Cultural Values in The Left Hand of Darkness, The Fellowship of the Rin

Shaping of Cultural Values Through Environment in The Left Hand of Darkness, The Fellowship of the Ring, and Dune      Ã‚   Ursuala K. LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness was written after J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring and Frank Herbert's Dune. One of the most interesting comparisons between the three novels is how the authors treat the issue of cross-cultural misunderstandings. All three works contain many incidents where people of one race or planet encounter people of a different race or from a different planet. Tolkien treats this issue in a 'specisitc' or physiological manner. The cultural misunderstandings and clashes that arise in The Fellowship of the Ring are due to the differing physiology of the characters. Herbert deals with cultural misunderstandings in an environmental manner. In Herbert's world, cultural values depend less on which species a character belong to (because all characters seem to be "roughly" human) and instead depend on environmental variables. In The Left Hand of Darkness, LeGuin combines both approaches. The cultural misunderstandings betwe en Genly Ai and Gethenians are due both to difference in physiology and different cultural values imprinted by environmental factors .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tolkien's physiological approach is best seen by examining the hobbits attitude towards the outside world. The hobbits are suspicious of, and generally do not understand, non-Hobbits. This can be seen by the Shire's constant suspicion of Bilbo's past adventures. The miller Sandyman comments on Bilbo's adventures: "Elves and Dragons! I says to him. Cabbages and potatoes are better for me and you. Don't go getting mixed up in the business of your betters, or you'll land in trouble too... ...iologically different from the Gethenians and comes from a planet with a totally different environment. Both of these factors lead to numerous misunderstandings in LeGuin's novel. The difference in the three authors approaches may be seen in the debate between genetics and environment may be the broader issue. Tolkien seems to take the genetics side, Herbert takes the environmental side, and LeGuin, being the daughter of an anthropologist, realizes that both genetics and environment determine cultural values. These values often come into conflict, and when they do, misconceptions and misunderstandings are almost inevitable.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited Herbert, Frank. Dune: 1984, Chilton Book Company LeGuin, Ursula L. The Left Hand of Darkness: 1969, Ace Book Company Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring: 1993, Houghton Mifflin Company  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Comparing My Twin Cousins Essay -- comparison compare contrast essays

Comparing My Twin Cousins For years I have been fascinated by that mysterious quirk of nature called twins. In my family, there are several sets of identical twins, and I have always concentrated on their similarities. I did not realize that identical twins also have many differences. My identical twin cousins, Sue and Heidi, appear to be perfect mirror images. They love to dress alike. They can feel each other's pain. They sound alike and can complete each other's sentences. But upon taking a closer look, I have found that they are as different as day and night. Aside from Sue and Heidi's outward characteristics, they possess several distinguishing traits that allow them to be viewed as two separate, independent individuals. Sue and Heidi are total opposites intellectually. Sue is not a very good student. She absolutely hates school and does only enough work to get by. She does not study and refuses to apply herself. She has a bad habit of procrastinating when it comes to her school work. For example, one of her class assignments was a Black History report on anyone of her choice. The assignment was given on a Monday and was due the following Friday. Sue did not begin working on her report until Thursday evening. As a result of her not allowing herself enough time to prepare her material, she received a low grade on her report. Heidi, on the other hand, is an exceptional student. She does more than what is expected from her by her teachers. She asks for extra assignments to keep her busy in her spare time. She takes her studies seriously. She prepares well in advance for each assignment and takes her time in completing her work. For instance, her class received the same Black History assignme nt as ... ...away from home. She has several pets of her own: two cats, a dog, four hamsters, and a ten-gallon aquarium of fish. She also loves to read. She makes it a habit to read daily, whether it's a newspaper, a magazine, or a book. She especially loves to read novels; she is even a member of a mail-order book club. She plans to attend Texas Southern University and major in veterinary medicine with a minor in business administration. Her future goal is to own a veterinary clinic. Sue and Heidi have as many differences as they have similarities. But they do not compete with each other and are like built-in best friends. Sometimes they communicate with one another by an unspoken means, telepathy. Identical twins, Sue and Heidi are a remarkable creation. On the outside they are a perfect mirror image, but, on the inside, they are as different as night and day.

Green Practices and Their Benefits on the Environment Essay

Every country is endowed with rich natural resources which can greatly affect the country’s competence within the international economic arena. Each country is highly dependent upon the natural resources that it owns. These natural resources are being utilized to aid the country’s needs in order to strengthen their economy. Thus in order to make full use of natural resources, one must be keen in protecting the environment. The environment shelters all the resources that people need in order to sustain life. Thus damaging the environment can create strong adverse effect on the humans’ needs and well-being. However, the seemingly rapid development within the field of industry and technology diverted the society’s awareness on the importance of environment protection. The discovery of new technological innovations attracted people towards adapting new ways and processes unmindful of the possible threats that these new inventions may bring to the environment. And over time, scientific discoveries have caused the deterioration and depletion of important natural resources. Alongside these innovations and the discovery of the harmful effects that these developments have inflicted on the environment, comes the need for increased awareness and concern in protecting the environment. If people will not learn how to control their utilization of the environment and the proper way of extracting uses from it, the nature’s gift endowed for the humans to make use of shall soon become scarce and will eventually die out completely. From this truth and realizations, certain organizations have emerged to save the environment from further abuse. Environmentalist groups have surfaced in order to prevent the environment from continuous depletion. These environmentalists were formed under the bond of concern for the environment, primarily towards ensuring the â€Å"preservation, restoration, or the improvement of the natural environment† (Rozeff, 2007). These groups of people hold advocacies in order to create a strong stand in promoting their cause and ideals. In addition to this, â€Å"green† companies have also been set up in order to fight for this cause. These companies are those who have responded to the need of protecting the environment, and those who have believed that doing such shall become favorable to them in the future. And as such, these environmentalist organizations and green companies have devised of ways to protect the environment while still reaping the benefits from rich natural resources. In this light, site management programs are being done in order to provide protection to land, water and air resources. These programs are geared towards effectively monitoring the status of natural environment with respect to its utilization, acts ensuring replenishment and maintenance and improvement of such resources (â€Å"Green Remediation,† 2008). Ecological and Soil Preservation The importance of preserving land formations translates into the preservation of the ecology in general. Land resources serve as the widest form of habitats for most of living organisms within the ecosystem. Thus, ensuring that the natural habitats are being well taken cared of will help maintain biodiversity which will benefit humans and other forms of living organisms. One way of ecological and soil preservation is through the use of grassfarming. Grassfarming, when done in a proper way will result to a net benefit in the environment. Animals raised through this process shall help in lessening the use of fossil fuels. Furthermore, development of pasture of this kind helps to reduce the occurrences of soil erosion. With the United States losing a significant mass of soil every year, diversion from the conventional ways of cropping and instead resorting towards row cropping will eventually lessen the rate of soil loss by up to 93 percent (â€Å"Grassfarming Benefits the Environment,† 2008). In addition to this, grazed pasture will also help in removing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Furthermore, grassfarming helps in reducing greenhouse gases thus eventually slowing down the rate of global warming (â€Å"Grassfarming Benefits the Environment,† 2008). Another way of preventing soil erosion is through tree trimming, tree planting and landscaping. While these processes keep soil erosion at a lesser rate and percentage, these also serve the purpose of beautifying the surrounding. While these work to create a more beautiful environment, these also increase the reliability of environment by strengthening and further enrichment of the resources available to humans (â€Å"Tree Trimming and Landscaping: Balancing Beauty and Reliability,† 2008). In general, the protection of ecology and soil preservation will eventually lead to the following: increase in wildlife habitat, reduce wind, water and soil erosion, decrease in carbon emission, protection of water resources and the establishment and development of â€Å"greenspaces† corridors (â€Å"Green Remediation,† 2008). The most important amongst these positive effects in the environment is that while the environment beautifies and becomes more useful for the people, the people will have a greater sense of property values. And as such, the community will have a better perception of the advantages that a â€Å"green† environment will serve for them. Water Preservation and Conservation Preservation of aqua life is also equally as important in maintaining a healthy environment. Developments in the society have pushed people towards over consumption of water resources. In addition, the commercialization rampant in every country has turned every water resource into either an industrial or commercial site. Thus, actions are needed towards recovering and conserving what is left of the planet’s water resources. In United States, the campaign in passing a National Healthy Oceans Act is being pushed. It is believed that upon the approval of the act, a cohesive national policy will be pushed to revitalize and revive the oceans. If this materializes, the protection of what is left in the country’s marine life shall be restored and protected (â€Å"Ocean Solutions,† n. d). In addition to this act, the development of underwater parks is also being suggested. The establishment of protected marine areas shall help preserve the rich marine life by allowing marine species to reproduce, thus providing a more balanced and diverse marine ecosystem (â€Å"Ocean Solutions,† n. d). In line with this, certain policies are also pushed which shall ensure that destructive fishing shall be stopped and violators will be properly reprimanded. It is necessary to know that use of destructive fishing will deliberately decrease marine diversity. Such policies will also promote for the prevention of occurrences of water pollution. Water pollution further hastens the development of water damage to natural systems. Thus, the government has provided ways to ensure that sewage systems are being monitored in order to prevent leakages that can further contribute to marine death. In addition to these, several conservation designs have been suggested in order to strengthen the campaign of water resources protection. These conservation designs include the formation of clusters and landscapes which shall enable the prevention of excessive water runoffs. Examples of these landscapes include trenches, basins, rain gardens and vegetated treatment systems among the others (â€Å"Green Remediation,† 2008). Moreover, military sonars are being put under restrictions. Military activities over time were proven to have induced harmful effects upon water resources, and as such, activities of this kind must be minimized. If these steps shall be taken, people can help curb the probable adverse effects of global warming. At the rate that global warming is currently occurring in the planet, the planet’s aquamarine resources are predicted to suffer from grave effects it may bring. Thus, being keen in preventing the further intoxication of the marine resources through excessive emission of carbon dioxide in bodies of water, people can help in sustaining and protecting the growth of diverse biofuels (â€Å"Ocean Solutions,† n. d). Air Quality Protection Every individual needs clean air in order to attain a healthy life. Maintaining the natural ecology by giving priority in the protection of trees also helps in cleaning the planet’s air resources. However, there are direct plans which can be done in order to strengthen the society’s position in keeping the atmosphere free from toxic gases. Green remediation activities that come in forms of certain policies can enormously aid in building standards necessary for protecting the atmosphere. Provisions made under Clean Air Act, Energy Policy Act and Energy Independence and Security Act are few of the policy programs which if followed can assist in maintaining clean air within the country (â€Å"Green Remediation,† 2008). Through these acts, it will be made clear that equipments needed in the manufacturing industry will be checked to make sure that companies comply in the reduced emission of harmful gases. These efforts will ensure that heavy equipments and vehicles are functioning properly in such a way that air protection opportunities are being guaranteed to work. Waste Management Given the three important aspects of environment which greatly need attention and protection, a proper and efficient waste management system also contributes to the prevention of environmental degradation. Aside from direct plans involving the environmental maintenance and revival, there are also activities which are seeking to prevent further degradation of the surroundings. In this light, an activity such as â€Å"Reduce, Reuse and Recycle† program is being initiated which is expected to increase the environment’s sustenance against pollution. In the event that this will be strictly observed, this will be of great help in pursuing waste reduction by recycling materials that can still used (â€Å"Reduce, Reuse and Recycle,† 2008). Thus, such activity will help save environment and at the same time, it will also help alleviate poverty by making use of trash materials as a source of livelihood. In general, a feasible waste management practice must take into consideration the opportunity of giving a worthy cause for livelihood while eliminating the threats to the environment. Ideally, an effective waste management system is geared towards (1) conserving landfill space; (2) reducing the environmental impacts coming from wastes while reducing the cost of producing new materials from old and used materials; and (3) reducing the overall project expenses by avoiding new and more expensive purchases and unnecessary disposal costs (â€Å"Green Remediation,† 2008). A Sustainable Development A greater understanding of the environment’s delicateness and vulnerability will lead the people towards the developing a greater sense of concern with how one makes positive use of the rich natural resources provided by the environment. However, even if the people will make use of environmental resources with outmost caution, there are resources that are cannot be renewed and replenished, or resources that take too long before they can be replenished. This then brings into light the importance of how to use our resources in a sustainable way. Though resources may be renewed and replenished, it is still necessary to know how to use them properly while allotting time for these resources to be replenished according to the pace that suits them. Trees and forest reserves are examples of renewable resources. While trees and forest can always be replenished, humans who make use of it should be careful in consuming the richness and wealth that these resources provide us. As such, people must be keen on knowing when it is time to start making actions towards ensuring that such resources will be given an ample time to replenish that resources that have already been utilized by humans. Consequently, nonrenewable resources are also present in the environment. These include the nature’s fossil reserves. Fossil fuels though are still currently rampant within the environment are nonrenewable resources, which if used inappropriately will soon become scarce. Thus, it is the obligation of human beings to know how to carefully and prudently use these resources in such a way that future generations will still have enough to make use of for their own development. In this light, renewable energy resources must be integrated properly to ensure future abundance and proliferation. And on the other hand, alternatives must be provided as replacements to nonrenewable resources. The utilization of solar and wind alternatives can be useful instead of continuously relying to nonrenewable fossil reserves as energy sources (â€Å"Green Remediation,† 2008). Thus, if these are given proper attention, while prolonging the life of the nature’s nonrenewable resources and protecting the environment, this can also help the economy in reducing country costs and liabilities. Ideally, an effective system in managing renewable and nonrenewable energy sources may result in the: (1) decrease in fossil fuel prices while ensuring long-term benefits and cost savings; (2) lowering the demand and reliability on traditional energy resources; (3) reducing the emissions from fossil fuel consumption; and (4) widening the opportunities for new market and job creation (â€Å"Green Remediation,† 2008). Environment Protection: Translation Towards Human and Economic Development As previously mentioned, the planet’s rich natural resources serve as the people’s basic source of livelihood. Without these resources, people will be left with nothing to feed on, no shelter and no means to survive. Thus, it is widely believed that poverty and environment are two interrelated concepts that humans must be able to grasp in order to attain the fullest potential that humans can attain. A report following the researches conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) concluded that to be able to battle poverty, people must turn towards environmental protection. The relationship between the two is linked in a â€Å"downward spiral† wherein the poorest among the nation are those who have extracted their environmental resources towards the limits without being keen on replenishing them. Thus, environmental degradation has further impoverished people due to lack of education and knowledge to keep the resources alive (â€Å"UNDP-EC Poverty and Environment Initiative,† 2004). Thus, the goal set up by the UNDP Environment Initiative is to provide practitioners and policy makers in identifying solutions towards equipping the people with proper knowledge on how to take care of natural resources while allowing them the privilege of making use of the environment’s richness. Given the immense importance of environmental resources to the lives of every people living in the planet, it is of great necessity that people must learn how to utilize these resources in such a way that the environment retains its healthy form and condition. The processes, policies and projects stated beforehand are bright solutions towards maintaining a sustainable development. The environment is one of the best gifts bestowed upon human beings. Observing â€Å"green† practices and making sure that environmental protection is put at first priority on top of human selfishness and recklessness will benefit not only the environment itself, but more specially human beings who are largely dependent on the gifts that environment provides. References Grassfarming Benefits the Environment. (2008). Eatwild. Retrieved July 29, 2008, from http://www. eatwild. com/environment. html Green Remediation: Incorporating Sustainable Environmental Practices Into Remediation of Contaminated Sites. (2008). United States Environmental Protection Agency. Ocean Solutions. (n. d) NRDC. Retrieved July 29, 2008, from http://oceans. nrdc. org/solutions Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. (2008) The Green Flag Program. Retrieved July 29, 2008, from http://www. greenflagschools. org/mshs/project_areas/ Rozeff, M. S. (2007) What is Environmentalism? LewRockwell. com. Retrieved July 29, 2008, from http://www. lewrockwell. com/rozeff/rozeff151. html Tree Trimming and Landscaping: Balancing Beauty and Reliability. (2008) Knoxville Utilities Board. Retrieved July 29, 2008, from http://www. kub. org/wps/portal/! ut/p/c1/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gPC1OnYE8TIwMDlwAnAyMfl1BLU1c3D1cPA_1wkA68KvDKG-GXDzQzhMgb4ACOBvp-Hvm5qfoF2dlBHuWOigCUwDZj/dl2/d1/L3dJMjJZZyEhL0lCakFBQVFnQUlUQ0FBaUNJQUNBb2dBSUJ1d0FDR0EhL1lCcDNwSnchLzZfSDg1QlNJNDIwMERQQjAyTERVOTVFRkhFNjA! / UNDP-EC Poverty and Environment Initiative. (2004) United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved July 30, 2008, from http://www. undp. org/seed/pei/

Deception Point Page 96

But he heard the explosion. 117 The West Wing was usually quiet at this hour, but the President's unexpected emergence in his bathrobe and slippers had rustled the aides and on-site staff out of their â€Å"day-timer beds† and on-site sleeping quarters. â€Å"I can't find her, Mr. President,† a young aide said, hurrying after him into the Oval Office. He had looked everywhere. â€Å"Ms. Tench is not answering her pager or cellphone.† The President looked exasperated. â€Å"Have you looked in the-â€Å" â€Å"She left the building, sir,† another aide announced, hurrying in. â€Å"She signed out about an hour ago. We think she may have gone to the NRO. One of the operators says she and Pickering were talking tonight.† â€Å"William Pickering?† The President sounded baffled. Tench and Pickering were anything but social. â€Å"Have you called him?† â€Å"He's not answering either, sir. NRO switchboard can't reach him. They say Pickering's cellphone isn't even ringing. It's like he's dropped off the face of the earth.† Herney stared at his aides for a moment and then walked to the bar and poured himself a bourbon. As he raised the glass to his lips, a Secret Serviceman hurried in. â€Å"Mr. President? I wasn't going to wake you, but you should be aware that there was a car bombing at the FDR Memorial tonight.† â€Å"What!† Herney almost dropped his drink. â€Å"When?† â€Å"An hour ago.† His face was grim. â€Å"And the FBI just identified the victim†¦ â€Å" 118 Delta-Three's foot screamed in pain. He felt himself floating through a muddled consciousness. Is this death? He tried to move but felt paralyzed, barely able to breathe. He saw only blurred shapes. His mind reeled back, recalling the explosion of the Crestliner out at sea, seeing the rage in Michael Tolland's eyes as the oceanographer stood over him, holding the explosive pole to his throat. Certainly Tolland killed me†¦ And yet the searing pain in Delta-Three's right foot told him he was very much alive. Slowly it came back. On hearing the explosion of the Crestliner, Tolland had let out a cry of anguished rage for his lost friend. Then, turning his ravaged eyes to Delta-Three, Tolland had arched as if preparing to ram the rod through Delta-Three's throat. But as he did, he seemed to hesitate, as if his own morality were holding him back. With brutal frustration and fury, Tolland yanked the rod away and drove his boot down on Delta-Three's tattered foot. The last thing Delta-Three remembered was vomiting in agony as his whole world drifted into a black delirium. Now he was coming to, with no idea how long he had been unconscious. He could feel his arms tied behind his back in a knot so tight it could only have been tied by a sailor. His legs were also bound, bent behind him and tied to his wrists, leaving him in an immobilized backward arch. He tried to call out, but no sound came. His mouth was stuffed with something. Delta-Three could not imagine what was going on. It was then he felt the cool breeze and saw the bright lights. He realized he was up on the Goya's main deck. He twisted to look for help and was met by a frightful sight, his own reflection-bulbous and misshapen in the reflective Plexiglas bubble of the Goya's deepwater submersible. The sub hung right in front of him, and Delta-Three realized he was lying on a giant trapdoor in the deck. This was not nearly as unsettling as the most obvious question. If I'm on deck†¦ then where is Delta-Two? Delta-Two had grown uneasy. Despite his partner's CrypTalk transmission claiming he was fine, the single gunshot had not been that of a machine gun. Obviously, Tolland or Rachel Sexton had fired a weapon. Delta-Two moved over to peer down the ramp where his partner had descended, and he saw blood. Weapon raised, he had descended belowdecks, where he followed the trail of blood along a catwalk to the bow of the ship. Here, the trail of blood had led him back up another ramp to the main deck. It was deserted. With growing wariness, Delta-Two had followed the long crimson smear along the sideboard deck back toward the rear of the ship, where it passed the opening to the original ramp he had descended. What the hell is going on? The smear seemed to travel in a giant circle. Moving cautiously, his gun trained ahead of him, Delta-Two passed the entrance to the laboratory section of the ship. The smear continued toward the stern deck. Carefully he swung wide, rounding the corner. His eye traced the trail. Then he saw it. Jesus Christ! Delta-Three was lying there-bound and gagged-dumped unceremoniously directly in front of the Goya's small submersible. Even from a distance, Delta-Two could see that his partner was missing a good portion of his right foot. Wary of a trap, Delta-Two raised his gun and moved forward. Delta-Three was writhing now, trying to speak. Ironically, the way the man had been bound-with his knees sharply bent behind him-was probably saving his life; the bleeding in his foot appeared to have slowed. As Delta-Two approached the submersible, he appreciated the rare luxury of being able to watch his own back; the entire deck of the ship was reflected in the sub's rounded cockpit dome. Delta-Two arrived at his struggling partner. He saw the warning in his eyes too late. The flash of silver came out of nowhere. One of the Triton's manipulator claws suddenly leaped forward and clamped down on Delta-Two's left thigh with crushing force. He tried to pull away, but the claw bore down. He screamed in pain, feeling a bone break. His eyes shot to the sub's cockpit. Peering through the reflection of the deck, Delta-Two could now see him, ensconced in the shadows of the Triton's interior. Michael Tolland was inside the sub, at the controls. Bad idea, Delta-Two seethed, blocking out his pain and shouldering his machine gun. He aimed up and to the left at Tolland's chest, only three feet away on the other side of the sub's Plexiglas dome. He pulled the trigger, and the gun roared. Wild with rage at having been tricked, Delta-Two held the trigger back until the last of his shells clattered to the deck and his gun clicked empty. Breathless, he dropped the weapon and glared at the shredded dome in front of him. â€Å"Dead!† the soldier hissed, straining to pull his leg from the clamp. As he twisted, the metal clamp severed his skin, opening a large gash. â€Å"Fuck!† He reached now for the CrypTalk on his belt. But as he raised it to his lips, a second robotic arm snapped open in front of him and lunged forward, clamping around his right arm. The CrypTalk fell to the deck. It was then that Delta-Two saw the ghost in the window before him. A pale visage leaning sideways and peering out through an unscathed edge of glass. Stunned, Delta-Two looked at the center of the dome and realized the bullets had not even come close to penetrating the thick shell. The dome was cratered with pockmarks. An instant later, the topside portal on the sub opened, and Michael Tolland emerged. He looked shaky but unscathed. Climbing down the aluminum gangway, Tolland stepped onto the deck and eyed his sub's destroyed dome window. â€Å"Ten thousand pounds per square inch,† Tolland said. â€Å"Looks like you need a bigger gun.† Inside the hydrolab, Rachel knew time was running out. She had heard the gunshots out on the deck and was praying that everything had happened exactly as Tolland had planned. She no longer cared who was behind the meteorite deception-the NASA administrator, Marjorie Tench, or the President himself-none of it mattered anymore. They will not get away with this. Whoever it is, the truth will be told. The wound on Rachel's arm had stopped bleeding, and the adrenaline coursing through her body had muted the pain and sharpened her focus. Finding a pen and paper, she scrawled a two-line message. The words were blunt and awkward, but eloquence was not a luxury she had time for at the moment. She added the note to the incriminating stack of papers in her hand-the GPR printout, images of Bathynomous giganteus, photos and articles regarding oceanic chondrules, an electron microscan printout. The meteorite was a fake, and this was the proof.

Policy and Strategy in Global Competition Essay

Discussion Question 11.1: Why is it important for an organization to have alignment between its strategy and organizational structure? The relationship between an organization’s strategy and structure are extremely important because it â€Å"directly impacts a firm’s performance† (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 309). Also, as an organization grows, it should reevaluate the current strategy and structure to ensure that it remains the optimal choice for the organization (Rothaermel, 2013). The four types of organizational structures, listed in order of least to most complex according to Rothaermel (2013), are: (1) simple, (2) functional, (3) multidivisional, and (4) matrix. The simple structure is for small firms or organizations that are just starting out (Rothaermel, 2013). The decision-making structure is quite flat, as â€Å"the founders tend to make all the important strategic decisions† (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 309). Growth will often cause the higher-ups to feel o verwhelmed under this type of structure, requiring the organization to adopt a different, more complex structure (Rothaermel, 2013). A functional structure groups employees into teams, allowing for increased decision-making at lower levels of the managerial chain (Rothaermel, 2013). The opportunity for specialization allows for the functional structure to be employed with each of the business-level strategies: cost leadership, differentiation, or integration (Rothaermel, 2013). One of the hurdles to overcome would be the likely increase in difficulties which arise from departmentalization of the varying teams (Rothaermel, 2013). The best way to overcome such a hurdle is through cross-functional teams (Rothaermel, 2013). Whenever the organization seeks greater diversification, into varying product lines and service offerings, it will likely look into utilizing a multidivisional structure (Rothaermel, 2013). Under this structure, the organization is further compartmentalized  into strategic business units (â€Å"SBUs†) which are governed by their own profit-and-loss (â€Å"P&L†) responsibilities (Rothaermel, 2013). At this level, each of the SBUs is viewed as its own independent entity, pursuing its own profit-creating goals (Rothaermel, 2013). While organizations with a corporate-level strategy with a single or dominant business would be best served by a functional structure, organizations seeking related or unrelated diversification would be wise to utilize a multidivisional structure (Rothaermel, 2013). Lastly, the matrix structure is a combination of the functional and multidivisional structures (Rothaermel, 2013). It is most appropriate when an organization needs a structure which allows for both centralized and decentralized decision-making, and can be organized by geographic areas and product divisions (Rothaermel, 2013). While a global strategy does not automatically lend to a matrix structure, a transnational strategy which has the requirements above is better served through a matrix structure (Rothaermel, 2013). Discussion Question 11.3(a): What commonalities across the products would likely be enhanced by flexible cross-functional teams? Gore has product lines which include consumer products like guitar strings and vacuum filters, cables and cable assemblies, electronic and electrochemical materials, fabrics, fibers, filtration products, medical products, pharmaceutical processing, sealants, and venting products (Gore, 2015). Its product lines are used in industries ranging from aerospace and automotive to military and textiles (Gore, 2015). Gore utilizes cross-functional teams to help develop its many products within varying lines (Rothaermel, 2013). Cross-functional teams allow for individuals from differing functional areas within an organization to temporarily come together and work on a particular project (Rothaermel, 2013). These teams would allow for the differing products, though developed for a particular function, to be developed for use in more than one of the organization’s products (Rothaermel, 2013). As an example, the cables developed for aeronautics can likely be used in other electronic or automotive applications if developed by members from the appropriate cross-functional teams. Discussion Question 11.3(b): What would be your expectations of the type of norms found at W. L. Gore? Organizational norms â€Å"define appropriate employee attitudes and behaviors† (Rothaermel, 2013, p. 318). The norms which exist at Gore likely arise from founder imprinting,  which means that Bill Gore, the founder of W. L. Gore & Associates, has helped to establish and define the company’s culture (Rothaermel, 2013). The organization’s four core values, stated succinctly, are: (1) fairness, (2) freedom, (3) individual commitment, and (4) consultation and collaboration (Rothaermel, 2013). These values, coupled with the open nature of the organization’s structure, result in organizational norms which encourage the free exchange of ideas and collaboration up and down the organizational ladder (Rothaermel, 2013). Employees, associates as they are called at Gore, likely show great respect to one another and to the customers for whom their products are developed (Rothaermel, 2013). Chapter 12 Discussion Question 12.1: How can a firm lower the chances that key managers will pursue their own self-interest at the expense of the stockholders? At the expense of the employees? Corporate governance tools are utilized to help align the interests of principals and agents, or organizations and employees (Rothaermel, 2013). A board of directors is one such tool which helps to prevent key managers to avoid pursuing their own self-interest at the expense of the stockholders (Rothaermel, 2013). A board of directors is independent, made up of both inside and outside directors, and answers directly to the shareholders (Rothaermel, 2013). Another tool is executive compensation which links compensation to the performance of the company (Rothaermel, 2013). This means that the CEO would receive certain stock options in lieu of pay (Rothaermel, 2013). If the company’s stocks are doing well, likely showing that the company is successfully operating, then the CEO receives greater value in the stock options (Rothaermel, 2013). The concept of the market as a corporate control has the potential to protect both stockholders’ and employees’ interests through a key manager’s fear of being replaced if the company performs poorly (Rothaermel, 2013). If a company is not performing well, then the stock prices will begin to plummet, increasing the opportunity for an entity to purchase enough shares to exert significant control over the company (Rothaermel, 2013). Such control would likely result in the removal of current management, and possibly the dismantling of the organization (Rothaermel, 2013). This clearly injures the management, employees, and shareholders of the failing organization. As  such, managers are motivated by the external market to perform well, thereby protecting the interests of stockholders and employees alike (Rothaermel, 2013). Discussion Question 12.2: Why are these two roles typically separated? Is it a positive development for so many firms to have a combined CEO and board chair? The two roles of management and ownership are typically separated to ensure that the board of directors maintains its necessary independence (Rothaermel, 2013). Where a board of directors is   The decline stage differs from those above, as it introduces four strategic options for firms to pursue: (1) exit, (2) harvest, (3) maintain, and (4) consolidate (Rothaermel, 2013). The exit strategy is precisely as it says: it involves the firm choosing to leave the market to pursue other endeavors (Rothaermel, 2013). The harvest strategy means that the firm will still sell the product or service, but will reduce the level of investment in its maintenance and development (Rothaermel, 2013). The maintain strategy is also exactly what it sounds like: the firm continues offering the product or service at the same level as it has been, despite the declining demand (Rothaermel, 2013). The consolidate strategy involves the purchasing of rivals in an effort to shrink the industry, which provides firms employing this strategy to reach near-monopolistic status (Rothaermel, 2013). References Rothaermel, F. T. (2013). Strategic Management. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Walmart. Our story. Retrieved on January 25, 2015, from http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/

Technology of Management in Organization Assignment

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Implications Of Digital Panopticism And Profiling Essay

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