Category: Samples

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Analysis of Interpersonal Perceptual Skills

            Perceptual skills determine effectiveness of communication. If two people communicating perceive the information differently, then there will be a communication breakdown. Therefore, perception is an aspect that can become a barrier in communication. Perceptual barriers often result in confusion, false beliefs, misunderstanding, and false information, thus making the communication to be poor (Cleary 12).

Recently, I had a lengthy conversation with one of my African American friends, about the global economy. This was not a very close friend, therefore, I did not know much about the family background, except for the parents and siblings. While discussing about the various world regions and continents, and their economic standing, I mentioned that, since all blacks living outside of the United States have a lower economic status, then probably Africa is the poorest continent. My words made my friend become emotional and started yelling at me. At first, I did not understand what the fuss was all about, until this friend asked me to prove that all blacks outside of the US are poor. I later learnt that this friend of mine has close relatives living in Africa. Although I apologized to my friend, this did not work out, as that marked the end of our conversation, because my friend angrily left, leaving me standing there alone.

This is a case of perceptual barrier, which might affect my relations with others.  First, if my friend tells the others about this, my mates might view me in a negative light. They will think I am mean, and therefore, some will avoid talking to me about related topics. Additionally, most African Americans with relatives in Africa will hate me for thinking I hate Africans living in Africa. I have lived with this stereotype for the longest time. The only strategy, which might be useful, will be for me to go and do an extensive research about the African continent, its people, and the general economy of the continent. Only then, shall I know the truth, and dismiss the falsified idea in my mind.

I experienced another case of perceptual barrier in communication, mainly with regard to ignoring information. This time, it was some years back in upper elementary. Normally, during essay writing, it was acceptable to exceed the required amount of pages by a maximum of one page. However, at a particular exam period, the instructor asked us not to exceed the required page numbers. She did not need even an extra third of a page, and that was the instruction. I was one of those students who would do extra pages in essay writing, therefore, I was used to have an extra page. On this occasion, even though I heard the instruction, I did not pay heed. I assumed that the instructor would just understand if I wrote an extra page because, I am used to doing that. I remember happily handing in my work on completion and walking out. When the results for the essay came out, I had been fined a whopping 20 per cent of my marks for failing to adhere to instructions. This affected my total results and made me feel disappointed.

This instance affected my relationship with my teacher. At first, I thought she was unfair, and maybe had started hating me. My teacher was also surprised and wondered what had gone wrong with me, as I was good at following instructions. She thought I had developed carelessness.  However, this taught me a lesson, which I still consider important. I learnt never to ignore information in communication, by choosing to hear only what I am familiar with. It is important therefore, for one to listen to all information a person communicates, even though one does not subscribe to it. This is because, when a person speaks, they do that with a purpose, therefore, all the information must be taken into account. The above cases therefore, reveal the importance of getting rid of perceptual barriers in communication for effectiveness in communication.

 

Works Cited

Cleary, Sandra. Communication: A Hands-on Approach. New York: Juta and Company Ltd

.2008. Print.

 

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“Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter” – Summary Analysis

Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter is a non-fiction book, written by Blissel Tom, who is a prizewinning author. From this excerpt, it is clear that Blissel is an ardent and obsessed lover of video games. He spends untold number of hours in front of his different video game consoles, playing video games such as Fallout 3, and Oblivion, among others. He does this for several days, showing how addicted he is to video games. Nonetheless, in this excerpt, he addresses the relevance of video games, based on his personal experiences.

In this excerpt, Blissel specifically talks about the video game Fallout 3 produced by Bethesda in 2008. To show how addictive video games can get, Blissel begins explaining the circumstances around his playing of Fallout 3. In his case, Blissel remembers nostalgically, how he missed to follow the happenings involving one of the most important events in the history of United States. While people were glued on their screens, watching CNN and other authoritative television channels for the election and swearing in of the first black president in the history of United States, Blissel was busy playing Fallout 3. Even though he had planned to play this for only a few hours before he would watch CNN, the game got interesting, and he spent more hours than expected, thus, missing the important historical event (Blissel 349-350).

Even though Blissel clearly reveals that video games can be addictive, he goes ahead to defend this art form with a lot of passion. It is true, we are in a generation of gaming, and most people, including children, young people, and even adults will confess their love for video games. Although Blissel tends to criticize video games in this excerpt, he again believes that these can get even better. He thinks of video games as frustrating, in the way one has to kill characters and watch them die: “I killed his mother, and then everyone else. . .allowing your decisions to establish for your character identity as a skull-crushing monster. . .these pretensions to morality suddenly bored me” (Blissel 358). At the same time, he gives credit to video games, for being dazzling. This is in the way he thinks video games have a storyline. This is what makes him prefer to play video games than watch a film or read a novel. Although a novel has a storyline too, one might not be able to concentrate on it for a few more hours like they can do with video games. Blissel thinks films do not have a storyline in the same way as video games. What makes video games appealing to Blissel is the fact that the player of the game is the one in control; therefore, it can never get boring. Apart from this, Blissel thinks playing video games creates another world for a person. They can escape the real world life, and get into another world, which they create themselves while playing video games. Blissel justifies this with his depressing moments when he would get a break by playing video games. Nonetheless, this excerpt describes in detail, Blissel’s descent into the world of Fallout 3, a video game, which has themes that are a reflection of his own compulsions that are self-destructive (Blissel 353-5).

In this excerpt, Blissel generally discusses the relevance and importance of video games in people’s social lives. He as well defends video games from those biased against them. However, Blissel’s stand with regard to the importance of video games in the cultural aspect is quite ambivalent. Here, he compares video games to the traditional art forms such as novels and films. Comparison shows both the negative and positive sides of video games. Nonetheless, what comes out is that video games, to a larger extent, show a greater degree of incompatibility with the traditional art forms.

Blissel purpose is quite clear in this excerpt. He aims at showing the importance of video games in society. This however, ends up in a two-sided argument, as one cannot establish whether video games are good or bad for one to engage in. This is because Blissel has criticized, and at the same time defended video games, basing on his experiences playing them. Therefore, it remains for the reader to decide whether video games should be encouraged or not. Blissel engages in an argument, when he talks about video games in a critical manner, revealing both their positives and negatives. Although this excerpt does not show him taking a stand, this is a debate or an argument, which the readers themselves can complete, and make their own judgements whether video games are relevant or not in the society today (Blissel 360).

In his discussion about video games in the excerpt, Blissel has only based his facts on his personal experiences with video games. Although this is a good strategy of presenting his views on video games, it is to a great extent limiting. Incorporating other writer’s views about video games in his writing would have made the reading more informative, and a reader could be in a better position to make a comparison of the varied views, and decide on the one that is more convincing. By sticking on his views only, it may appear as if a writer is trying to impose their opinions on the readers.

Since Blissel has written this excerpt basing on his point of view and personal experiences with video games, this information is credible, and most lovers of video games can identify with this. He has used many examples from his experiences playing video games, and this excerpt is wholly about his experience playing Fallout 3. Besides, he is keen to support his arguments for or against video games, drawing from his experiences. This therefore, makes the reading real, just as video games are a reality, and the fact that most people love video games as much as Blissel.

Personally, I concur with Blissel in his argument. Video games have both a positive and negative effect on the players, and generally in society. It is a fact that video games are addictive. Addiction to anything is not morally right. People are always advised to draw away from their addictions. Therefore, the lovers of video games should just have self-control, to avoid getting addicted to video games. Addiction to these might make one lose on the other positives in life. In the case of Blissel, he concentrated too much on video games and missed seeing the first black president in the US being sworn in office.

Video games too can be destructive to a person’s psychological being. As Blissel points out, the player, who is in control, normally accomplishes the violence scenes in video games. Shooting characters, murdering them, and watching them die, might create negative images in the mind, which will eventually have a negative impact on the perception of the player to violence. A research by Lowa State University in 2006 confirms fears that violent video games leaves negative images in children and adolescents, and this has the capability to translate into social violence. The video game industry is therefore, encouraged to revise its content, with regard to the type of audience (Anderson, Gentile, and Buckley 153).

On the positive, video games are a form of entertainment, just like the other forms. This can be a hobby a person enjoys doing. Playing video games might be thrilling and calming to different people, which is a healthy form of spending one’s free time. Different scholars have argued about the benefits of video games, apart from serving the purpose of entertainment. According to Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Smith and Tosca, playing video games builds skills in people, especially young children. These learn problem-solving skills and critical thinking, since when playing the games; it is the player who controls the game (220-1)

Although Blissel does not take a stand whether video games are good or bad, it is a right thing of him to do. It is hard to recommend or dismiss video games in society. What is required is for the players to take caution, practice self-discipline, and control while playing video games. These should choose video games with positive storylines, and avoid those with violence. This is for the well-being of one’s psychological health. On the other hand, spending too much time playing video games is not recommended. This eats up the time one would use doing more useful things in life like studying or working. Therefore, self-control is greatly needed to avoid addiction to video games. Capitalizing on the positives of video game playing such as educational benefits and development of life skills is important for self-growth. Parents and professionals dealing with children should not expose children to violent video games. Different studies have shown that children who play violent video games are more likely to be verbally and non-verbally aggressive and bullies compared to those who did not (Gentile 141).

 

Works Cited

Anderson, Craig, Gentile, Douglas, and Buckley, Katherine. Violent Video Game Effects on

Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Public Policy: Theory, Research, and

Public Policy. London: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Blissel, Tom. Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. New York: Vintage Books, 2011.

Gentile, Douglas. Media Violence and Children: A Complete Guide for Parents and

Professionals. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003.

Graff, Gerald, Birkenstein, Cathy and Durst, Russell. They Say/ I Say: The Moves that matter in

Academic Writing. New Jersey: W.W. Norton & Company, 2008.

Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Simon, Smith, Jonas, and Tosca, Susana. Understanding Video Games: The

Essential Introduction. New York: Routledge, 2008.

 

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Qualifications for Union Office

 

 

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11^th, February 2013

                In order for one to qualify for the union office, the United States has a set of conditions, which the candidate must meet. These are qualifications they must satisfy in order to be considered legible for the office. The United States Supreme Court reset these qualifications back in 1977. Primarily, any person interested in the union office, has to be a member of the union for at least two years. Non-members are not allowed to hold any positions in the union office. Secondly, for one to qualify for candidature, they must have made it to attend at least half of all the meetings held by their local union for the past three years prior the elections period. This is necessary, as members who meet this requirement are more familiar with the union, and how it operates. Although this would see many members out, the court insisted on applying this qualification, as it would encourage more members, who had interest in the union office, to start attending meetings and taking union matters seriously. However, this qualification has been disputed. Additionally, although multiple office holding is acceptable under the right terms, members with dual unionism, who hold office in a rival union, cannot be allowed to hold position in another rival union organization. Finally, qualifications such as age, based on the candidates’ characters are used by union organizations to determine candidature. However, these should be devoid of racist or discriminatory elements, based on gender, colour, religion, or nationality, as this will contradict with the Civil rights Act of 1964.

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The Saudi Dream

            Saudi is the second-largest country in the region of Western Asia. Like any other country, Saudi, through its authorities, is concerned about its citizens. It is a national desire for the people in Saudi to live comfortable lives, with all their needs within reach. The country also aspires for prosperity of all kind, including economic prosperity. This is part of the Saudi dream, which the country is working on to bring it to reality.

In order to liven this dream, the country leaders and citizens work collectively to achieve this. While individuals struggle at their personal level, the leadership develops policies that will improve the lives of individuals in Saudi. One of the most used strategies by the leadership in Saudi in order to achieve the Saudi dream is the aspect of education. Saudi has greatly invested in educating its people. This is through building sufficient learning institutions in the country, and equipping the education sector with all the necessary resources for an effective educational process. Additionally, the authorities in Saudi offer scholarships for higher learning to various students to further their studies. This is because education is believed to be the key to unlocking the Saudi dream.

If Saudi achieves its goal of educating as many people as possible, then the country will have moved closer to realizing its dream. This is because, education, especially higher education is a great determinant of a person’s position in life. This includes both economic and social standing, as well as the political standing. If more people in Saudi are educated up to the degree level and beyond, they will most probably find good jobs, and be able to take care of their financial needs. A good education comes with a good job, which later translates into good salary, and finally, a good life. Although jobs are not guaranteed, the authorities in Saudi have also prioritized economic strengthening of the country. Most importantly, education will make people to be more knowledgeable about different life aspects. With education, young people of Saudi will be creative enough to come up with new job opportunities and create jobs, instead of waiting to be employed. This is because of the dynamics of the global economy, which equally affect Saudi. Since knowledge is power, the country will be empowered, and this will be the beginning of better things for Saudi.

In order to achieve its dream, Saudi has invested in education. Education leads to empowerment, financial freedom, and knowledge. Lack of these three factors is a characteristic of most poor and underdeveloped countries. Therefore, by investing in education, Saudi is sure to eradicate any element of poverty in its citizens, so that all citizens live a fulfilling life.

 

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Article Summary and Evaluation

            The article to be summarized and analysed has the title, The Crummy First Draft, from the collection, Models Essays; A Portable Anthology. This was written by Aaron E. Jane, who is a teacher and an author by profession. The Crummy Draft is an article she wrote, which talks about the art of writing, and the processes involved in writing from the rough beginning to the end of it. Aaron, Jane writes this from her own point of view. Since she is a writer and author of various books, she writes this basing on her writing experiences. This article anyway, identifies the importance of a writer writing the crummy first draft.

In this article, Aaron emphasizes the importance of a draft for every writer; this she calls the “crummy draft.” A real writer should not dismiss the draft in their writing process. They should value the draft. In the draft, a writer should not limit their thoughts. Instead, they should write everything that comes to their mind at that specific time. No matter how a writer might feel about their draft being bad, they should still write and use it. This lays the foundation for their writing (Aaron 186).

Aaron discusses how as a writer, she felt about the writing process, and the draft. Even though she hated to write the draft, and sometimes thought her drafts were full of ridiculous ideas, she later learnt the importance of writing the draft. She generally explains the bad and good sides of being a writer. That she sometimes would want to give up writing, when she did not feel that she was doing good writings. The critics were another of her fears. These would criticize her every article she wrote and this had to put her on her toes. Quitting writing would mean she had lost her talent, therefore, she continued to write, to avoid negative sentiments from the public (Aaron 187).

Writing, as Aaron explains, is about dedication and commitment. She says that when starting to write, one should start with the crummy first draft. Focus and concentration is needed when writing this. She encourages one to listen only to the voices in their heads when writing the crummy draft. After the first draft, one may then perfect on it, to form a second draft, and then finally work on the second draft to produce final work. However, the author has emphasised that a writer should feel free to write anything that is on their mind, when they are writing the crummy draft. This is important because they will then use the crummy draft to build on their writing; therefore, the crummy draft is important in writing (Aaron 188-189).

As a student of English, it is appropriate for me to evaluate this article, because it discusses writing, which I learn in English course. It is an informative article, and I enjoyed it. The author used the narration style of writing, making this interesting. The information is of high quality and credible, as the author talks about her experiences. Because Aaron is an author, and has successfully published different novels, this information can be trusted and applied. However, the author has used complex English, which is quite hard for other non-native speakers to understand easily. The vocabulary use in the article is on a higher level. The author therefore, should use simple or average vocabulary, which people who are not native speakers can understand, without difficulties. This article can be useful to new person who wants to become a future writer. In addition, a person who is a writer can also benefit from this. For a new writer, they will learn to write their crummy draft. Writers will also learn to write crummy draft, and those who do not write drafts will learn to start writing one.

 

Works Cited

Aaron, Jane. Model Essays: A Portable Anthology. (The Crummy First Draft). pp 186-189.

2005. Web. 11 February 2013 <http://greengold.uvu.edu/engh/0890/132_hilst/docs/Lamott_Crummy_First_Drafts.pdf>

 

 

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Differences between Communication in various Cultures

            The cultural aspect is core to communication, as it affects most elements of communication. These include how loudly to talk to people, the personal space while communication, how to show respect and politeness during communication, when to laugh, among others. Therefore, the way different communities communicate either verbally or non-verbally is wholly dependent on their cultures and socialization in the community. This paper therefore, focuses on the differences in both verbal and non-verbal communication between different cultures, basing on examples.

Non-verbal communication, same as body language, is a crucial part of communication, which highly varies between cultures. This includes how people use touch, gestures, and eye contact when communicating. This varies depending on the type of culture. Use of gestures varies in different cultures. For instance, the use of fingers or hands to mean, “Come here,” is used differently. In the United States, most people use this gesture while communicating with other people, but this might appear offensive in some cultures. In other cultures, this gesture is used to beckon dogs or other domestic animals. Additionally, while it is acceptable to point at people or at things with one finger in the United States, in other cultures, including the Asian cultures, find this offensive. Instead, these prefer pointing at things using the entire hand (Samovar, Porter and McDaniel 32).

Touch is another form of non-verbal communication, which also differs in different communities. In the United States, a person might show affection or friendliness to a child by patting them on the head. In most Asian cultures, this is overly inappropriate. Most Asians hold the belief that, the head is a sacred part of the body, and therefore, should not be touched. In most cultures of the Middle East region, the left hand should not be used for touch, as it should remain hygienic. On the other hand, cultures that are Islam-oriented prohibit touch between two people of the opposite sex, during communication.

Eye contact during communication is perceived differently by different cultures. In the United States, eye contact is encouraged, as it shows that one is attentive and honest during communication. However, in most cultures, such as, the Native American, Vietnamese, Hispanic, African, Asian, among others, eye contact is highly discouraged, as it signifies rudeness. In these cultures also, women maintaining eye contact when addressing men are thought to have sexual interest in the men, therefore, this is discouraged (Samovar, Porter and McDaniel 39).

In verbal communication, aspects such as volume of voice, power of words, and interruptions, among others, differ significantly in different cultures. With regard to the volume of one’s voice during communication, the people in Japan and Canada are known to maintain low volumes during normal communication. These and other cultures that embrace low voice volume, believe that raising of voice during communication shows one is angry, or quarrelling. On the other hand, people in Latin America are used to speaking with each other in loud voices, even though they are not quarrelling (Samovar, Porter and McDaniel 42).

Interruptions during communication are acceptable in some cultures and unacceptable in others. In the Anglo-Saxon countries, it is wrong to interrupt a person while they are talking; instead, one has to wait for their turn in order to speak. Interrupting is considered rude. On the contrast, in Latin America, interrupting a person as they speak is allowed. It is not considered rude, but it is expected. In most Asian cultures, after a person is done speaking, the other one has to pause before responding (Samovar, Porter and McDaniel 55).

With regard to power of words, different cultures define differently the same words. Therefore, a word used to mean good in one culture, might be hurtful in another culture. Therefore, each culture determines painful and soothing words differently. In addition, the use of titles while addressing people varies between cultures. In cultures where people value titles, addressing a person using the wrong title might be offensive to them.

In conclusion, communication is dependent on culture, thus the differences between communications in different cultures. This is an aspect, which makes it challenging for a person to adapt fast to a new community, with different culture. However, spending a considerable time in the new community makes a person adapt gradually to the new communication style. Although communication varies in different cultures, it best suits the particular community, and fulfils their communication needs.

 

Works Cited

Samovar, Larry, Porter, Richard and McDaniel, Edwin. Communication Between Cultures. New

York: Cengage Learning, 2007.

 

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CRIME

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8^th, February 2013 

 

1-      What is pretrial supervision? What is the purpose of pretrial supervision? And, in your opinion, is it effective? Why or why not?

Pretrial supervision in courts refers to the way in which individuals awaiting trial and have been released into their communities, are monitored. The US pretrial service officers are in charge of this. They supervise them to ensure that these are obeying the law, and adhere with the conditions of their release, while waiting for their trial. This kind of supervision has turned out to be effective, due to various reasons. First, this reduces the level of congestion and overcrowding in jails. Additionally, supervision ensures the safety of the defendants and the community in which they are released to. When under supervision, it is hard for the defendant into get involved in another type of crime, since they are being watched (Smartt, 2006).

2-      What is a Diversion? Is it effective? When is it used? Why or why not? Be specific and give examples.

Diversion is a type of sentencing in the criminal justice system. A court, police department, or the office of the district attorney, among others, conducts this. In this kind of sentencing, the offenders are normally helped to avoid court charges, and a subsequent criminal record. This sentencing might be used in various situations. For instance, if it is a case involving a youthful offender, then this sentencing is more likely to be used. It is argued that when youth are exposed to the juvenile criminal system, this might influence them negatively, and instead of serving as a correction, it may cause more harm to the teenager. This shows therefore, that this sentencing is only applicable to petty mistakes, which are mostly committed by teenagers or juveniles. These petty mistakes committed by juveniles, such as bullying in school, can be addressed by other outside-of-court means (Smartt, 2006).

3- What influences offenders’ willingness to serve Alternative Sanctions? Be specific and give details.

Different offenders might choose alternative sanctions or not, depending on various factors. First, the gender factor is important in determining this decision. Different studies have shown that fewer men than women are willing to take up alternative sanctions. However, of all the alternative sanctions, most women did not want electronic monitoring and half house. This is because of their high level of restrictiveness. For instance, in electronic monitoring, women are not allowed to bring along their children. Therefore, being mothers, most female offenders will not accept this type of alternative sanction (Smartt, 2006).

4- What is restorative justice? Is it effective? Why or why not?

Restorative justice in criminal justice refers to the emphasis on repairing the injuries and harm caused by crime. This is therefore, a process, which former offenders have to undergo. Additionally, the victims, offenders, and community members can meet and find ways of doing this, in order to ensure healing of the victims and the peace of mind and forgiveness of offenders. This programme ensures that all the relevant parties are involved in responding to the crime. Professionals from the government sector or the legal sector might facilitate the process. This programme has served its purpose well, even though it is not perfectly effective. Nonetheless, it has reduced the probability of a former offender committing the same kind of crime. Additionally, this has been effective in reducing the stress of victims related to their post-traumatic period. Most victims also confess to not wanting revenge after they are exposed to this programme (Smartt, 2006).

 

 

5- Do you support victim impact statements? Why or why not?

I consider victim impact statements essential in the legal process. Therefore, I support them. The victim impact statements give a voice to the victims of an offence, as they allow them to note down the impact the crime had on them financially, physically, or psychologically. This helps the victims to finally come to terms with the crime and its impact on them. Although this can be hard for some victims to do, it is confirmed to contribute to the healing process of the victims. The victim impact statements are also important to courts. Since these contain the information about the impact of a rime on victims, judges might use this information to come up with appropriate sentences for the offenders, depending on the magnitude of the crime.

 

Reference

Smartt, U. (2006). Criminal Justice. New York: SAGE.

 

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ZARA: CASE STUDY ANALYSIS

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Institution

9^th, February, 2013

 

Table of Contents

 

Executive Summary. 3

1. Introduction. 4

2. Theory. 5

Information Technology. 5

Speed and Decision Making. 6

Marketing, Merchandizing, and Advertising. 7

Firm-Based Value Chain. 7

3. Application of Theory. 9

4. Results. 11

5. Conclusions. 12

6. Recommendations. 12

7. Appendices. 14

8. Works Cited. 15

 

 

Executive Summary

Zara is a large retail company under the Inditex fashion group in Spain. Zara is a successful company, which invests in information technology to increase its productivity. This, in addition to its vertical integrated operation, has helped it achieve its objective of reduced time in decision-making. Unlike other retail companies, Zara does not invest highly in advertising, as only posters are displayed in the stores. This leads to an approximate 0.3 per cent of the company’s budget on advertisements, unlike other companies, which spend close to 4 per cent of their total budget on the same. Investing in information technology and in the stores is a strategy that has helped Zara to have a competitive advantage over the other retail companies. However, Zara has been faced with a challenge in deciding the right move, between updating the current software the company uses, or maintaining it as it is. This is a challenge, as both moves result in benefits as well as costs (Tungate 2012).

 

 

1. Introduction

            An IT strategy is paramount for all the companies, as this helps a company to adapt faster to the changes in the business requirements in the business environment. If a company lacks an IT strategy, it cannot keep up with the business changes in an effective manner, but instead will have a delayed reaction and response to important changes. If the IT strategy of a company is weak, this might have detrimental effects on the company. A weak IT strategy is therefore, a waste of time and resources for a company (Gitman & McDaniel 2008). This paper investigates the IT management and strategy of Zara, using a provided case study of the company, to realize how effective this has been to the company.

Thirty-seven years ago, Amancio Ortego and Rosalia founded Zara. This owns different brands, and has close to 1660 stores, most of which are situated in Europe. The different styles of fashion and clothes by this company serve the needs of men and women, as well as children. This is one of the most successful companies in Spain that have constantly managed to adapt fast to changes in the business environment, unlike other companies that lack this capability. Analysing the IT strategy of Zara is of interest, since this company is unique in the way it utilizes communication and information technology. While other companies rely on outsourcing to reduce costs, Zara on the other hand, has capitalized and invested in information technology, as a way of gaining a competitive advantage in the market. This company, unlike others in the same fashion industry, is known for its instant reaction and response to fashion trends. While its counterparts take a prolonged time to respond to new fashion trends, Zara restocks its shelves rapidly, to meet the new needs of customers, for fashion items that are the hits. Therefore, the success of Zara is wholly influenced by the information and technology, which the company has prioritised (“Zara”: Dutta n.d).

2. Theory

            Zara strategizes its business processes using the he Hybrid model. The product development for the company’s brands has high capabilities and this result in increased speed for deliveries in the company. With regard to its brand differentiation, this company produces high-quality products, which it sells at low prices. Zara does not outsource, but engages in the full production and distribution processes to meet the demands of its customers. This includes design, manufacture, distribution in stores, and logistics. All these take as short as three weeks to accomplish. Therefore, this has helped the company address the instability in demands in the fashion industry. On the other hand, other retail companies will take as long as five to eight months in order to adjust to a new fashion trend. Zara uses varied strategies to achieve its goals. However, this report will focus on information technology, speed and decision-making, as well as marketing, merchandising, and advertising (“CNN Tech” 2004).

Information Technology

            The information technology cost of Zara is less compared to that of other retail companies. Despite this, Zara still manages to make the best out of its information technology, beating the other retail companies. In addition, Zara lacks a chief information officer, as well as a formal budget making process for its information technology. Only about 0.5 per cent of the staff at Zara are involved with matters of information technology in the company. It is therefore, surprising how Zara, a successful company, operates with such few financial and labour investments in information technology. Evidence shows that Zara has managed to remain steady and operate effectively in the contemporary business world that is characterized by a high level of technological advancement. However, the hybrid model adopted by Zara is responsible for helping the company maintain its stability and fair competition in the market. The company utilizes the hybrid model of strategy, which has ensured its effective operations (Tungate 2012: (Mcafee, Dessain & Sjoman 2007).

In the hybrid model strategy, the company passes important information from its various stores to company headquarters through information technology, and a combined human intelligence input. Some elements of the information technology used in this case include the PDA devices. The managers of various stores send the orders of their stores, while another group is responsible for making decisions whether the orders should be served or whether priority should be given to different stores, where products are fast selling. This decision is made by use of calculations from an application that records and tracks the “theoretical inventory”

of every SKU. Information technology is also highly employed inside the company’s factories, in the production process. Computers control the large cutting equipment in the factories. These cut fabric into the different desired patterns, and these make use of all or most of the fabric, therefore avoiding waste of resources. Apart from the company factories, its distribution centres equally make use of information technology, mainly through computerization and automation. In this case, computers are responsible for the processing and supplying of any orders that are received in the distribution centres. In addition, the company’s department of information technology exclusively developed the applications used by Zara in its distribution centres, to be solely used in Zara (Mcafee, Dessain & Sjoman 2007).

Speed and Decision Making

Zara values its customers; therefore, the company aims at meeting their demands as fast as possible. This is because the fashion industry is characterized by unstable customer demands over a short period. To achieve this, Zara utilises its employees to analyse the market by getting information from the consumers about the most preferred fashion items at a particular time. A group of commercials in the company will then use the gathered information to decide on the type of design for the different fashion items, and their selling price. This therefore, makes the company spend little time on decision making, with regard to consumer demands. Since the company has various groups of experts, another group is assigned to the supervision of all the stores in the world. This group also comes with information about what fashion items the company should produce, including the type of designs, based on their observations in the different stores across the world. This strategy also saves a considerable amount of time the company uses in decision making, considering it is a large company (Mcafee, Dessain & Sjoman 2007).

Marketing, Merchandizing, and Advertising

A look at Zara’s advertisings and marketing shows that the company uses only a small fraction of its revenues in advertising its fashion products. Most retail companies use about 4 per cent of their revenues on advertising, while Zara uses only about 0.3 per cent. Zara prioritizes information technology, therefore, invests in this. The company’s stores are strategically placed in popular locations in cities, and these have similar architectural designs. The management style of each store in one country is similar, as similar factors affect businesses in the same country (Mcafee, Dessain & Sjoman 2007).

Firm-Based Value Chain

            The vertically integrated business model adopted by Zara links the demands of customers to manufacturing, then link manufacturing process to the distribution, and general retailing process. In order to analyse the effectiveness and challenges of this business strategy, Michael Potter’s value chain model will be used to test all the business activities of this company, with regard to information technology, and identify loopholes or strengths of each. This will also show whether the approaches this company use with regard to information technology are effective and if these can be applied in other retail companies in the fashion industry (Sekhar 2009).

The value chain model is instrumental in the identification of the aspects that can boost competition of a company, and it can also propose appropriate strategies, which a business can adopt in its processes. This model also highlights different processes and activities in the business, which can be linked with competitive strategies, and which can have good results for the company, when applied with information system. In this model, specific points where a company can successfully apply information technology to boost its productivity are identified (Laudon & Laudon 2012).

In the value chain model, business is viewed as a series of activities, which help boost the performance of a company, with regard to the production of high-quality gods and services. This model categorizes these activities into two major categories, including the primary activities and the support activities. The primary activities include all the activities directly related to processes of production and distribution of goods and services, which determine quality for customers (Laudon & Laudon 2012).

On the other hand, the support activities are those that help in the facilitation of primary activities. These are mainly in the form of human resources management, including recruitment, training, and motivation of employees, among others. Additionally, these also comprise the company infrastructure, including quality, finance, administration, and legal management, among others. Support activities also include procurement, which involves the buying of materials for the production and other processes in the company; and technology development of a company, which involves research and development of technology and the automation of processes in the company among any other technology a company adopts to boost its productivity. However, for a company to adopt these support activities appropriately, it relies on the success of the company in achieving a competitive advantage in the market, with regard to its information systems. Companies can therefore, adopt the value chain model to guide them in each of their value chain activities. This might help a company learn about ways to utilize their information systems in making company operations and customer satisfaction effective. The company will also be in a position to understand how information technology can strengthen its relationship with customers, as well as the suppliers, even though these are not directly linked to the company’s internal value chain (Laudon & Laudon 2012).

3. Application of Theory 

            With regard to information technology and its effectiveness, the value chain model can be used to evaluate the business processes of Zara. As seen before, this model divides company activities into two categories, including the primary activities and secondary activities. The primary activities in Zara include those involved with designing, production, and responding to orders, by supplying all stores with fashion products, in accordance to decisions from the distribution centre. The vertically integrated operations of the company has been instrumental in ensuring that designing and production processes take the least time, mostly a maximum of three weeks (Laudon & Laudon 2012)

On the other hand, support activities in this company include sourcing, and information technology and infrastructure development. With regard to development of infrastructure, the company (Zara) uses the system of mobile tracking, and its sales personnel utilize organizers, which are hand held. On the other hand, infrastructure of the company is highly influenced by the store managers, who constantly work to keep up with the fashion trends in the industry. These store managers, like the sales personnel, also utilize hand held organizers. With these, they are able to collect and keep information collected on fashion, the orders made by customers, and the views, opinions, and recommendations of customers. All this information by store managers is then combined with results from the company’s market research, and together, these are incorporated into the production process of new trends. On the other hand, sourcing in this company mainly has to do with supplies. Zara uses external suppliers to obtain some material and equipment for its production process. The company’s purchasing offices in different regions are responsible for linking up with external suppliers, mainly from Spain and other regions in the East (Mcafee, Dessain & Sjoman 2007).

The process of chain management in Zara is highly facilitated by information technology. These include inbound logistics, customer service, operations, sales and marketing, administration and management, and human resources management. In procurement, the company utilizes ordering systems, which are computerized. On the other hand, the overall technology use in this company’s production process, involves use of design systems that are aided by computers. Each process in the company is under distinct leadership, which ensures overseeing of the processes. In addition, these are aimed at ensuring cost reduction to produce high quality products using appropriate technology. However, since Zara lacks a chief information officer, the company’s department of information technology might lack proper decision-making aimed at developing strategies of improving the department. Currently, a high level of automation is evident only in the company’s distribution centres. Individual stores use fax and telephone to place their orders. In addition, the PDA, which managers use lack a connection to individual stores for information sharing, especially, with regard to inventory (Tungate 2012: Mcafee, Dessain & Sjoman 2007).

4. Results

            Zara invests in its own software and does not buy new technology. This is because of company operations, which are considered unique; therefore, new technology would still have to be adjusted to fit company operations. Additionally, being a global company, Zara utilizes a variety of currencies; therefore, buying an accounting package would still require customization and adjustments. The operating system used by Zara cannot keep data for future forecasting. Therefore, company sales, plans, profits and loses, among other factors cannot be predicted with this operating system. Additionally, the use of fax machines by stores is unreliable and causes a breakdown in communication at some points. This is also costly, considering the cost of fax machine order forms. Reliance on the telephone could also result in miscommunication or mishearing, which is detrimental and frustrating to the involved process. The company utilizes applications that are not suitable for its value chain. Since these applications are internally developed, upgrading them might be impossible. In addition, their compatibility with other applications is impossible. The company stores are in need of an effective POS, which will shield them against all problems in infrastructure, as the current POS terminals are out of date. Finally, Zara is a bi g company with few IT personnel. This reduces the effectiveness of the company, with regard to IT, since the workload is not proportional to the workforce.

Analysing the current information technology system shows that the firm saves considerable finances while using the current system. This is through the low operational costs the system presents, small IT workforce; meaning little money is spent on their salaries, and low computer expenses. Since the information technology system is simple, managers do not require special training in order to manipulate the system. However, on the negative, this system is slow in data collection and requires more time to execute commands. This therefore, gives the company a negative image, with regard to technology upgrading. Upgrading the current system will cost the company a considerable amount of finances. However, the company could consider adopting Linux, which is cheaper than other operating systems. The company will have to incur costs for the new applications, as well as employee trainings on use of the new application. However, this will be beneficial, as the company productivity will rise.

5. Conclusions

            Zara is a highly competitive company, and this draws from its use of information technology to run its different operations. Although information technology strategy of the company is commendable, there exists a variety of flaws in the system. These flaws bar the company from reaching its optimal performance in the market. The main drawback of this company is its information technology strategy, and specifically the use of its current POS, which is limiting to the company, although it has propelled it to great heights in the market. The company has a commendable information technology strategy, though with a few flaws, which can be corrected. If these are improved, the company will be able to increase its productivity and profits further.

6. Recommendations

            For effective business operations, Zara should consider upgrading its operating system.  A system that will increase efficiency between stores, consumers, and store manager should be adopted. The current system is restrictive and has had negative implications for the company, even though it runs on low cost of operation. The company could consider a HP POS, which is equally cheap to operate and simple. Additionally, this is flexible and can manage a variety of operations, compared to the current POS of the company, which is limiting. Therefore, the company can still have a small number of IT personnel, as the application has a high capacity for tasks. This change of software for the company should be done gradually, allowing employees time to adapt to the new system, in addition to them being trained. If successfully adopted, Zara will have a new experience with IT and a positive impact on its productivity.

Appendices

 

Figure 1. The Value Chain Model. Source: Think Fast Solutions, http://www.thinkfastsolutions.com/valuechain.html, accessed February 9, 2013.

 

 

 

Works Cited

“CNN Tech” July 24 2004, Zara: A Model Fashion Retailer, Viewed 9 February 2013

<http://articles.cnn.com/2004-07-19/tech/spain.zara_1_zara-design-shelves?_s=PM:TECH>

“Zara” n.d, Viewed 9 February 2013 <http://www.zara.com>

Dutta, D n.d, Retail @ the Speed of Fashion, Viewed 9 February 2013

<http://www.tim.ethz.ch/education/courses/courses_fs_2008/course_gm1_fs_2008/reader_12_Process_mgt_Fashion_at_the_speed_of_fashion_zara.pdf>

Gitman, L & McDaniel, C 2008, The Future of Business: The Essentials, Cengage

Learning, London.

Laudon K. C & Laudon J. P 2012, Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital

Firm, 12th edition, Prentice hall, New York.

Mcafee, A., Dessain, V. & Sjoman, A 2007, “Zara: IT for Fast Fashion,” Harvard Business

School.

Sekhar, V 2009, Business Policy, and Strategic Management, I. K. International Pvt Ltd,

New York.

Tungate, M 2012, Fashion Brands: Branding Style from Armani to Zara, Kogan Page

Publishers, New Jersey.

 

 

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Human Resources Practices at Google Inc Company

The business world in the contemporary world is highly competitive and ever changing. Companies have therefore, been forced to capitalize on their strengths in order to withstand the high competition and other aspects in the market. The human resources department of a company is a critical part of the company. Companies with strong human resources practices are most likely to succeed as compared to those with weak human resources practices. This is because human resource management is the source of company success and increased performance level. Human resources management department of a company is responsible for the execution of crucial tasks such as recruitment and selection of new employees and ensuring employee motivation, among other tasks relating to employees. Since employees have a high influence on the productivity of a company, the human resources management should perform explicitly. This paper focuses on Google Inc Company, addressing its human resources practices, including strengths and weaknesses in this department.

Google Inc is an international company, which has its focus on innovation. It aims at improving better ways through which people communicate and connect by use of information. It is among the 500 fortune companies, with enormous revenues. In the United States, Google has employed approximately 20,000 people, and its job growth rate stands at 33 per cent. Today, the technology has advanced at an alarming rate, therefore, the needs of customers in the market have subsequently revolutionized. Since Google Inc is a technology-based company, this has called for it to renovate a number of its products in order to meet the needs of its customers (Anthony Web).

The good thing about Google Inc is how it has managed to remain reputable as one of the most successful company worldwide. This is with regard to its profits and the way it meets the needs of its customers. Secondly, Google Inc is identified as one of the topmost best employers in the world. Google Inc is one of the top companies known to invest heavily in its human resources, for high productivity.  This company has adopted various human resources practices, including recruitment, training, motivation, and compensation, among others. All these are aimed at making the employees perform well, and this is the reason why this company is ranked among the world’s best employers (Anthony Web).

Google Inc scores high on employee satisfaction, compared to other companies. This is because of the kind of work environment the company sets for its employees, which boosts their motivation. In this company, new employees are trained and familiarized with the company culture before starting the job. This therefore, gives them the knowledge of what their employer expects from them in meeting the company goals. Google Inc is also good at recruitment. Since it is an international company, it values diversity, and this is reflected in its workforce. Despite recruiting from different regions of the world, Google Inc still manages to identify the best candidates, who have contributed to its success (Walker Web).

Motivation for employees is through different ways. First, Google Inc is one of the companies with the best salary package for employees. Apart from salary, there is a variety of benefits for employees. For instance, the recently unleashed death benefit in the company aims at compensating the deceased employees’ families. Upon death, a family gets 50 per cent of the deceased employee’s salary for the next ten years. Additionally, their partners are entitled to stock benefits, in addition to $1,000 monthly for all children until they reach nineteen years (Casserly Web). In order to ensure that employees update their skills, Google Inc has a training programme through GoogleEDU. This in-house programme helps employees boost their skills for better performance on their job. The leadership style adopted by this company is participatory, whereby all employees are involved and contribute to major decision making in the company (Walker Web).

Google Inc despite being a productive company has also had its downs. However, this can be blamed on the economy and inflation. In the recent years, Google has registered a number of layoffs, which is detrimental to employees. In November 2008, Google hit the highest layoff of about 10,000 contractual part time employees. This continued until March 2009, when the company cut off 200 positions. Apart from this, Google Inc treats its customers equally, so that they all feel valued in the company. These are entitled to same benefits and other privileges, depending on their positions. There have been no public claims about financial mismanagement at Google. However, due to the company’s overambitious inventive nature, it lost a considerable level of its profitability recently. Although this did not hurt the company revenues much, a repeat of this could have a negative impact on the company (Jackson Web). Google has qualified employees, and it still invests in its employees through further training. Therefore, Google produces some of the best internet products in the market, which are reliable than those produced by other companies such as Apple.

Google has had a number of lawsuits against it. Different individuals, as well as domestic and international companies press these lawsuits. Among all the lawsuits against this company, the most interesting ones are the ones between Rosetta, Apple, and Oracle. The lawsuit by Rosetta against Google mainly has to do with trademark infringement. This lawsuit is ongoing, and the verdict for Google is not yet out.  On the other hand, the lawsuit against Google by Oracle is also still pending, as Google awaits the verdict. This one mainly revolves around one of Google’s products, which is the Android operating system. Oracle accuses Google of using some of its patented aspects of the java programming, which Oracle had utilized in the previous years. Currently, Google is involved in another legal case with the European Union concerning the anti-trust law. If this qualifies for formal charges, legal analysts predict that Google and other search engines might be compelled to change how they facilitate their web searches in Europe. Additionally, this could lead to more strict regulations for all search engines (Levine and Oreskovic Web).

The negative issues identified about Google Inc include its previous layoffs and the current lawsuits it faces. These have negative effects on employees and the company itself. Layoffs for instance cause employees to lose their jobs, thus lacking a means of survival. This in turn influences the government and national economy, as the level of unemployment shoots up. This also means that Google is not stable enough to withstand economic crisis, since the layoffs happened during the financial crisis, and this influenced negatively the human resources of Google Inc. On the other hand, numerous lawsuits might reduce the customers’ trust in the company products. This gives the company a bad name, especially if the law suits concern patent issues. Therefore, increasing lawsuits against Google gives it a negative image, risking losing the trust of customers.

These issues can be solved through human resources management. The HRM department should collaborate with other departments to initiate strategies, which will ensure that the company remains stable, even in hard economic times. Alternatively, the company could reduce its number of products, and invest in the ones that are confirmed to be profitable. Concerning the increased lawsuits in the company, the HRM should train its staff on the importance of transparency, honesty, and accountability in the company. This is especially regarding issues to do with patents, copyrights, among others. If all these are put into consideration, Google Inc will maintain its profitability and competitiveness in the market, with a positive image.

In conclusion, despite being ranked among the best companies, Google has considerable flaws, which could be easily dealt with through its HRM. However, compared to other companies, Google remains exemplary in the manner in which it invests in its human resources. Researching on Google Inc has been informative, and helpful in the understanding that human resources is core of an organization, therefore, a worthy investment for any company.

 

 

Works Cited

Anthony, Scott. Google’s Management Style Grows Up. Bloomberg BusinessWeek. 23 June

2009. Retrieved <http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/jun2009/ca20090623_918721.htm>

Casserly, Meghan. Here’s What Happens To Google Employees When They Die. Forbes. 8

August 2012. Retrieved <http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghancasserly/2012/08/08/heres-what-happens-to-

google-employees-when-they-die/ >

Jackson, Erick. Google’s Big Problem They Do not Want You to Know About. Forbes. 23

January 2012. Retrieved <http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2012/01/23/googles-big-problem-they-dont-want-you-to-know-about/>

Levine, Dan and Oreskovic, Alexei. U.S. judge tosses Apple vs. Google lawsuit over patents.

Reuters. 5 November 2012. Retrieved <http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/06/net-us-google-patent-idUSBRE8A419M20121106>

Walker, Joseph. Schools in Session at Google. The Wall Street Journal. 5 July 2012

Retrieved <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303410404577466852658514144.html>

 

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Security of Health Care Records

            Technology has resulted in many changes in the sector of healthcare. The contemporary age of digital communication has influenced aspects of healthcare, and resulted in new concerns with regard to privacy and confidentiality. This mainly affects the management and storage of data in healthcare, whereby due to the new technological tools, nurses have been faced with different moral dilemmas. Nonetheless, the healthcare practitioners need to maintain ethics and make the right decisions in situations they are faced with moral dilemmas, especially with regard to management of hospital data (McGonigle and Mastrian 70).

In most healthcare facilities I am familiar with, patients’ health records are stored electronically on computers. This information in the database is stored digitally and therefore, it is possible to transfer this information to other health providers, in case a patient is transferred. Other members of the staff, who are authorized to access this information, can also access this it. This is because the authorized staff members have access to the hospital’s electronic health records database, and therefore, can access it from anywhere, provided they log into the hospital system. The electronic health information is protected by allowing access to only the authorized staff members, and not all staff. Most hospitals give a private code to the authorized individuals, so that the unauthorized individuals cannot log into the electronic health information database (Rothstein 9).

Since nurses are the ones responsible for patient data, these are charged with ensuring that they protect the confidentiality, privacy, and autonomy rights of the patients when dealing with their personal data. There are different ways through which they can ensure this. First, nurses should avoid disclosing patients’ information to third parties. These include patients’ relatives, other staff members, health insurance firms, among others. Additionally, nurses should not demand for a full health record from the patients, instead, only the useful information should be obtained. When disposing off some patient information that is no longer in use, nurses should ensure they completely destroy the files, or delete them from the database, in a manner that these cannot be traced in future. Most importantly, access to these records should be individual-based, such that each individual has their own secret code, in order to promote individual accountability in case of any data mishandling (Brown 40).

Today, communication tools have become smaller and advanced. These are expected to become even better in future, and this means new privacy and security concerns in healthcare, with regard to patient data management. These electronic devices are easy to get stolen or they can as well be lost. If these bear the health records of patients, then it is possible that this information will get in the hands of third parties. In addition, the presence of high-tech hackers also jeopardizes the confidentiality of these electronic records. With advanced knowledge, hackers might hack into the computers and if interested in this information, they can easily get access to it, especially if the computer is not well protected from hacking.

Deficiencies in healthcare today are partly attributed to reliance on archaic paper-based management of data. Therefore, strategies should be adopted to ensure that health information technology becomes part of the healthcare culture. Today, there are disparities in the way HIT is adopted by different healthcare facilities in various regions. To bridge this gap, both the government and healthcare providers must collaborate to ensure HIT is adopted evenly. First, new entities should be introduced in healthcare to deal with matters of HIT. These should set new policies and directions, which will ensure the adoption of HIT by all healthcare facilities. Additionally, changes should be made in the regulations governing HIT in healthcare facilities. Strict regulations and policies, based on finances, have made healthcare providers shy from adopting HIT. Finally, setting up a national health information network will boost the adoption of HIT, as this will connect different parts of the country (Hoffman and Podgurski 430).

Works Cited

Brown, Bob. (2009a). Improving the privacy and security of personal health records. Journal of

Health Care Compliance, 11(2), 39–40, 68. 2009. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Hoffman, Sharona and Podgurski, Andy. Meaningful use and certification of health information

technology: What about safety? Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 39(3), 425–436.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

McGonigle, Dee and Mastrian, Kathleen. Nursing informatics and the foundation of

knowledge (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning, 2012.

Rothstein, Mark. The Hippocratic bargain and health information technology. Journal of Law,

Medicine & Ethics, 38(1), 7–13. 2010.  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

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