Strategy management questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Strategy management questions - Essay Example Innovations are largely due to hard work and systematic analysis of the opportunities available for creating something new. Innovation has strong marketing components. The best of ideas do not sell themselves. They need to get a buy in from the people involved. New networks have to be built. According to Sutton (2002) "Too many innovations succeed because they are sold better, not because they are objectively superior to those of competitors". Peter Drucker (1985, 1988) puts unexpected success and failures as managers' dilemma. When a product succeeds or fails unexpectedly, there is potential for innovation. The unexpected success is an affront to the management's judgment. Very few managers pay attention to the unexpected success. It should force managers to ask; what would it mean to us if we exploited it Where could it lead us What would we have to do to concert it into an opportunity How do we go about it What basic changes are now appropriate for the organization in the way it d efines its business, its technology and its market If these dilemmas are answered, then the unexpected success is likely to open up various innovation opportunities. Unexpected failures also create opportunities to innovate. But they are usually handled better. Any change likely to offer an opportunity for innovations. Managers often do not make adequate efforts to understand why there is a discrepancy between what is and what 'Ought' to be or between what is and what everyone assumes it to be. But they realize that these discrepancies present an opportunity to innovate. As Christensen and Raynor (2003) points out, companies who understand what job the customer is trying to get done and how the products or services fits in, will have an opportunity to innovate. In the era of global unification, the emergence of new knowledge and technology also increases the dilemma of managers knowledge based innovation is very risky because of the long lead times involved. Knowledge based innovati ons are usually not based on one factor but on the convergence of several kinds of knowledge. Knowledge based requires a careful analysis of all the relevant factors, social, economic and perceptual. To be successful, a knowledge based innovation has to be ripe. It must gain customer acceptance. The risks are not because highest in innovations based in new knowledge and technology not because of failure but perception of the public. But innovations are essential to any organization be its' product or services to meet its market its market needs. So companies must modify the traditional innovation process, companies need a flexible product development process. Top management must keep goals broad and tolerate ambiguity. It must encourage trial and error and at the same time generate creative tension by setting challenging goals. Knowing customers priority and needs is essential for successful innovation. According to Drucker (1985, 1988), nothing motivates a manager to be a better in novator than the realization that the present product or services will be abandoned within the foreseeable future. There is only one way to make an innovation attractive to managers: a systematic policy of abandoning whatever is outwork, obsolete and no longer productive. Innovation performance must be regularly assessed. Management must judge the company's total innovative performance against its innovation objectives. 2. Business strategies are the courses of action adopted by a

Being There - A Bit More Like Chance Essay -- Being There Essays

Being There - A Bit More Like Chance While watching the movie Being There, the viewer begins to notice just how different the book and the movie are. While the book appeals more to the reader's emotions, the movie gives a comical outlook on the problems faced in both the book and the movie. The contrast between the two places them into separate categories--a touching story about a man trapped in a world of which he knows nothing about and a satirical comedy about the very same man. The book interests its audience, making them hungry to know more; the movie involves its audience, feeding that hunger for more details. Jerzy Kosinski's short novel, also titled Being There, is a bit more serious than his movie version of the same story . Here, the President is shown as a dignified individual and only on a professional basis. After speaking with Chance and quoting him in his speech, the President has his staff work diligently to find out more about Chauncey Gardiner. The movie, however, actually shows, quite humorously, how Chance's mysterious past affects the President and his personal life, a subject not touched in the book. Many scenes show the President and his wife in their bedroom a nd his wife wanting more than just casual conversation. The President is so preoccupied with the lack of information he is receiving about Chance that he cannot oblige his wife. Kosinski suggests in the book that Chance is something of an exceptional individual. Cha nce sees things on an entirely different, perhaps higher, level than most people. Before his television appearance, Chance thinks to himself, "Television reflected only people's surfaces; it also kept peeling away their images fro... ...ance is almost biblical. Is this the feeling that Kosinski intends? What exactly is he trying to say? Both the book and the movie leave their audiences with many unanswered questions. Although the book and the movie are two versions of the same story, it seems, in the end, that Kosinski intends almost the opposite effect. The book leaves its readers to believe that the story is about a confused man trying to make it in a new world, by telling of both his struggles and triumphs. The movie leaves its viewers with the notion that the story is a lighthearted comedy about a man who is so aloof that he does not even sense the new world aroun d him. So it seems, in a sense, that both of Kosinski's versions of Being There leave the audience with an opinion that is bit more innocent, a bit more inquisitive, a bit more confused -- a bit more like Chance.

The Host Chapter 47: Employed

This is too easy. It's not really even fun anymore,† Kyle complained. â€Å"You wanted to come,† Ian reminded him. He and Ian were in the windowless back of the van, sorting through the nonperishable groceries and toiletries I'd just collected from the store. It was the middle of the day, and the sun was shining on Wichita. It was not as hot as the Arizona desert, but it was more humid. The air swarmed with tiny flying bugs. Jared drove toward the highway out of town, carefully keeping below the speed limit. This continued to irritate him. â€Å"Getting tired of shopping yet, Wanda?† Ian asked me. â€Å"No. I don't mind it.† â€Å"You always say that. Isn't there anything you mind?† â€Å"I mind†¦ being away from Jamie. And I mind being outside, a little bit. During the day especially. It's like the opposite of claustrophobia. Everything is too open. Does that bother you, too?† â€Å"Sometimes. We don't go out during the day much.† â€Å"At least she gets to stretch her legs,† Kyle muttered. â€Å"I don't know why you want to hear her complain.† â€Å"Because it's so uncommon. Which makes it a nice change from listening to you complain.† I tuned them out. Once Ian and Kyle got started, they usually went on for a while. I consulted the map. † Oklahoma City next?† I asked Jared. â€Å"And a few small towns on the way, if you're up for it,† he answered, eyes on the road. â€Å"I am.† Jared rarely lost his focus when on a raid. He didn't relax into relieved banter the way Ian and Kyle did every time I completed another mission successfully. It made me smile when they used that word-mission. That sounded so formidable. In reality, it was just a trip to the store. Just like I'd done a hundred times in San Diego when I was only feeding myself. Like Kyle said, it was too easy to provide any excitement. I pushed my cart up and down the aisles. I smiled at the souls who smiled at me, and I filled my cart with things that would last. I usually grabbed a few things that wouldn't, for the men hiding in the back of the van. Premade sandwiches from the deli-things like that for our meals. And maybe a treat or two. Ian had a fondness for mint chocolate chip ice cream. Kyle liked caramel sweets best. Jared ate anything he was offered; it seemed as if he'd given up favorites many years before, embracing a life where wants were unwelcome and even needs were carefully assessed before they were met. Another reason he was good at this life-he saw priorities uncontaminated by personal desire. Occasionally, in the smaller towns, someone would notice me, would speak to me. I had my lines down so well that I could probably have fooled a human by this point. â€Å"Hi there. New in town?† â€Å"Yes. Brand-new.† â€Å"What brings you to Byers?† I was always careful to check the map before I left the van, so the town's name would be familiar. â€Å"My partner travels a lot. He's a photographer.† â€Å"How wonderful! An Artist. Well, there's certainly a lot of beautiful land around here.† Originally, I'd been the Artist. But I'd found that throwing in the information that I was already partnered saved me some time when I was speaking to males. â€Å"Thank you so much for your help.† â€Å"You're very welcome. Come back soon.† I'd only had to speak to a pharmacist once, in Salt Lake City; after that, I'd known what to look for. A sheepish smile. â€Å"I'm not sure I'm getting the right nutrition. I can't seem to avoid the junk food. This body has such a sweet tooth.† â€Å"You need to be wise, Thousand Petals. I know it's easy to give in to your cravings, but try to think about what you're eating. In the meantime, you should take a supplement.† Health. Such an obvious title on the bottle, it made me feel silly for asking. â€Å"Would you like the ones that taste like strawberries or the ones that taste like chocolate?† â€Å"Could I try both?† And the pleasant soul named Earthborn gave me both of the large bottles. Not very challenging. The only fear or sense of danger I ever felt came when I thought of the small cyanide pill that I always kept in an easily reachable pocket. Just in case. â€Å"You should get new clothes in the next town,† Jared said. â€Å"Again?† â€Å"Those are looking a little creased.† â€Å"Okay,† I agreed. I didn't like the excess, but the steadily growing pile of dirty laundry wouldn't go to waste. Lily and Heidi and Paige were all close to my size, and they would be grateful for something new to wear. The men rarely bothered with things like clothes when they were raiding. Every foray was life-or-death-clothes were not a priority. Nor were the gentle soaps and shampoos that I'd been collecting at every store. â€Å"You should probably clean up, too,† Jared said with a sigh. â€Å"Guess that means a hotel tonight.† Keeping up appearances was not something they'd worried about before. Of course, I was the only one who had to look as if I were a part of civilization from close up. The men wore jeans and dark T-shirts now, things that didn't show dirt or attract attention in the brief moments they might be seen. They all hated sleeping in the roadside inns-succumbing to unconsciousness inside the very mouth of the enemy. It scared them more than anything else we did. Ian said he'd rather charge an armed Seeker. Kyle simply refused. He mostly slept in the van during the day and then sat up at night, acting as sentry. For me, it was as easy as shopping in the stores. I checked us in, made conversation with the clerk. Told the story about my photographer partner and the friend who was traveling with us (just in case someone saw all three of us enter the room). I used generic names from unremarkable planets. Sometimes we were Bats: Word Keeper, Sings the Egg Song, and Sky Roost. Sometimes we were See Weeds: Twisting Eyes, Sees to the Surface, and Second Sunrise. I changed the names every time, not that anyone was trying to trace our path. It just made Melanie feel safer to do that. All this made her feel like a character in a human movie about espionage. The hard part, the part I really minded-not that I would say this in front of Kyle, who was so quick to doubt my intentions-was all the taking without giving anything back. It had never bothered me to shop in San Diego. I took what I needed and nothing more. Then I spent my days at the university giving back to the community by sharing my knowledge. Not a taxing Calling, but one I took seriously. I took my turns at the less-appealing chores. I did my day collecting garbage and cleaning streets. We all did. And now I took so much more and gave nothing in return. It made me feel selfish and wrong. It's not for yourself. It's for others, Mel reminded me when I brooded. It still feels wrong. Even you can feel that, can't you? Don't think about it was her solution. I was glad we were on the homestretch of our long raid. Tomorrow we would visit our growing cache-a moving truck we kept hidden within a day's reach of our path-and clean out the van for the last time. Just a few more cities, a few more days, down through Oklahoma, then New Mexico, and then a straight drive through Arizona with no stops. Home again. At last. When we slept in hotels rather than in the crowded van, we usually checked in after dark and left before dawn to keep the souls from getting a good look at us. Not really necessary. Jared and Ian were beginning to realize that. This night, because we'd had such a successful day-the van was completely full; Kyle would have little space-and because Ian thought I looked tired, we stopped early. The sun had not set when I returned to the van with the plastic key card. The little inn was not very busy. We parked close to our room, and Jared and Ian went straight from the van to the room in a matter of five or six steps, their eyes on the ground. On their necks, small, faint pink lines provided camouflage. Jared carried a half-empty suitcase. No one looked at them or me. Inside, the room-darkening curtains were drawn, and the men relaxed a little bit. Ian lounged on the bed he and Jared would use, and flipped on the TV. Jared put the suitcase on the table, took out our dinner-cooled greasy breaded chicken strips I'd ordered from the deli in the last store-and passed it around. I sat by the window, peeking through the corner at the falling sun as I ate. â€Å"You have to admit, Wanda, we humans had better entertainment,† Ian teased. On the television screen, two souls were speaking their lines clearly, their bodies held with perfect posture. It wasn't hard to pick up what was happening in the story because there wasn't a lot of variety in the scripts souls wrote. In this one, two souls were reconnecting after a long separation. The male's stint with the See Weeds had come between them, but he'd chosen to be human because he guessed his partner from the Mists Planet would be drawn to these warm-blooded hosts. And, miracle of miracles, he'd found her here. They all had happy endings. â€Å"You have to consider the intended audience.† â€Å"True. I wish they'd run old human shows again.† He flipped through the channels and frowned. â€Å"Used to be a few of them on.† â€Å"They were too disturbing. They had to be replaced with things that weren't so†¦ violent.† â€Å"The Brady Bunch?† I laughed. I'd seen that show in San Diego, and Melanie knew it from her childhood. â€Å"It condoned aggression. I remember one where a little male child punched a bully, and that was portrayed as being the right thing to do. There was blood.† Ian shook his head in disbelief but returned to the show with the former See Weed. He laughed at the wrong parts, the parts that were supposed to be touching. I stared out the window, watching something much more interesting than the predictable story on television. Across the two-lane road from the inn was a small park, bordered on one side by a school and on the other by a field where cows grazed. There were a few young trees, and an old-fashioned playground with a sandbox, a slide, a set of monkey bars, and one of those hand-pulled merry-go-rounds. Of course there was a swing set, too, and that was the only equipment being used currently. A little family was taking advantage of the cooler evening air. The father had some silver in his dark hair at the temples; the mother looked many years his junior. Her red brown hair was pulled back in a long ponytail that bobbed when she moved. They had a little boy, no more than a year old. The father pushed the child in the swing from behind, while the mother stood in front, leaning in to kiss his forehead when he swung her way, making him giggle so hard that his chubby little face was bright red. This had her laughing, too-I could see her body shake with it, her hair dancing. â€Å"What are you staring at, Wanda?† Jared's question wasn't anxious, because I was smiling softly at the surprising scene. â€Å"Something I've never seen in all my lives. I'm staring at†¦ hope.† Jared came to stand behind me, peeking out over my shoulder. â€Å"What do you mean?† His eyes swept across the buildings and the road, not pausing on the playing family. I caught his chin and pointed his face in the right direction. He didn't so much as flinch at my unexpected touch, and that gave me a strange jolt of warmth in the pit of my stomach. â€Å"Look,† I said. â€Å"What am I looking at?† â€Å"The only hope for survival I've ever seen for a host species.† â€Å"Where?† he demanded, bewildered. I was aware of Ian close behind us now, listening silently. â€Å"See?† I pointed at the laughing mother. â€Å"See how she loves her human child?† At that moment, the woman snatched her son from the swing and squeezed him in a tight embrace, covering his face with kisses. He cooed and flailed-just a baby. Not the miniature adult he would have been if he carried one of my kind. Jared gasped. â€Å"The baby is human? How? Why? For how long?† I shrugged. â€Å"I've never seen this before-I don't know. She has not given him up for a host. I can't imagine that she would be†¦ forced. Motherhood is all but worshipped among my kind. If she is unwilling†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I shook my head. â€Å"I have no idea how that will be handled. This doesn't happen elsewhere. The emotions of these bodies are so much stronger than logic.† I glanced up at Jared and Ian. They were both staring openmouthed at the interspecies family in the park. â€Å"No,† I murmured to myself. â€Å"No one would force the parents if they wanted the child. And just look at them.† The father had his arms around both the mother and the child now. He looked down at his host body's biological son with staggering tenderness in his eyes. â€Å"Aside from ourselves, this is the first planet we've discovered with live births. Yours certainly isn't the easiest or most prolific system. I wonder if that's the difference†¦ or if it's the helplessness of your young. Everywhere else, reproduction is through some form of eggs or seeds. Many parents never even meet their young. I wonder†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I trailed off, my thoughts full of speculation. The mother lifted her face to her partner, and he kissed her lips. The human child crowed with delight. â€Å"Hmm. Perhaps, someday, some of my kind and some of yours will live in peace. Wouldn't that be†¦ strange?† Neither man could tear his eyes from the miracle in front of them. The family was leaving. The mother dusted the sand off her jeans while the father took the boy. Then, holding hands that they swung between them, the souls strolled toward the apartments with their human child. Ian swallowed loudly. We didn't speak for the rest of the evening, all of us made thoughtful by what we'd seen. We went to sleep early, so we could rise early and get back to work. I slept alone, in the bed farthest from the door. This made me uncomfortable. The two big men did not fit easily on the other bed; Ian tended to sprawl when he was deeply asleep, and Jared was not above throwing punches when that happened. Both of them would be more comfortable if I shared. I slept in a small ball now; maybe it was the too-open spaces I moved in all day that had me constricting in on myself at night, or maybe I was just so used to curling up to sleep in the tiny space behind the passenger seat on the van's floor that I'd forgotten how to sleep straight. But I knew why no one asked me to share. The first night the men had unhappily realized the necessity of a hotel shower for me, I'd heard Ian and Jared talking about me over the whir of the bathroom fan. â€Å"†¦ not fair to ask her to choose,† Ian was saying. He kept his voice low, but the fan was not loud enough to drown it out. The hotel room was very small. â€Å"Why not? It's fairer to tell her where she's going to sleep? Don't you think it's more polite -â€Å" â€Å"For someone else. But Wanda will agonize over this. She'll be trying so hard to please us both, she'll make herself miserable.† â€Å"Jealous again?† â€Å"Not this time. I just know how she thinks.† There was a silence. Ian was right. He did know how I thought. He'd probably already foreseen that given the slightest hint that Jared would prefer it, I would choose to sleep beside Jared, and then keep myself awake worrying that I'd made Jared unhappy by being there and that I'd hurt Ian's feelings in the bargain. â€Å"Fine,† Jared snapped. â€Å"But if you try cuddling up to me tonight†¦ so help me, O'Shea.† Ian chuckled. â€Å"Not to sound overly arrogant, but to be perfectly honest, Jared, were I so inclined, I think I could do better.† Despite feeling a little guilty about wasting so much needed space, I probably did sleep better alone. We didn't have to go to a hotel again. The days started to pass more quickly, as if even the seconds were trying to run home. I could feel a strange western pull on my body. We were all eager to get back to our dark, crowded haven. Even Jared got careless. It was late, no sunlight left lingering behind the western mountains. Behind us, Ian and Kyle were taking turns driving the big moving truck loaded with our spoils, just as Jared and I took turns with the van. They had to drive the heavy vehicle more carefully than Jared did the van. The headlights had faded slowly into the distance, until they disappeared around a wide curve in the road. We were on the homestretch. Tucson was behind us. In a few short hours, I would see Jamie. We would unload the welcome provisions, surrounded by smiling faces. A real homecoming. My first, I realized. For once the return would bring nothing but joy. We carried no doomed hostages this time. I wasn't paying attention to anything but anticipation. The road didn't seem to be flying by too fast; it couldn't fly past fast enough as far as I was concerned. The truck's headlights reappeared behind us. â€Å"Kyle must be driving,† I murmured. â€Å"They're catching up.† And then the red and blue lights suddenly spun out in the dark night behind us. They reflected off all the mirrors, dancing spots of color across the roof, the seats, our frozen faces, and the dashboard, where the needle on the speed gauge showed that we were traveling twenty miles over the speed limit. The sound of a siren pierced the desert calm.

McKeiver v. Pennsylvania Case, Arguments, Impact

In McKeiver v. Pennsylvania (1971), the Supreme Court consolidated multiple juvenile justice cases to address the right to a trial by jury in juvenile court. The majority opinion held that juveniles do not have the right to a trial by jury under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments. Fast Facts: McKeiver v. Pennsylvania Case Argued: December 9—10, 1970Decision Issued:  June 21, 1971Petitioner: Joseph McKeiver, et alRespondent:   State of PennsylvaniaKey Questions: Does the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial apply to juveniles?Majority Decision: Justices Burger, Harlan, Stewart, White, and BlackmunDissenting: Justices Black, Douglas, Brennan, and MarshallRuling: The court noted that since juvenile prosecution is not considered either civil or criminal, the whole of the Sixth Amendment does not necessarily apply. As such, there is no requirement for a jury trial in juvenile cases. Facts of the Case In 1968, 16-year-old Joseph McKeiver was charged with robbery, larceny, and receiving stolen goods. A year later in 1969, 15-year-old Edward Terry faced charges of assault and battery on a police officer and conspiracy. In each case, their attorneys requested jury trials and were denied. Judges in both cases found the boys to be delinquent. McKeiver was put on probation and Terry was committed to a youth development center. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania consolidated the cases into one and heard appeals on the basis of a Sixth Amendment violation. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania found that the right to a trial by jury should not be extended to juveniles. In North Carolina, a group of 40 juveniles aged 11 to 15 faced charges related to school protests. The juveniles were divided into groups. One attorney represented them all. In 38 of the cases, the attorney requested a jury trial and the judge denied it. The cases made their way to the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of North Carolina. Both courts found that juveniles did not have a Sixth Amendment right to a trial by jury. Constitutional Issues Do juveniles have a constitutional right to a trial by jury under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments in delinquency proceedings? The Arguments Attorneys on behalf of the juveniles argued that judges had violated their right to due process when rejecting requests for a jury trial. Juveniles facing serious criminal charges should be given the same legal protections as adults. Specifically, they should be entitled to a trial by a fair and impartial jury under the Sixth Amendment. Attorneys on behalf of the states argued that juveniles are not guaranteed the right to a trial by jury under the Sixth Amendment. A bench trial where a judge hears the evidence and determines the fate of the accused better enables the state to do what is best for the juvenile. Majority Opinion In a 6-3 plurality decision, the majority found that juveniles did not have a constitutional right to a trial by jury. The majority opinion in McKeiver v. Pennsylvania was delivered by Justice Harry A. Blackmun, but Justices Byron White, William J. Brennan Jr., and John Marshall Harlan filed their own concurring opinions, expanding on different aspects of the case. Justice Blackmun chose not to continue a trend of increasing constitutional protections for juveniles, ending a court-imposed reformation of juvenile justice. His opinion attempted to preserve the flexibility and individuality of juvenile delinquency proceedings. Blackmun was specifically concerned that allowing trials by jury would turn juvenile court proceedings into a fully adversarial process. Limiting juvenile proceedings to a jury trial might prevent judges from experimenting with juvenile justice. Justice Blackmun also wrote that the problems with juvenile justice would not be solved by juries. Finally, he reasoned that allowing juvenile courts to function the exact same way that adult courts function would defeat the purpose of maintaining separate courts. Dissenting Opinions Justices William O. Douglas, Hugo Black, and Harlan dissented. Justice Brennan dissented in part. No adult would face possible imprisonment for up to 10 years and be denied a jury trial, Justice Douglas reasoned. If children can be treated the same as adults under the law, they should be afforded the same protections. Justice Douglas argued that a jury trial would be less traumatic than a bench trial because it would prevent imprisonment without due process, which would be far more harmful. Justice Douglas wrote: But where a State uses its juvenile court proceedings to prosecute a juvenile for a criminal act and to order confinement until the child reaches 21 years of age, or, where the child, at the threshold of the proceedings, faces that prospect, then he is entitled to the same procedural protection as an adult. Impact McKeiver v. Pennsylvania halted the progressive incorporation of constitutional protections to juveniles. The Court did not stop states from allowing juveniles to be tried by juries. However, it maintained that a trial by jury was not a necessary protection in the juvenile justice system. In doing so, the Court aimed to restore faith in a system that did not always achieve its intended purpose. Sources McKeiver v. Pennsylvania, 403 U.S. 528 (1971)Ketcham, Orman W. â€Å"McKeiver v Pennsylvania the Last Word on Juvenile Court Adjudications.†Ã‚  Cornell Law Review, vol. 57, no. 4, Apr. 1972, pp. 561–570., scholarship.law.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article4003contextclr.