Managing for future Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Managing for future - Essay Example The management approach of a company differs as per the objectives and intention, but the principal aim is to ensure smooth business transaction and streamlining of the process. In the similar way, the capability of the management of a company holds utmost importance in the process of managing and dealing with the several business challenges. In order, to highlight the importance of managerial capabilities of an organization, this study intends to refer to a real life company. The company chosen in this context is Vodafone. This study therefore seeks to shed light on the management approach and style of Vodafone pertaining to its business environment and business operation. The areas that will be focused upon in this project are corporate social responsibility of the company, sustainability programs being initiated by the company and also the company’s ability to deal with crisis and catastrophe events. The paper will at first present a brief synopsis of Vodafone and short des criptions pertaining to the concepts associated with the subject of concern. Furthermore, the study will also enlighten the efforts put in by the management of the company in the timeframe 2007-2013. Lastly, the study will analyse the competence of Vodafone in these three chosen fields of business by comparing with the current level of proficiency and would develop a scenario of the future in which Vodafone will function. The definition of the key concepts associated with the study will be presented after the brief overview of the company. In light of these concepts, critical review of the current achievements of the company and theoretical models will be presented in a detailed manner. Vodafone: A Brief Overview Vodafone Group plc or commonly known as Vodafone is a UK based telecommunication company involved in telecommunication business. The company was incorporated in the year 1991. Prior to that, Vodafone was known as Racal Telecom, but in the year 1991 only, Vodafone became a n ew identity and was founded in Newbury, Berkshire, United Kingdom. The company is presently headquartered at London, UK. In terms of the overall revenue and number of subscribers, the company is the 2nd largest mobile telecommunication company of the world. Globally, the pole position has been held by China Mobile. Vodafone has presence in 30 countries of the world and operates with partner networks in around 40 nations. As of 2012, the company employs around 86,400 people (Vodafone, 2012a). The best selling products of the company are mobile telephony, fixed line, and digital television and internet services. However, in the recent past the company has also made tie-ups with mobile phone manufacturers to sell mobile phones under the brand name of Vodafone. The company mainly operates with exclusive retail distribution and exclusive company owned stores. Nevertheless, the advent of technology and stringent competition levels has compelled the company to make their presence online. T hrough their online stores, the company sell their products; allow users to pay their bills etc. Some of the major competitors of the company are 3 mobile, Airtel, France Telecom and Xon Mobile, Telefonica Europe plc, Dutch Telecom among others (Hoovers, 2013). The net revenue of the company in the year 2012 was ?46.417Â  billion and the profit was ?6.957Â  billion. Furthermore, the total asset of the company as of 2012 was

Fe2+ in heme becomes oxidized to Fe3+ Essay Example for Free

Fe2+ in heme becomes oxidized to Fe3+ Essay Consumers associate bright red color with fresh meat and brownish tint to outdated, possibly spoiled meat no matter what the pull date says. Some vendors are treating the cut meat with CO before packaging in plastic wrap for supermarket meat counters. Why would this help sales? CO binds to oxygen binding site and this binding is not readily reversible. Hence Hemoglobin remains in ‘saturated’ form and appears red and fresh. This would definitely enhance sales. CH2OH 5. a. In the figure to the right, what type of bond links the two carbohydrate monomers together? Answer by checking in the spaces(s) provided below. OH Check all that apply; or check none of the above if none of the descriptions apply to the bond shown. _____ glycosidic bond _____ hemiketal bond _____ beta 1-6 linkage _____ester bond ____ ketal bond _____ a furanose bond _____ phosphodiester bond  ¬Ã‚ ¬_____ alpha 1-4 linkage _____ a pyranose bond _____ hemiacetal bond _____ alpha 1-6 linkage _____ none of the above_____ acetal bond _____ beta 1-4 linkage b. Is it possible that the figure shows part of glycogen? YES NO Explain. In your explanation, include at least two types of clues that give you the answer. For full credit, use precise terminology. No more than two sentences -one per clue are needed to answer this question. Glycogen is a polymer of ? -D-glucopyranose. It contains ? (1? 4) linkages and some ? (1? 6) links. 6. You are studying an enzyme that catalyzes the reaction turning substrate S into product P and obeys. Michaelis-Menton kinetics. You are conducting a series of enzyme assays to determine the Vmax of the enzyme: each successive assay uses the same amount of enzyme, but a different concentration of S. a. When the concentration of S is 10% of the Km, you measure a reaction velocity of 1 ? mole P produced per minute. What is the Vmax for the enzyme? Show all your work and include units at all steps. V= Vmax. [S]/KM+[S] V=1 ? mole/min 0. 1Km=S Vmax = V*(Km+[S])/[S] = 1*(Km+0. 1Km)/0. 1Km =1. 1/0. 1Km=0. 11Km The value of Vmax will be 0. 11 times the Michaelis-Menton constant for the given reaction. b. When you add a particular concentration of compound C to the reaction mixture of enzyme and substrate at 1/10 the KM, you find the product is produced at a much lower rate than when compound C is not present. However, if you repeat this experiment with the same concentrations of compound C and enzyme but a very high concentration of substrate, product is produced at about the same rate as the one you calculated in part ‘a’. Based on the evidence presented, compound C must be (please circle all that apply):a zymogen a competitive inhibitor an allosteric activator a non-competitive inhibitor an endergonic compound a transition state analog 7. Answer each question TRUE or FALSE. If you mark it false, provide a complete explanation of what is wrong with it. . a) Enzymes increase the stability of the product of a desired reaction by allowing ionizations, resonance and isomerization not normally available to substrates. ____TRUE ____ FALSE The reason this statement is false is: ionizations, resonance and isomerization increase the instability of the substrate. b) Lowering the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen increases the effectiveness with which it delivers oxygen to the tissues, though it may decrease the amount of oxygen acquired in the lungs. ____TRUE ____ FALSE The reason this statement is false is: c) Whether the ? G for a reaction is larger, smaller or the same as ? G’0 depends on the concentrations of the compounds that participate in the reaction. ____TRUE ____ FALSE The reason this statement is false is: d) Enzymes are potent catalysts because they drive reactions to completion while other catalysts drive reactions to equilibrium. ____TRUE____ FALSE. The reason this statement is false is: catalyst lowers the energy barrier to a reaction, increases the fraction of molecules that have enough energy to attain the transition state and hence make the reaction go faster in both directions. e) The hydrolysis of ATP has a large negative ? G’0, nevertheless it is stable in solution due to the ionization of the phosphates. ____TRUE ____ FALSE The reason this statement is false is: f) L-Malate + NAD+ - oxaloacetate + NADH + H+ ? G’0 = +29. 7 kJ/mol The reaction as written may occur in some cells at some concentrations of substrate and product. ____TRUE ____ FALSE The reason this statement is false is: this is a step in the Kreb’s cycle and occurs in all respiring cells. g) Linking the endergonic reaction X -Y to a second, energetically favorably reaction Y-Z will shift the equilibrium constant of the first reaction. ____TRUE ____ FALSE The reason this statement is false is: h) Non-covalent interactions are too weak to influence the three-dimensional structure of macromolecules. ____ TRUE ____ FALSE The reason this statement is false is: Tertiary structure is basedon non-covalent interactions. i) Starch and glycogen are both polymers of ? -D-glucose. ____TRUE ____ FALSE The reason this statement is false is: they are ? -D-glucopyranose polymers. j) Enzymes bind a transition state intermediate such that it cannot be converted back to substrate. ____TRUE ____ FALSE The reason this statement is false is: k) When the reactants and products are all in equal concentrations, no further change in concentration will take place. ____TRUE ____ FALSE The reason this statement is false is: l).The rate of migration of a protein through an SDS-polyacrylamide gel is not influenced by the charge of the protein. ____TRUE. ____ FALSE The reason this statement is false is; m) In general, when ATP hydrolysis is coupled to an energy-requiring reaction, the actual reaction often consists of the transfer of a phosphate group from ATP to another substrate, rather than the actual hydrolysis of ATP ____TRUE ____ FALSE The reason this statement is false is: 8. Downugo, a marketed drug widely used by diabetics with hypertension, is metabolized by the liver enzyme CYP3A4. Your company is developing an insulin mimetic. You have three promising candidate compounds, all of which are metabolized by CYP3A4. The table below shows the KD of the binding of the molecule to the insulin receptor and the IC50 for each compound as a competitor for Downugo metabolism by CYP3A4. Compound KD for insulin receptor IC50 for CYP3A4 vs Downugo A 10? M 8 mM B 10 nM 50 nM C 5 nM 200 nM Your company has the resources to take only one compound into further development. Based on these results, which is your selection? Explain briefly. A. Very low quantities should be required for binding with insulin receptor, but the IC50 values must also be higher.

Sarah Baartman and Sandra Laing

Sarah Baartman and Sandra Laing Mackenzie Dickson The lives of Sarah Baartman and Sandra Laing were heavily complicated due to colonialism, followed by pseudo-scientific ideas concerning their gender and race. Sarah Baartmans true identity is still unknown; even her real name is still a mystery. Sometime during the 19th century Baartman arrived in England and was dubbed The Venus Hottentot by the media and attendees of the inhumane circus-like act that Baartman was forced to perform. Baartmans life was controlled and ruined by whitemangaze, leading her to become a commodity- not a person. Whitemangaze is the westernized perception of Black women as objects and commodities, entities viewed exclusively through the prism of- either the lure or repulsion of- their corporeality (Werbanowska, 19). The film Black Venus makes an effort to depict the range of reactions of the white male-dominated crowd, from disgust to attraction. The crowd was even encouraged to physically assault Baartman. Baartman was not a person; she was a victim of colonialism employed by western culture that ultimately led to the reduction of all non-white women to the role of (not necessarily sexual) objects. The fetishizat ion and otherization that Baartman suffered as a result of colonialism steams from need for superiority (19). The use of pseudo-science was used to establish this sense of superiority desired among westerners; white people wanted to hear that Africans were biologically unequal to Europeans. In 1816, Parisian scientists declared Baartman was the missing link separating beast from man (Spies, 2). She, along with other non-white people, was viewed as a savage from a world populated by grotesque monsters- fat-arsed females, blood-thirsty warriors, pre-verbal pinheads, midgets and geeks (Werbanowska, 19). Parisian zoologist Georges Cuvier dissected Baartmans corpse and preserved her genitalia, spine, and brain out of scientific curiosity and potential obsession. As demonstrated in the opening scene of Black Venus, Cuvier provided pseudo-scientific evidence to connect Baartman with apes and baboons, focusing on Baartmans bottom, skull, and her preserved genitalia- which he subsequently passes around the room. Moreover, comparing African women with primitive animals such as apes and baboons speaks to the European fantasy of the ignoble savage whose assumed lack of acculturation implies all sorts of uncivilized sexual behaviors (20). Pseudo-science performed by white men like Cuvier enforced the stereotype that African women are savage sexual beasts, who are commodities rather than an individual. The current day Venus Hottentots can be seen throughout the media; theyre called video vixens. Typically, video vixens are attractive, young, black, females that fall victim to the same fetishization and exploitation that Baartman faced in the 19th century. Baartmans story has become synonymous with a past of sexual exploitation, lasciviousness, and likewise, that has presented opportunity for ruminating on the phenomenon of young black women play the roles of video vixen or ghetto chicks' (Henderson, 528-529). Baartman and current day video vixens function under the colonial and patriarchal gaze which perceived them almost exclusively through the prism of their race and gender (Werbanowska, 26). Some video vixens interviewed in the VH1 Documentary Sexploitation on the Set insist they are not being exploited; rather, they are using their body as a form of empowerment. It is undisputable that video vixens are a commodity; they are selling their body and their image in order to gain pr ofit and recognition. The black females who take rolls as video vixens are exploited the same way Sarah Baartman was. They are oppressed because of their race and gender, than transformed into a commodity by profiting from exposing their bodies. In 1966, young Sandra Laings race was called into question by the Race Classification Board in South Africa; Laing was about ten at the time. In the first episode of the series, The Power of an Illusion, race is described as a clear distinction among humans; genes do not have to be closely looked at to determine an individuals race. This was not the case for Laing, who was born from two white parents but had darker skin- thus, appearing black. The film, Skin, depicts the troubles Laing suffered through a time of racial segregation (Apartheid) and lack of legitimate science. Similar to Baartmans story, race is a societal construct used to place non-whites lower in the hierarchal structure, which leads to a life with or without resources, privilege and power (Younge, 106). Pseudo-sciences used to prove/disprove Laings race was based on her physical appearance. As demonstrated in the film, the members of the RCB inspect Laings hair, bottom, and mouth. Another researcher offered the expl anation of a genetic throwback, meaning Sandras white parents carried African genes. This was the only viable explanation for Laings skin color, but the courts found it absurd (Skin). The fact of the matter is that race is a biological myth, but it was believed that race was rooted in biology, and linked to other, more complex internal differences. Like athletic ability. Musical aptitude. Intelligence (Race- The Power of an Illusion). In the end, Sandra was ruled legally white. Despite being legally white, Sandra was shunned by other white people. After finding solace in black communities, Sandra faced legal regulations that prevented her from furthering her life because she was legally white. The forced racial categorization certainly complicated Sandras life. Works Cited Black Venus. Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche , MK2, 2010. Film. Episode One: The Difference Between Us. Race- The Power of an Illusion, directed by  Christine Herbes-Sommers, California Newsreel, 2003. Television. Henderson, Carol E. African American Review. African American Review, vol. 44, no. 3,  2011, pp. 528-530., www.jstor.org/stable/23316222. Sexploitation on the Set. VH1 Video Vixen Documentary. VH1, 2005. Television.   Skin. Directed by Anthony Fabian, BBC Films, 2008. Film. Spies, Bertha M. Saartjie. African Arts. 2nd ed. Vol. 47. Regents of the U of California, 2014.   Print. Werbanowska, Marta. Reclaiming the Commodified Body: The Stories of Saartjie Baartman  and Josephine Baker in the Poetry of Elizabeth Alexander. Ethos: A Digital Review of Arts, Humanities, and Public Ethics. Ed. Katherine Walker and Benjamin Mangrum. Ethos, 2014. 18-32. Google Scholar. Web. Younge, Gary. The Margins and the Mainstreams. Museums, Equality, and Social Justice. Ed.  Richard Sandell and Eithne Nighingale. Routledge, 2013. Google Scholar. Web.

Personal relationships :: essays research papers

I don’t think that anything brings people together more than mutual hatred, except mutual hatred for each other. I suppose that is why my ex-boyfriends and I still talk to each other, or, I should say, one of my ex-boyfriends, Rob. The other one, Andrew, and I don’t talk at all. I suppose that means we must really hate each other. But the reason we don’t talk is that it still hurts, and that wound runs very deep, I doubt if it will ever heal. The â€Å"blues† is losing someone you love and not having enough money to immerse yourself in drink. And so when I had lost Andrew, Cupid sent Rob along, and he paid for the tab. In short, I am convinced that Andrew is heartless and devoid of having any conviction or remorse for his wickedness. And as for Rob, I am honored to be able to say that, yes, he is my friend, and one of the most amazing people I have ever met.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rob was a Marine. Andrew was in the Army. Their temperaments were just as opposite as the branches of the military they served. Rob was an introverted kind of guy, completely content to sit and read a novel or sit quietly in a theatre. He wasn’t the kind of guy that liked to be the center of attention or draw the spotlight to himself. Andrew, on the other hand, was the most extraverted person I have ever seen. He was the life of the party, always out and about socializing, and loved all the attention than anyone would be willing to give him. Andrew was aggressive, Rob was passive. Even though they were different, they were a lot alike. Which is why, I suppose, I was attracted to both of them. They both had strong leadership skills and the ability to always make me smile when I was sad, console me when I cried, and amuse me with their humor when I needed to be 03 cheered. On my nineteenth birthday, Andrew called at 12:00AM to sing â€Å"happy birthday† to me in a Frank Sinatra style, and Rob telephoned to leave The Beatles â€Å"so they say it’s your birthday† at 2:07AM on my voice mail. They each had their differences, but even their similarities had their own flavor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Physically, I would have to say that both Rob and Andrew were enough to put Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp out of business.

Blue Ocean Strategy

In the past ten weeks, this class has tested me by having to read challenging articles that presented several different strategic theories to us. While all of the theories brought us interesting and valuable information, the one that resonated most with me and stuck out the most was the Blue Ocean Strategy. I have always been someone who enjoys a challenge and I feel that while this theory is a challenge, it has the most potential to bring organizations the greatest amount of success.To fully understand why I selected this theory opposed to one of the other ones, I feel that first I need to explain exactly what Blue Ocean Strategy is and who has used it and gained enormous amounts of success. While there are many people who believe taking down the competition is the best plan for their company and will result in huge success, Blue Ocean Strategy does not even factor it into their decision making process as a way to reach success. To discuss Blue Ocean Strategy, we also have to unders tand Red Ocean Strategy.Red oceans are all other strategies that are currently trying to out-compete one another in hopes of being the one on top. The first thing that comes to mind when I think off taxation such as this is the results of Apple first launching the pod. All a sudden a portable music player like this was what everyone wanted, so other companies started doing the same thing and came out with comparable products such as the Zone. Sadly, no one has been able to reach the success that Apple has when it comes to portable music devices.As you can see from the chart, Microsoft, the creator of Zone, tried to reach success by hitting all five points that were mentioned on the left side of the chart. However, they were unable to do so because they underestimated the demand that the pod was producing. Microsoft as well as other companies tried to compete, but could not maintain as high of a demand as the pod and eventually the market became too crowded and the products eventuall y became undervalued and over produced.When the creators came out with Zone it sounds like a Hyperventilation strategy was being used. Hyperventilation is defined as rapid and dynamic completion that is escalated on price-quality positioning (Divine, 1998). While a Zone is very similar to an pod, what the creators thought would make them out-sell the pod was that the Zone cost half of what the pod was. While often times cost is a huge consideration when buying a product or service in this case people were willing to pay the extra money and choose the company that used the Blue Ocean Strategy.Potential Risk: Now take a complete 180-degree turn and you have Blue Ocean Strategy. With this strategy, demand is created rather than fought over. By doing this, there is more room for growth that can be quickly profitable. At first when I read the article, I thought to myself that this seemed too risky and why would a company bother using this strategy; after doing a lot of different research on the topic, I have come to the inclusion that there is a minimal amount of risk.I think it is important to realize that with any strategy there is a certain amount of risk, no matter what choice you decided to make. For Blue Ocean Strategy, there are currently six key risks that a company could face (Kim & Maneuvering, 2004). Of these six risks, the first four revolve around the creation of the strategy itself and the final two relate to the actual execution of the strategy.Search risk Planning risk Scope risk Business model risk Organizational risk Management risk However, there are six principals represented in Blue Ocean Strategy that are signaled to protect an organization from that risk (Kim & Maneuvering, 2004): Reconstruct market boundaries Focus on the big picture, not the numbers Reach beyond existing demands Get the strategic sequence right Overcome key organizational hurtles Build execution into strategy The first principal identifies the direction by which managers ca n methodically create conclusive market space across diverse industry domains and crippling search risk. It teaches companies how to make the competition irrelevant by looking across the six conventional boundaries of competition to open up commercially important blue oceans† (Blue Ocean Strategy, 2014). The second principal has to do with looking at the big picture and not focusing on Just what the numbers would be, it deals with planning risk. By looking at the big picture first and foremost I believe this is why, when using this strategy, there is such long-term success that comes with it. Using a visualizing approach that drives managers to focus on the big picture, this principle proposes a four-step planning process for strategies that create and capture blue ocean opportunities† (Blue Ocean Strategy, 2014). To reach beyond existing demands hose using the Blue Ocean Strategy must challenge the traditional process of aiming for finer segmentation in order to meet ex isting customer preferences. Instead, this principle, which addresses scale risk, states the importance of aggregating demand, not by focusing on the differences that separate customer but rather by building on the powerful commonalities across uncustomary† (Blue Ocean Strategy, 2014). In order to accomplish correct strategic sequence companies must ensure that their business model will be able to produce and maintain profitable growth. This sequence consists of the following: (1) utility, (2) price, (3) cost, and (4) adoption requirements (Blue Ocean Strategy, 2014).When a company follows this sequence, it addresses the business model risk. The fifth principal is all about overcoming the hurdles that come your way. This is the first principal in the execution portion of the strategy and therefore in this principal the organizational risk is heavily considered. â€Å"This principle mitigates organizational risk, outlining how leaders and manager can surmount the cognitive, re source, motivational, and political hurdles in spite of emitted time and resources† (Blue Ocean Strategy, 2014).Last, but certainly not least, is building execution into the strategy and this is defined as having the ability to encourage others to execute the strategy in the best way they know how. This principle addresses the management risk associated with people's attitudes and behaviors. â€Å"By integrating execution into strategy formula, people are motivated to act† (Blue Ocean Strategy, 2014). While there is still a certain amount of potential risk involved in this strategy, you can see that there are several different principals that were created to eliminate said risk.Cost and Value: A lot of traditional strategies state that you much choose if you want to be known for cost or for value. However, when deciding to use Blue Ocean Strategy, it is possible to have both differentiation and low cost. If you look to the chart to the right you can see that Blue Ocean Strategy has figured out that the key to value innovation is equal parts cost and buyer value. While the chart makes it look simple, in order for this to happen, utility, price, and cost all need to be aligned.By driving both the cost down and the value, the product has the potential to meet so many more people. A really good example of this balance is the Ford Model T. In 1908, Henry Ford was a person with vision who created a company and a product that was not in the market. He made it price friendly so that people could actually afford it and it would fall under the category of value pioneering. When the Model T first came out in 1908, it cost $ 850. 00, which was half the price of anything else out there at the time (Kim & Maneuvering, 2004).The key to success in this example was not using the competition as a benchmark. While Henry Ford could have followed everyone else and created a actionable and customizable car, he knew that it was not what the market needed; they needed af fordability and reliability. Long Term Viability: When a company or organization is in the process of selecting a strategy to use, they want something that will not only last a long time, but also help them build a brand. There have been several companies that have used Blue Ocean Strategy and have had decades of brand equity (Kim & Maneuvering, 2004).Companies will be happy with the results that many have and are expected to continue to use Blue Ocean Strategy multiple times. Blue Ocean vs.. Strategic Supremacy through Disruption and Dominance: Almost the opposite of Blue Oceans is the theory of strategic supremacy, which has been influenced by hyperventilation and understanding the relationships in this theory. By understanding the interaction between strategy and environment, managers can better tailor their strategies to the environment or change the environment to their advantage.This begins with analyzing the current competitive environment (opposite of Blue Oceans) then under standing the rules of the game in that industry. Simply put, the leaders in the industry control the â€Å"rules of the game†, if they do something, he smaller brands will follow to compete. Having the ability to control the rules of the game and controlling the evolution of the market and its competition is part of strategic supremacy. Sometimes old leaders in an industry do not want to change and this gives new entrants an opportunity to sneak in and disrupt the rules of the game and use it to their advantage.Overall, this strategy is all about controlling your market at large and if you do not have the caliber to do this, then you find a niche market to focus on. When competitors disrupt the â€Å"rules of the game† then it comes a competitive battle. When this happens, it eventually turns into a Red Ocean. Leaders often are in their position because they have battled with lowering prices and are able to compete with lower margins. If a leading competitor was disrup ted by a new entrant with lower prices it would change the game and they would be forced to lower their prices or create a new strategic approach to beating the new threat.In this business strategy, I think it leads to saturation in the market where there really isn't a new value for the customer; they Just battle over perceived values, marketing and price wars. If you are someone who is going to enter into a particular market strong, would you rather go into a bloody war with dominant leaders and try to find a way to sneak past them and out into the market with the threat of them copying you and crushing you because they have deeper pockets and more control or avoid this fight and go where nobody else has gone?I think that many existing firms find themselves battling for strategic supremacy and if you are a new business, you should let them fight and enter the market through a Blue Ocean Strategy instead, but you are also never too old to use your brand equity and create a ewe spac e. Blue Ocean Strategies vs.. Coping with Hyperventilation: Companies regularly struggle to sustain their competitive advantages and the reality is that no advantage is sustainable. Technological wonders can happen overnight, aggressive competitors enter the market, organizations are restricted, new laws change the field, markets and trends appear and fade away.In a hypersensitive environment companies must disrupt the advantages of their competitors. To fight back with this, managers must apply the g's according to this theory to analyze industries and competitions strengths and weaknesses. Huge companies that were once thought to be untouchable have been brought to their knees, such as IBM & GM. Having economies of scale, large advertising power, deep pockets and all the other things that give them buyer and supplier power is no longer enough. â€Å"Leadership in price and quality is also not enough to assure success. Being first is not always the same as being best.Entry barrier s are trampled down or circumvented. Goliath are brought down by clever Davis with slingshots. Welcome to the world of hyperventilation† (Divine, 1995). According to Divine, companies cake progress in hyperventilation by actively disrupting advantages to others in order to adapt the market to themselves; this is done by applying the g's framework. The new g's framework is: Superior stakeholder satisfaction, strategic soothsaying, positioning for speed, positioning for surprise, shifting the rules of the game, signaling strategic intent and simultaneous and sequential strategic thrusts.Before going further in depth with applying these g's, this would seem like a very bloodthirsty strategy to destroy your opponents. When you strike first, you better be ready to take a hit or keep swinging. I am not saying that this is not the way to compete, but I am saying that it is not the best way to be in business or enter. Hyperventilation is a Red Ocean Strategy and all of these battle ta ctics do not have to be your fundamental strategy in a Blue Ocean. Moving on, these g's are only based on a strategy of finding and building temporary advantages in the market.These advantages are from market disruption and not sustaining advantages because of the reasons mentioned in the beginning of this paragraph. Looking at the chart below, you can see the qualities of competition in different levels of competition. The g's are about paying in the 4th category whereas Blue Ocean Strategy is about figuring out a way to compete in the first or second category. Even if you are a company who is part of hyperventilation it does not mean you have to play a part of the price war, you can use your branding and find a way into an area of more moderate competition.Blue Ocean vs.. The Core Competence of the Corporation Another theory of competitive advantage is in the knowledge and diversity of core competencies. Focusing on your core competencies creates unique, integrated systems that re inforce your business model. Once you clarify your competencies, then you will know how to support them, increasing your competitive advantage and reducing the ability of a competitor copying you. The theory states that once you establish your competencies you must enhance them by investing in needed technologies and creating strategic alliances.This theory seems to be not as brutally competitive as some of the other theories. It is difficult to argue because identifying your company's core competencies is indeed very important for strategic decisions and success. The reason I believe Blue Ocean Strategy is still a stronger strategy is imply because I do not believe that understanding your core competencies alone will be a sustainable enough advantage. There will still be competitors who change the game, new technologies and entrants that will emerge and I do not think that focus on your competencies are enough in a highly competitive market.In a Blue Ocean Strategy you do not need to worry about the competition as much. This theory points out that your competition may not be able to copy you as easily but that does not mean that they wont be able to take more of the marketplace. For these reasons, I think blue ocean is still the smartest strategy. Blue Ocean vs.. Resource Based View of the Firm The resource based view of the firm (RUB) is a basis for the competitive advantage of a firm that is based on application of their tangible and intangible resources.By doing this a business can transform their short-run competitive advantage into a more sustained competitive advantage. The basic idea is that you first identify potential key resources within your organization. Next, evaluate if the resources are valuable, rare, in-imitable, non-substitutable and other criteria. By protecting and sustaining these resources you can achieve greater organizational success. Similarly to understanding the core competencies of your business, this business strategy is also diff icult to argue.A business should evaluate their resources and these resources may very well be their core competencies especially if they are rare, inimitable and non-substitutable. I believe that simply having a resource based view does not protect you from changes in the market, always or guarantee long-term sustainability or competitive advantage. As mentioned before, technology advances happen overnight and these types of changes can make resources obsolete. Example of Successful Blue Ocean Strategy – Apple: Sometimes the only way to fully understand something is by looking at examples to get a better idea.In my opinion, the most successful company using a Blue Ocean Strategy has been Apple. A game changer for Apple was when they launched what we know of today as tunes. In 2003, they launched tunes, which to this day has changed the way people buy and enjoy music (Blue Ocean strategy, 2014). They saw a need in the market for digital music that was not illegally downloaded and were able to fill the need by providing clear music that was priced reasonably. One of the biggest perks of this is because there are a lot of people that only want one or two songs and no longer need to purchase the entire CD.They have been able to maintain their success by launching a program that was easy for users to use and provide great customer service; it was very difficult for others to even try to replicate. Apple did not want to stop there and saw another chance to move a new idea into the market when they came out with the pad. Apple was getting people to move away from laptops and cheap notebooks and offered customers an entirely new experience. With billions of dollars of success, we have to wonder what they know that others cannot seem to figure out.I feel the biggest reason why this is happening is because they are focusing on the end user. Apple continues to create projects that are solely customer driven. Also, they do an excellent Job highlighting their asset s. For example, do you ever wonder why people get so excited when a new model of their device comes out? It is because Apple markets the parts that others want. I once watched a documentary that claimed when the pad 2 came out, it was almost exactly he same with the exception of the size and weight.This attracted business because the pad is portable and can travel anywhere. A theory that shares similar characteristics to Blue Ocean Strategy is Core Competency by C. K. Parallax and Gary Hammer; the products and services that are produced with this theory is hard to replicate (Hammer & Parallax, 1990). However, Blue Ocean Strategy stands out since they created a market of their own and they have a much greater chance of focusing on things like pricing. It is something that no one has ever seen before so it gets a lot of attention right off the back.Example of Successful Blue Ocean Strategy – WI: Another company who has displayed success as a result of Blue Ocean Strategy is Mic rosoft when they created the WI. Video games are a billion dollar industry and companies continue to try and top their competitors with what they can provide consumers. Instead of fighting this trend, Microsoft decided to ignore the standard features that most video game consoles offer, such as built in DVD players and low processor speed; and in its place offer us something that no one had ever imagined: a censored video game that requires the movement of the player (Stewarded, 2007).In the article, Nineteen's Blue Ocean Strategy: WI, the author writes, â€Å"In Kim & Embrasure's terms, this means that while Microsoft's Oxbow and Sonny's ASS are fighting each other fiercely in a red ocean (I. E. The existing market), Nineteen's WI is calmly sailing in the blue ocean it created for itself (I. E. A new market)† (Stewarded, 2007). This was an extremely successful strategy, to put WI into the market because not only did it attract video game users but also brought in a whole oth er market. When it first came out, I was surprised and shocked to see the gaming system in my grandfather's nursing home.I soon learned that not only were the gaming systems being placed in nursing homes all over the country, but they were also being placed in physical therapy and rehab centers. I believe this example especially proves that Blue Ocean Strategy is superior to Michael Porter's Theory. If Microsoft were to follow Porter's theory instead, they would have looked at the OXBOW or ASS gaming system and did something comparable because he believes that you should try to top the competition (Porter, 1996). This leaves very little room for creativity and the chance to create something as innovated as an interactive video games.Conclusion: â€Å"The only way to beat the competition is to stop trying to beat the competition†. As you can see, Blue Ocean Strategy has a lot to offer companies and organizations that wish to succeed. Out of the eight strategies that we learned about, I feel that not only is Blue Ocean Strategy most different from all the others, but also offers people the most potential. Instead of going off what is already out there or creating something that resembles something else, Blue Ocean Strategy decides to do the exact opposite and create something that is not already out there.

Prepared Reading on “The House of The Spirits” Essay

She is the main protagonist of the novel, Estaban Trueba’s wife, Blanca, and the twin’s (Nicolas and Jaime) mother. She has the gift of foresight, as she is able to foresee the future, although she cannot change it. Another supernatural gift that she has is the power to speak with spirits. She is the character that binds the intertwined families together. She has a tendency to resemble that of a mute after encountering domestic problems with her husband Esteban, but her love for her family prevents her from leaving the house of Esteban. Clara’s character is static. She remains the same, calm, woman all throughout the novel—from the beginning right up to the end. Esteban Esteban is the head of Clara’s family because he is the husband of Clara. He is also the father of a number of illegitimate children at the Tres Marias because of his insatiable appetite for sexual pleasure. He co-narrates the novel along with his granddaughter Alba. He is from a class lower than that of Clara’s family, but through persistence and hard work at the mines in Tres Marias, he was able to make a fortune, thanks mostly to the efforts of the peasants at the mines whom Esteban maltreats, especially the women—as he was able to rape almost every young peasant girl in Treas Marias. Despite obsessively loving Clara, his violence has caused conflicts within the family. Alba, his granddaughter, is the only person apart from the prostitute Transito, whom he was able to get really close with. Blanca Blanca is the daughter and first born of Clara and Esteban and the mother of Alba. She is the lover of Pedro Tercero; her love for him is what describes Blanca best, despite her and Pedro Tercero not being officially together. She was once married to Jean de Satigny, a French man who was arguably more interested in gaining power in marriage than marrying out of love, but she divorced him because of his disturbing sexual practices. Pedro Tercero Pedro Tercero is Blanca’s faithful lover all throughout the novel, even if they are separated most of the time. He was a revolutionary; when the Socialist government came into power he opted to join them. Ironically, he saved Esteban’s life despite the latter hating him so much because of his relationship with Blanca. Conflict / Plot Summary The conflict of the novel is divided within the three generations of the women in the Trueba family. The main conflicts are: Clara’s conflict with her husband Esteban, Blanca’s conflict with her love for Pedro Tercero, and Alba’s conflict at the hands of Esteban Garcia. Additional conflicts which are present all throughout the novel are the conflicts of Esteban Truebo and the sociological conflicts between the socialists and the conservative parties. Esteban was not an inherently rich man. Though he was definitely a class above the peasants that he treats badly, he was far from being as rich as the del Valle (Clara’s family). Despite being significantly poorer than the del Valles, he was able to persuade the family into agreeing for their daughter to be married to him. He was supposed to marry Rosa at first, the sister of Clara, but while he was away trying to earn a fortune at the mines, she died before they were able to be wed. Wanting to fulfill his promise to his mother who just died, Esteban looked for a wife again, and he opted not too look far, thus marrying Clara. With his fortune established and his promise to his mother fulfilled, Esteban was still far from resolving all his conflicts because more would come after his wedding. After the wedding of Esteban and Clara, Ferula, Esteban’s sister, moves in with them. Clara and Ferula became really close friends, so close that Esteban was suspiciously jealous of her affections for his wife. One day, Esteban came home ahead of schedule and found Ferula sleeping on the bed of Clara. This prompted Esteban to kick Ferula out of the house. Ferula, on her way out, curses Esteban to be lonely for the rest of his life. Blanca, the first born of Clara and Esteban, was born a year after her parents’ wedding. During a trip to the Tres Marias, she met Pedro Tercero, son of Pedro Segundo, the caretaker of the Tres Marias. Blanca and Pedro Tercero fall in love. As their relationship matures, they realized that Esteban would not approve of their relationship because first, Pedro Tercero was just a son of a peasant, and second, he was a revolutionary, a fact that would not go well with Esteban because Esteban was a conservative. The conflict that the relationship of Blanca and Pedro Tercero created would result in the conflict between Clara and Esteban. Jean de Satigny, a prowling opportunist, revealed the love affair of Blanca and Pedro Tercero to Esteban. Outraged, Esteban sent Blanca away and threatened to kill Pedro Tercero. However, Esteban only managed to sever three fingers of Pedro Tercero. While in his enraged state, Esteban hit Clara. He hit Clara so hard that several of Clara’s teeth broke loose. Clara never spoke to him since but remained in the house of Esteban all her life, in a civil relationship minus the conversations. Several years after, a change in government would result into more trouble for Esteban. The socialist party won the election, and the peasants at the Tres Marias revolted, taking Esteban as a hostage in the process. Fortunately for Esteban, her daughter Blanca loved him very much despite his outrageous reactions to her relationship with Pedro Tercero. Through Blanca’s special request, Pedro Tercero was able to convince the peasants to let Esteban go. Esteban was forced to stay inside his house because the new government was looking for him. Esteban was oblivious to the fact that the new head of the government was his own grandson, Esteban Garcia. Esteban Garcia was the grandson of Pancha, one of the numerous peasant girls whom Esteban Trueba raped during his early years at the Tres Marias. Now, the grandson wanted revenge for the ill-treatment that her grandmother received. However, instead of focusing his revenge towards the real culprit, he instead harassed and molested Alba, the granddaughter of Esteban and Clara, on several occasions. When he attained power in the new government, he abducted Alba and placed her inside a concentration camp where she was raped and tortured by several men including Esteban Garcia. Esteban Trueba was able to save her thanks to the help of an old friend, Transito Soto, a prostitute that asked Esteban Trueba for money to start her own whorehouse. With Alba recovered, Esteban Trueba and Alba wrote the story of the family. Esteban Trueba died soon after, but Alba continued to write the story while pregnant with her kid. Technique Allusion to Real Life Events Although the setting of the novel was unspecified by Allende, there are events in the novel that resemble that of Chile and the events that happened before the novel’s publication. Allende alluded to these real life events in order for his novel to become partly biographical and to make it as an allegory to enable the readers, especially Chileans, to relate to the story more. The political unrest present in the novel parallels that of the conflict in Chile during the 1920’s. The 1920’s were turbulent times for Chile—strikes and collision between political parties were prevalent. Another real life event shown in the novel is based on a natural disaster. In chapter 5, a very strong earthquake is mentioned, much like the great Chilean earthquake in 1939. Even some of the characters in the novel are based on Allende’s family. Narrative Irony Irony is also present in some parts of the novel. The behavior of the two opposing classes provides the irony. The upper classes often see themselves as more civilized than the lower class, but in the novel, their behavior suggests the other way around. For instance, in the story, Esteban Trueba is a violent man, and he exploits the workers at the Tres Marias, while the peasants appear to react in a more calm and react appropriately at the face of adversity. The irony presents the characters in a more realistic way. Authorial Reticence Magical Realism uses authorial reticence in order to justify the â€Å"magic† in the text. By excluding the clear opinions of the characters towards the magical elements in the novel, the text becomes realistic while obviously fantastic. For example, Clara is clairvoyant, but nobody seems to mind or be surprised about it. On the other hand, Rosa is described to be over the top beautiful, but she had green hair, yellow eyes and transparent skin. Themes / Key Quotations One of the major themes in the novel is the oppression that women experience. Esteban Trueba is the epitome of a woman exploiter in the novel. He treated them like property, only existing for his sexual satisfaction and an object to continue on his genes. In chapter 3, when Esteban was looking for a wife, even after the de Valle family revealed to him Clara’s supernatural powers, he concluded that â€Å"none of these things posed any obstacle to bringing healthy, legitimate children into the world† (Allende, 1985, p. 88). His primary concern was to have a wife that would bear his children no matter how peculiar the qualities of Clara were. Another theme is the concept of luck. The first instance of luck was Esteban’s luck at the mines. The Tres Marias was already a shabby place when Esteban decided to gamble all his money into its renovation. Luck struck him as the mines proved to be very productive. Ironically, Alba was the luckiest of them all, as Clara claimed, â€Å"There’s no need to worry about this little girl. She will be lucky and she will be happy† (Allende, 1985, p. 223). Despite being captured, molested, and tortured by Esteban Garcia, Alba was still considered to be lucky because ultimately, she was able to escape and able to elude Esteban Garcia’s attempts to kill her. One prominent motif that appears throughout the novel is writing. The whole story is in fact, the combined writing efforts of Esteban and Alba. As Alba recalled, â€Å"it was my grandfather who had the idea that we should write this story† (Allende 1985, p. 366). Throughout the novel, the characters were involved in writing, from Clara to Alba. Reference Allende, I. (1985). The House of the Spirits (M. Bogin, Trans. ). New York: Bantam Books.