Red Bulls current marketing strategies Essay Example for Free

Red Bulls current marketing strategies Essay How should Red Bull market its brand in the future? I think, although Red Bull has been extremely successful in the past, times have changed and the company and products should change with it, otherwise we probably lose market share to the tremendous increased number of competitors in no time.At the height of early mornings and late nights, Red Bull energy drink became the fuel of choice for people from all walks of life. So how is Red Bull marketing its brand to meet the changing needs and budgets of its customers? How will the privately owned Austrian company expand its product line beyond the silver-bullet beverage that gives you wings? My conclusion is that we should focus on what the consumers want, need, and can afford and different marketing techniques. Red Bull founder, Dietrich Mateschitz, introduced his tonic drinks to the Austrian market in 1987. Red Bull got off the ground in no time flat, giving people wings right from the start. It wasnt until ten years later, Red Bull charged into the United States, launching a new category of non-soda energy drinks aimed at burned out high school kids, college students, and overworked individuals. In my opinion Red Bull should focus not only on low cost marketing, but also areas of mass marketing. Red Bull is an energy drink with an amazingly clever marketing strategy, but could use an extra shove in areas. Since its inception, Red Bull has shunned print advertising in its marketing strategy. Red Bull has also chosen to eliminate billboards, banner ads, taxicab holograms, blimps, and Super Bowl spots as a form of advertising. It has not created one web-marketing campaign, and it hasnt nipped or expanded its product line. This could be a good area to begin. Promoting the drink with prints or web-marketing campaigns could add to the many satisfied consumers. Red Bulls website could also use renovations. The website, http://www.redbullusa.com/start.html, does not include an in-depth analysis on ingredients contained in the drink, whereas Dark Dog and Red Devil do. If consumers wanted to learn what was contained in the drink and how they benefit from the product, the information should not only be available, but in abundance. Also, Super Bowl advertising has proved to be very beneficial,  with more viewers than any TV program. Advanced communications technology is creating a generation where many individual can be touched by one visual. However, Red Bull chooses to use advertising that cost little or nothing. Red Bull has also adopted another form of low cost advertising. Red Bull sets its grassroots ethic into motion with a simple, yet masterful marketing force, student brand managers. In Europe, collegiate buzz junkies have been successfully addicting friends and classmates for years thanks to a foolproof branding plan; Red Bull provides the student representatives with free cases of its energy drink and then encourages the kids to throw a party. Red Bull could also use this technique with older individuals in high stress occupations. This will not only spread the word quickly and cheaply, but to more individuals of different ages. This would allow Red Bull to expand its target. In terms of attracting new customers and enhancing consumer loyalty, Red Bull has a more effective branding campaign than Coke or Pepsi, says Nancy F. Koehn, professor of business administration at Harvard Business School and author of Brand New: How Entrepreneurs Earned Consumers Trust from Wedgwood to Dell (Harvard Business School Press, 2001). Red Bull is building a beverage brand without relying on the essential equipment of a mass-marketing campaign. Perhaps the indispensable tools of marketing arent so indispensable after all. With the little advertising Red Bull uses, an extra push in one of these areas could prove very beneficial for the company. Resources: Brand New: How Entrepreneurs Earned Consumers Trust from Wedgwood to Dell (Harvard Business School Press, 2001) http://www.redbullusa.com/start.html http://www.plan-b.biz/pdf/Speed_In_a_Can.pdf http://www.darkdog.com/ http://www.reddevilusa.com/ http://www.safefoodonline.com/safefood/Uploads/appendix_I_stimulant_drinks_in_ireland%2520_trans_mgmt.pdf

Impact of New Media on Civil and International Conflict

Impact of New Media on Civil and International Conflict Introduction In this essay I am going to elaborate on the role that the media play on civil and international conflict in today’s world. I will start with a brief introduction of war and its causes and effects, the roles that the media plays and the impact of their coverage before, during and perhaps after the conflict. War as we know is characterised by extreme violence and violence goes with the destruction of people, human societies are deeply affected by wars as residential areas, public infrastructures, hospitals and the very basis of human existence are destroyed. Education is completely denied the youth, no hope and aspirations for the future. Crops for livelihood will be completely destroyed and causes stagnation all over the place, no economic development, and no access to basic needs. Suffering lingers, poverty and backwardness become the people’s heritage. The last two decades have witnessed a lot of conflicts that are mainly dominated by civil wars which are classified armed conflict, very deadly and devastating takes place between the people in the same country, and these countries are usually experiencing sectarian or political transitions/changes, because it (democracy) is sweeping across the countries of the world today. And as nature will have it, such changes must not come without opposition and violence. When these wars occur the media is used as a tool. The mass media is the platform through which the people receive information. This information can be transmitted either through radio, television broadcasting, newspapers/magazines, internet or mobile phones. This makes the media very powerful and influential. Because of its ability to inform the entire population at the same time could produce a positive or negative result. The media’s role in spreading incorrect information or hostile propaganda becomes an issue of great significance. For the fact that these wars often occur in remote areas and have complicated histories, the international community’s view of them will depend to a large extent on how journalists present and explain the conflict. On the other hand some of the deadliest conflicts receive little or no publicity in the global media. An example was the Sierra Leone war which received little mention globally (Hamburg, Vance, 1997) a number of examples in the 1990s suggest that the impact of media reporting may generate political action. Michael Beschloss wrote in 1993 that the war in Bosnia was only â€Å"the latest example of an overseas crisis in which hunting television pictures arouse the American people to demand their government do something.†(Rotberg, Weiss, 1996) also in the late 1980s before the Bosnia war there was famine in Somalia that killed a lot of people through starvation that led to the decision of the United States to launch Operation Restore Hope. It was the presence of media and their reporting clearly the true situation at hand that made it politically difficult for the government not to intervene to rescue the situation. The presence or absence of media attention may mean life or death for affected populations. Accuracy is one of the most important concerns about media reports, this is particularly important when distance and time limitations are involved so as to avoid delays before the situation gets out of hand. The role mass media play in today’s conflicts around the world is very important. This role can be classified into two different categories. The media could take: An active part in the conflict and has responsibility for increased violence, Or stay independent and out of the conflict, thereby contributing to the resolution of conflict and alleviation of violence (conflict and the role of the media, 2006). The role taken up by the media in any conflict at any period whether before and after depends on a complex set of factors. This strictly depends on the media’s relationship with the actors in the conflict and the independence the media has to the power holders in society. It is because of the challenges and difficulties that the media faces during conflict that led to the establishment of International Media Support (IMS) in 2001. This was prompted after the Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia massacres that took place in the 1990s; situations in these conflicts and in fact other conflicts in the past where the media was being manipulated and used as a tool to fuel violent conflict. For instance, during Rwandan genocide the media (radio and newspaper) means were used to instigate killing, mobilize the majority, the Hutu’s to constantly remind them about the already made plans to totally wipe out the Tutsi minority. The international media turned a blind eye, and before the world could actually know what was going on nearly a million people had been killed. The purpose for setting up the IMS: To support local media so as to maintain operations and conduct their work as professionals. To work and enable media to seek to promote peace, reduce conflict, Strengthen democracy and bring about dialogue in close partnership with local media And media support organisations nationally as well as internationally. Taking broad sector approach to media development, this means the media sector must be addressed to achieve well-functioning and independent media that ensures a free media environment, a strong media infrastructure and professional media content. South Eastern Europe is one such region where ethnic tensions have had such a disintegrating effect. In the last decade, political and civil changes in the region have changed citizen’s ideas on democracy, civic participation, and cultural tensions. Throughout the New Europe, hate speech has been increasingly in general use online (Gaines, 2000). Racist and nationalistic discourse continues to be spread widely on regional media. Press radio, and television programs all increase to the severity of already existing tensions (Thompson, 1994). George Krimsky (1996), cofounder of the International Centre for Journalists (ICJ), notes that â€Å"irresponsible and inaccurate journalism (or its wicked cousin, the hate-mongering media) can fan the flames of violence in ethnic or communal confrontations.† Irresponsible journalism has played a huge role in the increase of conflict in the region, that media practitioner Maida Bebic of radio Kameleon in Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovinian, has announced, â€Å"The media started the war in the former Yugoslavia; they will have to end it, too.† (Cited in Burton, 2001) The international community can help to prevent conflict and assist people affected by war to recover. This can be achieved through different ways. This can be achieved through building local capacity in broadcast and print media, and introducing new media, in order to produce and distribute objective and accurate local content. In the developing world radio broadcasting is particularly very vital considering the availability of other media accessibility, like internet, satellite television or smart phone which could be scarce or limited and plus the high rate of illiteracy and poverty; majority of the people can afford radio, so it can be used as a medium to dispatch information. Independent journalists face very serious challenges in the conflict areas, and some of the journalists/editors get harassed, kidnapped, put in prison, even murdered. There is need for every government, especially government from the developing countries to stop harassing and jailing journalists. Egyptian government is holding Aljazeera journalists in prison and has now sentenced some of them to ten years imprisonment on false accusations including other journalists that were also sentenced to serve several years imprisonment, and some of them like Peter Greste have spent over three hundred days in jail without trial. All these arrests and detentions are to intimidate and silence journalists and to tag them with bad reputations (The Print edition, Al Jazeera, June, 2014) some of these journalists have been sentenced in absentia, without them being present in court. Rather than government putting journalists in prison, they should provide them with security, especially international journalists; make environment conducive and if possible provide training facilities for them so as to be able to execute their job even though they are already working in a war-torn zone. It is very vital and essential to encourage the use of media to promote peace, nonviolent problem solving and decent understanding between ethnic groups. UNESCO has long supported the development of local independent film, radio, television, and internet-based media in developing and transitional countries, including in conflict and post-conflict areas. UNESCO’s extensive work program includes sponsoring research and knowledge-sharing conferences, defining best practices, offering in-field professional training and financial and operations support (Stauffacher, 2005) beyond media development, it has employed innovative techniques in conflict zones; for example, funding NGOs in Afghanistan to create travelling cinemas that move from village to village to present educational and health information. UNESCO held a conference in Belgrade in May 2004. This was to support the media in violent conflict and countries in transition and the concluding Belgrade Declaration. (World Press Freedom day, 2004) Conference was organised in Copenhagen for two days the 26th and 27th of November 2004 to build upon the conclusions presented in the Belgrade Declaration from the UNESCO conference. The subject of discourse of the conference was the perplexing situation facing media development in the wake of peacekeeping and humanitarian aid operations in conflict-affected areas. The need for rapid and effective dissemination of information from aid organisations and peacekeeping forces sometimes collides with the development of an independent media sector (IMS, 2004) The attitude towards the media in Burma, Myanmar is now much more clearly defined, though not for better. Even the lowest attempts to report the facts are ruthlessly crushed. The military Junta keeps a strict control on the media, leaving no freedom either to local or foreign journalists. The Burmese press operates under strict censorship and citizens risk jail if they are found guilty of giving false information domestically or internationally (Herbert, 2013) International Media Support has been working to assist in alleviating the problems of strict control on the media for some time now. IMS is carrying out a comprehensive media development programme comprising a wide range of activities including working to support policy reforms, capacity building of media and journalists. IMS in collaboration with Myanmar Peace Centre providing conflict sensitive journalism training workshop throughout the country. The BBC Afghan Education Projects (BBC AEP). The aim of this program is to bring reconciliation among different groups and raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in other to avoid an epidemic in post-conflict Afghanistan. BBC AEP produces these programs in different formats, drama, soap opera, educational features and cartoon magazines, all these reach more than half of Afghan population. (Stauffacher, 2005) In Sri Lanka and Nepal the journalists are under constant harassment and intimidation because of civil wars and internal conflicts going on in these places. The Sri Lankan government who is fighting against the Tamil separatist movement, imposed direct censorship of military news under emergency regulations (Herbert, 2013, p. 104) The Philippines president Joseph Estrada took office in1998, since then several developments has brought his administration’s commitment to freedom of the press into question. He has been accused of curtailing media freedom in a country that has embraced the principles of free expression in recent times. The Philippians most widely circulated paper the Philippian’s Daily Inquirer was being boycotted in retaliation for criticizing the government. Turkey is said to have the most number of journalists in detention more than any other country in the world. Those journalists are advocating for the independence of Kurdish people and at such being thrown in jail. NGOs play very important role in media development. For instance, All Africa Global Media is a multimedia content service provider, systems technology developer, and the largest electronic distributor of African news and information worldwide. The website posts over 1000 stories daily in English and French and offers multilingual programming as well as over 900,000 articles in a searchable archive. Conclusion This essay has highlighted the critical role and importance of the media during wars and crisis and of course the power and influence they have. Most conflicts occur in domestic political settings where there are signs that the means of mass communications continue to increase in importance, this is suggesting that continued efforts are needed to understand the role of national media in conflict. Bibliography Blankson, I. A, and Murphy, P. D. (2012) ‘Negotiating Democracy: Media transformations in  emerging democracies’ (Google eBook) Suny Press Blondel, Y. I (2003) ‘Violent conflict and roles of the media’ Uppsala University Publishers Hamburg, D. A and Vance, C. R. (1997) ‘Preventing deadly conflict’ DIANE Publishing Herbert, J. (2013) ‘practicing global journalism: Exploring reporting issues worldwide’  CRC Press Puddephatt, A. (2006) ‘Conflict and the role of the media’ International Media Support  Publication Rotberg, R. I. and Weiss, T. G. (1996) ‘from massacres to genocide: The media, public policy, and humanitarian crisis’ (Google eBook) Brookings Institution Press Stauffacher, D. (2005) ‘Information and communication technology for peace: The role of  ICT in preventing, responding to and recovering from conflict, Vol. 198 United  Nations ICT task Force. The Print Edition, (June, 2014) ‘Egypt Court sentences Al Jazeera journalists,  Al Jazeera Publications Thompson, E. P. (1994) ‘Witness against the beast: William Blake and the moral Law’  Cambridge University Press

Overview Of Mergers And Acquisitions

Overview Of Mergers And Acquisitions The literature has observed and increasing investigation about MA in the las two decades Appelbaum et al., 2007 in response to a lot of MA activities along side with the complex situation that appear from the interaction of two parties (Gaughan, 2002). Definition of MA, in a broad sense, may be implied to many different type of transactions from alliences, purchase, cooperation, joint ventures, management buy-out nad buy-in, change of legal form and even restructuring (Picot, 2002, p.15). However, , Nakamura (2005) argues that using broad definitions could cause confusion and incorrectly comprehend everything from strategic alliances to pure mergers. Therefore, a narrower sense of MA definition is adopted as below. Merger is the creation of new holding company by combining of two firms (European Central Bank, 2000, Gaughan, 2002, Jagersma, 2005). Acquisition is purchasing shares or assets from another company in order broaden the influence of the management(European Central Bank, 200 0, Chunlai Chen and Findlay, 2003), when mutual agreement might not be necessary. Types of MA According to Nakamura (2005, p.18) Mergers are referred to as two types of merger by absorption or merger by establishment (Chunlai Chen and Findlay, 2003, Nakamura, 2005). The absorbing merger happens when one company buys all the stocks of another and the absorbed company stops from existing whereas Establishment merger happens when both firms merge to create a new one while the combined firms are dissolved (Chunlai Chen and Findlay, 2003). Moreover, Nakamura (2005) considered the merger by absorption as as de facto acquisition. Thus the term consolidation could also be used to refer to merger by an establishment (Gaughan, 2002). In acquisition, the acquiring company may try to acquire certain shares or assets of the target company. As a result, here are two type of acquisitions: Firstly, the assets acquisition (Chunlai Chen and Findlay, 2003) which occurs when a firm buys all or part of the target firms assets while the target firm stays as a legal entity after the process. Secondly, the share acquisition when a firm buys a significant share of stocks in the target firm which provides them managerial influence in the target company. Moreover, depending on the amount of acquired share of stocks then the acquisition is again classified into three types: (1) majority (50-99%), (2) minority (less than 50%) and (3) complete take over (100% of targets issued shares) (Chunlai Chen and Findlay, 2003, Nakamura, 2005). In fact, acquisitions and mergers are distinct with different outcomes regarding tax liabilities, legal obligations and acquisition procedures (Marren, 1993). However, there is not attempt to separate the acquisition transaction from the merger when speaking about the final outcomes when companies combine together. MA can be named Vertical, Horizontal o r Conglomerate (Gaughan, 2002, Chunlai Chen and Findlay, 2003). In horizontal mergers and acquisitions, the acquiring firms and the target firms are competing companies in the same field. Chunlai Chen and Findlay (2003) argues, because of the international restructuring of many industries, horizontal MA observed a rapid growth in recent years in response to liberalization and technological change. These figures are seen in industries like automobile, petroleum and pharmaceutical. A good example of mergers and acquisition in this category is the US76 Billion Dollars Merger between two enormous pharmaceutical companies, Smithkline Beecham and Glaxo (MANDA, 2007). Smithkline Beechams former CEO Jan Leschly, said, the aim of this transaction was RD synergy in order grab opportunities to drive high revenues since new technologies are emerging rapidly in this particular industry (Carey, 2000 in Harvard Business Review, 2001). However, the combination of companies in buyer-seller or client -supplier relationships is the Vertical merger and acquisition. Transaction cost and uncertainty is being reduced when the two involved firms downstream and upstream linkage within the value chain and to create benefits in the economic scope (Chunlai Chen and Findlay, 2003). Lastly, firms may try to reduce risks and achieve economies of scope by practicing conglomerate MA where the involving firms have different types of businesses. A good example is when General Foods in 1985 was acquired by Philip Morris for value of US5.6 Billion Dollars (Gaughan, 2002). Furthermore, Mergers and acquisitions can be called hostile or friendly'(Chunlai Chen and Findlay, 2003). The transaction is friendly when the board of executive of the target firm agrees to it. On the contrary, the transaction is considered hostile when it is done against the wishes of the target company board. Last but not least, MA can be also classified as cross-border or domestic with regards to where the involved firms are based or operate their work. In Domestic MA the involved companies come from the same country and operate within that same economical region or country. Accordingly, the cross-border MA are two companies are situated in different economies, or the two companies are working in the same economy but they belong to different countries (Chunlai Chen and Findlay, 2003). Appelbaum, S.H., Lefrancois, F., Tonna, R., and Shapiro, B.T., 2007. Mergers 101 (part two): training managers for culture, stress, and change challenges. Industrial and Commercial Training, 39 (4), 191-200 Gaughan, P. A., 2002. Mergers, Acquisitions, and Corporate restructuring. 3rd ed. New York: Picot, G., 2002. Handbook of international mergers and acquisitions: Preparation, Implementation and Integration Nakamura, H.R., 2005. Motives, Partner Selection and Productivity Effects of MAs: The Pattern of Japanese Mergers and Acquisition. Thesis (Ph.D.), Institute of International Business, Stockholm School of Economics. European Central Bank, 2000. Mergers and Acquisitions involving the EU Banking industry Facts and Implications [online]. Available at www.ecb.int/pub/pdf/other/eubkmergersen.pdf [Accessed 1 October 2007] Gaughan, P. A., 2002. Mergers, Acquisitions, and Corporate restructuring. 3rd ed. New York Jagersma, P. K., 2005. Cross-border acquisitions of European multinationals. Journal of General Management. 30 (3), 13-34 Chunlai Chen, Z., and Findlay, C., 2003. A Review of Cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions in APEC. Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, 17 (2), 14-38. Marren, H., 1993. Mergers and Acquisitions: a valuation handbook, Business One Irwin, Homewood, Illinois Institute of Mergers, Acquisitions and Alliances Research, 2007. Top Mergers Acquisitions (MA) Deals [online]. Available at http://www.mandainstitute.org/en/statistics-top-ma-deals-transactions.htm [Accessed 10 October 2007]. Investopedia ULD, [no date]. Advisor [online]. Available at http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/advisor.asp. [Accessed 15 October 2007] Harvard Business Review, 2001. Harvard Business Review on Merger and Acquisition. U.S.A: Harvard Business school Publishing Corporation Motives and objectives of MA: Understanding the objectives of an MA can be shown in two perspective. These objectives are to fulfill managerial influence or to maximize the shareholders wealth. In the perspective of maximizing the shareholders wealth, the main target behind the transaction between the two companies is to create a maximization of wealth for the shareholders. This happens when the net current value of the investment is in a positive trend. Thus, the other managerial perspective of the MA can happen in order to maintain growth, risk diversification, use of previous skills and abilities and to avoid being taken over (Sudarsanam, 1995). The literature on MA has a significant effort in analyzing the motive behind its transaction. ON the other hand Trautwein (1990) and later Cox (2006) they made a good summary with different theories that you can see in the table below. The suggested motive under different theories, Trautwein (1990) mentioned that MA creators refer to value creation and the synergy in order to justify the MA action. Trautwein (1990) also mentioned that is little evidence found about the implied motive in both research and practice by the raider theory process. He also taped into the disturbance theory but it has no consideration for this dissertation as it is on macro-economic level rather that micro-economic. However, Gaughan (2002) explains MA motives in a more practical way by referring many theories supported with multiple case studies. So Gaughan has four main motive for the MA: MA is a mean for the companies to grow rapidly. Economic gains and return are hoped to be achieved by the MA firms Creating a large firm with the MA to gain a better market access which can promise lower capital cost and other financial benefits. Creating gains by applying a more superior managerial influence on the target business. Thus, it can be concluded that all the authors had common sense that motives can vary between different MA deals and it is difficult to simply justify with a singe theory or approach. Sudarsanam, S. (1995). The essence of mergers and acquisitions. Hemel Hampstead: Prentice hall Cox, R. A. K., 2006. Merger and Acquisition: A Review of the Literature. Corporate Ownership Control, Spring, 3 (3), 55-59 Trautwein, F., 1990. Merger Motives and Prescriptions. Strategic Management Journal, 11 (4), 283-295 Gaughan, P. A., 2002. Mergers, Acquisitions, and Corporate restructuring. 3rd ed. New York C:UsersJohabDesktopimage.png Challenges and problems of MA: According to Smith (2003),after analyzing many cases he argues that many MA s fail to achieve their objectives. Every firm has a unique culture, but there can be similar things between two firms depending on the company management, vision, size and objectives. However, when two firms will merge under one management, the organizational culture becomes a serious problem that needs to be dealt with. Challenges arise in MA from leadership,communication and cultural differences and not only from legal or financial problems. However, tremendous studies suggest that the success factors of MA mainly depend on culture. Moreover, managers should have awareness about the difference in culture between organizations and avoid the problems by maintaining good communication with the employees, stakeholders and customers (Dell et al. 2001, Kelly et al. 1999, Kearney 1999, Booz-Allen Hamilton 2001 inPautler 2003). Thus, many mergers fail during the integration process. This normally results due to cultural differences, management, strategy, lack of clear vision and communication delays (Nguyen, Kleiner 2003). So the challenges can be in three different parts: 1-Individuals: Whatever is the change in a company like routine or drastic like a merger, is always about the people(Todnem, 2005). The human factor in mergers and acquisitions in recognized as a very important base for it success (Boaten, 2006). The reason is that these individuals are the breathing and living organisms who bring life and prosperity into the company. They create the firms unique culture which is in its industry, management and nationality etc. Thus, this is a reason why persuading these people is very important to achieve the organizational goals and the desired synergy by the MA. Accordingly, Individual face many challenges during the MA. Some of the staged based on Fishers work the personal transition curve can be identified as follows. A-Fear of the unknown and anxiety: When the the short-term plans for the future are not clear, that brings anxiety for the employees which creates the fear of the unknown. Therefore, they will try to resist the change. B-Stress and threat leading to the depression: The lack of communication makes the individual feel lost and makes it impossible for them to understand their standing. Feeling ill or doing it as an excuse for a long absence from the company. Fear of the change and the involved uncertainty makes the employees feel threatened from the future and their job security. This even makes the employee look for different jobs instead of focusing on their own. Eventually the production goes down rapidly and the synergies start to dissolve. c-Integration and Acceptance: When the employees start accepting the facts and change gradually, integration takes place incrementally. Thus, through the process there will be increasing in the employee turnover which also causes a decrease in the intellectual capital and can lead to MA failure. 2-Lack of effective leadership: Starting from top level management to lower level employees, they all become worried about their job security. This can cause a decrease in the employee commitment to their job and the company they work for and reduced satisfaction at work which leads to a weak performance. The managers also lose their trust and start hesitating to take decisions. Lack of trust leads to isolation from other teams and managers. This leads to breakdowns in communications and creating more anxiety for the employees who need a good confidence and leadership from the executives. Moreover, the doubt in the managerial abilities leads to more resistance to any change that happens during the MA. 3-Cultural clash: As mentioned above, the culture is a very important aspect in any MA.the cultural differences in managerial system and values cause many problems for the employee to adapt successfully which result a culture clash. The culture problem is a phenomenon that created the bases of all the resistance Nguyen and Kleiner(2003) from the commitment problems, increasing turnover of the staff, company structure and reduces productivity which ultimately leads to the failure of the MA. Pautler, P.A. (2003) The Effects of Mergers and Post-Merger Integration: A Review of Business Consulting Literature, Bureau of Economics Federal Trade Commission Nguyen, H., Kleiner, B.H. (2003), The Effective Management of Mergers, Leadership Organisation Development Journal, 24(8), pp. 447-454 Todnem, R. (2005), Organisational Change Management: A Critical Review, Journal of Change Management, 5(4), pp. 369-380 Londros, G., Boateng, A. (2006) The role of culture in the merger and acquisition process. Evidence from the European chemical industry, Management Decision, 44(10), pp.1405-1421 Banal-Estanol, A., Seldeslachts, J. (2011) Merger Failures, Journal of Economics and Management Strategy, 20(2), p.589-624

Effects of Organizational Culture on Police Decision Making Essay

This essay discusses the effects of the police organizational culture on a Police officer’s ability to make independent decisions. Every culture is composed of four elements: â€Å"values, norms, beliefs, and expressive symbols† (Peterson, 1979, p. 137). Each police officer is influenced by the police organizational culture during training. After graduation fro the police academy, the officer is influenced by the more experienced officers of the department. Research conducted by several authors has found that peer influence never ceases even after years of experience in the field. Throughout life, people change their point of views by the impact of the people they encounter and the structure of society. Although people initially joining the organization have the ability to use common sense and encompass a variety of values, cultural and religious beliefs, this soon changes after joining. Throughout history, unorthodox behavior has become an acceptable norm within society due to peer pressure, fear, and longing to become part of the police culture. Adolf Hitler became a famous man who ruled Germany by fear, which led to be one of the world’s prevalent tragedies (Wistricht, 1995). The police societies retain both negative and positive qualities in their social norms, principles and attitude. â€Å"In the field of police, the standard of the performance are based on occupational culture† (Manning, 1978). The negative characteristics of police cultures assumed by Jermier et al. (1991) are â€Å"militaristic, uniformed dress, rigid rank hierarchy of authority, unbending rules and authoritative command system,† (p. 173). The police culture teaches false, misleading ideas and norms to alter officer’s judgment, thoughts, associati... ... Frost, R. (1999). Mountain Interval. New York: Henry Holt and Company. Retrieved from http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html Jermier, J. M., John, W. S., Fry, J. L., & Gaines, J. (1991, May 1991). Organizational Subcultures in a Soft Bureaucracy: Resistance Behind the Myth and Facade of an Official Culture. Organization Science, 2(2), 170-191. Manning, P. K. (1978). The police: Mandate strategies and appearances. (In P.K. Maning & J.V. Maanen ed.). Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear. Peterson, R. A. (1979). Revitalizing the Culture Concept. Annual Review of Sociology, 137-166. Sever, M. (2008, Feb ). Effects of Organizational Culture on Police Decision Making. Telemasp Bulletin, 15(1), p. 12. Retrieved from http://www.lemitonline.org/publications/telemasp/Pdf/volume%2015/vol15no1.pdf Wistricht, R. (1995). Who's Who In Nazi Germany (2 ed.). Routledge: Routledge.

Eighteenth Century Philosophers: A Comparison :: European Europe History

Eighteenth Century Philosophers: A Comparison The "Enlightenment" or the "Age of Realization" was an age of great advancement and reform for all of Europe and beyond. Great advancements were being made in the fields of science, philosophy, mathematics, and logic. Most people attribute these achievements to the social critics of that time, also known as the philosophes. These philosophes were controversial thinkers and pioneered the intellectual movements of the 1700's. They stood up for what they believed in, although they were constantly criticized and censured by many other people. Such philosophers include Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, and Voltaire. Although their beliefs violently contradicted, they were all working to change what they thought was wrong with their present government. They were four men who disagreed about almost everything, and yet they were working towards a common goal. This is how the Age of Enlightenment became a reality. Rene Descartes was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. He was born in La Haye, France (now called Descartes) in 1595. Unlike some other Enlightenment thinkers, he relied on logic and math in his reasoning. He was educated at the Jesuit College of La Fleche. It is thought that his most important influence was a man named Isaac Beeckman. It was with this man that Descartes discussed math, philosophy, and physics. This man was his friend and trusted colleague. In 1618 Descartes served in the army of Prince Maurice of Nassau. It was Descartes theory that stated, "the discovery of proper method is the key to furthering scientific advancement." Descartes was responsible for a number of very influential works including Rules for the Direction of Mind, Le Monde (The World), Discourse on Method, Meditationes de Prima Philosophia (Meditations on the First Philosophy), The Principles of Philosophy, and Les Passions de l'ame (Passions of the Soul.) He coined the phrase, "Cogito E rgo Sum," in English meaning, "I Think Therefore I Am." Although Descartes died in Stockholm in1650, his words have lived on for many centuries and will survive through many more. Thomas Hobbes was born in London, England in 1588. He was educated at Oxford University in England where he studied the classics. In 1651, Hobbes wrote his most famous book, Leviathan. In this book he argued that most people were born evil and could not be trusted to govern themselves. He thought that a ruler needed to have complete control over his people to govern efficiently.

Explore how Jane Austen presents the themes of love and marriage in volume 1 of Pride and Prejudice Essay

â€Å"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.† The novel begins with a satirical quote, representing many people’s opinions on love and marriage at the time of writing. To many, marriage was a way of bettering themselves socially and economically, but seldom for happiness and love. Throughout the novel there are numerous and frequent references to this way of thinking, and Austen makes characters who think of love and marriage in this way appear ridiculous. One character made to look absurd is Mrs. Bennet. Most find her intolerable, and even her own daughters and husband are embarrassed by her regularly. In chapter one she says, â€Å"A single man of large fortune†¦ What a fine thing for our girls!† Nothing of Mr. Bingley’s character is mentioned, but the fact that he is wealthy seems reason enough for Mrs. Bennet to approve of him. As will be future explored, Mrs. Bennet is derided throughout the novel, clearly showing that Austen herself does not approve of her way of thinking, as it is centred around the material rather than being centred around love or moral reasons. Despite being under constant pressure from her mother, due to the details of the entailment on the Bennets’ estate, Jane Bennet desires to marry for love, and eventually does so. The ever-important matter of money, however, does lie at the back of her mind. In chapter four, Elizabeth says, â€Å"†¦I give you leave to like him. You have liked many a stupider person†. This suggests that Jane has courted men before, but they have either been lacking in character or in money, so she has not pursued their affections. In chapter four following the first ball a conversation between Jane and Elizabeth Bennet takes place. Rather than mentioning Bingley’s fortune, Jane states that she admirers him due to his being â€Å"sensible, good humoured, lively† and states that she has never seen such â€Å"happy manners†. Throughout the book Jane is described positively, which influences the reader to think highly of her and views on marrying for love as just. Elizabeth, too, is presented as sensible and likeable. Though she mentions that the moment she fell in love with Mr. Darcy was after â€Å"first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley†, she also mentions that she fell in love with him gradually, ensuring that his wealth was not the only factor taken in to account as she accepted his second proposal of marriage. Her primary interest seems to be in marrying for love, as she turned down a proposal from Mr. Collins which would have ensured her money, a home and a good reputation. With all of this taken into account, Eliza refuses due to Mr. Collins’ personality and the fact that she does not love him. In chapter nineteen Mr. Collins – another ridiculed character – makes his first proposal to Elizabeth. He makes it clear that he only makes the proposal due to Catherine DeBurgh’s advice. He also thinks it may benefit his happiness, though mentions nothing of hers. Much of the proposal is an insult to Miss Bennet as he retells Lady Catherine’s exact words (â€Å"let her be an active, useful person, not brought up too high†). Mr. Collins obviously does not love Elizabeth, nor is he pretending so. He seems to think that, due to the fact that he has good connections, Elizabeth would jump at the chance of marrying him. She refuses politely, yet Mr. Collins cannot see why she would refuse his offer. He is a prime example of someone who doesn’t think love is a necessity for a successful marriage. He sees his proposal as an honourable gesture; as a way to compensate the Bennet family for the fact that he shall inherit the house upon Mr. Bennetâ€⠄¢s death, but somewhat selfishly to better his own status and comfort. Soon after this, as Mr. Collins retreats with a slightly bruised ego, we learn that Miss Charlotte Lucas, a close friend of the Bennets, has accepted another proposal from Collins, presumably one of the same type. After Elizabeth confronts her on the news of their engagement Charlotte justifies her thoughts with the following: â€Å"I am not romantic†¦ I ask only a comfortable home†¦ connections, and situation in life, I am convinced my chance of happiness with him is fair, as most people can boast on entering the marriage state†. This, as well as her earlier comment relating to Jane â€Å"fixing† Mr. Bingley (almost as though discussing an animal, or assuming Bingley is ‘broken’ due to his being unmarried). Perhaps Charlotte only seeks the above, or perhaps she is worried about what her peers would say about her being unmarried at such an age. In this period in time, women were talked about if unmarried in their late twenties. Someone with an opposite view to Charlotte is Caroline Bingley. Where the Bennet sisters and Charlotte Lucas aim to marry high and ensure their financial security, Caroline seems to scorn them for wishing to do so. She disapproves of Jane and her brother’s relationship, which can be gathered from her trying to keep the fact that Jane was in London at the same time as her brother a secret. She seems convinced that her friends marrying anyone of a lower ‘rank’ would be shameful, and that anyone wishing to marry her brother of Mr. Darcy must be after their money. While chasing the hope of gaining a desirable social status and money, Caroline Bingley may well forget about love and, even if it ever came along, may well suppress it in hopes of something ‘better’. The issue of indipendence may also be one that Miss Bingley considers. She lives with her brother and has to ‘up and leave’ when he does so. The security and indipendence a marriage would bring is surely something she would have looked forward to. Her friend, Mr. Darcy, is well aware of women’s attitudes at the time. He even goes as far as to warn his best friend against Jane Bennet, as he fears that she doesn’t love Bingley as is only showing an interest in him for his wealth. This cynical attitude may have grown due to his pride and perhaps the effect of spending too much time with Charles Bingley’s sisters. This seems evermore the case when listening to the piano at Netherfield; he thinks to himself that it may become dangerous to pay too much attention to Lizzy. He makes it clear that he regards her of a lower class in his refused proposal (â€Å"He spoke well, but there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed†¦ His sense of her inferiority – of its being a degradation – of the family obstacles.†) and is obviously concerned about other people’s opinions. Despite the fact that the story ends happily and both Elizabeth and Jane marry for love, the underlying theme of the novel is, predictably, pride and prejudice. Lydia, though eager to marry Wickham for love, runs the risk of being ostracised due to her living with him outside of wedlock. This, in turn, would ruin the reputation of her sisters. Despite being in love, would Darcy and Bingley want to get married to the siblings of a disgraced woman? If Darcy had not have been able to persuade Wickham to marry Lydia, would he in turn have abandoned Elizabeth? Though Austen strongly hints that she approves of marrying for love rather than money (through satirising some characters and not others), it is clear that reputation and etiquette were still as important, if not more important than love in one’s marriage.   

Corruption within Hamlet Essay

Everything is connected in Hamlet, including the welfare of the royal family and the health of the state as a whole. The play’s early scenes explore the sense of anxiety and dread that surrounds the transfer of power from one ruler to the next. Throughout the play, characters draw explicit connections between the moral legitimacy of a ruler and the health of the nation. Denmark is frequently described as a physical body made ill by the moral corruption of Claudius and Gertrude, and many observers interpret the presence of the ghost as a supernatural omen indicating that â€Å"something is rotten in the state of Denmark† .The dead King Hamlet is portrayed as a strong, forthright ruler under whose guard the state was in good health, while Claudius, a wicked politician, has corrupted and compromised Denmark to satisfy his own appetites. Hamlet feels Disillusionment. Depression. Despair through the course of the play as he attempts to come to terms with his father’s death and his mother’s incestuous marriage to his uncle. While he is attempting to pick up the pieces of his life he consciously embarks on the truth hidden in Ellsinore brought to light by his late father’s appearance at the gates. Deception versus truth; illusion versus reality. In the play, Prince Hamlet constantly has to differentiate amongst them. The exception to the rule in this case lies in Act 2, Scene 2, where an â€Å"honest† conversation takes place between Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. By the use of prose and figurative language, Shakespeare utilizes the passage to illustrate Hamlet’s view of the cosmos and mankind. Throughout the play, the themes of illusion and deceit have been carefully developed. The entire royal Danish court is ensnared in a web of espionage, betrayal, and lies. Not a single man speaks his mind, nor addresses his purpose clearly. Addressing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet pleads with them to deliver up honest speech about the intent of their arrival and being the bumbling fools they are, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern disclose their intentions and purposes to Hamlet, revealing the King and  Queen’s instructions. So for once, truth prevails in this passage. The recurring motif of corruption also appears in the passage. Due to the wicked  internal proceedings in the state of Denmark (e.g. murder, incest), Shakespeare implies that the whole state is â€Å"soiled†, which in turn has a direct negative consequence in the grand scheme of things. Imagery of rank plants is used to enforced and convey this view by using replacing the image of the traditional â€Å"aesthetically correct† beautiful flowers in a garden. â€Å"‘Tis an unweeded garden that grows to seed. Things rank and gross in nature possess it merely.† Those lines represent Hamlets views on the corruption that is taking place at Ellsinore on how the world to him has become empty and lifeless, dirty and diseased and his place in the world to be entrapped and isolated. He describes the land, in which he lives as, â€Å"A goodly one, in which there are many confines, wards, and dungeons, Denmark being one o’ th’ worst.† Hamlets search for truth and truth inside people is highly unsuccessful as only one truthful man exists apart from himself and that is Horatio. Claudius is lustful and deceitful, Polonius is a mindless fool and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are mindless idiots. This loss of enthusiasm and faith in man also stems from the fact that he knows there is more wickedness brewing under  the superficial surface of calm that Claudius is trying to promote. As a culmination of all these factors, Hamlet loses all faith in man and using biblic ideas Hamlet redefines the position of man as simply â€Å"that which came from dust†. From this stance, it is inferred that solely God is Truth. Man, coming from the lowly earth, cannot be depended upon to deliver true thoughts, as his source of origin itself is impure. Through this, Hamlets concludes that Claudius’ actions and others actions can be accounted for but  not forgiven. Claudius is corruption personified within the play, Hamletà ¢â‚¬â„¢s major antagonist is a shrewd, lustful, conniving king who contrasts sharply with the other male characters in the play. Whereas most of the other important men in Hamlet are preoccupied with ideas of justice, revenge, and moral balance, Claudius is bent upon maintaining his own power. The old King Hamlet was apparently a stern warrior, but Claudius is a corrupt politician whose main weapon is his ability to manipulate others through his skillful use of language. Claudius’s speech is compared to poison being poured in the ear–the method he used to murder Hamlet’s father. Claudius’s love for Gertrude may be sincere, but it also seems likely that he married her as a strategic move, to help him win the throne away from Hamlet after the death of the king. As the play progresses, Claudius’s mounting fear of Hamlet’s insanity leads him to ever greater self-preoccupation; when Gertrude tells him that Hamlet has killed Polonius, Claudius does not remark that Gertrude might have been in danger, but only that he would have been in danger had he been in the room. He tells Laertes the same thing as he attempts to soothe the young man’s anger after his father’s death. Claudius is ultimately too crafty for his own good. Rather than allowing Laertes only two methods of killing Hamlet, the sharpened sword and the poison on the blade, Claudius insists on a third, the poisoned goblet. When Gertrude inadvertently drinks the poison and dies, Hamlet is at last able to bring himself to kill Claudius, and the king is felled by his own cowardliness and corruptive nature.