Saturday, October 12, 2019

Sutton&Anderson Pastoralism Summary :: essays research papers

Sutton Anderson Chapter 8 Pastoralism is the form of agriculture where the domestication and use of animals are used for the primary means of food production. There is a relationship among the animals and humans. The humans give the animals’ protection and guaranteed reproduction. Animals give humans food and other products. Most pastoral groups are loose tribes moving around, yet the household is the primary organization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Three types of pastoralism exist, (1) nomadic (groups are very mobile and rely heavily on their animals), (2) semi-nomadic (groups are less mobile and animal products are supplemented by horticulture), and (3) semi-sedentary, (groups that are not very mobile and horticulture is a major aspect to the way of life). Herdsman husbandry and sedentary animal husbandry are components of larger agricultural systems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Herbivores are used in pastoralism; animals include reindeer, horses, sheep, camels, cattle, and others. The origin of pastoralism is unknown; however it is believed that it arose from an agricultural system. The animals live in pastures and feed there. Grazers primarily eat grasses and low-growing plants. Browsers eat primarily foliage from bushes and trees. This makes it possible to have different species on the same pasture (habitat) while occupying different niches. Careful management of the pastures is essential for the group’s survival. Animal products include meat, blood, milk, hides, hair, wool, and dung. Most groups supplement these products with horticulture, trade and wild resources.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unmanaged or poorly managed use of pastures can led to damage of ecosystems. The current practice of changing forest into pasture lands is causing considerable damage. The Maasai of East Africa provide us with an example of properly managed pastures. The Maasai burn brush to create pasture land, when the herd must be moved so that the pasture can regain its strength, other animals such as deer and small wild pigs enter the fallow fields, thus creating another resource of food for them. The governments of Kenya and Tanzania took about 75% of the Maasai lands to use for tourism. The land soon began to grow over and the brush took over. The large game that the government was counting on to create revenue from the tourists began to leave to find more suitable land. The governments are slowly giving the Maasai people their land back in hope that their properly managed pastures can bring the large game back.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Navajo of the American Southwest are an example of semi sedentary pastoralists.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Literature Review Celebrity Chef Essay

This review should bring all relevant facts about the subject and facilitate practitioners and highlight areas for further research. In short celebrity endorsement is about endorsing products with the help from a celebrity. Consumer association towards a celebrity endorsed produced increases their purchase intention as many see the celebrity as a role model. However, it is important that the consumer can identify with the celebrity and that the celebrity? s image fits with the produced he or she endorses, only then will celebrity backing be an effective advertising strategy. . 2. Background and Definition Nowadays, celebrities are used in advertising in almost every context. Athletes such as Michael Ballack (Adidas) or Tiger Woods (Rolex) or models such as Cindy Crawford (Omega) or Heidi Klum (Katjes) endorse several products. These celebrities act as a spokesperson in order to advertise and promote products (Kambitsis et al. , 2002). Celebrities can create more positive responses to wards advertising and greater purchase intentions than non-celebrity endorsers (Byrne et al. , 2003). Using celebrity as an endorser for a given product can either be positive or negative for a company/brand. A campaign that turned out successfully was the campaign with Jamie Oliver as an endorser for the supermarket chain J. Sainsbury. The successful format of the TV production â€Å"The naked chef† provided an ideal platform to use for the advertising campaign within a context relevant for J. Sainsbury? s desire (Byrne, 2003). An example of a campaign that did not turn out successful was when J. Sainsbury used the actor John Cleese in the â€Å"value to shout about† campaign in 1998. Employees and customers alike felt that Cleese was not the right personality to personify the supermarket’s quality image (Whitehead, 2003). In the literature there are two different definitions of celebrity endorsers used. The definitions used are: â€Å"A celebrity endorser is an individual who is known to the public (actor, sports figure, entertainer, etc. ) for his or her achievements in areas other than that of the product class endorsed†. (Friedman, 1979, p. 63) â€Å"Any individual who enjoys public recognition and who uses the recognition on behalf of a consumer good by appearing with it in an advertisement†. McCracken, 1989, p. 310) In other words these definitions says that an individual who is known to the public in different ways. The individual is famous and utilizes his or her publicity to advertise a product that does not have anything to do with the individual fame. I consider McCracken? s definition as the most informative one as it is short and concise. The definition gives a clear view of what a celebrity endorser is. Previous studies have been done on consumers? response to celebrity endorsement in advertising. Results of these studies show that celebrities make advertising believable and enhance message recall. Furthermore, when celebrities are recognized with brand names, it creates a positive attitude toward the brand and a distinct personality for the endorsed brand. In the following chapter the method used for this review will be introduced. The chapter will start with how a literature review is defined, followed by the literature search, method problems and quality standards. 2. 1. Definition of literature review Conducting a literature review is about understanding a topic that has already been addressed, how it has been researched by other authors, and what the key issues are (Hart, 1998). According to the author Chris Hart (1998) the definition of a literature review is the selection of available documents; both published and unpublished (in my review I will only study published academic documents), on the topic, which contains information, ideas, data and evidence written from a particular standpoint. 2. 2. Literature search, methodology used When searching for articles I used the databases Emerald, Ebsco and ProQuest. These databases were used because of the highest ranked journals in the field of marketing were listed there. I used the article Journal quality list (2008) issued by Harzading. com, research in international and cross-cultural management. High ranked journals increase the validity of the thesis, as validity is defined as â€Å"The ability of a scale or measuring instruments to measure what is intended to be measured†(Zinkmund, 2000). I also tried to find books relevant to the topic by using the library here at Les Roches International School of Hotel management as well as the library database google. scholar. . 3. Description of sub-topics Purchase intentions: Describes what impact the celebrity endorser has on the consumers purchase intentions. A consumer is more likely to purchase complex or expensive products which are endorsed by celebrities rather than by non-celebrities. Daneshvary and Schwer (2000) point purchase intention as an environment of associations between endo rsement and consumer, depending if the consumer can identify with that association and purpose. Consumers? association to celebrity endorsement/endorser: How consumers associate/have a connection towards the celebrity endorsement/endorser. If a company want a consumer to associate to an endorsed product it is important to choose an endorser who uses the product and where that use is a reflection of professional expertise (Daneshvary and Schwer, 2000). A formula 1 driver endorsing helmets is good, while a tennis player endorsing car polish is less good (ibid). Consumers? attitudes towards the endorser: The consumers? often have a positive attitude towards the product and the celebrity, despite the fact, that it is well known, that the endorser earned a lot when promoting the product (Cronley et al. 1999). Effectiveness of celebrity endorsement/endorsers: How effective is the usage of celebrity endorsement. It is, most likely, more effective to use celebrity endorsement constantly to increase the strength of the link between the celebrity and the endorsed brand. It is also more effective to use a celebrity who is not associated with another product (Till, 1998). Positive/negative effects of celebrity endorsement: the usa ge of celebrity endorsement can be both positive and /or negative, which can influence the company / brand in the end. For example, using celebrities can be very costly; also, celebrities might switch to a competitor, which would then increase the risk of a negative impact (Agrawal and Kamakura, 1995). However, in can be said that celebrities in advertising are widely spread and persistent and the marketing executives continue to utilize celebrity endorsement as an advertising strategy (ibid). Profitability of celebrity endorsement: The use of celebrity endorsement will hopefully lead to increased profitability. A study indicates that there is a positive impact of celebrity endorsement on the expected future profits, which recommends marketing managers to use celebrity endorsers in their advertising campaigns (Agrawal and Kamakura, 1995). Friedman/Friedman (1979)Does effectiveness of celebrity endorsement depend on the product? Interviews with 360 house wives Celebrity endorsements are not effective for all products Till (1998)What are the effects of celebrities endorsing more than 1 product? Case study with 99 students, who were shown different advertisings using the same celebrity endorserThe use of the same celebrity endorser to advertise for various products has got a negative impact on the efficiency of the ad, the product and the endorser. Atkin / Block (1983)Is celebrity endorsement effective in advertising and how does it influence customer purchase intentionsExperiment with 196 test persons, where each participant was shown 3 versions of an ad. Each version featuring a celebrity endorser and a non-celebrity. Advertising using celebrity endorsement is under special conditions more effective than using non-celebrities. Choi et al. (2005)How can celebrities be used successfully in advertising? How effective is the recall-value and the emotional response to celebrity advertising? Experiment with different groups of test persons. Advertising with celebrities is more effective than using non-celebrities under special conditions. Sanbonmatsu / Kardes (1988)How does the credibility of a celebrity affect the consumer purchasing intention? Interviews with 542 persons. Consumer purchasing intentions are more effected using celebrities than using non-celebrities. Tripp et al. (1994) How do consumers judge the celebrity endorsement, the ad and the brand, if the celebrity endorses various products? What are the effects on purchasing behaviour? First Study: interviews with 461 students. Second Study: Interview with 10 test persons. Simultaneous advertising trough the same celebrity has a negative effect on the ad, the product and the celebrity. Agrawal/Kamakura (1996)Which economical effects on advertising are there when using celebrities? Event-Study in regards to the effects on share prices trough the announcement of celebrity endorsementCelebrity endorsement can have a positive and a negative effect on share prices. Agrawal/Kamakura (1995)Can a single celebrity have a positive effect on the company? s value? Analysis of the share price of a company after announcing a celebrity endorserCelebrity endorsement can have a positive and a negative effect on share prices. Charbonneau / Garland (2005)How does a company find the right celebrity endorser for its products? Which criteria should be considered? Questionnaires: 414 marketing managers at 148 advertising companies.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

System integration

>The term integration is inserted in technical papers, e-mail messages, correspondence, proposals, and even causal conversations. After many years of project work, and many misunderstandings and failed meetings and workshops, it can only be stated that the word has multiple and misunderstood meanings. For technical papers (research and trade), the term must be provided with context, or it is impossible to have a meaningful conversation. Next, multiple alternative definitions (that are valid in the literature for the appropriate context) are presented and explained in some detail.Research limitations/implications – The paper is not exhaustive, since new definitions of integration may exist or may emerge. Originality/value – The main contribution of the paper is that it yields clarity on a key term that is frequently used in information systems research. The paper is useful to any researchers or practitioners who are focused on enterprise system implementation. Keywords I ntegration, Interface management, Applications, Information systems, Research Paper type General review Introduction and importance Integration is a common term in the enterprise systems literature.Seldom does a meeting occur when the word is not used multiple times and often within quite technical contexts. Unfortunately, our experience is that individuals often have a different understanding of the meaning of the word. Loosely speaking, there is a general consensus that integration concerns making applications work together that were never intended to work together by passing information through some form of interface. This is certainly part of the context, but this paper argues that there is more to be said.Since the earliest days of computing, the term â€Å"integration† has been seed in both the trade and academic literature to describe a process, a condition, a system, and an end-state. Given that these competing labels have very different meanings, their indiscriminate usage is often obscure and invites confusion. For example, a sloppy conflation of process and condition encourages circular definitions that possess little explanatory power. Consider the following advertisement (Figure 1) from the Oracle Corporation and the corresponding quote from the Oracle CEO, Larry Ellison.Figure 1 is clearly an appeal for a type of integration that we call â€Å"Big l,† having all relevant data aligned with a ingle data model and stored only once. The implication is that you can place all of your data for the set of business processes listed in the middle column of Figure 1 inside of the Oracle E-Business Suite and significantly reduce total cost of ownership (TCO). In fact, the advertisement claims that Oracle saved over $1 billion USED per year by implementing Big l.And also, there are the problems with complexity and managing scope integrity across multiple data sources (Gulled and Summer, 2004). Consider Figure 2 from an unnamed company. Figure 2 shows a situation that is described in the literature as â€Å"systems integration;† . E. The interfacing of systems together so they can pass information across a complex technology landscape. We call this type of integration a form of â€Å"Little I,† and we note that this form of Little I (point-to-point interfaces) is an expensive proposition.Data must be constantly harmonize and cleansed across multiple data sources, and any changes to one system can lead to complex and costly re-testing or even re-design and coding of interfaces. Clearly, we have presented two extremes, and by and large both have been rejected by large organizations world wide. Most organizations do not want to include all of their data in one application (e. G. Oracle, SAP, Microsoft, etc. ) for a number of different reasons, but at the same time, no one wants the problems that are associated with implementations like that shown in Figure 2.There are other options. In fact there are many options , and that is the point of this paper. All of the options (including the two above) are called integration. So what is integration? As one might guess, it depends on the context, and the usage must be qualified. Big I may not achievable, and it may not even be appropriate. If Little I is appropriate, what type of Little I is appropriate, given the situation and the state of 7 Figure 2. Interfacing systems components to define an enterprise solution emerging technologies?This paper addresses those questions, and it also categorizes the most used forms of Little I in the context of enterprise system implementation. This categorization and associated discussion is essential, or it is impossible to have a meaningful discourse about application integration. Integration – Big I To establish a baseline, the following definition is proposed for integration. Integration (Big l) – integration implies that all relevant data for a particular bounded and closed set of business proc esses is processed in the same software application.Updates in one application module or component are reflected throughout the business process logic, with no complex external interfacing. Data are stored once, and it is instantaneously shared by all business processes that are enabled by the software application. This is a rather comprehensive and restrictive definition that revives memories of first generation enterprise resource planning (ERP). The business process implications of Big I are discussed in some detail by Gulled and Summer (2003).To preserve clarity throughout this paper, the above definition will always be referred to as â€Å"Big l. † Big I is definitely the goal of management, especially for mundane business processes. This implies â€Å"one source of truth† for those business processes that are enabled by core ERP solutions. The concept is simple: if all data are stored once and shared, then integrity issues are less likely to occur. The TCO is sig nificantly less, since interfaces across application components are not required. Furthermore, complexity is significantly reduced. MEDS 8 Figure 3 shows how Big I relates to Little I for a simple example related to US Army Logistics. In this example, Army Logistics processes are scoped with the SAP solution as Big l; I. E. There is no interfacing across the SAP components. However, some of the logistics business processes flow outside of the Army. In this case, we indicate the transportation processes that are part of the end-to-end logistics business processes, but they fall outside of the Army, and they are managed by the US Transportation Command (TRANSOM).The systems that support this segment of the end-to-end process are not SAP, and they are not even owned by the army. This is a classical composite application[3] and some form of Little I is must be implemented in order to preserve the integrity of the business process logic[4]. Figure 3, even though a simple picture, shows m uch about integration. First, it suggests that large and complex organizations are unlikely to place all of their business processes in a single application.While assertions of Figure 1 are accurate, there are at least two reasons why single instance ERP will not occur in most firms: (1) he internet opened more options for Little I; and (2) the culture and control of the internal and external system integration communities will not allow such consolidation. Like it or not, given the current state of technology, we are going to have to live with is a mixture of Big I and Little I, at least as long as the current trends continue.The reality of this situation is reinforced by the fact that the larger software providers are â€Å"opening† their products and making them more flexible for mix and match Figure 3. An example of Big I and Little I in the same enterprise opportunities with Little I. This is evidenced by such products as the Oracle Data Hubs and SAP Interweave technolog ies. While it is true, Just as Figure 1 shows, that the TCO could be reduced by moving to Big l, most organizations do not have the flexibility nor the desire to do that. However, this does not mean that Big I is dead.There will always be pockets of Big l; connected by Little I, to other pockets of Big l. This is not a technical assertion, but is directly related to common sense. For example, one would never â€Å"rip† a product like SAP core ERP apart and then interface it back together again. This is self inflicted main, and it can be avoided by Just implementing the product the way it was intended to be implemented[5]. Preserve the integrity of the product by implementing Big I whenever possible, and use Little I to include those components that cannot be included in the integration domain.One would never dream of separating financial from materials in an SAP implementation, and then interface it back together again. Or even worse, it makes even less sense to stand up inde pendent SAP solutions in different divisions of a company, operating as a family or fiefdom, with the absence of an enterprise orientation. We will revisit implementation options later, but before doing that, we must further explore the options for Little I. The choice of a particular little I technology has significant implications for the types of mix and match options that are available for consideration.Integration (Little I) As previously mentioned, all forms of Little I are some form of interfacing, even though they are loosely called â€Å"system integration. † Much has been written on the subject, so we only focus on those types of Little I that are most relevant for the implementation of enterprise systems: point-to-point integration; database-to-database integration; data warehouse integration; enterprise application integration (EAI); application server integration; and business-to-business (BIB) integration.Point-to-point integration This is the most expensive for m of integration. Point-to-point integration is the pair wise development of interfaces among systems. The data model of the target and source system are known, and someone (e. G. A system integrator) develops the code for passing information back and forth. Sometimes accelerator products are used, a good example being the IBM Miseries of middleware products that are now included as a part of Webster. Miseries does require writing code at both the source and target system.The approach to point-to-point integration is well known, most frequently involving changing both applications to use a middleware layer, by rewriting the transaction handling code to communicate across the two applications. The traditional model of interaction is through remote function calls. The largest problem with point-to-point integration is shown in Figure 4, a situation that Schafer (2002) attributes to a customer situation. 9 10 Figure 4. Example of point-to-point integration As the number of interfaced c omponents is increased, the number of interfaces to be maintained increases dramatically.The TCO likewise increases. As a real example consider the financial interfaces to a Navy SAP solution that is shown in Figure 5[6]. Figure 5 is a good example of the previously mentioned case that can arise when financial are separated from materials or assets in an enterprise solution and then must be interfaced back to the ERP product, violating the integrity of the solution. While Figure 5 is reality and could not be easily avoided, the SAP product was never intended to be implemented in this way. The integrity of the product is violated by destroying the Big I that is engineered into the product.For all of the reasons previously mentioned, point-to-point integration should be avoided and only be used when there are no other options. Database-to-database integration This form of Little I, requires the sharing of information at the database level; hence, providing interoperable applications. The basic replication solution leverages features built into many databases to move information between databases as long as they maintain the same schema information on all sources and targets. There are companies that provide middleware to accelerate this process.Database and replication software are provided by companies such as Pervasive Integration Architect and Denominator's Constellate Hub that permit moving information among many different database products with different schema. Figure 6 shows the conceptual layout for this form of Little I. While this integration procedure may work well for database applications, it does not work so well for enterprise applications. Most enterprise applications have 11 Figure 5. From defense financial and accounting services to the US Navy Pilot SAP implementations Figure 6.Conceptual layout for database-to-database 12 multi-tiered architectures, where even though the applications reside at a separate tier, the business process logic is â €Å"bound† to the master data. So, if one simply passes information at the database level, it is easy to create data integrity problems. Enterprise software vendors typically publish application program interfaces (Apish) that allow interfacing at the application level, and it is best to use these Apish. If you update the database without using the Apish, then you are violating the Big I that is engineered into the product, and integrity problems are a likely result.See that Anonymous (1999) article in enterprise development where some of these difficulties are discussed within the context of interfacing with SAP's R/3 product. For enterprise implementations, this form of Little I should be avoided. Data warehouse integration This form of Little I is similar to database-to-database integration, but instead of replicating data across various databases, a single Martial database† is used to map the data from any number of physical databases, which can be various brands, m odels, or schema.In other words, a new data warehouse is created, and information is aggregated from a number of sources, where it may be analyzed or used for report generation. The effectiveness of this approach depends on the sophistication of the tools that are used and the quality of the data that is pulled from the various sources. Once the data are aggregated, reporting is straight forward; however, if business process logic must be applied to the aggregated data, then that logic must be created at the data warehouse level.The basic layout for data warehouse integration is shown in Figure 7. Figure 7. Conceptual view of data arouses integration If the integration is at the database level, the same problems associated with database-to-database integration that were mentioned above still apply. If the integration is at the application level, then data warehouse integration is similar to point-to-point integration, and the problems with that approach also apply. This form of inte gration is quite popular, even though it is expensive to maintain.The reason that data warehouse integration is popular, is that it allows all parties involved to maintain their individual stove-piped environments while sharing selective data in a auteur environment. In short, one is trading Big I for autonomy. An example of a large data warehouse integration effort in the US Army is shown in Figure 8. The logistics integrated database (LIDS) contains aggregates information from many stand-alone systems, with the objective of providing enterprise-level analytics. As the fugue indicates, the input data are aggregated from many sources, and output data are pushed to many sources.Constant cleansing and harmonistic is required in order to avoid integrity problems. Many enterprise solutions, like those from SAP and Oracle, use data warehouse lotions for reporting and enterprise analytics. However, this static view of enterprise data are not the same as Big l. Even if the concept is exten ded to include a federated query capability with the data warehouse being a virtual repository of metadata, this is still no substitute for Big l. However, the big problem, as previously mentioned, is the maintaining of business process logic at the data warehouse level.While this option preserves organizational autonomy, it is indeed costly. The data that are pushed into the warehouse must be constantly monitored for quality, and NY changes in any one of the target or source systems create significant testing and/ or additional coding problems. 13 Figure 8. A conceptual view of the LIDS 14 Figure 9. Hub and spoke architecture for enterprise application integration Enterprise application integration EAI is the sharing of data and business process logic across hetero/homogeneous instances through message-oriented-middleware (MOM). EAI may be managed by packaged vendors (e. . SAP and Oracle) or through solutions provided by third party vendors (e. G. MM, Webmasters, etc. ). EAI is som etimes called application-centric interfacing. EAI is used to connect multiple systems at the application or database levels, using a form of middleware that is sometimes called a broker. The middleware moves information in and out of multiple systems, using pre-engineered â€Å"connectors. † The connectors are a source of competitive advantage for EAI software providers, because if a connector already exists for the target and source application, the cost of interface development can be reduced.The problems associated with point-to-point integration are reduced by adopting a hub and spoke model for sharing information. The EAI Middleware allows one to rite a single interface between each application and the middleware, instead of individually connecting each application to every other application. An example of a hub and spoke architecture is shown in Figure 9. Once the information is extracted, it is sent to a central server using some sort of messaging system, where the in formation is processed and routed to the target system.If there is a gap in required business process logic, the logic can be created on the central server for execution. In theory, any-to-any document swap is possible, considering the business process logic in the source and target systems. Using â€Å"connectors,† the EAI software processes messages from packaged applications, databases, and custom applications using a queuing engine. When an event occurs (e. G. A transaction in an ERP package or a database table update), a message is published to the queue about the event.Subscribers to queue access the event envelope, analyze the content, and if it is intended for processing in the target system, the envelope contains everything necessary for recreating the event in the target system. The queuing engine ensures that all events are processed in the correct sequence, ensuring transactional integrity. Many companies provide pre-packaged EAI solutions, and the market is extre mely competitive. The hub and spoke model using connectors has been operational for many years, and the products have reached a mature level.However, we note that EAI is still interfacing, and while this is a significant improvement over point-to-point integration, EAI can be costly to implement and costly to maintain. The main benefits flow from being able to use â€Å"partially configured† connectors, while leverage industry partnerships which yield certified interfaces. Tremendous consolidation has occurred n recent years in companies that provide EAI solutions as the larger software providers have moved in to provide EAI solutions that interact with their Big I products.For example, SAP now supports EAI as part of its Interweave[7] solution, where previously SAP had used third party providers like IBM and Webmasters to provide EAI capabilities. It is also important to note that EAI is typically used inside the enterprise, as opposed to across the enterprise. For this reas on EAI is sometimes called application-centric interfacing. The objective is to interfaces processes and share data within the enterprise. The inter-enterprise model falls under a class of solutions that are called Business-to-Business commerce, and this form of interfacing will be discussed in a later section.Application server integration This is the most sophisticated form of Little I that is discussed in this paper. Think of application server integration as the creation of a single, centralized application (logical or physical) that can provide a common set of services to any number of other remote applications. These â€Å"services† are common business objects that are shared across enterprise applications. The sharing and reuse of services is the goal of distributed objects and applications servers.Application server integration enables the enterprise by sharing services across the enterprise. The concept of application server integration is shown in Figure 10. Modern systems invoke shared objects to share business logic and interact with resources (such as databases, ERP systems, or queues). In modern ERP systems these shared objects may be more highly aggregated as â€Å"wrapped† transactions. For example, when configuring the SAP solution, one aligns transactions with process steps. A process step could be associated with one or more transactions.If the transactions associated with a process step are bundled together and â€Å"wrapped† as a web service, then they may be shared across other SAP and non-SAP components. SAP calls this aggregated object an â€Å"Enterprise Service,† and it is the basis of SAP's Enterprise Services Architecture (SAP GAG, 2004). Application integration occurs through the sharing of business logic, as well as through the back-end integration of many different applications and resources. The application server â€Å"binds† the data from a relational or relational-object database to he commo n shared objects.The main advantage of application server integration is that 15 16 Figure 10. Application server integration concept the interfaced applications or components are tightly coupled to each other by sharing methods. By our assessment, application server integration is Little I, but given the limits of current technology it is the best approximation that we can provide to Big l. This is because the data integrity checks and business logic bound to the objects are always shared, and therefore, never circumvented. The SAP example is not unique. Most of the major software vendors have a similar tragedy.For example, Figure 11 shows the Oracle strategy for application server integration. The key component of Figure 11 for our discussion is in the right-center of the figure. The Oracle Application Server manages the shared objects and during runtime â€Å"Top Link manages persistence between Java objects and database tables. † At the conceptual level the integration ap proaches pursued by Oracle and SAP are similar. The widely accepted disadvantage of using this application server integration is that significant changes may have to be made to all source and target applications to

Principles of Management Essay

This has become a very popular definition of management for several reasons. Firstly, this definition is very simple and easy to understand. Secondly, it highlights the indirect nature of a manager’s job. A manager does not operate a machine or sell a product himself. Rather he guides others in producing and selling goods and services. Thirdly, this definition reveals that a manager is the leader of people working under him. Fourthly, it states that management is basically an art or practice of achieving results. The above definition is, however, inadequate for the present day concept of management. It suffers from the following drawbacks. (i) This definition does not reveal that management is a science. The modern concept of management is much wider than simply a skill in getting things done through other people. Since the days of F.W. Taylor management has become a science based on certain fundamental principles. (ii) The above definition does not highlight how does management get things done through people. It fails to reveal the functions of a manager and the skills used for getting things done. (iii) This definition does not recognize the role of human beings. It treats people as mere tools forgetting results and does not consider their feelings, emotions and needs. People are inanimate objects and cannot be treated as mere tools. People have their aspirations and are not mere commodities or means to achieve certain ends. Management is certainly much more than just getting things done through others. (iv)The above definition gives an impression that management gets things done by hook or crook. Results alone are not significant. The means employed to achieve results are equally important. This definition is of man’s putative character. (v) This definition does not reveal that a formal organizational set up is needed for getting things done. A careful analysis of the above mentioned definitions reveal the following important characteristic feature of a Joint Stock Company. 1. An artificial person: – The company enjoys all the rights as a citizen of a country would enjoy. It ‘can own properties, enter into contracts etc. 2. Legal formation: – The formation of a Joint Stock Company is governed by the rules and regulations laid down in the Companies Act, 1956. 3. Voluntary organisation: – It is formed by members voluntarily joining the organisation and contributing money or money’s worth for the business. 4. Separate legal entity: – The Company has a separate legal existence. The owners are different from the people who manage the business. The management is however headed by owners who are elected directors. The company is separate from the persons who own it. The company cannot be held responsible for any misdeeds of the members. 5. Perpetual succession: – Unlike Sole proprietorship and Partnership, the Company has continuous existence. The continuity of the business is not affected by the death, insolvency or insanity of any member. â€Å"Men may come and men may go, but a company will go until it is wound up.† 6. Limit to liability: – The liability of the members of a company is restricted to the extent of the unpaid value of the shares held by him. The personal asset of a shareholder cannot be used to pay the company’s liabilities. 7. Large capital: – A Joint Stock Company can generate huge amount of money towards capital, because the number of persons contributing towards capital are more in number when compared to Sole Proprietorship or Partnership organisation. 8. Large scale operation: – Since huge amounts are collected as capital, the operation of the business will generally be on a large scale basis. 9. Transferability of shares: – The shares of a Joint Stock Company are easily transferable from one person to another, since it is a Public Limited Company. The shares of a Private Limited Company or Government Company are not transferable. 10. Common seal: – The company, being an artificial being, cannot affix its signature on the documents on its own. The common seal is used in place of a signature. Joint Hindu Family Business is a distinct type of organisation which is unique to India. Even within India its existence is restricted to only certain parts of the country. In this form of business ownership, all members of a Hindu undivided family do business jointly under the control of the head of the family who is known as the ‘Karta’. The members of the family are known as ‘Co-parceners’. Thus, the Joint Hindu Family firm is a business owned by co-parceners of a Hindu undivided estate. Its main features are :- * It comes into existence by the operation of Hindu law and not out of contract. The rights and liabilities of co-parceners are determined by the general rules of the Hindu law. * The membership of this form of business is the result of status arising from the birth in the family and its legality is not affected by the minority. Originally, only three successive generations in the male line ( grandfather, father and son) constituted the membership of this organisation. By the Hindu Succession Act, a female relative of a deceased member or a male relative of such a female member was made eligible for a share in the interest of the related member ( called co-parcener) at the time of his death. There is no legal limit to the maximum number of members. * Registration is unnecessary, but the rights of its members to sue third parties for claims of debt remains unaffected. * It is managed generally by the Karta. He has the authority to obtain loans against the family property or in other ways. Other members have no right of management nor to contract loans binding on the joint-family property. * The manager or the Karta has the last word in the formulation of all policies and in their execution. He has unquestioned authority in the conduct of the family business. * The Karta has unlimited liability while the liability of the other members is limited to the value of their individual interests in the joint family. * The firm enjoys continuity of operations as its existence is not subject to the death or insolvency of a co-parcener or even of the Karta himself. Thus, it has a perpetual life like the public limited company.Advantages * Ease of formation * Continuity of operationsDisadvantages * Confined to Joint  Hindu families * Relatively limited capital * Limited managerial talents * Unlimited liability of the Karta| The concept of management is universal and very old. That is why different views have been expressed about its nature by different writers from time to time. The continuous and rapid development of management principles and practices in organization has changed the nature of management. The main points of view about the nature of management are given below: Management as an Inborn or Acquired Ability In the pre-scientific management period, i.e., prior to 1880 there has been a leading concept that management is an inborn ability. It is a traditional approach. The supporters of this concept believe that the hereditary characteristics, inborn talents and natural aptitudes of a man make him an efficient manager. Some people are so efficient and talented since their birth that they lead and get success in the field of business. To our mind, this concept was used when the ownership and management were not separated. But later on the researches and development in the field of science, technology and training etc. changed this old concept. Today management is considered not only as an inborn ability but also as an acquired ability. In the words of Ordway Tead, â€Å"Managers are both born and made.† Today, in large-sized business organizations, ownership and management are separate identities. The management lies in the hands of professional managers who are educated and trained. Thus, now the management can be considered as an acquired ability. Management as an Art, Science or Both A lot of controversy arises whether management is an art or science or both. It is said that the management is the oldest of arts and youngest of science. This explains the changing nature of management. But to have an exact answer to this question, it is necessary to understand both these aspects separately and combinedly, as given below: Management as an Art: Art refers to the way of doing specific things; it indicates how an object can be achieved. In the words of George R. Terry, â€Å"Art is bringing about of  a desired result through the application of skill.† Art is, thus, skilful application of knowledge which entirely depends on the inherent capacity of a person which comes from within a person and is learned from practice and experience. In this sense, management is certainly an art as a manager uses his skill, knowledge and experience in solving various problems, both complicated and non-complicated that arise in the working of his enterprise successful. In the words of Ernest Dale, â€Å"Management is considered as an art rather than science mainly because managerial skill is a personnel possession and is intuitive.† Management as a Science: Science may be described as a systematized body of knowledge based on proper findings and exact principles and is capable of verification. It is a reservoir of fundamental truths and its findings apply safely in all the situations. In this sense, management is a science as it has also developed some systematized knowledge. Like other sciences, management has also developed certain principles, laws, generalization, which are universal in nature and are applicable wherever the efforts of the people are to be coordinated. But management is not as exact science as other physical sciences like physic, chemistry, biology, astronomy etc. The main reason for the inexactness of science of management is that it deals with the people and it is very difficult to predict their behavior accurately. In this way, management falls in the area of ‘social sciences’. Thus, it is a social science. Conclusion- Management is an Art and Science Both From the above study, we conclude that management is an art and science both. According to American Society of Mechanical Engineers. â€Å"Management is the art and science of preparing, organizing and directing human efforts to control the forces and utilize the material of nature for the benefit of men. â€Å"Thus, it has now been accepted that management is an art as well as science. It has the elements of both arts and science. In the words of Dean Stanley, â€Å"Management is a mixture of an art an science – the present ratio is about 80% art and 20% science.† Man is known by company he keeps, and OfficeBOX is no exception. OfficeBOX team is made up of experienced professionals with vast experience in software solutions development and servicing to SMB sector. Through our Business Partnership program, we want to expand thisteam and work with entities that are driven by challenges of SMB sector. The only pre-requisites of becoming an OfficeBOX Business Partner is passion for driving change and willing to work as a team. We envision our Partnership program to create a team of change agents in SMB sector, and hence any prior exposure of working in SMB domain, especially around IT services, will certainly be useful. That gives both OfficeBOX and Partners a head-start in the partnership effort. OfficeBOX wants to include everyone in this revolution, but to name a few categories which relate immediately are: * Financial Account Writers & Chartered Accountants: OfficeBOX is the most advanced accounting software which enables Account Writers and Chartered Accountants maximize the value they offer to their customers. OfficeBOX becomes the most ideal partner for all the book-keeping and reporting needs of enterprises. * Hardware Vendors/Resellers: OfficeBOX understands the needs and challenges of SMB around application of IT to their businesses, and would like to partner with like-minded people in this area. Hardware Vendors/Resellers have been serving the SMBs for years for their IT requirements, making them an ideal choice for the partnership program. * Telecom/Internet Service Providers: OfficeBOX becomes the best add-on that Telecom/Internet Service Providers can offer to the SMB community. It enhances the value that SMB can derive out of the computerization and automation of their business processes. * Trade Associations: What’s good for one brother, is good for whole of the brethren. Who better knows this than the associations toiling day and night for maximizing the good of their members. Partnering with such associations allows OfficeBOX to reach out to the community and include them in the revolution. * Vocational Education Providers: OfficeBOX is the most appropriate platform to make the budding talent ready for their job of optimizing the business processes using the latest technology. Vocational Education Providers imparting such training to students becomes a good partner for OfficeBOX. In the commercial and legal parlance of most countries, a general  partnership (the basic form of partnership under common law), refers to an association of persons or an unincorporated company with the following major features: * Created by agreement, proof of existence and estoppel. * Formed by two or more persons * The owners are all personally liable for any legal actions and debts the company may face It is a partnership in which partners share equally in both responsibility and liability.[1] A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. A ‘sole proprietorship, also known as the sole trader or simply a proprietorship, is a type of business entity that is owned and run by one individual and in which there is no legal distinction between the owner and the business. The owner receives all profits (subject to taxation specific to the business) and has unlimited responsibility for all losses and debts. Every asset of the business is owned by the proprietor and all debts of the business are the proprietor’s. It is a â€Å"sole† proprietorship in contrast with partnerships. Glos and Baker write that â€Å"A sole proprietorship is a business owned by one person who is entitled to all of its profits,† Reed and Conover say â€Å"The single or the sole proprietorship is a business owned and controlled by one man even though he may have many other persons working for him. A sole proprietor may use a trade name or business name other than his or her legal name.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Digital Marketing Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Digital Marketing Strategy - Assignment Example Gloria Jeans offers the market with the highest quality of Arabica beans of coffee species. The organization gets its coffee roasted with modern technological equipment in Australia. The organization objective is to capture some of the Malaysian coffee market specialty through targeting of thirty outlets thus creating a strong presence in the market lifestyle and retailing of coffee in Malaysia. The company can improve its presence online because it has adequate resources helping increase its presence physically and thus further expand itself both online and offline. Currently, Gloria Jean’s promotes itself offline and online. Its in-store does not give any link to its presence online thus its digital marketing profile seems to be very low. The organization has online intermediaries in existence such as Google, Malaysian directory and Yahoo that helps it expanding its market share and selling capacity to the online consumers (Myfranchise 2009). Google sites in Malaysia have been ranked as the most popular seven million visitors in the month of June in the year 2009 in Malaysia. This accounted for approximately y seventy-six percent of the total local population who get online. Research indicates a slight increment in the population of Malaysia who use the internet from eight thousand six hundred and eighty to nine thousand four hundred and one (Digital Media across Asia 2010, March 22). Approximately nine point three million people in Malaysia who are aged fifteen years and above do access internet from workplaces and homes, with each of them spending approximately fourteen hours online. New opportunities to capture the attention of the targeted market are offered by such growth of online users. Therefore, Malaysia bears the potential to increasing its population-accessing internet. In Asia region, Malaysia emerged the strongest country with strong penetration of social networking and nearly three point eight hours engagement per visitor. Many

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Critical Commentary on Orientalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Commentary on Orientalism - Essay Example According to Ghazoul (2004) orientalism can also be said to be descriptive of the dissemination of matters concerning geopolitical awareness into scholarly, aesthetic, sociological, economic, and historical texts. Edward Said introduced different meanings into the words ‘occident’ and ‘orient’. From his discourse, it would seem that the term ‘Orient’ basically evolved into being a negative construal of Eastern cultures by the Western culture. Edward Said was deeply interested in the scholarly study of African, Middle Eastern, and Asian cultures and history. He emphasised that his understanding of the concept of orientalism was not merely representative of modern intellectual as well as social and political cultures in Middle Eastern nations (Orrells 2012). Orientalism, to a large extent, deals in studies into the Eastern cultures between the 19th and 20th centuries. As an area of study, it remains controversial because it has to ties to the archaic beliefs that characterised colonialist or imperialist regimes. According to academic scholars like Mellor (2004) the whole concept of the ‘Orient’ is tied with how the West defines itself. In defining aspects of the concept of orientalism, Said tried to point out that one of the major factors that defined this issue was the reality of the divergence of power between colonisers and the colonised tribes more in the past. According to Irwin (2006) there are many Weste rn ideological preconceptions that are hidden within the concepts of orientalism.

Monday, October 7, 2019

BASF AG - The Nanjing Project Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

BASF AG - The Nanjing Project Report - Essay Example Plastics This segment includes a wide range of goods, services, and system solutions. The company offers numeral production plastics for the electrical and the automotive industries as well as for use in domestic appliance, games, and leisure time products. The styrene froths are used as protective equipment in the construction firms and in packaging. The polyurethanes are very flexible. Soft froth for example, is used to manufacture mattresses and car seats, and as stiff foams, they augment the energy effectiveness of refrigerators. Performance Products Performance products credit stability and color to countless everyday items and help in the improvement of their functional profile. The firm’s product range includes food additives and vitamins as well as component for pharmaceuticals and sanitation and household items for personal care. Other Products of performance improve processes of oil and gas production, paper industry, mining, and water treatment. They can also improv e the effectiveness of petroleum and lubricants, the efficiency of glue and coatings, and the stability of plastics. Functional Solutions In this segment, there are the package system solutions and pioneering products for particular sectors and clients, specifically for the automotive, construction, and chemical firms. Their group comprises of industrial catalysts and automotives, industrial coatings and automotives, and concrete mixtures as well as constructions such as tile glue and architectural varnishing. Agricultural Solutions For crop security products that are used to kill insects, fungal diseases, and weeds are manufactured and they augment quality and protect crop yields. The study in plant biotechnology focuses on vegetation for greater agricultural activities, healthier nourishment and for application as renewable materials. Oil and Gas As the major producer of oil and gas in German, the industry center its exploration and manufacture on oil- and gas-rich sections in Nor th Africa, Europe, South America, Caspian sea region, and Russia. Together with their Russian associate Gazprom, they remain active in the transport, trading, and storage of natural gas in the European countries. Competencies of BASF AG Brand associated with quality The company produces many brands which are reliable, affordable, and of high quality. The company has integrated the AG employees and the current technology. It has ready market whereby customers and suppliers are given quality products, performance, and highly valued services. Across each industry, customers require products that increase comfort, improve quality, and reduce the consumption of energy. In 1993, the company was recognized as the worldwide trading firm for BASF SE. Due to the international trade, it has become a participant in the large-scale products markets of LPG, aromatics, and naphtha. The international trade maintains presence of market in three continents covering the relevant trading hubs around th e world. The company has three main locations, which are Zug (Switzerland), Houston (USA), and Singapore. The company does not only offer valuable products but also support the customers in facing many challenges by offering