Complex Interactions And Shifting Ideals Shroud Our...

Complex interactions and shifting ideals shroud our country’s policy process. In an effort to better conceptualize and demystify this process, frameworks such as Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Approach (MSA) seeks to offer political actors a model of how social problems transform into living policies. Multiple Streams Approach proposes that existing social circumstances, when rightly redefined in policy proposals and paired with the ideal political climate, can lead to productive political decision-making. Though ambiguous in its make-up, MSA is a great model to use when attempting to name the key factors involved in policy making. Multiple Streams Approach suggests that the policy making process, oddly enough, flourishes in this opaqueness because we as political actors are not limited by distinctions (Zahariadis, 2014). MSA consists of three streams - problem framing, policy solutions, and political decision-making-that when brought together under the right conditions ca n produce change. The first of these streams, problem definition, seeks to rename the problem. In redefining an issue in terms the opposition understands, the issue has a better chance of gathering political support for its cause. One of the most vivid examples of how redefining has succeeded is the use of the definition â€Å"sociopolitical† when discussing disability issues. Before this, disability issues had been framed in the policy making arena through a medical and an economic standpoint, resulting in aShow MoreRelatedRobotic Assisted Surgery16730 Words   |  67 Pagesnew revolution in surgery and is one of the most talked about subjects in surgery. The extent of robotic surgery is still evolving today. Reviews of articles and websites about robotic surgery were researched and have been described in our research paper. Throughout our research we learned that there are many advantages of using robots to assist in surgery. The history and development of surgical robo ts were identified as well as the political influences, economic issues, physiological issues, culturalRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesmanaging, organizing and reflecting on both formal and informal structures, and in this respect you will find this book timely, interesting and valuable. Peter Holdt Christensen, Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark McAuley et al.’s book is thought-provoking, witty and highly relevant for understanding contemporary organizational dilemmas. The book engages in an imaginative way with a wealth of organizational concepts and theories as well as provides insightful examples from theRead MoreQuality Improvement328284 Words   |  1314 Pages an elected member of the International Statistical Institute, and an elected Academican of the International Academy of Quality. He is a Shewhart Medalist of the American Society for Quality, and he also has received the Brumbaugh Award, the Lloyd S. Nelson Awar d, the William G. Hunter Award, and two Shewell Awards from the ASQ. He is a recipient of the Ellis R. Ott Award. He is a former editor of the Journal of Quality Technology, is one of the current chief editors of Quality and Reliability Engineering

Traits and Values Associated with Femininity in Antigone

ANTIGONE The conventionally accepted roles of both males and females in ancient Grecian society were well defined and manifested. Women were considered the weaker of the sexes and, thus, were expected to remain in the home and perform their domestic duties, while the men were to be rulers and bread-winners. The woman’s voice was not heard on any issues affecting the society as her opinions were thought unworthy of consideration. She was required merely to reproduce, to execute her domestic duties well and to submit incontestably to the authority of the men. In essence the Greeks valued their women almost as little as a common slave was valued. These values and traits associated with femininity in ancient Grecian societies are†¦show more content†¦Property ownership could only be achieved through gifts, dowry and inheritance. The most important role of women in ancient Greece, especially married women, was considered to be the production of lawful children and the execution if household chores. Also she was required to literally remain inside the home, except she was attending a special event as in those days women found in the streets were either assumed to be enslaved, a harlot, a concubine or a woman who had to find work outside of the home because of poverty (Thompson, par.8). It was also considered respectable for a woman to remain out of sight and audible range when the man of the house had guests. Evidently, women of ancient Greece were subjected to what modern day women may consider harsh and unfair treatment as a result of some irrational beliefs and practices that were given judicial recognition. Because of fear of facing the consequences that may arise from contesting these laws, many women living during that period made no attempt to do so. So they remained as they were considered to be – weak and helpless – because of fear. Sophocles’ mythical anecdote of Antigone, however, shows the apparently unseen characteristics of w omen, though not all women, in ancient Greece. They were not as weak, helpless and unwise as they were believed to have been but were strong willed individuals, possessing strong characters and competent of making sound decisions.

Mergers and Acquisition Pharmaceutical & Diagnostic Innovation

Question: Identify all of the information you would need to effectively manage the three goals above.? Identify the challenges and potential issues related to implementing the three goals above.? Develop recommendations for strategies to address these challenges and help the newly formed company meet its goals. ? Answer: Introduction: Company A found in 1956 in Mobile, Alabama was recently acquired by Company B headquartered in San Francisco, California. These two companies have been rivals in the market for many years. The acquisition of Company A has impacted their employees to a large extent. The employees of Company A resented the collaboration with their former rivals ('Corporate Activity Mergers and Acquisition', 2005). Goals and objectives: Company B has formulated some goals that it wants to achieve as part of the acquisition program. As part of the Communication and Sharing of Information, it has adopted the following objectives- The employees should be adequately informed regarding the impact of the acquisition of Company A. Company B wants to be sure of the fact that the communication timings match the change in the implementation of new policies. Permanent or temporary suspension of employees is the evident consequence of the acquisition. Company B wants to ensure that employees of both companies are not affected by the decision of the management. Another objective the company has thought of is sharing the maximum possible information with their employees but to a limited extent. To manage the harassment caused to the employees due to re location as a result of an acquisition. To take the correct decision regarding layoffs. Avoid discrimination in fields of age and gender (DePamphilis, 2008). Information needed to manage the goals: For the attainment of the above mentioned goals, it is important for Mergers Acquisitions to research the market reaction and future growth thoroughly. The reaction of acquisition may be favorable or unfavorable among the employees, shareholders, clients, owners, managers, etc. The case study conducted reveals that the perception of the participants of the market is important in a case of MA transaction. The employees should be informed of the benefit of the deal prior to which Company A should research the benefits itself before surrendering to Company B. Both companies should judge whether the acquisition will help the target company sees a rise in the companys shares or not. Company B should offer a price for the shares of Company A that is higher than the rivals (Maizi, 2014). Thorough research should be conducted regarding the stock price both present and previous. The acquisition means a change in the policies of the company. The impact information should well-evaluated among all the hierarchal levels in the organization. The communication strategies newly adopted should be convenient enough for both the employees of A and B. The case study focuses on the impact the new management has on every employee. Some employees have reacted favorably while others have rejected it. For those who have rejected the new policies, negotiations and compensations are to be offered ('Mergers Acquisitions Review 2005', 2006). A statistical report is to be obtained regarding the age, gender, willingness to relocate, personal details like members of a family, annual income, etc. to take correct decisions regarding layoffs, relocation. The average age of the employees of Company A is 57. This means the employees lie in the elderly group so they cannot be asked to relocate. Likewise Company B comprises of employees of the age group 35 that means they can be easily shifted. Women constitute 50% of Company B, and their needs are to be kept in mind while fulfilling the goals of the company ('Mergers Acquisitions Review 2014', 2015). The case study proves that unlawful discrimination should be avoided and prevents layoffs as much as possible. Acquisition leads to evident termination of the employment of the workers, and Company B should not discriminate between aged and young employees. Only the work capability and the usefulness of the particular employee to the company must be considered while taking decisions regarding layoffs. Women who are less in number in Company A should not be made a victim of layoffs. The company, to avoid a disparate impact, should terminate people those who are not productive any longer. Challenges of Acquisition: Company B and Company A may face the following potential threats in the acquisition and merging process as found in the case study. Working in a global environment- As both the companies have their headquarters in two different countries this may cause a communication barrier in the discharge of managerial decisions. This complicates the process of transferring the best practices of communication. The case study suggests that the managers of both companies should not assume that their knowledge base is applicable universally. The fact must be given due importance that the diverse culture in the companies has the possibility of varying performance. But in the case of Company A and Company B were 40% and 45%peopleare Caucasians, employees would likely find a similar culture but at the same time many people are also from different backgrounds and the senior management team should handle them with care. Language Barriers- The case study also suggests that the both companies must be ready to counter the language problems that it might face due to a mixture in the employees. A communication problem might arise so information that is concerned with employees must be translated into both or all the languages that the employees understand so that their questions can be answered timely. Employees belonging to both cultures must be educated in the language that they do not know so that effective communication can take place, and maximum productivity can be reached (Nilsen Olsen, 2005). Strategic Planning- Human resource team does not usually gain sufficient knowledge regarding the target companies before signing off the deal. Thus, case study states that before becoming a part of the MA strategy, companies should Screen talent and culture very early, or they would have to fix the problem later which might be time-consuming. Communication Training- The case study portrays that even the most successful companies are not experts in the different levels of merger and acquisition process. Due to the ongoing business activity that the company has to engage in it cannot devote unlimited time to the acquisition activity. Company B should take the help of an expert to face these issues. Since there is a shift in the employee base, their performance needs to be closely monitored. The customer feedback should be given importance to analyze the employee performance. Planning and the integration process may pose a problem so Company B should start the process early. The company should focus on checking the progress of the employees frequently. Once the integration process is started, it may be difficult to redirect the activity. But if required it should be endured to obtain the desired results (Sandy, Aven Ford, 2005). Sharing of Information- The case study reveals that since employees of Company A have been merged with those of Company B they might feel a left out which hinders the progress of the employees performance. New employees might be resistant towards the policies of Company B. Staffing- The companies may face the problem of fall in the employee productivity. As staffing decisions are to be made on a huge scale, there may be some errors in the creativity or efficiency of the performance of the new employees. Seeing them the morale of the existing employees also gets affected. Attraction and Retention- Employees of Company A may lose their compensation and benefits programs that they previously used to get in their company. The strategy planning HR should work in close coordination with the other departments to provide the same benefits to the new employees (Savovic, 2012). Recommendations: The case study provides the following recommendations that the managers can take up to ensure enhanced productivity of both the companies- Risk management should be properly conducted to avoid any chaos in the workplace. Coverage must be reviewed thoroughly. The products involved must be identified, and old products and services must be updated. It is important for the company to check the own liquidity and financial health. The company must assess whether it can process their transactions successfully. The company must focus on having enough liquidity. It should also have the ability to sustain investment. The structure of the capital must be structured so that it can bear the added strain (Vachon, 2007). The HR manager must have the ability to forecast and solve the challenges both financial and organizational. Bringing in executives who are specialized in this field may help to break the communication barriers. The target benefits and transactions must be clearly conveyed to the employees. If the existing management has to stay then, adequate provisions have to be taken to bear the compensations. Both the company employees must be equally informed about the policies. If layoffs have to take place then, a one-to-one meeting is very essential so as not to earn any hard feelings. The goals and strategies that are now revised must be clearly defined.The case study suggests that both competitive and future positions should be well analyzed. The Strategy planner should consider factors like will the set goals increase the companys market share or not. The company must also decide whether it wants to enter market contiguous or remain in the existing ones (Zheng Ho, n.d.). Acquisition of new products, capital and techniques are to be given utmost importance. References: Corporate Activity Mergers and Acquisition. (2005).Pharmaceutical Diagnostic Innovation,3(10), 18-21. doi:10.1007/bf03257006 DePamphilis, D. (2008).Mergers, acquisitions, and other restructuring activities. Amsterdam: Elservier/Academic Press. Hansson, S. (2005). Seven Myths of Risk.Risk Management,7(2), 7-17. doi:10.1057/palgrave.rm.8240209 Maizi, S. (2014). Controlling von Mergers Acquisitions.CON,26(12), 717-719. doi:10.15358/0935-0381_2014_12_717 Mergers Acquisitions Review 2005. (2006).Pump Industry Analyst,2006(1), 9-11. doi:10.1016/s1359-6128(06)71221-6 Mergers Acquisitions Review 2014. (2015).Filtration Industry Analyst,2015(1), 5-6. doi:10.1016/s1365-6937(15)30014-9 Nilsen, A., Olsen, O. (2005). Different StrategiesEqual Practice? Risk Assessment and Management in Municipalities.Risk Management,7(2), 37-47. doi:10.1057/palgrave.rm.8240211 Raz, T., Hillson, D. (2005). A Comparative Review of Risk Management Standards.Risk Management,7(4), 53-66. doi:10.1057/palgrave.rm.8240227 Sandy, M., Aven, T., Ford, D. (2005). On Integrating Risk Perspectives in Project Management.Risk Management,7(4), 7-21. doi:10.1057/palgrave.rm.8240224 Savovic, S. (2012). The importance of post-acquisition integration for value creation and success of mergers and acquisitions.Ekon Horizonti,14(3), 193-205. doi:10.5937/ekonhor1203193s Vachon, D. (2007).Mergers acquisitions. New York: Riverhead Books. Zheng, L., Ho, K. Short Sales, Payment Methods, and Mergers and Acquisition Announcements.SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.1663640