investors and also to arrange more transactions. Operation of the international investment banks: In the operation of the international investment banks, trust is a crucial element. Banks seem to be more focused on the expansion of their branch network and sale of their products than on building the customersââ¬â¢ trust. The customers must have the trust that their bank is providing them with the right investment options and that it is equally involved in the risk bore by them; only then can these investment banks operate successfully. The international bank operates through a complicated process but what is important is to know that these banks are dependant to a great degree on their financial analysts. These analysts are not involved in the direct generation of revenue but are in fact the essential elements for providing support to two of the revenue generating bodies, which are the investors and the corporate finance. The analysts spend considerable amount of time with the investors and give them advices regarding the right place to invest in; with respect to the corporate finance department, these analysts support those working with corporate finance department in persuading the clients into letting the bank handle their buying and selling of securities and other needs and in promoting their services by giving the right check and balance. Conclusion:à Banking is no longer traditional and the former traditional role lies with the commercial banks; the diverse operations have given rise to the investment banks that have expanded their networks internationally and are making success. By operating globally, the investment banks come to terms with the local market conditions which enable them to have a more in depth insight and thus make wise investment decisions and provide the clients with the right options for decision making; the main personnel involved in their operations are their analysts who provide support to the revenue generating bodies of the bank.
Friday, November 15, 2019
Analysis of Industries :: Technology Manufacturing Industries Essays
Analysis of Industries In todayà ¡Ã ¦s advancing technology state, one must be aware of information management systems and how they are shaping lives. Many industries are involved in information technology, and it is that technology which enables them to survive. Five major industries are health, services, manufacturing, finance, and retail. It is hard to say which one is affected more by technology because they all are in their own individual ways. The topics of IT they all share, but the way that information technology is used and introduced in each industry makes them different. In such a highly competitive environment, businesses need to take advantage of all the technology they can in order to survive and gain the upper hand. This semester, I focused on the manufacturing industry because it is how many of products become products and how they are brought to us, the consumer. Data and Knowledge Management A company is made up of managers and employees. The hierarchy of the management team and the different levels of data information at each level needs need to be recognized, as does the fact that from top, strategic management to clerical and shop floor workers, all the members have varying needs regarding information systems. The general pyramid-shaped hierarchy is the most common organizational structure found in businesses. At the bottom are the clerical and shop floor workers, then the operational managers, next are the middle managers, and at the top are the senior managers. The largest group is the clerical and shop floor workers. Some common characteristics of information at each level are the data range, time span, level of detail, the source, the degree of structure, and the purpose. Data range is the amount of data from which information is extracted. Top management needs a wide data range while the lower levels need a narrow range to focus on their specific divisions. Time span refers to how long a period of time the data covers. Top management need data that reaches far into the past, while lower level managers need only a time span of hours or days. The level of detail is the degree to which the information generated is specific. For top management they need summarized information that is not greatly detailed, while operational managers need highly detailed information. The way that information is presented varies depending on the user or manager. Some different presentation methods are graphically, with text, tabular, or audibly.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
France was ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte 1799-1815
During the French Revolution the years of 1799-1815, France was ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte. Although many people feel that Napoleon is one of dictatorship, the truth is he one for the country and did what he felt was in the best interest of France. Napoleon was a democratic leader for his country. By studying his role in education, the political aspects, and the social aspects of France, one can see he did good for the country although not everything was perfect, there is no perfect person or Utopia. Napoleon set out to make France the greatest nation of Europe, and education was one of the top priorities on his list. Since Napoleon believed in a system of merit not one of family hierarchy, he felt everyone needed to be educated. The government was getting numerous complaints regarding the lack of schools in many areas, lack of professionalism among the teachers, lack of discipline and attendance by students and, in a few areas, lack of religious education (Markham 5). The problem with religious education was partially resolved by the Concordat between Napoleon and the Pope. Religious elementary schools had opened but mostly for girls. Napoleon felt that girls and boys didn't need the same education. Girls needed domestic skills, which will be helpful once married. Although he did feel they needed to learn, numbers, writing, and the principles of their languages, as well as history, geography, physics and botany. Another part of education that was very significant to Napoleon was the idea of secondary education. He felt that boy's education should be separated into 2 parts; under age 12 and over age 12. The first 4 classes would include general topics, once finished with that they would have to choose between a civil career or a career in the military and the rest of their education would depend on that (Markham 5). To this day the Napoleonic educational system is still very popular in France. There has been some modification in the system such as, the separation of church and state was made complete. Now religion was not part of the public school's curriculum. The high schools know, as lycees are still there today and even plays more of an important role. Graduation from a lycee is good enough for most jobs. Napoleon also did good for the political system of France. He created a new constitution. It consisted of three consuls. The first consul assumed by Napoleon, but was voted in. Napoleon worked really hard to put France back together after the revolution. He allowed all types of political refugees back into France, and also appointed both radical republicans and royalist aristocrats to his government. (Hooker 2). While the most peerless act was to allow the Catholic church back into to France, The concordat with Pope Pius VII. While in rule he also created The Napoleonic Code. It was a complete revamp of the French law. It was based on 2 ideas: that all men are equal under the law (but not women) and all people have a right to property. The code stamped out all privileges from the law including tax laws. The code spelled out various contractual laws to ensure the inviolability of private property. (Hooker 3) Many people think that what Napoleon was doing was wrong, yet they voted him Napoleon I, Emperor of France in 1804. Napoleon also in all he did abolished feudalism, which was part of the Code. As was stated before Napoleon brought the Catholic Church back into France; Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII agreed that it was necessary for the peace of the country. Napoleon also created the Legion of Honor in 1802. It was Nobility but it was based on ability. At first not many people favored it, but by Napoleon's downfall everyone even the Republicans favored it. (Holtman 3) Napoleon also accounted for the improvement and better treatment of the Jews. He gave them the right to worship in private and in some cases allowed them to become full-fledged citizens. Napoleon also helped create a system of measurement for the whole country now used in many places the metric system. He also created the bank of France. It aided the unification of the country and made it easy for everyone. Before Napoleon came around marriages were only allowed through the church, he allowed marriages outside the church. The church never recognized divorces but Napoleon did. Which made life a lot easier for people in France. Napoleon might have wanted to have control over many lands, but most importantly he had improved the status of France from what it was after the Revolution to what it is now. He has helped shape present day France. His ideas with education, the government, and the social revolution he created were a huge part in history. He was a democratic leader in many different aspects.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)